It was another muggy, summer day in the Draconid Tribe village near Meteor Falls, and 12 year-old Ash Blackfyre was playing around with his grandmother's Flygon and some other Pokémon in the sand.
The Ground-Type Dragon always kept an eye on his trainer's grandson while he roughhoused with the other Trapinch and Vibrava that lived with the tribe, including his own offspring. He was a very energetic boy.
The bipedal dragon used his antennae to keep an eye for any suspicious movement while he lounged in the hot sand, an island of tranquility amongst the chaos that was going on around him. It was a very boring job, but he was the senior Flygon of the tribe, the oldest and strongest, toughened in many battles with his trainer on her own Pokémon journey all over Hoenn. He was the Watcher of the Tribe.
A commotion made his antennae twitch, and yells coming from the entrance of their small village finally made him get up from his resting position and shake off the sand from his wings before flying off in the direction of his trainer, knowing she would be in her big tent, as was the right of the Elder of the Tribe.
Iyaia was immersed in her work of keeping track of supplies that the Tribe usually sold on summer so they could live unburdened thorough the winter, such as protective desert gear reinforced with scales shed by the Dragon-type Pokémon living within the tribe, petty jewelry and pearls found by Kingdras at sea, and even a very durable glass that was made with an old technique that made use of the movement Dragon Breath.
While living close to a beach could theoretically make food issues meaningless, it was their Dragon-types who ate fish for the most part, and therefore the humans had to find another way to feed themselves, forcing them to develop practical skills that could turn a profit and buy the food needed, alongside other things used in day to day such as healing supplies, cooking supplies, hot water, telephone, television and internet connection. The Tribe lived at a metaphorical crossroads, they wanted to live as their ancestors did, but modern commodities made life too comfortable, so they wouldn't give them up.
Yells shook her from her musings, and a Sentry from the Tribe Watch ran inside her tent, skidding to a stop before her. "Elder! There's trouble, two diggers have come back injured from the Falls, they're saying that the caves have collapsed!"
She inhaled sharply and nodded, rushing out of the tent. "Fetch the healers and tend to the wounded. I'll meet everyone at the center of the village. Someone send a distress signal to the Blackthorns. And Tomo, you come with me!" Her Flygon trilled his agreement before flying off after her.
"Ma'am!" The Sentry saluted and took off again in a run.
Iyaia breathed deeply and counted to 10 to get any kind of dark thoughts under control, she knew exactly the risks her son and daughter-in-law took when they decided to go digging. It had been the same for generations, after all. Countless fools from the tribe digging for a trinket that the lore of their Tribe had elevated into an artifact of legend.
She snorted and spat into the sand. 'Fools, every single one of them.' She thought bitterly.
There was no better action than to help people, Lance thought. Being the Pokémon League Champion of Kanto and Johto, and the future clan-head of the Watarus from Blackthorn, he had went on to stop many crimes and injustices.
He even had his own squad of elite Pokémon trainers, the G-Men, and they were a very efficient quick-response team for disasters or confrontations of any kind. Their daily bread and butter was stopping poachers and criminals, which unfortunately littered the world nowadays.
The usual strategy to deal with the criminals was one Lance had devised on his early years as part of the squad, when he was still a regular member, before getting promoted. It basically involved pincer attacks, where the first blow would be dealt from the air, and once the enemy was distracted, ambush them from behind from either land or sea.
It was rudimentary, but Lance took a page from the many tales of his ancestors, when they went on conquests on the back of their dragons, and regardless, it had a very high rate of success.
And if a more heavy-handed approach was needed, there was always his own personal squad, who would descend upon the enemy like a hammer on an anvil.
Imagine his surprise when he was called for aid on a disaster half a world away, to the domain of his sort-of cousin tribe, the Draconids from Hoenn. Apparently the cave system of the Meteor Falls had collapsed after a series of centralized earthquakes.
When he and his G-Men arrived there and saw the aftermath, he was in disbelief. It was an absolute disaster, where a good quarter of the mountain had completely collapsed on itself, and there was so much dust that he was having trouble breathing even being outside of the mountain range.
He quickly got to work, there was no time to waste, and quickly plucking 2 pokéballs from his belt he released the most appropiate Pokémon for the job. The appearance of the mighty orange dragon and the usually ferocious sea serpent always brought the attention of those near him.
"Sunfyre, use Hurricane in small bursts to get rid of all this dust!" His best friend and oldest partner shoot forwards in an orange blur to do as he was told.
