First chapter after the year anniversary of the fic. This is a bit late, but I did manage to post it within the month. Hope you enjoy.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mister Harrison," Delia greeted her host with a curt smile.
The man with spiky hair and a squint returned the smile and ushered her inside. "Please. It's my pleasure. Honestly, in retrospect, we probably should have met up much sooner."
Sooner being before that fateful blimp crash. Delia hardened her heart, not letting her own feelings of regret dampen her mood. She grieved her son and his friends, but she had to keep moving forward. "Well, then, it's better late than never, then," she replied. "Your name was Flint, right?"
"That's right, Miss Ketchum." The man nodded his head and moved deeper inside the house. "I heard you were with the Sensational Sisters, these days," he spoke in a friendly tone.
Delia nodded, not denying it. "Yes, that's quite right. They invited me to stay with them for a month or two, while we… planned for an upcoming water show." She did not feel comfortable gossiping about the girls' current mental state, and how they had yet to acknowledge their own sister's demise. That was not something to share to someone she had just met.
They walked into the main living room just as several of the children darted past, most of them boys who bore an uncanny resemblance to their older brother. Maybe half a dozen children of varying ages were engaged in a game, probably tag. They seemed to enjoy themselves, wrapped up in their little game. That is, all except one. A boy, perhaps maybe eight years old, sat far away from the others, his eyes looking down at several candles. No one seemed to pay him any attention.
Delia almost wanted to intervene, to interact with the boy, but her attention was caught by the sound of a woman speaking into a phone.
"Yes, I know what I said. I want a refund!" said a woman with mahogany colored hair, her ear into a phone. She sounded very agitated. "Yes, because I've canceled. Well, don't look at me. I want that money back!"
"Is something wrong, dear?" said Mister Harrison.
"Just the travel agency refusing to refund me when I changed plans. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to cancel a year-long itinerary when you're midway through it," the woman sighed before turning to Delia. "Oh, uh… you're our guest, Delia wasn't it?"
Delia offered a small smile. "That's right."
"My name is Lola," the woman sighed. She turned towards her husband and frowned. "Dear, do you think you can handle the agency for me? It kind of was your idea to cancel."
"Oh, uh. Of course," said the man.
Lola offered her husband the phone as well as a number of notebooks. She then turned towards Delia and offered her a smile. "Please, make yourself at home. I think I'll freshen up before dinner starts."
"Thank you," Delia replied. She didn't know what to make of the situation before her, but the couple seemed supportive of each other. They otherwise seemed to have coped with the loss of their son very well, though they could have just put on a brave face because she was present.
Lola then walked out the room and presumably to her actual room.
This left Delia as the only adult in the room, whilst the children, save their oldest son, continued to play. She presumed that while she was present, the kids wouldn't do anything too destructive or dangerous. It felt familiar, though not in any way she could properly name. It was like a distant feeling, something half remembered.
And through it all, Delia couldn't help but focus on the boy who stood alone in the room. Her maternal instincts and curiosity getting the better of her, the single mother approached.
The boy didn't notice her, wrapped up in thought.
Delia wondered if it would be considered rude to interfere, but she decided that there was nothing wrong with just wanting to talk. "Hello, there."
The boy shifted his head towards Delia and stared in surprise. "Oh. You're… you must be the guest we've been expecting… Ash's mom?"
"That's right! You can call me Miss Ketchum," Delia offered a smile. Smiles were always good to share, especially if someone looked like they really needed it. "I met your brother once or twice, too. My Ash probably wouldn't have gotten far without him."
"Yeah, Brock is… was a great brother," the boy said. "My name is Forrest."
Delia's smile only grew wider. He was opening up to her and that felt good. She wondered if the direct approach would work here. "Well, Forrest. Is something on your mind? You're not playing with your siblings."
"Yeah, I guess you can say that. It's hard to explain." he admitted and looked down at himself. "I'm…. I'm the oldest now. And that means, I have to be one everyone else looks up to. I have to inherit the Gym and keep everything working, especially if Mom and Dad run off to travel again."
Delia frowned before remembering. Oh, right. Ash talked about that a while ago, about how Brock's parents essentially left him to run the Gym. She didn't want to make any moral judgments yet, but that had to have been an incredible amount of work to care for so many other kids while holding a job as a child. "... And you're not sure you can handle it?"
"Yeah…" the boy admitted and kicked the air. "I… I never thought I'd take over the Gym. Like, I had an idea I'd be staying at it or managing it until I found something else to do. Like, it was always assumed Brock would inherit everything and we'd all do our own things."
"What would you have done if Brock was still around?" Delia found herself asking. "What would you do if you had the choice?"
"I… never thought of that yet. I mean, I always had an idea it'd be Pokémon training, but not what kind. Dad started drilling me in Gym financing since Brock can't do it anymore," he frowned. "And you know, it's my family's Gym. Maybe one of the other kids want it when they're older, but I'm the oldest now. It falls to me." He clenched his fists, his body trembling. "I… I don't know how to explain it…"
"I can relate," Delia said. "You're inheriting something you weren't being groomed for. And you want to honor your family, but you feel like the weight of the world now falls on your shoulders. And the one person who you think you can turn to is no longer there, making you feel like you're alone."
"Yeah, it's like that!" Forrest exclaimed. "That's what it feels like."
Delia blinked as she realized what she said. She… didn't know why she said any of that, but it felt correct to say. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Look, I don't know what your situation is like entirely, but you can do it if you set your mind to it, if you truly wanted it."
"Maybe, but I'm not Brock," Forrest lamented. "I'm not my amazing brother who could feed dozens of hungry mouths every day, people and Pokemon.. Nor am I even old enough to be a real trainer yet."
"No, of course you're not Brock. No one is asking you to be him," Delia answered firmly. "Just like how no one asked Brock to say… be your father."
For some reason, that seemed to cheer up the boy. "Huh, I never thought of it that way…" He chuckled. "Yeah, I can definitely say I won't ever be my father."
"See," Delai smiled. "There's an upside already. And who knows, maybe you don't have to give up the Gym when you pursue your own dreams. Or maybe you feel that one of your other brothers and sisters would prefer to take over instead of you, you never know."
Forrest looked down at himself, becoming introspective about his own feelings. "I… I guess so. I never thought about it that." A small smile grew on his face. He then scrunched up his expression as he looked around the room. "Hey, where did everyone go?"
Delia turned her head around the rood. She noted that the children were gone. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted some of them moving deeper into the house in a single file line. "I think that means dinner's starting."
"It might," Forrest agreed. He turned one last look to the young woman. "Thanks for helping me," he said before he ran off.
Delia smiled, glad to be of service to someone. Though as she did, she felt oddly melancholic, as though something about this situation struck her in the heart. She couldn't place why.
She shook head and then decided that it didn't matter. Delia decided to have a nice dinner with a grieving family.
Ash had a good feeling about today.
Gramps had promised him that they'd be spending the time together with his friends, starting with lunch at a nice restaurant. Called "Erinite Eatery", it was themed after bamboo thickets and used hardened bamboo to decorate the walls.
