Author's Note: First of all, something I forgot to mention in the previous chapter, and that's the characters' ages. Needless to say, no, Ash and the others aren't ten. Time passes here. So Ash, Serena and Clemont are actually 15, while Bonnie is 9. With that out of the way, let's get to the chapter:
Chapter 2:
Welcome to Tandor!
Ten Years Ago
Today was a normal day for Doctor Lucille Raine. A day like any other.
She got up at seven o'clock sharp in the morning. Normally, her husband Kellyn would get up about the same time as her in order to go to work, but since their kids were born, he decided to take a paternity leave in order to take care of them. Not only did Lucille's job brought more money home, but Kellyn knew how much Lucille loved her job, which how much she gushed about the project she was working on at the Nuclear Power Plant, even if she couldn't share many details with him for professional reasons, so he took the responsibility of looking after the babies while Lucille continued her work.
Giving her still sleeping husband a kiss on the cheek, Lucille went to bathroom in order to get herself ready for the day. She looked at the mirror, and a woman of thirty years of age with bright green hair that flared up to the sides returned the gaze.
She then got dressed, and took the ship that would take her to the island where her workplace was located at: Nuclear Plant Epsilon, one of Tandor's three power plants.
Though, once she reached the power plant, the sight of a man with bright red hair with a yellow stripe crossing it told them that this day wasn't going to be just like any other. A man he knew to well.
"Cameron!" Lucille said, smiling widely, as she walked towards the man.
"Hey there, Lucille," the man, Cameron, replied, smiling back.
Cameron Cain was a longtime friend of her husband. A former trainer who retired in order to become a family man, he took the job of nuclear technician, whose job was to inspect the power plants and ensure they met all the safety expectations. And upon meeting him, he quickly became a close friend of her as well. Like Lucille and Kellyn, Cameron had become a father recently as well. He named his son Theo.
"What are you doing here? Another inspection?" Lucille asked. "Not that I mind seeing you, but I wasn't expecting you to show at least in four months!"
"Eh, you know, the higher ups. They have this idea that there's some irregular activity going on, and are worried about the plant's safety," Cameron explained.
Lucille couldn't help but roll their eyes. "You'd think they'd have more trust in me by know."
"I know. Unfortunately, I'm paid to follow their orders, not to question them," Cameron said, somewhat apologizing. "Don't worry, I promise I'll be as swift as possible. You won't even notice I'm here."
"Hey, I love having you here," Lucille insisted. "Anyway, how's Theo doing?"
The two of them continued to talk as they went to do their jobs. But while Lucille wasn't lying when she said that she loved seeing Cameron, she had a bad feeling that there was something more to his impromptu visit that a bunch of politicians getting ansty. Feeling that amplified when his inspection began to take longer than they usually did.
Upon walking by the main reactor's control room, Lucille saw Cameron still there, typing furiously on one of the computres, his eyes fixed on the screen. Unable to contain her impatience, fueled by the gnawing thought on the back of her head that something was going very wrong, she entered the room, and walked towards him.
"Cameron, have you finished your diagnostics?" she asked.
Cameron typed a few more times before giving his answer. "Yes, just now. I checked and double checked and... everything seems to be in order."
Lucille smiled, a little relief making way through her heart. "See? I keep my power plant in pristine condition."
Yet, there was something in Cameron's voice that made her on edge. Like... disappointment? Like he was trying to find something that wasn't really there.
"Indeed. That new reactor is a technological wonder," Cameron said.
"Of course it is! I created it!" Lucille said, puffing her chest a little. "So, I take you're done?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"Excellent. Though, before you leave, how about if we have lunch together at the plant's cafeteria?" Lucille suggested. "I'd love if we could catch up. With our jobs and families we hardly see each other these days."
"Sure I'd love-" Cameron was interrupted by a beep coming from the computer terminal. "Huh?"
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"These temperature readings... they were normal not even a minute ago, but they're steadily rising," Cameron said, as worry crept up his voice.
"That can't be right," Lucille said, as she went to check another computer terminal. "Maybe the thermometer is malfunctioning?"
"That can't be. I just checked the thermometer and it worked fine," Cameron replied, sounding more shaken.
"Then what-"
There was a loud boom, and the whole place shook as if it was in the epicenter of an earthquake. Red lights began to flash across the whole plant as a loud alarm blared.
"What's going on!?" Cameron asked.
"T-The reactor! There must be a breach in the reactor!" Lucille said, as she continued to type on her computer, in order to check for possible damage. "The temprature keeps rising! If I don't stop it, we'll have a total meltdown!"
"Then we need to evacuate, NOW!" Cameron shouted, as he got up from his seat, ready to leave as soon as possible.
But Lucille didn't move from her seat.
"Lucille, what are you doing? Come on, we need to leave!" the man insisted, standing on the room's entry.
"You leave. I need to stay here and stop it. If there's a meltdown, the consequences would be catastrophic," Lucille stated, her voice filled with determination, before getting up from her chair and walking towards Cameron.
"Have you gone insane? It's too late to stop it-HEY!" Cameron shouted as Lucille pushed him out of the control room, and locked the door closed. Cameron began to angrily pound on the closed steel door. "Lucille! Lucille! What the hell are you doing!?"
