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Chapter Text

Indigo wasn't known for being modest in scope. Consisting of the Kanto Region, Orange Archipelago, Johto Region, and Sevii Islands, it was quite possibly the largest banner in the Pokemon world by far. The massive scope of the empire was something to be revered.

By the next Indigo Conference, that empire would be celebrating its four hundredth birthday. The empire boasted an impressive history that only Sinnoh's own could match, and the Conference at the end of this upcoming season would mark four centuries of greatness. Though it was celebrated throughout all territories that made up Indigo, the enthusiasm was at its peak in Kanto, the region of the empire's birth.

Kanto was also home to the capital of it all: The Indigo Plateau, the centerpiece of the League that governed the empire, and the goal of every single trainer competing within Indigo's regions. Home of both the Indigo Conference and the Indigo Grand Festival.

The Plateau's name carried a weight becoming of its status as the expansive empire's capital, but the feeling of standing there in person exuberated that sensation far more so. The very aura of the Plateau screamed the word "Power".

Leading up to the Plateau was Victory Road, a location of terrible terrain and deadly wildlife to make for an immaculate training site that none but the most ambitious of hearts would dare step foot in. The Plateau itself was home to the Indigo League's main base, the centerpiece of the empire's government where the Champion and Elite Four assumed residence, along with the sites of the Grand Festival, the most beautiful stage for Indigo's Pokemon coordinators.

And then, there was the sites of the Indigo Conference. The ultimate goal for all trainers in Indigo. Pokemon League Village was big enough to house the massive number of competitors, which was often more than five hundred trainers. But, of course, the main attractions were the stadiums themselves.

Five stadiums in total. Four massive stadiums surrounding the main stadium. Individually, the main stadium was exactly twice as tall, and exactly twice as large, as any of the other four. The ratio was the same for the battle arenas that each stadium housed. These five stadiums were where Indigo's most prestigious and annually anticipated competition was held, and the main stadium was Indigo's ultimate battlefield, but it was reserved only for the toughest and most dedicated of trainers. For as many trainers as there were who would be competing within the Conference, they didn't even make up half of all trainers gunning for the Plateau. For as many trainers were good enough, and strong enough, to reach the Conference, there were many more who were not. Simply being a good Trainer wouldn't cut it. A placement in the Conference was a right exclusively granted to the absolute best.

The Indigo Plateau. Indigo's physical manifestation of the word "Power". The perfect throne for the League Champion and Elite Four. The five greatest, most powerful, respected, and feared trainers amongst the populace.

But for as indescribably grand as the Indigo Plateau is, and has always been, for nearly the past four centuries now, it is not where legends begin. A place so epic and grand, is not often where a tale makes its start, but rather, where they climax. Where everything culminates into the finale to end all finales.

This is a story that begins somewhere else; Peaceful, serene, and simple. Everything the Indigo Plateau's sheer, polar opposite. Not grand in the slightest, and completely unambitious. Everything that the Plateau is not, nor has ever been, for nearly the past four centuries.

A simple place called Pallet Town.

Aside from the bare essentials, restaurants, houses, markets, the school, among other things, nothing could be found here aside from Professor Oak's Main Laboratory. The place where one of the single greatest Pokemon Researchers alive, and to ever exist, resided and worked. And when he worked, he worked.

But the Lab is not where this story begins either. Instead, this story begins within the peaceful walls of a single, somewhat small, two story house that embodies the very thing that Pallet stands for: Sheer simplicity. Only just big enough to comfortably house the building's only two residents, along with any occasional guests who may visit.

One of those two residents was Delia Ketchum. A young, beautiful woman, far from intense in personality. An employee to Professor Oak, and teacher in training.

And the other…

/

Ten years old (as of a little less than two weeks ago). Average height. Average build. Black hair. He was an ordinary boy on the outside, but he would not remain that way. Pretty soon, his life would be changing.

Forever.

The couch he was sitting on in the living room was a light ocean blue. He stared intently at the flat screen as excitement filled his heart.

The Conference only took place once every year. Usually it lasted about three weeks or so. Before that, the Grand Festival was held, usually lasting about three days, where coordinators would compete for the title of Top Coordinator. The day before that somewhat acted as a sort of preparation for both events. The Gyms were closed during this time. After the Conference, another two or three weeks was taken, mostly as an intermission before the next season of Pokemon Training started. During this time, the winner of the Conference would challenge whoever the lowest ranked member of the Elite Four was, moving onto the next member if they were to win. Defeating an Elite Four Member granted that Conference winner their position. But even against the winner of a Conference, it was a rare occurence for any member of the Four to lose. Afterwards, the Elite Four would all be given the opportunity to challenge each other ( and the Champion) for their positions, depending on each member's current rank.

After that period was over, the Gyms reopened, new Trainers were given their Starter Pokemon, and a brand new season would finally begin. But the night before that, a special event was held by the League each year, in order to celebrate the grand beginning.

The Champion and Elite Four were all interviewed, and would take part in the League Rush.

In the League Rush, the Champion would battle all of the Elite Four in an exhibition match. The Champion was allowed up to three Pokemon, while the Elite Four were all allowed up to a total of five Pokemon. Each Elite Four member would initially use a single Pokemon, while deciding amongst each other who would use the fifth.

The match had no stakes, simply serving a ceremony to usher in the new season.

That ceremony was taking place now.

The boy grinned as the camera panned over to the man on the blue corner of the battlefield. He was tall and muscular, with spiky pink hair. His arms were crossed, but his expression was a wide smile. Lance lived for the crowd. He breathed for the crowd. He existed for the crowd.

The Champion of Indigo had a reputation matched by very few others. The current generation of Champions were considered insurmountable even by Champion standards, and Lance and Cynthia of the Sinnoh Region had earned their titles faster than any before them, at a pace that only Steven Stone from Ever Grande came close to. Among Indigo Trainers, even in the eyes of experts, Lance was just too good to be true. Known as the Dragon Master, he boasted an arsenal of Pokemon almost exclusively consisting of the Dragon Egg Group. Dragon types were traditionally amongst the rarest and most difficult Pokemon to find, not to mention what it took raise and train them, but they were nonetheless among the most revered for their immense power and versatility in battle. Dragons were some of the most sought out Pokemon to ever exist. Any Trainer with a well trained Dragon was practically a strong Trainer already.

But to have complete Mastery over the Dragons, to the point where your career had become synonymous with the category?

Lance was beyond description.

The boy's grinned remained as the camera panned over to the four people on the red corner of the battlefield.

The Elite Four. Lorelei, Bruno, Karen, and Agatha, all of whom the boy idolized every bit as greatly as the dragon-wielding Champion. Together, they were the five that all trainers in Indigo strived to one day become. A goal that very few could ever be capable of reaching, but pursued by thousands with heated intent.

The first to step forward was Lorelei, a cool looking, quite attractive woman with long, red hair tied into a ponytail. The lowest ranked of the four, she was a Master Ice specialist, with a knowledge of the typing not commonly replicated.

Lance and Lorelei each selected a Poke Ball, the Dragon Master releasing his teammate of choice first. The orb produced a brilliantly bright flash of light, which eventually materialized into a gigantic beast of a Pokemon.

It was a massive quadrupedal creature, primarily blue in color, and with enormous red wings, the massive Dragon-type towered above its already tall Trainer, raising its head proudly, as if to show off its presence to the world.

The audience cheered loudly as the massive Salamence reared its head back and ROARED. As if to announce its presence to the world, a ferocious sound, very akin to even the absolute loudest of thunderclaps, escaped the massive beast's mouth and filled the very air of the night.

Lance's Pokemon were just like their Trainer: They lived for the crowd.

Even among the rest of the Champion's Pokemon, however, this Salamence was not just another Dragon. Not only was it a part of Lance's main team that he normally used to defend his title, it was one of the three Pokemon of a trio widely considered to be the Champion's best, which he was most known and feared for. Dragonite, the Dragon Master's most famed Pokemon, was the frontrunner of the trio, alongside Lance's Charizard and Salamence.

Lorelei released her Pokemon next. In front of the calm woman emerged a large, blue creature. Her Lapras was the Pokemon that many often felt represented the ice master, being both her starter and cornerstone. Very much like its Trainer, and very unlike its opponent, Lorelei's partner looked on calmly, staring down its opponent without a single noise, awaiting orders as the match began.

The referee gave the signal, and Lapras made the first move. The large creature was quick to create a surge of water underneath its body, lifting it up slightly off the ground.

It was a common use of the Surf technique among high level Pokemon in particular. Pokemon such as Lapras were not typically able to maneuver well on land, so the utilization of this move was vital for land based combat.

Salamence flapped its gigantic, powerful wings and took to the skies, this act alone producing gales of wind.

Opening its maw, the draconic creature allowed a powerful blast of bright, orange energy to escape from it. The Hyper Beam, shining like the sun, flew towards Lapras at breakneck speeds.

Lapras immediately dodged to the left, leaving a large trail of water in its wake. The Hyper Beam smashed into the ground its target had originally occupied, producing an explosion that shook the stadium, as if creating a backdrop for the big escape that Lapras was making.

But Salamence was already acting again; charging forward faster than imaginable, it flew towards Lapras even as the large, blue Pokemon retreated. Its maw was crackling with the electrical aura of Thunder Fang as it roughly bit down on Lapras's neck, a wail of pain escaping from the water/ice type as the electricity made its way into the neck of Salamence's foe.

The blue Pokemon's horn erupted with lightning as it fired out a Thunderbolt, but Lance had seen the counterattack coming, and so did Salamence, as the massive Dragon immediately abandoned its grip on Lapras to retreat with no time to spare.

The boy watched eagerly as the battle unfolded, Salamence clearly with the upper hand. The Lapras, as powerful as it was, was soon overwhelmed by one of the most powerful Pokemon to ever be wielded by a Pokemon Champion, and Lorelei's star Pokemon lay defeated.

Not even its type advantage was enough to close the gap. Although typing had a very clear effect on beginner level battles, their relevance was usually known to decrease as a Pokemon and its trainer progressively grew stronger and more experienced. For elite level battles such as this, the effect that type matchups had on the outcome was just barely above superficial. By this point, most high level Pokemon and trainers had developed ways to reliably counter their weaknesses. It was rarely enough to make them go away completely, but it would, more often than not, ensure that typing would not immediately put a Pokemon in a bad place. As an acclaimed dragon specialist, Lance was no stranger to dealing with ice types.

It was something that Professor Oak and their teachers had all hammered into them very early on: When battling, do not rely on type matchups too much. Although they were a decent cushion, and especially great during beginner level battles, they would become much less reliable as time went on, so it was very important to never grow too dependent on them in the first place. Eventually, other factors would typically determine which Pokemon had the advantage, such as overall fighting style or physique. Many trainers, especially rookies, fell into the trap of growing far too complacent with typing, rarely learning to come up with other ways to turn a battle in their favor. Such a mindset was almost doomed for failure in pro level battles.

Lorelei recalled her defeated comrade and stepped back, making room for the next Elite Four member: A mountain of muscle, easily towering over his three teammates.

Bruno was both an expert fighting type specialist and a master of martial arts. Even outside of Pokemon battling, he was famous for both the talent and spiritual knowledge that he exhibited.

Taking out a Poke Ball, he released a large, bulky, humanoid Pokemon with four arms. Machamp, his main partner, and a Pokemon widely feared equally for both its ferocity and skill.

As the battle began, the boy looked up and smiled at the brunette-haired woman walking in. Delia returned the expression as at her son as she took a seat next to her son on the couch.

"Sorry I got here late, Ash. Had to clean up something that spilled in the kitchen."

The boy, Ash, nodded, but had already become fixated on the battle as it began.

Delia scratched her head. "So Lorelei already went down? That was quick."

Ash couldn't tell if he was giddy or intimidated as he responded, the adrenaline rush from the previous bout having not faded. "That Salamence is one of the strongest Pokemon ever used by an Indigo trainer. Lorelei's amazing, but Lance..." If the first round was any indication, the Dragon Master was approaching this ceremony with all of the non-existent mercy of an all-out war; even in friendly competition, he battled as he always did.

As Salamence and Machamp clashed, the Champion's behemoth once again with the clear advantage, Delia found herself looking at her son somewhat longingly on occasion.

Since Ash had turned ten years old just less than two weeks ago, and had passed the Indigo League Qualification Exam, he was going to be among the countless children throughout Indigo to receive their Pokedexes and starter Pokemon on Opening Day, the start of the next Indigo League Season. He and numerous others would officially become Pokemon trainers, leaving their homes to pursue whatever dreams and glory they intended.

That upcoming Opening Day was tomorrow. For however long she could imagine, this was the last night she had with her son in person, before he left Pallet for the first time and entered the outside world.

She could already feel the tears filling up in her eyes at the thought, but she did her best to hold them back and focus on the show for now. No need for Ash to see her crying on the eve of his big day.

With her attention back on the battle at hand, Machamp had just landed a desperate right hook to Salamence's chin. Although the massive beast recoiled quite visibly from the mighty blow, it wasn't enough to keep him at bay for long, almost immediately back on the offensive, depriving Bruno and Machamp of any potential breathing room.

After that, Machamp was defeated in a matter of minutes, Salamence still not looking much worse than when the battle had started.

After returning his Pokemon, Bruno stepped back, making way for the third member.

This one was an extremely beautiful young woman with silver-blue hair. It was Karen, a Pokemon Master specializing in dark types. At just the age of eighteen years old, she was easily the youngest of the Four, having obtained her position only three years prior after winning the Conference and claiming the position. She was notably tied with Steven, the former Ever Grande Champion, for being the second youngest to earn their way into the Elite Four, behind only Lance and Cynthia themselves. Her reputation as a prodigous trainer was widely famed, and if Lance didn't exist, she would very easily be labeled as Indigo's greatest prodigy.

Ash stared at Karen with somewhat more fixation than he had at the others, the slightest tinge of red slowly developing on his cheeks.

Delia looked over and smiled at the boy. Her son's "celebrity crush" on Karen wasn't unknown to her, although she still tried not to tease him too much about it.

"Tried", of course, being an important key word in that case.

Lance recalled his Salamence and released another creature. This one was a giant, orange lizard with big wings and a blazing flame at the end of its large tail.

It was Charizard. The next member of Lance's trio. And no Charizard in all of Indigo was more feared than the one commanded by the Dragon Master himself.

Much like Salamence, Charizard announced its presence to the world with a roar that shook the very earth. Lance's opponent was not intimidated by the theatrics; a small, confident smirk adorning Karen's features as she took out her Poke Ball, stretching her legs as she held the orb in front of the battlefield.

Much like Lance, Karen was known to revel in the attention that she received on the battlefield. Although far from modest in attitude, she was known for being a crowd pleaser, a big part of why she was such a fan favorite back in her days at the Conference.

A bright flash of light exited her Poke Ball as an enormous, dark looking dragon with three heads emerged from it.

Karen was notorious for having a dangerous team, more than typical for such a high level dark specialist like her. However, although she had many deadly Pokemon in her arsenal, Hydreigon was easily the worst.

Hydreigon were infamous for their bloodthirsty nature. The fact that Karen had tamed one in her childhood years was considered one of the greatest feats that a trainer could ever perform. This particular Hydreigon more than lived up to the name of its species, both in terms of battle prowess… and ruthless bloodlust.

Greeting Charizard with a mighty, earth shattering roar of its own, Hydreigon immediately readied itself for battle. Charizard was less than intimidated, but was quick to acknowledge its opponent, before taking to the skies and allowing a gigantic stream of fire to escape its mouth. Lance's Charizard was capable of producing some of the fiercest of firestorms just by opening its jaws alone.

As Hydreigon avoided the blast, the war between beasts commenced.

Although Lance's Charizard had a similar reputation to its trainer's Salamence, Karen's Hydreigon found itself fairing somewhat better than the previous two Pokemon had. The giant, three headed Dragon arguably had far more raw power than any other Pokemon in the Indigo Elite Four, and even Lance's team at least had to be wary of it.

In fact, Hydreigon eventually found itself receiving a moment of glory when it smashed Charizard into the protective barriers, proceeding to rip off a large chunk of the beast's shoulder. Despite the ferocity of his adversary, Charizard was as perserverant as he was dominant, and maintained the upper hand. Soon, Hydreigon was collapsed on the ground, defeated. Despite having a superior showing than the previous two of the Four's team, the end result had surprised few.

Returning her Hydreigon to its ball, a mildly dejected (but not necessarily surprised) Karen stepped back to make way for the final member.

Agatha, an older woman and absolute Masterclass of everything that was related to ghost types, stepped up next. She was by far the eldest of the group, and with age came experience, a philosophy that never failed to show for her.

She had held her position as an Elite Four Member for multiple decades up until now, and her team of ghosts inspired almost as much fear as as Lance's dragons purely from the terror they exhibited.

Much like with dragons, anyone who commanded a ghost, especially one of a high level, had already earned respect. Of everyone in Indigo's top five, Agatha easily stood tall as the one with the most knowledge of their respective typing, far surpassing even Lance's knowledge on dragon types. She may have been the most knowledgeable ghost specialist that there ever was, and a historic legend for her authoritative presence throughout multiple generations of Indigo's trainers.

From her Poke Ball, a Gengar appeared in front of the woman. Her own signature teammate, and apt representative of the horror that the eldest Elite Four member was capable of producing. Despite its immense shoulder wound, Charizard was more than battle ready.

As the battle began, not even Agatha's Gengar, itself known to possess a high quantity of raw power, could hope to match Lance's Charizard in a purely offensive contest. Thankfully, it had never needed to in the first place, as Agatha's Pokemon were famous for their deadly tactics, and it more than showed with Gengar.

About halfway through the battle, Gengar had managed to shoot a large blast of sludge right into the gaping shoulder wound that Hydreigon had left behind. Charizard's roar of pain had been positively deafening, and the poison had immediately begun to course through its system.

Pokemon battles were brutal by nature, but those this high-level caliber were exceptional even by those expectations.

The agony that Charizard suffered from would debilitate even some of the greatest in the profession, yet it wasn't enough to remove him from the fight. Even with the poison coursing through his body, even with the deadly toxins surging through his very bloodstream, Charizard still managed to persevere, finally defeating Gengar with a mighty Blast Burn that obscured the camera and shook the stadium.

Charizard was barely standing, but he was still standing. Even so, Lance recalled his fiery comrade immediately after Agatha recalled Gengar.

Agatha stepped back, and the Elite Four seemed to have a brief discussion, most likely to determine who would be using the fifth and final Pokemon.

After a few moments, Agatha stepped back up again, releasing a white Ghost that Ash recognized as a Froslass.

The crowd roared as Lance released his final Pokemon. A massive orange dragon that towered over its trainer. Dragonite was here.

Salamence, Charizard, and Dragonite, undoubtedly Indigo's ultimate trio. Lance was using all three of them today.

Even as Froslass whipped up an enormous Blizzard against the mighty Dragon, it was immediately clear who the victor would be in the end, as Dragonite countered with an equally big blast of fire. The frosty ghost perservered as the two traded attacks, holding its own better than most could.

That still wasn't enough to claim victory, however, and the battle eventually ended as Dragonite sent Froslass flying into the protective barriers with a mighty Dragon Rush. Although not one sided, the conflict produced an inevitable end result.

/

Ash's eyes stared aimlessly at the ceiling as he lay still in his bed. Thoughts of the battle still flooded his mind, but were overtaken by a sloppy collection of excitement and anxiety.

One of those moments in your life that you looked forward to without a shadow of a doubt, but still dreaded indescribably. A moment that filled you with invigorating joy and paralysing fear.

It was hard to sleep with such conflicting thoughts, but Ash's exhaustion eventually overcame him. As he drifted off, the same thoughts filled his mind, continuing to stir the mixed emotions that refused to go away.

Just tomorrow morning, he would become a Pokemon Trainer.

/

The sun rose high in the air as the morning light filled Ash's room. It was seven in the morning, the start of a new day.

And for countless kids throughout Indigo, it was a day that altered the course of lives.

Ash's awakening was practically automatic as his eyes slowly opened, greeted with a view of the ceiling. It took only a moment to process tha the was awake.

It only took a little bit longer for him to remember what that meant.

As though involuntary, his body jolted up.

He took in his room for a few seconds as the emotions came back, surging through his body like a fierce river.

He was getting his Trainer's License!

This was what he wanted! He had been ecstatic when he passed the Qualification Exam! But he had to leave home now that his journey was starting. What if he got killed by a wild Pokemon. Or crushed in an avalanche. Or-

He began shaking his head vigorously.

No time for doubt. He had already made up his mind, and couldn't start second guessing himself just because the moment had arrived.

He was going to do this. After spending years growing up with this dream, he wasn't just going to run away from it just because of the risks, right?

Did Lance run away? Or Agatha? Or Karen? Or Bruno? Or Lorelei? What about all the trainers who competed in the Indigo Conference throughout the years? Over five hundred incredible competitors from across Kanto, The Orange Archipelago, Johto, and The Sevii Islands who had risen above the rest.

All of them had accepted the challenges ahead.

All of them had overcome what awaited him.

What was his excuse? That he was scared?

Wasn't every trainer scared at one point or another? The best ones didn't become the best by running away.

Professor Oak, prior to being the renowned researcher that he was today, had also excelled as a trainer in his youth. Although research was always his goal, being a traditional trainer to start out had been an excellent foundation for where his career would take him. His reputation as a researcher had started out with him facing all of those hardships.

Ash wouldn't run away. It didn't matter how much it scared him, he had to remind himself that he couldn't let fear inhibit his goals.

Of course, he had to remind himself of that constantly.

How many times had he tired to give himself this inner pep talk? He had lost count ages ago.

Was every trainer going through this? Every trainer throughout history? Did even the best trainers go through this? Was Gary- he doubted that last one.

The thought of Gary made him grimace in recoil, but Ash tried to push those feelings aside for now.

He already knew from the beginning that Gary would be there. The grandson of Professor Oak. The brilliant prodigy who wouldn't stop bragging about his precious perfect score on the Qualification Exam.

It's not that Gary didn't have a right to brag about it, of course. Nobody had scored perfectly on that test before. Nobody until he came along.

And Gary was never humble.

Ash would cross that bridge when he came to it. He didn't want to see Gary. But he would. They would both be at the lab in two hours.

Pushing Gary away from his mind and ensuring that the mere thought of the other boy was as far away as possible, Ash looked around his room for what would most likely be the last time for months, if not more.

This was the room he had been in his whole life. Second story of the house. A window overlooking the front yard of his and his mom's home.

The room itself was pretty simple. Ash doubted it was uncommon for the average ten year old in Indigo.

His bed was against the wall with Poke Ball themed sheets. The pillowcase had pictures of the three Kanto Starters on it: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. The typical Pokemon for any trainer in Kanto to start out with. To pay tribute to the historically renowned trio of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise that had been famously wielded by the original Champion in the war against the usurper of Fuschia. There was a desk in front of his window that was currently cleared out for the most part, only holding a small case of erasers and marbles.

On the wall over his bed was a giant poster of a Wailord. On the other side of the room was a poster of Karen. She was kneeling down with a hand lightly resting on the head of her starter and signature, go-to teammate: an Umbreon, with her infamous Hydreigon towering above both of them in the background.

That poster was made shortly after Karen had won the three hundred ninety-sixth Indigo Conference just a few years ago. The final battle of that Conference was still Ash's personal favorite match to this day, and he still found himself rewatching it every now and then. The Conference itself was probably his personal favorite too; definitely one of the most acclaimed by experts and critics along with the training community alike. The Dark specialist was Ash's favorite Conference winner, and Delia had purchased the poster in recognition of that.

Not too far from it was a poster of Lance and the current Elite Four Members. Arms crossed fiercely, the Dragon Master stood above the others with his mighty Dragonite towering in the background.

Today, Ash found himself taking in both posters with a different context.

Although Lance was the Indigo League's greatest trainer, the young boy still had an equal amount of idolization for all of the Elite Four as he did for the Champion himself. All of these trainers embodied what he eventually wanted to be. Not to mention the destiny that most trainers strived for: Being a Pokemon Master. The thought was a lot more piercing today.

On the shelves were action figures of Lance and Bruno, a toy Pokeball, and a DVD row of the Conferences that Ash watched. Two Conferences, one of them being the one that Karen had won, were special editions that included exclusive interviews that took place after the Conference, not just the ones from before and during. They also contained a mini biography of each of the four top scoring Trainers. A bookshelf housed biographies for famous people in the Pokemon world, most commonly popular Trainers, including Ash's favorite book ever: Professor Oak's famed biography detailing his road from trainer to researcher. The biography was acclaimed on release, and even Professor Oak himself offered it high praise (along with viewing it as a great nostalgia trip), even exchanging autographs with the author. Ash had done a report on that book as part of the Qualification Exam, which involved doing a book report that covered a prominent topic in the Professional Pokemon World.

Some of these books were the professor's own works, however. A separate bookshelf housed some textbooks and poetry collections that had been written by Oak himself. The man was so widely renowned for both his knowledge of Pokemon and poetry skills that even some of his poems managed to be educational for aspiring Pokemon Trainers.

Finally, Ash gazed at the last of his posters on the wall: A poster of the three Kanto Region starters.

Truth be told, Ash didn't know who he was going to choose. He already knew who Gary had wanted, though. For the essay portion of the Qualification Exam, which involved the students writing a ten-page paper on any Pokemon related subject of their choosing, Gary had written a persuasive essay about why he believed Blastoise was the best Kanto starter Pokemon. Apparently, the essay had covered everything, from capabilities, to what it took to raise the starter and its respective evolutionary line, and even traveling. Although Gary had received a perfect score on the entire Exam, this was apparently the part of the Exam that the teachers were particularly astounded by. Gary's essay had blown all of them away. Apparently, it was going to be used as an example for future students moving forward.

Of course, it was obvious to Ash and everybody else that Gary was going to be choosing Squirtle, so Ash wouldn't even bother trying to pursue the water type. No need for them to have yet another thing to butt heads over. Gary's essay was merely subjective anyway; for as well put together as it was. There were just as many who viewed all three starters as equals, as there were who saw one as the definitive best of the trio. A Bulbasaur or a Charmander would do just fine for him.

Ash perhaps didn't realize it for himself, but he was a fanboy. Of professional Pokemon Training. Was it actually normal for people his age to have posters of famous Conference winners, a Pokemon themed bed, and essentially a room that had everything to do with Pokemon and little to do with anything else? Maybe to someone like Ash, but not everyone his age were as entrenched, even if most still had varying levels of passion for the field. For as many trainers as there were who were pursuing a professional career, there were just as many who merely went on a journey for the sake of the experience.

In terms of culture, Pokemon Training was viewed both by Indigo and most of the rest of the world, not only as a professional sport, but as a coming of age ritual. One that would set kids on their path in life. Very few children didn't at least find themselves attempting it. It was practically a fundamental part of society in every major Region throughout the world.

For Ash, it was both that, and the pursuit of his goal to become the next Champion.

One look at his room was all that someone needed in order to know that.

/

The scent of Delia's incredible cooking immediately assaulted Ash's nose as he opened the door. It was the kind of smell that would get just about any child bolting into the kitchen and rushing into their mother's arms. Ash had to be careful not to fall down the stairs as he desperately ran for the kitchen to see his mother's latest masterpiece.

Truth be told, Ash had fallen down the stairs at least a few times in his life, and the desperation to taste his mother's cooking had always been the reason for it.

Delia was practically a celebrity among the people of Pallet Town for such cooking skills. Even Gary of all people fawned over her culinary ability like no other, something that was very rare for a kid who usually spent most of his time praising himself, apart from the many, many times that he spent gushing over just how great of a man his grandfather was (not that anyone disagreed). Sometimes Delia would even be hired to help out with cooking for events or gatherings within Pallet. Despite not having a career in cooking, she was very clearly suited for it.

As Ash made his way into the kitchen, it suddenly occurred to him that this would be the last time he would ever taste his mother's cooking before he left, but he was desperate to shake those thoughts away, lest that feeling of dread return to him in full force.

It was just all the more reason to savor every last bite of it.

Ash and Delia were seated across from each other not too long after Ash had entered the kitchen. Ash had his plate stacked with pancakes and bacon. A bowl of cinnamon applesauce rested next to it, and a glass of chocolate milk was on the other side. Delia had a similar setup, but she had strawberries on her pancakes, while Ash had blueberries and whipped cream.

Delia was clearly still in turmoil over her son's upcoming departure, as she had been for the past couple of weeks now. Her stress had increasingly grown gradually yet noticeably as the days had gone by.

But she did what she could to hold back her tears, and enjoy one final breakfast with her beloved little boy, who she was so proud of.

"So…" said the brunette woman, sipping her drink slowly. "How much ground are you planning to cover on your first day?"

Ash tapped his fork lightly against the plate before answering. "I'm hoping to get to Viridian by tonight." he said. "Best case scenario, anyway. It's doable from here, but difficult."

Delia nodded. Viridian City was a decent distance away from Pallet Town, but it was most certainly possible.

"And you have everything packed?" she asked. She knew he did, but was desperate to make conversation with the emotions surging through her right now. Any distraction would be welcome. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable, of course. She'd be crying eventually.

The longer she held her emotions in, the worse it would be when they left her. She knew this, and yet, couldn't help herself. It was a dreadful feeling. The pride that she had for her son was matched only by the grief of losing him today.

Ash nodded back happily. "Yeah, I finished last night. Regardless of whether or not I make it to Viridian by tonight, it shouldn't take any more than a couple of days, so I packed lightly. I can restock when I get there."

Most of the remainder of breakfast was eaten in silence, the two just enjoying each other's presence for the time being. It was all that they could do at this point. And Ash felt the tears in his eyes towards the end too, just like his mother. This really was their last morning together for a while, and it was a thought that neither of them could escape despite everything.

A son who would leave his world behind to pursue a dream impossible to achieve by nearly all, and a mother who would be among those that he would leave.

/

The air of Pallet Town was crisp, clean, and perfect. As Ash stepped outside, he couldn't think of a better morning to start out for his adventure.

He had promised his mom that he would stop by one more time with his new starter before officially leaving. With some wetness in his eyes, he found himself procrastinating the moment that he said goodbye to her.

As he walked, he found himself slowly taking in his surroundings. Pallet Town was something that he had always taken for granted. Apart from Professor Oak's presence, it was nothing special, and even if it was a substantial place, he was perfectly used to it, having lived here his whole life.

In fact, Ash, and, to his knowledge, most of the other Pallet Town kids, had never actually set foot outside of Pallet's borders before. There was simply no need. Everything that they ever could have needed was right here, and he didn't have many loved ones elsewhere in Kanto; it was fairly commonplace for most Pallet Town kids to not leave until becoming Trainers. It was odd that the rest of Indigo was completely foreign to him, practically a completely different world, in fact, but the town being fairly isolated in its own, tiny corner of Kanto had caused such.

And yet, he found himself… noticing the surrounding area. Now that he was taking everything in, now that he was leaving soon… everything suddenly seemed so… different. He noticed his neighborhood in ways that he never had before. He appreciated the houses that he had spent his whole life taking for granted. Every tiny little detail suddenly became enormous, as though it was suddenly the most important thing in his entire life.

"Hey, Ash!"

The boy turned to see a small girl running up to him with a wave. His face immediately brightened upon seeing who it was.

"Trucy!" said Ash, kneeling down to ruffle her blonde hair with a smile. She and her grandparents were neighbors of Ash and Delia. The girl was only five years old, not that much older than Ash was when he first became obsessed with Pokemon. Ash mostly knew her family through his mother and her work, as working and training under Professor Oak often involved interacting with them, due to them being technicians who often helped the professor out with his maintenance for the complete multitude of gadgets in his lab. Nevertheless, Ash had developed a notable attachment towards her, although the reverse was probably far more true. She had even come over on the night of the final round of the previous Indigo Conference between Will and Tanner to watch it with Ash and Delia. A good match that they had all enjoyed together.

"She knew you were leaving today, so she wanted to catch you." Ash looked up at the source of the new voice, a somewhat elderly man approaching him and Trucy. Ash immediately recognized him as Trucy's grandfather.

"Hey, Mr. Gernin." He greeted with a smile. "Yeah, I was on my way to the Lab right now."

"You'll come back and visit one day too, right Ash?" Trucy asked hopefully. There was a small frown forming on her face.

Ash ruffled her hair again. "Of course. I'll be sure to show you my team too."

Ash still had roughly an hour before he needed to be at the lab, so he chatted with them for just a little while longer.

Pallet Town itself hadn't been the only thing he had taken for granted growing up.

/

Professor Oak's Pokemon Laboratory was probably the only grandiose thing about Pallet Town. It was the site of Indigo's greatest Pokemon Research, where the territory's leading Pokemon Expert lead a team consisting of gifted individuals who were making all of the biggest breakthroughs about Pokemon. The only other person in the Pokemon Research field that Ash could recall having a similar reputation that rivaled even that of Professor Oak was Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh Region, a former roommate, classmate, and colleague of Oak's who had studied with him at university.

The Professor's story? A glorious one. A legend. One of the greatest success stories of the Pokemon world. All detailed within the pages of the world famous biography book that Ash had done his report on.

A young boy coming from humble beginnings within the Kanto Region, Samuel Oak had always wanted to be at the forefront of Pokemon discovery, which he believed existed in science. Somebody who could lead the field of studies to new heights in the pursuit of knowledge. However, to start out, he wanted to become a great Pokemon trainer first. If he was going to help trainers with his research, then actually being a trainer would make his goal far more reachable with the added perspective.

And what a trainer he was.

One of the rare trainers in history to make it to the Conference in their first year. Not just in Indigo, but in the world. One of the few Trainers to make it to the six-on-six rounds in their second year. Once again, in the world. The runner up in his third year as a trainer. And finally, winning the Conference in his fourth year. One of the fastest Conference winners. Nobody had ever won a Conference before their fourth year. He went on to defeat two of the Elite Four before falling to the third, and was instantly offered a position in the ranks. He was a surefire future Champion, and everyone knew.

But he hadn't forgotten his true reasons for becoming a trainer in the first place. It was to pursue knowledge. Knowledge that he now had. He politely declined the Indigo League's offer and pursued what was believed by many to be the top university in the world.

After being accepted into the school, he quickly befriended his roommate, a fellow Freshman who would later be known as Professor Rowan. The duo quickly became the two top students at the school. Samuel also became the head of the school's poetry club. To this very day, he is still a world renowned poet.

After graduating with numerous prominent degrees and returning to Indigo, Samuel joined the League as part of its research field. After quickly rising to the top of its research field, he chose to set up shop in Pallet Town. Nobody knew why. He had no sort of personal history with Pallet Town, which wasn't even built until just a few months after his Pokemon journey had begun, but he claimed to have been attracted to the town's much more simplistic atmosphere. the things about the town that could just as easily be viewed as boring or bland, he instead saw as quiet, relaxing, stimulating. A small town tucked away in a corner of the Region, minding its own business with little care in the world. To Oak, the atmosphere was a calling.

He had made multiple breakthroughs throughout his research. New discoveries on Pokemon biology. New ways for Pokemon to grow and learn moves. But his greatest achievement was a collaboration project after being reunited with his old schoolmate, Professor Rowan, who was now the head of the Lily of the Valley League's research field. Together, the two of them had led a genius team that eventually culminated in the creation of the Pokedex, a technoligcal encyclpedia and a marvel for the field; the goal of its creation being to compile all of the breakthroughs and progress made throughout the pursuit of Pokemon knowledge, and elevate them further.

A famous Pokemon trainer. A famous poet. And one of the single greatest Pokemon Researchers that the world has ever known. Professor Oak was many things.

And he was also in charge of Pallet Town's educational system. He had an overarching authority over education in Indigo in general, but since this was where he resided, this was also where his role was by far the most direct.

And this was his lab, where he ran everything from.

Taking a deep breath, Ash could still barely even comprehend the fact that he was actually here today. He had been projected to fail the Qualification Exam.

"You're a determined young man, Ash, and that's why I don't want you to fail. I know how much passing this test means to you, but you also know that I can't be lenient with any of you. That would defeat the purpose. The only thing I can ask is that you study extra hard in preparation. There have been times when even top students fail this on their first attempt, but I've also heard of the opposite happening on occassion."

The words of one of Ash's teachers, Mr. David Henrod, sounded in his mind once again.

"You really think YOU of all people have a place in the Pokemon training world, Ashy boy? A Ratatta with no legs and teeth has more potential than you!"

Gary's far less encouraging words echoed into the back of his mind at the same exact time, though.

Ugh, why did Gary always have to enter his mind like that? Everytime Ash tried to be optimistic, to think of the future favorably, one of Gary's stupid insults would always enter his mind and shoot down the mood.

It was always Gary. The popular one. The smart one. The gifted one. Gary Oak, Pallet Town's greatest prodigy. Destined to be either the next Professor Oak or the next Lance.

It was hard to believe that he and Gary were actually friends at one point. Back when they were children. Back before Gary turned on him. Back before Ash fell behind.

That was what happened, wasn't it? Ash was part of the group of kids just like everybody else. He and Gary got along just fine, and Gary, being the grandson of the Professor, was unsurprisingly the leader of the circle.

They had all gotten into the idea of Pokemon training at around a similar age. Perfect timing, too, because that was when the school had started prepping them. A bunch of small children striving to one day become the greatest. A common story in just about any one of the major Regions.

And of course Gary had excelled. Just like he did at everything else; just like how he was the best at playing tag. Just like how he was the best at playing soccer or tennis. Just like how he was the best at racing. Gary was the best at school.

Showered with praise by peers and teachers alike, Gary quickly ascended to something akin to godhood among the student body. Everybody knew about Professor Oak's grandson who was the best at everything.

It was all about Gary. Who came in first place in every game? Gary. Who scored the highest on every test? Gary. Who was projected to have a nearly flawless chance at passing the Qualification Exam? Gary.

Everybody wanted to be him. But you couldn't be Gary. Only Gary could ever be Gary. Only Gary could be the best.

And he would never let that be forgotten. Gary had always had an ego, but with all of the praise about how great that he was, the potential that he had, something in him changed. He wasn't just arrogant anymore. He was narcissistic. He was unbearable. He had a god complex. And those who idolized him ate that up, too. To most of the kids, Gary deserved his massive ego. Everything that he said about himself was completely true. He was the best. He was unbeatable. Nobody could ever be him. Only he could be him.

And that just made his ego even worse. The teachers didn't condone his arrogance, but that hardly helped when they still fed him the very same praise that fueled it in the first place. All of this talk about how Gary was destined for greatness, not just from his peers, but from his teachers too. It just made things even worse.

And then there was Ash. Everything that Gary wasn't, and not in a good way. Sure, he was just as determined, and just as obsessed with being the best. But Gary was the one with the capabilities.

Ash, in the meantime, had subpar grades throughout his school life. A difficulty in grasping even basic concepts at times. At times, he was at the bottom of his class.

To Gary, Ash was worthless. No potential for greatness. No worth to his name. Ash had fallen behind.

And eventually, some of the other students turned on Ash too. If Gary said that Ash was worthless, then Ash was worthless. Because Gary knew everything. Gary was right about everything; that's how he had gotten to where he was, after all. His word is law. He was the one that everyone followed. He could probably convince them that Rhydon were immune to water if he wanted. Gary said that Ash was worthless. Therefore, it must be true.

Encouraging, constructive criticism from his teachers clashed with the bombardment of bullying, mockery, mistreatment, and neglect from Gary and his followers. Ash was the loser, and represented what zero potential supposedly looked like. Any positive statements from his teachers were drowned out by everything else that Gary and the others had said to him all of the time. A good few in the circle weren't as harsh as Gary, but they certainly believed everything that Gary said about him.

Every time he thought back to somebody saying something good about him, the thought was immediately drowned out by a thing that Gary had said to him. Every time he had tried to encourage himself, a memory of Gary was always right there, ready and waiting to shoot him down. Gary ruined everything. Anything positive in his life was overrun by remembering something that Gary had once said. Every single time.

"Wow Ash, you're so cool! I can't believe you know all of this stuff about them!" The adoring voice of Trucy, after Ash had given her a brief history lesson on some of the last Indigo Conference's top competitors, was immediately drowned out by a memory of one of Gary's insults.

"Did you see Ashy boy's grades on that last test? I took a peak over at his desk, and you wouldn't believe it! A forty nine! And he wants to become a Pokemon Master? At this point, I think he's just messing with us and actually just wants to become a comedian. Not that it matters, because he isn't even funny!" Gary, after finding out about Ash's grades for one of the monthly evaluation quizzes.

It wasn't that Ash never improved; it was the rate that was the problem. To many, his performance wasn't improving fast enough, and passing the Exam would require an upset.

Come said Exam, and Ash wasn't even sure if he wanted to try. Not EVERYONE needed to take it. Just those who wanted to become Pokemon Trainers. Not that that didn't make up the majority, for obvious reasons. Especially with how excellent of a job the teachers had done at presenting the profession.

Of course, Gary had tried to talk him out of it. Telling him that there was no point in it. Ash was going to fail anyway. So why even bother.

Thankfully, Mr. Henrod had pulled Ash aside and given him words of encouragement to do his best.

Ash had studied more obsessively than he'd ever remembered leading up to the test, doing everything he could to memorize things he had been behind on throughout the past few years.

The Qualification Exam consisted of three difficult parts:

One was the bulk of the Exam, a series of questions relating to just about everything about Pokemon training. Travel habits, type matchups, biology, among various other things. Rookies weren't expected to know all of the complexities, but they needed to master the basics. It was difficult for new trainers, but experienced trainers would probably find it quite easy.

Then there was the book report, which Ash had done on Professor Oak's story.

Finally, there was the essay, the topic of which the Trainer could choose on their own. Ash had chosen to do his on taking care of Pokemon Eggs and baby Pokemon. For hands on experience, he helped take care of an Egg at Professor Oak's lab, which had recently hatched into a baby Heracross.

To pass the exam, you needed an overall grade that exceeded eighty percent. Most Trainers who passed just barely did so; with a score in the low eighties. Eighty one and eighty two were by far the most common.

Being a modest town rather than a big city, Pallet naturally never drew the numbers of the major cities when it came to passing students. They were their own, small community after all, and while the major cities took great pride in "competing" with one another to see who could churn out the most new trainers for the new season, Pallet's affairs were nothing such. There were only so many kids, and only so many who would be ten years old by Opening Day.

This year, four had passed. One of them was obviously Gary, which literally nobody was surprised by. Two others were two of Gary's friends, Angelina and Sarah.

The other one, to everybody's shock, was Ash.

What's more, Ash had scored far higher than any of his and Gary's classmates. While Angelina had scored an eighty one, and Sarah had scored an eighty two, Ash had scored a ninety. Most were jaw-slacked by the breakout performance, but nobody had been more floored than Ash himself.

The teachers were awed by Ash's performance, and wouldn't stop congratulating him for it.

"I knew you could do it, Ash! It was always within you, you just needed to find it!"

Gary and his friends, on the other hand, were convinced that Ash had somehow cheated on the Exam.

And of course, Gary still upstaged him by quite a bit. He had gotten a perfect score on the Exam. It was supposedly something that had never been done before in any Region, even if several had come close in the past. At the very least, it was the first time for Indigo.

It only further fueled the praise that Gary had been given. He was destined to either be the next Professor Oak or the next Lance. Both titles were equally huge honors, albeit for completely different reasons.

Ash held his breath as he approached the Laboratory. This was it. The very beginning of his journey.

/

Thoughts began to collect in Ash's mind as he ascended the steps to the lab.

Which Starter would he get? Part of him was glad that he didn't have a preference; it made choosing more difficult, yet it also meant he wasn't fully worried about what he ended up with. The thought of just receiving a Pokemon still felt unreal.

How was the Professor doing, anyway? He had shown up in person during the exam period,

Unfortunately, those thoughts were all interrupted by a voice. The last voice he had wanted to hear, but he knew it was coming.

"Nine in the morning, on the dot today. You actually made it in time, Ashy boy."

Ash whirled around and came face to face with probably the last person he wanted to run into, frusturation filling his chest.

Snarling through his teeth, a now angry Ash spoke the boy's name.

"Gary."

The other boy was smirking, although that was commonplace.

He was about Ash's height, maybe a little bit taller. His hair was brown and spiky. His facial features were sharp, with his smug grin practically being his default expression.

Gary crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, acting as if he owned the world. He probably thought that he did, at this point.

"Can't believe you're actually going through with this. I'm still trying to figure out how you cheated on the exam. I can't believe those teachers were all fooled into actually thinking that you could have gotten a ninety."

Gritting his teeth, Ash clenched his fists, but no words came out.

He was never good at comeback lines, especially with Gary.

Calm down, he told himself. You knew this wholetime that Gary was going to be here. You were prepared.

But being prepared for something was always different from it actually happening. Ash thought that he was ready to face Gary, but maybe he wasn't.

The other boy pushed past him. "Alright, clear the way. Future Champs first, you know?"

Still grumbling to himself, Ash followed Gary into the Lab.

/

Tailing behind Gary, Ash found himself in the massive main lobby of the lab, where he realized he hadn't been in a decent while.

The room was air conditioned, with a large flat screen on one of the walls. Potted plants were on the reception desk, occupied by a young, copper haired woman who looked like she was in her early to mid twenties.

She waved to Ash and Gary as two more people walked in.

One was an orange haired man in a blue suit.

David Henrod.

The other one was a pink haired woman wearing a bright red uniform.

Another teacher, Brittney Staridd.

Both worked directly under Professor Oak as teachers and research assistants. Viewed favorably by the professor, they were some of his most trusted people to work with, an immense honor that they were admirably humble about.

"It's great to see you two here!" Brittney spoke in a gentle, yet bubbly voice. She had always been the most gentle and easygoing of the teachers, making her beloved by the student body. David, while stricter and by the book, was still quite friendly outside of the classroom. "The professor should be ready to see you in a few."

A few minutes alone with Gary sounded insufferable, but Ash abided as the two teachers exited the lobby.

Gary looked around, likely for his friends. "I guess the others aren't here yet." annoyed, he scratched the back of his head. "Tch, not sure what they're up to." Clearly trying not to mind it, he headed off to a corner of the room. A poster of Lance rested proudly on the wall, but although the Oak boy spared it a fond glance, his attention was directed to examine another poster that depicted Indigo's gym badges, including descriptions of them.

Ash did his best to ignore him and wait. Maybe Gary would poof out of existence if Ash just pretended that he didn't exist..

/

"Can you believe the teachers are buying this crap? How could Ashy boy of all people get a ninety?"

Ash watched from afar as Gary, crossing his arms with agitation, conversed with a boy with blue hair.

He did his best not to be seen as he listened in on their discussion.

The boy that Gary conversed with huffed as he nodded in agreement. "True. I thought they were smarter than that too. The loser has been barely getting by these past few years and all of a sudden he passes the exam with flying colors? He excels at the exam just like that? Something is obviously suspicious."

Ash gritted his teeth. But he had studied HARD! He had half in mind to march right on up to both of them and give them a piece of his mind. Who were they to judge him? Was the class just jealous that the "failure" had outperformed most of them for once? He wanted to just vent to them right now. Tell them exactly what he felt. But he already knew that he wouldn't.

Nobody in the student body could ever hope to won an argument with Gary Oak. Especially Ash, and certainly with everybody else always backing him up.

"We'll find a way to out him eventually I am sure." said Gary reassuringly. "In the meantime, we should let the others know about this. I'm sure they are just as suspicious as we are."

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. You're always on top of things like this, Gary."

As the two walked away, Ash found himself slumping on the ground. Was there no way to get respect in this world? He had rightfully EARNED that high grade.

He had… hadn't he?

/

Ash allowed himself to sink into the sofa as he examined the flatscreen. It was showing a news broadcast covering Opening Day.

All across Indigo, new Trainers were receiving their starters, Pokedex, and licenses from whatever lab they lived closest to. Professor Oak had labs in every major city and town, in addition to his main lab here in Pallet.

Most of the different Leagues ran on similar schedules, so new seasons began relatively close together in each region. Sinnoh and Kalos were ahead of schedule, however, having started over a week early this year.

Either way, a new season of Pokemon training had officially begun, and such an occassion was celebrated throughout.

"As stated before," said the news anchor that Ash was watching. "This season has had new rookie Trainers from Indigo at an all time high. Thanks to the Qualification Exam having the highest pass rate this year, many cities under Indigo's banner have produced record numbers. Johto has the highest turnout overall."

The screen switched over to an overhead view of a city, revealed by the news captions to be Ecruteak City.

A news reporter stood outside of the lab in that city. Ash could already see many soon-to-be rookies lining up outside at the door. "Here in Ecruteak, over two hundred new Trainers will be receiving their Starter Pokemon today. That's a record high for this city, and the second highest turnout for anywhere in Indigo this Season, behind only Celadon of the Kanto Region, which is experiencing its third highest turnout in history. The citizens of Ecruteak are celebrating the massive new generation trainers that this Season has spawned, here in the city alone."

Ecruteak, huh? That was surprising, but no wonder all of those people were celebrating so much. Ecruteak rarely ever got more than a hundred each year. Just two years ago, they had gotten less than one dozen. They had never even come close to two hundred before.

Celadon City was no surprise, however. That city was almost always at the top of the list. Their average success rate on the exam surpassed everywhere else in Indigo, apparently owed to their excellent schools. Not only that, but just over half of the rookie trainers who actually made it to the Conference in their first year throughout Indigo's history, had come from Celadon City.

It was crazy to think about, really. A rookie trainer making it to the Conference on their first year was fairly rare for any Region in the world. Even after passing the Qualification Exam, many trainers who had mastered the basics weren't able to go much further than that in their rookie years alone. Any rookie Trainer that did make it to the Indigo Confrence or any other Conference, for that matter, never made it to the six on six rounds, although some had come close. Even Lance himself had just barely lost in the first round of his rookie year. Although, according to interviews, he had often cited that one battle as one of his all time greatest experiences.

In short, getting to the Conference as a rookie was rare. But by those rare standards, Celadon City almost always excelled.

In fact, they held the record for most new rookie Trainers produced in a single Season: three hundred fifty seven. That had been set a couple of years ago. Prior to that, the record was two hundred twenty. Once again in Celadon. That had been about a year after Lance first started out as a Trainer.

Pallet turning out four would have felt abysmal in comparison had it not been for the town being so much smaller than a metropolis like Celadon. Granted, Ash imagined the numbers could have been slightly higher under different circumstances, as there were kids in his own class who had to wait until next season to take the exam, as they wouldn't turn ten until a few months after the season began. And unfortunately, the League was very strict about starter Pokemon distribution: It could only happen at the beginning of each season.

It was meant to keep things consistent and give every trainer an equal amount of time to collect the badges. It also ensured the calendar remained organized. It was still a controversial choice, however. Most people accepted it. Those who did not… were very vocal.

It wasn't the only controversy surrounding the League. Easily the biggest was their regulation of foreign Pokemon.

Ash felt bad for those who essentially had to wait an entire year. He had realized how lucky he was that his tenth birthday was so shortly before the Opening Day; otherwise, he could've been among them.

Ash heard Gary scoff as the other boy approached him from behind.

"Look at them celebrating like that. What's the point? It's not like many of them are likely to get to the Conference anyway."

Ash grimaced. It was true but…

"They have never gotten this many people before." He tried to say. "This is a historical moment for them."

"And what does that change? I'm glad I grew up here away from that nonsense. These big cities are just showboating arbitrary numbers, they put all this effort into 'shaping the next generation' only to get arrogant and forget quality over quantity just to make themselves look special. I guarantee you, most of those nobodies out there are going to get destroyed this Season. Maybe even quit. The Conference is reserved for the talented. Only a few have that potential. In other words, me."

So once again, everything was about him.

"Praise and adoration are reserved for those who deserve it. What's the point of being so excited about all of those kids getting their licenses, when the world probably won't even remember most of them? What do the numbers mean then? That they got more rookies than usual, but didn't receive any greater amount of actual talent than usual to go along with it? At that point, they are just getting excited at having even more expendable, no named trainers than usual."

Ash flinched at that. It was… true, wasn't it? Plenty of trainers became famous. Plenty were remembered. But those were only a fraction of the number that set out every season. Pokemon training was brutal, and a very difficult profession to genuinely be successful in. Most people who attempted it… didn't stand out. They were just another trainer among a seemingly endless sea of them.

"It'll hit them one of these days, Ashy boy." said Gary smugly with a smirk. "Those who are the best will always rise to the top. Anyone who doesn't have what it takes will inevitably fall to the bottom, just another name forgotten in history because they were never capable of making their name worth remembering. It's a fact of life, and always will be. I think you'd benefit from keeping that in mind, you know. Wouldn't want you getting too disappointed."

Ash clenched his fists. His body was trembling now.

Was he… doomed to become one of those trainers? Not somebody that history will remember, or appreciate, but… just another nameless face?

Was he going to… drown in that sea of trainers?

Gary's hand was placed upon his shoulder. It was not a comforting one.

"At least Pallet Town will remember you. But only for your failure."

The trembling increased-

The door suddenly opened, and Ash was so grateful for Brittany's sudden presence.

"Alright you two, the Professor's ready!"

Ash sprang up just a little bit too quickly as Gary marched on ahead. The Oak boy seemed to have completely forgotten their exchange as soon as it happened, mind completeley transitioned to the start of his career.

Walking through the hallway, slowly behind Gary as Brittany led the way, Ash had tried to keep their previous exchange out of his mind. But he found it hard.

Was this really what his start was going to be like? He couldn't let Gary ruin this for him. This was supposed to be his day, just as much as Gary's.

Why did Gary always have to make himself known whenever he was trying to be in a good mood? What did the boy have to gain from all of this?

Why was putting him down every day constantly on Gary's to-do list? What did Gary have against him? Was he really that worthless?

"Where are Angelina and Sarah?" he heard Gary blurt out. "I have a bone to pick with those two for being late."

"They are visiting family, so they will be receiving their Starters where they are right now." explained Brittany. "Angelina is in Cerulean while Sarah is in Viridian."

"Lame." Gary scoffed. "And they never even told me?"

What's the matter, Gary? Mad that your peers actually have their own lives outside of your sheer greatness? That was what Ash wanted to say. But he knew better.

Brittany clasped her hands together. She was positively glowing.

"But you two will do just fine! The Professor's own grandson, and the son of one of the teachers in training studying under him? This is such a great day for him! He's over the moon!"

Professor Oak was pretty close to Delia, Ash supposed. She was apparently his best trainee at the moment. She was certainly on her way to becoming an officially licensed teacher. She might even be one a year from now.

Due to Delia's relationship with the professor, Ash knew him more than the typical kid did. But it was still mostly through his mother. That was basically how he knew the majority of his more positive peers. He never would have known Trucy had Delia not been friends with her grandparents.

/

"Ash, the mail came in! Your exam results are supposed to come in today, remember?"

"Can you open it first, mom?" Ash was trying not to pay attention, but it was easier said than done.

"Don't you want to be the first to see-"

"PLEASE."

Silently nodding, Delia began to open the package with a frown.

It was better this way. That's what Ash thought. If he did fail, she could break it to him gently. Gently. Rather than him being slammed with disappointment upon finding out for himself.

Delia slowly took the envelope out of the package as she opened it.

Ash heard a gasp.  Here it comes...

