章節 87: 61
"Munchlax, huh?" Altaria said, trilling gently. "What's he like?"
"Well, uh..." May chuckled. "What's the first thing you think when you think of a Munchlax?"
Altaria frowned. "Really? He was that hungry?"
"At least he wasn't as bad as Snorlax," Ash pointed out. "Right, Pikachu?"
"Only because he was smaller," Pikachu replied.
"So he eats loads of food..." Spoink said, looking at May's berry blender. "Are you going to try and lure him in that way?"
"Yeah, that's the plan!" May confirmed. "There's a purple one he really likes, so-"
"Oh, yeah, the purple one," Max spoke up. "The purple one… ick!"
"You don't have to like it!" May replied. "It's for Munchlax, not you – and it's the Purple Surprise, not the Purple Max Likes It!"
"That sounds like it'd be quite nice, actually," Arc said.
Blaziken shook his head. "I think the only one who likes the Purple Surprise is Munchlax. Maybe if it was something that we could all enjoy..."
"But if Max liked it, then Munchlax wouldn't," May countered.
Blaziken sniggered.
"...okay, maybe he would, but there's still a difference between what he likes and what he really likes..." May said, mulishly.
As they talked, a Munchlax leaned out of a bush. Unnoticed by anyone, it picked a berry out of the pile ready to go in the grinder and returned to the bush.
Sitting inside, he hefted the berry in one hand, then gulped it down.
That tasted pretty good.
"...okay, that's all of them," May said, frowning. "I think…"
She looked at the berry containers by the grinder, checking them all, then shook her head. "I don't think I missed anything… okay, Max, want to help?"
"You just want someone to turn the crank," Max replied. "No thanks!"
"Ash?" May asked. "You're… uh, super strong?"
The crank started to turn by itself.
May looked at it with surprise, then turned to look at Spoink. "Oh, thank you!"
Spoink smiled, turning the crank a quarter turn with each bounce. "That's okay – I'm happy to help."
Altaria leaned in a bit, sniffing. "Mmm… well, no matter how it tastes, it's got a great smell to it!"
"It does," May agreed. "Funny, it doesn't usually smell like that..."
She nodded to Spoink. "Okay, that's done – good work!"
Slowly, May took out the Pokeblocks – half a dozen of the same kind, as it was a big batch.
"That's not purple," Max pointed out. "That's orange."
"Yeah..." May said, examining it. "Well, I guess I should check if it's the same thing."
She nibbled on one, and her eyes widened. "This is… really good!"
"It is?" Spoink asked. "Can I have some?"
May cut the one she'd taken a bite from in half, so Spoink could have some, then found herself having to do it to the rest so Pikachu, Blaziken, Altaria, Arc, Ash, Max and Latios could try some as well.
Then Roland teleported in and snagged the last one.
"Hey!" May complained. "Ask at least!"
Sorry! Roland replied. Wow, it's tangy!
"I guess I need to make some more," May said, looking at the empty tabletop. "Okay, let's see… one Nanab berry..."
As she piled the berries together before putting them in, she didn't spot a clawed hand reach out of the bush and snag a Tamato berry.
"Oh, come on!" May demanded, as six bright acid green Pokeblocks came out of the slot. "What did I do wrong that time?"
"Don't you mean right?" Max asked. "I mean, this does mean it's going to be nice again, right?"
"Watch it," May warned.
"Should we just get Brock to make some?" Ash asked.
"He's doing lunch, remember?" Pikachu reminded him. "I think I'd rather have that than May's Purple Surprise."
Ash suddenly snorted with laughter.
"What did Pikachu say about me?" May asked.
"No, I just thought of something," Ash explained. "It's your new Purple Surprise – it's not purple, that's the surprise!"
May laughed. "Okay, that's a good one."
She cut a slice off, and tried it. "...huh."
"Good? Bad?" Max asked.
"I don't actually know," May replied. "How do you rate a Pokeblock which tastes like chips?"
Pikachu perked up. "Does this mean I can have one with ketchup?"
Ash shook his head. "Of course that's your reaction."
Roland teleported in again, and Blaziken put a clawed hand in front of him before he could grab another Pokeblock. Hey!
"Ask first," Blaziken recommended.
"How come you have to teleport, anyway?" Max asked. "You were only over here."
Roland looked at the ten feet separating him from Max, and shrugged. Uh… it was practice?
"Try this for practice," May said, picking up one of the Pokeblocks. "Catch!"
She threw it, and Roland did a double-take before hurriedly teleporting. His hand closed around it in mid-air, and he had enough time to grin before realizing he was about to hit the ground again. Wuh-oh!
Another flicker of teleportation, and he landed in Max's lap. Phew!
"Nice work," Max chuckled.