"What I must do. I'm sorry, Cameron," Lucille mournfully said. "If I don't come back... tell my husband and children that I love them."
With that, Lucille walked towards the main control panel, and activated a hidden switch beneath it. A trapdoor opened with a hiss, revealing a series of step irons that lead somewhere below. Taking a deep breath, Lucille climbed down, as the trapdoor closed above her a minute later.
Sometime later, there was a nuclear meltdown, and the power plant blew up. Thankfully, all the workers were evacuated in time, so there were no human casualties. Except, of course, Lucille, who never returned from wherever she went, and was presumed dead.
…
Present Day
The boat trip to Tandor was both long and uneventful, and the group was glad that they were finally able to touch land once again. And they were even more glad that they would only need to walk a short distance from the port towards their first stop, Moki Town, where, according to Oak, Professor Bamb'o was waiting for them.
They didn't have to wait long until could finally see the town in the distance. While he was doing an admirable job keeping it on check, Ash was eventually overpowered by his impatience, and rushed madly towards the town in front of him.
"Ash, where are you going?" Serena asked.
"Don't you see? Moki Town is just there! Come on guys!" Ash said, his voice overflowing with excitement.
They had no choice but to run after Ash –much to Clemont's displeasure– until they arrived at the aforementioned town. A sign welcomed them.
Welcome to Moki Town
The Town of Fresh Beginnings!
"Uh, that's oddly appropriate," Serena said out loud after reading the tagline under the welcome message.
Now that there had finally arrived at their destination, Ash managed to calm down a little, and the group began to walk through the town, taking in the sights as they moved.
Moki Town was pretty small, but it had a feeling of cozyness and warm only matched by Pallet Town. Most of the houses were small, no bigger than two stories. The town roads were flanked by either trees, or bogs that had beautiful flowers growing on them.
The were three places that stood out the most: the first was a park in the middle of the town, next to a pond. At the east side of the town was a large, colorful building that Ash immediately identified as a Contest Hall. And lastly, a large building next to a ranch built on the top of a small cliff at the far end of the town.
"That must be where Professor Bamb'o's laboratory is," Clemont deduced. "We should be heading there."
"Shouldn't we go to the Pokemon Center first? So I can sign up for the Pokemon League and Serena for the contests?" Ash asked. "I mean, there's a Contest Hall there! There might be a contest today!"
"I find that unlikely. There's still a few days until Contest Season begins," Serena pointed out. "We can go to the Pokemon Center later. I'm sure Professor Bamb'o is waiting for us, and it'd be rude to keep him waiting longer than needed."
"Okaaaaaay..." Ash conceded.
It only took them less than ten minutes of walking at a good pace to finally reach the laboratory. Bonnie immediately rushed towards the fence of the ranch, hoping to see cute Pokemon, but much to her disappointment, the ranch was completely empty.
"Where are all the Pokemon?" the little girl complained. "Aren't Pokemon Professors supposed to have many Pokemon to study? Both Professor Sycamore and Oak had lots of them!"
"Professor Oak said that Bamb'o just became a Pokemon Professor, so maybe he didn't have time to catch any," Clemont conjectured, before gently puling Bonnie away from the fence. "Come on, let's get inside."
They entered the main lab, and what saw them seemed to validate Clemont's suggestion: rather than a neat lab with lots of machinery, electronics, essay tubes and other scientific tools one might find at a laboratory, the place was a mess: there were lots of boxes and crates, some unopened, others still closed, scattered around the place. Lots of long cables were spread around the floor, making walking without stepping on them a difficult affair. There were some technicians installing computers and other devices most of them didn't have any idea what they were for.
And directing the technicians was a man in his early thirties with spiky black hair, strangely dressed in a green and yellow hoodie, blue shorts, and sandals. A pair of sunglasses were resting on the top of his head. Upon seeing them, the man smiled and walked towards them, doing his best to avoid the cables on the floor.
"Oh, it's you guys! Welcome, welcome!" the strange man said. "So, you're the kids that came for the jobs aren't you? Sorry for the mess, but you guys arrived sooner than expected. Hmmm... I thought you were only three. And aren't you a little young to be a Pokemon trainer?" the man asked, looking at Bonnie.
"Job? What job?" Ash asked, looking confused. What was this man talking about?
"You know, field research assistant? You're supposed to go out there to catch Pokemon for me to study?" the man asked, as if he was saying something obvious. He crossed his arms as a frown developed on his face. "What are you doing here then?"
"Professor Oak told us to come here and meet Professor Bamb'o. Do you know where he is?" Serena asked.
"Professor Oak...?" the man asked, before suddenly slapped his forehead. "OF COURSE! You are the other kids, right? The kid from Pallet Town and the kids from Kalos!" the man said, as a sense of ease set among the gang now that they've been acknowledged. "Man, I totally forgot about you guys. As you can see, we're quite busy and stressed, and I may not be at my best."
"That's... okay. Now if we could talk with Professor Bamb'o..." Ash said, trying not to sound rude.
