Cheers for your reviews. I don't know how much of the Orange Islands Arc I'm going to write but I have the outline for at least 15-20 chapters before I think about Johto. And while I'm following the anime direction-wise I won't be doing the same things Ash did for all of the Orange Arc. I'm completely omitting at least 5 episodes that I can think of. And I can't recall ever watching a single episode of the Johto chapter of Ash's life so I'm basically going to be going off the game for that. If anyone wants to DM me some key points of Johto they're more than welcome to as I roughly know where the movies fit in location wise, other than that I'll be pretty much winging it. I can't promise to include them all though as I have key parts of my Ash's life to write alongside his travels.
I own nothing.
Chapter 5
A few hours later Ash and Blastoise came upon the shoreline of what they thought to be Tangelo Island. His GPS said it was anyway and that was good enough for Ash. Disembarking he made them all a light lunch while he talked about what his plans were for the next few months.
"I plan on filling up our home with various Pokémon that will help maintain the area as best they can" Ash said, "now so far, I've not come up with many Pokémon I'm going to catch and to be honest I don't even know if they're native to these islands."
"Who do you have in mind?" Machamp asked.
"Well, I plan on capturing a few bugs, likely Pinsir or Scyther to help guard the forest. I plan on capturing a few water Pokémon to help maintain the lake, probably Horsea or Goldeen. I am looking for Surskit as they're water bugs and can help with the plant life in the water but they're very rare in Kanto so I may have to import them. I already have Pidgeys from the local clan so I'm good with birds. I doubt I'll get any fire types as the whole area can easily go up in flames and we don't want that. Any fire types I do have will likely have to live in our home. I'd love a Dratini but again they're extremely rare, thinking on that I might revisit the Safari Zone and have a chat with the Dragonair there about relocating. Our home is certainly safer, and she won't have issues with people trying to capture her."
"It'll be nice to see her again" Machamp said nodding "we protected each other for so long and I do miss her company."
"Remind me when we get back home Machamp" Ash said looking at him "we'll go and visit her anyway."
"How are you going to carry them all when we won't be home for months?" Charizard asked "your bag isn't that big, and you've only got one space left now Salamence is gone. Speaking of do you know how she's getting on?"
Sheepishly Ash scratched his head "do you know, I'd completely forgot about her. I'll email Lance now and ask him. At the least he'll be able to update me on her progress, but it'll be up to Lances Salamence on if she's allowed to leave the Bagon grounds. And I spoke to Sam this morning before we left, apparently because I've won a league, I'm now authorised an additional four slots on my team. However, in battle I'm still limited to only using six in a battle. So, we have five free slots to fill up, should we want to. When I catch a new Pokémon there's a button attached to my Pokedex that lets it immediately go to Sams ranch and he'll then take them to our home so our team won't be full of Pokémon that isn't going to be battling with us."
"Where are we anyway?" Venusaur asked looking around at the wall of forest in front of them.
"Were on the east side of Tangelo Island." Ash said "we're on the opposite side of any civilisation so we're unlikely to be disturbed here so for the next few hours we're going to train. Half way through the forest though it becomes a park where there will be lots of people and then finally Tangelo itself is a mini harbour, so I expect that to be packed. The only reason we're going there is because I forgot to stock up on poke balls and it's the point closest to where we set out on the sea to Mikan Island for our first badge.
I've had a few ideas for new moves for you all. Venusaur, I'd like you to go over there and teach Charizard Solarbeam, he needs a good coverage move for water types and as he knows Sunny Day he shouldn't have many issues. Once you've learned that I want you to try and learn Weather Ball. If I send you out and it's raining you'll have a move that can be used against fire types. Charizard I'm going to try and explain the mechanics for Draco Meteor, it's incredibly potent so you'll be training out over the sea where it's safer. As for Blastoise we're going to be teaching you Freeze Dry. It's a move that is very painful when used against another water type. Machamp we've pretty much taught you everything you can learn but I'd like to attempt Aura Sphere. I have no idea if you can learn it, but we can at least give it a try, that way you'll have a ranged Fighting type move. Pi, mate I'm really struggling with you as there's nothing else you can learn. I've been messaging various people but there isn't an electric type move you can learn that you don't already know. So, all we can do is try and make them more potent. Come on guys let's get started."
