With Courage I Will Face
Arc IV: Cerulean
Chapter Seventeen: Twice Is a Coincidence
"So, when do you think you'll challenge my sisters, Ash?" Misty asked.
"I don't know yet. I want to do it soon, but I think we need at least a day to rest. My Pokemon battled really hard today, pretty much all day. I'd hate to have them overdo it. But I'll see what Nurse Joy says about it later." Ash replied.
"Downtime can sometimes be just as important as training." Brock nodded his agreement. "Onix loves to just take a break and calm down a little. And at the gym, we never train in the same way for more than two days in a row." He added.
"How come?" Ash asked curiously.
"Because I was always worried about getting burnt out. I don't mean simple stuff like laps or target practice, but a lot of more intense stuff like weight training or attack tutoring can get really exhausting. I think taking a break lets your Pokemon get back to a true 100%, and then we can try again from there." Brock explained.
Ash and Misty nodded their understanding as they approached the police station once again. Whatever Ash was about to reply with was cut off by the doors opening as they approached only for Ritchie to step out.
"Ritchie?" Ash said instead, confused. "What're you doing here?"
"Nothing. None of your business." Ritchie replied simply. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and stepped forward to leave, but Ash spoke out to him again.
"Leaf just went to go find you. Bill came up to us after our battle, y'know, to give us our prizes- "
"There it is! Did you stop me just so you could brag about winning?" Ritchie interrupted swiftly.
"What? No! That's not what I- "Ash started, only to be interrupted again.
"Good, it'd be really embarrassing if you tried to brag about that lucky win." Ritchie replied. Ash clenched his fists. He could even feel Pikachu begin to get angry too.
"Lucky? If you think that was lucky what about you? You weren't lucky OR good enough to win!" Ash shouted back.
"Yeah, luckily you didn't have to fight me instead! Because I would've won hands down!"
"Or maybe you're just afraid because I beat the guy who beat you that I don't NEED to get lucky to win!"
"ENOUGH!" Officer Jenny's voice carried from inside the building through the still open door. She appeared in the doorway moments later with a heavy frown.
"Since you both were so helpful, I will refrain from arresting you out of annoyance if you knock it off right now." Jenny said simply.
Ash and Ritchie glared at each other before they nodded. Ritche moved to leave again, and Ash called out, much calmed this time.
"Bill has stuff for you too, and Gary and Leaf. He wanted you guys to visit him on Route 25 before you head out. That's what Leaf wants to tell you." Ash said quickly.
"Thanks." Ritchie said with a nod before finally leaving,
Ash watched him go for a few seconds before turning back to Officer Jenny, who was standing with her arms crossed glaring at him.
"I'm here for a reason, I swear!" Ash defended himself from her stern look.
She simply sighed and stepped back inside, waving for them to follow her.
"I must say, I find it very concerning you've run into Team Rocket so much." Jenny said to him as she finished filling out his report.
"Me too, I didn't really expect that when I started my journey." Ash replied scratching his cheek.
"Well, I'll have an officer to routine sweeps of that area for a while in case he turns up again. Though it seems unlikely, they usually disappear pretty quickly once they've been found out in my experience." She said as she finished writing. "I'd tell you to be careful, but I think we already passed that point." She said, looking back up at them.
"I'll try my best. Thanks Officer Jenny." Ash replied, standing up. Misty and Brock mimicked him. He paused for just a moment before he spoke again. "Can I ask what Ritchie was doing here?" The thought was eating him alive.
Jenny seemed to contemplate whether to tell him or not. There was no reason he needed to be informed, but she seemed to entertain his line of questioning.
"He was also reporting an incident with Team Rocket." She replied. Ash, Misty and Brock gasped at once while Jenny nodded solemnly. "Again, I'm telling you this in good faith and because you've helped my understanding grow. This doesn't have to be privy to all citizens." She paused. "But he said he was ambushed on Route 9 by a man in a black suit, and it looked like they just came out of the ground."
"Let me guess, the stolen Dig TM?" Ash asked rhetorically. Jenny nodded.
"Sure was. Ritchie said the thief even admitted it, told him who he stole it from and everything. He ended up giving it to Ritchie after a battle, and he came to report the incident and return the TM. But the owner insisted he keep it." She told them with a shrug.
"That's unbelievable. So much trouble lately." Misty commented. Jenny could only sigh.
