A Joyful Reunion

(A.N. Credit to Legionsbane for the chapter name)

As I awoke the next morning I immediately became aware of two things.

Firstly, my throat fucking HURT!

Not only did I feel a throbbing pain in my entire neck area, but my muscle screamed at me anytime I tried to move or shift my head. A quick look in one of the girl's mirror told me why though, as my entire neck was bruised from when Mewtwo tried to strangle me.

I don't know why he left me alive, as there was no way he'd make the mistake of thinking I was dead when I wasn't, but Mewtwo definitely made sure I wouldn't forget the encounter anytime soon.

The second thing was that I had at least a hundred notifications on my Pokenav from news alerts, to missed calls and messages from quite a few people. Professor Oak, Daisy, Wendy, Kate, Officers Jenny, Brock.

The first of the articles covered the large amounts of thick black smoke that had been seen and recorded flowing out from within Mt. Moon, which was totally our fault.

Apparently people were believing the smoke meant that Mt. Moon must've become volcanic, and was on the verge of erupting, which numerous scientists quickly came forward to disclaim since there was no seismic activity taking place around Mt. Moon.

But then that was where things started going crazy, as numerous articles covered the results of Dragonite's battle with Mewtwo.

Every article was covered with pictures and videos people in the area took as they watched the effects of Dragonite's Draco Meteor and Flamethrower, before Mewtwo used his body to carve out a canyon going up the length of Mt. Moon.

But the thing that sent everyone into a tizzy was the distance photos and videos they took of Mewtwo.

Though you couldn't make out his actual features, or who I was as he restrained me with his powers, it didn't take people long to theorize that this was some new Pokemon that was VERY powerful.

And that of course was what led to so many people desperately trying to get ahold of me, as they all knew I was around Mt. Moon.

I hurriedly sent them all a message saying I was fine(ish), while also asking Wendy and Kate to meet me in Cerulean city. If Team Rocket was sending out Mewtwo already, then they needed to know about him. I also told the professor that I'd call him when I reached the city to let him know what was going on.

Once that was done, and we all had breakfast, I called a bit of a meeting with all of my Pokemon that were on hand.

"Alright." I said through my sore throat as I looked over everyone, from Lucario to Parasect.

"Yesterday we encountered a legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo. And you all got a taste of what a legendary was capable of." As I said that my hand went to my throat, which was a very dark purple.

"Well, I'm going to tell you all now that I fully intend to become involved with him, and other legendaries in the future." I said bluntly, surprising many of my Pokemon, while others just hardened their expressions.

"I will not ask any of you who do not wish to face a Pokemon like Mewtwo again to do so though. So, my offer is this, those who want to leave, can. I will not stop you, and I will not think lesser of any of you who choose to leave."

As I said that I placed each Pokemon's Pokeball before it, before stepping back again.

"But if you come with me, then you know what to expect and what to prepare for in the future. So go ahead and make your choice."

As I said that all of my Pokemon looked at me, then their Pokeballs, and then each other. And then...

"Piny!" Happiny declared, as if insulted I'd asked such a thing.

"I agree." Lucario stated, as Happiny promptly picked up her Pokeball and brought it to me.

"Tortle!"

"Charrr."

"Tank!"

"Taur!"

"Geo!"

"Niid!"

"Bat!"

"QUEN!"

"..."

"TOR!"

"DOS!"

One by one, all of my Pokemon made their declarations as they brought me their Pokeballs, until the only one left was a massive Parasect.

"And you?" I asked it curiously, since I expected Parasect not to have any loyalty towards me.

I watched as the massive Pokemon reached out towards its Pokeball with its claw, taking it within the tip of the massive pincher gently, before surprisingly swinging it over to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked it.

"Sect..." Parasect answered while nodding its entire body in affirmation.

I then looked all my Pokemon over again before saying,

"Ok then. No turning back now. You're all stuck with me for the long haul!"

What followed was a deafening cheer from all my Pokemon, as they all became fired up and ready for whatever was thrown at them.

"Good attitude! Now keep that up, because we're heading to Cerulean city, and we're ALL going to revamp our training!"

There was another loud cheer from my Pokemon as they all psyched themselves up, before I returned them all to their Pokeballs.

I then turned towards the girls and asked, "the three of you ready to get out of here?"