The next few hours flew by and after an exhausting training session they had a light meal before Ash set out into the forest. His use of aura was automatic by now, so he avoided every trip hazard and branch smacking him in the face almost automatically and soon enough he managed to find a trail that led to the Pokémon Park. He had read about this place, it was a nature reserve where catching Pokémon while not off limits, was still frowned upon. And it was highly regulated due to the number of tourists who walked through it on a daily basis. Ash hated these kinds of places, there were far too many people, and he had no intention of staying around. Unfortunately, this was his only route, so pulling his cap down as low as he could he asked Pikachu to get into his bag and he walked quickly through the crowds to try and escape the place. Sadly, he was spotted and before long a huge crowd had formed around him demanding autographs and pictures.
"Enough" Ash said startling them "now, I have somewhere I need to be, so I'll walk and sign things but as soon as I'm at the gates of this place I won't be signing anything else. Is that clear?"
"Where do you have to be?" a voice from his said asked.
"None of your business" Ash retorted.
"But you're the champion" a particularly dim-witted person said, "you're supposed to be nice."
"I AM being nice" Ash said glaring at the crowd "It's you lot that are being unfriendly. It's you lot that are mobbing me, uncaring on whether I had somewhere to go. Maybe I was here because I wanted to get away from the stress of having to sign everything in sight, did any of you think about that? No, you didn't. So, as I said I'll sign as I walk. Pi, you can come out if you want."
"Nope" came his voice from the backpack "I'm good thanks."
Chuckling Ash started walking and signing various items that were thrust in his hand but thankfully the entrance to the park was only a twenty-minute walk away and as soon as he left, he didn't look back to the disappointed faces. "Thanks for the support, Pi" he said as Pikachu climbed warily out of the backpack and looked around.
"I was with you in spirit Ash" Pikachu said climbing onto his shoulder "could you not feel it?"
"Funnily enough, no I couldn't." Ash said glaring at his partner.
"Shame that" Pikachu said yawning "try harder next time."
Rather than retort Ash muttered about ungrateful little mice and headed towards the Pokémon centre when both of them felt a jolt of pain.
"What was that?" Ash asked looking around. Immediately Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and ran towards the beach with Ash in hot pursuit and soon enough they came upon the source of the pain. On the beach three men were shouting and whipping a juvenile Lapras with sticks demanding it pay attention. From nowhere the blood rushed to Ash's head and the rage took over. Launching himself over the barrier he landed and sprinted towards the three men. In seconds he was upon them and he kidney punched the first man causing him to crumple sideways before a second punch to the side of the head knocked him flying, as soon as he went down Ash had already moved to the second guy and punched him in the throat causing him to collapse gasping for breath before a kick to the face knocked him out. By the time the third guy realised what was happening he looked up just in time to receive a punch to the face and his world went black.
"Pi, go and check on the Lapras while I find out who these guys are" Ash said as he rifled through their pockets and finding their Pokémon licenses in their wallets. Taking all three he threw the wallets back down to the ground contemptuously before turning around and heading the few feet to his Pikachu. What he saw nearly made him turn back around and beat them to a bloody pulp. The Lapras was covered in whip marks, some of which had opened up into thin slices and blood could be seen dripping down. There were already bruises starting to form on its body and it looked like it would pass out any moment. Taking out his pokegear he snapped some photos of the unconscious guys and the Lapras before moving to the front and approaching slowly.
"Hello Little one" Ash said causing the Lapras to squeal in fear "hey, hey, hey. Its ok. I promise you I'm not here to hurt you. If you look over there, you'll see I took care of the guys who did this to you, but you need aid. And unfortunately, while I can heal most injuries, I cannot prevent any infection. We're going to need to take you to the Pokémon centre to be healed." After a minute where it calmed down Ash heard a small voice ask, "how do I know you're not the same as them?"
Ah, it was female and judging from its size Ash was right in thinking it was a juvenile "Sadly you don't but my Pokémon will vouch for me. I'm also quite famous around here too so there's a few others that can vouch for me too. The lady I want to take you too can also confirm I'm a good person as I've had many dealings with the Nurse Joy family over the nearly two years that I've been a trainer."
"I miss my mum" she said suddenly starting crying "where's my mum?"
"I don't know" Ash said sitting cross legged in front of it "if you like after we've healed you up, I can try and find her for you?"
"You would?" Lapras asked sniffling "why?"
"Because I also miss my mum" Ash said smiling "but I have the luxury of being able to call her. You however are lost but I am travelling around the Orange Islands so the chances of finding your mum are quite high. And if we don't find her while travelling, I promise you I'll do everything I can to find her for you."
