.—.—.
Ash was not a person who could truly capture the spectacle of Kanto's cities.
He appreciated them, certainly, but he was from Pallet Town and rarely had he left it before his journey. That was more of Gary's area. The Oak was better traveled than he was, having joined the Professor on his various trips around Indigo. It was inevitable that his friend would join his grandfather's trips and return to tell Ash all about whatever city he'd gone to.
Well, more like Gary would lord it over him and brag about it for a week nonstop, but he always brought Ash back a new snack or souvenir, so he took it on the chin. His favorite pen–a multi-colored ballpoint with a diglett head as the clicky part–came from one such visit to Goldenrod City.
Appeasement gifts aside, Ash could admit that getting to follow Samuel Oak around Indigo was objectively cool. Ash couldn't say he wouldn't brag too.
Actually, the one time he attended the Professor's summer camp when Gary had to stay home with the flu he'd done exactly that. Mew, Gary hated him that next week. Ash didn't feel bad though. It was good for the Oak to get a taste of what he dished out every once and a while. It kept his friend's ego in check.
Nonetheless, Ash could admit that his friend possessed the better eye for appraisal. The Saffron Gym he'd read about was described as beautiful, freshly built when Sabrina took over as Gym Leader. Gary would agree with that description, he was sure.
To Ash, the Saffron Gym seemed out of place within its own city.
To its credit, it was unlike the boring greys and monotonous apartment highrises. Similarly modern but far more refined. Sporting both sharp and rounded curves that made it look more akin to a children's drawing than an actual building and massive windows that reflected what little sunlight the inner city caught from the shadow of the city's skyscrapers. The building was sparkling grey, as though it was crafted from pure silver and polished daily.
The building was huge, as big as the Eevee Brothers' mansion in Stone Town and then some. The size made sense to him since the Saffron Gym also functioned as a boarding school for the few students Sabrina deemed worthy to attend. A very select few, that bunch. All of which were rumored to harbor some level of psionic inclination.
The school didn't explain the odd design choice to the building's exterior though. The corners were ugly and the windows too big. Nothing like Janine's traditional aesthetic that Ash had.
Then again, Saffron was a far different beast than Fuschia.
Ash adjusted his hat as he entered the Gym. The hat's brim hugged his eyebrows as he walked in. The bright fluorescent lighting made him blink. Somehow he had assumed this lobby would be different from the others.
He could hear the Professor in his ear chastising him about assuming. Again.
At least there was no line. Saffron kept their challenges on a schedule and trainers reserved a time slot. The city was bustling and Sabrina was its Gym Leader, she had duties to attend to. He would almost wonder why Surge didn't implement the same system in Vermilion but he was sure he knew the answer to that. The brute enjoyed the waves of trainers lining up to get whipped.
Before he had the chance to look for a secretary, two large double doors on the wall facing the entrance opened. A tall woman cut a figure in the frame as the room behind her seemed to suck all light from the lobby. Ash would recognize the woman anywhere.
Sabrina Tanaka looked at him from under her long bangs. Her eyes were red. More like blood than roses–which he hadn't known was possible–and focused solely on him. He understood why they called her Saffron's Arcane Beauty. Her hair was a veil of silky green as she approached him. Ash's face heated up, mouth suddenly parched.
The World's Strongest Psychic, as she was often called. Sabrina was the preeminent specialist the world over in anything psychic related. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel small. Surge was a monster of a man but Sabrina held a presence that not even the Vermilion Gym Leader could match. "I'm here to challenge for the Marsh Badge."
"I know. Good day to you, Ash Ketchum." Sabrina's voice was lower pitched than he expected, but not unkind. Soothing almost. Better than Surge's barking by far.
Right, psychic. Wait, did she… "Good morning. You, uh, read my mind?"
"I didn't read your mind, Mr. Ketchum, I simply looked at my schedule." Sabrina smiled in amusement. "Burrowing into one's thoughts above a surface level is drastic. Moreover, it's rude. That we rip into a person's mind on a whim is an unflattering stereotype."
"Right, sorry." He flushed while silently thanking Mew that was the case. "I didn't mean to imply…"
"There is nothing wrong with asking questions, Mr. Ketchum. It was a faux pas, nothing more." Sabrina's heels tapped the floor as she came to stand directly in front of him. Her outfit–which suited her very nicely, in his opinion–matched her eyes.
Ash's face looked like he'd been burnt. She could have worn any color, but why did it have to be red? It was always red. Mew, if Gary saw him right now he would never live it down. Ash made a point to look at the bridge of her nose and ignore the fact that her face was very nicely chiseled. He understood what having a 'noble face' meant now.
Sabrina stopped just short of him, making him crane his neck upwards to try and not have his eyes fall somewhere less than socially acceptable. She inclined her head slightly. "I trust my city has treated you well?"