"Okay, this time I'll double-check everything," May said. "Starf berry, check… Apicot berry, check… Tamato berry, check-"
Blaziken's arm shot out, crashing into the nearby bush. "I think we have our explanation."
He pulled it back out again, lifting the Munchlax by the scruff of his neck – though not without effort.
"Munchlax?" May asked, then spotted the Apicot berry as Munchlax ate it down. "What – wait, was that from the pile?"
Munchlax looked satisfied.
"That's actually kind of ironic," Max said. "Is it the same Munchlax?"
Ash nodded. "Yep, that's him."
"You people live in a giant bubble of coincidence", Gardevoir said, bemused.
"You try being able to feel it," Absol told her, shaking her head. "It's kind of like one of those domino trails leading all over the place."
She became aware that Altaria was looking at her. So were Spoink, Pikachu and Ash.
"...what?" she asked. "Sometimes I watch videos online when I'm at the laboratory. It's nice to be able to watch things without feeling what's going to happen."
"So… what is Munchlax like?" Altaria asked. "I know he eats a lot, but aside from that..."
Venusaur thought, tapping a foot on the ground. "Well… hm, how to put this..."
She waved a vine. "Okay, first of all, what do you think a stereotypical Munchlax is like?"
Altaria hummed. "Kind of obsessed with food?"
"Munchlax is like that a bit," Venusaur said, stressing the 'a bit'. "But he's also powerful, quite caring, and has a good sense of humour about himself."
Then she winced. "Just don't ask to see his favourite move."
"Why?" Altaria asked. "Oh, is it Ice Punch? I don't like the cold as much as I used to..."
"No, it's not Ice Punch," Venusaur replied. "One word: Metronome."
Altaria took a flap back. "...oh."
"Yeah, that's had some strange outcomes," Venusaur said, remembering with a wince. "I'm pretty sure he once accidentally created a wormhole..."
"Hello."
Venusaur jumped, getting about an inch in the air, and landed with a thoom. "Don't do that!" she admonished, turning to eye Munchlax.
Munchlax just stared at her.
"Don't give me that treatment," Venusaur said.
The Normal-type shrugged. "Who's he?"
Altaria waved. "Hi – I'm Altaria."
"Still no nicknames," Munchlax sighed. "Is it wrong to want a little variety around here?"
The Dragon-type chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Munchlax. You sound like a fun Pokémon."
There was a shout from the direction of May and the grinder. "Oh, come on! Munchlax wasn't even near it that time!"
Munchlax craned his short neck, looking. "Huh. That one's a really bright orange."
"I give up," May went on. "Munchlax… can you just try this one?"
She crouched down, offering a pile of Pokeblocks on her hand. "Okay?"
Munchlax inspected them, then took one and downed it with a gulp.
"Yep, that's nice," he said, swallowing, then covered his mouth as he let out a burp. "My compliments to the chefs."
"Phew," May said, smiling. "I'm sorry I couldn't do the Purple Surprise – I really wanted to do it for our… reunion..."
Her voice trailed off.
"Chefs?"
"You did what?" Max asked, keeping his voice down.
"I put some extra berries in," Casper chuckled. "They were all in the bottom of May's bag, I don't really know what they were, but..." he giggled again. "I bet they tasted really weird!"
"Maax!" May called. "Your stupid Ghost type turned my Purple Surprise into day-glo orange!"
"...uh oh," Casper added, looking around. "Gotta go!"
"I was saving that Enigma Berry!"
"So, how's the Contesting going?" Munchlax asked. "And, more importantly, is Brock still around?"
"Contests have been going okay," Altaria replied. "Venusaur and I had a double act, actually, but… uh… we've kind of not been able to do it any more, so if there's a double round in the Grand Festival we'd need to work out something new."
"Yeah, I don't think you fit in my flower any more," Venusaur agreed. "Pity, that was a good one. I liked the whole vines thing."
"What about Brock?" Munchlax reiterated. "I missed him… and his cooking… actually, mostly his cooking… mmm, Sitrus croquette..."
Altaria chuckled. "Yeah, I see what you mean, Venusaur."
He cleared his throat. "Oh, Munchlax – should we introduce you to all the new Pokémon? Since Max has some, I think there's probably a lot you don't know."
Munchlax didn't reply, and his expression suggested he was still thinking about potato products.
"Munchlax!" Venusaur called, tapping him on the shoulder with a vine. "Hey!"
"What?" Munchlax asked, looking puzzled. "Sorry, did I miss something?"
"Only your cue, Munchlax, only your cue..."
"You're Ash Ketchum!"
Ash blinked, taking a step back. "Uh – yeah, that's me."
"I'm Morrison!" the other boy explained, bowing briefly. "I've heard a great deal about you, and it's an honour to meet you!"
"Thanks," Ash said. "Uh… what kind of thing are we talking about?"
