Team Guide: Aurora (Alolan Vulpix), Titan (Larvitar), Orion (Ponyta), and Typhoon (Croconaw).
Ash sputtered from the sickeningly sweet aroma of flowers as he made his way through Erika's botanical garden.
He checked his PokeNav for the time and opened up the message sent to him by Erika to make sure he had read the email correctly. Six o'clock – just as Erika had requested.
He made his way to one of the benches and sat down, watching the spray of water shooting up from the fountain in the center of the garden. Ash felt his eyes grow heavy both from his exhaustion and the relaxing trickle of the running water.
A crackle and flash of light snapped him out of his stupor.
A familiar brunette stepped forward – June, if he remembered the name correctly – alongside a Kadabra. It took him a moment to recognize her due to the white sun hat and maroon skirt rather than the black athletic wear she wore during the Game Corner raid. However, her hazel eyes narrowed to slits at the sight of Ash and he recognized her by her glare instantly.
"You again?" June gasped, arms folded against her teal blouse. "Why did Lady Erika send for you?"
Ash's eye twitched from the sardonic remark and opened his mouth to protest but another flash and crackle turned his attention to the arrival of Erika and an Exeggutor.
"June, perhaps you would be more helpful to us tending to the grotto outside and preparing the gym for challengers." Erika said in her gratingly cheerful voice.
"Isn't it early for…?" The brunette protested only for Erika to wave her off dismissively.
"It is never too early to tend to the plants." Erika interrupted.
Ash tried not to smirk as June sulked away but quickly turned his attention back to Erika.
"So I'm curious why you called me here?"
"My apologies for not including this during your gym battle but there was quite a bit of paperwork and the wardens didn't get back to me as soon as I would have liked." Erika replied as she reached into one of the pockets of her kimono and pulled out a bright magenta ticket. "Stick out your hand."
Ash reluctantly reached out to Erika, allowing her to put the ticket in his hand. He flinched upon realizing what she had given him.
"This is a pass for the Safari Zone."
Erika smiled. "Observant as always, Ash,"
"I can't accept this gift, Celadon and the league have already been more than generous. I saw the money transferred into my account this morning, you've done more than enough." Ash replied as he tried to hand the ticket back.
The Sage of Celadon pushed his hand away. "It is very impolite to decline a gift, Ash," Erika said, a hint of a smirk forming on her face. "Very improper – offensive even. Now you wouldn't want to offend me, would you?"
Ash snorted, noticing the familiar sickeningly sweet tone of voice she used to generally get her way and conceded defeat. "No, I suppose that wouldn't be right." he answered, reluctantly taking the pass and putting it in the pocket of his jeans for safekeeping. "Thank you,"
"I know you likely believe your part in the Game Corner operation was small but Celadon is grateful for your discovery. Because of you there is one less foothold for Team Rocket in Celadon and in our region. More importantly, my gym trainers and the police combed through the facility. They didn't keep many documents or records,"
"Seemed to me they were getting rid of evidence and documents when I arrived." Ash interrupted.
Erika nodded. "Monthly, or so that's what we ascertained from questioning. But that's not relevant – what matters is that the information and documents we did find will help us with future raids and with the conviction of Team Rocket members. Your contribution has more of an impact than you know."
Ash nodded and couldn't help but smile at that. Knowing the world was a bit safer, no matter how trivial the contribution made him feel happier. "I appreciate you saying that and for everything you have done. Although, I am a bit curious why there seemed to be a small presence of Team Rocket members. Shouldn't a place like the Game Corner have been more secure?"
"Team Rocket saw the Game Corner as a lower priority facility and dedicated less resources to it. While it did have research purposes, it mostly served as a money laundering operation and trafficking hub."
"That explains a lot."
"It shouldn't be something you worry too much about."
Ash frowned at the remark even if the protests in his mind went unspoken.
"Continue to build your team, learn, grow, prepare yourself for the challenges ahead. And when the time is right, come back to Celadon and we will have a proper rematch. I am curious how you would handle some of my more experienced team members."
"You can count on it, I'll put this to good use. Next time we meet, I'll have a full team and we will be ready for anything you throw at us." Ash promised. "We will be ready for anything."
He was finally free from the urban jungle of Celadon. While it was an exciting place, the crowds of tourists and shoppers along with the flashing screens and loud advertisements in the commercial district wore on him. Shrill Nintendo, Devon, and Silph advertisements, anime trailers and promotions, rude tourists, chatty shoppers – it was nice to be on the road and for him to be able to hear his own thoughts again..