"Yes, ma'am." Ash gulped. He motioned to the looming darkness of the room she had come from. "Do we battle in there?"
Sabrina shook her head. "I must apologize to you, Mr. Ketchum, for we will not be battling today."
Ash blinked and his focus was immediately regained. "What? Why?"
"Because you will lose."
That was a hell of a thing to say. Ash frowned. "We haven't even fought yet. My team is strong. Give me a chance to–"
"You would command a close match, a credit to your commitment as a trainer. However, your nuzleaf would ultimately fall to my alakazam," Sabrina reinforced. "So, we will not be battling today. You will return when you are stronger than you are now and no sooner."
Ash gaped as he understood what she was saying. Among her many rumored abilities was…
"Precognition?" He asked.
She nodded in firm confirmation. "Yes, that future is foretold and set. There is no reason for a fight that is predetermined. Nothing comes from it."
Ash shook his head. If Sabrina said she had seen the future then he didn't doubt her, but to say he lost before they even fought rubbed him in the worst kind of way. "Still, I want to fight. My team would benefit from the experience either way. I've already paid the fee," he pointed out.
The Gym Leader held up her palm. "Your fee will be returned."
That was clearly not his point. "I've been preparing for weeks. My pokemon and I want to challenge you."
"I'm sure you have, but you will need to prepare for weeks more before you come here again." Sabrina put a hand on his shoulder. "When one gazes at their own future, it is set in stone. If we fight, you will lose. There is no point to such an encounter."
Ash bit his lip.
Of all the things he had expected when he'd walked in, this wasn't anywhere near the top. Sabrina winning? Sure. Sabrina being called away last minute? Annoying but he could reschedule. Outright refusing him a battle because she had decided to play seer?
Ash should have held his tongue, but this situation was outright unfair and the inky blackness he had long put under control was resurging. The void lapped at his consciousness. He clenched his fist. "Then why look in the first place? Why even fight at all if you know who is gonna win in the end?"
The Gym Leader smiled. Different from her earlier smile, more somber in comparison. "We cannot fight this day, Mr. Ketchum. I will see you again. I expect a true challenge from you, in time."
Ash knew when he was dismissed. His fist clenched and face twisted into a frown, he walked back out of the Gym. No badge in hand and no battle to blame it on.
He couldn't feel the red eyes on his back but knew they were there.
"More Erika than Janine," Ash muttered to himself. He didn't even look where he was walking off to so long as it was away from the Gym.
Sabrina was supposed to be his toughest challenge yet. Of all the Indigo Gym Leaders, she had always been hailed as the ideal League representation. She was supposed to be the most reasonable .
Fine then.
His temper was boiling and his head was pounding. He needed to calm down, to take his deep breaths. He could feel his nails in his palm and teeth on his lip breaking skin. The Distortion stoked him.
He ducked into the nearest alley and clicked the lowest pokeball on his bandolier.
Ash was flooded with an assortment of colors the moment Unown was released. The psychic-type buzzed a series of quick, calming melodies. The trainer took the meaning without needing a translation. He closed his eyes and did the routine as Unown prompted, one that was so familiar by now.
A deep breath in, a slow exhale out.
Over and over again.
In and out, measured and controlled.
He repeated the process three times over before he opened his eyes.
Unown's lone eye peered back at him.
Hesitant marigold prodded at him. Ash didn't fight the small smile. "Thanks, Unown. I'm better now."
Was it defeat?
Ash winced. "No, we didn't lose. We didn't get to fight at all." Unown buzzed for him to elaborate but he shook his head. "Sorry, Unown. Give me a minute, I only want to explain this once and I'm getting a headache."
Headache was being polite about it. His skull felt like he'd been hit over the head with a bat and struck every curb in the city when he fell.
It had to be the Distortion. Ash could still feel it, biting and nipping at him even as Unown hummed a musical tone that sent lilac along their bond that attempted to redirect the void back to its proper place.
Ash massaged his temple as he released another pokeball. Nut appeared with a flash, feet spread apart in a low stance. The grass-type blinked up at him, flicking his leaf in annoyance at the lack of a battle. "Nut, pull the Distortion back a bit. It's killing my head."
A whistling accompanied the waves lapping at his mind receding and Ash sighed. "Thank you, Unown."
The stain was managed back into his normal confines, fleeing as though it was a fire splashed by water. Nut chittered in confusion as he gestured with his mitts before pushing them together and concentrating. Their connection, while not as intricate and direct as the one he had with Unown, bled the meaning into his mind well enough.
In fact, Ash felt that his bond with Nut was far stronger today. Strong enough that he could have sworn he caught a few whispered syllables. His partner tugged on his pant leg and held out an open mitt and acted as though a weight had been placed in his palm.
