Part LXXXVI: The Usual Way to Start
"Alright we are about a day out of Santalune City." May said as she studied the map while the others set up their lunch spot. "We'll have to camp out tonight, but we should reach the city by this time tomorrow so long as there are no delays."
"And then I get to face the gym leader there." Ash said with a grin as he set up their cooking pot with Serena and began to make lunch as between the two of them they could make a passable meal. "I can't wait to win my first badge."
"If we're getting in around lunch, which means midafternoon knowing us, shouldn't you wait a bit." Misty said as she set up their eating spot and got things ready for the Pokémon who were all out with the exception of May's Tyrantrum as it was too large to be out here. "You should probably take the night to rest and plan. You don't want to rush it; you know what happens when you rush something."
"True." Ash said remember how his bad habit of rushing into battles seldom ended well. "I want to try and go through a region without a gym loss for once as I've never done that, first time around at least. I guess I can wait, especially if I catch something before then as I'd like to train a bit more to make sure that I am ready."
"Wow, Ash has really matured with you Misty." May said with a laugh as she put the map away and went to join Misty as she needed to give Munchlax his special Poke Block before the food was served or else no one would eat. "Normally he'd run blindly in there and potentially lose, he did that a few times in Hoenn and Kanto back in the day."
"I only lost to Brawly though." Ash pointed out causing May to give him a look. "And Anabel for the same reasons but I have learned and won't do it again. This time I will win."
"That's the Ash we all know." Misty said with a chuckle. "At least he seems to understand the need to not rush headlong into an unknown battle now."
"Sorry, I think I'm missing something." Serena said as she began to get the food ready.
"Ash has a habit of rushing into battles without fully thinking about the battle first, sometimes getting quite rude in the process." May said as she and Misty finished serving the Pokémon and waited for their own food. "Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't."
"Yeah patience wasn't my best virtue in the past." Ash admitted with a shrug as he finished making the simple meal. "But it is now. This time I will take the afternoon to train and the night to strategize. It's a bug type gym so I need to plan for that."
"What do you expect from it?" Misty asked as Ash and Serena joined them and handed out the food, a simple Kalos style noodle dish that they could make without messing up. "I haven't seen a bug type gym before."
"At least one Kalos bug type, native Pokémon are almost always a guarantee in a gym." Ash said. "Though I am not sure what the native ones here are."
"Scatterbug and its evolved forms are the only ones that are native to Kalos." Serena said looking over to where her own Scatterbug was eating with Sylveon, Pancham, Braixen and Rhyhorn having bonded well with her other Pokémon. "But as a bug type it evolves pretty quickly so you'll likely face Vivillon, its final stage. That's a bug and flying type that resembles a butterfly or a moth, I never know the technical difference."
"Good to know, that means that Pikachu will be on call for it." Ash said with a grin glancing at his starter.
"Pikachu." Pikachu called affirmatively from where he was with Riolu, Froakie, Piplup, Espeon, and Vulpix.
"Other than that, it could be any potential bug type that I've probably seen." Ash said thinking. "Likely a dual type as they often are dual types, at least the good ones are, with the exceptions of Pinsir, Kricketune, and Accelgor which are all good pure bug types I've met. Ideally, I'd catch a flying or fire type before then but if I don't then it will come down to the Pokémon the gym leader uses as to whether I go with Riolu or Froakie. Likely it would be Froakie due to the high chance of a flying type, but we will see."
"Well we can plan for that on the way." May said as she began to eat the surprisingly decent meal, it wasn't at Brock or Clemont's standards but still good, especially after adding some seasoning they'd brought. "For now food."
The others nodded as they dug into the meal with both May and Ash getting seconds as there was enough and neither could be satisfied by one portion. It was a good break from the walking they'd done all day as they relaxed and continued to let their Pokémon bond with each other while on the road.
They had left Lumiose City the day before and were walking at decent pace to Santalune City. It was about a 2 day walk to get there if they hurried it, but they didn't need to do that just yet, plus Ash and Misty were enjoying seeing Kalos as they made their way through the countryside.