Not that Celadon was all bad. He emerged from it significantly richer due to the money placed into his account from his gym battle victory along with the reward from Erika for his discovery of Team Rocket activity at the Celadon Game Corner. Even after stocking up on supplies, he hadn't made a dent in his account.
Not to mention Erika had gifted him with a pass to the Safari Zone, which provided him with a golden opportunity to further expand his team he wouldn't have received without Erika. Safari Zone passes were usually drawn by lottery system and it cost quite a deal of money to register due to the addition of rarer species of Pokemon in recent years. From what he heard, registration for a Safari Zone pass could cost upwards of 20,000 to 35,000 – an exorbitant sum of money he wouldn't consider due to it being better spent on a Pokemon from a breeder or top shelf TMs.
Whatever the case, Ash really needed to expand his team. He had the time to expand and there were still some roles to fill on his team and weaknesses they would need to address.
He needed a flying type or at least a Pokemon that could fly. In the long-term, a flier would cut down on travel time. In the short-term, a flier would give him an option in battles he currently did not have. Fliers with strong wings could clear smokescreens, fog, poisonous gasses, spores, and other problematic hazards – something he'd likely need when he faced Koga. Furthermore, airborne Pokemon had more options for attack and could limit their opponents. Physical fighters that relied upon close range attacks could also be rendered nearly useless by fliers.
He also could use a team member that had a few nasty surprises. While Aurora had some wicked surprises for opponents, every team needed an assassin – a wild card dedicated to ruining an opponent's strategy. Sometimes that was a defensive wall capable of winning a war of attrition, a fighter that relied on tactical approaches to defeating a foe, or a Pokemon capable of turning the battlefield into one big hazard.
He also needed another speedster to round out the team. Titan and Typhoon were bulky and built for power. While Orion had speed, his speed was a sprinter speed. Aurora had decent lateral movement and speed when relying on Agility, but Agility was an artificial boost reliant on adrenaline rushes and streamlining of the body with weak telekinesis ability that cut down on drag rather than natural speed. He needed something fast and naturally agile.
While he had been doing some extensive research, he figured could focus on that later. For now, he would enjoy himself and enjoy the wonderful weather.
The warmth of the sun on his face, the rustling of the grass and trees in the wind, and blue skies as far as the eye could see – there was refreshment and peace he couldn't find anywhere but in his alone time with his team.
Orion trotted up and down the dirt trail waiting for the group to catch up. The Ponyta spewed wisps of smoke and very weak streams of flame into the air just to watch the billowing plumes of smoke and fire drift higher into the air. Titan stomped his feet with large, exaggerated steps. He twisted his back and forth with each step, leaving visible prints in the dirt. He stopped every so often to examine his handiwork. Aurora whimpered and nudged Ash's leg, her bright blue eyes shimmering with some sense of amusement over Titan's fascination with his own footprints.
"Yeah, it's pretty funny, but I think it's great to see him more at ease and enjoy himself."
Aurora nodded in agreement and whined in agreement. It was a shame the peace was so short lived.
Typhoon skulked through the tall grass and thickets along the side of the road with the only sign of his presence being his scaly head peeking up from the foliage. A loud snarl from the Croconaw sent several Rattata packing as they shot out from the grass and darted away with Typhoon chasing after them even if they were far too fast for him to even try to keep up with.
"Stop antagonizing everything you see," Ash groaned. "One of these times you're going to wind up getting yourself in trouble by aggravating something dangerous."
Typhoon growled at the remark and returned to the brush and grass along the side of the road, likely searching for something else to scare. Ash smacked his forehead as the water type roared again, scattering a small flock of Pidgey.
"Does what I say go in one ear and out the other?" Ash grumbled under his breath. His hand hovered over his belt as he briefly considered returning the unruly Croconaw to his Poke Ball but ultimately decided against it. The potential long-term consequences of Typhoon being more unruly with the group if he didn't blow off some steam was worth the short-term problems of Typhoon starting fights – or at least that was what he kept telling himself in his head.
Either way, Typhoon's increased aggression and territoriality since his evolution was not something Ash was enjoying. While it was never directed against him or the team – much in part due to Aurora and Orion keeping him in check – Typhoon was far too eager to start fights for Ash's tastes. He couldn't help but worry that the water type would eventually start a fight that would pull the entire team into a conflict or that Typhoon would get himself hurt.
"Should we keep an eye on him?" Ash sighed, glancing at his team.