"The air feels heavier?" Ash asked, which the dark-type confirmed with a nod. "Was that why the Distortion felt more…"
What was the word he was looking for? He had been frustrated and the stain in his mind had escalated that to outright anger. But he'd had that issue managed until now. The Distortion had felt different than usual.
"It was more reactive," Ash settled on. The nuzleaf nodded in agreement. The pokemon shifted his feet and held out his palm. The trainer watched as a bulb of inky black energy condensed. The quasi-Dark Pulse spun in the nuzleaf's mitt as Nut applied more energy into it. The bud of energy expanded and then grew.
And then it grew and grew and didn't stop. Ash stumbled back as the orb reached the size of Nut's head. The dark-type grunted as he tried to maintain control. He pulled the move back towards his body and hugged it to his chest. His other hand came down onto the pulse's top and the pokemon cut off the energy and strangled the attack until it was extinguished.
Ash blinked. The grass-type had only just learned the move. They had made progress with it but nothing that should have allowed his partner to wield a Dark Pulse to that extent. There was only one explanation for it. "Definitely reactive. Is it unmanageable?"
Nut looked at his hands, leaf flicking violently back and forth, before shaking his head. Unown buzzed as if to confirm. The dark-type concentrated on his mitts. Another bud formed and followed the other's path into Nut's palm. This one grew into a proper size before Nut cut its supply. The Dark Pulse swirled in small circles before it slowly waned out of existence. A few stray splashes of inky blackness remained before they winked out of existence too.
Ash slowly nodded. "If you think you have it under control, I trust you. Is it something with you or me?" Nut shook his head again. He gestured widely around them and then clenched his hand into a fist.
The teen hummed. The city itself then. If Nut was feeling it then most dark-types likely were. Unown didn't seem any different though, which made Ash assume it wasn't too serious if it wasn't negatively affecting psychics. It wasn't unheard of for pokemon that share a type to see a boost to their abilities when there was a large enough group of them gathered in one place. Usually that meant grass-types in the heart of Viridian Forest or electric-types at the Power Plant. He found it off that there would be so many dark-types in Saffron City.
Ash considered the situation. "Do either of you sense dark-types gathered anywhere nearby?"
Nut shook his head and Unown buzzed.
Ash was a bit disappointed at that. A gathering of dark-types was a good chance to catch another dark-type. He was a specialist now. "Well, let me know if that changes. If there's a pack or flock of dark-types around, I wanna check it out. We might get a new teammate."
Nut shot him a thumbs up. Unown just bobbed in the air. It was as close to a nod as the psychic could manage.
Ash took a breath. Too many things at once. Sabrina rejecting his challenge and a potential swarm of dark-types giving him a migraine wasn't on his bingo card. He needed to catch his pokemon up on the shift in agenda sooner than later.
He released every pokeball on his person with a few clicks. Similar to Nut, they all assumed battle stances. After clearing up that they were, in fact, not in battle he beckoned them closer. With everyone gathered, Ash spoke. "Sabrina refused to accept my challenge. We aren't going to fight her today. She said we couldn't win so there wasn't a point in battling."
Graveler snorted loudly, grinding his fists into the alley's concrete. Greed similarly huffed, taking offense at the insinuation. Fighting-type pride and all. Regal crowed and Cove was the loudest of them, snapping his claws in protest and slapping his tail to the ground. The corphish was generally a content and happy presence on the team but the lobster adored a good fight and made his displeasure known.
The rookie had known they would be annoyed, he was too. He didn't think they needed to know the part where she saw the future. As his team chorused, Ash thought it better to let them channel that energy into a proper outlet. "Saffron City is a hub for trainers. I can find us some battles, but they won't be near the level Sabrina's would have been. Are any of you still up for a fight?"
Ash smiled when the answer was unanimous.
His team was still expecting a fight, he'd find them one.
The Saffron Gym wasn't the only place in the city where he could find a battle.
.—.—.
"What do you two think, Graveler? Regal?" Ash asked.
Half of the mentioned pokemon looked up at him and blinked cluelessly.
The teen sighed. "You weren't paying attention, were you?"
Graveler confirmed the accusation without shame. A small chunk of concrete was smashed into his mouth. Regal crowed at the rock-type from atop her station on his shell. She rocked back and forth from the motions of the graveler swinging his arms carelessly. The corvisquire adjusted her stance and squawked at the ground-type beneath her, chastising him.
The avian's evolution sparked a change in her. Regal matured almost overnight. The usually flippant and vain flying-type was far more attentive than she had been as a rookidee. She had already reprimanded Graveler once for not paying attention when Ash was talking, she clearly didn't appreciate doing it twice.
He never could have imagined the sassy rookidee he captured in the Safari Zone doing so. He knew evolution could affect a pokemon in more ways than just physically. It was another to see it firsthand.
Ash laughed lightly as the bird smoothed down her chest and fussed over her feathers. The scene helped settle his worries.