"Yeah, Team Rocket's been giving us the run-around real good as of late. But don't worry, I feel like we're about to catch a few breaks." Jenny seemed optimistic. "Now, you kids should get going, it's getting late. You feel free to drop by if you have any more news on Team Rocket, though, okay?"
"No problem. Thanks Officer Jenny!" Ash and Misty thanked her together, bowing respectfully.
"And thanks for gracing us all with you're absolutely beautiful presence today!" Brock added quickly.
"Anytime, that's my job." Jenny replied as if she hadn't heard Brock. She gave them a gentle wave goodbye as Misty pushed Brock along to exit the police station.
"What is your deal?" Misty muttered.
"I can't help it, I'm a romantic at heart!" Brock replied, trying to get another look back at Officer Jenny.
Misty could only sigh as she gave a final push and moved Brock through the door Ash was holding open for them.
"There you guys are, what took you so long?" Leaf said as Ash, Misty and Brock joined her and Gary at the Pokemon Center. "I heard you and Ritchie got into it again."
"Sorta." Ash replied. "Only because he was being a jerk."
"Ash, I've told you thousands of times, you can't let him get to you like that." Leaf said, a little softer.
"Whatever." He said shortly. "I'm gonna have Nurse Joy heal my Pokemon." He pointed over at the counter as he walked away.
Leaf sighed and Gary shook his head as they watched him go. Misty and Brock slid into the side of the booth across from Leaf and Gary.
"What's his deal with that Ritchie guy?" Misty asked them, glancing quickly in Ash's direction.
"Or what's his deal with Ash?" Brock finished equally confused.
"One minute he's deliriously energetic and all smiles, and the next he was as hot-headed as any fire-type I've ever seen." Misty told them.
Leaf and Gary sighed in unison. Leaf looked at Gary expectantly, and he waived his arm out in exasperation as if granting permission.
"Ritchie doesn't like Ash." Leaf said simply. Misty and Brock could only blink.
Granted they had both only known him for roughly two weeks, but how could anyone seriously not like Ash?
"I know, but that's what it comes down to. He doesn't act like that around anybody else, and his attitude is hardly there until Ash shows up or gets mentioned." Leaf insisted. "He and I used to be best friends and I've never seen him get that riled up over anyone else."
"Did something happen or was it always that way?" Misty asked curiously. This time it was Gary who answered.
"For as long as I can remember, but Leaf would know better. I was always on Ashy-boy's side of things, and we didn't really branch out on friends for a few years." He said with a shrug.
"I think he was indifferent to Ash for a long time, but as we got older, he started getting mistaken for Ash. They used to look a lot more similar and dressed way more casually than the rest of us. And Ritchie's hair used to be almost as dark as Ash's when we were little." Leaf said. "After that, he made it a point to try and stand out, but it wasn't just looking the same. They acted the same, sometimes they even thought the same way."
"I guess he got too annoyed one day with the whole thing and took it out on Ash." Gary sighed. "And Ash… he's the nicest guy you'll meet, but you've met him; he doesn't have any impulse control. If you make him mad, he says what he thinks. And he's not one to back down, so he takes Ritchie being like that as just another challenge."
"That sounds kinda… messed up." Brock lamented. Gary snorted and Leaf punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
"It's not funny! They've been like that for years. It didn't used to be this bad, but ever since we've been training and studying under Professor Oak, and they've spent more time together…" Leaf trailed off tiredly.
"They've just gotten worse." Misty nodded her understanding. "With any luck it's just a phase. Maybe just spending time apart on their journeys will help. It's already done wonders for me and my sisters. I haven't wanted to kill them since. The day we got here."
Brock let out a laugh at that.
"Wishful thinking. If that's all it takes, I can put up with it until it fizzles out." Gary said. "Isn't there a saying about this? Absence makes the heart grow... three sizes that day, or something?"
"Why's your heart growing three sizes there, Gar-bear?" Ash asked as he slid into a seat beside Misty. "Did you find some super cool, super interesting tree or rock somewhere?"
Forget Ritchie, if looks could kill Gary would've vaporized Ash on the spot. But Ash was unbothered as Pikachu moved from his shoulder to the table, sniffing around.
"I thought you were giving your Pokemon to Nurse Joy?" Brock asked.
"I was going to, but Pikachu kinda insisted on staying with me. And we can't use the quick refresh on him without being in his Pokeball." Ash pet Pikachu gently. "So, we compromised on getting a check-up and a few swabs of Potion while I went back with them."
"You've really come a long way already with Pikachu, Ash." Leaf complimented. She reached out hesitantly to pet Pikachu herself, pausing as both Ash and Pikachu froze.
