Part LX: Finding the Next Contest

"So were to next?" Ash asked Misty over breakfast as they enjoyed a nice meal in the Big Riddle Inn's quant dining room. "The week is almost up so we should get going and find you that last Contest you need for the Grand Festival."

Ash was right, it had been 6 days since his win over Blaine in his full battle challenge against the Cinnabar Gym Leader and they were going to be leaving the island soon. It had been a fun relaxing week mostly spent in the hot springs, which Piplup had absolutely loved and had to be pried away from, as well as seeing the island.

Over that time, Ash had also spent time bonding with his new and affectionate Aerodactyl who was glad to be back while Misty got Shuppet and Spiritomb ready for the next Contest as she'd decided that both would be in the next Contest so that they had experience for the Grand Festival. The only problem they had was that they weren't sure where the next Contest would be.

Misty had checked and there were several Contests within the next month but most were in the heart of Kanto or the eastern portions of the region. There were a few in places she couldn't find on a map but she wasn't sure which one she wanted to compete in. Ash had been trying to help but he hadn't been much use either.

It was frustrating. There were options but Misty but hadn't decided yet. All she knew was that they should head north to get back to the mainland somewhere where they would be in the west of Kanto and then go from there.

"Not yet." Misty admitted after a moment. "I've been checking the Contests that are in the western portion but none are soon, 2 weeks or so is the soonest I found. It's hard to decide but I think that's the best place for us to go. You said that Cinnabar is in the far west of Kanto so if we head north we end up there so it makes sense to hit a western Contest. Plus it's an area of the region I haven't seen yet so I'd like to see it."

"That's also near the Plateau." Ash said thinking. "Or at least nearer then if we returned the central part of the region that is."

"It is?" Misty asked confused. "I don't think you've actually told me where the Indigo Plateau is."

"Oh well the Plateau is in the western mountains of Kanto." Ash said remembering it well. "So heading west is probably best because we would be near it when you get your last ribbon."

"Alright well let's look tomorrow for boats heading there and then decide when we land." Misty said. "Unless something good falls into our lap that is before…"

"Dane!" A loud female voice called out interrupting them causing Misty's eyes to go wide at that as there was only one person in the world couldn't pronounce her name no matter how many times Misty corrected her. "And Ash as well! I can't believe you both are here!"

Ash and Misty turned to the entrance of the dining room and saw two people walking in and waving at them. Well one was waving and doing so enthusiastically. She was an excited and bouncing brunette with wide brown eyes wearing in a cute ¾ red shirt with a white color and a blue overall and shorts thing. She still wore white stockings with a black top part that ended on her mid-thigh, red shoes and a large white hat with a red band and bow on it.

Lyra was waving with one arm, her other linked with the shy and slightly embarrassed boy's arm next to her. Misty had thought that Lyra would end up with Khoury and it was good to see proof as she hadn't really seen them at Ash's party.

Misty owed Lyra more than the Johto girl could ever know because it was thanks to Lyra that Misty was able to realize that the odd feelings she'd been having for Ash for months, as well the sudden jealousy she had towards Lyra when Lyra thought about getting with Ash, in deed a crush on him. That crush had only continued to deepen until it became love and Misty was forever grateful to Lyra for making her realize that.

Khoury just smiled at them and gave a small wave as well. He was still wearing a long sleeved yellow collared shirt under a short sleeved green sweater and gray pants rolled up at the ankle. His messy green hair was a shade longer and he still carried a blue backpack on a single diagonal strap across his chest. The only thing different was that he seemed to be a lot more confident than he had when they had first met.

"Lyra, what in Arceus's name are you doing here?" Misty asked waving them over to join them. "Come and join us you two."

"Duh, we're here for the Cinnabar gym." Lyra said letting go of Khoury's arm and bounding over to them. "Why else would we be here Dane?"

Misty got up and hugged her friend as Ash rose and shook Khoury's hand before they all sat down at the table. There were spare seats at the table and the other couple quickly joined them at Misty's invitation, moving around so that they were all near their respective partners.