His little chick had grown so much but she was still the same pokemon at heart. She was still Regal.
Graveler grunted and motioned to Ash's bandolier. The teen nodded and returned the ground-type to his pokeball as requested. The lazy boulder pokemon took any chance to avoid long walks. Getting to avoid Regal's pestering was probably a bonus. Regal flew from her teammate's back as he vanished, large blue and black wings stretched to their full span.
The corvisquire let out a loud caw as she took to the air to follow them from above. Ash's shoulder was glad for that. The raven had tried to take her normal spot on his shoulder more than once. However, her sudden growth shot her from eight inches and a few pounds to well over two feet and closer to forty pounds. In other words, far too big to ride on his shoulder.
Unown buzzed.
You were speaking?
Ash rolled his eyes. "Well, just you and me. I was saying that I want to find something to push us while we're in Saffron. Issue being there isn't really an equivalent to challenging Indigo's top psychic specialist." Ash acknowledged the salt in his tone.
Sabrina was a sour topic for him at the moment.
He had considered leaving Saffron to follow the planned path along Route 12 towards Lavender Town. The place was infamously a breeding ground for ghost-types and Ash had never had the pleasure of facing a ghost. It would be a new experience for all of them. From there they could go up Route 9 to the wild areas of the Rock Tunnel.
Oh, he looked forward to the Rock Tunnel. The area promised great things.
Ash tempered himself. He had to stall their departure for at least another two days. He wanted to be in civilization when the League announced the St. Anne. Besides wanting to hear the announcement himself, he also needed Professor Oak to help get him a spot on the Battle Voyage.
If he missed an opportunity the likes of the St. Anne, he was nowhere near the trainer he thought himself to be. The Old Oak had promised to try and land a ticket for him so Ash needed to be available until he had confirmation he had a way on board.
Knowing he had to stay didn't help his mood much. Ash disliked Saffron the longer he stayed. It was better than Celadon, he would admit. The alleys had the odd stray meowth or rattata but nothing to the carrion flooded breeding grounds in Celadon. Not to mention the lack of general unrest.
Sabrina was beloved in her city. Erika was not, as Ritchie had made clear.
Except Erika had at least battled him, garbage personality or not.
Picking fights with other trainers was okay but there weren't enough high-level trainers to push him. He'd taken his team to the various battlegrounds around the city, starting around the Pokemon Center and circling through the city to challenge the scattered trainer population. All of his pokemon, excluding the noncombatant Unown, were itching to let off some energy after Sabrina had turned them away.
Their fights were varied, some easier than others but only one had been difficult. A trainer with five badges challenged him. Ash lost but only just. The trainer's mightyena had been vicious in its attempts to dig in its teeth and ragdoll Cove across the battlefield. It had been aggressive out of battle too, snapping and snarling at its own trainer. The trainer had assured him that the behavior was out of the ordinary which reinforced Ash's confidence that there was a mass of dark-types somewhere.
Despite his increasing negativity to the city, there was one more place Ash thought he might find some luck.
The Pokemon Trainer Fan Club was located just east of the PokeMart. A large sign was the only clue that told Ash he had found the correct building. The squat two-story building was painted an obnoxious yellow and bore a pastel green roof. Unassuming was the word Ash would use if it wasn't such an eyesore.
Unown buzzed a question.
"This is the Pokemon Trainer Fan Club," Ash answered. "If I want to try and find trainers to throw the others at, this is the place. Or they'll help point me in the right direction."
Ash very quickly realized he had come to the wrong place.
The club was deceptively inviting with lounge music and cozy couches. Free drinks and snacks were offered, even to newcomers like him, and members were nice enough to include him in their discussions. It wasn't until they started talking that he realized his folly.
The internet had told him the Pokemon Trainer Fan Club was about recognizing great trainers, gathering like-minded individuals to brainstorm training techniques, and veterans helping up-and-coming trainers succeed.
The internet had lied to him, go figure. They were far more interested in discussing which celebrity trainer was dating which star coordinator than actualing emulating them. He didn't have half a clue what they were talking about most of the time but if he ever had to hear the name Lisia again he would combust. An entire conversation was dedicated to how pretty and popular and perfect she was. Whoever she was, he disliked her via association.
When they moved on to the topic of pokemon he had gotten his hopes up. Said hopes were shot down when they began workshopping potential pokemon names rather than potential techniques. That was enough for him.
Ash thanked them for their useless advice and pointedly ignored the suggestion that he change his pokemons' names to make them more appealing for the mass market–seven of them agreed he should rename his flying-type 'Zephyra'. He weaved his way to the freedom of the exit with haste.
Traditional trainer battles it was.
He made a mental note (read: told Unown to remind him) to search up who Lisia was.
Know thy enemy afterall. Especially when that enemy turned out to be the niece of a Hoenn Gym Leader and famed celebrity coordinator.