Titan grumbled and his eyes narrowed. Orion snorted and shook his head while Aurora growled and bared her teeth at the mere suggestion. Ash couldn't help but chuckle. Clearly they were as thrilled about Typhoon's behavior as he was.
Another loud snarl.
A murder of Murkrow perched in the trees jeered at him, protesting his presence. Typhoon snarled back at the birds and charged into the tree line, spewing weak jets of water up into the trees and scattering the flock.
Ash grimaced at the ominous cloud of squawking birds circling overhead. Titan cloaked himself with Iron Defense and stared at the Murkrow with a perplexed look. Aurora's eyes narrowed and she cast a murderous glare at Typhoon before turning her gaze to the Murkrow overhead. Orion shared in her frustration, huffing and grunting before reluctantly trotting forward.
The Murkrow flock split up with some fixating upon Ash and his team while the vast majority focused on Typhoon.
Several gouts of flame from Orion, jagged arcs of energy, and a raucous shriek from Titan scattered the Murkrow that had considered targeting them.
The intimidated birds turned and joined up with the main body before a large portion of the group plunged to dive-bomb Typhoon. He swatted at a couple of them with his claws, causing most of the first wave of diving birds to pull up or veer away from Typhoon. The few Murkrow foolish enough to recklessly charge forward were batted out of the air with a swipe of his claws or sent flying with a Water Pulse thrust into their face.
More of the Murkrow descended, firing off ominous beams of dark purple light mingled with streaks of maroon as they circled above him instead of dive-bombing Typhoon. The Croconaw scrambled backwards, backpedaling to evade the first volleys of Night Shade only for the subsequent blasts to slam into him . Typhoon wheezed from the breath being knocked out of him which forced him to his knees. Some of the Murkrow seized upon the water type's vulnerability and swooped low.
Ash hesitated for a moment, briefly considering letting the Murkrow attack Typhoon to teach him a lesson but thought better of it. He could dish out discipline after the Murkrow were dealt with.
"Aurora, Orion, Titan – back him up."
Aurora growled and Orion huffed in protest but begrudgingly rushed towards the murder of Murkrow. Aurora unleashed a powerful gale of super chilled air that not only pushed the dive-bombing birds off course so they slammed into the ground but left them shivering on the ground from the frigid winds.
Orion galloped alongside his teammate and spewed a swirling stream of fire at the flock of flying types. Most of the flock managed to scatter before Flamethrower reached them but a few Murkrow too close to the searing flames screeched and plummeted to the ground from having their wings singed.
Titan pulled up chunks of earth with his jaws and hurled them at the flock to scatter the birds. Or he would have if he could launch them high enough. While the first hunks of dirt and stone caused the Murkrow to scatter, the flying types climbed higher into the air out of range for Rock Tomb to be a threat.
Aurora flanked Titan and fired Ice Beams and blasts of cold air up into the flock. The vast majority of the flock scattered while those battered by the frigid gusts or the energy beams plummeted to the ground due to ice buildup.
The remaining birds circled back around before going into a frenzy. Dozens of Murkrow swooped down to attack the group while the others supported them with blasts of Night Shade.
Violet beams of energy rained down around the team, putting them all on the defensive – including Ash who backpedaled to avoid several of the stray beams. Titan lifted chunks of earth from the ground to create a barrier to shield him from the energy blasts and shrieked at the Murkrow foolish enough to try to dive bomb him. The shockwave of sound disoriented the swooping Murkrow, causing them to crash into the ground. Those not directly impacted by the shockwave turned away due to the hideous noise. Titan thrust his right arm into the stone barricade he made, launching part of the wall of stone at the retreating Murkrow and knocking them out of the sky.
Aurora zigzagged to evade the Night Shade barrage launched at her and retaliated with Ice Beam, striking several of the dive bombing Murkrow and leaving thick layers of ice on their wings. The Murkrow squawked as they plummeted and crashed with a loud thud.
Orion formed illusionary decoys of himself causing the diving Murkrow around him to slow up out of confusion. Orion pounced on the hesitation and breathed out a swirling stream of fire that engulfed the birds foolish enough to try to dive bomb him.
Typhoon sidestepped a powerful Night Shade that carved a divot into the road, swatted away a swooping Murkrow with a single Water Pulse that detonated upon impact and threw the flying type back into a tree. More Murkrow descended upon him, cloaking themselves with light only for him to spew a jet of water into the attacking birds' that drenched their feathers and caused them to plummet to the ground.
