Team: Frogadier, Vulpix/Sera. Mankey
"I need you to check on someone, Bill Sonezaki, a friend in Rifure Village, by car." The professor sounded urgent, like that time Ash, Leaf and Gary had snuck into the nearby woods.
"Sure professor." Ash changed his tone, recognising the professor's seriousness, "When?"
"As soon as possible. Bill told me he's been feeling unsafe and for me to call him at this time everyday. Today was the first time he's missed the call. I'm sure he's fine but I'd feel better if you could go check on him."
"Got it Professor! I'll go now," Ash nodded, recalling his team.
He quickly packed his bags, crossing the lobby when he saw Ritchie and Leaf having breakfast. The two noticed him and waved him over, then asking him where he was going.
"Professor Oak needs my help, so I need to go now," Ash tightened the straps on his bag.
"What job is it?" Ritchie asked after taking a sip of soup.
"And how long will you be gone?" Leaf looked up at Ash.
"I don't know, I'm going to Rifure Village by car. The fastest one shouldn't take too long, maybe a couple of hours? Then I'll be spending the day helping Professor Oak and then come back."
Leaf looked disappointed, "Oh, I was hoping we could train together. Fighting against Frogadier would be good practice." Ritchie nodded in agreement.
"Didn't you convince Misty to be able to train in the gym's pools? That would still be really helpful!" Ash started feeling a bit guilty, ruining the group's plans.
"I guess, good luck then Ash!" Leaf smiled and waved, Ritchie joining in after finishing his soup.
Ash hurried to the northern gate of Cerulean City, hoping to find a route-taxi station nearby. Pokenavs couldn't download the taxi's app so he had to go directly to the station. When he got there, it took very little time before he was on a jeep speeding across the famed Nugget Bridge.
It was a shame, Ash thought as he watched trainers pass by, he didn't have time to properly appreciate what Cerulean City had to offer. I'll check everything out later.
An hour passed by before Ash got another call by Professor Oak. He made sure to tilt away from the driver before answering the call.
Ash started whispering. "Hi sir, is there anything else you need? Could you tell me what's going on?"
"Hello Ash," Professor Oak's voice was serious, "we still don't have news from him. His family have not been able to contact him either. More importantly, are you traveling by car?"
"Yes Professor Oak, just as you said. Can I ask why?"
"The officers checked security footage and discovered a white van parked outside of Bill's house. No one exited or entered the vehicle but after a couple minutes, the van left." Professor Oak carried on, though he sounded a bit nervous.
"So…you think that Bill was kidnapped? But how could they if they didn't even leave the van?"
"Teleportation."
Ash blinked in confusion, "But you taught us that psychics aren't used for—"
"—Transportation, yes. Psychics that aren't in the top percentile cannot teleport themselves and others for long distances. However the range from the car into Bill's house would be perfectly within range." Ash nodded as he started to understand.
"Are there any other descriptions of the car?" Ash asked curiously, if they were driving a van, it was possible to pass them by.
"It's license plate is 40-31, though that might change. It has a scratch on the left side of the van's door and the windows are tinted."
"Got it," Ash said as he observed the surroundings for any vehicles approaching.
Route 25, like a lot of Kanto's routes, was surrounded by forests and mountains, but more engulfed in the wilderness than most. Rifure, a seaside village, and a few ranger outposts were the only places that the route led to so it wasn't used much.
On top of that, being so close to the northern borders of Indigo meant nature was more wild and dangerous. Roars of steelix and tyranitar could occasionally be heard as they rampaged and ruled.
Ash's stomach felt squeamish. His fingers started fiddling as he wished the driver would allow him to release his pokemon. He desperately wanted to do something else, maybe learning about fire stones or the strange evolution method of annihilape, but he had to keep watch.
Ash's eyes lit up as a cluster of vehicles encroached. He eyed each one of them, frowning in disappointment as they all left. He checked the offline map on his pokenav, they were halfway through Route 25, and still no sign.
Just then, a singular white van drove by, windows all darkened. Ash tensed up but quickly relaxed as he checked the number plate. There was no scratch on the van anyways, he was just being paranoid.