"So you're still challenging gyms then?" Ash asked and Lyra nodded.

"Yeah and I'm doing a lot better than I did out in Johto now that I know what I'm doing and have Khoury here supporting me all the time." Lyra said as the manager, who Ash and Misty knew was Blaine in disguise, came out with some more breakfast for the new guests. "I'm on track to compete in the Indigo Conference this year which I didn't expect seeing as it took 2 to reach the Silver Conference so I am really excited for it."

"That's great, congrats." Ash said with a grin. "I thought you were expecting to take 2 years again. That's what you said at the party so this is great that you're going to do it in a year this time."

"I know but after winning the Boulder Badge on my first try in Pewter I figured I may as well try and see if I could do it in a year this time." Lyra said excitedly. "Khoury is still working to be a great breeder so we can focus on my gym battles most of the time this year."

"Yeah it works out great for us." Khoury said with a smile. "I'm learning so much just traveling and interacting with Pokémon here in Kanto. I have battles and some fun in various competitions as well but I mainly enjoy supporting Lyra and her gym battles."

"So how many badges do you have?" Ash asked curiously. "You have to have a fair few if your already this far out."

"6." Lyra said proudly fishing out a badge case and opening it showing Ash and Misty 6 Kanto badges that Ash easily identified though Misty only knew one as it was the one she herself had won. "Though it has been harder than I expected after Pewter. It took me two tries in Cerulean, Saffron and Fuchsia to get their badges."

"Sometimes that happens." Ash said with a shrug. "I lost a lot myself when I was here and I've never swept a region, I've always lost at least one gym battle wherever I've been."

"Yeah it's really hard to win against some of them." Lyra agreed. "But it is all good learning experiences for me and I never lose a second time."

"Wait you lost to Dawn?" Misty asked curious as to how that happened. "What happened in that battle?"

"The dark haired girl in Cerulean who specializes in water types and was at Ash's party?" Lyra asked and Misty nodded. "Yeah I lost to her first time. Probably second toughest gym battle so far if I'm honest. Only Saffron was harder but that was more the type that Sabrina uses being a tougher challenge for me."

"Lyra is being modest; Dawn went all out against her in their battles." Khoury said. "It was odd because she's usually known to use more mid-range Pokémon against challengers but she used 3 fully evolved and powerful Pokémon against Lyra."

"What did she use?" Ash asked curiously, hearing battle stories always peaking his interest. "I faced Dawn and her best Pokémon in a full battle early this year so I know what she has. Well that and she's a close friend so I know her Pokémon well."

"Oh you have to tell me about that later." Lyra said excited at hearing about Ash's battles. "I want to know all about that and Dane's Contests, which we have been following as best we can by the way. As for Dawn, she used a Starmie, a Seismitoad which is a Pokémon from Unova apparently, and a really, really angry Gyarados. I barely got to the Gyarados and by then my Bayleef was at the end of her rope and lost because that Gyarados knows Flamethrower."

"Yeah I know Dawn's Gyarados has a good range of moves." Ash said his brow furrowing at the team that Dawn had used though, it was unlike her to use a team like that against a challenger. "That's a strong team for Dawn to use though the Seismitoad is mine actually, she's training it for me until the Indigo Conference."

"Oh that explains why she said it was a special Pokémon she's looking after for a special person and who she saves for annoying challengers." Lyra said as Misty growled at that, Dawn and her were friends but based on the time period this was likely back when Dawn was at her worst. "Though what I did to annoy her is beyond me and she was so civil the entire time we battled, if a little passionate, so I don't know."

"Lyra, when did you face Dawn?" Misty asked, she had a feeling what the excited girl from Johto might have done to annoy Dawn she just needed to confirm when that battle took place. "And did you say anything to her before your battle? Dawn and I have a complicated relationship that is finally on the right path so I may be able to help figure out why she was so annoyed at you."

