Chapter Text
Ash feels a bit bad, but she's relieved when the blue haired woman declines the professor’s invitation to eat with them. Cyllene, which she learns is the woman's name, is stern and in a way intimidating, and Ash would surely love to eat in peace without her staring holes into her. The oddball group of her, Professor Laventon, and the kid- Rei, are all settled on a small picnic table when the judgemental old man from earlier brings a steaming plate of potato mochi. The conversational chatter is pleasant, she supposes, however with such good food in front of her she's truly got no interest in what they're saying. She clues in most when the professor starts to lament about pokemon being dangerous creatures.
The thought gives her an uneasy feeling, a hum of acknowledgment leaves her lips in between the mochi. Ash rubs the back of her neck, looking embarrassed as Laventon goes into detail about the three pokemon she caught earlier. Though, her embarrassment turns to surprise when he mentions that no one in this “Galaxy Team” can do such a “feat”. She stares incredulously between the professor and Rei, seriously what kind of pathetic team is this..
Their conversation is interrupted by the old geezer from before, his mochi may be wonderful but by Arceus his attitude was gonna get him a fist to the jaw. She didn't discriminate, old or not the man had sense. As she considered the consequences, the man questioned them, “Does the survey corp really have the leeway to be enjoying a leisurely meal with this outsider”, his tone was not aggressive but condescending in a way that made her head hurt. She tuned them out the more the man went on. After the old man ceases his nagging, the trio eat their way through the mochi and Ash is directed to the place she'd stay in for the night.
As she entered the quaint house she couldn't help but feel a rush of anxiety, she had to prove herself tomorrow or else she’d need to move on from this village. To where, she's unsure and her stomach fills with dread for the coming day. Cyllene had told her she’d be expelled from the village to meet her fate, her death . It was vaguely put but she knew that was what the woman meant. Ash settles onto the too soft futon, sinking in and allowing herself to lull into a restless, unfulfilling sleep.
Unknown to a sleeping Ash, the gaping void in the sky opened further, shocks of light revealing themselves causing commotion. One massive beam of what seemed to be electricity shot directly down from the open space, striking a humongous tree with force. The region of Hisui would feel and hear of the shaking caused by the now restless, violent noble residing in the Obsidian Fieldlands.
She awakes the next morning to knocking on the door and incoherent words being spoken. She stands gently,careful in her steps as she wobbles towards the door. Rei, if she heard properly, was waking her for the day of her trial. The anxiety from the previous night returns full force at the reminder. She was possibly screwed and she could die today. Wow. She takes a few long, deep breaths, before preparing and leaving the cozy home she could only pray to be able to come back to.
She's escorted to the headquarters by Rei, where they stand in the lobby. It's quiet, until it's not. There's someone desperate, uttering tales of a hoard of pokemon attacking. This only causes the pit in her stomach to deepen. Rei sighs and murmurs something to himself before telling her, “That was someone from the survey corp, and even with his partner pokemon he was overwhelmed. You not having one will make this trial particularly difficult.” Wow because that makes her feel so much better.
She is distracted from her thoughts when they enter Cyllene’s office. She's quick to stand and begin to explain her trial, “If you want to join Galaxy Team, you must prove yourself capable by going out into the obsidian fieldlands and catching three different species of pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx”. Ash raised her eyebrow, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she wondered if there was more to it. She’d just caught three pokemon, albeit they were not hostile, but still. She's reminded just of how underqualified the team is when Rei cuts in sounding surprised, “Catching three pokemon from the start? No one in the Galaxy Team has managed that..”
Cyllene glares, “Did this stranger not catch three different pokemon only yesterday” The deadpan tone the captain gave was beginning to annoy her. She just wanted to finish her assignment and maybe go take a nice long nap without worrying about dying. Alas, not possible as Cyllene continued, “The Galaxy Team does not have the means to provide for those who only take without giving. If you wish to stay you must prove beyond any doubt you’ll be an asset to our cause” Ash slowly nodded in understanding, of course she can't blame her, they have people to provide for and protect. She was but a stranger from the sky.
She receives a satchel to be tied around her waist, she about to leave when Professor Laventon pops up from an off room and requests her company. She and Rei go with the man, coming out into the lobby. He offers her a partner pokemon, her pick of the litter of oddballs from yesterday. She surveys the three pokemon, all attempting to get her attention in some way. she kneels gently in front of the one she’d like. Her very own partner, though at that wording she feels an ache in her heart, like somethings missing. She's had that phantom feeling since she’d gotten here. She shakes it off and holds her hand gently out towards the little Cyndaquil. Allowing it to smell her and gently bump itself up into the palm of her hand. She lifts the pokemon, it squirms a bit but ultimately settles into her arms, curling up and making jolly little noises.
She lets a soft smile grace her face, staring at her new partner. Having made her choice, she is led to the gates where she's just about to be seen off to the obsidian fieldlands for her trial when she's stopped by a wandering trader. Volo, as the man introduced himself, asks her for a battle. She considers this, ultimately deciding a little bit of battle experience would do her and Cyndaquil well if this place was as dangerous as they claim. The little fire mouse is hesitant at first but with a few words of encouragement from her, it waddles out towards the Togepi the trader sent out, the fire on its back spiking and growing fervently.
