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"Man… Check it out, Pikachu!"
"You're telling me… It's gorgeous! Everything looks small from up here, though."
Southern Province, Area One. Bordering the seas of the faraway Paldea region, a high cliff face overlooked rolling hills and valleys on the region's edge. Standing at the peak was one man, and one mouse.
The former, an average height, but a broad and muscular build. Wild, jet black hair framed his face in spiky bangs, and flowed down past his shoulders; wild, and without a cap to be seen. His face was rugged and slightly aged; olive skin, raised cheekbones, and adorned in a beard and goatee, which only partially covered an old scar running up the left side of his jawline towards his cheek. Kind, bright red eyes were framed by a wrinkle or two, but showed no less luster in looking over the skyline. He was dressed like a tired teacher's assistant, with a scarlet plaid blazer, a black button-up undershirt, a gray plaid tie, loosely tied together, and dark slacks.
He was a man of many titles, known the world over; Former Champion. World Champion. Frontier Brain. The Pride of Pallet. Hero of Ideals. Rainbow Hero. Pokémon Master… All of those came back to just one name; Ash Ketchum. A man who'd traveled the world over in just a short twenty-six years since leaving home, making a name for himself with his love for Pokémon, and endless drive for improvement. Even now, he sought new adventures, and new friends.
Standing atop his shoulder was a face that rarely left that perch for long. A Raichu that sported the standard orange fur, lustrous and well-taken care of, but a bit pale from age. He was a bit rotund like he'd been in his early youth; shaped more like a jelly bean, frankly, than his younger, peanut-shaped self, though his weight was backed by solid muscle, rather than just fat. His round, chocolate hues looked over their destination with glowing glee.
This was Raichu; known affectionately, these days, as "Peeks." Ash's starter Pokémon, and number one companion. Known widely as arguably the world's strongest trained Pokémon, and lover of all things ketchup-related; enough to be a mascot of his own brand, even.
But, we can talk about Ash's prestige and Peeks's food-stuff pursuits, another day. For today was a day for adventure, new friendly faces, and maybe a dash of heroism.
They marveled at the sights below; a series of ponds dotted the rising hills and dipping valleys, some tiny, some large, and some with small islands within. Tall rock formations kept some of the terrain hidden, though it was rather easy to spot the glimmering shine of raid dens. near and far.
Though, the hidden terrain might prove to be a bit of a problem for them!
"Where're the ruins…? They're supposed to be around that area, right?" Ash frowned, adjusting his cap's brim to block the sun and scout the terrain with greater scrutiny.
"That's what the kid in Mesagoza told us," Peeks answered, scouting just the same. Over the years, Ash had developed the ability to understand Pokémon and their hearts. It was awfully convenient.
"Guess we'll have to hop down and look the old fashioned way," Ash shrugged. He didn't particularly mind exploring some more. Scouting the cliffside, he found a decline that was less steep than the rest. "You ready, Buddy?"
"We're taking the shortcut?" Peeks smirked, raising an eyebrow at Ash. "You have no patience."
"Sure don't!" His trainer answered with a toothy grin. Rearing back, he prepared himself. "Ready, set…! GO!"
Ash took a leap of faith, and slid onto the rocky decline, digging his sneakers into rugged rock to find some resistance. It was enough to slow his descent, but not by much; Ash found a slab of rock jutting out far enough to hop onto, stumbling for balance. With little breadth before its precipice, he didn't quite find it. Momentum kept Ash going, and he could only stumble off the edge.
Peeks watched their inevitable fall, and sighed. "Oh, for Arceus' sake…" Without another word, he leapt towards the earth below; gaining speed ahead of his trainer.
"Magnet Rise!" Ash shouted in their swift descent. But, Peeks needn't hear the words leave his lips to get a headstart. A pulse of golden lightning left his cheeks and coated the nearby terrain.
Immediately afterwards, Peeks stopped falling; the static in his fur caught onto an electromagnetic pulse that snagged his weight; making him rise and fall as if he'd become buoyant atop thin air.
Just in time for a falling Ash to snag his partner's sides with both hands, and put an end to his descent. He and Peeks bounced and fell, ultimately simply hanging maybe ten feet off the ground.
Peeks flicked his tail to disperse Magnet Rise, and they made a safe landing. He scrambled back onto Ash's shoulder, exhaling. "I don't know if I should be grateful we came up with that trick, or if I should regret giving you such an easy out to falling."
"Look, it was either you learned that, or we fell to our doom, that one time," Ash retorted.
"That wasn't meant to be used as an excuse for dangerous stunts." Peeks retorted, but ultimately conceded the topic. They were safe, after all, and now they could get a move on. "Now, let's see if we can find those ruins."
"Roger!" Ash started his march onward, navigating the gaps between ponds to seek out their destination.
It would be several days before the Academy's opening ceremony, where he was set to make a speech that he'd bullshit off the top of his head. He'd accepted the offer, but they were mostly there so that they could see off his Lucario, Rosemary, and his newly wedded wife, Zophia the CInderace, whom Ash had caught and trained in Galar. They'd decided to make a life for themselves in Paldea; Rosemary teaching history, and Zophia phys ed, being the soccer-playing superstar of a Cinderace she was. How could Ash and Peeks not see them off!?
But, that was a few days from now, and these two needed to get in on some adventure yesterday. So, when they heard about mysterious ruins south of the region's capital, they'd found themselves-
"Agh!"
