Pallet Town was a wonderful place. Despite Ash's social life not being the best, the overall comfort of the area could never be understated. Incredibly clean air, with a number of serene places to just hang out and get peace and quiet, to be completely left alone with his thoughts as he allowed himself to endlessly get lost in his own mind. Why would he ever want to leave? And just as much, why would he ever consider leaving his mother?
Delia was the best parent that he could ask for. Such a wonderful woman who had made life so much better for him than it normally would have been otherwise. All of the garbage that he had to put up with from Gary and the others at school would have been unbearable if he didn't have such an amazing mother to come home too.
Delia had never shunned him for falling behind the other kids, despite constantly encouraging him to do better. She was supportive, not antagonizing. And she had pretty much provided for his every need. Did he REALLY want to be a trainer, when everything that he could ever want in life was right here with her?
But Ash knew very well what this mother would say to that: "Don't let go of your dreams for me! You'll regret not taking the opportunities!" and she was right. Which was why he would be setting off once Opening Day rolled around. He still had no idea how he was able to do so well on the Qualification Exam. The endless studying had most certainly bore fruit, but it was still quite surreal to think about. A last ditch effort to ensure that he would do good enough on the Exam to pass, and he had ended up scoring the second highest out of all of them. Only Gary had scored higher, but his perfect score was hardly a very big surprise. Sure, it was such a thing that had never been done before now. But it was Gary. The only thing that spoiled it was that Gary and his friends were somehow convinced that he had cheated.
But seizing the opportunity that had just unfolded before him would still mean saying goodbye to Delia very soon. Which was why he was determined to spend as much time with her as possible.
So when Delia had called him down from his room upon arriving home from work, Ash had bolted down the stairs, nearly lost his balance, and arrived in the living room to greet his mother's loving smile.
Except she wasn't smiling this time. In fact, she looked distraught. Her face was overflowing with a deep concern that Ash rarely ever saw, even in her most worrying moments.
His frown almost immediately mirrored his own. What could have possibly happened?
He voiced this concern immediately. "Mom… what is it?" his voice was shaking. Seeing her like this wasn't right. Something bad had happened for sure.
"It's Trucy…" she trailed off. Ash's heart skipped a beat. "I just got off the phone with her grandparents. She's disappeared. Nobody can find her anywhere. Even Professor Oak has searched for himself."
Horror was in Ash's eyes. Trucy? Gone?! Where was she?! And why was it so hard to find her?!
"How long has she been gone?!" he questioned frantically, making no effort to mask his panic. Delia of all people knew just how much Trucy meant to him.
"The whole day." she bit her lip. "I needed to let you know. They were hoping you could help find her. Since you're so close to one another…"
Ash was out the door with the momentum of a Rapidash as he hollered back at his mother. "I'll bring her back! I promise!"
Delia's voice filled his ears as he ran off. "Be careful out there, Ash!"
Ash's feet and legs carried him through the roads of Pallet Town as a few onlookers stopped to observe him. He could have sworn he had heard one of Gary's buddies make a snarky comment at how the grandson of Professor Oak was a faster runner than he was, but Ash paid it no mind.
Trucy's safety was top priority.
Although Delia was explicitly the person that Ash loved the most, it wouldn't be unrealistic to think that Trucy was second on that list. The young girl was only half his age, but really the closest thing that he had to a friend up to this point. Their relationship essentially consisted of Ash and Delia babysitting the little tyke while her grandparents were out, but those experiences alone were more than enough to surpass the interactions that the young boy had had with Gary and the others over the past few years.
Whatever had happened to Trucy was a mystery, but Ash wouldn't rest until she was safe at home.
But as he ran throughout the town, he found himself subconsciously going in a very specific direction, to a very specific place. He had no thought or input into his movements, simply moving on instinct. As if he already knew for a fact where she was.
His body carried him down a set path until he arrived at a small field. And there she was.
Her back was turned to him. She was looking off somewhere as her blonde hair flowed through the wind.
He called out to her. No response.
"Trucy!" he tried again, raising his voice louder this time. But she just kept on staring outwards.
What in the world…?!
Rushing forward, he clasped her shoulders from behind, and turned her body around to face him. As their eyes met, his own widened upon seeing her facial expression.
It was a disturbed look of surprise. Her gorgeous blue eyes, normally the beautiful orbs that would turn his legs to jelly when she lovably pleaded for ice cream, were wide with what looked like a frozen look of surprise. Her facial expression in and of itself was unmoving, and Ash suddenly found his face growing pale with stress.
"T-Trucy…?"
"Why are you here, Ash?" her voice was unchanging in tone as she delivered her words, staying in a perpetual state of surprise.
The boy blinked at her. "You've been gone all day. Everyone's looking for you. Even Professor Oak. What are you doing here?" he looked up towards the trees that she had been looking out towards. "Is… something there?"
Trucy gently shook herself out of his grip, body still facing him, but turning her head back towards the trees. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."
Ash blinked again. "Dangerous? How?"
"A lot of things are dangerous." her eyes turned towards him, although her head remained in the same position, facing off towards the trees. "You should have stayed home with your mother. The woman who believed in you, kept you warm on cold nights, fed you delicious food, and never bullied you."
Ash's face scrunched up in confusion. "Trucy?"
"You shouldn't have left your house, Ash." she turned fully towards him, her expression vacant. This wasn't the Trucy he knew. Where was the life in her eyes? Her energetic smile? Her happy tone of voice? It was all gone. "You never should have left such a safe place to come here. And you never should have come to Mt. Moon."
Ash's eyes were wide as saucers. "W-What…"
A small glare on her face, yet still managed to be vacant. "Why would you go there when you could have stayed with her? When you could have stayed here in town? And you shouldn't have gone to Viridian Forest, either. Maybe you never should have become a Pokemon trainer in the first place."
