Recap: Ash and his Pokemon friends spent time training on the island. After the second Charmander vs. Sandshrew battle, Charmander had evolved. She could've evolved long ago but didn't because she wasn't ready at the time. She had fought her evolution down for over a year before deciding that the time was finally right. But peace was one thing that came and went. The group of unruly Pokemon did not give up in trying to kill Ash but every attempt has been successfully thwarted.
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation
Italic words is psychic speech
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard
/Italic words/ is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash
(' is Pokemon thoughts
' is human thoughts
Chapter 4: Return to Civilization
Two years have passed since Ash was brought to the island. Over the years, Ash made friends with most of the Pokemon on the island. He had also continued training with the six Pokemon who chose him to be their trainer. The unruly Pokemon still hadn't put their pasts behind them and had attacked Ash and the others from time to time, which on the bright side gave the Pokemon more experience.
Due to the training and having to battle the unruly Pokemon just about everyday, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon and Sandshrew had evolved. As far as Gloom, she happened to unknowingly touch a Sun Stone one day and had evolved into Bellossom seconds later. But the Pokemon weren't the only ones who went through rigorous training.
Ash had also gone through training while he was on the island. He did everything from climbing trees and cliff walls to swimming in lakes, rivers and even the ocean to physical training with his Pokemon. As a result to his training, his body had become muscular but still lean. Lugia and Charizard used their powers to give Ash the ability to mentally speak with them as well as understand all Pokemon.
Currently, Ash, Lugia, Lapras, Sandslash, Charizard, Pidgeot and Bellossom were helping a Ledyba and a Ledian. A few of their children were trapped inside a small cave. Last night's rainstorm had triggered a landslide, which trapped the young Ledyba in the cave while their parents were still away.
"We're almost through," Ash said. He and Sandslash had been physically digging through the mess.
Charizard and Lugia used Psychic to help speed things up more. Lapras used Ice Beam to freeze some of the debris while Bellossom melted the frozen over debris with Solarbeam. Pidgeot had used Mirror Move to help Charizard and Lugia psychically remove the debris. About ten minutes later, Ash and Pokemon had finally cleared away all the debris, revealing three small and quite terrified Ledyba. Upon seeing their parents, the Ledyba flew over to them. Ledyba and Ledian hugged their children.
"Ledyba led (Thank you so much)," the parent Ledyba said to Ash and the others.
"You're welcome," Charizard said. Then she lay down so Ash could mount her. She had become quite large as a result from the tough training she went through.
Ash mounted Charizard and she took off. Bellossom hitched a ride on Pidgeot and Sandslash was on Lugia's back. Lugia used Psychic to gently tow Lapras through the air. Lugia then saw a distant look on Ash's face.
"Is something wrong?" Lugia asked.
"It's just that I wish to be around other people. Now don't get me wrong. I really enjoy being around the Pokemon here. But since a few months ago, I've had the urge to be around people," Ash responded.
"I knew that this day would come," Charizard said.
"As did we," Lugia said as the others nodded. "The nearest city is Olivine. But I think that we should head to New Bark Town first," he added.
"Why's that?" Ash asked.
"So you can be registered as an official Pokemon Trainer. That way, you can challenge the gyms in the Johto region and/or even catch Pokemon if you want," Lugia responded.
"That sounds like a plan. I've been wanting to see how you guys would do against other trainers' Pokemon," Ash said.
"Bellossom bell (Then New Bark Town it is)," Bellossom said.
"Slash, sandslash (Yeah, let's go)," Sandslash said.
"I've been around the Johto region a lot and know my way around it so I'll lead the way," Lugia said, taking the lead.
The others nodded and followed Lugia's lead. They had reached New Bark Town two days later. Professor Elm was just outside his lab when he saw a group of Pokemon approaching. He looked on in awe upon seeing that one of the Pokemon was the legendary Lugia. Soon, the Pokemon touched down in front of him. Upon seeing Charizard, he couldn't help the awestruck gasp that came out of his mouth.
