Firstly, summer colds are terrible. I hope you all have been in better health than I.
I don't own Pokemon.
Episode 29
The Road Home
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"...What are you doing?" Ash stared at the Ivysaur. Willow peeked at him before snapping her eyes shut again. The dinosaur's legs were splayed out, her head was tilted to the side, and her tongue was sticking out. Gore snorted squinting up at the sky. A large bird soared above their heads. "That explains that," Ash sighed, drawing the dinosaur's Pokeball.
A pink circle slammed into the bird's wing, making it shriek and spiral into the earth. Ash and Gore twitched when the bird crashed into the unforgiving earth. Grace zoomed past them as the bird forced itself up. She raked her glowing claw across its throat. Ash took a step toward her frowning. Gore snorted frost in his path. He turned to the boar and received a hard look. Ash huffed, "Let's set up camp then." They weren't far from the corral's edge anyway. "Bring it over here," the trainer ordered.
The Vulpix looked at him with suspicion until he made another beckoning gesture. She continued to glare at Gore as he set up the night's fire pit. Grace was right to be suspicious the boar was nearly drooling. The trainer released Hellfire. "Willow help him collect wood!" Ash ordered.
The dinosaur only twitched. "It's dead," the trainer rolled his eyes. Willow's eye peeked open again. She chirped happily when she saw Grace dragging the mangled avian. "Do you think her bird thing would be considered speciesism or racism?" Ash inquired nudging the Piloswine. The boar grunted noncommittally. The trainer hummed. "Do you think she'll get better, or she'll be like you with Nidoking?" Gore gave him an irritated look. Ash snorted, "It took three days to get you to stop charging Pins after he evolved." Even other boar Swinub became more accustomed to predatory species faster than Gore had. The Piloswine chuffed and pointed to the bag. Ash's eye twitched. I'm not your butler.
He didn't have many opportunities to introduce Willow to bird Pokemon on their journey. The trainer furrowed his brow. The only birds he could remember her meeting were with the Rockets. And they wanted her dead. I definitely could have done a better a job about that. He smiled when he saw the Ivysaur and Hellfire had returned with their firewood.
It didn't take his team long to doze off after everyone had eaten their fill. Grace was curled up in the fire pit with a look of deep content. Hellfire was sprawled out a few feet away with a bone in his jaws and Willow had taken to the tree above Ash's head. The trainer rubbed King's Pokeball and smiled. They were all taking a well-deserved rest. All save one.
Gore was glaring into the darkness around their camp, his floppy ears twitching every time the fire crackled. "You figured it out already," Ash said with a fond huff. The swine gave him a sharp look. "That seagull Grace killed flew over us a couple times about an hour before it became her dinner. I saw three smaller ones fly over us today. Something weird is going on at Porta Vista. And," he glanced at the path to his left, "There's something strong enough behind us to freak out regular birds."
The Piloswine narrowed his eyes. Ash smiled tauntingly, "Hmm? Didn't notice flying Pokemon didn't fly back the way they came?" Gore huffed and poked at the ground insistently. "Whatever's behind us, it's definitely following us," the trainer murmured holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm a bit surprised you know figured it out. The wind's blowing the other way," Ash told the boar as he removed his hat. Gore turned his glare onto his partner, making the trainer smirk. The swine trotted over to his left before settling down. Ash leaned against his partner's soft brown fur and yawned. Sneaking up on Gore wouldn't be easy. He could afford to let his guard down a bit.
The next day brought sunshine, yet no sign of their stalker. Were we paranoid? He and the Piloswine exchanged a glance. Gore grunted stubbornly. The swine refused to lower his guard. Grace glanced at them with her eyes narrowed. Ash smiled easily and shrugged. The vixen huffed before trotting to catch up with Willow, who was leaping from tree to tree. Hellfire barked as he snapped after the leaves the dinosaur dislodged. Ash smirked fondly while Gore relaxed slightly.
