Cheers for the reviews. To avoid confusion Ash is 14, he started his journey in August, a few months after he turned 11, won the Kanto League at 12 and a half, he was laid up recovering from the operation on his leg when he turned 13, became Kanto Champion at the end of that year and he turned 14 in Ilex Forest just before Greenfield and the Unown. Hope that helps.
Chapter 17- July 6th
As the Whirl Islands quickly came into view Ash reflected on the research he had done while in Olivine City. He had spoken to many of its inhabitants and come up with a crudely drawn map of areas said to be 'interesting'. He had printed off an official map of the area and after a few hours added to it using his own and come up with a much more detailed idea of where to go, what to do and what parts to avoid. He had gathered so many different points of view that he didn't really know where to start, but what he did know was that there weren't four islands like most thought, there were six. The main ones were Red Rock, Yellow Rock, Blue Point and Silver Rock islands, however there were another two smaller islands just to the North that were inaccessible by water due to the rapids and the whirlpools that surrounded them. Luckily for Ash he had a flying type but that in itself caused an issue, there was very few places that you could land on the two islands as one was mountainous, and the other was half submerged. It reminded Ash a lot of Mandarin Island in the Orange Islands where the Crystal Onix's lived as it was extremely tidal and was very prone to flooding due to the dangerous waters that surrounded it.
The islands that could be reached had long been inhabited and as such there was a city on each one and each island had something interesting on it that set it apart from the others. The Island Ash was headed to was Blue Point Isle, the place where you registered for the Whirl Cup. While Ash had no intention of entering, he still wanted to have a look around the place, but the most interesting part of the island to Ash was the very tip. It was home to a very interesting group of Pokémon.
Landing at the side of the port Ash wandered up the side of the harbour and walked along the promenade listening in to the various conversations from excited trainers, fans and just people who couldn't wait for the Whirl Cup to start. Wandering into the Pokémon Centre he gave her Lapras who didn't need healing, but she deserved to be 100% it only took a few minutes but while she was being cared for he sent Sam a quick email letting him know where he was. Talking to Joy he discovered that he needed to buy a ticket to the cup and they were sold exclusively in the Pokémon centres so he bought a single ticket before they were sold out.
"I would have thought as a Champion you'd get one for free" Joy remarked taking the transaction.
"No," Ash said shaking his head "Lance might as he's Johto Champion. To be honest I much prefer the anonymity I've received for most of the time in Johto, when Pi and I attended the Rota tournament it was nice not being recognised so we could just enjoy the battles. I'm hoping for more of the same here to be honest."
"You know word has already spread that you're in this location, right?" Joy asked giving him a look "everyone knows you're doing the badge challenge, and you were seen in Olivine less than a week ago, so people know you're around. Plus, you're over six feet tall with a golden Pikachu on your shoulder, that's kind of a dead giveaway as to who you are."
"I know" Ash said shrugging his shoulders "but so far I've not been mobbed on my way here through the harbour and city street. The people are far too excited to watch the tournament to bother me. It's been nice."
Shaking her head she handed Ash Lapras back and he wandered up the stairs to have a shower before venturing out to find a place to eat. That evening Ash was typing up a few notes on his next book when he received a phone call from Sam.
"Hi Sam, everything ok?" he asked.
"Eh, that remains to be seen." Sam said looking a bit sad "I've been feeling my age lately and the job has become a bit more strenuous because of it so I've been considering retiring."
"Oh wow" Ash said leaning back in his seat "That's a big decision to make isn't it. Have you told anyone else?"
"Blue and Laura Knows as does Charles and Giovanni" Sam replied "I've not made a decision yet, and I still may decide retirement is some years off, but I can feel it getting closer. Anyway, that's not why I rang you. I received your email about you being in the Whirl Islands. I never did tell you about the first time I visited them, did I?"
"No" Ash said shaking his head "I mean I know you have been here as you're the head of the Regional Professors and you must have been here when you were a trainer but no, you've not told me about your first visit here."
"It was where I met Martha for the first time" Sam said staring off into space "I helped her sister out when I was a young trainer in a town not far away from where you are now. There was an incident with some Pokémon and a horrible man trying to steal them. When it was eventually sorted out and the man was put away I made it a point to regularly visit the area and it's where I met my Martha. It turned out that it was her sister who was taking care of the area who I helped, she told Martha about me and the rest as they say is history."
"What happened to Martha?" Ash asked curiously "I've heard you talk about her a fair bit but never really found out what happened to her."
"She got sick" Sam said simply "she was visiting her sister when she came down with something and never truly recovered. Whatever took her life happened very fast and thankfully she was only in pain very briefly, but I miss her very much. After that I never visited Arborville again, the memories became too much, and I just haven't ever found a way of talking to Towa without feeling some form of resentment or anger even though she wasn't to blame. I've long since sopped blaming her but too much time has passed, and I wouldn't know where to begin."
"You should really talk to her" Ash said seriously "does Blue, Daisy and Gary know about her? After all she is their Aunt and Great Aunt."
"Blue does" Sam said, "I'm unsure about Daisy or Gary."
"Message her" Ash said "it's never too late Sam until it IS too late."