Ash could begrudgingly acknowledge that she was very pretty.
.––.––.
Finding trainers to challenge was easy in as large a city as Saffron.
Finding trainers that could withstand Graveler was not.
The trainers who saw that he had a graveler had accepted his challenge happily. Easy pickings, he had heard one boy say. It might have been a fair assumption if they were the average trainer and pokemon. Unfortunately for them, Graveler was certainly not average, and Ash liked to think he was pretty good too.
Ash was well aware of the reputation the geodude-line held in Indigo. They were plentiful in Kanto and often seen as a trademark of rookie teams. Geodude were considered suitable for an inexperienced trainer making their way through Viridian Forest before being released when they had been outgrown by their teammates.
Geodude also evolved slower than most other rookie pokemon. A pidgey could be a pidgeot in months, a geodude could be a golem in years. They required the time to intake the proper materials to craft their shells that other pokemon didn't. When evolved, Graveler then grew even slower than their pre-evolution.
The myriad of weaknesses and a lack of answers to them without dedicated training and TMs didn't help their case. So, geodude and graveler were considered indicators of a rookie. That was to say, easy money.
How wrong they were.
Graveler crushed another pokemon without any fanfare and Ash took his winnings happily. The weepinbell was lying in a small crater, a mess of broken vines and leaves covering it. The amount of trainers that thought they could throw out a grass-type and knock out the boulder pokemon in a single attack was staggering. Ash was tempted to go and buy the Flamethrower TM just to see the look on their faces when Graveler scorched their stupid plants. They were already shocked when the rock-type pulled out Fire Punch. He wasn't sure why, it was a basic coverage move. Even idiots like these should–
Ash took a deep breath as he pushed back on the Distortion. It really took nothing to set it off. He did his breathing ritual and refocused. He tapped his knuckle on Graveler's shell. "Good work, bud. With this much, we might be able to buy Protect before we leave Saffron."
Graveler grunted at the retreating trainer, entirely unentertained.
Unown buzzed a congratulatory maroon in his mind. The psychic was out of sight but still close. The symbol pokemon was still unsure around a place as populated as the battlegrounds. Ash sent a thumbs up into the air in response.
"While you were fighting, I think I might have found your next fight." Ash pointed to a redhead in a yellow tank top across the field. "She seems good. Her battle was over pretty quick because her golduck practically put that gloom in a coma."
Graveler found some humor in that and agreed. Ash made his approach.
She accepted happily.
The girl he had challenged was a tomboy with a preference for water-types which had pushed Ash to challenge her in the first place. Besides her golduck, he'd seen her seadra blast an ursaring into the dirt. Graveler had taken out the girl's first pokemon without much damage. The croconaw had a strong jaw and powerful water attacks but was still not enough to take down the boulder pokemon.
The water-type had been doing well before its opponent had gotten a hand on it. The Ice Fang Graveler received was nothing compared to the Thunder Punch that collided with the croc's jaw. The attack jerked the croconaw's head so violently that two fangs were still embedded in the crust of the ground-type's shell from where they had broken off. The redhead had taken offense to the aggression.
Her second pokemon was a dark blue starfish with ten appendages and a dazzling gem in its center. At its appearance, Unown buzzed in his mind. Something similar to appreciation flowed along their bond. The starmie was completely silent. Its gem flashed a series of reds as it awaited its trainer's orders.
Graveler struggled more with starmie than any other pokemon he had battled in Saffron. Maybe since Janine. The starfish was otherworldly in its ability to launch itself away from the rock-type's swings and had no delay in launching counterattacks with monotonous fury. Hydro Pump impacted like a jackhammer.
Starmie were fragile compared to a rock-type but their ability to regenerate rivaled only a ditto. Losing a limb was nothing to the water-type, doubly so if it possessed Natural Cure. Only targeting the center gem ran the risk of permanent injury. So, Graveler only had to get a hand on it.
Easier said than done.
A Scald struck with pinpoint accuracy as Graveler grunted. Starmie spiraled away as Rock Throw turned the dirt where it had been standing into nothing more than a crater. Ash was impressed. Staryu and their evolution were usually only fast in water where they could move omnidirectionally.
It was a long battle. The redheaded trainer kept an appropriate distance from the attacking boulder and showered him in long range moves. Graveler made every attempt to fight head on but the starmie refused. Ash had hoped to avoid making too much of a mess, but he wouldn't handicap his partner into a loss.
Graveler tore apart the field with delight. Slabs of rock and craters of sunken earth littered the field as his opponent looked on, gobsmacked. Rock Tomb attempted to ensnare the water-type as controlled Magnitudes destabilized the field even more.
