Story Notes:
The journey will go from Kanto to Johto, to Hoenn, to Sinnoh. I may do the battle frontiers but i don't know (we'll see when i get there)Disclaimer: Pokemon and all related characters, locations, items, ect are the copyrighted property of Nintendo and as such I claim no rights to them.I'm currently working two jobs and I'm kinda making this up as I go along, so don't be surprised if there are delays between chapters... I'll try to update this as regularly as i can (I do apologies for the delays, but that's how life goes)Updates...Genre: Adventure/Romance (relationships between characters will begin to develop after the Kanto League)Warning: One later chapter will contain fairly light scenes of sexual intercourse between two characters. (Much later chapter,will be marked for mature content) For now, I'm rating this PG 13
Chapter 7: Celadon City
"Sophia, Flamethrower" Alex commanded
Sophia opened her mouth and fired a stream of flames towards her opponent
"Growlithe, counter with your Flamethrower" Ashley responded
As Sophia's flames flew towards the Puppy pokemon, it opened its mouth and launched an attack of its own. The attacks collided and embers flew off in all directions.
"Good job, Sophia" Alex smiled as he knelt down and picked her up
"You too, Growlithe" Ashley smiled as she knelt down and began to pet her pokemon
"Looks like you guys have that move just about down" Ben said as he finished cooking a light lunch for everyone
As they sat down and dug into their food, Alex helped Ben get the pokemon their food.
"Hey Ashley" Alex said
"Yeah?" Ashley turned towards Alex
"I've been wanting to ask you, what's Johto like?"
"It's a very beautiful place" Ashley smiled
"Kanto and Johto are actually apart of the same land mass" Ben said, "A large range of mountains separates the two regions"
"Yeah, the two have a lot in common... but Johto is my home and I love it"
"I feel the same way about my home back in Sinnoh" Alex smiled, "You said you were from Goldenrod City, what's that like?"
"Goldenrod is a very large city and very busy too" Ashley looked up towards the sky, "But it's a very great place to live and the people there are very friendly"
"There's also a large radio tower that sends to all parts of Johto, and they play some of my favorite songs" she smiled
"That's awesome" Alex said
"So what's your hometown like?" Ashley asked as she looked over at Alex
"Solaceon Town isn't like Goldenrod City; it's a quiet little town that sits between Hearthome City and Veilstone City" Alex said as he laid back into the grass, "It's one of those places where everyone knows everyone else and people are never too busy to say 'hello'. There are only about a dozen or so houses there and there's nothing really big either. But there is this one hill that overlooks the whole town... I would always go up there to watch the sun set and look at the stars at night" he smiled, "I love that hill, it's my favorite spot in the whole town"
"Sounds like quite the place to grow up" Ben smiled
"Yeah, it seems like a really great place to live" Ashley added
Alex nodded and looked up towards the sky, "The sky is so high and the air is so pure... it feels like time flows by as slowly as the clouds in the sky" he smiled, "I love it there"
"Me too" Melody said as she walked up next to him
Alex smiled and placed his hand on her head. At that moment, Ashley felt something brush up against her leg, she looked down to see her Espeon.
"Hey there" she said as she reached down to pet her pokemon
"So how did you meet your Espeon?" Ben asked
"I met her as an Eevee when I was seven. I found her in a box in an alley, it was raining really hard and I just couldn't leave her there. So I took her home with me..." Ashley began to scratch behind her ears, "I had to beg my parents to let me keep her, but eventually they said I could take care of her and we've been friends ever since"
"Wow, that's awesome" Alex said with a smile
"So how exactly did you and Melody meet?" Ashley asked as she turned to face him
"Back when I was six, I went to visit my uncle and aunt in Hoenn. My uncle and I went for a walk and when he stopped to take a tinkle, I thought I heard a voice in my head. For a second I thought I was hearing things, but then I heard it again. I followed the voice and found Melody in a clearing next to a lake. She was hurt pretty bad, so I tried to help by taking her to the pokemon center, but we got attacked by a Poochyena. It bit my arm but I managed to chase it away"
"How did you do that?" Ben asked
"I kinda hit it in the head with a rock a couple times" Alex replied
"Well, that'll about do it" Ashley laughed
"We could see the town ahead, when I heard this loud angry bark behind me. It was a Mightyena and a Poochyena... the same one from before, only this time it brought its mom with it. I was so scared I couldn't even think straight, especially when she started firing Dark Pulses at us. I somehow managed to avoid them, but then she gave me this death look and charged right at us. We would have been dead if my uncle hadn't shown up with his Infernape and Lopunny. Then the father Mightyena showed up and started to fight my uncle, but then the mother fired another Dark Pulse at me. Before I could even react, Melody jumped in front of me and used Protect to block the attack"
"While my uncle dealt with the Mightyena, I ran into Officer Jenny. She gave us a lift to the pokemon center and while Nurse Joy treated Melody, Jenny took care of my arm and a few scratches. I stayed at the center, waiting to see if Melody was going to be alright or not. Eventually, my uncle and my parents showed up, but even then I refused to leave. Joy allowed us to stay the night, but that night I had perhaps the scariest nightmare I've ever had. I woke up pretty freaked out; I'd never had a nightmare as intense as that one. Suddenly, I heard someone crying. It was the same voice I heard in the forest, I followed it and found Melody crying. The adults showed up wondering what was going on, and then a man named John Harrison appeared. I told everyone what I had seen in my nightmare and about the voice I had been hearing. John explained that when Melody and I met, a bond was created between her mind and mine and that somehow through that connection I was given a glimpse into her memories"
"So you're saying the dream you had was really a memory?" Ben asked
Alex nodded and sat up, "That was how I found out that she was just like me..."