"Hell yes!" Misty exclaimed excitedly.

"I just want to crash in a bed..." May uttered from exhaustion.

"How are we going to get to Cerulean city though?" Dawn asked confusedly, since we were still a few days away from the city.

"Flying of course!" I stated while pointing to Pidgeot.

"Geo!?!"

"Yes. You can carry Misty and I, Dawn and May can ride on Tropius, and I'm sure Dragonite wouldn't mind giving Lucario a ride, would you?" I asked the dragon while turning towards him.

"Drooo." Dragonite lowed in agreement, before kneeling to let Lucario climb onto him.

May also let Tropius out, who readily let her climb onto its back along with Dawn, Piplup and Combusken. I also climbed up onto Pidgeot's back with practiced ease, but then Misty hesitated as she looked at Pidgeot nervously.

"I've never flown on a Pokemon before..." She uttered fearfully.

"It's easy, just don't let go." I told her.

"Pi!"

"Yes you will." I told Pidgeot as he stated he didn't want to let her ride.

"Pi geo got!"

"Because I have to talk with Misty about some things, or I WOULD ask her to ride Dragonite instead." I told Pidgeot with growing irritation, though I tried to keep a level head since his distrust of humans wasn't anything new.

He was making progress though, as I saw him let Dawn pat him shortly after we left Pewter.

"Maybe he's just still too weak to carry two people after yesterday?" Lucario suggested, though I could hear a smirk in his voice.

"Geo!?!"

Pidgeot exclaimed in offense.

"Ge!" Pidgeot declared as he promptly grabbed Misty by her suspenders traps, and tossed up to me before spreading his wings.

"Wait a secooooooooooond!" I cried out as Pidgeot swiftly took to the skies, even before I had time to properly secure Misty.

"KYAAAAAAAAA!" Misty screamed in my ear, which really was not helping the situation.

Thankfully I WAS secure with the leather strap attached to the saddle that could hook to my belt, so I was able to hold on to Misty until I was able to secure her as well.

"Dro!" Dragonite exclaimed to Pidgeot as he effortlessly caught up to us.

"I agree." Lucario added.

"Pi!" Pidgeot snorted back at them, while Tropius also finally crested the tree line with May and Dawn on its back.

We then started cruising since we didn't want to leave the two of them behind, and once I got Misty to settled down from the rather extreme takeoff, I spent the trip telling her the 'truth' about myself.

I gave her the same version I gave Daisy, Dawn and May, that a Pokemon by the name of Arceus came to me in a dream when I was five, and told me of the risk to the world in the next several years.

Needless to say Misty had numerous reactions to what I told her, partially because no one in this world truly knew about Arceus, and because of the things she'd be involved in by staying around me. But there was another thing, her own dream of becoming the world's greatest water specialist.

If she TRULY wanted to be the greatest, then even something like the legendaries couldn't surprise her.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence as Misty digested everything I told her, and I enjoyed the feeling of the wind in my face, and her body against mine as she rode in front of me.

Though Pidgeot could have made the trip in just a few minutes, and I'm pretty Dragonite wouldn't have even needed to exert himself to do the same, we took just a little over an hour getting to Cerulean due to waiting on Tropius. But then again, it beat the several days we would've taken otherwise.

Still, I was excited when I saw the the sun glistening off of the windows in the distance, but when I got close I realized it wasn't the glass windows the sun was reflecting off of.

"Welcome to Cerulean, city of water." Misty said when she realized we were here, though I was just gaping incredulously as I took in the city.

I had seen it on tv and stuff, but television did NOT do Cerulean justice.

Channels of crystal clear water lined every street, while fountains sprayed water in artistic displays that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. And the Pokemon...

Water Pokemon of all kinds could be seen EVERYWHERE.

There were Lapras traveling up and down the channels while carrying passengers, even as Pokemon swam beneath them like Magikarp, Goldeen, Seel, Remoraid, Corsola, and Horsea. There were even Krabby and Shellder scuttling up and down the channels on the very bottom, or the walls.

Meanwhile there were numerous Pokemon up out of the water, such Psyduck, Staryu, Poliwag, Slowpoke, Whooper, a few more Krabby that were sunning themselves, and even a few Squirtle. These Pokemon were all enjoying themselves as they played with other Pokemon, or even children that wandered past them, and going to one of the channels or fountains whenever they needed to cool off.

