It took two more days of traveling, for Ash and his friends to reach the outskirts of Azalea Town, and to say that they are all exhausted would be an understatement, as everyone but Ash are almost dragging themselves to reach the Azalea Town, and even Ash has gained a lot of sweat from the blazing heat that surrounds the Azalea Town and that part of the region.
"God damn, what's with this heat," Misty yelled as much as she could because of exhaustion? "It's unbearable."
"It appears that there is a drought in these parts," Brock said. "Just look at that river over there, or better said, where the river should be, but is gone."
"You are right," Serena said. "The entire river has run dry from the draught."
"Oh, stop whining, and let's go to Kurt's house," Ash said, and Misty and Serena gave him angry glares, while Brock sighed.
"You need to remember, Ash, that we are not like you," Brock said. "We are humans, and we can get exhausted."
"I'm also human, and exhausted, and yet you don't hear me whining," Ash said. "Trust me, it won't help you, it can only make things worse."
All three sighed, and Serena said. "Let's just go to that guy's house, and take a little rest."
The others agreed, and then they walked in Town, and then toward Kurt's house, which is in the northern part of the Town, close to the famous Ilex Forest.
After they entered into the Azalea Town, and as they were walking through it, they noticed a lot of Slowpoke's just lying around without a care, and there were also many signs about Slowpoke's, and they were confused.
"What's up with all this Slowpoke's and signs," Misty asked, while looking at Ash?
Ash turned and looked at her with raised eyebrow. "Why are you asking me," he asked? "I've never been here before, so what makes you think I know?"
"I don't know," Misty shrugged. "I assumed you know something, because you seem to know a lot of stuff."
"Well, I learned a lot while training to be Aura Guardian," Ash replied. "We need to know a lot about Pokémon and the world to be able to do our jobs well, but still, knowing a lot and knowing everything are two different things."
"So, you know nothing about this Town, and why there are so many Slowpoke's here," Misty questioned in the end.
"Sorry, but no," Ash confirmed, and Misty sighed.
As they continued to walk, one of the Slowpoke suddenly appeared in front of them, and by accident, Misty stepped on its tail, and then jumped back in a surprise.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, and everything was quiet, until suddenly, Slowpoke gave a cry, and some guy who was nearby and saw what Misty did, started yelling at them.
"Hey, what are you doing to that Slowpoke?" The guy yelled at them, and then several other people showed up, and surrounded Ash and the others.
When they were about to attack them, Ash yelled at them with his eyes glowing and the angry group of people stopped.
"Stop right there, and think about what you are about to do!" Ash said menacingly.
Few of the people shuddered, and backed away a little, while few who were braver, stood their ground, and yelled back.
"How dare you yell at us," one of the guys yelled at Ash. "Your friend stepped on Slowpoke and causing it pain. Do you know how disrespectful that is? Would you like if we all step on you like that?"
"She didn't do it on purpose, you know," Ash said back at the guy. "She accidently did it, she is sorry, so let it go!"
"We can't just let it go like you say," someone said back at Ash. "Slowpoke are sacred here in Azalea Town, and we would be disrespecting them if we let go those who hurt them."
This is where Ash got really annoyed, and on top of his eyes who were glowing, he started leaking Aura around himself, and this time, everyone backed away from him after they was him. Even his friends backed away, as Misty and Brock knew that angry Ash, is not a good Ash, and Serena only followed Misty and Brock.
Ash then, much to everyone's surprise, walked over to the Slowpoke on which Misty stepped on, kneeled down to its eye level, and looked at it, while Slowpoke looked back.
"We are sorry for stepping on your tail," Ash said, and everyone's jaws dropped, especially the ones of Brock and Misty, who expected an apocalypse to happen when Ash got angry. "Will you forgive us, so we can all go our ways, and forget about this?"
Slowpoke looked at Ash for a few seconds, and with rare clarity in its mind, spoke back. "Of course, young Aura user. Consider everything forgotten."
"Great," Ash said. "Thank you. But can you please do something about those people, as they won't believe me I understood you?"
Slowpoke nodded, and then it crawled around Ash, and stopped in front of the Town's people who looked at it, and Ash like they have just fallen from the sky, and are aliens.
"You are to go away, and leave these kids alone," Slowpoke said while shaking its head, and pointing with its hands at Ash and his friends to walk away. It was doing this as it knew that those people can't understand what he said, but he thinks that can get the picture.
Ash then walked over to his friends, and looked at the Azalea Town people, who looked like they are heaving heart attacks, and then he said. "Did you get that?" Ash asked the people, who didn't say anything, but only nodded their heads, so Ash and the others turned around, and walked away, though Ash said good bye to Slowpoke, and thanked it.
