.—.—.
Route 16 was just as he had remembered it. Occasional fields but more prominently dominated by trees that provided shade for any creature under their arching branches. Flying-type roosted higher in the canopy, staying well away from any thrown pokeballs. Pidgey flocks led by the occasional pidgeotto watched with their beady eyes as Ash passed into what they considered their territory. They stayed their hand at least, which is more than Ash could say if they had been spearows flocks headed by a fearow.
His rush to flee a mysterious stalker was gone this time around. Not to say that the stalker was not there, for something was certainly watching him from the darkest canopy of the trees. Something shifted through the shadows with its lone white eyes, disturbing the odd pidgey and causing them to squawk. It didn't seem brave enough to try its luck by confronting him and his team, so he let it settle to the back of his mind. If his follower ever grew more malevolent or courageous, then he'd reconsider his stance on the matter.
It was evening when he finally made camp. The nightly training session was met with the usual vigor. Greed was fine tuning Fire Punch and Bullet Punch before moving on to Ice Punch. The panda had seemed to take to the training with new gusto at the mention of more TMs. Nut had taken to the Energy Ball TM well, though still struggled slightly.
As the training came to a conclusion, Ash gathered his partners with a serious expression. It was time to release Graveler. "Alright, great work. Now that we've won our first badge," Ash paused as his pokemon let out pleased sounds. "Yes, great work to the both of you. Anyway, we need to bring Graveler into the fold."
Greed frowned slightly. Understandable, the previous battle between the two hadn't gone well for his starter. Nut seemed more pliable to the allowance of their new member, though Ash was sure it was because the acorn pokemon hadn't been put under the sheer beating that Greed had. "I know, buddy, but we can bring him under control. I'll release him and, if he attacks, you two can smack him down."
It wasn't the most honorable of strategies, but it would do. Pokemon valued strength and if Graveler thought Ash could give him that, he was far more likely to agree.
Ash breathed deeply as he palmed Graveler's ultraball. "Nut, Mega Drain or Leech Seed. Greed, Bullet Punch and Karate Chop. Don't go overboard, we want it to join us." Without letting his mind sike him out, he released the rock/ground-type pokemon in front of them.
The graveler was still unhappy it seemed. It gave its surroundings a once over, eyes narrowing from the influx of sunlight, before rearing back and throwing a Rock Blast with a roar. Ash made himself scarce as his team made quick work of the graveler. While their initial fight had been close, the rematch was anything but. The angry rock pokemon was still worn out from his last bout, not having been given potions or healing at his behest.
Greed and Nut both left the unconscious pokemon alone after it had fallen from their attacks. Ash sighed as he removed a revive from his pack. He administered it to the fallen pokemon as he waited for it to awaken. Within minutes it was rising to its feet again, glaring at him with fury.
"Graveler." Ash greeted, trying his best to make his voice sound strong. "My name is Ash, and I'm your trainer now."
That remark went over as well as he had thought it would. Another surge from the rock pokemon forced his team to knock it down once again. Ash sighed. Well, he wasn't expecting immediate progress. Knocking the pokemon unconscious twice in a row was just the start of a long task.
He'd try again tomorrow. If the rock-type was still unwilling to work with him then he'd try again the day after try he certainly did. The dawn saw Greed and Nut once again having to battle the exhausted rock-type. It was almost sad at that point as it was so terribly one-sided.
Three days of trying to appeal to the pokemon–appeals that always ended with the graveler tossing out some attack or another before Ash's pokemon took it down–passed before they had any progress. Ash had administered another revive–he was glad he'd stocked up on plenty of those–and saw Graveler once again glaring at him but not as eager to attack.
"Let's try that again. You will listen to what I have to say or I'll leave you in that pokeball and bury it." Ash threatened hotly. He would never do such a thing, but Graveler didn't need to know that. Days of no progress were starting to get to him. "Understood?" Graveler's glare intensified but it made no move to attack again.
"I am your trainer now." Ash said. "Work with me and you'll grow strong enough to evolve into a golem." The pokemon seemed entirely unimpressed. "My team has been training for less than two months and they're already good enough to beat you. Think about what you could be within that time." That at least grabbed the pokemon's attention.
"If you work with me, train with me, and fight with me, I'm prepared to offer you a deal." Ash said. "Complete the Gym Circuit with my team. If you still want out at the end then I'll personally bring you back to the tunnel I captured you in. However, if you harm or attempt to harm me or my team at any point, that offer leaves the table forever."
Graveler remained motionless for a few moments more before, hesitantly, the creature gave the slightest incline of its head.
Ash nodded, relieved. "Welcome to the team, Graveler. First things first, I'll scan you with my Dex and get some information on you." Within a minute, Ash's red Pokedex was spelling out information on his newest team member.
Graveler are dual rock/ground-types, the second stage of the geodude-line. They prefer to dwell deep into the earth, unlike their pre-evolved geodude stage who prefer fields and mountainous areas above ground. Geodude evolve into graveler only after they amass and assimilate enough rocky substances to do so, the substance of which they assimilate directly correlating to the toughness of their exterior shell. Geodude will move towards deep caves, tunnels and caverns starting in their second decade, and will only evolve some time into their fifth decade. Evolution into golem in the wilds is a rarely documented sight, as a wild golem would need access to large amounts of eligible substances, the necessary deep earth areas to foster their evolution, and the strength to protect themselves for another five or more decades that it would take to evolve.
Graveler and its line have an infamous reputation for rolling down hills and smashing everything in their path, earning them a moniker of being less intelligent and careless. This is only partially true. In the centuries before the formation of the Indigo League, the warring clans around Pewter City used the pokemon as a destructive siege weapon to trample their foes or open enemy encampments. Their hard shells being able to take harsh punishment made them ideal tramplers and trebuchet ammunition when not used in direct battle.
Graveler, like many rock-types and ground-types, subsist on rocky substances to meet their dietary requirements. Unlike others, however, they solely feast on minerals, rocks and other such substances. This fact has stumped researchers as the Alolan variant of the geodude-line has the capabilities to consume some water-types, an important feature as the islands they reside on has limited ground space with an abundance of water dwellers. Furthermore, the alolan variant's loss of the ground-type and addition of the electric-type has also been a hot topic of debate.
For additional information on the species, please consider 'Geodude and Beyond: An In Depth Trainer's Guide' by B. Pebbleman.
"This specimen can perform the moves Rollout, Rock Throw, Bulldoze, Rock Blast, Magnitude, and Earthquake. Its ability is Rock Head."
Ash took in all the information with a nod. It also gave Graveler's gender as male, height as just below five feet and weight as north of three hundred pounds. It couldn't give an age since that was nearly impossible to predict, but Ash could guess the rock pokemon was closer to his sixth or seventh decade.
Then again, Ash was no expert. Maybe that book would be a good idea to look at. Well, only one question left to ask. "So, do you want a name?"
Graveler gave him a flat look.
.—.—.—.
Graveler's inclusion to the team was…a work in progress. True to the agreement, Graveler did not attack or harm them. That was not to say he was mindlessly obedient, far from it. As a start he had the living rock showcase him movepool and, seeing as they were all well practiced and perfected, made him join in on the usual drills. He'd come up with something a little more comprehensive when he had a better understanding of Graveler's fighting style and natural instincts.
Nut was progressing well with Energy Ball. The accumulation of energy was becoming a quicker endeavor for the grass-type, though the amount gathered was lacking a little. As Greed accompanied Graveler on some speed drills, Ash took the time to have a one-on-one with Nut.
