“And there it is,” said Jessie. “Beautiful Laverre City!”
The sun was just in the middle of setting when Team Rocket’s balloon crested the horizon, at last coming within visual distance of their destination. Below them, the team could just make out the oncoming city in the fading sun’s light. The shadows cast by artfully-designed building mingled with the faint glow of street lamps to produce a scene reminiscent of a swarm of fireflies flitting through the night. For Celestia, the experience was far more than that.
“So,” she thought from her position atop the balloon. “This is how the civilized inhabitants live here.”
The city below lacked, she noted, the towering skyscrapers of bustling places like Manehatten back home. The buildings were, for the most part, two or three stories tall at most, and tended to be spaced out between patches of green. Trees, young and old, grew everywhere, and Celestia even spotted a small stream or two running through the town. Almost of the construction had an artful, personalized quality to it that suggested a general lack of mass-production. Tiny dots that were people and Pokemon of many species were wandering through the streets, markets, outdoor restaurants, and what were presumably parklands. Flocks of birdlike Pokemon and other floating species flitted around from place to place. Near the center of everything was what appeared to be the largest building in town, one that instantly put the princess in the mind of her student’s old domicile back home: a half-dozen story structure built around, and almost into, what had to be the largest tree Celestia had seen since ancient times.
On the whole, Laverre City reminded Celestia a little bit of some of the more upscale, homey towns that littered Equestria’s countryside. These were homes not to the wealthiest of the elite, and to the poorest of the poor, but rather to those with some money who sought a quiet, peaceful life closer to nature. She wondered idly how the demographics here compared.
More importantly, Celestia thought as the balloon made its slow, steady way down to the earth, this was her first chance to acquire a broader knowledge base in a civilized environment. Since arriving here, she had had no real chance to do proper research on the state of interdimensional travel in this world, and she would be a fool to miss this opportunity to do so. From the way Team Rocket had scoffed at the idea of her being such a traveler, she was not optimistic about the chances, but she had to try.
And of course, Laverre also represented a chance to ditch Team Rocket, if she chose to do so. They had been mostly accommodating, true, but they were also irritating, overly aggressive, and none-too-bright. They had tricked her into joining them. Granted, by the rules of their world it wasn’t trickery and she probably would have traveled with them this far voluntarily, but that still didn’t make it alright, did it? Yes, James had healed her injuries and fed her, but he had placed her in the battle where she had gotten many of them. Besides, she had saved his life. Surely that was repayment enough. She was perfectly at liberty to leave them any time she wanted and make her own way through this crazy world. No one could fault her for it.
So why did she feel a slight twinge of guilt when she thought about it?
Some moments later, Team Rocket’s balloon touched down in a forest clearing slightly outside the city. Celestia jumped nimbly down to ground, watching the trio set the burner to slowly die away before climbing out of the basket themselves. The Meowth balloon would deflate before too long, and Jessie, James, and Meowth busied themselves with setting up a camp. The princess used her newfound Psychic move to assist, getting some practice using it for finer manipulation in the process.
“Ow!” yelled Meowth as he was smacked in the face with a hovering bedroll. He made a fist at Celestia. “Watch where you’re aimin’ dat thing, lady!”
“I apologize,” said Celestia with a completely straight face. “I am still learning to control this power fully.”
“Don’t think ya got me fooled! I know just what you’re up to, horsie!”
“Do you now?” Celestia smiled pleasantly as the two stared one another down. She held it perfectly, unerringly, as a dozen large objects lifted themselves up behind her head.
Meowth hesitated. “Uh… I tink I need ta go… do a ting! Bye!”
The small catlike Pokemon ran over to Jessie and James, and remained there for the remainder of the setup. It took a few minutes to get everything into place, set up tents, and get a fire going, but they managed with a practiced ease that suggested a good deal of experience in roughing it. Finally, they took out their rather small cooking pot again, poured some water and some brown thing in a can into it, and set it to cooking.
Celestia watched the sun’s orange rays slowly fade away beneath the tree cover before turning back to the trio and sitting herself down beside the fire. As daylight waned, it seemed to grow brighter and brighter. In contrast, the princess herself felt less lively, weaker than before. She brushed off the unfamiliar sensation as a simple failure to fully adapt to this world’s conditions.
“Can I ask,” she said. “Why you are choosing to make camp outside of the city rather than go in? For secrecy’s sake, I assume?”
“Dat’s right,” Meowth answered. “We don’t want no one knowin’ we’re here yet. It’ll be easier springin’ a trap on those Team Flare guys if they don’t see us first, see?”
“We’ll be going into town for supplies tomorrow, once everything’s open,” James added.
“Your stores close at night?”
“A lot of ‘em,” Meowth said. “Especially da ones we want!”
