She wasn't crying. She was going to become a strong, mature, awesome Dragon Master. She wasn't crying. At least not anymore. The 12-year-old Unova native looked out to the rocky landscape as she lay in the provided bed of her now darkened Pokémon Center room, hugging her now sleeping Axew to her chest. That mysterious crying fit had seemingly ambushed her after that call ended before she could manage to steel herself. Why was she crying? Hell if she knew. It had been well over 20 minutes since the call had ended and Iris just wanted to go back to sleep and hopefully wake up without her eyes feeling all puffy and nose runny, though… something was bothering her. The woman Iris assumed to be Ash's mother said that someone would 'pick her up' in a few minutes. Surely the woman must have meant hours. Pallet Town and Blackthorn City were hundreds of miles away from each other…
"Stupid Ash. Stupid, childish, little kid Ash who always makes things freaking difficult for me…" Iris muttered to herself before closing her maroon eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.
" While he may be a tad dull at times, I do believe that calling him a 'little kid', as you do, might be a bit too far. He IS four years your senior, you know…" Said a very deep, yet calming voice from… nowhere in particular actually. Iris just gave a little groan and using her pillow to cover her head she turned onto the side, only to freeze in place. She was supposed to be the only one in the room right now…
Quickly letting out a shriek of terror as she turned to look at the intruder while Axew jumped out ready to defend his trainer and friend, the duo were stunned to find that, instead of seeing a normal, human intruder as expected from someone with the ability to talk in the human language, the little pokemon and dark-skinned girl lay their eyes upon the fairly familiar sight of-
"Mewtwo?! Wha- who- WHY are you here!? Get out!" Iris demanded in a panic before throwing her pillow at the Pokemon who seemingly… smiled as the pillow hit his chest and promptly fell to the floor with a little flop. The girl rolled off the bed opposite the side that Mewtwo was standing on and cautiously peeked over like a soldier would in the trenches. Axew still standing on the bed, showing no sign of fear in case the physic Pokemon was a threat to his trainer. The last time Mewtwo had appeared, something really, really bad was happening!
The 'intruder' was simply floating a few centimeters in the air, seemingly amused by the display before holding out its… fist? Its hand with fingers curled up. "I'm here to pick you up. Ash asked me to. I'm here to pick you up at Ash's request and take you back to Pallet Town." The Pokemon answered each of Iris' stunned questions in order while lifting one of its three… finger… things. Iris just glared daggers at the Pokemon who was seemingly unfazed as he glanced around the decently messy room. "I was told that you would be packed and ready by now… oh well. I do not have anywhere else to be. Take your time as we will probably not be returning until after the festival." The Pokemon spoke before, without warning, Mewtwo started floating towards her. Iris scrambled aside, but it appeared Mewtwo was simply going to look out the window. The Pokémon appeared to find the sight of snow falling onto the mountains relaxing.
Iris didn't want to argue with a damned Mewtwo so she silently just scooted past the Pokemon, who, to his credit, shimmied to the side a bit to let Iris pass by before returning to look back out the window. The girl constantly takes nervous glances at the Pokemon while picking up dirty clothes and empty microwave meal containers off the ground. "You um… sound different… from the last time I saw you. You sound deeper and more uh… like a boy?" the young girl muttered while sighing at the state of her room. Being here for so long and just returning to sleep or eat had made this place a mess. She would usually be more embarrassed about this kind of stuff but she just couldn't find the energy or motivation to try and clean when she could be out trying to become a Dragon Master… however it is you become one…
The Pokemon's reaction almost startled Iris as the Pokemon seemed to lean back and let out a laugh, though it was completely silent, much to Iris' discomfort. " Apologies for the confusion. The Mewtwo that you met was another of our kind. I am not the same specimen that you encountered previously, sadly. I do apologize if you were hoping to see her again. She is off living her own life. Comes by sometimes though. Always a pleasure. " The intense-looking Pokemon said while turning to face the girl so it wouldn't be uncomfortable for her. Humans value things like eye contact when communicating and Mewtwo was more than happy to oblige.
"Oh okay, I guess that makes sense- Wait! Then when the heck did Ash catch you!? I didn't know that he had caught you! Why wouldn't he tell me? Does Brock know? DOES BROCK HAVE A MEWTWO?" Iris yelled out while dropping the trash bag that she was holding and pointing to the Pokemon. Axew popped out of Iris' hair just to do the same, much to Mewtwo's delight. Some humans are just fun to be around, he had to admit to himself.
" That… is a bit of a complicated question but the long and short of it is: I do not 'belong' to Ash. I merely consider him a friend. The fact that he holds the Pokeball capable of containing me is just a matter of trust and convenience. When we met was… I believe it was five months before your first meeting with him. As for why he didn't tell you, it's simple. Safety and I simply asked him not to. He telling the world that he has one of my kind paints not only a target on the back of himself and myself but those that he loves and is close to, such as you, for example. Does that answer your question? " The Pokemon said with a calm town while turning to look at Iris as she went back to cleaning up, only to freeze up as Mewtwo said that she was supposedly one of the people that Ash was closest to.
"Um… yeah, but we're not really… that close to be honest… I consider him a friend but that's about it." The girl halfheartedly muttered under her breath as she went back to reaching under the bed for missing clothes. Mewtwo just nodded as he turned back to look out the window.
" My mistake then. Apologies. " The Pokemon said plainly while looking out the window down at a group of children having a snowball fight. " Human relationships, I've learned, can be incredibly complicated things. So complicated that most humans, themselves, don't understand the depth of emotions that one can have for one another… " Mewtwo philosophized 'out loud' as Iris was trying to just shove all the loose, dirty clothes that she could back into her bag without folding them.
