Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

James was hiding in the hedge maze.

He'd found that while Jessebelle was passionate, driven, and clever, she also had a short attention span. Used to getting her way with minimal persuasion, of solving problems with little thought, she gave up easily if success didn't come quickly.

So James, who was frail, cowardly, and not nearly as bright, had taken to convincing Jessebelle to play hide and seek when she wanted entertainment. If there was one thing he was good at, it was avoiding notice. It was the original reason for his parents acquiring Growlie, in the hopes a creature with a keen nose would be better than the servants at rooting out James' hiding places when he didn't want to be found. It was a constant source of irritation to them that the Growlithe had proven more loyal to James than them, and was very good at pretending he had no idea where James was.

In any case, the fact that nine times out of ten, Jessebelle would give up before she found James, made the whole exercise worth it (even if the tenth time involved an unpleasant reminder of Jessebelle's creativity).

So here he was, ducked into a tiny hollow of one of the walls, hidden behind an urn holding a flowering Berry Tree (there were servants whose job it was to pluck any berry that might appear before wild Pokemon could get to them), tucked up in a tight ball. It had been easier to fit even a year or two ago; the stiff branches were digging into his neck, leaves boxing him in so tight his clothes would be ruined when he reappeared. He was listening, as keenly as he could, for the sign of any approach, but there was only the dead silence of the hedge maze (his parents believed a well-run world involved keeping Pokemon in their place, and that place was not in their gardens).

Which is why, when someone shoved aside the urn, James yelped and retreated so fast the branches dragged across his face and clothes, leaving a familiar stinging that indicated he was bleeding, and that his jacket was likely torn. His heart was racing, though, at the sight of a figure crouched over him, red hair atop a delicate form.

But the eyes, bright blue, and smile, wide, open, were unfamiliar.

"I found you!" the child declared.

"What?" James stuttered. His heart was skipping, uncertain if it should keep panicking, or calm, finding no threat. The child looked so much like Jessebelle, they must be a relative (there was terror at the thought of there being dozens of people like Jessebelle, as there were Joys, and Jennys, a vast family of clever, cruel women).

"I found you," the other child repeated. "You were playing hide and seek, weren't you?" They rocked back on their heels, grin as wide and bright as when they'd found James. They looked up at the top of the hedges before the grin faded to a thoughtful frown; their tongue stuck out as they thought. "There isn't anyone else to find, is there?"

"N...no," James agreed at last.

"Good! Then I've won!" the other child declared. They hopped up, grabbing the urn for a moment for balance, and grinned down at James. "It's my turn to hide, then!"

"I - what?"

The child rolled their eyes. "That's how the game goes - you hide and I try to find you, and when I do, I hide. And no cheating, using Pokemon."

Having found no indication the child was going to tell Jessebelle they'd found him, James twisted around for the leverage to crawl out of the bushes, and stand, frowning as he discovered he'd been right, and his jacket and pants were both torn. A gasp from the other child, though, drew his attention.

They held one hand over their mouth, eyes wide and fixed on his face, an expression so unfamiliar James couldn't put name to it.

"You're hurt!" they declared.

"Oh, I guess." James brushed a hand on his cheek, finding a smear of blood along it. "I'll be fine."

"Of course you will!" the other child announced, "because you're in the care of Nurse Jessie!" From the pockets of their loose coveralls, dark grey and a little stained (and the fact they were wearing something like that should have made it clear they weren't Jessebelle), the other child, Jessie, produced a handful of bandages and a small bottle of sharp-smelling liquid. They stepped up next to James, looked down at their full hands, before handing James the bandages. "Hold still," they commanded. "It'll sting a little, but that only means you'll feel better later!" They produced a bright white rag and poured out some of the liquid onto it, and then pressed it against James' face.

It did sting, but James didn't make any noise, or flinch away, as Jessie brushed the rag against what he supposed must be his cuts. The stinging, sharp and exact like needles, faded after a few moments, though, at which point Jessie took the bandages from him and, tongue stuck out in concentration, stuck them over his cuts. It took only a few moments, but when it was over, Jessie pulled back and gave a sharp nod. "There! Are you feeling better?"

James reached up to his face, finding no exposed cut, no blood when he drew his hand away. And the pain - well, it was no more than he was used to, and Jessie seemed so certain they'd helped, so he nodded. "It's fine."

"I'm glad!"

Jessie took a step back before holding out their hand. "I'm Jessie," they said.

"James," James offered.

---

Jessie, as it turned out, was related to Jessebelle, a distant cousin sent to live with Jessebelle's family after Jessie's parents died (vanished, Jessie insisted of her mother, an issue James didn't press). And despite that - being an orphan, and not allowed to dress in fancy clothes or attend parties or, it seemed, be paid attention to at all by Jessebelle or her parents - Jessie was a cheerful girl. She wanted to be a nurse, or an idol, or a Pokemon master, or a princess, if all else failed.

Today was her eleventh birthday. There had been no party, as there had been when Jessebelle turned twelve three months earlier, and no presents, like the small mountain of boxes presented to James on his eleventh birthday just last week.

But she was still smiling when she met him at the center of the hedge maze (they knew its twists and dead ends by heart, by now, so they could almost run it blindfolded, albeit at the risk of enough injury that Jessie wouldn't allow it). It was just about dusk, the shadows of the hedges casting the maze into full darkness, except for when Growlie, sitting, a warm, fuzzy shape next to James, exhaled, small puffs of flame illuminating the small central alcove with flickers of light. Jessie was in a worn pair of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt, white with a red rose on it, somehow looking prettier than Jessebelle in her expensive dresses and three hours of hair and makeup every morning.

James hadn't been certain how to go about this, so he stood (a gentleman always stood for a lady) and shoved his hand out toward Jessie. "Happy birthday," he said.

Jessie stared for a moment. "What is this?"

"It's a Pokeball." Technically, it was a Luxury Ball; Jessebelle had spent much of her birthday party expounding on how only common trash had Pokemon in anything but the best Pokeballs. James, though, had been more impressed by the claims that the relaxing environment within the Pokeball made the Pokemon more relaxed and more likely to befriend their trainers. Not, he corrected quickly in his mind, that he was worried any Pokemon wouldn't like Jessie, just that one never knew, and he would hate to find his birthday present made Jessie sad at all.

"It's for you," he added, in case there was any confusion.

"For...me?" Jessie repeated. Her voice sounded strange, and when she looked up at James, her eyes shone with tears.

James' stomach twisted, his heart leapt, and he froze, uncertain if he should come in for a hug or back off. "It doesn't have to be, if you don't like it! I know some people don't feel comfortable with Pokemon-"

"No! I - I'd really love it. Whatever it is." Jessie stepped forward, hand pausing as it passed over the Pokeball. James lifted his hand so she could take it, turn the gold-edged black Pokeball over in her hands, examining the red band, the smooth texture of a Pokeball only used once, and not thrown. Suddenly she looked back up, face back in a more familiar expression, one of wide-eyed excitement, smiling wide, open-mouthed. "What is it?" she demanded.

"You can open it and find out," James retorted. "After all, it's your Pokemon."

Jessie froze, gaze dropping back to the Pokeball. "Mine," she whispered.

With surprising suddenness, she pressed the button to release the enclosed Pokemon. James found himself holding his breath as the capture field released the Pokemon he'd spent weeks hunting for in the nearby forest, red light clearing to reveal a pink, egg-shaped creature, colored like a smiling, dimpled child, tugging at the pouch about their waist. They looked up to Jessie and grinned.

"Happ!"

"Oh - oh my!" Jessie declared. "A Happiny?"

"Piny!" the Happiny replied.

Jessie burst into tears.

James should have expected it, really. He was certain Jessie could make a wonderful nurse, and what nurse didn't have a trusty Chansey at their side at all times? And for all the smiling she did, she wasn't treated well by her cousin's family.

Still, he didn't doubt Jessie was happy with the gift, even if the Happiny made worried chirps at her until she calmed.

At last, Jessie wiped her eyes and turned to James, smiling. "This was the best birthday present I've ever gotten," she announced, which James had suspected, it being the only present she'd received since he'd known her.

"Good. It took hours to convince this Happiny to let me catch her for someone else."

"Oh, really?" Jessie crouched down to meet the Happiny at her level. "Were you worried I'd be mean?"

"No! I told her you were-" James faltered when Jessie looked up at him, eyes bright, curious. "Very...nice," he concluded.

"Happi!" the Happiny added.

Jessie smiled, a gentle expression, at the Pokemon. "I'm happy to hear that. Now, what should I name you?"

"Ppi pi!"

Jessie tilted her head, frowning a little, sticking out her tongue. "No, I don't think so. Oh! How about Mercy?"

The Happiny clapped her hands, which James took as a good sign.

---

"Let's get out of here." It was James' thirteenth birthday party, and Jessie had engineered a distraction so James could find his way to the hedge maze. She was sitting at the edge of the fountain in one of the corner alcoves, filled with water scented so wild Pokemon wouldn't drink it. Because James had insisted on her attendance, she was wearing a calf-length dress instead of whatever used clothing her...cousin, or aunt, or whatever found for her. It was technically an ankle-length dress, but being Jessebelle's and a year old, ended a little below her knees. Jessie, however, wore it without complaint. The dark blue fabric was crumpled where Jessie was sitting on it, because it was a dress for standing around in, being seen in.

"You already got us out of the party," James replied. They had a good hour before anyone would look to get him to cut the cake, which was the best he could hope for.

"I meant here," Jessie replied, waving her arm expansively.

"The hedge maze? It's the only place we can avoid everybody."

"No. Here. Your house. My house. Get out into the world!"

"Oh." James stepped back, only to find he still felt like he was standing at the edge of the roof of the northwest wing tower (he couldn't remember what they had been trying to discover at the time, but how much it hurt to break his arm was presumably not it), dizzy and aware of a gulf stretched out below him. "I…"

"If you stay here, you're going to marry Jessebelle and become a useless old man," Jessie replied.

"Yes, but…"

But the world was large and dangerous. It was full of criminals and dangerous Pokemon. James didn't know how to cook or do laundry or anything he was certain he wouldn't have servants to do for him if he left home.

Jessie was watching him, eyes focused, knowing, and then she shook her head. "But what? Kids go on Pokemon journeys when they're ten, sometimes with Pokemon a lot worse than Growlie and Mercy."

But if James left, he was certain he wouldn't get to come home again. Jessie...Jessie didn't have a home, really. She had a place to stay while her cousins tolerated her, and he was certain they'd kick her out as soon as it wouldn't seem heartless to do so. James had…

James had parents who mostly ignored him, a hedge maze he used to hide from Jessebelle in, Growlie, and Jessie.

If Jessie left, it'd just be Growlie.

So James pushed his fear away, as deep as he could manage, and nodded at Jessie, putting on the bravest smile he could manage.

"Let's do it!"

---

A voice filtered through the patter of rain against the top of Meowth's temporary shelter (he could hear the dry 'tink' of rain bouncing away giving way to the dull 'thud' of water sticking to the surface of the box, suggesting his shelter would shortly stop providing cover from the storm).

"Look at this!"

Faint footsteps against the pavement grew louder. "It's a Meowth. They're not exactly the rarest Pokemon."

"But he's all alone!" The first voice sounded - pained, a little watery, like the human it belonged to was going to cry. Strange. Meowth couldn't recall seeing any another Meowth out there, or at least none worth that sort of emotion.

"So? That doesn't mean he's lonely. We can't take every Pokemon you think needs a friend with us, James." That other voice was sharper, a little colder.

"But he's cold, and wet! Or will be, anyway, when that box gives in." Another few steps and a human face was peering in at Meowth, blue hair framing a slim face that was smiling at Meowth. "Hello! Am I right? Are you all alone? Or is Jessie right, and you're just a lone Meowth who doesn't need any company?"

"Ah-" Meowth paused, trying to remember how a normal Meowth would respond. A purr of some sort - how did that go? 'Ow'? Or he could just nuzzle the human's face; that was a sign of affection, right?

Meowth stood, and the human's expression shifted, into a strange frown, and Meowth froze. He'd forgotten, of course, that it wasn't just talking like a human that made him a freak. The human face vanished, and Meowth slumped against the walls of his temporary shelter. Of course. He'd hoped for a moment-

"Trained, Jessie! He's been abandoned! Look!"

Another face, framed by red braids, and frowning, deeper than the other human's, appeared, taking in Meowth's stance, his frame, and her frown...eased, somewhat.

"He is malnourished," the second human agreed. "We can take him to the Pokemon Center, and ask if he's got an owner, and then, only if he's really on his own, we can take him with us."

"Really?"

The red-haired human's face paled, expression freezing, and Meowth realized the surprised voice, the pleased, needy declaration, had been his voice.

"Um...Meow?" he tried.

Chapter Text

Meowth was sleeping on a bench near the Public Notice boards, turning occasionally to ensure every inch of himself got warmed by the sun. Sunset was in an hour, and Meowth had suffered entirely too much rain today, so he was going to enjoy every photon he could soak up.

Jessie and James were shopping; Meowth didn't join them on that particular errand because it was embarrassing seeing the two of them haggle, because it always ended in flirting for discounts, which was frankly disturbing to watch.

His ears twitched (of their own accord, one of those little reminders that Meowth might talk like a human, but was still a Pokemon, with thousands of years of weird instincts he couldn't suppress) at the sound of two familiar sets of footsteps. He turned his head just enough to see two figures, easily recognized by the vibrant shades of their hair, one magenta, the other lavender, standing by the boards. He spared the attention only to confirm the bulging bags they each carried, evidence of the success of their mission.

He closed his eyes, certain they'd wake him when they were ready to go.

"Meowth! Did you see this?"

James' voice had hit the register that meant he was particularly upset; it wasn't quite a panicked noise, but it also meant he wasn't going to give Meowth any peace until someone heard him out.

So Meowth perked his head up, coming face-to-face with a picture of himself.

Well, him, Jessie, and James. It was a blurry picture, likely taken with a camera app on someone's Gear, but their hair, and Meowth's upright posture, were mostly unmistakable. There was writing underneath it.

'Wanted - for Pokemon Poaching, Assault, and Robbery'

"Well, that kid did say he'd notify the authorities," Meowth replied. He peered at the poster a little more carefully, noting the number listed to call with any information (the number had a League prefix, meaning this was a bit more official than some other pursuits had been). "Although this isn't strictly accurate."

"What are you talking about? We did take that kid's Buneary!"

"Yeah, but taking someone else's Pokemon isn't 'poaching'; it's stealing," Meowth retorted, folding his arms across his chest. "Or 'kidnapping', I guess, depending how you feel about Pokemon's rights. You can't 'poach' Pokemon anywhere other than private property or protected wildlife preserves."

"You're both missing the bigger picture here!" James snapped. Once certain he had both Jessie's and Meowth's attention, he jabbed his finger at the poster. "This is a terrible photo!"

Meowth groaned while Jessie started trying to argue with James. Neither of them would be able to convince James the picture was anything but a deliberate slight, never mind that when the picture had been taken, James had just finished an intense battle with the most terrible thirteen-year-old boy Meowth had ever met, hair singed from an errant Ember, and that anyway, the police didn't have a better picture.

Meowth's nose twitched at the memory of that smoke-filled battlefield; as Jessie continued trying to sooth James' frazzled nerves, Meowth's nose twitched again, and another human drew near. Their skin was scorched, hair standing on end, and held a Pikachu in their arms.

The Pikachu, if anything, looked worse.

"Uh...Owth?" Meowth tried. When neither Jessie nor James gave indication of having heard him, Meowth cleared his throat. "Meow!"

Jessie and James turned, just as the newcomer slumped against the bench.

"Oh my goodness!" Jessie ran forward toward the other human, while James stuffed the poster in his pocket. "Is your Pikachu-"

"He's hurt," the other human gasped.

"We should get you to the Pokemon Center immediately!" Jessie fumbled at her waist, frowning, tongue sticking out as, presumably, she considered if she had a Pokemon on hand to help them get to the Pokemon Center quickly.

"Just give him to me," James said. "You're dead on your feet, and I know the way."

The human - the kid - hesitated for only a moment before concern for the Pikachu won out and they shifted it, cautiously, into James's arms.

"What are you waiting for?" they demanded after a moment.

"I need his Pokeball," James said. "If the nurse can't help immediately, she might need to put him back in to stabilize him."

And the kid had made their decision already, it seemed, because they didn't hesitate, handing over a Pokeball to James. With that, James ran for the Pokemon Center, leaving Jessie and the kid alone with Meowth. The kid stared after James, eyes fixed, wide, even as they swayed on their feet.

"Mrow," Meowth said, insistently, and that, at least, got Jessie to look at the kid, remember that the kid was hurt, too. She clicked her tongue.

"We should get you patched up, too."

The kid shook their head, even though it caused them to stumble. "Not until Pikachu's okay."

And Meowth could see the softening of Jessie's expression, some of the tension in her forehead smoothing out as she put a hand on the kid's shoulder. But she was a soft touch, didn't quite realize how a cruel human might care about the health of a valuable Pokemon they didn't care for.

"Well," Jessie said, grabbing the kid's shoulder to steady them. "We can get you to the Pokemon Center so you can check on your Pikachu, and then we can check on you."

The kid nodded, slumping a little toward Jessie. "And Pikachu'll be okay?"

"Better than ever!" Jessie declared, absent any evidence to support her claim, but Meowth got that, at least. You didn't tell a distraught ten-year-old their Pikachu might not make it. "Come on, Meowth."

Meowth fought back a grumble and hopped down, doing his best to keep a natural posture. The kid made a startled sound, and pulled out a bright red Gear. A stilted, robotic voice chirped out, "Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokemon. All it does is sleep during the daytime. At night, it patrols its territory with its eyes aglow."

Meowth bit back an angry retort, because the kid couldn't help it if they couldn't afford access to a Professor's 'Dex and had to make do with one of the crappy free ones. Still, the urge to correct them as Meowth led them and Jessie to the Pokemon Center was like a fist squeezing his stomach. But because he, Jessie, and James were keeping a 'low profile' because they were technically 'criminals', Meowth had to keep his mouth shut.

And because Meowth was keeping his mouth shut, he got to hear the kid's whole story when Jessie asked - how Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town had overslept, how Professor fucking Oak had given a ten-year-old an insufficiently socialized electric rat, and then.

Well, Meowth was a little more in Jessie's camp now, hearing what Ash had done to keep his Pikachu - a Pokemon who didn't even like him - safe. It didn't make up for the fact that the kid had no idea how to care for a Pokemon, but.

Ignorance could be fixed; a lack of compassion couldn't.

When they reached the Center, Ash bolted to the counter, where the Nurse on duty was typing at her computer. "Is my Pikachu okay?" he demanded.

The Nurse (Joy, Meowth would bet his left paw on that), looked up, expression shifting to a mild concern, the professional sympathetic frown Meowth was certain was part of the training. "Can I see your Gear?" she asked.

"What? What about my Pikachu?" Ash grabbed at the edge of the counter, knuckles white with the strength of a grip he should have been too tired to make. "He's hurt-"

"And Nurse Joy here needs to be sure he's your Pokemon," Jessie said, stepping up behind the kid, giving Joy a bright smile. "There are pretty nasty people who run around stealing other people's Pokemon, and I'm sure James was responsible and told her the Pikachu isn't his."

"Oh." Meowth, circling around Ash's feet, saw the paling of the kid's face, the widening of brown eyes that hadn't yet seen how cruel the world could be. Ash fumbled for his Gear, still open from when he'd used an inferior Pokedex to try to figure out what Meowth were like (as if Meowth couldn't tell him on his own what Meowth was like), and handed it over. Joy scanned the Gear, expression giving way to a wide smile when she glanced at her screen.

"Well, Ash, I can promise you my cousin Joy and her Chansey are making sure your Pikachu is receiving the best possible care. You and your friends can sit down and I'll call you up when they've finished working with your Pikachu."

Ash stepped back from the counter, visibly slumping; Jessie caught his shoulders as the boy sagged, sighing with, Meowth presumed, the relief that his Pikachu would be okay (maybe. Joy was probably optimistic to anyone who came in; it must be terrible to have to tell someone one of their Pokemon had died). Jessie took Ash's Gear and more or less carried him to the couches furthest from the entrance, where Growlie was sprawled across James' lap, growling cheerily as his partner ran his fingers through his mane. Ash reached for his Gear, frowning when his hand patted at an empty pocket.

"Here," Jessie said, handing over Ash's Gear. Ash pointed it at Growlie.

"Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. It looks cute, but when you approach another Trainer's Growlithe, it will bark at you and bite."

Ash jerked back, tugging against Jessie, staring, wide-eyed at Growlie. "Um."

Growlie raised his head with an inquisitive huff, sending Ash another step back, nearly stepping on Meowth's tail. He yowled, sending the kid skittering toward the phone banks, and Meowth rolled his eyes, because this was ridiculous.

James apparently agreed, because he shoved Growlie aside and rose to a - crouch, the one he used when approaching injured or scared Pokemon. He gave Ash a gentle smile, the alluring one that could soothe a rampaging Mankey.

"You're not scared of Growlie, are you?" he asked.

Ash looked between James and Growlie, the latter having come to grips with being abandoned by rolling onto his back and letting his tongue flop haphazardly about. He looked back to James and then his Gear, biting his lip.

"No?"

"You are," James said. "I hope it's not because of what that cheap Pokedex you've got in your Gear told you."

"Um?"

James sighed and held out his hand. "Come on. Let me see that."

And Ash had clearly passed into some sort of shock, because he handed over the Gear without complaint. James poked at it for all of five seconds before rearing up, staring at the Gear. "You've got a perpetual license for Oak's Pokedex and you're using something you downloaded off the internet?"

"I?" Ash stepped back from James, eyes going, if possible, wider. Meowth growled, enough to catch James' attention, point out the kid was ten.

And James' expression smoothed back out, dropping back down to Ash's level. "I'm surprised Professor Oak gave you his research - you can learn a lot of interesting things about Pokemon using his Pokedex."

"But it's boring," Ash whined.

Meowth rolled his eyes, but James had apparently a better temper than him, because he laughed. "That doesn't mean something more exciting is true." He abruptly sobered, staring at Ash until he was sure the kid was watching him. "Besides, you want to take good care of your Pokemon, right? Your Pikachu and whatever other Pokemon you catch?"

Ash nodded, and then because he apparently thought this wasn't emphatic enough, added, "of course!"

"That's good - not everyone cares about taking care of them, just making sure they're strong." His voice went a little snide, then, probably remembering the kid they'd run into the week before, who'd called the League down on them for objecting to his training methods.

"You can't be strong if you're not healthy," Ash retorted. "Or - that's what my mom said."

"Smart woman," James agreed. "In any case, you can't take care of your Pokemon if you don't know their - habits, dietary needs, attitudes, and that cheap Pokedex you want to use instead of Professor Oak's 'Dex won't tell you any of that. For all we know, it might mislead you, making you mistreat your Pokemon because you think that's how you're supposed to act."

And that was clearly the right tactic, because after James' little speech, Ash was staring back down at his Gear, face scrunched up, worried or concentrating or both. It took a few moments (kid wasn't exactly the brightest, as evidenced by his managing to antagonize an entire flock of Spearow, who were usually content to let their flockmates deal with their own problems) before Ash looked back up at James, smiling, as he gave a decisive nod.

"Alright. I'll use Professor Oak's Pokedex, even if it's really long and boring."

James grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. "Attaboy." He tapped at his chin. "Although...I could help with that."

"What, make Professor Oak not boring?"

James snorted. "No. But while Professor Oak doesn't seem to have pre-loaded any of them on here, there are apps that can help you scan and distill this information down when you just want a blurb about a Pokemon you've never seen." He gave Ash a small smile, encouraging, Meowth guessed. "And I can also help you download some training and health apps, so you can get good advice about how to keep your Pokemon healthy and train them well."

"...Training apps? Shouldn't I figure out how to train my Pokemon myself?"

"No. Definitely not," James said, voice a little sharp. "There isn't a Gym Leader or professional trainer alive who doesn't read up on the latest training methods all the time. And if you want to keep up with them-"

"I want to be a real Pokemon master!"

James grinned. "If you want to beat them, you're going to have to read up, yourself."

Ash groaned, dropping onto the floor like a - well, Meowth guessed he was a kid. "No one said I'd have to read more than I did at school to be a Pokemon trainer."

"Well, that's life," Jessie interjected. "Anything worth doing well is worth reading an absolute fu - a lot about. But some health and training apps are a good start."

Ash handed over his Gear with little protest, and James wandered over to the front desk for directions to the PC terminal. Ash followed a moment later, presumably to pepper James with a billion questions about the PC, the local network where the Center kept its medical data, and the internet access through which Ash could transfer Pokemon outside of the at best six most people carried on their person and, more importantly, download the apps he'd need to train his Pokemon with more than benign neglect.

Meowth decided to curl up on a couch next to Growlie (for warmth obviously; the Growlithe had no respect for personal space, and was much too slobbery for Meowth's comfort) and nap. Consequently, he had no idea how long it had been when a pleasant chime echoed through the room.

"Ash Ketchum, you can see your Pokemon now. Proceed to the observation-"

Ash bolted away from the PC terminal (what the heck was James still downloading onto that?) to the wide double doors separating the main Center off from the treatment and storage rooms. He was bouncing on his toes as a Chansey pushed open the doors.

"Chanse?"

Ash looked toward James, brow furrowed.

"Go on, she'll take you to see your Pikachu," Jessie called, from where she was browsing through Pokemon magazines, drooling over snapshots of the Pokemon Showcase finals. Ash did, and for a few moments, it was quiet. Meowth let out a quiet sigh, causing Growlie's head, which was resting on top of Meowth's stomach, to rise and fall with the movement. Sure he got the urge to help, but he could do without a clueless twerp following them around everywhere.

There was a 'ding' from the front doors, which Meowth ignored, because this was a Pokemon Center and people came into them all the time (heck, wild Pokemon sometimes came into Pokemon Centers for help).

"Well, well, well, will you look at this?" The voice was - not exactly familiar, but it set Meowth on edge, ear twitching at the drawl of it.

"A whole Pokemon Center, silent as the grave," another voice chimed in, gruffer, but no less threatening in its timbre.

"We're gonna fuck this place up," said a third. A Raticate, or another Pokemon who could talk like one. Growlie raised his head, not quite growling, but ears perked forward, alert. Meowth, who had a better grasp of how humans worked, stood, jumped down from the couch, and peered around the nearby planter to get a better look. One of the humans was a man, green-haired, eyes the color of dried blood. The other was a woman, hair a slightly iridescent blond, eyes bright as she leaned against the wall, holding the automatic door open. But those weren't really the most pertinent details regarding these two (and the Raticate peering from behind their legs). Their outfits, black jumpsuits with red and white highlights, with a prominent red 'R' across their chests, were.

Meowth sidled toward Jessie. She had lowered her magazine, and was watching the two newcomers with narrow eyes, one hand resting, casually, on one of her Pokeballs. James was edging toward the main counter, possibly to put himself between the newcomers and Joy.

Because these were Pokemon poachers, Pokemon thieves, criminals involved in any enterprise that promised a profit.

Team Rocket, the largest and most permanent criminal organization in Kanto.

"Hey, Doc," the blond said, sauntering toward the counter, "Perk up - we need help."

"Yeah, it's an emergency," the guy added with a snicker.

"Oh, of course!" Joy hit a button on her computer and looked to the approaching woman. "How can I help you?"

"Well, first, you can open up the overnight and long-term care storage system and hand over the Pokemon you're keeping there." The woman stopped at the counter, leaning in toward Joy. "And then we can talk about what else you can do for us."

"Tch tch tch," James said. "That's no way to speak to a lady."

"What?" the blond snapped, half-turning toward James. "I am a lady!"

"Oh, I agree, James. She was abominably rude."

"Hey!" the man shouted from the door. "This is a robbery; we don't have to be polite!"

"I don't know," Meowth said, sticking one hand behind his head and grinning at the guy. "You'd be surprised what a cute face and a smile can do for ya."

The man stumbled back, and the automatic doors closed on him. Waving furiously at the doors, he stormed back in, Raticate snarling at his heels. "Do you know who we are?" he demanded. "We're Team Rocket, and if you mess with us, you'll be in a world of trouble!"

"Trouble?" Jessie asked. "You're the ones who need to prepare for trouble."

"And make it double," James added with a wink.

"What are you talking about?" the woman demanded. But Meowth waved until Joy saw him, and jerked his head toward the backrooms. She fled as Jessie pointed one hand skyward.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To spread compassion to every nation," James said, spreading out his hands.

"To denounce the evils of cruelty and greed," Jessie said, taking a step forward with a twirl, raising her hands up to her chin while taking on a wistful frown.

"To offer aid to all Pokemon in need."

"Jessie."

"James."

"We are all watching out for all that is right," Jessie said.

"Surrender now," James concluded. "Or prepare to fight."

"Meowth!" Meowth purred, "that's right!"

The Team Rocket grunts were staring, the man with a slack jaw, the woman's eyes just wide.

"The fuck?" the Raticate demanded.

"What," Meowth asked, "You got a better motto?"

"We're part of a fucking criminal empire," the Raticate snapped, baring their teeth at Meowth. "What the fuck do we need to announce ourselves like pro wrestlers?"

"You've got a uniform," Meowth retorted.

"A tacky one, at that," Jessie added, clearly sensing an opportunity to get in a shot at her opponents, despite having no idea what Raticate was saying.

"If I were you, I'd ask your boss if there's something you can wear that's less unflattering to your bust," James said.

"What are you-" the woman started, before the man snarled.

"They're trying to distract us!" he shouted.

"Is it working?" Jessie asked, batting her eyes at the man.

"Well, you've made us decide that Meowth is valuable enough to steal for ourselves," the woman said, "so there's that."

"Excuse me?" Meowth hissed. "Steal? I'm my own Pokemon!"

"All the better," the man said. "Go, Raticate!"

"Growlie!" James shouted, and the Growlithe, on alert since the moment he'd awoken, bounded in between Meowth and Team Rocket's Raticate.

"Bite it!" the man commanded.

The Raticate opened their mouth, lunging at Growlie. The jaws snapped around Growlie's paw; he snarled in reply, sending the Raticate skittering back.

"Mercy!" Jessie called, calling out her Happiny. "Pound that overgrown rodent!"

The Raticate recoiled from the blow as Mercy slammed into them, but snapped their jaws open again, only to catch Growlie in the side. He yelped, rather than whined, because with Mercy nearby, the bite wouldn't hurt nearly as much. He then braced himself, letting out a sharp bark, and bit the Raticate, a fierce snap of his jaws that sent the Raticate stumbling back with a litany of swears.

"Two against one hardly seems fair," the woman said, running her hands through her hair, before pitching another Pokeball into the fray. A Drowzee emerged, raising their snout to sniff at the air.

"Drowzee, take 'em out!" the woman commanded. The Drowzee shrugged and made a hypnotic swaying motion with...their...hands. Meowth yawned, jaw cracking, but Happiny slumped onto the ground, eyes slipping closed.

"Growlie!" James shouted, and it was a testament how far James had come from a nervous kid who shakily asked his Growlithe to start a battle, that Growlie leapt forward, reading James' intention as well as if he were a Psychic type and reading James' mind. Growlie bit the Drowzee's snout hard, earning a pained scream as the Drowzee scrambled back.

"That's quite enough of that!" the Drowzee snarled, snapping their fingers.

"Bite them again!" James commanded, but Growlie just tilted his head, confused. Or, rather, disabled. It was a nasty trick, and one that paid off as the Raticate got in another vicious bite, leaving Growlie shaky, even as he planted his feet, ready to fight to the end.

"I think I've got things well in hand here," the woman said.

"Great," the man said, smirking. "Come on, Raticate."

"Drowzee, Dream Eater!" the woman shouted, and Jessie, seeing the Drowzee's snout bulge as they inhaled, turned helplessly toward Mercy. The Happiny yelped, twisting anxiously in her sleep as the bruises and scratches on the Drowzee's snout faded.

"Growlie, Ember!"

"Secret Power!" The Drowzee reared back and spat a blot of some acid or - something - at Growlie. He stumbled, pawing awkwardly at his face as his movements slowed and stiffened. Some sort of paralyzing attack, Meowth realized.

Before realizing he was going to have to step up and fight.

"They've activated the Pokemon Transport system!" the man snapped from the counter, where he was typing at Joy's computer.

"Then shut it down or something," the woman snapped. "Hypnosis!"

Meowth struggled through the attack again, but Growlie succumbed, leaving him vulnerable to the Drowzee's Dream Eater.

"Growlie, come back!"

"Mercy, return!"

And there was a moment of quiet, Jessie and James each frowning, thoughtful, as they considered whether it was worth risking a Poison Pokemon against Team Rocket's Drowzee. Meowth took a deep breath, unsheathing his claws. It wasn't going to do much good, but if the alternative was letting these jerks steal all of the Pokemon in the Center, he'd take the beating Drowzee could dish out..

The Drowzee, though, lifted her head, sniffing at the air again, before ducking their head down. "Something dangerous is coming," they said, uneasy. "Something powerful."

And then the doors to the back rooms swung open with a bang, revealing Ash pushing a gurney. His Pikachu was curled up on top of it, a charger strapped around his head to restore the energy he'd expended taking out a flock of Spearow in one hit. There were something like a dozen other Pokemon hanging onto the lower levels - a Pichu, a Rattata, Plusle and Minum, a Joltic, a Togedemaru-

"Get out of here, kid!" James shouted. "Come on, Cheri, I don't need a miracle, just a few good hits." His Koffing appeared, smiling lovingly at James despite the dire situation.

"No," the Pikachu growled, pushing himself to his feet, teeth bared. "I'm ending this."

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, voice shaky.

"He wants to fight," Meowth said. "Which is stupid; you're already half-dead from the last time you pulled off some last-second heroics!"

But the Pikachu ignored Meowth, looking down at the other Pokemon. "I need you to shock me," he commanded. "All of you. It doesn't have to be a lot. Even a little static can do it."

"What the heck are you doing?" Meowth demanded. "You can't take any more hits!"

"What, you think it'll hurt me?" Pikachu demanded. "Who do you think I am, some sort of garden-variety Mouse Pokemon?" The Plusle, Minum, and Togedemaru each nuzzled their cheeks against Pikachu's, sparks dancing across his cheek sacs as the other Pokemon retreated. The Pichu let out a jolt that sent them rolling backward, nearly off of the gurney.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ash demanded, reaching out toward his Pikachu.

"Stay back, kid or you'll get yourself killed!" Meowth shouted. "Anyway, I think - it's not hurting your Pikachu." Sparks danced up and down the Pikachu's tail as he turned toward the Team Rocket grunts.

"That's our job," the Team Rocket woman tittered. "Drowzee, Hypnosis!"

"Smokescreen!" Cheri floated past the Drowzee, trailing smoke that screened Pikachu from view even as the Drowzee waved their hands again. It left Cheri snoozing, floating in midair as they snored, but it gave the Joltic a chance to discharge a static shock at Pikachu, whose cheeks were sparking, arcs dancing between them at irregular intervals. The Rattata growled, body sparking, and let loose a Thunderbolt.

And now Meowth could understand why the Drowzee had been nervous, because the Pikachu's entire body was crackling with lightning, his eyes almost glowing.

"Hey, Drowzee," Pikachu said, smirking, "You want to see a neat trick?" He spun in a tight circle, tail snapping around to release lightning in every direction.

"Hey, there's innocent bystanders over here!" Meowth snapped, trying, and failing, to bounce out of the way as the bolts danced across the floor. But it took a moment to realize the lightning didn't hurt; it made his fur stand on end like static, and he felt - a little more alert. Cheri woke up with a cheerful, "I'm up!"

And Pikachu's cheeks were sparking with intent.

"Oh dear," the Drowzee said.

And Ash's Pikachu let loose a Thunderbolt that made Meowth's vision go white.

Some hours later, camped outside the Viridian City limits, James pointed his chopsticks at Ash. "Okay, what have we learned today?"

Ash, hunched over his dinner, face like a chastened Poochyena, looked up at James, and the worried look gave way to a thoughtful wrinkle of his forehead. "That fighting bad guys is a job for the police?"

"What?" James scowled. "No. Fu - The police are not - well, we're Pokemon trainers, we can handle poachers and thieves on our own. No, the lesson here is always be aware of your surroundings. That combo your Pikachu came up with - powering up their Thunderbolt with other Pokemon's electric power - would have been an excellent idea in the wilderness, but in a populated area - a human-populated area - is. Well. You saw what happened."

"We're just lucky Joy and her cousin transferred all the Pokemon before your Pikachu went all - Zapdos - on us," Jessie said. "And that the Pokemon Center was practically deserted, anyway. Otherwise, people might have been hurt."

"Well, bystanders," Meowth said. "I doubt those guys from Team Rocket got out of there unscathed."

Ash gave Meowth a cautious look, biting his lip, presumably weighing the merits of asking Meowth stupid questions against minding his own business.

"Pikachu didn't hurt them, did he?"

...Or the kid was unnecessarily concerned about the well-being of criminals.

"Pft," Jessie scoffed. James elbowed her in the side before she could continue.

"People like those two are good at landing on their feet," James said. "So I doubt you hurt them too badly. But you should be very careful letting your Pokemon let loose where people could get hurt."

"Oh. Good." Ash took a bite of his food before glancing over at Meowth. "Can all Meowth talk? Or is that just you? I tried reading through Professor Oak's Pokedex, but it wasn't really...helpful."

"Well, Professor Oak doesn't know all there is to know about Pokemon," Meowth retorted from his place curled up just within reach of Jessie but still as close to the fire as he could get without being burned. "But I'm a special case. I spent months practicing making your weird human sounds."

"Oh. That's so cool! Do you know any other languages?"

"Ah." Meowth paused, looking between Jessie and James; the latter was smirking at him, like he knew something Meowth didn't. It left Meowth off-balance; he was used to keeping his...skills quiet, given how people normally reacted to a talking Meowth. But Ash was - well, probably ignorant enough not to know how weird Meowth was, and still figuring out what was normal in the world, so a talking Meowth was as strange and exciting as anything else.

"I mean, I can talk to pretty much any Pokemon."

"Big deal," the Pikachu said from his place curled up in Ash's lap. "Anyone can do that."

Meowth stuck his tongue out at Pikachu, who tucked his head back down, pointedly ignoring him. Meowth looked back up at Ash, whose gaze was darting between Meowth and the Pikachu, brow furrowed in worry.

"Is he okay? The app you got me said Pikachu could have really hurt himself, using all that electricity after he wore himself out before."

"Yeah, he's fine," Meowth assured Ash.

"Good. That's good." Ash began petting the Pikachu's ears, Pikachu chirped in pleasure, and Meowth let him have the moment; he'd saved Meowth from a lifetime of servitude to a bunch of jerks who stole other people's Pokemon.

"So," Jessie said. "I've been thinking."

"Oh?" James raised an eyebrow, while Meowth felt his tail tense. He suspected there was a little Absol in his lineage, the way his tail picked up on disaster a little bit before it happened.

"We don't have any pressing business, and Ash here - well, apps are a good way to get down the basics, but nothing beats learning from people with experience."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"She means we should tag along with you and help teach you how to take care of your Pokemon properly," Meowth said.

"Really?"

"I don't know," James said, pursing his lips. "He's a kid, Jessie, and we-"

"We'll make sure he knows how to treat Pokemon right," Jessie said, voice prim, short. "You've been wanting more experience caring for different species, and you're too squeamish to catch Pokemon properly; every Pokemon you have you basically got to go with you by giving them those sad Growlithe eyes."

James sighed, looking over the fire at Ash, worrying at his bottom lip. He was right; there were a lot of reasons this was a dumb idea, but.

Well, they were all here because of a string of dumb ideas, and at least they had each other. It might be worth taking the kid under their wing, even if he was a twerp.

"Well, if Ash wants to, we can stick around and give him a hand," James allowed.

"That's awesome!" Ash declared. "You can help me learn how to train all sorts of Pokemon so I can be the best, and I'll make sure everyone knows how you taught me everything I know!"

"How magnanimous of you," Meowth said, "but right now all I want is some sleep."

The assembled humans were suspiciously quiet as Meowth closed his eyes, and then,

"Are you sure the Pokedex was wrong about how much you sleep?"

...Meowth was certain he was going to end up regretting this, but.

Well.

It was nice to have another person around who didn't think he was a freak.

---

The doctor (not a Professor, despite her groundbreaking research) didn't look away from her computer when she heard someone entering her lab. A host of monitoring systems had informed her they were coming long before they got close enough to be dangerous, if they wanted to hurt her. Not that there were many people who could be a threat to her and her team.

In any case, she was in the middle of reviewing cell samples, which had a tendency to degrade if she waited too long after extracting them.

Something slammed into the doctor's desk.

"There's your fucking 'little pickup'," a gruff voice snarled.

"Oh. Thank you, Butch."

"It's not - where the fuck did you hear that name?" the agent demanded.

The doctor gave Butch a dismissing click of her tongue. "The news. All it took was the police to suggest there was a pair of highly-ranked Rocket agents running around perpetrating all sorts of unrelated crimes for the media came up with a nickname for you. I could use your codename if you'd prefer."

"Whatever," Butch grumbled.

"What's got you in a mood, anyway?" the doctor asked. She looked over at the item Butch had forcefully delivered, finding a discreet memory stick, small enough it could be concealed almost anywhere, undamaged, if a little filthy from whatever Butch had put it through. "It's not like you had to do anything difficult like actually find the data I needed. The program I put on here should have handled it all."

"Yeah, the computer part," Butch growled. "We had to fight off a bunch of assholes we convinced we were there to steal their Pokemon."

"Did it occur to you to do this without a Pokemon battle?" the doctor asked. It was, it seemed, a sort of mental block most people had. You have a problem, you solve it with a Pokemon battle.

"No," the other agent, the one the newspapers had dubbed 'Cassidy', replied. "Because if they found evidence of a break-in, they'd scour the whole place trying to figure out what we were up to. This way, they're not looking at the Pokemon Center's mainframe, just making sure no one's Pokemon got lost."

It was a clever idea, albeit a needlessly complicated one; the doctor's program was very good at covering its tracks. Still.

"Still, you might have gone there during a slow day," the doctor said.

"We did!" Butch snapped. "It's the off-season, and the Viridian Gym's closed, but there was this twerp with a - super-powerful Pikachu-"

"Hm?" The doctor looked, really looked at the agents. Their skin was scorched, hair burned, and Cassidy's eye was twitching. She made a few…rough calculations. "Thunder's a publicly-available Technical Machine," she said, "so you can't act like it's unfathomable a low-level Pokemon has access to it."

"No," Cassidy said, "that wasn't it. They had a bunch of other Electric Pokemon shock it, and then-"

"Hm," the doctor said. "There are Pikachu who are immune to the Electric attacks of other Pokemon, and can even use those attacks to charge up their own attack. Unusual, but hardly worth getting yourself worked up over."

Butch huffed, glowering. The doctor picked up the memory stick, inserting it into her computer. It took a moment before the program she kept on her personal device interfaced with the data there and began downloading, analyzing, and summarizing it.

"What's so valuable about some Pokemon Center's logs?" Cassidy asked.

The doctor smiled, feeling some of her tension lift. People whining about things, being stupid, exhausted her, but people who wanted to learn - well, they were a treasure.

"Surely you've heard the adage 'knowledge is power'. Well, the sentiment is trebly true when you work in neogenics. Medical data - genetic data - is the cornerstone of my research. Understanding the variations in Pokemon genes, how that affects their reactions to stimuli, how you might manipulate them, is invaluable. Pokemon Centers store that data - that and more - for every Pokemon they treat. They don't release that data from their local networks without a treatment query, and trying to get through that encryption isn't worth the computing power."

"You could have sent us anywhere," Cassidy replied. "So why Viridian City? The boss doesn't like us making trouble too close to his home base."

"Viridian City is the gateway to Indigo Plateau," the doctor said. "Almost everyone who goes to the League Conference passes through there - trainers, Gym Leaders, Professors. So, short of hacking into the League itself, which would attract far too much attention, the medical logs from the Viridian City Pokemon Center are the most complete data we can get on the strongest Pokemon in Kanto."

A pained sound came from behind the doctor; Cassidy tensed, one hand going to her belt. The doctor, though, rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't worry about that." She tapped a key on her computer, sending a flood of sedatives - of two types of sedatives (one much more important than the other) - into the bloodstream of the current focus of her research. "There haven't been any incidents since Cinnabar. It's quite docile."

"It seems a lot of effort for one Pokemon."

The doctor sighed. Every time she thought a member of Team Rocket understood, they proved how short-sighted they were.

But that was fine. They'd understand, someday.

They all would.

---

Misty stood at the edge of the caution tape surrounding the Viridian Pokemon Center. She'd expected - well, she didn't know what. The kid who'd stolen her bike, who'd destroyed her bike, had been headed toward Viridian City. And now-

"Hey." Misty grabbed the shoulder of a passing police officer.

"Miss, you're going to have to-"

Misty flashed her Gym badge, which made the officer shut up, at least. "Look, I ran into a kid heading this way with a Pokemon in bad shape, and I just wanted to make sure he got out alright."

The officer nodded. "Well, they set up a temporary Center in the local Mart."

"Thanks." Misty stalked to the cheery Pokemart and found Joy (second cousin to the Joy who ran the Cerulean Pokemon Center) struggling with the cables of a PC. "Hey."

"Oh, hi! Um, if you need assistance, my Chansey should be around here somewhere, but otherwise, it'll be a few minutes."

"No, my Pokemon are fine. I wanted to check up on someone I think might have been headed to the Center." She showed her badge, already feeling a little less skeevy for throwing her position around because that bike was expensive, damn it! "He had a Pikachu who was in pretty bad shape-"

"Oh! Ash Ketchum! Yes. The Center got attacked by Pokemon thieves and he helped me get everyone's Pokemon over to Celadon City."

"Thieves? It looks like someone tried to blow up the building."

"Ah. Well." Joy shrugged, before waving Misty in closer, and when she next spoke, her voice was quiet. "I said the thieves did that, but, well. He was trying to help. And he did, but."

Ash Ketchum, it seemed, was a walking disaster area. From bikes to Pokemon Centers to who knows what else.

She doubted he could pay to repair an entire Pokemon Center, but at the very least, he could replace Misty's bike. As soon as she caught up with him, at least. If he'd passed through Viridian City, he'd be heading to Pewter City next.

...Right through the Viridian Forest.

Why did it have to be bugs?

Chapter Text

James was just touching up her eyes when Meowth poked her leg. By long practice, she didn’t startle, but did glower down at Meowth, who should know better than to interrupt either of them when applying makeup.

“What?” She demanded.

“Sooo...how are we explaining this to the twerp?”

“I wish you’d stop calling him that; he thinks you don’t like him.”

“What?” Meowth crossed his arms, face crinkling in thought. “I wouldn’t let him tag along with us if I didn’t like him.”

“Then tell him,” James retorted. “In case you haven’t noticed, Ash is...straightforward; he likely hasn’t noticed all your little feline demonstrations of affection.”

“Which is exactly my point!” Meowth retorted. “I can promise you’re gonna confuse the heck out of him if you don’t explain.”

James rolled her eyes, but didn’t reply. Meowth had a point; Ash was - well, not stupid. Ignorant, certainly. Riding the high from catching his first Pokemon, an unsuspecting Caterpie James had taken to thinking as Felix, Ash had tried to use that same Caterpie to fight a wild Pidgeotto.

Following that near disaster, Jessie had sat Ash down and set him memorizing type matchups.

“Types aren’t everything,” she’d acknowledged, “but it’s best to know what might give you an edge in a battle. Or, of course, what might make it harder.”

And James had to hand it to Ash - between studiously reading on type matchups, asking Jessie endless questions about his Pokemon's health, and routine morning training, he was taking this more seriously than most ten-year-olds. He was off on one of these training sessions while Jessie took a bath, and James made herself up.

"Hey, Jess...um. Miss?"

James turned; Ash was standing at the edge of their campsite, eyeing her warily. Pikachu, perched on his head, sniffed once before determining James wasn't a stranger, and therefore not worth worrying about, and dropped his head back onto Ash's hair.

James rolled her eyes. "It's me, Ash." When Ash continued to stare at James with wide eyes, uncomprehending, she added, "James."

"But James is a - um. I thought James was a boy. That you were a - what?"

James sighed. Meowth was going to be so smug about this; in fact, she could see him sticking his tongue out at her. "I am a boy - sometimes."

"Um." Ash's forehead wrinkled as he considered that. "I didn't think that was something that changed? My mom-"

"I can assure you, doesn't know everything," James said smoothly. "Presumably if she knew more about Pokemon care, she would have made sure you knew it." And the mention of Pokemon gave James an idea. "Here - give me your Gear." Ash handed over his Gear automatically, and it took James only a moment to find what she was looking for. "Here."

Ash frowned at the Gear. "This is a Pokemon."

"It's Castform," James said. "A Normal-Type Pokemon who changes their form - and type - based on the weather. There are a couple of other Pokemon like that."

"Who change type based on the weather? Is that what happened to you?"

James sighed, because Ash was distressingly literal-minded sometimes. "Well, no. I'm more like - Shaymin. You won't see much about them, but they're a little scrubby thing that can sometimes stretch out and fly. Just whenever they feel like." She sat back, braced by he hands behind her, taking a moment to imagine the freedom of the few Pokemon she knew who could just - change themselves.

"But you're not a Pokemon."

"Aren't I?" James retorted. At Ash's confused look, she laughed. "No, I'm not, unless the scientific community decides otherwise."

"Well." Ash sat down across from James, still watching her carefully. "Um. Your hair looks nice."

And James - who'd packed the delicate blond wing very carefully when she'd bought it in Celadon City, smiled at Ash, because someone had clearly told him girls liked hearing their hair looked nice.

"Thank you. Now - um, for various reasons, I need you to call me a different name when we're in Pewter City."

"Is this like when Pokemon evolve?" Ash, who, sweet as he was, had a one-track mind.

"No, it's more like - secret identities. I generally go by Lucy."

"I can still be Ash, right?"

James winked at Ash. "If you want."

"I wouldn't try a pseudonym unless you're sure you can remember the new name." Jessie, hair twisted into a tight bun, dressed in a long, high-necked blue dress, patted Ash on the cheek as she passed to stick her dirty clothes in her bag. "Though if we had to, Ashley would be a nice nom-de-plume."

Ash frowned at Jessie's back. "Why would I need to pretend to be a girl?"

Jessie shrugged as she stood. "The number of people who've mistaken James for someone else without some sort of wig just because she had on a shirt with adequate padding would shake your faith in most people's intelligence." When Ash's frown didn't fade, she sighed. "People won't think you're Ash in disguise if you look like a girl. I don't know why, but it works."

"O...kay." Ash shook off the discussion, clearly relegating it to wherever he sent information that wasn't about Pokemon, and looked back to James. "We're going to the Pewter City Gym today, right?"

"Hopefully," James agreed. "Jessie?"

"Give me five minutes and we can get on the road."

It was slightly less than that, because while Ash didn't ask if they were ready every ten seconds, he did stand at the edge of their camp closest to the road, nearly vibrating in excitement.

Which James supposed she understood; the milestones of a Pokemon journey were monumental - your first Pokemon, your first capture, your first evolution. Your first gym battle. She hoped it went well, although given the composition of Ash's party, she had her doubts. She wondered, idly, if she could have 'mistakenly' led them to Cerulean first and given Ash the easy victory with that Pikachu.

It was too late to worry about that now, though; this close to a Gym, any open Gym, Ash was lost in his fantasies of winning the Pokemon League Championship, being named the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world, and whatever else normal 10-year-olds dream of. James kept just enough of her attention on his chattering to ensure she didn't miss anything important, and the rest on their surroundings. They didn't pass any cops on the way to the Gym, just an old man selling rocks by the side of the road (not jewels, evolutionary stones, or even interesting rocks).

And then...there was the Gym. A square-fronted building that looked as if it had been built by stacking huge rocks atop one another, only the words 'Pewter Gym' carved into the stones giving any indication it was a building of any import at all. Ash broke into a run at the sight of it, but was brought up short by Jessie, who'd had the foresight to grab the collar of his jacket.

"We check in at the Pokemon Center first," she ordered. "You're not sending your Pokemon into battle against a Gym Leader without getting a clean bill of health."

Ash did, but spent the entire fifteen minutes it took Joy to pronounce his Pokemon fighting fit sitting in the corner glaring at his Pokedex, presumably thinking he was being rebellious. With Meowth sitting next to Ash to keep him out of trouble, James scanned the newspapers in the Center. There wasn't any ongoing coverage about Jessie and James, the attack on the Viridian City Pokemon Center by Team Rocket soaking up most of the 'Pokemon poaching' news.

In less ominous news, the Global Police had signed off on the proposed Constitution of Ryme City, freeing the city from the authority of the Pokemon Inspection Agency and any League. Jessie, James, and Meowth had talked about Howard Clifford's utopia before and debated joining the citizens of Ryme City, where Meowth could live more or less as he wanted. They'd bowed to Meowth's skepticism, though, and set Ryme City aside until there was some proof the concept worked for its Pokemon citizens. But it was good to keep an eye on things.

"J - Lucy! I got my Pokemon, and Jess - Renee says we can go to the Gym!"

James nodded approvingly at Ash's corrections and set the newspaper aside.

"Well, if Renee says it's alright," James agreed. "Let's get you your first badge."

Jessie picked up Meowth to prevent the Pokemon from limiting the speed of their journey across town, because it was clear if it took any longer than necessary for Ash to get his Gym badge he would explode.

The Gym wasn't busy (the last League Conference had just finished, so people weren't in a hurry to collect badges); there was, however, a man standing next to the door to the Gym. The man was dressed in a neat brown suit, worn, unremarkable, had dark, close-cropped hair, and bright blue eyes peering at them through bottle lenses. His skin was pale, pink in the day's bright light, and he was smiling. His gaze shifted quickly from Jessie to James and then, briefly, to Ash's feet, before meeting Ash's gaze.

"Here to face Brock for the Boulder Badge?" the man asked.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "I'm going to be a Pokemon master someday."

"Ah," the man replied, eyes skipping, again, to Ash's feet. "And to do that you want to catch every Pokemon, collect a full set of badges, and win the Indigo League Conference. Hm! Badges mean nothing to one who would be a Pokemon Master. You must understand Pokemon in a way no other person does. Look to every Pokemon you meet, to every trainer you meet, for what wisdom they offer."

He smiled through the entire speech, even as Ash stepped back, retreating almost behind Jessie (James didn't blame him; she'd prefer Jessie between her and trouble than not). Meowth's nose was twitching, which could mean anything.

"Um. I can still go into the gym, right?"

The man laughed, a high, tittering sound. "Oh, of course! Mind, from what I've seen, you are light-years from beating Brock!"

And at that, Ash's timidity vanished, as he stepped out from behind Jessie, hands clenched at his sides, face wrinkled in focus. "I don't care how long you think it'll take to beat him, I'll do it! And beat all of the other Gym leaders! And be a Pokemon Master!"

Ash stormed past the man, while Pikachu stuck out his tongue at him. Jessie shrugged and trailed after Ash, James hurrying after them both. Ash was standing just inside the Gym, face red, breathing hard, when James joined them. Jessie was rubbing his back.

"-can't?" Ash was asking. "I was looking at Dexter and it said less than five percent of trainers ever make it to the League Conference."

"Well, that's an average," Jessie replied. "That includes everyone - every kid who's got no idea what they're doing, every lazy as - jerk who thinks it's an easy way to get money. You've got us to help you train and keep you on task, which puts you ahead of a lot of other people."

"And you've got a lot of determination," James added. "A lot of people who never go to the Conference were trying out competitive battling as a hobby. Having the drive, the motivation, to stick with it, puts you way ahead of a lot of other people. With a real goal and decent support, your odds are more like - one in four, at least."

"But who cares about odds?"

The Gym was dark, not much visible beyond the entrance, a circle of light at the edge of the empty space beyond. At the declaration, a gruff voice that echoed through the Gym, lights snapped on, giving James her first glimpse at the Pewter City Gym. Boulders and larger outcroppings formed a varied terrain, and even the ground was covered in stones. A young man stood at the center of the Gym, sturdy, dark-haired, eyes squinted against the sudden brightness. He was wearing a green vest, sturdy trousers - workman's clothes, really. But it made sense - Gym leaders were experts in a particular type of Pokemon, and leveraged that into professions that supported their communities.

"If you're here to challenge me for the Boulder Badge, it's because you have rock-hard determination, the type that doesn't care about the odds!" Brock declared. "Are you here for the Boulder Badge?"

"I am," Ash replied.

"No, come on," Brock said, "let's hear a little enthusiasm. You want to be a Pokemon Master, right?"

"Yes."

"So are you here to challenge me for the Boulder Badge?" Brock repeated.

"Yes!"

"Good!" Brock grinned, and turned to cross to the far end of the rocky field. "What's your name?"

"Ash Ketchum."

"Challenger Ash Ketchum versus Gym Leader Brock!"

James yelped, falling into Jessie at the new, unexpected voice. A kid, shorter than Brock, with similar spiked dark hair and what now seemed to be a permanent squint, had one hand raised above their head.

"The challenge will be two on two - the challenger need not choose their Pokemon beforehand, but using a third Pokemon will disqualify them! Each Pokemon will fight until their trainer or I acknowledge they are unable to battle. Do you understand?"

"That kid looks like you - like your brother or something!" Ash protested. "How am I supposed to trust him to be fair?"

"Forrest wants to take over the Pewter City Gym someday," Brock replied, steady, as the kid, Forrest, folded their arms, glowering at Ash. "They've already passed the Junior Licensing Exam, and know any complaints against them could jeopardize their chances."

"Oh." Ash looked over at James, who gave him a shrug. She couldn't say whether Forrest was trustworthy, only that Brock was correct that the Pokemon Inspection Agency wouldn't look kindly on a prospective Gym leader who showed their sibling any favoritism. Jessie, though, gave him a thumbs up as she grabbed James' shoulder to set them both down at the six or so rows of benches overlooking the stadium.

"You honestly think they're trustworthy?" James asked.

"Nah," Meowth muttered from Jessie's shoulder. "We're just planning on raising a big stink if they do anything remotely hinky." He grinned at James before turning back to the field. "Of course…"

Ash didn't have much of a chance, no matter what Forrest did. Brock was a Rock-type trainer, and a lot of Rock type Pokemon were also Ground types, and that combination left Ash with a host of weaknesses and no good offensive options.

"I'll start with Geodude," Brock announced, tossing a Pokeball into the field.

There was a moment and then a tinny voice from Ash's Gear. "Geodude, the Rock Pokemon. This Rock/Ground type is common to mountainous areas, and difficult to distinguish from normal rocks."

"Checking a Pokedex in battle?" Brock asked.

"Is that not allowed?"

"There's no rule against it!" Forrest declared from the side.

"I'm just surprised," Brock said. "Not many people want to let Gym leaders know they don't know everything there is to know about Pokemon. So, tell me, from what you know about my Pokemon, who are you going to send out?"

"My Butterfree!" Ash tossed in a Pokeball, allowing his Butterfree to manifest, fluttering above the battlefield.

"Not a bad choice," Jessie muttered. "They're immune to Ground type attacks, at least."

"Geodude, Tackle!" Brock commanded, and the battle was on. Butterfree was nimble enough to avoid a few charges from Brock's Geodude. But no battle was won on defense alone, and Ash knew that.

"Butterfree, Stun Spore!"

"Good boy," Jessie muttered, as Ash's Butterfree scattered powder across the battlefield, causing Geodude to start moving jerkily, paralyzed.

"Harden!" Brock commanded, and his Geodude crossed their arms, strengthening their defense.

And then Ash made his first mistake.

"Gust!"

"Ooh," Jessie said. Ash's Butterfree flapped his wings to throw a controlled burst at the Geodude. They weren't immune, but even a decently-powered Flying attack wouldn't do much against a Rock type.

Or...normally.

The wind battered the paralyzed Geodude around, and, Ash, sensing weakness, called out, "Again, Butterfree!" The further battering from an unfamiliarly powerful attack left the Geodude moving slow, dazed, so all it took was another tackle to knock the Geodude to the ground. Forrest raised their arm. "Geodude is unable to battle."

"Hm," Brock mused, recalling their Geodude. "Your Butterfree's more than I expected. But I think you'll find my next Pokemon more of a challenge. Go, Onix!"

Thirty feet of boulders strung together into a serpentine form roared as they materialized on the battlefield. Butterfree withdrew, letting out an anxious chitter.

"Use another Gust!" Ash called.

Brock, though, folded his arms and smiled. "Rock Throw." They slammed their tail into the nearest outcropping of rock, sending everything from pebbles to boulders flying at the Butterfree. He tried to dodge, bright enough not to need Ash's guidance to do so (James reminded herself to mention it helped to do so anyway - it built trust, showing you cared), but there were too many rocks, and Butterfree went down with a squeal.

"Butterfree is unable to battle!" To James' eye, Butterfree probably could still fight, if Ash encouraged him, but not without risking serious injury. Her esteem for Forrest rose a tad; some Gym leaders might allow things to continue beyond that point.

Ash recalled Butterfree, frowning, but standing a little taller. Confident, James supposed, from the minor victory. Eyeing Brock's Onix, though, she mused the next step was harder. If she were forced to choose, she'd choose the Pikachu. Electricity might be useless, but a Flying Type against a Pokemon who knew Rock Throw was dumb.

"Pikachu! Go!"

The Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder with a cheerful warcry as the Onix coiled back, watching. Waiting to see what the Pikachu could do. What Ash would have the Pikachu do.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash cried, and James winced. But she couldn't do anything for him now; every trainer had to experience this for the first time at some point. An unfamiliar Pokemon whose Type you didn't know, a special move or Ability.

Or in this case, not realizing Onix was a Ground Type, as well as Rock. The lightning danced across the Onix's rocky skin, leaving no injury as the Onix snaked forward, roaring. They were nimbler than they looked, something James hadn't had much opportunity to see; but with a simple slap of their tail, they knocked Pikachu into the air, catching him within the coils of their form. And James looked away, because she knew it was over. If Pikachu were fighting an Arbok, or Bulbasaur, there'd be a chance. But from here, all Pikachu could do was shock, which couldn't possibly hurt the Onix.

"Kachu!" he cried, anyway, trying to electrocute the Onix, to no effect.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. He looked to Brock, to Forrest, and then back at his Pokemon. Pikachu let out another shock; Ash, hands tight at his sides, dropped his head, looking away. "I...give up," he muttered.

"The challenger has forfeited! Brock wins the battle!" Forrest called. They sounded cheerful about Ash's failure (although, James reconsidered, seeing Forrest shoot Brock a thumbs-up, they might have just been excited about their brother's victory).

Ash, though, was another story, holding his Pikachu in his arms (the little thing letting out a mournful 'Chuuu' every once in a while), eyes on the ground, all the way back to the Pokemon Center. James trailed behind, trying to communicate with Jessie through meaningful looks how they should handle Ash's loss. Neither of them had tried for the Indigo League, so even though James was certain there were at least eight other Gyms Ash could try, she couldn't quite imagine how he felt.

Ash gave Joy a terse nod at her welcome, and then threw himself into a chair at the furthest corner of the room. James hesitated, Jessie pausing just behind her.

Meowth, though, had a cat's sense of things, and sauntered over to hop up onto the chair next to Ash. James shrugged at Jessie and followed; just as they approached, Meowth poked Ash's leg with a claw.

"It's not the end of the world," he said.

"Be nice," James chided.

"I was!" Meowth protested, turning around to look up at her, eyes wide, innocent. "The kid's got another shot at the Boulder Badge if he wants, and even if he fails again, there's - what, a dozen other Gyms he can try?"

"But what if I fail at all of those, too?" Ash demanded, hands pressed against his knees, eyes still down, hat pulled over them, and James had a sneaking suspicion if she pulled it away, she'd see tears in those eyes. "I don't know anything about Pokemon, and I didn't know what Onix would be like, or that Pikachu couldn't hurt them at all-"

"So what?" Jessie demanded.

Ash jerked his head up, eyes wide, and, yes, glimmering at the corners with tears. "What?"

"So what if you're terrible and don't know anything? You get back up anyway, and go back, and try again! And you keep doing that until you win, or-"

"Maybe tone it down a little, Jessie," James offered, and Jessie spun on her, eyes blazing with the inner fire that had given her the courage to drag them both out into the world. James jerked her head toward Ash, whose chin was quavering a little, and Jessie fell a little, shoulders shifting back, one hand going to fiddle at the end of her hair (braided down to her waist instead of her preferred sweep of a ponytail).

"Sorry if I got - loud," she said, softly. "I just mean - you shouldn't give up just out of the gate because of one failure."

"But you saw Pikachu out there - there's no way he can beat Onix!"

"That isn't...necessarily true," James said, automatically. It earned her a curious look from Jessie and Meowth, and a hopeful, wide-eyed, tentative smile from Ash, which was an unfair expression to throw at an unsuspecting woman.

"Do you really think I can win?" he demanded.

And James took a moment to think. She could tell Ash the few ideas that had crossed her mind. But…

He was shaken, worrying about his ability to stand on his own two feet.

So she lay a hand on top of Ash's head, tilting it up so she could give him a gentle smile. "Absolutely. And if you do some reading, and use your head, I bet you can come up with a way to win yourself."

Ash's mouth opened for, James guessed, an automatic retort, before he let it close, frowning as he looked away from James toward the main part of the Pokemon Center.

"You don't need an answer this minute," James said. "We should get lunch, and figure out if we're staying in the Center tonight."

"We are," Jessie insisted. "They have running water here."

James huffed out a laugh; they might have become adept at surviving wherever they needed to, but each member of their little band had one trapping of civilization they couldn't stay away from. For Jessie, it was luxurious showers; for Meowth, it was radiators; and for James...wifi (there was just so much to know about the world, and it was easier to find it with an internet connection).

She went to the desk to confirm there were few enough people in town that they could have two rooms (one for the girls and one for Ash and whatever Pokemon refused to sleep in Pokeballs), while Ash glowered at his Gear and Jessie stalked toward the showers.

Ash was distant all afternoon, having muttered exchanges with the clipped electronic voice of his Gear (Dexter, the Pokedex, James supposed), and, once Pikachu was out of Joy's care, the Pokemon himself. Jessie laughed a bit to James, but...it raised James' estimation of Ash just a little bit, again. Ash wasn't trying to figure out how to use his Pikachu to beat Brock's Onix - he was working with his Pokemon to help Pikachu beat Brock's Onix.

"You think the twerp's gonna get it?"

James flicked Meowth's ear, making it twitch. "Stop it. Call him Ash, or the kid, if you think using a proper name would kill you. And...maybe. He's determined, I'll give him that." What plan Ash came up with would say a lot about him. Using Tail Whip to punch through Onix's physical resistance would be James' preference, after magically having the money to afford a Technical Machine to teach him Grass Knot.

"Lucy?"

James looked to Ash, who had his hands clasped in front of him, loose, watching her warily.

"Yes?"

"Do you think...you could help me teach Pikachu how to use Iron Tail?"

And that was the sort of trainer Ash was. Faced with an obstacle, he was going to grind away until it wasn't an obstacle anymore. Even if it took (James ran a quick estimate) a week, he'd keep pushing.

And he did. Ash and the Pikachu both pushed themselves that entire week - Ash slapping his hand into boulders alongside Pikachu's attempts to strengthen his tail, working the full recommended six hours, eating iron-rich foods ("I'm not going to tell him not to eat vitamin-rich food," James told Jessie when she tried to point out Ash eating that wasn't going to help Pikachu), and getting plenty of sleep ("because if he tells his mother I'm letting him get no sleep she'll kill us," James explained).

And six days later, they were back at the Gym. The weird man with glasses was there, too, grinning when he saw Ash.

"Back again?"

"Yeah!" Ash cheered, punching his hand into the air; Pikachu calling 'Piika!' along with him. "I'm ready for Brock this time around and I'm going to win!"

"Ready for Brock?" The man let out his strange giggle. "Who's to say he isn't ready for you too, young trainer? Even as you grow, so too do your opponents!"

"Who cares?" Ash demanded, raising at fist at the man, a gesture that could have been threatening if he weren't ten and like four feet tall. "Me and Pikachu worked our butts off for this! So we're not light-years away from beating Brock anymore!"

He stormed past the man into the Gym; it was only because James was so close as she passed by, following Ash, that she heard him mumble, "I didn't say you were."

"Brock!" Ash called. "I'm here for my rematch!"

The lights snapped on as James entered, and there was Brock, arms folded, looking as inscrutable as he had before. "I see you've returned. You understand, young man-"

"Young man? He's got like five years on the kid," Meowth muttered.

"If you fail to beat me again, you can't return to the Pewter City Gym until after the next League Championship."

Ash gave a sharp nod, standing tall, determined. And James may have spent the better part of a week training just to give Ash an edge, but seeing his expression, that of the Pikachu perched on his head, she didn't doubt Ash would win.

"Forrest?" Brock called. After a moment, he pulled out his own Gear. "Hold on a - yes? We've got a - oh. Well, bring them all down." He looked to Ash, shrugging. "Sorry; family emergency. But if you'll give us a minute or two-"

Nine children, including Forrest, stumbled into the arena. Forrest shooed eight of them toward the stands opposite Jessie, James, and Meowth, before hurrying to their own position.

"Brock will fight the challenger, Ash Ketchum," Forrest huffed, one hand braced against one of the tall boulders. "Two on two - the same rules as before. Ready? Go!"

"I choose Geodude!" Brock called.

"Butterfree!" Ash released the bug Pokemon, clearly hoping for a repeat of his last battle. "Go! Use Gust!"

"Dodge it!" Brock shouted, "and get in close!"

The Geodude ducked behind a rocky outcropping to avoid Butterfree's attack.

"Butterfree, again!"

James frowned as she watched Butterfree throw Gust after Gust at Brock's Geodude, and as the Geodude kept ducking behind rocks to shelter them.

...A closer shelter each time. Brock had said to get in close. James bit her lips. She shouldn't give advice during a battle - let Ash learn to think on his feet.

"Go Brock!"

"You can do it!"

Still, James though, as Brock's siblings cheered him on, she could do something.

"Go Ash!" James cried. She glanced sidelong at Jessie. "Come on - give him a little encouragement."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Knock him dead, kid!"

Meowth groaned from the bench beside them. "Not that much encouragement."

Ash was watching the field intently, feet planted apart as if he needed balance (was he pretending he was on the field?). And James wondered...if Ash were paying more attention than she thought.

"Butterfree! Stun Spore!"

And the Butterfree rose just as Geodude leapt at him, spiraling out of the way, paralyzing spores falling from his wings.

"Nooo!" Brock's siblings (save Forrest) cried in unison.

Brock just shrugged. "Nice save, kid. Geodude - Self Destruct."

The Geodude glowed, a blinding white light, for a single still moment, and then exploded.

Dust and rock flew away from the source, and James heard the pained cry of Ash's Buttefree. It was a good plan, really. The Butterfree had an attack that was effective against his Rock Types, and Onix wasn't fast or small enough to hide from his attacks. Sacrificing Geodude to take out the Butterfree didn't put Brock in a worse position than he'd been in the last battle.

As the smoke cleared, James was unsurprised to see Ash's Butterfree on the ground, dazed, wings fluttering weakly.

"Butterfree is unable to battle! Geodude is unable to battle!"

They each recalled the Pokemon, and for a moment, it was quiet. "I hope your plan wasn't for your Butterfree to fight both of my Pokemon," Brock said, "because if so, the battle ends here."

"It isn't," Ash replied.

Brock shrugged. "Well. Let's see what you've got up your sleeve. Onix!" The rock snake roared as they smashed through a pile of rock.

Ash pointed straight at the Onix. "Pikachu, go!"

Brock grinned. "I hope you've got a better strategy than last time. Onix, Bind!"

"Stay out of their way, Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "Wait for your opening!"

"Yeah, knock that pile of rocks out!" Jessie called.

James smiled. They'd practiced all week - Pikachu knew what the plan was. So it gave Ash an edge, keeping the details quiet in front of his opponent. Pikachu dodged left, right, pressing forward each time, relying on his dexterity where Brock's Geodude had the terrain's cover. And each time the Onix lunged, Pikachu was just out of their reach, until-

"Up there!" Ash called; Pikachu leapt to a small platform, to another, and was suddenly a few meters off the ground and leaping at the Onix. They roared, swinging their tail around to slap at Pikachu's.

Pikachu's tail glowed, taking on a silvery gleam, and slammed into Onix's.

The Onix's tail whipped back from the impact, the Onix growling uncertainly. They'd felt that.

"Again!" Ash commanded, and Pikachu darted around Onix's retreating coils to twist around and slam into their center mass. The Onix howled, stone cracking from the impact. James winced; they'd both known Iron Tail's particular advantage against a Pokemon like Onix, but the erosion of their defense was still a little painful to watch.

"And-"

"Onix, Earthquake!"

Onix pulled back, lifting their body to hurl it against the ground. And this could end it - Pikachu couldn't take a Ground Type move like that-

"Into the air, Pikachu!"

And again, Pikachu leapt between two, three, four, perches, and just as Onix hit the ground, Pikachu launched himself from a platform ten meters off the ground. James' teeth chattered at the impact of the Onix with the ground, and rock pillars cracked and collapsed around the Onix.

Pikachu, though, was safe, soaring toward the Onix, tail silver, eyes bright. "Pika…" he called, twisting in the air, tail absorbing the energy of that turn along with the momentum of Pikachu's fall, "Chuuu!" The Pikachu's tail slammed into Onix's head, sending the other Pokemon reeling. Pikachu hopped back, paused, and looked back to Ash. "Pika?"

"Great job!" Ash cheered. "Now-"

"Onix is unable to battle!"

Ash stopped. Pikachu froze. And Ash looked to the Onix, who was sprawled, unconscious, on the Gym floor. A moment later, they were surrounded in red light, and then gone. And a slow clapping echoed through the Gym. Brock strode across the arena, still clapping his hands. He was smiling wide.

"Congratulations, Ash," he said. "I can see you thought hard about this battle - about my Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses, and your own. You found a tool that helped you beat me. So it is my pleasure to present you with this." He stopped a few feet from Ash and pulled a small grey pin from his shirt. "The Boulder Badge. It is proof you've defeated me in battle."

"R - really?" Ash wavered a little in place, and James was on her feet, scrambling down toward him. A battle could be exhausting, she knew, so if he was going to faint-

"Of course!" Brock paused, looking down at Ash, and his smile shifted, went a little soft. "Is this your first badge?"

Ash nodded, and it was then James reached him, seeing the tears gathering in Ash's eyes. "Yeah," Ash clarified, wiping at his eyes. Pikachu ran into his ankles, tugging at his pant legs, and Ash smiled down at the Pokemon.

"Hey, you did good," James said. She didn't have siblings, so she didn't expect it when Ash crashed into her, arms wrapped around her waist and face pressed against her chest. "Um." She looked up to Brock, who was...grinning again.

"Your brother did a great job," Brock said, "which is only natural for someone who has such a beautiful, talented older sister to help him?"

James couldn't help the blush; she and Jessie didn't spend a lot of time looking for love, so she didn't flirt much - or at least not seriously (getting discounts on meals and getting out of trouble was just business). Still…

"I'm flattered, but I'm - definitely too old for you," James replied. She patted Ash's head; he was still...yes, sniffling into her dress.

"Well, regardless, you are always welcome here!" Brock declared, through and over the rejection in a moment. "And another gift for your victory." He held out what looked like a CD in a case, and James felt her heart skip a beat.

"Is that a Technical Machine?" she asked.

"Rock Slide," Brock said. "A useful Rock Type move, and one many different types of Pokemon can learn."

"That's worth a lot of money," James whispered. But more importantly, you could teach Pokemon moves with it in a fraction of the time it took to tutor them. There were old artifacts that were said to do much the same thing, but people nowadays mostly used these discs and specialized computer equipment. If Ash's Gear was advanced enough, there were apps that could let him use TMs with that, in the field.

"Yes, a valuable tool to help you on your way," Brock replied.

"Okay, thank the man," James said to Ash. "And let's get your Pokemon looked at, huh? We've got a while to go before Cerulean City, right?"

The door to Brock's office (little more than a table, a phone, and the reports he had to file with the Pokemon Inspection Agency) slammed open. Brock saw a glimpse of Forrest before a girl stormed in and slammed her palms against Brock's desk. Red-haired, green-eyed, and furious, glaring down at Brock.

"Ash Ketchum!" she snapped.

Brock smiled; he'd been impressed by Ash's determination - and ingenuity. Trainers didn't often think of how to dodge field moves like Earthquake. He bet the kid would go far.

"Hey!" The girl snapped her fingers in front of Brock, startling him from his reminiscence. There was something familiar about her, Brock mused. "Has he been here?"

"I'm not really supposed to-"

"I'm a Gym Leader, asshole!" the girl - Misty, Brock realized - retorted, "And that kid stole and ruined my bike."

"Really? He didn't seem the type."

"Whatever," Misty growled. "Obviously he's been here."

"Yeah. They're headed to Mount Moon - the kid's sister was telling him about Clefairy-"

"I really don't care," Misty replied. "Ugh, I do not have time to be chasing him across the whole fucking - wait." She turned to Brock. "You said they're going to Mount Moon?"

"Yeah?"

Misty's expression morphed to a smile - a wide, nasty grin. "So the next Gym they'll run into is in Cerulean City."

Saffron City was a wonderful place to live.

Everyone said so.

The streets - wide, straight roads - were always clean.

Silph Co. employed lots of people - good, steady jobs, not just for scientists, but for all sorts of workers.

And they had a Gym. One of the best Gyms. Probably the strongest Gym Leader there was.

So people had lots of reasons to be happy.

People were always smiling here.

Because Saffron City was a wonderful place to live.

Everyone said so.

So it must be true.

Chapter Text

The twerp - Ash - wasn't asleep, otherwise he would have fallen off of James' back. He was, however, drooling sleepily into James' neck while James carried him. The Pikachu had commandeered Jessie's head, where he was sprawled, exhausted, which left Meowth walking. He tried to keep it in perspective; they could have died in Mount Moon. Still, the humans' legs were a lot longer than his.

"I wish I'd been able to catch a Clefairy," Jessie sighed.

"No way I'm letting a pink blob that knows Metronome on the team!" Meowth snapped. "You saw what they did back there - what was that move, anyway?"

"I bet Dexter knows!" Jessie suddenly chimed, taking a quick step toward James, who swatted her back.

"Let the kid sleep, he and the Pikachu are exhausted," James growled. Jessie fell back, scowling. To belabor the point, perhaps, neither Ash nor Pikachu shifted or made a noise during the entire exchange. "Besides, I recognize it - it's Draco Meteor, the most powerful Dragon-Type move currently known."

Meowth snorted. "Well, if it has to do with Dragon Types, of course you know it."

James' face flushed red. "I just - remember seeing the move before."

"Of course," Meowth soothed. "Anyone who spent an entire year watching nothing but videos of Lance's League battles, interviews, lectures, would know a lot about Dragon Types."

"I was seventeen!" James wailed. "Jessie had that crush on those pop idols and you don't make fun of her!"

"I didn't replace the background on my Gear with a picture of them," Jessie retorted with a grin. She paused, crouched, and waved at Meowth. "Come here; my head's occupied, but I can carry you."

Meowth darted into her arms before she could change her mind, and settled into her grip bonelessly as she stood. He sighed as she kept walking, a gentle rocking that threatened to send him to sleep.

"We're not stopping long in Cerulean, are we?" Meowth asked after a few minutes. "I mean, twerp's got an Electric Type."

"They could have a Quagsire," James replied, thoughtfully. "That's a nasty shock to throw at someone, but Gym battles aren't supposed to be easy. But yes," he agreed, "I don't expect it to be hard."

"Good," Jessie replied. "Kid deserves a break, after Pewter City. And Team Rocket, ugh!"

It was quiet again, a few minutes, and Meowth, drowsing against a warm body, sky bright and clear, the buzzing of Bug Pokemon on either side of the road, nearly fell asleep.

"We're going to have to tell him eventually," James said, voice low. "Explain, at least."

"I don't see why," Jessie retorted, chest huffing against Meowth. "It doesn't have anything to do with him."

"Yeah, but what're you going to do if we - you know?" Meowth demanded. "Send him hunting for Legendaries while we-"

"Saw a Legendary once," Ash mumbled into James' shoulder. "Dexter said it was Ho-Oh."

All three of them fell silent. Meowth tried once or twice to reply, but found he had no words.

"Ho-Oh, really?" James finally squeaked out. "What did Dexter have to say?"

"Dunno," Ash replied. "It was a long article, and didn't know it could be interesting yet."

"Well, then, how about we look it up when we get to the Pokemon Center?" James asked. "Does that sound fun?"

"Mhm."

Meowth tried not to snicker, but it just slipped out. He shrugged at James' glare, unrepentant. "What? If you didn't aggressively parent every lost pup or abandoned chick we find, we wouldn't make fun of you for it."

"He already has parents!" James hissed.

"A mother, anyway," Jessie offered. "But she's like a three-week hike back that way. No, it's fine. Obviously, if I'd known we'd be adopting every stray we came across, I would have prepared myself before I rescued you from your dreadful fiancee-"

"It's not every stray," James said, though his voice was a little pained, resigned. "And besides, you love Fangs."

"I never said I didn't. But you have to admit, it's that nurturing streak that got us-"

"Got us what?"

Jessie snapped her mouth shut at Ash's voice, which was much more alert after his impromptu nap on James' back.

"Got us an adorable little tagalong," she replied in a lilting voice, skipping over to swipe Ash's hat and ruffle his hair.

"Give that back," he said, flailing for the hat and nearly falling; James stumbled, and Meowth tensed, ready to leap out of Jessie's arms if it looked like he'd fall on them. But James steadied and Ash shoved his hat back on his head.

"And besides," Ash continued, "if anyone's tagging along, it's you three; I'm on my Pokemon journey, and you're just-"

"Keeping you out of trouble!" Jessie said.

"Fat lot of good that did," Meowth piped in, earning him a flick on the ear from Jessie.

"We can't be held responsible for the actions of criminal enterprises!" she said, haughtily. "Now come on - I want a good shower after that stupid mountain and the adorable Pokemon someone won't let me catch."

Ash didn't appear to be tired anymore, peppering them with questions, and, with only a little prompting, explaining how in the aftermath of Pikachu electrocuting a murder of Spearow, Ash had witnessed a glittering rainbow bird soaring through the clearing skies.

He didn't move from James' back, though, arms around his neck, legs hooked around his waist. And James didn't move to dislodge him until they reached the outskirts of Cerulean City and Ash dropped, bolting toward the side of the road. Meowth turned his head around; the kid was standing at the edge of the river running alongside the road - but more importantly, the cavern entrance half-submerged in the water. There was a sign on the side of the entrance, worn but words bright and clear: 'No Entry Except by Rank 8 Trainers or League Officials'.

"What's that?" Ash demanded.

"Hm," James murmured, and after a moment Meowth realized he was stumped.

"It's off limits, is what it is," Jessie said imperiously. "So we'll leave it alone, alright, kid?"

"Aww," Ash groaned, but went quietly as they arrived at Cerulean City. Meowth had never been, but the billboards advertising the Cerulean City Gym seemed odd, at best. James, too, looked at the signs with suspicious eyes. Ash, of course, was just excited to see the colorful advertisements showing Water Type Pokemon frolicking in their natural habitat, if a hundred-meter pool could be said to be a Pokemon's natural habitat.

"Look, J-" Ash paused, mid-word, glancing between Jessie and James. "Er. Should I call you fake names?"

"Mm, no," Jessie decided. "Things have likely cooled down; if we mix up our hair a bit at the Pokemon Center, there shouldn't be any trouble."

Ash nodded, before pointing at one of the signs. "Did you see? They have tours! Do you think we could go on a tour of the Gym?"

"I don't see a reason why not," Jessie replied, although she glanced at James, who nodded. Ash grinned and kept forward, pausing at a community map so they could get to the Pokemon Center. But Meowth...pondered. He had to keep quiet a lot, unless he wanted to act like a normal Meowth, and that left him with a lot of time to think.

And it was clear there was something odd about the Cerulean City Gym. Ash broke into a run when they found the Pokemon Center, beating the four of them (including the Pikachu) there by nearly a minute. When they arrived, he was listening intently to the Nurse Joy, nodding every few seconds.

"-blocked off to prevent unwary travelers from stumbling into a powerful Pokemon's den, but because the areas became effectively protected from most human interference, they eventually became Pokemon sanctuaries." Ash glanced, grinning when he saw Jessie and James.

"Hey! Nurse Joy was telling me about that cave - there's supposed to be really strong Pokemon in there, so only the very best trainers are allowed to go there. But there's also a whole lot of other Pokemon being protected by those strong Pokemon. So after I get all my badges, I'm going to come back and catch some really powerful Pokemon."

"I cannot believe you're so excited to run around a damp cave after what we've just been through," Jessie grumbled. She smiled at Nurse Joy. "Hi, can we get a couple of rooms here?"

"Mm." Nurse Joy glanced at her computer. "I can let you have one - the Cerulean Gym's just introduced a new routine, so everything's a little crowded."

"As long as there's hot water, I'll take it." Jessie set her own Pokeballs on the counter. "And if you could take care of my Mercy and Fangs, that would be delightful."

Ash was unusually quiet as they dropped their things in their assigned room, waiting until the door was closed to speak up.

"Should I - am I supposed to have a name for my Pokemon?" he asked.

"Um." Jessie looked to James, who rolled his eyes and sat on the twin bed he'd surrendered to Ash for their stay in Cerulean.

"There's certainly no rule," James started. "But there are benefits. Obviously, you can easily distinguish your Pikachu from other Pikachu if he has a name. And for some people - giving your Pokemon a name helps you bond - shows them you're invested in who they are."

"Pfft," Meowth muttered; there was quiet for a moment before Jessie flicked his ear.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Meowth stretched out on the other bed, yawning. "It means names are a human thing. Calling your Pikachu 'Joe' or 'Bob' or whatever isn't gonna mean anything to him. Most of the time we call each other, well names like 'my brother', 'my girlfriend', or 'that fat Meowth over there'. The closest thing we get to names is like, if you're really known for something. Fangs and Mercy are pretty chill with their names - you got a good sense of what they want Pokemon want to think of them."

"And - what about Growlie?" James asked, voice a little quiet. Hesitant. Meowth resisted the urge to groan, because it would just upset James - but Meowth hadn't expected his nap to be interrupted by talking about Pokemon's feelings.

"Well, dog Pokemon are different from the rest of us - very domesticated. People pleasers, you know? He thinks he's special because you gave him a name." Meowth probably would have lied to make James feel better, but the Growlithe loved James more than probably anything else in the world, so it worked out.

"Hm. So do you think I should ask my Pokemon if they want names?" Ash asked.

"After I get a good sleep," Meowth said. "Just because I can talk doesn't mean it isn't exhausting convincing a tribe of Clefairy not to sacrifice an innocent paleontologist to their Moon God."

So promptly an hour later Ash tugged at Meowth's tail (he'd grudgingly admitted a light tug was the least upsetting way Ash could wake him up). The twerp was sitting on the floor, eyes bright, smiling, his Pokemon settled or sitting on him.

"Can you talk to them now?" he asked.

Meowth bit back a groan, and stretched, easing himself awake, before walking to the edge of the bed. He looked at the Butterfree first.

"Awright, I don't know if the twerp told you, but he's thinking of giving you names-"

"The blue one calls me Felix," the Butterfree replied.

"Yeah, but-"

"I like the blue one," the Butterfree said, flapping his wings, a threat display if Meowth had ever seen one, given he could scatter poisonous spores over people with a single motion.

"Okay! Jeez." Meowth shrugged at Ash. "Looks like James accidentally named the Butterfree himself - he likes the name 'Felix'."

"Felix, huh?" Ash rubbed the top of the Butterfree's head. "That's a great name! Okay, Felix!"

Felix's antennae flicked smugly; Meowth resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at him.

"Okay! Pidgeotto next!"

Meowth looked at the Pidgeotto; the bird was a little standoffish, he'd found, even if she liked Ash (it was prejudice, he knew, birds acting like cats just wanted to eat them, when Meowth preferred nothing more than a meal that was already plucked, chopped, and simmered in a delicious sauce).

"Hm, I don't care what he calls me, as long as it's fast," the Pidgeotto said, before Meowth could even ask.

"Ooookay," he drawled. When Meowth looked back, Ash was watching him intently; he yelped and took a hurried step back. "What?" he demanded.

"Do you think I could learn how to talk to Pokemon?" Ash asked. "I mean, you learned how to speak to humans…"

"Huh." Meowth thought about it a minute, while Ash looked on, frowning, albeit gently. "Hard to say. Pokemon don't talk the same way humans do. A lot of their talk's - intention, shades of meaning. Like, Pokemon mostly understand what humans mean when they talk to them, so it's not impossible to do it in reverse. Most humans get the hang of understanding their actual partners - the Pokemon they travel with the most - without much effort. I don't know. It might take a knack."

"Well." Ash looked down at Pidgeotto. "A fast name. How about Speedy?"

"No," Meowth declared. He knew the Pidgeotto didn't care, but he wouldn't put up with running around with a Pokemon named 'Speedy'. "If you want fast, how about Sirocco?"

"What's that?" the twerp and the Pidgeotto asked in unison; they twisted around, startled, to look at each other while Meowth tried not to laugh.

"It's a really powerful wind - like enough to rip a house to shreds." The Pidgeotto flared her wings a little, and Meowth could see her imagining throwing a Hurricane down on a battlefield, tossing her foes out of the way like they were errant leaves.

Then she threw her wings up. "You tell him to call me that!" she demanded.

"Yeah, uh," Meowth looked back up at Ash. "She likes it. I'm not sure she'll answer to anything else, but I could take a shot if you-"

"No. If it's what she wants to be called, I'll call her Sirocco." Ash held a hand up to Sirocco's wing. "It's an awesome name."

He looked back at Meowth but paused, reaching up to lift the Pikachu off his head and hold him at arm's length, squinting at him. "You really think I could learn to understand Pikachu?" he asked. "What if I can't?"

"I don't know - maybe it just means your bad at languages. If you put in the effort, though, I totally bet you will."

"Hm." Ash set the Pikachu down on the bed next to Meowth. "Well, how about I ask Pikachu about his name, and try to see if I know what he's saying, and you tell me if I'm right?"

"Fuck yeah!" the Pikachu cheered.

"He says-"

"Yes, right?"

"More or less," Meowth hedged (they were supposed to be watching their language around the twerp, he was sure).

"Okay!" Ash leaned forward, eyes narrowed as if to take in every detail of the Pikachu. "Alright, Pikachu, I bet you've been listening. We're trying to decide if you want a name other than 'Pikachu', so I want to know what you think."

"Hm." The Pikachu tapped his chin. "I've done some pretty amazing stuff since we got together - I think my name should make people know that - right off the bat." He waved his hands as he explained, Ash peering at him intently. He was silent a few moments after the PIkachu stopped talking, before nodding.

"He wants a really - special name, right?"

Meowth felt a rising spark of - respect in his chest. He hadn't mentioned how it was only people who'd had the same Pokemon for years that Meowth had seen talk back and forth like they understood each other. Sure, the twerp was missing the nuance, but…

Well, the kid was something special in a lot of other ways, it shouldn't have surprised Meowth to find another.

"More or less. He wants something to really - highlight how awesome he is."

"Yes! Awesome!" the Pikachu agreed. He turned to Ash, snapping one hand into his arm. "I have felled a thousand furious beasts, conquered the storm, overcome a creature who could withstand the wrath of Zapdos themselves!"

"Um-"

Ash nodded. "You beat - those Spearow, and Team Rocket, and Brock's Onix."

"Conquered the storm, he says," Meowth clarified.

Ash's mouth dropped open. "Oh." Frowning, he picked up his Gear. "Hey, Dexter, what sort of name should I give to a Pokemon who conquered the storm?"

"A Pokedex isn't really programmed for something like that," Meowth said, only for the Gear to reply, speaking over him.

"Legendary trainer Susanoo was called the 'Conquerer of Storms' and 'Thunder God'. Commanding a team consisting of a tamed Thundurus, Rayquaza, Zapdos, Raikou, and his partner, Zeraora, he famously brought an end to a hurricane that threatened his hometown of Shalour City. In battle, he was said to lend the strength of his own soul to his Pokemon."

"Oh. My. God," the Pikachu whispered, ears down, awed or cowed by the description. And then punched one hand into the air. "Yes! Make me Susanoo, Thunder God!"

"I mean, I could name you 'Susanoo, Thunder God', but it's a little long to shout if we get separated."

The Pikachu ('Susanoo', Meowth corrected himself) froze; after a moment, he lifted his gaze toward Ash. "Did he-?"

"I'm sorry - you don't like it?" Ash asked.

"No, you got it - pretty much perfect," Meowth said, feeling a little dazed himself. Sure, the kid was trying, and it wouldn't have been hard to figure out the Pikachu liked the name 'Susanoo', but-

Well, maybe he had a knack.

So the Pikachu was now Susanoo (Thunder God), and the rat was insufferable about it. Meowth went to sleep early rather than put up with the Pikachu perching imperiously on Ash's head as if he were the god of thunder.

Things were better in the morning from Susanoo's end, but Ash was up before dawn, either because he was going to get his second badge today or because they were going to tour the Cerulean City Gym and learn all sorts of exciting secrets about how Gyms were run.

The vibe was only interrupted when they reached the ticket booth of the Cerulean City Gym and the ticket-seller looked down at them with bright blue eyes enlarged by bottle lenses.

"Ash Ketchum," the man declared, face splitting into a wide grin. "I see you won your Boulder Badge."

"Yeah!" Ash replied, flipping one side of his jacket around to show off the badge pinned to the inside. "And now I'm here for a Cascade Badge."

"Hm," the man said. "It might be a little more difficult than you thought to actually earn that badge."

"Huh?" Ash looked at Susanoo, perched on his shoulder, and Meowth could almost hear him thinking that getting the Cascade Badge shouldn't be hard at all.

"Well, let me put it this way," the man said. "If they refused to see you at all - would you let them dismiss you?"

"Can they do that?" Ash asked.

"No," James replied. "Anyone who did that would risk their Gym losing its commission."

"Then what he said!" Ash said, pointing to James. "I'd tell them they'd lose their commission if they did that!"

"And what would you do - if they did the reverse?" the man asked.

"The reverse?" Ash's face scrunched up in thought. "What do you mean?"

"Think of it as a puzzle just for you," the man said, tearing off five tickets and handed them to Ash. "And see if you find an answer - it could be the difference between you becoming a true master or not."

Ash nodded, once, sharp, and then punched at the air. "Alright! Let's go - this is going to be awesome!"

"I want my money back," Jessie grumbled as the group settled on the benches overlooking the enormous pool in the Cerulean City Gym. It wasn't quite as impressive as the posters made it look, and the brochure about the so-called tour didn't seem promising.

"Shush - the kid's excited," James chided, tugging Meowth out of her lap and into his own. "And Meowth's looking forward to the show, too, isn't he?"

Meowth glowered at James but didn't protest. Not being much of a swimmer, he didn't see much of Water Type Pokemon - or at least the fishy ones, so this was a novel experience. And the Water Flowers of Cerulean City were good performers, if a little more focused on flash rather than substance (if Meowth were in charge - well, first he'd ditch the humans, no one was here to see scantily-clad women).

So it was a nice show, but by the end Ash was practically vibrating, so they were out of their seats the moment it was over, shoving through the crowds to reach the Water Flowers as they gave out handshakes and autographs.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" He pushed at last through the front row of people. "My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm here to challenge you for a Cascade Badge."

"Oh, aren't you sweet?" one of the women - the blonde one - said. "Of course." She clapped her hands, and a Seel clambered toward them, a small box in his mouth. She picked up the box and flipped it open to reveal a tear-shaped badge. "Here you go, young man - a souvenir from the Cerulean City Gym."

The crowd behind him was clapping, but Ash was still, staring at the badge in the Gym Leader's hands. It took a few moments before he said, "I thought - we were supposed to battle?"

"Oh, who has time for that?" the blonde retorted. "Go ahead. We're one of the most popular Gyms in Kanto, you know - people will be so impressed."

"But-" Ash's hand reached up, spasmed, retreated. "I don't-"

"Oh my god. I'm gone for what, two weeks, and you're already turning this place into a laughingstock?" A red-headed girl just a few inches taller than Ash stormed from the crowd, pointing at the blonde. "Daisy I understand, but I thought you, at least, had a little sense, Lily."

"Hey!" the blonde and the redhead behind her chimed in unison.

"We're in charge," the third of the Water Flowers (blue-haired) said, hands on her hips, "so we get to say how this Gym is run."

"No, the Pokemon Inspection Agency gets to say how this Gym is run, and if they find out you've just been handing out badges, you'll get fined, or we'll get shut down!"

"But Misty," the blonde whined, "battling is hard."

"Besides," the woman with blue hair said, "this crowd isn't here for boring battles, they're here for the Water Flowers, the Three Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City! Aren't you?"

The crowd cheered and applauded; the small redhead (Misty?) glowered, one eye twitching.

"I don't care," she snapped. "You aren't giving that kid a badge. He's a thief and a vandal and a - a public menace!"

The three taller women drew together, peering at Ash carefully.

"Wait," the blonde said, "do you know him?"

"Does our little Misty have a boyfriend?" the taller redhead cooed.

"No! That jerk stole my bike - and then totally trashed it!"

"Hey! I needed it to get to a Pokemon Center - my Pikachu was really hurt!"

"It's not our fault your bike couldn't withstand my full power," Susanoo retorted. Meowth bit back a snigger; that rat really was full of himself. The people behind them were chattering, and there was an uneasy note to their voices. It didn't sound like anyone was going to win this fight if the two of them kept sniping at each other.

It looked like it was up to Meowth to save the day, as usual.

"Hey, why don't you folks settle this with a Pokemon battle?" Meowth called; Jessie startled, giving him a wide-eyed glance. He put a hand to his mouth and winked at her.

"That's a great idea!" someone else called. "This is a Gym, isn't it?"

"For how good the shows are, the battles here must be amazing!" another said.

Misty looked a little bewildered, eyes darting around the crowd, but Ash - well, he was grinning, excited that this appeared to be ending in a Pokemon battle after all.

"Whoever that girl is-"

"That girl?" Misty shouted, spinning toward the voice. Her eye was twitching again - kid seemed to be under a lot of stress. "I happen to be Misty, the fourth Sensational Sister of Cerulean City, and the permanent leader of this Gym. So you-" she pointed at Ash, "aren't getting this-" she swiped the box out of the blonde's hands, "unless you defeat me. And if you lose, you're going to pay me back for my bike!"

"Well, you heard it here!" the blue-haired woman, clearly someone who knew to capitalize on an opportunity for attention, called out to the crowd. "Today only, a special premiere event - a battle between our fantastically accomplished Gym Leader Misty and brave challenger - hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Ash Ketchum-"

"Ash Ketchum!" The crowd cheered, a raucous noise. "Now everyone back to your seats!"

As people began dispersing back to the stadium, Meowth saw a vicious grin flash across Misty's face. It could be nothing, but…

Well, Ash wouldn't back down no matter what Meowth said, and James had taught him well enough he could think on his feet.

But he still couldn't help feeling the girl had something up her sleeve.

"So," Misty said, "since my sisters think this Gym should be a place for showmanship, I'm thinking we won't have a normal battle. I mean, don't bother agreeing - I'm in charge here, and as long as my 'battle' is 'an appropriate test of skill or ingenuity in the handling of Pokemon', I make the rules."

They stood on platforms - islands, really, set up in the pool. They were a little wobbly, but Ash doubted he was in danger of falling in (he could swim, anyway).

Misty held up two Pokeballs. "So here's how it's going to go. Each of us picks one of our opponent's Pokemon - at random, by picking their Pokeball, and that's the only Pokemon your opponent can use. Pick wisely!"

"Pika kachu!" Susanoo chattered from Ash's shoulder, clearly confident he could beat anything Misty had ready. But Misty might not pick Susanoo as Ash's partner; she'd know better than anyone how powerful an Electric Pokemon could be against Water Pokemon.

Ash pointed to the Pokeball in Misty's left hand. "That one!"

"Ooh," Misty cooed. "An excellent choice. For me." She released the Pokemon inside, the red light growing expanding, expanding…

Until a massive serpent, blue, face gaping in a permanent scowl, thrashed in the water next to her platform. Ash stared a moment before pulling out his Gear.

"Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokemon. Evolving from Magikarp through a process still poorly understood, some theorize that they evolve in response to shifts in the magnetic fields of the Earth. Both a Water and Flying Type, they are quadruply weak to electricity. One of forty-four known Pokemon capable of the mysterious process known as Mega-Evolution."

"Now," Misty said. "Let's see your Pokeballs so I can pick Gyarados' opponent."

Ash reached to his belt and froze.

Because Susanoo's Pokeball was in his backpack at the Pokemon Center.

Ash looked up at Misty, whose smile was wide. Knowing. She'd seen him carrying an injured Pokemon in his arms rather than putting him back in a Pokeball - she'd known - or at least suspected.

"I'm waiting," she said, a lilting, sing-song voice. Ash grit his teeth and held up his two other Pokeballs. He couldn't figure out which one would be better - Felix had proven himself capable of ignoring natural resistance to his attacks, but Sirocco was fast.

"The one on your left," Misty said. Ash sighed and released what turned out to be Sirocco. She fluttered in a circle around him, sizing up Misty's Gyarados.

"Excellent choice, if I do say so myself," Misty drawled. "We'll be starting in just a minute or so. Before that - Gyarados, fetch!" She tapped the top of her head, and the Gyarados dove underwater, snaking across the field in two twitches of their tail, before erupting out just in front of Ash.

"Pi!" Susanoo snapped, cheeks sparking.

The Gyarados lunged, snapping at Ash; he fell back as Susanoo released a Thunderbolt. But the Gyarados was already gone, swimming back toward Misty's platform. She patted the Gyarados' face as they bent down, and then reached up to her head, settling a - red and white hat atop it.

A very familiar hat.

"Hey! That's mine!" Ash shouted.

"Of course it is," Misty replied, flashing him a wide grin and a 'V' with her fingers. "So your job in this challenge is to get it back. You can give up whenever you want, but if your Pidgeotto faints, it's over. Ready? Go."

"Sirocco! Get my hat back!"

Sirocco trilled in response and launched herself forward, diving for Misty's head.

"Hm, no. Gyarados, make a wall!"

The Gyarados turned, thrashing at the water with their tail as their mouth widened and blasted out a crackling beam of energy that whipped the water up until it rose in a series of tightly-spinning waterspouts. Sirocco fell back before she hit the twisters, fluttering helplessly at the edge. A moment later, the Gyrados burst out from beneath the twisters, mouth snapping at Sirocco.

"Back!" Ash shouted. "Stay up, out of their reach!"

Sirocco soared up, circling the closest edge of the pool.

