SWNOVELXO Chapter 12: Poison
Ash never really had what most people would call a 'healthy respect for danger' or 'self preservation'. It wasn't that he had bad thoughts or anything of the like, he simply acted before he could properly think about what was happening to him. Rather it was sledding down a too steep hill, or rushing in to protect an Oddish from an angry Beedrill, Ash simply acted. Broken skin and bloodied knees were laughed off and then ignored. It would be concerning if the people around him weren't used to it.
While he didn't seem to care much for his own well being, Ash had a strong sense of justice and care for other people, and especially Pokemon. Which was how he, at 8 years old, found himself in such a dangerous, and eye opening predicament.
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Air rushed through Ash's hair as he ran through the abandoned junkyard near Pallet Town, a panel of broken, bent aluminum awning in his hands. Not many people came to the old place unless they had to discard something they couldn't recycle, making the junkyard the perfect place to run around or find materials to make cool things; such as the awesome clubhouse Ash was in the middle of constructing. As it stood, the Clubhouse was a mess of discarded items crammed under a large tarp secured to a telephone pole and three nearby trees. Two large discarded wire spools were made into a 'table' and a 'desk', and a once torn sofa that Ash sewed up was situated in the far back, with a number of mismatched once broken chairs hastily fixed situated around the 'table' and 'desk', there were also quite a few milk crates scattered around under the tarp, overfilled with scraps of material that Ash could use at a later time if he needed them, and even an old Pokemon bed next to the couch that he stitched back up. He was planning on using the aluminum awning and two sawhorses to make a 'kitchen counter'. He even had an ice chest filled with snacks and water he smuggled from home! All in all, while still looking like a pile of junk, Ash adored his clubhouse! Especially because nobody knew about it.
Gary and his friends were too chicken to go to the junkyard, afraid of the Poison Type Pokemon rumored to mull around, and as far as his mother knew, Ash was playing in the forest somewhere. He knew if anyone found out where he really was, they'd ban him, so while he never lied to them, he simply didn't tell him where he was. He knew he probably should have been worried about the Poison Type Pokemon, but he simply wasn't. They never bothered him, and he tried not to bother them. He made sure not to take anything from their piles, and they didn't wreck his clubhouse. There were even a few Nedoran, Nedorino, Weezing, and Ekans that would sometimes visit him, sleeping on his sofa and Pokemon bed. Ash would babble at them and they would listen, sometimes following him around as he searched for more stuff. He even brought them Pokemon food to snack on.
"Koff Koffing!" Ash halted as the deep wheezing cry of Koffing came barreling towards him. The muted purple Pokemon was sweating with worry, tears in his slanted eyes and mouth twisted in a sad frown rather than his usual smile.
"Whats wrong Koffing?" Ash dropped the aluminum and turned fully to the Poison Gas Pokemon.
"Koff Koffing Koff Koffing!" Koffing demanded, nudging Ash's shoulder in the direction he had come from. Ash easily obliged, running after Koffing as he led him deeper into the junkyard.
Eventually they came upon a gathering of different Pokemon, mostly Poison Types. In the center of it all was a young Ekans, coiled up on herself. Even from far away Ash could see the shivers that raked the little snake, and the pale hue to Eckans' purple scales.
"Is she sick?" Ash asked as he walked closer, the Poison Type Pokemon parting for him to get closer. He reached out, intending to feel her head, when suddenly she struck. Ash flinched in surprise, wincing at the sharp, painful sting in his hand. A low rattling sound came from Ekans, warning him, and Ash cradled his hand, now marked with two precise tooth holes and dripping blood. The other Pokemon squaked in surprise, scolding the young snake Pokemon. "Stop that, shes sick." Ash told them, cradling his hand in the other hand. Ekans peeked open her sharp yellow eyes, tongue flicking out to taste the air. "It's just me, remember buddy?" Her forked tongue flicked at him again, and mournfully she stretched out her head, asking for forgiveness. "It's alright." He brushed off her concern, ignoring the way his hand started to swell a bit. "Come on, lets get you to Professor Oak's lab."
He reached out his hand again, and this time she let him touch her. She was ice cold in his arms, and he bundled her against him. It was not easy carrying her all the way back to town, and to the lab despite her being so young. She was still a six foot tall snake, and Ash was a tiny eight year old, but giving up wasn't in Ash's nature, especially when it came to Pokemon. When Ash arrived at the Laboratory, Professor Oak didn't ask a single question, and instead motioned Ekans and him inside, rushing her to his equipment, where Ash set her down. Immediately, Professor Oak turned on the heat.