"Cha!"
…found themselves doused in a jet of cold water. Dripping and irritated, Ash and Peeks slowly looked over to their assailant.
Near the perimeter of the nearest pond was a Marill, floating on the water's surface. The culprit was cackling, until she noticed she'd been spotted. Then, she laughed even harder, kicking her little stubby feet. They'd been had!
"What do we have here. A practical joker, huh? Very funny." Ash pouted. The top half of his button-up was soaked, now.
"That was the last th-thing we needed," Peeks complained, before shaking out his fur. "Prrriii!"
"Hey. Buddy."
"Huh?"
"Try shaking a little further from me next time, will ya?" Ash pouted. Now, he was just soaked.
"...Oops. Sorry." Peeks sheepishly rubbed his neck. "I guess that shirt's going to need to dry, now."
"Yeah, you're right," Ash agreed. In short order, they retrieved a small bundle of branches from a nearby tree, and a meager hint of Peeks's electricity lit a campfire near the pond.
The man laid out his damp shirt near the fire. Without it, now, his torso was exposed, which was decorated by several more scars from their many perilous years. To Peeks's bewilderment, he continued in taking off his shoes, socks, and slacks.
"Ash?" Peeks asked. "I didn't get your pants or shoes wet."
"Sure didn't." The man stood near the water's edge, executing a couple of stretches. "Just killing some time before it all dries off." He crouched, leaning his hands on his knees to continue.
Peeks sighed. "We could just wait, you know... but, I know that's not in you."
"Damn right. I'll warm up by the fire when I'm done. Besides… Our friend Marill, here, needs a taste of their own medicine." He shot a mischievous grin at the Water Mouse.
"Well, if you can't beat 'em..." Peeks sighed, did a couple stretches, and sprinted into a cannonball, breaking the water's surface in a huge splash!
"Hey, wait for me! Banzai!" Ash hollered, dropping into the pond with a cannonball. He entered with a second huge splash, dousing the fiendish Marill.
The round Water-type rolled several times on rippling waters before surfacing, laughing. She retaliated by firing another Water Gun directly at Ash, hitting him in the face.
"Pfft! Blech." The man spat it out, laughing. "Alright. You're in for it, now!" He retaliated by slapping the water, hitting Marill with another splash.
She bounced and laughed, getting ready to fire another Water Gun back. However, she didn't expect a second splash! A wave of Peeks's tail had caught her off-guard.
"Ha! Nice going, Buddy," Ash cheered. "Now we've got you on the ropes! Let's get 'er!"
The splashes continued, with the two-to-one offensive favoring the trainer and his mouse. Unfortunately, even fun couldn't last forever.
"Halt!" A squeaky voice shouted, which Ash heard through Pikachu. The pond's surface broke, nearby, with a completely new Pokémon popping out.
"Oh, no." Marill deadpanned, looking over with a sour face.
Another aquatic Pokémon made themselves seen; one resembling a bottlenose dolphin, with baby blue coloration broken by a very pale blue coloration along their underbelly. Pink and blue eyes focused on the trainer-mon duo. She pointed towards them with one of her flippers. "End your assault on this poor Marill, you land-dwelling fiends! Or face justice!"
"Well, it's been fun," Marill said. "I'm out."
"Wait, what?" Ash asked, while the mouse took her leave. "What's going on- ah!"
The newcomer was speeding towards them in a torrential veil; she was using Aqua Jet!
The unaware Ash and Peeks had no time to retaliate. They were struck by the strange Pokémon, knocking them right out of the pond. Landing unceremoniously on their rears, on land, they both spat out water, coughing.
"H-hey!" Ash spat. "What's the big idea!?"
"Our waters have been safe, yet another day! No thanks are necessary!" The Water-type cheered… to absolutely no applause. In fact, the Marill they'd seen had already disappeared. It was hard to tell whether she'd even noticed, when she re-submerged.
"W-what the hell was that about?" Ash exclaimed, completely dumbfounded.
"I have no idea," Peeks replied, shaking out his fur again. "But it was stupid. Let's get back to the fire and get warm so we can move on…"
"Good idea."
After a short break, Ash and Peeks had dried off well enough, and after dousing their campfire, moved on to further explore the Southern Province. So far, there were no signs of any mysterious ruins, so their search continued.
"Oi, Peeks! Check it out!" Ash called to his partner, who was currently scouting the area from a hilltop. When his partner looked over, Ash was pointing to a shimmering, pitch-black cluster of gems.
In the center of the gem formation, there was a gap that would certainly lead to what was known as a Raid Den. Much like those found in Galar, Paldea's led to the dwelling places of Pokémon imbued with supernatural qualities. Unlike Galar's Dynamax dens, though, Paldea's housed Pokémon who could Terastallize; typically into a type that wasn't their own, due to the extended time spent in these dens filled with Tera Shards. The Pokémon inside were often remarkably strong!
This was enough incentive for Pikachu to dash over, a smile fixed on his little lips. "This is the second time we've gotten sidetracked, Ash… Butttt, I could use a good battle, and it seems to be a Dark-type Den. I'm still a little jealous I didn't get to fight Kingambit."He'd hop and snag his stubby paws on the gemstone, kicking his little feet to pull himself up.
"You prima donna," Ash snorted. "That was the Paldea team's battle. But, I guess I owe you one for sitting it out!" Ash hoisted a leg over the den's gems, ready to descend.