Morrison smiled. "But you must know – it's so remarkable!"
"That's not the problem," Brock cut in. "Ash doesn't have a problem with the idea he's well known – he doesn't know what you're thinking of."
"Brock..." Ash protested weakly.
"Oh, I see! My apologies!" Morrison reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Uh… well, I've got a Beldum. And I heard you were good at helping Pokémon to evolve."
Brock blinked. "That's not what I was expecting to be the reason… not the Legendary Pokémon? The bizarre events? The two League titles?"
Max laughed. "Brock, are you his publicity agent all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, it does kind of tend to happen," Ash admitted. "I just seem to be really good at being around when Pokémon evolve."
"I'm a satisfied customer!" Mawile declared.
Morrison didn't understand, but the others gave her a confused look.
"...Mawile," Pikachu said slowly. "You don't evolve."
"Yeah, but Goodra and Tyranitar did!" Mawile explained.
Blaziken chuckled.
"Okay, uh… how should we do this?" Morrison asked. "If you're okay with it, I mean..."
"Hmmm..." Ash frowned. "I guess we should have a training battle… Absol, do you think you could give it a go?"
"Certainly," Absol replied. She stepped forwards, took a steadying breath, and her horn flashed as she activated Sacred Sword.
"Go!" Morrison called, throwing the Pokéball.
"Battle engagement ready," his Pokémon said, emerging.
Everyone looked at it for a bit.
"That's a Metang," Lucario said. "Not a Beldum."
"Huh, it was a Beldum this morning," Morrison said, scratching his head.
"Don't Beldum evolve into Metang by combining with another Beldum?" Mawile asked. "I remember reading that somewhere… where did the other Beldum come from?"
Metang turned to his trainer. "Query: directive?"
"Uh… I guess that was probably you," Morrison decided, thinking it over. "So, thanks!"
"That's okay," Ash said, bemused. "My pleasure."
Absol let her Sacred Sword die away, evaporating off her blade – and, in the process, reverting the shadows which had begun to cloak her. "Well, that went well."
"You okay?" Growlie asked, padding up to his teammate.
Pikachu – currently wearing a large red helmet – turned, and waved. "Oh, hi!"
"You looked kind of miserable," Growlie explained, stopping and sitting down next to her.
They looked out over the Contest hall, from their seats up near the top of the stage.
"I'm not miserable," Cosplaychu replied, shaking her head and adjusting the big coil of rope around her shoulder. "Just… oh, you know. The feeling when you're all dressed up, and it turns out that you don't need to."
Growlie examined her complete outfit – noting a half dozen pitons on her belt, and a small hammer to drive them in.
"Potholer?" he asked.
"Mountain climber," she corrected him. "I pretend to climb 'up' the floor."
Growlie nodded to himself. "Nice. So, what went wrong?"
Pikachu shrugged. "Jessie pointed out that the others deserve a chance too. That's why she's taking Carnivine out there."
"Right, I get it," Growlie mused. "So… excited for the Grand Festival?"
"Of course!" the cosplay enthusiast agreed, turning away from the contest stage – where a Wailmer was attempting a hula, unsuccessfully. "It's going to be great – dozens of Coordinators, all experts at getting the most out of their Pokémon! I've even prepared outfit sketches for some of you guys – Meowth's going to be a ninja!"
Growlie blinked. "He… is a ninja."
"Don't be silly, ninja wear bright orange costumes," Cosplaychu waved off. "And I'm going to get some bleach and do your fur – except for some tips around your haunches – and draw lines-"
"No!" Growlie yapped, then lowered his voice. "No, no bleach," he went on. "I don't want to change my looks… not when we're going to be staying in the same place as Ninetales for a couple of weeks."
Cosplaychu chuckled, tail waving. "Oh? So if it's your looks… I did have another idea."
Her paw twitched, and she shook her head. "Wait, forgot I left the sketch book in the hotel room… anyway, I was thinking a bomber jacket."
Growlie considered that.
"...yeah, I could go for a bomber jacket."
"Great!" Cosplaychu said, brightly. "Oh, look, it's Jessie's turn – let's see how this looks!"
"And here we are," May announced. "Petalburg."
She counted under her breath. "Okay, I guess… right, Spoink hasn't seen this place, and so haven't half of Max's Pokémon."
So this is where you live? Roland asked, looking around with interest – then glancing back at his mother and his sister. This is where my family's going to live?
"If they want to, sure!" Max confirmed. "Actually, I don't know if Dad's at work… but we can still head over there so we can introduce you properly. It's this way."
"Are you sure it's that way?" Arc asked, looking puzzled.
"Well, I… thought it was," Max replied, confused. He looked around. "It is that way, right?"
"I thought so too," May admitted. "Oh, no, Ash is rubbing off on us!"