Suddenly he was pulled into a hug. He didn't know how long she held it, but when she let go, she was crying.

But she was… smiling?

"My baby boy…" the tears were streaming down her face like a waterfall. "I'm so proud of you!"

Ash's face went blank.

"What do you mean, Mom-"

"Ash, look now!" she shoved the envelope in his face.

Attached to it was a sticky note.

Congratulations, Ash. We never thought it was impossible.

~David Henrod.

Gasping, Ash looked at the grade.

It was a ninety.

"You're going to be a trainer now Ash." His mom was still crying at the news.

And now, so was he.

Part of those tears came from frustration, however. Of how difficult it was to process all of this at once.

/

The large room they entered was spacious and clean, housing a large computer monitor and various gadgets that neither Ash nor Gary got a close enough look at to know the purpose of. Their attention was fixed on the center of the room. Standing there, smiling proudly, was Professor Oak himself. David was standing next to him.

Sometimes the citizens of Pallet Town came dangerously close to taking the professor's presence for granted. For as famous as he was throughout the world, his contribution was an everyday part of Pallet.

A Clefable entered the room from the other side. She was a member of Samuel Oak's team way back when. To the Professor, his time as a trainer was practically a separate lifetime from where he was now. The presence of his team was a constant reminder, however. Of them, Clefable was the most involved in his post-trainer life.

And she had also accompanied him to the Institution, to happily assist him in his studies. Now, she was basically his number one assistant at the lab. She and the Professor both adored one another. Given how far they had gone back, Ash couldn't help but wonder just how many memories that they had together.

Memories that he hoped he would make with his own team.

Ash had grown to love Clefable. She was by far the most compassionate creature he'd ever met. On some occasions the fairy had even helped look after him when he was younger. Pokemon were just as capable of giving off a motherly aura as humans were. To Ash's knowledge, not a soul in Pallet Town didn't adore the Pokemon.

In Clefables hands was a tray of Poke Balls. Ash and Gary's eyes both lit up in greed.

That's when it hit them: The moment had finally arrived.

"Gary, Ash." said Professor Oak, stepping forward while beaming proudly. "It is my great pleasure and honor to be the one here to start your journey. I've watched you two grow for years, and it is all about to pay off now."

"First up," said David, approaching the two boys. "The Professor would like to present you with his greatest gadget: The Pokedex."

All trainers received one. The Pokedex was an incredible tool that stored information and data about Pokemon, and acted as a Trainer's ID. It even contained a digital copy of their Trainer's License. It basically represented who the trainer was.

"Alright!" exclaimed Gary with a grin as David handed him an aqua colored Pokedex. Ash was silent as he received a crimson one, but was still grinning every bit as widely.

Now it was Brittany's turn to step forward. "Don't forget the badge case! It's quite big, given the number of Gyms in Indigo, which just goes to show how many places you can visit!"

It was true. Since Indigo was made up of Kanto, The Orange Islands, Johto, and The Sevii Islands, trainers from all four were gunning for the Indigo Plateau, and any combination of eight badges from both Kanto and Johto would earn them their spot. That played a big role in why there were so many trainers competing in the Conference every year. They were coming from multiple parts of the vast empire.

Ash stared at his badge case for a few seconds after Brittany handed it to him.

Collecting eight badges and entering the Indigo Conference. Very few trainers in Indigo, or even the world, had achieved such a feat before in their rookie year. But Ash would be one of them. That was his goal.

Especially after he promised Trucy.

"When you become a trainer, are you going to be on there too, Ash?"

"Of course! Not many rookies do it on their first try, but I will! Come this time next year, you'll see me competing just like the trainers we are watching right now! It's a promise!"

He wanted to do it anyway. To be the best trainer in the world. To reach the Conference as a rookie would earn someone immediate recognition. No rookies had ever gotten far enough to compete in a Conference's six-on-six rounds before, in any Region, but for a first year trainer, just making it there was enough to earn fame.

A first-year who made it to the Conference was always talked about. They always stirred up a lot of conversation during the COnference itself, as it was viewed as a true sign of a prodigy.

But seeing Trucy's eyes light up at his declaration, and the sheer joy and excitement on her face had vindicated those convictions.

He wouldn't disappoint her, or himself. He would not drown in that endless sea of trainers.

"Hey Ashy boy, you're spacing out. Clefable's trying to give you something."

Ash blinked at the sound of Gary's voice and looked to see Clefable standing in front of him, holding the tray of Poke Balls. Somewhat embarrassed, he took his share.

Gary wrapped his hands around the back of his head. "This is great and all, but I think even Ashy boy knows what the best part of this little ritual is."

Professor Oak chuckled lightly. "Indeed. Come here, Gary. We already know who you have your eye on, right?"

Gary skipped on forward to his grandfather, who was holding a Poke Ball with a raindrop symbol on it.

Everyone in Pallet Town knew exactly what Pokemon Gary had his eyes on today.

Professor Oak released the Pokemon in a bright flash of light.

/

That irritating twerp just sat there, crying on the other side of the river, with his fishing rod.

Gary huffed as he held up the Poke Ball triumphantly, for all of his friends to see.

The tug of war that had taken place between him and Delia's son for the Poke Ball that they had both accidentally fished out of the river had been a difficult one. But in the end, the Poke Ball had ended up on Gary's side of the river.

Because he always won.

Now that he thought about it, that had been the day that Ash had… accepted it. The day that he finally stopped firing back at him all the time. The day that all of the lame comeback lines became less common.

Perhaps, in an alternate universe, the Poke Ball had broken in half, and it had been a tie. Maybe then, Ash would have continued to delude himself into believing that he could actually be on his level. Maybe Ash's misplaced confidence never would have died out. Maybe Ash never would have gotten the message, that he was incapable, a non-factor, and that he was only hurting himself by trying to prove otherwise. Setting himself up for disappointment again and again, chasing a destiny that could never possibly be fulfilled.

But there was no tying with Gary Oak. And tying with Ash? How was that any better than losing outright?

Those who had potential were always obligated to live up to it. It was their duty as the best. Those who didn't needed to accept it. It was something that couldn't be changed.

The world didn't have time for hopeless failures. Only those who were capable. That was what needed to be learned and understood.

Gary Oak would always win. And Ash would always lose.

Gary knew that he would always be on top. That's why, when the time approached for him to finally get his Trainer's License, he would research the perfect Starter Pokemon. A Pokemon partner that was worthy of his name.

A Pokemon that was always on the top. Just like he was.

/

The blue turtle emerged from the light of the Poke Ball, stepping out of the glow slowly but surely as everybody present watched.

Gary was grinning from ear to ear at his Starter Pokemon.

"Oh yes, now THIS is a Starter! I can feel the potential radiating off of you!"

Ash's face was slightly deadpan as Gary kneeled down and began abruptly inspecting the Squirtle.

"This is one strong shell." said Gary, running his hand across the shell. "And the front is pretty sturdy too." he tapped the Squirtle's stomach lightly.

Looking over at the Squirtle, Ash noticed that the starter wasn't all that bothered by Gary's behavior. It seemed very nonchalant.

Stereotypically, Water Type starter Pokemon were often known for being calm, but this Squirtle was something different.

It was the antithesis of Gary Oak himself.

Even as Gary began… pressing his hands against the Starter's cheeks… the Squirtle remained calm, barely even reacting. It was almost creepy to watch.

Gary stood back up and gave the Squirtle a thumbs up. "Alright little guy, you've passed my test!"

Test? What test? That was a test? It looked more like some sort of weird physical.

Brittany clasped her hands together. "And since Squirtle is already registered to you, you'll get extra information on it when you scan it with your Pokedex!"

Oh yeah, that's right. Normally the Pokedex only gives you information on a Pokemon's biology, typing, and qualities, but if the Pokemon is registered to you, you also get information on its gender, moves, and abilities.

"Thanks for reminding me." said Gary, holding his Pokedex up in front of the Squirtle. "Hold still there, little buddy." the Squirtle complied.

Ash felt a tad tinge of jealousy at the fact that Gary of all people was the one to receive his starter first, and use his Pokedex first, but he also understood.

He was the grandson of Professor Oak, the chief distributor, and the top student in Pallet Town. It made perfect sense for him to be the one who starts things out. As much as he hated to admit it, he had most definitely earned it.

The Pokedex scanned Squirtle, speaking in a robotic voice. Pokedex voices came in various forms, both male or female, and can be changed for preference. This voice was distinctly female with a bit of a high pitch to it.

"Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon of the water type. They are known to swim fast due to their shell minimizing resistance in water, and are capable of squirting out water with vigorous force when retracting their long necks into their shells.

This Squirtle is male and knows the moves Tackle, Water Gun, Withdraw, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, and Aqua Jet. Its ability is Torrent, which greatly boosts the power of water type moves after sustaining heavy damage."

Ash always thought Gary was disgusting, but the comical amounts of drool leaking from the other boy only furthered that opinion of him.

"Whoa, Gramps!" exclaimed the Oak boy. "This Pokemon knows three Egg Moves!"

Egg Moves were moves that Pokemon offspring could know if it was passed down by their parents through Pokemon Breeding. For certain species, these moves would be very difficult to learn otherwise. A Pokemon wouldn't be able to have mastery over them right away, but it was most certainly a start.

"Our distribution system has had excellent luck with breeding in the past few years." explained David. "Your Squirtle is the perfect example."

Gary kneeled down to pet Squirtle's shell proudly. "There's a future champ in this one for sure." standing up, he looked over to Ash, who had been silent for the exchange. "Alright Ashy boy, I was planning on battling one of the other two for my first ever Pokemon battle, but because they're not here, I suppose I'll have to settle for embarassing you. I'm sure you're not too scared to do it, right?"

Ash felt his throat lock up. What now? If he turned Gary down, he was a coward. If not, Gary would probably just humiliate him like always.

He had no other option, so Ash just nodded silently. 'Damnit, I'm screwed.'

"Good." said Gary. "See you outside. Come on, Squirtle, let's do some stretches. Ashy boy will come on out with a glorified punching bag for us in a few minutes." the blue turtle followed his new trainer outside as Ash gritted his teeth in frustration.

Professor Oak breathed a deep sigh as Gary and Squirtle left the room. Brittany took the initiative and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"We'll be handing out your starter now, Ash. Although, things are a bit different."

Ash looked over at her, feeling his frustration deflate. Brittany had that effect on Pallet Town's student body. She had a reputation for being rather comforting, especially when a student was feeling frustrated.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked curiously.

Now David spoke up. "For the most part, distribution went off without a hitch this Season. However, a few… miscalculations were made, so Pallet Town only received Squirtle among the traditional starters."

"It's the real reason why Angelina and Sarah aren't here." explained Professor Oak, now speaking up. "Pallet and Viridian were behind schedule recieving their starters, only getting them in a few nights back, so unfortunately, not much could be done. So we contacted their families and asked them to stay where they were so that they would be able to receive their starters there."

Ash nodded in understanding. These types of problems were rare, but real. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be as widespread as the shortage that Team Rocket had caused three Seasons ago.

Not THAT, as he remembered Professor Oak talking about it, had been a real, complete mess. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be anything like that this time.

They didn't seem too worried about it, either. So it seemed like it wouldn't affect him getting a Starter Pokemon. It just might not be a traditional one.

Brittany folded her hands behind her head to stretch. "As you know, we try to get out as many traditional Starters as possible. Nevertheless, with the amount of new trainers that come with each Season, especially this Season, it's simply impossible to hand out a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle to literally everybody. Even though Johto has its own set of starters, and the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands use both the Kanto and Johto lineups, it's simply not feasible."

David spoke up. "These problems normally aren't present in places with lesser rookie turnouts, such as Pallet Town for example. However, with our incident this season, we are going to have to do what the cities normally do, and provide you with a different starter as a substitute."

Ash nodded in understanding. Not having a chance to pick between the traditional three was slightly disapointing, but in the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter to him all that much.

He hadn't even decided on his starter like Gary had. He was just planning on choosing in the moment, mostly just excited to be getting a Pokemon at all.

At the end of the day, a starter was a starter.

Professor Oak stepped forward with the starter's Poke Ball in his hand. Ash quickly took note of the lightning bolt on it.

"We are sorry you didn't get to choose, but-"

Ash raised his hand to politely cut him off. "It's fine, I don't mind, really. It's not like you guys are to blame, accidents always happen."

Brittany and David both smiled brightly at the now Rookie Pokemon Trainer.

Perhaps it was just because Ash was less combative than most, but he was always quite understanding.

Taking the Poke Ball in his hand, Ash pushed the button and it opened.

The feeling of holding a Poke Ball, a real genuine Poke Ball, right there in his hand, was practically unreal. How long had he dreamed of this? How long had he spent mimicking the motions of the expert trainers in the Indigo Conference throwing out their Poke Balls into battle, Trucy later picking up the habit after he met her? How many other rookie trainers had felt this same surge of excitement that he had, finally getting to release a Pokemon, and actually their starter, no less, for the first time?

It was like holding a simple, yet impactful ball made up of all your hopes and dreams, right there in the palm of your hand.

In that moment, Ash momentarily forgot all about Gary Oak.

All of his attention was fixated on the creature that exited the bright flash of light emitting from the orb.

It was a small, yellow mouse. It had a lightning bolt shaped tail, and round dots for cheeks. Specifically, its cheek sacks. Ash immediately knew what it was.

Nevertheless, he wanted his new Pokedex to do the honors. As he scanned the yellow mouse, the device's voice was identical to Gary's Pokedex.

"Pichu, the tiny mouse Pokemon. It is known for storing electricity in the sacks of its cheeks, and then releasing it from its tail. However, it has very little control over this electricity, and can exhaust itself very easily.

This Pichu is male and knows the moves Thunder Shock, Double Slap, Thunder Wave, Nuzzle, Nasty Plot, and Volt Tackle. Its ability is Static, which can inflict paralysis on enemies that it makes physical contact with."

Ash raised a brow. Volt Tackle? So Pichu had an Egg Move too. Not that they would be able to use it right away, of course. Volt Tackle was infamous for its immense recoil damage, being quite harmful to the user itself.

Not to mention, it was an incredibly powerful and advanced technique. Simply put, a beginner level Pokemon like Pichu wouldn't even come close to generating the amount of electricity that was necessary for using it. And at Pichu's current level, he wouldn't even be able to handle the recoil anyway. Even if he could produce enough electricity, it likely wouldn't be the full power of the technique, and he would probably just knock himself out.

Nevertheless, it was still one hell of a move to have. Mastering it would happen a long time for now; it'd be a good while before even starting practice it would be practical, but once they did, they would have one of the most powerful electric type moves at their disposal.

Looking down at his starter, Ash noticed Pichu looking at him with an… odd expression.

Ash wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Slowly but surely, he kneeled down to get in closer.

He wasn't planning on doing whatever it was that Gary had done to Squirtle, but he at least wanted to pat the Pichu's head.

The mouse in question flinched just before Ash's hand could touch him. Ash's heart skipped a beat for a second, but to his surprise, he didn't get shocked.

The Pichu was skittish, but not aggressive. The latter was a good sign, at the very least.

"Hey…" the boy spoke carefully. 'I'm not going to hurt you."

Pichu didn't seem very convinced.

Professor Oak sighed, before turning to the teachers. "Brittany, David, I can take it from here. Can you two call Professor Ivy back? She contacted me recently to report the starter count over at the Orange Islands. Just let her know that I got the message."

Brittany nodded. "Of course."

David followed her out of the room, but Clefable remained.

Professor Oak turned back to Ash. "I must apologize, Ash. I was warned that this particular Pichu was a little bit on edge about everything."

"Why is that?" asked Ash curiously. Pokemon personalities came in all sorts of forms, but there was usually a reason for a Pokemon being overly nervous about something.

"Apparently it had something to do with the environment." the Professor explained. "As you know, Pokemon handed out as starters are often bred at site sanctioned by the League, or supplied by breeders. I don't have all of the details, but a good deal of the Pokemon raised alongside Pichu were apparently very loud and aggressive. Some species of Pokemon have violent urges hidden underneath. It's likely that they picked a lot of fights with one another, and Pichu was likely caught up in it. It's especially effective on a younger Pokemon's psyche, and now Pichu has difficulty trusting people right away."

Clefable walked over to the Pichu and knelt down beside him, scratching behind the back of his ear gently. The Pichu closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, making a somewhat comfortable sound.

The Professor smiled. "Clefable helps look after all of the Pokemon here, so they all trust her, thankfully. It took coaxing from her to help me examine him when he first arrived."

That was no secret. Clefable was known for being a mother to practically all Pokemon at the lab. This apparently even stretched over to Professor Oak's days as a trainer, too. She was apparently an authority figure among the rest of his Pokemon, being one of his first captures and arguably the most mature out of all of his companions. Even his starter apparently obeyed her.

Professor Oak's biography highlighted Clefable a lot. In storytelling terms, she was practically the deuteragonist of Samuel Oak's story.

Clefable began to slowly and gently prod Pichu in Ash's direction. Kneeling down once again, Ash was sure to make eye contact with the young mouse.

"Hello, my name is Ash. I'm going to be your trainer."

The look in Pichu's eyes was somewhat calmer, but still uncertain.

This was going to be tough, wasn't it?

/

"It's about time, Ashy boy! What took you so long?! For a moment you had me wondering if you actually gave up like you should've, but you'd still be leaving me high and dry!"

Ash and Pichu were greeted by Gary's voice the very moment that they stepped out. And from the look on Pichu's face, he seemed to hate it just as much as Ash did.

Well, they were on the same page for at least one thing, it seemed.

"We were just… getting to know each other. That's all." Ash insisted nervously.

Gary scoffed. "Yeah right. Can you explain to me why that mouse is literally looking everywhere but at you, Ashy boy?"

Ash found himself gritting his teeth at that.

"Hey Squirtle!" Gary called out. "Our punching bag is here!"

Ash looked over to where Squirtle was, and noticed a few of Gary's friends huddled around him.

'Great, now he gets to embarrass me in front of EVERYONE, just like always.'

Squirtle made its way back over to Gary as the boy's friends looked on and watched him go. Standing in front of his trainer, he eyed Pichu with curiosity, his stoic expression seemingly bearing a hole right through the small mouse's forehead.

Pichu was already tensing up.

NOT a good sign.

/

A small crowd had gathered in one of the yards of the lab as Ash and Gary stood on opposite ends of the makeshift battlefield, both of their respective Starters standing in front of them. The battlefield in question consisting of mostly wet grass and dirt.

The crowd was made up of their peers, which of course, meant Gary's friends and Gary's friends alone. Nobody bothered placing bets on the battle, certain that Gary was going to win.

A good few of the spectators were already telling Gary to put Ash in his place.

Ash was trying to take a deep breath, but found that he couldn't.

Why did he have to agree to this?! Why did he always give into Gary's goading?! Why was he always so good at leading Ash astray?!

It was too late to back out now. Either everybody saw him get humiliated or everybody made fun of him for running away. At the very least, the former would be par for the course, given their history together.

What had started out as a great day had suddenly turned horrible. Gary was always good at doing that to him, just by being there.

First he and his Starter didn't get off on the right foot. And now, Gary was about to embarrass them in a battle. Did his first day as a Trainer really need to go like this?

He mentally shook his head. NO! He would not let Gary ruin this for him! If he could just beat him in this one battle-

"Hey Ashy boy! Are you done thinking to yourself yet? Some of us have places to be, you know?"

Gritting his teeth, Ash thought things over quickly.

Pichu has a type advantage against Squirtle, which, in beginner level matchups, would usually all but decide the match. But things were different this time. Squirtle's shell would most likely be strong enough to block Pichu's electric type moves, which would mean that they had to find a way to hit the blue Pokemon before he was able to retreat into his shell.

Pichu most likely has the speed advantage over the bulky water type Pokemon, but was also certainly much less durable. The evolution line as a whole wasn't known for its defense like Squirtle's was, but Pichu themselves were viewed as being quite frail.

Looking over to his Starter, Ash noticed Pichu eying the Squirtle nervously. While the water type remained as calm and collected as ever, Pichu was anything but, and Gary was obviously getting a kick out of that.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey look, everybody! An electric type that's scared of a water type!"

The crowd got a few chuckles out of that.

Thankfully, they shouldn't need to worry about Squirtle's Egg Moves. He likely wasn't skilled enough to use them yet.

"Alright," said Gary. "I'm bored, so I'm starting out now. Water Gun!"

The blue turtle opened his mouth, and a small, yet strong stream of water gushed out of it. Pichu yelped and ran to the side to dodge.

Ash immediately went on the offensive. "Thunder Shock!"

Pichu began gathering electrical energy in his cheeks, causing them to crackle with sparks, but Gary was prepared, and began speaking even before the small rodent had the bearings to respond to Ash's command.

"Squirtle! Pichu can't control their electrical powers very well, so it'll take him a while to gather enough electricity to use the attack! Every time you see sparks in his cheeks, use Withdraw!"

The Squirtle complied and began to retreat into his shell. Due to his inexperience, it took a little bit, but unfortunately, Pichu's own inexperience gave him just enough time.

After a few seconds, Pichu finally released the charged-up energy from his tail, sending a small bolt of lightning towards Squirtle.

But by then, Squirtle had already completely retreated into his shell. The electricity enveloped the exterior, but ended up bouncing off harmlessly, as though nothing had happened at all.

Gary guffawed. "Well, what do you know! It looks like that stupid mouse's inexperience with electricity makes up for the time that it takes for Squirtle to retreat into his shell!"

Pichu growled at the boy, but that just made him smirk even more.

Ash was gritting his teeth hard now. If Thunder Shock wouldn't work, they would have to go with Double Slap.

"Pichu!" Ash yelled. He could already feel himself getting frustrated. "Use Double Slap!"

Pichu looked back towards Ash with a shocked expression. Clearly, it didn't take kindly to the idea of getting up close and personal with the far bulkier turtle.

But Ash wasn't in the mood right now. "Do you WANT to lose this, Pichu?! JUST DO IT!"

Ash raised his voice too much, and, in a panic, the now startled Pichu yelped and began bolting off in the other direction…

...Only to find himself running right towards Squirtle.

Squealing in surprise, Pichu skidded to a halt, shivering a little bit at the sight of his opponent. Fists planted in his hips, the turtle towered over the mouse with his stoic expression, perfectly calm.

"Tackle!" Gary called out.

Squirtle rushed forward, and Pichu just barely managed to dodge out of the way. Squirtle then used this opportunity to fire off another Water Gun, with the stream of water just barely missing Pichu as the mouse swerved in the opposite direction, tripping over as a result.

Ash was growling now. What was Pichu even doing?!

"I said DOUBLE SLAP!"

Picking its head up quickly, Pichu began frantically looking around in a panic, only to stop and freeze as he suddenly saw Squirtle looming right in front of him again. The mouse yelped before quickly rushing forward, slamming his tail into Squirtle's front, but barely anything happened. With the turtle's bulky form, and durable front, the blue Pokemon was barely even pushed back, only lightly staggering. Pichu's attack had more force behind it than it seemed, but it was practically meaningless here.

Gary had often gushed about how great the Squirtle line was for defensive purposes.

"Water Gun!" Gary tried to counterattack, but at this point, Pichu had already sidestepped out of the way.

"Double Slap again, Pichu!" Ash called out. "Aim for the head!" The head would likely be a better target.

The mouse immediately bolted away to gain some distance, then turned around so he could build up speed for the attack. He seemed to agree with Ash's plan so far. Maybe if he could hit Squirtle on the head, after building up enough speed for a jump without losing momentum, it would do more damage.

But Gary was ready. Although Pichu's temporary retreat was necessary to gain momentum for the counterattack, it had also given the other boy enough time to react.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!"

As Pichu ran forward, Squirtle retreated into his shell. Pichu leapt up into the air in order to execute his attack, but by that point, Squirtle was already ready to block.

Pichu's tail clanged uselessly against the hard exterior of Squirtle's shell, and the mouse suddenly found himself in pain as he danced around the yard clutching his now aching tail. As he did this, Squirtle began to exit his shell again.

Ash could hear the crowd laughing now.

"Man, do you see that pathetic little mouse that Ash got stuck with?" a boy's voice.

"They're made for each other, you know. Now they can be useless together. A perfect match." a girl's voice.

Ash was grinding his teeth now.

Why? WHY did his first day as a Trainer have to go like this?! This wasn't supposed to be how things happened! A trainer's first day was supposed to be happy! And now…

"Water Gun!"

At Gary's orders, Squirtle allowed yet another stream of water to exit his mouth. With the pain in his tail, Pichu's mobility was limited, and he had to carefully duck in order to avoid the attack, but there was still some clumsiness to his movements, and the rodent nearly lost his balance whilst staggering forward.

However, Pichu was still wide open, and in his confusion, he had accidentally moved closer to Squirtle rather than farther away, and Gary quickly capitalised on this. "Tackle, now!"

Squirtle rushed forward again, his bulk slamming into Pichu. The mouse shrieked out loud as he was sent flying a few feet away, landing on his back and sliding on the wet grass for just a little bit.

As Pichu slowly got up, Ash noticed some dirt on his fur.

The attack had clearly hurt Pichu, but they needed to keep going.

"Double Slap again, Pichu!"

But Pichu didn't seem to agree, instead charging up a Thunder Shock. What?

Why was Pichu trying to use that? Squirtle would just block it again!

"Pichu, wait, I said-"

But Pichu was already firing, his small bolt of lightning again fizzling out upon making contact with Squirtle's shell, the turtle having remembered Gary's orders from the beginning of the fight, taking advantage of the time that it took for Pichu to charge up the technique to use Withdraw and retreat into his shell.

What's more, Pichu seemed to be panting now. Between his inexperience with electricity, and now the hard hit that Squirtle had dealt to him with Tackle, it didn't seem like he could go on for much longer.

But Ash wasn't thinking straight anymore. First Gary has to go out of his way to humiliate him, and now Pichu was disobeying him? Why couldn't he just listen? They were supposed to be a team for crying out loud!

"Pichu, I said DOUBLE SLAP!"

Pichu turned to Ash and began chattering angrily, stamping his feet in disagreement. What was his problem right now?!

"Hey Pichu!" called out Gary's INSUFFERABLE voice once again. "Do you mind if I record this with my camera? You two are hilarious!"

That had the mouse turning around again and angrily charging up yet another Thunder Shock. But this one took longer. And Squirtle blocked it. Pichu was having trouble breathing at this point. The world was starting to spin for the mouse.

Ash's panicked orders fell on deaf ears now. The next Thunder Shock took even longer, with the same results.

The next one didn't even come out. Just trying to use it was too much.

A huge surge of defeat overcame Ash as Pichu collapsed to his knees. Gary saw his chance.

"Okay, playtime's over. Squirtle, Tackle!"

Once again, Squirtle's bulked slammed into Pichu, sending the mouse sliding on his back over towards Ash. The mouse stopped just in front of the young boy, not getting up.

Ash felt more panicked than ever now.

No, no, no, no, NO NO NO NO! It could NOT end like this!

"GET UP PICHU!"

The exhausted mouth slowly lifted its head as the crowd's laughter continued, but was suddenly hit between the eyes by a Water Gun.

Pichu was knocked out immediately.

/

That was it. That was his first ever battle as a trainer. And it had been a complete embarrassment. Nothing else could describe it.

"Wow, did you guys see that? How did Ash even pass the Exam, anyway?"

"I knew that Gary was going to win, but that didn't even feel like a win."

"It's a shame Gary's first battle was so disappointing, he deserved better than Ash and that Pichu. What a joke."

"Wish Angelina or Sarah were here..."

Cradling Pichu's now unconscious body, Ash just… took it all in as his classmates walked off one by one.

There was no point in trying to refute them. Everything that they said had been right.

That battle had been a joke.

He should be ashamed, for how little control that he had over his own partner.

Pretty soon Gary was the only one left.

"Don't worry Ashy boy," the Professor's grandson said, condescendingly patting Ash's shoulder. "If you're that beat up about it, then maybe it's time to call it quits. Only way you're going to make it as a trainer is by wishing that you'll be more worth a damn in the next life." he began marching off. "However long that may take."

And with that, he was gone. Ash didn't even bother to look behind him as Gary went off on his own. He was probably leaving Pallet Town right now.

Gary's words were etched into Ash's brain, just as they always were. Maybe he should quit after this. Was there really any way to come back from this? There's no way Lance or any of the Elite Four started out this badly. At this point, what was he even doing?

"What did he say to you?"

Looking up, a surprised Ash realised he hadn't even heard Professor Oak approaching.

/

Professor Oak ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the dejected Ash.

Currently, they were back in the lab. Pichu was in his Poke Ball, being treated by one of the lab's healing machines. It was the kind of basic healing technology that Pokemon Centers used whenever something wasn't too serious, and shouldn't take too long.

Ash was sitting across from him, gaze fized on the floor.

The Professor had always liked Delia's child, for reasons beyond his respect and adoration for Delia as a pupil. But those reasons, the Professor could never quite pinpoint to himself. Ash certainly didn't remind Samuel of himself; they were two completely different people, with completely different goals and inspirations. And yet, for whatever reason, the Professor had grown quite fond of the boy.

Which is why Ash's relationship with Gary was so frustrating.

Competition was one thing. Rivalry was perfectly fine. But Ash and Gary went far beyond any of this. They were not rivals. They were childhood archenemies. There were no positives and nothing but toxicity in their relationship.

And, as much as the Professor loathed to admit it, he knew perfectly well that Gary was the one to blame.

Whatever he had tried to keep his grandson in line had obviously not worked. He loved Gary with all his heart, to the point where his rule of not ever showing favoritism often came dangerously close to being broken. But Gary's treatment towards Ash was unacceptable, regardless of the reasons Gary gave; they were excuses, nothing more. The fact that Ash fell behind did little to justify the treatment; if anything, Gary should have tried to help him catch up.

Whatever semblance of friendship that the two had in the past was obviously long gone by now. The Professor knew that there was next to zero chance of it ever being rekindled. At this point they were both in far too deep for any of that.

Gary had already left Pallet Town and was officially on the road to Viridian City. The only thing left for the Samuel to do was to try and restore whatever confidence that Ash may have had in himself before sending him off on his way.

It was his responsibility.

"Listen, Ash-"

"Why didn't he listen to me?" Ash abruptly cut in. Standing next to Oak's seat, Clefable frowned at the question.

The Professor sighed. "Ash, you knew your Pokemon was easily startled, and yet you lost your patience with Pichu far too quickly. You let your built up anger towards Gary get the better of you. I get it, trust me. But you have to consider Pichu's feelings too."

"But still," Ash thought, unable to look the Professor in the eye as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Pichu knew that Thunder Shock wouldn't work against Squirtle's shell. He also knew how exhausted he was getting. And yet… he didn't stop."

"Pokemon often don't think clearly when they panic." the Professor reminded him. "Just like humans. You're right, though. If Pichu hadn't given up on Double Slap so soon, you two undoubtedly would have had a much better showing. The only reason it failed before when Pichu tried to strike Squirtle on the head was because he had to run away and build up distance for speed. It gave Squirtle enough time to block. Afterwards, you and Pichu wouldn't have needed to do that in order to build up speed, because the distance would have already been there."

Ash nodded at the Professor's assessment. "I know, but…" he trailed off, instead deciding that it would be best to just soak up whatever Oak was trying to say. The man knew a lot more than he did, after all.

"Ash, I think you and Pichu are both quite similar. You're both lacking in confidence right now, and as the battle shows, you both panic easily. But that doesn't mean this is always going to be who you are. You passed the exam for a reason."

"Was it luck?" Ash asked honestly.

"I doubt it. Delia told me about your late nights studying for the exam. I know luck goes a long way, but the kind of studying you did was simply dedication."

"And what if that was just an outlier?" The question had been on Ash's mind for a while now, but he had the perfect person to ask it to.

"I'd like to think that it was a new beginning for you." said the professor. "An opportunity, if you will. Not everyone who becomes the best starts out on top. In fact…" he leaned forward. "Not many people know this, but I was a below average student growing up."

THAT jolted Ash out of his stupor. WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

"Y-y-you were WHAT?!" Ash was dumbfounded.

"To be perfectly honest, it was one of the reasons why I chose to become a trainer first." the Professor admitted. "I had always wanted the hands on experience to aid with my research, so I may have chosen that path anyway, but my track record in academics undoubtedly influenced my decision. I was often at the bottom of my class in a lot of subjects. I just barely passed the exam with an eighty one, compared to your ninety, I might add, and that was despite all of the studying that I did." he reached over and padded Clefable's side. The large, pink fairy type made a joyful noise as she closed her eyes and leaned into the Professor's touch. "But I still lead a very sucessful career as a trainer, and, as you know, I've seen even more success since. When I tried to get into the Institution, everything I'd learned from my hands on time as a trainer made all the difference in passing the entrance exam."

"But… Why didn't your biography mention any of that?" Ash asked, confused. It was true. Professor Oak's biography was incredibly long and detailed. It was practically unrivaled in terms of just how much valuable information and insight that it gave on important figures within the Pokemon world. For some reason, the fact that Professor Oak had apparently been a below average student had never been mentioned even once within its pages.

Professor Oak sighed at the question. "I figured you'd ask something like that. I have a lot of respect for that book and the work put into it, I even exchanged autographs with the author, but that particular detail about me and my story flew under the radar; and if people had known that I was a below average student who still managed to rise to the top despite everything, then the message surrounding my career changes quite a bit. It proves that people who started out on the bottom can still rise to the top." he reached out and handed Ash a photograph. "They can become like this."

Ash took a look at the picture. It was from when Samuel Oak had won the Indigo Conference.

A young, teenage Samuel stood in the middle of the photograph, the tall, golden trophy held proudly in his hands. He was quite well built, and almost difficult to recognize given that he was both fully grown and much older now. With him, were his six main Pokemon who had taken the Indigo Conference by storm that year.

A fearsome looking Charizard, towering highly above its confident trainer from behind.

Clefable, who, even in the photo, managed to give off a very calm, and serene feeling to herself, standing off to the left of the trainer.

An Electrode, at the far right.

A Poliwrath, standing next to its Smauel, off to his right.

A Tangrowth, at the far left.

A Golem just behind Samuel's left shoulder, a stoic expression on its face.

They were a famous team that Ash knew all too well.

And they had all started out… from the bottom.

/

Although Ash had been planning to visit Delia at their house before leaving town, Oak had told him that he had already called her over to the lab to assist him with something, which meant that the two of them could say their final goodbyes without Ash having to backtrack.

Delia had managed to hold it in up until now, but now she was letting it all out. The tears streaming down her face were practically a waterfall as she hugged Ash close against her, her clothes blocking her son's own tears.

"My baby boy… you're all grown up now. I knew this day was coming, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for it."

Ash didn't even know what to say. Leaving his mother behind was his biggest, most unrivaled regret about becoming a trainer. He knew that she was fully supportive of his dream, not asking for much in return. No one he knew was nearly as selfless. He couldn't help but wonder how sad Oak was to see Gary go. The Professor was always good with his emotions, but it occurred to Ash that he was probably hurting too, just like Delia was.

"Mom… I'll come back, don't worry." The two were currently standing with Professor Oak at the gates to Pallet Town. Pichu was off to the side, watching the display with some curiosity. Delia had been quite friendly towards the mouse, but had kept her approaches to a minimum after seeing the electric type's nervous behavior.

"I know you will," said Delia. "Be safe until then, okay, and call me every chance you get."

Ash nodded. "I'll call you the moment I reach Viridian." The thought of being able to speak with his mother again tonight was all the more motivation for him to get there as soon as possible.

"Professor!" a woman's voice called out. The group turned to see an older woman walking towards them with Clefable. Ash immediately recognized her as Trucy's grandmother, Mrs. Gernin. With her and Clefable were two other Pokemon, and Ash's eyes were quick to light up when he saw them. "Brittany is ready with her report on Celadon, they just finished distribution." she offered Ash a smile, and the boy quickly returned it.

Professor Oak nodded. "I'll be there soon." as she walked away, he turned to the two Pokemon as they approached Ash with Clefable.

One of them was a baby Heracross, the same exact one that Ash had helped hatch. The other one was a small blue Pokemon that the Professor had told Ash was a Sobble, another baby Pokemon that had hatched around the same time as Heracross, and the two of them had quickly befriended each other. Both Pokemon were male.

Delia chuckled. "It looks like he wants to see you off, Ash."

Ash nodded happily and stroked the horn of the Heracross. It was small at the moment, but would eventually grow quite big as the bug-fighting type grew up.

The Heracross jittered happily at the contact. Ash had always enjoyed spending time with him.

As the two baby Pokemon huddled up around Clefable, Professor Oak faced Ash one last time. "Just remember everything that I told you, Ash, and try not to rush too much. You'll get to your goal eventually. I know that there is a strong trainer in both you and Gary."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Professor." he still wasn't entirely sure, but the Professor's short story had been reinvigorating.

Oak crossed his arms. "Now then, just follow the road on each route and you'll be able to get to the places that you need to be. And remember that battling other trainers can get you extra cash if you win, along with being the best way to train.

Ash nodded. The League system involved trainers winning money from each other in battles, although it was lenient on those who were already short on cash. Thankfully, Pallet Town was good at providing plenty of money to starting Trainers, courtesy of Professor Oak himself, so Ash was leaving home in a decent position to start out. "Right."

The Professor smiled. "Good. I'll see you around."

Ash smiled back. "Thanks for everything.

As Professor Oak and Delia walked off with Clefable, Heracross, and Sobble, Delia sent Ash one last, tearful smile, which he returned with his own, before leaving.

Now, he and Pichu were all that was left.

Ash prolonged the time spent watching them leave, before locking eyes with his starter. No doubt Pichu's trust in him had been damaged by the battle, assuming that there was ever any in the first place. Guiltily, he bit his lip as the small mouse's eye contact faltered.

Turning towards the gates, he and his starter both looked uncertain.

Taking a deep breath, which still did little to actually ease his nerves, Ash took his first steps forward.

He had never left Pallet Town before now. Much like thousands of kids across Indigo, he was leaving his old life behind, doing his best to not look back.

It was all official the moment he stepped through those gates, into the outside world of Indigo.

Chapter Text

The large, open field that Ash and Pichu were taken to by the path exiting Pallet Town was vaster than the young trainer had expected. Tall grass and patches of flowers as far as the eye can see. Ash was sure that various beginner level Pokémon were hiding about in the tall grass, but he would probably choose carefully.

Most commonly, some trainers would focus on trying to limit their catches to a select few Pokemon, or go all out and try to catch as many as possible. Those who only caught a few Pokémon at a time were often very careful about what they did catch, carefully considering what types of Pokemon that they wanted on their teams.

Ash was of the opinion that focusing on only a few Pokemon at a time was the most practical way to go about things, as he couldn't imagine himself being able to divide attention between so many teammates at once, especially with just slightly less than a year before the Conference.

So, his game plan was to explore in hopes of finding Pokemon that piqued his interest. He wasn't picky, but he did want to focus on the qualities that each of his potential teammates would have.

Ash saw a few Pidgey flying overhead, along with the occasional Pidgeotto.

There were even a few Taillow among the bird Pokemon. Taillow were native to Hoenn, not Kanto, but foreign Pokemon had become increasingly common over the years.

The cause of this was a combination of multiple factors. Team Rocket's occasional attempts at getting involved with foreign Regions had resulted in quite a few incidents, but in general, some foreign trainers would end up releasing their Pokemon while in Indigo. Those Pokemon would go off into the wild and breed with other Pokemon, gradually resulting in various species not commonly seen in Indigo appearing much more often.

This wasn't just an issue in Indigo either, as it was occurring in numerous parts of the world. Controversy had been birthed inevitably from the effect that the situation had on the training landscape. The Indigo League did its best to crack down, often scooping up foreign Pokemon in hopes of either placing them in the Safari Zone in Fuchsia or even just shipping them out to their native Region. Although Kanto and Johto both fell under the Indigo banner, they each still had Pokemon native to one Region but not the others. The League tried to prioritize Pokemon from foreign Leagues, but still made attempts at regulating those from within Indigo's multiple Regions as well.

However, many trainers expressed vehement disagreement with this choice. Although the League insisted that they were simply trying to keep Indigo's ecosystems in check, many Trainers loved the idea of foreign Pokemon being more common, as it added a lot of potential variety for team building, and often accused the League of limiting their options.

Movements of protest were becoming more and more common as the years went on, with many Trainers leading rallies against the League's actions. Unfortunately, Team Rocket would often take advantage of these events. Foreign Pokemon benefited them too.

Ash was mixed on the situation. He obviously understood the League's point of view, and given how they explicitly aimed to go about the task in manners that weren't at the foreign wildlife's expense (the main goal was to simply capture and relocate them, and nothing more), he considered attempts at demonizing the League's actions to be overreacting. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but admit how appealing it would be to have some foreign Pokemon on his team. Thankfully, capturing foreign Pokemon was not illegal despite the League's attempts at controlling the situation; if anything, the prospect of a large number of trainers plucking foreign Pokemon out of the wild made the League's job easier, and many of the trainers that opposed the League's choice tried to focus on that silver lining in hope of compromise. Overall, the reaction to the League's response was not black and white, with even certain people of similar stances reacting to and interpeting the issue from a different lens.

Looking back, Ash saw that Pichu was trailing behind him. The small mouse hadn't paid him much mind since the battle with Gary and Squirtle, which wasn't a pleasant sign.

He knew he couldn't blame Pichu for distrust after losing his temper so quickly during their first battle, but the frusturation in his stomach still refused to go away.

Ash decided to stop for a bit. Not paying attention to his trainer, Pichu found himself abruptly bumping into the boy's legs as Ash turned to face him.

At this point, Pallet Town was barely even visible from the distance, in part due to the large hill the duo had climbed.

"Pichu, are you going to be like this the whole way?"

The electric rodent was still doing his best not to make eye contact, and Ash felt the inner frusturation slowly build.

"Look… I'm sorry for what happened with Gary and Squirtle, but you have to admit, you're not absolved from all of the blame yourself."

Pichu's facial features took on a look of irritation, but no reply came.

Ash frowned. "Pichu… this is supposed to be a partnership. I'm not expecting you to do all the work, but I can't do it all myself either, okay?"

Pichu frowned at that, but still didn't say anything.

Before Ash could go any further, the sound of flapping wings nearby stole the pair's collective attention away from one another.

A small bird had landed a few feet away in the field, and Ash quickly recognized it as a Pidgey. His eyes lit up.

This was perfect! Pidgey were practically famous among beginner level trainers. Although Pidgeot weren't among the most widely feared Pokemon in the world, they were still greatly revered and were considered to be top notch Flying Type Pokemon.

It was what made Pidgey so appealing to many newcomers in Indigo: They were normally easy to catch, train, and raise, making them perfect Pokemon for a newcomer's first catch. They were commonly found throughout Indigo, especially in areas that were popular with beginner trainers as it is (or maybe their presence was part of what made those locations popular?) and once they evolved, they would become quite powerful. An easy-to-handle Pokemon that would eventually become quite elite.

Of course, the combination of popularity and accessibility had produced the inevitable downside; Pidgeot were quite common among Indigo trainers, and many therefore knew how to fight against them, which put the species at a disadvantage.

Ash wasn't too bothered by this, though. He could still catch more rare, less commonly used Pokemon later on, but for the moment, the top priority to start out on the right foot.

"Pichu," he said, pointing towards the Pidgey. "Go get it."

When he didn't get a response, he looked over to his Starter Pokemon to see him hesitating.

The mouse was still uncertain, squeaking out a somewhat defiant response.

Ash's patience was just about gone.

"AREN'T YOU EVER GOING TO LISTEN TO ME?!" he quickly turned as he heard the now startled Pidgey flying away after his outburst. "Wait! No! Darn it!" he looked back at Pichu, who seemed somewhat guilty, although that only did a little bit to ease Ash's anger. "Come on! We're not going to get anywhere like this!"

/

He was at his wits end at this point.

By now, he and Pichu had spent a few hours making blunder after blunder.

At first, it was Pichu hesitating for too long, resulting in the Pokemon fleeing. Then Pichu didn't hesitate, and chose to fight, but not trusting Ash's judgement anymore, and acted on his own accord. This time it was ASH who screwed up, with his frustrated yelling driving the Pokemon away.

Somewhere down the line, it had escalated into back and forth bickering between the duo. Although it thankfully hadn't gotten physical, neither trainer nor Pokemon had any patience remaining for the other.

"I wasn't planning on going after a Ratatta since they usually aren't known for fighting in high level battles, but you still even managed to screw that one up!" Hands on his hips, Ash glowered down at his starter.

The frustrated mouse stamped his feet while angrily crying out in protest. Ash didn't know what he was saying, but the tone of the response did not leave much room for interpretation.

"Oh yeah? Tell that to the Nidoran you threw yourself at while his horn was sticking out! You could have been poisoned!"

Grumbling, Pichu planted himself on the ground with a pout.

"I would like to think I at least somewhat know what I'm doing," Ash grumbled in frustration. "But I'm starting to wonder if you even know anything!"

Pichu immediately sprung back to his feet, resuming his protest while shouting aimlessly at the boy.

"Don't you go giving me that! Why did Gary have to get the most well behaved Starter on the face of the earth and I had to be stuck with you?!" He felt the guilt hit him the moment the words left his mouth; there he went again, dragging Pichu right his conflict with Gary. The realization that he wasn't thinking straight frustrated him even further.

Although still glowering, Pichu's shouting quieted, and Ash felt his heart sting upon seeing the dejection on the electric type's face. The boy bit his lip, hands reaching up to massage his temples.

"I'm done with this!" he finally screamed tahe rookie turned around and picked up a rock. He needed to vent. "I've been waiting for this day my whole life! Why did it have to go like this?!"

He chucked the rock as hard as he could, aiming at nothing in particular.

But he did hit something.

Pichu returned to his side as they gazed at the bird-like figure in the distance.

Ash squinted his eyes in hopes of making out the species, but they suddenly widened as he realized what he had just done. "Oh crap."

Spearow were infamous for their vicious behavior. For beginner level standards, they were hard to handle, and dangerous to go up against.

And Ash had just pissed one off.

/

It had happened so fast.

Arguing one moment, being chased the next. Any and all hostility between one another was quickly forgotten in favor of self-preservation.

At first, it was just one Spearow, but things quickly began to worsen as more joined in. It wasn't a full flock by any means, but they were now being chased by a decent few.

At this point, all Ash wanted was for fate to throw them a bone. He wished this was just a bad dream he could wake up from, but knew how useless it was to dwell on that.

As the first Spearow had come flying towards them, Ash and Pichu bolted in the other direction, not even bothering to look back at their mutual attacker. Ash wasn't even sure if they were heading in the direction of Viridian, his mind was too jumbled to tell.

After a few minutes of nonstop running, Pichu had tripped over a small rock, sending Ash into a panic. As he rushed over to help the mouse, the rookie saw Pichu get up and jump on top of the Spearow's back. The small electric type had charged up an instinctive Thunder Shock and given the Spearow a good zapping. Unfortunately, this had resulted in the Spearow calling on its friends.

Thankfully, they didn't need to worry about an entire flock going after them. A few days ago, they would have, but when Professor Oak had heard reports about a flock of Spearow near Pallet Town, he had driven them off to ensure that they wouldn't cause any trouble for the soon to be rookie trainers. Unfortunately, there were apparently stragglers.

Ash didn't have time to count how mahy there were, but it was obvious that Pichu couldn't possibly hope to take all of them on at once. Running for dear life was the only option. More frusturation bubbled in his stomach as the day somehow managed to still get even worse, the feeling intensified by the fact it was his fault.

Unfortunately, he was so caught up in that thought tha the hadn't even noticed the hill up ahead, a stsrtled cry escaping his lips as he abruptly lost his footing. He could feel the dirt on his face as he painfully tumbled downwards, stopping in front of a tree. Pichu stopped in front of him as he tried to gain his bearings, but there was no time.

The Spearow were upon them now.

Before Ash could even stand up, one of them made a break for him, slashing at the boy with its talons. Ash instinctively raised his arm to block, and attempted to strike back, but only got a painful scrape for his efforts.

Pichu began gathering electricity in his cheeks. The other Spearow didn't give him the time to charge, however, one of them immediately flying forward to attack.

"NO!" Ash screamed.

Ignoring the painful cut on his arm, the boy felt a surge of adrenaline go through him as he stood in front of the small mouse, attempting to bat away the vicious Spearow. Rather than go for a slash, this one dedicated itself to a full-on charge. Ash was knocked down onto his back, Pichu immediately jolting to the side to avoid getting crushed.

The Spearow seemed more focused on Ash now, but as another one dove towards him before he could get back up, Pichu leapt on top of it and let loose a charged-up Thunder Shock. Ash had to shield his eyes as the close-up electricity began singing his arms. A pained cry escaped his throat, but it was nothing compared to the horrific shriek that the Spearow let loose, grating all the way into the rookie's eardrums.

NOW the Spearow were all focused on Pichu again, and Ash could only watch helplessly as he lifted his head to see one of them prying Pichu off of the other Spearow, now painfully clutching the mouse in its talons.

Before Ash could verbally or physically, the Spearow flew Pichu straight into the tree, letting go just in time to throw the rodent right into the hard, sturdy trunk.

Ash was panicking now, but before the Spearow could turn their attention back onto him, a series of small streams of fire came out of nowhere in their direction, forcing them to fly out of the way.

The Spearow hovered in place as Ash turned to see the newcomers.

A small pack of Growlithe.

The Spearow had chased Ash and Pichu all the way into their territory.

Thankfully for Ash, the two groups of Pokemon seemed to feel a lot more threatened by each other than by either of them. As the two groups began to battle it out, Ash hastily scurried back to the tree, scooping up Pichu in his arms and making a break for it.

He spared only a second to look back at the two quarreling groups of Pokemon, neither seeming to realize or care about his or Pichu's departure, before speeding up. After crossing a bridge suspended over a decently sized body of water, most likely perfect for fishing or scuba diving, he decided that they had hopefully cleared enough distance between themselves and their attackers. Ash laid Pichu down gently on the grass, finally taking the time to assess the mouse's injuries.

Looking at his own arm, Ash could see a small amount of blood coming out, but he chose to focus on Pichu first.

The mouse was conscious, but seemed to be drifting in and out. No doubt the crash into the tree trunk had given him the worst of it.

Apart from that, he had some painful cuts on his back, likely from when the Spearow had grabbed him in its talons.

Ash felt the tears welling up in his eyes, quickly realizing that he'd caused this.

"Pichu…" He could barely get the words out. "I-I'm… sorry…" Pichu was looking up at him curiously, as if slightly surprised about the sudden apology.

He just had to get angry enough to throw that damn rock. He just had to anger that damn Spearow. He just had to… to… to…

Ash viciously shook his head. NO! He had no time for this. He had to help his partner. As the adrenaline wore off, he abruptly realized that the constant running had left him breathing heavily. He only had about the average athletic ability of a ten-year-old boy, compared to Gary's slightly above average speed and stamina. But he did his best to push that fatigue aside while rummaging through his backpack for something that could heal Pichu. He knew he had packed some potions-

He paused in horror as he found none.

For all of the packing that he'd done, he had somehow forgotten to pack healing potions.

Delia had done a good job teaching her son to never swear out loud, but this time:

"FUCK!"

/

Gary whistled happily as he exited the doors to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City.

Looking up at the sky, he assumed that the sun would probably be setting in about an hour or so. It also seemed like a storm was coming, but if it didn't last too long, he'd still try to make his way into Viridian Forest by tonight.

The thought of sleeping in the Pokemon Center certainly was tempting, but he really did want to cover as much ground as possible.

How many Pallet Town Trainers could say that they had made it all the way to Viridian Forest on their first ever day as a Trainer? Most stopped at Viridian City by the end of Opening Day, bit that was it.

But Gary wasn't them. Gary was better. Much better.

And before he had even gotten into Viridian City, he had successfully made his first catch of his career as a Pokemon Trainer.

Gary smiled gleefully at the Poke Ball containing the Bellsprout that he and Squirtle had just recently captured.

The Type disadvantage hadn't done much to hinder them, thanks to Squirtle's shell providing perfect cover against their opponent's Grass Type Moves, just like before with Pichu's electricity.

Gary snorted as he thought back to that fight. What a pitiful way to start out his career. He knew a battle with Ash was going to be disappointing no matter how low that he set his expectations, but that was just a joke.

Ash was probably still failing right at this very moment.

/

Ash couldn't stop cursing himself. Of all the things he could have forgotten, whi did it have to be...

He needed to get Pichu to a Pokemon Center. But he didn't even know if-

Looking around, he saw a nearby sign pointing to Viridian City. Under any other circumstances, he probably would have been grateful that the chase had led them closer to the city rather than driven them farther, but at this point, he was far too panicked to care. But he needed to get there fast, so he scooped Pichu up and began to run.

However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a bike near the shore of the water.

Had he been in the right state of mind, he probably would have realized that the conveniently placed bike liekly had an owner. Unfortunately, he no longer was.

/

About fifteen minutes later, a girl swam to shore, and began removing her scuba diving outfit.

She was about Ash's age, had orange hair that was now soaked from her swim, and a yellow starfish like Pokemon trailed behind her.

"Okay, Staryu. Sorry we couldn't find anything. But a storm's coming now, so we should probably get going-" she stopped upon seeing that the bike was no longer where she left it.

For a good few seconds, she was silent. But then, her voice could probably be heard for miles.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE?!"

/

Thunder rumbled throughout the gray clouds in the sky, and the rain pelted Ash as he rode the bike as fast as he could.

Pichu was laying down in the basket, cheeks sparking as the water falling form the clouds hit him.

It hadn't occurred to Ash until a few minutes after taking off that he had probably stolen this bike from somebody; with no way to return it. It was just another screwup to add to today's list.

When the storm had hit, Ash's frustrations only grew. They thankfully weren't all that far from Viridian, but at this point, it felt like the day was doing whatever it took to be as miserable as possible. Opening Day was supposed to be a special day for all newcomers, something that they would remember for the rest of their lives, but Ash was hoping that he would forget this by tomorrow.

The rain had started out as a light drizzle, before progressing a little bit; thankfully never reaching the point of an outright downpour, but certainly more than enough to be uncomfortable. The thunder was only at a low rumble, so Ash's ears thankfully weren't in too much pain. Nevertheless, it was a constant annoyance, and reminded Ash of how much he hated being outside during storms.

He had to be careful to avoid the puddles that were slowly building up on the road. One slip up, and they could-

It wasn't a puddle that did him in.

Ash hadn't taken into account the ledge that he was about to ride the bike over, and the sudden fall caused him to lose his balance.

Pichu went flying out of the basket just before the bike skidded into a tree, the front wheel breaking off upon impact.

Ash tumbled across the ground yet again, feeling more scrapes and bruises piling up as a result. Pichu was much luckier, thanks to the bushes that he landed in cushioning the impact of his fall.

Ash felt the tears coming again, this time mixed with the rain, but did his best to shake them off. Now was not the time. He could see the city from here. They were right there. He could cry later.

Getting up, he tried to hold back his tears while doing his best to dust himself off, before making his way over to Pichu, taking out the mouse's Poke Ball.

Lightly tapping the small orb against his starter's forehead, he watched as the Poke Ball opened up and sucked Pichu inside.

Looking towards the city ahead, Ash quickly broke into a run.