"Cease, land dwellers!" High-pitched words hit Ash's eardrums, before a terrible echo followed that sounded more like a ghostly wail. Glowing, red soundwaves crashed into the man, throwing him over the Den's foothold to land unceremoniously on the other side.
"Agh… What was that about!?" Ash complained. He felt a shiver run up his spine; somehow, he felt too unnerved to move. He identified the attack as Astonish.
"It's that Pokémon again!" Peeks accused, pointing towards the nearest pond. The blue cetacean sat on the water's edge. "What do you keep attacking us for!?"
"T'was simply rescuing gullible land-dwellers from certain doom!" The Water-type professed, slapping a flipper against her chest dutifully. "You ought to beware the dangers of the perilous dens. You could have been seriously hurt!"
"Wait a minute." Peeks frowned, his ears flattening along the back of his head. "Didn't you just call us land-dwelling fiends, a few minutes ago? Now, we're victims?"
Ash'd had plenty of time to get back on his feet, and he pointed his Pokédex towards her.
"Finizen: The Dolphin Pokémon. It likes playing with others of its kind using the water ring on its tail. It uses ultrasonic waves to sense the emotions of other living creatures."
"Even villains can't be left to their doom! Take this show of kindness today, and learn to pass it on to others! No thanks are necessary!" With the same closing line as before, the Finizen dove back into the pond, vanishing from sight.
"...Well, at least she's got principles, I guess." Peeks frowned, rubbing his neck.
"That was weird… Aw, well. C'mon, Buddy." Ash coaxed, dusting himself off before climbing back atop the crystalline structure. "Let's go do that raid, and get back to exploring!"
Peekssmiled, his large ears standing up. He followed after his trainer, leaping atop his shoulder. "Let's!"
Ash and Peeks's wandering had started to feel like it'd gone on for hours. Many less seasoned travelers would be weary of mind and body, by now, but really, their anticipation had only grown greater. Better yet, it was about to be rewarded…!
"Ash! Check it out." Sitting atop his trainer's head, Peeks had the vantage point to spot a piece of architecture Ash couldn't. It looked like the dusty remains of a stone pillar, spotted over a small slope.
"Huh? I can't see it… Did we find them?" Ash started, though he answered his own question when he rounded the bend. "I… guess we did."
Describing the scene they'd found as 'ruins' would certainly be apt. Two rows of stone columns laid before them; crumbling and worn by the sands of time. No roof or structure left for them to support; they existed without purpose. Or, they would have, if not for the couple of Wattrel nesting atop a couple of them, now.
Ash and Pikachu passed through them, patting their solid surface to find that they'd gathered much dust. The dirt clouds made them cough, and they moved on. Beyond them, at least, there were broken up walls made of stone. Again, with no roof, though they at least offered some sort of enclosure, compared to whatever the columns had been. Moss crept over stone in scattered patches; where history had left these ruins behind, life went on.
"I'm not sure what I was expecting," Peeks said, peering through a gap in the nearest wall that'd likely been a window. "But I was definitely expecting… more."
"Aw, don't be like that, Buddy. I'm sure there's something cool in here! …Hopefully." Stepping in through the gap in the wall, Ash traversed a stone corridor. "Maybe some hidden treasure…!"
"Leave!"
A sudden, bellowing cry startled the two! Spinning around, Ash and Peeks found themselves being stared down by two glowing, leering eyes. Standing in the shadow of the ruins' chambers was a short, rotund bipedal Pokémon, with a brown lower body and yellow upper body, and a long snout.
"Oh . . . phew. It's just a Drowzee." Ash exhaled, rubbing his neck sheepishly.
"Leave this place. Our treasure is not yours to take!" The Pokémon's cry was sluggish and haunting, as if they were casting a hypnotic enchantment. In fact, the blue glow surrounding them was a sure sign they were doing just that.
Ash gasped. Suddenly, he felt he'd lost the ability to move his limbs, and he could no longer feel the ground under his feet. A Confusion attack was lifting and suspending him in mid-air. "H-hey!"
Peeks, as well, was ensnared, floating higher and separate from Ash. "Let us go! What's gotten into you?"
"I cannot." Drowzee shook their head. "Too many humans and their Pokémon have been intruding upon our home… them and their obedient Pokémon!"
"Obedient?" Peeks's cheeks started to crackle with angry sparks, reflexively. Humans referring to Pokémon as subservient always bothered him, but his peers saying the same did it even moreso.
"Buddy," Ash called his partner, sharing a look with him.
Peeks understood, upon a glance, what his trainer was trying to convey; if you fight back, they might get hurt. Let's see if we can talk through this before trying anything.
He knew Ash was right, and frankly, felt embarrassed. As often as he reeled in Ash's hot-headedness, sometimes, his trainer did the opposite. "...Right. Sorry. You said that your home's been intruded upon?"
"Your feigned ignorance is insulting. You already know about our treasure; the phantom coins"
"We really don't!" Ash tried to shake his head in denial, reminded once more that he couldn't move. "We're actually totally lost, here. I don't even know what a phantom coin is. Besides…" He squinted. "Shouldn't you know if we're lying or not. You're the Psychic-type, here."
The esper's eyes widened considerably; their expression was enough to show that they felt mortified. "That logic… does follow, I'll admit. Very well-"
"Halt!" A familiar voice rang, and without warning, a jet of water collided with Ash.