The remaining flock of Murkrow jeered at the group but begrudgingly retreated, realizing that they were outmatched by the combined strength of Ash's team. The trainer let out a sigh of relief as the flock disappeared on the horizon before both he and the rest of the team turned their gazes on Typhoon.
"What did I tell you about picking fights with wild Pokemon?" Ash hissed.
Aurora growled and Orion whinnied in agreement. Typhoon snarled.
"I told you three times not to start fights with the wild Pokemon, Typhoon."
Typhoon growled again and bared his fangs at Ash. Orion spewed a plume of smoke in Typhoon's face, prompting him to sputter. Typhoon hissed and spewed a weak jet of water at Orion in retaliation, dousing his mane for a few seconds. He flared back up brighter than before.
A cloak of fire engulfed Orion and he shot forward, ramming into Typhoon and knocking him backwards. Typhoon roared and formed a Water Pulse in his left hand before thrusting his arm forward and the sphere of water towards Orion's head. Titan screeched at the unruly water type, staggering him with a powerful sound wave and causing him to merely graze Orion with the orb of water rather than hit him directly.
Aurora flanked Orion and flung a chunk of ice into Typhoon's head. Typhoon snarled and fired a Water Gun back at Aurora. The Alolan Vulpix darted to her left and hurled another Ice Shard at Typhoon in retribution that Typhoon shattered with a swipe of his claws.
Orion barreled forward and rammed his head into Typhoon's belly, knocking him backwards before unleashing a gout of flame straight into his face. Typhoon groaned from the searing heat.
Typhoon opened his mouth to spew out a pressurized jet of water. Flame and water clashed with a hiss and a curtain of steam obscured both Orion and Typhoon's vision.
Aurora took a deep breath and unleashed a gust of air that caused the air temperature around them to plummet. A thick layer of ice formed around Typhoon to restrain him, leaving everything but his head encased in ice. Typhoon snarled at the team as he thrashed his head.
Aurora snarled back at him and blew a wisp of cold air in his face to seal his jaws shut. Titan cloaked himself with Iron Defense and lifted a chunk of earth from the ground, drawing his arm back to punch it and launch it at the Croconaw. Orion snorted and trotted circles around him, seemingly gloating that he was free to move around and Typhoon wasn't.
Ash rolled his eyes. "Stand down," he commanded. While he appreciated the loyalty, he wasn't sure antagonizing Typhoon was in anyone's best interest.
"Listen Typhoon, I'm willing to train with you so you can become stronger; but you're expected to work with us and stay out of trouble. If you want to battle, we can find some trainers to battle or you can spar with the team. But if you think for a second that I'm going to let you put us in danger by attacking everything that moves…that's just not happening." Ash scolded. "And I'm definitely not letting you have an attitude with me or the rest of the team."
Typhoon grumbled at Ash, eliciting a death glare from Aurora. Orion stamped his legs and took a step towards the arrogant Croconaw.
Ash stepped in front of Orion. "I have this under control!" he scolded.
Orion stepped back, allowing Ash to turn his attention back to Typhoon.
"Grrrrr!" Ash growled right back mockingly, leaning in and staring Typhoon in the eyes. "I can do that too. You're nothing special."
Typhoon's eyes narrowed and he thrashed his head more.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Let me make this clear, if you don't want to be a part of this team anymore and want to do some sort of lone wolf thing, you're free to leave anytime. If you want to travel with us, grow and train, that's also your choice. But we absolutely won't tolerate you causing trouble and starting fights – especially starting fights with us. So I'll ask you once again, what's it going to be, Typhoon?"
Typhoon stared him down for a moment before his red eyes dipped down for a moment in what seemed like shame before he let out a defeated grunt.
"Let's get Typhoon out of this and melt this ice," Ash said, motioning for Orion. The Ponyta snorted in content and gave him a skeptical look. "We can't just leave him in a block of ice. Besides, I was hoping that the team could get some work in so we might be able to channel some of that aggression somewhere more productive."
Orion grunted but reluctantly breathed a weak stream of fire from his mouth into the thick layer of ice around Typhoon. The hold of the ice grew weaker as most of it was reduced into a puddle beneath Typhoon until a single thrash from the water type shattered the ice clinging to him.
Aurora tensed while Titan squatted low to position himself to tear up earth if needed. Typhoon stomped on the shards of ice beneath his feet with prejudice. He gave his teammates a dirty look and folded his arms in resentment.
Ash rolled his eyes. Who knew the aggressive Croconaw could be as petty as he was a fighter? He motioned for his team to draw closer, prompting them to circle around him. "Alright, I want to pick up where we last left off and I have some ideas!" he instructed.
