EVERYONE: Pokemon Lightning Yellow

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Traveling Interlude 9e: Seven Nights of Fantasy (part 5)


That night, Misty looked out into the wings of the masquerade stage. "Ready to go?" she asked as the boys joined her in watching the 'Zodiac Palace' skit that was winding down on the stage.

"As I'll ever be--we've practiced this as best as we can." Ash replied. "But even if we don't get any prizes, we can still say we had fun, right?"

"Well, we're on after Juno and the Blessed Zodiac Family finish up here." Brock reminded his companions as he fine tuned the A string on his guitar. "Once we finish, we can change out of costume and go take in other events. We won't know if we did well here until the awards ceremony on Saturday night.

"Okay...I can only hope we did well enough to get some kind of recognition." Misty mused.

Applause from onstage signaled that the group was next to perform. "It's time--let's show off the results of our hard work!"

With that, Ash, Misty, and Brock put their hands in a pile. "Fire! Water! Earth! Shine on!"

---------

"...and now, from the fantastic world of the crystals, three adventurers discuss the rumors currently making the rounds." the emcee announced, to some applause as the lights came up on the very simple set that more or less resembled a fantastic tavern.

Once sure they had received the cue to begin, the group made themselves comfortable at a table in the center of the stage. "Ah...it's good to be back in the Phoenix's Plume..." Misty began as she made herself comfortable in one of the chairs.

"I know...there's no shortage of good rumors here..." Ash agreed as he took a seat at the left end of the table. "Take what we heard as we came in, for example. Someone told me that an inventor named Cid has invented a ship that can fly in the air as easily as sailing in the water."

"An airship?" Misty gasped in feigned surprise, to some laughter. "I'd LOVE to see that!"

"But what if that rumor is true?" Brock interjected as he retrieved his guitar sitting by his chair and checked his tuning a little. "We could fly anywhere we wanted to in moments rather than walking, taming a Chocobo, or sailing."

"Only way to know if the rumor is true or not is to see this Cid fellow himself!" Misty agreed, to some knowing giggles. "What else have you guys heard?"

"They say that thieves have hidden a secret scroll in a hideout near the southeastern hills." Brock replied, now playing his rendition of the classic Final Fantasy's town music. "Supposedly, this scroll would allow one to make a contract with the elemental gods of the world."

"If I want to make a contract with any of the gods, I'd want to make a contract with Phoenix." Ash mused.

"I'd want to make a contract with the ice queen Shiva." Misty replied. "Then I could freeze any threats to the kingdom solid."

"Maybe we should keep an eye out for other scrolls as we travel..." Ash suggested. "Where there's one summon scroll, there's probably more. Imagine being brothers in arms with the Fire King Ifrit...the beautiful songstress of the sea, Siren...the great holy dragon Bahamut..."

Cheers filled the air at the mention of Bahamut before Ash suddenly remembered something. "I heard that the queen has been seen near the Black Shrine of Devastation with a company of adventurers..."

"The same place where the previous Warriors of Light struck down Chaos?" Brock asked. "I hope Her Majesty knows what she's doing..."

"At ease--Queen Rosa has proven quite the capable archer." Ash assured Brock, to some excited murmurs at the mention of Rosa. "There's a reason why she is known as the 'Angel of the Divine Bow' among the people..."

"With the blade of the Holy King Cecil, and the Angel of the Divine Bow, Queen Rosa, no monster can stand against them!" Brock vowed, making a heroic strum to prove his point.

"Speaking of monsters, they say the goblins of the Dark Crypts of Woe are as strong as giants." Misty interjected as soon as the cheers quieted. "The only way I see that plausible is if they had a strength enhancing spell cast on them, or they drank a strength potion a careless chemist dropped..."

Ash shuddered a little, to some nervous giggles. "I'm not sure I want to venture all that way to see if that's true..."

"Yes...let's leave that to more experienced adventuring parties." Brock agreed as he continued playing the relaxed and comforting melody. "As for rumors from this area, I hear that one of the local lords around here has been summoning demons and other fell creatures..."

"Now THAT's my kind of adventure!" Misty smiled.

"We should go investigate in the morning!" Ash agreed.

"Go ahead and order dinner...I'll do my best to find out more information on this rumor." Brock assured Ash and Misty as he finished his song with a flourish. "Then we can make battle plans over dinner--just in case Chaos has returned."

"Got it!" Misty replied as the lights went down, ending the skit.

The masquerade hall roared with applause as the group took a bow. This is actually kinda fun! Ash thought as he took a bow with his companions. If being Pokemon Master doesn't work out, I can always look into becoming an actor--or anything that allows me to be onstage with my best friends!

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman


Traveling Interlude 10a: Arriving in the Port of the Night Sea (part 1)


"That festival was so much fun!" Ash raved as the group got back on the road a few days later. "Are we anywhere close to Vermilion City yet?"

"We're getting close--we should get there in about four more days if we minimize the amount of time we stay in our remaining spots." Brock assured Ash and Misty. "At the moment, we are coming up on Nightsea City--so named for its bustling entertainment district, and its majestic port."

"Any chance of a mall anywhere?" Misty asked. "I've been itching to do a little shopping. If we're gonna be on the road for a bit, I may want to send my sisters some souvenirs."

"Good news--Nightsea City is famed for its shopping district, and has a nice mall as well as smaller shops and boutiques--so stock up on all the clothes and shoes you want."

Ash sighed as Misty jumped for joy. "Collecting shoes is one of those girl things that I don't understand..."

"Look at it this way--it's like collecting Pokemon." Brock explained. "Some girls are happy with a few pairs of shoes, and then there are some that 'have' to have every brand, color, and style of shoe under the sun--never mind if they are actually comfortable."

"So long as I don't have to carry a few million packages, I'll be happy to come along on a shopping trip..." Ash smiled, now in a better mood. "Who knows--they might have a GameWorld inside the mall, or something!"

"Relax, I'll only make you guys carry what I can't carry myself." Misty assured the boys before triumphantly showing the boys a well loved reusable shopping bag depicting a beach scene. "This is what reusable shopping bags are for."

Ash nodded. "What else is there to do in the city, besides shopping?"

"There's Mankey Island, which you can take a ferry to hourly." Brock replied. "A nice way to see the Mankey family in their natural habitat from a safe distance."

Ash noticed a picture of a horseshoe shaped building in Brock's guidebook. "Wonder what that place is?"

"That's actually a theater." Brock replied. "According to the guidebook, there's concerts, plays, and other performances there all the time."

Ash smiled at a memory of the festival a few days before. "Any chance we can find out if a show's going on now?"

"We should be able to find a schedule of performances anywhere in the city, and get tickets in any convenience store." Brock assured Ash as he watched the city, and the sea come into view. "There it is..."

"Let's go!" Misty led the charge down the hill towards the city...

---------

Inside the Harmony Plaza, Ash studied a mall directory for a moment. "Okay, we dropped Misty off in the GlitterSpa...there's a GameWorld in the north section, and the food court is not too far from here..."

"One of three food courts." Brock smiled. "As well as food stands and smaller places around the mall."

"For now, I want to see this GameWorld." With that, the boys made their way towards the north hall of the mall, towards the Willow's department store at the end of the hall.

An advertisement in the window of the GameWorld snapped Ash to attention. "Now Available to Demo--The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time--Coming to GameWorld this November, so preorder today?"

"Sounds interesting!" Brock smiled as he admired the promo images of Link jumping to slash something. "Nice graphics to boot..."

"Shame I don't have an Nintendo 64..." Ash sighed as the boys made their way inside the store, and its colorful utopia of games for sale.

"Welcome!" an employee smiled. "If you'd like to try out the new Zelda before it releases in November, or any of our other featured games, the demo kiosks are on the left."

"Thanks!" Ash smiled before making his way to a demo kiosk advertising Mario Kart 64. "I think I'll give this a go..."

"Then I'll give Zelda a try." Brock replied before taking the controls on another kiosk.

"Okay, so the Control Stick moves you, A is go, B is the brake..." Ash made a note of the control explanation on the kiosk, then pressed Start to begin setting up a Grand Prix.

