Note: Well folks, I'm back from the cruise, which is part of the reason why this chapter was late (I got back on Sunday evening, and spent most of the day setting back up and relaxing). The other reason is that my old PC's battery was dying and it would take forever to charge, so I recently bought a new one. This chapter will be the first to be uploaded from my new computer.
Also a response to Xadhoom's question on : No, I actually commissioned the artwork from a close friend of mine. You can find him on artstation under rahulrepodreptile.
Anyhow, sorry for the late chapter once again, and enjoy!
Please enjoy. Like, share, comment, the works.
Chapter 5: Geodude, where's my Car?!
Gold parked the Jeep just off the outskirts of the village. The crew stepped out, stretching their legs after the long drive. Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder, breathing in the fresh air intently.
"Ya know, I've never even heard of this Heart Village," Gary said.
"They're a secluded people," Blue said. "They're kind, but slow to trust outsiders."
"It took them a while to get used to Red, and myself as well," Yellow said mid stretch. "But Blue isn't lying, they are kind."
"So Ash, Yellow told me about this vision of yours, that you needed to get to Heart Village. He didn't tell you anything else?" Blue asked.
"No… I'm sorry. He was going to tell me more but then… he was gone."
"Yes, running from something, right?" Blue asked. Ash nodded.
"We should talk to the village leader," Yellow concluded. "Hopefully he'll have some answers for us."
"Well, let's get to it,'' Ash said. As the others began to move into the village, he noticed that Gold wasn't next to them. He looked back to the Jeep, noticing that Gold was standing near the Jeep's rear, looking at the eggs.
"Now you guys hang tight, I'll only be gone for a moment," he used his sweater to wipe a smudge off the glass. "Should only be a few days from now. You grow up so fast." Ash could swear he saw Gold wipe away a tear. Gold closed the jeep door and quickly turned around, his face once again beaming in a mischievous smirk. He gave Ash's arm a playful punch as he ran past him.
"Come on Red-look-alike, don't wanna get left behind now, huh?"
Ash shook his head with a smile, running alongside Gold to catch up with the others.
Being on the opposite end of Mount Silver in relation to Silver Town, it would only be appropriate that Heart Village would also be its complete opposite. Silver Town was Johtos largest city, a hallmark of modernity in a region often noted for its older infrastructure, much of it being upheld and maintained for hundreds of years. Whereas modern skyscrapers shadowed large scale commercial districts in Silver Town, Heart Village only hosted a handful of small, wooden buildings. Despite the name, Heart Village was more of a Hamlet, its population lying just under 100. Even so, one would expect the streets to at least be moderately busy. The local townsfolk would often be found conducting their daily activities, whether it be adults out to gather the ingredients for that night's supper or children gathering around to share tall tales of the dashing heroics they watched on second hand televisions.
At least that's what it was like when Yellow would stay here. The gang stood in the middle of a desolate street. They felt as though they were in a ghost town.
"Hey Yellow, was this place always this creepy?" Gold asked.
"No," Yellow said, looking around for any signs of life. "Where is everyone…"
"Hey!" the voice of a child called from the building to their right. They group turned, seeing a young boy at the doorstep. "You shouldn't be out there right now! They're coming!"
"Um… sorry, what?" Ash said, the crew sharing a confused look.
"The Geodu…" as if on cue, the ground began to rumble, the sound of tumbling boulders emanating from behind the trainers. Turning around they saw a gigantic dust cloud that almost blotted out the sun.
"Get in here, now!" He said to the group.
"Well, no need to deny hospitality I say" Gold said as he sprinted into the house. The other trainers followed suit as the dust cloud approached.
The trainers gathered around a large window that gave them a view of the street. The dust cloud rolled into the town, blasting everything in its path with sand and small pieces of gravel. The trainers could hear it thumping against the house's windows, echoing it across the entire living room that they were occupying. Then came the first Geodude. The small pokémon resembled a large boulder with a face and a pair of arms. A second followed. Then a third, then a fourth. Before long the street was full of Geodudes, rampaging through the small town. Some smashed through stalls that were left out in the open, others slammed against the sides of the houses, just aligning themselves out the way afterwards to continue their stampede.
"It's complete chaos out there…" Gary said
"It's been like this for a few weeks now" The child said, seemingly undisturbed by the storm of pokémon. "We don't know why they're doing this. They just appear from the horizon and storm through."
"Well, something must be scaring them," Yellow said
"Ya. Mom says it's a big monster over there."
"A big monster? Like a pokémon?" Ash asked.
"I don't know, but the village leader might know more," The child shrugged.
Almost as quickly as they arrived, the final Geodude made its way through the hamlet. The storm settled down, leaving a field of debris and dust caked structures in its wake. Luckily the damage was relatively minor, nothing that a day's cleanup couldn't recover from.
"Well that was quick!" Gold said, looking quite relieved.
"How often do they come here?" Blue asked.