"Ok" Lapras said before collapsing face first onto the sand shocking Ash. Standing up as quickly as he could he moved over and started to try and heal what he could with his aura but sadly the thin lines stayed. Cursing he brought out a Pokeball and tapped it against the Lapras and it sucked inside as a red light. The ball didn't even shake.
"That was amazing" a voice said from the left-hand side of Ash. Looking over he saw a teenager stepping his way over the trainers that were still knocked out. He was around 5'10, wearing a green shirt and red khaki shorts. He had hazel eyes, and his hair was quite long but held back by a red bandana "the way you handled not only these three, but the Lapras afterwards was amazing."
"How long were you standing there watching those three beat up the Lapras?" Ash asked angrily.
"Hey that's not fair" the guy said looking irritated "I arrived on the beach at the same time you did. I had no idea what was going on."
"Hmmm" Ash said "apologies. I just didn't like the idea of people watching three guys beat up a helpless Pokémon and do nothing to aid it."
"That's ok" he said smiling again "apology accepted. My names Tracey."
"Ash" Ash replied "and this is Pikachu."
"Oh, I know who you are" Tracey said "I've seen some of your battles on TV."
"That's nice" Ash said as he began to walk away.
"Hey" Tracey said falling into step with him "where are you going?"
"To the Pokémon centre" Ash said as if it was obvious "and then I'm going to ring up my sponsor to see what we can do to get those three banned from being trainers."
"Oh right" Tracey said as he fell silent. For his part Ash was grateful for the silence as he was still simmering over what had just happened but soon enough the red topped building came into view and Ash walked in. Walking up to Nurse Joy he explained the situation before handing over all of his Pokémon while Tracey sat down at one of the benches.
"Oh, that's so sad" Joy said taking them, putting them on a tray and then handing them to Chansey "she must have been part of the pod of Lapras that migrate here every year. Sadly, I don't think the pod will be back for another year."
"That's fine" Ash said "I'm travelling the islands anyway for the gym challenge so hopefully I can find them. If not, I'll look after Lapras until next year and then come back to return her."
"You're a good boy Ash" Joy said before walking into the back with Chansey. Walking over to the video screen he punched in Sams number and waited for him to pick up.
"Hello Ash" Sam said causing Traceys head to shoot up. As stealthy as he could he crept up behind Ash while he talked.
"Hi professor" Ash replied "There's a few reasons I'm ringing and they're kind of connected. When I got to Tangelo Island I was walking along the beach when I came across three guys beating up a Lapras. After sorting them out Lapras told me that she has been separated from her mum. Now Nurse Joy informed me that she was likely part of a pod that migrate through the Orange Islands. I just wondered if you had any information on their usual route so I could return Lapras to her mother. The other thing I wanted to ask is if we can sanction the trainers. I took pictures of them and took their ID badges as proof of who they are. Something needs to be done, especially after way they left Lapras, and Nurse Joy can confirm it."
"Scan over their ID badges to me Ash and write a statement about what you witnessed" Sam said becoming all business "no doubt they'll likely deny what they did but your name carries some weight now after what you've achieved so it could go either way. Without a witness to what they did it's your word against theirs sadly. But, at the very least their ID's will have a mark on them if they try and challenge any leagues so the Gym leaders and Joys will be put on notice. As to your first question I don't have that information as the Orange Islands aren't in my jurisdiction, however Professor Ivy may as the regional professor, so I'd email her and ask her."
"Thanks Sam" Ash said bowing out a breath "I'm so angry right now but I can't show it because the Lapras is terrified of people after what they did."
"All you can do is show it not all people, especially trainers are like them Ash" Sam said looking equally as angry "it genuinely boils my blood still when I hear about the mistreatment of Pokémon by trainers. By the way, who's the young man trying to hide out of shot but clearly eavesdropping on us?"
Looking around he saw a rather embarrassed Tracey blushing. Chuckling Ash said "his name is Tracey. He was a witness to the end of what happened today, but he didn't actually see them hurting the Lapras, he did see the state of it though. And I honestly don't know why he's loitering. Why are you trying and failing at being inconspicuous?"
Mumbling something Tracey looked away blushing.
"Repeat that" Ash said confused.
"Professor Oak is my hero, and I never thought I'd ever get to see him in person, never mind on a video phone." Tracey said, "I recognised his voice when you called him and needed to check it was actually him. I got into being a Pokémon Watcher because of him."
"I'm a hero, eh?" Sam said looking smug "hear that Ash, I told you I was famous."