"Good job, Nut." Ash said as he examined the last Energy Ball the seedot sent down range at their makeshift practice targets. "You're getting better at gathering the necessary energy. Have you tried putting more into each attack?"
The seedot gave a nod as he inspected the crater his attack left behind. A squeak showed his disappointment with the damage.
"Show me." Ash insisted.
The pokemon nodded. Nut braced himself as a small, luminous green orb formed above his stem. After it reached the size of a pokeball he sent it flying. The ball impacted his target (a stray boulder that Ash had made particularly sure was not another rock-type) and let out a small explosion of dust and rubble. Ash whistled.
"Nice job." Ash congratulated the acorn pokemon. He could see why he was disappointed though, the ball had only formed to about half the size it should have. "I see the problem."
Grass-type energy was one of the easier types that a pokemon could harness, so Ash wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. He debated internally for a moment before addressing his partner.
"Tell me, when you gather the energy for the attack, you use yourself as the medium?" Ash continued as Nut nodded. "The energy you harness is yours that you've absorbed from the sun or elsewhere, and you're simply gathering it?"
Nut squeaked an agreement.
"Have you tried not doing that?" Ash asked. At Nut's confused expression, he elaborated. "As a grass-type, you should be able to roughly sense the energy of the fauna around you. Can you feel the energy in the bushes, trees and grass? Can you pull from that?"
Nut focused for a moment before squeaking. Ash took that to mean 'kinda'. "Let me try putting it like this. Water-types, some more than others, have a limited form of hydrokinesis. It's the theory behind how they gather their own attacks, such as Water Pulse, from the water around them without having to run their reserves dry. With me so far?"
Nut nodded.
"So, act like you're a water-type and the plants are your water." Ash finished as he eyed a thorn bush. "Pull from that bush and try to put that into your Energy Ball."
The seedot dawned in understanding. He took a second and tried again. It was slow at first, slower than his first attempt, but Nut seemed to work his way through it. After a moment, the orb grew suddenly. It quickly grew larger than Nut himself and the grass-type threw it before he lost his hold over it.
It impacted the same boulder and, when the dust cleared, had revealed that the attack had leveled it. Ash laughed at the reality of now having a problem with too much energy in the attack. The thorn bush that Nut had pulled the energy from was black and dead, as though every nutrient had been robbed of it. Ash winced. Sorry, nature.
Nut squeaked in frustration as he tried the attack again and had the same result. A dead bush and a far too unstable Energy Ball.
"Nut, when you pull from the bush, do you put it straight to the attack?" Ash waited for the confirmation before continuing. "Okay, try absorbing the energy yourself first. That way you can act like a switch that can stop feeding it when it gets too large."
Nut nodded and repeated the move. This time, however, the Energy Ball was the correct size and the plant he'd pulled from had not withered completely. A few leaves had lost their pigment but that was all. Ash grinned. "Perfect."
Nut seemed pleased with himself as he repeated it again, determined to perfect his new move. Ash wondered. If Nut had some limited form of ability to sense the energy of his surroundings, could he use that as a form of echolocation in forested areas? If he could then if he was ever blinded like he had been in the Celadon Gym, he wouldn't be as helpless. Then again, most battlefields tended to be completely barren.
Something to think about.
.—.—.—.
Route 16 flew by quicker than Ash had thought it would. He hadn't stopped at any of the towns along the way, though Hop Hop Hop Town had made a case with its ridiculous name. The path before them shrunk as they entered Route 17 faster than he had expected. Route 17 was one of the longest in Indigo. A two week trek that ended with the Cycling Bridge. The Cycling Bridge was a well kept bridge that connected the two halves of Kanto that were divided by Vermillion Bay. The bridge ran directly over the strait that led inland and was around half a day of journeying before meeting up with Route 18 on the other side.
Ash decided he would see about renting a bike to cross. According to his dex, there was a rainstorm inbound. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped in the cold rain without any cover. The rain was something he'd need to get used to, Ash knew. Kanto's rainy season was nearly upon them. He'd be lucky to get three days of sun in a week for a straight month. The rivers and lakes would widen, flash floods would likely occur, and any travel near water was risky. The Rangers near coastal cities would have their work cut out for them. Then, after all the rain had finally gone, the first chills of autumn would creep in.
It wasn't all bad though. The majority of pokemon would hunker down to wait out the weather rather than face nature's wrath. The smart ones anyway. He wouldn't have to worry about an attack from wild pokemon for a little while.
Ash wanted to get past Fuchsia's territory before any real heavy rain set in. He had heard enough horror stories to keep him moving. Mud and sludge that trapped trainers all the way to their thighs, leaving them utterly helpless and stuck. The southern part of the Kanto mainland was infamous for becoming mires and marshland in bad weather. It was joked that even the strongest of tectonic plate movements couldn't rip Indigo apart since Fuchsia's mud would make them cling together.
It was this line of thinking that gave Ash a couple of ideas for Graveler. He couldn't implement them yet, but the thought made him smile.
Graveler's Earthquake was strong. Ash knew from personal experience. If the rock pokemon focused it a little more, he could surely rip his own canyons into the earth. Then he could simply collapse them into themselves with the enemy at the bottom, even using Smack Down to trap the opponent from escaping. It had counters, like most techniques, but it could also be heavily devastating if unprepared for.
Ash's other idea also revolved around Earthquake, though Magnitude may prove to be a better fit. He thought of Nut's work on Energy Ball, of his need to cast a wider net to power it, and took the reverse of that. A localized Earthquake, harnessed directly onto the enemy pokemon. The epicenter would be directly on them, ensuring an attack that would likely mean a one-hit KO for pokemon of lesser constitution.
Ash couldn't wait to put those techniques to work and see if they held any water. Theoretically they sounded possible, but he wouldn't know until he sicked Graveler on the subject. Something he wasn't going to do until the pokemon actually started listening to him.
Oh, the rock pokemon was smarter than Ash had given him credit for. The pokemon was completely unreliable due to his complete disobedience. Yet, when the rock-type did listen he seemed to know how to follow Ash's orders down to the letter, and still break the spirit of them. Frustrating, to say the least. Is that what raising a defiant toddler was like? Ash made a note to apologize to his mother for anything he may have done.
Another tidbit that drove him crazy was that the living boulder also held a remarkable disdain for the drills Ash put him through. For a decades old living boulder, he was so prissy about doing sprints. It wasn't like he was demanding the pokemon plough through a Hydro Pump while doing them! Graveler should thank the Legends his ability was Rock Head rather than Sturdy, for Ash was positive he would be a bit more rough in his conditioning otherwise.
Oh, Mew. The fit Graveler threw when he found out what conditioning entailed…
Graveler had lived for decades under the earth, with no exposure to grass-types or ice-types in any form. As such, his weakness to them was something Ash had to condition him against. Nut used grass-type moves on the rock pokemon to help rid him of this, just as Greed used Ice Punch. The panda had taken to the TM rather well. His constant practice on a target as solid as a graveler's shell seemingly helped him hone it by leaps and bounds.
Ash had found a little common ground with his newest partner at least.