"Meraxes, I need a low-power Rain-Dance once Sunfyre is done, we'll use the dust to make mud, it'll be annoying but at least no one will choke on it and the Ground-types will be able to make use of it." The enormous serpentine dragon roared her agreement and waited until her squad-mate was done to begin her own job.
Seeing both Pokémon doing their job he nodded before adressing his men. "Alright, those with Ground-type and Rock-type Pokémon, start reinforcing whatever is left of the current structure of the mountain, it needs to be stabilized before we can even attempt any kind of rescue, so get to it!"
His men saluted and with a "Yes, Sir!" Then quickly got to work. He nodded at them before grimacing, it was going to be a long day, long and bloody.
He was right, and it was even worse than he had thought. They had dug out 30 people, and all of them were dead, but the worst of all was that the current Tribe Chief was among them.
"Damn it..." He rubbed his temples at how problematic things were starting to become. "Sayuki! Send a message to the Tribe, tell them we're bringing aid and that we found their deceased."
The trainer saluted and released a Rapidash, before hopping on its back and dashing off towards the village.
"Right, time to go face the music." He whistled loudly and recalled Meraxes, whilst a Dragonite came to a stop next to him with a burst of displaced air. "Sunfyre, let us go to the village." The dragon trilled his approval before going down on a knee so Lance could jump onto his back.
After a few minutes, Lance found himself on the biggest tent at the center of the village, sat on a comfortable chair made out of wood, facing a woman who was undoubtedly the Elder of the Tribe. She looked old, with skin turned tan by the sun, and with silver hair gathered in a circlet made of dragon teeth and claws. She looked weary, and thin, but her eyes were stern, and fully alert. He noticed they were the color of molten honey, very similar to some of his own clansmen.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, he just decided to be upfront with it. "We dug out the people that were at the cave collapse, what do you want us to do with them?" asked Lance, pretty uncomfortable with the topic.
The Elder snorted. "Nothing, leave them where they are, we will build a pyre around them and they will be cremated with dragon fire, as tradition demands".
The Champion grimaced. "Really? You still do that old tradition over here?"
"Yes boy, and now more than ever, we must uphold traditions, we just lost a third of our able bodies, and those families have sons, daughters and husbands and wives who have just lost everything. The Tribe must take care of them."
Lance closed his eyes and sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help? Not as a Pokémon League Champion, but as the Head of the Wataru, and the Guardian of Blackthorn."
The Elder shook her head. "Blackthorn is too far away for any sort of aid or supplies to get here in time. No, what I need is something else." She looked at him straight in the eyes to convey her seriousness. "Bring my grandson to Johto with you when you leave."
"Wait-what? Bring Ash to Blackthorn?" The Champion sputtered, caught off-guard at the request.
The Elder's face was a stone wall, with how little emotion it was showing. "I'm not on any decent state of mind to pay Ash the attention he deserves, and the Tribe is currently in shambles." She slammed a fist down on the table, making the items on top of it rattle from the force. "That foolish son of mine... I should have forbidden those bloody digging expeditions years ago, but the Tribe is too obsessed with the meteors and Rayquaza." She grabbed a stone shard the size of a fingernail and showed it to Lance. "They're drawn to them like flies to dead flesh."
Lance took it and leaned back on his chair, humming in thought. "Rayquaza... A Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon. Sounds powerful, though I'm not up to date with the history of Hoenn beyond those old tales about Rayquaza calming down the ancient clashes between Groudon and Kyogre." He gave it back after a brief inspection, there was nothing unusual about it.
The Elder snorted. "That is due to inside interference, our Lorekeepers since ancient times have kept the true myths hidden, and they mention a Keystone fashioned out of a meteorite. 'He who possesses it, will have the power to further transcend the power of the Sky Dragon.'"
The Champion stared numbly at her. "Wait a second, you don't mean Mega-Evolution, do you?"
"Yes boy, and not only Rayquaza, but Groudon and Kyogre as well. It was said that one of their clashes was so terrible that the earth was almost destroyed. Then the ancient forms of Groudon and Kyogre vanished after the battle, and an orb made of fire, and one made of ice manifested, only to disappear, never to be found."
The Elder rummaged around a drawer, before pulling out a rolled ancient scroll that was practically falling apart. She then opened it on the table and pushed it towards Lance. "Those earthquakes that collapsed Meteor Falls... I do not believe to be mere chance. Groudon is waking up, and when he does, Kyogre will wake as well. And things will come down once again to a battle to decide the fate of our world, to be destroyed or to be saved by the Sky Dragon."