Aurora and Orion zigzagged, trading volleys of ice and fire with each other. What they couldn't evade, they blocked by generating an energy bubble around themselves to shield themselves from the incoming Ice Beams and Flamethrowers. Orion trotted through the flames left from his fiery breaths and drew the flames towards himself, causing his mane to flare up further until the fire formed a wispy veil around him. Aurora countered by taking deep breaths and exhaling along with increasing the output of radiant cold emanating from her body, causing the temperature to drop around her to the point that the moisture in the air froze and created light snow.
Orion fired off a weak beam of light that made Aurora form a golden dome of light around herself.
Ash couldn't help but smirk. It looked like Orion was finally getting the hang of Solar Beam.
Orion charged forward and cloaked himself with fire as he galloped towards his foe at full speed. Aurora formed another force field only for the shield to shatter from Orion ramming into it. The Ponyta slammed into Aurora and sent her flying backwards. She tumbled through the dirt before righting herself and rushing at her foe to retaliate by slamming her now glowing tails into his head.
Ash turned his attention away from Aurora and Orion's sparring session to the more volatile clash between Typhoon and Titan.
Typhoon snarled as a faint flicker of light coursed through his body and a surge of adrenaline quickened his movements. The Croconaw lashed out at Titan with his gleaming claws.
Apparently it hadn't taken Typhoon long to figure out how to improve Scratch by channeling energy through his claws to evolve the technique into Slash.
Titan cloaked himself with the protective energy of Iron Defense which reinforced his armor allowing him to shrug off the swipes from Typhoon. Titan jabbed back at his foe with wild punches only for Typhoon to weave back and forth to evade the punches.
Typhoon spewed a Water Gun at the ground to kick up mud into Titan's face and blind him, resulting in a distressed gurgle from the Larvitar. Typhoon circled Larvitar and thrust a Water Pulse into his back. Titan skidded backwards until he dug his feet into the dirt to halt his slide. Typhoon barreled towards him with another Water Pulse formed in his right hand.
Titan shrieked at the water type, staggering him with a ear splitting soundwave before thrusting a glowing fist into his ribs that left a visible bruise where the punch had connected. Typhoon wheezed and gasped from the punch. Titan seized upon Typhoon's weakness and stomped the ground to send a tremor through the earth that threw Typhoon into the air and caused him to lose his hold on Water Pulse, causing the attack to fly up into the air before plummeting back down and exploding in his face.
Titan's crimson eyes sparkled with amusement.
Ash couldn't help but chuckle. Titan giving Typhoon a dose of his own medicine wasn't something he expected nor was Titan showing no mercy like Typhoon something he expected. Not that it wasn't incredibly satisfying to see Titan show up his opponent and seemingly take a little pride in knocking down Typhoon's ego down a peg.
Typhoon sprung up onto his feet and let out a murderous snarl. Titan's eyes widened in panic as he ripped up several boulders and hurled the chunks of rock one after another at his foe.
Typhoon slashed at the boulders, cutting through them effortlessly and fired an Ice Beam at Titan. Titan gurgled in a panic. His eyes widened and he raised his stubby arms to cross them together. A thin wall of golden light formed in front of him to block the jagged beams of energy launched at him for a few precious seconds only for the ice to completely overwhelm him.
From the looks of it, Titan was starting to get the hang of Protect even if he couldn't maintain a force field for more than a few seconds.
Typhoon closed in on his frozen target and formed a Water Pulse in his right hand before thrusting it into him. The explosive force of Water Pulse shattered the ice around Titan and upended him, sending him rolling across the battlefield.
Titan lay on the ground in a daze. Typhoon grunted and formed another Water Pulse in his left hand before barreling toward his sparring partner to land the finishing blow.
"Typhoon, enough!" Ash snapped at him, halting him in his tracks before he could thrust the sphere of water into Titan's side. "The whole point of this sparring session was to help Titan work on utilizing Protect, to have you work on using Protect, and to help you incorporate Ice Beam into your fighting style. And last time I checked, you haven't even tried to use Protect."
Typhoon growled at Titan, still resentful towards him for hitting him with Payback and causing Water Pulse to blow up in his face, but ultimately allowed Water Pulse to dissipate.
They returned to launching attacks at each other with Titan throwing chunks of rock that Typhoon cleaved in half with his retaliated against Titan with pressurized streams of water and jagged beams of energy so cold that ice formed around whatever they touched. Titan intercepted the first few barrages of beams with chunks of rock and tried to block the remaining arcs of energy with Protect. The jagged arcs of energy dissipated upon clashing with the glowing energy wall Titan created to shield himself.