"Ack!?" Ash yelped, blasted out of Drowzee's influence by what seemed to be a Water Gun, and unceremoniously collided with the Psychic-type. The two of them tumbled over into the grassy patches inside the ruins.
Peeks fell and landed on all fours, finding that his paralysis had vanished. He'd turn around to find the culprit. A small pond laid just out of the perimeter of the ruins they'd been exploring. The same Finizen from earlier was resting his fins on the water's edge.
The mouse looked between the Water-type, and his dazed, doused trainer. "You, again!"
"I should say the same for you! Haven't you any idea the perils of these ancient… ruinous… ruins…!? Let alone the wrath you'll incur as graverobbers!"
"Graverobbers!?" Peeks's face paled. He squinted, nose scrunching. "Where did you… You don't get out much, do you…?"
"Thieves! You deceived me!" Drowzee bellowed, turning to Ash and Pikachu with wrathful retaliation. Gleaming eyes cast a sudden spell over the duo, goading them towards slumber.
"But, we're… not…!" Ash yawned loudly, slumping over. "You don't, ah… zzz…" Landing face first in the grass, the man started drifting off into slumber.
Peeks's eyelids were becoming awfully heavy, as he was only faring a bit better. Stumbling groggily, he smacked his own cheeks, letting off a spark of electricity. That little spark stoked his weary mind. Of course!
"Ra-raiii… chu!" A very sluggish, sleepy Thunderbolt shot towards Drowzee, sending lightning through them and breaking their spell on Pikachu.
Unfortunately, the yelping esper wasn't the only victim. Thunderbolt's current passed through Drowzee and coursed through the puddles left from Water Gun, directing the shock right into the doused and slumbering Ash.
Ash shot up with a yelp, prompting Peeks to stop his flow of electricity. "Ack… What is even going on!?"
"Sorry, Ash." He frowned, rubbing his neck. "It was, um…" He looked back to the pond, frowning. Finizen had already left.
"I thought that voice was familiar." Ash grumbled, still crackling with static and soaked to the bone. His wild mane hung down over his face, matted from that pesky Water Gun.
"Tut, tut, tut." A new Pokémon cut into the conversation; a hot-pink avian with a long neck, and a stout body resembling a boxing glove. The Paldean Fighting-type, Flamigo. She shook her head, standing not far from the scene. "It never ends, does it…?"
"Huh? What never ends?" Ash asked, placing his hat back on. "What's their deal?"
"That one… No one's quite sure what her 'deal' is. She calls herself Marvel." The Flamigo hopped over, head tilting. "Oh, are you lot quite alright?"
"Huh? Yeah, we're good." Ash smiled, shaking his head. "Peeks' Thunderbolts are nothin' new to me."
"She seems… lost," Peeks continued. "Like she doesn't really understand any situation she swims on into."
"No one quite knows how she got here," Flamigo answered. "There's no way for Palafin or Finizen to get into these ponds, and she's the only one. But, she's sure made a name for herself…"
"You mean with the hero stuff she was just doing?" Ash asked.
"She makes a nuisance of herself, trying to swoop in as a savior. The rest of us mostly try to ignore her."
"That… must be awfully lonely." Ash's lips formed a thin line, and his hand hovered over his heart. "Wanting to help, and becomin' an outcast over it…"
The colorful bird scoffed. "She's like a child, playing pretend with some far-off pipe dream."
Peeks's ears perked up, then, to the very subtle sound of Ash's hand clenching into a fist. He stared at his trainer, studying the far-off look in his eyes. Though Ash didn't voice it, his partner saw right through him. There was a part of Ash that understood and resonated with Marvel.
The late afternoon's setting sun cast the Southern Province in a gentle yellow glow, and cast starker shadows on its peaks and valleys. A melancholy backdrop, perhaps, for Ash and Peeks.
After their Flamigo friend had delivered an Oran Berry and they'd made peace with Drowzee, the duo had briefly toured the ruins before deciding to return to Mesagoza. The adventure, ultimately, had been a little anticlimactic. With a long walk ahead of them, they scaled the hills beside the cliff face.
Peeks sat on his trainer's shoulder, while the latter's hands were tucked into his pockets, and his face shielded by the shade by his long bangs.
Peeks studied his trainer's face, and frowned. "Still thinking about it?"
"Mm." Ash hummed. "Haven't really stopped. I mean, sure, she was a huge pain, but… something about it just doesn't sit right with me. Why's she all on her own?"
"Well, we saw why," Peeks replied. "But, that's not what you mean, is it?"
Ash nodded. "Being the only Pokémon of your kind in a place like this is weird, right? You'd think something like a Finizen would be out in the open waters. But, aside all that… She just seemed lost."
Before Peeks could formulate an answer, a loud screech drew their attention.
"Help! I need help, immediately!"
Ash and Peeks responded to the call, naturally. Racing through the closest valley to the far-off voice, they climbed over its peak to catch the scene before them.
Marvel was on a pond's edge, pleading to any wild Pokémon she could find; this time, an Azumarill. " An innocent life is in peril! I need the help of a sidekick, please!"
The water rabbit rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'll believe that when Lechonk fly."
Marvel abandoned them, and hopped from the pond she'd found to the next to prod her nose at a couple of Magikarp. "Fine, finned citizens! I beckon you for your assistance!"