"Phew… I think that's everything. Um… so how does this work? Do I hold your hand or som-" Mewtwo just smiled and focused slightly before POP! The duo who were previously standing in a very dark, cramped, and honestly depressing-looking mini hotel room were instantly standing in the spacious, well-lit, welcomingly warm library of Professor Samuel Oak.
"We have arrived. Welcome back to Pallet Town. Now if you would kindly excuse me, I have an important meeting to get back to. A pleasure to meet you, miss…?"
"Iris. It's just Iris." The girl said quickly while holding her arms in front of her chest and shaking her head slightly in an attempt to try and get the Pokemon to not worry. Most people don't bother to ask about a surname or anything formal like that so it caught the young girl off guard.
" Very well. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Iris and I hope you have a wonderful day. You'll find the 'little kid' probably out in the fields. " The surprisingly kind and patient Pokemon said with a courteous bow before floating approximately 5 feet to Iris' right just to sit down at a table opposite an Alakazam. Said table currently had a chessboard resting on it and the Alakazam was looking awfully smug about something. " Oh. Clever dick." The Mewtwo huffed before reaching up and turning his king to the side in defeat, much to the Alakazam's amusement.
"Ash… you sound borderline psychotic…" Was the first sound that broke the previously VERY awkward pause in conversation between the three friends. Said speaker was the young professor's assistant named Gary Oak who was currently rubbing the bridge on his nose with his eyes closed. "Tracey- help me out here… please?" The young professor said before looking directly to his left to his friend, desperate that the guy would back him up.
"Well, I don't want to say that it's totally impossible, I do have to admit that it does seem a little… far-fetched." Piped up the seventeen-year-old boy who was currently forcing a smile as he tried to keep positive. The Pikachu on his head just stood there with his little arms crossed and tapping his foot on the artist's fluffy hair while looking judgingly across at his trainer. 'Pika pi…'
The trainer that the two were standing opposite of was, of course, Ash Ketchum, who was currently standing in what could only be called a Saturday morning cartoon pose. His left arm went over his body and towards the middle of the right side of his chest while his right arm looked like it was trying to reach for the crook of his back and failing. "Guy's. I PROMISE you that this happened! I threw an Aura Sphere! Really! If I didn't, Dawn would be dead right now."
"Maybe you think that you threw an Aura Sphere, Ash… but the chances of that happening are like… close to impossible, even for you…" Tracey said carefully while trying to be the mediator and not let Gary either burst out laughing or attempt to strangle the young man. Said the researcher, just holding out his arm before taking a few steps forward while sighing.
"Okay so, let me get this straight… not only were you in the middle of a fight between Dialga,-"
"Yes." Ash nodded as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder just to turn back to Gary and nod
"Palkia,-"
"Yep." The duo of Pokemon and trainer nodded again.
"And a goddamn Darkrai,-"
"Still right, yeah." Both trainer and Pokemon were vigorously nodding now.
"You somehow, seemingly out of nowhere, threw an Aura Sphere at some rubble that was going to crush your friend after you both fell… how many feet?" Gary asked while staring his friend in the eyes. He knew that Ash could be an idiot and had gotten himself into a lot of crazy situations but this… this one in particular just took the cake, on top of that extra little bit about somehow throwing aura spheres.
"Um… about 30… maybe? But Darkrai caught us before we could hit the ground and Dawn was out cold. Then the tower was about to collapse and rubble was falling everywhere and, oh look, there's my friend about to die. The next thing I know, I try to run towards her and then a blue sphere shoots out of my arm and explodes the rock…" There was an awkward pause for a few seconds as the duo just stared at their friend like he was speaking a foreign language. "Okay, when I say it out loud, yeah, it does sound kinda impossible…"
A loud sigh escaped Gary's mouth before rubbing his temple again. He opened his mouth to try and speak a few times before collecting himself. "Okay… then who won and why isn't this damage visible to the town?" The researcher asked while clicking his pen over and over to try and give himself anything else to think about other than how his lifelong friend might be having a psychotic break.
"Oh! That's easy! The tower played a song that calmed both Dialga and Palkia down and they left after Dialga reversed time on everyone's injuries and damage to the town." Ash said in a very dry tone with a confident smile on his face, followed by the sound of a snapping of a pen.
"Yeah, okay, that's it. I'm running a drug test on you." Gary Oak angrily said before shoving his now snapped pen back into his pocket and turning to walk back towards the lab. Stomping off with a huff while shaking his head in disbelief. Sure, Ash had had some crazy adventures but that one was just over the top at that point. He walked into the lab from its back door and stopped as he nearly ran straight into a younger, dark-skinned girl who had a massive, messy puff ball of dark purple hair in the back. Just kind of staring at her for a few seconds before remembering that he had to speak.
"Oh hey. Um… how did you get in here…?" The researcher asked out loud to the very rough-looking and seemingly confused child before his eyes went wide and he snapped his fingers. "Oh wait, you must be who Ash is waiting on! Um…" The man snapped his fingers a few more times as he tried to remember the name. "Eyes? No… Iris! Your name is Iris, right? Ash's friend. I'm Gary. My gramps owns the lab." The 16-year-old in the white lab coat held out his hand with a warm, welcoming smile on his lips, seemingly having forgotten that he was frustrated with something just mere moments ago.
