Pokemon: Radical Redux

Ash and Molly walked out into the streets of town as they followed Margo, who was explaining the history of the Wind Festival.

"Apparently, many years ago, Lugia saw this town and all the people living peacefully with Pokémon. To bless them, it gave them the power of the wind. So every year, they have something called the Eternal Flame to guide Lugia here, so they can be blessed again."

Molly heard the story and was eating it up. "Wooowww, Lugia is so cool!"

Margo chuckled as she stopped and looked at them. "Well, if you follow this path, you'll get back to the festival. I need to do something, so I'm going this way."

Ash nodded. "Got it. Thanks a lot."

Margo smiled and started running off, then turned and waved one more time. "See you later!"

Molly returned the wave. "Bye-bye!"

Once she was gone, Ash smiled and stepped around Molly. "Okay, Molly, how about we find something else?" He reached out, picked her up, and set her on his shoulders. "You ready?"

Molly giggled as she took Ash's hat and placed it on her head. "Okay, big brother, let's go find more yummy things!"

Pikachu and Vee saluted to Captain Molly for such a delish, I mean, great, plan, as they marched behind her.

—-

Meanwhile, just arriving in town, Risa jumped off one of the buses and looked around at all the sights. "Hey, never thought it would be this lively. This isn't bad at all!" she said as she spun around and walked backward.

At that same time, Callahan was playing one of the street games, throwing balls at bottles. He wound up and threw, actually knocking the bottles over and winning a prize, a little Clefairy plush.

Callahan smirked and looked over to Kellie, who was with Mia. He walked over and kneeled down, handing Kellie the doll. "Here, this is for you."

Kellie looked excited. "Thanks, Uncle Callahan!" She hugged it tightly, bouncing around happily. "This toy that Uncle Callahan won for me will be my treasure forever and ever!"

But as she bounced, she accidentally bumped into Risa's legs. Neither of them saw where they were going, and they both tumbled to the ground. Risa also accidentally let go of the Poké Ball she had brought with her, which rolled away on the pavement.

Callahan quickly ran over to help Kellie up. "You alright?" he asked, receiving a nod.

"I'm sorry," Kellie apologized, looking at Risa.

Mia nodded, helping Kellie to her feet. "Me too. Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Thanks," Risa replied, dusting off her legs and offering a small smile. "I'm fine. I wasn't looking where I was going either." She stood up and walked over to pick up the Poké Ball she had dropped, which opened as she grabbed it.

Kellie tilted her head. She had never seen an empty Poké Ball before, she just assumed all Poké Balls always had a Pokémon inside. "'Scuse me... where's your Pokémon?"

Risa turned to her. "Oh, I came here to catch one," she said, emphasizing her words by shaking the ball a bit. "And it must be super rare, because I haven't found a thing!"

Kellie's eyes lit up. "All you have to do is ask Uncle Callahan!"

Callahan flinched slightly. "Me?!"

Kellie nodded her head happily. "He's the best Pokémon Trainer ever! He even has the strongest Pokémon too! Right, Uncle Callahan?"

Callahan quickly composed himself. "I—er, of course. I have it right here," he said, holding up a Poké Ball. "Here is my partner, the strongest Pokémon. But he can't come out now, he just had a battle, so he's resting, okay?"

"Wow, really?" Risa clasped her hands and stepped closer. "Please tell me where to catch the Pokémon I'm looking for! Please? It's for my little brother!"

"All right. What Pokémon?" Callahan sighed, scratching the back of his head.

Risa nodded and pulled out her phone, showing him a picture. "It's this one."

Callahan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the image. "Oh… that one. It's super rare, all right," he muttered.

"Yeah? It is? Where can I find it?" Risa asked, looking excited.

"Hold on, hold on…" Callahan said, rubbing his head, trying to think. Then he looked up and got an idea. "I've got it! Over there, over there!"

He pointed toward the mountain. "The latest info says it's up on that mountain!"

Risa gasped in excitement and patted him on the back. "That's wonderful! That's so nice of you!"

Callahan laughed helplessly, rubbing the spot where she hit him. "No prob."

Immediately afterward, the speakers in town turned on, announcing, "Coming up on Main Street, the Wind Festival's exciting… Pokémon Catch Race! All Pokémon Trainers are encouraged to join in on the fun!"

Kellie looked up at Callahan, her eyes wide with excitement. "Uncle Callahan! It's a Catch Race! Do it! I'm sure you'll be the winner!"

"A-ah," Callahan stammered, then cleared his throat. "Of course! No doubt I will! After all, I'm the best Trainer that ever trained! I'll bring down the strongest of the strong and win the trophy to give to Kellie as a present!"

Kellie cheered, jumping up and down with joy. Mia, however, glanced from Kellie to Callahan. "Come on now…"

Callahan flinched, then gave a sheepish laugh, still trying to look confident. "I—er—just need to go to the Pokémon Center and grab one of my many other Pokémon, since I can't use my strongest. I need to save some Pokémon for everyone else, ha… haha…" he added as he quickly ran off, with Kellie cheering behind him to come back soon.

