"Paul! You owe me a rematch!"
Ash stomped over to Paul, fire in his eyes as the boy turned around in confusion. It only took a moment for recognition to settle in, Paul adopting an ugly sneer as he locked eyes with Ash.
"You?" Paul spat, "Don't make me laugh. I'm not gonna waste my time with you. Did you forget about what happened in Floaroma Town?"
"That was different!" Ash shot back angrily, "We're way stronger now!"
Wick nodded in agreement, his tail flame already starting to burn brighter.
Paul scoffed. "I don't care. You're still miles beneath me. You think I've just been sitting around doing nothing for the past two months? Leave me alone and spare yourself the embarrassment."
Ash's temper flared. "So what? If you really thought that you'd just battle me! Are you scared or something?"
Paul's eye twitched, even as he turned around to leave.
Bingo.
"So you are a coward!" Ash goaded, "No wonder you -"
"Enough!" If looks could kill, Ash would be six feet under with the way Paul was glaring at him. "If I beat you, will you get lost?"
"Sure!" Ash quickly agreed, nodding his head excitedly, "But I'm not losing this time!"
Paul just scoffed again. "It's your funeral."
Wick growled beside Ash, becoming just as riled up as his trainer was for this rematch. Ash would show Paul! He had no clue what he was in for!
And his stupid Elekid, too!
"Let's go, Thorn!" Ash shouted, releasing his second-ever pokemon the moment he saw Paul's choice, "Time to show them what we're made of!"
Thorn narrowed her eyes the moment she realized who she was facing. Her love for battling had not diminished in the slightest following her evolution, but it took a bit more to get a visible reaction that displayed just how eager she was to fight these days.
Staring down Paul and his Elekid was that little bit more and beyond.
"Alright!" Ash yelled, wanting to take the initiative, "Stun Spore into Water Sport!"
"Quick Attack." Paul ordered decisively, "Get in and out."
Thorn grunted as Elekid slammed into her, but didn't falter. She followed through with Ash's directions, releasing a cloud of Stun Spore that Elekid was barely able to escape from. With a moment to breathe, she then began spraying out a thin mist of water, which would weaken any potential Fire Punches that Elekid could have brought.
Not that it was going to be using them anyways - not with the ticking time bomb of Stun Spore that would certainly signal a double knockout if Elekid decided to try a Fire Punch inside its radius.
Paul glared, staring at the center of the cloud Thorn was in keenly. "Swift. See what its defenses are like."
Ash cursed. "Magical Leaf!"
Thorn still hadn't perfected the move by any means, but the only defense Thorn had against a ranged attack like Swift was a good offense - and Magical Leaf was the only technique in Thorn's arsenal that could be reliably used to deflect anything.
It took longer than he would have liked, but Thorn was able to shake a handful of leaves off of her body, pulling them into the air thanks to some unseen power and launching them headfirst into the incoming Swift. The result wasn't great, with far more of the Swift continuing on and blowing up on Thorn, but at least some of the onslaught was stopped by the Magical Leaf.
And if Ash's eyes weren't deceiving him, it looked like Elekid had taken a hit or two from a stray leaf as well.
"You okay, Thorn?" Ash called. Thorn nodded resolutely, quickly composing herself, and the two of them shared a grin.
"Extrasensory! Pull it into the Stun Spore!"
Paul's eyes widened. Yes.
Thorn's eyes flashed pink as she grabbed Elekid and wasted absolutely zero time in dragging it into the noxious cloud of spores that had grown to cover most of the field. Yes!
Elekid squeezed its eyes shut and closed its mouth, but it was only a matter of time before it needed to take a breath. Besides, if it focusing on holding its breath, there was no way it would break out of -
"Fire Punch."
"Are you insane?!" Ash cried, jumping back instinctively as Wick threw himself in front of Ash to protect him from the inevitable explosion.
Boom.
Luckily for Ash and Paul, the explosion that came forth as a result of Paul's stupidity wasn't as big as the one that had caused a cave in against Gabite. It was still large (and painfully hot), but it didn't have the same intensity as the previous ones Ash had stared down. It didn't even coat his face in ash. Whether it was because the Stun Spore had spread out more in the open air, or the Water Sport Thorn had used earlier, Ash couldn't be sure.
As he slowly opened his eyes, Ash was able to take in the carnage that had occurred as a result of the Fire Punch. Thorn was still standing, albeit barely, and she looked awful. Elekid, on the other hand, was a little banged up, but overall no worse for wear as it slowly dissolved the Protect that it had erected.
"Thorn!" He cried, worry temporarily overriding his anger, "Are you okay?"
Thorn, charred and covered in gray muck, slowly turned to him and tried to nod, only to stumble and collapse.
Ash recalled her before she hit the ground.
He saw red.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He screamed, "Are you trying to kill us?!"
Paul sneered. "I'm trying to win, you little crybaby. You'll be fine."
Ash was so angry he was ready to walk through the charred field and punch Paul in the face.
"Are we done here?" Paul questioned derisively, "I've got better things to do than -"
"Shut up!" Ash snarled, "Wick! Get in there!"
Wick was all too happy to take Thorn's place on the battlefield, eyes burning with hate as smoke puffed out of his nostrils.
"Thunder Punch."
"Mach Punch!" Ash barked, "Pin it!"
For the first time since Ash had seen the Elekid, it looked like it was taken off guard by Wick's speed. Wick was in front of Elekid in an instant as he hammered home the Mach Punch before it could react, sending the little electric-type stumbling back.
Wick didn't let up, however, and was quick to follow up on his attack. It was only a moment before he was standing over Elekid again, ready to tear into it with Fury Swipes, only for another Protect to materialize just in time to block Wick's attack. It didn't matter, though, as it broke under Wick's assault after a few seconds, allowing Wick free reign to let loose.
"Thundershock!" Paul ordered, eyes cold. "Complete Discharge."
Wick shrieked as electricity flooded his system, but he didn't stop laying into Elekid. Fire erupted from his mouth as a steady stream of Ember began to burn, roasting Elekid's fur alongside the beating it was taking. The battle was over, even if Elekid continued to try and shock Wick off of it.
So why wasn't Paul recalling his pokemon?
After what seemed like forever, Ash couldn't stand it anymore.
"Wick!" Ash called, "Back off!"
