Pokémon speech in Pokémon language = "Pokémon speech in Pokémon language"
Human Speech = "Human Speech"
Pokémon Thoughts/highlighted text = 'Pokémon thoughts/highlighted text'
Human Thoughts/highlighted text = 'thoughts/highlighted text'
Chapter 012 – A Burp and a Stone
As the gang enjoyed a warm day at the beach, soaking in the sun, Ash's thoughts drifted to what was next to come. The Vermilion gym had been a success – he got the Thunder badge and Pichu was back to being a Pikachu, but that was just the beginning.
He had been thinking about all the little things they had experienced throughout their first run of Kanto, but so far, they had yet to deal with anything from before. Some things were good, like the S.S Anne not existing (drowning at sea was not on his to-do list anytime soon). Others, he wasn't quite sure what to think of – he couldn't find Prof. Cerise's lab where it used to be in Vermilion city, and he had no luck finding either Goh or Chloe or their families in Vermillion, which was worrying. Still, he had Bulbasaur looking into it – having a team full of Pokémon that could do nearly anything in modern society was pretty damm awesome, even if they did have to keep it a secret.
But for now, their next stop would be Cerulean City – he felt confident enough to take on Misty's sisters and hearing about how capable they were as battlers (instead of the previously just hot models who were mostly incompetent trainers), especially her oldest sister Daisy who could apparently give Lorelei a run for her money, had him all fired up about his next gym challenge.
But first, his hands had an appointment with some sunscreen and Misty's back…
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Life was definitely odd in Rockruff's opinion. Sure, he was no longer a Lycanroc, but through some impossible means, he now had a mother in the form of Kahuna Olivia's partner. Though, he was a bit worried about where the rest of the gang was – nearly three months without waking up Lei with a nuzzle still felt wrong, even if he could now nuzzle with Mama Lycanroc.
But now, he was on Melemele Island with his mother and Olivia, who was meeting with the other Kahuna's – Hala, Nanu, and a grumpy-looking old man that had a beard braided into intricate knots held together with enough beads to fill up a jewelry store – he oddly reminded him of that old man minus the beads from that movie series that Kukui was a fan of (Gretel the grumpy? Gregory the Gaunt? Ginger the Gingerbread Man?).
But suddenly, he picked up a scent, one that he was rather familiar with. Racing into the shrubbery by Kahuna Hala's cottage he rammed headfirst into a ball of black and red fur, eliciting a yelp of both irritation and recognition.
"Incineroar! You're here! And you're tiny too!"
"Lycanroc you little brat…"
"Hey! Who are' ya calling little? I'm technically larger than you!"
"I agree to disagree…"
"Pup. Who is this?" asked whom Litten recognized as Olivia's Lycanroc.
"Mommy! This is umm…my new friend Litten!" replied Rockruff, hoping that his mother would buy it – while he was no genius by any means, he had a good feeling that explaining that he somehow knew Litten while having never left her sight would definitely raise some questions that he didn't know or feel about answering…
"Oh? Ok then – it's good to make some friends your size – you won't grow big and strong without an equal to challenge you little one". And with that parting statement, Lycanroc left the duo alone to their devices.
…
"Ok…so Olivia's Lycanroc is now your mom?"
"Yep. So…do you know what's going on?"
"Well…"
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
In a large fitting room on the upper level of a Chateau in a sprawling estate, six women could be seen, engaged in various tasks, all centered around a seventh young woman, still in her teenage years. All throughout the Chateau, various maids, butlers, and assistants were going about, arranging, and preparing for some sort of large event.
Said teen was thinking over the upcoming event that was the source of all the hustle and bustle in the Chateau, seeing as it was pretty much centered around her. Her sixteenth birthday. The day from which men would begin to attempt to court her for her hand, followed by her eighteenth birthday when a man would claim the right to the title of the royal consort, bestowed when she eventually took the throne on her twenty-fifth birthday, succeeding her grandfather.