"Gyarados - Thunderbolt." Lightning gathered at the Gyarados' mouth.

"Sirocco - dive! Dodge!" Sirocco dove in a weaving pattern, successfully evading the blasts of lightning from the Gyarados' mouth. "Quick Attack!" Sirocco's form blurred; she smashed into the Gyarados, sending them flinching back.

"You're not going to win that way," Misty taunted. "Bite!"

"Evade!" Still moving fast from her Quick Attack, Sirocco just avoided the snap of the Gyarados' teeth, flying up even as she had to avoid a few more Thunderbolts. And Misty was right - just staying out of Gyarados' reach wasn't going to win him the match-

But neither was fighting them.

"Sirocco! Dive!"

Misty laughed. "Come on; you're not trying the same thing again, are you? Gyarados - Hyper Beam."

Energy built in the Gyarados' mouth.

"Roll to avoid it, but keep moving!" Ash shouted.

A blast of light seared from the Gyarados' mouth, and Sirocco spun, just avoiding being caught in the blast. And if Ash had wanted her to attack the Gyarados, the dive would have been a waste.

"Through the twisters! Quick Attack!"

"What-"

Sirocco blurred, and even with the force, the speed of her move, nearly didn't make it through the still-raging winds between her and Misty. But then she was in still air, and the Gyarados was turning, sluggish, and Sirocco dive-bombed Misty without any further prompting.

And then his hat was in her beak, and the crowd exploded into cheers. Misty stared at the Pidgeotto soaring up away from her for a blank, startled moment, before shrugging.

"Looks like you won," she said.

They made a bigger deal about it than Brock had, leading Ash to a podium and pinning the Cascade Badge to his jacket to the crowd's applause, but then Misty grabbed his wrist as the spectators began to leave.

"Nuh-uh, we aren't done here."

"Aren't you? You said he only had to pay you back if you won the match." Jessie's hand landed on Ash's shoulder, and she was probably showing Misty her teeth - easy to mistake for a smile. "And he won."

"She's got you there," the blue-haired sister said, sidling up next to Misty. "Come on, forget about it. There'll be other bikes."

Misty's face went through a few weird expressions before she growled and threw up her hands. "Whatever. You do what you want." She stormed off.

Misty's sister gave Ash a gentle smile. "Anyway, it's tradition for Gym Leaders to give trainers a gift on winning a badge, so here you go." She handed Ash a slim disk.

"A Technical Machine?" he asked. "What's it for?"

"Bubble Beam," she said. "A very pretty move - but a useful one, too. Congratulations, Ash!"

Daisy looked up, startled, at the clink when Misty set down her badge.

"I quit," Misty said.

"What?" Daisy demanded. "You can't quit! This was the biggest show we've had in weeks! Apparently, people really like watching Pokemon battles! If we have a new segment where you fight challengers for the crowd-"

"I don't care what you do," Misty replied, "but I'm out of here."

"Hm." Daisy stared down at Misty's badge, lips pursed.

"I filled out all the dumb paperwork," Misty said.

"Look," Daisy said, "not that I'm forbidding this or anything, but - you really shouldn't do things like drop everything to chase after a boy."

"A - what? I'm not chasing after - this is about my bike! The only way I'm getting anything out of him is if I beat him, and he's not coming back here for a rematch anytime soon."

Daisy sighed. "Alright. Do whatever you think is best. Just call in every now and again, and tell us before you get married."

"Aggh!" Misty slammed the door on her way out, because Daisy was a jerk and a tease and didn't understand anything. Least of all that if Misty were to stand a chance at beating Ash, she'd need to train in earnest. And the fastest, easiest way to get that training was working to qualify for the Indigo League.

So she grabbed her handy fishing rod from her room, packed a few essentials in her bag, and was on her way to Vermillion City before sunset.

Koga shoved a section of roof aside, and finally found the challenger. "He's over here!" he called. His disciples called back in acknowledgment before breaking off their own searches. It had been worrying for a few minutes, even if it wouldn't have been Koga's fault if the challenger had died.

The man was bruised, dusty, and, dazed, eyes failing to focus on Koga. "Did I win?" he asked blearily.

"Of course not!" Koga retorted. "For one thing, you lost control of your Machamp. For another, you destroyed my Gym. And for another-"

He grabbed the man, hauling him up to his feet, and quickly patted him down, scowling when he found what he was looking for. Koga pulled the vial out of the man's pocket, a now-empty glass bottle with a red 'R' stamped on the outside.

"This isn't an X-Attack, is it?" Koga asked. "In fact, it doesn't look like any approved formulary. So, how about you tell me about this - 'R', and I'll consider not recommending you be banned from the League altogether?"

Chapter Text

"Oh, hey," Meowth (it had taken forty-five minutes of arguing before Ash had agreed to just call him Meowth) drawled from atop James' head, "it's more bloody forest. Surprise!"

"If we ever get to Galar and Ash figures out how rude that word is," James chided, "you're going to have to stop using it."

"I promise you, the twerp's learning worse language from the - Susanoo," Meowth retorted. "Rat's got a mouth on him, and that's saying something, coming from me." He perked his head up, by the way he shifted on James' head. "Hsst. I think I hear them."

James rolled her eyes (she hadn't been the one chattering), but stopped moving. After a moment, quiet except for the chatter of the Bugs and other various Pokemon filling the shaded paths beneath the rough, wide-branched trees of the paths between Cerulean and Vermillion City, Meowth tugged at James' hair.

"Watch it," she warned, but moved slightly left, the direction Meowth had tugged. "Some of us can't just lick it back in place."

But Meowth just settled back on her head, purring gently (on the largely correct theory that James didn't have the heart to chide a sleeping cat) as James walked. After a few seconds, she heard Ash's voice piping through the woods - a shout, but excited, not worried. She didn't change her gait, following the telltale sounds of Ash in battle.

"Hm. Sounds like the twerp's having fun," Meowth rumbled.

"I've been given to understand that's sort of the purpose of Pokemon battles," James replied.

"Never really saw the point, myself."

"Ah, but think about it." James reached up and tugged Meowth free, cradling the Pokemon in front of her when he flailed, until he settled against her chest. "If you battled, you could get stronger, learn Pay Day - and then we'd never worry for money again!"

"Hey, I found twenty dollars when we were leaving Cerulean City!" Meowth protested. "And I didn't even steal it or anything!"

James idly scratched the top of Meowth's head, earning a purr. "Yes, you're a valuable member of the team, and your financial contributions are greatly appreciated. Still - Meowth are said to bring their companions great wealth."

"You met the twerp because of me," Meowth retorted. "Being close to a big-league Pokemon champion's bound to be worth something. 'Oh, how'd you win all the Pokemon Leagues, Ash?' 'Oh, yeah, I just learned everything I know from Jessie and James, expert coach and breeder'." His voice was just as scratchy mimicking Ash as it was the rest of the time, but James bit back a snicker. Meowth could get - snippy about his impressions.

"Alright," James agreed. "You've bought us a ticket to easy street - presuming we stick with the kid all the way to the Pokemon League."

"Two or three championships, tops," Meowth added.

"Aw, man!" They arrived to a high, wooden wall, practically a stockade, marking off the area around a brightly-colored tent. The gate to the stockade was open, a sign over the gate declaring the place 'A.J.'s Gym (not sanctioned by the Pokemon League)'. A digital scoreboard displayed 98 'Wins' and 0 'Losses'. After a moment, the Win count ticked up to 99 with a bright ringing.

A few more steps brought them into the compound, where a neat (if amateur) battlefield housed Felix, sprawled across the dust, while a Sandshrew trilled at a stocky, green-haired boy. Ash was sitting on the far end of the field, staring at Felix with a distant, dazed look on his face.

"How'd you do that?" he asked. "Dexter said Flying Pokemon should have an advantage against your Sandshrew's attacks!"

The green-haired boy shook his head, smirking. "You want to be a Pokemon Master, and you can't even figure something like that out? Maybe I shouldn't even bother with the League, if you're the sort of opponent I can expect."

Ash growled, stopped from scrambling to his feet to attack the other boy (the eponymous A.J., James presumed) only by Jessie's hand on his shoulder.

But James' eyes were on something else entirely.

"James," Meowth whispered.

"I see it," James muttered, keeping her face impassive as she ambled toward Ash. But her spine was tense, and free hand clenched, and it was all she could do to keep from attacking the boy right there.

Because, hooked prominently on A.J.'s belt, was a coiled whip.

You couldn't overcome a Pokemon's weaknesses without rigorous training, and training you did with a whip wasn't 'training'.

It was torture.

(There was another reason she didn't attack - James knew her type matchups, and Poison and Fire were a poor match against a Ground type.)

Still, the thought of leaving Ash here to learn anything A.J. had to teach made her sick.

"Did we lose this one?" James asked, stepping up next to Ash. She could see Jessie's far hand, which was clenched tight, as well; she'd seen the whip, too. Jessie looked up and gave her a tight smile, and a nod.

"Yeahh," Ash moaned. "Felix! Return!" He stuck Felix's ball at his belt before rolling up to his feet, smiling at James, a genuine expression, even if he had to scrub at his eyes a little. "A.J.'s Sandshrew is really amazing!"

"I bet. How about we find a place to set up camp, and you can tell me all about it?"

"Aww - I was going to see if A.J. would give me training tips."

"That is definitely not in the schedule," Jessie replied. "If I have to spend more than another 24 hours in this forested hellscape I'll scream." She turned, tugging Ash around after her. She gave James a wide grin as she passed, grabbing her shoulder with her free hand. "See you later, weird forest gym leader!" she called.

Her eyes narrowed at that, making clear to James, who was much closer to her than A.J. and closer to eye level than Ash, that it was a promise.

Ash was still over-excited when they set up for camp half an hour later (a little early, but they needed to be close, even if James didn't want Ash exposed to A.J.'s version of training), so after basic treatment from Mercy and Jessie, she set him and his Pokemon running laps around the camp.

"Sooo," Meowth drawled as he settled with them in a small circle next to the fire, "how are we doing this?"

Jessie, Mercy settled in her lap, shrugged. "Like we always do."

"Sweep in, monologue about the rights of Man and Pokemon, sweep out?" James asked. "I'm partial to just stealing in and out in the middle of the night. No fuss, and a whip?"

"I was more concerned with how we deal with the twerp," Meowth said. "We probably don't want his first felony to be at ten."

"I was thinking you keep an eye on him," Jessie replied.

"Babysitting?" Meowth demanded.

"Sitting around next to the fire," James retorted. "No heavy lifting or running."

"Hm." Meowth stretched out, carefully spreading out his claws. "You make a persuasive argument," he said.

"Good," James replied, "because you don't have a choice."

Ash woke when a light flashed across his eyes. When he forced them open, it was still dark - a little chill, except for the Pikachu pressed against his chest, whispering, 'Chuuuu' with every exhale.

"Put that damn thing out," Jessie hissed. "You'll wake him." She clearly thought Ash was asleep, or she wouldn't have used that word.

"I'm sorry," James protested, shifting himself (there was a lower pitch to his voice that Ash had come to associate with James' days as a boy) to block most of the now-faint light falling across the camp. "This forest is an absolute nightmare. And someone didn't want to carry the Sandshrew."

"Well, someone got kicked in the shins before the knockout gas kicked in," Jessie retorted.

"And don't think I haven't noticed that's my nail polish!" James hissed in reply.

"S - shrew…"

Ash tensed, unconsciously tightening his grip on Susanoo, who 'chuued' weakly. That voice, probably the Sandshrew James had mentioned, sounded dazed. Confused.

And James had told Ash to always get a wild Pokemon checked out at a Center before releasing it from its Pokeball.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered.

"Pika?" Susanoo asked.

"That's not their Sandshrew," Ash said, voice stuttering as his heart rattled in his chest. He remembered something like this in the Pokemon Center in Viridian City, his pulse racing and breath coming short when the Pokemon poachers had threatened him and Susanoo.

...The other Pokemon poachers, he corrected himself.

"We have to get out of here," he repeated, grip tightening as Susanoo began twisting in his arms. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Pipi Pikachu Pika-pi!" Susanoo shouted, kicking out to leap from Ash's arms. His cheeks sparked as Jessie and James turned toward them, eyes wide in confusion.

"Wait, no-" Ash said, a moment before Susanoo unleashed the lightning, a thunderbolt that filled the camp, catching Meowth along with Jessie and James. Ash scrambled to his feet as the humans dropped to the ground, twitching from the aftershock, trying to remember where he'd put the potions in his bag, when the Sandshrew threw James' arm off of them and bared their teeth at Ash, hissing.

(He'd learned this lesson in Pewter, just forgotten it in the heat of the moment. Ground types were immune to Electric attacks.)

"Hey, calm down, I'm on your side!" Ash protested, holding his palms out because you were supposed to do that to show you were peaceful, right? "Susanoo, tell them we're not with them - or we're with them, but we're not with them. We didn't know they were kidnapping Pokemon!"

The Sandshrew seemed to be listening themselves, because they hunkered down, claws dropping as they let out a mournful, "Shreww."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. "Don't worry," Ash said, "we'll get you home." He turned in a quick circle, trying to remember what direction they'd come from. "Somehow."

"Pika-pi!" Susanoo shouted. "Pika chu chu ka chu!"

"Right!" Ash scooped up the Sandshrew, stumbled to his bag, yanked on his shoes, and ran. It didn't matter what direction he picked; Jessie and James didn't know these woods any better than he did, so away was the most important direction. Susanoo ran at his feet, chattering angrily about the untrustworthiness of cat Pokemon, while Ash kept his eyes on his feet, desperate to avoid tripping.

"Sasa shrew!" the Sandshrew chattered.

"I am watching out for-"

Ash didn't finish his sentence because the ground vanished underneath him, sending him bouncing down an uneven slope, cradling the Sandshrew against his chest. The impact of rocks and roots against his body were sharp, painless (but they would hurt later, he knew), but unending, until all sensation stopped, a moment of weightlessness as he soared off the edge of another cliff.

Ash plunged into a cold, dark world, so turned around he couldn't see what was up and what was down. He opened his mouth, and realized in a panicked moment that he was underwater, water forcing its way in with a rush. He scrambled, flailing for any purchase, any way out.

Something yanked him down or up or over - he couldn't say. Ash opened his mouth in another scream; water already filled his lungs, so there was little more effect. But then the world changed - gravity pulled down on him, and he coughed as water flowed from his nose and mouth, and something tugged him sideways. There was pressure on his shoulder, pinpricks of pain in his flesh, and a chanting sound.

"Shrew shrew shrew shrew…" The words were meaningless, a chant to focus the Pokemon as they swam through an environment that should have left them powerless, carrying a boy three times their weight.

"Pika-pi!"

Ash jerked his head around, looking for the source of the shout. "Susa-" He broke off, coughing, forcing the Sandshrew to tighten their grip, claws digging into his shoulder rather than lose Ash to the water.

Something grabbed around Ash's middle, his shoulders, and lifted him free of the water. He landed on solid ground, where he began to cough and retch, spitting out water but still unable to breathe. Something squeezed his chest, forcing water out, again, again, and then he was simply coughing, wheezing on the ground.

"Pika-pi?" Susanoo whined carefully next to Ash.

"I'm fine," he gasped, twisting around until he saw the flash of yellow and could drag Susanoo close. "Thanks to the-" He bolted upward, sending Susanoo tumbling to the ground. "Where's the Sandshrew? I said I'd get them home-"

"Bulba!" A green rope - a vine - descended, wrapped around the Sandshrew like a harness, settling the Pokemon on the ground. And then a blue-green creature stepped forward, a little less than twice Susanoo's height, although maybe half that was taken by a large green bulb on their back. Ash fumbled for his bag, soaked through, but found his Gear still functional. He flipped it open and pointed it at the creature.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. The energy its bulb gathers from the sun provides it nutrients that allow it to grow. The bulb is a part of its nervous system, and removing it will kill the Pokemon."

Ash frowned at Dexter's summary. Now that he was reminded, he recognized the Pokemon as one of the ones Professor Oak had offered to beginning trainers, one of the ones Ash had missed out on.

"Saurrrr?" the Bulbasaur asked the Sandshrew, who began waving their arms, pointing between Ash and Susanoo.

"San shrew and sand sandshrew, shrew rew sand!"

And the Bulbasaur's eyes narrowed as they stomped their feet, growling. "Bul bul saur, baaa, bulbasaur!"

Ash sighed and let himself fall back onto his back. He didn't know where they were, but the Bulbasaur was no friend to poachers, given how angry the Sandshrew's explanation had made them.

"Bulba!" the Bulbasaur snapped, shoving at Ash with vines whipping from the base of the bulb. They shoved him until he was on his side, and then beat at his back until Ash began coughing again.

"Wha-" Ash started before another coughing fit. This took longer, but his lungs felt clearer, afterward.

"Bulbasaur, bul bulba," the Bulbasaur explained, vines tugging at Ash's shoulders. And it sounded nice - a house with a person who could make sure he hadn't broken anything, and a bed to sleep in.

"Yeah, lead on," Ash mumbled, though he remembered so little of the trip that he suspected the Bulbasaur carried him the rest of the way. He woke to sunlight filtered through gauze curtains, a soft mattress and clean white sheets pulled over him. Bandages littered his body, which smelled of a heavy herbal scent, and everything hurt. He blinked against the sunlight and looked around; his heart skipped a beat when he didn't see yellow or a crooked tail.

A knock came at the door, which opened a moment later. A woman, probably around Jessie's and James' age, dark blue hair tied back with a headband, dressed in denim coveralls, a dark long-sleeved shirt, stepped inside.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Where…" Ash squinted, finding the memories of the previous night foggy, indistinct. "There was a Bulbasaur, and they said - there was a house?"

The woman stepped to the side of the bed, pulling out a small pen which glowed when she pushed a button on it. She clicked her tongue. "Can you look at me, please? I'm not much of a human doctor - I'm not even a Pokemon nurse - but I've got plenty of experience. And it sounds like your head got a little scrambled when you fell in the river."

"Um, but we are in, like, a...Pokemon sanctuary?" Ash asked.

"Oh, yes!" the woman agreed. "My name is Melanie, and this is the Hidden Village. It's a sanctuary for injured Pokemon."

"Why would you need a sanctuary?" Ash asked. "There's a Pokemon Center in every city in Kanto."

Melanie tilted her head at Ash. "Well, first of all, a lot of smaller towns have someone like me - not a full nurse, but with a bit of experience - in case the nearest city is too far away. And second, this is a sanctuary for wild Pokemon."

"O - oh." Ash considered the declaration for a moment. It made sense, that some people would want to help wild Pokemon without forcing them into Pokeballs. "Is that Bulbasaur yours?"

Melanie chuckled. "Bulbasaur is his own Pokemon," she replied. "He guards the village from poachers and anything that might prey on injured Pokemon."

"Pika-pi?"

Melanie turned to the door, where a small yellow form peeked through, tail twitching behind him. "Come on in," she said. "This little guy was awfully worried about you."

But Ash only had eyes for Susanoo, who launched himself onto the bed and into Ash's lap, butting his chin. "Pi pika-pi pi pi kachu," he chattered, tail swiping behind him, sending jolts of static whenever it brushed Ash's hand.

"I'm fine," Ash said, before glancing up at Melanie. "Am I fine?"

"Yes," Melanie replied. "I mean, I'd prefer if you stayed a few days - or went to a hospital - to make sure you don't get sick, but you didn't break anything."

"You see?" Ash rubbed one of Susanoo's ears.

"I have a phone, if you need to call anyone," Melanie said. "Your parents, traveling companions-"

The memory of the rest of the night slammed into Ash, a choked breath escaping him. Melanie, with the instincts of a doctor, if not the education, hurried to his side. "Are you alright?"

Jessie and James with a captured Sandshrew (unusual in that they had overcome their weakness to water, could swim while carrying a half-drowned child behind them - surely valuable to buyers like Team Rocket), the flight through the forest. The fall.

"Yeah, I - my mom expected me at a Pokemon Center close to Vermillion City today. I should call her so she doesn't worry."

"Were you traveling with anyone?" Melanie asked, after a beat of silence. "You're lightly provisioned for walking to Vermillion City."

"No, I'm - fine. I lost - some of my supplies in the river," Ash replied, his tongue stumbling over the lie. He ran a finger along Susanoo's head, a gentle pet as the Pikachu butted his stomach worriedly. He'd been ready to do this alone at the start, but now that he'd had support, had friends with him, only to have it torn away, left him feeling lost.

"Chuu," Susanoo murmured, and Ash jerked back to himself, looking down to meet those dark, unblinking eyes. He smiled at Pikachu, turning his idle petting into a real scratch at the base of Susanoo's ears. Because he wasn't alone if he had his Pokemon - Susanoo, Felix, and Sirocco. "Is there a town nearby? Somewhere I can replace them?"

"Oh - oh, don't worry, sweetie," Melanie replied. "I've got some extras I can send with you, and I'll just replace them the next time I resupply."

"I…" Ash blinked, and when he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. He wiped at his eyes, which came away wet. Ah. He was crying. He swiped at his eyes, unable to hide the sob. "Why...are you being so nice to me?"

Melanie reached out a hand, before retracting it, leaving Ash hugging Susanoo to his chest. "It's what any decent person would do."

Like Jessie and James had, taking his Pokemon to the Center, and after, traveling with him, advising him, supporting him, even though they had no reason to.

(Except they did. His partner had a power almost no other Pikachu possessed, knew moves that the Pokedex confirmed meant he had an unusual lineage. And they'd shown no interest in traveling with Ash until after they'd seen Susanoo in action.)

The thought of Jessie and James (and their traveling companion, a Meowth with a unique talent and intelligence) reminded Ash of the thing that had sent him fleeing through a dark, unfamiliar forest, and he looked up at Melanie.

"Do you know - about a boy who runs a...gym, I guess, except it doesn't really give out badges?" Ash asked.

"A.J.?" Melanie asked. "Of course. He's been training out there for - six months or so."

"Do you know how to reach him? We have his Sandshrew. He's probably missing them."

"You must have battled A.J., if you recognized his Sandshrew," Melanie said. "Unfortunately, if you ended up here, you were going in the exact wrong direction to find him. But she's a remarkable Pokemon, his Sandshrew. He met her here, in the Hidden Village. She'd been badly hurt by a Vileplume, and he wanted a strong Pokemon. He had his eye on Bulbasaur, actually, but Bulbasaur believes his place is in the village, protecting the sick Pokemon. Sandshrew, though...she saw something in him. Something - she saw in herself, I think. A drive. He wanted to win the Indigo Cup, and she wanted to be strong. They used to spend hours sitting under the waterfall up the river."

She was smiling fondly, and with the description, Ash could imagine the Sandshrew shivering under the cold while A.J. sat next to her, staying out in the dead of winter, and whatever they'd need to do to help her resist Grass-type attacks. Pokemon and trainer, braving the elements together, forging the bond they'd need to fight in sync. The thought of Jessie and James, of anyone, trying to sever that bond, made Ash shiver, hugging Susanoo closer to him.

"There's breakfast in the kitchen," Melanie said, "and I'll start looking for the additional supplies. I'll run a checkup after lunch, and again tomorrow morning, and if you seem fine, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to leave."

Ash nodded absent-mindedly and sat there, quiet, for more than a few minutes. At last, Susanoo nipped at his fingers, a sharp, 'Pika' reminding him to eat. So he clambered out of bed, still holding onto the PIkachu as he found his way to the kitchen.

The Bulbasaur was there, using his vines to pour out Pokemon food into various bowls. When he saw Ash, he turned, offering Ash a smile.

"Bulba!"

"Oh! Um. Hi. I guess you help out around here."

"Bul bulba, sa saur bul," the Bulbasaur said, setting the bags and bowls down and ambling over to butt his head against Ash's ankles. "Bul aaaa bulbasaur!"

"Pi pika-pi," Susanoo retorted, smug, as if he hadn't dismissed Ash at first, hadn't been forced to reevaluate after the confrontation with the Spearow.

"Thanks, I guess," Ash replied. "But I didn't do much - I just knew them stealing A.J.'s Sandshrew wasn't right. Susanoo did more than I did. I just fell into the river."

The Bulbasaur shook his head. "Bulba!"

Anyone could have done it, he seemed to think, but Ash was the one who did. It was a poor rationale for calling someone a hero (or something like it, he thought; paying attention to pose and tone made it relatively easy to get the gist of what a Pokemon meant, but it was hard to avoid translating in his head, even if he had to fill in the blanks).

"Well, uh. Anytime."

"Basaur!" The Bulbasaur grabbed the bowls and trotted out a low swinging door set in the kitchen door, leaving Ash and Susanoo alone.

They ate together, the meal absent the chatter Ash had grown used to, the hurt from that loss somehow worse than the betrayal (that he wanted them back, even knowing what he knew about them).

But he worried on it, because it seemed...if they were Pokemon poachers, they should have been with Team Rocket. None of it made sense, and there was no one to make sense of it for him.

He was better that afternoon, no signs of illness and lungs clear, but he slept uneasily, and woke the next morning with a sense of worry. It plagued him through breakfast, through helping the Bulbasaur bring food to the other Pokemon, so it was almost a relief when two figures, topped with lavender and red, walked out of the woods, a Meowth walking upright at their feet.

"That's them," he muttered to the Bulbasaur, who growled low in his throat, vines closing in, tense, against his side.

Jessie stopped first, grabbing James' arm to stop him when he kept going. Jessie's hair was a mess - ungelled, dirt smeared into it (as if she hadn't had time to wash it since she'd collapsed a day and a half ago). James' eyes were red, tired, and Meowth was - tense.

"I...didn't want you to find out this way," Jessie said haltingly. "But if you just let me explain-"

"Explain what?" Ash demanded, hands clenched at his side as he took a step toward the trio. "That you steal other people's Pokemon? People's friends and partners? Is that why you came along with me - to steal Pikachu?"

"Of course not-" Jessie started.

"Of course we did," James said. "At first."

"What the hell?" Meowth demanded. "Why did you tell him that? Now he's never going to trust us!"

"No," James snapped, taking another step toward Ash, gaze fixed on Ash's face. "If we want him to trust us, we can't have any more secrets. So yes, Ash. When we met a boy with a Pikachu who'd nearly drained himself to death, who had no idea how to care for Pokemon, we were ready to take him from you. And then we saw - how much you cared. How sincerely you wanted to do right by them. Not just your Pokemon, but every Pokemon. Ignorance is no excuse, but it can be corrected. Cruelty cannot.

"We aren't Team Rocket, stealing Pokemon in the hopes of selling them, or using them to further our schemes. We take the unwanted, uncared for, abused Pokemon. We release them to - sanctuaries, foster homes, places they'll be given all the care they deserve. So when we found a boy who trained his Sandshrew with a whip - what other choice did we have?"

"You could have asked," Ash said.

James took a step back, red-rimmed eyes widening. "Asked…"

"Asked the Sandshrew!" Ash snapped. "Your Meowth can tell you what Pokemon say! He could have told you what Melanie told me - how much they cared for each other."

Jessie shook her head, baring her teeth. "No - you can't train a Pokemon to overcome weakness without...torturing them."

"She wanted to be strong," Ash said, gritting his teeth. "She wanted someone who'd help her do that. And instead of figuring that out, you took her!"

All three of them were staring, now, mouths open, quiet. Until Meowth (of course) spoke at last.

"Hey, uh, the twerp get this right?" He wasn't looking at Ash, anymore, but the Sandshrew.

"Shrew," she snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

"Huh, that. That one's definitely on us," Meowth said, rubbing at the back of his head. "Seriously. Absolutely our bad."

"What - that's it?" Ash demanded. "'Our bad'? What kind of apology is that?"

"The sort you make when you make a mistake," James said. "We...wanted to do good, Ash. You have to believe that."

"We're so sorry," Jessie said, bowing low.

And Ash - wanted to believe them. Wanted to know the training advice, the jokes and stories around the campfire, and the care they'd shown him, was something real. He wanted to believe he wasn't stupid, hadn't been fooled by a trio of conmen (sort of).

He looked down at Susanoo, who was eyeing Meowth warily (and they were friends, he thought, so Susanoo might have felt the betrayal as keenly as Ash did). And then at the Bulbasaur, whose job it was to protect this village from poachers.

"Bulllll," he was growling, low and threatening. But not sure. Like Ash, he was wavering. James was good at heartfelt, Ash thought. But that would be true if he were sincere or a faker. There was no way for Ash to know for sure if James were telling the truth.

Ash would have to just.

Decide.

"Pika-chuuu," Susanoo said, and the Bulbasaur perked up, looking toward Susanoo.

"Bulba?" he asked.

"Pika-pi pika kachu," Susanoo replied.

And the Bulbasaur took a step toward the trio. "Saaaaaauuuuuur," he growled.

"What was that?" James asked. "I didn't like the sound of that."

"Well, Susanoo says Ash doesn't know if he can trust us," Meowth said. "And the Bulbasaur, well. He says the kid could trust us if he had some way to keep us in line. I think he. Ah. Might be volunteering."

"No," Ash said. "I don't want to be watching them all the time. I want to know that my friends are real." He looked up to James and took a deep breath, steeling himself. "So. You're gonna take A.J. back his Sandshrew, and you're going to apologize."

"What?" Jessie demanded. "We'll all be arrested!"

"Pika ka chu chu pi-pika chuu," Susanoo said, sticking out his tongue at Meowth.

"What did he say?" James demanded.

"He says they don't throw Pokemon in jail; I'd probably end up in a circus," Meowth drawled, though Ash was sure there was some nuance Meowth wasn't translating, one Ash wasn't quite getting.

"You don't have to," Ash said. "I can take the Sandshrew back myself, say I found her in the woods, and you can go wherever you want. Without me."

"Oh," Jessie said.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "So. What'll it be?"

"Do you think the kid has any Pokemon other than that Sandshrew?" James asked as they sidestepped the traps and pitfalls that surrounded the Hidden Village.

"Given what the Sandshrew is capable of," Meowth grumbled, twisting to find a comfortable position in Jessie's grip (and failing - he was bruised all over from the fight), "I don't want to see what else he might have."

"You could have used Mercy," James sniped toward Jessie.

"Why? We weren't going to win, and Mercy is a lady, and a lady only finishes fights," Jessie retorted. "Besides, in case you forgot, winning the fight wasn't our goal. It was a show of good faith, so the kid would trust us again."

They were quiet a few more moments before Meowth decided to ask the question. "And...why are we doing that, exactly? The twerp doesn't need the sort of problems hanging around a couple of poachers would get him."

"Come on, Meowth, don't make me say it," Jessie whined.

"I like the kid, too," James said. "And he's right - we fucked this up. We need some perspective."

"Perspective schmerspective," Meowth muttered. "We need a fucking conscience, someone with the firepower to keep us in line."

"And it all comes back to the Pikachu," Jessie mused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meowth snapped out.

"It means none of this would have happened if the kid weren't lugging around something like out of the stories my mother used to tell me," Jessie said, dreamily. "The legends."

"The Pikachu's insufferable enough without him hearing you say shit like that," Meowth said. "But...you feel it too?"

"Feel what?" James asked, glancing between the two of them.

"I don't know - it's an instinct thing," Meowth said. "I thought it was a Pokemon thing. Like how Pidgey can always find their way home. Sometimes, when he's got just the right expression, or is doing crazy shit like trying to rescue a cartful of Pokemon from Team Rocket, there's a - weight around him. Like the whole universe is paying attention."

"And what does that mean?" James asked.

"Hell if I know," Meowth retorted. "But I bet the Pikachu felt it."

"Ka CHUUUUU!" They froze for a moment, before the humans started running, jolting Meowth's perch.

What they arrived to was Susanoo crouched, panting, at the edge of the village, cheeks still sparking, while a form made of red light was sucked into a Pokeball. It landed and rocked once, twice, three times, and stilled.

"Yeah!" Ash shouted, punching the air and jumping. "I caught a Bulbasaur!"

Meowth smirked against Jessie's chest. He'd felt it. The Pikachu had felt it. And he was certain that the Bulbasaur had felt it, too.

Most of the people, and Pokemon out of their balls, had hurried outside at the distant boom, about ten minutes ago. Joy, of course, hadn't left her post. If there were a problem, someone would tell her, and she would work on getting the Pokemon out of here (they'd had emergency training refreshers after Viridian City, and Joy prided herself that she'd managed the best response time in the drills).

So it was quiet for the moment, except for the hum of the machines.

Until something heavy landed outside the front door. A man stumbled through the door, a Charizard half-draped over his shoulders. "We need help!" he called, which spurred Joy into action. She hurried to the two of them, spraying a potion along visible cuts in the Charizard's wings. When she turned to examine their torso for more serious lacerations, she froze.

Because she knew the man. She hadn't noticed at first, because the blue uniform, like something an old-world military would make for parades, was scorched and torn, and his red hair was full of dust, making it gray. Red eyes were wide, frantic.

"Is he going to be okay?" Lance demanded.

"If you can get him into his ball, we can complete preliminary scans and treatment more easily," Joy replied.

"Yeah, yes," Lance said, tugging at his belt. "I couldn't - we needed to get to land, first." He recalled the Charizard and handed over the Pokeball. "But he'll be alright, right?"

"I'll do my best," Joy replied. "You know that. But I don't like making promises."

After preliminary treatment, it took an hour of surgery before the Charizard was out of the woods. There were burns, frostbite, contusions, mild necrosis, and even the telltale branching rash caused by Fairy-type attacks. It was as if Lance had taken on two or three entire teams of Pokemon with just his Charizard (or maybe the Charizard was the only one he'd left out of their Pokeball).

When she stepped out of the operating room, Lance was on the phone, muttering.

"Ah, Lance?" He turned his head. "Your Charizard will be fine."

"Oh, thank you," he breathed, tension flowing from his face, a smile brightening it. "We'll talk later," he said to the screen, hanging up and crossing to Joy.

"I can take you to see him," she said.

"In a moment," Lance replied. "I have something you need to know - that you need to make sure everyone who comes through this Center knows. I'm closing off the Seafoam Islands."

"The - which ones? One of the cave systems?"

"No, all of them," Lance said.

"What - why? A lot of trainers use them to build up their teams - Water Pokemon especially - before Cinnabar. People are going to be upset."

"Better than being dead," Lance replied.

"Dead?" Joy took a step toward Lance. "I saw your Charizard - you must have run into a lot of strong Pokemon in there, but it doesn't mean-"

"One," Lance said.

"Pardon?"

"I met one strong Pokemon," Lance repeated. "All the damage it took you an hour to heal - to begin to heal - was done by one Pokemon."

"Still-"

"And not just one Pokemon," Lance continued. "It was one attack - nearly took down the entire roof on us."

"One - are you alright?" Joy asked. "The clinic is just around the corner."

Lance jerked his head, winced, and then paused. "I...don't know," he said slowly. "Things were...strange in there. But rest assured, whatever's out there - I will not risk any other trainers meeting it."

Chapter Text

Lightning rent the sky, and a moment later, thunder rocked the landscape. Jessie was in front of their group, sprinting just ahead of Susanoo, Ash just at his heels. James was bringing up the rear, ostensibly because he was carrying Meowth, but Jessie was certain he was making sure they didn't lose track of Ash. They were all soaked, caught off guard by a rainstorm that hadn't been supposed to start for another few hours, and the darkness the heavy cloud cover brought with it. By Jessie's estimation, they were ten minutes away from the nearest Pokemon Center, if they could keep up the pace.

But because they were traveling with a ten-year-old boy, that plan was ruined almost the moment Jessie thought it. James yelped behind her, and she turned just in time to see Ash stumbling off the side of the road, Susanoo trailing after him.

"Ash? Now is not the time for sight-seeing!" Jessie snapped. "And I promise, whatever Pokemon you saw, we can come back for it when it's dry!"

It was a fruitless attempt, but Jessie had to make a show of it - hoping that if she said stuff like this enough, it would stick and Ash might make sensible decisions on his own. Luckily, Ash slowed before he reached the actual woods at the side of the road, holding a hand down to keep Susanoo from approaching too close to the exposed rocks Ash had found. They stood ten feet high, full of ledges and shallow depressions, which is why Jessie hadn't originally seen what had drawn Ash's attention. Mostly concealed from the road, an orange Pokemon was curled under an overhanging rock, tail tucked up against their side and bright blue eyes turned toward the road.

Ash already had his Gear out, so the tinny voice of Dexter (Jessie hated that she'd taken to thinking of a program that read a Pokedex out loud as a member of their little party, but the name was a little funny, even if it was dumb) was chattering as James drew up next to Jessie.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. The flame at the tip of its tail is an indicator of the Pokemon's health and mood. If the flame dims or goes out, it is an indication the Charmander needs immediate medical attention."

Jessie was certain it was that declaration which drew all their attention to the Charmander's tail, a flickering flame that was barely hot enough to steam when the wind blew stray raindrops onto it. The Charmander was obviously hurt or sick already, and the rain wasn't doing it any favors.

"We should get it to a Pokemon Center," Ash declared, reaching for a Pokeball.

"Absolutely," James agreed.

The Charmander, however, didn't agree, as they slapped the Pokeball away with their tail when Ash threw it.

"Hey! We're trying to help you!" Ash shouted, before throwing his Pokeball again, only to be rebuffed again. His expression crumpled in concentration, eyes narrowed. He looked hesitantly at Susanoo, at which point James laid a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"No," he said. "They're weak already."

"But-" Ash turned back to the Charmander, and Jessie didn't need to see him to know his eyes were wide, teary. "They're hurt."

"Awright," Meowth grumbled, shifting in James' grip until he could climb onto James' shoulder. "Looks like it's time for Meowth to shine. Hey! Flamebrain! The twerp's trying to get you to a Pokemon Center for help. He'll let you go right after if you want-"

"What?" Ash asked.

"Mander!" the Charmander snapped. "Char charma mander cha!"

Meowth, who'd been scowling at the Charmander, straightened, stiffening as he grabbed James' hair for purchase. His expression was slack, eyes narrow. "Oh. Come on, guys, let's go," he said.

"Pipika!" Susanoo protested, jumping forward. "Pika-pi kachu pi pikachu pika!"

"Charrr," the Charmander growled in reply.

"Hey, whoa! How about we don't pick fights with sick Pokemon?" Meowth snapped at Susanoo. He tugged at James' ear, then. "And come on."

Jessie, James, and Meowth had gotten as far as they had because they trusted each other, listened to each other. So Jessie didn't protest, and James tugged Ash around to follow as he returned to the road.

"What-" Ash started.

"It'll wait until we're dry," Meowth said. "So let's get to the Pokemon Center first."

Jessie picked up Susanoo, who made only a token protest, and Meowth returned to James' arms, allowing them to run the rest of the way to the Center.

Meowth, though, was quiet the entire way, and Susanoo was, too. Jessie couldn't see Meowth's expression, but Susanoo was angry.

Correction: he was furious. His cheeks weren't sparking - he'd been made to understand that stray electric shocks weren't welcome in their little group - but his ears and tail kept twitching, and the 'chuuu' he kept muttering sounded threatening. Jessie wasn't certain he wouldn't go back to fight that Charmander on his own. Asking him wasn't likely to be productive, as she didn't possess the bond Ash and Susanoo had forged, and wouldn't get even the gist of what Susanoo might say.

So she let her curiosity simmer until they burst into the Pokemon Center, dripping wet, and secured a single room for the three (or five) of them. James had decided conversation would wait until everyone was dry, sending Ash off to take a shower and put on fresh clothes first (James would make a wonderful parent someday, a conclusion Jessie hadn't made until she'd seen him aggressively care for Ash's safety, well-being, education, and nutrition, as if Ash were a particularly needy species of Pokemon). So it took about an hour before they were all warm and dry enough to settle down in the common area to discuss the Charmander. James had abandoned their usual flamboyant clothing for a loose blue hoodie and brown sweatpants that was so neutral in presentation it had to be deliberate - they were too tired for gender right now, they'd declared after their shower.

"So," James said, glowering at Meowth, who'd settled on James' lap because that particular pair of sweatpants were the warmest piece of clothing any of them owned. "Care to explain?"

Meowth sighed and let his head loll to the side. "The Charmander already belongs to someone. His trainer went on ahead and he's waiting for him to come back."

"Pi pi pika kachu!" Susanoo barked, causing both Ash and Meowth to wince.

"Yeah, we know it pisses you off," Meowth muttered, rolling his eyes. "Susanoo, Thunder God over here, thinks any trainer worth a Pokemon's time wouldn't do something like that."

"Pika-pi ka pika-chu!"

Ash's cheeks flushed as he ducked his head down and hugged the Pikachu to his chest. James grinned and leaned over, poking Ash's shoulder.

"And what is our illustrious Susanoo, Thunder God, saying about this?" they asked.

"He says Ash wouldn't do that. Ash wouldn't leave his Pokemon behind for anything."

And Susanoo had a unique perspective on that, having watched Ash face down a murder of Spearow to protect him. But Jessie was certain, the way Susanoo was, that he'd do that for any of his Pokemon. Correction, she thought, recalling Ash fighting all three of them to return the Sandshrew they'd kidnapped to her owner, Ash would do that for any Pokemon, period.

"Well," Jessie said, "whatever their reason, I'm sure they headed back as soon as the thunderstorm started." James narrowed their eyes at Jessie, and she just shrugged in response. Of course she was lying to Ash, but they couldn't track down that trainer and force them to retrieve their Charmander, and they couldn't liberate a fire-breathing lizard who didn't want to be caught. She really hoped this wasn't going to require them to help Ash cope with the realities of death; she hadn't signed up for that particular experience when they'd taken the kid under their wings.

"Hey," James said, reaching out around Ash's shoulders and tugging him next to them, Ash's head resting against James' shoulder. "It'll be okay, I promise."

Jessie rolled her eyes. She understood James' desire to shelter Ash from the less pleasant parts of the world, but lying to him was bound to make things worse. Ash didn't need more reason to distrust either of them.

And Jessie would have been right, ultimately, if they hadn't heard a fragment of conversation from a group of teens sitting around a table near the entrance to the Pokemon Center.

"-Pokemon that weak, I'd just get rid of it!" a voice called. Ash jerked upward, away from James, while Susanoo's whole body went stiff.

"I couldn't do that," another voice replied. "She's so cute. And she follows me everywhere whenever she's out of her ball-"

"If it likes you that much, you can just tell it to stay somewhere until you come back, and then you don't," the first person said. "It'll get the hint eventually."

Ash stood, silent, Susanoo scrambling to the ground rather than be dropped. Ash was looking at his feet, hands clenched in front of him, and for the first time since she'd met him, Jessie couldn't tell what Ash was feeling. He walked around their couch; Jessie stood to follow him only when she saw him approaching the table with the teens.

"Hey," Ash said, causing them to look up from their conversations.

"What's up, kid?" a white-haired kid dressed in plaid and jeans, asked.

"We passed a Charmander on our way here," Ash said. "He was out in the rain and wouldn't go anywhere when we tried to get him to a Pokemon Center. Is that your Pokemon?"

One of the teens, sunglasses perched on top of their messy blue hair, dressed in a pink T-shirt and the most unfashionable fringed vest Jessie had ever seen, clicked their tongue as they leaned back in their seat. "Maybe. If it looked like the weakest Pokemon you've ever seen, it was. It was dragging me down - I nearly didn't get my Cascade Badge because of it, and they practically hand those out."

"So you abandoned your Charmander out in the rain?" Ash asked.

"Hey, if it's staying out in the rain just because I said so, it's dumb as well as useless," the teen retorted.

"He's not dumb or useless," Ash said, voice quavering, hands clenched at his sides. "He respects you. He trusts you enough to stay out there even if it's hurting him."

"What do you know about it?" the teen demanded, voice lilting, mocking. Their friends were watching him with wary, sidelong expressions, especially the one who'd been extolling the virtues of a cute Pokemon who followed them everywhere. Ash, for his part, was still shaking; he was bright enough not to mention the talking Meowth who'd translated for him (or Ash's occasional ability to vibe with even strange Pokemon well enough to get the gist of what they were saying).

"I know there's no such thing as a weak Pokemon," Ash retorted, and James lunged up from their seat, pushing past Jessie just as Ash continued. "Only trainers who don't know what to do with them."

It was a sentiment James had espoused in the past, and something Ash had apparently taken to heart, if expressed in the blunt way that came naturally to children.

The blue-haired teen's face twisted into a sneer, baring their teeth as they grabbed the front of Ash's shirt, tugging him forward. "I'm an excellent fucking trainer," they snarled. "So how about you apologize before I kick your ass?"

"That won't prove anything." James, almost close enough to physically pull Ash away from the confrontation, looked past the two kids, who had turned toward the new voice. A kid not much older than Ash, if that, was standing next to a couch on the other side of the Center, where they'd until moments ago been sitting with a group of around half-a-dozen glamorous teens lounging on the furniture. Several of them were grinning as the kid strolled forward, hands in their pockets, smirking at the scene of Ash moments from being assaulted.

"I'm at least twice the trainer Ash there is," the kid bragged. "His Pokemon were already bossing him around when he started out. So what's beating him going to prove?"

"I'm just as good a trainer as you are, Gary!" Ash shouted.

The exchange, while finally putting a face to the childhood friend Ash was committed to beating when he finally reached the Indigo Conference, also suggested Ash probably had fonder memories of Gary than his treatment might have warranted.

Gary shrugged, spreading his hands as he glanced away from Ash. "You can say what you want, but this guy…" He glanced up at the teen, expectant.

"I'm Damian," the teen said, jerking a thumb at his chest. Prideful, showy, and unwarranted, Jessie decided.

"Well, Damian clearly thinks otherwise. So you wanna prove to everyone you're a great trainer?" Gary asked. "Beat someone who matters."

Damian stood still for a moment before letting go of Ash's shirt and stepping away. He clicked his tongue, dismissive. "I don't have time to fight babies," he muttered. "I'm going to the room," he said to his friends, stalking from the main room without another word.

Gary waited a beat before smirking at Ash. "You're welcome," he said.

"I'm not a bad trainer!" Ash snapped at Gary, stepping into the other boy's space. "I've got two badges already and I've caught three Pokemon-"

"I've got twelve," Gary retorted, folding his arms against his chest. "And I've just gotten my third badge."

"Well - my Pokemon are ten times better than yours!" Ash shot back, "so I win!"

Gary snorted and reached out to pat Ash's head. "Sure, kid. I guess we'll see, if you ever make it to the Indigo Conference."

Ash bristled, reaching out to poke Gary's chest hard. "You're two months older than me!"

Most of the rest of the people in the Pokemon Center had turned away from Ash once it had become clear a teenager wasn't actually going to be beating a ten-year-old, so the only actual witnesses to the continuing argument were Jessie, James, and one of Gary's friends, a pretty blond in a miniskirt who was now hovering behind him.

Gary shrugged again. "Someday you'll understand the difference a few months can make in maturity."

"I'm plenty mature! Right, Jessie?"

Jessie held up her hands to ward off any attempt to drag her into the argument. "You're both ten," she replied. "So if your friend wants to sit with us-"

"Hmph," Ash snorted. "I bet Gary thinks he's too good for us."

"I'm sure I could find some time if you wanted advice from the best trainer from Pallet Town," Gary said, jerking his chin toward the couch where Meowth had apparently decided to go back to sleep.

"I don't need any tips from you to become a Pokemon master!" Ash said, folding his arms in front of him. "Jessie and James are better teachers than you anyway, I bet."

Gary's smile twitched before he shrugged. "You're going to wish you took me up on that offer, kid," he said. "Meanwhile me and my fans need to get dinner. Smell you later!" He joined his friend (fan?) and headed back toward the cluster of teens.

Ash scowled after the other boy before turning back to Jessie and James, the latter of which was still hovering just out of reach.

"Gary's such a jerk!" he complained.

"That...is definitely a thing you think," Jessie replied, unwilling to agree with Ash's assessment. Gary was abrasive, to be sure, but there had to be a reason Ash remembered them being friends. And - Gary had agreed to spend time around Ash.

But ten-year-old boys were weird, so it wasn't worth thinking more on it. So she helped herd Ash back to their couch, watching as his irritation at Gary faded, replaced, slowly, by his anger at Damian. But even that seething anger faded into what was most important - the welfare of the Charmander.

Leaning up against James, Ash ran an idle hand along Susanoo's back, staring at the Pikachu with distant eyes Jessie was certain weren't taking in the sight of the Pokemon. "Is there anything we can do?" he asked.

"Pika-chuuu," Susanoo replied mournfully, a declaration that needed no translation. However Damian had earned the Charmander's loyalty, it had clearly stuck with the Pokemon. Ash's worry over the Charmander cast a pall over their evening, which should have been taken up by planning for Ash's impending fight against Lt. Surge at the Vermillion City Gym. Ash was subdued, quiet, which Jessie took to mean he was coming to terms with the fact they couldn't do anything to help the Charmander.

That conclusion later served as proof that she hadn't yet come to understand what sort of person their traveling companion was.

The rain hadn't stopped when Ash eased his way out of the front door of the Pokemon Center, but it was lighter. A wet chill still lingered in the air, causing Ash to shiver as he hitched his backpack up on his shoulder and started out on the road. It didn't take too long to find the rock where they'd first seen the Charmander, and took only a moment to confirm the Charmander was still there, the flame on his tail weaker than it had been before.

James had confirmed the stories Ash had heard weren't true - a Charmander didn't die if their tail went out. But at the same time, a Charmander's tail didn't go out if they weren't dangerously cold, ill, or dying. And the Charmander was shivering in his sleep, tail pressed up close against his chest, either to keep his tail or body warm. Ash's chest hitched at the sight, and the anger he'd felt when Damian had laughed about his Pokemon waiting in the cold and rain for him to return sparked back to life.

Ash fought the feeling down before he approached the rocks. He hadn't yet been able to understand a strange Pokemon the way he could Susanoo, but he'd gotten - intention, attitude, and one thing he'd learned was that Pokemon read the same thing, so being upset around a Pokemon put them on edge, even if you weren't angry with them.

The Charmander's nose twitched and he raised his head before Ash could get within arms reach. Ash paused, crouched, holding his hands up.

"Hey," he said. "Remember me? Don't worry - I'm not here to catch you or anything. No Pokeballs, see?" He pointed at his belt, the brown one his mother had sent with him in case he ever went somewhere and didn't want to have Pokemon with him.

The Charmander stared, gaze steady, for a quiet minute, before lowering his head to rest on his front paws. Jessie had taught Ash a little about caring for Pokemon, and the glazed look to the Charmander's eyes brought to mind worrying discussions about fever, illness, and scary words like "life-threatening". He wasn't certain the Chamander really understood him, but Ash kept talking as he approached the Charmander.

"I understand that you care about your trainer," Ash said. "And since he told you to wait for him, you're going to stay here. But your tail is - it's almost gone out, which Jessie said means you're sick. Really sick. So."

Ash unzipped his bag, just enough to remove a bag of Pokechow (a small one - used for emergencies, when they couldn't acquire more varied food for his Pokemon) and a shallow dish. He put the dish next to the Charmander, sheltered from the rain, and poured some food into it. "Jessie said Pokemon who are sick should try to eat to keep their strength up, so I brought you something to eat. And…" He struggled for a bit to pull out the canopy for the one-person tent he'd been lugging around for ages, and to set it up, finding the rocks were uneven and lacked most of the features necessary to anchor it. The end result, though, kept the spitting rain off of both of them. The Charmander made a sound like a purr before he shivered again and sneezed. Ash jerked a hand back the moment he noticed he'd reached out toward the Charmander. Instead he unpacked the last item he'd put in his backpack - both sweaters his mother had sent with him, and his winter scarf. Ash folded one sweater up and stepped right next to the Charmander. "You can't be comfortable, sleeping on that rock," he said. "Can I pick you up for a second? I've got a blanket for you."

The Charmander lifted his head again, giving Ash a slow blink before rising to his feet with a quiet grumble. He was sick, Ash decided, and disoriented, but didn't protest when Ash lifted him up against his chest and lay the sweater out on the rocks. And even though Ash knew the Charmander would be warmer if he could keep the Pokemon against his chest, he was unwilling to push his luck, and set the Charmander back down almost immediately. He did, however, drape the scarf over the Charmander, folding it over enough to form layers. The Charmander was still shivering, his tail necessarily exposed to the elements (but not the rain anymore, at least). And it wasn't what was making the Charmander sick - it was a sign, a symptom. But watching it, seeing that fading flame, Ash couldn't hold back if there was anything more he could do to help the Charmander. So he draped his second sweater over the Charmander's back, folding it over so only the Charmander's nose and tail were still exposed. And then he sat on the small shelf just below where the Charmander was resting. He heard a quiet "charrr," more an inquisitive sound than an actual question.

"I know you're going to wait until your trainer comes back," Ash said. "I know I can't change your mind. But I couldn't bear it if you got hurt waiting out here alone. So we're going to wait together."

"char," the Charmander murmured, and Ash couldn't be certain, not with how disoriented the Charmander was, what he'd meant by it. But it sounded - thankful. Maybe even content.

Ash was cold, now a little wet, and still worried, terrified that if he fell asleep, he might wake to find the Charmander hadn't recovered. But the stress of the day, the run, the arguments, and the worry that had pulsed through him with every beat of his heart, had left Ash exhausted, and so, despite his every intention, at some point between looking at the Charmander to reassure himself that the flame was still burning, and looking up at the full moon, Ash slipped into unconsciousness.

His dreams were strange, disjointed. Gary was there, he thought, and a pair of voices screaming - wordless cries that chilled him. He dreamed of a Pokemon gym, empty of anyone else - human or Pokemon, and illuminated only within a few feet of Ash. When he looked down, he had two shadows, one tall and one short. Two red lights blazed within the shorter shadow, and a mouth opened to reveal vicious, bloody fangs.

"Four gifts for those who die," the shadow howled at Ash.

And Ash woke.

Bright light beat down on him, and although Ash's butt was numb and his back ached when he shifted, he wasn't as cold as he'd expected. When he shifted, his hands caught on something, and when he looked down, he found James' blanket, the faded red one Growlie favored, draped over him. James had claimed Growlie had imbued the blanket with some of his own fiery nature, and finding himself wrapped in the blanket after a long night, Ash could almost believe the claim was true.

Something shifted in Ash's lap. "Piiiii," Susanoo murmured, turning around to shove his head further against Ash's stomach. Ash smiled down at the Pikachu, fondness warring with worry that Susanoo would be mad with him.

"The twerp's awake." Ash jolted at the familiar voice and looked up slowly to find Meowth staring at him from next to a campfire just out of reach (and maybe the fire had done more to help than the blanket, but Ash would always remember the blanket, first).

"You alive, kid?" Jessie was sitting next to Ash, gaze fixed on him, steady, and a little intense, and he squirmed under the attention. She might not be his mother, but Jessie had his mother's number, and he knew none of them would have been happy with him sneaking out.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Thank goodness," Jessie breathed, scooting close enough to pull Ash into a loose hug. "James was frantic, and I was worired sick. My complexion's going to take days to recover."

"O - oh," Ash replied. This somehow felt worse than if Jessie had yelled at him. "Where's James?"

"Asleep," Meowth replied. "We were watching in shifts in case you made a run for it again."

"I didn't run for it," Ash protested. "I wanted to help the - Chamander!" He leapt to his feet, turning to the rocky ledge on which the Charmander had been sleeping. Ash must have been still half-asleep, or the rocky area had a weird setup, because for a moment, he thought he saw two shadows stretching away from him. Then the moment was gone and Ash searched for where he left the Chamander-

The little ledge was empty, and Ash's heart plummeted. He'd tried - done everything he could, short of forcibly catching the Charmander, to help him. It should have made a difference. It should have saved the Charmander, so he could - come to terms with the fact Damian had abandoned him and go find other Charmander to live with, or be accepted as a student by a wise old Charizard.

"Mander!" Ash's head jerked up to the top of the outcropping, where the Charmander was standing, head and tail both stretched up to the rising sun. His tail was burning steadily, swaying as he waved it back and forth. The Charmander must have sensed Ash's attention, because after a moment he looked down at Ash and chirped happily. Ash's heart jumped, and he found a smile on his face he couldn't fight down.

"You got better!" Ash cheered, earning a "Cha!" from the Charmander. And for a moment, Ash felt a sense of accomplishment, a flutter in his chest at the fact that he'd helped.

And then everything fell apart.

"Seriously? It was raining buckets last night. I guess that means you're stronger than I thought."

Damian was standing at the edge of the road, hands stuffed in his pockets, his friends standing about ten feet away. His sunglasses were down on his eyes, but he was grinning at the Charmander.

"We're heading out," Damian said. "There's still some room on my team, if you want."

"Char?" the Chamander asked, everything in his plaintive tone, his tense posture, making clear this was everything he'd been hoping for through the cold day and the long night, for Damian to return exactly as he'd promised.

Ash hadn't sat through the night with the Charmander in the hope the Charmander might choose to stay with him. He'd known how deep the Charmander's loyalty went, how desperate he'd been to see Damian again. Certain that Damian wouldn't return, he'd done everything in his power to make sure the Charmander survived long enough to realize that, to find somewhere else he could thrive.

But it hurt to see the Charmander so pleased for a kind word (almost) from his trainer. Damian had been willing to let the Charmander die when he'd thought him weak. Only the sign that the Charmander was tenacious enough to hang on through the cold and rain had bought Damian back. But it wasn't Ash's place to argue, to tell the Charmander he was choosing wrong.

"Pika!" Susanoo was crouched between the camp and the road, tail and ears erect, sparks dancing along his entire body. "Kachu ka pipipi pika ka-chu!"

Damian smirked at the furious Pikachu, glancing over at Ash. "Is this the Pokemon your friend said had you whipped right off the bat? You might want to call it off before I decide to teach it a lesson."

"He's saying you're the one who needs to learn a lesson," Ash said, feeling buoyed by Susanoo's faith in him. "He said - no Pokemon is strong by themselves. They're only strong when someone holds them up when they're weak."

"What?" Damian scoffed. "Your Pikachu didn't say all that."

"He did," Ash insisted, finding his hands in fists at his sides. He'd wanted to hit Damian back at the Pokemon Center, and he still did.

"There's no way you know what that Pikachu said."

"I know what he meant!" Ash snapped. His heart was racing, and he was breathing hard, and oh, he wanted to punch Damian so hard (he wanted a Hitmonchan to do it for him).

Damian was glaring at Ash now, and Ash couldn't be bothered to wonder exactly what he'd done to upset the older boy. And then Damian cracked his neck and grinned.

"You want it for yourself, don't you? Sitting out here yelling about how I'm a bad trainer - it's annoying. I don't even really care about that thing. Surviving one night on its own doesn't make it strong, not really. Maybe a few more nights like that might toughen it up-"

"I'll fight you for him," Ash said, stopping Damian mid-sentence.

He stared for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Fight me? Your friend Gary seemed to think you wouldn't be much of a fight."

"Gary doesn't know everything about me," Ash said. "So? Are you going to fight, or are you scared?"

Damian scoffed. "Fine. I'll fight with my prize Pokemon - and you fight with the Charmander you seem to like so much. You'll see how much of a weakling it is. And when I win, it's coming with me."

"And if I win...he can come with me if he wants," Ash said.

It wasn't about the Charmander, he knew. He was angry, hated seeing someone be so cruel to Pokemon. He wanted to prove something, even if he knew the Charmander was going to end up with Damian no matter what.

"Sure," Damian said. "Hey!" he called to the Charmander. "That kid's in charge for this battle! I wanna see how strong you've gotten."

The Charmander hadn't taken his gaze off of Damian during the entire conversation, so nodded at the command. "Char!" He hopped down and scrambled to Ash's side, giving Ash a wide grin. Ash couldn't quite read him, but the Charmander had to like fighting - he couldn't imagine Damian wasting any time with a Pokemon who wouldn't fight at all.

Everyone cleared out a space for them to fight. Jessie, Meowth, and James (woken at some point during the argument) were being oddly quiet, for which Ash was thankful. He didn't want to explain himself, didn't need them asking questions or giving him advice.

Not even when Damien tossed out a Pokeball, releasing a green, froglike Pokemon with a yellow swirl along their stomach and a long blue antenna curled into a tight spiral. Ash pulled out his Gear, even though he knew a part of what it was going to say.

"Politoed, the Frog Pokemon. Their song has a hypnotic quality that can cham other Water Pokemon, put people to sleep, and hurt or even kill other Pokemon."

It was a Water Pokemon, meaning Ash was at a disadvantage even before taking into consideration the Politoed's song.

"Ready?" Damian asked. "Hypnosis!" The Politoed let out a warbling, angry cry. The Charmander swayed on his feet, but shook himself after a sharp moment, reminding Ash he was in charge.

"Try a Scratch or - I don't know what other moves you know."

"Char!" the Charmander agreed, scurrying forward, avoiding a Bubble Beam from the Politoed as he closed in, leaping at the Politoed with claws stretched wide. The Politoed took a hurried step back, catching the Charmander with a quick pair of slaps that sent the Charmander reeling. "Try to slap it with your tail!" Ash cried. Some Charmander could learn Dragon Tail, he thought he remembered (he offered a quiet thanks to James' obsession with Dragon Pokemon). But the Charmander hadn't, as he waved his tail at the Politoed, mildly scorching the opposing Pokemon as the flame collided with them.

"Bubble Beam!" Damian retorted. "Tell me you know Water Pokemon have a natural advantage against Fire Pokemon - that Charmander's tail isn't going to do much good."

"Of course I know that," Ash replied. He tried to remember any moves the Charmander might know that might help against the Politoed, but couldn't recall any. "Try to Scratch again!"

The Charmander swiped at the now-close Politoed, scoring a hit that sent the Politoed hopping back to put some distance between them.

"Use Swagger!" Damian called. The Politoed gave another sing-song cry, which made the Charmander stumble, moving vaguely. Swagger confused its target, Ash recalled, but made them stronger.

"Focus!" he called. "Try another Scratch!"

The Charmander stumbled again, waving his claws, accidentally slashing across his own am. Damian laughed and called, "Surf."

The Politoed spewed out a torrent of water, flooding the battlefield. They skated along the cresting edge of the wave, slamming into the Charmander as they passed.

"Come on!" Ash pled as the Charmander struggled to keep his feet. "Damian thinks you're weak, but I know better. There's no such thing as a weak Pokemon."

The Charmander was breathing hard, tail dimmed - not to the degree it had been when Ash had found him the night before, but a clear sign he was weakening. But flames were licking along his mouth each time he exhaled, and Ash remembered the special ability possessed by most Charmander.

"You can do better than Ember," Ash said. "And right now, even though your opponent is strong against your attacks, you're stronger."

The Charmander took a deep breath and spat out a torrent of flame to match the Politoed's wave - a Flamethrower that the Politoed couldn't avoid. And though the Politoed's type helped absorb some part of the attack, they didn't escape unscathed, skin burned as they leapt out of the line of fire.

"Do you know Fire Spin?" Ash asked. "Because now would be a great time to do that."

"Charmander!" The Charmander spat out a line of fire that encircled the Politoed, flames leaping high enough that the Politoed couldn't leap over them.

Damian scowled as the Charmander took another breath, readying a Flamethrower. And then his face shifted to a smile, a grin so similar to the expressions of the Team Rocket members Ash had met in Viridian City he almost flinched back.

"Perish Song," he commanded.

The Politoed lifted their head high and let out a high, warbling song, something that chilled Ash to the bone. He saw one of Damian's friends covering their ears, and the other spectators rubbing their arms or huddling together, the song clearly as unnerving to them as to Ash. The Charmander, though wailed as if he were in pain, and the Politoed swayed in place, legs shaking as they continued the song. It took something out of them, continuing the song, and Ash felt a moment of hope that maybe the Charmander could hold out longer-

"Perish Song's a great move!" Damian shouted over the noise. "Every Pokemon who hears it faints when they listen to it too long!"

"Cover your ears!" Ash commanded, and Damian laughed.

"It doesn't matter! It's heard the song already!" Damian retorted. "Watch - they've got three seconds. Two, one,"

And the wall of fire fell away from the Politoed as they fainted.

Ash looked to Damian, confused. "What…"

"I said every Pokemon who hears Perish Song faints," Damian said, shrugging. "Even the Pokemon using it."

"Why would you use it, if it made your own Pokemon faint?" Ash demanded.

And Damian smirked. "Because I said I'd let you take my Charmander if you won. And a double knockout in't a win."

"Char," the Charmander growled.

Ash snapped his head down, and Damian swore. "What the fuck? How did it-"

"There's a well-known phenomenon among the most successful Pokemon trainers," James said from the sidelines. "When a Pokemon and their trainer are close - truly in sync - the Pokemon can push themselves beyond their normal limits. Push through poison and confusion because they can sense their trainer's distress. Find the strength to make powerful strikes to end the battle faster. And sometimes...even survive attacks they shouldn't be able to."

"In sync?" Damian demanded, spinning on James. "It's my Pokemon! He met it last night!"

"Does it upset you?" James asked. "That your Pokemon was so starved for affection that the barest show of concern gave him the strength to survive what none of your Pokemon could have? That Ash was right - that a Pokemon is stronger for having someone care for them? Or is it that you lost?"

"Fuck this," Damian snarled, recalling his Politoed and turning back to his friends. "Let's get out of here. Do whatever you want with that little freak. I don't care."

The Charmander had been standing tall at Ash's feet, staring at Damian with a bright gaze. But at Damian's words, his posture faltered, shoulders slumping, and the Charmander let out a quiet "charrr," a mournful sound that shattered Ash's elation at the win, leaving him as cold as the Politoed's Perish Song had.

"Charmander?" the Charmander asked, stepping forward. And Ash could understand it, now, all the emotion bound up in that question. He'd proven he was strong, proven he was better than Damian's best Pokemon, so couldn't understand why Damian didn't care.

Damian kept walking away, and it struck Ash suddenly.

That Damian couldn't hear. Didn't know what his Pokemon was saying to him.

"Answer him," Ash said, and Damian paused, turned, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asked.

"Your Charmander asked you a question," Ash said. "Answer him."

"Are you still on this 'understanding Pokemon' crap?" Damian asked. "Do you want me to play along? Ask you what it said? Fine - what did the Charmander say?"

"He asked if you're really such a piece of shit that you'd see a Pokemon fight so hard to stay with you and still be willing to turn your back on him." Meowth stood and ambled to stand next to Ash, smirking at Damian's slack-jawed stare. "Because he didn't stick it out for Ash. He did it for you."

"What the fuck?" Damian whispered. "What the absolute fuck?"

"Okay, seriously, watch your language!" Jessie snapped.

But Damian was ignoring her, all his attention on Meowth, and the Charmander.

"You're lying," he said to Meowth. "You're just a - freak of nature, and you're trying to fuck with me-"

"Char!" the Charmander snapped. "Man mander char char!"

"He says you're the dumbest asshole alive if you can't understand," Meowth continued, folding his arms in front of him. "All he ever wanted to do was be near you. And all you ever saw were - flaws. Everything that didn't match up to what you thought the perfect Pokemon should be. Well, I've got news for you, buddy - there's no such thing as the perfect Pokemon! Your Politoed isn't strong because she's got good genes or whatever - for whatever reason she thinks you're worth fighting with her whole strength for."

"Flaws?" Damian asked. "Of course I saw flaws! You say there's no such thing as a perfect Pokemon, but there sure as fuck is such a thing as a weak, useless Pokemon! I don't have any use for a Pokemon that needs to be coddled and told I love it to be strong - it should be strong on its own! So yeah, maybe I wasn't ever going to be coming back for the Charmander - because it couldn't take a fucking hint and leave on its own."

"Cha?" the Charmander asked, and Ask knew the tone of that single syllable needed no translation. He held his breath, uncertain what would happen next, what the revelation of Damian's true colors would do to the Charmander.

"Char," he said suddenly. "Char char man mander char mand. Char der!"

Meowth snorted. "He says - well, a lot of shit I don't want to translate - because we're trying to protect the twerp's innocence. You want to be the best - but you aren't going to be - not even close. The twerp's gonna steamroll you, presuming you even make it to the Indigo Conference."

"Pft," Damian scoffed, turning away. "Whatever. You two fucking deserve each other. Come on, let's get out of here."

No one protested this time, and Damian was gone before Ash could seriously consider punching Damian as a farewell gift.

But there was something more important than Damian. Ash dropped down to crouch next to the Charmander, letting his arm fall before he could reach out to the Pokemon. The Charmander was staring up at Ash, gaze - stern, steady. Resolute.

"You didn't really - say anything about it," Ash said. "So I want to ask. Does all that - about thinking I'm a better trainer than Damian - do you want to come with me?"

The Charmander smiled - not a smirk or a grin, but just a wide-open smile at Ash. "Char!"

Izumi hummed to herself as she pushed open the door to the Pokemon Tower. It held a strange place in Lavender Town culture - sacred and profane, a tourist attraction and a place to lay restless spirits to bed.

The song, too, was strange. She had known it as long as she could remember, although her mother and father swore they'd never heard it before.

Izumi, too, was strange. It wasn't unusual for children from Lavender Town to start their journey out with a Ghost Pokemon, but she never caught anything but ghosts. She couldn't explain why, except for the feeling that they needed her. Or that she needed them. The Lavender Town Gym was cursed, but every few generations, someone tried to start it up again. She felt the knowing looks of adults whenever she came back to town.

But she wasn't here for them, and wasn't here to start up the gym again.

She was here, as she always was, for the dead.

It was a foolish sort of folklore that Cubone were all orphans, crying for their lost mothers. They were fascinated with bones, though, and hunted down skulls that were the right size for their heads.

But Cubone were predisposed to grief in a way most humans were not. So the tales of a Cubone howling in the upper levels of the Pokemon Tower had summoned Izumi, though no one had asked for her help. The Pokemon Tower didn't close, but most mourners left as the sun went down. Some mediums and psychics remained, meditating on the dead.

The ghosts, too, remained.

They never left.

Normally, Izumi wouldn't have bothered with Repel. She didn't fear Ghost Pokemon the way others did, and had a knack with them. But she wasn't interested in wasting time finding her way to the lost, mourning creature in the tower.

The dead could afford to wait. The living could not.

When Izumi stepped onto the next-highest floor of the tower, she felt a chill. There was a Cubone there, cowering in the shadow of a headstone, wailing at irregular intervals. When Izumi stepped toward them, a voice, not sound, but a voice speaking to the soul, rang out.

GET OUT

Izumi shook her head and stepped forward, at which point black mist flooded her vision. Something - a mass of shadow - loomed toward her.

Izumi closed her eyes, focusing her spirit, and then opened them again.

A Marowak hung in the air before her, translucent, and eyes blazing with fury. They drifted toward the Cubone, who screamed, tucking their head down to avoid the ghost, and the Marowak screamed in frustration.

"Please stop," Izumi whispered to the ghost, who turned, raising a ghostly club of bone. "Please." The Marowak lunged at her, heedless of the plea, forcing Izumi to roll aside and grab at one of her Pokeballs.

"Go, Trevor," she called, releasing her Phantump. "Magical Leaf!"

The Marowak threw a ghostly club at Trevor, who evaded it with a flip before hurling a spray of leaves at the Marowak. The club curved around and flew back, catching Trevor on the side of his stump.

"Horn Leech!" Izumi called. Trevor swiped at the Marowak, draining a portion of the force animating it. The Marowak cried out, angry, but fearful, and Izumi saw her chance.

"Please stop!" she shouted. "Your child can't see you - they're frightened because you're so angry!"

And the Marowak - paused. Looked down at the cowering Cubone. And their eyes...softened. And as the Cubone continued to cry, the Marowak did, too, understanding the truth - that in death, they had lost the ability to even reach out to their child, as their shadowed visage brought only terror.

Rather than watch the misery play itself out in front of her, Izumi closed her eyes and began to sing. Neither the words nor the melody mattered. It was her power, her spirit, that had the power. But the song helped to focus, helped her to reveal the spirits of the dead to the living.

"How far will you go as you continue to walk? The wind asks me that, and I stand still..."

When the Cubone finally saw its parent as they were - a pale reflection of the creature they'd once been, their terrified cries died out as they stared at their parent with wide, startled eyes. Izumi had only ever seen the expression on others' faces, the awe at being reunited, for even a moment, with someone they'd thought lost. But she treasured it.

Most spirits found their peace, eventually. They didn't become Ghost Pokemon. As much as Izumi cared for them, the world didn't need more Ghost Pokemon. So she was as happy when she could, as when she could not, give a ghost some measure of resolution, of peace.

It did, however, leave the question of what to do with the orphaned Cubone, who continued to stare up at her, starry-eyed, once its parent's ghost had vanished.

...Well, people always told her to diversify her team.

Chapter Text

Meowth was napping by the campfire when something tugged at his tail. He yanked his tail close to his body and tried to drift back to sleep when something tugged at his tail again. He let out a warning growl and opened one eye. A yellow shape, not larger than Meowth except for the jagged, pointed tail, was hovering just in front of his eyes.

"Get up, loser," Susanoo said. "We need to show those newcomers who's boss around here."

Meowth groaned. The twerp's team had so far avoided the jockeying for dominance that was common when you took a bunch of wild Pokemon and threw them together under the questionable leadership of a competitive ten-year-old, but that respite was apparently over. The Bulbasaur (he'd yet to accept a name, declaring he'd know the right name when he heard it) was used to being the most important Pokemon around, and Valiant was desperate to appear useful to Ash, leaving Susanoo afraid of being replaced.

Hence, the demand that Meowth help show up the new guys.

"Why don't you ask Growlie?" Meowth demanded.

Susanoo scowled, tail twitching, irritated, behind him. "Yeah, like I'm going to pick a dumb dog over you. So come on." He tugged at Meowth's paw.

A number of warring impulses kept Meowth from reacting immediately - loyalty for James' first Pokemon, disdain for the somewhat simple-minded Growlithe (he wasn't dumb, just straightforward), disbelief at the suggestion that anyone preferred Meowth.

"Well sure, in general," Meowth replied, trying to sound nonchalant (but Pokemon were good at reading posture and tone, so it was certain Susanoo doubted Meowth's sincerity). "But this is like, Pokemon stuff - communicating through action, relishing our, you know, nature and stuff. I'm no good at that."

"Oh? When was the last time you tried?" Susanoo asked.

The question, short, direct (like Susanoo himself), left Meowth breathless, heart jolting as if he'd just been caught from falling. Of course he was a freak, so far distanced from other Pokemon they would never accept him as one of them again.

But…

Well, when was the last time he'd tried?

"Come on, kitty cat, we've got to show them we're better than them!" Susanoo pleaded, and Meowth stared, blank, at the Pikachu, until Pikachu tugged at his paw again. Meowth clambered to his feet, resigned that while he could win this argument, it wouldn't be worth the effort it would take.

The Bulbasaur gave Valiant a smug look when Pikachu arrived at the edge of their camp with Meowth in tow; it didn't take a genius to figure out they'd debated whether Meowth would actually show up. The game, as it turned out, was some sort of competitive team game of tag, with rules Meowth remembered only vaguely from his childhood, the sort of thing that seemed like mindless running around to humans. It didn't make much sense to Meowth, but the combination of Susanoo's victorious cheer when they won (mostly Susanoo on his own, but Meowth at least didn't drag him down) and the Bulbasaur's disgruntled acceptance of the results left Meowth with a fluttery warmth in his chest. He felt light, some of his worries dissipated like he'd sweated them out. He'd heard James say exercise created dolphins or something that made people feel good; maybe this is what they'd meant. Maybe this is why other Pokemon spent so much time running around with each other (and maybe they just made allowances for younger or more energetic Pokemon).

So he was panting, heart racing, sharing a triumphant smile with Susanoo, when a pale blue Pokemon with a shell covering their back stumbled out of the underbrush. They were looking behind them, and when they turned their head, Meowth could see they were wearing sunglasses with triangular frames.

"Oh thanks goodness," they panted out between heavy breaths. "You've got to hide me!"

"From what?" the Bulbasaur asked, bracing himself, tugging his vines in close as if ready for a fight. He was always like this, Meowth had come to realize - itching for someone he could fight. He'd proven a reliable core to Ash's team, in that regard. Meowth edged closer to Susanoo, aware that if things went wrong, having an Electric type between him and the agitated Pokemon (a Squirtle, maybe) was his safest bet.

"The cops!" the newcomer said, waving behind them. "Quick, come on." They scrambled toward the camp, causing startled shouts from the humans, a sign that Meowth's particular skill set was needed.

"Hey, calm down, everyone!" Meowth called, rising to his feet (it had been awkward chasing Valiant on two feet, even more awkward trying to remember how to move on all fours, but this felt weird, too) to follow the newcomer.

Dexter was finishing an explanation as Meowth arrived. "-reduce water resistance, making Squirtle one of the fastest swimmers in the world."

"Hey, twerp, girls," Meowth said, waving at the humans. "Growlie," he said, nodding to James' Pokemon, who had braced himself to lunge forward and bite the Squirtle if need be. "My pal Squirtle here doesn't want any trouble; they just need to lay low for a while, right?"

"Yeah, what he said!" the Squirtle said, pointing at Meowth. "It's a tragic misunderstanding-"

A combination of a howling siren and an actual howl interrupted the Squirtle's explanation. Jessie and James, who had not gotten Squirtle's warning, flinched, James falling off her perch (her shoes were meant to be 'all terrain' platforms, but this had turned out to be tragic false advertising, and Meowth was waiting to see how long it took her to flip over to being a guy just to wear something that wouldn't clash with her boots).

"The cops!" Jessie wailed. "We've got to hide!"

"Chill!" Meowth said, raising his hands. "They're here for the Squirtle, who, as I said, just needs a-"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," James said, flailing for a blanket, which she handed to Ash. "Here, cover up, see if you can make it look like it's just you under there."

"What?" Ash's expression was a little lost (Meowth liked the kid, but that wide-eyed look was a familiar one for him) as he glanced between James and the Squirtle. "If it's the police-"

"Now, Ash," James chided, "some of us may not be on the best terms with the law for perfectly legitimate reasons. Cover up."

"What the hell?" the Bulbasaur demanded, waddling up as Ash draped the blanket over him and the Squirtle. "I've got no problem collecting orphans and lost Pokemon, but I draw the line at harboring fugitives from justice."

"What are you, my mom?" Meowth retorted. He shot Ash a glance, waving back at the Bulbasaur. "Explain to Officer Pollen over here that we don't judge people based on their strict adherence to the 'law' in this little party!"

"Yeah, um, maybe you should settle down, Bulbasaur," Ash said. "We don't know the whole story."

The Bulbasaur glowered at Ash, but edged closer without any further complaint (clearly there to fuck the Squirtle up if they made trouble). So when a bike roared up, a blue-haired woman in blue, a Growlithe riding in the sidecar, they made a nice picture, Ash and his two cousins or whatever they were pretending to be this week. Jessie stumbled to her feet, smiling broadly at the police officer.

"Officer!" she said. "What a delight! How can we help you?"

The officer frowned, eyes darting across the camp like they were hiding a body or something under the sleeping bags. "I've been chasing down a criminal Pokemon; you haven't seen a Squirtle in sunglasses come by here, have you?"

"Sunglasses?" James asked. "How unusual! You say they're a criminal?"

"To be honest, the Squirtle and their gang have mostly been nuisances until recently," the officer replied. Next to her, the Growlithe scrambled out of the sidecar, sniffing inquisitively at the edge of the camp. "They stole food, played pranks, but were pretty harmless."

"Hey," Growlie growled at the officer's Growlithe, "stay back. This is my camp."

"Yeah?" the other Growlithe retorted. "Well, we're in hot pursuit of a dangerous criminal element. So I can stick my nose anywhere I want." They took a deliberate step forward, earning a low growl from the Bulbasaur.

"Just try it," he said, crouched, glaring at the Growlithe.

"Heel, Growlithe," the officer commanded. Her Growlithe gave the Bulbasaur a narrow glare before bounding back to the officer's side.

"Chasing down hungry Pokemon doesn't really sound like a job for the police," Jessie said, canting her hips in an attempt to look casual.

"It wouldn't, really, if they hadn't started actually attacking people," the officer replied, voice curt, sharp, as she crossed her arms. "They nearly destroyed a vitamin shop and even attacked the police station."

"Well, I can definitely see how that would concern you," James said carefully. "But I can honestly say I haven't seen a pack of vicious Squirtle."

"Alright," the officer replied, waving at her Growlithe to board the sidecar. "But if you hear anything, you can reach me at the next town's police station. My name's Jenny."

"Of course it is," Jessie muttered, too quiet for Jenny to hear as she roared off. She was quiet for a few moments after Jenny left before she yanked the blanket off of Ash and the Squirtle. "Now," she said, crouching down to glare at the Squirtle, "I'm not opposed to collateral damage when trying to escape the police, but I'd appreciate an explanation so I know what exactly I'm an accessory to."

"Accessory?" Ash asked, earning a gentle smile from James, who patted him on the head.

"Accessory to a crime - it means helping someone who committed a crime, which can get you in trouble. If you find out afterward that you helped someone and then turn them in, you might get off with no charges at all." She gave the Squirtle a pointed grin. "So. Let's hear your side of the story."

The Squirtle looked between Jessie, James, and Ash, before standing, edging closer to Ash. "We didn't mean to hurt anyone!" they protested, glancing at Meowth. "I mean, in the interest of full disclosure, me and my squad steal food and medicine - just the necessities, things we'd gotten used to from our trainers before we were abandoned, lost, et cetera-"

"You're abandoned?" Ash asked, causing the Squirtle to flinch away from him, eyes comically wide in shock.

Meowth snickered. "Yeah, I should have warned you about that."

"Did he-"

"No idea how much of that he caught," Meowth replied with a shrug. He looked up at the humans to explain to the two-thirds who couldn't understand the Squirtle what he'd gotten already. "The Squirtle here's part of a squad who're just trying to survive-"

"Because they were abandoned by their trainers!" Ash interjected. He leaned forward, planting his hands on the ground. "You can come with us, if you want."

"Tch," the Squirtle scoffed, folding their arms. "I don't need a partner. I need help. See, we were 'welcoming' a couple of humans to the town, helping ourselves to anything they could spare, when we found a box full of these weird purple tubes. There's a - some sort of gas in there that made the rest of my squad go crazy. They got really strong, but wouldn't listen to me at all. Even after they calmed down, they made off with the whole box and have been making real trouble all over town!"

Ash was frowning at the Squirtle, face crumpled enough that Meowth could tell he hadn't understood more than a few words of the Squirtle's story.

"The Squirtle says he and his gang found weird capsules full of gas that makes them super-powerful but makes them berserk. He needs help to calm them down before Jenny catches up with them and they end up in - jail, or worse."

"Something that makes Pokemon more powerful?" Ash asked, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. "Didn't you tell me about something trainers use to do that?" He turned to James, still frowning a little in confusion.

"If you mean X-boosters, then yes," James replied. "But those are based on natural herbs and berries Pokemon use in the wild, and have been tested to be safe. This doesn't sound anything like it at all."

"I don't suppose our little Squirtle here knows where their friends went, do they?" Jessie asked the Squirtle.

"I mean, we've got a couple of normal haunts we can check out, but." They glanced between the humans, some of their confident posture fading to something looser, a little nervous. "Are - you sure you want to help me? I just told you I steal for a living."

"Ha! These two are poachers, technically," Meowth retorted, pointing at Jessie and James. "And as for the twerp-"

"Of course we'll help you!" Ash declared. "Everyone needs a little help, sometimes, and your friends seem like they need a lot."

"Oh," the Squirtle replied. They pulled off their glasses to wipe at their eyes. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Ash said, giving the Squirtle a thumbs up.

With their plans set, they packed up camp and followed the Squirtle to two abandoned coves before they reached a cave dominated by a crate surrounded by empty glass vials. Jessie waved Ash and the Pokemon back as she approached. Nothing burst out to attack her, even as she examined the crate and the vials; she stared at the vials for a long time before picking one up and sniffing it. When she returned to the group, she was shaking her head. "I don't recognize anything in there, but." She turned the vial toward them, displaying the Red 'R' etched into the glass. "I've got a sneaking suspicion where these vials came from." She knelt down to the Squirtle's level and dangled the vial in front of them. "Can you show us where you found the vials?"

The building was a storefront in the suburb of Vermillion City, the sort of store with an apartment on the second floor. The front door was boarded over (the consequence of the original break-in, Meowth bet), and the front window bore a sign that read, "Rainbow Pink Pokemon Products" wrapping around the face of a smiling Drowzee. It was ugly, and if Jessie's obvious hunch was correct, an awkward attempt to explain away anything with a Team Rocket logo.

Ash frowned at the sign, looking up at the two adult humans with a slightly confused expression. Susanoo, though, was glaring at the red 'R' dominating the store's sign.

And then the front window smashed open, admitting four Squirtle carrying a huge crate between them. Like the Squirtle who'd approached Meowth, they were wearing sunglasses; unlike that Squirtle, their sunglasses were round. They froze when they saw the humans, and the one closest to them bared their teeth in a wordless threat.

"Squir squirtle," they snarled.

"What did they say?" Ash demanded.

"I…" Meowth rubbed at his ears. "I don't know. They're talking nonsense."

"Yeah! Like I said - they went berserk!" the first Squirtle said.

"You could've said they went all catatonic," Meowth grumbled, just before the frontmost Squirtle inhaled and spat a torrent of water at him. He yelped as it threw him back into the bushes on the far side of the road.

There was almost no time between Meowth hitting the bushes and a furious cry from Susanoo, cheeks sparking to explode in a bolt of lightning that struck the attacking Squirtle full in the chest.

To no effect.

Well, not no effect, but not nearly the damage Meowth would have expected from an Electric attack used against a pure Water type.

"What the-"

"That's - a Water type Pokemon, isn't it?" Ash asked of James.

"Yes, it is," James muttered, fumbling at her Pokeballs. "Cheri, come out!" she shouted, tossing one of them.

"Mercy!" Jessie snapped, tossing out the ball containing her Happiny.

"Fine, you wanna play rough?" Susanoo demanded, dancing out of the way of a series of blasts of water from the nearest Squirtle. "I can play rough!" He charged at the Squirtle, tucking himself into a ball to slam into them and knocking them back into the rest of their party.

"Squirrrr," one of them growled as they stood, and Meowth felt a flicker of fear as they turned their attention to Susanoo, who'd clearly forgotten he didn't have the advantage in this fight.

"Cheri, Smokescreen!" James snapped, causing the Koffing to spit out a massive cloud that screened their party from the attacking Squirtle.

"Tle!" one of them shouted, erupting out of the smoke, tucked into their rapidly-spinning shell. Susanoo dove out of the way, causing the Squirtle to bounce off of a trash can, landing on their feet as they snarled at Meowth. He scampered back, looking around for something to use to shield himself from the Squirtle, only for Susanoo to slap the Squirtle away with his tail.

"You think you're a big man, attacking a helpless Meowth, do you?" he demanded.

"Hey!" Meowth protested, because as relieved as he was to have someone interposing themselves between him and danger, it was-

Well, embarrassing. He was a Pokemon, for Mew's sake, not a human. He didn't need anyone to protect him.

...Except, apparently, he did, as he flinched seeing the Squirtle slash their claws across Susanoo's cheeks, ignoring the residual sparks as they did so.

"Take that!" Mercy shouted, punching a Squirtle with tiny hands that should not have packed that much of a punch, before turning to respond to a Water Gun with one of her own.

"Poison Gas!" James shouted; Cheri bounced up and down as she spewed out a cloud of viscous gas. The Squirtle nearest her gagged, and James followed up with, "Venom Drench!"

One of them slumped to the ground as the other bounced away and spat back a stream of steaming water. Cheri yowled as the water left a prominent burn, causing her to moan in pain.

"Here you go!" Mercy called, waving her hands in a quick circle, soothing the burn.

"Squir squir squir squir," one of the Squirtle chuckled, stepping forward and inhaling. "Squir...tle!"

Surf was a powerful move, an attack that drenched entire battlefields, but this was more. It was a tsunami, a natural disaster made manifest by a Pokemon's will. Meowth was able to grab onto the bench he'd sound shelter behind, and was just quick enough to grab Susanoo's arm as the Pikachu was swept past him. The humans were sent tumbling through the torrent, but Meowth could spare little attention for them as the battlefield cleared, leaving only the head Squirtle facing down their berserk squad.

"You're a disgrace," they growled, flashing their claws at the other Pokemon. "Attacking innocent people - people who agreed to help us without even asking for a reward. So you're going to trust that the beating I'm about to give you is entirely justified."

"Squir!" One of the Squirtle charged at the head Squirtle, who didn't flinch, just turned toward them and took a quick breath.

"Water Howitzer!" they shouted, spitting out a series of short blasts of water that knocked the other Squirtle back. A quick spread across the area kept the others at a distance as the head Squirtle closed in on them.

"Multi-Skull-Bash!" the Squirtle called, tucking everything except their head into their shell as they spun in a circle, catching all four of the other Squirtle in just a few rotations (and had they herded the Squirtle with their Water Gun just so they were close enough to do that, Meowth wondered).

One of the other Squirtle tried to grab them, but the head Squirtle grabbed their arm and flipped them, throwing them into the other three, following that up with another skull bash. The gang rose unsteadily, one of them so woozy they almost didn't make it to their feet, only to catch another spray of Water Guns that sent two straight into unconsciousness while the other two just lay, panting, on the ground.

"Are you done?" the Squirtle demanded of the exhausted squad. "Or am I going to have to keep beating some sense into you?"

"...Boss?" one of them moaned. "What-"

The head Squirtled slapped the other's head. "You got hopped up on that stupid purple drug and nearly killed these nice folk!" they snapped. "So get up and apologize before I drop kick you into the harbor!"

The two conscious members of the squad scrambled to their feet, looked around until they found the humans slowly standing themselves, and bowed so low they were nearly back on the ground again.

"We're sorry!" they chorused, under the head Squirtle's watchful eye.

Cheri and Mercy hovered between the two groups, but Ash was squinting at the Squirtle, probably trying to figure out if they were still zoned out or not.

Which meant it was Meowth's time to shine.

He let go of Susanoo's hand and stepped forward, waving his hands in a way he hoped conveyed calm. "Chill," he said. "The head Squirtle knocked some sense into them and they're just trying to apologize."

"Oh!" Ash smiled at the two Squirtle, dropping down to one knee. "Sure - your friend told us that gas really messed with your head. I mean, as long as you promise to stop using it, we can let bygones be bygones."

"Uh." The two Squirtle glanced at each other, a pause that made the head Squirtle storm forward.

"If you think for one second I'm going to let you get within a mile of this shit," they growled, "you've got another thing coming."

"Yeah, what he said!" the rightmost Squirtle agreed.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Ash grinned and held out a hand. "That's great!"

"Is it great?" a high voice asked from down the street, opposite the direction from which Jessie, James, and the twerp had been thrown.

"I don't know," a deeper, rougher one growled. "It doesn't sound great."

"What are you talking about?" Ash demanded, rising to his feet. "Those Pokemon went totally berserk because of that purple gas stuff!"

Meowth turned to follow Ash's gaze, and found a green-haired man dressed in jeans and a plaid T-shirt, and a blond woman in a loose sundress next to him. They were both smirking, hands hovering near the Pokeballs at their waists.

"We worked hard to get those shipments of R into Vermillion City," the blond lamented.

"R?" Ash asked. "Is that the stuff that made those Squirtle berserk?"

"Berserk?" the green-haired one asked, shaking his head. "I mean, I guess a wild Pokemon might get a little aggressive, but for a well-trained Pokemon, R's just a way to boost their power in battle. Wouldn't you agree?"

"And it's all-natural," the blond added, "not like X-Attack and X-Defense and all those chemicals they sell at Pokemarts."

"And apparently helps resist attacks a Pokemon has a natural weakness to," the green-haired one said. "The Doctor might want to hear about that."

"Maybe, maybe," the blond agreed.

"You can't just sell stuff like this!" Ash protested, hands fisted at his side, face crumpled, eyes - almost teary. "It made these Pokemon hurt people, and got them in trouble!"

"Oh?" the blond asked, cocking her hip at Ash. "And how do you intend to stop us?"

"As a rule, I don't like cooperating with the police," Jessie mused, "but this might be a special case. Wouldn't you agree, James?"

"Oh, absolutely, Jessie," James replied, recalling Cheri as she reached for her other Pokeball. "I think a citizen's arrest might be in order. How about it, kiddo?"

"Oh, wow!" the blond laughed, eyes glittering as she smirked, grabbing a Pokeball from her waist. "You're serious! I guess we should teach you a lesson."

"We could even count it as a public service," her companion said, retrieving his own Pokeball. "Go, Raticate!"

"Drowzee!" the blond called.

Ash's eyes widened as the Pokemon materialized. "I remember you!" he shouted, pointing at the newcomers. "You attacked the Viridian City Pokemon Center! You're from Team Rocket!"

"Wait," the blond said, narrowing her eyes at him. "The kid with the...Pikachu." Her gaze flicked to Susanoo, and then to the Drowzee. "Hypnosis!"

"Electric Terrain!" Ash called, lightning dancing across the ground even as the Drowzee waved his hands in front of him. The sparks were enough, it seemed, to keep Susanoo up even as the Raticate rushed toward him, mouth wide for a Bite.

"Growlie!"

"Fangs!"

The Ekans came out first, snapping forward to entangle the Raticate, twisting to bite her with a Poison Fang, with Growlie just behind, leaping after Susanoo to close in on the Drowzee.

"Psyshock!" the green-haired Team Rocket member drawled, causing the Drowzee to pull back his fist, slamming a fist encased in a blue aura into Susanoo's stomach.

"Fuck!" Susanoo grunted, stumbling back. The Drowzee stepped back, a lazy movement that evaded a Bite from Growlie.

"Secret Power!" the green-haired one called; the Drowzee slammed both of his palms toward Growlie. The Growlithe grunted, limbs stiffening as he tried to retort.

"Can't. Move," he muttered, straining against his limbs.

"Psychic," the green-haired one added, and the Drowzee slammed Growlie into Susanoo, who squealed in pain as the dog Pokemon briefly pinned him to the ground.

"Susanoo!" Ash called out in panic.

The blond laughed, an unkind sound. "Did you name that little rat? What a waste of time. Raticate - Revenge!"

The Raticate grabbed Fangs and slammed the Ekans into the ground, sending him straight into unconsciousness (the Raticate was monstrously strong, which was going to be a real problem).

Susanoo scrambled out from under Growlie, snarling wordlessly. "Volt Tackle!" Ash called, but when Susanoo charged at the Drowzee, he sidestepped the attack, chuckling.

"Disable!" the blond called out. The Drowzee's wave made Susanoo stop in place.

"What?" he asked, puzzled, as the Drowzee closed in on him.

"Psyshock!" the blond shouted. The subsequent punch, enhanced by the Drowzee's psychic power, sent Susanoo flying back with a squeal. Meowth looked between the paralyzed Growlie, unconscious Fangs, and Susanoo, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet, and wondered. Was he going to have to step up here?

"Hey, kid." The Squirtle who'd first come to them for help stepped from their comrades, in between Ash and Team Rocket. "I've got your back."

The green-haired Team Rocket member snorted. "You think that thing's gonna be able to stand up against us? Raticate, Swords Dance!"

"Focus yourself! Calm Mind!" the blond added. Both enemy Pokemon centered themselves as the Squirtle braced themselves, grinning as they glanced between Team Rocket's Pokemon - picking their target, Meowth presumed.

"Psychic!" the blond shouted, while her companion said, "Focus Energy!" Meowth winced at the nasty tag-team combo - a distracting attack from one while their partner readied a devastating strike. The Drowzee's power tore a bench from its mooring and flung it at the Squirtle, who dodged to the side, sticking out their tongue at the missed attack.

"Watch out!" Ash called, and the Squirtle, responding to the warning of a human they'd just met, flipped out of the way as the Raticate swept her tail through the space the Squirtle had occupied a moment before.

"Skull Bash!" they retorted, slamming their head into the Raticate's stomach. The Raticate yelped, the blow forcing her back a step. The Squirtle used the opening to take a steadying breath. "Water Shotgun!" they snapped out, firing two short-range blasts of water that forced the Raticate back further, and allowing them the room for another Skull Bash that knocked the Raticate out.

"Nice job," the Drowzee muttered, as the sparks around the field finally faded. "But you're out of luck." He glanced to the blond, who grinned.

"Hypnosis!"

The Squirtle stumbled drowsily as the Drowzee waved his hands between them, collapsing, unconscious.

"Dream Eater!" the blond called.

"No fucking way!" Susanoo called, loosing another series of sparks across the battlefield.

The Squirtle jolted up, wide awake, as the Drowzee turned at the attack, narrowing his eyes. Closing in on Susanoo in a moment, he pulled back his fist to retaliate with another Psychock. Susanoo collapsed, unconscious at last, while the Squirtle gave the battlefield a wild scan - for an escape route, Meowth guessed.

"Psychic!" the blond repeated.

As the Squirtle dodged a hail of rocks and other debris from the earlier tidal wave, their gaze landed on the bench, earlier ripped from its moorings. They darted next to the bench and grabbed one leg of it, lifting it with a pained grunt.

"Park...Bench…FLING!" they cried, turning in a slow circle, a faster one, and at last a rapid swing that let them hurl the bench at the Drowzee. Used to dodging smaller projectiles, the Drowzee only had time for a startled, "Fuck," before the bench slammed into him, knocking him out.

"Well," the blond said, recalling the Drowzee.

"It looks like it's time for us to go," the green-haired one agreed.

"Not so fast!" Ash snapped. "Felix!" The Butterfree appeared with a battle cry. "Sleep Powder!"

"Oh," the blond murmured, as Felix covered them both with heavy powder.

"The Boss is...going to be...pissed," the green-haired one agreed as he slumped heavily against his companion.

There was a moment of quiet after the two of them fell asleep, until a siren cut through the silence.

The Squirtle jumped; Jessie glanced down at them with a crooked smile.

"I think it'd be best if you made yourself scarce," she said.

"But-" the Squirtle protested, waving at their unconscious comrades.

"I can help out!" Ash said, calling out the Bulbasaur. "Hey, can you help them get their friends out of here before Jenny shows up?"

The Bulbasaur sighed, but grabbed up the two unconscious Squirtle with his vines. "Yeah, alright - let's get out of here."

Explaining things to Officer Jenny had taken surprisingly little time, even if Jessie and James had had to hurriedly locate hats to jam over their hair, the most distinctive parts of their wanted posters, before Jenny had arrived.

It had helped she seemed more comfortable dragging a couple of known criminals with proven ties to Team Rocket to prison than whatever would have been done with a group of rogue Squirtle. Still, Jessie and James didn't relax until they got to the Pokemon Center, where they immediately changed outfits to something that let Jessie pull up her hair without ruining her aesthetic and James get rid of the heels and change into a grungy set of torn jeans and T-shirt that Meowth laughingly called "Galar punk". James had just stuck out their tongue at Meowth (jerking their hands down before doing so, as if keeping themselves from making a rude gesture in front of Ash) before claiming a spot at the Center computers.

Jessie was, as she said, pumping people for information, leaving Ash to pet Susanoo, who'd claimed his lap immediately on being released from treatment, and Meowth, who'd stretched out next to Ash and wasn't protesting the treatment.

Ash had long made a habit of checking out anyone who entered a Pokemon Center - just to see what sort of Pokemon they had, in case it was something he'd never seen before. So he looked up when the doors opened, and when he didn't see a person, looked down. The head Squirtle, the one with the triangular glasses, was turning to scan the Pokemon Center, grinning when their gaze alighted on Ash.

They let out a cheery cry before sauntering over, waving at Ash as they approached.

"Um. Hi," Ash said. "Do you and your friends need more help?"

The Squirtle snorted, shaking their head. They were...definitely grateful Ash and Susanoo had helped out during the fight with Team Rocket, but Ash couldn't quite follow after that. So Ash nudged Meowth, who opened one eye, tail twitching as he did so.

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me out? The Squirtle came back and I can't really understand them."

"Yeah, sure, might as well earn my keep," Meowth replied, stretching out before turning to face the Squirtle. "You want to try that again? The kid's sort of hit-and-miss with this 'understanding Pokemon' thing."

"Squirt," the Squirtle replied, crossing their arms in front of them.

"Huh," Meowth said. "They say - you seemed like a kindred spirit. They wanted to know if it was a fluke or not. So. No. I can't help out."

"A...kindred spirit?" Ash asked. He wasn't entirely certain what that meant, but when he looked down at the Squirtle, they were watching Ash intently.

Probably.

"Can...you take off those glasses?" he asked. "It's sort of hard to have a conversation if I can't see your expression."

"Squir," the Squirtle replied, tugging the glasses off their face. "Squir squirtle tle squi quir squirtle. Squirtle Squirt!"

"Huh." Ash considered the Squirtle's voice, their posture, the bright, determined look in their eyes. He couldn't be certain, but he'd never been entirely certain he'd understood Pokemon (except maybe, most recently, with Susanoo). So he went with what his gut told him. "You don't want to be running around stealing stuff. You - want to come with me." He thought there was something there about Team Rocket, but he didn't mention it, because if the Squirtle were determined to hunt down Team Rocket, there were better ways than hanging around Ash.

"Squirt!" the Squirtle replied, with a sharp nod of their head.

"Well, then you're definitely welcome on the team!"

"Squir Squirtle!"

"As soon as you pick out a cool name for them," Meowth translated.

The doctor raised her head when she heard footsteps. She'd expected them, but she sent a quick inquiry to her Porygon to make sure her visitors were the people she expected.

"Butch. Cassidy," she said as they stepped into the lab proper. Butch scowled.

"Are you seriously going to keep calling us that?" he demanded.

The doctor shrugged. "It's a security risk to get used to calling you by your real names." She checked the readings from the synthesizer, just to make sure it was distilling the product at the expected rate. "So. I heard you had something to report."

"What?" Cassidy demanded. "That's all you dragged us out here for? We could have had this conversation over the phone!"

"I'm not risking the leaking of valuable intelligence by using a phone line," the doctor retorted. "So."

"Whatever," Butch growled. "We saw some Squirtle enhanced by R - it looked like they lost their weakness to Electric moves while it was affecting them."

"Is that all?" the doctor asked. "Anecdotal evidence is not useful to me."

"So?" Cassidy demanded. "You can investigate - test - it properly then."

"I suppose." She frowned at another reading. The specimen was - responding oddly. She suspected it had finally begun building up a resistance to the original drugs used to keep it complacent. She upped the dosage and made a note to start filtering in her new formula.

"There's something else," Cassidy said. "We ran into that kid again. The one with the powerful Pikachu."

"I really don't care about every person you meet during your missions," the doctor said. "Unless there's anything else?"

"I - what are we going to do about the R the police confiscated?"

"Do?" the doctor asked. "What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't we get it back? Destroy their data about it?"

The doctor sighed and turned to the two agents. They were marginally more intelligent than the average Team Rocket grunt, but still so tiresome, short-sighted, sometimes. "We are producing R so that people will buy it from us. The current distribution model was chosen for field testing. To expand production, we need people to know about the drug. To know what it does. So no, we won't be trying to suppress knowledge of the R supply the police secured."