Wick looked like he'd rather do anything that let Elekid go, but he reluctantly obliged, shoving himself off of Elekid, who looked like a lump of coal with how burnt its fur was. Ash scowled when he saw it shakily pull itself back up, trembling slightly as it got back into a fighting stance.
"Are you going to recall it?" Ash questioned, gesturing to Paul's exhausted and injured pokemon, "Elekid clearly can't continue."
Paul rolled his eyes. "Elekid stood up, didn't he? He can keep going."
Elekid raised a fist into the air, as if to show solidarity with his trainer.
Another Mach Punch ensured that it would stay down.
Paul was quiet as he recalled Elekid, but Ash more than made up for the silence with his whoops and cheers praising Wick.
"Hell yes!" Ash shouted, "That's how it's done, Wick!"
Wick roared to the heavens, blasting a small plume of flame into the air as he celebrated his victory. All of a sudden, the celebrations stopped as Wick froze, tiny sparks of electricity jumping across his skin as his muscles locked up on him.
Paralysis.
Ash groaned. It looked like Elekid's desperate final attack had left some lasting damage.
Paul was quiet as he eyed Wick and Ash, before nodding to himself and selecting another pokeball off his belt. Ash didn't like the way Paul's smirk turned vicious, nor was he particularly fond of the pokemon that emerged.
Murkrow was certainly not the best matchup for Wick. Scratch that, Murkrow was probably the worst option for his entire team. Every single one of his pokemon had a type disadvantage to the avian, and to be honest none of them even had a good way to land a hit on an aerial target at this point.
That didn't mean Ash was going to give up though - not in the slightest. Especially not after what Paul did to Thorn.
He'd make him pay.
Murkrow wasted no time in taking to the air, looking down on Wick as though he were a Caterpie.
"Drill Peck," Paul ordered coldly, "Finish this."
Murkrow cawed haughtily, almost as if it was laughing down at them, before making a spinning nosedive right for Wick.
"Meet it with Mach Punch!" Ash called, "Follow up with Ember if you can't overpower it!"
Wick roared out a challenge to the incoming Murkrow, fist cocked back as he met its beady eyes with his own determined glare.
Just as they were about to meet, Wick froze, falling onto one knee as his body was wracked with paralysis. It was only a moment before Wick would have been able to shake it off and refocus, but a moment was all Murkrow needed.
It barrelled into Wick, knocking him into the dirt with its powerful beak before beginning to beat him with its deceptively strong wings.
"Grab it!" Ash cried desperately as he watched his starter get clobbered, "Beat it with Brick Break!"
Wick fought valiantly to stay in the battle. For every blow he took from Murkrow, he punched back, spit fire, or scratched away at the avian, all the while continuously attempting to pull himself up and pin Murkrow down.
Alas, it wasn't enough. Between the paralysis and Murkrow's continued beating, Wick just couldn't pull himself together quick enough to win.
Until Blaze activated.
Wick's eyes burned red as he yelled, launching a veritable wave of fire at Murkrow, who was barely able to dodge out of the way with a panicked squawk.
It glared at Wick from the safety of the sky, even as he continued to launch fireballs up at it at Ash's commands.
Paul sneered. "Confuse Ray."
Ash froze. "Dodge it!"
Murkrow looked quite satisfied with the order as it dove down at Wick again, but this time all it needed to do was get in close and lock eyes with Wick.
Wick screamed.
Ash could only watch on in horror as Murkrow quickly flew away again, leaving Wick to suffer as the Confuse Ray did its job, showing him some unseen horrors that left him swinging seemingly at random and crying out in pain. He shrieked as he began to throw phantom punches and launch fireballs in random directions, before he turned towards Ash, a haunted look in eyes.
He recalled Wick as soon as he saw that, holding his pokeball tight as it shook violently before Wick succumbed to stasis.
This battle was over.
Ash was shaking, both with fury and fear as Paul just scoffed.
"Pathetic." Paul sneered down at Ash, nothing but contempt in his eyes. "You are a complete joke."
Ash didn't respond.
"Why are you even a trainer?" Paul continued, letting Murkrow land in front of him. The bird had a rather pleased look on its face. "You're embarrassing yourself. You pick fights you can't win, you don't take things seriously, and you train worthless pokemon. Your Monferno might have potential, but that Roselia was just as sad as you. I'd pity any other pokemon you might have, but I can't imagine they're worth it."
"Shut up!" Ash hissed, eyes burning, "You don't know anything!"
Paul raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Because I've certainly seen enough from how you act. You're immature, careless, and frankly an idiot."
"Get lost, prick!" Ash snarled, causing Paul to scoff before recalling his Murkrow and walking away, not sparing Ash a second glance.
Just in time too - as he began to wallow in humiliation and anger, Paul missed the satisfaction of making Ash cry.
–
"Alright, Belle," Ash cheered, covering his ears with his hands preemptively, "Finish it with Uproar!"
Belle squeaked out a confirmation, and that was the only warning the girl and her Combee had before Belle let out her ear-piercing cries once more, putting the already weakened Combee out of commission for good.
"Good battle!" Ash said, smiling happily as the girl grumpily forked over a handful of bills. Belle hopped over to them curiously, eyeing the Ash and the girl with that same odd look in her eyes she always had.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, walking away quickly.
Ash didn't know what her problem was - she had challenged him while he was training, not the other way around - but was content to pocket the money with a grin.
"Awesome job, Belle!" He praised, smiling as Belle's eyes quirked upwards and she let out a happy cry that didn't burst his eardrums, "You're great at battling, I think you earned yourself a break!"
Belle let out another cry, before hopping over to where Wick was, content to watch as he worked to perfect Flame Wheel.
Wick was pissed after the battle with Paul. Maybe not to the extent that Ash was, but it was certainly close. Ash decided that the best way to channel that anger (that didn't involve murder) was to throw him back into training and finally perfect Flame Wheel. Wick really needed that extra firepower, no pun intended, since Ember just wasn't cutting it anymore, especially if they wanted to fight Hearthome City's Gym soon. A few seasoned trainers had told him the gym leader used ghost-type pokemon, and Ash had no illusions about it not being a tough battle.
Ash watched as Wick once again began to run on his hands and knees, slowly building up speed until he was little more than a blur to Ash's eyes, before finally curling up into a ball as flames erupted across his body -
Wick stumbled as he rolled across the field, the fire sputtering out as he bowled over himself and ended up as a pile of limbs angrily lying in the dirt.