He glared at her. "What are you talking about?!" he demanded harshly, albeit immediately regretting the aggression in his tone of voice. This was Trucy. Not Gary.
"You left the safest place in the world, Ash." her facial expression was blank once again. "What if you die? The same way that you almost did in those caverns." The breeze was picking up. Her eyes were soulless, and yet her voice sounded... pleading? "It's not worth pursuing a dream for. Your heart will stop beating long before you ever reach it." he was feeling cold, the wind picking up even more. All of a sudden the breeze felt like it was from winter, not summer or spring. "Why do you leave the comfort of your home to throw yourself into peril?"
"What are you talking about?!" his face was growing uneasy. "I'm not a trainer yet-"
"Yes you are. And you've been unwise. This is your home, not the wilderness." above them, it was getting darker. Was he crazy, or were things starting to pelt them from above? "You should have stayed home where it was safe. Your dreams are no good to you dead. Now…"
Suddenly he realized what was above them: The ceilings of a cavern. It had replaced the blue skies and white clouds that had been hanging over their heads just mere moments earlier.
And rocks were falling.
"You're stuck in a world that wants to kill you."
As Trucy finished her sentence, a giant figure appeared behind her. Tyranitar roared deafeningly as the rocks continued to fall.
Misty screaming. Valiant and Eevee panicking. Staryu and Piplup panicking. The rocks falling much more rapidly, increasingly in size as Ash covered his head.
"TRUCY! LOOK OUT!" his arms flung out towards her, and he screamed as Tyranitar acted before he could reach her.
Blood sprayed Ash's face as huge, violent claws removed Trucy's head. A large rock landed on Ash's own head, knocking him face first to the ground, which was no longer lush, green grass, but cold, stone floors.
As Tyranitar continued to roar, the stones pelted Ash's back, crushing his bones as he desperately tried to get up, only to find himself completely immobilized.
"The world will burn." Was that the Iron-Masked Marauder talking? "But you will never see it from the rubble."
The rocks tore his body to shreds. His bones were flattened like Delia's pancakes.
This was what happens when you become a trainer. This was what happens when you left the comfort of your own world, in order to hopelessly pursue your dreams.
You were thrust into a world that wanted nothing more than for you to drop dead.
And now, that world was about to claim him-
/
Ash's eyes shot wide open.
A perfectly normal ceiling was above him. And nothing was falling from it.
With record speed, he rose up into a sitting position.
The caverns were gone.
So were the rocks.
It wasn't dark anymore. The room was lit up. Pikachu was sleeping soundly on the other end of the bed.
He allowed himself to calm his breathing, but couldn't fully, as he took in the sweat drenching his body.
He looked over to Misty's bed, which he found did not contain her. Focusing a bit more, he could hear the shower from the bathroom.
A deep sigh escaped from his throat.
'Karen saved you. You're not at Mt. Moon anymore. And Trucy never went missing.'
Not at Mt. Moon anymore…
Not at Mt. Moon anymore…
No longer in the caverns. No more falling rocks.
Because… He wasn't there anymore.
/
Tyrunt's hatching had thrown the night off considerably. Despite the already long day, Ash had taken him to Nurse Joy to get checked out, assuring Misty that she could go to bed if she wanted to. Valiant had accompanied him. The Kirlia had shown so much commitment to his trainer ever since leaving the forest, and the same commitment he had when assisting Ash in taking care of the egg hadn't gone away after Tyrunt's hatching.
Ash still wasn't entirely sure what the source of the young psychic's loyalty was. Was it gratitude for saving him in the forest? He himself was grateful o Valiant nonetheless; he could still use all the help he could get taking care of Tyrunt as a newborn. Tyrunt had remained fixated on Ash, seemingly identifying the young human boy as his "parent". Nevertheless, it didn't take the infant dinosaur long to develop an instinctual trust towards Valiant, who was always right there next to him. A sense of security seemed to set in for the prehistoric Pokemon without much of an issue.
Nurse Joy had immediately looked over the infant newcomer to see if he was healthy, and was happy to announce that he was born perfectly.
Ash had convinced Misty and most of the others to not wait up for them, but Pikachu was still awake when Ash and Valiant had returned with their newest team member. His starter was willing to go to sleep once Ash had assured him that everything was fine with Tyrunt, but he himself couldn't sleep just yet. He needed to look over the information that Elacia had given him regarding Tyrunt, which he and Valiant spent the night doing. The duo had read through the information with extensive detail while Tyrunt slumbered peacefully on a pillow next to the bed.
Ash was still completely floored that Elacia was entrusting him with a dragon type Pokemon of all things. One of the most fundamentally feared typings in all of Pokemon, any Pokemon just being of the typing at all was more than enough to generate attention and interest. They were all rare Pokemon, albeit to varying extents, and the fearsome reputation to go along with it existed for a reason.
Was this just a friendly gesture from her? A test to see if he could handle it? A way to encourage him to keep pushing himself more? Either way, he could understand why the price that she gave him was so high. And he would most certainly be paying off that debt.
What's more, it was a prehistoric Pokemon. Meaning that it's own parent was likely one of the ones that was restored via machinery. That made it all the more rare, to a ridiculous extent. It made sense that Elacia would have such connections, given her prominence as such a high profile Pokemon breeder, but wrapping his head around it was still simply unreal to him.
Of course, dragon types were often considered to be ridiculously hard to raise and train. The fact that Tyrunt had hatched from an Egg and had not been caught in the wild would most likely work in Ash's favor, as Tyrunt had no prior upbringing due to being a newborn, but the creature's own natural instincts would still be a factor.