"Perhaps" Sam replied noncommittally "anyway, Blue Point Island. There are a few areas I think you should visit on Blue Pointy, particularly the very tip of the Island. I think you'll find the inhabitants very fascinating. I know I did."
"I was planning on doing so actually" Ash said going with the change in conversation. One thing Ash figured out very quickly as his apprentice many years ago was that if Sam changed the subject then that early was it for that conversation. He would never go back to it which was often frustrating. "I'm intrigued to find out just why they are flightless to be honest."
"Oh, that's the easy bit to realise" Sam replied chuckling "but I'll let you figure that out for yourself otherwise it would be pointless you even visiting. Anyway, I just thought I'd ring to let you know to keep your ears open and to make sure you have the GS Ball handy."
Puzzled Ash went to reply when Sam abruptly hung-up leaving Ash bewildered. "Not again, Sam" he muttered pulling the offending item out of his bag which was still gently pulsing. Ash had been doing this many times over the past few months and was still no closer to figuring out what it was about.
Sam meanwhile hung up and sighed before groaning as he heaved himself out of his chair and walked over to his desk. Getting a key out of his pocket he opened up the top drawer and lifted it out to reveal a secret second compartment. Opening the wooden flap he pulled out a very old book that looked like it could fall apart at any moment and gently looked through it until he stopped on a drawing. It was of a young boy with a Charmeleon and a man with a Pikachu sitting down eating some bread, looking happy. Tracing the picture with his finger he gently stroked it and sighed wistfully before placing it back into his drawer and covering it up with the real drawer. Standing up he left the ranch and walked through Pallet Town, stopping to greet the various people before knocking on a door.
"Hi Gramps" Daisy said opening it looking as beautiful as ever "come on in."
Sam wandered in behind his granddaughter and into the kitchen area where Blue was sitting with Laura.
"No Gary today?" Sam asked after the cursory greetings.
"He's just out back with Dratini" Blue said standing up and shouting his son. A minute later Gary wandered in with a very familiar dragon wrapped around his neck which made Sam chuckle.
"That brings back memories" Sam said nodding to the Dragon who looked up curiously at Sam.
"What brings you here Sam?" Laura asked as she placed a mug of tea in front of him.
Sam swirled his drink around wondering how to start before sighing and placing it back down "what do you know about your mum's family Blue?" he asked surprising Blue.
Warily he looked at his kids and wife before looking back at his dad "Not much really. I know she had a sister who lives in Johto somewhere near Olivine. Anytime mum spoke about her she got this look on her face and I knew not to ask again and over time I just stopped asking as she never answered any question I asked, she just gave me a wistful look and walked away. I know mum died where she was born, supposedly from a disease she contracted. Other than that, I have no idea. Why?"
"I've just been on the phone to Ash who is in the Whirl Islands and the topic came up unintentionally." Sam said "Your mum and I were very similar in that regard. Like yourself he knew not to ask any questions when he was my apprentice but for some reason today seemed different. In a few weeks' time Ash is going to meet your aunt Towa."
"She's alive?" Blue asked shocked "why did you never tell us?"
"It was very painful subject for such a long time" Sam said "Towa and your mother had a very strained relationship. Arborville, where she grew up was and still is a place where people are born, live and die, often without leaving. Your mothers desire to go on her own journey was often a source of contention between them both as her family have a very important task, one that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries now. One that requires them to never leave. Not many people know this, but Ilex Forest is home to four major shrines dedicated to the Heart of the Forest, known to yourself as Celebi. The Eastern one is blocked off by centuries worth of foliage near the Charicific Valley making it inaccessible, the Southern One is a ruin just south of Azalea Town and has been left that way as it was Celebi herself that destroyed it, the Northern One is the one Ash activated unintentionally near the Great Lake and the Western One is about half a mile north of Arborville which can only be accessed by going through the town itself.
I was friends with Towa long before I met your mother, it was through visiting her a few years later we first became friends when I met Martha, and I was instantly smitten. Unfortunately, our relationship meant that your mother couldn't fulfil her role as guardian of the shrine and it caused a rift, eventually leading to Martha coming and living Pallet Town with me.
Seventeen years ago, your mother received a message from Towa out of the blue asking her to go to Arborville, for reasons she 'couldn't' specify in a letter, a reason I never actually found out either. For weeks we argued about whether she should go given how she had never bothered to apologise for her behaviour and comments during their last meeting, but Martha argued, correctly I might add that she was still her sister and Towa should eventually meet her nephew and his children and she should meet her niece and their child too. So, your mother went, and it was the last time I would ever see her alive. Towa never told me what happened to Martha, just that she contracted a disease, and they couldn't get help in time. Your mother was very anti-autopsy, she believed it didn't matter what people died of; the fact was they were no longer here, and no amount of information could change that so as per her wishes I never checked. To me your mother died needlessly and I'm afraid I blamed Towa for the longest time and as the years passed it became a lot easier to just forget about her."
The four around the table listened with rapt attention as Sam told his tale. It was the longest they had ever really heard him speak that didn't involve Pokémon, the fact it involved Martha kept their silence and for a minute or so after he finished there was nothing but silence. Finally, though Gary broke it.
