Ash tried very hard to keep still, even going so far as to hold his breath.
"Where is he!?" Bulbasaur shouted as he ran.
"He can't have gotten far!" Geodude said as he picked up a stone and lifted it. "But he knows how to hide!"
Zorua's gaze slowly drifted towards the bushes. "He isn't there."
Ash felt himself losing air, he nearly lost the nerve and let go.
Vulpix pointed, walking down the road. "I heard something!"
"Let's get going!" Squirtle called, charging head first before running down the road.
When Ash was sure they were gone. He pulled himself free from the bushes and fell onto his knees. His insides burned from having to hold his breath for so long, but he was in the clear. No one knew where he was.
He just had to leave, before they realized where he really was.
Ash frowned. Nearly everyone he knew betrayed him. Now he was on his own.
Maybe he could find refuge in Hyacinth Highlands? The Sensei seemed nice enough, though how was he sure they wouldn't turn on him in the future, just like his friends?
Ash drew Dexter from his belt and spoke a few quiet words, hoping no one would hear him. "Dexter, give me DexNav. I have to know where Dexnav is."
DexNav is unavailable. Dexter beeped in a mechanical tone.
Ash frowned. "Come on, I have to know where they are so I can avoid them!" His Pokédex had gotten weird, Ash had accepted that, but even when he went to try to bring that program manually by hitting the Pokédex's buttons, nothing happened.
The Riolu spotted a family of other Pokémon wandering nearby, yellow birds flying overhead.. Not wanting them to turn him in, Ash avoided them and walked behind an outhouse. Hopefully, no one could find him.
"Come on, Dexter!" he hissed.
DexNav is active. Dexter sounded off. The Pokédex's screen shifted into a radar locator, showing ... twelve dots? That was more Pokémon that Ash had and all of them were around him, converging in..
Ash blinked. He could remember there being maybe In total, he and the others brought four Pokémon each with them, aside from themselves. Maybe that's what's being referenced?
Either way, it looked like they had spotted where he was and the Riolu knew better to try to fight them all at once.
Finding his bearings, Ash figured that Dexter wanted him to go back to the village. He didn't want to go back, but if his supposed friends were working to corner him… He sighed. He got away from his position and headed back to the small village he and his friends had stopped in earlier that day.
It was a small place with abundant greenery. The houses featured more of the traditionalist aesthetic he expected from back home, with the fancy roof shingles especially. And yet, Ash didn't want to spend any time here at all, not while everyone else hounded him.
He took a turn and went down an alley, avoiding street goers as he went to the main road.
Flicking towards Dexter again, he saw that some of the dots were trailing him, some even rushing ahead. It was amazing that Dexter was able to keep track of so many Pokémon all at once, especially since at least half of them had no Pokéballs! Maybe it was that Wireless thing Professor Oak talked about?
Ash rounded a corner and then made a sharp turn.
Only to instead run face first into the two people he did not want to see at all.
"Ash!" Pikachu shouted as he lunged at him.
The Riolu put up his hands on a guard, but that didn't stop the electrical shock causing him to lose sensation in his arms.
"There you are!" Misty leapt over head on a plume of water, with a wooden mallet in her hands, aimed right to where the Riolu's head was.
"Aah!" Ash screamed as he just barely kicked himself away from the site of the impact. "Where'd you get the mallet?"
"I bought one!" Misty said. "I thought since it worked out so well, I might as well have one around!"
"This day keeps getting better and better," Ash muttered.
Pikachu lobbed his head in a Tackle and rammed into his trainer's skull. "Ow!" Pikachu hissed. "I always knew you were hard headed, but that's a bit much!"
"Hey!" Ash gritted his teeth.. He went to make a break for it, but Misty was too fast for him. The mallet went into his belly and he went limp. At least the paralysis numbed the pain.
Misty made a sigh of relief. "Good. Now, you're ours." She put aside the mallet on her back and it… disappeared from Ash's view.
The Riolu grumbled as the two picked him up and carried him on their shoulders. "...How'd you find me?"
"Your crazy luck must have brought you back to us. We had no idea where you were!" Pikachu said back. His nose twitched and he made an uncomfortable expression. "Come on, let's get you inside, for your own good!"
Ash groaned. "But I thought you were behind me! Dexter's PokeNav said you were!"
"That's just the thing, Ash, nobody knew where you were. Now someone has to go back and try to find the others to tell them we found you," Misty said back. As she was taller than Pikachu, she was the one who did most of the work carrying the Riolu onto the main road and towards a large building in the distance.
Ash frowned, realizing the implications as he stared at the Pokédex on his belt…Dexter had lied to him…. Just like everyone else. Why were all of his friends turning their backs on him? Was it really that bad?
Ash struggled, trying to get free, but with his paralysis, he couldn't move.
Ash made a sigh as the two took them to their destination.
As they went to the large building, a Torkoal greeted them. "Welcome to Feldspar Springs Bathhouse! Do you need a reservation?"
"Already have one!" Misty took out a piece of paper and showed it to him.
"Alright, Miss, just go down the halls to pool six!" Torkoal answered back. "Your friends are already waiting."
Misty waved her paw and took Ash with her.
"... Do we really have to do this?" Ash moaned.
"Yes!" Pikachu insisted.
"Is this payback?" Ash questioned, recalling similar incidents in the past.
"A little," Pikachu admitted. "You always did this to me. So, it's only fair!"
Misty and Pikachu escorted the defeated Riolu down the hall. They found a door with a large number six overhead.
As Misty opened the door, Ash came face to face with his dreaded enemy. A large tub was built into the floor of the area, almost like a swimming pool. The hot water did not steam, but bubbles from soap floated over the water. Leaves fell in from a nearby tree, whilst the morning Sun beat overhead.
Some of the others were there, too, such as Onix and Charizard who stood on the stone flooring nearby as frustrated attendants cleaned them. Brock was in the pool, Geodude rubbing soap into his fur.
Before he could think on it more, Ash found himself unceremoniously thrown in.
Surprised, the Riolu felt the sensation return to his body. His paralysis must have ended, maybe the water cured him? The ache Misty put on his body had dulled as well, though it was still there. Either way, he wanted to get out before the water soaked into his fur. He stood up, the warm water almost below his armpits.
But before he could leave, Pikachu came by and splashed a bucket of soap and water in his face.
"Pikachu!"
"You stink, Ash!" Pikachu huffed, crossing his arms. "When was the last time you took a bath? Like an actual one?"
"Maybe back in Kanto?" Ash admitted. Sure, he had always gone to wash his hands when he could, but never a full bath. That was just… way too much water stuck in his fur. And soap that they had here, it felt gross to touch.