Tyrunt was no exception as Ash and Valiant learned from the documents that they had read through. It had characteristics that would need to be addressed at a very early age in order to hopefully prevent them from becoming problematic in the future. They were, by nature, selfish and spoiled, and prone to throwing tantrums.
Although its jaws wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as an undeveloped newborn, they were still something to keep on the radar. Especially with the Strong Jaw ability. They could inflict injuries on their own trainers unknowingly just by playing with them. It was immediately clear to Ash that he would need to be very careful about his early "parenting" towards Tyrunt, in order to ensure the smoothest upbringing possible. Valiant, thankfully, seemed to have the same idea, and when Ash had asked his friend if he was really sure that he would be willing to participate in this undertaking, the Emotion Pokemon had touchingly affirmed it.
Theoretically, the young Kirlia had no real obligation to assist in raising Tyrunt, especially so directly. Even if they were teammates, Ash was the trainer. He was the only one who really didn't have a choice.
But apparently Valiant didn't see it that way. Was this another form of gratitude? Or was it a sense of obligation as a teammate? Ash wasn't quite sure. But either way, he more than appreciated it, especially as reading the documents made it progressively clear just what this situation would entail.
Despite helping hatch the Heracross Egg from Professor Oak's Lab, this was something quite different. He would be raising this Tyrunt from a baby to an adult. Elacia's writing would help, but following it properly was crucial.
Just yet another challenge for them to have to overcome on the road to the Indigo Plateau.
It had been a long night. But thankfully, they finally got to sleep, miraculously. Valiant moved his pillow right next to Tyrunt's, and the rest of the night was peaceful and quiet.
An arduous day and a tiring night, but Ash and Misty's group had finally found peace.
Mercifully for everyone, no one was in a hurry to get up. It was a lot later in the morning than when Ash would usually rise.
In fact, it was now after 10:00 AM, Ash just now getting up.
He hadn't bothered laying back down after his dream, simply finding himself involuntarily climbing out of his bed.
Misty was already in the shower, so Ash waited his turn, finding a need to use the bathroom.
He didn't mind the wait too much. So instead, he took the time to observe the room.
Tyrunt and Valiant were still dozed off, both looking content. Tyrunt's infant body was a sight that Ash would need to get used to.
No longer an Egg.
Nobody else was awake either, except for Misty, apparently. The boy wondered how long she had been awake.
As he looked around, he wondered if he should wake Pikachu and the others, but decided against that.J ust like Misty and himself, they would wake when they were ready.
After all, today was a no training day. As far as Ash was concerned, today would be the quietest day of their journey so far. It was according to what Karen had suggested to them as well, was it not?
A peaceful day of quiet relaxation for all of them. A reminder that they were no longer in Mt. Moon.
After a few more minutes, the sound of the shower stopped, indicating that Misty had finished. Not too long after, she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her signature side ponytail and a much more relaxed expression on her face. Her hair showed some signs of being wet, but she had still been fairly thorough with drying it. Ash had heard her using the hair dryer.
He raised his hand to her as she stepped out, to which she returned.
"Oh, good morning." she greeted. "Sleep well?"
That was not the question that Ash wanted to hear.
He did his best to hide his flinch as the images of his creepy dream with Trucy flashed back through his mind for a moment. He wasn't sure if he did a good job of it or not. He could have sworn that Misty's brow had raised for a moment, but she dropped it pretty quickly. Her smile was casual. Friendly. But despite the relaxed expression, Ash couldn't tell if she was putting in effort to stay relaxed or not.
Was it all coming easy to her? Or was she just putting on a facade to mask her own trauma? Was he doing a good job at masking his?
Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm going to go downstairs and ask Nurse Joy some questions. See if anything new has happened over at the mountain. Wanna come with?"
That's right. The League might have had an update on their current operations by now. Ash wanted to hear about it himself.
But he shook his head. "I have to stay here in case Tyrunt wakes up." he said a bit regrettably. "You'll tell me whatever she tells you, right?" he asked politely.
She nodded. "Right." she offered him a casual wave as she turned and walked off. "Good luck." he waved back at her as the door closed behind his friend.
Ash sank down into a seating position in front of his bed, and felt some yellow fur brushing against his arm. Turning towards Pikachu, who was now awake, Ash smiled down at the young rodent and patted his Starter Pokemon on the head.
Not in Mt. Moon anymore… Not in Mt. Moon anymore… Not in Mt. Moon anymore…
/
Misty returned around the time the rest of their two teams began waking up. With everyone wanting to eat, she promised to fill Ash in during breakfast.
The cafeteria wasn't packed, but it did have a fair amount of trainers in it. Apparently, according to Misty, most of them were those who had been rescued from Mt. Moon.
The League was still searching through the caverns just in case, but for the moment, it seemed like everybody had been accounted for, including the straggling Rockets that had been scooped up by the League immediately. And Mt. Moon itself had been placed under indefinite lockdown. With the knowledge that it was now one of Team Rocket's targets, the danger posed by the massive cave-in, and the need to continue searching through the caverns, trainers would no longer be allowed to pass through the mountain's caverns for the foreseeable future. Instead, teleporting services were going to be set up on both sides for travelers to use.
It certainly sounded a lot more convenient, but Ash imagined that trainers who were more into exploration and searching for specific Pokemon would find themselves very disappointed. It was unfortunate, but understandable.
Thankfully, no deaths had been confirmed yet, at least among the trainers that Team Rocket had imprisoned, but there were injuries. Some Team Rocket soldiers refused to come quietly, and attempted to put up a fight. Most of these soldiers were subdued rather quickly. But apparently, a few of the more stubborn Rockets ended up losing their lives, the League forced to finish them.