"Sam" Ash said pinching the bridge of his nose "I already bloody knew you were famous. There's no one in our profession or world who doesn't know who you are."
"Never mind that" Sam said waving a hand at Ash and then looking at Tracey "so you're a Watcher eh?"
"Yes" Tracey said sitting down on the bench Ash was also sitting on and taking out his sketchpad showing Sam the various pictures he'd drawn "I've been a Watcher for around six years now, travelling the Orange Islands drawing Pokémon in their natural habitats. You inspired me so much."
"I'll just go and sit over there" Ash said shaking his head at the two of them. Neither seemed to hear him though as he walked away to scan the ID badges of the trainers to Sam. Twenty minutes later, he looked over from the table and saw the conversation was still going on "Hey!" he shouted "I'm paying for that call. Wrap it up."
A minute later Tracey came rushing over and sat down. He seemed like he'd just run a marathon and won with how happy he looked. "I cannot believe I got to speak to the Professor Oak. Me, a simple Watcher. This is the best day ever."
"Yeah, Sam's a pretty good guy" Ash said nodding and standing up as Joy called him over.
"I can't believe you call him Sam" Tracey said incredulously as he joined Ash.
"I've known the bloke since I was in nappies" Ash retorted "I trained under him for six years and he's my senior Professor and mentor. When you're around him constantly calling him Professor all the time gets a bit weary."
"I suppose so" Tracey said uncertainly.
"Hello Ash" Joy said "your Pokémon are in great health, which is hardly surprising. Your Blastoise could do with a little rest though as he was very tired."
"Yeah," Ash said nodding "I was a bit worried about him as we've travelled from Valencia Island to here and then trained on the beach after an hour's rest. I did warn him to take his time, but they have their own will. And we'd have been here sooner if it wasn't for the incident on the beach."
"At least you know" Joy said firmly "as for Lapras I'm afraid she'll be here for at least three days to clear out any infection from her wounds. Some of the cuts are likely to scar but the main problem will be how she acts mentally. She's very traumatised and it was only because I had Chansey and medicine that she let me near her."
"That's fine" Ash said "I planned on resting for a day or so anyway. We've started trainings seriously again after having a few months rest after the league so the next few days can be used to help get them battling fit again. As for Lapras I'll do the best I can for her. I'm not great at dealing with feelings but I am an authority on helping abused or abandoned Pokémon. All of mine fit into those two categories sadly."
"At least you have an idea on what to do then" Joy said handing him back his pokeballs.
"Can I have my key please" Ash asked, "it's been a long day." As Joy handed him the key he turned to Tracey and said "It was nice meeting you anyway. And if you're ever in Pallet Town I'm sure Sam will be happy to see you." without waiting for a reply Ash walked up to his room and unpacked before falling onto the bed exhausted. Going downstairs for tea around 9pm he checked in on Lapras and told her what he'd found out so far.
"Nurse Joy has told me you're here for at least the next three days before she can clear you, to make sure you have no infections in any of your wounds. In the meantime, I am waiting for a reply from the regional Professor to give me information on your pods course through the islands. Once I have that information we'll see where we are in relation to them and see what we can do. Failing that you may be with me for the next year as I don't know where your nesting grounds are, but I promise you that I'll return here so we can find them. I will find your mother and you will be reunited; I promise you that, but I cannot guarantee a timescale."
Nodding sadly Lapras said a quiet "thank you" before moving over to the far side of the pool. Ash seeing that she wanted to be left alone stood up from the side of the pool and went to his room where he carried on typing up his observations from Valencia and to write more on his talk about Aura.
Around 10pm he decided to call his mum and explain what happened over the last few days. She was furious about the Lapras, proud of him for how he dealt with the men who were abusing her but also a little concerned about his relationship with Brock.
"Ash, he's a young man going through puberty. His hormones are likely going to be all over the place. You're lucky that your aura doesn't cause you to go through the same process."
"Mum" Ash said patiently "he was less than a year away from being placed on some form of register. I found out a few months ago from a Joy near Celadon that it was only because I was with him that I unintentionally vouched for his personality. Honestly, you've not seen how he interacts with them. It's beyond creepy at times and frankly I cannot afford to be associated with people like that. For good or ill our name is now fast becoming a business due to my accomplishments with Pokémon and yours with your restaurant. I don't want anything we do in the future be hampered by who we know. To be honest I'm lucky that Pokémon Centres are neutral spaces and Joys and Jennys know of my character."
