"Higher!" Sabrina shouted. "I want the weight above the white line!"
She was standing in a large carpeted gymnasium filled with a fair amount of large trapezoidal weights, a few treadmills, and a few assorted exercise machines. Around her were a few people exercising their bodies and a greater number of people and pokemon working together to lift the large weights with psychic powers to exercise their minds.
Sabrina was addressing one group in particular, a little girl with blonde pigtails, who was working with a tiny ralts and an abra. The three little ones were sitting crossed legged on the floor. Next to them was a weight with one-hundred painted on it in large white letters, a faint purple glow surrounding it as it wavered under a line on the wall.
"But Sabrina, I'm tired," the girl whined. "And so is Shys and Sleepers!"
"Britney, you have to push through it," Sabrina said roughly. "If you can link with your pokemon properly, then you'll feel less tired. Not only that, but it will make telekinesis much easier."
"Can't we link first and then lift this?" Britteny asked, squeezing her eyes closed tight as she focused on the weight.
"The point of this exercise is to link on the go," Sabrina said. "You won't always have time to link before you need to act, so you'll need to learn how to link while you're focusing on other tasks."
Britney didn't say anything else. She just grit her teeth. The weight rose higher and the wobbling began to die down. Sabrina watched silently.
Before it could reach the white line, the wobbling returned in earnest and the weight began to sink back down. Britney let out a groan while her pokemon whimpered. With a resounding slam, the weight crashed down on to the floor.
Britney opened her eyes, took in the sight, and then winced. Sabrina just shook her head.
"You're going to have to do better than that," Sabrina told her student.
"But why?" Britney whined, standing up. "Can't I just stay linked with my pokemon all the time?"
Sabrina closed her eyes tight and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Okay, yeah, that's stupid," Britney admitted. "But I'm only eight. No one's going to expect me to do anything for four more whole years! I can work on this later! Let's do something fun instead!"
"Britney," Sabrina began, eyes still closed, the hand that had been pinching her nose now a fist that her forehead rested against, "If there was an emergency tomorrow and someone needed assistance and you were the only one who could assist, do you think that they're going to care about your age or if you had fun yesterday?"
"Probably not," Britney admitted, shuffling her feet with her hands behind her back.
"Or, if the crisis happens and you're the one in trouble, how do you think we'd feel if you couldn't help yourself because we let you slack off today?" Sabrina continued.
"Umm…. Happy 'cause at least I had fun today?" Britney replied.
"Guess again," Sabrina said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
"Umm….. sad 'cause there was an emergency?" Britney said hopefully.
"Closer brat," Sabrina said. "Now get ready to try again." The weight was once more surrounded by the purple glow as Sabrina lifted it with her mind, not even bothering to look at it. "Be ready to catch it and then link with your pok-"
"Sabrina!" A shout came from the entrance of the gymnasium. Sabrina turned to look at the man, the weight held aloft by her power not wavering in the slightest. It was one of her gym trainers; he was panting and out of breath.
"We got a message from the Viridian City Gym," he shouted to her, waving a piece of paper. "Giovanni said he found something and it's urgent!"
"What is it?" Sabrina said, letting the weight down slowly while she strode over to take the message.
"No clue," the trainer panted as he handed over the paper. "I didn't read the details."
"Well, Giovanni's not the sort to exaggerate, so it is probably is urgent," Sabrina sighed and then read the message. Her eyebrows shot up and she silently handed the note back to the gym trainer before vanishing with a pop of displaced air and reappearing next to Britney.
"Britney, something very important has come up," Sabrina told the girl. "I won't have any more time to help you train today. Remember to do your solo exercises every day and when I get back we can resume our training."
"Okay," Britney replied. "What happened?"
"Nothing you need to worry about," Sabrina said. "Goodbye."
And then she teleported again, reappearing in her office and hurrying into the attached personal locker room. With an errant thought, she opened a wall safe while quickly slipping out of her casual clothes and into a gym uniform, complete with some light body armor. She double checked the collection of pokeballs on her belt and a few more floated out of the locker.
Ready for battle, Sabrina then began to focus on teleporting to Viridian City. She had to move fast. According to the message, Giovanni had found the red-haired woman and purple-haired man that had been caught disturbing Junichi's grave and Sabrina knew that it could be the lead that she had been looking for.
