บท 22: Reunion With the Childhood Sweethearts

For a few minutes Dawn, May and I didn't move as we all simply enjoyed each other's presence and warmth after five years apart. And as we embraced I could feel a certain sensation in my chest that that was completely alien to me, like a knot that had been tightly tied that was starting to loosen.

"I missed you..." Dawn uttered emotionally as she buried her face in my chest, prompting me to kiss the top of her head affectionately.

"You never called or wrote us..... Idiot..." May cursed me, even as she clung to me even tighter.

"I didn't want to make you two think you had to come back." I whispered to them quietly, before kissing the top of May's head as well.

It was a lame excuse, but it was true since I wanted to give them the choice of either coming back to me, or going our separate ways for their own protection. But even after all these years, and all of the women I'd bedded in that time, I never forgot either May or Dawn as I hoped they would return.

Both girls looked up at me with tearful eyes, before they surprised me by planting their lips against mine one after another in rapid succession.

"You better be prepared to make it up to us!" Dawn stated cutely, while May added,"And don't think we don't know about your little visits to Viridian. Daisy told us everything!"

I mentally clicked my tongue at Daisy's loose (upper)lips, and found myself regretting telling her everything. She had long since accepted being my 'hometown girl', so she had no problem with flings I had outside of Pallet town. Though she still wanted to know about them.

Rather than feeling apologetic or remorseful though, I just smirked slightly and said, "I can think of a few ways to make it up to you."

As I said that I pinched their butts playfully, making both girls jump as they yelped in surprise.

"Ehem!" Professor Birch coughed loudly as it became apparent that none of us were going to separate anytime soon, and after seeing me take liberties with his daughter, making Dawn and May shift away slightly even as we maintained contact with one another.

"It's a pleasure to see you again professor." I said to Birch, pretending that I hadn't been about to completely fondle his daughter's ass in front him a second ago.

Though he appeared stern for a moment, Birch smiled warmly as he said, "It's nice to see you too Ace, and thank you for protecting us from those Pokemon."

Though I nodded in affirmation of the professor's thanks, I also reluctantly released the two girls as I knelt down before my partner.

"That's right, let's get you patched up." I said while pulling numerous medical supplies out of my pack.

Though he naturally protested, I ignored it as I applied a Potion to the scrapes that had formed everywhere Riolu had touched the Carvanha and Sharpedo, mostly on his paws. As I was doing that professor Rowen approached us from behind, and commented,

"He's gotten big..... And I can see he hasn't evolved yet..." I nodded slowly while doing one last check on Riolu's paws, before saying,

"I've actually been getting kinda worried about it. Professor Oak says all Pokemon that can evolve will if they want to when they're ready, but I'm also not sure if we need to find whatever it is that'll trigger the evolution, something like a stone maybe?" Though I knew that Riolu didn't evolve with a stone like some Pokemon, I couldn't help but be concerned with what I did know about their evolution.

In the games Riolu only evolved during the day when their 'friendship' with the player was high enough. And as far as I was aware, this was a load of Tauros shit.

In our lessons there was never once a mention of things like 'friendship' or even 'trading' to get Pokemon to evolve. While the act of trading would sometimes trigger an evolution with certain kinds of Pokemon, like the Machamp and Golem lines, it definitely wasn't the mainstream way to get them to evolve, and it didn't happen every time.

If Riolu evolving DID rely on our friendship, then he would've evolved years ago. That told me there was something else missing.

Professor Rowen of course nodded in affirmation as he said,

"I've been looking into the Riolu line a little since we met, and have a bit of an idea of what he needs. If I were you I wouldn't worry though, since you'll definitely find it during your journey. In every case I looked into, there has never been a report of a Riolu who hasn't evolved at some point."

Though I felt somewhat relieved at the professor's words, I also felt annoyed since it felt as if he built me up by mentioning he had a theory, only to hold out on me in the end. Ultimately though I felt mostly relieved, since he said that Riolu was pretty much guaranteed to evolve sooner or later, something he himself was also looking forward to.