The young girl who was now recognized as Iris was thankful that she didn't have to introduce herself as she was probably going to be doing that a lot for the foreseeable future. "Hi, yeah. I'm Iris. Good to meet you… and stuff." The girl said as she awkwardly held out her hand to shake the males while looking up at him. Suddenly she felt very underdressed as she was still wearing the clothes that she spent all day in yesterday, which probably smelled or looked bad. Well, her entire ensemble didn't look too great, anyway as she had already outgrown the clothes she wore while traveling around Unova with Ash and Brock so she had just gotten most of the clothes that she was wearing now out of the bargain bin in the Goldenrod Department Store that didn't match with each other.
The young professors assistant didn't seem to pay any mind to how the girl was presented as he simply shook her hand with a smile, having seen plenty of people looking far worse than her barge through the lab doors looking for help with their Pokemon or simply seeking asylum after they had gotten lost in woods near Route One. "Oh right. If you're looking for the idiot, you'll find him out in the field near the barn with Tracey. Just… smack him in the head. That should fix him." He said before rolling his eyes and chuckling at his friends' antics before leaving the now incredibly confused girl by herself.
Iris was just standing there with a puzzled expression on her face as she watched the budding professor just walk away from the young girl. He had thought her to be an intruder mere moments ago but… was now totally trusting her enough to just leave her alone in a lab full of incredibly expensive equipment just because… why? Because Ash trusts her? This wasn't like how it would happen in Unova due to the crime rate being so high compared to most other nations, though being practically neighbors with Orre, the Capital of Crime, certainly didn't help. Was Kanto really that much safer?
Maybe she's just thinking about it too hard, Iris said to herself in her head before sighing. Iris had been doing too much thinking and making too little progress lately and even she could tell that it was getting to her. Trying to push those emotions down as she usually does, she turned to walk towards the door that the young professor had entered from. Pulling it open and letting out a sharp gasp.
It was fucking cold! She could feel Axew wiggle further into her hair to escape from the icy wind as Iris attempted to close the door with a shiver. She took off the bag from her back and quickly started to rummage through it for her winter jacket. It was certainly a lot colder here than it was in Blackthorn City. The best guess that Iris had was that the rocks surrounding the place protected it from the wind, unlike here, where the mostly flat fields allowed the wind to harass people as it pleased. Eventually pulling the jacket out with a grunt and sighing as dirty clothes went everywhere, she simply laid her prise on the ground and started to try and shove everything back into her poor bag, though it was much easier now that the medium jacket was out.
Standing back up with her jacket back on and bag firmly back in its place on her back, Iris sighed and gave her face a few smacks. "Ready Axew?" She asked the small Pokemon, seemingly trying to hype herself up more than anything else while the Pokemon gave a small whine. "Don't worry! I'll protect you!" The young girl said with a small look of resolution before going to open the door once again and walk about into the vast, white expanse that was the Oak Corral
This place was… simply beautiful. Walking through the path carved into the snow and glancing around at all the Pokemon and trees around, Iris was simply stunned to see it all. Sure, she had heard Ash describe it to her plenty of times, but seeing it in person just absolutely took the cake for her. Everything was cloaked in a sheet of white, making the green of the trees and the different colors of the Pokemon that were currently roaming around stand out all the more. Walking over a wooden bridge that went over a river flowing through the middle of the field and giggled a bit as she looked in and saw a familiar, silly Otter just lazily float by who was currently being followed by a Pokemon she didn't recognize but looked cute with its spinning tail that acted like a propeller in the water. Maybe it was one of Ash's new Pokemon that he had caught in Sinnoh after separating ways with her? Nah, probably not. Ash certainly wasn't the only trainer that Professor Oak sponsored. There's no way that someone who acts so childishly would catch something that cute.
Iris stood there for a few seconds before pushing herself off the railing that she was leaning over with a small grunt. She isn't usually one to be so stunned by nature but maybe just being trapped in Blackthorn City for well over a month made her get tired of looking at dull rocks all day without any signs of life or activity and made her miss it deeply, even if she didn't realize it. Anyway, she was supposed to be looking for a barn, she thinks quietly to herself while spinning her head around a few times in search of the building. Spotting… something, she just decides to shrug and walk towards the shadow of what she hopes was the bard.
It most certainly was NOT a barn. Iris just looks at the figure in awe as it just lies in the snow, partially covered by it without seemingly being bothered in the slightest. The mysterious figure was, to Iris' surprise, not dead, if its gentle snoring was to go by. Iris muttered to herself as she searched her brain for this Pokemon's name as she was sure that she knew it… It just wasn't coming to her for wha-
"SNOOOOOORE…" The huge mass of Pokemon well… snored out while in its sleep. Iris just rolling her eyes at the name finally came to her. This was a Snorlax. If she remembered correctly, Ash had caught one, though this may not be his as Snorelax's are native to Kanto and Professor Oak was Kanto's native. The whole world doesn't revolve around Ash, Iris had to remind herself as she rolled her eyes. Oh well, maybe this Snorlax could help with her finding her missing friend? She gave a small grunt as she started to climb up onto the Pokemons' surprisingly firm belly and carefully stood up to look around with a small gasp.
She had thought that this place was beautiful before, but she was wrong. This place was a utopia! Looking down at the snow-covered, rolling fields, shaded woods, rocky and cave-filled stone flats, large lake, and all the buildings that somehow didn't stand out at all amidst the beauty of nature and Pokemon that surrounded them, Iris was simply stunned. Even Axew had to pop out of her hair into the cold just to marvel at the view along with his friend and trainer. Iris couldn't believe it. This place was where Ash grew up? No wonder he was so easily happy and filled with joy. The Village of Dragons was nice and all, but this place… this place practically made every other place on the planet seem downright embarrassing for even trying to compete.