He had never seen a twenty-foot tall Charizard before. In addition to the height he also couldn't help but notice that this Charizard's skin tone was much different from others that he had seen. He had also never seen a Charizard with a spiked tail. But the most amazing thing to him was that Charizard looked perfectly healthy even though there was no tail flame. He then saw a young boy dismount the Charizard. He couldn't help the question that came out of his mouth.
"Are these Pokemon yours?" Professor Elm asked.
"They are in a sense," Ash responded.
"What do you mean?" Professor Elm asked.
"They chose to be with me. But I am not an official trainer yet. That's why we came here," Ash responded.
"Oh I see. Well come into my lab and I'll get you all set," Professor Elm said.
Ash followed Professor Elm into the lab. To make sure that other trainers wouldn't try to catch the Pokemon, Professor Elm had a lab assistant to be with the Pokemon.
"How long have you had your Pokemon?" Professor Elm asked.
"I've had them for two years. Of course Charizard, Sandslash, Bellossom and Pidgeot were in their unevolved forms when I met them," Ash responded.
"You have a great head start on being a Pokemon trainer then," Professor Elm said smiling.
"Thanks," Ash said.
"Normally, beginning trainers choose from one of these three starter Pokemon. Even though you are not an official trainer just yet, you are definitely not a beginner. But do you want to choose between these starter Pokemon anyway?" Professor Elm said, holding three Poke Balls.
"Okay," Ash said.
Professor Elm released the Pokemon from their Poke Balls. "The little alligator on the left is Totodile. The little fire mouse Pokemon in the center is Cyndaquil, and the little four-legged Pokemon with a leaf on its head is Chikorita," he said.
Ash went over to within an arm's length of the three Pokemon and got down on his knees to have a good look at them. What happened next would prove to be very fascinating. Instead of Ash choosing which of the three Pokemon he wanted, all three Pokemon had chosen him. They had gathered around him. Chikorita rubbed her head against his right leg. Cyndaquil climbed onto his shoulder, and Totodile hugged his left leg.
"I must say that I've never seen this happen before. It looks like all three of them really like you," Professor Elm asked.
"Is that a problem?" Ash asked.
"Normally it is. Because you already have six Pokemon with you, any other Pokemon ou acquire will automatically be sent back here. But I can sense something very special about you and will make an exception," Professor Elm responded. He then went over to the Pokedex before making some modifications on it. He then went to Ash, handing over the modified Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex. All trainers have one. But I modified yours a bit. Instead of being able to carry only six Pokemon with you, you'll be able to carry as many as you want," he added.
"Great," Ash said.
"You are one of the very few trainers who can legally carry more than six Pokemon at a time. Only the most elite of trainers have the modification," Professor Elm said.
"I feel honored," Ash said.
"Well here is a Pokegear for you as well as some Poke Balls. To catch Pokemon, just throw an empty ball at them. In most cases, that will be easier if you wear the Pokemon down first," Professor Elm said before placing twenty balls in a backpack. Then the gave the backpack and the gear to Ash.
"Thanks Professor," Ash said.
"You're welcome and good luck," Professor Elm said.
"Thanks," Ash said.
"By the way, what's your name?" Professor Elm asked.
"Oh, it's Ash," Ash responded before heading outside with Totodile, Cyndaquil and Chikorita. He saw a kid about his age with long red hair watching all of the Pokemon intently. He didn't see Lugia or Charizard and figured that they must've sensed the kid coming. He could see how uneasy his other Pokemon looked under the kid's gaze. "Don't even think about it. These are my Pokemon," he said.
"How come you have all of the starters?" the kid asked.
"Because they all wanted to go with me and the Professor allowed it," Ash responded. He then caught Sandslash, Pidgeot, Bellossom and Lapras before letting all but Lapras out again. Now he didn't have to worry about someone saying that they caught his Pokemon fair and square. Then he started on his way.