Slowpoke nodded, and walked away, in the other direction to Ash and his friends, while the angry mob from before stayed back, and wandered what the hell just happened.
XXX
After another half an hour of walking, Ash and the others reached the house on the outskirts of Azalea Town that belongs to Kurt, so they knocked on the door, and from inside a child's voice was heard.
"Who is it?" Asked, what was obviously a little girl, from inside of the house?
Ash and the others looked at each other, and Ash decided to talk. "I'm Ash Ketchum, I came here looking for Kurt," Ash said.
The little girl opened the door slightly, and glanced outside to look at Ash and the others, and said. "I'm not really supposed to open the door and talk to strangers, grandpa will get angry," She said.
"Can I guess then that you are Kurt's granddaughter, and that he is not here now," Ash asked?
"Yes, and yes," the girl replied, still not opening the door. "He left this morning to go to Slowpoke Well to check it out and see is something happening there that can explain this draught we are having for a while, but he is not back yet, and I'm getting worried that something might have happened to him."
Serena, Misty and Brock exchanged glances with one another, while Ash smiled at the little girl, and said. "Don't worry, we can go and see what happened to your grandpa."
"Will you really," The girl asked a little more enthusiastically, and with a smile?
"Of course," Ash replied. "But you need to tell me where the Well is, since I'm not from around here."
"The Slowpoke Well is on the Hill on other side of the Town," the girl replied, and after Ash nodded, he thanked her, and started to walk away, while the others followed, but before he left, he said to the girl, who was still looking at them through the partly opened door.
"And don't worry. We won't tell your grandpa that you opened the door and talked to strangers," Ash said, and smiled at her, and the girl smiled back, and closed the door, while Ash and the others left Kurt's house.
"I didn't know you are that good with kids," Serena said to Ash, while they were walking toward the center of the town.
Ash looked at Serena, and pouted. "You said that like I'm some 30-year-old man who never had any interaction with kids."
Serena glared at him, while Misty and Brock laughed, and then Ash laughed as well.
"Come on Serena, I'm a kid as well, we all are." Ash said.
"You are right that Serena, Brock and I are kids," Misty said. "But sometimes, I'm wondering about you."
"And why is that?" Ash asked.
"It's just that, your whole way of acting is like that of at least a young man, and not a 12-year-old boy." Misty replied. "You appear to be much more mature, your knowledge about things goes above any kid your age or close to your age, things I've seen you do cannot possibly be done by someone your age, and there are probably some other stuff as well that we just haven't noticed yet."
"But I am a Grand Master of an Aura Guardians, that should explain everything," Ash said. "We are known to be mature above our age, knowledgeable, and strong, but we are still just like any other human, except my ability to use Aura, there is nothing about me that separates me from any of the three of you, or any other human. Everything I know you can learn as well, you just have to bother yourself to learn it."
"And will you teach us to be like you," Misty asked?
"I can't teach you to be like me," Ash replied, and Misty frowned. "I can teach you to know what I know, but you have to be yourself, because trust me, you don't want to be like me."
"Why wouldn't we want to be like you," Serena asked confused, while Misty and Brock were quiet, as they could guess why Ash said that?
Ash looked at Serena, and after thinking what to say for a few moments, he decided to not tell her anything yet, as she might not be ready to know he killed a man in cold blood.
"You will find out one day," Ash said, and this time Serena frowned just like Misty earlier. "And you will not like it when you do."
There was a silence for the next few minutes as they walked toward the Azalea Town center, and then when they arrived back in town, Ash said.
"Leaf is waiting for us in Pokémon Center, and since all of you are tired from this scorcher, I think you should go there and wait for me, while I go to the Slowpoke Well, and find Kurt," Ash said.
"Are you sure," Brock asked, as they all stopped and looked at Ash? "We can go with you if you want. Leaf waited this long, I'm sure she can wait for few more hours."
"There is no reason for all of us to go," Ash said. "Besides, I doubt it will take few hours to find the old man, and come back, it's not like he's in the other Town."
"Ok, if that's how you want it then we can go in Pokémon Center and wait for you there," Brock said, and Ash only nodded, and started to walk away from the others.
"Be careful, Ash," Serena suddenly said, and Ash turned around. "Remember what that girl said. Kurt was supposed to be back by now, and he is not, so assume that something happened in the Well."
"Don't worry, Serena," Ash said with a smile. "I'm always careful."
And then he walked away toward the Slowpoke Well, while the others went to Pokémon Center.
XXX
15 minutes later, Brock, Serena and Misty walked through the entrance of the Pokémon Center, and went to the reception desk, where Nurse Joy was standing with her Chansey.