Pikachu had, so far, only let Ash and Misty touch him. And Misty was when Pikachu initiated it, so neither of them were sure how this was going to go. Pikachu's eyes met Ash's as his head ducked a little lower.
Soft. Warm. Fire. Again, their eyes were mirrors of each other's. Lightning. Both of their cheeks grew tingly at the same time. Pikachu's cheeks buzzed, but didn't crackle and Ash's cheeks burned, but not painfully.
Then Pikachu unfroze, stood up on two legs and butted his head into Leaf's open palm.
Everyone at the table looked at Ash expectantly as he held a hand over one of his burning cheeks.
"I, uh," Ash stammered. "I don't know. Pikachu's been warming up to people slowly. He goes to Misty for attention sometimes now. Maybe it's a girl thing?"
Gary took his chances next and joined Leaf, hesitantly giving Pikachu a few scratches on his back. Ash just shrugged.
"I dunno, I got nothing." Ash replied simply, crossing his arms.
"Anyway, how are Butterfree and Pidgeotto?" Misty asked, changing the subject. Ash was grateful for the save and jumped on the different line of questioning.
"Great! Nurse Joy said they were pretty exhausted after today, just like I thought. She kept them for a bit of a longer refresh, but training should be no problem tomorrow. She wanted me to wait at least a day before a gym battle though." Ash replied, seeming a bit put out at the end. He shrugged, nonetheless. "I guess that's not too bad, I didn't really plan on having one tomorrow anyway… but now that I know I can't it just makes me want to!"
His friends laughed good-naturedly at his exasperation. They all conversed for a while longer after that before deciding to part and turn in for the night. Ash, Misty and Brock returned to their room after bidding Gary and Leaf a goodnight, and a promise to reconvene in the morning.
"What time are you thinking of starting tomorrow, Ash?" Misty asked as she pulled up her blanket.
"Not too early. I was up almost before the sun today, and we worked hard. Any real training can probably wait until the afternoon, but I was thinking I'd wake up around 10." Ash replied through a yawn.
"Sounds good to me. I didn't do half as much as you, and I'm beat!" Brock said, stifling his own yawn.
"Ooooo, yeah. Professing your undying love takes a lot out of you, huh lover-boy?" Misty mocked him.
Her eyes were closed, so she never saw the pillow coming. She was also much too tired to care, after the initial surprise, and shifted to put it under her head without even opening her eyes. She sighed dramatically, showing off her content-ness and intention to keep the pillow.
"Anyway, goodnight, Ash, goodnight, Brock." Misty said.
"Night guys." Brock gave in easily as well.
"G'night Misty, Brock." Ash yawned again. Pikachu curled up next to him, just above his shoulder and next to his head. "G'night, Pikachu." He said gently.
"Chu, Pikapi." Pikachu replied lightly back, curling tighter into himself and into Ash's shoulder.
Ash drifted off to sleep, feeling better than he had in years.
Meanwhile not far away, Jessie and James knocked on a man's door. It was late, there was no movement right away but soon enough the door opened slowly as the man peaked outside.
"Hello? Who's there at this hour?" He muttered as he did so.
"Hello!" Jessie sang. "We're sorry to bother you at this hour, but it really couldn't wait you see."
"What couldn't wait?" He asked confused.
"We noticed on the bulletin board you were looking for a trade, so we brought you the thing worth trading for." James replied happily. Jessie held up a Pokeball in her hands to show him their words were true.
The man was visibly surprised at the development. For a few moments he was torn between sleep and receiving the trade he had waited so long for, but eventually his eventual excitement overrode his tiredness.
"Well, I'll be! About time someone took me up on my offer. You folks come on in. Oh, and make sure your Meowth doesn't bother with some of the other Pokemon. My daughter Melanie leaves hers here from time to time…" He went back inside, leaving the door open for the trio to follow.
Jessie, James and Meowth shared a quick smile before they followed the man inside his home.
Ash let his inner desire win the next morning and slept in until eleven o'clock. Pikachu was still beside him, asleep, but it seemed like Misty and Brock were both awake already. He tried to dismount the bed silently but woke Pikachu up as he landed on the ground.
"Pi?" Pikachu asked as they both looked around.
"I dunno. Guess they wanted to get a move on." Ash commented, moving into the bathroom.
By the time he came out Pikachu was waiting on a desk, holding up a piece of paper.