"So, Aunt Towa knows what happened to Grandma, but won't tell you the whole truth." He asked.
"Yes" Sam said nodding "Martha's family were very straightforward like that. If you thought I got to the point quickly then know this, I have nothing on your grandma, to them details never really mattered if they didn't change the final outcome. The fact is Martha died and that was all there was to it to Towa. How she died wasn't important."
"That's ridiculous" Gary replied shaking his head something Daisy seemed to agree with. "We deserve to know how Grandma died Gramps."
"So why are you telling us this now?" Blue asked.
"I didn't want it to get to the point where you'd resent me for keeping anything from you" Sam said sadly "and while we don't like admitting it, I'm fast approaching the end of my time on this planet, and this would eventually come out after I go. I also didn't want you to get the wrong idea about Towa either, she has her reasons for keeping things to herself, and her daughter and granddaughter aren't at fault for her decisions. You have family out there, and it was very selfish of your mother and I to keep it from you for so long."
"Dad" Blue said sighing "we don't blame you for keeping it to yourself. I've always known it was a difficult issue for you, but I'd like to know why my mother died. I deserve to know."
"I know" Sam said sighing "I'd quite like to know too, however I need to ask you to wait a few weeks before going to Arborville."
"Why?" Blue asked narrowing his eyes.
"An event is going to take place that needs to happen" Sam said looking grim "and none of us are in any way, shape or form allowed to be in Johto when it does. We would risk a paradox if we tried to interfere with it, which would potentially erase every single Oak from existence. I'm not allowed to say anything until the event has passed, but when it does, I will let you know what's happened and then you'll be free to go wherever you want."
"Time Travel?" Gary asked looking thoughtful, getting a sharp look from Sam "that narrows it down considerably and given who the Shrines are dedicated to I'm guessing it's Celebi. I'm also guessing it isn't a coincidence that Ash is nearby either."
"I cannot confirm or deny anything" Sam said his face blank "what I can say is to keep those opinions in your head for now."
"So why have you told us now then?" Blue asked.
"I wanted to let you all know, just in case anything happens how proud I am to be your father, father-in-law and grandfather. I've already nearly said too much, and I don't want to risk those involved taking matters into their own hands to correct anything we might try and say or do. Erasing us would be the easiest way to do that so please, do not go looking for information. I will let you know everything once it's over with." Standing up he said goodbye to his family and left the house, making his way up to his home. Once there he looked on his nightstand and picked up a picture of him and his wife, taken many years ago with Blue on his lap. "It won't be long until we first meet." he said before placing it back down "In this life and the next Martha."
Ash
Shaking his head Ash put the ball back into his bag and wandered downstairs to the reception and out onto the harbour. Walking along it he pulled out his Pokégear and found that the tip of the island he needed to go to was an hours walk away so he headed south chatting amiably to Pikachu about what they could do in the Whirl Islands.
"The entire archipelago is a monument to water Pokémon" Ash said "so don't expect to find much else. I am interested in the big lake on this island though, I've been considering trying to find a Chinchou as a counter to water types."
"I mean Lapras and Gyarados know electric moves so why bother?" Pikachu asked.
"I know they do" Ash replied "however Lapras is approaching the time of the year when she's in season as she's reached maturity so she may be unavailable for battle over the next few years and Gyarados is huge so we're limited on when we can use her in battle, so I'd like some cover for them both."
"Oh right" Pikachu said "I forgot all about Lapras. It's mad to think she's reached that point already."
"We've had her coming up to two years now" Ash replied "it's only a few months off the anniversary of when we first met on Tangelo Island. Time has flown by hasn't it."
"It sure has" Pikachu said nodding "it's hard to believe that we've been partners for three years now. It seems so much longer"
"Three years in three weeks" Ash said nodding too "We've been through a hell of a lot in that time Pi, that's probably why it feels so much longer. It's the 7th of July today, I think next week is the two-year anniversary of New Island."
"Wow" Pikachu muttered "I do wonder how life would be if we were ordinary from time to time. You know, no Legendaries messing the world up, no Team Rocket plans to disrupt, no ancients to battle. Normal trainer stuff."
"I've wondered that myself from time to time" Ash agreed "usually whenever I'm drawn into one of said plots that involve idiots or legendaries. I don't think I could cope with being ordinary you know; I wouldn't know what that's like as I've been strange since I was six. I would love to be able to switch my brain off from time-to-time though, just an hour of peace would do me."
"Are you still having your 'thinky' problems?" Pikachu asked.
"I am" Ash said nodding "hopefully when I start my therapy properly the noise will die down."
"Let's hope so" Pi said as they stopped abruptly. Their conversation had lasted the journey to the tip of the island, one which had a very unusual name.
"So, we cross this bridge to Pudgy Pidgey island?" Pikachu asked. "Why is it called that anyway?"
"I've no idea" Ash said as they crossed the thankfully sturdy bridge across the ravine and made their way down a dirt path to what looked like a lone building next to a cliff "that cannot be safe" he said pointing it out "a bit of wind and you'll be over the edge. Anyway, I assume it's called that because a load of fat Pidgeys live here."