Typhoon barreled towards Titan and slashed at his face with his claws. Light radiated from Titan as Iron Defense strengthened and reinforced his armor. Titan shrugged off Typhoon raking his claws across his face and retaliated with a quick jab to the gut.
Typhoon gasped for air after being staggered by the blow, prompting Ash to roll his eyes. Titan's jabs with Payback were telegraphed punches and slow to develop. There was absolutely no reason Typhoon could not block them with Protect. Instead he was either trying to prove a point or was too stubborn to embrace the defensive technique. Whatever the case, it was getting on his nerves.
Everything was a fight with Typhoon. Keeping him from wandering off and antagonizing wild Pokemon was a fight, he had to argue the merit of ranged attacks to get Typhoon to embrace ranged techniques, and now he was likely going to have to persuade him to see the usefulness of defense.
"You know, Typhoon, you wouldn't be gasping for air if you had blocked Payback with Protect." Ash chided.
Typhoon's eyes narrowed to slits. He opened his mouth to hiss but only could manage a wheeze due to Titan's punch having knocked the wind out of him.
"I'm not just telling you stuff because I want to hear myself speak. Offense is only part of a battle. Think you've been used to just overpowering stuff in the wild and relying on the strength and stamina you get from Sheer Force, but that's not going to be something you can always lean on in battles. Just like you learned that ranged techniques are a tool to be used, you need to learn how defense is just as important. Expand your horizons, learn to fight smarter."
Typhoon mustered a halfhearted growl of frustration and spewed a jet of water at Titan. Titan tensed and crossed his stubby arms together before a golden barrier formed in front of him that blocked the attack and caused the water to harmlessly flow down the barrier and puddle on the ground.
Typhoon hissed only to get knocked over by a Rock Tomb flung at him by Titan.
"Of course…you can keep getting your clock cleaned." Ash continued.
Typhoon snarled at Ash, cleaving several more boulders thrown at him in half only to get knocked over from Titan stomping and sending a tremor through the earth. The Croconaw hissed as he was thrown backward and landed flat on his back.
Ash stood over him and pointed his finger at him. "You're tired and out of breath. Titan's somewhat winded from using Protect so many times but he's fighting smart and conserving his energy while you are taking unnecessary hits and wearing down."
Typhoon growled and rolled his eyes dismissively.
"Like it or not, all the power in the world only gets you so far. It's like I said, you will learn to fight smarter or get left behind by the team. Your choice." Ash scolded, leaving him to dwell on his words. He hated being so harsh but it was clear that being blunt was the only way to get through to Typhoon. In the long run, this would help him because he needed to change his attitude since it made him nearly impossible to work with.
He turned his attention to Titan and motioned for him to follow him. "Time to change up sparring partners. Let's have you work with Orion a bit."
Ash frowned. His legs burned and were as weak as gelatin. Three days of travel left him exhausted, but they were nearing the finish line. More importantly, the newly constructed Whitecap Bridge provided a shortcut to Fuchsia City by way of Sunnytown. The way he saw it, a good night's rest in Sunnytown would give him the breather he needed to make it to Fuchsia City. Not to mention that he would be taking a more direct route rather than taking the long way to Fuchsia by way of Route 17 and Route 18.
Although the closer he got to Sunnytown, the more he questioned the wisdom of that plan. While he managed to talk the toll collector into letting him pass on foot by selling him on the idea that he was equipped to travel in the dark if things came to that due to Orion's flames and Aurora's Moonblast providing sufficient illumination, it didn't take him long to figure out why people generally traveled by bike, car, or motorcycle. The Whitecap Bridge was as long as the attendant had suggested it to be but more importantly a lot of bikers hung out on the bridge. And while that usually wouldn't have bothered him – since a couple of them had challenged him to a battle and chatted with him afterwards – quite a few of them weren't as friendly and gave him dirty looks as he went by. A few of the bikers even seemed to be watching him a bit too closely, almost like they were a Houndoom and he was prey.
He kept his hands poised over Aurora and Orion's Poke Balls, ready to act if any of them tried anything. Not that he expected anything to happen, at least during the daytime. If they were going to try something, they would likely strike at night when it was harder to see. Although that provided him with incentive to cross the bridge as quickly as possible. The sooner he could get to Sunnytown and make his way to Fuchsia City, the better.