The visage was so beautiful that Iris had forgotten that she achieved this view by standing on top of a Pokemon. Said Pokemon currently having its eyes open and looking up at the young human who was seemingly paralyzed by… something. Iris, not noticing the Pokemon that she was standing on, moved until it was far too late. She let out a yelp of shock as she was picked up by the huge Pokemon… gently. Her panic was replaced with confusion as the Pokemon wasn't startled or anything, and instead simply placed her on the ground beside the hulking Pokemon as he slowly got up. Giving a small, yet very deep 'Laxxx~' to the young girl before starting its way towards Oak's lab. It was time for food again! Iris just stared at the Pokemon in confusion before just shrugging. "Well… Thank you, I guess… huh. That was weird, right Axew?" The Pokemon in question just gave a little sneeze in response before wiggling back into the girl's hair.
"I guess you're right. Let's go find the barn! I bet that that's where he is… hopefully." Iris said while chuckling to herself… This place was absolutely massive so her friend could easily be anywhere… Though luckily, she did spot what looked like a barn while standing on top of the friendly Snorlax so she decided that that was probably a safe bet. Hearing the soft crunch of the snow under her feet made the girl smile to herself as she made her way back onto the path and began making her way hopefully toward the barn. She was sure that she was going in the right direction when she heard something very… stupid in the distance.
Finally getting over the hill to look at the full bard instead of just seeing the top of the building, she couldn't help but groan as she saw what was most definitely Ash and Pikachu, along with another man standing in front of the barn. Not even surprised that they were discussing something idiotic like-
"I am not calling you a liar, Ash. All that I am saying is that a shadow ball and an aura sphere can look surprisingly similar. That combined with how much stress that you were clearly in, it makes sense that you might've had a stress-induced hallucination or are misremembering something." The man known as Tracey just calmly said while Ash stood there with his eyes closed and arms crossed while Pikachu stood on his trainer's head, in the same position for added effect.
"I mean… but it felt so real. The… everything, y'know? I mean, maybe, but I'm not gonna stop trying to do another one anytime soon! I'll make another one happen. Even if it's just to tick off Gary." The trainer said with a smile towards his friend before his arms unfolded and went to rest behind his head with a relaxed grin while Tracey sighed in defeat and just shook his head with a reserved smile.
"I swear, you and he can be such-" Tracey said to his friend with a smile before he was unexpectedly interrupted by a female voice from his left.
"Ash! Are you being a little kid again?! When are you going to grow up already?" Iris called out, unexpectedly, even to herself. It was as if her body moved on its own before she had a chance to even think as she began running towards the two humans. Had she missed Ash so much that her own body wasn't under her control anymore? However, she didn't have time to dwell on that as she was nearly knocked over by a yellow blur tackling her chest, causing her to let out a happy laugh and hug the excited Pokemon.
"Hi, Pikachu!" Iris giggled as she rubbed the yellow mouse's red cheeks, much to its enjoyment. Axew excitedly jumped out of her hair and onto the ground, quickly followed by Pikachu, only for the duo to begin playing chase with each other by exclusively running circles around the girl's legs, much to the girl's amusement. She tried to take a step but recognized fairly quickly that she was now trapped.
The two older males quickly jogged over to the now-trapped girl with both excitement and anticipation. It had been a good few months since Ash had seen her last while Tracey had never met the girl before. Tracey just looked over at his friend to see that infectious, wide smile on his face that rarely ever seemed to go away when he was in Pallet Town just made the older male relax a bit and smile more as he watched the two Pokemon play around the stranger.
"Iris! It's great to see you! You look..." The 16-year-old Kanto native trailed off while looking at the girl closely, causing Iris to shrink back a bit. Sure, she wasn't dressed or presented her best at the moment, but surely Ash was still excited to see her, right? Right…? Looking up at the boy who was now just a head taller than her, she gulped nervously. "Did you… get shorter?"
At that, Iris saw red and just growled at the older boy, lurching forward to lightly beat at his chest with her fists. "What the hell does that mean?! Is that how you say 'hi' to someone you haven't seen in months?! You are SO rude, do you know that? When the hell are you going to grow up, Ash!? You can be such a little kid, you jerk!" She ranted while Ash and Tracey just started laughing at her reaction, Ash more so as Tracey was the more served one in this trio at the moment. Though Ash did joke about it, he did notice that the girl looked a bit skinnier than last time, though that may just be because he was used to her being shorter. Puberty had finally started to hit the girl and it showed if the light beginnings of acne on her face and her voice cracking while ranting at the older boy were anything to go by.
The boy managed to contain his laughter and gently grabbed the still-ranting girl by her shoulders to just gently pull her away from him. He looked her in the eyes with a genuine smile on his face as he looked down at her. "It's great to see you again. I've missed you a lot, and so has Pikachu, if you couldn't tell." He spoke with so much sincerity and gentleness that Iris could barely remember who she was talking to. All the anger just disappeared into Giratina's void as a smile broke onto her lips.
"Hehe, yeah! I've missed you too!" The young girl said with a light giggle as her hands went back into the pockets of her jacket. Iris didn't know how to explain it but she felt… lighter, and more warm than she had just moments ago. She must have missed Ash and Brock much more than she realized after all. She had been smiling so much that her face started to hurt! However, the moment between the two was quickly interrupted as the boy that Iris had never met before coughed a little in an attempt to get their attention.