"Did you write me a letter, Pikachu?" Ash teased as he took the paper. Pikachu shocked him as they made contact to show displeasure at the joke, but Ash didn't even recoil as he began to read it.
Hey Ash,
We didn't want to wake you; you could use the sleep. We'll be waiting for you out back when you wake up.
P.S. See how easy it was to leave a note?
"They're outside waiting for us." Ash told Pikachu as he began to get dressed. "And Misty says we should've left a note yesterday."
By the time Ash was ready and joined his friends outside the Pokemon Center, Gary and Leaf were already there as well.
"Well, look who decided to wake up." Gary noted as he approached.
"Winning makes me real tired, y'know." Ash replied. He hummed. "I guess you wouldn't know, actually."
The shout that came from Gary startled the groups Pokemon that were eating and playing while Misty let out a laugh.
"You walked right into that one." She noted from her seat at the picnic table.
"Hey, let your Pokemon out! We were all just feeding ours lunch." Leaf suggested.
Ash nodded, releasing Butterfree and Pidgeotto as he began to fix their bowls for breakfast, along with plates for himself and Pikachu. It took until he was putting their bowls down to really do a headcount of the Pokemon, gasping in excitement as he got to see Gary and Leaf's parties.
In addition to Misty's Staryu, Goldeen and Tentacool, Gary's Squirtle was playing in the small fountain of water with its fellow water-type Pokemon. Ash knew that Onix, Geodude and Zubat were Brock's, but there was another Geodude amongst the crowd.
"Who's is that?" Ash asked excitedly. Leaf chuckled.
"That would be mine." She replied. "Mine are Bulbasaur, obviously, Geodude, Jigglypuff and Spearow."
Ash looked out at them in awe and excitement.
"Where did you catch your Spearow?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Route 4, right before the cave entrance to Mt. Moon." She replied amused. "Don't worry, I don't think it recognizes you." She teased him.
"The rest of these super awesome Pokemon belong to me!" Gary cut in. "That's my Squirtle over there, and you saw Growlithe yesterday. But Rattata is mine, and so are these guys." He gestured to a small group of three Pidgey sharing a bowl of Pokemon food.
"Three Pidgey?" Ash questioned out loud.
"Why not? I caught a bunch for gramps, I might as well train a few of them up for me too. But two of them don't seem to be interested in battling much anyway, so only the one will probably stay in rotation. The others can stay on the ranch or head out, whichever they want if it's okay with gramps." Gary shrugged.
"A very practical approach." Brock noted with a nod.
Ash spent the next twenty minutes being excited over Leaf and Gary's Pokemon, only finally sitting down to eat his breakfast after Pikachu had already finished his and joined the frolicking group of Pokemon.
Misty's water Pokemon and Gary's Squirtle were still splashing around in the fountain, joined by Gary's Rattata who enjoyed running through the water.
Brock's Geodude seemed to be talking to Leaf's animatedly, gesturing widely and floating up and down rapidly. Leaf's responded just as excitedly, despite her Jigglypuff sitting on Geodude's head.
Ash's Pidgeotto had the enamored attention of all three of Gary's Pidgey and Leaf's Spearow, flying in huge circles around her while she cooed at them playfully. Ash's Butterfree and Brock's Zubat opted not to join the flying festivities, shading under a nearby tree instead.
The remaining group sat contently chatting. Brock's Onix was curled tight and laid low, leaning to converse with Leaf's Bulbasaur and Gary's Growlithe while Ash's Pikachu sat on its head.
"So, what're you gonna focus on next, Ash?" Brock asked curiously.
Ash's training had paid off hugely so far. He seemed to have a real knack for teaching them quickly or explaining it in ways that were easy to follow because all three of his Pokemon picked up on things very quickly.
"I'd really like to get rid of Butterfree's problem of not being able to fly while his wings are wet. I don't want to have to keep relying on using Harden like before. Especially with another battle by the pool coming up." Ash noted.
While it was true he wasn't planning on using Butterfree if the battle was a 2-on-2 like his bout with Brock and his practice battle with Misty, there was a chance Daisy would shake it up after having seen that same battle with Misty.
Gym Leaders, when accepting challengers, typically decided the amount of Pokemon each side uses based on the number of badges collected so far. Typically, they were broken up into three categories; 1-2 badge teams, 3-6 badge teams, and 7-8 badge teams. Most of the time even at 7-8 badges, the Gym Leader didn't exceed a 4-on-4 and this lets nearly every trainer that challenges each gym have a drastically different experience depending on the badges they've collected previously.