The small group answered with bored, unintelligible glubs, before disappearing beneath the pond's surface. This left Marvel to swim over and accost a couple of Psyduck.
"Your fellow Water-type is depending on your swift and unquestioning obligation!
Each of the ducks tilted their head, looking about as clueless as their species always did.
"...Unquestioning?"
"...obligation?"
Not a flicker of a bulb above either of their heads.
"Agh! Drat!" The Finizen screeched, throwing her wings up in frustration. "Someone! Anyone! Please, come to my aid!"
Wooper continued to bathe in the mud bordering the ponds. Fletchling pecked at the grass. Deerling grazed nearby. The wilderness was all but silent for the distressed cetatean. A Flamigo wandered over; perhaps, Ash thought, the same one from earlier. She shook her head.
"Knock it off, why don'tcha? You're just making a fool of yourself. No one's buying it."
If one squinted, they might see a hint of a quivering lip under Marvel's bottle nose. "...Fine!" She cried. "If no one will help, then Marvel will do it herself!" She swerved around and turned tail with a splash, before submerging into the pond's shallow depths.
"What is even going on over here!?" Ash hopped down from a high ledge, Pikachu following soon after. "It sounded like something serious."
"You, again?" Flamigo tutted. "I already told you. She's playing make-believe."
"She said someone's life was at stake," Ash asserted.
"Don't be foolish. It's a desperate plea for attention," she retorted.
"It could be," Peeks replied, "but what if it isn't?"
The avian squinted at them. A look of disapproval, before she turned and shrugged her wings. The conversation had clearly lost her interest. "Be fools, if you want to. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"If I had a Poké for every time we heard that one…" Ash frowned, adjusting his cap atop his head. "Buddy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"If you're thinking that we're about to follow that Finizen? Yeah I am." The pudgy mouse sighed, slapping his cheeks in a quick gesture of self-preparation. "We never could pass up doing the right thing. Let's just get this over with."
"Right." Ash inhaled and exhaled, preparing himself. "Here goes nothing…!" He sprinted around the perimeter of the pond, taking a deep breath before diving headfirst into the pond.
Peeks braced himself, eyes shutting tight until he felt them break the surface. Once he had his bearings, he spotted a cavern leading out of the pond.
Ash seemed to notice it, too, and they peddled their way inside.
Up on the surface, Flamigo watched, shaking her head. "Fools follow fools, I suppose…"
The underwater tunnel, they found, led from one of the area's ponds to the next. Marvel's navigating from one to another suddenly made more sense. Though, more importantly, it allowed Ash and Peeks to surface and replenish their lungs, each time.
"It doesn't look like there's gonna be another, with this next one," Ash said, surfacing from the latest body of water. "This pond's the closest one to the sea… You figure that's where she was headed, Bud?"
"We haven't seen her come above water once. It's the only way forward," Peeks reasoned.
"Right. Okay…!" Ash inhaled deeply, and submerged. He and Pikachu peddled into the last tunnel facing the land's end. It was a straightforward tunnel, at first, but there was soon a forked passageway. 'Crap… Which way?'
Peeks frowned, and tapped Ash's shoulder. Once he had his attention, he closed his eyes, and pointed towards his heart. Mimicking to the best of his ability, he relayed the message well enough for Ash to grasp it.
~Good thinking!~ Ash closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. A teal pulse of light emanated from him, mapping out the immediate area before him. The occasional small Water-type lit his path, but they didn't seem to resemble a Finizen… no, in fact, there were two Auras that seemed to resemble her; right next to each other, in fact! ~There!~
Ash swam down the right path, and Peeks followed. Traversing a short distance found them at a dead end, with several guests. Marvel floated at its end, panicking around another Pokémon; a second Finizen. The latter was wriggling from where they sat, seemingly stuck in a gap in the tunnel!
'So that's what this was…! They're stuck!' Ash and Peeks started to swim closer.
A Shellder loomed close to the trapped Finizen, attempting to nudge them out with their own weight. The looming shadows of two strangers startled the Bivalve; with widened eyes, they shot off in fear. Not quite watching where they were headed, they bashed into Ash's gut, before moving around him and swimming away.
"Ack…!" Ash coughed and hacked, a flurry of bubbles leaving his mouth before he rushed to shut it. Widened, terror-struck eyes bulged along with his cheeks after he'd inhaled. He'd had the breath knocked right out of him, and at such a depth…!
"Rhi…!" Pikachu's eyes widened and whited out in terror on his trainer's behalf. kicking his little feet as quickly as possible, he attempted to push his trainer back in the direction they'd come.
Ash, too, started to scramble and swim in a panic, going back the way he came. Having lungs filling with water was a feeling he'd never got any less terrifying, and it made the split in paths ahead of him all the worse. 'Crap… which way was it again…!? Agh!' He looked frantically back and forth. He attempted to clear his mind and sense his way out, but his constitution couldn't hold with his lungs burning. 'You've gotta be kidding me…!'
Of all the hundreds to thousands of scrapes with death he'd had, drowning in the middle of a cove after getting clocked by a wild Pokémon was not how he expected it to end.
Back at the Peeks end, Marvel gasped. "Fin… Fini…!" She swam forth gallantly,crashing into the man's back, and shouldering his weight on her own. "Finizen!" Being the natural sea dweller she was, she shot past Pikachu and swerved down a tunnel to the right.