Her last thought before she teleported was, that with any luck, her problem could be solved before the end of winter.
So, you're a pokemon trainer now? Fire of the Forest Moonrise asked, sitting back on her haunches and looking up.
Yes! Ash told her.
I know, I know, it staggers belief that someone let him be a pokemon trainer, but it looks like some human let something slip by, Pikachu said from Ash's shoulder.
After leaving the pokemon center, Ash and his companions had cut through a snow dusted forest. They had decided to take a day off of travelling to get some extra training and other activities done.
Ash, Pikachu, and Fire of the Forest Moonrise were standing behind a thicket while Brock groomed some of the group's other pokemon and Misty trained her own pokemon. Brock had let Moonrise out to eat and socialize with the other pokemon and Ash had taken the opportunity to sneak off and have a chat with his old acquaintance.
You said he was your starter, Moonrise asked, giving Pikachu a look.
Yep, Ash sighed.
So, the entire time you've been a trainer you've had to put up with him?
You mean, have his life enhanced by me? Pikachu corrected.
Yep, Ash sighed again.
And you didn't quit? Moonrise raised a single eyebrow.
Nobody appreciates my greatness, Pikachu huffed.
He's not so bad, Ash reassured the vulpix. You learn to tune him out after a while.
Hey!
I'd guess you'd have to, Moonrise said. She got up and started to trot around Ash. She left little footprints in the thin layer of snow that covered the forest floor, looking at Ash the whole time.
You've gotten big, she said. Last time I saw you, you were barely bigger than me!
It happens to most of us humans, Ash said, twisting his head around to try and follow her.
Well, it seems to have happened to you less than most humans, Pikachu said.
Hey! I'm short 'cause I'm only twelve! Once I hit puberty then I'll get really tall, just you wait!
What's puberty? Moonrise asked.
It's… uh… Ash tried to think of a way to explain it.
It's the closest thing humans have to evolution, Pikachu explained. But it's so much lamer! When young humans hit their teens, they start growing faster and turn into adult humans-
That doesn't seem so lame, Moonrise commented.
-but it takes them almost a decade to do it, Pikachu finished.
Oh, yeah, that's pretty lame, Moonrise agreed.
Don't take his side! Ash groaned, slapping his forehead and dragging his hand down his face.
She learns quick, Pikachu said with a smirk.
Oh no, Ash moaned. He took a deep breath and then changed the subject. How'd you end up with Brock? Or that breeder that he got you from, I guess.
Several years after we saw each other last, Fire of the Forest Sunrise and I left our mom, Moonrise explained. She wanted to stay behind where she buried dad and sleep until something started growing there.
I'm sorry about your dad, Ash said, feeling something sink within him. He rarely thought about Farfetch'd, Ninetails, and their family, but when he had done so, they had always been comforting memories, a frozen image, an idea locked in amber. Learning about this change, about how some of them were gone forever, was another piece of his world gone.
It's okay, Moonrise said, her head bowed. He got sick one winter, went to sleep, and didn't wake up. It was very gentle.
Still, I'm sorry, Ash repeated.
Thanks, Moonrise said and then took a deep breath, standing up straight. After that Sunrise and I started visiting humans. We, well, after what happened the last time we saw you, we wanted to try living differently. We snuck around one of their cities while we figured out how to do that. Sunrise wanted to battle, so she left to go find a trainer in the Viridian Forest.
Do you know if she's been caught yet? Ash asked.
No, Moonrise shook her head. I haven't talked with her for… I don't remember how long now. More than half a year now.
Oh, Ash said. So, what happened next?
I snuck on a bus to visit a different city to figure out what I wanted to do, Moonrise continued. I don't mind battling, but I wanted to do more. I thought about being a coordinator's pokemon, that seems fun. Or even about heading out to wherever they do those pokemon performances; dancing doesn't seem like it would be too bad.
Bah, Pikachu stuck out his tongue. I don't think I could stand that. Don't they make you wear weird costumes?
They didn't look too bad when I saw it on the televisions in the city, Moonrise replied. But they don't do much else. With coordinators, you'd also get to fight.
