Meeting The Party

"So, that's the photo you took of Ash and Pikachu when they were on their way here?" Alexa asked as she looked over Viola's shoulder at the camera in her hands.

"That's right! Isn't it a great shot?" Viola replied, asking.

"Excellent! You can really pick up on the powerful bond they have with each other!"

"You're right! Although… their Battling wasn't all that powerful…."

"Don't underestimate them; I wouldn't be surprised if things are quite different the next time you Battle him. That's the kind of Trainer Ash is."

"Hmm… Is that right? If that's the case, he sounds like the polar opposite of his friend…." Viola replied, putting on a thoughtful expression before clicking over to the next photo on her camera. It was the photo of Luca, Luci and Kai.

"You mean that boy? I think his name was Kai, right?" Alexa asked.

"Mhm, that's him. From what he's said, he likes to gather as much information as he can before he heads into a Gym Battle, coming up with the best strategies to prevent as much 'suffering' as he called it, for his Pokémon."

"You should be careful, Viola." Alexa suddenly said, sounding quite solemn.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Viola asked, sounding confused.

"I don't think what he says is all talk. I mean, he practically predicted every move you'd make before you even made them while watching your Battle with Ash."

Hearing what her elder sister said, Viola's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're serious?"

"Yup, it was almost scary how accurate he was. So when you Battle him, be careful. I doubt he's like any Trainer you've fought in the past."

"I see…."

"Anyways, I think I'm going out for a little while."

"Huh? Okay? But… where are you going?" She asked, but Alexa had already left.

…

Arriving at the Pokémon Center, I made my way to the back of the building, where I saw Clemont and Bonnie sitting at a table. Bonnie was feeding Didenne a piece of Pokémon food while Clemont was tinkering with a bit of his tech.

Serena was also with them, feeding her Fennekin as well.

Walking over, Serena was the first one to notice me. She smiled sweetly, waving me over.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"Ah, I was just speaking with Viola, seeing when she'd be free for a Battle."

"I see. So, when's your Battle?"

"Tomorrow. She said a good night's rest is all she and her Pokémon need."

"That's good! Have you come up with your strategy already?"

"Mhm, I have a general idea of what I'm gonna do. Anyways, how's Ash?"

"He's been sitting over there since we got here. He seems pretty shaken up about his defeat…." Clemont said.

Looking over, I saw Ash sitting on a ledge in the shade of a tree with a thousand-yard stare.

"Sigh… I'll go talk to him," I said before making my way over.

Reaching Ash's side, I could really tell that he was in deep thought as he hadn't even realised I was there.

Sitting beside him, I leaned to the side and nudged him with my shoulder.

Seemingly snapping out of his daze, he turned his head to look at me with a surprised expression.

"Huh? Oh, Kai! When did you get here?"

"I just arrived. So? What's going through that head of yours?"

"Haaa… Viola totally beat me… Pikachu and Fletchling weren't able to show their strengths at all. If that's the way it's gonna be, I can't win, no matter how many times I try! W-What do I do?" He asked, looking up at me.

I could clearly see the desperation in his eyes.

At times like these, I realise that Ash was just a kid. Sure, he's got some pretty notable achievements under his belt, but setbacks tend to hit pretty hard, causing him to begin acting his age.

"Ash, let me ask you a question."

With confusion in his eyes, Ash nodded his head.

"Is this the first time you've ever lost a battle?" I asked.

Furrowing his brows, Ash shook his head, saying,

"No, I've had a lot of defeats over the years."

"Mm, and what did you do when you faced such defeats?"

"I trained. I got back up onto my feet and trained."

"That's right. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, right?"

"Yeah… You're right!"

"You've already Battled Viola once now. You know how she and her Pokémon fight; you know what to expect. So, what're you gonna do about it?" I said as I stared directly into his eyes.

His eyes lit up. The previous darkness that clouded them vanished.

He suddenly sprung to his feet, saying,

"I just need to train in ways to overcome each of the things that prevented Pikachu and Fletchling from shining! Then, we can finally make some meaningful moves if we can get over that!"

"B-but… how do I do that?" He said, looking back at me.

Chuckling, I said,

"What did you do in the past? When a Trainer used a specific move or Battling style that caused you trouble, how did you train to overcome it? You've been at this for over four years now, Ash. That has to mean something. All those different experiences you've been through are all up here, in your head." I said, pointing at his face, before continuing,

"Sometimes, it takes looking back at where we've come from to help move us forward."