“Luna wouldn’t like that,” Celestia mused. “But this does mean night would be a good time to slip away into the city, if I wish to.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said aloud. “I want to see this place, up close and personal.”
A good few miles back down Route 14, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were gathered around their own campfire. With their only form of transport being their own two feet, they couldn’t cover ground as quickly as Team Rocket, but they were certainly enjoying their journey more. They had set up camp inside a forest clearing of their own and were presently watching Clemont present his latest invention. Holding up a small box greatly resembling a microwave with a trio of metal sticks going through from one side to the other, the Lumiose City gym leader elaborated on its function.
“I call it my Perfect Marshmallow Maker,” he explained. “It takes an ordinary marshmallow,” he held up one of the puffy white treats in one hand. “And cooks it ever so gently into a flawless, uniform golden brown in less than thirty seconds. Perfect for eating alone, with friends, or on a smore. Never again will your camping trip be marred by burnt or undercooked dessert!” his large glasses seemed to flash as he grinned broadly. “The future is now, thanks to science!”
“That’s great, Clemont!” said Ash with a smile of his own.
“But does it work?” asked a rather more skeptical Bonnie.
“Of course!” her big brother answered. “Allow me to demonstrate.” Clemont opened the machine and placed a marshmallow along one of the sticks, which promptly started to rotate slowly. “Now we just activate the burners, and…” he pressed a button, and the inside of the machine began to glow a soft orange. Within seconds, the white dessert inside began to turn brown.
“Wow, Clemont,” Serena leaned in close to get a better look at the device’s inside, smiling. “Good job.”
“Thank you. Thank you,” he waved, looking proud. “As you can see, the Perfect Marshmallow Maker will revolutionize our camping trips and render cooking over campfires obsolete!”
“Uh, you might wanna check again,” Bonnie pointed.
“Huh?” Clemont looked down. “Yowch!” he suddenly dropped the machine into the dirt. “Hot! Hot! Hot!”
“How well did you insulate that thing?”
“Insulate?”
The machine exploded.
When the resulting massive cloud of smoke cleared away around thirty seconds later, both Clemont and Serena sported ashy black faces and impromptu afros. The inventor sank to his knees and moaned.
“Not again,” he sighed wearily. “Why does this always happen to me?”
“What did you do to my hair?!” Serena yelped when she spotted her reflection.
“Ah, it’s okay,” Ash scratched the back of his head. “Making smores with friends over a campfire is half the fun of having them. I wouldn’t want a machine to replace that.”
Pikachu put a paw to his mouth and snickered. Then, suddenly, he stood up straight, one long ear twitching visibly. He rushed over to Ash on all fours.
“Pika pi!” he said, tugging on his trainer’s vest to get his attention. “Pikachu! Pika pika!”
“Huh? What is it, buddy?” Ash asked. “What’s the matter?”
By way of answer, Pikachu turned and pointed towards some bushes at the other end of the clearing. “Pi Pikachu.”
“There’s something there?”
“Pika,” Pikachu nodded.
As if on cue, the bushes began to rustle, attracting everyone’s attention very quickly. Even Clemont looked up from wiping his face off and Serena took a moment away from trying to beat her hair back into submission. A medium-sized, quadrupedal creature exploded from the shrubs in a burst of speed, but almost immediately slowed down. The lavender creature’s eyes were squeezed shut, its face a mask of pain. Its gait featured a notable limp on one of its rear legs, and a secondary one on a foreleg.
“Whoa!” Bonnie exclaimed. “What’s that?”
Ash pulled out his Pokedex and held it up.
“Pokemon unknown,” it said. “No data.”
“Look, the poor thing is injured!” Serena said.
“What happened to it?” wondered Clemont.
“Pika pika Pikachu!”
Perhaps in some twisted form of answer to Clemont’s question, eerie, high-pitched howls rang out in rapid succession from very nearby. The Pokemon’s eyes opened up, looking wide and terrified. But it only managed to stagger forward a few more steps before three more shapes leapt out of the forest. These, Ash recognized instantly.
“Watch out! Houndoom!”
“Houndoom,” the Pokedex said as it scanned the newcomers, oblivious to the larger situation. “The Dark Pokemon. The evolved form of Houndour, Houndoom hunt in packs, working together to bring down their prey. It is said that if you are burned by the fires it produces in its belly, the injury will never fully heal.”
As one, the three red and black, horned Pokemon opened their jaws and unleashed three streams of red-white fire. All three shots found their target, and the lavender Pokemon went flying across the clearing, where it smacked into and rolled across the ground. It attempted to rise, legs quivering underneath it… and then they gave out, and the mysterious creature collapsed in a heap and lay still. The three Houndoom advanced, jaws wide and fangs bared.
“Pika pika!” Pikachu leapt over the fallen Pokemon, placing himself between the predators and their would-be meal. His cheeks sparked dangerously.
