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“Ugh, stupid Beedrills. Why do they always have to mess things up?” Ash groaned as he trudged along the forest path, having been separated from his friends on the way to the Battle Tower. He had tried flying up but the Beedrill swarm that was in the area grew very agitated and have been patrolling the skies since.
“Pikaaaa…” Pikachu sighed, tilting his head as he rode on Ash’s shoulder.
“I mean, there was that swarm when we first started. Man, that was a while ago, it’s weird to think about.” Ash stretched his arms, putting them behind his head as his wings folded down against his back. A lot has certainly changed.
“Pika.” Pikachu nodded sagely. A ‘mon of few words at the moment.
“Anyway, I think the Battle Tower is this w-” Ash paused, blinking as he stopped in place.
“Pika?” Pikachu poked Ash in concern, wondering why Ash stopped.
“Sorry, I… It felt like something pinged me for some reason. That was weird.” Ash frowned, looking around as his wings twitched before extending again.
“Chuuuu…” Pikachu looked around as well, ears alert and twitching.
A rustling in the underbrush drew both their attention before something trotted out.
“Peon!” An Espeon cooed, approaching the duo while staring Ash in the eyes.
“An Espeon?” Ash tilted his head, before he blinked, wings twitching as his eyes briefly flashed. Another ping. He looked up just in time to see someone else step out of the bushes.
“You must be Ash. I see you ran afoul of the Beedrill. They’re simply defending their hive, but I told them you’re not a threat.” The individual smiled as Ash took them in. A young woman with lilac hair in a simple yet regal outfit.
“Thank you? Who are you? How do you know who I am?” Ash stared at the woman, his eyes narrowing at her.
“Apologies. I am Anabel. I found your friends, who told me you had been separated-” The newly identified Anabel is interrupted when the lake nearby erupts, a Gyarados roaring as it emerged from the water.
Ash and Pikachu snap towards it, getting ready for battle but are interrupted by Espeon.
“Espeee!” Espeon admonished them, before they nodded their head at Anabel, who was approaching the Gyarados as it charged up an attack.
“Wait-!” Ash called out, before freezing as he felt that ping again.
“What troubles you, my friend?” Ash stared as he heard Anabel’s voice… But doesn’t see her lips move at all. He’s dimly aware of Anabel reaching up and removing a twig lodged in the Gyarados’s side, calming the Pokemon.
“Pika?” Pikachu poked at Ash in concern as he stared at the lilac-themed girl.
“There, that solves that. Now- What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Anabel turned back to Ash, raising an eyebrow at him as she caught him staring.
“I… You… I heard you, but…” Ash struggled to form words, his wings twitching as Pikachu looked between him and Anabel in confusion.
“Peeon?” Espeon tilted their head in curiosity, as if just noticing that Ash’s wings are real and not an elaborate cosplay.
“You heard… But how?” Anabel stared at Ash in return as Pikachu jumped down and ran over to inspect her-
Before they were rudely interrupted by a net launching out to ensnare Pikachu, and Anabel by extension.
“Prepare for trouble!”
And that was Ash’s day ruined.
“Horn Attack!” Ash called out, wings twitching as he commanded Tauros in battle.
“Roooos!” Tauros bellowed, horns glowing brightly as it charged Metagross.
“Meteor Mash!” Anabel smiled to herself, mouth remaining closed. Ash’s brow twitched as he felt the ping again. It had been so long since a trainer had been able to match her battle style without faltering, and Anabel is having fun.
“How is Ash still able to react to Anabel’s commands? She isn’t even saying anything!” Max huffed in frustration, having given up on trying to figure out what Anabel’s battle plan was ages ago.
“Well, we know Ash is part Latios now, it’s likely that he’s able to pick up on Anabel’s commands telepathically. Even if he can’t consciously access it. Watch, you can see his face twitch every so often before Anabel’s Pokemon move.” Brock mused, hand on his chin as he watched the battle curiously.
Max and May turned to focus on Ash as well as Tauros and Metagross charged each other once again. Ash’s brow twitched again just before Metagross moved to the side.
“Take Down!” Ash called out, and Tauros responded, slamming into Metagross, knocking the Hoenn pseudo-legendary out before falling to recoil damage itself.
