Chapter 119: Azalea Town [Bonus]
~Third POV~
[Johto Region, Later, Azalea Town]
Azure Sky, a seasoned Pokémon Trainer with a twinkle in his eye and a determined set to his jaw, adjusted the brim of his worn cap, the familiar weight of his Poké Balls a comforting presence on his belt. Riding on Skarmory, he made his way to Azalea Town.
Beside him, Pikachu, perched proudly on his shoulder, crackled with contained energy, its tail twitching in anticipation. Eevee, ever the cautious companion, trotted faithfully at his heels, its large brown eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
The Johto region, with its rolling hills, ancient forests, and legendary tales, had beckoned Azure Sky and his loyal team for a new adventure. He'd traversed Route 32, the salty tang of the ocean air still fresh in his nostrils, and flown over Union Cave.
Now, he stood on the outskirts of Azalea Town, the scent of blooming flowers heavy in the air, a welcome change from the earthy musk of the cave. His current team, a motley crew of unique personalities and burgeoning strengths, was a testament to his adaptable training style.
Larvitar, the rock-skinned pup with boundless energy; Misdreavus, the playful ghost with a penchant for mischief.
Quagsire, the perpetually cheerful water-ground type with surprising strategic prowess; Flaaffy, the fluffy electric-type lamb with a gentle disposition but a shocking attack.
Houndoom, the imposing Dark-type, a loyal guardian; Skarmory, the majestic steel bird that carried him through the skies, were all eager to learn and grow.
They were a diverse team, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Azure Sky had learned from experience to prepare meticulously.
Bugsy was scheduled to return in a few days, and Azure Sky intended to be ready. He found a secluded training area just outside the town, a small clearing bathed in the warm Johto sunshine.
Azure was determined to be prepared, scratching Eevee's and Pikachu's behind their ears as he said confidently, "Pikachu. Eevee… Time to train! We need to be ready for the team against Bugsy."
Pikachu chirped in agreement, its tail crackling with electricity. Eevee nuzzled against Azure's cheek, her brown fur soft and comforting. For the time being, he worked on honing his team's abilities, waiting for Daisy to arrive, sending his location to her.
*Pop*
Azure hurling his Poke Balls into the air materialized his team, except Skarmory, as she was already out. Looking at his Pokémon, he said confidently, "Alright, team. Let's get to work! Larvitar, focus on your Defense. Quagsire, let's work on your Water Gun accuracy. Misdreavus, practice your Shadow Ball control. Houndoom, let's see those Flamethrower skills! Flaaffy, perfect your Thunder Wave! Pikachu, Eevee, you both know the drill, let's work together!"
For the next few hours, Azure pushed his Pokémon to their limits. Larvitar stubbornly absorbed attacks, its Rock Skin toughening with each blow. Not only that Azure also worked on Larvitar's rock-based attacks, honing his accuracy and power.
Quagsire's Water Gun became more accurate, hitting its targets with increasing precision. But Quagsire, surprisingly nimble despite his size, focused on mastering his water-based moves, learning to control the flow and force with precision
Misdreavus, initially playful, focused its energy, conjuring more powerful Shadow Balls. Not only that, she also practiced her illusionary skills, learning to create more convincing diversions and deceptive facades.
Houndoom unleashed torrents of flames, its Flamethrower scorching the earth before it. It practices its moves to be Agile or Strong Style.
Flaaffy's Thunder Wave became faster and more potent, paralyzing targets with ease under Pikachu's guidance. Flaaffy tirelessly practiced her electrical discharges, learning to channel his energy without overloading.
Skarmory, always vigilant, patrolled the skies, acting as both a scout and a sturdy training partner, engaging in aerial combat simulations. Eevee assisted Skarmory on how to deal with projectiles as Skarmory chooses to dodge, defend, or counter.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery colors, Azure decided to call it a day. His Pokémon were tired, but they were also stronger, more focused.
Preparing their food, Azure praised his team, handing out Pokémon food in a proud tone, "Good work, everyone! You've all improved so much."
*Fwp*
As they rested, Azure noticed a dark shape approaching from the sky. It was Daisy, riding Pidgeot, with a flock of Poké Balls attached to a harness. He grinned, waving as they landed gracefully in the clearing.
Daisy called, hopping off Pidgeot and giving him a quick hug as she said happily, "Azure! Here's your team! And I have a bag of Unown ready for Professor Oak!"