"Well I faced her a couple months ago." Lyra said thinking on it and putting a finger on her chin as she did, looking into the distance to jog her memory. "Maybe 2 months after the party I think. We spent some time in Viridian trying to face the leader there but he was out of town the entire time so we went to Pewter City and then Cerulean after that. It must have been 2 weeks or so after the Contest there I think."

"Alright right after Ash's battle with Dawn." Misty said as she began to understand more. "That was a little before her personal realizations so Dawn was still likely not at her best, especially after seeing me and Ash so recently. What did you say anything to her? You did say you recognized her from the party."

"Oh yeah I told her that I saw her at Ash's party." Lyra said with a nod. "She asked how I knew Ash because she was his first traveling companion and with him for 3 years, practically gushed over Ash and they did together on their journeys which given what I've seen of him was fair."

"Yes it is but Lyra, what did you say about knowing Ash?" Misty asked worry in her voice, Lyra was a good time but she wasn't great with some social graces and around Dawn there was one grace that Lyra wouldn't know to avoid and almost certainly have blundered in like a Tauros in a china shop. "More specifically, about how you know me and my relation to Ash."

"Oh I told her we met in Sinnoh Dane and that I suggested you should date Ash." Lyra said with a wide smile and Misty paled at that, that was not something people said to Dawn, especially before she realized she had an anger issue, and lived to tell about. "I told her all of our adventures there. She was civil and enjoyed hearing it though the room got a little colder as I was talking for some reason. Then she went all out against me. It was a great challenge though, really made me have to improve so that I beat her next time despite facing the same lineup."

"Well that is good but you are really lucky." Misty said though she did realize why Dawn had never told her this out in Hoenn as she was likely embarrassed by how she acted against Lyra which Misty took as a good sign that Dawn was getting more comfortable with hers and Ash's relationship. "Dawn controlled herself enough to only lash out in the battle. Normally she would have exploded long before then."

"Why would she do that?" Lyra asked in confusion as Ash and Khoury began chatting about how his breeding was going and the raising of certain Pokémon to let the girls catch up more. "She was a nice and passionate gym leader."

"Lyra, Dawn is in love with Ash." Misty said bluntly. "Probably as deep, if not more so given how long she's known him, than me. When we met she basically blew a fuse the moment she learned who I was, though I could have handled that one better I admit. I ended up challenging her to a gym battle that I won to assert my dominance over her. It's what kicked off my habit of accidentally finding and then facing rivals for Ash. I've faced 3 so far."

"Huh that does explain why she was so positive about Ash." Lyra said with a thoughtful look on her face. "I never really thought of it though, I was focused on getting my second gym badge. Though she didn't mention facing you in battle Dane. She just said she knew you and that you two had an interesting and rather complex friendship."

"That is an understatement for sure." Misty said with a sigh. "Though it is a lot better now but I won't go into that as my relationship with Dawn is rather personal for both of us. Did she mention anything about putting a Piplup into a wall or a reinforced ceiling? She may not have mentioned me but she likely referenced our battle."

"Now that you mention it she did say that her ceiling was fine when she sent Azumarill into it during our rematch." Lyra admitted. "I asked why because there was no mark on it despite how powerful the attack was and all she said was some pissed off female from Sinnoh who asserted dominance over her threw her Gyarados into it but that's it. I don't believe it though, that ceiling is really high and I've faced her Gyarados so I know how much space it has."

"Believe it." Misty said. "There are many things I won't forget, a Gyarados falling 30 feet into a pool after I somehow managed to get it to hit the ceiling is one of them. Thankfully our rematch in the Wallace Cup wasn't as bad as our gym battle, though there was less for us to destroy in the Wallace Cup."

"Wait that was you?" Lyra said her eyes wide as she connected the dots and realized that it had to be Dane. "If it was you I would believe it even if it is out of character for you Dane."

"Yes well Dawn and I used to bring out the worst in each other." Misty said with a sigh of embarrassment at how she and the Cerulean Gym Leader used to be whenever they met up. "We're much better now though and my other rival battles have been much less destructive."