"Heh," Butch snickered. "You're cold, Doc."

"I assume that was meant to be a compliment," the doctor said, turning back to her displays. "And if so, it is appreciated."

"But how are we going to make up that supply?" Cassidy demanded. "That was six months' worth of production!"

"Do you think I've been doing nothing but draining the specimen's blood?" the doctor asked. "My prime focus since joining this project has been to replicate Fuji's work - the cloning of the legendary Pokemon Mew. True - my first attempts were imperfect, but I have nearly reconstructed the data he destroyed on attempting to escape Team Rocket. Soon, we will be able to produce as much R as your boss wants, and I can expand my research."

After all, there were more powerful legends than Mew.

Chapter Text

"Squir…" Triton, the Squirtle, frowned in concentration as they took a breath, blowing a bubble which drifted a foot or so from their face before popping. "L!" they squeaked, recoiling from the bubble.

Meowth, seated on the sidelines, snickered. James rapped his knuckles against the Pokemon's head, earning a yelp and a glare.

"Be nice," James chided. "They're doing better than you would."

Meowth scoffed, looking away as Triton tried to use Bubble Beam again. "I could do that if I had a Technical Machine telling me exactly how it works."

"No, you see, you need to puff out your cheeks really wide - like this!" Ash shouted, making a face that James suspected was meant to demonstrate the technique. Susanoo made the same face before falling backward, laughing.

"Squirtle," Triton muttered, before trying again, this time managing a stream of bubbles that looked impressive, at least. Ash cheered, jumping in place, while Triton preened.

"So, what, are we just watching here?" Meowth asked. At some point in the last minute, he'd settled next to James, glowering, arms crossed, at Ash and Triton. "Cause the twerp seems to have a handle on things."

"I'm here in case he needs any pointers," James replied. He looked down at Meowth, who was still glaring at Ash and his Pokemon, and nudged Meowth's side. "I could give you pointers, if you wanted."

"Ha!" Meowth growled, entirely unconvincingly, as he continued to glower at, yes, Susanoo. Something about their previous encounter with Team Rocket had left Meowth irritable, touchy about the concept of battling, and James wasn't certain what, exactly. Pokemon saw things differently than humans, and Meowth - wasn't quite human, but acted enough like it that sometimes James forgot there were motivations there he didn't understand. "I don't need a Pikachu to teach me how to fight like a Pokemon."

"Ah. Okay." It didn't quite seem like the time to argue, especially with Ash more or less wrapping up the training session. But he resolved to keep an eye on Meowth just in case.

"Did you see that?" Ash called as he reached James, grinning down at him.

"Absolutely," James said. "You did well. You, too, Triton."

"Squir!" Triton replied, giving James a thumbs up. Pikachu, though, glared at the Squirtle, suggesting another conflict looming on the horizon. James had read about the sort of personality conflicts people ran into when they started building competitive Pokemon teams, but little advice on how to handle them. Ash would likely have to resolve the issue himself, if it ever came up.

"So, have you been thinking about your fight at the Vermillion City Gym?" James asked as they began their trek back into Vermillion City proper, and the Pokemon Center specifically.

"Hm," Ash mused, reaching his hands to hold them behind his head. "Using Felix, Sirocco, or Triton would all be pretty risky - they're weak against Electric attacks. Valiant knows Fire Spin, which could help trap any Pokemon they have in the gym. And Chief knows Leech Seed, which could keep up his health during a fight." Triton, oddly, had been the one to name Ash's Bulbasaur - they'd mockingly called him 'Chief' in response to the Bulbasaur trying to keep the Squirtle in check, and he'd taken to the name.

"Piika," Susanoo grumbled from Ash's shoulder. "Pikachu pi pi."

"Huh," Ash said, thoughtfully. "That is a good point."

"Hm?"

Ash turned to face James as he walked. "Most Electric Pokemon have a resistance to Electric attacks, but Susanoo's totally immune. And he knows a couple of attacks that aren't Electric type. He'd be a good trump card to pull out if the fight's getting really hard."

"Chu," Susanoo said, smug.

James hoped Ash was right. But the journey to the Indigo Conference involved a couple of thresholds - only about half of those who tried to qualify for the Indigo Conference with badges earned more than two, and only two out of five of those got more than four. Only one percent of all trainers who tried actually collected eight gym badges; the notorious difficulty of such a feat was why so many who competed at the Indigo Conference took the qualifying exam, instead. Rumor had it that once you had two badges, the gym leaders stopped taking it easy on you.

But Ash wouldn't let such a claim discourage him, even if it were true, so James didn't bring it up. Susanoo spent most of the afternoon bragging about his central role in Ash's strategy, at least according to Meowth.

Ash woke up early the next morning, a minor miracle in itself, and James offered to take Ash alone to the gym, rather than force Jessie up earlier than she'd like - that offer, however, pushed her into a flurry of activity that had her ready to go within five minutes, even if she'd forgone her usual hairstyle for a loose ponytail.

"You don't have to make threats to get me up," she complained to James as they left the Pokemon Center.

"It wasn't a threat," James protested. "I was trying to be considerate."

"Hmph," Jessie scoffed, stepping forward to drag Ash back with an arm around his chest. "You know I wouldn't miss one of Ash's gym battles for the world. My memoirs of watching him fight his way to the top are going to have to contain every detail."

Ash slowed, looking up at Jessie with a starry-eyed look he got more often around Pokemon than humans. "You really like watching me battle?"

"Of course, twerp," she retorted. "And my partner here was going to deny me the pleasure."

"I'm sorry for trying to let you sleep in," James sniped back, as Jessie stuck her tongue out at him. It was decidedly childish, which was a clear sign Jessie was in a good mood.

"Soo, you're going to wipe the floor with this gym leader, right?" Jessie asked.

"Absolutely!" Ash replied, punching the air. "Even if my other Pokemon can't do the job, Susanoo's my secret weapon!"

"Pika!"

"You've got a secret Pokemon? Do you mind showing it to me?"

The new voice drew all their attention away from Ash, and, for James, down, as the voice belonged to a child - dark-haired, about Ash's height, dressed in casual clothing with a stylized Pokeball design on their shirt. Well-off, James guessed, given the fashionable cut of what looked, at first glance, to be travel clothing.

Ash didn't spare more than a moment of surprise before he grinned at the newcomer. "It's not really a secret. Susanoo's my Pikachu partner here." He patted Susanoo, who gave the newcomer a brief "Chu" before tugging at Ash's shoulder to urge him back into movement.

"Hm. A Pikachu?" the newcomer said, trailing after Ash, uninvited (an uncharitable thought, James chided himself; given the kid's obvious interest in Pokemon, Ash wouldn't have an objection to the company, even if the newcomer had asked). "Raichu is a pretty powerful Pokemon, so I can understand why you'd want a Pikachu."

"...Raichu?" Ash asked.

"The Pokemon that evolves from Pikachu!" the kid declared, pointing at Susanoo. "The power of all of its attacks practically double, and it can take a lot more hits. I could help you get a Thunder Stone to help it evolve, if you wanted. I've never seen a Pikachu evolve, actually."

"Huh," Ash replied. "I hadn't thought about that. How about it, buddy - you want to be a Raichu?"

"Ka," Susanoo retorted, looking away from the kid who'd suggested he evolve. "Pi-ka ka pikachu pi pika kachu." It didn't take a bond like Ash and Susanoo had, or even Ash's occasional ability to understand what other Pokemon said, to read Susanoo's tone.

Ash raised a hand to scratch at Susanoo's ear. "Of course I wouldn't make you evolve if you didn't want to. I just thought if you had a chance, you should take it if you wanted! I doubt we could find a Thunder Stone without help." He glanced at the newcomer, who was staring at him with an odd expression on their face. "You know, I don't think I got your name. I'm Ash."

"...Goh," the other kid replied after a moment. "Are you actually communicating with your Pokemon, or are you just saying things to it?"

"No, Susanoo and I really understand each other!" Ash replied. "Don't we?"

"Pi!" Susanoo chimed in.

"I...see," Goh replied.

"So, do you have a Pokemon partner?" Ash asked.

"Hmph," Goh said, patting their chest. "Not yet. When I become a Pokemon trainer, my first Pokemon will be the legendary Mew."

"Mew?" Ash asked, flipping open his gear to access his Pokedex.

"Mew is a legendary Pokemon believed by many to be a myth, or extinct," Dexter rattled off. "Believed to be the common ancestor of all Pokemon, it is theorized to be capable of using the moves learned by any other Pokemon. Efforts to clone fossilized Pokemon have suggested the remains of a Mew could be used to clone it, as well."

"Huh," Goh snorted. "Well, I'm going to catch the original, even if you made a hundred clones."

"But Dexter said Mew's extinct," Ash protested, looking between Goh and his gear.

"Mew isn't extinct," Goh retorted, folding their arms over their chest as they looked away from Ash (quite pointedly, James thought). "I've seen it when I was at a Pokemon camp run by Professor Oak-"

"Wait - really?" Ash asked, pushing close to Goh, grinning. "Then we must have at least met each other before - I'm from Pallet Town, and I went to Professor Oak's Pokemon camps every summer!"

"Hm," Goh said, giving Ash a careful examination. "Maybe. But I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who saw Mew - and my friend Chloe, I guess," they allowed.

"Boulder and Cascade, I see!" Ash jumped, looking around, noticing only at that moment they'd arrived at the gym. A man was standing next to the door - skin pale, sun-pinked, eyes bright blue behind bottle lenses. He was smiling at Ash. "That's quite an accomplishment - about one in ten trainers never even make it this far. But you must have heard the third badge is the real test. Things will be challenging - unfair, at times. You will be forced to confront your weaknesses, and overcome them, if you will make it to the Indigo Conference."

Goh snorted. "If I wanted to go to the Indigo Conference, I could just take the Pokemon League Admissions Exam - I'd pass it with no problem!"

"Hee hee hee," the man giggled. "But you said you want to catch Mew - something only a true Pokemon master has earned the right to do. And that can't be accomplished with a test - at least not a test like that."

"You said I had to confront my weaknesses," Ash said, interrupting Goh before they could start arguing with the old man. "Does that mean I have to use my Squirtle in this gym?"

"Strength and weakness are about more than types!" the man retorted. "Go on inside - you'll see. Or, of course, you might not - at which point, your journey will be at its end."

"I'm going to win," Ash vowed, pushing through the door of the gym. When the four of them (Meowth included) were inside, Ash turned, raising an eyebrow at Goh. "Aren't you coming in?"

"Nah, I don't really like Pokemon battles," Goh replied, shaking his head. "Still-" He grabbed Ash's gear, typing in a few digits, before handing it back to him with a grin. "If you decide you want a Thunder Stone, send me a message. I'd really like to see a Pikachu evolve."

"O - oh." Ash stared down at his phone for a moment before nodding, a short jerk of his head. "Sure. Thanks. It was really nice to meet you!"

"I…" Goh paused, staring at Ash for an uncomfortably long moment, before they dropped their gaze and stepped away. "Yeah. Good luck."

Next to James, Jessie rolled her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she just shook her head. "Let's go watch the twerp win his next badge."

Lt. Surge, leader of the Vermillion City Gym, was built like a brick, dressed in a dull green uniform and standing, cross-armed, at the far end of the massive arena. Blue eyes - sparked - when he saw Susanoo, and he grinned.

"You think you can beat my gym challenge with a baby like that?" Surge asked.

Ash stiffened and Susanoo snarled. "Pi pika pi pi pi pikachu!" he shouted.

"What he said!" Ash chimed in.

Surge threw his head back and laughed. "Your Pikachu's got a mouth on him!" he said.

"Pi pi!" Susanoo snapped, and Surge dropped his head down to meet Susanoo's gaze.

"Thunder God, eh?" he asked. "Let's see how well he lives up to that name, huh? One on one, kid - your Thunder God against my Storm King. Raichu!" He tossed out a Pokeball, which released a Raichu - twice Susanoo's height, twice as broad, with a whiplike tail sweeping behind them. He ran a hand through his messy blond hair and smirked at Ash. "There's only one lesson to learn at the Vermillion City Gym, and it's that you can't be a master without learning how to evolve your Pokemon."

Ash looked to Susanoo, whose hair was on end, cheeks sparking, tail twitching, and James knew that even if Ash hadn't been inclined, the Pikachu would have leapt into the fray himself.

"Go, Susanoo!" Ash cried, and Susanoo leaped off his shoulder and onto the battlefield. "Let's do this."

"Heh." Surge pointed a finger at Susanoo. "Thunderbolt!"

"Raaaaiii...chuuuuu!" The blast was blinding, lightning covering every inch of the ring, and when the light died away, Susanoo raised two fingers in a victory pose.

"Chuu!" he sneered, before darting forward.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash retorted, and Susanoo's cheeks sparked in response, sending Surge's Raichu stumbling back with a squeal.

"Lightning Rod, eh?" Surge asked, as his Raichu (Storm King?) tried, with occasional success, to evade Susanoo's Thunderbolts. "You've got yourself a rare sort of Pikachu, kid - but you've got no idea how to take advantage of his strengths."

"Yeah?" Ash demanded. "He's wearing your Pokemon down!"

"Five," Surge said, as Susanoo let off another Thunderbolt, and James' stomach plummeted with a realization - not exactly what was going to happen, but what Surge was really up to.

"Volt Tackle!" Ash called, sending Susanoo barreling into the Raichu.

Who didn't fall back, didn't cry out. And, now that they weren't trying to avoid it, it was easy to see Surge's Raichu didn't have a mark on them.

"Yeah - for one thing, if you've got a Pokemon with that particular ability, it benefits you to conceal it as long as possible - just a little deception to lure your opponent into wasting their power to increase yours. Storm King - Focus Blast!"

Storm King drew their arms back behind them, a crouched, ready pose, as dark red energy began sparking between their palms. "Rairai...rairai…CHUUUU!"

The energy, a sphere of red, flew fast enough that Susanoo, close enough to run into the Raichu, couldn't avoid it. It knocked him backward, nearly out of the field, leaving him bruised as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Pikaaaa…"

"Still standing, huh?" Surge asked. "We'll need to fix that. Focus Blast!"

Susanoo yelped in shock and dodged the next attack, but Storm King threw out another Focus Blast before Susanoo could recover, which knocked Susanoo entirely off his feet again, and when he fell, he didn't get back up again.

"You see?" Surge asked, in the quiet afterward. "This could have played out a whole lot different if you'd done things smart - or if your Pokemon were stronger. So why don't you run along and evolve that little Pikachu, and give me a real fight?"

The port of Vermillion City was laid out below Ash - a notoriously fantastic view of the bustle of activity as people loaded and unloaded, boarded and disembarked, the ships that flowed through the harbor.

Ash spared no attention for it - he was absorbed in his own concerns. He might have been able to brush off Lt. Surge's contempt if he hadn't so thoroughly trounced Ash and Susanoo. If he hadn't proved so thoroughly that his Pokemon was better than Ash's - that Raichu was better than Pikachu.

Ash was staring at the screen of his gear, at the number Goh had entered into it. Goh had said - they could get a Thunder Stone for Ash. That Ash could have a Raichu to beat Lt. Surge with. Susanoo had said he didn't want to evolve, but Ash had seen his hesitation, his uncertainty, after their defeat. Ash felt uncertain. The old man outside the gym had told Ash he had to confront his weaknesses, and maybe...letting his Pokemon dictate how he did things was the weakness he had to get over. They didn't want to be Pokemon Masters, after all.

Ash stood, gear gripped in one hand, lifted it, and...paused.

He shoved it in his pocket and stormed away from the bench he'd been sitting on. He didn't return to the Pokemon Center - he just let his feet go where they would (and so absorbed in his own feelings, he ignored most of his surroundings, barely noticing that occasionally, when he came to a crossroads, something tugged at his feet, guiding his steps through Vermillion City).

In time, he came to a - mansion, he guessed, a building dark even as the sun sank toward the horizon. It was abandoned, he guessed, as he crossed the overgrown garden toward the front door. He didn't go inside, just stayed at the threshold, looking at the dark building.

And finally alone (Susanoo still back at the Pokemon Center, his Pokeballs sitting on his bed, and no crowds to hear him), Ash began to cry - the only outlet he had for his frustration at his weakness, his stupidity, his lack of foresight (he could have hunted down a Geodude to fight Lt. Surge with, could have tracked down a Technical Machine for - Mud Slap, or another Ground type move). He cried for the lack of faith Susanoo had in him, clearly worried Ash was going to - force him to evolve to win. He cried for the feeling of helplessness, that he might not be able to win at all if he didn't force Susanoo to evolve.

He cried alone because he couldn't bear someone telling him it would be alright, that he could do this - or worse, that it wouldn't matter if he couldn't succeed (if his dream died).

He cried until the tears slowed and stopped, not because the feelings were gone, but because his body simply couldn't cry anymore. And he stood in the quiet night for a long time afterward.

"I wish," Ash said to the darkness, before trailing off, having no words to express what he wanted. He wanted to beat Lt. Surge with Susanoo, his first Pokemon and his best friend. He wanted Lt. Surge to stop thinking Susanoo was weak just because he hadn't evolved.

"I wish," Ash repeated, "I knew what the old man meant." He crossed his arms, in part to fight against the slight chill of the night, and glared at the building. "I know Susanoo doesn't want to be a Raichu. And...catching another Pokemon just to beat Lt. Surge isn't - I should put my faith in the Pokemon I have now - in my friends. The old man said I need to confront my weaknesses, and that means...it's my weakness. Not my Pokemon's." He dropped onto the ground in front of the building and groaned as he let his hands fall on the ground between his legs. "This is like one of those dumb riddles from school," he complained. And he knew Jessie and James and everyone would help if he asked, but.

This felt like something he had to figure out himself.

"Maybe he meant - a real Pokemon Master doesn't need the best Pokemon to win a battle," Ash tried. The words triggered a memory, of Valiant screaming at Damian that there weren't - strong and weak Pokemon. Just Pokemon that had someone who believed in them, and those who didn't. "Or - it isn't about being strong. About - good luck or good Pokemon. Just...understanding them. What they can do. What they can't do."

Storm King was strong - even without the boost to his power he'd gotten from Susanoo's Thunderbolt, his Focus Blast was almost too powerful.

There was a feeling in Ash's mind, at that - like something he needed to remember but couldn't quite. Something about the Focus Blast. Storm King had taken Susanoo out with two Focus Blasts…

But he'd used three.

Ash spent the entire next day training Susanoo, and waiting on a response on a message he'd sent to Goh close to midnight when he'd finally gotten back to the Pokemon Center. Goh had offered to help, and Ash wasn't certain if that extended to anything beyond getting a chance to see a Pikachu evolve, but...well, it couldn't hurt.

It was the next morning, just outside the Vermillion City Gym, when Goh appeared with a shout, waving at Ash as they sprinted toward them.

"Hey!" Goh said as they approached pausing to rest, panting, hands against their legs, when they finally reached Ash. When they looked up, their smile faded over several seconds. "I'm - you texted me? Or did I - I didn't miss it, did I?"

"No," Ash replied. "I. You didn't respond - I didn't know if you were coming."

"Oh!" Goh straightened, twisting around to rifle through their backpack. "I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I couldn't find anything to help, but-" They pulled out a squat bottle from their bag, presenting it to Ash with both hands. "It's called Bright Powder - you sort of rub it into your Pokemon's fur before a battle."

"Oh, wow!" Ash grinned at Goh, who just stared in response while Ash waved the bottle at Susanoo. "Are you ready? We're going to show Lt. Surge what a Pikachu can do!"

Susanoo cheered in agreement. James found them all a quiet spot to settle down while Ash massaged the powder into Susanoo's fur. Despite Ash's efforts to make it even, the powder left strange, jagged stripes of Susanoo's fur with an unnatural shine. Goh spent most of the time snapping pictures of Susanoo from every conceivable angle. When Ash was done, Susanoo demanded a few posed shots, so Goh would have pictures of Susanoo looking his best. Once they were done, Ash turned back to the gym, pausing only when Goh murmured a quiet word - barely an 'um', but addressing Ash nonetheless.

"You can really...understand him, can't you?" Goh asked.

"Of course I can," Ash replied. "Anyone can learn to understand their partners if they try. When you catch Mew, you'll figure it out, I bet."

"O - oh," Goh murmured, as they trailed after Ash.

The old man was at the door to the gym, grinning widely at the sight of Susanoo. "Surge told you what he thought you needed to do to win this fight," he said. "You don't seem to agree with him."

Ash shook his head. "If Susanoo wanted to be a Raichu to beat Surge, I'd get him a Thunder Stone. But he - doesn't want that. He trusts me to do my best for him, to help him reach his full potential. If he wants to prove he can beat a Raichu like Storm King as a Pikachu...it's my duty to help him do it, no matter what!"

The old man's grin didn't waver - if anything, it widened. "What conviction!" the old man said. "But you should keep in mind - Surge feels the same about his Pokemon. He chose Pokemon who believe, like he does, that their final evolution is the prime expression of their strength as a Pokemon. You will not be victorious presuming he has pushed them down a path they do not want."

"I know," Ash said. He clenched one hand at his side, and gave the old man his most determined smile. "But I'm still going to win."

He took a few steps before realizing Goh was still following him; Ash's stomach flipped a little, much as it had hearing Jessie complain about the possibility of not seeing Ash's gym battle. "Are you coming to watch?"

Goh stepped back, hands flailing in front of him. "Yes!" he agreed. "Just - it's really interesting seeing a Pikachu trying to beat a Raichu - a real comparison of the power of evolved Pokemon versus their unevolved counterparts."

"It's going to be awesome!" Ash corrected, pushing Goh toward Jessie and James. "You can sit with Jessie, James, and Meowth - they can tell you all about what's going on."

Buoyed (whether by Goh's assistance or their agreement to spectate), Ash strode into the stadium, where Lt. Surge was waiting. The man smirked at the sight of Susanoo.

"A dye job isn't going to make your Pikachu any better," he said. "But if you want to lose your chance at winning a Thunder Badge by ignoring my advice, go ahead." He cracked his neck and tossed out a Pokeball. "Storm King!"

"Go on, Susanoo," Ash said. Susanoo jumped down from his shoulder and took a steadying breath. Their strategy wasn't certain - no matter how much they put into it, it could still fail.

But with it, they could win.

"I'm not going to make the mistake of attacking your Pokemon with Electric attacks," Ash called.

And Lt. Surge smirked. "Do you think that's the only trick I have up my sleeve? Storm King - Nasty Plot!"

The Raichu slapped his cheeks until they sparked. He grinned at Susanoo.

"Focus Blast!"

"Get out of the way!" Ash called.

As Susanoo moved to evade the attack, the shimmering powder in his fur blurred his form. And when Storm King threw out a Focus Blast, the orb went wide, crashing into the ground with an explosion that scattered dust and shards of rock.

"Susanoo - Double Team!" Ash shouted. Susanoo crouched for a moment before bursting back into motion, a blurred form that left afterimages, almost as if there were multiple Pikachu circling Storm King.

"Nasty Plot!" Lt. Surge called, and once his Raichu was powered up again, "Focus Blast!" The attack went wide again, smashing through a Pikachu running a step behind Susanoo.

"Double Team again!" Ash shouted.

"Nasty Plot!" Lt. Surge called. "Focus Blast!"

"Double Team!" Ash retorted, and this time, the attack didn't even come close to Susanoo.

"You can't win by just dodging," Lt. Surge taunted. "And your Pokemon doesn't have the guts to face down mine head-to-head."

"Is that so?" Ash retorted. "Iron Tail!"

And Susanoo, using the phantom images as cover, slammed a tail now hard as steel into Storm King. The Raichu fell back, stunned by the ferocity of the attack.

"Susanoo, Iron Tail!"

"Dig!"

"Rai!" Storm King dove underground, avoiding the swipe of Susanoo's tail.

Susanoo had enough time for a single confused exclamation before Storm King lunged out of the ground, using the hail of dirt and rock to knock Susanoo backward. Susanoo squealed in pain and darted away.

"Slam!" Lt Surge commanded.

"Double Team!" Ash shouted, desperate. Susanoo darted away from the full-body tackle, cheeks sparking on instinct.

"No, use Iron Tail-"

"Dig!" Storm King burrowed underground once again, leaving Susanoo with no indication of where the next attack would come from.

Ash wracked his brain for a moment, for any idea of what to do. "Get off the ground!" he shouted, but it was too late, as Storm King burst from the ground, slamming into Susanoo, flinging him back with the force of the impact.

"Susanoo!"

"Forget it, kid," Lt. Surge said. "It's over."

The growl might have sounded like, "Chuuuu," to anyone who didn't understand Susanoo, but Ash was certain it was clear to everyone who heard it, who saw Susanoo rising on shaky feet, that it wasn't over, not yet.

(When a Pokemon and their trainer are truly in sync, James had said, the Pokemon can push themselves beyond their normal limits. Sometimes even survive attacks they shouldn't be able to.)

"Pika!" Ash didn't give the command, but Susanoo used Double Team again, dodging another Focus Blast with almost impossible ease.

"Go ahead," Ash said. "Double-"

"Dig!" Lt. Surge roared, but Susanoo didn't stop moving - so when the Raichu burst out of the ground, the attack went wide, and Ash and Susanoo saw the opening.

"Iron Tail!" Susanoo, Ash was certain, had already made one lucky strike, but James had said, as well, that a strong bond between Pokemon and trainer could give the Pokemon the strength to make powerful strikes. And indeed, the swipe of Susanoo's tail sent the Raichu stumbling back, wavering on his feet. Ash opened his mouth to give another command, but before he could, the Raichu collapsed.

"Yeah, Ash!" Goh's shout was forceful, strained, and warmed Ash nearly as much as Susanoo's tired grin.

Nearly as much as the shock on Lt. Surge's face, gaze fixed on the unconscious Raichu as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I won, right?" Ash asked, just to be sure, earning a bark of laughter from Lt. Surge.

"Yeah, you won." He recalled his Raichu and crossed the field in long strides before clapping a hand on Ash's shoulder. "If you ever decide to evolve that Pikachu-"

"I won't," Ash said. "Not unless he wants to."

"I see," Lt. Surge murmured. "Well." He held out a pin shaped something like a sun. "You earned this - the Thunder Badge. And." He fumbled through his vest before producing a small disk. "Your Pikachu knows it already, but you'd be surprised what Pokemon will take to learning Thunderbolt."

"Thanks!" Ash replied. "I had a lot of fun battling you."

"You did, did you?" Lt Surge mused, smiling gently. "Well, congratulations - only about half of all trainers make it this far - and the fights will get harder from here on."

"I know," Ash said. He'd have to confront his weaknesses - learn how to be strong no matter what Pokemon he was fighting with, what Pokemon he faced. "I'm looking forward to it."

Ash was a little depressed they'd had to say goodbye to his new friend (it was probably for the best - Goh looked like he'd never had to sleep outside, much less slog through a rainstorm in boots with six-inch heels. And besides, keeping an eye on Ash was more than enough babysitting in Jessie's life).

James, though, was well on top of the problem (he'd probably stopped thinking of this whole thing as babysitting and started thinking of Ash like a little brother; he had always gotten attached easily), suggesting instead of walking to the next town, they take a boat to Fuschia City.

"There'll be less chance to catch Pokemon, but you'll meet plenty of new people, and have a chance to see Water type Pokemon out in the wild," he explained. Either one of those would probably have been an effective lure, but both of them together left Ash bright-eyed and eager.

"And how are we paying for this?" Jessie asked when Ash hurried ahead to explore the harbor.

"Relax, Jessie," James replied with a sharp grin. "The St. Anne is a floating Pokemon convention - anyone who places in the top eight has their tickets comped."

"It's not very nice, using the twerp like that," Meowth grumbled.

"Using him?" James demanded, hand over his heart in indignation. "I'm giving him an opportunity to practice what he's learned in his last three gym battles. Besides, if we told him, there wouldn't be anything we could do to keep him off the ship."

"That is true," Jessie agreed. She walked in silence for a few moments. "You know - Ash's friend Goh seemed pretty excited about the possibility of seeing Pokemon evolve in real life. If you wanted a Fire Stone-"

"We're not shaking down ten-year-olds for free stuff," James said.

"We're using Ash for free tickets on a cruise," Meowth pointed out.

"That's a special case," James snapped, before turning to Jessie, eyeing her thoughtfully. "What brought this on?"

"I've just been thinking about - evolution," Jessie replied airily, hoping her actual desire wasn't on display. "Mercy is fine as a Happiny, but she needs to be a Chansey before she can learn the sort of things Pokemon Center nurses need to know." And the sort of people who collected items that helped Pokemon evolve didn't part with them cheaply. James stared at her for a few moments, likely trying to gauge how much she actually cared to have Mercy become a Chansey.

At last he shrugged. "Well, we'll keep our eyes out for opportunities. Until then, we've got a cruise to take."

Ash then appeared to drag them to the ship, which was - less impressive than Jessie had hoped.

"Are you sure this is the right boat?" she asked James. "You called it the St. Anne - this is the S.S. Anne." She let James ruminate on that for a moment before adding the second, obvious point. "And this looks nothing like a cruise ship. It's a giant, ugly cargo ship."

"Well, of course it's not going to be all luxury decks, not if people are having Pokemon battles on it," James retorted, folding his arms in a sign of him digging in his heels. "Besides, the kid knows what he's doing, don't you, Ash?"

"It was the only boat I saw named Anne," Ash said. "Hey - why do boats have names like people or Pokemon? Are they alive, too?"

"Oh, god," Jessie muttered, stalking toward the currently abandoned gangplank onto the ship. "I'm going to see if this ship has a bar and I'm not leaving until we get to Fuschia City."

"Some days, I fantasize about just grabbing that snobby doctor around her little neck and squeezing, you know?" The Team Rocket member codenamed 'Yamato', nicknamed 'Cassidy' by the police, leaned against the wall of the bridge, looking out over the deck spread out below them. "I need you to ship these subpar Pokemon to Viridian City for distribution; they're just not optimal for my experiments. And while you're over there, get me a cup of tea and a crumpet."

Kosaburo, nicknamed 'Butch', rolled his eyes from where he was checking over the controls of the ship. "That's the worst accent I've ever heard," he said.

"Yeah? Well I think she made it up," Cassidy growled. "Pretending to be Galarian just to sound fancy."

"Yeah? She's still in charge until the boss reassigns us."

"Ugh!" Cassidy kicked the wall, scowling. "We worked hard stealing these Pokemon, on her say-so, and she just tells us they're worthless. What the fuck's wrong with that Arcanine? It's a prize-winning Arcanine!"

"Admittedly, we sort of fucked up with the Magikarp," Butch said.

"Ooh, 'alternate coloration isn't a useful mutation, and probably contributes to other birth defects, so get it out of my sight'," Cassidy said, voice dropping to mock the doctor's (possibly fake) Galarian accent.

"Lucky the Boss likes shit like that," Butch mused. "Probably stick it in a pond to look pretty so he can show off he's got a - how rare did she say these things are?"

"Approximately zero-point-zero-two-four-four percent of Pokemon are born with unnatural coloration," Cassidy continued in her imitation of the doctor's accent, and Butch snickered, despite himself.

The bridge's radio crackled to life. "Hey, Kosaburo - we've finished loading up the cargo."

"Finally," he said. "Alright - clear out the extraneous personnel and let's get this show on the road."

"All aboard the S.S. Anne - cover for the greatest Pokemon smuggling operation in Kanto," Cassidy drawled.

The Gengar jumped down from the apex of the old mansion's roof, grumbling to himself. The kid was gone, now (on a cargo ship, which seemed odd, but humans did a lot of odd things). Obviously it would have been unreasonable to think the kid might have noticed him - the Gengar was good at remaining unseen when he wanted to, which was most of the time.

Hearing the kid talk, though, struggling with a loss without blaming his Pokemon for it, had tempted the Gengar to draw closer, watch the kid closer. Or maybe just get him off the property; the kid had tied up the Gengar's stomach with a pang of - something unfamiliar, but also anger.

(How dare there be people who talked like that, when Gengar got someone who'd abandoned him? Maybe Gengar was unlucky - not just for his trainer, but also for himself.)

In another time, he might have followed the kid, shadowed him - abandoned a vigil he was almost certain was fruitless, either to study the kid, or maybe, curse him for real, see if he'd blame one of his Pokemon for the turn in his luck.

But there was already something lurking in the kid's shadow, watching him.

Something powerful.

Something dangerous.

Chapter Text

"I'm willing to admit I made a mistake," James said.

"Now is not the time!" Jessie whispered, poking James hard in the shoulder.

"Shh!" Meowth hissed, and they all fell silent. Ash, pinned between Jessie and James, ducked his head down as footsteps echoed from the far side of the heavy crate they were currently using as cover.

The footsteps paused, close enough to the edge that if the owner looked carefully enough, they might see the five of them. Jessie's hand drifted to her belt, hovering over Fangs' Pokeball. She was - almost certain they could fight their way out of the cargo hold, but was hesitant to do so unless they were guaranteed an escape route beyond that. As a last resort, she was certain Triton could get Ash and Susanoo out of there, but it was a sacrifice she didn't really want to make.

The footsteps passed on, and Jessie exhaled, still fighting to stay quiet.

"So," James murmured as the footsteps faded in the distance. "As I was saying-"

"I'm really not interested in throwing blame around, James," she sniped, rising to her feet so she could peek over the crate to the rest of the hold. The crate next to them was unusual, in that it was closed and labeled, generically, "supplies". Most of the containers in the hold were open - or, rather, open cages, or boxes made out of some sturdy clear plastic - and holding Pokemon. Some of the Pokemon paced or pawed at their enclosured, but most of them were sprawled on the ground, resigned to the fate afforded to them having been captured by Team Rocket. "Do you think if we broke out a couple of Flying Pokemon they might help us get to land?"

She paused, but the protest she'd expected didn't come, and when she looked to Ash, he was still huddled against the side of the crate. She nudged his leg with her toe until he looked up. "Get up," she commanded. "We're going to need you on a shorter leash than usual if we're going to get out of here."

Ash nodded, quiet, and stood, drifting to James' side. Susanoo let out a mournful "chuu"; Jessie glanced to Meowth, who just shook his head. It wasn't important right now.

Good.

"Meowth might help us negotiate," James replied. "But...it seems a shame. Sort of unfair."

"Life is unfair," Jessie snapped. "I'm giving us even odds of all of us being able to get out of here - there is literally zero chance we can free every Pokemon here at the same time."

Ash flinched away from her, and Jessie paused, weighing her tone, her words, trying to remember if she'd seen similar behavior from Ash before. They'd yelled, they'd argued, and he'd never seemed - frightened of them. She wasn't certain he was frightened now - not of Jessie and James, at least (she eyed James, hoping his more explicitly abusive childhood might have given him some insight, but found no comprehension in his eyes).

"Yeah, I'm not certain the kid won't rush off to rescue them even if we decide not to," Meowth drawled, poking Ash's calf. "Hey, kid? Ash? What's going on up there?"

"I...won't make any trouble," Ash murmured. "I promise." His tone, muted, eyes avoiding Meowth's, Jessie's, even James', left Jessie uneasy. Ash had charged in, fearless, to save a colony of Clefairy from Team Rocket. He hadn't looked this uncertain, this subdued, since they'd met.

And Jessie couldn't say if leaving this would cause problems when they could afford them less. So she looked to James, jerking her head toward Ash - whether as a boy or girl, James got the kid better than her, probably through their similar interests in Pokemon growth and care. So as Jessie eased out of hiding to scout, James dropped a hand on Ash's head.

"Ash?" he asked. When Ash didn't respond, he continued. "We need to know how you're feeling."

"Fine," Ash muttered.

"Hm. I need you to be honest with me," James continued. "It's going to be tricky, getting out of here, so it's important we know if there's anything that might make things harder for us."

"I won't make any trouble," Ash repeated, waving James' hand away and stepping away from him.

"Whether you're - hurt, or ill, or even feeling stressed," James continued, "you should tell us. We don't want to risk getting you hurt more, or-"

"I know, I'm fine," Ash insisted. "I'm not going to make things worse than I - than they are."

Jessie caught James' eyes, and gave him a curt nod. There it was, the thread, something they didn't have time for right now. Not on a ship crawling with Rockets, packed with captive Pokemon.

Jessie took a deep breath and grit her teeth, steeling herself. She didn't want to do this, but Ash did. Hell, James did - but he was mature enough to set aside his wants for the greater good. Ash wasn't, but he was tied up in knots, unwilling to tell Jessie and James what he wanted. And whether she'd planned to or not, Jessie had taken responsibility for the kid. His mother was worrying about him from half a country away, so the least Jessie could do was do everything she could for him here.

"But when have we ever taken the easy route?" she asked.

"Jessie?" James asked cautiously.

She spun on her heel and grinned at him, the same wild grin she'd used to goad him on when they were kids. "This is, what, the fourth time we've run into Team Rocket? And every time, we foil their plans. So it seems to me that whatever the chances of someone else getting all the Pokemon out of here, our chances are a little bit better."

"Does that mean you have a plan?" James asked.

"Not a clue!" Jessie replied cheerfully. "I thought I'd take a page out of the twerp's book and jump in with zero thought beforehand."

"I think about things!" Ash snapped. "I think about them a lot! Just because - I'm not as smart as you doesn't mean I don't!"

He was shouting, and it proved Jessie was wrong in thinking this was something they could put off until later, because she could hear footsteps from outside the hold. She very much wished she'd had more time to come up with a plan, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Susanoo!" she snapped. "Break that cage with Iron Tail!"

"Pi?" Susanoo asked, gaze flicking to Ash, who was shaking in place, not even looking at the Pikachu.

"I'd do what she says," Meowth advised. He narrowed his eyes at the cage in question, a box with a clear wall containing a Muk. "Whatever these Pokemon's trainers were like, I doubt Team Rocket's taking them to Pokemon sanctuaries."

"Pi pi," Susanoo growled, swinging his tail. "Pikachu!" The wall cracked - it didn't shatter, but to the Muk, it was like a wide-open door, as they poured through the opening to reform on the other side.

"Muu!"

"Go on!" Jessie shouted at them. "Use your acid to melt some of these bars - help free any of the Pokemon that will help to break open the other cages."

"Hey!" The attention their shouting had attracted had finally arrived - a pair of Rocket agents whose hands reached to their belts as Growlie's Pokeball bounced against the ground, releasing the Growlithe.

"Snarl!" James commanded. The ensuing bark - fierce, sharp - sent the Rockets' Pokemon tumbling back. "Bite!" James added.

Jessie turned away from the fight, sauntering toward the door on the far end of the hold, pulling Fangs' Pokeball from her belt. It was almost laughable that the two agents couldn't handle Growlie, who was only trained as well as a Pokemon used to only the occasional battle could be.

"Fangs, out!" she called, the Ekans winding between her feet as three agents approached her. "Glare! Screech!" There were screams behind Jessie - unfamiliar ones, amongst the roars of Pokemon - suggesting the newly-freed Pokemon were making their displeasure known to Team Rocket. A Jolteon streaked past Jessie, taking advantage of their newly-paralyzed foes to knock a Zubat into their trainer and electrocute a Tauros threatening to charge Fangs. Another half dozen Rockets appeared, and shouts from behind left Jessie certain the same was happening behind her. Frequent cries of "Pika" told of Susanoo's contribution to the battle, but Ash was still silent. Jessie wondered, briefly, as she called out Mercy, not to fight, but to shield her allies - which in this case was everyone aside from the Rockets' Pokemon - from damage, if there was a way she could shock Ash out of his breakdown, or whatever. Not easily, and definitely not now - but it was probably good enough that Susanoo was helping.

"Mass Hypnosis." Jessie knew that voice - hated the owner of that voice. The blond agent leaned against the door leading out of the hold, smirking as Pokemon between them dropped, snoring.

"Su-" Jessie shouted, turning back to the Pikachu.

"Piiii," Susanoo murmured, eyes sliding closed as he fell to the ground himself. A litany of curses (a string of 'fucks', really) ran through Jessie's mind; Mercy and Fangs were out, Growlie snoozing with his tail in his mouth, even Meowth drooling on the floor. The only Pokemon with their eyes still open were the Raticate owned by the blond's partner, and-

"Come, on, let's get you out of here." James swung a half-melted metal bar at the last unbroken cage - a tank holding a large golden Pokemon. It didn't shatter - it barely even cracked. But the Pokemon, a Magikarp, considered one of the dullest Pokemon in the world, turned to James and opened their mouth.

Jessie had exactly one coherent thought over the next thirty seconds, and it was-

"Who wasted the time using a Technical Machine to teach a Magikarp Hydro Pump?"

Meowth couldn't breathe - something was pressed against his mouth and nose, and he couldn't find the edge of it to push it away. He struggled and seized until something grabbed around his middle and yanked him up, slamming him into the ground.

Face-up, now, where he could finally breathe, sand rough against his back.

"Calm down, you aren't dead," Chief growled. The pressure around Meowth's middle vanished, proving themselves to be Chief's vines as the Bulbasaur waddled to Meowth's side. Chief sniffed, as if finding Meowth alive were some personal slight against him.

"Yeah, well, can't blame me for thinking I was," Meowth grumbled, standing and making an ultimately futile attempt to brush all the sand off of him. "Ugh, you didn't find Triton, did you?"

"You're the only criminal I've found lurking around yet," Chief replied, and Meowth resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Chief still hadn't let that go, and Meowth wondered if he ever would. "Well. Any idea where we are?"

"Some sort of island," Chief said, as if the beach they were standing on weren't a clear indicator of that.

"I was hoping for a name or something," Meowth grumbled. "But sure. An island." He turned in a slow circle, taking in the beach, the sea beyond, slightly turbulent more than a dozen meters or so from the shore, and the crowded tropical forest behind them. "Hm. Looks like we might have drifted south," he mused. "You don't get trees like that on the mainland."

"Yeah, and who made you a Grass-type Pokemon?" Chief demanded.

"Nobody - I just make use of my ability to read every now and again," Meowth retorted. He squinted at the trees, almost certain he could see something odd about them - about their fruit, maybe. He felt a relieved jolt when he recognized something among the coconuts hanging from the tree.

"Hey! It's Cheri!"

"Just what I was looking for," Chief growled, although he followed Meowth's pointing to reach up and tug the Koffing out of the branches that had ensnared her.

"Oo!" she cheered as she bounced free, dropping down to nuzzle Chief's cheeks. "My hero!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing," Chief said, glowering at the forest. "You didn't see anyone else up there, did you? The boss is going to be pissed if we come back without Susanoo."

"Susanoo, Thunder God," Meowth corrected, because he was pretty sure Chief wouldn't hit him just for being an annoying shit, and Chief's attitude was irritating him.

"I'll call the Pikachu a thunder god when he proves it," Chief said, because he hadn't seen either of the two shows of Susanoo's power, which Meowth got. Meowth still thought Susanoo was full of himself, but his pride was well-earned.

"And that's a nice sentiment if we had any evidence the humans survived."

Chief scoffed. "Your humans are survivors; whatever happened, they'll wash up somewhere. And as for Ash...I guess you're not Pokemon enough to get it."

Meowth's anger wavered between the protest that he didn't belong to Jessie and James, and that he did too recognize Ash's - aura or whatever. "I'm a Pokemon the same as you!" he settled on. "And I don't see what his - gravitas has to do with surviving a shipwreck."

"It means the Legends have something big planned for him!" Chief retorted. "Didn't your parents teach you anything?"

Meowth snorted. "Do you believe the tears of Pokemon can revive the dead, too?" he asked. "Some of us had to grow up and learn that not all of those old stories are true."

"I grew up," Chief grumbled, but stopped arguing, trailing after Cheri as she bobbed into the forest, glancing back and forth for the three humans and remaining eight Pokemon that made up their party.

It took about a minute before Meowth noticed that the forest was absent the calls of other Pokemon - the droning of Bug types, Flying types making nuisances of themselves, Grass and Poison types rooting through the undergrowth. He slowed, eyeing Cheri, who - wasn't actually very bright, and Chief, who he'd thought was attuned to this sort of stuff.

"Hey. Uh. Do either of you notice something odd?"

"It's a forest," Chief replied. "Typically, they've got these things called 'trees'."

"Yeah, but they typically have got these things called 'other Pokemon', too," Meowth retorted.

"Huh." Chief turned in a slow circle, eyeing their surroundings. "The forest looks lived-in; there just isn't anyone here now."

"Like that isn't equally worrying," Meowth replied. "Any idea where everyone went?"

"Hm." Chief squinted at the ground, tugging at nearby plants. "Not here, I bet."

"I hate you," Meowth growled, shoving past Chief. It took another minute before they found any sign of other Pokemon, and it wasn't the low-level chatter of Pokemon navigating their forest environment.

It was the voice of a Pikachu - words indistinct at this distance, but tone unmistakable. He was bragging.

"This is just like him," Meowth grumbled. "I get thrown face-first into a beach and he picks up some adoring fans."

"Hm?" Chief asked.

Meowth just waved him on. "Come on; I think we found our missing Pikachu."

They found a lot more than that. Susanoo was regaling a crowd of hundreds of Pokemon - enough to populate a medium-sized island - with his exploits, or at least, at the moment, the part that had ended with them shipwrecked.

"And I'd just taken out a dozen of Team Rocket's flunkies when this absolute bitch pulls out her Drowzee. And if I'd had one less Pokemon to deal with, I'd have been able to throw out my special move and kept anyone from being put to sleep. Next thing I know, the boat's falling apart-"

"Yes, we know this part." A Pokemon patted Susanoo's shoulder - pink, smooth-skinned, standing on their hind legs, and looking at Susanoo with an expression far more lucid than Meowth had ever seen on a Slowbro. "That's the part where we found you-"

"Yeah, whoo," Susanoo muttered, hopping down from the raised stone on which he was standing, weaving through the crowd of Pokemon - mostly Water types, including fewer Slowpoke than Meowth would have expected seeing a Slow...king? (the shell on the Pokemon's head looked like a crown, and he thought he'd caught a 'king' in their vocalizations) hanging around. Meowth followed Susanoo's trajectory, relieved when he found Growlie, Felix, and Sirocco at the end of it.

"Hey! Thunder God!"

Susanoo's head jerked up at Meowth's call, and the Pikachu's tail twitched, ears perked up, and as he bounded toward them, there was an absence of a tension in his stance Meowth hadn't noticed until it was gone.

Susanoo punched Meowth's shoulder, grinning. "You're alive! I thought you might have been eaten by Gyarados or something."

"I was gonna be fine," Meowth protested, jerking his gaze away from Susanoo's too-bright smile. "Meowth always land on their feet."

"And what about the rest of us?" Chief demanded with a scowl.

"Bulbasaur float," Susanoo replied, dismissive, although he glanced briefly at Cheri. "I don't suppose you found-"

"If I'd found Ash, I'd be sticking with him instead of babysitting the team dad over here," Meowth retorted. "Chief doesn't need an interpreter. Though, I got no idea how I'd help if he got into trouble."

"You'd figure something out," Susanoo said, patting Meowth's shoulder. "Now." He dropped down onto all fours and sniffed cautiously at Chief. "Any luck with the others?"

"We just found you," Chief grumbled. After a moment, he jerked his head toward the stage, and the Pokemon still loosely gathered around it. "What's with the - auditorium here?"

"The Slowking's in charge here," Susanoo said, shrugging.

With the crowd opening up, Growlie bounded over to them, licking Meowth's face instead of using his words. Some days Meowth suspected Growlie's big dumb dog act was just that - an act, but he hadn't ever seen any proof (except stories Jessie told him, about how James' parents had gotten Growlie to keep track of James, only to find the Growlithe's nose seemed to give out every time he was sent to find his master). Susanoo, though, was scowling, so Meowth shoved Growlie away and swiped the saliva off his face.

"In charge of what?"

"Paradise, my dear Meowth." The Slowking, crowd parting in front of him, smiling, ambled forward with his arms spread. "I wish I had a better word for it, but there are limits even to my wisdom."

"Paradise?" Meowth asked.

"Of course!" the Slowking replied. "It was many years ago I washed up on the shores of this island. Alone, abandoned. It was there I met my Shellder partner, and we became a creature most unusual."

The other Pokemon were listening, nodding along as the Slowking talked, but Meowth found himself more staring, certain there was something odd about the Pokemon, aside from being a Pokemon he'd never met before.

"This island, too, is unusual," the Slowking continued. "The currents, the winds, they seem to draw Pokemon to it. Not just any Pokemon, but - those who are like me. Lost. Abandoned."

"Stolen?" Chief inquired. "The boat we were on-"

"Home to thieves and kidnappers, your friend said so," the Slowking said. "Our waters are not kind to people of that nature."

"All thieves? Or just the bad ones?"

The Slowking's expression was still placid when he looked at Growlie, but translating between humans and Pokemon had given Meowth a keen eye for the subtleties of Pokemon communication, and he was almost sure the Slowking was surprised at Growlie's question. Meowth was, himself, because it hadn't occurred to him that seas hostile to thieves might be hostile to Jessie and James who were, technically, kidnappers, even if their motives were pure.

"I don't think this is the time to be concerned about the fate of a bunch of Pokemon thieves," the Slowking said. "You're safe here."

"Yeah?" Susanoo asked. "Did that story I told you sound like I'm the sort of Pokemon who likes things safe? I'm looking for my partner, Ash, who isn't a thief or a poacher, so I'd like some answers other than 'don't worry about him', okay?" His cheeks were sparking, not a threat, yet, but a sign of the stress Susanoo was under (never using his Pokeball, Susanoo hadn't spent more than a few hours away from his partner since they'd started out - a hell of a sort of separation anxiety).

"Don't worry about it - things around here have a way of working themselves out."

"Yeah, I bet," Susanoo grumbled. He shoved past the Slowking, pausing after a moment to glance back at Meowth. "You coming? We're still missing a couple of party members, even not worrying about the humans."

He led them along the edge of the forest that bordered the Slowking's meeting area, bounding at the front of their group until he turned to follow the beginning of a ridge rising toward the north end of the island. It was about five minutes before Felix swooped around in front of Susanoo, fluttering awkwardly just above Susanoo's head as they continued.

"So, uh. Not to rain on your parade, but. I get the idea Slowking doesn't welcome many humans into Paradise. So whether or not Ash survived-"

"He's not dead!" Susanoo barked without slowing.

"Obviously I hope he's okay," Felix amended. "But I doubt it'll be as easy to get out of Paradise as it was to get in."

"Easy? We all nearly drowned," Chief muttered.

"Still," Felix continued. "The way he talked about the tides and the winds - I bet they more than guide Pokemon here."

"We're not trapped," Meowth retorted. "Are we?"

"Hm, probably." Sirocco circled overhead with subtle flicks of her wings. "I can feel it in my wingtips - it'd be hard to get out of here. All this talk of paradise - it sounds like Slowking making the best of a bad situation."

"And why are you bringing this up?" Susanoo asked, finally pausing to squint up at the Butterfree hovering over his head. "I know you aren't going to tell me to give up on looking for Ash, because you aren't a complete idiot."

"Would it be that bad?" Felix retorted. "Staying here? This place is a sanctuary for lost and abandoned Pokemon - I'm not saying he abandoned us, but we're sure as hell lost! I've got a feeling there's one thing that makes Slowking call this place Paradise - and it's something you can find everywhere except here, if you get my drift."

"It's not Paradise - not without my partner!" Sparks jumped from Susanoo's cheeks and tail, grounding themselves. "If you don't think that-"

"I was a Caterpie when I met him," Felix said. "I wanted to get away from the forest I was born in. He's a nice kid - I'll give you that, but. Not all of us are in this for the long haul."

"So what? I'm supposed to head back on my own and explain to Ash you wanted to keep living in a Slowking commune in the middle of the ocean?"

"No! I-" Felix flapped a little higher, possibly on edge seeing Susanoo sparking so much. "If you find a way back to him, I'll go with you. But, if you can't-"

"He needs me!" Susanoo roared back. Meowth's fur stood on end a moment before electricity began jumping from the ground beneath them - a more-or-less harmless Electric Terrain. Meowth held his breath, hoping no one brought up the obvious rebuttal to that, and exhaled slowly when no one did. The discussion was fraught enough as it was without any attempt to drag up any of their emotional baggage.

"Well, we might need a little more than faith to find him," Chief said.

"Hm?" Meowth asked, rubbing at an ear. "I'm surprised you aren't expecting Arceus to sweep in and bring us back to Ash themselves."

"I don't need Arceus' help," Susanoo replied, even as Chief stuck out his tongue at Meowth. "I need to search this entire island to make sure Ash isn't tucked away somewhere, and then we need a - powerful flyer, or swimmer. Pidgeot, or - Wailord. Dragonite."

"Want me to beat the shit out of the Slowking, see if it pumps me up enough to evolve?" Sirocco asked, snide.

"No, just - scout the island, see if you can find - Ash, or one of his Pokemon, or the other humans," Susanoo muttered.

"Oh, absolutely, boss," Sirocco replied with a salute of her wing. "Come on," she said to Felix. "How about you help keep the electric rat happy?"

Susanoo grunted as the fliers took off, and started moving again. Chief caught Meowth's gaze and jerked his head toward the Pikachu, as if Meowth had any control over Susanoo. Still, Susanoo was clearly on edge, and keeping him from going off the deep end could only help them all. So Meowth hurried to catch up, walking alongside the Pikachu as he led them along the ridge, higher up, as if he thought Ash might be at the top of the island (or maybe Electric Pokemon just felt happier close to the sky). He tucked his hands behind his head, affecting a casualness he didn't feel.

"So, uh."

"Don't tell me to give up," Susanoo growled.

"What? Hey, no way! You think I want to hang around this Slowking commune the rest of my life? I want to get back to Jessie and James as much as you want to get back to the twerp-"

"No you don't!" Susanoo snapped. "You don't understand! You're not-" He snapped his head away with a low growl, and a hundred little comments Meowth had gotten from other Pokemon crashed down on him, and he snapped.

"I'm not what? Not a real Pokemon? Think I can't understand the bond between a human and a Pokemon because I learned how to talk? Newsflash, asshole! It's called having friends! Pokemon don't do it much outside of these little teams, but that's what it is! Ash is your best friend, and I get that. I really do. I saw him after you burned yourself out taking out those Spearow. But Jessie and James are mine, so you wanna act like you're the only Pokemon willing to go to any lengths to get back to their people? I'd take the whole fucking world apart to get back to them, because they're my family."

Meowth didn't think he'd ever seen Susanoo scared. But the tension in his tail and ears, his pupils pinpricks, he looked as close as Meowth had ever seen.

And then Susanoo shook himself, abandoning the stress with a flick of his tail, and when he looked back at Meowth, had a sharp, conspiratorial grin. "Alright. Then let's go find some humans."

Ash was not at the top of the mountain's hills, but Meowth was certain it hadn't been Susanoo's goal.

But there was someone there.

The Slowking was standing on the summit, staring up at the clouds.

"Hello," the Slowking said, genial.

"H - how-"

"My kind can learn Teleport," the Slowking replied. "There isn't anywhere on this island you could go I couldn't reach first."

"Teleport-" Susanoo sputtered. "You mean you could get us off the island any time?"

"Any time?" the Slowking asked. "No. I certainly couldn't get you off the island so long as there was a chance you might let our secret out."

"I'm not - gonna tell people about your dumb island," Susanoo grumbled, standing up to cross his arms. "I just want to get back to my partner."

"Ah, but so long as you can remember, there is a chance, however small, you would give up our secret," the Slowking mused. "And I am not - Uxie. I cannot erase the memory of this place from your mind. So as long as that chance remains…" He shrugged. "This is a sanctuary."

"A sanctuary? Sounds like a prison to me - trading in one kidnapper for another," Meowth retorted.

"Suit yourself," the Slowking said.

"Hey! Meowth!" Sirocco alighted next to Meowth, waving a wing behind her. "We found something."

"Ash?"

"Ah." Sirocco ducked away from Susanoo's eager posture, his hope. "Not that good. But come on."

The Slowking didn't move as they left him - smiling placidly from his place atop the hill (but he could be anywhere on this island the moment he wanted to).

Following Sirocco, it took only a few minutes to find them - Mercy standing between Triton and Valiant, the latter's tail flaring in distress. Fangs was settled a meter or so away, watching warily.

"Stop it!" Valiant growled at the Squirtle. "He didn't - abandon us!"

"Well, he's not going to trawl a hundred miles of ocean just to find us again," Triton replied, turning away from Valiant. "It's nothing personal - just the way of the world."

Valiant stepped around, forcing Triton to look at him, glowering at the Squirtle. "Come on," he pleaded, "he's different. You have to have felt it. Can you honestly say - he wouldn't search every centimeter of Kanto to find - Susanoo, at least?"

"Tch," Meowth scoffed. "I've been around him a lot longer than you have, and it's pretty clear he'd do it for any of you. Kid threw himself in front of a murder of Spearow to protect Susanoo less than a day after they met, and threw himself between Team Rocket and a bunch of strange Pokemon before that day was out."

"So what?" Triton demanded. "Does that mean we kick around waiting for him to show up, however long that takes?"

"I think it means we give him more than a couple hours before we write him off completely," Chief chided. "Maybe don't buy into Slowking's Paradise before the kid's had a chance to dry off after he crawled out wherever he ended up."

"I'm not buying into anything," Triton grumbled. "I was going to give you all some time to get settled before heading out on my own. I've got stuff to do, and if the kid's given up on us-"

"Which he hasn't!" Valiant interrupted.

"Which a lot of you seem to think he hasn't, well, I've still got that stuff to do." Triton shrugged. "But since that was going to take a couple of days, anyway, yeah, I'll wait for the kid to show up with the rest of you."

They camped out that night on the beach - the one opposite Slowking's auditorium. Fangs, Cheri, and Sirocco seemed largely unconcerned, settling together, chatting about nonsense that didn't interest Meowth. Felix had perched on the highest branches of a nearby tree, and was staring at the moon. Growlie was doing much the same, if on the ground, and curled up into a miserable little ball. Mercy and Chief were - babysitting, it seemed, or mediating, between Triton and Valiant. Sitting with them next to the fire, trying, Meowth guessed, to steer the conversation away from fraught topics.

And Susanoo was sitting on a wide, flat rock at the edge of the forest, legs tucked under him, gaze fixed on the ocean shore. He wasn't talking to anyone, and since 'talking' was Meowth's particular talent, he supposed cheering up the rat was his job.

So Meowth sat next to Susanoo, like a human, upright, hands flat on the ground behind him. He let the silence sit, heavy, between them, for a few minutes.

"So, uh," Meowth began.

"I'm sorry," Susanoo said. "What I said earlier was...unfair."

"Yeah, forget about it. I've heard worse, and you're under a lot of stress."

"That's not reassuring," Susanoo replied. "You don't deserve to hear shit like that, even from Pokemon...under a lot of stress."

Meowth shrugged. "I've been around the block a couple of times; I know better than most that life isn't fair."

"Don't I know it," Susanoo muttered. It was a puzzling statement, but not one worth exploring at this juncture. Susanoo was quiet after that, a sign he expected Meowth to pick up the conversational ball. But Meowth...wasn't certain what to say. He was almost certain Susanoo actually liked him.

He...didn't think he'd met another Pokemon who'd liked him for some time. Jessie and James' Pokemon - thought he was useful. Tolerated him. Growlie - well, Growlie was playing some game of his own, however much he pretended to like every Pokemon he met.

And as for Ash's Pokemon - whatever they felt, Susanoo kept them on a short leash when it came to Meowth, and Susanoo…

Liked him.

Maybe.

"Do you have a name, Meowth?" Susanoo asked, a punch to the gut, because Ash had let it go, and Ash was the most stubborn creature alive.

(Untrue, he realized, looking over at Susanoo - Susanoo had refused to acknowledge Ash until the human had risked his life for his sake. Ash and the Pikachu were made for each other.)

"Never needed a name other than Meowth-"

"We both know that's a lie," Susanoo said. "The names our parents called us. We give them up when we grow up, and if we're feeling bold, take new ones. What was yours?"

"What about you?" Meowth demanded. "Your parents didn't think you were going to be a thunder god, did they?" The question fell between them, a little awkward. "Did they?"

"I'm not the prophesized King of the Pikachu, no," Susanoo replied with a snicker. "Come on. I won't tell anyone."

Meowth took a breath. Susanoo was the first Pokemon who'd liked him since...well, his parents, he suspected, when he was feeling particularly maudlin.

"I don't trust that Slowking not to be listening in," he said at last. "We can talk about it when we're back with the twerp."

"He's not a twerp," Susanoo said automatically.

Meowth shrugged. "They get to give us nicknames - I thought I'd return the favor."

That shocked a laugh out of Susanoo, the Pikachu rolling onto his back as he giggled helplessly. "You're so weird!" he chortled, and Meowth felt warm, because that word had never meant anything good, before tonight.

Meowth was warm when he woke up - just before dawn, far earlier than he was used to. Opening one eye didn't provide answers - the other, however, showed that there was a yellow form pressed against Meowth's left side, rhythmic murmurs of "Chuu" suggesting Susanoo was still asleep.

Meowth stretched out a little, shifting so their positions were a little more comfortable, and let himself drift a bit. They didn't have a schedule or anything, and the twerp wasn't going to drag them out of bed anytime soon.

...The twerp.

Suddenly cold at the reminder of yesterday's arguments, of Susanoo's desperation, Meowth scrambled to his feet. He hurried down to the beach proper, and then to the edge of the water, where he paused.

There was no sign of the ship, or any rescue. It would have been - foolish, childish, to believe otherwise, but.

Meowth knew Ash wouldn't stop until he'd found them, as long as he'd survived. Of course, they still had no idea if Ash had survived.

...It was Jirachi who granted wishes, wasn't it, Meowth thought. He squinted up at the brightening sky, looking for a star, hoping.

Wishing.

Meowth were supposed to be lucky, he remembered, so. Maybe he had a little pull with the wish-granting Pokemon. Wherever they were.

There was a lot to wish for. That Ash and the others were safe. That they were looking for Pikachu, Meowth, and the rest of them. That they could find the island. That they could escape afterward.

His wishing had no apparent effect, as the day dawned cloudy, as the others woke up, and as Susanoo found a perch overlooking the ocean. The others didn't keep quite so close, so Meowth was the only one around when the Slowking appeared again, waddling out of the forest instead of popping out of thin air.

"Your friend is quite devoted to his master, isn't he?" the Slowking asked.

"His friend, yeah."

The Slowking didn't move; standing a few meters back from Susanoo, like Meowth was. The Slowking was quiet, and Meowth got the odd feeling he was being interrogated (he had no idea how to tell if his mind was being read, but he knew there were more ways to read a Pokemon than telepathy). At last, the Slowking sighed.

"You're aware I won't let you go," he said. "Even if his master reaches this island. Even if he can calm the winds that surround it so he can leave."

Meowth snorted. "If you think you can stop Ash Ketchum from doing what he's set his mind to...you're welcome to try."

"Is that a threat?" the Slowking asked.

"It's a certainty!" Meowth snarled. "Pokemon always say I've lost touch with my - natural instincts, but I can feel it - down to my bones! The kid might not be marked by - Ho-Oh or whoever, but he's decided what his fate is, and I doubt you can stand in the way of that."

The Slowking's gaze darted up - Meowth turned, but saw nothing unusual past the shoreline, or in the air. When Meowth looked back, the Slowking's face was neutral.

"Slowking are Pokemon of unusual wisdom and insight," the Slowking said. "Intelligence unmatched by the gods themselves. As Psychic types, that insight and intelligence manifest themselves as unmatched power. You stand here saying this boy will not countenance me keeping you here. But what makes you think he could do anything if I refused to allow him to take you?"

"You're a Water-type Pokemon, aren't you?" Susanoo asked from behind Meowth.

"That sounds like a threat," the Slowking replied.

"You want to hear a threat?" Susanoo said, bounding next to Meowth, tail up, alert. "If you try to keep us here one second longer than we want to be, I'll knock that stupid fucking shell off your head and electrocute your dopey ass afterward."

"Will you." The Slowking opened his eyes slightly, as good as a threat from a creature whose attention, whose thoughts, were a weapon. Susanoo growled at Meowth's side, and Meowth eyed the Psychic, vaguely aware a bite in the right place could disrupt a Psychic Pokemon's concentration.

And then.

The Slowking's eyes widened, gaze snapping up. "Oh, dear," he murmured.

Meowth followed his gaze, but found nothing - nothing flying through the cloudy skies.

Until the clouds rolled away from the island. An omnipresent breeze stilled, and the ocean calmed. Something danced through the sky, winding its way toward the island, and when Meowth let his gaze fall to sea level, he saw red among the blue. He squinted until the red resolved into a huge serpentine form, flanked by half a dozen of similar shape, with blue scales instead of red.

"Gyarados?"

"Different Pokemon take to their shiny variations - the alternate coloration - differently," the Slowking said. "Some ostracize them. Red Gyarados, however, become leaders of their kind."

"Something's got you worried," Susanoo said. "And it's not Gyarados. What's on the Dragonair up there?"

"Nothing," the Slowking said.

But Meowth knew fraudsters and conmen. He knew someone trying to bluff.

And there'd been an oddly-colored Magikarp on that ship.

"It's him, isn't it?" Meowth asked. "You think I was joking about - certainties? Every Pokemon in his orbit can feel it, whether or not they're willing to trust it."

"Wait - Ash?" Susanoo turned his head, nearly dancing in a tight circle in his excitement. "That's Ash up there?"

"Is it?" the Slowking asked. "That...is a Horsea of a different color." He watched the shapes dancing through the air as they came closer, revealing blue, serpentine forms, on top of one of which was another shape - quite possibly human. Slowking was ignoring the Gyarados, even though Meowth was certain he knew what he'd see riding on top of those.

"What - what's going on?" Susanoo demanded. "Are you going to hurt Ash? Because I wasn't just - making threats back there. I will blow that smile off your face-"

"Hurt him?" the Slowking asked. "Why would I do that? Your friend has gone through quite a lot to find you. Braved the sea, the skies, intruding on my Paradise, just to find you."

"Not just Susanoo," Meowth said. "All of us!"

The Slowking seemed to have regained his composure, because his smile was as placid as it had been before. "What an odd thing to say," he said, stepping forward just as the Dragonair came in for a landing, Ash scrambling off their back.

"Meowth!" Ash called, stumbling forward. "Susanoo!"

"Ash!" The Pikachu leapt into Ash's arms, even if the boy nearly tripped when he caught Susanoo. He pulled the Pikachu to his chest, who rubbed his cheek against his partner.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Ash said. "James had to convince the Gyrados - they evolved from the Magikarp on the ship - to help get all the other Pokemon to land so they can find their original trainers."

"Hmph," Susanoo replied contentedly, muttering a few words Meowth didn't try too hard to make out - out of respect for their privacy.

With his partner cradled against his chest, Ash looked to Meowth. "Are the others okay? Growlie and - Mercy and-"

"I'm afraid the rest of them didn't make it to my island," the Slowking replied.

Meowth snarled, turning on the Slowking with his claws out. "I'm not telling him that!" he snapped.

"You're lying," Ash said at the same time, bringing Meowth up short, before realizing what had been bothering him about the way the Slowking talked. Meowth could understand humans and could understand Pokemon, so he'd thought nothing of being able to understand the Slowking.

It had never occurred to Meowth that he would ever meet another Pokemon who could speak like a human.

The Slowking, however, was staring at Ash with an expression that mimicked Meowth's own shock.

"What-"

"You're using human words," Ash said, holding Susanoo more secure against his chest as he took a step closer to the Slowking. "But it's a - neat trick you learned. You're still talking like a Pokemon. And it's harder to lie that way, isn't it?"

The Slowking's eyes narrowed, flicking down to Ash's feet, before his gaze met Ash's. And smiled again. "That's - quite clever of you, Ash Ketchum. Yes, I was playing a - little trick on you. Your Pokemon are fine-"

"And Jessie' and James' Pokemon?" Ash demanded.

"...Absolutely fine," the Slowking allowed. "Every member of your party can be reunited. Which, as I've been given to understand, is what you wanted."

"Yeah," Ash said. "Yes. Thanks for looking out for them. It means a lot. And when Jessie and James get ashore, I'm sure they'll want to thank you too."

"I'm afraid I can't allow them to set foot on this island," the Slowking replied. "You'll have to return their Pokemon to them yourself, and I'll have to live without receiving those thanks in person."

"O - oh." Ash's enthusiasm faded as his gaze scanned the forest. "I wanted to explore-"

"And I will have to insist you not share the - details of this excursion to anyone else," the Slowking said.

"Oh, of course!" Ash replied, reflexive, eager, like Meowth had known he would. Meowth smirked at the Slowking, who just gave him a placid smile. Apparently unruffled, for all the surprises Meowth knew he'd received today.

"Ugh, I'm sick of this place," Meowth grumbled. "Let's get the rest of our Pokemon and go home."

"Come in," Looker called in response to the knock at his office door. The sharp-dressed man who stepped through gave Looker a polite smile.

"Good afternoon," the man said. "I believe we had an appointment?"

"Ah." Looker glanced at his calendar, finding he'd circled 'Appointment With Kanto Rep' on it. "Yes! Of course. You would be…"

"Giovanni," the man replied. He paused next to Looker's desk. "Ah. Should I stand, or-"

"Oh!" Looker grabbed a dozen files, moving them from one of his two office chairs to the other, causing the now-doubled tower of files to sway ominously. "Go on, sit down." He shuffled through the files on his desk before finding the one he'd started for the Indigo League's latest request, flipping through it. "It says here you need the International Police to look into a Pokemon theft ring?"

Giovanni sat in the remaining chair, pausing a moment to cross his legs before smiling at Looker again. "Yes. Kanto has always had a bit of a problem with that, to be honest."

"Team Rocket, yes," Looker said. "Although I've always understood them to be a - more general criminal enterprise."

"Be that as it may," Giovanni replied, "there has been heightened activity among gangs specializing in Pokemon theft." He removed a scrap of paper from a shirt pocket, unfolding it to set on Looker's desk. It was a Wanted poster, with an image of two individuals and a Pokemon - a woman with arcing red hair, a man with lavender hair hanging loose, and a Meowth standing on two legs. "These three, in particular, have been attracting a lot of attention. And we would appreciate any assistance you can offer."

"Well, uh." Looker leaned back, examining the photo. "This doesn't feel like - IP business. The Indigo Elite usually handle this sort of thing, don't they?"

"Oh, they're tied up with - some sort of cheating scandal," Giovanni replied. "And Lance - well, he's got some pet project I can't even follow."

Looker shrugged. "Well. International or not, I suppose this is the sort of thing that's my job. I'd be happy to help, but I'll be much better at this if you can lend some local resources-"

"Oh, certainly." Giovanni snapped his fingers, and the door to Looker's office opened to admit a slim blond woman in a conservative skirt. "We asked around the Pokemon Institute to find someone with the appropriate skills to help. Looker, meet Domino - she'll be your assistant for this operation."

Chapter Text

When they stumbled into the front door of the Maiden's Peak Pokemon Center, Jessie stole James' Pokeballs, sent her to check the public terminals to figure out where Maiden's Peak actually was, and took Ash to get their Pokemon checked out.

"Um, Miss?" Ash asked, after the Nurse (Joy) had taken their Pokemon. "How can I get my Pokemon back? Our gear got sort of - flooded when the ship we were on sank."

"Well, there's a good chance your memory card survived," Joy said, "and we can check that out. Otherwise I'll just check in at the last Pokemon Center you were at. You can leave it with me and I'll see what I can do."

"Great!" Ash slid his gear over the counter; after a moment of hesitation, Jessie did, too. She normally got away with quick scans that left the Pokemon Center with the least amount of data on her possible, but this was a special case. Luckily, they'd long ago jumped through the hoops to register James and her Pokemon under both their names (well, paid someone to trick the League's computers into thinking they'd jumped through the hoops), so James wouldn't have to suffer the same scrutiny.

"Come on," Jessie said, tugging Ash around by his backpack. "Let's see what James found out."

"Do you want the good news?" James asked as they approached; she had five tabs open, and only one of them seemed to be a map.

"I like good news," Ash replied.

"Well, good. We're not that far from Saffron City - probably two or three days of walking once we're rested up. So as soon as we're ready, we can head out to get Ash his next Gym badge."

"And what's the bad news?" Jessie asked, and James frowned at her, a chastisement, Jessie suspected.

"We're short on supplies - about half our camping gear got lost in the shipwreck, and we're going to need to stock up on food, too."

"I bet my mom can help!" Ash said, one hand up. James glanced at him, and then back up at Jessie. She gave James a quick nod, so James gave Ash a wide smile.

"Sounds like a good start. You should probably call her anyway; we've been out of touch longer than we should have."

"Oh!" Ash lunged for the terminal next to James, fumbling with the phone before pausing. He looked up at Jessie. "I don't think you've ever called your parents when we were at a Pokemon Center. Maybe you should tell them you're okay?"

The topic was inevitable, but still took Jessie by surprise - the return of the pang of loss, of the wait for her mother's return stretching out until she was unceremoniously dumped onto her nearest living relatives. She closed her eyes, but found it had done nothing to forestall the tears gathering at the corners. "I - well, my mother...died a while ago. And I honestly don't know who my father is, much less how to reach him."

"O - oh." Ash's own eyes were glimmering in sympathetic tears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I never told you about her," Jessie replied, ruffling Ash's hair. "Besides, I have James, Meowth, and…" She bit her lip. "Well, you."

The starry-eyed look was expected. The hug, equally so. Ash's further response, less so. "If we're family, that means my mom's your family, too."

"I - suppose," Jessie allowed, uncertain. Ash, though, pulled away, giving her a serious glare.

"Mom always asks how the three of you are, and she really wants to meet you!"

"Well, that's only natural," James drawled, dragging Ash in for a loose hug. "She wants to know who these strange adults who've been helping you navigate the wilderness are."

"Maybe at first," Ash agreed. "But I told her all about you, and she's fine now. She thinks you're very responsible."

Jessie's brain stuttered for a moment, because responsible was the last word she'd expect a mother to use to describe Jessie and James if she knew all about them.

"Well, that's nice," James said, her voice a little strained. "Help us remember if we're passing by Pallet Town, or if there's a - holiday or something. Now, why don't you call her so she doesn't worry."

James retreated then, and Jessie wasn't certain if it was to regroup after learning Ash's mother - approved of them, or to avoid any questions about her family. Jessie followed her, in part to give Ash privacy for his call, and in part because she wasn't ready to face a woman Ash suggested she consider family (it was easy with Ash, because he was easy to like, and gravitated to James' side at every opportunity).

Jessie was just settling with yesterday's news (the reported return of twenty or so stolen Pokemon only slightly marred by mentions of a mysterious drug used by reckless trainers in battle - signs Team Rocket hadn't been deterred by the seizure of a shipment of 'R') when Ash returned from the terminals.

He sat next to Jessie, quiet, glancing over at the main desk at regular intervals, until a cheery "Chuu!" prefaced the request for Ash Ketchum to collect his Pokemon. James quirked an eyebrow at Jessie, who rolled her eyes and stood, handing over the paper to James.

"See if there's anything we can distract him with so he doesn't insist we go bolting off to Saffron City, alright?"

She reached the front desk as Susanoo took his place atop Ash's head and Joy was leaning down to the public address. She pulled back up, smiling at Jessie.

"Oh! We were about to call you up." She returned Jessie's gear, the memory card sitting on top. "Your gear is still a little waterlogged, but it seems sturdy. Your brother's, however, is a lost cause."

Jessie pushed aside the flutter in her chest at someone else identifying her as Ash's family, and gave Joy a polite grin as she scooped a snoozing Meowth off the counter. "Thanks - we'll get right on fixing that. Come on, Ash."

"Ash?" Ash froze, and Jessie was already stepping in front of him when she saw the source of the voice - a boy, a little taller than Ash, brown-haired, trailed by something like six teenage girls.

"Gary," Ash ground out. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a break after winning my fifth badge," Gary replied.

"Fifth?" Ash squeaked.

Gary shrugged before letting his shoulders fall back, head up. Preening, Jessie realized, biting back a sigh. "Yeah, my Eevee evolved into an Umbreon right before I got to Saffron City, which made that battle a breeze. And Erika at the Celadon City Gym was a real pushover." He raised one eyebrow, inquisitive, at Ash. "How many badges do you have?"

Ash scowled. "Three. But we just spent like a week escaping a shipwreck - I'll be caught up in no time!"

Gary's posture eased as he took a step toward Ash. "A shipwreck? Good thing you had your babysitters to look after you."

"They're not babysitters - they're my friends!" Ash retorted, in blatant contradiction of the number of times Jessie, James, or Meowth had had to warn him away from eating something poisonous. "What about yours?"

"My what?" Gary replied. "Babysitters? This is my fanclub." He winked back at one of the girls, who giggled (in Ash's favor, more like a girl asked to watch over a precocious ten-year-old than a fan). "Anyway," he continued with a shrug. "If you had a good Water Pokemon like my Wartortle, even a little something like a shipwreck wouldn't be a setback." He ambled past Ash to the main counter, setting down his Pokeballs before turning to lean against it, folding his arms across his chest and smirking. "I could loan you a spare Poliwag I caught so you can train it into something decent."

"I don't need your pity!" Ash snapped, storming back toward their seats.

Gary's expression went strange as he watched Ash go; Jessie sighed and gave him a gentle smile.

"My partner caught a Gyarados out there," she said. "So we'll be fine. And Ash is well on his way to getting a Wartortle himself."

Gary's expression, his entire posture, eased, as he nodded. "If he wants any chance at passing me, he'd better get to work." But he ambled back to his 'fanclub' without further antagonism.

Jessie allowed herself a roll of her eyes as she returned to their seats, though. Would it kill Gary to just say, 'I'm glad you aren't dead'?

Probably. It had taken James close to ten years to get over all the weird notions his parents had instilled in him how boys were supposed to act.

"Ah!" James waved the paper at Jessie as she returned. "We're in luck; guess what we arrived just in time to celebrate!"

"I don't have the energy," Jessie replied. "Just tell me."

"The Summer Festival!" James declared, turning the paper to show Jessie a schedule of some sort. Games, booths, dance exhibitions, and the traditional releasing of lanterns.

"Jessie?" Jessie jerked her gaze away from the schedule to find James watching her, brow furrowed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm-" remembering the only person she had to release a lantern for "Fine," she replied, before dropping herself onto the couch on James' far side, next to Ash. She gave Ash a wide grin. "Sounds like fun, right? And I bet you could find some people willing to have a Pokemon battle or two, as long as you get to them before the lantern ceremony."

"Sure," Ash replied dully, while Susanoo moaned, "kachuuu," from his lap - a clear sign both of them needed sleep in a real bed before either of them were up for planning a day at the festival.

"Well, how about we get some sleep, first," she amended. "James?"

"On it!" James called, pushing herself off the couch, tugging Ash up after her. "Come on - we've got to get you some sleep."

Jessie watched the two of them go, but remained in place, stroking Meowth's head gently as he purred in her lap for hours, until Joy turned off the central lights and Jessie went to bed.

She didn't want to; summer festivals and remembrance ceremonies always made her think of her mother.

Ash woke early the next morning, unable to force himself to sleep any longer. The Pokemon Center provided breakfast for anyone who stayed there - nutritious, filling, but tasting, as Jessie had worded it, like cardboard. Still, it was easier than figuring something out for themselves. Lunch and dinner were easy - they were either out where there were street vendors or restaurants, or settling down to camp, or somewhere they could buy something from the closest grocery. Breakfast was hard, so Ash ate at Pokemon Centers, when he could.

There was only one other human in the common space where they served breakfast (a Pokemon called Indeedee was carefully piling up food). They looked to be Ash's age, or a little older - slender, shorter than him, Ash guessed, with blue-green hair cut short, nearly shorn completely. A small Pokemon, about the size of Pikachu, with a skull covering their face, circled around the legs of the human's chair, chanting, "Bone, bone, bone" as they swung a bone in one hand. They were young, amusing themselves while their human ate. Ash reached for his gear before remembering it was still waterlogged, broken.

The other human looked up from their foor, blue eyes bright, and smiled at Ash. "He's a Cubone," they said. "Legend says they wear their mother's skulls on their heads."

"Really?" Ash asked uneasily. The skull on the Cubone's head seemed suddenly - sinister, or sad. He wasn't certain which.

"Of course not," the other human replied. "Cubone feel safer with something covering their heads - they'll wear a pot or a helmet, sometimes, but they're drawn to skulls. There are places where they say Marowak - the Pokemon that evolves from Cubone - are a sort of psychopomp. Their dance guides the spirits of the dead to the afterlife."

"Do they?"

The human chuckled. "I don't know; I've never seen Marowak guide a spirit to the afterlife. I've seen Pokemon that people say are the spirits of dead humans - lost, cold, or angry - and met echoes of dead people, but never seen anyone guide them." They stood, crossing the table to sit across from Ash. "Marowak - and by extension, Cubone - are fascinated by death. They're drawn to burial grounds and funerals. They wear skulls and carry bones as a weapon. They dance for the dead." They leaned over to lift the Cubone onto the chair next to them; the Cubone began hitting the side of the table with his bone. They smiled as they watched the Cubone, fond.

"Do you have any other Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"Oh, plenty," they replied. "Mostly Ghost Type, except for Cubone, here."

"It sounds like - you're fascinated by death, too," Ash guessed, and the other human laughed.

"I suppose so," they agreed, and held out a hand. "My name's Izumi."

"I'm Ash," Ash replied. "I'm a boy, by the way."

"I'm a girl," Izumi replied easily. She leaned in close. "I suppose you've got one of those Pokemon who are neither, to think like that."

"No, I." Ash shrugged, recalling his confusion when he'd seen James dressed as a woman, Goh's stuttering explanation that sometimes he - or they - didn't feel much like anything, that it shouldn't matter. "I've met some people like that. They explained things." He shrugged. "And you?"

"Ghosts - don't always have a use for gender," Izumi said. "Or they cling to the one they had when - they remember being alive. It's best not to upset them by saying different."

"So are you here for the Summer Festival?" Ash asked.

"Mostly. I mean, I could find a Summer Festival anywhere," Izumi said. "But there are stories about Maiden's Peak. They say there's a ghost here who they honor during the Summer Festival."

"And you want to catch it?"

Izumi laughed, shaking her head. "I'm not trying to fill out a Pokedex. I just - understand ghosts more than other people."

"A Ghost master, huh?" Ash replied, and Izumi's eyes crossed for a moment.

"What?"

"I…" Ash shrugged, uncertain how to explain what the old man outside the gym had said. "It's a thing I heard once. About understanding Pokemon."

"Hm," Izumi mused. "A Ghost master. I suppose it's as accurate as anything else." Her Cubone poked her side with his bone, and she grinned. "I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll see you around, Ash." She waved as she stood, scooping up her Cubone against her chest.

"See you around," Ash repeated. Izumi was gone for only a minute before Susanoo showed up, scampering from their room until he sighted Ash and broke into a run, chiding Ash for leaving him alone while Ash was planning to get food.

"Sorry," Ash replied. "I just…" He shrugged. "I wanted some time alone."

Susanoo narrowed his eyes before pointing out Ash had just been talking to some human.

"Some time away from Jessie and James, then," Ash said, pushing himself up to get some food for Susanoo. Once he put the bowl down in front of Susanoo he sat, letting his head sink down the table surface, where he watched Susanoo eat with abandon. "You don't worry about much, do you, buddy?"

Susanoo snorted; he, personally didn't worry about much, but he had a partner looking out for him. Other Pokemon weren't so lucky. Other humans weren't so lucky as Ash, who had three entire adults watching out for him.

"Not for long," Ash muttered.

Susanoo made an exclamation Ash was pretty sure was a curse word and left his food long enough to poke Ash hard in the cheek. He was speaking quickly, almost too fast for Ash to follow, except for a string of curses reserved for Jessie and James, slowing only when Ash put a calming hand on his head. Susanoo peered up at Ash, who smiled at him.

"It's not their fault," Ash explained. "I keep - making things harder for them. I know they didn't want to be stuck with a dumb kid tagging along with them, much less one who-" He shrugged.

Susanoo poked Ash's arm, demanding an explanation with less rambling.

Ash sighed, letting his shoulders fall. "I got us stuck on that ship. We lost a bunch of supplies, and then I brought up Jessie's mom - you saw how sad she was. Sooner or later, they're going to get tired of me."

Susanoo scoffed. He didn't go so far as to call Ash stupid, but was critical of the intelligence of anyone who'd try to get rid of Ash. Besides, they didn't need Jessie and James; Ash had plenty of perfectly competent Pokemon to help him.

It was...sweet, Ash guessed, even if Susanoo didn't quite understand. He had plenty of other Pokemon around to get along with, while if Ash lost Jessie and James, he'd be - sort of on his own. He'd been excited to start his Pokemon journey, get out from under his mother's watchful eye, but traveling with only his Pokemon suddenly sounded lonely.

He didn't have the time to muse on that, or vocalize the thought to Susanoo, as a brown-haired girl he'd seen trailing Gary the few times he'd seen him entered the eating area, pausing when she saw Ash.

"You're Ash, right?" she asked, crossing toward him.

"Yeah?" Ash replied. "Did Gary send you out here to make fun of me?"

"Why-" The girl shook her head. "Never mind. You're his friend, aren't you?"

"I guess," Ash allowed. "Why?"

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone if he wanted to be - alone?" the girl asked. "None of the other girls can find him."

"Shouldn't his fan club know where he is?" Ash retorted.

The girl chuckled as she sat down next to Ash, on the far side from Susanoo. "We're not his fan club," she said. "I mean, he's a nice kid, but his grandpa told us to keep an eye on him."

"Really?" The jealousy that had bubbled in Ash's stomach when he thought about Gary and his legion of fans eased somewhat. "He's paying you to be his friends?"

"Not exactly," the girl replied, shrugging. "Half of us are studying for graduate degrees, Jules is in a photography program, Denny's trying to get some practical experience in coaching, and - Danielle might be getting paid to be here. Tagging along with a kid on a Pokemon journey's an excellent way to get field experience in observing Pokemon in the wild, so think of it as a - mutually beneficial relationship. And like I said, Gary's a nice kid."

"Maybe," Ash muttered, sinking back to the table.

"So," the girl asked, nudged Ash, "any ideas?"

Ash frowned, trying to remember times Gary had gone off on his own, or asked to be alone. There'd been the few months after his parents had died, but nothing Ash could use to suggest where he'd be.

"No. I'm sorry." After a pause, he added, "Will he be okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure!" the girl replied, ruffling Ash's hair and standing up. "He's probably just wandered off chasing after a Pokemon. I'll make sure to tell you when we find him, though. You're in town for the Summer Festival, right?"

"Yeah," Ash replied.

"Well, we'll see you around," she said, waving as she left. Ash stared after her for a few moments, until Susanoo poked his side again, reminding him of his still-sleeping companions, so Ash followed Susanoo back to their room.

And it took Ash a few minutes, on returning, to notice something was wrong.

Namely that Jessie wasn't in bed - the top bunk of her's and James' side of the room empty.

"James! Wake up!" Ash grabbed James' arm, and yanked; she tumbled out of bed, missing falling on Ash by inches.

"What?" She bolted upward, scrambling with her sheets as her gaze darted around the room. "If it's the police, I can be out of here in five minutes!"

"It's not the police," Ash replied. "Jessie's gone."

"Impossible," James retorted, though she clambered up the bunk enough to look at Jessie's empty bed. "Unprecedented, anyway," she corrected. "She's never up before ten unless I force her up." She glanced Ash up and down. "You're dressed?"

"I was getting breakfast," Ash replied. "I - didn't see her out there."

"I never said you did," James said. "Come on - I'll get dressed and we can go look for her."

Ash handed James the skirt on top of her bag; she took it with a murmured thanks, and then paused, staring at it.

"Ash."

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. How about you wake up Meowth while I take a shower?"

"Sure!"

James vanished out the door while Ash climbed up to the bunk over his own, which Meowth had claimed for himself. Susanoo was there already, poking Meowth's face while Meowth grumbled.

"Leave him alone, Susanoo," Ash said. Susanoo retreated, frowning as he opined he wasn't bothering Meowth. "Hey, Meowth - sorry, but you've got to get up. Jessie's gone missing."

"Missing? The Pikachu isn't poking and prodding me for his own amusement?" Meowth growled, rising just enough to stretch. "Well, good news is Jessie comes from a long line of survivors, so she's probably fine."

"I thought her mom died," Ash said

Meowth rolled his eyes. "It means they're used to facing a lot of dangerous situations." He stood up to his full height and winked at Ash. "It's a human expression. Means she's gonna be fine."

"...Okay," Ash agreed, even though he wasn't sure himself.

"You just trust me," Meowth said, clambering down the ladder to the ground, ignoring Susanoo as Susanoo pointed out Ash made a very comfortable pillow, if Meowth ever felt lonely sleeping in a huge bed (relatively, for a Meowth, really) by himself.

James was gone far less than Ash would have expected; despite Meowth's assurances, James must have been worried. She grabbed only her Pokeballs and a first aid kit, nodding at Ash when she saw he had his Pokeballs at his waist.

"Good. Let's go." James was halfway across the main area before Ash realized she didn't intend to get breakfast.

He grabbed her skirt, bringing her up short when the fabric caught, turning to Ash. Her brow was furrowed.

"We need to go, Ash," she said. "What-"

"You need to have breakfast," Ash blurted. "Your Pokemon, too. What if we need to have a Pokemon battle to find Jessie?"

James maintained her scowl for just a few moments, before sighing, her shoulders slumping as she turned back to the food area.

"I'm sorry!" Ash said. "I just-"

"Don't apologize, kid," James said. "You're right. If Jessie's in trouble and needs our help - our Pokemon need to be rested and fed. Come on - but we're going to be quick."

She barely ate anything, although Growlie, Cheri, and Ash's Pokemon ate heartily - probably for the best; if there was a problem, the Pokemon would be dealing with it. As they were leaving the Pokemon Center, however, they ran into Gary's cheerleaders (babysitters, Ash corrected, with a thought that would have been more smug if their worried expressions suggested they hadn't found Gary yet). The one who'd spoken to Ash stepped up.

"Ash-"

"I haven't seen Gary," Ash blurted out. "And our friend Jessie is missing, too."

"I see," she murmured, glancing back at the other girls. "Would you mind if one of use stuck with you while you look for your friend - in case Gary's with her?"

"I-"

"Sure," James growled. "You - or someone else?"

"I guess me," she said, smiling at James. "My name's Sara."

"James," James replied, holding out a hand. "Our friend's got red hair - really long, and she's got a bad attitude if she's not in a good mood. So if you find her-"

"We'll call Sara," one of the other girls called, splitting into small groups, heading in different directions from the Pokemon Center, leaving Ash, James, and Sara alone in front of the Pokemon Center with Susanoo and Meowth.

"Alright," James muttered, tossing out a Pokeball. She knelt next to Growlie as he materialized, running a hand through his scruff. "Hey, Growlie - we need you to find Jessie for us. Do you think you can do that?"

Growlie, already alert as he appeared out of the Pokeball, gave a sharp bark and dropped his head to the ground, sniffing. Susanoo jumped down to sniff at the ground, as well, earning a snicker from Meowth.

"You're not gonna beat Growlie," Meowth said. "He's using Odor Sleuth - he can track your scent across a hundred miles of wilderness."

"A talking Meowth?" Sara whispered; Meowth tensed and shifted closer to James.

"Yeah, what of it?" Meowth demanded, glaring up at her.

Sara stared at him for a few seconds, frowning, long enough Ash felt his anxiety rising. "Stop it," he snapped. "Meowth's my friend, not-"

"Oh, hey!" Sara replied, straightening up and waving her hands in front of her like a shield. "I wasn't trying to upset them."

"Yeah, relax, kid - not everyone's used to seeing something as amazing as me everyday," Meowth replied. Susanoo made a sharp noise of agreement, and Meowth scowled, jerking his head to look at Growlie. "So, you get the scent yet, dog-breath?"

"Rowl!" Growlie bolted off, drawing up short only at a sharp command from James, after which he circled the ground constantly, pausing every few meters to sniff at the ground and herding them in a new direction. Meowth trailed at the rear, hands locked behind his head as he walked. They'd been walking a few minutes, heading toward the edge of town, when Meowth scrambled forward to tug at the hem of James' skirt until she stopped and looked down at him.

"Hey, uh," Meowth said. "I think Ash's friend might have gone this way, too."

"Gary?" Sara asked. "You've got his scent?"

"Maybe," Meowth said with a shrug. "I didn't exactly take the time to get a clear - olfactory picture, you know? Got a reputation that doesn't lend itself to sniffing the butt of everyone I meet."

"But someone went this way with your friend," Sara said.

"Yeah."

Sara nodded her head once, a quick jerk, and hurried to follow Growlie. Ash let his steps slow, watching Meowth, who kept proving to be a surprise. Making a decision, Ash stepped up behind Meowth, lifting him off the ground.

Meowth squawked in surprise, only quieting when he was able to get a hold on Ash's free shoulder. "Warn a guy before you do that!" he snapped.

Susanoo snorted, pointing out how much Meowth complained about having to walk everywhere.

"It's the principle of the thing," Meowth grumbled.

"Sorry, Meowth." Ash reached a hand up to Meowth's ears until Meowth noticed and offered them for an apologetic scratch. "I'll ask next time."

"Good - the earlier we get the ground rules set out, the smoother our relationship's gonna be," Meowth said, patting Ash's head.

Ash shrugged. Meowth was (probably) sincere, suggesting Jessie and James hadn't really had a chance to talk things out, or that he wanted Ash to feel better about their eventual separation. "So. You know Odor Sleuth?"

"Hm, yeah. Wasn't going to let James' dumb dog show me up," Meowth replied.

"What other moves do you know?"

Meowth poked Ash's cheek with a claw. "Why do you want to know? I'm not planning to let you boss me around in a battle."

"I'm just curious!" Ash protested. "I mean - you're a Pokemon, and that's - I don't know."

Meowth was quiet a moment as Ash walked. "I mean, I haven't really battled in years. But I can Bite, use Fury Swipes, and Covet - a nice little bit of pickpocketing."

"And you don't - like battling?" Ash asked.

Meowth sighed, leaning a little heavier against the side of Ash's head. "Not all Pokemon do, you know. The ones that do - end up in the hands of trainers, one way or another. I mean, if you're up against a wall, you gotta fight, sometimes, but I don't have to like it."

"Oh." Ash let that thought settle as they walked. "Have you ever thought of practicing - just in case you need to?"

Susanoo pointed out, with a lilting trill, that Meowth could learn Thunderbolt.

"Hmph," Meowth retorted. "If I ever feel the need to learn how to shoot lightning out of my face, I'll ask for your help, alright?"

"Sure, anytime," Ash replied, a moment before remembering.

Well, they probably wouldn't be hanging out much soon.

That somber thought stayed with Ash as they climbed along a gently sloping path that followed the line of a cliff overlooking the town. There was a small building at the top, and a weird outcropping beyond that. Ash squinted, trying to make sense of the rock's shape.

"Well, that's ominous," Sara said.

"What is?" James asked.

Sara pointed at the rock. "That's the 'Maiden's Peak' the town is named for. That's a shrine to the maiden up there."

"A shrine? Like to a spirit?" Ash asked.

(Or to a ghost, a traitorous voice that reminded him of Gary when they'd slept over and Gary insisted on telling scary stories.)

"Mm," Sara agreed. "They say the peak of this ridge is a woman who turned to stone waiting for her lover to return home from a war. They honor her during their Summer Festival, along with the spirits of any other departed loved ones."

"Um." It hadn't occurred to Ash before, except that he'd earlier been reminded of Gary's parents, and how moody Gary got around early spring, when they'd died. "Gary's parents - died a while ago."

"So it's not unreasonable he just came out here when he could expect to be alone," James concluded. "And Jessie's - private."

"He could have told us he was leaving so we didn't worry," Sara griped, "but at least there isn't much that could happen to him in a shrine."

Ash didn't speak up, because Gary had said only babies were scared of ghosts (not Ghost Pokemon, which were scary enough, but ghosts), but Izumi's mention of a ghost that haunted Maiden's Peak during the Summer Festival added the worrying possibility that something could happen to Gary in the shrine. So he tried to steel himself, trailing after Sara and James, expecting the worst.

As they drew closer, Ash made out, next to the shrine, that the stone outcropping looked - a lot like a woman perched on the end of the cliff. The shrine itself was a small building, one room, with a delicate altar built at the end closest to the stone maiden.

And in front of the altar knelt two figures, one with red hair cascading over their shoulders, the other smaller with wild brown hair.

"Jessie!" James called; the red-haired figure didn't react, which pushed Ash into movement, scrambling past the two older women to the hunched figures (dislodging both his passengers with twin shouts of protest), which did prove to be Jessie and Gary, although they were as unresponsive to Ash's words as they were James'. Both seemed to be asleep, although they were propped up by shaky arms, and their faces were lined with dried tears.

Ash reached out and shook Gary's shoulder; the other boy jolted back with a yelp, falling back, seated, for a moment, before his arms buckled and he fell on his back. Jessie did much the same, falling sideways, at the sound of Gary's shout. Everything was quiet a moment before Gary struggled up to a seated position, squinting at the sight of Ash in front of him.

"Ash? What are you doing here?"

"I was helping find you after you went missing," Ash replied. "So you could thank me instead of looking all disgusted."

"I wasn't-" Gary darted his head around, and some of his panicked energy left him when he saw Sara. "Uh. Hey."

"What do you think you were doing?" Sara demanded, hurrying to Gary's side. Her face was pale, chin quivering, even though Gary was fine. "Wandering off like that?"

"Wandering...off?" Gary seemed to finally realize something was off, looking around his surroundings in earnest, eyebrows pulled together as he frowned. "I don't remember wandering off - I went to bed when Denny told me to," he snapped at Sara.

"You have a bedtime?" Ash asked, more surprised than anything else.

"It's not a - she's my coach!" Gary said, voice going high-pitched. "And I don't remember coming out here!" he added to Sara, who'd taken the few moments of argument to sit next to Gary, watching him with a careful eye Ash recognized when Jessie tried to evaluate a Pokemon's health.

"I believe you," Sara said. "But how about we get you back to the girls and make sure you're okay."

"I…" Gary looked over to Ash, still looking - lost, and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Thanks so much for your help," Sara said to James as she led Gary, unsteady on his feet, toward the exit to the shrine. "I'm sure we would have thought to check this place eventually, but we really didn't need to spend all day worrying."

"No trouble at all!" James replied; Jessie seemed to have half-curled up in her lap, facing away from Sara and Gary, but James seemed unconcerned, meaning that even if it wasn't normal behavior, James recognized it enough to deal with it. "We try to help when we can."

Jessie was quiet, still, until Sara had been gone for a minute, and then muttered, "I feel like shit."

"Jessie!" James chided. "Ash is here!"

"Well, he's bound to learn about curse words someday," Jessie replied. "And I do feel like shit." She sat up, unsteady, wiping at her eyes. "I didn't get drunk, did I? I feel-"

"Dehydrated," James replied. "It looks like you've been crying all night."

"Crying?" Jessie asked. "I don't remember that - I don't remember coming in here, wherever here is."

"It's the shrine for the maiden," Ash replied. "And Izumi - she's staying in the Pokemon Center - said there's a ghost here."

"Psh," Jessie scoffed, rising to her feet, swiping at her face again. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Well, Jessie-" James started, trailing after her, catching her weight as she stumbled.

"There's a difference between Ghost Pokemon and ghosts," Jessie groaned. "And ghosts don't exist."

"Izumi said there are," Ash said, at which point Susanoo interjected Izumi couldn't be more than 13.

"So? She knows all sorts of stuff about ghosts!" Ash snapped back.

"Yeah, alright, let's hold off arguing whether Ash's new girlfriend knows what she's talking about until we've figured out whether any of us are being haunted," Meowth interjected, waving at both Ash and Susanoo to calm them down.

Ash felt his cheeks heat at the claim. "She's not - we just met."

"Yeah, how about we don't pressure a kid into worrying about romance - with girls or boys, mm?" James asked, tweaking Meowth's tail as a warning before picking him up. Pikachu suggested Meowth worry about his own love life before making comments about Ash's; Meowth sputtered, curling against James' chest and sticking his tongue out at Susanoo.

"I don't know what he's so smug about," Meowth muttered. "He doesn't have a love life either, unless he's dating the Squirtle behind our backs."

Susanoo snickered into Ash's shoulder, but refused to explain further as they began the trek back to the Pokemon Center. The mention of - girlfriends and dating, left Ash curious, as one of those things that were still a mystery about his friends.

"Do either of you, um, have girlfriends? Or boyfriends? Or whatever - you'd call someone who isn't...either?"

"No, I'm afraid our life is a little too nomadic to support long-term relationships," James lamented, raising a hand to her forehead.

"Also, the crime," Jessie added.

"Yes, being a wanted Pokemon poacher puts a damper on potential romantic relationships," James agreed.

"But James, of course, is a romantic - waiting about for a dashing gentleman to sweep her off her feet," Jessie added, grabbing James' arm to swing around to face Ash, grinning. "There's a - look - you see, that sets her heart a-twitter."

"Yes, well, Ash doesn't need every sordid detail," James said, shoving Jessie away from her.

"...Oh," Ash replied. It was a little - confusing, he had to admit. He'd sort of assumed James - well, it was dumb in retrospect, thinking about it. "Uh, Jessie-"

"I'm afraid my standards are higher than my partner's," Jessie said. "All she needs is a guy who looks good in a cape, but I need someone with taste, class, and the willingness to support me as I build my career as a nurse - or Pokemon idol. One of the two."

"But that is a subject you don't need to worry yourself about," James concluded. "Just because we are a pair of hopeless romantics doesn't mean you have to be. Certainly, if you find your stomach fluttering in the presence of someone, you will not find us wanting in providing any assistance you might need - but if you find your life consumed by your dream, never moved by thoughts of romance or - ah, kissing - well, don't let anyone, even Meowth, make you feel you have to do otherwise."

"I'm sorry," Meowth grumbled. "Just teasing the kid - didn't know we were stumbling into a 'serious talk' and all."

"Speaking of serious talks," Jessie said, "do we have theories about why I woke up in a shrine next to a ten-year-old boy, having spent the entire evening crying? Other than 'ghosts'?"

"Not yet," James replied. "We just found you-"

Growlie yelped to highlight his own contributions, earning a distracted head-pat from James.

"So we haven't had a lot of time to theorize," James concluded.

"We could ask Izumi," Ash suggested. "She seemed to know about Maiden's Peak, so she might know if this is - normal for Maiden's Peak, or something...weird."

"Yes, sure, absolutely," Jessie said. "I am ecstatic at the opportunity to follow the directions of a child."

Ash scowled at the reminder of what he'd been able to put off, trying to help Jessie. "If you don't want to listen to a kid, you can just leave me alone!" he snapped. He steadied Susanoo's perch and stormed past Jessie and James, ignoring startled voices behind him, and breaking off toward the town proper. Susanoo was quiet as Ash walked, probably sensing he wasn't in the mood to argue or - discuss, or anything. At least until they reached the first stalls of the festival and Susanoo tugged Ash's head to the right.