/

Viridian City was one of Indigo's many large, urban areas, complete with tall buildings and large populations, and although it didn't match Celadon in scope, it was still quite imposing in its own right.

Of course, it was also known as the home of Giovanni, one of Indigo's most revered Gym Leaders.

With a reputation rivaled by few of the same position, Giovanni was feared by nearly every Indigo Trainer, rookie and experienced alike. Although this was the first city that Ash had reached which contained a Gym, the boy knew for a fact that he wouldn't even think of challenging Giovanni, even if his situation wasn't as blatantly awful as it was. Giovanni was where Viridian got its big name from.

It was dark out now, approaching the early evening hours as the rainclouds continued to block out the sky. Ash's clothes were drenched, but he could deal with that later. For now, he just needed to reach the Pokemon Center.

He probably would have felt intimidated by the large scope of the city, and the surprisingly large crowd of people for such a rainy night. This was, after all, his first time in a big city. However, none of that was on Ash's mind at this point, and he didn't care how many curious eyes potentially gazed upon him as he ran through the city.

/

Pokemon Centers were always quite big. They doubled not only as medical centers for Pokemon to be healed and treated at exceptionally fast rates (all but the most dire of injuries and conditions could be treated in as short as a day or two, sometimes even less, making them an absolute necessity for the Indigo Conference to continue proceeding at a decent pace) but also as hotels for Pokemon Trainers to stay at. Funded by whatever League in charge of the respective Region, their services were completely free of charge, and a lifesaver for trainers all over the world.

However, the Pokemon Centers in the major cities took this to the next level. Even in his stressed out state, Ash still couldn't help but gawk at the gigantic size of the building as he slowed to a walk practically involuntarily.

It towered over everything in its surrounding area, demanding to be the main attraction, standing several stories high, and was unspeakably wide. Given the number of patients that the Pokemon Centers in the major cities got, not to mention the amount of trainers that often stayed over every night, it made sense for the unspeakable size.

Of course, given that it was Opening Day, Ash wasn't expecting the place to be very busy. Any trainers that started out in Viridian will have already headed out into the infamous Viridian Forest, the largest forest in the Region that struck fear into the hearts of most rookie trainers for its vast, labyrinth like layout, not to mention the rumors of it being haunted and the stories of how it drove trainers to insanity with its complex, unpredictable layout.

This Season, Viridian had seen ninety nine rookie Trainers. Ash didn't envy them for having to start out their adventure in such a widely feared place, especially since he would most likely be going there tomorrow.

It suddenly occurred to Ash that Gary might be at the Center, which made his stomach churn, but now was not the time for that.

Breaking into a run yet again, Ash made his way through the automatic doors.

/

Ash had never been to a Pokemon Center before, but this would be the first of many visits, and despite being aware of how often he would need them, even he would underestimate the amount of time he would end up spending in these places, just in his first Season on its own.

The place was very… clean. To the point of being spotless. Famous for their maintenance, Pokemon Centers offered an unrivaled level of comfort and hospitality for trainers everywhere. Most trainers were left foaming at the mouth at the idea of just being in these buildings, given the amount of time that they would inevitably spend braving the harsh, unforgiving outside world.

It was a somewhat welcoming feeling for Ash as the stressed out boy made his way to the lobby. The expression on his face was still glum, nevertheless.

As he had expected, the lobby was almost completely vacant of Trainers. Potted plants stood on the shelves, and he spotted a few Chansey conversing in the corner, but no humans.

Opening Day was one of the few times of the year when one could genuienly expect a Center to not be busy. Most of the other times took place during the break period between the Conference and Opening Day, along with the Conference itself (as most of the work that Centers saw took place only at Indigo Plateau's Pokemon Center where the Conference was being held, with Pokemon occasionally being transferred to other Centers if needed, while Trainers not competing at the Conference would most often be watching instead of doing any serious training or battling). In just a few days time, Ash imagined that this lobby would be filled with Trainers. But for now, it seemed like it was just him.

Ash made his way to the counter on the other side of the lobby. Nobody was there at the moment, likely because of the probably slowness of work. Despite the highly demanding job, Ash couldn't help but wonder how bored Nurse Joy and her staff were at times like this. Between the overwhelming busy periods they most often saw, and the slow periods such as this one, the job certainly wasn't for everyone. They would either be worked to the bone or bored out of their minds. Rarely ever in between.

Arriving at the counter and adjusting his cap, Ash pressed the button at the side, signaling that there was somebody waiting for service.

It took only a few moments for the pink haired woman to step through the door at the other side of the counter. Initially, her signature smile adorned her features, but was quickly replaced with a frown upon seeing Ash's appearance.

Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny were an odd case. All of them were related, and looked nearly identical most of the time. Ash wasn't sure how that worked, but tried not to focus too much on that.

"Dear me." Nurse Joy spoke in a voice that was filled with soothing compassion. Ash already felt his nerves easing up a bit as she talked. Given that Pokemon Centers were supposed to provide comfort and assistance to any trainer, Nurse Joy was certainly perfect for her job, in more ways than just medical aspects. "What happened to you?"

"My Pichu was injured in an encounter with a group of Spearow." Ash took a moment to find his words. "We just came from Pallet Town." he watched as she typed some things down on the keyboard.

"I see. I guess Professor Oak must have missed a few. Can I see your Pokedex? I need to verify your Trainer info, but it should only take a moment." Ash quickly complied, handing her the red device.

"Here you go." he slightly squeaked out his words.

"Thanks." Joy replied, placing it in a special slot. She watched as the information appeared on her screen. "Let's see… your name is Ash Ketchum, you're from Pallet Town, which is also where you received your License. You received your License today, and currently your only Pokemon is Pichu, your starter. Male gender. This is all correct, right?"

Ash nodded. "Yes."

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. Even the look in her eyes provided him with some comfort. "Okay, just give me your Pichu and we'll take care of him. We only have one other patient tonight, so it shouldn't be long." Ash nodded and handed her Pichu's Poke Ball. "Are you staying here tonight?"

Another nod. "Yes."

Nurse Joy was typing again. "Okay, I'll assign you a room. We only have one other person staying here tonight. A girl about your age."

Ash blinked. Did that mean Gary wasn't here? Was he already going out in the forest? Maybe it was because the storm wasn't that bad? Or was he just trying to test himself?

Nurse Joy sighed. "I don't envy all the rookies who are staying in the forest tonight. Granted, the storm is supposed to die down in a couple of hours. A young boy about your age even asked me about it earlier."

Oh, so that must have been Gary, Ash presumed to himself.

"It's not like the rain is the only thing to worry about when you're in the forest." Ash pointed out.

Nurse Joy nodded. "True. Especially with those… troublemakers running the place."

She must have been talking about the Bug Catcher Gang, a group of trainers in Viridian Forest who practically dedicated themselves to making the lives of anybody who "trespassed" a living hell.

Joy spoke up again. "If you want, we can have our staff take a look at you as well." she stated, clearly taking note of his cuts and bruises."

Ash nodded. "Thanks for your help."

"Of course. Please make yourself at home. All trainers are welcome for however long they wish."

With that, the kind nurse turned around and walked through a pair of doors, leaving Ash on his own again.

/

Ash was given bandages for his cuts after the staff thankfully determined that he wasn't infected. Just in case, they also applied ointment as an extra precaution, and gave him a container to take with him just in case he needed it later on. Afterwards, he made his way to the bathroom and changed his clothes.

He had packed a few sets of clothes just in case he needed them. Thankfully, the storage technology of the League allowed a trainer's backpack to store more than it looked like it could (apparently utilizing very similar technology to that of a Poke Ball) but it still had its limits, so Ash packed as lightly as he could get away with, just in case. With more money, he may be able to invest in a backpack with upgraded storage at some point, but for now he had more than enough room.

After making his way out of the bathroom, he exited the lobby and made his way into the waiting room.

He had been told that Pichu's injuries, while not completely minor, were still not serious enough to stir up too much concern. His partner had minor infections from where he had received his cuts, but the healing technology would be more than enough to take care of him within a couple of hours, along with an antidote or two.

Ash was more than grateful and relieved to hear that his starter would be okay, but it only lifted his mood in the moment, quickly overtaken by the day as a whole.

Where had the time gone? It was already 8:00 PM. They said that time flies when you're having fun, but apparently fun wasn't a requirement. He had been miserable for this long.

Looking around the waiting room, he noticed that the majority of the walls were made of glass, allowing him to see outside into the city. This part of the Pokemon Center wasn't part of the majority of the building that had stories, instead jutting out a little bit. As a result, there were no floors above it, and the ceiling, which was still quite a bit high above, was made out of glass. On most nights, Ash imagined that it would provide the people in the waiting room with a fantastic view of the starry night sky. But tonight, all Ash could see were raindrops and clouds.

The room was notably spacious, with a few tables and more potted plants. A bunch of cushioned chairs outlined the walls, along with shelves that housed magazines and books.

On one end of the waiting room, Ash saw a purple haired girl sitting in a chair. Seemingly immersed in the magazine she was reading, her posture was shockingly perfect. This was probably the other trainer staying at the Center tonight. Which meant their other patient was probably one of her Pokemon.

Ash imagined that a good few trainers would pass the time with conversation, but he wasn't in the mood. Given that it mostly came in the form of Gary and his lackeys, his track record with people his age was less than pleasing anyway. He had never been satisfied with it, wishing to become more sociable, but tonight, he wasn't going to take the risk; it took an amount of courage he wasn't in the mood to work up. The girl seemed to be doing just fine anyway.

On the other side of the room, he noticed a set of video phones outlining the walls, and an idea suddenly came to his mind.

There was one person that he was willing to talk to right now.

/

Viridian City was quiet tonight. Not many Trainers around, most people were heading home. Opening Day had been eventful, but now the festivities had finally died down.

But some people wanted to keep the excitement going.

Or, in this case, just two people. High in the sky was a large, hot air balloon, the shape of a Meowth. Two figures looked down on the city from the balloon, rising above even the tallest of the buildings in the city.

"Take a look at this." said the man, handing the poster to the woman. "It looks like a wanted poster."

"Blech." said the woman. "Whoever took this picture certainly captured the real you, but I can't truthfully say that the photographer did the same thing for me. This isn't what I look like at all."

"Of course not, you look even worse."

"Oh?"

"I'm talking about evil, not appearances."

"Of course."

The man smirked. "So they want to downplay our capabilities forthe public to see, huh? Well, we'll see who has the last laugh once we have completed our self-appointed mission."

"Yes, of course." said the woman chillingly. "Did they think that we wouldn't see the files? We know exactly what's at Viridian's Pokemon Center tonight. And soon, it will all be ours for the taking."

The man kneeled down to pet the cat-like Pokemon that standing in between them. "Just tonight, in one hour." he said with a grin as he petted the Pokemon.

The woman snarled gleefully. "The people of Viridian City will probably recognize our faces a lot more by the time we're done."

/

Ash made his way to the video phone and dialed his house's number. After few brief moments of waiting, a familiar voice sounded from the other side. "Hello? This is the Ketchum residence."

"Hi, mom, this is Ash."

The squeal from the other end had him removing the phone from his ear, suddenly wishing he had set the device to speaker.

Delia's face appeared on the screen. "Ash! So you did make it there in one day! How are you?"

Ash frowned. "I'm… not great."

Delia was frowning back now. "Has anything gone wrong?"

Ash did his best not to cry in front of his mother, but thankfully, the tears weren't coming just yet. "Pichu and I have been getting along horribly. I accidentally provoked some wild Pokemon, and now he's injured. They said he'll be okay, but…"

Delia silenced her son with a raised hand. A look fo understanding passed over her face as she listened to him, but her expression had turned serious. "Ash, you're just starting out. It's fine. Not every trainer is going to hit it off with their starter on day one. And you headed to the Center for treatment, so that was the right thing to do." her voice was comforting, at least as much as Nurse Joy's. Ash never found more solace in anybody than his mother.

The problem was, she was always the one comforting him. At times it felt like she was just saying what it took to make him feel better, butwords like "Ash, you're just starting out." weren't what Ash was looking for right now. They were certainly true, but his subconscious had no intention of allowing him to see or understand that.

Regretting even bringing it up, he decided to change the subject.

"How are things back at home right now, mom?"

Delia seemed startled by the change of subject, but still responded. "We're doing fine. Trucy's grandparents told me she won't stop talking about how much of a great trainer you're going to be." she smiled. "She really looks up to you, you know."

Trucy… ever since he and Delia had been asked to babysit her, just over a year ago, she had grown so attached to him. Apparently she thought that he was "cool". Ash certainly didn't see it, but hearing it come from her mouth had always sent a surge of warmth through his chest.

Disappointing her was one of the last things that he wanted to do. It was almost as bad as the thought of disappointing his mother.

"And what about the teachers?"

Delia's lips curved up a bit more. "They have high hopes for both you and Gary. Brittany has placed a million dollar bet that both of you are going to make it to the Conference on your first try. Nobody took her up on it, because they all agree."

"Does she even have that kind of money?"

"Who knows? She's unpredictable."

That was certainly true. Brittany's classes were always the hardest to set expectations for, but that's part of why she was considered so fun.

So they thought he and Gary would make the Conference? On their first year, no less? Ash wanted to feel honored, but it just reminded him that there were more people that he was in danger of disappointing now.

As mother and son talked for about fifteen minutes, Ash felt his nerves ease up from his mom's beautiful voice. The conversation went many places in just a short amount of time, from Brittany's antics, to Professor Oak being a work-a-holic, to Delia's teaching training.

All good things must come to an end, though, as even with Ash out of the house, Delia was a busy woman. Before either knew it, they were parting ways again.

"Goodnight, son. I love you, and remember, I'll always welcome you with open arms back at home."

Ash nodded, feeling misty eyed for the upteenth time tonight. "You too, mom. Thanks."

And with that, he was alone again. He made his way to a far end of the waiting room, but before he could, Nurse Joy entered and approached him.

"I have good news, Mr. Ketchum. Your Pichu is going to be healing sooner than expected. It should probably be about thirty minutes." He offered thanks as she left.

That was good news. Even if the night was still awful, at the very least, he could try to make amends just a little bit sooner.

If Pichu even talked to him at this point, of course.

Ash felt himself sinking into the cushion of the chair as he plopped down on it. If he was in a better mood, he probably would have reveled in the newfound comfort. The chair certainly felt quite good. But with his conversation with Delia over, Ash felt the depression slowly coming back to him. He wasn't sure how to deal with it at this point, he didn't feel like reading.

But, at the very least, his mom had provided him with a brief moment of reprieve.

From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the girl glancing at him a couple of times, but didn't think much of it, taking a deep breath whilst trying to enjoy the relaxing seat. Keeping track of the clock, he sat there for fifteen minutes, occasionally looking up at the glass ceiling, only to see the rain clouds in response.

The drizzle was still going, but at least the thunder had stopped.

He wanted to start thinking about what he was going to say to Pichu once the mouse had recovered, but couldn't come up with anything significant.

How do you apologize for something like that?

Ash didn't notice the footsteps approaching him as these thoughts went through his mind.

"Hey."

Slightly startled, Ash looked up and blinked when he saw the purple haired girl standing near him. He hadn't noticed her come over, but now that she was closer, he had a better look at her.

Really, purple was practically her theme. Although she wore black for her pants and shirt, her vest was purple. As was her backpack. Her eyes were purple too. So were her shoes. It went along perfectly with the color of her hair, which was tied into a spiky ponytail, which Ash had never seen before. Had his mind not been in the place it was, he likely would've found her quite pretty. She was definitely in the same age group as him, likely another rookie.

"Hi." he spoke uncertainly, hoping his tone didn't sound rude. "Need something?"

"I was wondering if you did." the girl replied, taking a seat in the chair next to him.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I've noticed you since you came in." she replied. Her eye contact was perfect, her gaze finding its way to his with no wasted time. There was something Ash couldn't quite place about her tone; an air of what should've felt like stoicism... but did it? It was replicated in her eyes as well, they weren't cold or unsettling, yet betrayed nothing. "Please forgive me for prying, but you seem pretty down."

Was she actually… concerned for him? Back in Pallet Town, Gary and his buddies would have just shot a sneer his way if they saw him in a depressed mood. Meanwhile, this girl was a total stranger.

"I…" None of the words came to him; he shouldn't be venting his troubles to someone he's never met. He didn't want to drag her into his business, and yet… the way she was talking to him almost felt like an invitation to do so. Like she wanted to help… or, at the very least, wanted to hear him. "My day has just been bad, that's all."

She frowned. "Is it your starter?"

Ash's eyes widened. "Huh?" Was it really that obvious?

"My starter and I spent the first two hours or so of the day bickering nonstop. We're friends now, but it was coming to an… understanding."

Ash frowned. So this girl got off to a bad start with her starter too… and resolved whatever issue they had in two hours. That put him and Pichu to shame for sure.

Sighing, he looked away from her. "He and I have had an equally awful day..." He paused again. Should he really be giving her the details? He hadn't had this kind of talk with somebody his age before, having normally opened up to adults when going through something troubling. Still, the fact that she had essentially offered was a first... and felt tempting. "We botched our first battle... really badly. Next thing I knew, we couldn't stop butting heads. Just constant disagreement, like we couldn't stand each other. Then I lost my temper and accidentally provoked a wild Pokemon that we weren't ready to fight yet. The only reason we got out of that is because our attackers got sidetracked fighting another group. Now my Pichu is injured and it's all because of me, because I kept digging myself deeper for the entire day."

As he finished, he was suddenly... surprised at how much he said. Before he knew it, it had all just come out. Hopefully he hadn't scared her away...

Looking over at her, she was still firmly planted in her seat. For a moment, her frown had grown... sympathetic? It was a look he didn't see from most peers in Pallet, although her neutral expression was back as though it had never left, once again giving off a sense that he couldn't quite read... was mystique the right word for her?

She shifted in her seat a bit, presumably to get more comfortable-was she actually staying to talk to him?- and locked eyes with him once more. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

There it was again. Sympathy. Just like how Delia and his teachers always gave him. But it felt… different… coming from a kid his age. He imagined most of his peers from home would likely say something akin to, "Gary warned you that you would suck at this!" It almost felt… abnormal.

Yet he couldn't help but feel like his shoulders had gotten lighter. The fact it was from someone in his own age group, technically a peer due to them both being rookies... it felt different than an adult sympathizing with him as usual.

The girl crossed her arms. There was a gentler layer to how she spoke, yet her tone was composed, completely professional. He wasn't sure if he'd ever heard someone his age talking like this before, but it almost felt upper class. "Tell me… do you know how often rookies struggle with their starters on the first few days of the Season?"

Ash blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Sixty five percent." she said blankly.

He blinked. "Wait, that much?!"

She smiled at him. Not a smirk, like that insufferable look always plastered on Gary's face, or the condescending expressions often offered by the Oak boy's peers. it was a neutral grin.

"You're not wrong to be upset, but most newcomers are probably going through the same things you are right now." she said. "I'm just one of the lucky ones, and even I had a rough couple of hours. It's not shameful."

Ash scratched the back of his head, not too sure how to respond. If she put it that way... was he really getting too worked up? "Ummm… thanks."

The girl leaned back in her seat a bit. "Listen, I think you should try and see if your starter wants to start over. Today never happened, like a reset button. Let Pichu know that this is not what you want. You two are partners, right? Rather than just saying it, try to get a clean slate with your Pokemon. It worked for my aunt when she and her Oddish spent the first two days of their journey arguing with each other."

Starting over…

For a moment, her grin lit up. "Just think about it, okay? This is the first day of the season. You have nearly a year to come back from this, so you shouldn't let how you start out define you."

That had him thinking back to Professor Oak. The genius Pokemon Researcher who was apparently a below average student growing up... the thought was still surreal.

"...Thanks." he said slowly. "That means a lot." It really had, and Ash wasn't sure if she realized.

She hadn't said a ton, but that same encouragement from the adults in his life… felt ten times stronger coming from somebody in his own, actual age group. Someone who was also starting out.

"Father says that all trainers are rivals, but not enemies." she replied cooly, shifting to look ahead for a moment. As though a switch had been flipped, that almost stoic, unreadable aura was back. "Competing with each other and helping each other reach our true potential both go hand in hand."

That philosophy was... he hadn't heard it before, but it made sense.

Deciding to take a leap of faith, Ash spoke up again. He was almost hesitant trying to make conversation, but she had proven that she was willing to talk.

"So… are you from Viridian? I thought all the Trainers here would have headed into the forest by now."

She shook her head. "No, I'm actually from Fuchsia."

Ash's eyes widened. "But… that's-"

"Far away, I know." the girl leaned forward a bit. "My home territory isn't known for being beginner friendly, so after settling my differences with my Starter, made our first catch, and had a battle with another trainer, I paid the League's teleporting service to bring me out here."

Ash nodded. It made sense. Certain places in Indigo were known for not being beginner friendly. The most common rookie hotspots were Celadon, Viridian, and especially Cerulean. Ash didn't know much about Johto's training environment, or the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands, but he did know that Fuchsia in Kanto and Blackthorn in Johto both had a reputation for NOT being the preferred places for newcomer trainers to be hanging out. The wilds outside of the city borders were teeming with ferocious, hard to control Pokemon, many of which were very strong. They were also known for being very popular training hotspots for the pros to hone their skills.

Cerulean, to his knowledge, was THE most rookie friendly place to be in all of Indigo. There was a reason that that city's Gym received the most early Season challengers. And that was despite the city not being quite as big or populated as Vermillion, or, above all else, Celadon or Saffron.

Thankfully, the League had a clever solution for the "not rookie friendly" problems that certain places in Indigo had. Most places that weren't considered ideal places for rookies to be offered a teleporting service within the first day or so of the Season, usually exclusive to Opening Day. These would allow trainers to be teleported anywhere of their choosing, not just in the Region, but in Indigo in general, usually to a place that was considered more suitable for rookies to be. For a fee, of course.

Apparently, plenty of Blackthorn rookies would head right on over to Cerulean on their first days as a trainer, all thanks to the League.

Some of the League's approaches sparked disagreement among the training community; Some people disagreed with the concept of a Seasonal approach, as it meant that children who turned ten years old after Opening Day would have to wait almost a whole year just to receive their license. Some people disagreed with the concept of regulating foreign Pokemon, which was often viewed as an attempt to limit teambuilding variety. The teleportation service wasn't among those controversies, viewed as a total positive in every way.

"So…what's it like in Fuchsia?" he asked weakly, doing his best to hold the conversation 'She's a lot better at this than me.'

To his surprise, she was positively beaming at his question. It was almost like another switch had been flipped. "Fuchsia is great! It's really dangerous outside of the city's borders, but the city itself has always been harmonious with nature. It's a beautiful place to live." Her response reminded Ash of his realization regarding Pallet this morning. He'd spent all his life just viewing it as... the place he lived, but this girl spoke of her native home with pride to spare. "Father is actually a… League Official there, so I'm… more known there than I'd care to admit."

Ash frowned. "You don't like the attention?" Gary would be laughing his ass off. Not that he cared. He liked this girl way better than Gary.

She frowned slightly. "I enjoy it to a degree, but there's a lot of expectation accompanying it. Father's known to everyone back at home, so when his daughter passed the exam..." She looked down at her lap. "They're good people."

Blinking, Ash pictured Gary for a moment. As Professor Oak's grandson, he was always held in high regard back in Pallet. Everyone thought-knew that he was destined to be great. And he did everything he could to revel in that, not even trying to be humble, but this girl...

"Fuchsia is a very traditional city." she continued, switching back to the previous subject. "I'm not sure what you're into, but if you like culture, we have no shortage."

"Of course you do." he nodded with a grin. "It's said to be the birthplace of Indigo's first leader. It's not where the Empire started, but it's certainly important."

She nodded back. "Before I was even old enough to go to school, father did everything he could to hammer our history into my brain. Part of the reason why I chose Viridian as my first place to go to was because of what I've learned about the rest of Indigo. Since Pewter is where the empire officially had its start, I thought it would be fitting to get my first badge from there. The trek through the forest would hopefully give me time to catch another Pokemon and train for the Gym." she frowned slightly. "Unfortunately, I encountered a Weedle almost right after entering the forest. I captured it, but my two Pokemon fought too roughly, and it was badly injured. So, I had to rush all the way back here to get it treated."

So her new Weedle was the other patient in the Center right now. But that would mean that…

Ash frowned. "You captured two Pokemon on your first day…"

She shrugged humbly. "I was pretty lucky."

Gary would have never handwaved overachieving as "luck".

She crossed her arms. "So, where are you from?"

For a moment, Ash was slightly surprised. She wanted to know about him now. "Pallet Town."

Her eyes lit up. "Professor Oak's home. What's that like?"

Next thing Ash knew, he was telling her his own stories.

Mingling with somebody his age, no determined subject, just allowing themselves to go wherever the conversation takes them. All of a sudden, he wanted to meet more of his fellow trainers.

/

The hot air balloon floated directly above the center as the two figures raised their Poke Balls.

"Have you hacked into the security systems?" asked the man.

"Already told you I was planning to do it." said the woman.

Behind them, the cat-like Pokemon sharpened its claws.

With full force, they chucked their Poke Balls directly downwards towards the ceiling of the waiting room. Which, thankfully for them, was made of glass.

"EKANS! KOFFING! ATTACK!"

/

It had all happened so fast.

One moment, Ash's night was suddenly looking a lot brighter. Pichu would be good to go again soon, which meant that he could take this girl's advice. And although they had just met, and she was fairly hard to figure out, he felt his words coming to him more easily as the interaction progressed. It was a casual talk that went wherever they wanted; in passing, he had even found out that she had turned ten months after the previous Season began, and was therefore among those who had to wait the extra year to receive her license (which she surprisingly seemed less than bothered by, completely accepting).

But just as he was in the middle of telling her about how Professor Oak and his Electrode had cleared out almost an entire flock of Spearow, the glass ceiling suddenly shattered, making way not only for the drizzle from the rainclouds, but the two Poke Balls crashing through. Ash and the girl covered their heads with startled screams as the glass from the ceiling fell to the floor.

Nurse Joy came bolting into the waiting room, Pichu right behind her. He looked like he was in tip top shape again, which would have brought Ash great relief otherwise, but everyone was now focused on the Poke Balls in the middle of the waiting room.

"What is going o-" Joy began as the Poke Balls suddenly opened up.

Out of the light emerged two hostile Pokemon.

One of them was a large, purple and yellow snake. An Ekans.

The other was a large, floating purple-ball like Pokemon with smoke pouring out of the holes in its body. A Koffing.

Suddenly the smoke increased and engulfed the room. Everybody began covering their mouths and coughing as the girl asked the obvious question:

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Don't be frightened, children." came a female voice that sent chills down Ash's spine.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." the voice of a sophisticated yet condescending man filled the boy's ears moments later.

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evil of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

The girl's face was pale now. "No.."

Ash looked over to her nervously. "What do you mean?'

"Team Rocket hacked into Fuchsia's air waves just a few days ago. They had this speech playing on the radio and broadcasted it across the area as some odd propaganda."

Now Ash's face was pale. "TEAM ROCKET?!"

The terrorist organization of rebels that threatened to ruthlessly tear down the Indigo League's very structure. They were known to kill indiscriminately, even Pokemon and children. A danger to everyone.

The smoke cleared up, revealing a woman with long red hair, and a man with blue hair. In between them was a cat-like Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized as a Meowth.

Their uniforms weren't black like the majority of the organization was, they were white.

But the giant, blood red R that struck fear into the hearts of nearly every citizen in Indigo, was right there to be seen by everyone.

And with that, Ash was in hell again.

"My name is Jessie." said the red haired woman.

"And you can call me James." said the blue haired man.

Nurse Joy immediately put herself in front of Ash and the girl, arms stretched out like a shield. Pichu was holding onto Ash's leg, trying not to be seen.

"What do you want?" Nurse Joy snarled. Even when she was angry and scared, her voice still felt somewhat soothing... or maybe Ash was just trying to grasp the slightest bit of comfort.

Jessie crossed her arms. "You don't need to ask that.

James sneered. "We're here for the Pokemon."

Ash clenched his fists, although his knees were shaking. "You're not getting my-"

"Don't let your ego get the best of you." Jessie mocked. "We're not interested in whatever bottom-rate pipsqueaks that you day-one rookieshave stashed away."

James nodded his head, his hair bopping along with him. "Yes, of course. Team Rocket demands only rare and valuable Pokemon for our cause."

"You're wasting your time." Nurse Joy was sweating, but her voice remained professional and composed. Or was that just what Ash wanted to think? "This place is for weak and injured Pokemon. And you've come on a very slow day, so there is very little for you to steal."

"Lying? In front of children?" Jessie snorted. "How professional of you, nurse. Showing your true colors I presume?"

James stepped forward, causing the group to step back in caution. "We already know your secret. Tonight, the Pokemon Center in Viridian City is housing numerous foreign dragon type Pokemon, including a mighty Kommo-o strong enough to hang with the best that the Elite Four has to offer. It's being raised by the Sinnoh Champion, correct? THAT is what we are looking for. Hand over the lizards, or else."

Nurse Joy's brow furrowed. "We aren't-"

"Don't lie to us." Jessie took a step forward now, triggering anotehr step back from the group. "We've seen the reports."

"You must be mistaken! This Center doesn't have-"

"She's lying again, Jessie." said James.

Suddenly, the girl took a step forward. "I don't know what you two are thinking right now. You've attacked a League facility with just two people and three Pokemon. You're the ones who should be scared."

She was keeping it together better than Ash, but he still noticed that her knees were slightly shaking as well.

Jessie scoffed. "Pfft, everybody knows that Pokemon Center security is at its lowest on Opening Day."

"Viridian City has the second strongest police force in Kanto. And they'll be here any minute."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in the League. A shame." the man flicked his hair. "Team Rocket merely fights to put an end to the unjust tyranny of the Indigo empire. They think they are so special, monopolizing two major Regions and two sets of islands under their despicable banner. There was a time when human society operated independently, without the bindings of government oppressing humanity's primal nature. This "unity" the past has been replaced with is just an artificial, manmade craft promoted under the facade of so-called 'order.' What a joke."

The girl's voice suddenly became dangerous. "Do not insult my father's work-"

"You cannot say that their practices are not absurd." Jessie suddenly cut in. "Although I suppose you were raised to see the Indigo banner's hold on your home turf as 'natural'."

For a moment, a startled Ash could have sworn he saw the purple-haired girl's face darken. "And what's the 'natural' you are referring too? Back before the League's time, when it was every territory for itself, this land was plagued with never-ending disputes and infighting between each of its territories. It was nothing but turmoil, conflict with no resolution. The League's formation brought all of us together and ended that chaos. 'Human nature' doesn't have a singular definition, it evolves, and for society's benefit."

James crossed his arms. "A pity. It seems she has already been brainwashed by the system. Such a shame. Shall we put her out of her misery, Jessie?"

Jessie cackled. "You need to open your eyes to the bigger picture, kids. I suppose you support their xenophobia towards foreign Pokemon, too? Anything the League's empire feeds you is just a bunch of drivel to romanticize their own control over-"

"Don't listen to them, you two!" Nurse Joy shouted. "Team Rocket likes to do this! They prey on trainers, especially rookies, to turn them against the League!" she pointed at the two grunts. "What these two speak of is not freedom, it's anarchy!"

Ash's brow furrowed. Out of all of Indigo's territories, Viridian was consistently the one with the highest number of protests against the Indigo League's more controversial practices. Could Team Rocket be using that to their advantage?

The girl frowned, a cold bitterness in her voice. "Like it or not, there is a reason why most Leagues followed Indigo and Sinnoh by example. It's how we found peace."

James took a battle stance. "It doesn't matter what excuses you regurgitate."

Jessie took her own. "Team Rocket's destiny is to crush the League's banner."

"STARTING WITH THE THREE OF YOU!" Ekans and Koffing charged forward.

"RUN! NOW!" screamed Nurse Joy.

The trio of humans, along with Pichu, dashed into the next room, but the girl suddenly stopped.

"I'll hold them off!" she shouted as their attackers followed them through the door.

"WHAT?!" Ash screeched. "But these are-"

Before he could get another word out, the girl took out two Poke Balls and activated him. Out of the light emerged two Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized.

One was a small, quadruped, dinosaur like Pokemon with a bulb on its back. A Bulbasaur.

The other was a small bat that flapped its wings in place while in midair. A Zubat.

The girl knelt down and patted her Bulbasaur on the head. It closed its eyes with a smile and let out a satisfied grumble.

"These two are Poison Type Pokemon. That makes them immune to the status ailments that Ekans and Koffing can inflict upon us. I'm the best one to take them on."

"You can't fight them alone!" Nurse Joy protested.

"It's the best we can do right now!" 

"But-" Ash started. 

"Just go!"

Ash and Joy retreated farther into the Center with Pichu in tow.

They arrived in a room in a different part of the Center, where Joy immediately made her way to a computer and keyboard.

"This is where this Center keeps some of its automatic healing machines." she explained to an equally curious Ash and Pichu. "Her Weedle is the only other patient that we have right now. I'm transferring it to Pewter to keep it safe. They aren't much more busy than we are, so they can finish up its treatment there."

Ash nodded, but his frustration distracted him as he clenched his fists. That girl was willing to fight Team Rocket head on, and they were just hiding…

/

Her eyes remained fixated on the fight.

Bulbasaur had engaged Koffing, continuously firing off Razor Leaf, which the Koffing would either tank or deflect with its Poison Gas.

Zubat was flying around Ekans, who was snapping away at the bat-like Pokemon, trying and failing to catch it in its mouth. Whenever Zubat saw an opening, it would bite down on the back of Ekans with Bite, usually its neck.

So far, it was a stalemate. Neither side was doing anything decisive, and she needed to change that.

Team Rocket's delusional rhetoric was a danger to everything their society had accomplished over nearly the past four centuries. A goal to destroy its overarching foundations, and revert everything back to the chaotic mess the land once was.

She wouldn't let them, certainly not a couple of thugs.

"Bulbasaur! Wrap Koffing up with Vine Whip!"

Bulbasaur complied, latching his vines onto Koffing and attempting to pull the rotund poison type towards it.

James growled. "Fight back, Koffing! Don't let that runt beat you!"

Koffing pulled back against Bulbasaur's pull. Despite the grass type's best efforts, he found himself himself struggling against opphis onent, the grass type's feet sliding against the floor as he struggled to get a firm footing against the Koffing's pull.

The Koffing opened its mouth, producing a stream of Sludge.

"Tackle, Bulbasaur!" the girl called out.

Abandoning its vines, her friend charged forward. The Sludge struck the spot on the floor where Bulbasaur was just a few moments ago, just as he jumped into the air and slammed himself head first into the Koffing's face.

The Koffing was sent reeling back from the impact, landing on the floor in front of a frusturated James, who began stamping his left foot on the floor.

"Get up, Koffing! We can't lose to a rookie!"

"I haven't even been a trainer for a full day yet! And you're still struggling against me!" the girl was starting to feel exasperated. "The police are probably entering the Center by now! You really didn't think this through, did you?"

"Can it, brat!" Jessie spat back as Ekans continued to bite at the girl's dodging Zubat. "We'll eviscerate your ass!"

The girl stood firm. These two weren't so tough. Probably a couple of low level grunts who got in over their heads. She could-

She froze as she noticed something was missing.

The Meowth.

NO! It must have slipped by her and she hadn't realised it! It was probably going to go after that boy and Pichu-

In frustration, she shook her head. If she pulled back now, Ekans and Koffing would be on top of her. She'd lead them right to the others. She couldn't do that.

She just had to trust that they would be able to handle the Meowth. She'll do her part and take care of the rest.

She took a battle stance and prepared to continue as Koffing recovered, floating upwards again.

'Just as you said, father.'

/

Nurse Joy had just gotten done transferring Weedle's Poke Ball over to Pewter when something crashed through the door's glass window.

A startled Ash jumped as the Meowth glared up at them, unsheathing its claws with a vicious growl.

Ash gulped. 'Just great.'

"Stay back, Ash!" said Nurse Joy. "I'll-"

Unexpectedly, Pichu suddenly jumped between the feline and the humans. Standing on all fours, he growled at the cat-like Pokemon, taking a stance and doing his best to sound intimidating as electricity crackled from his cheek sacks.

"Pichu?" said Ash.

Pichu looked back at Ash reluctantly. His eyes were still uncertain, but he seemed more… determined… than before.

Ash nodded, a small smile creeping its way to his lips.

This was it. Their fresh start.

"I trust you, Pichu." he tried to stay calm as he spoke. "Let's take care of this."

The Meowth lunged forward.

/

Bulbasaur and Zubat were starting to tire out now, but at the same time, Ekans and Koffing were starting to sustain minor injuries.

It was times like these when battles became truly unpredictable. Each side would sense the weakness of the other, and attempt to capitalize on it while trying to land that final, decisive blow.

The girl had learned this in her first battle, and took it to heart. She wasn't about to let her first defeat be against these people-

Suddenly, in a blur, a man was in front of her and her team. In front of him was a large-skunk like Pokemon. Its fur was purple and spikey, with several tan stripes.

Shocked, she recognized the man immediately.

"F-Father?" When did he get here?

The man sighed exasperatedly.

"I come to Viridian for a short notice business meeting with Giovanni, and then this happens." He was a rather tall man, with black spiky hair. He wore a purple uniform with black shoes, and a bright red scarf was wrapped around him, albeit not completely. He ran a hand through his spiky hair in annoyance. "I may not have jurisdiction here, but..." He faced Jessie and James, giving them a dangerous look that made them shiver. "Giovanni has already given me permission to deal with this in his stead. Surrender."

"But father, I was-" Her face turned pale, flinching into silence as he raised a hand.

"I'm sure you could have won, but your Pokemon are both worn out. Even if you win, there is no need to risk unnecessary injury. I'm finishing this."

"Ummm…" who are you? Asked a confused Jessie.

The girl started. "You seriously don't recognize him? You don't know how much trouble you're in, do you?" There was a reason why Fuschia had one of the lowest crime rates in Indigo. Her father was that reason.

"It matters not." said the mysterious man. His voice was calm, collected, authoritative, and above all else, chilling as he gave the order without motion. "Skunktank, dispose of these imbeciles."

"IMBECILES?!" As James pointed forward, his eyes lit up with pure, unbridled fury. "You pompous cretin! I'll have you know that we are the two most elite, and powerful, and feared members of Team Rocket's whole entire organizatio-"

BAM! SMACK! POW!

Ekans and Koffing fell onto the floor, as still as a living organism could be. Nobody had even seen Skunktank make its move.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Jessie shrieked in horror.

"YOU BROKE MY KOFFING!" shouted James. "You better be willing to pay for that!"

"I'll send you a check the first chance I get." the man responded sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Although, I'm not sure how much good it will do for you in a prison cell."

/

As Pichu leapt backwards, dodging Meowth's Slash as nimbly as he could manage, Ash racked his brain, struggling to not let the stress of the situation overtake him.

This Meowth was obviously stronger than Pichu, just like Gary's Squirtle was. He couldn't rely on Thunder Shock just yet, Meowth would be far too fast to allow Pichu to charge it up.

Slash was a very powerful move, too. At Pichu's level, just one of those would be fatal to the poor mouse. The attack would tear through Pichu's body like tissue paper.

"Try to circle around it! Double Slap!"

The Meowth's eyes darted around the room, easily tracking Pichu as the small mouse dashed around it in a circle. Pichu was putting everything he had into his sprints, determined above all else to win this fight.

Pressing his feet against the floor, Ash's partner propelled himself forward, striking at the Meowth with his tail.

The Meowth raised its forearm to block, deflecting Pichu and pushing him off, into the air.

Pichu flailed around as he sailed across the room, trying to land on his feet, but stumbling.

Meowth rushed forward, its tail lightly glowing with metallic energy. It was using Iron Tail, but an imperfect one.

Before Ash could shout out for Pichu to get out of the way, Meowth was already upon the mouse, slapping Pichu across the cheek with its tail and sending him sailing towards Ash.

Pichu slid across the floor before stopping at Ash's feet. He got up with a slight limp and glared at his attacker.

Ash was growling now. This Meowth was stronger, faster, and more durable than Pichu was. It wasn't looking great, but-

Suddenly he got an idea.

"Pichu, rush forward and hit it with Nuzzle."

Pichu looked at Ash curiously. Obviously, he was confused about the plan. Brute force hadn't worked before, so…

"I need you to trust me, Pichu." Ash pleaded. "This is going to work."

Taking a leap of faith, the mouse charged forward once again. This time, his cheeks crackled with electricity. It wasn't with the same potency as a Thunder Shock, but it will do.

Nuzzle was somewhat similar to Thunder Wave. Rather than being a more offensive focused move, it utilized targeted electrical currents to lock up an opponent's muscles, causing paralysis. It wasn't a very strong move, so the paralysis would probably be minor. Thunder Wave might have yielded better results, but it might have required a longer charging time. Time that both Ash and Pichu clearly did not have.

Plus, with Pichu charging forward, as Nuzzle was a close up move, Meowth would probably assume that they were going for brute force again. That would be its mistake.

Falling right into the trap, Meowth slashed at Pichu in an attempt to cut the young mouse's face open. But Pichu was ready this time, ducking under the claws of Meowth's Slash attack and driving himself head first into the cat's stomach. Releasing a small amount of electricity from his tail, he allowed the electrical currents to flow throughout Meowth's body.

This wouldn't do much damage, but it was an excellent first step.

Pulling back, Pichu immediately dodged another Slash attack from the now pissed off Meowth. The normal type had stumbled forward just a bit, and…

"It's slower now, Pichu!" Ash's fists clenched as tightly as they could be. They could win this! "Use Double Slap! Right to its face!"

Jumping to dodge over yet another Slash attack, Pichu drove his tail into Meowth's face, causing the feline to stumble backward just a bit. Diving forward, Pichu landed a second strike, once again on the Meowth's face. The feline landed on its bottom, struggled its way back to its feet as Pichu attempted to catch his breath, and then cloaked its tail in the metallic energy of Iron Tail once again, and batted Pichu across the room.

This blow to Pichu's chest, however, while painful, was not nearly as forceful as the first one. The Nuzzle had done its job: Slowing Meowth down, making it easier to hit and reducing the amount of force that the feline was capable of putting into its attacks.

In fact, if they could just land another Nuzzle…

"Pichu!" Ash yelled, looking over to his starter as the mouse got up. His tail looked just a little bit sore from striking at the physically superior Meowth two times in a row, yet he seemed to be powering through it just fine, for the moment. "Use Nuzzle again!"

Pichu nodded cooperatively and rushed forward again. Although his movements were somewhat slowed after the two hits he had took, he kept powering through the pain.

Meowth seemed to be having more difficulty dealing with the unexpected paralysis, its Slash attack once again missing Pichu as the young mouse leapt over the feline's forearm and dived head first into the normal type's chest.

Adrenaline rapidly rushed through Ash's chest as even more electricity travelled through the Meowth's body. This was it. They were in sync. And they were going to win.

As Pichu pulled away yet again, the now enraged feline let out a terrible cry of primal aggression as it lurched forward with yet another Slash attack, but this time it was moving even more slowly than before, and Pichu very easily maneuvered out of the way with a quick step backwards.

"Pichu!" Ash called out. "Now's the time to use Thunder Shock!"

Pichu smirked lightly as the electricity flowed through his cheeks.

This was it. The finishing blow.

The Meowth had been slowed down twice now. It was no longer fast enough to react in time to stop Pichu from finishing his attack. And it wished it had the strong, durable shell that Gary's Squirtle did to shield itself from the attack.

Thunder Shock exhausted Pichu easily, a side effect of his inability to control his own electricity. That poor amount of stamina was a very severe shortcoming that Ash could not overlook for this battle. It was what had done them in against Gary and Squirtle.

That was why they had to be conservative, relying only on Nuzzle at first, and then saving up Thunder Shock for the final attack.

"Full power Pichu! Give it everything you've got!" The adrenaline rush was almost too much to bear at this point.

Complying with his trainer's orders, Pichu leapt up into the air, as high as his body could muster. The electricity crackled through his cheeks, flowing throughout his body, mingling together at his tail.

This was it.

"FIRE!"

Pichu released it all at once. The Meowth howled in immeasurable pain as the electrical current engulfed its body, stacking up on top of the electricity that was already limiting its movements. Its fur was turned to crisps in certain patches. The room lit up brightly with the light of the electricity, forcing Ash and Nurse Joy to shield their eyes.

"Good one!" cheered Nurse Joy, doing her best to cover her eyes up from the blinding lights of the lightning.

Pichu landed on his feet, but immediately collapsed to his knees from the impact. He was in a heap now, that last attack having used up the remainder of his power.

But it proved perfectly worth it.

Meowth was an absolute wreck. Its fur was charred and burnt up throughout its body, producing steam as its left eye twitched, seemingly in pain.

It took one step forward, raising a mighty claw…

And then proceeded to collapse face first onto the floor.

The electricity was still flashing on occasion, rolling along the paralysed and now unconscious Meowth's body.

They had won.

That Meowth was certainly strong, and most certainly goo with its tail: Its Iron Tail, while weaker and less fatal, due in part to it being an imperfect and unmastered variation of the move, had been much more difficult to avoid than the Slash attack.

But that Slash had clearly been something else entirely, however. If the Meowth had even landed one direct hit with that attack, Ash preferred not to ponder what may have happened to his starter. Thankfully, it was no longer on his mind.

"Pichu…" he said, tearing up with joy. His lips broke into a smile as the young mouse turned around, still panting from the fight, yet smiling back all the same. 'We did it!"

Using the last of his strength, Pichu took a leap into Ash's arms.

All the bickering, all the differences, all the lack of cooperation and sync between the two of them throughout the day.

For just a moment, both trainer and starter forgot all about it. Even the injuries that Pichu had sustained from Meowth were briefly forgotten, replaced with the pure adrenaline of joy.

And in that joy, something unthinkable happened.

Pichu's body suddenly began to glow. Ash and Nurse Joy had to close their eyes shut from the sudden flash. The mouse's body grew, ever so slightly, until he was noticeably taller, bigger, and wider than he was before. The lightning bolt shaped tail was now much bigger too.

As the light finally died down, Ash Ketchum was left gawking at the newly evolved Pikachu that he was now holding in his arms.

"Pikachu…" he said, stunned.

That was right. "Baby Pokemon" as they were sometimes called, most often evolved a lot more quickly than normal. Pichu were among those Species.

But before the celebration could escalate, the door was suddenly kicked down, a new voice entering the room.

"Oh? What's this?"

Everyone turned to see a blue haired woman in a police uniform, easily recognized as Officer Jenny. The still exhausted Pikachu looked on curiously, but Ash and Nurse Joy's faces lit up in pure relief at the sight of her.

Jenny eyed the unconscious Meowth that was lying in a heap in the middle of the room, and smiled knowingly. "Your friend told us that you might be in trouble, but it looks like you handled things just fine on your own." She gave the group a friendly salute.

Ash smiled down at Pikachu. "Yeah, we managed."

With a weak squeak, Pikachu smiled in agreement.

/

Meowth was scooped up by Officer Jenny and carried out of the room. Pikachu was given a couple of Sitrus Berries from Nurse Joy, and after happily scarfing them down, was good as new.

In oncomparison, the scene in the lobby was… hectic… to say the least.

"LET ME GO!" screamed James, struggling against his restraints as the police force hauled off him and Jessie. "I WAS FRAMED!"

"Dude…" one of the cops walking alongside them spoke incredulously. "We literally have security camera footage of you two."

"WHAT?!" now it was Jessie's turn to scream. "But that can't be right! I hacked into the security system!"

"Actually," Jenny chirped in. "You got the wrong one. The system you hacked into was actually for the convenience on this block."

"WHAT?!" the duo screeched in shock.

"HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH A ROOKIE MISTAKE, JESSIE?!"

"AT LEAST I PULLED MY WEIGHT IN THE BATTLE, JAMES!"

As Jenny and her police force dragged the two incompetent Team Rocket grunts kicking and screaming out of the lobby, Ash looked over to Pikachu with an exasperated look.

The small mouse just smiled in overwhelming relief, letting out a deep sigh as the perpetrators of their torubles were hauled out of sight for good. As it finally sank in that they were sank, and the relief slowly overtook the previous, panicked anxiety, Ash realized how lucky they were that they had been attacked by these two, rather than any other member of the organization.

"Hey!"

Trainer and starter turned to see the purple haired girl raising a greeting hand as she approached them, Bulbasaur trotting along by her side.

Ash's face lit up. "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Same here. When I saw that their Meowth escaped I got nervous." She smiled down at Pikachu knowingly, obviously noticing his evolution. "But it looks like you two had everything under control."

"I wouldn't say that…" Ash replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. First Officer Jenny, and now her. That was two people in one day that had complimented his training abilities. The blush was creeping its way to his face. He wasn't used to praise. "That Meowth was really strong. We just barely squeaked by."

"As my father says, difficult triumphs are the most satisfying and earned." there she was again, consoling him. If most people his age weren't at all like Gary, then he would have to get used to this.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ash. "What was that they were saying about the dragons?"

The girl frowned. "Oh yeah, apparently they had the wrong Pokemon Center… and the wrong date… those dragon types they were after were actually being kept at the Vermilion Center… two weeks ago."

Ash inwardly facepalmed. 'Did we really almost get murdered by a couple of idiots?'

The girl clasped her hands together. "But let's not worry about that. it's over, we should be celebrating, and you and I aren't fully introduced, right?" she smiled brightly at him, offering a hand. "My name is Janine."

Ash took her hand as the two shook. "Ash." Her grip was strong and firm. At their feet, Pikachu and Bulbasaur exchanged greetings of their own.

"Ah, there you two are!" the pair looked up to see Officer Jenny approaching them. Stopping in front of the group, she suddenly saluted. "As leader of the Viridian City Police Force, I would like to formally apologize for how tonight has turned out for the two of you and your Pokemon. Especially because it is Opening Day. We do, however, want to offer up our gratitude for your assistance tonight."

A smiling Nurse Joy walked up from behind Jenny. "Janine held off both grunts all on her own, and Ash stopped the Meowth. Since what they were looking for wasn't actually here, I fear that they might have ransacked the place trying to find them, but not much damage was done, thanks to the two of you."

Jenny nodded. "The League will be paying you for this. Expect a bonus in both of your accounts by tomorrow morning."

Janine's eyes widened. "You don't need to pay me! I was just-"

"We feel obligated," Jenny admitted. "Both as thanks, and as compensation. You two were both victims tonight."

"It's not your fault." Ash replied weakly, inwardly wincing at his tone of voice. 'I'm talking to a police officer...'

Nurse Joy frowned. "Maybe so, but we really shouldn't have let our guards down just because it was a slow day. If there was one smart thing that those two did, it was taking advantage of the fact that we had such low security tonight."

Jenny crossed her arms. "Speaking of which, please do not underestimate Team Rocket. The two that you fought today were exceptions, but this organization is extremely, EXTREMELY dangerous. I fear what might have happened tonight if this had been an actual attack."

Ash and Janine both nodded. They didn't need the reminder, but it was certainly appreciated.

The fact that those two had been… less threatening than the typical Team Rocket members, certainly did nothing to erase the threat that the organization posed at large.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny both left, most likely to file out paperwork. The cops were still in the lobby, but most of them gave Ash and Janine some space. A few passing cops would thank them for their help and commend them for their bravery. Janine took the compliments in stride, but Ash blushed a deep crimson, much to the purple haired girl's amusement.

"Say, Ash." she spoke up, turning to the boy. "I'm leaving tomorrow pretty early, but do you and Pikachu want to join us in the cafeteria for dinner? Bulbasaur seems to love meeting new people." she smirked lightly, although it didn't make his skin crawlt he way Gary's did. "You also still owe me that story about Professor Oak and the Spearow flock."

Ash's face flushed. That's right! He was just in the middle of telling her that before all of this went down!

"Sure," he shook off the embarrasment to return her smile. "Just give us a minute, please."

Janine nodded and walked off with Bulbasaur, she and Ash each giving each other a light wave as she and Bulbasaur headed off in the direction of the cafeteria.

Ash turned to Pikachu. Here goes nothing.

"Pikachu…" he said, kneeling down to meet his Starter Pokemon at eye level. The young mouse's eyes still held some caution, but if he was reading his starter correctly, not as much. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I would really like for us to start over. What about you?"

Crossing his arms, Pikachu seemed to consider Ash's words a moment, before nodding with a smile.

Ash smiled back. "Good. My name is Ash Ketchum. I'm from Pallet Town. I'm not much, but I hope to be great one day. I want to make it to the Indigo Conference on my first year. I want to become a Pokemon Master, and become the greatest Pokemon Champion in history. I want to travel Indigo, making new friends and capturing new, powerful teammates to raise and train up. And I would really appreciate it if I had you by my side for all of that." After a moment of hesitance, he held out a hand. "Pikachu, will you please be my companion?"

Pikachu stared at Ash's hand for a good few seconds. There was genuine intrigue in his eyes.

Then, his paw met Ash's hand, and an accepting squeak was offered in response.

Ash felt the yellow fur on his skin. It felt good. "Thank you, Pikachu."

For Ash Ketchum, Opening Day was just one horrific memory after another. It was the day that he left his home behind. The day he got humiliated by Gary Oak, likely more so than anything prior. The day that his starter was greatly injured. And the day that he and his starter were both almost murdered.

But there was a light at the end of that tunnel. A light that would quickly turn the worst day in their lives into one of the best.

A light that would kickstart a brand new beginning for the ambitious rookie.

A light that would soon shine over all of the Indigo empire, and maybe even the world.

As the partnership between Ash Ketchum and Pikachu officially began, so too did a grand, epic adventure.

But that adventure was merely the beginning of a legend.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Ash!"

Ash looked up from his snack to see his mother approaching him. Next to Delia was a small girl, who looked slightly nervous.

"Hi, Mom. Who's that?"

Delia patted the girl's shoulder. "This is Trucy, she lives next door. You've met the Gernins, right? This is their granddaughter."

Trucy was a bit nervous, but raised her hand at the boy. "Hi, Ash."

Delia smiled. "Professor Oak has them working overtime on short notice because of an emergency at the lab. They've asked me to babysit her."

/

"What are you watching, Ash?" Trucy's blue eyes curiously found their way to the older boy as she sat next to him on the couch.

She wasn't overly shy, and hadn't taken very long to settle in. If anything, she was more sociable than he was.

Ash thankfully didn't feel too nervous around her. He hadn't had much luck with his peers for a while, but he imagined the difference was probably that she was so much younger than him. It didn't feel the same as people his age, or those who were older; she was easy to talk to, without his tongue twisting on him.

He still felt embarrassed that it took someone younger than him for that to happen, but he tried to hide that part.

Ash looked over to her with a smile.

"Oh, it's a Pokemon tournament. The Whirl Cup. It's a special competition centered around water type Pokemon." he paused for a moment. "They're getting ready for the semifinals right now. Do you want to watch them with me?"

She beamed brightly. Her smile was so CUTE. "Sure!'

/

"Wow! I can't believe that Dewgong froze the entire pool!" Trucy was giggling as the two of them discussed the events of the match. Even Trucy's laugh was pretty adorable.

Ash was grinning from ear to ear. "I know, right? I feel kind of bad for that Feraligatr, though. I know he still managed to win, but that must have been painful."