Misty shook her head."... Why did you have to gain an aversion to bathing here? You were reasonable back home! You're not even a Rock-type, like Brock is!"
"Water sticks to me!" Ash said defiantly. "It feels like I'm carrying another me while I'm wet!"
"Water's fine!" Misty snapped back.
"Misty, your fur doesn't retain water like other Pokémon, because it comes in two layers." Brock said, sitting on his own corner of the pool while Geodude put soap in his fur. "But Ash, you really do smell."
Ash glowered, but saw no point, his friends and even his Pokédex had successfully betrayed him and forced him into taking a bath. "Fine," he smirked. He grabbed a nearby brush and a bar of soap. "But I guess if I'm being given a bath, you need a bath too, Pikachu!"
"Hey, that was not part of the deal." Pikachu said back, holding the water bucket to defend himself.
"We're altering the deal, pray we don't alter it any further! " Misty shoved Pikachu into the pool and into Ash's grip.
Pikachu shook his head and opted to struggle free, but Ash grabbed his bar of soap and brushed it against Pikachu's yellow fur.
In response, Pikachu brought his strongest weapon to bear, his bucket. He scooped up water, mixed in a bar of soap, and threw it right into his trainer's face. "Eat this!"
Ash spat out soapy water and then went to jump at his Pikachu.
The two struggled against one another, trying to out clean the other. It was hard to say who would win or what winning even meant in that pool. But Ash was pretty sure Pikachu was sparkly clean and hated being in the pool more than he was.
The two only stopped when the Riolu and Pikachu were exhausted. The two stood where they were, leaning their backs against the pool's walls.
"... Now I'm oddly sympathetic about every time I gave you a bath…." Ash muttered.
Pikachu slowly nodded his head. "I don't like it for the same reasons you do. And water really messes with the electrostatic charge I build up." He turned to Ash. "...But, I don't actually mind bathing that much, especially if we're going to do this together."
Ash smirked. "... I guess I can tolerate it, especially if you're suffering from wet fur alongside me."
Pikachu smiled. "I can accept that."
Ash then noticed Misty slipping into the water, with a young Togepi floating in her grasp. "Now, just stay near Mommy, alright? You're still too short to stand here, but you can float and I can carry you."
"Okay. Mommy!" Togepi cheered. "And then we can go training, right?"
"Sure, we can!" Misty then turned her head over to Ash. "Just so you know, that was payback for encouraging Togepi to get herself hurt."
Ash made a nervous expression and tried to think of something to change the topic. He… really should have chosen better words back in the Dojo. "I mean, she's going to have to learn to fight eventually," he offered.
Misty gave him a hard stare. "Ash, if you ever end up with a baby Pokémon, is the first thing you're going to do to teach them to fight?"
"... Maybe?" Ash said. As far as he was aware, he had no idea on how to raise a Pokémon on anything other than by fighting. It was not something he ever planned on happening.
"It's not too bad," Pikachu defended his trainer. "I mean, Pokémon grow up way faster mentally than humans do. I mean, I was…. Less than a year old when I left my Mom."
Misty just stared, only breaking away when Togepi shouted. "But Mommy, does that mean that I'll have to go away when I become a year old."
"It doesn't!" Misty said back. She gave both Ash and Pikachu a hard glare, wordlessly giving the two a threat.
"How about we just… get out of the pool… and away from Togepi?" Ash offered, not wanting to upset Misty even further.
"That would be better than you two filling her head with bad ideas," Misty agreed.
Ash and Pikachu walked to the water's edge and climbed up the railings. Water cascaded off their bodies and onto the floor.
With a reflex that came on demand, Ash shook himself, water scattering in every direction.
"... You should watch where you aim that," Pikachu said, as he tore a clump of bluish fur from his face.
Ash gave the other Pokémon a nervous expression as he walked toward what appeared to be a towel rack.
When he got there, he noticed there were several cotton bathrobes in various sizes. Some of them looked like they would even fit him and a bunch of the others. A sign asked that anyone who took one to not evolve while wearing it.
"Ooh, what are these?" Pikachu said. "Most Pokémon here don't wear clothes at all, so it's a bit odd they'd have this and nothing else."
"Maybe because they think it looks cool? Maybe it helps with drying out faster?" Ash suggested. He realized then that he had been wearing his belt with Dexter still on it. He set it aside to dry and took one of the bathrobes, one just his size. He scrutinized the outfit and felt oddly self conscious.
"Hm, is something wrong?" Pikachu questioned.
"... I haven't worn anything for the past month and I didn't even notice," Ash said he looked down at himself. His fuzzy coat almost felt like clothing in a way, giving him constant warmth and protection, but still, the point stood.
Pikachu shrugged. "You're a Pokémon, Ash. Or a Maiju if you want to think about it that way. It's natural to not think about it, because we don't."
"I'm just surprised it never got brought up, not by me, not by Brock…" His voice trailed as he made a realization. "Not by Misty." He was glad the Buizel never noticed. He put that out of his mind, and instead decided to go with what was in front of him. He took a second bathrobe. "Hey, Pikachu. Think you might look good in this?"
Pikachu shrugged. "Sure, why not?
It was a good afternoon at sea.
Captain Enzio the Serperior surveyed his ship and his crew as they readied for battle. Between the Salazzle Twins covering their faces in toxic makeup, the Bombardier the burly Blastoise polishing his cannons, and his own work in refining the blades of his leaves, he saw few threats that could best them. The rest of them readied whatever natural prowess the gods bestowed them.
At this point, a Wingull perched on a stand nearby, saying nothing as it was not his turn to speak.
"Scout," Captain Enzio said, without looking. He adjusted his hat, a blue bicorne that had been passed down from previous Captains, hailing all the way from a land called Paldea from the outside world. "What do you have to report?"
"Our target is in range and its crew has just rotated out its nightshift!" said the Wingull. "We can easily subdue our opponents."
"Excellent," he said, taking the small scraps of documentation provided to him by a clerk willing to sell out his own for money. Information was power. If it meant victory, buying an overworked bookkeeper some drinks was well worth the investment. "Checking again one more time, it seems our target carries just some Machops and the odd Water-type, it seems. Can we confirm this?"
"Aye!" Said Wingull.
"I see no one of any distinguished prowess on the list," said the Superior. "Does our prey suspect anything?"
"No, Captain. I made sure that I flew in with some other birds," replied Wingull. "It isn't uncommon for a stray to wander about."
Captain Enzio nodded his head. "You've earned yourself a short break." He then turned his attention to the crew. "Hoist the mainsail! Tailwinds and Aqua Jets, go! Full speed ahead!"