"What's...up, buddy?" Ash asked. The crowds were light, the day still early, and Ash couldn't see anything of note.

Susanoo jerked Ash's head again, toward someone in the crowd. At first Ash thought it was someone wearing a white helmet or hat, until he saw a pale white shape bouncing next to it, and realized the white shape was the helmet of a Cubone sitting on someone's head, swinging his bone in time to a beat no one else could hear.

"Hey, Izumi!" Ash shouted. The girl paused, looking back, smiling when she saw Ash and Susanoo.

"Hi, Ash," she replied as he reached her. Her Cubone chattered something - it was either nonsense, or the Cubone was unexpectedly reserved for a young Pokemon. "Are you enjoying the festival?"

"Uh." Ash gave his surroundings a cursory glance. "It looks nice, but we got a little distracted. Two of my friends vanished last night and we found them-"

"In the Maiden's Shrine?" Izumi asked, mouth twisting. "Oh, dear. None of the stories mentioned that."

"So this has something to do with the ghost you're looking for?" Ash asked.

"It could," Izumi mused. "I never heard anything about her kidnapping people, though."

Susanoo voiced Ash's thoughts, and it took him a moment to realize that without Meowth around, no one was going to understand Susanoo. "What - does she do?" he asked.

"People cry," Izumi said. "It was an old legend that when people came into her shrine, she made them cry the tears she no longer could."

"I wasn't crying," Ash protested, "and neither did James or Sara."

Izumi shrugged. "I don't know that it was everyone - the stories suggested people who cried in the shrine were - attuned to the ghost, somehow. And I don't think there have been any credible reports for a few years, so there isn't anyone I could ask. But the stories were all clear - certain people couldn't stop crying as long as they were in the shrine."

"James and Gary did look like they'd been crying."

Susanoo agreed with a chirp.

"Then it fits the story," Izumi said. "Except for people vanishing. That's...a problem." She looked sidelong at Ash, frowning. "Do you have any ideas what they might have in common?"

Ash started to shake his head before pausing, because he could almost remember something, a common thought he'd had in the past day or so. "...Maybe?"

Izumi sighed, a long huff of breath. "It'd help a lot if you remembered. These things - ghosts kidnapping or tormenting people - need handling, and more often than not, I'm the one best equipped to do so. But there's always a key, something that makes it easier to understand."

Ash squinted as he thought, but found the stress of his morning left him unable to focus, and he shrugged. "Sorry."

"Well," Izumi said, glancing up toward the ridge that overlooked the town, and the stone form that topped it, "I'll be camping out in the shrine if you come up with any ideas."

She vanished into the crowd, presumably following through on her declaration, leaving Ash and Susanoo on their own. After a moment, Susanoo poked the side of Ash's head, asking if Ash were planning to head back to the Pokemon Center or get lunch, because Susanoo's vote was food.

"Yeah, let's eat, buddy," Ash agreed. Susanoo demolished his lunch while Ash picked at his, settled in the seats of a small booth set up for the festival. He dallied even as Susanoo lounged dramatically on the table. Ash had yelled at Jessie and James, and was certain if they hadn't been thinking about abandoning him before, they were now. And he couldn't put off the conversation forever, even if he had no idea what he'd do afterward. Traveling with only his Pokemon for company seemed daunting, now, especially knowing even Gary's grandfather thought Gary needed someone traveling with him.

Susanoo chirped sadly, patting Ash's hand, an attempt at consolation that did make Ash feel a little bolder. So he picked up his partner, took a deep breath, and headed back to the Pokemon Center. He'd barely crossed the entrance before someone cried, "Ash!" and caught him up in a tight embrace.

"Where were you?" James demanded. "We were worried sick about you!"

"I…" Ash stilled, uncertain, as James stepped back, holding Ash at arms-length, scanning him for - what, he didn't know. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

James' expression shifted, from a frown to something flat, and she put a hand on Ash's shoulder, stepping back to tug him along. "Come on. We've got some things to talk about."

Ash's stomach swooped as they walked, panicked at the thought that this - getting Jessie kidnapped by a ghost - was the last straw, that after this, they'd go their separate ways. Ash didn't even know how to cook; he'd have to buy ready-to-eat food from marts.

Jessie was seated on the lower bunk of hers and James' bed when Ash and James arrived, straightening, smiling, gently, at them. James steered Ash to sit next to her, and then took a seat on Ash's bed. They were quiet for a long moment, until Meowth hopped off of Ash's bed. He was frowning.

"So what's got you convinced we wanna go anywhere, kid?" Meowth asked.

Ash let his head fall, staring at his lap. The words wouldn't come, the explanation of what had been knotting him up for the - less than two weeks since they'd boarded that Rocket ship. "I don't-" He fell silent.

"You know, Ash - we came into this, well, not with an entirely accurate picture of what it'd be like, but we didn't come with you in the expectation it'd be easy," James said. "You're a child-"

"I know! I'm a dumb kid, and I keep - you wanted to teach me, but you didn't expect. I nearly got you three killed!"

"Because, what? You mistook one ship for another?" Jessie asked. "Either of us could have made that mistake, and you've got one thing going for you - you're a kid."

Ash shook his head, hiccoughing as he tried to find words. "You-"

"Ash," James said, leaning forward so she could look him evenly in the eyes. "You're a child, and Jessie and I are adults. We didn't intend for you to be making decisions for us - because we're supporting you on your Pokemon journey, we're following you to gyms, and letting you broadly direct us. But we're here to take care of you. That means making sure you sleep, and eat right, and keep you from making obviously terrible decisions. It means we decide for ourselves if something is safe. Ths S.S. Anne - that's not your fault. It's ours, for deciding not to take a moment - to think."

"It - doesn't matter," Ash murmured. "It's just - eventually,"

"We'll give up?" Jessie demanded. "Leave you alone? Not a chance." She reached around Ash, pulling him to her side by his arm. "Now isn't the time for details, kid, but James and Meowth and I? We don't make decisions lightly. We didn't choose to travel with you because we thought it would be easy. We discussed exactly what we were in for, running with a child. If you feel uncomfortable around us, Ash, or want to go on your own - we won't force our presence on you. But we came into this eyes wide open. We joined you knowing exactly how much work it was going to be."

"Yeah," Meowth grumbled, poking Ash's calf. "You - didn't drop us when you found out what we do in our free time, so you're one of us, now. And heck, even if these two drop you-"

"You stupid cat, I just finished telling him we wouldn't!" Jessie snapped.

"Even if they do, you're stuck with me," Meowth concluded. "We're two of a kind, you and me - the Pokemon who can talk to humans, and the human who can talk to Pokemon, and freaks like us gotta stick together."

Ash hiccoughed again, but when he tried to speak, the words stuck, and he felt tears trickling from his eyes. His breath hitched and when Jessie's grip tightened, he fell against her, gasping and sobbing. He was vaguely aware of a weight settling on the bed, another source of warmth pressed up against him, another one (two) by his legs. When he looked up, at last, it was to two people holding him between them, and down, Meowth and Susanoo hugging his legs. It was like - when his mother hugged him, steady, with whispered promises it would be alright. It was a promise his father had found too hard to make, but Jessie and James, who'd been through so much because of him, didn't hesitate to (he couldn't explain why Meowth's promise felt different, except perhaps it was easier to read a Pokemon's sincerity).

"There we go," James murmured, patting Ash's back. "Feel any better?"

Ash shook his head against Jessie's side, even if he was feeling less - anxious. He was exhausted, however, and somewhere between everything, fell asleep still draped over Jessie.

He woke later, cold, even though Susanoo was nestled against his stomach, and for a moment, Ash panicked, worried that Jessie and James had left, despite everything. At his shocked whimper, James half-fell down the ladder from above, his eyes wide, panicked.

"Oh dear," he murmured. He stared at Ash for an uncomfortably long moment before sighing. "Get dressed - it seems we're going to have to have a chat with the ghost of Maiden's Peak."

Fear of abandonment gave way to fear for Jessie, so Ash scrambled out of bed, dislodging Susanoo with a plaintive murmur. As James' bag was next to Jessie's and his bed, Ash dug through it to toss James the pair of pants he'd worn for most of their trip through the wilderness, and a long-sleeved shirt that was next to it. James caught the clothing, and this time he paused, staring at Ash with an odd expression.

"Ash. Why did you-" He gestured at the pants; Ash, uncertain of the questions, shrugged, and James sighed. "These are the sort of clothes I wear when I'm a man."

"Well, aren't you?" Ash asked, and James - pouted, a delicate frown.

"I suppose, but I didn't...how did you know that?"

"It's like Pokemon, you said," Ash replied, shrugging. "They don't talk with - words. So I just...pay attention."

"Well," James said after a tense moment of quiet, "you really are something, Ash Ketchum. Come on - let's get our partner back."

Susanoo was eager to head out once Ash explained the situation; Meowth was less so, but was persuaded to ride along with James, who called out Growlie to confirm their quarry had, in fact, headed toward the shrine. The walk through the summer night to the shrine was quiet - James seemed interested in studying Ash, while both Meowth and Susanoo were dozing. And Ash was-

Worrying. He hadn't heard any outburst to suggest Gary had vanished, but-

If Jessie was gone again, there wasn't any reason to think Gary wasn't gone, too. And Izumi hadn't seemed to think Jessie and Gary were in danger from the ghost, but the ghost hadn't kidnapped people before, so Ash couldn't quite trust what she thought the ghost might do.

As they walked up the path toward the shrine, though, Ash heard a voice carried on the wind. It didn't sound like Jessie or Gary, and Ash didn't think it was a ghost. So he broke into a run, ignoring James' shouts from behind him.

Jessie and Gary sat on the floor just inside the shrine; they were...awake, Ash thought, but were staring at the far wall, where a picture of a woman with long, pale purple hair hung, the woman smiling sadly at the viewer. Tears were streaming from each of their faces. Izumi was seated next to Gary, shaking his shoulder gently.

"Are - they alright?" Ash asked.

Izumi looked back, a frown smoothing away. She stood, stepping away from Gary. "They don't seem hurt, but I can't rouse them. They're crying, just like the stories, but-" She wiped at her own eyes, which were glistening. "I can't reach them."

"Have you tried pinching them?" James asked as he arrived behind Ash. "They're - dreaming or something, right?"

"Hm," Izumi replied. "Not quite dreaming. It's more like a trance." She pressed her lips together, almost a frown, before reaching for her belt. "Rose, come on," she said. A bone-white mask materialized from a Pokeball, dangling from a black shape like a teardrop with arms.

"Mask," the Pokemon crooned. Ash's hand went to his gear before remembering it was still damaged.

"What's-"

"Can you feel anything?" Izumi asked Rose.

"Yaya!" Rose replied, shaking their body back and forth. "Yama."

Izumi's brow furrowed. "A Ghost Pokemon?" She shook her head. "Impossible." She wiped at her eyes again. "The stories - people have seen her image before."

"Is that your concern?" The woman's figure seemed to peel away from the painting, leaving a slightly translucent form hovering in the air in front of the shrine. "I'm no Ditto, but I think this is a pretty good likeness."

"Who are you?" Ash demanded.

"Would you believe I'm the Ghost of the Maiden?" the spirit asked, drifting closer.

"No," Izumi said, shaking her head. "I know ghosts, but Rose here knows Ghost Pokemon. What are you? A Duskull? A Litwick?"

"I am a monument," the spirit replied. "A testament. When people come here who have forgotten how to grieve - I remind them."

"Forgotten how to grieve?" Izumi demanded.

"When people come to this shrine, grieving but having silenced their tears," the spirit said, drifting close enough to reach a hand out to Izumi's. "she invited them to recall what it was to grieve, to share in her sorrow."

"Kidnapping people out of their beds doesn't sound much like an 'invitation' to me," James muttered.

The spirit's smile widened, fangs visible within it. "Well, it seemed a shame to limit the invitation to those who were willing to make the trek up here." She tilted her head, studying Izumi. "But you came here of your own volition. And there is something strange about your grief - a sorrow hidden behind a veil."

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Izumi demanded. "Bringing people here to cry until they collapse?"

"I am a memorial," the spirit repeated. "People have been forgetting her, leaving this shrine empty even during the festival of remembrance."

"A memorial?" Izumi mused. "Is she - gone?"

"So I decided - if even if she had forgotten her grief, I would make you remember!"

"You need to stop!" Izumi protested. "This isn't-"

The spirit's expression shifted, the form of the woman vanishing to be replaced by a ball of gas, black and violet twisting around it, a fanged mouth, and two eyes slanted in sorrow. And Izumi's voice cut off with a sob as she sank to her knees. Her Pokemon circled her anxiously as she sobbed, but Ash felt a familiar thrill at realizing this wasn't a human ghost, but a Ghost Pokemon, as Izumi had said.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" he shouted. "Susanoo!"

"Growlie!" James called; the Growlithe dropped down, growling, at the Ghost.

"Oh, dear," the Ghost, floating in mid-air, said, frowning. "This isn't appropriate behavior for a shrine."

"Neither is kidnapping people!" Ash snapped. "So let them go, or Susanoo and I will make you!"

"I don't think you will," the Ghost replied, body flaring with a blue aura that flickered to life around Susanoo.

Susanoo yelped and began floating off the ground. The Ghost sank closer to the ground, grinning.

"Susanoo! Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, an order Susanoo happily complied with. Lightning struck the Ghost, who moaned as they were struck.

"Quite a powerful creature you've got there," the Ghost murmured. "But do you think it's enough to beat me?"

"Of course it is! Volt Tackle!"

Susanoo, still floating, kicked off the wall toward the Ghost, knocking them backward with a cry of "Gassss!" When they righted themself, they were grinning, still, and Ash felt the first threads of unease.

"Ember!"

"Oh, that's no fun!" the Ghost wailed, eyes flashing red as Growlie spat out a stream of flame. The flames licked along their form, but didn't catch.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash tried, because he had a suspicion he needed to see through. Watching closely, he saw the lightning arc toward the Ghost - almost as if drawn toward them. And their cry of pain was almost - theatrical.

Ash eyed Susanoo, floating in the air like a - ghost, and the Ghost, untouched by Susanoo's lightning. "You stole his power," Ash guessed.

"Swapped them, actually," the Ghost chortled. "It wouldn't be fair, otherwise." They stuck out a long tongue and spat out a ball of smoky darkness that sent Susanoo careening into the wall.

"Bite!" The Ghost bounced out of the way of Growlie's bite, before returning to drag their massive tongue along his face. Growlie yiped, startled, before stumbling backward, vaguely, the Ghost's attack leaving him paralyzed.

"Susanoo-"

"Fury Swipes!" Meowth leapt at the Ghost, claws flashing; Meowth fell through the Ghost, however, whose eyes had faded from their bright red.

"First lesson in fighting Ghosts," the Ghost said, almost kindly, "is Normal and Fighting Type attacks just don't work."

"But the same is true in reverse," James growled. "That Lick can't affect Meowth, either. Bite!"

The Ghost ducked down, slamming their head into Meowth as he tried to bite through their smoky form, and they laughed. "You're going to have to be quicker than that to take me out!"

"Susanoo! Iron Tail!"

Susanoo used his tail as a brace to bounce off the wall, swinging it at the Ghost as he did. The attack made contact, and the Ghost scowled, and a blue aura engulfed them and Susanoo. "Don't do that again," the Ghost ordered.

"Don't listen to them! Iron Tail!"

Susanoo, holding onto a light fixture, waggled his tail, staring at it, confused.

"Disable," James muttered. "This Ghost has a lot of Psychic moves in its repertoire."

"So what do I do?" Ash demanded. "They're immune to Electric attacks."

"I don't-"

"This is boring!" the Ghost wailed. "So how about the two of you join your friends?" They focused their gaze on Ash and James, and Ash felt-

Birthdays spent hoping maybe, this year...Pokemon League Conferences looking for a familiar face among the contestants. His father wasn't dead, but Ash missed him, anyway. Ash didn't remember sitting, or putting his head in his hands. He sobbed unabashedly, hearing James whimper to the side, and Meowth and Growlie wail in unison.

"My tormenting confession is harder, you know, when I use it on people who haven't lost a loved one," the Ghost said, drifting closer, voice vague through Ash's grief. "But you left me no choice. Don't worry. I'm not going to eat your dreams or anything; I'm not a Drowzee."

Susanoo shouted something - a sharp command, and at that, the Ghost turned. The Pikachu was holding onto the shrine, glowering at the Ghost. Tears were running down Susanoo's face, but he was smiling - a wild grin unlike anything Ash had seen on him.

"You're remarkably happy for someone who should be swallowed in loss," the Ghost said.

Susanoo's grin widened as he replied. Remembering the people he'd left behind made him sad. But it also made him strong. His cheeks were sparking warningly, a sign of gathering power.

"What is this?" the Ghost demanded. "With me borrowing your Lightning Rod ability, you can't hurt me, no matter how powerful your attack is."

Susanoo's reply could be nothing other than a retort of, "Wanna bet?" before he let loose a bolt of lightning that streaked through the shrine, an accompanying crack of thunder shattering windows and sending the Ghost flying through the wall.

Ash's ears were ringing, spots floating before his eyes, as Susanoo dropped to the surface of the shrine with a surprised cry. Izumi rose unsteadily to her feet, and Ash could hear Jessie groan.

And then the Ghost barrelled back into the room, scowling.

"Why, you-"

"Stop it," Izumi commanded. "Just...stop."

"No!" the Ghost snapped. "I can't let people forget her! And if I have to kidnap every person who comes here-"

"How far will you go as you continue to walk?" Izumi's voice was bright, steady, and lifting in song, and soothed the part of Ash that still hurt when he thought about his moment under the Ghost's power. "The wind asks me that, and I look to the sky. Shall we go anywhere as we continue to walk? Together with the wind, we begin to walk again." As her voice died away, the Ghost, sinking low to the ground, looked up at her with teary eyes. Izumi stepped up next to them, placing a hand on their head. She shook her head. "They built a shrine, here, and come here, even though it makes them sad. They won't forget her, I'm sure - not as long as you remember. Right?"

"I-"

"This festival is for remembering," Izumi said. "Don't - twist it by adding to their grief. Come on. I've got an idea."

Hundreds of humans and Pokemon had gathered at the most downhill point in Maiden's Peak - a still lake at the top of the cliffs. People stepped forward to set lanterns adrift on their boats, before stepping back. And once the boats were all adrift…

The crying began. Everyone who had gathered to remember a lost loved one, everyone who had come to stand with someone who had, found tears streaming down their faces. It wasn't the grief forced to the surface by the Pokemon's (the Gastly's) power, but something easing the barriers that people used to keep the tears bottled up. Jessie didn't let herself cry about her mother often - not even at Summer Festivals or other memorials. The two mornings she'd awoken, dehydrated and miserable, hadn't made her eager to repeat the experience.

This was different, somehow. The tears felt cleaner, the grief muted. And somewhere above it all, the Gastly was sharing it.

When it was over, Jessie found Ash had disappeared. When she glanced at James, he jerked his head to the side, where Ash was hovering near Gary and his guardians. Jessie ambled in that direction, ready to intervene if Gary decided to act like a repressed, confused brat again.

But then one of the girls nudged Gary and he turned to Ash - not smiling (he'd been dragged to Gastly's shrine by the same sort of grief that had taken Jessie), but not looking at him with the affected smugness he had before.

"So, I guess it's lucky you overslept and got stuck with the Pikachu," Gary said. "He could almost be a match for my Wartortle."

"Wartortle's a Water Type," Ash protested.

"So you learned your Type matchups?" Gary retorted. "That's not going to get you to the Indigo Conference by itself." He smirked, suddenly. "If you ever make it, Ashy-boy, I'll make sure to prove it - me and my Wartortle will wipe the floor with your Pikachu."

"His name's Susanoo," Ash said. "Thunder God."

"Heh," Gary scoffed. "I'll tell you Wartortle's if you beat us." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a blocky object, which he handed to Ash. "Anyway, Gramps just got me the latest model of Gear, so I figured you can have this old piece of junk."

Ash fisted his hands at his side, bristling. "I don't need-"

"Replace it when you get to Celadon City or whatever - I don't care," Gary retorted. "But you're hopeless without a half-decent Pokedex, so take it. Let's go, girls."

"I'm not just going to take this!" Ash snapped as Gary walked away. "I'm giving it back when I beat you at the Conference!"

"We'll see!" Gary shouted back, waving.

Jessie just shook her head, because.

Boys.

Would it have killed him to just say 'thank you'?

"I don't know what you expect to find here," Blaine complained as he pulled the padlock off the front door of the burned-out mansion. "This place has been abandoned for close to five years."

"Hm," Lance replied, watching the older man fumble with the door. "Do you know what happened here?"

Blaine shrugged. "I remember putting the fire out before your lot showed up. Agatha told me there wasn't anyone left alive in here. Do you know anything?"

Lance shook his head. "The place was too unstable to explore, and - there were always bigger things to worry about."

"And now?" Blaine asked.

"Now, my colleagues are dealing with trainers using R to make their Pokemon violent and uncontrollable, and I'm dealing with a monster hunting off your coastline. I decided to look into things. Do you know who owns this place?"

"Ah - there was a Dr. Fuji who used to live here? But he-"

"He's been dead for close to ten years," Lance agreed. "Come on." He began walking through the burned and crumbling interior of the mansion - moldy carpet, the heat from beneath the cracked foundation, and both Poison and Fire Pokemon wandering the ruins. They began their exploration at the top floor, finding little of any use up there.

"When I began looking, I found this place passed from Fuji to his ex-wife to...an agent representing a company that owns a corporation that's a shell for - well, you get the idea."

"You don't think-"

"I don't know. There's an obvious answer, but I couldn't say for certain." They were back on the ground floor, exploring, but Lance was certain their answers weren't here.

"But you decided to look here when you found a monster in the Seafoam Islands," Blaine pointed out.

"Yes, well." Lance let out a victorious cry when he found a rug that, when moved, revealed a metal ring set into the floor. "There was one name I found within this web of dummies and shells, a consultant contacted weeks after Fuji's death.

"Ann Laurent."

Blaine grabbed Lance's arm before he could lift the hidden door open, jerking it back so Lance was forced to face Blaine's fierce expression, eyes hardened. Lance resisted flinching away from that expression, but only just. "Laurent? From Orre University?"

Lance nodded, and Blaine grimaced. "I only heard rumors about what they found in her lab-"

"I saw the pictures," Lance replied, and threw the door open. He looked back at Blaine, who looked like he was going to be sick. "You don't have to come."

"No," Blaine growled. "This has been sitting under my island for - five years, at least. I have to see what it is."

At first, there was just a lot of nothing. Empty corridors (except not - there were bodies down here, human and Pokemon), and broken machinery. Something that looked like a Pokemon Center's rejuvenation device, and a half dozen that were partially dismantled. And then-

There were thirteen of them. Glass tubes set on top of complex machinery and glowing displays. Lance approached the nearest one, tracing a finger along the display.

"SUBJECT NO. 7 - DECEASED." He looked up, finding an indistinct shape curled up against the bottom of the tube, which once must have contained some sort of fluid. He tilted his head, trying to find an angle at which the body inside was clear, but to no avail.

"What are you doing?" Blaine asked.

"She was working on something in here," Lance replied, as he approached the next one - 'SUBJECT NO. 10 - DECEASED'. He couldn't get a good angle on that one. "If we don't do everything we can to figure out what that is, we're going to be in for a nasty surprise someday."

"Well," Blaine said, stepping around the tubes, "I'm going to check the paperwork."

There was a tail, Lance thought, but little else he could see.

"Hey, there's a journal in here! Looks old."

"From what I heard about Laurent, she wasn't the sentimental sort," Lance said, as he found 'SUBJECT NO. 01 - DECEASED'.

"You're right - it's Fuji's." Lance heard the flipping of pages. "And someone's ripped a lot of pages out of here. Looks like they were studying a...new Pokemon?"

"Well, keep looking, see if it can tell us anything about them."

'SUBJECT NO. 03 - DECEASED.' 'SUBJECT NO. 06 - DECEASED'. 'SUBJECT NO. 08 - DECEASED'. Lance saw ears - pointed, but rounded at the edges.

"I can make out something here," Blaine said. "Not - encouraging. 'Too powerful'. 'We have failed to curb its…' Looks like they crossed something out, but whatever it is, it's got 'vicious tendencies'."

"No Pokemon's got vicious tendencies," Lance replied, only half paying attention as he found 'SUBJECT NO. 02 - DECEASED', and 'SUBJECT NO. 13 - DECEASED'. "A poor environment, a poor trainer, that's what makes a Pokemon vicious." The creature's neck was bifurcated, he thought.

'SUBJECT NO. 04 - DECANTED'. 'SUBJECT NO. 11 - DECEASED'. A hand was pressed up against the inside of the tube numbered '11' - three-fingered, and like the rest of the body, about the size of a human. The other was empty.

"It honestly looks like someone ripped everything that might have been any use out of this journal," Blaine commented.

"Sounds like Laurent," Lance replied. 'SUBJECT NO. 05 - DECEASED'. 'SUBJECT NO. 12 - DECEASED'. The bodies, curled in the tanks, reaching for the outside, left a sick, anxious feeling in Lance's chest. He knew, if Dr. Laurent had been involved here, something monstrous would have been happening. But the reality of it was worse, somehow - these pathetic creatures, dying alone and unloved.

He almost left then. He couldn't say why he kept going, except for the perverse need to bear witness, perhaps so that someday he could offer testimony against the woman who had created these twisted, lonely creatures.

"It's no use," Blaine read from the journal. "I cannot control it."

The last pod was empty. Unlike the other tubes, it was open, only splinters of glass remaining. Liquid was splattered around it, and the display was flickering, red letters running into each other.

'SUBJECT NO. ?̵͕͍̭̄̏̋̈̈́̊̓̄̑̍ͅX̵̛͓͕̯̳̦̳̘͉̜͛͂͒͛̒̎̋̈́̕͜͠ - M̷͍̙̳͎̍͆Ȉ̴̧̢̖̼̥͎͓̩̙̭̖͒̕S̶̢̨̘͙̪̩̖̈́̀̇̽̿͋S̴̨̨̡̜̹̝̠̥͙͊͋̐̇̊͐̔̑͜I̷̲͖̘͕̋̈́̉̒́́̉N̴̠͓̖̠͎̱̘̓̆̽̈̋̆̈́̀͊͛G̸̘̝͎͖̿̽̌̃̾͘'.

Chapter Text

Ash hadn't been sulking, exactly, the last day or so. Their detour between Maiden's Peak and Saffron City had ended up with Felix impressing a female Butterfree and finally following through with his plans to leave and start a family. To his credit, Ash hadn't hesitated to release his Pokemon, even if he'd cried for close to an hour afterward.

So he'd been - moody, since - most of a day of travel. The way the kid hadn't been caught by the Gastly in Maiden's Peak, Felix's departure was likely the first loss Ash had experienced. James looked a little worried, but that was because he didn't realize the kid was handling it better than Meowth would expect. Jessie, who had her own experiences with loss, was content to let Ash work through it on his own - at least unless he asked for help.

The last time they (absent Ash) had been to Saffron City, they'd gotten lost in the mists of the swamps surrounding the city for three hours, but Ash's new gear had a half-decent GPS, so they were making good time.

"So, Saffron City," Jessie mused. "You know, that's where Silph Co.'s headquarters is located."

Ash glanced at Jessie, expression still dull, even if the mention had clearly piqued his interest. "Silph Co.?"

"They design Pokeballs," Jessie replied, "as well as medicine, and devices like home appliances."

"They even design special Pokeballs that are more effective in different circumstances," James added. "Like ones that are better at catching Water or Bug Type Pokemon, or very fast Pokemon."

"Huh," Ash said. "That's - cool."

On his head, Susanoo frowned, patting Ash's hair consolingly. He didn't say anything, which said a lot about his self-restraint.

"I mean, it's not like Celadon City, where they have shops where you can buy anything," Jessie said, "but it's still a thriving city."

"And then there's the Saffron City Gym," James said. "Are you planning to try to get a badge there?"

"Well - yeah," Ash said.

"A shame Felix left, though," Meowth added. "The Saffron City Gym uses Psychic Type Pokemon, and Bug Types are strong against them."

Jessie coughed loudly, glaring at Meowth when he looked to her. Ash kept walking, head down as he talked. "I didn't want to keep Felix because he could give me a - tactical advantage," he said. "He was my friend. And even though I'm - happy I could help him make his dream of having a family come true, I. I'm still sad he's gone."

Jessie bit her lip, looking away, and Meowth felt his own throat close up, because - he had a lot of regrets, Pokemon he wished had wanted to keep him around, so he was pretty sure he couldn't relate to how Ash felt.

James, though, swooped in to pick up the slack. "I know how you feel," he said. "I haven't seen my Nanny or Pop Pop in - over ten years. And I know it's for the best, but I still find myself thinking of just - calling them some days."

Ash paused and turned, frowning. "Your grandparents? Do you not get along?"

James sighed, shaking his head. "No, I loved going to their house. My Nanny knows how to make Pokeballs out of - a sort of nut you can find in Johto, and my Pop Pop and her turned their whole estate into a Pokemon sanctuary. But my parents - well, I don't get along with them." He waved his hand at Ash. "It's a long story, but suffice to say it's for the best nobody in my family knows where to find me."

Ash pouted, and Meowth wondered if he was going to try to argue. But then Ash closed the distance between him and James, hugging James with as much force as a ten-year-old could manage. James smiled, soft, at Ash, although he started when Susanoo patted his shoulder as well.

The rat had been suspiciously quiet for a while, and Meowth wasn't certain if Susanoo was reading the room, or brooding himself - he'd been angry enough when the suggestion of Felix leaving had come up before, so maybe he was depressed at it actually happening. Maybe he was worrying about the rest of Ash's team.

"Well, sitting around hugging in the middle of the swamp isn't going to get us to Saffron City any sooner," Jessie said, leaning over James' shoulder. She wagged a finger at Ash. "I've heard the Gym Leader, Sabrina, is much more powerful than Lt. Surge. She's a psychic herself."

"Psychic? Like - a Pokemon?" Ash asked.

Jessie grabbed Ash's arm and tugged him away from James as she spoke, pulling him along as she continued walking. "There's Psychic Pokemon, but there are humans who are psychic, too. They can move things just by thinking about it, read people's minds, even control them, if they have enough power. Some people believe you can't train a Psychic Pokemon without being psychic yourself."

Ash faltered and frowned at that declaration. "That's unfair," he said.

"Well, first of all, life isn't fair," Jessie said, raising one finger as if about to lecture Ash, before she thought better of it and dropped it. "There are some things that are true whether we want them to be or not. Luckily for you, while it's true psychic humans have a greater rapport with Psychic Pokemon, anyone can train them."

"Well, anyone willing to put up with a bossy know-it-all with an oversized brain," Meowth grumbled.

"Yeah, fuck Psychic Pokemon," Susanoo added. Meowth snorted in amusement, despite himself, while Ash squinted and frowned in a way that made Meowth suspect he'd started to get a feel for when a Pokemon was swearing.

James was frowning in a different manner, watching Ash, oddly intent. Meowth was certain he could reason it out if he thought about it, but wasn't in the mood to strain himself, not when James would spill the beans eventually.

"I'm sure we'll find a Psychic Pokemon you can get along with someday," Ash said to Susanoo, reaching up to tug at his tail. "Assuming they want to come with us."

Susanoo sighed, sprawling out on Ash's head. "You've got to get out of your head, buddy. I'm with you for the long haul, and you're bound to find other Pokemon who are, too."

"Hm," Ash replied.

Susanoo glanced at Meowth before patting the side of Ash's head. "It's okay to be sad and happy," he said. "Just - you let Felix go so he could be happy. So don't - let yourself feel bad about doing that."

The look Susanoo had given Meowth made sense, now - an evaluation or a warning, that he was sharing something he wouldn't have let Meowth know about in other circumstances (or not yet, at least). But Ash smiled at Susanoo's advice, patting his Pokemon's side.

"Thanks, Susanoo."

"What did he say?" Jessie asked.

Meowth shrugged, shaking his head. "No clue; I wasn't paying attention." He was rewarded with a thumbs up from Susanoo.

Ash pulled Susanoo off his head and into his arms, holding Susanoo close as he kept walking. He wasn't smiling, but at least he didn't look as down as before. And when he saw the sign welcoming visitors to Saffron City, he broke into a jog, stopping next to the sign as he waited for the rest of them to catch up.

James grabbed Ash's gear as he passed, poking at it for a moment before he pointed to their right. "The Pokemon Center's this way."

"But I want-" Ash started.

"No arguments," Jessie said. "Pokemon Center first, then Gym. Besides," she yawned, stretching her arms out, "we might all need a rest before battling."

"And something to eat," Meowth muttered.

"Absolutely. I'm not fighting a bunch of Psychic Pokemon on an empty stomach," Susanoo added, which made Ash snicker.

"Alright, we'll get you rested and fed, buddy," Ash said, squeezing him gently. "And then tomorrow - the Saffron City Gym!"

Something struck Meowth as odd, then, but when he couldn't immediately identify the problem, he - didn't drop it, exactly, but set it aside until he had a better idea of what he was looking for.

He scanned their surroundings as they followed James' directions to the Pokemon Center, looking for some sign of what had bothered him, but there wasn't anything. Saffron City was a quiet city - normal, peaceful. People went about their day with minimal fuss, paying the newcomers little attention.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

When they reached the Pokemon Center, Joy bowed to them. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center," she said, "where we will heal your Pokemon back to full health. Would you like me to take your Pokemon?"

"Uh. Sure," Ash replied, handing over his Pokeballs.

"Okay! I'll take your Pokemon for a short while," Joy said, handing off the Pokeballs to her Chansey and turning back to face the front of the Pokemon Center, smiling. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center," she said to James, "where we will heal your Pokemon back to full health. Would you like me to take your Pokemon?"

James looked at Jessie and Meowth, raising one eyebrow. Meowth shrugged.

"...Yeah," James agreed.

"Okay! I'll take your Pokemon for a short while."

It was clear, when Nurse Joy repeated the same script with Jessie, that something was very wrong. James dragged Ash away from the computers so they could huddle at the most distant corner of the Pokemon Center. Meowth eyed the other patrons, finding that, like he'd seen outside, there was nothing odd about them.

...Or, rather, that they were acting exactly the way you'd describe people at a Pokemon Center to be acting. Waiting to get their Pokemon back. Looking at computers. Sitting with their friends. But it was quiet - not silent, but voices speaking almost in turn, so there was no overlapping chatter. No Pokemon running in circles - no laughter or sudden outbursts.

"Ash Ketchum. Your Pokemon are now healed." When Ash retrieved his Pokeballs, she bowed. "We hope to see you again."

Ash was tense as he sat in their group. He looked between the adults, frowning. "I. Think there's something weird going on here. Am I...right?"

Jessie nodded her head. "For sure."

"James. Your Pokemon are now healed."

James hurried up and back, and when Nurse Joy called Jessie, she did the same, before tugging them into a tighter huddle.

"So. What do we think is going on here?"

"Jessie said psychics could control people's minds," Ash said. "Could - that be it?"

"Unlikely," James replied. "It's rare for a psychic to be powerful enough to influence one person's mind - this has been going on since we got into town."

"Sabrina is a Gym Leader, though," Meowth mused. "A psychic powerful enough to run a Gym could have all sorts of strange powers."

"Hm," Jessie replied, staring out the window of the Pokemon Center. Meowth clambered onto her lap to look at what was holding her attention; he didn't see anything other than the Pokemart across the street. He couldn't figure out where her head was at, and wasn't sure it was worth the energy to try and figure out.

"And maybe it's just how people in Saffron City act," Meowth said. "I say we don't worry about it - get in, get a badge, get out."

"And for that, you need food, and plenty of rest," James said, patting the top of Ash's head.

"Yes, feed me," Susanoo moaned.

"Is that all you think about? Food?" Meowth taunted.

"No, I've got plenty of things on my mind," Susanoo retorted, raising his nose in the air, sniffing dismissively.

"Yeah, food and fighting."

Susanoo hopped out of Ash's grip and stalked toward Meowth, smirking. "Speaking of battling - we should have a fight someday. After all, they say the best way to understand someone is through battling them."

"Who says that?" Meowth demanded, stepping back, wary of the predatory look on the rat's face (this was embarrassing - he was a cat intimidated by a rodent!).

Susano's smirk widened. "I do, for one."

"Susanoo's right!" Ash agreed. "Battling someone really shows how they think, and connect with their Pokemon."

Jessie raised one eyebrow. "Hm, I suppose, but I'll stick with plain old observation. Now come on - let's get you fed."

As they headed out to find a restaurant, Meowth couldn't help but notice Jessie's distraction - and now that she was outside, it was easy to see the target of her focus:

The towering skyscraper with the Silph Co. logo plastered on the side.

When Ash's breathing evened out, evidence he was actually asleep, James poked Jessie's side.

"Okay, spill," he grumbled. "What's been bothering you?"

"Yeah," Meowth added, curled up on Jessie's bunk. "You've been acting weird since we got to Saffron - and I saw you staring at the Silph Co. building."

Jessie sighed; of course she'd been planning to mention it, but it was always a little disconcerting being reminded how well her companions knew her. "You might be worried about - psychics manipulating everyone in town, but a big company like Silph - they make all sorts of machines, and they're exactly the sort of business that could end up tangled with Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?" Meowth asked, one ear twitching. "What made you think of that?"

"...R," James said. "Silph Co. has the facilities to mass-produce a drug like that."

"Yeah." Jessie sighed, stretching her arms out. "So I was thinking of taking a look around."

"A look around?" James demanded. "Even if Team Rocket isn't involved, if they catch you they'll call the cops!"

"Which is why I'll need backup," Jessie replied, patting James' arm. "And someone to keep an eye on Ash." She looked meaningfully at Meowth, who flailed, anxious, at the implication.

"Hey, I'm not a Growlithe!"

"But you do like your sleep, and I can rely on you to wake up Ash if anything's wrong," James said, tweaking Meowth's ears. "And if you need to fight, you can always wake up Susanoo."

Meowth snorted. "I could fight if I wanted to," he grumbled.

"Well, you work on that while we break into a multinational corporation's Kanto headquarters," Jessie replied. "Come on, James."

It took them a few minutes to change into unobtrusive clothing (dark, not black - all black could be more noticeable than dull green or brown), and then they were out of the Pokemon Center into the Saffron City night.

The streets were abandoned, silent, in a way no thriving city should be - if they'd arrived when it was dark, they might have noticed what was wrong sooner. It made things easier and harder at once - there was no one to avoid as they wound their way to the Silph Co. building, but they might stand out as being the only people outside.

As usual in situations like this, Jessie followed James' lead; he'd learned more about stealth avoiding his dreadful fiancee during his childhood than Jessie had in her slightly over two decades of life. So when he ducked into an alley two blocks away from the building, she didn't question it. Her acquiescence was rewarded when they reached a loading dock with a large truck at the rear of the building. Where the rest of the city was silent, this was busy, people and Pokemon moving boxes out into the truck. James held Jessie back for several minutes as they watched the activity. There was a pattern to the movement, but it should be easy to slip in among the crowd.

James tensed suddenly, tugging Jessie closer to him as he pointed toward the truck.

"Look," he whispered.

There were two familiar figures directing the truck loading - a blond woman and a green-haired man. They weren't wearing Team Rocket uniforms, but they were unmistakable.

Jessie glared at them before dragging James forward; he protested until Jessie shushed him, creeping through the shadows to get closer to the Rocket operatives.

"I hate her so much," the blond woman grumbled.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter how you feel about her - as long as she's working with the Boss, we're stuck with her," the green-haired man said.

"And where is she, anyway?" the blond demanded. "She practically lives in her lab."

"You think she told me anything? No, it's all 'get the product loaded up and shipped out before I get back, Butch'."

"I just want to get out of this stupid town as soon as possible. I don't know how she can sleep here." The blond pulled a clipboard out of the front cab of the truck and scribbled a few notes down.

"She's used to dealing with all sorts of creepy shit - probably doesn't faze her at all," Butch replied.

"Ha!" the blond barked. "Come on, let's get these boxes loaded up."

James pulled Jessie into motion as soon as Butch and his partner stepped back into the building.

"Wait," she protested. "That's got to be a shipment of R-"

"But it's not what's causing everyone in Saffron City to act weird," James muttered. "You heard them talking about a lab - I bet that's where we'll find answers."

It took only a moment to get inside, at which point, James began tugging at doors more or less at random. Jessie caught his arm after the third door, pulling it back.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a maintenance office - somewhere we can find some kind of uniform," James said. "This is the sort of place where looking like we belong is better than being hard to see."

"Well, see if we can find lab coats, instead," Jessie replied. "I look terrible in jumpsuits."

"So do I, but this isn't the time to worry about fashion," James retorted, letting out a little cry of triumph when he pulled open a door that led to a narrow room full of lockers. "Ah! Let's see if they've got any in our size."

They did. And while her soul despaired at wearing something so unflattering, Jessie had to admire how the dark blue coveralls caused people's eyes to slide off of them as they tried to make sense of the building's layout. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, James was frowning, and Jessie decided it was her turn to take the lead, grabbing the sleeve of a passing person in a lab coat.

"Hey, my partner and I got turned around - we're supposed to be checking out the Professor's lab. Can you point the way?"

The person, stocky, probably only a few years older than James, with short pale hair and grey eyes, snickered. "Oh, you must be new. Dr. Laurent never got a professorship - it's a sore subject, so I wouldn't advise letting her hear you call her that. Come on." They waved Jessie and James after them as they stepped into a nearby elevator. "You're on the entirely wrong floor - she's on the executive level, not the research level." They swiped a keycard against a pad next to the buttons and pressed '9'. James flicked his gaze at Jessie, and then at the employee's hand. She shook her head, instead sidling up to the employee.

"Would you be a dear and show us in?" Jessie asked. "I've heard the lab is...sort of creepy, and my partner's no use in an emergency."

"Oh - certainly." The worker's smile was shaky, flattered, by Jessie's estimation. "The lab can be a little creepy if you're not used to it. But rest assured - her experiment's kept drugged so it can't use any of its powers, so you're in no danger."

"Oh, what a relief! Still - it's so nice of you agreeing to help us anyway," Jessie said. The elevator stopped, and she stepped aside to let the Silph employee out. She let them lead her along the hallways, exchanging an increasingly heated nonverbal debate with James about whether to assault the worker and steal their keycard. Jessie was currently winning, on the grounds that as long as they got into the lab, they wouldn't need a keycard.

"Ah, here we are." The worker swiped a card and pushed open an unassuming door, flipping on a light switch. "Doctor Laurent is off on an errand, or she'd be hovering over your shoulder while you work. But here - the doctor's masterwork."

Jessie's first thought was…

It was horrible. A creature - a Pokemon, of about human height and humanoid in shape, was curled up, suspended in some pale green liquid in a tall cylindrical tank. A series of tubes and wires ran from the base of the tank, and a green computer display read out, 'Condition - GOOD'. There was something somehow familiar about the Pokemon, even if Jessie couldn't place it.

"Amazing, isn't it? Doctor Laurent says it's the most powerful Pokemon in the world."

"I've...never seen a Pokemon like it before," James said, voice distant. He had to see, as well, how monstrous this was. The creature was trapped, helpless, and she doubted Doctor Laurent was doing this for the Pokemon's own good.

"It's a new Pokemon," the worker said. "It's a clone of the legendary Mew."

Mew.

Jessie felt vaguely sick, panicked, unsteady. Her mother had died seeking Mew in the deepest rainforest. That Jessie had ended up here, in front of Mew's - offspring - seemed a strange twist of fate.

"And don't worry." They patted one of the tubes. "We've got a couple of drugs we're pumping into its bloodstream that keep it from using its powers."

"And they go through that one tube?" James asked.

"...Shouldn't you know that? You said you were up here for maintenance." The worker's eyes narrowed, suspicious, and Jessie floundered for a response.

"Oh, we maintain electrical systems," Jessie said, waving her hands. Behind the worker, James edged closer, one hand on his Pokeballs.

"Then where are your tools?"

Jessie masked her furious gesture at James, who looked ready to clock the employee on the head with one of his Pokeballs, by lifting her hand to her mouth, laughing. "Oh, we hate lugging those things around, especially when half the time it turns out people just tripped over a wire and half-unplugged something. We'll just take a look around and assess what needs doing." She tugged the worked back to the door. "But thank you so much - I would have been sitting here worrying about that thing if you hadn't told me things were perfectly safe. And hearing how you know just what kind of Pokemon that is - you're obviously meant for big things around here!"

They smiled at Jessie, a little shy. "Hey, that's - do you want to maybe get a drink after your shift?"

Jessie giggled. "We can talk about that after I've figured out what's wrong in here. Now how about you run along and I'll see you around?"

She waited about ten second after the door closed before turning and slapping James' arm.

"What was that? You're not usually this trigger-happy!"

James flushed, ducking his head. "You were worried they're doing all that weird shit down in town. Ash is down there."

Jessie's anger - well, she was still annoyed, but it was harder to feel James was acting...unreasonably, given they were in charge of a pre-teen who was, despite everything, incredibly naive about how the world worked. She sighed. "Well, warn me before you go all - Papa Arcanine on us, ripping people's throats out to protect your cub."

James' flush darkened as he released Growlie, and turned toward one of the computer terminals set against the far wall.

Jessie wandered to the tank, staring at the Pokemon inside, and pressed one palm against the glass. It was warm, almost uncomfortably so. Inside, she could see IVs tapped into the Pokemon's body. One of them was red with blood.

"Do you think this actually is the source of all the weirdness?" Jessie asked James.

"Does it matter?" James asked, joining Jessie next to the tank. "We know there's a Pokemon up here, suffering. Can you imagine what Ash would say if he knew we'd left them behind?"

"He wouldn't say anything," Jessie said. "But he'd give us those - miserable Growlithe eyes - disappointed in us."

"So how do you say we do this?" James asked, rapping on the glass. "This looks a little thick to break with any of our Pokemon."

Jessie wandered to the nearest computer terminal and tapped it - the computer woke up, but to a sign-in screen. She'd never been good at - hacking, so she leaned back, glaring at the screen. "Well, that isn't going to help," she muttered. "Would breaking the terminal help?"

"Doubtful," James said, poking around a desk, peeking under papers. "And this Doctor Laurent is apparently not the type to keep her passwords on a sticky note next to the computer." He sighed, sitting against the desk he'd been looking at. "They said they were keeping the Pokemon drugged - maybe if we did something about that." He eyed the tubes and wires connected to the tank, reaching for one of them before Jessie slapped his hand away.

"We don't know what half of these do," she snapped. "If we pull out the wrong one, the Pokemon might just die. This one, though," she said, pointing to the one the worker had identified, "is pumping them full of drugs to weaken their powers - Psychic powers, if they were telling the truth about this being a clone of Mew."

"And what does that mean?" James asked.

"It means if we break it, or - interrupt the flow of drugs - the Pokemon might be able to break out on their own," Jessie said. "A wrench actually would be pretty useful right now."

"Well," James said, "that's where Growlie can help." He eyed the place where the tube connected to the wall, and then the end connecting to the tank. "See if you can pull that out of the tank - just the outer casing!"

"Growl." Growlie bit the tube and dug his paws in as he pulled against it. He strained for a few moments before the tube popped out and he sat down, barking cheerily at James. As James had directed, only a layer of some sort of plastic was detached from the tank; half a dozen thin tubes ran through the interior, connected to the tank, where half of them snaked along to connect to the Pokemon. James crouched next to the IV's, staring at them; Jessie joined him, and after a few moments, had to hope James had some idea of what they were looking at.

James traced one of the lines, filled with blood, to the tube. "They're taking blood," he said. He leaned closer, frowning. "There's two tubes here…"

"They could be filtering something out of their blood," Jessie mused. "Like - dialysis. I wouldn't touch either of those."

"So what about the other two?"

Jessie rocked back on her heels, considering. "Either one of them could be providing the Pokemon nutrients they need to live, or the drugs keeping them under. I bet one of the tubes is oxygenating the fluid inside, meaning one of the other two could have one of the drugs in it."

"Sooo…"

"So, this one," Jessie said, pointing at one tube from which bubbles were rising, "is probably oxygenating the fluid. I don't want to risk the Pokemon starving to death before it can escape, so we can probably unhook the other tubes that aren't IV's."

"What's the third one?" James asked.

"No clue," Jessie replied. "But it should be safe. Maybe. But even not…"

If they accidentally killed the Pokemon, it might be better than living like this.

James shrugged and pulled at the two indicated tubes, until they both popped free, immediately causing green and clear fluid (saline, maybe?) to begin dribbling onto the floor. He grabbed the outer coating and pressed it against the side of the tank until it snapped back into place.

"Well," James said, "that's probably the best we can do. With that drug no longer getting pumped into the tank, the Pokemon should recover from whatever it's doing to them."

"I wish we could do more to help them," Jessie murmured.

"We did our best," James replied. "Ash would understand that. And maybe - our best is enough. Now let's get out of here before we're noticed."

Ash wouldn't realize until later that he was feeling strange when he woke up. Susanoo was curled up next to him, waking with a tired 'chu' when Ash climbed out of bed. Jessie, James, and Meowth, however, were fast asleep, and didn't wake whe Ash shook them gently.

Susanoo, still yawning, explained Jessie and James had been out until late, and Meowth had apparently been keeping an eye on things, so they wouldn't be up for a while.

"And how about you?" Ash asked. "If you were watching them come in late-"

Susanoo rolled his eyes and patted Ash's knee. He was going to blow Sabrina's Psychic Pokemon out of the water.

"Alright!" They grabbed breakfast on the way out of the Pokemon Center before Ash checked his GPS for the location of the Saffron City Gym. It was a pearl-colored building made up of interlocking bulbs, and seemed to be largely ignored by the people around it.

"I wouldn't go in there, if I were you."

Ash yelped, stumbling to the side; two steady arms caught him and set him upright. When Ash looked up at his savior, he nearly stumbled again, because they weren't - who he would have expected to see outside the Gym. They were somewhat stocky, dark-haired with a neat beard, and stern blue eyes.

"I know it's going to be hard," Ash replied, "but I'm going to try my best to get a badge from this Gym."

"It has nothing to do with difficulty," the stranger explained. "Sabrina is in a...dangerous mood."

"Dangerous?" Ash asked.

"Yes," they replied, narrowing their eyes. "Sabrina is a psychic, meaning she has powers few other people have. And she is a powerful psychic, at that, perhaps the strongest in the world. With such power, she is exposed to strange influences, inspiring strange moods. Even as a child, she was prone to dangerous flights of fancy, and the danger has grown since then."

"But she's a Gym Leader," Ash said. "She can't - attack people, or anything, or the Pokemon Inspection Agency would take away her license."

The stranger chuckled. "If anyone came to tell Sabrina her license had been revoked, she would just...change their mind, you see? And if she doesn't like the way a battle is going - she can make her opponent surrender."

"That doesn't sound fair," Ash muttered.

"Sabrina doesn't care about what's 'fair'," the stranger replied. "Only holding onto the power she already has. So if you have any care for your well-being...don't go into that gym."

Ash shook his head. "I'm going to face Sabrina to get a Gym Badge, no matter how dangerous it is."

"But-"

Ash walked away from the stranger even as they protested, stopping at the entrance to the gym. He knocked once at the door, which swung open before he could touch it.

"Welcome, Ash Ketchum," a voice droned from the dim interior. "We have been expecting you."

"I - really?"

A hand took Ash's, pulling him forward as he tried to take in the inside of the building. It was dim, and he could hear indistinct voices speaking at a strangely soothing rhythm. The person holding Ash's hand was-

A Pokemon. They were taller than Ash, pink-skinned, with a ruff along their neck, a pointed nose and ears, and a circle of metal dangling from a chain in their free hand.

"Did you talk to me?" Ash asked. "Like - with words? I can understand a lot of Pokemon, but they don't really talk."

"I am using telepathy," the Pokemon replied, "projecting my thoughts into your mind. It is the skill for which our type is most well-known."

"Wow - that's so cool! Do you think I could learn telepathy?"

"No," the Pokemon said flatly, guiding Ash deeper into the Gym. "You do not bear the spark marking one as a psychic."

"Aww." Ash's disappointment passed quickly, though, replaced by curiosity. "What sort of Pokemon are you?"

"Hypno," the Pokemon said. "I am the master of hypnosis, and one of our mistress' trusted servants."

Ash felt a hitch of excitement. "You know Sabrina? What's she like?"

The Hypno didn't reply for a few moments. At last, they said, "She has a strong sense of duty. To this Gym, to this city. She would not see any harm come to it."

"Um...are you aware that everyone in Saffron City is acting - well, sort of hypnotized? Because that might be the sort of thing she should be dealing with."

The Hypno paused for only a moment before they continued walking. "It is a necessary side-effect of the Mistress' efforts to protect the people of Saffron City from the nightmares plaguing them. Do not let it concern you."

Ash wondered, as he followed the Hypno, if it was something that happened to Psychic Pokemon - capable of using their brains to say exactly what they wanted, they didn't think about what their hearts were saying.

Because the Hypno said Sabrina wanted to protect people. But they meant-

People needed to be protected from Sabrina.

The Hypno paused at a pair of heavy silver doors and looked back to Ash. "Last chance," they said (get out of here).

Ash shook his head. "No. I'm here to face Sabrina - so that's what I'm going to do."

The Hypno shrugged. "Then good luck." (please let him survive.)

Ash pushed open the doors and stepped into something like a temple - a great hall lit with torches, with a raised throne at the far end, and a dirt battlefield between him and the throne. Columns stretched up into the darkness, and for a moment, Ash wondered if he and Susanoo were alone.

Susano edged closer to Ash's leg, grabbing onto the legs of his pants. He wanted the room to be empty - he didn't have Ash's certainty that everything would be okay.

"Ash Ketchum," a voice - stern, steady, controlled - spoke from the darkness. Torches flared to life on either side of the throne, revealing a person sitting straight up in the throne, hands gripping the armrests. Dark black hair cascaded around them, and eyes glowed blue, almost purple in the red light cast by the torches.

It was an intimidating picture, but one Ash refused to be cowed by. He took a step forward, Susanoo hopping a step forward with him. "Are you Sabrina?"

"Yes," the trainer said. "And you are not welcome here."

"What?" For the warnings he'd gotten, Ash had expected more than a flat dismissal. "I'm here for a Gym battle - you can't just tell me to go!"

"Untrue. If I believed your presence would bring disaster upon my Gym, my city, I could banish you from my presence."

"I'm - not here to hurt you!" Ash protested, feeling a rising sense of panic (why had he come alone - with only his Pokemon to protect him? The Hypno had said people's strange behavior was a side effect of something Sabrina was doing - could she somehow have lured him here, even if she said he wasn't welcome?).

"The wind may bear me no malice, but commanded by the storm, it may become a force of unmatched destruction," Sabrina retorted. "Violence and terror shadow you, and the towers of this city will fall because of you. So you can understand why I say you are not welcome here. Still." She rose from her place, a red dress billowing around her as she stepped to the edge of the battlefield. "I know you will not leave until we have battled - so send out your champion! Challenge me, and suffer the fate reserved for those who fail in my arena." She threw out a Pokeball, releasing a yellow Pokemon with a pointed face, ears, and a tail swinging slowly behind them as they floated half a meter in the air. Brown markings almost like a shirt covered the Pokemon's shoulders and torso, and with their legs folded as if they were seated, instead of floating in the air, they would be about as tall as Susanoo. Their eyes were closed, and they were breathing, steadily, as if asleep.

Ash pulled out his Gear, calling up the Pokedex even as the Pokemon drifted toward Sabrina, hovering just with reach. "Abra, the Psi Pokemon. Its powers tax its mind, requiring it to sleep for 18 hours or more daily. They can teleport away from danger even while asleep."

"If that is the extent of your knowledge of my partner, you will not prevail," Sabrina scoffed, narrowing her eyes. She put a hand on the Abra's head - they leaned in, briefly, before drifting toward the battlefield. They seemed reluctant to leave their partner's side, but went without apparent complaint (but there could be a whole argument going on with telepathy, and Ash would never know).

"It doesn't matter what you think," Ash retorted. "Susanoo - go!"

Susanoo darted into the battlefield, growling.

"Volt Tackle!" Ash called. Susanoo bolted forward, body sparking, only for the Abra to flicker, vanishing just before Susanoo would have collided with them. Susanoo looked around, confused, before the Abra appeared behind him, form surrounded by a blue aura. Susanoo yelped as he was pulled from the ground, hovering for a shocked moment before he was thrown into the side wall of the battlefield.

"Susanoo! Shake it off and use Electric Terrain!"

Sabrina, standing stock-still, raised one eyebrow, and her Abra rubbed their hands together, generating sparks before slamming their palms together. A wave of lightning washed across the arena; Susanoo yelped and scrambled back (Ash fought down a grin, thanking Lt. Surge for his idea). "Get in close and use Iron Tail!" The Abra vanished when Susanoo got close, appearing behind him. "Double Team and dodge!" Ash called, just as the Abra swiped their hand sideways; a blue glow gripped one of Susanoo's apparent duplicates, allowing Susanoo to escape unscathed. "Thunderbolt!"

The Abra held up their other hand, and a translucent pane of something like glass intercepted the lightning, leaving little of it to get through to the Abra. The Abra let loose another field-wide blast of electricity.

"Dodge it!" Ash called, but the blast seemed inescapable, and Susanoo gave an appropriately pained cry as he fell back. "Thunderbolt!"

The Abra teleported away from the attack, reappearing just in front of Susanoo, who pulled back, panicked, as the Abra placed one finger on their own forehead, and one on Susanoo's. They grabbed Susanoo with their psychic attack, throwing him into the ceiling before letting him drop.

"Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouted. The Abra teleported back, watching Susano build up his lightning (there was something wrong, Ash thought - his lightning seemed weaker than it should have been). They held up both palms, facing each other, rotating them so that they were heel-to-tip, and Susanoo let loose.

The Abra made no move to dodge, taking the bolt fully - but seemed no worse for the attack. Then they opened their mouth, lightning gathering at the edges, and Ash felt a sudden jolt in his stomach, remembering how the Gastly of Maiden's Peak had somehow swapped Susanoo's immunity to electricity with their weightlessness.

"Dodge it!" he shouted, but too late. Susanoo squealed in pain, knocked back by the force of the beam of lightning the Abra spat from their mouth. Before he could recover, the Abra reached out with both hands, a blue aura surrounding them, and Susanoo, held aloft by Abra's power.

"Susanoo!"

"This battle is over," Sabrina said, and Abra slammed Susanoo into the ground, where he squealed before collapsing, unable to continue.

Ash stared in shock - even his fight with Lt. Surge hadn't been over this quickly. His breaths felt shallow, weak, and the world swam around him. He tried to take a deep breath, but found it impossible, as if something were pressing against his chest-

Ash jerked up, and his gaze met Sabrina's - stern, glowing blue. He grabbed at his chest, trying to find some purchase, something to throw off the squeezing pressure around him.

"Wha-"

"What did you think happens to those who bring destruction to my home?" Sabrina demanded. "I end the threat they post to me…forever."

Ash gasped, falling to his knees, so he was looking at Abra, rather than Sabrina. The Abra's eyes were wide as they watched Ash struggling, looking pained.

Worried.

And not for Ash. Ash raised his eyes, meeting Sabrina's gaze again, even as he struggled for breath. Sabrina's eyes were cold, but the skin around them was strained, bruised. And she was standing, but her legs quivered, and her hand shook.

Was she sick? Ash wondered, even as he buckled, falling forward. Could being sick make a psychic become dangerous?

"Sabrina, stop!" The pressure left Ash's chest, letting him draw in breath with a shuddering wheeze. Susanoo was demanding that Ash be okay; Ash tried to wave him away, but froze when he heard Sabrina's voice again.

"I have warned you already," she said, "not to interfere in my work."

"Your work?" the newcomer, whose voice was...familiar, demanded. "Torturing a child?"

"A harbinger of destruction!" Sabrina snapped. "A threat to everyone in this city! And if you will protect him-"

The world tilted sideways; Ash heard Susanoo screaming what was probably a swear word before they both hit the ground. Susanoo groaned while Ash took several deep breaths. While Ash tried to breathe, a hand dropped onto his shoulder.

"You alright, kid?"

"Sabrina-" Ash gasped.

"You're safe now. I teleported us to the Pokemon Center-"

"I don't-" Ash shook his head, pushing himself off the ground enough to see his rescuer - the same person who'd warned him away from the Gym. "There's something wrong with her - she's hurt, or sick…"

"Whether that's the case, it's not your job to worry about it. Without a Dark or Ghost Type Pokemon to protect you from her power, you can't be guaranteed to survive an encounter with Sabrina." Ash wondered, vaguely, if Gary had been just bragging, calling Sabrina a pushover, or if his Umbreon had simply protected him from the worst effects of her power. "So I would recommend you get your things and get out of Saffron City before something worse befalls you," the person warned.

And - Ash could see the sense in it, something Jessie or James would tell him, to stay safe (there were more than eight Pokemon Gyms in Kanto, he knew - so he didn't have to win a badge from this Gym to get to the Indigo Conference).

But still - even as he turned Susanoo over to the creepy Nurse Joy, shook Jessie, James, and Meowth awake, and left Saffron City, Ash felt - guilty. Everyone he'd met had called Sabrina dangerous, but he was probably the only person who'd felt her Abra's concern, had seen the strain she was struggling under.

Who knew she needed help.

Jessie and James were slightly disheveled - they'd all woken slightly groggy and hadn't bothered with even the pretense of their normal care for fashion in order to get out of Saffron City faster. Ash was trailing behind them, staring at the Pokedex, when he realized James had asked him a question.

"What?"

"I was asking where you wanted to go next," James said gently. "Celadon City has a Pokemon Gym."

But Ash didn't want to go to Celadon City. He wanted to find a way to help Sabrina (even if he couldn't get a badge out of it). He needed a strategy - a Pokemon that could help him resist Sabrina's powers. And for that, he needed somebody who knew a lot about Pokemon.

"I think I want to go to Vermillion City," he said.

They had been sleeping for a long time - plagued by uneasy dreams that left a heavy feeling within them (the feeling was called sorrow, someone had told them). Brief moments of awareness brought with them another sensation, their heart beating rapidly (the feeling was called fear) before something dampened it, shoving them deeper into their dreams (they clung to their dreams, because waking brought with it another feeling - the feeling was called loss).

But something was different. Their mind was clear - fragments of sounds (those are called words) reaching through the edge of their dreams. And when they opened their eyes, it was to see a scene both familiar and strange. Their every waking moment had been spent seeing something like this - a green-tinted world on the other side of a wall of glass, unfamiliar devices (they had never been told the names of those devices) lining the wall.

(There were other memories - of a place outside the green-tinted world, and a voice that brought sorrow, and loss - that they were almost certain was a dream. There was a song - a lullaby -

Together with the wind, we begin to walk again.

That's called wind.

Was there a way they could walk with the wind?)

Even conscious, aware, there was something wrong.

Something pressing upon their mind.

They remembered, once, pressing against the glass of the wall, not with their hands, but their mind. But when they tried it again - nothing happened. They were supposed to be powerful (the most powerful Pokemon in the world - you're a Pokemon, they remembered). But their mind couldn't move the wall. Their body felt - weighted, wrong, as if there were something within it that did not belong.

As they were, they doubted they could move anything except very, very small things.

...And if there were something inside of them making them sick, it would be a very small thing, indeed.

Chapter Text

It had been six hours and twenty-three minutes, and Goh was still staring at his phone. Specifically, at the notification: '1 Missed Call from Ash Ketchum'. When the call had first come through, Goh had been so flustered he'd dropped his phone, and even when he'd retrieved it, couldn't bring himself to press 'Accept'.

Ash hadn't told Goh to stop rambling about Pokemon once the two times they'd met, and had told Goh to call anytime, so Goh felt it was possible Ash hadn't thought Goh was an annoying weirdo.

But he hadn't called or sent any messages since, which Goh had come to expect from even the people who didn't immediately brush him off (or even the people he thought liked him).

...Until today.

And then Goh had to ruin it by being incapable of something as basic as answering a phone call.

Drumming his fingers against his computer desk, Goh considered his options. The thought of returning Ash's call made him feel a little sick, but not nearly as much as ignoring it. He almost tapped the screen to call back, but his finger paused, hovering over the button.

And then he noticed the icon next to the 'missed call' notification that indicated he had a message.

Goh clicked the button to hear the message, eager for any chance to put off the decision of what to do.

"Hey, Goh! It's Ash. I guess you must be off studying Pokemon or looking for Mew. Me and Jessie and James and Meowth-"

"Pi-ka!"

"I was getting to that! And Susanoo are coming to Vermillion City for a couple of days. We'd love to see you while we're here. Call me back to say if that's okay!"

It took a few moments before Goh could breathe. No one had ever asked him to hang out with them without him asking first (Chloe didn't count - he was pretty sure she just thought someone needed to take care of Goh); he had spent a few days plotting out how he would respond if Ash ever send him a message, but - talking to him, hanging out, was so different from what he'd imagined, he couldn't-

His phone let out a distant ring, and Goh's heart jumped anxiously, until he looked down and saw he'd accidentally called Ash, and his heart stopped entirely.

"Goh!" Ash said suddenly, and Goh panicked.

"I'm sorry! I was just listening to your message and-"

"Oh, you got my message? Great! Do you think you'll have time to meet up when we're in town?"

Goh lifted the phone to his ear, heart thudding in his chest. "No - I mean, no problem."

"Awesome!" Ash cheered. "Yeah," he added, voice muted, "They say we can meet up with them." When he next spoke, his voice was clearer. "You can tell me about all the cool stuff in Vermillion City."

"S - sure," Goh agreed, even if the only things he knew about Vermillion City were the Pokemon that made their home there, the new lab Chloe's dad was building, and his theories about Pokemon legends that not even Chloe had time to listen to. "Do you know when you'll be here?"

Ash laughed, then, sounding at ease, nothing like Goh ever felt when he laughed. "Well, I called you on the road - I sort of put it off for a while. We got into Vermillion City an hour ago."

"Pika chu!"

"Yeah, buddy. I mean, if you're not too busy right now, you could meet us at the Pokemon Center."

"I-" Goh glanced out his door, and, seeing no evidence of his parents (he'd gotten a text an hour ago from them explaining they had a last-minute job to handle), swallowed, throat dry. "I could, I guess."

"I bet they know where we can get something halfway decent to eat," someone - possibly James - said in the background.

"Yeah - I can make some suggestions. What kind of food do you like? Kantonian? Johtan? Kalosian?"

"Haha, we can work that out when we see you!" Ash replied. "See you soon, Goh!"

Ash then hung up, which meant 'see you soon' was how he said goodbye. Goh stared at his phone for another few moments before he realized Ash was expecting him. It took a flurry of activity for him to get his coat, shoes, and bag, and a desperate sprint to catch the bus that would take him to the Pokemon Center. He spent the entire twenty-minute ride tapping his foot against the floor anxiously, worrying over his meeting with Ash. He'd muddled through before, because Ash had been getting ready for a Gym battle, and receptive to Goh's excitement talking about Pokemon. But Ash had a Thunder Badge - was passing through Vermillion City for a break - and didn't need Goh rambling about every thought that crossed his mind.

He'd just about gotten himself settled, running Chloe's lectures about talking about Pokemon a 'normal amount' (whatever that meant) through his mind, when the bus arrived and he hopped off.

"Goh!" Ash was there, suddenly, and Goh had not prepared himself adequately to see Ash again. Ash grabbed Goh's hand and dragged him toward the entrance to the Pokemon Center, where Susanoo was sitting up, alert, greeting them with a loud 'Kachu!' (or so Goh assumed - Ash was the one who understood the Pikachu). Goh could feel his cheeks heat, panicked at the unexpected contact, as he stumbled after Ash and nearly ran into James, who was in a yellow sundress and hat that suggested she (probably - Ash had mentioned something about James, in saying he understood Goh, that made him think her outfit was a - signal) was planning to spend this trip relaxing. "Guys, it's Goh!"

"Really?" a voice at calf-level asked. "I never would have guessed, the way you're dragging them along like a baby Kangaskhan."

Goh looked down, confused - Jessie was sprawled on a couch, reading a newspaper, and Susanoo clambering up Ash to claim a perch on Ash's shoulder. All that was there was-

James' Meowth (or Jessie's - Goh wasn't certain whose Meowth he was) was standing on two legs, grinning up at Goh. "Hey buddy - I don't think we were properly introduced last time we met. I'm Meowth."

"I…" Goh glanced between Jessies, James, and Ash, looking for some sign this was a - trick or a prank or something. "I didn't think..." He looked at Ash again, feeling lost, before back at the - at Meowth. "You can talk?" he demanded. "This isn't a - I know some Pokemon can mimic human speech. That can be this sort of-"

"This isn't some party trick," Meowth retorted, sticking his hands (paws) behind his head. "I spent too much time learning how to talk Human for nerds like you to tell me I'm just copying people."

"W - wow!" Goh crouched down, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of Meowth. "That's amazing! Can any Pokemon learn to speak like that?"

"Not any Pokemon," Meowth grumbled. "But I suppose any Pokemon as smart and talented as me could do it if they wanted to spend the effort on it." He stuck out his tongue and walked around Goh's legs and outside.

"I…" Goh looked at Ash, who was frowning at Meowth's retreating back. "I didn't upset him, did I?"

"Pikachuuu," Susanoo said, flicking an ear at Goh before scampering back to the ground and following the other Pokemon out of the Pokemon Center.

"Uh…"

"Don't worry about Meowth," Ash said, patting Goh's shoulder. He was smiling, so - probably not upset. "He talks a lot, but doesn't like talking about himself. Susanoo knows how to deal with him."

"I...okay," Goh agreed, even if he didn't want to leave things with Meowth - mad, or offended, or whatever.

"Sooo," Jessie said, suddenly looming behind Goh; he yelped and stumbled over Ash, nearly sending both of them to the ground.

"Ease it," James said, pulling Jessie back by her elbow. "The new twerp's shy."

Goh frowned, trying to figure out if he should be upset with James, even if she was keeping Jessie out of Goh's bubble (that's what Chloe said when Goh got unnerved with people getting too close to him, people were inside his bubble). 'Twerp' was an insult, but 'new twerp' made it sound like she called Ash 'twerp', too, and Ash liked her and Jessie, so.

"Anyway, Ash said you might have some idea where we can eat," Jessie prodded.

"Oh - yeah. What type of food do you like? Kan-"

"We'll eat practically anything," Jessie said. "Just pick something."

"Ah." Goh tried to step back away from Jessie and James, surprised when he found Ash just behind him. "There's a place nearby that I really like-"

"Awesome! We'll go to Goh's favorite place!" Ash declared.

He sounded so excited, Goh felt his stomach twist. He had no guarantee Ash and the others would enjoy the food. But Ash had no apparent concern, grabbing Goh by the arm to pull him into motion before slowing a few meters out of the Pokemon Center, presumably realizing Goh was the one who knew where they were going.

"Haha, sorry," Ash chuckled. "I sort of got overexcited."

"You do that a lot, kiddo," James said, hand resting on Ash's head (and Goh had never thought to ask who they were - they didn't look anything like Ash, but they could have been distant cousins his parents got to look after him - or they could be Ash's parents...if maybe adopted).

"Are you Ash's parents?" Goh blurted out, because he hated not knowing things, and he had a (bad) habit of blurting out the last thing on his mind when he spoke.

Jessie flinched back, eyes wide, while James began laughing, leaning heavily on Ash as she shook with wild guffaws.

"Excuse me?" Jessie demanded, on recovering her composure, definitely looking upset. That stopped James laughing, and she grabbed Jessie's arm before Jessie could do - whatever that furious look was going to make her do.

"How old do you think we are, kid?" James asked, wiping at her eyes, still grinning.

Goh glanced between them, uncertain whether to feel comforted James didn't seem mad, or worried Jessie seemed to. "Um? You're adults, like-"

"I'm twenty-five, you brat!" Jessie said. "And he's 10-"

"Well, as of two weeks ago, I'm eleven," Ash said, which made Jessie's jaw snap shut, and James' fall open.

"Pika-pi?" Susanoo asked, having returned from wherever he'd gone to calm down Meowth.

Meowth, trailing after Susanoo by a few steps, was more understandable, blurting out, "And we're just hearing about this now?"

Ash flinched back from Meowth, gaze dropping away from him. "...sorry. It was while we were trying to get home after that shipwreck, and - I didn't want to bother you."

"Oh, sweetie," Jessie said, swooping in to hug Ash against her. "I know you were a little - worried back then, but we would have wanted to - celebrate, at least."

"Absolutely," James said, raising one fist in front of her face. "We should celebrate now, to make up for it. We should have a special evening out, anything you want!"

"I want to go to the place Goh suggested," Ash murmured into Jessie's chest, which was fine with Goh, except for the fact that Ash had been in a shipwreck, had possibly nearly died (and maybe that's why Goh hadn't heard from him for weeks). But Ash was clinging to Jessie's side as they started moving again, and Goh guessed it was a bad time to demand an explanation.

"So, uh - are you Ash's cousins or something?" Goh asked after a moment, and James chuckled.

"We're nothing as mundane as his blood relatives," she said. "Jessie, Meowth and I saw this poor, beleaguered child, and took it upon ourselves to educate him in the ways of Pokemon training."

"Yeah, he was sort of helpless when we first met him," Meowth said.

"Pi pikachu," Susano growled, which made Meowth roll his eyes.

"Getting a Pokemon strong enough to survive that's just luck," he retorted.

"Pikachu," Susanoo said, sticking out his tongue at Meowth.

Meowth scowled and turned his head away from Susanoo, edging closer to Goh.

Goh, who had been watching the exchange with increasing fascination, examined Meowth as he kept walking. "So, you can understand him, too?"

"All Pokemon can understand each other," Meowth replied. "It's one of those things - natural pheromones."

Goh ran the phrase through his mind a few times, and wasn't certain it made sense. "Do you mean phenomena?"

"Yeah, one of those things," Meowth said. "As smart and accomplished as I am, I don't know all your human words."

"So - when he said 'pi pikachu', you know what he said?"

Meowth made a strange noise, looking up at Ash briefly. "Ehhh…"

"He doesn't know what Susanoo says - he knows what he means," Ash explained. "Like - I might not know the exact words, but I get the intention."

"Yeah, like that," Meowth agreed. "If I need to translate, I add - color commentary, you know?"

It was - really strange, Goh mused, and really cool. Goh couldn't understand Pokemon; he didn't even have a Pokemon. He found himself wondering, as he had every time he'd checked his phone since he met Ash, what he could possibly offer Ash to make the boy want to be Goh's friend. Goh focused on that thought during their entire walk to the restaurant.

They were a little early in the evening, so the hostess was able to seat them quickly, and when the server greeted them, asking if there was any special occasion, James looped an arm around Ash's shoulders.

"A belated birthday for my little brother, here," she said. "We were stuck in the woods for ages and couldn't have a real celebration."

"Well," the server replied with a smile, leaning over Ash, who didn't seem remotely unnerved. "We'll have to make this an extra special meal, won't we? How old are you?"

"Eleven," Ash replied. "This is Susanoo, my Pikachu - I'm on a Pokemon journey."

"Wow," the server said. "That must be fun." They turned to Goh. "And are you on your Pokemon journey, too?"

Some combination of the attention and Goh's thoughts left him squirming at the question. "No," he replied. "I mostly read Pokemon research."

"They're going to catch Mew, one day," Ash interjected. "And I'm going to be a Pokemon Master."

The server laughed. "Well, that sounds great. I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu."

Goh spent those minutes trying not to stare at Ash over his menu (he knew what he wanted already, but also, staring was creepy, so). He'd remembered how Ash hadn't laughed at Goh over his dream, but hadn't realized Ash had internalized it, remembered that it was Goh's dream.

The chatter between the others - Ash, Jessie, James, (to a lesser extent) Meowth, and (slightly more frequently) Susanoo - was comfortable, easy, leaving Goh feeling a little separate from the group. But that was to be expected - James had called Ash family, even if they weren't related (and wouldn't that be nice? People who were family because they wanted to be there, instead of people who were family by accident, and were always 'a few minutes late'?). It was friendly in a way meals rarely were, for Goh.

When they were finished with dinner, Ash waved Jessie and James on. "We can find our way back ourselves!" Ash said.

"Alright," Jessie said, shrugging. "But if you need any help, you've got our numbers!"

As they and Meowth turned, Susanoo flicked his tail at Ash. Ash crouched down, patting the Pikachu's head. "How about you head back, too? You've been through a lot - I bet you could use the rest."

"Pika," Susanoo agreed, before scampering after Meowth, Jessie, and James. Ash smiled after them, before standing and turning a wider grin on Goh. "So-"

"Were you really in a shipwreck?" Goh demanded.

Ash took a step back, grin gone. He rocked on his heels for a moment before shrugging. "Sort of. We were supposed to be on this really cool cruise ship where people have Pokemon battles, but instead, we stowed away on a boat Team Rocket was using to ship stolen Pokemon to their headquarters. We freed all the Pokemon, but the ship sort of - sank when we did that."

Goh - stared, blank, because Ash had talked generally about his Pokemon journey, but nothing like that. "And you're - okay?"

"Sure!" Ash replied, stepping back and turning in a circle, arms out. "You see? I mean, it was a little scary for a while, but then a Magikarp we saved evolved into a Gyarados and helped save everyone!"

Goh nodded, feeling numb. He was aware, vaguely, that Pokemon journeys could be dangerous, but imagining Ash going through what he just described made Goh feel sick.

Ash leaned toward Goh, peering at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine!" Goh replied hurriedly. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Hmph, that's more than Gary could say," Ash said, scowling. "He was all - well, if you had a better Water Pokemon, like I do, you wouldn't have to worry about shipwrecks." Ash stood up a little taller, pitching his voice lower, and Goh guessed he was trying to imitate this - Gary. Ash sighed in a huff. "And now he's got five badges, and I've only got three, because Sabrina's creepy and her Abra's impossible to beat."

"Abra?" Goh asked, interested. "She must use Psychic Pokemon, then. If you had a Bug, Ghost, or Dark-Type Pokemon, you might have a better chance."

"Yeah, I-" Ash shrugged, gaze dropping. "I had a Bug Pokemon, but I had to release him before I got to Saffron City. He wanted to start a family…Gary caught an Eevee which evolved into Umbreon."

Goh felt a pang of irritation at this Gary for upsetting Ash (for keeping Ash's attention even when Gary was nowhere to be found). "Well, I've heard of a couple of Bug Type Pokemon that are common around Vermillion City. But…" He'd missed Ash's birthday, and felt a wild urge to prove himself (so Ash might think Goh was cool even if Goh didn't rescue Pokemon and survive shipwrecks, and might agree to be Goh's friend). "My friend Chloe told me that her dad's assistants are convinced the lab he's building is haunted, which could be a Ghost Pokemon."

"Really?" Ash asked, grinning so wide Goh almost asked him then (except he had no idea when was a good time to ask to be someone's friend). "Then what are we waiting for?" He grabbed Goh's hand and pushed him forward. "Lead the way!"

Ash had...been here before. The piles of building materials on either side of the door made clear the last few weeks had changed it, but it was the same building Ash had found when recovering from his loss against Lt. Surge. He realized he'd been staring only when he felt the phantom touch of Goh's hand hovering over his shoulder. Ash gave Goh a smile he hoped seemed more confident than Ash felt - or less freaked out to find he'd found his inspiration in beating Lt. Surge at a haunted mansion.

"So, do you have a key or anything?" Ash asked, and Goh's expression shifted from the hesitant smile they'd held on the way here to a pained scowl.

"No, I didn't think-"

"Oh, that's okay! I bet if we look around we can find a way in." Ash grabbed Goh's hand as he began circling the building, slowing when Goh stumbled, nearly falling, behind him. They were quiet until Ash found, halfway around the building, an unlatched ground-level window,

"I knew it!" Ash crowed, turning to Goh, grinning, only to find Goh watching him, still frowning. "What's wrong?" Ash asked, moments before it occurred to him that most people wouldn't want to break into a lab, even if it was only to look around. Especially because it belonged to Goh's friend's dad. "Uh. I mean - I don't break into a lot of labs," he said, "I promise. We don't have to-"

"No, let's do it!" Goh declared, scrambling forward and climbing the wall with less trouble than Ash would have expected from someone who lived in the middle of the city. They tugged the window open and clambered through, landing heavily on the other side. "It's fine," Goh called back out, so Ash followed, jumping through the window to join Goh in a dim hallway. With only moonlight filtering through the occasional window, Ash realized it might be hard to look around.

He wasn't sure, on thinking about it, whether Jessie and James would be more annoyed on learning he'd gone to a haunted house by himself (he was pretty sure they wouldn't count Goh as appropriate supervision for ghost hunting) or doing so without any preparation. "Do you have a - flashlight or something?"

"No...oh!" Goh pulled out their phone and tapped something on it so it cast a wide arc of light across the hall. "I've got one in my phone."

"Cool," Ash said appreciatively, before leaning over to look over Goh's shoulder. The place looked a little dusty, but not as moldy or damaged as he'd expect a haunted house to be. "So where should we start looking?"

"I - I don't know," Goh stammered. "I'm not an expert on finding Ghost Pokemon."

"I met someone like that, too," Ash said, checking in the other direction, disappointed when he didn't find a Ghost Pokemon there, either. "Her name's Izumi and she knows all sorts of stuff about Ghost Pokemon and like real ghosts - people who've died."

"...Oh," Goh muttered in reply. "Well - ghosts like spooky places. So how about we check out the basement?"

"Great idea!" Ash agreed, grabbing Goh's wrist, pausing, and adjusting to the other once he realized he'd grabbed the hand Goh was holding the flashlight in. He pressed forward, the shaky light from Goh's flashlight jiggling as they moved. "What type of Pokemon do you think would be here, if it really is haunted?"

"Well...most Ghost Pokemon naturally found in Kanto are Gastly, Haunter, or Gengar," Goh said. "So...a Gastly is the most likely."

"...I met a Gastly that was haunting a shrine," Ash mused. "They seemed pretty attached to it. Do you think maybe if there's a Ghost Pokemon here, it's their home?"

"...Does that matter?" Goh asked after a moment of quiet. "I mean, if you catch it-"

"All of my Pokemon want to be with me," Ash replied sharply. "That's why I had to let Felix - my Butterfree - go. He had dreams he couldn't follow while traveling with me. That's what makes my Pokemon my partners."

"Oh. Sorry," Goh murmured. "I hadn't-"

"You really should get some Pokemon of your own," Ash added, as he pulled open several doors in quick succession, disappointed when none of them proved to be the basement. "It'd be a lot easier to catch Mew if you had Pokemon you could use to battle them first."

"I want Mew to be my first Pokemon," Goh retorted. "And anyway...I've seen Mew fight. They can turn into any Pokemon they want, so I can't imagine how much having Pokemon of my own would help."

"Well, I've caught Pokemon by making friends with them first," Ash agreed. "So if that's the way you want to do it, I'm sure it'll be fine." Goh's resolve was actually pretty impressive, especially since their goal was nearly as ambitious as Ash's own. Ash tugged at another door, which opened to a stairway descending into the darkness of the lab's basement. "And here we are!"

"...Great."

Goh sounded a little odd, so Ash turned to check on them. For a moment, in the flickering light, Ash thought he saw two shadows stretching away from Goh in the light of the flashlight - one wide, distorted, before the light flickered and there was just Goh's shadow.

"Do you want to go first?" Ash asked.

"...No, that's fine," Goh replied.

"Alright - try to keep the light steady," Ash called, before starting down the stairs.

"...I've been doing fine," Goh muttered, even as they trailed behind Ash, light following him with no unexpected movement.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked as he stepped off the bottom stair to the basement proper - a hallway stretching either way away from them.

"Why wouldn't I?" Goh asked. "I'm spending time with the great Ash Ketchem - who made a little time out of his busy schedule saving the day, meeting exciting Pokemon and interesting people, just to see me."

It wasn't just Goh's words - their tone was off, as well, and when Ash looked up, it was to see Goh, light illuminating the bottom half of their face, sneering at Ash beneath dark eyes. It was pretty spooky, and if Goh had just been saying something deliberately scary, Ash would have told them to knock it off.

But something stranger was going on, Ash was sure.

He tried smiling at Goh. "Sure, I'm happy to take some time off to see you-"

"But this isn't time off, really, is it?" Goh retorted, storming down a few steps, though they were still looming over Ash. "You jumped at the opportunity to use me to find a Pokemon you need for your next badge. But now that I think about it, this place probably isn't really haunted - Professor Cerise would have to be a pretty bad professor not to notice a real ghost haunting his lab."

"Huh. That makes sense," Ash replied. "But there's bound to be something running around, if people think there's a ghost here. It could be another Pokemon; they could be upset Professor Cerise is building a lab here. We should check it out."

Goh's expression flickered, baring their teeth in a scowl. "What are you talking about? I just told you we're wasting our time here! You've got interesting, useful people to spend time with - so why would you waste it with someone who's dragged you off to chase a rumor that doesn't pan out?"

"I'm…" Ash was trying to follow Goh's train of thought - they sounded upset, but Ash couldn't tell if it was over realizing there wasn't a Ghost Pokemon here, or something about Ash. James had been pressing Ash to just - express himself when he was feeling confused, so Ash decided on that. "It's not a waste if we don't find a Ghost Pokemon. It'd be pretty interesting if there were another Pokemon around here that we could help. And even if we don't find anything - well, I'm glad we could do something together."

"How does breaking into an abandoned building compare to rescuing Pokemon from a shipwreck?" Goh demanded, taking another step down toward Ash. "How does spending time with me compare with Gary, or Izumi, or your - talking Meowth?"

"He's not my Meowth - he's his own Pokemon, really," Ash said.

Goh jumped down the remaining two steps, and this close, now, Ash could see the fury in their gaze, the shadowed eyes, as they poked Ash's chest with their free hand. "You want to be a Pokemon Master - you don't have time for things that distract you and weigh you down - that's how people like you always are!"

Ash shook his head, feeling - strange, or worried, or - hurt. "I don't have a - a schedule. And...I've learned a lot more meeting new people and Pokemon than just - running around catching Pokemon and having battles would." He smiled at Goh, gently, still feeling a little anxious. "If I enjoy spending time with someone - that time isn't a waste. And to be honest - I'm not sure I want to go out looking for a Ghost just to beat Sabrina. I don't want my Pokemon to be - game pieces or something, that I've collected to meet some goal. If I'd really wanted a Ghost Pokemon, I could have called Izumi. I just...wanted to see you."

Goh's face spasmed, the fury giving way to something pale, shaken, before returning to the fury. "You wouldn't turn down a Ghost that came to you, either!"

"Of course not! If a Pokemon really wants to come with me - well, that's really cool! I'd want a chance to get to know them better. It wouldn't matter if they're a Ghost, or a - Fairy Type, or a - Steel Pokemon, or whatever." Ash smiled at Goh, whose face spasmed again. There was - strain - in their expression, and Ash felt his worry grow.

"Goh?" he asked, and Goh's expression flickered again. "Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay, because there are kind people in the world like you, and some of us get stuck with the worst kind of people!" Goh howled, hands dropping to their sides, sending the light flickering, and showing, clearly, two shadows behind Goh-

All of Ash's worry fell away, as he had a - thought. It was strange - like he was experiencing a thought without really thinking it. And that thought was:

That's quite enough of that.

Goh gasped, and something - a dark mass taller than either of them, round, with vicious red eyes and a toothy maw - rose out of their shadow, looming over them both.

Ash grabbed Goh as they swayed, unsteady - their eyes weren't shadowed anymore, but they looked tired. "Are you alright?"

"I'm...fine," Goh murmured, though their eyes were dazed, unsteadily fixed on Ash. "I-"

"Then let's see what this Pokemon is," Ash muttered, fumbling for his Gear.

"Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon, and final evolution of Gastly. Endothermic in nature, they cause a noticeable chill in the air. While said to curse their victims, their ability to merge with people's shadows instead likely weakens one's immune system, and allows them close access to anyone they wish to interfere with."

"Gengar, huh?" Ash demanded. "What were you doing with Goh, huh?"

The Gengar scowled, snarling, "Gen! Gen gar!" It was angry, obviously, but how, why, Ash couldn't say.

(Except that wasn't true - Goh had been saying things that didn't make sense, angry, bitter things, and Dexter had said Gengar could possess people's shadows.)

"Well, you can just - stay away from them!" Ash snapped. "You shouldn't possess people without asking, anyway."

"Gen gen gen gen," the Gengar chortled, before scowling. "Gargen gen gar gar gennnn," they growled, claws hands waving as they talked. And then they stretched out one hand, shadows gathering in their palm, and pitched it at Ash and Goh.

"Whoa!" Ash shoved Goh to the side, just barely avoiding the attack. "Hey, I don't want to fight you!"

"Gengar!" the Gengar screamed in response. They wanted to fight, and weren't picky about who or what. Ash fumbled for his Pokeballs - the Gengar's Ghost attacks couldn't hurt Pidgeotto-

Another blast made Ash trip, losing his grip and sending most of his Pokeballs scattering. There was only one he could reach, but he knew, when he grabbed it, it was Susanoo's - who was back at the Pokemon Center with the others. The Gengar, floating in the air, loomed over Ash and Goh, grinning.

"Gen gen gar gengar?" it sneered, asking for Ash's last words.

there are kind people in the world like you, and some of us get stuck with the worst kind of people

Ash ducked his head. "I'm sorry," he said.

The Gengar paused, one eye squinting at Ash. "Gen?"

"I don't know what happened - why anyone would leave you alone here, but I'm sorry. Abandoning you, without first asking what you wanted to do - it must hurt. I know - it hurt letting someone go who wanted to." The tears were gathering, and Ash wasn't certain if he could hold them back. "So I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it."

"Gen...gar?" the Gengar asked, hesitant. Curious.

Ash smiled, even if he didn't raise his head. "A little. I understand Susanoo - my Pikachu - a lot better, but he was my first Pokemon." Set on the topic of Pokemon, he looked up at last, seeing the Gengar's hands were at their sides, no longer surrounded by dark energy. "But my friend, Meowth, learned how to talk like a human, so he can translate back and forth all the time. I don't like relying on him, though, because I want to be a Pokemon Master, and that means trying really hard to understand all sorts of Pokemon."

The Gengar took a step back, eyes narrowed as they stared at Ash. At last they shrugged, their stance relaxing as they stepped out of the way between Ash, Goh, and the stairs. "Gen gar," they muttered.

"Thanks!" Ash exclaimed. As Goh tugged him toward the stairs, Ash scrambled to collect his Pokeballs before following. He paused, though, halting Goh a few steps up to look down at the Gengar, who looked - sad, standing alone at the bottom of the stairs.

"You know...you could come with me," Ash offered.

The Gengar opened one eye wide, skeptical. "Gen?" they asked.

"You're lonely here, aren't you?" Ash asked, trying to approach the Gengar, stopped when Goh tightened their hand around Ash's, pulling him up short. He met the Gengar's gaze, though, trying to project worry, care, the way he saw Susanoo and Chief do, when they fussed over him, the way Meowth did, when he thought people weren't paying enough attention to see him being "soft".

The Gengar jerked their head away. "Gar gen en gengar geng engar."

"I think - you know he isn't coming back for you," Ash said. It was a little mean, but even if the Gengar wasn't somewhere unsafe, like Valiant had been, waiting fruitlessly for someone who'd abandoned them (three years ago, if Ash were understanding right) would just hurt them more. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be so mad."

"Gar!" the Gengar snarled, opening their mouth wide, revealing a fang-lined void. Goh tried to yank Ash back, but he kept his balance, just continuing to watch the Gengar. And indeed, the Gengar didn't actually bite Ash or anything, just fell back, folding in on themself a little, until they looked just as lonely as Ash had thought they were before.

"You don't have to," Ash added. "I'm just always happy to make new friends, and...I'd like to be yours."

The Gengar looked up at Ash, frowning, but only slightly, now. "Gennn?"

Ash smiled and held out his hand. "Absolutely."

The Gengar stretched their hand up to shake Ash's hand (their skin was cold, and felt as if Ash's fingers would sink through it if he weren't careful), and Ash grinned before retrieving a Pokeball from his bag. The Gengar leapt into the air and slapped the Pokeball, vanishing inside with a flash. The ball shook in Ash's hand before chiming, confirming the Gengar was his, now.

He released the Gengar immediately, who waited, hovering, just out of Ash's reach as soon as they were free. "You should have a - nickname," Ash said.

"Gen gen gar," the Gengar declared, pointing a thumb at their chest.

"...Smokethief?" Ash tried - he wasn't certain exactly how to translate what the Gengar had said, but at their wide grin, absent the fanged threat, Ash guessed he was close enough. Smokethief circled Ash once, chortling, before spinning to face Goh.

They bowed low, sinking into the ground. "Gen gen gar en eng," they murmured.

Goh glanced at Ash. "Wha-"

"They want to apologize. They've been sort of - touchy around humans for a while, and got mad we were intruding."

"O - oh." Goh nodded once, determined, before holding out their own hand. "I accept your apology...Smokethief."

"Gen!" Smokethief grabbed Goh's hand, shaking once, before bolting up through the ceiling.

Ash snickered, and Goh, startled, started laughing a moment later.

"Come on," Ash said, "let's go."

It was a bit of a crawl to get back out the window (Goh refusing to unlock the front door to leave because they didn't have a way to relock it), and Ash was feeling tired as they ambled their way back toward the Pokemon Center. Smokethief had worn themself out fairly quickly, returning to their Pokeball, leaving Ash and Goh alone. Goh was - probably tired, too, as they didn't say much, alternatively staring at their feet and Ash.

They were a block or so away from the Pokemon Center when Goh finally spoke up.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You said - you're always happy to make new friends," Goh said, voice halting. As they continued, their voice quieted, so Ash almost didn't hear the whole thing. "So I wanted to know if, maybe...we could be friends, too."

"Of course we're friends!" Ash burst out, startled that Goh hadn't - thought that, and had gone through all this anyway. "Smokethief was wrong - I didn't come here just for you to help me find a Ghost Pokemon. I was feeling - upset about losing to Sabrina, and...I just wanted to see you."

Goh was biting their lip, eyes - wet, anxious, and Ash felt a swoop of worry. "Hey, it's okay," he said. "I just thought - you're really cool, and...and-"

Goh shook their head, cheeks - dark, tears running freely even as their lips threatened a smile.

So Ash stepped closer. "Do you want a hug? You look like you need one."

"Ah!" Goh skittered back, their entire face flushing. "No, that's - fine. I'm fine. I'm just-" They swiped at their still-wet cheeks. "I'm glad." Ash glanced away as Goh dried off their face - they were clearly uncomfortable with the attention. "Still," Goh mused, "I feel a little bad, not getting you a birthday present."

"You got me the best present!" Ash said, shaking his head. "You helped me make a new friend - two, I guess, if you thought we weren't already friends."

"Ah. Still," Goh replied, tapping his chin. "I'd get you a Light Ball, if I knew where to buy one - it's an item that can help a Pikachu fight better."

Ash shrugged. "Jessie and James get really excited about Technical Machines," he said. I taught Triton, my Squirtle, Bubble Beam with one I got from the Cerulean City Gym."

"Hm," Goh murmured, before Ash grabbed their hand and began dragging them along; Goh followed with a yelp. "Ash!"

"I just had a great idea!" Ash said. "You should sleep over in the Pokemon Center with us."

"I-" Goh stammered as they followed. "Sure. If my parents say I can."

"Awesome!" Ash agreed, punching at the air. Goh didn't echo his enthusiasm, and when Ash looked back, Goh was smiling, gently, staring at their feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm...glad you came to visit," Goh said.

"Me, too," Ash replied, which earned a blinding smile from Goh.

"At length, seek out something, spread out your tiny palms. And find someone right away, okay? Someone who is not you," the man sang to himself as he typed at a computer console in an empty office at the Silph Co. headquarters. It was not, strictly, his office - nor was the ID badge he wore his, or, for that matter, the lab coat he was wearing.

Bald, rail-thin, crooked-nosed, clean-shaven, and wearing colored contacts that still itched, months after he'd first started wearing them, when he'd taken the janitorial position with Silph Co., he had a distinctive appearance. He even had several scars along his cheek and next to his eye. But some of the details were - a choice, to draw attention away from those that might positively identify him. Others were happy accidents that kept people from looking too closely.

And as a janitor, he didn't attract many questions.

Still, if anyone saw him in this office, there would be questions. He hadn't dared to try Laurent's lab, where her computer likely had the most advanced security a ruthless genius could construct, but Silph Co.'s intranet meant this computer was connected to every other computer in the building.

And Team Rocket, whose information security was typically direct and...hands-on, and viewed technology only in the context of how it could be used to capture and control Pokemon, didn't spend a lot of time worrying about computer security. They'd probably seen that Silph Co.'s offices used the Gogo operating system, decided that was good enough, and cancelled the maintenance contract to save money. After all, Gogo was the best, and most secure, system in Kanto. Of course, without regular updates and the on-call maintenance of the programmers, the system was substantially less secure.

As a result, there were eighteen months of developments in computer hacking against which Team Rocket's Silph Co. headquarters had no defense.

A message popped up on the screen.

'EXCUSE ME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING'

The man switched away from the message and pulled up a program that yes, allowed the owner of this terminal to monitor the vital signs of pretty much every experiment in the building - the Froakie, the Turtwig, the Eevee (he briefly imagined what Laurent might be doing to express new evolutions of Eevee, before dismissing the thoughts as unproductive and possibly sickening).

And, of course, Mewtwo.

The product of a lifetime of research - not by her, but by a man who'd destroyed his research once the experiment had failed to conquer death, as he'd once hoped to do, once he'd realized what his backers intended to do with the most powerful Pokemon in the world.

Dr. Fuji, a man long-dead, an example to those who would stand in Team Rocket's way.

'YOUR PATTERN OF USE DEVIATES FROM THAT OF THE USER ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COMPUTER' another message appeared. The man minimized it and opened up a command prompt to see if he could use that monitoring program as a backdoor to control the life support systems.

'THESE DEVIATIONS SUGGEST A MORE THAN 99.7% PROBABILITY YOU ARE AN INTRUDER'

The man dragged the message aside and grinned when he was able to pull up a control panel. There was little precision - there were master switches he could throw through this system, but nothing subtler.

'SECURITY FOOTAGE SHOWS YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING HERE FOR 196 DAYS'

'CORPORATE ESPIONAGE WILL PREVENT YOUR PENSION RIGHTS FROM VESTING'

'THAT IS A JOKE. YOU WILL ACTUALLY BE KILLED ONCE WE ALERT SECURITY'

The man tapped 'Enter', executing the command they'd been ignoring the ominous messages to input. In several dozen tanks across the building, valves releasing sedatives into experiments Team Rocket would prefer remain unconscious closed. He ignored a red message flashing across the screen, more warnings from the security program, and shoved the console off the table. It shattered on hitting the ground, so if anyone tried to figure out what the man had been up to, they would need to track down the logs from the main server. He shed his lab coat and pushed open the door. He had an hour, maybe two, before Mewtwo regained enough of its mental faculties to act - an hour, maybe two, to get it away from a major population center before-

YOU

Something in the upper floors of the building exploded, and the man fell to the floor as his head was filled with searing pain.

Mew felt the psychic howl from Lavender Town, powerful enough it could only belong to a Legend.

It wasn't any of the Legends that Mew had known - not Lugia; not Latias or Latios; not Uxie, Mesprit, or Azelf; not Cresselia; not Tapu Lele; not Solgaleo or Lunala; not Calyrex; not Celebi; not Jirachi; not Deoxys; not Victini; not Meloetta; not Hoopa; not Arceus or even Necrozma.

He Teleported to the source of the scream in an instant - a tower in Saffron City listing as glass and debris fell from its windows. An airborne figure was already fleeing the building, distant enough Mew could not make out their form.

But their psychic imprint was unmistakably that of Mew.

Mew turned to the building, freezing the falling debris in place before it could fall upon other buildings, endangering innocent lives. She sought out the living minds within the place, finding only a few humans - determined, focused, following whatever protocol was there to escape a fire or earthquake (there were many more bodies without minds, people slain by the explosion, or possibly just the Pokemon's wrath made manifest). But there were dozens of Pokemon - confused, scared - desperate for a way out.

The humans would see to their own; that had always been Mew's experience.

They Teleported inside the building, pushing the smoke and flames away from them as they sought the trapped Pokemon, guiding them to safety, out of Saffron City and away from prying human eyes.

The Froakie Mew sent toward Cerulean, the Turtwig toward Fuschia City's Safari Zone, and the Eevee toward the fields to the east (one, with silver fur, lagged behind the others, but Mew's lifestyle left him no energy to watch after the runt of the litter - Mew might save Pokemon from disaster, but the business of living was for mortals, not legends like her).

And then, rather than leaving, Mew paused.

Lingered.

Something very interesting had happened in Saffron City, and Mew wanted to know what it was.

Something very strange had been happening over the last few days. The incoherent nightmares that had plagued Saffron City had given way to strange dreams, before fading entirely, as if the mind projecting them had finally withdrawn their fury from Saffron City.

As if they were focusing themself, gathering their power.

And then a psychic scream ripped through Saffron City; even the half-trained psychics drawn to Saffron City in the hopes of being tutored by Sabrina would have felt it. It was the same voice, calling out in fury, and she braced herself for another assault. But the mind retreated, then, as if fleeing, even though its power was beyond anything she had ever encountered.

But in the shock of the attack and retreat, Sabrina's hold slipped for just a moment, and the citizens of Saffron City fell from the careful trance she'd kept them in to shield them from that power.

She heard the echoes of their panic as Silph Co. collapsed, dozens killed in the explosion of its aftermath. She sharpened her focus almost immediately, gripping the minds to soothe them.

But with the departure of the psychic whose dreams had tormented Saffron City, there were no nightmares to protect her people from.

For the moment, it seemed Saffron City was safe.

But dozens had died, and a powerful psychic was loose upon the world.

It was a sign, Sabrina decided, that she had been too lenient with the boy, Ash Ketchum. That she had grown complacent in keeping her city in check.

Content to control, she had failed to watch, and failed to notice the scientists of Silph Co. creating something immeasurably dangerous.

She would not be caught by surprise again.

At the darkening of the next day, she called out her partner, who drew close to her, an anxious "Aaa," escaping his mouth.

"Abra," she said, "I think it's time for you to evolve."

Chapter Text

Ash was pretty sure he, Jessie, and James were fighting. There had definitely been yelling when he told them he wanted to go back to Saffron City, Jessie livid that Ash was trying to convince them to take him back to a place he'd nearly died (Susanoo had ducked his head at that, a suggestion that Susanoo had told Meowth about what happened after Ash's loss against Sabrina, and the other Pokemon hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut). James hadn't said anything, had just - stared at Ash, somehow mimicking the forlorn expression Growlie could get when he felt he was unjustly being denied attention.