Daisy handed him a set of Poké Balls containing his old team. She then took the bag of Poké Balls containing the Unown as she said happily, "They're all eager to see you and battle again. These little guys are certainly a handful. Professor Oak is going to love them."
She handed him the Poké Balls containing Arcanine, Scizor, Gengar, and Dragonite. Along with them are the Pokémon he usually keeps in his Boxes in the bag.
With the Unown safely in Daisy's possession and destined for Professor Oak's curious mind, Azure turned his attention back to training. Having his old, experienced team back was a boon as he hurled them out.
*Pop*
He released them one by one, each Pokémon greeting him with enthusiastic barks, clicks, and roars. Arcanine, its loyal Fire-type, nuzzled its face with its fiery mane.
Scizor, the sleek and formidable steel-bug type, provided invaluable tactical support and a formidable defense. Gengar, the mischievous ghost-type, brought a level of unpredictable power and strategic trickery.
And Dragonite, the gentle giant and powerful dragon-type, offered unparalleled raw strength and aerial dominance. Not only that the Dragonite, the gentle Dragon-type, wrapped its massive arms around him in a warm embrace.
Training with his old team was like reconnecting with old friends. He knew their strengths and weaknesses intimately, their quirks and fighting styles.
He could anticipate their moves and synchronize their attacks with seamless precision. Azure said, grinning happily, "It's good to see you all! Now, let's get to work!"
With that, the group proceeded to head to the Pokémon Center to rest for the night. He also had the chance to reconnect with the Pokémon in his bag as he sent them back to his Boxes for safekeeping.
His Johto team was curious to see his main team members. They could tell the strength difference between them as Houndoom's eyes widened, eyeing his Arcanine longer…
/////
[Johto Region, Next Day, Azalea Town]
The following morning, the next day, he pitted Arcanine against his own Houndoom, pushing both Pokémon to their limits in movement and fire-based combat. Azure was hoping that Houndoom would learn some moves from Arcanine during the process.
Scizor sparred with Skarmory, being fellow Steel Types, could quicken the move Mastery of Agile and Strong Style of their respective Steel-type moves. Skarmory nodded, increasing its Steel Type energy to form Strong Style under Scizor's tutelage.
Gengar engaged Misdreavus in mock battles, pushing their illusionary and ghostly powers to new heights. Misdreavus was learning valuable knowledge using her Ghost-type abilities, mischief much to Gengar's joy.
Dragonite, with its immense power, helped Larvitar become its sparring partner. She assisted in toughening up Larvitar, much to the Rock's Skin Pokémon's joy, learning from her.
Pikachu was mentoring Flaaffy to hone their control over electric attacks, teaching her how to perform Agility to turn into an electric energy. Pikachu was sharing its experience using Electric-type moves, providing great insight on how to perform Electroweb, Thunderbolt, Thunder, and Magnet Rise.
Flaaffy had starry eyes following Pikachu's example. Her eyes were filled with admiration for her senior.
Quagsire was learning to increase its own move set following Lapras and Kingdra's examples, providing great insight. Quagsire grinned happily at tank attacks from Blastoise, mentoring him as he flexed, wearing sunglasses.
The training was intense, grueling, but ultimately rewarding. He could see the improvement in each of his Pokémon, both old and new.
*Shiii*
Azure froze, seeing his Larvitar begin to shine. He smirked happily as the light of evolution unfolded, revealing his Rock Skin Pokémon's new form.
The light revealed his new Pokémon. A Pokémon encased inside a thick grayish-blue shell, sporting a hardness that is comparable to bedrock. Its red eyes can be seen through two holes in the shell, and two more holes directly above resemble eyebrows.
The upper portion of its body is covered by a mask-like plate with four large spikes on either side. Three additional spikes protrude from its forehead, and another pair of spikes are visible on either side of its lower body.
Azure smirked as he hugged his newly evolved Pokémon as he said happily, "Larvitar! You evolved into Pupitar!"
Pupitar the Hard Shell Pokémon blushed harmlessly, muttering, "Pup… (Dad…)"
His Pokémon chuckled, seeing this, and congratulating Pupitar for evolving, much to the Hard Shell Pokémon's blushing embarrassment. Eventually, their training ended for the day. Having to train his team, Azure's eyes set out for his original objective… the creation of the GS Ball.
Smiling happily, he muttered, reading a text from Prof. Oak, "Thankfully, I have my excuse from Prof. Oak. Hopefully Kurt will hear me out if Oak is vouching for me."
