"Strip."
Everyone blushed as they heard Misty's order to Ash.
"Misty!" gasped Cilan. "How can you be so forward?!"
Misty whirled around as she understood the implications and assumption Cilan was making but stopped to see N and Iris was also coming to that wrong conclusion. A tic mark appeared on her forehead and seconds later, the three were all whacked by her trusty hammer.
Agitated, Misty's own face flushed while berating them, "Get your heads out of the gutter! This is a routine for us."
N jerked before Iris said, "You're actually not helping your case here with that reply."
Before Misty's fuse blows up, Ash groaned. "Do I really have to, Mist? I heal fairly quickly."
This time, Ash was the one bopped on the head. "Yes, you have to because Brock and Delia would kill me if I don't attend to your injury and your clothes are dirty from the mud, go wash yourself in the river and then come back so that I can apply an ointment on your injury!"
Petulantly, Ash made his way towards the river. N and Cilan have also started attending to Ash's Pokemon with Iris helping them as they listened to Ash and Misty bantering. With Ash walking away, Misty rummaged her bag and got the materials Brock gave her to attend to Ash's minor injuries.
"Does Ash really get injured too often that tending to him has become a routine?" N asked hesitantly. Misty smiled sadly but didn't stop to attend to the stuff she will use.
"More than you could ever know. He's more durable than most people, his physique is great too, probably after four years of constant traveling. But then at the end of the day, he's human. And being human means getting hurt."
They worked quietly as they tend to minor wounds and injuries and a comfortable silence settled around them.
"Uhm… about what I said earlier…" N said as he broke the silence. Zorua looked up to see his friend's head bowed down, his face completely covered by the cap. The others stopped as they turned to N.
"Thank you for believing me."
N lifted his head as he said that with conviction only to see a warm smile from Ash, a huff of amusement by Misty, Iris tilting her head, and Cilan's understanding look.
To be honest, N was nerve-wracked the whole time about how he should tell the group that he can talk to Pokemon because he expected more apprehension than of dawning understanding. But again, Ash broke his expectations, and so were the others (minus Cilan's disbelief, of course). They were different. They were good.
"While I'm not yet fully convinced that such occurrence truly exists, I, as a science connoisseur, will undoubtedly be committing a grave mistake if I am not opening myself up to that possibility," said Cilan with empathy.
"It must have been hard keeping it all to yourself this time," muttered Iris.
"Were you still thinking about that all this time?" asked Misty. "Trust me, that doesn't even come half to the weird things Ash and I have seen and encountered. You're a good one, N."
Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Talking to Pokemon is totally cool and awesome, y'know! And it seems very handy. Half of the time, I still find it difficult to understand Pokemon."
The Unovans looked at him incredulously while Misty snorted as she watched them exchanging looks over Ash's oblivious head. They looked at her while Ash continued to mutter, Pikachu nodding his assent. N didn't know how to feel, Ash seemed like a person who can understand Pokemon and for him to outrightly state he doesn't, it was kind of disappointing…
"He doesn't realize how grounded and connected he is to Pokemon," said Misty, breaking N from that stream of thought. "He might not be able to understand Pokemon speech like you do, N, but Ash understands most of all their hearts – their dreams, motives, their interests, their nature – and he would do anything to help them achieve it."
N was entranced by Misty's take as he turned to Ash just in time to hear him say: "Well, there are just some things you don't need words to understand, right, Pikachu?"
The Unovans were starting to understand Tracey's sentiment about the life of Ash Ketchum. They had set up the night before near a small town and was having a breakfast early morning but there were Darumakas who stole their food to feed their Darmanitan friend who was in Zen Mode, which they only found out later.
They learned from Nurse Joy that the Darmanitan and Darumakas lived in harmony with the townspeople but one day started to steal food with no apparent reason which they later found out due to Darmanitan not being able to feed itself in its Zen Mode. The Darmanitan was preventing the bell to fall and with that bringing down the whole tower with it.
