SZ: *pokes head out grass* We're back for a more relaxing chapter folks, and forgive us…we've been playing a lot of Legends Arceus.
GT: *running from a Heatran and throwing Ultra Balls at it* GET IN THE BALL, YOU LOUSY LIVING LAVA! Not even Manaphy and the trio of Phione it had at its side were this much of an issue in not going into the dang ball.
Z0: *watching while sitting in a portable chair* Yes…bring me chaos, feed me entertainment fools.
GT: We do not own Pokemon nor Blazblue! They're owned by GameFreak and Arc System Works!
Z0: Oh fine…save the fool…*Arceus Avatar blinks away* Ruin my fun, fine…I'll just wait till they almost die to something else again. *looks at the reader* Don't you judge me, I am an agent of chaos…*punches the screen*
Entry 050: Tsubaki Yayoi here. As of writing this, everyone else is currently asleep on the boat ride to Pallet Town…which is surprisingly en route from the ferry behind Cinnabar Island. Speaking of…Ash's Gym battle with the Gym Leader Blaien was rather…intense due to the battle taking place within and atop a volcano. I'm relieved that Koko knows Teleport, letting Ash go up there first with her so she could bring the rest of us to watch.
Blaine was a tricky yet powerful Gym Leader to say the least. Even with the team Ash had set up, his Fire Types certainly proved to be masters of their element. It was a constant struggled with each one losing a Pokemon at a time until they finally ended up with just Ash's Mega Charizard X and Blaine's Magmortar. We all had a bit of a scare when Magmortar used Body Slam to send them both into a volcano's magma. …None of us realized that Fire-Types actually love volcanoes and can actually survive the magma.
Thankfully Charizard was still standing after that powerful hit...and was able to turn it around by slamming Magmortar into the lava as well with a combination of Seismic Toss and Submission, knocking it out once it resurfaced and earning Ash his 7th Badge…which Blaine left in his old Gym. I'm…admittedly sad about said gym being closed…I would've liked a good brain scratcher.
We also learned some rather…intense and interesting things involving Blaine and Mr. Fuji…and the Pokemon known as Mew and Mewtwo. The journal entries now make far more sense, but more questions have come from the answers we've been given. Mr. Fuji was a scientist that was behind the technology of cloning Pokemon from fossils like Tank and was the man who lost his daughter in an accident, ultimately trying to clone her to bring her back and causing his own wife and Mew to leave. He even tried to clone Mew, but couldn't and instead modified it with Blaine offering his own genetic sample from his left hand that led to this 'Mewtwo' being created and left some…growth…on Blaine's hand. But now…who is this benefactor that wanted this 'MuTwo' clone? What made it so strong to help Mewtwo stabilize before finally breaking down? Just what happened to Mr. Fuji to leave him an amnesic elder that takes care of abandoned Pokemon and the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town?
I…I'm probably overthinking it…hmm? I think we just hit shore…I'll get back to this later, but…this is quite the mystery…
"Ahh…man, that boat ride was surprisingly relaxing..." Makoto yawned once she and the others got off the boat, the Beastkin doing a few stretches.
"The gentle swaying, paired with the sounds of the ocean," Noel muttered while stretching, "And the beds were so comfy and warm, offsetting the cool breeze. A perfect sleep, especially after so many stressful events one after another. Ahh~ I almost didn't want to get up."
"I know, right?" Misty giggled.
"Pri…" Togepi whimpered.
"Oh dear. What's wrong, Togepi?" Misty asked.
"Let me look at Togepi real quick," Brock offered, kneeling down a little to get a better look, "...I think Togepi got seasick."
"Well it is a baby," Makoto pointed out, "Must have been its first boat ride. My first time on a boat was harsh, too, so…uh yeah…no more info on that."
"Togepi will just need to have a little rest," Brock assured.
"That should be easy, we have no big plans while here. We can take more time to relax and…not get sucked into a crazy wacky adventure…" Noel said slowly, before looking for a piece of wood to knock on, "Oh dear…I hope I didn't just do what I think I did…"
"...let's…just focus on finding a place to stay for now," Tsubaki muttered before looking at Ash, "You know how close we are to Pallet Town, Ash?"
"It's a short walk back there," Ash smiled, "It'll be nice to be home for a bit before heading to the next Gym."
"And considering the number of Badges you have, this will be the last one you need for the League," Kajun noted, "And considering how close it was with Blaine since he was using his team meant for Trainers going for their eighth badge, having this extra bit of time to train is an excellent idea."
"Oh yeah…" Ash realized before grinning, "And I can do it with everyone together instead of just in small groups for once!"
"Oh that's right! Your Pokemon go to Professor Oak when they're not in your Party," Mai recalled.
"Yep!" Ash beamed before glancing at Kajun as she turned her attention to Hikari and whispered to Mai and Makoto, "Though I'm worried, too."
"Science Mode?" Makoto guessed, earning a nod from Ash.
"We perfectly understand," Mai assured.
"(Seriously? That Jigglypuff again?)" Chief Thunderhooves asked in bewilderment to Squirtle.
"(I'm serious. It was the crazy Jigglypuff that keeps using Sing when she's singing that got stuck in that Blastoise's barrel)," Squirtle snorted, crossing his arms over his chest, "(Sure was a crazy trip back to the island I was hatched on.)"
"(He fired a Hydro Cannon when some of them thought he got his sunglasses because he likes that one anime.)"
"(QUIET FROM THE BOILED KRABBY!)" Squirtle snapped, pointing a finger at Ash's Krabby, his pincers bandaged up, while lying on top of Gary's Krabby as they were both snickering.
"(Technically electrocuted Krabby.)"
"(Semantics and you know it!)"
"(No firing shots unless you want me to call a Wild Charge)," the head of Ash's Tauros warned.
"(We're good, Chief!)" all three squeaked in fear as Froakie shook his head from the tree branch he was on that was shared with Pidgeotto.
"(I sometimes wonder why my fellow Water-Types are so…)" Froakie trailed off, trying to come up with the right word.
"(Stupid, young one. You're allowed to call them stupid)," Pidgeotto assured.
"(Ahh…fair.)"
"(Mmm…when's Ash coming home?)" Eevee pouted in impatience, lying on top of the bird's head.
"(Considering that Squirtle and Krabby said that he is going to Viridian City, they will need to cross through here)," Pidgeotto replied, "(And no, I will not fly you around until we find him. I still have bubblegum in some of my feathers from the last time I agreed to flying you around.)"
"(But that was Krabby~)"
"(LIES!)" Krabby shouted quickly and dramatically.
"(A bit of aerial reconnaissance would be a good strategy)," Froakie noted, "(Considering the distance between here and the island where Squirtle are raised and protected, it would more than likely be today.)"