"Every few days," The child responded.
"Hmm… Geodudes aren't known to randomly rampage through towns. They tend to stick to the mountains unless disturbed," Gary pondered for a second. "Wait, did this start happening before or after the merging?"
"I think… after!" The child responded.
"So maybe some sort of pokémon appeared that has been causing problems…"
"A pokémon causing problems? Sounds like something we can help out with." Gold said. He turned to Ash and Yellow. "Well, I guess it's up to you guys. I mean we're only here cause Red asked ya, right?.
"Of course we can help," Ash said
"Definitely," Yellow concurred. The rest nodded.
"Wow, thanks," The boy ran out of the room up the staircase that was behind the group, momentarily leaving them alone.
"Hey Red-look-alike, do you even know what you're doing here?" Gold asked Ash. "Like we know Red told you to come here with no explanation, and we're gonna go talk to the village leader but… what if they can't help at all? What do we do then?".
"Then we look for another way to find Red," Ash responded sternly.
"But… no!" Gold shook his head, as if physically exorcising his own doubts "We dexholders never gave up before."
The group heard footsteps as the child ran down the stairs back into the room. Following him was a young woman, dressed similarly to him. The group guessed that it must be his mother.
"I see Terry brought guests home today," The woman said.
"These folks were in the street. I couldn't let them get run over by the Geodudes."
"Yes, of course, dear," She said. They could tell that she was being earnest, even if slightly irritated. "Now go up to your room for a bit, watch over your little brother while I take care of our guests."
"Okay mom," Terry said with a sigh. He promptly went back upstairs.
"I'm glad my son managed to get you inside before the Geodude got you," the woman said, sitting down on a couch chair opposite to the group. "My name is Mary. I welcome you to my home."
"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am," Blue said.
"Oh it's no issue, really. Can I get you folks anything?"
"No, that's fine ma'am," Yellow said.
"Well I mean… I…" Gold chimed in, though the glare he received from Yellow gave him pause.
"Well, what brings a group of young folk like you to our village?"
"We came to see the village elder," Yellow said. "We wanted to ask him about Red…"
"Red? Oh?! You must be Yellow!" Mary said
"Yes. I don't think we've met before?"
"No, but everyone heard about you and Red. Word travels fast here," Mary said "Congratulations."
"Oh… um… thanks" Yellow said, unsure of exactly how to take the compliment.
"Well, the storm's died down, but we gotta get things cleaned up first," Mary said, looking out the window.
"We can help," Ash said
"Do we have too?" Gold asked, sighing. He already knew the answer.
"Augh, why is everything so dusty?" Gold asked, shovel in arms.
"We were in the middle of a sandstorm, Gold," Yellow said, scooping up a pile of sand into a garbage bag.
"I know, but still. Every second I just wanna sneeze," He responded.
The entire town had come out to help clean up the sand and dirt. Men and women of all ages, children and seniors alike, all coming together and doing their part for the village. It was quite the inspiring sight, if a bit murky due to all the debris.
The trainers were split up into different areas. Gold and Yellow were shoveling sand that had piled up next to the local general store, while Ash was assisting Mary to discard a broken sign, smashed to pieces. Blue and Gary sat on the rooftop of a modest house, scooping up buckets of sand to the ground below.
"So, I guess you're Ash's rival?" Blue asked Gary bluntly.
"Well, I used to be, before I became a researcher," Gary said.
"Taking after the old man, huh?"
"Sort of. For a while I wanted to become a pokémon trainer, but somewhere down the line, I just… changed my mind" Gary shrugged. "At the time I gave it a lot of thought, but now, it just seemed like the natural choice, really."
"Hmm."
"Is something wrong with that?"
"Well, it's kinda odd."
"What, becoming a pokémon researcher?"
"No just… this sudden change. In you, in our counterparts, both Ash and Red…" Blues confusion betrayed his usual dour voice on that last name. "I've been training for most of my life to be, well, a pokémon trainer, far longer than most other people. I was taught to fight by the Cianwood city gym leader when I was only seven. That's three whole years before most kids get their hands on their first pokeball. I couldn't imagine ever changing course. Even Red was training before he turned ten, challenging other kids and wild pokémon whenever and wherever he could. To just throw all those years away…"
"I wouldn't say those years are thrown away. That stuff sticks with you for life. But…" Gary shrugged. "Listen, I can't pretend I have the answers you're asking for. I mean, how many people have their lives all figured out when they're kids?"
"I know I'm… I'm sorry. It's just, I don't know," Blue stuttered. He shouldn't be like this. Blue learned a long time ago to keep his emotions in check.
"Hey, listen, sometimes the things our friends do can be very, very confusing. All we can do is be there for them when they need us," Gary said.
"Hmm…" Blue and Gary continued their work in silence. Blue felt like he suddenly had a lot to ponder on.