Most everyone had arrived for the occasion, even the ones who had previously been at the ship. No one was willing to pass up a free meal at a good restaurant, Ash supposed.
"So you're my grandson's…retainers?" the elder lucario said as he scanned the Pokémon who shared a seat at his table. He cautiously sipped from a tea cup, whilst he sat on his knees.
The current setup of tables was arranged into various teams: Ash, Misty, and Brock each had a table for themselves and the Pokémon that served directly under them. Team Rocket also had their own table, but it was much further away.
Squirtle flashed Ash's Gramps a grin. "Yeah, I work under the Boss because I owe him!"
"Only after you kidnapped him," Pikachu said, sticking out his tongue.
"It was only one time!" Squirtle complained in response.
"I nearly died because of that." Pikachu crossed his arms. "And so did Ash, for that matter!"
"But you didn't!" Squirtle snapped. "And neither did Ash."
"... Can we please stop talking about stuff like that?" Ash practically pleaded, mortified that his friends were embarrassing him in front of his grandfather. They had only just met him!
"... Why were you in that situation?" Gramps cocked an eyebrow. "I can understand… Squirtle may have joined you afterwards as a form of penance, but struggle to imagine how you children could have had such a violent first meeting."
Ash shivered, because that entire mess was sort of dependent on him being human and how Meowth manipulated Squirtle over that. "Uh, well you see… It's…"
"I was a delinquent and I got tricked, that's all there is to it." Squirtle shrugged. "Your grandson, he's a swell guy, who stuck up for my gang when we didn't deserve it. So, that's the story, Mister uh…"
"Our Clan's name is Tajiri. My given name is Takemoto. You are welcome to use either. And, I can understand what you're trying to say. You had a change of heart." Gramps seemed to accept that.
"Alright, Mister Tajiri, that's basically it," Squirtle finished.
Ash let out a sigh of relief, glad that the human part of his lineage didn't need to be brought up. Also, maybe it was just because he was so used to the idea of Pokémon not having names, but he didn't think to ask his Gramps for his name.
As for myself and Pikachu, we were simply assigned to your grandson. Dexter said as he levitated over by the electrical rodent. His primary educator and teacher loaned us out to him. By Citrine standards, he would be a renowned Scholar or Sage.
"That's… kind of true," Pikachu replied, arms crossed.
"And I assume that as a Maiju with a proper name, you were of higher station compared to Pikachu? Gramps mused aloud. "Perhaps when you served under my grandson's teacher?"
I am technically part of the household, yes. Dexter agreed.
"Huh, you learn that from Cinder or from a book?" Ash questioned.
Pikachu's tail and ears shot up in surprise. "Wait!" he immediately said, raising a finger in protest. "The only reason Dexter has a name is because Ash decided to give him one!"
"Oh. I see." Gramps mused and turned to Ash. "Well, as someone of noble birth, it is your right to bestow such honors to favored servants."
"I suppose so…" Ash lied. The young riolu didn't have the heart to tell his grandfather the truth; he instead opted to continue the lie that he and his friends were simply Pokémon who were of a different social class than others, since it helped explain away their oddities. "Well, I kind of named Dexter when I first got him…. And I just simply didn't name Pikachu."
"Hm, I see then. I wonder what service such an odd Elemental could have done to merit a name in such a situation," Gramps mused aloud. He then squinted an eye at the two of them, a sign that he had read their emotional responses. "Oh…"
"Service is one way of calling it!" Pikachu laughed. "After all, you kind of kept insulting Ash, didn't you, Dexter."
Well, you didn't exactly help either, until the very end. Dexter glided over, though gave off a hint of agitation.
"Yeah, my first day was kind of rough," Ash gave his Gramps an awkward smile. Despite that, his tail wagged behind him so hard that it thudded against the floor, because that first day was not only the start of his adventure, the start of great friendships. "But Pikachu and Dexter, we got to know each other since then!"
Both Pokédex and Pokémon turned to face their trainer, both giving off satisfied smirks.
"Well, when you put it that way, yeah, it was worth it," Pikachu said.
And we have all made marked improvements since that time. Dexter agreed.
"It is good to know that my grandson has a skilled teacher willing to bestow him such loyal servants," Gramps commented. Ash sensed that being called servants mildly bothered his friends, but they tried to move past that. The lucario then turned to the last two members of the table. "As for you two, may I learn how you met my grandson?"
"There isn't much to it," Bulbasaur answered. "Ash and I simply met each other on the road. And my caretaker at the time saw it would be good for me. So, I followed him. Can't say I regretted it."
"Well, there was a bit more," Ash said as he tried to recall what happened that day. "Like Pikachu having to fight you to prove our strength to your caretaker."
"Eh, true, but that stuff isn't that important to share," Bulbasaur said, shrugging.
Following Bulbasaur's story, a black and white zigzagoon walked over, a small abacus in his hands instead of a notepad like Ash expected. "Hello! May I take your order?" he said.
"Oh, right!" Ash gave the Normal-type an awkward smile. They hadn't placed orders yet. He flipped open the folding menu in front of him. The menu consisted almost entirely of different types of noodles, with short descriptions of what that was like. The riolu was reminded of some places from back home, though he didn't recall if any of them served worms and bugs.
Not really having much of a preference for anything, he just picked whatever sounded nice. Others did the same, picking what sounded nice.
When it came to ask what Charizard wanted, the big dragon didn't reply. He looked into the menu, but was so engrossed in it, he didn't notice the waiter speaking.
Ash extended his senses and noted the big dragon was felt a little worried about something, perhaps involving the menu.
"Charizard, are you okay?" Ash spoke this time.
The lizard didn't reply.
Pikachu waked over to the big lizard and gave him a light shock on the leg.
Charizard snapped to attention, nearly rolling out of his seat before he stopped himself. "Hey, what was that for?"
"You need to pay more attention. The waiter wants to know what you want?"
"Uh…" the big lizard held up the menu and then shown it to the waiter. "Uh, whatever this is?"
The zigzagoon stood over to the menu and then stared at the dragon quizzically. "You want… ice?"
"Uh, no…." Charizard shook his head. Ash could definitely sense a weighty sort of embarrassment coming from the Fire-type, though Ash couldn't understand why he wanted ice. "How about this?" he said, pointing at another item.
"That's… the title of the restaurant…" said the waiter.
Frustrated, Squirtle walked over. "Hey, just get him what I'm having. I know he'll like it."
Charizard made a frustrated groan, though he seemed relieved at the same time. Ash wondered what exactly happened, but even he knew that it wasn't the right time to talk about that stuff.
"Right," the Normal-type said as he moved a bead on his abacus. "Thank you, I'll be right back!"
With their orders taken, Gramps set down his teacup and then asked his question, "How about you, Charizard? How did you meet my grandson?"
"Uh, you sure?" The big dragon blinked, still a little embarrassed about what had just happened.
"Yes," Gramps replied. "I am curious as to how my grandson came across one such as yourself. You seem quite young, so my initial perception is that you might have been a bit of a prodigy."