Once again, Ash found himself feeling conflicted about the deaths. Karen and the League had done what had to be done, and yet… These were still men and women, being killed. His lack of concern over their deaths, on its own, concerned him. It was all too… conflicting… confusing… how much crime could be committed before someone's death was no longer one to be mourned? When did somebody lose the right to be grieved over, or felt sorry for? Ash didn't have that answer. And neither did Misty, apparently. Even after the obvious hatred that she had expressed over the Iron-Masked Marauder, she didn't seem to be any more comfortable than Ash was while relaying the information.
Mutually, the group chose to do their best not to focus on it. This was supposed to be a relaxation day, after all. The group shut away any thoughts of the mountain, and focused on enjoying their meal.
Ash had assumed that a Pokemon like Tyrunt would be carnivorous, which Elacia's notes had confirmed to him and Valiant the previous night. Ash was able to ensure that the baby dinosaur was fed meat. He kept a close eye on the infant as all of them ate, hoping that he would be able to eat his food without any issues. Thankfully, Valiant had also taken it upon himself to sit next to Tyrunt, vigilantly monitoring the way their newest team member ate.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Looking outside, the rain had stopped for the most part, but was still in the form of a light drizzle. It made Ash somewhat glad that they would not be traveling or training today. Drizzles weren't necessarily too bad for him, but he would still much prefer to travel in dry weather. He couldn't imagine himself traveling even in a drizzle unless he absolutely had too.
Incidentally, however, he did enjoy what it felt like to be outside after it had stopped raining. He had always liked the feel of moisture in the air after rain. If they were to start traveling again tomorrow, it would most likely be like that.
Breakfast time was aimless that morning, Ash and Misty conversing with one another throughout and talking about whatever random topics came to mind. It was less an opportunity to socialize and more an attempt to keep their minds off of the previous day's events by any means necessary.
Training ideas for the future, what it was like in Cerulean City, favorite TV shows, favorite foods, essentially anything that wasn't related to Mt. Moon. Whenever one of the two found a topic coming to their head, they would blurt it out immediately. The conversation moved forward without rhyme or reason, a series of completely unrelated topics loosely stringed together by the mutual desire to think about literally anything other than the previous day's events.
Prior to nightfall, however, it was the most interaction that Ash and Misty had throughout the day. Although the two still saw each other and would exchange some quick words throughout, along with having a quick lunch together in the middle, most of Ash's day was spent with Tyrunt. The prehistoric infant was still stumbling around as it tried to walk, and was still vulnerable due to his young age.
Thankfully, despite the warnings in Elacia's notes, the dinosaur wasn't too dangerous just yet. He was, after all, still only a newborn. Ash spent as much time as he could playing with the baby Royal Heir Pokemon. Valiant joined in as well, the rock/dragon type progressively latching onto his secondary caretaker.
Ash was afraid that the rest of the team would be upset about how little time he was spending with them, but they thankfully seemed to be quite understanding of it. Pikachu and Nebula both had each other, so there was nothing to worry about on that front. Eevee, however, was in a bit more of a difficult position. Still a little bit bitter towards Nebula, she avoided spending time with her, and therefore wasn't with Pikachu either, as the electric mouse had spent nearly the entire day hanging out with his bird friend. The Evolution Pokemonn may have been more willing to spend the day with Valiant, but he was helping Ash take care of Tyrunt, and Eevee wasn't as comfortable about how well she would be able to fare at directly raising the baby as he seemed to be. Although she occasionally spent some time with Misty and her own team, Eevee wasn't as comfortable being alone with them, and was therefore left off to do her own thing.
Ash found himself torn between the situation of having a newly caught teammate alongside a literal baby that needed attention for the entire day, and weighed his options between asking Valiant to take a break to spend time with Eevee, or just doing so himself. As a trainer, he had a personal obligation to both newcomers; he didn't want to send Valiant to hang out with Eevee and make it seem like she was being neglected by her own trainer, not even half a week after being caught, and yet he'd be beyond irresponsible to leave all of the responsibilities of looking after Tyrunt to Valiant as well.
As a compromise, he had decided to introduce Eevee and Tyrunt to each other formally. Although the Evolution Pokemon was understandably not very comfortable with trying to raise the baby dinosaur, she could still potentially play with him.
Things seemed to mostly decent between the two of them. Tyrunt was a bit nervous around the Evolution Pokemon, who Ash quickly realized wasn't nearly as patient as Valiant, but to Eevee's credit, she mostly just seemed happy to not be alone. The two Pokemon took turns lightly passing a small ball around with each other, although Ash had found himself unable to hold back an amused laugh after Tyrunt had chewed the ball up.
Through the day, the boy thankfully found his nerves easing up bit by bit. Unwinding was more than what he could ask for.
Nevertheless, he still often found himself, and his mind, drifting back to thinking about that dream. He did his best to shut it away from his mind, but it was not always easy. It creeped along the back of his subconscious throughout the day, sometimes sneaking its way to the forefront. Ash had no idea how to get rid of the thought.
Despite the lingering stress, however, he found himself much more at ease overall by dinnertime. His conversation with Misty that night had been a lot more focused than the one from this morning.
When Ash asked Misty if she wanted to wait another day before leaving, his new orange-haired friend shrugged.
"Today was nice," she admitted freely. "But I really do want to get moving." she frowned. "Your Tyrunt could probably use another day, though. Infants don't normally go into Poke Balls, right?"
That was true. It was recommended that baby Pokemon be kept out of Poke Balls until they had grown at least a little bit. Something about the stasis being detrimental to their early development. Tyrunt would be on the road with them, which meant that he needed to get used to walking around.
"Valiant and I had been working on that." Ash said as he bit into his food. They were both eating pasta, Ash with spaghetti and Misty with mac and cheese. "We could probably use another day, though," he admitted with a frown. "You could go ahead of us, if you want," he offered reluctantly.