Arc started to snicker.
"...or Arc could have just pranked us," May added. "Phew!"
"Phew?" Ash repeated. "Why phew?"
"You have to admit, Ash, your sense of direction is terrible..."
"It's not!" Ash replied indignantly.
"Yeah, it's fine," Pikachu agreed. "Shame you mislaid it years ago."
"That's cruel, Pikachu..."
"Oh, look at you!" Caroline said, crouching a little and brushing at Max's shoulders. "You're so much taller than you were last time I saw you!"
"Mom..." Max complained. "Stop it!"
"And who's this?" Caroline went on, noticing Roland. "Is this the Ralts you told us about?"
That's me! Roland said, waving. Nice to meet you!
Hello, Kirlia added.
Caroline did a double-take. "Oh – a Kirlia – and a Gardevoir as well?"
She frowned, then snapped her fingers. "No, I remember – Norman mentioned you two. Sorry, I'm afraid it slipped my mind."
Stepping back from the door, she waved her children in – as well as the others. "Come in, come in!"
So… Gardevoir mused, looking around. This is a house.
"It sure is!" Max said, proudly. "We moved here a year or two ago."
"Both May and Max had their bedrooms picked out before they ever saw this house," Caroline reminisced. "But that's because of all the time travel… stuff… of course."
She clapped her hands. "Come on, come on! I've heard a lot about all your Pokémon, so let's see them!"
May nodded. "Uh, let's see… who first..."
She picked one, and sent out Altaria.
"Oh, wonderful!" Caroline clapped, smiling broadly. "I love Altaria, they're so fluffy!"
Altaria preened, trilling happily. "Thank you!"
"Yeah, he's great," May agreed. "We actually found an Altarianite – well, someone else found it, and I had a few spare pearls for Spoink that he was willing to trade away."
She took it out, sighing. "Problem is, we couldn't make it work..."
Caroline inspected it, looking at it from a couple of different angles.
"May," she said, gently. "I think perhaps Altaria should have this."
"What – oh, right," May realized. "Yeah, actually… but I'm not sure what to put it on, now I think of it. Can you help?"
"Of course," Caroline smiled.
"That would be nice," Altaria piped.
May glanced up at him, nodding. "Then we'll sort it out as soon as we can."
She turned back to her mother, and looked a little distant. "Uh… I can't remember. Have you met Skitty?"
Caroline shook her head. "You've mentioned her, and I think I managed to watch one of her Contest appearances – someone recorded it – but I've not met her, no."
May reached for her belt, and clicked open Skitty's Pokéball.
The Normal-type appeared on the floor, uncurled, and looked up at Caroline.
There was a short pause, then Skitty began to purr. She rubbed against the human's legs, smiling and flirting her tail.
"Oh, she's adorable!" Caroline pronounced, bending down and picking her up. She stroked Skitty's soft fur, giggling at the rumbling purr that resulted, and winked at May. "She's quite a little minx, isn't she?"
"Oh, yeah," May agreed fervently. "She's kind of… catty."
"Like...that was lame," Skitty informed her, in between bouts of purring.
"I bet she's just sucking up to you because you're going to be cooking," May added. "Maybe she remembers you being a soft touch."
Caroline chuckled. "Maybe she does – and maybe she's right! It's easy to be a soft touch to such a cute little Skitty!"
Skitty purred harder.
"And… okay, I guess it would be a bad idea to send Venusaur out in here," May said. "And Munchlax is best kept out of kitchens… but there's Spoink and Glaceon, too, and then we should probably go outside."
"That does sounds like a good idea," Caroline agreed, looking again at Altaria. "Will you fit through the door, dear?"
Altaria frowned, inspecting the door, then nodded.
"Good," she said. "You mentioned Spoink?"
May replied by sending the Psychic-type out.
"Pleased to meet you!" Spoink announced, bouncing steadily on the floor with his pearl bouncing about precariously.
"Oh, May told me about you, as well," Caroline said, inspecting Spoink. "Didn't you say he accidentally caught himself?"
Spoink blushed.
"Yeah, it was an accident with a Love Ball," May confirmed. "See, Spoink kind of need their pearl – it helps them focus. I think pearls are best?"
She glanced down at the bouncing Pokémon, who nodded to her in between impacts with the ground. "Yes, that's right."
"Right," May resumed. "But anything round is good… and he picked the ball I'd got you as a present."
She smiled. "But it worked out pretty well – we've been working specially on telekinesis, so that Spoink can affect things more easily and several at a time."
Caroline nodded, adjusting her grip on Skitty when the feline interrupted her purr to complain. "Yes, that's sensible – I think Norman has some tips from his Psychic-types, like Girafarig."
She frowned. "Though, now I think about it, maybe he'll be able to help with the flying side of things as well. I've seen him practising with Staraptor."