A hairy hand was stuck out, holding a smoking cigarette, before flicking it onto the dirt track. Ash turned indignantly towards the driver, ready to judge the man.
His black flat cap stopped any rational thought.
Ash's head whipped back as he watched the retreating van in horror.
No way. There isn't even a scratch! Or the right number plate! Ash took a deep breath as he gripped his trembling hands.
Despite telling himself that the chances to run into Team Rocket was slim, his gut still twisted and folded, making his hands clammy.
"Driver! Can you please turn back? Right now!"
The driver looked back in surprise, "What! We're halfway there, you're the one who wants to go to Rifure!"
Ash grit his teeth in frustration, "Please! I'll pay you extra! I'll tip you extra! Please!" The man still looked unimpressed, but he shrugged his shoulders at the sound of money.
Ash urged the driver to go faster, getting closer and closer to the white van. This is such a dumb idea, Ash thought as he slowly faced the back of the van, but there's no other way! Ash released Frogadier, angering the driver who shouted at him. "Use Water Pulse on the wheels!" Frogadier gathered water in his palms and fired it off, blasting the wheel and knocking it off.
The van swayed left and right uncontrollably, forcing Ash's driver to swerve away and stop the car. Frogadier, without a seatbelt, slammed into Ash and left him dazed.
"What the fuck is wrong with—hey! Why are you getting off!?" Ash ignored him in favor of rushing at the van which had abruptly stopped.
"Mankey! Break down that door!" Ash released Mankey, who's arms glowed as he caved in the locks of the van door, allowing it to slide smoothly open.
Ash hopped inside and was greeted by a sight from a movie. There were crates of equipment and coils of rope. A big burly gonna lay dazed, a dent in the wall near his head. Another grunt was present, unfortunately not as dazed as the other, staring at him in shock and anger. Most importantly, a tied-up man looked up in terror and then hope.
"What the flying fuck is a kid—Ahh!" Mankey slammed a gentle fist into the man, knocking him back.
Ash cut the rope with his pocket knife and stumbled with the trembling man outside. He collapsed with the man's weight on him, only alleviated when Frogadier and Mankey helped him up.
"It's alright Bill, you're safe now!" Ash got up and faced him. "Professor Oak sent me here. I'm Ash Ketchum."
Ash blinked as he took in Bill's appearance. Bill Sonezaki was much younger than Ash expected, less like Professor Oak and more like Daisy. His hair was chestnut-brown with a smooth, pale face. He seemed kind, though his recent kidnapping left him shaken.
Bill started to ramble, "I—What—I thought I was a goner…I thought I would never see my family again—"
The driver furiously ran up with a phone in his hand, "That's it! I'm calling the police! You better…" He faltered when he saw Bill's exhausted form. "What's—what's going on?"
Ash turned to him with a grim expression, "Call the police, but not on me." He turned back when the driver's door slammed open and the driver tumbled out. "On them."
Ash tensed up as the crook got up, revealing his black uniform with a red 'R'. "You son of a bitch, I'm going to fucking kill you!" He released a houndour that bared its teeth, saliva dripping from its maw.
Ash felt uneasy as he stared at the houndour, it didn't look (or feel) right with its bloodshot eyes, messy fur and random flinching. Ash felt ripples of rage, pain, sorrow around him and shuffled uncomfortably, it didn't feel good.
Frogadier, Sera and Mankey versus a houndour, good odds, Ash assessed the situation, he couldn't afford to be careless.
A clanging noise alerted Ash to the Rocket that Mankey had knocked down, now back up and more angry than ever with a golbat in a similar state as Houndour. Nevermind, three versus two. Not as good.
"Incinerate!" Rocket #1 yelled out, but Houndour attacked with Bite which missed. "Damn't you fucking mutt," Houndour snarled at him, "Don't make me punish you again!" The man wasn't intimidated as he threatened the dog, who whimpered and turned around.
Mankey charged at Houndour with Cross Chop but ducked as Golbat swooped in with Poison Fang. It swooped in again. Ice Beam from Frogadier fired at Golbat, missing by a bit but still scaring it away.