Unfortunately, she knew that this, and the many other similar events and balls that were to follow were for all intents and purposes a game of finding the 'most appropriate' man for the job as her future consort, something that she was all but certain would never lead to a marriage of love. At best, her future husband would be a friend that she might somewhat like but most likely never love, and at worst, a piece of shit that she would tolerate until she got pregnant with an heir and a spare, after which he would be disposed of. Said thoughts, while morbid, were the truth.
And unfortunately for her, the chances of finding the perfect man that she could fall in love with who would love her back, and who just so happened to be a capable and well-connected noble that her family would approve of were near zero.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Just outside Lumiose City…
Froakie was one unhappy water type – who wouldn't be after nearly two months of traversing Kalos with no set goal in mind yet achieved – he and Hawlucha had yet to meet up with any of the other members of the Kalos Crew – human or Pokémon. And right now, they were leaving Vaniville town empty-handed, unable to find any information on either Serena or her mother, let alone said individuals.
"To Lumiose city then brother Greninja?"
"Yes." sighed the water-type starter.
"I feel your frustration brother, but there is nothing we can do but persevere; our comrades may be in need of our aid. And with that surge of power we felt but a few weeks ago, our Liege Lord is out there somewhere."
"I'll feel better when I evolve – my form as a Froakie is not meant for journeying across large swaths of land."
"Maybe a good meal will quell your frustration" replied Hawlucha, pointing to a tree ripe with Oran berries.
And with a few well-placed cut attacks the duo had a healthy stack of a dozen berries. But before Hawlucha could even take a bite, the berry in his hand disappeared with a whoosh, leaving the Luchador Pokémon blinking in confusion at his empty palm.
But before he could reach for another, the ten other berries that he swore were right before him just moments earlier were gone. Even the one in Froakie's hand was gone.
…
"Is it just me, or did the berries…"
"You are not the only one brother."
And just by a bunch of bushes a few feet away the duo heard a rather loud burp. In response, Froakie sent forth a water pulse straight for the source, though it was promptly stopped by a grass-type move of some sort. But as the two attacks collided, a blur sped out of the bushes and flew towards a tree, implying that their berry thief was a flying type of some sort.
Undeterred, Froakie sent a barrage of his frubbles while Hawlucha charged up an X-Scissor attack, waiting to strike their foe once it was caught in his brother's sticky frubbles.
However, Froakie's attack was for naught as a barrage of leaves sent his frubbles to the earth. And from that mass of leaves came a sudden forceful physical attack that sent the surprised water type into Hawlucha, knocking them both down.
Somehow, whatever had struck Froakie got stuck in his sticky frubbles, which was revealed to be an everstone.
"Hey! Gimme back me stone!" came a young voice from their foe, who was revealed to be a round ball of cream, green and white feathers, a flying type that looked a bit like a Hoothoot.
"Umm…you just attacked us – why should I give back your stone?"
"Nu-uh. You attacked me for taking your lunch – nobody attacks Sir Rowlet when he takes one's lunch."
"I don't know about you young one, but many find it rude when somebody steals their meal."
"Nu-uh. Everyone I know lets me snack away on their food – Mallow lets me take her malasadas, Lille lets me take her pastries, and Ash always keeps me near his plate so that I can munch on his watermelon seeds. You guys are the meanies that didn't let me snack in on your lunch!"
That statement got Hawlucha thinking. The Pokémon before them, a Rowlet as he seemed to go by, was rather young, barely a month old, maybe two.
"Where are you from young one?"
"Alola! Just a while back I was trying to teach Lei how to fly, but Kukui said humans can't. But Pikachu talked a lot about Jessie & James being sent flying so that must mean that Lei can fly too! Or maybe Lei's too small – he's only a few months old…
But then poof, everything suddenly went black, like that Z-Move that Nanu used against one of those ultra-beasts, and I woke up in Papa's nest again. Then I flew inside one of those aero-plans and found myself in a big city a few hours later. Then I spent the next few weeks traveling about, like how I used to with Ash and Pikachu around the islands and found you and your pile of berries. Then you attacked me and I stopped you."
…
"Can I have my stone back?" asked the grass-flying type.
"Brother Greninja. I believe we've found another one of our teammates."
"Are you certain?"