"(Unless their sense of direction hits them and they get lost…again)," Pidgeotto sighed as she got Eevee off her head and beside Froakie, "(But…I suppose a quick flight would do some good.)" 'And get me away from any shenanigans Eevee pulls off. Ash's Meema just had to be called in for a lunch rush at her diner.' she spread her wings and quickly took off into the air, leaving the two on the branch.
"(Ohh~! I really hope she spots Ash and Big Bro! I'm getting so excited that we can finally introduce ya to them!)" Eevee squealed in excitement.
"(If he is amazing as you say he is, I cannot wait to meet him myself,)" Froakie admitted.
"(Hey, you saw the video of him and the others battling Ho-Oh!)"
"(Yes, but that was one battle)," Froakie replied, 'And the words of my apparently future self, but I refuse to say anything about that because of how ludicrous it sounds!' "(I want to see him in person and make my own opinions on it. You know?)"
"(Oh~! Yeah, yeah! I get it! Totally do!)" Eevee beamed before looking around, "(Um…Froakie? How do we get down from here?)"
"(I recall you jumped down from a tree once.)"
"(Well, yeah…but it was when Bill was in his big chubby Kabuto costume and it made the landing nice and soft.)"
"(Can someone please get a Psychic-Type or a Pokemon that knows Vine Whip to pick up Eevee?)" Froakie called.
"(Tree Smasher!)" Chief Thunderhoof bellowed before another of Ash's Tauros rammed into the tree, causing Froakie and Eevee to fall out and land on the Tauros's fur for a safe landing, "(Thank you.)"
"(You're welcome, Chief!)" Tree Smasher replied, a dopey smile on his face with his eyes staring in two directions before trotting off.
"(Well…That's one way of getting down…)" Froakie groaned underneath Eevee.
"(Yeah…)"
"Okay, we're sure the map is facing rightside up?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yep," Brock replied, double checking just to be sure.
"We really should invest in a digital one," Kajun noted.
"Pory?" Athena asked, popping out of her ball while looking between Kajun and Dexter.
"Maybe later," Kajun whispered, earning a nod from her Shiny Porygon.
"Guys, we don't need a map," Ash snorted as he pointed at a rock with four colored flags poking out of the top, "Professor Oak's ranch is northeast here by about a mile. My house is northwest of here by a mile and a half. Mom's diner is east by half a mile."
"...What?" everyone looked at him in surprise.
"What? It's the rock me, Red, Leaf, and Gary all climbed when we were little and played around at," Ash defended as he pointed at the yellow flag, "That one's mine and I was the second one to get to the top after Red."
"...Anyone else a bit weirded out that Ash knows where he's going for once?" Misty whispered.
"Well he does have the home field advantage…literally," Makoto muttered, "It's only fair he has one place he knows like the back of his hand."
"Pidgeo~!" everyone looked up to see Pridgeotto flying down from the northeast.
"Hiya, Pidgeotto!" Ash beamed, quickly recognizing his second catch, "See? She came straight from Professor Oak's Ranch like I said!" Pidgeotto nodded…before chirping at Luca.
"Well, Pallet Town is his home," Luca noted.
"Mmm…" Ash pouted before Kajun patted his empty shoulder in assurance.
"I for one would be glad for a tour around your hometown," Kajun noted.
"Sure thing!" Ash beamed, "Probably better to go to Professor Oak's first to drop everyone off first and take Pidgeotto back. After the tour, we can get back there and we can get started on getting ready for the Viridian City Gym."
Pidgeotto chirped a few bits before Luca translated, "Hm? The Pokemon belonging to that Samurai fellow told you about the Gym?"
"That's great!" Ash beamed, "Luca, I really need your help with translations then! Um…If that's okay with Tsubaki, I mean."
"Luca's his own person," Tsubaki assured, "If he wants to, he can help."
"(Really wish Butterfree was here. He probably got more info than the rest of us from Samurai's Butterfree when it was a Metapod)," Pikachu noted…before he cringed as Hikari laid on the ground nearby in fetal position, "(Whoops…)"
"(I miss him…)" Hikari sighed sadly.
"(..uh….th-there there…)" Yuki whispered as she patted her head gently.
"Maybe being at the Ranch would help Togepi feel better," Brock suggested.
"Oh! Great idea, Brock!" Ash beamed.
"I'm sure everyone would love to hang out," Makoto added, "And we can enjoy some downtime for the rest of the day."
"A day without traveling through a forest or down a winding road…" Misty noted with a sigh, "That…sounds great to be honest…"
"Okay! Let's go drop everyone off and I'll show you guys around Pallet Town then!" Ash beamed.
"(Should I tell him about the Froakie at the ranch or not…?)" Pidgeotto pondered under her breath.
"(What Froakie?)" Luca whispered.
"(From what a few of the others said, this Froakie showed up the same day all these professors did)," Pidgeotto replied, "(It was also the day Professor Oak requested a Yamper for the Ranch after the one a Professor's granddaughter/apprentice brought got Gengar to behave or risk being slobbered.)"
"(That I have to see…and meeting this Froakie, as well)," Luca nodded.
"(Snacks!)" Pikachu cheered as he and Ash were ahead of everyone.
"Hey wait up!" Makoto called out as she gave chase.
"Ashton must be more excited to be back home than one would expect," Kajun noted, scooping up the sad Hikari before following the others.
"He's home," Noel pointed out, "He gets to see his Mom in person again, go to his house and all after an amazing journey as a new Trainer."
"True," Tsubaki nodded, "Hopefully, things will be alright when we drop everyone off while he's showing us around."
"Okay…No new traps, no secret hidey holes from a Dig, no Krabby hiding in the fridge…" Oak muttered, looking around his lab/home, "..." he sighed in relief, sinking into a chair, "I am so glad for hard-worked Pokemon Battles…"
"Professor, I'm back!" Ash's voice called out.
"Hm?" Oak looked to the lab doors in time to see Ash opening them, "Ah!" he quickly got up, "Welcome back, Ash. And I see you brought your friends, too! Welcome to my lab and ranch!"
"A pleasure to see you again, professor," Kajun smiled a bit, "I was actually curious i-"
"NO!" Makoto snapped, grabbing her hand before she could reach into her bag, "We are relaxing, Kajun…so no Science mode."
"Wh-"
"NO SCIENCE MODE!"
"No…" Noel slowly shook her head.
"Vetoed." Tsubaki firmly stated.
"Denied." Mai nodded.
"Maybe…tomorrow?" Ash offered with a sheepish chuckle.
"Please no Science Mode," Luca begged…making Tsubaki look up to see Luca had hidden himself on top of a nearby bookshelf.
"Oh my! Tsubaki, your Riolu evolved?" Oak asked in surprise, "And he knows telepathy? That is an extremely rare ability for a Pokemon to learn."