He gave the order and his crew obeyed without complaint. The swabbies opened the ship's sails and threw a burst of wind into the sails, meanwhile the Water-types in the crew blasted water out the side. There was a noticeable uptick in speed as the ship drastically accelerated, the wooden sailboat torpedoing through the water almost like an overly large Sharpedo.
From experience, the Captain knew that these measures would severely damage the hull, but any recklessness now would allow him and his crew to strike before his opponents could mobilize resistance.
"Five minutes til boarding!" his bosun, a Cinderace, shouted.
Captain Enzio inclined his head and let his crew do their work. His vines wrapped around the wheel as he guided the rudder.
For nearly four hundred moons, he and his crew terrorized the islands of Citrine, preying on the vulnerable mercantile vessels of the area. While it was true that the average Maiju was naturally potent, the pirate captain trusted his intellect, his scheming to see profitable rewards.
"We have a visual on the target!" Cinderace spat again.
Captain Enzio took a deep breath, savoring the moment. He saw his prey, a bloated merchant ship, at least three times larger than his own and loaded with cargo. Already, he mentally counted how much booze his crew would be earning today, after selling the hull, ransoming the crew, and fencing the stolen cargo. With his crew prepared and a vulnerable target selected, he had little to no doubt in their victory.
"What do you see?" he asked Wingull, trusting his natural ability to see distant objects.
"The ship has rapidly become aware of us," said Wingull. "The Maiju aboard are rapidly trying to change course, whilst others are heading below deck. Their sails are also being raised to full."
"The morning and night crew are being woken up, but we already accounted for that." the Captain said. "Bombardier, ready to disable the sails. We can restore them later once we have control of the ship."
"Aye! Aye! Capn'!" shouted the Blastoise. His cannons adjusted their positions within his shell as he took aim. While most Maiju could have easily sunk a ship with the right attacks, it skill and expertise to ensure the vessel remained afloat.
"On mark," the Serperior said.
The merchant ship's crew was already on view. Some of them were already launching ranged attacks in an attempt to deter the pirates, but there were simply not enough equipped to fight at these ranges.
"Water!" the Captain barked.
Bombardiers cannons let out two lances of high speed water, aimed just right to avoid the hull. Instead, they cut through the softened fabrics that made up the sails, cleanly slicing them into two pieces that hung uselessly from the masts
The merchant ship was now dead in the water, its speed dropping rapidly.
And with that, the pirate ship was now less than a minute from interception and dropping.
Captain Enzio smirked as his ship became parallel with the other larger vessel. His crew already began throwing ropes and vines, setting up gangplanks, and lobbing attacks. His next order was a mere formality, but he said it anyway. "Attack!"
The Salazzle Twins leapt over the gap between ships, lobbing globs of toxic goo at flailing Machops. Meanwhile, Bombardier stayed on the boat, his cannons knocking down a Machoke. The swabbies and the others swarmed onto the vessel and harried the crew.
The Captain, himself, took note of the only real combatant on the list. A Dewott captain, a young Maiju who was the son of a merchant empire, was one of the major prizes in this attack. His ransom would no doubt be equal to the sum of the rest of the ship. Water raced around the otter's scalchops as he lunged forward and cut down the Salazzle Twins with a single stroke.
Captain Enzio slithered forwards to meet his opponent. His tail leaves burst into a fan of blades as he swung it towards the Dewott's direction.
To his credit, the Dewott did not waver under a single attack. He lunged with his scalchops at the pirate captain, water ready to cut.
Captain Enzio, however, had seen many a Dewott fight before. This was nothing new. He coiled his body twisted in the right direction to avoid the attack.
Dewott hurried to redirect his momentum, but Captain Enzio was too fast.
The Serperior's tail leaves lashed at the Dewott's legs, forming a jagged cut that drew a gush of blood.
Dewott stumbled to his feet, pain evident in his expression. One of his arms went to wrap around the bleeding.
"I will give you the chance to parley," the Serperior offered. "It would profit you nothing to resist when you've clearly lost."
Dewott gritted his teeth, spitting out his words. "Parley with you? You are not worth-" but he failed to complete his sentence as he was knocked into his own cabin by a tornado of leaves. He did not rise, a groan escaping his mouth.
"You should have taken my offer," the Captain sighed. Oh well, he only just broke the merchant captain's bones. He'll recover from that sooner or later with medical attention. "Someone, keep our payday alive!"
A Timburr went to secure the enemy captain.
Captain Enzio turned to his bosun, who nursed a cut on his arm. "I want a status report."
"The ship is under our control!" said the Cinderace. "Our casualties are light, but nearly everyone took injures. Some of us are knocked out, but there's nothing permanent, as far as I am aware. The other guys, well, not all of them are going to make it."
"Acceptable casualties," Captain Enzio nodded as he spotted his crew putting out fires and rapidly gathering the wounded. The situation on the top deck had stabilized into a total victory for his crew. Now, to reap the spoils.
He pointed his tail towards a few swabbies: a Chimchar, a Starly, and an Elekid. "You, you, you! Come with me. We'll be heading below deck!"
The three young Maiju gave him a salute and shouted "Aye! Aye!" in unison.
Seprerior found the entrance to the hold, a set of stairs that led directly down into the ship.
From his memory of the plans, there were three subdecks on the boat, with the lower two below the waterline. There was also a crane access hatch that allowed goods to be lifted in and out of the boat by crane or by telekinesis, but that was not important for now.
Instead, he checked his cargo manifest and noted the second deck was where the most valuable and immediate of the cargo was kept.
He picked a large crate at random and ordered Chimchar to pry it open. "Yes, Sir!" cried the young monkey.
With a crowbar, the little monkey pried off one of the sides with barely any resistance. He then made a confused look as he looked down. "Captain, what are these things? Why do they have dragon heads on them?"
The Serperior blinked as he leaned over the crate. They resembled fireworks, long tubes with fuses at the end, though their heads were made to resemble paper mache dragons. Captain Enzio was at a loss to explain this, as he checked the cargo manifest and said nothing about fireworks rockets. There were supposed to be bottles of sake, metallic tools, and enchanted objects, not these things.
"Open more boxes!" he barked.
Chimchar and Elekid opened more cratess, finding fireworks in different sizes.
"Where's da loot?" Starly cried. "Why do all of these boxes have these… toys!?"
The Serperior felt a nervous twinge developing at the back of his head. His information had been correct until this point, giving him an accurate list of the route and crew of this ship. This could only mean one thing. "Someone had changed the manifest!"
This sent shivers down the spines of the swabbies, none of them liking the implications. If the manifest was changed, who could have done it? Why?
