Pokemon: Radical Redux

{With the Gang}

After making up, and after Ash told them the story of what happened in the Orange Islands, everything felt a little lighter. Sure, Ash's scar still itches when he brings it up, but at least now he doesn't have to hide it.

Anyway, the cruise went on, and it actually went pretty smoothly. No random plots to destroy the ship or anything. But there was one thing Ash didn't tell them. Something he got in secret.

Because one night during the trip, while everyone else was asleep, Ash couldn't sleep. Probably because of everything that had happened. And yeah, his adventure here in Johto was almost over. Soon, he'd have to start training again. Let's look at the competition, Ethan, Silver, Gary… Harrison might show up too, but Ash wasn't too worried about him. Still, it was going to be an uphill battle. But then again, when has he ever walked into a battle thinking he was 100% guaranteed to win?

Speaking of battles, his mind drifted back to what happened at the museum. That weird moment when he started to lose, and then suddenly, something shifted. It was like… like he saw something new. A path open up in front of his eyes. And Dragonair had gotten stronger, somehow. He didn't know why.

He'd tried to repeat it later, but it wasn't the same. It definitely wasn't like the bond evolution he had with Charizard. This was something else. And he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Ash closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them—

He almost fell over.

Floating quietly in front of him, barely making a sound, were Latios and Latias.

Ash blinked and quickly looked around, making sure no one was watching. Then he looked up at them, "Uh… hey. What are you guys doing here?"

They didn't respond, not with words anyway. But Latias giggled and pointed at Ash's bag.

Ash looked confused, kneeling down. He carefully moved the sleeping Clefairy to the side, she pretty much stayed in there most of the time, and then dug through the rest of his things. That's when he saw it. Something he had completely forgotten he'd had with him.

He reached in and pulled out the Poké Flute, staring at it. Latias and Latios were watching closely now. Ash stood up and held it out. "You looking for this?"

Latias smiled and floated closer, gently touching the flute. The moment she did, it began to glow, the light twisting and shifting until the flute's form changed completely. It turned red, sleek, and sharp, with what looked like a small jet engine at the end.

It had become the Eon Flute.

Ash blinked, then looked up at Latias, "Wait… you mean, you want me to call you if I need help?"

Latias smiled again, and Latios floated closer. He raised one hand and pressed it against the back of Ash's, right over the ring Ash wore. The ring glowed softly as a new symbol appeared, the shapes of Latios and Latias intertwined.

Ash stared at it, about to ask something, but before he could, Latias floated forward and gently booped his nose.

Then, just like that, they both took off into the night sky, vanishing like ghosts in the moonlight.

Ash was left standing there, Clefairy curled up in his arms, blinking in surprise.

"…Well. That was something."

He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. He tucked the Eon Flute away. Maybe it would come in handy when the time was right. But for now… he had to sleep. He yawned, carefully placed Clefairy back in the bag, and finally headed to bed.

----

That was the first night of the cruise.

And now it was time for the to actually get off.

They were getting off the ship, officially setting foot in Blackthorn City.

Ash looked around. Yeah, back in the original series, they never really showed much of the town. He had been so focused on charging into a battle that he hadn't taken in the view. But now that he actually stopped to look…

It was kind of normal. If you could call it that.

It looked like a typical town, buildings, businesses, the usual, but what set it apart were the jagged mountains wrapping around it, and the dragon symbols etched into signs, flags, even manhole covers. The whole place had a quiet strength to it.

The gang walked around slowly, taking it all in.

"Whoa," Brock said, glancing up at the rocky peaks beyond the rooftops. "Now this is a city with a view."

Yellow was holding onto her sunhat with both hands, her eyes sparkling. "It's kind of beautiful. Peaceful, too."

"Too peaceful," Misty muttered, arms crossed. "Feels like something's waiting to jump out at us."

Ash chuckled. "You say that like we can't go five minutes without something happening."

"You say that," Brock chimed in, "but last time you said that, there was the Whirl Cup incident… and that weird Lugia robot."

"Okay, fair," Ash admitted with a shrug.

"Alright, what's the first plan?" Brock asked, pulling out a map of the city. He was about to make a suggestion, when, inevitably, he spotted a random pretty girl walking by. His eyes went heart-shaped immediately.

