Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Champion Time!!]

Cynthia: It’s not that I’m jealous we don’t have that here in Sinnoh, I’m just saying that I think Dynamaxing would make for a fun experience

Leon: Just come on down to Galar and I’ll show you what it’s all about!

Cynthia: As much as I’d love to, I don’t think I can justify leaving Sinnoh for that long

Lance: I’d like to remind everyone, AGAIN, that this chat is for official league business only

Diantha: Just make it an exhibition match and you’ll be fine

Cynthia: That could work…

Leon: Also, Lance, exhibition match!  That’s totally Official League Business™

Alder: double emphasis on that one

Leon: It deserves a double emphasis

Lance: I am surrounded by children

Ash Ketchum joined chat Champion Time!!

Kate Hitomi joined chat Champion Time!!

Lance: What?

Steven: Huh?

Cynthia: This is an open chat?

Alder: what

Diantha: That’s new…

Leon: Hello!  Welcome to the chat!

Ash Ketchum: Hello there!

Kate Hitomi: How did I even get in here?

Lance: That’s what I want to know.  Who are you?

Ash Ketchum: I’m Ash from the town of Pallet!  I’m gonna be the world’s greatest Pokémon Master!

Kate Hitomi: Oh, uh, I’m Kate Hitomi.  I don’t know about Pokémon Master, but I want to be a Pokémon Ranger.

Leon: I’d say a Pokémon Ranger can be a Pokémon Master

Ash Ketchum: I don’t see why not!

Kate Hitomi: Thank you.

Cynthia: These two are adorable.  Can we keep them?

Lance: No.  This is a private chat, and this is a major security breach.

Alder: lighten up lance

Steven: Sorry, something’s bugging me.  Just gonna…

Steven changed Ash Ketchum’s name to Ash

Steven changed Kate Hitomi’s name to Kate

Diantha: Oh good, it wasn’t just me

Leon: So, what is a Pokémon Master?

Cynthia: I have to admit, I am kinda curious myself

Ash: No idea!  I have to figure that out on my journey!

Lance: Can we get back to the security issue?  How did you get into this chat?

Ash: I found a phone in a field and pressed a button

Lance: I’m being serious here.

Ash: So am I!  I turned it on and the chat automatically loaded!

Lance: This is a secure server, right Steven?

Steven: Can confirm

Lance: So you can’t have just gotten on by finding a phone.

Kate: I applied at the Ranger School in Almia. My application was accepted and I have an entrance exam tomorrow.  I came to Almia today to make sure I wasn’t late.  When I got on the plane a phone was sitting on my seat.  I turned it in.  When I got off the plane it was in my bag.  I got curious and turned it on.  This chat is the only app loaded on it so I opened it up.  The phone beeped and I was added to the chat.

Kate: Oh.

Leon: See?  They both found phones and were added

Cynthia: Makes sense to me

Ash: What’s Almia like, Kate?

Kate: Hard to say.  I grew up in Fiore and only just arrived here for school.  I’ve barely even left the airport.

Lance: As interesting as this is, this is a private chat.

Lance removed Ash from the chat

Lance removed Kate from the chat

Leon: Boo!

Cynthia: How could you?

Steven: That was pretty rude.

Ash joined chat Champion Time!!

Kate joined chat Champion Time!!

Lance: What?

Ash: Hey!

Kate: Hello again.

Lance: How did you do that?

Ash: The phone beeped.

Kate: It was the phone.

Leon: The phone did it.

Lance: Leon, I swear, if you have anything to do with this…

Leon: I don’t.  I just thought the answer was obvious

Diantha: I saw it coming

Alder: it was

Lance: Sorry, but we can’t have you in here.

Lance removed Ash from the chat

Lance removed Kate from the chat

Ash joined chat Champion Time!!

Kate joined chat Champion Time!!

Lance removed Ash from the chat

Lance removed Kate from the chat

Ash joined chat Champion Time!!

Kate joined chat Champion Time!!

Lance removed Ash from the chat

Lance removed Kate from the chat

Ash joined chat Champion Time!!

Kate joined chat Champion Time!!

Lance: Stop it!

Ash: I’m not doing anything though?

Cynthia: Yeah Lance, you’re the one rudely kicking them out

Alder: i say let them stay

Cynthia: Seconded

Leon: Seconded

Diantha: Thirded

Steven: Go for it

Lance: Even you, Steven?

Steven: Even me, Steven

Diantha: It would definitely be helpful going forward to get a Ranger’s opinion on certain things

Kate: I’m not technically a Ranger.  I haven’t even been accepted into the school.

Leon: You’ll totally make it!  This way we don’t have to re-add you later!  

Leon: And Ash is a trainer too!  He fits right in!

Ash: Um…

Ash: Actually, I’m not a trainer yet?

Cynthia: You’re not?

Ash: My journey starts tomorrow…

Leon: Even better!

Ash: Thanks!

Lance: It’s almost midnight.

Ash: So?

Diantha: If your journey starts in the morning, you should be asleep!

Alder: you should go to sleep

Steven: You need plenty of rest for the morning

Ash: I know… but I can’t sleep!  I’m too excited!

Kate: I know the feeling.

Diantha: Are you even in bed?

Ash: …

Cynthia: Go to bed!

Steven: Go to bed

Ash: Okay…

Ash: Goodnight everybody!

Leon: Night!

Kate: Sweet dreams.

Diantha: You too young lady!  It’s even later in Almia than it is in Kanto!  And you have an entrance exam tomorrow!

Kate: Yes Ma’am!

Cynthia: So we’re totally keeping them, right?

Leon: 1000000%

[Official League Champions Chat]

Kate: I’m off to take my entrance exam now.  Wish me luck!

Cynthia: Luck

Diantha: Good luck

Leon: I wish you all the luck!

Steven: You got this.

Steven: Lance.

Lance: Good luck, Kate.

Kate: Thanks everyone!

Cynthia: Hey, shouldn’t we have heard from Ash by now?

Lance: Professor Oak does start giving out Pokémon at nine sharp.

Alder: what time is it in kanto

Lance: Almost noon.

Leon: He probably got too excited about his journey to message anyone.  I know when I got my first Pokémon I nearly left without telling my family

Cynthia: Because you got lost on the way to tell them?

Leon: I’ll have you know I was right in front of the house when I got my starter

Diantha: And then you left, realized you needed to say goodbye, and got lost trying to get back?

Leon: The details aren’t important

Lance: There’s no point to reminding you that this chat is for official business, is there?

Leon: Nope

Cynthia: Nah

Alder: no

Diantha: Don’t think so

Steven: No

Diantha: Not to be a buzzkill, but we still haven’t figured out what’s going on with Ash

Leon: You’re right

Cynthia: I’m kinda worried now

Steven: Lance

Lance: What?

Steven: Lance

Lance: What do you want me to do?

Steven: Lance

Lance: I’m not even in Kanto, it’s not like I can go check on him!

Steven: Lance

Lance: Fine, I’ll check Professor Oak’s paperwork.

Cynthia: There we go

Diantha: Good boy

Lance: Professor Oak has updated the paperwork for today’s newest trainers and listed their registered starters.  

Leon: And?

Lance: Ash is not one of them.

Cynthia: I’m on my way

Lance: I think that’s a bit rash.

Cynthia: Have you heard from Ash?

Lance: Well, no.

Cynthia: I’m on my way

Diantha: Cynthia

Cynthia: What?

Diantha: My Gardevoir can teleport

Cynthia: Pick me up on your way?

Diantha: Obviously

Leon: Hey, what about the rest of us?

Diantha: You snooze you lose

Ash: Sorryoversleptonmywaytothelab

Leon: …

Cynthia: …

Diantha: …

Steven: Literally

Lance: There, everything’s fine.  Can you all get back to work now?  Leon, I know for a fact you’re supposed to be in a meeting right now.

Leon: How do you know that?

Lance: I’ve been waiting for you to arrive for ten minutes.

Leon: Oops

Leon: On my way

Cynthia: You realize it’ll probably be another hour before he finds the conference room, right?

Lance: I know.

[Official League Champions Chat]

Ash: So, I have a Pokémon now

Leon: Which one which one?!  You went with Charmander, right?  It’s obviously the best Pokémon to start wtih

Cynthia: Excuse you, have you not seen Gible?

Leon: I said what I said

Diantha: Ahem.  May I direct your attention to Ralts?

Cynthia: No

Steven: I’ve always been partial to Beldum myself

Alder: perhaps you should let ash answer the question himself

Leon: Right!  Whatcha got?

Ash: A Pikachu

Leon: Cool cool

Diantha: Those are pretty good for beginners

Ash: He doesn’t seem to like me very much

Cynthia: What makes you so sure?

Ash: He climbed up a tree and has been laughing at how a Rattata has been trying to steal my stuff.  He also refuses to battle

Lance: Not every Pokémon likes to battle.

Ash: I’ve tried talking to him, but he just shocked me and jumped away

Diantha: And Professor Oak gave him out as a starter?

Ash: Yeah.  Any idea what I can try next?

Alder: it sounds to me like pikachu doesnt respect you as his trainer

Leon: Yeah, you need to find some common ground the two of you can build off of

Alder: the fact that pikachu hasnt completely run off is a good sign

Diantha: I agree.  It sounds like he’s waiting to see if you can prove yourself 

Ash: Prove myself.  Like maybe by catching a Pokémon without his help?

Cynthia: I don’t think that’s quite what you should do

Alder: now now i can see that working out

Ash: I see a Pidgey a bit further away.  I think I’ll give that a shot

Lance: Be careful, I’ve been getting reports that the Spearow flock in that area has gotten more aggressive lately.

Ash: Why is that bad?

Kate: Spearow aren’t the friendliest Pokémon to meet.

Leon: Kate!!!

Leon: How’d the exam go?

Kate: I finished the written test, and now I have a break before the practical.

Cynthia: How do you think you did?

Kate: I think I did pretty good?  I was confident about most of my answers, at least.

Diantha: That sounds pretty good to me

Alder: if youre confident odds are youre right

Lance: That’s not quite how it works.

Steven: Lance

Lance: But I’m sure you did great, Kate.

Kate: Thanks.

Kate: I’m being called in for my practical now.

Leon: Good luck!!!

Cynthia: You got this

Alder: let us know what the school is like

Diantha: Try and stay calm.  Don’t let the pressure get to you

Steven: Good luck

Lance: Anyway, Spearow flock.  Don’t antagonize them.

Diantha: Ash?

Leon: He’s probably busy catching that Pidgey he mentioned

Chapter Text

[Leon and the Squad]

Kate: So, uh, I passed.

Leon: !!!!!!!!!!

Cynthia: Congratulations!

Diantha: Knew you could do it

Alder: never doubted you

Steven: Good job

Leon: What was it like?  What did you have to do?

Kate: Well, the first part of the afternoon was dedicated to the written test.  A lot of basic knowledge.  Identifying Pokémon and the like.  After a short break we got to the practical.  They basically gave me a styler and a crash course on how to use it and then had me befriend a Pikachu that lives on campus.

Cynthia: Another Pikachu, eh?

Kate: The irony was not lost on me.  

Kate: Anyway, I passed the exam.

Diantha: When do classes start?

Kate: Tomorrow.

Diantha: So soon?

Leon: Don’t entrance exams usually happens months in advance?  That’s how it is here in Galar

Kate: That’s how it usually works at the Ranger school too.  I’m something of a special case.

Alder: how so

Kate: The program I’m enrolled in is a two month program for people ages ten to seventeen.  Despite being open to people as young as ten like me, our applications very rarely get accepted.  There’s a limited number of seats so usually preference goes to the older applicants who won’t get another chance to apply.

Steven: That makes sense but at the same time seems unfair

Kate: Anyway, I applied months ago and got waitlisted.  Then just a week ago I got a message about how a student had to drop out at the last minute and there was an empty seat I could take the exam for.  It was all very rushed and last minute, but the result is the same.  I’m officially a Pokémon Ranger in training!

Diantha: And what a great Ranger you’ll be

Leon: Totally!

Ash: You’ll be the best!

Kate: Thanks guys.

Kate: Ash, how are things going with Pikachu?

Ash: We’re best buddies!

Steven: That fast?

Ash: You guys were right, I just had to show Pikachu I was someone worthy of his respect

Cynthia: That’s good.  Your starter Pokémon is special and I’m glad you two have bonded

Ash: Me too.  Together Pikachu and I will be the world’s greatest Pokémon Master!

Leon: I don’t doubt it.  We’ll have to have a battle sometime!

Ash: You’re on!

Cynthia: I’d like a battle too!

Diantha: That definitely sounds fun

Alder: im always down for a good battle

Steven: Count me in

Kate: I’m not really a battler, but I could cheer you on from the sideline?

Ash: Of course you can!

Cynthia: Lance, you’d like to battle Ash too, right?

Diantha: Lance?

Lance: Busy.  Can’t talk now.

Leon: Think he’s actually busy or just making an excuse?

Steven: Sounds like he’s actually busy

Cynthia: It’s an excuse, no doubt about it

Kate: I’m sure he has a lot of work to do.

Ash: What kind of work would he have to do anyway?

Lance: Paperwork.  Someone blew up a Pokémon Center.

Kate: What happened?

Steven: Who and where?

Cynthia: I’m sorry, BLEW UP a POKEMON CENTER?!

Alder: thats just wrong

Diantha: Give me a name

Ash: Sorry about that.  I swear it was an accident!

Lance: what?

Cynthia: Are you saying that YOU blew up a Pokémon Center?

Ash: I didn’t mean to!  But I couldn’t just let them steal the Pokémon!

Kate: What happened?

Diantha: Weren’t you trying to catch a Pidgey?

Lance: How do you go from that to blowing up a Pokémon Center?

Leon: Why isn’t he answering?

Alder: i think hes still typing

Steven: It would have to be a long story

Leon: But this long?

Ash: So as it turns out the Pidgey I thought I saw was actually a Spearow.  I angered it and it called its friends, which resulted in the entire flock chasing me and Pikachu down the road.  Pikachu got hurt so I picked him up and ran with him in my arms.  To get away I jumped off a cliff and into a river down below.  We were carried down the river until a girl fished us up.  Pikachu was really hurt and she gave me directions to the Pokémon Center.  The Spearow were still chasing us so to get away I kinda maybe took the girl’s bike.  It was an emergency!  And I promised to give it back someday!

Anyway, we crashed a little ways down the road because it started raining.  The Spearow were about to catch up to us so I tried to get Pikachu to go into his Poké Ball to keep him safe.  I then stood between him and the Spearow to buy him time.  Instead of going into the Poké Ball, Pikachu jumped off my shoulder and at the Spearow.  He was struck by lightning which charged him enough to defeat the Spearow in one attack.  With the Spearow defeated we managed to get to Viridian City.

I was still carrying Pikachu in my arms so Officer Jenny thought I might be stealing him.  Thankfully I had my Pokédex which cleared the whole thing up.  She gave me a ride to the Pokémon Center.  While Nurse Joy was working on Pikachu the girl from the river showed up with the charred remains of her bike.  Apparently Pikachu kinda destroyed it earlier?

While we were waiting on Pikachu, these people claiming to be Team Rocket showed up and threatened to steal all the Pokémon there.  They had with them a Koffing, Ekans, and a talking Meowth.  Misty and I fought them off while Nurse Joy transferred all the Pokémon in the center to Pewter City.  Then Pikachu woke up and we supercharged him again with some other electric Pokémon that happened to be in the center as well as Misty’s bike.

Pikachu shocked them, but the Koffing had filled the Pokémon Center with his gas.  The shock caused the gas to explode and destroyed the center

Cynthia: …Sinnoh almighty

Steven: …

Diantha: Is everyone alright?

Ash: Yeah!  Nurse Joy got all the Pokémon out in time, and we weren’t near the smoke when it went off!

Kate: Is this normal for Pokémon Trainers?

Alder: no it is incredibly not normal

Lance: I told you not to mess with the Spearow.

Cynthia: Really?  THAT’S your takeaway here?

Lance: Yes.

Diantha: Where will you and Misty be staying?

Ash: For tonight Misty and I are staying in a hotel that volunteered to take us in.

Kate: What about the Pokémon that need medical attention?  What will they do without the Center?

Lance: Viridian General has a Pokémon ward that Nurse Joy can use when the Center is out of commission.

Alder: most hospitals do

Lance: Only they were meant to be used in the event of power failure or the Center being at capacity, not the Pokémon Center exploding.

Ash: I said I was sorry!

Ash: Am I gonna have to pay to fix it?

Lance: No, it looks like the blame for this is going on Team Rocket.

Ash: That’s a relief.  Misty’s saying I need to pay to replace her bike, and I didn’t want to have to replace the Pokémon Center too

Steven: Reasonable, honestly

Ash: I know, but she won’t shut up about it!  She said she’s going to be going on my journey with me until I do!

Lance: I can’t blame her.  Bikes are expensive.

Diantha: How expensive?

Lance: Too expensive.

Leon: So!  Kate absolutely nailed her entrance exam and is on her way to being the best Ranger out there and Ash stole a bike, beat a flock of Spearow in one fell swoop, fought a group of criminals, and exploded a Pokémon Center!

Kate: My story doesn’t sound as exciting anymore…

Ash: Sorry about that

Kate: I don’t think you need to apologize for that.

Lance: Because Ash angered Spearow.

Leon: Because he angered Spearow!  Anything else of note happen today?  To anyone?

Ash: I saw a Pokémon that my Pokédex couldn’t identify?  Does that count?

Cynthia: What?  When?  What did it look like?

Ash: After Pikachu defeated the Spearow we looked up and saw a Pokémon flying over a rainbow.  It was too far away for the Pokédex to identify.  It had large wings and a frilly tail.  It flew right over the rainbow

Cynthia: That doesn’t narrow it down too much, unfortunately

Ash: Oh!  There was a mural of it in the Pokémon Center!

Lance: A mural?  But the only murals in there were

Lance: You saw Ho-Oh?!

Ash: What’s that?

Lance: A legendary Pokémon in Johto.

Alder: most people go their entire lives without seeing a legendary

Cynthia: You are very lucky

Ash: Cool!

Kate: Ash.

Ash: Yes?

Kate: Didn’t you say today was your first day of your journey?

Ash: Yep!

Leon: Sweet Arceus it is his first day…

Lance: Ash?  Could you do me a favor?

Ash: What is it?

Lance: Go to bed.  Please.  Before anything else happens.

Diantha: That’s probably a good idea.  You’ve had a big day

Diantha: You too, Kate.  Both of you should go to bed

Ash: Alright.  Night everyone!

Kate: Goodnight.

[Leon and the Squad]

Ash: Wait a minute…

Ash: Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha, and Leon…

Leon: Yes?

Alder: oh he finally noticed

Ash: Are… 

Ash: You guys… 

Ash: Are you all… 

Ash: Are you roleplaying as the champions?

Cynthia: …

Diantha: …

Steven: …

Kate: …

Alder: …

Leon: Yes

Lance: Go to bed!

Chapter Text

[Leon and the Squad]

Lance renamed chat “League Champions Official”

[League Champions Official]

Lance: Leon, please stop changing the chat name.

Leon: No promises

Cynthia: Lighten up.  The chat name doesn’t matter

Lance: Oh really?

Lance renamed chat “Champion Lance Fanclub”

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Lance: So you’d be fine with that?

Cynthia: I see no issue with it

Diantha: I’m totally fine with being in Lance’s fanclub.  I mean, have you seen his Dragonite?

Cynthia: I respect anyone who uses a dragon 

Leon: Not to mention the Charizard he has for more unofficial battles

Diantha: Good point!

Alder: and its not just his team hes also got great style

Diantha: Definitely a flair for dramatics

Cynthia: Is that what the cape is for, do you think?  The drama?

Leon: I don’t know, but I approve of it.  Where do you think I got the idea for a cape?

Lance: Why do I feel like this was a mistake?

Kate: Because now they won’t stop?

Lance: Kate, how was your first day of school?

Cynthia: You do care!

Leon: Lance is so great, taking an interest in aspiring Pokémon Rangers

Lance: Please stop.

Steven: Never!

Kate: It turns out that even though today was the first day of classes, it wasn’t the first day everyone else moved in?  The rest of the students have been here for a week from the sounds of it.  So it was a little overwhelming just walking into this group that had already formed, you know?

Leon: I know what you mean.  Being the newcomer is always a stressful situation

Diantha: I’m sure you handled it admirably

Kate: I guess?  One of my classmates, Rhythmi, gave me a tour of the school.  While we were going around a bunch of Bidoofs started running around the schoolyard, so I teamed up with another student named Keith to capture and calm them all down.  I’m pretty sure the three of us are friends now.

Diantha: That’s great!

Cynthia: Good job with the Bidoof, they can be hard to catch

Leon: It’s good to make friends

Kate: Anyway, we finished classes and now I’m chilling here in the dorms.  I wrote a letter to my sister and decided to check out the chat.

Diantha: Sounds like you had a great first day

Kate: I did.

Kate: Rhythmi wants to talk to me, so I should go now.

Leon: Bye Kate!

Alder: see you later

Diantha: Have fun with your friends!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: I think I’m being hazed?

Cynthia: What’s going on?!  Are they bullying you?!

Diantha: Do you need me to teleport over and talk to your teacher?

Cynthia: I’ll talk to the other students and put the fear of Garchomp in them!

Kate: It’s nothing like that!  Just a test of courage to prove I’m brave.

Cynthia: Oh.  That’s alright then

Diantha: You do want to do this and they’re not forcing you, right?

Kate: Yes.  I want to be a Pokémon Ranger.  I don’t think I’d make a good one if I couldn’t wander around the school at night.

Diantha: That’s alright then

Cynthia: And if anyone does start bullying you, punch them in the throat

Alder: what she said

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: My partner on this test got scared by a ghost but it turned out to be a Bidoof, turns out the basement is actually haunted, and I was nearly caught by a teacher.  I still passed and proved my bravery.  I’m going to bed now.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I caught a Pokémon!  I caught a Pokémon!

Leon: Nice!  What’d you catch?

Ash: A Caterpie!

Ash: He’s an absolute sweetie and I love him!

Ash: Pikachu even let him ride on my shoulder!

Steven: I feel like we’re missing some context there

Ash: Oh, Pikachu hates his Poké Ball and prefers to ride on my shoulder.  And he let Caterpie join him!

Cynthia: That’s great!  It’s always a special feeling, catching your first Pokémon

Diantha: I know I haven’t forgotten it

Alder: i hope i dont

Lance: Caterpie is an excellent first capture.

Ash: You really think so?

Lance: Caterpie was the first Pokémon I captured myself.

Ash: Really?!

Leon: Lance lore!

Steven: I didn’t know that

Cynthia: Why have I never seen you with a Caterpie?

Lance: Partially because she evolved into Butterfree.

Lance: Ash, tell me about your Caterpie.

Ash: Well, he’s super friendly!  He keeps trying to go up to Misty to befriend her, but she’s scared of bugs and won’t let him close.

Diantha: You should probably sit Caterpie down and tell him to leave Misty alone then.

Ash: But why?  He’s just trying to be her friend

Cynthia: Yes, but it’s rude if he’s scaring her

Lance: It’s all well and good to want to be friends with someone, but if you’re scaring them then you need to stop.

Alder: its sad but she doesn’t seem to want to be his friend

Diantha: Exactly.  It’s unfair to Misty to let Caterpie keep scaring her, and it’s unfair to Caterpie not to intervene

Ash: Okay…

Ash: They’re asleep right now, so I’ll talk to them in the morning

Steven: That’s a good call

Ash: I’m gonna go to bed myself.  Night!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Do I really have to tell Caterpie to leave Misty alone?

Cynthia: Yes.  You shouldn’t let your friend continue to be scared like this

Ash: But she yelled at Caterpie again!  She made him cry and now he’s hiding in his Poké Ball!

Cynthia: Well…

Lance: Let her suffer.

Diantha: You should still talk to Misty and Caterpie both

Steven: Get them to leave each other alone

Ash: But I really don’t want to take Misty’s side!  She’s acting like Caterpie doesn’t even have feelings!

Alder: its not taking sides its mediating

Kate: Plus, if you don’t say something, then Misty will keep treating Caterpie like this and keep hurting his feelings.

Diantha: Ash?

Steven: I think he’s talking to Misty and Caterpie

Kate: Good.

Cynthia: Lance, let her suffer?  Really?

Lance: Yes.

Diantha: Weren’t you advocating for Caterpie not scaring her last night?

Lance: She made Caterpie cry.  No holds barred go for the throat.

Cynthia: That is ruthless

Leon: Lance truly cares for the feelings of all Pokémon

Cynthia: He’s so great like that!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Caterpie evolved!

Leon: Already?

Lance: Very nice.

Ash: Yeah!  He fought off Team Rocket’s Pokémon with his string shot and evolved afterward!

Diantha: I’m sorry, Team Rocket?

Ash: Oh yeah, they showed up after I caught Pidgeotto and tried to steal Pikachu.  Caterpie fought them off and evolved.  And I think Metapod and Misty have come to an understanding

Cynthia: Well, that’s good at least

Diantha: Can we acknowledge that Team Rocket showed up again?  Don’t you think that’s a bit concerning?

Lance: They probably ran away into the forest to escape Viridian after the incident the other day and just happened to run into Ash and Misty there.

Leon: Besides, Ash can totally handle them.  He has twice already!

Alder: that still doesnt mean he should though

Lance: I’ve contacted Officer Jenny, she’s sending a squad into the forest to apprehend them.

Leon: See?  Problem solved

Chapter Text

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Metapod has been Pokénapped!

Steven: What happened?!

Alder: who was it

Kate: Do you need help?

Ash: I was trying to catch a Weedle when this guy shoves a sword in my face and challenges me to a battle.  While I was distracted the Weedle got away and told a bunch of Beedril about what happened.  They attacked and one of them grabbed Metapod before I could return him and flew away

Lance: Okay, things could be worse.  If the Beedril took Metapod with them, then he’s probably at their nest.  Do you know where that is?

Ash: Yes.  I found it earlier but before I could run in a bunch of the Kakuna evolved into Beedrill and chased us away.  We’re in Samurai’s cabin now, waiting for them to leave

Leon: So to get Metapod back Ash just needs to sneak in and grab him?

Lance: Yes, but it’ll be very dangerous.

Lance: Did you see any of the officers that went into the forest to arrest Team Rocket?