"That'd be great!" May said, to a happy trill of agreement from Altaria. "Thanks for the idea!"
Drew put down the scribbled notes. "So… that's about how it is," he said.
Flygon tilted her head.
She looked aside at the other Pokémon. "Really?"
There was a silent nod from Roserade. "Really. It's confusing to us too."
"I imagine it must be..." Flygon admitted. "Seriously? Time travel? I mean… I know it's possible, but..."
She shook her head. "It sounds unbelievable."
"Flygon?" Leafeon asked, getting her attention. "You want unbelievable, try this – my daughter's older than I am."
Flygon blinked in confusion.
"I'd really appreciate being able to understand you all," Drew said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Okay, this is Glaceon," May went on. "She's..."
She stopped, watching as a snack bar floated past her head.
"Jirachi?" she asked.
I'm kinda hungry, Jirachi replied, taking the bar out of the air. Keep going!
"Right, uh..." May shook her head. "Anyway, she's a pretty cute Pokémon. I didn't expect to meet her so soon, it's kind of a complicated story..."
The Ice-type emerged in a bright flash, a crack of thunder and a massive cloud of smoke.
Caroline laughed, coughing occasionally in the thick cloud. "What did I tell you, May?"
"Always-" May coughed. "Always check you take the seals off!"
"Like, not cool," Skitty moaned.
Altaria flapped his wings, producing a breeze which blew the smoke out of the door.
This also revealed that everyone else – Pokémon and human alike – had gone running outside.
"Let's go join them," Caroline suggested, making to put Skitty down but changing her mind at a louder and more insistent purr.
"I think that grand entrance was too grand," Glaceon opined, jumping up onto a chair and then down the other side so she could lope out the door.
May and her mother followed, then turned back to watch Altaria.
First he jumped up and went gliding towards the door, folding his wings in. There was a soft flumph as they hit the door frame, and he bounced off to land a little smartly on the floor.
Deciding on a different plan, he took off, did a circuit to gain speed, and then flipped himself as he reached the door so his wings were directly up-and-down.
That let him just about squeak through, and there was applause.
"Nice work!" May complimented him, giving him a quick scratch, then turned to Glaceon. "Want to show Mom what you can do?"
Glaceon gave a nod of confirmation, and let an Ice Beam build up in her mouth for a moment before firing it skywards and shattering it with a Shadow Ball.
Snow began to drift down around them.
"That's nice!" Caroline said, waving her hand in the air. "That's diamond-dust, right?"
Glaceon nodded, sitting on her haunches.
"I like it – very pretty!"
"I beg to differ," Altaria said, shivering exaggeratedly.
"It's not nearly that cold," May said, looking at him – then looked again. "And none of it has fallen on you."
Altaria stopped shivering. "...oh, yeah, you're right… well, I felt snowed on!"
His trainer laughed.
"Use Waterspout!"
"Left," Norman ordered, and his Linoone skipped backwards – blurring around in a series of three straight lines, then slowing and facing the Wailmer again.
"Why won't he stay still?" asked the challenger, frustrated. "Wailmer, Heavy Slam!"
Norman winced slightly at the thwack as the attack hit the gym floor, but fortunately it looked like the springy wooden layers had managed to contain the blow without damage.
"Do you know what your mistake is?" he asked.
The other trainer frowned. "What? No, of course not!"
"It's more important to make sure your attack hits than that it's powerful when it does," Norman informed her. "I've noticed – you're focusing on a lot of very powerful ways of attacking, but you've not put the effort in to make sure that you can actually hit the target."
"It worked in Rustboro," the challenger shot back. "Hydro Pump!"
"Thunderbolt," Norman replied.
There was a crackle, and Linoone fired a spray of electrically-charged hairs from his fur. They struck the oncoming Hydro Pump, and there was a fzzt-BANG which left Wailmer upside down against the wall.
"Normal types are among the most versatile Pokémon," Norman said. "Some of them are fast, some of them are strong… they're the type you have to be a good generalist to battle."
Linoone came loping back over, soaking wet and a little frazzled himself, but looking hale enough.
"I think it would be better if you did a bit more training before your next challenge," Norman advised. "Your Wailmer is good and powerful, but slow – invest in a fast Pokémon. Perhaps you could catch a Nincada?"
"...uh, I guess that makes sense," the challenger agreed, returning her Pokémon. "Is there somewhere near here you can catch them?"
"They're quite common around Rustboro," Norman told her. "And I think there's some on the beach between there and here – so you shouldn't have far to go."
After the gym challenger left, Norman chuckled.
"I think we'll be seeing her again," he said, and Linoone nodded. Then tilted his head, whimpering.
"All right, fine," Norman added. "Sooner or later they're going to start charging for this..."