"...Can I hide in my Cherish Ball, please?" Luca begged, "I feel unsafe."
Oak chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll leave it be. I'm sure Kajun has more than likely taken several notes already."
"Athena is quite the organizer," Kajun noted.
"Athena?" Oak repeated before Kajun's Shiny Porygon popped out, "?!"
"Porygon!" Athena beamed as she floated around, looking at everything, "Gon~"
"She's quite an inquisitive little Porygon," Kajun giggled.
"Gon-gon?"
"No, I am not getting down from here so you can see if there's any more electronics under me," Luca argued with the duck-shaped Pokemon.
"It sure as heck is never dull," Makoto chuckled.
"Boy, that's for sure." Brock agreed.
"Quiet from the Greedent and the snake eyes!"
"...Huh…Now that he mentioned it…" Oak began.
"Mmm…" Makoto pouted, glaring at the Lucario trying to hide on the top of the bookshelf, as the others were letting out their Pokemon.
"(Huh…So this is where you guys go off to?)" Ventus asked, looking over at Pidgeotto.
"(Yes. It's bigger than just this, though, I assure you)."
"(Allow me!)" Gengar cheered as he bounced away from the humans and spun around in the air before landing beside the door to the backyard/ranch…dressed up as a butler, "(Ladies first, of course.)" he opened the door…before screaming as a Yamper pounced on him, "(ACK! GAH! PTUI! ACK! EVIL~!)"
"Oh! I-Is that a Yamper?" Noel gasped, her and Yuki looking at the sight with stars in their eyes.
"Yes. She is my Anti-Prank assistant," Oak replied as Yamper jumped off the slobber-covered Gengar and ran around him, barking while sparking with bits of electricity until Oak tossed a blue Berry to her, "As you can see, she's quite fast at the draw."
"...Mmmm~~!" Noel squealed as she watched Yamper now playing with the berry.
"(It is the bane of the ranch…)" Gengar rasped out from beneath the slobber.
"(Noted…)" Pikachu replied with a raised brow before yelping as Yamper ran over to him.
"(Oh boy! New friend! New friend! Hi there! I'm Yamper and I am Mr. Oaky's best best best helper! Uh-huh! Yes I am!)" Yamper cheered as she spoke quick enough that the others could barely keep up, "(Hey, you smell sorta like here, but also not from here. Oh! Were you here before? Lemme sniff you please! Okay? Okay! Yay sniffy!)"
"...3…..2…..1…." Makoto quietly counted down.
"CORGI~!" Noel beamed as she immediately picked up Yamper.
"Ah, Noel, wa…"
"(EEP!)"
*BZZRT!*
"She…doesn't like being…picked up from…behind…" Oak groaned as the humans all twitched on the floor.
"FRRRREE~DOM~!" Luca screamed as he immediately dashed out.
"(Ah! Wait new friend! I need to sniff ya!)" Yamper yelped as she ran off.
"Ah…Her tushy…looks like…a heart…" Noel awed before slumping with smoke coming out of her mouth…strangely making the shape of a heart.
"(Meema okey?)" Togepi pondered, having landed in a coiled up Vale's body.
"(She'll be okay)," Aqua assured, petting Togepi's head and then Vale's, "(They'll be okay, I mean.)"
"(You feeling okay?)" Pikachu asked.
"(Mmm…Tummy no fun…)" Togepi admitted.
"(Eh, just bring her to Bulbasaur)," Charizard snorted as he went out the back, "(I'm off to go find that Nidorino that stomped my scarf into the mud when I was a Charmander and it was my blanket. Won't he be surprised how big I've gotten?)"
"(Aqua…can you help me with Togepi to find Bulbasaur?)" Pikachu asked.
"(Eh, sure. Sure ya know your way around or did you just focus more on the wiring of this place?)"
"(Gah! H-How did you…?)"
"(I gossiped with Gary's Blastoise back at the corral for that race. He laughed himself sick remembering it.)"
"(...Note to self; use Thunder Wave on him next time I see him…)" Pikachu muttered to himself as he picked up Togepi before Vale slithered over.
"(Come too?)" Vale asked.
"(Sure)," Aqua replied, "(Your Uncle Pikachu's gonna be showing you kiddos all over this place with a surprise at the end.)"
"(Suprise?!)" the two recently hatched Pokemon exclaimed in excitement, not seeing the snickering Buizel's face or the annoyed look Pikachu was giving said Buizel, "(Yay! Unca 'Chu!)"
"(Mmm~)" Kenny pouted a bit.
"(I wonder what the surprise is?)" Yuki pondered.
"(Mmm…Uncle Pikachu, no fair~)" Nymph pouted.
"(...That's not fair. You're a Sylveon…which makes saying 'no' even harder…)"
"(Guess your 'Uncle' is going to be giving out lots of what this surprise is then)," Aqua snickered.
"(What did I ever do to you?)" Pikachu gawked as he was now surrounded by two babies and three toddlers.
"(Last Tuesday with the Nanab Berry and Berry's dress for the day.)"
"(...Oh….that….)" Pikachu cringed in realization.
(A/N: For scenes with just Pokemon-and only Pokemon-there will be no parenthesis in their speaking. Thank you for understanding)
"Okay…Who broke it?" Bulbasaur asked calmly, looking at a small group of Pokemon consisting of Runs-On-Water, a Pidgey, a Raticate, a nervous Raichu, a Pokemon that looked like an orange bug with two mushrooms on its back, and Primeape, before gesturing to a broken wooden dam that a sniffling beaver-like Pokemon was trying to fix, "I'm not mad…I just want to know. Who broke it?"
"...It was me. I did it. I'll h…" the Raichu began.
"No. It wasn't you," Bulbasaur sighed, knowing how easily this one would cave into taking blame for something, "Now who broke it?" he then looked to the bug pokemon with mushrooms, "Paras?"
"Don't look at me…" he defended, before pointing to Primeape, "Look at Primeape."
"What?! I didn't break it, you little stink bug!"
"Huh…funny…how'd you know it was broken?" Paras arched an eye as he glared at Primeape.
"Because we're standing near it. It's right there, broken!"
"Huh…Sus…" Paras nodded slowly as he backed away.
"...It was you," Bulbasaur deadpanned at the Paras, making him tense him.
"...You'll never take me alive!" Paras shouted as he ended up unleashing Spore.
Bulbasaur inhaled before blowing it back at the Bug/Grass-Type, causing the Spore to cover him and collapse, sound asleep, "Right. Walks-On-Water, take him to your chief."
"Usual treatment?"
"The usual," Bulbasaur confirmed with a nod, "Primeape, think you could lend a hand to the Bidoof with fixing him dam?"