"This side of the region is a lot more peaceful," he declared stretching. "I love fighting strong guys as much as the next trainer, but I gotta admit, I could get used to this." Gore snorted an agreement. Ash patted his side roughly. Then a gust of wind strong enough to nearly knock his loose hat off came from behind them. The ice Pokemon froze. "Was that natural wind?" the trainer whispered the hair on the back of his neck rising. Gore hissed. Ash glanced at his team. Hellfire and Grace were still playing with leaves Willow shook off. They don't feel anything's off.
A sound carried on the breeze reminiscent of something smacking a tree made him stiffen. The trainer reached for King's capsule his fingers twitching. When he didn't hear anything for several beats he relaxed until he saw his partner had narrowed his eyes. Ash flinched as a crack went off to his right. Gore flipped toward the sound with Fury Attack activated. A squeaking hairy bug that resembled a caterpillar rounded onto the trail. Gore grunted in a confused manner, his Fury Attack deactivating. Ash's eyes widened when the bug Pokemon took cover behind them. He turned to partner and received an equally confused look. A loud buzzing made the duo snap to the sky.
The side of Gore's tusk slammed him in the belly, throwing him off his feet and into the unforgiving trunk of a tree. Weedle squealed as an attack went off with a boom and a cloud of dust washed over them. Ash wheezed as he forced himself onto an elbow. Squinting, he could barely make out his partner struggling with a four winged creature that vaguely resembled a giant dragonfly. Gore snarled before swiping the insect across the chest with a tusk. The green dragonfly flew back shrieking at such a volume Weedle flinched.
The swine Pokemon surged from the dust and swiped at the insect, only for it to spin away from the assault. Yanmega smacked Gore's side with two of its wings, drawing thin cuts in the boar's side. The Piloswine stomped to a stop before shooting a silver orb at the insect's back. The Ancient Power exploded, throwing Yanmega through the branch of a tree. It shrieked as it collided with a tree trunk, forcing countless leaves from their branches. Ash pushed himself up as the insect turned to its opponent hesitantly. The bug Pokemon shot into cover by hiding in the tree's upper branches.
Using the foliage as camouflage? Bugs don't raise their young often, so this thing's pretty experienced at hunting. "Ice on it all," Ash murmured. Gore huffed before inhaling deeply. Without warning an earsplitting screech exploded from the tree. Ash squawked, backpedaling and covering his ears. Leaves rustled and Gore roared furiously as the Screech attack faded.
"Calm down, you're freaking out Weedle!" Ash snapped once he was certain the insect had escaped. He grimaced shutting his eyes. The trainer gave a relieved sigh when the ringing in his head lessened. The Piloswine hissed before stomping over to a tree and head-butting it. Weedle squeaked fearfully as it crawled behind him. Purple flame landed between Ash and the bug Pokemon, making it squeal in alarm. Ash raised a brow. The trainer squawked when a small form crashed into his ribs. The trainer hit his knees, gasping. Willow burrowed her head into his ribs. Ash wheezed, wrapping his arms around his chest and glaring at Gore's back. You taught her this crap you stupid pig.
Hellfire bounded to his side and sniffed at him insistently. "I'm okay," the trainer uttered patting the dog's head lightly. Ash reached down to pet the dinosaur after Willow poked his belly. Grace sauntered up to the cowering Weedle. A dark gleam materialized in her golden eyes when it began to crawl away. "Grace." The harsh tone was enough to make the vixen pause. She turned to him with her eyes narrowed. The bloodthirst there would have stunned him a year ago. Now, Ash gazed back without flinching. "It's fine if you hunt, I get it. But you'll not be killing this guy, or anything else for fun," he insisted. She stared at him in a near glare until he brought his hand over King's Pokeball.