With no choice but to trust her, Pikachu followed. 'Of all the stupid situations…' He wanted to shake his head, at the abominable luck his trainer had. It was always a headache. But, right now, all he could do was pray for his safety. He watched his trainer's tie float down, unraveled, and grabbed it in his paws. 'Please be okay, Ash…!'
The man on Marvel's back had mostly gone limp. He was in danger, her fellow dolphin was in danger… This was all such a disaster! It felt like the weight of the world was on her back.
Luckily, at least half of that weight was about to be thrown off, as she surfaced. "Zen!" She grunted, bucking Ash onto solid ground. The man rolled over, laid flat on his back. "Fin…" She paddled over, nudging him with her nose.
"Rai…!" Peeks surfaced afterwards with a gasp for breath. After he'd done so, he had the chance to look around… not that he could see much of anything. Although he could breathe air, it was almost pitch-black. "Rai-chu…" He lit his cheeks with a light spark.
The gentle glow cast the area in gold. A small, rocky cove surrounded them, with the water coming short of filling it. A rocky shore sat on its sides, where he spotted Marvel, and…
"Raichurai!" Peeks paddled over and surfaced, His trainer laid out on the rocky surface on his back, seemingly unconscious. The light cast by his own cheeks didn't even make him budge.
"Fin… Finizen!" Marvel panicked. She had no clue what to do!
"Pika…" Pikachu hopped up, and came crashing down on Ash's torso. Pressure did its job, and the unconscious man spat up water. "Chu!" Pikachu somersaulted, and came down on his diaphragm again. Another water spout. That had to have been most of it, he thought, as he started pressing both of his paws down intermittently. "Raichurai… Rai!"
"Ack! Blech!" Ash finally woke, spitting and sputtering. Leaning forward, he coughed up the remaining seawater. "Agh… ugh… I'm alive?"
"Raichurai…" Pikachu smiled up at his trainer with relief written all over his face. "I swear, the day you stop giving me a scare is the day the Reverse World has frozen over."
"Hah, sorry, Buddy… ugh." Ash ruffled Peeks's head, and spat again. "Where are we… how'd I even get here?"
"You have Marvel to thank for that," Peeks replied, gesturing to her.
"Oh, thank goodness you're safe…! Erm, that is to say, you're welcome, citizen! Marvel was… erm… concerned! What do you think you were doing, down here!?" The dolphin sputtered, pointing at him. The concern in her multicolored eyes was still quite transparent.
"We were here because we heard you needed help," Ash explained, looping his tie around his neck after Peeks handed it to him. "It looks like a friend of yours is stuck down there."
"A fellow Finizen foolishly wedged himself in a tight cavern! He's stuck and, and he's starting to run out of breath…! And, Marvel isn't sure how to rescue him from this peril at all…!" The cetatean was trembling.
"So we're on a clock…" Ash frowned, exchanging a look with Peeks. "We'd better get started."
"Right!" The moues agreed.
"B-but… This is Marvel's responsibility! It's a hero's fate to work alone!"
Ash's lips pursed. She was so stubborn, despite her fears… It had to be those other Pokémon rejecting her pleas at every turn. "Hey." He leaned over, placing a comforting hand on her back. Marvel looked over at him. He smiled, pumping a fist. "Anyone can be a hero, if they try!"
The dolphin's pink and blue hues expanded and glistened. This human's Heroic Aura was off the charts…! It made her, perhaps, feel a bit inspired, too. "...Okay! Marvel will show you the way!"
Marvel resubmerged, and Ash dove in after her, with Peeks going last. The three swam back to where the second Finizen was trapped, and crowded around the frightened-looking captive.
Nodding to one another, Ash, Peeks, and Marvel started to push their weight against the fourth in unison. Tried as they might, though, he just wasn't budging.
"Finn…! Fini!" He started flailing, distressed by their efforts. Judging by the rapid rising and falling of his chest, he seemed to be hyperventilating, even.
Ash and Pikachu backed off, and Marvel followed. How were they supposed to proceed…?
Peeks, out of the corner of his eyes, spotted something pertinent. He tugged on Ash's shirt. ~Ash,~ he thought with enough clarity to piggyback off his trainer's telepathy. ~Look!~
Ash followed Peeks's pointing, which followed to Marvel. ~It's Marvel. What'm I missing?~
~The oxygen bubbles. They come from the blowhole!~ Pikachu gestured to make his point. ~Look at where it is on Marvel. Can you see it on the other Finizen?~
Ash swam closer, gently shifting the other Pokémon. ~I can't… It must be stuck under the rock!~
~Right! So they probably can't breathe! He's going to suffocate at this rate!~
Judging by the Finizen's panicked flailing, it also looked like he was on his way…!
Ash goaded Marvel aside, and floated before her peer, with a hand on either side of them. He gently lifted their head to make eye contact with them. The fear in their eyes was palpable. In contrast, Ash's gaze was steady and calm. He gently stroked the Pokémon's smooth skin.
'There, there… if I can get 'im to relax, his breathing and heart'll slow down. Hang in there just a little longer, fella!'
The Finizen slowly started to ease, looking more dazed than panicked. His breathing had slowed down.
Marvel watched the man at work in awe. The coolness and confidence he showed under pressure… it was beyond heroic.
~Alright, Buddy.~ Ash turned to his partner. ~Marvel can't hear us without us speaking, so it's up to you and me to figure this out!