"...Eh sure. I can relax afterwards…by training!...oh wait…I could use this as speed training!" Primeape declared before rushing over to help the Bidoof with the dam.
"You two, take Raichu over to see Professor Oak. He knows how to handle her when she's feeling like she's blaming herself for something she didn't do," Bulbasaur noted, looking at the last two there.
"Yes, Mr. Bulbasaur," the Pidgey and Raticate replied, the latter gently taking the sniffling Raichu by the paw and leading her off with Pidgey in the lead.
"Honestly, I swear that if I didn't have Pidgeotto here, I'd be swamped with issues," Bulbasaur huffed.
"Well, thank you for the vote of confidence," Pidgeotto noted as Bulbasaur turned to see the large bird landing and letting Pikachu and Aqua off, both carrying Togepi or Vale.
"Well, wasn't expecting you to be here on the Rotation," Bulbasaur noted in surprise.
"Eh, we came back by boat and gonna rest and train for a week before going to Viridian City," Pikachu replied as he presented Togepi, "Togepi got seasick and still isn't feeling well."
"...I'm guessing these two are from the eggs Mai and Tsubaki had."
"Yep. Togepi saw Misty first, however," Aqua explained, "Say hello to your Uncle Bulbasaur, you two."
"H-Hi, Unca Bulba," Vale shyly waved.
"Mmm…" Togepi whined before Bulbasaur gently plucked her from Pikachu's paws with one vine as another pulled out a green Berry.
"Alright, I need you to be a big girl for me, okay?" Bulbasaur gently spoke as he showed her the Berry, "This is a Lum Berry. I'm going to squeeze it and need you to drink the juice. It will help you feel better, okay?"
"...m….Mmm hmm…" Togepi nodded with a slight sniffle.
"Good," Bulbasaur smiled as he squeezed and caused some liquid to come out and land in her mouth and she swallowed…before shuddering.
"Icky~" Togepi whined.
"Guess you like sour things more than spicy, sweet, dry, or bitter things, huh?" Bulbasaur noted, petting her head before producing one of his leaves for Razor Leaf and using a Vine Whip to scoop up some water from the stream, "It's alright. Drink some water to help it go down."
"Mmm…" Togepi accepted the drink, but still stuck her tongue out, "Icky lum."
"But no upset tummy, right?"
"...No bad tum-tum!" Togepi beamed, hugging his face, "T'ank, Unca Bulba!"
"No problem, little hatchling," Bulbasaur chuckled before looking Vale over, "Hmm…You look to be alright. Oh, you have PokeRus! That's quite the benefit. It'll make you quite the strong little Pokemon in the future."
"T-T'ank, Unca Bulba…" Vale shyly wrigled.
"Okay, you both stay near here. I need to talk to your 'Uncle' Pikachu, okay?"
"Okey!" both replied as they started to wander around the clearing by the stream.
"...So based on that, all the others are here?" Bulbasaur asked.
"Eeyup," Pikachu replied.
"I'll give ya the recap on what happened at Blaine's Gyms while you were here," Aqua smirked.
"Sounds good to me," Bulbasaur shrugged, "How are all the others anyway?"
"I swear that Makoto is trying to learn how to use Iron Tail," Pikachu noted.
"Other than our strange human with Greedent parts."
"Well, there is one big thing, but…we're going to need all of Ash's Pokemon together before I try to talk about it," Pikachu noted.
"...What Legendary did Ash encounter?" Bulbasaur asked.
"How do you think it involves a Legendary?" Aqua asked.
"Aqua, hun, Ash is the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh," Pidgeotto deadpanned, "Considering a Legendary is interested in him, it's more than likely involving a Legendary."
"...Good point," Aqua muttered.
"Lucky for us, splitting up to look around the place will also let us find the others and gather them together," Pikachu grinned before blinking twice, "...Uh…Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Aqua? Where are the hatchlings?"
"Wheee~!" Togepi and Vale cheered as they floated on by on a log down the stream.
"...Primeape!" Bulbasaur shouted.
"We couldn't refuse! They had adorable watery eyes when we tried to say no!" Primeape argued from the dam.
"Finish that up and go meet at Professor Oak's place!" Bulbasaur called as the others began to chase the log down the stream, "Tell any of Ash's Pokemon that you see on your way back, too!"
"GOTCHA!" Primeape shouted as he went faster in fixing the dam, Bidoof barely keeping up with the Fighting-Type.
"After that log!" Pikachu called.
"Oh~! L-Look at all the flowers!" Yuki awed, riding on Mary's back with Kenny.
"So pretty…" Kenny added.
"They must've been grown by some of the local Grass-Types," Mary added.
"A few other Types helped, thank you very much," one of Ash's Tauros called from nearby, carrying a few Weepinbell and a Staryu on his back that were tossing out seeds or spraying water about where the seeds landed, "Hm? Well howdy there, Mareep. Whatcha doin' all th' way out here, hm?"
"Oh, I got caught by a nice little girl named Noel," Mary replied, "It's 'Mary' now, Grass Dancer. These two little girls are Yuki and Kenny, by the way."
"Oh well hello there," Grass Dancer smiled to the two, "Not everyday see Pokemon from outside of Kanto….minus the Bewear, but we don't talk about that one…"
"H-Hi, Mr. Grass Dancer," Yuki greeted.
"Hello!" Kenny smiled, "Your flowers are really pretty!"
"Why thank ya kindly. We done work hard in keepin' this here flower field strong. Most of our Grass and Bug-Types here need a good place fer nectar so we make sure to keep this at the best it can be," Grass Dancer winked, "Care to see how it's done?"
"Yes please!" both foxes smiled.
"That sounds lovely, Grass Dancer," Mary agreed, "Oh, I nearly forgot. Pikachu wants all of us to gather at Professor Oak's lab for a big meeting of all of us that travel with your Trainer."
"Hm? A gathering now? Well, this must be mighty important," Grass Dancer nodded, "Alright, fellas, ma'am." the Staryu nodded her thanks, "We're gonna be working a tad quicker than usual."
"Righty-o!" they replied.
"Ahh…smell that breeze," Berry smiled as she and Cherry rested on opposite tree branches with Honey nibbling on some honey-coated donuts on the ground below.
"No wonder Pikachu lived here. It's so comfy," Cherry agreed.
"He is a swell fella," Honey agreed.
"Eeyup," both squirrel Pokemon added with a pop.
"...How do you think Needles is handling things?" Cherry asked.
"I think the better question is…how're the other Pokemon handling things WITH her?" Berry asked back.
"NOPE! SO MUCH NOPE!" a Fearow screamed as a small group of them ran/flew from Needles.
"Why is that Beedrill so scary?!"
"I dunno!"
"Tweet tweet! I'm a bird! Bird noises!"