As Professor Oak fussed over Ekans, Ash sat down. He was tired, and his whole hand and wrist was hurting. Looking down, he saw his hand, bubbling up and swollen, and hot to the touch. He winced as he moved his arm, and that small movement caught Professor Oak's attention. Worry colored the old man's face and he scooped Ash up into his arms.
"Ash, were you bit?" He asked desperately.
"Yeah." Ash admitted. "It's just a tiny bite."
"Come here, sit down, we need to get you some antvenom immediately!" Ash simply nodded, wincing when Professor Oak threw all his important papers to the floor so he could set Ash down on the desk before he scrambled to a nearby cabinet.
"Don't you need those?" Ash asked, eyeing the fallen documents warily.
"I could care less about my research at the moment my boy, you are far more important!" Ash smiled at the thought, kicking his feet shyly. Professor Oak brightened as he came across a vile. "Luckily, that Ekans isn't very old, so her venom isn't as dangerous as it could be." He poked a needle into the vile, before extracting it, and motioning for Ash's arm. Ash easily handed him his arm, wincing at the poke, and the feeling of the 'antivenom' being pushed in. "Well done my boy." The Professor praised, ruffling Ash's hair fondly.
"What's 'Antvenom'?" Ash asked, picking up the discarded vile, and reading 'Ekans Antivenom' on the label.
"It's something like an antidote." Professor Oak explained, tending to Ekans now that Ash was seen to. "You see, special farmers milk Poison Type Pokemon, and with their venom or poison they can then make an antidote, or antivenom. The same can be said for plants, while on their own, some plants are poisonous, they can also be used to make medicines."
"That's so cool!" Ash said in awe, brown eyes sparkling in a way that was usually reserved for Pokemon. "Science is so amazing!" Ash beamed.
Ash was by no means a genius in the typical sense, he struggled in school to even get average grades, and his teachers would even call him challenged, but he loved learning. He loved learning new things, and science was especially interesting to him. His strengths came in reading the people and Pokemon around him, while many thought he was oblivious or dense, he really wasn't. He was good with emotions, not social cues per se, but he was good with picking up others' feelings and pulling the best out of them.
Professor Oak smiled over his shoulder at him, and grabbed an ice pack. On his way over to Ash, he also grabbed three books. "Here, these books can explain it better than I can." He handed the books over, and pressed the ice pack into Ash's hand.
"Can I really read these? Thanks Professor!" Ash beamed up at the man, happily taking the books. Because Ash was known as 'challenged' it wasn't often that people would offer him books, especially books that were big, and heavy, since they thought he wouldn't read them, or get anything useful from them, but Ash actually really loved reading, when he could sit still long enough to do so.
"Of course my boy, bring them back when you're finished with them! I'll go call your mother. Once Ekans is all better I'll call you so you can take her back home." Giving the boy a knowing wink, Professor Oak walked over to his telephone, and Ash immediately started reading, deciding not to think about how much he owed Professor Oak for not telling his mom where he hung out.
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Delia was, admittedly, not the happiest with Ash's new interest. Oh she'd much rather her son read than swim down the river with the Poliwrath that lived nearby, but his reading content left much to be desired. She didn't like that he showed so much interest in poison. He was an eight year old boy, at best his interest in dangerous substances was odd, at worst it was downright terrifying, especially when one took notice of the Ekans that had started following him around, and the part of the garden he took over to grow Ivy, Autumn Crocus, Foxglove, and Nightshade. She wasn't the only one concerned either. Ash's classmates' parents, and teachers were concerned, and called Delia a handful of times, even setting him up with the school counselor. The counselor found nothing concerning about Ash's interests, but Delia couldn't help but worry.
If anyone had bothered to actually talk to Ash, or look at his reading material, they would realize Ash wasn't just interested in poison and venom, but medicine as a whole. Yes he read field guides on poisons, but he also read medical textbooks, and first aid handbooks. He was eight, so he didn't understand all of it, but it was interesting.
Ash wasn't ignorant about how the adults in his life felt about him however. And neither were the other kids. Kids weren't as stupid as adults seemed to think, they picked up on the shift of behavior, and because they were children, they emulated the behavior, becoming wary of Ash and his interests.
