At the first light of dawn, Zorua looked out to the horizon and contemplated what lay beyond the sea. She had always been fascinated with the notion of human lands, as long as she could remember. The ghost fox did not know where such musing began, yet it is only now she could form a mostly accurate picture in her mind from the testimony of primary sources.
She looked down at her journal and checked what she had managed to scribe last night.
Humans are not at all what I originally expected. From the examples I had been allowed to meet, they all seemed fairly… mundane rather than what I originally imagined.
My original conception for humans had always cast them in purely antagonistic roles, often taking or capturing others for their own self betterment, inflicting suffering for personal gain. Like bandits, except far worse. This is not an accurate view of the world as the humans admit that there are such fiends, the situation is much brighter.
Of the examples I met, they all seemed like regular Maiju with motives that any of my kind might have in a similar situation and backgrounds.
Certainly, they are used to being in a commanding role above others, but that is hardly evidence of malice.
There is… surprisingly little alien about them. Had I not been informed by pure accident, I might not have suspected anything unusual about them.
For instance, Ash is fairly typical for a Warrior Aspect. He values camaraderie, but also encourages strength and martial prowess in his companions; none of these are unusual for a Riolu.
Arguably, of the outsiders I had encountered, the ones most alien to me would be Meowth and Pikachu. Meowth feels like he came from another world entirely, even compared to the other Maiju. The way he walked and talked, his treatment of kidnapping as a simple profession as one might consider agricultural pursuits. For Pikachu, it's like he came from the ancient past, where Maiju lived as Hunter-Gatherer tribal units.
Others pose unusual questions as well. I have no idea on what to consider about Vulpix's testimony right now, other than to wonder what it would mean if she successfully courted her trainer.
… After our business in the Hall of Memories and the Hyacinth Dojo, I will be meeting my father.
He would strongly disapprove of my actions and I worry about the outcome of-
A shadow loomed over Zorua.
The skittish fox immediately disguised herself into a bucket, laying still for a moment before unshaping her illusion once she realized who was there. "Pikachu! You scared me!"
Pikachu sniggered. "I see you're awake."
"I don't sleep much," Zorua deadpanned and she stretched herself. "I can actually go without sleeping at all, but it is very enjoyable to do so."
"Right, Ghost-type," Pikachu leapt forward and approached the fox.
Zorua felt a shiver of nervousness go up, but reminded herself that this was merely Pikachu; he was not a danger. "Shouldn't you be with Ash?"
"He's asleep," Pikachu shrugged. "I mean, I could wake him up like I always do, but I'm still sore from that Iron Tail training last night. And he's got it slightly worse."
Zorua winced. Every other day since she had met them, Pikachu had always woke Ash via mild electrocution. Practicing must have been rough. Hopefully, the Riolu got proper medication.
"So, what have you got there?" Pikachu questioned.
Zorua looked down at her journal. "It's merely my observation journal. I've been filing it ever since we met. You've seen it before."
"Oh, I remember this. You were writing in it when I was training Ash that first day, " Pikachu nodded and stepped over.
Zorua lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed that one of the subjects of her writings was now barely a foot away from being able to read it. What if Pikachu got offended by her musings?
"So, you're like a scientist?" Pikachu asked abruptly, his gaze towards the book. "Or maybe like a professor's assistant?"
"Er? What do you mean?" Zorua questioned.
"Oh, just, all of the people I know who do what you're doing work with Professors or are scientists, or work under those. Like Professor Oak, I guess, Ash's Master in a way," Pikachu shrugged.
"You and Ash mentioned a Professor Oak before. You said he made the Pokédex," Zorua answered.
"He's much older and wanted to learn all he can about us Pokémon. He also put me in Ash's care," Pikachu chuckled. "Volunteered me against my will, sort of like how your Master did the same for you. The only difference, I wanted nothing to do with him."
Zorua felt herself letting out a laugh as well. There was something humorous to think that despite coming from completely different backgrounds, the two of them had this one commonality. She had her own observations to add, "Master bestowed upon him a Looplet, which I suppose is a substitute for a Pokédex."
The two stopped laughing as Zorua turned her head down to her journal. None of her current traveling companions were… bookish the way she was. Now, apparently, there were humans who valued journals enough to have a profession around it. "If we won the tournament and…. I followed you, what do you suppose will happen to me?"
"If I had to guess," Pikachu brought his upper limbs against his body and thought. "I think Professor Oak would want to interview you and make your stay comfortable. I don't think he'd volunteer you the same way he did me, so you're not going to be paired with a random ten year old."
Zorua gave the electric mouse a thoughtful expression. Originally, she had been intimidated at being a tamer's subordinate, but now, having seen actual trainers, she wondered what it might have been like.
"Most likely, he'd probably invite you to work at the lab," Pikachu continued. "When I stayed with him, I remember him constantly complaining about not having enough aides. And well, you're a Pokémon, so you can do things that the others can't."
"That sounds fascinating," Zorua nodded. To work under the supervision of another Master, a human no less. How different would it be compared to serving under Master Aspen? Surely, this Professor Oak would task her to collect observations.
"Are you sure you want to go though?" Pikachu inquired. "Like, don't you have friends or family you'll miss?"
Anger spiked within her.
"I won't miss my father!" Zorua growled. Then, just as quickly, she realized her mistake. She then blinked and brought her head to the floor. "Sorry, I- uh…" Oh, she made a mistake.
Pikachu staggered back, before planting his feet onto the ground. "What was that about?"
The fox worried that she had permanently soured things between her and the mouse.
"My father and I have never seen eye to eye." Zorua turned to the horizon, lining her vision in parallel to the ship's bow. "And he's the Sensei of the Tanzanite Depths Dojo. We may be seeing him soon."
"You're kidding, right?" Pikachu did a double take.
"I'm sorry for not informing you." Zorua bowed her head, shame in her voice. She feared she had made a grave error too many.
"I'm not angry," Pikachu said. "It's just... Misty and Brock are basically the Sensei for their Dojos… and your father is one, too. I'm just saying, is this going to be a trend? Are Ash and I going to run into more traveling companions who are Gym Leaders or Gym Leader-adjacent?"
Zorua raised her gaze towards the electric mouse. "I suppose coincidences like that may be a bother."
Pikachu nodded. "So, is the reason you're here and not with your father is because you don't exactly like each other?"
"This is correct," Zorua nodded. "My father sent me away for an education because we constantly fought. Master Aspen was looking for apprentices and I was among the ones selected." And she was thankful for her Master for taking her.
"Huh, and now you're going back there?" Pikachu questioned. "Are you going to fight him?"