The traditional homes such as the occasional noka farmhouses he passed and the urban machiya on the horizon indicated he was getting close to Fuchsia City. Fuchsia was far more traditional compared to the rest of Kanto and stood out from the more urban cities of Kanto due to eschewing urbanization and more modern architecture to preserve ancient Kanto heritage and history.
A refreshing change of pace compared to his previous stops.
He was glad to finally have reached his destination. He didn't enjoy Sunnytown. It reminded him too much of the commercial district of Celadon, especially the area near the Game Corner. Sunnytown was basically as close to a slum as one could find in the Kanto region. Merchants aggressively pursued those they thought they could pawn their goods off on. Empty alcohol bottles and beer cans were strewn across the street far more often than was the case in any other city he had been in.
Not to mention the bar patrons stumbling around drunk and bikers in Sunnytown were a problem. The few trainers there bickered with each other and shouted over each other, making drunken boasts and absurdly high wagers. The bikers in particular were problematic and harassed both travelers and tourists alike, including him. One drunken biker in particular with a thick Galarian Crown Tundra highlands accent had been challenging trainers to battles and ranted at everyone in the hotel lobby that passed by about how most trainers no longer properly appreciated Charizard and how his Charizard alone would stomp all the soy boy trainers who didn't know how to raise Pokemon.
He had briefly considered indulging him and having Typhoon face his Charizard but thought better of it. Typhoon was strong but not likely ready to face a Charizard, especially since they could fly and basically make itself untouchable. Since there wasn't a Pokemon Center in Sunnytown, he didn't want to risk Typhoon getting hurt and being down a team member in a rough city he didn't trust.
What he did take away from the event was how he was falling behind, not regarding the pace he was winning against the gyms but in terms of his team size. In his effort to avoid the pitfalls of quantity over quality and be able to train hands-on with his teammates, he had limited himself.
There were people that already had full teams already, if the drunken trainers in Sunnytown were any indication. Not to mention that both during the Celadon Game Corner raid and Sunnytown he had situations where more numbers to his team would have been helpful. With only four team members he had to pick and choose his fights and worry about numbers.
All the more reason to add to his team. He might only have been two – going on three – months into his journey but wanted to be ready for the conference in time. The gyms ahead would be tougher and he'd need more options in battles. Not to mention with the uncertainty surrounding Team Rocket in the future. Preparing for the future challenges he would face as a trainer, the potential dangers he would face, and the inevitable confrontations with Team Rocket to come required that he expanded sooner rather than later which boiled down to one thing.
It was time to hit the Safari Zone.
He didn't have much time to appreciate the actual city that was Fuchsia City, having only taken in the sights of cozy machiya houses with sliding walls, friendly merchants peddling handmade crafts and souvenirs from small wooden booths, farmers selling produce from carts, and the occasional dojo for a short time before he headed for the outskirts of Fuchsia City once more as he made his way to the Safari Zone. Or at least he was headed where the Safari Zone was indicated to be on his PokeNav, although he was starting to have his doubts.
All he saw on the other side of the hill he was climbing was untamed meadow and swamp. He glanced back down at the map displayed on the screen. The GPS icon showing his location continued to indicate he was close and displayed the Safari Zone to be on the other side of the hill.
The map was confirmed to be correct. Upon reaching the peak of the hill, he saw metal fencing as far as the eye could see, a large gate, and a tiny house that looked more like a shack than a home.
Ash made his way down the hill and towards the house, using the sliding door to step inside. He looked around as he peeked inside the building, finding the inside to be as cramped as it looked outside. Tatami floors, dusty file cabinets crammed in a corner, a large wooden desk jammed near the file cabinets, a single lamp in the corner behind the cabinets – if not for the cot crammed in another corner of the room Ash would have thought it was merely an office.
An elderly man sitting in a swivel chair somehow crammed behind the desk looked up from his computer, pushed his glasses up so they were no longer drooping on the bridge of his nose and gave him a vacant stare that made Ash uncomfortable.
"Hello?" Ash called out, not entirely sure that the old man was all there.
"Hmmmph!" the old man grunted and sat up straighter in his seat.
Ash frowned. Had he been sleeping? This was getting less and less promising.
The man cleared his throat and sipped from the bottle of water on his desk. "Sorry, may I help you?"
Ash reached into his pocket for his Safari Zone pass and waved it in front of the old man. "Was hoping to redeem this, but wouldn't mind learning a little bit more about the place and how it all works first."
The old man grinned. "I'd love to talk – where would you like to start?"