Eh, Ash shrugged. Kanto's mainly trainers. We'll have a coordinator circuit soon I think, but nothing substantial at the moment.
I know, Moonrise sighed. But that's why I ended up with a breeder. I was being chased by those humans who get mad if you dig in their garbage, you know the ones who catch you and release you outside the city?
Oh, yeah, those humans are annoying, Pikachu said. They never let you have any peace! You can be minding your own business, breaking open a circuit box so that you can have some nice tasty electricity, and then those assholes come to chase you away!
Right! I was just melting my way into a dumpster to get at something that smelled good and they started chasing me! Moonrise agreed, angrily pawing at the snow. So, I was running away from them when I crashed into this human grooming place that also did pokemon. That's when I met Suzie, the breeder I was with.
Oh, so she does hair care for humans and pokemon, and still has time to be a breeder? Ash asked.
I think? Moonrise shrugged. There were some other humans working there, they might have handled human grooming. But she liked the color of my fur and offered to take me in.
So, what was it like, living with a breeder? Ash asked, bending down to get closer to eye level, and resting his hands on his knees. What did they have you do?
She had me exercise a lot, she groomed me to take photos, and she asked me to breed and lay a few eggs, Moonrise answered. That was boring. It didn't really feel like I had kids. I just made an egg so someone else could have a cub to raise.
Yes, well, that's what usually happens when you breed without making the other pokemon your mate, Pikachu said, rolling his eyes. Not that the humans care, since they get an adorable new pokemon to coo over….. which, as an extremely cute pokemon myself, I'll admit is nice.
I really liked staying with Suzie though, Moonrise said. I've never felt better and my coat never looked so good. And I, uh, didn't have to worry about finding food, she finished, shuffling awkwardly, looking down at the ground.
I mean, you lived in a human city, there's easy food everywhere, Pikachu said. Right, Ash? He turned to look at his trainer and then saw that Ash was grimacing and looking away from Fire of the Forest Moonrise.
Alright, what am I missing here, Pikachu said, standing on his hindlegs and putting his forepaws on his hips.
Nothing, Ash sighed, turning back to Moonrise. Just a bit of history we don't like to remember.
Yeah, Moonrise said, dragging one of her hind paws through the snow. It's nothing to talk about.
Right, so that was why you were with Suzie, but why'd you agree to go with Brock? Ash asked. If you liked it so much there?
I was getting bored, Moonrise explained. I felt like doing more travelling and doing some battling. Suzie picked up on it and eventually figured out what I wanted. She asked around and then found a travelling trainer who wanted to be a breeder-
Brock, Ash nodded.
Yes! Moonrise's head bobbed up and down as she nodded excitedly. And now here I am! It's really nice to see you again, Ash!
It's good to see you too, Ash said, a gentle smile on his face.
"Aaron? Misty? Anyone see where Vulpix got off to?" They both turned when they heard Brock calling from the other side of the thicket.
Looks like we've got to get back, Ash sighed.
Who's Aaron? Moonrise asked.
That's me, Ash told her as they started walking over to where they had heard Brock. It's the name I go by with humans.
So that your hunters don't get you, right, Moonrise nodded. I'll try and remember that.
Thanks, Ash replied, pushing his way through the bushes. "Brock, she's with me."
"What were you doing?" Brock asked as they came back to where he was with several members of Ash and Misty's teams.
"Just getting to know her," Ash replied with a shrug. "And I think she and Pikachu might have argued."
Well, from what I've seen, he can be very aggravating, Moonrise said, closing her eyes and nodding sagely.
That's because no one here can appreciate my awesomeness! Pikachu declared, crossing his forelimbs and looking skywards.
"I'm not surprised, given how trigger happy he is," Brock said. "Anyway, Vulpix, it's time for your grooming. Are you ready?"
Yes! Moonrise joyfully trotted over to Brock, her head held high. He gave her a pat on the head before grabbing some bottles and brushes.
Ash left them to it and gathered the members of his team who had already been groomed so that they could get some more training in.
They quit when the sun was low on the horizon and the sky had been dyed in shades of purple and orange. Ash, Brock, and Misty gathered around their campsite, set small clearing in the forest, and began to set about the business of dinner. They had a merry little fire crackling in the center that was sending a wisp of smoke rising through the opening in the canopy and reaching towards the darkening skies above.