"I… might…" Zorua winced. That was … not something she had considered or put much thought into. Logically, if she was visiting her father, she wanted to prove something against him. But, was she ready for that? She dreaded thinking about it. "Mind if we talk about something else? I do not wish to talk about my father."
"Sure," Pikachu nodded. "So, what's the point of being an alchemist? I get that your kind are natural illusionists, so what's the point of alchemy?"
Relieved at not having to explain more about her father, Zorua gladly answered the question. "The variant of alchemy that my Master practices is about the enhancement of the body through the use of chemistry and the sharpening of the mind. It requires ingesting specially made elixirs that will elicit specific effects. Healing is merely one use."
"So, like eating vitamins?" Pikachu questioned and then blinked. "Wait, how does that work when you don't have a body? Like, aren't you a Ghost-type?"
"Part Ghost-type and that is my secondary," Zorua corrected. "My primary Aspect is Normal."
Pikachu stared. "And that means you're more than just say, a pile of floating gas like a Gastly is?"
"I am flesh and blood," Zorua answered. "Though I am also of the word of spirits. So I do need to feed myself, both physically and spiritually."
Pikachu contemplated that. "So, when you go through objects does it tickle a little? Like, little pieces of you are trying to move out of the way of everything else?"
"No?" Zorua looked at Pikachu. She didn't recall any sensation when she phased through anything or anyone. "Why do you ask that?"
"Oh, that? I've been a ghost before so I wanted to know if that was a universal thing."
Zorua opened her mouth and closed it again. Pikachu became part ghost or was a spirit? He did not look like one. "That can happen?"
Pikachu shrugged. "Haunter may not have been in our group long, but made quite an impression. Ash and I sort of had our spirits pulled out of our bodies."
Zorua looked at her journal and flipped through to a new page. "... I feel like I'd be doing the world a disservice if I don't record this."
Pikachu chuckled. "Hey, if you think that's weird, you have to learn why we went out of our way to meet Haunter in the first place! And that's not even in the Top 5!"
Zorua suddenly found herself with more questions than she knew what to do with… other than ask. "What's in the Top 5?"
"There was the time we went into a computer…"
This was never going to get old.
Misty swam through the open ocean with both power and grace she had never before felt. Unconstrained by the limitations of a human body, her form glided across the waves and spans of sea.
The Buizel dove under the water and traced across the belly of the ship before popping herself on the other side of the hull. She climbed through the crest of a rising wave and leapt over it before cannonballing to its trough. She popped her head out of the water and turned to face the ship.
"That was great, Mommy!" Togepi cried out as she watched. She waddled over to the edge, but thankfully Bulbasuar kept her from falling into the sea.
Misty gave little Togepi a wave. She was in good hands, er vines.
Squirtle popped his head out of the water. "Hey, Missy!"
Misty groaned, though not, too hard. "Why does no one ever use my name?"
"My apologies, Miss Buizel!" Staryu spun next to her, his light almost dancing.
"Oh, you!" Misty chortled. Who knew that Staryu had a sense of humor?
Goldeen splashed into the waters nearby and came to meet her trainer. "Ah, yes. As much as I like being able to hover over solid surfaces, it is considerably more taxing than having the water support my own weight." She then flexed her body, adjusting her fins. "This is so much more… liberating."
Liberating, freeing. That was one way to put this. In the water, she - they were free, able to use their bodies to do what they were made for. This was so much more fun than walking.
She raised a webbed paw. "Alright guys, who wants to take some under laps around the ship?"
Every Water-type gave her a nod.
Squirtle waved at Bulbasaur before shouting to other swimmers. "Catch me if you can, punks!" He then dove under the water and began to speed away.
"You cheat!" Staryu blared and then went to chase after him.
Goldeen and Misty turned to give each other a side-eye before both of them went after the others.
Overjoyed, Misty did not keep track of how many laps they made, nor did she count the amount of time they spent; none of that really mattered, nor was it the point. Not that anyone cared about keeping score… except for Squirtle.
It was one of the nice quirks about being a Water-type in a society where everyone is a Pokémon. No one bats an eye when you say that you want to jump off the ship to take a morning swim. Sure, not every Water Pokémon was equally adept at swimming, but most were faster than any sailing ship in the open sea. You could just jump off the ship and take a relaxing swim; all you had to do was make sure to be aware of where the ship was to return to.
Sometime during the race, a loud booming noise filled the water and reverberated down to Misty's very bones. Her ears drowning with noise, the Buizel's breath escaped her lungs as she opened her mouth in panic. Realizing her mistake, she surfaced and caught her breath again.
"I win again!" Squirtle declared. "Told you I'd-"
Misty cut him off. "What was that!?"
"Oh, that?" Squirtle rubbed the back of his shell. "That's just Wailmer."
Misty blinked. "Wailmer don't sound like-" She shook her head; Wailmer don't sound that way to humans. She was not a human anymore, her senses were no longer limited to what humans could hear… and Wailmer could use sound for both communication and echolocation, on frequencies no human could listen to.
"Ha, sorry Miss!" a voice from ahead the ship spoke. "I did not realize I'd startled you!"
"No, it's my fault. I'm just not used to Wailmer sounds!" Misty called out as she swam towards the large whale-ball Pokémon. She easily swam alongside him, even managing to poke her head above the water without issue. "I'm more used to living close to fresh water."
"Ah, that explains it. I was using my long distance song. Plenty of Maiju can hear it, especially at this distance and in the water." Wailmer explained, angling his head as if thinking. "You must have got caught off guard."
"Right," Misty thought. That was an infrasonic whalesong that she heard. "You were talking with someone, weren't you?"
"Sure was, Miss!" Wailmer explained in glee. "Was chatting with someone some leagues away, now I'm waiting for the reply!"
"Wow…"
"Eh, it's nothing special, Miss!" Wailmer then inclined his head. "Oh, I just got the reply! Pardon me for a moment."
Misty backed away and let the Wailmer use his voice. Now that she knew what she was hearing, it was far less shocking. It still filled her ears, but instead of terror from the unknown, she was overwhelmed by its beauty. The song ensnared her; her thoughts became filled with images of her older sisters, looking at her as she was now. She looked at them, fearful of what they would say as they stepped closer and loomed.
When the music stopped, she returned to earth, her sisters nowhere in sight. "What… was that about?"
"My siblings, I don't see them much and we don't always see eye to eye, but I miss them," Wailmer replied. "I worry at times what they might think of me, so I wanted to sing to them."
"I… know the feeling." Misty stared at herself. She heard the whalesong and understood what it meant. That's why she saw her sisters. "I have three older sisters and I don't know when I'll see them again. We don't get along either."
"Hm, shame then. I will pray for you then, so that you may one day be reunited." Wailmer promised.