So after nodding in affirmation, I looked back at May and Dawn and asked them with curiosity in my voice, "So do either of you have your own Pokemon yet as well?"

The two girls beamed as they both pulled out numerous Pokeballs, and tossed them into the air while crying, ""come on out!""

Instantly the deck of the boat was almost crowded as numerous Pokemon appeared.

On May's side was her starter, Torchic, as well as the other five Pokemon that made up her team, a Tropius, Skitty, Baltoy, Swablu, and Spheal. On Dawn's side was Piplup for her starter, along with a Shinx, Chatot, Glameow, Silcoon, and Budew.

Though I was surprised the two girls already had what could be considered a full team, what was even more surprising was the Pokemon they decided to catch. As if she were reading my mind, Dawn then stated happily, "I'm not going to give up my dream of being a contest star, but I decided to fill my team with Pokemon that can both perform, and fight!"

May nodded in agreement as she declared, "that's right! Don't think you're the only one who can fight mister! I've even been training myself too!"

May then flexed her arms to show them off as she said that, but even without that I could tell through both her and Dawn's auras that they had gotten quite a bit stronger themselves.

A wave of emotion rushed through me as I realized how much work they had put into being with me in the future, and not be a burden. I had to fight back a single tear from how amazing these two girls were, until Dawn suddenly shrieked,

"GLAMEOW NOOO!!!"

Immediately all hell broke loose as Dawn's Glameow suddenly lunged at her Piplup and Chatot, a hungry gleam in its eyes as the claws came out.

"PIPLUPLUPLUPLUPLUP!"

Piplup screamed in terror, while Chatot perfectly mimicked it as it too screamed and ran from the hungry Glameow.

"CHIC!" Torchic cried as it leapt in front of Glameow, intending to stop it's attempt to eat its own teammates.

The hungry Pokemon just looked the orange and yellow chicken up and down though, before smirking as it growled, "meow!"

Drumsticks!

Torchic began to shudder at the Glameow's implication, beads of sweat appearing on its little body from nervousness, before the Glameow lunged at it too.

"CHIC!CHIC!CHIC!CHIC!CHIC!CHIC!"

Torchic cried as it began to get chased this time, while Piplup and Chatot both hid behind my legs, and both Dawn and May tried to stop the wayward Pokemon.

"I'm sorry! I just caught her before leaving Sinnoh, so she's not as obedient!" Dawn cried out apologetically, before her Glameow elegantly leapt to the side to avoid being grabbed by her and May.

"Should I step in?" I whispered to professor Rowen, who was watching the admittedly amusing spectacle with everybody else, including the other Pokemon.

"Nah. It's happened a few times already, and Dawn needs to learn to get her own Pokemon under control herself. Besides, the others will step in if it seems as if Glameow is about to actually eat any of them."

I nodded slowly while turning my attention back to just as Glameow proceeded to jump onto Dawn's head, and bop her in the face with its spring-like tail.

"Ace, come here real quick." Professor Birch suddenly called out to me, making me curious as we went over to a relatively clear area of the deck, with Riolu and professor Rowen following us.

"I never got a chance to properly thank you for protecting May five years ago." Birch said suddenly, to which I readily shook my head while saying,

"Don't worry about it. I didn't do so expecting something, and I don't want to feel as if I need to be repaid for it." Of course the professor shook his head this time as he stated,

"As a father it's only right that I repay the one who protected my daughter. But if nothing else, think of it as a gift to my future...son-in-law..." Grimacing slightly as he said that, I felt more than a little touched at professor Birch thinking of me like a son already, even before he handed me a Pokeball.

"Is this...?" The professor nodded at my unasked question as he explained,

"The three Pokemon I let those I sponsor choose between are Torchic, Mudkip, and Treecko. May of course chose Torchic, and a boy I sponsored that moved into town recently got to chose between the remaining two, Mudkip and Treecko. I decided that whichever one was left, I'd gift to you."