And Susanoo...had settled in Ash's arms and hadn't moved, even to eat.

He didn't have a room they could send him to (they couldn't - they weren't his parents, and said they wouldn't force him to stay with them if he didn't want), but he'd set up his tent at the very edge of camp, and was sitting on the far side, so he couldn't see either of them.

Ash looked down at Susanoo, who raised his head to look back at him. Susanoo didn't look angry, but he was...tired, Ash could tell. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?" Ash asked.

Susanoo's ears twitched before he wrinkled his nose and snuggled a little deeper into Ash's grip. "Ash…" (he was so used to the cadence of 'Pika-pi', it was almost like hearing his name from Susanoo's mouth). Susanoo continued to mutter into Ash's chest, pointing out that if he complained about Ash being willing to throw himself into danger to help people, he'd be a little hypocritical.

Susanoo lifted his head again, squinting at Ash as he inquired - this was about helping Sabrina, wasn't it?

"Yeah."

Susanoo snorted and let his head drop, calling Ash - well, he thought the word meant 'idiot', but it was said fondly - undertones of ownership, of belonging.

Ash was an idiot, but he was Susanoo's idiot.

Ash sighed and clutched Susanoo closer.

"Gennnnnn." Ash yelped and fell sideways as a dark purple face appeared from above him. Smokethief laughed as Ash scrambled back up, rocking in place in the air. Even without hiding in Ash's shadow, Smokethief was shockingly stealthy; they (Ash wasn't certain if Smokethief were unconcerned with gender, as Izumi had said Ghost Types could be, or simply hadn't seen reason to share that fact with Ash, so 'they' it was, for the time) seemed able to escape their Pokeball without any visual cues, making it easy to sneak up on people. And while they were perfectly willing to rest in their Pokeball, unlike Pikachu, they had a sense for when other people were awake and refused to be left out.

"Hey, Smokethief," Ash said, reaching up to tug at their foot, the nearest part of them available. Smokethief's eyes widened, their amused smile giving way to a pleased grin as they sank to ground level, tilting their head down. Ash laughed and rubbed his hand along the Gengar's head. It was still cold, a little insubstantial, but Gengar muttered nonsense as they luxuriated in the attention. At Smokethief's obvious pleasure, Ash decided it was time for some team bonding, and called out the rest of his Pokemon.

Chief and Sirocco saw Smokethief leaning on Ash and decided that meant dogpiling Ash to demand attention was how things were going. Susanoo jumped out of the way to avoid being crushed, calling Chief an idiot (probably), but definitely not fondly. Ash laughed, leaning against Chief while he ran a hand through Sirocco's feathers.

After a moment, he looked at Triton and Valiant. "There's plenty of room for group hugs, if you want," he said.

Triton snorted and ambled close enough to pat Ash's shoulder. They were a high-fives type of Pokemon, they explained; fist-bumps, if things warranted it.

Susanoo snickered, mocking Triton for trying to impress an eleven-year-old human with that tough guy act. Triton crossed their arms and stuck out their tongue at Susanoo, who returned the favor while Chief shoved his head under Ash's hand, grumbling about kids and their weird power plays.

Valiant was still quiet. "Hey, buddy?" Ash asked. "You want in on this?"

Valiant shrugged, edging closer until he was just in Ash's reach. When Ash scratched along the scales at the side of Valiant's head, the Charmander growled, pleased, tail wagging behind him. Ash smiled as Valiant's eyes fell closed. He knew Valiant was happy to have somewhere warm to sleep at night, knew Valiant took to Ash's training with impressive intensity, but still wasn't sure how Valiant really felt about him. Valiant was grateful, probably, but Ash had occasionally seen an expression on the Charmander's face that Ash now felt a little more equipped to interpret. Valiant must know he was better off with Ash than Damien, but still...missed him. Regretted walking away.

Smokethief took that moment to poke Ash's head and ask why they were sitting all the way over here when there was a campfire on the other side of Ash's tent.

"We're fighting," Ash sighed.

Susanoo poked Ash's ankle almost enough to hurt and added that Ash had decided to fight Sabrina again to 'save her from herself', exaggerated air quotes conveying a sarcasm Susanoo couldn't express otherwise.

Chief sighed and headbutted Ash, calling him a reckless dumbass in much the same tone as Susanoo had earlier called Ash an idiot. Valiant stepped back, eyeing Ash nervously, while Triton asked Chief what he'd expected. Triton had known right off the bat what sort of human Ash was. Sirocco yawned, told Ash he could do whatever he wanted, but if the psychic woman (maybe - the word seemed to mean 'woman', but also sounded rude) tried anything again, Sirocco would peck her eyes out.

Smokethief, who'd spent the last few days training with Ash, Susanoo, and Sirocco, was uncharacteristically quiet. And Ash wasn't stupid - he recognized Smokethief's worry, that a loss against Sabrina would make Ash realize his mistake accepting Smokethief as a partner.

Triton shook his head at last, announcing that whatever foolhardy plan Ash had, they all had his back, earning agreement, with varying levels of enthusiasm, from the other Pokemon. By some unspoken agreement, none of them, except Smokethief, returned to their Pokeballs when Ash went to bed, instead piling around him, a - solid show of support that let Ash sleep soundly, even if he were still anxious.

When Ash woke up, it was early, none of his Pokemon waking even as he shifted them off of him. When he went outside, the campfire was low, and Meowth was sitting by the side of it, a tin of hot water steaming gently on the grill above it.

"Um. Hi," Ash tried, voice shaking more than he'd like.

"Hey, kid," Meowth grumbled. After a moment, he gestured to the ground next to him. "Sit."

"I." Ash did, watching Meowth carefully as Meowth transferred the water to a mug and quietly inhaled the steam. "I'm sor-"

"You don't have to apologize, kid," Meowth said, cutting Ash off. "This is your journey - your life - and as much as they forget, Jessie and James aren't in charge of it."

Ash wasn't sure why that declaration made him nervous. It sounded serious, and he wasn't always sure how to deal with serious.

"Are they leaving?" he asked, because it was the first thought he could voice.

"I'm not a mind-reader," Meowth retorted. But after a moment, he added, "They aren't talking that way, though." He lapped at the hot water, staring at the fire for a few more quiet moments. "You gotta understand, kid - we've been together ten years or so, and Jessie and James - they've known each other for fifteen. We're - on the same wavelength about a lot of things. They don't have that with you. So when you do stuff like - decide to face a Gym Leader who's already tried to kill you once - they get all worked up inside, because they don't understand, not the way they would each other."

"What about you?"

Meowth shrugged. "Everyone's got their own - callings, I guess you'd call 'em. Defining moments where their heart says, 'this is a thing I gotta do'. I can usually tell when someone's driven like that - can't say what's going on in their heads, except that they feel they gotta do it." He sighed and reached out to pat Ash's knee. "I wasn't - joking, or whatever, back in Maiden's Peak. You're stuck with me - even if the two of them want to go."

Ash eyed Meowth - the Pokemon - no bigger than Susanoo himself - and wondered why. Even now, he was pretty sure Meowth wouldn't tell him the truth, and Meowth was good at communicating like a human, hiding behind deflections and half-truths. "Do you want to learn Thunderbolt?" Ash asked, instead, and Meowth startled, fumbling his mug, which splattered all over the ground.

When Meowth looked back at Ash, he was-

Well, his eyes were squinting, as if suspicious. But his mouth was open a little - still startled.

"You could teach the Gengar," he said. "They probably need a few new moves if you're going to beat Sabrina with them."

Ash shrugged. "If you don't want to learn it, you can tell me, and maybe I will teach Smokethief."

"Ah-" Meowth bit his lip, gaze finally reflecting the hesitance the rest of his face, his twitching tail, showed. "I guess if you get in a real fight, it'd be useful having around someone halfway competent who can give the rat a power boost."

"That's the spirit!" Ash agreed, even if the idea hadn't occurred to him.

"But!" Meowth said, raising his paw to cut off Ash's enthusiasm. "Only after you beat Sabrina. You wanna train this Pokemon, you have to be halfway to the Pokemon League."

Ash grinned, feeling some of the anxiety over Jessie and James' disapproval fading. "Do you really think I can do it?"

Meowth shrugged. "You've got a plan, kid; I've known you long enough to see that. So might as well put my faith in that." He squinted up at Ash. "You do have a plan, right?"

"Of course." On waking, Ash hadn't quite had his plan finalized - he'd been working without James' or Jessie's input. But being reminded his Pokemon were a part of this (that Sabrina wasn't the only one who needed support), Ash felt his thoughts - solidify, a plan settling in his mind. Ash clenched his fist. "A really good one, too."

"Well, there we go," Meowth replied.

The assurance buoyed Ash's mood, kept him from worrying too much over the morning's tension, over Jessie and James trailing behind him during the day's walk.

At least until they reached the border of Saffron City. There was something off about the city - not the weird behavior he'd seen the last time they were there, but something else Ash couldn't place.

"...Well, that can't be good," James muttered behind Ash.

"What?" Ash asked her, willing to risk more yelling if it got him answers.

"Silph Co.," James replied, pointing at an empty point in the Saffron City skyline. "The building's gone."

Ash's insides froze as his heart fell.

Violence and terror shadow you, and the towers of this city will fall because of you.

Sabrina had foretold destruction Ash would bring to Saffron City, and here it was - an entire building destroyed.

"Hey, I'm sure no one was hurt," Jessie said, patting Ash's back.

"...Sure," Ash agreed, before heading toward the Pokemon Center, watching the people out of the corner of his eyes. There was something different about them - more natural, he thought (hoped). But there was something new, as well. He kept feeling a strange weight, like he was being watched, although he never could see anyone looking at him. When they reached the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy was pleasant but didn't sound like she was reciting a script when she greeted them.

"So," Jessie asked while they were waiting, leaning over the counter toward Joy, "What's with Silph Co.? The building seems to be missing."

Joy's smile faded. "Someone sabotaged one of their generators - a transformer blew and caused the building to collapse."

"Was anyone hurt?" Ash asked.

"Ah - a lot of people were hurt, and a few people died," Joy replied. "And there were a lot of Pokemon they were studying that were - lost - in the collapse."

"...I see," Ash replied, stomach roiling with guilt. This was, Sabrina had been certain, his fault, and in light of that, he couldn't blame her for wanting to hurt him to prevent that.

Still, he was here for a reason, and as it was still light out, when Ash got his Pokemon, he turned to leave, only for Jessie to grab his shoulder.

"You should rest-"

"No," Ash said, firm. "I have to do this, and the sooner - the better."

Approaching the Gym, Ash watched for the strange man who'd intervened when Sabrina had attacked him after the battle, but so intent on that, he didn't think to look for the other man until a voice piped up just before he reached the doors.

"Mr. Ketchum."

There he was - a pink-faced man with glasses and bright blue eyes.

He wasn't smiling, though.

"You are aware there are - around fifteen Gyms in Kanto," the man said. "You need only eight to join the Indigo League Conference."

"I know." Ash looked past the old man to the Gym beyond. "But this is something I have to do."

"You brought a Ghost with you," the man said, eye drifting past Ash's shoulder - where Smokethief was, in fact, hovering. "Type matchups-"

"I know Types aren't everything," Ash retorted. "It's about strategy - and conviction...and surprise."

Something in the man's demeanor shifted as a smile appeared, wide - amused. "Ah, do you plan to surprise a psychic? This I'd like to see." He turned and pushed the doors of the Gym open. The Gym was silent - no droning, no Hypno, just the faint hum of the lights. "Come on," the old man said, waving Ash, Jessie, James, Susanoo, Meowth, and Smokethief on as he headed toward Sabrina's arena.

Ash trailed after him, finally nervous at last, because the man's declaration was making Ash rethink his plan.

But then he felt a cool hand against the top of his head. He looked up to Smokethief, who was smiling. Not a grin, but a subtle smile. Encouraging. He had his Pokemon's support (he had Meowth's, as well, and maybe...Jessie's and James', too). And they had his.

Ash nodded and followed the old man who had paused outside the arena doors. The man was still grinning as he reached for the doors.

Which slammed inward, open, before he could touch them.

"Surprise me?" Sabrina demanded, eyes blazing bright blue as she stood at her throne. "Impossible - I see everything that happens in Saffron City." Ash didn't know if anyone else was paying attention, but he could see her swaying on her feet - strained, tired (if she'd been protecting people from nightmares, when had she found time to sleep?). "So tell me, Ash Ketchum, are you here to lay waste to the rest of my city? Or simply strike at me when you think I am weak?"

Ash strode forward to stand at the far end of the arena, stood as tall as he could, and raised a steady hand to point at Sabrina. "My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm not here to hurt you, or - destroy the city. I'm here to challenge you for a Gym Badge! And I think - you have to accept."

"Only once more," Sabrina huffed, hand reaching to her side, pulling away a Pokeball. "This will be one-on-one. And when I defeat you, you will leave this city before I end you." She released a Pokemon - about Ash's height, skin yellow, with pointed face, ears, and a drooping mustache. A wide brown-banded tail swept behind them, and thick hide on their torso looked like a brown T-shirt. They were holding a silver spoon in one hand.

"Kadabra!" they called, even as Ash pulled out his Gear.

"Kadabra, the Psi Pokemon, an evolved form of Abra. They can use adrenaline to boost their psychic powers. It is said they lose approximately half their power if denied the spoon they use as a focus, but this is a psychosomatic effect, and the Pokemon can overcome it with advanced training."

"Go ahead," Sabrina said. "I think you will find my Pokemon more than a match for your Gengar."

Ash grit his teeth and looked back at Smokethief, who gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

"I bet they are a match for Smokethief," Ash said. "But type matchups aren't everything, and - I don't need them to prove themself to me." He set his chin and nodded at the Gengar, a smile briefly flickering across his lips. "You can fight when you want - when you're ready." He reached to his belt and pulled away a Pokeball. "So I choose you, Sirocco!"

He threw out the Pokeball, releasing a Pidgeotto, of all things. "Pidg!" she called.

Sabrina tried desperately to recall if Pidgeotto could know any moves she had to be wary of. U-Turn was a possibility, as was Thief. Depending on the Pidgeotto's heritage, she could know Feint Attack or Pursuit.

"Sirocco, use Twister!" Ash called. With a sharp, "Geot!" the Pidgeotto summoned a tight pillar of winds that streaked across the battlefield. It was barely any energy to direct her Kadabra to avoid it, and to respond with a Charge Beam the Pidgeotto easily avoided. "Sand Attack!"

"Pi!"

A simple-minded strategy, Sabrina mused, as the Pidgeotto kicked up a cloud of sand to confuse Kadabra's senses. Ash likely had no idea Sabrina's Kadabra possessed the Inner Focus ability, so the additional effect of Twister offered no advantage. And he must have forgotten Kadabra knew Shock Wave - which couldn't miss, no matter how much her Kadabra's eyes had been irritated by sand.

At her direction, Kadabra's body crackled with lightning.

"Sirocco! Use Fly! Avoid it and counterattack!" And as the Kadabra let loose a blast of lightning that covered the arena, the Pidgeotto soared over the assault, dodging arcs of lightning as she built up speed, diving toward Kadabra with a furious "Pidgeot!"

Kadabra Teleported out of the way, but Sabrina was scrambling for her mental footing. Where was the boy who'd been overconfident of his Pikachu's abilities, who'd let Sabrina steamroll him? Had it been a trick, luring her into a false sense of security?

"Sand Attack! Use it as cover for Gust!"

Sabrina grit her teeth, hating to do something as pedestrian as 'feeling out' her opponent's strengths and weaknesses, but commanded Kadabra to Teleport out of the way and use Kinesis once he'd gotten close to the Pidgeotto. The move failed - the Pidgeotto had Keen Eye, meaning Sabrina had to choose between relying on Kadabra's natural ability to prevent that Twister from stunning him, or countering the Pidgeotto's accuracy-reducing attacks.

She directed Kadabra to use Energy Ball - the least she could do was erode the Pidgeotto's defenses while she tried to work up a strategy. It hit, at least, even if Sabrina couldn't sense any reduction in the Pidgeotto's resilience.

"Quick Attack!"

"Pidge!"

Fuck - they were too close! Kadabra threw up a Reflect a moment too late to protect against the Pidgeotto's attack, and then Teleported away to regroup. Sabrina's heart was pounding, mind racing for any advantage she could claim for herself. If she could buy just a second-

She ordered Dazzling Gleam, which had the effect of leaving Ash blinking to clear his eyes, while Kadabra used Calm Mind, trying to center himself.

"Wow, that was a nice move!" Ash said. "Pidgeotto, Dust Devil!"

Sabrina's first thought was - that wasn't a move.

Her second thought was-

He was much smarter than she'd thought - developing names for tactics that concealed exactly what they involved.

The surprise had cost Sabrina, however, as the Pidgeotto, with a fierce cry of "Pidgeo!" kicked up clouds of dust in a Sand Attack before whipping them into the tearing winds of a Twister. The scouring attack further blinded her Kadabra, even if he avoided the stunning effect that would have likely ended the battle.

She grit her teeth as she commanded Kadabra to use a series of Shock Waves, forcing the Pidgeotto into a desperate aerial dance to avoid them all, allowing herself a moment of satisfaction when one hit the Pidgeotto, sending her spiralling halfway to the ground before recovering with a defiant cry of "Pidgeot!"

Sabrina took a steadying breath - she'd been panting, panicking, but felt a little more steadied. She ordered a Calm Mind between Kadabra avoiding a few more Quick Attacks - they were able to keep up enough distance that Kadabra could Teleport away before the Quick Attack hit. She looked over at Ash, who was bouncing in place, cheerful, somehow, even though he was making no progress.

What was he planning?

She tried Energy Ball again, but at the distance she was keeping to avoid the Quick Attacks, the Pidgeotto avoided it easily, before Ash commanded she return a Sand Attack - Kadabra Teleported high above the arena to avoid it, grabbing the Pidgeotto with Psychic, and banging her around a few times before she wiggled free.

Swiping his arm up, Ash called, "Use Gust!" The Pidgeotto was responding almost before he finished the command, the retaliatory strike a solid hit. The Pidgeotto spun in the air with a victorious cry of "Pid!" while Ash spun in place himself.

Sabrina grit her teeth; she did not want this to become a war of attrition, and that meant she had only one avenue left.

Sabrina closed her eyes, trying to calm her own mind. Ash's Pokedex was surprisingly accurate, identifying that Kadabra could transmute adrenaline into psychic power, but had failed to extrapolate to its logical conclusion.

That Kadabra could use that energy to evolve.

"Ka...Da...Braaaalakazam!"

Sabrina smirked when she opened her eyes, seeing her Kadabra (nearly) at the pinnacle of his power - twin spoons held at the ready, mustache even more magnificent. Ash had out his Pokedex again.

"Alakazam, the Psi Pokemon, and final evolution of Abra. Their intelligence is comparable to the most intelligent humans, and can remember everything they have ever experienced."

"Wow!" Ash called out, as if he were not facing the instrument of his destruction. "That's awesome!"

"Confusion!" Sabrina snapped out, tired of the boy's inexplicable cheeriness. He was going to lose - it was inevitable.

"Fly! Dodge it and counterattack!"

"Pidgeot!" The Pidgeotto swooped high, evading the blast of psychic power, crashing back into Alakazam.

Reeling from the blow (was the Pidgeotto faster, somehow?), Sabrina felt a moment of shock when she realized-

She'd spoken aloud. She never spoke during a battle. Commanding her Pokemon without speaking was an unmatched tactical advantage. Her heart was still racing, breath coming fast, mind skipping along a thousand possibilities, trying to map them out, but.

"Dust Devil!"

"Shock Wave!"

"Pidge!"

"Alakazam!"

The Pidgeotto was sent flying back by the force of the blow, and Sabrina felt a grin tug at her lips. She was beginning to get a handle on Ash's style, and was sure, now, she could win.

"Quick Attack!"

"Charge Beam!"

Sabrina shook her head as Alakazam caught the Pidgeotto in his Charge Beam - Alakazam's speed was enough that the Pidgeotto couldn't match it. It had been a desperate move, but one that was paying dividends.

"Sirocco!" The Pidgeotto was earthbound, and Ash's hands were fisted at his sides. "Are you alright?"

"Pidge...Pidgeooot," the Pidgeotto groaned, before taking to the air.

Ash hadn't given up before, not until she'd trounced him thoroughly, so Sabrina hadn't expected differently this time.

Still, it was sad, seeing this fierce determination, doomed to failure.

"Alakazam, use Shock Wave," Sabrina said, feeling a thrill of satisfaction. This had been an unusually challenging battle, but it was over. Pidgeotto didn't have the speed to act before the lightning filled the battlefield.

"Fly!"

"Ala!"

"Piiiii…" The Pidgeotto blurred into motion, beating her wings furiously as she tried to gain the height needed to evade Alakazam's Shock Wave. Lightning danced along Alakazam's skin. And the Pidgeotto began to glow, as well.

"Pidgeot!"

She shot forward, above Alakazam's attack, with a blurred form, pausing for barely an instant above the arena before the Pidgeotto - now a Pidgeot - beat her wings once with a lazy movement.

The air below her erupted into a maelstrom, winds throwing up dust, extinguishing torches, and sending Alakazam flying, saved from an impact against the wall only by a well-timed Teleport.

"What was that?"

"That's Hurricane!" one of Ash's companions called. "It can confuse its target as well as doing damage!"

Fuck - Sabrina had forgotten that. She could not allow him to hit Alakazam with that again. "Skill Swap!" Alakazam tapped his spoons together, and a faint blue glow around him and the Pidgeot showed a successful switch of their two abilities - the Pidgeot pointlessly steadfast, unwilling to flinch, and Alakazam incapable of having his accuracy reduced. "Kinesis!"

"Hurricane!"

Damn - Pidgeot was faster than Alakazam, throwing out another blast with a single beat of her wings. But Hurricane was notoriously unreliable, and it missed.

Unfortunately, so too did Alakazam's Kinesis - even if he took no damage from it, the Hurricane cost him his concentration.

"Teleport! Light Screen!" Sabrina shouted. It wouldn't prevent confusion if Alakazam got hit with another Hurricane (for that, she should have taught Abra Safeguard), but it would prevent excessive damage.

"Quick Attack!" Ash called, and Sabrina cursed herself - she'd called out her move again, letting Ash know physical attacks would do better than special ones.

Alakazam was barely able to respond to her command to Teleport in time, but was easily able to throw out Kinesis, which hit this time, leaving the Pidgeot's gaze slightly unfocused.

"Twister!"

The winds caught Alakazam, throwing him into the ground, dazed - no longer immune to the stunning effects of Pidgeot's attack. "Quick Attack!"

Ash punched forward as the Pidgeot slammed into Alakazam, and Sabrina felt her heart leap, panicked.

"Get up, Alakazam!" she shouted.

And across the arena, Ash's grin widened. "Yeah, give it your best, Alakazam!"

...What?

Sabrina turned her attention to her opponent, who was still smiling, punching in the air each time he commanded his Pidgeot to use Quick Attack, even if Alakazam was evading each with rapid-fire Teleports. She was...missing something, she felt. A piece to this puzzle. Ash Ketchum walked side-by-side with violence, with terror looming before him. The assessment was at odds with what she was seeing - a cheerful child just excited to be battling.

(A part of her sighed, eased at finally seeing what his game was - he needed her to see him as just - having fun, to keep her off guard from his unconventional tactics.)

She had Alakazam throw out another Kinesis, taking a Quick Attack for his troubles, but by now, even the Twister Ash had his Pidgeot reply with was pathetically easy to dodge, even without Teleport.

"Fly!" Get some distance from them!" Ash shouted, and the Pidgeot flew high - fine with Sabrina, who finally had her footing. She knew what Ash was playing at - finally had the counter to his strategy - and knew she could win.

She directed Alakazam to respond to the attack with Reflect, although it was largely unnecessary, as the Pidgeot's attack went wide.

Sabrina smiled. "This battle is over. Shock Wave."

"Dodge it!" Ash called, hands up at his chest, as if they were wings pulled in to his side, and the Pidgeot mimicked the movements, a futile gesture, because Shock Wave-

Missed.

"Hurricane!"

So shocked by the impossibility, Sabrina could only watch helplessly as Alakazam was caught up in the gale-force winds, thrown against the ground, swaying slightly as he rose - confused. Merely improbable, rather than impossible, but terrible luck, nonetheless.

"Shake it off!" Sabrina shouted. "And use Confusion!"

Alakazam fumbled his spoons, knocking one against his head as he tried an attack, while Ash ordered another Quick Attack - thankfully, it missed, but unless Alakazam could recover himself, he could actually lose - a circumstance Sabrina could not allow.

"Use Fly!" Ash commanded, which would buy Alakazam another moment or two - wasted, as he sprawled on the ground trying to get up. The Pidgeot nearly hit Alakazam, so Sabrina commanded another Kinesis, which thankfully hit; she would need every edge she could glean until Alakazam snapped out of it.

"Quick Attack!" The attack went wide, but Alakazam hurt himself again, although the strike against his head left him clear-eyed, ready to attack.

And Sabrina scowled, because she was going to have to do it.

There wasn't a rule against it. It was rare enough that it was generally frowned upon, at least unless you were facing someone with five or more Badges, or who'd proven they could do it, too.

She pressed her right hand against the gem set in a bracelet on her left wrist. "Alakazam," she said, "Mega Evolve."

Alakazam raised his left spoon, the one she'd given to him when he first evolved into Kadabra, the one inset with Alakazite, and glowed as his psychic power intermingled with Sabrina's, poured back into him, and forced a change they couldn't maintain for more than a few minutes.

Ash stared in shock as Alakazam's armored hide flowed into purple folds of skin like a robe, their mustache grew into a massive white beard, and the Alakazite fused into his forehead to form a gleaming red gem. His spoons duplicated until there were five floating over his head, and he interlocked his feet to float, ominously over the battlefield.

"When Alakazam Mega-Evolves, its psychic powers heighten its precognitive abilities as it is capable of predicting its opponent's every move."

Ash raised one fist, grinning, as if he weren't facing an opponent far beyond his Pokemon's abilities. "If that Alakazam can see Sirocco's every move - then they know they're going to lose. Quick Attack!"

It always took a moment to acclimate to Mega Evolution - moreso, as Mega Alakazam adapted to the Typing of his opponent. Normal/Flying - not the most interesting of Types, but it would allow her one particular strategy.

Pidgeot's attack missed, again, her accuracy so eroded Sabrina doubted she could hit the floor if she were aiming for it.

And Sabrina ordered her Alakazam to use Hyper Beam.

"Dodge it!" Ash screamed, his whole body jerking to the side as if he could move his Pidgeot himself.

And again, the Pidgeot threw herself out of the way.

"Yeah, Sirocco! Great job!"

Something was filtering through Sabrina's mind - through the bitter fury she'd felt at the lives lost that she could have protected, through her desperation to prevent this destructive force from further harming her city - her world, through the lingering effects of eighteen months without sleep.

Ash seemed unconcerned with the outcome of the battle - seemed to enjoy even the moments where his Pidgeot fell, urging even Sabrina's Pokemon to do his best.

As if he enjoyed the very act of a Pokemon battle.

In a certain light, one who enjoyed battling would be forever surrounded by violence.

...And a righteous man would find himself always in places haunted by terror and misery, but that did not make him the cause.

Sabrina shook her head, banishing the confusing thought. It didn't matter. She was here to win this Pokemon battle - that was the point of being a Gym leader!

"Hurricane!"

The attack missed, but Sabrina could no longer rely on that - Ash seemed to possess inhuman luck (there was a Meowth watching him on the sidelines - perhaps a lucky charm).

"Use Twister!" he shouted, trying to stun Alakazam again, but Sabrina was done.

"Hyper Beam!"

And this time it hit - it struck with the force of a lucky blow - a lucky break for Sabrina, for once. The Pidgeot hit the ground with a piercing cry, and even in her ruthlessness, Sabrina winced. With the hits the Pidgeot had taken, she had to be out of commission.

"Pi!"

A powerful beat of wings cleared the dust where the Pidgeot had fallen, and there she stood, wavering but tall, proud. Anyone with any sense would see that all it would take was one good hit, and she'd be out of the running.

Anyone with any sense would give up.

"You're really amazing, Sabrina!" Ash called.

"...What?"

"This is the most intense Gym Battle I've had," Ash said. "I'm not - going to lose, but even if I do, I want you to know I've had a lot of fun."

...Fun?

Was that what Ash thought was going on here?

(Toushi had always told Sabrina that the best way to get the measure of a person's character was through a Pokemon battle. If that were the case - Ash was intelligent, unconventional, and good-natured. If that were the case, he didn't have a malicious bone in his body. If that were the case.)

Was-

Was Ash having fun?

...Was Sabrina?

Filtered through her exhaustion and paranoia, her heart racing, mind stumbling, being caught up enough to scream out her commands instead of using telepathy, added up to a terrible threat.

But-

No one had challenged her the way Ash had - not for months. She hadn't tried like this for so long. Pushed to her limits, forced to think faster than she had in any battle she could remember-

Was this what it meant - to enjoy battling?

Having fun?

"However you feel," Sabrina said, cooly, forcing the emotion from her voice, "This battle is over. Hyper Beam."

"Dodge, then Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, and the Pidgeot blurred into motion as Ash tensed, like a Pidgeot diving toward an opponent.

The Pidgeot rolled out of the way of the beam with a flick of her wings (was it Sabrina's imagination, or were they edged in blue?), but her Quick Attack missed.

"Charge Beam!"

"Hurricane!"

And it wasn't Sabrina's imagination - when the Pidgeot pulled her wings back to attack, the edges were blue, as was the very tip of her tail.

And Ash's arms were spread wide, gaze fixed on Alakazam, and around him - psychics could divine many things about people by observing their - aura, for lack of a better word. There was weight, and power, tied to his shadow, but in his eyes…

His eyes had the intensity of the sun.

(A distant corner of Sabrina's mind was screaming, not for the sake of Saffron City, but for the boy standing across from her, for what she'd pushed him to do.)

The Charge Beam struck the Pidgeot, but Sabrina could see the next few seconds as clearly as if she'd seen it with foresight. The Pidgeot survived the attack, powered through because of her love for her trainer, and replied in kind, a Hurricane hurling Alakazam into one of the walls, where he slumped, unconscious.

"Yeah!" Ash called, as the Pidgeot (no different from an ordinary Pidgeot, so that Sabrina could almost convince herself she'd imagined it) landed next to him. He threw his arms around the Pidgeot's neck. "You were great, Sirocco!"

It was strange, Sabrina thought, seeing the Pikachu and Gengar throw themselves into the group hug, chattering as Ash's companions descended upon him, how things that had seemed so clear, once, seemed unbelievably foolish, once you realized what had been happening.

Somehow, she'd convinced herself the greatest threat to her hometown was this boy, who loved his Pokemon and urged his opponents to do their best, instead of where the real danger lurked…

Her gaze drifted down, to Ash's shadow, and old memories stirred.

"I suppose you're here to judge me, then," she murmured.

"What?" Ash asked.

But Sabrina hadn't slept in eighteen months, sustained by her Abra's psychic powers. That Abra was now unconscious, and the weight of that time hit her; she swayed, blinked, and when her eyes closed again, she slipped into unconsciousness.

It was eighteen hours - the next day - before Sabrina's disciples and Pokemon let anyone in to see her (and Ash had spent most of that time sleeping himself, eating what looked like half his weight in food at breakfast). Instead of the arena, Sabrina met them in a small break room - a kitchen with a sink full of empty teacups, an ancient, battered kettle, and two or three tables set at random beyond it. Sabrina was seated at a table nearest a window, watching the city outside. She was wearing a pale lavender bathrobe, and there was an Espeon curled at her feet.

"You know - I haven't really looked at Saffron City in - a long while," Sabrina said as Ash entered the room. Jessie, trailing behind him, raised an inquiring eyebrow at James, who rolled her eyes. "It's a beautiful place."

"Yes, one of the shining jewels of Kanto," Jessie said. "Anyway, Ash here beat you in an official Gym Battle. So I'm pretty sure you owe him a Gym Badge."

"I…" Sabrina's eyes were pale - still tired, but she nodded, gaze steadily fixed on Ash. "Yes." She pulled out a circular gold badge, laying it on the table in front of her. And then she tugged a flat disc from one of her pockets, setting it next to the Badge. "This is the Marsh Badge - the sign that you defeated me. And a Technical Machine - Calm Mind. It focuses the user's attack and defense with special-type moves. If there's anything else I can do-"

"Oh, there's a lot you can do," Jessie snapped. "Starting with a proper apology for trying to kill Ash here, and tell us what the he - heck was going on in there!" It was gratifying to see Sabrina - a woman who until yesterday had, apparently, kept Saffron City in an iron-fisted psychic grip - quailing before Jessie's rage, but Jessie had little interest in relishing the experience, given that she needed answers.

Sabrina sighed. "I think you should take a seat. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Do you have milk?"

Sabrina smiled gently at Ash. "Absolutely."

Jessie suspected Sabrina puttered about getting tea, hot water, and milk, a little longer than necessary, trying to put off a hard conversation.

But at last their drinks were ready, and Sabrina, staring into her cup, began. "A little over eighteen months ago, people in Saffron City - myself included - began suffering from nightmares. There was enough commonality in them that I suspected they were of an unnatural source - a powerful Ghost or Psychic Pokemon projecting these terrors into people's minds. By the time I hadn't slept for - a week - I decided that the best way to help was to project a calming aura over the citizens of Saffron City. It was - hardly ideal, given it had the side effect of more or less robbing them of their…"

"Free will," Jessie offered, ever-ready to remind Sabrina exactly what she'd inflicted on her victims.

Sabrina sighed, shrugging. "Perhaps. But this Pokemon's dreams were powerful - it took much of my focus to keep them from overwhelming me."

"Wait," James said, raising one finger to draw attention. "You said a Pokemon was doing this - why didn't you just try to find them?"

"Because by the time I realized it was probably a Pokemon doing it, I hadn't slept in a week," Sabrina replied. "You'd be amazed what that does to you."

"My mom says if you don't get enough sleep, it gets hard to make good decisions," Ash piped up. Susanoo agreed with a sleepy 'chuu' atop Ash's head.

"Yes, that. Consider this an object lesson," Sabrina agreed with a sigh.

"And you didn't sleep after that - did you?" Ash asked.

"No, I didn't. Abra sleep for 18 hours a day anyway, so I used my psychic link with my Abra to get him to sleep for me."

"And that works?" Jessie asked. It sounded ludicrous.

"Not - helpfully," Sabrina admitted. "It kept me from collapsing from exhaustion, but it didn't improve my decision-making skills. So it was about six months into that when my precognition started flaring up."

"Precognition?" Ash asked, at the same time James asked, "Flaring up?"

"It means being able to predict the future," Sabrina explained to Ash. "And I usually have enough control that I don't see random flashes of the future over morning tea. But 'control' is one of those things that start breaking down when you haven't slept for six and a half months. I saw…" She paused, closing her eyes, so Jessie couldn't be certain if Sabrina were trying to recall something, or simplify something enough so as not to freak out Ash. "I saw the Silph Co. tower fall. I saw - you, Ash, and believed you were responsible for it. And thinking that, when I met you - well. I continued a series of poor decisions. I'm sorry." She bowed her head low; Jessie was tempted to make a snide comment, but Ash was looking - a little teary, and her heart fluttered in panic, not knowing why. A silent query to James didn't help, as she didn't have any better idea.

"Do you mean...I'm not responsible?" Ash asked in a small voice, and Jessie entertained a brief fantasy of drowning Sabrina in one of the swamps at the edge of town.

"No. No, Ash." Sabrina shook her head. "That was - I was wrong about that, and it was cruel to tell you so." She bit her lip. "I saw that your arrival coincided with the fall of the tower, and forgot that...just because two things happen at the same time doesn't mean one caused the other."

And maybe it was true, Jessie mused, but she suspected, in a roundabout way, Ash had been responsible. She didn't believe the 'transformer' story for a moment, as the building had contained a powerful Psychic Pokemon newly-released from the sedatives keeping them docile; and suspecting that to be the cause, meant the ultimate cause of the explosion at the Silph Co. Tower was Jessie's guilt at leaving the Pokemon in Team Rocket's clutches.

But this was not the time for probing into such details.

"I actually have to thank you, Ash," Sabrina said, bowing low again. "The nightmares stopped after the tower came down, but I was still so - paranoid - I was trying to watch everything. I'd forgotten so much, and it took you showing me who you were - challenging me the way you did - to remind me." She smiled, a shaky expression, even if she frowned a moment later. "But I have to beg you not to do what you did in this battle again."

"And what did he do?" James asked, arch. "I know you Mega-Evolved your Alakazam trying to beat a kid who's only ever heard about it."

"Really?" Sabrina asked, looking at Ash. When he nodded, she clicked her tongue, worried. "Because you tried to do the same thing - Mega-Evolve your Pidgeot."

"I...didn't mean to," Ash said. "We were just battling, and I was really in the groove, and then Sirocco needed to be faster-"

"No. You need a - Mega Stone to Mega Evolve a Pokemon," James said. "I've read Sycamore's research."

"It may come as a surprise to you, but Pokemon Professors don't know everything, even about their chosen area of study," Sabrina replied. "There are - circumstances in which a trainer could theoretically cause a Pokemon to Mega Evolve without a Key Stone and Mega Stone. But it's exceedingly dangerous. If Pidgeot had actually completed the Mega Evolution she started, there's a good chance the strain would have killed Ash."

It took James a minute to work out a response. "How…"

"Key Stones and Mega Stones amplify the human's and Pokemon's energy, allowing the Pokemon to use it to evolve as long as they're in sync," Sabrina said. "Without the stones, Ash tried to duplicate the process using his own energy. So. I wouldn't try that again."

"How can he choose not to do it when he doesn't know how he did it in the first place?" James demanded. "How did he do it? Is he psychic?"

"Definitely not," Sabrina replied. When James continued to glare at her, she sighed. "This sort of phenomenon is outside my expertise - Psychic power is more well-documented. But Toushi, the Matcha City Gym Leader, has some experience with the bonds I've discussed. She may be able to help you."

"A Gym Leader?" Ash asked.

"Yes, but a warning," Sabrina said. "Toushi is - a strange person. She's unlikely to help you unless you've proven yourself to her, first."

Ash grinned and punched at the air. "Well, then I'm going to beat her!"

"I don't doubt it," Sabrina agreed.

Dr. Laurent's plane was half an hour away from boarding when she received a message through her phone.

Well, two messages.

One was only marginally useful, informing her that her lab was a smoking crater in the middle of Saffron City - something she could have concluded on arriving to see it for herself. The other was substantially more detailed, and proved that as futile as her research had been, her trip to Kalos had yielded benefits.

Her Absol purred contentedly at her side.

Her new research associate, seated beside her, and likely to profit from the death of most of Laurent's staff in the explosion that had destroyed most of her research subjects, opened his mouth, as if to speak.

Laurent cut him off, unwilling to risk the useless small talk if he started asking 'what happened' and 'what could have done this' and 'how can we harness this power for ourselves'.

"I am certain," she said to her companion, "you are aware of the superstitions and legends centered around Absol. First, and most wrongly, that Absol bring disaster wherever they go. And second, that Absol possess some ability to sense disaster, and seek to warn people. But no scientist has been able to identify the mechanism by which Absol may do this, if they actually do. Many Professors therefore dismiss Absol's precognition as a - mere legend.

"But at the age of eleven, I received my Absol, and since then, on numerous occasions, he has insisted I distance myself from my current location - traveling to the next city, at least. And on each occasion, on returning to that original location, it was to discover some disaster had occurred, and that my absence had prevented me from suffering any serious consequences.

"Now, we both know anecdotal data - barely deserve to be called data. And yet." She sighed. "For my entire career, I have been surrounded by scientists who are - hidebound, dogmatic. When they are confronted with something beyond their expectations, they dismiss it, or categorically call it a mystery. You, however, are something special." She leaned over, offering her new associate a rare smile. "You are willing to do whatever it takes to push back the veil of ignorance - to discover what science can help us do." She straightened to lean back in her chair. "Although several of my projects are...sadly defunct, I hope you will prove to be an asset in the work I still have."

But of course he would, Dr. Laurent thought, smug. He had been languishing, his true talents unappreciated by those around him, eager to prove himself, even if he lacked the understanding of Mega Evolution that she so desired. Treated properly, he could prove an invaluable tool.

Chapter Text

The satellite office Butch and Cassidy had been banished to (like it was somehow their fault the Silph Co. building exploded) had a small lab - nothing like the places Dr. Laurent (who was at headquarters, even though it was her science project that had blown up the Silph Co. building) set up, but it had instruments and computers, and a lab table for...science junk.

It was here that Cassidy found Butch; their newly-evolved Hypno sitting on the lab table; and a grunt on his feet in front of the Hypno, snoring. Butch was taking notes.

"What the hell is going on here?" Cassidy demanded.

Butch didn't look up from his notes. "I mentioned our Drowzee evolving and Dr. Laurent asked me to run a few experiments."

"I know that," Cassidy growled. "What I'm confused about is why you're actually doing it."

"Because if she's right, and Drowzee's Hypnosis can affect humans as well as Pokemon, it'll be a real asset for our operations," Butch muttered.

"Well." Cassidy poked the grunt's cheeks; he didn't react. "It seems to be working."

"Maybe," Butch said. "Although it's only about half as effective as it is against Pokemon - I'm not about to trust myself with an attack which fails two out of three times."

"Hm," Cassidy muttered, leaning back against the table, eyeing the Hypno. "One in three isn't bad - if we run into that twerp and his pals, knocking out one of them is worth the trouble, especially if we get their Pokemon, too."

"Well, that's the thing - the Hypno can use Hypnosis to put humans to sleep or put Pokemon to sleep, but not both." Butch shrugged. "So who knows how useful it'll turn out to be."

"Ugh, I say type it up in a report and send it to her," Cassidy said. "Let her worry about it - or give her creepy assistant something to do."

"Wait - what?" Butch actually looked up from his notes, which Cassidy considered as a win. "What assistant?"

"The weirdo she picked up on her 'research trip' to Kalos," Cassidy said. "The guy with the glasses who keeps answering her phone?"

"Huh," Butch replied. "He's new?"

"Of course he is - the Mewtwo killed most of her staff when it blew up the Silph Co. lab." Cassidy scowled, crossing her arms. "He's some sort of genius - or at least she doesn't seem to think he's as much as an idiot as she does most people."

"Huh," Butch mused before shrugging. "Well, then it's only a matter of time before you start fantasizing about strangling him."

Cassidy glowered at Butch, idly wondering if kicking him would make her feel better.

And then her communicator beeped.

"Uh, ma'am?" a grunt asked through it. "We could use you at the front door - there's something here you should take a look at."

Cassidy growled. "Alright." She waved at Butch as she left. "Don't waste too much time on the doctor's side projects. The Boss wants us to ramp up the other operation - and that means rebuilding our distribution network; between Silph Co. exploding and Sabrina taking an interest, Saffron City is no longer a safe waypoint."

Jessie threw herself at the sign declaring their arrival at Hophophop Town, gripping onto the side desperately. "At long last," she groaned, "civilization - which means a shower."

"Aww, Jessie, don't you think you're being a little overdramatic?" James asked, arms crossed as she circled the sign to watch Jessie from the other side.

"No," Jessie growled, still hanging onto the sign. "You may be the one who antagonized that Mankey, but I'm the one that had to suffer. I still have dirt in my hair."

"And I didn't even get to catch it," Ash complained.

"Pika-chuuuu," Susanoo agreed.

"If you'd insisted on adding that mannerless monkey to your team, I'd leave!" Jessie snapped.

Ash laughed, one hand behind his head. "You wouldn't, really," he retorted, and.

Jessie couldn't keep up the pretense, not without damaging the shaky faith they'd built up after the shipwreck. She sighed and pushed away from the sign, strolling to Ash's side to pat his head. "Of course not - I wouldn't leave for anything less than a marriage proposal from a rich doctor."

"Or a fabulous producer," James added, in a sing-song voice.

Jessie whirled on her, punching James' shoulder. "Shut up!" she hissed. "I didn't - she wasn't even - you were misreading the entire situation!"

"What are you talking about?"

Jessie turned her head, only belatedly remembering their audience. Meowth was smirking, but Ash looked confused. She sighed.

"Some time ago we ran into a woman who had a high opinion of my talents, and these two insist on claiming her perfectly innocent offer to help me start an acting or modeling career was made with - romantic intent." She scowled at James, who was grinning, unrepentant. "I honestly don't know what they're thinking - I could never date a woman with a sense of fashion that might compete with mine."

She sniffed, took Ash's hand, and stalked away from her other companions, ignoring the sniggering from behind her. Ash followed without complaint, but was quiet in the tense way that meant he was thinking. Jessie let the thoughts percolate - they'd had more than enough rushed conversations recently.

"When I met you, I thought you and James might be married," Ash said.

Jessie didn't mean to scoff, but-

Well, it was a non-starter. "Sorry," she said. "It's just - we aren't. Some might argue it would make sense, seeing how such good friends we are, but. If you ever do find yourself interested in someone, you'll discover the feelings don't follow what makes sense."

"Hm," Ash murmured. "Following my feelings has always made sense to me."

The laugh came unbidden as Jessie shook her head. "Well, then you'll have less to worry about than the rest of us, if you ever find romance."

An hour later, with Jessie showered and their Pokemon rested, she was scrolling through her phone in hopes of finding a place to eat. Ash was laying on the chairs next to her, close enough to crashing they'd need somewhere close.

"Why are we going to Celadon City anyway?" Ash asked. "Sabrina said I needed to talk to Toushi from Matcha City."

"Well, for one, it's on the way - Matcha City is near the Safari Zone Preserve on the outskirts of Fuschia City," James said, shoving Ash up so she could sit on Ash's other side - Ash groaned and sank down in his seat. Jessie amended her assessment and narrowed her search to carryout places she or James could handle without Ash.

"And for another, Celadon City is the best place to get you a new gear to replace that one Gary lent you," Jessie said.

"I guess," Ash said, voice subdued. Jessie didn't even bother trying to tease out his feelings; she'd come to presume over the years that adolescent boys were fairly simple creatures, but Ash was quickly correcting her of that notion.

"Did your mom not agree to send you the money for it?" James asked.

"No, she did," Ash said, shrugging. "I don't know."

"Well, we'll see if you're up for shopping after we check out the Celadon City Gym," Jessie said, patting Ash's shoulder. "You've got a good team to handle a Grass-Type trainer like Erika."

"Hm," Ash mused.

"Hm," James echoed, but when Jessie looked up, James' attention wasn't on Ash, but on her phone. Jessie made a noise to catch James' attention, and then quirked up an eyebrow; James shook her head, and Jessie felt a - preemptive exhaustion. She'd hoped for a break, at least, after breaking into Silph Co. and dragging out the story of Sabrina's slow descent into murderous paranoia.

"Well," Jessie said, pushing herself to her feet. "How about James and I get you some food-"

"Actually, I think it's best if I stay here with Ash," James said, patting Ash's other shoulder. "Just get me whatever."

"I'm not your waitress," Jessie retorted.

"Well, I feel like staying at the Pokemon Center with Ash," James drawled, leveling a steady glare at Jessie. "So how about you go get food so that I can stay here with him, mkay?"

...Well, that wasn't worrying at all.

Ash seemed unaware of the unspoken exchange, so at least Jessie didn't have to put up with his questions as she left to get dinner. But alerted to something out of the ordinary, Jessie found her attention skipping to anything that could be unusual.

Which was why she noticed, just outside the takeout place she'd picked, the advertisement.

It was a picture of a smiling woman in pale blue, a Vulpix sleeping in her arms.

"Pokemon Down in the Dumps? The Rockelax Spa Can Help!"

"The absolute audacity," Jessie muttered to herself, pulling the flyer off the wall. The woman's hair was dark, but clearly Butch's partner, and the name of the spa was no less obvious as a front for Team Rocket.

She fumed on the way back to the Pokemon Center, and when she saw Ash and James, Ash curled up against James, looking at his Gear, Jessie stormed forward.

"James, you would not believe-"

"It can wait until after we've eaten," James chided, nodding at Ash.

Mollified, Jessie let it go - it wasn't like a few hours would make much difference. But once Ash went to bed, Jessie pulled out the flyer.

"Look," she growled. "Can you believe them?"

"Hm, seems par for the course," Meowth grumbled, squinting at the picture. "Man, that chick doesn't make a good brunette."

"I don't really think that's the point," James replied. "And not really our biggest concern." She turned her phone to Jessie, where.

Well, it made clear why James had refused to leave Ash alone. A half-dozen children had disappeared from Hophophop Town over the last week, with no sign of what might have happened to them.

"Kidnapping?" Jessie asked.

"Well, the police haven't released any information, yes," James replied. "And it makes sense. But…"

Jessie nudged James when she failed to complete the thought. "But what?"

"A lotta weird stuff's happened to us since we took up with the twerp," Meowth said. "So it's possible that this is one of those weird things - something it's gonna be our job to fix."

Jessie groaned, letting her head fall back against the bedposts of the bunks on their side of the room. "If we just kept Ash from hearing about it-"

"I give it fifty-fifty he ends up disappearing himself, and a good twenty to thirty percent chance someone else asks him for help," Meowth interrupted. "I got charts and everything."

"Really?" Jessie asked.

"Well...no," Meowth admitted, curling up on the bed. "I was making a point. There's something about the kid - half of it's an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, but the rest of it…"

When Meowth was quiet, Jessie nudged him, deciding to voice a thought she'd had on and off for a while. "You've mentioned other Pokemon - take an interest in Ash. I think the last time we asked, you said it was a Pokemon thing."

"Yeah," Meowth agreed, shifting a little, tucking himself tighter. "It's an...instinct thing, which means it's hard to explain in Human. It's something to do with Ash's - presence, the way he holds himself. Like - humans think using words is the only way to communicate. Ash is - different. He says stuff, but he - puts it out there the way he acts, too. It's - attractive to a Pokemon who wants a trainer, that sort of sincerity."

"Hmm," James mused. "The way you talked sometimes, it sounded like you thought he had some - big destiny or something."

"Hmph," Meowth grumbled. "Chief's the Pokemon to talk to about that - legendary junk. He thinks Ash is - marked by...Ho-Oh or something - like, the Legends looking after him."

"Well, I can respect that," Jessie said. "He thinks Ash is going places and jumped aboard for the ride."

"That's - good enough, I guess," Meowth muttered.

"Well, then I suggest we keep an eye on Ash so when we get involved, it's not because he's vanished without a trace," Jessie said. "And get some sleep."

Hophophop Town was a suburb of Celadon City, meaning it was just a short bus ride from the Hophophop Pokemon Center to downtown Celadon City. Susanoo wasn't fully awake when they left, dozing in Ash's arms during most of the ride. Meowth did much the same, sprawled over James' shoulder, perking up only as the bus slowed to a stop next to the Pokemon Center. A massive building that looked like a bulbous flower was easily visible from the bus stop. Ash had taken only a few steps when he was stopped by something tugging at his pant legs.

Meowth was holding onto the fabric, head raised slightly. "Hold on a moment, kiddo," he said, and sniffed at the air.

"What's up?" Ash asked.

"I don't know," Meowth said. "I caught a sort of a weird smell."

"Weird like how?" Jessie asked.

"Weird like I can't describe it," Meowth sniped, taking a step away from Ash as he continued to scent the air.

"Well," James said, sticking out his foot to block Meowth's progress, "Celadon City is the source of a famous brand of perfume."

"Perfume?" Meowth asked. "Can't imagine a perfume that smells like this - still. How about I follow my nose and you tell me if we're headed that way?"

"Ugh," Jessie grumbled as Meowth began walking away, "I just know this is going to end in disaster."

Trailing after Meowth took them toward the Gym, except he turned away from it about half a block away, stopping in front of a store.

A blue storefront crowded with people, a sign showing a smiling Gloom on the windows.

James grabbed the back of Ash's jacket, holding him in place as Jessie stepped in front of him.

"Definitely odd," Jessie mused. "Any idea what you're smelling, Meowth?"

"A lot of flowery scents," Meowth replied. "But that weird smell's still there underneath it."

"If you're smelling a unique scent, that could be the Pokemon pheromones that form the basis of all of our perfumes!" A person in a form-fitting bright pink dress leaned out from the door of the shop, pale hair framing a heavily-made-up face. "That's the secret of Gloom-Brand Perfume."

"Pheromones?" Ash asked, trying to recall if he'd heard the word before.

"Oh, yes," the store employee replied. "All Pokemon use various scents to communicate their feelings, even attract mates. Moves like Attract and Sweet Scent amplify those pheromones, but we distill them down to their essence to make scents that smell sweet even to human noses!" They bent down further, smiling at Meowth, winking at him. "It must smell a little strange to you, but I promise, they're the best in the world!"

Susanoo sneezed, nearly falling off of Ash's head. Ash felt his nose wrinkle in sympathy; the smells from within the perfume shop mixed into a confusing patchwork of scents, hardly the delight the store employee was suggesting they were.

"Well, obviously, they aren't made of Pikachu pheromones," Ash said, raising a hand to steady Susanoo and scratch the Pikachu's ears.

The employee's smile didn't slip, but they stood and took a step toward Ash. "Well, kids your age rarely appreciate the delicate subtlety of perfumes, especially ones as sophisticated as ours."

They were smiling, but something in their tone reminded him of Gary at his most boastful - mean and dismissive. "Subtle? Meowth could smell them from half a kilometer away!" Ash retorted.

And the employee's smile went - weird. They were smiling, definitely, but Ash almost felt they were frowning. "As I said, if you lack the taste to appreciate our products, no one's making you shop here."

Ash felt his chest constrict, a flailing sense of anger, and, not seeing a Pokeball or partner near the employee, snapped out the first thing that came to mind.

"Given what you're wearing, you shouldn't be lecturing people about taste."

Their face went pale - smile replaced by a frozen grimace. Behind Ash, he heard James whisper, "oh my god," voice light, while Jessie grabbed Ash's arm, pulling him away from the perfume shop.

"Anyway it's been lovely," Jessie said hurriedly. "But we've got a Gym Battle to get to - have a great day." James yanked them both into a cafe just two doors away before he started laughing, sinking down to crouch, head between his knees as he howled.

"Oh...my…god," he gasped. "Out of all the things I expected-" He shook his head, still laughing.

When Ash looked at Jessie, she was smiling, herself, smirking when she saw Ash looking.

"That was brutal," Jessie said. "Telling her a child could tell her outfit was atrocious."

Ash shrugged. "I mean, I didn't see anything wrong with it - it just was the sort of thing I've heard you say when you're trying to be mean."

Jessie's smirk dropped, mouth opening slightly as Meowth snickered.

"So you just took a shot in the dark? Nice job, kid." He raised a paw, which Ash slapped absent-mindedly.

"Um - I wasn't too mean, was I?" Ash asked. "She probably just works there-"

"Hey," James said, patting Ash's shoulder (leaning into him, as if James couldn't quite stand himself yet). "She's the one who picked a fight with an eleven-year-old; the consequences of that are all on her. Still," he added, tapping his chin, "we should probably avoid that particular establishment in the future."

"Yeah, in fact, we should probably lay low for a few minutes," Meowth said. "Grab a drink or something."

Ash didn't argue, because this sounded like a complicated social thing, but he was itching to go within five minutes of them sitting down, enough that James rolled his eyes after that period, grabbed his and Ash's drinks, and stood after six.

"Alright," James said, "let's go before Ash literally vibrates out of his seat."

"Alright," Jessie agreed as she scooped up Meowth from his chair, Meowth dangling bonelessly in her grip for a moment before scrambling to crouch on her shoulder. "But I'm expecting this to be quick - between Valiant and Sirocco, you're going to steamroll Erika."

That might have been true, but an obstacle soon stood between Ash and his Gym Battle. A trainer in dirt-stained coveralls stood in front of the door of the Gym, arms crossed in front of them. They were smirking at Ash when he tried to peer around them, remaining rooted in place.

After a moment, he looked up. "Um, excuse me? Can you let me in?"

"Hmm...no," the trainer replied, knocking one foot on the ground next to them.

"Is the Gym closed?"

"Nope," the trainer said.

"Is Erika away?"

"Naw."

Ash clenched one fist, trying not to scowl. "I'm here to challenge her for a Gym Badge - so if she's not out and the Gym's open-"

"Well, I say it's open," the trainer said. "But what I mean is it's open, but we're not letting you in." Their smirk twitched.

"Excuse me?" James demanded. "You can't deny a challenger entry to the Gym, so how about you decide whether you want me to argue with you about this for the next forty-five minutes or just go get your manager."

The trainer shrugged and pushed the door open, slipping through, and closing it behind them.

And in the few moments they waited, James fumed, muttering quietly to himself as Jessie crossed her arms and stood, waiting.

The door swung open; James was already raising a finger, taking a deep breath to start a rant, when he choked. Ash felt his own stomach swoop.

The pale-haired person from the perfume shop was standing in the open door. They smirked at Ash.

"Fancy seeing you here," they drawled.

"...Are you going to let me in the Gym?" Ash asked. "I want to face Erika for a Badge."

"Mmm, no," the...manager, apparently, responded. "You see, you stood out there badmouthing our world-renowned perfume shop, which relies on Erika's expertise in distilling Pokemon pheromones to produce its famous perfumes. So since you have no respect for Erika's hard work, you don't deserve a chance to win a badge for her."

"You can't do that!" Ash protested. "You have to let any challenger in, or the Pokemon Inspection Agency will shut you down!"

"Mmm," the manager replied, "yes and no. There need to be a pattern of complaints, a systematic denial of service, before they'll even look into it. And besides, Erika isn't denying you access to the Gym; I am." Their smirk widened. "So, are you going to keep taking up space on the sidewalk, or-"

Ash took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing down the urge to yell, or cry, and turned, steady, walking away. It took a moment for Jessie and James to realize he'd left, and to catch up with him.

"Ooh, that arrogant little-"

"Power just goes to some people's head," Jessie interrupted, probably to keep James from cursing.

Susanoo, though, supplied a word that Ash was certain wasn't appropriate; Meowth sputtered, snapping, "If I have to watch my language, so do you!"

Ash snickered while Susanoo stuck his tongue out at Meowth.

Jessie put a hand on Ash's shoulders, tugging him around as she crouched down to his level. "Hey," she said, quiet, "are you alright? I'm sure we could work out a way to get in there-"

"I say we just burn the whole place down," James muttered. "It'd serve that spiteful - person right."

"Yeah, let's not add 'arson' to the list of stuff the cops want us for," Meowth grumbled.

"Come on," Jessie said, grabbing Ash and James by their arms, interlocking them as she tugged them forward. "Let's get lunch, and figure out how we're getting to Matcha City."

James fumed through the ride back to Hophophop Town and through most of lunch; based on past experience, he'd hold onto this one for days. Meowth eyed Ash, who seemed unaware of James' mood, or at least unconcerned that his irritation might be directed at Ash, which was good, probably. The last thing they needed was Ash worrying James was mad at him.

Susanoo was curled up on Ash's head, still, muttering dire, if drowsy, threats against Erika, the Celadon City Gym, and perfumeries the world over. Ash didn't seem worried about that, either, so Meowth left it alone.

Instead, Meowth let himself worry about the kidnappings. He didn't necessarily think they were fated to get involved, but Ash did have a knack for falling into trouble. And he couldn't help but think Butch and his partner were involved somehow, even if he couldn't see the connection between their Pokemon spa and disappearing humans.

Meowth yawned, jaw popping at the size of it; on Ash's head, Susanoo did the same.

"Stop it," Susanoo muttered. "You know yawning's contagious."

"I don't know how you're tired; all you've done today is eat and ride on the twerp's head," Meowth retorted.

Susanoo muttered something inaudible in reply, and when Meowth looked at him, Susanoo was staring drowsily at nothing in particular. Meowth blinked his eyes slowly, and when he opened them, Ash was gone.

"Where's'a twerp?" he asked.

"He's in the bathroom," Jessie said, tweaking one of Meowth's ears. "How did you miss that?"

"I...dunno," Meowth replied, glancing sidelong at Susanoo, who was more or less a yellow puddle at Ash's place. "Tired."

"How are you this tired?" James asked, poking Meowth's side; Meowth swiped a claw lazily at him. James leaned closer. "You didn't stay up all night, did you?"

"No," Meowth muttered, a little defensive, but not terrifically invested in arguing.

"And how about you, Susanoo?" James asked.

"Fuck't, I'm tired," Susanoo said, waving a hand at James. "Lemmee sleep."

"Thank goodness they're both small," Jessie said, "or getting them out of here would be a nightmare."

"Yeah, I'm ready to get out of here," James replied. "I'll go see if Ash is ready to go."

He was back at the table in another blink of an eye, yanking Meowth off the table.

"Hey! Whoa - watch-"

"He's gone," James said, voice grim, which went a long way toward waking Meowth up.

Susanoo, too, who was on his feet, gaze darting across the restaurant as if that would reveal the mysterious kidnapper (because Meowth was certain, despite their lack of evidence, that Ash vanishing was their terrible luck drawing him into the middle of this fiasco). Susanoo's gaze suddenly narrowed, fixed on Meowth.

"You!" he snapped, darting to the edge of the table, nose twitching just a few centimeters from Meowth's.

"What, you think I had something to do with this?"

Susanoo's gaze, if anything, narrowed. "No - but you bragged about that nose of yours. You should be able to find him."

"I...guess." Meowth tried to peer up at James. "But Growlie's the tracker-"

"I don't care if his nose is better than yours!" Susanoo snapped, his tail and ears quivering in tension. "He's James' first - you, you're your own Pokemon, and you said we're stuck with you!"

Susanoo didn't say it, as such - he was so worried for Ash he wasn't putting thought into his words. But the meaning was clear, something Meowth wasn't certain anyone had told him before in his life.

I trust you.

But - more than that.

Susanoo didn't just trust Meowth for himself - he trusted Meowth with his partner's safety.

Meowth's heart was pounding, James' grip around his middle suddenly constricting. He pawed at James' hands until James set him down, and then Meowth hurried toward the bathrooms, where James had presumably last seen Ash. Susanoo darted after Meowth, pausing just out of reach as Meowth reached the doors and sniffed cautiously.

Ash's scent was definitely there, lingering among the other, less pleasant smells. His trail, however, moved away from the bathrooms and toward the kitchen; Meowth followed the trail, ignoring inquiries from Jessie and James as he kept his focus on Ash (Susanoo was counting on him).

In Meowth's defense, he was so focused on tracking Ash, it took about five minutes after following his trail out the loading dock of the restaurant and along the street before Meowth realized what was odd about Ash's trail.

"He was alone," Meowth said.

"What?" James asked.

Meowth circled Ash's trail half a meter out, just to make sure, before he returned to Susanoo's side. "No one was with him. No one took him; he just - left on his own."

"Fucking psychics," Susanoo spat, in an unsupported but not unreasonable assessment of what was going on.

"It could be a Ghost," Meowth replied, rather than seriously arguing.

"Yeah, good thing Ghost Pokemon aren't immune to electricity," Susanoo snarled.

(This was not the time to remind Susanoo about the existence of Golurk.)

Susanoo nudged Meowth's side with his head. "Come on - we don't have time to sit around and talk."

So Meowth obligingly continued, not slowing even when he heard Jessie make a quiet, worried noise.

"Jessie?" James asked.

"Meowth?" Jessie said. "His path turns right up here, doesn't it?"

Meowth hurried to the next intersection and sniffed at the right side of it. He looked back at Jessie when he found Ash's scent.

"What's going on?"

Jessie pointed down the road, toward a bright storefront with large letters reading "Rockelax Spa!"

"Team Rocket," Jessie growled.

"Oh, good," Sasunoo growled, "I was a little worried this might be one of these things that's not really anyone's fault, and everyone's friends at the end - but I really want to hurt somebody."

"Um, hey," Meowth said to James. "Do you have a plan? Because Susanoo is sounding a little...murdery."

"Murder?" Susanoo scoffed, glare fixed on the Rockelax Spa. "I wouldn't dream of it - when I beat someone's ass, I want them to remember it every day for the rest of their miserable life."

"Well," James murmured, scooping Susanoo up in a brazen display of either an iron constitution or criminal stupidity, "if we kick in the front door, someone will probably call the cops before we can enact whatever intricate revenge you have planned on Butch and his partner. So...back door."

"I hope those assholes like nerve damage," Susanoo muttered.

"Yeah, alright, let's rein in those homicidal urges," James said, running a finger along the base of Susanoo's ears, causing Susanoo to settle in the grip, even if he was still glowering. "We'll just sneak in, look around, hopefully get our boy back, and get out."

"And if anyone makes trouble for us, you can fry their brains for us," Jessie crooned, scratching under Susanoo's chin.

"Aww, you really get me," Susanoo chirped. "Now come on."

With James in the lead, they approached the rear entrance of the store without drawing any apparent attention, finding a loading dock and a locked-

"Iron Tail!" Susanoo sliced through the hinges and charged into the door, to little effect. He snarled at the door, throwing himself at it again, bouncing back without making any noticeable progress.

"Okay, good job," James said, releasing Growlie from his Pokeball. "But how about we let someone heavier than you kick in the door."

Susanoo stepped back a step, but was crouched, low, growling at the door, as Growlie looked back at him, puzzled.

"Get the door open, please," James said.

Growlie didn't move for a moment, staring at Susanoo, before he threw himself into the door, knocking it just enough out of place that Susanoo could charge through.

"I'm guessing he's not happy the kid's in there," Growlie said.

"If Ash isn't in there, I'm putting good money on Susanoo burning the place down anyway out of spite," Meowth replied.

"No, uh - I'm...pretty sure he's in there," Growlie said, not even sniffing at the air, the showoff.

"What the fuck?" Susanoo shouted from inside; Growlie shoved his way in while Meowth, Jessie, and James followed.

The Rockelax Spa being a Team Rocket plot, Meowth wasn't surprised to find the back room full of Pokemon in cages. That most of them were drowsing, or dozing, instead of fighting to escape, was...odd. But Susanoo wasn't here, and there was an open door leading out, so Meowth followed him-

Where a dozen or so children (none of them looked older than 13, Meowth guessed) were seated, slumped on chairs and couches, staring blankly at empty air. Among them, near the door that seemed to lead to the front of the building, was Ash.

And in the center of the uneven circle was a Hypno, standing tall, their coin swinging in a slow rhythm.

"Give me back my partner!" Susanoo snarled at the Hypno.

"Oh goodness!" The blonde Team Rocket member stepped into the room, one hand raised to her mouth. "When I saw this kid wander into our store, I knew it would be only a matter of time before his little fanclub showed up. Hypno, Role Play."

"Oh, fuck you!" Susanoo snapped as the Hypno surrounded himself and Susanoo in a faint blue aura.

"Disable their Electric Terrain," the Team Rocket member added, lazily, grinning as the Hypno placed one hand palm-down, glowing blue as he moved it down.

"Do you think that's going to stop me?" Susanoo demanded, letting out the high-pitched roar of his Disarming Voice.

"Mass Hypnosis!"

"Fuck - no, you can't…" Susanoo swayed in place, eyes drooping. Meowth, though the power left him feeling drowsy himself, stayed on his feet.

"Guys?" Meowth asked, turning to James, where Growlie had just hit the floor, snoring, and Jessie, whose legs were entangled by a sleeping Fangs.

"What's wrong?" the Hypno taunted. "Can't you battle? Or is that another part of being a Pokemon you've cast aside?"

"I don't - you don't know what you're talking about," Meowth snarled.

"Don't I?" the Hypno chortled. "I can see your insecurities lurking at the edge of your mind - fodder for my Dream Eater."

"Let Ash go!" Jessie snapped at the Team Rocket member.

The other woman shrugged. "We're not planning to keep him," she said. "Frankly, the kids showing up here is a - side-effect of what we're really doing."

"Stealing Pokemon," James said, recalling Growlie and calling out Cherie.

"...Sure, let's go with that," the Team Rocket member said. "You see, we were experimenting with Hypno using his Hypnosis on humans, instead of Pokemon, and weird thing - it creates this aura that drains Pokemon's energy, and for some reason lures children to the source of the broadcast. Neat, huh?"

"Wait," James said. "Did you say-"

"Hypno - Human Hypnosis."

Jessie and James dropped, and Meowth felt his heart skip a beat, anxious. "Um." He turned to the Hypno, who was grinning nastily.

"Too much of a human to be affected by my normal Hypnosis, too much of a Pokemon to be affected by Human Hypnosis," the Hypno mused. "Is that it?"

"No, I-" (Susanoo believed in him.) "That's not it at all!" (Ash needed him.)

The Hypno shrugged. "Well, it's doesn't matter-"

And Meowth, sick of the Hypno's taunting, lunged at the Hypno, Biting his leg. The Psychic Type Pokemon yelped, flailing, giving Meowth an opening to reach up and rip the coin from the Hypno's grasp, elbowing him in the chest at the same time. He turned and hurled it away, grinning when he turned back.

The Hypno's eyes were narrow as they snapped out their hand, blue aura enveloping the coin while it was still in mid-air.

"Do you honestly believe what the Pokedex tells you - that I need this coin to function?" the Hypno asked, contemptuous as they sneered at Meowth.

Meowth snapped his jaws around the Hypno's arm - another Bite that made the Hypno howl.

"Stop whining and Disable his Bite attack!" the human shouted at the Hypno.

But Meowth were naturally speedy, and the Hypno...wasn't. So when Meowth used Bite again, the Hypno wailed and fell back, and his trainer recalled him.

"Well, it seems you're quite the rarity," the Team Rocket member murmured. "Hey, Butch! I need some fucking backup!"

Her partner appeared through the door a moment later, taking in the scene.

"I'm sorry - do you need help with a…Meowth?"

"Shut up!" Butch's partner snapped. "And just help me catch him!"

Butch shrugged and called out his Raticate - substantially more dangerous in a physical fight than Hypno.

"Bite," Butch said lazily, and the Raticate lunged at Meowth. Meowth tried to scramble back, but not enough to avoid the attack entirely.

Meowth tumbled over something which proved to be Susanoo, who roused slowly, eyes blinking blearily, until he saw the Raticate.

"What-"

"Does it look like we have time for questions?" Meowth demanded, as the Raticate lunged again, missing this time.

"Swords-"

"No, the rat knows Disarming Voice! Throat Chop!"

"Fantastic idea!" the Raticate replied, charging forward and punching her paw into Susanoo's throat.

Susanoo grabbed at his throat, choking, as Butch shouted, "Focus Energy! Swords Dance!"

"Oh, Fuck, no," Meowth growled, Biting the Hypno's leg as she charged, sending her flinching away from Meowth. Susanoo darted in front of Meowth as the Raticate charged again, cheeks sparking as he let loose a Thunderbolt. As the Raticate twitched, muscles seizing from the electricity, Susanoo crouched in place, his form blurring as he used Double Team.

The Raticate snarled, tugging a bright red berry from a string around her wrist, snapping it down and shaking herself, growling when she saw Susanoo's duplicates.

"Don't worry about the Pikachu!" Butch's partner cried. "Go for the Meowth!"

"Ha, I see," the Raticate replied, swinging her tail around, a focused Iron Tail that could probably take Meowth out in one hit.

"Fuck that!" Susanoo snarled, knocking the Raticate aside with a Volt Tackle.

Taking her feet, the Raticate bared her fangs at Susanoo.

"You know what to do!" Butch's partner called out, and the Raticate smirked, claws gleaming.

"You're done!" Susanoo shouted, building up another Volt Tackle, slamming into the Raticate. She recoiled, but, still standing, punched Susanoo in the sternum hard enough he squealed and collapsed.

The Raticate grinned at Meowth even as he scampered to Susanoo's side. The Pikachu was - woozy, on the edge of unconsciousness, but smiled weakly when he saw Meowth.

"What've you got to be happy about?" Meowth demanded.

"You're...gonna kick her ass," Susanoo replied.

"What? You're delirious!"

Susanoo shook his head. "You're smarter than she is - smarter than the three of them put together. And…Ash has been training you. That's gotta be worth something." He slumped back, energy spent, and Meowth.

Stood, paws clenched at his side, glaring down the Raticate and her trainers. He wasn't going to beat them going toe-to-toe with physical attacks. The Raticate charged again, and Meowth dodged; the only good thing about this fight was that the Raticate seemed to have the same sort of accuracy with her attacks as Surge's Raichu. But if she hit…

"Swords Dance!" The Raticate executed a quick set of movements that left her puffing, worked up, and Meowth skittered back. He saw James sitting up, blinking, confused, as he saw Meowth.

"Wha…"

"Iron Tail!"

Meowth scampered back, considering. Susanoo had sat on the sidelines of the approximately two training sessions Ash and Meowth had managed since Saffron City, making snide comments instead of offering advice. Between the Technical Machine and Ash's own insights, Meowth had managed, on several occasions, a half-decent Thunderbolt, but not reliably enough to use in battle, and not powerful enough to take out a seasoned battler like Team Rocket's Raticate.

If only Meowth knew something like Double Team, he could keep the Raticate off guard...

The Raticate charged into Meowth, her razor-sharp jaws nearly taking Meowth out with a single Bite.

"The idea is to dodge those attacks!" James shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Meowth grumbled, rubbing a paw along his charm.

And paused, staring at his claws. Susanoo had figured this out; heck, Triton had first, so for Meowth it ought to be easy.

"Swords Dance! And Iron Tail!"

Meowth scrubbed his paws furiously across his charm, trying to build up the charge, the same way a Pikachu would with their cheek sacs. He didn't cheer at the first spark, but instead threw himself at the Raticate, just finishing her dance.

"Thunderslash!" Meowth screamed, flailing at the Raticate as he discharged the built-up Thunderbolt.

The lightning didn't add much to each strike of Meowth's Fury Swipes, but like Thunderbolt on its own, the attack could paralyze. So he wanted to cheer when the Raticate stumbled back, steps uncertain. Meowth used Bite, sending the Raticate further back, and-

Sirens wailed nearby, nearly just outside.

"Oh, good," Butch said with a grin. "Jenny's here."

"...Jenny?" Meowth asked.

"What else do you think we'd do when vandals broke into our spa?" Butch retorted. "Where we've been trying to care for these poor, sick Pokemon?"

"Especially people we've seen on a wanted poster for Pokemon poaching," his partner asked, recalling the Raticate.

"Jessie, get up," James urged, launching to his feet, stumbling toward Ash.

"You've got a dozen kids here! How are you going to explain that?"

Butch's grin got wider. "You could stick around and find out, or run with your tail between your legs."

"Come on, Meowth!" James said, Ash half-slumped over his shoulder. Jessie grabbed Susanoo herself, and the two of them ran for the back door.

Shooting a glare back at Team Rocket, Meowth followed, chest burning strangely at his victory being stolen from him - he could've beaten the Raticate, if those jerks hadn't cheated.

The only consolation, he guessed, was that with Jenny here, Team Rocket wouldn't get away with keeping these people's Pokemon.

Cassidy was trying to stay calm. It hadn't taken much to deflect Jenny's attention - she'd dropped all inconvenient questions in the wake of Cassidy's insistence that the kids had just turned up, a mystery Butch and Cassidy had just begun to question when a trio of Pokemon poachers had broken into their spa, clearly intent on stealing the poor, sick Pokemon Butch and Cassidy had been looking after.

But then she'd called in to her office, gone quiet, and then asked Butch and Cassidy to come with her.

They were sitting in an interview room (not handcuffed to anything, which was a promising sign), where they'd been waiting for ten minutes. Butch was keeping up a litany of idle chatter - they couldn't very well discuss out loud if the police had discovered the real reason for Butch and Cassidy's presence in Celadon City, but silence would be - a little suspicious.

Cassidy, trying to be ready for anything, managed to keep her composure when the door opened.

But only just.

Because a violet-eyed woman with perky blonde hair sauntered through the door, holding the door open for a tall, grey-haired man with a lined, tired face. The latter person could have been anybody, but the blonde was-

Domino. Among the most highly-ranked Team Rocket operatives, a myth among new recruits, a bogeyman among more seasoned operatives. An intelligence operative, she was rarely risked in field assignments.

"So. I suppose you're wondering why you're here," the man said, sitting across the table from Cassidy. Domino closed the door and leaned against it, and, smirking, raised her finger to her lips. Cassidy would bet if she looked around, she would find Domino had conveniently placed herself in one of the security camera's blind spots.

"I - if this is about our Hypno, we certainly never expected to find he was hypnotizing children!" Cassidy said, entirely accurately. Luring children into their base had never been part of the plan. The strange lethargy Hypno's powers caused in Pokemon within a mile or so of him while using his powers in the same way he did to hypnotize humans had been. "And if people want us to refund their money for being unable to complete their Pokemon's treatment-"

"Never mind all that," the man said, waving his hand, dismissing the problem. "What I'm interested in are the Pokemon thieves. My name is Looker, and I'm with the International Police." Cassidy felt her estimation of Domino rise; it was one thing knowing she was a spy, but another to see her tailing an international police officer, as some sort of assistant, with no apparent suspicion. "And I've been tasked with tracking down a - trio of Pokemon thieves that are threatening the well-being of the average Kanto citizen."

Cassidy bit her lip to keep from smiling. She had no idea how the Boss had managed this, but it was a master stroke. To deflect attentions from Team Rocket while hobbling what was becoming a constant thorn in Butch and Cassidy's side.

"Well," Butch said, slowly. "One of them's named Jessie, and the other's James. And their Meowth can talk like a human - that's bound to be easy to find."

"Oh, wow!" Domino said, voice bright. "No other innocent witnesses were able to learn their names - and I don't think any reliable source had heard their Meowth talk!" She winked at Cassidy, and Cassidy grinned at the tabletop.

Well, if Domino needed Butch and Cassidy to tell Looker all the intelligence Team Rocket had on Jessie and James, through the guise of innocent bystanders, Cassidy would be happy to oblige.

"Ee - ee - ee - ee," Serena's Eevee panted, crouched low as they glared at Gym Leader Toushi's Hakamo-O, the Pokemon's golden-scaled crests and arm guards glittering in the light.

Toushi smirked at Serena, something of a fang in her smile. "Your Pokemon have fought well," Toushi said, "but it's over, now."

"It's not over!" Serena protested, even though her chest hurt seeing her sweet Eevee so - fierce. She'd hoped, between Pancham and Fennekin, she might be able to beat Toushi without making Eevee battle, but her Hakamo-O had overwhelmed Fennekin, leaving her Eevee her last chance at the Spirit Badge.

"The fight for the Spirit Badge isn't just a Pokemon battle," Toushi said, standing up to her full height (not much taller than Serena). "It's a test of your character, and your convictions. And you don't have much of either."

Serena felt her stomach swoop anxiously as she clenched one hand at her side. It was - like hearing her mother's frustration echoed back without any warmth - all her worries packed up in a single sentence. "I…"

"You fight without any direction - your Pokemon did most of the work. And that tells me you live without any direction. Can you even tell me why you want to compete in the Indigo Conference?"

"I-"

"Can you tell me what you hope to accomplish with that creature?" The man, shorter than even Toushi, grinned at Serena underneath glasses that hid his eyes. "To be a star trainer, a performer, a coordinator, a breeder, a racer, a Gym Leader?"

Serena looked down at the top of her Fennekin's head, staring at the soft fur, and...worried. Because she didn't know - was just following a desperate desire to do anything other than resent her mother for pushing her into Rhyhorn racing.

"Perhaps...you want to be a Pokemon Master," the man said, voice almost smug. "If you want to find people like that, you'd need to battle in a Pokemon Conference. You have to battle other trainers, earn Gym Badges, and be better than all the rest."

And that - lucky guess - was what sent Serena down this path, three Badges in Kalos before...

The boy she'd met so long ago had been at Professor Oak's Pokemon Camp...in Kanto.

"Eevee!" Eevee screamed at Toushi, a voice so - unlike them, it startled Serena out of her thoughts. "Ee eevee!"

"Your Eevee knows what they're fighting for," Toushi said. "Why don't you?"

"I'm - eleven years old," Serena muttered. "All I've known is - my mother's life. And I - know I don't want that, but why...should that mean I know what I do want?" Her hands were fisted at her sides as she looked over to meet Toushi's gaze - pale brown, steady, unimpressed. "You say my Eevee knows what they're fighting for, and so do I. They're fighting for me. So I think, until I know what I want, I should be fighting to support them! Eevee, use Charm!"

Eevee began to prance in place, leaping with the same abandon that had once enchanted Serena. And the Hakamo-O stared, entranced themself.

"Now, use Swift!"

"Vee!"

"Haka!" The Hakamo-O fell back, startled by the ferocious attack.

"Use Swift again!"

And Toushi grinned - not a smirk, but a fierce smile as she reached a hand out to her Hakamo-O. "Brick Break!"

The Hakamo-O couldn't evade the Swift, but used Eevee's distraction to close in and slam into them, knocking them to the ground.

"Eevee!" Serena cried, panicked.

"Ee," Eevee muttered, staggering to their feet. They could still battle, but were...on their last legs.

"Is there...anything we can do?" she asked.

"Eevee," Eevee replied, bracing themself, and charging.

"Still making them fight the battle themselves?" Toushi asked, shaking her head. "I'd hoped you'd learned something. Dragon Claw."

"I did learn something," Serena replied. "I learned that my Pokemon are here to support me, and that means I should support them, too. I need to trust that they know themselves better than me, and sometimes - they know how to win a battle when I don't. Eevee - Flail!"

Eevee threw themself into Toushi's Hakamo-O, knocking the Dragon onto their back. And Serena held her breath, a still moment, as her Eevee swayed in place, breathing heavily.

And then Toushi recalled her Pokemon. "Hakamo-O is unable to battle," she said. "Congratulations, Serena. You earned a Spirit Badge."

Serena sat down heavily, one hand on the ground, as she blinked back tears. Eevee was next to her in a moment, leaning against Serena's leg, and she began to laugh. "You did amazing, Eevee," she said. "Thanks, I. I promise I'll figure out what I want to do - so we can work toward that goal together."

And the smile Toushi gave Serena when she handed Serena the Spirit Badge was - proud, Serena thought. "I wish you the best of luck, Serena, and hope you find the thing that drives you to do your best...whatever it is."

Chapter Text

They were less than ten minutes away from Celadon City when Susanoo's right ear twitched and he hopped down to Ash's shoulder, pointing to the left side of the path. There was someone there, making a lot of noise.

"What are you talking about? I can't hear anything!" Meowth protested, grabbed Ash's pant leg to scramble up to his other shoulder, and sat still, ears twitching, as he tried, probably, to detect the sound that had alerted Susanoo.

Meowth just wasn't as attuned to his surroundings as Susanoo was, Susanoo retorted, smug. Meowth's uncertain scowl made Ash doubt if he'd understood Susanoo's reply, himself.

"Leave him alone, Susanoo," Ash chided, just to be safe. "Meowth stood up to Team Rocket to keep us all safe."

And he'd done a pretty good job for someone Susanoo had never seen in a serious battle before, Susanoo admitted. And on his own, too.

"I don't need a human to tell me how to fight," Meowth retorted.

Susanoo snorted in reply, pointing out he didn't need anyone telling him what to do either. But it was a well-known fact that Pokemon with partners fought better than those without.

"I never heard that," Meowth grumbled in reply, and something about his posture was - open, briefly, a sad moment of vulnerability that pushed Ash to lean his head to the left, pressing it gently against Meowth's side. Meowth started, nearly falling off Ash's shoulder, but instead of shouting at Ash's recklessness at nearly knocking him off, Meowth...tilted his head to rest it, briefly, against the side of Ash's own.

"Anyway," Meowth continued, as if the moment had never happened, "I vote we keep going. Some of us are trying to lay low."

There was a scream and a crash, and Ash heard Meowth sigh and tighten his grip on Ash's hair as Ash broke into a run toward the sound of the scream. Jessie and James followed more clumsily, and Smokethief, sensing the excitement, appeared in front of Ash, passing through trees Ash was forced to dodge around.

At first, Ash thought the tall blue beetle-like Pokemon was menacing another Pokemon - red with dark horns curving down from their head. And then he realized the form cowering beneath the blue Pokemon had glasses, and what looked like a wide body was a flaring dress.

And after that, he saw the heavy branch leaning against a sturdy horn on the Pokemon's head, and realized the Pokemon wasn't menacing the human, but protecting them.

"Smokethief! Help get that branch out of the way!"

Smokethief gave a salute before swooping to the other Pokemon's assistance, lifting the branch away from Pokemon and human long enough for them to escape danger, before dropping it. The moment the human was clear, Smokethief dropped next to the human, hands behind their head as they pointed out no thanks were necessary.

"Hm," the human said, pushing up their glasses to examine Smokethief. "You're a Gengar, aren't you?"

Smokethief grinned at the recognition, holding out a hand as they introduced themself. The human took their hand, shaking it, before noticing Ash, hopping up on their toes.

"Oh! I suppose this heroic Gengar must be yours!"

"Ah, yeah," Ash agreed. "I mean - you looked like you needed help, and Smokethief's pretty strong…"

Smokethief flexed their arms in demonstration; Meowth groaned in exasperation as Jessie and James finally caught up.

"You...can't...just...do things like that," Jessie panted, leaning against a tree.

"Ah - sorry," Ash replied. "But it sounded like, uh…"

"My name's Koromi," the person in the red dress said, holding out a hand to Ash.

"Ash," Ash replied. "This is my partner Susanoo, and that's Meowth, and this is-"

"I'm Eric," James said. "And this is Rachel."

"...Rachel's a girl, and except for Gengar, the rest of us are boys," Ash added.

"Hmm," Koromi said in reply, before grinning. "Me and my Heracross here are girls, obviously; after all, I am the Bug Pokequeen of Sinnoh!"

"Bug…" James started.

"Pokequeen?" Jessie finished.

"Absolutely!" Koromi said, pointing a thumb at her chest. "I have at least one of every Pokemon native to Sinnoh, and a dozen more species besides."

"Cool!" Ash declared, impressed. "Do you have a list?"

"If you'd like to see, yes," Koromi said, her smile widening as she handed over her Gear. Ash scrolled through the Pokemon registered to Koromi, including Scyther, Yanma, Dusktox, and...Heracross, the blue Pokemon who'd been protecting her.

"Your Heracross is pretty impressive," Ash said. "And you two must have a really strong partnership, seeing how she caught that branch before it could fall on you."

Koromi pushed up her glasses, smile quirking into a - sort of smirk. "You really know how to flatter a girl, don't you, Ash? Well, if you're so impressed by my Heracross, how would you like to see her in action?"

Ash's heartbeat picked up. "Really?"

"Of course - I'm in Celadon City for the P-1 Grand Prix, so I'll take any opportunity for a little more training."

"Grand Prix? Is that a Pokemon tournament?"

"You are absolutely correct!" Koromi agreed, flashing Ash a victory sign. "It's a tournament where Fighting Type Pokemon demonstrate their skills in a series of one-on-one battles - the perfect opportunity to show off the true strength of the Bug Type, with my beautiful Heracross!"

"Fighting Type?" Ash asked, his heart sinking. He felt, suddenly, a little more disappointed at failing to catch the Primeape on his way to Celadon City. "I don't have any Pokemon like that."

"So you wouldn't mind helping me train, right?" Koromi asked, smirk reappearing on her face.

"If you want to train by having a Pokemon battle, sure!"

"Good!"

Koromi turned in place, and when she stopped, facing Ash, she was frowning. She waved her hand at the only slight break in the trees that shaped this clearing. "Let's find somewhere a little more open," she said. "I don't want another tree to fall on me."

As they followed Koromi back toward the road, Jessie grabbed Ash's sleeve as he passed, leaning in to whisper at him. "We are trying to get out of Celadon City ahead of any inconvenient questions about who we are," she hissed.

"Yeah, but-" Ash was supposed to ask Toushi, the Fighting-Type Gym Leader, for help, and Sabrina had said he was going to have to beat her first. Even if he couldn't participate, watching a tournament of Fighting-Type Pokemon could help him develop a strategy. But to do that, he needed to stay in Celadon City - which Jessie and James couldn't. Ash had no doubt Butch and his partner would convince Jenny their spa had been attacked by a pair of mysterious assailants, setting her on the trail of Jessie and James, who were already wanted by the police.

"So what if we need to skip town?" Meowth grumbled. "The twerp doesn't have to - Team Rocket doesn't need to frame an eleven-year-old when there's a couple of handy Pokemon thieves running around." He yawned. "Not like we can't camp out for a couple of days and join up afterward." He poked Ash's cheek. "I can keep an eye on these two, make sure they don't get into trouble."

"You could?" Ash asked, the pained thought of separating from the three of them easing at the realization Jessie hadn't meant it had to be permanent.

"Oh, sure - I've been looking after them for years," Meowth replied. "Since - we joined up."

Koromi paused, now about ten meters ahead of them, and waved at Ash. "Come on! I want to show off the power of Bug Pokemon!"

They shortly stood across from each other in the field across from the wood, Koromi's Heracross standing next to her. Ash drummed his fingers along his Pokeballs, wondering who he should bring out. Smokethief seemed unfair, somehow - Ghost Pokemon couldn't be hurt by Fighting Type moves. But it didn't mean he couldn't...take advantage. His hand stopped at Sirocco's Pokeball before he tapped Valiant's.

The Charmander appeared a moment later, claws out. He looked back at Ash, grinning with a hint of fang.

"Hey - we're helping Koromi and her Heracross train," Ash said. "So do your best, okay?"

Valiant growled in assent, swiping experimentally at the air in front of him.

"A Fire-Type," Koromi mused, pushing up her glasses. "I appreciate you providing an adequate challenge, but make no mistake - the Bug Poke-Queen of Sinnoh will emerge victorious! Heracross, Arm Thrust!"

"Dodge and use Ember!" Valiant jumped back as the Bug Pokemon tried to hit the Charmander with her palm, and swung his flaming tail at her, scorching one of her arms.

"Back!" Koromi shouted. Her Heracross took to the air, hovering just out of reach. "And Aerial Ace!"

"Fire Spin!" The Heracross dove through the flames as Valiant whipped them up into a whirlwind, and untouched, the Heracross slammed her horn into Valiant. He yelped as the force knocked him back into a rock near the side of the road.

"Are you okay?" Ash called. Valiant stood, flicking his tail to steady himself. "Good! See if you can use Flamethrower to keep her close to the ground!" Valiant directed a stream of flame after the Heracross, forcing her down. "Scratch!"

"Megahorn!"

The Heracross landed, dropping her head under Valiant's Scratch, and knocked into him again.

"Fury Attack!"

Valiant dodged only half of the rapid-fire strikes, snarling as he was hit. "Fire Spin!" Ash called. Valiant whipped up a wall of flame to trap the Heracross in close quarters. "Flamethrower!"

"Arm Thrust!" The Heracross slammed her arms into Valiant three times, and then knocked him through the flame wall with a fourth. Valiant sprawled on the ground, struggling for a moment before coughing out a small cloud of smoke and collapsing.

"Valiant!" Valiant's tail was burning steadily, and when Ash sat next to him, he was conscious, if only just, panting weakly. "Are you alright?"

"I think he's had enough," Koromi said.

Valiant pushed at the ground, as if struggling to stand, but Koromi was right. Ash put a hand on Valiant's shoulder, a light touch, but a firm one. "You did great, buddy, but it's time to rest." He recalled Valiant; the Charmander burst out of the ball a moment later, stumbling nearly prone as soon as he did so.

"Valiant - it's okay, relax!" Valiant slumped into Ash's grip as he picked up the Charmander and cradled him against his chest. "Let's get you back to the Pokemon Center."

"That was a good fight," Koromi said, holding out a hand, dropping it when she realized Ash's hands were occupied.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, as he shifted Valiant's tail to avoid burns as he turned back down the road. "Your Heracross is amazing! You're going to kick butt at the Grand Prix!" Behind her back, James met Ash's gaze and jerked his head toward the woods. Ash nodded, and Jessie, James, and Meowth vanished, as Ash led Koromi back toward Celadon City.

"I hope so. It's no League Conference, but it's famous among trainers of Fighting-Type Pokemon. It's a shame your Charmander isn't a Fighting Type - he's a real scrapper."

"Hm," Ash agreed, even if he wasn't certain Valiant could handle the Prix. He hadn't been pushing Valiant the way he had Sirocco or Susanoo, which meant Ash had less idea of Valiant's capabilities.

When Ash finally got Valiant back from the Pokemon Center, he'd thought about what he needed to say. Koromi was off somewhere, finishing her training before the competition the next day, so it was just Ash, Valiant, and Susanoo, the Charmander sitting on a chair next to Ash.

"You don't - have to win every battle, you know," Ash said. "I don't need you to, and I'm not getting rid of you if you don't - win enough battles, or whatever. So I don't want you to worry - as long as you do your best."

Valiant's drawn-out "Charrr" was dubious - Ash wasn't certain if he was still suspicious of Ash's devotion, or if his 'best' would be good enough. But he didn't seem interested in talking about it, which meant it was probably best to leave it alone. Ash got a room at the Pokemon Center - he stumbled when Joy confirmed he needed a single, before agreeing, and even with Susanoo sprawled on his stomach, breathing gently, Ash felt the room was too quiet.

So he was discomfited already when he woke the next morning, which meant when, halfway through breakfast, a shrill voice screamed, "YOU!" Ash may have yelped, recoiled, and fallen out of his chair. When Ash scrambled up, Susanoo was perched on the table next to him, cheeks sparking, as a red-haired girl stormed toward him, scowling. And Ash might not remember everyone he met, but he remembered the fourth Sensational Sister of Cerulean City.

"Um, hi?" Ash tried as he stood.

Misty stopped just out of reach and glared. "I hope you know I haven't forgotten about my bike."

"Your…" Ash scrambled through his memory, vaguely remembering the bike coming up in his Gym battle. "Didn't you agree to drop it?"

Misty sniffed, jerking her head away from Ash. "I don't recall saying that - just that you'd agree right off the bat you owed me if I won. But I'm going to beat you again, someday, and when I do, you'll pay me back!"

"Hey, Misty." Misty started at the new voice, turning to glare at a...sort of familiar face, tanned, angular, and smiling beneath squinted eyes.

"Leave us alone, Forrest," Misty growled. "Ash here and I have unfinished business."

"Harassing challengers is unbecoming of a Gym Leader," Forrest replied.

"Well, I'm on hiatus," Misty sniped back, turning back to Ash. "I'm taking on the Indigo League so we can have a rematch," she said, poking his shoulder. "And when I win…"

"I'll repay you for your bike?" Ash guessed.

"But if he wins, you drop the whole thing for good," Forrest declared. "It's unreasonable to keep him wondering if you're going to swoop in and demand a Pokemon battle to make him repay you for his bike all the time."

It didn't sound too bad - Ash had on occasion gone a day or two with no one to practice against except Jessie and James, or his own Pokemon, so having someone who would reliably give him opportunities to practice - especially if the rest of Misty's Pokemon were as impressive as her Gyarados - could be a real help. But Forrest looked so serious, Ash didn't want to argue - and Ash suddenly recognized where he'd seen them.

"You're related to Brock!" Ash declared. "You judged our battles."

"Yeah," Forrest agreed. "I'm in town for the P-1 Grand Prix - I want to take over the Pewter City Gym someday, and a run at the Indigo League is considered a good demonstration of skill when you put in your application to the Elite Four." They glanced at Misty. "You're here for the Grand Prix, too, I bet. Poliwrath?"

Misty rolled her eyes and stomped off, and Forrest shook their head.

"She's actually pretty nice," they said, "she just doesn't know how to let go of things."

"I mean, she'd have to be," Ash replied. "Her Gyarados is awesome, so she must have taken a lot of care training them."

Forrest eyed Ash for a moment longer before shaking their head. "Are you here for the Grand Prix?"

"I mean - I'm not competing," Ash said. "I don't have a Fighting Pokemon. But I made a new friend I was planning to watch, and I'm trying to get ideas for when I go to Matcha City to challenge Toushi."

Forrest opened one eye wide to examine Ash for a few seconds, before nodding, something in their older brother's countenance in their expression. "Toushi is one of the more...unconventional Gym Leaders. She doesn't just test your skills as a trainer, she tests you."

"Tests me? How?"

Forrest shrugged. "Brock's talked to her more than I have, and he wasn't...clear about it. He said - on top of the battle, she asks you a question, and you have to answer it to beat her. Still," they added, "learning how Fighting Pokemon battle can only help."

Ash spent the rest of the morning wandering around Celadon City, deciding, after a visit to the Celadon City Department Store, not to buy a new phone; he could think of better things to do with his money. And then he joined the crowds at Celadon City Hall. Just outside the building, Valiant's Pokeball vibrated and released the Charmander.

"Char!" Even without saying anything, Valiant's enthusiasm would have been obvious. Ash stepped aside from the flow of people to carefully pick Valiant up and carry him (Susanoo still perched on Ash's head) into the building, and the arena.

The first round brought another surprise, as the announcer called, "Our first contestant is Ruby, with her Hitmontop, and A.J., with his Farfetch'd! For those surprised to see our Wild Duck Pokemon in the ring, Farfetch'd from the Galar region are of the Fighting Type!"

A.J.'s Farfetch'd, covered in dark feathers and wielding a leek larger than they were, looked as determined as A.J.'s Sandshrew was, so Ash was certain it was going to be an exciting fight.

The Hitmontop started with a whirling Triple Kick, spinning across the ring to attack Farfetch'd.

"Protect!" A.J. called, "And then use Focus Energy!"

"Oh, A.J.'s Farfetch'd blocks the attack, and focuses himself for the upcoming battle!" the announcer called. "A Farfetch'd's leek is a formidable weapon in its own right."

"Use Air Slash!" A.J. shouted.

"Use Triple Kick again!"

The Farfetch'd swung his leek, propelling a razor wind that knocked his opponent off balance, teetering and rolling back to their feet.

"A super-effective move!" the announcer cheered, "and it looks like it was a lucky hit, as well!"

"Dig!" The Hitmontop spun in place, burrowing into the ground.

"Brace yourself and use Revenge!" A.J. commanded.

The Farfetch'd tightened his grip on the leek, scanning the battlefield. When the HItmontop burst from the ground, slamming into the Farfetch'd, the Farfetch'd returned with a fierce blow that sent the Hitmontop whirling away and into the edge of the ring. They stood, unsteadily, before flipping back upside-down.

"A.J.'s Farfetch'd scores another strong hit! Ruby will have to come up with something amazing to turn the tables here!"

A.J.'s opponent narrowed her eyes and pointed. The Hitmontop spun, hopped up, and bounced into the air, whirling with vicious speed as they barrelled toward Farfetch'd.

"Aerial Ace! What a tactic!"

"Substitute!" A.J. ordered, and the Farfetch'd threw up a wooden doll between him and the Hitmontop. The doll broke into pieces at the collision between doll and Hitmontop. "Finish it off with Close Combat!"

The Farfetch'd raced after the Hitmontop as they recoiled from the attack, swinging up his leek in a wide swing that knocked the Hitmontop into the edge of the ring again. The Hitmontop didn't stand.

"Hitmontop is unable to battle! A.J. and Farfetch'd are the winners!"

To the crowd's applause, Farfetch'd took a bow, turned, and took another. When he stood, though, he began to glow, dark feathers bleeding out to white, the leek growing and sprouting.

"Holy smokes, folks, it looks like Farfetch'd is evolving!"

The Farfetch'd tore something away from the leek and stood up straight, and when their shape settled, he was very much the same - except his weathers were pure white, his leek was long and cut at an angle to make a piercing edge, and a mass of leek feathers were in his other hand.

Ash pulled out his Gear and opened his Pokedex.

"Sirfetch'd, the evolved form of Farfetch'd native to the Galar region. The hardened leaves of their leek are sturdy enough to withstand a bullet, and their leek's cellular structure has evolved to give it the resilience of sharpened steel."

"Wow! That was pretty cool, right?"

Susanoo drew out an awed "chuuu". Valiant, though, was staring at the ring, at A.J.'s new Pokemon.

"I bet you're looking forward to facing him someday," Ash said. Valiant didn't answer, and Ash felt a twinge of - uncertainty.

But there was another battle after that - a trainer named Blake and his Breloom defeating a trainer named Laura and her Medicham; and then another - a trainer named Richie and his Machoke just barely beating a trainer named Rufus and his Machamp.

And then Koromi and Heracross were facing Misty, who, as Forrest had predicted, was using a Poliwrath.

"Hypnosis!" Misty started out. The swirl on her Poliwrath's stomach began spinning slowly, causing the Heracross to sway and sink to the ground. "Rain Dance!"

"A risky strategy - Misty is using the time her opponent is asleep to power up Water-Type moves, rather than attacking."

Indeed, as the Poliwrath moved their arms in a motion like waves, and rain began pattering down on the field, Koromi's Heracross gave a startled 'cross' and woke up.

"Atta girl!" Koromi called. "Aerial Ace!"

"Try to dodge, then use Mind Reader," Misty snapped out. The Poliwrath hopped back a few hurried steps, but the wide swipe of the Heracross' horn caught them, sending them stumbling backward. The Poliwrath then raised both hands to their forehead, focusing.

"Arm Thrust!" Koromi called.

"Dynamic Punch!" The Poliwrath pulled back their arm, growling, and when the Heracross drew in close, the Poliwrath sidestepped the first thrust of her arm and punched the Heracross with a massive blow that sent her sailing across the battlefield.

"Aerial Ace!" Koromi shouted.

"Mind Reader!" The Heracross slammed into the Poliwrath, however, sending them stumbling back. But as the Heracross retreated, she wavered, moving suddenly unsteadily.

"And the Dynamic Punch has left Koromi's Heracross confused - this could be a devastating turn for Koromi!"

Koromi, though, grinned, pushing her glasses up her face.

"Mind Reader!" Misty repeated.

"Megahorn!" Koromi shouted, flapping her arms so they looked like a Bug Pokemon's wings.

And still looking dazed, the Heracross charged at the Poliwrath, lowering their head. Too busy focusing, the Poliwrath took the blow at full force, slamming into the edge of the ring with enough force to crack the ground beneath it.

"Oh! A strong attack! Is Poliwrath out for the count?"

"Get up, Poliwrath!" Misty shouted, sounding worried, and that, it seemed, pushed her Poliwrath to rise, unsteady, but still able to battle, while the Heracross flew in aimless circles high enough they kept having to swerve to avoid colliding with the overhead lights. "Focus Blast!"

"Oh no! Dodge it!" Koromi shouted, but Heracross was too disoriented to listen, and took the full force of the Poliwrath's energy blast, dropping to the ground with a pained squeal.

Koromi stared at her defeated Pokemon with only a slight frown before the announcer called, "Heracross is unable to battle! Misty and Poliwrath are the winners!"