Ash: No

Lance: Darn, they could have helped.

Ash: I can’t just sit around waiting for someone else to help me!  Metapod is in danger and I need to save him!  How do I sneak into a Beedrill nest?

Kate: One of the most important things you need to do is get the right timing.  I’d recommend early morning, within the first hour of the sun rising.  Since it’s the season in which Weedle and Kakuna evolve the most, there will be an increase in Beedrill patrols around the nest to keep them safe.  If you go early morning you’ll give the morning patrol enough time to get far enough away from the nest that they won’t be able to hear you if you’re quiet, and the returning night patrol will have had enough time that they’d all be asleep.

You’ll want to stay low in the underbrush and crawl as close as you can so that no Kakuna will be able to spot your approach and warn the Beedrill.  If possible enter through a blind spot in the nest so no Kakuna will be able to see you at all.  Once you have Metapod exit the way you came in so you won’t be spotted.  If you do get spotted, run as fast as you can back to the cabin you’re in.  Once inside hunker down until the Beedrill decide you’re not going to attack again and leave.

Whatever you do, DON’T attack any of the Pokémon, either Weedle, Kakuna, or Beedrill.  If you hurt one of them even by accident then the rest of them will bear down on you with even more force than if they were just trying to scare you away.  And if you try to capture one then the rest won’t stop hunting you down ever.

Lance: What she said.

Ash: Thanks Kate.  Early morning, right?

Kate: Right.

Diantha: You should probably go to sleep now.  You’ll need your rest

Ash: I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep, but I’ll try

Leon: Kate, how’d you know so much about Beedrill nests?

Kate: Pokémon Ranger in training

Leon: That checks out

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I’m done

Kate: How’d it go?  Did you get Metapod back?

Ash: Uh… not exactly

Leon: What happened?

Diantha: Are you okay?

Lance: Do you need help?

Cynthia: I can be there within an hour

Alder: what went wrong

Steven: What do you mean not exactly?

Ash: I don’t have Metapod, but I do have Butterfree

Leon: !!!!!!

Lance: Next time lead with that.

Kate: Okay, but how did it go?

Ash: I got to the nest no problem.  I was scouting it out for a blind spot like Kate suggested when Team Rocket showed up and alerted the Beedrill

Diantha: Team Rocket?  Again?

Cynthia: Didn’t Lance have them arrested?

Lance: Officer Jenny said she was gonna send some people to arrest them, but I haven’t heard an update

Alder: they must have evaded the officers

Kate: Ahem!  Ash’s report!

Steven: She’s right, please continue

Ash: When the Beedrill started attacking, I got out of the way and they went after Team Rocket.  While they were distracted I ran into the nest, grabbed Metapod, and got out of there.  Metapod was angry but I apologized and he evolved to save me from the Beedrill so I think he forgave me.  He put them all to sleep with sleep powder and then we left

Kate: I’m glad you got Butterfree back.

Ash: Me too!

Diantha: Are we just going to ignore that Ash ran into a nest of angry Beedrill?

Steven: For the sake of our collective sanity?  Yes.

Diantha: All the same, Ash?  Don’t do that again

Ash: I’ll try not to

Leon: Now that that’s settled, Butterfree!  What’s he like?!

Ash: He’s so happy to be able to fly now!

Lance: My Butterfree was the same way.

Ash: And he and Misty have definitely reached an agreement.  She isn’t scared of him and even seems to like him, and he’s happy to be her friend

Cynthia: That’s good

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: Anyone here want to hear a funny story?

Leon: I’d love to

Cynthia: Of course

Diantha: Naturally

Alder: i love funny stories

Kate: So, one thing that Pokémon Rangers have to do is keep up with certain current events and figures that revolve around Pokémon.  One of the things we have to keep up with is Pokémon Leagues around the world.  So, today my teacher gave out an assignment to write an essay on one of the people from a list of public figures that she chose.  Two of my choices are Cynthia and Diantha.

Cynthia: You’re gonna go with Cynthia, obviously

Diantha: Diantha is the only logical choice

Cynthia: Wait…

Diantha: Excuse you?

Lance: What have you done?

Kate: I don’t know.

Chapter Text

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I can see Pewter City in the distance!

Leon: Yeah!  You made it out of the forest!

Ash: There’s some guy by the road selling rocks.

Steven: What kind of rocks?

Ash: Just rocks

Steven: Evolution stones?  Rare minerals?  Fossils?

Ash: They just look like rocks

Steven: Describe them

Ash: They’re rocks?  They’re mostly gray and brown and don’t seem all that different than the rocks just littering the ground

Steven: But since they’re for sale they have to be!  Do they look shinier than the rest?  Maybe smoother?  Any interesting shapes?

Kate: Ash, just take a picture of the rocks, otherwise you’ll be there all day.

Leon: Probably

Misty frowned as Ash bent over and pointed his phone at the shelf of rocks.  “Why are you taking a picture of them?”

“I mentioned the rocks and Kate suggested I take a picture,” he said simply.  He tapped the screen of the phone.  It let out a clicking noise.  Ash nodded and hit send.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Steven: …

Steven: Those are just rocks

Ash: See?

Steven: Why would someone be selling just rocks?

Steven: No, there has to be something special about those rocks.  You said this was outside of Pewter City?

Lance: Steven, you are not going to Pewter City.

Steven: I have to know!

Lance: You have work to do.

Steven: I can put Wallace in charge for a few days!

Lance: No you can’t and you know it.

Steven: Why not?!

Lance: If you intend to take a vacation you need to have the paperwork filled out at least two weeks in advance, Wallace isn’t even the next in line Drake is, and the season just started so you can’t take one of the gym leaders away from their post.

Steven: I can backdate the paperwork, Wallace is the highest ranking trainer in the league willing to take over, and I can get Wallace’s mentor and predecessor to watch the gym for a while!

Lance: While you go look at rocks.

Steven: Yes!

Kate: Outdoor class!

Kate: Sorry, is this a bad time?

Lance: No.  No it’s not.  Tell us all about outdoor class?

Kate: Well, it’s class outdoors, obviously.

Leon: Makes sense

Kate: Both the classes will get together to be taught a special lesson from an actual Pokémon Ranger.  He’ll tell us stories about what it’s like to be a Ranger, show us a few things as well, and even answer some questions.

Kate: Keith has a list of thirty-eight questions he wants to ask.

Kate: And counting.

Alder: that sounds like a lot of fun

Kate: It will be!

Leon: Outdoor class!!!

Kate: Outdoor class!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I’m gonna take the gym challenge

Leon: Yes!  Do it!

Alder: do you have it all planned out

Ash: The start, at least.  I’m gonna let my Pokémon rest up today then challenge the gym here in Pewter tomorrow

Lance: I’m not sure that’s the best idea.

Leon: Why not?!  Ash can handle the gyms!

Lance: The Pewter gym is a rock type gym.

Steven: Ah

Ash: Is that bad?

Lance: All your Pokémon are weak to rock types.

Leon: I repeat, Ash can handle it

Ash: But types aren’t everything, right?

Alder: no they are not

Steven: I can think of a couple ways that Ash’s current team can handle rock types

Ash: Don’t tell me

Steven: Why not?

Ash: I’m the one taking this challenge.  I have to figure it out on my own

Lance: That’s a perfectly reasonable request.

Alder: it is

Leon: At least tell us how the battle goes?

Ash: I will

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: It was definitely a class to remember.

Steven: Oh?  What about it was so memorable?

Kate: Outdoor class was taken by a Ranger named Crawford from Vientown.  We were halfway through the Question-&-Answer Session of Terror when he got a voicemail about a Mantine that swam into a cargo ship and was injured.  So another Ranger came and docked a boat right next to the school to pick him up so they could go help.

Ash: Is the Mantine okay?!

Kate: I’m not sure.  Crawford promised that he’d keep us updated, though.

Alder: its a shame outdoor class had to be cut short

Kate: It is, but it was for a good cause.

Leon: Plus, I feel like this makes for a much more exciting story than if he just stuck around answering questions

Kate: Very true.  Honestly, seeing a Ranger in action like that, it lit a fire in me.  All of us, really.

Alder: a good thing to have

Kate: Yeah.  Rhythmi, Keith, and I all made a promise to ourselves and each other.  We won’t stop until we make our dreams come true.

Ash: Yeah!  Keep going and don’t stop until you’re the very best!

Leon: You can totally do it!

Kate: Thanks everyone.

Kate: Not to change the subject, but is it just me or have Cynthia and Diantha been strangely quiet today?

Lance: I’m trying not to think about that.

Ash: Why not?

Lance: Because that means they’re planning something.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Steven: So.  Ash has his gym battle today

Alder: he does

Leon: Isn’t there some way we can watch it?

Lance: No.

Leon: In Galar we televise all gym battles.  You should really consider doing the same

Lance: No.

Steven: You know, there might be something we can do

Leon: What is it?!

Steven: Well, all gyms are required to have security cameras inside them.  And, here in Hoenn at least, the champion can tap into the feed at any time for surprise inspections

Kate: Can Lance do the same thing?

Lance: Technically, yes.  Kanto gyms are required to have a few things inside of them.  Cameras, sprinklers, and so on.

Leon: Livestream it!  Let us watch the battle with you!

Lance: That would be a gross misuse of power.

Leon: But it’s Ash’s first gym battle!

Alder: theres gotta be some kind of agreement we can make

Kate: What if he watches it and commentates on the battle here?

Leon: Yes!  Do it do it do it!

Alder: that could definitely be fun

Lance: Still a misuse of power.

Steven: I suppose we could all go to Kanto and watch in person

Lance: I’ll pull up the feed.

Leon: Yes!!!

Lance: Okay, looks like Brock is the one managing the gym today.

Kate: Brock?

Lance: The official gym leader, Flint, has ten kids.  He and his oldest son are both registered to act as gym leaders and swap off to take care of the kids.  I’m pretty sure his second son is also being trained to take care of the gym as well.

Diantha: Makes sense

Alder: youre back

Cynthia: Like we’d miss this

Lance: Each trainer gets to use two Pokémon in this match.  Brock is starting with Onix and Ash sends out Pikachu.

Lance: Pikachu doesn’t look too sure about the matchup, but he’s not backing down.

Alder: from what ash has said i doubt he would

Leon: You got this Pikachu!  Show that Onix what you can do!

Lance: Onix is trying to attack Pikachu, but he’s just too slow to hit Pikachu so far.  Pikachu isn’t currently trying to fight back.

Cynthia: Let Onix tire itself out.  Good strategy

Lance: Onix is switching up his attacks now.  Instead of trying to ram directly into Pikachu, he’s swinging his tail around to try and stop Pikachu in his tracks.

Leon: Come on Pikachu, don’t let that bundle of rocks get the better of you!

Lance: And Pikachu wasn’t able to dodge in time.  Onix has him wrapped in his tail and is using a bind attack.

Leon: No no no

Diantha: I think that might be it for Pikachu

Kate: It can’t really be over, can it?

Lance: It is.  Ash just forfeited the match.

Alder: a wise decision honestly

Alder: sounds like pikachu didnt stand a chance against onix

Steven: Not like that he doesn’t

Ash: Hey…

Ash: So, you saw all that?

Lance: Yeah.

Cynthia: How you holding up?

Ash: Disappointed.  I couldn’t even land a hit in that battle

Kate: How’s Pikachu doing?

Ash: Still fainted.  I’m taking him to the Pokémon Center

Ash: Hang on, now that guy selling rocks is here

Ash: He wants me to go with him?

Diantha: Don’t do that!

Leon: Stranger danger!

Lance: Ash, go straight to the Pokémon Center.  If he tries to follow you let me know.

Ash: Okay I’m going

Ash: He looks a bit startled but isn’t following

Lance: Still, go to the Pokémon Center and stay there until morning, please.

Ash: I will

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Steven, do you really think Pikachu can beat Onix?

Steven: I can think of a way or two, yeah

Steven: Did you want me to tell you?

Ash: No.  I just needed to hear it was possible

Kate: What are you planning?

Ash: The PC in the Pokémon Center has care guides for all different kinds of Pokémon.  I’ll check the one for Pikachu and see what I can find

Alder: while youre there you might want to check the bulletin board to see if there are any odd jobs

Alder: being a pokemon trainer can get expensive and surviving on just prize money is very difficult even for the best of trainers

Ash: I’ll check them both out

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I have a plan

Leon: What is it?

Ash: Iron tail

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Okay, Pikachu and I have been training hard and I think we’ve got iron tail ready to go

Leon: Are we about to see another gym battle?!

Kate: I’d hope not.  They’ve been training non stop for a few days now.  Pikachu needs to rest.

Ash: Yeah, he’s made it very clear he has no intention of fighting anyone today.  Misty suggested we take the rest of the day to visit the Pewter Museum

Lance: That’s a fun one.

Steven: They got some great meteorites there.  And fossils!

Ash: Steven’s right, the fossils are pretty cool

Ash: They have an Aerodactyl fossil!

Lance: I would love an Aerodactyl.

Alder: isnt there a lab in cinnabar that can resurrect fossils

Kate: Wait, really?

Lance: Yes, but there’s a whole approval process you need to go through that takes months, and I don’t have that much free time.  Not to mention you need to provide the fossil yourself, and I don’t have an Aerodactyl fossil.

Ash: If I ever find one you can have it

Lance: I highly doubt that’ll happen, but I appreciate it.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Battle number two.  Wish me luck!

Leon: I wish you all the luck!

Kate: You and Pikachu can do this.

Cynthia: Luck

Diantha: Good luck

Steven: You got this

Alder: remember to keep your cool

Lance: I assume I have to commentate again?

Steven: Yes

Cynthia: Why wouldn’t you?

Kate: It’d be nice if you did

Diantha: Naturally

Alder: sounds like

Leon: Do it!!!

Lance: Alright.

Lance: Ash and Pikachu look a lot more confident this time.  

Leon: They should be, they trained hard

Lance: Huh, that’s weird.  Brock’s taking the match, but the paperwork says today is Flint’s day as the leader.

Alder: maybe hes sick

Lance: Maybe.  Anyway, it’s hard to tell what Brock’s thinking, but he’s accepting the challenge and restating the rules.

Lance: And they’re off.  Ash starts with Pikachu and Brock with Geodude.

Cynthia: Ash can handle a Geodude

Lance: I wouldn’t be so sure.  He was clearly expecting Onix, looks like Geodude has caught him off guard.

Kate: He’ll recover it.

Lance: Uh oh.  Ash panicked and had Pikachu use thundershock.

Cynthia: Oof

Diantha: Rookie mistake

Steven: He has a steel move, why not use that?

Alder: he lost his cool

Lance: Wait, what?

Kate: ?

Cynthia: ?

Leon: ?

Steven: ?

Alder: what happened

Lance: Geodude fainted.

Lance: From being hit with a thundershock.

Leon: What?

Cynthia: That shouldn’t be possible

Kate: From an electric attack?

Diantha: You’re not joking, right?

Lance: I’m not.  Brock looks like he doesn’t know what to do.  He’s just staring.  Ash looks confused.

Steven: By hitting a ground type with an electric attack or Brock’s reaction?

Lance: Unclear.

Lance: Okay, Brock just called back Geodude and sent out Onix.

Lance: Ash tried another thundershock but Brock had Onix dodge it.

Steven: That must’ve been a weird command

Leon: What’s happening now?!

Lance: Hang on, Pikachu’s thundershock hit the ground and sent up a cloud of smoke, I can’t see right now.

Lance: Okay, the smoke has dissipated.  Onix is trying to get Pikachu in another bind, and Pikachu keeps dodging the attacks.

Diantha: This feels familiar

Kate: But it’s not the same.  Ash has a plan this time.

Lance: Yes.  He just told Pikachu to do something.  Pikachu is watching Onix and waiting for the next attack.

Lance: And he hit Onix’s tail with iron tail, sending it back and launching himself away.

Steven: Yes!

Cynthia: It’s working!

Leon: Come on, Pikachu, you got this!

Lance: Onix is a lot more cautious.  Instead of bind Brock told him to use rock throw.  Pikachu’s having a harder time dodging them all.

Kate: They’re inside of a gym, surely Onix is going to run out of rocks soon, right?

Alder: its a rock gym

Alder: theres probably plenty of rocks for this exact reason

Lance: Onix isn’t just throwing rocks randomly, he’s trying to herd Pikachu over to the edge of the field.

Leon: In Kanto, what happens if a Pokémon goes out of the field?

Lance: If they touch the ground, they’re disqualified.

Cynthia: Good thing Pikachu won’t touch the ground, then

Steven: Pikachu already got a solid hit with iron tail, plus Onix has been using lots of attacks.  He’s gotta be tiring out

Lance: He’s starting to, but so is Pikachu.  He may not have used a lot of attacks, but he’s been dodging a lot.

Lance: And to make it worse, Onix backed him between two large boulders.  He can’t go to the side and going backwards would put him out of the battlefield.  Ash has just seen the position.

Kate: He’ll figure something out.

Leon: Yeah!  Ash has got this in the bag!

Lance: Onix is winding up another rock throw.

Lance: Oh no.

Cynthia: What happened?!

Diantha: Did Ash lose?

Lance: Ash had Pikachu hit the rock away with iron tail.  It worked, but it gave Onix an opening to grab Pikachu in another bind.  Pikachu tried shocking Onix, but it didn’t do anything.

Leon: Oh come on, NOW the laws of physics are in effect?!

Lance: Ash is just staring at the field.  It looks like he’s in shock.

Alder: the battles not over yet

Lance: ?!

Lance: Ash just told Pikachu to use thundershock again.  But not on Onix, he used thundershock on the ground.

Lance: Oh come on!

Leon: What is it?

Kate: What did he do?

Cynthia: What’s happening?

Lance: I don’t know.  The attack sent up another wave of smoke.  It’s obscuring the camera’s vision.

Diantha: You don’t think that was the plan, do you?

Steven: Obscuring vision, you mean?

Kate: I can see that working.

Leon: Hang on, are you saying Pikachu just used smokescreen?

Alder: thats not possible

Lance: Okay, the smoke set off the sprinklers, so the water is clearing it up.

Cynthia: Well?!  What’s happening?!

Lance: Pikachu just used thundershock again.  While Onix was covered in water.

Leon: And?!

Lance: It looks like the water acted like soak.  Onix was definitely affected by the attack.

Cynthia: Come on, come on

Alder: that might just work

Lance: He’s wobbling back and forth.

Leon: You got this Pikachu!

Diantha: That had to be enough, right?

Steven: I don’t know

Lance: Onix just let Pikachu go!

Kate: Does that mean?!

Lance: Onix fell to the ground and fainted.

Cynthia: Yes!

Leon: First badge!  First badge!

Alder: i have never seen a strategy like that

Steven: It worked though!

Diantha: I think it’s safe to say nobody has seen a strategy like that

Kate: Unorthodox as it was, it worked!

Lance: Okay, this is happening now.

Kate: What is?

Diantha: Brock isn’t trying to refuse to give him a badge, is he?

Lance: No, nothing like that.  Brock’s brothers and sisters all jumped out onto the field and are berating Ash for bullying Onix.

Leon: Really?

Diantha: That’s…

Cynthia: This was an official battle though

Lance: That’s what Brock’s saying.  His siblings don’t look happy, but they’re not arguing.

Lance: Alright, they stepped back and Brock is giving Ash his badge.

Lance: I think we’re done here.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I beat Brock!  I got a boulder badge!

Leon: Congrats man!

Kate: I’m happy for you!

Steven: We saw!

Diantha: We’re proud of you

Alder: you did good kid

Cynthia: I can’t wait to battle you myself

Lance: Good job.

Ash: In other news, after I beat Brock the man selling rocks walked in.  Turns out he’s Brock’s father who disappeared months ago for some reason

Steven: What?

Diantha: Disappeared months ago?  So Brock has been taking care of his siblings and the gym all by himself?

Lance: Months ago?!  This… he… what?!

Cynthia: That’s just not right

Lance: How did I not know Flint hasn’t been at the gym in months?!

Alder: what did he want

Ash: He says that he came back to take care of the family so Brock can go on his own journey.  Apparently Brock never actually wanted to be a gym leader, he wants to be a Pokémon Breeder

Kate: I can understand that.

Ash: Anyway, Brock gave him a bunch of instructions on taking care of his siblings and now he’s gonna be traveling with me and Misty for a while!

Leon: At least you have a new friend!

Ash: I know, right?

Lance: Excuse me.  I need to organize a league inspection for Pewter City.

Steven: Good luck

Chapter Text

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: So.

Kate: Has anyone seen the news recently?

Leon: I have

Ash: I haven’t

Alder: no

Lance: What happened this time?

Cynthia: Oh, you saw that

Lance: What did you do this time?

Cynthia: What makes you think I did anything?

Steven: Kate

Kate: So, apparently, champions Cynthia and Diantha have decided to have a battle.  Not an exhibition match like is common between champions, but a battle.  A full battle with them both using their champion level teams.  When asked why they suddenly decided to do this, they both just responded with ‘the stakes are so high this is the only way to resolve things.’

Leon: Wait, really?

Cynthia: Seems pretty straightforward to me

Ash: That sounds awesome!  When’s it happening?!

Diantha: The soonest we could arrange it was in three days

Kate: I know.  Care to share with the group exactly where this battle is going to be taking place?

Diantha: Well, we needed a neutral battlefield.  One where neither of us would have the home field advantage

Cynthia: So we’re doing this in Almia!

Lance: Of course you are.

Alder: almia isnt really known for having pokemon battles though

Kate: They’re rare, and this situation is completely unprecedented, but it’s definitely doable.

Cynthia: Good!  Because I’m gonna win!

Diantha: You’ll win at losing, maybe

Cynthia: You better be prepared to eat those words!

Diantha: Sorry, I’m allergic to words.  You’ll have to eat them.  I’ll even bring the soy sauce for you

Cynthia: Hah!  Shows what you know!  Words taste awful with soy sauce!

Diantha: I’m aware

Leon: When this is over can I challenge the winner?

Lance: No.

Kate: No.

Cynthia: No

Diantha: No

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: There’s something wrong at Mt. Moon

Lance: Of course there is.

Steven: What’s going on?

Ash: Okay, so we arrived at Mt. Moon and outside there were a bunch of Zubat swarming around some scientist

Kate: Outside?  Zubat rarely leave their caves.

Ash: Yeah.  According to Seymour, the scientist, someone is disturbing all the Pokémon inside Mt. Moon.  They hung up a bunch of lights in the caves and it’s messing with the Pokémon

Kate: What?!

Ash: None of the Pokémon look like they know how to act

Kate: Of course they wouldn’t!  Pokémon that live in caves NEED darkness to thrive!  Some of them had probably never even seen light until those lamps turned on!  And even those that had still had a dark place to retreat and recuperate!  Those lights are throwing the entire ecosystem out of balance!

Lance: Local Rangers are on the way.  They’ll be there in a few hours.  Stay outside and tell them what’s going on and let them do their job.

Ash: About that…

Cynthia: I think he already went inside

Lance: Of course he did.

Lance: Just be careful.

Ash: Can’t talk now, Team Rocket just showed up

Diantha: Team Rocket?!  Again?!

Alder: werent they supposed to be arrested

Lance: They were.  They must have evaded the police in Viridian Forest.  I’ve updated the Rangers.

Leon: Who wants to bet that Team Rocket are the ones that put up the lights?

Cynthia: Of course they did

Kate: That’s completely reprehensible.

Steven: Cynthia, Diantha, are either of you in Almia yet?

Cynthia: I am

Diantha: Yeah, why?

Steven: Right now I wouldn’t put it past Kate to try and leave to attack Team Rocket herself

Cynthia: Yeah, probably

Diantha: I’ll keep an eye out

Kate: I’m not gonna do anything.  Yet.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Team Rocket were fought off and the Clefairy are taking us to see the Moon Stone

Steven: THE Moon Stone?

Steven: When you say the Moon Stone, you’re not just talking about a small fragment that would fit in your hand, are you?

Ash: No, no this one is quite a bit bigger than that.  It’s bigger than all of us

Ash: Seymour thinks it’s a spaceship that Clefairy rode to Earth on.  Or in?  He was kinda unclear about that

Steven: Glossing over that part, you mean to tell me that you are in the presence of THE Moon Stone?!  The original?!  The one that I would trade half my rock collection just to see?!

Leon: What’s so special about this one?

Steven: You know how evolution stones work, right?  A Pokémon touches the stone, absorbs the energy inside, and evolves while absorbing the energy resulting in the stone disappearing

Leon: Yeah, I’ve seen that several times

Steven: THE Moon Stone has so much energy inside of it that it’s said when a Pokémon uses it to evolve it doesn’t disappear.  It still persists

Leon: Oh

Kate: That’s… wow.

Diantha: Is that even possible?

Steven: I don’t know!  THE Moon Stone has always been a myth!  No human had ever seen it until just a few minutes ago!

Ash: Is it really that special?  It just looks like a big rock

Steven: ajdsfkhasidugh

Steven: You did not just say that

Lance: Ash you need to distract him right now.

Ash: Uh…

Ash: Hang on, Team Rocket is back

Cynthia: At least make it a believable distraction

Ash: No, really.  They just stole the Moon Stone

Steven: Stop them right now!!!!!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Team Rocket has blasted off again

Cynthia: *snorts*

Leon: Nice one

Ash: I’m serious, they say that every time

Lance: Don’t suppose it’s too much to hope they “blasted off” into the Rangers’ custody?

Ash: I don’t think so.  I haven’t seen any Rangers, at least

Kate: Really?

Ash: To be fair, I’m pretty sure the cave we’re in is a secret cave

Steven: Never mind that!  What happened to THE Moon Stone?!

Ash: We got it back and then a bunch of Clefairy started dancing around it.  About half of them used it to evolve

Steven: And THE Moon Stone is still there?

Ash: Yeah, still here

Steven: It really works…

Alder: there are actually evolution stones that can do that

Steven: I know!

Steven: Ash, please tell me you’re planning to go to Vermilion City

Ash: Does it have a gym?

Lance: No!!!

Cynthia: Yes it does

Diantha: Lance, you were complaining about all the complaints your league gets about the leader just last month

Lance: No, not that.  Steven, you are not sending Ash into Vermilion Harbor!

Diantha: Excuse me?

Steven: But Lance!!!

Ash: What’s in Vermilion Harbor?