"But you're already talking with him!" the man replied, grinning a little. "Professor Ernest Bamb'o at your service! Yes, yes, I know, I don't look much like a Pokemon Professor, I get that a lot. It's the lack of a white coat? Sorry, but I hate those coats, they're so..." he shivered as he make a grunt of annoyance. "Anyway, follow me. Again, sorry for this mess. I just finished my thesis a few months ago and I'm in the process of setting my lab. Say are you guys interested in becoming a Pokemon Professor?"
"Eh-"
"You totally shouldn't! You have to study and work a lot and spend your best years while everybody else is having fun! And when you finally get your license and get to work, is a constant battle to get enough funding!" Bamb'o rambled as he led the group to another room. "Anyway, here we are!"
They arrived to a room that appeared to be Bamb'o's personal office. Unlike the rest of the lab, it was much more tidy. There was a large wooden desk in the middle with a computer on top of it. There were shelves resting against the left and right walls filled with books and folders of many sizes and colors. On the wall behind the desk was a screen, and a projector hung from the ceiling.
"So, you guys are the kids Professor Oak told me about. Your names being...?" Bamb'o asked.
"Oh, right! I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner, Pikachu!" Ash introduced himself.
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu greeted.
"I'm Serena," Serena said.
"And I'm Clemont, and this is my little sister Bonnie," Clemont said.
"And this is Dedenne!" Bonnie proudly said, showing the small electric and fairy type to the black haired man.
"So, do any of you guys have Pokedex? Because you might want me to upgrade them if you want them to be useful here," Bamb'o asked.
Wordlessly, Ash and Serena handed their Pokedex to the black haired man, who took them and connected them to his computer via a pair of cords, before typing something on his keyboard.
"Okay, the updating process might take a bit. Unfortunately, they don't give the best hardware to newbies like myself, I have to do with the outdated junk I'm given, so if you guys want to ask me something while we wait..."
"Now that you mention that, what's your specialty, professor?" Clemont asked.
"Pokemon Elements!" Bamb'o enthusiastically answered. "More commonly referred to Pokemon types. How they interact among each other. Why some Pokemon develop a certain types. Why some Pokemon gain a new type upon evolving, or completely replace their old type with a new one. Or my absolute favorite: why two Pokemon of the same species are of different types depending on their home region!"
"Wait, what?" Ash asked. "Come again?"
"Are you telling us that, for example, a Dedenne from another region wouldn't be Electric and Fairy, but something else?" Bonnie asked, looking at her partner curiously.
"Exactly! They're called regional variants, albeit not every region has them. In fact, that was the topic of my thesis. Look!" Bamb'o said, as he started to franctically type something on his computer.
The projector hanging from the ceiling beeped to life, and projected an image on the screen behind him, an image of three Pokemon. The one in the middle was a Meowth, a Pokemon they were very familiar with thanks to their constant runs with the Team Rocket Trio. To its left was another Meowth, except this one had grayish blue skin, and its feet and top of its tail was white. To the right was another version of Meowth, which was extremely furry, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and its coin amulet being black instead of golden.
"You see, this is a common Meowth, found in many regions. But this one is a special Meowth only found in the region of Alola. It's typing is Dark rather than Normal. And this other Meowth, which is Steel type, can only be found on Galar. And that's not all!" Bamb'o explained, and before the gang had a chance to ask anything, he pressed a key, and the image changed from Meowth to Persian. Well, at least two of them looked like Persian; the other one was a bipedal feline with a bushy beard and horns sticking out of its head. "While Alolan Meowth evolves into an Alolan Persian, Galarian Meowth evolves into a completely new Pokemon, Perrserker! Fascinating, isn't it?"
"Indeed!" Clemont said.
"Does Tandor has regional variant of Pokemon of other regions as well?" Ash asked, his mind filled with possibilities.
"Even better!" Bamb'o said, his excitement matching Ash. "You see, there are officially eighteen recognized types, but technically, there are nineteen. And Pokemon of said type can only be found here, in Tandor! You see-"
That moment, the door to his office opened, and one of the technicians walked in.
"Professor? A trio of kids have just arrived. They're asking for you," the technician informed.
"Oh, those must be my potential field research assistants!" Bamb'o said. He was about to get up, before something on his computer's screen caught his eye. "Oh look, your Pokedexes are already updated! In fact, they've been for some time. Anyway, there you go!" Bamb'o said, returning their updated Pokedex to Ash and Serena. "Not only did I update them with information about Tandorian Pokemon, but there's also data on Alolan and Galar Pokemon, should you run into somebody using them! Oh, and besides Pokemon, there's also plenty of information about other related topics, such as Gym Leaders, geography, and the like. Anyway, follow me!"
Bamb'o led the group back to the laboratory, where a new trio of teens were waiting for them. There were two boys and a girl, around three or four year younger than Ash and Serena, looking to be either eleven or twelve.
The girl had shoulder length light brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a red short sleeved hoodie, a brown skirt and red sneakers. There was a yellow fanny pack attached to her waist, and a white poofy cap covered her head. Next to her was a boy whose face was almost identical to hers. He had short brown hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a green stripped short sleeved t-shirt, brown shorts with yellow trims, and blue sneakers. Unlike the girl, he was carrying a backpack.
The last of the trio was the one who stood out the most, and not just because of his bright red hair with a yellow stripe crossing it. The boy was wearing a white, short sleeved t-shirt with red sleeves and a yellow star in the middle, dark blue shorts and blue sneakers. He also appeared to have a way more restless disposition than the other two.