"I'm just saying Ash" Delia said, "while you're right maybe you could have handled it differently."
"His motive for staying behind with Professor Ivy was not for breeding tips on Pokémon mum" Ash said shaking his head "it was for breeding tips with women. He made that painfully obvious with how he's behaved over the past few days, the number of times I've caught him staring at Philenas bum when she wasn't looking or trying to look down her top while he stood behind her is ridiculous. Don't be surprised if in the next week or so he's been kicked out of her lab because she catches him. Anyway, I've given him a warning. Now it's down to him to rectify his behaviour because I won't stay around people like that, nor will I put up with that kind of behaviour in front of me. Especially not Joys and Jennys."
"I get it" Delia said sighing. Ash had long since been an ally of the Joy and Jenny clan ever since he was attacked by Riley all those years ago. Several Joys and Jennys had visited him while he recuperated, and he'd come to see them as protectors of a sort. So, to see someone hit on them would see him take it very personally. "I just hope you still have a friend because you don't have many Ash."
"The ball is in his court now" Ash said shrugging "I'll be sad for sure if I have to end our friendship, but my future is much more important to me right now."
The next day Ash and his Pokémon were training on a secluded part of Tangelo beach that Charizard had found while flying around. Their training was as harsh and brutal as it normally was but the results spoke for themselves.
"Ash" Venusaur said walking over to him "we need someone I can spar with. You have Machamp and Blastoise has Charizard. Pikachu has always been happy training on his own but I'm on my own most of the time and it's a little disheartening."
"Actually, that ties in with what happened yesterday" Ash said whistling to them all asking them to join him "Ok, yesterday I caught a new Pokémon. However, it wasn't in the way people normally do. Pikachu and I came across a Lapras being abused by three men. After we beat them up Lapras agreed to be caught with the proviso that I help her find her family. Obviously, I agreed to this so for the next few weeks or even months she's going to be with us. During that time, I would like you all to be careful with her, she's only a few months old after all but before I let her go, I want her to be able to defend herself should wankers like those men come back. Lapras are critically endangered as it is. Now Venusaur has just raised a good point, he doesn't have anyone he can spar with consistently. Now this is not on you guys, it's my failing as a trainer so over the next few weeks we're going to train Lapras up and look for another family member. Hopefully it doesn't take too long."
Nodding they all went back to what they were doing, and the next few days passed by in a similar vein of training, relaxing and enjoying the beaches on Tangelo. And despite the odd person challenging him to a battle or asking for an autograph Ash started to relax and enjoy the sedentary life here.
"I don't think I could live here permanently though" Ash said the evening of the second day to Pikachu as they sat on a bench overlooking the harbour "but I can see the attraction."
"It's too relaxed for me" Pikachu said earning a laugh from Ash "call me old fashioned but I quite enjoyed our hectic lifestyle before the league."
"I agree" Ash said "I could happily do without the near death experiences every few months but other than that I really enjoyed touring Kanto. It's a beautiful place. This is the other kind of beauty though" he said as they looked out on the sun setting on the sea which was causing the water to sparkle almost magically. "I can see why people that grew up here are reluctant to leave."
"You're not wrong" a familiar voice said behind Ash causing him to turn and see Tracey smiling at him "however after seeing Professor Oaks talks on the Pokémon world, I knew I wanted to be like him and travel. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll be travelling the Orange Islands to so we may meet again. Bye Ash"
"Bye" Ash said confused before turning to Pikachu "at any point have I asked him anything about what he wants to do?"
"No" Pikachu said just as confused "he just volunteered that information."
"What a strange person" Ash said before standing up and walking back into the centre and going to his room still very much confused at the interaction with Tracey. The next day he talked with Joy and went to see Lapras. Walking into the pool area of the centre he saw that she seemed much more chipper than the day before. Perhaps it was because she was getting out as she had been stuck inside here for three days.
"Hello little one" Ash said greeting her. Quickly she rushed over to him and nuzzled his hand. Over the last few days Ash had visited her several times and told her about who he was, what he'd done and his plans for the future and she had been enthralled by his stories. "Are you ready to get out of here?"
Nodding enthusiastically, she shouted "Yes!" much to Ash's amusement. Chuckling he recalled her and walked back to the counter where he handed Joy his key and thanked her for everything she'd done before leaving the Centre and heading down to the harbour to leave for Mikan Island. Releasing Blastoise and Lapras he climbed on Blastoise and they set out North. "while we're heading North we're going to be getting some training in with you to help you learn to defend yourself. So to start with I want you to show me which moves you have. Actually Blastoise wait a minute." Blastoise stopped almost lazily while Lapras followed. Getting Dexter out he point it at Lapras and scanned her.