Knocking on the door Ash waited as he heard a shuffling noise from inside before the door opened and a young man with blue hair, green eyes wearing khaki shorts, and a beige shirt opened the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Yeah" Ash said "my name is Ash, I'm a junior professor for Professor Oak. He told me to come and visit this part of the island to document some strange Pokémon."
"Oh" he said opening the door and welcoming Ash in. It was a very cosy home, with a lot of various tools attached to the walls with a kitchen/living room area and a computer area just in a corner. Grabbing a bag the man placed it onto the table and looked inside muttering to himself before nodding and closing the bag. "Sorry about that, I just needed to check I had the food in my bag. I was just about to go and feed the Pidgey if you'd like to join me. The names Wilbur by the way."
Shaking his hand Ash followed him to the back door which opened up to a small, forested area. Wandering in Ash looked up as the man called out for the Pidgey, strangely though Ash couldn't see any in the trees. A noise down at his feet though made him gasp in shock as out of several holes in the ground a group of very large Pidgey came running out of them and gathered around Wilbu. Greeting them he opened his bag and began to feed them, informing Ash why they lived on the ground.
"You see Ash, the whirlpools that surround the island protect the Pidgey from any predators that could disturb the flocks of Pidgeys here. So, because of that the Pidgey have never felt the need to leave here and have grown fat and lost their ability to fly in the process. I believe Pudgey Pidgey Isle is the only place in the world that is home to flightless birds. The only other flying types that don't fly are Mantine who also live around these islands, but they soar rather than fly and their wings work how they were designed to do so.
There was a study done a few years ago that is still being debated about as to whether these Pidgeys represent a form of evolution, de-evolution or are a genetic strain to explain why they are the way they are. I'm of the opinion that they're just fat and should they trim down they can regain their ability to fly. Of course, the Pidgey have no desire to do so, so we'll likely never know."
"Oh wow" Ash said jotting it down in a notebook "so none of them can fly at all?"
"Well," he said hesitantly "they're not all flightless. There's one Pidgey that lives around here that I call Orville. He's just like any other Pidgey in the world except he has a dream of flying as high as he can. Every day I have to nurse him back to health, but he keeps getting higher every day and soon he'll achieve his dream of reaching the atmosphere."
"That sounds like my kind of Pokémon" Ash said nodding "one with a goal that sets it apart from any other of its type."
"There's a legend on Blue Point Isle about a Pidgey that reached the stars centuries ago" Wilbur said nodding "I think Orville has a similar dream. Every day for the last few months I've trained him to fly, overcoming the laziness these others have until eventually a few months ago he actually flew around the island. Ever since then he hasn't stopped trying to get as high in the sky. One day he will, I'm sure of it."
Before Ash could reply a noise could be heard from the top of the house as something small bounced off the top and landed on the floor.
"Orville" Wilbur shouted running to the poor bird who was panting harshly. "You tried too much again, didn't you." Shakily it got to its feet and nodded before sighing and looking up to the sky.
Ash wandered over and observed the interaction between the two and smiled. It was always nice to see a trainer and his Pokémon having a close relationship. Kneeling down Ash ran his hand over Pidgeys head getting a surprised squawk as his energy recovered through Ash's use of Aura.
"Keep dreaming Orville" Ash said standing back up "you set yourself apart from the rest, keep that up."
Pidgey nodded and looked up to the sky again.
"I have an idea" Ash said stepping back and releasing a Pokémon. Wilbur quickly grabbed Orville as the Pokémon grew and grew and soon enough a massive blue dragon appeared. Looking around Salamence wondered what was going on as she saw a man and a Pidgey looking quite scared. "Queenie, we need your help." After giving her a quick rundown of the situation she looked at the Pidgey in silence for a good thirty seconds "that is some goal you have set yourself, little one. I myself have only touched the outer atmosphere twice in my life before I had to return to land. What do you need me for Ash?"
"I want you to travel with Orville and let me know how high he can reach" Ash said, "he'll likely pass out so just keep an eye on him will you?"
Nodding she moved backwards and in one wingbeat she shot into the air where she waited twenty feet above them.
"Go on Orville, let's see how you do." Wilbur said tossing the Pidgey into the air who quickly righted itself and was soon just a speck in the sky. Ten minutes later Ash stood back as Salamence landed with a very tired looking Pidgey on her back.
"He did remarkably well" she said quietly to Ash as Wilbur fed him "I have serious doubts if he'll ever do it though as he was a good few miles from the atmosphere. We reached a part where ice started to form on our wings when he passed out. He just doesn't have the lung capacity to breathe and fly so high."
"We could probably try and help him though" Ash murmured as a thought entered his head. "Thanks Queenie. If you want to go for a fly we'll be heading back to the Pokémon centre soon. The path back to the harbour is very open and you can't miss us." Nodding she took off again and was soon just a speck herself. Walking over to Wilbur Ash smiled again as the Pidgey chirped away. Ash of course could understand him but he doubted Wilbur could however he seemed to get the gist.