They'd already camped out once and would do so again. Ash and Misty shared a tent while May and Serena shared the other one as was to be expected. Misty had worried that it would be a little uncomfortable as all 3 girls had feelings for Ash but so far it wasn't too bad.
May was fine, she understood, but there was still some underlying tension between her and Serena that had been building since they'd landed in Kalos. Misty knew that she'd have to confront Serena soon about her crush, which Misty was almost certain the girl had, in a civil and mature way so that there was as little awkwardness as possible between them as they traveled.
Right now, they were enjoying a post lunch break though so there was no tension as the food did its job. After they'd digested, they planned on doing some training before heading on to try and reach a good spot to camp that was withing reach of Santalune City.
All their Pokémon were slowly getting along though with each other, though the Eevee evolutions seemed to have a quiet rivalry and Pancham and Riolu kept testing their strength as fighting types liked to do. Given that not even Pikachu or Piplup knew all the Pokémon present, mainly Serena's and May's Kalos ones that they'd met briefly before traveling together, it would take time to fully bond. Still Ash was determined to ensure that they all got along, and he knew that they would in the end.
"That was good." May said as she finished her second portion and sighed in relief. "I've been a little spoiled the last year with Clemont's cooking but this was better than when I was on my own in Johto and Sinnoh seeing as I can't cook."
"Ash spent most of last year perfecting his cooking." Misty said. "He even has a few of Brock's recipes just in case and he's better at cooking then me so I let him cook while I looked after the Pokémon. Once we reached Celadon City, we didn't do much cooking until after leaving Cinnabar Island, except when we were with Anabel in Cremini Town, but it's a useful skill to have."
"Well I found it tasty, if a little over seasoned." Serena said, she had been the only one not to add any additional seasonings to the dish. "But Kalos isn't known for seasonings the way Kanto is so that could be it."
"True it's more about the sweet dishes." May said with a nod as Ash got up and brought some berries to the Pokémon to help their growth while Misty got out her poffin cases to give the Pokémon some, well hers and Ash's. "Serena, you should talk with Misty about how to make Poffins, they'll help with Contests and do different things than Pokeblock which is what I know."
"That's a good idea." Serena said, any tips for her Pokémon were and if it were something that Misty knew it could be useful in more than one way. "And I can teach her how to make Poké Puffs as that is Kalos's version of Pokeblock and poffins and does its own thing. It will help the slight awkwardness that I know is growing between us."
"You know what that is." May said quietly as they watched Ash and Misty hand out the treats and berries to all the Pokémon including May and Serena's as they were allowed to if the Pokémon wanted one, Misty making sure to give a different, off green colored poffin to Scatterbug as it was designed especially for bug types. "You two will talk about it at some point. There's no way that Misty doesn't know, she's observant and has had plenty of practice at this point. Best to get it over with sooner rather than later."
"I got the feeling but I'll wait for her to bring it up." Serena said. "It will help if she's the one to broach it, if I did it may come off as a threat. I may not feel as deep as you or Misty does about Ash, but I know a year traveling with him will deepen it."
"It always does." May said with a sigh. "The talks help heal the wound of loss, but the scar is always there."
"Alright the poffins are a hit." Misty said with a smile as she rejoined the girls, Ash was staying with his Pokémon as Froakie was still new and in need of bonding with the others. "All of your Pokémon love them though I will need to create something special for Munchlax. One won't satisfy him, and his appetite is greater than even Mamoswine's and I could barely keep up with it."
"I'll give you his Pokeblock recipe and see if you can make a poffin out of that." May said looking to where Munchlax was now sleeping near Blaziken, Glaceon, Slurpuff and Doublade. "He needs special food because of his appetite. I gave him a Pokeblock before lunch, but he may need another one once he wakes up."
"That will be useful, might even be good for Mamoswine in a smaller dose." Misty said as she sat down and relaxed for a moment. "Though I would have to test it out a bit first as your special Pokeblock is designed for Munchlax and Snorlax and those Pokémon redefine what it means to be hungry."
"Misty, why did you give a different poffin to Scatterbug?" Serena asked, it was a sight that had confused her when she'd been watching Misty hand out the snacks. "It was clearly different from the other ones you have."