"How much further is it to the gym?" Ash groaned as he cut some vegetables for Brock. Pikachu lay on his back nearby, napping by the fire.
"Who knows?" Misty said, carrying back everyone's canteens and a filled jug of water. "Koga and his family like to relocate their gym. They move around from time to time just to mess with everyone."
"They claim that it's actually to help trainers with skills like tracking and scouting, but we know better," Brock added while he seasoned a soup base. "They just enjoy seeing people get lost in these woods."
"Why are so many gym leaders evil?" Ash whined. "You've talked about the show you put on, Surge was awful, and now this!"
"Hey!" Brock protested. "What was wrong with my display?"
"Well, it was a little ostentatious," a female voice, one that did not belong to Misty, said from right next to Ash. "Even you have to admit that."
"Yeah-" Ash began before his brain processed what had just happened. He whirled around, vegetable cutting knife in hand, only to feel his wrist get caught in a vice grip. Ash let out a yelp.
"Now, now," a young woman, with long green hair in a ponytail and wearing a pink kunoichi uniform, said, continuing to speak as she maneuvered the knife away from herself, "you should be more careful when you're cooking. You don't want to accidentally cut someone now, do you?"
Huh? Pikachu said groggily. What's going on here?
Ash heard Brock sigh behind him.
"Aya!" Misty exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Ash turned to look and saw Misty hurrying over, grinning at the new arrival.
"I just saw the smoke from your campfire and decided to take a look," the young woman, Aya evidently, said, letting go of Ash's wrist and taking a step back. "Never imagine I'd run into some fellow gym brats though."
"Aaron, you know how you were just complaining about us gym leaders being evil," Brock said, walking over to join the rest of the group. "Well, here's living proof that it's not just the gym leaders who are evil, it's also the gym trainers."
"Hey! Some of us are alright," Misty said. She then grabbed Aya in a hug. "It's good to see you!"
Oh, it's more humans, Pikachu said, rolling over onto his side. Wake me up when it's something exciting.
"It's good to see you too," Aya replied, returning the hug. She turned to Brock. "You get over here too."
"First you have to promise not to pickpocket me again," Brock said, standing still and crossing his arms.
"Oh, Night Above, will you ever let that go?" Aya sighed. "It was one time, one time!"
"Yeah and you used that key to plant water balloons filled with paint all over the gym," Brock said, still not moving. "So, forgive me if I'm a little hesitant."
"It only took you a week to clean everything up," Aya said with a smirk.
"That doesn't help your case you know."
"Crybaby," Aya rolled her eyes, turning to Ash. Brock lowered his arms and then Aya spun back around, managing to slip in a hug while he was vulnerable.
"Hey! That wasn't fair!" Brock protested, but he returned the hug.
"Ninja, remember?" Aya's smirk was mischievous as she let him go. She looked over at Ash. "And this must be the newbie trainer you got roped into babysitting by Oak? Just how helpless is he? Do you have to put bandaids on all his boo-boos and give him juice so he doesn't cry? Did you give him a nightlight so he doesn't get scared at night?"
"Hey! I can take care of myself!" Ash protested, fists on his hips, glaring at the interloper.
"Suuuuuure you can," Aya rolled her eyes.
"I can! I got four badges and I've fought a bunch of Rockets!" Ash told her. His fists tightened and his jaw was clenched.
"Oh, I'm so impressed," Aya said, faking a swoon. "Four whole badges! And some grunts! How terrifying!"
"Yeah! It was scary!" Ash shot back. "And it was hard, but I still won!"
Can't a pikachu get any sleep around here? Pikachu complained, leaning on his elbow to watch the two fight.
"I'm sure it was…. pipsqueak," Aya's smirk was condescending this time.
"Hey! I'm young, I'll be tall later!"
"Sure, you will."
"I will be!"
"And I bet you think your pokemon are so big and tough," Aya said in a pseudo coo. "I bet you think that they're anything other than the pack of weaklings that they'd have to be to follow you."
Ash briefly saw red and he shook with rage.