For some reason, that boy reminded Ash of Iris.
"And there you are!" Bamb'o greeted the new trio. "You must be Natalie, Vitor and...Tommy?"
The boy with the red and yellow hair frowned. "Honestly, pops, can't you even remember my name? It's Theo! Theo!"
"Come on Theo, don't get so mad just because he got your name wrong," the girl, Natalie, said with a roll of her eyes.
"Easy for you to say, he got your name right!" Theo protested.
"Come on guys, let's not have a fight today," the other boy, Vitor, said, getting in the way of the two.
Theo then noticed Ash's group, and his scowl returned. "Hey, who are those guys? You didn't give them the Pokemon you promised us, did you!?"
"What? No, of course not! These guys have come to Tandor on behalf of my teacher, Professor Oak. They were already leaving," Bamb'o said, before turning at them. "...unless you want to stay and watch how my field research assistants get their first Pokemon? I mean, I don't think you guys had the chance to see a Pokemon native to Tandor, didn't you?"
"Yes! We'd love to!" Bonnie quickly replied.
"Nenene!" Dedenne added, sharing his trainer's joy.
"In that case, everyone, follow me!" Bamb'o said, as he lead the group of seven to yet another room of his lab. The new room was larger than his office, but appeared to be much more empty. There was a table with a large case resting on it, and a couple cabinets resting against the walls, but unlike the main lab or his office, there were no electronics.
Bamb'o then walked towards the large case, and opened it. He pulled three pokeballs, as well as three devices Ash guessed were Pokedexes.
"First of all, your Pokedex. A necessary tool for every trainer worth their salt. You'll find lots of useful information on Pokemon there, as well as many other applications. And now, what you guys have been expecting: these are the Pokemon Tandor trainers begin with: Orchynx, Raptorch and Eletux. Come out guys, and meet your new trainers!" Bamb'o said, tossing the three pokeballs, which released the Pokemon they were holding inside.
Bonnie couldn't help but let out a squee, while Ash and Serena pulled out their Pokedexes to scan the new Pokemon.
"Orchynx, the Kitten Pokemon. Grass/Steel. Metal plates underneath its fur protect it from harm. It replenishes its energy by basking in the sun's rays. "
The first Pokemon, Orchynx, was a dark green cat with light green stripes on its back and its forehead, as well as grey spots on its cheeks. Its eyes were closed all the time not unlike a Cyndaquil or an Abra. It had metal rings around one of its forelegs, one of its hind legs, and its tail.
"Raptorch, the Fire Dino Pokemon. Fire/Ground. They are energetic Pokémon that require constant attention, or they will start setting their surroundings on fire."
Raptorch looked like a small bipedal theropod with black skin and a dull orange underbelly. It had two red shells, one on its back, the other on its head. A flame burned at the tip of its tail, similar to a Charmander.
"Eletux, the Hippocampus Pokemon. Water/Electric. Eletux is capable of generating strong magnetic fields around its feet and tail that allow it to walk on water."
Eletux, the last of the starters, was a blue skined quadruped whose head looked like that of an equine. Its body had two yellow lightning-shaped marks running around its sides. It had four tails, three of them extremely short, and the fourth one much longer, all of them having yellow bulbs at their tips.
"They're so cute! If I had to chose one between the three of them I don't think I could," Bonnie said.
"Well kids, time to choose your first partner!" Bamb'o said, clapping his hands together. "Say, why don't you go first, Natalie? Ladies first and all that."
"Thank you, professor," Natalie said, before taking a step forward, and started to inspect the three Pokemon before her.
"But I wanted to choose first!" Theo protested.
"Don't be so impatient, Theo. There will be Pokemon for all of you," Bamb'o tried to reassure.
"I made my choice! I want Raptorch!" Natalie said.
"Rap!" Raptorch cheered upon being the first to be chosen.
"Excellent choice!" Bamb'o said, before returning Raptorch to its pokeball and handing it to Natalie. "I'm sure you two will go on doing great things!"
"Hey, no fair! I wanted to choose Raptorch!" Theo protested. "It's clearly the cooler of the three!"
"Come on Theo, don't say that. All Pokemon are cool in their own way," Ash said, taking a step forward. "I'm sure the other two Pokemon are just as great as Raptorch."
"Who are you to lecture me? I bet that you got the starter you wanted when you became a trainer!" Theo angrily retorted.
"Not in the slightest. Not only I didn't get the starter I wanted, but I overslept, and when I arrived to the lab to get my Pokemon, all of them had already been claimed, so I had to do with what Professor Oak could give me, and he gave me this Pikachu," Ash explained. "At first we didn't get along and he refused to obey me. But we eventually bonded, and became best of friends. Now I can't imagine being a Pokemon Trainer without Pikachu by my side."
"Pikachu!" the yellow rodent cheerfully agreed.
"Yeah, don't be such a kid, Theo. Come on, you can go and choose next. I'll take the Pokemon you don't choose," Vitor offered.
Theo grumbled something unintelligible as he walked towards the two remaining Pokemon. After tasking a good look at the two of them, he pointed at Orchynx.