"Oh that, it was more to confirm a theory, which it did, and Scatterbug loved the special one." Misty said which didn't answer Serena's question and Misty realized that when Serena blinked at her, so she elaborated. "You see my usual Poffins are great and appeal to a wide variety of Pokémon because I had to make them as such. I initially used my mom's recipe but it is designed for feline and canine Pokémon and not the ones I had at the time. So, I had to create my own recipe that was more wide ranging. At the time, all my Pokémon loved them."
"At the time is key isn't it." May said picking up on that. "You created them to appeal to the ones you had but I take it something was missing."
"Correct, I created them when I was in Sinnoh and early in my journey at that as I only had Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu at the time." Misty said. "My recipe held fine until Kanto when I caught Oddish and Pinsir. Oddish loved the poffin I gave her one but Pinsir, my only bug type, didn't. I realized that my Poffins don't appeal to Pinsir's tastes and figured it must be a type thing given how different bug types are, so I made a special bug type poffin for her. I don't have Pinsir on me, so I offered one of the few I had left to Scatterbug and it liked it."
"Can you teach me it?" Serena asked. "How to make poffins, both normal and special ones."
"I'll do my best but I think you may want to tweak it when Scatterbug fully evolves." Misty said. "And make sure that what you make has a personal touch. It's intangible but I know that my bond with my Pokémon strengthens because of it. Well except with Spiritomb but he doesn't eat so that's a different case."
"Why?" Serena asked confused before clarifying. "Not why Spiritomb, I've seen yours once and I can see why it wouldn't eat, but why change it when Scatterbug fully evolves?"
"Poffins are designed to bring out a Pokémon's appearance in a way that makes them appealing." Misty explained. "I made Pinsir's especially for her and as such they are designed to maximize her carapace. That can work on a Scatterbug, but I don't think that would work for a Vivillon."
"No, it wouldn't, Vivillon doesn't really have a carapace." Serena admitted. "Good to know and I still want to learn how to make them for Contests."
"Of course I will do my best to help." Misty said with a smile.
"Hey, get back here with that, that's not for you." Ash called out snapping their attention to him and whatever antics he had somehow ended up in this time.
Ash was glaring up at a branch in a nearby tree. In the branch, chirping in victory was a small bird Pokémon, one Ash hadn't seen before. It had a red head, gray body, and black tail with a white V on it and white tips to its wings. In its beak was a small berry that Ash had been giving to Froakie that it had stolen right at the moment of transfer and was now gloating at them.
"What are you?" Ash muttered as he pulled out his new Kalos region Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon in the tree. "You have speed and are a flying type so let's see what you can do, impress me and I'll try and catch you. I always catch a flying type because of their uses so I hope you're the Kalos one."
"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon." The pokedex chimed helpfully. "Despite the beauty of its lilting voice, it's merciless to intruders that enter its territory."
"Let's test that." Ash said with a grin as Fletchling swallowed the berry with a gleam in its eyes at its victory. "You are just the kinda Pokémon I go for when I set out in a new region. Froakie, time for some training. Water Pulse."
"Froakie." Froakie croaked in agreement as he sent out the pulse of water at Fletchling.
Fletchling easily dodged the attack, turned, and flew away and into the forest they had been walking through. Ash didn't hesitate as he, Froakie, Riolu and Pikachu tore after it. This was now personal, and Ash was going to beat this Pokémon in battle and catch it. He saw its potential and intended to maximize it.
"I guess we're chasing after Ash again, some things will never change." May said with a sigh. "Serena, stay with the camp, Misty, let's go get your boyfriend before he hurts himself."
"Might be too late for that." Misty said shaking her head as the girls ran off after Ash. "Espeon, with me. Vulpix, Piplup stay back and help Serena."
"Blaziken, Glaceon you two come as well." May said as they followed Ash, their Pokémon on their heels. "Your types might be useful in the woods. The rest of you hold back."
Piplup didn't need telling twice. These things were usually dangerous to a poor Piplup's health, so he was more than happy to stay at the campsite and nap like Munchlax was doing while the others just looked on in confusion.
"I guess this is normal." Serena muttered to the remaining Pokémon as she decided to start clearing up the food. "I'm going to have to get used to this."