"Good work, Wick!" Ash tried, watching warily as Wick pulled himself up angrily. He didn't want to have Wick explode in anger and try to burn down a tree. Again. "That's the best attempt yet!"
That part was true - up until a few days ago, the most Wick had been able to was get the speed for Flame Wheel, and he'd immediately fail once he began to implement the 'Wheel' portion of the move.
Wick just snorted, clearly frustrated, before restarting the cycle once more, beginning the run up to gather speed before he inevitably burnt out again. This practice was also a good exercise in patience for Wick - something he seemed to be sorely lacking at the moment.
Belle had been practicing her moves before that trainer had challenged them. Ash was still trying to get a good feel for how strong she was, and Heracross was happy to be a training partner for her, as long as he got some honey out of it.
Heracross was… well, Heracross. He was probably busy licking the sap off of a tree or something, and wasn't Ash's main concern at the moment. Unlike the rest of his team, Heracross didn't have that intrinsic desire to battle and grow stronger. He wasn't averse to battling or anything, but he just simply didn't have the same drive that Wick, Thorn, and even Belle seemingly had. Of course, that didn't mean Ash didn't train him at all - he just had him on a relatively lighter daily schedule compared to everyone else.
Besides, Heracross wasn't the one he was worried about right now.
Thorn had taken a real blow to her pride from the battle with Paul. After Ash had released her to heal her wounds and wipe the soot from her body, Thorn had been unresponsive. It had taken her a few days (as well as plenty of water and sunlight) for her to heal, and the entire time she had been strangely quiet and withdrawn - a stark contrast to the Roselia he knew.
Even now, as she worked to perfect Magical Leaf, she had secluded herself away from the others, focusing on tearing a boulder apart with the move.
Ash sighed. He hated seeing his friend like this, but how was he supposed to make her feel better?
Well, only one way to find out.
"Hey, Thorn," Ash greeted, taking a seat next to the struggling Roselia, "How's it going with Magical Leaf?"
Thorn chirped something at him, shrugging her shoulders, but Ash could immediately tell that her heart wasn't in it.
"Hey, it's alright!" Ash began, voice soft, "This kinda stuff takes time, I get that!"
Thorn chirped again, looking down at the grass lamely.
"Thorn," he tried again, "What's wrong?"
She flinched back for a moment, and Ash wanted to slap himself. He knew exactly what was wrong.
"It's okay that we lost, y'know?" Ash offered, "Paul's a…"
He dearly wanted to say jerk. Or douche. Or…
Well, let's just say he settled on, "Strong trainer."
Thorn didn't respond, keeping her head down miserably as she wilted.
"Losing sucks, I get it," he muttered, "Especially to… him, but we can't let that stop us! I know I haven't been doing the best job with you guys recently, but -"
Thorn finally interrupted him, chirping angrily before she slouched again, gesturing to herself weakly.
Ah.
"It's not your fault, Thorn!" Ash soothed, "Just because you had a few bad matchups doesn't mean anything."
She looked a bit better, finally meeting his eyes, but Ash could tell that she needed that extra bit of support and motivation.
"You know I couldn't be prouder of you guys, right?" Ash smiled. "I'm the luckiest trainer ever."
Thorn smiled at the praise, hiding her face in her flowers in embarassment, but Ash knew it worked.
"Now," he finished, "Once you've got Magical Leaf and Poison Sting down, I have some ideas. How well do you think you can combine moves?"
–
If Jubilife was big, then Hearthome City was nothing short of enormous. It was by far the largest city in Sinnoh, and looked every bit of it.
Unlike Jubilife, however, it wasn't merely a wall of gray skyscrapers that touched the heavens. While there were plenty of them, Hearthome was so much more than that.
If Jubilife was plain, and Oreburgh was industrious, then Ash could only describe Hearthome as beautiful. While the odd skyscraper reached miles above most other buildings, most streets were dotted with old, simple homes and shops that had likely stood for decades, if not more. Apartment buildings were coated in decor so that even the bland red bricks that held them up looked right at home nestled between the other, older homes. He had even seen a massive cathedral a few blocks away.
People and pokemon alike flooded the streets, attracted to Hearthome for one reason or another. The crowds were alight with noise, whether it be from laughter, pokemon cries, or whatever else found its way into his ears. Ash would have liked to have someone outside with him, like Belle, but the streets were tight and he didn't trust her to not burst some poor bystander's eardrums yet.
Ash didn't care about any of that stuff, though. He was here for one thing, and one thing only.
A gym battle.
Gardenia and Roark were tough opponents, sure, but neither of them could hold a candle to the woman who he'd heard referred to as the 'Gateway Gym Leader'.
Fantina.
Anyone who specialized in ghost-types was someone to treat with caution. Along with dragons and dark-types, they were well known to be the one of the most fickle kinds of pokemon to work with at the best of times. And at the worst… well, there was a reason only a few trainers bothered to try and work with a ghost.
So Ash knew he'd be in for a fight. But he had faith that they'd win - no one had been able to stop them before (aside from Paul, but Ash liked to forget about that jerk whenever he could), and they were always getting stronger, so why would that be different now?
Ash fiddled with his poketch as he walked along the bustling streets, the small device on his wrist having become surprisingly helpful to him over the past few weeks. It was a great way to keep his notes collected, thanks to the notepad app, and the map app allowed him to easily plot out his plan for travel after he was finished in Hearthome City.
Currently, his plan was to finish up in Hearthome, and then cross down Route 212 and hit up Pastoria City, before finally moving up to Veilstone, where the real prize awaited him.
The Veilstone Department Store. All the TMs he could ask for.
He had been stingy with his money (outside of his brief splurges for Heracross's honey addiction) for weeks, all in preparation for a trip to the Veilstone Department Store. His pokemon were strong, but TMs would be the thing that sent his team to the next level.
Besides, by the time he reached Veilstone he'd probably have a full team! He'd probably need TMs by that point.
With a triumphant grin, Ash arrived at the pokecenter, one of the many that littered Hearthome City's streets - just one wouldn't have been enough. Surprisingly enough, there weren't many trainers inside, which meant that it was quiet enough for the small television in the corner of the atrium to project itself across the room.
