Chapter 27

Adventures in Running Errands

Even I could not believe what had happened recently. We were briefly detoured to the Hoenn region in search of the Megalith, the source of Mega Evolution. In our excavation, we were caught in the crossfire between the three Legendary Titans, and through them, I received three Pure Hearts. Unfortunately, Team Flare was able to snatch the Megalith from right out of our fingers. Well, I suppose one cannot win every battle…

Hoenn Champion Steven was willing to return us to Kalos, though Misty and Brock chose to return to their own responsibilities. Alain and Mairin also went on their own way shortly after our arrival. Apparently, Lysandre had called him to accomplish a personal assignment. I wonder what it was…?

Anyway, we backtracked through the trail north of Lumiose to continue our journey. Our destination - Laverre City, home of the next Gym we would face. As we were passing through this one town a storm came upon us. We rushed into a Pokémon Center nearby to dry up. Serena kneeled down to dry off Magearna's head with a towel. "We better clean you off before you rust."

Magearna giggled. "It's okay, Mommy. This body's made of carbon fiber - it doesn't rust or need oil."

"You thought of everything, huh, Clemont?" James smiled.

"I try," he chuckled.

While we waited for the storm to pass, we decided to give our Pokémon a check-up. We handed our PokéBalls to Nurse Joy, who was happy to accept them. "This should only take a few minutes," she told us. "You'll be back on your journey in no time."

"Take your time. No rush," I told her. She and Wigglytuff went to the back room, and those out of their PokéBalls followed, including Squishy, Meowth and Magearna.

Bonnie looked out the window and up at the sky. "I wonder how long it'll rain?"

As though to respond, her brother reached into his backpack. "Perfect… the future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, ON!" He pulled out what at first looked like an automated turret with a camera. "This is the perfect opportunity to test out my latest invention! Presenting the Seven-Day-Forecast-Down-to-the-Minute Weather Predictor!"

"Why not just call it the Weather Predictor?" Bonnie commented.

"In test markets, four out of five customers surveyed were more impressed by larger names."

"Okay, fair enough…"

He then wheeled the Weather Predictor over to the door and aimed it at the sky. "This little beauty collects data on the cloud-movement, wind direction, humidity, and temperature to predict the weather."

"That's pretty cool, Clemont," Serena commented. "How long before we get some results?"

"Let's see… it should take approximately twenty-nine hours to collect the data, but the results will be flawless."

"Twenty-nine hours?" Jessie asked. She then stepped up and deactivated the machine. "We'd get faster results if I turned on the 9 o'clock news."

Shortly after we got our Pokémon back, there was trouble… The lights flickered for a couple seconds and then shut down completely. There was absolutely no electricity anymore in the Pokémon Center. The smaller children and some Pokémon began to worry as they looked around.

Nurse Joy had to pry the automatic door open to get out. Then she addressed the crowd. "Everybody, stay calm. There is no need to panic." She then began to tap at the keyboard before her, but to no avail. "None of my equipment is working."

"There could be a problem with the main system," Clemont commented. "Mind if I take a look?"

"No, not at all. Thank you." She then guided us down to the backroom.

We found the problem right away. Rain water leaked through the ceiling and into the power supply, shorting it out. Electricity bounced across the room, making it dangerous to approach.

"This is terrible," Nurse Joy commented. "I'm still in the middle of treating several Pokémon."

"Clemont, do you think you can fix that?" asked his little sister.

"Lemme see…" He opened the main hatch to the system and after a brief inspection… "Perfect! This is the same generator I use at the Gym. I can have it fixed in no time."

"Would you please? Thank you," Nurse Joy stated.

"We'll help out, too." Ash looked at the ceiling. "We can start by figuring out how to stop that leak. James and I will go up on the roof and have a look."

"Good thinking, Twerp!" James agreed. Then he quickly caught himself. "Oop! Sorry, it's a habit."

"I've got another idea," Clemont then pulled out a PokéBall and released Lucky. "Our Electric-type Pokémon can produce enough power to run the Pokémon Center… at least until I can get the generator fixed."

They all agreed, and one by one, Lucky, Pikachu, Dedenne and Dexter (after leaving the Pokedex) were fitted with conduits. Clemont connected them all to a battery and then gave them the signal. They all performed their strongest Electric-type moves, and provided enough of a charge to reinstate the lights.

"Great job, everyone. Keep up the good work," Ash commented.

"Girls, let's help Nurse Joy in any way we can!" I recommended, and the others agreed.