Risa watched him go, tilting her head slightly. She was confused by the way he said that, but she didn't ask questions. Instead, she excused herself and went to find a spot where she could watch the event.

—

Outside of town, in the forest, Margo had run off in another direction. She soon arrived at what looked like an old, burned, and abandoned building.

She stopped and pulled out her bag, then noticed two of her little friends, Ditto and Teddiursa. She smiled, waved at them, and laid out some food on a napkin in front of them. "These are for you two. Dig in."

The two Pokémon looked at each other, then shrugged and began eating happily.

Margo then walked over to the spot where the door used to be and set down more food. "I'm sorry… I know it's my fault that you got hurt. The Oran Berries will help you get better, so eat them all up, okay?"

She waited for a moment, but nothing happened.

Margo sighed sadly. "Okay… I need to go, but I'll be back soon."

She turned and started running back toward town.

Once she was gone, something stirred. A yellow hand slowly reached out from inside the darkness and grabbed the food, dragging it back in.

The only ones who saw it were Ditto and Teddiursa, as they looked at each other and shrugged, still eating

—

In town, Toren the researcher was sitting helplessly on the lab floor, with his Chansey trying its best to comfort him. He had just broken the news to his team that the guest speaker had canceled, and needless to say, they weren't happy.

Still, they knew yelling at Toren wouldn't help, especially since he had the backbone of a soggy piece of paper, so they just told him he could figure it out while they focused on setting up their own projects.

And that's how he ended up alone. Sitting on the floor, deep in thought, until he heard the lab doors slide open and an older voice called out:

"Hello? Does anyone work here?"

It was Harriet.

Toren called out, "Yes, that would be me."

From Harriet's point of view, however, it looked like Chansey had just spoken.

She rubbed her eyes. "This awful heat has finally cooked my brain to the point where it's extra crispy."

Then Toren peeked out from behind Chansey. "I don't think you're crazy…"

But his sudden appearance startled Harriet, making her jump back and accidentally knock over one of the uncovered vials. A few drops spilled onto her ungloved hand as Toren rushed forward.

"I'm so sorry! Did it get on your clothes?!"

"No…" Harriet huffed. "But don't you go jumping out from behind things, understand?! Trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Toren flinched. "No, of course not…"

Harriet sighed and pulled a few papers from her bag. "Here. Sign these and give them to festival administration."

Toren nodded quickly. "Yes, I will! And I'm very sorry."

Harriet huffed again and walked off without saying more. As she stepped out the door, conveniently, Callahan was walking by, lost in thought, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He glanced at the lab and was about to pass it when a sudden idea struck him.

Without hesitation, he spun around and bolted back in, nearly knocking Harriet over.

"Hey, watch it!" she shouted.

As the sliding doors were closing behind her, Toren turned around, only for them to suddenly be forced open again. Callahan wedged himself between them, pointing directly at the startled researcher.

"Brother! You're a Pokémon re—" THUNK! The doors slid shut on his face.

He groaned, then shoved them open again. "—searcher! And that means you know everything about Pokémon!"

Toren blinked. He recognized Callahan from earlier, when he'd given a speech in front of the crowd, and seeing him, he had an idea.

–

A bit later, as people were signing up and getting ready, Ash and Molly strolled past the registration table. They noticed there were two open spots remaining, one of which had just been taken by a confident-looking Callahan.

Of course, Ash didn't know him. He just glanced at the list and looked away. He wasn't planning on signing up, he had Molly to take care of.

But Molly had other plans, "Big Brother, come on! You should join, you're the bestest with Pokémon!"

Ash sighed and gently ruffled her hair. "Molly, I would… but I can't leave you alone, you know that."

Molly pouted.

Just then, Mia, who was still here since Callahan was in the middle of registering, stepped forward with a kind smile.

"Hello there. If you really want to participate, I don't mind watching your sister. My daughter's about her age, so I'm sure they'll get along"

Kellie and Callahan finally walked over. Kellie gave Molly a little wave, and Molly lit up with excitement at the idea of playing with someone her age.

"Oh! Big brother, can I? Pretty please?" Molly begged.

Ash scratched his cheek. Normally, handing his little sister over to a stranger would be a terrible idea… but Mia seemed kind, and she had a daughter too. Not to mention, Ash could check her Aura, and she didn't give off any nefarious intentions. So, with a sigh, he nodded. "Okay."

Molly cheered. "Yay! Thank you, big brother! And I know you're going to win too!"

Kellie stood proudly, hands on her hips. "No way! My Uncle Callahan is gonna win! He's the best, at catching and battling with Pokémon! He said so!"

"No, my big brother is a Trainer, and he has super strong Pokémon," Molly said with her arms crossed. In the background, Ash was at the registration table while Pikachu and Vee reclaimed their spots on his shoulders.

Ash was scanning the form. It asked him to declare his partner Pokémon. There was no rule against using more than one, so he confidently wrote down Pikachu and Vee.

