"Are you sure you're okay with leaving almost all your Pokemon behind?" James asked as the Vermillion Port slowly faded in the distance.
"Are you sure about bringing only Growlie?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Arbok and Clefable still need time to adjust to their new home at Professor Oak's Laboratory. They know Weezing so that's a comfort for them. Farfetch'd and Weepinbell can also help Weezing out in taking care of them."
"And so would my Pokemon "Ash added with a smile. "And to answer your question, yes I'm sure. There will be new Pokemon to catch in the Orange Islands, so soon my party will be full."
Pikachu nudged Ash's cheek while Dratini nudged the other. Unlike with Gengar, Ash did not have much time with Dratini yet, so she was coming with him.
"I wonder if I'll have more friends to add to my party" James muttered, fiddling with the Pokedex he got from Professor Oak. He was still giddy about it, him being a licensed Pokemon Trainer under none other than Professor Oak.
-x-
Valencia Island was exactly as Ash remembered it… Ash would have said that if he what the island looked like.
It wasn't the biggest Island Ash had and will have been to, but it was more associated with nature than the rest. Very Alolan in certain aspects if he thought about it.
The first thing the two did once their ship docked at Valencia Island was to go visit the Pokemon Center. They healed their Pokemon, Ash registered for the Orange League, and they called Professor Oak to let him know that they had arrived safely. They then headed to Professor Ivy's Laboratory, where Ash picked up the mysterious 'GS Ball', which could not be transferred or opened in any way. James was exposed to the different kinds of Pokemon in the Laboratory, Pokemon that could be found in Kanto but looked different from them.
Ash knew them as variant forms.
James did not.
The two remained for dinner and stayed the night before catching a local ferry to Tangelo Island.
"Brock would have been interested in the way the Professor and her assistants raised their Pokemon and the research they do" James noted as the ferry left Valencia for Tangelo.
"He would have" Ash knew it better than anyone. Hd Brock come with them, he'd have stayed behind. Why Brock hadn't come, Ash wasn't sure. There had been no issues last time. So what had changed now? He shook his head, it was nothing for him to worry about.
The ferry took them a day to reach, and Ash immediately rushed to the beach, much to James' confusion. Ash though was fixated on one thing, something he'd been worrying about ever since he got on the ferry. Last time a blimp had crashed them on here, and it had been faster than the ferry.
HE feared what could have happened to Lapras all the while here…
There were no trainers around when Ash reached the beach, but he did find Lapras. The Pokemon let out a weak but thrilled cry seeing Ash and the trainer quickly rushed towards her and embraced her tightly.
"I'm sorry I got here late" he whispered to his friend, before putting her in a Pokeball and dashing for the Pokemon Center, James not far behind.
-x-
"Lapras will be fine. She just needs some rest" Nurse Joy announced once she'd finished checking up on the Pokemon. "But I would advise you, young man, do not push your Pokemon so hard."
"I didn't!" Ash exclaimed. "Lapras was alone on the beach when I got to her. She looked like she'd been in a battle and needed help."
The Nurse hummed softly. "There was a big storm last night. Perhaps this one got separated from her herd because of it."
It was exactly what happened.
The doors to the Pokemon Center opened and three trainers walked in.
"I told you we shouldn't have left the Pokemon there!" one of them exclaimed.
"We tried catching it but it won't stay in the Pokeball" the other added. "We needed to fall back and heal."
"One of us should have stayed back" the third one sighed.
All three looked up to see a disapproving Nurse Joy and a glaring Ash and James.
"Am I to assume you three are the reason that poor Lapras is as hurt as she is?" the Nurse asked.
The three shared a look between themselves before slowly nodding.
"We found the wild Lapras on the beach and tried to catch it, but it was too strong so we had to fall back. We want to use it against the orange crew" the one with the red shirt explained. "We'll go catch it and bring it to the Pokemon Center don't worry" he added.
"Too late" the Nurse sighed, there wasn't much she could do bout a trainer wanting to catch a wild Pokemon. That was legal. "She's been caught already."
"What?!" all three of them exploded at the same time. "Who stole our Lapras?!" one of them asked, while another complained about how one of them should have stayed behind to keep watch.
"I did" Ash declared and the three of them turned their gazes to the boy. Ash stepped forward and met their angry gazes confidently.
"Well give it back!" the red shirt one snapped. "We saw it first, it's ours!"
"She chose to go with me, so I caught her. She was still wild when I did too, so I don't see how she was any of yours" Ash countered.
All three of them fumed until the one wearing an orange shirt suddenly paled. "Oi… you're the Indigo League Champion Ash Ketchum" he stuttered out, to the shock of the other two and Nurse Joy.
"I am" Ash nodded. "I am here to challenge the Orange League, and I intend to win the championship."
The one in the red shirt snorted.
"Don't lie brat. A kid like you, the champion? Don't lie!" he pulled out a Pokeball and held it up in challenge. "The winner of our battle will keep Lapras."
Ash and Pikachu shared a look before they both nodded. "Sure."
The two trainers went outside the Pokemon Center and wasted no time in calling out their respective Pokemon. The red shirt man sent out Spearow and Ash sent out Dratini.
"Oi, Ash. Are you going to risk it here? What if Dratini loses?" James whispered to his companion.
"Don't worry, Dratini has this" Ash assured him with a smile.
The battle began and Spearow dived at Dratini using Peck. Dratini dodged using Agility, using the move continuously to build speed before latching onto Spearow using Wrap. Spearow tried to fight out of the grip with Peck and Fury Attack, but Dratini gripped tighter. Dratini fired Dragon Rage from close range, hitting Spearow with a small draconic energy orb that knocked Spearow out.
"You've not done a good job at raising your Spearow," Ash said with a frown while Dratini unwrapped herself from Spearow and went back to her trainer. "A Spearow is much more aggressive in battle and has a lot mre power in its attacks. Yours did not. You have been taking good care of it" Ash added.
The man glared at Ash for a while before sighing. He called his Pokemon back with his head lowered.
"You guys should talk to Nurse Joy about how to better raise your Pokemon so they can reach their full potential" Ash advised with a smile. "Or catch a ferry to Valencia Island. Professor Ivy is a Pokemon Researcher and Breeder, she can give you handy pointers too."
The three nod, the red shirt man apologizing to Ash before the three walk away.
"You gotta have faith in your Pokemon," Ash said to James with a cheeky smile. "You'd be surprised by what they can achieve with a little bit of confidence in them. Now, I'm gonna bring in some Pokemon before I go challenge the Gym at Mikan Island."
James nodded and walked back into the Pokemon Center with Ash. It was while Ash was choosing which Pokemon to bring into his team that James wondered, how had Ash known where the first Gym was.