Reunited with her sisters. How would that look? Would her sisters understand what happened to her? Would they laugh at her for having turned into a small orange Water-type? …Would she even be human when they met again?
She shook her head. She didn't want to linger on that topic, not when the main problem was that she was still stuck in Citrine, unable to see them at all.
Squirtle provided an adequate distraction. "Hey, Wailmer, I can understand say a Machoke acting a Captain and some Flying-types for look outs, but what's your job?"
"I'm an anchor!" Wailmer proudly. "Also a tug. I may not be that big, but I have a lot of muscle and can move the ship quite easily when there's little wind or we need some precision!"
With Squirtle distracting Wailmer, the Buizel decided that she had enough swimming for one day.
Brock knew that spending so much time looking at his own reflection was not healthy, but the Rockruff had to know just what about him was so appealing that complete strangers were willing to flirt with him.
He supposed by human sensibilities, he would be considered cute or even adorable because of how his proportions were structured, but was that it? Was this normal for Pokémon of his kind or was there something else he was missing?
"Come on, Brockruff, you can't stay here forever!" Geodude called out, holding up a small hand mirror.
"I don't know, maybe I can!" Brock spat back.
Geodude snorted. "Yeah, but for real, you have to leave the hold someday."
"It's only been a day… I think?" the Rockruff questioned. Between avoiding the Sun, the ocean, and… girls, the Rockruff hadn't really kept track of how long he had been on the ship. Besides, the Rockets gave him enough reading material that he was hardly bored.
"The trip's almost over, Brock," Geodude answered. "It's been three days and we're bound to hit landfall soon."
"Wait, already?" Brock stared. "Have I really been in the hold for three days?"
Geodude rumbled a laugh. "Yeah, I'm surprised you don't have cabin fever or have the urge to run around, since that's kind of normal for canines." He put one of his hands on his chin. "Then again, Ash is pulling double duty for you."
"... Yeah, leave it to Ash to think Iron Tail training in the dark is a good idea." Brock turned to Ash. The Riolu slept on a pile of hay, a large bandage on his backside. The blue jackal wasn't suffering from any permanent injuries, but Ash was still going to feel it whenever he woke up.
"Either way, Brockruff!" Geodude chortled. "You gotta get up there and see the light!"
"What if I… do something odd?" the Rockruff questioned
"Like what? Like wag your tail or bark at the sun?" Geodude questioned, hovering close to his side. Maybe you're worried about scratching yourself with your legs. Or maybe you'll find something new you haven't done before, like taking an interest in smelling things."
"Something like that," Brock replied as he mulled it over. Objectively, he knew that none of those things were at all unusual for a Rockruff. He also knew that it was pointless to worry about every built in habit he had. He lowered his head. "... What if I embarrass myself?"
That caused Geodude to roll up and spin. A laugh rumbled out of his body.
"Hey!"
Geodude stopped rolling. "It's just… you…. Worried about being embarrassed. That's just rich considering what you did every week when you met a dame. Like, you're worried about one kind of uncontrolled reflex, but you're perfectly fine showering every lady we meet in praise!"
"Hey! That's totally different!" Brock objected before rolling his eyes. "And besides, I haven't done that in a while!"
"Only because we haven't run into the right kind of girlies for you yet," Geodude promised. "But for real, Brock, don't be ashamed about it. You're one of us now."
Brock let out an annoyed whine, but trusted Geodude had good advice. He was a Pokémon; not human. "Alright, alright. I'll… try."
Geodude inclined his body forward in a nod.
The Rockruff walked towards the cargo hatch. Light trickled in from overhead through gaps in the hatch and covered the stairway, promising the warmth of a sunny day.
Geodude rolled in front of his trainer and shoved one of the doors open, causing the light to spill in.
The Rockruff looked at the light, already feeling its glow permeate his being, He felt his tail wag.
Brock immediately jerked back and sat on his rear. He tried to get his tail under control.
"Brock, don't worry about it," Geodude told him. "Don't fight it."
Encouraged, Brock stood on his legs and… let go of himself. His tail shook wildly the more he looked at the light. The Rockruff felt embarrassed with himself for doing that, but at the same time, what could he do other than fruitlessly struggle?
"Go on," Geodude urged.
Brock steadied himself. His friend was right, he had to go on and push through.
The Rockruff took several steps forward. He climbed up the stairs, feeling the light of the Sun warm his body, urging him to go forward.
The Rockruff ran, darting up the stairs. His eyes locked towards the Sun.
Brock bathed in the light, letting its light permeate his being, lending him its strength. His tail shook violently, seeing something so beautiful, feeling its glow.
It felt like he had been denied air and was now allowed to breathe in so long.
Brock climbed at the edge of the ship's railings, panting heavily at the light of the Sun. He wanted to shout, to make himself known.
But as he looked on, he saw something else just at the edge of his vision.
A shiver went down his spine. The Rockruff turned his gaze downward to look at the cold ocean below, the waves crashing against the hull.. There was something intimidating about it, like its darkness could ensnare him when he least suspected it…He stumbled backwards, startled.
Geodude hopped over to him, catching his attention. "Relax, Brock, you don't have to take an extreme. You can be happy to see the Sun, but you don't have to let it rule, you okay?"
Lifting himself up, Brock nodded at his friend's request. He took a deep breath and stilled his heart. He could enjoy the Sun without howling at it. There was nothing wrong with enjoying himself as his instincts told him to do.
The Rockruff sat on his rear and drank in the light.
Even the ocean which filled him with terror mere moments ago, seemed less intimidating with Geodude's encouragement. After all, he could see Misty and Goldeen down there; it can't be that if they're enjoying themselves.
"See, that wasn't so hard. You don't have to take an extreme, you can just relax," Geodude reminded him.
Brock stretched and eased himself.
"Uncle Brock!" Togepi's voice called to him.
The Rockruff turned his head just in time to see Togepi running up to him and giving him a hug.
"Hello there, Togepi!" Brock smiled downwards. "How was your day?"
Togepi let out a merry laugh, happy and pleased. "Uncle Bulbasaur gave me honey!"
Brock smiled. It was so cute how basically everyone was an uncle or an aunt to her. "Did he now?" he turned towards the little Pokémon's caretaker.
"She was upset that she couldn't swim, but she's easy to please if have sweets." the grass toad explained. He let out a sigh. "She's real vineful though."
"Is that so?" Brock questioned.
Togepi giggled innocently.
"So what about you?" Bulbasaur questioned. "How are you holding up?"
"I'll feel better when we're on dry land," Brock admitted. "But I'm coping with it."