He sent out a Litleo and an Espeon, and the two Pokémon combined their efforts – a careful Ember and a psionically-impelled wash of air – to blow-dry Linoone in seconds.
"Thank you," the Gym Leader said. "Now… I think May told me she and Max would be getting home today, so let's go and see them."
Litleo purred, then returned herself. For Espeon's part, he took up a position by Norman's side – matching Linoone on the other.
Norman caught a wistful glance by Espeon, and crouched down. "I know," he said, scratching the Psychic-type behind one ear. "But you had to go and evolve, didn't you?"
Espeon flirted his tail.
"Let's go, then," he added. "You're both okay with staying out?"
Nods.
"I must admit, I've not seen many Venusaur," Caroline said, shaking a vine. "And you certainly seem polite."
Venusaur smiled. "I'm glad you approve."
She paused, then shook her head. "Sorry, I'm so used to-"
"May?" Caroline interrupted. "Why does Venusaur have subtitles?"
That would be me, Ethan informed her.
"Remember when I said Ethan evolved?" May asked. "He's learned some new tricks."
Technically it is the same trick, just with better rendering. Ethan materialized, forming smooth bezier curves and closed spheroids.
"At least I can tell you and Kris apart now," Caroline said, smiling. "At least, before you start talking."
I was going to say, Kris noted.
"It's not that hard, is it?" Max asked.
We started as identical, Kris reminded him. The first point of divergence was selecting separate gender identities.
"So, how do these two do Contests?" Caroline asked. "I know that you mentioned Swablu evolved into Altaria during a joint contest..."
"I mainly use my vines," Venusaur said. "At least, they're mostly doing something – but I have other tricks, too."
And May won her last ribbon working with me, Ethan stated. It involved unusual gravity.
"Really?"
"It's kind of a long story," May said, chuckling a little nervously. "Anyway, uh – the newest member of my team is Munchlax."
She sent him out with a flash.
"...he seems to be asleep," Caroline noted.
"Yes, that happens a lot," May agreed.
"It's kind of their thing," Ash said. "I think Munchlax isn't as bad as Snorlax, though."
Brock nodded, considering. "I think there's not a lot between them. But you did have that battle you won with Snorlax being asleep the whole way through."
"Just one?" Ash asked. "I was sure there was more than one..."
"Munchlax and Skitty both have the same trick as part of their Contest strategy," May said. "Munchlax has Metronome, and Skitty knows Assist – so it's kind of working a random move into their routine. Munchlax, can you..."
She stopped. "Oh, yeah. Skitty, can you show what I mean?"
Skitty pouted. "Do I have to?"
She yawned, then stretched. "Okay, okay… let's see… Assist!"
A white orb formed on her paw, contracted, then burst – forming another white orb.
"...is that how it's supposed to work?" Caroline asked.
"Don't know," Skitty admitted, petting it.
It pulsed, then released a massive blaze of red light which went straight into the side of the nearby hill and dug a deep hole.
"Whoa!"
"What was that!?" May asked. "Was that Aeroblast?"
"It looked like it," Ash said, baffled. "But Pidgeot's in the Orange Islands and Lugia's at the ranch..."
"I know what happened," Max said. "Skitty just used Assist to get Metronome."
"Okay, so sometimes the unpredictable thing doesn't work," May said, sighing.
"Hello, everyone!" Norman called.
"Dad!" Max called back, waving.
"That was quick!" Caroline added. "They only just made a big crater – how fast did you run from the Gym?"
"I was already on the way," Norman replied. "The loud bang just let me know where you were."
"...what's with the Espeon?" May asked. "I don't remember an Espeon. Or an Eevee, actually."
"We got him a few months ago," Norman told her. "And, well, he evolved already."
"Really?" May said, blinking. "Huh. Fast work."
"It's all your mother and her cooking," Norman chuckled.
May laughed at the satisfied expression on Espeon's muzzle. "I guess so!"
"Did someone mention food?" Munchlax asked.
"Sure, now you wake up..."
You mean you don't have a psychic name? Roland asked, his psionic voice carrying to everyone who wasn't Dark-type.
He might not have heard of them, dear, Gardevoir said gently. Remember, he started off a Normal type.
"Well, you've certainly picked up plenty of Pokémon," Norman said, watching with a smile as Spoink had a conversation with Espeon. "And not just Pokémon you caught the first time, too… I think that's good."
"You do?" May asked.
"Yeah," Norman confirmed. "I think it shows that you're not just following the same path as last time – you're learning and changing."
"Thanks," she replied, smiling. "I guess so – but..."
May paused, then nodded to herself. "Dad… I'd like your help with something."
Norman looked over to her, then sat down and patted the grass next to him. "Go ahead."
"Well..." May sighed. "Recently, we got an Altarianite – and I'm not really… able… to use it with Altaria."