"Just like you... what are you talking about?" Ashley asked in surprise
"What exactly did you see in the dream?" Ben asked
"I saw a Gardevoir give her life to save her daughter from a Seviper" Both Alex and Melody lowered their heads
"But I'm still confused, how does that make-" Ashley was cut off by Ben
"Wait a minute, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Alex again nodded his head, "A month before all this happened, I lost someone I loved... she sacrificed her life to save me from a Seviper"
"I'm sorry, who was she?" Ashley took her hand off of Espeon's head
"Her name was Diana... she and I were like brother and sister" a tear slid down his cheek as Melody wrapped her arms around him to try and comfort him
"Thanks Melody" he said as she whipped the tear away
"I'm so sorry" Ben said
"While my parents debated about what to do next, Melody and I stepped outside. She told me her name and I promised that I would take care of her, no matter what. Then when my parents came back out and said we were going back to my uncle's house, I told them flat out that I wasn't leaving without her. After a few minutes, they said that she could come home with us... and we've been together ever since" Alex finished his story
"That's an amazing story" Ashley said
Ben nodded. Alex sighed and laid back into the grass again, Melody sat next to him. After a few minutes, Melody's voice entered his mind,
"Are you alright?" she asked
"I'm ok, Melody" he replied in his mind
"But you're not... I can sense what you're feeling, remember?" she could sense a sadness lingering around him
"It's nothing Melody; I just don't like talking about what happened back then... I just miss her"
"I know how you feel, I miss my mother" she placed a hand on him, "but you don't have to keep these feelings bottled up inside, you have friends here to help you... and I'm always here for you"
"Melody..." she smiled at him "Thanks for caring, Melody" he smiled back at her
"We should probably get going soon" Ashley said
"Yeah, Celadon City isn't too far from here" Ben added as he finished packing his bag
Alex and Melody both got to their feet and prepared to head out. After about an hour long walk, the group finally arrived at their destination. Celadon was filled with many large skyscrapers and plenty of people too. Alex wasted no time in locating the gym, but much to his great disappointment, the sign on the gym said it was closed
"It's closed!" Alex said in surprise, "Oh come on, how can the gym be closed..."
"Look, there's a note" Ben pointed to a paper attached to the door
Ashley read the note out loud, "It says, 'I apologies for the inconvenience, but I have to run a few errands and will return as soon as I can... Sincerely, Erika'"
"Great, so what do we do now?" Alex asked in disappointment
"Well, we could check out the city while we wait for Erika to get back" Ben suggested, "If I remember correctly, there's a massive department store and a game corner we could check out"
"Alright, we may as well" Ashley said, Melody agreed
Ben led them to a massive skyscraper, "Welcome to the Celadon Department Store" he said
"Dang..." Alex stared at the sheer height of the building
"This is a department store..." Ashley said in surprise
"Not sure they made it big enough..." Alex said with a slight sarcasm in his words
"Come on, wait till you see the inside" Ben said as they walked through the double doors, "This is probably the single largest store in all of Kanto and they sell just about everything here... from clothes, toys, medicine, pokeballs, mail, evolution stones, trainer items... you name it, you'll most likely find it here"
Alex didn't know what else to say other than, "wow..."
They stepped through the double doors and headed straight for the elevator. Each floor they visited sold so many different items. They spent several hours going to each floor and looking through their selections.
"This floor specializes in selling evolution stones" Ben said as they exited the elevator
"I have been meaning to ask, what exactly is an evolution stone?" Alex asked
"It's a stone that gives off a special type of radiation" Ben explained, "certain pokemon are affected by this radiation and it can cause them to evolve to the next stage"
"Wow, so what kind of stones are there?"