"Most certainly. Elder Pikachu spoke of a rather voracious eater that tends to sleep on his head- "
"I don't sleep on Pikachu's head! Why would I – I'd feel the wind in my face and would never catch my zzz! Ash's backpack is so much warmer!"
"The fact that he saw through my lie only confirms it. Welcome, brother…Rowlet is it?"
"It's Sir Rowlet the awesome-est and cuddly-est!"
'Yep. Only one of Ash's Pokémon could be this odd…: thought Froakie.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
An hour later…
"I can see a large tower up ahead, one of the first things I saw when I came to this region!"
"Indeed. Then we are most likely just outside the city and one step closer to finding something on the whereabouts of our comrades, or even better, one of them itself!"
"I hope so brother Hawlucha – WAIT! We need to hide! NOW!" responded Froakie, urgency evident in his tone.
Understanding that their fellow companion would not speak of something without due cause, the trio scaled up a rather large tree that had an opening with an empty nest, one that had been abandoned for quite some time evident by the rotten leaves within.
From their position, they had a clear view of their surroundings while being securely hidden from anyone possibly pursuing them. And from a dirt trail off to the side emerged three men in bright red outfits with very unusual hairstyles that were all a matching shade of bright red, an appearance that Froakie and Hawlucha recognized all too well.
"Team Flare? But how?" whispered Hawlucha.
"I am pondering the exact same thought…"
"Team Flare should not exist anymore – I know for certain that Team Ketchum sent out two units to neutralize any remnants of Team Flare that were not captured in the aftermath of the Kalos Crisis, and that case was closed over two years ago.
Meanwhile with the Team Flare grunts…
Grunt 1: "This is the last part of this sector we've gotta check."
Grunt 2: "We've been at this for nearly six hours and none of the other units have found anything."
Grunt 3: "Yeah, but Dr. Xerosic said that the source of the energy was somewhere in this forest" indicating the device in his hand. "But the damm thing doesn't seem to be workin right – it keeps on saying that it's somewhere in a ten-kilometer radius, but we haven't found it yet"
Grunt 1: "Maybe we should call it quits for the day, tell the Doc that we didn't find anything."
Grunt 2: "Yeah…sure, coz I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."
Grunt 3: "Ditch the uniforms and get some tacos at Chipotle?"
Grunt 2: "You mean the one at the outlet mall? Heck yeah!"
And with that, the three grunts left, leaving the three Pokémon in the silence of the forest.
…
"Xerosic. Wasn't he the scientist we stopped after the Kalos crisis who was sent to prison?" asked Froakie.
"No. Not in prison, but dead – Sceptile led the mission to deal with Team Flare remnants and killed Xerosic himself. The fact that he is now alive…"
"Hey! What are you two talking about?" asked Rowlet in confusion.
"It's…complicated," answered Hawlucha. "But if he's alive, could that mean…"
"…if you mean Lysander, then yes, it could very well be possible that he too is alive. We don't know what's going on – for all we know we're likely in the past, far enough to a point before the Kalos Crisis ever happened." continued Froakie with worry evident in his tone.
"What about that source of energy those weirdos were talking about?"
…
"What is the probability that they were talking about Mega-Evolution energy?"
"Very possible, but namely how and why here? Mega-Evolution energy doesn't just exist everywhere – it only exists when a Pokémon Mega-Evolves. And I don't think we've encountered any trainers and their Mega-Evolved Pokémon so far…"
…
"Umm…is Mega-Evolution based on bonds – like, I remember Prof. Kukui talked about it once when Kiawe faced off against Mister Brock and his Mega-Steelix?" quietly asked Rowlet.
"It is the most fundamental part of Mega-Evolution young one. Why?" questioned Froakie in response.
"I remember when Ash and Pikachu and I and Mallow and Lillie and…"
"Please get to the point young Rowlet." chided Hawlucha.
"Well all of us and lots of people from all four Islands of Alola gave the power of their bonds and their Z-Moves to creepy Necrozma to make him all nice and sparkly…" trailed Rowlet.
…
"Project H.O.B.B.I.T. Of course!"
"Brother Hawlucha? What is it you speak of?"