"Oh right! Sorry about that! Iris, this is Tracy. He traveled with me and Misty when we were going through the Orange League." The 16-year-old said while introducing his green-haired friend, who merely waved a little with a polite smile, causing Iris to just do a little bow. They do those here, right? Iris saw people bowing to each other all over Johto so it must be a thing here, right? "And Tracy, this is Iris. Me and Brock traveled with her through Unova."
"Pleasure to meet you, Iris. So you're going to be a future Dragon Master, huh? I'm lucky to have met someone who's going to be so famous~" Tracy said while watching Pikachu and Iris's Axew run off toward the barn to go play. Seeing Iris' discomfort with that and trying to reach out for her Pokemon, Tracy interrupted her before she got a chance to speak out. "Hey, don't worry. He's safe here. None of the Pokemon here are aggressive, and even if someone does get a little pissy, we have Pokemon like Ash's Bulbasaur or Leavanny to keep the peace. Despite what Gary may try and tell you, those Pokemon are the guys that run the place around here." Tracy said with a chuckle while Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Hearing the male say that made Iris' nerves calm down a bit as she nodded silently while watching Axew run off happily. It had been a while since he just got to play with a Pokemon that wasn't on her team. She should just let him enjoy it while he can as they would be going back soon anyway. However, she was brought out of her trance by her friend speaking up abruptly.
"Yeah, it's safe here but we also have dedicated arenas where we can battle… and I know someone who wants a rematch…" Ash said with a casual smile on his face but his eyes, his eyes told a completely different story. His eyes were intense, studying, and excited. He so desperately wanted to see how Iris had fared and grown stronger on her journey. His eyes glared daggers into the young girl as the twelve-year-old gulped nervously before finding that bravery deep inside herself to steel herself.
"Oh yeah? Well, you're on! Axew! Pikachu! What about a battle!? You wanna show Ash how much we can kick his butt now?" Iris yelled out to the two Pokemon who were previously running off to play, who immediately turned around and bolted toward their respective trainers with excited glee. Tracy just sighs as he recognizes the look in the duo's eyes as they stare at each other with fire in their chests. This was going to be an intense battle… wasn't it?
"You know, there's no shame in chickening out, Iris. I know that you're probably tired and everything from your training." Ash yelled out from the other side of the field while holding a Pokeball in his hand. It took a bit to gather and find the correct Pokemon, especially since he didn't want to yell out its name like everyone usually does to summon a Pokemon to the lab as that would ruin the surprise for Iris. To the side of the field, on a bench, sat Professor Oak and Tracey with Gary Oak standing behind the duo as the three sitting on the bench all at once was going to be uncomfortable.
"Oh shut up, Ash! Like I would ever be afraid of some little kid who only brought a Palpitoad to a gym battle? Maybe YOU should chicken out instead and save everyone the trouble of healing your Pokemon." Iris said with a confident smirk on her face while Gary, in the background, nearly doubled over with laughter.
"Wait, holy shit, hold on! You ACTUALLY did that? I thought that Brock was just pulling my leg! Holy CRAP, that's funny! Oh man, I am NEVER gonna let you live that one down…" Gary managed to spurt out before buckling over with laughter as Tracy and Professor Oak merely chuckled. Iris could barely hear it over Gary's laughter but she could swear that the older Professor mumbled something about being 'just like his mother at her age' or something like that, though Iris didn't pay too much attention to it as she had some butt to kick.
Ash, to his credit, just took the insult with stride… mostly. Turning to Gary and blurting out "I was having an off day! Gimme a break!" before just sighing and turning back to face Iris, a very… devious smile on his lips as he spoke up. "Hey… maybe we should get some food after this. What do you think about jell-"
"Oh, SHUT UP, ASH!" Iris screamed out before he got a chance to finish that sentence and practically threw Axew onto the field while her face was bright red. Axew does a flip in the air and lands on his feet perfectly like a well-performed gymnast, causing Professor Oak to not help but clap for the little guy. "Now are you gonna send out a Pokemon or is Axew gonna hit YOU instead!?" Iris yelled out with her voice cracking constantly. A nerve had clearly been hit and the three spectators knew it.
Ash was chuckling to himself over in the trainer box from how hard that hit landed. "Alright, alright already! Here! I want you to meet someone new!" Ash called out before throwing the Pokeball forward, making it open in the air with a POP sound. Landing on the ground was an incredibly short, cute, dopey little guy with tiny arms, stubby little legs, and a big fin on the top of his head. The Pokemon, of course, was a Gible! "Meet Gible! He's a new addition and I think that you'll like him!"
The friendly little Gible looked up to Iris and gave a happy little 'Gib!' with a smile, much to the benefit of Iris' delight as the young girl was in love practically instantly. Given how casually his trainer and their opponent were talking, Gible could guess that this wasn't going to be a serious battle, so he gave a wave with his little arms to the Axew on the other side of the arena, who waved back in kind.
"He… is so… cute! Ash! Why didn't you call and tell me about him earlier!?" Iris yelled at the boy with a pouty expression on her face. Axew running forward and rubbing his tusks against the tiny shark's fins just made her want to melt where she was standing. Oh Great Dragon, she WANTED ONE! The three spectators couldn't help but smile at the little girl's obvious 'love at first sight 'with the little guy. The eldest Oak in particular took a liking to it as he could see that spark of wonder and love for Pokemon that he so loved about the bond that people and Pokemon share. It was the reason that he became a professor after all.