Lance carefully took it into his hands, and glanced over the ancient drawings. They depicted a much different Groudon and Kyogre than what he was used to. As used to someone could be to Legendary Pokémon not many had seen before. They looked bigger, and glowing with ominous energy.
"Why didn't you tell anyone about it? It's the sort of information that could destabilize the balance of the world. Groudon could split this whole continent in half and Kyogre sink what is left of it with a tsunami... If they Mega-Evolve, I dont expect that the rest of the world will be spared from their wrath either."
The Elder took back the scroll and layered another scroll on top of it. "That is when the Sky Dragon will surely come, streaking through the air, cloaked in green and gold energy, and the Titans will be no match for the Sky Dragon. As he has done multiple times before."
The scroll depicted also a different Rayquaza, one with much bigger spikes and crests that were coloured in gold, leaving a trail of red energy as it descended towards the clashing titans.
"What if there is no Keystone for Rayquaza? I mean he sounds powerful, but Mega-Evolved Legendary Pokémon... surely that is another level of strenght?" Lance still could not wrap his mind around the concept of it.
The Elder sighed in defeat. "Our Tribe once held those orbs, and we should have destroyed them. But we never knew if they would be needed afterwards, so we just hid them. And now there are some bastards running around looking for them too, they fancy themselves as Team Aqua and Team Magma."
"Wait, are they this continent's equivalent of Team Rocket? It sounds like a really big joke. And how could you have even lost the orbs?" The Champion leaned back on his chair, every piece of information was becoming more absurd than the last.
"The Lorekeeper who wrote down where the orbs were hidden was killed in a coup, hundreds of years ago, when a civil war almost wiped us out. No one had time to worry about the scroll or the orbs back then."
Lance hummed and tapped his finger on the chair in thought. "What would you even need them for? It sounds beyond risky."
"We thought that destroying the orbs when the titans were mid-fight probably would have a negative impact on them, perharps severely weakening them, in case Rayquaza did not come." The Elder snorted in amusement. "In our arrogance, we thought ourselves strong enough to be able to stand up to the Titans. We were powerful back then, not simply "the Draconids", we were Clan Blackfyre, and our reach was enormous, we could fly anywhere on the back of our dragons, and we numbered thousands."
"I mean, us Watarus were sort of the same, though we never worshipped any Legendary Pokémon but our own strenght. Things might have been different if our ancestors had known about a Dragon-type Legendary... but back to the point, did Rayquaza did really Mega-Evolve in the past? To defeat Mega-Evolved Groudon and Kyogre?"
The Elder nodded. "He has, our records say as much, but after the battle, he always destroyed the Keystone and left."
"That means those trainers weren't worthy, I know how a dragon thinks." Lance replied with an amused smirk.
"Perharps, and every single one of those fools that died today in the caves and thousands before them fancied themselves Rayquaza's trainer, thinking that they were worthy, and that Rayquaza would not destroy the Keystone or leave afterwards." She chuckled bitterly. "Even my son was not free of that arrogance. It's a toxic mindset, everyone waiting for the end of the world so they can be the one to tame the Sky Dragon. They do not deserve it."
"So, forgive me for the blunt assessment, but as I understand it, today Groudon sneezed and the cave-in happened? Is that what it was?" The Champion asked dubiously.
"You could say that. Over the centuries, this gigantic mountain terrain has been slowly collapsing, as if the earth is being terraformed. Flatlands are easier to flood too, like some sort of deranged agreement between Groudon and Kyogre, each of their battles slowly shapes the earth as a prelude for total destruction."
"That does sound pretty unbelievable, if you can forgive me for saying it."
The Elder chuckled in agreement. "That's fine, but this has always been the way for us, and unluckily for me, my son and his wife paid the price this time." She sank back into her chair and gripped the armrests so tight that they groaned in protest. "I will probably be the last Elder of the Tribe. My grandson will be the Chief, but there will be no Elder to guide him."
She took a handful of old documents and scrolls and began stuffing them into a ratty messenger bag, alongside some weathered Ultra-Balls, Premier-Balls and Luxury-Balls. "Us the Draconids, same as the Watarus of Blackthorn, we live in-between the times, stuck in the ways of the past, but slaves to the whims of modern life. My people want television, internet, electricity, and hot water."
Lance chuckled. "That does sound familiar."
"And we can no longer pillage, murder or destroy for treasure and gold, so we must labor on menial jobs like sewing desert clothes, or diving deep for pearls in the sea." She looked outside the window, past the walls and into the mountain range in the close distance. "Perharps we should leave this ancestral place, scatter to the winds and find our fortune elsewhere."