Professor Oak was probably the only one unbothered by Ash's interest. He did think his sudden interest was a little weird, but Ash was happy, and intrigued. He loved when Ash would ask him questions about what he read, and asked for new material. He loved when Ash had an idea of how to fix this or that, how he'd perk up with determination and drive. Honestly, Ash was pretty smart when he was interested in something, and the Professor liked to think that he learned just as much from Ash as Ash learned from him.
Ash didn't understand what the big deal was, but it didn't bother him too much either. He was more annoyed by the sudden shift than anything, maybe a little hurt by his mother's reaction, but otherwise remained unbothered. He simply stopped bringing his reading material home.
More than ever Ash was grateful for his clubhouse. It gave him a quiet place to read, and work without judgment. The Poison Pokemon were happy to give Ash examples of their abilities, and before long Ash was happily bonded with all the Pokemon in the junkyard. However, he had a special bond with Ekans. After he helped her Ekans had taken quite the shine to Ash, following him around as much as she could outside his school hours. Ash loved laying on his clubhouse sofa, Ekans stretched out on top of him as he read. Ash had always ran a little warmer than on average, and Ekans soaked the external heat up as much as she could. Ash even set up a fantastic basking area inside the clubhouse, made up of an old abandoned heating lamp and generator that Professor Oak helped him fix up.
Reading didn't suddenly become his only personality trait though. Ash was still a ball of running energy. He still expanded his clubhouse, swam with Poliwrath, and raced Ponyta in the fields. He was a spit fire with way too much energy and his new love and interest in medicine and poison wouldn't change that. He still adored Pokemon, and watched battles on the tv at night, he even started training Ekans, and the other Junkyard Pokemon. Ekans was young, so working with her was different than working with Nidoran and Nidorino or even Koffing, but that extra work made them even closer.
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Ash ran into the house, throwing his backpack into his room after removing a white plastic box before running back to the door, intent on going to his clubhouse to pick up Ekans. Everyone in class had gotten a mini first aid kit from their guest speaker, brought in as their class was ready to set off on their journeys in the coming months, and he was excited to poke through it with Ekans. Before he could leave though, his mother called him to a halt.
"Ash, come here for a moment." Ash set the first aid kit down by the door and padded his way into the kitchen, where his mother sat at the table with a box in front of her. She smiled upon seeing him, almost giddy as she motioned to the seat across from her. "I have a gift for you that I want you to open before you go out to play."
Ash blinked warily at the box, wrapped in cute Pikachu wrapping. Carefully he pulled apart the wrapping, revealing a nicely green and orange backpack. "Woah!" Ash said in awe, rubbing his thumb over the smoothe material.
"I got it for your journey! You can't travel without a nice backpack!" Delia beamed at her son, missing the uncomfortable look that settled on his face.
"I'm-I'm not going on a journey mom." Ash said after a moment, clearing his throat.
Delia stared at him like had suddenly evolved into a Doduo. "What do you mean?"
"Do you know Dr. Sucliff? They're that medical doctor that travels to different regions and helps wherever they're needed? Well I messaged them through Professor Oak about a theory of mine, they think its possible! They're coming here to meet me! They said if I'm right we could help a lot of people!" Ash perked up the more he thought. "They offered me a place as their assistant! Assistant! Me! Can you believe that? Its not just my theory about Autumn Crocus being used for joint pain either! They think I'm onto something with my work with nightshade, that I'm right about it being used to help asthma-"
"When are you going to stop?" Delia asked in a sour tone. "Why are you suddenly so interested in this stuff? When are you going to go back to normal!"
Ash clenched his hands, ignoring how hurt his mothers words made him feel. "I am normal." He grumbled. "I thought you would be proud of me! Don't parents want their kids to be doctors and scientists and stuff?"
"Not when its so out of character for them! What about Pokemon? You always said you were going to be a Pokemon trainer!"
"I can still be a Pokemon Trainer! I specialize in Poisons and medicine! Poison Type Pokemon are perfect for my research!"
"Stop talking about research and Poison!" Delia huffed angrily and ran her hands over her face. "I just…I can't understand you anymore."
Ash bit his lip and stood up. "You can't understand, because you don't want to listen to me." He muttered bitterly before turning around and leaving the house without another word, slamming the door as he went.
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"Ekenssss?" Ekans looked up as Ash stormed into the clubhouse and collapsed on his sofa. She tilted her head in question, slithering out of her basking spot to check on him. Ash shifted onto his back, letting Ekans rest her head on his chest, tongue flickering in question. Ash didn't say anything, mindlessly tracing her scale pattern as he thought.