Ash sensed his dragon friend's embarrassment turn into pride as he stood up and thrust out his chest in a measure of pride. "Well, I did evolve myself very recently and I'm proud of that. Ash, sort of helped me get there."
"Oh?" Gramps inclined his head over to his grandson.
The riolu gave his grandfather a satisfied smile, also somewhat proud of that accomplishment. It was taken as a sign of a good trainer to raise any Pokemon to its fully evolved state in less than a year, though the number of people who did that were very small. Granted, Charizard had a stubborn streak at the time, something that was only overcome once the language barrier was overcome. "Yeah, it took a bit of work. We met him as Charmander and he followed us from there."
"Yeah." Charizard's pride vanished. A small bead of fear developed about him, before hardening with what might have been a fiery courage. He turned to his trainer and asked, "Ash, can I talk about Damien?"
Ash startled for a moment, a little taken aback by the sudden request. But he understood that this was Chairzard asking about bringing up humans with his grandfather. He was afraid of what his grandfather might say about them, but he knew he couldn't just avoid the question forever.
"Basically, a human captured me and tried to raise me up as his. Eventually, he got bored of me and thought I was weak, so he told me to wait on a rock."
"He just let you go, just like that?" Gramps said, his tone frigid, as though the warmth had vanished from. Ash shivered just from proximity.
"Well, yeah… But he told me to wait for him and I thought he was going away for a short while because he promised he'd be back." Charizard trembled, something that came very rarely to the now tall dragon. "I really wanted to believe him, too. And I nearly died a few days later when rain swept the area and I was too weak to even get up. Ash saved me, but I could have died!" Anger and rage boiled up inside of him, no doubt reliving those memories.
"Charizard," Ash spoke calmly. "Are you okay?"
Charizard took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I will be." The riolu felt his friend calm his heart. "I'm… glad I'm no longer with him, that human. Really, I'm glad he decided to give me away!"
Ash's grandfather shook his head. "Typical. The only reason the human let you go was because he didn't think caring for you was worth his time. He only acknowledged your value as a subordinate, as most of their type are wont to do."
Ash felt trembled at his grandfather's words. Any hope he had of sharing what he actually was were dashed. If that is what he thought about humans, what would happen if he told him?
At that time, Gramps turned to face him, obvious concern radiated from him. "Ash, is something wrong?"
"Uh, maybe we can talk about something else?" Ash pleaded, not hiding the fact he was uncomfortable.
Wordlessly, Pikachu patted him on the back, reassuring his trainer and friend.
"Perhaps it is for the best then." Gramps nodded his head. He then turned his head to the side. "I think our order is ready."
"That was fast," Ash commented. "How long has it been?"
Twenty minutes. Dexter sounded very smug about the answer. Though, I don't know if that's fast or slow, just how much time elapsed.
A steaming bowl of thick, oily noodles was placed in front of Ash. The riolu's mouth watered as the scent of cooked fish meat and grilled tofu reached his nostrils. Dense layers of spices as nuts practically caked the top of the dish, whilst chopped carrots and onions were off to the side.
Ash hadn't had actual meat ever since he had become a riolu. The budget the group had was incredibly frugal; tofu made up the entirety of protein the group consumed just because it was the second cheapest option. Technically, the group could have afforded insect meat since that was very cheap, but none of the former humans were interested in trying to cook and eat bugs. Fish meat was the only actual meat Citrine tended to have, but apparently there was a shortage and the price was much higher than was worth it.
"Wow, Ash, you're drooling onto the table!" Pikachu laughed, grabbing his trainer's attention.
Ash blinked and looked down at himself. His tongue was sticking out again and he was panting just at the thought of eating real meat again. Even if it was fish meat. "I guess I'm excit-"
"I ATE WORMS!" Misty shrieked. The buizel leapt up from her cushion and started raking her tongue with her paws. "Ger er off! Ger er off!" she kept saying despite said tongue being wiped by her paws. Then, like a maniac, she dashed out the building.
"Misty, it's just bugs!" Staryu complained as he ran after his trainer.
"Looks like someone didn't read the menu," Pikachu said dryly.
"Hm, I didn't realize she was so spoiled that traditional Erinite cuisine would bother her," Gramps said as though it was completely normal.
Ash blinked, still trying to process just exactly what happened. Granted, he supposed that was true, he didn't like the idea of eating bugs either and he was not lying about his lineage, even if he didn't understand it completely.
"Aw, Mommy, do I have to go?" Togepi pleaded, her crown folding in on itself as her eyes water.
Misty shook her head. "I know, I know, you don't want to go, but I think you'd be very bored if you stayed." She didn't like leaving her adoptive daughter behind, but the truth was, Togepi couldn't always be by her side. The buizel tried to crack a smile, tried to be brave.. "Besides, I think you'll have loads of fun and friends!"
"She will!" promised Sunflora. The tall plant Pokémon stood next to Togepi and gave her a smile. "Why, there's plenty of little ones just your age who would be happy to have another one over!"
"There are?" Togepi titled her body.
"Sure are!" Sunflora declared. She turned back to Misty and greeted her. "We here at Sunny Seaside Sitters promise safety and security to your precious little sister!" It was a quaint little daycare for children positioned on a beach with a small park; all of this was to give young Pokémon who were a little too young for school something to do when their parents couldn't look after them.
"... Uh, daughter," Misty said, though as she did, she knew it sounded awkward. She wasn't that old; she wasn't even a teenager yet. Really, it didn't seem that strange to have Togepi think of her as her mother back when Misty didn't really understand her own Pokémon's capabilities. Now, it was odd; she was eleven and she adopted a baby.
"Misty hatched Togepi as an egg and she's imprinted on her, not that Misty even tried to discourage that," Staryu provided, though it was clear that he was mildly amused.
"Right, well, it won't be weird once you hit one hundred and eighty Moons. You'll be legally considered an adult then," Sunflora shrugged. "You can't be that far off, right?"
"No, that's quite a ways off for me." Misty answered as she tried to convert months to years and vice versa. It was still a little weird that Citrine didn't have years, but then again, they didn't have seasons, so it wasn't like they needed to know what year it was. "I'm somewhere over one hundred and thirty."
"Huh, well, we'll take good care of little Togepi, Miss." The living plant frowned. "Though, I do have to legally know, what'll be your payment method?"
Misty reached into her coinpurse and rifled through it. She produced a small slip of paper which Ash's grandfather had given her for use in the Capital and only around that area. She assumed it was something like a check or credit card.
Sunflora took the paper and immediately paled, as though the Sun bleached her golden petals. "Oh, uh, right. We'll, take good care of precious Togepi! Ma'am," the living sunflower emphasized that last bit, as if correcting a grave error.
Misty frowned, but accepted that it might have had to do with Ash's grandfather being somewhat important. She didn't know why just yet, but that likely explained Sunflora's change in tune.
Staryu turned to face her, wordlessly implying he had the same thought.