"Project H.O.B.B.I.T…it, it is the main reason as to why all of us, that is to say, all of Ash's Pokémon went beyond being just a group of incredibly gifted Pokémon – I can't tell you the details right now but suffice to say, something is dearly wrong with our trainer and we've been working on fixing it.
Along the way, we've discovered some things, one of which is that Ash in essence can 'lend' us his strength in battle – we suspected that the Bond Phenomenon has some connection to this ability. Seeing as Lysander did capture Ash to start off his evil Zygarde, and how Ash has energy akin to that of Mega-Evolution energy that Lysander was harvesting thanks to that bastard Alain, would it be too much of a stretch that we too would emit this energy by proxy…"
"You mean that right now we're possibly emitting Mega-Evolution energy, and if so, Team Flare can now track us!" responded Froakie with concern laced in his voice.
"That…doesn't sound good…" muttered a slightly scared Rowlet. "Then, what do we do?"
"We need to get to Lumiose City as fast as possible. Once we reach a telephone booth, I can hopefully establish contact with our base and get us some help. Along the way we might find Clemont and Bonnie." answered Hawlucha.
"Sounds like a plan."
"Let's get going!"
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Dahara City. A magnificent sight amongst the desert plains, a bustling settlement by the Grazel inlet, connecting the city to the eastern Kalosian sea.
But this was not Mewtwo's destination, merely a place to rest until he reached his next objective, nearly fifty miles west of the city. And as he took in the impressive view from the top of the Dahara Tower, the Psychic type pondered over the events of the past two months.
When he told Ash that he had some business to take care of before he began his mission, the young man had not pried. But while Mewtwo wasn't opposed to telling Ash what exactly he was looking into, he would rather do so once he had all the details. And now, two months later, the picture before him was…vexing to say the very least.
Some events were on track to be as he remembered, while others were either filled with uncertainty or even no longer an issue. Allies he once shared a good rapport with saw him as a curious stranger, and some were no longer active, either in slumber, not present on the earthly plane, and in this case, imprisoned.
Though for now, he would continue to search for other changes that this timeline had from the previous one.
His mind clear, the psychic type took off, an old cavern with a dusty bottle hopefully awaited him.
Meanwhile…
Under the cover of the clouds, a large dragon-flying type wearing body armor and helmet of some sort observed the psychic type, having consistently tracked his general movements for the past several weeks, recording what actions he did that he could observe to the best of his abilities.
So far, the dragon type could not identify any discernible pattern in his target's movements, racing between regions at speeds just under the sound barrier.
And while the dragon type was far from old, barely reaching his twenty-eighth year of life, a blink in the eye for his species with their long lifespans, he could at best clock in a consistent flight speed at four hundred miles per hour, four-fifty if he really pushed himself, speeds that were the upper level of what his species could achieve.
However, his target was much faster, his helmet system recording the psychic type clocking in at nearly seven-hundred-and-fifty miles per hour. Without Mega-Evolution, he could not keep up, and even Mega-Evolved, he would only be able to hit the sound barrier for twenty minutes, maybe twenty-five, though that would immediately reveal his position, failing his mission.
Nevertheless, he would continue to pursue his target to the best of his abilities. Now, why would a psychic type visit a desert…
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Two weeks later, the trio found themselves in Cerulean City, the sun setting in the distance. And as they planned to settle in for the night at the Pokémon center, Misty surprised Ash and Brock by dragging them to a cozy two-story home right behind the Cerulean gym.
Upon realizing that this was Misty's house, he had a sudden yet inexplicable feeling of apprehension over meeting Misty's family.
Greeting them at the doorbell was Misty's oldest sister, Daisy, who upon entering Brock's line of sight sent him into one of his romance moments that was quelled by Pikachu somehow wielding Misty's mallet and dragging him away by the ear, muttering "no moron will ruin the first intro to the in-laws" and "where's Croagunk when you need him".
Far, far away, a Croagunk sneezed, rowing ever faster in a rowboat across the Pacifidog Ocean, a poison jab attack all but ready to strike forth.
…
"Hi Daisy."
"Little sis! How have you been? Oh, first come on in and introduce me to your friends!"
Walking into the Waterflower home, Ash felt as if he was almost back home; the place was rather warm and cozy, much like back home in Pallet Town.