She grinned, calling to the pokemon, “Lets go Cyndaquil, use quick attack!” The pokemon was a blur, slamming into the egg-like creature before it with blinding speed. The Togepi was knocked over, scratched up and rough, however it raises onto its tiny legs and retaliates with a tackle at Volo’s command. The two pokemon go back and forth several times before the battle is settled and the togepi is left with spirals for eyes and an inability to battle. She cheers and scoops up Cyndaquil in a hug, showering it in very welcomed affection. She received a few potions from the trader, she thanked him profusely before going on her way to her trial.
When they- Her and Rei, arrive at a small camp in the Fieldlands she stops to take in the scenery. Its exactly as its name sounds, a field, but the serene feeling she gained from being out in the sun and no longer cooped up in the village truly was a breath of fresh air. Shes distracted from her musings by Rei reminding her of her trial, “You’ve been tasked with catching three species of pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx.” She nods along taking note of them in her head.
A familiar voice startled both of them as Professor Laventon popped out of nowhere. “Professor, is something wrong?” Rei questioned looking just as confused as she felt. Laventon looks upset, “I'm afraid Cyllene let me know that I have responsibility for whatever happens to “our sudden guest.” She narrowed her eyes. That woman was really starting to get on her nerves, just as she was going to assure the professor that nothing would happen, he spoke again, “To be honest, I don't intend to lift a finger! Ash’s talents are the real deal” His confidence in her made her smile.
Rei, nodding in agreement with the professor, pushed her towards a downhill slope where she could see a few Bidoof standing at the bottom. He gently, well as gentle as he could be, shoved her to her first trial. She moved slowly down the hill, careful not to startle the little beaver. Though her concerns were in vain as the friendly little thing waddled up to her quite confidently. She smiled softly at it, kneeling and holding out a pokeball. The Bidoof pushed its head against the metal clasp, allowing itself to be taken in and captured.
Rei can be heard cheering her on as she collects the ball in the previously provided bag right next to her beloved new friend Cyndaquil. She moves further down the hill but she distinctly remembers Rei telling her that Starly, who she sees from a far, is timid. They’d fly off if she got too close. She huffs and spots the same tall grass she saw when she initially caught Rowlet. When she got as close as she could, she crouched, careful to keep her steps light as she moved through the grass towards the Starly. The bird lifted its head looking around, eyes narrowing at the patch of grass she resided in. The staring from the pokemon made her still, she took a free pokeball out of her bag. An inhale of breath was all it took for the bird to be on guard, she knew she had to be quick if she wanted this trial to go well. Ash tucked her arm back, whipping the ball out towards the pokemon, it hit, thankfully. The ball rattled more than she’d ever seen one, that Starly didn't seem to wanna be in the ball, but the fight faded eventually and it was caught.
More cheering from Rei made her giggle a little as she stood from the grass to collect Starly, tucking it alongside Cyndaquil and Bidoof. Rei, having made his way to the bottom of the hill just before the Shinx, stopped her. A concerned look spread on his face making her nervous, “Shinx has an aggressive disposition. If it gets hostile it’ll knock away whatever pokeball you toss at it. If you can't catch it off guard you may just need to battle it.” Rei clearly knew what he was talking about. Ash took the information in, starting to overthink the last catch. Rei grabbed her hand, holding it earnestly, “ You got this. It's your last trial. Don't think about it too much,” At his honest words and sincere tone she smiled, moving towards the Shinx.
Ash is surprised however, as when she catches sight of the Shinx it's not what she expects. Its….yellow? She tried to think back and consider what it's supposed to look like, she's sure it's not supposed to be yellow. She has no more time to contemplate though as the little yellow thing lunges towards her, with a yelp she dives over her shoulder, rolling to the left and narrowly missing the incoming attack. She's quick though, quicker than the Shinx recovering from the missed attack as she tosses Cyndaquils pokeball out, releasing the fire mouse. The Shinx doesn't seem to expect this, and is stunned for a second, she takes the chance and calls for Cyndaquil to use quick attack. The Shinx, still shocked, does not retaliate and instead opens a chance for her to toss out an empty ball for it.
When the metal sphere shuts on the little pokemon, it still almost instantly. As Ash collects the ball, Rei runs over and starts shaking her, not even giving her time to collect her Cyndaquil, “You did it! That's three species of pokemon! You really are some kind of prodigy!” She laughs as he continues to fuss over her, but she shakes him off to gather her Cyndaquil in her arms, gently stroking under its chin. “You’ve completed your trial!” Rei chatters on, guiding her back up the hill to Laventon who also praises her with no qualms.
“You’ve taken your first step towards seeking out every pokemon! This calls for a commemorative photograph!” Laventon grins wide as he pulls a camera from behind his back, they ask their escort guard to take a photo of them. They gather, with Ash in the middle, Cyndaquil making himself comfortable in one arm, the other is looped around Rei’s shoulder, the latters arm coming around her waist. Laventon himself leaned in, resting a fatherly hand on her head. Its quite the picture but Ash adores it. The three separate, though Rei's hand seems to linger on her back for a second, something she doesn't think too much of as they are escorted back to Jubilife to report to Cyllene.