Nurse Joy was thankful. "Unfortunately, there's not enough power to use our medical equipment, but we have plenty of Berries in the pantry to heal any status condition. So, let's get to work."

*Ash's POV*

I collected the tools for the repair, while James carried the ladder outside. Once we climbed to the roof, we quickly noticed the source of the leak.

"Looks like a couple of shingles flew loose in the wind," James commented. He began to approach the hole slowly, but he slipped on the rain water and almost fell.

Fortunately, I was close enough to catch him. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I think so…" he replied.

Then, I had an idea. I grabbed a PokéBall and released Frogadier. "We need to get over there, but it's dangerously slippery. Can you use your Frubbles for footholds?" Frogadier nodded, and he threw pads of Frubbles across the roof to the hole. After we crossed the rooftop, James scrambled across to the other side. I held down the board, while he whacked the nails in. "Thanks, Frogadier. Can you check the rest of the roof for more holes?" He clambered up for a better perspective.

What we were doing was a temporary fix until a professional came over, but hopefully, it would at least slow down the flow of rainwater.

*Clemont's POV*

As I worked on the generator, I began to notice the leak was slowly fading. I guess Ash and James found the root of the problem. As I continued my repairs, Bunnelby and Meowth mopped up the rainwater. All of our Electric Pokémon were still hard at work powering the Pokémon Center - all except Dedenne, who had fallen asleep out of exhaustion. I cannot blame him though; we were asking a lot of them.

Nurse Joy and Cocoa came in. "Do you need anything back here?"

"Actually, yes." I pulled something out from within the machine. "This fuse is shot and needs to be replaced. Do you have any spares?"

"I don't," she replied, "but there is a shop down the road that should have these."

Suddenly, the system exploded again, and I hurriedly returned into work. "Uh-oh! Another short! I can't leave this alone for too long!"

At that moment, Chespin appeared from his PokéBall on his own. It then reached for the fuse from Nurse Joy. "Chespin! Ches Chespin!"

"Wow, that would be great if you could get it for me," I smiled.

"He's not going anywhere without a chaperone!" Cocoa commented.

"Good idea," I replied. "Could you go with him?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'm sure Brianna wouldn't mind if I went." And indeed, she did not.

*Cocoa's POV*

He followed us outside, and we realized the storm had passed. Before Chespin and I left, Clemont strapped a little pouch to Chespin's neck. It contained the money for a new fuse and well as a piece of paper showing precisely what we needed.

"The shop is directly down this path," he instructed. "There are no turns so you shouldn't be able to get lost."

"Sounds good. We'll be back in no time," I told him, and off we went.

It was a good thing I decided to come along. There were a lot of things along the way that distracted Chespin. Puddles, ice cream shops, and cute Pokémon like Marill, just to name a few. "At this rate, we'll never get back." After a while, I decided to carry him to the shop. "Chespin, Clemont's counting on us to get that fuse."

(Sorry…) he muttered.

I hoped that would be the last of our problems…

… I was wrong.

A little while later, we were jumped by a group of what looked like stray Pokémon. Their leader was a Granbull who wore brown derby and a green turtleneck sweater. Chespin was scared, and so was I a little, if only because of the surprise aspect. "Um… can I help you?" I asked, holding Chespin close.

(What is it, boss?) asked a Medicham.

(Hey, maybe it's a Girafarig the Girafarig!) said an Electabuzz.

(No, it ain't no Girafarig. The Girafarig's got a long neck like this!) Granbull then grabbed my neck and stretched it out in a cartoonish way. The others laugh, though I did not find it amusing at all, nor did Chespin. (Hey, fellas, it's a Lopunny!)

(Oh! A Lopunny!) A Magmar commented.

('Mon pile on the Lopunny!) Granbull and the others then tried to jump on top of me, repeating what he said, but I Bounced out of the way.

I landed on top of them and started jumping on them. "🎵Mon pile on the Lopunny! 'Mon pile on the Lopunny!🎶" Chespin and I repeated in a singsong tone.

This went on for a while until Granbull lost his patience. (Eh, get off!) He threw everyone else off at once, except for me and Chespin. We just continued atop his head. (Who's the wise guy? Who's the wise guy?!)

We answered in a rather silly way. "Peek-a-boo!" I said as I lurched over him.

(I see you!) he replied. Then he came to his senses. (Heeey… I'll marbleize you!) Chespin and I jumped out of the way and ran off. We ducked into a manhole nearby and closed the lid. We were just in time to hear Granbull crash into it.