"You said, what do you mean by rivals though?" Lyra asked a little. "Contest rivals?"

"No though I have a few Contest rivals this year but those are professional rivals not rivals in love." Misty said shaking her head before thinking. "Ok May is both but she's an exception. Dawn was the first, my friend Angie from Sinnoh was the second and May, who I beat in the Wallace Cup final again, was the third. All of them have crushes on Ash so I had to put them in their places to remind them who Ash belongs to. Though at least with Angie and May we had civil mature conversations beforehand and the battles were more about showing them I was worthy of Ash."

"I see." Lyra said. "I can't say I understand it, no one else has shown an interest in Khoury so I don't know that feeling, but I did once briefly consider Ash myself before realizing that Khoury was the one for me so I can see his appeal. Does he have rivals for you? I bet there are many."

"He does." Misty said with a nod. "3 that I know of at least. I knew of two but a third showed up in the Wallace Cup and Ash beat her in convincing fashion though she knew it was more to test him than anything else."

"Ah that kinda makes sense." Lyra said with a nod before Dane's words hit her. "Wait. Her?"

"Yes my friend Zoey." Misty said. "Turns out she's into girls and fell for me when we were rivals on the Sinnoh circuit. That was an interesting revelation, both times."

"I bet well it doesn't surprise me, you are attractive, objectively speaking." Lyra complemented. "So Ash has already faced one rival."

"Yes and I am expecting the second, Conway, to be in the Indigo Conference." Misty said. "I think he's competing in Kanto this year so they will likely meet there."

"Do you expect more?" Lyra asked. "To face you that is."

"No doubt." Misty replied. "I know how Ash is, I'm expecting a few more though when the next one will surfaces, that I don't know."

"Well I know you will win; you and Ash are an awesome pair." Lyra said and Misty blushed. "I saw it back in Sinnoh and I am glad that you got together in the end."

"Thanks." Misty muttered. "But enough of that, what about the rest of your journey after Cerulean? How did you end up here and not overtake take us on the way? We spent a month in Lavender Town because Ash was sick, went to Hoenn for a week and took a 6-week cruise, not to mention the lounging we did in Celadon City or here on Cinnabar Island."

"Well we kept getting held up by my loses and a backtrack we had to do due to a brief closing of the Saffron Gym." Lyra said with a shrug. "And a few detours to catch new Pokémon, have some fun in other competitions, or see Lavender Town and pay our respects to Pokémon that had passed."

"That explains it." Misty said with a nod. "So after Cerulean, you went to Vermilion?"

"No Saffron." Lyra said shaking her head surprising Misty. "We booked it in fact. The Contest was going on there soon so we wanted to reach it before the Contest started and the city got hectic. I lost comfortable to Sabrina 3-1 so we left to train more and get ready to face her again but then she took off for a week without any warning. So Khoury and I decided rather than waste the week there, we would go down to Vermilion and face the gym there before returning to Saffron."

"That would have been around the time we had gotten to Saffron after Vermilion so that I could compete in that Contest." Misty said thinking. "So did you face Surge or Visquez while there?"

"Visquez, the acting leader." Lyra said. "She'd only recently reopened after some extensive repairs and we battled. I won a tough match and was ready for Sabrina so we returned to Saffron to find her back and ready to face me again though I still don't know why she took a week off though."

"I do." Misty said and Lyra raised an eyebrow so Misty told her, Sabrina was open about this stuff anyway so Misty knew she could explain Sabrina's issues to Lyra. "She does it once a month as part of her rigid schedule that includes a mandatory week off every year so as to not let everything overwhelm her less she relapses."

"Relapses?" Lyra asked with a confused look. "She didn't take me as the type."

"Sabrina holds herself well but I know she's much more fragile than she appears." Misty said. "She's open about her struggles so I can talk about it but it's not something I expected meeting her. Several years back Sabrina was in bad shape because of her psychic powers."