"Shut it, Kevin!"
"...I wonder if they were part of the Spearow flock Pikachu told us about," Cherry noted.
"Should we be concerned about that then?" Honey asked, "Fearow hold a mighty nasty grudge."
"Hmm…Only if they survive," Berry shrugged.
"Huh?!" the two gawked at her.
"What? They ruined the nest I made the first night I slept on Route 1 and that was a few days before I met Makoto," Berry huffed, "If they get to keep a nasty grudge, then so can I. Besides…they were a nasty bunch of bullies anyway."
"...that nest was important to you too, huh?" Honey asked, knowing how she felt losing her home to a bunch of bullies.
"Uh duh. It was my first home after I moved from my parents' nest!" Berry complained, "I had a tearful goodbye too with my mom…and Dad wouldn't stop sobbing and trying to convince me not to go…Mom knocked his big ol' keister with her tail…I laughed…" she sighed with a somber smile, "I miss my parents, but I love being with Makoto."
"...I know what you mean," Cherry smiled a bit, "I even offered to stay home to help mom take care of my little brothers, but she assured me she'll be fine."
"I only had my Peepa with me before I left home," Honey shrugged, "Always miss those fun days when he'd cheer me up by using some of his static electricity to pull little jokes of 'shocking the nest neighbors.'"
"Sounds like a fun Buneary dad."
"Bu-no, my dad was an Electivire," Honey stated.
"Hah?!" both gawked.
"What? Peepa told me that Meema loved big men," Honey shrugged, "And don't tell me neither of you don't have a Peepa that ain't just another one of you."
"Wait, wait, wait. Pokemon of other species can have kids with Pokemon of other species?" Cherry asked in surprise.
"Um…yeah. My dad is a Bibarel," Berry noted before tilting her head, "You…didn't know that Pokemon outside of your kind can have babies with other Pokemon not of their kind?"
"They can?!" Cherry gawked before sighing, "Phew…Was really conflicted on something lately. Thanks for clearing up the doubts."
"...What conflict were you having?" Berry asked.
"Best you not know…"
"...No, seriously. Tell us."
"...Bye~" Cherry waved before flying off.
"Cherry, you get back here and tell!" Berry snapped.
"Aye!" Honey agreed as the two gave chase.
"Ahh…Come on, Meema~" Eevee groaned as Koko was currently licking his fur a bit.
"Not my fault you like to not take baths," Koko replied.
"Yeah, they're kinda fun now," Booster pointed out.
"I honestly forgot why I disliked them after evolving," Celsius admitted.
"Same," Nymph added.
"Easy for you three to say! Me and Astrea haven't evolved yet…!" Eevee argued.
"Have you even decided what you'll evolve into?" Astrea asked.
"I honestly don't know," Eevee argued, "I can do moves you guys normally can't, but if I evolve…I'll lose them, meaning I won't be as unique anymore."
"So…then what will you do?" Booster asked.
"Those moves are pretty neat, but it's your choice," Nymph added.
"Mmm…true," Eevee muttered.
"Okay, that's the last of the mess," Koko noted...before using Psychic to switch him with Astrea, "Now you."
"...I am gonna be an Umbreon…" Astrea deadpanned as Koko began to clean her.
"...He's just been standing there on one leg," Squirtle whispered, he and a few others spotting Luca doing a one-legged stance on top of a part of the fence, his eyes closed while keeping his arms crossed, "...Think he fell asleep?"
"I don't know," Terra replied, "Guy is crafty and sneaky and likes putting people into cones."
"I do not like the Cone of Shame," Soren whimpered, his tail tucking between his legs.
"Babies…" Houdini huffed with a small frown as he walked over to the jackal-looking Pokemon, "Hey, Luca! Stop watching your Trainer with your Aura Sight!"
"?! Ah! Oh! Uh-I-I-I-I wasn't doing that!" Luca yelped, falling off the fence, "GUH!"
"Pfft…Did you seriously use your telepathy to make the grunting noise?" Houdini snickered.
"Do I even want to know what I just walked in on?" Raiden asked as he walked over.
"Oh, it's funny. He's spying on…" Houdini began before Luca covered his mouth.
"Trying to find all of Ash's Pokemon on the Ranch!" Luca replied quickly, "That is what I was doing! And…" he paused and looked at Houdini, "Did you just lick my paw?"
"Mmm mm mm…mmm mm?" Houdini countered.
"...If I wasn't aware my Fighting-Types moves would hurt you more than I want them to, I'd be using Close Combat," Luca grumbled.
"Mmm mm mm. Mm m mm mm!"
"...What do you mean it won't hurt you anyway?"
"?! ...mm…." Houdini began...before jumping out of Luca's arms and ran, "The Phantom Trickster strikes once more!"
"What the…?!" Luca began.
"Hey! You know where all of Ash's Pokemon are, right?" Terra asked, "Let's get going already! Been trying to find 'em, but no luck!"
"Oh…ahem. Of course I know where they are," Luca answered once he cleared his throat.
"Took you long enough to remember, old timer," Houdini's voice chuckled.
"O-old timer?!"
"Snkr…!" Squirtle began to snicker with Terra.
"...Squirtle…Terra?"
"Ye-" Squirtle began before Luca brought out a copy of an all too familiar fan, "?!"
"Run."
The two would later deny constantly that they ever screamed like little girls.
"I must admit, your hometown is quite quaint," Kajun noted.
"Yeah, it's nice," Ash smiled, "We're not big, but we got lots to do."
"I'd imagine," Makoto nodded a bit, "...seriously, my parents would love to get a place out here."
"Really?" Ash asked.
"Yup! Especially Daddy since he likes to work outside a lot!" Makoto beamed
"My Père would love to see a place like this. So many spots he'd possibly spend hours just painting away making landscape portraits," Noel noted, a fond smile as she looked at the area, 'I already know that he and Mère would love to see my Party. Yuki is just so cute and she can make it snow whenever she wants, Umi is just so beautiful and she has such a nice voice to listen to when she wants to sing, Mary is just so fluffy and huggable and ooh, I just want to cuddle her as soon as we get back to the Ranch; Kenny is just like Yuki, but more of a summer than a winter; Nymph is just so sweet and she just loves giving hugs when she can…and Bolverk is such a good b…Bolverk? B-But that's my guns…right?'
"Noel, should we be concerned about your appendix?" Makoto asked, causing Noel to shake her head and notice the others were giving her concerned looks and that they had stopped walking.
"Hmm? Oh! Sorry, I just lost myself thinking," she shook her head.
"Ahh….seriously, if you're starting to feel spaced out or something…let us know," Mai stated.
"If you're not feeling well, don't be stubborn like I was trying to," Tsubaki warned, gently putting a hand on Noel's shoulder.