"Is that how you really feel? Leaving the fate of your people up to chance?" The Champion shook his head in disagreement.
The Elder however, was unmoved. "Yes Champion Lance, I am not a fool, I have lived for a long time, longer than my husband, and now longer than my son and his wife. I am sick of having to run the Tribe, of dealing with prickly old men who grow offended at the supposed disrespect they suffer from the youngsters, sick of having to pacify bloodthirsty morons who believe that we should live like the old times, conquer and expand because they cannot be arsed to use a fishing rod or hunt for food."
Lance stroked his chin and considered her point. "I hadn't thought of it that way, things are very different in Blackthorn. We teach the younger generation to respect the Elders and the ancient traditions, but not to be bound by them, children are encouraged to make their own path, most of them want to be trainers."
The 'future Champions like himself' went unsaid. "But there are always a handful who want to be breeders, to help our native dragon population to grow and stay healthy, some others want to be merchants, since there is always demand for the shed scales of the Dratini family."
"It used to be that way too, but every generation there is less and less people born here, and things get tough sometimes. Of course it is not a straight conscription, but for example, parents are encouraged to teach their children to battle, so they can hopefully join the Tribe Watch when they grow up one day." The Elder replied, looking downcast, ashamed by the disgusting, but sadly needed tradition.
"Are things really that bad? We never had that sort of problem in Blackthorn, but I suppose the mountain range is to blame, most of our houses and building have been carved or dug out from the rock, but your tribe lives basically in a flatlands mix of desert and a beach... Not so easy to defend."
The Elder nodded in agreement "The walls, the watchtowers and our dragons do a fine job of defending, but we lack the manpower, this cave collapse has really been a disaster, it might actually be the end of the Tribe." She was done filling the messenger bag and handed it to Lance. "Take the Blackfyre stuff with you, so Ash can learn about history, and how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."
"Works for me. And by the way, my men, they found Ash." The Champion reported, after taking a quick look at his PokeNav, which was blinking repeatedly with a bunch of unread messages.
The Elder straightened in her chair. "Tell your men to bring my grandson here."
They waited in silence for a couple of minutes until the tent flaps opened and a youth rushed inside. "What's going on Grandma Iyaia? Who are these people?" He asked, trying to catch his breath. "Some weirdos were chasing me."
Iyaia sighed and stood up, bringing her grandson in a hug for a moment before letting go. "Sit down Ash, they are not weirdos, they are people who came to help us after the recent earthquake." She then brought out a pendant made from a Salamence fang from her robe before looking at him seriously. "There is no other way to say this, but to say it. Jing and Delia are dead, the earthquake has collapsed the caves, all of the people that were digging are dead."
The youth scrunched his face in disbelief. "W-What do you mean Grandma? Is this a joke?" He balled his fists and stood up in anger. "Stop lying! If you were trying to be funny, it's not working!"
"I will not repeat myself boy, I know you are neither dumb nor deaf. Your fool of a father was digging for meteors. Again." She pursed her lips in displeasure. "And your mother, of course, was with him."
Reality hit Ash like a ton of bricks, as he sat down in a chair and tears started to slowly trickle down his face. It was about a couple of minutes before he dared to speak. "W-What are we going to do?" He asked in a choked voice.
"You are going to live in Blackthorn for a while, the esteemed Kanto and Johto League Champion, Lance Wataru is going to bring you there. Their tribe is some sort of cousin from ours, or so he says. You will foster there until you are ready to begin your Pokémon journey."
"Johto? Kanto? Thats too far away! What am I supposed to do? I don't know anybody there!" He couldn't believe his grandmother was sending him off.
Iyaia was unmoved by his outburst "You dont know anybody here either, so your point is moot. You need to get out of Hoenn." She glared at him sternly.
"Give me at least one reason!" He wouldn't back down without a fight.
"The Titans are awakening, and they will clash as they have always done, but now it's the Tribe's time to endure, not yours. The Tribe will survive without you. You must become the strongest Pokémon trainer you can, and one day come back here to claim your birthright."
Ash crossed his arms and glared petulantly to the side. "I want to see Zinnia before I leave."
Iyaia pointed outside. "She's with her mother in the archives, they're copying some old dusty documents. She will stay here, training and learning, and one day she will become the Lorekeeper of the Tribe, so she can counsel you when you become the Chief."