"Apparently we'll get to go through an ice cave dungeon at some point in the game..." Brock mused as he carefully guided his Link through a beautiful crystal cave.

"The demo cart allows you to go through three different dungeons--the ice cave, a forest dungeon, and a fire dungeon." an employee explained as she arrived to restock some Nintendo 64 games. "Just be aware that they might be different in the retail version coming in November."

She smiled as Ash effortlessly pulled off a mini turbo to power past Bowser on his kiosk's screen. "Nice driving!"

"I like how smooth the driving feels in this version..." Ash smiled. "This is way easier than the SNES version I have at home...but I don't have an N64 yet."

"Well, when you're ready to buy one, we're offering Mario Kart and Zelda bundles for the holiday season." the employee smiled as she continued placing games on the shelf closest to the demo kiosks.

"Nice, I'll have to keep that in mind--and save up!" Ash smiled as his Yoshi cruised across the finish line of Luigi Raceway in first place.

Misty arrived some moments later. "I figured you two would be playing on the demos..."

She picked up a box from the N64 accessory display. "Wonder what this does?"

"That's a Rumble Pak." an employee replied. "Connect it to your controller, and you can feel a vehicle's engine, the impact of your attack, or the impact of taking damage."

"Whoa!" Brock felt a jolt of vibration from his controller as an Ice Keese froze his Link solid. "I can safely attest that the Rumble Pak works!"

"Would you like to give Mario Kart a go?" Ash backed out to the game's main screen, and offered Misty the controller.

"Sure!" Misty smiled. "I've seen so many commercials for this, so let's see how this compares to the SNES version..." She let that hang as she selected Peach for her test run...

 

[Greninjaman]

So weird that your remixed world has real world video games. Like, wouldn't make more sense for them all to be Pokemon themed in some way? Like, instead of Mario Kart, why not Pikachu Kart?

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Even in the real games, actual games are mentioned (and you can get real consoles as decor in games with secret bases), so it's not entirely unheard of for games from our world to show up in my Pokeworld. That said, there is media unique to my Pokeworld, and parodies of media from our world.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman


Traveling Interlude 10b: Arriving in the Port of the Night Sea (part 2)


Later that afternoon, the group departed a convenience store with three tickets, and some food and treats for the road. "Okay, guys--we have tickets to see the Sachiaru Players' 3 PM performance of 'The Faithful Fair One'..."

"I think I've heard Serena tell that story before in one of her letters..." Ash remembered as the group made their way to the shiny horeshoe shaped theater. "It's a Kalosian tale about a noble who sets out to win the titular character for his king, but ends up winning her for himself."

"That's the one!" Brock smiled. "I've learned the original story, but I haven't seen a stage version before...depending on the troupe, they mighty change what Pokemon Avenant helps--and by extension, what he has to do to win the Faithful Fair One, they might change the companion Pokemon Avenant has, they might add in more challenges, expand on character backstories, and anything in between."

"According to the tickets, this version has music as part of the story, but not quite a full blown musical..." Misty mused as they approached the theater, where a line was beginning to form for the 3 PM performance...

---------

In the theater, the group balked in amazement at a beautiful castle set. "Now, at the court was a young man who was well loved and well liked by nobility and commoner alike." the narrator explained, gesturing to an actor in a majestic green suit and black leggings in a spotlight near stage left. "His charms and his ready wit earned him his name of Avenant. Everybody liked him, except those who were jealous that the king showed him his favor and made him his daily confidant."

With that, the lights came up on the throne room set again, spurring the actor playing Avenant to look around at all the activity. "Never have I seen so much hustle and bustle in the castle before--the ambassador His Majesty sent has probably returned..."

"...and without the Faithful Fair One, sad to say." an actor playing a lord sighed. "His Majesty wept all night after hearing the Faithful Fair One's refusal."

"Maybe, if the king had sent me to the Faithful Fair One, I am sure she would come back with me." the actor playing Avenant smiled as he started towards stage right.

Some other actors noticed Brock approaching. "Why does Your Majesty waste your time with that green rogue?" one asked the actor playing the king. "Do you not know he is a rascal?"

"Leave me alone. I want to listen." the actor playing the king replied, shooing away the actors playing naysayers.

He next addressed the actor playing Avenant, who had bowed on one knee before the beautiful prop throne. "Avenant, is what you say about bringing back the Faithful Fair One true?"

"It is true, Your Majesty, that I would have made her realize your good qualities." the actor playing Avenant replied. "I'm sure she would not refuse her consent. In saying what I said, I did not intend to displease you."

The actor playing the king smiled. "Your words prove to me that you are a man of your word. Rise--I wish to personally invite you to the royal table this evening."

"I would be honored to join you for dinner, milord." the actor playing Avenant replied as the lights went down.

After a moment or two, the lights came up on an elegant royal dining room set, where the boy playing the king and the actor playing Avenant were enjoying various prop food. "I wonder how they manage to do eating scenes in plays without the food spoiling or the actors getting sick..." Ash whispered, aware of the action on the stage.

"They probably have to practice it, like you would anything else in a play." Misty whispered back, keeping a watchful eye out for ushers and what was happening onstage.

"Avenant, I am still in love with the Faithful Fair One, but I don't know what to do to gain her consent." the actor playing the king explained. "I would like to send you to her court."

The actor playing Avenant signaled to an extra playing a servant he was ready for the dessert course, then told the actor playing the king "I stand ready to do whatever you ask of me, milord. If you so choose, I can depart as soon as tomorrow."

"Aw"s filled the theater as the actor playing Avenant and the boy playing the king embraced. "A toast!" the boy playing the king announced. "To Avenant's successful journey!"

"To Avenant's successful journey!" the extras playing guests chorused, to cheers as glasses clinked together and the lights went down over a festive interlude.

"True to his word, Avenant departed early the next morning." the narrator explained. "He thought long and hard about how he could persuade the Faithful Fair One to marry the king. But try as he might, no good ideas came to him."

The lights came up on a sunny grove set, where the actor playing Avenant emerged deep in thought. After pacing the set for a few moments, an inspired look formed on his face. "I'd better write this down, lest I forget it later." he smiled as he settled under a tree and took out an elegant prop notebook and a pen. After quickly writing something, he put the notebook and the pen away, then stretched out to relax under the tree.

Some sniffles and soft cries in the distance snapped the actor playing Avenant to attention. When he crossed the stage to see what the crying was, the lights revealed an actress in costume as a Sobble--feigning crying by the riverbank. "Oh...a Sobble." the actor playing Avenant mused. "I don't know why you cry, little one, but may I at least put you back in the water?"

The actress nodded yes through her feigned tears, then laid down, allowing the actress to carefully pick her up and set her down in the pool standing in for the stream. "There." the actor playing Avenant smiled. "I'm sure your friends and family are worried about you."

"Avenant, thank you for your kindness." the actress playing the Sobble smiled, her feigned tears shining with happiness. "Because you have done so much for me, one day I'll do something good for you in return."

With that, she plunged into the water, making some in the audience laugh--including the group--at the actor playing Avenant's shocked face...

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Traveling Interlude 11: Bonds With Far Away Lands


"Here we are in Seacross City--so named because of its connections to some far off regions." Brock explained as the group arrived in another seaside town a day or two later.

"What kind of far off regions?" Ash was interested.

"There are quite a few Unovan Defense Force bases in this area, so I wouldn't be surprised if we find Lt. Surge training new recruits here." Brock replied.

He made a grand gesture to a large plaque overlooking a building with the familiar red, blue, yellow, green, and white Wakunese flag and a flag with a scarlet top, a gold center, and a violet bottom. "...and that plaque right there symbolizes this place's friendship with the Paldean city of Porto Marinada."

"Who knew that places could be friends, too?" Misty smiled as she watched the flags flutter in the late morning breeze.

"Cities and towns may become friendship cities for many different reasons." Brock assured Misty. "The two places might have cultural connections, economic connections, historic connections, and that's just naming a few. Porto Marinada and Seacross became friendship cities because of their shared history as fishing villages, and modern day incarnations as seaside resorts."