"Those I know about." Lyra said with a nod. "She told us about them but refused to do more than just levitate a few small objects and read our minds once when we asked to see them. It was impressive but not as powerful as I had expected."

"That's because Sabrina's powers are so great that they almost destroyed her once when she over used them." Misty said. "She got addicted to them and almost lost her mind, from what I've heard it was really bad. Of course it was Ash and a mischievous wild Haunter that saved her. They helped restore Sabrina's mind so that she could get the help that she needed and is in control now but she needs time off to reset and not let her powers take control of her again. That's a really broad overview but I'm sure she'd give you the full story if you ever asked."

"I may if I ever need to understand what she went through." Lyra said processing what Dane had told her. "She was fine when we met, happy even as she'd seen an old friend and made a new one recently so she was in a great mood. I beat her though in a tough rematch.."

"I am pretty sure that was us." Misty said with a smile. "But well done, she's not an easy matchup given how hard it is to face psychic types."

"No she was not." Lyra agreed. "After that we took a few weeks off to see Lavender Town and the caves near it for training and seeing if we could catch some Pokémon. That was where Khoury's Gible finally evolved in a Gabite as he helped Khoury catch a Paras which was cool. After that we returned to our journey."

"Sounds it." Misty said with a smile as she mentally mapped out Kanto. "So you went to Celadon next, right?"

"Correct." Lyra confirmed. "I faced and beat Erika first time and her greenhouse was lovely, we both liked the perfume she made there."

"Good don't insult it but that's Ash's story not mine." Misty said with a grin. "I won't ruin it as it's a good one."

"She did say that Ash was a character after I said I knew him and you." Lyra said. "Though she was confused as to why I called you Dane though she seemed to really like you, more than she liked Ash in fact."

"That's because my name is Misty not Dane." Misty muttered though she knew that Lyra would never get that. "But yes we got on well and still exchange messages in fact which is nice of her. Of all the Kanto leaders I've met, I'd say Erika is the one I got on best with closely followed by Sabrina."

"That's good, she is a lovely woman." Lyra said. "And our match was a lot of fun. After that we went on a really nice bike ride to Fuchsia City along the cycling route."

"I wish Ash and I could have done that but alas we couldn't." Misty said sadly. "Our delay in Lavender Town prevented that. How was Fuchsia? I think you would have been there before us."

"Great, a real adventure the first time." Lyra said with a smile.

"First time?" Misty asked confused. "You left and returned?"

"Well yeah I lost to Janine so I knew I needed more training to beat her." Lyra said. "So we spent a day at the Safari Zone where I caught a Tangela and Khouri caught a Rhyhorn and then we left Fuchsia for an island stop to train and have a bit of a break."

"Really which island?" Misty asked. "We were just out in them so maybe we went to it on our cruise."

"Potpourri Island." Lyra said. "We went there so that Khoury could compete in the Wisteria Town Contest that was being held there and I could train for my rematch with Janine."

"We didn't go to that island." Misty said thinking, she knew they'd not been there but she'd definitely heard of it. "When was the Contest?"

"Just before the Wallace Cup." Lyra said. "Which we watched while there and you were amazing in it Dane."

"Thanks." Misty said as that explained why they hadn't been to that island but it didn't explain one thing that Lyra had mention. "Wait, you said you went so that Khoury could compete in it?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't mention that." Lyra said slapping her boyfriend's arm. "Khoury tell Dane about your Contests."

"Huh?" Khoury said as he and Ash had been in a long and detailed discussion about the best way to raise a Gabite and Croconaw as they both had those Pokémon so they could exchange tips. "What is it Lyra?"

"Contests silly." Lyra said. "You compete in a few so tell Dane about them."

"Oh yeah I do." Khoury said as he adjusted his glasses and pulled out a coordinator card from his pocket and showing it to Misty. "I got this when a breeder we ran into in Vermilion City after Lyra's win there suggested I try my hand at them as a way of seeing how my techniques work on my Pokémon as they are pretty similar apparently. I did and enjoyed it so whenever we need a break and Lyra wants to train, we go to a Contest so I can have some fun and meet coordinators to learn their raising techniques. It also helps Lyra as she can get some inspiration from the battles."