"You did very well" Ash said gaining their attention "Queenie told me you passed out just a few miles from the outer atmosphere. With the right training you could easily do it so I have a proposition for you. At my home there is a flock ruled by a Royal Pidgeot who owe me a few favours. How would you like to train with them for a time?"
Wilbur looked down sadly as he felt Orville's demeanour change at the thought. "A Royal Pidgeot could train me? Really? Wow. That would be awesome! Oh, but it would mean leaving here wouldn't it?"
"Not necessarily" Ash said translating for Wilbur "I am willing to give Wilbur my personal number for my home and the Pokéball transporter there. You could live at my home during the week to train with the local Pidgeot clan and visit Wilbur every weekend. My aide Zoe can make sure you get back to the Pokémon Centre on this island every weekend so getting back here will not be an issue."
"I don't have a Pokéball though" Wilbur said "I have never caught him."
"I'll catch him and entrust you with his ball" Ash said simply shrugging his shoulders "that way proof of ownership is covered, and he has a safe way of getting to and from my home."
"What do you think?" Wilbur asked Orville. Orville jumped up and down chirping happily which made Wilbur laugh. Soon enough he was caught and attached to Ash's belt. Ash was just finishing sorting things out with Zoe when Salamence landed heavily looking slightly bruised.
"What happened to you?" Ash asked.
"Those bloody Fearow accused me of encroaching on their territory and conspiring with the enemy, whatever that meant and attacked me." She said huffing "they quickly thought twice though when I beat the crap out of them."
Laughing Ash told Zoe that Salamence would be coming back for the day too, much to her surprise. "I'll need you to explain to the Pidgeot what we're doing" Ash said making her nod in agreement "they owe me a few favours so I can't see this being an issue. I'll send for you tomorrow morning when we travel to the North of this Island and carry on with our journey." Recalling her he gave Wilbur his details before leaving to head back to the Pokémon centre chatting animatedly to Pikachu about what they discovered.
Getting to the Centre he spoke with Nurse Joy who nodded.
"I'll leave a note for the next Nurse Joy who takes over me so she's in the loop." She said.
"You're not the permanent Joy here?" Ash asked surprised.
"No" she replied shaking her head "every Joy on these islands is on rotation with each other every two months. And when we do eventually return to the island, we're likely in a different centre as there are a few cities on each island so it could be eighteen months before I'm back here in this centre."
"Oh right" Ash said nodding "that makes sense."
"Does it?" Pikachu asked.
"Yeah" Ash said nodding "that way it prevents issues like the Officer Jenny on Pinkin Island when she had been isolated on the island for years with no one to talk to. She developed serious social interaction issues didn't she and had to go through a ton of therapy once she'd been placed back on the mainland because she just didn't know how to interact with people on a daily basis. I'd imagine she was a nervous wreck and likely still is. Going from speaking to one person every few months that visited the island to suddenly being thrown into a city environment must be a hell of a shock."
"That's exactly the reason why" Joy said noidding to his explanation.
"Also Pi," Ash continued "don't forget the Nurse Joys in Gringy and Dark City. They were pretty much abandoned and left on their own to deal with the issues that arose and had no help. At least this means that more Nurse Joys can come forward on issues to back each other up."
"I heard about that" Joy said pursing her lips "I feel so bad for my distant cousins. To be left like that by the committee was pretty appalling. It was because of situations like that we are all on rotation every month. Every Nurse Joy in the world is on this system now, unless you happen to live in that city."
"Good" Ash said "I was happy to help in those situations. Thank you for the work you do." Nodding to her he went up to his room to type up his observations that he made that day before going to find a restaurant for him and Pikachu.
The day after Ash received a message from Zoe saying she'd received the Pidgey and Salamence and would be sending her back within the next few hours. Replying back with an 'ok' Ash packed up his things and left the centre and headed North towards the next city on the island.
"Where are we headed again?" Pikacxhu asked.
"Theres a huge lake to the North called Blue Lagoon where it seems Chinchou and Lanturn have their breeding grounds, about four miles North of that is the other City, Bluefinland where the boat to Yellow Rock Isle is. Obviously, we won't be getting a boat as we prefer sailing but that's the destination."
"Are you still catching a Chinchou?" Pikacu asked.
"Yeah" Ash said nodding "I was just thinking about that actually. I think this will be the first Pokémon I've actually caught and not found or been given. I can't think of any other."
"Gyarados, Kabutops and Flaafy" Pikachu said wryly.
"Oh yeah" Ash said laughing "well then that's me told and corrected."
"I know what you mean though" Pikachu said, "you do have a habit of rescuing Pokémon don't you."
"I think ninety percent of those in my team are rescues" Ash said as they walked along a shaded path, with trees on either side creating a very nice and cool place to walk through "it's quite sad really but it's been my privilege to know you all."
Half an hour later Ash emerged from the path and stopped at the sight in front of him. in front of him lay a huge lagoon, crystal clear with a huge Blue Rock in the centre. The whole place was teeming with water types milling about the place from Poliwags to Goldeen, to the occasional Mantine jumping out of the blue waters. Walking to the waterside Ash just stopped and watched in awe at how pretty the Pokémon world could be. Taking out his Pokégear he filmed a short video and snapped a few pictures before releasing Gyarados and Lapras into the water. "Go have fun guys but be careful not to scare away the inhabitants of the lagoon. We're headed to the other side where you can see the cliffs part ways, there's a path there that leads Northwards towards the next city. But we should have a few hours here, we're likely going to have dinner soon too so stay in contact, otherwise go have fun."