That is, unless you were running the Big Eight, which added different conditions to those rules.
The number of Pokemon was still chosen reflecting upon the number of Gym Badges collected. The added stipulation was that at least two of the trainers earned badges needed to be awarded in Full Battles, or 6-on-6. This practice was again started by Viridian City's Giovanni, who refuses to give away his badge to trainers who cannot overcome his full force. As Giovanni also refuses to accept challenges from anyone not running Kanto's Big Eight Gym Challenge and seeking their eight and final badge, this leads to a semi-predictable pattern.
Typically, a trainers first two or three gym battles ranged from 2-on-2's to 3-on-3's at the Gym Leader's discretion while the middle remained classic 3-on-3's or 4-on-4's. This let a trainer compete in a Full Battle for their 7th and 8th badges after collecting a team full of Pokemon. Trainers often strategized specifically around which order they would run the Big Eight for this reason, debating on which Gyms were best tackled early or saved for later when one had a bit more experience and team diversity.
There was a slight rumor that the most common breakdown while running the Big Eight was to have two 2-on-2's, two 3-on-3's, two 4-on-4's and two 6-on-6's, but nothing was proven or confirmed by the Pokemon League.
Ash couldn't account for whether Daisy would decide to challenge him to just a 2-on-2 or a 3-on-3. It would be easier to tire Pikachu out in a 3-on-3, and while he was confident in both Pikachu and Pidgeotto, Daisy was a gym leader in the Big Eight for a reason and she was not to be underestimated. If the battle was a 3-on-3, he would need to be prepared with three Pokemon.
"What? Your Butterfree can't fly when it's wings are wet?" Gary asked incredulously.
"So what? We're working on it!" Ash bit back defensively. Just as Leaf moved to calm Ash, Gary threw his hands back.
"No, I didn't mean it like that- it's weird, is all. Butterfree are supposed to produce a special powder that coats their wings when they evolve and make them water-repellant. It's how wild Butterfree can fly in the rain and over open oceans during their migrations." Gary replied.
This was news to Ash, Misty, Brock and even Leaf.
"Your kidding. So why when Ash's Butterfree's wings got wet, it was like it could barely move around?" Misty asked curiously.
"Dunno. My guess would be that for some reason, your Butterfree doesn't know how to produce the dust like a wild Butterfree does. I don't know what would happen to cause that though." Gary hummed.
Ash watched as Butterfree and Zubat lazed about and conversed. Leaf's Bulbasaur walked up to them excitedly, waving them to play a game of tag with Pikachu, Rattata and Growlithe. He smiled just a little before humming in thought.
"Maybe Butterfree evolved too fast?" Brock supplied a suggestion. "I know Caterpie produce odor and dust from its antenna, maybe that's connected to its ability to create water-repellent dust as a Butterfree?"
"Butterfree did evolve really fast, especially from Caterpie into a Metapod." Ash noted.
"Yeah, remember how it evolved to battle Pidgeotto while it was attacking us? Maybe it wasn't actually ready to evolve but forced itself to somehow." Misty recalled.
"There's plenty of theories about evolution, it's hard to say exactly how it works so I'd believe it." Brock agreed.
"We should ask Professor Oak about it too, he'd probably have an answer, right?" Leaf asked Gary.
"We can ask all ask gramps next time, sure. I did just send him a handful of Caterpie and Weedle so hopefully he just got his refresher in bug-type knowledge." Gary agreed. "Regardless, that's your problem Ashy-boy. You need to figure out how Butterfree can learn to make that dust."
"I'll work on that next then, after I talk to Professor Oak about it; maybe he'd know how it's made." Ash nodded. "How'd you know all that stuff?"
"Reading. It's a wonderful thing, you should try it some time." Gary answered teasingly. "I learned about the dust from the Pokedex, but that was enough to tell me what to read up on."
"My Pokedex didn't tell me anything about it, and I read Butterfree's dex entry on the way here." Ash replied. Misty nodded, having seen him doing so on the way into town.
"Hold on, let's see something. Get out your Pokedexes." Leaf held took out her own and moved to squeeze in between Ash and Gary as they took out their own.
Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokemon and the evolved form of Metapod. Its wings are covered in toxic scales. If it finds bird Pokemon going after Caterpie, Butterfree sprinkles its scales on them to drive them off.
"That's what mine tells me. Same as I read last time." Ash showed them. Gary pulled up Butterfree on his Pokedex next.
Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokemon and the evolved form of Metapod. Water-repellent powder on its wings enables it to collect honey, even in the heaviest of rains.
"Check it out, it's different from what mine says." Gary said in shock. "What's yours say, Leaf?"
She pressed the button on her Pokedex in response.
Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokemon and the evolved form of Metapod. In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air.
"That's so cool that they're all different." Gary was in awe.
"Weird, though. Shouldn't we all have access to the same information?" Leaf asked, looking further at hers.
"Maybe it's a settings thing? I can change mine around a lot. Like if I want it to, it can read out a Pokemon's moves and ability too." Ash said, showing them Pikachu's dex entry.
Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon and the middle-stage of Pichu and Raichu. Its nature is to store up electricity. Forests where nests of Pikachu live are dangerous since the trees are so often struck with lightning.
Ash clicked a button, and the voice continued.
This Pikachu has the ability Static. This Pikachu has access to the attacks ThunderShock, Tail Whip, Growl, Nuzzle, Charm, Thunder Wave, Brick Break and Quick Attack.
"I didn't know it could do that, that's so useful!" It was Leaf's turn to be surprised.
"I did, but I didn't know there could be alternating entries for Pokemon. I wonder if there's a way to see them all on one Pokedex…" Gary trailed off, fiddling with his.
"I think you've given Gary a side-quest, Ash." Misty joked.
Everyone chuckled except for Gary, who did not stop scrolling through his Pokedex for the rest of brunch.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" A man with purple hair styled into a mohawk-like fashion stepped into a dark rom. This man was Petrel, an Admin of Team Rocket and equal in rank to Archer.
The boss was sat in darkness as usual, and Petrel could only make out his eyes and the eyes of his beloved Persian. Both sets of eyes stared at him intensely.
"I did." The boss said rather calmly. "I wanted to talk to you."
He paused. Petrel didn't dare ask what he wanted to talk about.
"About certain events unfolding in Cerulean City." He continued. Petrel did not interrupt. He had not been asked to speak yet. "Can you explain why members of your squad were so thoughtless and careless to draw attention to our name when they were supposed to be in hiding?"
He was being yelled at even if the bosses voice was as pulled back and neutral as ever. It made Petrel gulp nervously.
"I cannot, sir. I can only promise to do better and keep them in line and share important information they've managed to give me in the hopes that it will be enough to outweigh any misdeeds done." Petrel knew better than to justify mistakes. It was better to own them than explain them.
"Right now, the amount of information needed is minimal, we should be invisible right now. Operation: Maiden Voyage is nearly ready to be put in motion and it could be the biggest operation Team Rocket has ever managed to pull off if it goes down correctly. I need very specific things to happen, including no unwanted attention being drawn to my organization." The boss spelled it out for him, as if Petrel were a mere toddler.
Petrel didn't respond, just looked down at the floor until the boss gave him permission to speak again.
"What is it you think could be of use to me, Petrel?" He asked finally after several uncomfortable moments of silence.
"Sir, there is first the matter of the operative who burglarized a home. It was done in the effort to distract police attention while we managed to overtake the daycare on Route 5. I recalled you wishing for a base more north and though the daycare an acceptable option. It's secluded with the new underground pathway Route 5 is becoming less and less traveled by the day. Plus, it provides us a cover to investigate and get close to promising trainers and their Pokemon." Petrel explained hurriedly.
"And that's not all. My operative managed to steal a TM and clone it, giving us the raw data to recreate the TM an infinite number of times. This was TM #15, Dig. I believe this a huge asset to us as an organization as the move has use in battle as well as utility." Petrel paused. "There's also the matter that while inside, he discovered something promising. It seems the one of his neighbors had use for the TM. His daughter is fond of the local wildlife and spends her time nursing wild Pokemon back to health, providing them a sanctuary in the wild. I believe the TM aided with the building of this sanctuary. My operative saw the location of this hidden grotto on a map and believes he can locate it. There may be a plethora of rare Pokemon there given the nature of the situation, and it's very likely that none of them will be able to resist being taken by force.
"He was confronted by a particularly strong trainer soon after and was forced to relinquish the original copy of the stolen TM, but he had already stored the data, so he fled. I believe this was a huge victory because the trainer reported the incident and has officers searching in entirely the wrong direction. They're searching east of Cerulean, completely ignorant of us setting up a safehouse to the south." Petrel continued on and on as quickly as he could.
The boss took a moment to take it all in. Petrel could see him tapping his fingers in thought.
"There's- there's more still sir." Petrel said hesitantly.