The three of them went in front of the desk, and said. "Hello, Nurse Joy, we would like to take two rooms for a day or two if it's possible," Brock was the one who asked.
"Hello kids," Nurse Joy replied with a smile on her face. "And yes, you can get two rooms, just give me a minute."
She then started typing on her computer, while the three waited for her to finish.
After about a minute, Nurse Joy finished typing, and gave them two keys for their room, and before they walked away, Misty asked.
"Is a girl called Leaf here right now, or is she somewhere outside of Pokémon Center?"
"Leaf is inside of her room," Nurse Joy replied. "She has been here for a while waiting for some friends, are you the ones she was waiting?"
"Yes, it's us," Misty replied. "She must have been bored waiting all this time, wasn't she?"
"Well, she did get bored a little from time-to-time," Nurse Joy replied. "There are some attractions here in Azalea Town to visit, but because of the draught, and the incredible heat, people rarely go outside during the day, so it can get boring sometimes."
"She's going to give us hell when she sees us," Misty groaned, while Brock and Serena laughed at Misty's reaction.
"She won't be that bad," Nurse Joy said, while she also laughed a little. "She's a nice girl. Helped me a few times here in the Pokémon Center with some Pokémon who suffered because of the heat."
The three then walked to their rooms to leave their stuff, and refresh a little, and then all together, went to the room in which Nurse Joy told them that Leaf is staying.
After they knocked on the door, they waited for a few seconds, and then they heard Leaf walking toward the door, and once she opened them, they saw her standing there with a face that said she is bored as all hell.
"So, you have finally arrived," Leaf said after she saw the group. "It was about time. I have been waiting here forever."
"Sorry about that, Leaf," Brock said. "But it's not like we could fly to here."
Leaf sighed, and said. "I know, I know," Before she hugged Misty and Brock, and then looked at Serena.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Serena?" Leaf asked, and Serena nodded, and the two hugged as well.
"It sure has," Serena replied. "Few years actually."
"Wait a minute," Misty said. "So, you two actually met before."
"We only saw each other from a distance," Leaf replied. "We were together in the camp with Ash and Gary, but while Ash, Gary and I were mostly together and the same age, Serena was younger, and spent time with other kids."
"Is that so," Misty asked, and Serena confirmed.
"Where is Ash anyway," Leaf asked after she realized Ash is not among the others? "He's not hiding from me, is he? It won't save him from when I get my hands on him."
"You mad at him," Misty asked?
"A little," Leaf replied, but then smirked. "But I haven't seen him for a while, and I can wait to give him one big kiss."
Misty and Serena blushed at what Leaf said, while Brock held himself from crying out how lucky Ash is.
Leaf then let them inside her room, and Brock said. "Ash went to Slowpoke Well to find Kurt so he can give him the GS Ball, and be done with it. I think he got annoyed to look after the ball all the time, ever since that Quagsire stole it in Cherrygrove City."
"Hahaha, you went through the Cherrygrove City during the Blue Moon Ritual, didn't you," Leaf laughed and asked?
"Yeah," Misty confirmed. "But how do you know about it?"
"I found out from the local guidebook when I was there." Leaf replied.
After that, the four of them continued talking, while they waited for Ash to return from the Slowpoke Well, and tell them how it went.
XXX
Ash arrived close to the Slowpoke Well almost an hour after he separated from the others, as it took him that long to actually find the Well, and also, it wasn't exactly close to where he was.
Once he got close enough to the entrance to the cave where Slowpoke Well probably is, but still out of the sight of everyone who was close to it, he saw a Team Rocket grunt standing at the entrance keeping guard.
"I should have known," Ash said to himself. "Of course, they had to do something to cause all this crap, there is no one else moronic enough to cause a draught in the entire Town. But what the hell could they be doing in there anyway?"
He then went around and climbed on the hill above the cave entrance, and was about 5 meters above the entrance, and the guard standing there.
He then took a deep breath, and jumped from above, and right next to the standing guard who didn't see or hear anything, because as soon as Ash jumped next to him, he hit him in the back of the neck while falling, which sent the guard to the dream world almost instantly, and he fell on the ground, while Ash stood on his legs next to the guy.
"Now, let's go and see what they are doing down there," Ash said to himself again, after he pulled the guy behind the hill, and hid him from anyone who could walk to the cave and see him on the ground.
Ash then walked inside the cave, and walked for a while downwards, until he came upon a wide area where he saw a lake, as well as a bunch of Slowpoke lying around.