"It's rough when you're surrounded by your weakness," Bulbasaur agreed. He then made a thoughtful expression. "You seem to be in a better mood."
'I think it's the euphoria of being in sunlight," Brock answered, turning his gaze to the light.
"But you're not a Grass-type!" Togepi looked shocked.
"No, I'm not," Brock smiled. "But Rockruff have a special connection to light. They… we can feel it's important for our growth and evolution. Ash is sort of the same way, Riolu are more likely to evolve when it's daylight."
"Oh wow, you know so much!" Togepi beamed in awe.
Bulbasaur rolled his eyes and gently took Togepi in his grasp. "Come on, Togepi, I saw your Mommy climbing up."
"Ooh! Let's go meet her!" Togepi cheered as the Grass-type led her along.
Brock went to go walk over and join them, but stopped when he realized that a small number of the ship's crew were looking at him in particular.
The Rockruff had put them out of his mind while he had enjoyed the sunlight, trusting that they were simply doing their jobs. In actuality, several of the Pokémon, the female members of the crew at that, were eying him in particular, as if biding their time, waiting for an opportune moment. Suddenly, he regretted letting Geodude brush his hair.
"EVERYONE BACK TO WORK!" Chatot howled.
The staring Pokémon all immediately darted away, fixing up riggings and swabbing the decks. One of them, a Quagsire, leapt off into the sea at the terror of the tiny musical parrot.
"Sailors…"
"Thanks," Brock told Chatot.
Chatot fluffed her feathers and preened one of her wings. "Don't mention it, Pup. Just doing my job." She turned a side eye to the crew and raised her voice. "Which is to say, making sure the sailors remember we aren't on shore leave! Again!"
"This happen often?" Geodude spoke up.
"We're sailors," Chatot replied frankly, as if that explained everything. "Get a whole lot of Maiju on the same boat and keep them on it for days or even weeks on end and…" she shakes her head. "Either way, I hope they aren't bothering you."
"It's appreciated," Brock replied diplomatically. Thankfully, Chatot did not seem to be interested in him.
Chatot shrugged before she inclined her head upwards and then spat out a curse. "NO, DON'T DO THAT!" she shouted to a Pidgey. "THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TAILWIND THE SAILS! YOU'LL TEAR THEM OUT!"
"Looks like you'll be quite busy," said the Rockruff.
"Indeed!" Chatot huffed before she flew off to chastise the Pidgey.
Geodude chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"Just thinking; she's not bad looking for a bird, she's clearly older than you but not that much so. Plus, she's got a good job that pays well," Geodude pointed out.
"You can't be serious…"
"I'm just saying, if you were in the same egg group, you'd be flirting with her right about now," Geodude explained. Of course, what he actually meant was if Chatot was a human woman.
Brock felt his cheeks flush red, realizing that Geodude might have been right. "...No comment."
"Uh, hey Brock!"
Brock turned and Vulpix and Zubat moving closer to him. Surprisingly, the fox Pokémon was wore something unusual today. "Hey, Zubat, Vulpix. You're wearing the ribbon I got you."
"Uh…yeah. I am!" Vulpix sounded nervous for some reason. Did she not like the ribbon?
"She had help getting it on!" Zubat cried. "Let's just say that it's a lot harder to tie a bow than I thought!"
Brock imagined what that must have been like for a small bat to affix a mint green ribbon on a fire breathing fox. "You did well. I'd have a hard time, too," the Rockruff commended them. "And it looks good on you, Vulpix."
Vulpix jolted into a rigid posture. "Uh, thanks!" She must have been self conscious about how she appeared.
"Ha!" Geodude snorted. "Do I need to start telling you to relax, too?"
"No!" Vulpix answered immediately.
Brock smiled. It was good to hear his Pokémon, his friends all cared about each other. Thinking about it, he had an idea for what might have gotten Vulpix so nervous. "How are you handling being on the ship?" After all, he had a similar problem.
"I'm… used to it," Vulpix didn't seem used to it.
Zubat landed on the back of Vulpix's neck and said something to her, perhaps words of encouragement.
"Uh, Brock?" Vulpix then said. "Mind if I…."
"Go on, I won't bite," the Rockruff promised.
"Can we… hang out?" Vulpix asked.
"That's not…sure, good enough." Zubat seemed mildly disappointed for some reason.
Brock shrugged. He didn't see anything wrong with just spending time with his Pokémon. In fact, the idea sounded really nice right about now. "Sure!"
Vulpix's eyes widened, as if she was surprised by the response. "Uh, that'd be great…"
Geodude eyed Vulpix and then his trainer for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, good enough for me! So, what are we doing?"
The Rockruff stretched his body. On the ship they were limited in what they could do. Whatever training they could manage had to be as nondestructive as possible. And they had little room to just run around, unlike the Water-types and Flying-types who had the space outside of the ship to work with. "Is there anything wrong with just… laying around?"
None of the Pokémon objected.
"And I keep telling you, it's GREAT!"
"... It'll help?"
"Sure! It's worked wonders for me!"
Ash stirred, the voices around him disturbing him from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and stood up from his bed of hay and Ow! He clutched at his side and felt a light sting underneath his fur. Since when did he… Oh, that's right. He and Pikachu were training last night; something must have happened. The Riolu did a quick scan of his surroundings and found his best friend wasn't there. That was odd, he normally woke the Riolu up.
Speaking of someone waking him up, Ash turned towards the two Pokémon who had a talk at the other end of the hold.
"It did?" Psyduck questioned.
"Sure, it did!" Charizard proudly declared, lifting up his wings to make a point. "When I evolved, everyone started to respect me!"
"They did?" Psyduck questioned again. "But everyone is scared of you?"
"Yeah, that's how I know they respect me!" Charizard spat back. He pointed at Psyduck. "And when you evolve, you'll have the same thing happen to you?"
Psyduck made a pained noise. "But… I don't want them to be scared of me. They already are…"
Ash continued to listen in. They were currently unaware that he was awake.
"Only when you have a headache!" Charizard replied. "But when you evolve, you'll get the respect you deserve!"
"I have headaches?"
Charizard growled. "Focus, Psyduck! You evolve, you get respect!"
Psyduck tilted his head, his eyes locked into a lidless stare. "But… ever since you evolved, everyone respected you less."
"What did you say!?" Charizard gave a hard stare at Psyduck and blew out a cloud of smoke in his face.
"I respect you!" Ash shouted as he stepped over. The Riolu then felt a jolt of pain in his back and fell to his knees. "Ow…"
Charizard slowly stepped over to his trainer, as fast as he could in a relatively short hold. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine… I just feel a little sore. It should be gone by tomorrow or whenever I get medicine," the Riolu replied as he pushed himself off the floor and eyed his Charizard in the eye. "I'm serious. I always respected you, even when you were a Charmander."