There was another manhole nearby that we clambered out of. We could see Granbull at the one we were at, barking into the hole. I decided to have a little fun with this and approached him slowly. "Whatcha doin'?" I asked sweetly.

(I'm looking for a Lopunny,) he replied.

"Does she have brown fur, a blue dress, and a Chespin like me?"

(Yeah, yeah, that's her!)

"And is there a tough-looking Granbull chasing her, with a derby and turtleneck sweater like yours?"

(Yeah, yeah! That she does, that she does!)

"And when you're not looking, does she use Thunderbolt on you like this?" I then fired off my attack, landing a direct hit on Granbull.

He was a little shaken up but still stood. (Yeah, yeah! That's the one! That's the one!)

"Sorry, haven't seen her?" I then started walking away. Chespin was trying hard not to laugh. But almost immediately afterward, Granbull came back to his senses and chased us once again.

As we tried to lose him he chased us into an automat. Basically an automat is an old-time fast food restaurant where food was served by means of a selection of doors on a wall. It was like a giant vending machine that served full meals.

We approached a wall and Granbull skidded to a halt behind me. I turned to our pursuer. "Got a coin, Monsieur?"

(Huh? Oh yeah…) he handed us one.

"Merci." I inserted the coin into the slot and pulled out a piece of Sitrus Berry pie, which I immediately threw at Granbull's face. Then I proceeded to clean it off of him. "Oh, I'm awfully sorry! I've made a terrible mistake!" I then grabbed another one and threw that at his face. "You wanted… CHERI PIE!"

We ran out the back door as he cleaned off his face. He then cornered us into an alley and clenched his fists.

(WHY YOU…!)

"WHY YOU…!" I copied him.

(Hey, now! Cut that out or-!) I continued to copy him in a mocking tone. (Say, wise guy! Oh, yeah? Yeah!)

…until I took the lead from him. "Pflegedusche! Sassafras! Yes! No! Red! Blue! Pink! Pot! Plum!"

"🎵Put on your old gray bonnet with the blue ribbon on it,
While I hitch ol' Tauros to the shay,🎶"

(🎵Through the fields of color, we'll cross all of Galar,
for our golden wedding day!🎶)

He continued to sing the song as we quietly slipped away. (Silly, isn't he?) Chespin commented as we tried to find our path once again.

*Ash's POV*

"There, I think that's the last of it," said James as he finished with his last nail. It took a little longer than I hoped, but at long last, we had patched up the roof of the Pokémon Center. After collecting the tools, we made our way down the ladder and down to a more universal level.

We went back inside to inform Nurse Joy. I tapped on her shoulder. "I know the storm's passed, Nurse Joy, but the roof is patched up."

She turned around, and what I saw made me jump, almost literally. It was not Nurse Joy at all, but Serena dressed in her uniform. "Good for you, Ash!"

It was not just her dressed like this, but also all of the girls in our group - Jessie, Bonnie, Brianna, and even Magearna.

"What's all this about?" James asked.

"Well," Jessie replied, "since were helping Nurse Joy for the day, we figured we should look the part as well. She has plenty of these uniforms in the back room."

"They look comfortable," I told them. "You all look great, just like the real Nurse Joy!"

"We do?!" asked Bonnie. "Do you think I could be the next Nurse Joy?"

"Sure! Maybe someday!" That really seemed to lift her spirits, as if she needed it.

Our conversation was cut short, however, when a Trainer came in with a Dodrio. All three of its necks were tied together in a knot, much to our shock. "Don't ask…" he told us as all the nurses rushed over to help, including the real deal.

While they tended to Dodrio's aid, I decided to check in on Clemont. Our Electric Pokémon were still hard at work powering the Pokémon Center. "Way to hang in there, guys!"

"There…" Clemont backed away and wiped the sweat from his brow. "All I need now is that fuse from the store, and we're back in business."

I looked around. "I thought they'd be back by now. I hope they're okay…"

"Maybe we should look for them," said James.

"I'll keep an eye on things around here," I handed Clemont one of my PokéBalls. "Take Fletchinder with you. I'm sure he can help."

"That would be great. Thank you," Clemont and Meowth then left to find Cocoa and Chespin. I then left for just a second to grab some Berries - something to boost their stamina.

*Cocoa's POV*

Chespin and I were a little turned around because of Granbull and the others. We found our way at a fork in the road, with one path heading uphill.

(Maybe if we went that way, we can find the shop,) Chespin suggested.