"...O-Of course," Noel nodded a bit, "S-Sorry. I really was lost in thinking how my parents would react to seeing Yuki and the others."
"Oh, right…Your Region doesn't have a lot of Pokemon and still calls them their old name, right?" Ash recalled from when he first met the girls.
"That's right," Kajun replied before Ash and Makoto's stomachs went off, "And at the usual time."
"Oh! We're near Mom's diner, so we can get some of mom's cooking there!" Ash beamed.
"Oh I'm already excited," Makoto beamed.
"...Three plates max," Tsubaki deadpanned.
"Wh-?!"
"We're guests, Makoto…We're not trying to eat Ash's mother out of business," Tsubaki deadpanned further.
"I won't~"
"It's fine, Tsubaki. My mom can probably make enough," Ash assured with a chuckle, "Besides…she was able to feed me afterall, and I have a big appetite!"
"While that is sweet of you, you've yet to see Makoto at her worst. Let alone her table manners…" Tsubaki argued, "Or rather lack thereof."
"Hey~" Makoto pouted at that.
"You know she's right," Mai sighed.
"...fine…" Makoto muttered.
"Whee~!" Togepi and Vale cheered as the stream ended into a pond barely on the verge of being considered a small lake.
"Well at least the little guys are having some fun." Squirtle chuckled, bandaged up to the point he nearly looked like a mummy.
"Isn't that the pond with the grumpy Seadra of Gary's?" Krabby asked.
"I think it is," Gary's Krabby replied as Pikachu and Bulbasaur ran out of the forest as Aqua shot out of the stream.
"There they are!" Pikachu exclaimed, "Aqua…!"
"I'm grabbing them, I'm grabbing them!" Aqua barked at the mouse before swimming towards the log with the two hatchlings babbling to each other happily on it before yelping as she was pulled under, "Gah!"
"What just happened?!" Pikachu gawked.
"Oh shoot…That pond has a Seadra in it that's very territorial," Bulbasaur cringed, "Pidgeotto and I had to spend days doing talks with some of the Ground-Types to make a second one for the other Water-Types due to how troublesome it is."
"Now you tell me!" Aqua snapped as she surfaced, punching at a what looked like a larger Horsea with spiky fins, a more narrow snout, and red eyes with an Ice Punch before it dragged her back under.
"Hm? That Aun' A'ua?" Togepi pondered.
"Mmm-mmm," Vale shrugged before looking at the shore, "Oh! Unca Pikachu and Unca Bulba are waving!"
"Oh! Hi~!" Togepi called as both waved at the two, not able to hear their shouting.
"I'd be glad to help, but I got beat up by a tsundere," Squirtle noted.
"A Tsu-?! Come on!" Pikachu complained before Ventus swooped down and picked up the log.
"Well, hey there, little hatchlings," the Braviary greeted, "Whatcha doing on this log?"
"Unca Ven!" both beamed.
"Now let's get you down a-" Ventus began before ducking under a flying Fearow, "What in the…?!"
"Bird noises!"
"Shut it, Kevin!"
"...Oh, I think that guy was a Spearow I zapped," Pikachu noted, blinking a few times.
"Eep!" Togepi and Vale yelped, hugging Ventus's legs.
"Hey, hey, hey! I am carrying hatchlings, dang it!"
"Angry bird noises!"
"Oh for the love of Palkia! Some assistance please!" Ventus shouted before Hikari popped up on the log, "?!"
"You are welcome," Hikari stated, grabbing both Hatchlings before using Teleport.
"Startled bird noises!?"
"Kevin, I swear to the Creation Trio that I'm gonna…"
"Watch him get smacked with an improvised Wood Hammer?" Squirtle called up to the Fearow that wasn't Kevin.
"Yea-wait, what?" the Fearow pondered before Ventus slammed the log on Kevin.
"Ack! Painful Bird Noises!"
"...Was he dropped on his head as a hatchling?" Needles asked, casually flying next to the other Fearow.
"No, he was the one in the lead of a flock of us when we were uncaught Spearow that got blasted by this crazy Pikachu that soaked up a lightning bolt before zapping us," the Fearow replied, "He crashed into me and we got knocked onto the top of a big tree a mile away where our Trainer caught us when he climbed it up."
"Red and white hat and jacket? Seems mute but you feel like you're having a conversation with him?"
"Yep."
"Oh, I know that guy. Not as much as my Trainer's friend she travels with, but still," Needles shrugged before they saw Kevin get smacked again and crash into the ground.
"Dazed bird noises~"
"And now I need to go see that Chansey for another round of him getting treated," the Fearow groaned before pausing and slowly turning his head to Needle.
"Hi~"
"...EVIL~!" he freaked, swooping down and grabbing Kevin, before flying off, "NOPE NOPE NOPE! SO MUCH NOPE!"
"Vengeance for my fallen brethren and sistren!" Needles declared as she gave chase.
"Needles, get back here!" Pikachu called, "We gotta meet the others at the old guy's lab!" he facepalmed, "This is a big ol' pain in my tail…"
"Eh, don't worry. The Chansey he's going to stays near the lab to treat any Pokemon that's caught and comes injured," Bulbasaur shrugged.
"Oh…but still…!"
"She will meet us when she is done," Hikari stated as she appeared next to him, startling the electric mouse, "Both Hatchlings are safe and in Umi's care. She is singing them a lullaby so they will nap through the talk."
"And to think, I thought it'd be easy to get everyone together!" Pikachu groaned, facepalming.
"Pikachu, just what is going on that you need all of us there to listen?" Bulbasaur asked.
"...We may or may not end up having to encounter a modified clone of a Legendary Pokemon."
"...And you'll expand on that when we're all together, right?" Bulbasaur asked.
"Of course I am!" Pikachu snapped before sighing, "Sorry, sorry. Just…really stressed out because it's apparently really violent and…"
"And you're worried about a repeat of the Raizen Mountains," Squirtle noted with a grimace.
"Exactly!" Pikachu threw his paws up.
"...You're more than welcome to let it out with us while we're going to the lab," Bulbasaur assured after trading looks with the turtle.
"Thanks," Pikachu sighed before the trio were hit with a wave with Aqua lying on Bulbasaur's bulb, spitting out water like a fountain, "...Imma need a minute." he turned to the glaring Seadra, "Right. You're zapped."
"Oh I'm so…" the Seadra began.
"PIKACHUUUUUUU!-!-!-!"
Many in Pallet Town would chalk up the lightning bolt that broke the clouds above Oak Ranch that day as just a group of Electric-Types doing something crazy for the professor to study on. For a Seadra that would eventually become a Kingdra, they would be traumatized to scream and run from any Electric-Type Pokemon that resembled a rodent for several years following it.