"Lapras, The Transport Pokémon, Pokedex Number 131. It can ferry people across the water. People have driven Lapras almost to the point of extinction, because of this they are on the critically endangered list with only 80 known Lapras to be in the wild and they are heavily watched and monitored. In the evenings, this Pokémon is said to sing plaintively as it seeks what few others of its kind still remain. This Pokémon is female and has the ability Water Absorb and the hidden ability Hydration and has a Hasty nature. It knows the moves Water Gun, Ice Beam and Sing."
"That's a good start" Ash said "but you can have such a variety of moves that training you is going to be fun. And your nature can be overcome by building up a tolerance to taking hits. Let's start with building up your water attacks. Now to start with we're going to try breathing exercises where you'll breath in deeply and hold it for several seconds and when you exhale I want you to use Water Gun. Over time you'll be able to breath so well that you'll learn to pressurise your Water Gun and it will become Hydro Pump. I don't expect you to pick that up straight away so don't worry but it will help. When we land on Mikan Pikachu will help you learn the basics of Thunderbolt, which will give you a counter to his type. We'd learn now but there are too many water types, Blastoise included which could be harmed while you practise. Ok? Good, let's get started."
A few hours later Ash recalled an exhausted Lapras who had done phenomenally well for her first training session. Several times he had been close to recalling her but he needed to see her limits to be able to push through them and it was only when her element was spent that he recalled her.
"She did really well" Blastoise commented as they slowed down due to Mikan Island coming into sight "I was impressed with her stamina."
"She did" Ash commented "it'll be a while before I use her in a battle though."
"Are you going to use her?" Pikachu asked, "was that a part of the agreement with her?"
"Yeah" Ash said nodding "I told her that every now and then she'd be placed in a battle so I could properly see her progress and she agreed. I think she'll be a very good member of the team for the next few months and once we've got her trained up, she'll be a valuable addition to her pod. Anyway, there's Mikan Island. Now, I've no idea what the gym challenges are in these islands, I never wanted to know until I was doing them, but I do know they're nothing like Kanto. They're not type restricted either, and they seem to put more emphasis on working with Pokémon than battling. That's the impression I got anyway."
"Oh, that's sounds like fun" Blastoise said "and it'll be good to get back into battling again. I have missed it."
"You have?" Pikachu asked incredulously "You? really?"
"Yes me" he replied, "I love my lake but I also like fun battles."
"Are we sure you left Tangelo with the right Blastoise?" Pikachu muttered causing Ash to laugh and Blastoise to mutter under his breath.
Ash hadn't read up much on Mikan Island, so he didn't expect much from it. But given there was a gym he thought it at least had to be hospitable. And as they rounded the south side and came up on the east of the island Ash saw that again there was a small town with a tiny harbour. The biggest building he could see was the Pokémon Centre which was a two-storey building overlooking the seafront. Hopping off Blastoise he recalled him and walked towards the centre ignoring the passing stares and soon was talking to Nurse Joy. Handing over Lapras and Blastoise he went to his room and had a quick nap. A few hours later he picked up his Pokémon and set out to look for the gym. He had read a pamphlet which stated it was on the far end of the town by the seashore, so it wasn't too hard to find. As it came into view as they crested the hill Ash noticed something very strange.
"Pi" he asked rather loudly "is that a coconut just lying at the side of the path?"
"Er, yeah" Pikachu replied uncertainly "why?"
"Does it not seem a bit strange to you that it's there, especially as there doesn't seem to be a coconut tree anywhere near here?" Ash asked as they stopped to look at it.
"Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange" Pikachu said hopping off and walking over to it "I wonder why it's here then?" he finished looking at Ash.
"It sure would be great to drink some milk, eh?" Ash said pointing upwards at the tree silently. Pikachu looked upwards and could see a bucket of water perched on a branch with a piece of string holding it in place, as his eyes followed the string down the tree he noticed that it ended up in the grass and led to the coconut itself. Smirking Pikachu gently bit through the rope and carried the coconut to the path where he broke it open with an Iron Tail. Picking up the pieces Ash gave Pikachu one and they carried on down the path enjoying the refreshing taste of coconut milk.