"If I'm ever lucky enough to go to Paldea one day, I might have to check out Porto Marinada!" Ash smiled as he petted Tintri. "But first I wanna get all the badges that I can in Waku before I go overseas."

"Good idea--this way you have time to brush up on the local culture of wherever you end up." Misty agreed as the group approached a fork in the path leading to a forested area. "Wonder where that path goes?"

"That right there leads to the Forest of Reverence--which has long been considered a sacred forest." Brock replied. "Surprisingly enough, the Unovan Defense Force helps the locals look after the forest. There is a park nearby, but only those on a sacred pilgrimage are allowed into the heart of the forest."

"There's maybe a shrine or a temple in there?" Misty was intrigued as the group approached the path leading into the park near the forest.

Brock nodded. "It's actually sacred to Emerald Raikou--the story goes that Emerald Raikou was rescued from a corrupt warlord by three Primeapes."

"Here I was thinking that Mankey and Primeapes were dangerous..." Ash mused as he consulted his Pokedex:

"Primeape, the pig monkey Pokemon. It becomes wildly furious if it even senses someone looking at it. It chases anyone that meets its glare."

"So, if Primeapes chase anyone that looks at it, then how come three Primeapes helped Emerald Raikou?" Ash wondered, pocketing his Pokedex as the group arrived at the park entrance.

"Maybe Brock can tell us the tale over bento boxes?" Misty suggested as she followed Ash and Brock inside the park.

"Many parks do have small shops to buy food, supplies, and souvenirs, as well as fire pits if you want to camp out and cook over a fire." Brock explained. "Getting into parks themselves are free." He let that hang as he led the group down the trail leading to the park's center, where a supply outpost and amphitheater stood for visitors and campers.

"Oh, that's cool!" Ash admired the amphitheater nestled in a grove near the central square. "Wonder what kind of shows they put on in there?"

"Probably educational Pokemon shows and campfire sing-alongs, but general concerts and plays aren't unheard of, either." Misty replied before leading the way inside the supply outpost...

---------

"Now then...here is the tale of how three Primeapes rescued Emerald Raikou." Brock began as the group settled in a vacant picnic shelter near the park's central square with bento boxes.

[Thank you for the food!] Tintri squeaked before biting into an onigiri.

Even Brock couldn't resist smiling at Tintri's happiness. "Anyway, Emerald Raikou ended up on the bad side of a warlord named Twilight Wind, who oppressed the people with harsh laws and high taxes. Twilight Wind got his title because no matter what you said or did, he and his men were listening. If they heard you saying bad things about them, they often burned down your house as revenge. Since these burnings usually happened at night, the people were very careful about what they said, lest the twilight wind hear of it, and burn your house down..."

In a world of the past, a young man similar in appearance to Brock wearing a majestic green, pale green, and gold costume knocks on the door of a house. "Quickly--the twilight wind blows your way tonight." he warns a man. "So gather what belongings you can, and come with me."

"Emerald Raikou was seen as a heroic figure to the people of this area--because he would follow Twilight Wind and his men, learn which families would have their houses burned that evening, and warn those whose houses were targeted to flee to his hideaway in the forest." Brock narrates as in the story's world, Emerald Raikou leads the family to a well hidden network of caves in the forest. The people nicknamed him 'Torakami'--divine Raikou--and many heeded his warning if he came to their house."

"So, how did Twilight Wind figure out what was going on?" Misty asks via voiceover as Emerald Raikou arrives to warn another family.

"He was just as cunning, so one night, before coming to burn his targeted houses for the night, he followed Emerald Raikou to the forest." Brock replies via voiceover as the scene changes to Twilight Wind and his men surrounding the sacred forest. "But the forest Pokemon were some of Emerald Raikou's closest allies--they had warned him and the families he cared for to stay put in the caves. They would drive off Twilight Wind themselves."

In the story's world, Twilight Wind demands "Come out, Emerald Raikou, or I will burn the forest to the ground!"

He does not, however expect three Primeapes to emerge from the brush and begin battering the soldiers with many Fighting type moves! "But instead of Emerald Raikou, Twilight Wind was met by three Primeapes! In the ensuing chaos, Emerald Raikou joined the fight with his sacred bow--the Venerable Jade Bow." Brock narrates as a shining jade green arrow lands in the formation of soldiers, knocking many of them to the ground as Emerald Raikou and more of the forest Pokemon come to join the fight...

"In the end, Twilight Wind and his men were forced to flee, and several families were spared that night from losing their homes." Brock concluded the story some time later. "The people were thankful that Emerald Raikou and the forest Pokemon saved their lives, and built the temple that stands in the heart of the forest today. Needless to say, Twilight Wind didn't attempt capturing Emerald Raikou, or the other seven Spirits, for a good while after that!"

"I can only hope Twilight Wind got his comeuppance after that..." Misty mused as she and Ash gathered up the trash from their picnic.

"I can assure you he did." Brock replied. "But that's another tale for another time."

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Traveling Interlude 12a: The City of the Sword and the Phoenix


"Here we are at Swordpoint City...the last major stop before Vermilion." Brock began as the group approached a large seaside city in the distance with many majestic temples dominating the skyline. "While the name comes from its long history as one of Waku's ancient capitals, and connections to the samurai, it is also known as 'The City of Temples', or 'The City of Spirits'--since many of the temples and shrines honor at least one of the Eight Spirits."

He showed Ash and Misty a picture of a huge phoenix statue. "If you only see one of the temples, it is suggested you visit the Temple of Purity, and the Great Phoenix statue."

"I remember doing a research paper on Ruby Phoenix's connections to Swordpoint once for school..." Misty remembered. "One story goes that Ruby Phoenix was sentenced to die on a trumped up charge, but moments before the execution, a thunderbolt killed the executioner. The corrupt emperor was so frightened at this, he ordered Ruby Phoenix freed, and gave him and the other seven Spirits many lavish gifts as an apology, believing them all to be gods."

"That's just one of the many stories of the Eight Spirits you'll hear out this way." Brock replied. "But worry not, Miss Dragon--there are plenty of temples and shrines to Sapphire Dragon here, too."

With Brock and Misty occupied talking, Ash did a double take when he noticed a familiar three triangle design on a historic house's front door. "No way! That's a Triforce!"

"The Triforce sign has a long history besides Zelda." Brock explained. "In ancient times, it was the clan crest, or mon, of the Northern Passage clan of samurai. So that house was likely owned by someone of that family line at one time or another."

"Cool!' Ash smiled. "Who knew that symbol was older than I thought!"

---------

"What's so great about a rock?" Misty asked as the group approached a rock overlooking the central square of one district.

"This is Phoenix Rock." Brock explained. "The story goes that this is where Ruby Phoenix pleaded with angry crowds to turn from their evil ways. He believed the chaos going on in the city at the time was Arceus' anger that they had forgotten His holy teaching."

"Did it work?" Misty wondered.

"In fact, it did--but it also put the Eight Spirits on the evil emperor's radar, setting up for Ruby Phoenix's near execution and divine rescue." Brock explained.

Ash noticed a signpost near the district square. "Well! There's a walking trail here that goes to all the temples here..."

"Let's go check it out!" Misty led the way down the trail...

---------

"Here is the Temple of the Heavenly Wing..." Brock began as the group arrived on a majestic temple's grounds. "The story goes that when officials of the evil emperor burned down the house of the Eight Spirits, Ho'oh led Ruby Phoenix to safety here. Eventually the Eight Spirits all regrouped here--the view of Mt. Silver near the cave they made shelter in renewed their spirit and resolve."

Piqued, Misty noticed a cave near the group's current position. "Forgive the intrusion!" she called, as if expecting Sapphire Dragon to appear from the cave and welcome her and her companions to the sacred grounds.

When no one came, she noticed a row of eight statues on the path leading to the cave designed to receive donations. A sign was nearby, telling visitors that any donations in the receptacles went towards the temple's upkeep, and charity work. "At the very least, I can donate a little something to let Sapphire Dragon know I've been here." With that, she dropped a few coins inside the dragon-woman's receptacle.