"There are nine different evolution stones: fire, water, electric, leaf, moon, sun, dawn, shiny, and dusk... but there is another type called an Everstone, this one can actually prevent pokemon from evolving ever"
"Wow"
"There are only a handful of pokemon species that require a stone to evolve... and your Vulpix is one of them"
"Sophia?" Alex said with surprise
"Yep" Ben nodded, "Vulpix evolve with the help of a Fire Stone"
"The same is true for my Growlithe and Staryu" Ashley said, "Both of us might want to see about getting some stones while we're here"
"Yeah, I think I just might do that" Alex liked the idea, "I want to help Sophia get stronger and this just might help her"
"Excuse me, could I get a Fire Stone, please?" he asked the lady behind the counter
"Certainly young man" she smiled and handed him the stone
"Thank you very much" he said as he paid for the stone
"Your quite welcome, please come again" she said as he left
Alex gazed at the stone. It was orange with a light fire shape in the center, but what he liked about it was the warmth he could feel coming off of it. Ashley walked up to him with two stones in her hand, a Fire Stone and a blue one that had an almost aquatic look about it.
"Is that a Water Stone?" he asked
"Yep, Staryu needs it to evolve into Starmie" Ashley replied
"I remember Misty had a Staryu and a Starmie when I battled her back at Cerulean City"
"I caught mine before I met you guys... come to think of it; I had just caught it when your little Johnny walked right up to me"
"Seriously..." Alex laughed
"Yep" Ashley laughed, "just out of nowhere, this little Togepi walked right up to me, waving its little arms happily"
"Yeah, thanks again for finding him"
"Actually, I think he found me"
They all laughed
"Come on guys, there is one more floor we need to see" Ben said as he pointed towards the elevator
"And what floor would that be?" Ashley asked
"The roof" Ben said as he pushed the button to close the doors
After a minute, the doors reopened at the very top of the building. They exited the elevator and looked out over the edge of the rail
"Wow, you can see the whole city from up here" Ashley was clearly enjoying the view
Alex noticed a few binoculars set up along the edge of the rail. He manned one of them and looked through them, he could see just about everything with them.
"Hey, I can see a couple trainers having a battle down there" he shouted, "one of them is using Flamethrower and the other is using Psybeam"
"Who's battling?" Ben asked
"Looks like a Charmander and a Drowzee... oh and Charmander just used Fire Spin"
"Well someone's enjoying himself" Ashley and Melody giggled
"Drowzee just used Shadow Ball and... oh, Charmander just won with a Flamethrower to the face, nice one"
"Hey Alex, let's use the stones on our pokemon" Ashley suggested
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot" Alex pulled the Fire Stone out of his pocket, "Alright, come on out" Sophia appeared out of her pokeball
"You too" Ashley's Growlithe and Staryu appeared from their pokeballs as well
"Ok Sophia, are you ready to evolve?" Alex knelt down and placed his hand on top of her head
She looked up at him, smiled, and nodded her head. Alex slowly brought the stone down and touched the top of her head with it. Instantly, she began to glow brightly as a light enveloped her. Alex smiled as he saw her evolve, as the light faded, a new pokemon stood before him. Sophia had changed; her brown and red fur was now a beautiful golden white color, her once brown eyes were now gleaming bright red, her little curled hair on top of her head was now a fluffy crest. She also now had nine beautiful tails, each one tipped with orange fur.
"Sophia" Alex smiled as he hugged the Fox pokemon, she nuzzled into him in an effort to return the hug. He could feel the softness of her fur
"She's a Ninetales now" Ben said
"She's beautiful" Ashley reached for her pokedex
"Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon and the evolved form of Vulpix. Ninetales are extremely intelligent and are known to live for a thousand years. Ninetales possess mystical powers, it is said that grabbing one of its tails will result in a one thousand year curse. Ninetales are said to have some psychic characteristics and are also able to swim, a trait not generally seen among Fire-type Pokémon"
"Sophia, let's get stronger together" Alex smiled at her
Sophia nodded and licked his cheek. Alex patted and placed a very light kiss on top of her head. Ashley walked over to her pokemon and used the stones on them as well. As the light faded, her pokemon appeared in their evolved forms. Alex reached for his pokedex, he had already seen Starmie before but he was familiar with Growlithe's evolved form.
"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon and the evolved form of Growlithe. Arcanine are extremely loyal towards their trainers. Arcanine are prized pokemon, admired due to many people thinking of it as beautiful and regal. Known for bravery and fierce loyalty, Arcanine are also able to spit fire and run at extreme speeds"
Ashley began to pet Arcanine's head and then slowly moved to scratching the back of his ears. As she continued to move across to his back, he began to lean into her hand, which eventually caused him to fall over on his side. Ashley laughed and began to work on his belly. Arcanine turned completely over, making her job easier.