Upon getting out of the kid's line of sight, Charizard and Lugia landed in front of Ash.
"Don't mention it. I can already tell that this kid is going to be very annoying," Ash said, catching Lugia and Charizard. About two hours later, he reached Cherrygrove City and went to the Pokemon Center. He returned his Pokemon before giving them to Nurse Joy. He got them back ten minutes later and continued on his way.
Five minutes later into Route 30, a trainer had confirmed him, demanding a battle. Ash agreed and the trainer sent out a Weedle. Wanting to give his newly acquired Pokemon experience, he chose Totodile. The battle was over in only a few minutes. The trainer couldn't believe that his Pokemon was defeated so quickly. Then Ash moved on.
/That was only a novice trainer. I can't wait until we face a Gym Leader/ Charizard said.
/You'll have your chance soon enough. While in the Pokemon Center, I heard someone talking about how tough the Violet City Gym Leader's Pidgeot was/
More trainers had challenged Ash to Pokemon battles. Ash didn't have much difficulty winning. But Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita did get some good experience from the trainer battles. He rode Lugia the rest of the way to Violet City. Upon landing at the Violet City, Ash dismounted and returned Lugia. Then he decided to spend the night at the Violet City Pokemon Center. After having breakfast the next morning, Ash prepared to leave for the gym.
"Before you take on the Gym Leader, maybe you should test your skills against the sages of the Sprout Tower," Nurse Joy said.
"What's the Sprout Tower?" Ash asked.
"It is a place that was believed to house a large Bellsprout long ago. There are some wild Bellsprout that live in the tower. The sages of the tower worship the Bellsprout that live in the tower but will battle any trainer that visits the tower. You'll have an advantage if you have a fire or flying Pokemon because they sages only use Bellsprout in battle," Nurse Joy responded.
"Thanks for the tidbit," Ash said before leaving the Pokemon Center. 'I'll take on the sages. It will give Cyndaquil some good experience,' he thought. He saw the Sprout Tower in the near distance and headed over to it. He was soon in front of the tower and entered slowly. He saw statues of Bellsprout scattered all over the room. He saw other people looking at the statues. Then he went to the second floor. A sage turned and saw him approaching.
"Ah, we have another visiting trainer," the sage said.
Ash bowed to the sage to show respect.e
"There's something special about you. I can sense that destiny has something special planned for you young man. Now, let me witness you in battle," the sage said before releasing his Bellsprout.
Ash released Cyndaquil. Five minutes later, the battle was over. Cyndaquil being the winner.
"Ah, you battled very well," the sage said.
"Thanks," Ash said before he and Cyndaquil moved on. Five minutes later, Cyndaquil defeated that sage's Bellsprout too. Then Ash returned Cyndaquil and went up to the third floor. He soon came across another sage. Just like the sages before him, he was defeated in five minutes. The fourth sage didn't fare any better. Then Ash had made it to the final room. He had battled three more sages, defeating each of them in five minutes.
Just then, the kid that Ash saw in New Bark Town had finished battling the lead sage. "So we meet again," the kid said.
"Who are you anyway?" Ash asked.
"My name is Alex," the kid responded.
"And you can learn to be more lenient with your Pokemon. The way you battle them is far too harsh," the lead sage said.
"A trainer shouldn't be lenient when training Pokemon. Harsh training is what ends up making Pokemon strong. If there's anyone who can be taught a lesson in Pokemon training, it's you," Alex said before storming out of the tower.
"He's rude," Ash said dryly.
/Tell me about it/ Lugia and Charizard said just as dryly.
"So you have defeated the other sages as well," the lead sage said upon seeing Ash.
"Yes," Ash said nodding.
"Very well, let's see how you battle young man," the sage said.
"All right," Ash said before releasing Cyndaquil.