"Alright, that one then," Theo said.
"So, if Orchynx goes to Theo, then Vitor gets Eletux!" Bamb'o said, before returning the two remaining Pokemon to their pokeballs and handing them to their new trainers. "Congratulations! You're officially now Pokemon trainers!"
"Hey, I have an idea! Let's test our Pokemon with a battle!" Natalie suggested.
"But how are we going to do it, sis? We're three," Vitor pointed out.
"Ummmm..." the brown haired girl began to ponder. "You vs me and whoever wins vs Theo?"
"But then Theo is going to have the advantage because he's going to be fighting with a fresh Pokemon," Vitor countered.
"How about a two vs two?" Ash suggested. "You two versus me and Theo! What do you say?"
"Are you sure, Ash? You're way more experienced than them. It would be quite the lopsided match," Bamb'o warned.
"Don't worry, I know how to hold back when I'm fighting against a beginner," Ash reassured the professor. He then looked at Clemont. "Clemont, will you referee?"
"Sure, you don't need to ask," the inventor replied.
A few minutes later, everybody moved to the ranch at the back of the lab. Since it was empty, it was the perfect spot for a match. Vitor and Natalie were on one side, and Ash and Theo on the other, with Clemont in the middle.
"This will be a two versus two battle with no time limit. Each trainer will use one Pokemon each. The team will win when both Pokemon of the other side can't fight anymore. Trainers, send your Pokemon!" Clemont shouted.
"To time to kick ass, Raptorch!"
"Come out and play, Eletux!"
"Let's go, Orchynx!"
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Let the battle begin!" Clemont said, making a downward chopping motion with his hand.
~Ash (Pikachu) & Theo (Orchynx) VS Natalie (Raptorch) & Vitor (Eletux)~
"Alright Theo, do you want to make the first move?" Ash asked. He wasn't planning to overshadow Theo or the twins. This battle was for their sake after all.
"Indeed! Orchynx, use Metal Claw on Eletux!" Theo ordered.
"Chynx!" the Kitten Pokemon meowed, as it dashed forward towards one of his opponents, preparing his claws for the attack.
"Not if I have something to say about it! Raptorch stop it with Ember!" Natalie ordered.
"Ra-Rap!" Raptorch said, as it gathered fire inside his mouth, before opening it and releasing several small fireballs.
The fireballs hit the Grass-type feline squarely, stopping his attack on its tracks, causing him to meow in pain.
"Orchynx, no!" Theo cried upon seeing his starter in pain.
Vitor decided it was the time to intervene. "Eletux, follow up with Thundershock!"
However, so did Ash. "Pikachu, intercept that Thundershock with Electroball!"
The bulbs of Eletux's four tails started to crackle with electricity, before releasing several yellow bolts at the pained cat, while Pikachu charged a ball of electricity on the tip of his tail, before sending it to the coming attack. Both electric attacks clashed against each other, producing a bright blast.
"Nice save, Ash!" Bamb'o cheered.
"He didn't need to save us, everything's under control!" Theo said, before pulling up his Pokedex. "What other moves can Orchynx use...? Oh, this one looks good! Orchynx, Vine Whip on Eletux!"
"Theo, wait-" Ash said, but too late.
A pair of whips emerged from Orchynx's sides, and shot towards the Water/Electric Pokemon.
"Repel them with Thundershock!" Vito ordered.
"Tux!" Eletux cried in afirmation, sending another bolt of electricity towards the coming whips, pushing them away.
"And to make sure that that Pikachu doesn't get in the way, Raptorch, Mud Slap!" Natalie ordered.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash countered.
The Fire Dino Pokemon turned around and started to kick up clumps of mud towards Ash's Pokemon. Pikachu, however, blitzed forward and used his speed to constantly zigzag, dodging the Ground-type move, before slamming headfirst into Raptorch.
"Nat!" Vitor cried in distress, upon seeing his sister's Pokemon taking such a hit.
"Don't worry about Raptorch! Focus on the battle!" Natalie chastised.
"Yeah, listen to your sister," Theo said, as he put his Pokedex back on his pocket. "Orchynx, Leech Seed on Eletux!"
"Counter it with Water Gun!" Vitor ordered.
Orchynx opened his mouth, and fired a salvo of malignant seeds that were quickly pushed away by Eletux firing a stream of water from his mouth.
"Theo, stop!" Ash shouted. "You can't just throw attacks at random without rhythm nor reason! If you fight like that, all you'll accomplish is having your Pokemon defeated!"
"Just because you've been trainer for longer than I am doesn't mean that you can tell me what to do! You're no boss of me!" the redhead fired back.
"I'm not trying to boss you, just advice you!" Ash replied, matching Theo's anger. "And yes, you'd do good if you bothered to listen somebody who has been a trainer far longer than you!"
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Serena, Bonnie and Bamb'o couldn't help but notice the heated discussion Ash and Theo got into.
"Geez, what's the problem with that guy?" Bonnie asked.
"Well, Theo has always been a... complicated kid," Bamb'o began. "He has always competed with the twins, and rarely, if ever, beat them at anything, be either grades or sports. He feels the need to prove he's better than them. Add to that his rather impatient nature and..."