"Well I just caught him not long ago and I've been busy! I'll make it up to you, I promise, now are we gonna start or what?" Ash yelled out with a big smile on his face. Seeing Iris this happy and excited about something was exactly the reaction he was hoping for since she seemed so down earlier on the phone. He was just happy to see his friend again, to be honest. "Back over onto my side, Gible! It's time to get serious!" The trainer yelled out excitedly before Gibble turned and ran back to his trainer, only to look back with a more serious 'Gib!' than before.
"You better, Idiot! Now come on, Axew, start us off with Swords Dance !" The girl yelled before the Gible seemed to excitedly run around in a circle before doing a little hop, only to land with a much bigger 'thud' than what should be possible. Ash just grinning as he held out his pointer finger in excitement.
"Slow em' down with Bulldoze , Gible! " With that command, The excitable Gible began to jump up and down on the ground, making the white snow on the field disperse as a shockwave shot out from where he landed like a drop of water being added to a bucket. Axew lost his balance as the now softer earth became a bit more difficult to move in, not to mention his ankle getting hurt.
"You can do it, Axew, run up and give them a Dragon Rage ! Close the distance!" The trainer yelled while Axew started to run towards the Gible while spewing a blue fireball from its mouth. The Oaks from the sidelines seemingly noticed this strategy and gave a small hum. Tracy looked at them with confusion so the Elder Oak leaned in and whispered to the boy.
" Swords Dance is a move that increases a Pokemon's physical attack greatly and is good for an Axew to have, but then immediately used a special attacking move. A non-powerful one at that… So she's not using the strengths of her Pokemon or strategy well right now." The old man muttered to his pupil, who just nodded in response while Gary was doing some kind of checklist in his head.
"Dodge it with Dig , Gible! Don't give him the chance to hit you!" And with that, the Gible seemingly disappeared beneath the ground, causing the fireball to miss and dissipate a few meters away into the air. Before Axew knew what to do, Gible popped up to just hit in the face with a rock in his hand before ducking back into the same hole that he appeared from.
"Ah! Um… Uh… Axew! Uh…" She tried to yell out but Axew just kept being hit by stones from the very jumpy and annoying Gible. Ash looked like he wanted to speak up, to give words of advice or encouragement but he bit his tongue. Surely she would figure this out… right? "Axew! Wait until it's up and hit it with a Dragon Pulse !" Iris yelled, hoping that her poor Axew could do it.
The Oaks on the sideline seemed to have mixed feelings about that as Gary rubbed his chin. "Dragon Rage AND Dragon Pulse…? Why would you keep both of those in practice…? Doesn't make sense to me…" The younger of the Oaks muttered out loud to his grandfather and friend who were watching with slightly puzzled looks as well. "What do you think, Gramps?"
"Well… It isn't a terrible strategy, at least… I think. Dragon Rage can hit one opponent while Pulse could hit multiple, all around you, without a line of sight, like what she's trying to do right now… but also, there's that Swords Dance again. Why did she set it up if she wasn't going to use it?" The Oak thought out loud before seemingly having a eureka moment to himself. "Maybe she doesn't know the difference between special and physical moves? Or she doesn't understand that Swords Dance only affects moves that make contact? Either way, she's a bit behind on the curve if she doesn't know that…" The elder Oak spoke up to his grandson, who merely nodded in response.
Back at the battle, Axew had finally had enough and let out a roar as a wave of energy erupted from the little guy just as Gible was popping up out of the ground, making Gible fly back with a pained 'Ble!' as he landed in the dirt in front of Iris, who immediately yelled out. "Great job! Now keep up the pressure with Giga Impact! Show him what we're made of!" The girl excitedly yelled out before the Pokemon began rushing forward while surrounded by white streaks of light.
Ash was quick on the draw however as he commanded, " Bulldoze to slow him down, then get out of the way, Gible!" The Gible responded with just a 'Gib!" before using his stubby, little arm to hit the ground, causing a shockwave to explode out that partially tripped the Axew and made him stumble a bit, breaking his concentration on the move for just a moment before getting it back, though a moment was just enough as Gible jumped out of the way as Axew's momentum had nowhere to go except forward as he tripped and fell right onto the ground in front of Iris, who let out a sharp 'Oh no!' with a voice crack for added effect.
"Great job! Now let's finish the job with Draco Meteor! " Ash yelled out with gusto as everything besides the trainer and his Pokemon froze. Draco WHAT? The researchers were in shock as Gary wanted to scream. Ash DID mention something about Draco Meteor earlier, after all…
Iris couldn't do anything except watch as a ball of energy collected in the Gible's gaping mouth before the Pokemon shot it up with a little THUMP! Iris just panicked as she tried to find Axews Pokeball in her pockets! Where was it? It had to be here! She just had- there it is! "I yield! I yield! You win!" She screamed out as she quickly returned her little dragon who was staring up at the sky at the mysterious ball.
"Ash, you IDIOT! You can't just set off a Draco Meteor in the middle of the Cora-" He was cut off by the sound of crashing as the ball of energy divided into eight in the sky and came back crashing into the ground loudly. Luckily, all the orbs landed in just the arena and made huge craters that luckily didn't cause damage anywhere else. Gible just standing in the middle with an oblivious smile up at the young girl while Iris wiped the sweat off her brow, or was that snow? Iris was too stressed to notice.
"Yeah! Great job, Gible! You're getting so much better with your aim!" Ash said excitedly as Gible ran over, to what Ash thought was going to be a high five, but instead turned into Gible just jumping up and latching onto the top of Ash's head. Ash just yelled over to the other side of the arena with a wide smile. "You did great, Iris! Axew's gotten so much tougher than last time! You have to, I can tell!"