Graveler's biggest asset would always be his natural defense, something that Ash had hoped would stick in his rocky head during the constant hits from Mega Drain. Luckily for Ash, it did. While still defiant, Graveler at least found the wisdom to listen to Ash's coaching on learning a plethora of defense bolstering moves, starting with Harden. It wasn't a difficult move to learn, plus Nut already knew the normal-type move and could help guide the rock-type. When Graveler saw how much a small move like that bolstered his already tough defense he was more open to learning more. And perhaps giving Ash a smidge of credit.
There were plenty of moves on the agenda. Defense Curl was first since Graveler could learn it so easily, then Iron Defense and Rock Polish. Though that last one was less of a defense bolster and more of one for speed. Each one gave Ash ideas that sparked new ideas. When he was done, Graveler was going to be indomitable. The thought made Ash grin.
That same grin was wiped off his face as he felt a raindrop hit him. Then the downpour followed.
Just his luck.
.—.—.—.
The rainstorm had them hunkered down for an entire day. Ash didn't mind it too much now, but he knew that the other side of the bridge would be a nightmare to traverse. The time spent sitting around waiting for the rain to pass at least gave Ash the chance to think.
Greed was frustrating him.
Well, not Greed. His partner was as reliable as always, rather it was his fighting style that was giving him troubles.
The pancham was falling into his own style of hit-and-run attacks. It was effective for his size and speed, but it couldn't last. When the panda evolved into a pangoro–just when that bud would be was far beyond Ash–his body would more than double in size. A seven foot tall, hundreds of pounds pangoro was not one that could maintain guerrilla warfare with much success.
Ash snickered. Gorilla warfare. About a panda.
…anyway.
Greed's fighting style shifting from one extreme to the other would do no one any good. Except for their opponents, of course. Still, that left the problem of what Ash should do about it. He wanted to address the issue now so as to not let it fester. At his starter's current size, the option of taking a hit in order to return a hit was off the table. The pokemon had a hardy constitution, sure, but not that hardy. The fact was that Greed simply lacked the bulk his final evolutionary stage had in spades.
Ash thought up an evasion centric style–hit hard, evade then do it again–before realizing he was just branding the same style under different names. The best option seemed to throw Greed into the style he would more closely adopt upon evolution. Hit hard enough and fast enough that the other pokemon simply couldn't do anything else but evade. He tested it in the battles against trainers on the route and it worked surprisingly well.
Most lower level pokemon were unable to properly do anything against an opponent who simply did not back off. The better battlers he'd fought, such as a girl from Sunny Town with four badges and a kickass marowak, were better suited to minimizing the threat. Experienced trainers knew to use Greed's lack of mass and size against him.
Still, Ash had hope for it. He didn't want to shove his starter into a corner of a single approach to a battle, but both styles would work for him until his evolution.
Ice Punch was perfected fairly easily. Objectively, Greed was ready for the last elemental punch now. However, something about just mass loading his partners up with TMs made the hairs on his neck stand up. Instead of immediately administering him with Thunder Punch, Ash had him work on balancing Ice Punch and Fire Punch at the same time. It was a dead useful skill to have and helped to space out his starter's TM influx rate. Greed struggled with it for a bit, either accidentally melting his ice or smoldering his fire, but was getting better at it.
Route 17 finally came to a head as the strait of Vermillion Bay came into view. The Cycling Bridge was just as big as he'd expected. The supports that held up the marvel of modern engineering were as large as Graveler.
They were built to withstand inclement weather and the occasional collision with a ship. Wild water-types weren't usually too much of a problem given the dozens of pokemon the Rangers employed to patrol around the bridge. The bridge seemed immovable and untouchable. Though, one story Ash could recall contradicted that notion pretty heavily.
When Elite Four Koga had still been a Gym Leader in Fuchsia, a swarm of tentacool had attacked the bridge in a fury. The damage had been enough to close the crossing for a few months as the League repaired it. When it came to light the erection of an artificial island resort was the source of the water-types' outrage, the business tycoon had been forced to halt construction at once. The tycoon had then thought to appeal to the court of public opinion in order to pressure the League to allow him to continue his work. The result was nothing short of a communal lambasting that made the man close his doors for good.
The Cycling Bridge looked to be in great shape to Ash, though he had no previous experience to compare it to. He made his way to the small shop that offered bike rentals and paid the fee for a bicycle of his own. The clerk simply gave him a pointed finger in the direction of the bike racks before turning to help the next customer. Ash chose a green bicycle with a cushioned basket on the front before setting out.
Nut blinked owlishly as he was released. With a grin, Ash picked him up and plopped the grass-type in the metal basket. The seedot seemed to shuffle for a moment to get comfortable before giving his consent to start petaling. Ash smirked and took a picture of the scene with his pokedex. Nut squeaked in indignation.
"Don't worry, buddy. You look very fierce." Ash assured mildly. The acorn pokemon seemed unconvinced. "I won't show anyone, I promise." Nut nodded as he settled back into the cushion of the basket. "Well, maybe my mom. And Professor Oak. Maybe Gary. Leaf and Ethan might like it too…"
Nut whirled on him as Ash laughed.
.—.—.—.
The other side of the Cycling Bridge came quickly. Route 18 was, thankfully, not a complete swamp like he'd expected. Though with another storm on the way that was likely to change. With Route 18 only being a few days to Fuchsia City, Ash thought if he picked up the pace then perhaps he could make it prior to that storm. Alas, that was not to be. The storm hit and it hit hard. Ash had not even made it close to Fuchsia's suburbs when nature unleashed its fury.
It was not a simple rainstorm as the last had been, this was a storm of truly epic proportions. Thunder boomed and seemed insistent on deafening him, the lightning was so furious and bright Ash was sure Zapdos itself had sent it, and rain pelted the fabric of his tent hard enough to almost warp its shape permanently. Despite Greed's usual insistence on being allowed to sleep in the trees, he rested in the tent that night. Graveler returned to his ball and Nut also resided in the tent. It was a little cramped, to say the least.
Ash looked out his tent as lightning flashed and counted the time between the thunder that sounded above. Seven seconds. Fairly close than. Lightning flashed again, but this time it crashed into a nearby mountain.
The strike made Ash blink. Had he imagined the bright glow that lingered after the lightning? No, he decided after another bolt struck the same location, there was definitely something there. A glow of light bright enough Ash could see it from such a great distance certainly warranted a search. A third strike was all he needed to convince himself to check it out in the morning.
.—.—.
The morning came and Ash took the chance to pack up his flooded camp and move out quickly. It meant they had not had a morning training session, but that could be fixed. They'd simply pull a double session the next morning. Oh, training in the dark of the predawn morning was bound to be fun. The rookie pokemon trainer made his way to his far off destination, Evolution Mountain.
Evolution Mountain lay south-west of Fuschia City, rising prominently above its surroundings. The mountain's peak was humble in comparison to the other summits that Indigo offered. Mt. Moon and Mt. Silver both made it look like a pebble. Still, the summit was sizable from Ash's perspective. He hadn't experienced any other heights as big as this just yet. At the feet of the landmass the earth cracked and splintered. After a mile or so of a widening ravine, it became the heart of Grampa Canyon. A canyon forged from a river that once flowed and gauged its way into the geography of the land.
The summit's original name was not Evolution Mountain, Ash knew, but it had been called such for so long that it might as well have been. The mountain was named for the Evolution Stones that used to be found in the area. There was also the mountain's significant history with eevees.