Steven: There’s a legend about four evolution stones in the depths of Vermilion Harbor that don’t disappear after each use.  The stone hunting community has long considered this to just be a myth or old wive’s tale, but if THE Moon Stone works like that…

Lance: I reiterate, we are NOT sending the ten year old diving in Vermilion Harbor.  Especially for something that probably doesn’t even exist.

Steven: But Lance!!!

Diantha: No

Steven: Fine

Kate: You know, Pokémon Rangers are trained to and have the equipment to go diving for long periods of time.

Steven: Kate!  When you graduate can I send you on a mission to Vermilion?!

Kate: I don’t even know who you’d have to talk to to begin to get that authorized.

Steven: I’ll figure it out!

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: Diantha.

Diantha: Yes Kate?

Kate: Want to explain why my teacher said that to make up for Outdoor Class ending early the entire Ranger School was gifted tickets to the Cynthia-Diantha Death Match of the Century?

Diantha: Did she actually call it that?

Kate: Miss April has a flair for names.

Kate: So, you gonna answer the question?

Diantha: I’m sure whoever sent those tickets and wrote that note just felt bad for the entire school and wanted to do something nice

Cynthia: Hang on, you actually invited her to the match?

Diantha: Someone invited everyone.  There’s no proof it was me, even if I do directly benefit from the action

Kate: Diantha, you realize your name was on the envelope, right?

Diantha: How did you see the envelope?

Kate: Miss April left it on her desk.

Diantha: That could be anyone

Leon: Hang on, wouldn’t Diantha only get the points in her favor if she actually accepted credit for sending the tickets?  Otherwise Kate won’t be any more inclined to write the essay about her than before

Diantha: So Kate, what’d you think of the gift I gave you?

Cynthia: Oh no you don’t!  If you want that essay, you’re gonna have to fight for it!

Diantha: What do you think I’ve been doing?

Cynthia: Bribery

Diantha: Which is a perfectly valid form of combat

Cynthia: No it’s not!

Diantha: You only say that because you didn’t think of it

Cynthia: You want to go?!  I can be at the stadium in ten minutes!

Diantha: Amateur.  Gardevoir can get me there in ten seconds

Cynthia: Oh, it is on!

Diantha: Bring it

Kate: Do you think they realize I already wrote the essay about Professor Juniper?

Alder: i dont think they care anymore

Chapter Text

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: Cerulean City here we come!

Leon: Second badge?

Ash: Second badge

Leon: Second badge!

Alder: can i make a suggestion and request for this one

Ash: What is it?

Alder: dont use pikachu in this battle

Leon: What?!

Ash: Why not?

Alder: you used pikachu exclusively both times you fought brock

Alder: if you use pikachu again youll start to develop a dependency on him in all situations

Alder: from what youve told us you use him most anyway

Alder: its unfair to the rest of your team

Cynthia: That makes sense to me

Steven: He’s got a point

Ash: I guess you’re right

Diantha: Will that even be doable though?  Ash only has three Pokémon, and a lot of gym leaders like to have three against three

Lance: The Cerulean gym leaders keep it to just two Pokémon for their second badge battles.

Diantha: There we go then

Ash: Alright, this battle’s for Butterfree and Pidgeotto to shine

Leon: And shine they will!

Ash: So, Cerulean has multiple gym leaders?

Lance: Yes.  Like Pewter, it's a family establishment.  In this case a set of sisters who rotate through the challengers.

Alder: we have a gym like that here in unova

Ash: Sounds good!

Ash: We’re almost at Cerulean City, so tomorrow I’ll get my second badge

Leon: Second badge!

Ash: Maybe the day after tomorrow.  For some reason Misty really doesn’t want to go to Cerulean City and that’s really slowing us down

Diantha: Did she say why she doesn’t want to go?

Ash: Something about an ugly ghost

Cynthia: Probably an excuse

Diantha: If she doesn’t want to go maybe you shouldn’t

Steven: If it makes her that uncomfortable

Ash: But the gym

Leon: Ash has to get his second badge!

Diantha: Ash only needs eight, and doesn’t Kanto have more than that?

Lance: Fifteen with a sixteenth being considered.

Lance: That being said, Ash and Leon are right.  They’re already at Cerulean City, so it would just be a waste to not at least visit the gym.

Cynthia: That’s true

Diantha: I guess…

Ash: See?  We don’t have to be here long, just long enough to challenge the gym and leave

Lance: What about a compromise?  You’re going to the Pokémon Center first anyway, so what if Misty just stays there while you’re at the gym and you meet her after?  That way she’ll be in Cerulean City but won’t have to actually do anything there while you can go battle the gym leader?

Lance: Provided she doesn’t want to be there herself.

Alder: that sounds fair

Steven: That’s a good idea

Ash: I guess

Ash: I’ll talk to Misty and see what she thinks

Ash: She’s not the happiest about it, but Misty has agreed and stopped trying to convince us to go straight to Vermilion, so I’ll call that a win

Steven: Wait, Vermilion?

Steven: You really should stay out of Cerulean.  Respect your friend’s wishes and move on right away

Lance: Steven, we’ve been over this.  No sending a child diving in Vermilion Harbor.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: Sometimes I really hate teachers.

Leon: Ugh, same

Diantha: What’s happening?  Did your teacher do something?

Cynthia: Remember, I can do the fear of Garchomp thing.  I’m just around the corner

Kate: It’s nothing like that!  My teacher’s great!  The problem is Mr. Kincaid.  He’s the teacher of the other class.

Ash: What’s going on?

Kate: A bunch of stylers disappeared from the staff room this morning and Kincaid immediately blamed Keith for it because it’s ‘natural that he should be viewed with suspicion’ or some such nonsense.

Steven: That’s quite a leap in logic

Kate: I know!  Keith may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he wouldn’t steal the stylers!

Lance: What did Keith have to say about this?

Kate: He wasn’t in class this morning.

Lance: …

Kate: Don’t say it.

Lance: I wasn’t going to.

Kate: Anyway, class was going to be a showcase of the voicemail feature Pokémon Rangers can use, so Rhythmi and I are searching the school for Keith to prove his innocence.

Ash: What’s voicemail?

Kate: Direct communication between Rangers and Operators.  It’s built into Stylers directly, incredibly secure, and has quite a few extra features that a normal phone wouldn’t have.

Ash: Cool

Kate: Rhythmi wants to be an Operator, so she’s taking that role while I’m going around the school itself.

Cynthia: Let us know how things go

Diantha: And if you need anything

Kate: Will do.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: As predicted, Keith was not the thief.  Instead he saw the thief running away and was chasing him down.  Rhythmi and I caught up as the thief got attacked by a Slakoth and I befriended it to save the thief.

Lance: What happened to the thief?

Kate: Miss April showed up and sent him home.

Cynthia: Sent him home?

Diantha: Just like that?

Leon: Really?

Kate: Yep.  See, the thief always wanted to be a Pokémon Ranger when he was younger, but was never able to do anything about it.  So he decided to steal a Styler from the school, but when he saw how many there were he got greedy and stole them all.  After we caught him, Miss April showed up and pointed out that the Ranger School has an adult class in a few months, and told him to apply to that when the time comes.

Steven: That does make sense

Cynthia: How?  They let the thief go

Leon: ^

Steven: Because by sending him home and letting him enroll in the school later, there’s a very real chance that he won’t fall back into thievery later

Kate: Light in the darkness.

Diantha: What?

Kate: It’s something Principal Lamont said.  In ancient Almia there’s a word: “vatonage.”

Cynthia: I’ve read that somewhere before

Kate: It means to reawaken the light in the darkness.  In his darkness he became a thief, but by letting him go he can reawaken the light and become a Ranger instead.

Alder: good for him

Kate: Yes, good for him.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: It’s kinda funny we’re talking about thieves now.  Brock and I just met an Officer Jenny who nearly arrested us for stealing a vacuum

Diantha: She tried what now?

Cynthia: Someone stole what now?

Ash: Yeah.  Fortunately I had my Pokédex and Brock had his license as a gym leader

Lance: A giant industrial vacuum cleaner.  There are no leads and frankly no motive either.

Leon: Well, there wouldn’t be, would there?  I mean, who would even want that?

Alder: apparently someone

Leon: But why?!

Ash: Anyway, Brock and I are on the way to the gym now, so when we next talk I’ll have my second badge!

Kate: Good luck

Leon: Second badge!  Second badge!

Leon: But seriously, what would you even do with a giant vacuum?

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Cynthia: Is it time yet?

Lance: Almost.

Leon: Oh!  Is Lance gonna do the thing again?

Steven: Yes

Lance: Not like you’ve given me a choice.

Diantha: Sure we did.  Either commentate the match for us, or we go watch in person

Lance: That’s not a choice, that’s an ultimatum.

Cynthia: But you had to choose the outcome, so it works

Lance: Whatever.

Lance: Okay, Ash looks confused, shocked, and like he’s panicking a bit.

Kate: Why would he be panicking?

Steven: Cerulean gym is a water gym

Alder: and we convinced him not to use pikachu

Leon: It’ll be fine!  Ash has got this!

Lance: Anyway, in contrast to Ash’s demeanor, Misty looks smug and confident.

Cynthia: Oh, Misty decided to watch after all?

Diantha: Good for her

Kate: Oh.

Leon: What about the gym leader?

Lance: I just told you.  She looks smug and confident.

Leon: Hang on

Alder: her too

Leon: Are you saying…

Steven: Well, what do you know?

Cynthia: Huh

Leon: Misty’s the Cerulean gym leader?!

Diantha: Lance, did you know about this?

Lance: Well, I was there when Misty took the certification test.

Cynthia: And you didn’t say anything?!

Lance: Nope.

Lance: Misty started the battle by sending out a Staryu.  For the moment it’s standing on a platform floating in the pool and not in the water itself.  Misty yelled at Ash and he snapped out of his shock, sending out Pidgeotto.

Diantha: Hm.  That’s not the best matchup

Alder: very few matchups are when fighting a water type at water

Leon: It can definitely get annoying

Lance: Staryu just used swift.  Pidgeotto tried to fly around the attacks, but there were too many to be dodged.

Cynthia: There always are

Lance: As soon as the attack ended Pidgeotto went in for a wing attack.  Before she could land the attack, Staryu fell backward into the water.  Pidgeotto let out a squawk and nearly crashed into the platform, only barely able to pull out of it by the skin of her beak.

Steven: Pidgeotto needs to get out of there

Lance: Staryu spun through the water and jumped out, slamming into Pidgeotto with a rapid spin.  Staryu landed on the platform again and Pidgeotto flew to the other side of the field.

Alder: that cant have felt good

Alder: all those points on staryu

Cynthia: It can’t have

Lance: Pidgeotto is spinning around to face Staryu again.  Staryu takes advantage of the opening to shoot a water gun up at Pidgeotto, but a quick gust from Pidgeotto dissipates the spray before it can touch a single feather.

Diantha: Good movement

Lance: Pidgeotto is diving down at Staryu again, readying another wing attack.

Steven: That is literally the definition of insanity

Lance: Staryu dove back into the water.  Pidgeotto is moving slower but she’s still flying over the water.

Cynthia: She’s slower?

Diantha: She’d have to be after getting hit by a swift and rapid spin like that

Cynthia: Maybe…

Lance: Staryu spun back out of the water, but it clearly didn’t expect Pidgeotto to have slowed down!  Rapid spin missed and it flew up in front of Pidgeotto!

Cynthia: Or maybe not!

Lance: Ash told Pidgeotto to use whirlwind to knock Staryu onto a platform.  It was dazed and by the time it stood up Pidgeotto followed up with a wing attack.

Leon: Go Pidgeotto!

Alder: good combo

Lance: With Pidgeotto so close Staryu was able to hit her with a water gun.  They’d both dealt enough damage to knock each other out.

Steven: Double knockout

Diantha: At least it was on their first Pokémon and not the second

Kate: What happens if the battle ends with a double knockout?

Alder: it varies from region to region

Alder: in unova the the gym leader automatically wins

Leon: Here in Galar we have a tiebreaker

Cynthia: In Sinnoh the referee decides

Lance: Ash has sent out Butterfree and Misty a Starmie.

Steven: What kind of chance does Butterfree have here?

Lance: A pretty good one.  Ash’s Butterfree focuses primarily on powder moves and status conditions.  So long as he gets a clean hit against Starmie, Starmie won’t be able to do anything.

Alder: there we go

Lance: Butterfree starts off with sleep powder, only for Starmie to dive into the water to avoid it.  Ash seems to have learned his lesson from earlier and has Butterfree hovering far away from Starmie’s platform and well above the water.

Diantha: Smart.  Don’t want a repeat of what happened with Staryu

Lance: Since Butterfree can attack from a distance this is the best play Ash could make.

Lance: Starmie is spinning through the water toward Butterfree, but Butterfree is flying too high for Starmie to even hope to hit.  During Starmie’s ascent Butterfree hit it directly with a stun spore.

Leon: Yes!

Cynthia: So Ash won already?

Lance: No!  Starmie landed in the water and washed the stun spore off itself.  It’s swimming to the other side of the pool to stay far away from Butterfree so it won’t get hit again.

Leon: Coward!

Alder: strategist actually

Leon: Cowardly strategy!

Lance: Unfortunately Starmie’s cowardly strategy is perfectly valid.  Butterfree can’t hit it while it’s hiding out underwater.  On the plus side, Starmie can’t hope to hit Butterfree either.

Kate: Is it just me, or does Lance seem to be getting into this?

Diantha: Probably because of Butterfree

Kate: Ah.

Lance: Starmie jumped out of the water on the other side of the pool.  Butterfree immediately started launching poison powder over at it.  Just as it was about to land, Starmie’s gem started glowing and it launched a psybeam straight through the heart of the powder.  The attack hit Butterfree and sent him back.  He’s shaking a bit, but still airborne.

Cynthia: Butterfree’s a trooper

Lance: That he is.  He’s not letting a dirty trick like a psybeam defeat him.

Diantha: Definitely because of Butterfree.

Lance: Starmie dropped back into the water and is swimming around to hide under a platform.  Ash is having Butterfree fly to the middle of the pool, and

Lance: Oh come on!

Leon: What is it?!

Cynthia: What did Starmie do this time?

Kate: What’s going on?

Lance: The back wall just blew open and Team Rocket rolled into the gym with a giant vacuum cleaner.

Alder: what

Steven: Really?

Diantha: Is this another joke?

Lance: No, though I really wish it was.

Leon: It kinda sounds like the beginning of a joke.  Three criminals broke into a gym with a giant vacuum cleaner

Kate: Not the time, Leon.

Leon: Sorry

Lance: Team Rocket stuck the hose of the vacuum into the pool and are sucking up all the water and the Pokémon inside of it.

Diantha: There were other Pokémon in the pool?

Lance: Just Starmie and it looks like a Seel.

Lance: Nobody looks happy.  Butterfree and Misty’s Goldeen are fighting against a Koffing and Ekans.  Team Rocket also has a Meowth but it’s not fighting, just standing off to the side and watching.

Lance: Butterfree looks especially angry.

Cynthia: I would be too if Team Rocket interrupted my battle

Lance: No, I mean Butterfree looks REALLY angry.  His eyes even look like they’re glowing red.

Kate: They do?

Alder: you dont think that means

Lance: Butterfree just shot beams of psychic energy out of its eyes!  The beams hit Koffing and Ekans, knocking them back into Team Rocket and the vacuum!

Leon: Go Butterfree!

Steven: Good for you buddy

Cynthia: What’s happening now?

Lance: Butterfree used psybeam!  It’s super effective!

Cynthia: Hah!

Alder: i thought so

Kate: Take that!

Lance: The attack broke the vacuum, letting all the water and Pokémon go flooding back into the pool.  Team Rocket was launched out of view of the cameras.  I’m going to assume that they left because Ash, Misty, Daisy, Violet, and Lily have all grouped up to talk.  

Lance: Well, the leaders are talking.  Ash is hugging Butterfree, as he should.

Steven: Butterfree really saved the day there

Lance: Was there ever any doubt?

Lance: Oh.  I don’t know how to feel about this.

Leon: What is it now?!

Kate: Is Team Rocket back?!

Diantha: Do they need any help?

Lance: Daisy’s trying to give Ash a badge.

Kate: But he didn’t win the battle.

Alder: theres more to gyms than just winning

Lance: I know, and technically it’s at the discretion of the leader, but this just doesn’t seem fair.

Cynthia: Of course it doesn’t.  The battle was interrupted 

Leon: It definitely doesn’t feel earned

Lance: Looks like Butterfree agrees because he just flew in and knocked the badge out of Daisy’s hand.

Diantha: Good for him

Lance: Butterfree and Starmie are in position to resume the battle.  Ash and Misty have stepped back to the trainer boxes.

Leon: You got this Ash!  You got this Butterfree!

Kate: Win this!

Cynthia: This is your victory!

Steven: Get that badge!

Diantha: Believe in yourselves

Alder: were rooting for you

Lance: Starmie started the battle with a psybeam, but Butterfree launched one of his own.  The beams met in the middle and held for a moment before fizzling out.  Once they were gone, Butterfree and Starmie went in opposite directions.  Starmie down into the water and Butterfree back into the air.

Cynthia: Let’s go!

Lance: Butterfree is floating above the middle of the pool, spinning around to keep Starmie in front of him as it swims around.

Steven: Good, keep your opponent in your sights

Lance: Starmie keeps jumping out of the water and shooting a psybeam at Butterfree, but Butterfree matches each one with a psybeam of his own.

Alder: a stalemate

Lance: On Starmie’s latest attempt Ash told Butterfree to use stun spore as it fell back into the water.

Kate: Won’t it just wash off when Starmie hits the water again?

Lance: Butterfree didn’t use stun spore on Starmie, he filled the water itself with stun spore.

Cynthia: I wouldn’t have thought of that

Diantha: Will that even work?

Leon: We’re about to find out!

Lance: Starmie jumped out of the water and was immediately coated in stun spore.  Its gem glowed as it started charging up a psybeam, but thanks to the stun spore it wasn’t able to get the attack ready in time.  Butterfree hit it with a psybeam of his own.

Leon: It’s working!

Kate: You’ve almost done it, Butterfree, just a bit more

Lance: Starmie fell back into the water.  It swam around for a bit, looking for some way out without getting paralyzed.  Unable to find one, Misty had Starmie jump out and land on a platform.  With the angle it jumped out of the water, Butterfree wasn’t able to get a psybeam immediately.  Starmie charged up a psybeam as fast as it could and shot it at Butterfree.  Butterfree spun around and met it with another psybeam.

Lance: Neither psybeam fizzled out this time.

Leon: Psybeam struggle!

Diantha: Come on Butterfree

Cynthia: You can outlast that thing!

Steven: You’re obviously more powerful

Alder: win this butterfree

Kate: This is working.

Lance: Starmie’s body seized up in paralysis!  Its psybeam stopped and Butterfree’s blasted down, hitting Starmie directly!

Lance: Starmie fell to the platform and isn’t getting back up.

Cynthia: Hah!

Alder: i knew ash and butterfree would win

Kate: They did it!

Diantha: Good job

Steven: That was a great battle

Leon: Second badge!  Second badge!  Second badge!  

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I got… a Cascade Badge!

Kate: We’re happy for you

Alder: proud of you kid

Leon: Second badge!  Second badge!  Second badge!  Second badge!  

Cynthia: That was a great battle!

Diantha: You should be proud of yourself

Steven: You handled the water perfectly

Lance: Butterfree did great in that battle.  And you and Pidgeotto, of course.

Cynthia: But mostly Butterfree?

Lance: Butterfree defeated not only Starmie but also Team Rocket.  He should be proud of himself.

Ash: He is

Diantha: He really went all out in the battle

Ash: Yes he did!  I’m really glad Misty stopped her sisters from just giving me the badge, that was a really fun battle!

Lance: Hang on, Misty didn’t stop them, that was Butterfree.

Ash: Oh, I’m talking about the first time

Lance: First time?

Ash: Yeah, when I first got to the gym they were doing some kind of water show and went on about how they couldn’t battle, so they tried to just give me the badge.  Misty showed up, stopped them, and then she and I battled

Cynthia: That’s just not fair to anyone

Diantha: Gym leaders can technically give badges for something other than battle, but they still need a justifiable reason

Lance: We just finished a league inspection of Pewter…

Kate: How’d that go by the way?

Lance: Flint is hanging on by a thread.  One wrong move and he’ll lose the gym.  He also barely kept custody of his kids.

Diantha: How did he keep custody at all?  He abandoned them!

Lance: Yes.  But, when he left, their mother was still around.  Because he didn’t just abandon them into Brock’s care and has apparently been doing a good job since he got back, he’s still their guardian.  Under very close observation, though.

Diantha: That’s something

Lance: If you’ll excuse me, I have to organize another league inspection.

Steven: I’ve never heard of two gyms needing one so close together

Alder: i dont think its ever been done before

Chapter Text

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Cynthia: Ah, it sure is a nice day, isn’t it?

Leon: It definitely is!

Ash: It sure is

Kate: I’m looking forward to tomorrow myself.

Cynthia: The kind of day where you can just sit back, relax, maybe read a book

Alder: i like days like that

Lance: Where are you going with this?

Cynthia: Or, if you’re like me, you can sit back and watch the recording of your victory over Diantha

Lance: There it is.

Cynthia: Only if you’re like me, though.  And none of you are like me because, unlike me, none of you have beaten Diantha in a battle.  Like I have.  Because I beat Diantha in a battle

Diantha: I was there, you don’t have to keep bringing it up

Cynthia: Keep bringing what up?  How I beat you in a battle and the essay is mine?

Diantha: Kate already wrote the essay and it was about neither of us!  You can stop now!

Steven: If you’d won would you stop now?

Leon: Should probably take that as a no

Cynthia: Yes, it sure is a nice day to be the victor over Diantha

Lance: So Kate, what’s going on tomorrow?

Cynthia: I know what you’re doing but since it’s Kate I’ll allow it

Kate: Tomorrow I have my one day internship.  I join up with a Ranger Base and spend the day doing what they do and learning how to be a Ranger on the job

Ash: That sounds like a lot of fun

Ash: Will you get to work with Pokémon?

Kate: Probably.  It’s also the last big hurdle before graduation, so if I do well I’m basically guaranteed to become a Ranger.

Leon: What about final exams and stuff?

Kate: This is part of the final exams.  We do the job and at the end of the day our supervisor writes up a report on how we did for our teacher.

Steven: So no pressure?

Kate: No pressure at all.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: I’m too nervous to sleep.  Someone distract me.

Ash: Brock, Misty, and I will get to another gym tomorrow

Kate: Already?

Steven: Which one are you going to next?

Ash: From what we were told it’s not an official gym.  A trainer named AJ set it up to test himself

Lance: Oh, I’ve heard of that place.

Ash: You have?

Lance: Yeah, when he first set it up someone thought it was an official gym and filed a complaint about the leader.  We had to put out a press release that it wasn’t an official gym.  I’m pretty sure we even had AJ add a sign somewhere that says his gym isn’t endorsed by the Indigo League.

Kate: Are unofficial gyms common?

Diantha: They’re not uncommon.  

Alder: most regions have one or two

Lance: I know of two like that here in Kanto off the top of my head.  One of them actually used to be an official gym, but it lost its certification after another gym in the same city challenged it.  The leader and gym trainers kept it open anyway.

Steven: I can respect that

Ash: I’ll have to challenge that one when I get the chance

Ash: After I beat AJ tomorrow, of course

Kate: Of course.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: I don’t like this

Ash: AJ commands his Sandshrew with a whip

Leon: He what?!

Cynthia: With a whip?!

Diantha: Where exactly is this place?  I swear I just want to talk

Steven: That’s wrong on so many levels

Alder: that kind of treatment was outlawed a long time ago

Lance: Tell me everything.

Ash: Okay, we arrived and he started going on about how he’d won 98 times in a row and once he got to 100 he’d start going for badges.  Pidgeotto fought his Sandshrew and lost the battle.  After that AJ just walked away and said something about me being a child and not worth his time as an opponent or something like that.

I followed him inside his tent and saw his training methods.  He makes his Pokémon wear these weird brace things that tighten their body and barely let them move, and if they don’t hold up it forces them into a ball that can’t move at all, and then has them train against each other.  It looked like the training consists of the Pokémon just attacking each other and dodging the attacks they can mostly.

Sandshrew has to swim laps in a pool, and when she climbed out of the water AJ screamed at her to get back in and started whipping her again.  Sandshrew curled up into a ball and just let AJ keep whipping her.

I… kinda maybe tackled AJ into the pool to get him to stop.

Anyway, he yelled at me and now he’s just ignoring me, Misty, and Brock.  I wasn’t sure what to do so I texted you guys.

Leon: Who let this guy be a trainer?!

Steven: That’s straight up Pokémon abuse

Cynthia: Lance, you better take care of this or I swear I’ll bring Garchomp and shove this guy so far into the ground he winds up in Galar

Diantha: I’ll help

Leon: Charizard and I will set up a welcoming committee

Lance: Working on it.

Alder: how do his pokemon feel about this

Ash: I tried asking them, but they just kinda stared at me like I was being stupid.  AJ then said I was being stupid and that he trains his Pokémon to be tough

Alder: theres tough and then theres this

Alder: i think they were too terrified to object

Alder: or even conditioned into thinking this is fine

Diantha: If those Pokémon have been conditioned into accepting abuse there is nowhere that this filth can hide where Gardevoir and I won’t find him and tear his world asunder 

Cynthia: I’ll help

Ash: Hang on, Sandshrew’s disappeared

Leon: Is it wrong of me to hope Sandshrew ran away?

Steven: No, no it’s not

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Ash: It was Team Rocket again

Cynthia: They stole Sandshrew?

Ash: Yep.  AJ followed us and helped get Sandshrew back.  AJ seemed happy to be back with Sandshrew, but I swear I saw Sandshrew flinch when AJ got too close

Leon: Can’t blame Sandshrew.  If I’d been that close to freedom only to lose it…

Ash: Anyway, AJ made Sandshrew battle Team Rocket and started going on about his hundredth win

Steven: Was he being pretentious about it?  I bet he was being pretentious about it

Ash: Before he could do anything though a woman who looked a lot like Nurse Joy showed up and claimed to be with the Pokémon Inspection Agency.  She said she’d heard of AJ’s gym and was there to make sure everything was above board.  AJ started going on about how there was no issue and that he was about to close the gym anyway.  The woman looked around the tent and said that of course the gym was going to be closed.  She had AJ put all the Pokémon in their Poké Balls and then confiscated all of them from him, saying that he’d have to return to Cerulean City with her

Leon: Good!