"Good idea," I replied, so that was what we did. Chespin was getting a little tired from the harsh incline, so I picked him up once again.

His idea was on the money. It took some time, but we eventually found our way back on track. At last, we found it.

(There's the shop!) Chespin yelled. (Nothing can stop us now!)

But of course, we were wrong once again. The Granbull and his gang had caught up to us once again. (You caused us more trouble than you're worth!) he said. (So let's make this easy! Give us the money in the pouch, and we'll spare some of you a beating!)

"As if!" I stated, ready to stand our ground.

(This is all you're getting from me!) Chespin taunted by slapping his hiney.

(You asked for it! Shadow Ball!) The Granbull fired one at us. It was a warning shot as it struck the ground in front of us.

(You think you can beat us all in a battle?) asked the Medicham. (You can't even beat us up a hill!)

I was not entirely phased, I mean we recently took on the Legendary Titans. Chespin, on the other hand, seemed more determined than I was. He glanced at his pouch, thinking of his Trainer. After a few seconds, he charged at them, prepping a Tackle. The Electabuzz then retaliated with a Low Kick, which thankfully did not hurt someone so lightweight.

I went over to him. "Are you okay?"

(Psybeam!) Medicham fired off the Psychic-type attack, but I countered it with Thunderbolt.

(Fire Blast!) Magmar then produced a large sphere of fire that sped at us. But then Chespin fired a Pin Missile that dulled it down. It was not completely enough as it struck Chespin with less power than normal. That said a lot since he was weak against Fire-type moves.

(Stay down, you snooks!) Granbull told us. (You can't take us all!)

(We will!) Chespin told them. (My Trainer's counting on us, and I don't want to let him down ever again!)

In that instant, he started shining like a fire. I stepped back a little as I watched him transform before me. He grew about twice as large as he was before, and a thick hide grew around him. "Chespin?"

He grinned at me with confidence. (It's Quilladin now!)

"He evolved!" said a voice behind me. I turned around fast and saw Clemont and Meowth running up behind me.

"Looks like we made it just in time!" the latter smiled.

(Ill mannered brats! Let's get them, boys!) said the Granbull, and they all charged at us.

"Oh, no you don't! Quilladin, use Rollout!" Clemont called. Quilladin's body glowed light green. It then jumped into the air and then rolled into the Granbull and the others with great speed and power. It was almost like a bowling ball ramming into pins. "Great work Quilladin! Now use Pin Missile!" He then fired his projectiles.

"I'll help out, too! Payday, baby!" Meowth then fired his attack.

"Thunderbolt!" I fired a lightning bolt at the same time. The three attacks struck simultaneously and sent the annoying thugs out of town.

(WE WON'T FORGET THIS!) Granbull shouted as they disappeared.

Clemont then approached his newly evolved partner and gently stroked his spiny head. "I had my concerns, but now I see I had nothing to worry about." Quilladin smiled with pride. "Only one thing left for you to do… I'll be waiting for you guys back at the Pokémon Center, okay?" And with that, Quilladin and I went to finish our quest.

*Brianna's POV*

After they returned and the generator was fully mended, Clemont threw the switch to reroute the power. We all watched with pleasure as at last, our work was complete.

"Great work fixing the generator, Clemont!" Jessie commented.

"You were great!" Magearna added.

"Don't thank me… It's all thanks to these two!" He then gestured toward the two Pokemon who retrieved the missing piece.

We focused on the shorter, greener one. "Is that who I think it is?" As Ash asked that, Dexter analyzed the hero of the day.

Quilladin
The Spiny Armor Pokémon
A Grass-type
Chespin's evolved form
The hard shell covering Quilladin's body is so tough, a direct hit from a large truck will not leave a dent. Quilladin uses this shell to deflect foes' attacks, and it strikes back with its sharp quills.

Bonnie then rubbed the newly-evolved Pokémon. "Congratulations, Quilladin! You look so cool!"

Before we left that day, Nurse Joy stopped us to offer her gratitude. "I can't thank you all enough for your help. Because of your generosity, this crisis was practically streamlined."

Ash spoke up afterwards. "Nurse Joy, don't forget you're always there for us whenever we need your help. This is the least we could do. If there's anything else we can do for you, you can always count on us."

"Thank you. I will!" she smiled.

Nurse Joy of the Pokémon Center - perhaps the most necessary asset for the Pokémon Trainer. She provides so much support for us, it was time for us to give a little back to her. Now, with a newly-evolved Quilladin at our side, the journey continues…