The Cross Chop landed a glancing blow on Houndour, who yelped in pain before retaliating with a vicious Fire Fang, tearing into Mankey's flesh. Mankey howled in pain and rage and started to slam more Cross Chops into Houndour who held on.
Ash released Sera, "Sera, help Mankey—" A 'pop' was heard and Ash could only whip back in time to see a creepy kadabra with its eyes glowing a cold blue.
Ash started feeling sleepy, his whole…whole body feeling fatigued. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to maybe rest—A huge fireball sailed near their heads from Sera at Kadabra, who teleported away.
Sera growled as fire leaked out of her mouth, "That was Hypnosis!" Ash stared at Sera thankfully, "Thanks Sera, let's do this!" Sera yipped in agreement before facing Kadabra who had teleported to the Rockets, where another one, the big, burly one, had appeared.
So that's the psychic that teleported into Bill's house! And it can teleport here anytime. Sera needs to stay nearby then. "Frogadier! Water Pulse that houndour away," Frogadier leaped away from Golbat, before firing off the swirling sphere that slammed into the houndour.
"Nice job—Watch out!" Golbat swooped in and latched onto Frogadier with Poison Fang, pumping toxins into him.
Frogadier used Ice Beam repeatedly on Golbat, causing it to drop him. He got back up, readying a Water Pulse, before collapsing in pain.
"Frogadier! Are you okay?" Ash ran up to him, blatantly ignoring the danger of running into the battlefield.
"Ash!" Bill called out, "Get back here! Frogadier has been badly poisoned, you should quickly heal it!" Frogadier croaked in protest and pushed himself up.
A ball of white energy in his mouth appeared, the beginnings of an Ice Beam. Frogadier tried aiming but Golbat's haphazard movement made it difficult. He was about to fire. Suddenly, a round of coughing erupted in his chest. The Ice Beam destabilized and exploded, freezing the area around him.
"Frogadier!" Ash got up and examined Frogadier worriedly, the bitten area had turned a nasty shade of purple and Frogadier was retching. "Frogadier, I have to return you for now, you're too hurt," Ash teared up and returned him.
A psybeam cut through the air towards Ash. It was too fast for Ash to move. An Incinerate clashed with it, causing an explosion. Sera growled at the floating kadabra. Golbat flew in with another Poison Fang—
—And was slammed in the face with a Rock Tomb from Mankey. Ash gasped at Mankey's state. A huge chunk of Mankey's body was burnt black, with blood oozing out of the wounds. Yet he looked as determined as ever.
With Frogadier and Houndour both out, it was Kadabra and Golbat versus Sera and Mankey. Both Sera and Kadabra were still fresh for the fight while Golbat and Mankey were worse for wear. Mankey growled in pain every time he moved, flinching at his wounds. Golbat had also been hit by multiple Ice Beams and a Rock Tomb—albeit a bit weak—so was also injured, flying unsteadily and much more slowly.
"Supersonic, Golbat!"
"Kadabra, Confusion!"
The Supersonic echoed everywhere, causing everyone to clutch their ears in pain. The Confusion blasted Sera and Mankey away.
Ash needed to cripple the psychic's ability to Teleport, it was too dangerous. "Sera! Use Spite on Kadabra," Sera glowed eerily and soon, so did Kadabra.
It stumbled, and the eerie glow of its eyes dimmed. As soon as Sera released the technique, Kadabra's eyes glowed faintly again and Sera had to reapply the technique again. Golbat swooped in with Bite but Mankey was ready for it.
He leaped onto Golbat's and started beating it with kicks and punches. At the Rocket's command, Golbat flew higher and higher, spinning to throw off Mankey. Mankey responded by digging his hands in even more, causing the area to bleed.
Kadabra desperately tried to break through Sera's hold but the Distortional energy continued to dampen its abilities. Sera grit her teeth as she struggled to maintain the technique.
There was a screech from the air. Golbat had thrown off Mankey, who was flailing in the air.
"Mankey!" Ash wailed, from that height, he wasn't even sure if Mankey could survive.
"Attack the boy! Kill him!" Golbat screeched again and unleashed a Supersonic at Ash.
Ash clutched his ears in pain. He started feeling nauseous and lost all sense of balance.