"Fan out, find answers! Open crates if you must, but don't light up the fireworks!" the Captain ordered.
The young Maiju scattered as they did, each of them moving in a different direction to gather information.
The pirate captain, himself, stood close to the stairway. This all smelled like a trap, perhaps one event meant to take him out. Maybe that bit of bribery had been too easy? Oh, he knew just how much of a bounty his head was worth! Or perhaps his paranoia was getting the better of him again.
"I found something, Captain!" cried the Elekid, her voice echoing towards the bow of the ship.
The Serperior slithered cautiously and gave one more order. "Chimchar, tell the lads up top to send more people down. None of them are to be Fire-type."
"Understood!" said Chimchar as he walked up the stairs.
Captain Enzio moved to where Elekid's voice was coming from. He heard it before he saw it.
An Eevee was sleeping within one of the crates, an audible snore emanating from her. She had a streak of magenta running through her mane, though it was faded.
… Why was there an Eevee with a magenta-pink streak in her mane? There was no Eevee in the crew manifest at all. Was she a stowaway? That might explain why she was here, but not the rockets.
The Serperior knew that the only way to gain answers from this point is to take them by force.
He extended a vine and slammed it on top of the Eevee and wrung her neck.
That jolted her awake, causing her eyes to snap awake."What gives?" she groaned.
"You will answer my questions, clearly and concisely!" Captain Enzio snapped, revealing his intent clearly.
Eevee turned out to have more will than he thought. She struggled, twisting and turning her head, instead of answering.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Where is the cargo we were looking for?" The Captain snarled, losing his patience the more she fought.
He tossed the Eevee in her little makeshift bed, casting her on the side.
She looked away. "The name's Jessie!"
Captain Enzio frowned. That was not enough. "And?"
He twisted her head towards him with an extended vine, but Eevee had a strange sphere in her mouth.
She spat it right at him and it shattered into a dozen pieces. An expanding sphere of smoke engulfed the Captain and his swabbies.
His skin stared to burn, as if on fire.
"Poison gas!" shouted Starly. "She has poison gas!"
"Defog the area!" said the Serperior.
Starly flapped his wings, dispelling some of the smoke, but he was not fast enough. "This area is too tight. I can't blow da gas fast enough!"
Captain Enzio growled and went to strangle the little monster for what she was worth, but the Eevee procured another sphere and spat it right at him before he could make the grab,
The Captain felt his eyes burn as the smoke touched him. He let go of the terror and slithered out, his vines covering his eyes.
"Meowth! James! Wake up! Get the others! We've got trouble!" Eevee's voice rang as she scampered through and tapped various boxes in the hold.
Captain Enzio coiled his body for support and leaned in close to spot the Eevee, only for the box he had been close to burst of its own volition.
A Meowth carrying a rocket in his arms turned to face him, pointing the contraption right at him.
"Ya' ain't taking us alive!" he shouted.
"Wait, Meowth, doesn't that mean he has to kill us?" said a Pikachu as he came from another crate.
"Ya' know what I mean!" snarled the Meowth.
"You're mad!" Captain Enzio stared at the duo and then at the contraption the Meowth held. While an individual firework was hardly a weapon, there were enough fireworks in the hold to sink the ship. All he had to do was light the fuse.
"Yer darn right I'm mad!" agreed Meowth.
Elekid, standing atop one of the crates, prepared to get a drop on Meowth.
Instead, Eevee came from nowhere and tackled him off the box. "You interrupted my beauty sleep!" said the Eevee as she burst into view. "For that, I will make you suffer!"
Captain Enzio saw no victory fighting the battle within the cargo hold, not against lunatics who were prepared to blow themselves up to achieve victory.
Rather than engage with his opponents where there was a chance of blowing up the whole ship, he opted to take a tactical retreat. The Captain threw a Leaf Tornado right at them, sending them to hide behind cover.
"Everyone, out of the hold!" he ordered, prompting Starly and Elekid to escape while they could.
Captain Enzio slithered up the stairs, not looking back. Something was very wrong here.
He encountered some of his as they were going down.
"Captain, what's going on?" said Chimchar.
"A highly dangerous group has filled the ship with explosives!" said the Captain. "Everyone to the top! Keep watch on all entrances and exits!"
His crew only hesitated for a moment before moving out of the way.
"There's poison down there!" shouted Elekid.
"Then, bolt the hold! Let them suffocate!" snapped the Serperior as he and the rest of his crew went to the top deck.
Chimchar and the others did as was told and sealed all of the entrances as best as they could. The Captain had little doubt that that plan would actually work, but he needed to buy time, time to strategize and find answers. True, there were only three of them that he knew of, but as long as they held the control to the lower decks, and more importantly, those rockets, those Maiju could easily sink the ship and put the whole operation in jeopardy.
Captain Enzio," went to the Captain's Quarters on the merchant ship to interrogate the only person on the boat who could know what was going on. Timburr had managed to bandage the bleeding on Dewott's legs and tied him to a chair.
"I need answers, wake him up," he ordered.
Timburr slapped the Dewott awake.
The otter gritted his teeth, his eyes strained. He started up at the Serperior with hate in his eyes. "What do you want?" he spat.
"What's with the Eevee, the Meowth, and the Pikachu?" the Serperior was direct in his questioning.
"What are you talking about, pirate?" asked the otter.
Serperior wondered if he was playing dumb, but he had to make sure. "Why is half the cargo replaced by rockets?"
"...What?" Dewott stared.
"How could you not know that a sizable amount of your cargo is in rockets?" snapped the Serperior Captain. Now he was starting to get worried. If even the merchant ship's Captain did not know his own cargo, something was amiss. Who were those Maiju? Random stowaways would not replace the cargo with explosives.
Dewott just looked at him. "... That makes no sense."
"Agreed."
A large explosion rocked the boat. Captain Enzio looked out the window with horror as the crane access hatch was blown off its hinged and into the sky. A veil of smoke erupted forth, spilling over the top deck.
"Prepare for trouble!" said Eevee.
"And make it double!" said Pikachu.
Two small figures were lifted out from the smoke as a platform lifted them above the smoke.
"We have a moving platform down there?" Dewott's eyes went wide.
"To protect the world from devastation!" said the Eevee as she raised her head up in the sky.
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" said Pikachu, as he flashed a grin.
Serperior shook his head. What were they even doing? Didn't they realize that this was making themselves vulnerable? Was this a diversion for some sort of attack? Or were they so utterly without fear that they felt the need to waste time on something so… ridiculous and nonsensical?
Eevee raised her paws as if grasping for something intangible. "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
Pikachu grabbed onto one of Eevee's paws and extended his other paw skyward."To extend our reach to the stars above!"