“Come Espeon. Let us win this, my friend!” Anabel threw out a Pokeball, releasing her Espeon with a grin on her face.
“Pikachu, I choose you!” Ash extended a hand, letting Pikachu run down his arm and jump onto the field.
“Pika Pika!” Pikachu cried out, a determined look on his face as his cheeks sparked, ready for battle.
“Quick Attack!” Both of them command, but only one verbally. Pikachu and Espeon shoot towards each other at high speeds, glowing brightly as they clash.
“Iron Tail!” Pikachu swings his tail around, clashing with Espeon’s tail as the two duel.
“They’re evenly matched…” May frowned, concerned for Ash’s chances of victory.
“Oho! Now this is what I’ve been hoping for!” Scott laughed boisterously as the group watched Ash and Anabel battle.
“Thunderbolt!” Ash commanded, clenching his fist as he watched Pikachu and Espeon match each other, his eyes darting around to figure something out.
“Zap Cannon, my friend!” Anabel smiled victoriously as she watched Ash twitch from another ping. He needed a less obvious tell.
“Pika!” “Espeon!” The Pokemon responded, charging up their electric attacks that clashed in the air before Espeon’s Zap Cannon overpowered Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, sending the mouse flying back.
“Pikachu!” Ash cried out in concern, analyzing the situation before a thought occurred to him. “Use Iron Tail on the ground!”
“Pika!” Pikachu responded immediately, flipping forward and slamming his tail into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
“What are you planning Ash…” Anabel frowned at the new development. “Stay on guard, my friend.”
“Peeeeon…” Espeon growled, tail flicking behind her as she crouched down.
“Volt Tackle!” Ash commanded with a grin, watching as lightning started to spark within the dust cloud, before Pikachu suddenly slammed into Espeon’s side, knocking the psychic Eeveelution into the wall.
“Espeon!” Anabel calls out verbally for the first time in shock, turning to look at Espeon, who is out cold.
“Alright! We did it Pikachu!” Ash grinned, pumping his fist in the air as Pikachu ran back towards him, crying out happily.
“Congratulations again on your victory, Ash. It was a fun battle.” Anabel smiled warmly at Ash as they stood outside the Battle Tower with Scott and Ash’s travel group watching.
“It was! I’m still trying to figure out why your empathy kept pinging me and how to use that deliberately, but that can be something to ponder over as I travel.” Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly which is mirrored by Pikachu.
“Peeon?” Espeon looked up at Pikachu curiously, glancing between him and Ash.
“You know, I could probably help with that. Over the phone, at least, since I’m sure you want to keep traveling to take on the final Frontier Brain.” Anabel giggled, before pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Ash. “Here, my phone number.”
Somewhere behind Ash, Brock fell to the ground and started crying.
“Thank you! I’ll be sure to call.” Ash grinned, not thinking much of it or why Anabel’s cheeks are a bit red as he pocketed the paper Anabel handed him.
“Right, now with that out of the way, I suppose now is the time to reveal the location of the Battle Pyramid! You’ll find it and Pyramid King Brandon near Pewter City, so you’d best get going!” Scott laughed boisterously, interrupting the moment with all the subtlety of a Tyranitar using Hyper Beam.
“Right, thanks Scott!” Ash waved as he turned to rejoin the group, raising an eyebrow as Pikachu facepalmed. “Uh, Brock? You good?”
“Yeah… Give me a second… Stupid lucky dense dragon…” Brock grumbled as he laid on the ground, tears running down his face as May and Max stared at him in exasperation.
After Brock recovered, the group went on their way, not noticing Anabel turning beet red as Scott grinned at her knowingly.
A thought occurs to Ash.
“Wait, I don’t have a phone… Guess I’ll have to pick one up.”
“Pikaaaa…” Pikachu facepalmed again, for a different reason this time.
“Ash, help!” Ash cried out as he floated in the air, clearly having trouble controlling his flight for the time being.
Wait, something about that isn’t right…
“What was that you said last time, Max? That I just had to stay focused?” Max inquired smugly as he looked up at Ash floating in the air without direction.
Something is definitely screwy here.
“Pika…” Pikachu sighed as he stood on the railing of the ship next to May and Manaphy.
“This is weird to watch…” May frowned as she watched her brother - in Ash’s body - and Ash - in Max’s body - argue over how Ash flies. “Do we have any idea when this is going to wear off?”