There were even swarms of Wingull that lazily drifted in on the oceanic wind currents, only to perch on areas designated as resting zones for them. But what was truly surprising was that I could see a Wailmer and Wailord pod in the cove to the north of the city. People were even swarming towards the bridge spanning the large cove just to watch them, which was so massive that it appeared as if it had been built just to accommodate hundreds of people at once to begin with.

The most eye catching thing in the entire city though, was the massive water park that surrounded the Pokemon Gym.

It put any other theme park I'd seen in my previous life to shame in both sheer size and extravagance, as it was something like a water ark crossed with a petting zoo that housed water type Pokemon from all over the world.

The most common ones present were Pokemon that could be found in both Kanto and Johto, but I also spied Pokemon like the Shellos/Gastrodon, Piplup, Mudkip, Buizel, Mantyke, Octillery, Corphish, Clamperl, Gorebyss, Finneon, Basculin, Clauncher, Chewtle, and Tympole.

I was pretty sure I even saw a Milotic amongst all of the people and Pokemon below.

"It's amazing..." I uttered in awe, which I noted made Misty puff her chest out proudly.

"Well it IS the city known for best accommodating water type Pokemon! The streets here are also the cleanest in the region, since they're washed daily!"

Misty then listed off everything of interest in Cerulean as we did a flyover of the city, with Tropius flying close enough that May and Dawn could hear as well.

"How do you know so much about Cerulean Misty? Did you live here or something?" May asked her eventually, making Misty appear awkward even as she answered,

"Well, I WAS born here... I just wanted to get out and find my own way, so I left."

Even as she said that though, I didn't need my aura or meta knowledge to tell there was more to the story. Dawn and May may not notice it with them being further away, but I could definitely tell there was something off with Misty as we came in for a landing near the Pokemon Center.

People immediately noticed us as we dropped lower to the ground, as they cleared out an area for us to land in front of the Pokemon Center.

Every single eye was on us as people began to mutter from the appearance of Pidgeot, Dragonite, and even Tropius since they weren't seen very often in Kanto. Even Lucario was drawing a fair bit of attention due to how unique he appeared, especially when he agilely performed a backflip to dismount from Dragonite. But he surprised everyone even more as he said,

"I have to admit, flying was a bit easier as a Riolu..."

As Lucario looked at himself thoughtfully, since he was a fair bit bigger than he'd been just yesterday, everyone around us turned into a storm of muttering and whispers at the TALKING Pokemon. Funnily enough several claimed it was a hoax since Lucario's lips hadn't moved, when his way of talking was similar to Mewtwo's telepathy.

"Geo!" Pidgeot stated once Misty and I got down, making me grab his beak roughly before he could take off.

"Do NOT eat anything in Cerulean city. If you're going fishing, do it away from the city." I told him in a deathly calm voice, as the last thing I needed was for people to freak out because Pidgeot was eating their favorite Pokemon right in front of them.

"Geo...." Pidgeot grumbled in response, even as he spread his wings and took off.

Though I was still a little worried, I just shook my head with a sigh before entering the Pokemon Center.

"Ace!" A familiar voice cried out as a petite figure rushed me excitedly, tackling me with a surprising amount of force as she tried to squeeze the life out of me.

"Joy?! What are you doing in Cerulean?!" I asked incredulously, even as I patted her back comfortingly.

Joy immediately released me as she stepped back, and declared firmly while looking me in the eyes, "I decided that I want to come with you, and I won't take no for an answer!"

"!!!"

To call me surprised would be an understatement, since she had been unable to say anything of the sort when we parted in Pewter. Just as I opened my mouth to respond though, Joy's eyes widened as she seemingly just noticed my neck, as she cried out, "Ace! What happened to your neck!?!"

"Oh, you know... I just got into a minor fight with a God." I answered casually, making Joy look at me weirdly even as she dug through her bag for medical supplies.

"This almost looks like an Arbok got a hold of you, but if that was the case you'd be dead by now..." She muttered to herself more than to me as she pulled out a tube of cream, which smelled really foul as she opened it.

"Sit." She ordered sternly, making me blink even as I readily obeyed.