"Breaking news out of Eterna City this weekend," The reporter's tone was grim, her face stony as she stood in front of lines and lines of police tape. "As Eterna City's renown Museum of Sinnoh was robbed late Friday night. Many priceless artifacts and relics were stolen, including the Adamant Orb, which has left many in the scientific community to criticize the city's security measures. An investigation was launched immediately following the incident, and there are already several suspects."
Ash didn't really care that much about whatever had happened, but it was nice to have some noise in the room. It was weird going from the hustle and bustle of outside to the quiet, clinical nature of the pokemon center. Ash was pretty happy that whatever had happened in Eterna had happened while he wasn't there, though. He'd been through enough drama this year already with whatever had happened to him at the Valley Windworks.
Speaking of, that Team Galactic had been causing problems in Eterna City too, right? It wouldn't have been too surprising to Ash if they were somehow the ones behind the theft. But what did he know?
A few of the trainers and the Nurse Joy seemed to be enraptured by the television, however, which helped contribute to the silence that was pervading the building. The Nurse Joy didn't even notice him walking up to her desk until he awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Oh!" She jumped, before straightening up quickly, "I mean, how can I help you?"
"Just a room, please." Ash muttered, trying to ignore the way her eyes shot right back to the T.V. screen after she handed him his key. "Thanks."
"Mhm."
Well she was pleasant.
Whatever. Ash didn't really care for pleasantries anyways, more concerned with the battle for what was going to become his third gym badge - and calling his mom.
He should probably do that.
–
Considering the number of people, and more importantly trainers, that were in and around the city, the Hearthome City Gym was rather empty.
As Ash walked through the entrance, Ash was immediately alerted to the fact that the only people present were himself, a woman whose purple hair was done up in a way that he could only describe as a windmill, matching her dress rather nicely, and…
"Mrs. Berlitz?"
Dawn's mother turned towards him in surprise. "Ash?"
"Uh… hi?"
Ash wouldn't say that he knew Mrs. Berlitz very well - in fact, he barely knew her at all - but even then, he couldn't fathom why she would be at the Hearthome Gym.
"You two know each other?" The other woman asked, bearing a thick accent that Ash once again could not pin down (although he could swear he'd heard it recently), before snapping her fingers. "Oh! How unprofessional of me, not properly greeting a challenger!"
She bowed at an angle so deep that Ash was sure he would have toppled over if he had attempted it. "I am Fantina, Hearthome City's Gym Leader. And you Ash Ketchum, oui?"
Ash blinked. "You know who I am?"
Fantina smiled brightly, her teeth whiter than her eyes. "Of course! I have heard many great things from my friends in Oreburgh and Eterna. You made quite an impression with Roark!"
Ash's face flushed.
Mrs. Berlitz (Johanna, if Ash remembered correctly) gave Ash a fond look. "How have you been, Ash?" She asked curiously, "I haven't seen you in what, a year?"
"Something like that," Ash shrugged awkwardly. "Is this a bad time? I can come back later."
Johanna opened her mouth to respond, but Fantina beat her to the punch. "Not at all, non!" She proclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically, "In fact, I would say now is the perfect time for a gym battle - that is what you came here for, yes?"
Ash nodded enthusiastically, but Johanna was rather hesitant.
"Fantina?" She questioned, "Don't we have to be going soon?"
Fantina nodded. "Oui! But I don't believe I could turn down a challenger, I am a gym leader first, after all! Besides," She sent Johanna a sideways look, "A battle always helps take away those pre-contest jitters!"
"So we can battle?" Ash confirmed excitedly. He couldn't make out everything Fantina was saying, but he didn't hear a no!
"Oui!" Fantina nodded, "We just need to be fast, alright?"
Ash just nodded. "Lead the way!"
Fantina smirked. "Of course! Johanna, care to watch?"
Ash blinked. He hadn't expected any spectators.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Johanna laughed, covering her mouth in an attempt to suppress her giggles, "You know I'm not one for battles!"
"Nonsense!" Fantina bade, turning around with a sweep of her dress and marching away, "I will make it very glamorous, as a warmup for the contest, yes?"
Johanna gave an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes playfully as she got up and began to follow.
"Well," she groaned, "If you insist!"
Ash was starting to feel like he was going to be a spectator to what was supposed to be his own gym battle.
He didn't really like it, to be frank.
–
"This is an official gym battle between Gym Leader Fantina and the challenger, Ash Ketchum! This will be a three-on-three battle, with substitutions permitted for only the challenger! The battle will be finished once both of either trainers' pokemon are unable to continue or the match is forfeited. As the Gym Leader, Lady Fantina will release first."
The referee quickly finished his spiel, stepping back into his box as Ash and Fantina eyed each other from across the flat arena, with Johanna watching quietly from the bleachers.
"Let's get this started, shall we?" Fantina asked, Ash nodding along in agreement. "My loves, let us begin!"
With a dramatic twirl, Fantina threw out her first pokeball, leaving Ash to stare down his first opponent - but not before being briefly blinded by the small fireworks and swirls that popped out of the pokeball as it released its occupant.
"Apologies!" Fantina called, "I forget about the capsule effects sometimes!"
Ash rubbed his eyes irritably until the stars faded from his vision, and was left staring down a little hooded ghost with one red eye that was covered by a bony mask. The Duskull cackled as Ash became reoriented again, its eye bobbing up and down gleefully.
He didn't like it, not one bit. Wick would make sure that laughter was short lived.
Wick appeared with a growl, tense and ready to pounce the moment the order was given.
"Begin!"
"Mach Punch!" Ash began quickly, not wanting to let Fantina have any breathing room.
"Protect!" Fantina ordered calmly.
Duskull cackled again, throwing up a curved green shield in front of itself right before Wick would have made contact. The Protect didn't so much as wobble under Wick's punch, and he growled as Duskull shuddered with laughter.
"Astonish!" Fantina shouted, throwing her hands out wide, "Dazzle them!"
Before Wick could throw another Mach Punch Duskull vanished into nothingness, causing Wick to look around confusedly before returning to his spot in front of Ash.
Ash looked around worriedly. Ghosts were notorious for their ability to vanish from reality, as well as their ability to utilize some otherworldly power to fuel themselves and their attacks.
And judging by the fact that Duskull still hadn't reappeared, it seemed like the little specter was doing just that.
"Now!"