Norman winced.
"And-" May went on. "I'm going to work it – we're going to work it out. But I don't know how."
She shrugged. "And… I was hoping you could help."
Norman reached out to squeeze her shoulder.
"May," he began. "I know about the kind of thing you do – the places you've been in the last several months. I know you've been in really dangerous places… and I worry for you. I don't want to stop you, because this is who you are… but I do worry."
He waved a hand. "But – if this is what you want, if this is how I can help you, then I'll do it straight away. We can work on it for as long as you like."
"Thanks," May said, with a smile. "And – yeah, thanks. I'm glad you're able to help."
Norman chuckled. "Well, as much as I can… it's a pity I don't have a Mega Stone myself, so I can't try it out."
May looked thoughtful. "Actually, I might see if Ash's friend Gary can help… I know he had an Absolite for a long time, so he might have another Mega Stone too."
Her father smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
He stood. "Well, I think it's Max's turn to introduce his new Pokémon..."
"So this is Casper," Max said, waving his hand vaguely in the direction of the Shuppet. "He's… kind of a prankster."
"You can say that again!" May called.
"He's kind of a prankster," Casper said.
There were groans from most of the nearby Pokémon.
"That was a lame one," Blaziken stated.
"Yeah, not one of my best," Casper admitted. "Not like when I tied your shoelaces together, that was good… or when I put nail polish on the soap..."
Max blinked. "That was you?"
There was a moment of silence, broken by a growl.
"Okay, ghost," Skitty said, tail lashing. "That was, like, one of the worst baths I've ever had! I got wet without even, like, getting properly clean..."
"I'm pretty sure you can't attack me," Casper replied. "At least eighty percent, anyway."
"Yeah, but, no, like, someone here can," Skitty reminded him. An Assist ball formed in front of her, and Casper's eyes widened.
"Gottago!" he said, zipping out of the way just before Skitty flashed forwards in a blurring Flame Wheel.
"...you know," Caroline said, covering her mouth to hide her laughter, "I think those two don't get on..."
"Casper's kind of… hard to deal with, sometimes," Max admitted. "He's really fun when he doesn't overdo it, though..."
"When's that?" May asked. "Once a week?"
"Actually, I think they're playing," Brock said – then ducked as a Razor Leaf went overhead. "Maybe not!"
"Get back here!" Skitty yowled. "Assist!"
"So, what about your newest Pokémon?" Norman asked. "This fine young fellow."
I'm not that young, Roland protested. I'm at least a couple of years old… I kind of lost track of how to count because of the time travel thing…
Norman chuckled. "It's something quite common around here, actually – Ash, I think you'd be old enough to get a drivers' license by now?"
"No," Ash replied, shaking his head. "I think Brock would be, but even counting both timelines I'm not."
"...wait," Brock said, frowning. "Didn't Gary have a car back when you set out?"
"Yeah, I don't think there's any explanation for that at all," Ash replied with a shrug.
"Gary Oak?" Norman asked, bemused. "I didn't think he was that old..."
"He's not," Brock assured him.
Norman frowned, then shrugged it off. "So, how are you finding travelling with Max?"
Well, I've only been doing it a week or two, Roland said, looking uncertain. But it's been a lot of fun so far – though I'm having to get used to being Fairy type.
He smiled. I've been wanting to travel with Max a long time, and I think that was the right thing to want! It's kind of sad that I'm not his starter, but Arc is really cool!
Arc wagged his tail.
"You seem like a very nice Pokémon," Norman said, offering his hand, and Roland shook it.
He turned to the other two Fairy-types present – Kirlia and Gardevoir. "And I heard from my daughter that you were thinking of staying with us – is that something you still want to do?"
Gardevoir glanced at her daughter. "What do you think, Kirlia?"
What? Kirlia asked, looking up from her discussion with Espeon and Spoink. Sorry, Mom, can you repeat the question?
"I was asking if you still like the idea of us staying here for a bit," Gardevoir clarified, speaking out loud as well as psychically so as to include the Dark-types in the audience.
Oh – sure! Kirlia nodded. Still fine!
"Then that's our answer," Gardevoir said. "We'd be glad to."
"That's wonderful," Caroline smiled. "What kind of accommodation would you like? If you'd rather be indoors, we have a spare room – or there's a shed, the greenhouse, or outdoors entirely. It's your choice."
"I think we'll need to think about that one," Gardevoir smiled.
"So?" Furfrou asked, taking a sip of her artisanal coffee. "What do you think?"
"It's… well, I'm not sure about the taste," Umbreon replied. "It's a bit… spicy, I think, and trying too hard to be complicated and different."
Furfrou rolled her eyes. "It's not about that. You're supposed to enjoy the variety, and the style!"