“Well, it could be a few minutes, or they could be stuck there for hours. We won’t know until it actually does wear off.” Jackie shrugged as he leaned against the railing to watch the arguing duo.
Suddenly, Ash stopped floating aimlessly as he and Max clutched at their heads. As they recovered, Ash effortlessly landed back on the boat and shook himself off. “Ugh, that felt weirdly quiet. Let’s not do that again.”
“Agreed. Floating like that was not comfortable at all.” Max huffed as he rubbed at his forehead.
“Here, get in!” Ash commanded as he pushed May into the pod that the Rockets used, putting Pikachu in with her and Manaphy.
“Wait, Ash! What are you doing?” May cried out, concerned as the water rose around them.
“Pika!” Pikachu protested as well.
“Don’t worry, I’ll grab that last crystal and save Samiya! You need to get back to the surface safely!” Ash moved to close the pod, but stopped as Pikachu started protesting again.
“Pikachu, I’ll be fine. Remember Alto Mare, alright?” Ash smiled reassuringly at Pikachu, who blinked and calmed down but still stared at Ash indignantly.
“Ash, what-” May tried asking before Ash closed the pod completely.
As he turned away from the pod, Ash sighed and stretched, his wings flaring up to their full extension. He really hoped that he was right about being able to be underwater longer as a Latios hybrid. He only had the Alto Mare Latios to go on for what he could do now.
He steeled himself and dived into the water, heading back to the treasure room.
Rather than swimming normally, he simply just started flying underwater to get to the treasure room much faster, no need to waste energy kicking his feet when he could just use his hybrid abilities.
Looking around, he spotted the remaining crystal and flew - swam? He needed to figure out if it was flying or swimming if he was flying underwater, but that’s a problem for another time - over to it and grabbed it.
Ash found himself very grateful that he didn’t have to try and swim normally while carrying this thing, because it was heavy.
Bursting out of the water, Ash flew over to the crown and quickly deposited the last crystal into it, before blinking as it started to glow.
“Uh… Is it supposed to do that?” He asked no one in particular before the room glowed golden.
“Manaphy!” May cried out as Phantom swam away, cackling. Samiya floated on the surface of the water behind them as Manaphy cried out.
The water around May churned angrily as Phantom made his getaway, before something caught her eye.
A golden light quickly growing brighter under the surface of the water.
“What the-” Phantom cried out as a jet of golden light suddenly burst from the surface of the ocean, heading straight up before turning towards Phantom. Thanks to experience with recognizing Ash when he used Giga Impact, May was certainly able to recognize the hybrid in the center of the golden energy and she relaxed marginally.
The day was saved.
“This must be the orb with Ho-oh in it!” Ash grinned as he walked up to the statue, wings twitching with excitement.
“Pikaaaa…” Pikachu sighed at Ash’s one-track mind, glancing back at the stone door worriedly since it shut behind them before the others could get in.
“Alright, Ho-oh, get ready to battle me!” Ash reached out and grabbed the stone orb, idly noticing that it was shaped like a Pokeball - how old is the Pokeball imagery? - and held it above his head.
Of course, suddenly the door opened and Brandon and Ash’s friends rushed in.
“No! Drop it now!” Brandon commanded as he stopped just inside the door.
“Huh?” Ash blinked, turning towards Brandon for a moment before the orb in his hand suddenly vibrated and lifted of its own accord.
Everyone stared at it in shock, not noticing Pikachu briefly facepalming before the electric mouse focused on the orb as chanting filled the room.
Ash yelped in shock as a burst of energy suddenly lanced from the orb into him, coating him in a dark aura as he fell to his knees.
“You… A perfect vessel… My return…” Ash groaned, clutching his head as a headache built up behind his eyes-
The voice sounded distorted. Like it was speaking to him from under water. He wished it would go away-
“Wait, no-!” The voice cried out, and then the headache went away suddenly, the energy dispersing into the air anti-climactically.
Ash blinked, his eyes flickering as he felt the psychic energy dissipating from him. He hadn’t even realized that he used it.
“Pikaaaa…” Pikachu prodded Ash’s cheek.
“Are you alright, Ash?” Brock stepped forward, placing a hand on Ash’s shoulder.