/////
[Johto Region, Later, Azalea Town – Kurt's Home]
Kurt. A renowned Poke Ball craftsman in the League, his handcrafted Apricorn Balls remained highly sought after, even as machine-made Poke Balls gradually replaced traditional methods.
Azure arrived with Pikachu over his shoulder and Eevee perched on his head. As he arrived, he noticed Silver leaving, eyes wide as they passed by.
However, Azure didn't say a word as he merely passed by him. He knew from the story that Kurt saw Silver as someone worthy of making his Poke Balls and didn't bother making conversation, as he was simply a customer like Silver.
Silver saw Azure pass by him as he helplessly sighed, moving forward, muttering to himself calmly, "Sigh… I have other things to do. I should be able to raise my Pokémon at the mountain over there without interruptions."
Leaving for his training destination, Azure approached the entrance, seeing a little girl who stood by. Spotting him, she automatically said, "Sorry, mister, my grandpa is busy today and isn't seeing any visitors…"
Azure, hearing this, made a sheepish grin as he said, calling the girl out by her name in a friendly tone, "Really? Dang, I was hoping I could commission a very special Poke Ball. But… you must be Maizie, Mr. Kurt's granddaughter. I'm here on Prof. Oak's recommendation."
Hearing her name surprised Maizie, but the moment she heard Oak, her expression shifted to understanding as she allowed him to enter, "Oh! You know Uncle Oak! He mentioned you passing by here soon over a call! Grandpa's been expecting you!"
She grabbed Azure's hand, pulling him into the yard, calling out loud, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Azure is here!"
Kurt, busy carving an Apricorn into the shape of a Poke Ball, nearly slipped at the sound of her shout, almost running the delicate ball. Sighing, he turned to shoo his granddaughter away to do her homework.
Then, eyeing Azure carefully, Kurt asked curiously, eyeing the young man, "You're Azure Sky that old man Oak mentioned?"
Though Kurt had kept in contact with Professor Oak over the years, Azure was the first trainer for whom Oak had personally made a call to vouch for. Azure bowed his head slightly as he said politely, "Hello, Mr. Kurt. It's an honor to finally meet you."
Kurt waved off the formalities as he shook his head, responding in a blunt tone, "No need for that. What kind of Poke Ball do you want? If it's just a regular Apricorn Ball, I've got a few top-quality ones in stock you can take them right now."
Kurt's directness suited Azure just fine, but he wasn't here for ordinary Apricorn Balls. Reaching for his Spatial Backpack, Azure produced two shimmering feathers.
Kurt's eyes widened, recognizing the Rainbow and Silver Feathers as he whispered, "This is…"
Azure, sliding the feathers across the table, said calmly, eyeing Kurt as he dropped the bombshell on him, "A Silver and Rainbow Feather. I'd like you to use these as material to craft a Poke Ball. I heard you know how to make a certain kind of Poke Ball that captures… time itself."
Kurt was at first confused about what Azure wanted, revealing the Rainbow and Silver Feather. But his words immediately changed Kurt's expression, instantly yelled, "Where did you hear about that?!"
That technique was a closely guarded secret within his crafting lineage. Had Azure not been recommended by Prof. Oak, Kurt might have thrown him out right then and there.
But Azure was Oak's acquaintance, and Kurt hesitated, frowning deeply as his mind wrestled with the situation. Seeing Kurt's concern, Azure reassured him bluntly, "You're worried I'll use it for something bad, right?"
Kurt didn't respond, but that was his fear. Even with Oak's endorsement, he couldn't fully trust Azure.
After all, what if Oak had been fooled? Recognizing the doubt on his face, Azure sighed as he said in a serious tone, "The reason I want this Poke Ball crafted is to ensure Celebi's safety. Team Rocket has heard news of this, but has no idea how to capture it. I don't want Team Rocket capturing any Pokémon for personal gain."
Hearing this, Kurt recalled from Oak how Azure dismantled Team Rocket's plan for Kanto by capturing the Legendary Bird Trio. And hearing their revival from Azure made him hesitate to hear the news.
He wasn't a fool; he heard tales of the Dex Holders from Kanto and their Champion adventures saving the Kanto Region. After a brief silence contemplating the decision, he gave a reluctant nod, saying, "… very well. If it's coming from you, then I'll see to its creation…"
With the deal struck, Kurt began to work on the GS Ball. He said it'll take by the end of the day to complete.
Handing over the Rainbow and Silver Feathers Azure felt victorious. Azure left Kurt's house as he began to train his Pokémon…
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A/N: Reach the goal of 200 PS to get a Bonus Chapter!