Charizard looked at his trainer. He seemed surprised. He stood there for a quiet moment. "... What do you mean?"
Ash suddenly felt very small under the fire dragon's scrutiny. "I mean… it had to be rough for you, staying up on that rock waiting and not even leaving to eat. You waited for… someone who wasn't going to come back for so long." He took a deep breath. "It was very brave of you to do that, very loyal, too..."
Charizard eyed his trainer further, there was something there, something that the Riolu had a hard time understanding.
Ash did not know if he said the right thing. He wished that he had that feeling again where he could read other people's emotions, but he had no idea how to do that on command. If only he had a way to reach the Fire-type...
"What were we talking about?" Psyduck questioned, ruining the moment.
Charizard snarled. "Psyduck!"
Realizing he made an error, the Water-type ducked behind Ash.
"Hey!" Ash snapped, turning his body to face the yellow duck.
Psyduck flinched and fell to the floor. "Ow…"
Ash had a mild panic attack, hoping that was not enough to trigger Psyduck to lash out. Especially since that now, he was a Fighting-type.
"Ow…" A moment later, Psyduck pushed himself off the floor and clutched his head. He did not destroy the ship with his incredible psychic powers.
Ash took a sigh of relief and turned towards Charizard again. "So, do you think evolving would get others to respect me more, too?"
Charizard inclined his head. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just thinking." Ash kicked imaginary dirt. After all, Charizard, himself, had issues with him. Misty did not actively hate him, but she did more or less seen him as an irresponsible kid ever since he and Pikachu destroyed her bike. "I saw Lucario on TV before. They're really cool because they have all of these crazy moves including that Aura Sphere thing that Meinfoo did and I… kind of wonder if it'd help."
Charizard lowered his head. "I… guess it would," he did not sound sure.
"Would it really?" Psyduck interjected. "You'll be stronger, but does that help?"
Ash frowned, thinking it over more. If he evolved, he'd become a powerful Pokémon, for sure. He did not know how Charizard would react, but Misty wouldn't change her opinions of him if he evolved. After all, he had already beaten Misty in a fight already; power was not the problem. "I guess, it really wouldn't."
Something about that answer made Charizard annoyed. He gave a side eye to Psyduck and growled at him.
"Hey!" Ash waved his hands to get Charizard's attention. "I'm not against the idea of evolving, I just… don't think it'd help me be respected… at least not alone."
Charizard stepped away from Psyduck, turned his head away from his trainer, and crossed his arms. He didn't say anything, yet made it clear that this displeased him, like he was directly offended by the answer.
Ash might not have been the brightest, but he had an idea. He took a gamble. He had to be brave, no matter how much he feared pushing Charizard away. "The others told me that back when you were a Charmander, you wanted to evolve, you wanted to be strong."
Charizard slightly inclined his head over. "This is true. I was weak, I wanted to be strong."
A sudden realization struck Ash, something in retrospect should have been obvious. "It's because of Daimen, isn't it?"
Charizard glared at his trainer.
Despite everything in the Riolu's body telling him to fight back or run away, he held firm. "I remember him talking to his friends about how he abandoned you because you were weak. You… never wanted that to happen to you again."
"I refuse to be at the mercy of another like him! The strong devour the weak; that is the way of nature." Charizard huffed, he stood from his seat, his eyes burned with fury. "Even his Pokémon knew this simple truth!"
"Was I the same?" Ash questioned, fearing the answer. After all, he pushed Charmander into fighting.
Charizard lowered his head again, rage still smoldering in his eyes. But then anger and fury gave way to shame, shame enough that the Riolu could feel it. "...I…"
"What seems to be the trouble here?" a voice shouted. Captain Kanabo came down the stairs, an iron spiked club over his shoulders. "I heard shouting!"
Ash gulped. "I… we…"
"I apologize," Charizard said to the Machoke, his anger dying down completely. "I was remembering something unpleasant."
Kanabo inclined his head and turned towards Ash and Psyduck.
Both of them nodded.
"So, what kind of memory?" said the Captain.
"I was at one point in my life beholden to an awful tamer," Charizard said, bowing his head. "I have not seen him in many months."
"Ah, that makes sense. There are plenty of stories about that," the Machoke nodded and set his spiked club to the floor. "Humans, having turned away from the Creator, are cursed and empty creatures."
Ash wanted to protest, but he had no idea what those even meant. "Cursed and empty?"
"It's… not something to discuss among the young," Machoke shrugged before turning back to Charizard. "Still, it's good to hear that yet another soul finds their way to paradise after such a harrowing beginning."
Charizard nodded. "Thank you."
"Hey, Captain," Ash spoke up. "Can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead," said the Machoke.
"How does a Riolu evolve into a Lucario?" Ash asked.
Captain Kanabo looked at him like he was questioning something as obvious as the Alphabet or the color of the sky. "You don't know? Did your mother not tell you?"
"I mean, I've asked before, but everyone said something about happiness and joy being required," Ash replied. Brock and Misty knew the basics, but neither of them have a clear explanation of what that meant. "But I don't understand what that means exactly. I figured another Fighting-type would know."
Charizard inclined his head toward his trainer.
The Captain laughed. "Oh, that's easy! It means reaching enlightenment, to gain a fullness of understanding of oneself and the nature of the world."
"Uh, thanks?" Most of that went over the Riolu's head, but he understood roughly that it meant… learning about himself? It sounded hard though.
The Machoke let out a belly laugh. "Pup, I know that you're undertaking the Quest, to fight in the Great Tournament, so let me just be blunt as my club; don't treat evolving as a shortcut to true power. Many young ones think that's all there is to it, but really, it's not."
Ash nodded his head. Well, he supposed if he was going to evolve, doing it at the right time might as well be what he did.
"If that is all then, I will say that as you undoubtedly unaware, but we have spotted land. We will be arriving within the hour." The Machoke then turned his back and walked up the stairs.
"What were we talking about?" Psyduck asked as soon as the Machoke left.
"About evolving?" the Riolu answered.
"Oh, that sounds fun. I should try it!" Psyduck declared.
"But weren't you just…?" Ash began.
Charizard cut him off, placing a sharp nailed finger on his trainer's mouth. "He's used Amnesia on himself. Again."
"What were we talking about?" Psyduck questioned, repeating the same question one more time.
Ash suddenly felt really sympathetic towards Misty.
Charizard rolled his eyes. "I really hope this problem goes away when he evolves."
The Riolu nodded. Maybe Dexter knew something that might help. At the very least, Psyduck came from Kanto, so the Pokédex would have information on him. Might be something to check out later while they were traveling again.