After a dusty three hours, the village was finally cleaned up. One would never think that a group of wild pokémon had just rampaged through the city, save a few missing stands and little tufts of sand clogging up miniscule crevices that no cleaning object could reach. Ash and the other trainers had reconvened next to Mary's house, watching the sun begin to set over the horizon.
"Looks like we're all done. Come, you wanted to see the village elder, correct?"
"Yeah," Ash said.
"Right this way."
Mary led the group to the opposite side of the town to a small, unassuming house. They were somewhat surprised, the elders home didn't seem all too different to the others in the village. Mary proceeded to walk up to the door, knocking politely.
"Elder Stone? We have some visitors who want to speak to you."
"Oh? Who?" replied the gruff voice of an elderly man.
"A couple of pokémon trainers from out of town. One of them has been here before. She says she knows you?"
"Oh yes, of course of course, come in," said the same voice.
Mary stepped to the side as Ash stepped up, opening the door. The entrance to the house was a small space, the house expanding to his left. Ash took off his shoes and socks, letting the others in, who followed suit. They made their way to the primary section of the household. It was a modest place, even more modest than Mary's, with little in the way of decoration, save a handful of nature paintings adoring the wooden walls.
When the group turned the corner they were quite surprised by who they saw. Sure from the voice and title they expected to see a man of an older disposition, but they weren't expecting to see two of them. In front of the group sat two Elder Stones sitting on opposite ends of the rooms on simple floor mats. Both had soft faces, sporting large gray beards that made up for the lack of hair on their head, well if you asked them anyhow. In between them sat a large statue depicting a large bird. Ash guessed it was Ho-oh, but it was somewhat hard to tell.
"Don't look so surprised now," said the Stone on the right.
"Please, come sit," said the Stone on the left, gesturing to the pile of mats in front of them. The group complied, spacing themselves out appropriately, with Ash and Yellow sitting up front.
"Yellow, it's good to see you in good health," said the right Stone.
"Elder stone, it's good to see you too," Yellow said with a slight bow.
"A pleasure to meet you, Yellow."
"Likewise… um… elder… um…"
"It's alright dear," the right Stone said, chuckling.
"It would seem that you are not a stranger to this scenario, considering the company you keep," said the left Stone.
"But how rude of us. A pleasure to make all your acquaintances."
Various "hellos" and other assorted greetings emanated from the group. In retrospect, perhaps everyone answering at once didn't allow for a clear greeting. Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother the Elders too much, who simply nodded in turn, before turning their attention to Ash.
"And you… you must be Red's copy," said the left Stone.
"Yep, I'm his lookalike. The name's Ash," Ash said, not being quite sure that he liked being called a "copy".
"My apologies, I didn't mean to insinuate that you aren't a genuine article in your own right."
"As you see, my own 'copy' here can be quite uncouth in his choice of words," said the right Stone. "I myself have never met this Red, so I have no presumptions about you, other than your general politeness."
"His Pikachu's is also similar to Reds," the left Stone said.
"Pika?" Pikachu chirped softly.
"Should have figured he also had a Pikachu?" Ash said quietly to Pikachu.
"Well, if he is anything like Red, then he's certainly here with a purpose," The left Stone said stroking his beard.
"I am. Red sent me here."
"Oh?" The Stones said in unison.
"Red has been missing for a few weeks, Elders. But Ash here had a vision of Red, telling him to come to Heart village?"
"A vision you say?" said the right Stone.
"And you are so certain that this vision was accurate?"
"Yes. It's difficult to remember, but I remember his voice, how he felt…" Ash said
"So he sends you here, to our humble Heart Village."
"Then what?" said the left Stone.
"I don't know. He didn't have time to explain. Something came after him, something that ended the vision."
The Stones simply looked at each other for a moment.
"I'm sorry young Ash, but if he sent you here for something of note, I'm afraid we don't know what it is," the left Stone said.
"However, perhaps he sent you here to help us?"
"With the Geodude problem?" Gary asked
"Yes. They are coming from Mount Silver as you all have likely deduced yourselves," The left Stone said. Everyone nodded, except Gold.
"We don't have any pokémon trainers in our village, the mountain is far too dangerous for any of us to investigate," the right Stone said. "The Geodudes are being disturbed from deep inside the Mountain. You would have to go through one of the many tunnel systems in order to find out what's causing this problem."
"We'll help," Ash said
"Well, if that is that, then you may leave" The left Stone said. "It is time for us to meditate, anyhow". The Stones bowed. The group got up and bowed in turn, before exiting the house. They found Mary waiting for them outside.
"Did you find what you needed?" she asked the group.
"Not quite, but we agreed to help calm down the Geodudes," Blue said.
"Oh thank you!" She quickly looked around the group, doing an internal head count. "You can stay over at our place for the night. You'll have to sleep in the living room, and it might be a little crammed…"
"Well, better than camping outside I guess…" Gold said.
"What Gold means to say is thank you, ma'am," Yellow said, as the group followed Mary back to her house.