"That's a good boy" she smiled, "Who has a soft belly?" she said teasingly
As she began to move more quickly, he began to kick one of his legs. The faster her hands moved, the faster he kicked. After a few minutes, she stopped and Arcanine flipped himself over. He decided to return the favor by licking her face. Ashley giggled as her face got a tongue bath. After a short while he stopped, Ashley wiped her face and patted his head.
"Good boy" she smiled
"I take it you've had him for a long time" Ben said
"I've raised him since he was a little baby puppy" Ashley answered, "He's actually my second pokemon"
"That's the same with me and Sophia" Alex said
"Really"
"Yeah"
"So, you guys ready to check out the game corner?" Ben asked
"Sure" Ashley and Alex said simultaneously
"Oh, hold on" Alex stopped, "I want to stop by the pokemon center before we go there"
"How come?" Ashley asked
"Well, I kinda want to call my house and see how everyone is doing" he said, "My parents are probably wondering how I'm doing too"
"Alright" Ben said as they headed back towards the pokemon center
Once they reached the center, Alex headed straight for the video phones and dialed his house. After it rang for a few seconds, Scott appeared on the screen
"Hello..." he said
"Hey dad, it's Alex"
"Hey buddy" Scott said with delight in his voice, "Hey Kris, it's our son"
"Coming" Kris rushed over
"Hi sweetie, how are you?" she said with a smile
"I'm doing great" Alex replied
"Who is it mom?" a voice in the background said
"It's your big brother" Kris replied
At those words, Andrew and Emily rushed over to the phone
"Hi Alex" Andrew waved at the screen
"Hi big brother" Emily did the same
"Hey guys, what's up?" Alex smiled
"What's Kanto like?" Scott asked
"Exciting" Alex replied
"So where are you right now?" Kris asked
"I'm at the pokemon center in Celadon City"
"So how many badges do you have?" Andrew asked
"Right now I have three badges"
"Can we see them?" Emily asked
Alex grabbed his badge case, opened it, and held it up to the screen for them to see
"Wow, so those are real gym badges" Andrew gazed at them with excitement
"Yep, I got the Boulder badge, the Cascade badge, and the Thunder badge" Alex pointed to them as he said their names, "and they were tough to beat"
"Well they don't just let anyone become a gym leader, you know" Scott smiled
"Yeah, but that's three down and only five more to go" Alex said with confidence
Suddenly, Alex noticed an Abra and an Eevee in the background
"Who are those two?" he asked
"What two?" Kris looked at him oddly
"The Abra and the Eevee" Alex pointed behind them
They turned and saw the two pokemon
"You remember those eggs that your sister and brother got the day you left for Kanto?" Scott turned back to face his oldest son
"Yeah..."
"The Abra came out of Andrew's egg and the Eevee came out of Emily's"
"Really... cool"
"By the way, who are those two standing behind you?" Kris asked
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." Alex turned around and saw Ashley and Ben standing right behind him, "These are my friends, Ben and Ashley"
"Hello there" Scott greeted them
"It's nice to meet you all" Ashley smiled
"Hello" Ben waved his hand
"Nice to meet you both" Kris smiled, "Are all three of you traveling together?"
"Yep" Alex nodded, "and Ben is one heck of a cook"
"Good luck on your travels all of you" Scott waved
"Take care of yourselves everyone" Kris said
"Bye guys, see ya later" Alex said as he hung up the phone
As they turned to leave, a girl wearing a yellow and red kimono walked by. Not paying attention, Alex stepped out and the two collided. They both fell backwards and hit the ground
"Ow, geez" Alex picked himself up,
"Ow, that hurt" the girl said
"huh, oh I'm so sorry" Alex helped her up, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention"
"It's alright" she said as she fixed her black hair and her red hair band
"You really should be more careful" Melody said as she walked up to him
"It's alright, no harm done" the girl said
"Sorry about that, my name's Alex"
"I'm Erika; it's nice to meet you" she smiled
"Wait... Erika the gym leader?"
She nodded her head
"Perfect, we'd like to challenge you to a battle"
"That's right" Ashley walked up next to him
"Very well, but I can only battle one of you at a time" Erika replied
"I know how to settle this" Ben walked up with a coin
"Alright you guys, call it" Ben readied to flip
"I call Heads" Ashley said
"Then I call Tails" Alex said
With that, Ben flipped the coin into the air. Ashley and Alex stared at it with anticipation as it fell to the ground. The coin bounced as it hit the ground and spin for a few seconds until it finally fell over.