Standing up was difficult…wait, he wasn't even standing.
The sounds of the world, of Sera's growls, of Bill's calls from a distance, all faded and ringed in his head.
What was in his mouth? Why was he drooling? All these questions hammered his head as Golbat swooped in like death, eager to swallow its next prey.
A faint sound, a screech echoed across the battlefield. Even from his fetal position, Ash could see a distant glow of blue light. It was falling from the sky. The glow landed on the ground and…kicked up dust? Golbat ignored it and flew at Ash, jaws open.
The glow jumped and soared like a comet at them. A fist that had suddenly enlarged was cocked back and was swung at Golbat. Golbat only had time to turn around in shock before being punched into oblivion.
The glow dissipated and revealed a huge furry ape. Veins bulged across his arms and head. Dense muscles packed tightly. A furious and protective expression adorned the brute's face. The nostrils flared. Primeape growled—no, roared at the downed bat, standing protectively over his fallen trainer.
"Mankey…no…Primeape…" Primeape sounded something, Ash couldn't quite hear.
The three Rockets looked nervous and seemed to be yelling something. Golbat struggled to get up and went after Sera. It seemed that their goal was to get Kadabra out. Primeape lashed out, far quicker than Ash could imagine, gripped onto Golbat's wing, and swung it with Seismic Toss, crushing it into the ground.
He then attacked Kadabra, striking with extreme power. Kadabra's eyes briefly closed but Sera's repeated use of Spite continued to dampen its psychic abilities, leaving it vulnerable to Primeape's fury. Right. Left. Right. Left. Primeape continued to hammer into the Kadabra, breaking bones.
The Rockets tried to escape, not even bothering to return their half-dead pokemon. Primeape wasn't having it. With one bound, he knocked them over and raised a fist above their skulls.
Ash widened his eyes in alarm, "No! Primeape! Stop!" Primeape's bloodshot eyes widened in defiance but something changed in him, and so he slowly lowered his fists, leaving the criminals cowering from a primal fear.
"Ash! Are you alright?" Ash faintly heard as he felt two people prop him up.
Ash frowned at his hearing, "Yeah! Can you speak louder!?" He staggered up, carrying a fatigued Sera who rested in his arms.
Bill started yelling, "The authorities are about to arrive. Just lay down in the car while we wait! We'll use Team Rocket's ropes to tie them up!" Ash nodded in understanding as the driver and Bill went on.
Primeape marched over to Ash, his body rising and falling with exhaustion. Ash stared at him in pride, he had gotten so big! Sera at first, didn't seem to care as usual, but her glances showed a grudging respect that she didn't have before. Ash suddenly hugged Primeape, his arms not even being able to wrap around it. Primeape blinked in surprise and carefully wrapped his arm around, making sure to not accidentally break any bones.
Sera got stuck in between the hug and barked out of protest, wriggling her way out of the embrace. Ash took off his hat and placed it on Primeape's head once again, who grunted in satisfaction. He held out his fist to Ash, who bumped it in glee with his own.
Then Primeape did something quite odd. He did a sort of awkward bow, with his fist on the ground and head down. Ash stared quizzically and rushed to lift him up. He didn't budge for a few seconds before getting up with a weird, respectful gaze that didn't quite fit the disrespectful monkey that Ash had come to love (and his team had come to wearily accept).
Vehicles are used quite often in the world. In cities, they are used a lot due to the difficulty in raising a ride pokemon and the potential danger of so many pokemon on the roads simultaneously. Outside of the cities, Flying Taxis are used to transport people or even supplies to different areas. There is no concrete road beyond the cities due to wild pokemon so most city cars cannot drive safely on the routes. That being said, people have developed off-road vehicles that can withstand the wilderness and the difficult tracks they have to drive on.
It may seem odd that people still drive despite Flying Taxis being available, however these taxis are often more expensive, and they don't offer a certain freedom that owning a vehicle that can take you wherever you want whenever you want has.
There has recently been a bill to get rid of the usage of vehicles altogether in Parliament, supported by Lance Wataru, however had heavy pushback from both politicians and civilians due to growing concerns of totalitarianism.