Ash applauded and cheered with the rest of the audience, even as he tried to remember everything he'd just seen. Focus Blast was an unreliable move, and he would bet Dynamic Punch was, too - Mind Reader seemed to be a way to make moves more accurate. And earlier, Farfetch'd had focused to boost the strength of their attacks before making a move…

Before Ash could finish thinking too deeply on his future opponents' tactics, the announcer announced Forrest and their Stufful versus a trainer named Florin and his Primeape. Unlike the Primeape Ash had met, this one was wearing a silvery chain around their neck, from which was suspended a bone-white claw.

"Primeape, Focus Energy!" Florin shouted.

"Taunt," Forrest said, calm, and their Stufful pulled down their eyelid, sticking out their tongue at the Primeape. The Primeape's scowl grew as they screeched in fury.

Fury Swipes!" Florin shouted.

"Endure!" Forrest called out. Their Stufful fell back to sit on the ground, looking up at their opponent with wide eyes as the Primeape scratched at them one, two, three, four - five times.

"Stu?" the Stufful asked, and the Primeape, furious, glaring...paused, tilting their head as they continued to stare at the Stufful.

"Swords Dance!" Forrest commanded, and the Stufful scampered in a tight circle, hopping in place, seeming more energetic, focused, once they had.

"Screech!" Florin shouted, but the Primeape snarled, pacing just out of reach of the Stufful.

"Taunt prevents your Pokemon from using moves that don't do damage," Forrest said, mild. "Swords Dance."

"Close Combat!" Florin tried, but his Primeape whined anxiously, almost dancing in place as they continued to stare at the Stufful. "What's wrong with him?" Florin demanded.

"It's called Cute Charm," Forrest replied. "If a Pokemon gets too close to Stufful, they risk falling in love with him. It's a fascinating defense mechanism, and an effective offensive maneuver."

"You're supposed to be fighting!" Florin roared. "Close Combat!"

"Endure," Forrest retorted, and the Stufful braced himself, taking the full brunt of the attack when the Primeape broke through his infatuation. "Swords Dance."

"Double Team!" The Primeape hopped back and forth, form blurring as he moved.

"Screech!" Florin snapped, and the Primeape obeyed this time.

Forrest grinned. "Focus Punch."

"Wha-"

The Stufful rocked back, bracing himself as the Primeape let out an ear-rending screech, and then burst forward, a blur of movement that ended when he slammed one fist into the Primeape's skull, sending the Primeape tumbling, sprawling, and unconscious.

"Primeape is unable to battle! Forrest and Stufful are the winners!"

Ash spent most of the intermission between the first and second rounds of the Grand Prix worrying. The winners of their first-round battles, some Ash knew would be at the Pokemon League Conference, had been so focused and confident. They were so well-prepared, and Ash…

Rarely felt that. Not against an opponent he knew nothing about. He fumbled, scrambled for strategies his opponents seemed to have figured out already.

"How am I going to do this?" he asked of his Pokemon.

Susanoo pointed out that Ash had gotten further than most other trainers. Valiant...said that if Ash were that worried about it, he should be working harder.

Ash wasn't certain what to do with that advice, and the second set of battles started before he could figure it out. There were two matches before one of Ash's friends showed up - Forrest and Stufful against Blake and Breloom, a squat, short-armed Pokemon that looked like a mushroom with a bulbous tail, a thick root wrapped around one of their arms.

Forrest was frowning as they saw the matchup, even as his opponent, a taller blond boy with bangs that hid one eye, was smirking; the moment the battle started, Forrest shouted, "Taunt!"

As the Stufful mocked the Breloom, Blake shouted, "Energy Ball!"

"Dodge it!"

The Stufful dropped to all fours and darted out of the way with the same speed he'd used to finish the last battle, skidding to a stop as Blake commanded, "Energy Ball again!"

"Rock Tomb!" Rocks erupted from the ground to slam into the Breloom, pinning them to the ground and sending their Energy Ball careening into the ceiling.

"Break free, and use Giga Drain!" The Breloom wiggled against the rocks, dodging out of the way just as Forrest's Stufful dropped another Rock Romb on the pile of stone. The Breloom slammed one fist down, the hand stretching out from their body like it was on springs, vines or roots digging into the ground and erupting from next to the Stufful to entangle them. He squealed as the vines tightened, the roots and Breloom glowing green as the Breloom stood straight, its energy returning.

"Swagger, and use Rock Tomb!"

The Stufful rocked, exaggerated, between his legs, apparently mocking his opponent's movements. The Breloom snarled, posing threateningly. A moment later, rocks slammed into the Breloom, too dazed to dodge.

"Breloom! Back here!" Blake shouted, and the Breloom staggered toward their trainer.

"Pursue and use Rock Tomb!"

Blake growled, pulled something from a pocket (Ash saw a glint of light), and threw it at Breloom, who hopped up to snap it into their mouth and crunch. Ash saw a wisp of purple gas escaping from the Breloom's mouth, and then the Breloom roared.

Their body shook, sending powder scattering away from them. Stufful, who'd drawn in close, was caught in the cloud, limbs stiffening as he tried to escape.

"Giga Drain!" Blake shouted. The Breloom paused, still for a moment, and in that moment, Ash felt - not a vision, like Sabrina had described psychics could have, but certainty of what was about to happen next.

The Breloom turned on Blake, still snarling, and shook their body more vigorously. A cloud of spores expanded away from them, catching Blake first, but engulfing the referee, as well. They sent their vines into the ground again, stealing energy from Stufful, before turning to charge toward Forrest. The referee slumped to the ground, snoring, while Blake collapsed awkwardly, his limbs stiff, like the Stufful's.

Forrest had just enough time to recall Stufful before the Breloom swung their tail at Forrest, catching them with a blow that sent a spray of purple toxin up and down Forrest's leg. A waft of the spores still surrounding the Breloom left Forrest unconscious. The Breloom ignored the now-unconscious human, scrambling past them toward the edge of the ring.

And before anyone could make another move, the Breloom jumped up on the edge of the stage and leapt toward the crowd.

Half of the dozen or so people in the front row nearest the Breloom collapsed, paralyzed or asleep, while the other half stumbled away, choking, as whatever poison the Breloom produced affected them.

The announcer, at last, found his voice. "We need everyone to evacuate the building in a calm, orderly manner-"

Humans and Pokemon bolted to their feet, scrambling toward the nearest exits. Ash was caught in the flow for a moment before he realized Valiant wasn't in his arms.

"Where - did you see Valiant?" he demanded of Susanoo.

Susanoo pointed back toward the front seats where the Breloom was attacking anyone who was still standing after being exposed to their spores, alternating between sweeps of their tail and Energy Balls that shattered the stands around them. The few people who thought to send Pokemon after the Breloom had them fall victim to Giga Drain, or a nasty punch that seemed to have the same effect.

Susanoo's declaration that Valiant was reckless sounded sort of hypocritical, given Susanoo had fought an entire flock of Spearow.

But reckless or not, Ash couldn't leave his Pokemon behind. He struggled for a few moments against the fleeing crowd before he burst out into the portion of the stands occupied only by unconscious or paralyzed humans and Pokemon, and Misty.

"You need to get out of here!" Ash shouted.

"What?" Misty glared at him. "I'm a Gym Leader - or was, anyway - I know how to take care of myself."

"Loom!" Ash shoved Misty to the side as he jumped down to the next row of seats. The Breloom's tail smashed through the space they'd been in, a cloud of spores rising up from the site of the impact. Ash tugged the collar of his shirt up over his nose and mouth, hoping it would help, and looked for Valiant.

"Scyther, go!" Koromi, on the far side of the Breloom, only ten meters away from them, grinned as she commanded, "Air Slash!"

Her Scyther sent twin blasts of air toward the Breloom, who howled from the attack before snapping out vines toward Ash and Susanoo.

A cry of "Mander" and a blast of flame burned the vines to cinders, and then Valiant was at Ash's side. And they might still be in danger, but Ash felt his anxiety settle a little seeing his Pokemon again. And Valiant was - excited, determined, so Ash couldn't tell him to stand down.

"Alright, buddy," Ash said, "let's do this. Fire Spin!"

The Breloom howled when Valiant ensnared them in a ring of flame, swiping their tail violently before they dove through it, closing in on Valiant even as their skin was bright, red, from the burns they'd endured.

"Get back, and use Slash!" Valiant tried, but the Breloom's springy arms made their reach far longer than Ash had guessed, and they struck Valiant with a punch that sucked away his energy.

Keep your distance and use Flamethrower!"

The Breloom danced out of the way, but at least retreated. Valiant looked a little weak, but was still standing, and snarled at the Breloom.

"Try to use Flamethrower - one after another," Ash commanded.

Valiant nodded, giving a sharp assent, and snapped out three rapid bursts of flame, one of which caught the Breloom before it bounced up.

Susanoo didn't need to elaborate his cry of 'Pika-pi!' ("Ash!"); Ash dove out of the way just as the Breloom landed, but they were between Ash and Valiant, too close, and it was getting hard to breathe-

"Growlie - Ember!"

A bolt of flame sent the Breloom back, and Growlie leapt into the space they'd vacated.

"Wha-" Ash looked up, briefly, finding a pair of women, one with short lavender hair and in a calf-length blue sundress, and the other with loose red hair and in a pale green crop top and jeans, clambering down toward him. "James? Jessie?"

"Growlie - Ash had the right idea - keep using Ember to keep that Breloom on their toes," James commanded. Jessie scrambled down next to Ash, tugged down his shirt, and wrapped a scarf across his mouth and nose.

"We were going to leave you alone, but then - Debbie - remembered that we've got an unfortunate penchant for finding trouble," Jessie explained.

"Air Slash!" Koromi was still in this fight, it seemed, forcing the Breloom to bounce between the rapid assaults from Growlie and her Scyther. The two Pokemon were able to stay out of range of most of Breloom's attacks, and, more importantly, the cloud of spores surrounding them.

The main problem was that, like the Squirtle Ash had met under the effects of the mysterious drug 'R', the Breloom seemed unconcerned with super-effective moves - meaning Koromi's Air Slash wasn't any more dangerous to them than any other move.

The Breloom suddenly took a deep breath and spat out a bullet of venom that splashed into the Scyther's face. As they yelled, swiping at their eyes, the Breloom spat another, thicker glob at the Scyther. This sent them spiralling to the ground, close enough that the Breloom closed in for their draining punch, knocking the Scyther out for good.

"That Drain Punch is a real problem," James muttered, "but their spores are worse. Ash, it's up to you."

"Wha-"

"Safeguard!" James shouted. "And keep out of the Breloom's reach!"

And because James had drilled Ash about her's and Jessie's Pokemon's capabilities, Ash knew that move was going to protect Valiant from poison, paralysis, and sleep - among other things.

"Get in close!" Ash called to Valiant. "And use Slash!"

The charging Charmander seemed to puzzle the Breloom, moreso when he slashed at them without suffering any ill effects. They spat a blast of venom at him, which hit, but didn't leave him poisoned.

Valiant was breathing heavily, now, exhaling flames with every breath.

"Use Fire Fang!" Ash called. Valiant bit deeply into the Breloom, sending the Breloom flinching back. "Again!"

"Bre!" The Breloom stumbled back, and when Valiant missed, used their Drain Punch again.

Valiant was stumbling as he moved. "Valiant, return!" Valiant dodged out of the way of the return beam and snarled at Ash, before charging back at the Breloom. "Fire Fang and then Ember!" Ash shouted - ready to offer advice, even if Valiant wouldn't listen to a command to retreat. His attacks were fierce, the Fire Fang giving him an opening for a swipe of his flaming tail, but as long as the Breloom had their Drain Punch-

"Psyduck, Hypnosis."

"Bre?"

Misty, who Ash had forgotten, was standing a fair distance away, a Psyduck with strangely intent eyes staring at the Breloom. There was a moment of quiet before the Breloom swayed and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Koromi squeezed through another group of people, scanning the evacuees. Her Yanma was flying overhead, but they were easily distracted, and bad at recognizing people they hadn't seen themself, so Koromi didn't have a lot of faith on that front (but Yanma liked to feel useful, and on occasion did find things Koromi hadn't noticed). She'd waved off requests she submit to medical attention - as a Bug trainer, she could recognize every type of poisoning, and hadn't experienced any of them. Ash, though, probably had less experience, and had vanished into the crowd shortly after Jenny had arrived to restore order.

She ran into the police perimeter and poked the nearest officer. "Hi, excuse me. Have you seen my friend Ash? He helped stop the Breloom inside, but I'm worried he might have gotten exposed to some dangerous spores."

The officer looked down at Koromi, eyes crossing as they saw her outfit, and then shook their head.

"No, but I need you to come with me."

"What? Why? I'm fine!" Koromi waved one arm to demonstrate her unparalyzed, unpoisoned state, but the officer took her other arm and guided her to the edge of the crowd, where Jenny was directing efforts.

"Excuse me," the officer said, "this one said she actually saw the confrontation."

"Oh, great," Jenny said. "The detective set up just over by the medical tent."

"Detective?" Koromi followed the officer as they led her on, feeling...slightly concerned. Of course she hadn't done anything wrong, but she had the natural caution of anyone dragged off to talk to law enforcement officers with no explanation. "What's going on?"

The officer shrugged. "Looker will have to explain himself." They stopped at a long tent and pushed inside; Joy and a tall man who was likely a human doctor were attending to people brought in. A couch was set to the side, where a long-faced man in a trench coat was dictating to a shorter blond woman who was scribbling in a notebook. "Mr. Looker?" the officer asked. "We have another witness."

"Excellent!" The man, Looker, stood and held a hand out to Koromi. "My name is Looker, with the International Police. And you are?"

"Koromi," Koromi replied, "The Sinnoh Bug Poke-Queen!"

Looker's eyes darted to Koromi's Yanma, still hovering over her shoulder, and nodded. "An unofficial title, of course. Would you please sit?" He unfolded a chair to set next to the couch.

"What's this about?" Koromi asked. "I think everyone saw what happened-"

"Everyone saw what precipitated the incident," Looker said. "Trainer Blake commanded his Breloom to consume a substance whose appearance and subsequent effects are consistent with the adrenal compound R. Jenny has taken Trainer Blake into custody for - ah, criminal endangerment or something similar. One of the Elite Four will likely be called to deal with him. But R is as of yet a local matter; I am investigating a different issue. Were you inside the arena after the general evacuation?"

"Yes. My Scyther is a practiced battler; I thought she could help subdue the Breloom."

"Oh, that's sweet," Looker's assistant cooed. "Kids like you with strong Pokemon swooping in to help during disasters makes things so much easier for us."

"Yes, well," Looker said. "Did you observe who assisted in subduing the Breloom?"

"Yes, Misty, one of the other competitors was there-"

"Did you see either of these people at the arena?" Looker asked. His assistant held out two photographs, one of a woman with wide, sweeping red hair, and a man with shorter lavender hair. The woman Koromi immediately recognized as Ash's friend Rachel, and the man as Eric. A woman who'd looked quite like Rachel had appeared in the arena to help Ash against the Breloom's spores, and now that she was actually examining Eric's face, she could see enough similarity in their features between him and the woman whose Growlithe had more or less saved the day to suspect he'd been in disguise (or, Koromi supposed, 'Eric' wasn't quite as he'd appeared at first glance).

"They're infamous Pokemon thieves," Looker's assistant prompted, and Koromi, who'd been about to answer, paused, taking a closer look. Ash had seemed at ease around Rachel and Eric (probably not their real names), familiar with their Meowth, and a little lost when they'd separated. And it was hard to imagine Ash being so close to Pokemon thieves - to associating with someone bad.

"I couldn't say for sure," Koromi hedged. "Everything was hectic in there." It wasn't a lie, exactly - Koromi wouldn't say without a shadow of a doubt that the pair who'd rescued Ash had been his friends Eric and Rachel, or that they were these same people (it was amazing how much difference a haircut and outfit made in telling them apart).

Looker asked a few more questions, but as Koromi was unwilling to identify his Pokemon thieves, he let her go shortly afterward, handing Koromi his card, "in case she remembered something useful".

Koromi didn't discard the paper immediately, but she did throw it in the trash that night in the Pokemon Center (crowded with people who were staying an unexpected night to get checked out or answer questions to Jenny). Ash might have been a little mysterious, and his companions more so, but all three of them had leapt to the defense of the people in the arena, Koromi included, which meant she wasn't going to be the one to cause them the sort of trouble setting the International Police after them would.

Mewtwo had collapsed only an hour or so after leaving Silph Co (Team Rocket, a voice, half-remembered from waking dreams whispered. The Doctor another added), crash-landing just outside a cave that overlooked a sweeping valley. The cave was unoccupied, saving Mewtwo the energy of driving some Pokemon out of their home. So once inside, Mewtwo stumbled to the most remote corner of the cave and fell asleep sitting against a rock.

Mewtwo's dreams were disjointed and troubled. There was a voice singing an achingly familiar song, a clipped voice that brought with it memories of pain, and two others, unfamiliar, but etched in Mewtwo's memory.

Can you imagine what Ash would say if he knew we'd left them behind?

Someone had saved Mewtwo from The Doctor's experiments, and they had done so as an expression of the will of someone else named Ash. That was the thought that stayed with Mewtwo on waking. That there existed some creature in the world to whom Mewtwo owed a favor.

(When someone does something nice for you, you should do something nice for them in return - that's called a favor.)

And Ash would need that favor.

Even with their mind shielded by the Pokemon that was ever by their side, even with Mewtwo drugged, floating, immersed in the agony of memories only half-remembered, The Doctor's thoughts had filtered into Mewtwo's mind, petty and arrogant. Ash had stolen something from The Doctor, and they would not forget the slight.

Dr. Laurent was seated in front of her computer, two monitors lit. A Gardevoir stood by the door - between its precognitive abilities and that of the Absol sitting, alert, next to her chair, no one should be able to sneak up on her.

The screen on the right displayed a collection of data consolidated from observations made by the witnesses of the Grand Prix Incident. The other contained only a window in the bottom right corner - the top two-thirds pink, the bottom blue, and two hexagonal eyes on the edges.

"Display the compiled data," Dr. Laurent commanded. A second data set appeared on the leftmost screen. "Add confidence-weight extrapolations," she said, and additional text appeared - red, amber, and green - on the left screen. She leaned forward, gaze darting between the two screens - the one showing what had happened at the grand Prix, and the one compiled from data gleaned, stolen, or inferred from Professor Sycamore's research on Mega Evolution.

There were fewer differences between the two sets of data than Dr. Laurent would have expected.

She didn't know enough about the effects of Mega Evolution in the field to know for certain - she was certain if Sycamore knew she were interested in the subject, he would seek to restrict public access to his research just to keep it out of her hands. But even relying on incomplete data, on what her Porygon could derive from it, the affected Breloom's loss of control sounded like the vague warnings Professor Sycamore had made regarding the dangers of unpracticed Mega Evolution.

...Obviously, more testing would be necessary.

Her phone began to ring. Dr. Laurent minimized her data and pulled up the phone app, trying to school her expression into something that didn't look annoyed.

"Yes?"

A woman's face - familiar, and someone for whom Dr. Laurent had...moderate respect - appeared. Green-eyed, blue-haired, with a face smudged with dirt. Her expression was strained.

"Erika," Ann said.

"Ann, I heard about what happened downtown," Erika said. "Your pet project-"

"Team Rocket's," Dr. Laurent corrected, "not mine."

Erika rolled her eyes. "Whichever. Ann, I work with Poison-Type Pokemon nearly as much as Koga. Harvesting and working with my Pokemon's toxins, I probably understand poison better than him. And R...I don't know what Team Rocket's planning with it, but it's not safe. It's a - degenerative neurotoxin. And things like that - the effects accumulate. I doubt this was an isolated incident - long-term exposure to R likely erodes a Pokemon's cognitive function and tractability. It could be permanent - I'd have to see some studies on the matter to tell you."

"Hm," Dr. Laurent replied, because she wasn't certain of Giovanni's plans for R, except for some vague notions from Butch and Cassidy he might use 'R addiction' as a cover for stealing Pokemon (a story whose credibility would be strengthened by evidence of consequences to frequent use of the drug). "I'll make a note of it."

"Frankly, the only saving grace is that Pokemon under the effects of R seem to be highly susceptible to Psychic moves."

Dr. Laurent felt a perk of interest. "When you say susceptible-"

"You probably have more data than I do, but one Hypnosis dropped the rampaging Breloom until the R wore off. So keep that in mind if you're going to keep experimenting with this."

"You know we are," Dr. Laurent replied. And then, because she needed clarity, especially if she was going to explore this new avenue of research, she added, "You are going to continue to produce R for our central distribution center, correct?"

Erika sighed. "Yes - as long as you keep paying us, of course."

"That won't be a problem," Dr. Laurent promised.

Chapter Text

"Pi...pi...pi…CHU!" Susanoo's whole body sparked, electricity discharging in every direction. Ash, by virtue of carrying Susanoo with rubber gloves, was mostly unaffected (his hair rose on end, but he wasn't left in a twitching heap like the first time they'd met, which was an improvement over what had happened the first time Susanoo sneezed, which had knocked them all except Smokethief out for ten minutes).

"Hold on, buddy," Ash murmured, patting Susanoo gently (anything more than that left Susanoo whining at the feel of rubber against his skin). "We're almost at the next Pokemon Center, and Joy will fix you right up."

"She better," Meowth grumbled, earning a weak protest from Susanoo, and a twitch of Meowth's ears as he ducked his head. "Not saying it's your fault," he explained hurriedly, "just that fixing sick Pokemon's her job."

It was unusually - well, not nice, Meowth was nice, if sarcastic - sincere, Ash decided. He'd gotten fractured accounts of what happened when he'd been...technically kidnapped by Team Rocket, but Susanoo and Meowth seemed to have bonded during the incident, and Meowth, the one with the most complete memory of it, hadn't seemed eager to fill in the gaps.

"Bad news," James announced, looking up from their phone. "There's no Pokemon Gym in the next City. There's barely anything worth doing at all, unless you want to try convincing the electric company to give you a tour of the power plant."

"Also," Jessie added as she swiped James' phone, "the name is not...promising. Gringey City?"

"It's not that bad," James protested. "I mean, about ten years ago, the pollution was getting pretty bad, but then the town put a lot of effort into cleaning up, and their power plant is one of the most environmentally friendly in three regions. The power plant is even a - sort of preserve for Electric Pokemon."

Ash wasn't entirely uninterested (although he wasn't certain how Susanoo would react to Ash catching another Electric Type Pokemon), but there was something more important than catching Pokemon right now. "If they've got a lot of Electric Pokemon around, they've gotta know how to help Pikachu, right?"

"That is...very likely to be the case. Nurse Joy must know exactly how to help Susanoo."

"It's a cold," was Joy's harried response when Ash held Susanoo up to the desk, "so don't get worked up about it."

"Why shouldn't I?" Ash demanded. "My friends didn't recognize what's wrong with him, so for all we knew it could be something serious!"

Joy rolled her eyes. "This has been going around lately - when Electric Pokemon get colds, they stop discharging electricity routinely and it builds up. Leave him overnight and if he's still feeling poorly in the morning we'll run some tests, alright?"

"O - okay," Ash replied, anxious in the wave of Joy's dismissal. "And can you check the rest of my Pokemon?"

"Yeah, drop them with Chansey," Joy said, waving at her Pokemon before hurrying from the room. Ash approached the Chansey and handed over his Pokeballs, but as the Chansey was turning to leave, raised a hand.

"Chan?"

"Is…" Ash peered at the door where Joy had exited. "Is she okay?"

"An - chan-sey, cha chan," the Chansey replied, voice edged with worry and relief.

"Oh," Ash said, sticking his hands in his pockets as he considered the Chansey's response. "Thanks. You can go ahead, now."

"Chansey!"

Jessie waited until the Chansey was gone to rest her hand on the top of Ash's head. "So, what did they say?"

"They said - Joy's right that Electric Pokemon around Gringey City have been feeling out of sorts, but it's...a little more than what she's saying. She hasn't found a - virus or anything, and none of them have really gotten better."

"Hm," Jessie mused, before tugging Ash around toward the computers. "Then it sounds like it's time for us to do some research."

"What-" Ash looked back at James, who was sprawled in one of the couches, scrolling through their phone while Meowth sat against their leg, drowsing. "Research what?"

"We're going to research Electric Pokemon and see what could be making Susanoo feel under the weather," Jessie declared, releasing Mercy as she dragged a chair away from one terminal to another, sitting in the chair already there and patting the seat as Mercy settled in her lap. "Come on."

Ash sat gingerly, looking sidelong at Jessie as she tapped at the keyboard, and at Mercy, who was watching the screen intently. "Wouldn't Joy already know what could be wrong?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Jessie replied, reaching back to ruffle the hair at the back of Ash's neck. "Just because she's a Pokemon nurse doesn't mean she knows everything - especially about one particular type or species of Pokemon. She might not read up on the latest research, or might consider herself a generalist. Or she might know practically nothing and rely on the fact we think she's a professional so we don't ask questions. So we're going to look things up and see what we can find."

"O...kay." Ash looked over Jessie's shoulder as she searched for answers. He saw incredibly worrying suggestions, although Jessie skipped past most of them quickly, dragging windows with only one or two of the worrying ones to the side. It was - dizzying, and a little overwhelming, but Mercy kept pointing at the screen adding interjections. "Does - Mercy not want to evolve?" Ash asked.

"Hm?" Jessie asked, looking back at Ash, before shaking her head. "No, she - I wanted to be a nurse at one point, and she's always been supportive. Besides, James and I aren't always - eager to stop in town, so a Pokemon with a talent for healing would come in handy. But - most items that help Pokemon evolve are rare, and expensive, so it's never been a priority. Me and Mercy haven't given up hope, yet, though - have we, sweetie?"

"Hap!" Mercy agreed, before pointing at the screen suddenly. "Pini!"

"What…" Jessie leaned in, squinting at the page before pulling it up. The page was some sort of collection of advice about raising Pokemon. This particular post was about Electric Pokemon. There were a lot of words, and the author had a tendency to write a lot about their kids and something about eating a lot of chocolate, so Ash skipped around while Jessie read carefully, muttering as she did.

"-chews on wires, eats batteries - ah! Is this what you saw?" Jessie highlighted a block of text Ash had - sort of not read. "Although they enjoy taking in electrical energy, an excess can leave them lethargic or, sometimes, even sick."

"Pi!"

"What does that mean?" Ash asked, scanning the paragraph Jessie had quoted. He remembered reading something about Pikachu sometimes chewing on wiring in houses, but Susanoo hadn't done anything like that.

"It means if there's a lot of electrical energy in the air, it sort of - builds up, and Electric Pokemon start getting sick."

Ash nodded, trying to work through - not what Jessie was saying, but what it meant. "Do you think Joy knows about this?"

"Maybe," Jessie replied. "But if she does - she doesn't think it's that serious."

"Do you think - maybe this happens a lot? Enough that maybe, it goes away on its own?"

Jessie grinned at Ash and pulled off his cap to ruffle his hair before putting the hat back on, firm. "That's smart thinking, Ash."

"I don't want to just hope it gets better on its own," Ash added, and Jessie smirked.

"I wouldn't expect otherwise." She tugged Ash up by the back of his jacket and pushed him toward James. "So let's circle up and make a plan."

It took only a few seconds to cross the Center to where James and Meowth were sitting, but it was enough for Ash to think, and to come up with a - notion. He wasn't ready to call it an idea, because there were a dozen questions James needed to answer before Ash had a plan.

But it was a solid notion.

"Could the power plant be - pumping out a lot of extra power?" Ash asked James as soon as they arrived, and James looked up from their phone, frowning. They glanced up and behind Ash, probably at Jessie, before shrugging, a gentle motion.

"I couldn't say for certain, not knowing what kind of plant it is. But it sounds like you're gearing up for an expedition over there to see if there's something you can do to help Susanoo." James raised one eyebrow at Ash.

Ash squirmed a little, anxious at the intense examination. "I won't do anything dangerous, but it's Susanoo."

"Oh, I wasn't doubting how serious you are about it," James replied, tugging at Ash's sleeve to pull him around to James' other side and sit him next to James so that he didn't crush Meowth. "But, all we've got is a theory, and Joy is a professional."

"What?" Ash demanded, looking to Jessie, who didn't look angry at James dismissing her idea like that. When he looked back to James, they shrugged again. "Jessie said-"

"Jessie said we should consider Nurse Joy might not know everything," Jessie said as she picked up Meowth, sat next to James, and set Meowth down on her other side. Meowth, roused from sleep, sat up, glaring at Jessie as he crossed his arms. "I didn't say we just run off into the outskirts of town with no plan."

"I was going to make a plan as soon as James said whether or not the power plant could be causing the problem!" Ash protested.

"Well," Jessie replied, slouching a little in place, "that's not a terrible idea."

"But," James interjected, "first we're going to give Joy a chance to prove herself right. On average, a Pokemon suffers a cold for 24 hours or so - so if Susanoo's alright tomorrow morning, we'll go on our way without any exploration. Alright?"

There was a distant noise, which Ash imagined was a shocked "Chu!" and the lights in the Pokemon Center flickered and died.

"Son of a bitch," Joy growled. "Chansey, I'm going down to the engine room to switch out the circuit breakers."

Jessie was frowning after the nurse as she vanished into the back, presumably because of her cursing; Ash wasn't sure if telling her that he'd started to recognize when Pokemon were swearing would make her feel better or worse, so kept his mouth shut.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we can't feel out the locals to see if there's anything to Jessie's theory, or Ash's notion," James said, pushing themself up and holding a hand down to Ash. "Come on, let's do the rounds while we find somewhere to eat."

And what the locals had to say was - not a lot, actually. They were friendly, and were sympathetic when Ash mentioned his Pikachu was sick, and agreed, if asked, that something was "going around", but like Jenny, they didn't seem concerned (no one seemed annoyed, like her, but that was probably because Joy was dealing with all the sick Pokemon). And when Ash mentioned the Power Plant, their whole attitude changed. They went from friendly to - closed-off...inscrutable (if that was the right word). Evasive - like Jessie and James when forced to interact with Officer Jenny. After the third person who went from friendly to distant with one question, Ash stopped asking, and...well, they had their answer.

No one in Gringey City was surprised that this was happening. None of them were worried. It had something to do with the Power Plant, a fact nobody wanted to discuss with people from out of town.

"I hate this," Meowth moaned over dinner, nearly planting his face into his feet. "Weird stuff didn't even wait for us to get into town to start."

It...probably wasn't a rebuke, but Ash felt the first stirrings of guilt anyway. "Sorry," he muttered, which brought Meowth's face snapping up, eyes wide, wild, panicked as he flailed his hands in front of him.

"What? No! Come on, kid, it's not your fault. Look, you're...Chief may have some weird ideas in his head about you, but you're not making weird sh - stuff happen to us. You're - the sort of person who hears about this stuff and wants to do something about it. I mean, the fact we met you after you'd destroyed some girl's bike when your partner had to defend you from an entire flock of Spearow you were trying to protect him from was - a clue what we were getting into."

It sounded a little like it was Ash's fault, but he nodded, if only to stop Meowth from making his panicked face.

And that night, sleeping alone for the first time in the few months since he'd started his journey, staring at the ceiling of their room, Ash wondered. Chief did seem to think Ash had a destiny, but for what, he couldn't explain. Ash thought, most of the time, Chief could just tell Ash was going to be a Pokemon Master, but with their repeated encounters with Team Rocket and Sabrina's declarations about Ash's nature, Ash wasn't so sure. It was starting to seem, instead, that something kept guiding him toward problems he was expected to solve. It wasn't nearly as much fun as training and having Pokemon battles, and nothing like his (vague) dreams of being a Pokemon Master, and he wasn't sure what he'd do if this turned out to be his destiny.

Something made Ash's bed dip, and he jerked, not quite shouting, but squeaking, at least, loudly enough that the small shape perched on the edge of his mattress paused.

"Thought you were asleep, kid," Meowth said.

"I - couldn't sleep," Ash replied.

Meowth hunched a little, ears falling back as his tail curled behind him. "Sorry. I - didn't explain myself well earlier. I tried to explain it to Jessie and James, and I don't think they got it. It's all about your - nature, you know? Weird stuff happens all over the world, you know? And some people deal with it, and some people assume other people'll deal with it, and some people don't even notice it. You're the sort of person who deals with it, and - you're the sort of person who notices it in the first place. You're - one of the good ones, kid, and-"

Ash couldn't help himself; after hearing something like that, he just grabbed Meowth, holding the Pokemon in a tight hug. Meowth flailed for a moment before stilling, relaxing, and, after a moment, patting one of Ash's arms.

"You should get to sleep," Meowth muttered. "Any less than ten hours and you get all weird and loopy."

"Yeah, thanks." Ash set Meowth down and lay down himself, trying to remember how he'd gotten to sleep before he had Susanoo. After a moment, light pressure pushed against his side; when Ash looked down, Meowth was curled up next to him. "Me-"

"The rat'd never let me hear the end of it if I left you on your own when he was out of commission," Meowth muttered. "Go to sleep."

It wasn't the same as falling asleep with Susanoo's steady breathing nestled against his collar, or sprawled on his stomach, but Ash fell asleep not long after, and slept easily until morning.

He woke early, settling Meowth in the space he'd vacated, and found his way to the front desk, where Nurse Joy's Chansey was waiting. He hung back for a few moments, waiting, until the Chansey noticed him. "Um," Ash mumbled, "I left my Pikachu here for observation last night - can you see if he's okay?"

"Chansey!" They waddled out back, and a minute later returned with Susanoo on a mobile bed. He was sitting up, cheeks a healthy red, but his tail was sparking at irregular intervals. Ash leaned over, pausing just out of Susanoo's reach.

"Are you okay, buddy?"

Susanoo's reply was - hesitant. He hadn't slept well, but he wasn't sneezing. But his tail kept sparking, a clear hazard, and his nerves were buzzing, like when he'd just evolved into a Pikachu. Uncertain of what else he could do, Ash took Susanoo to get breakfast.

Ash pulled out his Gear, finding a message from Goh - something with a lot of exclamation marks talking about a Mew sighting in Saffron City, and Ash felt another - notion.

He typed out an inquiry to Goh, who responded almost immediately, an excited series of symbols before they said they'd get back to Ash. Ash smiled at the message. He'd felt - like he was intruding, talking to Goh early on, but Goh always seemed happy to hear from Ash. And they never seemed quite as enthused as when Ash asked to talk about Pokemon. So asking them for help, for advice, felt less like making demands and more like - making his friend happy.

Susanoo looked over Ash's arm at his Gear, asking what was taking Ash's attention. Ash turned the Gear to Susanoo who snorted and pointed out if he'd wanted to read something he wouldn't have asked Ash.

Ash snickered. "I was asking Goh if they had any idea what might be making you feel weird."

Susanoo was - dubious, Ash guessed. Goh was eleven.

"Well, so am I!"

Ash was different, Susanoo replied. Ash was special.

"Well, so is Goh - they're gonna catch Mew," Ash grumbled, feeling annoyed Susanoo was talking like Goh wasn't one of the smartest people Ash knew, like they didn't know more about Pokemon than almost anybody Ash had met (Professor Oak probably knew more than Goh, he allowed).

Susanoo patted Ash's arm, murmuring an apology; it sparked through Ash, making Susanoo curse before throwing himself flat on the table, complaining that if he electrocuted everyone he touched, he'd have to walk all day.

"Aww, sorry," Ash said, patting Susanoo's head gingerly.

Susanoo grumbled through breakfast, which Ash understood, really. He hated being sick himself (even if he wasn't sure Susanoo was sick, exactly. Jessie's theory about electric build-up seemed more believable), and Susanoo's mom wasn't around to pamper him. And Ash couldn't even pet Susanoo without risking a shock - it made him feel a little depressed, too.

When they returned to the room, Meowth was on the bottom bunk, curled up, snoozing, and Susanoo darted up to Ash's bunk before pausing, peeking down at Ash, nose twitching.

"Oh, ah. Meowth kept me company last night - he thought I shouldn't have to be on my own just because you were stuck in quarantine."

Susanoo gave a satisfied chirp before vanishing, likely to catch a little sleep before the other humans were awake.

Ash spent the hour or so before Jessie and James woke up looking through his Gear. He was certain the Power Plant was somehow connected to Susanoo's illness, and wanted to find out more. And an hour of reading convinced him that the key to the whole thing was whatever had pushed the people of Gringey City to clean up the air and the sea next to their town. His only clue, however, was an article written for the local newspaper, in which the author talked about getting his Voltorb out of town for 'thunder season', a weird phrase Ash couldn't make sense of.

"Ugh," James muttered, stumbling out of bed and fumbling for one of their shapeless hoodies, a purple one that made them look a little like a thin Gengar. "Why are you up?" they demanded, through squinted eyes.

"I was researching the Power Plant," Ash said, holding up his Gear.

James grumbled in reply before wandering off, probably to shower, and Smokethief, sensing people were up and about, finally made an appearance, hovering over Ash's shoulder. They pointed at the screen, which Ash held up.

"I think I found something about the Power Plant which might give us an idea how to help Susanoo," Ash explained.

Smokethief offered to fight whatever Pokemon turned out to be responsible, which made Ash chuckle.

"I don't think anyone's trying to hurt Susanoo," Ash argued. "Something like this happens - regularly, I think, maybe once a year. I just want to make sure it isn't going to make problems for Susanoo. He's shocking pretty much everything he touches."

"Man, I was just telling Jessie I wanted a throwback to when we first met and he'd shock you as soon as look at you." Meowth climbed up Ash's leg to stand on his lap and examine the screen of his Gear, sticking out his tongue as he read.

"He barely ever shocked you," Ash retorted, "just me. And that was just because I didn't know how to give him space."

"Well, metaphorical shocking," Meowth amended. An incomprehensible chirp from Ash's bunk made Meowth freeze as Susanoo poked his head out, scrambling down the ladder, and up Ash's other leg. "Hey, uh." Meowth's nose twitched. "Look, if this is about last night, I'm not like, trying to displace you or whatnot - I just thought the twerp could use some company-"

Susanoo rubbed his cheek against Meowth's, discharging a small shock that made Meowth jump, and then took his place on Ash's head.

Meowth was just staring, eyes the widest Ash had ever seen, cheeks red. "I...uh. What was-"

"That's how Pikachu show they like each other - it's like a Pikachu hug," Ash said, rubbing his own cheek. "Susanoo does that all the time to me - but he's usually better at not shocking me."

Susanoo apologized from atop Ash's head - in case Meowth hadn't noticed, Susanoo was having a little trouble with his cheek pouches right now.

"Yeah, but…" Meowth looked at Ash, still - panicked, Ash guessed.

"If it makes you feel weird, I can tell Susanoo to stop," Ash said.

Susanoo agreed with a solemn, "Chuuu." He respected other Pokemon's boundaries.

Something about the brief exchange settled Meowth; he shook his head, flush fading. "Naw, I don't mind if the - if Susanoo, Thunder God, feels moved to shower me with affection."

Susanoo was quiet, before saying Meowth didn't have to bother with the 'Thunder God' stuff, a familiarity he hadn't allowed to any other member of Ash's team (he tended to insist on the full title when he felt the others weren't giving him the respect he deserved).

"Hm, I appreciate it," Meowth said, sticking one hand behind his head, "but wouldn't want to let the others think I'm getting special treatment." And with that, he hopped down to go pester Jessie into waking up.

Ash watched Susanoo, who shifted so his tail was held away from Ash. He'd finally decided Susanoo didn't hate his other Pokemon - Susanoo was just certain he was the best, and wanted Ash's other Pokemon to remember that. There was a - pecking order, and Susanoo was at the top. He was - polite toward Jessie's and James' Pokemon. But Ash wasn't always clear how Susanoo felt about Meowth - not a wild Pokemon or a caught Pokemon, but a…socialized one.

"You're not being mean to Meowth, are you?" Ash decided to ask. "Because he - I think he cares what you think about him, and he doesn't deserve someone being mean to him."

"Pi!" Susanoo protested, an errant twitch of his tail shocking Ash. Of course he liked Meowth - Meowth was...Ash wasn't certain, but Susanoo might have said Meowth was smarter than Susanoo himself was. Meowth was good company, and had never sat on Susanoo, like James' dumb dog had. It was, Ash guessed, high praise (and it felt a little like a complaint, as Ash had sat on Susanoo at least once). One point was clear: Susanoo agreed Meowth didn't deserve people being mean to him.

With that, Ash decided to leave the matter alone. Meowth was - a little overdramatic, but Ash thought he could tell if Meowth was seriously upset.

Once Jessie and James were both dressed, Jessie armed with a cup of coffee and James with toast and a glass of juice, they planned their day.

"So, under protest," Jessie said, pointing a coffee stirrer at Ash, "I will allow us to visit the Power Plant to see if there is anything we can do about Susanoo's little problem. But! If there is some criminal organization hanging out there causing problems, we will leave and call the police."

"The police?" Ash asked.

"You will call the police, and Jessie and I will discreetly leave town," James said.

"Are we understood?" Jessie asked. "That is a responsible way to deal with the various crimes and disasters we encounter in our journey, alright?"

And maybe it was, but Ash remembered his relief when Jessie and James had jumped in to save the Pokemon Team Rocket had smuggled out of Vermillion City. And - they couldn't get mad at him for asking.

"What if...there's a Pokemon in trouble?"

Jessie sighed. James smirked at her. "I told you," they said. "Oh, absolutely - if someone needs help immediately, we can swoop in like avenging heroes."

With that decided, they left the Pokemon Center to find the Power Plant.

They were a few minutes away when Ash's Gear chimed. He pulled it out, cheered when he found a reply from Goh, even if it was...long. He spent a few minutes reading it as they walked, James nudging him into place and grabbing onto his jacket when they needed to stop. It was possible Ash could have just scanned the message, but Goh was - a lot more interesting than a Pokedex, for one, and they got really excited when Ash asked for help, so it seemed rude not to read all of it.

"What's going on over there, Twerp?" Jessie called.

"Uh." Ash scrolled up, frowning at the block of text Goh had sent. "It's Goh. They say - storm systems tend to affect Electric Pokemon, because of the ambient electricity. Some machines create the same sort of ambient energy as a side effect, and - in Kalos, they invented a way to make an...electric shower to rejuvenate Electric Pokemon-"

Jessie snatched Ash's Gear out of his hands. "As fascinating as Goh's lecture on Electric Pokemon is, we are trying to get in and out with a minimum of fuss," she said, before stopping, causing Ash, who'd been preparing to hop up and grab his gear back, to run into her.

"Ow!" he muttered, causing James and Meowth to turn.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"Certain Pokemon radiate electrical energy that can overwhelm other Electric-Type Pokemon," she read.

"Ominous, sure," James agreed, "but there's an equally good chance Team Rocket's holed up there trying to kidnap Electric Pokemon. Or there's a machine the Power Plan needs to function that Gringey City has just learned to live with."

"You are unreasonably optimistic," Jessie said, pointing at James, "for someone who is working to evade police attention. Stop it."

"I'm just saying there are three possibilities that come to mind, and 'a powerful Electric Pokemon is holed up in the Gringey City Power Plant' seems like the least likely," James replied, shrugging. "Right, Meowth?"

Meowth raised his hands, shaking his head. "Hey, all I'm willing to bet on is that it's going to be weird."

Jessie glanced at Susanoo, who was perched carefully on Ash's head. "You wouldn't mind being slightly electrified for the rest of your life, right?"

Susanoo snorted and replied with a 'Piiii' Jessie didn't even bother asking Ash or Meowth to translate; she sighed and kept walking. Ash did as well, musing on Susanoo's reply. It wasn't just a 'no' - he wanted the option to be close to other Pokemon without risking electrocuting them. Ash wasn't clear on the nuance, but he'd already lost one Pokemon to the desire to settle down and start a family, and.

He wasn't certain he'd handle Susanoo leaving as well as he had Felix.

But this wasn't the time for that conversation, so he remained quiet as they approached the Power Plant. The building was several stories tall, set on the river next to Gringey City, a few hundred yards from the harbor. There was someone in a hard hat sitting in a booth next to the entrance, reading a book.

As Ash and the others closed in on the booth, they looked up, frowning at the group. Jessie ambled up to it and leaned in, smiling widely at the...guard, Ash guessed.

"Hey, there, me and my friends were wondering if we could take a look around-"

"Absolutely impossible," the guard replied, shaking their head. "The building's off-limits to unauthorized personnel even when - it's off-limits."

James perked up, and at the booth, Jessie's smile went thin, but wide. "Even when...what?" she asked. "Because I've got an eleven-year-old boy here whose Pikachu is suffering…" Susanoo let out a pitiful whine from the ground, where he'd been banished after one too many brushes with his tail. "And no one in this town who can help."

The guard shook their head again. "I can't let you in - and besides, it shouldn't be that serious. The Pikachu will be fine a day or two after you get out of town."

"You sound like this is a regular occurrence," James said.

"Well - not like this," the guard said, shrugging. "It's a little...early…"

"For thunder season?" Ash asked, and the guard stiffened, head whipping around as they gaped at Ash.

"Where did you hear that?" they demanded.

"Does it matter?" Ash asked. "I heard it."

The guard groaned and sank down in their seat, so Ash could only see the mop of orange hair peeking over the edge of the booth's windows. "This is a disaster," they moaned. "On top of everything else, we've got kids poking around the...Power Plant."

"Everything?" Ash asked, stepping up on his toes to examine the guard, who was slumped, miserable, in their chair. "I got the idea thunder season is, like - a regular thing you dealt with around here." Except Joy had been irritated, tired - maybe even worried. And the guard had said it was early. "It's not a machine," he said, certain, "or - criminals making trouble. It's a Pokemon. And it isn't acting the way you expect it to."

The guard perked up just enough to look up at Ash, eyes narrow as they took him in. "You're a kid," they said hesitantly. "How could you know something like that?"

"Ah," James said, sliding into the space next to Ash, one finger pointing up. "That is because our friend Ash, here, is training to be a Pokemon Master."

The guard squinted at James, stood, and looked at Ash again. They didn't look impressed. "I've never heard of a Pokemon Master," they said.

"That is because there hasn't been a true Pokemon Master for years!" James declared. "It requires more than knowing things about Pokemon. A Pokemon Master understands Pokemon in a way no one else does. So when Ash Ketchum comes to town, rest assured it is because he knows there is something wrong with a Pokemon, and is here to fix it."

The guard stared at James for an uncomfortable moment, gaze narrow, before they slumped back in their seat with a sigh. "Why not?" they asked. "We've tried everything else - an adolescent boy can't make things worse."

"That has been our experience," Jessie purred, leaning in toward the guard. "But we work best with as much intelligence as possible, so…"

The guard sighed, rubbing at their head. "It all started about ten years ago. I mean, I guess it started a long time before that, but for us, it was ten years. See, Gringey City had gotten - polluted, and it wasn't a great place to live. And then one day - it came. We called it Thunder, then, because we've got a lot of old-fashioned folks around here, and Oak's Pokedex wasn't as widely-spread back then. If you looked it up now, you'd call it Zapdos." Ash saw the glance between Jessie and James - worried. Because Zapdos was a Legendary Pokemon - more powerful than other Pokemon, and more unpredictable than them, too. "And it told us to clean up this city. It didn't offer anything. It didn't make any threats - it didn't have to. So we did. When it returned, a year later exactly, the city was clean, the harbor was clean, and they blessed us, and have every year since. It takes - a little time for our Electric Pokemon to get used to having it around, but the Pokemon Thunder blesses are - more healthy, happier."

"So what changed?" Jessie asked.

"Zapdos isn't due for another month," the guard replied, "and they've been here two months already. And all that power - it's making our Pokemon sick. They can't take this, and…"

"And you can't figure out how to ask Zapdos to stop," Jessie guessed. "Well, this is exactly the sort of situation our little Pokemon Master was trained to deal with. Come on, Ash, let's take a look at this problem Pokemon."

She clapped a hand on Ash's shoulder and guided him toward the Power Plant, moving with quick, steady steps.

"What-"

"Just keep moving," Jessie muttered. "We have to sell this, and that means we can't show any hesitation. That wide-eyed confusion worked for you because we can't believably pass you off as a real Pokemon Master, whatever that means."

"You - I thought…" Ash looked back at James, who gave him a thumbs up. "What-"

"You wanted to get into the Power Plant to look around for what's wrong with Susanoo," James said, "and we got the guard to let us in."

"But you - lied to him?"

"Only by implication," Meowth mused, hands behind his head. "You do want to be a Pokemon Master, and we keep running into the sort of weird Pokemon junk you end up solving. The rest of it's being - creative."

"Try not to worry about it," Jessie said. "It's about time for you to learn that sometimes it's okay to lie to people. Jenny, obviously, if the truth might make them ask awkward questions. If a woman gets a new haircut you think looks hideous and she asks what you think-"

"You're going to confuse him like that," James said, patting Ash's back until he looked up at them. "Look, it's - if you're thinking about lying to someone, think about who could end up getting hurt because of it, and. Well, use your judgment."

Ash frowned as he considered that. He guessed Jessie and James thought lying was okay sometimes, but their lying hadn't done more but cause problems for Ash, so he doubted he could agree with that.

"In any case," Jessie added, "they wouldn't have let us inside if they weren't out of ideas themselves - I mean, sending an eleven-year-old boy to reason with a Zapdos?"

Susanoo chirped his belief there was only one Zapdos - like Arceus.

"I guess you thunder gods stay in touch," Meowth replied.

"Well, when we run into them, we can ask," James said, pausing at the heavy door to the plant before grabbing the handle and pulling it open. Ash's hair raised, skin tingling from something in the air.

Susanoo lifted his head, cheeks quivering, before darting inside.

"Wait!" Ash rushed in after Susanoo, certain that Jessie and James would follow. He was slowed slightly by a sudden weight hanging from his leg, pinpricks as something (someone) scrambled up to his shoulder.

"Meowth?"

"Yeah, go ahead, kid," Meowth muttered, patting the side of Ash's head. "I just figured you're quicker than those two, and you and the rat need cooler heads around."

"Gengar!"

Meowth screamed, nearly falling off of Ash's shoulder as he recoiled from the newly-appeared Smokethief. Ash ducked to catch Meowth, who glared up at the Gengar as Ash paused, checking down the corridor he'd followed Susanoo down for some sign of his partner.

"If you don't teach this a - jerkhole to stop popping up out of nowhere-"

Smokethief snorted - he didn't pop up out of nowhere, he was in a Pokeball.

"I'm not arguing semantics with someone who didn't put in the effort to learn a second language," Meowth grumbled. "I'm just saying, teach your Gengar some manners before he gives someone a heart attack-"

Susanoo squealed in surprise, a demand someone get away from him, and Ash didn't worry about Meowth's balance as he sprinted toward the cry.

Ash skidded against the floor when he ran into an intersection, heading right, toward where Susanoo was saying something about his personal space. A moment later he charged through an open door into some room full of monitors and - controls of some sort. Susanoo was perched on a console, glaring at a floating sphere that looked like it had two magnets stuck to it.

Ash pulled out his Gear. "Magnemite, the Magnet Pokemon. They feed primarily on electrical energy, and are commonly found near power plants, power lines, and generators. The units on their sides generate electromagnetic waves that allow them to levitate; their body is held together by similar waves, and can withstand 10,000 Newtons before the magnets separate from the main body."

"Mite ne!" The Magnemite circled Ash quickly before returning to hover near Susanoo, buzzing. "Maaaa…"

"Susanoo, buddy? Are you okay?"

The response of "Pi pika-ka pika kachu chu!" was so worked up Ash was still trying to translate when Meowth snickered and hopped down from Ash's shoulder.

"It's cool, kid," Meowth said, ambling toward Susanoo. "Our buddy here's just got an admirer."

"Mag ma mag!" The Magnemite dropped to hover at Meowth's eye level, the screws on their front sparking dangerously.

Susanoo responded with a Thunderbolt that made the Magnemite spin around to face him. They bobbed in place...cooing.

"When you say admirer," Ash said to Meowth, "what-"

"This Magnemite wants to have little Magne-babies with Susanoo," Meowth said, grin widening.

Susanoo said something irritated and probably something Ash shouldn't repeat even if he could interpret it, before grumbling he'd expected someone to care he was being harassed by an overenthusiastic Pokemon.

"That's right!" Ash stepped around Meowth and knelt so he could look the Magnemite in the eye. "Hey." The Magnemite tried to shift, to look around Ash toward Susanoo, but Ash shifted in time, trying to mimic the stern face Jessie managed when she was done. "Hey. Susanoo's my partner. He takes a while to warm up to people - or Pokemon - so you floating around is freaking him out a little. But if you back off a little, he might agree to be friends with you."

"Miii?" the Magnemite asked, hopeful.

Ash glanced at Susanoo, who shrugged. Ash patted the screw on top of the Magnemite's head. "Well, nothing's impossible." When Ash stood, the Magnemite began a slow circuit around him before settling a foot or so above Ash's right shoulder, opposite from Smokethief. "Uh."

"Mag mi mite!" the Magnemite declared.

"Ha, seems they've figured out how things work around here," Meowth chortled. "Getting into Susanoo's good graces by making nice with his partner."

"Ge ge gen," Smokethief laughed, between asking Meowth if that's what he'd done.

"Shut up! I didn't have to pretend to like the twerp to get Susanoo to like me!" Meowth retorted.

Realizing they were about ten seconds from a fight, Ash recalled Smokethief, who, thankfully, remained in his ball. Susanoo hopped over to sit next to Ash, keeping Ash between him and the Magnemite, who buzzed sadly.

"So, uh, we actually came in here looking for - Zapdos?" Ash tried. "It'd really help if you could show us-"

The Magnemite lurched up and zipped to the door, pausing just outside. Ash glanced down at Susanoo, who shrugged, so he followed, reminding himself, at the Magnemite's please "Miii", that the Magnemite was doing this to impress Susanoo, not him. The Magnemite had just zoomed down to the right when Growlie bounded down the left hall, Jessie and James trailing him. The Magnemite zoomed back, circling the group of three once before dismissing them and hovering meaningfully next to Ash.

"What - have we - talked about - running off like that?" Jessie panted, hands on her knees. "I am twenty-five, which means I am trying to carefully manage my stress so I don't get wrinkles."

"Everything alright?" James asked, eyeing Ash, Susanoo, and Meowth with a careful eye.

"Yeah," Ash replied, waving at the Magnemite. "This Magnemite here agreed to show us where to find Zapdos."

"They'd do anything to stick around Susanoo," Meowth offered, "because they're attracted to him."

"Stop it," Ash said, nudging Meowth as he started walking. He could remember the vague discomfort when Meowth had joked about Ash having crushes (which he hadn't had, and couldn't quite imagine ever having), and doubted Susanoo, who didn't seem interested in the Magnemite in return, felt much better. "You don't need to embarrass him."

Meowth's smirk faded, one ear twitching as he dropped his gaze to his feet. "I was just joking around," he muttered.

"Well, maybe when you've known him a few years, you'll know what you can make fun of him for without hurting his feelings," James said, ducking to pat Meowth. "Now - hm. Are you sure we're going in the right direction?"

The Magnemite, cheerily leading them on, stopping every few seconds or so to look back at Ash to make sure he was following, seemed certain, but Ash was vaguely aware that Jessie and James wouldn't necessarily agree to follow a strange Pokemon just because they said they knew where they were going, so they might be less certain.

"I think so," he said. "They actually seem to like Susanoo, and Meowth said being nice to me was the way to impress him, so-"

"Well, I wouldn't bank on that affection," James said. "Magnemite, as well as a few other Electric Type Pokemon, see using electric waves. Susanoo all charged up by the residual energy from Zapdos might look - more impressive than he normally does. So if we fix this, they'll probably lose interest."

It was probably for the best - Susanoo really didn't seem interested (he didn't warm up to people as fast as Ash did). But it was a little sad, too, imagining electric waves messing around with someone's feelings like that. Still, he followed the Magnemite, even as the hair on James' head began to stand on end, and Susanoo's tail began twitching at an irregular beat.

As something began to build in Ash, like - sparks running along his...nerves. He looked at his hands, half-expecting the electricity to be visible, like Susanoo when he got aggravated. But there was nothing, just a feeling.

"Jessie? James? Do you feel-"

"Urk," Jessie said.

"Ack," James added.

"What-?" They were staring at Ash - no, past Ash, jaws hanging open. Behind Ash, Susanoo swore (there was no misinterpreting his intention), but his voice was small.

Scared.

Ash turned, slowly, the sparks in his nerves intensifying, and even though he expected it, he was hit with the same mix of emotions that Jessie, James, and Susanoo had expressed.

"Uh."

There was a wall covered in sensors and controls, with clear plastic pulled over them, because there was a massive hole in the roof - there was some sign of repair at the edges, but no attempt to fix it, because.

In front of the controls, under the hole in the roof, exposed to the clear sky so they could come and go as they please, was.

Jagged wings and tail, a fringe on their face that was almost spiked, and a long, sharp beak. Their feathers were - Ash wanted to say yellow, even if he knew that wasn't right.

Their feathers were the color of lightning.

And even if, much later, he would learn Zapdos was barely taller than one and a half meters, they seemed much larger as they stared at Ash with a fierce gaze, challenging or judging or…

Ash had seen Ho-oh, and that had been an awe-inspiring moment.

But Ho-oh had been - a distant figure flying across the rainbow, and Zapdos was.

Here.

"Zap!" they snapped, the sound ending with a click of their beak. The meaning was clear. This was their sanctuary - humans were not welcome here. Most Pokemon weren't welcome here.

The Magnemite zipped forward, bobbing in place. "Mag magne mag mite!"

And Zapdos' gaze shifted to Susanoo, dwarfed by Zapdos' talons. They stared for...Ash was certain it was half an hour...assessing the Pikachu that dared intrude upon its domain, dared to bring humans here. And Ash could almost sense it, the moment Zapdos found Susanoo wanting.

Ash leapt in front of Susanoo as balls of lightning gathered at the tips of Zapdos' wings, arced to join at a point in front of them, and soar toward Ash.

Only to swerve around him and crash into Susanoo to no effect.

Zapdos tilted their head to peer around Ash, at the tiny Pikachu that had withstood their fury.

"Dos?" they asked, surprised, before settling back, still imposing, but no longer on display. "Za dos," they said, and Meowth sputtered.

"They're your dad?" he demanded.

Susanoo retorted his father had been a Luxray, while Ash watched Zapdos.

"Meowth, what-"

"Zap za dos!" The cry was fierce, and slightly clearer than before. Electric Type Pokemon who couldn't be harmed by the storm were...special to Zapdos. Because those Pokemon were...like them.

Ash felt a moment of relief that he hadn't been stupid enough to tell Susanoo to attack Zapdos - the last thing a legend like them needed was more power.

Zapdos leaned forward, gaze back on Ash. "Zaaa…." It was a threat - because even being one of Zapdos' favored Pokemon wouldn't excuse bringing three humans into Zapdos' home.

"I - we didn't really know it was your home," Ash protested. "The way everyone talked, I thought this was - a vacation, or something." Which didn't sound better - having people barge in when Zapdos was trying to relax. "Or your summer home, or whatever."

"Za! Dos do zap za dos!" Zapdos snapped, flapping their wings hard enough Ash had to brace himself, and Meowth yelped as he was tossed backward. And the words were sharp, but the tone was less - angry than Ash expected.

More - frustrated.

Because this was where Zapdos came to relax. No one knew they were here. No one bothered them.

Which meant...Zapdos needed more of a break than usual.

Or something was keeping them from going home.

And knowing that, Ash couldn't leave it alone.

"Um. Not to pry or anything, but are...is everything okay? Because the people in town say you usually hang around for a month or so, and-"

"Doos! Za zap zapdos!"

"I…" Ash looked to Meowth, who was still staring blankly at Zapdos. "I didn't really catch all that?"

Meowth shook himself and nodded. "Yeah, they say - their sibling's being a real jerk, swooping in and taking their place because their own home is fu - messed up."

"Your - sibling?" James squeaked. "Like, another...Zapdos?"

"Zap!"

"Uh, they say that's, uh, metaphorical," Meowth said. "But also literal? Because all legends are the creations of The First One."

"Zap dos do zap zap."

"And also, Zapdos was created at the same time as…" Meowth gulped before continuing. "Articuno. And Moltres. So they think of themselves as siblings more than others."

"So catching them to get them out of Zapdos' home is out of the question," Jessie said faintly.

"Zaaaaap," Zapdos added, and Ash's nerves sparked, because Zapdos' attention was more focused on him, and for all he loved Pokemon, he was beginning to realize having the direct attention of one of the legends was not a good place to be.

(But Ash had a feeling - one he didn't have a word for - a sort of familiarity for something he didn't actually remember happening. As if he'd met a Legendary Pokemon before, spoken with them, the way he was with Zapdos.)

...Even if they sounded - impressed, calling Ash…'chosen of one of my children'.

Since defeating Zapdos was out of the question (catching them was unthinkable), and the problem was Articuno, who would be harder to approach because none of them was immune to the cold, Ash decided on the only other argument he had available.

"Have you tried to talk to them?" he asked. "Articuno, I mean," he added, when Zapdos gave a confused caw. "You said they kicked you out of your home because they're having problems with theirs - maybe...you can talk things over. Deal with everything together. Or learn to share. You're siblings, right?"

Zapdos snorted. "Zap zap dos za dos," they muttered, and Ash…

Paused.

Because what he thought they'd said was…

"Meowth?"

"They say," Meowth said uncertainly, "making friends isn't a thing legendary Pokemon do."

That wasn't what Zapdos had said at all. They'd said making friends was...a gift for those who die.

Ash had never heard that phrase before, not until the dreams he'd had the night he spent out in the cold with Valiant. He'd thought it was just part of a weird dream he'd had, until Zapdos had repeated it.

But Ash didn't have time for worrying about that; he had to show Zapdos what the right thing to do was.

"So what if you don't make friends?" Ash demanded. "You said it yourself - Articuno isn't your friend, they're your sibling, and family can be close to each other, even if they aren't friends. And you've got...a lot of family, right? You said all the legendary Pokemon are your family."

It was quiet after that, Ash because he'd run out of things to say, everyone else because they were terrified of Zapdos, and Zapdos themself because…

Ash hoped it wasn't because they wanted to kill him, because he hadn't found useful advice on teaching Smokethief Skill Swap.

Ash had gotten as far as wondering if it would be worth the risk to try to get Sirocco to Mega Evolve to fight Zapdos when Zapdos clacked their beak.

"Zap," they intoned, sweeping their wings down as they raised their head, looking - fancy, dignified. "Dos zap do do dos."

Ash's breath left him in a relieved huff, while Meowth blurted, "They say the kid makes a lot of sense. They can give it a try. And if things don't work out...well, they've always got Gringey City."

Zapdos had left without much fanfare, leaving them in the middle of the Power Plant and a bunch of Electric Pokemon hopped up on ambient lightning. They'd all headed back toward the entrance, but Meowth noted Susanoo and the Magnemite hung back as they left Zapdos' lair. Ash noticed, too, glancing at Meowth; Meowth shrugged and jerked his head toward the door, and by silent agreement, crouched just outside.

"So, uh," the Magnemite started, "I know I might have come on a little strong, earlier. Your partner's pretty cool, standing up to Zapdos like that."

"Cool?" Susanoo retorted. "He's going to be a Pokemon Master someday, and I'm going to be right there with him."

Ash's eyes were wide, staring into the room, even if he couldn't see Susanoo.

"Which is - part of the problem," Susanoo said. "If I'm going to settle down, for one, it's not going to be settling. Ash wants to be a master, and you don't do that staying in one place. If I settle down, it'll be with someone who's with us for the long haul."

The Magnemite buzzed uncertainly before saying, "I could-"

"Don't," Susanoo said. "Don't come with us just because you want to be around me. You don't deserve to deal with - all the bullshit we deal with just because you think you're...in love, or whatever. Trust me, I've had my heart broken before."

"What?" Ash whispered at Meowth. "Did you know-"

"Shut up, I want to hear this!" Meowth hissed back.

"You really...like that kid, don't you?"

"I love him," Susanoo corrected. "He calls me his partner, but he's my family, and I don't have much of that left. So he comes first, and you - you seem like the sort of Pokemon who can't live with that."

Ash looked teary-eyed, and Meowth was getting there himself, because he'd heard stories about legendary trainers and their Pokemon - how they were best friends, family - but he'd never heard a Pokemon actually lay it out like that.

He'd known what Ash and Susanoo had was special, but even Ash seemed surprised to hear the depths of Susanoo's feelings (Meowth couldn't say why - anyone who'd met the two of them could tell they adored each other).

"That...sounds like a no," the Magnemite said.

"Yeah, sorry," Susanoo said. "But you're a...helpful Pokemon. That's bound to get you a nice partner down the line."

"I...guess."

"And look, if you find a human partner who vibes with you, don't hesitate to try it out. Maybe you'll find one who'll be best friends with you, too."

"...Yeah. I. Goodbye," the Magnemite said.

"So long," Susanoo replied, and Ash burst into tears, and after that, kept Susanoo cradled against his chest until they made camp for the night, ten kilometers outside of Gringey City.

Pop-Pop (not his real name, but they saw more children than adults in their little sanctuary, and the two of them reminded a lot of children of their own grandparents) looked up when someone pulled open the front door of the main house. They were a kid, green-haired, neatly dressed in the way some Pokemon trainers worked to stay even while traveling, and they held a Treecko in their arms.

"Hi, uh - there was a sign out front?" they said, voice a little tremulous. Worried, of course, about their Pokemon. "My Pokemon isn't feeling well."

Nanny swept in from the kitchen and cooed at the sight of the Pokemon. "Oh, they do look a little under the weather. Set them down over here, and we'll take a look." As the kid put their Pokemon down on the table next to the couch (Pop-Pop raised an eyebrow as he examined the Treecko - no obvious poison or anything that required immediate attention, so he settled back), Nana leaned in. "And what's your name?" she asked.

"Sawyer," the trainer replied. "I'm trying to qualify for the Ever Grande Conference."

"Very ambitious," Nana murmured. "And I can see you're taking good care of this Treecko here."

"But-"

"They're just a little worn out," Nana replied. "When you and your Pokemon are training together, sometimes you have to be the one to keep them from pushing themselves. I've got a few things I can give them to help perk them back up, and we can send you on your way as early as tomorrow!"

Sawyer had produced a little book from one of their pockets as Nana was speaking, and was scribbling in it, before they looked up and gave Nana a sharp nod. "Yes, I - thank you! And I'll make sure to remember that for the future."

Nana chuckled. "Well, you remember everything you learn about Pokemon, and you'll make it to the Ever Grande Conference in no time."

The phone in back suddenly rang; Pop-Pop waved at Nana as he hurried back to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi! Is this...Randall?" a bright, high voice asked.

"Yes, it is. Of the Happy Hoenn Pokemon Sanctuary," Pop-Pop said. "Who am I speaking to?"

"My name is Domino," the person on the line replied. "I'm with the International Police, and I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"The International Police?" Pop-Pop repeated. "I'd be more than happy to do whatever I can to help."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Domino purred. "You said you're a Pokemon sanctuary, is that right?"

"Yes."

"And what is it...that you do, then?"

"Oh, provide basic first aid for trainers and their Pokemon, take in Pokemon that need long-term care, the usual. Pretty much anything that needs done in an area some ways from a Pokemon Center."

"Just wild Pokemon, or…"

"No, sometimes trainers leave Pokemon with us because they need more care than they can provide - we've got quite a large estate. And then, of course, there are the rescues."

"Rescues?"

"Oh, sometimes a nurse, or a police officer, or someone, will leave a Pokemon with us. Usually poor, abused things. We leave them alone, mostly - treat their wounds, of course, but give them a nice place to relax. A few of them went off on their own, and a couple more bonded with trainers who came by and went along with them, but most are still here."

"You said - someone. Do you have any contact with anyone in Kanto?"

Pop Pop nodded. "Yes, we know a couple of kindhearted souls in Kanto who help out abused and abandoned Pokemon - send us those poor creatures every now and again."

"And you said a few of these rescues left with other trainers. Did you charge them an adoption fee, or-"

"Ho ho ho! Oh, I suppose if we were a little less well off, we might have been tempted. But who are we to make people pay us money when they've found a new partner? Is...there a problem I should know about?"

"Absolutely not - it sounds like you're doing the world a real favor. If we need you, we'll be in touch."

Hundreds of miles away, Domino dropped the receiver of the phone on its cradle and scowled.

"Domino?" Looker called out from the other room. "Were you able to find anything useful from our lead? If we can find evidence of where these stolen Pokemon are ending up, we'll have a much stronger case against our thieves."

Domino crumpled up the paper she'd been writing on as she spoke to Randall and slipped it into her pocket. "Not a thing," she said. "Wherever our thieves are sending their Pokemon, it isn't Hoenn."

She'd wondered, of course, what happened to the Pokemon the tiny little operation she was using to distract the International Police from Team Rocket's organizations stole, but she hadn't expected to discover they were philanthropists - do-gooders who had stumbled their way into the middle of Team Rocket's schemes and been unable to keep their fat noses out of things.

A fact she was now responsible for doing everything in her power to keep Looker from learning.

There was a man in an office in Vermillion - an easy place to hide if you weren't picky about comfort. If you were willing to bend the rules and sleep in the office you were renting, it was easier. His possessions consisted of a laptop, a duffle bag full of clothes and toiletries, four unused Pokeballs, one holding a Pokemon, and a thumb drive full of data. He had spent long enough around Ann Laurent that he had some idea what projects she'd been working on - contemptible work, absent any sense of ethics or compassion.

She hadn't changed a bit since college.

Reports suggested Mewtwo had escaped the destruction they had enacted on Saffron City, which was a bit of a relief. He hoped the other Pokemon escaped, but death would have been preferable to remaining in Ann's clutches.

He had thankfully found no evidence she was investigating other dimensions - her gaining access to the Distortion World alone would be a disaster of untold proportions (much less what she could get up to if she started poking around too much in Alola).

But the data copied from her personal computer would tell the whole story, one he was committed to reading in its entirety. It wouldn't be pleasant - far from it - but it was necessary, if anyone was going to do something to keep her in check.

He flipped the switch to turn off the laptop's wifi and inserted the thumb drive.

Six hours later, the computer sleeping and the wifi still shut off, the man sighed and slumped in his chair. This was well beyond his skillset, which meant there were maybe three people in Kanto who could help him.

And he wasn't about to trust anyone who'd been working with Silph, which ruled out anyone who worked at Go-Go Systems, so. It looked like he was off to Matcha City.

Chapter Text

"This," Jessie declared as they reached the outskirts of Matcha City, "is what our journey should be like. Three days with no disasters, no criminal organizations-"

"Except for us," Meowth said from atop James' head.

"We're hardly organized," Jessie retorted. "Anyway - just an eleven-year-old boy trying to catch Pokemon and battling strangers." She gave Ash a once-over, in part to get some idea if he was upset with the state of things, but he wasn't even paying attention, chattering with Susanoo while Smokethief hovered at his side, interjecting on occasion.

James, for her part, grinned as she passed, patting Jessie's shoulder. "Well, maybe our luck will continue," she said, stepping across the line to city limits.

"I don't need luck!" Ash, having heard, apparently, one word out of ten, shouted. "We're going to beat Toushi, no problem!"

"Go, Ash!" James agreed, raising one fist in support. And Jessie rolled her eyes, pulling up her GPS to find the Pokemon Center. The building was an oddly flamboyant one, like a blue-and-orange balloon set in the middle of an otherwise unassuming city.

Ash was first into the Pokemon Center, and had finished handing over his Pokemon when Jessie and James entered. After she took Ash's Pokemon, Joy called over a 'Mr. Moon', a stocky blond man with grey eyes who collected a Pokeball before releasing the Pokemon within, a Pokemon shaped vaguely like a keyring with a face like a lock.

"Oh, wow! What's that Pokemon?"

Ash actually had his Gear out before the man could answer, meaning the response they got was:

"Klefki, the Key Ring Pokemon. Klefki primarily subside on metal ores. Their reason for collecting keys is unknown, as they will not eat metal keys even while starving."

Mr. Moon, turning toward the Pokemon Center entrance, paused, turning his head, covered in a wide-brimmed straw hat, toward Ash. "Where did you get that Pokedex?" he asked.

"Uh." Ash held up his Gear. "This is Professor Oak's."

"Hm," Mr. Moon replied. "I'd take a closer look at whatever applications you put on that Gear; it sounds like one of them might have added some...questionable data to Oak's database."

"Oh," Ash murmured, frowning as he scanned the screen of his Gear. "I - downloaded some stuff when I got my Gear. And my friend Gary gave it to me."

"Well, we'll check it out once we're settled," James said, patting Ash's shoulder. "Thanks for the heads up, right, Ash?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ash repeated obediently.

"No thanks necessary - I'd hate to think you've got something corrupting your Pokedex's data." Mr. Moon saluted as he ambled toward the exit, and in the moment he tilted his head up to leave, his and Jessie's gazes met, and he...froze. It was only for an instant before he was gone, but Jessie was certain he'd recognized her the same way she'd recognized him.

Because he'd let them into the mysterious Dr. Laurent's office and told them about the clone of Mew.

"Jessie?" James asked.

"I'd swear he recognized me," Jessie said, "from Saffron City."

"Saffron?" Ash asked. "I don't remember meeting anyone like that."

"That's because-" James started before snapping her mouth closed. "Well, how about we wait for your Pokemon while Jessie gets a room so we can talk?"

Ash's jaw clenched, a sudden show of tension, and Jessie felt an unexpected pang of guilt for having kept this from him. When she glanced at James, she saw a similar tension in her shoulders, and Meowth's ears were down, tail tucked around him. So Jessie chatted up Joy to get a room for the night (she had a feeling the fallout from this wasn't going to leave any of them with the energy to go to the Matcha City Gym), while James examined Ash's Gear for any sign of a virus or worm interfering with it.

When Jessie returned with the keys, James handed the Gear back to Ash, shaking her head. "I have no idea what's wrong with it," she said. "Goh's parents are - computer people, right? Maybe he can get them to give you some advice."

"Hm," Ash noted, staring down at the Gear. "I'll try that."

"So…" Jessie started; Ash stiffened, grabbed a key, and hurried toward the rooms. James shrugged at her, and Jessie followed, stomach sinking with the certainty Ash was upset. That they'd upset him, again.

So it was a quiet group that entered the room. Ash sat on one of the bunk beds, holding Susanoo in his lap, and by silent agreement, Jessie and James sat on the other. Meowth clambered down James and paused at the edge of the bed before curling up next to her.

"So," Ash started. "You said you recognized Mr. Moon from...Saffron City."

"From Silph Co," Jessie clarified. "From when we broke in."

"To steal more Pokemon?" Ash demanded, one hand falling to clench on his side. "I thought - we'd talk about it if you saw a Pokemon that needed help."

"That...wasn't an option," James said, quiet, one hand drifting to Meowth's ears. "When we found it - them…"

"We didn't know what we'd find," Jessie said hurriedly, throat a little tight. "We were - I was suspicious of Silph Co. And I wasn't going to drag you into something that could get very dangerous very quickly. Team Rocket was working with Silph Co, and there was a - scientist or something who showed us…" She trailed off, because for all they'd been through, she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the Pokemon suspended in a tube, their senses dulled as they were bled dry. Ash had skirted on the edge of the evil of which some people were capable, and was too young to be forced to see into the depths of that.

"They'd found a Mew," James said, "or a - hair, or blood. And they made a clone - a copy - of it. They kept the clone in a tube and drugged them so they couldn't fight back while Silph Co. stole their blood." Her voice was cracked and shaking as she continued. "We had no idea what Silph Co - what Team Rocket - wanted it for, but…we couldn't leave them there like that. I knew - you wouldn't have left them there." She sniffed, swiping at her face, but when that didn't clear, just covered her face with her hand.

Jessie turned to Ash, whose expression was unreadable; the guilt and panic boiled in Jessie's stomach, and she blurted, "We disabled the machine drugging them - we thought weaning them off the drug would give them a chance to get out. We didn't intend for anyone to get hurt!"

And Ash's expression went flat - animation Jessie was used to seeing in it gone as his head dropped down, gaze fixed on the top of Susanoo's head.

"The explosion at Silph Co," he murmured. "That was you."

"Well," James allowed. "We don't know for sure. But." She glanced at Jessie, shrugging. "Chances are good. If that Pokemon really was a clone of Mew-"

"The mother of all Pokemon," Ash said, a phrase Jessie was certain he'd picked up from Goh.

"Ripping a building apart wouldn't be...beyond a Pokemon like that," James concluded.

"...I see," Ash said. He rose, Susanoo still in his arms, and walked out of the room.

They had a quick, silent exchange in the moments after Ash left. James was frazzled - she'd settled easily into her fraternal feelings for Ash, confident their relationship was strong following Maiden's Peak, so the blow was a harsh one. Meowth was shaken - he'd adopted Ash as his own, but Jessie hadn't heard a similar claim from Ash's end, and something like this could only worry him more about that.

So if any of them were to follow Ash - to make sure he didn't fall into some sort of Pokemon-related disaster while he was out of their sight, at least - it looked like it would need to be Jessie.

"I'll be back soon," she said, pushing herself to her feet.

"Can you tell him-" James began, before shaking her head.

"Yeah," Jessie said, patting James' shoulder as she headed toward the door.

She found Ash sitting on a bench across the street from the Pokemon Center. All of his Pokemon were out, Susanoo in his lap, Chief and Triton bracketing him, Smokethief sitting on the back of the bench, Valiant sitting against his legs, and Sirocco perched on a nearby tree - a vibrant sentinel.

None of them challenged Jessie on her approach, which was a promising sign. Neither Triton, Valiant, or Chief moved out of the way, though, which left Jessie standing in front of the bench. Sighing, she sank down to crouch, a little below Ash's level, and waited. She knew Ash wasn't quiet often, so it was possible he'd speak first if she gave him enough time.

It took longer than she'd expected - around five minutes - before Ash spoke up. He was looking down, still, but his voice was steady.

"Do you still - not trust me?" he asked.

"No, that's not it," Jessie insisted, hurriedly; with their biggest secret out, none of them, she felt, had anything they needed to hide from Ash. There were personal secrets, still - painful, difficult memories that would come out in their own time, but nothing she, at least, wouldn't trust Ash with.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were determined to deal with Sabrina, and then she told you the explosion at Silph Co was your fault; we couldn't drop that on top of you-"

"Why didn't you tell me you were checking out Silph Co?" Ash clarified, and Jessie fumbled, her words dying out.

Because…

Ash's original concern - that they didn't trust him - was expected. And she'd thought that meant he was upset they'd kept it from him after it was done.

Not before.

"I would have helped," Ash insisted. "Between the three of us, we could have saved Mew's clone that night without - anyone getting hurt. They could be safe with us instead of - out there alone, or - dead." Tears were gathering in his eyes, his arms tight around Susanoo, and.

Of course. With everything they'd seen before Saffron City, and everything after, it should have been obvious. Ash wasn't worried about being kept out of the loop; he was worried that he'd been denied a chance to help someone, that because he was left out, people got hurt. That there was a Pokemon suffering he could have helped.

"Ash-"

"Is it okay if I stay out here on my own for a while?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Jessie replied, standing. "You never need to worry about that. Just - be safe?"

"I've got Susanoo and everyone with me," Ash said, one hand trailing along one of Chief's vines. "We'll be fine."

"Good to hear," Jessie said, turning to go.

Before she could take a step, she heard movement, and Ash said, "Wait-"

When she turned back, Ash was holding a small paper bag, striped pink and silver, which crinkled as he pushed it into Jessie's hand.

"What-"

"I'll - it's for you," Ash said, before pushing Jessie around and away - a clear dismissal.

So although she wanted to rip the bag open and see what Ash had gotten her (did he know her birthday was in a few weeks? Had any of them mentioned it? Did he know how old she was?), Jessie walked away, steady, back into the Pokemon Center. James and Meowth were nowhere to be seen - probably still in the room, so Jessie hurried there, bag clutched against her chest.

It must have looked a little startling, the way she darted into the room and slammed the door, but she was curious, and couldn't care less about scaring James and Meowth as she ripped the bag open.

Inside was a milky-white stone that just fit in the palm of her hand. Jessie stared for a minute at it, trying to figure out why it seemed familiar.

"Where'd that come from?" Meowth demanded, poking at Jessie's leg. "And where's the twerp?"

"He's...thinking things over," Jessie replied. "And he - gave this to me. It's probably a birthday present."

"It's an Oval Stone," James said, and Jessie gasped, nearly dropping it. You could buy a new Pokegear for what it cost to buy an Oval Stone, and-

"He didn't replace his Gear in Celadon City," Jessie murmured, gaze drawn back to the rock. "Do you think-"

"I think," James said, "we shouldn't worry about whether Ash is going to stick around."

"Well," Jessie said with a tearful laugh, "around me, at least - he didn't get you a Fire Stone."

"Ash knows I can't be bought," James replied huffily, dropping onto the lower bunk. "Come on, Meowth, let's leave Ash's favorite to gush over her new bauble."

"It's not a bauble!" Jessie retorted. "It's - Mercy!" she fumbled with her Pokeballs to call out Mercy, who looked up at Jessie, puzzled, until Jessie knelt down and held out the Oval Stone. "Hey, sweetie," she said. "Ash got us a birthday present."

Mercy's eyes were wide as she took in the sight of the stone - she knew what it meant for her. But she didn't reach for it, as Jessie might have expected. "Mercy?"

"Ha happ!" Mercy declared, and Jessie settled back, pocketing the stone.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Ash would want to see you evolve, too."

In the end, Ash took an hour or so. He found a restaurant a few blocks from the Pokemon Center. It reminded Ash of his mother's restaurant - not because it served the same food or was decorated the same, but because the proprietor, a bubbly brown-haired man who bounced from table to table to chat with his customers, made the dining room feel like a home. He cooed over Ash's Pokemon, even Smokethief, who most people thought looked creepy, and forced extra servings of food on all of them. It made Ash wonder if his mother would do the same when she met his Pokemon, baby them like she did Ash.

It was that thought that finally settled the bubbling uncertainty in his gut, because James always seemed flustered, but pleased when someone thought James and Ash were siblings. Because Jessie got angry when people asked if she was Ash's mother - but only to protest that at twenty-five (soon to be twenty-six), she was much too young to be Ash's mother.

And thinking like that, the thought that they were treating him like a kid, keeping him away from things they thought were dangerous or upsetting, was...

They - Jessie, James, and Meowth - acted like a family, so if they treated Ash like a kid, it was...like he was, too. Like he really was James' little brother. They'd - said things, occasionally, but Ash finally understood that they'd meant it.

He doubted they actually would stay away if he asked, now.

Mulling these thoughts over, the rest of his Pokemon back in their Pokeballs, Susanoo still in his arms, Ash yelped when, on entering their room, Mercy nearly bowled him over, chattering excitedly about Ash and a rock-

"Oh!" He looked at Jessie, who was hanging back, watching Ash with a small smile on her face. She looked like she might have been crying. "You opened my present."

"Yeah, but this little one insisted we wait for you," Jessie said. She didn't speak for another moment before adding, "You didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," Ash insisted. "I thought - Gary doesn't need his old Gear back, and it worked fine, and you've been - really nice to me. And I told my mom your twenty-fifth birthday was coming up, and she thought getting you a present was a great idea, so..." It occurred to him, then, that the present might have been a little much, and Jessie was staring, a little blankly, over Ash's head.

"You...told her I was turning twenty-five?"

Ash shrugged. "Meowth said something once, and I thought it was a joke, but James said, so. If you wanted her to know you were older than twenty-five, you'd tell her."

James snickered, and Jessie glared at her before smiling at Ash again. "That's almost a better present than the Oval Stone," she said, even if Mercy disagreed.

So Jessie dropped down and tugged the Oval Stone out of her pocket. Mercy reached out to take it, holding it between her hands. And then she looked up at Jessie before beginning to glow, growing taller, rounder, the ponytail-like growth on her head splitting and falling to the side, and when the light dimmed, she had a pouch at her front.

"Chansey!"

"Oh, look at you!" Jessie cried, throwing her arms around Mercy. "You're wonderful!"

Ash pulled out his Gear and opened up the Pokedex.

"Chansey, the Egg Pokemon. They produce an egg-like substance which is highly nutritious and can cure minor injuries. They are very altruistic, and will help sick and injured Pokemon even at risk to themselves. Rare Chansey have the ability to cure poison and other types of illness without using any of their own energy."

"Wow," Ash murmured. He knew Chansey worked as nurses, but he hadn't realized there was a good reason for it. "Do you think Mercy is that rare type of Chansey?"

"As a Happiny, she had a rare ability," James mused, rubbing at her chin, "so there's a good chance. It's difficult to find out without inflicting that sort of status on another Pokemon. So it'll have to be a happy surprise, won't it?"

"Alright," Jessie replied, patting James' shoulder. "I think it might be time for Ash to get some sleep. You've got a Gym battle tomorrow, so you'll need the rest."

It may have been true, but Ash ended up spending two hours staring at the ceiling, worrying. Susanoo was curled on his stomach, and Meowth sprawled against his neck (he'd taken the spot wordlessly once Ash was settled, and Ash wasn't about to shoo him away).

His fight against Toushi wasn't just a Gym battle; Sabrina had warned him he'd need to face the Fighting Type master before she'd teach him anything about Sirocco's Mega Evolution, and Forrest had confirmed her battles were a test. A question Ash would have to answer in order to win.

And beyond that, Ash was trying to figure out a strategy. The P-1 Grand Prix had shown him how Fighting Pokemon battled - they used a lot of physical attacks, but the winners had used moves that augmented their greatest strengths, or made weak strategies strong ones.

But Toushi was a Gym Leader - she was a master of her Type, and understood their strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. She must know how to surprise people who thought they knew what they were doing. It made Ash hesitant to consider using Sirocco - any Fighting Type specialist would study how to counter a Flying Type attacker (and Sirocco's Normal Type made her weaker against Fighting attacks than other Flying Pokemon). Smokethief had a natural advantage, and Valiant had been obviously enthusiastic, watching the P-1 Grand Prix.

Not knowing how many Pokemon Toushi planned to fight with, Ash couldn't tell exactly how many he'd need. And that meant-

He'd have to wing it again - stumble through the first time, if he was lucky. It left him feeling cold, anxious. He had four badges, and wasn't nearly as confident as the other trainers he'd seen in action during the P-1 Grand Prix. If he made it to the Indigo League Conference, he wouldn't have a second chance against his opponents.

In the end, he fell asleep, dreams plagued by his worries and the strange, ominous phrase Zapdos had used when dismissing the possibility of friendship. 'Gifts for those who die'...he hadn't been able to find anything that explained it, and felt hesitant to ask Jessie or James.

So even though he'd had eight hours of sleep, Ash woke disoriented, tired, and was tempted to start off with a cup of coffee from the Pokemon Center buffet, except Susanoo slapped his hand away from the cup after he set it down at the table. Ash didn't need coffee - he needed to get his head together. He could have another hour or two of sleep - he didn't have an appointment.

Ash shook his head, though, glancing at Triton and Valiant unexpectedly sharing a bowl of food; at Chief, waiting to make sure everyone had eaten before he started himself; at Sirocco more or less ignoring the rest of them; and at Smokethief, producing apples from nowhere to set next to each of Ash's Pokemon. He felt - a little warmed to see this.

And then Meowth wandered in, clambered onto the chair next to Ash, and stole his coffee.

"Hey!" Ash protested. "That was mine!"

"Yeah, right - the rat wouldn't let you drink this stuff," Meowth retorted. "Ergo, you got it to share with your favorite feline Pokemon."

"I-" Ash looked at Susanoo, who gave him a smug grin. "Yeah."

"Don't pout, kid," Meowth said between sips. "This stuff's terrible for you - you don't want to get addicted to it. Besides," he added, "a kid your age doesn't need the sort of energy coffee gives you."

"I think I might," Ash replied, letting his head sink down onto the table. "I couldn't sleep." He eyed Meowth carefully before asking, "When we were talking to Zapdos, did they say anything...weird?"

"Weird like how? Never talked to a legend before - aside from Susanoo over here."

"Like...when they were talking about friends, you said - friends aren't their sort of thing, but I could have sworn they said friends are...a gift for those who die."

Meowth's face wrinkled. "I mean, maybe. The thing about Pokemon speak is it doesn't come across the same to everybody. Like - we both know Zapdos was saying they don't make friends, but you got this - weird, mystical stuff along with it." He jerked his head toward Chief. "The Bulbasaur might know something about that - he knows all that junk about legends."

Chief grumbled that just because Meowth didn't know anything about it didn't mean it was junk. But when Ash looked at him, he perked up a little, looking intently.

"Do you know anything about - gifts for people who die?" Ash asked.

Chief grunted before shaking his head. It was - poetic, which wasn't really a Pokemon thing. It sounded like a human thing, and not one he'd heard. Though, most legends were different from other Pokemon; they had a domain, a responsibility. It wouldn't leave much time for friendship.

"Well, then it's not something to worry about right now," Meowth concluded with a shrug. "You've got a Gym to beat."

The Matcha City Gym was a sturdy wooden building in the middle of the woods that spread through the city - two stories tall with a sign hanging on the front door.

"The Leader is In".

"It's very unassuming, isn't it?"

Ash, who'd stopped at the bottom of the few stairs to the door, jumped; next to him, close enough to touch, was a pale-skinned man with dark hair, a neat suit, and thick glasses that magnified his blue eyes.

"Toushi's Gym - it doesn't look like much. But then, neither do you." The man's smile widened into a sharp grin, and Ash heard James growl behind him.

"But you keep surprising people," the man said. "It's a trait that has served you well, but not one, I think, that will help you here. Toushi can look at a trainer and see their strengths and weaknesses more clearly than a psychic could - who can only see their thoughts. They say she asks a question of her challengers - I can tell you what that question is, if you like."

Ash stared at the man, who'd so far been a constant in his journey - and just as much of a mystery. He felt a thread of unease in his chest as he thought to ask his own question, namely, who this man was, and what sort of interest he had in Ash.

"No," Ash decided, shaking his head. "I'm going to face this challenge the way Toushi wants trainers to."

"And what will happen if you lose?" the man asked. "If she refuses to answer the questions you have for her?" He leaned in a little closer. "If that happens - I'll be waiting out here, and I can tell you what you need to know."

Ash shook his head again. "You don't have to wait around," he replied. "I'm going to win."

He pushed past the man and tugged open the door to the Gym. "Toushi!" he called. "My name is Ash Ketchum, and I'm here to challenge you!"

"You're here for the Spirit Badge?" The inside was something like a dojo, pillars set around the padded floor, cream-colored accents to the dark wooden interior. And in front of a small altar or shrine was standing a woman - not much taller than Ash, and nearly as wide as she was tall, wearing a white gi with a dark belt, watching Ash with pale brown eyes set underneath short, messy red hair.

"Do you think you're ready to face me?" she asked, identifying herself as Toushi.

The question, almost accusing, made Ash hesitate - for a moment, question himself.

But he needed this, so he nodded. "Yes. I don't just need a Spirit Badge - something happened to me when I faced Sabrina, and she said you'd have answers."

"I'm well aware," Toushi replied. "But I can't give you those answers until I face you in battle, until you confront the weakness that holds you back. So yes, if you can beat me, I'll give you the Spirit Badge and tell you what it is I see in you."

She stepped forward onto the mat, and glanced, pointedly, at Ash's shoes. He hurriedly slipped them off and approached the mat himself.

"This is a test of your spirit - of your fighting spirit," Toushi said, reaching into her robe to produce three Pokeballs. "Winning will require all of your knowledge, all of your creativity, and all of your strength."

Ash nodded. Three-on-three gave him time to test Valiant's strength, and pull out Smokethief or Triton if he needed.

"It will also take all of your judgment," Toushi added, "because you can only use one Pokemon."

"That's not fair!" Jessie snapped, while James began ranting about the Pokemon Inspection Agency, and Susanoo…

Ash hadn't heard many swears from humans, especially with how closely Jessie, James, and Meowth watched themselves. But from this moment alone, Ash was pretty sure he could swear fluently in Pikachu.

Susanoo was ready to fight Toushi herself - Pokemon-on-human, one-on-one.

"Hey, watch it," she snapped to Susanoo. "Or do you want the kid to pick up that sort of language?" And Susanoo's mouth snapped shut, because except for Lt. Surge, who seemed to know Electric Pokemon better than anyone else, no other human had been able to understand Susanoo.

"You, too," she snapped at Jessie and James. "No one - not me, and not even the Pokemon Inspection Agency - said Gym battles have to be fair. Life isn't fair. Winning a Gym battle just has to be possible, putting it a step above life." She grinned at Ash, a hint of fang visible at the edge of her smile. "If you want to beat me, you're going to have to do it right - three on one, my Pokemon versus yours. If you want someone in your corner, your friend with the blue hair can referee."

And Ash, shocked at first, wanting to protest like Jessie, felt his nerves settle, because he had been anxious about this battle, worrying over what he'd be facing, and.

He knew, now, what the challenge was.

Ash looked down at his belt, and sidelong to Susanoo, considering. Three-on-one meant Toushi could cover a lot of Types - she probably had a Pokemon to deal with any of the weaknesses of Fighting Type Pokemon. A Psychic Type Pokemon or Flying Type would fall to one of hers. And it wasn't just a battle - it was a test of fighting spirit. And of all his Pokemon, the one with the most 'fighting spirit', whose creativity and determination had improved Ash's team already, was-

"Are you ready?" Toushi asked, holding up a Pokeball.

Ash nodded and tugged one away from his belt.

"Three, two, one," James said, "Go!"

"Triton, I choose you!" Ash called, tossing Triton's Pokeball into the center of the arena. The Squirtle appeared with a triumphant cry, while Toushi's Pokemon appeared across from them - a massive Pokemon with black-and-white fur, who squinted down at Triton as they flicked a grass held between their teeth.

"Goro," they growled.

"Pangoro, the Daunting Pokemon," was Ash's Pokedex's input. "Incredibly sensitive to minute vibrations, they can use thin reeds or grass as a way to track their opponents' movements. Its physical strength is greater than suggested by its size, but most Pangoro are hesitant to use it against weaker opponents."

"Pangoro, Thunder Punch."

"Dodge and counter-attack with Multi-Skull Bash!" Ash called. Triton tucked their head in and began spinning, bouncing against the pillars to avoid the Pangoro as they charged in a straight line and punched the floor where Triton had been standing, fist sparking with electricity. Triton ricocheted off a pillar just behind the Pangoro to slam into their back. They bellowed, twisting around to respond, but Triton was already skipping out of range.

"Water Gun!" Ash shouted, puffing out his cheeks as Triton spat out a blast of water that hit the Pangoro, who stumbled back before rearing their arm back, paw sparking with lightning again. "Use the pillars as cover and keep using Water Gun!"

It took a few exchanges, the Pangoro trying to punch Triton only to be frustrated by Triton's superior speed and use of cover, before Toushi shook her head, chuckling.

"An interesting tactic," she said, before tugging a second Pokeball out of her outfit. And Ash couldn't say how, but he could see - in Toushi's posture, her smile - what she was planning.

"Get some distance!" Ash commanded, as Toushi threw out her Pokeball.

"Come on out, Emboar!"

Ash saw James' jaw clench, but he didn't shout out. He'd realized this wasn't a normal battle - Toushi hadn't said Triton would battle her Pokemon one after another, anyway. And Ash needed to win this battle, which meant doing so on Toushi's terms.

Which were, at the moment, Triton fighting both Toushi's Pangoro and a fat Pokemon half a meter shorter than the Pangoro, a pig-faced creature with flames framing their head, black bands along their arms and stomach, and patterns like red and black tights along their legs.

"Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon. Its flame beard reflects its emotions, rather than its health. A social Pokemon, Emboar tends to work to protect its allies."

"Emboar - Brick Break."

Ash had no time to react as the Emboar launched forward, punching through the pillar shielding Triton. "Flame Charge." The flaming punch was blunted, in part, because of Triton's Type, but the Emboar's beard flared, and they pulled back immediately for another punch.

"Bubble Beam!"

Triton's attack struck the Emboar square in the middle, sending them stumbling back, but Ash had forgotten about Pangoro, who charged in, sweeping one of their legs low to trip Triton, sending them rolling into a pillar, where they paused for a moment, weak.

"Water Howitzer!" Triton hopped to their feet, spitting out a series of blasts of water that kept the Pangoro from closing, and struck the Emboar with a move they were weak against.

"Sunny Day," Toushi said, "and Throat Chop."

"Skull Bash!" Ash cried, as the Emboar hurled a ball of flame into the air that brightened into a blazing sphere, casting the room in bright sunlight. The Pangoro dropped a fist low as they closed in, only for Triton to slam their head into the Pangoro's gut (Ash butted his head forward slightly as Triton did so). Their attack went wide, but Ash didn't dare cheer. This was a three-on-one battle, and Toushi hadn't released her third Pokemon yet.

"Crunch," Toushi commanded, forcing Ash to send Triton into another series of spins, bouncing off of the pillars to avoid the Pangoro.

"And Solar Beam."

It took Ash a moment - a moment too long - to remember that when the sun was bright enough, Solar Beam didn't require any time to charge. So when the Emboar opened their mouth, they spat out a blast of bright white sunlight which caught Triton, sending them bouncing back into the side wall. Ash winced (did he actually feel that, or did he just have good enough of an imagination to picture it?), and held his breath as Triton stood, wavering.

"Solar Beam, again."

"Dodge!" Ash screamed, as the Emboar sent a blast of energy that nearly hit Triton, who spun out of the way, narrowly avoiding another Crunch from the Pangoro. Another Solar Beam took out the pillar Triton tried to hide behind. Feeling cornered, trapped, Ash's gaze darted across the battlefield-

Something hit the side of Ash's head, not hurting so much as startling him out of his focus. Toushi was tossing a bean bag or something similar from one hand to the other.

"What was that?" James demanded. "You can't assault your challenger!"

"Get out of their head, Ash!" Toushi snapped. You think you can win like that? Thunder Punch and Solar Beam!"

"Multi-Skull Bash!" Ash retorted, and instead of fleeing, Triton bounced into the Emboar, sending the attack wide, and slammed into the Pangoro's head, sending them reeling, sparks discharging into the ground. Scrambling for a strategy, a way out of this, Ash shouted, "Fling the Pangoro at the Emboar!"

Toushi's eyes widened as Triton grabbed the Pangoro's leg, spun, and hurled them at the Emboar just as the Emboar opened their mouth for another Solar Beam.

The blast knocked the Pangoro into another pillar, dust billowing from the site of the collision as the bright light from above dimmed. "Skull Bash!"

Triton spun into the dust, ready to slam into the Emboar-

"Lucario, Force Palm." A black and blue Pokemon, close to half a meter shorter than the Emboar - slender with a pointed face and ears, metal spikes protruding from their fists and chest - appeared between Triton and the Emboar, slamming an open palm into their shell. They spun back, failing to make contact as the Lucario pursued.

"Force Palm!"

"Use a pillar as cover and use Water Shotgun!"

"Brick Break!" The Emboar punched through the pillar behind Triton, allowing the Lucario to close in and slam their palm into Triton again, a ruthless attack that left them not only woozy as they stood, but stiff-limbed - paralyzed.

"Heal Pulse, and Low Sweep! Use Fire Charge!"

The Lucario held out a palm, and some of the Pangoro's stiffness left them as they ran in low to kick at Triton, and the Emboar closed in from the other direction.

"Multi-Skull Bash!" Ash made a sweeping motion with his arm as Triton tried to build up speed, and then-

Another beanbag hit the side of Ash's head. "Hey!"

"You're doing your Pokemon a disservice focusing so much on what they're feeling," Toushi snapped. "Making them fight alone like that."

"I…" Triton had weathered the attacks, but had taken a few hits in exchange, and was moving sluggishly. "Come on, Triton!" Ash called. "They can't beat us like this. Use Bubble Beam together with your Multi-Skull Bash!"

Toushi was frowning, as if trying to figure out what Ash was doing, as Triton began to spin wildly, bubbles scattering in every direction as they did. There was almost no way to dodge; even the Lucario, who jumped back with rapid hops, couldn't escape the wide spray of bubbles.

"Awesome job!" Ash called, as Triton stood from their spin. The film of bubbles coating everything left Toushi's Pokemon moving awkwardly, slowed by the attack. "Use Water Howitzer!"

Something in Ash's enthusiasm rallied Triton as they turned on their sluggish opponents with rapid-fire blasts of water, head moving in time with Ash's as he noted their targets. He didn't let his focus waver when another beanbag hit his chest, just shouted, "Bubble Storm!"

"Get above them and use Drain Punch! Close in for Thunder Punch! And use Sunny Day!" The Pangoro and Lucario were quick, the Lucario grabbing a pillar and swinging around it to avoid the spray of bubbles, and the Pangoro charging in. The Emboar, though, took the full blast of bubbles, causing the glowing light around them to fizzle out. The Pangoro's punch missed Triton's fast-moving form, but the Lucario kept up, dropping from their perch to punch the shell with a fist enshrouded in a red aura. Triton went skidding back while the Lucario seemed healthier. Ash grit his teeth, frustrated. It wasn't just the three Pokemon, but the way Toushi ordered them to fight in sync-

Startled, Ash jerked up, just in time to see another beanbag flying at him; he caught it, shocked at his own reflexes.

Toushi grinned toothily. "Do you see it yet?" she asked.

Ash did - he knew exactly what Toushi was trying to teach him. This wasn't a three-on-one fight, it was four-on-two. By focusing too much on what his Squirtle was seeing and feeling, Ash lost sight of the bigger picture. She watched the whole field, directing her team like a general. It was smart. It was strategic.

But Ash couldn't help but feel it was wrong. She wasn't throwing those beanbags hard enough to hurt, so he fixed his gaze on Triton. "Use Skull Bash!" Ash yelled, wishing, hoping, that Triton had the same thought he did - would know who to target.

"Aura Sphere!" Toushi shouted as Triton rocketed toward the Lucario. "And Flame Charge, Crunch!"

The Lucario hurled a blue sphere at Triton; it struck them with enough force to send them careening toward the Pangoro, whose jaws were open wide.

"Fling!" Ash commanded, and Triton popped out of their shell, going from a spin to a somersault to grab the Pangoro's arm. The Pangoro had enough time for their eyes to widen in shock. "Throw them at the Emboar!"

"Heal Pulse!" Toushi called out, and the Lucario stretched a paw toward the Emboar. Triton threw the Pangoro at the Emboar, the two massive Pokemon colliding, knocking them into another pillar. The Emboar struggled to their feet, but the Pangoro didn't move.

"Pangoro-"

"One out of three, yes," Toushi replied, recalling the Pangoro. "Emboar, use Brick Break on the ground."

The Emboar raised a fist and slammed it into the ground, shattering a three-meter-wide portion, sending dust erupting up from around them. As Triton shook themself, trying to rid their eyes and shell of the dust, Ash heard, "Aura Sphere." A blast of blue energy knocked Triton back; Ash winced at the sight of the blow, hands clenched at his sides as Toushi pelted him with another beanbag.

