He walked peacefully through the road, his feet carrying him towards his next destination. He had a smile on his face. His mind wandered off to what had happened mere moments ago. Remembering that just before he left Cerulean City, Daisy had been waiting for him at the exit of the city. The faint blush that she had on her face, only made him gain one himself. She gave him her contact information, something that immediately made him blush even harder just by remembering their farewell. If he didn't admit that she was the girl he could see himself with in the far future, then he would be lying to himself. She was honestly the only girl that had made him react in such a way, something that only Gary's older sister had achieved. And that information was something that he was going to take to the grave, less he wanted Gary to hound him for the rest of his life.
He sighed dreamily, his mind imagining a scenario between the two. He would have loved to have her traveling with him throughout Kanto, but he knew that she had responsibilities. Not only did she have to take care of her sisters, but she was also one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean City and one of the most popular from the water show that she and her sisters hosted. He knew that only they would have mere moments between the two actually spent together. But knowing that the two of them would be able to keep in touch, he was happy. Ready to answer any call that he may get from her in the future.
"Maybe I should stop for a bit and eat" He muttered, looking around as he started walking at a slower pace. He was definitely not hungry, but he would eat with his Pokémon. He had thankfully stocked on Poké Food before heading out of Cerulean City. It was thanks to the Poké Dollars he had earned in the match between Daisy and himself that he managed to get the food necessary for them. He needed to take care of them, it was his responsibility to do so. He couldn't imagine making his Pokémon starve just because he forgot to buy food for them. It would make him feel guilty about it for a very long time.
He kept walking, until his eyes saw a very beautiful scenery in front of him. A prairie was in front of him, the soft grass and the river beside made his eyes shine quite brightly. He even saw a large tree, which gave the prairie a nice shadow to rest on. The area his eyes were seeing was the perfect place to rest for a bit. They could even eat and have a bit of fun before heading out on their adventure once again. So, with a grin on his face, Ash walked a bit faster towards the shadow provided by the tree. His mind was already thinking of many things he had to do. But he would relax while he had the time to do so.
He reached the prairie, his body relaxing against the tree. He could feel the cooling wind against his face as he slowly let himself fall down to the grass below. A sigh escaped from his lips, smiling since he was lucky to find such a place. He carefully picked up each of his five Poké Balls, his smile never diminishing. He wanted everyone to have an enjoyable moment. They deserved it from the amazing battle that they went through.
"Come on out, everyone!" He tossed all of his Poké Balls up to the air. The spheric spheres released all of the Pokémon inside them. Each of his Pokémon cheered at being left out of the capsule. He smiled at them, just by seeing them happy was making him happy as well. He even watched just how Ambrose ran at him, his arms catching the Puppy Pokémon in glee. He chuckled loudly at the chirpy Growlithe.
"Alpha!" Ash huffed in slight discomfort, feeling the body of his very own Growlithe pushing against his chest. His back collided against the ground, a soft groan escaping from his lips while he adjusted himself carefully. Yet even with that, he was happy about the interactions between himself and his Pokémon. He felt he was closer to his Pokémon, a trust built on the adventures that they have been through. While he had bigger bonds with his first Pokémon, it didn't mean that he hadn't created any lasting memories with his most recent captures.
"Hey, Ambrose..." Ash whispered softly, earning him a soft growl of appreciation from the Puppy Pokémon. He moved his hand carefully, latching towards the ear of the Growlithe before he started to scratch at it carefully. Ambrose immediately let out a satisfied growl from his throat, adjusting his body carefully to allow him to keep on scratching his ears. It only made him smile in return, his hand moving from one ear to another. "You are enjoying this aren't you?"
"A bit lower, Alpha... Ah-"
"My King!" His eyes immediately went towards the most talkative Pokémon he currently owned. Eleanor could easily talk for everyone in the group if given the chance. "I want to explore!" It was her easy-going nature that always made Ash smile. It made his day just by hearing the misadventures of his Venonat, hearing and watching her interactions with the others. Especially with Evelyn, which always managed to reign in the talkative Pokémon. "Maybe even soak a bit!" He was about to answer her demands. It wasn't a question either, whatever she wanted to do, she would do so. He still clearly remembers when she got injured just for her own curiosity. "Or maybe we could go hiking!" He laughed softly against his palm, especially when he felt Ambrose covering his ears in irritation. "We could even-"
"You can explore, Eleanor..." He had to interrupt his excitable Pokémon, which only gained him a chirp of happiness from her. He had to sigh, relenting to her constant questions. But even with the sigh escaping from his lips, he had a smile on his face. Just knowing that with such simple requests he was able to make his Pokémon happy, was enough for him to accept in the first place. He even watched as Eleanor jumped happily away from the group, her eyes wandering from side to side. "But stay in the area! We are eating shortly!"