Ash returned with a smile some moments later. "I asked Ruby Phoenix for strength and courage on our journey..."

"Well, you have the courage part down, at least." Misty smiled as she led the way back to the temple entrance..."

---------

"This is the Temple of the Black Pine...so named because of the sacred pine tree here." Brock explained. "No one knows for sure who planted it, but Amethyst Braviary, Jade Beautifly, and Pearl Deerling have all been named possible candidates."

Ash looked up at the huge pine tree towering over the temple grounds. "It's huge!"

Misty, meanwhile, returned with a souvenir book. "Apparently, this place is on a pilgrimage route, so I got a picture of the Jade Beautifly statue in the main hall--with the chief priest's permission--and a stamp for a souvenir book detailing all the pilgrimage routes in the Kanto area."

"We are kinda on a pilgrimage..." Ash admitted as he admired the red pine tree design stamped in a square under the temple's name and picture. "Is there a prize for getting all of the temples stamped?" he asked, looking to Brock for the answer.

"Probably not a physical prize, but the memory of the trip is a prize in itself." Brock mused.

"That's fair." Ash replied as he shepherded Tintri close to him. "Come on, bud--let's go."

[Okay!] Tintri replied before bounding on his master's shoulder again. [Wonder if any Pokemon's ever climbed all the way to the top of the sacred tree?]

"Maybe you can ask the local Caterpies?" Ash suggested, to nervous giggles from Misty...

---------

"This one is for you Misty--the Temple of Sapphire Dragon." Brock explained. "There are grand temples to the other seven Spirits, but Sapphire Dragon gets the one overlooking the sea."

Misty smiled when she noticed the sea far in the distance. "I'd like to think that Sapphire Dragon is out there, dancing on the water...

She closed her eyes for a moment. Sapphire Dragon-sama, grant me strength and protection for this trip!

"Whoa..." Misty was snapped from her prayer by Ash gawking at a massive bell with dragon designs near the temple square. "Wonder how something this big is even rung?"

"There's a very sturdy rope, young man." one of the temple's priests assured Ash as he arrived to collect donations that had been left at the bell's base. "It is rung three times a year--at the New Year, on the day traditionally believed to be Sapphire Dragon's birth date, and on the anniversary of the temple's founding."

"Interesting..." Misty mused. "Maybe I should travel here for the New Year, and hear it ring!" Chuckles filled the air in agreement...

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Traveling Interlude 12b: The Museum of Martial Tales


"Where to now on our mini pilgrimage to all the temples and shrines in Swordpoint?" Ash asked as the group made their way back to the city's central square.

"Before we move on to more shrines and temples, I found another place we might wanna check out." Brock replied as he showed Ash and Misty a picture of a large building surrounded by beautiful gardens. "This is the local Museum of Martial Literature. While the emphasis is on martial stories written by authors from this area, they do feature authors from across Waku--and some foreign stories."

"Who knew that martial fantasy was loved elsewhere?" Misty smiled as she followed the boys to a bus stop.

"Serena's taught me some Kalosian in her letters, so I might find some Kalosian martial stories!" Ash replied, petting Tintri as he kept an eye out for busses going to the museum...


---------

Now arriving at the Museum of Martial Literature...next stop, Temple of the Bush-clovers. the bus' loudspeaker announced as the group disembarked at the museum's front walk some time later.

"The good news is, once we're done here, there are several routes that pass by here." Brock explained before showing the group a schedule of all the city's bus routes. "I made sure to ask the driver for a bus schedule so we don't get lost."

"Most bus services will be happy to give you a schedule of their routes." Misty replied before showing Brock a well loved Cerulean bus schedule. "I still keep one from home on hand when I travel to a part of the city I haven't been to before. What you guys got to see is only a silver of what Cerulean has to offer!"

"You still owe me tickets to a game at Stars Park!" Ash grinned before leading the way up the stone path to the museum and the gardens.

"I'll keep an eye on the schedule for when the Pallet Charizards are in town, Mr. Baseball Fan." Misty assured Ash before noticing a sign displaying the museum's admission fees. "A thousand credits for a ticket is a great deal..."

"Most museums offer free admission, but those that have fees are often very reasonable." Brock explained as he paid for a ticket. "Depending on the museum, you may also get access to some attractions with your admission fee. Pewter gives you a free VMAX movie with your thousand credit entry."

"I can only imagine what a documentary on sea Pokemon might look like on the very, VERY big screen!" Misty smiled as she made her way inside the museum.

"The closest thing to scuba diving, without getting scuba training!" Ash grinned before making a beeline to one wing of bookshelves.

"I wonder if you can read any of the books here..." Misty mused as she looked over the museum map in the lobby.

"You can read a rotating selection of books that change each month." a museum attendant replied. "This month's theme is Deerling-born stories. If there's a book not out on display you'd like to read, ask an employee."

"Thanks!" Misty replied before following Brock into a different wing...

---------

"Let's see here...don't really know many of these authors..." Misty mused as she, Ash, and Brock explored a different wing. "'The Adventures of Amber Deerling' is on display over here...'The Legend of Crimson Deerling'...'The Wind Song'..."

"That one must have a Pokeflute involved in it..." Ash grinned before turning his attention to the books on the shelf before him. "'Adventures of the Disguised Pikachu' sounds interesting...'The Adventures of Sapphire Phoenix' sounds like something Misty would wanna read..."

"...'The Journey to Jeweled City'...in most of those stories, the way to the titular place is the brunt of the story, but some novels make the destination just as interesting as the journey." Brock mused as he contemplated which book to read on the shelf before him. 'Journey to the Mysterious Temple' sounds exciting...'The Ancient Jeweled Sword' sounds like something you'd read, Ash..."

"If there's a huge world-spanning quest involved, I'll read it!" Ash smiled before studying his shelf. "'The Hundred Pikachu Pearls'..."

[Maybe they're called that because they have Pikachu faces on them.] Tintri replied. [Shame that one's not available to read right now...]

Ash brought up NoteNav on his PokeNav and added the book's title to a list of titles. "That's why I'm writing down the names of the ones not out on display that sound interesting. This way, I can look up plot summaries, and see if they are worth checking out of Pallet Library, or buying to own forever."

"What a great idea!" Misty smiled as she located NoteNav on her own PokeNav and created a note labeled 'Martial Stories I Might Want to Read'

"I keep track of what I've read or might like to read like this too." Brock explained as he updated his own note. "Pewter's library has a huge section of martial fantasy--I haven't even made a dent in the section yet. So I'm noting which ones sound interesting, and ones I know the library has that I haven't read yet."

"The beauty of the Wakunese library system is, you can check out and return books from anywhere in Waku." Ash smiled. "So I can check something out from home, then drop it off in a return drop box somewhere else."

"Most Pokemon Centers have library checkout and return kiosks." Brock reminded Ash. "So we'll never be short of new martial tales to read on our adventures!"

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Episode 19a: Arrival in the Port of Exquisite Sunsets (part 1)


"Here we are, everyone...Vermilion City." Brock began, making a grand gesture to the beautiful city in the distance. "They don't call it 'the port of exquisite sunsets' for nothing!"

"I'm sure seeing the sunset over the water in the harbor would be well worth the two weeks it took to get here..." Misty smiled before balking at a huge statue of a phoenix megabot that would be right at home in a super sentai series keeping a silent watch in the distance. "Is that megabot what I think it is?"

Brock nodded. "The Sun Phoenix from 'Explosive Force Blazing Five'. They just put it up to mark the series' 10th anniversary. Depending on how the public reacts, it may stay up for longer."

"Wow..." Ash gawked at the size of the megabot statue for a moment before turning business-like again. "Forget pretty sunsets and megabot statues, I'm interested in finding the Vermilion Gym, and finally challenging Lt. Surge!"

[Do we have to?] Tintri yawned. [We've come a long way, and I'm tired...]

"What's the hurry?" Brock smiled. "A Pokemon adventure is more than just going somewhere, winning something, then just going on to the next place with a prize. It's worth your time to stop and take in the sights of every place you stop at, no matter how lame and overpriced they might be."