Sunflora walked them into the next room, which was full of young Pokémon playing together. Holding Togepi's hand, Misty followed the sunflora in and looked around. Some of the young ones were engaged in games of tag or hide and seek, whilst others stacked blocks or fiddled with dolls. There was everything from duckletts to nidoran present. Even strange pokémon like a phantump and klink were present. Entranced, Togepi wandered into the play area. Sensing the newcomer, some of the Pokémon immediately gravitated towards here.
"Ooh, who you?" said a green and bulbous Pokémon with stumpy legs as he walked over.
"Togepi…" Togepi answered, somewhat timidly.
"Smoliv," said the green Pokémon. He had no arms, yet that didn't stop him from acting like he wanted to hug the newcomer. "Wanna play?"
Togepi tilted her head before leaping. "Yes!"
The two then ran off into the play area. Before she went too far away, Togepi turned back to Misty and worriedly looked at her adoptive mother.
Misty cracked a smile, admiring how adorable the sight was. She felt like she had a bad toothache just from looking at them. She waved a paw at her precious Pokémon. "It's okay, Togepi. Go on and play with your new friend."
Togepi leapt for joy and didn't look back.
"It's good she could make a friend just like that," Staryu commented at the sight, also waving one of his limbs in Togepi's direction. "This will be good for her."
"Yeah," Misty agreed. Honestly, she should have organized play dates for Togepi back in Kanto; her little baby deserved some time to herself. That was definitely a failing on her part; then again, all of the daycares she had known about were all fronts for Team Rocket.
Sunflora smiled and then escorted Staryu and Misty out of the building. "Take care! We'll be open all day and all night!" the flower said.
"We'll be back later today, maybe tonight," Misty said curtly.
"Of course, Ma'am," the plant Pokémon withered slightly before straightening her back.
Misty shrugged and then walked out.
Immediately outside, she found the others waiting for her. There were only a small number of them there. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock were present, along with Ash's grandfather. Cinder was also there, but the white-furred fox stayed far away from everyone there. Most of the rest were at Mister Tajiri's mansion.
Ash promptly ran up to the buizel. He didn't have his hat on him, since Pikachu wore it instead. "So, how'd it go?" the riolu asked.
"Better than I expected," Misty admitted. "She's even made a friend already!"
"That's great!" Ash smiled. His expression soured as he seemed to think of something before turning to his grandfather. "Hey, uh gramps, my last experience with a daycare ended with a kidnapping. Is that a problem here?"
Mister Tajiri walked forward. He rubbed at his chin and made a thoughtful remark. "Sunflora comes from a clan that takes protection of their charges seriously. While she herself is a simple caretaker, she can call upon her relatives if the situation arises. Rest assured, their premises are safe and any abduction will be handled."
Misty nodded her head at that. That sounded reasonable. She didn't know what to think of the elderly lucario just yet, though he sounded like a respectable grandfather. Ash was lucky to have him.
"Hey, we should probably get going," Brock interjected. He was dressed up in that fancy looking shirt that his friends had gotten him as a present. His mane was fleshly combed to straighten out the hard edges, whilst the rocky spikes around his head and neck were polished to shine. Overall, he looked quite professional looking, which was fitting given where they were going. "Meowth said that Fjord is expecting us."
Misty frowned, remembering just exactly why she had to send Togepi to a daycare in the first place. They would be spending possibly hours at an important business meeting and she remembered from having been in one as a little kid; they were horrible places for children to be in. "Yeah, probably should get going."
Ash's grandfather made a visible frown before he caught himself and muted his expression. "I understand," he sighed. "I shall be at the Temple of Unification while you meet with the Merchant Lord."
Misty may not have been a lucario, but even she could tell that the elderly Pokémon held some sort of dislike about who they were meeting. She supposed it made sense, since they both lived in the same city and were relatively important.
"Okay," Ash said, though from the look on his face, it was clear that he didn't like the idea of parting ways with his grandfather. They had, after all, just met. "We'll find you at the Temple once we're done!" Ash promised.
Mister Tajiri clasped his paws together and made a short bow. "I will wait for you," he returned.
Ash mimicked the action, a sign he wanted to learn from him.
The lucario then walked away and disappeared into the crowd, presumably to make his way to the Temple. At the same time, Misty and her friends started walking in the direction of Fjord Trade Company.
"He seemed nice," Misty commented, once she was sure he was out of earshot.
"He did give us his home and even a small monetary stipend," Staryu confirmed as he raised his digits to count.
"Yeah, he's cool," though as Ash said that, he frowned. "It's just… he has strong opinions about humans."
"It's a good thing there's no humans here," Pikachu replied, also frowning.
Misty tilted her head. This was news to her. "What do you mean?"
"Gramps… didn't think too highly of humans when he learned of what Charizard went through," Ash said, glumly. "That was back at the restaurant."
"Oh, right..." Misty immediately sickened, recalling how she had accidentally ordered and eaten worms. The noodles looked so tasty that she didn't even know that there were worms there until someone pointed it out. The worst part was, she had thought the noodles were good until she realized what she was eating.
The Water-type shook her head, trying to force the memory out of her head. "So, you're not telling him?"
Ash winced. "If I did…" he didn't finish that thought, but Misty knew what he meant to say. What if Gramps hated him for it?
"Maybe he'd get over it once he learned more," Cinder offered. The fox ran up to walk beside Ash. "I mean, that's how it worked for me."
"Maybe," Ash mumbled, looking down.
Misty quietly observed Ash, noting just how unusually cautious he was being. He must have really been scared of making a mistake he couldn't fix to be like this.
The conversation died then and there, until Brock changed the topic. "Hey, Cinder, can you tell us about the Capital?"
The zorua flexed her body in excitement as she delighted in the idea. "The Capitol is named the Erinite Thicket and once contained vast expanses of bamboo and trees within its borders. That's why the theme of that restaurant is the way it is," Cinder explained. As a native of Citrine, Misty figured she was educated in the history of the land, just like how she could talk about Kantonese history, especially Cerulean City history. "The bamboo forests were gradually cut down to make room for more and more people, until only small portions of it remained."
"That sort of sounds like how Saffron City was built," Misty answered with a knowing smirk. "It used to be one giant marshland and forest, but they drained away the water and dried the land to make room for people and buildings."
"Huh, so that's why it's the Marsh Badge," Pikachu murmured. "Always wondered about that."
They continued to walk forward until they arrived at a tall- three story building. In front was a Dewott who practiced a flowing kata with one of his scalchops. Dewott twirled his seashell-water blade in his digits, slicing at an invisible opponent and spinning his body around to evade imagined blows.
Misty was mildly amused by the display, not having ever seen a Dewott in her life before. There was an admirable quality of finesse and power there.
Once the group approached, Dewott stopped what he was doing and turned to face them. He then cocked his head as he looked at Misty. "Huh, isn't it a little inconvenient to be carrying such a big mallet around?"
Misty blinked and turned her back. Oh, right. She kept her mallet with her; she had gotten so used to it being there, she never bothered to realize if it was there or not. "I kinda got used to it."