"And its heads, which means Ashley gets the first battle" Ben picked up his coin
"Yes!" Ashley smiled
"Aw man" Alex frowned
"Sorry, better luck next time" Ben saidChapter End Notes:Again, I'm sorry this one took forever
I hope i don't hit another block anytime soo
Sophia opened her mouth and fired a stream of flames towards her opponent
"Growlithe, counter with your Flamethrower" Ashley responded
As Sophia's flames flew towards the Puppy pokemon, it opened its mouth and launched an attack of its own. The attacks collided and embers flew off in all directions.
"Good job, Sophia" Alex smiled as he knelt down and picked her up
"You too, Growlithe" Ashley smiled as she knelt down and began to pet her pokemon
"Looks like you guys have that move just about down" Ben said as he finished cooking a light lunch for everyone
As they sat down and dug into their food, Alex helped Ben get the pokemon their food.
"Hey Ashley" Alex said
"Yeah?" Ashley turned towards Alex
"I've been wanting to ask you, what's Johto like?"
"It's a very beautiful place" Ashley smiled
"Kanto and Johto are actually apart of the same land mass" Ben said, "A large range of mountains separates the two regions"
"Yeah, the two have a lot in common... but Johto is my home and I love it"
"I feel the same way about my home back in Sinnoh" Alex smiled, "You said you were from Goldenrod City, what's that like?"
"Goldenrod is a very large city and very busy too" Ashley looked up towards the sky, "But it's a very great place to live and the people there are very friendly"
"There's also a large radio tower that sends to all parts of Johto, and they play some of my favorite songs" she smiled
"That's awesome" Alex said
"So what's your hometown like?" Ashley asked as she looked over at Alex
"Solaceon Town isn't like Goldenrod City; it's a quiet little town that sits between Hearthome City and Veilstone City" Alex said as he laid back into the grass, "It's one of those places where everyone knows everyone else and people are never too busy to say 'hello'. There are only about a dozen or so houses there and there's nothing really big either. But there is this one hill that overlooks the whole town... I would always go up there to watch the sun set and look at the stars at night" he smiled, "I love that hill, it's my favorite spot in the whole town"
"Sounds like quite the place to grow up" Ben smiled
"Yeah, it seems like a really great place to live" Ashley added
Alex nodded and looked up towards the sky, "The sky is so high and the air is so pure... it feels like time flows by as slowly as the clouds in the sky" he smiled, "I love it there"
"Me too" Melody said as she walked up next to him
Alex smiled and placed his hand on her head. At that moment, Ashley felt something brush up against her leg, she looked down to see her Espeon.
"Hey there" she said as she reached down to pet her pokemon
"So how did you meet your Espeon?" Ben asked
"I met her as an Eevee when I was seven. I found her in a box in an alley, it was raining really hard and I just couldn't leave her there. So I took her home with me..." Ashley began to scratch behind her ears, "I had to beg my parents to let me keep her, but eventually they said I could take care of her and we've been friends ever since"
"Wow, that's awesome" Alex said with a smile
"So how exactly did you and Melody meet?" Ashley asked as she turned to face him
"Back when I was six, I went to visit my uncle and aunt in Hoenn. My uncle and I went for a walk and when he stopped to take a tinkle, I thought I heard a voice in my head. For a second I thought I was hearing things, but then I heard it again. I followed the voice and found Melody in a clearing next to a lake. She was hurt pretty bad, so I tried to help by taking her to the pokemon center, but we got attacked by a Poochyena. It bit my arm but I managed to chase it away"
"How did you do that?" Ben asked
"I kinda hit it in the head with a rock a couple times" Alex replied
"Well, that'll about do it" Ashley laughed
"We could see the town ahead, when I heard this loud angry bark behind me. It was a Mightyena and a Poochyena... the same one from before, only this time it brought its mom with it. I was so scared I couldn't even think straight, especially when she started firing Dark Pulses at us. I somehow managed to avoid them, but then she gave me this death look and charged right at us. We would have been dead if my uncle hadn't shown up with his Infernape and Lopunny. Then the father Mightyena showed up and started to fight my uncle, but then the mother fired another Dark Pulse at me. Before I could even react, Melody jumped in front of me and used Protect to block the attack"
"While my uncle dealt with the Mightyena, I ran into Officer Jenny. She gave us a lift to the pokemon center and while Nurse Joy treated Melody, Jenny took care of my arm and a few scratches. I stayed at the center, waiting to see if Melody was going to be alright or not. Eventually, my uncle and my parents showed up, but even then I refused to leave. Joy allowed us to stay the night, but that night I had perhaps the scariest nightmare I've ever had. I woke up pretty freaked out; I'd never had a nightmare as intense as that one. Suddenly, I heard someone crying. It was the same voice I heard in the forest, I followed it and found Melody crying. The adults showed up wondering what was going on, and then a man named John Harrison appeared. I told everyone what I had seen in my nightmare and about the voice I had been hearing. John explained that when Melody and I met, a bond was created between her mind and mine and that somehow through that connection I was given a glimpse into her memories"
"So you're saying the dream you had was really a memory?" Ben asked
Alex nodded and sat up, "That was how I found out that she was just like me..."