The kind words from her friend made the girl feel a bit better as she took a relaxed breath. "Thanks, Ash. It… feels good to hear that. Really! That was a fun battle. Thanks so much for th-" The young girl was interrupted by the sound of a crash and a dust cloud suddenly appearing in the middle of the arena. As the dust slowly gets blown away by the wind, the creature who was previously hidden is revealed to be-
"Hey Charizard! And yeah, we aren't done yet, Iris! Did you think that Charizard would let you come here without a rematch?" Ash spoke with an excited smile as the Charizard standing in front of him let out an excited roar as he stomped his feet in anticipation. The Pokemon had been waiting for this. "So you ready to go for another round or what?"
Iris… seemingly froze while staring up at the Charizard for a few seconds, making almost everyone believe that she was intimidated by the big, fire dragon, which was fair! Ash's Charizard was certainly an impressive one, though Ash didn't buy it. Something else was up. Iris reached into her pocket and let out a shaky sigh before speaking up. "Y… Yeah! Alright, Dragonite! Look who it is!" The young girl yelled before throwing the Pokeball. The spectators were a bit surprised. The young girl that they were watching seemed inexperienced but keeping a Dragonite under control was no easy feat! This was certainly an interesting turn of events.
There was a POP as the Pokeball opened up, releasing a very impressive-looking Dragonite. Standing straight up with a scowl on its face, directed directly ahead at Charizard, who simply grinned in response. However, the grin disappeared as the Dragonite merely just… sat down. Right on the ground in the arena as Iris' heart sank into her stomach. She walked over to the Pokemon with a pleading expression on her face as the girl tried to look the Pokemon in the eyes, though it just kept turning its head away from her with a growl.
"Dragonite… Hey look, it's your friend, Charizard. Don't you wanna show him how much stronger we've gotten? He really wants to battle with you… If not for me, then why not do it for hi- Ah!" The young girl yelled out as she was suddenly shoved backward by the Dragon type who was now glaring angrily at his trainer. He opened his mouth to roar at her, which caused the girl to curl up in fear of the Pokemon attacking her. Charizard was not wasting time as he flew forward to grab the Dragonite's neck and chest to push it back away from the girl. Gible and Ash also immediately rushed forward to stand in front of Iris protectively. Ash held his arm in front of the ashamed girl who was still hiding her head under her hands while Gible stood ready to launch an attack, with or without orders from his trainer. Pikachu jumps out of Tracy's lap and stands ready for a fight in front of Iris, on the other side of Gible as his cheeks crackle with electricity
All three of the researchers were now on high alert as Gary enlarged Blastoise's Pokeball just in case the Dragonite got out of hand and Ash needed backup. Quickly moving in front of his grandfather protectively, he nodded at Tracy to help get his grandfather out of there, who quickly obliged by leading the elderly man away from the battlefield. The trainer-turned-researcher just glared daggers at the seemingly wild Pokemon before glancing at what was supposed to be its trainer. Did this thing ever listen to her? It just tried to attack her like Ash's Charizard used to do, and Charizard used to listen to him back when he was a Charmander so hopefully it was something like that.
Dragonite quickly pushed the Charizard off with a grunt after the flamethrower had stopped. Looking around to see that everyone was ready to take him down except his 'trainer', the Dragonite just huffed and jumped up into flight, flying off towards the rocky parts of the Coral as everyone quickly calmed down. Ash turned to Iris and grabbed her shoulders, looking her up and down for any burn marks. Luckily, she just seemed shaken up. "Hey, are you okay? What happened there? He used to be bad, but not… that bad!"
Iris just stared at where the Dragonite flew off to for a few seconds before looking down at the ground with a shaky sigh. "You… You know how you said that I should try challenging Clair to a battle…? I… already tried that." Ash said while muttering a little under her breath, not daring to look at Ash or anyone else in the eyes right now. Charizard stared at where Dragonite flew off to as well and let out an angry huff.
Ash's face morphed into one of confusion before he let go of one of the girl's shoulders to gently hold onto her back as he began to guide her towards the bench that Tracey and Professor Oak were sitting on while Pikachu sat on his shoulder. Her shaky legs could barely move so she was thankful for Ash's help, even if she didn't ask for it. The young girl gently sat down on the bench, only for the Gible to jump up and sit on her lap like some 'emotional-support shark'. Gary soon came around to stand beside Ash, who looked equally worried as he palmed Blastoise's Pokeball.
"So… you lost? Why would Dragonite be so mad at you over that? It's not like he's ever lost with you as his trainer before. I just don't get it. Sure, he could have an attitude but he always cared for you…" Ash spoke calmly while rubbing his chin with a sigh, thinking to himself. "How long has this been going on, Iris? Has even tried to hurt you like that before?"
Iris just gave a dry laugh while looking down at the ground and petting the Gible on her lap absentmindedly. "It wasn't just a loss, Ash, It was an absolute embarrassment. Axew was out in one ice beam against her Kingdra so I had to use Dragonite. I… I couldn't even get a word in! She would just yell over me with stuff like 'Crush him!' 'Break it!' and stuff! It was… it was really, really scary… I tried to yell out to Dragonite to give him orders but all that would happen is that he would try to get up but he got another Hydro Pump to the face. I was so scared that he was going to drown. I tried to return him but she just said that if I did, I would never be a Dragon Master so I didn't. I just froze… I tried to say that I would give up but she just wouldn't stop!" The young girl was now hugging the Gible tightly as the Pokemon looked up at her worriedly.