Diantha: You sent her, right Lance?

Lance: Of course I did.

Ash: AJ got really mad and tried to hit the woman with his whip, but she sent out a Chansey.  It punched AJ in the stomach and forced him to drop the whip

Cynthia: Good!  He deserved that!

Alder: and much more

Ash: What will happen to the Pokémon?

Lance: There’s a sanctuary for abused and abandoned Pokémon nearby.  They’ll probably be taken there to recover for a bit.  From there they can go on wherever and whenever they want.

Ash: Good

Steven: They deserve it

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Kate: What’s gonna happen to AJ?

Leon: You’re back!

Diantha: How was your internship?

Cynthia: Tell us everything!

Kate: In a minute.  AJ.  Consequences.  Report.

Lance: His trainer card will likely be revoked completely.  He can’t enter into any Pokémon League.  Not only that, a black mark will be put on his record.  He won’t be accepted into any trainer schools or the Ranger School.

Kate: Good.  We don’t want him.

Kate: What’s to prevent him from capturing any more Pokémon to abuse in the future?

Lance: The black mark on his record.  If a Poké Ball is ever registered to him the league will be alerted and look into the situation.

Kate: That’s a start.

Cynthia: I still say Garchomp and I should pay him a visit

Ash: That would be fun

Steven: It’s all taken care of and AJ will never be able to hurt those Pokémon again

Kate: Good.

Alder: tell us about your day

Kate: It was a busy day right from the beginning.  Keith and I were both assigned to the Ranger Base in Vientown.  Before we could even get off the school grounds we ran into Little Tim being attacked by a couple unusually aggressive Bidoof.  Keith and I befriended them and calmed them down.

Diantha: Who’s Little Tim?  One of the kids in the village?

Kate: He’s the milkman of Vientown.  Keith said his wife runs a small ranch on the outskirts of town.

Leon: Wife?  Little Tim is a grown man?

Kate: Yep.

Cynthia: And he’s called Little Tim?

Kate: I’m guessing it’s a childhood nickname that stuck around as he got older.

Alder: probably

Kate: After helping Little Tim out, Keith and I left the school properly.  On the bridge leading to Vientwon we ran into a little girl named Melody.  She was alone and scared.

Diantha: What happened?!  Did someone attack her?!

Cynthia: I can be there in five minutes, just point me in the right direction

Kate: Her brother is a student at the Ranger School.  Isaac, training to be a Mechanic.  Melody knew about the internships and went out to surprise Isaac and walk him to his, but she got scared of the water and couldn’t bring herself to leave the bridge.

Diantha: Okay, that’s better

Kate: Keith and I were trying to comfort her when Isaac showed up and they left together.

Cynthia: I’m glad she got to meet up with her brother after all

Kate: After that Keith and I made it to the Ranger Base.  Apart from the Operator, nobody was there.  Everyone had left to a nearby hill for a mission, but they’d left us a very important mission of our own.  A package that we needed to deliver to the hill they were on without damaging it.  The package was very fragile.  We couldn’t even tip it on its side for fear of damaging the contents.

Ash: What was in it?

Kate: I’m getting there.

Kate: So, we started taking the package to the hill.  We had to cross a beach where an old guy was feeding some local Pokémon.  He recognized us as Ranger School students and gave us a bit of advice before we left on.  We got to the hill and delivered the package.

Leon: And?!

Kate: We had a picnic.

Ash: Cool

Leon: But where’d the picnic come from?

Kate: That’s what was in the package.

Kate: From there we met the Vientown Team.  Barlow the leader.  There’s also Crawford, I told you about him at Outdoor Class.  There’s also Luana, a Ranger who only graduated a year ago.  And finally Elaine, the team’s mechanic.

Steven: They sound like a nice group

Kate: They were.

Kate: While we were eating we heard a scream coming from the beach.  A cargo ship got too close to the shore and scared a bunch of Pokémon, including the ones we’d passed earlier.  The Pokémon were running around, trapping a girl in place.  Barlow declared it a rookie mission for Keith and I and the five of us all befriended the Pokémon to calm them down.

Steven: How’d that go?

Kate: Good.  I befriended a Pachirisu and Keith and I got to show off our Ranger poses.

Leon: Ranger poses?

Kate: It’s something Rangers do.  When accepting and clearing a mission we strike a pose.

Ash: I have a pose I use when I catch a Pokémon

Leon: Why?

Alder: never question the pose

Ash: Because it’s cool

Kate: You have to remember, Rangers exist first and foremost to help people and Pokémon and keep the peace.  The pose is to help remind people that you’re a Ranger, you’re trained to deal with the situation, and they don’t need to worry.

Kate: Also, it’s cool.

Ash: Yeah it is!

Kate: Once the Pokémon were calmed down, we went back to Base.  Pachirisu wanted to stick around for a bit so we let her tag along with me, though unfortunately we had to let her go once Keith and I were almost back to the school.

Leon: That’s sad

Steven: Don’t Pokémon Rangers usually take Partner Pokémon?  Couldn’t Pachirisu have stayed as your Partner?

Kate: I’m just a student.  I’m not authorized to have any Partner Pokémon, as much as I’d have loved to have Pachirisu as my Partner.

Ash: Hey, maybe you’ll meet Pachirisu again in the future!

Kate: Maybe.  That would be nice.

Kate: So yeah, that was my day.

Diantha: And you said once this was the last hurdle?  Next up you graduate?

Kate: In just a week.

Cynthia: Alright!  You’re about to be a Pokémon Ranger!

Kate: I am.

Ash: You’re gonna be great!

Leon: Totally!

Kate: I’m really excited.  And nervous.

Diantha: That’s only natural

Lance: It’d be worrying if you weren’t.

[Champion Lance Fanclub]

Lance: AJ’s trainer card was officially revoked and he’s barred from getting a new one.

Leon: Good to hear!

Cynthia: Hah!

Steven: That’s a relief

Kate: As he deserves

Alder: glad thats done

Diantha: That was quick

Ash: Good.  AJ… I really don’t think he should have been a Trainer

Lance: No he should not have been.

Diantha: Can we just take a minute to recognize all Lance did and how fast he did it?

Cynthia: Yeah, he got AJ taken care of in just a day!

Leon: I’ve never been more proud to be in his fanclub

Steven: He’s a true treasure.  Kanto is lucky to have him as their champion

Ash: We really are

Lance: Oh for the love of

Lance renamed chat “Champion Diantha Fanclub”

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Lance: There.  Your problem now.

Diantha: Kneel before me, peons

Leon: Yes, Lady Diantha!

Cynthia: As you wish, Lady Diantha!

Kate: We are not worthy, Lady Diantha!

Steven: All hail Lady Diantha!

Leon: Hail!

Ash: Hail!

Steven: Hail

Kate: Hail!

Alder: hail

Cynthia: Hail!

Lance: Children, the lot of you.

Chapter Text

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: I just met a kid who kept going on about Pokémon levels

Leon: Pokémon levels?  What are those?

Ash: That’s my question

Kate: I have no idea

Lance: Oh Arceus, you’re at Pokémon Tech aren’t you?

Ash: You know it?

Lance: Unfortunately

Kate: What’s Pokémon Tech?

Lance: A trainer “school”

Steven: Not a big fan of this place?

Lance: Not in the slightest.

Cynthia: Well, if they’re still teaching about levels can it really be called a school?

Lance: Unfortunately.

Kate: But why is Pokémon Tech so bad though?

Leon: And seriously, what are levels and why didn’t I know about them?

Lance: Because they don’t exist.

Cynthia: A very long time ago a system was created to measure a Pokémon’s power.  By taking the Pokémon’s age, strength, and experience and running them through a special formula you get a Pokémon’s level.  The idea was that everything about Pokémon could be tied back to its level.  Pokémon learn certain moves at certain levels, they can only evolve once they hit a high enough level, things like that

Leon: That doesn’t sound right

Lance: Because it’s not.  According to the level system, Dragonair can’t evolve until level fifty-five, yet if I had calculated the level of my Dragonite when he first evolved it would have been somewhere in the mid forties.

Diantha: And that’s not even getting into the idea of needing to be a certain level to learn an attack.  Just look at Pikachu.  He was able to learn iron tail way before the level system said he should have

Alder: the level system has been disproved time and time again

Alder: i am shocked anywhere still teaches about it

Ash: I’m being given a tour of this place and it doesn’t really seem all that great.  They barely even teach Pokémon battles!

Lance: You think that’s bad, wait til they show you the simulator.  Ask whoever’s giving you a tour to run simulations of your battles against Brock and Misty.

Ash: Okay

Kate: If this school’s really that bad, how can it stay open?

Lance: They have very good lawyers.  Pokémon Tech is a boarding school that only the richest of the rich can afford.  When a student graduates they’re given automatic entry into the Indigo League Tournament.

Leon: Hang on, what?!  That’s allowed?!

Lance: It shouldn’t be.  Not like this, at any rate.

Lance: You see, Kanto does have a way to test into the tournament.  Some trainers for one reason or another can’t travel around the region and collect badges, so there’s a test they can take instead.

Alder: we have one of those in unova

Steven: I think most regions do

Lance: Pokémon Tech unfortunately takes things one step further and claims that their students get the same privilege.  That is not the case.  What is the case is they automatically sign their students up to take the League Admissions Test and send them there en masse every year.  The students only graduate if they pass the test.

Cynthia: That doesn’t sound too bad.

Lance: It wouldn’t be if the school actually cared about teaching their students, but no.  They only care about the rich parents paying exorbitant fees for their kids to take a free test and barely teach the students a thing to prepare them, and what they do teach is horribly out of date anyway.

Kate: Exactly how out of date are we talking?

Lance: There have been no Pokémon Tech graduates in the Indigo League in the last decade.  We’ve had a handful of trainers that were students who recognized the scam for what it was and left, but that’s it.

Leon: Wow

Lance: I know.

Leon: I mean, for part of my being the Galar champion I’m required to keep up with my education (by both the league itself and my mother), and that always frustrated me.  Now I’m just glad that my tutors aren’t like the teachers at Pokémon Tech

Lance: Me too.

Lance: I have tried to get that place shut down multiple times, but short of having Dragonite rain down draco meteor from above there’s nothing I can do.

Kate: I am so glad I go to the Ranger School and not… I don’t even want to call it a school.

Lance: Neither do I, Kate.  Neither do I.

Ash: Joe ran the simulations and declared that I should have lost against both Brock and Misty.  He didn’t understand how I could have two badges.  Another student, Giselle, overheard this and started going on about how those gyms must have been pathetic

Ash: Misty’s battling her now

Cynthia: Good.  Uphold the honor of the Cerulean Gym

Ash: Misty’s using Starmie and Giselle has a Pokémon called Nincada.  I’ve never seen one before

Steven: They’re mainly native to Hoenn

Steven: I’m kinda surprised she has one all the way over there

Ash: Well, she just beat Misty

Ash: And now she’s listing off a bunch of ‘facts’ about Pikachu in this grating tone and ending each statement with “Did you know that?  You DIDN'T?  And yet you have two badges?!”

Cynthia: Ugh, one of those students

Kate: One of what students?

Cynthia: Let’s just say a bully and leave it at that

Leon: Hang on, Ash, are you texting us while she’s doing this?

Ash: I’m trying to tune her out

Steven: That’s hilarious

Ash: And she just insulted Pikachu

Ash: I’m challenging her to a battle

Leon: Do it!

Cynthia: Show her what Pikachu can do!

Lance: And show her that Pokémon Tech can’t teach her actual skill!

Ash: Well, that’s done

Alder: that was fast

Ash: Yeah.  I started the battle with having Pikachu use thundershock, and Giselle just smirked and didn’t even try to have her Nincada dodge it

Steven: Well, yeah, Nincada’s a ground type

Leon: And this is Pikachu.  Remember Pewter?

Alder: hes got a point

Ash: Anyway, Giselle started going on about how I didn’t even know basic type effectiveness when Nincada got hit and fainted

Kate: Sounds like she’s the one who didn’t know

Diantha: Well, not exactly

Ash: And now she’s yelling at me for cheating somehow

Ash: Brock’s trying to tell her that I didn’t cheat and it’s just something Pikachu can do, but she’s barely listening

Ash: Although Joe just stepped in and she’s actually kinda listening to him.  She’s stopped saying I cheated, at least

Alder: she probably respects him as another student

Lance: Of course she does.

Ash: Hang on, Team Rocket just showed up

Kate: I thought things were getting kinda quiet

Lance: Think you can do what you did back at the Viridian Pokémon Center?

Diantha: Lance!

Lance: Sorry.

Diantha: Evacuate the students and THEN blow up the building

Cynthia: Diantha!

Diantha: What?

Cynthia: Don’t recommend arson without giving me a chance to grab some marshmallows

Ash: Turns out Jessie and James actually applied to Pokémon Tech before joining Team Rocket

Steven: Are those their names?

Lance: So they were former students?

Ash: Yes and no.  They couldn’t pass the entrance exam

Cynthia: Hah!

Alder: im not sure what that says about them

Kate: I don’t think we need to think so hard about that

Lance: If they weren’t even able to get into Pokémon Tech, how have they been smart enough to evade arrest multiple times?

Leon: Maybe they were too smart for Pokémon Tech?

Kate: Maybe.

Ash: At least it looks like Giselle and Joe have learned their lessons.  They’ve decided to leave and go on a proper journey

Lance: That’s something.

Lance: And Team Rocket didn’t destroy the school?

Ash: No they did not

Lance: Darn.  That would have saved me a headache.

Diantha: Wouldn’t there have been a lot of paperwork for you if they had?

Lance: Still less of a headache than dealing with that school.

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Kate: So, I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping track of the date, but I graduate tomorrow.

Leon: That’s awesome!

Ash: I knew you’d do it!

Steven: I’m happy for you

Lance: Good job.

Diantha: We’re all very proud of you, Kate

Cynthia: You’re gonna be the top ranger!

Kate: Uh, you might not want to say it like that.  Top Ranger is an actual title you can be promoted to.

Cynthia: I know.  Like I said, you’re gonna be THE Top Ranger!

Kate: Thanks, Cynthia.

Kate: All of you.  Thank you all.

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Kate: Well, that was definitely a graduation ceremony to remember.

Cynthia: You can say that again

Alder: in a good or bad way

Ash: How’d it go?

Kate: Well, for one, it was the only Ranger School graduation to have not only one but two champions in attendance.

Lance: Cynthia, Diantha.

Cynthia: What?

Diantha: We were in Almia anyway, and there’s no harm in attending

Cynthia: Pokémon Rangers help keep the peace in the regions you know.  It makes perfect sense that we, the champions of our regions, would want to support the newest Rangers

Lance: You two aren’t planning on following Kate everywhere she goes, are you?

Kate: They better not be.

Cynthia: Relax, Diantha’s Gardevoir already took us home

Leon: Is that all that happened?

Kate: Not even close.  Halfway through the graduation ceremony a couple of Tangrowth attacked.

Cynthia: Kate helped fight them off!

Ash: Really?!

Kate: Keith and I befriended them, yes.

Diantha: And you did so admirably.  You’re an amazing Ranger

Alder: we already knew that

Ash: Can I ask a question real quick?

Kate: Sure.

Ash: You mentioned Cynthia and Diantha were there.  Was this the actual champions Cynthia and Diantha or the roleplayers Cynthia and Diantha?

Cynthia: Champion Diantha and roleplayer Cynthia

Ash: Cool.

Kate: Yeah.  Yeah, it was cool.

Steven: So what now?

Kate: Well, I have a week to pack up my stuff and move out of the dorms, visit family and at the end of the week I’ve been assigned to the Ranger Base in Vientown.

Ash: That’s where you were before, right?

Kate: One and the same.  Keith and Rhythmi were both assigned to Fiore.

Ash: It’s sad that you’ll be so far away from them

Kate: It is, but it’s for the best.  We’re all making our dreams come true.

Diantha: As you should.  You’ve come this far already

Kate: Anyway, I start work properly next week.  As for today… well, earlier I got a letter from my sister.  My family moved to Almia to be closer to me, so I’ll be staying with them.

Lance: That’s good.

Kate: It is.  It really is.  I just… I don’t really know what to say, I guess.  I mean, they uprooted their entire lives for me!

Cynthia: You’re family

Kate: Yeah, yeah we are.

Chapter Text

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Are pitfalls and nets a normal thing to fall into when in the forest?

Leon: Not that I’ve seen

Alder: depends on the forest

Kate: They shouldn’t be.  People and Pokémon can get hurt.

Lance: Which forest are you in?

Ash: I’m not sure which forest.  We’re kinda lost.

Lance: What exactly has happened?

Ash: We were trying to find our way when we saw an Oddish.  Misty tried to catch it, but before she could a Bulbasaur attacked her and fought her off.  I sent out Pidgeotto to fight the Bulbasaur, but it just used vine whip to make Pidgeotto crash into a tree and ran off.  We started chasing it when a bridge collapsed and Brock fell into a river.  Misty and I ran along the river trying to keep up when Misty fell into a pit.  I helped her out and we kept going and then got caught in a net

Lance: Oh, that place.

Steven: You know where they are?

Lance: It sounds like they’re at a Pokémon sanctuary called the Hidden Village.  According to the reports from the lady who runs the place it’s protected by a Bulbasaur, and she’s set up a few traps to keep poachers away.

Cynthia: How’d you get out of the net?

Ash: We didn’t

Diantha: You’re still in there?!

Ash: Yeah.  Really hard to text like this.  Any suggestions?

Lance: Hang on, let me call Melanie

Ash: Wait, Brock just showed up and cut us free

Cynthia: Thank Sinnoh for Brock

Ash: Hey, I say that every time he cooks for us

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Melanie is letting us stay the night here.  Brock’s cooking dinner for her as thanks

Lance: She’s really letting you stay?

Steven: Is that unusual?

Lance: Somewhat.  I’ve been looking over the reports for the Hidden Village, and the ones that do mention someone stumbling across it usually say that Bulbasaur drives them out almost immediately, if they even get far enough to enter it at all.

Cynthia: Bulbasaur’s really protective of that place, huh?

Lance: Indeed.

Kate: Which begs the question, why is he letting Ash, Brock, and Misty stay there?

“Ash,” Misty chastised, reaching out and putting her hand over the screen of his phone.  Ash blinked and looked up at her.  “Brock has dinner ready,” she said pointedly, gesturing over to the table with all the food laid out on it.

“Oh,” Ash said slowly.  “Okay.”  He dropped his phone into his pocket and started walking over to the table with Misty.  Brock himself was crouching down beside the table, filling bowls with food for the Pokémon.

Misty sighed.  “It’s not like you to not notice food.  What are you doing that’s so distracting?”

“Well, Kate was wondering what-”

“Quiet,” Brock intoned, holding up his hand.  Ash immediately snapped his mouth shut and came to a stop with Misty beside him.  Brock stayed low to the ground and stared at a bush not too far from the table.  It rustled slightly and a Pokémon poked its head out.

“Shrew?” it muttered, tilting its head.

Ash inhaled sharply.  Beside him Misty’s eyes widened.  “Is that?” she asked.

“Sandshrew,” Ash whispered.

“You know this Pokémon?” Melanie asked.

Ash nodded.  “We met her tr- we met her a few days ago.”

“Sandshrew has only been here a couple days,” Melanie muttered.  “She and a bunch of other Pokémon were brought here after an inspector found their trainer hurting them.”

Ash’s hand clenched into a fist.  “They’re safe here?”

“Yes,” Melanie promised.  “They are.”

“What’s he doing?” Misty asked, pointing at Brock.

Ash and Melanie turned to look at what Brock was doing.  He was still crouched on the ground, carefully balanced on his knees.  He had a bowl of Pokémon food in one hand and the other held up to show it was empty.  Brock waddled over to the bush Sandshrew was hiding in.  She blinked and tilted her head, staring at Brock as he approached.

Beside the table, Bulbasaur stood up and let a few vines unfurl from the bulb on his back.  He didn’t move closer to Brock and Sandshrew though.  He just watched closely.

“He’s moving like Sandshrew does,” Melanie whispered as Brock kept waddling over on his knees.

Ash glanced between Sandshrew and Brock for a few seconds.  Looking at it like that, he could see what Melanie meant.  Brock’s movements did look vaguely like the way Sandshrew’s did.

Sandshrew and Bulbasaur both tensed when Brock stopped beside the bush, but Brock just smiled and put the bowl down for Sandshrew.  “You should eat up too,” he said gently.  Sandshrew just blinked and looked between Brock and the food.  As Brock started retreating back to the table, still waddling all the while, Sandshrew carefully picked up a piece of Pokémon food.  She sniffed it a couple times and gently took a bite.  She gasped and stared at the bowl in wonder.

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Sandshrew’s here

Leon: Really?

Cynthia: The same Sandshrew from the AJ debacle?

Diantha: Lance, did you know about this?

Lance: I did say she went to a Pokémon sanctuary.

Alder: thats a yes

Kate: How is she?

Ash: She’s pretty skittish.  Brock gave her a bowl of food and she’s really enjoying it, but she looked ready to run away the entire time he approached

Diantha: I can’t blame her.  She’s probably wary of any human right now

Ash: I think so.  Bulbasaur’s really protective of her

Kate: It sounds like Bulbasaur is the guardian of this place

Steven: I imagine he takes his job seriously

Lance: From what I’ve heard he does.

Kate: But Sanshrew’s safe?

Lance: Melanie won’t let anything happen to her.

Ash: Definitely.  A breeze blew through the clearing and Sandshrew shivered, so Bulbasaur used a vine whip to reach through a window of Melanie’s cabin and grab a blanket he wrapped around her

Leon: Aww!

Cynthia: That is adorable

Alder: such fine control over vines is impressive

Kate: I’m glad Sandshrew’s adjusting so well.

Kate: Have you seen any other of AJ’s former Pokémon?

Lance: They might not have stayed, Melanie makes it clear Pokémon can leave whenever they want.

Alder: as she should

Ash: Team Rocket’s attacking!

Lance: What are they doing?

Kate: Is everyone okay?

Ash: They showed up with some kind of airship!  It’s like the vacuum from Cerulean and they’re using it to suck up all the Pokémon!  Everyone was able to get into the cabin, but I don’t know how long it can hold.  Melanie’s doing a headcount to make sure everyone’s safe

“Sandshrew’s not here!” Melanie shouted.

“She must still be out there,” Brock realized, turning to the door.  He didn’t wait for a response, he just yanked the door open and started running back into the sanctuary, Bulbasaur hot on his heels.

Sandshrew was still beside the bush she’d been hiding in.  The vacuum was so powerful that she’d been lifted off the ground.  She had her arms wrapped around a branch.  She was swinging around heavily, but the branch held and she kept her grip.

Brock stumbled across the sanctuary, nearly falling over from the strength of Team Rocket’s vacuum.  He made it to the bush Sandshrew was in and held out his arms.  “Sandshrew!  Come on, I can get you out of here!”  Sandshrew gulped and looked at Brock as best she could.  She whimpered slightly.  “Sandshrew, please.  I promise I won’t hurt you.  Trust me.”

Sandshrew slowly reached one hand out to Brock.  He grabbed her firmly yet gently and pulled her into his arms properly.  He cradled her close to his chest and started trudging back to the cabin.  If he’d thought the vacuum made it difficult to move before, it was even worse when he was going directly against the suction.  It was all he could do to stay standing, even with Bulbasaur helping him stay upright with his vines.

“Bulbasaur!  Wrap a vine around my waist!”

Brock and Bulbasaur both looked up at the sound of Ash’s voice.  The trainer was standing in the doorway of the cabin, his arms braced on either side of the doorframe.  “Saur,” Bulbasaur nodded, gently pulling a vine away from Brock and sending it across the clearing.  It wrapped around Ash’s waist.  He gasped slightly at how tight it was but didn’t say anything.

With the extra anchor, Brock and Bulbasaur managed to get Sandshrew back to the cabin.  Once inside the vacuum’s suction let up completely.  Sandshrew slowly uncurled herself from Brock’s chest.  She didn’t try to climb out of his arms, though.

“Ash, look,” Misty said, pointing out the door and at Team Rocket’s vacuum.  Brock glanced out the door but couldn’t see what Misty did.  He didn’t dare move closer to get a better view, not with Sandshrew still in his arms.  He just had to hope Ash saw it.

“Bulbasaur, do you know razor leaf?” Ash asked.  Bulbasaur startled slightly then nodded.  Ash nodded in response.  “Use your razor leaf on those tubes there.”

“Saur,” Bulbasaur agreed again and moved to stand in the doorway.  He stumbled slightly from the vacuum, but another vine around Ash’s waist kept him in place.  Bulbasaur took aim and unleashed a barrage of razor leaves.

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: With the tubes cut, the vacuum wasn’t working properly, so fighting off Team Rocket was easy after that

Leon: Excellent

Kate: Good.

Cynthia: And they’re really gone?

Ash: Yes

Diantha: You did good, Ash

Alder: you and bulbasaur

Steven: I’m just glad everyone’s alright

Lance: I’ve coordinated with Officer Jenny.  She’s arranging a sweep of the area for Team Rocket.

Cynthia: I’m sensing a but here

Lance: They’re so far out there’s a good chance Team Rocket will escape before anyone gets there.

Diantha: Of course they are

Kate: How can we be sure Team Rocket won’t return?

Lance: My Salamence has volunteered to stay at the Hidden Village for a while and help Bulbasaur.

Steven: That’ll do it

Ash: About that

Lance: What?

Ash: Bulbasaur’s actually coming with us

Leon: Cool!

Cynthia: Really?

Ash: Yeah, I think I managed to really impress him.  With Melanie’s encouragement, Bulbasaur challenged me to a battle.  Pidgeotto was able to dodge his vine whips and hit him with a few gusts.  Enough for me to catch him

Diantha: That’s great

Alder: bulbasaur did know you were gonna try to catch him right

Ash: Yeah.  I asked before the battle if he was okay with that and everything

Leon: Will Salamence be able to handle the Hidden Village alone?

Steven: Definitely.

Lance: Absolutely.

Kate: How’s Sandshrew after all this?

Ash: Well, you know how Bulbasaur wanted to go with me?