It was here that the first trainers had learned to evolve eevees into not just a single branch evolution, but rather multiple different paths. Evolution Mountain gave birth to the evolution pokemon known in the modern era. Split evolutionary lines were not exclusive to eevees, some such as poliwhirl or gloom branch as well, but it is the only pokemon known to split into eight different evolutions with some researchers thinking there were more evolutions they had yet to discover.
Ash had thought of trying to find an eevee for his team. The Game Corner in Celadon had offered one as a prize, so there should be a breeder he could directly contact. Eevee were rare though and a breeder would surely charge an arm and a leg for even the runt of a litter. Unless an eevee was ready to run into his path, the furry fox was likely out of his reach.
Ash heaved a grunt as he continued his trek. The rugged terrain of the mountainous area proved far superior to the mud that clung to Ash's boots, even if the effort to hike it was exhausting. He could have gone around the base of the mountain and traveled up the better kept trails on the other side, but that would just add more time to his travel. If a little extra effort was required then he was more than willing to rough it for a little while.
After an hour of traversing, Ash arrived at what he'd come for. The scene before him taking him by surprise. Scorch marks decorated the rock and stone of the mountain black. The distinctive smell of what was similar to burning coals left Ash's nose in a scrunch. His arm hairs stood on end when he stepped closer, like he'd just rubbed his socked feet on carpet.
As he bent forward to look at the epicenter of the scorch, his entire head of hair went frizzy and rigid below his hat.
Do not grasp the solid lightning
Ash frowned as he looked around. There that voice was again. Considering there was hardly any cover around he thought he should be able to see his stalker. Apparently that wasn't the case. The rookie hummed before letting out Graveler. The rock pokemon grunted as he took in his surroundings.
"Hey, Graveler." Ash greeted his pokemon. "I need you to dig up that area there. Eat it if you want; it might taste weird, being scorched and all. If you find anything strange, please don't eat it." The boulder gave another grunt, as if to ask what he would get out of this. "Do this and I might let you skip conditioning tonight." That got the pokemon moving. He'd gotten better at listening over the course of the journey from Celadon but was still being intentionally difficult.
Ash considered using Graveler in the Fuchsia Gym. The rock-type was tough, not doubting that, and his power was up to par. Ash had not battled anyone with the graveler yet, though not for lack of opportunity. No, Ash wanted to be certain Graveler wouldn't go too far in a battle against a trainer who couldn't properly stop him. The trainers he'd battled on routes since Celadon had all faced Nut or Greed. A Gym Leader, however, would have plenty of techniques and firepower to take down a rampaging graveler. Even if that Leader was as young and inexperienced as Janine.
All considered, she shouldn't be too much of a fight for the Soul Badge.
Ash felt bad considering one of Kanto's eight strongest Gym Leaders as an easy target for a badge. The poison-type Leader was far ahead of him as a trainer and could likely dismantle his team if she truly wanted. Still, it was no secret to Indigo that she seemed ill suited to the position when compared to her father. A bike gang that terrorized the Cycling Road until the Rangers got involved, as well as a spike in poaching in the Safari Zone were just the most common things pointed out by her contractors.
If Ash had been asked three months ago his opinion on her appointment, he'd have said that the League knew what it was doing. There'd have been no doubt in his mind that the Indigo League would appoint someone worthy of the position, especially with the ever important Safari Zone in Fuchsia's jurisdiction. Now, after having experienced Erika and Celadon, he wasn't so sure he could say the same. At least, not with the same vigor or candor as he once could have.
Graveler finally sounded out as he found something. Ash gazed at the mess the pokemon had made. A hole that dropped down about six feet and was a little longer across. It looked almost akin to a grave. The thought made him shudder as he approached. He hoped to Mew there wasn't a dead body at the bottom.
Thankfully, there was not a corpse in the hole. Instead, Graveler held in his massive hand a gleaming stone. Looking directly at it made Ash blink. He nearly reached out to grab it before the words of his stalker rang in his head. He instead had Graveler hold it as he inspected it closer. It was fist sized (his fist, not Graveler's) and gave off a distinct glow. The green-blue crust seemed almost transparent. Along its face a branching electric discharge design decorated it, only stopping as it ended in a lightning bolt shape. It seemed to give occasional shocks to Graveler's rocky hand but the ground-type seemed unfazed, immune to the zaps.
"Solid lightning." Ash said with realization. "A Thunder Stone. These are rare. Great find, Graveler." Graveler gave a grunt that conveyed his utter lack of care. "I don't think I can carry that though…you wanna walk with me until Fuchsia? I can probably buy an insulating case there."
Graveler balked. Ash probably would have laughed at the expression if he didn't seriously need the pokemon's help. Having to walk the entire way to the next city was probably not an ideal solution since his newest addition hated endurance and speed drills as it was, forcing him to walk that far would earn him nothing but ire, even with plenty of stops for rest. Counterproductive when Graveler was only just starting to listen to him with any level of sincerity.
"Okay, maybe not. Fuchsia is still a good distance away. Stone Town is just on the other side of the mountain. If we go now he could get there before dusk. Considering the area used to be renowned for Evolution Stones, someone should have one we can buy." Graveler seemed to like that option far better.
Without preamble, they set off towards the other side of the summit. Some points were slippery from the rain and others jagged from years of erosion. The only commonality being that it was difficult to traverse. At least Ash had Graveler to talk to, or rather talk at. The pokemon was a captive audience for his ramblings. He even ran his ideas for future techniques and moves by his hostage. Those mentions of future power interested the living boulder the most.
As they progressed, it was hard for Ash to ignore the darting figure of his stalker. The barren mountain was a poor place to try and find cover. Every once in a while, the black floating figure would pop up to watch him before vanishing and appearing later.
He got the best look at his pursuer during these attempts at subtly trailing him. It was completely black, a dark raven that looked impossible to achieve by anything less than the void. The only exception being the singular white eye that contrasted against its body. He never saw that eye blink.
His follower was growing bolder.
Ash gave a sigh as Stone Town finally came into view. The town was surrounded by the cliffs of the base of Evolution Mountain. So much so it was nearly hidden. Graveler similarly seemed glad to be done with their trek across an entire mountain. Stone Town's entrance was humble. A large boulder introduced the town while a small road sign pointed out areas of interest.
There wasn't a pokecenter in the town, though Ash couldn't say that surprised him. Stone Town was roughly the same size as Pallet Town which also lacked a pokecenter. There were some small stores, dozens of houses, and a monument in the town's center.
Ash's interest was piqued. The monument was humble like everything else in the town. It was coated bronze making it stand out as the last of the day's sunshine hit it at an angle that made it gleam. It was clearly well taken care of with not a sign of rust anywhere. It was a man standing tall with an eevee at his side. A vaporeon, Ash corrected after another moment of study.
"Taking in the sights?" Ash turned around at the question. The one who'd voiced it was another boy. Taller than him, but not overwhelmingly so, with blonde hair spiked up in a jolteon-esque fashion. Fitting considering the jolteon that trotted along at his side happily.
"Yeah, just looking at the statue. It looks really well kept." Ash said. Graveler seemed annoyed at the chitchat, likely wanting to rid himself of having to carry the Thunder Stone.
The jolteon chittered. Its trainer grinned and held his hand out. "Thank you, I do my best to keep it looking clean. The people around here would have my hide if I let the town's founder get all oxidized. I'm Larry, but most people call me Sparky."
Ash blinked as he shook the offered appendage. "Good to meet you…Sparky. That's an interesting nickname."
Sparky shrugged with a smile. "We get that a lot. Blame our parents."