"How did he smash through all that ice so easily?" Trucy asked in wonder.

"I doubt it was easy. Did you see his face? He was pushing himself quite a bit. I'm pretty sure he was sweating up a storm by the end of it, too. Hard to tell with all of the water, obviously, but he seemed to be panting just a little bit."

"I'm surprised Dewgong's trainer still managed to win even after Dewgong was beaten. Tentacruel finished Feraligatr AND beat Politoed all on its own." Trucy was in awe.

"You saw what Tentacruel did, didn't you?" Ash asked, recalling hwo the battle had played out. "Dewgong set up the battlefield for Tentacruel to win, just in case it lost. Feraligatr can break through the ice, but couldn't actually get rid of it, and neither could Politoed. Tentacruel took advantage of that by trapping Feraligatr in its Whirlpool attack. It wore down him down by having the Whirlpool suck up the ice chunks and bombard Feraligatr with them while he was trapped inside of the Whirlpool and couldn't avoid them. After the Whirlpool was done, it was able to come in with its poison type attacks and subdue Feraligatr. The strategy worked even better against Politoed, who didn't seem to be nearly as durable." His hand rested against his chin, thinking it over. "It was a pretty neat strategy, I don't think I would have thought of it."

He had certainly seen more grandiose gambits in the past, but in the end, effectiveness was what mattered the most, and in that regard, he was constantly wowed watching these tournaments. Some of his favorite parts were whenever someone pulled out a completely new tactic that he had not seen before; the creativity put into battling was one of the driving forces behind his passion for the sport.

Trucy looked at him curiously. "You seem to know a lot about this."

The boy smiled at her. "I want to be a trainer too, someday, so I'm trying to soak up as much as possible. Plus, I just love watching tournaments."

Trucy beamed. "It's a lot of fun! I wanna see more of this stuff!"

"Maybe your grandparents will let you. There are usually at least some small tournaments airing throughout the year. And then there is the Indigo Conference at the end of every Season. That's where the REALLY big stuff is."

"Hey Ash, when you become a trainer, will you be as strong as the people that we just watched today?"

A nervous chuckle escaped him. "I hope so! I don't just want to be good, I want to be Indigo's best trainer someday." .

He suddenly felt weak in the knees from the heartmelting grin she shot him.

"You're cool, Ash. I like you!"

Cool…

That was a word that he heard often, even when it wasn't being directed at Gary. But it was rarely ever used on him.

Ash never really had any qualities that warranted the word. He wasn't sure what this young girl saw in him that couldn't be seen in so many others, especially since they had only known each other for less than a day so far, but…

He felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest.

Ash's social life among his peers wasn't the best. It hadn't been for a while. Ever since Gary had deemed him worthless so long ago.

But Trucy was a small beacon of light separate from that. He always found enjoyment in time spent with her.

/

Ash's eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of his surroundings.

He was in one of the Viridian City Pokemon Center's hotel rooms.

Rubbing his eyes, the boy sat up, taking a a look around the room for a moment as the memories from last night all came back to him. The Pokemon Center offered fairly spacious hotel rooms. Although they weren't on par with the best that a super expensive hotel had to offer, they were still of great quality. And the beds were super comfy.

He quickly remembered how terrible yesterday had been. How his morning had turned sour, the frustration-turned panic of the afternoon, and the melancholy-turned hellaciousness of the evening. It had been the start of the Season, often viewed as the beginning of a new life for first-time trainers, and his had been...

At least until the end, he told himself as quickly as possible. By some miracle, the worst day of his life had closed on a happy note. The last hour or so after the two Team Rocket grunts were dragged away by the police had been refreshingly enjoyable, and had sent him and Pikachu to bed happy, or at least relieved.

At least he could move on. That was always a silver lining to the circumstances. After he and Pikachu had finished eating with Janine and her team, and gone to their assigned hotel room, he had found himself sinking right into his bed. He had been asleep almost immediately.

He wasn't sure if that was from the exhaustion that the previous day had brought him, or maybe just because of how comfortable that the bed was. Either way, it had allowed him to forget the horrors of the previous day, if only for just one single night. And Ash was most certainly grateful for that.

Pikachu slept at the food of the bed, curled up into a ball. Deciding not to wake him just yet, Ash carefully made his way out of the bed. His bare feet touched the warm carpet floor as he made his way to the window.

Since his room was located on the third floor, he had a decent view of the city. The Viridian City Gym wasn't too far away, which was fairly convenient, even if Ash wouldn't be going there for a long time.

Technically, he didn't even need to go there. Since Kanto wasn't the only Region to fall under Indigo's banner, he could theoretically make it to the Conference with any combination of Gym Badges from Kanto or Johto. Plenty of other trainers did just that; dividing their attention between the two Regions. Not to mention, the prospect of having two Regions to travel and explore was a mouth foaming thought for many trainers, those who could never get enough with the sense of discovery and wonder that traversing the land brought about.

Ash hadn't thought that far ahead ye,t not entirely sure what his game plan was. There was more than enough time to explore Kanto before the Conference started, and he had every intention in the world to earn all of his badges in time, regardless of how rare it was for a rookie to do so. He hadn't mapped out what route he wanted to take, overwhelmed by the plethora of options, but things would probably be easier to plan out if he focused on traversing through Kanto first, and focusing on Johto later. But in the end, he'd have to wait and see.

Looking at the Viridian Gym, which was visible from a distance, Ash knew he wanted to go there one day, but he wasn't sure when...

Taking in the sight of the city outside, he thought back to waking up.

Was it considered normal to dream of past events like that? Was that a symptom of homesickness? How did trainers even deal with such a thing?

He had only left home yesterday, and yet he was already having dreams about life back in Pallet Town. Sure, he could speak to his mother whenever he got the chance, but talking to her on a screen didn't subdue the yearning to be in the same room with her again. It was soemthing he'd have to deal with, and yet another thing he wasn't sure how to plan for.

Looking over to Pikachu for a moment, the boy gazed at the clock, seeing that it was 8:00 AM. Less than twenty four hours since he had arrived at the lab, and yet it had already been more than eventful enough to last a lifetime.

Would it always be like this? Was this just setting a precedent?

As Ash decided to wait about another half hour before waking Pikachu up, those thoguhts freely flowed through his mind.

/

Ash woke Pikachu up without too much difficulty. The electric type had taken a little bit to rise, but once he did, he was fairly cooperative. Plus, the promise of breakfast after a quick checkup with Nurse Joy had certainly gotten the young mouse moving.

A recent discovery made by Professor Birch of the Ever Grande League was that newly evolved Pokemon tended to be hungry quite a bit, and Ash had seen this first hand with the way Pikachu had been chowing down last night as he and Janine conversed over dinner. Apparently it had something to do with the young rodent's stomach growing to match his evolution. It was perfectly normal, and sooner or later Pikachu would grow accustomed to the increase in appetite.

But for now, excess hunger would be a factor for about a few days, and his starter was already famished, even after last night's feast.

Nurse Joy had wanted to take a look at Pikachu as a standard procedure after evolving, but had been unable to do so last night because of the amount of paperwork that she, Officer Jenny, and Giovanni had to fill out. Although the Viridian City Gym Leader had not been present for the attack, he apparently needed to be a part of the procedures nevertheless.

Not helping matters was how late it had gotten, and although Joy was more than used to late nights, she knew the same couldn't be said for everybody else. So, she had requested that Ash simply stop by in the morning to give Pikachu a quick check up.

Ash had been present in the room as Nurse Joy did a few basic examinations of his starter pokemon's body. A few quick X-Rays and reflex tests later, and the young mouse was good to go...

...Right all the way to the cafeteria, not even bothering to see if Ash was following him.

An amused Nurse Joy had watched as Ash scrambled to keep up with his starving partner.

/

Much like the hotel rooms, the free food provided by Pokemon Centers was not considered to be first class, but wasn't too far off from it. Not enough to replace Delia's divine cooking, but certainly enough to leave him feeling more than satisfied and ready for the day.

While he munched on a donut and a couple of waffles, with a few bacon strips and sausages to go along with it, and some fruit punch and applesauce on the side, Pikachu had helped himself to the large bowl of Pokemon food that the Center had provided him with. Ash had been sure to fill it up as much as possible, to satisfy the electric type's newfound hunger for the road.

He had been surprised to learn from Nurse Joy that Janine and her team had checked out a half hour before Ash had even woken up. He had thought that he was doing a good job with getting up early to start the day, but apparently, not nearly as much as he thought.

She was probably already back in the forest, where she apparently would have already been had her team not injured Weedle by accident.

An early riser like her was clearly on top of things, but Ash had already figured such from the fact that she had managed two successful captures in a single day. Between her and Gary, it was hard to forget how behind he was.

He now had two people to catch up with, but tried to tell himself to go at his own pace. As long as he earned eight badges before the end of the Season, all would be well.

The League was strict about badges, though. They all had to be earned in a Season. If a trainer couldn't get enough bdges in one Season, then any Badges that they have already earned wouldn't be eligible for the next, they would have to start all over again. Going at his own pace would always be important, but only if that pace was enough to reach the Indigo Plateau in time.

With Janine having already left, he and Pikachu had the cafeteria to themselves. It was on a separate side of the Center from the waiting room, but also jutting out from the rest of the building like the waiting room was. Similarly, the walls at the far end were glass, allowing Ash to see outside, as was the ceiling.

Instead of rain clouds, Ash was greeted with the sight of beautiful sunlight. The storm was over.

Having another human his age to talk to- another trainer especially- had made Ash happy, but he was glad to have alone time with his starter. There was no longer tension between the two of them, but the boy knew that it would take more than the previous night's events for things to truly change definitively. Perhaps newfound trust had found its way into their partnership, but Ash wanted to use that trust as a first step. Developing a genuine friendship with a teammate took time, and Pikachu was still evaluating him, reconsidering his new trainer, perhaps, and certainly more open now than he was before, but that was as much as Ash could realistically ask for after only spending one day together.

The important factor was that Pikachu was willing to give him a chance now, and Ash knew he owed his starter the effort. He had promised the mouse that things would be better, that he would be better, and a trainer that the electric type deserved. Pikachu was putting in the effort, and so would he. Opening Day was behind them, and it would stay as such.

"Hey, Pikachu." Pikachu perked up, taking a very brief break from eating as his trainer addressed him. "We're going into Viridian Forest today." With the two alone, now was the perfect time to make conversation, and discussing plans for the day was an easy subject.

Squeaking back, Pikachu nodded in understanding.

"I should probably warn you," Ash frowned. "That Viridian Forest has a pretty awful reputation. It's crawling with unpredictable wildlife, very dangerous Pokemon such as Beedrill, and its being run by a gang called The Bug Catchers. They do everything that they can to harass other trainers who "trespass" onto their turf. There are also stories about the forest being haunted, and rumors of trainers being driven to insanity during their time there."

Pikachu looked a little bit spooked by that, but kept listening.

"In recent years, it's become harder and harder to predict what you will find in that forest. Apparently, it's one of the places where Pokemon are most commonly released, so of course, plenty of foreign Pokemon are common. We can't really prepare for anything specifically, so we need to make sure we're ready in general. We'll stop by the Poke Mart after checking out, it's pretty close by and sells a good deal of items that we need to stock up on." He leaned forward. "Also, now that you evolved, there are some moves that you should be able to pick up on quite easily. Such as Quick Attack and Spark. You should also have a lot more control over your electricity than before, although we will still need to train for it to be perfect. I was thinking we could test that out on the Center's training grounds. Just to see how easily you can use Thunder Shock as compared to before."

He took a moment to let all of that sink in, and thankfully, Pikachu seemed to be on board with the plan. Once they were done eating, they'd work quickly. Ash was hoping to be in the forest before noon, so they had time, but only if they didn't start slacking off.

/

Ash had been pretty pleased about Pikachu's performance at the training grounds. Even without training, it was pretty clear that last night's evolution had done the mouse favors.

Thunder Shock was much stronger than before and wasn't nearly as difficult to charge up. It also didn't cause Pikachu fatigue, although work would still need to be done before consecutive use was practical, especially if Pikachu was eventually going to learn more powerful electric moves such as Thunderbolt, which were pretty easy to learn as long as Thunder Shock or another similar move was used as a foundation, but would of course be a lot more taxing at first due to the added power. A work in progress.

Pikachu was much faster as well, and Ash imagined that battling the Meowth would be a lot less difficult at this point. They didn't train for too long, as Pikachu's food was still digesting, but they thankfully didn't need to. Ash had just wanted to see where they currently stood heading into their travels.

Once it was time for the real training to start, they would begin working on learning new moves for Pikachu to use. Ash also had a couple of ideas for TMs to buy at the Poke Mart, which the money that the League had paid him for last night would thankfully be a big help for. Ash and Janine had still both been guilty about accepting money from them, but if Officer Jenny insisted that much, then Ash would just swallow his pride and make use of it.

After a quick goodbye with Nurse Joy, the duo were now exited the Center and made their way towards the road. The air was moist from last night's storm, but there was no sign of future rain in sight, the sun was completely visible, a few white clouds complemented the beautiful blue sky perfectly.

It was a new day.

As Pikachu walked by his side, the duo noticed some commotion going on down the street. Reluctantly, they exchanged glances to see what was going on. Approaching the scene more closely, Ash immediately realised that a protest was going on.

It was probably about the League's regulation of foreign Pokemon. Viridian was the city with most objections to this. It was one of the few places where these types of events occurred decently often.

Unfortunately, by getting closer to the commotion, Ash was noticed by one of the protesters. Holding a microphone, the man, who looked to be about twenty or so, motioned over for a cameraman (they were filming this?) to follow him as he made his way to the two newcomers.

Before Ash knew it, a microphone was suddenly being shoved in his face.

"Young man, what is your opinion on Indigo's insistent regulation of foreign Pokemon in the wild?"

"Ummm…" Ash's face was flushing. He had gotten used to speaking to Janine last night, but that was just one person. Now he was being interviewed?

Obviously sensing the young trainer's hesitation, the man spoke up. "Are you aware that Gym Leaders have access to foreign Pokemon? Is it not hypocritical to deny trainer's in Indigo the same right by deliberately removing them from the wild? They claim to maintain the ecosystem by either placing the Pokemon in the Safari Zone or them to their own home Region, but this seems to imply that they are keeping a portion of them all for themselves!"

Ash wasn't too sure what to say. He hadn't been ready for this. He was starting to regret coming over here.

"Gym Leaders…" he stuttered. "S-sometimes R-recieve foreign Pokemon through trade with other Regions…" he stammered out. "And S-some of them g-go out and catch Pokemon t-themselves."

It was true. Koga of Fuschia, for example, was known to spend some of his own freetime catching Pokemon in the wild. And Brock of Pewter, LT. Surge of Vermillion, and Sabrina of Saffron have all traded with Ever Grande and Sinnoh before, as those League's were currently on fairly friendly terms with Indigo. It was true that Gym Leaders would sometimes be supplied extra Pokemon by their own respective Leagues, but to go as far as to say that they were being hogged...

The man seemed to be taken aback by this answer, but kept on pressing.

"What is your response to Trainers having to wait until Opening Day to receive their Starter Pokemon? Just a couple hours ago, we met a woman whose son has to wait an entire year just to receive his Starter Pokemon, just because his birthday is two months from now. Is it not fair to force Trainers to wait this long?"

So they were changing the subject now. Most of these protests were focused exclusively on the foreign Pokemon issue. The Seasonal distribution system, while still having some detractors, usually didn't stir up as much heat. It seemed like this group was focused on both subjects. Or perhaps they just wanted to try to get the League on something.

This was going to take a while.

/

Ash had finally managed to slip away from the scene and headed into the Poke Mart with Pikachu in tow.

Thankfully, the unexpected "interview" (it felt more like an interrogation at times) hadn't taken up too much time. Ash was grateful for that, because that man had been INCREDIBLY pushy with both of them, even pushing a microphone in Pikachu's face at one point. Ash was glad most of the movements (from what he knew) weren't like that; he didn't find anything wrong with voicing disagreement, and the League themselves usually did their best to keep civil, open dialogue with the protests, but the way that particular group had acted made him feel uncomfortable. He and Pikachu did their best to forget the unpleasant encounter for now.

Forget protests and forget interviews, it was time to prepare for the long road ahead.

Poke Marts were about as useful as Pokemon Centers, being stationed in every town and city, and even with a few on the road. Anyone with a trainer's license was likely to make consistent use of them.

The most commonly bought items at Poke Marts were healing vials such as potions and antidotes, and TMs, which were great for assisting Pokemon in learning new moves ("assisting" being the important key word). These were what Ash needed to purchase.

Still cursing at himself for somehow forgetting potions, the boy would be sure to go for the healing items first. They were a necessity. And he already had two specific TMs that he had mentally picked out for Pikachu. Ash wasn't sure what Pokemon that he would be catching just yet, but at the very least, he was goign to prepare his starter for the upcoming trials ahead. Whatever direction they took afterwards would depend on who they caught.

Thankfully, the extra money from the League would be more than helpful. As he made his way to the section that stocked the healing items, Ash noticed that the Poke Mart had a decent amount of customers, most of them grown adults. He saw a teenage girl from the corner of his eye, and could have sworn that he'd seen her before at the Conference.

'Cornelia.' He thought to himself. 'That's right. She scored in the Quarterfinals at the last Conference.' She seemed to be laying low, likely to try and not attract attention. People who made it that far in the Conference were celebrities, after all.

Ash browsed the healing item section. A big part of being a Pokemon Trainer was learning how to manage your money, especially after first starting out. It wasn't too difficult for skilled trainers to rack up a lot of cash from consistent victories in battle, but since Ash was just starting out, he needed to be careful and conservative, especially because he didn't know quite how much the TMs would cost. He'd need to purchase enough healing items for sure, otherwise going itno Viridian Forest underprepared would be just short of a death sentence. But he also needed to make sure that he had enough money for the TMs that he wanted.

He immediately snagged some potions, determined to rectify his biggest mistake,followed by some antidotes. Viridian Forest was a known home for poison types, particularly Beedril.

Just to be on the safe side, he also snagged a few paralyze heals.

Pikachu watched as his new trainer knelt down and stuffed the items into his backpack. Strapping the backpack back on, Ash turned to his starter and motioned for the small rodent to follow him.

The next section of the store was for TMs.

"Hey, did you hear about the attack on the Pokemon Center last night?"

The duo stopped, looking over to the two men conversing on the other side of the store.

"Pfft." the other man scoffed. "Who hasn't? It was all over the news! They were even still talking about it this morning! How could the League let something like that happen?!"

"Yeah, since the Center had so few patients, they apparently got complacent with their security. What a joke. If they hadn't been that negligent, what happened last night could have been avoided."

"It's a good thing those two Team Rocket grunts were apparently morons. Things would have taken a turn for the worst if they hadn't botched the operation."

Ash frowned. That was true. According to Janine, the two grunts were strong, but only for a beginner on their first day like them. Somebody strong enough to challenge a Gym likely would have taken them down in a flash, according to her.

"There were also two first day trainers staying at the Center that night. Imagine if something had happened to them. I'm glad I won't have to worry about my son becoming a trainer for another few years."

"Are you kidding? I'm not even sure if I should let my daughter become a trainer at this point!"

"I hear the League paid those two kids compensation as an apology, though."

"They better have! It's the least that they could do after endangering them with their carelessness. They're just kids, they deserve better."

Exchanging small frowns, Ash and Pikachu moved on to the TMs.

An abrupt thought suddenly occurred to Ash as he approached the TMs in the section. If the attack on the Center was on the news, then was that just for Viridian, or Kanto in general? Something as seriousness as an invasion of a Pokemon Center would likely make headlines everywhere in Indigo, even outside of just Kanto.

Given that Professor Oak was a very high ranking official of the League, there was no doubt in Ash's mind that he had already heard of the attack. But what about Delia?

Ash found himself frozen. He didn't even want to imagine how his mother would react if she were to find out that her son and his started had crossed paths with a terrorist organization on their first day out.

Shaking those fearful thoughts from his mind, Ash immediately turned his focus to the shelves of TMs that lined the walls.

This was it.

Pikachu immediately hopped onto one of the shelves, curiously observing his trainer's actions.

"Pikachu," said Ash, looking through the shelves for the exact TMs that he wanted. "Do you know what a TM is?"

"Pikachu shook his head honestly.

"A TM is a special device that allows a trainer to automatically teach a Pokemon certain moves." the boy explained. "This is useful for a lot of different Pokemon. For example, your species has certain moves that are considered quite difficult to learn without a TM to help you out. If I give you the TM for those specific moves, you will have a basic understanding of how to use it. Using it effectively will still require a fair amount of training, but it provides a head start by giving you a basic understanding of the move's foundations."

Intrigued, Pikachu nodded back at him, signaling that he understood what Ash was trying to explain.

"I can only afford two TMs with the money we have…" Ash continued, holding up two TMs up for the electric mouse to see. "But thankfully, the ones I'd like us to have are in stock. They're called Iron Tail and Brick Break. They're both really strong moves once mastered to their full effect, and they have two things in common: They'll provide you with a lot more close up firepower than Double Slap, and are also useful against Rock Type Pokemon. That second one is especially important: Pewter City is just past Viridian Forest, and they have a Gym there. The leader is a specialist known for using rock type's, so we'll have to prepare you for that."

He continued after a brief pause, allowing the information to sink in.

"We'll need more than just you, though. All Gyms in Indigo involve three Pokemon or more for their battles. Most battles actually involve more, but most of the the more beginner friendly Gyms, Pewter among them, usually dial the scope back for trainers pursuing their first badge. That's why I'm hoping to capture at least a couple of Pokemon while in Viridian Forest." he paused for a second. "But for now, we should focus on building up your moveset. Not just these TMs, there are some Mmves that you should be able to get a grasp of with varying levels of training. Since you know Thunder Shock, there are plenty of stronger electric moves that you can use that move as the basic foundation for. Thunderbolt is the easiest to think of, since it's a straightforward upgrade and the mos tuniversally used move of the type, but it's still a significant jump that will require a lot of practice to be used properly. Quick Attack and Spark should be very easy to learn, in fact, you might even be able to manage them right now. I would also like to work on Double Team and Electro Ball, but those will probably require more work."

Pikachu scratched his head. it was a lot to take in.

Ash sighed. "Trust me, Pikachu. I know it's overwhelming. But I'm definitely not saying we need to do all of this overnight. It's just a gameplan; we'll try to put some focus on all of them, but prioritize the ones that are easiest to learn or benefit us the most right now. Once we have all of these moves down, we can then move onto others, and keep building you up until you've become a force to be reckoned with." he grinned. "And next time, Gary and Squirtle won't know what hit them.

THAT got Pikachu perking up uickly. Clearly, Ash wasn't the only one with a bade taste in their mouth from the batte at the lab yesterday morning.

Thinking back, it was hard to believe that that battle had even been yesterday at all. So much had happened since then already…

"Great!" said Ash happily. "Right now, we should probably prioritise Iron Tail and Brick Break. Quick Attack and Spark are easy for you, so we'll be able to get those in too. We can focus on the other ones later, but we should at least try to start them out. Get the basics down, maybe."

Pikachu nodded enthusiastically. It was a plan.

Ash glanced at the clock. "Good. We're making great time, it's not even 11:00 AM yet. We should be in Viridian Forest long before noon."

/

Trainers received a TM case for free after purchasing a TM if they didn't already have one, so Ash happily accepted the case from the cashier.

He and Pikachu were now at the edge of the city. The path in front of them led to Viridian Forest, where they would be heading soon, but Ash wanted to take Pikachu's new moves for a test run first.

"Okay, Pikachu." said Ash. "The way this works is that I return you to your Poke Ball and place it into one of the slots in the TM case. I swipe the TM, and knowledge of the move is transferred directly to you. I'll do it with both moves, then before heading into the forest, we'll test them out."

Pikachu nodded in anticipation, his response producing a grin on Ash's face. After the fiasco with Gary and Squirtle, his starter was definitely excited about getting stronger.

He lightly tapped Pikachu's forehead with the ball, watching as Pikachu was sucked into the opening orb.

He started with Iron Tail, then Brick Break, before releasing the eager mouse again. "Okay, Start with Iron Tail."

With a deep breath, Pikachu closed his eyes, muscles tensing in concentration.

Iron Tail was a very powerful Steel Type Move and a must have for Pikachu's arsenal. It was excellent offensive versatility that could hammer down an opponent's defenses when used at high levels. Unfortunately, just like with most moves, it was easier to master if the user was the same Type as it. Pikachu wasn't a steel type, so the learning curve would be fairly noticeable. With the move likely being essential for Pewter, honing the electric type's usage of it would be a prerequisite that they couldn't visit the Gym without.

After a while, Pikachu's tail began to glow with metallic energy. Much like the Meowth's Iron Tail, this one was clearly imperfect, the metallic coating wrapped around the mouse's tail not stable, and limited to a fairly thin layer.

Pikachu rushed forward towards a nearby patch of rocks and struck one of the larger ones with his tail. Large cracks appeared on the rock's surface, and Ash could certainly hear the impact.

"That's good," he said. "It took a good few seconds to charge up, but it's what we're looking for ina first attempt. It might not be at full power yet, but it should still be usable." he smiled kindly. "You're a natural, Pikachu!"

Smiling bashfully, Pikachu rubbed the back of his neck, a blush appearing on his face as he squeaked a response.

Ash giggled. "Okay then, try Brick Break next."

Pikachu clenched one of his paws into a tight fist, gritting his teeth as his body trembled slightly. After a few seconds, orange energy began to circle around the fist, progressively growing brighter.

Brick Break wasn't as strong as Iron Tail, but it was certainly versatile. Much most fighting type moves, it was great for targeted offense. And it even came with the added bonus of being useful against Reflect and Light Screen, acting as a natural counter to both defensive moves.

Another large rock found itself cracked by Pikachu's efforts. It wasn't done so as cleanly as with Iron Tail, but it was effective enough for the moment.

They were ready.

/

It still wasn't noon yet. Proud of their speed so far, Ash hoped to take advantage of the time they had made.

Viridian Forest was just ahead, Pikachu stood by his side as they gazed down the path.

Ash took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Okay Pikachu, this is it. It's going to take a while to get through this forest. "I'm just hoping we don't get lost…"

A part of him just wanted to turn back right now. Viridian Forest had too many stories for him to feel comfortable just standing outside of it. But he knew that he had no choice.

Besides, how many of those stories were actually true? Tales of the forest being haunted, or driving trainers to insanity could've just been myths stirred up by the community, right? Maybe it would all prove to be exaggerated...

Not fully masking his nervousness, he looked down at his partner. "Shall we?"

Pikachu seemed to be shaking a bit, but nodded back, and the two proceeded.

The path started out normally, with a few trees surrounding it. As the duo proceeded farther and farther, the vegetation slowly but sure began to merge with the path.

Ash found himself glancing around nervously as he continued to walk. Proceeding, he didn't even notice as the trees overhead gradually began blocking out the sunlight…

To enter Viridian Forest was like watching a child growing up. It was a gradual process. You usually wouldn't realize just how much the child has grown until it became nigh impossible to deny…

And more often than not, you wouldn't know that you're in Viridian Forest until it was already too late to turn back.

Ash and Pikachu's nerves were growing tenser by the second, the sounds of the forest filling their ears as the vegetation grew and grew.

The path was slowly narrowing, fusing into the grass and dirt. Soon it would be as though it was never even there at all.

A few bushes rustled and Ash heard a loud, sudden cry. It was likely from a wild Pokemon in the distance, but at this point, both his and Pikachu's nerves were far to wound up. He jumped with a startled cry, and jolted as he felt a startled Pikachu's paws rushing up his back, the young mouse bolting upwards to his shoulder, seemingly for security. The two of them were still for a few seconds, looking around anxiously.

After a few moments, the two glanced at each other, Pikachu still clinging on Ash's shoulder, and exchanged nervous, uneasy chuckles.

They continued, this time just a bit more slowly…

Pikachu stuck to Ash's shoulder. After a few more minutes of walking, the young rookie finally looked up… and noticed all of the tree leaves that were now blocking out the sky. He glanced around to observe their surroundings.

Nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. The amount of sunlight being blocked out made it somewhat difficult to distinguish daytime from nighttime, Ash imagined.

Bushes, grass, and vegetation filled up the ground, to the point where it was practically made up of them.

The chirping, crying, and growling of various different wild Pokemon filled the air.

The sounds of the forest filled their ears.

Just not too long ago, they were walking down the path leading into Viridian Forest.

Now, they were officially in it.

/

After about a half hour of walking, Pikachu had tried his luck and left Ash's shoulder, but did not leave his new trainer's side. It was likely for Pikachu's own security, but Ash appreciated the company himself.

After a while, the duo managed to get some training in. As expected, Pikachu learned Quick Attack and Spark very easily. All Ash had to do was show him some footage of the moves being used and give him a basic rundown on how to use them, and the mouse was able to get a grip on both of them within an hour or so.

After that, they proceeded with their travels. Ash wanted to cover as much ground as possible before sundown. He'd know when to settle in when what little sunlight there was peaking through the tops of the trees started to go away.

"Hey Pikachu," He wanted to make some conversation to ease his nerves. His Starter looked up at him, but still tried to keep a close eye on what was ahead. "Do you know about Pewter City? What it means to Indigo?" Pikachu shook his head honestly as Ash adjusted his cap. "They say that it's where the Indigo League was first founded. It was centuries ago, so I'm not sure if any of the history is exaggerated, or maybe misunderstood, but the story says that the first leader of Indigo was a young boy who hailed from Fuchsia. He was the son of a woman who served the priestess running the territory. He was training to be a guard for the Church, when somebody within their ranks started an uprising."

Pikachu looked up at Ash curiously.

"His mother was killed in the rebellion by one of the instigator's lackeys. The priestess was apparently taken prisoner, since she didn't fear death. The boy fled from Fuschia as his mother's dying wish was for him to be safe. He was left to travel across Kanto, braving the elements. It's unknown how long it took, but he eventually arrived in Pewter seeking refuge." He paused for a second, then continued. "His life in Pewter isn't something that I know much about, but we might be able to learn more about that when we get there."

Looking over at the young mouse, Ash saw that Pikachu seemed to be mildly interested.

He continued. "Eventually, the boy caught wind that the rebel who had usurped control of Fuschia was looking to expand his control and power, just a few years later. He captured Vermillion, and used it to bolster his own forces. Then he continued to move forward. He had invaded another territory and razed it to the ground. It was later rebuilt about a decade later, and apparently given the name Saffron." he paused for a second. "The boy had raised an army in Pewter. He was in his late teens now, but had apparently been molded into something fierce. Incapable of feeling any sort of fear. They say that his second in command was a teenage girl native to Pewter, who possessed extraordinary levels of strength rivaling even that of Pokemon." He looked over to the skeptical mouse. "It's just a legend, of course. The history could have been exaggerated to make the story sound more interesting." Being incapable of feeling peer was a bit hard to believe, but perhaps not impossible. The second in command being strong enough to fight Pokemon with her bare hands was where the legend seemed to enter fairy tale territory, although some particularly devoted people took it seriously.

"The troops used the caverns of MT. Moon as their base of operations. When Cerulean learned that the conqueror was targeting them next, and that a new army was being raised, they sent a distress signal to the Pewter army, begging for a truce. They knew that the invader couldn't be reasoned with, but hoped that the boy and his lieutenant would be more willing to be merciful." he paused for just a second. "Apparently the boy and the Pewter girl accepted this request. The Battle of Cerulean was the bloodiest in Indigo's history, although some believe that that only applies to Kanto itself. The Fuchsia army was driven off, and with their forces weakened, an uprising started in Vermillion. The leader of the Fuchsia army withdrew all of his forces back to their home turf, in order to fortify their defenses. This led to the Siege of Fuschia, allegedly the final battle of the war, where the boy reclaimed his home land and slayed Fuchsia's leader in combat. The priestess was freed during the fight to conquer Fuchsia, but apparently sacrificed herself to save the boy's life, prior to the final confrontation. They say that he was then given a blessing from Mew before the priestess's passing, and declared Champion. The Indigo Plateau was made into the new Empire's capital, named after the new name of the army, Indigo."

Pikachu squeaked in comment. Ash wasn't sure how interested his starter was in the story, and he was certainly no history expert himself, but both appreciated having something to pass the time. Otherwise they'd be left with a monotonous trek through an unnerving forest.

"That's just the gist of the war, only learn the basics in school. I'd like to learn a bit more about it." he thought of the two heroes of the story. "They're both considered legendary heroes of Kanto: The fearless Champion, capable of looking any creature in the eyes without fear, and the girl from Pewter, who was apparently strong enough to suplex a Dragonite. The family that runs Pewter City's Gym is apprently descended from her. Gyms are never obligated to operate off of inheritance, but some still do, and that one has done it from the start."

After an awkward silence, Ash tried to think of something else he knew, realizing he was running out of things to say. "...They say that the spirit of the rebel leader now resides at his birthplace, which is apparently where Lavender Town currently stands. They also say that one of the reasons why Lavender Town is populated by ghosts isn't just because of the tower, but also because his spirit attracts them with his presence, like a spiritual magnet or something. Apparently the spirit of his Gyarados is also there with him. There is even a fable that the whole reason why the Gyarados species is as vicious as it is known to be is because of the rebel leader's merciless, unbridled fury throughout the war, but I don't think-"

The sound of violent rustling in the nearby bushes stole away their attention.

Suddenly, something jumped out and in front of the duo, who stopped in their tracks to observe the new, small Pokemon.

It was a scorpion-like creature that definitely looked like it was a poison type. It made aggressive chattering noises as it took a battle stance in front of them.

Ash had no idea what this new creature was, but it was very clearly a foreign Pokemon. Not hesitating, he took out his Pokedex.

"Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokemon of the bug/poison type. It grips its prey with its tail claws and injects poison. With great tenacity, it hangs on until the poison takes."

Ash adjusted his cap. This was it. Their first real attempt at catching a wild Pokemon. "Watch out for its tail, Pikachu." he said with a grimace. "And get ready."

Pikachu ran forward, stopping a few feet in front of Skorupi, growling as the sparks flowed from his cheeks.

"Keep your distance, Thunder Shock!"

Gathering the electricity in his cheeks, Pikachu was quick to release the attack from his tail, the charge time a lot quicker than when he was a Pichu, and the attack significantly stronger as well.

Only for Skorupi's claws to glow with powerful, dark energy, and deflect the bolt with minor difficulty.

Ash stammered as his starter gasped in shock. "Wha-Wha…"

Just… how strong was this Skorupi? And was that a Night Slash?

Now Skorupi rushed forward, and before Ash knew it, it had struck Pikachu away with its tail, glowing in metallic energy. Pikachu let cried out as he sailed through the air, landing in the bushes nearby.

"PIKACHU!" Ash was sweating now. He knew they'd have to be cautious against a creature like this, but he hadn't expected it to be this strong...

Pikachu climbed out of the bushes, clutching his aching ribs in pain while panting somewhat.

That Skorupi had moved awfully fast… and that seemed to be Iron Tail that it used. They would need to counter it with speed of their own.

"Pikachu! Build up speed with Quick Attack and use Iron Tail!"

Quick Attack was a useful move regardless of what level of battling it was being used at. It was great for mobility, and for building speed in order to put extra force behind an attack. A Pokemon like Pikachu, which were known for their agility in battle, visibly from such a usage. And since it was so easy to learn, there was nothing to be lost from trying to teach it to a Pokemon that could learn it.

Ash wasn't completely aware of the science behind some of these moves, but he was pretty sure that Quick Attack involved small adrenaline bursts into the body that amplified the user's speed.

Whatever it was that made the move the way that it is, Pikachu certainly made good use of it as he sped towards Skorupi, tail glowing with metallic energy. Although he wouldn't have mastered Iron Tail until rigorous training had been done, he was still, thankfully, able to charge it up just fast enough to be on time to strike at his target.

However, Skorupi's reaction time ended up being far greater than Ash could have predicted, meeting Pikachu's Iron Tail with one of its own. Thanks to the speed boost provided by Quick Attack, Pikachu was able to push Skorupi back as the two clashed, each of them trying to overwhelm the other.

Skorupi growled as Pikachu pushed it back, grinding its feet into the dirt in an attempt to ground itself. Pikachu's speed boost did not last forever, however, and Skorupi was soon able to push the mouse away once he ran out of momentum.

Pikachu tumbled across the dirt, his fur gathering some of it up as he came to a stop on his bottom. Before he could do anything else, Skorupi raised its claws. An eruption of glowing spikes came flying out from them.

Pin Missile.

Pikachu scrambled out of the way with Quick Attack, but screamed as some of the spikes grazed him. The mouse doubled over in pain as he felt the spikes pierce his fur, and his flesh. Ash cried out in horror as blood began to leak from the young mouse's body.

And then it happened.

Skorupi rushed forward, driving a claw, laced with poisonous venom, right into Pikachu's gut. The mouse started to cry out, but it was immediately cut off as he began to make choking noises.

Pikachu felt the toxic poison coursing into his body, his bloodstream becoming infected with the venom as it took hold.

As the Skorupi removed its claw from Pikachu's stomach, Ash immediately rushed forward without even thinking, panickingly scooping the electric type up in his arms before bolting off in a different direction, thoughts in a jumble.

Thankfully, Skorupi simply watched them leave.

/

Ash was so glad to have healing items now.

After applying an antidote to Pikachu as soon as possible, he immediately went to work with the potions. His starter's wounds closed up as the toxins began to be purged from his body.

Ash had cleared quite a bit of distance between them and the Skorupi now, having ran for a good few minutes. Thankfully, Pikachu's wounds weren't too bad, as Ash had taken him out of the battle before things could get overly serious. However, a few minutes was all he could spare to run away from the creature, as he knew perfectly well that Pikachu had to be rid of the poison fast.

"You okay?" the boy asked weakly, still shaken from the encounter.

Pikachu chirped with a weak nod. Clearly, the mouse was just as shaken as Ash was.

Ash lifted up Pikachu's Poke Ball. "I'm going to return you, now. We'll rest a bit before continuing, okay?"

Pikachu complied, nodding again as Ash tapped the capsule against the young mouse's forehead.

After Pikachu was sucked into the orb, Ash found a nearby rock to sit on, a deep sigh released as the events of the played through his mind, practically on loop.

How was that Skorupi so strong? He knew Viridian Forest was unpredictable: it was one of the many reasons why it was so infamous, but beginners still traveled through this place. Flashbacks to the previous day appeared in his mind, how Pikachu, still a Pichu, had been injured by the Spearow. Had Ash still not been stocked up on healing items, this one, particular incident would have been much, much worse.

In frustration, he gritted his teeth.

He was still screwing up. Even after he and Pikachu had looked to working things out with one another, it still wasn't enough. He still couldn't catch a Pokemon.

He did his best to purge those thoughts from his mind; he needed to rest. It was still a while before nightfall, so he could still cover some more ground later.

For now, he just needed to take a breather, and calm his rapidly beating heart after the scare with the Skorupi.

/

Ash rested for about a half hour before deciding to get moving again. Pikachu was still in his Poke Ball for the time being, Ash figured he should just call him if needed.

The events of the Skorupi battle were still fresh in his mind, but Ash did his best to push them to the back. It would be best to forget about that battle, and move on. There would be plenty more wild Pokemon to encounter, and hopefully they wouldn't pose the same problems that that Skorupi did.

Nevertheless, the top priority would be clearing ground. Viridian Forest was massive, and Ash knew that he would have to keep moving as quickly as possible if he ever wanted to reach Pewter City.

Not even a day into Viridian Forest, and he was already craving civilization. he wondered if that was normal. Was he just not cut out for this-

'There I go, doubting myself again.' He needed to find a way to stop doing that, but wasn't sure where to start. Apart from the Skorupi incident, today was going much better than yesterday had, but he still couldn't help the dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Janine had caught two Pokemon on Opening Day alone, humbly claiming it to be luck. 'I could use some of that right about now...'

After about an hour or so of walking, he just might have gotten it.

Flapping wings filled his ears as he watched a small, bird-like Pokemon descending onto a nearby, low-hanging tree branch. Ash was quick to recognize the species:

It was a Starly.

Ash felt his lips stretch into a small grin. This was his big chance.

Starly were like Pidgey. They were very beginner friendly, and easy to catch, train, and raise.

But once they were fully evolved, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the right hands...

Pikachu had been resting up for quite a while now. Ash still didn't want to disturb him just yet, but… This was the opportunity that they were looking for.

In a bright flash of light, the young mouse appeared in front of him, looking almost good as new.

"Pikachu." Ash addressed his starter with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

The Starly was staring at them now, as if waiting for them to make a move.

Pikachu turned to him with an affirmative nod. Ash didn't want to force Pikachu to battle if he still wasn't in good shape, but his friend seemed to be battle ready.

"Good!" he replied happily, pointing to the Starly. "We have another chance."

Pikachu looked up at Starly, already allowing the sparks to flow through his cheeks. Sensing the threat, Starly prepared itself, raising its wings defiantly.

"Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu leapt into the air, flinging the electricity from his tail and towards the Starly.

The small bolt of lightning sailed towards its target, only for the bird-like Pokemon to hastily take off, flying into the air as the attack hit the tree branch where Starly had previously been perched.

The vegetation had adapted long ago to handle Pokemon attacks, so Pikachu's attack didn't do too much damage to the branch.

Now Starly went on the offensive, rushing at Pikachu with decent speed in what Ash assumed was Quick Attack. Pikachu leapt out of the way and once again began gathering electricity into his cheeks.

Only for Starly to suddenly turn around and begin flapping its wings furiously. All of a sudden, Pikachu found himself pushing against a powerful wind current, doing his best to dig his paws into the ground as he began forcibly sliding backwards.

Whirlwind was a pretty common move among bird like Pokemon, and one that they resorted to very frequently. By flapping their wings with full force, they were able to create an absurd amount of wind pressure that quickly evolved into powerful gales, capable of blowing opponents away. Ash had seen the move utilized at incredible levels of power at the Conference. Just two Seasons ago, a Conference winner had commanded a Pidgeot capable of lifting a Golem off of the ground with its wind.

And since Staraptor were known for their physical strength, there was no doubt in Ash's mind that this Starly could be capable of similar feats with the proper training.

Starly stopped flapping its wings, seemingly to prevent itself from tiring out. Ash knew that he needed to go on the offensive to stop Starly from gaining any more momentum, so he quickly made his move with haste.

"Pikachu, Spark!"

Spark was a decently strong move that allowed Pikachu to coat itself with electricity while charging towards his opponent. It took a bit more time to build up than Thunder Shock, but Pikachu was thankfully getting the hang of it.

As Pikachu's body crackled with lightning bolts, he charged forward at Starly as fast as he could. Once he approached the bird, he leapt head-first towards his target. Starly immediately flew out of the way as quickly as possible. Ash grunted in frustration as the electricity surrounding Pikachu dissipated. The mouse had missed his mark.

Starly circled around and charged forward with a Quick Attack, slamming beak first into Pikachu's forehead. Pikachu tumbled backwards until his back was against a tree.

Ash took note of the amount of dirt being collected in Pikachu's fur. They really needed to figure out a way to clean him…

Flapping its wings in place, Starly hovered a few feet in front of Pikachu, waiting for him to go on the offensive again.

Ash glared. This Starly was good. It was maneuvering well, predicting Pikachu's moves, and reacting accordingly. It was impressive for a beginner level wild Pokemon.

"Pikachu, get back up and use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu quickly made his way to his feet, standing on all fours as he charged at the Starly. But hsi target was ready yet again, digging its talons into the dirt and suddenly flinging a large pile of sand right into Pikachu's eyes, eliciting a sharp cry from the electric type as the sand burned into his pupils.

As the rodent began viciously rubbed on his eyes, desperately to get the sand out with his paws, his bird like opponent pounced on him with its talons, driving him back first into the ground with a mighty push, and began slapping Pikachu's face with its wings as Ash's starter lay down in the dirt.

Ash glowered. At this rate, Pikachu was going to-

His partner let out another loud cry as sparks flowed from his cheeks. Starly had to react fast as a sporadic Thunder Shock suddenly escaped from Pikachu's body, just barely managing to fly away and to safety, but Ash wasn't going to let this opportunity pass them by.

"Pikachu, Brick Break!"

Before Starly could get too far away from him, Pikachu sprang upwards and rushed forward. Ignoring the severe pain in his eyes, he raised his paw and drove a glowing fist right into the bird-like Pokemon's forehead. Starly was sent flying backwards, but was just barely able to catch itself, flapping its wings in place.

Pikachu growled at Starly glowering at the bird as sparks freely flowed throughout his cheek sacks, warm tears leaking from his eyes.

It wasn't over just yet.

A large bruise was visible on Starly's forehead. The Brick Break had clearly hurt quite a bit, which meant that the potential headache from the blow may cause the flier to lose focus…

"Pikachu! Jump on Starly with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu rushed forward, and although Starly just barely managed to fly out of the way, Ash had other plans in mind for the bird.

"Iron Tail! Now!"

Pikachu swung the metallic tail down onto the fleeing bird-like Pokemon's back. Starly yelped as it was abruptly propelled face first into the dirt.

And now, it was time.

"Thunder Shock!"

The bird-like Pokemon yelped as electricity suddenly flowed throughout its body, Pikachu letting loose a a stream of electricity as strong as he could muster, to end the battle for good.

The shrieking bird collapsed onto its stomach as the electricity finally died down after just a few seconds. Although it wasn't quite unconscious, it was certainly getting there, struggling to move as sparks rolled throughout its body.

This was it.

Ash immediately took out a Poke Ball and, without a second thought, chucked it at the paralysed bird-like Pokemon, its feathers still sizzling with static electricity as the orb collided its body. As the capsule opened up, a bright beam of light sucked Starly in, before closing back up and landing softly on the ground.

Ash watched for a few seconds as the Poke Ball briefly rolled around in the dirt, but Starly could not struggle for long. A pulsing sound was made as the button on the Poke Ball flashed red, only for a split second, no longer moving as the struggle ceased almost as quickly as it had begun.

The battle was over. Starly was caught.

Ash took a few seconds to process what had just happened, but it didn't take very long for the joy to fill his heart.

"Pikachu!" he cried out happily. "We did it!"

His starter squeaked loudly, panting slightly from the battle, but still not any less happy.

A trainer's first catch. One of the many big milestones of a Pokemon journey. It didn't matter what the Pokemon was, or how it was caught. Once a trainer managed to successfully capture a Pokemon for the first time, that feeling of joy was nearly unrivaled. An early moment of victory that could never be forgotten.

Ash quickly raced over to the Poke Ball with Pikachu by his side. He lifted the poke Ball and held it high as Pikachu looked on with a wide, open mouthed smile, as if wanting the whole world to witness what they just did.

Scooping Pikachu up with his other arm, Ash hugged the the electric type close to him. This was really Pikachu's victory, and not his.

But pulling his partner closer to him quickly gave Ash a better look at the smiling Pikachu.

The celebration was cut short as Ash gently set the mouse Pokemon down, slowly taking in Pikachu's appearance as he knelt down beside him, making sure to clip Starly's Poke Ball to his belt as he did.

Ash examined Pikachu carefully. "There is blood on your forehead."

Pikachu had received a cut from when Starly's beak had struck him with Quick Attack. The gash was currently leaking some blood, although it thankfully didn't seem serious.

Ash continued to look Pikachu over. He cupped the mouse's cheeks as he examined the bruises on them. Most likely from when Starly had been slapping him with its wings.

Moving his hands further down, Ash took notice of the minor scrapes on Pikachu's ribs, likely what he had received from Starly's talons when he was driven into the dirt.

His fur was absolutely filthy, his back most certainly receiving the worst of it, most likely from when Starly had pinned him down onto the dirt. Brawling in the dirt most certainly wasn't fun.

Pikachu's condition wasn't serious; certainly not like the last two incidents, but they still needed to be addressed.

Ash stood up and gestured for the electric type to follow him. "Come on, let's get you patched up."

Pikachu nodded, a small smile on his lips as the adrenaline died down.

The duo walked off. They didn't know it yet, but their battle with the Starly had not been a private affair.

There were two witnesses.

/

Standing with his back against a nearby tree was a figure slightly taller than Ash.

The purple haired boy peeked out from behind as he watched the young boy and his Pikachu head off, before looking down to the Pokemon standing beside him.

Like Pikachu, the Pokemon was yellow and black. However, it was taller, and most certainly bulkier.

"I'm honestly not sure what those two are so excited about." he spoke blankly to his accomplice. "If the fight was that easy to turn around, then what use would that Starly be, anyway?"

Rookie trainers always fell under the same exact trap. They lacked convictions, and were ignorant. It was why everyone looked down on beginners. It was why they rarely saw more than limited success at the Conference. Even the few rookies who made it there and received well deserved praise for it never got far enough to be a top contender. And this was why.

They just didn't understand what it took to succeed. Some trainers caught as many Pokemon as possible, forced to divide their attention between so many teammates at once in order to avoid neglect. Others didn't go as overboard with this, but still just dedicated themselves to whatever Pokemon that they could possibly get their hands on. They weren't picky enough.

Being a trainer was about more than just catching and raising Pokemon. It was a trainer's job to determine which Pokemon were best worth the finite investment in the first place. If a Pokemon lacked potential, time was best spent on those that did. Simply catching any Pokemon just wasn't going to cut it.

It took rookie trainers the first couple of years or so of their journeys to learn that lesson. But he would not fall under that trap.

Think like a pro, even before you become one. Determine with your own observations and deductions which Pokemon are most worth catching, most worth keeping, most worth training.

The boy took out a Poke Ball, and looked down at it. It contained the Skorupi that he had just recently caught. A powerful creature already, and soon to be even more, once he trained the creature to unlock its latent abilities.

Pin Missile, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Venoshock, Iron Tail, Poison Fang, Poison Tail, Night Slash, and Agility. It already knew nine moves, many of which were very powerful and potent. Before being trained, even. That was what real potential looked like. It would go very far.

He'd hone the creature into an unstoppable powerhouse, just like everyone else on his team. The competition would not even know what hit them by the time they were done.

"Come on, Elekid." he said, looking over to his Pokemon. "The show's over. We're done here."

The Pokemon, Elekid, made a whirring noise in response, before following its trainer deeper into the forest.

/

It had taken Ash about a half hour to clean Pikachu up after treating his wounds. They still had a couple hours of daylight left, and continued to walk until the sun started to set.

Before, Ash had been worried that they wouldn't be able to tell night from day as long as they were here, but thankfully, that never proved to be an issue. Even though the forest itself was quite dim most of the time, it was much darker when the sunlight that did make it through the treetops suddenly went away.

Ash found an opening in the forest, where the treetops gave way to show off the night sky. Unlike the previous night, where the sky was filled with rain clouds, this night was perfectly clear. Not a cloud in sight. As the sky progressively grew darker, stars began popping into view.

"We'll set up camp here," said Ash, his starter nodding in agreement.

Ash prepared a campfire, and got his sleeping bag out. He took out some of the food that he had packed for his journey.

He had a couple of sandwiches, while he had Pokemon food for Pikachu.

Of course, there was a third member of the group now.

Taking out Starly's Poke Ball, he turned to Pikachu.

"Okay, I'm going to release Starly. We need to be careful how we approach this."

Starly was a new member of the team now. Wild Pokemon often varied in terms of how they acted after being caught. Most were cooperative with some convincing, but Ash definitely wanted to approach this in a way that wouldn't rub Starly the wrong way.

A large tree stump served as the central point for their camp. Ash placed Starly's Poke Ball down on it, before releasing the bird.

Pikachu looked on curiously as Starly emerged from its Poke Ball. The bird didn't look too banged up from the battle, likely because it had some time to rest in the capsule. Nevertheless, it was not spotless.

The bird Pokemon chirped as it looked up at Ash. Pikachu hopped onto the tree stump where Starly was now perched, but kept his distance.

Ash knelt down, crouching until he was at eye level with Starly. "Hey…" he said cautiously.

Starly chirped back, sounding more neutral than hostile for the moment.

"We… caught you." said Ash matter of factly. How does he approach this? Authoritative enough to get his point across? Soft enough to sound appealing? He didn't want to botch things with Starly like he initially had with Pikachu out of the gate..

Starly tilted its head. It seemed to know what Ash meant.

"My name is Ash Ketchum…" he spoke carefully. "And this is Pikachu." he said, gesturing over to the young mouse. Pikachu awkwardly raised a paw up as the bird looked in his direction. "We want to be your friends, Starly." .

Starly looked at Ash curiously. No signs of aggression were shown.

Ash looked Starly in the eye. "If you join us, we'll help you become stronger than ever. And more importantly, we'll be a family to you." After a few minutes, Starly wasn't objecting, so he pressed onward, taking out his Pokedex. "Can I scan you real quick?"

After a brief moment, Starly complied and stood still.

"Starly, the Starling Pokemon of the normal-flying type. They form groups as they are weak individually. However, if the group grows too big, they bicker."

"This Starly is female and knows the moves Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Whirlwind, Aerial Ace, Double-Edge, and Sand Attack. It's ability is Reckless, which boosts the power of the user with strenuous adrenaline."

Ash whistled. He assumed Double-Edge was another Volt Tackle situation, where Starly most likely would not even be able to even practice using it until she got much stronger.

Reckless was a pretty interesting ability, incredibly potent yet dangerous to pull off. Some moves pushed the limits of a Pokemon's body, putting an immense strain on the user. Others caused recoil damage. Reckless held similar properties; with practice, the user could activate the ability to tap into all of their body's inner reserves at once, becoming near-immeasurably stronger than normal. What made the ability so dangeorus was that those reserves existed for a reason; they were not meant to be used all at once. With no reserves to fall back on, the user would be completely spent after running out of energy. They also held little regard for their own safety and overall well being while in such a state.

It was an incredible ability when used well, but not one to be used carelessly.

Ash looked up at Starly, impressed. "You have a really powerful ability. You'd be quite the force if you could learn to use it properly." Starly looked slightly bashful at that.

If she could have tapped into that ability at will, he and Pikachu probably would have lost.

Ash paused. "Do you want a nickname?"

Nicknaming Pokemon was common amongst certain trainers. Ash had asked Pikachu if he wanted one before they had gone to bed the previous night, but the young mouse had politely declined.

After a brief moment of pause, the Starly nodded.

Ash already had a nickname picked out for her, just in case.

"How about… Nebula?"

The Starly put a wing to her chin, as if thinking it over for just a brief moment. Then she nodded.

Ash grinned. "Would you like to eat with us, Nebula?"

Nebula nodded back.

The first new companion had officially joined the team.

/

Pikachu walked around the campsite, looking at his trainer, who was in his sleeping bag, getting shut eye after the long day.

Dinner had been rather uneventful, with the trio mostly eating in silence, although Ash did fill Nebula in about where they were headed, and why. Nebula had expressed some mild interest in Pewter City, and Pikachu recalled her intrigue when Ash brought up the Gym.

Looking up, Pikachu saw the full moon overhead, surrounded by the beautiful stars of the night, silently wishing to himself that all nights would be like this. No rain, no harsh winds, just clear, spotless skies with a beautiful view.

It was a fruitless wish to make, as he would have to learn the hard way.

The fireplace was warm, although the electric type was focused on other things. Namely, how uncomfortable it felt to be in Viridian Forest at night.