The commotion around us died down slowly as people saw what we were talking about, but I didn't notice it as I said to the professor,

"Thank you, truly." I then looked at the Pokeball in my hand, and asked, "so which one is it?"

The professor however just smiled, and said, "open it up and see."

So with his prompting, I activated the Pokeball to release the Pokemon inside, which took the form of an upright green gecko with a red belly, and two darker green leaves that functioned as tails.

"Treeckoooooo!" The grass type starter cried out as it looked at me, studying me curiously under its cool and calm exterior.

"Ko!" It exclaimed while turning away pointedly, seemingly in disapproval.

"Ri!" Riolu barked in irritation at Treecko's attitude.

"Tree!"

"Lu!"

"Treecko!"

"Ri!"

With neither side backing down, I watched as it appeared as if they were going to devolve into a fight, and Riolu's paws were suddenly enveloped in flame as he prepared to use Fire Punch. For a moment neither backed down, waiting for the other to make the first move, until eventually Treecko seemed to back down as it uttered bitterly,

"Ko."

Riolu nodded wordlessly as he extinguished the flames on his paws, and I stepped forward to kneel before the two foot tall gecko, and said, "I promise, you won't regret coming with us."

As I said that I activated Treecko's Pokeball, sucking it back within before I pulled out my Pokedex, and registered it in my name.

~~~

Treecko- the collected Pokemon

Type- grass

This Pokemon possesses numerous tiny hooks on the soles of its feet that allow it to effortlessly walk up walls and on ceilings. It is also known for reaming calm and collected, never flinching even in the face of the the strongest of enemies. This Pokemon is three months old, and has the Overgrow ability.

Moves- Pound, Leer, Leafage, Quick Attack, Absorb

(A.N. Emerald was the first Pokemon game I ever played, and the first starter I ever picked was Treecko. There was no way I was going to do a Pokemon fanfic with paying homage to my OG starter, even if I've picked Torchic every time since.)

~~~

My smile widened as the reality that I'd obtained a third starter Pokemon sunk in, before professor Rowen spoke up himself, "Don't forget I'm here. I have something for you too Ace."

I looked up curiously at the professor, only to see him holding out yet ANOTHER Pokeball, making me think I was about to get another starter. But the professor quickly shot that thought down as he stated,

"I had originally planned to let you choose between my remaining two starters after Dawn chose Piplup, Turtwig and Chimchar. But after a certain incident, two boys from the neighboring town of Twinleaf got them instead. However, I heard from Oak right before we left that you managed to join the Breeder Association, correct?"

I nodded in affirmation to the professor's inquiry before saying, "that's right. I joined them since there were numerous benefits in doing so."

The professor nodded as he said,

"Indeed, plus the professor mentioned that instead of a usual starter you got an egg from him?" Again I nodded, carefully pulling the Charmander egg out of my bag as I did so, to which the professor stated,

"Then in that case, you'd need your first breeder Pokemon." Saying that, I was finally handed the Pokeball that the professor was offering, which I readily activated to release the Pokemon within.

Immediately the form of a Pokemon that was just under four feet appeared in front of me, covered in pink fur with black ears, a pair of short horns, and udders on its stomach.

"Millllllllllll!" The Miltank lowed after taking a second to look at me, seeming more agreeable than Treecko had been as I reached out and scratched the space between her horns.

"She just reached the age where she's producing milk, so you'll have to milk her every day or she'll get sick. I got her from a Breeder friend that specializes in selectively breeding their Miltank so their milk is not only better tasting, but much more nutritious. You'll be hard pressed to find something better for any newborn Pokemon you have in the future."

"Taaaaaaank!" Miltank said as if to reply to professor Rowen's words, seemingly happy with his praise.

"Thank you." I said to the professor with sincerity in my voice, truly touched by his consideration.