The technique was more theoretical than practical, but Ash's hopes were not unfounded. He had spoken to the ground-type exactly once about the idea of turning the field to his advantage. The idea of leveraging the very nature of his being to dominate the battle had been tempting, even to a stubborn pokemon like Graveler.
They hadn't had the chance to try it out yet given it could damage the area they tried it in. It was best to attempt it on a battlefield that was restored and unkempt around the clock. The dampeners contained the tremors within the bounds of the battlefield even as the earth wretched itself at Graveler's command.
Watching his idea come to fruition was euphoric. Ash could already identify some improvements into the technique that they could implement. Bulldoze or Dig to create underground sinkholes only perceptible to pokemon intune with the earth. A long network of crisscrossing divots spanning the field that Graveler could use as a roadway for Rollout.
The redheaded trainer blinked as the battle continued, face twisting as she shouted orders. Ash watched Graveler throw a Rock Blast that sent Starmie spiraling out of the way. Still, the attack smashed into one of the many rocks that the boulder pokemon had dragged up. Shrapnel rained and punctured the water-type as effectively as any Rock Blast.
Starmie twirled in a Rapid Spin that dislodged and sent the shards of rock flying. The star's glowing gem blinked faster now, signaling that it was preparing something bigger. The redheaded trainer smirked. She bled confidence in both her water-type's ability to recover and return fire. Ash squinted as a blink of dazzling light gathered at the pokemon's gem.
Its spin sent streaks of light flashing in every direction, cutting through the air like lasers.
The various Psybeams and Power Gems shattered rock as they scattered around the field. The starfish was But Ash could see it—there was a hesitation, just for a split second, in the way Starmie moved. Its appendages lagging just a step behind where it telegraphed its actions. The water-type wasn't quite as untouchable as it liked to appear. It was growing increasingly exhausted and its lightshow had drained its stamina.
Graveler grunted, raising his arms to shield himself from the rain of rocks even as a ray of light pierced through his defense and struck his body. The damage from the Power Gem was less severe than it might have been to others but Ash could tell the battle was wearing on the ground-type. He had been on the offensive the entire battle and unable to properly utilize his defenses.
It was a Smack Down that finally put the battle on its final path. Starmie met a Rock Throw with a Water Pulse that shattered the stone into more shrapnel that dug itself into the water-type. The Smack Down followed the Rock Throw closely, the larger attack distracting the psychic-type for a moment. Starmie was stuck in place for only a few seconds.
A few seconds was enough.
Graveler slammed a furious Thunder Punch into the starfish's gem. Electricity sparked along the blue skin as the boulder pokemon followed up with a pointblank Rock Blast. The water-type slumped to the ground. Bruised and battered with its appendages limp and jewel dark. The pokemon disappeared in a flash of red.
Ash let out a loud whoop of excitement. Graveler's roar was like two landslides colliding on a mountainside. The living boulder made a point to look over the ruined field like a painter admiring his work.
"Great work, bud. That starmie was strong. Hold on, stay still for a second." Ash knelt down and brushed his partner's shell free of some of the grime that clung to him. Two fangs protruded from the pokemon's shell, white on a sea of brown and grey. Ash took hold of one and ripped it from its hold. The second followed suit. "There, all puncture-free."
The girl cleared her throat. Ash coughed. "Right. Graveler, I have some ideas for how to improve your field domination. Don't let me forget. Seriously, great work."
Graveler just nodded as he vanished into a crimson beam. Ash looked at the redhead, who was impatiently tapping her foot. "Hi."
She snorted. "You beat two of my toughest pokemon with a graveler and I get 'hi'. Wanna try again?"
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Well fought?"
She met his eyes, blue on his brown, and sighed. "Misty," she introduced. "It was Ash, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Good battle. That starmie is amazing."
Misty huffed. "Thanks, I guess. Your graveler is good too. I've only seen one ground-type fight that well against my water-types. He'll make a hell of a golem, artificial be damned. Mt. Moon? Or is it your starter?"
An artificial golem was a slang term Ash had only come across online. Geodude that were caught early in a trainer's career and retained for their potential rather than released for their weaknesses. A natural golem was rare, an occurrence of a wild geodude that evolved to golem without a trainer. The same lingo applied to most pokemon that didn't usually evolve to their final stage in the wild. Steelix, kingdra, crobat, and a collection of others.
"He's not artificial. Not really." Ash corrected calmly. She wasn't intentionally rude, just blunt. He hoped so anyway. "I only caught him a few months ago and he had already evolved.
"Released by a rookie?" She asked.
"No, he was on his way to being a natural golem," Ash told her.
Misty whistled in appreciation. "I can see why he's so tough then. That's like fishing up a shiny magikarp."
Ash wondered if he should tell her he had done that too. Before he could decide, Misty paled. She was staring over his shoulder, face fixed in a horrified look. Ash looked over his shoulder and blinked.