"That's it!" Ash growled, stomping closer to the woman. "Pikachu! Let's batt-"
A thought struck him.
Ash froze mid-sentence and turned to Misty and Brock, who had been watching silently.
"Her gym specialized in poison type pokemon, right?" He asked the two. "And she's an actual ninja?"
"Yes and yes," Brock said while Misty nodded. Ash turned back to Aya.
"You've already placed a bunch of traps while I didn't know you were here, didn't you," he said, eyes narrowing as he pointed accusingly at her.
"Ohhhh….. I like this one," Aya smirk turned into an honest smile. "See if you can't guess where they are."
Ash looked around, searching for anything that seemed out of place, and then looked up. In the flickering light of the fire he thought he caught a glimpse of something between the bare branches of a nearby tree.
"There," he said pointing, "I think at least."
"Maaaybe," Aya drawled. "Can you see anywhere else?"
Ash looked at the ground. The thin layer of snow had been mussed and destroyed by all the footprints the group had made when they had set up camp and started working on dinner. There were dead leaves, patches of mud, and streaks of snow here and there.
"Somewhere on the ground?" Ash guessed. "Hidden in the mud? Maybe some stingers from one of your pokemon?"
"But where on the ground?" Aya asked him.
"I don't know," Ash admitted.
"Where would you put them?" She prodded.
"Uh…. I think somewhere where people wouldn't accidentally step on them," Ash said. "Not until a battle began that is…. So I think they're either in the trees or they're by you right now."
"Yes," Aya said, taking a step back and carefully sweeping the ground with her foot. Beneath the mud and snow a few metallic looking stingers glinted in the firelight.
"Is your pokemon a bug-type?" Ash asked. "'Cause I think then you'd have used String Shot to make traps in the trees."
"Good call," Aya nodded and then looked over at Brock and Misty. "Have you two been teaching him? I don't know whether you've been good teachers or if he's been a good student."
"I've given him a few pointers, but he's picked most of this up himself," Brock replied.
"I've helped him with water-types," Misty said.
"I grew up around some poison-type pokemon," Ash told Aya, rubbing the back of his head. "I learned how they like to fight."
"Well, you passed the first lesson then," Aya said, clapping her hands together once. "You'd be surprised how many trainers-"
"You're messing with them before they even get to the gym now?" Brock groaned to the sky. "It's not enough that you make trainers struggle to find the damn gym in the first place, you've got to head out and mess with them first?"
"We wanted to educate trainers on situational awareness and dealing with the unexpected," Aya said, sounding like she had rehearsed the statement. "These are valuable real-life skills that most gyms do not take the time to test or teach. Thus, the Fuchsia City Gym has taken it upon ourselves to-"
"Who was bored? You or Janine?" Misty asked, crossing her arms.
"Both of us," Aya admitted without hesitation. "But come on, you know it's true. Most trainers don't learn anything other than from battling with the current setup. They don't even have a basic appreciation of tracking, how or when to set up an ambush, how to escape one, or how to escape in general. There's too much focus on direct battles."
"We've heard the lecture a thousand times," Misty rolled her eyes. "But most trainers aren't going on to be League trainers or gym trainers you know. Most of them are going to collect a few badges and then go into industry with their pokemon."
"It doesn't matter," Aya put her hands on her hips as she addressed Misty. "Those with enough badges still can be called for duty in emergencies. They should at least have basic training in those subjects."
"Oh, just give it up," Brock said from over by the fire. "We've all had this argument how many times by now?"
"At least a dozen," Misty sighed. "I still think you're just trying to justify playing tricks on trainers."
"I mean, I won't deny that's half the fun, but you've got to admit that I've got a point," Aya replied.
"So, uh," Ash spoke up again, "what's the next test?"
"Oh, you've got to find the gym still," Aya said, turning back to him. "And I'm not going to help you with that."
"Am I supposed to do that now?"
"No, why?"
"Because I'm hungry," Ash said and then turned to Brock. "Let's hurry up and make dinner already."
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
Short chapter again this week, but we're starting to get going in earnest again!
EDIT: Got my dates wrong, I will be releasing a chapter next week on the 18th, but not the week after that on the 25th.
Anyway, don't forget to review!