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Delia took the cup of tea from Samuel gratefully, taking a careful sip of the warm liquid. It had a nice bitter, hay-like flavor. The professor sat down across from her, taking his own sip of tea while he waited for her to start. Delia sighed, running her hands down her face. "I don't know what to do anymore. I thought he would have grown out of this obsession when he stopped bringing those books home." Samuel stayed quiet, and she continued. "He use to be so energetic, and wild, I would have done anything if he would have just slowed down for a moment, but now its like all he does is hide out who knows where reading who knows what."
"Have you ever actually talked to the boy about what he's reading," he continued before Delia could speak again. "Besides asking him to stop. I mean, sat down and try to understand what he was reading."
"No." Delia admitted, visibly wilting.
"Do you know what you're drinking right now?" Delia shook her head, she knew it wasn't the usual green tea, but that was all she knew of it. "It's Autumn Crocus tea." Startled, Delia stared down at the hot tea cup, sputtering for understanding. "Ash made it with some help from my Venusaur. Did you know if you ground it up a certain way it makes a lovely tea that can help with arthritis?"
"No." The woman shook her head, warily running her hand over the cup.
Samuel clenched and unclenched his hands. "Neither did I." He smiled wistfully. "I haven't felt this young in a long time. Ash is the one who thought of it." Delia blinked up at the older man in shock. "That boy is something, he's not a natural 'genius' like Gary, nor myself. He has to work ten times harder, but look what that work has pulled off! That boy is ten, and already a leading doctor is interested in him." Samuel took her hands in his, giving her hand a firm squeeze. "You're wrong about him, Ash might be more interested in medicine than he previously was, but he's just as rambunctious. Do you know where he is right now?" She shook her head. "He's at the landfill, he has a clubhouse up there, and its pretty amazing. He has a table, and a couch, he made all that stuff by himself." Samuel took a deep breath. "All I'm saying is to have more faith in the boy. It's his life, and rather he goes on to be a medical scientist, or a Pokemon Master is up to him. He is capable, and I believe he can do it, but if you fight him on something that he really wants to do, you're going to lose him."
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Ash didn't return that night, having slept in the junkyard, cuddled under the Poison Type Pokemon on the sofa. When he returned home the next morning, he found the backpack sitting on the table still, with a wrapped up plate of food, a hot thermos, and a simple note. 'Try your best out there sweety. -Mom'. In that moment, the hurt subsided, at least partially. He was still a little upset that she didn't believe in him in the first place, but he felt more assured that he did get her support, and it wouldn't go to waste.
On the day of Ash's tenth birthday, he went to Professor Oak's lab, and registered as a Pokemon trainer. While he wasn't going to capture the gym circuit just yet, he loved battling in his off time, and he would need Pokemon for his research. The Professor pulled some strings, and somehow convinced Ekans to let him catch her to surprise him as Ash's first Pokemon.
Not going on a 'real journey' did have some drawbacks however, like Ash having to stay in school. Despite him being trained by Dr. Sucliff, he still had to attend normal classes. It was annoying at best, as most teachers and students were still wary of him, even knowing he wanted to go into the medical field. He still added Pokemon to his though, of course.
On top of catching Weezing, Nidorina and Nidorino, and Zubat, some of Ash's best friends growing up, he also added Muk, a sweet, lovable Pokemon that loved hugs and snuggles, as well as a Gloom, a rather shy but buff Pokemon that bonded with rather quickly, resulting in his smell no longer bothering him. All his Pokemon were crucial to his work. Ekans especially, as he learned how to milk her for venom, giving him lots of help in his work in making faster acting antvenom.
When Ash was 12, a bit of a problem surfaced. The Mayor of Pallet Town wanted to get rid of the landfill. Since Ash did most of his work there, and he knew so many Pokemon lived and dwelled in the area, he of course protested against it. With the back up of Professor Oak, and Dr. Sculiff, he was able to convince the Mayor that the area was crucial for medical research and Pokemon sustainability. It took a lot of meetings, petition, and paperwork, but eventually the Mayor caved, so long as Ash constructed a proper fence around the property so no children wandered in and got hurt. Ash decided not to comment on that. Instead, he did as told, building a sturdy fence around the area that only Pokmeon could come and go into while keeping people out. Ash even became friends with a wild Pikachu that happily helped run security so long as Ash fed him.