Captain Enzio thought about it some more. Such madness should be destroyed; if they had a plan, dawdling gave him no benefit. "What are you waiting for!?" he barked at his crew, who apparently had been so stunned by the ridiculousness they forgot to attack. "Attack them! Attack them while they're distracted!"
That sent several of the pirates into a frenzy as they went to make their move.
Nearly a dozen Maiju had rushed at them, sending ranged attacks their way. Water Gun, Ember, and Thundershock flew at the insolent pair.
Eevee and Pikachu leapt from the platform and went promptly behind cover.
"No fair! You interrupted the motto!" cried the Eevee.
"They have no sense of style!" snapped Pikachu.
"You're out numbered at least ten fold!" hissed the Serperior. "Surrender!"
"How about, no?" Eevee shouted. She threw something and suddenly there was an Arbok on the deck.
"Yeah, you show them!" Pikachu said, just as a flash of light materialized a Victribel and a Weezing.
And then Victribel promptly attacked the Pikachu, threatening to eat him.
"No, no, don't eat me!" shouted the Pikachu before the Victribel spat him out.
"Sorry!"
The Serperior's eye twitched…. What was going on? Were these clowns? "...You're … still surrounded and outnumbered?" Suddenly, victory seemed less guaranteed; the opposition had doubled their numbers with fully evolved Maiju. Yet, what else were they going to do?
Victribel threw a current of Razor Leaves into the air and slashed at many of the approaching swabbies. Elekid fell unconscious from this attack.
Meanwhile, the partially recovered Salazzle Twins lobbed poisonous slime at the enemy, only for the Weezing to intercept. Pikachu shocked them both, causing one to go down, whilst forcing the other to withdraw with her wounded sister. Weezing then belched poisonous gas in the air.
The flying types in the crew took to the skies, using their wings to blow away the smoke, only for Arbok to send poison stings their way. Starly crashed into he mast as a result.
Utter chaos broke out. It was obvious to Captain Enzio that these … hooligans were used to situations like this. They were not breaking, nor panicking. And despite being heavily outnumbered, their forces were fresh and rested while his were tired and exhausted from earlier fights. Honestly, it was hard to say who would ultimately win right off the bat.
Given the situation, they must have been tested against combats like this on a regular basis. That could only mean that these were not random stowaways. Perhaps they really were bounty hunters? Or maybe related to victims of any of his previous attacks?
Captain Enzio turned to his ship and spotted Bombardier the Blastoise, who patiently waited for an order. The Captain had one. "You have permission to engage! Get those Maiju off of our prey!"
"Aye! Aye!" Bombardier shouted. He leveled his canons and blasted a torrent of water at the opposing Maiju.
Arbok got hit directly and knocked out in a single volley.
"No!" shouted Eevee. "You'll pay for that!"
Captain Enzio snorted. "And what are you going to d-"
Suddenly, the platform raised again, this time revealing Meowth with a strange contraption. Dozens of tubes of bumbled up rockets were attached to it. A lit fuze sizzled from behind, whilst Meowth twisted the entire contraption to the side of the merchant ship… and onto Captain Enzio's ship.
The Captain had no time to give an order before it was too late. One moment, his ship was fine, his specialist Bombardier standing vigil over it. Then, the next moment, a massive swell of explosions tore the entire portside open and everyone on that ship was struggling to keep her afloat. . Goods and belongings fell into the sea. Bombardier was nowhere to be found, either. It was more damage than the veteran pirate captain expected.
"What took you so long?" Pikachu shouted at the Meowth.
"You didun finish da motto!" said Meowth, in a very horrible accent.
"That rude jerk cut us off!" Pikachu crossed his arms in a pout.
That caused a cascade of panic to fall over the Captain's ranks. Suddenly, no one knew what to do and several of the crew were attempting to rescue their own from the sea.
Captain Enzio howled. His pride and joy had been ruined in a single instant. He would have his revenge. "Stand firm! Take this ship! Relocate all operations here!" he shouted. "We can still get everything!" Though that did not stop his crew from fleeing entirely. Therefore, an example needed to be set.
He slithered over the deck and went to break those hooligans for what they did. Victribel was the first to meet him. Though the plant had strong resistance to the element of grass, Captain Enzio would not have gotten to where he was if he was not flexible in his ways. Wind gathered around his tail.
Victribel threw out his vines to grab him, but the Serperior was too fast and strong. His Aerial Ace blade cut the vines and tore at the plant-creature's side.
Green chlorophyll scattered every direction from the cuts and Victribel was rendered unconscious. The wound was easily recoverable, perhaps.
Weezing came next. The ball of filth threw out sludge at him.
Enzio blocked the attack, but only just. Poison smeared itself against his body, corroding his scales and causing his leaves to wither.
He had to make this quick, make this fast. He used his Aerial Ace again and went for a strike… only for flames to engulf his side.
Captain Enzio knocked whatever it was out of the way, turning his attention to the source. To his surprise, it was Eevee, her eye aflame.
"You…" she snapped, her voice filled with madness. "You hurt my Arbok! You woke me up early, tried to strangle me! You stopped our motto!"
Captain Enzio had no way to explain what was happening as fire seemed to engulf the Eevee. Was that even real? Surely, Eevee couldn't learn Flare Blitz or Flame Wheel?
Eevee lunged at him, hitting him in the gut.
Captain Enzio swung his tail at the Eevee's direction, his tail leaves wreathed in the power of grasslands. His tail promptly caught on fire and burned at Eevee's presence.
Seeing no other option, he slammed his body into the Eevee's side.
Eevee in turn shoved her way through and knocked him on his back.
Captain Enzio tried to slither away, but Eevee leapt on top of him and trampled his belly repeatedly. How could something so small be so powerful? It hurt to breathe!
"But most importantly...you ruined my hair!"
Captain Enzio turned his body and noticed at Eevee's hair was smeared green from the chlorophyll that spilled from Victribel.
… He just fell onto his side, defeated and unwilling to put up with this madness any longer.
Eevee, thankfully, breathed a sigh of contentment. She then walked away, seemingly pleased. A small mercy if there was one.
Captain Enzio was dimly aware that most of his crew had either retreated to the sinking ship or surrendered to those aboard. None of them were willing to put up a fight after that Eevee bested him.
Pikachu wandered over to him and to add insult to injury took his hat. "And that is for hurting Victribel! You don't deserve this, you, you…. Ruffian!"
Captain Enzio stared up at Pikachu. "Who are you?"
"Well, you could have let us do the motto, but no! You had to attack us while we were doing it!" Pikachu sighed. "Who are you anyways?"