He didn't want to separate from Misty just yet. As much as he loved his team, it was nice traveling with another human. She provided a type of interaction that wasn't available with that of a Pokemon. But he also didn't want to be a dead weight to her and her own journey. These were her travels too, of course.
Misty tapped her chin thoughtfully at that. Ash bit back his lip a bit nervously. He would understand if she just chose to leave… He hoped it wasn't too selfish of him to want her to stay. But they were going to be separating after they were done with Cerulean's Gym anyway…
After a few seconds, however, she shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. And I think my team is too. If you only need another day or so, then we can wait."
Ash smiled at her, almost saying "thanks", but chose to hold back on that. He didn't want to sound like he was dependent. It's not like he would have been mad if she had chosen to leave.
"Besides…" Misty's face transitioned into a cheeky smirk. "I still want to battle you before we part ways, and now's probably not the most appropriate time to do that." a quick, yet bright, flash appeared in her eyes, almost as though her pupils had suddenly contained fire. "You didn't think you were gonna get away without that, did you?"
Ash grinned uneasily as he failed to hold back a nervous chuckle.
"No…" he admitted. "I guess not."
But despite himself, he actually felt kind of excited about it.
/
The next day came and went, and the routine was nearly identical to the previous day. Breakfast, group time, lunch, more group time, dinner, bedtime. It was pretty clear cut, but that's how everybody wanted it.
Ash and Valiant put extra time into helping Tyrunt with his walking. The infant dinosaur wasn't perfect, but balance was becoming easier for him now. The progress seemed pleasing to the rest of the group, and Tyrunt himself seemed to enjoy it.
Mercifully, Ash's sleep wasn't haunted by traumatic dreams for the next two nights.
He spoke with his mother just before leaving with Misty, and told a white lie regarding the Rocket raid, simply saying that the raid happened before he and his team could pass through the mountain, and that they just used the teleportation service in order to reach the other side.
He felt disgusted in himself for lying to his mother, but the alternative would be to tell her the truth and inform her that he was very nearly killed by a man who was apparently one of the world's most dangerous criminals.
And if he hadn't already been planning on doing it before, he certainly was with the sheer look of horror on Delia's face as she questioned him regarding the mountain incident-which had been dominating the news-not to mention her terrified tone of voice. Her face was pale and sickly when he had called her, and any relief that she might have felt from seeing that he was okay would have been completely eclipsed by the horror of knowing what he had went through.
Ash hated himself for lying to the person in the world that he loved the most, but his guilt ended there as he told himself he had picked the right thing to do. Anything to ease her consciousness. She was already stressed out about having a Professional Pokemon trainer for a child as it was. No way he was going to worsen it. He just hoped that he had lied convincingly enough. Delia seemed to be convinced, but that could just be a facade. Misty had given him a few comments on occasion, about how he was apparently bad at hiding things. And his mother had known him for a lot longer than his new, hot-headed friend.
Thinking back to his dream, Ash wondered if all parents who had trainers for kids felt the kind of stress that she seemed to feel. The ambitious nature of the occupation was romanticized everywhere, but at the end of the day, it was one hell of a dangerous profession. Ash felt like he was being selfish by going through with it when it was obvious his mother feared for his safety twenty four-seven, but she would always just fire back and talk about how she herself would feel selfish if Ash were to give up his dream for the sake of her peace of mind.
Ash had no idea how he would ever pay back his mother, but one day, he would. She was the most selfless person in his life.
Ash and Misty had eaten an early breakfast with their teams in order to be on the road as quickly as possible, but not before saying a final goodbye/thank you to Nurse Joy right before their departure. Since they were leaving first thing in the morning, it should only take them about the day to reach the city, with Nurse Joy estimating that they would arrive late at night.
Nebula flew overhead with Pikachu riding on her back. Eevee was perched on Ash's shoulder (with Misty's own Eevee doing the same with her) while Valiant and Tyrunt walked by Ash's side, the former sticking close to the latter like a magnet. The atmosphere between the group frequently alternated between comfortable silence and light conversation.
The air was still moist from the rain, which Misty seemed to appreciate as much as Ash did. Ash wasn't sure if this was just because of her affinity for water types, or if she just enjoyed the feel of the air the way that he did. Either way, she seemed quite pleased with the walk.
Neither of the duo was expecting there to be many trainers on the road to the city, but were pleasantly surprised by the decent amount of people that they ran into. Or, at the very least, for the standards of just one day. The two friends took turns battling the other trainers that they crossed paths with, each claiming victory in every battle. It gave both of them the opportunity to observe each other's teams in a much less stressful situation than the Team Rocket business back in Mt. Moon, which Ash was almost certain that Misty would be taking advantage of. After all, had she not already made it clear that she wanted to battle him?
Ash took the opportunity to observe her as well, taking notes in his brain to stash away as he watched her go into battle, her Staryu receiving the most action out of everyone on her team. It was fairly versatile, with access to multiple different types of moves, along with a potent Light Screen. Most of its moves were ranged attacks, but its Rapid Spin provided it with further additional offense, and occasionally defense as well.
Sadly, he hadn't gotten enough out of the rest of her team to develop opinions beyond first impressions. Her Eevee's fighting style reminded Ash of his own Eevee, which wasn't too surprising, since they were not only of the same species, but were also both still beginner level, and, therefore, they still had not gotten as much time to develop their own personal fighting styles just yet. It was a bit more difficult to pinpoint how Piplup and Jigglypuff fought for the moment. Unlike with Eevee, Ash had no such teammates to compare either of them to.
Out of everyone on the team, Valiant had benefited from the battles the most. The perfect way to break in his Evolution, not to mention showcasing the immense increase in overall power that the Kirlia now had. He would tear through his opponent's with powerful blasts that he had never been capable of as a Ralts.