"Sounds fun, Brock did that once." Ash said reminding Misty of that story, as well as the fact that the Contest in question was the Gardenia Contest which she'd recently lost. "Do you have any ribbons?"

"Alas no." Khoury said shaking his head. "And only one finals appearance, in that recent Wisteria Town Contest in fact. I lost to another rookie and one who's a true coordinator with a good shot at the Grand Festival called Emily as it was her 3rd ribbon. I didn't mind though, I do them for fun and as a learning experience both personally and to get breeding tips from people I meet at them."

"Oh I know Emily." Misty said as she remembered where she'd heard of Potpourri Island, Emily had told her about it at the Chrysanthemum Contest. "She's a friend I made after we first met in the Cerulean Contest final. We've seen her at several Contests this and I've been showing her the ropes as best I can. She's come a long greatly and will be a good coordinator in the future. She even beat Ash in the Chrysanthemum Town Contest quarters and gave me a run when we met in the finals."

"Yeah she's good but something odd happened in the final that ensured her victory." Khoury said. "Her Clefable seemed to shrug off my Gabite's Dragon Claw when I used it and then knocked him out with a Meteor Mash for the win."

"That is odd." Misty said giving Ash a knowing look, it was the same phenomenon they'd seen a few times this year just another new Pokémon to add to the list. "That Clefable is a sturdy one though, I've faced her and she took 4 attacks before going down."

"Yeah it's beautifully raised, I can tell that much." Khoury agreed. "That was my best Contest yet so maybe next year I'll finally win a ribbon, who knows. We haven't decided on if we will do any others yet but we will be at the Grand Festival for sure. There's a lot of breeders going there so I can learn so much from them and Lyra will hopefully be in the Indigo Conference afterwards."

"And Dane here will be winning the Grand Festival, won't you Dane." Lyra said with a smile at Misty. "We've been following the Contest buzz as best we can and you're the star of the circuit though that recent loss hard to watch."

"Yeah it was painful but Mollie is one of the other favorites so losing to her wasn't a big blow and it gave me a sense for what she'd be like in the Grand Festival should we meet during it." Misty said. "And the loss to Ash was a tough but I grew and adapted from it so that it didn't happen when we met in the Wallace Cup."

"That did surprise us." Lyra said as Khoury nodded in agreement. "But I guess a loss can happened anytime."

"That it can." Misty said before switching the topic back to Lyra and not her two Contest losses. "So you returned to Fuchsia City after Wisteria Town then?"

"We did." Lyra confirmed. "We had to battle outside in Janine's courtyard because someone had done a number on her gym the week before and it was still getting fixed. I've never seen a gym take that much punishment before but Janine said it was a special challenge and not an actual gym battle that caused it."

"Can't imagine who would destroy a gym, do you Ash?" Misty asked with a smile at her boyfriend. "Damage I get but enough to relocate the battlefield is a lot."

"No I can't." Ash said shaking his head. "What was the damage?"

"Almost the entire floor destroy so it had to be re floored and a hole in one wall that was now structurally unstable." Khoury said causing Ash and Misty to blink at that, they hadn't thought that Pignite sending Drapion through a wall would be that bad. "We saw the wall; it was impressive to say the least. Apparently it was still a good week before the main battlefield could be used but they had a backup on in the courtyard where Lyra battled and beat Janine this time."

"Yup and that my most recent badge." Lyra said with a nod. "We left the gym and spent a few more days there deciding what to do next."

"Did you see Brock out in Fuchsia?" Misty asked. "He's down there now and would have liked to see you two."

"No we didn't." Khoury said sadly. "If I had known I would have looked him up, he was a great mentor to me in Sinnoh. What's he doing there?"