He also saw a bunch of Team Rocket grunts sitting and cutting the Slowpoke tail's, and putting them inside some bags, while releasing the Slowpoke's, now tailless.
"So that's what they have been doing," Ash thought in his head, angry as all hell at what he was seeing. "They must be planning to cut the tails of all of the Slowpoke in the Slowpoke Well, and then sell them, as they are worth a lot and considered a delicacy. But I wonder how this affects the Town, and draught."
He then looked around from where he was standing, and noticed an old man, who is probably Kurt, tied up in the corner where no one is watching, as they probably think he can't go anywhere tied like that.
Slowly, so no one can spot him just yet, Ash walked toward the corner where the old man is, and when Kurt saw him, Ash only placed a finger on his own lips to show him to be quiet, to which Kurt nodded, and Ash went to him, untied him, and then motioned to him to follow him, which Kurt did.
Once they moved out of the sight of every Rocket grunt, and climbed on the level above where they were, Ash said.
"Listen, I want you to stay here and be quiet until I go down there and take care of them. Do you understand?"
"Are you sure about that, young man," Kurt asked? "Can you really take on all of them?"
"Don't worry, sir, I'm an Aura Guardian, I can take care of myself," Ash replied, and Kurt nodded, and stayed where he was, while Ash went back down to take care of the trash.
Kurt got curious, and looked down from where he was, as the place was sort of like a balcony to the cave, so if you look from it, you can see everything that's happening on the level below.
Ash walked down, this time not paying attention to slow and quiet, so once he was close enough, the Rocket grunts heard him, and turned around to see what it was, and saw Ash coming toward them, with a Poke Ball in his hand.
"Who are you," Yelled one of the grunts, also grabbing one of his Poke Balls?
"And what are you doing here?" Asked another, also taking Poke Ball, ready for battle.
"It doesn't matter who I am," Ash replied. "What I'm here for, is to take out the trash."
As he said that, Ash threw the Poke Ball he had in his hand, and released his Pokémon. "Come on out, Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot came out of her Poke Ball, and floated in front of Ash, ready to battle for the first time in a while, while the Rocket Grunts, as well as Kurt, were looking with wide eyes at the huge and strange looking Pidgeot, as they have never seen one looking like that, and that big.
"What's up with that Pidgeot," Asked one of the grunts, but no one replied?
His other 'friends', didn't bother to ask anything and just threw their Poke Ball's, and released their Pokémon, which were just a bunch of Zubat.
"Zubat, use Supersonic!" They all yelled at the same time, and their Pokémon released small blue, circles from their mouth at Pidgeot, and the circles grow in size as they were approaching her.
"Pidgeot, Hurricane!" Ash countered, and Pidgeot's wings glowed red and she flapped them, releasing a powerful gust of wind at everything around her, which included Zubat, Rocket grunts, and even neutralized the Supersonic.
The gust destroyed everything in its path, and soon enough almost everything in the cave was flying around, including a bunch of Slowpoke's who didn't look like they have even noticed it.
The only one not affected were Pidgeot, who floated majestically in the air, Ash, who surrounded himself in Aura to prevent himself from flying around, and Kurt, who was safe behind the wall, and is not even looking at what's going on from the moment he saw Pidgeot release the Hurricane.
Once the Hurricane stopped almost a minute later, Ash and Pidgeot looked at the damage, and Ash saw that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, as the cave is still standing, which is good, as he wouldn't want to be buried in it.
He looked at Rocket grunts, and their Pokémon, and saw all of them lying on the cave floor passed out, with Rocket's clothing cut up in several places, and Zubat's covered in bruises from continuously bouncing on the cave walls.
"Good job, Pidgeot," Ash said to his Pokémon, and returned her.
He then went around and tied up Rocket grunts with pieces of their own clothing, and returned their Pokémon in their Poke Balls to keep them from potentially attacking if they wake up.
"What the hell was that," Kurt asked Ash, after he waked down from where he was, and looked around?
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"That Pidgeot," Kurt said. "How is it that powerful?"
"I trained her a lot, and she became strong," Ash replied. "Now, let's check on this Slowpoke's and see if there is something we can do, or we need to call Nurse Joy, as I have no knowledge about healing Pokémon, and don't know how not having their tails, will affect all this Slowpoke's."
"Don't worry about their tails," Kurt said, and Ash looked at him with raised eyebrow. "They can live normally even without them, but that doesn't mean that this should have happened in the first place. This could potentially be tragedy that can bring the end of Azalea Town."
"What are you talking about," Ash asked? "Why are Slowpoke's so important in this Town?"