"Wild," Dewott shrugged as he walked over to the door. "Hey, building's closed. We're not having any meetings with the public on count of the disappearances, so you better turn around and get going."
"But we're expected!" Ash blurted out.
"Sure, sure you are…" Dewott answered, clearly, not believing the truth. He crossed his arms. "Look, even if you're a noble, unless you've got a good reason to be here, you better scram."
Misty's blood started to boil. She turned a glance to her mallet and strongly considered the benefits to drawing it.
As if sensing this, Brock stepped forward. "Misty, let's not get violent, especially since he's the son of the person we want to meet," the lycanroc said.
Misty sighed, knowing that he was right. It did not make a good first impression to beat up an important businessman's son, assuming this was the same Dewott Team Rocket informed them about. "Fine."
Dewott eyed her. "So, what are you going to do?"
"Look, did Team Rocket even give you a description or our names or anything?" Misty tapped her foot before realizing it. "Wait, Team Rocket call us 'Twerps'?"
Dewott blinked, surprised by that. "Seriously, you're the 'Twerps'?"
"Yeah…" Ash growled. "They always call us that."
"Team Rocket didn't use our names, did they?" Misty grumbled, wondering what kind of communication error could have caused this. "Did they even tell you what species we'd be?"
"No. I was expecting children to be fit for daycare!" Dewott complained. "Some of you guys are almost adults! And Lycanroc over there clearly is one already."
"We're not that old…" Misty said. Though as she thought about it more, she supposed it made sense given that Pokémon matured differently from humans.
"Right…" Dewott shook his head. He pushed open the door and walked the others inside. He shouted to those present. "Hey, your friends are here!"
Inside the building, was what might have been an ordinary lobby most of the time. But instead of a waiting area, the floor was covered in multiple metallic parts and scrapped devices. All of Team Rocket were on the floor, working on some sort of project.
James was the first one to notice them. "Ah, you're finally here!"
"What's all this?" Ash voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Da future!" Meowth giggled to himself.
"A one way ticket to mobility!" Jessie said.
"Or, as some might call it, an electric motor!" James added.
'"The parts got delivered this morning," Arbok offered. "But they needed to be assembled and that part we never really thought about."
"Huh, so that's something," Misty commented. She had no idea whether or not it was a bright idea to introduce such a technology to Citrine. But then again, it might have been helpful. What was the harm? She turned to Dewott. "So, can we see your father?"
"Yeah, just follow me," Dewott said, sounding a bit annoyed. "Though, given how many of you there are, might I just ask that those of you who aren't human stay behind?"
"Eh, it's fine." Weezing spoke in his dual voice. "We can keep a lookout."
Victreebel made a salute in confirmation, whilst Abrok nodded.
"Misty, should I stay behind?" Staryu requested. "While it always was my intent to watch after and protect you; I think it might be best if there was more than Team Rocket watching the front door."
Misty wondered what the trouble was, but she understood Staryu's caution. She wished her starter would come with her, but it wasn't like he'd be impossibly far away. "Alright. Stay here, okay?"
Staryu accepted this.
Pikachu however did not. "I'm not leaving Ash's side," he insisted.
"And I aint't stayin' behind neither," Meowth protested.
"Fine," Dewott groaned and walked up the stairs.
Everyone who wanted to come, went up as well.
"So, wait, why is this place closed?" Ash opened his big mouth. "Like, I don't know how this place is supposed to go, but I got the feeling this isn't normal."
"City's been on edge this past week with all of the disappearances. It's been happening for a while, even before you humans got involved," Dewott began To explain. "It's just gotten worse lately, and well most of the staff were sent home early when that mess at the docks blew up and your ship was tied back to us."
"Uh, we're sorry…?" James offered.
"Eh, don't worry about it. It's nothing some bribes can't fix" Dewott shrugged.
Misty thought back to earlier that day, where that Raichu had a panic attack due to… something. That probably would be all over the news, if that happened back home. "So, then, why are you here?"
"Dad refused to leave." Dewott laughed. "Mostly, because he knew you'd show up."
Misty wondered if that would have opened up some suspicion to visit Fjord in these circumstances, but didn't voice her concerns. Honestly, depending on how fast word spread, they probably had quite a bit of attention already.
"So, what about the disappearances?" Misty asked again.
Dewott shrugged. "Not a clue. It's been happening to lower classed Maiju, nameless typically, but other than that, nobody knows why it's been happening."
The group walked into the second floor. A number of desks were arrayed where during working hours, clerks organized ledgers and balanced books. Misty thought it looked like an office drama parody where the cast were all Pokémon.
Dewott cut through the desks and walked to the back of the room, towards a pair of sliding doors.
The otter knocked on the door and knelt in front of the door. "Father, our… special guests are here to see you now."
The reply was sudden enough that Misty had nearly jumped out of her fur. A tall samurott slid the door open, startling the small weasel just from how big he was. The large Water-type looked at her and then at the others, before stopping on Ash. "Hm, it seems I was right." He then turned his head one more time before stopping at Cinder, his eyes widening in recognition. "...And you. I wasn't expecting you"
The samurott backed away from the door and gave everyone room to walk inside. "Come in. We have much to discuss."
Misty stepped through the door and took a seat on one of the floor mats that had already been laid out. The rest took similar positions notably as well. Ash for some reason attempted to sit on his knees and legs in a seiza position, which clearly bothered him. Pikachu followed his trainer.
Dewott stood up and bowed to his father before taking a seat by his side.
Fjord took a seat on the opposite end of the room and surveyed everyone with an intense gaze. "You know, when a ship I previously decommissioned and sold to outsiders became a topic of intense rumors, I had wondered if today would have been the best time to take a day off and push back all of my meetings to tomorrow."
"Look, we're sorry okay?" Meowth pleaded. "We didn't expect ta get into all dat mess at da time!"
"And usually, we're the ones making messes!" James cried.
"That's not helping!" Jessies hissed at them both.
Fjord ignored them and turned to Ash. "When I learned later that said ship possessed the long lost heir of the near extinct Clan Tajiri, I realized that today would require my full attention."
"That's a good thing, right?" Ash said, sounding worried. "I got to meet my Grandfather!"
Fjord shook his head, clearly agitated by the statement. "I suppose it might be." Though it sounded more like he disagreed. He pointed to Cinder. "And now you're here, little Zorua. You wear your mother's hat…. You resemble her.""
"You knew my mother?" Cinder blinked. "Oh, right. Yes. You were part of the same team as my parents. I didn't think I remember you, though."
"You were quite small and it was… during better times," said the Water-type.
Cinder shivered, clearly not liking being the center of attention.
Misty saw her distress and chose to make a move to help her. "Hey, Ash. Show him the letter!"
"Oh, right! I nearly forgot!" Ash dug into his backpack and presented a partially crumpled up letter to the elder otter. "Mister Zoroark told us to give you this."
Fjord nodded to his son. Dewott walked over, took the letter, and put it on the floor in front of his father before returning to his seat. It looked so casual, so practiced that Misty wondered if this was simply standard protocol here.