On his 14th birthday, Ash was surprised with his very own lab being built next to the landfill. Ash still preferred hanging out in his clubhouse, but having an actual lab for all his work and theories helped a lot, and the Pokemon liked going inside when it was too cold out, especially Ekans, who fully moved into the lab, getting her own large basking area, big enough for her to bask in even when she evolved into an Arbok, which happened very soon after they officially moved in.
Speaking of, Ash's life wasn't void of battle either. Plenty of trainers came across his lab, asking for a battle, and Ash was happy to indulge them, leveling up his Pokemon and making quite the name for himself.
By the time Ash was 15, he was considered one of the leaders of Poison Research, and built a name for himself in that regard. He was short in stature, and slightly pale with all his time serpent researching, despite how much he really spent outdoors, and his hair was long, spikey and black as always but cascading down his back in a way that made Ash have to tie it up. It was concerning, not only to his mother, but Professor Oak as well. The line was drawn when the Professor came to family dinner one week and saw the deep black circles under Ash's eyes. At that moment, he asked Ash to do a favor for him. He asked Ash to go out and catch more Poison Type Pokemon for research, to make friends and go on a journey, at least short enough for him to get his health back up. Because Ash owed the Professor so much, he agreed.
Ash only took Arbok, Muk, and Gloom with him, and started his journey with Gary, which shocked most people. Ash and Gary's friendship had slowly mended over the years, as Gary faced his first losses, and wins, and grew into a respectable young trainer. He didn't understand why Ash was so amazed by medicine, and research, but he liked listening to Ash talk about it, and Ash himself liked listening to Gary's stories of his adventures.
Before they took off to Unova, where Gary was going to start another journey, they took a quick trip around Kanto so Ash could meet Misty, Brock, May, and Dawn. He had met them a few times before, but they were short minute or two long conversations before they had to say goodbye. Misty was the Cerulean Gym Leader, she was a fiery redhead according to Gary, but all Ash saw was a polite teenage girl that had a crush on Gary, much to Ash's enjoyment. Ash got along with Brock the most, he was actually planning to go to medical school in Sinnoh, but had come home to see his family before the semester started. He and Ash shared a lot of common interests, despite Ash liking Poison and Medicine and Brock liking the general Health and Care of Pokemon. May and Dawn were a lot, they were excitable and easily amazed, though May was more mature, if food driven, and Dawn was simply awestruck and reminded Ash of an excited little sister. Ash liked Gary's friends, and was admittedly a bit flustered after they told him they were his friends as well.
After meeting with Gary;s friends, the two boys were off to Unova. Ash was a bit frazzled from culture shock, but language had always been the one thing that came relatively easy to Ash, outside of general emotion in other people. In Unova, they Met Cilan, a very energetic Pokemon Connoisseur, and Iris, a young girl with big dreams and a lot of snark in her little body. Clilan, Ash could deal with, he was excited about a lot of things and was seemingly sheltered a lot of his life, in Ash's opinion, as long as Cilan could gabber his heart away whenever something caught his interest, he was tolerable. Iris, on the other hand, didn't seem to know when she went too far, she picked fights for no reason and was constantly getting on Gary's and Ash's nerves, calling them kids when she was, in fact, younger than them. Ash couldn't help but feel like she was looked over a lot, and acting out was how she got attention, so he tried to give her as much of his attention as he could, which actually seemed to calm her down a lot. Unova wasn't just filled with Gym Battles and watching over his travel mates though, Ash caught a fair bit of Pokemon. While they weren't permanent to his team, Ash caught a Venipede(later evolved to a Whirlpede, and Scolipede) to send back to the lab, their venom was very potent, and Ash was immediately in love. He did, however, add a cute little Trubbish to his team, that was sweet, and caring, and loved cuddles just as much as Muk did. Eventually, Ash was able to evolve her into Garboder, who was then big enough to pick Ash up all on her own, much to his enjoyment.