"Just like you... what are you talking about?" Ashley asked in surprise
"What exactly did you see in the dream?" Ben asked
"I saw a Gardevoir give her life to save her daughter from a Seviper" Both Alex and Melody lowered their heads
"But I'm still confused, how does that make-" Ashley was cut off by Ben
"Wait a minute, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Alex again nodded his head, "A month before all this happened, I lost someone I loved... she sacrificed her life to save me from a Seviper"
"I'm sorry, who was she?" Ashley took her hand off of Espeon's head
"Her name was Diana... she and I were like brother and sister" a tear slid down his cheek as Melody wrapped her arms around him to try and comfort him
"Thanks Melody" he said as she whipped the tear away
"I'm so sorry" Ben said
"While my parents debated about what to do next, Melody and I stepped outside. She told me her name and I promised that I would take care of her, no matter what. Then when my parents came back out and said we were going back to my uncle's house, I told them flat out that I wasn't leaving without her. After a few minutes, they said that she could come home with us... and we've been together ever since" Alex finished his story
"That's an amazing story" Ashley said
Ben nodded. Alex sighed and laid back into the grass again, Melody sat next to him. After a few minutes, Melody's voice entered his mind,
"Are you alright?" she asked
"I'm ok, Melody" he replied in his mind
"But you're not... I can sense what you're feeling, remember?" she could sense a sadness lingering around him
"It's nothing Melody; I just don't like talking about what happened back then... I just miss her"
"I know how you feel, I miss my mother" she placed a hand on him, "but you don't have to keep these feelings bottled up inside, you have friends here to help you... and I'm always here for you"
"Melody..." she smiled at him "Thanks for caring, Melody" he smiled back at her
"We should probably get going soon" Ashley said
"Yeah, Celadon City isn't too far from here" Ben added as he finished packing his bag
Alex and Melody both got to their feet and prepared to head out. After about an hour long walk, the group finally arrived at their destination. Celadon was filled with many large skyscrapers and plenty of people too. Alex wasted no time in locating the gym, but much to his great disappointment, the sign on the gym said it was closed
"It's closed!" Alex said in surprise, "Oh come on, how can the gym be closed..."
"Look, there's a note" Ben pointed to a paper attached to the door
Ashley read the note out loud, "It says, 'I apologies for the inconvenience, but I have to run a few errands and will return as soon as I can... Sincerely, Erika'"
"Great, so what do we do now?" Alex asked in disappointment
"Well, we could check out the city while we wait for Erika to get back" Ben suggested, "If I remember correctly, there's a massive department store and a game corner we could check out"
"Alright, we may as well" Ashley said, Melody agreed
Ben led them to a massive skyscraper, "Welcome to the Celadon Department Store" he said
"Dang..." Alex stared at the sheer height of the building
"This is a department store..." Ashley said in surprise
"Not sure they made it big enough..." Alex said with a slight sarcasm in his words
"Come on, wait till you see the inside" Ben said as they walked through the double doors, "This is probably the single largest store in all of Kanto and they sell just about everything here... from clothes, toys, medicine, pokeballs, mail, evolution stones, trainer items... you name it, you'll most likely find it here"
Alex didn't know what else to say other than, "wow..."
They stepped through the double doors and headed straight for the elevator. Each floor they visited sold so many different items. They spent several hours going to each floor and looking through their selections.
"This floor specializes in selling evolution stones" Ben said as they exited the elevator
"I have been meaning to ask, what exactly is an evolution stone?" Alex asked
"It's a stone that gives off a special type of radiation" Ben explained, "certain pokemon are affected by this radiation and it can cause them to evolve to the next stage"
"Wow, so what kind of stones are there?"