N saw how Ash, Misty, and Cilan worked together with the Darumakas, Staryu, Oshawott, and Tepig to fix the hook and attach the bell with it but failed at the last minute, which caused the bell to fall with Ash in tow. Luckily, Darmanitan had reverted back to its original form and was able to catch the bell, Ash, and Pikachu and hooked the bell back.
"I wonder what they're saying," said Cilan as Darmanitan and Darumaka approached them excitedly.
"They are saying, 'Thank you for the help. You all are great individuals,'" answered N, which surprised all of them. They had forgotten in the excitement yesterday that N was able to – allegedly, Cilan added – understand Pokemon speech.
"Is this true, Darmanitan and Darumaka?" asked Iris for confirmation to which the bounce they made and nods they did was enough answer without verbalization. Cilan smiled and closed his eyes, considering that maybe, just maybe, N was really telling the truth.
"Well, that's just great! You all were great too," said Ash. But they all froze as Misty let out a threatening aura directed to Ash which they found out only next morning was about Ash's brush with near-death (again, in Misty's case). Although the three of them felt that fear as Ash fell with the bell, they didn't dare verbalize it in case that it sours the mood, but Misty seemed to have no qualms with this.
"In any case, I know it wasn't your fault Ash, it hardly ever is but seeing you in danger scares the hell out of me," said Misty.
"I know, Mist."
The morning went smoothly after that, with Cilan making breakfast and Nurse Joy bearing news that the bell tower will not get demolished and instead it will be renovated with an additional bonus that the town has decreed that the Darmanitan and Darumaka can stay there for as long as they like.
Cilan remarked, "Delicious! People and Pokemon alike will be happy with a generous gesture like that!"
N was still trying to get to know everyone but he knew that was Cilanspeak for being thrilled at people and Pokemon living in harmony. N, despite himself, had to agree as the news had lifted his spirits and stunned him.
He didn't know that humans could be that selfless. Ghetsis had repeatedly said that humans would always harm the Pokemon in the end but in his travels alone and with the group, he only saw the opposite.
"Daru Daru!" Thank you!
"Darmanitan!" Come visit us anytime!
He watched the others who were shouting their joy to the Pokemon perching at the top of the bell tower to wave at them, and decided to join them in their goodbyes.
The group learned a few things on their way to Nacrene City.
Axew's backstory and that it cannot perform Dragon Rage that well.
Never mess with large, bug Pokemon like Scolipede.
Misty is mightily afraid of Bug types.
Iris has an Excadrill.
Ash being Ash, he couldn't help but butt in and try to help Iris on her dilemma. First, he resolved that Axew was like Gible in a sense that Gible wasn't able to use Draco Meteor properly because he keeps swallowing it, which was what Axew was doing with his Dragon Rage. Thus, he proposed a light training regimen that will help Axew with his move and also help Gible with his battling.
Iris was hesitant but she was convinced by Misty's reassurance that Ash knows what he's doing especially when it comes to battles (which Iris would have found hard to believe).
"And your Excadrill? Why doesn't it listen to you, Iris?" asked N. "Would you let me talk to him?"
Iris looked doubtful but she relented. "If it helps determine the problem, then why not."
N came back with Zorua after five minutes with a glum look on his face. He looked dejected and Iris began to fear for the worse.
"Well, what did he say, N?" asked Iris, frantic and her nerves eating her.
"He didn't say anything no matter what question I asked. That never happened to me before," said N sulkily, his voice petulant. Iris sighed in disappointment while the other three were amused at N's overreaction.
"Well, there's gotta be a first for everything! Cheer up, N!" exclaimed Ash.
"But seriously, he really said nothing?" prodded Misty. N met her gaze and his face morphed into remembrance.
"Oh, he did react violently when I asked if he wants to leave Iris and he should tell me because I'd help him."
"N!" exclaimed everyone barring Misty, flabbergasted and scandalized. Iris cried, "Why would you tell him something like that?!"
"I was exhausting all my options to get him to talk, okay?" shot back N, irritated.
Zorua snickered albeit silently. It was the first time he saw N become very immature, only to sober up when Zorua realized that this should have been what N was in his teens. Instead, N was stiff and rigid and all about rules. Only now did he get to live his teens, when he's well on his way to his twenties.