"We?" Ash asked out of sheer necessity.
"Oh, my brothers. Rainer, Pyro and I are triplets."
"Sparky, Rainer and Pyro." Ash repeated as his lips turned into a smile despite himself. He didn't wanna laugh at the guy but, seriously?
"You try telling people that your parents named you Larry, Barry and Jerry." Sparky said in goodnature. "They almost named our youngest brother Gary. We put a stopper on that one."
Ash laughed. Probably more than he should have. "Yeah, Gary is a rough name to be stuck with."
Sparky definitely caught the tone of the inside joke, but didn't question it. "Well, welcome to Stone Town. Passing through? We don't get too many trainers around here."
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I was headed to Fuschia when the storm hit. Went a little off track."
Sparky nodded. "Gotcha. Need a map then? Mrs. Alpin has a bunch you can buy at her shop. I'd offer some of my older ones but my younger brother is pretty much taking everything when he leaves for his journey. I'm sure I can wrangle you a bargain though."
"Thanks, but no. I have one. I went off track voluntarily." Ash gestured for Graveler to open his fist. The Thunder Stone gleamed as it was revealed. "The storm threw lightning at this a few times so I checked it out. I didn't wanna risk touching it or walking all the way to Fuschia with it. I thought Stone Town might have an insulating case."
"Smart thing, not touching it." Sparky said as he examined the solid lightning with fascination. "That damn stone would knock you into a coma."
Ash winced at the thought. "Do you have experience with Thunder Stones?" Sparky gave him a look before pointing to his jolteon. The electric-type chittered at him. Ash nearly face palmed. "That makes sense."
"Happens." Sparky shrugged. "Besides the Thunder Stone I used for Bolt here, I have interacted with enough. Evolution Mountain still has the odd Evolution Stone here and there if you know where to look."
"Wouldn't the League be mining them if that was the case?" Ash asked. Evolution Stones were rare. Even a single one could fetch a good price if sold.
Sparky snorted. "The League has better resources for sourcing them nowadays. A wide scale mining operation here would just do more harm than good. With the Safari Zone as close as it is, the League wouldn't dare try anything. Besides, the only ones that you'll have any luck finding here are Water Stones and Thunder Stones. Used to be more Leaf Stones that formed around here but not in a good while."
"Why just those?" Ash asked curiously.
"Here," Sparky motioned for him to follow. "It's getting late. We can talk on the way."
Ash frowned. "The way to where?" He might have liked the guy so far, but he'd only just met him. He wasn't about to follow him to some shady area.
"You need an insulating case and a place to sleep." Sparky said as though it was obvious. "There are some at the town's Gym and you can stay there tonight if you want."
Ash hadn't even known a small town like this had a Gym. "Wouldn't the Gym Leader have something to say about that?"
Sparky turned around and smirked as his jolteon sparked cheerfully. "Who do you think I am?" The Gym Leader turned around again and continued walking. Ash hurried to follow. Graveler groaned at the prospect of more walking.
.—.—.
"Now, the reason behind the Water Stones and Thunder Stones is all about the environment around here and the way the stones form in the first place. The theory is that Water Stones usually form in water sources that accumulate water-types. Thunder Stones are the same but with electric-types or lightning strikes. Make sense?"
"Yeah, the same theory as with Fire Stones. Condensed thermal energy in that case. Water Stones form in cascades the same way Fire Stones form in volcanoes?" Ash asked.
"Pretty much. Pyro got his Fire Stone for Flareon from what we had left in stock here, but he nabbed the last one. He's been thinking about a venture to Cinnabar Island to look for one but he can't find the time." Sparky said as Bolt barked. The jolteon jumped up to its trainer to get his attention. "Yes, Bolt, Flareon. Sorry, my brothers' eevees and mine came from the same clutch. She gets excited when they get brought up. Not much room for them to interact when we're all three busy being Gym Leaders."
"You're all three Gym Leaders?" Ash asked bewildered. "Like the Waterflowers in Cerulean?"
Sparky laughed. "Nah, nothing like that. We aren't anywhere near the Big Eight. I say that we three are all Gym Leaders but on paper I'm the only Leader. Pyro and Rainer are technically only trainers employed by the Gym."
"Gym Trainers?" Ash asked.
"Not Gym Trainers, we're not a big enough Gym for that. Didn't really matter to us who was the actual Leader, just the same leave it as not. Just means I have to do more paperwork than them. I just got stuck with it cause I'm a few minutes older than those two." Sparky supplied. "Anyway, where were we?"
"The stones."
"Right. So, Evolution Mountain used to be more than the bare rock that it is now. Once upon a time there was a lot of life on it. A waterfall cascaded down it, splotches of trees and forest on its sides, and a river that roared down what is now Grampa Canyon. You can see why the Water Stones would form. Thunder Stones were usually found at the peak, with lightning hitting up there more often and all. Some elders used to say Zapdos himself would roost up there but that's probably all rumor and myth."
Ash tried to imagine the barren mountain with so much vibrance. "What happened to it?"
Sparky frowned. "People found out they might be able to find an Evolution Stone here so they gathered en masse. The largest influx of trainers this area has ever seen. This place could have been the next big tourist hotspot, like Tohjo Falls, but all they did was destroy the area. They either ran the pokemon out or caught them all. The waterfall dried up pretty fast and the canyon went dry soon after. After that, a fire ripped through what was left. Still can't say if the fire was a wild one or caused by the people though. The fire left behind some Fire Gems and a Fire Stone–Pyro's Fire Stone, actually–but not much else. After that, only little old Stone Town was left standing."
"I'm sorry." Ash said after a moment. "Did the League not help?"
Sparky gave him an amused glance. "They were the first ones that flocked here. This was some five hundred years ago, so I don't blame the current League for it, but no. They didn't help."
Ash sighed. He had been hearing that a lot lately. He hadn't heard of these kinds of stories in Pallet Town or at the Academy. Then again, Pallet Academy was sponsored by the Indigo League. Why would they want their trainers taught about the League's shortcomings? Ash figured a subject change could do them some good before he went all tinfoil hat. "When did your Gym start?"
"We got approved about two years ago." Sparky said. His expression was one of fondness and reminiscing. "Elite Four Koga inspected us and gave us the greenlight. They set us up with the usual pokemon, stipends and whatnot before telling us our territory and position. All that boring stuff."
Ash didn't find it boring. "They give you a stipend to make badges and pay for necessities, that makes sense. But they give you pokemon?"
"Oh, we don't have a badge to give. Like I said, not the Big Eight. Between you and me, I think they only gave us the okay so that Janine could focus on the Safari Zone more. Too much poaching these days." Sparky informed him. At Ash's disappointment his face went up with a grin. "Hoping to challenge me, eh?"
Ash's grin matched his. He had never needed the incentive of a badge to battle. "Always down for a fight. Tomorrow?" Sparky nodded but was unable to speak as they were interrupted.
"Sparky!" A short boy a few years younger than Ash came racing down the path in front of them, a small eevee hot on his heels. "You're finally back!"
Sparky clapped the shorter boy on the back when he stopped to suck in some air. "Breath, Mikey. Rainer would kill me if you passed out. What's up?"
"Rainer said to come get you!" Mikey panted out between breaths. "The Cycling Bridge Rangers requested help! Rainer is on his way and Fuchsia is sending a Gym Trainer!"
"Did they say why they requested help?" Sparky asked urgently, expression turning serious. "And where is Pyro?!"