Misty noticed Tintri breathing hard. "Besides, if Tintri's heaving like that, he needs a break."

"Well, okay...maybe Lt. Surge can wait." Ash admitted. "So, what else is there to see besides the harbor and the Sun Phoenix statue?"

"There's Phoenix Tower, the second tallest building in Waku, after Silph Tower." Misty explained. "They say it's almost a thousand feet high!"

"In addition to all the historic and modern boats in the harbor, there's the Three Jewels of the Sea--three historic office buildings near the harbor." Brock read from the guidebook. "They are affectionately nicknamed the Ruby, the Sapphire, and the Emerald, because of the lights on them at night. Unova has its world famous Victoire statue, Kanto has the Three Jewels of the Sea to welcome visitors, should they arrive through here."

"I heard once that if that if you go somewhere in the city where you can see all three buildings at the same time, and make a wish, your wish will come true." Misty remembered as the group made their way into the city. "Dunno how true it is, though."

"It's true enough that they made a movie about it some years ago..." Ash replied. "Now to look for a spot where I can see the Three Jewels, and make my own wish!"

Inspired, he hurried over to a park overlooking the harbor, where he could see all three Jewels of the Sea. "I wish I could be a Pokemon Master...and see my friend Serena again." he wished.

"I'll bite...I wish I could see all the water Pokemon of the world." Misty agreed as she joined Ash in admiring the three majestic buildings standing proudly over the harbor.

"I wish I could learn the music and stories of every region, and share my music and tales everywhere." Brock wished as he too joined Ash and Misty in the park.

---------

Later, Ash balked at a picture of a building in Brock's guidebook. "No way! They have a ramen museum here?"

"The Maiyu Noodle Company's headquarters is here..." Brock explained. "And yes, you can try different Maiyu flavors from all around the world in the museum's Grand Ramen Kitchen."

"That sounds fun, and interesting!" Misty smiled in between bites of the food in her bento box. "The Corphish and Meli flavor is my favorite of the Maiyu ramen..."

"The Combusken flavor was an Arceus-send when I wasn't feeling good..." Ash agreed. "Wonder what other flavors are out there?"

"If we do go there, we'll go hungry so we can try all the flavors." Brock mused before showing Ash and Misty a picture of a baseball stadium. "If you like sports, the Vermilion Lightning's home field is in the Central District. Lt. Surge is known to attend the games."

"I guess even a trained soldier must love baseball..." Ash smiled. "Are the Lightning playing today?"

"Unfortunately, no..." Brock replied as he looked up the Lightning's schedule. "We missed the end of their series with the Celadon Rainbows..."

"Aw..." Ash sighed before a picture of a Wakunese festival scene got his attention. "Wonder what that is?"

"That's the Living Festival at the Wakunese Festival Museum..." Brock explained. "There, you can learn about festivals from all over Waku. The historic Three River Garden is nearby."

"I'm sure that's beautiful in the spring with all the Cheri blossoms!" Ash smiled.

"There's well over 40 museums here, so you'll probably find a museum for just about any topic..." Brock assured Ash before addressing Misty. "If you want to go shopping, there's the world famous Dream Mirai 25 district, or just Mirai 25 for short."

"I've always wanted to see Mirai 25!" Misty smiled. "That, and take a ride on the huge Ferris wheel there--the Star of the Sea."

'It may not be the Autumn Leaf District in Saffron, but I'm sure Mirai 25 has some gaming and comic shops to visit." Ash mused, warming up to the possibility of being dragged into every shop in the iconic district.

"Let's clean up, then take the bus to Mirai 25..." Brock began as the group gathered up their trash from lunch. "We'll need to take the Amber route to get there--there's no fare, since all public bus lines are free."

Ash noticed a bus with yellow and orange streaks approaching a stop near the park. "I think I see one on the Amber Route!" he called as he motioned for Misty and Brock to follow him to the stop.

The bus' loudspeaker confirmed his suspicions. Amber Route...service to Dream Mirai 25...

 

[Greninjaman]

So, remind me: what is Ash's team at this point? What about Brock & Misty?

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Misty has Astra the Staryu and Pearl the Starmie at this stage

Ash's team is complete for now:

Tintri the Pikachu
Saria the Bulbasaur
Mina the Pidgeotto
Wings the Butterfree
Blaze the Charmander
Brenna the Squirtle

Brock is known to have Callio the Onix, Terra the Sandshrew, and Hitomi the Zubat at the moment.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Episode 19b: Arrival in the Port of Exquisite Sunsets (part 2)


Now arriving at Dream Mirai 25 North... the bus' loudspeaker announced as the bus pulled up to a stop nearby Phoenix Tower.

"Wow..." Ash gasped as he stepped off the bus and looked up at the sleek crystalline tower that marked the northern entrance of Dream Mirai 25. "I wonder if you can go up to the top of that?"

"You can--great views of Saffron and Mt. Silver from there." Brock replied, showing Ash a picture of the view from the top of Phoenix Tower.

He nudged Misty. "Before we get to shopping and the other attractions here, would you mind humoring Ash for a picture from the top of Phoenix Tower?"

"Sure..." Misty replied. "Although I will admit that being that high up seems a little scary..."

"You have nothing to worry about." a familiar male voice assured the group. "The observation deck is enclosed inside the building, for safety reasons."

Ash whirled around to discover Clyde approaching the group. "Clyde! What a surprise! What can you tell me about Lt. Surge?"

"As I've said before, Water types and birds are at risk from Lt. Surge's Raichu, Raika." Clyde explained as he led the group into the lobby of Phoenix Tower. "But more challengers fail to even reach Lt. Surge and Raika. If Lt. Surge's no-nonsense demeanor doesn't scare them off, his fiendishly difficult switch puzzle will."

"The elevator to the observation deck is this way..." a Phoenix Tower employee assured Clyde, pointing out a hallway at the west end of the lobby.

"Thank you..." Clyde replied before leading the group down the hall. "Since we have some time to reach the top, I'll tell you all I can about the puzzle--and possibly a secret as to how to beat Raika."

"Okay..." Ash replied, shuddering at what Lt. Surge's puzzle entailed. "It's not something like a memory puzzle?"

"Thankfully, no." Clyde assured Ash as the group boarded the beautiful and roomy elevator. "When you arrive, you'll see all these metallic bins, each one with a switch at the bottom. Your goal is to find the two switches that open the way to the door leading to the arena, Surge, and Raika."

He paused to hit the button leading to the observation deck, starting the elevator on its leisurely journey to the top. "However, which two switches open the door is a surprise--if you find a correct switch, then hit an incorrect switch, the doors and switches reset."

"That IS hard!" Misty gasped as she admired the view of the harbor from the elevator. "I'd be tearing my hair out just to find the right switches!"

"Surge is one of those types that believes in pounding unprepared trainers into submission." Clyde warned Ash. "But in immediately evolving Raika with a Thunder Stone, his raw power came with a cost--Raika missed out on all the speed and speed-based attacks Pikachu gets."

"Hm..." Ash contemplated what Clyde had said for a moment. "So if I can flummox Raika's raw power with Tintri's speed and defense..."

Brock smiled in agreement. "The best offense is a good defense. Although, if you still need help, I'll be more than happy to lend you Terra for the fight. Electricity won't do a thing to her, so Raika would likely be a sitting Psyduck!"

"Hey, sitting Psyducks are stronger than you think!" Misty smiled. "Especially once they become sitting Golducks, and get access to Ice and Psychic attacks. This is not to say that Psyducks can't learn Ice attacks either..."

"So, what's the secret to Lt. Surge's puzzle?" Ash asked, ignoring Misty's lecture on the Psyduck family all the while.

"All I'll tell you is this: Once you've found the first correct switch, the second switch is right next to it, but right next to it in which direction is a challenge." Clyde explained. "The answer is not immediately obvious. So you can still get the right switch, and then hit an incorrect switch, which resets everything. The switches don't lie on a diagonal or an angle--they will be next to each other in a line."