“You’re right, Pikachu!” Ash stood up, fist clenched. “There’s no way we’re letting you have this Pokemon!” he shouted at the Houndoom.
The three clenched their teeth and growled. For a moment, everything was still as the two groups sized one another up and postured. Then the Houndoom glanced at one another and opened their mouths again. Fire poured forth.
“Use Quick Attack to dodge!” Ash commanded.
Pikachu darted across the clearing at lightning speed, such that he appeared to be in multiple places at once. The streams of fire struck the ground and scorched away small saplings and grasses, but they did not manage to touch Ash’s Pokemon.
When Pikachu got close, one of the Houndoom ceased firing and leapt towards Pikachu instead, its fangs bared and suddenly coming aflame themselves.
“Look out, that’s Fire Fang!” Clemont shouted.
“Counter with Iron Tail!” Ash yelled.
“Pika,” Pikachu’s tail lit up with a bright silver glow. “Chu!” He jumped nimbly into the air, passing straight over Houndoom’s open jaws and even its horned head. Just as he reached the back of the Pokemon’s skull, Pikachu whirled himself around and smashed his tail directly into the back of Houndoom’s head, sending the powerful predator sprawling into the dirt.
“Now, Thunderbolt!”
“Chuuuu!”
Pikachu’s cheeks crackled violently, and the next instant he unleashed a spectacular arc of electrical energy that crashed down right on top of the two other Houndoom. They howled in obvious pain.
“Now, let’s make this a fair fight!” Ash grabbed two Poke Balls from his waist and tossed them upwards. “Frogadier, use Water Pulse! Hawlucha, Karate Chop!”
The two Pokemon burst onto the scene in twin flashes of white light, and moved at once to do as their master bid. Frogadier formed a blue-white sphere between its arms and hurled it, while Hawlucha’s wing and claw shone with a white light of their own. The sphere burst against one of the Houndoom, while Hawlucha smashed its claw into another. Both attacks were super effective against the Dark/Fire Pokemon.
Now themselves on shaky legs, the small Houndoom pack rose to its collective feat and took stock of the situation. Where they had expected to find easy prey there was instead a ferocious battle that they were presently losing. They were clever enough to see when things were unlikely to go their way, and wise enough to understand when to cut their losses. Howling angrily at their opponents, they turned around and ran back the way that they had come.
Ash waited a minute to see if they would return, and when they did not extended two Poke Balls. “You were great out there, guys! Return!”
After Frogadier and Hawlucha had vanished back to their balls, he turned around to see Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie clustered over the downed lavender Pokemon. As he got closer, Ash spotted a horn and a pair of short wings on its body, as well as slight streaks of other colors in its purple mane. On the whole, it bore a surprising degree of similarity to the other unknown Pokemon that Team Rocket had sent out the other day.
“This Pokemon is hurt very badly,” Clemont said as he went over its unconscious form with both hands. “It looks to have suffered several burns of the second and third degrees, more than a few deep cuts, some of which appear infected, and at least two factures that I can see,” he looked up. “It needs full-scale medical attention right away!”
“But the nearest Pokemon Center is still almost two days out, in Laverre!” Serena said, looking worried. “Will it make it that long?”
“I… don’t know…”
The whole group gasped as one.
“Poor Pokemon,” Bonnie laid a gentle hand on the creature’s head.
“Pika,” Pikachu’s ears and face were drooping.
Of the group, Ash alone wasn’t looking sad or frightened. Instead, he looked thoughtful. Then, a determined expression made its way up his face.
“Leave it to me,” he said, pulling out a red and white orb.
“Ash, what are you doing?!” gasped Serena.
“Poke Ball, go!” Ash tossed it at the prone Pokemon. It sucked the creature inside in a flash of white. The lavender Pokemon was in no position to put up resistance – the ball shook once, then flashed a successful capture.
“Ash!” Bonnie’s fists were balled. “Do you really think now is a good time for a capture?!”
“Just watch,” he said, with a slight smile.
As if waiting for its cue, Ash’s Poke Ball itself lit up with silver, and then vanished from the clearing.
“Of course!” Clemont put one finger up. “Whenever a league trainer has six Pokemon on hand, and captures another…”
“The Poke Ball is instantly teleported back to their home Professor,” Ash finished.
Serena clasped her hands together. “Ash, that’s genius!”
“I know for a fact that Professor Oak always checks out the Pokemon he receives from me right away,” Ash continued. “And if there’s anyone in world who can treat an unknown species of Pokemon, Professor Oak is your man!”
“Pikachu!” Pikachu agreed, smiling again.
“But…” Clemont looked at Ash’s waist. “I thought you didn’t have six Pokemon with you right now.”
“Well…” Ash smiled. “I may have asked the Professor to send up a few old friends before we left Lumiose,” he looked down at where the Pokemon had been.
“Good thing too.”