Just like that, Duskull reappeared in front of Wick in a flash - literally. Ash had to cover his eyes as Duskull screeched happily in Wick's face, causing him to flinch back in surprise. Duskull quickly followed it up by blasting him with a Shadow Ball, but instead of exploding in Wick's face it stopped right in front of him - only to blow up in an explosion of dark sparkles and… glitter?
Wick was more disoriented than hurt, but his anger was sky-high regardless. He roared, throwing himself forward into yet another Protect, but was more than happy to punch the shield over and over.
Now, normally Wick's Mach Punch wouldn't do anything to a well-sustained Protect. It took a lot of force for a strong attack to break even a weaker Protect, and this Duskull seemed well trained in the technique. However, Protect was also a very draining move, and it took a lot of energy to mitigate any and all damage - especially under constant pressure.
After a few seconds Duskull groaned, the Protect quivered, and finally broke under Wick's assault. The first Mach Punch merely sent Duskull reeling, but Wick wasn't content to let Duskull recover.
In an instant Wick was upon it again, throwing another Mach Punch that slammed it down into the dirt. He followed it up with an Ember that didn't do much and a Blaze Kick that knocked the slowly recovering Duskull right back into the arena.
"Shadow Sneak," Fantina said calmly, "Then get in close and -"
"Fantina!" Johanna interrupted from the stands, "We really need to hurry this up!" It's nearly five!"
Fantina gasped as Duskull dutifully returned to her side. "Sacré bleu! Has the time gone by that fast!?" She paused, but shook her head. "No, I must finish this battle first! Then we may go!"
Fantina turned towards Ash again, but instead of saying anything she began to whisper commands into Duskull's… ear? Head? Soul? Whatever it was, it made Duskull cackle madly again as he dissolved into shadow again.
"Get ready Wick!" Ash shouted, "It can come from anywhere!"
Wick nodded in understanding, squaring himself up as his eyes darted around. Duskull was content to hide in the shadows, but it would have to attack eventually -
"There!" Ash shouted, Wick immediately turning in the direction he had pointed to. A shadow was creeping along the side of the field towards Wick, and it was obvious what it was.
The moment Duskull pulled itself out of the shadows, Wick was on it.
"Blaze Kick!" Ash ordered, grinning like an idiot as he watched Duskull shakily try to float away.
Right before the attack connected, Duskull howled as a thin purple beam shot out of it and hit Wick right in the chest. It didn't do anything, at least, it didn't look like it, but as Duskull collapsed Wick only had a moment to celebrate before he froze and fainted as well.
"Wick!" Ash cried before darting his head towards Fantina nervously, "What just happened?!"
Fantina recalled Duskull with a sheepish smile on her face, whispering praise into the pokeball as she turned to face Ash. "Your Monferno will be fine!" She called, "Ghosts have access to many devious techniques, and Destiny Bond is no different! Just let him rest for a while!"
She clapped her hands together twice, before plucking another pokeball off of her belt. "As fun as this battle has been," Fantina praised, "Johanna and I do have some arrangements soon, so let us continue, oui?"
Ash nodded as he recalled Wick, slightly put off by how Wick had been taken out in one move. Destiny Bond, Fantina called it?
He'd have to look into that.
Regardless, he couldn't think about that now. He had to turn things around, and soon. Losing Wick so early into a battle was bad - Thorn would have to do the heavy lifting here.
She appeared momentarily, right as Fantina's own pokemon appeared. Floating above the field with a terrifying and jagged grin, the ghost eyed Thorn with the kind of look that would have sent Ash running.
A Haunter.
Wonderful.
"Begin!"
"Extrasensory!" Ash ordered quickly. Haunter were notorious for their ability to dissipate into nothingness, a far cry from the more tangible Duskull that Ash had just fought. If he wanted any hope of winning, Thorn would need to keep it grounded in reality. And she only had one tool for that.
Haunter hissed as the psychic burst clipped one of its hands, but it was much too quick to be seriously affected. It disappeared into a shadow as soon as the fight had begun, and now Thorn was at its mercy.
"Stun Spore!" Ash called. He was unsure if it would work, but it might be enough to keep Haunter from attacking Thorn without warning.
Thorn compiled quickly, but it was for naught. Even inside the cloud of Stun Spore she was defenseless against the ghost, and the Ice Punch Haunter slugged her with was nearly enough to freeze Thorn solid.
Ash gasped as she flew out of the Stun Spore, frost coating her body as she thudded lamely against the ground. Thorn shivered as she tried to push herself up, but Haunter was on her in an instant as its next Ice Punch did freeze her solid.
Well. That was fast.
Ash felt numb as he recalled Thorn. That battle had lasted a matter of seconds. He knew he had lost in that moment. He didn't even want to continue the battle. Regardless, he wasn't about to run away. Heracross would be less than useless trying to hit Haunter, which left him one option.
Belle appeared in a flash, staring blankly up at the Haunter. It laughed once it saw its opponent, nearly losing its focus on levitation as it shuddered with amusement.
Ash idly realized that Fantina hadn't even been giving Haunter orders so far, something that gnawed at his pride even further.
"Begin!"
"Uproar," Ash said weakly, "If it stops moving, try a Hypnosis."
Just like before, Haunter disappeared before either of them could react. Belle was a sitting duck, and she didn't even have the small grace of Stun Spore to protect her - not that did much for Thorn.
However, Belle began her Uproar anyways, much to the chagrin of Ash (and Fantina and the referee, if the way they covered their ears with a wince meant anything). It certainly didn't do anything to Haunter, who was long gone.
It popped out of the shadows behind Belle with a foul grin on its face, one fist cocked back as it prepared to deal the finishing blow -
Belle turned and screamed into Haunter's face.
Haunter reared back, wincing at the noise, which just encouraged Belle to keep crying out.
A glimmer of hope grew in the back of Ash's mind. Maybe Belle could somehow pull this off?
That hope died as soon as Haunter lurched forward, first coated in a black aura as it sent Belle flying into the psychic barriers surrounding the arena.
And just like that, it was over.
Haunter and Belle were both returned quickly - Ash wasn't sure what kind of rush Fantina was in, but he sure didn't want to stick around after that humiliation.
"Good battle!" Fantina called, already making her way across the field to him. Johanna hurried along behind her, more relaxed than she had been at the start of the battle.
"Yeah," Ash muttered, his throat tight, "Good battle."
"I'll say!" Johanna added, "You and your pokemon sure are something! I hope Barry and Dawn are doing half as well as you are!"