After going home to Kanto, Gary almost immediately wanted to go to Kalos. Ash barely had time to unpack and repack before his brunette friend was kicking his lab door down and all but abducting him onto a plane to Kalos. Kalos was different from Unova, some in a good way, some in a bad way. Bonnie, and Clemont were, in one word, adorable, in Ash's opinion. He was only a year or two older, but Clemont's blind enthusiasm for science and his inventions was refreshing, and in some ways grounding, because Ash was the exact same way. They could bond over the scientific field, even if their interests and practices were different. Bonnie was an absolute angel, she could get a little annoying at times, but she was so playful and brimming with enthusiasm for all things Pokemon that Ash really didn't mind. Gary was a bit amused that Ash had apparently 'adopted them', but Gary was just as fond of the two siblings so Ash ignored him, while very maturely sticking his tongue out at him. Serena was something of an annoyance, at least at first. Ash could barely remember her from one of the many summer camps he had attended, and somehow him helping her out once when they were four or five, resulted in her 'falling in love' with him. Ash was 100% aware that she was in love with the idea of him, the ideal she built up in her head about a chivalrous guy that would always protect her, and to some extent, sure, Ash would willingly protect all of his friends, but he wasn't what Sereana had imagined, and it became very clear very quickly. Her crush on him lasted maybe two months while they traveled before turning to dust. Ash much preferred this, she didn't have to stress herself out while being around him, and when her interest in Showcases came forward she was able to fully focus on that. Outside of social drama, the journey was more or less cut and dry. Gary had become enamored with the idea of Mega Evolution, especially when he found out Blastoise could mega evolve. The group of five spent an entire day searching for Blastoisinite for them, but it was ultimately Blastoise that found it in Lumiose's Stone Emporium. Getting a Keystone was a bit more of a hassle, but eventually he was able to acquire one, turning it into a necklace, while getting the Mega Stone turned into a bracelet band for Blastoise's hand(paw?). Not just Gary and Blastoise, but Serena, Braixien, and Pancham and even Clemont and Bonnie, worked hard, practicing and working until the sun started to set. It was inspiring, especially for someone like Ash who was a hard worker by nature. Ash wasn't aiming for the Kalos league like Gary, or planning to star in Showcases like Sereana, or even become a better Gym Leader like Clemont, but Ash wanted to help. He helped them with critique, or as a battle partner, mixing up medicine for their fatigue, and cooking up well balanced, healthy meals. Ash even added a very special Pokemon to his team, Dragalge. Dragalge was more versatile than his other Pokemon, she was a bit grumpy, and standoffish, but Ash adored her, and not just because her specific brand of Poison and Venom was so unique. It took Ash a while to really gain her trust, and she spit poison at him more times than he could count, but eventually she came to adore him as well, and even the rest of the team, though she'd never admit it. Ash even added a Foongus onto his team, the tiny mushroom being full of potential, especially once he eventually evolved into Amoonguss, giving him a full team for the first time in a while. The full team was definitely needed due to the Kalos Incident, of which neither Ash nor Gary liked thinking about for too long. Saying goodbye to their Kalos friends was difficult, they faced so many challenges together in their year of travel, and they became so close after everything they had been through together. In the end, Serena went to Hoenn, Clemont and Bonnie went back to Lumiose Gym, and Ash and Gary were headed back to Kanto.
Luckily, the next adventure Ash was forced encouraged to go on, didn't happen as suddenly. Gary was taking a bit of a break in Pallet for two months to decompress and rest after all the craziness. Ash took this time to analyze and introduce Dragalge and Amoonguss to the rest of the lab and junkyard Pokemon. Amoonguss loved it all, Dragalge not so much. Ash ended up making plans to add a special pool for Dragalge, and any other water bound Poison Types he acquired over time. But the construction would take 12-16 weeks, much to Dragalge's eerie. To hold Dragalge over until the pool was finished, Ash planned, what was supposed to be, a short vacation to Alola, something his mother, Professor Oak, who had to go there regardless, and Gary all jumped at.
In Alola Ash met one of his many Soul Pokemon: Alolan Muk. Ash was in scientific heaven after catching the multicolored Muk, nicknamed Alo for convenience. Alo was just as kind as Muk, but less touchy feely, and more quiet, and he absolutely adored his Kantonian brother, a sentiment that Muk shared. Alo was also kind of in love with Garboder, something he was momentarily concerned about before deciding it was probably okay, so long as Alo didn't try to eat her. Ash compared the different poison makeup between Muk and Alo almost immediately, so engrossed in his research that he almost forgot that he was supposed to be on vacation. Luckily, Delia, Professor Oak, and Gary were there to confiscate his travel science kit and order him to have fun. Alola was fun of course, Ash loved riding on Dragalge's back through the warm waves, and sunbathing on the beach with Arbok and Gloom, and of course catching every native Poison Type he could find, and spending as much time as he could with them. Also, actually getting more than a few hours of sleep since he was forbidden from research.