Kurt sighed, and then explained to Ash how 400 years ago there was a drought in Azalea Town just like now. One day, a Slowpoke came, and yawned, which then started a rain, that saved the Town. From that day on, Azalea Town has been known as the place where Slowpoke's are treated as royalty, and are considered to be the bringers of water to the Town.
"And now that this happened, who knows what the Slowpoke will do," Kurt said. "They might appear to be airheaded, but they are very intelligent, and if they get angry because of this, Azalea Town, and the surrounding area are doomed."
Ash looked around at the Slowpoke who were relaxing and didn't look like they even noticed what has happened, though he knew better, and sighed.
"I guess you can just hope you are wrong, and that Slowpoke will know that it was not the people of Azalea Town that did this to them, but Team rocket, and will eventually bring the rain like they did 400 years ago." Ash said.
Kurt only sighed, and looked around. "Let's go back in Town and inform Officer Jenny what happened here, so she can come and arrest these monsters," Kurt said.
"It's ok, I'll call her with my Pokedex," Ash said, and while Kurt looked surprised, Ash pulled out his Pokedex and dialed Azalea Town police station, and informed Officer Jenny about what happened and where she needs to come.
She said she will come as soon as possible, and hanged up, while Ash and Kurt then set down, and waited for her to come.
"Remind me who you are, again." Kurt suddenly said, when he remembered that he doesn't know anything about Ash except that he is Aura Guardian.
"My name is Ash Ketchum, I'm a Pokémon trainer and Aura Guardian from Pallet Town in Kanto, and I'm here traveling through Johto to compete in the league," Ash explained.
"Did you know I was here, or did you come by accident," Kurt asked?
"Actually, I was looking for you around town when I couldn't find you at your house, and then I decided to try my luck here after I couldn't find you anywhere," Ash said, not saying Kurt's granddaughter told him where he is.
"Why were you looking for me," Kurt asked curious?
Ash took the GS Ball from his backpack, and showed it to Kurt, who took it from Ash, and looked at the ball curiously, and then Ash said.
"That ball was found by Professor Ivy on Valencia Island, and since neither she, nor Professor Oak couldn't figure out how to open it, Professor Oak told me to bring it to you as you are the best Poke Ball creator in the world."
Kurt nodded, and looked at the GS Ball, not getting anything about it except the strange colors, and the letters, which Poke Ball's usually don't have.
"Well, I guess I'll have to take it to my house and do some research on it, but right now I can tell you I know nothing about it," Kurt said.
"That's fine, you can keep it as long as you want," Ash said, and then mumbled slowly. "As long as I don't have to carry it with myself any longer."
"What was that," Kurt asked as he didn't understand what Ash mumbled?
"Oh, nothing," Ash waved it off. "Don't worry about it."
After that, they set in silence and waited for Officer Jenny to come, and pick up the Rocket grunts.
XXX
What none of them knew, is that while Ash was dealing with grunts, Marauder came into the cave, and hid behind the wall, and looked and listened to everything that happened and everything that was said.
He almost had a heart attack when he saw Ash pull put the GS Ball, as he remembered that it was mentioned by Giovanni that this ball contains a Mythical Pokémon Celebi, and that if any Rocket finds this ball they should take it by any means necessary, and give it to him.
Though right now Giovanni is in prison, Marauder knew that he can't let this chance slip up, and he has to take the ball from Kurt, and take it to the shrine in the Ilex Forest, and release Celebi, and then capture it with his Dark Ball.
"Screw Giovanni," Marauder said to himself, as he walked out of the Slowpoke Well, and went to hide somewhere until Officer Jenny finishes with grunts. "If I can get my hands on Celebi, I can do whatever I want. I can even change history with its power."
Then he went a little further away from the Slowpoke Well, and hid, though he was at the sight distance, and will know when Jenny comes and leaves, as well as when Ash and the old man leave, so he can follow them to the old man's house, and then make plans how to steal the GS Ball without being caught by Ash.
"I must make a perfect plan and not be caught by that kid," Marauder though. "I wouldn't want to know what he will pull out this time if the first time he kicked my ass by himself and then pulled out Lugia the second time. He might kill me like he did Proton."
XXX
Almost an hour after Ash called Officer Jenny, she came along with several police officers, and saw Ash and Kurt waiting, and then they explained in better terms what happened, after which, she and other policeman went to work, and apprehended the tied up grunts, and took them out of the Slowpoke Well, while Ash and Kurt followed after them.
They then placed them all in police cars, and the policeman took them away, while Ash and Kurt drove back in Azalea Town with her car.
Marauder ended up having to run down the hill and back to the town, so he can get to the police station in time before Kurt goes back to his house, or he might end up having a hard time to find it if he can't follow the old man.