“I- Yeah, I’m fine. That was stupid of me, huh?” Ash chuckled as he shook himself off, standing up and stretching before he yelped again as Brandon was suddenly in his face.
“That was reckless of you, young man! No matter how many battles you have won, you must always approach unknown situations with caution!” Brandon scolded Ash, towering over him.
“I suppose, yeah. I need to get better. Especially since I have no idea how I did… That…” Ash gestured vaguely at the stone orb, which landed on the floor after the energy disappeared.
Glancing at Pikachu, Ash sighed. “Guess I should finally call Anabel and see what advice she can give me.”
Pikachu just facepalmed and sighed. His trainer’s a bit of an idiot, but he’s Pikachu’s idiot.
“What was her number again?” Ash grumbled to himself as he sat down on a rock outside Pewter City, fumbling with the Poryphone he finally purchased in order to talk to Anabel.
“Pika.” Pikachu calmly held out the slip of paper with Anabel’s number on it so that Ash could read it.
“Thanks Pikachu. Now, let’s see how to add contacts.” Ash began the very confusing process of navigating a phone without any prior experience or anyone showing him how to do it. After all, he never needed a phone until now, having lived in Pallet Town before he started traveling. No one in Pallet actually has internet except for Professor Oak.
After a bit of struggling with the phone, consulting the manual that Pikachu had to dig out, and at least one accidental call that he quickly cut off, Ash finally pulled up Anabel’s successfully input contact details and pressed the “call” button.
“Hello? Who is this?” Anabel’s voice came through the speaker a few moments later, enough to make Ash wonder if the phone was even working.
“Hey Anabel! It’s me, Ash! I finally got a phone I can call you with!” Ash grinned to himself as he leaned back, Pikachu sighing in relief in front of him. Someone needed to give Pikachu a raise.
Wait, Pikachu didn’t get paid. Someone should pay him.
“Ash? It’s good to hear from you again! Is there a reason you’re calling? Is this about learning how to use and understand your empathy powers? Or are you calling for another reason?” Anabel asked, a hopeful note in her voice that had Pikachu sweatdrop off to the side.
“I was calling to take you up on your offer for lessons on my psychic powers. I, uh, had a run-in with some sort of spirit or whatever and instinctively repelled it, but I want to know how to control these powers to be able to do stuff like that deliberately. Or something along those lines. Honestly, I think it’d just be good to have a handle on this in general.” Ash rambled into the phone for a moment, before he paused to take a breath.
“I, yeah, I can help you with that. Where do you want to start?” Anabel responded after a moment, sounding like she was slightly confused but getting the general feel of what Ash was saying. Which is honestly impressive, knowing Ash’s limited ability to explain things well.
“From the beginning, please. I know I forgot some things already.” Ash chuckled sheepishly as Pikachu settled in to relax while Ash talked with Anabel.
Pikachu watched idly as he tuned out what Ash and Anabel were saying, beginning to stare off into the distance before he fell asleep.
Waking up hours later was an experience for Pikachu, as he blearily noted with some surprise that Ash was still talking to Anabel. Usually Ash wasn’t one to sit still for so long…
“Yeah, I think after I beat the Battle Frontier I’m going to check out Sinnoh and travel there for a bit.” Hang on, that wasn’t training.
Pikachu sat up and stared at the small smile on Ash’s face as he calmly - calmly! - talked with Anabel. The words faded in and out as Pikachu stared at Ash incredulously as he talked easily with Anabel, not jumping up in excitement or shouting randomly. No hot-headed fighting. Just… Talking.
Pikachu had a weird feeling about this.
The party at Oak Ranch had been going on for hours and was still in full swing despite the sun beginning to set.
Pikachu sat a bit away from everyone else, watching the festivities as he contemplated things.
Beating that Regice made him think, as he watched Ash peel away from the party to join him. He barely blinked as Ash sat down next to him.
“What's up, buddy? Aren't you excited that we beat the Battle Frontier?” Ash grinned as he reached over and pet Pikachu's ears, just the way he liked it.
“Chaaa…” Pikachu sighed, briefly melting into Ash's touch before he shook himself off and looked up at Ash, noting the obvious changes Ash had undergone over the past year.