"You've been busy, I see. Go on." The boss encouraged. He seemed more complacent now, now that he'd heard something he wanted to hear. It made him much more agreeable.
"Two of my undercovers- they were most helpful in the scouting and identification of potential targets and threats. One participated in the town tournament held in Cerulean City two days ago and went unnoticed as an operative of Team Rocket. He identified three potential targets that seem to be raising strong Pokemon." Petrel had done his homework and handed over a folder to the boss.
The boss didn't open it. Not yet. Reading files was for when he was alone. As long as Petrel was here this was still a briefing, and it was expected that the information be conveyed verbally. It was easier that way to make sure they were all in agreement and that his agents understood what was expected of them.
"Those are the names of three trainers from Pallet Town, sir. They started their journeys on April 1st, exactly nineteen days ago and they seem to be impressing everyone they meet. All three of them have collected two badges thus far and had admirable showings in the town tournament, with one in particular being the same trainer who encountered and thwarted the Rocket who burglarized the house." Petrel elaborated. He paused.
The boss didn't say anything. Petrel continued talking, taking out a separate folder.
"There's another trainer as well, sir. He's also from Pallet Town and started his journey at the same time. It's the trainer from Mt. Moon, sir. The rogue trainer with the Pikachu that Dodger Squad reported encountering." Petrel paused, growing nervous again. "I had an undercover operative on the Nugget Bridge, watching the trainers battle tirelessly. He was to obverse only, but he got ahead of himself. He watched this trainer decimate every trainer on the bridge using only three Pokemon and didn't return to the city once to refresh them or use any sort of healing items. He battled through six trainers non-stop and didn't lose a single Pokemon, and then his Pikachu managed to singlehandedly take out both of my undercover's Pokemon as well.
He proceeded to win the town tournament that same afternoon and defeated Bill for the title. His Pikachu was again particularly impressive, being used twice and closing the tournament for him. According to his trainer page, he only has one badge so far but it seems like he may be particularly dangerous to encounter." Petrel put the second folder down on the desk before him.
Silence followed Petrel's long-winded explanation for the events that unfolded.
"There was also a report of a stolen Pokemon filed by a Master Trainer, but I've received no word on that. None of my operatives were responsible for such an action." Petrel concluded.
As if sensing perfectly that Petrel had no more to explain, the boss spoke up.
"Very well. The turn of events has been an unpleasant surprise, but it was not without merit. I commend you, Petrel, and your squad for your hard work." He said confidently. "You may keep up your efforts in Cerulean but inform me if you wish to take any further action. I appreciate your forethought, but I cannot be blindsided this close to Operation: Maiden Voyage." He waited for Petrel to nod. "Very good. Thank you for your dedication and the intel you've collected. Write everything you've told me into a formal report, have it signed by the operatives involved and put it on my desk in three days' time. If you complete this assignment, you and Gasoline Squad will not be held accountable for rash action taken without my direct permission. Do you understand?"
"Sir, yes sir!" Petrel saluted the boss quickly.
"You are dismissed. Return to your duties." The boss said after that.
"At once, sir. Thank you." Petrel left the room quickly, not daring to stick around for a moment longer unless the boss changed his mind.
Left alone in his office, the boss flicked on a small lamp. The Persian in his lap didn't like the sudden light and jumped down, making a home under the desk instead as the boss opened the folders Petrel had left on his desk.
Gary Oak. Judith Green. Richard Zapp. All thirteen years old. All started from Pallet Town, just south of Viridian City. Each got one of the designated starter Pokemon; Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander respectively. Today was April 19th. They had been trainers for less than three weeks and were already attracting attention.
Promising.
He opened the other folder.
Ash Ketchum. 13. Pallet Town. The start of his page was identical to the others, but he hadn't received a typical starter Pokemon that day. No, instead he received… a Pikachu. He hummed in thought.
Once is by chance. Twice is a coincidence.
Ash Ketchum had one more chance before it became a pattern.
Rejoyce! A chapter without a long battle in it at last! Don't get used to it, we still have a gym battle to cover!
I hope there was enough here to keep you guys engaged. I tried to highlight Ash's dynamics back at Pallet Town here specifically and how it was before Ash's journey. Ash and Ritchie don't get along and it's due to Ritchie kinda being compared to Ash a lot as kids, and he developed an infiriority complex to overcompensate for it. I had the idea when I wanted to make Ritchie the trainer that starts with a Charmander, since he's one of the few canon characters that have one, and was debating on having Gary be more of a jerk still. I decided to switch it up a bit, since canon Ritchie is basically a pallet-swaped Ash and at least canon Gary has a personality. Since overhauling Ritchie seemed necessary anyway to avoid having basically two Ash's, I thought this would be a more interesting angle to explore.