Fjord used a clawed limb to slice the letter open and let its contents spill. A pile of platinum wafers scattered onto the floor, along with a folded letter. He sent the money to his son, whilst he read the letter. The samurott made a stark frown, clearly upset. "I see. Much has happened then. And most of you here are human?"
Misty nodded, followed by Brock, Ash, and then the Rockets.
Cinder hesitated at nodding, before deciding to do so. "I… I wasn't born one, but I want to know my heritage."
"And we want to go home," Ash said.
"And return to our lives and bodies," Brock added.
"And we want ta go back ta da Boss!" Meowth said, with Jessie and James nodded behind him.
The samurott clutched his head, the sign of an obvious headache. "I'm willing to help you live here, but…. Do you even know what you're asking, what it will entail?" The samurott groaned.
"No," Misty confirmed. "But we were told you could help us." She didn't know what to say, other than to bring up their situation, their lack of knowledge. "We don't know what we're doing and Zoroark didn't help us beyond telling us this existed, that there was some sort of spell we'd need to dive for."
"Of course, Bu—Zoroark," Samurott corrected himself, "would do that."
He stood up and narrowed his gaze. "Listen, humans, I don't want to help you return to that state."
That sent a shock and uproar throughout the room.
"What!?"
"Why won't you help?"
Even his own son was surprised by that. "Huh?"
Fjord simply stared back at the others, unmoving. "What Zoroark has told you, this Crucible, is true. It is the means by which you can use to return yourselves to human form. What he has neglected to tell you is that the Crucible is the most dangerous secret in all of Citrine."
That silenced everyone.
A sudden fear went through Misty's heart. While she had known that there might have been risks, she hadn't expected the samurott to throw this kind of roadblock. All she could do was to ask the obvious question, voicing her feelings on the matter. "Why? What makes it so dangerous?"
"And I don't care how dangerous it is," Ash spoke up. "I just want to go home!"
The samurott leveled his gaze at the both of them and shook his head. "Nothing stops you from returning home as you are now. You can live a full life amongst your loved ones as Maiju."
Images flashed in front of Misty's eyes, a quick summation of what that might have been like. She saw herself returning home as a buizel, her family either not believing she was their sister or worse, treating her like she was a pet. Her sisters were already so annoying, if they saw her now… they'd… they'd never take her seriously again! "No!" she snapped and stood up. "If you don't want to help us, the least you can do is tell us why!"
The samurott stared right back at her, unflinching.
"Hey, uh… Fjord, you helped my Mom, right?" Ash stepped in. "Like, if you know what this is and you were on the same team as my Mom and Dad, you helped turn them human?"
Brock walked over to Misty and gently urged her to return to her seat. The buizel accepted, only because she hoped Ash's guilt trip might work.
"My mother and father knew you, too," Cinder spoke. She shivered, speaking out to someone like Fjord. "I saw you were close to my Master, Aspen, the Scholar of Opalton."
"We didn't have names back then, Aspen, Sirocco, and I. In fact, we didn't get those until near the very end of our adventure," Fjord spoke in a solemn tone. "And is it true that we guided the humans to the Crucible. In fact, Aspen was the one who told the others that it even existed, despite his own hesitation at the time."
And that meant that if it wasn't for Fjord and his group, Ash might have been born a riolu. "What's wrong with helping us then?" Misty asked, still agitated. "You've done it before.!"
"Because we didn't know what the Crucible was until after we utilized it for our purposes," Fjord looked down, his gaze transfixed on a bottle of some alcoholic beverage. "We have used the Crucible to create the means to allow a Maiju to adopt a human form, but that was not its original purpose, nor its intended function."
All sorts of ideas formed in Misty's head, most of them ghastly and monstrous. After all, it had to be something horrible for Fjord to hesitate over something like that. "...Then what was it for?"
"Yeah," James spoke up. "If this thing turns people into Pokémon and that's not how you're supposed to use it then, how does that relate to its real purpose?"
Fjord looked hesitant. "I… it caused a dispute amongst our number once we learned of its purpose, about whether or not it should be shared with the world or whether or not what we learned was simply a lie. In the end, we determined that as Citrine still suffered from a nasty war at the time, the Crucible was better off forgotten."
Misty blinked. If her prediction that the Crucible was something monstrous was true, then why would it cause a dispute where some of the participants considered sharing it?
"So, what's wrong with sharing it now?" Ash tilted his head. "Like, if Citrine seems peaceful, at least, for the most part."
The samurott sighed. "I see that I will be stuck arguing with you at this rate and I'd prefer not to be hounded by the inquisitive young." He took another sip from his alcohol. "So, I will make my support conditional on whether or not you provide the answer to this question: What is the difference between a Maiju and a human?"
"What kind of question is that?" Pikachu complained.
"Perhaps, anatomy?" Cinder offered as she dug into her journal. "I have plenty of anatomical notes on what I've learned humans are like…"
Misty narrowed her eyes, trying to discern what the question really meant. It had to be some sort of riddle. She could say all sorts of things, like how her body was so very different as a buizel that it took some time to fully get used to everything, but surely, the merchant lord meant something else. But what?
"Uh…. I don't know?" Ash said. "Maybe the lack of moves.
"Meowth!" Jessie scowled.
"Hey, don know either! Maybe it's how dey stand!" complained the cat.
"Hm, I see you all have very different ideas on how to solve my puzzle," Fjord laughed. "So, I would suggest taking some time to figure it out. I don't expect you to realize the answer until you understand the question. With this in mind, I think this meeting adjourned; you have your task." He pointed a paw at the door, his intent obvious.
Everyone walked out of the room, not at all satisfied with the result.
"Are all rich business owners like that?" Jessie said.
"Maybe. He did remind me a bit of my PopPop and the Boss," James wondered.
"Huh, ya think that means he's also got maid service?" Meowth questioned.
"That was less helpful than I thought I'd be." Pikachu frowned.
"Hey, all we gotta do is find the answer and he'll help us, right?" Ash said.
Misty scowled, not liking the odds. How were they supposed to find the answer if they didn't understand the question? Did he expect them to just fumble in the dark, grasping at straws until he was satisfied? Or was this just an attempt to make them think there was an answer and waste their time?
She sighed. Whatever. They had a temple to visit.
What was the difference?
The question hung in the back of Brock's mind and ate at his attention. If only he solved that riddle, he could go back to being who he was and not have to deal with all of the problems being a lycanroc came with.
It was only when the smell of burning incense filled his nostrils that he escaped his own mind and noticed that he was no longer in a merchant lord's office.
Instead of wooden floors and walls, he saw the afternoon sky above him, the sun vibrantly energizing his body. Short hedge bushes lined the perimeter, while flowers and incense censers bathed the space in a heady odor. Ahead, the path consisted of layered slate bricks, its width great enough that an entire family of onix could slither side by side. Nearby, a traversable canal allowed smaller aquatic Pokémon to navigate the area.