Tyrunt would watch the battles unfold with intrigue. Not necessarily enthusiasm, but it was pretty clear that the infant dinosaur could sense everybody else's enthusiasm for the events. And he would always share in with the victory cheers, if only on instinct.
By the time the day was over, Ash and Misty had each earned a fairly decent amount of prize money from their battles, not to mention the effective morale boosts for their respective teams, in the face of multiple consecutive victories.
More money for food and supplies, and extra confidence for their respective teams. Who's to say which one was more important?
According to Misty, the money.
The orange-haired hothead would go out of her way to celebrate two particular victories where she had totally annihilated her opponents. One trainer's Snubbull had been no match for her Staryu, and her Eevee had made equally quick work of another trainer's Growlithe. Whether it be by cartwheeling across the road or pumping her fists in front of Ash's face, Misty was fairly… bombastic in her triumphant moments.
He supposed that he couldn't totally blame her, however. He had, in fact, felt similar emotions himself when Valiant had easily defeated an Abra, further showcasing the newfound power of his Evolution, or when Nebula had dropped a Spearow in just two simple hits. Misty was just expressing them outwardly.
/
The stars were high overhead in the pitch black night sky by the time they had reached Cerulean City.
Misty gazed up at the gates as she and Ash came to a brief stop. "Alright then, everyone." She spoke neutrally as Nebula and Pikachu descended to the ground beside them, before turning to face the group and spreading out her arms whilst raising her voice. "Welcome to Cerulean City, the rookie capital of Indigo."
Holding Tyrunt (who had gotten tired from the walking) in his arms, Ash smiled in relief at the city gates. The day had been nonstop, in order to ensure that they made it by nighttime. But now he and Misty both just wanted to go to bed, and he was certain that their Pokemon all felt the same.
But they couldn't sleep right away, as much as they wanted to. Their hunger was undeniable, their desire for food keeping them awake even as they fantasized about sinking into the bedsheets and drifting off into slumber.
Not to mention, they both needed a shower.
Ash was a bit more used to the taller buildings, and the overall greater scope and denser nature of the city, than he used to be back when he had first set out from Pallet Town. This was now the third city that he had been to in his life, and after spending a large chunk of his travels in Pewter, he hadn't necessarily grown accustomed to the much more urban nature of these cities, but he was no longer overwhelmed by it.
Besides, anything was a step up from Mt. Moon. Ash was going to have a hard time not appreciating the places that he traveled too after an experience such as that.
It was still difficult to get the caverns out of his mind, but he hoped he was managing better than before. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't confide in his mother about it without her knowing that he was there, which he didn't want, and he wasn't sure if he should tell Professor Oak either.
Unless he already knew. He was a high-ranking member of the League, and Ash and Misty's names were most likely included in the reports. That itself inspired fear in Ash; what if the Professor told his mother? He likely would have already, which almost eased Ash's worries, but the lingering paranoia still lurked in his brain.
Despite his tired nature at the moment, Ash found himself grinning as he absentmindedly looked around, taking in, and appreciating, the feeling of being part of civilization.
Many trainers loved the wild. Understandably so. Ash himself enjoyed traveling with his team overall. But he couldn't imagine himself never desiring the comfort of civilization. Even when his enjoyment towards his travels were at their utmost high, he would probably always have that longing for society in the back of his mind. It would always be an excellent break from the action, or the hardships of travels.
Due to the late time of their arrival, the streets of the city weren't too bustling as they stepped through the gates and made their way to the Pokemon Center, Misty leading the way due to knowing the area. The lack of a crowd was merciful, as it made it a lot easier to proceed through the streets undisturbed.
Nevertheless, their presence still attracted the curious eyes of many who were still out and about. Unavoidable, as it was typically easy to spot a trainer. Granted, it wasn't like it was an unlikely sight in Cerulean City. This place was known for being a hotspot and gathering for beginner level trainers. The most beginner friendly place in Kanto, possibly Indigo as a whole. The outskirts were often populated with rookies trying to hone their skills against each other, often considered the perfect place for a rookie to be. Not to mention that most of the wild Pokemon in the surrounding area had a reputation for being docile compared to most of the other places in Indigo, Cerulean Cave being the sole exception. It was very much unlike Fuchsia, which was known for being popular with higher level trainers, and much more dangerous Pokemon in the wild.
Being the seaside city that it was, Cerulean always had the feeling of moisture in the air, and Ash suddenly realized why Misty enjoyed such a feeling so much. She had literally grown up with moist air throughout her childhood. Pallet Town wasn't far from the shore, and had a beach nearby, but this was something different.
"Maybe it is good to be back…" she trailed off absentmindedly as she led Ash through the streets. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if taking in the atmosphere. "Funny how this place was never all that standout to me until I wasn't used to it anymore."
Behind her, Ash looked down at Tyrunt, who was dozing off in his arms. He smiled at the dinosaur, failing to suppress a tired yawn. "Interesting point…" he trailed off for a moment. "I wonder if I'll appreciate Pallet Town in a new light after being to all of these cities." he had always loved the simplicity of Pallet Town, but actually being able to compare it to places like Cerulean or Pewter would certainly make it stand out even more to him.
"Hmmm…" Misty commented, looking on ahead. "Anyway, we should be to the Pokemon Center soon. I call dibs on the shower, got it?"
Ash frowned. 'Darn it, I should have called dibs.'
/
The welcoming atmosphere of the Pokemon Center's lobby was cathartic to Ash and Misty as the two friends walked through the large pair of automatic doors. The sheer size of the building would have greatly intimidated Ash if he hadn't already been used to it from both Viridian and Pewter. Most of their Pokemon had been recalled, but Valiant remained at Ash's side, Pikachu now riding on his shoulder while Tyrunt slept in the young trainer's arms.