"Whew…Pikachu must've ran into something," Brock noted, pausing from eating his food as the group overheard the loud crash of electricity and Pikachu's yell.
"I hope he's okay…" Ash muttered in concern.
"I'm sure he's alright. Your Pikachu is the best Pikachu in the world." Makoto pointed out before taking a bite of her pancakes, "Mmm….Sho good~!".
"My compliments to the chef," Kajun noted with a small smile.
"Why thank you, dear," Delia smiled from the kitchen, "Best in all of Pallet Town, too!" she then blinked when she saw Mai not touching hers, "...Is something wrong, dear?"
"Um, well…"
"Mai has a condition with her tongue that makes it extremely sensitive," Kajun explained, "She has difficulties with eating due to it unless it's been prepared with strong 'memories' so to speak."
"Oh dear me," Delia gasped.
"Oh!" Noel gasped as she got up out of her seat, "I could make some for you, Mai! I've been thinking of a new recipe too!"
"GH?!" Makoto, Tsubaki and Kajun tensed at that.
"Oh? What recipe is it?" Delia asked out of curiosity.
"Omelet bacon pancakes!"
"Mmm…!" Karai gave a sudden heave, pausing from eating her bacon pancakes as she beat her chest a few times.
"Everything okay?" Aoiro asked, currently reading the newspaper as she drank her morning coffee.
"Just…remembered her pancakes…"
"You mean when she attempted to combine an omelet and your bacon pancakes together?" Kira asked, currently pausing from eating some breakfast sausage wrapped around some waffles.
"Eeyup."
"Honestly, I love Mu…but her cooking was nightmare incarnate," Kira admitted, her face paling at a memory.
"She's gotten worse," Aoiro admitted.
"...What?" the two looked at her in surprise.
"I traveled with her and that group she's with for well over a week," Aoiro reminded, "It's actually so bad now, it's self-censoring."
"Bullshit."
"Evidence A: the sample Team Rocket Cell 1337 brought before we began the Alpha Dragonite operation," Aoiro replied before taking a sip of her jasmine tea.
"Wait…that's what that you were talking about?!" Karai gawked, "...I thought that was something a Muk puked up...and a Garbordar ate and puked up as well…before it Gigantamaxed and threw up on the puke."
All three sisters looked at each other for a moment…before they shuddered in unison.
"...S-Speaking of…any chance they figured out what it was?" Karai asked.
"No. Apparently, it's so bad, the machines can't tell what was put into it to create a toxic substance that is not only loved by Poison-Types, but also greatly enhances their Poison-Type moves. They've resorted to putting a piece of the sample into some milk and then dipping barbs from Quilfish into the mixture to get something that only works half as good," Aoiro shook her head.
"...I think that Trainer she travels with, that child who transformed that Greninja, used her cooking to help with a Gym Battle," Kira noted.
"What?" both asked as Kira opened her phone and brought up the Gym Leaders' personal site.
"Blaine used his Team for Trainers going for their Eighth Badge and one of the Pokemon Ash Ketchum used was a Gengar," Kira informed as she brought the video up of Arcanine vs Gengar, "Pay attention to what his Gengar has in hand."
"...that…that really is censored?!" Karai gawked.
"The admin in charge of the site had it go through several tests and confirmed the censoring was not done by Blaine and hasn't violated any of the rules for sharing Gym Battle videos," Kira noted.
"...Does…does she at least…"
"I can confirm she does not," Aorio sighed.
"Which…irks me so…" Kira muttered with an eye twitch, "Like the mentioned pancakes…"
"Oh shit, she's going into food critic rant mode…" Karai whispered with a cringe.
"Pancakes are meant to be light, airy, and perfect for things such as jam, honey, syrup, and even whipped cream topped with fruits like berries. Omelets are a delicacy that is finely crafted from eggs with the right amount of basil…to simply mash the two together is…is…!" Kira began to fume.
"N-Now Kira…C-Calm down, calm down now," Aoiro paled as she and Karai began to slowly back away.
"The consistency would be all wrong! The ketchup from the omelet would conflict with the syrup or honey on the pancakes, making it taste ineligible…!" Kira snapped, "And the pancakes…the nice crispy pancakes combined with the sweet berries is too…graveling!"
"Velvet, your mistress is having another Food critic rant!" Aoiro and Karai called out in unison.
"Excuse me, Ms. Kira?"
"What?!" Kira turned to see Velvet's staff and her glowing eyes, "Gh…" she slumped, fast asleep.
"Phew…" her sisters sighed in relief.
"Great timing, Velvet," Karai complimented, "Almost needed a change of shorts."
"Oh, I was already on my way here. Your father asked me to deliver a message," Velvet replied with a smile, "He won't be able to run the Gym for the rest of the month, so he's assigning Ms. Aoiro to run it with Ms. Karai and Ms. Kira."
"Wait, what?" Karai blinked at that, "...dad's…leaving us the gym?"
"Yes. Master had some issues with his armor after the mission with the Tauros herd in that one managed to fire a Hyper Beam at point blank range and Master Giovanni is required to be there for the replacement procedure and to deliver the materials needed since they're made from the same mineral as Gym Badges which is highly controlled as you are well aware of," Velvet explained as she reached into her fur and pulled out a case, "He requested I deliver the case with the Earth Badges for Trainers to Ms. Aoiro."
"Ahh…noted," Aoiro nodded as she took the case, "Thank you, Velvet…you are dismissed for now."
"Should I take Ms. Kira to her bed?" Velvet asked.
"Please do…"
"Very well," Velvet smiled as, with a tap of her staff, she Teleported herself and Kira off.
"Hoo boy…This is gonna suck," Karai groaned, "I was all set to do some jams at the local club during our down low time between big ops, too."
"...He'll be coming here," Aoiro noted.
"Huh?"
"Ash Ketchum. He has seven Badges. Viridian City is the closest Gym to Cinnabar," Aoiro replied, "Ash Ketchum is coming here…and he'll be bringing Mu."
"...ahh shit…"
"Wait, wait, wait! Mr. Fuji…is a doctor?!" Gengar gawked.
"That's what you got out of this?" Krabby asked in disbelief.
"Hey, I know Mr. Fuji! I have the right to be shocked and horrified the most outta the lot of us!" Gengar defended.
"Oh meesa confused…" Muk muttered as he rubbed his head.
"You and me both," Celsius agreed.
"So that old man had a family that went kaput after losing his kid…" Terra shook his head.
"It is nature's way, its circle that connects us all," Thunderhoof noted calmly, "I have not met the man, but you know more of him than the rest of us, Gengar. Would you believe the man to try to rage against the will of Arceus and the cycle they created for life?"