"That narrows down my options..." Ash mused as he saw the observation deck come into view.

Top floor--Phoenix Observation Deck, Spirit Garden, and Starry Skyride. the elevator announced as the doors opened onto the top floor of Phoenix Tower, snapping Misty from her lecture.

"Took long enough..." Brock sighed. "Thought Misty was gonna blabber about the Psyduck family forever..."

"Just humor her..." Ash smiled as he followed Clyde to the observation deck. "She does know her Water types, and she's not afraid to flaunt it sometimes."

"Wonder what the Spirit Garden and Starry Skyride is?" Misty asked.

"The Starry Skyride is a skyway connecting the top of Phoenix Tower to the indoor Starry World theme park." Clyde replied. "The Spirit Garden is a Wakunese garden dedicated to Ruby Phoenix..."

He smiled as he led the way into the observation room with the deck and the Starry Skyride station. "But before you guys go play in Starry World, I believe this is what we all came to see..."

The group gasped in awe at the majestic view spreading out before them. "Wow...you can see all of Vermilion from here!" Ash gasped as Brock snapped a picture with his PokeNav.

"If you look a little off to the north, you can see Saffron City, and Mt. Silver off to the west." Clyde explained, pointing out a majestic snow-capped mountain in the distance.

He then handed the group some ticket books. "You can get into Starry World for free, but you'll need tickets to ride the rides. One book will allow you to ride every ride and do every attraction three times."

"Thanks, Clyde!" Misty smiled.

"Yeah, thanks!" Ash agreed before looking over at the Starry Skyride station. "I'm up for riding any roller coasters they've got!"

"I'll just stick to any gentle rides, thanks..." Misty mused before following Ash into the station...

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman


Episode 20a: A Spark of Frustration (part 1)


"Dream Mirai 25 was so much fun!" Ash smiled as the group returned to the Vermilion Pokemon Center later that evening. "We'll have to go back to Starry World again..."

He was about to say more when a Chansey wheeling a stretcher and a deep brown haired boy ran past the group in the hallway towards the emergency bay. "Wonder what happened to that poor Ratatta?" Brock wondered as he caught a glimpse of the thunderbolts criss-crossing the weakened Rattata's fur.

"It's been like this for the last several days..." Nurse Joy sighed. "With so many trainers arriving to challenge Lt. Surge lately, even the Ground types have been no match for Raika. It's a wonder many of them are even alive!"

Ash swallowed hard as the group and Nurse Joy arrived in the emergency bay of the Pokemon Center. Should I still try to take on Lt. Surge? he worried as he uneasily studied the hundreds of paralyzed and burned Pokemon in the various rooms, many of them with thunderbolts criss crossing their bodies. Even the recovering Ground types moaned in pain as they tried to achieve a comfortable position, only to fall back on their beds again due to their paralysis.

[Should we even fight Lt. Surge?] Tintri asked. [Even as an Electric type, I'm worried that I might be stuck in here for days recovering from severe paralysis! Paralysis has to be bad if you can still see the bolts on the targets!]

"We've come all this way..." Misty noted. "But we can go elsewhere for your third badge if you're having second thoughts..."

Inspired, Ash dug for a coin from his pocket. "Heads, we try to reach and defeat Lt. Surge. Tails, we go elsewhere for my third badge..."

Brock, Misty, and Nurse Joy all watched as the hundred credit coin flew up in the air, then clattered on the floor seconds later. "It's heads..." Brock reported when he saw a Pikachu face.

Tintri swallowed hard. [Okay...I don't really want to fight Lt. Surge, but fate said we should at least try.]

"That's the brave Ash and Pikachu I know!" Misty smiled. "But before the great battle, we first need to worry about the switch puzzle..."

"Remember what Clyde said?" Brock asked as the group made their way back to the Pokemon Center's main lobby. "If we find one of the switches that opens the door, the other one is right next to it--but in which way, we'll have to figure out on our own. They won't be on an angle or on a diagonal, so that eases the challenge a little bit..."

"If it would help..." Nurse Joy offered Ash a green stone with a golden thunderbolt marking on it to Ash. "You could evolve your Pikachu for the battle, and meet Surge as an equal."

Ash took the stone and examined it for a moment "If you do want to use that Thunderstone, there's no way to reverse the evolution." Brock cautioned. "Think about that, as well."

Ash thought long and hard as he turned the Thunderstone in his hand. "Tintri? Do you want to evolve?"

He reared back in surprise as Tintri whacked the Thunderstone from his hands. [No!] Tintri screeched. [I don't want to change! I want to meet Raika as I am, and earn this victory for all Pikachus everywhere!]

Ash nodded. "Okay, then...I'll at least save this Thunderstone in case we find another Pokemon that wants to use it--or if you change your mind..." He let that hang as he stashed the stone in his bag...

---------

[I don't know, but I've been told...] a female Raichu sang to a sea of marching Pikachus as Ash, Misty, Brock, and Tintri arrived at Vermilion Gym the next morning.

[I don't know, but I've been told...] the Pikachus sang back.

[The very best get a badge of gold!] the Raichu sang again.

[The very best get a badge of gold!] the Pikachus sang back in reply as the Raichu's master, a blond haired soldier in combat fatigues, looked down on the sea of marching Pikachus.

"We must've walked in on morning maneuvers..." Misty mused as the soldier watched the parading Pikachu sing their cadence with a smile of approval.

Just then, the Raichu noticed the group. [Sir! A new challenger has arrived.] she reported to her master, sparking with excitement.

"I see that, Raika..." Lt. Surge smiled before addressing the Pikachus. "Company dismissed!" The Pikachus, relieved that they had passed their morning inspection, hurried off to different areas of the Gym to train.

Surge, meanwhile, arrived to meet the group at the Gym entrance. "Well! If it isn't Staff Sergent Brock and the dragon warrior Misty!" he smiled. "I take it you two are escorting this new recruit on his journey across Kanto?"

Ash wanted to retort that he was not a recruit, but an angry look from Misty made him reconsider. "I have not come to inspire the troops today sir--Ash wishes to challenge you for a Thunder Badge." Brock explained.

Lt. Surge looked Ash up and down, then eyed Tintri, who slunk back in fear at the blue eyed soldier's icy cold gaze. "You call that a worthy opponent for Raika? Only babies use Pikachus!"

Tintri began to spark angrily, but Ash calmly told the soldier before him. "Call me a baby if you must, but my Pikachu chose to remain this way. I will not force him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

Surge was unfazed. "Very well, then, maggot...you have until 1800 hours to attempt to open the way to the arena. Succeed, and you'll face Raika in battle. Fail, and you'll have to return to try again at 0700 hours. Your escorts are allowed to help you, but you have to find the two switches to unlock the door yourself."

Ash nodded as he tried oh so hard to suppress the angry tears welling up from inside him. "I accept your challenge, sir!"

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Episode 20b: A Spark of Frustration (part 2)


Previously, on Pokemon Lightning Yellow...

Lt. Surge looked Ash up and down, then eyed Tintri, who slunk back in fear at the blue eyed soldier's icy cold gaze. "You call that a worthy opponent for Raika? Only babies use Pikachus!"

Tintri began to spark angrily, but Ash calmly told the soldier before him. "Call me a baby if you must, but my Pikachu chose to remain this way. I will not force him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

Surge was unfazed. "Very well, then, maggot...you have until 1800 hours to attempt to open the way to the arena. Succeed, and you'll face Raika in battle. Fail, and you'll have to return to try again at 0700 hours. Your escorts are allowed to help you, but you have to find the two switches to unlock the door yourself."

Ash nodded as he tried oh so hard to suppress the angry tears welling up from inside him. "I accept your challenge, sir!"

Ash fumed as he watched a steel wall rose up from the Gym floor. I am not a maggot, and I am not a baby. he vowed. I am a beautiful and powerful phoenix...and I will rise from the ashes of your insults, and defeat you!

"1800 hours is 6 PM, right?" Misty asked, snapping him back to reality.