As this was happening Ash was chasing Fletchling through the woods, his Pokémon running or hopping by his sides as he made his way after the small flying type. He wanted to attack but there was no space, he needed to get Fletching into the open were he had an advantage in a battle with it. As much as he'd like to use Pikachu, this was Froakie's battle as the berry had been meant for Froakie, the other two were here for support.
Fletching looked back at his pursuers and noticed that they were still on his tail. They were persistent, he was impressed by that. Clearly this human cared for his Pokémon, Fletchling had noticed that which was why he'd stolen the food, well that and it was a good test of his speed to do so as the human was handing it that tasty berry to Froakie.
Now he was leading them to a place where he could battle Froakie to see if the human were worthy. Course he would make this a little more challenging before the battle. If they could get past his next trick then he would face them in a nearby canyon.
He knew this forest well and he was leading the human and his Pokémon to one of the most dangerous areas of the forest. As Fletchling flew he led them to the Kakuna grove where they rested as they waited to evolve into Beedrills. As he approached the several Kakunas hanging from silk threads in the trees Fletchling let out a Razor Wing and cut many of them down from the trees before flying past them with a tweet of triumph at his actions.
As planned, the Kakunas fell down to the ground and almost instantly began to evolve the moment they hit the earth. Beedrills were known for their extreme anger problems and if you dropped a Kakuna they had a habit of evolving early because of how pissed they were and attacking the first thing they saw, which in this case would be Fletchling's pursuers.
"Really? You have to drop fucking Beedrills of all things on me." Ash swore as the angry Pokémon that he had a terrible reputation with burst up from the ground after Fletching had knocked down the Kakunas as they angrily blocked his path. "Damn this Pokémon is smart; I really want it now."
"Ash." Misty called from behind him. "Leave the Beedrills to us, you go on. We can handle this."
"Thanks." Ash called as the Beedrills approached. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to cut us a path."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as he sent out the Thunderbolt at the approaching swarm.
He was mid sprint so the attack wasn't very accurate but it was a warning shot nothing else. He managed to clear the Beedrills to either side long enough for Ash and his Pokémon to run through still following the dot that was Fletchling before the Beedrills could regroup.
"Back-to-back Misty." May called as the girls came to a stop surrounded by the now really angry Beedrills before May touched her Key Stone at her throat while Misty took up her position behind May. "Blaziken, we need to even the playing field, Mega Evolve! Glaceon cover us with Blizzard."
"Espeon, Attract." Misty said to give May the time her Blaziken needed as Glaceon opened its mouth and sent out a roiling blizzard at the Beedrills on May's side. "Take out as many of them as possible."
Espeon mewled as she gave the Beedrills a seductive wink, moving her head as she did to cover a wide area that would affect as many of them as possible, but it might not last as long as usual. The hearts shot out of her eyes and hit several of the Beedrills, incapacitating about half of them showing Misty who the males were.
"Leave the infatuated ones for now." Misty said as she recalled that Beedrill's secondary type wasn't flying but poison which gave her an advantage. "Target the others with Psybeam!"
"Mega Blaziken, target the Beedrills with Blaze Kick one at a time, we can't use any other fire type moves here because of the trees." May called out as Blaziken finished Mega Evolving. "Go for the ones slowed by the Blizzard. Glaceon, use the Blizzard to your advantage and target the ones that can avoid Mega Blaziken with Iron Tail."
"Keep it up and don't stop your attacks." Both girls called out as the battle began.
Mega Blaziken leapt forward, his feet flames as he lashed out at any Beedrill that was too slow to dodge him. Each kick that landed took out a Beedrill with the super effective attack and sent them crashing back and into the forest to flee from the powered-up Blaze Pokémon. At the same time Glaceon used his Snow Cloak ability to sneak up on and bat away any Beedrills that were avoiding Mega Blaziken with his Iron Tail that produced the same result.
On the other side Espeon was sending out beams of psychic power from her orb that struck the Beedrills more often than not, downing the ones who were hit. All the time she was leaping around and dodging poison-based attacks, using the infatuated male Beedrills to her advantage the entire time and getting a few of them hit by their fellow Beedrills in the process.
