Ash the Dragon Specialist

Growing up

"So, you are a girl?" Ash commented as he looked at the Swablu. The Professor had left an hour ago with his Charizard and Arcanine. She was munching on an Oran Berry to regain her strength, not minding much the newly placed cast on her right-wing. "What about giving you a nickname? Would you like that?" Swablu stopped eating for a moment and chippered back happily. "You like that!" Ash laughed joyfully. "Let's see, you have a golden body... so what about Goldie?" Swablu gave Ash a glare that the boy could only interpret as 'Are you serious?', making him laugh. "I guess not. Then what about Nephele? Mom told me a story one time about this old God, Zeus, of a faraway region who created a nymph, a type of fairy, in the image of his wife out of a cloud. I thought it would be fitting with those pretty cloud-like wings." Swablu seemed to like the compliment and agreed to the nickname. "So, Nephele it is. Ele for short."

Both pokemon and human smiled, but their happiness was short-lived when the Professor finally returned and opened the door of the infirmary room. His normally smiling face was sporting a frown, while Charizard, Arcanine, and Exeggutor entered carrying various injured pokemon inside.

"Come with me Ash, there's still more pokemon out in need of healing," he told him.

Oak did not even wait for the boy's response before leaving the lab once more. Ash rapidly followed him, after patting Ele one last time. Ele herself looked longingly at the human boy, not liking the idea of being apart but seeing that her comrades were saved but in need of help, she knew it was for the best.

"What's happening Professor?" Ash asked.

He was getting worried, what could have happened that had the Professor leaving him on his own at the lab after offering to mentor him? Only to come back with so many injured pokemon that he would need three of his pokemon and two humans to carry inside. What he saw made his jaw drop. A big van filled with many pokemon, he had never seen, in all kinds of states: hungry, scared, angry, injured, you mention it. On the floor, next to the van, ten men knocked out while being watched by Professor Oak's menacing Gyarados and his Tauros.

"It seems like you stumbled upon a trafficking ring of Dragon-type Pokemon," the older man answered with a frown. "From what I was able to deduce in the little time I had, these poachers capture them from all over the regions of Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Galar. Swablu being originally from Hoenn." Ash's eyes widened at the number of regions, many he had never heard about. "They then collected them in forests around small towns in the middle of nowhere, even if they get caught no one would have been able to put up a fight against them."

"Does that mean they had been coming to Pallet Town for a while now?!" Ash exclaimed shocked.

"No, I would have noticed." Oak refuted. "It seems they change the location to avoid detection. Unluckily for them, they chose the town of a previous Indigo Champion." He glared at the unconscious men. "I already contacted Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy from Viridian City, and the League about this issue. I also called your mom and told her you'll be staying in the lab for the next two weeks." The Professor turned his gaze to the surprised little boy. "I hope you are ready, your lessons start now."

"Yes, sir!" Ash replied, eyes shining with determination.

The following weeks were arduous and complicated. He barely slept, being awakened by the pokemon's cries of pain or them panicking and hurting themselves during a nightmare. He barely had any time to eat, too busy running after the pokemon trying to make sure they did not escape or hurt themselves by being reckless. But he persevered. He managed to slowly earn their trust with Ele by his side.

Ash also learned a lot during these two weeks. He learned about the law of abuse of pokemon and poaching from Officer Jenny first, and then the League officials that kept on coming and going to take a look at the trafficking ring Professor Oak had discovered with his help. He learned first aid and grooming from Nurse Joy, who had stayed with them during these weeks, while tending the pokemon by her side. He also learned a bit about the different regions the pokemon came from, pokemon types, and what kind of pokemon they are from Professor Oak.