The sage then called forth his Bellsprout. Cyndaquil had taken it out five minutes later. The second Bellsprout proved to be more of a challenge, but Cyndaquil was able to defeat it fifteen minutes later. The sage was very impressed with the way Ash battled. He also saw that Ash really cared about Cyndaquil's wellbeing. Cyndaquil was getting pretty tired in the battle against the second Bellsprout. Ash was going to switch out, but Cyndaquil was willing to finish the battle.
"Ah, well done. I sensed something special about you and you are a special trainer indeed. You understand the meaning of being lenient with your Pokemon. Your Cyndaquil responds very well to you becuase you have a great bond with it. Having a strong bond with your Pokemon eventually leads to having strong Pokemon," the sage said.
/It sure does/ Charizard said, Ash smiling upon hearing that.
"Cynda (Huh)?" Cyndaquil asked upon feeling strange. She soon began to glow.
"Cyndaquil is evolving," Ash said in awe.
Soon the evolution was complete. In Cyndaquil's place stood a Quilava.
"Quilava (I look good)!" Quilava said.
"Yes you do," Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex.
"Quilava, the fire Pokemon. Quilava is the evolved form of Cyndaquil. If provoked to attack, Quilava will have its back facing its enemies, ready to ignite the flames on its head and rear," the Pokedex said.
"It looks like the bond you have has already started to show itself," one of the other sages said.
"I guess so," Ash said before petting Quilava.
Quilava gave a sigh of content. Then Ash returned Quilava.
"Here, take this HM," the sage said.
"What does HM mean?" Ash asked.
"HM is short for Hidden Machine. Any Pokemon you give this HM to will learn Flash. There are a lot of dark caves in Johto," the sage responded.
"Thanks," Ash said, taking the HM.
"Good luck against Falkner," the sage said.
"Thanks," Ash said before leaving the tower. He headed back to the Pokemon Center. Ten minutes later, he got Quilava's ball back. Then he headed to the gym. He didn't see anyone in the immediate area and just waited where he was.
Several minutes later, Falkner had come inside the gym. He saw Ash patiently waiting. "You have come to try for the Zephyr Badge is that correct?" he asked.
"Yes," Ash responded.
"Follow me," Falkner said.
Ash followed Falkner up to the roof.
"I suppose you're wondering why we're up here," Falkner said.
"Yes I am," Ash said.
"Well since I train bird Pokemon. I prefer to have battled outdoors, weather permitting of course. That way, flying Pokemon don't have to worry about being confined because they can move around as they like," Falkner said. "I'm Falkner, leader of this gym," he added.
"My name is Ash," Ash said.
"We will use two Pokemon each for this battle," Falkner said getting into position on his side of the battlefield.
"That's fine with me," Ash said, getting on his side of the battlefield. "I choose you Totodile!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.
"Totodile (Let's do this)," Totodile said.
"I choose Pidgeotto!" Falkner said, releasing the said Pokemon.
Suddenly, Ash's Pidgeot released herself from her ball. She wanted to watch.
"You want to watch?" Ash asked.
"Pidgeot (Yes)," Pidgeot respond with a nod.
Falkner was impressed upon seeing Ash's Pidgeot. "I have to say that your Pidgeot is very impressive. She looks very strong," he said.
Ash was shocked upon hearing Falkner's last statement. "How did you know that my Pidgeot was female?" he asked.
"I have been around Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Pidgeot since I was born. Being around them for so long is how I became able to tell male from female. The Pidgeot I train is male," Falkner responded.
"Oh," Ash said in understanding.
"Now shall we get this battle started?" Falkner said.
"All right. Totodile use Water Gun!" Ash responded.
"Toto (Okay)!" Totodile said, firing the Water Gun.
"Dodge with Agility Pidgeotto!" Falkner countered.
Pidgeotto quickly evaded the Water Gun.
"Now use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.
Pidgeotto charged for Totodile, wings glowing.
"Dodge that attack!" Ash said.