The blue wings that jutted from Ash's back in an idle position, rather than being tucked down as they usually were. The horns poking up along the sides of Ash's cap. The claws at the ends of Ash's fingers that provided much better scratches than his old fingernails. The tufts of feathers that have begun to appear on Ash's forearms as the changes properly settled in as he grew older. Even the hint of sharper canines in Ash's smile.
Ash had changed, Pikachu noted wistfully. He evolved. No longer the idiot who dragged him along with rubber gloves.
“Buddy?” Ash tilted his head with a bit of concern, sensing Pikachu's contemplative mood.
Pikachu didn't answer, thinking. His gaze trailed over to an outside pocket of Ash's bag.
Ash fell silent as well, before he reached over and opened the pocket. He pulled out a small box and set it in front of Pikachu.
The symbol of a lightning bolt stared back up at them, a gift from a giant of a man during their first run of Kanto.
“Regice got you thinking, huh?” Ash quietly broke the silence as they both looked at the box containing the Thunder Stone. A necessary measure to keep Pikachu from touching it accidentally.
“Pika.” Pikachu nodded, his gaze never leaving the box.
He beat a Legendary. How many other Pikachu could attest to that? He proved the doubters wrong that he would never be as strong as a Raichu, that he should have evolved as soon as he could.
Ash had evolved. In a sense, at least. It would only be fitting that he followed his brother.
However…
Pikachu stared at the box, before he shook his head.
He watched as Ash put the box away and stood up, before he jumped onto Ash's shoulder.
Not yet. He wasn't quite ready to evolve yet.
But soon.
“Tile!” A glowing green blade sliced cleanly through an Aura Sphere, intercepting it. Sceptile settled into a ready stance once more across the field from Ash.
“Very good. Your technique is improving.” Lucario clapped his paws once, approaching Ash.
“Thanks. It's a bit harder without the gloves, to be honest.” Ash panted, lowering his hands as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, seeing that the training is over for now. “And thanks for helping out Sceptile.”
“Scep.” Sceptile nodded, before he turned and walked off to join Bulbasaur by the lake on the ranch.
“They were made specifically to amplify a Guardian's Aura abilities. It is why Sir Aaron was able to utilize his Aura abilities more offensively. I am surprised that you have chosen not to use them.” Lucario considered Ash for a moment, placing a paw to his chin.
“Well, they're a bit of a crutch, y'know? I'd rather be able to use Aura Sphere in a pinch if Team Rocket shows up or I encounter another Legendary, rather than having to pull a pair of gloves on every time.” Ash shrugged as Pikachu made a noise of agreement.
“That is a very respectable stance. But for the time being, we have earned our rest. Let us see what we can make with your… Microwave.” Lucario hummed, stumbling over the term slightly, still unused to the modern era.
“Didn't mom ban you from using the microwave after you tried microwaving an egg?” Ash and Pikachu snickered as they led the way home from the ranch. Lucario sighed with a hint of embarrassment.
“Yes, but I have learned from my mistakes. I am sure your mother wouldn't mind if you were there to help.” Lucario shrugged idly, even as Pikachu started making warning signs.
No one ever listens to Pikachu, though.
So when the microwave suddenly exploded into flames, Pikachu had already run off to get Mr. Mime and the fire extinguisher.
Ash turned and stared at the microwave, before he looked over at a panicked Lucario, who was just staring at the inferno.
“You left the fork in, didn't you?”
“Come on Pikachu, it’s gotta be around here somewhere…” Ash grumbled to himself as he walked through the canals of Alto Mare.
“Pikaaaaaa.” Pikachu grinned smugly as he nudged Ash’s cheek with his paw. Despite Ash’s ability to fly, he’s gotten them lost again.
“I did not- Okay, maybe I did get lost. But we’ve only been here once before, and it’s not like they want the place to be found easily anyway. Kinda why it’s called a secret.” Ash huffed as he reached up to lightly bat at Pikachu.
“Pika.” Pikachu declared smugly as Ash stopped at an intersection. He stood there for a moment, before jolting at a familiar sensation.
Ping.
“Pika?” Pikachu looked at Ash curiously as he suddenly turned with a grin, looking straight at a brown-haired girl in a green shirt without a beret.
“Hey there! I figured you’d find us! How have you been, Tia?” Ash waved at the girl - Tia - who smiled and jogged over to pull Ash into a hug.