The sounds of the forest filled his ears, and it was somewhat disturbing. Different types of chatter, all coming from different directions. The slightest breeze of wind had him on edge with just how nerve racking it was to be in this forest.

Just how many different types of creatures resided in here?

And… how dangerous were they supposed to be?

Looking over at Nebula, Pikachu saw his new teammate still perched on the large tree stump. Although Ash was asleep, the two Pokemon had chosen to stay up for just a little while longer. Nebula's bowl had been picked clean; she had apparently taken quite a liking to the Pokemon food. Pikachu found the food to be bland, but serviceable, but Ash had commented on how radically different that the taste buds of Pokemon could be. Pikachu had eaten his fill nonetheless, having been hit with another case of severe hunger as they had set up camp. Thankfully, the trainer had promised to find food that he would enjoy more once they got to Pewter City.

As if subconsciously, Pikachu found himself making his way over to the tree stump, stopping just a few feet away from Nebula. The young Starly paid him very little mind, but did still spare him a few casual glances, every now and then.

Should… he talk to her? How do you strike a conversation with somebody that you had just gotten done fighting? He wondered what the transition between "wild Pokemon" and "teammate" was supposed to be like. One moment Nebula had been fighting for her life in order to prevent herself from getting caught. The next moment, she had been caught, and was now a part of a team.

Did she just accept it? Did she have a choice? How did this work exactly?

Did she resent him, for being the one who had defeated her?

Looking over to Ash's sleeping bag, Pikachu found himself frowning.

His new trainer was definitely trying his best. When they had first met, Pikachu had been so… annoyed by him.

That Gary kid that Ash seemed to hate so much (Pikachu wasn't a fan himself) had pushed Ash's buttons in what seemed to be every wrong way. And Ash had taken that out on him, and the young mouse just couldn't bring himself to trust him afterwards.

But then the Spearow incident had happened, where Ash had done everything in his power to make sure that Pikachu was kept safe. And then the two of them had both taken a leap of faith against that violent Meowth. The one that had literally tried to kill them.

Ash had proposed a fresh start, and Pikachu was willing to give it to him. He could tell that the human boy meant well. He trusted him… for now.

He wondered what Nebula thought of a trainer's life. The bird seemed to be pretty accepting of it for now. But... what was going through her mind?

Working up the courage to try and converse, Pikachu approached Nebula, the Starly turning to look at him upon seeing his advance.

The mouse squeaked a simple hello. Hopefully it could gauge whether or not she actually wanted to talk.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the Starly chirped back in response, asking Pikachu if he needed something.

Truth be told, Pikachu wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about. He had simply wanted to say something to his new teammate, hoping to see where they currently stood with one another. But he didn't think far enough ahead to know how he was going to go about that.

After a few moments of brief hesitation, he squeaked out a question about what the forest was like.

That was helpful, wasn't it? She obviously knew the forest a lot better than he and Ash did…

Unfortunately, she had responded with a shake of her head. Apparently she was only familiar with specific parts of the forest. She had learned not to venture in too deep.

Thinking about something else, Pikachu asked her if the forest was actually haunted. She seemed to be a bit caught off guard by that question, so he explained the rumors that Ash had told him about earlier that morning.

She still seemed slightly confused. Did that mean that they were safe? Or was it just exclusive to a part of the forest that she had never ventured into before?

Pikachu was running out of things to say again, but before he could stammer, Nebula surprisingly enough asked him a question:

What did he think of Ash?

It made sense, he supposed. Since she was going to be traveling with them…

It took a moment of hesitation to work up a response, before finally giving her his answer.

In truth, Pikachu wasn't entirely sure what he thought of Ash just yet. He and the human boy had gotten off to a rocky start, but they were still trying to work things out.

Ash was… certainly interesting. Pikachu was just about as new to all of this as Nebula was, but he was interested enough to see where it all went. He wanted to return the effort his new trainer seemed to be putting in for him, so he felt Ash deserved a second chance.

Nebula's reaction was a bit blank, so Pikachu wasn't sure what her thoughts were on the matter. But nevertheless, she still seemed to accept his answer.

Thinking of something, Pikachu asked Nebula if she wanted to hear a story. Nebula nodded. It didn't take as long for her to react this time.

Pikachu smiled, and began to tell Nebula about the history lesson that Ash had given him earlier.

The young mouse obviously had no way of ever knowing hwo things would pan out But nevertheless, he hoped that one day, in the near future, he would be able to call both Ash and Nebula his friends.

/

The sun rose high in the sky as the trio woke from their slumber.

Ash had been the first to rise, seeing Pikachu and Nebula asleep on the tree stump a few feet from one another. He hadn't wanted to disturb them, but thankfully, it didn't take too long for either to wake afterwards.

As Ash munched on his breakfast, he looked to this Pokemon.

Pikachu wasn't overly invested in his food, but was still eating it, the expanded hunger having not gone away yet. Nebula was clearly loving hers, eating at what was at least twice the pace as Ash's starter.

"Based on what I know…" said Ash, looking over to his two companions. The duo looked up from their bowls as he spoke to them. "It usually takes the average trainer about over half a week to get all the way through Viridian Forest and to Pewter City. "We'll be moving whenever we're able, in order to cover as much ground as possible today. We can get some training in if we have time, but it might be best to save that for Pewter City itself. It would be a much more focused place to train than here."

Both Pokemon nodded. It made sense. Neither of them were very comfortable with continuous training in a forest like this. Especially if they accidentally disturbed the wild Pokemon nearby. Nebula had stayed safe by remaining in a fixed area, which they obviously couldn't do if they want to get through the forest.

Ash and Pikachu had only been in Viridian Forest for a day, but the encounter with the Skorupi was more than enough of a reminder. This place could be very brutal.

Ash pulled out his Pokedex. "Unfortunately, our national map won't do us much good in the forest. But it does give information on how big the forest is. We haven't run into any trainers yet, but I know that the Bug Catchers usually reside closer to the central areas." At Nebula's curious look, he responded. "The Bug Catchers are a gang of trainers that run this place. At least, that's what they think. They are known to cause a lot of trouble for those who cross onto their turf."

Nebula nodded in understanding, seemingly annoyed at the idea. Ash didn't blame her.

As they finished breakfast, Ash observed Pikachu and Nebula's behavior. For the moment, they seemed to get along just fine, which was good news considering that they had just fought less than a day ago. There was a lot of… neutrality between the two of them, though. They clearly weren't that close yet.

Ash hoped they would be one day. Professor Oak had often gone on about how important and essential it was for a trainer and their team to all be in sync with each other. It did exponential wonders for each Pokemon's growth as individuals. There were a lot of ways that multiple Pokemon could assist each other in training, and, of course, Double Battles always relied on teamwork between the Pokemon themselves.

After packing up and preparing for another day of traveling on the road, Ash turned to Nebula. "Do you want to be in your Poke Ball? Or do you want to stay out here, Nebula?"

Nebula pointed towards the trees, indicating that she wanted to fly.

Ash nodded. "Okay. Just don't stray too far. This forest is lurking with potential dangers."

Nodding, Nebula spread her wings and prepared to fly off. But as she lifted off of the ground, Pikachu, watching her closely, suddenly got an idea. Not necessarily a good idea, though…

Just as the Starly began to gain some air, she suddenly felt the mouse's weight on top of her back, clinging to her. Letting out a very loud, and startled shriek, she began flapping her wings furiously, desperately flailing around as she struggled to stay in the air. Eventually, she gave out, collapsing to the ground underneath the mouse that had just pounced on her.

As the two picked themselves up, Nebula rubbed her head with her wing and shot Pikachu a dirty look.

Ash chuckled. "Um, Pikachu? I think you might be a little too heavy for Nebula to be giving you rides."

Pikachu rubbed the back of his head, but said nothing in response.

/

Compared to the previous two days of his journey, this day was proving to be quite uneventful so far.

Six hours of monotonous walking through the forest, with Pikachu by his side and Nebula flapping her wings closely overhead. A few wild Pokemon here and there, but most of them had thankfully retreated upon seeing them.

Ash had made attempts to capture a few, but they all escaped. After a Weedle had gotten the drop on Pikachu and lightly poisoned him after nicking him with Poison Sting (the second time that Pikachu had been poisoned in as many days) Ash had chosen to refrain from attempted captures for the time being. Thankfully, it hadn't been anywhere near as bad as the Skorupi incident.

That was about three hours ago, which meant that the next three hours were fairly monotone. They had stopped for a quick lunch break about an hour ago, in which they then proceeded to resume their uneventful stroll through the forest.

Eventually, Ash had gotten used to the boredom. It certainly beat running into Team Rocket. Or getting attacked by a group of Spearow. Or their encounter with that Skorupi. Plus, given Viridian Forest's reputation, he was honestly quite grateful that he could have such a quiet stroll through the place.

Who knows? Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if today was anything to go-

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

An unspeakably startled Ash cursed himself for jinxing them as a sword suddenly appeared in front of his face.

Pikachu jolted backwards with a startled cry as Nebula landed a few feet next him. With wide eyes, they stared at the figure in front of their trainer.

Ash's breath caught in his throat as he gazed at the boy in front of him.

He seemed to be about his age, but he was clad in samurai armor, and his face was overtaken by a ahrdened expression.

Also, he was pointing a sword in front of his face.

Ash tried to stutter out a protest, but found that hecouldn't even stammer. Why was this kid threatening him? Was he a Pokemon thief? A murderer? What was going-

"Greetings, cretin." said the mysterious figure.

Oh, yes. This kid was doing wonders for him as far as strong first impressions were concerned.

"W-w-w-w-what do you want?" Ash finally stammered out, face devoid of color. Behind him, Pikachu's cheeks were sparking as Nebula raised her wings defensively.

The kid pulled his sword away from the terrified boy, finally allowing the young trainer's heart to start beating again. "You are entering Bug Catcher territory. The Big Net has employed me as hired muscle to drive off all intruders. Turn back now, or prepare to face my wrath."

The Big Net? Was that what they called their leader?

"Wait… so we are near the center of the forest now?"

"You are approaching their turf, yes. Now then, do you accept my terms?"

Ash tried to glare, but found that he couldn't. He wasn't the one with the sword, after all.

"We need to get through here. If we go in a different direction, it'll take forever for us to-"

"HA! A stubborn one, I see!" He raised his sword, eliciting another flinch from Ash. Pikachu growled as the sparks in his cheeks increased, although even the electric mouse was beginning to take just a few steps back. Nebula stood firm, but was clearly sweating. "Where do you hail from, intruder? Tell me!"

Ash scratched the back of his head as he tried to regain his breath. "P-Pallet Town?"

"PALLET TOWN?!" The samurai kid jolted back and raised his sword. "I was beaten by a trainer from Pallet Town just yesterday! He has desecrated my honor with such humiliation!"

Ash blinked. So it must have been Gary.

"Your comrade has subjected me to unforgivable humiliation!" The samurai kid gazed at Ash with blazing eyes, as though the young trainer was the single most repulsive creature on the planet, although Ash nearly had to hold back a vomit after being subjected to the idea of him and Gary being comrades.

The Samurai practically ripped a Poke Ball out of thin air, holding the round capsule in front of his face. "I DEMAND SATISFACTION!"

...Was he… challenging them to a Pokemon battle? Ash glanced over to his teammates, whose mutually exasperated looks replaced the fear that they had felt for the new figure just a few moments ago.

This would be the first time that somebody other than Gary had challenged him. Despite being a trainer for going on three days now, Ash had only had one sanctioned battle with another trainer so far.

And that battle had been completely humiliating. He wouldn't let this one be the same way.

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS, FOUL TRESPASSER FROM PALLET TOWN! YOU SHALL FALL NOW!" He threw the Poke Ball in front of Ash. Out of it emerged a green, cocoon-like Pokemon.

A Metapod.

Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't want to deal with this newcomer or the Bug Catchers, but if they were forced to take a detour, their time spent in the forest could be doubled or worse.

"Nebula," he said, looking over to his new bird companion. "Do you think you can do this?"

After a brief moment of consideration, the Starly flew in front of her new trainer with a flap of her wings, landing just a few short feet in front of him, perched on the ground in the dirt. She eyed her opponent level headedly, trying not to be intimidated by its still sword-wielding Trainer.

"Nebula, use Wing Attack!"

Taking off into the air, Nebula charged forward and batted the Metapod with her wing. The cocoon-like Pokemon rolled backwards from the impact, but didn't seem to be very affected by it.

"FOOL! My Metapod is a master of all that is related to defense! You shall not pierce it!" The Samurai kid thrust his arm forward, pointing his sword outward as he did so. "Use Harden!"

Harden was exactly what it sounded like: A move ove that hardened Metapod's shell to be extra sturdy and durable.

Metapod's exterior glowed with white light as it reinforced its shell. Nebula's job would be harder now…

The young Starly rushed forward with yet another Wing Attack, but this time, it did very little, Metapod barely even budging from the blow.

Ash frowned. Nebula was getting frustrated right now. Hopefully she didn't do anything reckless-

The furious Starly pulled back to build up some distance, before rushing forward with Quick Attack. Before Ash could object, she struck with her foot, kicking hard at Metapod's shell…

And then proceeded to bounce around the battlefield, wailing in pain while clutching her now injured foot.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Samurai kid threw his head back and cackled into the sky. "My Metapod's defenses are impregnable! No amount of blunt force in the world can get through it! Like an iron wall, halting any and all advances ahead!" he pointed forward at Ash over dramatically. "Do what a sensible trainer would do: give up and retreat!"

Ash was starting to hate this guy even more than Gary.

"Nebula!" he called out.

Nebula tried to stop hopping around, wiping some tears from her face as she looked over in Ash and Pikachu's direction.

"Try picking Metapod up! Then fly it into a tree branch with Quick Attack!"

If this guy wanted to gloat, then they would just have to see how he reacted to this.

Quickly complying, Nebula flew over to Metapod and gripped it in her talons. She had some difficulty picking it up, especially with her aching foot, but thankfully, it proved to be easier than lifting Pikachu.

The young mouse had pounced on top of Nebula's back when she least expected it. Metapod wasn't crashing down on her, and she was more ready this time.

Nevertheless, she was still struggling to steady herself as she lifted the cocoon-like Pokemon into the air.

Ash grunted a bit. This certainly wasn't easy, but Ash supposed that Nebula would have an easier time once Quick Attack gave her the boost that she needed.

Ash called out. "Now!" Nebula rushed forward after hearing Ash give the signal. Although her grip was slipping, she held on just long enough for Metapod to crash into the tree branch nearby.

Crack!

Metapod came crashing down to the ground in a daze, a large blister now present on its body.

The samurai kid's sword dropped down to the ground as Ash's opponent looked on speechlessly.

"Wh-Wha…"

"There." said Ash, crouching down to path Nebula's head as she returned to his side. "Any more snide remarks, or can we leave now?"

"HA!" declared the Samurai kid as he quickly returned his Metapod. "You think I am not just getting started?! Soon you shall fall before me!"

A new Pokemon appeared in front of him. Ash immediately recognized the large creature as a Pinsir.

"Pikachu." said Ash, turning to his Starter pokemon. "You ready?"

Despite being intimidated by his opponent's appearance, Pikachu immediately made his way to the battlefield, attempting a squeak of aggression.

The fact that Pinsir resisted fighting type moves, combined with the Pokemon's massive bulk, would most likely render Brick Break near useless, as Pikachu had only just learned the technique, and wouldn't be able to draw out anywhere close to its full power.

"Pinsir! Vise Grip!"

Pinsir charged forward, attempting to snatch Pikachu in the giant claws on its head. Pikachu was too quick, however, and immediately dodged out of the way. Ash breathed a deep sigh of relief as he looked on. That Pinsir's claws would be fatal if they hit their mark.

Pikachu growled as he landed.

"Pinsir's claws are unstoppable! Admit defeat now or perish!"

Ash crossed his arms. This forest had a variety of bug type Pokemon just about everywhere, and that also stretched to the trainers within the forest.

He didn't envy those who were afraid of bug type Pokemon.

/

Elsewhere in the forest, an orange haired girl was screaming her lungs out as she fled from a duo of Caterpie and Weedle, her Staryu desperately trying to keep up with her and not be left behind.

/

"Thunder Shock, now!"

The electricity in Pikachu's cheeks flowed throughout his body as he shot the small lightning bolt at Pinsir. The large bug in question crossed its arms defensively as the lightning seared against its skin. Getting pushed back slightly, it maintained its balance as the electricity finally dissipated. Apart from a few minor scorch marks on its arms, it was still perfectly intact.

"Your Pikachu is far too weak! Pinsir! Pound that Pikachu into paste with Rock Smash!"

Pinsir began charged forward towards Pikachu, thudding across the ground as its glowing fist rose into the air. It wasn't nearly fast enough to catch Pikachu unprepared, however, and the mouse leapt away easily, leaving Pinsir's fist to crash against the dirt.

Ash glared. Pinsir was too bulky to easily deal significant damage. Pikachu was too fast and agile to be hit. At this rate…

"Your pathetic little mouse is nothing compared to my mighty Pinsir! We have slain thousands together! And counting! You shall fall with the rest of them!"

Ash groaned. He really needed to find a way to shut this guy up.

"Iron Tail, Pikachu! Speed yourself up with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu bolted forward as his tail glowed with metallic energy. Pinsir raised an arm to block the mighty blow as Pikachu's now metallic tail clashed against it. The rodent pushed against his opponent's arm with as much might as his small, inexperienced body could muster, but was quickly losing momentum as the giant bug type was only forced to lean back just a bit.

"Rock Smash, Pinsir!"

The fist on the arm that Pikachu was pushing against suddenly began to glow as Pinsir propelled Pikachu away, sending the mouse flying away and into a tree trunk.

CRACK!

Pikachu let out a loud yelp of pain as his back smacked into the tree trunk, falling down on his side and into the dirt.

"PIKACHU!" Ash called out.

"Pinsir!" the Samurai kid shouted triumphantly. "Finish it off with Vise Grip!"

Pinsir came charging forward as the mouse struggled to get up, clutching his aching side. Just as his opponent's claws were about to latch onto him, however, the yellow rodent just barely managed to leap to the side, traveling over Pinsir's back as he drove a quick Iron Tail into Pinsir's back. His large foe lurched forward, landing in the dirt as Pikachu continued to fly through the air, using the force from Iron Tail to propel himself higher up. The electric type ended up on the other side, tumbling a bit as he landed, before rebalancing himself on all fours.

It was a good strategy, for sure, but Pinsir was already getting up again.

Ash clenched his fists. This Pinsir didn't seem to be very skilled, but it didn't really need to be. It was far too strong for Pikachu. They would have to use a similar strategy as the one that they did against that Meowth…

"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"

Ignoring the pain in his side, Pikachu leapt up and let loose a blast of electricity. This one was different, however.

As Pinsir crossed its arms to block again, the lightning bolt struck its defenses. However, rather than simply struggle against its target's arms, the electricity began travelling across Pinsir's body, spreading out across the giant bug Pokemon's exterior.

Thunder Wave wasn't as much of an offensive move as Thunder Shock was. It instead emphasised the paralysis potential that was carried by the electricity. For this reason, the attack usually targeted the objective of disabling the opponent, rather than seriously hurting them. Pinsir's attempt at blocking wouldn't be nearly as effective, as Thunder Wave focused on traveling across the opposing Pokemon's body.

The Pinsir in question began mildly convulsing as it felt its muscles locking up. Ash smiled. The plan was working.

It wasn't perfect, however. The Pinsir's body was still incredibly tough. The Thunder Wave could only mildly paralyse it, but Ash had a plan for that.

This really was starting to remind him of the battle with Meowth.

"My Pinsir knows no limits to the concept of strength!" The Samurai kid stomped forward and thrusted his arm out. "Use Rock Smash!"

Raising a glowing fist yet again, the Pinsir began lumbering towards Pikachu. But with the electricity locking up its muscles, it was struggling to move as fast as before.

And Ash wasn't done just yet.

"Use Thunder Shock, Pikachu!"

Leaping up into the air, Pikachu fired off the small bolt of electricity, striking the advancing Pinsir before it could get too close. This time, the mouse's opponent was still successful in defensively raising its arms, but was slowed down by the Thunder Wave when doing so. As the Thunder Shock struck, the electricity stacked on top of what was already affecting Pinsir due to the Thunder Wave. Pinsir began convulsing further, struggling to move as the Thunder Shock only added to its newfound paralysis.

Ash heard Pinsir crying out in pain as the electricity seared it, and pressed his newfound advantage.

"Iron Tail, speed up with Quick Attack!"

Bolting forward, Pikachu drove a metallic tail into the now struggling to move Pinsir. Unable to resist the mouse's blow, Pinsir was knocked off of its feet, crashing down on his back and into the dirt. Still convulsing with electricity, it could not get up just yet.

"Climb a tree, Pikachu! Charge downward with Spark! USe another Quick Attack to speed yourself up again!"

Dashing up the tree and onto a branch hanging over Pinsir, Pikachu leapt into the air, coating his body and fur in lightning before plummeting downward, right on top of Pinsir.

ZAAAPP!

Pinsir howled in rage and pain as the lightning traveled across its body and locked up its muscles even further. Ash and Nebula both shielded their eyes as the attack lit up the immediate surroundings.

Eventually, Pikachu leapt off of Pinsir, who was left lying down in a heap as the crackling lightning held its body in place.

As the panting Pikachu made his way back to Ash and Nebula, the samurai kid returned his Pinsir with an exasperated expression.

"Great work, buddy!" Ash knelt down and patted his starter's head. Pikachu hesitated for a second, but soon closed his eyes and accepted the touch with a smile.

Nebula walked forward and raised a wing to the young mouse, a small smile on her face as she chirped in approval. The electric type's face mildly flushed from the attention.

Despite its obnoxious trainer, Pinsir had been a difficult opponent. Ash would have been lying to say he hadn't gotten nervous, but everything had turned out okay.

For the first time ever, he had won a battle against another trainer.

The humiliation from his first defeat at Gary's hands was almost a distant memory at this point. looking between his two teammates, Ash felt a feeling of earned satisfaction welling up in his chestn.

They would only go even farther in the future.

Looking over to the samurai kid, Ash saw his opponent frozen in place.

"I… lost…" the samurai kid wailed. "Me… perfection incarnate… defeated…" he collapsed down onto his knees, pressing his hands into the dirt as he wailed. His sword still lay next to him. "First the obnoxious trainer from Pallet Town… then the girl from Fuschia City… and now… another trainer from Pallet...have I lost my edge?!"

Ash blinked. Was it normal to be this overly dramatic about a loss?

"I am invincible! I am without fear! I am unstoppable! I am unrivaled! I am SUPREME!"

Suddenly, the samurai kid bolted upwards, and a startled Ash found himself with a sword in his face yet again.

"But know this, insufferable trainer from Pallet Town."

HE was the insufferable one here?!

"I will not take this defeat lying down. My training shall double. Triple. QUADRUPLE. I will spend every hour of my life honing my blade for our inevitable rematch. You will live in fear, for every second of every day, knowing that one day, I shall return. You will be helpless to stop me, for no amount of training in the world, in the universe, will be able to prepare you for what I shall become. I shall dedicate every fiber of my very being, no, every fiber of my very soul, to bringing you down, so that you shall know true pain, misery, and above all, defeat, on the day that I return. Your very core will be shook by the failure that awaits you, as I correct the very loss that I have suffered from today, and deliver it back to you, AT THOUSANDS OF TIMES THE MAGNITUDE!"

Ash blinked in bewilderment, staring at his opponent for wht felt like an eternity... but suddenly, he realised something.

"Wait a minute…" he reached out and gripped the samurai kid's sword. Suddenly, he jumped backwards, and pointed at his opponent accusingly. "This sword isn't even real! It's plastic!"

"IIIIIIIII SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL RETUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRN!" the samurai kid blasted off in the other direction, screaming loudly for the heavens to hear.

The previous feeling of joy was replaced with exasperation as Ash watched him retreat. Looking over to Pikachu and Nebula, he could see a similar reaction from the duo, trying and failing to process what had just happened. Looking off into the distance, and observing the giant dust cloud that their opponent had left behind, Ash found that he couldn't even let out a sigh.

Maybe this forest really DID drive people insane.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, the trio's relatively peaceful stroll through Viridian Forest had ended with the previous battle.

Not even an hour after the encounter with the samurai kid, Pikachu and Nebula leapt back with startled yelps as two figures abruptly emerged from the bushes.

"HALT, TRESPASSERS!"

Ash blinked in surprise at the two people in front of him. Both were only slightly older than him, carrying large nets and wearing mediocre camouflage uniforms.

Irritably, he held back the urge to grit his teeth. 'Bug Catchers.

The Bug Catcher Gang wasn't known for being particularly strong, even among most rookie trainers. But they were constant. Like a swarm, any trainer passing through the forest was likely to encounter them, an inevitability that Ash had been dreading.

One bug catcher took out a Poke Ball. "If you wish to proceed further, you must either pay the fee, or turn back."

Ash glared. "We're just headed to Pewter-"

"By passing through our turf! The conditions still stand, so hand over a valuable or make yourselves scarce."

Inwardly, Ash's expression twisted. These people thought they owned the forest; like a noble governing a piece of land. Who did they think they were, trying to obstruct travelers just because-

"You're time's up; Caterpie, eliminate them!"

A green, worm-like Pokemon appeared in a bright flash of light. It gazed intently at Ash and his friends.

"This unstoppable creature shall now put you in your place! Use Tackle attack!"

Caterpie began rushing forward as fast as it could…

...Which wasn't very fast.

Ash groaned. "Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

Using Quick Attack to boost his speed, Pikachu met the incoming Caterpie head on. A loud crack sounded as the metallic tail collided with the green bug type Pokemon's head, sending Caterpie rolling backwards until it hit a tree trunk.

"WHAT?!" screeched the bug catcher in an insufferably ear scratching cry as he gazed at his now unconscious Pokemon. "But that Caterpie was supposed to be unbeatable! It never lost a fight before!"

"How many fights did it win?" Ash raised a brow.

"This was its first fight!"

… Ash hated this damn forest.

The other bug catcher stepped in front of his partner. "Take Caterpie back to the base. I will deal with the intruders."

As the first bug batcher returned his Pokemon and ran off, the second one held up a Poke Ball, releasing a Weedle.

Ash flinched a bit. Weedle were more dangerous than Caterpie due to their poisonous abilities.

"Nebula," he said, looking over to his bird-like companion. "Be careful."

Nebula nodded and flapped her wings just long enough to position in front of her new trainer, eying her opponent carefully.

Ash was confident that Nebula would be able to handle her opponent, but he knew that letting his guard down would get her poisoned. Thankfully, Weedle were very limited in terms of moveset. As long as they avoided their opponent's, they should be fine.

"Whirlwind!"

Launching herself into the air, Nebula flapped her wings as mightily as her body allowed her too. The large gust of wind created from the pressure bowled over the Weedle, sending it rolling across the dirt.

"Poison Sting!"

Regaining its bearings as the wind died down, Weedle charged forward with its stinger sticking out in front. It was a little bit faster than Caterpie, but Nebula avoided it pretty easily, driving her wing into the side of the Weedle's head.

One Quick Attack later and the Weedle was down.

Returning his Pokemon, the Bug Catcher turned to face Ash.

"You haven't seen the last of us, intruders. Turn back now before backup comes; otherwise, this'll be your final warning!"

With that, he fled off in the same direction as his partner, and Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula were left with the sinking feeling that this was only just the beginning.

/

A good deal of Viridian Forest was endless trees as far as the eye could see. Although there were plenty of clearings, they still only made up a small fraction of the massive forest and the amount of land that it covered.

The biggest clearing, however, was near the very center of the forest, and that was where the Bug Catcher Gang made it's primary base.

Several log cabins, spread out throughout the clearing, served as their primary form of shelter from within the forest. Equipment lined the outside walls of the cabin, and consisted of nets, shovels, and standard hiking gear. They were also accompanied by stolen supplies from other trainers.

Right now, a couple dozen members of the gang were out and about, while a few others were resting within the cabins. The gang had seen an all time high increase in members in the past year or so. For as many of them currently stayed at the camp, a few times more were currently prowling the forest, just waiting to pick off any "trespassers" that sunk their boots onto their turf.

Near the center of the base was the largest cabin, with a roof resembling the shell of a Cascoon. Sitting against the door was a girl dressed in a somewhat dirty uniform, stained from trekking through the forest for such a long time. A forest ranger hat rested upon her head, concealing some of her teal hair, which was tied back into a surprisingly neat ponytail.

A few leaves of a nearby plant brushed against her slightly tan skin as she fiddled with the Poke Ball in her hand, deep in thought.

Leading the Bug Catcher Gang was tiring, to say the very least. With the unbearable increase in members, she was forced to promote advisors just to help her keep track of everything. Not to mention that, "business" was especially high now that it was the beginning of the Season. These past two days, new trainers from Viridian City had been all over the forest. It meant much more work for her and her subordinates.

More intruders meant more goods to pilfer, after all.

"Big Net!"

She looked up to see two bug catchers approaching her. They were both among the newest and youngest members of the group. Granted, everybody who worked for her was younger than her.

"Yes?" as she stood up, her voice had a very… unique layer of stoicism to it. She sounded very distant, lost in thought. As though her mind was always on something else, other than the current topic at hand. Her tone was hollow with every word she uttered.

"We have just received word from our scouts: The samurai has been vanquished yet again!"

The bug catcher frantically stamped the gorund as she spoke. A common habit from her subordinates when things did not go their way.

She sighed, running a hand through her teal hair as she sized up the two in front of her.

"But that's the third time he has lost in the past two days." she stated matter of factly, tone of voice unchanging. "Who took out our mercenary this time?"

"Some boy from Pallet Town, it seem." said the other Bug Catcher, who was ruthlessly biting his nails clean. Yet another common habit.

Her face scrunched up. "Another one? We already heard of his humiliation by the spiky haired kid with the Squirtle just yesterday morning?"

"And the purple haired girl with the Bulbasaur last night." the first Bug Catcher chirped in.

"We need to get a new mercenary." the second Bug Catcher deadpanned.

She let out another sigh, this one quite deep. "He has proven very… ineffective in these first few days of the Season. Perhaps he has lost his touch. His blade needs to be sharpened."

"Are you speaking of reevaluation?" the first bug catcher's head tilted. His eyes remained the same, filled with crazed fanaticism, yet innocnet ignorance.

"Perhaps." she said blankly in a very matter of fact manner. "And what of the rest of our troops? Have there been any more incidents with this new… Pallet Town boy since then?"

The second bug catcher saluted. "Yes! These past few hours, we have attempted ambushes with several of our soldiers, and all of them were quite swiftly annihilated! He's the real deal! They say that his Pikachu moves faster than the very lightning that shoots out of its tail!"

Her frown deepened. "He's been that much trouble in such a short amount of time? When was the last time someone's given us this much issue?"

"I do not recollect! For I have only been here for four months!"

"I see…"

"Big Net… what are your orders?"

The two bug catchers stared intently as their leader rested her chin in her palm. Her distant gaze was directed at nothing, reaching far out into the forest, with no target in particular.

"We can't take his success sitting down." her hollow voice was just loud enough to get her point across. She never raised it outside of the fiercest of battles. Looking up, she stared at her two subordinates. "Otherwise, we'll lose our touch, and the more people who humiliate us, the more our operations will suffer." Her scouts wre far from undefeated, but up to this point, their group still had a steady stream of goods coming in from successfuls thefts and "fees". Losing to the same person repeatedly would only make weaker intruders less likely to comply to their demands should word ever get out; this had to be nipped in the bud.

"Her wisdom is unrivaled!" The first bug catcher was gazing in awe.

"The Big Net is the supreme ruler of Viridian Forest, and the big sister to all who carry the Bug Catcher name!" The second was equally enraptured.

She didn't comment; the majority of the grunts had taken to calling her by her alias, so the odd behavior was far from unusual for her. Many in her ranks were like this; quirky misfits in need of direction.

Instead, she glanced over at an orange haired boy passing by, minding his business and not butting into their conversation. "Feral, I need you here."

The orange haired boy, Feral, glanced over to her, his movements halted. "Yes, Kimberly?"

"A boy from Pallet Town has been giving our scouts more trouble than normal. Inform all in the field that we are switching our patrol tactics to First A. Until further notice, am I clear?"

Feral bowed to his superior. "It will be done, I assure you."

Gazing off into the distance, Kimberly tightened her fists, yet no rage or emotion of any sort appeared on her face.

"Let's see how long it takes to ensnare this one."

/

The moon was high in the sky as a sighing Ash sank into the ground, leaning against the large tree stump in the clearing.

The Bug Catchers had been relentless. First the samurai kid, and now they were getting ambushed at what felt like every turn. He was almost afraid to take another step, knowing that there was a fifty-fifty chance that two, maybe even three, Bug Catchers would be bursting out of the nearest bush to attempt havoc on him and his new teammates.

So far, none of the battles had been particularly challenging; a Butterfree had nearly stopped Pikachu in his tracks with a surprise Stun Spore, but after that close call, Pikachu's Thunder Shock and Iron Tail had brought the battle to an end.

The problem wasn't the battles. It was the Bug Catchers themselves. They were like a parasitic swarm; spewing entitled nonsense with insuffesrable persistence. And after the battle, most of them didn't even pay him any money…

Their parting words were always the same too: "We'll get you next time!", "You shall rue the day you ever came here!" or, "The Big Net will never forgive you for this!" it was tiring to say the very least.

Looking over to Pikachu and Nebula, Ash could tell that they were both getting fed up with it, too. The mouse's face made no effort to hide the agitation, and the bird was glum, unenthusiastic as she consumed her food.

Honestly, he imagined the constant intrusion might have been slightly more tolerable if prize money was involved, but less than half of them had even bothered. At this point, it usually felt like they were getting harassed for nothing. After meeting Janine, he had been looking forward to interacting with other friendly trainers. The Bug Catchers clearly weren't those people.

"Sorry about the rough day, you too" he caught their attention. "But at the pace we're going right now, Pewter City should only be a few days away. Then we can leave this forest behind, and never look back."

Pikachu and Nebula weren't particularly happy, but the thought of leaving the forest was appealing enough to motivate them, even Nebula, who had just been caught in the forest itself. Ash supposed that meeting the Bug Catchers had soured her opinion on the place, outside of the sections that she was used to. He hoped that his words would heighten their morale. The sooner they left, the better.

But for now, it was time to turn in for the night, and pray to the Guardian Mew for a smoother tomorrow.

/

Nebula was flying overhead as Ash and Pikachu made their way down the path in silence. They had risen early today, in hopes of uncovering as much ground as possible. The presence of the Bug Catchers was more than enough motivation to speed up their travels in hopes of soon reaching the end.

So far, no Bug Catchers had ambushed them, but Ash wasn't about to get his hopes up. Not after yesterday.

Nebula was staying close to Ash, as was Pikachu. Neither Pokemon was willing to venture too far out, if not because of the erratic wildlife that resided deep within the forest, then because of the obnoxious bug catchers that were undoubtedly on the prowl. Part of Ash wasn't too worried about them because the battles had mostly been nuisances up to this point. They had yet to face a bug catcher that posed too much of a threat to him or his team.

But the fact that such nuisances were so common left an overhanging sensation of dread in his mind. A few Bug Catchers here and there wouldn't be a problem, especially if they were among the ones who begrudgingly offered prize money after losing.

The constant ambushes, however, were a different matter entirely.

Did every trainer who ventured into the forest really have to deal with this? Ash found that hard to believe. Given that the Bug Catcher Gang was primarily stationed in the central portion of the forest, perhaps some trainers with a better sense of direction than him were capable of going around it, without having to take too much of a detour? That was the only explanation that he could think of. Why else wouldn't the League be cracking down on these despicable troublemakers?

Granted, Ash knew that he probably wasn't getting the worst of it. They hadn't stolen anything yet, and he'd heard stories of such events before, so he supposed he shouldn't be complaining… just yet.

For now, he would just enjoy the quiet time until they-

The ground gave out from beneath him and he let out a startled yelp as he felt the weight of gravity pushing him down below.

THUD! Just as suddenly as the descent, he felt a pain in his butt as he hit the ground.

Hearing Pikachu's startled cry, he looked up to see his starter and Nebula nervously peering down at him, the bird-like Pokemon landing by the young mouse's side as he took in his surroundings.

Walls of dirt closed him off from going anywhere else.

He had fallen into a pit trap.

Ash glared. It must have been one of the Bug Catcher Gang's tricks. What was up with these people? Did they have any motive for this? Did they not realize that halting the progress of "trespassers" would only make it take longer for them to finally leave their territory, like they wanted them to? Or maybe this was an attempt to steal-

"MUHAHA! That hole shall become your tombstone, trespasser!"

Ash groaned at the sound of retreating feet as Pikachu and Nebula chattered angrily at the fleeing bug catchers.

/

With difficulty, he was able to climb out of the uncomfortable hole, which thankfully fell just short of being too deep, but the experience had left his clothes filthier than usual.

And unfortunately, that wasn't the only pit trap that he had fallen into that day.

Ash counted about six. After the first four traps, he had found a clearing to quickly change his clothes at, only for his change of clothes to be ruined by the remaining two.

What's more? The fighting had resumed, but this time there seemed to be some kind of coordinated pattern to their attacks. Almost like they had a plan.

They had forgone ambushing him in the bushes and had instead taken to attacking Pikachu and Nebula while he was stuck in a hole. The angle was likely to steal his belongings while he was vulnerable in the hole, while also trying to pick off his Pokemon while he couldn't give orders. The move was clever, but…

They still weren't very strong.

Ash was assuming that the gang had some sort of survival instincts to carry them through the forest, because they sure as hell didn't have the muscle to survive it. None of their Pokemon had put up much of a fight.

By the time he had climbed his way out of each hole, the bug catchers were already running off, always declaring that they'll be back for vengeance. And none of them had given him any money.

Now it was nighttime again, and Pikachu and Nebula were even more agitated than the previous night. Ash had tried the same "morale raising" promises that he had before, but he wasn't sure how much longer they were going to work at this point.

It was the kind of situation where you really wanted to do something, in this case, get out of the forest, but you were so fed up that you no longer had the energy left to pull it off. Ash was starting to feel it too; even as he tried to raise motivation amongst the Pokemon duo, he wondered if he even believed his own words. The day had just been too exhausting to be viewed in optimism.

Eventually, he decided that striking up a different conversation would be the best way to go about things.

"Pikachu, Nebula." he said, his two Pokemon looking over to him as they turned their attention away from their food. "Are you looking forward to challenging Pewter's Gym?"

The mouse and bird seemed to think that question over. Ash doubted that they had put much thought into it compared to him, as they were not trainers. He wondered how a Pokemon felt about challenging Gyms so soon after being caught.

After all, the Pokemon were obviously not the ones who came up with such an idea. It was the trainers who chose to challenge the Gyms. To get the badges. The Pokemon just… went along with it.

But what were the motives that the Pokemon acted on, anyway? Did they go beyond simply listening to their trainers?

Pikachu and Nebula didn't seem to have an answer to this, but the electirc type still raised a paw and let out a questioning chatter. Ash took this as an invitation to elaborate on his question. They likely wanted to know more. It was understandable, neither Pikachu or Nebula would have any way of knowing much about the League, right?

"Well…" Ash began, considering his words. "You both already know about how I want to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master, right?"

Pikachu and Nebula nodded. How could they not know that? Their new trainer was always talking about the Conference, and how it was the first step to achieving the dreams of the most ambitious trainers. How winning the Conference was such a huge achievement. Making it to the Conference opened a brand new threshold for any trainer to experience.

Ash crossed his legs as he eyed his teammates.

"Gyms are an important part of that process, you see." he adjusted his cap. "They are the qualifiers for the Conference. They determine who is strong enough to enter it."

Pikachu returned to his food for a second before looking back up towards Ash. Nebula, while tempted, had chosen to wait for a bit. She likely wasn't as hungry, as she ate faster.

"Gym Leaders are the leaders of their respective territories." Ash explained. "Giovanni, for example, governs Viridian. He's in charge of their law enforcement, and has a hand in starter Pokemon distribution. Their main purpose is to watch over their respective territories, and protect them. They are the highest ranking League officials of where they are stationed. But they are also the ones who test the trainers trying to compete in the Conference. And they are strong; much stronger than these bug catchers, for sure."

Pikachu perked up at that. Ever since the humiliating fight against Gary, and the debacle with the Skorupi, the mouse had seemingly expressed genuine interest in getting stronger. Not to be the best, like Ash, but just to no longer be pushed around. It was a different motive, but one he seemed committed to nonetheless.

Ash had told him that battling against strong opponents was the best way to do this, however. Which of course, risked more humiliation. It was conflicting, but he would help his starter ensure that it would be worth it.

"Typically, a Gym Leader specializes in a specific type. There is no rule that says they have too, nor do they need to exclusively use the type that they specialize in, but every Gym Leader in the Kanto and Johto Regions are type specialists." Ash explained. "They each hand out a badge pertaining to their respective Gym. Trainers trying to compete in the Conference are expected to win eight of these badges before the Season is over. Oh, but if you're not able to earn all eight of them in one Season, then any badges that are already in your possession will not be eligible for the next Season. Qualifications are as strict as they come." As they had always been; the Conference was the most prestigious event in Indigo.

He paused for a moment, allowing the information to sink in.

Nebula had finished her food, having gotten back to eating while still listening to Ash closely, and was now eying Pikachu's food. The mouse had progressively gotten tired of it over the past few nights, and Ash wondered if the electric mouse's period of extensive hunger post-evolution was beginning to wind down. Pikachu in question had stopped eating to listen to his trainer. Apparently this story was more interesting than the food was.

"Gym Leaders have a large variety of Pokemon at their disposal." Ash explained. "The battles are orchestrated like tests for the trainers. Most Gym Leaders don't use their strongest teams against inexperienced Trainers, but that doesn't mean they go easy on them." He breathed. "It's just the first step, though. Completing the task of earning eight badges is difficult enough, but it's the Conference itself that really brings the intensity. It's a competition between the best trainers of the Season, those who have earned the eight badges. In Indigo, the Conference covers every Region under the Empire's banner. This also means that not all of a trainer's badges need to be strictly from Kanto or Johto abecause ny combination of badges from gyms under the League's authority are eligible." he was shaking a bit now. "But the fact that multiple Regions are involved also means that there is even more competition. Not all Conferences cover multiple Regions, but it goes for any League whose authority stretches past their native land. I'm hoping to break records there; be one of the few rookiesto make it there, maybe even be the first rookie trainer to make it to the top 16, where the six on six rounds are held." he chuckled. "And really, my reasons are simple. I just want to be the best. When I see Lance, Karen, Bruno, Lorelei, Agatha, whenever I see them battling, it just reminds me of what I could become. If I really push myself… they are what every dedicated trainer in Indigo strives to be, even if few can." his eyes steeled. "I want to become one of those people! Not just to prove Gary wrong…"

Nebula's face scrunched up at the sound of the name. Pikachu had told her about Gary before, and the boy most certainly did not sound appealing to her.

"...But because it's just something that I've wanted to do ever since I was a little kid! I became so fascinated by the professional side of Pokemon training… that it became my dream. Not just something that I enjoy… but something that I want…" he paused and took a deep breath, realizing that he had allowed himself to ramble. "But enough about me. I'm sure you two have something that you dream for too, right?"

Pikachu and Nebula shared unsure glances at that. Truth be told, neither of them had ever given it much thought before. Pikachu had never really imagined life beyond the environment that he grew up in, and for Nebula, Viridian Forest was pretty much the whole entire world.

Ash may not have understood what they were saying but… he enjoyed talking to them. As he began brainstorming about things that Pikachu and Nebula might want to achieve for themselves, he took note that the two had gotten more sociable with one another. Used to each other. And that Pikachu was sharing some of his food with Nebula.

The bird Pokemon, who Ash initially wasn't sure would be completely on board with them, was seemingly opening up to the young mouse little by little. It was comforting to see. Certainly much more comforting than the various sounds and cries that he could hear emitting from the trees.

But there was something else tonight. Something else that ended up making him feel even more uneasy.

Was something… watching them?

He could almost feel another presence in their midst. As though the temperature was dropping…

As though there were a pair of blazing, dangerous eyes, burning into the back of his head no matter which direction that he looked in...

/

Day four in this miserable forest. The vegetation had grown thicker, and Ash felt the leaves brushing against his skin as he made his way through the now seemingly non-existent path, which was now almost completely covered by grass blades and bushes.

Pikachu had taken to riding on his new trainer's shoulder, not too keen on walking through bush after bush. Nebula, after seeing the overabundance of low hanging branches that would inhibit her flight, had opted to stay in her Poke Ball.

Ash couldn't help but find himself… somewhat pleased by Pikachu riding on his shoulder. The young boy wasn't sure why, but he enjoyed the feeling, all the same. He could get used to this.

This was the longest that they'd gone without a bug catcher ambush. Ash had expected them to be all over him and his team at this point, but even an hour after a lunch break, there was still no sign of them.

Ash wanted to think that this meant that they were in the clear. Maybe they'd passed through bug catcher territory already? But that sounded too good to be true. He didn't want to get his hopes up, only for them to be immediately dashed the next time some random weirdo came bursting through the bushes shouting "TRESPASSER!" at the top of their lungs.

Ash felt that the safest approach would simply be to continue dreading whenever their next attack was going to be. That way, he'd be pleasantly surprised if it didn't actually happen, and not be disappointed when it inevitably did.

"Hey Pikachu," he turned his eye in the electric rodent's direction. The yellow Pokemon was steadily perched on his new trainer's shoulder, smiling lightly, but still having a sense of dread in his eyes. Clearly, the bug catchers were on Pikachu's mind, too. "If we reach another clearing before dark, would you like to get some training in? I was thinking of asking Nebula too, if we ever get the chance."

Pikachu's reply seemed positive. Ash had told him about how useful of a move that Double Team could be, and the rodent seemed to be keen on learning it.

"Good! It would be really good if we got Double Team down before challenging the Gym. To help speed up the process, I was thinking of-"

He was cut off by the sound of a scream. But this one wasn't a bug catcher.

It was a very high pitched scream… definitely a Pokemon… but he couldn't quite place it…

"You heard that, right?" Ash flinched. It was a stupid question. Of course Pikachu had heard it!

Pikachu's ears were twitching. Sticking straight upwards, they wiggled around as the mouse looked in the direction of the voice.

Ash bit his lip.

"Should we… check it out?"

Pikachu wasn't so sure, but… something was compelling Ash too look. Suddenly, it was as though his body was moving on its own.

Ash didn't know it yet, and probably wouldn't know it for a while, but he would eventually come to be very, very, very thankful to himself for doing what he did.

/

A frustrated Feral ran a hand through his bright, orange hair. How had this happened?

In front of him was a rope hanging from a nearby tree branch. And dangling upside down from said rope, was a Pokemon.

It was definitely foreign. Most certainly not a Pokemon that you would normally find in Indigo, or even in a forest in general. So that begged the question that the bug catcher continuously found himself asking: What was it doing here?

Two bug catchers stood by either side of him; one boy and one girl. They each turned to him for instructions.

"Well, Feral?" said the female bug catcher. "This wasn't what we were expecting…"

The Pokemon looked like it could be humanoid, but didn't look very human, nonetheless. It was about a foot tall. Red horns on top of its head. Most of its body was white. Green hair obscured much of its face.

It was currently flailing about in a panic, startled by the trap. Desperation was in its tone of voice as its small arms flew around all over the place, the rope swaying from side to side as its prisoner struggled.

Humanoid Pokemon weren't common in forests… there was clearly a reason why this Pokemon was here.

"I was hoping that this trap would catch the Pallet Town intruder that we've been chasing after." said Feral as he continued to eye the suspicious Pokemon carefully. "Instead we get a creature that I am unable to identify."

"Would our leader know what it is?" the male Bug Catcher inquired.

"Most certainly. Which is why we should probably take it back to the base. Could be another intruder."

The sound of frantic footsteps and snapping twigs interrupted them before they could make another move, however.

Ash emerged from the wide array of leaves that had previously been obscuring him. Pikachu was on his shoulder. The trainer stopped to take in the scene before him.

"Hey!" he called out angrily. "What are you doing with that Pokemon?"

Feral tilted his head towards the trainer. "So you're the intruder, I suppose." He fully turned to face Ash and Pikachu. "It was like this when we found it. This trap was meant for intruders like yourself, but it seems a Pokemon has found its way in instead."

"You'll let it down?" Ash asked carefully.

"And take it to our leader." said Feral cooly. "As the patrol advisor, I have a responsibility to carry out."

"And what's your leader going to do with it?" Ash asked, his brow furrowed.

"Who knows?"

Ash grit his teeth. Who did these people think they were? Pit traps were bad enough, but rope traps that held you upside down? And they weren't just going to let the Pokemon go free?

"You're not taking that Pokemon." Ash was somewhat surprised by the amount of backbone that he had put into that statement. At least, he hoped that it qualified as backbone.

"You have no say in that." said Feral, taking out a Poke Ball. "But I suppose we can battle to decide who claims it."

The male bug catcher pumped his fist. "A challenge from Feral himself! Nobody outside of the Big Net can beat him in a fight!"

Emerging from the orange haired boy's Poke Ball was a round, purple bug with large, red eyes.

"Venonat is my partner. If you can get past her, then you get the mysterious Pokemon that we caught." the Bug Catcher advisor crossed his arms. "Otherwise, you'll be out of luck."

Well, Ash could credit this one for not being as annoying as all of the others. He wondered if that meant he would be more difficult to defeat.

Nebula appeared in front of him in a flash. Turning to him, the young bird seemed quite irritable, chirping to Ash and Pikachu angrily about how she had told them that she had wanted to stay in her Poke Ball.

"Heads up, Nebula." Ash raised his hands above his head in hopes of calming her down. "We're in the middle of a battle, here."

Perking up at that, Nebula turned to face her opponent. The bug watched her closely, almost as cool headed as her trainer. Said orange haired trainer snapped his fingers as he declared his first order.

"Venonat has dealt with birds before. We shall now commence our anti-flight strategy. Tackle!"

With surprising speed, Venonat charged forward. Nebula immediately flapped her wings, propelling herself into the air and avoiding the attack. However, Feral didn't seem too surprised as he responded.

"Supersonic!"

Ash's ears suddenly felt a blazing pain as the most horrific of sounds emitted from Venonat's body. He could hear Pikachu crying out while the mouse desperately tried to close his own ears as Nebula recoiled from the sudden shock, knocking her out of the air.

As Nebula landed back first into the dirt, Ash tried to regain his bearing in the midst of such a horrible shrieking noise. Gratefully, the sound began dying down.

Ash growled. Nebula's options were limited. He doubted that the Starly had complete control over Aerial Ace, and Double Edge was most certainly out of the question. Either way, that Supersonic would be a problem. If Nebula wasn't prepared for it, it would continue to knock her out of her flight attempts. Even then, he doubted that it would be easy to concentrate with such a horrific noise in your ears… he certainly couldn't.

Feral nodded in approval. "Perfect, Venonat. Now Psybeam."

A small beam of narrow, rainbow light emitted from Venonat's face. A loud SHING! noise sounded off as Nebula was struck square in the chest by the attack, right as she attempted to get up.

Ash squirmed as his bird teammate was sent tumbling backwards, stopping at her back yet again. This new bug catcher was quick on his feet. He hadn't had a challenging battle since the samurai kid and his Pinsir, but this one would be a problem…

"Now, Confusion."

Venonat's eyes began flashing furiously, as if the Pokemon was struggling to properly use the attack. Nevertheless, its eyes eventually began to glow a steady, albeit faint blue. Nebula started as a thin blue outline appeared on her body. Against her will, she slowly but surely began lifting into the air.

Ash grimaced. Confusion was a fairly potent move for beginner level pokemon. It allowed the user to manipulate objects and even living things with their mind, freezing them in place and moving them about on their own.

But much like most non-psychic type Pokemon, at least those at the beginner level, this Venonat was having trouble using it. It was a difficult move to master for just about any experienced Pokemon that was not a psychic type itself.

"Fight back, Nebula! Break free with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu was shouting his own words of encouragement as Nebula struggled against the psychic hold that Venonat had placed on her. Looking over to Venonat, Ash could see that the purple bug was struggling to maintain the move. As long as Nebula won out in a war of attrition…

Venonat's eyes blinked, and after a few seconds, the flashing went away. Nebula, caught off guard, found herself abruptly rushing forward with the power of Quick Attack. A startled screech escaped her beak as she slammed beak first into the Venonat.

Ash could hear Feral grunting in frustration as Venonat tumbled away, but Nebula too recoiled from the attack, tumbling backwards in midair before just barely regaining her bearings with a forceful flap of her wings. As she continued flapping her wings in place, hovering just above the center of the battlefield, Ash took notice of the light shaking of her head. She was likely hurt from the sudden impact.

Feral maintained his composure for the most part as Venonat returned to her feet. "Poison Powder!"

Ash flinched. Poison Powder was exactly what it sounded like, and as the purple substance emitted from Venonat's body and made its way towards Nebula, he reacted immediately.

"Use Whirlwind!"

The wind kicked up as the hurt, but still battle ready Nebula flapped her wings as furiously as possible, letting out a mighty, albeit high-pitched, battle cry as the large, sudden gust repelled the powder back to its source.

Venonat struggled against the wind, as did Feral and his two companions, but all remained firmly in place as the powder harmlessly sprinkled over Venonat.

"Impressive. It was clever to use Whirlwind to blow the attack back to us. I figured you might try something like that, but Venonat is immune to Poison Powder. It's a good thing I didn't have her use Stun Spore." Ferak remained stoic. "But let's see how your bird friend handles another Supersonic!"

Ash and Pikachu both instinctively covered their ears as Nebula shrieked in displeasure at the noise that once again invaded her sense of hearing. Ash could see her concentration slipping as she began to slowly descend from the air…

Although he wanted to look away, as though it would somehow make the horrible sound go away too, Ash steeled himself as he stepped forward. "Nebula! Use Whirlwind to propel yourself in the air!"

Putting all of her resolve into flapping her wings, Nebula created the largest gust that she had ever managed before. Her mind was jumbled by the horrific noise that invaded her hearing, but somehow, she managed to ascend high above the battlefield, gliding in the air, away from the noise, and trying to regain her bearings.

She felt somewhat dizzy for a second, but it soon settled as her eyes focused on the large tree leaves ahead of her. Taking a deep breath, she found herself returning to normal, a calm mood entering her mindset as she looked downward at her opponent, who was now far below her.

"Speed yourself up with Quick Attack and use Wing Attack!" Ash had to raise his voice as high as possible in order to ensure that she heard him. Thankfully, she did, but he hoped that he hadn't disturbed any wild Pokemon with the sudden noise…

Nebula flew straight downward, putting all of her might into Quick Attack as she shrieked down towards her now fast-approaching opponent. The wind pressure against her face had her feathers swaying backwards against the resistance as she plummeted downward towards the ground. She raised her wing as she prepared to attack…

CRACK!

The impact of the blow was practically as loud as the Supersonic itself. Venonat had no time to react, and could only let out a startled cry of pain as Nebula's wing collided with her forehead, immediately pinning her on the ground, back-first, as the painful blow to the head immediately registered, the large bruise that it produced rivaled only by the pain that she felt just before losing consciousness.