"So who are these two young men?"
"This is Brock – I would introduce you to him but he's currently out cold – don't worry he'll be fine in a few hours – Pikachu may have hit him a bit too hard…"
"Who knew that there was an art to bonking someone on the head…"
"-and this is Ash."
"Umm…hi there. My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Umm…I don't know if this is the right time, but I was hoping to challenge your gym."
"Ooh, a challenger!" remarked a pink-haired woman on a couch, Lily if Ash recalled right.
"And guys…umm, I don't know how to break this to you…"
"If you want to say something sister dear, tell us." commented Violet.
"Umm…AshandIaredating!"
…
"WOOHOO!" squealed all three of Misty's sisters. And following their deafening squeal, Daisy and Lily both whipped out several wads of cash and passed them to Violet.
…
"YOU GUYS WERE BETTING ON ME!" growled Misty.
"Well, yeah. Daisy bet that you wouldn't date someone until you were twenty-five and Lily bet that you would suffer the curse of having a friends-with-benefits kinda situation for the next decade. I on the other hand bet that the next time you came home it would be with a boyfriend in tow." giggled Violet.
"Grr…ok fine."
"So, I assume that you'll be staying for the night?" asked Daisy.
"Umm…I was hoping you guys would be ok with Ash and Brock…"
"No worries sis. Your buddy Brock can have the pullout couch. But Ash…I don't think our baby sis would be opposed to sharing her bed with you." smiled Daisy.
"And I know I have a pack of condoms somewhere…and I'll definitely, make a run down to the pharmacy for some 'Next-Morning pills'" smirked Lily.
"GUYS!" screamed Misty, both her and Ash beet red with embarrassment. Though Ash found Misty's embarrassed face rather adorable…
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Well over two months since he sent a voicemail to his brothers for aid, the elderly butler finally received a reply from his oldest brother, who had taken some time off to personally visit him and his charge.
Two days after his response, he walked his brother into the estate he called both his workplace and home.
"Hobbes. How has life treated you?"
"Well enough I suppose, though if only my charge could smile as she used to all those years ago, then I would say life was perfect."
"I know that feeling all too well – watching your charge suffer and being unable to do anything to help. Now, explain to me what ails her."
A several-hour long discussion that called for a glass of strong whisky, Hobbes's older brother had an answer for him.
"If a psychiatrist or therapist could not help her, maybe a psychic could…"
"A psychic? You mean a psychic type Pokémon? Or one of those psychic agents employed by the Pokémon League."
"Close to the latter, but not quite. No, I speak of a human who has true mastery over the psychic arts, not the limited mental skills that the psychics employed by the League use to aid in dealing with criminals.
With their understanding of the mind, combined with their abilities, a true psychic master or mistress could look into her mind and find the root cause of her mental trauma, from which the young child could be slowly eased out of her current mental state, though that could take anywhere from a few weeks to several years."
"Brother. If you know anyone who could help her, then please, tell me."
"I only know of one that could help her. Sabrina Natsumi, the Saffron City gym leader from Kanto. She is a very gifted psychic mistress and would be more than willing to help."
"Could she help Lillie?"
"Hopefully. At the very least, she may give her a start on the path to recovery."
"Thank you, brother. I shall endeavor to swiftly contact Madam Natsumi regarding Miss Lillie's condition."
"I wish you well, brother."
And with that serious discussion, the two brothers shifted to lighter topics, easing the stressful mood. Though at the end of the day when Jervis left for Unova, the older brother wished he had told Hobbes about the far more capable Psychic who could help Lillie, one who he was certain could cleanse her mind of its suffering with ease.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of sitting by a stream while munching on some berries, Goomy thought of their next move. Sure, their end goal was getting to Ash, and while Noibat and Gible knew where Pallet Town roughly was, it was difficult to keep track of their own location. Because for all they knew, they could very well be at the antipode of Pallet town, which would make all their efforts so far worthless.
Though not far away, Noibat had spotted a waterfall, the stream they were by, and many other water bodies in the area fueling it. And wherever there was a large body of water, there would be a settlement not too far away.