"Hey!" and outraged voice shouted as they passed by a few trees. "that's not fair!"
Turning around Ash saw a young boy, around 9 ears old with spiky black hair looking very red faced and clenching his fists "you were supposed to get wet!" he shouted stamping his foot.
"Oh" Ash said shrugging his shoulders before turning back around and walking away "this coconut is really nice though Pi" he said smirking causing more shouts behind him. Soon enough the boy had overtaken them blocking their path.
"What gives?" he asked, "how did you know it was a trap?"
"Mate," Ash said, "that trap was basic considering some of the situations we've been in. That and it was a bit obvious."
"Are you causing trouble again?" a voice said coming from behind the lad causing Ash to look up and the boy to audibly gulp. The owner of the voice turned out to be a lady who was around 5'7 with dark brown hair, brown eyes wearing a pink skirt with a black top.
"No Cissy" the boy said, "I was just chatting to this trainer."
"Is that true?" Cissy asked Ash "he's not causing you any issues, is he? Especially considering he was meant to be tidying his room" she finished looking at him sternly.
"Nah" Ash said, "he was just showing me how to open a coconut."
"Hmmm" she said "I'll have to take your word for it. Why are you down this way anyway?"
"I'm on my way to that building over there" Ash said nodding at the gym behind her "I'm currently doing the gym challenge and I'm looking to get my first badge."
"Then try somewhere else because you'll never beat Cissy" the boy said snobbishly "you're no-where near strong enough."
Ash just burst out laughing at the lad before looking at Cissy "So you're who I'm facing first then. Shall we start?"
Looking at Ash strangely she nodded and then turned around and led the way back to the gym and explained what the challenge was "this gym is very different from any other gym you'll have likely faced. We focus more on our relationship with our Pokémon in different and challenging situations so to that end there isn't a battle. If we were on the mainland, we'd likely be called a water gym because of the Pokémon I use."
"Sounds fun actually" Ash said "I've actually been looking forward to the differences in how I win these badges compared to the eight I won in Kanto. I've deliberately not looked up what your challenges are so it can surprise us and I'll get to see how good we are at reacting."
"You won eight badges?" the boy said "so you must have competed at the league then. How did you do?"
"We did ok" Ash said nonchalantly "but there's always room for improvement and that's what we're striving for."
"Well, this will definitely be different than what you're likely used to" Cissy said leading them to an indoor pool. One side of the pool though was dominated by a huge looking contraption that made Ash a bit wary. Walking to it Cissy became all business "Right, the rules are as follows. There are three tasks that you need to compete and you need to at least win one of the first two to progress to the third. If you don't then your challenge ends and you'll have to return after a minimum of two weeks. That's so you can train and prepare better next time rather than try and win through either luck or I get angry enough that I just throw the badge at you to get you out of here. I haven't done the latter but I've come very close. Anyway the first two challenges are called the Water Gun challenge. So, if you haven't got a Pokémon that has Water Gun you may as well walk back out of that door and don't bother returning until you get one." Seeing Ash still stand there she pressed a button on the wall and a panel retracted and several bottles were raised and were placed on a shelf. The first challenge is to knock as many of these bottles over as you can as quickly as you can. The second one will be using Water Gun on moving targets as quick as you can. If you pass either then I'll tell you what the third challenge will be. If not, you'll have to challenge me again and find out. So, let us begin" she finished releasing a Seadra who landed in the water and focused straight away on the bottles.
Thinking Ash decided to call out Blastoise earning a gasp from Cissy and her brother as the Shiny Kanto starter appeared and cocked his cannons. "Blastoise, you see those bottles over there? You need to knock as many down as you can as quickly as you can using your Water Gun ok? You're competing against the Seadra" receiving a nod Blastoise turned and focused on the bottles. The tension started to build until finally the young boy shouted "go" and soon streams of water were headed towards the wall and the bottles started pinging off the shelf as they were hit with deadly accuracy. Finally though the last one was knocked off and Cissy said "he's really good. Unfortunately not quite good enough for this round as I think I won that."
"You did" Ash said turning to Blastoise "that was a really good effort, sadly you were at a disadvantage to start with, but you were very close."
"What do you mean?" Cissy asked wondering if she should be offended.
"Blastoise's water comes from his cannons" Ash said "that means every time he uses a water move he has to quickly pressurise water in order to force it out whereas your Seadra doesn't have to do that. It made the difference in speed. The next challenge should be more in Blastoises favour though as he is excellent at hitting moving targets."