"Pyro had to go out and deal with a herd of ponyta that escaped the Laramie Ranch! Rainer said something about the storm and water-types…I-I don't know what else."
"Good job, Mikey. Come on." Sparky raced past them as Ash and Mikey followed.
Stone Town's Gym was more of a mansion than a proper Gym. The grounds held battlegrounds to use but there was no proper building that Ash would label as suitable for a city's Gym. Then again, this wasn't a city. This was a small town with a population of only a thousand or less. A Gym that looked as though it belonged in Celadon would be asking for trouble from the League and the community both.
Ash had no proper time to take in the building as he followed Sparky inside. Graveler stopped outside at Ash's signal and huffed. The rock pokemon seemed content enough to rest from all the running around.
Sparky navigated the halls with ease as he made his way to an office. With practiced speed, the Gym Leader of Stone Town withdrew a pokeball belt. Multiple pokeballs were attached but Ash had no way of knowing if they were empty since they all looked expanded. "Mikey, show Ash around if you would. Get him an insulating case and show him to a guest room. I'll be back as soon as I can."
At that, a kadabra emerged from one of the pokeballs. Its eyes flashed an ethereal pink before it teleported away with Sparky. Ash was left blinking as Mikey rubbed his eyes. Well, that happened. "Uh..hi. I'm Ash."
Mikey gave a small nod. "I'm Mikey, Sparky's youngest brother. Did he say you needed an insulating case?"
"Yeah, I found a Thunder Stone. I'd like to not get knocked into a coma, y'know?" Ash joked. Mikey gave a polite laugh.
"That's weird. Any Thunder Stones I've seen have been handleable." Mikey thought aloud. "Maybe yours is recently formed?"
Ash shrugged. "Could be. I found it after that massive storm so it's plausible."
"Let's go get that case then." Mikey declared as he led the way. "Uh..where is the Thunder Stone by the way?"
"My graveler is holding it. He's outside."
Mikey nodded as he continued on. Soon enough, a black case was put in Ash's hands and he was facing Graveler. It almost looked like a ring box but with a larger and far thicker inner lining. The Thunder Stone fit in the case, but not without Graveler's rough hands almost bending it. "Thanks, Graveler, wanna rest?" Ash returned him when the pokemon nodded. Too much walking made him far more agreeable apparently. Good to know.
Ash examined the Evolutionary Stone through the top of the case. Mikey did so as well. "It doesn't look like it was newly formed, the outer shell is too tough for that to be the case. Lightning hitting it may have supercharged it then, haven't heard of that except in my reading. Wonder what would happen if you used it on a pokemon?" Mikey's eevee jumped up at that and pawed at the younger boy's leg. "No, Eevee, you're not ready to evolve yet. Maybe in the future when we start our journey."
Ash watched the normal-type deflate. "You plan on being a trainer?"
"Yeah, when I'm old enough. Eevee and I are gonna try the Gym Circuit, I'm gonna attend the Pokemon Technical Institute in Vermillion starting this upcoming semester. Then I'll only have three years there before I can take my TLE. I'm worried I'll let my brothers down if I fail." Mikey lamented.
"I'm sure you'll pass." Ash assured him. An uncomfortable silence prevailed as he tried to think of something to talk about. "So…Sparky was telling me about the League giving the Gym pokemon? Do you know why they do that?"
Mikey lit up. "Oh, yeah, Rainer said I should know about the way the Gym works with the League."
"Rainer sounds like a smart guy."
"He is. Don't tell Sparky or Pyro, but Rainer's my favorite." Mikey confided. "Here, let me show you to the room you can use."
Ash followed as the boy talked. "So, the pokemon the League gives out really depends on the size of the gym, specialty, and need. So far they gave our Gym a kadabra, two pidgeot, and a porygon. Standard array, I think. Kadabra is used to teleport between short distance locations, like Sparky used it for. The pidgeots are for travel when you need to go far or Kadabra is unavailable. The porygon maintains the connection to the League and other Gyms year round."
"Neat." Ash remarked. It made sense for that to be a standard array the League would give out. "If this is a standard Gym, then shouldn't they give out badges? Sparky mentioned you don't."
Mikey hesitated for a moment. "Badges are really only for the larger Gyms. The Big Eight and the ones grandfathered in. They used to say that any Gym, no matter the size, could give out a badge back when my brothers were on their journeys. I guess too many greenies were rushing the Conference by only going after the weaker Gyms. That makes Indigo look bad in the eyes of the World League, so they pretty much did away with that. The Orange Islands have Gyms that still give out badges that the League recognizes as valid, so does one in the Seafoam Islands."
"That makes some sense, but then what do the small Gyms do if they don't have challengers?" Ash questioned.
"Patrol their designated areas mostly, plus whatever the League orders them to do. Pyro likes to take the areas closer to Fuchsia and Rainer takes the ones further away. Sparky meets them in the middle."
Ash nodded. Three people patrolling such a large area was better than one. "Isn't all of that considered Janine's territory? Wouldn't she or her Gym Trainers be patrolling there?"
"Sparky says Janine tends to overfocus on the Safari Zone and Fuchsia City so they have to pick up the slack everywhere else, Cycling Bridge included. They're supposed to support her authority in the area, instead they get to do all her work." Mikey said with a touch of anger before paling. "I wasn't supposed to say that."
Ash winced. Yeah, that could probably land Sparky in trouble. Bad mouthing a directly superior Gym Leader would be pretty frowned upon. "I didn't hear a word."
Mikey seemed relieved. "Thanks. Here's your room."
Ash thanked him as he entered the room. It was late and his calves burnt from all the hiking he'd done. The bed was modest in comparison to the room's size with black sheets. Ash couldn't care less how anything other than that bed looked as he sunk down into it.
.—.—.—.
"You're sure you don't want anything? That case is expensive, I feel bad just taking it." Ash asked.
Sparky waved him off. "It's fine. We have a dozen more and the League pays us enough as is." The Gym Leader had returned at some point late in the night. He looked tired, eyes heavy with lack of sleep, but still chipper. "Thanks for looking out for Mikey, by the way."
"I didn't really do much aside from ask him some questions." Ash deflected.
"You got his mind off us leaving, so I call that payment enough. Love the kid but he's a worrywart. Pyro is too tough on him and Rainer is too soft." Sparky stretched as he yawned. "You gonna join us for breakfast?" Ash wouldn't have refused even if his stomach hadn't growled at the mention of food. Sparky laughed. "Come on. Rainer makes some killer pancakes. Your pokemon can eat too if they're okay with some chow and berries outside."
Ash nodded. "Thanks, they'd like that."
"Oh. This must be him?" Another voice asked. The other boy stepped into view with red hair that almost lit up the hallway. A face that looked identical to Sparky. "Pyro, good to meet you."
"Ash."
Pyro gave a two finger salute as he kept on walking. "Good meeting you, little man. Sorry, the Laramies are having trouble again. I'll probably be back for dinner."
Sparky snorted as his brother disappeared. "Trouble my ass. He can't spend more than a day without seeing that girlfriend of his. Lara is great for him, but he really slacks off nowadays."
Ash was led to the dining room by Sparky after that. The dining table was long and could seat a dozen people easily. The table was stockpiled with various foods. Fruits, pancakes, and pitchers of juice made Ash's stomach tightened with hunger. Had he even had lunch or dinner yesterday?