We have a quick look at Leaf and Gary's teams as well, neither are doing too bad. Gary seems to be unlocking his passion for research very early, but that doesn't leave him slacking in the badge department either. Leaf is having fun and taking her time, but has the building blocks for a great team already.
Jessie and James did just trade away someone elses Poliwhirl for a Jynx. Even they have to take a W sometimes. And we see the seeds being sewn for later... and Giovanni makes another shadow-y appearance to be updated on what the heck is happening up in Cerulean. He gets briefed on our Pallet kids, with Ash specifically getting his attention. Typical.
That part does timeskip compared to the rest of the chapter. The Nugget Bridge tournament happens on April 16th, along with the first part of this chapter. Ash and friends have brunch on April 17th and then we have a brief timeskip to April 19th to see things from Giovanni's perspective. When we return back to Ash in the next chapter, a few days will have passed since the tournament and put him in a position to challenge the gym.
Let me know what you guys think! Hope you enjoyed!
Ash's Team: Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto
Pikachu: Electric - Male - Static - Rash | ThunderShock, Tail Whip, Growl, Nuzzle, Charm, Thunder Wave, Brick Break, Quick Attack
Butterfree: Bug/Flying - Male - Compound Eyes - Hardy | Tackle, String Shot, Harden, Gust, Supersonic, Confusion, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Psybeam
Pidgeotto: Normal/Flying - Female - Keen Eye - Hasty | Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Wing Attack
Misty's Team: Staryu, Goldeen, Tentacool
Staryu: Water - N/A - Natural Cure - Modest | Tackle, Rapid Spin, Harden, Water Gun, Confuse Ray, Swift
Goldeen: Water - Female - Swift Swim - Careful | Peck, Tail Whip, Supersonic
Tentacool: Water/Poison - Male - Liquid Ooze - Hardy | Water Gun, Poison Sting, Acid, Supersonic, Wrap
Brock's Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat
Onix: Rock/Ground - Male - Rock Head - Calm | Tackle, Bind, Screech, Harden, Rock Throw
Geodude: Rock/Ground - Male - Sturdy - Relaxed | Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Throw
Zubat: Poison/Flying - Male - Inner Focus - Hasty | Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish
Jessie's Team: Ekans, Spearow
Ekans: Poison - Male - Shed Skin - Serious | Poison Sting, Bite, Wrap, Leer
Spearow: Normal/Flying - Male - Keen Eye - Hasty | Peck, Growl, Leer
James' Team: Koffing, Spearow, Weedle
Koffing: Poison - Male - Levitate - Bashful | Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen
Spearow: Normal/Flying - Female - Keen Eye - Lax | Peck, Growl Leer
Weedle: Bug/Poison - Female - Swarm - Jolly | Poison Sting, String Shot
Meowth: Normal - Male - Pickup - Sassy | Fury Swipes, Scratch, Growl, Fake Out
Gary's Team: Squirtle, Growlithe, Rattata, Pidgey
Squirtle: Water - Male - Torrent - Calm | Tackle, Withdraw, Water Gun, Rapid Spin
Growlithe: Fire - Male - Intimidate - Adamant | Ember, Howl, Bite, Flame Wheel
Rattata: Normal - Female - Run Away - Docile | Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus
Pidgey: Normal/Flying - Male - Keen Eye - Timid | Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind
Leaf's Team: Bulbasaur, Geodude, Jigglypuff, Spearow
Bulbasaur: Grass/Poison - Male - Overgrow - Gentle | Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf
Geodude: Rock/Ground - Male - Sturdy - Bold | Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Throw, Rock Polish
Jigglypuff: Normal/Fairy - Female - Cute Charm - Lonely | Sing, Defense Curl, Charm, Sweet Kiss, Pound, Disable, Disarming Voice, Covet
Spearow: Normal/Flying - Male - Keen Eye - Bold | Peck, Leer, Assurance, Fury Attack
Ritchie's Team: Charmander, Pinsir
Charmander: Fire - Male - Blaze - Adamant | Scratch, Growl, Ember, Fire Fang
Pinsir: Bug - Male - Hyper Cutter - Hasty | Vise Grip, Harden, Focus Energy, Seismic Toss, Bug Bite