"... You don't know who I am?" Captain Enzio felt his heart break even more than when Eevee crushed his chest.
"No. Are we supposed to? We were kind of just hitching a ride." Pikachu questioned as he took the hat and put it on his head. "Hm, maybe I can get a sailor's jacket to go with this?"
Captain Enzio laughed. He was a pirate who had terrorized Citrine for hundreds of moons and survived many hunters coming to collect his bounty. And he was bested by… stowaways who had no idea who he was. The gods must have decided to mock him.
"Hey!" he heard Dewott's voice speak. "I have no idea who you guys are or how you got here, but if you can get me free, I think I can give you folks a good reward. How do you guys feel about having the money to buy your own ship? You guys have any experience?"
Pikachu turned and walked into the Captain's Quarters. "Huh, well, we're normally used to having small submarines, so yes?"
Captain Enzio felt his consciousness slipping. Or perhaps he was going to wake up, and find all of this ridiculousness a dream.
It was a horrid afternoon at sea.
Silver tried very hard to keep still, even going so far as to hold his breath.
"Where is he!?" Gligar shouted as she flew overhead.
"He can't have gotten far!" Voltorb said as they rolled over to a stone. "But he knows how to hide!"
Totodile's gaze slowly drifted towards the bushes. "He isn't there."
But try as he might, Silver felt himself losing air and he tried hard to keep his breath held. Yet, though he tried with all of his might, the Sneasel let out a cough and gasped for air.
Gligar pointed towards the source of the noise. "I heard something!"
"There you are!" Totodile called as he neared his trainer and pulled him from the bushes.
Silver fell onto his knees and looked up Totodile in the eyes. His insides burned from having to hold his breath for so long, yet he was not going to let that deter him. "I don't need your help. I'm simply training."
"You train waaay too much," Totodile said simply. "When was the last time you ate anything other than a heap of trail mix? Or slept for more than three hours a day?"
Silver felt a pang of hunger from his stomach. Yet he wasn't going to let himself be seen as weak, not by him of all Pokémon. He kept his vision locked at the Pokémon before him. "And that's supposed to be a problem? I can take care of myself."
"Clearly," Totodile spat. "Can you even stand?"
The Sneasel pushed himself off the ground.
Totodile shoved him back and the Sneasel found himself nearly tumbling back down. Only with a practiced motion of his feet was he able to keep standing.
Frustrated, the Sneasel lunged back and went to push the offending Pokémon back.
Totodile didn't even flinch. The push went into him, yet he stood firm. "You're too we-."
"Don't say it!" Silver hissed. He was not weak, he was not going to fall.
Totodile stared at the former human, his arms crossed. He said nothing for a good minute. "You've been like this ever since we fought those humans. You didn't even wait to get healed to start punching trees, even when that Blissey told you what would happen if you don't take a break."
"We could have won that fight!" Silver shouted back. "It's only because that stupid Riolu has a death wish that we were defeated!"
Totodile began to rebuke him, only to be cut off before even being allowed to speak.
"Then, if you have been defeated, I would like to know about what lessons you have learned," a deep bellowing voice called out to the group.
Everyone turned their attention and saw Master Arcanine. By his side were two Basculegion, one male and one female; they floated beside him, their eyes trained to look for others nearby.
The one of the spectral fish spoke in his ear. "There's no one but us."
Master Arcanine nodded at his attendants before inclining his head towards the other Pokémon and especially Silver. "Greetings, my students. I wish to hear of your battle."
Silver immediately lowered his head in a bow, Totodile as well. Gligar landed right next to them both and Voltorb merely rolled forward slightly.
Master Arcanine gave a short bow himself before he continued to speak, "Given your last letter to me, take it that things may have not gone to plan." His eyes focused onto Totodile. "I wish to know more."
"We had done as was requested," Totodile answered. "We had cornered Scholar Aspen's apprentice as well as another Pok-Maiju belonging to that group present when we visited the Scholar's laboratory, er, manor." He then turned his head towards Silver, a clear instruction to speak.
Silver nodded his head, understanding. "My suspicion was correct. Some of them were human, whilst the rest were Pokémon under their command. I also stole a Pokédex and also determined they were from my homeland."
Master Arcanine nodded his head. "How is it that they were able to locate you?"
"We don't know. Sometime late at night, they just attacked us from out of nowhere. If it wasn't for the Charizard making so much noise, we would have been caught completely off guard." Silver said honestly. It bugged him as he couldn't figure out how that suicidal Riolu had managed to locate his group. Did that Squirtle have a locator chip or something? Or perhaps it was something simple and he had made a mistake somewhere down the line?
Master Arcanine shook his head. "Troubling. And whose fault was it that you were defeated?"
"I-" Silver opened his mouth only for Gligar's shrill voice to talk over him
"I… got into a fight with Totodile!" Gligar admitted. Her pincers clawed at each other nervously. "... Because I thought Silver was going to enslave me with one of those orbs!"
Master Arcanine walked over to Gligar. "Tell me more."
"... Well, he was there and he was human and I thought that meant that he owned Zorua!""
"She tricked you. Zorua are tricksters. You simply got fooled." Silver said simply.
Gligar winced. "And I wasted time and energy with Totodile, because he had a slave ball and… I panicked because I thought I'd be next."
"... No, I get it," Totodile said. "I didn't have mine destroyed and you were never taught how they worked."
"If I had known it would have been a problem, I would have seen to destroying it," Silver said.
"But you don't have to!" Totodile shouted back. "I mean, it's got uses!"
Silver glanced at Totodile and wondered why he even cared about a hunk of plastic and metal that arguably had no use here.
Master Arcane drew their attention by speaking. "It's interesting how the three of you were willing to shift the blame onto yourselves instead of thinking that there might not have been a chance of victory at all."
Silver scowled; he did not like the implications.
Master Arcanine shook his head. "Silver, you cannot win every battle; no matter how hard a warrior tries, there will always be defeats. A true warrior has to learn from them." He then turned to the others. "Tell me, my students, have you learned any lessons you would apply in the future?"
"Sleep less, train more," Voltorb said dryly.
"...Trust in my teammates and don't get tricked by Zorua, singular and plural," Gligar answered.
"Better coordination with teammates," Totodile answered next.
Silver frowned, not having a good answer. He supposed he could have made better decisions during the fight, but he had a feeling that Master Arcanine wanted something more from him than that. He supposed he could have done the same answer as Totodile did, but that would have lazy. "... I do not have a good answer."
Master Arcane turned to the Water-type. "Totodile, what would be the most important lesson for Sneasel here to learn?"