A moment later, Feral returned Venonat to her Poke Ball, and Pikachu nervously made his way to Nebula as the young bird nursed her now sore wing. Ash would have to apply some potion to both her wing and her head afterwards…

For now, his attention was on Feral as the orange haired boy approached him, both of his bug catcher companions in tow.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem to be too upset about how the battle had turned out. Ash couldn't say that he was the biggest fan of this bug catcher, given that he was planning to take advantage of a Pokemon that was caught in a trap, but he could at least respect the apparent good sportsmanship.

If only they were all like this one.

"Impressive…" said Feral. He was attempting to sound blank, but his tone clearly had a layer of surprise to it. "I wasn't expecting that last trick with your Whirlwind."

Truth be told, Ash had thought that one up at the last minute. Looking over to Nebula, he was amazed at how she managed it. The adrenaline rush from being startled by Supersonic, perhaps?

Either way, he would definitely be excited about new ways regarding how to utilize Whirlwind in the future.

But now was not the time to be trying to think of new ideas for the move. That could come later on, after they had left this dreaded forest.

To his surprise, the orange haired boy reached into his pocket and held out a surprising amount of money.

"Here, this is yours. Don't think too much of it."

As Ash quickly took the money (a bit excited about one of the rare instances where a bug catcher was actually willing to pay him for winning) Feral continued.

"Well, a deal is a deal. The Pokemon is yours. Do what you want with it. I'm leaving now." Turning to the bug catchers, he pointed in a separate direction. "Let's go."

Ash watched the group walk off, a bit confused about what had just gone down. That particular bug catcher wasn't like the rest of them. He was still trying to wrap his head around there being a member of the group who was not completely obnoxious, but pushed those thoughts aside as he turned to Pikachu and Nebula, the duo currently heading on over to him. Pikachu was supporting Nebula a bit, and Ash suddenly realised that her wing injury was worse than he thought.

Guilt washed over him

"Sorry…" he said, kneeling down and lightly patting his bird companion on the head. "That was reckless of me."

"Reckless" being a pretty big understatement, of course. Since Nebula wasn't very durable yet, she was obviously going to be much more prone to injuring herself from stunts like that, and Ash was cursing himself for not realising this. He would never become a Pokemon Master if he kept being this negligent.

"Let's cut that Pokemon down." Ash was attempting to stop his guilty frown from spreading too much, trying not to think about it. "I'll look at you right away." They needed to find another clearing quickly.

/

"You don't seem to be very upset about the loss, Feral." the female bug catcher pointed out.

"Of course not, I'm looking at this from the bigger picture." the orange haired boy declared. "We at least have more to work off in terms of gauging their abilities. I'll report the battle to Kimberly and go from there."

"What do you think that Pokemon was anyway?" the male bug catcher wondered aloud.

/

A tiny clearing was thankfully nearby, allowing Ash to tend to Nebula's injuries more safely after having Pikachu cut the mysterious Pokemon down with Iron Tail. Seeing that yet another one of his Pokemon had been hurt because of his own choices had brought back very unpleasant memories of the Spearow flock, but Ash tried to convince himself that this wasn't the same thing. Nevertheless, the parallels wouldn't stop running through his head.

After healing Nebula's wing and head with some potions (and apoligizing for the upteenth time) Ash returned her to her Poke Ball in order to allow her time to rest up. Between the struggle to break free from Confusion, and the damage that she had taken from the battle, she was still quite exhausted even after the healing. He was guilty that she wouldn't be able to properly meet the Pokemon that she had saved, but he knew that her rest was important. At the very least, Pikachu was still around, as he had freed the Pokemon from the trap.

The Pokemon in question was quite quiet, but seemed to be grateful.

Currently, Ash was seated on a small rock as he observed the small Pokemon. Pikachu was cautiously approaching it, doing his best not to freak it out too much, to his trainer's gratitude.

The Pokemon was eying Pikachu carefully, not necessarily seeming distrustful, but still appearing nervous. Its green hair was blocking out its eyes, meaning Ash couldn't really get much of a read on its emotions apart from the movements of its mouth.

Pikachu slowly raised his paw, a smile gradually forming on his face. Ash couldn't help but wonder if he should just leave this to the mouse. Although Pikachu's more nervous qualities were still present, his evolution had certainly given him a confidence boost, especially since he was actually winning most of his fights now.

His starter seemed to be getting along better with Nebula, now, too. Although there had never been conflict between the two of them (outside of their battle, obviously) the mouse and bird seemed to have grown closer over their travels. No doubt that that had encouraged Pikachu to try and interact with some more Pokemon as well.

The Pokemon was approaching Pikachu now, looking up at the slightly taller mouse and crossing its arms defensively, as if just in case. Pikachu offered a squeak, seemingly asking a question.

As the two conversed, Ash looked back to the forest from where they had come, hoping that they wouldn't have to deal with any more bug catchers anytime soon. They thankfully hadn't attacked them while they were resting or at camp yet, so Ash was hoping that it would stay that way.

Hearing Pikachu call out to him, Ash looked to see the two Pokemon approaching. Pikachu had his paw on the mysterious Pokemon's back. A friendly contact that actually seemed to be easing its nerves a bit.

Since when had Pikachu's social skills been so on point? Perhaps the situation with Nebula really had boosted the mouse's confidence.

Kneeling down, Ash slowly reached out his hand. The small Pokemon flinched, but didn't move away as Ash patted its head.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there. You must have been scared. We're your friends though, so you don't have to worry."

The Pokemon tilted its head a bit, before looking back at Pikachu, who just nodded with a cheerful smile. Looking back to Ash, the Pokemon seemed to ease up just a bit, and nodded with acceptance.

Ash could have sworn that he'd heard the name of this Pokemon before… so why couldn't he place it?

However, something else was on his mind right now.

Something was compelling Ash to say what he said next. Ash didn't know why he was jumping into this so quickly, but… something inside of him… really wanted to…

"I know this may sound sudden, but would you like to come with us?"

The Pokemon seemed surprised by the question. Pikachu released it and simply crossed his paws non-threateningly, giving the Pokemon an encouraging look as it turned back to him.

After some careful consideration, the Pokemon turned its attention back towards Ash and nodded, to the rookie's surprise. But looking at the Pokemon now, it almost seemed like it found the thought of being with them… comforting. Ash couldn't see its eyes, but he could have sworn that its body had eased up just now as it accepted Ash's offer.

Ash smiled. "Great! I'm sure we'll all get along just fine! My name is Ash, by the way. And this is Pikachu." he gestured over to the small mouse, who seemed to be quite pleased by the turn of events. "And the one who fought off those bug catcher people for you was Nebula. I'm sure she'll be delighted to meet you once she's all rested up."

The Pokemon scratched its head but said nothing.

Ash took out a Poke Ball. "Would you mind going in here real quick? It won't take long, I promise, but I would like to be able to identify you and see your moves. But I need you to be registered first." Otherwise, he would only know the Pokemon's species and some additional information, but nothing about its actual capabilities.

The Pokemon complied and was sucked into the orb. Afterwards, Ash quickly released it and took out his Pokedex to scan the newcomer.

"Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon of the psychic-fairy type. It is highly attuned to sensing the emotions of people and Pokemon. If it senses hostility, it hides.

"This Ralts is male and knows the moves Disarming Voice, Confusion, Hypnosis, Teleport, Psybeam, Light Screen, Confuse Ray, and Shadow Sneak. Its ability is Telepathy, which allows the user to anticipate the actions of its opponent in a battle."

Ash's jaw almost dropped.

Okay, so the Pokemon was a Ralts. Ash had a feeling that he knew something about this species, but the name had slipped away from him for some reason. What really intrigued him, however, was the Pokemon's moveset.

Based on Ash's limited knowledge of the species, he could have sworn that Ralts had difficulty learning Light Screen, Confuse Ray, and Shadow Sneak conventionally. It was quite surprising to hear that he had known those moves already. Was this because of Egg Moves? The only other explanation that he could think of was TMs, which didn't make any sense. This Ralts was a wild Ralts.

Furthermore, what was a Ralts even doing in the forest, anyway? Based on what little that he had known about them, he was pretty sure that they usually favored urban areas. And they were pretty deep into the forest by now.

Clearly, there was a lot that he did not know, but he tried not to focus on that right now. Instead, he and Pikachu happily welcomed their new teammate.

"Do you want a nickname?" At the small Pokemon's nod, Ash began to think, his hand on his chin.

He tried to think of a name suited for the Ralts. So far, he seemed to be quite timid, almost reminding Ash of both himself and Pikachu prior to Evolving.

Suddenly… that gave him an idea.

"How about… Valiant?"

The Ralts tilted his head in confusion at the suggestion.

"It means to be bold. To have a lot of courage." Ash explained simply. "You kind of remind me of myself and Pikachu. He's getting better, but I'll admit that I'm not the most confident person out there. You seem to be… nervous. Easily startled." Ash smiled, thinking back to Professor Oak and Janine. "But some talented people have told me that our starting points are not what define us. Just because you're the way you are now doesn't mean you always have to be. Think of it as a goal of sorts. What do you think?"

The Ralts seemed taken aback by Ash's explanation, but nodded nonetheless.

"Good! Valiant it is, then!" Ash turned to his starter; Pikachu seemed to be quite happy about the choice too.

The Ralts, now Valiant, smiled at Pikachu and his new Trainer.

And with that, Valiant became the group's newest addition.

/

Deep within the forest, a part few even knew existed, Kimberly took her steps carefully, calculatingly.

Feral's report had been rather surprising. The intruder from Pallet Town was much stronger than she thought. Clearly, drastic measures needed to be taken.

The moon was high over the forest, but she couldn't see it; no sky was visible where she was right now. A lantern in her hands was all that lit her path as she carefully stepped on the series of twigs and grass blades that lined her path, which was simply of her own choosing right now, as no clear, definitive path was visible where she currently was. If she were to look up, the leaves high at the top of the trees were all that she would see. This was by far the thickest part of the forest. And it was where she needed to be. Very few had ever ventured this far into Viridian Forest before, it was rare for even her to make this trip. But tonight, she had a reason to do so.

Up ahead of her was an altar. As she approached it, some more light filled her line of vision. The light that emitted from her golden lantern was now accompanied by the light of the various purple torches that lined the altar.

The last time she had come here had been months ago. It was a rarity when it was needed, but a special occurrence when it was.

Whenever guidance was needed, one being would always be there to provide her with exactly what she needed.

Placing the lantern down carefully, the Kimberly made her way to the altar. Taking off her backpack, she unzipped the bag, taking out various sour fruits and a smoothie. This being loved sour stuff.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to step forward, placing them in the center of the altar. She rolled up her sleeves, barely paying any attention to the now revealed scars on her arms. Kneeling down, she spoke softly, but still just loudly enough to be heard.

It was time.

"Ghost of Viridian Forest. In exchange for your unrivaled wisdom, I give you these offerings."

At first, she was only met with silence, but it would not last forever.

After about a minute or two of kneeling, the… temperature changed.

Kimberly knew what it meant when the temperature dropped at this rate, with such suddenness. That was the sign.

Slowly but surely, she stood up, as each present began to go out, one by one, leaving only the light from the golden lantern nearby.

A slight breeze went through her hair. Through her clothes. She could feel the chill slowly but surely creeping up her spine, grabbing hold of her, as her hair moved along with the wind, flowing through the air as the breeze suddenly began to grow, first slowly, but then fast.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Now, floating in front of her...

Few knew that he existed, but many believed it. Few had confirmed it, but many had heard the stories.

Viridian Forest was haunted. But only by one, single ghost.

The being gradually descended in front of her.

What was the forest to him? No, what was he to the forest? He was everything. He saw everything. He heard everything. He knew everything. He did everything and anything. Because that was what he was capable of.

The one who watched over the forest that many trainers feared, was right before her eyes.

He was quite a bit bigger than her. Larger, stockier, greater. An incredibly dark shade of purple, an extreme, strong color that bore its way right into the human eye, yet glowed all the same. His eyes were large, as was his mouth, which was occupied by the large tongue inside of it.

The ghost finished his descent, standing over the bug catcher leader. She said nothing. She did nothing. All she did was take in his presence. He was a dominating force, one who took over the area the moment he touched down. The moment he was there. Simply by existing. That was what the ghost did, because that was what the ghost was. None could compare to him. Not in this forest.

The location was silent. Not a sound. No wind, no wild Pokemon crying in the night. There was nothing else to take in.

Removing her hat, her teal hair now fully exposed, Kimberly bowed down before the ghost, closing her emerald eyes. A purple hand reached out and rested upon her head. Comforting, soothing, yet authoritative.

"Your knowledge is much appreciated, one who observes the forest. Please, hear of my plight." Kimberly gathered her words before continuing, realizing that it was unnecessary as she raised her head to look up at him. "You already know why I'm here, don't you?"

The Ghost didn't need to respond for her to already know the answer.

"I see." She was unsurprised. "Then what do you propose as a solution?"

Eyes flashed bright red. First the Ghost's. And then hers. Knowledge was transferred. Messages were received.

As the Ghost's eyes returned to normal, so too, did the Big Net's. As he rose back up, the wind returned, only to die down again just as quickly as before.

The purple torches on the altar were suddenly lit again.

/

Nebula had made a full recovery after a few hours of stasis in her Poke Ball. Ash was very grateful for how useful the devices could be, lifesavers for Trainers everywhere.

It was often understated too. Stereotypically, they were most known for carrying your teammates around with you during travels. This was most certainly true, however, it was far from their only use.

Poke Balls were a marvel of technology among the Pokemon world. The stasis was perfect for giving Pokemon rest, which Nebula had most certainly benefited from.

Her wing and head were now no longer in pain. She was no longer out of breath. Ash smiled at her as she sat next to Pikachu, happily picking away at her food after Ash had finally finished setting up camp.

They had traveled just a little bit longer before stopping, Valiant choosing to tag along instead of staying inside of his Poke Ball. Pikachu had been pleased with the company. It made sense, given that Nebula had spent almost the entire day inside of hers. Now, the mouse wasn't the only Pokemon currently out and about.

After setting up camp, Ash had taken it upon himself to release Nebula so that he and Pikachu could both introduce her to Valiant. The young bird had been pretty neutral about the meeting, but certainly not opposed to it. It gave Ash hope for a healthy dynamic between the trio as they continued onward towards Pewter City.

And, most importantly, out of Viridian Forest for good and free to enjoy civilization once more, as a bonus.

As Pikachu and Nebula sat on a tree stump together as per usual, Valiant had taken it upon himself to eat by Ash's side, to the boy's not unwelcome surprise.

Much like Pikachu, Valiant didn't seem overly interested in the food, but Ash had promised the young Ralts that he would go out and find food more suitable to his tastes once they had reached Pewter. For now, the Ralts was still content with what was available, and ate without complaints, albeit not very fast. Only Nebula finished her food as quickly as she did, the young bird delighted with what was provided and unable to savor it, simply opting to scarf all of it down. It was amusing. At least she was happy.

Pikachu was silently eating, occasionally sparing Nebula a glance or two. Once or twice, his eyes wandered over to Valiant as the Ralts continued to eat by Ash's side, the young Trainer focusing on his own meal.

The Trainer thought back to what the Pokedex had told him about Valiant. His ability was Telepathy. It was pretty useful to have, since Pokemon with it could minimally read the thoughts and actions of their opponents. Really skilled Pokemon with the Telepathy ability could get a basic reading on the emotions and thought processes of others, which was inevitably very useful in battle.

Although he tried to think of ways that it could be utilized in battle, Ash found himself overcome by that same feeling as last night. The feeling that he was being watched. It had made it hard to sleep last night, and Ash had hoped it would go away tonight.

But he had already had a feeling it wouldn't.

Looking over to Valiant, Ash could see the young Ralts shivering a bit. No doubt, the Pokemon's natural talent at sensing emotions, combined with his Telepathy ability, had made it easy for his to sense the same presence that had been weighing on Ash all this time.

"Are you scared?" he asked carefully.

The Ralts looked up from his food and stared at his new Trainer. Ash emphasized with his newest partner's slow nod.

What was watching them?

What was making him feel this way so suddenly?

The young boy found himself looking around nervously, eying his surroundings very carefully. He found nothing.

But he felt it.

But he felt what exactly?

/

Kimberly returned to her camp, the moon high over her head, and the trees surrounding from each direction. There was nothing but confidence in her now. Everything was now in place for tomorrow. It was just a matter of waiting it out.

She found Feral awaiting her at her cabin, leaning against her door with crossed arms. He perked up at her presence, allowing his arms to fall to his sides as he approached her.

Giving a salute, he asked "Well? What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Kimberly's arms crossed confidently across her chest. "I have spoken to the one who observes the forest, Feral. This issue will be resolved tomorrow morning."

"Okay, so what's the plan? It's been a while since we've had an intruder last this long on our turf."

"Tomorrow, the observer is going to rile up a group of Beedrill that the intruder and his Pokemon will inevitably be passing by on their path. They will drive all of them out." The leader's tone of voice was cool headed and confident, even more so than before. Her meeting with the observer had reinvigorated her spirit, revitalizing her soul and leaving her ready to start anew.

Feral's fingers scratched the back of his head as he responded to the revelation. "But… won't that kill them?"

"Nonsense." Her cool tone of voice drifted in the air as a light breeze blew against the strands of her hair. "This particular group of Beedrill is quite docile compared to the usual members of their species. Even when in a panic, they will simply take to chasing all of our intruders out of here." She shrugged, her tone simple. "You're the patrol advisor, so you probably know which ones I am talking about."

Feral nodded, the breeze blowing against his hair too. "That I do. But, can we be absolutely sure they will be there when the swarm starts?"

"Of course. The observer knows everything. He sees, hears, and feels everything that goes on within here. He is this forest." Kimberly tilted her head upwards, ever so slightly, just enough to get a minor view of the sky, the bright stars almost perfectly surrounding the moon. "He'll know exactly where they are going, and exactly when they are going to be there. Everything is under control."

"Oh, yes, that is true. So what do we do for now?"

"We will inform most of our scouts to return to camp. Those who don't will need to take up their usual hiding spots in order to avoid getting caught up in the middle of things. Once this is all over, they will be able to report the results."

Feral nodded, once again saluting to his leader. "I will proceed with spreading the word immediately."

/

Ash and his group rose early.

Now that they had officially been in Viridian Forest for more than half of a week, the young rookie was sincerely hoping that there was some light at the end of the tunnel. Was it wishful thinking? Sure the forest was huge, but he and his team had been making pretty good pace with each day.

Currently, everyone on his team was out and about. Nebula flying overhead, Pikachu on his shoulder, and Valiant walking alongside him. Once again, the path was less than desirable, leading to Pikachu hitching another ride, but the tree branches weren't as low hanging this time, leaving Nebula free to do whatever she pleased, and Valiant insisted on walking regardless of the path ahead.

And so far, no Bug Catchers were in sight.

Ash was most certainly on guard, though. That battle with the Venonat had certainly been a wake up call for him. Not only was it much more difficult than any of the previous battles with the group, but Nebula's injuries, for as temporary as they had been, were still fresh in his mind.

He couldn't be careless like that anymore. He wanted his team to trust him, which meant not doing anything stupid that would get them hurt.

He hadn't gotten over the Spearow incident just yet, and he certainly wouldn't be getting over the Venonat battle anytime soon, either.

With that vow to not repeat past mistakes, Ash marched on ahead, wanting to inspire morale within his team.

Until he heard the noise.

It was hard to place it. It was hard to describe it. Some sort of buzzing sound? And there were a lot of them…

And they were getting closer…

His survival instincts were telling him to turn around.

Good thing he did.

"GAH!" he cried out and stumbled off of his feet. A startled Pikachu jumped off of his shoulders and landed safely on the ground, using his tail to balance himself, sticking up in the nearby dirt as he landed directly on his tail and balanced on it. Ash felt gravity suddenly overtake him at the same time. He winced in pain as his butt collided with the ground, but that was nothing compared to the terror he felt from what was approaching them.

It was a Beedrill swarm.

/

Running.

That was the only thought his mind could produce at the moment.

There was no time to return his teammates. Instead, he had simply scooped Valiant up in his arms and took off in a bolt. The young Ralts wasn't nearly as fast as Pikachu or Nebula, who were both ahead of Ash at the moment, Pikachu forgetting all about his disdain for the path ahead as he immediately broke into a run on all fours, while Nebula had gone from a simple glide to a desperate flight for survival as the Beedrill closed in on them. The adrenaline was pumping through his very veins, giving him energy he didn't even know he had. He was moving even faster than he was when the Spearow had attacked.

To look behind him felt like too much of a risk. He had to dedicate every fiber of his being to making sure that they stayed ahead of the Beedril. Pikachu and Nebula seemed to be doing just fine. He wondered how much they were exerting themselves.

Ash's physical capabilities had never been anything very impressive. Nothing any better than the average boy of his age. Oh, but sure, Gary was a pretty great runner, just like how he was a pretty great climber, or sports player, but Ash? Average at best. Even with the adrenaline pumping through him, Ash could already hear his body screaming in defiance. Even with the added adrenaline flowing through his veins, and providing him with newfound strength and resolve, it still wasn't enough to drown out the pain in his muscles, which left his brain screaming at him to stop.

Not even fear was enough to cloud the pain. Even with his self preservation completely maxed out, involuntarily or not his body still wanted to stop moving. Because running away was torture. Running away like this was tortue.

Humans weren't built like Pokemon, but Ash still knew for certain that man would be perfectly capable of running like this for much longer than he was. Especially when their lives were on the line. So why couldn't he? Why was the very movement of his muscles torturing him? Was he really that weak? Not even fit enough to properly run for his life?

Ash was afraid to stop. Afraid of losing the adrenaline, most likely the one thing that even kept his body functioning at this point. But of course, he couldn't afford to stop anyway. But even slowing down would run the risk of losing his resolve.

Even so, he could feel his legs, his whole body, straining even further. There was only so much more of this that he could take-

Then it happened.

From the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw Nebula fly past him. The young bird had gotten tired of retreating, turning around to meet the Beedrill head on.

"N-Nebula!" Ash just barely forced out as his body began running out of breath for his lungs to produce. "NOO-GAH!" he tried to turn around to look at the bird Pokemon, but ended up tripping over his own two feet as a result. Fatigue overcame him as he tumbled into the dirt, Valiant screaming as the young Ralts was sent flying. Ash couldn't see what happened to him as he rolled around upon impact, his body moving on its own from the momentum of his run and his fall, his lungs trying but failing to gasp for air.

As he lay on his back, his lungs finally gasping and sucking in as much air as possible as he was now no longer in motion, Nebula hovered in front of the incoming Beedrill swarm, flapping her wings furiously as she tried to create the biggest Whirlwind possible.

Pikachu had stopped running upon hearing the commotion, turning to see Nebula and her defiant stand. He called out to her, but was quick to notice Ash and Valiant.

Valiant was rubbing his sore head as he struggled to get up. A few meters away, Ash was laying in the dirt, clearly out of breath and overcome with exhaustion. Pikachu had no idea who to check on first, but since Valiant was closest to him he prioritized the Ralts. Ash was much further away from either of them.

The Whirlwind collided with the fast approaching Beedrill swarm, and the effect was immediate. The violent wind pushed against the aggressive attackers, the Beedrill struggling against it.

The swarm wasn't as big as most, with not many Beedrill as expected making it up. There were still quite a lot of them, however. Nebula was dangerously outnumbered.

A few Beedrill struggled against the wind more than others, however. Some were slowly blown away. Others were held firmly in place, not able to progress any further, but still too strong for the wind to affect them in any other way. Others, however, were still slowly approaching, still struggling just like the others, but also slowly pushing against the wind. The Starly glared at her advancers, continuing to pour more and more effort into her last, desperate attack.

Pikachu knelt down and helped Valiant up, one paw on the Ralts's belly and another on his back. His eyes filled with concern, and although he couldn't see Valiant's, he would have seen gratitude if he did. The young Ralts rubbed his sore head, and Pikachu's eyes narrowed sadly as his newest companion whimpered in pain.

Looking over to Ash, Pikachu saw the boy slowly sitting up. That was relieving, but Nebula's situation certainly wasn't making the young mouse feel any better.

Ash looked up and saw Nebula's struggle against the Beedrill swarm. A part of him gazed in awe at the sight of his bird companion standing up to the fierce threat for everyone else's sake. However, most of him looked on in horror as Nebula clearly began to fall victim to fatigue herself.

Feeling her strength wavering, nebula glowered in frustration, the flapping of her wings becoming slower and less intense. More Beedrill were advancing now, no longer held in place by the advancing wind. Those that were already advancing now began to do so faster, their resistance against the wind increasing as the strength of the wind simultaneously decreased. It was a war of attrition, and Nebula was tiring out much faster than any of her opponents.

Her mind thought back to just a few days ago. She had been beaten by Ash and Pikachu. Despite the fight that she had put up, they had prevailed, leaving her to be a part of their team after being caught. She had cooperated with them, accepting defeat, and given them a chance despite everything. Her opinion of them, however, had not yet been fully formed.

Pikachu had reached out to her that night, however, and the young Starly remembered her conversation with the mouse underneath the moon. It was… odd… opening up to the very creature that had caused her capture in the first place, but… Pikachu himself had even worked up the courage to talk with her despite their initial interaction being that of a battle.

And she had to admit, the mouse was quite impressive too. Not only had he beaten her, but he had also beaten that Pinsir, who certainly looked intimidating. He and Ash made a good team. And he would always eat next to her at mealtime, even sharing his food with her at one point, knowing that she liked the food better than he did. And after Valiant had joined the group, nothing had changed. He was still keeping her company, while Ash helped to ease in their new teammate. His sudden attempt to ride her had certainly been annoying, but he hadn't pulled anything else like that since. But he had, however, put time into interacting with her whenever he could. Even with how they had first met on that day.

Ash, to his credit, had provided her with good food, and didn't even confine her to her Poke Ball all the time when she didn't want it. He had expressed genuine concern for her after injuring herself against that Venonat yesterday, and had immediately gotten to work tending to her. He was also quite smart, which had helped her and Pikachu win their more challenging battles that required more than just smacking the opponent away.

Plus, unlike her and Pikachu, he actually had a goal in life, even if it sounded absurd. Become the strongest Trainer? Reach some big tournament in less than a year? It was preposterous!

So why did she… suddenly find herself intrigued by such a goal? Wondering if she had what it takes to do such a thing?

She had never felt that way before. She had never cared about how strong she was. So then, why did she now?

Why had these two individuals, this Trainer that had captured her, and his lightning shooting mouse companion, constantly enter her mind?

It was as though her indifference had started to... was it fading, perhaps?

And so too, was her fatigue.

As she suddenly remembered that she wasn't the only one in danger at the moment!

Her eyes lit up. Now bright red. Her body began to glow with an outline of the same color.

Ash's horror was replaced with shock, and then with intrigue, followed by confusion, as he witnessed what was happening to Nebula. Behind him, Pikachu and Valiant were both on their feet, the mouse still supporting the Ralts in his arms. Pikachu's eyes were wide with awe. Valiant's, although not visible, with shock.

The flapping of her wings intensified. First to its original level. And then beyond. The wind kicked up again. First at its former strength. And then, suddenly, at something far greater.

The Beedrill struggled. But they couldn't for long.

Ash, Pikachu, and Valiant watched in magnificent, jaw-slacked awe as their young bird companion sent the entire swarm flying over the horizon.

Trees were swaying in the intense gust that Nebula had created. Leaves were flying off the branches. Bushes were uprooted.

And then, as the threat disappeared off into the distance, Nebula's flapping slowed, and then ceased.

Ash felt a second surge of adrenaline flowing through him as the Starly fell out of the air. Diving to catch her, he felt relief course through his soul as she landed safely in his arms, and he maintained his grip on her even as he landed body first into the dirt with a thud.

He was filthy now. But he didn't care. Nebula was safe.

And so were they.

He did his best to ignore the pain in his lungs as he sat up on the ground, gently laying Nebula down on her back into the dirt. He looked down at the bird Pokemon as she panted in exhaustion.

Whatever had just happened had understandably taken a lot out of her.

"Nebula…" he said, trying to fight off his sense of speechlessness. "What was that?'

Nebula forced out a confused chirp. She was just as surprised as Ash and the others were. She really did not know.

And neither did Pikachu or Valiant, as the pair slowly made their way to their other two companions.

Valiant leaned against Ash's side as Pikachu knelt down in front of Nebula. A relieved smile spread across his face as Nebula locked eyes with him, and the small bird Pokemon returned the expression with one of her own.

"...Reckless…" all eyes turned to Ash as his eyes lit up in realization. "Your ability… it must have activated involuntarily because of the adrenaline! It saved us! You saved us, Nebula!"

Nebula, despite her fatigue, felt some elation overcoming her exhaustion. Nevertheless, she stayed on the ground. As Ash rose to his feet and patted Valiant's head in concern, she locked eyes with Pikachu again. Her beak remained in a smile, as he returned her expression with a cheerful grin that she would soon grow to perpetually adore.

Her yellow companion… no, her friend.

/

The group got some much needed reprieve afterwards.

With Ash carrying Nebula and Valiant in his arms, they eventually found a clearing, Pikachu trotting along by his side.

A small cabin stood in the center of the clearing, although it seemed to be vacant. Ash immediately rushed to it.

He wasn't sure how much rest they would need, but they would definitely be needing it nonetheless. Arriving at the cabin, he set his two teammates down and took off his backpack, rummaging through it.

First thing was first, he needed to heal them, and he needed some water.

Taking out a bottle of water for himself, he applied a potion to Valiant, the only one who had gotten hurt during the incident. Pikachu had come out of it unscathed, and, looking over Nebula, Ash realized that she wasn't injured and was merely tired.

The involuntary activation of her Reckless ability had left her completely spent, bringing about all of the inner reserves of her strength. Such reserves existed to prevent her from getting tired out too easily, as it did with all Pokemon, but, thanks to Reckless, she had used it up all at once. Not to mention that she may have already been beginning to feel tired beforehand, given how hard she was fighting.

The ability was definitely a double-edged sword. Sacrificing all sense of self-preservation in exchange for raw power. By letting loose all of your energy at once, while being much less weary of an opponent's attacks, or even the very idea of taking damage. The increase in physical capabilities and overall prowess in general was astronomical, but the drawbacks were inevitably just as much so.

Not to mention, the Ability was practically guaranteed to activate when using recoil moves like Double-Edge. Since moves like those already forgo self-preservation in favor of raw power, just merely using them was inviting the Reckless ability to activate and take hold, even if only for that one attack.

Normally, it took a great amount of skill and practice in order to be able to successfully call on the ability at will. The fact that Nebula had called upon the ability involuntarily was likely a direct result of her sheer adrenaline rush kicking things into overdrive, trying to repel the threat by any means necessary. Ash found it rather ironic that it was ultimately self-preservation that had led to the activation of an ability that deliberately forgoes such a thing.

It was almost like she no longer cared about self-preservation. Like she was fighting for something else entirely.

Once they reached Pewter, he hoped that he and Nebula would be able to train to activate the ability at will. But that was hardly what he was thinking about right now.

He was still gasping for air as he chugged down his water bottle. Even as the relief of tasting water in his thirsty mouth and throat overcame him, he still felt the fatigue and discomfort from the running. And he was still thirsty. Suddenly, the water must have gone down the wrong pipe, and he found himself coughing up a storm.

Gathering his bearings, he looked between his three teammates and took out another water battle. "Do any of you want one? Nebula, you might need it the most."

He wasn't sure how long they stayed at the cabin, but they needed a break. Nebula was returned to her Poke Ball after being convinced to drink some water by Ash and Pikachu, while Pikachu and Valiant, who were in better shape after Ash had healed the Ralts, remained outside, conversing with one another as an exhausted Ash leaned against the cabin. The young Trainer still wanted to clear some more ground today, but for now, all that he could think about was, above all else, how much that he wanted to rest up. They would stay here for at least a few hours. Gather their bearings. Then they could hit the road again when they were ready and set to go on again.

/

A few hours to catch his breath had actually done wonders for Ash and his psyche. It was reinvigorating. It had taken a while, with Ash spending much of his break either gasping for breath or still feeling the fatigue in his chest and lungs, but in the end, the reprieve had proved invaluable.

Ash vowed to improve his stamina the first chance he got as he strolled through the forest, Pikachu walking beside him on one side, and Valiant on the other. Nebula, who, much like Ash himself, was now fully rejuvenated and out of her Poke Ball, was flying overhead once again, sticking closer than usual and occasionally sparing a fond glance at the others.

The section of the forest that they were currently traveling through was slightly more open than most, with some of the trees parting to reveal the slowly turning orange sky of the sunset. It would be dusk soon, and they would have to set up camp.

But for now, Ash just wanted to get some final advancements in. If they couldn't leave the forest by tonight, then hopefully by tomorrow night.

Unfortunately, there was still one more encounter left before they could close out the day.

Instead of bursting out of the bushes, they came down from the trees.

Numerous Bug Catchers descended in front of the group, and apart from the one who tripped and fell upon landing, they actually seemed pretty intimidating doing it.

They had just entered an open area of the forest, where the path was much wider. Perfect for a battle, Ash realized. Gowling, Pikachu stepped forward as his cheeks began sparking, while Nebula landed slightly behind him at his side. Valiant stayed by Ash's side, and the boy glared a the Bug Catchers. There were more of them this time.

"Enough." Ash perked up at the new voice. It was female, and, even more so than the orange haired boy, sounded very cool headed and stoic.

In the back of the Bug Catchers, Kimberly stepped out from behind a large tree, her teal hair gently moving as she advanced. Her emerald eyes were fixated into a glare. Not an angry one, but a determined one nonetheless. Behind her, Feral emerged from behind yet another tree, syncing his own steps perfectly with hers.

One Bug Catcher stepped forward and spoke up, pointing a finger at Ash with a joyful guffaw.

"You thought you could humiliate all of us on our own turf, huh? Well the Big Net is here to show you what happens when you-"

"Enough." all words and movements from the Bug Catchers ceased as the leader raised a single hand, making her way to the front of the group and locking eyes with Ash. Feral was somewhat by her side, but still remained behind her.

Ash felt… uncomfortable under this girl's gaze. Her emerald eyes were fierce, yet calm. A weird kind of serenity, of tranquility, that still managed to be intimidating.

He heard a noise down at his feet. To his surprise, he looked down to see Valiant positively shaking at the sight of this newcomer, not taking his eyes off of the bug catcher leader as he immediately fled behind Ash, clinging to his legs in terror.

That certainly got Ash curious. Why was Valiant so scared of her? What was it about this new Bug Catcher that struck such fear into him?

Feral's arms were crossed professionally around his chest, while Kimberly's remained at her sides. When she spoke, her voice was so… cool headed. A confidence radiating from her that he could never even hope to match.

If she wasn't a Bug Catcher, Ash would have found the voice quite pretty. Her face certainly was. And those eyes…

But it barely even took a moment to dismiss that thought. These Bug Catchers were a bunch of delinquents that had made their lives a crapshow for the past few days. And most likely done the same to many other trainers as well. He hoped that Janine had fared a lot better than him although he was significantly less worried about Gary.

"You are… quite resilient, intruder from Pallet Town. Thanks to you, I had to reduce our mercenary's payment plan."

Ash's brow raised at that statement. Was she talking about the samurai kid? Then this was…

"So, you're in charge." he said matter of factly. He did his best to sound professional. To sound imposing. To rival her. To match her presentation. To make the conversation seem equal.

Problem was, he knew he hadn't managed. Was his voice shaking? He couldn't tell. He couldn't look weak in front of her. If this was their leader, then he had to look tough.

She crossed her arms in an action that matched that of Feral's. "What do you think?"

'Just give me a straight answer already, damnit!'

Valiant's fearful moaning increased in volume. Ash spared the young Ralts a glance and frowned curiously. Just what was it about this girl that terrified him so much?

She took a single step forward with each foot, although Feral remained in place. "Most trainers don't stay on our turf for this long. But you've quite literally been traveling through the very middle of the forest ever since you started. Are you antagonizing us?"

Ash growled. "Me? You're the ones who set up pit traps, ambushes, hired some lunatic to come after trainers, and caught my friend in a rope trap!" he gestured down to Valiant, who remained whimpering as his eyes refused to leave the leader.

Kimberly sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, before relocking her gaze with Ash's. "You were warned to turn back, and chose not to."

Ash gritted his teeth. Damn himself for not having any sense of direction. Had he taken any detours, his trip either would have lasted far longer, or he would've been forever lost. He bet Janine and Gary were both perfectly capable of finding their way around the forest, but sadly he wasn't them.

"What excuse does that give you to do what you did? If you have left us alone we could have passed here peacefully."

"Would you let just anyone venture into your backyard, intruder?"

Ash's brow furrowed. "This forest isn't yours-"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. This forest belongs to me. To all of us. And to us alone." she spread her arms out, but maintained her stoic expression as she tilted her head upwards, ever so slightly. "Viridian Forest is property of the Bug Catchers. And anyone else who crosses us is a trespasser who must compensate."

Ash took a slight step back in surprise, careful not to catch Valiant by surprise as the young Ralts continued to lean against his leg. This girl was crazy! She may have acted stoic, but at the end of the day, she spoke the same delusioned nonsense as the rest of them; just far more elegantly.

"Why do you waste your time causing trouble for people like this? You've practically made this your life."

"This forest is my life." Kimberly rebuked. She spared a split second to glance at her arm, which was rolled up into a sleeve quite neatly, before returning to Ash's own eyes. Everytime their eyes met, Ash found himself flinching, hoping the reaction hadn't been outwardly noticeable "My family is here. Viridian Forest is all that matters to me now." she stretched out her hand. "You have questioned our authority over the forest with your constant resistance. Nothing that we have tried has worked, so I'm dealing with you the old fashioned way."

"You'll battle me?" Valiant's fearful moaning had thankfully ceased for the time being, but he still remained just as scared as ever, as Pikachu and Nebula both took up fighting stances.

"It's quite simple, really." Kimberly's cool tone never left her voice. "If you beat my partner, I'll reward you by telling you how to get to Pewter, the fastest route." Ash perked up at that. "But if I win, and I will, I won't give you any directions, you will be escorted outside of our turf and have to navigate the forest by yourselves." She pointed a thumb to herself. "Otherwise, you could always just join us and use your strength to help train the rookies at our fort."

"That won't happen." Ash responded a bit too quickly.

"I see." she prepared herself. "Well then, it matters not. Either way, you will be leaving our turf tonight. Bug Catchers, formation!"

All bug catchers, barring Feral, scattered and parted. Instead of being directly behind their leader, they moved to the sides of the makeshift battlefield. To the outskirts. They were practically outlining the place.

With Feral following behind her, Kimberly turned around and made her way to the far side of the battlefield. As the duo stopped, she took a single step forward with a Poke Ball in hand.

Out of the bright flash of light emerged a purple moth that Ash, after a few quick seconds of pondering, recognized from a pamphlet detailing certain extoic Pokemon.

"I am Kimberly, the Big Net of the Bug Catchers, and I hereby challenge you." she spoke cooly, pointing forward at Ash and his team. "Dustox, prepare for battle."

The Dustox hovered over to the center of the battlefield, awaiting its opponent.

After a few seconds of consideration, Ash knelt down in front of Pikachu and Nebula.

"Pikachu," he spoke calmly, locking eyes with his Starter, trying to remain confident. "You've got this, right?"

With a determined glare, Pikachu nodded, returning Ash's gaze with his own. Hearing a chirp from behind him, the starter turned to see Nebula giving him a serious look. The mouse locked eyes with the Starly next, as she raised an encouraging wing to the electric rodent.

There was… camaraderie between them as Pikachu made his way onto the battlefield.

Cheeks sparking, voice growling, Pikachu's glaring eyes locked with that of his opponent, his gaze trying to pierce through Dustox in intimidation, even though it wasn't.

With no time wasted, Kimberly gave the first order. "Gust, Dustox!"

Dustox began flapping its wings vigorously, but unlike with Nebula, something different happened.

Gust was a very similar move to Whirlwind, but Ash immediately realized that Dustox was using it in a very different way than Nebula had used her move. It was concentrated. Rather than a gust of wind that spread throughout the battlefield, it was condensed into a single blast of wind, aimed directly at Pikachu like an attack. All of the force behind the wind was focused on a single target, which most likely did wonders for the move's offensive potential.

It occurred to Ash that Dustox must have trained quite a lot in order to gain such control and mastery over this technique. Could Nebula do the same?

Pikachu bolted out of the way with Quick Attack, quickly turning to charge at the moth head on, only for Dustox to fly upwards in evasion as Pikachu leapt into the air to try and slam into it. As Pikachu evaded the attack, the Gust slammed into the ground, where Pikachu once was just moments before, creating a small explosion of dirt.

There was definitely a lot of concentrated force behind that technique.

"Psybeam, Dustox!"

Pikachu tried to avoid the rainbow-colored beam that shot from the moth's eyes, but Dustox must have predicted how he'd dodge. As Pikachu moved out of the way, he had actually charged right into the beam's path, rather than away from it.

Nebula and Valiant both let out concerned cries as Pikachu tumbled onto the ground, his fur collecting dirt particles as he rolled across the battlefield. Finally regaining his bearings, Pikachu quickly found himself back on all fours again, sliding backwards from the force of the attack, his gaze glaring back up at the menacing Dustox.

Ash was worried now. Just how had Dustox predicted where Pikachu would move?

Shaking off the blow, Pikachu rushed forward again, gathering electricity in his cheeks as he fired off a Thunder Shock. Avoiding the blast, Dustox allowed a large series of poison needles to escape from its mouth, and Ash immediately recognized the technique as a Poison Sting.

Pikachu leapt over the attack and tried to strike at his opponent with Iron Tail, but Dustox was too fast and swerved out of the way. As Pikachu landed, the bug catcher leader gave her next order.

"Tackle!"

Before Pikachu could react, Dustox flew headfirst into the young mouse's side. Pikachu cried out as he abruptly flew forward, and soon his other side slammed into a nearby tree trunk. Slowly getting up, the rodent painfully clutched both of his aching sides; one from the tree trunk, and the other from where Dustox had slammed into him.

Lying on his back, the electric type attempted to get to his feet, only to be interrupted by a large string that suddenly wrapped around his tail. Using String Shot, Dustox pulled the screaming mouse backwards, dragging him across the dirt as the fur on Pikachu's back collected even more dirt as a result.

Ash snarled in frustration, a nervous sensation creeping into his chest. She was making them her playthings! They'd never win at this rate…

They had to fight back.

"Quick Attack!" he shouted. "Pull back the other way!"

Pikachu tried to flip himself over, eventually succeeding as he struggled to dig his paws into the dirt, desperately scrambling his two front paws in an effort to hold himself down and prevent the large moth from dragging him even further. He let out desperate shrieks as he did so, as his opponent continued to pull against him, eager to quell his resistance.

Feral turned to Kimberly, his fixation on the battle briefly broken. "He's desperate. I think you've got him soon if this keeps up."

The stoic girl nodded slowly, but kept her eyes on the moth and the mouse as the tug of war continued, Pikachu still trying to regain his footing as Dustox dragged him, but now being dragged much more slowly as he desperately attempted to put up a fight.

"Things will end soon." she tilted her head up towards Dustox. "Poison Sting!"

With Pikachu struggling against the string, Dustox fired off the needles yet again. Suddenly, Pikachu finally found his footing, and successfully used Quick Attack. He ran away from the needles, pulling Dustox along with him. But the large moth Pokemon quickly regained its bearings and struggled against Pikachu's resistance, slowly pulling the mouse back as Pikachu once again found himself struggling to maintain his balance.

Ash clenched his fists. Pikachu was fighting hard, and they couldn't let that go to waste.

"Come one, Pikachu! You can do it!"

From behind him, he could hear Valiant letting out cries of encouragement, while Nebula's chirps were the noisiest that he'd ever heard from her before, the small bird Pokemon pumping her wing high in the air as her voice called out with great volume.

Pikachu eventually found his footing again and resisted Dustox's mighty pull. For what felt like a few minutes, the two of them went back and forth, before Pikachu finally barreled forward, the full force of his Quick Attack finally overcoming Dustox as the moth Pokemon was abruptly sent flying in Pikachu's direction.

Ash pumped his fist up. This was their chance. "Iron Tail!"

Instinctively boosting his speed with Quick Attack, Pikachu immediately changed directions, sliding backwards across the dirt as he planted his paws firmly into the ground, right before propelling himself forward with the speed he could muster to increase the force behind the blow, aiming his attack right at Dustox.

BAM!

The metallic tail slammed into Dustox's front, sending the large moth Pokemon flying back first into a nearby tree trunk with a loud cry of pain. The momentum from being forced to fly right into the Iron Tail had almost certainly worsened the blow for their opponent. As Dustox fell to the ground, it let out a mighty flap of its wings to regain its bearings, briefly hovering above the ground for a moment before rising back up and into the air.

Kimberly was undeterred, however. "Rapid fire Psybeam!"

Despite the pain from the blow, the Dustox was quite durable. Ignoring the small bruise on its front, it began firing a series of multicolored beams at Ash's young mouse companion, Pikachu scrambling out of the way to dodge.

The beams were… aimed carefully. Everytime Pikachu dodged in one direction, he would immediately have to dodge in the opposite direction. Closed off, going from side to side, unable to do anything else.

How long could Dustox keep this up before tiring out? How long could Pikachu keep this up before tiring out or losing his balance?

The Psybeams created small explosions of dirt each time they connected with the ground.

Ash gritted his teeth. No time to counterattack. Pikachu was just playing right into the Dustox's little dance, with no other choice.

What… did they do?

This girl was the leader of the most despicable group of people that he had ever met. Even more so than Gary and his friends. Her group was unbearable in every sense of the word. But she was good.

"I usually think back to my Conference win when considering that stuff. That final match was pretty brutal at times, but whenever my team and I were placed in an undesirable position, we always found a way out. And then struck back with ten times the force. It was how we won." Karen's voice from an interview just prior to the League Rush, when asked about what it was like to overcome seemingly hopeless situations, suddenly entered his mind.

Finally, the slowly tiring out Pikachu dodged just a little bit too slowly. The dirt explosion from the Psybeam that he had just narrowly avoided created a small shockwave, just barely enough to knock the mouse off balance, and Ash gasped as his electric companion tumbled around in the dirt.

"Silver Wind!"

It was like Gust, but the wind was glowing a bright, shiny glow. The concentrated blast of wind slammed headfirst into Pikachu, sending the screaming mouse flying backwards from the mighty impact.

Nebula shrieked out in horror as Pikachu slammed head first into a tree trunk, landing on his side, blood leaking out from the bruised cut on his head.

Was it… over?

Pikachu was trying to get up, while Dustox was trying to gather its bearings. Kimberly confidently stood still, arms crossed across her chest, while Feral looked on silently.

The Bug Catchers cheered.

Pikachu struggled to his feet, but was forced to lean back first against the tree trunk even as he finally, successfully stood up, clutching the painful cut on the top of his head with a single paw. Tears began leaking from his eyes as he gritted his teeth in pain.

Ash's gaze went to the ground as he desperately tried to think of something, anything, that could potentially turn this around for them.

What to do? Do they quit? Pikachu certainly didn't seem to want to.

Pikachu pushed himself off of the tree trunk as Nebula's concerned cries traveled across the battlefield and into his ears. Ash could hear Valiant letting out some encouraging shouts of his own from behind him.

Pikachu's teammates were still cheering him on. And so would he.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out. The mouse turned his attention towards his new trainer. "It's not over yet! You can still do this! We can still do this!" Nebula and Valiant both cried out the affirmative.

Feral sighed. "Too stubborn, they are. Guess that explains why they gave us so much trouble."

Kimberly lowered her crossed arms from her chest and onto her sides. Pointing forward, she glared ahead at the battlefield with unmatched intensity. "It matters not. This is going to be over now. Dustox! Finish this up!"

"Pikachu! Run around the battlefield using Quick Attack! Don't advance yet! Keep your distance!" A last minute strategy born from either desperation or creativity. Whichever one it was, Ash had no idea.

Ignoring the pain as best he could, Pikachu bolted around the makeshift battlefield as the blood trailed down his head.

The bug catcher leader continued pointing forward, her index finger trailing the mouse. "Poison Sting, Dustox! Aim for the cut on Pikachu's head!"

Dozens upon dozens of purple needles assaulted the battlefield as Dustox chased the dashing mouse, Pikachu just barely being able to avoid each of them.

Zigzagging across the battlefield, Pikachu took in Nebula's encouragement, Ash's encouragement, Valiant's encouragement.

It all empowered him.

Before, he was the small one among Pokemon that were constantly aggressive. He was powerless against him. And then he had been transported to the Lab to be a Starter Pokemon. Clefable was nice, but Ash was demanding. Gary was awful. Squirtle had beaten him up and left him humiliated and bruised. The mouse couldn't imagine anything worse.

Then he and Ash continued to bicker. And then the Spearow incident happened.

But something had… changed then.

Ash's sorrow, and desire to protect him. They had all been new to him. And then at the Pokémon Center, when those obnoxious Team Rocket goons had attacked, he had taken a leap of faith against the Meowth, trusting in Ash's judgment against a Pokemon that was trying to kill him. And it had all paid off in the end.

Ever since then, Ash had shown nothing but dedication, and a sincere promise to become stronger. Along with a request for a fresh start.

Nebula allowed him to eat next to her every night, even listening to him when he had wanted to talk, and now she had saved all of them from that terrifying Beedrill swarm.

He wanted to make friends for once. To be strong enough to protect himself. To no longer be helpless and weak against aggressors.

These past few days, while horrid because of the forest and the Bug Catchers, had shown him that that might actually be possible. He just needed to stick with his trainer. Stick with his team.

And win this fight.

"Pikachu! Charge up Thunder Shock! But don't fire just yet!"

Kimberly. "What are you up to?"

Pikachu complied, confused by the order, but trusting in his trainer's judgment once again. It was a struggle, due to the pain, and the effort that it took to maintain Quick Attack. But soon, the electricity was flowing perfectly through his cheeks.

"Charge forward, Pikachu!"

Pikachu abruptly rushed Dustox, who, despite being surprised by the sudden attack, flew out of the way.

But Ash was already prepared.

"Fire! NOW!"

The Thunder Shock sizzled out of Pikachu's body as he flew past Dustox. The close proximity allowed the lightning bolt to strike the moth head on, the large moth screaming in pain as the electricity assaulted his body.

"WHAT?!" Kimberly gasped in awe. Feral gritted his teeth from behind her.

"Gain some distance!" Ash was pressing on the momentum now. The opposing Dustox was still covered in static, struggling to remain afloat after the painful, point-blank shock. It was time to end this. "Try using Spark and Iron Tail at once! Build up speed with Quick Attack and finish Dustox off!"

"Psybeam, Dustox!" Kimberly was quick to respond.

But Pikachu avoided the final attack and complied to his trainer's orders. Thanks to the electricity from Thunder Shock, Dustox had been having a harder time getting the attack out as quickly as before.

Pikachu surrounded himself with the electricity of Spark as he continued to run forward. At the same time, however, the metallic energy of Iron Tail covered his tail.

"Try combining the attacks!" Ash called out.

Briefly, Pikachu looked back at his Trainer with a nod, before turning his attention back to his opponent.

"Go! Now!"

Rushing forward, Pikachu barreled on over towards Dustox. As he sped across the battlefield, dirt was kicked up in his wake. The electricity from Spark, initially surrounding his body, began to gather around at his tail. Soon, the Iron Tail was crackling with lightning, channeled by Pikachu's now metallic tail.

A combined attack that had been born from either desperation, determination, or creativity. Even years later, Ash would never be able to truthfully guess which one that it was. Because even then, not even he knew. And neither did his team.

As he approached Dustox, Pikachu let out a mighty battle cry, ready to finish this once and for all. Aiming right for the bruise that Dustox had received from the previous Iron Tail.

The impact was deafening, and spread across the battlefield. Dirt nearby began to fly around from the massive shockwave that was being produced by Pikachu's final attack.

And Dustox was sent sailing towards a nearby tree trunk with a loud scream. Another powerful impact occurred as it slammed into that tree. A large dent was left on the trunk as Dustox fell to the ground with a thud, landing on its side and rolling ever so slightly until it was laying down on its back. It stated there, motionless and bruised from the battle.

It did not get up.

The adrenaline wore off as Pikachu collapsed towards the dirt, catching himself in his paws. As the Bug Catchers' shocked gasps filled the area, their leader returned her Dustox with a red beam of light.

Pressing the Poke Ball against her cheek, she let out a sigh.

"You were extraordinary, thank you." she spoke softly, but never lost her cool tone, even then.

The commentary from the Bug Catcher Gang began to fill the air.

"The Big Net's been beaten!"

"But how?"

"He must have cheated!"

Ash grimaced.

Even now, even far from home, whenever he did something impressive, it was always considered cheating.

His gaze shifted over to Pikachu, panting on the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath. As Nebula made her way over to the small mouse, Ash saw her wrap her wing behind his back, pulling him up and leaning the mouse against her side for support.

The young Trainer could not stop the smile that spread across his lips.

As mouse and bird exchanged looks, and smiles, the sound of footsteps stole Ash's attention as Kimberly and Feral approached him, stopping a few feet away. Behind them, the rest of the Bug Catchers gathered.

"I… don't know what to say… honestly." her cool tone of voice was only slightly compromised as she locked eyes with him yet again. "Dustox has brilliant aim, thanks to his Compound Eyes ability. And yet… not even that was enough today."

Ash had felt Valiant clinging to him even more tightly as the cool-headed girl had approached, but reached down to pat the young Ralts's head in comfort. Valiant eased up just a little bit, but still remained wary.

"You lost." said Ash blankly, his tone slightly more confident than before. It had been a hard-fought battle, but with the combination of Pikachu's tenacity and the rest of his team's cheering, it had all ended in success. "You'll keep your end of the deal now, right?"

Nebula looked up at the group, eying them carefully along with Pikachu.

She crossed her arms with a sigh. "I have not forgotten the terms of our battle, intruder, but first…" to Ash's surprise, she dug into her pocket and pulled out a very notably large amount of cash. Reaching out her hand, she said "This is for you."

Ash took the money and stashed it away, eying the Bug Catcher leader carefully.

"Now, then." She pointed forward in a different direction. "The path that you are going down now will still take you another two or three days or so to get to Pewter City. Going this way, you'll be there in about a day or so."

Ash raised a brow. "You sure about that?"

"Nobody is a better expert on this forest than I. Except for one particular being." Ash was confused by the reply, but didn't press.

Kimberly crossed her arms. "Now then, your end of the bargain is to leave. The rest of the Bug Catchers will not harass you anymore, so don't come back here."

Ash inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at that.

The leader looked between Ash's teammates. "You have a strong Trainer."

"Ashy boy would never make it as a Trainer. He wouldn't even throw a Poke Ball right anyway.'' The compliment clashed with the memory of Gary's voice.

Ash didn't let his guard down, but still took the time to respond. "Your Dustox was pretty strong too."

"I know," she said coolly. "But I'm too busy to converse anymore. Just get out of my forest."

Nodding, Ash turned to Pikachu. "How are you holding up?"