Up ahead was Nurse Joy's counter, and Misty squinted in recognition at the figure conversing with the pink-haired woman.
"Is that…" She began. Her eyes suddenly widened as the figure turned around to head off.
He was a tall, teenage boy, probably around fifteen years old or so. On his shoulder was a green, monkey-like Pokemon that Ash didn't quite recognize. His hair was brown, tied up into a neat ponytail behind his head. He had sharp facial features, with eyes that matched his hair.
Upon seeing Misty, his eyes widened as well, suddenly smiling as the monkey on his shoulder waved cheerfully.
"Misty!" His voice was fairly smooth, although its tone was just about what Ash would expect from somebody of the teenage boy's age. "I didn't realize you were already back in town!'
Racing over with a light grin, Misty looked up at the teenager. "Just got here tonight. How's Maria doing, Ryan?"
The boy, Ryan, scratched the monkey's cheek, earning a soft, positive response from the creature as he spoke. "Energetic as always. She and Laura have been gallivanting aimlessly since you left. She keeps saying it isn't the same without you, so she's constantly hanging out with her to try and fill the void."
A smug smirk occupied her features as Misty's chest puffed up. "Hmmm… yeah, I know I'm irreplaceable. Hopefully a few days or so of me being in the city will be enough to fill the hole in their hearts." her voice was oozing with pride and arrogance. But Ryan seemed to be more amused by it than anything else.
'He must be pretty used to her.' Ash assumed as he watched the conversation play out. It sounded like he was related to one of her friends that she had mentioned before.
Not too long after, Ryan glanced past Misty as his eyes landed on Ash. "Oh yeah, is he with you? You two walked in together."
As if she had forgotten all about him, Misty's eyes widened as she turned her head to face Ash, who was standing there awkwardly, not sure what to do or say.
A light tinge of red made its way to Misty's cheeks as she recoiled out of embarrassment for forgetting Ash's presence, but it went away pretty quickly, as her composure returned. "Oh yeah, this is my new friend, Ash. I ran into him a little bit after leaving Pewter. That's Pikachu, Valiant, and Tyrunt with him."
Ash gratefully took note that she hadn't specified Mt. Moon being where they met in her introduction; not implicating herself or him in being involved in the recent events.
Fully turning herself around to face him, Misty smiled at Ash while tilting her head in Ryan's direction. "Ash, this is Ryan. He's the older brother of my friend Maria, and a Pokemon researcher in training. He works at Cerulean's local lab." she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "And that little monkey on his shoulder is Grookey."
Ash almost backed away a bit as Ryan approached him. The much taller boy looked down at him as he casually closed the distance, but his inviting gaze differed much from Misty's usual hotheadedness and Gary's smugness, and Ash quickly found himself not all too intimidated by the approach.
Ryan grinned calmly as he extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, kid. Hope your journey's been going smoothly."
Ash pushed Mt. Moon from his mind as he readjusted his grip on Tyrunt, taking hold of the little dinosaur with one arm so he could shake Ryan's hand. The infant stirred in his sleep a bit, but did not wake up and thankfully didn't seem to be too disturbed. "It's been fine," he forced a smile, trying fill his mind with the victory at Pewter Gym, or the evolutions of his teammates. "We've already made a lot of progress.
The older boy nodded in approval. His grip was firm and tight, but he didn't hold it for long, and his eyes landed on Tyrunt as the two separated. "Newly hatched, I'm guessing?"
His question helped push the unpleasant memories away from Ash's mind, and the young rookie's grin quickly grew more cheerful and genuine. "Yeah! Just a few nights ago, in fact!" returning his grip to the more comfortable position it had been in before, he looked fondly at the baby in his arms. Once again, Tyrunt shifted, but showed no signs of disturbance in his sleep. "He's a bit of a handful, but I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."
"That's the right attitude." Ryan offered him a pleased hum before his gaze turned curious. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get your hands on a Tyrunt? Even by foreign Pokemon standards, they're just about as rare as they come."
Ash blushed. "I was just as surprised as you are. I got an Egg from a new friend of mine who's also a breeder. Next thing I know, he's the one who hatches from it." He figured it best to hide that his friend was specifically Indigo's second highest ranked breeder.
Ryan put his hand to his chin and whistled, Grookey eying Tyrunt with a friendly sense of curiosity. "I'm surprised to hear that, honestly. Rookie trainers usually don't deal with breeders this early into the Season." he eyed Ash carefully. "What price was it?"
"I haven't paid it yet." Ash responded quickly. "It's... pretty big, but she was nice about it and told me that I could pay it off later. I'll be working on that."
Ryan's nonchalant grin returned to his face, briefly eying Valiant, who had been looking up at him with intrigue throughout the brief conversation. "I guess it all worked out for you, then." His eyes turned thoughtful. "Good luck with that one. They are… definitely a challenge to raise. I presume you were provided with instructions?" he seemed satisfied at Ash's quick nod, before once again turning towards Misty, who was patiently eying the interaction. "Do you want me to let Maria know you're here? I'm sure she's dying to see you."
Misty's arrogant smirk returned. "Of course she is! Make sure she tells Laura, too. I can come by and visit your place tomorrow if you'd like."
Ryan chuckled. "I'm sure she'll look forward to it." He offered a friendly wave as he walked towards the doors, Grookey emulating his movements with a friendly cry. "See you around! And nice meeting you, Ash!"
Returning the wave, Ash and Misty turned to each other as the doors closed behind the exiting teenager. Misty's fists pressed against her hips as she tilted her head with a grin.
"He's one of the better reasons for me to come back here." she elaborated. "His sister has known me since we were eight. So her family is pretty familiar with me." she giggled behind her hand. "I just knew he'd zero right in on your little dino. Where do you think Maria got her love for foreign Pokemon from?"