Grace sniffed, then she strode away with her five tails held high. Gore's not the only one who's been getting more aggressive lately. He sighed. "Rest for a bit," Ash told his partner. Gore huffed irritably before being recalled. "Gore'll be back to normal soon," the trainer promised, patting Willow's head lightly, "He's just really hungry." A Pokemon's growth spurts could be triggered by an increase in strength. This trait allowed Pokemon to survive in particularly hostile environments where regular creatures would almost certainly die. The dinosaur cooed and licked his cheek. Whether I'll still have my hair by the time they get back to normal is another question. At least we know what her powers will be.
The fifth tail increased her power to a lesser degree than the others she'd earned. Still, it could be argued that this tail brought an even greater gift. It would tell them which of the three types of Vulpix she was. The rarest of the three was the dark Vulpix. They had far greater physical and elemental might and would possess twice the size of typical Ninetales after their evolution. The fifth tail made them so aggressive trainers were taught to put them in their Pokeballs upon earning the tail, then they were suggested to take them to the nearest center to be sedated. Luckily for everyone involved the transition lasted a mere three days.
Psychic Vulpix had far stronger barriers than their fellow vixen and learned the telekinetic move Confusion upon earning their fifth tail. Their nature didn't make the predominantly psychic moves Extrasensory or Psyshock stronger for some reason though. They were famous for possessing oddly powerful barriers for mobile Pokemon. Their fifth tail rarely impacted their mood. Ash knew immediately Grace wasn't psychic natured. That Ninetales that Tiny fought definitely was a psychic natured vixen.
Ghost Vulpix learned Night Shade upon their evolution and were believed to be be using Hex constantly without strain. The Pokedex said that Ninetales didn't use Hex, but Ash was beginning to question that. Given their personalities and the mysteries surrounding them, he believed it was likely they were using the vindictive move passively. Thankfully, the transition to the fifth tail wasn't as dangerous for the trainer as a dark Vulpix's could be. The trainer frowned. It took years of fighting for a Vulpix to reach five tails in the wild. Grace's mood, is it related to her body adjusting to Hex again so abruptly? Hex was a move meant to increase the pain a weak technique could inflict. It had to have had some drawback. The mischievous nature ghosts and Vulpix were known for could be it.
He'd need to get a book dedicated to the species if he wanted to learn more about the Vulpix family. Agatha had written a book about her ghosts that included her experience with her Ninetales. That would not be kind to his wallet. Ash grimaced and Hellfire's ears fell when Grace set a pebble in her path alight. Willow gave her friend an odd look before turning back to Ash. Crap she picked up on me not mentioning Grace. Things were far simpler when she took everything he said as if it was the word of a god. "She'll be like that for a little while," he offered a hesitant smile. Maybe. I think.
Then Willow stiffened and Hellfire growled. A gigantic bipedal beetle raced in front of them. It crouched, its claws glowing and its eyes narrowed. Pinsir clicked uncertainly when it saw them. A man sporting the armor of a samurai tumbled into the road. The man shot to his feet with a battle cry. Then he drew his sword as he glared at everything around him.
Hellfire blinked, his head cocking to the side at the odd bug. Then recognition flashed through his light brown eyes. The Houndoom bared his teeth, the fur on the back of his neck rising. Ash wrapped an arm around Willow's middle when she let out a hiss. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, eyes narrowing dangerously. The trainer moved to rise, but abandoned the idea when Pinsir raised its claws in warning.
"I, well, I was," Samurai flushed, "I was tracking the Yanmega!" he puffed himself up and gave Ash an imperious look. "And I would have captured it too had you not distracted me!"
"It's over twenty-five minutes from Viridian to Pallet," Ash pointed out. He glanced behind Samurai. He fought down a reaction when Grace inched closer to the Pinsir's back. "By car," he added
"I've been following it from Viridian?" Pinsir lowered its claws and gave Samurai an incredulous look. The man flushed. He was younger than Ash had believed. Probably a year or so younger than his older sister. Samurai also looked to have grown a fair bit since their first battle more than a year and a half ago. He was about fifteen when we met? Or did he just grow quickly after turning fourteen? To think a fourteen or fifteen year-old was capable of such callousness toward a creature he didn't even intend to eat. Ash swallowed. That was incredibly disturbing. Even when she was wild, Grace wouldn't do such a thing.