The mouse was still being supported by Nebula, but tried to give Ash a thumbs up.

Kimberly turned to her crew as she spoke up. "Bug Catchers! We're leaving!"

As they followed her out of the forest, Feral lingered behind slightly. Turning to Ash, he locked eyes with him briefly.

"I'll admit you were stronger than us, intruder, but don't let that go to your head. Next time, I will be prepared."

He was gone after that.

Ash watched the Bug Catchers leave with some conflicted thoughts as they disappeared into the darkness of the forest. By now, the sky above was completely orange, and it would be dusk soon.

Most of them were annoying, obnoxious, and not nearly as strong as they had hyped themselves up to be, but Ash knew that the same couldn't be said for all of them. Their leader and the orange haired boy had both proven themselves to be quite formidable, at the very least.

Turning his full attention onto his team, Ash kneeled down.

Placing a gentle hand on Pikachu's head, but being careful to avoid the bruise, Ash locked eyes with his Starter. "You were amazing, Pikachu, like always."

Pikachu blushed a little bit at that, as Nebula smiled at him brightly. Ash looked between Nebula and Valiant next, and spoke to them.

"You two as well," he said. "Nebula, Valiant, thanks for cheering him on so much."

Valiant was calming down a bit now that bug catchers were gone, and smiled shyly at the comment. Nebula beamed proudly.

/

The group had started down the path before setting up camp for the night.

Ash had tended to Pikachu's wounds, with Nebula refusing to leave the young mouse's side until he was back on his feet and good as normal again.

Valiant still stuck by Ash's side at dinner during camp, while Pikachu and Nebula ate together as usual. Ash's assumption was that the mouse and bird duo were discussing the battle from earlier.

They had risen early the next morning to get a head start. The bug catcher leader had been true to her word: None from their group antagonized them for the whole day. It was just a free, quiet day of nonstop walking. Valiant was still nervous about something, but the thought of leaving the forest seemed to increase his morale. Pikachu ran ahead a little bit, with Nebula flying overhead as per usual.

And as the sun began to set, Ash could notice the trees parting. It was the opposite of when they had entered the forest.

And by the time that the moon and stars were high in the sky, they found themselves a beautiful scene as the vegetation began to give way for a much more clear path.

And Ash could feel the tears of joy welling up in his eyes at the sight of Pewter City.

The forest towered over them from behind, as they overlooked the city, the path ahead of them going downwards in order to reach it. Nebula was perched upon a rock as the group looked over the buildings in the very near distance.

They were just on the outskirts of both Pewter City and Viridian Forest. Those down there, in the city, could probably see the tall trees up above because of just how close that the two places were.

"We… made it everybody." Ash wiped the tears away as he pumped his fists up. "Alright! No more Viridian Forest!"

The Pokemon cheered along with him.

"Our first Gym Battle is down there everyone! And so is civilization! Let's get to the Pokemon Center quickly!"

Pikachu hopped up onto the rock next to Nebula as the two exchanged excited cries. Suddenly, they both took off, Pikachu bolting down the path while Nebula flew on after him, both of them yelling and chirping excitedly, as if they were trying to race each other to the Pokemon Center.

Ash gasped. "Hey, wait up you two!" he looked down towards Valiant. 'We better go catch up to them fast!" Not wanting to be left behind, the two of them dashed down after their two companions.

As the group closed in on Pewter City nearby, Ash Ketchum's first week as a Pokemon trainer came to an end.

It wasn't a week that he or his teammates would ever forget anytime soon, either. Before, a simple duo consisting of an ordinary human boy and a single Pikachu had been what entered the forest. However, six days worth of traveling had caused that same duo to grow into a group of four.

And with the many trials and hardships that had been faced from within the forest, this same group had officially taken its first steps to becoming a family.

Chapter Text

Pewter City was the most historical city of the Indigo Empire, and that was because it was the League's origin, where it all started.

During the ancient times, it was perhaps the most secure place to be in Kanto. With Mt. Moon towering off to the east, and the mountainous landscape surrounding the city, the citizens all had their own, natural shelter provided by nature itself.

Perhaps this was why the first Champion of Indigo fled there to seek refuge, although it is unknown how he managed to get there in the first place.

Nowadays, it was a cozy shelter for its many citizens, with a perpetual reminder of the dangers looming that surrounded the city. With Mt Moon off to the east, and Viridian Forest off to the south, while the trees were being elevated by the cliff, along with all of the mountainous surroundings in general, looking around just about anywhere in Pewter City would greet you either with mountains or looming trees.

The place was surrounded, with the mountains and trees towering over the city everywhere the people looked. It was both a foreboding and enigmatic sight. Many travelers and citizens alike commented on being allured by the legendary city's surroundings. Some people found themselves gazing off aimlessly at the mountains, or trees, off into the distance.

A city that was practically a makeshift fortress due to its mountainous surroundings, a coincidentally perfect fit for the city that started the Indigo Empire.

To many people coming into, and/or passing through the city, it was all very overwhelming. But to the people living there, it was something special. Something that was easily taken for granted, but still very quick to be reminded of its importance.

And one of those people was named Brock.

The young man sighed deeply as he sank into a chair on the balcony overlooking the city. Viridian Forest was visible from here, but for now he wasn't here to treat himself to the view. He needed rest, and some nice fresh air after the long day.

Being both a Gym Leader and the eldest brother of so many kids was beyond taxing for him. Especially since such a profession was never his ambition. It couldn't be helped, however. Pewter City's Gym, along with the Blackthorn and Fuchsia Gyms, was famous for being family owned, and along with the Blackthorn Gym, had been family owned since it was founded. The eldest of his youngest siblings, much unlike himself, was determined to take over the Gym eventually, and Brock needed to keep its family-owned status alive in order to guarantee that once he was qualified.

So when his father was moved to a different position of the League due to his talents being needed elsewhere, what choice did he have? His father had run the Gym for years, but it was his turn now. He didn't want to be the one that broke a nearly four-century long tradition, nor did he want to put his brother's own goals at risk.

When his father had given him the news, he didn't even need to say anything else: Brock knew exactly what it meant.

He never thought that he would dislike being good at something. He was renowned for his battling skills, but it was caring for Pokemon that he truly excelled at. It was what he always had in mind for a goal: Being a doctor, or a breeder.

But all of that would come later. For now, he had to put those dreams aside and focus on the here and now. He'll still have plenty of time to pursue his ambitions once his brother is qualified to achieve his own.

The majority of people in the city saw him as the stone-cold figure who expertly ran the Gym as it's magnificent leader.

But that was all just a mask. It wasn't the real him. Few people knew, and he was fine with that, no need to make such a big show about where he wanted to be.

"There you are."

He turned his head to the familiar voice, the approaching source of which he had not seen in the past few days.

Forrest had completely thrown himself into his studies. He was one of the few people aware of Brock's apathy for his Gym Leader position, and was determined to inherit the role as soon as possible so that his elder brother would no longer be burdened by it. Despite Brock's protests, Forrest had been insistent in putting all of his time into studying. Between that, and most of Brock's day alternating between taking care of his other siblings, taking on challengers, and managing the Gym, the two of them could sometimes go several days without seeing each other.

Brock smiled as his younger brother took a seat in the chair next to him.

"I… figured you'd be here." he spoke in a tired voice, the voice of a young boy who had just finished a marathon of reading and writing. Looking over to the older sibling shyly, he asked. "Another long day?"

Running a hand through his hair, Brock let out an exasperated sigh. "It's always a long day. Rookie trainer after rookie trainer, constantly challenging the Gym, and not even being remotely ready for it." he grimaced. "We're getting rookies coming in from multiple directions. There are those who stayed in Pewter to train for a while, those who are coming in from Viridian, and a few who came from Cerulean and have just made their way through Mt. Moon. Not to mention all the people who teleported here and stayed, or to a place nearby and headed here. Pewter was the second most popular place to teleport to this Season, behind Cerulean."

"Anybody win a badge yet?"

Brock let out a harsh chuckle. It was a very underwhelming one, as though he were too tired to laugh. "As if. Most rookies aren't strong enough to earn a badge until a month passet. So many of these rookies come in here, bringing in a water, grass, or the occasional fighting type, and expect an automatic win." his glare deepened. "Just this morning, some entitled brat accused me of cheating just because his Totodile lost to Geodude. Didn't even finish the match. He just ran off wailing about how he was going to report me to the League, and how I'm going to go out of business once I'm exposed or whatever."

Now it was Forrest's turn to let out a tired chuckle. "I remember you mentioned that once; the amount of time rookies normally take, and how Gym Leaders often mark their calendars for it." his face formed into a frown. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want this-"

Brock raised a hand to silence him. "I already told you, you don't need to apologize. It's not like you're at fault. Besides, things will hopefully pick up in about a month from now or so. Right now I have to deal with a bunch of entitled rookies who can't battle to save their lives. It's tedious, but I can go through the motions and pick them apart. Once I get some decent challenges things will at least be somewhat interesting. Pokemon battling isn't something I get much enjoyment out of, but I can at least stimulate myself once someone less incompetent shows up."

Forrest turned his head to the towering trees of Viridian. The darkness of the night sky shaded them in a shadowy outline. It was both ominous and mesmerizing. Looking around the mountainous, or forest, backdrops of Pewter City almost always had that effect on most people, especially at nighttime.

"Do you… hate battling, Brock?"

Brock seemed surprised by the question. "Hm? No, I don't hate it. Or even dislike it really. It's just not what I want. When you feel forced to do something that you don't enjoy, you could become resentful towards it on a subconscious level, but…" he looked down. "I can understand why battling is so popular. When I am out there, facing a tough challenger… I get it. I get why trainers love this profession so much. Why being a Gym Leader is such a sought after ideal. Practically a dream job." he looked back up again. "But I've always been more into raising Pokemon, rather than battling with them. I was made to care for them and nurture them, not to be a professional battler. I just don't get the same joy out of it that most trainers do. I can feel the adrenaline, and, in that moment, understand why it is so sought after, but I myself don't get that same rush from it. It doesn't thrill me like it does for most of the people who walk through those doors looking for a badge."

Forrest nodded in understanding. Brock understood why trainers loved doing what they did as much as they did. He experienced those same emotions in the heat of the moment. The only difference was that he didn't get the same joy from them.

But Brock didn't have to worry. At the rate he was going, he'd be qualified to inherit the Gym Leader position in just a few short years.

And then, both of them could follow their dreams.

/

The buildings of Pewter were quite tall, and the city itself was quite big. It was certainly no Celadon, but much like Viridian, it was overwhelming.

It was only the second urban area that Ash had been too in his life, and this time, he wasn't coming here in a time of stress, and therefore wasn't distracted from how overwhelming it all was.

Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant were equally awed by their surroundings, looking around to the view of rock and mountains as far as the eye can see. The trees of Viridian Forest looming over them from above, the towering presence of Mt. Moon, and all of the other mountains along with it. As far as which city in Indigo had the most intimidating surroundings, Ash was all but certain that Pewter would be hard to top.

Nebula and Valiant were caught off guard by the sheer size of the Pokemon Center, eliciting a light chuckle from Ash.

"Get used to it," he said. "Every city has a Pokemon Center as big as this one." In fact, he was pretty sure that Viridian's was bigger.

/

As expected, the Nurse Joy from Pewter looked nearly identical to the Nurse Joy from Viridian. Ash had already chosen not to ask questions, but could tell Pikachu was not of the same mindset.

Seeing the mouse's quizzical expression, Ash knelt down and patted his starter on the head. "Not every question can be answered, I'm afraid."

A confused Pikachu simply tilted his head as Ash removed his hand and made his way to the counter.

Nurse Joy perked up from the article she was reading as Ash approached. Taking a peak at her magazine, Ash could see a headline relating to a mining discovery at Mt. Moon. "Oh! Ash Ketchum, right?"

Ash blinked. "You… know who I am?"

She nodded. "Yeah. From the… incident… on Opening Day."

Ash and Pikachu flinched, sparking bewilderment from Nebula and Valiant. "Oh yeah…" Ash responded. "I kind of forgot about that." More like forced himself too. Meeting Janine and finally making amends with Pikachu were the only good memories to come out of that incident for him.

Nurse Joy frowned. "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that, Mr. Ketchum." her voice was sincere. "Since we had a patient transported here during that attack, we received a full report on it, too."

That's right, Janine's Weedle. Speaking of…

"Has Janine stopped by?" he asked hopefully. He had been planning on describing her appearance to her, but it occurred to him that if Joy had known of the attack, and of him, then she probably knew who Janine was too.

Joy drummed her fingers against the desk of the counter. "She did, but she's not here anymore. She checked in two nights ago, but checked out and left the city the morning after. She said she was going to do some training near Mt. Moon before coming back to challenge the gym."

"Oh…" Ash tried to hide his disappointment. Truth be told, he had been hoping to see Janine again. Maybe even battle her. Perhaps another time, then.

Turning to her keyboard, Joy spoke again. "So, will you be staying the night?"

"Yes." Ash nodded. "I'm not sure how long, though. Can you look at my Pokemon too?"

She smiled. "Of course."

/

Pikachu bolted into the room the moment Ash opened the door. The young trainer chuckled a bit as his first partner immediately made his way to the bed.

After six days in Viridian Forest, he certainly couldn't fault his starter for being so excited about a regular bed. He was certainly excited too, but first, he needed a shower.

As Nebula and Valiant looked around the room, Ash announced his plans for the night.

"I'm going to take a shower before doing anything else. You guys settle in. Maybe we can watch a show for a bit." Hearing no objections, he made his way to the bathroom after taking out a change of clothes. He'd have to get up early tomorrow to get them washed. Thankfully, he was pretty sure that Pokemon Centers had washers that were free for trainers to use.

What would a trainer do without a Pokemon Center?

Closing the door behind him and stepping into the shower, Ash felt a sense of cathartic relief unrivaled by any other moment in his life.

Being able to clean himself after six days of traveling wasn't just refreshing like he had hoped it would be. It genuinely felt fantastic. Six days worth of filth washed off of his body through the glorious combination of soap and steaming, hot water.

Ash had always enjoyed showers, but he had a newfound appreciation for them now. And it wouldn't be too long before he realised just how common this feeling of relief would be for a trainer.

/

The night had been a good one compared to camping out in Viridian Forest. After his shower, Ash had turned on the flat screen, and after some channel browsing, he and his team had spent about an hour and a half watching a talk show where Falkner, Violet City's Gym Leader, was interviewed about the various experiences that he had in each Season's earliest days. Further encouraging Ash's motivation to train was Falkner's emphasized statement of how many rookies would constantly challenge his Gym unprepared. It was a mistake that many first years made: Rushing in. Although Falkner had stated that trainers didn't HAVE to wait a whole month despite that being the average time for a rookie to be ready, they always needed to have a plan, regardless of how experienced or inexperienced they were. According to the flyign type specialist's opinion, the single biggest cause for a rookie losing their first Gym Battle (and, by extension, just about any Gym battle after the fact) was almost always a lack of preparation, especially if they easily defeated. It was the most common source of failure, in the Gym Leader's book.

Ash tried to absorb everything that Falkner said, although there were a few times when he used big words that the boy had trouble wrapping his head around. For the most part, however, his insight was very accessible and helpful.

Falkner had also given some details on some of the duties that Gym Leaders were responsible for, what it was like to run his Gym and patrol his territory. He had ended the show with an announcement that his Gym was now accepting Gym Trainers: Groups of trainers who worked at a specific Gym while under the Gym Leader's personal tutelage. Not every Gym Leader did this, but it was still fairly common. And it also wasn't uncommon for Gym Leaders to choose between the Gym Trainers when determining who their successor would be, in the event of resignation or retirement.

It was an enjoyable idea, although Ash himself wasn't particularly interested in it for himself. He was curious about what life as a Gym Trainer would be like, but he was focused on traveling for now.

The next morning, the group rose at around 8:00 AM for breakfast in the cafeteria. Pikachu had been delighted to finally find food that he genuinely enjoyed eating, and was now scarfing down every single morsel faster than Ash could blink. An amused Nebula looked on as the mouse enjoyed his meal, while Valiant stuck closer to Ash. To Ash's view, the Ralts had become significantly less nervous ever since they had exited the forest. Nevertheless, he always stuck closely to Ash, having slept next to the bed that he and Pikachu slept at while Nebula settled down at the windowsill.

Nebula and Valiant were at a Pokemon Center for the first time. And unlike the morning at Viridian, this Center was packed with trainers.

Mostly rookies, in fact.

There were probably over two dozen of them. The cafeteria was spacious, so Ash was able to distance himself from the rest of the crowd, although they're chatter echoed throughout the cafeteria as he and his team ate.

Ash was tempted to talk to some of them. Meeting Janine had gone better than he expected, and it left him eager to socialize more, but now that he actually had the opportunity to do so, he found himself getting cold feet.

What if Janine was just the exception to the rule? What if Gary was the standard? He wouldn't really know until he tried, but even though he knew for a fact that trying wouldn't hurt, and that being shot down was the worst that could happen, he found himself too nervous to make any attempts.

Was he really that afraid of getting rejected? He was used to getting ostracized. What was so different this time? He'd never be able to figure out how his mind works…

But for now, he was content to eat with his team. They would be in Pewter for a while. He wanted to train for at least a week before challenging the Gym, so that was plenty of time to change his mind about socializing. Who knows? Maybe he and Janine will run into each other once she returns to the city, although Ash wasn't banking on that. Pewter City was a big place, and he didn't know exactly when she was going to be coming back.

For now, he would just focus on the trials ahead.

But before that, there was one place that he wanted to visit with his team: The Pewter Museum of Science.

/

The museum was a landmark of the Indigo Empire's history, and hosted the homes of numerous imperial treasures that could not be found anywhere else. Pewter City was the origin point of the League, and the Pewter Museum of Science served as a legendary monument for where Indigo has started, and where it has gone ever since.

Before stopping by the Poke Mart to obtain the TMs that he needed for the training, Ash really wanted to go here. If only just for a little bit.

Trainers received discounts for entering the museum, and trainers visiting for the first time were able to stay in the museum for free, but their visit was only for a limited amount of time, and they would have to pay otherwise.

Ash and his team only had an hour to stay at the museum for free, but an hour was plenty of time to explore for just a little bit.

The opening section of the museum was dedicated to fossils. Many of these fossils were apparently found recently near Grampa Canyon, a famous location located on the other side of Kanto. Apparently, a mass excavation was currently being planned, scheduled to be carried out in a few months time.

To Ash's knowledge, the Sinnoh Region had invented technology that could restore fossils to their original form. It had remained exclusive to them for years, but was eventually being distributed elsewhere. Since Indigo, Ever Grande, and Lily Of the Valley all had close relations, the former two had received it first. That had started a few years ago, and was a slow process. Although, it was likely that Indigo and Ever Grande had already received restored ancient Pokemon through trade, as Lance had one such Pokemon as part of his main team, and Steven Stone of Ever Grande had at least one as well, to Ash's knowledge. Apparently Kalos also had a limited amount of the technology too, havin followed Sinnoh's footsteps to develop it themselves.

Nebula gawked as the group walked past the full skeleton of an Aerodactyl, probably the most infamous ancient Pokemon native to Kanto. Ash didn't know much about the species, apart from how much of a total beast that Lance's was. Aerodactyl were said to be among the most aggressive species of Pokemon to ever exist, and if Lance's Aerodactyl was of any indication, that statement was hardly an exaggeration.

The fossils were nice, but there was something else that Ash was interested in. He lead his team through a set of doors to a section detailing Indigo's history.

/

A giant statue of Indigo's first ever Champion stood in the middle. Surrounding it were statues of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise; the three final evolved forms of the three Kanto Region starters. They had been the primary trio of the first Champion's team, and the Pokemon that he was by far the most known for. The Kanto Region starters were all meant to pay tribute to that.

Pikachu, who, up to this point, had been walking alongside Ash, climbed atop the young boy's head and rested upon his cap to get a better look. Ash read the words on the plaque in front of the statue.

"Champion Albert Seiza, founder of the Indigo League and hero chosen and blessed by Mew."

The Fuchsia native who had fled from his territory after control of it was usurped, found refuge in Pewter, and then led the Pewter army to victory against the now hostile Fuchsia army. That was the basic history that every child in Indigo learned. He was described as fearless, never afraid of anything. He didn't need to mask his fear, because he felt none. Was all of that an exaggeration just to make the story more interesting, or was it really what happened? Some people felt that his fearlessness was simply overplayed to make the legend seem more bombastic.

The fact that he had apparently received a blessing from Mew himself was an especially big deal. Mew was recognized as the Guardian of the Kanto Region, and was worshipped by nearly everyone who was native to that Region. This was especially the case in both Pewter and Fuchsia, the two most traditional cities in the Region.

Valiant tugged at Ash's leg. Looking down at the Ralts, Ash smiled at him.

"Pretty interesting, isn't it? Hard to imagine that we're in the very city where all of this started."

He and his team stared at the statue for a little while longer before Ash led them to another one.

This one was of the native Pewter girl that had acted as the first Champion's second in command during the war. Apparently the trust and faith that the two had for each other was unrivaled by anything else in the world. They were said to be the closest of companions, who unwaveringly fought together on the battlefield.

Ash read the plaque.

"Asawn Nobli, legendary lieutenant of the first Champion and unrivaled warrior on the brutal battlefield."

Surrounding her were statues of Hitmonlee, Alakazam, and Snorlax.

She was said to be as beautiful as she was strong. Despite her seemingly average build, the legends claim that she was as strong as the strongest Pokemon themselves. Capable of charging into battle without even needing her own Pokemon to protect her. Apparently she often sparred with her Hitmonlee and even taught him how to fight herself.

Was that really possible? Or was it just another exaggeration, much like some people believed the first Champion's fearlessness to be? Ash found this much more likely to be made up folklore than he did the former; being fearless wasn't nearly as unbelievable as a human who was strong enough to fight Pokemon with their bare hands. Humans were fragile in the face of Pokemon; he didn't know of a single living human who was physically strong enough to do such a thing...

And if history was correct, the Champion and his right-hand were in their late teens during the war. Was the Champion's lieutenant really a minor with quite literal superhuman capabilities?

In any case, the people of Pewter City practically worshipped her. The Pewter City Gym, the first ever Gym in all of Indigo, was owned by her descendants, and had been passed on from generation to generation. And apparently, she herself was Indigo's first ever appointed Elite Four member.

She was just as much of a legend in Indigo as the very Champion that she fought alongside was.

"Pretty fascinating, isn't it kid?"

A startled Ash whirled around along with his team to see the source of the voice.

A tall dark skinned man was standing next to a woman with blazing red hair, tied into the neatest ponytail the young rookie had ever seen. Ash could have sworn that he'd seen them before, especially the red haired woman.

The man, who had been the one speaking, approached him casually. Ash was initially nervous, but he and his team settled down at the calming vibe that the man gave off. There was no hostility from him.

He was somewhat aged, although far from old. And his hardened but calm face came across as mostly easygoing.

"Always nice to see kids checking out the League's history." he said matter of factly. "Some people understate the importance of the past sometimes, but I think it's imperative to always know where we came from." Ash hardly disagreed with the man's words; although he was far from a historian, knowing more had always been appealing to him, especially since he was aiming to become Champion. The thought of assuming such a position without historical knowledge of the League felt odd on its own.

Turning his attention back to the statue, a curious Ash asked, "Is it really true that she was strong enough to suplex a Dragonite?"

The man chuckled in an amused tone. "Who knows? The legend states that she suplexed a Dragonite to incapacitate it during the Battle of Cerulean, and then strangled it to death. It paints a pretty surreal picture. For all we know, she was just an amazing martial artist with highly above average physical capabilities. Many here in Pewter, and in Fuschia, take the legends as fact, but it's entirely possible that she was just a very strong human whose strength was played up by the legends in order to make the story more entertaining. Same with the Champion's fearlessness. Was he really afraid of nothing, or did he just have a strong resolve?" looking up at the statue, he continued on. "Unfortunately, all that we'll ever have is history records and speculation.

The woman chimed in. "Meh, I always go with whatever story sounds the coolest. If they say she had the muscles to kill a Dragonite then I'm all for it!" she pumped her fist high into the air as she joined Ash and the others.

The Pokemon were eying the newcomers carefully as the man continued.

"If I may, young man, what makes you so interested, anyway?"

Ash simply shrugged. "I don't really have a reason." he freely admitted. "Really, I just find the story interesting, that's all to be honest." A lot of people wondered how true the legend was, and he was no exception to it.

The man crossed his arms. "It's rare for a rookie trainer to take much of any interest in our history. Normally, those that do come from Pewter or Fuschia. Where are you from?"

"Pallet Town." Ash answered.

"Wait, isn't that where Professor Oak is stationed?" the woman piped up. "Maybe he encouraged you to do it."

Ash had to think about that one. He hadn't ever recalled Professor Oak pushing for the students in Pallet Town to take an interest in history, unless he did it subtly…

"Anyway," said Ash, shaking the thought out of his head for now. "My name's Ash. And this is my team." he said, gesturing to the Pokemon behind him.

The man smiled. "The name's Flint. Nice to meet you."

Flint…

Ash let the name hang in his mind for a few moments… before it clicked.

"Wait a minute…" the trainer's eyes widened. "Didn't you used to be the Gym Leader here?"

Flint scratched his head. "Yeah, I ran the Gym for a long time, but moved to the League's engineer field. Nowadays, my eldest, Brock, is the one running the place. My second eldest, Forrest, is set to inherit the position once he's qualified."

Ash did his best to hide how gobsmacked he was. He was talking to a former Gym Leader, and probably still a high ranking League official. All of a sudden he felt quite small. At least he was used to knowing Professor Oak, but that was just one person among many with esteemed positions in the League.

Suddenly, he blinked and took in the woman's appearance. "And your… Elacia! From Celadon! Your Indigo's second highest ranked Pokemon breeder!"

Ash wasn't an expert in the Breeding field, but it was hard not to know who the most prominent breeders in Indigo were when magazine covers were a thing. Some of the knowledge that the biggest breeders shared with the world was also used and cited in school. One of the main reasons why Celadon was among the most upper class areas in Indigo was that it was essentially Kanto's breeding capital; with many of Indigo's most successful breeders setting up shop there. Just about any successful breeder was guaranteed a glut of wealth. This was especially true with how much the League relied on partnerships with them.

Elacia let out an amused laugh. "I guess it's out of the bag then, huh? Yeah, that's me. The first ranked, of course, being my dear friend Suzie."

Noticing Ash's flustered expression, Flint raised a hand as Valiant perked up behind the boy. "No need to be intimidated, Ash. Right now we are just visitors, just like yourself. I'm just stopping by for a couple of days to pay the family a visit."

"I'm here for business," said Elacia. "I'll be here for a few weeks, so if you need anything come on over." she handed Ash a card with an address printed on it.

Ash gazed at the card. "Oh… thanks."

Elacia's business card was quite flashy, as though she had tried to fit in as many colors as possible. A picture of a Slurpuff was in the center.

/

Ash was glad that he had received a decent amount of money in Viridian Forest. Although most of the Bug Catchers had been poor sports who refused to pay, their leader had been rather surprisingly about it. Ash couldn't help but wonder if it was to make up for most of the others not paying, but either way he wasn't complaining.

Thanks to that, he was able to purchase three new TMs for their upcoming training, along with a few extra potions and berries. Since they were in the city for now, Ash was going to keep the healing items to a minimum, as the Pokemon Center could help out with injuries anyway, but he did still want to have at least a few on hand. He could buy more once it was time to leave the city, which would not be for a while.

Stopping by at the Pokemon Center, Ash had asked Nurse Joy where he could find a good training ground within the city. As luck would have it, she pointed out the perfect place to hone his team, just a block or two away from the Pokemon Center itself.

Upon arriving, Ash knew it would be perfect.

The young Trainer stood with his team at the training grounds.

A large area. Such a statement almost didn't do it justice, Ash partially felt. The young trainer was actually caught off guard by just how spacious that it was. And that obviously meant that they all just had that much more to work with as they prepared for the showdown that lied ahead.

It wasn't too far from some of the mountains that surrounded the city, but was still within the city borders. Ash and his team gazed at the wide, open rocky landscape, filled with uneven terrain, large rocks and boulders jutting out from the ground, and the occasional slopes.

It was perfect.

Many Gyms that were run by a type specialist utilized a battlefield that emulated the preferred typing of the Gym Leader. Having been run by rock type Specialists almost since its founding, the Pewter City Gym was known for its battlefield being that of a landscape filled with rocky terrain, not too much unlike these training grounds.

Ash and his team would have to get used to battling on battlefields like this, which is why this area made for the perfect training grounds for them to prepare at.

Making a mental note to thank Nurse Joy later, Ash turned to his Pokemon, who were lined up in front of him and were now looking at their new Trainer expectantly.

This was the moment when his true test began. Up until now, Ash hadn't really been training any of his Pokemon. His time at Viridian Forest was mostly spent simply hiking through the forest and taking rest stops for camping and meals. He had been in quite a lot of battles in the forest, which were always a boon for getting a trainer's Pokemon more experienced and honing their skills, but there had never been any sessions that were truly dedicated to just training alone.

That all ended today. Ash knew better than to assume that he and his team were a match for any Gym Leader in Indigo the way that they were right now. And even before Falkner's interview, Ash had known that it was important to plan ahead. Which was why these training sessions would be tailor made with the Pewter Gym in mind.

Ash would have to get his Pokemon to hone themselves in areas where they were needed to excel at in order to win the upcoming battle. This meant getting used to the rocky battlefield, and figuring out the best way for each of them to combat rock type Pokemon.

Specifically, rock type Pokemon that were being wielded by somebody who was dedicated to the typing. Although Ash doubted that they would be going up against particularly high level rock type Pokemon, due to being rookie level, that still didn't change the fact that the Gym Leader was an expert on the ins and outs of the Rock Type. Gym Leaders never went easy on their challengers, to Ash's knowledge. Even when not using their strongest team, they would simply utilize the Pokemon that they did use in the best way possible. Even if they faced beginner level Pokemon in their battle, the Gym Leader would use every tactic that they could to ensure that those Pokemon gave them the toughest fight possible.

No Trainer in the world could win a Gym Battle with so little experience without being prepared for that.

"Alright," Ash began, eying his team carefully. "We're in Pewter City to win our first Gym Badge. The Gym Leader here specializes in rock type Pokemon which means that's the typing that we have to be prepared for. However, we can't forget just how powerful Gym Leaders are compared to the usual trainer. These people are meant to not only protect their respective territories, and run them, but to also test trainers and Pokemon like us in order to determine who's ready for the Conference. That's exactly what all of these battles are going to be: a test."

He paused to see if his team was following. So far, so good. "We faced some tough Pokemon in the forest. Like that Dustox, for example." Ash saw Pikachu grimace. He sank his hands into his pockets and let out a deep sigh. "But I'm afraid that experience just won't cut it. From here on out, our real adventure is going to begin. We are going to be facing Pokemon that put all of the trials that we faced in that forest to shame. I'm not just talking about Pewter, either. I'm talking about the rest of our journey in general. As we improve, so will the other trainers traveling through Indigo. And the Gym Leaders will have less and less reasons to be lenient with the Pokemon that they choose to use against us as we acquire more badges." he eyed his team carefully, doing his best to look serious and get his point across, but not scare them. "I'm not exaggerating when I say this. If we try to challenge that Gym-any Gym, in fact- the way that we are now, we won't stand a chance. We'd be eaten alive. And there are plenty of other Trainers out there who would do the same thing to us too."

Janine and Gary immediately came to his mind.

Ash paused to take in the reactions of his teammates. To his surprise, Valiant was the most hardened of them. The young Ralts was soaking up every word his Trainer said, staring at Ash intently. Ash was caught off guard by his change in demeanor. Ever since they had left Viridian Forest, Valiant hadn't been so timid anymore.

Was it just something about the forest that scared him? He seemed pretty terrified of the Bug Catcher leader, for whatever reason.

Either way, the Ralts seemed pretty determined now. Ash didn't know what was going on in his head, but what had once been an incredibly timid Pokemon was now the most determined to rise to the challenge.

Pikachu and Nebula both looked a bit more nervous than their newest companion, but their expressions made it very clear where they stood on the matter: they were in this too.

A smile appeared on Ash's face as Pikachu patted his Starly friend's back to get her attention. As Nebula turned her head to look at her mouse friend, Pikachu jammed his paw, curled into a fist, against his chest, and let out a determined "Pika!" Nebula emulated his behavior, but with her wing.

They were set.

Smiling, Ash drew their attention back to him as he continued. "That's why we won't be challenging the gym for a while. Before we can even look at that building, we are going to be training here for the next week or so. We'll obviously take breaks to rest and eat meals, and we should still go to bed at a decent time, but overall, this week, we'll be strictly devoted to preparing for our battle. And by that, I mean that our training is going to be specifically to prepare for this battle." Once again, he took a pause as he eyed his teammates. They seemed to be listening carefully. "So, to start things off, I'm going to be giving you each a rundown on what I'd like to focus on for the upcoming battle. All three of you have very different strengths and weaknesses, so I can't just slap the same training regiment on you and call it a day." After a few moments to process this, which consisted of the three teammates exchanging curious looks with each other, most likely wondering what training plan each of them were going to be getting, Ash added in one last detail. "I also purchased some TMs for Nebula and Valiant. Pikachu is a bit ahead since I've already given him two that will help against the Gym Leader, but I still need to give you two some."

Ash approached Pikachu first.

"Pikachu," he said to begin. He adjusted his cap as the young mouse looked up at him expectantly. The lightning bolt shaped tail lightly swayed back and forth as Ash laid out his plans for the electric type Pokemon. "You've already started getting the hang of Iron Tail and brick Break. You've used Iron Tail quite a lot back at the forest, and have almost perfected the move. We haven't gotten as much practice with Brick Break, however. Before the battle, we need to make sure that you have completely mastered both of those moves. We'll put your electric type moves on hold for now, you're already pretty good with them, and we can get started on Thunderbolt and Electro Ball afterwards. For now, Iron Tail and Brick Break will be your main moves to use against the Gym Leader." at the mouse's understanding nod, Ash continued. "Also, i think we should try to get you started on Double Team. It's a simple move to learn, for the most part, but it takes a lot to master it. We won't have time for that, but even knowing a limited version of the move can go a long way." Taking a breath, Ash detailed the final part of the plan. "Finally, we need to work on your mobility. Right now, you've been very good at using Quick Attack. I want you to learn to maintain the move. You've already showcased this against Dustox, but we need to make it a recurring thing. We also need to make sure you're used to traversing the rocky terrain." he gestured to the training grounds. "Which is why we're here. In order to maneuver about the battlefield of the Pewter City Gym effectively, I need you to hone your dexterity so that you can run and climb across rocks and uneven terrain, while also maintaining the speed boost from Quick Attack. That way, you can traverse the battlefield quickly and effectively, without having to worry about losing speed or tripping. Make sure you climb up the large piles of rocks and boulders, too. Nebula can fly, so she doesn't have to worry about any of this, and Valiant knows Shadow Sneak and Teleport, which will give him a cushion for traversing the terrain depending on how experienced he is at using them. You don't have any of these advantages, so you need to master the terrain so that you can do everything on foot. Understood?"

The mouse scratched his head, trying to take in all of the information, much to Ash and Nebula's amusement, but soon nodded and gave Ash a thumbs up. Ash smiled. "Good. To get started, start running laps around the field while I speak to Nebula and Valiant." Nodding again, Pikachu bolted towards the rocks, activating Quick Attack as he sped through the training grounds. It didn';t take long for him to trip, but he quickly got back up, rubbing his sore head as he returned to his feet, and resumed his running.

Nebula watched her friend trying to climb the rock piles with a hint of concern in her eyes, before returning her attention to Ash as the boy approached her.

"Alright Nebula," Ash began. "Like I just said to Pikachu; you can fly. We don't have to worry about you being able to traverse through the rocks. So, instead of running, we're going to be working on your flight mobility. We might also get started on Aerial Ace if we have the time. You already know the move, but it's a lot harder to use." Nebula tilted her head slightly, but nodded in understanding. "Next up is how we are going to combat the rock type Pokémon. Unfortunately, as a normal/flying type Pokemon, you're naturally vulnerable to rock type moves, which we will surely be facing. And none of the moves that you currently know are typically effective against the typing." Ash was slightly amused by Nebula's irritated huff, but she quickly perked up again as he continued, and offered a solution. "So, to make up for that, i have purchased a TM for you: It's called Steel Wing. It'll be much more effective, and shouldn't be too hard for you to learn, either. It will be your main weapon against our opponents in this battle."

Nebula seemed to be excited by this idea. A brand-new move that would even the playing field against Pokemon that she currently had no means of effectively fighting against? The Starly seemed to be tickled pink at the thought.

Happy that he had her hooked in with that little detail, Ash continued. "Along with Pikachu, I'm also going to try to teach you Double Team, too. It's a useful Move, even if we will probably only have a very limited version of it to work with at first." he paused, ready to deliver the final detail. "Also, there is something else… unique that I wanted to work on with you."

Nebula perked up at that. Valiant was listening in closely, too.

From the corner of his eye, Ash could see Pikachu skipping across the rocks, having lost his footing and was desperately trying to maintain his balance as his overwhelming momentum carried him forward. After a few seconds of watching Pikachu wobbling in place on a rock, Ash turned his attention back to Nebula with a sigh of relief as Pikachu caught himself on all fours, before he resumed running.

"Do you remember the Dustox that the Bug Catcher Leader used against Pikachu? How he was able to condense his Gust attack into a single, concentrated blast of wind?" Nebula nodded. She vividly remembered that little detail. Not as much as she remembered Pikachu's injuries, but it was still fresh in her mind, nevertheless. "Dustox probably practiced a lot to get so much control over the technique. You know Whirlwind, and the Beedrill incident proves how good you are at it. Since Gust and Whirlwind are such similar moves, you might be able to get the same results with it. You can condense your Whirlwind into a focused, targeted blast. Like other blast focused moves such as Flamethrower and Hydro Pump, but with wind instead of fire and water."

Nebula was blinking in surprise at Ash's idea, so he explained. "It's common for trainers, especially high-level ones, to mess around with the techniques that their Pokemon already know. Between altering their Pokemon's moves, or combining multiple moves into a single, new one, or sometimes maybe even both, a trainer's creativity shines the most when they are inventing new techniques to use. According to Karen, anyway."

From the corner of his eye, Ash saw Valiant staring at him intently. Clearly, the idea of modified moves greatly interested the Ralts, too.

"I'm not sure how much of an effect that this hypothetical version of Whirlwind would have on a rock type, but it can at least keep them at bay. Plus, having a long-ranged attack will make your fighting style more varied; You won't always have to rely on hit and run tactics." Nebula nodded in understanding, but still seemed to be quite surprised. It was a lot to take in for sure. "One more thing, your Reckless ability saved us back there during the Beedrill swarm. It's a powerful ability, so if we have enough time, we might be able to try and practice it more."

Being able to practice Reckless at will would certainly be useful, but, Ash knew that there was a cost. "But we have to be careful, of course. Reckless completely amplifies all of your abilities by pumping adrenaline through your body, unleashing all of your inner reserves all at once. This tires you out quickly, however, and it also makes you a lot less careful about how you approach the battle. I'm not entirely sure if it is possible to switch out of it after activating it, especially because you and I are both still so new to it. So far now, it will only be a last resort, when we very clearly have no other options."

Nebula nodded. It certainly made sense.

Opening his backpack and taking out the TM case, Ash spoke again. "Okay, I'm going to give you Steel Wing right now. After that, I'd like you to start practicing the move. And of course, make sure that you-"

Ash, Nebula, and Valiant's attention all turned to a loud cry coming from the rocks. They saw Pikachu falling from a large boulder, only to slam his Iron Tail into the ground to break his fall and steady himself. Sighing in relief, Ash turned back to an equally relieved Nebula.

"As I was about to say, make sure you and Pikachu don't get in each other's way."

/

As Nebula flew off towards the rocks, ready to put her new Steel Wing Move to the test, Ash turned to his final team member: Valiant.

The young Ralts was standing as tall as he could, eagerly awaiting Ash's instructions. Despite being the newest member of the team, he seemed to be fully committed to it.

"Valiant," said Ash, kneeling down to eye level with the young Ralts. "You're the only one here who hasn't battled yet, so I'll have to evaluate your moves first. Either way, I think it's important to work on Teleport and Shadow Sneak. Both moves are very versatile for getting around the battlefield and surprising your opponent. Apart from that, the only plan I have for you right now are the TM Moves that I have planned for you to learn. We'll have to see where the rest of your moves stand before determining anything else." At the Ralts's determined nod, Ash continued. "As a psychic type, you, like most psychic types, are capable of manipulating your psychic energy from moves like Confusion and the like in order to form artificial barriers to protect yourself with. This is especially useful for you, because your species isn't known for its durability." The Ralts crossed his arms in understanding, waiting to see what Ash's plan was. "You know how to use Light Screen, which will help give you an extra layer of defense, especially because creating those psychic barriers can be pretty difficult at first. Which brings me to the TM moves. For you, I've purchased Reflect and Magical Leaf. Reflect will be yet another defensive technique, which, along with Light Screen, should be able to solve your durability problem. And Magical Leaf is a Grass Type Move, so it will be your main weapon against the Rock Type Pokemon in the upcoming battle. Sound good?"

The Ralts was perfectly on board with the plan. Which meant that all there was left to do was to see where the rest of his moves currently stood. Giving his latest team member a kind smile, Ash got started with it.

/

Ash wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was certainly pleased with the result. Valiant had quite easily exceeded the young rookie's expectations.

The plan was to simply see how good Valiant was with his moves, and which ones needed improving. Turns out, the young Ralts was actually a natural. He had a basic grip on all of his moves to varying extents. Even the more difficult moves, which clearly needed the most work for improvement, were still being used to somewhat competent effects. Ash wasn't sure exactly how the young Ralts was doing it, but Valiant was clearly a prodigy.

The cynical part of Ash wondered if somebody like Janine or Gary deserved a Pokemon like Valiant more than he did, but Ash pushed those thoughts aside for now.

He couldn't let his insecurities get the better of him. They had training to undergo and a battle to win.

And besides, Valiant seemed to like him quite a lot, so Ash was hoping that that did mean that he deserved a pokemon like Valiant at least to some extent.

Either way, the young Ralts was ready to start out. So now they were going to. Ash based the rest of Valiant's training off of where he currency stood with his Moves at the moment.

Obviously, Magical Leaf was an important priority, and so far, Valiant was pretty competent with the technique. He just needed to learn how to shoot the leaves farther. The speed of the attack was on point, thankfully.

Teleport would need some work. So far it took too long for Valiant to reliably activate it, and he couldn't go very far with it either. A work in progress. But they had time.

Disarming Voice wasn't a very strong Move, but it was convenient to have at the moment, and Valiant was almost perfect with it.

Confusion was a bit of a halfway point. Valiant was naturally gifted at the technique due to being a psychic type Pokemon, but it still needed refinement.

Psybeam would be a useful ranged technique, but much like Magical Leaf, Valiant needed to shoot it farther. Thankfully, he seemed to have a better grip on it, most likely due to his psychic typing giving him a natural edge for mastering the move. So Ash wasn't worried.

Hypnosis was a Move that could make the opposing Pokemon feel drowsy. It was a great way to set up an opponent for being caught off guard and lowering their defenses. It was a difficult move to get the hang of, however, and Ash wasn't too surprised that it took Valiant a while to get a hold of the attack. Ash wasn't sure if they could get the move completely down in time for the upcoming battle, so he was putting that on his "maybe" list.

Confuse Ray was next. It was a dangerous move, used to scramble the minds of an opposing Pokemon and, if potent enough, make them panic and completely lose their focus. Even weaker versions of the technique that had yet to be mastered could turn the tide of battle, even if only briefly, and especially in beginner level battles. Valiant, as expected, was just getting started with the technique, but the fact that he had a basic understanding of it with no prior training was impressive. Ash wasn't sure how they would be able to improve the technique, however. It was a dangerous Move to test out. Hypnosis could be used on Pikachu and Nebula, and at beginner levels, the moves was weak enough to ensure that they wouldn't be put to sleep unless the circumstances were extreme enough and Valiant really focused, but Confuse Ray was dangerous regardless of how powerful that it was. Ash supposed that it could be saved for a last resort, much like Nebula's Reckless, because he was completely drawing a blank on how to efficiently practice with it.

Shadow Sneak was one of the last moves that he would have expected a Ralts to have. It allowed a Pokemon to dissolve into a shadow, often sinking into the battlefield to traverse it in their new shadow form. A version of the technique that had yet to be mastered would be difficult to maintain, however, especially since Valiant was vulnerable to ghost type moves. To Ash's knowledge, any usage of the move would not hurt the young Ralts, but it would be that much harder to actually get the hang of it. Ghost type Pokemon that were capable of learning the move could use it like second nature. Ash suspected that dark type Pokemon could use it with similar ease, although he wasn't sure what other species of Pokemon were capable of learning the move. At the moment, Valiant had gotten started on the technique but still needed work properly maintaining it. Proper utilization of the move would be perfect for traversing the battlefield more safely, and catching their opponents off guard with surprise attacks. Definitely a move that Ash wanted Valiant to hopefully improve over the week, and the Ralts agreed. Ash couldn't help but wonder what sorts of tricks that they could pull of with the move. Shadow Sneak opened up a whole new world of versatility.

Then there was Light Screen. A golden barrier that a Pokemon could cast to shield them, typically from ranged attacks such as Flamethrower. Despite being an advanced move, Valiant had a basic understanding of it. However, the barrier that he created was still feeble, and would break easily.

Reflect was a very similar move to Light Screen, and despite not knowing it for as long, Valiant was almost as good at using it, likely due to his prior knowledge of Light Screen. Reflect needed a tiny bit more work, as the barrier occasionally flickered, leaving itself transparent for brief instances at a time, which would leave Valiant wide open.

With the Ralts evaluated, Ash made his way over to where Pikachu and Nebula were.

/

Training went smoothly today. After Ash and Valiant made it back to Pikachu and Nebula, Ash had ordered the two friends to switch gears, having Pikachu get to work on Brick Break while asking Nebula to try to learn how to control her Whirlwind. Pikachu hadn't needed much coaching for this since he already had the basics of Brick Break down, so Ash stayed with Nebula, leaving his Starter to begin punching the rocks while Valiant was off practicing with Magical Leaf.

Nebula was good at kicking up winds with her consecutive wing flaps, but condensing that wind and controlling it was much more difficult to pull off, as it required careful manipulation of the winds that Nebula was creating. It would probably take almost the whole week to get it down completely, especially since it wasn't the only thing that Ash and Nebula were going to be working on. Thankfully, Steel Wing was coming along pretty good, as Nebula had demonstrated when she nearly carved a jutting rock in two.

Pikachu still had a ways to go when it came to traversing the rocky terrain, but Ash wasn't expecting him to become a master of it on the first day alone. Thankfully, the mouse had made a habit of catching himself with iron Tail whenever he tripped or fell. Ash eventually came to the realization that this doubled as training for Iron Tail, a Move that Pikachu had almost mastered completely by now. The young Trainer had chuckled at the notion that Pikachu was conveniently multitasking without even realizing it.

Brick Break still needed some work, however, and Ash often found himself applying potion to Pikachu periodically due to the rocks that he was punching causing damage to his fist. Once, however, he chose to make a quick trip to the Pokemon Center to heal Pikachu up. He was beginning to think that he should have invested just a little bit more money into healing items after all, but the training grounds were still located in a pretty convenient spot due to the Center being nearby. Not to mention, when training finally ended, they would have less of a walk ahead of them, which would be great, given how tired that they would inevitably be.

Constant usage of Magical Leaf had allowed Valiant to increase the Moves range. Ash was pretty satisfied with how surprisingly fast that the young Ralts was able to get a hold of the Move: it meant extra time to practice Teleport, Shadow Sneak, Light Screen, and Reflect.

Doing additional research on Brick Break had revealed to Ash that the Move could actually counter moves like Light Screen and Reflect once it was mastered, and Ash left a mental note to have Pikachu and Valiant spar towards the end of the week.

For now, however, everyone was exhausted and hungry.

But before eating anything, Ash had to call his mother.

"Ash! It's so great to hear from you!" His mother's good mood radiated from the screen as Pikachu peaked in curiously. "It's been a week now! How are you? What have you caught? Are you changing your underwear every-"

Ash raised his hand to cut her off as he flinched at the avalanche of questions, but his smile didn't go away. "Whoa, mom, hold on a second, one at a time please!"

Taking a deep breath, Delia let out a giggle. "Sorry about that. Where are you right now? I'm assuming you're in Pewter City?"

Ash nodded as Nebula peaked into view, her cheek squeezing in next to Pikachu's in hopes of getting a better look at whoever Ash was talking to. "Yeah, we got here just last night. I tried to call you this morning, but you didn't pick up. I figured you were at professor Oak's, so I didn't want to call him and interrupt your work…"

Delia waved it off playfully. "I'm sure he would have been okay with it, sweety." Ash blushed. Why was she calling him that in front of his team?! 'But more importantly, who is your new friend?" she eyed the Starly with a friendly gaze.

Ash smiled and patted Nebula's head. She didn't seem bothered by the physical contact. "This is Nebula. She was our first new teammate. Oh, and this…" he kneeled down and picked up Valiant, holding the Ralts in front of the screen. "Is Valiant. We got them both in Viridian Forest. And they're strong, too." he looked between them. "Nebula, Valiant, this is my mother, Delia Ketchum."

Nebula raised a wing and offered a friendly chirp, which Delia returned in amusement. Valiant was more silent, although offered a genuine smile as he raised a hand and waved at the woman.

"My, aren't they cute!" she gushed happily. "So, how long are you going to be in Pewter?"

"At least a week." Ash responded while scratching his cheek subconsciously. "We're not ready for the Gym yet, so we're going to be training here for a while." He placed his hands on Pikachu and Nebula as they lightly bickered over who was taking up too much space on the counter. They stopped and sent each other quick apologetic looks before returning their gaze to the screen. "We'll probably leave shortly after that. Do you want me to call you every night like this?"

Delia's eyes blazed with joy, and for a moment Ash could have sworn he saw her pupils being replaced with the kind of stars you see in the night sky. "YES! Please, call me whenever you like! The more I can hear your voice and see your face, the better!"

Ash felt exactly the same way about her.

/

After an uneventful dinner, the group made their way to bed. Nurse Joy had looked over all of the Pokemon prior to dinnertime, especially Pikachu, who's training had easily been the most physically taxing and demanding.

The next morning, Ash and his team headed back to the training grounds after breakfast. Passing by other students in the cafeteria, Ash had overheard a lot of them talking about their attempts at challenging the Gym.

"I actually took out one of his Pokemon this time. But he creamed me soon after that. It was pretty rough."

"ARGH! Why do these Gyms have to be so tough? I thought they were exaggerating!"

"I have two grass type Pokemon and I still couldn't beat him!"

Ash had grimaced at the comments. He knew that Gym Leaders were no joke, but to actually hear first-hand accounts from other challengers, even if he was only catching small amounts of them while passing by, certainly put things into perspective.

As he and his Pokemon lined up at the training grounds, Ash could see clear as day that the comments had made his team feel somewhat apprehensive. He couldn't blame them. He was sweating quite a bit himself right now.

He had always known what he was getting into when he became a trainer, but between the brutal trek through Viridian Forest and now these types of comments from other trainers, it really was starting to sink in how harsh this would be.

It brought him back to what Gary had said to him on Opening Day. About how very few trainers would actually make it and receive even slight recognition.

How many of those trainers in the Pokemon Center right now were among those that were doomed to obscurity? How likely was it that he himself was one of them too? He was encouraging his team, planning training regiments that would directly prepare them for the upcoming battle… but what if that was all for nothing? He doubted he was the only trainer who was doing this. Surely plenty of other people had thought of the same ideas he did…

He shook his head violently in a desperate attempt to get those thoughts out of his mind. Now was not the time for this. His team had voluntarily committed to the training exercises that he gave them. He owed it to them to help them see things through.

He couldn't help but wonder what the other trainers were doing to prepare. Many rookies just rushed into Gym battles and rarely ever succeeded by doing so. But Ash was certain that plenty of others trained just like he and his team were. According to Nurse Joy, Janine was preparing by Mt. moon, and he assumed that Gary had also gone off somewhere else to do his training, given that Ash hadn't seen him yet (Then again, given how big the city was, Gary could still be somewhere in Pewter), so were the other trainers prepping this seriously too? Were they doing something that he might not have thought of?

Ash didn't know for sure. He considered approaching one of the other rookies to ask them, but then his reluctance to attempt a conversation came creeping back up.

Letting out a deep sigh, he chose to push those thoughts away now. He'd keep going about things the way that he was for now. Worst case scenario, he and his team lost, in which case they would just spend another week training and try again.

/

"Alright you two, try Double Team now."

Pikachu and Nebula stood in front of him while Valiant practiced Shadow Sneak off in the background where Ash could see him.

Pikachu still had some work to do in the mobility department, as his attempts to cross the terrain were still less than perfect. He had, however, gotten better at maintaining Quick Attack for as long as possible. Not only would this be a major boon for his speed, but for his endurance as well, as he continued to get used to keeping his high speed movement sup as long as possible.

The endurance factor wasn't even something that Ash had thought of at first, but in hindsight, training Pikachu to maintain Quick Attack for as long as possible will have been very beneficial for more than one reason.

But he decided that Pikachu could use a minor break from the physically taxing training, and since Nebula was also going to be learning the move, Ash determined that it would be best to have the two new friends do so side by side.

Plus, Ash secretly hoped that the presence of each of them would motivate the other. The budding bond between the mouse and the bird had pleased him quite a bit. Just about any Pokemon Expert; Master, Breeder, Coordinator, or Researcher alike, would often cite the collective relationships among each team member as one of the core fundamentals of their individual growth. The psychology behind all of it was fairly predictable too; as each team member would obviously work better with those that they got along with. And many trainers, especially experts, would inevitably have joint training sessions where two or more Pokemon learned the same move, or a similar move, or helped each other learn moves.

Over the course of their travels through Viridian Forest, Pikachu and Nebula had developed a very obvious connection with one another, even through something as simple and seemingly inconsequential as sitting next to each other every meal time. Although they both got along with Valiant too (particularly Pikachu), it was pretty clear that they were both each other's closest teammate. Ash even wagered the assumption that they were even closer to each other than they were to him; he still wasn't entirely sure if they actually saw him as a friend yet, or if they simply viewed him as their Trainer. But they very clearly both viewed each other as friends. On the last night that they had camped out at Viridian Forest, Ash had even spotted the two sleeping closer to each other than usual, with one of Nebula's wings wrapped over Pikachu as if to keep him warm. Ash wasn't even sure if Pikachu needed that because of his fur, but it had certainly made him happy to see it.

Even now, the two new friends were sending each other encouraging glances as they prepared to practice the new move that Ash was trying to teach them.

Seeing how easily the two of them became friends made Ash think back to his own social life, and how ostracized he was from kids his age at Pallet Town. Trucy had certainly made up for it, but Ash couldn't help but realize just how much better his Pokemon were at socializing than himself.