"Yeah...it's 10 AM now, so if we do the math right, we have eight hours to complete Lt. Surge's puzzle." Brock explained. "Remember what Clyde told us before--the two switches we need to find are next to each other in some way--they are not on an angle, or diagonal."

"When you three are ready, come through the door and begin your challenge." Lt. Surge's voice crackled through a speaker in the corner near the Gym entrance.

Ash nodded, and motioned for Misty and Brock to follow him to the bronze sliding door, which whirred open as they approached. As the door whirred shut behind them, he balked at seeing what looked like hundreds and hundreds of trash cans before him. "Okay...where should we start looking?"

A beep signaled that Misty had pressed a switch, only for a buzz to signal that the switch next to it was incorrect. "This is gonna be harder than we thought..."

Another buzz signaled that Brock had gotten a wrong combination. "So much for that corner..."

We can rule out the top right and bottom left... Ash thought before hurrying towards the two trash cans at the bottom right of the room. After pressing one of the switches, he pressed the switch at the end of the row, only for a buzz to signal he was wrong. Three corners down, and one to go... he thought as he dashed towards the top left of the room...

---------

Some time later, the trio met at the center of the room to discuss their next move. "We can rule out all four corners..." Brock mused as he crossed out the two switches in each of the corners of a diagram of the puzzle he had drawn out.

"I've been up and down the entire first column, and all of them are wrong." Misty reported, spurring Brock to X out the trash cans in the diagram's first column.

An idea occurred to Tintri. [Everyone...I may have an idea!]

"What is it?" Ash asked as Tintri bounded off his shoulder, and took Brock's diagram, propping it on an easel near the puzzle room's entrance.

[Were you guys looking at the colors of the switches?] Tintri suggested, making four circles matching each of the switch's four colors. [Aside from the switches we know are wrong, what if the two switches we need to find are also the same color, and positioned next to each other?]

"It's possible, but every trash can we've looked in don't have switches of the same color." Misty interjected. "Then again, we haven't looked in all of them yet...so let's try your idea of a pair of switches of the same color!"

Ash smiled as Misty and Brock hurried off to find two switches next to each other that were also the same color. "That was a great idea, bud..."

A buzz spurred Misty to report. "These blue ones on row 2 are wrong..."

"So are the green ones on row 3..." Brock sighed as Ash hurried to test some red switches in the top row. "Once we've looked in all the rows, we can try looking in the columns..."

As Ash returned to the first row, he noticed two yellow switches near the center of the row that had not been marked incorrect. We haven't checked these yet...so I'm gonna try them!

After pressing one of the yellow switches, he pressed the other switch...only for the door at the other end of the steel wall to rumble open! "Guys! I found it!" he called.

"Well! You may be smarter than you look, private...it's only 1300 hours." Lt. Surge smiled as the group reunited near the entrance to the main arena. "Plenty of time to see whether your baby Pikachu can beat Raika. If you do defeat her, a Thunder Badge is yours."

Ash nodded as he stepped onto the Blue side of the sleek metallic Poke Ball in the arena, facing the soldier and the golden mouse with a long wire-like tail before him. "Your proposed challenge is fair, sir! I am ready to give my all for a Thunder Badge, sir!"

To Be Continued...

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Previously, on "Pokemon Lightning Yellow"...

As Ash returned to the first row, he noticed two yellow switches near the center of the row that had not been marked incorrect. We haven't checked these yet...so I'm gonna try them!

After pressing one of the yellow switches, he pressed the other switch...only for the door at the other end of the steel wall to rumble open! "Guys! I found it!" he called.

"Well! You may be smarter than you look, private...it's only 1300 hours." Lt. Surge smiled as the group reunited near the entrance to the main arena. "Plenty of time to see whether your baby Pikachu can beat Raika. If you do defeat her, a Thunder Badge is yours."

Ash nodded as he stepped onto the Blue side of the sleek metallic Poke Ball in the arena, facing the soldier and the golden mouse with a long wire-like tail before him. "Your proposed challenge is fair, sir! I am ready to give my all for a Thunder Badge, sir!"


Episode 21: Electric Shock Showdown!


Lt. Surge smiled at the black haired boy before him on the Blue side of the arena. This'll be too easy... "Come at me with all you've got, private!"

He motioned to his faithful Raichu. "Raika, let's go! Start with a Thundershock!"

[Start with a Thundershock, aye!] Raika smiled before charging up for the attack.

"Tintri, counter with your own Thundershock!" Ash called.

On the sidelines, Misty and Brock watched as both electric bursts fought for an advantage, but eventually Raikas blue-white burst overpowered the small yellow burst, sending Tintri flying backwards. "Tintri can't stand up to Raika's more powerful attacks!" Brock gasped as Tintri landed at Ash's feet, battered, but not beaten.

He unearthed a Poke Ball. "Ash! Call time out and call Tintri back! I'll lend you Terra for this fight!"

Ash made a T signal to Lt. Surge, than knelt down to his heaving Pikachu. "Are you sure you can continue the fight, bud? That was a nasty shock you took. I can swap in Terra if you need to rest..."

[No...] Tintri replied. [I came all this way to prove I can beat a Raichu as I am...and I am not backing down, giving up, or letting another mon still my thunder!]

Ash swallowed hard. "Okay..."

He called to Brock. "Tintri feels confident he can hold up to Raika, despite that nasty attack! So I don't think we'll need Terra."

"Okay then...if you're sure." Brock replied as he put the Poke Ball away. "I'll still have Terra on standby if you change your mind."

In the arena, Lt. Surge smirked at the turn of events. He's not swapping Pokemon after all? After all Raika's opening move did to his little Pikachu? This kid's either foolish, or has a lot of guts!

He called to Raika "Use Body Slam, and flatten the Pikachu into a Pika-cake!"

[One Body Slam, aye!] Raika smiled before making a flying leap into the air...

"Tintri, watch out!" Ash gasped as he saw Raika's shadow over Tintri.

Tintri veered away from the falling Raichu. [Missed me!] he taunted, sticking out his tongue as Raika weakly stood up in the crater her attack had created in the middle of the arena.

Ash smiled at the turn of events. "Let's flummox Raika some more! Full speed ahead with Agility!"

[Catch me if you can!] Tintri taunted as he became a supersonic yellow blur in the arena. Try as Raika might to squish Tintri with more Body Slams, Tintri dodged every attack, leaving more craters all over the arena.

The lightbulb went off in Misty's head as she watched the Raichu fruitlessly try to catch the yellow streak in the arena. "Oh, I see what Ash wants to do!"

"Since Lt. Surge evolved Raika into a Raichu too fast, she never had a chance to learn the speedy attacks she could've only learned as a Pikachu." Brock agreed.

Lt. Surge growled in frustration at the trail of craters filling the arena, and Raika fruitlessly trying to catch the yellow streak. "Raika! Fill the entire Gym with the most powerful Thunderbolt you can! I don't care if you end up charring the whole city in the process!"

[A world record thunderbolt, aye!] Raika called before unleashing a mighty cry....

"Hit the deck!" Misty called as she led Ash and Brock underneath a stone bench near the Blue side of the arena. Seconds later, a blue white explosion rocked the Gym and the entirety of Vermilion City, destroying most of the arena floor and blowing out all the windows within several miles of the Gym in all directions.

When the light had faded and the dust settled, Lt. Surge confidently smirked at the scene of destruction. There's no way the baby could've survived that...

But as Ash, Misty, and Brock emerged from their shelter, they smiled with joy and relief, and Lt. Surge gasped with horror when they saw Tintri standing on his tail. [Ta-da!]

"How?" Lt. Surge gasped. "You should've been toast!"

[Got any butter to go with that toast?] Tintri taunted as he elegantly backflipped onto his feet again, facing the exhausted Raika.

"I see...Tintri simply used his tail as a ground to insulate himself from the electric shocks." Brock smiled.

"That, and that so called world record Thunderbolt exhausted Raika!" Misty noted Raika heaving heavily in what was left of the Red side of the arena.

"Raika, try a Thunderbolt that'll blow these pricks clear into the next galaxy!" Lt. Surge roared.