"Never! The old man understood well that when you die, you die!" Gengar defended, "He'd actually talk with Trainers who came to put their Pokemon to rest in the tower and give them solace! My pals and I always respected when he did this comfort and left the one who came to bury their Pokemon there well alone as respect for the old man." he shook his head, "I just can't grasp the concept that he's actually an amnesiac scientist that tried to revive two humans that died o-or that he'd go and try to clone Mew!"
"There are often secrets the human mind tries to keep hidden…in fear of certain memories flooding back," Luca stated with a sigh, using his natural voice to better hide the conversation.
"It gets worse," Pikachu grimaced, "Luca, you remember the direction the Aura of that clone was coming from and where it was pulling Blaine's?"
"Yes…North."
"In other words…thisa way," Muk grimaced, "Yousa expecting weesa to encounter it."
"It's not a matter of 'if' with Ash; it's just a matter of when," Koko noted with a grimace.
"Heh-heh. And thisa Froakie wants to be hisa Pokemon," Muk noted with an awkward chuckle, "Thisa be the bad time for that…"
"Huh? A Froakie?" Pikachu asked.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah! He's been here since after we saw the video of you guys fighting Ho-Oh!" Eevee beamed, his tail wagging, "He's my buddy and he comes over to Ash's Meema's house with me and he's just so cool! Not as cool as you, Big Bro, but still so cool~!"
"Right, right. Put a pin on that Froakie and why Ash will be excited for that later," Pikachu groaned, rubbing his paws on the top of his head in frustration, "It's more on what we have to do to be ready for when this Legendary clone encounters Ash! I don't want a repeat of Razen! None of us do, right?!"
"Indeed," Thunderhoof agreed, stomping the ground with a hoof, "With how fast our Trainer encountered the three Legendary Dogs, we may only have luck of not encountering this mockery of Arceus's gift for just this week he is staying here."
"Meaning we only have that week for preparing for what this clone can do," Gengar grimaced, "Any idea what it can do?"
"It's the clone of Mew, the Pokemon that we all originate from," Koko replied, "More than likely? It can do anything Mew can."
"Which makes things more difficult for us," Luca frowned.
"Whoo! More training!" Terra cheered.
"YEAH~!" Primeape roared in excitement.
"Well at least you're excited. But at the very least we should be careful," Pikachu sighed, his ears drooping in worry, "I got some bad vibes from all this."
"Hey, we're stronger than last time we had issues with Legendary Pokemon," Charizard snorted, "And we almost beat Suicune if that last attack didn't knock me and Ash out from how close Ash was to it."
"Yeah, after the smackdown most of us got," Bulbasaur cringed, recalling that battle.
"Meesa in for this training," Muk stated, "Ash be good Trainer. Hesa give meesa new chance in life, so meesa gonna make sure to repay him for it."
"The Herd will stand by our Trainer and increase our efforts as well," Thunderhoof spoke, his four fellow Tauros nodding in agreement.
"We have roughly a week to train for a Legendary and the last Gym before the Indigo League," Berry noted, wearing a baby-blue sundress, "Hey, Pikachu, you remember Samurai's Pokemon and what they talked about the Gym Leader doing, right?"
"Yeah. Hard to believe it's been nearly eight months since then," Pikachu noted.
"Um…Who is this Samurai and what does he do with the next Gym Leader?" Tree Smasher asked.
"He's a guy we met really early on in the journey," Needles explained, "His Pokemon are all Bug-Types and pretty tough."
"He said that the Gym Leader tested Trainers on how to handle terrain and what happens when it suddenly changes," Hikari noted, "Part of our training will have to have all of you rely on handling situations like that, correct?"
"Hey, could we use that to fight this Mewtwo thingy if they show up?" Eevee asked, "Betcha they wouldn't expect to deal with terrain going all kooky!"
"Nice thinking!" Booster beamed.
"...I feel my butt a-blazin' in the future…" Gengar muttered.
"...The pancakes…look normal enough…" Makoto whispered, the group cautiously looking at Mai while she enjoyed what looked like…normal looking pancakes with syrup.
"The recipe seemed quite sound," Delia noted, looking at the ingredients she had listed, "If I reworked it a little, I could probably add it to the menu if that would be alright, Noel."
"Really?!" Noel gasped, stars in her eyes.
"Are you sure?" Kajun whispered.
"There were a few…unusual…choices, but I think it could be worked into something of interest if I changed some of those unusual ones," Delia replied.
"Looks like Noel's so happy to have something she made being added to a menu that she's not hearing anyone," Misty muttered, seeing Noel in a daze with her eyes still glittering like stars in her euphoria.
"...uh…hey, Mai? Can I…" Makoto began before blinking, "...Ah wait! Professor Oak still has my glove!"
"Oh right…" Tsubaki remembered, "We'll pick it up tomorrow."
"Aw what?!" Makoto whined before sighing, "Noellie…there anymore of th-" she began before a stack was placed in front of her, "?!"
"Eat up!" Noel beamed.
"Thanks," Makoto thanked as she ate a bit, "?! Oh wow! This is great, Noellie!"
"?!" Tsubaki and Kajun's eyes nearly bugged out at that, "Eh?!"
"What? They really are," Makoto argued as she took another bite.
"Uh…" Tsubaki muttered in concern.
"I haven't a single idea," Kajun replied, her eyes wide, "By all accounts, she should be in toxic shock by now."
"Maybe Noel…actually made something edible for once," Misty suggested.
"...No no. This should be impossible…" Kajun shook her head.
"Eh. You guys worry too much," Makoto shrugged as she picked up the rest of her stack with her fork and ate it in one bite, "Besides…it's' like eating a Breakfast Pl-?!" he tensed up as her body locked up, dropping her fork as it clattered on the floor.
"...Makoto?" Ash pondered, poking her lightly with a finger before the Beastkin fell over as if she were as stiff as a statue, "Huh?!"
"How…?" Delia began with wide eyes.
"..." Kajun looked at the recipe Noel had done that Delia had written down alongside the modified recipe she was going to use for the Diner, "...I do believe those two ingredients caused a delay in chemical reactions."
"Oh dear…" Delia gasped, 'Oh, I am so glad that I closed the diner for Ash and his friends to have a peaceful meal.'
SZ: Ahh Noel…
GT: As usual, her cooking is a fearsome beast that only Mai and Poison-Type Pokemon have tamed.
Z0: Adapted…adapted…it's clearly developing to get more victims.
SZ: Which is….honestly scary.
GT: Oh, this shall not end well for anyone.
SZ: No it will not…but anyways…while the humans were enjoying themselves(until the end kinda)..the Pokemon were having their own little meeting about a certain man-made Legendary from Gen 1, and training up for the upcoming battle with it...and the gym leaders in Viridian.
GT: Eeyup. Bit of a surprise twist, eh? Well, hopefully you all enjoy next chapter. But for now, please Read and Review.