Leon: You didn’t

Cynthia: Please tell me you did

Diantha: Karmic justice

Steven: That’s hilarious

Alder: i was expecting this honestly

Lance: Just be careful with her, alright?

Ash: Everyone!  I didn’t catch Sandshrew!

Leon: Oh

Cynthia: Aw

Lance: Oh.

Kate: I figured you didn’t.

Alder: oh

Diantha: Oh

Steven: Why not?

Ash: Because Sandshrew wanted to go with Brock

Chapter Text

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: There’s a Charmander sitting on a rock

Leon: Charmander!!!

Kate: Is the Charmander doing anything or just sitting there?

Lance: I didn’t know there were any Charmander in that area.

Leon: Tell me everything about Charmander!!!

Ash: Pikachu says that Charmander is waiting for someone

Diantha: Probably for its trainer

Leon: What kind of monstrous trainer would leave a Charmander waiting?

Ash: I don’t think so.  We’re pretty sure the Charmander’s wild.  I tried to catch it and it knocked the Poké Ball away

Leon: Too bad.  Charmander would have been a great addition to your team

Kate: Is that definitive proof that Charmander’s wild?  I thought you couldn’t catch a Pokémon already registered to a Poké Ball

Cynthia: It’s not definitive proof, no, but it’s convincing enough.  Why would Charmander knock the ball away if it wouldn’t have caught it anyway?

Leon: Maybe it just didn’t want to get hit by a metal ball.  That could hurt it

Ash: I’m worried about Charmander though.  Brock says his tail flame is smaller than it should be

Leon: What?!

Leon: What’s wrong?

Leon: Is Charmander hurt?

Leon: Can you see any injuries?

Leon: What about food and water?

Leon: Does he have access to those?

Lance: You need to get Charmander to a Pokémon Center right now.

Ash: Charmander looks a little skinnier than the picture shown in my Pokédex, but otherwise unhurt

Ash: I can’t.  Charmander refuses to leave

Alder: whoever or whatever hes waiting for must be important

Leon: I don’t care!  They clearly don’t care about Charmander if he’s in such bad shape!

Lance: And I can respect that Alder, but it’s worse than you realize.  I just checked the forecast, and it’s gonna start raining in an hour.

Leon: You have to get Charmander out of there!

Ash: I’m trying but Charmander doesn’t want to move.  When I tried to get closer he used flamethrower on me

Kate: If Charmander doesn’t want to go, then I don’t think there’s any way you can force him.

Leon: Diantha, can Gardevoir teleport me over there?

Diantha: She’ll need Ash’s location

Leon: Ash, can you send it?

Ash: I’m trying, but this phone doesn’t seem to have that feature

Leon: What?!

Kate: He’s right.  I’m trying it on mine and there’s no way I can find to do that.

Steven: What kind of idiot designed those phones?!

Leon: Okay, Ash, you’re gonna need to put together a shelter to keep Charmander warm and dry.

Ash: What do I need to do?

Leon: Do you have any tents with you?  If you could get Charmander to go inside that would help keep it dry at least

Leon: And blankets.  As many as you have, you need to wrap them around Charmander’s body.  Not around his tail!  His tail and the flame need to be able to breathe!

Leon: And heat the blankets!  Suspend them over a fire and get them as warm as possible

Ash: Got it.  I’m setting up the tent, Misty’s getting the blankets out and warm, and Brock’s getting Charmander some food

Lance: Good.

Cynthia: Will this be enough?

Leon: I hope so

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Charmander won’t go inside the tent.  He refuses to leave the rock he’s waiting on

Leon: I was afraid of that

Steven: What if you built the tent around Charmander and the rock?  You’d have to cut a hole in the bottom of the tent

Leon: That could work

Ash: On it

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Everything’s set up.  Charmander seems a bit calmer with the blankets, but he barely touched the food Brock made for him

Leon: Brock gave him the standard size Pokémon food, right?

Ash: Yes

Leon: It could be that the food is too big for Charmander to handle in his weakened state.  Try grinding a bit of it up for him

Ash: Okay, he’s eating a bit more

Leon: Good.  And he’s warm and dry?

Ash: For now.  Misty strung a tarp over the fire to protect it from the rain.  That way she and Brock will be able to keep warming the blankets for Charmander.  He won’t let us close the flap of the tent

Leon: That’s not ideal, but an open tent provides more shelter than nothing

Ash: I’m sitting in the entrance to try and shelter Charmander from the rain

Ash: Is there anything else we can do?

Leon: Not if Charmander won’t let you move him

Kate: Is there anything we can do?

Lance: Nothing.  Not a single thing.

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: We’re at the Pokémon Center

Leon: Charmander let you move him?!

Cynthia: That’s good

Kate: How is he?

Ash: Charmander didn’t exactly let us.  The storm got really bad and put out the fire we were using to warm the blankets even with the tarp.  Without that Charmander started getting weaker and weaker.  He still didn’t want to let us move him, but he was too weak to stop us

Diantha: At least you got him to the Center

Lance: Which Pokémon Center are you at?

Leon: How is Charmander doing?

Ash: Nurse Joy wouldn’t tell us exactly how bad.  She just said she’d do what she could

Ash: That’s… that’s not a good sign, is it?

Alder: No, but this is Nurse Joy we’re talking about.  Charmander will be fine.  Better than fine.

Leon: Yeah!  No one and nothing can keep Charmander down!

Cynthia: Do you know how long Charmander will be in the operating room?

Ash: No, Nurse Joy didn’t say

Steven: She probably doesn’t know herself

Kate: You’ll keep us updated on how things are going, right?

Ash: Absolutely

Kate: Good.

Diantha: What about you?  How are you doing?

Ash: I’m worried

Diantha: Understandable.  I think you should try and get some rest while Nurse Joy’s with Charmander

Ash: I don’t think I can.  I won’t leave the waiting room while Charmander’s in the back, and honestly I don’t think I’d be able to rest anyway

Ash: Plus, there’s a group of trainers who are being very loud

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: How much trouble would I get in if I punched someone?

Leon: Is Charmander okay?

Cynthia: Depends on if you get caught or not

Diantha: Why do you want to punch someone?

Lance: Please don’t punch someone.  You’re in the middle of a Pokémon Center.  You very well might be barred from the Indigo League for assaulting another trainer.

Ash: He’s bragging about how he got rid of a weak Charmander by leaving him on a rock and saying he’d be back

Leon: WHAT?!

Diantha: Give me a name

Lance: That being said, I can sweep an incident like that under the rug.

Cynthia: Or I could do it myself

Steven: You’re a champion.  That would cause an international incident

Cynthia: So?

Steven: So as long as we’re doing that anyway, I’ll join you

Leon: Diantha?

Diantha: On my way

Lance: Everyone, please don’t cause an incident.  I’ll handle it.

Kate: I’m not a champion.

Ash: I’m not international

Lance: I’ll handle this.  Ash, can you give me his name and which Pokémon Center you’re at?

Ash: He says his name is Damian.  We’re at the Pokémon Center between Route 24 and Route 25

Lance: I’m on my way.

Ash: Misty’s shaking him around and screaming about how Charmander almost died

Ash: I think she’s about to slap him

Ash: Should I help her?

Leon: Yes

Kate: Absolutely

Cynthia: Do it

Diantha: Of course

Steven: Please

Alder: go for it

Lance: I’m flying and thus have plausible deniability

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Good new, Charmander’s going to be fine

Leon: Yes!

Kate: Good

Cynthia: Go Charmander!

Diantha: Please tell me there’s no bad news

Ash: Bad news, Damian left as soon as the storm ended and Charmander left as soon as he woke up

Leon: Please tell me they’re not together!

Diantha: I hope not

Kate: Do you think Charmander went back to the rock?

Ash: Maybe

Lance: I’m almost there, don’t do anything rash.

Leon: Screw that, go find Charmander!

Lance: That wouldn’t count as rash

Ash: We’re on our way to the rock now

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Ash: Team Rocket attacked, Charmander fought them off, Damian showed up and saw, tried to take Charmander back, and Charmander hit him with scratch

Leon: Go Charmander!

Cynthia: Yes!

Kate: Good

Diantha: He deserves it

Ash: Damian then pulled like twenty Poké Balls out of his bag and Charmander used flamethrower to knock them out of his hands

Steven: He seriously tried that?

Ash: So anyway, Charmander wanted to go with us

Leon: You caught Charmander?!

Ash: He jumped into the Poké Ball

Leon: You caught Charmander!

Alder: youll be a good trainer for him

Cynthia: Hang on, what happened to Damian?

Ash: He ran away

Lance: Dragonite and I have him.  We’re escorting him to Officer Jenny.

Diantha: Please tell me you just flew down and scooped him off his feet

Lance: That would have been very illegal.

Cynthia: Spoilsport

Lance: If we’d done that, Damian could have used it as an excuse to avoid punishment

Alder: it wouldnt have been a proper arrest

Cynthia: I guess

Lance: We did already confiscate his trainer card, though.  I tripped and accidentally dropped it into the path of Dragonite’s dragon rage

Leon: Did he cry?  I really hope he cried

Lance: I can neither confirm nor deny that

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Leon: How’s Charmander doing?

Ash: He and Butterfree managed to wrangle Sandshrew and Bulbasaur into a game of tag

Kate: That’s adorable.

Leon: Win this Charmander!

Diantha: Leon

Leon: What?  Charmander is clearly the best player

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Lance: Damian’s officially been blacklisted from just about everything.  He’ll never be able to be a trainer again, and there’s a very real chance he’ll wind up in juvenile detention for the foreseeable future.

Leon: Good

Cynthia: As he deserves

Diantha: Feels like he got off easy to be honest

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Lance: Leon.

Leon: Yes Lance?

Lance: Care to explain why Damian, when he was left completely alone in the waiting room, started screaming his head off about a Charizard nearly frying him to a crisp?  One that did so at the direction of a trainer matching your description?

Leon: Probably a physical manifestation of his own past sins coming back to haunt him as some kind of divine retribution

Lance: And the Gardevoir that teleported them in and out of the room?

Diantha: The human mind is a mysterious thing.  Who knows how it works

Lance: In the future make sure the room is empty beforehand.  You got lucky today, but I would have an obligation to report such things if I saw them.

Chapter Text

[Champion Diantha Fanclub]

Diantha renamed chat “Ranger Kate Fanclub”

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Diantha: I just wanted to wish you luck on your first day, Kate.  I know you’ll do amazing

Leon: Whooo!  First day!

Cynthia: You got this!

Alder: youll do great

Steven: You’ll do an amazing job

Ash: You’ll be the Master Ranger in no time!

Lance: You got this.

Kate: Wow.  I… I don’t know what to say.

Diantha: Just say thanks and go be the best Ranger you can be

Cynthia: Which is the best Ranger out there

Diantha: That goes without saying

Cynthia: But I said it anyway

Kate: Thanks, everyone.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Kate: They were waiting for me.  Luana even came out to meet me on the edge of town.

Leon: That’s great!

Diantha: It sounds to me like they’re excited to work with you

Cynthia: Did they bake you a cake?  This really feels like the type of situation where they’d bake you a cake

Kate: I don’t know if there’s a cake or not.

Steven: What about a banner?  Like a ‘Welcome to the team!’ banner.  Those are pretty common

Kate: No, no banner.

Alder: do they have a first day mission for you

Alder: those are pretty common

Kate: I don’t know.  I… I’m kinda hiding out in the changing room now.

Lance: Why?

Cynthia: Are you okay?

Diantha: Were the others being mean to you?

Leon: It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?

Kate: A little bit.  Everyone’s been great and super welcoming and I just… I’m really nervous.  What if they don’t like me?  What if I mess everything up?  What if I’m not cut out to be a Ranger after all?

Cynthia: That’s ridiculous!  You’re totally cut out for this!

Steven: She’s right.  You were the top of your class in Ranger School.  That means there is nobody more qualified than you

Kate: What if I mess things up?

Alder: then you do your best to fix your mistake

Kate: But what if I’m a bad Ranger?

Leon: Do you know what makes a bad Ranger?

Kate: Someone who’s bad at their job, lacks sympathy and empathy for Pokémon and the people around them, and who actively makes things worse.

Leon: That’s wrong

Kate: What?

Leon: That’s wrong.  Everything you just described isn’t a bad Ranger.  They’re a bad person, yes, but not a bad Ranger.  Because that person isn’t worthy of being a Ranger at all

Kate: I don’t understand.

Leon: A bad Ranger is someone who doesn’t care.  Someone who does their job but couldn’t care less about it.  Someone who doesn’t truly befriend any of the Pokémon around them, only helps others when there’s a quantifiable reason behind it, and someone who treats it like just a job.  A bad Ranger doesn’t care, and you care, Kate

Ash: Yeah!  Remember the entrance exam you told us about?  You befriended that Pikachu perfectly!  When you hadn’t even known how to use a Styler or that you’d even get to take the exam at all!

Cynthia: When that thief stole the Stylers you caught him then saved him in more ways than one

Steven: Your first night they had you take that test of courage and you did it perfectly

Diantha: When those Tangrowth attacked the graduation ceremony you were the one who stepped up to help when almost everyone else was looking to the champions in the room.  You didn’t expect someone else to do anything, you just ran in immediately

Alder: when the pokemon on the beach were scared you helped and even formed a special bond with pachirisu

Lance: You’re all forgetting the Bidoof incident on her first day.  No one would have batted an eye at you leaving it to someone more experienced.  And yet you went in and helped them out.

Leon: See Kate?  Would a bad Ranger do any of that?

Kate: Well, no.

Leon: Exactly!  But you did, so what does that mean?

Kate: That I’m a good Ranger.

Leon: You totally are!

Kate: Thanks everyone.  

Kate: I’m going out now, so I’ll let you know how things go at the end.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Kate: Crawford runs a newspaper called the Vien Tribune for Vientown and Chicole Village to the south of here.  For my first mission I helped him deliver it.

Leon: How’d it go?

Diantha: Sounds like a good way to meet everyone

Kate: That’s what it was, I think.  A way for me to meet everyone and for them to know there’s a new Ranger in the area.

Kate: Crawford even wrote an article about me.

Leon: Front page?!

Kate: Yeah, on the front page.

Leon: Front page!

Diantha: Do you by any chance have a copy of the article in question?

Cynthia: I want one!

Steven: I’m interested in this paper

Alder: those small town newspapers are usually the best

Lance: None of us live in Vientown, so I don’t think we’d be allowed to get it.

Diantha: I’ve been needing a summer home

Lance: You are not getting a house in Vientown.  Do you have any idea what the presence of a champion could do to a small town like that if word got out?

Steven: He’s right.  That’s why I had to be very careful about purchasing a villa in Sinnoh.  It’s in a town on an island that only people who qualify for the Pokémon League are allowed to go to if they’re not residents

Cynthia: I know that place!

Kate: So, anyway, while we were delivering the papers we made our way to Nabiki Beach.  Pachirisu was there.

Leon: The same Pachirisu from before?!

Kate: Yeah.  She… she was waiting for me.

Steven: And now you’re a fully authorized Pokémon Ranger

Kate: Yes.  Pachirisu’s now my Partner Pokémon.

Diantha: That’s great

Cynthia: Pachirisu is a great Pokémon!

Alder: im happy for you

Lance: You must’ve made a really good impression on Pachirisu.

Kate: She’s made just as good of one on me.

Kate: Anyway, with Pachirisu by my side Crawford gave me a quick lesson on using Poké Assists then we delivered the last of the newspapers.

Steven: I’ve always found Poké Assists to be fascinating

Kate: After the mission Barlow walked me through filling out mission reports.  There was a shocking amount of paperwork for the mission.

Leon: Ugh, I hate paperwork

Lance: Tell me about it.

Steven: You Lance?  You’re the one who’s always on top of paperwork and nagging us to be the same

Lance: I recognize it’s essential.  That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Lance: Especially over the last two months.  I’ve had a lot more paperwork to fill out in that time.

Cynthia: Makes sense

Lance: Still doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Alder: but you do it admirably

Lance: Okay, Alder, you don’t get to say anything about that.

Alder: why not

Lance: When’s the last time you did paperwork yourself instead of just shoving it off on Drayden?

Alder: couldnt tell you

Lance: I rest my case.

Diantha: Now that that’s over with, Kate, did anything else happen today?

Kate: Not really.  Once everything was taken care of it started getting late, so Luana showed me to the bedrooms.  She and I are rooming together.

Lance: Is that good?

Kate: It’s fine with me.  The dorms at Ranger School were similar.  The only difference is this time Pachirisu’s asleep on my chest.

Leon: That is adorable

Cynthia: Really?

Kate: You should’ve seen her earlier.  She curled up and used her fluffy tail as a pillow.

Cynthia: And now she’s not?  She’s just stretched out on top of you instead?

Kate: Yeah.  Is that a big deal?

Cynthia: Pachirisu only ever do that with people they really trust

Kate: Oh.

Cynthia: You better take good care of her

Kate: I will.  I promise.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: I knew you’d meet Pachirisu again

Kate: I suppose you did.

Ash: Have you and Pachirisu figured out how your Ranger Pose will work with her a part of it?

Kate: That’s what we’re working on today.  Luana offered to watch and offer her opinion.

Ash: Sounds great!

Leon: Is that really all you’re planning on doing today?

Kate: It’ll probably take all day to get it done at least.  Maybe we’ll even have to take time tomorrow too.

Leon: But… it… why spend so much time on it?

Kate: It’s the pose.

Ash: It’s the pose

Leon: Creepy

Diantha: It’s a pretty simple concept, Leon

Leon: Okay

Kate: So anyway, what about you Ash?  Any big plans for today?

Ash: I caught a Squirtle!

Leon: Cool!

Steven: Wait, really?

Cynthia: That makes all three Kanto starters

Alder: four counting pikachu

Kate: How’d that happen?

Leon: Oh no he’s taking forever to type again

Lance: Why do I feel a headache forming?

Alder: what were you saying about paperwork earlier

Lance: You shut up.

Ash: Well, we were walking and we fell into a pit dug by a gang of Squirtles (or is it just Squirtle?).  The Squirtle Squad apparently had been making a bunch of trouble in the area.  Some things happened and they teamed up with Team Rocket.  We battled them and they ended up tying us up in a cave.  

Pikachu was injured, but I managed to convince the Squirtle Squad to let me go so I could get some medicine for him.  I had to leave all my stuff in the cave with everyone else to make sure I didn’t run off.  I also had to be back by noon today or else they’d dye Misty’s hair purple.  It took a while but I made it and got back to the cave.  Turns out the Squirtle Squad had already let everyone go.  They may be delinquents but messing with a girl’s natural hair color is too far even for them.

Team Rocket turned on them and tried to take Pikachu.  They dropped a bunch of bombs onto the forest and everything.  During that I saved the leader of the Squirtle Squad from one of the explosions.  Then more started going off and Squirtle picked me up and carried me to the cave.  We fought off Team Rocket, the Squirtle Squad put out the fires lit by the bombs, the town gave them jobs as firefighters, and the leader decided to go with me.

Oh, and they all wore sunglasses.

Lance: Yep.

Alder: thats pretty tame all things considered

Leon: Did the sunglasses look cool?

Ash: Totally they did

Cynthia: How did you know what the Squirtle were gonna do to Misty?

Ash: Oh, Meowth translated for us

Diantha: Meowth?

Ash: Team Rocket’s Meowth.  He can talk

Cynthia: I’m sorry, what?

Kate: As in he can speak in more than just his name?  He can communicate with humans?

Ash: Yeah

Steven: And you didn’t mention this before?!

Ash: Didn’t I?  I must have at some point

Lance: No, Ash, no you did not.

Ash: Oh.  Well, Team Rocket has a talking Meowth

Cynthia: And he’s actually speaking?  He’s not using aura or a secret psychic type?

Ash: Not that I know of

Alder: i want to meet this meowth

Kate: Next time you see them, can you ask Meowth how it can talk?

Lance: What do you mean next time?

Steven: Lance, come on

Leon: Lance, buddy

Diantha: Oh Lance

Alder: lance

Cynthia: Lance honey

Kate: Lance, think about it

Lance: I know, I know.

Ash: I’ll be sure to ask next time!

Chapter Text

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: I just caught a Krabby!

Lance: Krabby are good Pokémon to have.

Leon: Tell me about Krabby!

Ash: I can’t.  As soon as I caught Krabby, the Poké Ball disappeared

Diantha: Yeah, that’ll happen when you have a full team

Cynthia: Krabby’s probably back at Professor Oak’s, then.  Or did you register somewhere else for your Pokémon to stay?

Ash: You can do that?

Cynthia: Yep.  You can have up to six different places for your Pokémon to stay when they’re not with you.  Your Pokédex should let you set destinations ahead of time

Leon: I think you can also set another Poké Ball to go instead, that way if you catch something new you can add it to your party immediately instead of having to track down somebody with a transporter

Ash: Misty and Brock were saying something like that too

Ash: Anyway, there’s a lighthouse in the distance, so we’re gonna go there and see if we can stay the night there instead of camping out.  Also I want to borrow a phone

Kate: You want to call Professor Oak and check on Krabby?

Ash: Yep

Steven: Can’t you just call him with your phone?

Ash: Nope

Steven: Why not?

Ash: This phone doesn’t let me call or text anyone

Alder: but youre texting us

Kate: Anyone outside of this chat, he means.  These phones don’t work that way.

Ash: Can’t add any numbers to it at all or even dial any

Steven: Are they broken or something?  What kind of phone doesn’t let you call people?

Ash: These ones

Cynthia: Mysterious phones found in a field or on a plane?

Steven: But… that’s just… what?

Diantha: Let it go, Steven

Lance: Ash, you might want to prepare yourself.

Ash: For what?

Lance: The lighthouse on Route 25 is run by a man named Bill.  Brilliant scientist, but he’s a little… eccentric.

Steven: You can say that again

Cynthia: Only a little?

Alder: how eccentric are we talking

Diantha: Not in a bad way though

Kate: What do you mean by eccentric?

Ash: Who’s Bill?

Lance: Bill is the one who made the Pokémon Transfer System.  Like I said, absolutely brilliant, but just a little eccentric.  He’s also rather reclusive these days.

Ash: Cool!

Leon: And you’ve all met him?

Diantha: Right, I keep forgetting you’re new to this.  You know those formal functions that regional champions are always being invited to?

Leon: Kinda?  I’ve only been to one or two myself

Cynthia: For his work on the Transfer System Bill is almost always invited to them as well

Steven: Though he doesn’t attend very often anymore

Lance: I told you, reclusive.  

Alder: i cant blame him honestly

Alder: he was one of the most successful and well known people worldwide

Alder: arguably still is

Alder: probably doesnt want to put up with all that

Steven: Yeah, it makes sense that he’d just want to focus on his research.  Arceus knows sometimes I consider retiring from this whole champion thing and just spending my time looking for cool rocks

Kate: Sorry, can we step back a bit?  What do you mean Leon’s new to all this?

Leon: This is my first season as Galar’s champion.  I won last season’s tournament and here we are

Ash: I watched that battle!  It was awesome!

Leon: Yeah it was!

Ash: Okay, we’re walking up to Bill’s now

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: So, we ring the doorbell and talk to Bill through the intercom and request to use his phone and kitchen and maybe stay the night.  Brock offers to cook dinner for Bill and he lets us in, right?

Cynthia: Sounds reasonable

Diantha: It’s good manners to offer something in exchange to let you all stay

Alder: whats brock cooking

Ash: Something without tofu

Steven: Respect

Ash: We walk in and Bill’s nowhere to be seen.  He talks to us through a speaker system and directs me to a phone so I can call Professor Oak and check on Krabby

Kate: How’s Krabby doing?

Ash: Looks like he’s doing good.  When I got on the phone Professor Oak immediately started comparing him to Gary’s Krabby and then goes on to say I’ve caught significantly less Pokémon than Gary has

Diantha: That doesn’t seem entirely right.  I mean, sure, he’s your rival, but it’s not a competition

Steven: There’s a lot to be said for only having a small number of Pokémon

Cynthia: Yeah, you don’t need dozens upon dozens

Kate: Honestly, if you had that many that fast I’m not sure how well you’d be able to take care of them.

Alder: i think maybe he was trying to motivate you

Leon: Funny way of going about it

Ash: Anyway, once I made sure Krabby was alright and not about to be made into stew I hang up and a Kabuto walks into the room

Steven: A real Kabuto?!

Cynthia: How did a Kabuto get there?

Diantha: Bill has a Kabuto?

Kate: Can we go back to the stew thing?

Leon: Awesome!

Alder: it makes sense that bill would be able to get his hands on a fossil pokemon

Lance: Wait for it.

Ash: He asked us for help, we pressed the button on the side, and helped Bill get out of his Kabuto costume.

Steven: …

Cynthia: Why… 

Leon: That’s… okay then

Diantha: I don’t even want to know

Alder: i just want to know why kabuto

Kate: Weird.  Now can we get back to the stew thing?

Ash: When I called Professor Oak he was making stew and I panicked

Lance: Good.

Ash: Anyway, we’re eating now, and once we’re done with dinner Bill offered to show us some of his research

Steven: Lucky

Kate: It’s getting late here in Almia, so I’m gonna have to head to bed.  Let me know how things go?

Ash: You got it!

Diantha: Goodnight, Kate

Cynthia: Night!

Leon: Night Kate!

Alder: sleep well

Steven: Night

Lance: Goodnight.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: If I were to describe a Pokémon, would you be able to recognize it?

Leon: Of course!

Alder: we can try

Lance: It’s possible.

Diantha: There’s a chance

Steven: I can give it a shot

Cynthia: We’ll do our best!

Ash: To start, we think it was a dragon of some kind.  It was really dark so we couldn’t see any colors of it.  It had glowing yellow eyes.  It’s head was rounded and it mouth and nose stuck out of its face on a rounded snout

Alder: that sounds familiar

Steven: I feel like I’ve seen something like that before

Lance: Sounds kinda like a Dragonite.  Did it have wings and antennae?

Ash: Yeah!  The wings looked small compared to the rest of its body.  And its arms seemed to just end in claws without any fingers or hands of any kind.  Oh, and it had a small horn on top of its head

Lance: Definitely a Dragonite.

Cynthia: What were you doing that you saw a Dragonite?

Leon: Those are rare in Kanto, right?

Lance: I’ve only heard of one island where they can be found naturally in the wild.

Diantha: Are you alright?