By the time it was time to go home however, Gary decided to stay. He had made friends with a group of students in the nearby school and wanted to stick around to attend school with them. Gary even dragged Ash along, forcing him to stay with him in Alola so he wasn't completely alone. Ash begrudgingly agreed as long as he could have his travel science kit back, and didn't have to attend classes, since technically he had already graduated. The local Professor was kind enough to house the two 17 year olds, and while Gary was at school, Ash conducted his research, starting with the difference between Muk and Alo's genetic and poisonous makeup. He even stayed with a group of wild Muk and Grimer for a week, seeing how they reacted to his Kantonian Muk, and getting adopted into their little pod. Like with most people, the people of Alola thought Ash was weird. Traveling around for a few years gave Ash a bit more color to his skin, but he was still thin and short, and his wild hair and the bruises under his eyes were worse than ever, and it wasn't every day that they saw a 17 year old boy lazily resting against a giant Arbok as two Muk lounge easily against him as if they were Meowth and not giant globs of Poison. Gary's friends were also kind of wary, since Ash was working on a research paper he couldn't really hang out with the kids as much as Gary had wanted him to, making something of a barrier between them. Mallow loved his Gloom, and Lana really like his Dragalge, though the feelings weren't shared, but Kaiwe didn't understand what Ash was doing, Sopheclies was a snot nosed brat that didn't like Ash because Ash liked a different brand of science than he did, and Lily was afraid of Pokemon, and since Ash usually had at least Arbok out, she was scared to get too close. Ash wasn't completely alone of course, Principle Oak had become rather fond of Ash, mostly because Ash always laughed at his puns, and Professor Kukui was rather interested in Ash's work, Ash even made friends with someone around his age, Gladion. Gladion was prickly, a bit of a mix between arrogant and self-deprecating, it annoyed him that he couldn't get a rise out of Ash, and somehow that turned into a tentative friendship. Since Ash was so busy with his work, he wasn't aware that Gary had signed him up for the new Alola Pokemon League until he was called down for his first match. Gary had grinned cheekily at him and Ash started planning his revenge. Because it was so new in the region, pretty much anyone could sign up until they had the gym/island situation figured out. Ash had no idea how he managed to become Alola's first ever Champion, he was tried from multiple allnighters and was honestly half asleep for every single one of his matches, but somehow he was called the victor at the end of the league. Gary was just as flabbergasted, as he had honestly just wanted to mess with his friend, and had assumed Ash would have lost to Kiawe or Gladion along the way, he didn't expect to be beaten by a half asleep Ash and his Arbok. Gary wasn't mad at Ash, that would be stupid, he was just very surprised and a bit starstruck, and also a bit terrified by the glare Ash sent his way. Ash, however, was very pissed, because not only did he have an entire lab to run, but now he was a champion to a region thousands of miles away that he had to do the paperwork for. Kukui came to his rescue, promising Ash he didn't have to worry about doing too much for at least a year, since the league was still new and there was a lot of things the Kahuna's had to sort through.
Returning to Kanto was a breath of fresh air. Gary was a bit on edge around Ash, waiting for retaliation, and that was just what Ash wanted. He was going to leave Gary worried for when Ash would get his revenge, and once Gary let his guard down, bam! But that would be at a later time, because Ash had to revise his research paper and send it in for review before it was posted, meaning he locked himself in his lab for approximately four days without leaving.
After Alola though Ash decided he was done traveling, at least for a few years unless he had a conference, had something he absolutely had to go to, or had to go to Alola to deal with whatever was happening over there. His research on the different makeup between Alolan and Kantonian Muk was well received, and seemingly overnight Ash Ketchum became a household name, at least in scientific households. After only a few months Ash was visited by Professor Oak, who had a little surprise for him.
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bang bang bang
Ash jolted slightly. He hadn't been sleeping, obvious by the deep bags that bruised under his eyes, but he had been immersed in the latest data he had acquired and the harsh knocking snapped him out of it. Squinting at his clock, Ash blearily made out the red 2:38pm and yawned.
"I missed lunch." He grumbled with a yawn, stretching back in his chair. "Muk can you-" Before he could finish the sentence, the blobby Pokemon had already opened the lab door, letting a slightly ruffled Professor Oak into the lab.
"Ash my boy!" Professor Oak beamed as soon as he laid eyes on the younger man. "Have you had lunch yet?"
Ash stood up and pet Muk thankfully before turning to the older man. "Not yet, why?"