Charizard let out a sigh. "Regardless," he looked his trainer in the eye. "You're stronger than Damien. So get stronger, okay?"
Ash blinked, kind of understanding where the Fire-type came from. At least the former human had felt like he made some progress with- "Ow!" he collapsed onto the floor.
Around the same time that Ash fell, an electric mouse came bounding into the hold.
"Ash!" Pikachu snapped, his cheeks sparking. "What did you do, Charizard?"
"Nothing!" Charizard roared back. "I didn't even touch him!"
Pikachu glared, not believing him for one minute.
"Hey, ow! Pikachu!" Ash said from the floor, barely able to push himself up off the wood. He did not like to see his Pokémon fighting, especially over him. "I'm fine."
"Ash!" Pikachu cried out. He dashed over to the Riolu and bent down. "What happened?"
"...Did you give him pain medication?" Zorua asked as she walked into the hold.
"Brock did," Pikachu replied. "What about it?"
"It might have simply worn off," Zorua explained.
"A healing potion might be nice," Ash grumbled. Even if they made him feel like he wanted to vomit, he'd rather drink one than suffer through what he currently felt.
"We'd have to get off the ship first, there's simply too much movement for me to make it as effective as I normally can," Zorua replied. "But that should be doable."
Ash nodded. Good thing the trip would be over real soon. "Got anything to make me feel better?"
The small farming village vaguely reminded Ash of his hometown of Pallet.
From the waterfront, the Riolu could see a dozen or so houses with wide open spaces in between them. A restaurant on a hill reminded him of his own place and he wondered idly if there was a young Pokémon there who was waiting to go off on an adventure. There was even a laboratory that came with a large fenced off section of land, an echo of Professor Oak's own ranch-laboratory.
However, the village had several differences. Aside from everyone being Pokémon, the settlement's only land bound entrance directly led towards a small mountain range. Plus, Pallet Town did not have vast swathes of cornfields last he recalled. There was also the fact that the place had a dedicated waterfront and dockyard able to handle heavy cargo.
Still, the place held an uncanny feeling of home to Ash…served as a good distraction for what he was actually feeling.
Ash anxiously eyed Zorua as she brewed a potion over an open flame meant to heal him. He had been set down next to everyone else's luggage at the end of a small pier. Though he had been given pain medication, his backside still ached.
"Let this go to show you, Ash Ketchum, to think about your training more!" Misty chastised him.
"I know, Misty, don't use moves in the dark," he grumbled, trying to keep himself distracted.
In the distance, Captain Kanabo's crew were busying themselves by pulling cargo from the hold and fixing up the ship. The Captain himself spoke with Brock, the two of them organizing payment.
"Yeah!" Pikachu said. "It was a stupid idea!"
"What are you talking about? You're hardly any better!" Misty spat out.
"Hey!" Pikachu barked.
Ash sniggered. After all, it was only fair.
"You're the one who agreed with him!" Misty said. "You're really lucky you didn't tear a hole in the ship or something!"
"Actually, we would have been fine," Zorua said, as she continued to mix her potion. "The crew has a few Pokémon who know how to fix hull breaches, such as that Ariados… "
"Ew! Don't remind me!" Misty said, actively shaking her body, her disgust manifest. "And… that's besides the point!"
Ash and Pikachu both laughed at her.
"It's not funny!" Misty snapped at them.
"I think it's done!" Zorua declared and then stepped away from the kettle she used. It was kind of impressive how Zorua could brew a potion without any hands. She used her mouth to do everything such as stirring a spoon or adding ingredients into the cooking pot. "Ash, you should pour it and drink it yourself."
The Riolu nodded and complied, carefully taking the small pot and pouring the contents into a flask with the assistance of a funnel. "It feels kind of hot."
"That's when it's at its most potent," Zorua defended.
Eager to fix his injury, Ash saw little reason to hold back. He poured the contents of the flask down his throat. The familiar burning sensation went through his body once again, his injury sealing up, as if somehow his flesh literally knitted itself over the wound. The pain in his back lessened greatly, but did not vanish. "I still feel something," Ash observed.
"It doesn't fix everything, some injuries are more stubborn than others and require more time for the potion to mend them." Zorua said.
Ash nodded and then flexed his body. There was a dull ache that he could feel, but the main was near muted. He could deal with this. "Alright! Let's get to training!"
"Yeah!" Pikachu agreed.
Misty shook her head. "Now, remember Ash, don't do anything too reckless. You're lucky we have a dedicated healer or this might have actually been a problem. That said, I wouldn't mind shooting you with a Water Gun."
"Just as long as you don't mind getting a Force Palm!" Ash accepted the challenge.
"Or a Thunder Shock!" Pikachu added.
"I uh…" Zorua seemed like she wanted to say something, but she seemed nervous.
Before Ash could ask what was on her mind, Brock, Chatot and Captain Kanabo moved next to them.
"Everything seems to be in order," said the Captain. "You already paid for the trip. So this is where we part ways."
"Indeed," Chatot added, whilst she perched on her Captain's shoulders. "Tis unfortunate, but we did not spend much time together. We hope you enjoyed your stay."
"We did!" Misty spoke up eagerly.
"It was fun, I guess?" Ash didn't exactly have the best time, being cooped up in the ship, but at the very least, he felt like he got to spend time with his Pokémon, especially Charizard.
"Thanks, again," Brock told the Captain and the First Mate. "We wouldn't be here without you!"
Captain Kanabo raised fist. "Take care. And do enjoy yourselves in the Festival of Memories."
"We will!" Ash promised.
"I still don't know what it is, but it sounds fun!" Pikachu agreed.
The Captain and his First Made turned their backs and went to help their crew. Chatot in particular went after Aipom yet again for dirtying the sails and how it would be Aipom's job to wash everything for the next year.
With the two gone, Ash leapt, testing his body's limits. "And now we're on the road again! I can't wait to fight in another Dojo! What's it about anyways?"
"Uh… Fire, Ground, and Rock?" Zorua offered. "Those types are the most likely to represent the Maiju that live in this area. Though unlike in Quartz Bay, I recall the rules for it being a selection of two against two matches with a total of five on both sides."
Pikachu promptly brought himself towards the Riolu's side and tugged at his arms. "Ash! Ash! That means we'll get to fight together!"
Ash beamed, realizing what Pikachu was getting at. With a raised fist in the air, he shouted. "Yeah, we'll win it together!"
"Yeah!" Pikachu agreed.
"Ahem!" Misty tapped the two of them on the shoulders, her tone incredibly stuffy. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but as the Water-Type specialist, I believe I'd have the best odds at winning the next Dojo."