"You need to pay attention!" she shouted.

And Ash grit his teeth, gaze fixed on Triton: his Pokemon - his friend, one of his partners, certain to his very core that Toushi was wrong. There was still dust filling the field, obscuring his vision, but not, it seemed, Lucario's. But if he could just get some sign of where Triton's opponents were…

"Come on," Ash murmured, squinting at the dust, trying to figure out what Triton was seeing. The dust wasn't covering everything, and somewhere in there was a Pokemon who was on fire-

And in that moment, Ash thought he saw fire, flickering blue, in the dust. "There!" he shouted, pointing. "Water-"

Triton made a dismissive noise as they drew their paws back and released a blue sphere that soared, unerring, through the dust. There was a shout, and a thump.

"Emboar-"

"I'm quite aware," Toushi said, voice sharp, short, while Ash stared at Triton. Because he thought he knew everything his Pokemon was capable of.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Aura Sphere?" he demanded.

Triton scoffed. None of their other trainers would have known what to do with it. They hadn't been certain Ash did, until today.

"Drain Punch!"

Ash would later claim he saw movement in the dust, but in the moment, it was like he just knew where the attack was coming from. "Water Shotgun!" he shouted, pointing, and Triton turned, inhaling in time with Ash, and spat a blast of water that caught the Lucario just as they broke through the dust. The Lucario couldn't use Heal Pulse on themself, which meant if they wanted to recover their strength, they had to land a punch on Triton. "Use Water Howitzer to keep them at a distance!" The rapid attacks were too much for the Lucario to avoid all of them; caught by one or two, they took refuge behind another pillar. "Skull Bash!"

There were only a few pillars left, but enough that Triton was able to come at the Lucario from an unusual angle.

But the Lucario was turning already when Triton approached, one fist pulled back. "Meteor Mash!" Stars glittered around their fist as they slammed it into Triton's shell, sending them rocketing into the far wall hard enough to leave a dent. Triton stood, shakily, as the Lucario bore down on them.

"Aura Sphere!" The Lucario took the blast without slowing, likely confident in their strength compared to Triton's growing exhaustion. Ash felt a flare of panic and desperation-

Another beanbag slapped against his chest, startling Ash out of his thoughts as the Lucario hit Triton with a Force Palm, and Ash gasped in time with Triton. He felt hyper-focused and distant all at once, aware of Triton's every movement, a feeling far more present than any sense of his own limbs. He remembered feeling this way during his fight with Sabrina, when Sirocco had almost Mega Evolved, and took a shaky breath to focus on himself.

"Come on, Triton," he murmured. "We need a plan."

"Drain Punch!"

"Fling the Lucario!" Triton dropped under the punch, grabbed the Lucario's arm, and spun to hurl them into one of the remaining pillars. "And Aura Sphere!"

"Aura Sphere!" Toushi retorted, and her response collided with Triton's Aura Sphere, the two attacks exploding, letting out another cloud of dust. Ash was ready this time, scanning the dust cloud until he thought he saw a flicker of blue.

"Bubble Beam!" Ash shouted; Triton's stream of bubbles caught the Lucario as they leapt from the dust, stars glittering along their fist.

"Meteor Mash!"

The punch knocked Triton into a pillar hard enough to knock out the middle section. They rose unsteadily as the Lucario pulled back for another Aura Sphere, and Ash knew the best solution would be to throw out another Aura Sphere. He looked up from the field, and saw Toushi's smirk, like she knew what he was going to do.

"Fling that pillar!" Ash shouted.

Triton picked up the pillar and hurled it at the Lucario as they let loose with their Aura Sphere, the blue light striking Triton at the same time the pillar slammed into the Lucario.

The Lucario went down with a cry of "Carrr!" while Triton swayed, one hand pressed against the remnants of the pillar they'd thrown at the Lucario.

A flash of red darted across the field, and the Lucario vanished.

"Congratulations," Toushi said.

"Wha?" The words didn't quite make sense, as Ash scanned the field, heart racing.

"You won," Toushi said. "You and your Squirtle beat every one of my Pokemon." She strode forward, stepping around the rubble, to pause next to Triton and hold out a hand. "Good job," she said, before leading them back to Ash's side, holding out her hand to him. He shook it automatically. As he stepped away, she handed him a pin like a yellow tear set on its side, and a small disc.

"That's a Technical Machine for teaching a Pokemon Power-Up Punch," Toushi said. "It's one of the most basic tools in a Fighting Pokemon's arsenal. But you didn't just come here for a badge and a Technical Machine, did you?"

"No," Ash said, shaking his head. "When I was battling Sabrina-"

"Come on," Toushi said, waving toward the back of the Gym. "We're not doing this all sweaty and me in my fighting clothes."

She left them in a bright, modern kitchen, sitting around a sturdy, silvery table with a pitcher of ice-cold water for the humans and a shallow tub for Triton, who wallowed happily in it to recover their strength. Jessie was frowning, and Ash could see the tension in James' shoulders. Even Susanoo's ears were at a tense, unhappy angle. Only Meowth seemed unruffled.

After a few minutes, Jessie slammed down her glass, making James jump next to her. "Can you believe her?" she demanded. "Pushing you around just because you need her help-"

"I'm tempted to report her to the Pokemon Inspection Agency for that stunt with the beanbags," James grumbled.

"Yeah, don't bother," Meowth said, even if it earned a fierce glare from Susanoo. "What? Yeah, it was hard - really hard, but this wasn't about a badge. It's about - whatever weird stuff made Sirocco Mega Evolve in Saffron City. Sabrina didn't know about it - James didn't know about it. Learning something like that takes a lot out of you, whether you got someone to teach you or not."

"Wise words," Toushi said, and Mewoth screeched, darting onto James' head in a startled moment. The Gym Leader was at the door to the kitchen, a pink and silver scarf covering her head, a dark red sleeveless shirt exposing her muscled arms, and a black shirt with a long slit in the front. "From a wise creature - most Normal Type Pokemon don't have the patience to learn human languages. Come on, kid - let's go talk."

She clicked her tongue when Jessie tried to stand. "Stay. I don't talk about this with people who haven't earned it." She didn't comment, however, at Susanoo riding on Ash's head as they left the kitchen.

She led Ash into a large room - a sort of lounge, with couches scattered across the floor, a television, a table stacked with games. The Pangoro was sitting on one of the couches, a steaming towel resting on their forehead. There was a Machamp doing push-ups in one corner, and several Pokemon Ash couldn't name playing something like checkers.

Toushi dropped onto a free couch and waved at a chair set near it. "Sit," she said, and Ash did. "I'm disappointed in you," she said. "There was a point to this battle-"

"I know that," Ash replied. "You wanted me to stop focusing so much on what my Pokemon are feeling. You wanted me to - direct them, like you do. But that's not how I want to battle. I want to fight with my Pokemon - I want to know what they're seeing, how they're feeling. I want to be in sync with them!"

"Hm," Toushi replied. "There's a risk to that, you know. If you get too in sync with your Pokemon, if you're too invested in how they're feeling, that desire to help them, to support them, can hurt you." She sighed, fingers of one hand drumming against the back of the couch. "Have you ever heard of Aura, Ash?"

He shook his head.

"It's the - energy generated by sapient creatures thinking. Everything from the smallest Joltik to Arceus themself generate Aura just by going about their lives. Certain Pokemon have a talent for perceiving that Aura, and because of that, can locate others without being able to see, can project it into attacks, and can even learn to read their opponents' moods and intentions. Lucario is known as the Aura Pokemon, and the attack Aura Sphere is a manifestation of their skill."

Ash nodded, because everything Toushi was saying made sense.

"And in addition to Pokemon, some humans learn to perceive and even manipulate Aura. These people are known as Aura Adepts." Toushi sat up and leaned toward Ash, hands braced against her knees. "And from watching you battle, Ash, it is clear you have begun the journey to become an Aura Adept yourself. With training, you will learn to read the moods of Pokemon and humans, to see by the light of others' Aura. If you become a true master of these skills, you can learn to attack others with your own Aura."

Ash kept nodding, even if parts of what Toushi was describing sounded...like things anyone could do if they paid attention.

"You're puzzled," Toushi said. "Because some of the skills I've described to you are things you've been doing for - weeks, months, maybe even all your life, if you were raised in the right environment. And that's why I don't talk about this to anyone who hasn't already been dabbling with Aura:

"Because anyone can learn to do it." She smirked, shaking her head "So those of us who train with Lucario, who stumble upon the secrets of Aura, keep it a secret. We don't want people coming to us because they hear Aura can be used to - predict people, or understand what Pokemon are saying. We want the people who have been working to understand their Pokemon, to understand other people, to come to us to understand it better. We want them to discover their power has expanded beyond their understanding and seek guidance. We don't want people like - Team Rocket - knowing the capabilities of Aura Adepts. You see?"

Susanoo muttered that Jessie and James weren't those sorts of people, and Meowth had taught himself to talk to humans to understand them better.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "They could have-"

"This is my rule, my choice," Toushi interrupted. "Just as it's your choice to decide if somebody is trustworthy enough to share this secret. So. I'll tell you what I think you should know, and you can ask what you want to know, and after that, you can tell your friends whatever you think you can trust them with."

"So," she said.

"You said - I couldn't ever do this before. I wanted to understand my Pokemon better; I wasn't trying to - read people's minds, or attack people with my…"

"And like I said," Toushi said, "That's the key. Trying to understand Pokemon. Pokemon convey their intentions, their feelings, rather than just...words. If you're friends with the Meowth, he's told you that much. People can study a species enough to learn the…words, but trying to understand what a Pokemon means gives you the skills you need to watch humans the same way. People around you might have started commenting on your...insight."

And Ash, remembering odd looks from James when Ash handed him clothing before James had a chance to tell anyone how he was feeling that day, nodded.

"Your inclinations in battle - moving with your Pokemon, looking at the world through their eyes, trying to anticipate their feelings and actions - synchronizes your Auras. There are rare Pokemon who reach their full potential only when battling alongside a trainer who can match their energy that way. They can combine their Aura with their trainer - it's an exhausting, draining process, but the end result is something like Mega Evolution. The exact effects are unique to those Pokemon, I've been told, but are spectacular."

Toushi leaned back, smiling, while Ash - took it in. He doubted any of his Pokemon had the ability, but it was an...interesting thought.

"Is that - all?"

"No." Toushi lifted one hand, which was illuminated, briefly, with a pale blue aura - darker than the glow of psychic power, pulsing with the beat of Toushi's heart. "I said you can learn to project your Aura into a weapon."

"I don't-" Ash started, before Toushi snorted.

"Of course you wouldn't. But when you're partnered with a Lucario, or a Pokemon that knows Aura Sphere, like your Squirtle, you can project your Aura into your Pokemon - to add your strength to their attacks." At that, Ash began imagining the possibilities, and Toushi, sensing that, Ash guessed, grinned. "Not so dismissive now, are you?"

"But then how does that - Sirocco doesn't know Aura Sphere, and she isn't - that rare type of Pokemon. So how…"

"What you did in Saffron City is why Sabrina sent you to me. It's the risk of using Aura without training. The potential for Mega Evolution lurks in certain species of Pokemon - all they need is the energy to do so. Certain stones found primarily in the Kalos region can grant them that energy, and the bond with their trainer can keep them focused. An Aura Adept can lend their energy to their Pokemon, but the energy needed to Mega Evolve is so great that attempting to do it could kill you - probably would, if you tried it again. That's why I keep my Aura here in a battle." She tapped a fist against her chest before leaning forward again. "It's why you should do the same."

Ash shook his head hurriedly - knowing now, what was happening when he watched his Pokemon battle, he couldn't imagine keeping his feelings to himself.

And Toushi sighed, hands dropping to her knees. She didn't look upset, however. "I knew you were stubborn when you walked into my Gym." She squinted at Ash, examining him. "And I doubt you're willing to spend six months here learning the basics of controlling your Aura."

Ash bolted up in his seat. "Six months?" he demanded, horrified at the thought of delaying his journey - of what would happen to Jessie, James, and Meowth if he stayed here.

Toushi laughed, shaking her head. "I figured you'd react that way. It's probably for the best, anyway - we'd try to murder each other inside a week. Lucky for you, I've got another way to teach you how to control Aura." She threw something at Ash, then; startled, he reacted without thinking, catching it before he had a chance to consider what it was-

An egg - white, with irregular pale blue blots across its surface. Warm to the touch, but strangely still. Ash stared at it for a long moment, before realizing Toushi expected him to - sense what was inside. And what was inside was…

Quiet. Sleeping. Still.

"There you go," Toushi said, patting Ash's shoulder. "You figure out how to take care of that - see what hatches out of it - and you'll be well on your way to becoming an Aura Adept."

And Ash might have had a suspicion - what Toushi had given him. But she wasn't what he had expected, so maybe this wasn't what he expected, either.

But for now, it remained a mystery, as Ash and his friends left Matcha City toward the Pokemon Preserve known as the Safari Zone.

Chloe, on her way home from school, slowed when she caught sight of someone who looked...distressed. They held two small, foxlike Pokemon in their lap (one red and yellow, one brown), and a black-and-white one was pushing anxiously at their leg.

Chloe stepped out of the center of the sidewalk to approach them, ducking down to catch their watery blue eyes with her gaze. "Hello? Are you alright?" Given the stranger's Pokemon, she took a guess. "Did you lose a Pokemon battle?"

"No," they replied, wiping at their eyes, pushing a strand of honey-colored hair away from them. "I couldn't even - everyone says getting your third Gym Badge is really hard, and I…" They shrugged. "I don't know if I can do it."

Chloe shrugged because she didn't know one way or the other about Pokemon battles, but sat next to the stranger, on the other side from the black-and-white Pokemon. "I don't really know about - Pokemon stuff, but if this is what you really want, you should try."

"But that's it," they murmured. "I don't know if I want to be the - Indigo League Champion. I don't know if I want to be a Pokemon trainer for...however long people train Pokemon." They squeezed the Pokemon in their lap. "Fennekin, Eevee, and Pancham want to do their best, and I'm trying for - them. But…"

"If you don't want to be a Pokemon trainer, why are you doing this?" Chloe asked; she'd assumed, the way everyone around her was so enthusiastic about Pokemon, that everyone else dreamed of being a Pokemon trainer. It hadn't occurred to her people might feel more like she did (although the way the stranger was hugging their...Eevee, which Chloe thought she recognized, and...whichever one was Pancham, and which Fennekin, they likely cared about their Pokemon, but maybe only in the way Chloe did with Yamper, as a part of the rhythm of her life).

"Because leaving to go on a Pokemon journey was the only way my mother would let me do anything other than Rhyhorn racing!" they wailed. "And I wanted - I hoped maybe I'd meet...someone, if I went on a Pokemon journey in Kanto."

Chloe didn't roll her eyes, but only just. Girls in her class were just starting to talk about...romance, and she wasn't in any mood to obsess about that, either. "Well, I don't think you should be a Pokemon trainer if you're so - upset about it," she said.

The stranger lifted their head and shook it hurriedly. "I'm not upset," they declared, "just...lost, I guess," they allowed. They smiled, suddenly, bright, and reached over their Pokemon to grab Chloe's hands. "You could come watch my Pokemon battle with Lt. Surge!" they declared.

"I...I'm not really interested in Pokemon...battles," Chloe replied, aware that saying she wasn't interested in Pokemon made people look at her - in confusion, or pity (like she'd had some traumatic experience, instead of just...didn't understand the obsession).

"Well, to cheer me on, then," the stranger said. "It's...lonely, facing a Gym leader by myself."

Chloe sighed, because it did sound lonely, and her new friend (probably, if they were inviting her to cheer them on in a Pokemon battle) needed support. "Alright, but it can't take too long - I have to make sure my friend Goh gets his homework."

The whole experience was strange, Chloe mused later, as she walked home. The girl, Serena, had been worked up over the fight, which hadn't taken more than a few minutes. Chloe hadn't quite followed the battle, in part because she'd spent most of her time watching Serena and Lt.. Surge themselves. They'd been so - intense about the whole situation, Serena working herself into a frenzy trying to beat the Gym Leader (which she did, eventually, leaving Chloe with a sense of...pride, she supposed, in her new friend), and the Gym Leader focused, pleased himself when Serena beat him.

It still didn't interest Chloe remotely, but Serena's declaration that a Pokemon journey was her way of finding the thing in the world she wanted to do sounded...appealing. And so as Chloe returned home to Yamper eagerly dancing underfoot, she eyed the Pokemon carefully.

Serena had said she was in Vermillion City for a few days to train and maybe catch a new Pokemon.

Chloe wondered if she'd like more company.

Butch paused when Dr. Laurent opened the door to her lab. Her coat was blackened at the edges, her hair singed, and despite all this, she was smiling.

"Um? Was there some sort of gas leak in here?" Butch asked.

"What?" Dr. Laurent's expression shifted from a smile to a pout to a scowl, a more natural expression. "No. An experiment just - got a little out of hand."

"You're not going to blow this place up, too, are you?"

Dr. Laurent snorted as she turned back into the lab. Recognizing the silent resignation of his presence, Butch followed. There was a haze in the air, and Dr. Laurent's Absol was lounging by her chair, unconcerned.

"I didn't blow up Silph Co."

"Your experiment, then."

"Mewtwo Prime wasn't my experiment; it was Dr. Fuji's prototype. And I didn't blow up Celadon Headquarters, either." She called out something that looked like a Weezing with a - top hat or smokestack rising from each head. "Clean this up," she commanded, at which point the (maybe) Weezing began sucking in the acrid smoke.

As she didn't seem ready to explain, Butch sighed and asked, "What did happen to Celadon City Headquarters?"

"We just set off the fire alarms a few times," Dr. Laurent replied. "You'd think we actually did blow the place up, the way what's-her-face kept talking about it."

"What's-her - Matori?" Butch demanded.

Dr. Laurent shrugged. "That woman who blathers on whenever I try to talk to Giovanni - his secretary or whatever."

Butch didn't reply, because trying to explain Matori was Giovanni's operations commander and deserved respect would be a waste of time - Dr. Laurent couldn't be bothered to remember the names of anyone she didn't think was necessary to continuing her work, and probably felt that work was important enough to only talk about with Giovanni himself.

"You're not, uh, usually so calm over...setbacks like this," Butch decided, instead.

"Setbacks?" Dr. Laurent spun in place, and there was - life in her eyes, gleaming as she smiled, delighted. "Silph Co was a setback. I lost so much research - and I admit, that...upset me." Her smile faded, before it returned a moment later. "But this is - an opportunity to explore new avenues of research, and exploring new ideas isn't pretty. There are - failures, and brief successes, and spectacular mishaps, but from each one, we learn. Your data from your Hypno, it's providing some promising ideas. R - it suppresses conscious thought to such a degree the affected Pokemon lack any resistance against psychic manipulation-"

"Yeah, it's, uh. That's what headquarters sent me to talk about," Butch said, hoping the change in direction would keep Dr. Laurent from trying to explain everything to him. "R," he clarified.

Dr. Laurent rolled her eyes. "I told that woman there wouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, she doesn't see-"

"She doesn't know everything," Dr. Laurent said. "I discussed my experiment results with Giovanni; it's hardly my fault if she misunderstood whatever he shared with her-"

"Giovanni told her he wants the experiment back," Butch said.

"Why bother?" Dr. Laurent snapped. "I was already experimenting with alternative production methods, and my own experiment is an improvement over Mewtwo Prime!" She stalked off, and Butch followed, seeing the sudden movement as an invitation to join her. They went through two doors, passing her assistant fiddling with a device that looked identical to a still-smoking one next to him, before coming to a door with a complicated keypad. She tapped in a code and stepped through.

When Butch entered the room after him, he understood what she'd meant.

The creature floating in the tank was - sleeker than the Mewtwo he had seen in Saffron City. Their eyes, closed, twitched at irregular intervals, suggesting they were dreaming.

"What-"

"You want to talk about setbacks?" Dr. Laurent demanded. "Of thirteen attempts to replicate Dr. Fuji's research, eleven died, yielding only one stable clone. But I improved on his work - a pure clone, without any foreign genetic material detracting from the pure expression of Mew's genotype. Its psychic powers are more focused; we can generate a far more potent strain of R from this creature's pheromones. So explain why we need to track down Mewtwo Prime."

"Because Giovanni heard what it did in Saffron City," Butch replied. "If you've got a perfect source of R, Giovanni wants the original for his own use. Team Rocket can keep experimenting with R, and Giovanni can use the most powerful Pokemon in the world to crush his enemies."

Chapter Text

"And then the Ponyta started glowing, like, shing, and she evolved into a Rapidash! And then we went nyoom, and I won the whole race!"

Meowth was technically watching Ash while Jessie and James found dinner, but as Ash was content to stay in their room at the Pokemon Center and share every detail about their last week or so of traveling with Goh, this consisted of dozing just next to Ash, close enough the warmth of his leg soaked into Meowth and he could occasionally scratch Meowth's ears. The egg from Toushi was bracketed in Ash's crossed legs, and Susanoo propped up on his other side so he could stare at it (all of Ash's Pokemon were obsessed with the egg - Valiant sat with it when James mentioned Fire-Type Pokemon who could help eggs hatch, even after James pointed out the only such Pokemon native to Kanto were Ponyta, Rapidash, Magmar, and Moltres).

"Well, I'm not specifically looking for...Pokemon eggs or to see Pokemon evolving," Ash continued, voice a little strained. "It's just - Pokemon hatch. They evolve. It's a part of...training them. If you wanted to get a Pokemon yourself and come out here-"

He was quiet for a moment, and Meowth tensed himself, straining to hear Goh's words. He only caught 'Mew', which was enough.

Then you can't complain that I get to see amazing stuff out on my Pokemon journey when you want to do something else first," Ash grumbled.

Goh's response was - well, not as sharp as Meowth would have expected from two kids Ash's age getting into an argument, but Ash scowled anyway.

"I've got to go," Ash snapped. "So long." He ended the call, but kept ahold of his Gear, glaring at it. After a moment, Susanoo lifted his head.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Goh's a jerk," Ash muttered.

"Not to throw around praise for humans I've met, like once," Meowth drawled, "but they seemed like a pretty cool kid."

"All someone has to do to get on your good side is say how cool it is you can talk like a human," Susanoo sniped.

"Yeah, we can't all be as picky as you are," Meowth retorted, at which Susanoo stuck out his tongue.

Are...you fighting?" Ash asked.

Meowth started, having forgotten about their audience. Ash was watching Susanoo and Meowth with wide eyes - hand still clutched around his Gear, but distracted, for the moment, from his argument with Goh.

"Nah," Meowth replied, setting his head down on his paws, closing his eyes. "Me and Susanoo are buddies. We're just having a little disagreement - he doesn't think my opinion of humans matters much."

"I wasn't-" Susanoo protested, before falling quiet. "Maybe not a lot of humans see how cool you are, so the ones who do are special," he allowed.

"Like Goh," Meowth pointed out, and he heard a huff from Ash.

"Yeah, Goh," Ash growled.

"Okay, kid, we're gonna need some context here," Meowth said.

"Maybe you do," Susanoo said through a yawn, "but I've got Ash's back, whoever's got him mad."

Meowth sighed and peeked up at Ash, who was frowning slightly, as if he'd lost some of his certainty. "Kid?"

"Goh was acting like they were mad that I keep meeting interesting Pokemon, seeing Pokemon evolve...but they don't want to be on a Pokemon journey unless they've caught Mew first, so they're acting like they just want to be mad at me." He crossed his arms across his chest before falling on his back on the bed. "Maybe I shouldn't bother making human friends," he muttered. "They all just end up being jerks."

"Yeah, no, you don't want to do that," Meowth protested, patting Ash's leg. "Some humans are okay. Jessie and James-"

"They don't count; they're family," Ash retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Gary gave you that Gear to replace your old one," Meowth continued, at which point Ash flailed at him with a pillow, hitting him full in the mouth.

"Shut up, I just want to wallow," Ash grumbled, shifting to tug the egg up against his chest. "You won't be a jerk, will you?" he asked the egg.

Meowth rolled his eyes, even though Susanoo glared at him a little for it. "So, how long are we going to be angry with Goh? Just, they seem high-strung - probably can't handle a long fight."

Ash sighed. "Urgh. I'll call him when we get back from the Safari Zone. Happy?"

"In general?" Meowth asked. "Or-"

"Stop it; you're confusing him," Susanoo said. "Just say what you mean, you dumb cat."

Meowth didn't let the insult bother him - whatever specific words Ash was getting out of the conversation, he was certainly getting the same sense of fondness that Meowth did.

"I mean, yeah. You like them - it's obvious, or you wouldn't be talking their ear off about your adventures. So it'd be a shame if you stopped talking just because they're - conflicted. You can - be sad about what happens after you make a choice, even if you think the choice is - the best for you."

"What he said," Susanoo added, scrambled onto Ash to drop down next to the egg. "Like, having you as a partner is clearly the best thing that's ever happened to me - the near-death experiences aside. But it doesn't mean I don't...wonder, sometimes. You know?"

"Susanoo?" Ash asked, voice quavering.

"I'm not going anywhere," Susanoo reassured hurriedly. "Just - what-ifs. You'll understand when you're older. Maybe," he amended, likely realizing Ash didn't dither a lot about the past.

"Well, I get you," Meowth replied, padding over to sprawl out next to Ash, near where Susanoo was watching the egg (whatever hatched out of that was going to be spoiled for older siblings, Meowth guessed, and knowing he was going to be part of that newborn Pokemon's family, too, dulled the edge of - resentment, or jealousy - that the Pokemon would be born with more love in their life than Meowth had ever had before Jessie and James). "If I never learned to talk Human...well, I've got no idea what my life would be like. But sometimes I wonder…"

"Well, you'd be quieter," Susanoo said, sticking out his tongue, before actually rubbing at his chin, like he was thinking seriously about it. "I can't say if you'd be the type to charm your way to the top or claw your way up, but since you'd be putting all the energy you spent learning to walk and talk like a human into making it on the streets…" His tail twitched, erratic, as he thought. "Well, that Meowth could challenge me, I bet."

And Meowth was used to a lot of - teasing from Susanoo, comments Meowth was never certain were serious. But Susanoo wouldn't idly compare a Pokemon's strength to his own, not unless he thought it were true. And that…

Left Meowth's throat dry, head empty,

"I bet he still could, if he started training really hard," Ash agreed, reaching a hand down to scratch Meowth's ears, sending Meowth's stomach on another swoop. Ash was optimistic, and supportive, but he also thought Susanoo was the best.

"Besides," Susanoo added, "You've got to show Butch and that blonde jackass from Team Rocket you can beat them on your own."

There was - faith, and support, in those declarations, which occupied Meowth's mind through dinner, and the hours he spent staring at the bottom of Ash's bunk (he needed the distance from the twerp, and Susanoo...Meowth wasn't certain what he needed from the Pokemon who'd confidently declared in another life, Meowth might have been a match for the self-styled Thunder God).

So he was riding on James' head as they left the Pokemon Center and crossed the boundaries into the Safari Zone, Kanto's largest Pokemon preserve, and the only official one. They'd listened to a ten-minute lecture about how while catching Pokemon in the Safari Zone was allowed, battling them was off-limits. The ranger, a middle-aged man who'd glared at James when she'd asked how they could defend themselves from wild Pokemon (his answer, unhelpfully, had been, 'run'), had provided them each 30 green-and-brown 'Safari Balls', the only Pokeballs they could use to remove Pokemon from the preserve.

Jessie was tossing and catching a Safari Ball as she walked, musing about the Pokemon most often found in the Safari Zone. "If I didn't already have a Chansey, this would be a good place to catch one." Mercy, who even Ash had agreed was the best person to carry the egg, preened at the compliment as she trailed Jessie. "It's rumored there are Dratini somewhere around here, and Scyther is common, if you need a new Bug Pokemon-"

"I want to catch a Psyduck," Ash said, tapping one of the Safari Balls at his side. "It was really awesome how Misty's Psyduck went all, 'Psyyyy' and made that rampaging Pokemon fall right asleep - whomp."

"You know how I feel about Psychic Type Pokemon," Susanoo grumbled.

"But Psyduck isn't a Psychic," Ash said, reaching up to pat Susanoo's side comfortingly. "It's a Water Type Pokemon."

"Yay," Susanoo muttered, but didn't protest further.

In any case, the Safari Zone was pretty. Not Meowth's taste - he was an urban Pokemon - but it had the whole rolling vistas, sparkling rivers, dense forests thing going for it.

Ash spent their first fifteen minutes in the Safari Zone just staring, head darting from one sight to the next, grinning when he saw a Venonat, a pair of Nidoran, a Venomoth. And then they reached the edge of a river, and Ash reached for one of his Safari Balls.

"Here we go," he said. "There's bound to be a Psyduck somewhere around the water."

And there might have been, but Ash did not find one.

What he did catch, the first time he saw movement, was a Tauros. Tracking along the reeds, watching for a sign of a wide duck's bill, he caught another Tauros. A rounded form at which Ash threw a Safari Ball, thinking it was a Psyduck, was the haunches of a Tauros, which Ash caught. Reacting to a splash downstream, Ash caught, instead of a Psyduck, a Tauros. Laying in wait for half an hour for some sign of the duck Pokemon, Ash found only a pair of Tauros. The first he caught when he accidentally dropped his Safari Ball, which the Tauros nosed inquisitively, activating the capture net; and the second when, frustrated, Ash threw a Safari Ball in the air, which bounced against the oddly placid Tauros' skull. His fishing lure got entangled with a Tauros' tail, and, as Ash had prepared to throw a Safari Ball at whatever he pulled out of the water, he caught it. Hurling a Safari Ball into a bush too small to conceal a Tauros caused it to bounce off the branches and hit the Tauros hiding in the slightly larger bush next to it (Ash caught it). Crawling through the reeds, Ash found a territorial Slowpoke, and, while backing away hurriedly, ran into a Tauros, activating one of the empty Safari Balls on Ash's belt, catching it. When, two hours later, exhausted and frustrated, Ash sat them at the top of a ridge for lunch, he set a Safari Ball next to him; it rolled away from him, bounced off a rock, off the edge of the ridge, and into the side of a Tauros, which Ash caught, at which point he screamed in frustration and fell back along the grass.

"I'm never going to catch another Pokemon that isn't a Tauros," Ash moaned. "I'll be Ash Ketchum, the Tauros Trainer. I'll become a Gym Leader, specializing in Tauros."

"Don't worry," Susanoo said, patting Ash's knee. "I'll stay with you, so at least you've got a Pikachu, too."

"Thanks, buddy," Ash replied, apparently sincerely.

"Well, maybe if you take your mind off it for a few minutes, you'll have better luck," Jessie mused. "Right?"

James shrugged, tugging off the safari helmet that topped the khaki skirt and vest she'd apparently been keeping in reserve for this exact circumstance, before squinting at Ash. "Maybe. But it's equally likely the Safari Zone Tauros just like what they see in our aspiring Pokemon Master. What was that thing you told me about catching Pokemon, Jessie?"

Glaring at James as she dismantled Jessie's attempt at consoling Ash, Jessie shook her head. "Which time? I've said a lot of things about catching Pokemon."

"Come on, it was something about Pokemon deciding to be caught," James replied as she opened up their packs, rooting around for the rice balls they'd picked up from a small stand before entering the Safari Zone proper. "It sounded like something I'd want to remember, but, surprise, I did not."

Chewing thoughtfully, Jessie stared upward. "I think I remember - I thought it was a children's book, because of all the pictures. It was about Sinnoh...there were pictures of the First Pokemon, Arceus, all through it." Her voice was almost lilting, wistful. "There were - short stories, or poems, between the pictures. The book said that Pokemon and humans used to live apart, like people in different countries. But a - sage, a well-respected Pokemon - suggested the other Pokemon offer their help, their companionship, to humans. So after that, it became tradition that Pokemon approach humans they want to support. They could challenge the humans, if they wanted, but…"

"Ma said I never had to be caught if I didn't want to be," Susanoo said, earning a puzzled look from his partner (and Meowth had to agree with the confusion - Ash and Susanoo agreed they hadn't gotten along when they first met).

"Meowth?" Jessie asked.

He shrugged. "Susanoo says Pokemon tell their kids nobody can catch them if the Pokemon doesn't want to be caught."

"So you hear that?" James asked. "All these Tauros think you're someone they want to support. It's actually quite flattering."

"I suppose," Ash mused. He didn't sound despondent any longer, but Meowth wouldn't claim Ash wasn't still disappointed they hadn't found a Psyduck.

"If it makes you feel any better, none of the Pokemon in this stupid preserve want to go with me," Jessie griped. "I've lost a dozen Pokeballs already, and not even a Magikarp to show for it."

"Magikarp aren't all that bad," James said.

"Sure, if you've got the patience to raise them into a gigantic, red sea serpent," Jessie sniped back.

Any further debate on the subject was interrupted by an explosion, close enough that they could probably run to see what was going on, but far enough that it was going to be torture for those of their party who were-

Meowth's thoughts were interrupted when Ash scooped him and Susanoo up, the Pikachu hopping up to the top of his head, and Meowth shocked for a moment before scrambling up to Ash's shoulder. James was sprinting after Ash, while Jessie kept even with Mercy, likely to keep two sets of eyes on the egg.

Smoke was rising from maybe half a kilometer away, closer now that Ash was leaping down the slope; another explosion went off, rocking the hillside, and nearly sent Ash tumbling.

"You know, uh, if this is just Pokemon fighting over territory or whatever, we're not allowed to get involved," Meowth said as Ash hopped across a stream, his momentum not even slowing.

"I know," Ash said, breathless, with a tone that suggested to Meowth that Ash would get involved in a fight between Pokemon if he thought it was 'right', "but there are scared Pokemon down there."

Meowth didn't pretend to know anything about Toushi and Ash's 'Aura' thing, but if it was a sort of energy that people like Ash could perceive, to see it from half a kilometer away, you either needed to have really good vision, or the Aura had to be burning like a beacon.

Scared? They had to be terrified.

"Hey, you ever hear that a Kangaskhan can kick your head right off your torso?" a Pokemon roared.

"She's bluffing, boss!"

"Toxicroak, use Drain Punch!"

"With pleasure!"

Ash broke through a line of trees to find a blue Pokemon with a bulbous red throat, and middle fingers and toes highlighted with the same shade - balanced on their toes, darting under the reach of a massive tan-colored Pokemon with a pale belly, thick tail, and a pocket along her stomach, to punch her side. The tan Pokemon (a Kangaskhan?) howled while the Toxicroack hopped back.

There were a dozen or so Kangaskhan, and maybe half that many baby Kangashkan, standing behind the one fighting the Toxicroak.

The Toxicroak's trainer, a human dressed in a black jumpsuit shouted, "Again!"

"Hey!" Ash shouted. "You can't fight Pokemon in here - it's a Pokemon preserve!"

"Yeah, their inexperience makes it a lot easier to battle them," the poacher replied, smirking with a dark glint in their eyes. "And since I need to lug a lot of Pokemon back to the lab, an easy fight is what I need."

"If you're so eager for a fight," Susanoo growled, "I'll show you a real fight!" He leapt off of Ash's head without prompting, cheeks sparking as he took a deep breath, and Meowth covered his ears.

The combination of lightning and the thunderous roar of Echoed Voice that made up Susanoo's Voice of the Storm combo hit the Toxicroak and poacher with incredible force, knocking the Toxicroak out and into their trainer, a collision that sent the poacher to recall their Pokemon and flee, screaming shit like they could hold their own against Ash's entire team, when they couldn't handle...well, the powerhouse, but only one Pokemon, anyway.

"Hey." Ash was already turning, not crouching because the Kangaskhan towered over him. But he held out an empty hand to the Kangaskhan. "Are you alright? I've got some Potions and Berries I could give you to help after that fight."

But the lead Kangaskhan wasn't looking at Ash - her gaze was focused on Susanoo as he scrambled back up to the top of Ash's head. Meowth tensed, because the Kangaskhan was clearly a decent battler, and if the entire colony decided to fight them, he didn't know what they'd do.

"...Sparky?" the Kangaskhan asked, and Susanoo's ears fell back as he tensed, startled, before his tail and ears relaxed all at once.

"...Hey, sis," Susanoo said.

"Sparky?" Meowth asked, delighted, because he was never going to let Susanoo forget he'd grown up with the name Sparky.

"Sister?" Ash demanded, which...might have been the more reasonable line of inquiry, except Meowth had not expected to discover their Storm God had been once saddled with the name Sparky.

"Uh...yeah," Susanoo replied, rubbing the back of his head, as James, Jessie, and Mercy, finally caught up. "Guys, this is my sister. And, this is my...partner, Ash."

Despite his initial shock, Ash adapted quickly to the revelation that the scrappy Kangaskhan was Susanoo's sister; he'd immediately begun peppering her with questions about Susanoo, enthusiasm undampened by the fact she hadn't said much, only revealing, to no great shock, he had once been a Pichu, and, to slightly more shock, that she'd never seen him as a Pikachu.

Susanoo himself seemed...less enthused about the reunion, James guessed. He migrated down from Ash's head, but hung close to him, gripping onto the leg of Ash's pants, if he could manage it. If she didn't know better, James would guess Susanoo was shy (but then again, unexpected reunions could drag up a lot of feelings you thought you'd left behind with your family).

Susanoo's sister, who seemed to be in charge (or at least was the colony's enforcer, given that she'd been fighting the poacher on her own) tolerated the questions for only a little before she stared down at Susanoo, muttering, "Kanga gas kan khan kangaskhan? Kan ga ga gas kanga kan!"

Susanoo's ears twitched, and when he didn't reply, Ash jumped in. "Well, he didn't like me very much at first, but we really understand each other, right, Susanoo?"

Susanoo's ears fell back, and James, remembering Meowth sniggering over the Kangaskhan calling Susanoo 'Sparky', figured the nickname said something to the wild Pokemon that Susanoo was embarrassed about (or unwilling to debate with his family).

Of course, the Kangaskhan were more surprised by the fact Ash offered a (presumably) relevant answer to their question.

"Yeah, we should've mentioned that," Meowth drawled, wandering around Ash's other leg, not quite putting himself between Susanoo and his family, but close at hand. "Ash here's got a knack." He put his hands behind his head, casual. "You can ask him whatever you want to know yourself."

"Ka?" Susanoo's sister eyed Ash carefully, before looking back down at her brother. "Kan...gas?" She squinted at Ash, who flushed.

"No, I - Professor Oak caught him...I guess?" He suddenly laughed, fond gaze dropping to Susanoo. "You know, I never asked?"

"Pika-chu," Susanoo muttered; Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I get that." He smiled at Susanoo's sister. "Professor Oak gave him to me as my first partner. And it - took a while to understand each other. And after that, I...really wanted to understand him better. After all, he's my partner - we might be together for years. I'd feel a little weird knowing someone that long and not really knowing what they're saying, you know?"

"Kaaan," the Kangaskhan agreed, before waving Ash on as she turned. "Kan kangas kan ka."

Ash's eyes widened; picking up Susanoo, he hurried after the Pokemon.

"Hey!" James protested at Ash's retreating back. "You aren't doing anything dangerous, are you?"

"They invited us back to their territory," Meowth said, ambling after Ash. "As long as we don't try to catch any of them."

"Oh, absolutely not," Jessie agreed as she passed James. "That's definitely impolite, catching your host. Mind, if one of these beauties asked to come with me, I wouldn't turn up my nose at the offer."

"Chansey?"

"Well, probably not Susanoo's sister - she probably couldn't handle playing second fiddle to you," Jessie replied, patting her Chansey's head. "But James has three Pokemon, and I only have two."

"Chan?" Mercy asked, causing Mewoth to sputter and turn, shaking his fist at her.

"I ain't anyone's Pokemon!" he snapped.

"Seyyyy," Mercy replied, cheery, although the way Meowth's expression settled into a mulish grimace, the statement was less innocent than it sounded.

"I'm not in a ball," Meowth grumbled, "so I can leave anytime I like." He crossed his arms and stalked forward, and Jessie was pretty sure what the topic of conversation had been.

"You really shouldn't tease him about Ash and Susanoo," Jessie told Mercy. "They're his friends, like we are, even if he acts a little more…"

"Cha sey," Mercy supplied.

"Well, yes, Pokemonish, around them," Jessie agreed. "Come on - let's see if those Kangaskhan have any advice about getting this egg to hatch."

James trailed at the back as they followed the Kangaskhan into the lightly-wooded glen abutting a clear pool fed by a waterfall that made up their home. A group of Kangaskhan did in fact surround Jessie and Mercy, chattering and gesturing at the egg. At Mercy's responses, they began waving at Ash as they spoke, suggesting the egg's history was being discussed, and that Jessie would be occupied for a bit.

James aimed for Ash, next to whom Susanoo's sister was hovering meaningfully; Meowth was not-so-subtly glaring at her, while Ash kept glancing between the two siblings (and James was still trying to work that out - Kangaskhan and Pikachu couldn't interbreed, so Susanoo and the Kangaskhan could be half-siblings...unless Susanoo's father actually was a Luxray, which would mean - well, Pokemon adopted sometimes, she guessed).

At last, Ash, reluctantly, stepped aside, allowing Susanoo and his sister to wander to a private corner of the glen, near the waterfall. James decided to join those of her companions who were not currently being accosted by a dozen excited Kangaskhan.

As James approached, she caught the tail end of a comment from Meowth.

"-like I'm some sort of freak."

"She's just trying to figure us all out - she hasn't seen Susanoo in a long time, and he's got all these friends now. And you and me are - really unusual."

"A Pokemon who can talk like a human and a human who can listen like a Pokemon, yeah," Meowth agreed.

"Hello - we're not worrying ourselves unnecessarily, are we?" James asked, patting Ash's shoulder as she stopped next to him.

Ash looked up at James, and she could see he was worrying at his lip - worrying at something else, as well. So she tugged Ash to the edge of the stream dribbling out of the pond, sat them both down (Meowth settling on Ash's other side, feet dangling into the water), and slung her arm around his shoulders.

"Soooo," she said, "what's got you all up in your head?"

Ash didn't reply immediately, eyes on the water as a Goldeen flashed by. Once, James might have wondered, tried to figure out what was in Ash's head, but...she'd learned it was rarely helpful. Ash's thoughts so frequently went in an unexpected direction - or at least one James had yet to understand Ash well enough to predict.

"Susanoo...hasn't seen his family in a long time," Ash said slowly.

"If that's what he told you," James agreed, having had few serious conversations with Susanoo - or at least few which she had understood.

"He...never really told me about - all this," Ash added, waving at the glen, the pond, the stream. "I don't know why he left. How he ended up with Professor Oak...with me." He looked to the side, toward the waterfall where Susanoo and his sister were seated, in deep discussion. James kept her mouth shut, because there were a few, different expected paths this conversation could take, and countless unexpected paths. "Do you think - he regrets that?" Ash took a shaky breath before continuing. "It's not like he wouldn't be challenged, staying here to help fight off poachers."

"Oh, Ash," James murmured, tugging him into an awkwardly-angled hug, rubbing his shoulder gently. "I know you two got - stuck together, really, but you have to know Susanoo chose you. Since Felix left, at least, he's known you wouldn't stand in his way if he wanted to leave, but he's never-"

"He's never had a better option," Ash whispered. "Back out in the wilderness on his own, staying with a Magnemite he barely knows, but finding his family?"

"It's hard for you to see it, I know," James said, "but the way he looks at you, his body language when he's around you - you're his family, too, Ash. Family he chose."

"Susanoo's adopted," Ash retorted. "His mother and her colony took him in as a Pichu. So they chose him, and-" He sniffed, wiping at wet eyes. "I'm worried," he added, voice quiet, and so scared. James squeezed a little tighter, and Ash huffed, nearly sobbed, and James, entirely irrationally, hated Susanoo in that moment, for not having left Ash with confidence in his place in Ash's life.

But Ash didn't need James' anger - he didn't need her to rant about his best friend's flaws, real or imagined. So she took a steadying breath.

"You can't control...who leaves your life, Ash," she said. "I think you know that. I'm - so proud of how you handled Felix asking to leave. Respecting your Pokemon's choices is so mature - so many people think catching is for life, when it's a partnership, like you say." She smirked, suddenly, and messed up the hair at the back of Ash's neck. "All those Tauros must agree."

Ash chuckled, even if his voice was still a little...wet, and he didn't look up. "I loved Felix, but this is - Susanoo."

"I know," James agreed. "If it helps - I'm certain he wouldn't leave you easily."

A pair of screams from the side drew Ash's gaze; James followed, heart swooping when she saw Susanoo and his sister entangled in a thick net. The same poacher from before, muddy hair still on end, revved the engine of the brown-and-green all-terrain vehicle they were perched on, dragging the net across the stream and onto a low flatbed at the back.

"I'm supposed to get the whole herd," they said, "but these scrappy little things will be a feather in my cap, anyway. And with them out of the way, getting the rest of these Pokemon should be a breeze."

"Wait," James muttered, thinking, something almost familiar in the poacher's language.

"You're with Team Rocket, aren't you?" Jessie demanded.

The poacher snorted. "What gave it away? I'm not exactly wearing the uniform."

Jessie rolled her eyes, striding forward through the crowd of Kangaskhan, Mercy behind her. "You've all got the same particular brand of awfulness."

"Yeah, well, it won't do much for you, knowing that," the poacher - the Team Rocket grunt - retorted, hand going to their belt as they pulled away three Pokeballs. "Come on out, boys!" His Toxicroak appeared perching just next to the net, skin sparkling in the midday light, a tan bag slung over their shoulder; a Rhydon landed behind the vehicle, and a massive, three-headed blue and purple Pokemon appeared above them.

"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon. The heads on their hands do not contain brains, but react faster than other limbs due to some unknown process."

"So how about you help me round out my haul and hand over your Pokemon?" the grunt asked.

"Chuuuuuu!" Lightning danced ineffectively along the surface of the net; the grunt snorted.

"It's a fucking insulated net," they drawled. "So give it up."

"Ooh, wrong thing to say," Jessie cooed. "Mercy?"

Mercy waddled over to Ash and handed him the egg, patting him on the head, before turning to face the grunt's Pokemon. "Chan!"

"I-"

"Don't worry, kid," James said, tugging Goldie's Pokeball from her belt. "We've got this."

The red Gyarados emerged in the middle of the stream, taking up most of its volume as she snarled at the grunt and their Pokemon.

The grunt narrowed their eyes. "Toxicroak - Coaching. Iron Tail - Stone Edge!"

The Toxicroak raised one fist and pointed at Jessie's and James' Pokemon; the grunt's other Pokemon narrowed their eyes and lunged, the Hydreigon swinging their tail at Mercy, and the Rhydon slamming into the ground to send rocks flying up at Goldie.

"Twister!" James commanded.

"Copycat," Jessie added, and as Goldie whipped her tail into a frenzy to send a tight burst of wind into the Hydreigon, Mercy mimicked the movements with her hands, adding a burst of wind of her own. Though they roared at the twin assaults, the Hydreigon burst forward to slam their tail into Mercy, who snarled as she skidded back. Goldie escaped the Stone Edge with sinuous movements, but James found her gaze drawn to the Toxicroak, who hadn't used their presumably potent Poison-Type Moves.

"Coaching again! Dragon Rush and Smack Down!"

James hadn't even heard of the move 'Coaching', but it was obviously a team-wide support move, suggesting taking out the Toxicroak would be a good first step. "Hydro Pump!"

"Echoed Voice!" Jessie shouted; but as the Hydreigon knocked Mercy back, Mercy flinched away from the attack. Goldie snarled as the Rhydon leapt up to knock her into the ground, taking away some of her grace as she spat out a torrent of water at the Toxicroak. But her aim was off, nearly hitting Susanoo and the Kangaskhan.

A repeat of the Toxicroak's Coaching made it certain that the longer this battle went on, the stronger the Team Rocket's grunt's Pokemon would get.

"Sing!" Jessie commanded.

"Twister!" James added.

"Dragon Rush! And dodge, using Double-Edge!"

Fuck, James growled in her head, as the Rhydon charged around the Twister, slamming into Goldie with enough force to knock her out of the stream. Rhydon could possess the Rock Head ability - keeping them from taking damage from Moves like Double-Edge, and the Rhydon seemed unhurt.

"Chaaa-nn, sey, Cha chan, chan-sey, chaa-aan sey…"

The Hydreigon slowed, wingbeats labored as they sank to the ground, snoring. The grunt scowled. Rhydon - Stone Edge, and Toxicroak - recover!"

"Tox!" As the Rhydon sent a spray of rocks at Jessie's and James' Pokemon, the Toxcroak hopped to the Hydreigon's side, slipping a pink berry with a blue stem into the Hydreigon's mouth.

They rose into the air with a roar, and James found her gaze drawn to the bag the Toxicroak was carrying - the grunt was clearly relying on the Toxicroak as some sort of support (and it was a good idea - something she'd have to think about for themselves).

But the Toxicroak was also exposed. "Hydro Pump!"

"Block and use Assurance!" the grunt retorted. "Double-Edge on the Chansey!"

The Hydreigon took the full force of the Hydro Pump, and replied with a furious swipe.

"Echoed Voice," Jessie said, and the Chansey's scream, a pulsating sound with painful harmonics, sent the Rhydon wavering, stumbling to miss Mercy. "Echoed Voice again," Jessie commanded, and James grinned. "Use Twister," she commanded.

"Coaching, and Breaking Swipe! Drill Run!" The Rhydon crouched and charged at Mercy, horn-first, but a repeat of Echoed Voice caused them to break off their charge again, the growing force of a repeated use starting to get to them. The Hydreigon broke through Goldie's Twister, soaking the damage to slam into Goldie; her movements seemed more feeble, afterward, suggesting a nasty secondary effect.

"Coaching-"

"Echoed Voice!"

Mercy took a deep breath and howled, a high-pitched noise that nearly made James' ears bleed from the sound of it. The Rhydon howled in response, but remained on their feet, if only just.

"Bite!" James added, and even as the Hydreigon chased her down, Goldie lunged at the Rhydon, knocking them out with a well-placed crunch of her jaws. Without prompting, she slapped her tail into the Hydreigon, a little stronger blow than before, but the Coaching Move was clearly boosting the Pokemon's resilience, so the Hydreigon remained airborne.

"Coaching and Dragon Rush!"

"Copycat!"

"And-"

But the Hydreigon's attack was too quick, knocking Goldie down and out before James could voice a strategy.

Mercy's retaliatory strike, however, was especially effective, and either her bond with Jessie or mere luck made it a solid hit. The Hydreigon snarled, turning on Mercy.

"Brick Break," the grunt commanded, "and Breaking Swipe."

"Thunderslash!" Meowth, who had apparently used all of their distraction to sneak up on the grunt, lunged up from the side of the vehicle, a rapid series of swipes from his claws leaving the Toxicroak with stiff limbs as Mercy turned her Echoed Voice on the Hydreigon.

"Low Sweep," the grunt commanded, and the Toxicroak kicked low at Meowth, sending him tumbling back off the edge of the vehicle, and when he stood, his face looked discolored, almost blue - poisoned. "Dragon Rush!"

"Echoed-" Mercy flinched away from the Hydreigon's attack. The Toxicroak tossed a bright red Berry into their mouth, shaking off the stiffness of paralysis. And Meowth looked queasy, unsteady even as he tried to snap his jaws at the Toxicroak. Mercy glowered at the fight for a moment before charging toward Meowth, evading another Breaking Swipe from the Hydreigon. She let out a high, soothing cry, and the nauseated color faded from Meowth's face. Heal Bell, James thought approvingly, as she grabbed another Pokeball.

"Cheri!" she called. "Smokescreen!"

"Going on the defensive, huh," the grunt muttered. "Dragon Rush! And Brick Break!" The punch sent Meowth flying back, and the Hydreigon's charge out of the smoke allowed them a lucky hit against Cheri.

The Koffing rallied cheerfully, as she always did. "Poison Gas!"

The grunt scowled, even as Meowth rose, skin discolored, poisoned again, and Mercy tried to punch the Toxicroak with a copied Brick Break. They hopped back, posing just next to their trainer as they rifled through their bag.

Mercy's body glowed, a brief, unprompted pulse of light, and Meowth stood steady, the nauseous coloration fading - answering the question of whether Mercy had the rare Healer ability. Meowth narrowed his eyes at the distracted Toxicroak. He launched himself at the Toxicroak, feinting with one claw, and as the Toxicroak flailed to hold off the attack, snatching the bag from the Toxicroak with the other.

"Hey! Give that back!" the grunt snapped.

"What?" Jessie asked, tugging at one ear. "I thought you believed being strong means you can take whatever you want from the weak! Isn't that Team Rocket's motto?"

"What the fuck do we need a motto for?" the grunt demanded. "We just want to get filthy stinking rich-"

"You've got the filthy and stinking down," James said, which made the grunt still, face still frozen in anger.

And then they straightened, tugged their outfit into order, and smirked. "You think you're strong?" they asked. "You don't know what true strength is."

"Don't do it!" Ash shouted, making James' heart plummet in panic, because Ash's instincts were very, very good, moreso now that he was actively - observing, whatever Aura was. Not that it would take any supernatural skill to guess what a member of Team Rocket would consider the epitome of strength.

"Meowth! Get that-"

The grunt broke a capsule next to their Toxicroak. The Pokemon inhaled the purple gas that escaped, and their throat and middle fingers darkened to a sickly purple as their eyes took on a poisonous shade of yellow.

"Keep your distance!" James shouted at Meowth, remembering how another Poison Pokemon had begun producing venomous spores uncontrollably when they'd taken R. "And use Venom Drench on that Hydreigon!"

The Toxicroak, unbidden by their trainer, crouched and leaped into the air, soaring toward Cheri as she finally knocked out the Hydreigon. The punch of their Brick Break was strong, but Cheri was strong as well.

"Cheri-"

"Kofffff," she groaned, spinning slowly in place, revealing pale spots along her cheeks, as if she were...poisoned.

As if the Toxicroak had somehow acquired a second ability, and one of the nastiest a Poison Pokemon could have - the ability to poison those Pokemon that would otherwise be immune.

The Toxicroak opened their mouth to reveal venom-tipped fangs, which they sank into Cheri - Venoshock, if James had to guess. She fumbled for her third and final Pokeball-

"Mercy - Natural Gift," Jessie commanded. And Mercy, now holding the Toxicroak's bag, held up a berry with an odd, star-shaped profile, and, hands glowing blue, charged at the Toxicroak. The slap sent it sailing back, colliding with a tree hard enough to crack it, but when the Toxicroak stood, they were still healthy, far from dropping out of this battle.

"Sing!" Jessie commanded, but the Toxicroak swiped at the air as if to knock away Mercy's hypnotic song, and closed in on her in an instant, using Low Sweep to knock her off her feet. They pulled back a fist, another Brick Break, and James held her breath.

And then Meowth threw himself in between Mercy and the Toxicroak, taking the full brunt of a lucky strike; he swayed for a moment, teeth gritted, before collapsing.

"Chan!"

"Meowth!" Ash shouted, in time with a similar cry from Susanoo.

"Get up," Jessie growled. "Get up and end this."

"What makes you think you can beat my Toxicroak?" the grunt demanded. "Like this - he's almost unstoppable."

"Almost doesn't count in Pokemon battles," Jessie said. "Mercy, get up - we all need you. I need you."

"Sssssey," Mercy hissed, pushing herself to her feet. She was glaring at the Toxicroak, an expression James had never seen on a Chansey before.

And then something else James had never seen before happened. Mercy began to glow, the hair on her head curling inward, the top half of her body darkening, the bottom paling to pure white, and frills like wings growing from her sides and above her arms.

"Bliss!!!" A blue aura enveloped the Blissey's right arm, and a similar one engulfed the Toxicroak. And when the light faded, there was a distinct purple tint to Mercy's skin, and the Toxicroak's skin had lost its dark, dangerous luster.

"That's the same thing that Gastly did to Susanoo!" Ash shouted, and Jessie grinned.

Because it was Skill Swap - giving Toxicroak Mercy's now-useless Healer ability, and taking his ability to poison with a touch, and poison even Steel and Poison-Type Pokemon.

"Mercy, Pound!" Jessie commanded. The Toxicroak tried to hop out of the way, but Mercy was surprisingly light on her feet, and it didn't require a strong hit to activate Mercy's new Poison Touch. And in fact, when the Toxicroak stumbled away from the hit, the red under their throat had a greenish tint to it, poisoned. And Mercy scampered away from the Toxicroak's retaliation, sweeping an arm through the creek, sending a spray of water over herself, soothing some of her bruises. Life Dew.

"If you can find a Sitrus, or - Tamato Berry, use Natural Gift!" Jessie shouted. Mercy yanked a bulbous orange-red berry from her bag and slapped the Toxicroak as they tried to close in for an attack. And the Toxicroak was moving unsteadily - unused to being poisoned, James guessed. "And…Echoed Voice." The high-pitched voice made the Toxicroak grab at the side of their head, pained, and when Jessie commanded Mercy to repeat the maneuver, the Toxicroak groaned and collapsed, still. Mercy sat heavily where she stood, understandably exhausted.

In the silence of that moment, Ash stepped forward, scowling at the Rocket grunt. "You should give us our Pokemon back," he said, voice steady.

"I don't think you can make me do anything," the grunt sneered, exactly one second before red light from one of Ash's Pokeballs released Sirocco. "...Ah," the grunt said. "Yeah, I. Guess you can." They hit a button on their vehicle, sending the net falling from the back of it before they roared into the trees, gone in a moment (Sirocco could probably keep up, but James had heretofore forbidden Ash from riding her at a speed faster than a gentle glide, and wasn't going to make an exception just to catch an already-defeated poacher).

"Hoo!" Jessie sat down herself, bracing herself on her hands as she let her head fall back. "What a rush."

"Bliss?" Mercy didn't move, but the anxious tone to her voice was unmistakable.

And then Ash yelped, hurrying to Meowth's side, egg still balanced in his grasp, while Susanoo chattered at Mercy until she produced a small yellow crystal from the Toxicroak's bag - a Revive - usually more intense medicine you didn't use in the field, but Meowth didn't have a Pokeball he could recover in.

"Did we win?" Meowth asked drowsily.

"Yeah, we did," Ash replied, patting Meowth's head. "You did a great job, getting that bag away from the Toxicroak."

"Awesome," Meowth said, before falling back and immediately falling asleep.

Two days later - one with Susanoo's sister and her colony, and another during which Ash caught nineteen Tauros and zero Psyduck, they were within sight of the warden's home when Ash slowed, and stopped. He waved Jessie and James on.

"Keep going. I just need to - talk about something, alright?"

Susanoo made an inquisitive sound, not even actually a question. Ash shrugged, shifting his grip on the egg, and waited until Jessie, James, and especially Meowth were out of earshot. Ash sighed and sat to the side of the path. Susanoo hopped down onto the ground, tilting his head up at Ash, asking what was up.

"If you wanted to stay with your sister," Ash said, "I wouldn't stop you. I know you must miss your family, so even though you've told - other people you're with me until the end, you don't have to go through with it, just because you said it-"

A paw slapped over Ash's mouth; Susanoo was back on his shoulder, face still, thoughtful. Susanoo didn't talk immediately, didn't protest or shout, which was...good. Ash didn't know what he'd do if he'd made Susanoo angry.

"Buddy?"

Kangaskhan live with their families, Susanoo said, halting. But some Kangaskhan leave to start their own families, to find new colonies - because they needed to be in a new place, or needed something...their original colony didn't have. Susanoo...had loved his mom, his sister, but had never - fit. Not just because he was a Pichu, but. He'd never known what his place was. Here, with Ash, he did. He was Ash's partner. He knew what direction they were going, knew what they wanted, what he wanted.

He didn't want to settle down with his sister and her friends. He wanted to travel with a full-fledged Pokemon Master.

"...Oh," Ash said, after Susanoo was finished speaking. He felt - hollow. He'd worked himself up to accepting Susanoo's possible departure, and finding that wasn't happening, he didn't know how to feel.

Whatever hatched out of that egg, Susanoo added, as he clambered back on top of Ash's head, was going to be lucky having Ash to care for them.

Ash nodded, slowly, feeling - warm, at least until he saw a flash of yellow, and threw his last Safari Ball on instinct.

"I have both the best and worst luck ever," Ash announced when Goh answered their phone; he was sprawled out on the top bunk in their room in the Pokemon Center, Jessie and James again leaving him under close watch while they got food.

"I...what?" Goh asked, hesitant.

"Would you like to know how many Tauros I caught in the Safari Zone?" Ash asked.

"Uh. I. Why are you calling?" Goh said.

"Because it's been three days," Ash replied, kicking his heel against the mattress, "and I know you and my mom worry when I don't have access to a phone signal for more than, like, a day. And my mom doesn't understand Pokemon trainer stuff. So. Guess."

Goh was silent, a tense few moments, before they said, quieter, "I thought you were mad at me."

"Well, yeah," Ash said idly. "I was annoyed, but then I thought how it must be, stuck at home while everyone else your age is off doing exciting stuff. And - well, I'd be annoyed if someone told me all the stuff I had to do to achieve my dream was - stupid. So. I'm sorry if I upset you."

There was a noise like a sniff from Goh's end of the line, but other than that, silence. Ash waited a moment, but it seemed Goh wasn't going to say anything - that maybe they were crying.

"Are you okay?"

"I - thought maybe...I know I'm a lot to deal with, and my dream's silly, and makes things harder for me, but I'd hoped you were - that you were okay with it, so when you got mad, I just thought you were...fed up with me."

"What?" Ash levered himself up, because he found it hard to talk about important stuff laying down. "I wasn't - and I - understand having a dream people think is...strange, or really hard. I'm - actually a little upset, that I made you feel that way. Your dream is amazing! If it's hard, it just makes it so much more amazing when you do it! And anyway, I've been thinking. You said your friend's dad is a Professor, right?"

"...I did?" Goh asked.

"Well, yeah," Ash replied; he definitely remembered Goh mentioning it during a conversation about Professor Oak. "But if you're friends with his daughter, maybe he wouldn't mind letting you help around the lab. And you might not see Pokemon evolve all the time, but there's probably all sorts of awesome stuff that happens there."

"...Huh," Goh replied. "That's - a really good idea." They were quiet for a moment. "You really sat down and thought about - helping me get to see all this stuff I'm missing?"

"Of course!" Ash replied. "That's what friends are for!"

Goh sighed, voice sounding steadier, and then they asked, "How many Tauros did you catch?"

"Twenty-nine Tauros," Ash announced, "and one shiny Tauros."

And Goh, like Jessie, seemed far more excited by the fact Ash had caught a Tauros with rare coloring than annoyed that Ash had thrown thirty Safari Balls and caught thirty of the same Pokemon with every one.

But it was alright - because they were friends.

There was a Kalosian phrase - deja vu - which meant 'remembering something you'd never experienced'. Izumi was glad she'd learned the phrase, because explaining the feeling would have gotten cumbersome, otherwise.

Izumi was passing through Fuschia City when she had woken up feeling something almost like that, but...also nothing like it.

If she had to describe the feeling, she'd say it was 'missing someone she couldn't remember'.

If she had to think about it further, she'd describe it as, 'feeling like she should be missing someone she couldn't remember'. She could handle deja vu, but this new feeling was incredibly distracting.

If she focused on it, she could almost say the feeling was being - projected, as some Psychic Pokemon could do (or Darkrai, if she were dreaming). But she wasn't a psychic, so couldn't trace the feeling, couldn't hope to identify where it was coming from.

She might have let it go, a mystery that would simply go unsolved, if she hadn't, as the day went on, gotten the feeling that someone was reaching out to her (did they remember her, or was a shadow of a memory the only help they could imagine?).

It was novel, having someone asking for her help before they died - and that novelty made doing everything she could to help more important. There were Legendary Pokemon who governed all sorts of parts of the natural world, but Arceus had created none that provided any guidance to the dead. As a result, ghosts added the confusion and frustration of being abandoned by their creator to whatever pain they'd suffered before dying. Preventing that would forestall a lot of effort later.

She was lucky, perhaps, that she first decided to explore the Safari Zone, because when she paused outside the warden's hut, she felt something - a tug, like the brush of the wind, and, used to such oblique guidance, decided to follow it.

It didn't turn out to be as easy as that, but looking back much later, she was certain things would have been much worse if she hadn't heeded the call of the wind.

Dr. Laurent's lab was free of smoke or other signs of destruction, which was promising, but unusual enough that Cassidy was on edge as she stepped deeper into the lab to the working area.

Dr. Laurent was tapping on a console attached to a device that looked like a helmet of some sort. Cassidy was pretty sure she'd seen several variants on this device in pieces, some embedded in the far wall. Her assistant was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, where's-"

"Do you need him, or are you just engaging in idle curiosity?" Dr. Laurent replied, automatic, as if she wasn't even listening to Cassidy.

Cassidy bit back a growl. "Forget it."

"Unlikely, but I won't bother talking about it anymore. What are you doing here?"

"We heard back from the operative in the Safari Zone."

"I'm going to hypothesize, as I've taught you not to bother me with trivialities, that something went wrong," Dr. Laurent said, voice as apparently unmoved as it was when she wasn't talking about her experiments, but Cassidy had had enough encounters with Dr. Laurent to identify a clipped tone to it.

"Well, yeah. Jubei identified several Kangaskhan colonies as a promising supply of test subjects. He said he would have succeeded in catching them, except that he was accosted by, um." There was tension in Dr. Laurent's shoulders, and Cassidy felt a sinking feeling - she wondered if Dr. Laurent already knew what Cassidy was going to say.

"By whom, Cassidy?" Dr. Laurent asked.

"A woman with...red hair, and another trainer with...lavender," Cassidy replied.

"There was a Meowth there," Dr. Laurent said, voice flat, certain. "And a child with a Pikachu-"

"We tried to tell you the first time-"

"Giovanni said he had it handled," Dr. Laurent snapped, and when she looked up at Cassidy, her eyes were fierce, blazing - more emotional than Cassidy had ever seen her.

And even though 'handling' the interlopers wasn't Cassidy's job, she quailed away from Dr. Laurent's frustration. "There's only so much he can do-"

"Yes, that is abundantly clear," Dr. Laurent replied, setting the helmet down on a lab bench (gently, despite her apparent agitation - either she was exaggerating her feelings, or had an iron control over her actions, even when furious) and unplugged her hand-held console. "I am trying to test a very delicate piece of equipment, which would be hard enough without all these setbacks. If I have to deal with this problem myself-"

"What, like battle them?" Cassidy might have snickered, the way Dr. Laurent glared at her.

"Why is that everyone's first resort?" Dr. Laurent demanded. "No, I'm not going to battle them. If we're lucky, I won't even have to talk to them. The Safari Zone, right? That means they'll be somewhere near Fuschia City or - Matcha City." She narrowed her eyes, as if thinking.

"What are you-"

"Unless Team Rocket's prowess as a criminal empire is grossly overstated," Dr. Laurent said, "at least one of these three people has to be a professional trainer. And Matcha City...is where the League's data servers are housed." She smiled, the smirk of pride in her own cleverness. "You're about to see why I don't need to battle anyone, Cassidy. Knowledge is power, and when it comes to computer systems, nobody is better than acquiring knowledge than my Porygon."

Chapter Text

As they'd gotten closer to Matcha City, Ash took the egg from Mercy. It was, Jessie guessed, concern that Toushi might somehow sense he wasn't carrying the egg himself and leap out to take it back, or fight him. He stared at it, intent, as he walked, a frown tugging at his lips.

Jessie caught James' gaze and nodded at him, hoping he got the message.

He shrugged and patted Ash's shoulder. "You shouldn't worry about the egg hatching," James said. "Pokemon eggs are - one of the mysteries of the Pokemon world. There's no - standard for how long it takes a Pokemon to hatch from their egg. Some might hatch right away, but some Pokemon - wait. I've heard of an egg that took a hundred years to hatch; I mean, it might be just a legend, but-"

"But Toushi gave the egg to teach me something," Ash said, gaze still on the egg. "What if I'm messing that up?"

"You refused to learn the lesson she taught you during your Gym Battle, and you still won," Jessie retorted, basking in the pride of Ash's refusal to go along just because some Gym leader wanted him to. "And all this Aura junk is - personal, right? How you understand Pokemon. So maybe she gave you an egg that would respond to you being - you."

"Or she's trying to teach you patience," Meowth said from ground level. "Learning to walk and talk like a human took a lot of work - learning to...Aura probably does, too."

Ash bit his lip, considering, but at least started looking where he was walking.

"Pi-pikachu," Susanoo offered, which made Ash smile again.

"Yeah, we're gonna be the best parents - wait." Ash turned in place, still walking, and Jessie despaired they'd ever get him to walk down the street without endangering himself. He looked to James first, thoughtful pout back on his face. "If I hatch the egg and raise the Pokemon, is that like I'm their dad?"

"Ah-" James glanced down to Meowth, who snickered.

"Depends on the Pokemon. Some might imprint on you right away. Depending how you treat them, they might think of you like a sibling - or just a partner, like Pokemon you got when they were older. Of course, if it's a Luca-"

"Don't jinx it!" Ash shouted, startling Meowth into silence. "I know it might be a...what you think, because they know how to use Aura. But...I don't want to be disappointed if it's something else." He lifted the egg up to the sun, squinting at it. "Because it's going to be amazing, whatever it is, and I don't want them to think...I wanted another Pokemon."

"A very mature outlook," James said, as if he believed Ash wouldn't be disappointed if the egg didn't hatch into a Lucario.

"Anyway," Jessie said, "we will try to temper our expectations. But until then...who are we looking for?"

"Dr. Akihabara," Ash said. "Goh says their parents talked to him for me and he agreed to take a look at my Gear. He's a computer expert, and an authority on a Pokemon called Porygon." He held up his Gear.

"Porygon, the Virtual Pokemon. Capable of moving through cyberspace between computer systems, they are derived in part from computer programs used to analyze and transport Pokemon. All but the most exceptional programmers believe it is impossible to duplicate or modify their code, as commercially-available tools for doing so are imperfect and prone to corruption."

"Hm," James hummed, though he didn't elaborate as Ash continued talking.

"Goh said their parents would help, except they spend a lot of time helping maintain the computer systems they install for clients. But Dr. Akihabara is nearly as good as them."

"I hope so," James mused. He'd looked through Ash's Gear, paying special attention to the Pokedex, and what he'd found was...troubling. Nothing in the Pokedex was inaccurate - every entry he'd read was consistent with research James could find. But some of the entries skirted on knowledge you couldn't know for certain without being...unkind to Pokemon. Professor Oak wouldn't publish information like that, which meant, as Mr. Moon had opined, something had inserted that data into Ash's Gear (the Pokedex he'd originally used in place of Oak's was - simplistic, while this one was...meticulous. Careful. The work of a scientific mind unburdened by any sense of compassion. There were few places in the world people like that would feel welcome).

"Do you think we can visit Dr. Akihabara before the Pokemon Center?" Ash asked.

"Why not?" Jessie replied. "Let's see this bigshot computer scientist."

No one answered when they knocked at the door to the building Goh had identified as Dr. Akihabara's lab. Ash waited a minute after knocking before trying again.

"Hello? Dr. Akihabara?"

When there was no answer, Jessie shouldered past Ash and tried the doorknob.

"Hey!" Ash protested as she pushed the door open. "What are you doing?"

"Well, if the door's unlocked, he's probably home," Jessie said. "And if he isn't answering, he might be in trouble. It's our duty to make sure nobody's hurt, wouldn't you agree?"

"Uh…" Ash glanced between James and Meowth, before reaching up to tug at Susanoo's tail.

"Piiiika," he murmured, sounding doubtful.

"Look at it this way," James said, "if you get in trouble, you've got a handy scapegoat in the ne'er-do-wells you're traveling with."

"You can hardly be blamed for what we get up to," Jessie added, before stepping into the building. It was dim inside, walls dusty and unadorned. She didn't see a light switch near the door, so continued on. Behind her, Ash made an anxious noise before following, James taking up the rear. They moved like that, quiet, for a few moments, before Jessie found a door labeled 'Lab'.

"Ah!" She grabbed the door and tugged it open.

The contrast between the hallway and the lab was incredible - a blinding gleam of lights spilling out into the hall. She squealed, covering her eyes, while her companions cried out in shock. It took a full minute of blinking, avoiding looking directly at the light sources, for Jessie's eyes to adapt, and when she did, it was to a man with moss-green hair staring up at her from chin level through thick glasses.

"Excuse me," he said, "Are you the delivery girl? Only I ordered dumplings over an hour ago, and no one's shown up."

"We're not delivering dumplings," Ash said. "But they might have come by and left - we knocked at the door and you didn't answer."

"Oh dear," the man said, expression drooping. "I really wanted those dumplings." He straightened, pulling himself up to the same height as Jessie's nose, giving a sharp nod. "But such are the sacrifices we make for science." He paused, standing up on his toes to look over Jessie's shoulder. "If you aren't delivering dumplings, what are you doing here?"

"My name's Ash," Ash said. "My friend's parents - from Gogo Systems - said Dr. Akihabara agreed to help me with my Gear?"

"Ah!" the man declared. "Then you are, in fact, here to see me! The Nurikis said there was some unusual data on your Gear, which is an odd coincidence. Come along." Dr. Akihabara waved them in as he moved deeper into the lab, stepping around several desks covered in humming computers. "You are aware of my crowning achievement, I hope."

"Uh…" Jessie shrugged at Ash's panicked look. "Something to do with Porygon?"

"Mm, no. Porygon, like many manmade Pokemon, was something of a happy accident," Dr. Akihabara explained. "I designed the Pokemon Transport System, along with my colleague, Bill, who designed the storage system that integrates with it." Dr. Akihabara grinned at Ash, a wide expression. "Between the two of us, any trainer can recover their Pokemon from any Pokemon Center in the world. If a disaster befalls a Pokemon Center, the nurse can send the Pokemon somewhere safe."

"Wow." Dr. Akihabara's smile faded a little at Ash's insufficiently enthused response.

"That's very fascinating," Jessie said, stepping between Ash and Dr. Akihabara, "but Ash here is a little preoccupied with his Gear."

"Understandable," Dr. Akihabara replied, stopping in front of a computer. "Data doesn't have a mind of its own, which means for data to end up on your Gear unexpectedly, someone must have put it there. If you could give me your Gear, please…"

Ash handed over his Gear without comment; Dr. Akihabara plugged a cord into it, one which snaked around to connect to his computer. He began typing, talking as he did (a natural teacher, Jessie guessed, approvingly. If they had to wait in silence while Ash watched, something would end in disaster).

"Gear have both cellular and wi-fi connections, so it's possible that a malicious actor connected to your Gear to install questionable data. But I've seen no widespread issues, making this unlikely unless you've been making tech-savvy enemies. A more - likely hypothesis is that you downloaded something that came with a - malicious program. A worm or virus that corrupts your Gear's data."

"The Pokedex data isn't...inaccurate," James replied. "Just...worrisome. Pull up the data on - Magnemite."

There was quiet for a moment before Dr. Akihabara made a thoughtful noise. "Have you ever met a woman named Ann Laurent?" he asked.

Jessie felt her blood chill, and saw James' face pale. "Doctor Laurent?"

"...Yes," Dr. Akihabara said after a long pause. "You've met her?"

"No," Jessie replied. "But we're - familiar with her work."

"I've seen excerpts of her annotations to Oak's Pokedex," Dr. Akihabara said, "and they sound like this. Are you sure you've never spoken to her?"

"I mean - my friend Gary used to own this Gear," Ash said.

"Hm. Well, it looks like you had a licensed Oak Pokedex, so I can actually just run a clean install-"

One of the computers beeped, drawing Dr. Akihabara away from Ash's Gear as he tapped a key. An image of Joy appeared on the screen, frowning.

"Doctor? I've been trying to send a Pokemon to Lavender Town for the past hour, and I keep getting a stack overflow error-"

"It means you're trying to transfer a Pokemon with an invalid hash total," Dr. Akihabara replied. "I've told you to resend using a different regional Dex number when that happens-"

"I tried that," Joy snapped, "and refreshing the memory cache, manually entering the host address from League records, running the whole process through the command prompt, and turning it off and on again."

Dr. Akihabara pursed his lips, frowning at the screen before nodding.

"Very well. I'll be a few minutes." Dr. Akihabara looked to Jessie and the rest of them. "I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere. We can help with your Gear once I'm done. In fact-" He tapped a few keys on the computer into which Ash's Gear was plugged, causing an empty progress bar to pop up on screen. "If you come with me, this will be done by the time we're done at the Pokemon Center."

"What? Noo," Ash protested. "We can stay here - I won't touch anything, and Jessie and James can look after me-"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't leave just anyone in here," Dr. Akihabara replied, shooing them toward the door. "My computers contain some very sensitive data - they process the League's trainer data. You can imagine the trouble I'd get into if anything happened to it. Come on - let's go." James pushed Ash along by his shoulders while Jessie trailed behind, near Dr. Akihabara.

"Soo," she said, carefully, as Dr. Akihabara locked the door behind them. "With all that sensitive data, you've got to have some pretty tight security."

"Oh, the best, absolutely," Dr. Akihabara agreed. "Porygon? No one is to enter the lab until I return."

"Understood." The voice, flat, mechanical, echoed from a speaker next to the door.

Ash jumped, pointing at the speaker. "That's a Porygon?"

"Of course not - come along. Porygon are derived from computer programs - they can exist inside digital systems like computers. As a result, when properly trained, they can provide superlative security to computer systems. The Nurikis believe in old-fashioned system design, but those require constant maintenance, and are subject to user error."

"Hey! Goh's parents are really good at what they do!" Ash snapped.

Dr. Akihabara shrugged. "I'm not saying they aren't - they are brilliant when it comes to system design and maintenance, but they prefer to rely on their own efforts to sustain it. I am a programmer, and rely on the product of that work to protect my systems. Perhaps their systems are better than mine, but Porygon understands the importance of the data it protects."

"So, Porygon's your partner!" Ash concluded. "And you have as much faith in them as Goh's parents do in the work they do!"

"Hm, 'partner' doesn't quite capture our relationship," Dr. Akihabara mused. "I programmed Porygon myself, using the framework from the original developers."

"So you're more like their dad!"

"Ah-" Dr. Akihabara stumbled, nearly falling before Jessie caught him. He rubbed at his head as he stood, smiling weakly. "You could say that, I suppose, although Porygon doesn't think of itself as a creature in the same way it does other material beings. It - doesn't think of itself as separate from the computer system it inhabits."

Ash was staring at Dr. Akihabara, eyes wide, almost sparkling, as they walked. "That's so cool! I wish Goh were here - they'd love hearing about all of this. Wait! I bet my Gear can record you talking about this-" He slumped as he likely realized his Gear was back in the lab. "Can you talk to me about this once we're done at the Pokemon Center?"

"Oh, certainly," Dr. Akihabara replied, patting Ash's shoulder as he took the lead. He pushed open the door to the Pokemon Center, announcing, "I am here to help!"

Joy, in the middle of handing over a trainer's Pokemon, smiled, a quirk of her lips. "By which you mean you are here to explain how anyone who knows anything should have known better than to make whatever mistake caused our problems. Chansey, take over." She stepped out from behind the desk, waving Dr. Akihabara after her. He dropped his hand on Ash's shoulder, waving him along.

"How'd you like to see me at work?"

James shook his head and followed after the two of them; Jessie followed, certain there wasn't a point to convincing Ash otherwise. Dr. Akihabara and Joy led them to a large room filled with racks half-full of Pokeballs. Ash paused at the sight of it, hands trailing along the shelves. He'd helped Joy transfer the Pokemon in Viridian City, Jessie remembered.

But Dr. Akihabara made his way to a computer terminal, dragging a small device next to the computer to make it light up before tapping at it hurriedly. After an expected five seconds, Ash stood up on his toes to look over Dr. Akihabara's shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at the logs of the Transport System terminal to see what Nurse Joy did wrong," Dr. Akihabara said, absently.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you're brighter than most end-users, and clearly listen whenever you call me to troubleshoot, but there are two possibilities: that you made an error, or that my program failed. Forgive me for taking the more likely option."

"Alright," Nurse Joy muttered, ambling away and back toward the entrance. "Just tell me what the problem is so I don't make the same mistake again."

"That's what I like about you," Dr. Akihabara said. "You never do."

It was quiet for another minute before Ash asked, "Did you find the problem?"

"No," Dr. Akihabara muttered. "Nurse Joy was right that nothing she did would help...I'm trying to figure out what else might cause a stack overflow error. Sometimes if a trainer registers a Pokemon under a nickname with unusual characters, it can interact poorly with the system - I could never get the transport to work right with some Kalosian letters, some half-pint genius had to fix that bug…"

"Huh." Ash stepped closer to the computer, squinting at the strings of characters scrolling in response to Dr. Akihabara's typing. "Maybe Nurse Joy's wrong and it isn't a stack hashbrown or whatever."

James snorted; Dr. Akihabara scoffed.

"Nurse Joy may be an end-user,but she is much more detail-oriented than her other sisters and cousins and whatnot. If she said this was a stack overflow error, then it was a stack overflow error."

"Ah, but what told her it was a stack overflow error?" James asked.

"The Pokemon Transport System," Dr. Akihabara said. "If you're implying the system itself is faulty-" His voice broke off at the same time his typing did, silent for a still moment. "But that isn't the only thing that could be wrong. If there were something wrong with the Pokemon Center computer - something actually corrupting its output...but that would mean-"

"Congratulations, Dr. Akihabara," a tinny voice said from the computer's speakers, "for discovering the blindingly obvious." An icon popped up on the screen, that of a Porygon, shifting between static images as the voice spoke. "Can you figure out how a Porygon infected this supposedly secure computer network on your own, or do I need to explain it to you like you're a ten-year-old who's never even cracked open a Pokedex? Here's a hint-"

"Oh, don't patronize me," Dr. Akihabara growled. "Obviously your trainer hacked a Pokeball to release you at the exact moment the Pokeball and its contents were digitized, allowing it to enter the network through the interface and bypass the security protocols. The fact that the Porygon never arrived at its destination would report as a stack overflow error."

"...What?" Ash asked.

"Do you honestly have a ten-year-old with you?" the Porygon asked. "When did you become a Pokemon Professor?"

"I'm eleven!" Ash protested.

"I'll make a note of it," the Porygon replied.

"What are you doing in the computer anyway?" Dr. Akihabara demanded. "You can't steal any Pokemon unless they're being transported, and with the computer in an error state, no one's going to try to do that."

"Hahahahaha. Team Rocket might - they have a...just terrible grasp of efficient resource allocation. No, you know as well as I do, Doctor, that knowledge is power."

"Oh, come on," Dr. Akihabara retorted, "this computer has information gathered from a random assortment of trainers passing through Matcha City; that's hardly powerful. If you wanted real knowledge, you'd hack the League data files, and those are-" He choked, quiet, and Jessie saw James pale as the same thought occurred to him as did to Dr. Akihabara and Jessie.

"You're a distraction," Jessie declared, "to get us away from Akihabara's lab."

"The Porygon replica!" Dr. Akihabara shouted, leaping to his feet. He grabbed the back of James' shirt as he bolted away from the computer. "Come on - we need to get back there at once!"

"Well, first," James replied as he hopped after Dr. Akihabara, "if you want backup, the twerp here is the professional. And second - what do you mean by 'Porygon replica'?"

"We need to go!" Dr. Akihabara insisted. "If it's got into my system-"

"Hahahahaha. Presuming my compatriot is a quarter as competent as he appears, which itself is a gamble, a Porygon - wait. Did you say 'replica'?"

Dr. Akihabara's eyes lit up behind his glasses, the sign of a brilliant mind about to get sidetracked by a new mystery. So Jessie grabbed him by both arms and dragged him out of the storage room. They passed Joy on the way out-

"Sorry! You've got a Porygon infestation!" James called. "We'll be back to deal with it in - well, a bit." And then they were running, Ash at the front, despite carrying the egg, Susanoo (on his head) and Meowth (on his shoulder). It was unfair, the energy kids had, sometimes, Jessie grumbled.

"So," James said as they ran, "Replica?"

"Someone brought me a computer infected with - well, they called it a virus, but on closer inspection, it proved to be a copy of a Porygon."

"Like a baby Porygon?"

Dr. Akihabara stared at Ash for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Porygon - they may be derived from computer programs, but even inside a computer, they can't be copied like a file. Any copy you make is just - data. I, and others, have many theories as to why, but as our experiments seemed to upset the Porygon involved, as a community, we stopped trying. But the Porygon I found - their files lacked the...copy protection, I suppose you'd call it, that others do. I haven't tried, but I'm certain it could be copied."

They were all quiet a moment, processing the description, Jessie presumed (she couldn't make sense of it at all). Ash, though, surprised them all when he spoke first.

"You said trying to copy Porygon upset them. So who...who would try to do that anyway?"

"Ann Laurent," Dr. Akihabara growled, pushing himself into a sprint, passing even Ash. "Luckily, I doubt she'd expect my Porygon."

When they reached Dr. Akihabara's lab, the outer door was ripped off its hinges; Jessie exchanged a quick look with James before he snagged Ash's collar to keep him from running off ahead. Dr. Akihabara instead charged in, before Jessie could remember to warn him-

Dr. Laurent hadn't been working alone; she'd been on Team Rocket's payroll.

"Mercy! Come out!" Jessie called.

"Growlie, come on!"

"Valiant!" An odd choice, Jessie mused, except, she thought, as they reached the door of Dr. Akihabara's lab itself, where a pair of blood-red swords were hacking at the control panel next to the door, sparks flying. A young man with honey-blond hair streaked with pink, blue eyes, a scowl, and atrocious taste, if the fuzzy collar on his short-sleeved yellow shirt (or vest, maybe? It hurt Jessie's head just thinking about it) was any indication, was standing behind the swords (Aegislash?). When he saw the four of them, his scowl deepened.

"Doublade, Swords Dance!" the trainer shouted, and the Pokemon pulled away from the wall, blades flashing in an elaborate pattern, the dark purple ribbons hanging from their pommels whipping around as they did so, yellow tips spinning.

"A Steel and Ghost Type," James said. "Growlie, Ember."

"Valiant, Flamethrower!" The two Fire Pokemon opened their mouths to spit out twin streams of fire.

"Protect!" the trainer shouted, and the trailing ribbons flicked up, a glittering barrier appearing between the Doublade and the incoming attacks. "Now, Shadow Ball!" The blast of darkness careened into Growlie, sending him back, howling.

"Fire Fang!" Ash shouted, and Valiant closed in, snapping his jaws around the hilt of one of the swords.

"Night Slash!" And the other sword swung at Valiant, sending him scrambling back out of reach.

"Fire Spin - pin them down!" Ash commanded. Valiant glanced back at Ash with a flick of his gaze before growling and jumped back in, swiping his claws at the Doublade.

"Night Slash," the trainer drawled as Valiant's claws scratched, uselessly, against the hardened steel. And both swords swung around to slash into Valiant.

"Valiant!" Ash shouted, voice high. "You need to use Fire Spin - Normal and Fighting attacks won't affect it."

"Jeez," the opposing trainer said, swiping his hair out of his face, "How are you going to beat us if you can't even get your Pokemon to listen to you?"

"Heal Bell," Jessie said; Mercy let out a high chiming cry that brought Valiant back to his feet.

"Just three-on-one isn't fair," the trainer said (and was there something familiar about him?). "Come on, Vaporeon!"

Ash and James let out identical gasps (it would have been cute if it didn't mean they were about to have their asses handed to them), before Ash sprang into action.

"Valiant, Growlie, get out of range!" The two Pokemon scrambled back as the slender, blue Pokemon appeared, yawning to reveal a frighteningly toothy maw.

"Surf," the trainer said. A tidal wave knocked their Pokemon back - forced the humans back from the force of the water swirling around their feet (James, ever-watchful, steadied Ash).

Flames licking along his mouth with every breath, Valiant struggled to his feet, but Growlie did not. But Valiant couldn't hold out much longer. "Heal Bell!" Jessie commanded.

A crash revealed that the trainer had taken their distraction as an opportunity to finish breaking through the door. Dr. Akihabara shoved past Jessie, who burst into the lab only a moment after him.

"Porygon!" Dr. Akihabara commanded. "Download Moveset 335 and materialize!"

"Absolutely," the Porygon replied, and a moment later, a Porygon appeared between the invading trainer and the banks of computers. "Pory!" the Pokemon exclaimed, apparently unable to speak a human language without a computer's assistance.

"Swords Dance, and Mud Slap!" the trainer commanded.

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, while James fumbled for a Pokeball, frowning. The Mud Slap hit Mercy, who made a pained shout. The Doublade flipped out of the way of Valiant's attack, while Dr. Akihabara nodded, eyes fixed on the intruder.

"Conversion," Dr. Akihabara commanded, "Dark Type."

"Gon gon!" The Porygon's eyes flickered before a pattern like oil dripping down its sides stained its form.

"Swords Dance, and Scald!" A blast of steaming water caught the Porygon, leaving a painful red burn.

"Fire Spin!" Ash commanded.

"Man!" Valiant lunged at the Vaporeon, pulling his fist back to knock the Water Pokemon back with a Power-Up Punch.

"What are you doing?" Ash demanded. "Fire Type moves will really help beat that Steel-Type Pokemon-"

"Man man!"

"Don't worry about the Doublade - Foul Play," Dr. Akihabara commanded.

"Go!" The Porygon bounced between three locations in quick succession, as if it hadn't actually moved through the space between, before appearing just in front of the Doublade. It grabbed one of the Doublade's ribbons in its mouth, spinning in a quick circle to slam the two blades into each other.

"Dou!" The cry was high and pained, and the Doublade fell back.

"That was a cheap trick," the intruder growled.

"Cheap - that's where I saw you!" Ash declared suddenly, pointing at the trainer. "You're that guy whose Breloom attacked everyone at the P-1 Grand Prix!"

"Blake, was it?" James asked, voice icy. "I'm surprised they didn't take your Pokemon license for that stunt."

"They did!" Blake snapped, hands fisted at his sides. "Why do you think I'm working with-" His mouth snapped shut, but Jessie had been mostly sure of herself already; Blake's slip-up just confirmed those suspicions.

"Team Rocket?" she asked. "They are the only people who'd give someone like you a Pokemon, after that show."

"You aren't going to get your hands on that data," Dr. Akihabara shouted.

"Yeah?" Blake retorted. "Shadow Ball, and Mud Slap." The tips of the Doublade's swords gathered energy to themselves, a dark ball they hurled at the Porygon, while the Vaporeon spat a blast of muddy water into Valiant's eyes.

"Sing!" Jessie commanded, because even though they were fighting three-on-two, Blake was an experienced trainer, and had a nasty fighting style. "James-"

"I wish we could fight fire with fire," James said, "but Goldie's a little too big for the lab. Cheri!"

"Koff!"

"Smokescreen!"

"Shock Wave!"

"This is bullshit, you know that?" Blake demanded as the Porygon unleashed a precisely targeted Electric attack at his Vaporeon, and Cheri spewed out a haze cloud of smoke that shielded them from his Pokemon.

"Char char man char mander!"

Ash's expression shifted, from his concentrating frown to something, almost softer. Worried. "Dr. Akihabara, can you focus on the Doublade? And Jessie, James, just support us, okay?"

James frowned, thoughtful, but Jessie could see what was happening just as well as he could - Valiant had his own ideas of how this fight should be going, and they didn't involve other Pokemon taking away his win against the Vaporeon.

"Smokescreen," James called.

"Heal Bell."

"Foul Play."

"Protect! And Water Pulse!"

"Keep out of the way, and use Power-Up Punch!" Ash commanded; Valiant darted through the mist, evading the Vaporeon's attack, to punch them backward.

"Agility!" Dr. Akihabara commanded.

"Sacred Sword." The Doublade lunged out of the smoke, blades swinging in unison, cutting down the Porygon with twin slashes. "Now, the Blissey!"

"Intercept!" James commanded.

"Heal Bell!" Jessie called out as Dr. Akihabara recalled his Porygon into an actual Pokeball.

"Mud Slap-"

"Slash!" Ash called out, and Valiant scored a lucky hit, if the pained cry from the Vaporeon meant anything. Cheri knocked the Doublade away from Mercy as the Vaporeon threw out another Water Pulse (careful, it seemed to avoid damaging anything in the lab), only to be knocked out herself.

"Natural Gift!" Jessie commanded.

"Bliss!" Mercy pulled out a green-and-tan striped Berry, and flames enshrouded her arms. She clapped them twice, sending a stream of flames at the Doublade.

"Protect! And-"

"Charmander!" Valiant punched the Vaporeon across the lab, snarling as the other Pokemon stumbled and fell, defeated. The Doublade protected themself from Mercy's attack, before sweeping back toward her with another Sacred Sword.

"Fire Fang!" Valiant snapped his jaws around one of the Doublade's hilts; the other sword ran into Mercy, but the attack was blunted as Valiant struggled with his opponent.

"Use Natural Gift again!"

"Night Slash!" The Doublade spun in to clash with each other, catching Valiant in the collision. He squealed and fell away from them, shaking as he tried to rise (his right arm bloodied).

"Valiant!" Ash was holding his right arm (either in sympathy or feeling his Pokemon's pain - in any case, too close to syncing with his Pokemon's energies for comfort).

"Heal Bell!"

"Sacred Sword!" It was a necessary sacrifice, Jessie guessed, as Mercy went down - but Valiant was a trained fighting Pokemon, and had more non-Normal attacks besides. Meowth was crouched behind Ash, eyeing the Doublade warily, as if he were wondering if he'd have to fight, too.

"I'm through with this," Blake snarled. "Back here, Doublade!"

Oh no.

"What are you doing?" Ash demanded as the swords soared back to Blake's side. "If your Pokemon goes berserk-"

"Don't worry," Blake retorted as he pulled a small vial from his vest pocket. "It's perfectly safe if you don't use it too often, and this Doublade's never used R before. I wonder what it'll be like?"

"Use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, a moment too late, as the purple mist surrounded the Doublade, and a red liquid began dripping from the swords, which snapped apart, hovering on either side of Blake.

Blake smirked. "Two-in-one; cool. Use Night Slash and Protect."

One of the swords flicked up to block Valiant's Flamethrower, while the other lunged forward to attack, sending him bouncing away from the attack.

Ash narrowed his eyes, glowering at Blake, before nodding. His hand went to his belt, retrieving a Pokeball. "Two-on-one isn't fair, you said. Smokethief, I choose you!"

The Gengar materialized with a delighted cry of "Gen," before they, and Blake, froze.

"Gen?" Smokethief asked, tilting their head, curious.

But all color drained from Blake's face. "Y - you!" he screamed, pointing at Smokethief. "Night Slash!"

The two parts of the Doublade swung in from opposite sides, catching Smokethief by surprise. "Gar!" they shouted, hopping back, glancing between Ash and Blake. "Gen gar ga gengar ga!" they shouted, pointing at Blake.

And Ash's expression darkened, not a childish scowl, but a disdainful sneer. "So you're the one who abandoned Smokethief," he said, voice...cold.

"Yeah, because it's bad luck! After I caught it, I couldn't win any Pokemon battles, or catch any good Pokemon-"

"I've won Pokemon battles since I caught Smokethief," Ash said, casual, except for the tension in his form, the sparks from Susanoo's cheeks atop his head. "So either they could tell right away you were a terrible person, who didn't deserve any more Pokemon…" He lifted his head, scowling at Blake as he snapped his hand to point at him. "Or you've always been a pathetic excuse for a trainer! Smokethief, Dark Pulse! Valiant, Fire Fang!"

The blast of darkness sent one blade spinning back, while Valiant snapped his jaws around the hilt of the other sword (though he found the energy to glare at Smokethief as he did), struggling against the blade's attempts to escape.

"Shadow-"

"Lick! And use the sword you've got to slash at the other one!"

And Jessie smirked at Blake's widened eyes; of course a Ghost Pokemon was immune to a Normal attack like Slash, but using the Ghost's own body against it - it was pure Ash.

"Protect!" The blade, and Smokethief, hit a shimmering barrier, and neither sword took damage. The one in Valiant's grip flipped free. "Shadow Ball!"

"Reflect Type! And Fire Spin!" Flames began flickering in Smokethief's eyes just before two Shadow Balls hit them - turning what would have been two super-effective attacks into two weaker ones. And Valiant, finally, let loose a tightly-controlled ring of fire to keep the swords in place.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Night Slash!" The twin blades lashed out at Smokethief again, catching them with a solid blow.

"Fire Fang!"

"Protect!" Valiant's fangs skittered off of the defensive move, and he fell back, snarling.

"Flamethrower!"

"Night Slash!" Blake snapped, but the Doublade paused, as if confused.

Ash smirked as flames engulfed the Doublade. "Lick!" Smokethief dragged their tongue along one of the blades, which fell away, lagging behind the other as they tried to put some distance between Smokethief and Valiant.

"Dual Shadow Ball!" Blake commanded.

"Block them with Shadow Ball, and shield Valiant!" Ash shouted; Smokethief did as Ash asked, taking one of the attacks themself, and throwing a Shadow Ball into the other. "Use Fire Fang and use it to slash the other sword!"

With the Doublade wide open, Valiant caught the one sword with ease, swiping around to knock the other hard enough to sink a foot into the far wall. It didn't pull away.

"Shadow-" Blake froze, taking in their battlefield. "Where's the Gengar? Did I knock it out?"

And Smokethief had vanished; Jessie scrambled to remember if she'd Ash recall them to his Pokeball.

Ash, though, was smiling.

No, he was smirking.

He looked like he'd been studying Meowth - there was a feline aspect to the grin that made Jessie feel slightly unnerved.

"What's that weird face for?" Blake demanded. "Wha - where's the Gengar?"

"Their name is Smokethief," Ash said. "It's the name their parents gave them, back before they became a Ghost Pokemon. But you wouldn't know that - that Pokemon have names they use with each other before they grow up, or what Smokethief's name was. You wouldn't know that they can hide in people's shadows, and possess them. But I think there's one thing you do know:

"Your old Gengar doesn't like you at all."

Blake was shaking in place, eyes fixed wide, gaze darting back and forth as if it could help him see the Ghost. Behind him, Jessie thought she could see his shadow, shifting, widening, and rising from the floor. It resolved into a pale purple shape, bright red eyes gleaming, as it let out a rattling breath.

"Gaaaaarrrrrrr."

"Shadow Ball!" Blake wailed as he flinched away from the Ghost, pointing at Smokethief.

But the remaining sword of his Doublade was firmly in the grip of Valiant's jaws, still.

Ash's grin widened. "You're out of Pokemon. So unless you want to fight Smokethief yourself-"

"Return!" Blake squealed, scrambling past Jessie and Dr. Akihabara as he fled the lab.

Dr. Akihabara spent an hour afterward checking his computers, before declaring Blake hadn't tampered with them, and finally turned to Ash's Gear. He spent fifteen minutes working on that before returning it to Ash, shaking his head.

"I backed up your system files and reinstalled your Pokedex from a secure server so it doesn't say anything...upsetting about Pokemon," Dr. Akihabara announced. "And I can't find any evidence of a virus or worm, so I think it's clear you downloaded something untoward when you began messing with your Pokedex. Leave it alone, is my advice, and things should resolve themselves."

"Thanks," Ash replied, tucking his Pokedex away.

"Oh, no, thank you," Dr. Akihabara said, bowing. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here - that man might have been able to steal the entire Pokemon League files! It would have been a disaster!"

"Oh." Ash smiled at Dr. Akihabara, because it seemed like the right thing to do. "Anytime," he said.

"If there's anything I can do for you-"

"Nah, it's fine," Ash replied, because with his Gear fixed and the crisis over, he didn't really want to talk to Dr. Akihabara any longer. "Jessie? James? We should get back to the Pokemon Center."

"Oh!" Dr. Akihabara bolted for the door. "I forgot about the Porygon in Joy's computer!"

"It's gone," she replied flatly when Dr. Akihabara burst into the Center.

"What?" he stammered. "You don't know how to check-"

"Well, it said it left, and the error message stopped showing up," Joy replied with a shrug. "It said the terminal was 'boring', and if you weren't going to hang around, it didn't see the point."

But in the end, Dr. Akihabara couldn't find the Porygon, which more or less ended the problem. They got a room, ate, and Ash collapsed into bed immediately afterward.

He should have realized he wouldn't sleep well.

Ash slept for ten or fifteen minutes at a time until midnight, when he gave up and clambered out of bed. Susanoo was sprawled out on the bed, snoring. The other two humans were asleep, and Meowth, after a dramatic show of tears from Jessie that he was 'playing favorites', was curled up in the tiny corner of the bed not taken up by Jessie's own sprawling form.

Ash looked them all over before his gaze landed on his belt. After a moment's thought, he took Chief's Pokeball, slipped on his shoes, grabbed a key, and left the room.

The air outside was slightly chilled, but nothing Ash couldn't handle as he wandered away from the Pokemon Center (it didn't occur to him to be worried, out on his own - as long as he had one of his Pokemon, he wouldn't face any threat alone). He stopped when he reached the edge of the forest that contained Toushi's Gym, and settled on a bench with a view of the woods. He took a deep breath and released Chief.

The Bulbasaur was asleep.

Ash laughed despite himself and nudged Chief's side; the Bulbasaur woke with an incomprehensible, "Saurr," before jolting up, scanning their surroundings with an imperious demand of what the problem was.

"We're not in any trouble," Ash said, resting a hand on Chief's bulb; the Pokemon stilled under the touch, but twisted to look up at Ash, confused. "I just - wanted to talk to you without any - other people around." He looked away from the Pokemon, staring at the forest where somewhere inside, Toushi was sleeping or training or - whatever. "About - the legends. And me. And all the stuff...you mention sometimes."

Chief patted Ash's leg, comforting. Ash was doing fine, he reassured.

Ash shook his head. "That's not - what does it mean, if I'm...special? Chosen." Meowth had his own way of looking at this, but Meowth didn't know a lot about legendary Pokemon, not like Jessie, who hadn't understood what Chief said, anyway.

Chief was quiet for a - minute. Long enough Ash began to worry Chief didn't know, either, that he'd never understood what it meant, if what Chief insisted was true.

At last, though, Chief spoke up. Haltingly. Pokemon chose and tested people they wanted to travel with - some of the legendary Pokemon did something similar. If a human impressed them, they...tested the human. There was a judge - a Pokemon who could watch a human and test their...fitness for the legends' favor. If Ho-Oh had graced Ash with a vision of them, they certainly were testing Ash.

"But what does that mean - having their favor?" Ash demanded. "What do I have to do to pass the test?" He sniffed, and when he closed his eyes, he could feel tears gathering in them. "What if I don't want to keep getting tested?" Before Chief could answer, Ash plunged forward. "It seems like everywhere I go, Pokemon are in trouble, or Team Rocket is making trouble, and I have to fight them to make things better, but it's - I hate it - seeing all the terrible stuff they do and being the one who has to stop them. And Meowth's right - if I know about it, I can't just leave it alone. So…" He took a breath, feeling his body shudder with the weight of it. "How do I make it stop?"