Ash: And while it was in the water (it was either swimming or walking, it was too dark to tell) it was as tall as both the cliff and the lighthouse combined

Diantha: What?

Steven: …

Cynthia: Holy…

Leon: Is there a power spot nearby?

Lance: What happened to it?  Is it still there?

Ash: Team Rocket shot a bunch of rockets at it and it left

Lance: They did what?!

Ash: Bill’s positive it’ll come back, one day

Leon: Seriously though, was there a power spot or something?  How could it have Dynamaxed like that?

Lance: Leon, there are no power spots in Kanto.  This wasn’t Dynamax.

Leon: But what else could it have been?

Cynthia: An Alpha Pokémon?  Maybe?

Diantha: But they’re usually maybe double the size, not… this

Steven: If this is what Bill’s been studying, I can’t blame him for becoming a recluse

Ash: Bill’s showing us to the bedrooms now, so goodnight everyone

Diantha: Goodnight, Ash

Cynthia: Night!

Leon: Night Ash!

Alder: sleep well

Steven: Night

Lance: Goodnight.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Kate: I feel like I miss out on a lot whenever I go to sleep.

Leon: Well, you could just stop sleeping?

Kate: I suppose that’s one solution.

Diantha: Don’t you dare!  You need your rest, young lady!

Diantha: And Leon, if you even think about suggesting something like that again Gardevoir and I will find you and make what we did to Damian look like a walk in the park with Galarian Ponyta, sunshine, ice cream and gumdrops!

Leon: Yes ma’am

Lance: Ahem.

Diantha: What we allegedly did!

Leon: Kate, please accept my sincerest apologies and disregard any previous suggestions I have given you that would impact your life in any way

Kate: You’re forgiven and everything is forgotten.

Leon: Oh thank Arceus

Cynthia: Really dodged a horn drill there

Leon: You said it

Kate: As entertaining as this is, Barlow’s calling me and Crawford out to the front.

Cynthia: Good luck!

Diantha: Let us know how it goes

Leon: Be safe!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Kate: Something strange is going on.

Cynthia: Strange in what way?

Leon: Are you safe?

Diantha: Are you okay?

Kate: Crawford and I were assigned a mission to go through Marine Cave.  One of the town residents, Mr. Woodward, heard strange noises coming from inside the cave.

Cynthia: Sounds worrying

Kate: We walk into the cave and immediately hear the noise in question.  I don’t really know how to describe it other than to say it was a pulsating noise echoing throughout the front of the cave.  All around the cave where the noise could be heard, Pokémon were acting strangely.

Lance: Strange in what way?

Ash: Are they okay?

Kate: They were moving around erratically.  They didn’t seem to have any plans or destinations or goals, they were just running in circles.  They were all growling (or the equivalent sound for their species) in time with the pulsating sound.  Pokémon that were already captured (as well as Pachirisu and Crawford’s Bdew) were all fine.

Diantha: Okay, you’re right, that sounds strange and worrying

Cynthia: Did you figure out what the sound was?

Kate: In a minute.  Every time I tried to befriend a Pokémon that was acting like this, the Styler wouldn’t connect to them.

Steven: What?!

Kate: Exactly.  My Styler would work just fine, but at the point when it should have befriended the Pokémon, the Pokémon just got a funny look in its eyes and retreated.

Steven: And you didn’t release them?  You didn’t sever the connection or anything like that?

Kate: I did not.

Ash: Sorry, what exactly does all that mean?

Kate: You know how Poké Balls establish a connection between a Pokémon and the person the Poké Ball is registered to?  Just a slight nudge that helps the Pokémon recognize their trainer?

Ash: I guess

Kate: A Styler establishes the same connection when befriending a Pokémon, but it’s completely temporary and without a Poké Ball.  And, as long as the capture was successful, it works without fail.

Alder: that is how a success works

Steven: You know what she means

Alder: i know but i still had to point that out

Kate: For a wild Pokémon not to be connected to the Ranger via the Styler even with a successful is unheard of.  Was unheard of.

Steven: It’s completely unprecedented

Steven: Was it maybe just an issue with your Styler?

Kate: If it was, Crawford’s has the same problem.

Steven: This is bad

Kate: I know.

Lance: What happened next?

Diantha: Did you figure out what was going on in the cave at least?

Kate: Yeah.  There was a big red machine in the back.  It was almost as tall as me.  The pulsating noise was coming from it.  We figured out that a strong water attack would be able to destroy it, so I befriended a Gastrodon in the back of the cave where the noise didn’t reach and brought it back to help.  Once the machine was destroyed and the noise stopped, the Pokémon in the cave went back to normal.

Ash: I’m glad they’re okay

Alder: thats good

Steven: Do you have any idea what the machine was?

Kate: Elaine’s taking a look at it now.

Kate: It was actually kinda scary how we got the machine back to the Ranger Base.

Lance: How so?

Kate: The machine was heavy.  Heavy enough that even when broken into two pieces, with Crawford and I both trying we couldn’t move it at all.  I think even with everyone in the Ranger Base trying we wouldn’t have been able to move it from the cave to the Base.

Leon: So what’d you do?

Ash: Did you get a Pokémon to help?

Kate: Crawford called Big Bertha.  She threw it over her shoulder and easily carried it all the way back to town.

Alder: oh wow

Diantha: She sounds strong

Cynthia: Impressive.  I’ll have to share that story with Bertha back here.  I think she’d enjoy it

Kate: Yeah.

Kate: She’s strong.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: We’re heading out now!

Leon: On your way to the next gym?

Ash: Yep!  We can’t be far from Vermilion City now!

Steven: Vermilion City you say?

Diantha: Down, Steven

Kate: Good luck on your journey!

Lance: Hang on, you’re going to Vermilion?

Ash: Yep

Lance: And you’ve been going there since you left Cerulean?

Ash: Of course

Lance: Ash.  Since you left Cerulean you’ve traveled along Routes 24 and 25, which is taking you consistently northeast of Cerulean.  Vermilion is directly south of Cerulean.

Ash: Oh

Ash: Whoops

Chapter Text

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Vermilion City!

Leon: Third badge!

Steven: You’re gonna be there longer than just the time it takes to get the badge, right?

Diantha: Steven, we’ve been over this

Steven: I made no mention of diving into the harbor!

Cynthia: But you still mentioned it

Steven: That’s not at all what happened

Diantha: Yes it is

Cynthia: Yes it is

Alder: yes it is

Kate: You’re not going to the gym immediately, right?

Ash: Nah, Pokémon Center first, then food, then gym battle tomorrow

Leon: Sounds like a great plan!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: There are a lot of Pokémon in this Center, and almost all of them were beaten by Surge

Kate: Will the Pokémon be okay?

Ash: Yeah.  Nurse Joy says they’ll all be fine by morning

Diantha: That’s good

Ash: I’m just worried.  The Pewter and Cerulean Centers weren’t like this

Cynthia: From the sounds of it, the Cerulean Gym wouldn’t have ever won a battle at all

Ash: I guess

Lance: Vermilion is the most challenged gym in the region.  It’s almost perfectly centrally located plus it’s right up on the beach.

Alder: that would do it

Ash: So since more people challenge the Vermilion gym there’s more Pokémon in the Center?

Steven: Yeah, it’s a pretty common trend in regions with formal leagues

Kate: That makes sense, honestly

Ash: That’s good to know, actually

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Diantha: Lance, whenever you’re ready

Lance: You know, I do have things I need to do.  I can’t always drop everything to watch and commentate on a gym battle.

Cynthia: Oh please, what are you doing that’s so important?

Lance: Teaching Dragonite a song.

Cynthia: I rest my case

Kate: Why are you doing that?

Lance: Bill and I thought that if Dragonite learned the song that the giant one sang for him and played it live, it would be more effective than a recording of it.

Steven: Hang on, you’re working with Bill?

Lance: Of course I am.  As soon as Ash told us about the giant Dragonite I hopped on my Dragonite’s back and we flew to his lighthouse.

Kate: You’re trying to coax it into returning to the lighthouse?

Lance: Yes.

Cynthia: Okay, I admit that’s actually a good excuse

Leon: But not good enough, right?

Cynthia: Correct.  Leave the conducting to Bill, you have a gym battle to watch

Lance: Fine, fine, let me pull it up.

Lance: Looks like Surge is explaining the rules.

Leon: Why does he have to?  Ash already has two badges.

Steven: Maybe his gym has special rules?

Lance: It does.

Lance: To start with, Surge’s gym is unique in that no matter how many badges his opponent has, the battle will only consist of a one on one with his Raichu.

Cynthia: Wait, really?

Diantha: He uses the same Raichu for all eight badge levels?

Leon: Is that allowed?

Lance: It wasn’t at first, and Surge had to fight hard for it, but in the end he was granted a dispensation to do so.  He has to undergo yearly evaluations to prove that his Raichu is just as capable of holding back to match the badge level as Surge himself is.  There were a couple close calls in the beginning, but they’ve managed to get in the groove of things and haven’t had any major hiccups in years.

Alder: the amount of training that would go into raichus control is impressive

Lance: It is.  Last year Pokémon Monthly did an article declaring Surge’s Raichu to be the single best trained Pokémon in the Kanto region.

Diantha: Whether that’s accurate is up for debate, right?

Lance: Yes. 

Steven: Though it’s probably more accurate than not.  There is a lot to be said for only training a single Pokémon as opposed to a team of six, three, or even two

Kate: It’s for a very similar reason that Pokémon Rangers are only ever allowed to have one Partner Pokémon with them at a time.  The rest have to stay at a registered settlement.

Lance: Exactly.

Lance: Ash looks surprised by Surge’s explanation of the rules.  He also looks very angry.

Cynthia: Angry at what?

Diantha: Is Surge being mean to him?

Lance: Technically, yes.  Surge has a tendency to be rather rough with challengers, at least verbally speaking.  With Ash he’s taken to calling him and Pikachu babies.

Alder: thats a pretty common strategy

Diantha: You call that a strategy?

Alder: yes

Alder: surge is getting in ashs head and getting him too angry to think straight

Alder: if he doesnt get himself under control he will make mistakes

Steven: He’s right, it’s a valid strategy.  The old Petalburg gym leader used that same strategy before she retired

Diantha: I suppose

Lance: Were there a lot of complaints about her attitude?  Because Surge has more complaints about that than the rest of the leaders by a wide margin.

Steven: Oh yeah.  No matter how many times we explained it was well within her right to do so and a legitimate battle strategy.  Frankly, a good strategy for a gym leader to use.  It really tests the challenger

Alder: surge is making this battle a mental one as well as a physical one

Steven: Exactly.

Leon: Well, Ash is totally up to the challenge!  He’s got this!

Cynthia: He’s gonna use Pikachu for this, right?

Steven: There’s a good chance.  The only other Pokémon he has that are trained enough for a gym battle are Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and maybe Bulbasaur

Lance: Alright, Surge and Ash are in position.

Lance: And yep, it’s Pikachu against Raichu.

Lance: Pikachu was able to move before Raichu and fired off a thundershock at Raichu.  Neither Surge nor Raichu look worried.  Raichu made no move to dodge it.  Despite crackling with electricity, it still looks smug.

Steven: Oh, that’s not good

Cynthia: Let me guess, lightning rod?

Lance: Yep.  Pikachu’s run out of steam and ended the attack.  Raichu responds with a thundershock of his own.

Kate: Lightning rod powers up electric attacks, doesn’t it?

Lance: Yep.  Despite resisting the attack, Pikachu isn’t able to just shrug this one off.

Leon: Doesn’t matter!  He’s still in this!

Cynthia: They’ve got this!

Alder: i dont know about that

Lance: Ash and Pikachu have realized that electric attacks won’t work and have moved on to iron tail instead.

Steven: Good strategy

Lance: Raichu knows iron tail as well.  He was able to block Pikachu’s with his own.  He took advantage of Pikachu’s surprise and hit him with a mega punch.

Alder: ash and pikachu are ate a disadvantage here

Alder: they started on the back foot and then powered up raichu with thundershock

Leon: Who cares!  They can beat Raichu!

Alder: yes they can

Alder: but it might not be this time

Diantha: I hate to say it, but I think Alder’s right

Cynthia: It’s not over yet

Lance: Raichu hit Pikachu with another thundershock.  It knocked him out completely.  Surge won.

Leon: No!

Cynthia: Ash can’t have lost!

Diantha: He has, though

Steven: He’ll just have to win next time

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Pikachu’s awake

Kate: How’s he doing?

Leon: Is he okay?!

Diantha: Are you okay?

Ash: A little banged up, but otherwise fine.  Physically, at least.  He’s upset that we lost

Alder: its never fun to lose

Steven: You’ll just have to win next time!

Kate: It’s like your battle against Brock.  You know what you need to do, now you just need to figure out how to do it

Ash: Yeah

Ash: Hang on, Nurse Joy wants to talk to us

Diantha: You better talk to her, then

Kate: Let us know how Pikachu does?

Ash: You got it

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: She offered us a thunderstone

Steven: Oh

Lance: Wow

Diantha: Did you take it?

Cynthia: Will you use it?

Kate: What does Pikachu think?

Ash: No, we won’t.  I asked Pikachu what he wanted to do and he knocked the thunderstone out of my hand.  He made it pretty clear that he does not want to evolve at all, and he wants to defeat Raichu as he is

Leon: That’s the spirit!

Alder: good

Alder: evolving would just be taking the easy way out

Ash: And we won’t do that

Ash: I’m gonna go now, Brock has an idea he wants to go over with us

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: We’re on our way for round two!

Leon: Third badge!

Cynthia: You got this!

Kate: Show Raichu what you’re made of!

Alder: dont let surge and raichu get in your head and youve got this

Steven: You can do it

Diantha: We believe in you

Lance: Good luck, kid.

Ash: Thanks everyone!

Ash: Oh, hang on.  My cheerleaders are here and want to offer a cheer in support of Pikachu

Lance: What?

Ash watched the three cheerleaders turn and run away.  He looked down at Pikachu, who looked just as confused as he was.  Ash and Pikachu made eye contact for a split second before, as one, turning back to watch the cheerleaders run away.  It was nice of them, at least.

“That… was really disturbing,” Brock decided.

“Thanks for your support!” Misty called out, waving at the cheerleaders.  “Bye, Team Rocket!”  The cheerleaders stumbled slightly and their hats and glasses fell off.

“That was Team Rocket?” Ash asked, looking between Misty and the cheerleaders in the distance.

“Obviously,” Misty agreed.

“Huh,” Ash muttered, watching Jessie, James, and Meowth gather themselves and keep running.  He turned his attention back to the phone in his hand before remembering something.  “Wait… hey, Meowth!  Can I ask you a question?!”

Meowth stumbled slightly and turned back to look at Ash.  Looking at him now, Ash could see that he had whiskers.  “What is it?” he called back.

“How did you learn to talk?”

“You wanna know how I learned ta talk?” he asked.  

“If that’s okay,” Ash agreed.

Meowth faltered slightly but nodded.  He looked down wistfully.  “My story’s a bittersweet one,” he began.  “Like a cheap chocolate bar.  The first thing I remember was-”  Meowth’s words were cut off by a yelp as Jessie and James reached down to grab him.  Jessie shoved her hands over Meowth’s mouth to cut off his words while James picked him up completely.

“You heard him!” James shouted back, ignoring Meowth struggling in his grip.

“He learned ta talk!” Jessie agreed.

“We have to go now!” they both said in tandem.  “Bye!”

Jessie and James spun around and started running again, carrying a still struggling Meowth between them.

“Huh,” Ash muttered.  He shrugged and looked down at his phone again.

“Hey, Ash?” Brock began.  “Why’d you ask Meowth that now of all times?”

“Oh, I mentioned that Meowth can talk and Kate wanted me to ask how,” Ash said absently, already typing away.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Meowth says he learned to talk

Steven: Meowth?!

Diantha: Those cheerleaders were Team Rocket, weren’t they?

Lance: What did they do this time?

Ash: They did a cheer for Pikachu then turned to run away.  I was able to ask Meowth how he can talk, and he said something about how he learned.  Jessie and James dragged him away before he could tell the story, but he definitely began it with saying he learned to talk

Kate: Wow.  That’s… that could be revolutionary.

Alder: in so many ways

Cynthia: If Meowth could learn to talk, do you think other Pokémon can?

Leon: I don’t see why not!

Cynthia: I’ll have to see if Garchomp wants to give it a try!

Lance: Break the laws of biology on your own time, Ash just walked into the gym.

Leon: Third badge!

Cynthia: Alright, let’s do this!

Lance: Pikachu started by rushing at Raichu with an iron tail.

Steven: Good, he’s not giving Raichu any boosts from lightning rod 

Lance: Raichu spun around and took advantage of his longer tail to hit Pikachu with an iron tail first.  It was a solid hit with enough force to send Pikachu tumbling to the ground

Cynthia: Pikachu can take it!

Alder: youre right he can

Lance: Raichu jumped at Pikachu and landed on top of him with a body slam.

Kate: From something that much bigger than him?

Leon: That would have to hurt.  Not that it matters because Pikachu’s got this!

Lance: Pikachu isn’t moving.  He’s just laying on the ground.

Diantha: Already?

Steven: Pikachu took a lot more damage last time and was still standing

Alder: you dont think pikachu went into this battle before being fully recovered do you

Kate: Ash would never let Pikachu or any Pokémon do that!

Alder: true but pikachu might have hid it from ash

Leon: And why would he do that?

Alder: i dont know

Steven: He wouldn’t

Lance: Raichu’s charging forward and jumping into another body slam.  Pikachu’s still laying there.  Raichu

Leon: Raichu what?!

Cynthia: What did Ash and Pikachu do?

Lance: Pikachu’s body faintly glowed and he zipped out from under Raichu after the other Pokémon had already jumped.  He went crashing into the floor while Pikachu stopped on the other side of the field.

Leon: Hah!  I told you!

Alder: oh that is good

Diantha: Pikachu’s taking advantage of his speed

Lance: Specifically moves like quick attack and agility from the looks of it.  He’s easily keeping his distance from Raichu, dodging all of Raichu’s physical attacks, and hitting him with a quick attack and then retreating before Raichu can counterattack.

Leon: Take that Raichu!  You can’t defeat what you can’t touch!

Kate: Shouldn’t Raichu know these moves as well?

Cynthia: Depends on how long there was between it evolving from Pichu to Pikachu and then to Raichu

Lance: According to Surge, only about a day or so.

Steven: Wait, what?

Diantha: That’s… not a good practice

Lance: He’s made it very clear that Raichu really wanted to be a Raichu and didn’t want to wait.  It was his choice in the end and Surge didn’t force him.  From my understanding Surge even managed to convince him to wait a day and really think it over.

Alder: at least he handled it well

Steven: But evolving via stone so quick would leave Raichu incapable of learning certain moves

Lance: Which is what Ash and Pikachu were counting on.  Raichu still hasn’t managed to land a hit.  Hang on, he’s jumped to the center of the battlefield.  Pikachu seems to have sensed Raichu is planning something because he stopped himself.

Leon: Whatever Raichu’s trying, it won’t work!

Cynthia: Pikachu’s basically already won!

Kate: Pikachu can handle this!

Lance: Raichu’s charging up a thunderbolt.

Steven: That’ll be harder to dodge

Lance: Especially now.  Instead of concentrating the attack on just Pikachu, Raichu is spreading it throughout the entire gym.

Diantha: The entire gym?!  Won’t he hit all the people inside?!

Lance: Nope, Raichu was able to direct the attack away from all of them.  It blew out the windows, but that’s a common hazard in gym battles.

Steven: See?  Such fine control can only come through a lot of very direct training

Cynthia: Who cares about that!  How’s Pikachu?

Lance: Hang on, the dust is clearing.

Kate: Pikachu’s got this!

Lance: Pikachu is… balancing on his tail completely unharmed?

Kate: What?

Leon: How?  I mean, I’m glad, but how?

Alder: whatever works

Diantha: I don’t understand

Steven: Oh, that is good

Cynthia: Care to share with the rest of us?

Steven: By balancing on his tail like that, Pikachu used his tail as a ground and let the electricity flow harmlessly over him and into the ground below him

Cynthia: That’s… kinda cool actually

Lance: Surge and Raichu clearly weren’t expecting that.  Raichu put all his energy into the thunderbolt and can’t charge up another electric attack.

Cynthia: So that means?

Leon: Third badge?

Lance: One last quick attack and Raichu is down.

Leon: Third badge!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: I got… a Thunder Badge!

Leon: Third badge!

Alder: knew you could do it

Cynthia: You showed ‘em!

Steven: Good show

Diantha: We’re proud of you

Lance: Good job.

Kate: You and Pikachu did great!

Steven: So, what are you planning now?

Ash: Right now we’re going back to the Pokémon Center.  After that we’ll probably stick around for a few days then head up to Saffron to take on that gym

Lance: The Saffron gym is a good one.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about it since it opened a few years back.

Ash: Can’t wait to see it!

Steven: Mind if I ask a question real quick?

Diantha: Steven, I swear to Arceus

Steven: It’s not about that!

Ash: Go for it

Cynthia: We’re watching you, Steven

Steven: You said Pikachu didn’t want to evolve at all, right?

Ash: That’s what he said

Steven: Have you considered getting him an everstone?

Cynthia: That’s actually a pretty good idea

Kate: Is it?

Ash: What’s an everstone?

Steven: It’s a stone, obviously, and when a Pokémon is in direct contact with it they can’t evolve at all.  Can’t even start to evolve.  Trainers often have everstones embedded in collars or bracelets for Pokémon that don’t want to evolve.

Lance: Steven’s right, that’s something you might want to consider.

Alder: at least ask your pokemons thoughts about it

Diantha: Yeah, bring this up with all your Pokémon, not just Pikachu

Ash: I will

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Pikachu doesn’t want to evolve at all, but since he needs a thunderstone to evolve he feels safe without an everstone.  Bulbasaur and Squirtle don’t want to evolve and will take everstones.  Pidgeotto and Krabby would both like to evolve at some point and have declined the use of everstones

Lance: That sounds like a good spread

Alder: its good that you left it up to your pokemon

Diantha: I’m glad you remembered to ask Krabby

Ash: Yeah, Squirtle volunteered to go to the lab for a few days so I could ask Krabby in person and get him acquainted with the rest of the team

Cynthia: Squirtle did?

Ash: Yeah, it was his idea

Cynthia: Good to know

Kate: Where will you get everstones?

Steven: They can be dug up in several caves and mines, though most large cities have a store where you can just buy them as well

Lance: He’s right.  Celadon City has a specialty store that will provide both the stone and the apparatus that lets the Pokémon wear it.

Ash: I’ll have to stop by there when we get to Celadon, then

Cynthia: How far out is that?

Ash: Brock looked at the map, and he says it’s the next major stop after Saffron

Diantha: Glad you left that up to Brock

Ash: Misty wouldn’t let me do anything else

Leon: Hang on, what about Charmander?  You didn’t say if he wanted one or not

Lance: Hey, that’s true!

Ash: Right.  Charmander does want to evolve at some point, but not yet.  So he’ll take an everstone for now and we’ll remove it when he decides to in the future

Leon: That’s good

Steven: So, what are you gonna do now?

Ash: Misty wants to go for a walk along the shore and docks, so we’re gonna head out to do that in a few minutes

Cynthia: Have fun!

Diantha: Try to stay out of trouble

Chapter Text

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Two women just walked up to us and gave us tickets to a cruise

Kate: Really?

Leon: Cool!

Diantha: Did they say why?

Ash: Apparently their boyfriends couldn’t make it and they didn’t want to go alone.  We were the people they chose to give the tickets to

Steven: That’s… convenient

Diantha: Okay, which of you set this up?

Cynthia: Not me

Leon: Not it

Steven: I didn’t do it

Kate: I couldn’t have.

Lance: I wouldn’t have.

Alder: dont look at me

Diantha: And it wasn’t me

Steven: Either someone’s lying or this really was just a coincidence

Cynthia: You’re gonna go on the cruise, right?

Ash: Of course!

Diantha: And you’re sure this is real?

Alder: this does sound a lot like a scam

Ash: The tickets were accepted and we were let onto the ship

Leon: Guess it’s real then!

Kate: Have fun

Steven: Maybe it was a promotional thing?

Cynthia: Whatever the reason, they’re on a cruise

Diantha: Have fun and be safe

Ash: I will!

Ash: Oh!  There’s a place for Pokémon battles!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Well, that wasn’t fun

Leon: What happened?

Cynthia: You didn’t lose, did you?

Diantha: You know it’s okay if you did, right?  Because no one never loses

Leon: Uh…

Cynthia: Not the time

Ash: I challenged an older gentleman to a battle.  Butterfree against his Raticate.  The battle was going well, Butterfree was winning.  He’d managed to hit Raticate with stun spore, psybeam, and a few tackles.  All while Butterfree easily dodged all of Raticate’s attacks.  Right at the end of the battle, when Butterfree was about to land a final psybeam, the gentleman walked onto the field and picked up Raticate, pulling it out of the way of the attack

Steven: That’s not the best etiquette, but a perfectly acceptable way to forfeit.  He still should have announced his surrender before walking onto the field, though

Kate: Yeah, sounds like he knew he was losing and didn’t want Raticate to get hurt.

Lance: He knew he couldn’t defeat Butterfree and quit.

Ash: But he didn’t forfeit.  He said we should call it a draw and walked off before I could say anything

Alder: okay that is just wrong

Leon: Boo!

Cynthia: Sore loser

Lance: For the record, it wasn’t a draw.  Butterfree won that battle.

Ash: Thanks everyone

Diantha: Now, there are more and better opponents out there, I’m sure

Ash: You bet!  We’re gonna go battle some more!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: We just sat down for dinner and the gentleman from earlier came up to us and asked to trade Butterfree for Raticate

Lance: Oh, that’s just low.

Leon: He actually tried that?

Cynthia: I hate trainers like that

Kate: So because he lost to Butterfree he’s trying to get Butterfree?

Diantha: What did you say?

Ash: I told him to hang on while I asked for advice.  Misty’s too busy eating to answer and Brock is out of it and mumbling about how everyone should ask for advice

Steven: He’s still there?

Lance: Tell him no!

Diantha: I mean, it is up to you, but do you want to trade Butterfree away?

Ash: Not really, no

Alder: and does butterfree want to be traded away

Lance: No he does not!  Ash is his trainer!  Not some two-bit hack who can’t train his own Pokémon!