"He's training to become a Pokémon Doctor now." Ash said. "He realized towards the end of our Sinnoh journey that that was his true calling so began his work. This year he's in the field down by Fuchsia City and doing great. We caught up with him while we were down there before and after my battle with Janine."

"Oh yeah your battles." Lyra said remembering them. "How have they been?"

"Destructive and fun." Ash said with a grin which summed them all up perfectly. "I've won all 7 so far and that is all of them I think as Viridian Gym is still not getting back to me."

"Yeah same, we tried to go there after Fuchsia again because it was easier than coming here so we were saving Cinnabar for last but again the leader was out of town." Lyra said with a note of frustration in her voice. "We spent a month there training but nothing came of it so we came here. Took a while for Khoury to figure out that odd man's riddle regarding where to find Blaine and even now we don't know the next part, something about being where firemen can't win being where the gym is, but we know he's here."

"Yes he is." Misty confirmed. "But we won't say more as that is for you to find out the gym and where Blaine is so that you can prove yourselves worthy to him."

"I know and even when we find out, the manager said that the battlefield is currently being repaired and will take a few more days due to the location of it." Lyra said a little sullen. "Something about a Magmortar sized hole in the center which I don't get."

"I can't say we know anything about that hole either." Misty said. "Right Ash?"

"Correct Misty, it's not like I used my Charizard after I Mega Evolved him to send Blaine's Magmortar through the center of the battlefield after weakening it or anything." Ash said as innocently as he could. "Though I can see why that battlefield will take a while to fix and you will as well when you finally face Blaine."

"Yeah I can't wait." Lyra said with a smile. "Any tips?"

"Only this." Misty said looking at Khoury and not Lyra. "Khoury, do you know how to officiate a Pokémon battle?"

"I, um, have never done that." Khoury admitted sounding confused at Misty's question. "I've seen plenty but never officiated one. Why?"

"Blaine likes to let a traveling companion of the challenger officiate the battles." Misty said. "It was an experience to say the least and I had to do it for a full battle, not a standard gym battle."

"You officiated?" Lyra asked amazed. "A full battle?"

"Yup, never thought I would but Blaine asked so I did." Misty said with a nod. "Well that and there wasn't anyone else around to do it so I kinda had to but seeing Ash win was great so I had a good time."

"Damn, that is impressive Dane." Lyra said beaming at her.

"Thanks." Misty said with a small smile. "So you guys figure out the riddle today?"

"Last night, Khoury finally got it." Lyra said. "We got in late and this was our first day here. We're planning on hitting the hot springs later and trying to figure out the riddle down there. After Cinnabar it's back to Viridian and this time I'm not leaving without my last badge."

"A good plan." Ash said with a nod. "Make sure you get that so we can meet in the Indigo Conference."

"Oh I intend to." Lyra said with a grin. "You can bet on that."

"What about you two?" Khoury asked shifting the conversation back to Ash and Misty. "You're done here so where's next for you two?"

"We are heading to west Kanto and seeing if there is a Contest there for me." Misty said. "I need one more to reach the Grand Festival and then it is onto the Plateau for the preparations and the tournaments."

"Well if you're heading to the western part of Kanto why not try and see if you can make the Cremini Town Contest." Khoury suggested. "It's out in the far west so a little walk from wherever a ferry will let you off but it's in 2 weeks' time so works for you."

"That may work." Misty said as she fished out her Contest book to check its listing. "It was one of the ones I noticed that I was considering. Ash, what do you think?"

"I think I've been to Cremini Town before." Ash said knowing that the name was familiar and remembering at least part of his time there. "It's near Tojo Falls so close to the Johto border in the far west of the region so it works well for us."

"Well what's it like there?" Misty asked as she found the Contest and confirmed its location as she skimmed its format. "If you think you've been then you probably have and had some sort of adventure while you were there."

"I think I had an adventure with 3 Jynxes and a Smoochum there that involved Team Rocket when we were there though I don't think this was on my first Kanto journey as there are no gyms out there." Ash said thinking. "And I'm pretty sure that I pissed off some Beedrill outside the town but that's normal, I've done that in multiple locations in multiple regions so that's not memorable."