Mikey sat at one end of the table, a plate of pancakes in front of him. He was absently cutting up the pieces before he caught sight of them walking in. Ash noted with a smile the boy was slipping pieces of sausage to Eevee below the table. "Hey, Ash. Sparky, I thought you were helping Rainer with breakfast?"
"He kicked me out." Sparky confessed as Ash waved. "Didn't we tell you no pokemon allowed at the table?" Eevee jumped out from under the wooden table with an indignant bark. "No, outside with everyone else. We'll bring out the chow after we're done. I do not need fur in my food." The normal-type stalked off with a huff, its fur puffed up with anger.
Mikey giggled at the scene. "He's so dramatic."
"Sparky or Eevee?" Ash joked. Mikey giggled again as Sparky rolled his eyes.
"Both of them, I think." Another person said as they walked into the room. Again, he looked like a spitting image of Sparky–save for the blue hair–that he couldn't be anyone other than his brother. In his hands he was carrying a container of syrup. "I'm Barry, but call me Rainer. Please, sit and eat."
Ash thanked him as he did just that. Sparky was right, Rainer made delicious pancakes. Then he bit into his fourth flapjack. He immediately sputtered and coughed up the piece that was in his mouth. They sent him wide eyed looks as he chugged his glass of juice. After a second he sent an equally wide eyed look at them. "Was that pepper in a pancake?"
Rainer sighed as Sparky looked sheepish. "Sorry, I thought I got rid of all the ones Sparky ruined. He's a hazard in the kitchen."
"It's fine, it just surprised me." Ash assured him. "I think I'm done though."
Rainer nodded as he gave Sparky a glare. "Well, so am I. Here, let's go feed the pokemon. Your team can join if they want. Sparky, you're on dish duty."
.—.—.—.
"How many badges do you have?" Rainer asked, leading him to the fields outside the massive manor. "Sparky mentioned wanting a battle before you left."
A battle with a Gym Leader, even if not for a badge, was a learning experience. One Ash was never going to pass up. "Just one right now, Celadon's Rainbow Badge."
Rainer nodded. "Erika's then." He said nothing more for a while as they settled into a comfortable silence. Instead he simply walked as Ash followed. Soon enough the fields came into view. The trees surrounded this little Eden, as though protecting it from the world. Well maintained grasses and shrubbery that seemed untouched by the recent storm, a pond that rippled as unseen creatures moved beneath its surface, and a large dirt patch that served as a battlefield all caught Ash's sight. In a way, it reminded him of Oak's corral in Pallet. On a smaller scale, of course.
"We keep this area particularly clean." Rainer spoke up against the silence. "Our teams are usually here if they aren't with us. Some wild pokemon like to gather here too. We don't mind as long as they don't wreck the place. You can't see it but past those trees there's a sandy hollow. The fire-types like to use it for sunbathing and the flying-types like to use it for a dust bath."
"It's impressive." Ash agreed. "I never asked Sparky, but are you all specialists?"
Rainer gave him an amused glance as he pointed to his hair. "I specialize in water-types, I think you can guess what Pyro and Sparky train."
"Didn't wanna assume. As an old man once told me, "to assume makes an ass out of you and me."" Ash remembered Professor Oak saying that to Gary and him years ago. It had been so long Ash couldn't remember just why the man had been upset with them. "So, I would guess you have a vaporeon then?"
Rainer nodded as he raised his hands to his mouth. A short, deft whistle sounded out. The pond rippled in response as something emerged instantly. The vaporeon blended into the water perfectly. It let out a quick bark as it raced over to its trainer. "This is Cass, he was my starter way back when. Cass, get the others for breakfast if you would." The sleek water-type barked an affirmative as it raced away again to relay the message.
Rainer snapped his finger and a couple bags of pokemon chow appeared at his feet. At Ash's curiosity he simply pointed to the slowbro gazing at them from a distance. Soon enough an assortment of pokemon were surrounding them. Water-types, electric-tyes and fire-types were not the only types in attendance. An exeggutor baked lazily in the sun as a dodrio roosted in a tree. Ash knew that specialists would catch pokemon outside their speciality, but there seemed to be a good amount of them. Maybe some of them were wild but he had no clue as to which ones.
Ash released his own team with Rainer's consent. Greed and Nut appeared with varying looks of confusion. Graveler would likely not appreciate being released with as many pokemon around as there were so he stayed in his ball. "Sorry, guys, change of plans. I'll tell you later but just grab something to eat while you have the time."
Greed gave a gruff acknowledgment as he snapped up some chow for himself. Nut basked in the glory of the sunlight before prancing off to suck some sap from whatever poor tree he found first. Ash watched as a poliwrath sauntered up to the pancham and engaged him in…conversation? Ash wasn't really sure what it was doing or what it wanted but the panda pokemon hadn't forced it away immediately. Maybe it was fighting-type camaraderie, who knows.
"So, Rainer, what was the problem at the Cycling Bridge? Everything seemed fine when I passed through." Ash asked as the pokemon around them ate. He reached down and scratched the ear of a ninetails that nosed his leg to get his attention. Its fur was warm and clearly well brushed.
Rainer sighed. "Waterspouts out to sea sent the nearby water-types into a frenzy. The Rangers are pretty good at holding the bridge, but there were waves of panicked water-types rushing them. We were able to redirect some of them down the coast. Surge and his Gym Trainers nabbed whatever slipped by us into Vermillion Bay. Blaine had a similar problem at Cinnabar and the Seafoam Islands got his leftovers. Rangers are working overtime scouring for ships the storm left behind."
Ash hadn't thought the storm had been that bad. The forecast had said it would be harsh but not that it would stretch all the way to Cinnabar or capsize boats. Then he thought of Ethan who would either be on a ship to Cinnabar or at Cinnabar at the moment. His stomach felt heavier all of the sudden. He'd need to ask Professor Oak about his friend. "Did any pokemon work their way to Route 1?"
Rainer shrugged. "I don't think so, but who knows. That's Giovanni's territory, he'll take care of it. Always has."
Nut shot his head over at hearing the name of Kanto's toughest Gym Leader. Ash nodded as he stopped his menstrations on the ninetales. It whined and nuzzled his hand to try to get him to continue causing Ash to chuckle. "Would you happen to have a phone I could use? I have some calls I'd better make if the storm was that bad. Check in with friends and family to let them know I'm still alright."
Rainer's eyes lit up with understanding. "Yeah, you can use the one in Sparky's office. First floor down the hall from the entrance. If you can't find it just shout until Mikey or Sparky find you first."
Ash thanked him as he returned to the mansion. He found the office easily enough and was quickly navigating the screen of the videophone. He logged into his own ID and quickly called the priority contacts first. His mother's face filled up the screen within a minute.
"Ashy!" She exclaimed. "How are you? I heard that the storm down there was terrible."
Ash knew that, which is why she was his first call. His mother would have been ticked if he hadn't called to check in after something that viscous when he had the chance. Above that though, she would worry herself sick. Ash hated when she worried. "I'm good, mom. The storm was rough but I got through it. I'm in Stone Town right now, south-west of Fuchsia."
She nodded, although Ash had a feeling she had never heard of the place. "How are Pancham–sorry, Greed–and Seedot doing?"
Ash smiled as he told her everything. Not everything, he amended to himself, he would never tell her just how dangerous his encounter with Graveler had been. If she was worried about a storm, there was no telling how much she would fret over something like that. Topics changed quickly and Ash was quickly losing material to talk or gossip about; there was only so much he heard out in the wilderness. Thankfully his mother was more intune with recent events than him.