"Better coordination with teammates," Totodile repeated.
Silver scowled. "Is that it?"
"It's true!" Totodile raised his head. "We are supposed to be a team!"
"Indeed, you are. All four of you are part of a growing team to show your strength in front of the gods," said Master Arcanine. "And, not only that, but you are my students. Though not all of you will become part of the Keepers, it still helps to learn to work with others."
They were going to insist on it, weren't they? He wasn't weak; he didn't need anyone to fight his battles for him, not when he had his own two claws.
Silver sighed. He supposed he could at least fight with Totodile by his side better, though he didn't like the idea. "Of course, Master."
Master Arcanine gave him a hard look before turning his head away. "I suppose that will do for now. I cannot always guide you through this journey as you follow the path the first Bearer took."
A round of nods happened among Silver's group.
"If that is all, I will soon need to head to Hyacinth Highlands, as I have to observe a recent discovery," said Master Arcanine.
"About Team Rocket?" Silver asked. A swell of… loathing built inside of him as thought of that annoying song that played in his father's casinos. It was just the Team Rocket style, too. Set up a front business to gather resources and materials, then actually do whatever mission the boss wanted done. "Have they been dealt with?"
Master shook his head. "I am afraid not. They managed to escape custody, though we have determined the ringleaders are now on the run. Where they are, it is hard to say at this point."
"... Did Silver's father send them to retrieve him?" asked Totodile, his tone worried.
"I am afraid we do not know," said Master Arcanine. "The workers they left behind did not seem to know anything other than their assigned jobs. They seemed interested in continuing to operate that establishment."
"Just as long as they change that stupid song," Silver grunted. He supposed that was good enough. The Team Rocket agents were the bigger issue anyways. Without resources and with the Keepers on the lookout for them, they weren't going to be a problem, not for long.
Master Arcanine gave him an odd look before turning to Totodile. "Silver, Totodile, remember that Citrine is a gift, a new beginning for all Maiju on its shores. And yes, Silver, even you as long as you accept that you are one of us. Perhaps it would have been better if newcomers were still afflicted, but we cannot change the past."
"Yes, Master." Silver said back.
"Good." The Arcanine nodded his head and turned to the Basculegion beside him. "It is unfortunate, but duty calls. I will see you again, my students."
Again, Silver's group bowed their heads slightly.
Master Arcanine rode off down the road, his attendants barely able to keep up with him.
"And now, we should get you something to eat and get you back to bed!" Totodile immediately declared as he grabbed onto the Sneasel's clawed hand.
"You were never this… insistent before, but fine." Silver rolled his eyes, but he knew Totodile was in the right this time given how weakened he was.
Totodile practically danced as he dragged the former-trainer towards the town.
"So, where are we going off to now?" Voltorb said, rolling beside them. "I mean, after sleeping and eating."
"If we can't get more people, we'll need to skip Tanzanite and head off somewhere else," Silver admitted. "That one apparently has a seven person requirement."
"Right," Voltorb muttered. "I wonder where we'll get three more Maiju…."
"Hey, Silver, is your dad really that bad?" Gligar asked suddenly. "I mean, I was told about you being human, but I never heard about anything about your dad."
"Whatever, you're thinking, he's worse." Silver said, recalling the fact his father tended to have his men poach and steal Pokémon, on top of committing worse crimes. That thing in particular was… too much for him.
Thankfully, neither his father, nor his men would recognize him like this.
In a room at the back of the bathhouse, Brock looked up at the afternoon Sun and knew almost on instinct that today was the day. He felt it in his bones, like a dam about to burst. He was going to evolve. In fact, his body felt like it wanted to evolve as soon as possible.
It was only because Brock suppressed that urge that he remained a Rockruff for now, but the Rock-type had no intention of holding back indefinitely like Bulbasaur and Squirtle chose. Instead, Brock wanted to wait until nightfall.
He would finally have hands again when he turned into a Midnight Lycanroc!
Not that he hated being a Rockruff, per say, but he had grown up being able to use his fingers for everything. And it would be great to finally be able to help the others by using hands… or rather dexterous paws. Man, is it going to be odd going to be a biped again? Maybe, but it'll be worth it.
It was hard to feel bad about his situation. The bath and the Geodude gave him made his fur feel fresh. Sure, it was nerve wracking at the time, since he had to stay in the water and have soap rubbed into his coat. But now that he was dry, it felt like there was a massive weight off his back.
He turned a glance towards the others as they continued to clean up. While Ash and Misty were already gone and probably back at the inn they rented, many of the Pokémon who were out and trying to search for Ash still needed to bathe themselves.
Hopefully Geodude won't be having that much of a problem with Vulpix. She tolerates baths, but she doesn't love them.
CRUNCH!
Brock turned and noticed Charizard biting down on a melon, his massive jaws cutting it into pieces.
"What?" Charizard said, fruit juices dripping from his mouth. "That Magmar gave me a melon."
"You're making a mess of yourself," Brock said and then he blinked. "I'm honestly surprised you let someone bathe you. I know Ash had a hard time doing that."
"Challenged Charizard," Onix answered.
Charizard crossed his arms. "Water isn't that dangerous to a Fire-type unless it drops your body temperature too far. Besides, there were snacks and I was feeling hungry."
"Right," Brock shook his head. He supposed it made sense, food was something the dragon seemed to value as a priority ever since he evolved. On that, the Rockruff had an idea, a thought that only Charizard himself could answer. "So, what's it feel like to evolve?"
Surprised, Charizard choked on his melon and spat out the chunks onto the floor. He pounded on his chest as if to make sure he could breathe properly. "... Uh, what you want to know?" he said in a raspy voice.
That was an odd reaction, but Brock assumed that it was just because he asked the question at the wrong time. "I'm about to evolve and I want to know what it's like. The only other Pokémon here that I could ask about it is Pikachu… and you know his reaction."
"Right. Evolution is… a rush. Like, using a move, but instead it's your whole body doing it.," Charizard said. "You feel everything about you change and… you're suddenly more than you've ever been. And everyone around you looks so much smaller…"
Brock frowned, remembering the difference in scale between a Rockruff and a Lycanroc. It would have been a big change to grow that much. He would grow to nearly the size he had been as a human, all in a few seconds. Suddenly, it brought Charizard's attitude into perspective… and that posed a concern for the soon-to-be Lycanroc. "... Will I act differently?"
"Probably," Charizard admitted. "Like, imagine carrying a heavy stone and it being very hard to to do. When you evolve, it might not be so hard anymore. And then there's the things that you could only dream of doing before, like flying."
"Jealous," said Onix. "Wish Steelix could fly."