"Plus," Brock chimed in. "You already went, Ash. Some of the others do deserve a chance to go if they want."
"Like me!" Squirtle came out from behind a crate, Bulbasaur in his grasp. "Me and Bulbasaur do great work together!"
"I oppose being set on fire," Bulbasaur deadpanned.
Ash immediately deflated, realizing that Misty and Brock had a point. He had already gotten a chance to go and others needed the experience, too.
"Aw, but when am I going to fight with Ash!" Pikachu complained.
"What about the next Dojo?" Misty offered. "Assuming, it does a Double Battle as well, that is."
"The next Dojo is… unconventional," Zorua frowned. "It is not so much a battle or duels, as it is more of an obstacle course with opponents and traps put in the middle of it."
Ash frowned. Did that mean that it'd be something like what Koga did?
"How many combatants?" Pikachu asked, his tone harsh.
Zorua winced and bowed her head. "Challengers select seven and the Dojo has as many combatants as they want."
Ash balked. How did that even work? "That doesn't sound fair."
"It's not supposed to," Zorua gulped. "Then again, the goal of that conflict is not to face such overwhelming odds. There's no formal rules for how many are allowed in a single encounter, save that the challenger may only bring a party of seven."
"It doesn't matter how many they throw at us!" Pikachu elbowed his trainer. "We'll beat them all!"
"Yeah!" Ash agreed wholeheartedly.
"Ash, Pikachu, don't get too overconfident…" Misty warned.
The two of them promptly deflated.
Zorua frowned. "Regardless, that's a matter for a future date. We first have to overcome Hyacinth Highland and its… Double Battles?"
Ash took his oversized backpack and gave that a thought. "Well, Misty and her group is the obvious choice, but it's so obvious that they might have Pokémon that know Grass or Electric moves."
"That's almost guaranteed." Misty agreed, also taking her pack.
"Some of those might have ways to counteract their Water weakness," Brock pointed out.
"We also have nearly two weeks for us to think more on it," Zorua added. "The Festival of Memories will close the Dojo. And any challengers that are already there will be prioritized over us."
"That's disappointing," Ash commented. This Festival had to be a big deal because the Dojo would be closed during it and Zorua had insisted they came over as soon as possible in order to participate. But maybe it would be worth it. It sounded fun.
"Well, I guess I can wait for a big battle with Ash at my side," Pikachu said, arms crossed. "Especially if it's going to be even bigger!"
Ash smiled at his starter, the idea of fighting by his starter's side appealing to him even more. After all, it really wasn't just his journey, it never was; it was their journey, together.
Pikachu reeled back as Ash's fist slammed into his cheek.
The electric mouse tumbled to the side and threw his tail in a lashing motion. This time, Ash had learned from his mistakes and fell backwards to avoid the Iron Tail.
Pikachu felt a surge of pride, oh how his friend was learning. He used his momentum to swing his body around and threw himself into a Tackle.
Ash grabbed onto Pikachu but the blow connected.
The Riolu staggered backwards and fell onto his rear, but threw Pikachu onto the ground at the same time.
Pikachu felt the world spin and hit the ground three times before coming to a stop.
"Take it easy, Ash!" Brock called from behind them. "You're still not fully recovered!"
"I feel great!" Ash shouted as he leapt up from his position.
"Yeah!" Pikachu said back, pushing himself off the ground and dusting his fur. "Besides, it's not like I'm using any of the really hard hitting attacks!"
"Hey!" Ash groaned.
"It's true!" Pikachu laughed. "You're getting good, Ash, but you've still got some way to go! I'm still not using Agility or the really hard hitting electric moves I know!"
"I know!" Ash looked like he wanted to complain, though not that much. "But I hope you'll be ready to lose one day!"
"I'll believe it when I see it!" Pikachu told his trainer in a snide tone. Inwardly, he couldn't wait for that day where the two of them could really cut loose and to probably lose. How lucky he was to have a Pokémon for a trainer.
"Hey, break it up. Dinner's ready!" Brock ordered.
"Already?" Ash asked, confused. He turned his head up. "Oh, I guess it's already night."
"Fine!" Pikachu begrudgingly accepted the Rockruff's request.
Brock led the two towards the camp that they had set.
A small fire burned in the middle, whilst rocks and fallen logs formed seats.
Everyone, including a certain jerk dragon, had taken up spots around the fire.
Brock broke from Ash and Pikachu, and rejoined his party. Onix, free from his new Pokéball, greeted the rock dog as warmly as a gigantic rock snake could.
Ash, ever eager, found his team and sat on the logs next to them.
"How were things, Boss?" Squirtle raised a hand as he greeted them. "Pikachu rough you up?"
"A little!" Ash answered with a smile.
Pikachu laughed. "Because I wasn't trying to hurt you!"
Ash stuck his tongue out in response.
Pikachu lightly shoved his trainer's side as he also took a seat next to him.
Bulbasaur handed them a sack of trail mix.
"Thanks, Bulbasaur!" Ash said to the grass toad before reaching into the bag.
Pikachu took some nuts and dried berries of his own to munch on. It wasn't his favorite thing in the world, but he could endure it if it meant sharing a snack with a friend.
Then abruptly, Charizard approached, a sealed in his claws. He threw it onto the ground with a thud.
"Watch it!" Pikachu snapped. "You could break the pot!"
"It's perfectly fine!" Charizard snapped before lifting the lid.
Steam bellowed out of the pot, revealing several ears of corn.
"They look great! Nice going, Charizard!" Ash said back.
"I told you I could do it!" Charizard snapped, raising his chest in pride.
"Not bad," Pikachu crossed his arms. He had no idea why Charizard was doing this, but he supposed it was a very marginal improvement to the way things were a month ago.
"I wonder what Pikachu could cook…" Charizard muttered aloud.
Suddenly, it clicked. Pikachu raised a paw. "Hey, I can cook plenty!"
"Sure, if you want things burned!" Charizard snorted.
"Hey, can we just eat corn? I'm kinda hungry for a hot meal…" Squirtle butted in.
Charizard said nothing, but took a few of the bundles of corn and threw them into his mouth and started crunching.
"Is… that safe?" Pikachu's trainer wondered. "Like can you eat the cobb?"
Charizard didn't answer, he just walked out of the camp and took up space on a rock.
"I hope he's alright," Ash said before taking some of the corn to eat for himself.
Reluctantly, Pikachu took one of the ears of corn and nibbled on it. It was… not all that bad. Sure, it wasn't fantastic, especially since it lacked his favorite sauce, but it was very hard to mess up a recipe that all you had to do was boil something until it was cooked.