He took one step forward before one of his Poké Balls popped open. His Pupitar appeared right in front of him, thudding to the ground, just in time for Brock to trip over the rocky cocoon and slam face-first into the pavement.

"…Ow," Brock groaned, his cheek smushed against Pupitar's blank, unblinking face.

Ash blinked. "Uh… is he okay?"

Pikachu waddled over and gently poked Brock's head. "Pika?"

Brock groaned again and rolled onto his back, cradling his jaw. "My love life hurts…"

Yellow crouched beside him, stifling a giggle. "Are you alright?"

"My heart is shattered…" Brock moaned dramatically.

Misty rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm to help him up. "You tripped on your own Pupitar. Maybe that's a sign."

Ash smirked. "Yeah, maybe he's evolving… into your wingman."

Pupitar let out a low, gravelly hrrrghk, which Ash chose to interpret as agreement.

"Okay, okay," Brock said as he dusted himself off. "I guess this is a sign. We did talk about training them up more. Maybe he wants to evolve."

Pupitar gave another rumble, again, seemingly in agreement. Brock bent down and tried to pick him up, but staggered slightly. "Whoa—you're getting heavy."

Another rumble.

Just then, a Poké Ball on Ash's belt shook lightly. He chuckled and walked over, slinging an arm around Brock's shoulders. "Alright, time for another Ash and Brock solo adventure! Let's go, three movies and a hundred more episodes!"

Brock snorted and played along. "Yeah! Pupitar bros on a mission!"

Misty and Yellow exchanged a look… and silently decided not to say anything.

"Alright, we're heading to the mountains," Ash said as he and Brock turned to leave. "Not the Dragon's Den, just one of the other ones. We'll be back in a bit. You guys have fun."

Pikachu and Vee followed behind as the two friends headed toward one of the quieter trails leading into the mountains.

With Ash and Brock gone, Misty glanced around, then looked at Yellow. "Sooo… want to go see if there's anything interesting around town?"

Yellow nodded. "Okay, sounds fun! Let's go!"

They strolled through the streets together, casually exploring shops and stalls. At first, they were just browsing for souvenirs and maybe some mochi… but at some point, Misty let Yellow take the lead, meaning Chuchu was now leading the way.

"So," Misty said, scanning the area, "do you actually know where we're going?"

"Nope!" Yellow replied cheerfully.

Chuchu nodded with her arms crossed, then pointed. "Chu!"

Yellow followed her finger. "But that tree looks really tall. Bet we could see a lot from up there."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "You're not seriously suggesting we climb it… right?"

But Yellow was already halfway across the grass.

"Why not?" she called back. "I used to climb trees all the time in Viridian Forest! This one's not that bad!"

THUMP.

Yellow froze as something, or someone, fell out of the very tree she was approaching.

A small figure hit the ground in a tangle of purple hair, blankets, and half-eaten berries, followed by a muffled yelp.

"…Ow…"

The girl groaned and sat up, rubbing her head. She couldn't have been older than eight or nine.

She was dark-skinned with a medium brown complexion, red-brown eyes, and very long dark purple hair tied back. She wore a cream-colored long-sleeved top with pink cuffs and a collar, a pink puffy miniskirt with a slit on the left side and a big ribbon over it, along with white leggings with yellow ends. A half-chomped Sitrus Berry was still clutched in her hand.

"Uhhh…" Yellow blinked. "Are you okay?"

The girl looked up sharply and sprang to her feet. "I wasn't sleeping! I was training!" she barked, brushing off her knees.

Misty crossed her arms. "In a tree?"

"Tree training! Very advanced! You wouldn't get it," the girl said, crossing her arms and looking away with exaggerated confidence.

Then came a shout from behind them.

"Iris! There you are!!"

Three older men in Dragon Clan robes came running around the corner, one of them red-faced and wheezing from the effort.

The girl, Iris, gritted her teeth. "Uh-oh," she muttered.

"Gotta go!" Iris yelped, springing into action. "Nice meeting you—BYEEE!"

Misty blinked. "Wait—what?"

"Hey! Be careful—!" Yellow called, reaching out.

But Iris was already gone, a blur of purple streaking through the narrow alleys of Blackthorn with surprising speed for someone who had just fallen out of a tree. The Dragon Clan members charged after her, robes fluttering, voices raised.

"IRIS! You can't just vanish during morning meditation again!"