Ash took my words in, thinking them repeatedly in his head, turning his head to look up at the sky above.

Suddenly, a gust of wind passed by us, billowing through our clothes, making them sway and flap slightly.

Ash then turned to face me, his eyes burning with passion and inspiration.

"I think I know what to do. Thank you, Kai, you're the best!" Ash suddenly exclaimed.

"Haha, please, I only pointed you in the right direction. Whatever idea you've got came from you and your experiences. Use them, Ash. Your experiences are your weapons, your light in the darkness! Use what has come before to forge your path for what comes next!"

Ash and I stared at each other, seemingly on the same wavelength. Then, however, a sudden chime took our attention.

Hearing the familiar tune, I smiled.

"Seems like Pikachu and Fletchling are all better. Shall we?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to try out the idea I've got in my head!"

With that, I got up and followed Ash into the Pokémon Center.

…

..

.

Nearing the front desk within the Pokémon Center, we were greeted by a young lady in a pink and white nurse outfit. She had fair skin, pink hair and blue eyes.

"I still can't get over how every member of Nurse Joy's family is identical to each other and shares the same name… family reunions must be seriously confusing…." I mumbled under my breath.

At the desk, Pikachu and Fletchling sat, patiently awaiting our arrival. Alexa was also standing there too, waiting for us.

Pikachu leapt into Ash's hands when they caught sight of us, while Fletchling flew over and landed on his shoulder. Alexa also waved at us.

"Haha, hey, you two. I'm so glad you're feeling better. Hi Alexa, your sister was powerful…."

"I told you she was. But don't worry, keep your head up! I'm sure you'll come up with something to beat her."

"Mhm, in fact, I already have a couple of ideas in mind; I was hoping you'd be willing to help?"

"Sure, if it's something I can do, I'll do my best to help you out."

"Thanks!" Ash then turned to Nurse Joy, saying,

"Hi, Nurse Joy; thank you for taking care of my Pokémon."

"Hello, Ash, your Pokémon are all in tip-top shape. Please come again whenever your Pokémon need medical attention."

"Will do, Nurse Joy, thank you very much!" Ash replied.

"You're very welcome! Now, is there anything I can do for the rest of you?" She asked, looking at our group.

"Actually, yeah, there is. I haven't visited a Pokémon Center in a while, so I was wondering if you could give each of my Pokémon a check-up?" I asked.

"Certainly, if you would please hand over the Pokémon you wish to be examined." Nurse Joy said with a smile.

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out seven different Pokéballs.

Noticing this, the others raised their eyebrows, with Clemont asking,

"Kai, you have seven different Pokémon on you? I thought regulations stated that a maximum party of six was only allowed in the League and Gym battles."

"Oh, haha, yeah. There's a bit of a loophole, though. It's in regards to my family's 'background'. You see, Luci is considered part of my Party; however, Luca is not. Luca actually performs a role more along the lines of a 'Bodyguard' rather than a full-fledged member of my party."

"Is that right?" Clemont said.

"Mhm, after we'd travelled together long enough, you'd have noticed that I'll never send Luca in when I have my Gym Battles. That's because it'd violate the rules. However, nothing prevents me from having him with me the rest of the time." I said with a smile.

"So cool! So what Pokémon do you have in your party, Kai?" Bonnie asked.

"Umm, would it be alright if I bring them out, Nurse Joy?" I asked.

"Sure! It's no problem at all. After all, they'd need to come out anyway to get their check-up!"

With a nod, I looked at the Pokéballs that lined the desk, saying,

"Alright, everyone, come on out!"

With a burst of light, multiple streaks of energy left the Pokéballs and landed on the floor in the reception room, forming into seven different figures.

The first Pokémon, which stood in the middle, was Luca, while Luci stood on his left.

Standing next to Luca, on his right, was a quadrupedal mammalian Pokémon.

It was covered in yellow fur with a spiky fringe around its tail and a white scruff around its neck. Its ears were large and pointed with black interiors, and its eyes and small nose were black. It had slender legs and small paws, each with three toes and pink paw pads.

This was my Jolteon which I'd named Raiu, whom I'd raised from an Eevee. He was a Pokémon that my neighbours had raised when I was younger, but they had all passed away tragically in a house fire.

Eevee was the only survivor, and it took a lot of work to get him out of his shell and move on. But he eventually warmed up to me and is one of my most protective Pokémon.