"Why do I have to leave then? She's the same age as me. I don't want to be coddled!"
"Yes, I'm sure it will go swimmingly, when you see her happily with her not-so-dead parents. Can you truthfully say that you will not resent her? That everyday, when you go your separate ways, you will not resent her? You will go to an empty house, and she will go to her house to eat a home-cooked dinner made by her mother." She stood up and took her hands in his, before kissing his forehead. "I need you to do this, for me."
The youth slapped her hands to the side and glared up at her. "I won't, I won't resent Zinnia! I'm not a child."
"Enough! Do not argue me brat! The matter is closed, you will go to Blackthorn and then off to your Pokémon journey. Once you are not a snot nosed baby any longer, and you have become truly strong, you may come back here to become the Chief."
Ash's bravado faltered at the stone-faced expression of his grandmother, before falling to his knees and hiccuping. "I-I, don't want to go. It's too far away Grandma. I love you! Please don't send me away, please, please, please!"
The Elder's face softened and she fell to her knees as well, taking her grandson in her arms and kissing the top of his head. "Do not worry, my sweet boy, Blackthorn is full of dragon-obsessed idiots, but they're less annoying than the ones we have here. You will meet new people, and new Pokémon. I am sure the amazing Champion Lance will even arrange a powerful starter Pokémon for you."
That did the trick, Ash sagged in her arms, and brought up his own in the strongest hug he could muster. She knew his grieving was far from over, and that at some point the dam was going to burst again. But at least the promise of a Pokémon cheered him up.
A polite cough shook them from their trance, and only then did Ash realize that there was a third person in the tent. Champion Lance was sitting awkwardly in his own chair after witnessing their entire meltdown. "If I may interrupt, we really need to go. I took some days off after clearing it with the Pokémon League, and I'll instruct Ash for a bit while we travel back to Johto."
Ash looked at the Dragon Champion starry eyed before blurting out a question. "Will we fly in your dragons, Mr. Lance?"
The Champion chuckled and grabbed the ratty messenger bag from the table. "There's no need for that Ash, just call me Lance or cousin. We will see much of each other in the coming years, so there is no need to stand in ceremony." He mussed up Ash's hair before the youth's hands smacked his own away, making Lance laugh again. "Do not worry, my cousin Clair will also keep an eye out for him until she goes on to continue her Pokémon journey, I'm fairly sure she's taking a break for now and even then, she comes back every once in a while to get instructed into how to run the Gym."
Iyaia nodded in agreement. "Just make sure to leave some space on his brain so he can learn things like mathematics and history, aside from all the dragon knowledge that is sure to turn him into an dragon obsessed fool."
Lance saluted the Elder and grabbed Ash by his shoulder. "C'mon kiddo, say goodbye, we're riding on Meraxes over the sea, I'm sure you'll like it."
Ash nodded in excitement and turned to his grandmother. "I'll see you again Grandma, I love you!" He rushed in for the last hug he was going to receive from her in a long while.
Iyaia took him in her arms without protest and murmured. "I love you too Ash, be sure to become strong, and don't forget to send a letter every once in a while or there will be hell to pay." Her stern gaze made him gulp in fear.
"Yes ma'am." He saluted and rushed out of the tent, trying to hide the tears trickling down his cheeks.
The Elder stood up and walked towards the window, before speaking one last time. "Esteemed Champion Lance, do take good care of my grandson, there is nothing else left for me." Her tone was raw, not trying to hide her grief unlike her grandson.
Lance nodded seriously, before putting his right hand up over his heart and doing an ancient formal bow. "I will protect him with my life, and so will my family, and so will the Watarus. This I promise." He straightened and turned around to exit the tent.
The tent was silent, except for the soft sobs of a broken-hearted grandmother who had seen too much and suffered too much. "Farewell, my dear grandson."
Ash and Lance walked towards the gates of the village, where Lance's G-Men were gathered waiting for orders. The Dragonite next to them perked up when he saw his trainer come up to them, and the men straightened and saluted when they saw him.
"Alright men, it's time to leave." He started barking orders. "I want a boat's worth of personnel to stay here for the next few days to organize the supplies and to help with any reconstruction."
"Yes Sir!" A few trainers rushed to the village to organize with the Draconids.
"Eleanor and Sayuki, you both will captain the remaining 2 boats and bring them to our shipyard in Kanto for a check-up. Jason and Martin, you both will take the helicopter and the plane respectively and bring them to HQ, resupply and make contact with the rest of our men that are staying with the tribe, in case they need anything."