~Right. If we want to get them out, we need to loosen up the rock around her. Maybe that'll work!~
~Good thinking. Let's try chipping away at it with your Iron Tail. C'mere!~ Ash relayed, holding out his open hands. Pikachu swam back into them, back facing his trainer. ~Peeks! Iron Tail!~
Short of his usual battle cry, Pikachu flooded his lightning bolt-tipped tail with power, coating it in sharp steel. ~I don't have my momentum underwater. You'll need to swing it, yourself, Ash!~
Ash did as told, and took the pointed end of Pikachu's Iron Tail in one hand. He swung it at the rock like a scalpel, forming cracks in its surface. Pebbles started to shake loose.
He and Peeks continued the pattern, cutting away at solid earth in one spot after another, moving in a circular pattern around the trapped Finizen. They had to dodge their flailing a couple of times, but managed to work their way around.
~Okay… Now let's give it another try!~ Ash instructed, and he, Peeks, and Marvel pushed the captive again. More fragments of rock shook loose, but the resistance didn't end.
~He's still stuck…!~
"We're running out of time…!" Marvel whined.
~And we'll run out of breath!~ Pikachu voiced. His cheeks were swollen with the oxygen he clung to, and they were starting to turn blue. ~We need something more powerful to blow the loose part of the tunnel away!~
~We do,~ Ash agreed. ~But your electric attacks would be bad news, here… especially with all of us close to suffocating! We need something else~!
~Hey, Marvel used Water Gun earlier. That should work!~ Peeks pointed out.
Ash nodded. He and his partner started gesturing to Marvel, and pointing towards the crumbling rock. "Mhm! Hmph!" They threw their arms out, trying to gesture through her move.
"...What? What is Marvel supposed to do? I don't understand!" The dolphin frowned, tilting her head. "C'mon, we have to do something!"
'Ugh… to hell with it! It's all-or-nothing!' Ash decided, and then rolled the dice. "Use Water Guuahk!" He shouted, putting his own breath at risk.
"...Oh! Water Gun!" The dolphin's eyes snapped open. Her fellow hero had once again thrown himself in harm's way. She couldn't afford to fail them, now! "Fear not! Marvel will save the day!" Turning to her fellow Finizen with newfound boldness, she opened her mouth to fire a jet of pressure towards their perimeter.
Piece by piece, solid stone broke away. The segments loosened up, until the Finizen was set free, and the four of them flooded into the open sea.
Ash pulled an arm around the suffocating Finizen and Pikachu alike, once again dangerously short for breath. He felt his own weight being pulled along by Marvel, and left their fate in her fins.
After catching his first gasps of air, again, Ash felt dizzy and numb. He left his fate in the fins of the heroic Finizen, and allowed himself rest.
Before he knew it, they were laying on a nearby sandy shore. All four of them, beached, gasping for air.
"Ah… phew… we… made it…!"
"Thank goodness…!" Peeks sighed heavily, leaning into Ash's chest. His own, right now, was burning. "That was… a close one…"
"Thank… Thank you…!" The second Finizen laid limp. But, he was alive. "I thought I was done for."
"...Oh, goodness!" A woman's voice could be heard nearby. Hearing the crunch of sand under shoes, Ash rolled over on his back, looking upside-down. A Nurse Joy was rushing over, and behind her, Ash could make out one of Paldea's oddly shaped Pokémon Centers.
He laughed weakly. "Talk 'bout… a lucky break…!"
"What on earth happened, over here!?" She asked, looking over the four present. "Are you all alright?"
"Gonna be," Ash said weakly, flashing a thumbs up. "...But I think you should check out that Finizen. They were short for oxygen for a little while. They might need your help."
"Of course," she said, crouching down to inspect the rescued 'mon. "Though, I should say you all could use some help. You look terrible; you could have drowned! Someone your age should know better!"
Ash laughed to himself. He was sure these sorts of lectures from Joys were something he was fated to hear as long as he lived. "Should've, yeah… But, they needed our help."
Nurse Joy tutted. "Well, be that as it may… if you still have the strength, could you help me bring these Pokémon back to the center? We may not have much room, but we can at least provide you with some warmth and a proper change of clothes while yours dry."
"Aha… Yeah, sure." Ash pushed himself to his feet. He found his knees to still be trembling a little. "C'mon, everyone. Let's get you checked out."
Paldea's Pokémon Centers were odd. Unlike the hospitable enclosures of most regions, they frankly looked more like gas stations; entertaining a Poké Mart and TM creator all at once, with one, large room in its center, where Nurse Joy would tend to patients, if necessary.
That was where Ash, Peeks, and Marvel sat, the former changed into a plain teal patient's garb, while his clothes dried. Across the room, the rescued Finizen laid out on a hospital bed, where his vitals were being taken.
"So…" Ash looked over to Marvel, who was laid out on a warm towel. She looked a bit distant. "I'm guessing that tunnel we came through was how you got into the Southern Province. Right?"
"Uh-huh," she answered. "It happened when Marvel was a small child. Curiosity got the better of her; a whole new frontier. Marvel managed to wiggle her way through… but, she never quite managed to get back out." Despite her curious choice of third person speech, her usual enthusiasm was lacking.
"From then on, Marvel decided that it was her duty to be the land dwellers' hero."
"Well I guess I'd call that 'acting with porpoise,' right? Aha."