Ahead of him stood an impressive stone structure that bore four stone spires, with three orbiting around the larger central tower. From the base of the three spires, buildings spread outward, almost as wide as the pillars themselves were tall, though Brock only saw two of them from his position.
Each building bore numerous pillars outside their walls, each marked by a distant statue with an accompanying brazier. And at the top of each building stood a metallic statue, each of a different Pokémon. Brock couldn't make them all out, but the closest statue was made of verdigris covered copper and represented a quadrupedal Pokémon that bore an elongated head with a fan of spines on its back just before the tail.
Brock didn't know who the Pokémon were, but he could see just from the outset that this was a temple, perhaps one of the greatest temples on earth.
"That's the statue of Dialga," Cinder's voice reached him, though the Lycanroc didn't turn his head away as he still focused on the sight. "His representation stands over his Hall, whilst his brothers, Palkia and Giratina, do the same for theirs."
Brock could only marvel. He had seen shrines and temples before, back home, but this place was massive in comparison to those smaller affairs. "...Why is it so big?"
"Maybe because it has to be," Ash guessed.
"...That's actually not far off," Cinder replied, taking a step forward. "The Temple of Unification was created in the hope of uniting the Tribes, by allowing them to have worship under the same roof."
"So, why the statues of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina?" Brock said. "Like, it's clear that they've got bigger and more impressive statues than everyone else's." Though the name of this place bothered him for some reason. There was something important about the Temple of Unification that he knew he was forgetting about.
"Well, it's very simple: Temple of Unification was originally consecrated for the Dragons of Creation. When Citrine was unified, as a show of good faith, the Temple allowed many of the other gods to also conduct worship in their grounds. This led to an expansion of the grounds and facilities and the Dragons were given statues in their honor." Cinder shrugged. "Though, it also might have to do with the fact that the Temple saw little use before the Unification. You just… don't bother Dialga for something mundane like help on a school examination, when knowledge is Uxie's domain."
"So, does it actually help?" Misty said, sounding obviously skeptical. "Like, could we ask any of the gods here to send us home?"
The zorua tapped her lip. "A few times, it's happened, where a Maiju somehow gains the attention of one of the gods. Sometimes the gods visit here, but never for long. I don't think that's happened for a while, though."
Brock wondered if for a moment, they'd be that lucky. Even back home, there were stories of people who were spared from their troubles because a Legendary Pokémon visited them. He didn't really know how true any of them were, but he was growing desperate.
"So, what about swimming access?" Staryu questioned. "It's obvious how fliers can get in and there's plenty of room for even the largest ground bound Pokémon large, but what about the large aquatic ones?"
"I think that's closer to Palkia's side? I know the big canals and river go through here," Cinder muttered.
"Hey, is it really true what they said about Taijiri Takemoto?" The lycanroc's ears twitched at the name, recognizing Ash's family name. It drew his attention while the rest of his friends tested Cinder's knowledge.
He turned his head slowly towards a pair of sandshrew, that were gossiping not too far away.
"Because, I heard that the Tajiri now has an heir!"
"It must be why he's come today! I saw him earlier!" said the other sandshrew.
"Of course, he must be giving his thanks to the gods!"
Another Pokémon, this time a young rockruff, walked by them. "I heard that he travels besides a lycanroc with a twilight blessed coat!"
Brock flinched, recognizing the mention of himself. He didn't know what it meant exactly, since no one he knew had any idea either. All he was certain of was that if people here associated his fur color with something special, that would mean they'd be paying way more attention to him. And that was something he did not want, for a multitude of reasons. He tugged at the clothing he wore, hoping to adjust it just enough to cover up his unusual fur coat.
Ash was apparently listening in too, and the riolu turned to him and frowned. "That's why I'm not wearing my hat," he said. His voice was low, barely a whisper. "People would definitely recognize us now."
Brock nodded at that, wishing he had the option to simply just wear something to hide his fur. He was sure the spines around his head or his eyes would be a dead give away if anyone noticed.
"Huh, I would have thought you wanted to be special, Ash," Pikachu commented.
"Yeah, but not like this," Ash muttered. "Let's just find my Gramps and get out of here. Where do we have to go?"
"Your grandfather is upper class. He probably receives direct attention from the priestesses," Cinder answered. "We'll find him inside, perhaps occupying an altar room."
At the mention of the priestesses, Brock shivered as he finally remembered what was so important about this place. That Ninetales was here…. Maybe it was a good thing Vulpix stayed behind.
The lycanroc considered leaving the temple grounds. He had no idea what he was going to say to a particular priestess here, yet he also felt that he should say something to hereven if he had little idea of what to say.
The group continued to walk until they made their way towards the Dialga's Hall. The dragon's statue casted a thick shadow over them. There were no doors to bar the way, instead a contingent of what had to be Pokémon who worked at the Temple stood in front of the entrance. There was no unifying feature amongst them, save the lengthy strings of beads that were draped all over their bodies.
"Halt!" cried a blue furred meowstic, wearing a wooden hat. A diamond hung around his neck. He focused his attention towards Brock, likely because he was the oldest and largest member of the party. "State your busi- Uh…" His voice trailed off and he went to rub at his eyes. "Excuse me, but who are you?" he said in a much more subservient tone.
Brock hesitated. He could practically feel everyone the pressure of everyone's eyes getting lost in his. He considered deflecting and letting Ash handle this, but the young riolu probably did not want the special attention either. "My name is Brock," the lycanroc answered. "We're just here to meet with Lord Tajiri. May we see him?"
The priests turned to the riolu in their presence, perhaps having figured out his identity. Ash gave them an awkward wave of his paw.
The priests all turned to look at each before backing away and bowing their heads.
"Of course," said Meowstic. "We shall not trouble you any longer. You'll find Lord Tajiri at the Altar in this Hall at the very back."
"Thank you," Ash said as he walked through. The others, including Brock, walked after him.
"At least, we got through without any problems," Misty commented as she followed along.
"Yeah, but I don't know how to feel about them just… bowing to me," Ash muttered. Pikachu laid a paw over his trainer and comforted him as best as he could.
Brock nodded in sympathy as he also experienced similar, uncomfortable deference. He still held mixed feelings about how Pokémon perceived him, all because of his appearance. This was the first time that he'd learned that there might be some sort of symbolic or religious importance associated with his orange-gold fur. Perhaps only some priests could tell him, since no one else had brought it up.
The inside of Dialga's Hall was enormous. On the sides were doors that led to smaller rooms, with the occasional shrine and statue placed along the walls. A dense aroma filled the entire building, various scents that mixed together into an indescribable blend. Above, the high ceiling was painted in what might have been various legends and history, with too much to decipher all at once. A fine red carpet led to the back of the room, ending at a raised platform, on which the flames of a large bonfire danced.
Several Pokémon knelt in front of the inferno, the most notable of which was an elderly lucario.
Mister Tajiri clasped his paws together in a gesture of prayer, with numerous glass beads wrapped around his wrists. Whispers came out of his mouth, noticeable to Brock's canine ears, "...again, I will not waste this chance. With it, I will set things right—"
"Hey, Gramps!" Without any sense of reverence, Ash shouted, breaking the lucario's meditation.