It didn't take long but soon the girls had thinned out the Beedrills enough that the remaining ones decided that it was useless to fight and fled into the forest. The only ones left were the handful that were knocked out and would recover later and the still infatuated ones that were just hovering there.
Blaziken returned to normal and panted from the energy causing May to recall him to take a rest. Glaceon and Espeon were both fine with only minor damage from glancing blows though Misty produced two of the berries that countered poisoning and offered them one each just in case. With that done the girls turned and began to run after Ash again, Espeon and Glaceon still with them.
"So, Serena." Misty said glad that they had a moment to chat as they ran. "She's like us."
"Is that a question or statement Misty." May said as they moved, panting slightly as she spoke.
"More a statement but I want your clarification on it as it is only a heavy suspicion at the moment." Misty said. "I noticed how she acted at the Grand Festival and while she's in more control now I still see the little things, the things Ash will miss. Well, he'll miss the big things as well but that's just Ash."
"You're as observant as ever though I'll admit Serena isn't as controlled as we were." May said with a sigh. "She might even be worse than Dawn in time, not that Ash will ever notice as you pointed out but to answer your statement, yes she has a crush on Ash. It's only a crush for now but you and I both know where that leads when you travel with him."
"A year with him on the road will ensure it." Misty agreed. "I'll have a talk with her after the gym battle in Santalune City. We'll take a girls. day to get poffin supplies, just us, and then we can have a civil chat over lunch. I'm sure you can distract Ash."
"With ease, training is always his go to distraction." May said panting more as they ran. "And with his Pokémon he'll need it to beat Clemont. I won't tell him what to expect but I'll aid him as best I can."
"Good then I can face Serena in a battle." Misty said with a grin. "It's tradition at this point plus she needs the practice with Contest battles."
"That's why you have Espeon with you." May remembered. "To face her Sylveon in a mock Contest battle that will be more than it seems."
"Correct and you will be the ref." Misty said. "I'll go over it with Serena during our."
"You know that that is a guaranteed victory for you." May pointed out. "You can't go easy on her because it is practice and she needs it, not that she'd let you, and we both know how good you are in battle."
"Nothing is guaranteed in battle." Misty said seriously. "The right Pokémon, strategy and luck can overcome an experience disadvantage. It's how I beat Anabel after all. However, yes, I will be going all out to beat her because she will face coordinators who will seek to crush her in battle, so she'd better learn how to deal with that."
"True but even in a normal battle Serena needs help." May said. "She's a performer not a battler so she has limited experience in battles. You will beat her but it will show her how a Contest battle works and help her in the process."
"Serena is lucky." Misty said. "She has two Top Coordinators to travel with and help her, though that will bite her in the ass when the others on the circuit will come after her because of us."
"Such is the price of having us train her." May said. "She's not the only person with skilled mentors but she will be the only one with regular access to two and that will make her a target as you said. Add in her win in the Master Class and fame from her performance against Aria and Serena will be the most visible Kalos coordinator. Visibility comes with a price."
"I know, that is what it was like for me last year." Misty said. "But by the time the Grand Festival comes around Serena will be used to it and can use that when she competes in it. There will be others of course. I know that Emily is here somewhere and she's coming off her own surprise run to a semifinal and I will continue to mentor her when I can. Emily is just one of the coordinators here who will be a rival to Serena."
Serena is in a great situation and I know it will make her stronger." May said. "She already knows the basics from last year and with her first Contest is coming up we will see how she applies that."
Misty just nodded as they exited the forest and had to abruptly stop as they had reached the edge of a canyon, their Pokémon biting the backs of their tops to ensure they didn't fall. As they recovered, they looked down and into to it to see Ash with Froakie in front of him and Pikachu and Riolu behind him as he faced off against the small Fletchling that was now perched on a stone looking at Ash curiously.
"Looks like the show is about to start." May panted. "Let's get down there."
"Yeah, it's always a good show when Ash catches a Pokémon." Misty said as the girls began to look for a path down.
"I got you cornered now." Ash said taking a few deep breaths from the run. "Froakie, this is our battle."