Silence loomed over the group. Ash wasn't sure whether Marvel didn't like the joke, or simply didn't get it. Peeks looked unimpressed.
"...You never really had a choice," Pikachu concluded. He suddenly felt guilty for asking her if she got out much, earlier.
"The Pokémon here never understood Marvel's duties," she continued. The hurt in her voice was palpable; it was a clear feeling of rejection. "A true hero should never tire. And yet…"
"Lemme tell you something, Marvel." Ash picked up where her silence left off. "A lot of people and Pokémon aren't used to the kind of craziness that heroes go through. They don't understand it, so it can be scary or weird to them."
Marvel nodded. "It's a lonely role, being a hero."
"I wouldn't say that." Ash shook his head, smiling. "Remember what I said before? Anyone can be a hero. Heck, you may just find other heroes in places you'd never expect!"
Before those words could be dwelled on further, perhaps, the familiar Pokémon Center jingle rang, drawing the group's attention. Their expectant eyes all fell on Nurse Joy.
The woman with colorful hair smiled. "Finizen is going to be just fine. I'm going to watch them overnight, just to be safe, but they'll be released back into the wild within the day!"
Ash, Pikachu, and Marvel exchanged glances, and laughed.
"Marvel has a word for her fellow Finizen, then!"
"Well, then, lemme help." Ash got up and crouched, picking up Marvel to carry on his shoulders. He carried her over to her comrade.
The other Finizen rolled over, looking tired, but content. "Thank you… all three of you."
"You're quite welcome, citizen! But, I should give you a fair warning to not stumble into any more narrow spaces. You could find yourself stuck in unfamiliar territory… or worse, just as you saw today! Try to be more careful in the future, won't you?"
"Oh, I will…!"
Ash and Pikachu exchanged a knowing look, and grinned. The hypocrisy, somehow, was endearing.
Beautiful oranges, purples, and pinks painted the Paldean skies, teetering on the edge of twilight. The sun was setting in the west, hidden behind Paldea's high cliff faces and mountain ranges, leaving the beach to be painted in the sky's cooler hues.
There, Ash and Peeks stood on the shore, with Marvel facing them in the shallowest brushes of low tide. Ash was back in his standard clothing, warm and dry. He smiled.
"Well… I guess this is goodbye," he said.
"It's been nice meeting you!" Peeks chirped. "Try not to get into any more trouble, okay?"
"It's been nice working with you both," Marvel said, brushing away at budding tears with her fin. "...But I don't know where you get the idea that your work will be done, anytime soon!"
"...Eh?"
"Rai?"
Ash and Pikachu stared on, blinking.
"That's right! Your time with Marvel is just beginning," she announced, placing both of her fins on her sides. "...because today, here and now, Marvel is naming you, Ash and Peeks, as her trusty sidekicks!"
The Trainer-Pokémon duo nearly stumbled over in shock.
"Say, what!?"
"Sidekicks!?"
"You see, Marvel can see your Heroic Aura. It's a bright and hopeful ember that could one day be a roaring flame! And it'd be just so not heroic to pass that by, so Marvel's going to take you under her wing, to help you grow as heroes!" The cetatean gestured wildly and grandly as she spoke, ending with her fin pointing towards their both.
"...You don't say," Ash deadpanned, failing to hold back a snort.
"I have a feeling that it's actually the other way around," Peeks pointed out; a remark that Marvel summarily chose to ignore.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Marvel knows." Marvel boasted. But, her ego couldn't hide the smile under her snout, more her glimmering, multi-hued eyes. "What do you say, heroes?"
"...Ha!" Ash could only smile widely. He reached for his belt, where he found an empty Poké Ball; an excess he tended to keep on him at all times, just in case. "Well, if that's the case, Marvel, I can't say no." He shifted his weight onto his hind leg, and wound up. "Pokeball… Go!"
The capsule spun through the air, and hit Marvel on the snout, capturing her in a beam of red light. She retreated into its interior, and the Poké Ball hit the wet sand. Wobble. Wobble.
Ding!
There it was. That age-old warmth in his heart that grew and grew until it felt like he'd burst. Ash took those familiar steps towards a newly claimed friend, and crouched to pick the Poké Ball up. "Check it out, Bud. We've got a new friend! …Alright!"
Ash spun around, striking his favorite pose that never quite got old. "I just caught… Marvel!"
"Ra-Raichurai!"
Ash hadn't even retired the pose before a flash of light escaped the Poké Ball, and materialized on his back.
"Ack!"
"Excellent! A new, heroic age has been born!" Leaning her full weight onto Ash's back and shoulders, Marvel squeaked with joy. "Come, young ward, and guide us towards our next destination!"
Peeks stumbled to cling to Ash's arm, after Marvel had nearly knocked him off. "You KNOW we're both older than you…"
"Hah, if you say so!" Ash laughed. "Well, if you must know, hero, we've got a whole tour of Paldea ahead of us! Sooo, let's go!" With a spring in his step, Ash marched off of the Southern Province's sandy shores, all while their new friend guided them forth, with her widely waving fin, and ever-beaming wisdom.
Every day, heroes fought hard to assure that the world they shared with so many people and Pokémon was a peaceful and virtuous one.. And yet, even as villainous organizations crumbled, and crime curbed for the better… some would always be in need of a hero of their very own.
The world would always need adventurous souls and noble hearts. And so, they would continue to be born.