Totodile danced out of the way.
"Use Bubble quick!" Ash said.
Totodile fired the attack, catching Pidgeotto off guard. Pidgeotto fell to the ground but was able to take to the air again.
"That was impressive Ash I have to admit," Falkner said.
"Thanks," Ash said.
"Now Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Falkner said.
Pidgeotto charged for Totodile.
"Steady Totodile," Ash said.
Knowing that Ash had a plan, Totodile stood calmly where he was. Pidgeotto close the distance.
"Now Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash said a minute later.
Totodile complied. Pidgeotto couldn't pull up and suffered a direct hit. Pidgeotto slammed to the ground again. It got back up but didn't have the strength to get airborne again.
"Use Mud-Slap Pidgeotto!" Falkner said.
Some of the dirt on the roof was still wet from the rainstorm that had passed two days ago. Pidgeotto slapped some of it with his wings, creating a mud spray. Totodile suffered a direct hit from the mud. Not only that, but he was also temporarily blinded.
"Use Mud-Slap again while it's disoriented!" Falkner said.
Pidgeotto complied and sent more mud in Totodile's direction.
"Totodile, turn around and use Water Gun!" Ash said.
Totodile turned around and fired off the Water Gun. The Water Gun made impact with Pidgeotto, fainting it. But Pidgeotto's attack made contact with Totodile, fainting him as well.
"Totodile and Pidgeotto are out. It's a draw," the referee said.
"Well Ash, I'm very impressed," Falkner said, returning the fainted Pidgeotto.
"Thanks Falkner," Ash said, returning Totodile. "You did your best Totodile," he added before putting the ball back on his belt.
"Your Pidgeot revealed herself to us. Well say hello to mine," Falkner said, throwing the ball and releasing his Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot (Let's battle)!" Falkner's Pidgeot said; wings spread. He was 8' tall, which was 1'6" taller than Ash's Pidgeot. He then saw Ash's Pidgeot and smiled at her.
Ash's Pidgeot smiled back.
"It looks like our Pidgeot want to be friends," Ash said.
"Will you be using her to battle?" Falkner asked.
"No, she basically just wanted to watch the battle. I'm content with that," Ash said before taking a ball off his belt. "Charizard, I choose you!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.
Charizard appeared in a flash of sparkly light. "I'm ready," she said.
"Whoa," Falkner said in awe.
Even Falkner's Pidgeot and the referee were awestruck upon seeing Charizard. To see a perfectly healthy Charizard despite it having no tail flame is both a sight to behold and someone to never forget.
"Where did you get her?" Falkner asked, still in awe.
"Actually, she came to me," Ash responded before telling Falkner what happened.
"So you have trained Pokemon before becoming an official trainer. I couldn't help but suspect htat you were different from many other trainers I've faced," Falkner said. "Anyway, let's get this battle started. Pidgeot use Gust!" he added.
Pidgeot flapped his wings slow and hard. Four glowing blades of energy shot out of his wings.
"Dodge up!" Ash said.
"Right," Charizard said, flying up. She easily avoided the Gust attack.
"Try a Whirlwind Pidgeot!" Falkner said.
Pidgeot rapidly flapped his wings. A huge column of air swirled towards Charizard. Not being able to see the attack clearly, Charizard was blown backwards. She was able to fly out of the swirling wind and was soon back over the battlefiled.
"That was not fun," Charizard said.
"Use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.
"Pidgeot charged with his wings glowing.
"Blast him back with Dragonbreath!" Ash countered.
Charizard fired off the said attack. Pidgeot ended up going backwards in the powerful attack. But he was soon able to get underneath the attack and made his way over the battlefield.
"Use Mirror Move!" Falkner said.
Pidgeot complied and fired a Dragonbreath attack at Charizard.
"Counter it with Dragon Rage!" Ash said.
Charizard did so, and the two attacks cancelled each other out.
"Now use Flamethrower!" Ash said.