The 4 trainers nodded and saluted, before a trainer with salt and pepper hair from the group walked forwards and asked for clarification. "What about you, Sir? Are you not coming with us?"
Lance shook his head, before recalling Sunfyre and releasing a Gyarados. "We will ride Meraxes over the sea all the way to the coast of Johto. And then we will fly on dragonback."
The trainer scrunched up his face, not understanding what the Champion meant. "What do you mean Sir? Who is going with you?"
Lance walked back a few paces and steered in their direction a kid they hadn't seen before. He was dressed in desert gear, with a mesh shirt covered in green and blue scales for protection, beige shorts with several pockets in them, and to finally tie it all off, a ratty brown hooded cloak that matched his brown reinforced sandals. "This is Ash Blackfyre, the future Chief of the Draconid Tribe, and he's coming with me to Blackthorn to foster for a while, and to learn from another Dragon Tribe."
Ash, who had finally stopped gushing over all the Pokémon that were around, plastered a smile on his face and waved at the assembled trainers. "Hi! Very nice to meet you guys!"
The 4 trainers waved back uncertainly, before a woman with brown hair in a top knot and black eyes walked forwards and bent to a knee to shake the youth's hand. "My name is Sayuki Hirose, and I specialize in Fire-type and Ground-type Pokémon." She replied with a smile, which prompted all the others to introduce themselves as well.
"Nice to meetcha Ash, I'm Jason Chase and I aim to become an Electric-type and Water-type master!" Said the blue-eyed blonde boisterously. Before promptly being slapped over the head by the other woman next to him. She had brown eyes and black hair dyed with garish green highlights.
"Sup Ash! Eleanor Forest here, I love Grass-type Pokémon, and if you dare make any jokes about my surname, I'll slap you over the head like I did this lug over here." She said in mock anger.
Finally the last trainer stepped forward and shook Ash's hand twice. "Very nice to meet you Mr. Blackfyre, my name is Martin Roberts, a Steel-type trainer." He said politely with a smile on his face. His hair was black, speckled with grey from age, and his black eyes looked upon him with wonder.
Lance clapped once and smiled. "Right, those 4 are my lieutenants and strongest trainers, I'm sure you'll see them some other time Ash. But now it's time to go." He waved farewell to his lieutenants and whistled two times, and the enormous Gyarados lowered her head so they could climb on it. Lance doing so quite easily and Ash afterwards after a bit of struggle. The Champion chuckled. "You'll get used to it quickly, there are a certain scales and spines that you can use to climb, I will teach you."
Ash finally settled alongside Lance behind the forehead crest of the Gyarados, which had a small saddle tied with rope so the youth could be secured without any danger of falling off. He grumbled and turned his head to the side in a pout while the Champion tied him to it. "Now, now, it's just for today, since the trip is going to be quite long. I promise you, next time you won't need it."
Lance knocked twice on the crest to signal the Gyarados to move. "We're going to Johto, take the long way Meraxes!". The Gyarados roared her agreement before plunging into the sea water in a burst of speed that left Ash dizzy.
"So fast!" He yelled over the sound of the crashing water against the body of Meraxes. "This is amazing, I can't wait to have my own Gyarados!"
Lance chuckled and mussed his hair in amusement. "I'm sure you will kiddo, they're a really versatile species, but keep in mind their weaknesses as well. A Flying-Water-type doesn't fare well against Electric-types or Ice-types, so you'll have to develop a strategy to counter those Pokémon."
Ash nodded seriously at the imparted wisdom, before looking over the horizon for a while, and palming his forehead with his hand. "Oh man... I forgot to say goodbye to Zinnia. She's going to be really, really mad." His hands covered his face and his body shook slightly.
Lance sighed and carefully removed the hands from Ash's face, revealing glassy caramel-colored eyes flecked with silver. The youth closed his eyes instinctively, but that did not stop the track of tears falling down from his eyes.
"I know you didn't forget Ash." He then softly squeezed his shoulder. "And I know how difficult it is, but at the very least you shouldn't lie to yourself."
The youth was silent for a moment before whispering "I didn't forget... I just didn't know what to say to her." He rubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to stop the tears. "I will make it right, and send a letter as soon as we get to Blackthorn."
The Champion nodded his approval before smirking. "Well, you better start thinking up a good apology, we have a good while until we get to Johto. I'm sure you can make a convincing case kiddo."
Ash just groaned before falling backwards on his seat. "Oh man, what a way to start off the trip."
I suck at dialogues but want to improve, so here's this story.