"Come join me for a late lunch!" Ash could only stumble as the Professor grabbed his arm, pulling him out the door with haste.
"Gah! Wait a minute! I'm still in my lab coa-you are 58 how are you so strong!" Ash yelped and struggled, not hurt but frantic. "Arbok!"
"Charbok!" A harsh hiss halted Professor Oak in his tracks, making him look up. Brown eyes met the sharp yellow and orange patterns on her hood, causing him to freeze in fear, as if he were paralyzed.
Ash sighed in relief, swiftly changing out of his labwear and putting on a more casual black vest that contrasted well against his plain white button up. "Alright, now we can go." Ash walked past them, tapping Arbok once on the head. She lowered her head, butting it against his chin and freeing the Professor from his daze.
Professor Oak shook his head. "No matter how many times I see that, it's still terrifying." He sighed good naturedly. "I'm sorry about that lad, I was very excited."
"For some lunch?" Ash asked dryly, leaning into Arbok as she rested her head on his.
"Very funny!" Professor Oak huffed airily, leading him closer to town. "What are you in the mood for?"
Ash tilted his head in thought. "I'm not picky today." He shrugged, only for his stomach to growl loudly.
Professor Oak narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "When was the last time you ate?"
Ash innocently looked away, hesitating as he thought. "Yesterday, at Lunch?" Arbok hissed in disagreement. "Yesterday at breakfast?" She grumbled in agreement
The Professor sighed. "You need to start remembering to eat my boy. You can't do anything if you pass out from hunger." He scolded as they arrived at the restaurant, more of a diner really, ushering to Ash to sit down quickly as he alerted the waiter. Arbok dutifully coiled herself up next to Ash, laying her head on his lap. "Order as much as you want, whatever you don't eat, take home for later." He ordered.
"Sir yesh shir!" Ash fake saluted, fighting back a yawn that still forced itself out.
"Let me guess, you haven't slept either?" The Professor sighed. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Do I have to borrow a Hypno for you to get a healthy sleep schedule?"
"What's a sleep schedule?" Ash joked, only to get another scolding look.
Deciding not to press his luck, Ash ordered three different meals and a large black coffee, and a bowl of Pokemon food for Arbok. All the Pokemon in the lab were fed by a dispenser Ash made, set on a timer to feed them at specific times. Pokemon didn't eat the same as humans, some only needed to eat weekly, like Arbok, but others needed to eat hourly, or daily, or every other day, it depended on the Pokemon species, and their activity and health level really.
Once their food arrived, and Ash started eating under the Professor's critical eye, the Professor finally brought up the reason he had needed to talk to Ash. "Well my boy, the reason I came today was to give you this." Professor Oak pulled out a pristine white letter with a golden wax seal and gold lettering.
Wiping his hands on a napkin, Ash took the letter, freezing. "Is-Is this what I think it is?" He stammered, swallowing his mouthful with haste.
"You have officially been invited to this year's Scientific Gala!" Professor Oak beamed, his old eyes shining with pride. "The committee has been interested in your papers for a while now if I'm honest, and this latest paper has really gotten their attention. Steven Stone and especially Professor Rowan are excited to meet you, if you come of course. I understand if you're too busy."
"I could never be too busy for this!" Ash denied. The Scientific Gala was a Gala held once at the end of each year, where only the best scientists in all the regions got together. It was a great place to network, and get grants or even partnerships with other scientists, to connect with your community and make friends and allies with peers. Ash knew his papers and medical research was well received, but he never guessed he'd ever be invited to such a place. Eyes shining like brown zircon crystals, the young man gazed at the invitation in his hands, his chest warm with achievement. Looking down, he ran his hand over Arbok's head with great care and love, who would have guessed that getting bit by an Ekans when he was eight would lead to such a thing!
Samuel smiled warmly at the young man across from him as he beamed and celebrated. To him, Ash was his second Grandson, and perhaps his successor. Years ago if you had asked him who would become the regional Professor after himself, he would have answered Gary. But no the boys pulled one over on him, Gary was a renowned Pokrmon Trainer, and Ash was a top Medical and Poison Researcher. In a way, he worried about Ash taking over the responsibility from him, afterall the boy had trouble remembering to eat and even sleep, and he was the Champion of Alola, rather or not he wants to be so, but Samuel wasn't so old that he would be retiring soon, and Ash was still just a young man, Samuel, hopefully, had many years of life left, and he was certain that by the time he does retire, that Ash will be ready for the position.