Diantha: Then tell him that

Ash: Okay

Ash: He didn’t look happy, but when I told him I wouldn’t trade with some two-bit hack who can’t train his own Pokémon he started grumbling and walked away

Cynthia: Hang on, did you actually call him that?

Ash: Yeah.  Should I not have?

Leon: Nice

Diantha: I… you know what?  Yes.  Yes you should have

Lance: It was the truth and a deserved comment.

Kate: At least he left you alone.

Steven: Don’t let anyone pressure you into a trade, got it?

Ash: Got it

Alder: and promise to make sure your pokemon wants to be traded as well

Ash: I promise

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Team Rocket’s attacking!

Leon: I hate to say it, but that doesn’t surprise me

Cynthia: Of course they are

Lance: What are those three doing this time?

Ash: It’s not just the three of them!  Every worker on the cruise is also with Team Rocket!

Diantha: WHAT?!

Lance: I’m on my way.

Steven: What are they doing?

Kate: This was their plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?

Cynthia: It has to have been

Diantha: Ash isn’t responding

Alder: He’s probably busy fighting

Leon: He’s got this!  They can beat Team Rocket!

Diantha: I hope so

“Butterfree!  Pidgeotto!” Ash shouted, throwing the two flying Pokémon into the fray.  The fight had only been going on for a few minutes, but already all the trainers had managed to herd Team Rocket into a group.  “Use whirlwind!”

Butterfree and Pidgeotto started flying around the group of Team Rocket Grunts, flapping their wings heavily.  They were joined soon after by more flying Pokémon than Ash could count.  Most of them he had never even seen before.  Together, the flock created a whirlwind large enough to blast each and every grunt off the St. Anne completely.

Butterfree and Pidgeotto flew back to land beside Ash.  He looked around the ballroom, the action mirrored by every trainer around.  He couldn’t see any more Team Rocket Grunts around them.  “Is it over?” he asked carefully.

“I think so,” Misty said slowly.

A few more tense moments passed without any more attacks happening before the first cheers started going up.  Ash laughed victoriously and grabbed Butterfree and Pidgeotto, pulling them both into a hug.  They started spinning around in celebration when the ship started shaking.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Diantha: I hate this

Leon: Me too

Cynthia: We all do

Steven: But there’s nothing we can do.  Everything’s happening too far away

Kate: We should still be doing something!

Alder: i know

Lance: We have a problem.

Diantha: What’s going on?

Lance: I just got off the phone with the Vermilion Coast Guard.  They’ve rounded up a bunch of members of Team Rocket floating in the water not far from the St Anne.

Leon: Good

Cynthia: That’s good, right?

Kate: What’s the problem?

Lance: The St Anne is sinking.

Lance: Jenny said that everyone’s loading up on the lifeboats.

Diantha: Ash, please tell me you’re on one of those boats!

“This way!” Brock shouted, leading Ash and Misty toward the door to the deck.  The crowd had nearly trampled them as everyone ran to the lifeboats ahead of them.  They’d wound up at the back, but they still should have had enough time to get onto a lifeboat.

As Ash ran through the door, he felt his foot kick something.  He looked down and saw what looked like a gold Poké Ball rolling toward the railing.  It clinked off one of the lounge chairs and started rolling back slightly.

“Get out of the way!”

Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu didn’t have time to do anything as the one who yelled at them shoved past them.  James dove for the Poké Ball and managed to grab it before it rolled away further.  Jessie and Meowth shoved past them as well and rushed to James’ side.  The three of them stood up straight and turned back, freezing slightly.

“What are you doing here?!” Jessie demanded.

“Trying to get off the ship!” Misty responded.

“We don’t have time for this!” Brock shouted, grabbing Ash and Misty’s arms.  “Come on, we have to go!”

A wave nearly as tall as the ship splashed against the side of the St Anne.  The shop rocked violently to the side.  Ash, Brock, and Misty stumbled closer to the edge.  They slammed into Team Rocket, causing the three of them to lose their balance as well.  The ship rocked again and everyone fell over the rail and went plunging into the water.

Ash struggled and tried to swim up to the surface.  Out of the corner of his eyes he could see everyone else was trying to do the same thing.  Pikachu had a death grip on Ash’s shoulder so the current wouldn’t pull them apart.

Try as they might, no one could swim up to the surface.  The water was too rough and the current too strong.  It pulled them all down.  One particularly rough patch of the water sent Ash spinning and flipping over.  He felt his mouth fall open and a large burst of air escaped his lungs.

When Ash finally stabilized himself, he caught a slight hint of movement below.  He looked down and saw that his phone had fallen out of his pocket.  It quickly sank out of sight and beyond his reach.

Ash kept struggling and trying to swim up, but it was to no avail.  His movements were sluggish and his limbs burned.  He could see that everyone else was in the same state around him.  Soon the world started going dark, and everyone was pulled into the icy depths below.

Chapter Text

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Lance: Lorelei’s combing the area, but with the storm it’s impossible to know where exactly the St Anne sank.  There should be floating wreckage, though, and once she finds that we’ll know where to look properly.

Leon: How long do you think it’ll take to find?

Lance: Hopefully no more than a few hours.

Steven: Wallace is continuing his search underwater as well, but he hasn’t given any updates since he started

Kate: I should be down there too.

Cynthia: Kate…

Kate: What?!  I’m a Pokémon Ranger!  This is literally my job!  I can handle aquatic missions!

Diantha: It’s too dangerous.  You’ve never done any aquatic missions at all, and this would be straight into deep sea diving

Kate: I can handle it!

Diantha: We can’t ask you to do that

Kate: You’re not asking!  I’m volunteering!

Diantha: It’s too dangerous

Kate: I don’t care about the danger!  Ash is in danger!

Alder: And we’re doing everything we can to help him, but we can’t do that if we’re worried about you too

Kate: You wouldn’t have to be worried about me.

Alder: We would be, Kate

Kate: I can handle it!

Alder: It’s not about whether you can handle it, it’s because we care about you.  We’d worry no matter what

Something was tickling against Ash’s eyes.  He groaned and reached up to flick whatever it was away from his face.  His arm felt strangely sluggish as he moved it.  Ash finished wiping his face and rolled over.  The mattress underneath him shifted strangely and perfectly conformed to the shape of his body.  Normally Ash would have loved it, but this mattress was weirdly coarse and rough and irritating.

And something was tickling against Ash’s eyes again.

Ash opened his eyes.  A strand of his hair floated around in the current and kept tickling his face.  The sand under him was too rough to stay lying down.  He stifled a yawn as he sat up.  His body floated up slightly in the water before falling back down, sending a slight puff of sand around him.

Ash yawned again and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  Something about the situation seemed strangely off, but Ash couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  The current changed and the fringe of his hair swung down to his face again.  Ash sighed in irritation and brushed his hair out of his face again, this time brushing it back again completely instead of just focusing on the strand in the way.  His hand carded through his hair.  He frowned and rubbed his hair fully, feeling his head.  So that was the problem.

He wasn’t wearing his hat.

Ash looked around him and quickly tracked down where it had wound up.  Pikachu was curled up on a piece of coral, breathing softly in his sleep.  Ash’s hat was perched on his head.  Ash couldn’t suppress a small smile at the sight.  He still reached out and reclaimed his hat, though.

With his hat back in place, Ash looked up again.  A Pokémon was floating in front of him.  It had brown scales with patches of a lighter brown on its side and its face.  There was a single red dot on its side.  Ash let out a cry and jumped back.  He floated in the water for a moment and fell down to the sand.  The Pokémon didn’t react.

Ash stared at the Pokémon for a long moment.  It was a water Pokémon of some kind, definitely.  It swam through the water and a bit closer to Ash, starting to examine him.  While the Pokémon did so, Ash started putting together some of the pieces he’d registered since he woke up.  Currents messing with his hair, Pikachu sleeping in coral, water everywhere.  That last thought sent a flash of memory through his head.  A memory of sinking down into the icy depths of the ocean.  Ash carefully took a deep breath.  He could breathe just fine.  Which was strange, considering he was definitely underwater.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Lance: Lorelei found some floating wreckage of the St Anne.  She and Wallace just dove down to find the ship itself.

Leon: And once they find it?

Lance: They’ll find an entrypoint and look for Ash, Brock, and Misty.

Alder: I hate to be the one to ask this, but how sure are we that they’re even alive?

Cynthia: Alder!

Leon: Don’t talk like that!

Steven: Looking at the schematics of the St Anne that Lance got, there’s a very good chance.  According to witnesses the ship wasn’t damaged when it sank, so there are plenty of places inside that would hold pockets of air for Ash and the others to, you know, breathe.  Even if they weren’t in one of those places, they’re smart and resourceful.  They made their way to one

Leon: See!

Kate: And once Lorelei and Wallace find them?

Steven: Dive pushes water away from the Pokémon using it and creates a breathable atmosphere.  There will be enough for them all to hold on to the Pokémon and ride back to the surface

Kate: You know, the Micro Aqualung is built so that two people can use it if need be.

Diantha: Kate…

Kate: I can help!

Lance: We already have a plan in place, Kate.  Everything will work out, we just have to stick to it.

Kate: Fine.

Alder: How much air do you think they have down there?

Steven: Enough

“Misty!  Brock!”

The water distorted Ash’s voice, making it echo around him.  He tried to run through the water as best he could, but he kept floating up and down with each step.  In the end it looked more like he was skipping than running.

“Are you guys there?!” Ash shouted desperately.

“Pika!” Pikachu echoed from Ash’s shoulder.

The Pokémon that had been watching Ash earlier swam along behind them at a leisurely pace.  Ash and Pikachu stumbled along around a large piece of coral.  He caught a flash of floating red hair and awkwardly spun around in the water to get a closer look.  Misty was sitting up in the sand, rubbing her head.

“Misty!” Ash shouted, running and skipping and swimming over to her.

“Ash?” she asked, slowly looking up.  She blinked a few times and then let out a distorted scream.  “We’re underwater!” she exclaimed.  Misty jumped up, her body floating in the water for a moment.  She thrashed around.  “How are we underwater?!  How can I breathe?!  How can I see?!  What happened?!”

Ash blinked at the onslaught of questions.  “Uh, we fell off the St Anne as it sank, I don’t know, I don’t know, and we fell off the St Anne as it sank.”

Misty scowled and cuffed the back of Ash’s head.  The water slowed her arm down to the point he barely even felt it.  “This is serious!” she snapped.

“I know!” Ash said, reaching up to his head to make sure she hadn’t knocked his hat off.

“We should be-” Misty cut herself off, her breath hitching as she did.  “How are we alive?”

“I don’t know,” Ash said again.  “I… I just woke up a few minutes ago myself.”  He pointed first to Pikachu on his shoulder then at the Pokémon floating behind him.  “I woke Pikachu and the three of us went looking around.”

Misty looked past Ash and Pikachu.  She froze and stared at the Pokémon behind them.  She reached up and rubbed her eyes.  She blinked a few times.  “Ash, is that a Relicanth behind you?”

“A what?” Ash asked, glancing back.  “Is that what you’re called?”  Relicanth’s body bobbed in the water in a rough approximation of a nod.  “It’s nice to meet you!”  Ash reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his Pokédex.

Misty sighed.  “Ash, you can’t expect that thing to still work, we’re-”

“Relicanth,” Ash’s Pokédex chirped, though the sound was slightly distorted.  “A Pokémon that was once believed to have been extinct.  The species has not changed its form for one hundred million years.  It walks on the seafloor using its pectoral fins.”

“Cool!”

“How?” Misty asked, staring at the Pokédex.

“Professor Oak is good at making things,” he said, putting his Pokédex away.  When his hand was in his pocket he frowned.  His pocket felt strangely empty.  His eyes widened as another memory flitted into his head.  “My phone!  I lost my phone!”

“Really?” Misty drawled.  “You’re worried about your phone right now?  We’re at the bottom of the ocean!  You, Brock, and I…” Misty trailed off.  She and Ash started looking around them.  “Where’s Brock?!”

“Over here,” Brock groaned.  Ash and Misty took a moment to track the direction his voice came from and rushed over to try and find him.  They found him tied to a large rock.  A little ways away Team Rocket was cowering as a school of blue Pokémon with yellow orbs at the end of their antennae.  The orbs were sparking slightly, though thankfully the water didn’t conduct the electricity.  Ash pulled out his Pokédex again.

“Chinchou.  When it senses danger, it discharges positive and negative electricity from its two antennae.  It lives in depths beyond sunlight’s reach.”

“Brock?” Misty called out, slowly approaching her friend and reaching out to untie him.  One of the Chinchou looked at her for a long moment but didn’t stop her.  “What happened?”

“Team Rocket tied me up,” Brock explained.  “They said they didn’t want me getting in the way of their plans.”

“What is their plan?” Ash asked, glancing at where Team Rocket were cowering.  Looking now, he could see a Magikarp floating in front of them protectively.

“That’s what Meowth asked,” Brock said.  “Turns out they didn’t have one.  They started arguing over what to do.  I heard them mention a theme park and a private spa before the Chinchou showed up and surrounded them.”  He looked behind Ash and Misty.  “Is that a Relicanth?”

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Steven: Wallace just messaged me.  They found the St Anne

Leon: That’s great!

Cynthia: Have they found everyone yet?

Kate: Do they need help?

Diantha: Is everyone okay?

Alder: What’s the state of things?

Lance: I’m not gonna lie to you, Lorelei says it looks bad.

Kate: How bad?

Steven: It’s… it’s bad

Lance: It looks like the St Anne got caught on some kind of bluff for a bit and then fell into a trench.  Lorelei and Wallace have just gone in and are looking around, but

Diantha: But what?

Lance: They don’t have much hope.

Cynthia: So… so you’re saying Ash is…

Leon: Stop it!  Stop talking like this!  This is Ash we’re talking about!  He’s just fine!  He’s probably halfway back to land by now!

Alder: Leon…

Kate: Leon’s right.  Ash is fine.  He is.

Lance: I hope you’re right.

The underwater area was illuminated only from the light of Chinchou and Lanturn swimming through.  The Chinchou surrounding Team Rocket were creating a spire of light themselves.  Coral of every color imaginable glinted and glowed in the light.  More water Pokémon than Ash had ever seen before were swimming around.  “It’s beautiful down here,” Misty breathed out.

“It really is,” Brock agreed.

Ash just nodded silently.  His hand twitched toward his pocket, itching to pull out his phone so he could send a picture to the chat.  But he didn’t have his phone.  He’d lost it.  And more importantly he’d lost his connection to the chat.

“Oh,” Misty gasped.  Ash, Brock, and Relicanth all turned to see what she had reacted to.  Pikachu even swam up to the top of Ash’s head for a better glimpse.  A Tentacool was sluggishly swimming toward them.  One of its tentacles was twisted and tied into a knot.  Misty slowly swam toward the Tentacool.  She held out her hands to show they were empty.  “Hey, I can help your tentacle.”

The Tentacool looked at Misty warily.  “Tent,” it said.  Unlike every other voice and sound, Tentacool’s voice wasn’t distorted at all by the water.

Misty faltered.  “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“He’s askin’ how he can trust ya,” Meowth piped up from within the Chinchou spire.  Everyone turned to face him.  Even the Chinchou slightly shifted their attention onto him.

Misty cleared her throat and turned back to Tentacool.  “Oh!  Here.”  She pulled a Poké Ball from her bag and pressed the button.  The ball popped open and sent out Goldeen.  Goldeen immediately swam up to the Tentacool and started talking to it.

“What are they saying now?” Brock asked Meowth, not looking away from Goldeen and Tentacool.

“Hang on,” Meowth muttered, closing his eyes.  “Water types always have a strange accent underwater.  Goldeen’s asking why Tentacool doesn’t want help, I think.  Now Tentacool is saying he don’t trust humans.  Tentacool… yeah, Tentacool is telling his story.  He says he was part of a large school of Tentacool when they was attacked by a buncha humans.  His tentacle was all tangled up an’ he was abandoned by his school after that.”

“That’s awful!” Ash shouted.

“Why would anyone ever attack Tentacool?” Misty asked.  It was hard to tell thanks to all the water, but it looked like she was tearing up.

“And to just kick him out like that!”

Brock sighed.  “Some Pokémon are like that,” he admitted.  “They only want the strongest in their group.”

“Tentacool isn’t weak!” Misty snapped.

“I know,” Brock said.  “But the other Tentacools couldn’t see that.”

“That’s not right,” Ash said sullenly, kicking at a shell.

“Tentacool came here and Relicanth promised ta keep him safe,” Meowth continued.  “Goldeen’s tryin’ ta convince him that yer trustworthy.”  As they were watching the Tentacool wavered.  Relicanth swam forward to add to the conversation.  “That one thinks it’s worth a shot.  If ya hurt Tentacool, then he’ll hurt ya back.”

“That’s fine,” Misty said, stepping forward slowly.  “I promise I won’t hurt you.”  Tentacool looked at Goldeen and Relicanth for a moment.  He slowly swam toward Misty.  His movements were shaky and wobbly thanks to his knotted tentacle.  

Misty reached out and started trying to gently pull the tentacle free.  Tentacool hissed and jolted back.

“I’m sorry!” Misty said quickly.  “I’m sorry, I swear I’m not trying to hurt you!”  Goldeen immediately affirmed Misty’s statement, and after a moment so did Relicanth.  Tentacool hesitantly held his tentacle back out to Misty.  She started trying to untie it again.  Tentacool tensed but didn’t pull back.

“You’re never gonna untie it like that,” Jessie said disdainfully.

Misty looked up at her, her eyes narrowed.  “What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.

“Tentacool tentacles are similar to sponges,” Jessie said simply.  “Look, see how it’s all squishy and a little bloated?  It’s because of how much water the tentacle has absorbed.  If you dried it out then the tentacle would shrink down and the knot would be much looser.”

Misty gently ran her hand along the tentacle.  “I think she’s right,” she admitted, looking from Jessie to Tentacool.  “How’d you know that?”  

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Misty rolled her eyes and focused on Tentacool again.  “We have to figure out how to dry out the tentacle.”

“We’d have to go back to the surface for that,” Brock said.

“How can we do that?” Ash asked, looking up.  “I don’t think we can swim that far.”

Relicanth swam over beside Tentacool and its body started glowing.  The water around it and the tentacle was pushed back, leaving the area perfectly dry.  Even the water that had been absorbed into the tentacle started seeping out and was pushed back.

“How’s Relicanth doing that?” Ash asked.

“It’s using dive,” Misty said in awe.  She immediately started back to work.  With the tentacle dry and thinner, it slid out of the knot with just a bit of work.  Relicanth let the water fall back into place.  Tentacool carefully flexed the tentacle through the water, staring at it in awe.  “It’ll probably be a little sore for a while,” Misty warned.  “So take it easy.”

“Tenta,” the Pokémon muttered.  It experimentally started swimming in circles.

“That’s good,” Ash said, watching the Tentacool swim.

Brock looked up at the Tentacool.  “Now you can go back to your family.”  Tentacool didn’t react at all, just kept swimming.

“Yeah,” Misty agreed.  “He can.”

They all watched for a few minutes.  Out of the corner of his eye, Ash could see that even Team Rocket was watching Tentacool.  Nobody looked away until Tentacool swam around a large piece of coral and disappeared.  Ash started looking around.  Something in the distance caught his eye.  He moved over to it to get a closer look.  

Relicanth moved to swim ahead of Ash, keeping its body tensed and ready for battle, but it didn’t stop him.  Ash found a small altar, only about as tall as his knee.  On top of the altar, resting in four slots around the edge, were four stones.  One a shiny blue with what looked like bubbles inside, one yellow with a flame inside, one a light shade of green with a bolt of lightning inside, and one that looked like a rock had formed around a leaf.

“What are those?” Brock asked, leaning over Ash’s shoulder to get a better look.

“The Evolution Stones of Vermilion Harbor.”

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Steven: Wallace and Lorelei have scoured the ship.  Twice.  There’s nobody on board

Leon: That’s good, isn’t it?

Cynthia: I mean, it means they weren’t on the ship when it sank

Alder: I’m not so sure about that

Lance: They weren’t on the ship, no, but they didn’t make it to the lifeboats either.

Kate: But if they didn’t make it to one of them…

Diantha: Oh Arceus

Lance: They probably fell overboard.

“We have to get out of here,” Jessie hissed to James and Meowth.

“How are we supposed to do that?” James asked despondently, wrapping one arm around Magikarp’s floating form.

“In case ya haven’t noticed, we’re kinda trapped here,” Meowth agreed, gesturing to the pillar of Chinchou surrounding them.

Jessie hummed and looked at James.  Then at the Magikarp floating protectively beside him.  Then at James again.  “You claim that waste of money was worth it?” she asked.

James perked up and stepped closer to Magikarp.  “Of course she was!” he declared, pulling Magikarp into his arms.

“Then let’s prove that,” Jessie said.  She darted behind James and grabbed him by the shoulders.  She shoved James forward, with Magikarp held in front of him like a battering ram.  They slammed into a few Chinchou and knocked them out of the way.  Jessie and Meowth followed James through the opening.

Jessie moved so she was running beside James.  “I guess it was useful after all.”

James glared at Jessie and started petting Magikarp’s scales soothingly.  “How dare you do that to Magikarp?”

“Oh, the fish is fine,” Jessie snapped.  “Come on, let’s go take care of the twerps.”

“They went dat way,” Meowth said helpfully, pointing at where the twerps were examining some kind of colorful stone.  Team Rocket crept through the water as best they could and hid behind a large chunk of coral.  The sound of the twerps’ voices floated through the water toward them.

“Remember the Moon Stone?” the twerp asked, looking at the others.  “The one all the Clefairy used to evolve?”

“The one in Mount Moon?” the twerpette asked.  “Yeah.”

“What about it?” the taller twerp added.

“Well, when the Clefairy used it to evolve, the Moon Stone didn’t disappear like every other evolution stone does.”

“Okay,” the taller twerp said slowly.  “That was a little weird, but given how big it was it makes sense.”

“That sounds like it makes sense,” the twerpette agreed.

The twerp nodded along as he spoke.  “Well, there are legends about similar stones in Vermilion Harbor.”  He gestured to the pile of stones in front of them.  “They’re not that big, obviously, but according to the legend they’re like the Moon Stone in that they don’t disappear when a Pokémon uses them.  The stone hunting community has long thought it was just an old wive’s tale or a myth, but…” the twerp trailed off and gestured around them.

Team Rocket crouched below the coral and looked at each other.  “Did you hear that?” James asked excitedly.

“Legendary one of a kind evolution stones!” Jessie exclaimed.

“I bet they’d be worth a pretty penny!” Meowth declared.

Jessie scoffed.  “Forget selling them, imagine turning them into jewelry!”  She could see it already.  She’d strut down the street, those stones carved and shaped perfectly to complement her natural beauty.  “A ring that no one else can have, a one of a kind necklace, earrings that are mine and mine alone!”

James and Meowth exchanged a look.  “But, the money,” James began.

“If you wanted money you wouldn’t have wasted it all on Magikarp,” she retorted.  “We’re getting me that jewelry!”

“Fine,” James muttered, crossing his arms.

Meowth sighed.  “Whatever ya say, Jessie.”

Jessie nodded.  “Good.  Now let’s get ready.”

“Stone hunting community?” the twerpette repeated, staring at the twerp incredulously.  “How do you know about the stone hunting community?”

“Oh, I heard about it from my friend-”

“Prepare for trouble!” Jessie declared, jumping up onto the coral.

“And make it double!” James agreed, hopping beside her.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all peoples within our nation!”

To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“James!”

“Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!”

“Surrender now, or prepare to fight!”

Meowth swam up to float between Jessie and James.  “Meowth!  That’s right!”

The twerps all shifted into a defensive stance with the stones behind them.  Pikachu growled and, were they not underwater, his cheeks would have definitely been sparking.  “Team Rocket!” the twerp shouted.

“How did you escape the Chinchou?” the taller twerp demanded.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jessie teased, sticking out her tongue.  She coughed slightly at the taste of the saltwater.

“We have our ways!” James added.

“Now give us dem stones and we’ll let ya go,” Meowth said.

“Not a chance,” twerpette responded.  “Goldeen!”  The Pokémon in question swam over in front of her.  

Beside twerpette, the twerp pulled a Poké Ball from his belt.  “Krabby, I choose you!”  In a flash of light the smallest Krabby that any of them had ever seen appeared on the ocean floor.

James had to fight to keep himself from laughing.  Jessie didn’t bother to stop herself at all.  She guffawed at the sight of it.  “You expect that tiny little thing to defeat us?” she asked between laughs.

“Don’t laugh at Krabby!” the twerp shouted.

Jessie just kept laughing.  She fumbled for a Poké Ball and sent out Ekans.  “Ekans use wrap.”  Ekans slithered through the water and coiled its body around Krabby, squeezing tightly.

“Magikarp!  You attack that Goldeen!”  Magikarp slowly swam toward Goldeen.  It bobbed in place for a moment then gently tapped its forehead against Goldeen’s side.  

Twerpette blinked.  “Uh…”  Magikarp attacked Goldeen again, pushing the other Pokémon to the side.  “Horn attack.”  Goldeen swam around Magikarp and jabbed its horn against Magikarp’s side.  Magikarp was sent straight back into James’ arms.

“Magikarp!” he called out, cradling her close and rubbing the spot Goldeen had attacked.

“I told you that thing was useless,” Jessie hissed.  “Not at all like Ekans.  Ekans!  Keep it up!”  Ekans hissed and tightened around Krabby, shifting to wrap around Krabby’s body only and not wasting any energy on his claws.

The twerp grit his teeth.  “Krabby!  Use vise grip!”  Krabby’s claw darted up and latched onto Ekans’ back, squeezing tightly.  Ekans cried out and tried to pull back, unwrapping from around Krabby.

“Ekans, poison sting!”  Ekans opened her mouth to use poison sting, but the stingers were thrown off by the water and didn’t hit Krabby at all.

“Crabhammer!”  Krabby swung his free around and hammered it against Ekans’ jaw.  Ekans was sent back into Jessie’s arms this time.

Jessie’s eye twitched as she called Ekans back into her Poké Ball.  “This isn’t the end of this,” she declared, getting ready to run forward and just grab the stones.  She had to have them.

Relicanth’s body glowed.  A storm or rocks and coral floated up and were sent flying at Team Rocket.  James turned around to protect Magikarp.  Jessie growled and held up Meowth to protect him.  Team Rocket managed to hold up to the barrage of rocks and coral for a few seconds before a particularly large rock hit them both and sent them off the coral they’d been standing on.