"That makes sense" she said sounding a bit worried "but I doubt you'll beat Seadra." nodding over to her brother he pressed another button and a strange looking contraption appeared with clay plates. "When he releases the plates we'll take turns in firing. The first one to miss one loses."
Again Ash nodded and Blastoise focused and waited. A few minutes later there were bits of clay littering the pool as neither Pokémon missed any target.
"This is really close" Cissy said amazed that Seadra hadn't won already. "Ok, one final plate. The one who breaks it first will win because I have a feeling we could be here all day otherwise." nodding to her brother he got ready to release the final plate and as soon as he did it was smashed less than a second later by a twin rush of water, half a second later a lone blast of water went through the space that the plate occupied.
"Yes!" Ash cheered "well done pal. I knew you'd win that one."
"Well done" Cissy said walking over to him. "you're the first person to beat me at that in over a year so you get to do the third and final challenge. As its 1-1 whoever wins this wins overall. Come."
Ash dutifully followed Cissy, recalling Blastoise as he did wondering what the last challenge would be. Soon enough they walked out onto a vast expanse of sand.
"Ok" Cissy said "can you see that red marker out in the sea? Good. The first Pokémon to make it around that flag and back onto this beach will be the winner."
"No problem" Ash said sending out Blastoise again and explaining the rule to him. Snorting contemptuously, he set himself in the water. Ash focused on waiting for the shout to go but did a double take when he saw Cissy climbing on to her own Blastoise "Oh I forgot to mention didn't i?" she said smirking "you have to be standing on your Pokémon while you race. Silly me for forgetting."
Shaking his head he decided to show off a little and using his aura he tried something he'd only just mastered the basics of, he walked on the water to get to Blastoise. Climbing onto Blastoise he ignored the incredulous looks he was getting and waited, whispering in Blastoises ear "I'm going to abuse the hell out of my aura ability here to stay on you. Match their speed getting to the flag but on the way back just go for it." Getting a nod they waited until finally the young boy shouted "Go" and immediately they raced out towards the red flag. Standing on Blastoise he realised that they weren't going nearly as fast as he knew Blastoise could go so if this was Cissy's travel speed they really didn't have anything to worry about for the return leg. Quickly the red flag approached and as Ash had the outside line Cissy made the turn first and raced back towards shore. Ash was only about a second behind before he shouted "Go" and Blastoise took off quickly closing the gap and overtaking them with almost contemptuous ease and soon enough they had a commanding lead. Winning was almost a formality by the point he crossed the winning line, flipping off of Blastoise and landing on his feet before turning around and waiting for Cissy to finish and a few seconds later she crossed the line as well.
"You've don't that before" she said accusingly "I thought you said you haven't read up on us."
"I haven't" Ash said "but when I knew I would be travelling around the islands I decided the best way of doing that was on Blastoise. I've been flying everywhere on my Charizard for months now so Blastoise deserved to be able to swim. So, in preparation for the travel I looked up the climate and saw that quite a few Islands have very rough waters around them so Blastoise and I trained to keep me on him during stormy weather, which he simulated using Rain Dance and Pikachu chipping in with Thunderbolts to create artificial but controlled storms. As you can see it clearly worked as we learned how to manipulate the currents to our advantage, hence him outstripping your Blastoise."
"Hmm" Cissy said "the strange thing is that sounds entirely plausible because Blastoise and I do that with the waves around here. Obviously, we seemingly have a way to go to challenge you. So, with that in mind here, I present to you the Coral Eye Badge as proof of you beating the gym challenge. Congratulations erm...I just realised I never actually asked you your name."
"Ash Ketchum" he said pinning the badge to his lapel ignoring the gasp from Cissy "thanks for the challenge. It was really fun. Maybe one day we can race again." returning Blastoise he nodded at them and walked back to the gym leaving a shocked brother and sister behind.
"That was fun" Ash said, "it was certainly different anyway."
"Why do I get the feeling the gym challenges won't have many battles in them?" Pikachu asked sullenly from Ash's shoulder. Cissy didn't hear what Ash replied as the door closed behind him, not that she knew what Pikachu said anyway. Suddenly she started chuckling.
"What's funny Cissy?" her brother asked.
"Ash" she said nodding at the door that he had just vanished through "he said he 'did ok' at the league. An understatement if there ever was one. I should have recognised him and not got so cocky." Still chuckling she made her way back inside and for the rest of the day she could be heard laughing at random times and could be heard to say, "he did ok."