"You can't keep me in a cave forever!!" Iris called over her shoulder as she scaled a fence like it was nothing.

Yellow stared. "She's… really fast."

Misty pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fast and weird."

Just then, the youngest of the Dragon Clan members, panting and clearly the least committed to the chase, slowed down and stopped when he saw them.

"You two," he said between gasps. "Did you see a girl with wild hair and zero impulse control come through here?"

Yellow hesitated. "Uhh… maybe?"

"Figures." He groaned. "She always runs toward the market. Or trees. Or… market trees. Thanks anyway."

He gave a half-hearted wave and trudged off after the others, disappearing around the corner.

A moment of silence passed.

"Well," Misty said flatly, "that happened."

"Yeah… she seemed fun," Yellow said, still watching the direction Iris had gone.

"Kinda seems like she'd get along with Ash," Misty muttered, shrugging. "Meh. He's not here, so whatever. Anyway… what were we doing?"

Yellow paused, clearly thinking deeply.

Then she raised her finger like she'd just discovered something profound.

"I forgot!" she declared, completely confident.

—-

{Meanwhile, Ashtwo}

Ash didn't say much as he walked toward them. He knew they weren't going to the meeting. They weren't allowed. Still, he watched them closely as he approached.

As he got closer, Enid stepped in front of him and crossed her arms, "Hey. We need to talk."

D looked at her coldly. "No. I have business to attend to."

He moved to go around her, but she stepped in front of him again.

"No," Enid said firmly. "This is important, D."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but she was too stubborn, or too afraid, to actually say it.

"I said," D growled, eyes narrowing, "I don't have time to waste on you."

Enid flinched, like she'd just been slapped.

Jay finally spoke up. "Hey, isn't that a little harsh, bro? I mean, yeah, I know you're probably stressed, and Enid hasn't exactly made it easy to, you know… like her, but aren't we friends?"

"Friends?" D repeated, his voice suddenly icy. "We're not friends. We're just people who work together. Isn't that what you said, Enid? I'm just giving you what you wanted."

Enid opened her mouth, but, for once, nothing came out. She just stood there, frozen.

Helena tried next. "D… are you okay? You've just… you've been acting different lately."

"I'm perfectly fine," D said flatly. "I'm doing my job. That's all this is. And since I got my promotion, I have the authority to make decisions. Starting now—" he turned toward her "—I relieve you of your position as my so-called 'underling.' You're just a regular grunt again. It's better for both of us this way."

Helena blinked, stunned. She actually gasped a little, like she'd just been hit in the gut. After everything they'd been through, especially when they were trapped in that illusion, she thought they were making progress.

"D… are you sure you're okay?" Domino finally asked, voice quiet. "You don't seem okay. Ever since the promotion, you've been… off."

D stopped walking.

His shadow stretched down the corridor beneath the flickering light. His back stayed turned.

"You all keep asking that," he said, voice low and unreadable. "Maybe I'm just finally acting like a soldier."

"But you're not just a soldier," Domino said, stepping forward. "You're—"

"I wasn't one," D interrupted, not turning around. "I was a medic. But I was still in the army, same difference. Or did you forget that part?"

He pointed to the mask hanging at his side.

"And maybe you forgot the only reason I joined."

"But dude, this isn't like you," Jay said. "You've saved us more times than I can count. The Raiders, that lab, everything, we'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

"I just followed orders," D replied coldly. "No casualties is always better. Nothing more."

"No, that's not true," Helena insisted. "You chose to help us. And you chose to open up to… us."

D was silent for a moment.

Then he looked down at them, gaze distant, "I chose to complete the mission."

He stepped forward.

"If you don't have anything useful to say, I have an actual important meeting to attend. If I don't show up, I'll have bigger problems than you. Just... stay out of this."

And with that, D walked past them and shut the door behind him.

Leaving the team behind. Silent.

It all felt wrong. Like the air had gone cold. Just days ago, they were laughing together. Now... he was treating them like strangers.

They all felt it in their gut, something was wrong. But they had no proof. No evidence. And maybe… they didn't want to believe it.

And then there was Enid.

She'd finally worked up the courage, after insistence from the rest of the team, to at least try and apologize. To say the words she'd held back for too long. The words she couldn't take back.

But now…

Now she was wondering if it was too late to say sorry.