Gary held nothing but concern on his face for the young girl who appeared to be on the edge of tears and was reliving a very traumatic memory in her head. Glancing over at Ash, who appeared to just be standing there with his eyes locked onto the girl with the same look of concern, though Gary knew his friend. Looking at his friend's hands, they were clenched around his forearms so tightly that his knuckles were starting to turn red while his Pikachu had faint electricity building up around the rodent's cheeks. Gary, not wanting his friend to explode on the girl, decided to try and drive the conversation.
"So… You tried to prove yourself to her and she… did that? Was that all that happened? I hate to say it but that… that sounds personal, to me. Was she mad at you?" Gary asked carefully while looking at the young girl and reaching out to put a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing the girl to flinch ever so slightly like she had forgotten that they were there.
"I… I don't know! I just wanted her to… to give me guidance and… and a goal to work towards, I guess but… but she just doesn't like me! It's not like I'm trying to replace her or anything! I… I don't… I don't unde-" She stuttered out shakily before she was suddenly interrupted by a very monotone voice.
"Why didn't you use Emolga or Excadrill? Emolga would have dodged around her Kingdra and you knew that Kingdra has Ice Beam, which Dragonite is doubly weak to?" Ash asked with a neutral tone of voice instead of his usually happy or excited tone. While Iris was too distraught to notice, Gary had known the boy for far longer and knew that his friend was mad. Though mad may just be an understatement, given how serious the situation that Iris just described was.
"D… Dragon Masters use, well… Dragons. I'm trying to take that seriously so… I haven't been using them unless I have to…" Iris said quietly while looking down at the snow with a shaky sigh. Just trying to keep her mind off of that horrendous battle. Gary just gently grabbed her shoulder again and looked at her, even if she wasn't looking at them.
"So… what? You're not going to use them just because some rule says so? I mean, Lance uses an Arydactl, doesn't he? That's not a dragon type or looks like one but that gets a pass? That's not fair…" Ash said to the sulking girl as he put his hands in his pockets. Gary just shoots him a look to try and make sure that he remains calm, though Ash barely even notices him and instead just keeps looking down at Iris with his fists clenched tightly. "I mean… hey, if she can just continue to hit your Pokemon after you tried to give up, then rules don't matter, right?"
"It's… It's not like that. She needed to… to show strength. Dragon Masters care about strength above everything else-" Iris tried to stutter out but was interrupted by Ash angrily blurting out without warning, causing both Iris and Gary to look up at him.
"Then why the hell are you even trying to become one?! So you just don't care about your Pokemon if they're not strong OR are a dragon? Well excuse me, but I call bullshit! You cared about every single Pokemon we met across Unova, even ice types! I- You…-" Ash took a large, deep breath and stopped his ranting at the shocked-looking girl before just slowly reaching forward and pushing his hand into Iris' pocket where he saw that Iris put Axew's Pokeball. "I'm gonna go get him healed up…" He said plainly before turning around and taking a few steps towards the lab before stopping as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder to Iris'. "I'm sorry about yelling…" He said plainly before making his way toward the lab.
Gary seemed to be in an absolute state of shock as Ash seemingly just walked off towards the lab after saying something like that. The boy cautiously looked from Ash, then to Iris who looked just as equally shocked as she stared at the boy walking away. "I'll… I'll be right back. I need to go punch him." The sixteen-year-old said to the shocked girl before turning and jogging towards his friend who had already entered the Oak Lab.
Iris, who had been doing absolutely nothing but staring in the direction where the two ran off, just remained with Gible wrapped in her arms and a shocked expression on her face. Ash's words just bounced around in her head on repeat for what felt like hours but couldn't have been for more than just a few seconds. Was… was Ash right? She did love Excadrill and Emolga… but they're not Dragons. Dragon Masters need to train Dragons! It's in the damn name for fucks sake! So she can't use them! She would… she would have to release them… eventually, right? But would she be able to do that? To say goodbye to her friends who have given up so much for her and helped shape her into the person she is now, just because they didn't look a certain way or something like that? No! Of course, she couldn't! She would rather die than do that! Just closing her eyes and trying to think of anything else. Anything at all.
"One such as you will never become a True Dragon Master."
"Why the hell are you even trying to become one?"
Why… Why was she trying so hard? Iris just couldn't hold it in anymore as she just hugged the very worried, yet patient Gible to her chest as a small sob escaped her lips. Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks. The Pikachu on her shoulder noticed the girl's tears and merely nuzzled into her with a small 'Pika…', wanting the girl to recognize that she wasn't alone. A small warmth came from her front, where Charizard seemingly just 'happened' to rest his tail while he casually stood there with his arms crossed. Enveloping her with the warmth of the fire on its tail.
Iris was just trying to console herself while wiping away her tears, taking shaky breaths, and just trying to calm down. She looked around at the Pokemon who were there for her. She took a few more breaths before opening her mouth again. "It's okay… I'm okay. I'll be okay. I promise…" Iris said shakily as nuzzled her cheek against Pikachu in an attempt to relieve it of its worry. Staring up at the kind Charizard and giving it a warm smile, which was met with just a soft 'huff' as it blew air out of its nose. Looking forward and letting out a sigh as even if she was trying to be strong, like how Dragons, and thus, how Dragon Masters are supposed to be, she felt like bursting down into tears again as she just kept asking herself.
Why was she trying so hard to become a Dragon Master?