There was nothing out of the ordinary. A trainer that had watched them from the sideline was approaching them to talk, likely to challenge one of them to a battle. An ariados clung to his back, pincers clicking and legs hugging the boy's midsection. The bug-type's hooked feet kept it snug against the trainer like a second shirt.
Misty babbled. The redhead took a step back as the trainer took a step forward. When the ariados unhooked its feet and scuttled up to put its face near its trainer's head and look at the two people in front of it, Ash felt a breeze.
When he turned to look, Misty was gone. Dust literally kicked up in her wake.
The other boy blinked. "What was that?"
Ash had no clue.
It wasn't until after Greed had batted the same ariados around the battlefield that he realized Misty had never paid him his winnings.
.—.—.
Ash dragged the lone armchair to the center of his room. He, like every other trainer in Indigo, received a notice from the League exactly twenty-four hours before the broadcast was set to air. They classified it as highly important and even promised a special guest. He plopped into it just as the anchors for the broadcast anchors began their introductions.
He sighed as a shadow loomed over him. Regal took the chance to use the back of the chair as a post. She nipped lightly at his hat until he gave in and removed it. A beak began immediately preening his hair. Ash had long accepted his bird's antics and watched the television. Greed and Nut were both sitting in front of his feets, splitting a container of berries Ash had picked up from the PokeMart. Nut mostly subsisted on photosynthesis since his evolution but he enjoyed the occasional berry or sap
A crunch made him wince as Graveler consumed another piece of his favorite snack. The concrete was ground to dust and his teeth ached at the sound. Cove was happily exhaling bubbles in the water-type tank his room provided. Unown took it upon itself to make sure the corphish didn't splash water outside of the glass confines.
The broadcast started with the ordinary news but Ash was impatient. He only watched for one announcement in particular. The two anchors did a good job of making it sound less boring but there was only so much flare one could put on the weather around Pewter City.
After a grueling slog of miscellaneous headlines and gossip that Ash didn't care for, the Indigo League symbol flashed across the station's banner. The anchors vanished as the screen cut to a new camera. A podium in front of an orange backdrop was centered in the middle of the screen as a dark-skinned man approached from off camera.
Ash recognized the man behind the podium from Gary's Pewter Gym video. Flint Pebbleman smiled politely to the gathered press. He cleared his throat into the microphone and gave it two quick taps.
"Good evening, everyone." Flint's voice wasn't as low as Ash expected. Brock had a deeper voice than his father. "The League has given me the privilege to address you all tonight. We have a long list of business to get through, so let's begin. I'll accept some questions at the end but I ask that you not interrupt before then."
Ash jolted as Nut grabbed the leg of his pants and tugged hard. The nuzleaf was rigid. His leaf was twirling a million miles a second and refused to settle down. Another urgent tug made Ash regretfully mute the television. "What's wrong, bud?"
Nut started gesturing wildly, hands open wide before coming together. The dark-type gestured intently out the window with a glint in his eyes that Ash hadn't seen before. Greed grumbled as he was nearly whacked in the head by a stray hand. Unown buzzed as it translated.
The Second detects Reverse-Psionics.
"The Second detects Reverse-Psionics?" Ash repeated, trying to work out what the words meant. "Nut, can you feel dark-types? Is that what that means?"
Nut nodded vigorously as he pulled on his pants leg again. The pokemon pointed to the door and then to Ash. The nuzleaf wasted no time as he ran to the doorframe and stood, waiting. Clearly, he wasn't giving Ash a choice in following him.
Ash could see it in his pokemon's eyes that there was something important going on. If there really were dark-types causing trouble it could be an opportunity for him. He gave the television a regretful look as he turned it off. He'd get the points of the announcement later. Nurse Joy would be willing to loop him in, or he could call the Professor. The latter would also have a way for him to get a ticket for the Battle Voyage.
Ash slipped on his boots and grabbed his bandolier before trailing behind Nut as the grass-type led the way. A quick series of red flashed returned almost all of his pokemon to their pokeballs as he jogged to catch up.
Nut was a growlithe with a scent. Ash followed the grass-type through the city. They cut through alleys and jogged down the streets of Saffron in search of the Distortion that his partner was sensing so strongly. His calves were burning when Nut came to a stop on the outskirts of the inner city.
Ash looked around them. "Is this the place, buddy?"
Nut nodded without hesitation. He pointed directly in front of them. A giant fence surrounded a, as far as he could tell, mostly vacant lot. The chainlink fence was wrapped in privacy curtains but the gaps where the wind blew up the ends revealed a normal sight in any city. A construction site.
Ash did another look around, confused. They were less than two miles away from the heart of Saffron. He could see the Silph Co. Headquarters towering just a half a mile away. Could there really be a group of dark-types so close without anyone noticing?
Large red signs that screamed 'No Trespassing?' stared at him, willing him to defy them. Nut flicked his leaf and waited for Ash's decision.