Meanwhile, the little banter between the girls continued to escalate.

"Oh yeah?" Molly pouted. "Well, my big brother won the Indigo League last year, and he's gonna win the Silver Conference this year too!"

Some of the people nearby overheard but just chuckled, assuming Molly was exaggerating to make her brother sound cooler. After all, Ash looked like he was only eleven. Callahan frowned a bit at that.

Kellie looked between Molly and Ash with wide, starry eyes. "Wow, that sounds super cool!"

"Yep! My big brother is the strongest," Molly said with a proud nod.

"I still think my Uncle Callahan can beat him," Kellie said stubbornly.

Mia chuckled and crouched down beside them. "Okay, how about instead of arguing, we go find seats so we can watch them? Sound good?"

Molly and Kellie looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

"Okay! Let's see who wins! If my big brother wins, then he's the strongest!" Molly declared.

Kellie nodded firmly. "And if my Uncle Callahan wins, then he's the strongest!"

Mia laughed helplessly. At least that ended their little "argument"—if you could even call it that. The girls were getting along now, chatting and exchanging stories about Ash and Callahan as they walked off together.

—

Meanwhile, Ash and Callahan were heading to their designated starting positions. Callahan had Staryu with him, and Ash was walking calmly behind.

Before they climbed the stage, Callahan leaned over slightly and lowered his voice.

"Hey kid… just so you know, you shouldn't lie. It's habit-forming," he muttered before stepping forward confidently to take his spot.

Ash blinked. He wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. The way Callahan said it, it sounded like lying was some sort of dangerous drug. Ash hadn't thought anyone would recognize him out here in Johto, but… he didn't expect this kind of reaction either.

But Ash just shrugged and took his spot, stretching his arms. As he did, he noticed a certain trio in the crowd, and his eye twitched

They were over-selling Lum Berry juice at a stand, wearing obvious disguises. That alone was fine, but if they were here, and he was here… then something was definitely about to go wrong.

He tried to recall if he'd ever heard of a place called Fula City, but nothing came to mind.

'Maybe I should look it up later,' he thought. But not in public, if anyone saw him, it'd look suspicious. No, he'd have to wait until he and Molly got to their hotel room. Then, he'd do some real digging. Something wasn't adding up.

Before he could dwell on it longer, his attention snapped back to the present as the announcer stepped onto the stage, voice booming through the square.

"Hello, everyone! We're just about to begin the Wind Festival's Catch Race! The rules are simple! Pokémon with a special mark are waiting all over Fula City for Trainers to find! But be warned, some of them are very strong and won't be caught so easily!"

The crowd cheered as the announcer continued, "Participating Trainers must use these special Catch Race Poké Balls! Points will be awarded based on the Pokémon's strength. The Trainer with the most points at the end… will be our winner!"

While the announcer went on explaining locations, strategies, and points, Callahan leaned his head slightly and whispered into a tiny hidden mic in his collar.

"Testing, can you hear me?"

Through the earpiece nestled in his ear, Toren's nervous voice crackled back:

[Everything's fine. I can hear you loud and clear. Mr. Callahan… if I do this, then you'll do our presentation for us, right?]

"Of course I will," Callahan whispered, glancing around to make sure no one noticed. "It's a win-win for both of us. So I'm counting on you."

[Right… but I sincerely want you to avoid overworking my Staryu, okay?]

"You got it!" Callahan replied. After all, this Staryu wasn't his, he was borrowing it for the event.

Then the announcer called again, hyping the crowd, "Trainers to the starting line! Ready?… GO!"

With a blast of sound, the Catch Race began. Dozens of Trainers sprinted out into the city while Rotom drones flew above, broadcasting the event live across the festival.

Ash darted into town, his eyes scanning the rooftops and alleys. He immediately spotted an Ekans coiled up near a roof vent.

"Look at that. Too bad, buddy, I've got countless hours of experience taking care of snakes," Ash smirked. "Pikachu, you're up!"

Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder with a flip, crackling with energy. He spun some electrified webbing between his paws and launched it at the Ekans, [Electro Web], wrapping it up and shocking it midair. With a swift pull, he slammed it to the ground.

Ash hurled the special Poké Ball. It struck Ekans and clicked shut.

"Easy," Ash said as he caught the ball. The announcer's voice came through the speakers again:

"And we have our first catch of the day, Trainer Ash has scored!"

Ash didn't waste time celebrating. He got up to move again, but paused when he noticed something odd.

Several other contestants were heading into the area, looking for the same Pokémon he had already caught. But Callahan? He wasn't even trying here. Ash saw him dash into a nearby alley, completely ignoring the weaker Pokémon like he knew where the stronger ones were.

Ash narrowed his eyes. Huh. That's a little too convenient.

Still… not his problem.

He took off again, sprinting down the street with Pikachu and Vee following close behind.

But little did he know, this Race was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

---

Just so you guys know, tomorrow i am going to be on a plain, so no chap tomorrow, but i should be able to continue chapters once i get over there