"Yes~!" He sighed in relief, almost fearing that she had not listened to his later words. But she, thankfully, did hear them; which made him relax a bit more. He just looked down towards Ambrose, his hand going once again towards his left ear. It immediately made him purr in satisfaction, which only made him relax a bit more. He looked up, staring how Evelyn had quickly positioned herself on the lowest branch of the tree; how Diana hanged underneath the same position Evelyn was; and just how Aaron began to meditate. All his Pokémon were relaxing, exactly what he wanted. All he hoped was that Eleanor would not bring them trouble for the time being.
--- --- ---
Eleanor was happily jumping left and right, her eyes detecting every single movement around her. It was a sight to see, watching every detail around her was something she relished in. She barely got to see all the things she had seen because of her closed off upbringing. The facility she was in only had the bare minimum. So just being able to see all of this, was more than what she hoped for. She only was able to see such things when she was training with the trainer of her mother, an amazing trainer from what her mother told her when she was not training.
Her mind had already decided that her king was a thousand times better than her mother's trainer, but she knew that her mother would say otherwise. She could be quite stubborn when she wants to be. And from what her mother's friends told her, it was something that she inherited from her mother. She could only shrug off the memory, her eyes refocusing on the things around her. Yet it was then that her antennae twitched slightly. She immediately reacted to her senses, looking to the side as she saw something on the water. Her eyes locked with beady red eyes that were looking at her in awe and curiosity.
"A new friend?!" She excitedly exclaimed, which made whoever was looking at her sink underwater again. She jumped as fast as she could, letting the soft breeze carry her over to the edge of the river. Falling leaves obstructed her sight for mere moments, yet she easily was able to move around them and seek out her objective. But as soon as she got to the edge, she couldn't see the one who had been looking at her. "Friend, where are you?!" She kept pressuring whoever was the one looking at her, trying to find her new friend with her excitement. Thankfully, it was not long before she saw those beady red eyes once more. Which only made her chirp in glee looking at the appearance of her new friend. "You are just like me!"
The one looking at her was a reptilian Pokémon with a white serpentine body and a light gray underside. It has white, three-pronged fins on the sides of its head and a light gray bump on its forehead, which is its horn growing. Above its round, white snout are oval, red eyes. This is a Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon.
"You must definitely meet my king!" She exclaimed happily, her compound eyes shining brightly at the thought of a new friend joining them. Yet it was there that she remembered something crucial. "Oh! What's your name?" She asked, something that she had forgotten in her excitement. She definitely was not about to run wild with her new friend without being able to introduce the Pokémon in front of her to her king properly. "My name is Eleanor!" And yet again, in her excitement, she kept on forgetting important conversational requirements. She had been taught by her mother to always introduce herself. She even shuddered slightly at the thought of her mother finding out that she forgot to introduce herself. "Over there is my king!"
"You are quite the energetic Venonat, aren't you?" The slight squeaky voice that came from the one in front of her distracted her slightly. She nodded at his question though, completely accepting the fact that she was quite the energetic and cheerful Pokémon. It was her trait, or so said her mother. Hopefully she will be able to visit her mother again, she wanted to introduce her king to her. "My name is Uther" She chirped, happy to know the name of the Pokémon in front of her. Uther was a great name, even if she didn't know the meaning of the name itself. It sounded like a strong name, a name that would be remembered through history. "And I would be honored to meet you king"
"Yes!" She celebrated, immediately going behind the Dragon Pokémon. She began to push him, her excitement being shown greatly. She felt that it was easier than most times, though it probably was because he was moving as well. They will soon be six instead of five, and her king would finally have a full team of Pokémon in his arsenal. She kept on pushing Uther, even when they reached the general area of where her king was sitting.
--- --- ---
He was making the finishing touches to the food he was preparing. His hand expertly went through the ingredients that he knew that his Pokémon needed in their diets. He still needed to create special diets for each one of them, knowing full well that a special diet would make them even stronger. But he was not very knowledgeable in that area, knowing full well that he was going to need help in developing special diets for each one of his five Pokémon. He sighed while a smile was over his entire face, overlooking just how his Pokémon were helping him get done the final touches for the food.
Evelyn, after resting a bit, had begun to pick up branches; piling them up in a small mountain slightly away from the tree they were using as a resting place. Ambrose had quickly provided the flames to ignite the branches to be able to heat up their food. Aaron had been very helpful through everything, picking up the utensils that he needed to use to prepare everything. And Diana had been recollecting a few pebbles to create a circle around the flames, creating a wall to concentrate the flame into a single point. Everyone helped, and that was what made him happy.
"My king!" He was glad that Eleanor arrived before he had to call for her. He was expecting to send Aaron to find her, but he was more than glad to know that he didn't have to do so. Yet as he turned around, he had to blink twice. "I found him in the river!" His eyes were staring directly at the albino Dratini that was now behind Eleanor, looking at him with starry eyes. He knew that the Dragon Pokémon was one of the most elusive Pokémon that had ever existed; only being found in the Dragon Den in the Johto Region. But he was seeing one right now, and it was an albino as well. He was baffled by the luck he has been having as of late. "His name is Uther and he wanted to meet you!"