Ash shrugged lamely. "I still lost."
Fantina nodded. "You have much to learn, oui. But you are like a newborn in this vast world! There is much to see, much to do! Come back some other day, and I'm sure we'll have a wondrous rematch!"
Ash nodded and turned to leave, head swimming with thoughts of failure, and hurried away as quickly as he could. There was only one other person in the atrium, a receptionist by the looks of it, and he was more than happy to ignore them and -
"Kid, you good?"
"I'm fine," Ash muttered.
The receptionist snorted. "You sure don't look like it. Lost to Fantina?"
Ash nodded. He really wasn't in the mood to talk right now.
He smirked. "Yeah, I know the feeling. She beats me all the time."
Ash eyed the door. Maybe he could just leave?
"Anyways," the teen continued, unaware of Ash's disinterest, "Whenever I get all mopey about losing to the boss, I go and take some time to unload at Amity Square. You should check it out!"
"Uh huh, sure," Ash grunted out, "Thanks."
He definitely wasn't gonna do that. But if it got them off of his back, whatever.
Ash was starting to really get sick of people.
–
Despite his previous thoughts regarding that receptionist, he did in fact go to visit Amity Square once his team had been healed.
Ash didn't want to - not one bit. But it wasn't for him, apparently. Amity Square was a park located in the north of Hearthome where a trainer and their whole team could be out freely, a rarity for cities, and pokemon just loved it. Something about the place just soothed people.
He didn't buy it. But his pokemon, who had been working their tails off for him (literally, in Wick's case) deserved some relaxation time, and at worst it was somewhere for all of them to be together while they were still in Hearthome. He found a relatively secluded spot for himself, a tiny island in the middle of a lake connected to the coast by two bridges, and let his team loose.
They appeared in a burst of scarlet with mixed reactions. Heracross immediately zoned in on the sole tree on the island, flying over to it in an attempt to suck out as much sap as he could.
He didn't have much luck.
The rest of his friends were much more subdued in their reactions. Belle chimed out happily, and Thorn seemed relaxed enough as she splayed out in the soft grass, absorbing as much of the setting sun's light as she could. Wick just grunted, looking up at Ash curiously.
"Hey guys." Ash smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "How're we doing?"
Belle chirped, Thorn slunk into the grass, and Wick shrugged his shoulders tensely. He didn't even know if Heracross heard him based on how entranced he was with that tree.
Not a great start.
Ash sighed, eyes downcast as he felt the sting of his recent failures weighing down on him more than ever.
This sucked. He was having such a good time, and Paul had to come along and ruin everything. And now, with Fantina handing him his butt on a silver platter, all those feelings he had tried to bury over the past few days were surging back to rear their ugly head.
Ash looked back up as he felt Wick nudge his shoulder, concern in his starter's eyes. Thorn looked worried too, and even Belle had gone back to her favorite pastime of staring at Ash.
"Sorry, everyone," he gritted out, shame bubbling over his features as he laughed harshly, "We lost today. That's on me."
Wick cocked his head as the others continued to listen to Ash ramble, confusion evident in his features.
"I'm sorry." Ash sniffled, already feeling his throat get tight. "I'm a bad trainer. I keep picking fights with people we can't beat, I act all tough, but I can't do anything. Paul was right -"
That was as far as he got before Wick snarled, pulling him forward onto his knees and wrapping his arms tightly around his trainer. Thorn joined in the hug a moment later, and that was when the real waterworks started. Belle didn't exactly have the type of arms to hug, but she still hopped onto Ash's shoulder. He barely even registered the ringing so close to his ear. Even Heracross was pulled away from the tree by the commotion, cocking his head curiously as he observed the mosh pit curiously - and soon enough, joining in.
Ash laughed - a real laugh, this time, full of hiccups and sobs - as his pokemon embraced him, his tears flowing harder than ever now. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Ash's tears slowly receding as his mood rose.
With one last shaky breath, he (reluctantly) pulled himself away from his pokemon, a wobbly smile on his face as he took in all of them.
"Thanks," he whispered, "I needed that."
His pokemon responded with their various cries of understanding. Ash made it a game to figure out who made what noise - Heracross's high-pitched chittering, the groans Belle made as she hopped about, Thorn's chirping, and Wick's roars all reached him.
He wiped at his eyes with his free hand, the other still being held hostage by Thorn. "Sorry about that. I was being dumb."
Ash took a deep breath.
"We aren't always gonna win," he admitted, the fact still leaving a bad taste in his mouth as he stood up, "And that's okay. We're even gonna lose badly. But I'll be better. We'll be better, and we'll get back up every time! It might take us a while, but we're gonna be the strongest team ever!"
He punched his fist into the air, and was soon joined by Wick, who shouted out in tandem with his friend. Thorn joined them, determined not to be left out, and soon enough all of them were shouting like a bunch of lunatics.
Except Heracross, who just looked confused again, albeit seemed happy to be included.
Ash laughed happily for the first time in days.
–
They had stayed in Amity Square for a while after that, long after the sun had set. It was nice to just spend time with everyone without having to think about anything. Unfortunately, they did eventually have to leave, so Ash was forced to turn on his brain again and make some changes.
His plan wasn't going to cut it anymore. Ash's illusion of invincibility he had built for himself and his team had been shattered, and he had to be smart.
While Pastoria City was the closest city from Hearthome, it would be foolish to go there and challenge the gym. Crasher Wake, the gym leader (and pro wrestler, apparently), was even tougher than Fantina from what he'd heard. He wasn't about to go and poke that Beedrill's nest.
So here he was, marching along Route 209, slowly making his way to Veilstone City where he could hopefully earn his third gym badge and some much needed TMs.
It would be a long trip.
There wasn't much civilization in between the two cities beyond a few small villages and some vast farmland, so it would just be Ash, his team, and the elements for a few weeks. There was a single noteworthy settlement on the way, Solaceon Town, but even that was just a small collection of farms and buildings that had a pokemon center. Apparently there were some ruins near the town as well, but Ash had no interest in going down into some old, decrepit caves again anytime soon. The only real purpose Solaceon Town served for Ash was being a divider between Route 209 and Route 210.