"The style," Umbreon repeated. "So, basically, you're saying the point of this drink is that – by drinking it - it makes me look good."
"Right!" Furfrou said, lapping some of her coffee up. "It shows you're sophisticated that you enjoy a drink with a unique flavour – sourced from a single farm, not some impersonal-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Umbreon interrupted. "But I just said I didn't like the taste – now you're saying the point is that I'm showing I like it?"
Furfrou sighed, tossing her ears back. "You do not understand fashion."
Chuckling, Umbreon had another drink – this one more of a gulp. "Well, it is coffee, so it's appreciated this early in the morning."
"Wait!" Furfrou yelped. "Don't drink it like that!"
Umbreon shook her head, smiling behind a paw. "If it's all the same to you, I'll just have my drink."
She looked up, and winced. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to have yours quickly, too… I think those two are going to try something."
"...so, explain again what you're going to do?" Gary invited.
"Well," Blastoise said, folding his arms. "First, we're going to go Mega!"
"Both of us," Sableye helpfully supplied. "At the same time… you know, like that test proved we could."
Gary nodded as Dee fed him translation through his earbud. "Right, I got that much."
"And then, Mega Sableye will plant his shield," Blastoise went on. "Putting it down in the ground, braced, so it won't fall over whatever happens!"
"Which means it won't move for anything!" Sableye continued, patting his chest gem. "No matter how powerful!"
"Which is when I'll launch a Triple Horn Drill Maximum!" Blastoise went on, speaking almost over the top of his teammate. "An unstoppable force, which nothing in the world can halt – no matter how strong!"
Gary sighed. "Okay, now I see – you're trying to do something that's a logical contradiction."
He shook his head. "Why can't I have some normal Pokémon?"
"You do," Blastoise pointed out. "You have about a hundred of them. They're just mostly not the ones you use, because we're the awesome ones!"
"He's got a point," Sableye agreed. "Normal kind of means less powerful, or less interesting, or both."
"It doesn't have to," Gary shot back. "But… yeah, it tends to."
He pointed over to Alakazam. "Look, he's normal!"
"Alakazam?" Sableye asked, as they both tuned out Blastoise ranting about how he was going to break through the atmosphere of mediocrity and how all the lights in the sky were cool. "He's your benchmark for normal?"
The Dark-type looked closer, using a gemstone as a focusing crystal.
"He's reading a book on advanced theoretical quantum logic while playing the spoons with telekinesis"
"That's normal for an Alakazam," Gary said. "And Fearow's… actually, no, I'm not even trying that one."
"Where is he, actually?" Sableye asked.
Currently, Fearow is terrorizing Fletchling on the roof.
"Thanks," Gary sighed. "Arcanine?"
"Good question," Sableye agreed. "He is usually fairly normal… fairly."
"He's completely normal," Gary protested.
"Hey, hey, hey, hurry up with the Mega Evolution already!" Blastoise called.
"Thanks for moving our drinks," Umbreon said, glancing over at Alakazam.
The Psychic-type nodded to them, still in the Chapter about Feynmann diagrams. "My pleasure."
There was a scuffling sound, and both Umbreon and Furfrou looked over to see what it was.
Arcanine rolled back upright, shaking himself and sending dust flying, then crouched down facing a wall.
Umbreon looked from that wall to the one twelve feet away, facing it blank wall to blank wall. "...he's not."
"I think he is," Furfrou countered.
Gary's Arcanine sprang, hitting the wall with his forepaws, then twisted radically so he was facing in the opposite direction. He kicked off again with his hindpaws, already reaching out for the other wall, and hit it a little higher than he'd hit the first one.
They watched as he bounced, left-right-left-right, until he was about halfway up – then he lost momentum, and fell back to the floor with an oof.
"Not bad," Umbreon complimented him. "Keep it up!"
"This is it!" Mega Blastoise announced, his cannons flaring. "The ultimate attack! Unmatched in time or space! The irresistible force, meeting the-"
Dee rang.
"Hold on, I have to take this," Gary said.
"Aww, come on..." Mega Sableye moaned.
"It won't be long," Gary promised. "Hi?"
A pause. "Ash? Oh – sure, if I've got one. Uh… let's see..."
Sablenite, Blastoisite, Slowbronite, and Lopunnite, Dee told him.
"Did you get that?" Gary asked. "I – wait, really?"
Another pause.
"Okay, I'll get Alakazam to send it over. Just a minute – oh, where are you? Petalburg? Sure you're going to make it to the League on time, that's kind of not far from where you started."
"I know, I know… okay, Ash, smell ya later!"
He ended the call. "Okay, where did I put the Mega… Stone..."
Mega Sableye snickered.
"Arcanine, why?" Gary asked, exasperated, as Arcanine reached the gable and wrenched himself onto the roof. "I was relying on you!"
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