[I apologize...sir...but...I...can't...] Raika wheezed.

Raika's exhausted from that electric storm before! Ash smiled. So let's just fight thunder with thunder!

He called "Tintri, power up a Quick Attack with your own thunder! It's our turn to unleash an electric storm!"

"Okay, Raika, new plan!" Lt. Surge called. "Take Down that Pikachu!"

[Take Down, aye!] Raika called.

Ash's tense look turned to joy as Tintri met Raika by streaking into her stomach, with the impact shaped like a thunder phoenix. When the thunder phoenix faded a few moments later, Raika laid swirly eyed at Lt. Surge's feet.

Lt. Surge looked down on his fainted Raichu in shock for a moment. "Well, color me impressed...General Ash."

"General?" Ash asked, confused as Lt. Surge approached him with a badge shaped like a golden flower.

"I threw everything I had at you, yet you held firm in the midst of the storm." Lt. Surge explained. "That, and you showed me some pretty creative tactics!"

He offered Ash the badge. "I look forward to the day I and the rest of the troops can call you Master Ash."

[Yes, you are clearly the victor today, soldier!] Raika agreed.

Ash smiled as he looked down on his new Thunder Badge before saluting Lt. Surge in respect. "I promise Tintri and me will keep getting stronger, sir!"

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Episode 22: Setting Sail From the Port of Sunsets


"Congrats on getting your Thunder Badge, Ash..." Brock smiled as the group emerged from Vermilion Gym that evening. "You've more than earned a nice dinner with a battle like that!"

"Yeah--name what you want, and we'll treat you." Misty agreed.

Ash thought for a moment before noticing a beautiful cruise ship in the harbor. "I've never seen a cruise ship this close before...wonder what line it's part of?"

"That is the SS Anne, the flagship of the Fortune Seas line." Brock explained. "The other two in her class are the SS Amy, and SS Aika. They're working on a fourth ship in this class, which will be named the SS Alis."

"Wow!" Ash gasped. "I would love to go on a cruise one day!"

"As cool as it would be to sail aboard the good ship SS Anne, cruises can get pricey..." Misty cautioned. "So unless you have 300,000 credits lying around somewhere, keep dreaming, and saving up."

"Maybe not..." a male voice interjected.

Misty whirled around to discover Bill showing her three cruise tickets. "Bill! What a surprise!"

"I was invited to go on the SS Anne's latest Alolan cruise, but some new information about our dragon bird came up--and the research project conflicted with the cruise dates...so no dream cruise for me." Bill explained. "So would you three like to go on my behalf? It would be all expenses paid for the three of you."

"Would we ever!" Ash eagerly snatched one of the tickets.

"Yes, thank you!" Misty smiled as she took a ticket.

"Let's head back to the Pokemon Center, and pack there...we have a few days before we board." Brock suggested as he took the third ticket. "We'll send plenty of postcards, and souvenirs!"

---------

"...and then Bill surprised us with three tickets to sail to Alola!" Ash excitedly explained as he proudly showed off his ticket and a red Alolan shirt with flower and phoenix designs.

"How fun!" Delia smiled. "I'll go through your dresser and send over some of your summer clothes. There's probably laundry service aboard the ship, so you should have plenty to wear."

"Don't forget a suit for Formal Night..." Misty suggested before addressing the image of Daisy on a second videophone. "As for me, I'm gonna wear that glittery sapphire gown I like for Formal Night..."

"Okay--I'll go find that and your beach gear." Daisy smiled.

Brock meanwhile, accepted a variety of his summer clothes plus a suit from an item transfer machine. "The kids were thrilled we're sailing to Alola..." he explained as he stashed the clothes inside a suitcase, along with beach supplies, and a few warm items. "Just in case it DOES get cold." he explained.

He next spread a list of excursions offered on the trip for Ash to see as Misty went to claim her items from an item transfer machine. "Any of these sound interesting? We'll be hitting all four major islands on our dream Alola cruise..."

"The Melemele Trail sounds fun..ooh, and fresh Nanab Berries from the world famous Lani Farm..." Ash mused as he marked some excursions for Melemele Island.

"Don't forget excursions on the other islands..." Misty reminded Ash. "If we time it right, we could see some of the local kids embark on the Alola Pokemon challenge--appropriately called the Island Challenge. There's no real League there, so their goal is to just make it all the way around the region."

"Sounds interesting!" Ash smiled as he found a Native Alolan to English dictionary to study on a table, periodically looking out at the majestic ship in the harbor...

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Greninjaman

Interlude: The Glory of the Sea (part 1)

"Here we are...number 164." Brock smiled as he swiped the group's stateroom key, revealing a spacious three bed suite. "This is home at sea..."

Misty noticed Ash wincing as she brought in the group's luggage. "You okay, Ash?" she asked as she set the group's bags inside the tub in the suite's roomy bathroom.

"The ship's emergency alarm is loud..." Ash replied, wincing at a memory of the muster drill moments earlier.

"Look at it this way--you should only have to hear it at the muster drill." Misty assured Ash. "Arceus willing we don't have to hear it again."

Ash nodded. "Why are all our bags in the tub?"

"Gotta check all the beds for Burmies." Misty explained as she helped Brock inspect the beds. "If they come home with you, they are a royal pain for you to get rid of. Even nice places can have Burmies, so always check the beds and around the room before you bring in your bags--put the bags in the tub, if your room has a bathroom, like this."

"The good news is, no Burmies anywhere." Brock reported as he turned off his PokeNav's flashlight. "So now we can unpack!"

"I'm ready to explore this ship, and see everything we can do at sea." Ash smiled.

"We are on Deck 9--nearby the main pool deck and the ship's main theater." Brock explained. "Bill left us a card explaining what's paid for us, and what we still have to pay for."

"If you're not in the mood to fight the crowds, all the movies and live shows are broadcast on our stateroom TV." Misty explained. "But believe me, you'll want to see all the shows live."

Brock raised an eyebrow at the list of facilities and amenities that were paid for. "Well! The spa is one place that is paid for for us--in the mood for a facial or a massage?" he asked Misty.

"I might get my nails done at some point..." Misty replied as she studied the list of events for the night. "But for tonight, let's jut look around, and see what the ship has to offer--after we unpack, of course."

As he unloaded his bags, Ash got a glimpse of the available excursions at Melemele Island. "Pity I don't have scuba training--going pearl diving sounds fun!"

"The next time you come to Cerulean, I'll see if I can talk Daisy into letting you and I use one of the Gym's pools for scuba training." Misty smiled, proudly showing off an icon of a red flag with a diagonal white stripe on her trainer card. "Then you can go pearl diving, and swim with wild Wartortles and Squirtles!"

A pop of a Poke Ball got Ash's attention. [We're gonna go see my wild ancestors?] Brenna gasped. [Where?]

"We're on our way to the beautiful Alola region." Ash explained as he watched Vermilion Harbor begin to disappear beneath the horizon. "Wild Squirtles and Wartortles are said to live there."

[But for now, we're gonna explore what's on the boat.] Tintri explained to the excited Squirtle. [There's so much to do on the ship, we may not ever want to get off!]

Inspired, Ash heaved all his Poke Balls skyward. "Come on out, everyone! We're off on a dream vacation!"

[No wonder I felt like we were rocking...] Saria mused as she spotted the list of excursions. [I wanna see this place...] she suggested, pointing out an excursion marked "Explore Verdant Cavern" on the list of Melemele excursions with a vine. [...and taste the Nanab Berries from the world famous Lani Farm...]

[I wanna see some real volcanos!] Blaze smiled as he admired a picture of a volcano.

[I want to see all the beautiful island flowers!] Wings chittered as he admired a blooming hibiscus picture on the second page of excursions.

[If Ash isn't afraid of heights, the aerial tours of the island sound like the closest thing to flying.] Mina chirped, pointing out a picture of a hot air balloon with a wing.

Ash smiled as his team admired the pictures and chattered over which excursions sounded the most exciting. "We have a few days at sea, so we have plenty of time to think about what we want to see on each island...but first, let's see what we can do aboard the ship!"