The thought made him sad but it was fine because N was with a good bunch of people now.
"Wait, guys!" said Misty, struck with the realization. "We find out one good thing about this!"
"What good thing was that suggesting Excadrill to leave!" growled Iris, her snot dripping with her tears while Cilan rubbed her back.
"It reacted violently to N's suggestion, right?"
They all nodded.
"Which means…" said Misty, her gaze falling back to N. N nodded to her, before continuing, "Which means he still values you, Iris, enough to stay. He doesn't respect you, that much is clear. But he still cares enough to stay, which, more or less, would suffice right now."
Realization dawning on her face, Iris slumped down to the ground and sniffed.
"Excadrill and I met when I was young. As a Drilbur, he kicked out my Patrat friend out of its burrow. I don't know what I was thinking but I confronted him with my forest friends and actually fought him," narrated Iris, chuckling as she remembered their first introduction. They were all amazed that Iris fought a Pokemon as a kid.
"Naturally, I lost nine times consecutively but at the tenth, I manage to counter his Metal Claw and I kicked him into the vines that dangled dangerously close to the cliff. The vines snapped and Drilbur fell but I didn't want to find him dead so I rescued him. We became best friends after that.
"The two of us wanted to be stronger so we challenged a lot of Pokemon and joined our village's annual Dragon Battle Competition. We managed to get into the finals, our 99th battle, where he evolved and defeated a Druddigon with Drill run."
Cilan's eyebrows shot up, "Impressive."
"I know," said Iris excitedly before her face drooped. "And because of that I got overconfident. I challenged Drayden, a renowned Dragon Master, into a battle when he congratulated me. We fought against his Haxorus, but his Metal Claw had no effect. So did Dig. Then I ordered him to do a Drill Run but ultimately got defeated by Rock Smash. Ever since then, Excadrill refused to listen to me."
Cilan, N, Ash, and Misty found each other's gaze before turning back to Iris whose eyes were glued to the ground. The four of them figured out why Excadrill stopped listening to Iris and refused to battle anymore.
"Well, Iris, why do you think Excadrill stopped listening to you?" asked N.
"I figured that he hated losing. It was supposed to be our 100th consecutive victory battle and we lost."
"Iris, Excadrill refused to listen not because he disliked losing but he distrusts your guidance in battle," Cilan gently revealed.
"What?" said Iris, her head whipping to Cilan's direction.
Misty added, "What he means Iris is that Excadrill knew he wasn't going to win against Drayden's Haxorus but he kept going anyway because you told him to, or he trusted that you had a plan that's why you kept ordering him to attack."
Iris' eyes widened in realization, before looking at her hands on her lap.
"Well, it's straightforward, isn't it?" asked Ash. "You talk to him earnestly and apologize."
James' artistic nature screamed and squirmed on the inside as they arrived in Nacrene City. They had been running around doing what the Boss would order them and James was very tempted to ditch the operation to satisfy his artistic curiosity but he thought better of it. It wasn't worth the scolding and it wasn't worth his life.
The screen flared up to light with Giovanni's ever-permanent scowl very clear as he appeared. The three of them subtly sent each other apprehensive looks as Giovanni looked pissed today more so than he did when they reported that Team Plasma interfered their plans at the Dreamyard.
"Our agents have determined that Team Plasma is onto us. Ghetsis, the fool, doesn't know what he's dealing with. The three of you must go to the Desert Resort, at once."
A graph flashed on screen.
"As you can see, the Desert Resort is at the center of an energy flow with the same signature as one found at the Dreamyard. It is most pertinent to secure the energy for our plan of world domination to succeed. You are to meet up with Pierce to investigate a meteorite fragment located there."
The screen flashed off and the three of them released breaths they were holding after that oppressing and tense mission briefing. Admittedly, they missed following the twerp every single day. They might have been blasted off almost every time, at least it wasn't as fragile and significant as the missions they have now.
They liked it though. Being key players in Team Rocket's plan towards domination. Thus, the three of them exchanged determined looks before going out of the abandoned building discreetly.