Squealing Lapras zoomed off towards the rock while Gyarados placidly lowered herself into the water and swam away as Ash carried on with his walk. As he stated around the halfway point he set up camp and let everyone out to have dinner. Salamence still wasn't back yet but Ash wasn't worried.
Lapras had taken the phrase 'keep in contact' to mean come and see him every ten minutes, much to Ash's amusement but it was as she was coming back for dinner that Ash noticed something rather unusual. She was being followed by several water types like she was their leader.
"Have you become a deity already?" Flaafy asked Lapras much to the surprise of them all "that was quick."
"No," she said confused before brightening up chirpily "these are my new friends. Say hello to Chinchou, Poliwag, Goldeen and Feebas."
"Well, your new friends might want to move out of the way" Ash said as he walked to the side of Lapras as a huge presence headed his way and rose slowly from the depths until a huge red head was resting on the bank, with thirty feet of body and tail stretched out behind her. The three smaller Pokémon quickly hid behind their new friend who soothed them.
"It's ok" Lapras said looking at them "Gyarados won't harm you. She's my friend."
The three little water types cautiously peered around Lapras' bulk but quickly hid themselves as Gyarados opened her huge maw showing razor sharp teeth. Ash just chuckled as he threw three Pokéblocks in there and went to retrieve Lapras' food. Gyarados for her part ignored the three small Pokémon and closed her eyes contentedly as she relaxed.
Walking back to Lapras he opened his palm out and fed her too before sitting down and observing them. "What is a Feebas doing here?" he pondered aloud "they're not native to here."
"Oh, her trainer is on the Blue Rock" Lapras said "she's not long since hatched either so I may have to take her back to her mother. In our excitement we forgot she said not to go far."
"Her mother knows" Ash said nodding to the side where he could feel a powerful presence "You can come out Milotic, we mean you nor your child any harm."
Cautiously a head popped out of the water making Ash gasp as while normally Milotic were pink and cream coloured with a red and blue tail, this one was blue and cream with a yellow and red tail.
"You know" Ash said "I see shinies that much I forget how rare they actually are. You are rather pretty."
"Naturally" she said haughtily looking at the collection of Pokémon with caution before looking at her child "but we must be going. My trainer is ready to depart. Come."
The little Feebas bounced once and quickly swam to her mother nuzzling her before they headed away towards the rock and were soon out of sight. Chuckling Ash caried on feeding his tribe and a few hours later he packed up again. Lapras and her new friends had long since gone back to play in the lagoon. Recalling everyone, including Gyarados who had no desire to go back out into the water Ash walked along the path until soon enough the cliffs loomed up ahead. Just before them though there was a little shack where a man was sat outside fishing. Curious Ash approached gaining his attention as he did so.
"Oh hello" he said brightly. He was around six feet tall with bright blue hair and brown eyes, wearing fishing overalls and holding a long red rod. "How are you doing?"
"I'm alright" Ash said bemused "I didn't expect to see anyone here, having said that it's a beautiful spot so why wouldn't there be?"
"You're not wrong" the man said laughing "I'm Bruce by the way, are you here to see the Chinchou too?"
"In a way yeah" Ash said "I'm Ash. I do want a Chinchou for my team, but I've not had the chance to actually search for one yet."
"Well, your chances of getting one are quite high" Bruce said "especially seeing as it's the Chinchou and Lanturn mating season."
"That would explain why my Lapras was being followed earlier by a small Chinchou" Ash said, "I read they're normally quite shy."
"That they are" he said nodding "they usually don't surface during this time as their nesting grounds are at the bottom of the lagoon. I'm afraid I've been fishing for hours and caught nothing but Goldeen and the occasional Seaking. At least you seeing one has confirmed they're here. I knew I should have come here last month."
"For what?" Ash asked taking a seat behind him and looking out to the lagoon.
"The Chinchou Parade as it's called locally" Bruce said "every year they arrive here, mate and then leave but as they do they head all down the lagoon and out to sea where they eventually head out to wherever they like. So that is the ideal time to catch one."
"So, we missed out by a month" Ash said wryly "don't say a word Pi, I know why we missed it."
Pikachu just muttered about clumsiness much to Ash's amusement as he knew Greenfield wasn't his fault nor were the time he had to be Regional Professor at the start of their Johto journey.
"Yeah" the man replied. A few seconds later his float started bobbing and he tentatively picked up the rod, as soon as it went under he struck and the line went rigid as a huge splash occurred about forty feet away. What followed was fascinating to Ash as it reminded him of when he caught Magikarp, that went on for forty minutes until he finally landed her. This however was not as long as the Pokémon he caught didn't put up as much of a fight. Ash helped the guy out by landing it but as soon as he gripped the net an electric shock went through him stinging him.