Ash couldn't help but grin at the sight of vast untamed wilderness. Meadow to the north, swamp to the west, forest to the east, and south. He had never seen anything quite like the Safari Zone.
"What inspired you to establish this place, Baoba?" Ash asked the warden.
"Wanted a quiet little place where people could enjoy nature and experience what it's like to be a trainer. Nothing like exploring, tracking Pokemon, catching Pokemon. It lets me rekindle my youth a bit as well."
"Didn't strike you as the trainer type." Ash replied, pausing momentarily. "No offense. Just with the way you talked about Pokemon and the business aspects of the Safari Zone…"
The old man let out a hardy laugh, interrupting him. "None taken, Ash. To tell you the truth, I wasn't all that great as a trainer. Made it to the top 64 and top 32 in the Indigo Conference, but tapered off afterwards."
"Still respectable." Ash interjected.
"Can't make a living off that and didn't impress the league very much. Realized maybe that wasn't my career path. Not to say the traveling and adventure ever wore off. My love for both traveling and Pokemon stayed. Still continued traveling after that but as a photographer. Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos – have just about seen it all. That changes a man and I guess after that I wanted to help other people experience that a bit."
"Makes sense," Ash replied.
Ash skimmed through the booklet he had been given by the warden on the Safari Zone. Soon he would have a crack at catching species from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos. No wonder why it cost so much to enter the drawing for a Safari Zone pass. The breeder fees and transport fees to keep the preserve stocked must have been astronomical.
He shuddered as the jeep hit a large bump and practically caused him to hit the ceiling. Water splashed everywhere as the dark green vehicle sped through a puddle. He was thankful that the vehicle had windows and that they were up because both he and the driver would have been soaked if the water rolling down the windshield and windows was any indication.
"How much longer, Baoba?" Ash asked the warden as they continued down the narrow two-track road.
"Little less than a mile," he answered. "Should put you right at the heart of the preserve."
"Sorry about the drive, hope it's not too much trouble."
"I like the company. More importantly, it gets me out of the office and reminds me why I put up with staring at a screen, negotiating with breeders, and dealing with obnoxious security companies."
Ash snorted. For as much as he stuck to the cities, he definitely understood the appeal of nature, especially after experiencing the noise and stress of Celadon. Urbanite trainer that he was, he still enjoyed getting away from it all and the peace and quiet. Maybe that was his Pallet Town childhood raising up.
"So how much time will I have?" Ash asked.
"The sun sets around 9:15-9:35." Baoba answered before glancing at the dashboard clock. "That should give you about eight hours here and however long it takes for me to pick you up."
"Sounds good. In fact, that's all I'll need."
The warden's nose wrinkled as he frowned. "You sure? Most people would have waited and started first thing in the morning to give themselves more time to explore."
Ash shook his head. "I was looking at the guide you gave me and skimming through my Pokedex. I might not know exactly what I want to add to my team, but I have a general idea of what I need."
Baoba chuckled. "If you say so,"
It didn't take long before they reached their destination and the warden halted the vehicle, allowing Ash to get out. The old man reached under his seat for a leather satchel as he got out of the car and handed it to Ash. "Fifty Safari Balls, six pounds of bait, and fifty vials of repel as promised."
Ash nodded as he took the satchel and hoisted it over his shoulder. It brought back the familiar feeling of carrying something again that was missing from having left both his backpack and his teammates in the office for the trip into the preserve. "Thanks…any advice for me?"
"Have fun and stay safe. Also keep in mind that not every species is friendly here. Use your wits and don't try anything stupid. We'd rather not have some sort of emergency."
"I'm not one to get in trouble," Ash replied, even if that was partially a lie. A big lie actually.
"Good luck," Baoba remarked as he got back in the jeep.
The olive jeep backed up, turned around, and headed down the muddy two-track road, leaving Ash on his own.
He frowned at the realization of just how alone he was, especially as his hand drifted down to his belt where Aurora's Luxury Ball should have been. It was going to be weird not having his team with him, not talking with them, and not being able to share the sights with them.
But it would be a different experience and whatever the case – an adventure and more specifically, a hunt awaited him.
Author's Note: Happy (early) Thanksgiving everyone! I'm back and bring a new chapter of Ambition before the grind of spring semester hits along. Probably not my most exciting chapter, but wanted to set some events up such as Ash adding to his team and include some fun references. We could use a breather from gyms and I want to do something a little different here by leaning into some exploration.
Hope you enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review - I appreciate your support and feedback immensely. God bless, StandingMan, signing off.