The priests gave the riolu an annoyed look. All save one, who instead focused on Brock. The lycanroc felt his body tense as the vixen locked eyes at him. He reveled in his strength and knew that he was naturally powerful, yet despite that he trembled at the sight of her. The wolf turned his head slightly away, to keep himself from looking at her, yet it was like she could sense his hesitation.
The lycanroc quietly tried to focus on Ash's grandfather as the elderly lucario recovered from the interruption.
Mister Tajiri turned to Ash. "Oh. Grandson, it's you… How was your meeting with the merchant?"
"It… could have gone better," he admitted with a frown. "But I think things will work out!" The riolu's tail shook violently as he went to grab onto his grandfather.
Ash's grandfather shook his head, though returned the hug. "Fjord… is a rather difficult person," he said diplomatically. "If you need something, you're better off asking someone more reputable." Brock may have not had the ability to sense emotions, but he could tell there was some sort of animosity towards the samurott there.
Ash frowned at that, not saying a word.
Perhaps noticing his grandson's displeasure, the lucario shook his head. "Ash, perhaps it might be best if we moved on." He gestured towards the bonfire. "Please, let us thank Dialga for the time we may now share together."
"Huh, okay," Ash said. "So, what do I do?"
"Come, we'll show you," his grandfather promised.
The priests then surrounded the two of them as they guided the riolu into various rituals and helped him recite prayers. Pikachu came along to give Ash moral support, since it looked like he struggled.
Brock didn't dare approach. Not simply because she was there, but because he felt it wrong for him to just… insert himself in what was clearly time that Ash could bond with his grandfather. The riolu was lucky to have someone like that in his life, who actively wanted to spend time with him. That was something Brock didn't see his own parents doing much of.
"I wonder if my own grandparents will be like that when they meet me," Cinder muttered wistfully.
"Could be. Assuming they're alive." Misty frowned. "Mine aren't, but I did have some memories of them from when I was very little."
"I never met mine," Brock said. "And there's no guarantee that they'd care for you, just because you're their granddaughter." Just like how being someone's child had no guarantee that they'd be there for you."
"One can always hope," Staryu proposed.
"Indeed," agreed the zorua.
A shape moved in the corner of Brock's peripheral vision. Out of reflex he turned to meet…
He found himself lost in those sparkling ruby eyes.
"Well, hellllooo there," Kyuko the priest Ninetales drew out the syllables. "Fancy meeting you here, and associated with Clan Tajiri, no less." She frowned, thinking. And was that expression so adorable. "Brock, was it?"
"Uh… hello Kyuko…" Brock drawled, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He felt his blood thrumming in his ears, his body twitching. His nostrils burned, taking in the fox's alluring aroma. "You've… you've gotten … you're wearing new perfume…"
"You know this person?" Misty questioned. She sounded upset.
"She's an… acquaintance," Brock answered, not even moving his eyes away from the majestic creature before him. She had such vibrant eyes with a well maintained coat of fur. And then there were the nails, which were polished and coated in a glossy sheen. "She's … she's very beautiful vixen."
"Oh, you flatterer."The ninetales laughed, her voice like merry bells filled with such radiant joy. She walked over to him, with such casual grace. "We met a while back, though not for long. I didn't expect we'd see each other again." She visibly thought about it. "Though, I suppose with Brock's near unique coloration, I would have known he was in the Capital once word spread about. He is truly special."
Brock shook his tail. She was praising him.
"My, aren't you eager?" Kyuko smiled warmly at him. "I sensed there was quite a bit… troubling you."
Brock blinked. There was? And if so, how did she know that? Then again, the lycanroc had been lost in thought earlier, thinking about how to solve Fjord's riddle. Additionally, he had gone out of his way to not look at the vixen's… wonderfully sculped bo- The wolf abruptly shook his head, shaking those thoughts away.
"Like that," the vixen said, through suppressed laughter. "Honestly, it's clear you have problems, though I don't necessarily know what they are yet."
"I do?" Brock said. No, wait, he definitely had a few. His lack of hands, his feelings and emotions towards female Pokémon, his vicious streak in the midst of combat… and there were probably more problems that he just didn't know about.
"Perhaps meditation? Or prayer?" Kyuko gave him a friendly smile. "I can offer my services as a priestess, to not only yourself but to other as well."
Misty flashed her a skeptical look.
Brock hesitated, not sure what to think. It sounded like a simple friendly request and he certainly needed assistance. Perhaps since all of his problems came from his being a Pokémon, maybe an actual Pokémon whose job it was to help others spiritually was just what he needed. "Uh okay…"
"Excellent," said the charming vixen. Her tails lightly swung. "Will you be at the Tajiri Manor? Or do you do have your own housing arrangements?"
"Tajiri's," Brock answered. "I… might need to ask permission to invite you in."
"Understandable." Kyuko bowed her head. "I will see you starting tomorrow."
"Thank you," Brock answered.
The priestess then took this as her cue to leave. She simply departed after talking to a senior priest.
"She seems nice enough," Misty commented. She squinted and eye at the lycanroc. "Are you sure we need her?"
"She might be helpful." Brock still wondered if this was the right thing to do, but he supposed it wouldn't harm anyone. Then again, didn't Kyuko and Vulpix… not get along with each other in their first meeting? Would that be a problem now?
It was here Ash and Mister Tajiri approached him, the two Fighting-types eying him worriedly.
"Are you well?" said the lucario. " I sensed your distress."
Brock felt it must have been his feelings on Kyuko's visit in the morning. It might have been his worries over Kyuko and Vulpix being close together that they sensed. "There's a priestess who wishes to visit us tomorrow," he said, testing the waters. "... Are we allowed to invite people? You did sort of forbid visitors and it isn't my house."
"I see." He shrugged. "My self imposed isolation is no longer necessary. So, I suppose visitors are allowed if I am informed of their purposes, especially a priestess. Seeking spiritual well being is always worth while."
Brock nodded his head.
The lucario nodded his head and then spoke. "Come. Let us go home." And then he led the group out of the building.
Though, as Brock followed, he felt Ash's paws touch his sides. There was a light charge that felt almost joyous, like some sort of bubbly infectious happiness that came from the jackal.
The riolu giggled in a hushed tone, "So, are you like collecting foxes or something?"
"N-" Brock cut himself off. So, he had Vulpix from Suzie, Cinder tagged along and was giving him lessons. And now, Kyuko was going to serve as a counselor to him. And they were all going to visit him tomorrow. "It's not really a collection."
The inclusion of animals in Pokémon is a weird subject since it mostly comes up earleir on in the franchise. On the other hand, Pokemon are too complicated to fit the same roles as most animals. Also "Maiju" is translated as "Magical Beasts" in English dub, logically, there'd have to be non-magical beasts. Just know that Citrine does not have a complete list of animals present and it's largely not relevant here.
The Temple of Unification bears a resemblance to the real life Angkor Wat, though with heavy modifications to suit the religious traditions of Citrine.