Four hours later…
After finding a Goagoat trail that led down the waterfall, the trio came upon a lone tower, a rather odd sight amongst the vast forests surrounding it. Nevertheless, a large building like this was sure to have people, and by extension, food, thought Gible. And while the Dragon-Ground type was happy with a consistent meal of rocks or berries, he did miss the meals from the Oak ranch, or even better, Brock's cooking.
And while there was a risk that they might encounter some less-than-savory characters within, Gible was an inherently curious creature and walked up to the building. Though just off to the side, the land shark Pokémon spotted a female human that for some odd reason was dressed like a male. Though it wasn't like he could comment on human fashion – Pokémon didn't really wear clothes like humans did (exceptions apply).
But as he approached her, a Pokémon leaped out of the shadows, growling in a defensive position.
"Who are you?" growled out the Pokémon, an Espeon.
But before he could answer, her trainer approached with a hand raised, imploring the psychic type to relax. "It's ok Espeon, he means no harm. So hello there fella. My name is Anabel. And what brings a Pokémon from Sinnoh here? Or is your trainer with you?"
"Umm…hi ya there Miss Anabel. We're looking for our trainer" said Gible, pointing to Noibat and Goomy while making elaborate crude paw gestures as best as his tiny limbs could – humans aside from Ash found it rather difficult to understand him at the best of times besides chomps, which were a universal sign of happiness…
"What's with the hand gestures?" asked Espeon.
"She's a human."
"And?"
"Most humans don't understand Pokémon."
"Oh don't worry, I can understand you clearly."
"Guys! It's a human that understands us!"
"Maybe this might be our big break!"
"Hey, hey, calm down little fella. Now, I guess you're looking for your trainer?"
"Yep. It's a long story…"
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
The next day in Cerulean City…
At the Cerulean gym, Misty settled into the stands by Brock, waiting for Ash's gym challenge to commence. And surprisingly, or unsurprisingly (the events of two timelines were annoying to process at times), a crowd of spectators was watching the match from the bleachers. The Sensational sisters were popular, both as performers and as gym leaders.
On the other side of the battlefield, nearly identical to what Ash remembered when he faced off against Misty and Gyarados but bigger, Lily called out, "Hey Ash! Just because you're dating our baby sister doesn't mean we'll go easy on you!"
"I wouldn't want anything other than your very best!" hollered Ash with a smile.
Over in the stands…
"Hey Misty. Seeing as all three of your sisters are the Cerulean city gym leaders, how will the match work?" asked Brock.
"You'll see." replied Misty.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
"The Cerulean City Gym challenge will now be underway." started the referee.
"This will be a five vs five gym challenge between the Challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet town, and the Cerulean City gym leaders Lily, Violet, and Daisy. The match will be split into three sections, where the challenger will first face Gym Leader Lily, followed by Gym Leader Violet, both of whom will each use one Pokémon. If both are defeated, the challenger will proceed to face Gym leader Daisy who will use three Pokémon.
The match will be over when all five Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute his Pokémon at any time during the match. Trainers, bring out your Pokémon!"
"Vaporeon my superstar! Come on out!" commanded Violet, bringing out her Vaporeon.
'Hmm…Vaporeon is fast, especially underwater. While Greninja would've been ideal for this battle, I've got others who can handle Vaporeon' thought Ash to himself.
"Buizel! I choose you!"
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
In a penthouse with a clear view of the skyline of a large metropolis, an individual could be seen, parsing through stacks of books and several digital records, in pursuit of something of great importance. The figure knew that he was quite literally on a race against the clock and that his previous venture into his objective had failed miserably – the Masked Marauder, while capable, had failed at retrieving the objective all those years ago. And last he checked, he was still in a coma from his injuries.
And now, well over a decade later, he still had yet to find another – both the Tree in Kanto and the Forest Shrine in Johto had yielded unfavorable results – the former leading to the Masked Marauder's current state and the latter still lacking any known sighting that was less than fifty years old.
Maybe…maybe it was time to bring in the Huntress, a risky gamble for certain, but nevertheless worthwhile if successful…
X - - - X - - - Chapter End - - - X - - - X