"There are nine different evolution stones: fire, water, electric, leaf, moon, sun, dawn, shiny, and dusk... but there is another type called an Everstone, this one can actually prevent pokemon from evolving ever"
"Wow"
"There are only a handful of pokemon species that require a stone to evolve... and your Vulpix is one of them"
"Sophia?" Alex said with surprise
"Yep" Ben nodded, "Vulpix evolve with the help of a Fire Stone"
"The same is true for my Growlithe and Staryu" Ashley said, "Both of us might want to see about getting some stones while we're here"
"Yeah, I think I just might do that" Alex liked the idea, "I want to help Sophia get stronger and this just might help her"
"Excuse me, could I get a Fire Stone, please?" he asked the lady behind the counter
"Certainly young man" she smiled and handed him the stone
"Thank you very much" he said as he paid for the stone
"Your quite welcome, please come again" she said as he left
Alex gazed at the stone. It was orange with a light fire shape in the center, but what he liked about it was the warmth he could feel coming off of it. Ashley walked up to him with two stones in her hand, a Fire Stone and a blue one that had an almost aquatic look about it.
"Is that a Water Stone?" he asked
"Yep, Staryu needs it to evolve into Starmie" Ashley replied
"I remember Misty had a Staryu and a Starmie when I battled her back at Cerulean City"
"I caught mine before I met you guys... come to think of it; I had just caught it when your little Johnny walked right up to me"
"Seriously..." Alex laughed
"Yep" Ashley laughed, "just out of nowhere, this little Togepi walked right up to me, waving its little arms happily"
"Yeah, thanks again for finding him"
"Actually, I think he found me"
They all laughed
"Come on guys, there is one more floor we need to see" Ben said as he pointed towards the elevator
"And what floor would that be?" Ashley asked
"The roof" Ben said as he pushed the button to close the doors
After a minute, the doors reopened at the very top of the building. They exited the elevator and looked out over the edge of the rail
"Wow, you can see the whole city from up here" Ashley was clearly enjoying the view
Alex noticed a few binoculars set up along the edge of the rail. He manned one of them and looked through them, he could see just about everything with them.
"Hey, I can see a couple trainers having a battle down there" he shouted, "one of them is using Flamethrower and the other is using Psybeam"
"Who's battling?" Ben asked
"Looks like a Charmander and a Drowzee... oh and Charmander just used Fire Spin"
"Well someone's enjoying himself" Ashley and Melody giggled
"Drowzee just used Shadow Ball and... oh, Charmander just won with a Flamethrower to the face, nice one"
"Hey Alex, let's use the stones on our pokemon" Ashley suggested
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot" Alex pulled the Fire Stone out of his pocket, "Alright, come on out" Sophia appeared out of her pokeball
"You too" Ashley's Growlithe and Staryu appeared from their pokeballs as well
"Ok Sophia, are you ready to evolve?" Alex knelt down and placed his hand on top of her head
She looked up at him, smiled, and nodded her head. Alex slowly brought the stone down and touched the top of her head with it. Instantly, she began to glow brightly as a light enveloped her. Alex smiled as he saw her evolve, as the light faded, a new pokemon stood before him. Sophia had changed; her brown and red fur was now a beautiful golden white color, her once brown eyes were now gleaming bright red, her little curled hair on top of her head was now a fluffy crest. She also now had nine beautiful tails, each one tipped with orange fur.
"Sophia" Alex smiled as he hugged the Fox pokemon, she nuzzled into him in an effort to return the hug. He could feel the softness of her fur
"She's a Ninetales now" Ben said
"She's beautiful" Ashley reached for her pokedex
"Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon and the evolved form of Vulpix. Ninetales are extremely intelligent and are known to live for a thousand years. Ninetales possess mystical powers, it is said that grabbing one of its tails will result in a one thousand year curse. Ninetales are said to have some psychic characteristics and are also able to swim, a trait not generally seen among Fire-type Pokémon"
"Sophia, let's get stronger together" Alex smiled at her
Sophia nodded and licked his cheek. Alex patted and placed a very light kiss on top of her head. Ashley walked over to her pokemon and used the stones on them as well. As the light faded, her pokemon appeared in their evolved forms. Alex reached for his pokedex, he had already seen Starmie before but he was familiar with Growlithe's evolved form.
"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon and the evolved form of Growlithe. Arcanine are extremely loyal towards their trainers. Arcanine are prized pokemon, admired due to many people thinking of it as beautiful and regal. Known for bravery and fierce loyalty, Arcanine are also able to spit fire and run at extreme speeds"
Ashley began to pet Arcanine's head and then slowly moved to scratching the back of his ears. As she continued to move across to his back, he began to lean into her hand, which eventually caused him to fall over on his side. Ashley laughed and began to work on his belly. Arcanine turned completely over, making her job easier.