He sighed. If it crossed her she would do it and yip about it later. Then she would find something else to torment. Ash waved the vixen off as she readied her Scratch attack. Grace glared at him before glancing at Pinsir nervously. After a moment the vixen sat on her haunches. "Why are you following me, Samurai?"
"I'm not-"
"Don't!" Ash snapped. "Or I'll let them do what they want." Pinsir clicked menacingly and Hellfire returned the threat with a snarl. The dog and his trainer flinched when a demonic hiss came from his lap. Samurai gulped while Pinsir's eyes went wide. Grace only blinked at Willow's threat. "Where the hell did that come from?" he demanded, looking down at the dinosaur. She peered up at him blankly. Ash ran a hand behind her ears gently. She doesn't know how she sounds does she? He scowled. Why do I get the feeling this is Gore's work too? The other trainer, cleared his throat to draw the team's attention.
The trainer raised a brow when Samurai mumbled something. "What?" Ash inquired eyeing him carefully. The older boy mumbled again with his eyes on the ground. "Speak up!" Ash snapped giving the other trainer an annoyed look.
"Thank you!" Samurai screamed his face going red. The younger trainer stared at him, gaping. "For not leaving me," he continued, turning to glare at a tree. Ash narrowed his eyes. "And I'm sorry, for everything," Samurai finished fidgeting. Ash's brows rose into his hairline when even Pinsir clacked in an apologetic manner. Willow snorted before she and Hellfire turned to him with uncertainty. Ash stared into Samurai's eyes. The young man twitched under his scrutiny.
No matter how long he looked he couldn't see any deception. "Fine. Don't expect us to be friend's," the trainer said. He wasn't sure what else he could say. His team didn't seem to know what to make of the lack of aggression either. "Go back to Viridian," Ash added as he led his team around the older trainer. Where did Weedle go? It didn't matter, he supposed. Grace's glare had her golden eyes resembling melting gold. It seemed the apology angered her more. "Come on," the trainer directed ushering her down the trail and away from her desired victim.
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"Alright, let's go over the expected behavior and rules for home again," Ash said. They were less than twenty minutes from Pallet. It was his last chance to go over this. This was the third time he'd explained the expected decorum in Pallet within the past hour. King gave him an annoyed look. Hellfire panted happily as he made glances in the direction of the town. Grace pushed her ears back. "Are you trying to ignore me?" the trainer hissed. The vixen flattened her ears against her head. "Fine! You eat someone's pet and see if I help you!" Ash snapped while straightening the straps of his pack. He turned to march down the trail.
Hellfire whined before padding after him. The dog Pokemon nuzzled his hand. "Nope." Hellfire whimpered and licked his hand. Ash rolled his eyes as he moved to scratch him behind his ears. The Houndoom panted happily while baring his teeth in a manner that resembled a smile. It would probably send small children fleeing. Ash felt part of his anger ebb away. An agent of the Reaper? He snorted.
The trainer ran his hand along the dog's armored back. Hellfire's armor had strengthened to the point it could be considered matured. The Houndoom line was known for frailty, but that reputation wasn't entirely deserved. A Pokemon's durability was related to their elemental strength as well as their physical attributes. Houndoom were simple creatures at their core. Why did they need to reach their combat potential? They had food and their pack. That was all they wanted. That was all they needed. Ash couldn't wrap his head around the line's lack of ambition. He could understand the detriments of the lack of desire.
King and Gore were strong because they wanted to be. The desire to reach their potential was ingrained in their very essence. Whether they met Ash or not they would have become strong. He'd simply accelerated the process. Hellfire would have merely been a large Houndoom. It was possible he would be prompted to train, but it was just as likely he wouldn't be. He wouldn't be much stronger than he was right now really. Ash ran his hands behind Hellfire's white horns. He eyed the crooning dog sharply. Power was something every Pokemon longed for on some level. Houndoom, even other dog Pokemon were more driven than his species. The look in his eyes when Gore was hit by Saur's Petal Blizzard, is that how they make up for their instincts as Pokemon being repressed?