"So, I'm thinking…" Ash said, raising his head from his meal and turning towards Squirtle and Bulbasaur. "Pikachu and I want to fight side-by-side during the third Dojo. I just want to know if you're sure about fighting in the second Dojo."
"Assuming I don't get hit by fire moves often, I should be fine, since my primary moves natively counter two of its three types." Bulbasaur frowned. "On the other hand, Squirtle might be focused down because he's effective versus all three of its types."
"That's fine by me!" Squirtle declared. He took on his ridiculous sunglasses from that spot in his shell and placed him over his eyes. "I'm here to take on all comers!"
"You're the one who's the challenger!" Pikachu spat back.
"Hey, I was having a moment!" Squirtle chided before putting his glasses away.
"So, I never fought in Double Battle before, but I know it's more complicated than standard," Ash commented. "There's two Pokémon a side that means at any point, those two Pokémon can focus all of their attention to eliminating one."
"In the wild, there aren't any rules. If you're outnumbered, you will be attacked at multiple angles and you can't protect against everything," Pikachu supplied, drawing from his own memories. "... But at the same time, it means that if you have allies, they get to move unimpeded. And there are moves that work best against multiple opponents, like Discharge, but they're often very indiscriminate and can hurt allies who aren't prepared for it."
"Like with the Spearow and Misty's bike?" Ash questioned.
Pikachu frowned, recalling that memory. "I don't know if that was Discharge exactly, but that does more or less cover my point; there are moves that work better when fighting multiple opponents."
"Razor Leaf can hit multiple opponents that are close enough together," Bulbasaur supplied.
"Hm, so what if I taunt them all?" Squirtle thought aloud. "Using my cool shades, I can mock them into attacking me! Then Bulbasaur can hit them while they corner me."
"Not bad, Squirtle!" Ash frowned. "But I don't think Withdraw might be good enough."
"I think I saw we had a scroll for Protect," Pikachu suggested. "That might be powerful enough to give Squirtle a fighting chance!"
"Yeah!" Ash laughed. "Good work, trainer!"
Pikachu chuckled. "Sorry, all I'm hearing you say is: Rio lurio, Riolu!"
"That's exactly what I said!" Ash replied back.
"Hey, don't I count as my own trainer? As well as Bulbasaur's!" Squirtle interjected. "I'm suggesting tactics, too!"
"I don't know, are you ten?" Bulbasaur questioned.
"Definitely, I'm way over sixty in Citrine!" Squirtle bragged.
The four of them shared a moment of laughter, a cavalcade of jokes crashing on their heads.
Pikachu leaned against Ash's side. He felt so warm. "We got two weeks to figure things out," Pikachu commented. "And a month to get done with the whole island."
"Yeah, but that's fine with me," Ash replied, looking at the stars. "If spending extra time training lets us win the battles, that's what we should do to climb to the very top."
Pikachu nodded. He imagined himself and Ash in the future, holding a giant trophy larger than they were as they stood on a podium.
The electric mouse turned a side glance and spotted Zorua as she read her book yet again. While everyone else stayed close to one another, offering gossip or thoughts to close friends, Zorua did not.
"Something wrong, Pikachu?" Ash stopped looking at the stars and eyed his starter.
Pikachu blinked from the sudden abruptness of it. He pointed a paw in Zorua's direction.
"Oh, yeah. She's staying by herself," Ash answered.
"She does prefer quiet," Bulbasaur commented. "And blending into the background when she can. Must be a Zorua thing."
"Hey, Ash. If we're going to have seven combatants in the Tanzanite Dojo, maybe we could invite Zorua along?" Pikachu suggested. Given that Zorua had to be volunteered to join their group in the first place, there was a good chance that she wouldn't speak up about wanting to fight against her own father. She may have not liked him, but Pikachu knew she had to do this.
"I don't know if she likes fighting," Ash put his paw onto his muzzle. "I don't think I ever seen her train before."
"We'll never know if we don't speak to her," Pikachu countered. "Besides, it might help her." Help her not to be scared of anyone sneaking up on her.
"Maybe you're right. So, if she's fine with it." Ash accepted. The Riolu leapt off his seat and stepped over to the ghost fox.
Pikachu followed suit.
"Hey, Zorua!" the Riolu called out.
Zorua looked startled for a brief moment, almost reflexively using her illusion powers to turn herself into another random item before locking eyes with the others. "Uh, greetings Ash, Pikachu."
"What're you doing?" Ash questioned.
"Oh, I'm just… thinking about what to do when we get to the Hall of Memories tomorrow. There's so much stuff stored there, that I… want to know what we should focus on," Zorua said Mareepishly. "There's so much to read and experience in the library alone. And then there's the museum…"
Pikachu blinked. Pokémon owning their own library seemed… off. Then again, everything in Citrine made him feel like Maiju were like humans who just happened to look like Pokémon.
Zorua continued. "For you, I was wondering if we could learn if there might be other… outsiders like yourselves. That I feel you might like to learn more about our history, especially the parts of it that relate to our origins."
Ash seemed to think on that quite hard. "Huh, I wonder if Professor Oak might want to learn about some of this…"
"Ash, focus," Pikachu commanded.
"Sorry!" Ash gave Pikachu an awkward smile. "Hey, Zorua, want to go training with us later? Maybe tomorrow?"
Zorua blinked and turned to Pikachu.
Pikachu flashed her a knowing smirk.
"I…I… is this a good…" Zorua frowned. "But I…
"It'll be fun," he promised.
"Yeah!" Ash said. "I mean, I didn't know how fun training as a Pokémon was until I did it."
Zorua bowed her head. "I uh… what for?"
"Oh, Pikachu just said that it would be a good idea to see if you'd want to fight in the Tanzanite Dojo," Ash explained.
"Did he now?" Zorua questioned.
Pikachu nodded. He didn't say anything about Zorua being the offspring of a Sensei-Gym Leader, but that was not his story to tell.
Zorua lifted her head "I… suppose it would be. I accept!"
Pikachu gave the fox an approving nod. She clearly was the sort that was not used to fighting or standing up on her own. "Hey, if you want, we have some leftover corn."
"I'm not… I suppose it can't hurt to try it out," she sauntered over.
Ash led Zorua back to Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
Pikachu walked behind them, his mind wandered further away. He had a good idea of what would happen to Zorua, should they find their way back to Kanto. Yet, he did not have any clear idea of what would happen to himself or Ash.
Ian: This entire fanfic is an exercise in irony. Though I don't know if I will be doing much Pokéshipping here; I'm already derailing Brock's entire shipping line with Vulpix.
One: I hope you like the way that each of the human characters approach their status as Pokemon. It was quite difficult to establish the guidelines.