Charizard fired a flamethrower.
"Get out of there with Agility!" Falkner countered.
Pidgeot easily maneuvered away from the Flamethrower.
"Now use Quick Attack!" Falkner said.
Pidgeot charged for Charizard at incredible speeds. Before Ash or Charizard could react, Pidgeot made impact. But because Charizard was much bigger than Pidgeot, the Quick Attack didn't affect her too much.
"You'll have to do better than that," Charizard said before using Flamethrower.
Pidgeot fell from the sky. But he was able to take to the air again.
"It looks like its time for tactics. Use Double Team!" Falkner said.
Pidgeot made multiple copies of himself, which soon surrounded Charizard.
"Now use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.
Pidgeot and his copies came at Charizard, wings glowing. Ash just smiled though. He knew that Charizard wouldn't have any trouble finding the real Pidgeot because Double Team followed up with Wing Attack was a move that his Pidgeot did against her many times on the island.
"Use Fire Spin!" Ash said.
Charizard had already located the real Pidgeot. She turned around and used Fire Spin. The fake Pidgeot disappeared as the real one was now trapped inside the Fire Spin.
"Now use Dragonbreath while it's trapped!" Ash said.
Charizard complied. The trapped Pidgeot suffered a direct hit and fell onto the battlefield below. The referee checked on Pidgeot and saw swirls in Pidgeot's eyes.
"Pidgeot is no longer able to battle. Charizard is the winner. The winner of this battle is green trainer Ash," the referee said.
"All right!" Ash said excitedly.
Charizard flew down and picked him up before flying around the battlefiend for a little while. Then she landed on the battlefield. Falkner had returned his fainted Pidgeot.
"That was a great battle Ash. I really enjoyed it," Falkner said.
"Thanks Falkner," Ash said.
"As proof of your victory against me, I present the Zephyr Badge to you," Falkner said, holding out the badge. "Also, take this Technical Machine or TM for short. It teaches Mud-Slap," he added, holding out the TM as well.
"Thank you," Ash said, taking the badge and the TM. Then he returned Charizard before descending to the ground floor. Then he left the gym and returned to the Pokemon Center to have Totodile and Charizard healed. He got Charizard's ball back only a couple of minutes later.
"Here you go," Nurse Joy said, handing Totodile's ball to Ash about fifteen minutes later.
"Thank you," Ash said, taking his Pokemon. He then let Totodile out. "Feeling better?" he asked.
"Toto (Yeah)," Totodile responded. "Dile (Huh)?" he added upon feeling strange. He looked down and saw himself glowing.
Ash looked on as the evolution took place. Soon, a Croconaw had replaced Totodile. Ash pointed his Pokedex at Croconaw.
"Croconaw, the bite Pokemon. Croconaw is the evolved form of Totodile. There is almost no escape from its very powerful jaws," the Pokedex said.
"Croconaw (Now I feel great)," Croconaw said.
Ash returned his newly evolved Pokemon. He decided to spend the rest of the day and the night at the Pokemon Center before heading on his way again. Nurse Joy showedhim where he would be staying for the night before heading back into the front. Ash meanwhile had let Bellossom, Croconaw, Chikorita and Quilava out of their balls. Bellossom danced around the room. Croconaw quickly joined her. Ash, Chikorita and Quilava smiled, enjoying the show that Croconaw and Bellossom put on.
And that's a wrap for this chapter. Interesting that Ash starts his Johto journey with all three starter Pokemon instead of just one huh? A little heads up for you. There will be wild Pokemon that Ash will catch without incident. But there will be others that he has to battle first. Moving right along, preview for Chapter 5: Chance Encounters: While on the way to Azalea Town, Ash takes a slight detour into the Ruins of Alph, encountering the Unown. When he gets to the Azalea Town gym, a brief reunion takes place, although he doesn't know it. Who does Ash meet up with again? If you're guessing, stay tuned to see if you're right.