Returning Miltank to her Pokeball, I then registered her under my name while also specifying that she was one of my breeder Pokemon so she wouldn't count against my carry limit.

~~~

Miltank- the milk Pokemon

Type: normal

This Pokemon produces highly nutritious milk that has been drunk by humans and other Pokemon since ancient times. The milk is so nutritious, that is it said that children who drink it growing up are healthier than those who hadn't. This Pokemon is three months old, and has the Thick Fat ability.

Moves- Tackle, Growl, Rollout, Defense Curl, Stomp, Heal Bell

~~~

I nodded in affirmation as I reviewed Miltank's moves and summary, and already began planning to turn her into the world's strongest Miltank, despite being one of my breeder Pokemon.

One thing numerous people didn't know about Miltank was that they are fiercely protective of any baby Pokemon or eggs placed under their care. To the point where they even rival Chansey, the actual egg Pokemon.

I could even recall a story I heard on the news about a group of troublesome teens that tried to harm a Miltank calf when it wandered a little too far from her mother. And from what I heard, the things that Miltank did to those teens ensured none of them ever mistreated another Pokemon again.

I then placed her Pokeball on my belt next to Squirtle, Sharpedo and Treecko, right as we began to approach the docks at Pallet town.

"Ace! You weren't gone very long!" One of the people that came to greet called out with a smirk, to which I replied,

"Well my first destination was to the south of here, so it makes sense that I'd come back through on my way to Viridian."

Though I could technically just fly anywhere I wanted on Pidgeot to go as swiftly as possible, I didn't plan to do so except for certain situations since I would miss too much on the ground. I could end up flying over numerous rare or powerful Pokemon without even realizing it, not to mention all the battles with other trainers that could help my team grow.

As we docked May and Dawn both returned their own Pokemon as we prepared to disembark, leaving only Piplup and Torchic out with Riolu as the trio investigated each other curiously.

They all followed us off the boat though, as we returned to the shore and made our way to professor Oak's lab. As we walked people we passed greeted Dawn and May after not seeing them for five years, while I talked to the two professors about my future intentions to travel to the different regions.

Though both professors were interested in having me travel their own respective regions, they still gave me words of caution due to rising levels of criminal activity in each region, which told me the various organizations were beginning to move. I needed to train my team up as soon as possible.

A commotion drew me out of my thoughts as we approached professor Oak's lab, where the crowd of people from earlier had mostly dispersed, but there was still several people present with a notably different atmosphere from earlier.

"What's going on?" I asked as we approached, drawing the attention of Kate and Wendy as my fellow Rangers told me,

"The Bulbasaur that professor Oak planned to give your brother was stolen." When I heard that my eyes immediately sharpened as I snarled,

"What did you say?!"

"We don't know when it happened, but when Ash arrived and tried to open the Pokeball that should've held Bulbasaur in it, it was empty. The professor gave him a Pikachu instead, but we're still investigating what happened."

Though I was relieved that my brother still got his Pokemon, I had been wondering if he'd still get Pikachu, I still couldn't help but to wonder who had stolen Bulbasaur. Team Rocket wasn't behind it, as there had been no incidents in Pallet town since the attack five years ago, and the professor had plenty of 'better' Pokemon to steal than a single young Bulbasaur.

So who did it?

*crash!*

A sudden commotion drew our attention to the lab itself, where my first thought was that they thief had been cornered or something. Before I could run to their aid however, instead I felt a series of familiar auras within the lab than made me halt in my tracks. Auras, that I had captured earlier.

"Wait! Stop!"

"Teeth!"

"Stop biting me!"

"MY FINGER!"

The yells of professor Oak and his aides could be heard by us outside the lab, making in easy feeling well up within my gut.

"Run." I told May and Dawn suddenly.

"What?"

"But we want to say hi to Daisy and your mom."

The girls said confusedly, before I grabbed their hands and pulled them along with our three Pokemon following us, right as a particularly loud crash sounded behind us.

"Good luck and be safe!" Professor Birch yelled after us as we ran away, making me glance back at them to see a wry smile on his and professor Rowen's faces.

And so, with May, Dawn and I practically 'fleeing' from Pallet town, our adventure finally began.