Ash titled his head curiously. "So, she's one of the friends you mentioned before? The other night, I mean?"
Misty nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah, her and Laura. Laura's the Pikachu lover, too." she giggled again as Pikachu's cheeks sparked with pride, although Ash flinched due to being in close proximity. Thankfully, it wasn't too intense. Crossing her arms, her expression mellowed out. "You wouldn't mind coming over with me tomorrow, would you?"
He felt a nervous pit forming in his stomach, but managed a grin nonetheless. "Of course not. I already promised I'd meet them, right?" Beside him, Valiant crossed his arms curiously, seemingly interested in the idea.
Misty nodded with a light smile. "Good." turning towards the counter, she patted her hand against Ash's shoulder. "Just to warn you, Maria's a bit of a motor-mouth and just loves to ask about everything, so make sure you're ready to answer loads of questions when you get there. Laura should be a bit easier to deal with, since she's a lot calmer. Although, she can be a bit of a flirt at times. Don't worry, I'll pull her ear for you."
Ash's cheeks flushed lightly at that, but he quickly shook it off as they made their way to the counter.
/
Misty plopped down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling as she lay sprawled out on her back.
It had been 10:00 PM when they had arrived at the Pokemon Center, and after quick showers and a dinner, the two trainers and their teams were finally ready to turn in for the night after a long day of traveling and battling.
Sitting on his own bed, Ash observed with a tired grin as his and Misty's respective teams worked out their sleeping arrangements for the night.
They were on the third floor of the Center, in a bigger room than last time. Understandable, given the sheer size of urban Pokemon Centers. Once again, Misty's bed was the one closer to the window. She seemed to like those a lot.
Ash was still feeling fatigue kick in, and the feeling of the bed that he was sitting on was already more than enough to be relieving for him.
"I'm not sure how long we'll be at Maria's house." said Misty, gazing up at the ceiling thoughtfully, before turning to him. "I suppose if we end up being there for most of the day, I could start my training for the Gym battle on the next day." rolling over to get a better look at Ash, she frowned. "You okay with that?"
Ash nodded. "Sure. It's always good to unwind. Besides, it's not like I'm in a rush. We just got here."
Truth be told, the thought of tomorrow felt complicated to Ash. He was, once again, looking forward to meeting more people his age. Obviously, these were Misty's friends, and not his, but they sounded pretty nice from what she had told him. And yet... he couldn't help but feel miles out of his comfort zone.
A sudden thought occurred to him, prompting a frown. "Speaking of which… training for the battle is going to be pretty difficult for me. I don't have any water types, and we need to prepare for the aquatic arena."
Ash didn't know much about the Cerulean Gym, but he knew that it was a water specialist Gym, and that the battlefield took the form of a massive pool with platforms to hop across. Water type Pokemon naturally would have the advantage with such terrain, but while Misty currently had two, Ash currently had none. Nebula's flight would come in handy, but the rest of Ash's team would be in trouble for sure.
Misty rolled her eyes. "Way ahead of you, kiddo."
'That wording was a bit condescending…' Ash thought to himself with a blush.
Elaborating further, Misty spoke up again. "I still have to train Jigglypuff and my own Eevee to handle that battlefield, remember?" she jerked her thumb sideways. "We have plenty of bodies of water in the area. I can take us to one that has a lot of rocks to hop around on. The water should be shallow enough so that it won't be too dangerous. Piplup and Staryu can get some practice in too, but I'll probably have to take them to a deeper one so that they can swim more freely."
That could work. It could give the teammates that couldn't fly a means of practicing to traverse the platforms of the pool.
Ash nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Misty."
Misty's prideful smirk was in full force as she returned her gaze to the ceiling, arms behind the back of her head. "Your native Cerulean trainer, here and at your service." she inclined her head slightly towards him. "Just what would you ever do without me?"
He pouted a bit at that. "I'm sure I could manage…"
A haughty laugh was her response. "Sure, but only about, like, half as well." as his pout grew, she giggled. "Take it easy, Ash. I know you'd think of something. But you've gotta admit, my presence is pretty convenient for you right about now."
Ash couldn't argue with that, so he wouldn't.
"I'll try to pay you back somehow-"
Misty cut him off. "Keep your money, kiddo. I'll just be sure to beat you when we battle before we leave." An excited glint entered her eyes, which found their way to the ceiling once more. "A good way to celebrate us getting our second badges. Wouldn't you say?"
Ash scratched his cheek in thought. "You don't want to battle before we challenge the Gym? Maybe as a way to prepare?"
Misty's smirk was back. "Give me a break, Ash. I gotta make sure you're ready for me first, right?" she inclined her head towards him with a cheeky grin. "I mean, it's one thing to humiliate some nobody that I don't give a damn about, but you and I are friends. If I completely tear through your ass because you weren't strong enough to face me yet, I'd just feel bad."
Ash blinked in mild bewilderment. Misty swapped back and forth between compassion and narcissism as though she was just flipping a simple switch.
Leaning backwards to lie down on his bed, he giggled nervously. "Yeah…" he paused for a second. "I suppose so." 'At least she seems to be doing better after Mt. Moon.' It didn't seem like her behavior was a facade.
"Heh." Misty pulled herself under the covers as she turned off her lamp. "Whelp, see you in the morning, buddy. Gotta make sure I'm rested up to deal with those two when we pay them a visit. Plus, beauty sleep and the like."
Ash nodded, turning off his own lamp as he retreated under his own covers. "Right, goodnight."
As he dozed off, he inwardly sighed to himself a bit. Misty was every bit as arrogant as Gary was. And yet... he could only manage an amused grin.