"Froakie." Froakie said with a nod as he looked at the little Fletchling.
Fletchling just looked at them with a cocked head. He was impressed. They had made followed him all the way to the canyon, avoiding the Beedrills he'd placed in their way, and keeping pace with him. All the boy had to do was beat Fletchling in battle and he'd join this human. With his tenacity showing him the way, Fletchling knew that he could become great.
"Bubble." Ash called out.
Fletchling just flapped its wings and flew up into the air to avoid the attack before activating a Double Team to throw off his attacker. Froakie croaked and leapt high into the air to put himself on an even plain with his opponent as Ash thought about his next move.
"Froakie use your Frubbles to find the real one and slow it down." Ash said using Froakie's biology to his advantage.
Froakie croaked and began to throw the bubbles from his chest and back at the confused Fletchling and its doubles. Ash had learned about the frubbles when he'd checked Froakie's Pokedex entry and realized how useful they could be in battle. They were hard to get out of, versatile and above all else not an attack so it wasn't something expected.
Clearly the Fletchling didn't expect it as Froakie suddenly unleashed a flurry of frubbles at it. Neither Ash nor Fletchling knew how good Froakie was with his frubbles. He'd trained in them since he could remember, and his speed and accuracy was unmatched for his species when using the frubbles in this fashion. It was just another sign that Ash was the right human for him as he had realized the advantage of Froakie using his frubbles in battle.
In seconds he had destroyed all of the doubles and hit a startled Fletchling in the wing slowing it and sending it spiraling to the ground as the remaining doubles vanished with the successful hit. Froakie croaked knowing that victory was almost at hand.
"That's it, finish it with a Water Pulse." Ash called out as Froakie landed back on the rocky ground from his earlier leap.
Fletchling tried to get a Razor Wind off but with one wing incapacitated it couldn't properly utilize the attack. Froakie croaked in triumph as again leapt up so that he was higher than his opponent before he released a pulsing blast of water from between his paws, sending it right at Fletchling.
The ball slammed into Fletchling and drove it down and into a rock on the canyon floor. It was clearly hurt even if the frubble was no longer on it. Ash wasn't going to waste this opportunity to catch it.
Pulling his hat back, Ash grabbed an empty Poke Ball from his belt and tossed it at the downed Fletchling in a well-honed motion hoping that it was hurt enough to be caught. The ball flew through the air and hit the weakened Pokémon in the chest and bounced up before it opened and swallowed Fletchling with a bright red light.
It then fell down to rest atop the rock as it twitched, and the center button flashed red. Ash watched carefully, as did his Pokémon and the girls who were now behind him as the ball continued to twitch for several seconds before it clicked signifying a successful capture. As grinned as he walked over and picked up the ball.
"Alright, I caught a Fletchling!" Ash said striking his catch pose with the Poke Ball held aloft.
"Froakie." Froakie said happily leaping up to join Ash in his pose as he'd been the one to help Ash catch it.
"It's always the same." Misty said with a fond smile at the sight. "No matter how many he catches, Ash cares for all of them the same way."
"It's what makes Ash, Ash." May agreed.
"Alright Fletchling come on out and meet your new friends." Ash said opening the ball so that a healthier looking Fletchling appeared on the very rock it had been caught on. "These are Pikachu, Riolu and Froakie. Welcome to the team."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said in greeting.
"Riolu." Riolu added with a small bow.
"Froakie." Froakie said holding out an Oran berry he'd taken from Ash when he wasn't looking and offering it to Fletchling to share with it as a peace offering.
Fletchling chirped happily eager to get to know his new friends and teammates with his trainer as they all shared the Oran betty. Ash adding another one so that all 4 had some to enjoy smiling at the sight of Fletchling being welcomed to the team. With this team Ash was more than ready for his coming battle at the Santalune Gym.
That meant that it was time to get back to the camp and get down to some inessive training. Ash had a flying type now, a clear advantage over bug types, so he had to make sure that Fletchling was ready for the coming gym battle. In a few days Ash intended to use it and Pikachu, and at least one of the others depending on the rules, to claim his first Kalos gym badge. He couldn't wait.