“Pikachu!” Pikachu happily exclaimed as Tia pulled back and reached up to start rubbing Pikachu’s ears.
Tia smiled, before she grabbed Ash’s hand and began to drag him along.
Ash, remembering this song and dance, merely laughed and let Tia lead him along as Pikachu held onto his shoulder.
A few extra turns and Tia ran straight through a wall, revealing that the wall was not actually a wall and merely an expertly crafted illusion that hid the beautiful garden beyond.
The Secret Garden of Alto Mare.
The second Tia pulled Ash through, her disguise vanished in a shower of light, revealing the red feathers of a Latias.
Ash grinned as he flicked his wings up from where they had been pressed against his back and cackled at the surprised look on Latias’s face.
“Yeah, a few things have changed since I left. I honestly should’ve come here as soon as it happened, but I was in Hoenn at the time and didn’t want to just up and leave at the beginning of my journey there. I’ll explain in a bit, okay? I just want to see the Soul Dew first. Pay my respects.” Ash smiled up at Latias, his expression falling into a more somber one at the end of his statement. Pikachu’s ears drooped slightly.
Only a year, and it still felt like it was yesterday, being back here.
Latias nodded, cooing sadly as she led the way over to the pedestal in the center of the Secret Garden.
Ash silently approached the pedestal, seeing the water flowing from it and into the rest of Alto Mare. Within the pool was the Soul Dew. The last remnants of Latios.
He stared at the Soul Dew, vaguely aware of Latias floating beside him and Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, before he began to speak.
“Hey Latios. A lot has changed since I was last here. I don’t know what the DMA did, or if it was you, but I’m part Latios now. The, uh, the actual change happened in Hoenn. While I was in Dewford Town. A town on an island by the ocean. Weird coincidence, huh?” Ash chuckled as he began his tale.
“Took me a bit to get used to the wings and how to fly. Max, one of my companions in Hoenn, a young boy, he tried to help. But his help was not the best. I eventually got it, and it’s quite fun. Being able to fly is… Freeing. But I know that hunters like the two that came for you and Latias would come after me if I advertised the fact. So I keep my wings folded down.” Ash hummed, even as Pikachu gave him a brief side eye.
If Ash didn’t want to advertise the fact that he was part Latios, then why did he keep using his abilities whenever a new crisis popped up? The inner machinations of Ash’s mind are an enigma to even Pikachu at times.
“Maybe I should’ve come back before now, checked in, got some advice on how to use my powers from Latias. But… It was too fresh. I wish you were here, that those two hadn’t tried to use the DMA for themselves. But sometimes we don’t get what we want.” Ash sighed, staring into the pool of water at the unchanging Soul Dew.
A few moments of silence passed, broken by a soft coo from Latias. Ash glanced at her, before he shook himself off and turned away from the Soul Dew. “Goodbye, Latios. Rest well.”
Ash stepped away from the pedestal, heading back down into the garden around it before he looked over at Latias with a smile.
“Come on, let me tell you about what I’ve been up to. I’ve got all afternoon before I need to head back to Pallet Town.” Ash chuckled, seeing Latias’s expression light up before she darted over to his side.
And so that was their afternoon, with Ash happily explaining his adventures in Hoenn and Kanto to Latias.
“-and that was how I beat the Battle Tower. Anabel was a tough opponent, but she did promise to help me understand the more psychic aspect of my powers! Even gave me her number so I could call her.” Ash grinned as he floated in the tree branches with Latias.
With one small hiccup, of course.
Latias stared at Ash, before her expression turned devious, a teasing giggle escaped her mouth.
“What? What’s so funny?” Ash frowned, very confused.
Latias only giggled more.
“You know, I really wish you knew how to speak with telepathy. Or I knew how to understand Pokemon better. Pikachu, what’s she giggling about?” Ash turned towards Pikachu as his confusion grew worse.
“Pikaaaaaa.” Pikachu grinned smugly, clearly delighting in Ash’s confusion at Latias’s mirth.
“Come on guys, what’s so funny?” Ash tried again, slowly spinning mid-air.
Latias only giggled harder.
“Alright, who should we bring with us, Pikachu?” Ash mused as he looked over the Pokemon spread out across the ranch.