"You have somebody who acts rashly without thinking first," Serena finished. She sighed a little. "Ash told me he used to be like that when he started his Pokemon journey. Maybe all Theo needs is a little guidance and experience..."
Back to the battlefield, Ash and Theo continued with their argument.
"Alright smartass! What would you have me do, given that you know sooooo much about Pokemon fights?" Theo fired.
"Given that their Pokemon have advantage of range over yours, maybe you should let them attack first, try to dodge, and then counterattack when they're wide open," Ash replied, lowering his voice so the twins wouldn't hear his strategy, his anger subduing a little now that Theo appeared to finally be listening.
Theo weighed in Ash's words, before raising an eyebrow. He then averted Ash's gaze and directed it to the battlefield. "Alright, let's do it your way."
"Good. First, I'll goad them. When you see the chance, have Orchynx use Leech Seed," Ash told him. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Eletux!"
"Pika...CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu said, releasing a powerful lightning bolt towards his fellow Electric type.
"Not so fast! Raptorch, get in front of Eletux and shield him with your body!" Natalie commanded. "You're a Ground type, so electricity shouldn't harm you in the slightest!"
"Rap!" Raptorch cried, as he jumped in front of his partner just in time to block the attack, negating it completely, albeit he was forced to close his eyes due the light produced by the attack.
"Good one, sis! Now Eletux, counter with Water Gun!" Vitor added.
"Ele!" Eletux cried, as he fired once again a stream of water from his mouth, hitting Pikachu squarely.
"Orchynx, now! Use Leech Seed on Raptorch!" Theo ordered.
"What? Raptorch, watch out!"
Orchynx did as ordered, firing once again a cluster of seeds at the Fire and Ground type Pokemon. Despite hearing Natalie's warning, Raptorch was too slow, and the seeds landing on his body. The moment they did, they quickly grew roots that wrapped themselves around the Fire Dino Pokemon, impairing his movements and draining his energy.
"Yes! Direct hit!" Theo cheered.
"Raptorch, try to get rid of those!" Natalia panicked. Raptorch did as she told him, but other than uselessly trash his arms, he had no idea of what to do.
"Good job Theo! Now that you have the advantage, you should press the attack!" Ash adviced him.
"Now Orchynx, use Vine Whip!" Theo commanded.
Once again, the Kitten Pokemon grew two grassy vines from the sides of his body, and used them to whip the now helpless Raptorch.
"Eletux, quickly, Water Gun on Orchynx!" Vitor ordered.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack on Eletux!"
Eletux did as ordered, firing a stream of water from his mouth at Orchynx, the water blast pushing it away from Raptorch and interrupting his attack, even if it didn't cause that much damage, but in doing so he was unable to dodge Pikachu slamming into him once again, the small yellow Pokemon packing a deceptively strong attack, sending the Water type crashing into Raptorch.
"Eletux, no!" Vitor cried.
"Time to finish this! Orchynx, use Vine Whip on the two of them!" Theo said, almost savoring victory.
"Orrrrr!" Orchynx meowed, as he once again released two vine whips hidden from the sides of his body, and used them to lash both Pokemon.
Due Raptorch's weakened state thanks to the Leech Seed, he was quickly weakened, with Eletux soon following, falling before the constant super effective move.
Clemont raised a hand in Ash and Theo's direction. "Raptorch and Eletux can't fight anymore! The winners are Ash and Theo!"
"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash praised his starter, who happily returned with her trained, reclaiming his usual spot on his shoulder. Ash then turned at Theo with a conciliatory smile. "Good job Theo! See, if you work together-"
"OH YES!" Theo loudly cheered, ignoring Ash, pumping his fist into the air. "I beat you! I totally beat you! Who's the best trainer! ME! That's who!"
"You only won because you have an experienced trainer on your side!" Natalie fired back, as she returned her defeated Raptorch to his Pokeball. "Before he coached you, Vitor and I were kicking your sorry ass!"
"Yeah! If you have fought against either of us solo, we would have beaten you," Vitor added, also recalling his fainted Eletux.
"Now, now, come on kids, it was just a sparring match," Bamb'o said, walking towards the battlefield, followed by Serena and Bonnie. "No need to make a fuss over something so minor. Yes, it's true that Theo has Ash's help, but let's not diminish his contribution to the fight. And Theo, being happy when you win is okay, but only bad sports rub their victory on their opponents' face. Learning to enjoy victory with grace is as important as learning to take defeats in stride."
"Whatever," Theo dismissively said. "Anyway, I don't have anything else to do here. Come on Orchynx!"
"Or!" the Kitten Pokemon said, following his trainer out of the ranch.
"As for you two, follow me. I have some potions in my lab that will get your Pokemon back in shape," Bamb'o told the twins. "I guess you can't wait to start your journey either!"
"We should better get going as well," Ash suggested. "Now that we're done with Bamb'o, we should head to the Pokemon Center so Serena can get her Contest Pass and I sign for the League."
Everybody nodded in agreement, considering their bussiness with Bamb'o settled for the time being.
…
The Pokemon Center wasn't very different from the ones Ash had seen in his previous journey, but there were two things that stood out not just to him, but to his Kalosians friends as well: the first one was that the Nurse Joy at the counter didn't have the pink hair styled in two ring-shaped pigtails, this one had dark blue straight hair.