"Ow" Ash said dropping the net onto the banking shaking his hand out before he moved out of the way as Pikachu used Iron Tail dazing the offending Pokémon "now there was no need for that." Opening the net Ash saw the man had caught exactly what he was after.
"A Chinchou!" he said taking out a Pokéball and tapping it onto its head. It rocked a few times but was quickly caught "that makes this trip worth every second I've been sat here. Thanks, pal."
"Not an issue" Ash said laughing as he picked up his bag and saying goodbye to him. the path didn't continue much further until he reached the cliffs that went through to the other side. The water was very placid as he walked past before he heard a noise behind him. Turning around he saw Lapras hurrying up towards him with the tiny Chinchou on her head. It really was tiny Ash observed.
"Where you going to leave me?" she asked sounding upset.
"No" Ash said "we still have another fifty feet of path Lapras with the lagoon water there. I did tell you a few hours ago that we needed to meet here."
"I know" she said looking around sounding hesitant "can my baby come with us?" she blurted out.
"Your baby?" Ash asked surprised.
"She is all alone here" Lapras said sounding sad as Chinchou let out a small sob "the migration left before she was hatched as she was buried in sand and didn't know what to do. She's been playing with all the other Pokémon but they're all getting ready to leave the nesting grounds too and I don't want to leave her on her own."
It took Ash a few seconds to get past the 'baby' comment before he processed what she said before gently picking up the Chinchou. She was that tiny Ash could hold her up in one palm. "She's only a few days old" Ash murmured "I don't have any Pokéfood for babies but luckily we're heading to a city where I can pick some up or do some research on what you can eat." Placing her back down onto Lapras head he pulled out Dexter
"Chinchou, Pokédex number 170, the Angler Pokémon. It shoots positive and negative electricity between the tips of its two antennae and zaps its enemies. This Pokémon is female, has a hasty nature and has the ability Volt Absorb as well as the hidden ability Water Absorb and knows the moves Water Gun and Thunder Wave and has the egg move Whirlpool that has yet to be unlocked."
"That makes it slightly easier" Pikachu said, "you can make Pokéblocks and just mush them like you do with Machamp and his drink."
"That's actually not a bad idea" Ash said nodding "Ok, she can come along. Now Chinchou, there are a few rules. I will be training you for battle as I think your species are a great curve ball to throw use. Obviously, it won't be for several months until you're mature enough so in that time I want you to learn what you can from Lapras. I also have two electric types that can teach you how to better use your electricity safely but again that won't be for a while. In return I will look after you and keep you as safe as I can. Is that ok?"
Chinchou jumped a few inches off Ash's palm in delight and said in a really tiny voice "Yes, yes. I have a family."
"You certainly do" Ash said "I will let you out of you ball every time I let Lapras out, stick by her. None of our family members will harm you, we will look out for you but please just stick by Lapras until you can look after yourself, Ok?"
Getting another tiny nod, he brought out a Pokéball and touched it to her where it didn't even rock. Nodding at Lapras he recalled her before attaching them both to his belt. "I'm going to need a new belt" he commented as his pants slightly sagged before having an idea. Taking out his phone he rang Mr Suzuki.
"Hello Ash, what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I have an issue that I was hoping you may be able to sort out" Ash said, "Now I know this is not going to be done soon but I have an idea for an invention."
"Go on" he asked sounding intrigued.
"Well," Ash began "I have just caught another Pokémon and noticed my pants were starting to fall down due to the weight. Storing them in my bag isn't ideal so it got me wondering if a new type of device could be made that stores your Pokéballs on a rotation belt or something similar so that you don't have all this weight on your pants."
"Interesting" Hatori said "can you come up with something or a design for it that I can pass on to my workers or are you happy for them to just go ahead with it?"
"Just give it to your workers" Ash said shaking his head "I'm not interested in royalties or anything, I just want something more convenient than a belt. Just tell them it needs to be handheld or clip on. Something that is easy to handle and can be placed in your pocket and more than that, affordable. I guarantee you'll sell shed loads of these to trainers Mr Suzuki if the price is affordable."
"That will all depend on how expensive it is to make" Hatori said "but something like this could be sold at a decent price. Ok, leave it with me. I'll see what we can do."
Nodding Ash hung up, tightened the belt and carried on walking. "You really don't want any royalties?" Pikachu asked.
"It wouldn't matter Pi" Ash said smirking "my contract states that I'm entitled to 16% of anything I come up with anyway now I'm a champion. I'll make a fortune on this so if I started negotiating and agreed on 10% which is probably the maximum they'd offer then I'd lose money."
"That's smart" Pikachu said as they walked down the path in silence for a while "How do you think Chinchou will fit in?"
"Hopefully well" Ash said "she's very small at the moment so she can't battle. I just hope I can keep her alive and not mess up with feeding her. I've never raised a baby before."
"Ask your mum" Pikachu said, "she raised Togepi from an egg."
"That's a good shout" Ash said nodding sending her a message. She would still be at work but hopefully she will have some answers. He would still ask Nurse Joy too, it never hurt to get as much information about raising a baby as possible. It didn't take Ash much longer to wander into Bluefinland, the second port on Blue Point Island. Walking into the centre Ash spoke to Nurse Joy who gave him some websites to look at regarding raising baby Pokémon which Ash thanked her for. Going up to his room he printed off several sheets of information and wandered downstairs to the canteen to have tea and peruse them.