As a consequence of such little infrastructure across the three Routes that Ash would be covering, there wasn't exactly a surplus of trainers willing to train or travel along the way. Ash was fine with that though - he had already begun reducing how much they were training. As nice as it was to constantly work to get stronger, with the gift of hindsight he could easily see how close to becoming overworked they were.
They had all the time in the world to get stronger, there was no need to burn themselves out now.
–
Ash was lost.
Completely, utterly, hopelessly, lost.
He had been walking along Route 210 for awhile now, going along the winding road to Veilstone, but a deep fog had rolled in the other day and showed no signs of letting up. Ash hoped that he was still on the right path, but for all he knew he had completely turned himself around and was on the path right back to Solaceon Town. He could barely see a few feet in front of him, and the few rickety tree branches that hung above him were his only company.
It wasn't a great feeling, to be honest.
A small breeze blew by, and Ash instinctively went to pull his hat down further on his head. His hand reached up, aiming for the brim, only to hit nothing but air.
What?
His hands immediately shot to the top of his head. Sure enough, his hat was gone, no longer keeping his unruly hair from shooting up.
Ash's breath hitched. This couldn't be happening. His hat, his hat, he needed it. He had sent in what must've been a million postcards for it years ago, back when he and his mother still lived in Kanto, and it was so worth it! Nowadays, it was pretty much his last connection to his old home. He remembered the sheer joy of finally getting a package back from the Indigo League, hat included, those days of gloating about it with Gary of all people finally being jealous of him for something -
The sound of happy chirping shook Ash out of his thoughts, and he looked up in a frenzy. His blood began to boil as he saw a little blue bird with cloud-like wings holding his hat in its beak, holding tightly to one of the gnarled branches above his head.
He was going to murder that Swablu.
"Hey!" Ash screamed at it, "Give me back my hat!"
The Swablu twittered at him mockingly, cocking its head as it retained its hold on his hat.
Ash snarled. That was the wrong choice.
Belle and Thorn appeared in an instant, both looking around curiously before Ash snapped his fingers impatiently.
"Uproar! Extrasensory! Get my hat back!" He ordered, jabbing a finger at the offending Swablu.
His pokemon were quick to follow through on the commands, and Swablu had zero chance to defend itself from the incoming assault. The Uproar reached its ears first, making Swablu cringe back in pain before Thorn grabbed it in her psychic hold and heaved.
Swablu was thrown from its perch in the trees, landing roughly on the ground as Thorn quickly began to advance on it. It finally let go of his hat, dropping it to the ground as it opened its beak and began to… sing?
An odd mix of chirps and notes began to flow from Swablu's beak. The moment Ash heard the song his eyelids felt someone had attached weights to them, his body faltering as he stumbled to the ground. Despite his brain screaming at the rest of his body, he yawned. He just felt so tired, and the ground felt so -
Belle cried out noisily, jerking Ash awake as her high-pitched screams drowned out the Swablu's Sing. His eyes shot open to the view of Thorn groggily pulling herself back up while Belle… had wrapped herself around one of Swablu's wings, continuing to scream into its ear all the while.
Despite the situation, Ash couldn't help but laugh at the bird's misfortune. It stumbled around as though it was drunk, weakly trying to shake Belle off to no avail.
"Hold it down with Extrasensory," he called to Thorn, already walking over to reclaim his hat, "Let Belle use Hypnosis on it!"
Swablu tried to break free, but it was no use. Thorn had it bound tightly in her grasp, and once Belle got in its face, the fight was over. It took a while for the Hypnosis to fully take hold, but once it did Swablu was at Ash's mercy.
He briefly entertained the idea of letting it go - he had gotten his hat back, afterall, and was no longer out for revenge against the small avian - but pulled out a pokeball anyways. A flying-type was always useful, and Swablu grew up into the fearsome Altaria, one of the rare dragon-types. It was no Garchomp, but that was fine by him. Besides, he only had four team members. The more the merrier, after all!
His aim was true, the pokeball landing squarely on the now snoozing Swablu's beak. It offered no resistance as the pokeball began to roll around slightly, with a satisfying click signaling Swablu's capture.
Belle and Thorn had mixed reactions. Belle looked at the pokeball curiously, as though it was a foreign object to her and not something she herself occupied, while Thorn gave it a dirty look.
Ash idly realized that the fog was slightly lighter as he released Wick and Heracross after a moment, wanting his whole team out to greet Swablu. It was still sleeping as he released it, so Ash took a moment to pull out his Pokedex and get some information on it.
Swablu, the cotton bird pokemon. Its wings are like cotton tufts. If it perches on someone's head, it looks like a cotton hat. This Swablu is Male.
This Swablu knows the moves Growl, Peck, Sing, Mist, and Agility. Its ability is Natural Cure, which gives this pokemon moderate immunity and resistances to Status Conditions.
Ash hummed as his Pokedex prattled off information, already thinking about how to work with his new teammate. Also, Mist? Maybe Swablu was making the fog himself, or at least helping it to be so heavy.
"Belle, can you wake him up?" Ash asked, "I'd like to talk to him before we get going again."
Belle squeaked in confirmation, and looked at her victim oddly. Ash had hoped that she would simply dispel whatever effect Hypnosis had on Swablu, but apparently Belle decided to choose the simpler (and far more effective) option.
Belle cried out loudly, causing Ash to curse out and quickly cover his ears. Wick and Thorn followed suit with a pair of matching winces, while Heracross just looked mildly unhappy.
Mercifully, it only lasted a few moments before Swablu's eyes shot open, squawking indignantly as it was forced to deal with the noise Belle could produce. Once it ended, Swablu began to look around curiously before realizing that he was now surrounded by Ash's team. He looked like he wanted to fly away as far as possible, but seemingly thought better of it at the look Thorn had given him.
"Hey there!" Ash waved at it, trying to put on a friendly smile. Swablu didn't seem very reassured by it. "I'm Ash, nice to meet you!"
Swablu cooed, but Ash had absolutely zero clue what emotion it was trying to convey.
"This is my team! That's Wick, Thorn, Heracross, and Belle!" With each name, he pointed to one of his friends, and they each gave out their own little greetings to Swablu in return.
Except Belle, who was content to just stare at Swablu until it started to sweat under her unrelenting gaze.
"Anyways," Ash continued, unbothered by Belle's odd staring, "We battled and I captured you! Do you know what that means!"
Swablu nodded, or at least attempted to - it was kind of hard to tell where his head ended and body began - but it looked rather sad at the fact.