"Heh, look at that, a regional variant Nurse Joy," Bonnie said with a snicker.
"Bonnie! Don't be so rude!" Clemont chastised her.
And the second was that, rather than a Chansey, a Blissey, an Audino or a Wigglytuff, the nurse was assited by two Pokemon: an Aromatisse, and another Pokemon none of them had seen before: it was half the size of the Nurse Joy's height, with a long body covered in purple feathers that flared up at its collarbone and its feet. It had two thin long arms ending in four sharp green claws. It had a white face shaped like an old plague doctor mask, and the top of its head ressembled a hat with two small green wings on it.
Ash and Serena took their Pokedex out to scan this new Pokemon:
"Miasmedic, the Plague Doctor Pokemon and one of Spritzee's possible evolutions. Fairy/Poison. It has the ability to both cause and cure disease. Using its claws, it injects pathogens into its foes."
"Whoa, I didn't know Spritzee had another evolution!" Serena gasped.
"It does, but only Tandorian Spritzee can evolve into Miasmedic," the nurse explained upon hearing the honey blonde. "I take you aren't from here, are you? No matter, both natives and foreigners are welcome to our Pokemon Center! What can I do for you?" the blue haired Nurse Joy asked, just as friendly as her pink-haired relatives.
"Hello there! We're new in the region. Aside from having our Pokemon checked, I'd like to sign up for the Tandor League!" Ash announced. He then pointed towards Serena. "And my friend here wants to sign up for the Contest season."
"Of course," the nurse said, while her Pokemon placed all their Pokeballs, Pikachu and Dedenne on a tray, and took them to the back of the center. "Can I have your Pokedex, please?"
Ash and Serena did so, and after a couple minutes, she returned them back.
"There, all done!" Nurse Joy said, smiling cordially. She then looked at Serena. "The first round of contests will begin in less than a week. Right now, the closest contest will be held at Kevlar Town, to the west of Moki Town. To get there, all you have to do is follow the Lakeside Path."
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Serena happily replied.
"Does Kevlar Town have a Gym as well?" Ash excitedly asked.
The boy from Kanto deflated when the nurse shook her head.
"Kevlar Town has no Pokemon Gym, sorry. The closest Pokemon Gym is on Nowtoch City. To get there, once you're in Kevlar Town, go north via Owten Nook, and you'll get there."
"I see. Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash said.
The group went to sit at the lobby and wait for the check up to finish. Clemont then looked at the hour on one of the Center's screens.
"I'd say it's a bit too late to go to Kevlar Town, but too early to have dinner and turn in," Clemont noted. "Do you guys want to do something?"
"I think I'm going to train with Greninja and Pikachu once the checkup is done. If you want to join us, all you have to do is ask," Ash told them.
"I think I'm going to look some more information into the region's power plants," Clemont said.
"I'm going to groom all your Pokemon once the checkup is over!" Bonnie excitedly said, brush already in hand.
"I think I'm going to do some exploring," Serena said. "We went directly to Bambo's Lab, spend a good chunk of the day there, then we came here. I'd like to see the sights of the town."
"Very well then. Make sure to get back before it's dinnertime, though," Clemont told her.
…
It took Serena less than half an hour to see almost the whole town, with no spot in particular catching her interest.
"Maybe I should have stayed with Ash and have some training done as well..." Serena said aloud. While she wasn't lazy when it comes to training, she didn't have Ash burning passion for it either –at least when it came to battles, she loved to come up with and try new performing routines–, and she liked to spend her free time doing something else as well. "Oh well, at least I got a nice walk out of it...huh?"
Then, something caught her eye when she thought that there was nothing in town that would draw her interest: a clothing store.
"Now that I think about it, it's been a while since the last time I bought some new clothes," Serena said.
Her mind drifted back to that fateful day on Courmarine City, when she took part on her very first Performance, which ended in such disastrous way. However, while the Serena of old would have just given up, like she gave up so many things before, she decided that this time would be different, she would persevere, she would achieve her dream. And as a way to show her inner change, she also changed her outside appearance by cutting her hair short and donning a different set of clothes.
But now, Serena realized she wasn't that girl either as well. She had learned a lot through her journey through Kalos, culminating in the Master Class Performance, making it to the very finals and fancing her mentor and idol, Aria. And while she lost, she managed to learn one last valuable lesson, the last missing piece that would allow her to finally reach her dream.
Upon seeing her reflection on the shop window, Serena realized for the first time that her hair had grown almost to the same length it was when she started her journey on Kalos.
"Guess it's true that they say about time passing fast when your're having fun," Serena said, passing a hand through her now much longer locks of honey blond hair. She wondered if she should cut her hair again, but this time decided against it. Then, for some reason, her mind recalled tagline from the sign at the town's entrance: "The town of fresh beginnings... fresh beginnings..."
Yes, this was a fresh beginning. And to show it, Serena decided that a wardrobe change was in order.
And this time, it wouldn't be just for her.
…
A couple hours later, back at the Pokemon Center, the rest of the group were done for the day, and given that it was starting to get dark, decided that it was a good moment to have some dinner.