"Ok" Ash said putting them down "so the formula you suggested will be fine, she just can't have a lot of it as it's very filling so a whole bottle should last her a week. When she is down to a bottle every two days, she should be fine to have them as actual blocks however it may be easier to just keep them as the juice. She can also have berries but according to this Chinchou are allergic to Pecha berries, something about the way they break down in the gut makes them ill."
"I wonder what it is" Pikachu pondered "I've never heard of a Pokémon being sick through berries."
"It happens more than you think" Ash said taking his bowl to the collection stand "there's a reason that natures play such a big role in the development of Pokémon. Finding out what helps you grow and hinders your growth is extremely beneficial to all involved. For instance, with you, you love dry food and hate sour. If I fed you nothing but sour berries or food from the start of our journey you would have died a long time ago because you literally cannot stomach them. You would have been in agony all the time. The issue with Chinchou is basically the same except rather than it being a nature issue it's a species issue."
"And Chinchou has a hasty nature, does that affect what you can give her?" Pikachu asked.
"A bit" Ash replied nodding "I usually use Lum berries because they're quite neutral with a leaning towards bitter. They can be used across the board though as they fit into all five categories. She likes sweet and hates sour so that's pretty easy, so I'll have to blend them with a few Persim berries. It's frustrating because Pecha berries are what I'd normally use and they're bloody everywhere in the Whirl Islands. We could literally walk outside and spot five in eyesight. Never mind" he finished shaking his head and pulling out the blender and berries from his bag. Eventually he'd made enough to fill several bottles after he added water.
"Haven't you made too much there?" Pikachu asked confused.
"Yeah" Ash replied ruefully as he labelled them all "unfortunately this is what happens when it's converted into juice form. It always fills up five bottles. Machamp will get through five bottles in a week so it's fine when making it for him, unfortunately Chinchou is only a baby so I've made four bottles too many. I'll give the others to Nurse Joy, they can last up to a month but I'd rather make hers fresh every week."
"And waste four bottles every time?" Pikachu asked.
"No" Ash said "I'll give them to the nearest Pokémon Centre I can find when I've made them. I hate waste but hopefully this should only be for a few months."
Releasing Chinchou onto his bed he placed her onto his pillow and explained what he'd made for her. It was only when he saw her actually up close that he realised just how small she was. She couldn't have been more than ten inches across and four inches tall. She was tiny.
"Now, when you start feeling full you must tell me" Ash said as he gently tipped the bottle "I know it's moreish but too much can hurt you and make you feel ill, we don't want that." A few seconds later she let out a little burp, said a quiet thank you and as Ash put the bottle away, she fell asleep on his pillow.
"Is this what raising a child is like?" Ash asked quietly to Pikachu.
"How would I know?" he asked confused "I've not had any children yet. Anyway, how often do you need to feed her?"
"Every eight hours" Ash said placing the bottle into his bag to go alongside Machamps. "I'm just going to give these to Nurse Joy, I'll be back soon."
Walking downstairs he gave the bottles to Nurse Joy explaining what they were. She handed them off to Chansey who went to store them in the medicine fridge, thanking Ash for his thoughtfulness. That evening Ash had a chat with his mum who confirmed he was doing the right thing and that she was proud of him for taking her on.
"I couldn't leave her" Ash said shrugging his shoulders "Lapras has adopted her it seems and she's only a few days old, so she'd likely not survive on her own. It was the right thing to do."
"It was" Delia said, "by the way, why is my old room locked in your house?"
"Well, you moved out" Ash said confused "and you and dad still have a room across the landing. It's just being refurnished that's all. I've asked Zoe to not let anyone in until it's done, for safety's sake."
"Oh ok" she replied, "I just wondered that's all."
"Yeah, it's nothing major" Ash said "I just didn't want anyone to get hurt when the builders go in in a week or so. You should be able to see what I'm doing to it in a few weeks."
"Fair enough" she said before sighing and leaning back in her chair.
"Not long now mum" he said nodding to her ever-expanding stomach "what is it, three months?"
"Three and a half" she said "late October, early November. I'm nervous you know, but it's exciting at the same time."
"I can get that" Ash said nodding "I can't wait to meet her. Have you chosen a middle name and are you still calling her Flora?"
"We are" Delia said nodding "and no we've not decided on a middle name just yet. I don't think she'll need one to be honest."
"Florence Ketchum does have a nice finality to it" Ash said nodding and looking at the time "anyway you should be heading to bed. It's nearly midnight where you are."
"I'm sure I'm the one that's meant to be the parent" Delia said chuckling and shaking her head "night Ash, let me know how you get on with Chinchou in a few days, we wont be home for a few days as Red's needed at the Plateau and I have to start handing things over to the managers in preparation for maternity at our busiest time."
"You and dad chose to have another child" Ash said humorously "anyway, goodnight mum."
Hanging up he sighed and went about his nightly routine of messaging people goodnight before going to sleep. He was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.