The teen hummed. "Unown, do you sense anything?"
Nothing.
Ash bit his lip. Unown sensed nothing out of the ordinary but Nut certainly did. Dark-types had a habit of disrupting and hiding from psychics. "Wait. nothing as in everything is normal or nothing as in you can't sense anything ?"
Unown bobbed.
Nothing at all.
That settled it for him. They were going in. Ash checked the gate and found a thick steel chain with a thicker steel padlock securing it. After inspecting all angles, the furthest side of the fence was their entry point. A pokemon had clearly dug out the ground under the fence in order to pass under it. Ash pulled up the chainlink to allow Nut under before he followed suit. Unown simply floated over the fence.
He brushed the dirt from his pants as he looked around. The construction site was unassuming. A cement mixer sat next to various piles of metal rebar. Wood was stacked on top of wood and bags of dry cement were under a blue tarp held down by bricks.
Nut pointed to the center of the site, the central construction that the entire area revolved around.
A gaping chasm in the earth swallowed all light. It reminded Ash of the mining tunnel, but the mining tunnel had not been nearly as ominous. There was a threat implied by the void that leaked from the whole. The moment Ash stepped towards the pit he was consumed by a migraine. It was reeled in immediately by Nut and Unown but it made his eyes water all the same.
"Something is definitely in there," Ash said in a whisper. "Think we can handle it?"
Nut let out a baritone chuckle and Unown fed him a confident burgundy.
"Let's go find it."
With that, Ash vanished from the earth and entered the inky darkness below.
.—.—.—.
The office was dark, lit up by only the flickering waving flame from an oil lamp. Archer preferred things old school. No electricity if they could help it and very few documents or orders on anything less other than paper. It was far too easy for the League's porygon to infiltrate them.
The man didn't look up when he entered. Rather, he continued reading the document in his hand. James stayed silent as Archer finished his reading. There were some mistakes one could make and still find oneself within the heart of Team Rocket. Annoying Archer was not one of them.
Finally, the man spoke. "Operation Providence was essential to the next step."
James nodded silently.
"Your failure is detrimental." Archer glared holes into him. "League personnel were occupied entirely southwards with Operation Waterspout. We sacrificed two dozen castform in order to pave the way for your work in Mt. Moon."
James saw a flash of brunette hair tucked under a white beanie. A girl looked at him, horrified and afraid. "I understand, sir. The trainers were improperly secured and a rookie was able to escape. She managed to contact–
"I read your report," Archer snarled. "Excuses mean nothing to me and less to Him. I cannot express the level of disappointment He feels in you, Little Jim ."
James closed his eyes. Archer could bark as he liked, but disappointing the Boss hurt more than words. The only man to take the runaway aristocrat turned biker gang member into his fold. It was He who raised James into his status and only He who James would follow.
"I'll rectify this," James said. "Operation Spearpoint will go flawlessly. Staging Post Epsilon is prepped and my team is ready for the strike."
"Your team is gutted. Three of your subordinates captured and two more injured." Archer scoffed. "Epsilon was scuttled before the League could raid it. You will do nothing ."
James clenched his fist. "Of course, sir."
"Mondo is already supplying Staging Post Gamma in preparation for Operation Spearpoint. I'm relieving you of control." Archer's voice was smooth, but his eyes dared him to object. "Marauder will take the helm."
James felt the slowly healing scratch marks on his forearm burn with righteous fury. "Of course, sir."
If Archer noticed his tone, he ignored it. "Be thankful that He includes you in his circle of trust. You will find no such leniency with me. Viper will have your next batch of recruits ready in three weeks. Until then, you're being reassigned to Operating Base Zeta."
Sending him to the Sevii Islands was as good as benching him. Furthermore, benching him for Marauder was an insult. He was a rabid dog on too long a leash. The only one of them James was sure would betray the Boss for his own gain. James stopped the bite in his voice and simply said, "Yes, sir."
"I'm glad we understand each other. You will not fail us like this again, James." Archer met his eyes. "For the glory of Team Rocket."
He heard the scream that echoed in Mt. Moon's long corridors. Rocks fell and he met the horrified eyes of the girl with the white beanie once more. James shivered. "For the glory of Team Rocket."
Internally, James swore the original vow Team Rocket had stood for. Long before it had been bastardized by the likes of men like the Marauder, their vow had meaning.
"To protect the world from devastation…"
.—.—.
Oh boy.
Let me know how this is received. The next chapter will be a while. Personal life is going to be hectic for the next couple months and I suspect I'll have no time to write. I'm already completing this the night before I move.
Regarding Team Rocket, they will be a far more active force going forward. I've put hints in the background of their actions, and we've seen a bit of them, but future chapters will showcase them more heavily as the plot progresses.
Anyway, be sure to read and review. Thank y'all.