"It is a great honor to meet you, my lord" Ash raised a brow, his eyes focused on the bowing Dratini in front of him. He wanted to pull out his hair, Uther was not even his Pokémon yet he had already given him some sort of honorific to address him. He knew that sooner or later he had to accept the way that Pokémon were addressing him. It was not like he had any choice in the matter. "It will be a great honor to join your team, my lord"
"I would be honored to have you join my team" Ash would wholeheartedly accept Uther into his team. Yet it felt way too easy, something that he immediately noticed. While he has not fought most of his Pokémon apart from Evelyn, he had to do something before he could capture the Pokémon that he wanted to capture. So, he regained some sense from his slightly shocked state, finally noticing that his other Pokémon had joined him. "But can I ask you, why join me this quickly?"
"I had a dream not long ago..." And that simple sentence made Ash intrigued in his answer. It also had not been long since he also had a strange dream. It would be a dream that he would remember for the rest of his life. The dream that not only allowed him to see Aaron beforehand, but the dream that made him aware that he was more than met the eye. He could see just how the Dragon Pokémon looked directly at him, which only made him know that it was not all there was to the dream. "A field just like the one we're at, with a little pond"
Ash knew exactly what was the dream that Uther was having. It was the same dream he had the day he met Aaron, the day he started his adventure, and the day he heard that strange voice talking to him. He still wondered what these trials were, why he was the one mentioned in legends, and why him in the first place. But these were questions that he would have to ask to others that may know more than him. He just had to concentrate on his journey to be the very best.
"It was then that our lord spoke with me..." Ash raised a brow at that. His mind immediately went to two Pokémon in specific. The two mythical Pokémon, Mew and Arceus. He knew more about Mew than Arceus, since information on Arceus was mostly over another region he didn't know of. Mew, on the other hand, was supposedly based around the Kanto region. All he knew was that there were some sightings from this mythical Pokémon, but no evidence to prove his existence apart from the word of people. "An Aura Guardian, one that would heal this world from the darkness that surrounds it" It was then that Uther looked straight at him, and Ash felt the seriousness of the topic. A darkness that surrounded the world and he was supposed to heal it? He was up to help, but he didn't even know where to start. "And I can recognize the energy that is around you. Which is why I want to help my lord to heal our world"
"Alpha is going to be the strongest!" Ash chuckled at the reaction of his Pokémon, enjoying the moments that he was having with them. He couldn't imagine spending this adventure without them any longer. They always made him smile, bringing excitement to the adventure they were facing together. And Ambrose, especially, would always manage to get him to let out a chuckle at his cheerful nature.
"Ambrose, reign thy excitement" And Ash could never forget about his starter, Aaron. The Riolu that had been given to him by Professor Oak, had changed his life forever. And don't get him started on just how Aaron has helped him with his aura training. The bond that the two of them had with each other could even rival most relationships he had in his life. "Thou must focus on the situation ahead"
"We should be expecting more of us to join then..." Evelyn added as an afterthought and Ash couldn't help but agree with her line of thinking. If someone, with a legendary Pokémon probably being the one responsible, was behind him finding all of his friends; then there was a high chance that he would be finding even more albino Pokémon through his adventure to become a Pokémon Master.
"I also had the same dream, Lord Guardian" Hearing Diana's soft voice made him glance at her, who was now standing on his left shoulder. He could see the slight shudder that she made, which only made him remember just exactly the moment that she had been asleep. Nightmare was still a sore subject for Diana, and everyone always avoided the topic. "But... My dream was distorted by Nightmare, distorted into a horrible experience..."
"I see..." He whispered, his mind thinking about what was happening with him. He knew for a fact that Aaron had the same dream, the two of them met there before closely finding each other in the real world. And with three out of six Pokémon having the same dream, he couldn't exactly chalk off that the other three didn't get them either. "Uther..." The Dragon Pokémon looked at him with high expectations. He just smiled gently at him, glancing to the side just to be able to pick an empty Poké Ball from his backpack. He presented the Poké Ball to the Dratini in front of him, his smile not disappearing. "It would be my honor to have you on my team"
Ash saw just how Uther immediately used his tail to tap the Poké Ball and let himself be captured. It shook twice in his palm, a feeling that he made himself comfortable with in his first two captures. And it was then that he heard the soft sound of the Poké Ball completely capturing Uther. Now that Uther was a part of his team, Ash finally had six Pokémon on hand. Letting Uther out, Ash smiled at everyone around him.
"So... Why don't we all eat?" Ash said, making all of his Pokémon roar in excitement. His eyes only stared as all six of them rushed towards the food. And Uther specifically looked ready to eat everything in sight. With a low chuckle, he stood up and made his way towards the picnic that he and his Pokémon had prepared. It was now a celebration, a time to be happy for a new introduction to their ever-expanding family. But Ash still had one thought in mind. Who exactly had been the Pokémon that was making all of this possible in the first place?