I still could not get used to the difference between her normally, and when she went into nurse mode.

As I sat in one of the chairs of the waiting room, Joy professionally applied the cream to every inch of the bruised skin on my neck, which burned in a chilly way, before I felt my skin start to go numb.

"That...actually feels a bit good..." I uttered in surprise when Joy had finished, moving my head in ways that had hurt moments before, but not anymore.

"It looks like the bruising is very deep, so I'll have to reapply it tonight before bed and tomorrow in the morning. Aren't you glad to have your own nurse traveling with you from now on!" Joy exclaimed proudly as she puffed out her pitiful chest.

"Piny!" Her little Happiny chimed in agreement, making the girls and I look at each other wryly.

"Listen Joy, I'm glad you want to come with me... But it's going to be REALLY dangerous for us in the future."

"Then it's a good thing I'm going! I can treat all of your wounds, and always take good care of everyone's Pokemon!" Joy exclaimed with her hands on her hips, obviously not taking no for an answer, just as she'd said earlier.

Truthfully, I would be glad if she joined us for exactly that reason, I just didn't want her to get hurt herself from not knowing what we were getting into.

"As long as you understand there'll be danger, welcome aboard. We'll be glad to have you." I said while patting her head.

Immediately Joy's confident exterior crumbled as she turned completely red.

***

What the fuck was this!?!

That was the only thought going through a different Nurse Joy's head as she watched HER Ace interact with a younger Nurse Joy, who still had a Happiny instead of a Chansey.

C-could it be that Ace like younger women!?!

Was she too OLD for him!!!???

Nurse Joy's mind immediately began to run wild with all of the implications of seeing Ace and one of her cousins together, appearing to be quite close as well.

But even worse than that, was that someone had the GALL to hurt HER Ace.

Even from there she could see the bruising that was spread throughout Ace's entire neck, making Joy curse whoever was responsible.

But at that moment something caught her eye.

A woman she recognized from the last time she saw Ace in the Viridian City Pokemon Center. The same woman who had been asking about Ace after he'd departed to Viridian Forest.

And now here she was, and yet she was acting like she had no idea who Ace was despite his close proximity. Actually, as Joy watched her she noticed that her movements, while appearing natural, never took her away from Ace's general area.

A smile slowly formed on Joy's face as she watched the woman glance in Ace's direction, before suddenly whispering something into her wrist.

"Come on Chansey." Joy told her partner.

"See see?" Chansey asked her curiously.

"Let's go deal with a pest." Joy uttered emotionlessly.

***

Joy closed the door behind us as our entire group filed into the private room in the Pokemon Center.

We were in the room so that I could make a call to professor Oak without having to worry about anyone else listening in, and currently present with me was May, Dawn, Combusken, Piplup, Joy, her Happiny, Dragonite and Lucario.

Misty apparently had something to do, which none of us minded since she knew everything I'd be talking to the professor about anyways.

The video phone only rang once before it was immediately picked up by Daisy, who appeared on screen as she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Ace... We've been so worried..." Daisy uttered tiredly, before she noticed my neck.

"What happened to you!?!" She demanded in a different tone.

"It's a long story. Is your grandfather there? He needs to hear what I have to say most of all." I told her seriously.

"Grandpa!" Daisy cried out on the other end, before professor Oak joined her on the screen a moment later.

"Ace! What happened out there?" The professor immediately demanded.

"Well, the Team Rocket executive that escaped me the other day returned to Mt. Moon with reinforcements. But that wasn't too bad compared to what actually caused all of the commotion you've probably heard about." I then paused as I tried to figure out how to properly say what I wanted to the professor, before finally just saying it.

"Professor, they have a legendary."

The professor and Daisy both paled instantly while I felt Joy grow anxious beside me, and those who had been present yesterday grew somber and silent.

"Which one?" The professor asked in a measured voice.

"Not one you'd recognize." I told him bluntly, making the professor look up curiously.

"Then how do you know it was a legendary?" He asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Because he tossed Dragonite around like a rag doll as he whooped his ass." I stated, to which the professor's eyes grew wide in shock.

He then looked to Dragonite for confirmation, but the large dragon just looked away bitterly from how bluntly I'd explained what happened.

"Ace, tell me everything." The professor demanded.