"Sounds like a typical adventure for you." Misty said and Ash nodded but something was tickling the back of his mind, there was more to Cremini Town then he was remembering but for the life of him he couldn't think what it was. "I say we go there; the Contest looks good and it's out in the far west so I can see all the region."

"I agree." Ash said deciding that he would ponder the mystery on the way or find out when they got there why it was so familiar. "We'll head out tomorrow."

"Well then until then, why don't you give us a full recap of all your battles Ash." Lyra said eager to hear about Ash's battles. "I bet they were epic."

"Beyond epic." Ash said grinning. "Multiple evolutions, come from behind performances, momentum shifts, legendary duels, they've been amazing. Let's see it started in Pewter City when I faced Forrest and…"

Ash was about to launch into his story when there was a sudden sound next to Misty. Looking down, Misty saw that the egg that she always kept near her was slowly flashing white. She grinned, at last it was time for it to hatch.

"Clear the table." Misty said quickly pulling up the egg surprising Lyra and Khoury but they all quickly did, moving the food and plates to another table as Misty put the egg on the table, the flashing increasing as she did. "I think it's going to hatch!"

"When did you get an egg Dane?" Lyra asked looking at it in amazement.

"The other week when we reached Cinnabar Island there was a challenge of sorts that had been going on." Misty explained as she opened the incubator so that it wasn't in the way of the egg hatching. "It was a series of riddles that led us multiple places on the island, including here. With the accidental help of Ash I was the first to solve them and got this egg as a reward for being the first one to solve all the riddles and reach the final location. Now, at last, it is hatching."

"That's incredible." Lyra said. "I wonder what it is?"

"Let's see." Misty said as all but her stood back just the egg turned bright white.

A second later it morphed or hatched or whatever eggs did, Misty was never sure what to really call it as it was an odd phenomenon to see, so that a Pokémon was now on the table in front of her. As the color faded Misty gasped at the Pokémon sitting on the table looking up at her with wide, curious, brown eyes.

The Pokémon was clearly a quadruped Pokémon based on its four legs and its features were canine in appearance though closer to a fox than a dog or wolf Misty thought. It was a burnt orange in color with a darker, brownish coloring on its feet, a cream belly and a tuft of orange between its ears. Then there were its tails, 6 of them to be precise, and a beautify orange just like its tuft.

"You are adorable." Misty said as she gently picked it up showing. "What are you?"

"That's a Vulpix." Ash said. "Brock raised one for a trainer once back during out early days so I've seen it before and it evolves into Ninetales."

"Really well first I am going to raise you Vulpix before I even consider evolution." Misty said with a smile at her new Pokémon. "How does that sound?"

"Vulpix." Vulpix said with a cute smile on its face, as Misty was the first person it had seen it assumed Misty was its mother so it was already bonding with her but then it scrunched its nose up cutely. "Vul, pix."

Before Misty could react it sneezed and a spurt of flames shot out of its nose and hit Misty in the face knocking her beanie off and ruining her hair while everyone laughed. All Misty could do was cough out smoke, again and groan.

"Right, if it evolves into a Ninetales it has a fire type." Misty said as everyone laughed. "Well I know how to raise one after Cyndaquil. Welcome to the team Vulpix."

They all laughed again as Misty pulled out a Poke Ball and Vulpix nuzzled it help to catch itself. After it was caught Misty brought it out again to meet Piplup and Pikachu and so that she could begin grooming it while Ash launched into his battles with Lyra and Khoury.

Yes it had been a great morning, just what they needed before they left Cinnabar Island. They'd seen some old friends, planned where to go next for Misty's hopefully last Contest, and Misty's egg had hatched giving her a new and really cute Vulpix.

Everything was going great. Misty couldn't wait to reach Cremini Town and find out what was in store for them with the Contest there. Misty knew one thing; it was going to be memorable for sure but she had no idea how memorable it would be.