Vines twisted around Ash's shoulders as Chief pressed up against the side of his leg, and the Bulbasaur was quiet for a few moments. Chief - hadn't thought about that. Ash had seemed, through all the time Chief had known him, eager to help any Pokemon he saw.

"I know," Ash replied. "I just…" He let his head fall back. "Wish so many Pokemon didn't need help dealing with terrible people. Blake's Breloom didn't deserve what happened to him, and that Doublade - something like that is eventually going to happen to them, and." He closed his eyes, feeling the first tears trickling down his cheeks.

And then the tip of a vine wiped them away.

Ash was - among the most impressive humans Chief had ever met. He'd never seen anyone aside from Melanie who cared so much about Pokemon, and no one aside from Ash who fought so hard for them. He'd never met anyone who tried so hard to understand Pokemon the way Ash did. He had nothing to prove to Chief, Susanoo, or even the Meowth, who Chief was certain liked Ash better than he did Jessie and James put together. Any judge with any sense would have figured that who Ash was ages ago.

"Then why-"

Because Team Rocket was up to something big. Because Ash was one of the few people paying enough attention to see it. Because Ash cared so much that when he saw how Team Rocket was hurting Pokemon, he swooped in to save the day.

And there were terrible people in the world - it was an unavoidable fact, and one Ash would have learned eventually. It was good Ash knew how to recognize them, and refused to let them do what they wanted. And however stressful it was, Ash wasn't alone. When it got too much, his Pokemon were there to help him.

Ash smiled at the sky, reaching out to scratch Chief's head.

"Thanks," he said. "That - it helps." It did, even if the thought of doing this - forever, dealing with whatever Team Rocket was up to - made him tired. "You've always got my back, right?"

Always.

Ash picked Chief up and stood, ambling back to the Pokemon Center where he tried to sleep again, bracketed by Chief and Susanoo.

"That was - a good fight," Chloe said. After a moment, she twisted in her chair to look at Serena, face scrunched. "Wasn't it?"

Serena shrugged. It had been a three-on-three battle, the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City against her Pokemon, and if she hadn't caught a Magnemite on her trip the long way around Saffron City, she might have lost. Even then, it had been close - the three Gym Leaders much more skilled trainers than their ditzy personalities suggested.

"It was a lot harder than I expected," Serena said at last.

"Hm, it's actually not that surprising," Chloe mused, bracketing her hands behind her head, the way she had in Lavender Town when a mystic had started talking about Pokemon funeral rites - it meant she was going to start getting...analytical. "Their performances are very well-done, which means they have to be very skilled trainers. Even if they seem a little - weird."

"They're lazy showoffs who only started to take this seriously once they realized how much people will pay to watch them have Pokemon battles in skimpy outfits," someone muttered, before dropping into the chair on Chloe's other side. They were wearing baggy blue shorts with - a lot of pockets, a yellow tank top, and a belt prominent with Pokeballs. They turned their head and stuck out their tongue.

"Did you - not beat them?" Serena offered, and the newcomer laughed, folding over in their seat so all Serena could see of their head was the orange ponytail pulled out from their short hair. When they straightened, wiping at sparkling green eyes, they were grinning.

"I didn't even bother - I used to run the place, so it didn't seem fair." They held out a hand suddenly. "I'm Misty - former Cerulean Gym Leader, current Pokemon trainer."

"Serena," Serena replied weakly, reaching her hand across Chloe to shake Misty's hand. "I'm-"

"I heard - congratulations on beating the Three Sensational Pains in My Ass." Misty fell back in their seat, head dropping back across the back.

"You just said they weren't that good," Chloe pointed out.

"Yeah, compared to me," Misty retorted. "They're good enough to challenge League hopefuls or whatever, but I'm not going to just repeat two years of kicking their asses all the time when I'm trying to get better." They looked around to Serena again. "How many badges do you have?"

"Three?"

"Cool." Misty held out their palm to Serena. "Three badge buddies - high five." Once Serena had obliged, Misty squinted at Chloe, at the Yamper in her lap. "And what are you here for?"

Chloe shrugged, tilting her head up, nonchalant. "No idea. Serena here just convinced me running around the region for a few months might give me an idea what I want to do with my life, since I don't see the appeal of this whole 'Pokemon battle' thing."

"Well, maybe you should be a performer like the Sensational Sisters," Misty said, "flouncing around and posing with your Pokemon."

Serena felt a little spark of anger at Misty's dismissal. She jerked up and glared at Misty. "I saw their show, and it isn't easy, what they were doing. And what's wrong with - entertaining people? I bet everyone who went to the show had a great time!"

"And it isn't like there aren't regions that run competitive performances," Chloe said, turning the screen of her Gear toward Misty. "Performers in Kalos can be idols if they're good enough at it." She suddenly pulled the Gear back, frowning as she swiped across the screen. "Kanto is actually unusual in not having a more widespread tradition of Pokemon performances of some type, although races are fairly common. Still, spectating battles is the most common method of Pokemon-related entertainment here." She flushed suddenly, ducking her head. "Anyway," she muttered, "I'm not going to be a performer. I'm not really interested in - Pokemon."

"You sound like you are," Misty retorted, folding their arms, "knowing all that junk about Pokemon performing."

Chloe shrugged, ducking her head in the way that made it clear to Serena she was feeling uncomfortable. "Well, it's - interesting, how people from different cultures work with Pokemon in entertainment, even if I don't want to - perform, or study new types of Pokemon or whatever."

"Hm," Misty replied, dropping the subject as she turned back to Serena. "So I'm guessing you're hoping to sweep the League and win the Indigo League trophy."

It was Serena's turn to shrug. "Maybe. I'm hoping to meet - someone, and I know he's going to be competing in the League. I'm trying to figure out what I want to do, too."

"Well," Misty declared, sitting straight up, "since neither of you are competition for my attempt to sweep the League and win the Indigo League trophy, how about we head out together? I'm heading to Saffron City next."

Chloe glanced at Serena, making it clear the decision was hers.

"...Sure," Serena agreed.

"Um...I don't think you heard what I said," Cassidy said.

Dr. Laurent rolled her eyes as she typed a few notes in the corner of the last iterations of her (of her new assistant's) device. "I did. Instead of allowing me to work at my own pace, I was directed to send an agent to implement an overly-complex plan to access Dr. Akihabara's networks. That agent failed to gain physical access to the networks, defeating the entire purpose of sending a human agent in the first place."

"And...you're not upset?"

"I continue to be irritated at your employer's interference," Dr. Laurent replied as she circled a part of the blueprints, "especially given his reliance on Pokemon battling as a fallback plan. The moment a criminal who's stolen all their Pokemon gets into a Pokemon battle with someone who's working with Pokemon they have an actual working relationship with, they've already lost."

"Still," Cassidy continued, "since the whole point of this was to find the people who keep messing up our plans, and we didn't-"

"Who said we didn't get the data I needed?" Dr. Laurent asked, kicking her chair around to face Cassidy, smirking at Cassidy's vaguely blank expression. "Have I told you about my Porygon's capabilities?"

Cassidy sighed. "You're going to explain in excruciating detail even if I say yes, so, no."

"Well, I'm certain you didn't appreciate the brilliance of it then," Dr. Laurent replied. "Porygon as a species possess a natural - copy protection. No one's been able to figure out if that was a deliberate choice on the part of their creator, or a bug, but the feature has been surprisingly resistant to tampering."

"So your Porygon can be copied?"

Dr. Laurent clicked her tongue, annoyed. "My Porygon can copy itself. It can not only travel through networks into other computers, but create duplicates that can continue to operate in those systems even when mine has retreated. It has proven to have good judgment in identifying appropriate times to duplicate itself, as evidenced by the fact that the copy Giovanni's agent dropped onto the Pokemon Center servers learned Dr. Akihabara had one of the copies in his own system."

"So you were able to get the information from his systems?" Cassidy asked.

"Of course not - it wasn't optimized for the task like the one on the thumb drive I gave what's-his-name."

Dr. Laurent smiled at Cassidy, a wide expression that seemed to unnerve everyone but her assistant and Giovanni, and leaned forward in her seat. "But it turns out that somehow, you and Butch did things right. When you helped me get the data from Viridian City, you put my Porygon onto the Pokemon Center's wifi network, giving it access to every device connected to it at the time. And somewhere during the ensuing chaos, it saw an opportunity and integrated a copy into the SIM card data of a Gear downloading data at the time."

She spun back to her computer and pulled up the data she'd spent an hour compiling earlier that morning. At the top was a picture of a black-haired boy with brown eyes, wearing a red-and-white cap, smiling and flashing a victory sign at the camera.

"Meet Ash Ketchum - 11 years old, trainer of a Pikachu with the Lightning Rod ability, and, I would suspect, a familiar face."

She spun back, gratified to see the slack-jawed expression on Cassidy's face. "In addition, we found out that Steel Type Pokemon can be affected by R, and Butch told me our bounty hunter agreed to take on Giovanni's commission. So I think this is a very good day."

Chapter Text

When the first flake of snow hit Jessie's nose, she was struck with a sudden sense of foreboding. She hadn't complained when, after an evening of debating with James, Ash had decided they were going to hunt down the elusive Ota Range Gym. The Ota Gym Leader, Lindsey, specialized in Fairy Type Pokemon, and Ash considered a fight like that, where none of his Pokemon had natural advantages, an appropriate challenge for an aspiring Pokemon Master. She hadn't complained when Ash had opined that the Ota Range Gym would be among the mountaintops, and directed them along the path that climbed to a higher altitude than Jessie was normally comfortable.

Snow, however, put the entire expedition in another light.

"James?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "Do we have any idea where our destination is?"

"Absolutely not," James replied, squinting at his Gear before tucking it away and fumbling through his pockets. "The mysterious Lindsey did not build a gym hidden in the Ota Mountain Range to be easy to find." He pulled something out of his pocket with a triumphant noise. "But, give me a moment…" He held it flat for a moment, a frown tugging at his lips as he stared at it. "Yeah, no. I also do not know how to get back."

Jessie's heart skipped a beat in panic; she pressed a hand against her chest to steady it, aware shouting wouldn't accomplish anything other than upsetting Ash. "Can you...explain?" she asked.

"We are not getting good reception up here," James replied, "and there's some sort of - magnetic thing up here that's messing with my compass."

"I...see." Jessie glanced toward Ash, apparently unaware of the topic of conversation, chatting with Meowth while Susanoo lazed on his head. Susanoo started, tail flicking (likely having felt one of the early snowflakes), and a moment later, Ash was looking up, slowing to a stop and turning. He was cradling the egg in both arms, but shifted one to shield the egg from the falling snow.

"This isn't going to be bad for the egg, is it?" he asked.

"Well, the cold isn't going to make it hatch any sooner," Jessie said. Eyeing Ash, she took a mental shrug. "Mercy probably has some idea how to help, if you want me to-"

"Yes, please," Ash said, hurrying to Jessie's side. She released Mercy from her Pokeball; the Blissey trilled and reached out to Ash, who handed over the egg without complaint.

"Bliss," she advised, patting his arm, and Ash's posture eased.

"Oh, yeah. That's - she said she's got more body heat to spare to keep the egg warm...is that right?"

"More or less," James agreed, patting Ash's head. "But extra body heat or not, we may want to find somewhere warm to spend the night." Almost in response to his assessment, a few more snowflakes fell on their group; Jessie fought down a shiver, trying to keep her mind on the child they were, in part, responsible for (rather than what could happen to even highly capable people in the mountains when the weather turned).

"Do we have any thoughts about how to find somewhere like that?" Jessie asked. "Or are we just going to walk in circles until we all freeze to death?"

...She was probably not setting the right tone.

Ash, though, seemed unfazed as he called out Sirocco and Smokethief. "I bet these two could find a - cave or something where we can spend the night!" Ash declared. "Can you?" he directed at Sirocco, the one who was sensitive to the cold. The trill of "Pi!" was probably an agreement, as Ash grinned. "Alright - we'll set up here while you check. Don't push yourselves, and come back soon."

Jessie was actually feeling a little useless as the two Pokemon soared away; neither Fangs nor Mercy would be much help finding shelter. And then James released Growlie, pushing the Growlithe toward Ash, and Jessie felt her mood sink lower. Ash could take care of himself, and where he couldn't, James could pick up the slack. Where did that leave Jessie, except alone on a frozen mountaintop?

James nudged Jessie's side, one eyebrow raised. "You alright?" he asked.

She shook her head hurriedly. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Just worried about getting the twerp somewhere safe. His mom'd kill us if he got - frostbite, or whatever."

"Yeah," James mused, squinting up at the sky as the snow began to fall in earnest. "That is - actually a concern." He raised his voice as he called, "Get Valiant out here if he's comfortable and keep your extremities warm!"

Ash, who already had a Growlithe sprawled across his legs, hands resting in the dog's ruff (Susanoo was sprawled on Growlie's back, and Meowth leaning awkwardly against Growlie's side), fumbled for a Pokeball before pausing. "Are you sure it won't be dangerous for him?" he asked.

"Well, for one, Fire Pokemon do better in cold than in water," Jessie said before she could really think. "And for another, your Charmander there is pretty sturdy."

"Mm," Ash murmured, and released Valiant, who jumped as a snowflake fell on him immediately upon appearing. "Hey, buddy," he said, "We're a little - well, you can see," he said, awkward, pointing up. "Do you think you'd be okay helping us keep warm?"

"Char charmander," Valiant scoffed, before settling on the ground next to Ash's feet, tail waving slowly back and forth. If Jessie had to guess, he was offended by the suggestion he wouldn't be okay (or that he wouldn't help; Jessie still wasn't certain how to read the Charmander).

They spent close to an hour like that, huddling closer as the snow grew heavier, the air grew colder, and the winds began rising, alternating between howls as they swept across the ledges and peaks, and distant whistles as they cut through narrow canyons.

(They didn't quite sound like whistles, but if Jessie thought too hard about the fact the wind sounded like the high-pitched scream of a Flying Pokemon, she would worry more than she was already.)

Ash abruptly shot to his feet, dislodging Growlie as he bolted toward the edge of their little encampment.

"Ash!" James scolded as he hurried after Ash.

"No, look!" Ash called, pointing up. "It's Sirocco; I bet she found a cave-"

The wind shifted at that moment, driving ice and snow against the cliffside, and Ash's feet. He slipped, and Jessie's blood froze (more than it was already). Ash caught himself as he hit the ground heavily, Valiant at his side in a moment, and Jessie felt her breath steady-

And then the stone under him cracked - weakened by the storm or the wind or just bad luck. James leapt for Ash, but Jessie could see Ash was going to fall. She waved her arms, hoping Sirocco saw the danger and swooped in to assist.

Instead, a screech echoed across the range, and Jessie saw-

Barely visible against the raging storm, blue and white blending almost perfectly into the driving snow and sleet, wings like shards of ice sliced through the air. A tail snapped behind it with the fury of the wind, whipping up the storm with its movements.

In times gone by, it would be called Freezer, but Jessie knew it as Articuno. Articuno let out a piercing screech, and the snow around them rose into a blizzard, a deafening gale that was not enough to completely conceal the sound of stone crumbling, the shocked gasp of a young boy, and twin cries of "Pika-pi!" and "Charmander!"

Jessie had stood frozen in the face of Articuno's approach for only a moment, and it had taken only a moment more for the Legend to destroy half of the ridge, but it felt like - so much more had happened. James was moving before Jessie could rally herself, kneeling close to the edge of the ridge, scanning the valley below desperately. Smokethief dropped down from the storm above Jessie, gesturing questioningly toward James.

"Ash fell off there when Articuno popped out of nowhere," Jessie explained hurriedly as she followed James. "Can you and Sirocco-"

The Pidgeot flopped out of the sky, landing heavily next to Smokethief. She was shivering, the tips of her wings covered in ice. Smokethief glanced at Growlie before their eyes began flickering like candles, heat radiating from their form.

"Well, just you, then," Jessie said to Smokethief.

"Guys? I think Ash is officially no longer our biggest problem," Meowth called, and a moment later, a screech called out across the mountains. Articuno, it seemed, was no less territorial than Zapdos, and much less likely to negotiate.

Another screech echoed from above Ash as the storm intensified. No one else fell off the edge of the mountain, which was probably good. However, when the Pokemon who'd attacked them screeched, slightly more distant, and again, even more so, until its cries faded into the distance, Ash was left with only the omnipresent sound of the wind.

He shifted a little, finding nothing hurt more than bruising, and a mild burn on his wrist from when he'd grabbed both Susanoo and Valiant to keep them safe in the fall.

"Are you okay, guys?" Ash asked.

"Chuuu," Susanoo moaned - a complaint more similar to being merely tired than honestly hurt.

"Mander," Valiant muttered - fine, but...irritated, Ash guessed.

"Well, that's good." Between the angle of the cliff, the snow and ice, their fall had been more of a slide than a fall, but as Ash stood and examined the wall, it was too steep to climb back up - even if it hadn't been covered in ice. "Hello?" Ash shouted up.

"Pi pika!" Susanoo added. Their voices echoed for a few moments, but no one replied.

"Jessie! James! We're okay!" Ash called, but again, only the howling of the storm answered him.

Ash waited a few more moments, but there were no replies, no shouts down to check on him, which meant either Jessie, James, and Meowth had been forced to flee by Articuno, or they thought he was dead.

He let out a breath, a chilled huff that made him shiver.

"Man mander char," Valiant growled, glaring at Ash as his tail swung behind him. When Ash didn't immediately respond, Valiant raised his tail, holding the flaming tip up. "Der!"

"Oh." Ash knelt down to scoop up Valiant (both mindful of his tail); with a Fire Type Pokemon cradled against his chest, the chill of the blizzard faded. Susanoo scrambled up to the top of Ash's head, offering them each a bit of warmth.

Still, it was freezing out; Ash knew he'd have to find shelter, and without Sirocco's or Smokethief's help. He glanced left and right, and, finding no particular promising direction, followed the floor of the canyon right. It was luck, he figured (or maybe some Legendary Pokemon was guiding his fate), that he found a shallow cave with a wide opening (just enough to shelter them from the worst of the wind). It was perhaps a sign no one was looking out for him that it took half an hour to find the cave, and his hands were feeling chilled by the time he found a rock free of snow.

He huffed, tightening his grip on Valiant, who gave a reassuring "Mannn," tucking his tail closer to his body (Ash couldn't say for certain, but it looked dimmer than unusual. Of course the fire going out didn't kill a Charmander - but a weakening fire would be a sign he was doing poorly in the cold). Susanoo chirped from atop Ash's head, pointing out that Ash had two other Pokemon whose body heat could help keep them all from freezing to death.

Valiant growled in agreement, so Ash tugged out his two remaining occupied Pokeballs, calling out Chief and Triton. Triton swore (Ash was pretty sure), while Chief took only a moment to scramble up next to Ash, leaning heavily into his side. He snapped at Triton, who hurried to join them on Ash's other side, before inquiring about what was happening.

Ash sighed, gaze drifting to the mouth of the cave. "We got separated from Jessie and James. There's - Articuno is out there, and they're angry or something-"

Triton snarled out a threat; he wasn't weak against Ice, and wasn't afraid of Legendary Pokemon.

"We've been out in the cold for - a while," Ash explained. "I think we need to wait out this storm."

Storms came from the Legends, Chief opined, darkly. It would last as long as Articuno willed it.

Some of the Pokemon here were trying to maintain a sense of optimism, Susanoo retorted. They just needed to keep warm through the night and then they could find Jessie and James - or, more likely, for Sirocco and Smokethief to find them.

The debate that followed wasn't as heated as prior ones he'd overheard - more like the casual bickering Jessie, James, and Meowth got into sometimes when they were bored. Ash wondered if they were just trying to pass the time. After a time, he found it difficult to focus on the discussion, his thoughts foggy, limbs heavy.

Ash shivered, and the argument paused as the Pokemon eyed him, and the flame on Valiant's tail, flickering weakly. Ash squeezed Valiant a little more tightly, in the hope that the shared warmth would help bolster the Charmander's strength. The other Pokemon were shivering as well, a realization that brought Ash to awareness. Susanoo was sprawling, boneless, between bouts of shivering, his voice slurred when he spoke. Chief kept leaning more heavily into Ash, nearly in his lap with Valiant. And for all his boasting about being resistant to cold, Triton had nearly retreated entirely within his shell.

Ash made a decision, then. He didn't even have to waver on it. It was freezing outside, and hours until sunrise.

Some of them were almost certain to freeze to death before then.

But Pokemon couldn't feel cold inside Pokeballs - their wounds and ills couldn't get worse there.

"Alright, everyone," Ash announced, clapping his hands, "Back in your Pokeballs."

The protests were nearly in unison, even if they ranged from simple disbelief from Triton to a string of profanity from Valiant.

"No," Ash insisted. "This isn't working - we can't stay warm enough this way. But if you're in your Pokeballs, you'll be okay."

They didn't have time for arguments, so Ash recalled Triton mid-protest, Chief as he tried to lecture Ash about recklessness, and Valiant mid-swear.

And then it was him and Susanoo. Ash detached a Pokeball from his belt and raised it, to his head.

No, Susanoo protested. Ash could send the rest of them away, but Susanoo was with Ash until the end.

"No," Ash retorted. "You have to be okay. I promised I'd take care of you, I wouldn't let anything-"

And the Pokeballs at Ash's waist opened, releasing the three Pokemon he'd sent into them, Chief mid-rant, and Valiant snarling an indecipherable string of vocalizations.

Ash couldn't do this, Susanoo snapped. He couldn't decide what was best for them and still call them his partners. If he thought he could act like they wouldn't do as much to protect Ash as he would them, he didn't understand them at all.

"But-"

If they were going to survive this, they'd do it together, Triton declared.

Ash slid down the rock to the floor of the cave, and gathered the Pokemon to him - Valiant, Chief, and Triton fully in his lap, and Susanoo sitting on them to press against Ash's chest. Words stuck in his throat, something strange to say in the best of times. But he might not have a chance to say it again.

"I love you all," Ash murmured, "so much. It's not just the battling - I'm so honored you decided to come along with me, and there's so much I still want to learn about all of you. I want you all to be safe, but if you aren't going to go…

"We'll face this together," he concluded.

The others were too drowsy, their senses dulled, to notice, or protest, when Valiant struggled free of the group embrace. His limbs felt sore, slow to respond, even with the heat still burning in his chest, so he knew the others had to be worse off.

None of them had before weathered a night of rain and chill as their life ebbed away from them. Even Ash had only joined Valiant halfway through his vigil (when he hadn't been Valiant, just 'You', or 'the Charmander'). It was why Valiant could still stand while the others struggled to stay warm enough to breathe back in the cave.

(What was he doing here?)

Valiant paused at the entrance of the cave. The snow was still falling, piled thick against the ground, but some of the violence of the storm had ebbed. Ash was right, of course, that it was unthinkable that all of them could survive the night outside their Pokeballs.

(Valiant couldn't bear letting Ash sacrifice himself for Valiant's sake again, could he?)

Valiant...might, maybe. He'd been struggling to keep up with Damien's regimen already when Damien had abandoned him. He was better rested, now, better fed, even if he wasn't stronger, wasn't strong enough.

(Did he think he could have fought off Articuno himself? The rat was rubbing off on him, if he thought like that.)

He raised his head to the ridges twisting along the top of the canyon. There was no sign of searchers - of Jessie or James, of Sirocco or Smokethief, or Articuno themself.

(No one was looking for him. No one would come for him.)

Valiant shook the thought away with a quiet growl, and took a steadying breath. He had been in debt to Ash since the day they'd met. He couldn't stand that sort of debt, that imbalance.

(Ash and Susanoo had saved each other. There was a balance, a partnership there, wasn't there?)

Valiant wasn't certain what he hoped to accomplish - to signal Jessie and James? To catch Smokethief's attention? To find some heretofore unknown traveler who could rescue them?

(Or did he want to challenge the lord of this mountain themself? To bargain for the life of Valiant's trainer, or simply wreak vengeance on the creature who had sealed his partner's doom?)

Still, he raised his head to the sky and spat out a line of fire. He snarled after only a moment, realizing the flame hadn't been nearly high enough for anyone to see.

He took another breath and let loose another stream of flame. Not enough, he realized almost immediately. Not good enough, not strong enough.

(What did he think it took to be good enough for Ash Ketchum?)

Valiant braced himself, digging deep, remembering the relief in the moment Ash had asked him to come with him. The cheer and devotion of the rest of Ash's Pokemon. He didn't deserve to die (of course he was as mortal as Valiant, but he didn't deserve to die today).

The Flamethrower erupted from Valiant's mouth, a beacon piercing the sky, perhaps not reaching the clouds, but enough to be visible to anyone below those clouds. Valiant held it for only a few moments before his breath gave out, sputtering and coughing in the cold, but he had to believe it was enough. That…

(That Valiant was enough? What sort of person did he think Ash was, really?)

Valiant's eyes drooped, closed; flicked open, blurry, before closing again. But he forced them open again; he'd seen something in the snow, he thought. An ethereal shape bounding across the icy ground. He tried to gather his flame in defense, but found nothing came. If this were here to hurt Ash-

Twin pinpricks of blue flared just a few meters away from Valiant; he yelped and fell back.

"You're a long way from home," the creature, a hazy sort of form with sinuous - limbs or something waving behind them. "Or, perhaps, your trainer is." The indistinct shapes behind them snapped out straight, and as the creature glowed all over, Valiant could see the shapes were tails - nine of them - before a pink and silver haze settled around him and the other Pokemon. "Come," the Pokemon said, "take me to him."

"Wh-" Valiant paused as he took a breath, finding it came more easily than before. "What's going on?"

"Safeguard," the other Pokemon said, airily, as they stepped around Valiant and toward Ash's cave. "I can protect others from the ravages of poison, burns...and cold. So, will you show me to your trainer before he freezes to death out here?"

The cave Sirocco and Smokethief had found was deep, enough that not only did it block the wind and snow, but was somewhat insulated from the cold itself. Jessie and James had been able to build a small fire, and set up a tent where Growlie and the currently Fire-Typed Smokethief were lounging to heat it up.

They would all sleep comfortably...presuming they could sleep at all.

Meowth had tried to steal Jessie's lap, but her whole body was tense, which, combined with Meowth's own tension, made it impossible to relax. So right now he was sitting next to Mercy, whose placid care of the egg was at least a change of pace from everyone else's worry, fear, grief, and in Meowth's case, resignation. He'd always known his friendship with Ash and Susanoo had an expiration date - there was a limit to how many good things he'd been allowed in his life. Of course he'd expected them to leave, but where Chief had theorized someone out there was looking out for Ash, someone clearly had it in for Meowth.

Sirocco had settled herself as close to the cave entrance as she could manage without freezing further, a solemn watch for her missing partner. Smokethief - was probably more sanguine about the concept of death, but Meowth never could be sure.

He wished, briefly, for the presence of Chief, who likely knew some sort of story about what happened to people when they died - a Pokemon who guided the souls of the dead somewhere nice (other people might be comfortable imagining a terrible place for people who were bad, but Meowth had never been certain where he fell on that scale, so he just hoped that things got sorted properly after death).

"You're not going to mope all night, are you?" Mercy asked.

Meowth shot her a dark look. "Have a little respect - we're mourning here."

Mercy shrugged. "I know that. But sitting around feeling bad isn't going to help this little one." She patted the egg, paused, and then plopped it into Meowth's lap. "There - you want to worry about Ash, you watch after this egg." Then she stood and waddled away toward Jessie.

Meowth started to rise after her, but sat heavily when the egg teetered. He steadied it in his lap and glowered after the Blissey. He'd expected to spend the rest of the evening wavering between hoping Ash was alive out there and grieving the loss of one of his best friends. Instead, he was stuck with the egg. Jessie and Mercy had both opined the Pokemon inside the egg was aware enough that shouting and swearing should be avoided around it, but Mercy had been a little more forceful that keeping a good vibe around the egg was equally necessary.

"Hey, uh," Meowth tried, "I know you might not know what I'm saying or whatever, but. I really hope you have a chance to meet Ash. Ketchum. He's the kid Toushi gave you to - I think it has something to do with his ability to use Aura, which James thinks means you're a Lucario in there. But who knows? You could be a Meowth, for all we know." He hugged the egg to his chest and sighed. "You'll like him, I promise. And his Pikachu, Susanoo - he thinks he's the boss around here, so he'll push you around, but he cares...a lot. Probably thinks of you as a little sibling already. Uh. You can probably get them not to if you ask - Ash is good at understanding most Pokemon, and doesn't want to do anything to upset you."

Meowth didn't know what he'd expected when he started talking, but when his words ran out, and nothing did happen, he felt disappointed (he hadn't expected a miracle - he couldn't even say what that would constitute). But talking left him worn, a little, enough that he trundled off to bed with the others, and actually slept.

He woke early - perhaps a little after dawn - to the sound of a crack, and his first thought was to look up for some sign of the cave collapsing on him.

And then there was another crack, and a quiet grunt, and Meowth's gaze shot to Mercy. The egg had two large cracks along its length, and it was shaking. A rush of elation filled Meowth. "Hey, guys!" he shouted, "the egg's hatching!"

"Wha who?" James bolted awake, squinting at Meowth, while the egg shook again.

"Get a Pokedex queued up, or a Pokeball," Meowth snapped, eyes drawn back to the egg, which was covered in a network of cracks. He wasn't going to fuck this up - they'd (maybe) lost Ash, but Meowth could be a - guide or a big brother or something to this new arrival. Jessie and James were scrambling in the background, but Meowth didn't look away as the cracks spread, the shaking growing more violent, and the egg began to glow…

The egg shattered, a form slightly larger than Meowth leaping from it, colliding solidly with his nose. As he fell, head falling back, he saw a blue Pokemon with black feet, a black chest, markings like a black mask on their face, and protrusions like bone or hide on the back of their hands.

"Is that a Lucario?" Jessie asked.

"No...it's a - Riolu; I knew Lucario were evolved, but couldn't remember from what!"

The Riolu had paused about a meter away from Meowth, watchful gaze fixed on him, but frowning. "You aren't it," they said. Their gaze darted up toward Jessie, James (pausing for a moment), and through the rest of the Pokemon, before charging at Smokethief, stumbling forward, confused, when they passed right through them.

"Your attacks aren't going to hurt me," Smokethief chortled. "Ghosts are immune to Normal and Fighting Type attacks. Consider that a-"

Spinning to face their foe, the Riolu had crouched, rubbing the backs of their hands against the ground before launching themself at the Gengar again, this time striking with the now-glowing protrusions on the back of them. The strike made contact, forcing Smokethief back.

"Okay, so you're more than a one-trick Ponyta, but I promise I'm not just-"

Smokethief paused, staring at the Riolu, who wasn't paying attention to them anymore. They were staring toward the entrance to the cave.

"Hey, kid?"

"It's not here," the Riolu muttered, before sprinting toward the entrance.

"Hey, whoa! It's cold out there!" Meowth shouted, to no effect, as the Riolu bolted out of the cave. He ran after them, only to be caught up by a pair of human arms. He lashed out, only for the grip to tighten. "Let go of me!" Meowth snapped. "We gotta-"

"Yeah, we," James said, voice steady. "Smokethief, keep your eyes on them. Jessie?"

"Got the packs - we might need to come back for the tent," Jessie called back.

"Alright," James said, "let's go after them."

The following pursuit was hectic, Sirocco flying back and forth between Smokethief to make sure they didn't lose the trail, scrambling over rocks covered in melting snow.

"Where are they going?" Jessie panted after the chase continued past five minutes.

Meowth, atop James' shoulders, shrugged. "They're looking for something - said I wasn't it."

"Ash?" James asked, hopeful.

"I don't think so," Meowth replied. "Sirocco says they're - fighting any Pokemon they see."

A familiar screech sliced through the aid, and Jessie froze, James running into her.

"It can't be," Jessie said.

"Sirocco said they're fighting every Pokemon they see," Meowth growled, a nebulous emotion twisting in his chest.

"Let's go!" James snapped, and they were off again, but this time, they had a destination - the sounds of battle, mostly inarticulate shouts from the same screeching voice, and distant rumbles suggesting the battle between Articuno and the Riolu was damaging the landscape. Meowth's heart was racing, now - panic for the sake of the Riolu - their last connection to Ash. So when they came upon a steep hill of broken rock, the remnants of a ledge and its attendant canyon, and a blast of fierce wind sent the Lucario sailing into the surface, vanishing briefly under the scree before clambering back up…

Well, Meowth had been on edge ever since they got on the mountain, so he wouldn't claim he was in the most rational state.

"Hey!" he screamed, and Articuno paused in their assault to eye Meowth, one eye squinting, assessing. "Leave the kid alone - they just hatched."

"They attacked me!" Articuno retorted. "And in any case, winter storms are not known for their sentimentality."

Meowth glowered at Articuno. "This isn't even your mountain anyway, is it?" he asked. "Zapdos said-"

"Zapdos isn't the boss of me; if they want their mountain back, they can fight me for it," Articuno snapped with a threatening beat of their wings. "And if anyone else fights me...they will not find me wanting."

"Well, I'm not letting you hurt the Riolu," Meowth growled. "You wanna fight them, you gotta go through us!"

"...Apparently," Jessie muttered.

"The cat's got the right idea," Smokethief said, drifting up through the ground. "Right, Sirocco?"

Sirocco flapped her wings a few times to get some air and clacked her beak. "Yeah, how about you pick on someone of your own Type?"

James tossed out a Pokeball, sighing. "Come on, Growlie." At Growlie's inquisitive glance upon appearing, James shrugged. "We're fighting Articuno, it seems."

"I think it's a little optimistic to suggest this will be much of a fight," Articuno retorted, before a flap of their wings covered the field in stinging diamond dust.

"Growlie!" James called; flames flared up, banishing the worst of the snow. Smokethief, glowing red, rose up behind him, throwing a Shadow Ball at Articuno. Articuno snapped their mouth open, ice crystallizing around Smokethief to freeze them in place. "Jessie?"

"A little busy," she replied. "This little guy took quite a beating."

"I'll fight you all," the Riolu muttered. "Gotta find...it."

Mercy patted the Riolu's forehead, handing them a Berry.

"You're a Fire Type Pokemon," Meowth called to Growlie, "isn't there something you can do about our frozen Ghost?"

"Uh." Growlie huffed out a puff of flame that didn't appreciably reduce the ice.

"Breathe harder!" Meowth snapped, as Sirocco, above, dove to avoid a Blizzard attack that left a five-meter-wide swathe of mountain coated in ice.

"Are you trying to train my Pokemon for me?" James asked, bemused.

"I don't know! You need him to do something useful," Meowth growled. "So until he learns Flamethrower, we've gotta improvise."

Meanwhile Growlie, staring at his frozen colleague, took a deep breath, exhaling flames that curled away from his mouth. He did so again, and the fire seemed to linger, as if clinging to his coat. Once more, and his body was - almost sheathed in flames. And then he slammed into the ice encasing Smokethief; the ice cracked away, freeing the Gengar, just as a hail of rocks sent Sirocco crashing to the ground next to them.

"Was that Flame Wheel?" James asked.

"No clue!" Meowth snapped, tugging James' head up to where Articuno's beak was open again. "We've got bigger problems-"

"Growlie! Safeguard!" Growlie threw himself in the path of the subsequent blast of ice - weathering the attack, but more importantly, not being frozen. "Get some height on the wall and use Flame Wheel!"

"Sirocco! Mess up their accuracy if you can! Smokethief! Try to get close enough to paralyze them!" It took a moment to feel the weight of a gaze on him; Meowth turned to James, who was staring at him. "What?"

"That's a half-decent strategy," James said, gaze steady, assessing.

"Yeah?" Meowth shrugged. "I've been watching a rising star competing for a couple months. They're only listening because they're pissed at Articuno, anyway. Use Hurricane!" In response to a Blizzard from Articuno, Sirocco threw furious winds that actually knocked the Legend back. They evaded a lunge from Smokethief, only for Growlie to leap from his perch to slam his flaming body into Articuno. Ice crackled and fell from Articuno's wings as the heat settled into their flesh, burning them. They spun, a furious blast of ice shards tracking Growlie as he tried to avoid them.

"Shadow Ball-"

Diamond dust exploded around Smokethief, who let out a gasp before dropping to the ground, unconscious.

"Sheer Cold," James murmured.

"Use that sand twister thing!" Meowth shouted.

"Get back up and use Flame Wheel!" Growlie began leaping up the rocks again, grunting in concentration, while Sirocco blinded Articuno with a tornado of sand and, unavoidably, snow. This allowed Growlie to find a perch and leap at Articuno again. As he fell back to the ground, Articuno's eyes glowed an ice blue. Then they spread their wings wide, and diamond dust crystallized around Growlie, and he dropped, leaving only…

"What do you think about Goldie's chances?" Meowth asked James. But before James could answer, Articuno put forth their two cents.

"This is the fate of all trespassers into my realm!" they screamed, and Meowth.

Articuno was crowing about having (almost certainly) killed Ash.

Meowth wasn't going to put up with something like that.

"Sirocco! I need a ride!" he shouted as he leapt from James' shoulder, racing along the uneven stones toward Articuno. Another blast of sand caused a beam of ice to go wide, and then Sirocco swooped down, snatching Meowth up in her talons. Meowth's stomach tumbled as they rose.

"You got a plan, boss?" Sirocco asked as she rolled to avoid another Ice Beam.

"Yeah - fuck their shit up," Meowth muttered (ignoring the...complicated feeling at hearing Sirocco call him 'boss').

"Ah - that sort of plan," Sirocco hummed. "Alright - hold on."

"You're the one who-"

And then Sirocco, who'd been flying wide circles around Articuno, tucked her wings in and dove, a free fall (or faster, somehow?) toward the Legend, whose beak was open wide at their falling attackers. Ice gathered around them, an attack that could likely kill both of them.

"Bombs away!" Sirocco called, and Meowth, half-expecting it, spread his legs as he fell away from the Pidgeot. An Ice Beam clipped one of Sirocco's wings, sending her tumbling, still conscious, but out of the fight, as Meowth rubbed the back of his paws against his charm, sparks setting his fur on edge.

"Hey, Big Bird!" Meowth screamed. He had the pleasure of seeing the confusion in the Legend's eyes at the sight of a Meowth one-tenth their size descending on them like the wrath of Arceus. "Thunderslash!"

Meowth swiped at Articuno with all the strength he could muster. The first attack sliced through feathers and flesh, sending a spray of blood away from Articuno's eyes while sparks jolted through their body. Another hit and another jolt of electricity. Another, another, and another.

Articuno swatted at Meowth, sending him tumbling away from them. He had a few moments to think on the stupidity of what he'd done, jumping on top of a Pokemon dozens of meters in the air with no plan on how to get down.

He landed heavily on warm feathers, not enough to hurt, but knocking the wind out of him.

"You alright?" Sirocco asked.

"Uh, probably."

"Good, because I think Articuno's going to kill both of us."

Meowth growled and stood as Sirocco guided them back to the ground. He raised his claws, an implicit threat. "Hey! You hear that? My friend says you're going to kill us! And she's right - if you want to win this fight, you're going to have to kill me! Because you knocked my friends off a mountain, and if they survived that, they probably froze to death anyway! So I'm gonna keep fighting you, until I can't fight anymore, so years from now you'll remember this!"

Sirocco landed, setting Meowth on the ground, and turned to stand behind him, spreading her wings. "What he said," she said.

And above them, Articuno hovered, wings spread, eyes glowing with the color of the storm, and…

Paused.

They snapped their wings down to flap back, settling on a still-intact ledge behind them. The air was still, quiet - the remnants of the blizzard drifting down around them.

Articuno cocked their head, staring at Meowth, before settling back, almost relaxing (but still trying to loom). "I could, you know," they said. "Kill you, I mean. Kill all of you - the Riolu included."

The Riolu bolted up, shoving Mercy away as they took a furious two steps forward before stumbling on the rocks, skidding to fall by Meowth's side. Meowth put a hand on their head, to calm them or hold them down, or something. And the Riolu stilled - staring up at Meowth with wide eyes. Meowth looked back to Articuno, who hadn't moved.

"What?" Meowth demanded.

"...You remind me of someone," Articuno said, at last. They ruffled their feathers, settling. "There is a place within this range where lost travelers are drawn. I will take you there. If your friend is alive...he'll be there."

It was as much of an apology as they were likely to get, Meowth figured. But that was fair - he wasn't about to apologize for the gash he'd left on Articuno's face.

As they gathered up to follow Articuno, Meowth found the Riolu was trailing him - a few steps behind as they walked. Meowth watched the Riolu out of the corner of his eyes for a few moments.

"Are - you gonna fight me?" he asked. "Because I don't do that sort of thing unless I have to."

The Riolu shook their head, but didn't otherwise speak. But paying attention, Meowth caught a few - starry-eyed looks from the Riolu, and felt a strange discomfort.

"Hey, uh, what's with the look?"

"It's you," the Riolu declared, waving their arms.

"Me...what?" Meowth asked.

"I could sense a powerful Aura when I hatched," the Riolu declared. "I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, but when I saw you battle - it has to be you!" They bowed low, suddenly, paws clasped. "Will you teach me?"

"Uh." Meowth rubbed his head, uncertain. "I'm not exactly a Pokemon trainer, you know?"

"But you have a fighting spirit!" the Riolu protested. "Please!"

"I…" Meowth glanced at the others, noting Sirocco staring at him, and felt a twinge of unease. If Ash were here, he'd want to train the Riolu himself, but…

"Yeah," he said, patting the Riolu's head. "I'll teach you everything I know."

For Ash's sake.

When Ash opened his eyes, it was - warm. When he breathed in, the air was - thick, like it was full of steam, and everything around him was hazy. He was in a bed, large enough to hold half a dozen people; he sank into the mattress with every shift, and the bedding surrounded him like a pink cloud. In fact, pink seemed to billow around him.

He was dressed in slightly too-large pajamas (pink, of course), soft and incredibly warm, but his Pokeballs were nowhere to be found.

"Hello?" Ash called out. When there was no response, he tried to clamber out of bed, but instead fell, sprawling out on top of Susanoo, who squeaked and shocked Ash.

"Ow! Hey, it was an accident!" Ash protested, lifting Susanoo out of the way.

Susanoo scoffed, jerking his head away from Ash. Ash couldn't talk until someone four times his size sat on him, accident or not.

"Well, we've got bigger problems," Ash said.

Susanoo didn't see a problem; falling asleep expecting to freeze to death and then waking up in a warm bed was the opposite of a problem.

"My Pokeballs are gone," Ash retorted, "so everyone else is missing. And Sirocco and Smokethief are still out there somewhere!"

Sirocco and Smokethief were with Jessie, James, and Meowth, which meant they had supplies, and a fire, and food, which, Susanoo amended, meant there was a problem. No one had fed him for ages - six hours, at least.

"Well, glad we're on the same page," Ash replied, patting Susanoo's head. "Come on." It was only when Ash tried to clamber out of bed again that he noticed it. A purple Pokemon with wavy ears, bright red eyes, and puffy pink fur floating gently near the far corner of the bed (given the pink everywhere, he was lucky to notice it at all).

"Aro!" they declared, spinning in a circle, and the heavy quality of the air increased. "Aroma."

"What's that?" Ash asked, leading him to discover his pajamas, while inexplicably containing a dozen or so pockets, did not contain his Gear.

Susanoo jumped in between Ash and the other Pokemon, growling a half-hearted threat. The floating Pokemon tilted in place. "Aro?" they asked. "Matisse! Ma ma!" They sounded - pleased, and not even a little threatening.

"Did you...save us?" Ash asked.

"Ma!" the Pokemon retorted. "Ti matisse ma ma!" It was a denial, and an explanation that sounded familiar.

Ash squinted, trying to remember, and a few moments rose from his memories. Pale white fur, a steady gait, and a warmth suffusing him despite the raging storm. "It was another Pokemon," he decided. "Where are they? I want to thank them!"

"I'm afraid Aurora isn't much for people - Alolan Ninetails are tremendously antisocial. It's why they rescue people from the mountains - so they don't have to put up with search parties."

A large figure shifted beyond the edge of the pink haze - gauzy curtains set around the bed. A hand pushed one aside to reveal a human, at least two meters tall, blond hair cascading around their shoulders in dense curls, brown eyes glinting like bronze in the dim light within a square face, something almost like a smile on their lips. Ribbons and lace - pink and silver - made up their outfit, a floor-length dress.

"Alolan...Ninetails?"

"Now, I suppose you're hungry," Ash's rescuer said, clapping their hands. They tucked a hand into what must have been a pocket and pulled out Ash's Gear, tossing it to Ash as they turned. "Your clothes are next to the bed, and we can check on your Pokemon on the way down. Come, Aromatisse - he shouldn't be in danger any longer."

They flounced out of the room without another word, the puffy Pokemon (Aromatisse?) following. Ash stared down at Susanoo for a few moments before Susanoo pushed at his leg, opining that Ash could wonder about mysterious Pokemon trainers who lived in the middle of the mountains after breakfast.

"Ha, I guess you're right." Ash rubbed Susanoo's head before grabbing his Gear and climbing out of bed to change into his clothes, dry and actually slightly warm. He picked Susanoo up, holding him close as he turned his Gear on. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't a good signal, so he slipped it into his pocket and left the room. The Aromatisse was hovering outside the door and chirped a cheerful greeting when they saw him, bobbing in place and drifting along the hallway to the right.

The Aromatisse floated ahead of Ash, so he took a moment to pull out his Gear.

"Aromatisse, the Fragrance Pokemon. They can use their scent glands to mimic any smell they've experienced. Some Aromatisse can create smells powerful enough to overwhelm the nose - when startled or upset, the scents may increase without their conscious control."

"Aroma!" the Aromatisse called out, the gentle smell of roses washing over Ash. Susanoo sniffed at the air and made a generic pleased noise.

"Yeah, that's a really nice smell," Ash said. "Can you do anything else? Uh - chocolate?"

"Ma ti!" The scent changed to rich, milk chocolate, and, after a moment, the scent sharpened, and Ash smelled orange along with it.

"Wow, that's cool!"

The Aromatisse bobbed to the right, stopping next to a door. They bobbed up and down, chattering, "Tisse!"

"You want us to go in here?" Ash pushed the door open, finding a room that looked like the back room of a Pokemon Center. There was a rack next to a set of machines, holding six Pokeballs. And Ash wasn't certain how, but he was certain they were his own. The first he grabbed was light - probably Smokethief's, but the next released Chief, and then Triton and Valiant (Sirocco's and Susanoo's he stuck back on his belt).

"Hey!" Ash dropped down to sit near his Pokemon, who swarmed him. "Yeah, I'm glad you're all okay, too," he agreed as Chief butted his chin. It took Ash a moment, with one Pokemon nudging him eagerly, another batting his ears, and a third squeezing his hand, to realize Valiant hadn't joined in the group hug. He looked up to find the Charmander standing just out of reach, gaze fixed on Ash's feet.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ash asked. When Valiant didn't answer, Ash patted his lap. "Come on - we're all okay, thanks to...well, I guess whoever owns this place, even if they said their Ninetails actually brought us out of the storm."

"Char!" Valiant growled, folding his arms across his chest (Ash thought he might be suspicious, or annoyed, but couldn't figure out the nuance).

"Well," Ash replied, standing, "They're feeding us, anyway. So let's get going."

The dining room was huge - dominated by a long table that could easily seat twenty or thirty people - and topped with enough food to feed them. A pale Pokemon with bright red balls on their shoulders and legs, dark horns or hair sticking out from their head, appeared from behind the table, a pitcher floating next to their head.

"Mime! Mi mime!" They waved at the nearest side of the table, and five chairs pulled away from the table. "Mi Mime!" The pitcher drifted over to the place settings, pouring out steady glasses of...water, Ash guessed.

"Wow, thanks!" Ash exclaimed. "Come on - looks like there's plenty! Unless…" He looked to the Pokemon. "Are there other people coming?"

The Pokemon shook their head, so Ash sat, grabbing a plate to ladle a hefty serving onto his own. They all ate heartily - nearly freezing to death built up an appetite, especially, it seemed, in Valiant, who ate ravenously.

"You sure you're alright, buddy?" Ash asked.

Valiant looked up from his fish, expression...impassive, before shrugging. "Man."

They were all slowing down when a door slammed, and their mysterious benefactor appeared, ambling toward the table until they were standing behind the chair just to Ash's right. They were quiet for a minute before speaking.

"I see you have availed yourself of my hospitality," they said.

"Ah - yeah, thanks!" Ash said. "The food's great. Does your…" He realized he hadn't checked out the Pokemon serving them, and pulled out his Gear.

"Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokemon. Scientists have been unable to determine if they can freeze molecules in place to create invisible walls, or use their psychic powers to convince foes that things exist when they actually don't."

"Does your Mr. Mime cook?" He asked, finding the stranger watching him with one wide eyebrow raised.

"Got it in one," they replied. "Mr. Mime are very handy around the house. But we aren't here to talk about Mr. Mime. We're here to talk about how you're going to repay me for my hospitality."

"What?"

"Pi pika pi pi?" Susanoo demanded, a concise, if somewhat vulgar demand for an explanation.

"You come into my home, accept the assistance of my Aromatisse, eat my food…" They shrugged. "Surely such generosity deserves...recompense." Their lips, painted a delicate pale red, quirked upward. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Chief grumbled that Melanie had never demanded payment in exchange for her help.

"Well, the two of us are very different people," they said, smile widening.

Ash felt a jolt in his stomach as he turned toward them. "Are you an Aura Adept?" he asked.

"What? Oh, no." The owner of the house smiled, sweet. "I'm simply adept at using what little I know about people to...extrapolate. Your Bulbasaur seems annoyed, suggesting...he's used to people of a more charitable mindset. Come along, now." They turned, walking away from the table with lazy steps; Ash recalled his Pokemon to follow, but even running, he could barely keep up with the stranger's steps.

"Uh - I didn't get your name," Ash said, hurrying after them.

"It's because I didn't give it to you," they replied. "I've found the key to keeping life interesting is adding a little mystery to it. I'm sure your life is more exciting for not knowing what's about to happen all the time - right, Ash?"

They'd had his Gear, Ash reminded himself. They could have looked at his registration.

But it was still a little unnerving, to have this stranger acting so familiar.

His retort, however, died, as he followed the stranger into a huge room with a familiar rectangle boxed out on the floor. Electric lights hung from beams criss-crossing the ceiling, illuminating the field and a few lines of puffy chairs on the sidelines.

"It's a Pokemon battlefield," Ash said.

"Oh, absolutely," they replied. As you might imagine, I don't get many visitors, so I have to make my own entertainment. Your Gear suggests you are an accomplished trainer, so I think a battle will serve as adequate occupation."

"Oh, sure!" Ash agreed. "Right, buddy?" He tugged Susanoo's tail, earning a half-hearted agreement.

"But - well, I like to make things a little interesting. Challenging, as it were. Wagers, conditions, complications...would you agree?"

Ash, who had always found a Pokemon battle interesting enough, nodded, if only because it seemed the quickest way to get to the battle.

"Excellent! First, the condition. We will each select four Pokemon, and our opponent will choose which two we battle with."

"Huh." Ash eyed the Pokeballs on his belt. It sounded very...strategic, which he wasn't great at. But he had faith in his Pokemon. "Sure."

"And second, if you lose, you leave my home and never return."

"What?" Susanoo added a shocked demand of his own, before asking what Ash got if he won.

"I suppose you can have a token proving you defeated me." They tugged out of one of their pockets a small orange pin shaped like a bell.

And Ash's thoughts clicked into place.

"Is this - a Gym battle? Are you Lindsey?"

"Guilty!" Lindsey said cheerfully, ambling to the far side of the field, where six Pokeballs sat on a shelf. They tapped three of them, releasing a fat pink Pokemon, about a meter high, not counting their long pointed ears; a pale yellow, almost golden, Pokemon dominated by a huge, toothy mouth tethered to the top of their head; and a round blue Pokemon with circles like white bubbles on their stomach, a tail like a Raichu with a bubble at the end, and floppy ears standing up. "You've met Mr. Mime already; there are Wigglytuff, Mawile, and Azumarill. Fairy types, all of them."

Ash nodded, staring at the Pokemon. Fairies were immune to Dragon Type moves, and strong against Bug, Dark, and Fighting Type moves. Steel and Poison were strong against them.

"And what Pokemon will you choose?" Lindsey asked.

Ash tapped his Pokeballs, one after another, releasing Chief, Valiant, and Triton. "My Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle."

"Hm." Lindsey's gaze skipped over the Pokemon in a moment before they nodded. "The Charmander...and the Bulbasaur. What about you?"

Ash tugged out his Gear again, pointing it at Lindsey's Pokemon.

"Wigglytuff, the Balloon Pokemon. Their skin is among the most elastic substances ever encountered - even weak Wigglytuff can easily inflate to over twice their size by inhaling."

"Mawile, the Deceiver Pokemon. Its steel horns have evolved into a second mouth that allow it to consume almost any substance, capable of crushing hardened steel or diamond."

"Azumarill, the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon. Their hide acts as optimal camouflage in water, and their ears allow them to hear without distortion even underwater. They can create oxygen-filled bubbles that make them ideal assistants to scuba divers."

The Azumarill was a Water Type, as well as Fairy; the Wigglytuff was Normal Type; the Mawile Steel; and Mr. Mime Psychic. The matchups were almost too obvious - Valiant could deal with a Steel Type easily, and Chief a Water Type. The Mr. Mime would be a risk - Poison moves were effective against Fairy Types, but Psychic moves were effective against Poison Types. Which meant...Ash had to decide if the Mawile and Azumarill were a trap, if switching one out with the Wigglytuff would be a mistake.

"Argh!" Ash growled, shaking his head. "Alright! Azumarill and Mawile!"

"Very well," Lindsey replied, returning Wigglytuff to their ball. "One at a time, and I'll start with Azumarill."

They handed the Azumarill a twisted foot on a cord which they slipped over their neck before hopping forward, while the Mawile turned so they could watch the field, their steel jaws clacking behind them (something gleamed in the depths of that false mouth, but Ash didn't have the time to examine it). Ash nodded to Chief, who scrambled forward eagerly, boasting already to the Azumarill.

"Ready?" Lindsey asked.

"Always," Ash replied, and Lindsey, smirking a moment before, paused, pursing their lips.

"Really?" they asked, quiet, before shrugging. "Let's go!"

"Chief, Razor Leaf!" Chief launched a flurry of leaves at the Azumarill; the leaves bounced away from the Azumarill through no apparent effort of their own, although they caught one of the leaves and popped it into their mouth, grinning as they seemed to loom larger.

"Azumarill, Bounce." The Azumarill hopped up, and when they hit the ground again, bounced high into the air, nearly to the ceiling.

"Vine Whip!" Ash called. Chief snapped his vines up to try and ensnare the Azumarill, but the other Pokemon slipped through the grab, spinning faster as they fell, crashing into Chief with enough force to send him bouncing back a few meters. Chief didn't waste a lot of time getting back on his feet, growling as the Azumarill hopped in place just out of reach.

Ash frowned, not at the Azumarill's taunting, but at the recognition that this had probably been Lindsey's plan. With two failed attacks, Ash was certain the Azumarill had an ability like Susanoo's Lightning Rod that let them ignore Grass moves (and probably made them stronger).

"Chief, Tackle!"

"Play Rough."

The Azumarill raised their fists, but Chief, frustrated by his previous failed attacks, pushed through their guard to knock them down. "Tackle again!"

"Bounce!"

The Azumarill bounced out of the way, giggling as they soared up near the ceiling. Chief snarled, helpless to fight back.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted.

And Lindsey clicked their tongue. When Ash looked up, the Gym leader was shaking their head at him. "What?"

"I expected more from you than a Bulbasaur who knows only Grass-Type moves and Tackle," Lindsey said, as their Azumarill hit the ground just behind Chief. "I've heard stories about you, and of course the other Gym leaders exaggerate - Ice Punch."

"Get behind them and use Tackle!"

"My colleagues like to pretend their challengers are more impressive than they are, but. The things I've heard about your battles…"

Chief avoided the icy punch, but not well enough to connect with his own attack; Ash, half-convinced Lindsey was trying to distract him, found his mood sinking nonetheless. Lindsey had hit a sore point, moreso that Ash's options were switching out for Valiant, who was equally weak against the Azumarill's attacks, or keeping on with a Pokemon whose attacks were useless against them.

"Well. Bounce!"

Ash's gaze followed the Azumarill as they rose into the air, up among the beams criss-crossing the ceiling.

"Chief, use Vine Whip on the beams! Swing out of the way!"

"Wha-" Lindsey's eyes widened as Chief snapped his vines around the beams, pulling himself out of the way just as the Azumarill landed where he'd been standing.

"Drop down on them and Tackle!" Ash added, heart racing as Chief snapped a vine around another beam to hurl himself at his opponent. The unconventional Tackle knocked the Azumarill back; both the Azumarill and Lindsey seemed dazed enough that Chief could Tackle the Azumarill again. Beating the Azumarill didn't seem like an impossibility again - not when Chief's moves could take advantage of the environment. "Get up in the air again!" Ash commanded. Chief yanked himself up to perch on one of the beams, while Lindsey frowned up at him.

Then they shook their head. "Aqua Ring," they said. The Azumarill tugged at the root around their neck before spitting upward, the water forming into rings that settled around the Azumarill like a belt, glowing gently. The bruises from Chief's attacks faded, and the rings stayed in place even as the Azumarill hopped in place.

A healing move - and one that was bound to stick around for a while. And having some experience with items Pokemon used in battle, Ash bet the root around the Azumarill's neck was enhancing it.

"Bounce, and Ice Punch," Lindsey said coolly, sending their Pokemon bouncing up onto the grid to chase down Chief with an icy fist. Rather than risk such an attack, Chief jumped down, stumbling as he hit the ground, while the Azumarill bounced down, lightly. Still, Ash took the opportunity to get in a Tackle against the Azumarill, even if the rings of water around them seemed to heal the damage instantly. With only one move, Ash doubted Chief could damage the Azumarill faster than Aqua Ring could heal it. So he ordered Chief on the defensive as the Azumarill chased him with their Ice Punch. At first he'd hoped the Aqua Ring would wear off, but it didn't seem to, meaning Ash had to find a way to stop the root-empowered healing…

He stared at the Azumarill as it Bounced into the air again, one hand on the root as they flew, and had - a notion.

"Chief! Use your vines to grab that root!"

"Wha-" Lindsey jerked their head up, at the Azumarill in an uncontrolled fall, as Chief snapped up his vines. Used to being able to ignore Grass Type moves, the Azumarill didn't try to dodge, moving only when they realized Chief's vines were wrapped around the root and the cord attaching it to their neck. They tried to yank it back, but they had no leverage, so when Chief yanked, the cord snapped, sending the root flying. The blue rings didn't disappear, but they faded a bit, so when the Azumarill hit the ground unevenly, the bruises didn't fade immediately.

"Tackle!" Ash cried out. "Keep it up - don't give them time to rest!" And with that - Chief charging the Azumarill at regular intervals, kept them on the defensive. But Chief was slowing without making a lot of progress, and the Azumarill got in a few lucky hits with Ice Punches. Ash was certain he wasn't going to beat the Azumarill with Chief alone, and doubted Valiant's chances - not without a miracle.

His gaze drifted back up, where…

He found a miracle.

"Chief! Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted, pointing upward, and saw a flick of Chief's eyes even as Lindsey snorted.

"Absorb it and use Ice Punch," they drawled. "I would have thought you could remember Sap Sipper makes my Azumarill immune to-"

And then Chief's Razor Leaf attack sliced through the cords holding up the Gym lights, sending a heavy mass of glass and metal crashing down on Azurmarill's head.

Ash could hear his breath, heavy in the following silence, could feel his heart still racing, as he grinned at Lindsey. "They aren't immune to Steel attacks," he said.

"No," Lindsey agreed, ambling forward until they stood next to the mangled pile of metal. "Mr. Mime?"

"Mime!" Their Mr. Mime was suddenly there (or maybe was sneaky enough they'd been there the entire time), raising a finger to yank the lights away from the Azumarill. Lindsey sniffed before recalling the Azumarill.

"Azumarill is unable to battle," they admitted, before striding to their side of the field. "Mawile? Play Rough."

The Mawile sprinted into the field, hands and jaws trailing behind them as they leapt at Chief. Ash barely had time to recover, but had none to actually shout a command, only to yelp as Mawile's attack sent Chief skidding past him, where he grunted once before falling still.

"Chief!" Ash recalled his Pokemon instantly, holding the Pokeball briefly against his chest. "Go ahead and rest," he said. "You did an awesome job."

"Rather a function of their trainer, I think," Lindsey said. "But I think you'll find, despite your presumed advantages, this battle will not be nearly as easy as the last."

Ash looked at Valiant, who was bouncing on the tips of his feet, eager to battle, and felt a thread of worry. Valiant wasn't weak, but - Ash still wasn't certain why they didn't work well together in battle. He took a steadying breath and nodded at Valiant.

"I'm counting on you," he said. "So let's do our best, yeah?"

Valiant's answering growl was - well, he was fired up to fight, so of course he'd sound a little angry. Still...if there was a time to learn to understand Valiant, it was now.

"Valiant, Fire-"

Valiant Slashed at the Mawile with his claws. They didn't exactly avoid it - his charge was a little unexpected - but interposed their steel jaws, blunting the attack.

"Poison Fang," Lindsey drawled.

"Get back!" Ash shouted. Valiant hopped back as the Mawile snapped after him, and Ash, expecting Valiant to charge back in, added, "And Fire Fang - they'll be weak to it."

The Mawile whined when Valiant snapped his jaws around their arm, before their secondary mouth twisted around, a vicious Crunch that made Valiant squeal (the Mawile's bites were fierce - Ash knew there were Pokemon who specialized in certain types of attacks - bites or punches or ranged attacks).

"Fire Spin!" Ash shouted. Valiant exhaled, releasing a circle of flame that boxed the Mawile in with him. "Power-Up Punch!"

"Double Team." The Mawile's form blurred and doubled, and Valiant's punch flew through one of those. "Crunch."

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted, but Valiant wasted a vital moment trying to figure out which attacker was real, and roared as steel jaws latched around his leg. "Fire Fang!"

"Hm," Lindsey mused as Valiant scored a glancing blow. "I'd hoped this would be a little more interesting." They shrugged. "Oh, well. Mawile, let's end this."

Lindsey's hand flicked into one of their pockets, removing a glittering gem, while the Mawile opened their steel jaws wide, revealing a clear partner to the gem in Lindsey's hand, as the Mawile began to glow. Their legs darkened to a bloody red, while dark strips of skin pulled away from their second mouth, waving menacingly as they grew close to half a meter, sweeping around to escape the Fire Spin.

And the Mega Mawile's steel mouth twisted into a toothy smile. "Crunch."

"Power-Up Punch!" Ash retorted, and Valiant caught the charging Mega Mawile, slamming a fist into their steel mouth's chin, snapping the jaws closed.

"Play Rough," Lindsey said, and the Mega Mawile spun, steel mouth whipping away as they tackled Valiant. The force of the blow drove Valiant into the ground, leaving a dent as he rose unsteadily, arms slack at his side. "Double Team."

"Fire Fang!" Ash called, but Valiant tried another Power-Up Punch instead, and the Mega Mawile snickered as he hit a shadowy copy.

"I'm not certain you'd be doing better if they were listening to you," Lindsey said, frowning as Valiant turned to Slash at the Mega Mawile again. "Poison Fang." The strength with which the Mega Mawile bit down on Valiant was bad enough, but the viscous fluid dripping from their teeth as they pulled away was worse, as Valiant stumbled back, skin going greenish as he tried to get some space. "Crunch."

"Fire Spin!" Ash called desperately, and Valiant recognized the wisdom of that, at least. But the Mega Mawile was fresh enough, and certain enough of their trainer, to leap through the flames. Still, the brief cover gave Valiant time to put some distance between them, and Ash time to think. Or panic, at least - Valiant was...if not ignoring him, at least certain he knew better than Ash how to win this. Worse, Ash wasn't certain what Valiant was thinking - a particularly disheartening thought, because of how well he'd come to know his other Pokemon. And he didn't have much time to work it out, given how Valiant kept swaying on his feet.

"Crunch!" The Mega Mawile leapt forward, jaws open, and a flash of insight hit Ash.

"Shoot a Flamethrower into their mouth!" Ash shouted, and miraculously, Valiant obeyed, shooting a blaze of flame into the Mega Mawile's steel mouth. The Mega Mawile screeched in pain, swatting desperately at their red-hot teeth. "Fire Spin!"

Valiant took a step forward, swayed, took a deep breath, and slumped forward.

Lindsey was quiet for a still moment, as Ash felt his heart sink. He'd agreed not to come back if he lost - meaning he'd lost his only chance at a Badge, here.

"Charmander is-" Lindsey started, but a low growl cut them off.

"Charrrrr…" Valiant snarled, pushing himself up on shaking arms. "Charm - chaaa," He exhaled, a heavy breath that made flames lick around his mouth. His tail was burning bright, but his skin was still greenish, sickly. "Cha - leon. Meleon" And he began to glow, claws on his front paws lengthening, head stretching out as his skin darkened. "Charmeleon!" he screamed as the glow faded. And-

His skin was free of the greenish tint, though he stumbled as he launched himself at the Mega Mawile, moving faster than he had before.

"Crunch," Lindsey commanded.

"Slash to knock it away!" Ash shouted, "then Fire Fang!" Valiant caught the Mega Mawile's bite with his claws, shoving it aside to close in and sink flaming teeth into their shoulder. The Mega Mawile hissed and knocked Valiant back, the skin around the bite red, scorched. Valiant chased after them with a Power-Up Punch - not nearly as effective (Valiant's Fire Type moves were stronger when he was injured), but it pushed the Mawile back again.

"Double Team!" Lindsey shouted, snapping one arm out. "And Crunch!"

"Created a ring of fireballs with Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, and Valiant paused. For a moment, Ash wasn't sure what Valiant was about to do, even as he saw the sudden narrowing of Lindsey's eyes, as if considering a countermeasure.

And then Valiant spat out a short burst of flame, and another, and another - a series of blasts that hit the ground in a rough circle around the Mega Mawile, exploding upward each time they landed. A true Fire Spin was a thin barrier of flame - hot enough to burn, but mostly a way to pin an opponent down. But these blasts of flame pushed inward, catching whatever was caught inside it - as bad as three, four hits from a Flamethrower, Ash guessed. "Fire Fang!" Ash commanded, and Valiant, emboldened, powerful, closed in on the Mega Mawile.

"Catch them with Crunch!" Lindsey called out.

The steel jaws twisted toward Valiant as he punched through the ring of fire, own jaws open wide.

And both snapped their mouths closed at the same time. They held like that for a long few seconds, each shaking from - the force of keeping their jaws tight, or fighting against the wounds they'd suffered, before each collapsed, the Mega Mawile returning to their original form as Valiant fell next to them.

Lindsey sighed, shaking their head. "Well, I didn't expect a draw-"

"It's not over," Ash interrupted, and Lindsey raised one eyebrow, incredulous.

Which Ash understood. Even if you knew about how a Pokemon could draw strength from their trainer (not literally, the way mingling his Aura with theirs could do), you would never imagine in a million years that Valiant felt strongly enough about Ash to do it.

But...even if Ash couldn't really understand Valiant (maybe never had), he knew one thing about the Charmeleon:

He was stubborn - more than Susanoo, and maybe more than Ash. So it wasn't a surprise when, legs shaking underneath him, Valiant stood, raising his head to meet Lindsey's gaze and open his mouth in a wordless snarl, a demand, Ash recognized, that Lindsey acknowledge his victory.

So Lindsey nodded. "Mawile is unable to battle. Charmeleon wins."

"Cha," Valiant huffed, before letting himself fall. Ash recalled him before he could hit the ground, and looked up at Lindsey.

Their eyes were - a little soft. Drawn back, as if concerned, and Ash…

Well, he didn't feel like he normally did when he won a Gym battle. He felt a little sick - because he should have lost, or not won at least, given how poorly he and Valiant had been communicating. And by the look of Lindsey's expression, they knew that.

"Well," Lindsey said, recalling the Mawile as they walked toward Ash, "a win is a win, even though - well, I don't think you'll thank me for this win." They produced their badge, which they handed over to Ash. "The Oasis Badge is yours, regardless of how you won, but. You received that Pokemon from someone else, didn't you?"

Ash jolted a little, nearly dropping the badge. "How did you-"

"Pokemon - often form their first understanding of humans from their first trainers. If they pass from one trainer to another, they may see the new trainer's actions through the lens of what they grew to understand from their original one." Lindsey fished through another pocket to produce a small disc.

But Ash found it difficult to focus on that, because...that same sick feeling on winning was back - the thought of being compared to Damien. "I'm - not the same as his old trainer. He knows that."

"I never said that," Lindsey replied, their free hand fluttering at their side. "He - doesn't think you're the same person, just. Frames your actions with the same...expectations. Unless you actually come to understand one another - such a misconception will persist. Anyway," they handed over the disc. "This can teach a Pokemon Charm - a move to lower an opposing Pokemon's attack power."

"Thanks," Ash murmured, trying to work up some enthusiasm. But - he didn't know if Lindsey was trying to be encouraging or not, but...he hadn't understood Valiant as a Charmander, and his evolution to a Charmeleon wasn't going to make things easier.

"Nine," a clipped voice said behind Ash. He was only just starting to turn when a chorus of voices rose together - Pokemon (Sirocco, relieved; and Smokethief, just happy to be here) and humans (Jessie and James, of course) together.

And something hit Ash at calf level, a hug that proved to be Meowth pressed up against him, hugging Ash's leg.

"Glad you're okay, twerp," Meowth muttered.

Ash crouched down as Susanoo slapped Meowth's back and demanded where Susanoo fit into Meowth's worry, to which Meowth began to laugh, wild, unsteady, coming as close to bursting into tears as Ash had seen him as Ash hugged Meowth back.

Because whatever else had happened, they were all okay and together again.

Hop had just arrived in Wedgehurst, his Grookey perched on his shoulder, gripping the back of his head with one hand, tapping Hop's shoulder with his stick. He'd paused at the train station when a boy stepped out of the station - wide, dark-haired, wearing a black shirt with a pale Vanillite design on it.

"Hey!" the boy shouted, waving at Hop as he all but bounced toward him. "You're a Pokemon trainer!"

"Ha, of course!" Hop agreed, gaze flicking to the boy's waist before asking, "Are you, too?"

"Absolutely." The boy twisted a yellow bag around to his front, producing a Pokeball from which he released a Charmander.

"Wow," Hop breathed, crouching down next to the Pokemon, stretching out a hand. "Hey. I'm Hop."

The Charmander sniffed at Hop's hand once before stepping back toward its trainer. Hop shrugged and looked up at the other boy. "My brother's got a Charizard - he's an awesome trainer." And. Hop paused, frowning to himself. He'd forgotten something important.

"I'm Tierno," the other boy said, and Hop could have smacked himself.

Instead he bounced up and held out his hand to shake. "I'm Hop."

Tierno was actually pretty cool. He was from Santalune City, in Kalos, and had come to Galar to participate in the Galar League.

"But I was talking to someone on the train, and they said I'd need a recommendation to join the League," Tierno said, shaking his head.

"Oh, man! That shouldn't be a problem at all!" Hop burst out. "My brother - Leon - would give you a letter for sure if we asked." He pulled out his Gear and pulled up the phone app.

"Wow, thanks," Tierno replied.

"No problem," Hop replied. "It's probably fate we met - you need a ticket in, and I need a rival."

And it might have been odd that a Kalosian had crossed the channel to participate in the Galar League when Kalos had a league of its own - but Galar's league was better - it had Dynamax battles, and stadium battles in front of everyone, and Leon, the absolute best Pokemon trainer in the world.

And, of course, Tierno was destined to be Hop's rival, so he'd been drawn to Galar.

Giovanni did not devote as much attention to Matori's briefings as she liked to believe. For the first, he didn't see the point of having an operations manager if he had to listen to the same speeches about what was going on regardless. Second, her briefings always seemed to operate on the assumption Giovanni didn't read her memos, much less the various division heads' reports. Third - well, he'd never been particularly skilled with just remembering things people told him.

But even in a criminal empire (especially in a criminal empire), you had to respect the needs of your employees, or you risked revolt, and Matori did like to believe her explaining every little detail provided a vital service, so he let her talk, keeping a fraction of his attention for worrying keywords.

Shuffling through his reports as she talked, Giovanni stilled as his thoughts tripped over something he hadn't thought about for quite a while, and in this shock, did something he never did.

"Quiet a moment," he snapped, tugging a stack of paper out from his reports, squinting at it, while Matori squeaked in surprise. It was one of Kosaburo's reports - being marginally more objective about Dr. Laurent than Yamato, his reports were generally more informative than hers (and easier to read than Laurent's - she seemed to believe Giovanni understood far more about her work that he did).

He scanned the report for what had caught his attention, and-

"I'm going to need - half an hour, Matori," he said. "No one is to interrupt."

And he waited for Matori to close the door behind her before he reached for the video phone, calling a number he had never actually called himself. And his breath caught when someone answered - older, certainly than he remembered her, but her mahogany-colored hair hadn't faded, and her eyes were as sharp as they'd ever been, amber glittering before her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hanako," Giovanni said, and her lips pursed, almost disapproving.

"I don't have a code name, anymore, Giovanni," she said.

"...Delia, then," Giovanni amended. (Ketchum, the name he'd seen in Kosaburo's report that had prompted this phone call.)

Delia's lips smoothed out into an expression that wasn't quite a smile, but wasn't actively hostile, at least. "What - prompted this call?" she asked, at last.

"When we - parted ways, we came to...an arrangement," Giovanni said.

"I remember," Delia replied. "It was my idea." She leaned back, folding her arms in front of me. "And while this doesn't strictly violate the terms of our agreement-"

"You have a son," Giovanni said, sharp, cutting Delia off. "Ten - eleven years old?"

Delia stilled, and you would have had to know her well to realize she wasn't afraid - she was angry. Domino, one of his best undercover agents, was almost as good as Delia had been in concealing her feelings, but even with her, there were tells.

"Yes. He's a Pokemon trainer - five badges, the last time we spoke." It was almost miraculous, the transformation between one moment and the next, from a woman contemplating some sort of violence to a proud mother. She tilted her head slightly, staring at Giovanni. "You'll probably meet him - a lot of trainers get the Earth Badge last."

"I didn't call to reminisce - or discuss your son's chances of placing at the Indigo Conference," Giovanni snapped. "Do you know what sort of company your son is keeping?"

Delia's face stilled - shuttered as she shrugged. "At his age, kids don't travel alone. Do you know what can happen to kids traveling on their own?"

Giovanni leaned in close to the screen, schooling his face into something Delia would take as appropriately threatening. "They could get mixed up with Team Rocket," he snarled.

Delia huffed, shaking her head. "They aren't - his friends aren't with Team Rocket."

"Of course not," Giovanni agreed, tapping the table next to the screen. "They're getting in Team Rocket's way. I couldn't say for certain how involved your son is with this interference, but if he is trying to stop whatever Team Rocket has planned...I can't guarantee his safety. Because...children weren't part of our arrangement."

And Delia's smile - froze. It didn't fade, but her eyes...went flinty, dangerous. "Oh, I understand perfectly. My safety you can guarantee, not anyone else. But...I have a guarantee for you, Giovanni. If anything, anything, happens to my boy, I will track down those responsible and end them. And if the person responsible is sitting at the top of a sprawling criminal organization, I'd take the whole thing apart from the bottom up - because Ash is my world, so if your people hurt him, I'll destroy yours." Her smile flickered wide, threatening, with the chill of her eyes, and she ended the call.

And Giovanni sat back, an unsteady breath escaping him, and wished for Miyamoto. He doubted any single one of his agents could have matched Delia in her prime, and...he had no way of knowing whether she'd kept up her skills in the...thirteen years since she'd left Team Rocket. Given the reports suggesting the child with the Pikachu had an outsized part in each of the defeats Team Rocket had suffered, she'd likely practiced daily, and taught her son everything he knew.

If it came down to it, if the only way to proceed was to deal with Ash Ketchum, they'd have to take their chances.

...Chances he liked a lot better if they got their hands on that Mewtwo again.

Delia sat back, staring at the blank screen for a long moment, considering. Of course she was aware that Ash's journey was - more exciting than he let on, sometimes. Every time she spoke to James, she got the feeling he (or she, or they, as the case may be) was - self-editing; and Jessie seemed anxious the few times she'd been forced to talk to Delia.

But Team Rocket!

It was inevitable, she mused - Ash was a soft touch, and she'd never tamped down on his desire to help people (even when care for a lost Poliwag had ended with her basement flooded). But she never would have expected his path to cross that of Team Rocket this young (not the grunts, who might show up anywhere to steal Pokemon, but the organization, Giovanni himself).

And Jessie and James were capable adults - Pokemon trainers in their own right - and Meowth was obviously very fond of Ash...which was not even mentioning Ash's Pokemon, little Susanoo most of all.

But Team Rocket was relentless, ruthless. And whatever he'd said, Giovanni wouldn't hesitate to use Ash as leverage if he thought it would benefit him.

Delia tapped her phone a few times, waiting until Sam's face appeared; she schooled her face into a pleasant grin.

"Delia! What a nice surprise! What can I do for you?"

"Well…" Delia paused, feeling uncertain, suddenly. "I know I - sort of gave everything up when Ash was born, but I've been thinking a bit about keeping - occupied, without him around. And. I'm wondering if you could find me a - oh, a starter if you must, but-"

"A starter?" Sam replied, his smile widening. "Your partner's still on the ranch - as well as that other little fellow - never was able to find their original trainer."

"Ah - oh." Delia's heart fluttered a little. "Are - I wouldn't want to drag them back if they aren't-"

And Sam winked at her. "You're quite underestimating yourself, Delia, if you think they won't be delighted to see you again. Still," he tapped his chin, "if you were really looking for something to keep you busy, I could always use more research assistants."

"No, I think - they'll really be happy to see me again?"

"I can guarantee it."

Chapter Text

Meowth was at the front of the marching order. Not out of any particular desire to lead their group, but because the Riolu insisted on walking at the front, and she had a tendency to dart off when she saw something interesting, or new, or something she could fight.

She was clearly Ash's kid, because Meowth hadn't been this belligerent at that age.

He snagged her arm as she caught sight of a Beedrill, bringing her up short. And even though he knew she could break free if she wanted to, she struggled for a moment before slumping her shoulders.

"You don't let me have any fun," she muttered.

"I don't let you chase off and fight every Pokemon you meet," Meowth retorted.

"You fought Articuno," Riolu countered.

"Yeah, I heard about that," Susanoo said, bouncing up behind them; Riolu yelped and whirled on Susanoo, and would have punched him in the head if Susanoo hadn't leapt back with the reflexes of a battle-trained Pokemon. He smirked at Riolu - Susanoo seemed to take some personal satisfaction in being a better fighter than Riolu, despite the fact that exceeding the combat skill of a child was perhaps the lowest bar possible.

"So...I've only heard, you know, bits and pieces of that fight," Susanoo continued, ignoring Riolu. "But Sirocco said you beat the shit out of the incarnation of winter storms themselves."

Meowth winced at the description, which he suspected Sirocco had made to wind up Susanoo, and possibly embarrass Meowth when the truth came to light. "I didn't - they decided it would be too much effort to kill me."

And Susanoo burst into laughter. "That is exactly how I would imagine you beating one of the Legends - being so stubborn they can't be bothered to go through with it."

"Hey!" Riolu snarled, shaking her fist at Susanoo. "Don't make fun of him! He made sure Articuno won't forget him."

Susanoo raised an eyebrow, inquisitive, and Meowth bit back a sigh. "I...sort of scratched up their face...pretty bad."

"You…" Susanoo looked at Riolu, at Meowth, and then back at Riolu, before shaking his head. "Wow." He scampered back to Ash's shoulder; Meowth watched him go with an odd feeling in his stomach.

"...Do I need to kick his ass?" Riolu asked. "I could do it if I had to."

"No, it's - fine, kid," Meowth murmured. "Susanoo's - just a little weird. Like his trainer."

"Hmph." Riolu folded her arms as they continued walking. "He's always looking at you, and saying weird things."

"Yeah, that's. Just how he is. You work with a trainer, you get weird ideas how to show Pokemon you care. He talked me into letting the twerp teach me Thunderbolt."

"Hm," Riolu replied, noncommittal. Meowth sighed. He liked Riolu, as much as you could a child who didn't even know what a personality was, yet. He'd just - sort of assumed at some point he wasn't going to be having kids, and having a young Pokemon thrust into his life, looking to him for guidance, left him off-balance. He kept hoping Ash might make inroads into impressing Riolu, actually catching her, but since Ash hadn't yet done anything that topped challenging Articuno and living to tell the tale, Riolu didn't consider him a worthy companion.

And that left the Riolu in Meowth's care, more or less - responsible for keeping her in check, or at least not getting killed.

She paused mid-step, the black protrusions hanging from her head twitching, before raising her nose. "Someone's in trouble," she said.

"Trouble?" Meowth asked, just to give the humans a heads-up, and Ash tilted his head, gazing to the right side of the path.

"A - Pokemon," he said. "They're - scared. I can't tell if-"

Meowth was expecting it, but he was also less athletic than someone who had been born a week ago, so when Riolu bolted off the right edge of the path, Meowth was only just starting to run after her. Ash was just behind Meowth, and Meowth heard the sound of a Pokeball a moment before Growlie sprinted past him.

Meowth, used to the frantic race that marked the moments when their journey became an adventure, grabbed the ruff of Growlie's mane as he passed, stumbling for several steps before settling on the Growlithe's back, pressed low to reduce his chance of falling because of low clearance.

Growlie didn't slow down, but he flicked an ear at Meowth. "This better not become a habit," he grumbled.

"I'm just here for the most convenient ride," Meowth replied. "So keep on the Riolu's tail."

"You're not my partner," Growlie said, but didn't slow, following Riolu until they burst out of the trees into a meadow full of grass that rose over Meowth's head. A Raticate was snarling at the grass, unaware of them until Riolu kicked them in the back of the head, hopping back to throw a Vacuum Wave at the Raticate when they turned.

They snarled and lunged forward, snapping their fangs at Riolu. Growlie bucked Meowth off his back (the force of the throw sending Meowth sailing, nearly crashing into a tree) and interposed himself between Riolu and the Raticate.

"Fuck!" Growlie shouted, twisting to bite at the Raticate in retaliation. "She's a kid, you asshole!"

Meowth sat up, righting the world, as Susanoo caught up with him. Susanoo glanced at the battlefield, where Growlie knocked the Raticate aside, snarling a wordless threat, and then back at Meowth, ears twitching.

"You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine, Sparky," Meowth mumbled, rubbing his head. "How's Riolu?"

"Gone, I think," Susanoo replied. "No, she's - ah."

Ash caught up with them, then, panting a little. "What's up, buddy?" He looked up, and added a bright, "Good job, Growlie," before looking back at Susanoo. "Why's he fighting that Raticate?"

Meowth pointed to the edge of the grass, where a blue form was moving parallel to the fight. Ash's eyes narrowed. "There's a Pokemon in there...besides Riolu. They're - scared."

"I'm considering it a win that she isn't trying to beat the shit out of them, too," Meowth muttered.

"Growlie?" James was finally there, leaning against a tree, tugging at her leggings, frowning at her Pokemon. "What-"

"He's fighting the Raticate to defend the Riolu's - honor," Meowth said, waving toward the battle.

"Ah," James replied, pushing herself upright, squinting at the fight, where the Raticate opened their jaws wide, lunging forward. "Back!" she snapped, "and Snarl!" The Raticate winced at the furious sound, hopping back and twisting their face into a monstrous sneer, before launching themselves forward. Their Bite made Growlie flinch back; before he could recover, the Raticate attacked again.

Ash and James each reached for their Pokeballs, but then Meowth saw Riolu emerge from the grass closest to Meowth and the humans, a silver-haired Pokemon - an Eevee - trailing her with cautious steps, gaze fixed on the battle.

And Meowth gritted his teeth, stepping forward. "Hey, James - see what you can do to help." He rubbed the charm on his head vigorously, feeling the charge build, and heard James call, "Helping Hand!"

Growlie howled, a sound that eased some of Meowth's uncertainty; he took another Bite for his trouble, but Meowth flicked his paws forward with a final swipe against his charm, sending a Thunderbolt between him and the Raticate.

It didn't knock out the Pokemon, but they seemed to realize the audience, then - two Pokemon, not yet tired from battle, and humans with their Pokeballs. They snarled once more before bolting into the grass. James recalled Growlie with a muttered thanks, just as Jessie arrived.

"Ugh," she groaned, before she suddenly paused. "And who is this cutie?"

"Um," the Eevee squeaked, gaze darting between Riolu, Meowth, Susanoo, Ash, and James, before backing toward the grass.

Jessie scrambled back a step, rummaging through her bag at the same time to produce a Sitrus Berry, which she held out to James. "They're worn out," Jessie murmured, "and a little banged up."

"Mm," James agreed before crouching - not quite at the Eevee's level, but much closer than she normally was. She held the Berry out, gaze resting lightly on the Eevee, before she tossed it gently toward the Pokemon. "There you go," she said. "It's all yours."

The Eevee eyed the berry, unmoving, while silence fell across the group. James sank down slowly, until she was sitting cross-legged by the trees; Ash and Jessie followed suit. At last the Eevee crept just close enough to pick up the berry in their mouth and dart back to the edge of the grass, where they devoured it eagerly. Once finished they raised their head, and, seeing the mixed group of humans and Pokemon, stepped back, so their rear foot was in the grass.

"Hey," Meowth said, causing the Eevee to start, staring at him, their whole body on alert, from ears to tail. "Hey - no one here's gonna catch you or anything if you don't want to; the humans just wanna make sure you're okay."

"You…" The Eevee's ears flicked as they glanced at Ash, and then, finally, at Jessie. They crouched down, ears flipping down. "They're...good people?"

"Ash is the best," Susanoo interjected, on his feet, before falling back, settling at Ash's side. "And Jessie and James are - fine, I guess."

Meowth snorted. "These two are great - the twerp's partner's just a little biased."

"Does...she have any more berries?" the Eevee asked, looking not to Jessie, but James, and Meowth rolled his eyes; the Eevee had clearly written off Jessie.

"Plenty," he replied. "In fact, how about we take a break out here, everyone gets snacks?"

"Uh, yeah," James agreed. "We're not in a hurry, are we, Ash?"

Ash shook his head, and finally, as the Eevee approached James along a path that kept them equidistant from everyone else, Ash pulled out his Gear.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon. Their genes are unstable, allowing them to evolve to adapt to a variety of environments. Despite theories that Eevee can adapt to any environment, only eight evolutions of Eevee have been discovered."

The Eevee froze at the new voice, but after only a moment decided it wasn't a threat and continued their trek toward James. Ash, though, frowned. "Why doesn't the Eevee look like the one in my Pokedex?"

"Hm?" James was there first, of course, looking over Ash's shoulder; Meowth joined her to see the Eevee entry was headed by a picture of an Eevee in the brown-and-tan coloration Meowth was used to. "It's like Goldie, I think; sometimes Pokemon are different colors than others." She tapped a few buttons to open another article, and the recorded voice spoke again.

"Observational data has identified alternate coloration in less than one percent of Pokemon, with the exception of several species which have a much more balanced distribution of color variants. Various researchers have theorized that alternate coloration corresponds to greater strength, genetic defects, or, among the more credulous, bad luck; however, due to the rarity of these mutations, no evidence has supported any of these theories."

"Huh," Ash mused. "I guess we must be lucky, meeting two rare Pokemon in a couple of months." He leaned forward, waving at the Eevee. "Hi, I'm Ash!"

"...You're the one who's the best," the Eevee murmured, glancing at Susanoo.

"This is James," Ash continued, pointing to James. "Her Growlithe, Growlie, helped fight off that Raticate. And that's Jessie-"

"What about me?" Susanoo demanded.

"What about me?" Meowth retorted, smirking at Susanoo when he glared.

"I'm a Riolu!" the Riolu said, darting into the Eevee's way, waving; to their credit, the Eevee didn't bolt, but did freeze in place. "I was the one who noticed you were in trouble." She crossed her arms, nodding at the Eevee.

"Oh." The Eevee stepped back, and around the Riolu. "Thanks." They hurried resolutely around Riolu to James, sitting just outside her reach.

James laughed and took another berry from Jessie, holding it out to the Eevee. They didn't move until James set the berry down in front of her and pulled her hand back, at which point the Eevee dove into it. Ash produced several berries from his own pack, giving Susanoo one, and Meowth two, jerking his head toward Riolu.

Meowth nodded and ambled to Riolu's side, handing her the Figy Berry, as Riolu would eat anything, and Meowth couldn't stand spicy flavors. Watching the Eevee eat berries that James set down between them, Meowth hoped this Pokemon let themself be caught or go on their way; he didn't need two independent Pokemon to look after.

"What's up with the - with Ash?" Riolu asked. "When I sensed the Pokemon in trouble - he knew, too."

"He's an Aura Adept, you know," Meowth replied, shrugging. "He can sense Aura like a Lucario can. He's even used it during a Pokemon battle."

Riolu didn't reply for a few moments, chewing on her berry. Meowth spared a glance for the Eevee, who had deigned to allow James to scratch her head. As a result, when Riolu spoke up, Meowth, not expecting it, jumped.

"I'm supposed to be his Pokemon, aren't I?" she asked.

"No," Meowth insisted. "You're your own Pokemon. If you never want a human partner-"

"I'm not stupid," Riolu retorted, voice growing a little fierce. Meowth saw Susanoo perk up from his place next to Ash; Meowth waved him off, but when Susanoo settled, his ears were alert. "He can use Aura like a Lucario, and someone gave him my egg," Riolu retorted. "He intended me to be his partner - like the Pikachu."

"Well, yeah," Meowth agreed. "But the thing you gotta understand about Ash is...whatever he expected, he doesn't care about anything more than making sure you're happy. If you wanna stick around and figure out what I can teach you, or wanna go off and never see us again, it wouldn't even occur to him to stand in your way. And because he's an Aura Adept, he's got a good idea you're not interested in being his partner. In fact...I bet he's giving you space in case you don't want to have anything to do with him at all."

Riolu was looking at her feet, and Meowth wasn't certain if she were upset or just thinking. He never got his answer, however, as a shout cut through the woods.

"Hey! Get away from that Eevee!"

A red-haired human in a sleeveless white shirt and pants that matched the shade of their hair sprinted out of the woods about ten meters away, pointing at James. The Eevee yelped and darted behind James, while Jessie, behind them, rose, one hand lingering by her belt.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"Our little brother's Eevee ran away," the redhead said, "so step away from it!"

James turned, looking down at the Eevee, before glancing back at the redhead. "A rare Eevee?" she asked.

"Wha - the Eevee's the product of our family's Eevee daycare!" the redhead retorted. "Of course it's rare!"

James bent down and when she turned, she was holding the Eevee with the silver coat in her arms. "Is this your brother's Eevee?"

"Ah-" the redhead stammered. "No. I don't think we've ever had an Eevee that looked like that in our daycare." They shook their head, sighing. "I'm sorry, we're all just frantic. Our brother Mikey's Eevee went missing, which would be bad enough any other day, but today's Evolution Day, and it's the guest of honor!"

Ash, of course, was on his feet, Susanoo scrambling to his place on Ash's head. "His Eevee's missing? We could help find it, if you want."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" The redhead stepped in and clapped a hand on Ash's shoulder. "My name is Pyro, and my brothers and I live in the huge mansion in Stone Town, and if you find my brother's Eevee-" They glanced at James and nodded at her Eevee. "We can help you make something out of that Eevee. Remember - huge mansion, ask for Pyro!"

"Well," James concluded once Pyro had left, "it looks like we've got our afternoon planned out."

"With one minor proviso," Jessie interjected. "The Eevee," she explained, a James' silent question. "While very cute, we need to decide if we're dropping them back in their natural habitat or...if they're coming with us."

"What? Who's dropping me off?" the Eevee demanded. "If you leave me here the doctor will find me!"

Meowth's blood ran cold.

"What...doctor?" he asked slowly.

"The doctor," the Eevee trilled, voice going high.

"What's going on?" James asked, arms tightening around the Eevee. "They sound worried."

"They're running away from somebody," Ash explained. "A - someone who - a professor?"

"A doctor," Meowth corrected. "Do you know their name? Were they a man or a woman?"

"We called it the doctor," the Eevee murmured. "It - hurt us, and told us when we weren't worth enough. I was practically worthless, except it said I was - sturdy. It hurt me more, and hurt the others less."

And Meowth shivered again, because the impersonal 'it' was how some Pokemon referred to the Powers - the Pokemon who were more than guardians of the world's forces, those who were gods.

"Someone's been abusing them," Ash said, though there was uncertainty in his voice, unable to understand much from a Pokemon he'd just met.

"And I hate that we've reached this point, but I hope this doctor they're talking about is Doctor Laurent, because we do not need two evil Pokemon geneticists running around," Meowth growled.

"Well, no one's letting that mean old doctor get their hands on you," James crooned down to the Eevee. "And I don't want to pressure you or anything, but it's a little easier if you're someone's - partner. Now, Ash is a professional trainer, so if you're a fighter, he's your guy; and Jessie has a lot of love to give-"

"Your Pokemon rescued me before you even knew I needed help," the Eevee declared to James, who smiled uncertainly at Meowth, who gave her a thumbs-up.

"I have a - Pokeball, if you're-"

"The doctor said no one would want me," the Eevee said, voice suddenly quiet. "It proved, mathematically, that I'm worthless."

Meowth was halfway through trying to translate that in a way that wouldn't result in Jessie, James, and Ash making a beeline for wherever they thought Dr. Laurent was when Ash, frowning, spoke up.

"Calling a Pokemon worthless is just - how shallow people think. Trainers - people - who matter support their Pokemon, no matter what - numbers say."

"Absolutely," James agreed. "Lucky I-" She paused, patting at her pockets. "I'm out of Pokeballs."

Ash handed her one, which she used to tap the top of the Eevee's head. The Eevee vanished, the Pokeball shaking in James' hands three times before glowing green. James released the Eevee almost immediately, who scrambled back up into James' arms.

They then spent two hours wandering the woods, Riolu tense, apparently scanning for Aura, and Ash with his head tilted (possibly trying to mimic Riolu). Ash, ultimately, reacted first, freezing before darting in an apparently random direction, Riolu on his heels. Their reaction turned out to be from another Eevee - a proper brown - tied to a tree. Meowth felt a moment of shock, before the smaller details struck him. There was a bowl of water and one of food in easy reach. The Eevee didn't seem distressed, though definitely...restless. And at the sight of Jessie and James, they tensed.

"Stay back! My trainer might not be Lance, but I know Return and I love him very much!"

"Hey, woah!" Meowth raised his paws, stepping back (toward Riolu). "We're not poachers or whatever. This guy, Pyro, asked us to bring you back to his brother."

"Hm," the leashed Eevee mused, shaking their tail. "Mikey really wanted me to camp out here for…" they eyed their food bowl. "A day or two. But I can't hide out here every Evolution Day." They shook their whole body, eyed James with her Eevee in her arms, Ash with the Pikachu on his head, and nodded at Jessie. "She can carry me."

"Arrogant little fox, aren't you?" Meowth muttered as Jessie gleefully untied 'Mikey's' Eevee and picked them up. Ash emptied the water bowl and picked up the food one before pulling out his Gear.

"Pyro said they're in Stone Town," he mused.

"A twenty minute walk in that direction," Jessie said, pointing over Ash's shoulder.

It was more like thirty, but that was only because Meowth had to keep Riolu from fighting a Graveler.

And then they found the mansion - and mansion was the right word (although James clicked her tongue, dismissive, at the sight of it). There was music coming from the back, so they skirted the building to find the party in the back - where dozens of humans were milling around, talking, laughing, and, in the further side of the yard, battling.

And it seemed like everyone had an Eevee by their side, or one of its evolutions - mostly Jolteon, Vaporeon, or Flareon. A number of Leafeon and Glaceon wandered among the crowds, and a few trainers were trailed by Umbreon or Espeon.

An orange-haired human and a blue-haired one stood near a table, with a smaller, brown-haired one by their side.

"Mikey!" The Eevee scrambled out of Jessie's arms and sprinted around their fellow Eevee and human legs, until they bumped into the brunette's ankles.

The brown-haired kid didn't look happy to see their Eevee, though (even if they did immediately pick them up and hold them against their chest), and when they reached the group, the kid was yelling at their brothers.

"-because I don't need to!" they shouted. "Not everyone needs an - electric Eevee, or a water one, or a fire one."

"You don't have to evolve your Eevee into a Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon," the blue-haired human replied. "You could evolve them into a Glaceon or Leafeon, ever since researchers discovered Ice Stones and Leaf Stones."

"Why do I have to, anyway?" the kid demanded. "My Eevee's fine the way he is."

"Because your Eevee's never going to reach its full potential without evolving," the blue-haired one argued. Their gaze passed over Ash and paused. "Like this kid and their Pikachu. I could give you a Thunder Stone right now and you could have a Raichu to power up your team."

"Uh. Thank you, but no. Susanoo's happy being a Pikachu," Ash said, scratching Susanoo's side.

The blue-haired one shrugged before squinting at the group. "Hey, did you bring Mikey's Eevee back here?"

"Yeah," Ash replied.

"Then you can have a stone for your friend's Eevee," the blue-haired one said, "courtesy of the Battling Eevee Brothers! We've got a set of five here today, and after Mikey picks what stone he wants, you can have one of the other four."

"Uh, Mikey seems to be sure he doesn't want his Eevee to evolve," Ash pointed out. Mikey's brother rolled his eyes and patted Ash's shoulder.

"Mikey wants his Eevee to be strong, and that means he needs to evolve it."

"What if he proved his Eevee was strong?" Ash asked. "He could fight you and your brothers with his Eevee, and if he wins, his Eevee's strong enough without evolving."

The blue-haired human laughed. "We've been training a lot longer than Mikey; his Eevee wouldn't be a match for ours no matter what it evolved into."

"I'll do it," James said, and her Eevee perked up in her grip. "I'll fight the three of you with my Eevee. I'll prove that an Eevee can beat your evolved Pokemon, and you can stop pressuring your brother to evolve his Pokemon."

The trainer examined James' Eevee for a long moment before shrugging. "If you want to embarrass yourself, suit yourself. Right, Sparky?"

"Absolutely, Rainer." Sparky produced his Gear. "I'm calling Pyro - tell him we found the Eevee."

Word swept through the party quickly, energy rising at excited chatter at getting to see Pyro, Rainer, and Sparky battle.

While Meowth edged to James' side, poking her ankle. "So, uh. How are we planning to win a fight against three trainers fighting with their partners of years with an Eevee you met - four hours ago?"

James stroked the Eevee's ears absent-mindedly, pursing her lips. "I have to admit I didn't think this through - channeling Ash, as it were. I just couldn't stand those men pushing their brother around, ignoring what he wants for some - idea of what he should be like." She glared at nothing in particular, and Meowth was aware of the unspoken currents of James' mindset; he knew she had issues with her family, but the details had only ever come up briefly, and with little detail.

"Well, they really seem to like you," Ash said, "which can really help in a battle." He leaned in, flicking the Eevee's tail, grinning when they gave him a muttered complaint. "You think James is the best, right?"

They perked up at the question, tail wagging. "She's loads better than the doctor-" Their tail slowed as they tilted their head at Ash. "Which is admittedly a very low bar. Still!" They eyed Sparky's Jolteon, growling experimentally. "I'll fight anyone she wants me to!"

"A fine sentiment, but ultimately a futile one." The group yelped at the appearance of a well-dressed human - elegant suit, top hat, and an Umbreon in a matching hat. "An Eevee cannot hope to match the power of any of its evolutions."

"I - who are you?" James demanded.

"And where did you get that hat?" Jessie asked.

"My name is Roland, and my partner, Shadeswell," the human replied. "And I am here to help you." They produced a small pink crystal from one of their pockets, holding it toward James. "This is Eviolite."

"What sort of evolution stone is that?" Ash asked.

"It isn't," Roland replied. "This is the - opposite of an evolution stone. When a Pokemon that can evolve but hasn't holds it, the Pokemon becomes more resilient. With that sort of help, your Eevee-"

"Thank you, but no," James replied, gaze drifting to the field where Pyro, Rainer, and Sparky were setting up for their battle. "I'm going to show them an Eevee can beat them on its own - no items, no power-ups, just Eevee versus Eevee."

"Ah." Roland gave James a small smile. "Then I wish you the best of luck." He paused on turning, staring at Jessie for a moment. "You know, madam, you look - quite familiar. Have we met?"

Jessie's expression froze, brittle, before she smiled sweetly at Roland. "I couldn't imagine where. Now Jaaaaamie and I need to go prepare for her battle. Come along, Ash."

She hustled them all toward the field, ignoring Ash's protests that he wanted to learn more about Eviolite (because, of course, Susanoo was never going to evolve if he could help it). Jessie was quiet until they were a few meters away from Roland.

"You might want to touch up your makeup, James," she said. "Just to make you look a little less like - well, you."

"Why-"

"He recognized me," Jessie whispered, voice sharp as she tugged James' ear toward her. "And since I haven't met him before, it must mean he met a...certain other person who looks like me. Which means he's probably met other people who look like you."

"What?" Ash asked, and Jessie slowed, a worried slant to her expression, because.

Well, this was as close to their deepest secret, and it hadn't really come up with Ash, yet. They'd more or less coasted on Jessie's dead mother and James posing as Ash's sibling.

"It is - not something we have time to discuss right now," James said, "but after we get out of Stone Town, we can talk about it, alright? Just accept the fact we have several reasons why I don't want to be recognized aside from the arrest warrants."

"...Alright," Ash agreed, not even sounding disappointed. Of course, he was about to see James try to beat three trainers with only her newly-caught Eevee - plenty to be excited about.

Ash eventually settled on the sidelines, Susanoo in his lap. Meowth sat next to Ash, and, after a long moment of consideration, Riolu sat on Meowth's other side. Jessie took Ash's free side, and James set the Eevee down. She was talking to it, quiet, serious, and the Eevee watched her seriously.

Pyro stood at the far end of the field, smirking at James. Roland stood at the middle of the field. "This will be a series of one-on-one battles. The challenger will be allowed only her one Eevee, and will compete against each of Pyro, Rainer, and Sparky. A short break will be allowed between each match, and one Sitrus Berry allowed to the challenger's Pokemon during each break. I will act as judge. The trainers will release their Pokemon."

Pyro tossed out a Pokeball, releasing his Flareon. Meowth heard a beep, and the voice of Ash's Pokedex. "Flareon, the Flame Pokemon. Its fur diffuses heat, and consequently most Flareon are capable of weathering the temperatures of their volcano homes."