After the police and Rifure gym trainers had arrived, they promptly arrested the criminals and confiscated their pokemon. The police questioned the driver, Bill and Ash, before loading the two into an off-road ambulance and driving off to Rifure Village.
Thankfully, Ash only had to stay the night at the hospital and Bill didn't suffer any injuries so he got to return home after giving a statement. During his stay in the hospital, Ash made calls to his friends, Professor Oak and his mum, who was furious to say the least.
She had ripped into him for getting hurt and involved with Team Rocket again, cursing his recklessness and complaining about his father. Finally, she had ended the call with a softer apology and plea for Ash to stay safe. Ash bit his lip guiltily and nodded, promising her that he would try his best.
The next day when Ash was released from the hospital, he received a message from Bill, who requested for Ash to meet him at his house.
Ash showed up to his home, a cottage facing the sea. It was tranquil, almost making Ash forget the kidnapping that had taken place, if not for the four Rifure gym trainers stationed nearby. As Ash went to ring the doorbell, their eyes followed his every step, continuing to watch as Bill answered. He was looking a lot better, in a comfortable buttoned shirt and a cup of tea in his hand.
"Ash! I'm so glad you made it, please, come in." Ash thanked him and walked inside, taking off his shoes.
The inside was very traditional, with tatami mats, sliding doors and various religious statues. This was contrasted with the highly advanced tech just lying around. Notes were pinned methodically on a huge board with strings linking each one, creating an intricate web.
Everything's so tidy, Ash thought, quite a contrast from Professor Oak. Ash sweat dropped, remembering the times Ash's mother had reprimanded Professor Oak for forgetting to wash his coffee mugs, or change clothes, or shower.
Ash sat down, kneeling on a cushion chair of a chabudai."So what did you want to talk about Bill?" Ash shuffled uncomfortably, it had been a long time since he had attended a traditional tea ceremony.
Bill slowly poured a cup of matcha for Ash before answering, "I would like to thank you for what you did for me and my family Ash," He held up a hand when Ash tried to argue, "Ash, you don't know how much you've done for me and my family. My family are in both Kanto and Johto, quite large. We've lost a lot because of the war and I don't think my grandfather, or my youngest sister could handle it if I disappeared."
Ash pursed his lips. A lot of people had been affected by the war. Gary's parents had been doing field work during the war and had been caught in the crossfire. Flint and Lola Harrison were Brock's parents and survivors of the war, war heroes as they learnt in school. Some had been less lucky, like the Waterflower Sister's parents, who had been the gym leaders of Cerulean Gym before being killed off in an ambush.
"Anyways," Bill clapped his hands, "I wanted to thank you but just saying thank you isn't good enough, so I have some things to give you," He finished off with a grin.
Ash's eyes widened as he shook his head and hands, "No! No! It's alright! Anyone would have saved you, there's no need to reward me for anything!"
"No Ash, I insist, this is the least I can do," Bill's hand was already reaching into his pockets, pulling out a slip of paper. Seeing that Ash didn't say anything else, he continued, "This is a ticket for the S.S Anne. It's a yearly luxury cruise, and will arrive at Vermillion soon."
Ash's eyes widened in shock, "Wait what! These tickets cost a ridiculous amount! Why?"
"I was originally going, but that kind of crowd doesn't quite fit me. I've informed them about the change in the ticket so everything is already set." Ash continued to stare dumbfoundedly, "It's also quite helpful as a trainer you know?"
Ash frowned confusedly, "What do you mean?"
"A lot of influential people attend as guests, politicians, company owners, famous trainers and even actors. For a budding trainer with your skill, it would be a great place to show them off and maybe even get a sponsorship!"
Ash sat there for a bit as he started to comprehend the possibilities that had been presented. Being a gym challenger and participating in conferences weren't typically the long term solutions for a trainer. They were more of a declaration of strength to the world, a chance to show off and advertise their strength to people interested in that strength. Sponsorships could potentially speed up that process, by advertising the sponsor, trainers could receive benefits, perhaps even securing a more stable job in the future.
"Then I accept your gift Bill, thank you so much!" Ash smiled as he took and pocketed the ticket.