"Maybe there's an alternate evolution?" Charizard shrugged. He then turned to stare at Brock. "Something on your mind?"
"Sort of," Brock admitted, his thoughts swimming. What would happen if he evolved and had the same sort of thing like Charizard? Would he suddenly have the confidence and the urge to go talk to every female Pokémon that seemed interested in him on a date? Or worse and develop a bit of a reckless streak, too?
"What's it about? " Charizard questioned and then squinted his eyes. "It's about me isn't it?"
Brock felt a pang of tension go through him and then nodded. "... You promise you won't get upset?"
"No," Charizard huffed. "But fine. I'll try not to."
"... I'm worried about what'll do once I evolve." Brock said. "If I'll…"
"Become me?" Charizard said, his tone almost solemn. He took a breath as if to calm himself. "I know my reputation, okay?"
Brock nodded. He hadn't really thought of Charizard as anything but a brute, but the dragon was far smarter than he had assumed.
"Look, if you don't want to evolve, the Rockets gave us an everstone somewhere around here, just… do what you feel you can do, okay?" Charizard continued.
The Rockruff nodded again. It was not the answer he expected, but then again, he never expected to have this kind of talk with Charizard before.
"Brock!" voices called out.
The Rockruff turned to see many of his Pokémon walking into the room. Vulpix walked in with that minty ribbon they had gotten at the start of this adventure. Zubat flew above her, dressed up in a bathrobe. Last was Geodude, who had a glossy sheen to his rocky coat.
"Yo!" Geodude pointed a finger at his trainer. "You have no idea how much time it took to get everyone presentable."
"You did fine work!" Vulpix said. "I mean, you're not bad given your practice."
"Yeah!" cried Zubat. "I mean, I can't see what you did, but I feel great!"
Geodude grunted.
Brock ran over to them with surprising speed, his tail wagging as he did. "Hey, I can't wait til I can help you out."
"It'll be great to not have as much hair between my fingers!" laughed Geodude.
Onix made a loud bellowing laugh, as well.
Meanwhile, Charizard decided to go back to eating melons, ignoring the rest of the group.
Brock was tempted to talk to him again, but decided that the Fire-type wanted to be alone for the moment.
"So, are you excited for something, Brock?" said Zubat. "I can hear your tail shaking back and forth."
"A little," the Rockruff admitted. He didn't feel too much shame from having his tail swishing as it did. After all, it was natural to him, expected even. "I guess I'm kind of happy we all got to properly clean up, at more or less the same time."
"Yeah, pity Ash had to go run." Vulpix said before frowning. "I was never that bad, right? I don't think I ever ran out on being given a bath when it was necessary."
"Correction, when you thought it was necessary!" Zubat said.
"Why, I never!" Vulpix raised her head in a dignified manner.
"Hey, Brock, back me up here!" Zubat said.
Brock chuckled. "Maybe, once or twice?" he proposed.
Vulpix made an over dramatic gasp. "Well, that's because they weren't necessary baths!"
Raucous laughter shook the group. Even Vulpix who was technically the subject made a light chuckle, herself.
"So, all we have to do is check out right?" Zubat questioned as she flapped her wings in that bathrobe. "Check out and return all of the things we borrowed?"
"That's right," Brock said. "We already paid, so we can checkout whenever we want."
"Do we have to do it at a specific time?" Vulpix asked. "I never had to think about it much the last time I went to one of these places, so I never paid attention to the rules."
"Last time?" Brock asked and then remembered. "Oh, with Suzy." There were bath houses in Kanto and some even catered to Pokémon.
"That's right."
Brock thought for a moment. "We don't have to check out immediately, but I think we're covered until we leave or at the end of the day, whichever comes first."
Vulpix turned out the window and saw the last of the Sun's rays filter through. "Maybe we can watch the sunset before we go?"
"Good idea," Onix agreed.
With a decision set, the group of Pokémon moved out of the room they had borrowed and onto a patio that faced the Sun, just as it made its descent.
Brock immediately felt warmth enter his body, like a surge of electricity making his hair stand on end. The Rockruff steadied himself before planting his rear onto the floor.
Vulpix and Geodude sat by his side, whilst Zubat landed on top of his head. Lastly, Onix coiled around them all.
It was great to be in the company of his friends, Brock decided.
"I can't see the Sun," Zubat announced. "But I can always feel its warmth!"
"Sun beautiful," Onix said. "One day, you will see."
"I know, I can't wait til I evolve!" cried Zubat. "I'll be able to do things I couldn't before!"
The Sun slowly dipped down past the Horizon, the light it gave fading away.
Funny, Brock had this conversation with Charizard just a moment ago. "You really, looking forward to it?"
"Definitely! I know I have to train up a bit, but I want to see things like you guys can!" Zubat answered. "What about you? Or everyone else? You looking forward to evolving?"
"That's a pass from me!" Geodude answered. "I like fitting indoors."
Onix let out a laugh like a grindstone. "Wish had option."
"I… wouldn't mind evolving." Vulpix said. "But… I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. I know all I have to do is find a Fire Stone, but that's not what I mean."
"Any minute now," Brock admitted.
That drew the attention of the rest of his friends.
"I told you it was close…. But I think it's really here, this time," the Rockruff answered, his attention still focused on the warmth of the Sun. "It's a good day for it. We had baths, for starters."
"Huh, I'll need to come up with a new nickname for you then," Geodude murmured.
"You'll make a good Lycanroc…. I think. What are they like?" Vulpix questioned.
"You'll see," Brock smirked.
"I won't!" Zubat proudly declared, a laugh escaping her mouth.
Brock found himself relaxing in the company of his friends, a certain eagerness in his heart. It was strange to think that a month ago, he could never have imagined he would go through the process of evolution like a Pokémon did. Humans simply had it different, but then again, he wasn't human anymore and he wasn't going to be one for a long time.
Maybe when he got back home, he could share his findings with Professor Oak and make a personal testimony.
Power, feelings, emotioned rushed into him. Brock immediately felt himself… changing, on the inside, then spreading out.
And then he realized, he was too early. Half of the Sun was still visible.
The Rockruff went to try to bottle the sensation away, to hold back just a bit longer, but it was too late.
His friends leapt out of the way light engulfed him.
Brock was evolving.
A bit of a jab at "betrayal fics" there, in that first part. Also, some call forwards to literally every baby Pokémon Ash kept on his team.
I felt like I needed to show what Team Rocket was doing lately. And well, what better way to summarize it than them being ridiculous.
Also, James is now possibly going to become a Captain Pikachu.
Silver got a part. I imagine that readers want to know more about what makes him tick.
And lastly, Brock and evolution.