“Retreat!” Meowth shouted, tugging on Jessie as if to guide her away from the battle.

“Fine,” Jessie snapped, starting to run through the water.  She looked over her shoulder.  “This isn’t over!”

“It looks over from where I’m standing!” the twerp shouted smugly.

“Why you little-”

“Let’s just get out of here,” James interrupted, cradling Magikarp close.

“Way ahead of you,” Jessie said.  She pushed herself forward so she was running ahead of James.  A few seconds later she gagged and started choking on the water.

“Jessie!” James shouted, reaching out to his partner.

Magikarp flailed out of James’ grip and swam over to Jessie.  She swam against Jessie’s stomach and pushed her back beside James.  Jessie gasped and started heaving for breath.  “What was that?!” she demanded, glaring out at the water in front of her.  “I couldn’t breathe!”

“We’re underwater,” Meowth pointed out.  “Ya shouldn’t be able ta breathe now.”  Jessie turned to glare at Meowth.  Meowth yelped and shrank back.  “Hey, look!” he shouted, pointing one of his paws up.  Jessie and James followed his gaze.  It was faint, but there seemed to be almost a wall of shimmering water stretching and curving up.  The wall spread around the area they were in, enclosing them in a dome.

“This must be how we can breathe,” James said.  “While we’re inside the bubble, we’re fine.”

“We need to get out of the bubble!” Jessie said irritably.  “And back to the surface!”

“Maybe we can hitch a ride with them?” Meowth suggested, pointing outside of the dome.  Again Jessie and James looked out.  A shiver of Sharpedo were all swimming around aimlessly outside the dome.

“Sharpedo,” James said, examining them.  He held Magikarp protectively at the sight.

“Jackpot!” Jessie said.  She bent down and scooped a rock out of the sand.  She wound up her arm and pitched it out of the dome.  The surface of the dome rippled slightly as the rock flew through it.  The dome settled.  The rock sailed through the water and clattered against one of the Sharpedo.  It turned to look at Team Rocket, followed quickly by the rest of the Sharpedo.

“Jessie,” James said urgently.  Jessie ignored him.

“Hey!” Jessie shouted, waving her arms in the water.  “All you Sharpedo!  I have something for you to do!”

The Sharpedo turned to look at each other.  As one, they rocketed through the water and directly at the dome.  Directly at Team Rocket.

“Run?” Meowth asked.

“Run,” Jessie and James agreed.  They turned around and started running as best they could through the water.  James still had Magikarp in his arm, and Jessie took a moment to scoop up Meowth again.

The Sharpedo in the lead ripped right through the edge of the dome.  The surface of the dome shivered and rippled dangerously.  It had just started to settle when the rest of the Sharpedo swam through.  The dome rippled faster and wilder.

And then the dome ruptured.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Cynthia: If they fell… what are their chances?

Steven: Low

Lance: Too low.

Leon: But not zero!  Never zero!  And that’s enough!

Kate: They’re fine.  They’ll be fine.

Leon: Don’t act like they won’t be!

Somehow water started cascading through the quickly shattering roof of the dome.  The waterfalls shouldn’t have been separate from the rest of the water around them, but it was.  The water kept pouring into the crumbling dome.

“What’s happening?!” Ash asked, calling Krabby back into his Poké Ball.

“The dome’s collapsing!” Brock answered, stumbling as water surged past him.

“How?” Misty asked.

“Run run run run run!” Team Rocket chanted as they reappeared.  They were caught in a mix of running and swimming, somehow able to outpace all the Sharpedo following them.

“I think that has something to do with it,” Brock said.

“Of course it does,” Misty muttered, calling back Goldeen.  “We have to get out of here.”

“How can we do that?” Ash asked.

“I don’t know!”

Relicanth swam up to Ash and grabbed his jacket with its mouth.  It yanked him forward.  He stumbled to his knees beside the altar with the evolution stones on it.  Pikachu tumbled off his shoulder.  Relicanth poked at the stones with its nose.  “Relicanth?” Ash asked.  Relicanth swam around Ash and grabbed his backpack, trying to pull it toward the stones.  “You… want me to take them?” Ash guessed.

Relicanth nodded and poked the altar again.  The stones clinked slightly.  Pikachu cringed away from the thunderstone.  Ash carefully reached out to grab the stones, expecting Relicanth to stop him, but it didn’t.  He grabbed them and shoved them into his bag.  He’d just put it back on when a large current of water, this one not breathable, washed over Ash and Pikachu, sending them back over to Brock and Misty’s side.

“Now what?” Misty asked.

Relicanth swam over to them again.  The water around it started flowing away from its body.  “Is that dive again?” Ash asked, climbing to his feet.

“It is,” Misty said.

“Relicanth’s offering to take us back up!” Brock realized, rushing forward to grab Relicanth.  “Grab on!”

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu scrambled to grab Relicanth.  As soon as they had a hold on it, Relicanth started swimming up.  When they passed through the cracked dome, the rest of the dome shattered completely.  A flood of water roared through where it had been, sending rocks and coral larger than everyone holding onto Relicanth put together crashing around like crazy.

Relicanth started swimming up to the surface.  Thanks to dive, everyone was able to breathe just fine, though Pikachu was the only one whose body was completely out of the water.  Ash glanced down.  A number of the Sharpedo chasing Team Rocket had split off from the school and were chasing them up to the surface now.

“Guys!” Ash shouted.  “Should we be worried about that?!”

Misty and Brock looked down.  Misty let out a high pitched shriek.  “Yes!” she shouted.  “Yes we should!”

Relicanth kept swimming up.  The surface of the water rippled in the distance, quickly growing larger and larger as they neared the surface.  Relicanth shook slightly as they passed through a strong current.

Misty lost her grip on the Pokémon.

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all screamed her name and reached out to try to catch her.  They couldn’t reach her.  Misty started sinking down to the approaching Sharpedo.  The one in the lead opened its mouth, revealing countless sharp teeth.

A small flash of blue and red darted around between the Sharpedo.  Misty was about to sink into the Sharpedo’s mouth when a pair of tentacles wrapped around her waist.  Tentacool gave a mighty tug and pulled Misty away from the Sharpedo, soon catching up to swim beside Relicanth, Misty still held safely in his tentacles.

The surface of the water bulged up slightly.  A Lapras resurfaced, a woman with red hair clutching to her neck and shell.  Lorelei gasped for breath just as the water beside her rippled and a Milotic broke the surface, Wallace balanced on his back.

“Find anything?” Lorelei asked hesitantly.

Wallace’s gaze lowered and he shook his head.  “Nothing.  You?”

Lorelei sighed and shook her head.  She looked down at the water again.  “Wallace,” she said quietly, not able to look up at the Hoenn gym leader.  “I… I don’t think this is a rescue anymore.”

Wallace shook his head.  “No,” he agreed.  “No, I don’t think it is.”

Lorelei gulped and felt tears pooling in her eyes.  “What… what are our chances of even finding them?”

Wallace sat back on Milotic’s back.  “I don’t know,” he admitted.  “With the currents… they could have been carried miles away.”

Lorelei slumped on Lapras’ back.  “We’re gonna have to tell Lance,” she said.  

“And Steven.  And everyone.”

“I… I don’t know how to,” Lorelei admitted.  “I mean, what can I even say?”

“I don’t know.”

The water between Lorelei and Wallace bulged upward and burst apart, splashing both trainers.  A Relicanth and a Tentacool jumped out of the water.  The Pokémon were carrying three screaming children and a Pikachu between the two of them.  

Several rings of water floated up out of the ocean and surrounded Relicanth and Tentacool.  With the aqua rings in place, the Pokémon were able to swim through the air.  The action took only seconds to complete, and the Pokémon swam away with the children without losing any speed.

“Those were the kids, right?” Lorelei asked.

“They had to be,” Wallace said.  “What are they running from?”

A herd of Sharpedo jumped out of the water as well, roaring and snarling at the group they were chasing.  None of the Sharpedo knew aqua ring, thankfully, so they couldn’t swim through the air.  That didn’t stop them from landing back in the ocean and jumping up again, attempting yet again to snap up the Pokémon or the kids.

“Ice beam!” Lorelei shouted.

Lapras opened her mouth.  A blast of ice shot out and hit the Sharpedo in the lead, knocking it to the side and pushing it back to the water.  The rest of the Sharpedo turned their attention to Lorelei and Wallace.

“That,” Lorelei said flatly.

“Yeah.”

The sun was beginning to set when Relicanth and Tentacool deposited everyone onto the beach of an island.  Relicanth lowered itself into the water and sent a meaningful look at Ash.  Ash got the message.  He crouched down in front of the Pokémon.  “I’ll take good care of the stones,” he promised.

“Canth,” Relicanth said.  It flipped around and sank beneath the surface of the water, swimming away.

Ash stood up and moved to rejoin Misty and Brock.  Tentacool was floating in the water beside Misty, one tentacle still wrapped around her waist.  “Thank you,” Misty said softly.  “You saved my life back there.”  Tentacool’s free tentacle moved around a bit.  Misty cleared her throat.  “I guess… I guess you’re gonna go home now?”  Tentacool tightened its grip on Misty.  Misty gulped nervously.  “Unless you’d like to come with me?”

Tentacool sank down slightly in the water then bobbed its head in a nod.  Behind Misty, Brock smiled softly and silently reached into her bag.  He pulled out a Poké Ball and passed it to her.  Misty nodded in thanks and held it out to Tentacool.  The Pokémon hesitated then pressed the button with its tentacle.  Tentacool was pulled into the Poké Ball.  It shook then clicked in Misty’s hand.

“So, now what?” Ash asked.

“We should probably find a town,” Brock said.  “We need rest, proper food, and I would love to sleep on an actual mattress.”

“Yes please,” Misty said immediately.  “And a bath.”

“Yes,” Brock agreed.  “With bath bombs, of course.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

Ash shrugged awkwardly.  He didn’t exactly see the appeal the way Brock and Misty did, but food and sleep did sound nice to him.  “So, where’s the nearest town?”

Brock slumped slightly.  “No idea.  I’m not even sure where we are.”

“Well, then let’s go exploring!” Ash declared, turning to start running along the beach.  Plus, if they found a town, he could get a new phone.  He didn’t know any of the numbers for his friends, but he could figure something out.  Maybe he could find something online about a group of people roleplaying as the champions, or get a message to Kate in Almia, or-

Ash kicked something sticking up out of the sand.  He glanced down and stopped in his tracks at the sight of what he’d kicked.  He’d recognize it anywhere.  The white casing, the two points at the top and one at the bottom with a golden tip, and the golden ring along the back with a stylized X going through it.  Ash bent down and picked up his phone.

“Is that what I think it is?” Misty asked.

“Yep,” Ash said.

“How in the name of Arceus did it get here?” Brock asked.

“Dunno,” Ash answered.  He pressed the green button under the screen.  The screen lit up.

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: You guys will never believe what I found

Leon: Ash!

Kate: You’re okay!

Cynthia: Ash!

Diantha: Oh thank Arceus

Alder: Glad to see you, kid

Steven: You’re alive!

Lance: What happened?!  Are you hurt?!

Ash: I’m fine

Ash: Why wouldn’t I be?

Kate: Ash…

Leon: You just…

Alder: Well…

Lance: I can’t tell if you’re serious and that scares me.

Cynthia: You know…

Diantha: Okay…

Steven: You’re joking, right?

Ash: No?  Why would I be joking?

Kate: You know what?  I’m not doing this right now.

Leon: Yeah, I get you

Diantha: So, Ash, what did you just find?

Ash: Right!  Steven, remember that legend you told us about the evolution stones in Vermilion Harbor?

Chapter Text

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Relicanth and Tentacool carried us to an island and dropped us off at the beach.  Relicanth made me promise to take care of the stones, Tentacool let Misty catch him, and then I found my phone buried in the sand

Leon: Oh… wow…

Cynthia: Sinnoh almighty

Kate: That’s just…

Alder: That’s… quite an adventure

Steven: At least everyone’s okay

Lance: You are okay, right?

Diantha: I’m glad you’re safe

Ash: Yeah, we’re all fine.  Brock’s making dinner for us right now

Lance: Do you have any idea where you are?

Ash: Some island

Alder: Well, he’s not wrong

Lance: Do you know which direction you went in?

Ash: I don’t.  Hang on, let me ask Brock and Misty

Ash: They don’t know either.  When I asked Misty just laughed and Brock said he was too distracted by the Sharpedo chasing us to notice something like that

Steven: Can’t blame him, Sharpedo are nasty

Cynthia: How’d you escape them, anyway?

Ash: Not sure, they just kinda stopped when we made it to the surface

Lance: Lorelei and Wallace saw them and fought them off.

Ash: Lorelei?  She’s part of the Kanto/Johto Elite Four, right?

Lance: Right.

Steven: And Wallace is a gym leader here in Hoenn

Ash: What were they doing on the ocean?

Kate: Search and rescue.

Lance: As soon as the St Anne went down I sent Lorelei to look for you.  When we learned you hadn’t made it to the lifeboats, Steven immediately sent Wallace to help.

Steven: Wallace is the best diver in Hoenn

Ash: Oh.  Thanks for that!

Alder: That’s all you have to say to that?

Ash: Yeah

Steven: Never change, Ash.  Never change

Ash: I’ll try

Ash: Brock’s calling us over for dinner, so we’ll eat and then get some sleep

Diantha: That’s smart.  You’ve had a long couple of days

Ash: Night everyone!

Kate: Goodnight, Ash.

Cynthia: Night!

Steven: Night

Alder: Sleep well

Lance: Goodnight.

Leon: Night Ash!

Diantha: Be safe

Alder: Wow

Lance: I know.

Alder: I mean… just… wow

Diantha: That was a lot

Cynthia: At least he’s okay

Alder: Physically okay.  There’s no way he’s mentally okay after what he just went through

Diantha: He said he nearly drowned twice

Steven: I can’t believe he actually found the stones

Kate: Plus he’s lost on a possibly desert island.

Leon: Ash will be fine

Alder: Maybe.  Still, we might want to suggest he take a vacation

Diantha: That’s a good idea

Steven: We should mention it tomorrow

Alder: I will

Cynthia: Random question, how common are uninhabited islands in Kanto?

Kate: And uncharted islands as well.

Lance: Uninhabited?  Relatively common.  As for uncharted, I don’t think there are any.

Leon: So there’s no chance of them being stranded?

Steven: At the very least it’s a small chance

Lance: Even if they are, they’re almost definitely gonna come across someone at some point

Alder: Worst case scenario we can track them down

Lance: We can.

Cynthia: That’s good to hear

Lance: Steven, for the record, you are not coming to Kanto just to examine the stones.

Steven: Wouldn’t dream of it

Kate: Really?

Leon: Wait, what?

Steven: They’re Ash’s stones now.  Relicanth gave them to him.  I can’t just waltz up to him and demand he show them to me

Diantha: Huh.  That’s… a lot more reasonable than I expected you to be

Steven: No stone hunter worth their salt would do that.  If Ash comes to me and offers that’s one thing, but otherwise…

Kate: Otherwise?

Steven: I’ll just have to find new stones of my own.  There’s actually a story of an Onix made of water stones.  I thought that was a myth once, but now… now I’m not so sure.  It’s worth looking into

Lance: Not yet.  You deployed one of your gym leaders to another region in the middle of the league.  You’ll have a lot of paperwork to fill out.

Steven: Don’t remind me

Kate: I know your pain.

Steven: Think I can convince Wallace to do it?

Cynthia: Not a chance

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: There’s a giant Pikachu here!

Leon: Huh, déjà vu

Alder: again

Cynthia: Do you mean giant like the Dragonite or like an alpha?

Ash: Uh, we’re standing on the top of a cliff and the Pikachu is taller than us

Cynthia: Cool!

Kate: Huh.

Leon: Are you sure Kanto doesn’t have dynamax?  Because it sounds a lot like you do

Lance: You said you were on an island, right?

Ash: Pretty sure.  It looked like an island as Relicanth and Tentacool were swimming us over to it

Lance: Let me know if you see any other giant Pokémon.

Steven: Lance, do you know where he is?

Leon: Is there an island of giant Pokémon in Kanto?

Cynthia: Have you been holding out on us?!

Lance: Maybe, kinda, yes.

Kate: Is that all you’re gonna say?

Diantha: It looks like it

Alder: definitely

Cynthia: You can’t do this to us!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Just ran across a giant Rhydon

Leon: Giant Pokémon are real!

Steven: A giant Rhydon?!

Diantha: Really?  You just ran across it?

Alder: you say that so casually

Kate: What were you doing that you just randomly encountered it?

Ash: We had to get from one cliff to another, and it would have taken too long to climb down and up

Diantha: What?

Cynthia: Oh!

Diantha: Ash, do you mean to tell me that when you say you ran across it, you mean you literally ran across it?!

Ash: Yep!  I don’t think Brock wanted to leave it behind

Alder: dow did the rhydon react

Ash: It didn’t

Steven: Really?  Rhydon are usually aggressive with strangers trying to touch them

Kate: Maybe they were so small that it didn’t care or even notice?  I mean, would a normal Rhydon notice a Joltik running across it?

Steven: That is a good point

Lance: It’s a robot.

Ash: It is?!

Leon: What?

Diantha: A robot?

Cynthia: Why do you say that?

Steven: Oh!

Alder: how can you tell

Kate: Is that even possible?

Lance: Yeah, I know where you are now.  You’re on an island called The Island of Giant Pokémon.  It actually belongs to one of our gym leaders, Giovanni.  He bought it a few years back and created a theme park spanning half the island filled with robots of giant Pokémon.

Leon: That is so cool!

Steven: I remember Dad saying something about that

Diantha: The guy just owns the island?

Cynthia: I want to go!

Lance: He owns the half with the theme park, at least.  The other half has a resort on it.

Kate: And they named the island for the theme park?

Lance: It’s to help attract customers.

Cynthia: It’s a tourist spot

Steven: Whatever it takes to make money

Ash: Hey!  The giant Dragonite is here!

Kate: That makes sense.

Steven: So the Dragonite’s a robot too?

Diantha: Huh

Lance: You have to be kidding me.

Cynthia: I guess that would explain it

Lance: Bill and I have been working for weeks to try and draw it back to his lighthouse!  We taught my Dragonite the song to try and communicate with it!  I approved a huge grant just so Bill could buy a better sound system!

Lance: And you’re telling me the whole time it was a robot?!

Leon: I think he’s having a breakdown

Lance: A robot!!!

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Ash: Team Rocket stole a couple of the robots

Kate: Which ones did they take?

Ash: Zapdos, Moltres, and Charizard

Leon: There’s a Charizard robot?!

Leon: Where is this theme park?!

Diantha: What happened?

Ash: Team Rocket started dive bombing us with their three robots.  Pidgeotto and Butterfree both using whirlwind was enough to knock the robots off course, Brock’s Onix was big enough to actually fight back, and all the water Pokémon we have could handle the fires they started

Cynthia: Sounds like you were able to hold your own against them

Alder: at least to start with

Steven: Did you hold them off until the robots ran out of power or something?

Ash: While we were fighting, the giant Dragonite showed up.  It opened its mouth and shot out a hyper beam that tore through all three robots and sent them crashing to the ground.  They kinda fell on some of the other robots as well

Lance: I’m glad the Dragonite robot was there to help.

Diantha: But how could it use hyper beam like that?

Ash: Well, the Moltres and Charizard both had flamethrower, and the Zapdos thunderbolt

Cynthia: That tracks

Leon: How’d the Dragonite robot know to help you?

Ash: Because Team Rocket are the bad guys?

Kate: Maybe there was somebody inside piloting the Dragonite robot?

Cynthia: That also tracks

Steven: How damaged were the robots?

Ash: They stopped moving and just piled up on the beach?

Steven: Ah.  That damaged

Ash: Yeah

Alder: What are you doing now?

Ash: We can see the resort Lance told us about in the distance, so we’re going there

Alder: Maybe you should take a week off and stay at the resort.  You deserve a vacation

Ash: Maybe we will

Diantha: It might interest you to know that there’s a reservation for you, Brock, and Misty to have a suite at the Porta Vista hotel.  Fully paid for already

Ash: Cool!  Thanks, Diantha!

Diantha: You’re welcome

[Ranger Kate Fanclub]

Lance: Guys, I’ve been going over the damage reports for the theme park.

Leon: Okay…

Diantha: What are you finding?

Lance: Part of the report is a list of all the giant robot Pokémon on the island, whether they were actually damaged by Team Rocket or not.

Alder: makes sense

Steven: What about it?

Lance: There’s nothing here about a Dragonite robot.

Cynthia: Oh!  

Diantha: There isn’t?

Steven: I don’t think that can be an oversight…

Alder: huh

Leon: So that means…

Lance: The Dragonite is real after all.

Chapter Text

[Magistar Spotters]

Ash: Thanks again for the hotel room, Diantha!

Diantha: You needed a break

Ash: Still, thanks!  The water Pokémon especially loved the tank for them in the corner!

Steven: Oh, you got them one of those rooms?

Diantha: It felt rude to leave Krabby, Tentacool, and Goldeen out just because they’re completely aquatic

Kate: That’s nice.

Lance: Rooms like that are expensive…

Diantha: Worth it

Ash: Squirtle, Staryu, and Starmie loved it too

Diantha: Totally worth it

Cynthia: Oh, you have Squirtle with you now?

Ash: Yeah, a few days ago we stopped at a Pokémon Center and I called Professor Oak’s lab.  Daisy sent Squirtle over in exchange for Pidgeotto

Leon: Daisy?

Lance: Professor Oak’s granddaughter.

Cynthia: She probably took over while Professor Oak was in Porta Vista

Ash: Yeah, she said she volunteered to take care of the lab and the Pokémon

Alder: shes probably qualified

Diantha: She’d have to be

Kate: Did you have a good vacation?

Ash: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.  It felt good to just relax and not do anything for a week

Leon: Well, there was that whole thing with the beauty pageant 

Kate: I thought we agreed to call it a Proto-Pokémon Contest?

Diantha: Kate, honey, that name is way too long

Kate: But accurate, right Steven?

Steven: Can confirm

Kate: See?

Lance: Either way, we agreed never to talk about it again.

Alder: technically were not talking

Lance: Alder, not the time.

Ash: We’re heading down to the pier to catch the ferry back to Vermilion, see you guys later!

[Magistar Spotters]

Kate: Remember Little Tim?

Leon: Oh yeah, I remember him!

Cynthia: Good ol’ Little Tim!

Diantha: You said he was the Vientown milkman, right?

Kate: Yep.  And as of about an hour ago he was also the one to give me my first official quest.

Alder: good to hear it

Lance: Wasn’t he also the first person outside of School that you helped as a Ranger?

Kate: Yes he was.  The irony was not lost on me.

Diantha: How’d it go?

Leon: What was the quest?

Kate: His family’s Miltank was acting up a bit and Big Bertha was out running errands.  Since Little Tim is deathly a-scared of Pokémon, he couldn’t bring himself to calm Miltank himself.

Diantha: I suppose that’s understandable

Leon: Hang on, Big Bertha?  She and Little Tim are married?

Kate: Yes they are.

Leon: They sound like a good match

Kate: They really are.

Alder: was miltank okay

Kate: Yeah, she just needed to let out some energy.  Pachirisu was able to coax Miltank into using rollout.  She then jumped on top of Miltank as she rolled past and started running on her back.  By changing the direction of her running, she was able to guide Miltank around the paddock at a high speed.  Certainly faster than Miltank would have been able to safely go without a guide.

Leon: That sounds adorable!

Cynthia: Please tell me you got pictures!

Kate: And a video.

Leon: Send them send them send them!

Alder: and miltank was okay with this

Kate: Completely.  She looked very pleased at the end.  I don’t think she gets the chance to go that fast very often.

Lance: Probably not.  One of my Johto gym leaders has a Miltank, and she always laments how rare it is for her to really get going.

Leon: Why is that?

Steven: With rollout, the faster you go the more dangerous it gets for both your opponent and you.  If you lose control and crash…

Lance: Exactly.  You need a big open field for that, and there aren’t any in Goldenrod for Whitney and her Miltank.

Alder: so pachirisu had miltank roll around for a bit and that was enough

Kate: No.  By the end Miltank was running low on energy, yes, but was still a little worked up.  So I had Pachirisu use a Poké Assist and befriended Miltank to calm her down.

Alder: good

Cynthia: Sounds like Pachirisu had a lot of fun

Kate: She looks incredibly proud of herself.

Leon: She’s earned it!

Cynthia: Yes she has

Diantha: What else is on the slate for today?

Kate: Vientown Ranger Base movie night.  We’re watching Timegate Traveler Three: From the Unovan Frontier.

Diantha: Oh.  That one?

Cynthia: Hey, Diantha, isn’t that the first movie you were in?

Diantha: Yes.  Yes it was

Steven: I remember that movie

Leon: I haven’t seen it.  Is it good?

Kate: No spoilers!

Lance: Imagine Diantha doing an Old Unovan accent for almost three hours.

Leon: Where can I watch this?!

Diantha: Kate, why are you going to watch that movie?

Kate: As the newest Ranger at the base, I get to pick the movie.

Diantha: You actually chose it?

Kate: Yep.

Kate: Next time I’m up, I’m gonna pick Love and Battles.

Cynthia: And that’s Diantha’s second movie

Diantha: You’re gonna work your way through my entire collection, aren’t you?

Kate: That’s the plan.

Cynthia: I’m so proud of you

[Magistar Spotters]

Ash: Good news: we found Misty’s Tentacool’s family

Leon: That’s great!

Kate: How’d they react to seeing Tentacool again?

Cynthia: Is Tentacool going to be staying with them?

Diantha: There’s bad news, isn’t there?

Ash: They kinda ignored Tentacool when he tried to swim over to them.  He got closer and one of the others even pushed him away

Leon: That’s awful!

Alder: its unfortunately to be expected

Alder: he was cast out from the pod

Alder: they likely wont ever accept him back

Steven: I’ve seen that happen multiple times here in Hoenn, sadly

Cynthia: It’s still not fair!

Lance: No, no it’s not.

Kate: What did Tentacool do?

Ash: After his family left him behind, a Horsea swam up and started trying to comfort him.  The two of them moved up to a fountain with Misty