"My next gift," Bill grinned at Ash's surprised look, "isn't actually with me right now but with a friend of mine. I'll send you an address later, they're in Vermillion City."
Ash grinned, "Can you tell me what it is?"
Bill shook his head, "It's a surprise, and quite a cute one as well."
Ash sighed in satisfaction as he hiked the dense track. A nice breeze tickled his neck, sweeping away the clinging heat. A crash further ahead alerted him to the lumbering wrecking-ball that was Primeape. Ash remembered the Primeape that had attacked them back in Viridian Forest being surprisingly agile and coordinated in the trees. It was a stark contrast, though Ash was sure once Primeape got used to his body, he would be as graceful as a primeape could be.
Sera darted amongst the foliage, though would repeatedly check on Ash again and again. Frogadier didn't even explore the forest, choosing to stay beside Ash. He seemed comfortable walking in silence with Ash, though would 'subtly' analyze every single leaf that rustled.
Ash smiled appreciatively at their concern for his safety before frowning. They were acting differently, more cautious and more overprotective.
Stopping for lunch, Ash feasted on a couple sandwiches and some scroggin. Frogadier, who surprisingly had a sweet tooth, ate the regular pokemon kibble as well as some oran berries. Sera also had regular pokemon food, though seemed reluctant to eat it. Primeape outright refused, growling and thumping the ground.
Everyone tensed up, as Ash placated him. It was like dealing with some of the younger kids (or him according to his mother back in Pallet Town all over again. They eventually settled on Primeape eating most of Ash's supply of berries if he would eat the pokemon food.
After that short crisis, Ash decided it was time for an upgrade in pokemon food. The dry bland pellets were clearly not good enough. They contained the necessary nutrients for an average pokemon, but couldn't provide the specific attention each pokemon needed in terms of taste and nutrients. The problem was that those kinds of food were expensive and an average trainer could not afford a steady supply of personalized food for each of their pokemon.
What was his plan now? Ash stared at a map while trying to get his team involved. It was ambitious but he was aiming to participate in the Indigo Conference within one cycle. From now until the conference, he had almost a year to prepare. He had six more badges to get, from Cerulean, the closest major gym was Saffron City but based on the horror stories on internet forums and on the official streaming websites, winning there as a beginner was a monumental task.
As Ash rattled out possible plans, the team gradually became more uninterested. Sera curled up near Ash and drifted off, emitting a comforting warm aura. Frogadier tried to appear interested but when Ash shook his hand, it turned out Frogadier had just been staring off into space. Primeape was still berries and was too full to listen, rolling off like a huge ball of muscle and fur.
Ash snorted in contentment as he decided to rest. It was quite nice, spending alone time with his team. He loved socializing and traveling with his friends, but there was something about this sort-of-solitude that attracted him.
So, surrounded by a team that he was quickly becoming inseparable with, and under the starlight, the future Indigo champion slept.
Sorry for releasing this chapter so late! In truth, I had basically finished this much earlier on but I didn't quite know how to end this chapter. Then I had my mocks and then my AS exams so I got quite busy. I hope you enjoyed the fight, I implemented some techniques to make fight scenes more thrilling and not drawn out. As always, if you have any comments, things you liked, disliked, stuff I could do better, things you guys would like to see, feel free to post them.
Have a beautiful day!
Review Replies:
RKF22: As always, thank you so much for your encouragement, it's always a pleasure to see you commenting :)
Poke-ranger21: Yeah I've been leaning more towards Mamoswine as well. Was heavily debating whether for Aurorus since I love dinosaurs and having a dinosaur in the team would have been epic!
Razorbackmike: I'm currently leaning towards Mamoswine, thanks for your input, It will be useful when I inevitably review the team lineup in the future.
Megan Lyle: Thanks so much for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Shaonics6: Sounds a bit mean but you're not wrong, Ash cant go forever being a bit cocky, he will have to face a devastating defeat at some point (or multiple), suffering builds character after all :).
For Aurorus' typing being horrible, I was planning for it to have a field of sub zero temperature, emitted from the crystals. That field of super cold would keep away enemies and would also hamper them when close.