Savagery was one way to deal with an Arcanine.
Light padding to his right drew his eyes. Grace glanced at him, then snapped her eyes down when she noticed he was looking at her. King gave the vixen an odd look. Ash shrugged when the crab glanced at him. He could feel the vixen's glances at him for the rest of their trek. Ash considered confronting her for a moment and dismissed it just as quickly.
The trainer was confident she wouldn't attack him while in her right mind. Ash still wouldn't be taking any risks while she was undergoing something comparable to puberty. A bright smile blossomed when the town's white fence line came into view. Hellfire cocked his head to the side. Ash hummed, "First time you've seen a town with a fence?" The dog yapped at his teasing tone. The trainer grinned. "Pallet's got a population of about two thousand. Before Gramps and uncle and mom moved here it was even smaller! No place to eat, nowhere to shop and no trainers worth their salt. You could jog through the town in a couple minutes if you wanted."
By the time he'd finished speaking the Houndoom's eyes were so wide one would have thought Ash had told him the ocean was purple. The trainer chuckled. Pallet didn't have much, but he was glad that he'd grown up in the little town instead of Cianwood. The wilds outside of his grandfather's hometown weren't half as docile. The gentle herbivores that dwelled around Pallet often allowed children to play with their young. Pikachu were the only aggressive wild Pokemon for miles. Ash snorted. Fearia's army of kids and grandkids should scare people more than Pikachu. He knew from experience how deadly those beaks were.
King rumbled his eyes becoming far away. "We don't have as much as a city, but we do have Wave's Bay! One of the best places to swim in the entire region," Ash declared increasing his pace instinctively. Few Pokemon had poor enough judgement to try to attempt a swim into the bay. Those who tried were blocked by the wall the water and ice Pokemon reinforced every day. "The water's warm even in December 'cause of the Scald attacks," he sighed, "Sounds great right King?" Ash opened his eyes when he didn't receive a reply. "King? Where'd the hell did he go?"
Grace pointed toward his hometown with a dainty paw. The trainer blinked when he saw the giant crab racing toward Pallet's fence. "Wait, King!" Ash cried as the Kingler reached the fence. Even his Vulpix's eyes were wide as electricity racked the crab Pokemon's body. King swayed and made an odd chirping noise before collapsing. "They must be doing repairs," Ash muttered. I probably should have told them about that when I was going over the behavior stuff earlier.
He couldn't believe he'd been distracted enough to miss the silver rolls that were curled at the top of the fence. The white fence was the last line of defense, meant to stop even adult Pokemon. Usually a retractable metallic fence enclosed the deadlier fence completely. The trainer shuddered at the thought of the weaker fence being down on the side toward Pallet itself.
"Um, you okay buddy?" Ash inquired. King gestured for his trainer to come closer with his smaller claw, then he smashed it into the boy's gut. Ash gasped, hitting his knees and wrapping his arms around his belly. I may have deserved that.
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Poor Gore gets blamed for everything.
Would you like me to put the metric measurements of Pokemon introduced at the bottom? After all, many of you aren't from the United States.
Only read this if you're about to go to sleep.
Long ago, there was a predatory dragonfly like creatures belonging to the genus Meganeura who could possess a wingspan of about 65 centimeters. Course there were also spiders the size of housecats in that era. It sounded cool at first, but then I remembered I have a Chihuahua. I'm glad the world cooled down. Much of the earth is still unexplored though.
Scorpions around eight feet long existed and the ancestors of centipedes were of similar length, making them significantly longer than Armaldo and Scolipede are tall. The scorpion could possess a pincer of about 18 inches (36 centimeters) long.
Sleep well.