"That's a good boy" she smiled, "Who has a soft belly?" she said teasingly
As she began to move more quickly, he began to kick one of his legs. The faster her hands moved, the faster he kicked. After a few minutes, she stopped and Arcanine flipped himself over. He decided to return the favor by licking her face. Ashley giggled as her face got a tongue bath. After a short while he stopped, Ashley wiped her face and patted his head.
"Good boy" she smiled
"I take it you've had him for a long time" Ben said
"I've raised him since he was a little baby puppy" Ashley answered, "He's actually my second pokemon"
"That's the same with me and Sophia" Alex said
"Really"
"Yeah"
"So, you guys ready to check out the game corner?" Ben asked
"Sure" Ashley and Alex said simultaneously
"Oh, hold on" Alex stopped, "I want to stop by the pokemon center before we go there"
"How come?" Ashley asked
"Well, I kinda want to call my house and see how everyone is doing" he said, "My parents are probably wondering how I'm doing too"
"Alright" Ben said as they headed back towards the pokemon center
Once they reached the center, Alex headed straight for the video phones and dialed his house. After it rang for a few seconds, Scott appeared on the screen
"Hello..." he said
"Hey dad, it's Alex"
"Hey buddy" Scott said with delight in his voice, "Hey Kris, it's our son"
"Coming" Kris rushed over
"Hi sweetie, how are you?" she said with a smile
"I'm doing great" Alex replied
"Who is it mom?" a voice in the background said
"It's your big brother" Kris replied
At those words, Andrew and Emily rushed over to the phone
"Hi Alex" Andrew waved at the screen
"Hi big brother" Emily did the same
"Hey guys, what's up?" Alex smiled
"What's Kanto like?" Scott asked
"Exciting" Alex replied
"So where are you right now?" Kris asked
"I'm at the pokemon center in Celadon City"
"So how many badges do you have?" Andrew asked
"Right now I have three badges"
"Can we see them?" Emily asked
Alex grabbed his badge case, opened it, and held it up to the screen for them to see
"Wow, so those are real gym badges" Andrew gazed at them with excitement
"Yep, I got the Boulder badge, the Cascade badge, and the Thunder badge" Alex pointed to them as he said their names, "and they were tough to beat"
"Well they don't just let anyone become a gym leader, you know" Scott smiled
"Yeah, but that's three down and only five more to go" Alex said with confidence
Suddenly, Alex noticed an Abra and an Eevee in the background
"Who are those two?" he asked
"What two?" Kris looked at him oddly
"The Abra and the Eevee" Alex pointed behind them
They turned and saw the two pokemon
"You remember those eggs that your sister and brother got the day you left for Kanto?" Scott turned back to face his oldest son
"Yeah..."
"The Abra came out of Andrew's egg and the Eevee came out of Emily's"
"Really... cool"
"By the way, who are those two standing behind you?" Kris asked
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." Alex turned around and saw Ashley and Ben standing right behind him, "These are my friends, Ben and Ashley"
"Hello there" Scott greeted them
"It's nice to meet you all" Ashley smiled
"Hello" Ben waved his hand
"Nice to meet you both" Kris smiled, "Are all three of you traveling together?"
"Yep" Alex nodded, "and Ben is one heck of a cook"
"Good luck on your travels all of you" Scott waved
"Take care of yourselves everyone" Kris said
"Bye guys, see ya later" Alex said as he hung up the phone
As they turned to leave, a girl wearing a yellow and red kimono walked by. Not paying attention, Alex stepped out and the two collided. They both fell backwards and hit the ground
"Ow, geez" Alex picked himself up,
"Ow, that hurt" the girl said
"huh, oh I'm so sorry" Alex helped her up, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention"
"It's alright" she said as she fixed her black hair and her red hair band
"You really should be more careful" Melody said as she walked up to him
"It's alright, no harm done" the girl said
"Sorry about that, my name's Alex"
"I'm Erika; it's nice to meet you" she smiled
"Wait... Erika the gym leader?"
She nodded her head
"Perfect, we'd like to challenge you to a battle"
"That's right" Ashley walked up next to him
"Very well, but I can only battle one of you at a time" Erika replied
"I know how to settle this" Ben walked up with a coin
"Alright you guys, call it" Ben readied to flip
"I call Heads" Ashley said
"Then I call Tails" Alex said
With that, Ben flipped the coin into the air. Ashley and Alex stared at it with anticipation as it fell to the ground. The coin bounced as it hit the ground and spin for a few seconds until it finally fell over.
"And its heads, which means Ashley gets the first battle" Ben picked up his coin
"Yes!" Ashley smiled
"Aw man" Alex frowned
"Sorry, better luck next time" Ben saidChapter End Notes:Again, I'm sorry this one took forever
I hope i don't hit another block anytime soo