Standing next to Raiu was another Pokémon.

It was a bipedal, frog-like Pokémon. It was mostly dark blue with a yellow chest, a white triangular marking over each eye, a light blue four-pointed star on each thigh, and yellow on the lower half of its face.

It had red eyes with white pupils, and its mouth was hidden behind a large, pink tongue that wrapped around its neck and extended outward behind its head.

A fin-like extension ran down the middle of its head, coupled with similar fins on each side of its head, interconnected with light blue webbing. In addition, there was a large, white bubble-like bump on each elbow and knee.

Its feet had two toes, while its hands had three fingers, with each digit having a bulbous tip and yellow webbing.

This was my Greninja, which I'd named Ryu, the newest addition to my party, whom I'd only had for a year or so and raised from a Froakie. A trainer had abandoned him back in Sinnoh, so I took it upon myself to look after and raise him.

And finally, standing next to Ryu was Kaida, my Garchomp whom I'd previously introduced to my friends and raised from a Gible. I'd caught her in the mountain ranges throughout Sinnoh.

Standing next to Luci, on her left, was a bipedal, humanoid Pokémon whose body resembled a flowing gown.

Most of its body was white, but its hair, arms, and the underside of its gown were green. Its hair curled over its face and down the sides of its head. Behind its red eyes were short spikes resembling a masquerade mask.

It had long arms with three fingers on each hand and slender white legs. A red, fin-like horn extended from its chest, and a shorter, more rounded horn extended from the back. A band of green on its chest extended to the centre of the front horn and connected to its sleeve-like arms.

This was my Gardevoir which I'd named Aurora, the same as my Mum, whom I'd raised from a Ralts and was the first Pokémon I'd ever caught. In fact, I'd actually managed to catch her after I had stolen a Pokéball from my elder brother at the age of 5. So Aurora has been around me for quite some time now.

She tends to be quite affectionate, and it can get a little embarrassing, but I love her all the same, just as I do with the others.

And standing next to Aurora was my last Pokémon.

It was a draconic, bipedal Pokémon, primarily orange in colour with a cream underside from the chest to the tip of its tail. It had a long neck, small blue eyes, slightly raised nostrils, and two horn-like structures protruding from the back of its rectangular head. In addition, two fangs visibly protruded from its upper jaw when its mouth was closed.

It had two large wings with blue-green undersides sprouting from its back and a horn-like appendage jutted out from the top of the third joint of each wing. A single wing finger was also visible through the centre of each wing membrane.

Its arms were short and skinny compared to its robust belly, and each limb had three white claws. It had stocky legs with cream-coloured soles on each of its plantigrade feet and the tip of its long, tapering tail burned with a sizable flame.

This was my Charizard, whom I'd named Zuko and raised from a Charmander. He was a Pokémon I'd rescued from a landslide three years ago and had never wanted to leave my side since.

Seeing all my Pokémon standing in all their glory, my friends looked on in amazement.

"Woah! So cool!" Bonnie exclaimed!

"They're amazing!" Clemont said as he looked over each of them with interest.

"Holy cow! Now that's one strong-looking Team!" Ash gushed as he went back and forth, looking at each of them.

I then introduced each of them to my friends in order of who I'd met first, going briefly over how I'd met each of them, their stories, and their likes/dislikes.

When I started with Aurora, she'd actually walked over and hugged me, rubbing her face into my chest. I did my best to hide my blush and embarrassed face, especially remembering all the Gardevoir memes I'd seen in the past.

I could actually feel a couple of eyes burning into the back of my head; turning my head to see Bonnie, Serena, and Alexa looking at me with smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes.

"Cough…" I coughed, trying to clear the awkwardness.

Thus I finished introducing my Pokémon to my friends.

After hearing my introductions and some of the tragic backgrounds behind my Pokémon, some of my friends were in tears.

"Haaa… I'll never understand people who abandon their Pokémon," Alexa said with a sigh.

"Mm. It's a depressing thought that it happens… But I'm glad I met my Pokémon. I couldn't imagine my life without them." I said with a smile.

My Pokémon cried out their distinctive cries, seemingly agreeing with the sentiment.

"Haha, alright guys, why don't you all follow Nurse Joy. She'll do a check-up to ensure you're all in tip-top shape!"

With a nod, they all followed Nurse Joy into the back.

…

..

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