"Ah, I missed those training sessions with Greninja so bad!" Ash said, as he and his two Pokemon entered the Pokemon lobby. "Boy, I'm starving! What about you two?"
"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Gre," Greninja said, confirming he was hungry, but not wanting to sound as eager to eat as his Trainer and Electric-type teammate.
"I'll be getting the food for the Pokemon ready, then we can go to the Center's cafeteria to eat something ourselves," Clemont offered, as he began to dig inside his backpack for the food.
"Hey, what about Serena? She isn't here yet. It would be rude to start without her," Bonnie pointed out.
"Huh? Serena isn't back yet?" Ash asked, looking around the lobby to see that, indeed, the aspiring coordinator was nowhere to be seen. "I thought she'd be back by now. I mean, what did she find in this little town to catch her interest?"
"Hey everybody!" Serena's voice said, as the Pokemon Center's automatic doors slid open. "Sorry for the lateness!"
"Hey there Serena, we were about to-whoa!" Ash gasped in shock, and he wasn't the only one.
Serena wasn't wearing her usual pink dress, red jacket, red and black hat and brown boots. Instead, she was now wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt cropped so it exposed her midriff, with pink trimmed sleeves and a picture of pink butterfly wings on its chest with the blue ribbon that Ash had gifted her attached in the middle. She was wearing once again a red skirt (though this one was a little shorter than he one she initially wore), tigh high black stocking, red and black sneakers with a pink star to the sides, and a black beret with a red pokeball symbol on it.
"So... what do you think?" Serena asked, making a twirl so they could appreciate her new look better.
"Whoa, you look amazing Serena!" Bonnie praised.
"You think so?" the honey blonde asked.
"Totally!" Ash agreed, making Serena blush a little. "Though, even if you look amazing, why the change of wardrobe?"
"Well... given that we're about to start a new journey, I decided to get a new look to go with it. And I wasn't the only one. Ta-dah!" Serena said while lifting the bags she carried, bags the others didn't realize she had until now. "I also took the liberty to get some new clothes for you guys!"
"Really? That's great!" Bonnie cheered, as she took one of Serena's bags and inspected its contents.
"Now that you mention it, these are kind of worn down, so I could use something new," Clemont said, looking at his overalls.
"That was so kind of you," Ash said.
"Come on, go and put them on! I want to see how they look on you!" Serena excitedly urged them.
Five minutes later, the rest of the group had changed as well.
Serena had bought another overalls for Clemont, since she was aware the inventor favored practical clothing that could be used for mechanical work. This one, though, was dark grey an blueish grey, with the edges of the sleeves and trouser legs had green trims.
Bonnie was wearing a short-sleeved lavender shirt with white sleeves and a purple ribbon on it, a purple skirt with golden sun patterns over black knee-length pants, but kept the same pink mary janes.
And lastly, there was Ash, whom in Serena's definitely not biased opinion looked the most handsome of all of them with his new clothes: Ash was now wearing a short sleeved blue jacket with four pockets with black lines across its sleeves and through the zipper, grayish blue pants with light blue trouser legs, and blue sneakers with red stripes. Lastly, he was now wearing a red and blue cap with a light blue lightning bolt symbol on it.
"So, what do you think?" Serena asked. "Do you like the new clothes?"
"Yes! They're awesome!" Bonnie beamed.
"Yeah, these overalls are great!" Clemont added.
"Indeed, they are great. But that's not a surprise, you have a great taste for clothes, Serena," Ash praised her.
"Th-Thank you, Ash," Serena said while averting his gaze, as she felt her cheeks turning pink.
The moment was ruined when Ash's stomach rumbled. Loudly.
"Hehe, sorry!" Ash said, placing his hand behind his back. "I guess that the training made me hungrier than I thought."
"Pika..." Pikachu sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, let's have a good dinner, and then off to bed! Tomorrow we finally begin our journey through Tandor!" Serena cheered.
Author's Note: And thus, our heroes finally arrive to Tandor! And as it's usual when Ash arrives to a new region, one of the first persons they met is the local Pokemon Professor, followed by a potential companion and/or rivals. But since all the companion slots are taken, only rivals are left. Aside from canon rival Theo, Ash and Serena will have to deal with Natalie and Vitor, respectively, who, for those of you who don't know, are the female and male player characters.
Those who played the games surely recognize the initial scene as the game's opening. For those who haven't played, pay it no mind. It's not like it's going to be important to the plot or anything in the future ;P
Though, as for Kellyn and Lucille having three children, no, that's not a typo: their third and oldest child is Kellyn jr. aka the Ranger who appeared in that Sinnoh episode. Since the Kellyn of the anime is Ash's age and the one from Uranium is an adult, yet they're both the same Kellyn from the Pokemon Ranger games, I had to split them in two diferent characters
And since we're in another region, Ash and co. get a new look! And yeah, Serena's back to having long hair, simply because I liked it better that way. Yes, I'm aware that she was tied to her character development and blah blah blah, but honestly, the "girl cuts her hair as a sign of character growth" is a trope I'm tired of seeing. If you want to see a picture of how the gang looks, as well as Tandorian Nurse Joy, you can see it in the Ao3 version.
Next time, our heroes take the first step on their journey through Tandor, and one of them will be catching their first Pokemon? In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review!