"Cheer up!" Ash tried, "We're on a journey right now to become as tough as possible, and now that you're on my team, you can become strong too! If you'll come with us, that is. Wanna join?"
Swablu seemed interested at the prospect of becoming stronger, but was still rather hesitant. He eyed Ash warily, before raising his eyes up a bit and chirping curiously.
"My hat?" Ash asked, to which Swablu began to nod happily. "You can't have it."
Heartbreak. Swablu's mood went from happy to crushed in an instant, eyes watering, and Ash felt a teensy bit bad - even if he had tried to steal his hat only minutes before.
"Alright," he sighed, catching Swablu's attention again, "You can have it sometimes, okay?"
Just like that, Swablu's cheery mood was back, eyeing his hat with pure desire in his eyes. Ash rolled his eyes in return, but tossed his hat over to Swablu, who gently held it in his beak before looking back to Ash again with pleading eyes.
"What?" He asked, "Do you want to wear it, or something?"
Another nod. Ash sighed fondly - why were his pokemon all so… eccentric? Thank Mew that Wick and Thorn were normal.
He stepped over to Swablu and gently took his hat back, before placing it on the bird's head. It nearly covered his entire body, but at least he sure looked happy. He chirped with joy, before flying up and perching on top of Ash's head.
Wick burst into laughter, and Ash fought back the urge to join in. At least he had a temporary replacement for his hat.
Ash recalled everyone except for Swablu and Wick, promising to release them later once they'd made camp. He'd let Wick stay out for a while longer - his flame helped Ash's vision through the fog, he could keep up with Ash better than everyone else, and always enjoyed the chance to stretch his legs with his trainer.
As for Swablu, he seemed content enough to build a nest out of Ash's hair, so he let the tiny bird be for now.
"Say, do you want a nickname?" Ash asked Swablu as they began to continue their walk, "Everyone except for Heracross has one, as you could probably tell."
Swablu chirped happily from atop his perch, and so Ash got his thinking cap on. "Cloud?"
Hey, he never said he was the creative kind.
Swablu wriggled in his hair, gently scratching his scalp with his talons.
Ash had no clue what that meant, and looked to Wick for a translation. He raised his hand and made a so-so motion, which made Ash confused.
"So not Cloud?" He confirmed, to which Swablu repeated his previous action.
"Something similar to Cloud?" He guessed, finally getting an approving chirp. "Okay then."
Great. What the hell was a synonym for cloud? Unless…
"Nimbus?" Ash ventured. It was a type of cloud, short for cumulonimbus, and was the kind that brought fierce storms and harsh gales - if Ash's memory served, at least.
It had been a while since he had learned about clouds of all things.
However, it seemed like it pleased Swablu - or rather, Nimbus - if the happy little coo he let out meant anything.
Ash smiled as Nimbus's little cloud-like wings fluttered happily. "Great! Welcome to the team, Nimbus!"
Ash suddenly paused, looking out at the dense fog that threatened to swallow them up.
"You wouldn't happen to know the way to Route 215 now, would you?"
–
Nimbus did not know the way to Route 215, but that was fine. Fortunately, Ash stumbled onto it after a few more days of wandering through thick fog and getting turned around.
Unfortunately, he stumbled into Route 215 right as it began to downpour.
It royally sucked, to say the least. It felt like the rain followed him as he trudged across the route, thick mud and slippery conditions hampered him like nothing before. Ash didn't even get the chance to tough it out in a cave or anything, he apparently wasn't privy to luxuries like that (he couldn't find one). It never got to the point where he considered turning around and holing up in Solaceon Town until news that the storm passed, but it was close.
It made for a memorable experience that he would certainly try his hardest to forget. Wick and Thorn were completely miserable for the entire trip - not that he blamed them - but at least Nimbus and Belle didn't mind the rain and got a few good battles in.
All of this was just a long way of saying that by the time he arrived in Veilstone City, he was dirty, wet, and exhausted. Ash stood out like a sore thumb against the regular people walking the streets, all dressed up and formal like the residents of Jubilife - in fact, Veilstone reminded him a lot of Jubilife. Same gray theme, loads of skyscrapers, the likes. There were only a handful of things that differentiated the two cities, such as how some aspects of Veilstone were actually rather hilly in comparison to the flatlands Jubilife was built on, and the massive Galactic Corporation Headquarters building that loomed over the entire city.
Yeah, Ash wasn't that big of a fan of that place.
He must've looked as bad as he felt as he arrived at the first pokemon center he could find. The Nurse Joy behind the counter almost looked scared as she gave him his room key.
Oh well. The first shower he took after making it to Veilstone was nothing short of heavenly and wiped his mind of any irritation.
Speaking of Nimbus, he was alright at battling. Ash's inexperience with aerial battles was clear, and Nimbus was rather inexperienced himself, but that was nothing they couldn't solve with time. In fact, he was planning on using Nimbus in his next gym battle - Veilstone's gym leader was a fighting-type trainer, and Ash had a feeling all the extra mobility Nimbus had could prove to be very useful for them.
But that could wait. Not for long, mind you - he wanted to get a move on as soon as possible, what with all the cyan-haired creeps that were surely crawling around the back alleys of the city - but it could. It wouldn't wait because of his Veilstone Department Store trip though. As much as he wanted to go and rush to buy some TMs to finally give his team some extra power, he wanted to win his third gym battle with the strength that had gotten them this far first.
No, the only thing that could stop Ash from marching down to the Veilstone City Gym and challenging its leader right now was the indomitable urge to lay down and go to bed.
He barely got any sleep after that trek across Route 215 - thanks to his soaked sleeping bag, the rain, and the fact that he sunk into the ground whenever he laid down, getting some shuteye was impossible.
He was so tired.
And by the way the rest of his pokemon (except Belle - Ash wasn't sure why, but she rarely slept) collapsed on or around his bed once they were released, they shared his sentiment.
–
A/N: Two chapters in two months? A miracle! Traveler getting updated really does get me motivated beyond belief. A bit shorter than last time, but I hope that next chapter more than makes up for it! Just didn't feel right to add even more to the ending there. I originally wanted to get this out in time to meet the one year anniversary for Wanderer, but I was never particularly close to that goal - it did help in the motivation department though, so thanks to everyone who's followed the story since then!
Hope you enjoyed! Make sure to review, and thanks for reading!