"Oh! Ash, are you going to stop in the Fuchsia Safari Zone when you're there?"
Ash only had to think for a second. "Yeah, definitely. I know they have a lot of pokemon that are rare to find or aren't from Kanto. I heard there was an increase in poaching though, so hopefully they haven't run off all the pokemon."
His mother nodded. "The Celadon Daily reported on that last month. A shame that Koga isn't down there to drive them off anymore. That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about, it's related though! Have you been watching the news?"
"I keep up with it on my Dex. It's usually a few days behind but it hasn't been a problem so far." Ash told her. "Wish it was instantaneous but we can't win 'em all."
"Samuel said much the same." Delia Ketchum hummed before shaking her head. "Anyway, did you hear about the arrangement made between Indigo and the World League regarding the Safari Zone?"
Ash had not. "What's the agreement?"
"Well, with so much poaching going on the Indigo League made an arrangement with some other regions. They would send some of their own ACE Trainers to patrol the Safari Zone to keep it secure, as well as send some select species to populate some areas. In return, Indigo is going to send their own selection of pokemon to the other regions and help them set up their own preserves. There were even some mentions of exchanging fossils if the Indigo League gave the other Leagues the know-how in order to revive their own."
Ash hummed in thought. It was a lot to take in. The Safari Zone deal was intriguing. The chance to get pokemon from other regions–not that he didn't already have that–was interesting. He doubted the other Leagues would be stockpiling Indigo with destructive weapons like salamence or garchomp, just as Ash doubted Indigo would be willing to hand over a single dragonite. The fossil revival technology was a strange idea. Fossils from other regions were bound to contain the remnants of ancient pokemon like tyrantrum, but the risk of handing over such technologies was great.
Ash was glad he didn't have to worry about politics. Yet. One couldn't be Champion without dabbling in politics.
"That's pretty big news." Ash agreed. "The less established Leagues will probably jump on that."
"Galar's League already accepted." His mom informed him. "That Champion of theirs–Leon–accepted it pretty quickly. Galar is supposedly already sending its League affiliated trainers to Kanto."
Interesting indeed. Galar was the newest region to enter the World League and the world stage. Ash wasn't terribly familiar with it. He knew the current Champion was a man named Leon who was said to be strong and had taken the throne fairly recently. The region had its Gym Leaders, but lacked an Elite Four. That…was the extent of his knowledge.
Galar was essentially still on the frontier until half a century or so ago, still was in some areas. The Galar League was fledgling when compared to the historical might wielded by the Indigo, Ever Grande, and Lily of the Valley Leagues. All three had centuries of power backing them.
Now that his mind was on Hoenn…
"By the way, mom, are you still in Hoenn?"
"Yep! I plan to get a guided tour of Mt. Chimney tomorrow." She informed him happily. "I should be wrapping up here within a week or two."
"Sounds fun. Take pictures for me. Why did you decide on Hoenn anyway? I thought your vacation was just going to be sightseeing in Johto." Ash asked curiously. He certainly wouldn't complain about it though, he'd gotten Nut out of her trip to the tropical region.
She fidgeted slightly at Ash's question. "I wanted to see an acquaintance again. They've been studying in Hoenn for a few years now."
Ash frowned. His mother was acting strange, nervous even. Shouldn't the rolls usually be reversed? He decided not to pry. "Okay…well, I still have to call the professor. I better let you go now."
"Alright. Bye, Ashy! Love you!"
"Bye, mom. Love you too."
Ash ended the call with a tap of a key. Strange was definitely the right word for that. His face cringed as his mind came up with a plausible explanation. Was his mother dating again? He cringed and elected to never have that thought again unless she brought it up herself.
The call with Professor Oak was far easier on Ash's psyche. Ethan, he learned, had landed in Cinnabar before the storm had hit. Ash was thankful for that at least. He wondered if his friend had caught a water-type of his own in the chaos of the storm. His starter was supposedly an electric-type after all. There would be no better opportunity to catch a pokemon that would usually be far out to sea.
The thought highlighted Ash's own lack of a water-type to him. He simply couldn't think of any he wanted on his team. Indigo didn't lack for water-types, but none caught Ash's eye. None that he could reasonably get his hands on anyway. Ash figured he might take the chance to fish off the city's harbor in hopes of reeling something up with the water-types getting diverted up the coast towards Fuchsia. Who knows, might be something that catches his eye.
"Ash, do you have some time at the moment?" Professor Oak asked. On the screen Ash watched as a smile came to the man's face. When Ash nodded the man flicked a few buttons before his face vanished. Just as quickly another face filled the void left behind. Ash blinked. Gary blinked back at him.
"Ash?"
"Gary?"
They spoke at the same time, much to their amusement. Professor Oak had seemingly connected their coincidently well timed calls.
"Damn, it's been like three months already. Are you still a trainer? Is the road too hard for you yet?" Gary goaded immediately. "I know how hard you must have fought against those vicious caterpie on Route 1!"
Ash snorted. Same Gary as ever. Good to know the road wasn't affecting him too hard. If the Oak started complimenting him out of nowhere Ash would probably have had to get his friend's sanity tested. "You wish. My team could trample yours twice over, Blue. Has Delta got tired of you yet? I gave it a month before he ditched you for a moderately strong Bug Catcher."
"Wow, that hurts. Really hits me deep. My heart bleeds from such a deep wound." Gary said, hurt lacing his tone. The smirk on his face said otherwise.
"You have a heart?" Ash asked, surprised.
Gary broke and cackled.
.—.—.
Another one done. I had a lot of fun with this one. Stone Town, Evolution Mountain and the Eevee Brothers, thoughts? I did say we'd get past Celadon last chapter, never said we'd get to Fuchsia. I can guarantee we'll get to Fuchsia City by the next chapter though, so stick with me.
Gary makes an appearance. Love to write about him, he's an ass and owns it. Also, any guesses on just what the stalker is? I've dropped enough hints that you guys can probably guess it but I'm curious what you all think. I will say that someone has correctly guessed it somewhere.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. Replied below (in no particular order):
BJJPanda: Good questions, all of them. Obviously, I can't answer all of them without spoiling it, but hopefully you'll stick around to find out! Sidenote, you have no clue how close I was to doing the Seven Deadly Sins naming scheme. Nut's first name in my drafts was indeed Envy, so good on you for guessing that. I changed it in the planning phase so as to not limit the team to one sole characteristic, as well as not limit myself to seven members (nine if I included Melancholy and Vainglory). I kept Greed as Greed because I was a little too attached.
Browntown747: Thank you for pointing it out, I fixed it.
Uvuvwevwevwe: Thanks, my man. Admittedly I've not read The Natural, but Challenger is a worthy comparison. Traveler is a whole other league. Straight Elf is a master.
Eagle10000: Thanks. Yeah, got it about right lol.
Muhammad: Thanks, my guy.
Jeskasaurus: Thank you!
Jelle88: Thanks, I'll try not to abandon it lol.
HDK315: Thank you! I tried to set the tone and world in the first chapter without overdoing it, so glad you liked it. I'm glad you liked James' POV, I enjoyed writing it. That won't be the last we see of him. I try to make the travel realistic so I'm glad you think so. Good to hear you liked Graveler, hopefully I made him live up to the expectations.
Guest: Under the same name over on AO3, good hunting!