“Pika…” Pikachu cooed as he joined Ash in looking out across the ranch. Last time they went on a journey to a new region, Ash decided to just take Pikachu with him. But this time, Ash had an idea. Two rotating slots to help train new team members and so his team wouldn’t get rusty at the ranch.
“Pika.” Pikachu pointed decisively at Sceptile, who was watching them closely from under the shade of a tree.
“Alright, Sceptile then. Who should be our second?” Ash glanced around the ranch, a small smile appearing on his face as he saw Swellow and Noctowl bonding as the two fliers currently on his roster. Snorlax was asleep by the lake, with Muk attempting to give him a hug. Corphish and Totodile were happily splashing in the water as Bayleef and Cyndaquil watched.
“Pika…” Pikachu pondered the question, before the answer ran by them. All thirty answers.
Ash easily jumped into the air, his wings flaring up to allow him to float over the Tauros herd as they stampeded under him. He let out a happy laugh as he started to fly above them, following their path throughout the ranch. “What do you think, Pikachu? Shall we take a Tauros with us?”
“Pikachu!” Pikachu happily cried as he clung to Ash’s back.
“Alright Pikachu, final checks. Sceptile and Tauros?” Ash stood at the edge of a cliff near Pallet Town as he put his hat into his bag for safe keeping.
“Pika!” Pikachu gave Ash a thumbs up, seeing the two extra Pokeballs clipped to Ash’s belt.
“I’ve got my X-Transceiver here… Which reminds me, phone?” Ash mused as he checked his wrist. While he had a phone, the X-Transceiver was a purchase he made for a map he could use in flight without having to worry about dropping anything. Especially at high speeds. It was linked to his phone already by Tracey.
“Pika!” Pikachu gave Ash a second thumbs up, seeing the phone tucked into Ash’s pocket.
“Now… Tent?” Ash kept going through the checklist right before he was interrupted.
“Prepare for trouble from the skies!” A painfully familiar voice called out as a shadow loomed over Ash and Pikachu.
“From beyond the stars, a nasty surprise!” An equally familiar voice responded as the shadow revealed itself to be a Meowth-shaped balloon, now that it was no longer blocking the sun.
“An evil as old as the galaxy…” Jessie continued the motto as the balloon descended towards the dynamic duo.
“...sent here to fulfill our destiny!” James continued boisterously with the confidence only someone who has done this hundreds of times can pull off.
“Plus, there’s me!” Meowth piped up as he jumped onto the edge of the balloon’s basket.
“To denounce the evils-” Jessie attempted to continue, before she blinked as she realized something.
“That should be everything then. Ready to go, Pikachu?” Ash grinned as he strapped his backpack on, locking it into place with a few strategic clips.
“Pika!” Pikachu happily jumped up and crawled into Ash’s bag, obediently taking the pair of flight goggles that Ash slipped into his paw.
“Hey! Don’t ignore us, twerp! The nerve! The disrespect!” Jessie ranted as she shook her fist at Ash, eyes gleaming with anger.
“We work hard on these mottos, you know! The least you could do is act like you care!” James lamented, slumped onto the edge of the basket.
“Alright Pikachu, buckle in. Next stop, Sandgem Town!” Ash exclaimed, a pair of matching goggles already on his head as he slipped them down over his eyes.
“You twoips! PAY ATTENTION!” Meowth yelled, finally drawing Pikachu’s attention as Ash dropped into a ready position.
Pikachu stared up at Team Rocket, before he smirked as he slipped the goggles onto his own eyes. Pikachu stuck his tongue out at the trio as Ash’s wings suddenly flared up from their typical resting position folded against Ash’s back.
“Uh oh.” James winced, knowing from experience that something was about to happen.
“Meowth, get the claw!” Jessie commanded as she scrambled to grab the cage for Pikachu.
“No time, Jessie!” Meowth cried out as he scrambled to grab onto something.
Ash suddenly accelerated from a standing position to high speeds. A shockwave of air and wind blasted the balloon upwards, accompanied by the sound of Ash and Pikachu cheering excitedly as they broke the sound barrier over the endless ocean towards Sinnoh.
“Team Rocket’s blasting off again!” The trio exclaimed in sync as they were flung into the air from the force of the shockwave, flying off into the distance.