Ash wanted to have what they seemed to have, but didn't have the courage to actually try.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about any of that. They had a move to learn and a Gym badge to win.

Double Team was a move that involved the user splitting themselves into multiple copies in order to confuse their opponent. The copies had very low durability and usually went down in a single hit, but the main point of the technique was to keep the user safe by tricking the opponent into attacking the copies instead Very skilled users of Double Team could make the copies borderline indistinguishable from the user themselves, and could even make the copies move along with them, rather than remaining stationary. This could make battles particularly chaotic.

It was tough to master the move, however. Creating one, single copy was easy enough. And Ash was confident that they had enough time for Pikachu and Nebula to get their single copies to move along with them in the middle of a battle, as it would require practice, but hopefully shouldn't take too long to get down. But to create a large amount of copies took a lot of practice, focus, and training of the Pokemon's mental stamina, which was especially true if the user wanted to be able to get all of the copies to move around at once.

But for now, just one, single, moving copy would do. As long as Pikachu and Nebula learned to make their copies near identical to themselves, they would hopefully be able to confuse the Gym Leader's Pokemon.

After some research into the matter, Ash had discovered that Valiant was capable of learning the move too. However, the young Ralts already had more than enough on his plate, so Ash would be saving that for another time.

Plus, Valiant was already quite versatile with the moves that he was learning. Pikachu and Nebula needed more moves to increase their versatility, particularly Nebula. At the moment, both of their fighting styles usually revolved around pure speed and offense. A move like Double Team would add some much-needed variety into the mix for both of them.

After reading a brief article to them detailing the nature of the Move and how to use it, as well as showing them a clip of a few of Bruno's Pokemon utilizing the move for good measure, Ash had the two new friends get to work.

Pikachu's fur was raised as he clenched his slightly raised paws into fists, gritting his teeth as his body began to vibrate quite mildly. The mouse was in a state of deep concentration, but was clearly struggling. Beside him, Nebula was keeping her composure better, but was also lightly growling in frustration.

After a few failed attempts, Nebula's body flashed as she split into two Starly. Pikachu leaped back with a startled yelp as his friend created a shimmering copy of herself. The copy wasn't moving, and it was clearly obvious from the shimmering that it was just a copy of Nebula and not actually Nebula herself, but it was most certainly a start.

Grinning ear to ear, Ash patted the Starly on the head as the clone fizzled out, nebula canceling out the technique. "Great work, Nebula!"

Raising her wing high in the air, Nebula chirped happily, and, to Ash's pleasant surprise, leaned into her trainer's touch.

As Ash lifted his hand, Nebula turned to Pikachu, who was looking at her with a mixed expression on his face. The electric type starter was happy that his new friend had succeeded, but still saddened that he couldn't get the move down himself.

Making her way over to Pikachu as Ash watched, Nebula placed a wing on her rodent friend's back and began chirping out what Ash assumed to be instructions to the young electric type. After a few moments, Pikachu's ears perked up and wiggled as he placed a paw on Nebula's back and let out a cheerful noise with a smile.

As the two Pokemon parted, Pikachu went back to practicing the Move.

In just a couple more tries, a clone appeared.

/

After Pikachu and Nebula had gotten started on Double Team, Ash made his way over to Valiant.

The two Pokemon, with a little bit more practice, had both succeeded in making their respective copies appear more convincing. Although they were both still only capable of producing one each, and would probably need more practice before they could make their copies move, or maintain them longer, it was still clearly a great start. Ash wasn't able to tell the difference between the real Pokemon and the copies himself without looking very closely, and in the heat of battle, it was very difficult, albeit not impossible, for a Pokemon to be able to give that kind of an examination.

With Pikachu back to running laps and Nebula back to working on her own mobility in the air, Ash had checked on Valiant's progress.

A bit earlier in the day, Valiant had tested Hypnosis on Pikachu. Although it was effective, Valiant had to strain himself to combat the mouse's resistance, and was left mentally exhausted by the time Pikachu himself was tired out by the technique.

Now, Valiant was back to shooting Psybeams around at the rocks. He was getting better a the move. It went farther now, and was shattering some of the rocks that it hit. But Ash wanted to switch gears for a bit.

"Hey!" he called out to the Ralts, who stopped what he was doing to pay attention to Ash.

"You're getting a lot better with Psybeam." Ash pointed out, kneeling down to pat the young Ralts in the head, which Valiant seemed to enjoy. "But I would like for you to start going back to Magical Leaf for a little bit. Made any progress yet?" There was no impatience in his voice, just curiosity.

Valiant walked a few feet away from Ash and raised his hands. Almost immediately, they began to glow a bright, vibrant green as Ash continued to observe.

The Ralts pushed his hands outward as bright, light green leaves escaped from his hands. The leaves twirled through the air as they collided with the rocks, creating a miniature explosion that decimated most of the rocks that the leaves had hit.

Ash grinned again. "Perfect! You seem to have gained some distance, too." he knelt down to look at the Ralts. "They're coming out pretty fast too. I think you've almost got the Move down, so that should be a big help at the Gym battle." Valiant grinned and let out a joyful sound as Ash continued. "Now then, can you show me where you are with Teleport, next?"

/

The second day of training would be wrapping up soon. Although they still ha daylight, Ash could see some orange beginning to appear in the sky.

Nebula was back to working on the modified version of Whirlwind. Her Steel Wing was still making progress, and Ash could already see her air maneuverability greatly improving. Sharper turns, faster flight speed, and even the occasional loop. Ash had suggested that she try to maintain Quick Attack in the air, like how Pikachu was trying to while running. And so far, she seemed to be getting the hang of it.

At this rate, they would be able to work on Aerial Ace once her maneuverability was down. Aerial Ace was very easy to lose control of if the Pokemon using it wasn't great with mobility, resulting in the user often clashing. You didn't have to be a flying type Pokemon to know how to use Aerial Ace, but flying type Pokemon still most certainly had a very clear advantage in that department.

Ash was happy with the Starly's improvement, but there was another factor that he had recently thought of that he wished he had thought of before.

Looking over to Pikachu, Ash saw that his starter was trying something different: Climbing to the top of the boulders as fast as possible and then trying to hit them with iron Tail while still maintaining his momentum.

It was most certainly a great idea, and the creativity greatly pleased Ash, but he would need the mouse's help for this one, so when Ash called Nebula down to him, he called Pikachu over as well.

Nebula landed beside Pikachu as the mouse slowed his running to a walk as he approached Ash closer. The two friends looked up at their trainer expectantly, obviously aware that he had another drill for them.

"Nebula, I have another idea for you." Ash crouched down to be at eye level with his first two teammate's. "And Pikachu's gonna help."

Pikachu tilted his head curiously as Nebula chirped in understanding, a slight nod of her head being made.

Ash nodded back. "Good. I think this should help with your upper body strength. Not to mention, it might be good for extra flight practice too." at the Starly's curious look, Ash explained. "Do you remember when Pikachu tried to ride you back in the forest?"

An embarrassed pikachu bashfully rubbed the back of his head with a light blush slowly appearing on his face, while Nebula's own cheeks reddened while the Starly huffed in annoyance.

Giggling at their reaction, Ash explained himself. "I was thinking, if you try to carry Pikachu on your back while in the air, it might be good exercise for your strength, and flight control too on top of all of that. Plus, it can help you practice maintaining your balance in the air."

Truth be told, Ash never would have gotten this idea if it hadn't been for Pikachu's previous antics. He couldn't help but wonder if such ideas always came so randomly, or if this was just a lucky exception.

Either way, Nebula looked a bit hesitant about the idea, which didn't surprise Ash too much, while Pikachu seemed to be a bit mixed.

"I know it won't be very easy, but it's worth a shot. Once you Evolve, it'll probably be a lot easier for you Nebula, but for now, I think it would be good training."

After a few moments of consideration, a slightly reluctant Nebula nodded in understanding. Seeing his friend going along with the plan, Pikachu nodded too.

"Good! And Pikachu, if you do fall, make sure to use Iron Tail to land. You've been using that as a fail safe whenever you trip or fall over while practicing at the rocks, and I personally think that it's a great idea."

Pikachu nodded as he got behind Nebula. Crouching down, the Starly spread her wings and braced herself. Looking behind her, she chirped out a few instructions towards Pikachu as he approached her carefully.

Straightening himself up, Ash watched carefully as Pikachu placed his paws on Nebula and tried to climb onto her back. The Starly felt his weight on top of her back almost immediately, and was forced to kneel down as she briefly struggled to hold the mouse's extra weight. After a few moments, she managed to straighten herself up, and began flapping her wings to ascend into the air.

It was a slow process. At first Nebula was barely able to get a few feet off the ground, Pikachu;s weight slowly pushing her back downward. She continued to resist by flapping her wings more, raising herself slightly higher into the air as she combatted the added weight and pressure. Pikachu did his best to hold on tight, trying his best to readjust on occasion to keep his position on her back even, attempting to prevent her from tilting over to the side too much due to his weight.

After a few moments of rising into the air at such a painfully slow rate, Nebula suddenly began to flap her wings even harder, boosting herself upwards with a quick Whirlwind that propelled her higher and higher into the sky. After a few repeats of this, she was gliding through the air with Pikachu on her back, constantly swaying side to side slightly due to the added wait, but still maintaining her balance nonetheless.

She wasn't as high as she normally was-she didn't want to push it-but she was still decently high in the air, as Ash watched her soar around through the air at a high that surpassed a good deal of the nearby buildings in the city.

Pikachu nervously held onto his friend's feathers, clinging to her tightly with his paws as he looked down at the rocky landscape below. He could see Valiant from here, the young Ralts surrounding himself in a golden, cube shaped barrier as he practiced Light Screen. He could vaguely hear Ash calling out instructions and words of encouragement to the young Ralts as the newest member of their team continued to practice.

He let out a joyful squeak as Nebula increased her speed ever so slightly, evening herself out a bit more as she slowly but surely got used to the mouse's added weight. As the flight progressively grew less turbulent, Pikachu eased himself up just a bit, maintaining his tight grip on her feathers but no longer nervous. His breath occasionally caught in the air as he suddenly remembered just how high up that they were, but he trusted in his friend.

Nebula could feel the mouse's fur pressing against her as Pikachu continued to cling to her. The warmth of the fur completely covered her back as Pikachu continued hugging against her. It was a comfortable feeling, but she couldn't fully enjoy it and lose herself in the warmth, lest she break concentration while trying to maintain a steady flight.

Periodically, she increased her speed bit by bit, testing the waters to see if they were ready. Tilting her head slightly back towards the mouse, carefully making sure to still pay attention to where she was flying, they locked eyes, his smile meeting her own.

/

The next few days went by. The team continued honing their moves at the training grounds, the day of their upcoming Gym battle drawing closer and closer.

Nebula had experienced miniscule improvements with her Reckless ability. She was now able to, occasionally, call on the ability at will. However, it was still far from perfect, as most of her attempts had ended in failure. Ash had tried searching up ways for her to more easily activate the ability, but based on what he had read, they already had the method itself down: it was simply pulling it off that Nebula was having so much trouble with.

Ash wasn't so sure if they would be able to get the hang of it before the week was over, but thankfully, everything else was going smoothly for Nebula.

She had pretty much mastered the limited version of Double Team that they had been working on. She was able to create a single copy of herself, while also having it move along with her, giving the illusion that there were two Starly flying through the sky together when there was really only one. She could have the copy fly off in a different direction from her, perfect to keep an opponent guessing on which way to attack in order to hit the real one.

Ash was hesitant to try and work on mastering Double Team as a whole, because he doubted that they had enough time for that. But for now, the move would hopefully be useful. In beginner level battles, even a limited version of Double Team would be quite the boon, and although Ash was certain that this Gym battle would go far beyond that of any beginner level battle, he was still confident that the move would benefit Nebula greatly. Any new additions to versatility was always a good thing.

The young bird had essentially mastered Steel Wing. Her wings were almost pure metallic as she sliced open the rocks that she tested the move out on. It would easily be her best offensive move against the rock type Pokemon, and Ash had been sure to prioritize it during practice.

Nebula's mobility in the air was on a whole different level now than before. She was able to fly freely, smoothly, changing directions without difficulty, and was able to maintain Quick Attack for long periods of time. She was even able to keep her speed up when using Double Team, while also ensuring that the clone moved just as fast as she did.

One strategy that Ash had thought of would be to have the clone move even faster. If the real Nebula slowed down a little bit, the clone could act as bait to hopefully leave the wide open for a Steel Wing if they fell for it. It might be an obvious plan that the Gym Leader would easily spot, but Ash assumed that it was worth thinking about, especially if they could somehow find a way to hide Nebula or Pikachu so that they wouldn't be noticed using the move, therefore leaving the gym Leader completely unaware that the clone was actually a clone.

Nebula had completed most of her training already, so Ash was having her invest most of her time into mastering the modified Whirlwind. Although she was getting better at condensing the wind, it still wasn't the concentrated blast of wind that that Dustox's Gust attack had been like. Although Ash had chosen to take advantage of the young bird's fast progress by having her get a head start on Aerial Ace, he was definitely prioritizing the modified Whirlwind for now.

The Aerial Ace move in particular was coming along pretty difficult. The first time Nebula had attempted it, she had crashed and was immediately rushed straight to the Pokemon Center. Pikachu and Valiant had dropped everything to race up and check on her after her attempt on the move, and had gone with Ash to the Pokemon Center to check her in. The second and third times weren't as bad, as Nebula's injuries were minor, and she had maintained the move for a lot longer than the first attempt, where she could only maintain it for a short amount of time, but she still very clearly needed to work on it. Even with the perfected maneuverability in flight, using the move was still proving to be quite difficult for her, and although she was already making progress, Ash assumed that the move wouldn't be mastered until, at some point after the Gym Battle.

Valiant's training was progressing nicely too. At this point, it was just a matter of maintaining his moves for a longer period of time, or using them consecutively. That could be solved pretty easily with repeated usage and training. Magical Leaf was all but mastered, meaning the young Ralts's offensive game was pretty much ready.

Pikachu had essentially mastered everything, to the point where all that there was left to do was for him to continue improving on what he had already perfectly got down. The young mouse was essentially just going through the motions at this point.

Rocks shattered from his Brick Break, with the young mouse's fists remaining almost perfectly intact, only really experiencing pain from consecutive use.

His Iron Tail was completely mastered, and was entirely metallic at this point. Pikachu could use the move consecutively for what felt like forever, without too much fatigue getting in the way.

His speed had practically doubled, and his dexterity was through the roof. The mouse would spend what felt like hours dashing laps around the rocky terrain, carefully skipping from rock to rock, never slowing down as he maintained Quick Attack throughout the entire time. Keeping the move going didn;t even tire him out all that much unless he used it for an extraordinary long time in a row.

His progress with Double Team was essentially the same as Nebula's as the two of them had been training with the move together, helping each other out and supporting each other throughout every step of the way, just as Ash had hoped. And to pay Nebula back for helping him learn the Move, Pikachu had helped her learn how to get the clone she produced to move around along with her.

Currently, Ash was sitting on a nearby rock with Nebula and Valiant on either side of him. The two teammates were currently snacking on some Pokemon food whale Ash ate a sandwich. As they munched on their food, they were watching Pikachu sprinting across the rocks, climbing boulders and rock piles with ease, and doing so with near perfection.

Ash was quite proud of his starter. Just over half a week ago, traversing this rocky terrain had practically been hell for the young mouse, and Pikachu had received plenty of cuts and bruises to show for it, although they were all immediately healed. Now, however, it was almost as if the young mouse falling over was a thing of the past.

In fact, all three members of his team had made absurd amounts of progress in just a few days alone. As scared as he was about the upcoming Gym Battle, he couldn't have picked a better team of Pokemon to tackle the upcoming trials ahead with.

"Oh, so this is where you've all been hiding!"

Ash, Nebula, and Valiant all turned to the sound of the familiar voice to see Elacia approaching them, her hands folded behind her back with a friendly smile.

Ash was surprised to see her, but didn't object to her presence. Apart from Nurse Joy, who he spoke to on occasion, and his mother, who he had been perfectly sure to call every single night while here at Pewter City, he hadn't really interacted with any humans since having dinner with Janine at the end of Opening Day. The Bug Catchers were one thing, but actual, friendly interactions was another.

He raised a hand shyly. "Hi," he squeaked out. What else was he supposed to say? He really wasn't very good at this. He felt so… lame with how feeble his delivery was with his attempt at greeting.

Taking a seat a few feet from him, the red haired woman eyed the electric mouse as Pikachu continued to traverse the rocky terrain of the training grounds. "He's looking pretty good, isn't he?" she turned to Ash. "So, which one is your starter?"

"He is." said Ash, pointing to his mouse companion as Pikachu sliced the top of a boulder clear off with Iron Tail. "Nebula and Valiant joined us while we were in Viridian Forest." he said, gesturing to his other two teammates. Nebula chirped a friendly greeting to the woman, while Valiant merely spared a simple wave before quickly returning his gaze to Pikachu, still in awe at the mouse's movements.

For some reason, a surprised look appeared on the breeder's face at the mention of the forest. But before Ash could question her, it was gone. Maybe he was just imagining things? It didn't seem right to assume that, but whatever shocked expression he initially thought that she had had completely vanished as quickly as it had come into view. No signs of it remained either.

Crossing her arms, Elacia said cooly. "So, I'm assuming you're trying to get him ready for the battlefield, right?"

"Huh?" said Ash, still contemplating her expression that might not have ever been there in the first place. "... OH! Yeah, right!" he turned his attention back to Pikachu as the mouse continued hopping from stone to stone. His jumps, his landings, and his accuracy were all perfect at this point. "I figured that, since the Gym's battlefield is going to be full of rocks, it would be a good idea to get him used to the uneven terrain. He can't fly like Nebula, or Teleport or use Shadow Sneak like Valiant, so I figured that he had to get his mobility down to perfection, since he doesn't have anything to cushion himself with like they do.

Her hand was on her chin as she processed his words.

"I see…" she smiled at him brightly. "I'm impressed Ash, you've really thought this through."

At that he blinked. "Hm? I just thought it was obvious…" he really did think that.

She laughed haughtily at that. "You're either underestimating yourself or overestimating the creativity of most rookie trainers." she said casually. "Most of them wouldn't think of such a simple yet effective strategy, especially this early on. Most are just concerned with how to counter the specific typing of the Pokemon that they will be facing. Even then, a good handful of rookies just assume that type matchups alone will solve all of their problems." she looked over at him. "You seem to be different, though. You're focusing on what the battlefield itself is going to be like for you. Not many rookies are that quick to take something so important into account. Not to mention, you seem to have picked the perfect type of training regimen to do just that. Honestly, I'd say that you have quite a bit of agency compared to most newcomers that I've met before. You seem to be ahead of the pack."

Ash blinked, a surprised look on his face as he took in her words.

Him? AHEAD?!

"You've always been in last place, Ashy boy! It's where you will always belong!" He visibly flinched as yet another memory of Gary clashed with the out of nowhere compliment.

Elacia frowned at him. "Is something wrong?"

Ash blinked, then started as he saw the breeder's eyes staring at him in concern, Nebula and Valiant doing the same.

"I-It's nothing, honestly." he lied while trying to clear his throat.

She was still frowning, but decided to change the subject. Turning back to Pikachu, she spoke. "Although, there is one detail that I think you might be missing."

"Huh? What's that?"

Turning back to him, she said. "Your Pikachu is doing an excellent job at traversing the terrain, but you need to remember that in battle, he is going to be attacked constantly. How do you train him to get used to traveling across the rocks while avoiding enemy attacks all at the same time?"

Ash rubbed his chin. "I… have one of my Pokemon attack him during training."

"Exactly. It's a small oversight, but it can make all the difference in a battle."

Nodding at her in understanding, Ash called out to Pikachu, who had just reached the top of a boulder by jumping along the increasingly tall rocks. "Hey, Pikachu! Come down here for a second!"

Hearing his trainer calling out to him, the young mouse quickly made his way downward, eying Elacia as he approached his trainer. After exchanging quick waves with Nebula, he gave Ash his undivided attention.

"You're doing great so far, but we're going to add in one more element to your training: Traversing the battlefield while simultaneously avoiding attacks."

Pikachu seemed to be surprised by this, but, despite being caught off guard, he nodded at his new trainer as Ash continued.

Turning over to Valiant, Ash spoke to the young Ralts. "Valiant, are you done eating yet?" At Valiant's nod, Ash gave both of them a thumbs up. "Good, then start firing your Magical Leaf at Pikachu while he runs and climbs around. It should be pretty great practice for your aim, too."

As the two Pokemon made their way back to the training grounds, Elacia released a Pokemon.

Ash immediately recognized it as the Pokemon from her business card that she had given him a few days ago at the museum.

A Slurpuff.

Elacia turned to her Pokemon with a smile.

"Alright Slurpuff, are you down to watch the kiddos train?"

The white, red and pink Pokemon smiled and nodded, waving happily at Nebula, who awkwardly waved back, not sure what to make of it.

The new Pokemon sat beside the Breeder, in quite a chipper mood, even more so than the Breeder herself was.

As Valiant began firing the glowing leaves at the fleeing mouse, as Pikachu began frantically scrambling across to the rocks to avoid them, Ash suddenly turned to Elacia as a realization struck him.

"Wait, how did you know that my Pikachu was male?"

She grinned. "The tail gave it away. Females have heart shaped tails."

Ash blinked. "Huh. I didn't know about that honestly."

You learn something new every day.

/

Training for that day resumed for a few more hours after. Elacia's idea had certainly been beneficial to them. Pikachu had some difficulty at first, but by the end of it, he was dodging most of the leaves that Valiant hurled at him while the group happily cheered both Pokemon on.

The day of the Gym Battle was fast approaching. The nerves in Ash were starting to go crazy.

Elacia had asked if she and Slurpuff could watch them train again tomorrow, and Ash was more than happy to say yes. She would only be available in the afternoon, however, as she had business in the morning.

Once again, Ash had taken note that somebody had come to him for social interaction rather than the other way around. Just like with Janine back at Viridian City.

"Alright, Valiant, use Hypnosis."

Valiant and Pikachu stood face to face in one of the few areas of the training grounds with smooth, even ground. Spectating from a few feet away were Ash, Nebula, Elacia, and Slurpuff.

It had been a little while since the last time Ash had Valiant test Hypnosis out on Pikachu, so he wanted to give it another go.

With only two days left of training before the Gym Battle, Ash had shifted gears by having his Pokemon only work on what they haven't mastered yet. For Nebula, that meant the modified Whirlwind, with the occasional practice with Reckless (which still wasn't coming along all that fast). Pikachu, having gotten a handle on everything that Ash wanted too, had more time to be a sparring partner for Valiant to test out his moves. He still got additional mobility training, since Ash had mixed in practicing Valiant's attacks with Elacia's suggestion of having Pikachu learn how to dodge attacks while simultaneously traversing the terrain. Tomorrow, Ash was planning on hosting a mock battle between the two teammates to see where they stood. It would probably be a quick one, though. He didn't want to risk a full fledged battle the day before the Gym Battle, in the unlikely event that one of them suffers a serious injury that would render them out of commision and unable to recover in time. Its main purpose would be purely to see what they have learned.

Valiant's eyes glowed bright pink as he stared into Pikachu's. The young mouse stood tall in an attempt to fight off the effects of the Move.

Pikachu's eyes grew vacant, but began shaking slightly as the mouse tried to fight off the effects. Valiant put more effort into the attack, while Pikachu put more effort into resisting.

After what felt like forever, pikachu was hunched over, slumbering as nebula caught him in her wings, saving him from falling flat on his face into the rocks. Valiant was out of breath.

Ash frowned. It was an improvement for sure. He actually managed to put Pikachu to sleep this time. But he still tired himself out using the technique.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Ash looked up to see Elacia standing behind him.

"I don't think that move's going to be ready in time." she said honestly. She wasn't wrong, Ash knew. "Maybe try focusing on the stuff that they have a grasp on. You only have one more day."

Ash nodded in understanding. It made sense for sure. It was… frustrating, that they couldn't get everything done in time, but it could not be helped.

Still though… would Janine have found a way to make it work?

Would Gary have found a way to make it work?

/

It was now the last day of training.

Pikachu and Valiant were both off doing their own thing, and Ash had announced to the team in the morning that he was going to have the mouse and Ralts battle at the end of the day. Both Pokemon seemed pretty excited about that, but also equally determined. That was a good sign. Friendly competition was almost always cited as one of the most important dynamics for a team of Pokemon to have.

While Pikachu and Valiant got in some last minute practice before their battle at the end of the day, Ash had fully committed himself to training Nebula. She was so close to mastering the modified Whirlwind. Just a little bit more…

Nebula was working tirelessly. Just as determined as Ash was, as she had spent the best part of the week trying to get the technique down. Clearly, she wanted to see things through, and see the fruits of her labor. Thankfully, the occasional practice that she had received from carrying Pikachu around on her back had done wonders for her endurance.

Right now, the blast of wind was mostly condensed, but not entirely. It wasn't as focused as it could be.

There was certainly force behind it, though. Each blast of wind that the young Starly fired would kick up a great deal of dust and pebbles. A few particularly powerful ones had even cracked a few boulders.

Even if she ended up not mastering it today, Ash was still quite confident that it was ready for use in battle. Nevertheless, he wanted the technique to be as strong as it could possibly be for tomorrow.

When fighting a Gym Leader, no gambles could be taken. They took their battles seriously. Challengers who wanted the badge would have to do the same.

Although Ash would occasionally go over to check on Pikachu and Valiant, he spent most of the day with Nebula. Sadly, he found himself frustrated that he could offer the young bird little more than mere words of encouragement.

However, over the course of the day, the final improvements needed progressively began to come to fruition.

With just a few hours of daylight left, Ash watched in awe as a fully compressed, concentrated blast of wind completely shattered the rock that Nebula had chosen as her latest target.

"Whoa!" his gasp was one of excitement, more than shock. "Nebula, I think you've got it!"

Landing beside her new Trainer, the young Starly let out a proud chirp.

Grinning ear to ear, Ash knelt down and faced the young bird. "A technique like that's gotta pack a punch, don't you think?" at her nod, he made a suggestion to her. "You know, we really should think of a name for this new move." when she tilted her head in confusion, he elaborated. "A lot of trainers come up with their own names for modified moves such as this. Since it's so common for many Trainers to create advanced techniques through the modifications and combinations of their Pokemon's moves, a lot of professionals come up with their own names to keep track of them. Now that we've got one of our own, maybe we should name it?"

In understanding, the Starly happily nodded.

In hindsight, Ash was grateful for the battle with the Bug Catcher Leader. Not only had it resulted in him and the team earning much needed money, but now they had a new powerful technique that they had gotten out of it. Ash had to admit that the Bug Catcher Leader was quite creative to have come up with her own version of Gust. But she had never called it by a specific name when Dustox had used it. Now that he had mimicked the technique, Ash felt that it deserved a proper name. Something simple enough to remember but still described the new technique perfectly nonetheless.

"How does Wind Blast sound?" it wasn't too complicated, but Ash didn't think that it needed to be. It was a blast of wind. Straight and to the point.

After a few seconds of consideration, Nebula nodded in approval, and Ash responded to her with a smile.

"Alright." said Ash. "We should practice it for a little bit longer just to be sure. And then you'll be done for today. Pretty soon Pikachu and Valiant will be having a battle, I know you don't want to miss that, right?" He gave her a smile.

Nebula smiled back and chirped out the affirmative.

/

The sun was starting to set. Ash and Elacia could see the orange filling the sky, giving a distinct glow over the training grounds.

The final day of training was over, and they were capping it off with a quick battle between Pikachu and Valiant.

Ash had considered including Nebula, too, but she was more tuckered out than her two teammates, having spent nearly half a day flapping her wings non stop as she mastered her new technique. It had taken most of the day to master it and make it official, and she had spent about another hour or so using it consecutively just to make sure of it. Despite the healing items, Ash figured she was more mentally exhausted than physically exhausted. She sat down on a large rock beside Ash, smiling with a satisfied look in her eyes as her two teammates faced off from opposite ends of the makeshift battlefield. Ash was very proud of her. She had earned that satisfaction.

Pikachu and Valiant were both raring to go. It had occurred to Ash that none of his teammates had ever battled each other before. Mock battles were a common practice of training among most professional trainers in both Indigo and elsewhere, and were excellent for both building relationships between teammates and just for training in general. Battle, after all, was the best way to see a Pokemon's improvement. It would put everything that they learned into practice, like a test at school.

But apart from the battle to capture Nebula, Ash had never done this with his team before. The closest being when Valiant had tried to test his Moves out on Pikachu.

This would be the first mock battle of the team. And it wouldn't even be close to being the last.

Sitting on a separate rock, Elacia cupped her hands and called out. "Both of you do your best!" Sitting beside her, Slurpuff let out a cry of agreement.

Getting up from his seat, Ash slowly approached the battlefield, eying the two teammates carefully.

"Alright, this is going to be a very quick fight. Just to see what you've learned. Give it your all, but don't worry about fighting to win. Finding out who is better than who isn't the point of this exercise."

He looked between the two combatants to see their reaction to that. Both of them seemed to understand, but were still clearly determined.

Ash didn't blame them, of course. After all of the training that they did, this was their chance to really show off their newfound skills. Skills that would officially be put to the test tomorrow morning in their first ever Gym battle, and, hopefully, win them their first ever Gym badge.

Ash had chosen to have the mock battle on the training grounds rather than the traditional battlefield of the Pokemon Center. This way, they could test themselves out on a battlefield that was conceptually similar to that of the Gym that they were about to be fighting in. Elacia had expressed agreement in this strategy.

Although Ash found it undeniably convenient that every Pokemon Center offered a convenient battlefield, he felt that this was the best way to go about it for this particular circumstance.

Backing away slightly, but remaining standing, Ash raised a hand at the two combatants. "Alright, then, begin!"

Pikachu wasted no time. The moment that Ash had said the word, his cheeks were already sparking, the electric mouse getting to work as he fired a powerful Thunder Shock at Valiant.

Valiant's eyes glowed a bright gold as a golden cube materialized around him. Boxed in, the young Ralts felt his hair raise up slightly from the impact as the lightning bolt smashed into the golden cube. The shimmering of the Light Screen intensified due to the pressure, but Valiant remained unharmed.

But Pikachu was already acting again. Faster than Ash could keep track of, the young mouse was already closing in with Quick Attack. Much faster than he had ever been against the Bug Catcher Leader's Dustox, Pikachu was upon Valiant in instants, his raised fist already glowing as it channeled the energy of Brick Break.

The Light Screen was shattered in an instant, Valiant gripped his head as the wind pressure pushed against him from the sheer intensity of the blow, but he remained firmly standing in place.

But now Pikachu's tail was raised, in all its metallic glory, as Pikachu thrust downward with a fully powered Iron Tail, ready to hit his mark on the now wide open Ralts.

Ash winced at that. Due to a combination of the young Ralts's natural vulnerability to steel type moves, along with his newest companion currently having very low defensive capabilities without the help from his barriers, Ash was certain that a fully powered Iron Tail from Pikachu would greatly hurt Valiant, maybe even knock him out in a single hit if Pikachu struck him hard enough on the head.

His worrying was all for naught, though, as Valiant suddenly flashed white and disappeared an instant after the flash had started.

The Iron Tail struck the ground where Valiant had just been standing a single instant earlier, causing rocks to fly. Teleport had done its work.

At the same time, Valiant reappeared on a different side of the battlefield, eyes flashing a rainbow color as Psybeam was let loose. The narrow, rainbow colored beam was easily avoided by Pikachu, who broke into a run with Quick Attack and began circling around Valiant at high speeds.

The Ralts responded by firing off Magical Leaf at the speedy mouse a few times, but none of them connected. Despite Valiant's competent aim, Pikachu was more than used to dodging his attacks now, and was moving faster than ever before.

Continuing to run in a circle, the mouse began varying his movements, trying to confuse Valiant to create an opening. Every now and then he would suddenly bolt off in a new direction before springing right back, trying to get Valiant to lower his guard in bewilderment.

This went on for about a couple more minutes or so, with Valiant doing his absolute best to follow the speedy mouse as Pikachu led him astray.

Looking behind him, Ash could see Nebula entranced by the action, doing her best to keep track of Pikachu as well.

As the mouse's movements became more and more sporadic, Valiant closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting out a big, satisfying exhale as he opened his eyes to reevaluate Pikachu, the mouse still running, but now very clearly preparing to strike.

And then, suddenly, a Psybeam hit Pikachu in the side of his ribs.

Ash was stunned.

That wasn't like the Magical Leaf attempts. Valiant had aimed at that very specific spot and fired… before Pikachu had even been there. Although it was nearly impossible to keep track of Pikachu for Ash, due to how fast that the mouse was moving, Ash knew for a fact that he had not spotted the yellow blur at that one, particular spot, until after Valiant had fired.

Had Valiant… actually predicted where Pikachu would be? This seemed less like Telepathy, and more like Valiant had... actually detected a pattern.

Letting out a pained cry, the mouse went flying a few feet away, his body almost landed on a rock, which would have left his body bouncing painfully across the rocky terrain, but to Ash's delight, the young mouse regained his composure just in the nick of time; using a well placed Iron Tail to steady himself and break his landing, just as he had always done whenever he tripped and fell while running on the rocks.

Immediately flipping himself back onto all fours, Pikachu bolted forward with Quick Attack, preparing himself to ram head first into Valiant.

But the young Ralts was already shimmering in bright white light, teleporting himself to the other side of the battlefield. Pikachu skidded to a stop, turning around as he did so, his back lightly tapping against a large rock as he came to a halt.

As he did so, he saw Valiant sinking into the ground. A dark blackish purple substance had appeared underneath Valiant, as the young Ralts sank into it, his body going directly downwards.

This was Shadow Sneak.

Ash noticed that Valiant hadn't used Shadow Sneak until after he was really far away. Likely because he hadn't fully gotten the hang of it yet. He could use Teleport faster.

As Valiant's shadow moved around Pikachu in circles, the young mouse's eyes darting around in a panic as he tried to figure out where his opponent would go, it occurred to Ash that Shadow Sneak and Teleport both had very clear advantages of one another.

Shadow Sneak wasn't instantaneous. Valiant could choose whenever he would pop back up again, theoretically, as long as he could still maintain the Move. Meanwhile, Teleport actually was instantaneous, and could get the user to wherever they wanted to go right away, rather than having to move there in a shadow, as long as they were skilled enough with the technique to teleport themselves as far away as they wanted to be. Both Moves could be used in very similar ways, but still both of them had very different strengths to play off of.

Unlike Valiant, Pikachu was unable to predict his opponent's movements, and was abruptly pelted in the back by a Magical Leaf that he was not ready for immediately after Valiant rose up a few feet behind him in a sudden ambush.

Crying out while rolling across the terrain, the young mouse righted himself again, slamming an Iron Tail onto the ground in order to catch himself before turning back towards Valiant and propping himself back up on all fours. The young mouse was still absolutely raring to go, but Ash took notes of the bruises and cuts on his Starter as Pikachu prepared for his next attack.

Rushing forward with the blazing speed of Quick Attack, Pikachu's fully powered Iron Tail was met with a glowing, shimmering, silver cube that surrounded Valiant and protectively boxed him in. The Reflect was instantaneously shattered on impact, however, the full force of the mighty blow far too much for it. Although Valiant had gotten very good at using both Light Screen and Reflect, he still had yet to completely master either one of them in their full capacity, and, in comparison, Pikachu's already incredibly powered Iron Tail was provided with further force by the full scale momentum provided to the young mouse by Quick Attack,

Valiant was not hit by the Iron Tail, but his protective Move could not shield him from the impact; the shockwaves of the immense wind pressure from the mouse's blow pushing him backwards and causing him to let out a loud wince of pain. Teetering backwards, he almost fell right flat on his back before finally managing to regain his composure at the last second.

No doubt, if that attack had actually landed and scored a direct hit on Valiant, Pikachu would have ended the fight right there.

Nevertheless, Ash had seen enough.

"Stand down!" he shouted as he ran through the battlefield, being careful not to trip over the rocks as he waved his arms upward. He stopped about halfway between his two companions as his arms fell down to his sides. "I've seen enough; we should probably call this off before either of you get too hurt."

The two companions seemed mildly dejected by that; clearly, they had both started to get quite into the fight. But nevertheless, they complied and eased themselves up.

Looking over to Valiant, Ash saw that the young Ralts was beginning to breathe heavily. Multiple uses of Teleport, continuously firing off attacks, maintaining Shadow Sneak for a decent amount of time, and usage of Light Screen and Reflect had clearly taken its toll on him. The impact from Pikachu shattering his last defensive attempt most likely did not help matters either. But the young Ralts barely had a scratch on him, just a minor bruise to the head from the impact of Pikachu's final attack breaking through his cube-shaped barrier.

Looking over to Pikachu, Ash's Starter exhibited no signs of fatigue. Although he and Valiant were both used to consecutive uses of their Moves, the young mouse seemed to have better stamina than Valiant overall. The constant running that he had been doing throughout training over the course of this week most likely being to thank for that. However, he was very clearly more bruised up than Valiant.

It had made Ash fairly curious about who would have won if he had allowed the battle to continue to its conclusion, but it was like what he had told them before: This wasn't about winning. This was about two teammates testing each other. And Pikachu and Valiant had both equally succeeded in that regard.

Pikachu's speed and power were the young mouse's greatest asset. His Quick Attack turned him into a yellow blur, near untraceable to Ash's eyes. His now mastered Brick Break and Iron Tail had enough force behind them to leave Valiant with very little choice but to go on the defensive. Brick Break, now mastered, could break through the young Ralts's Light Screen and Reflect with ease, and Iron Tail, purely because of its sheer power alone, could also do the same especially when both Moves were paired with Quick Attack.

Valiant, on the other hand, throughout the battle had managed to keep up with Pikachu by utilizing his versatility, and had even displayed a surprising amount of intelligence, outsmarting Pikachu a couple of times in the short span of the battle. The young Ralts had displayed a great amount of wits against the physically superior mouse.

As Nebula flapped her way over to her friends, perching herself between them as Valiant and Pikachu themselves made their way over to each other, Ash saw Elacia and Slurpuff approaching him from the corner of his eye. Turning away from his team as an excited Nebula chattered happily with her teammates, both of whom had been exhilarated by the short lived but notable adrenaline rush from the battle, Ash was greeted with an impressed smile from the red haired Breeder.

"You've got quite a spirited team," she said simply, gesturing her head over to the trio of Pokemon as they seemingly discussed the previous battle that had just occurred. "I'd say there's a Gym Badge in your not so distant future."

There it was again, with the compliments.

Ash's face reddened at her kind gaze as he suddenly took in how pretty this woman was, and was quick to break eye contact as her eyes lit up in amusement (and was that a flattered expression?) at his blush. Rubbing the back of his neck bashfully, the Trainer responded.

"I… don't want to get too far ahead of myself just yet." he said honestly. "A Gym Leader is a Gym Leader, so…" he trailed off nervously. Although seeing how far his team had come had most certainly quelled his nerves quite a bit, any attempts that he made at thinking forward to the battle ahead had immediately reminded him why he was so nervous in the first place.

The red haired woman frowned, her arms crossed as her neat ponytail lightly flowed in the early evening wind. "You keep doubting yourself, kid. You really don't even realize how far ahead of the game you are, do you?" her lips tugged upwards. "I'll betcha most rookie trainers would kill to be in your position right now. You know the last time I saw a beginner level Pokemon move that fast? And that Ralts of yours is really smart, too. Did you know he could think like that?"

Ash was silent for a moment. "Honestly… no. I just caught him not too long before coming here. I've never even seen him battle until just now."

Her frown was back. "You caught him at Viridian Forest…"

"Well… more like, asked him to join me and he said yes, but… yeah." he looked back up at her. "I know it sounds weird. Ralts are normally found in urban areas. I don't know why this one…"

He stopped as he saw her expression. She seemed to be deep in thought.

Ash was getting nervous now. "Something wrong, Elacia?"

Her eyes widened, as if abruptly realizing that he was still there. "Oh, sorry! Nothing's wrong!" she said reassuringly. If Ash had better social skills, he would have realized that she had said that a tad bit too frantically…

Turning to the trio of Pokemon, happily conversing with one another, she smiled as Ash was greeted with the full view of her ponytail swaying in the breeze. "He really does seem committed to you, though. They all do."

Ash's blush was back. Why did he always have to get so flustered at simple compliments? Was he really that inexperienced with simple praise?

He didn't know why he even bothered asking that to himself. He already knew the answer.

It did raise the question, though. Why exactly was Valiant so dedicated to him all of a sudden? The young Ralts had been a nervous wreck in Viridian Forest, but the moment they had stepped out, it was like he had become a completely different Pokemon. The young Trainer had found it almost impossible to not notice given just how sudden that it had seemingly been. And he had almost immediately been all aboard Ash's plans to challenge the Pewter City Gym, with very little need for convincing.

Something didn't add up. That was what Ash wanted to say. Maybe Valiant just liked him a lot?

Nebula seemed like the main reason why she was so keen to stay on the team was so she could hang out with Pikachu. The bond between the two companions had certainly grown quite strong in such a short amount of time.

So then… What exactly was Valiant's motive?

Elacia's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Anyway, the point is, cheer up. You're a great trainer, Ash. I see a future star in you, but only if you start believing that yourself, too." she leaned forward a bit, causing him to back up as his face slightly reddened. She wasn't too close or anything, but her movements were sudden. Unpredictable. "At the point you're at now, you're definitely going to go far, but that's only possible if you realize how far you've come in just two weeks as a trainer, and capitalize on that momentum. I may not be a trainer myself anymore, but trust me, this pretty thing knows a thing or two."

Ash gulped a bit. Yet another adult who was expecting a lot from him. "Umm… okay. Thanks, miss."

"Hey, what's with the formal attitude all of a sudden?!" she sounded hostile.

Ash waved his hands around defensively. "S-sorry! I mean-"

Laughter filled his ears as she was suddenly behind him, and lightly slapped him on the back. Not expecting the contact, he stumbled forward a bit, before recomposing himself.

"You're too easy to mess with." she grinned cheekily. "I'd work on that if I were you." as she walked away, she turned back to him suddenly, as Slurpuff joined her side. "Make sure you stop by tomorrow to give me the good news after you win. I'll be busy in the morning but I'm always free in the afternoon. My Pewter address is on the card I gave you, along with my Celadon address, since it's my main one." she waved as she and Slurpuff walked off.

Waving back, Ash could feel a great sense of bewilderment overcoming him.

Over the course of just a few days, he had somehow befriended one of Indigo's most famous Breeders. He wasn't even sure how it happened. It just… did.

He was grateful to her for her words of encouragement, though, even if the added pressure of yet another adult expecting success from him just made him feel nervous all over again.

Turning back to his team, Ash's nervous composure was suddenly replaced with a happy, fond smile as the trio approached him.

Their eyes were filled with determination. Reminding him of just how determined that he was. Even if he couldn't shake this feeling of fear, of anxiousness, towards the upcoming trials ahead, he would always be determined.

If he could prove himself, then the pressure would finally go away, right? And he could prove Gary wrong… it felt like a petty motive, but Ash couldn't let the other boy be right. He absolutely was going to become a great Trainer. He couldn't let Gary discourage him. He couldn't let this fear discourage him. He would make it as a Trainer. But most of all, as he gazed at his team, who, for different reasons each, and not just because he had caught them, or acquired them, had all put their trust in him, of all people in the world, as their Trainer, who had all seemingly grown more committed to it as the training progressed, and they immersed themselves into the task at hand, Ash had another motive still. As he looked at the trio that had trained so hard for him, one motive in particular was at the forefront of his mind.

He wouldn't let them down.

/

"It is so good to see you Ash!" Professor Oak beamed at him from the screen, Clefable happily standing alongside him.

A powerful mixture of exhaustion and excitement had overtaken them as they made their way back to the Pokemon Center.

Ash and his team had been ready to get settled in for the night as soon as possible, in deep anticipation for tomorrow morning.

However, the young trainer had been surprised when Nurse Joy, after taking in his team for quick, last minute check ups, had revealed to him that Professor Oak had called earlier that day, asking to talk to him.

He and the Professor hadn't spoken since he had left Pallet Town on Opening Day. Perhaps he had just wanted to check on him.

Of course, Ash was more than happy to speak to the Professor, and had called him back immediately as Nurse Joy looked over his team.

The Professor's grin was contagious as he appeared on the screen and greeted Ash in full spirits with Clefable by his side as usual.

"Same, Professor!" Ash was starting to feel giddy. "There's so much to tell you!"

A chuckle. "Heh, heh, so I've heard. Delia spent the entire day gushing to her classmates about how her precious boy was about to challenge his first Gym."

Ash frowned, his cheeks reddening. Precious boy? "But… not in that wording, right?" he said hopefully, although he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"You know how she is." Ignoring Ash's disappointed sigh, the Professor continued. "Anyway, I just had to call you after hearing about all of that. I've been keeping track of your movements whenever I could. Two foreign catches in your first week, huh? That's quite the feat."

Scratching the back of his head, Ash chuckled nervously. "I meant plenty of attempts before that, though. These were jus the first two that… actually ended up working out."

"And in the end, I'm sure they worked out great." The Professor reassured. "I still remember when that Starly of yours was captured. Clefable was in the room at the time. The moment the systems picked up that you had captured a Pokemon, she dragged me right out of my garden to show me!" Clefable's grin widened.

Scratching the back of his neck, Ash asked. "Speaking of which, Professor, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"How did I find a Ralts… in a forest of all places?"

It had been eating at him for quite a while now. Even Elacia seemed to find it suspicious, and she was a Breeder. Unless there was some other reason she was so shocked by it, but Ash couldn't really think of anything else at the moment.

The Professor frowned. "Hmmm… from the top of my head, the only explanation that I could give you is that another trainer must have released him there. But that probably sounds far too convenient, doesn't it?"

The explanation was probably the most likely one. It certainly would have explained why Valiant knew all of those moves ahead of time. But something still didn't sit right with Ash. Professor Oak was right: It sounded too convenient. Could it really be that simple or was there something else?

"I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. It could just be luck."

"That sounds pretty convenient too." Ash grinned sheepishly.

"Heh. Your right. But on a different note." Professor Oak leaned forward and eyed Ash carefully. The smile did not leave his face, however. "Something seems… different about you. You may not notice it, but you're carrying yourself a lot more confidently than when we last spoke."

Ash blinked. "I am?" hadn't he just been a nervous wreck while talking to Elacia. Well, he supposed just about anything would be a massive step up from the state that he was in after that trainwreck of a humiliating battle with Gary. Ash grimaced at the memory, but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as Professor Oak responded to him.

"I'll admit I was a bit concerned when you left, but it seems everything turned out fine. I have a feeling that these past two weeks have been very beneficial to you and your psyche, even more than you may realise. Subconsciously, I think you've already changed quite a bit. The fact that you're even attempting your first ever Gym Battle just halfway through the first month of the Season is more than enough to tell me this."

Ash's eyes widened. "Oh no, do you think I'm being arrogant?!" No way he wanted to be like Gary of all people.

Laughter greeted him. Not just from the Professor, but from Clefable as well.

"You misunderstand me. Confidence and arrogance do not always go hand in hand. I'm just saying that you have a lot more… initiative than you used to before. It's nice to see. I'm liking this side of you. The old you would have never taken such risks."

Risks… and here he thought he'd been avoiding those.

Well, taking on a Gym Battle so early certainly was a bold move, but Ash had taken plenty of precautions with their training methods.

Although, in hindsight, he supposed that didn't change the fact that he was making such a bold move in the first place.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" he asked. "Challenging the Gym, I mean?"

The Professor shrugged. "Of course. If you truly think that you and your team are ready, the worst that could happen is that you lose, pick yourselves back up, and just try again. Rookie trainers rarely ever get their first gym badges on their first try, but it's never been impossible. It's like making it to the Conference on your first try: Not many rookie trainers are able to do it, but the fact that it's been done immediately disqualifies it from being an unachievable fantasy."

Ash nodded at that. It made sense. And after seeing his team's resolve, he definitely thought that they were ready. He couldn't stop going back and forth on whether or not he, specifically, was ready for it, but…

He would still do it for them. They had earned this chance with all of the hard work that they had put in.

PIkachu, who previously hadn't even trusted him, had risen to the occasion.

Nebula, who had been captured by him against her will, had risen to the occasion.

Valiant, who he had just met under bizarre, seemingly unexplainable circumstances, had risen to the occasion.

And so would he.

Did he deserve their loyalty? Especially Nebula's? He doubted it, but if possible, he wanted to change that. If he didn't deserve them, then he wanted to become a Trainer who did deserve them. A Trainer that they could be proud of, just as he was proud of them.

He needed to push these feelings of doubt aside. His team didn't deserve to be hampered by them.

After all of the work that they had done, he knew that they were ready.

Any failure would be his fault, not theirs.

Why had his battle with Gary been such a crapshow? Because he had panicked too easily. Had doubted himself too easily. His starter had paid for that. The more Ash panicked and freaked out, the less likely his stater would have been to listen to him.

But he and Pikachu had gotten their second chance that night at the Pokemon Center. And Pikachu had been trusting him ever since. Ash didn't want to betray that trust, by cracking under the pressure once more.

And he wouldn't betray Nebula and Valiant, either.

Forget self-loathing and forget insecurities, it was time to win a Gym badge.

/

Pokemon Gyms were massive buildings that served as monuments for a trainer's ultimate goal: Earn eight badges and reach the Indigo Plateau.

The Pewter City Gym was no exception. The morning sun was high in the sky as Ash and his trio of Pokemon gaped in awe, the Gym towering over them as a few passing citizens spared them curious glances.

Ash could faintly hear a woman calling out "Good luck in there!" but was too preoccupied to notice. To actually see a Gym up close...

This was it. The culmination of his first two weeks as a trainer. The culmination of the training that they had done since coming here.

Looking down at his team, Ash could see them already exchanging encouraging gestures.

Pikachu and Valiant shaking hands (or, in Pikachu's case, paw) with a firm grip, Nebula patting Valiant's back with her wing, the Ralts nodding confidently in response, Pikachu and Nebula locking eyes, no noises, no gestures, just a silent communication between the two friends.

Kneeling down to eye level with his team, Ash looked between the trio. "The next time I send you guys out; it will be in our biggest and most difficult battle yet. Are you ready?"

Their faces gave him a clearer answer than any verbal response ever could have; and that confidence was a blessing, filling him with a new resolve as he returned them. Standing up, he faced the Gym.

The outside of it was mostly rock, and the building was huge. Wide. Almost like a Pokemon Center.

Many Gyms had similar basic structures, but wildly different aesthetics. Some were more similar than others were, however.

But all of them had the Indigo League's symbol near the roof, right in the middle of the building. To let every trainer know exactly what this building was.

His breath caught in his throat, Ash subconsciously adjusted his cap, despite not even needing to, as he began to walk forward.

The Gym was getting closer now. The hammering in his heart couldn't be ignored as he approached.

The automatic doors opened as he approached. As he walked in.

They were the entrance to the Pewter City Gym.

They doubled as the finish line to the prologue of his adventure.

But they tripled as the starting point for everything else on the adventures to come.

Chapter Text

"A Gym?" Trucy's blue eyes gazed at Ash as she looked up from her ice cream cone.

The boy nodded, taking a break from sipping his milkshake as he explained. "Yeah, they're one of the core parts of the Indigo League, not just for the Conference and professional training, but politically for the Empire itself."

Trucy tilted her head curiously, a cute habit of hers.

"What are they for if they are so important?"

"Gym Leaders are esteemed individuals who run the respective territory of their Gyms." Ash explained. "Most importantly, they are incredibly strong trainers, as a necessity." Taking a quick sip, he continued. "Politically, they're job is to run their territories. Watch over it, protect it, lead it. That alone requires a lot of strength, but the more… competitive aspect of the job is another reason. They are the ones who determine who is qualified for the Conference."

Trucy perked up. "They're that important?!"

"Of course." he smiled nervously. "You know how trainers competing in the Conference often travel around and go on long journeys?" at her nod, he continued. "It's usually because of the Gyms. If you want to compete in the Indigo Conference, you have to travel around Indigo and earn eight badges from the various Gyms spread out across Kanto and Johto. In other words, you have to challenge at least eight Gyms and defeat their respective Leaders. And you have to do all of this before the Season is over. Otherwise, you have to start all over again in the next Season."

The young girl frowned. "And you said they were really strong…"

"Exactly."

They sat in silence for a few minutes after that. Right now, they were just outside of Pallet Town's local ice cream shop. It was a popular hangout for Gary and his followers, but right now only a few of them lingered here, and apart from the judgmental looks they occasionally shot at Ash (not Trucy), they thankfully weren't trying to start up any conflict.

Ash was very used to when Gary and his friends usually were and were not here. He had carefully planned to take Trucy here on a day, and at an hour, where the other local kids usually didn't occupy the place. The time he and Delia spent babysitting Trucy was something that he had eventually come to view as a break from all of that.

And since Trucy had hit it off with both of them so much, her grandparents had made Ash and Delia her regular babysitters. Much to her ecstasy.

A small part of Ash felt weird that a small child was essentially the kid that he was closest to in the town, but it hardly bothered him. It didn't seem to bother her at all, either.

Eventually, Trucy broke the silence with another question. "Is it… hard to do that? Beating the Gym Leaders, I mean?"

"Overwhelmingly." Ash grimaced. Having recently learned about the statistics in school, the concept of Gym battles had him feeling quite paranoid. "In the typical Season, the Indigo Conference has just over five hundred competitors. Those are the people who beat the Gyms and clear the requirements as a result."

Trucy blinked. "But that sounds like a lot."

Ash giggled. "That's what I said." Gary had guffawed at him for not putting two and two together. Brittany had to spell it out in class for Ash to understand the bigger picture. "But the thing is, compared to the number of trainers in Indigo, it's only a very small fraction. In Kanto alone, the number of rookies that we get in each new Season can sometimes be more than double the number of trainers who actually make it to the Indigo Conference, if the pass rates for the Qualification Exam for that Season are particularly high. And that's not even considering the Johto Region. Apparently, they usually have higher pass rates than Kanto on average, even if Celadon is the place that typically spawns the most rookies overall…"

Trucy, who was now in the middle of munching on her cone, had her mouth agape at that.

"B-but, I…" she trailed off. Ash chuckled at her bewilderment. It reminded him of his own reaction in the classroom.

"Yeah, and that's just the rookies of each Season, too. The thing is, most trainers who make it to the Conference aren't even rookies. First years always have it the worst, easily. Most of them aren't able to get all eight Gym badges on their first try. Usually, it's no.more than a select few, or a handful at most." now he was just echoing Brittany. "Occasionally, there might even be none. It's honestly crazy how absurd the odds are."

Trucy gulped. "That sounds scary."

Ash laughed nervously. "It's enough to make almost any rookie scared." Not Gary, though. As soon as Brittany had finished explaining the statistics, the grandson of Professor Oak had proudly announced that he was going to be the one to break the mold in that regard. Make it to the Conference on his first try, and even make it to the six on six rounds, which no rookie trainer had ever been able to do before. And the their classmates had all applauded his declaration, as though he were a legendary hero sent from the heavens. As if he had been blessed by the Guardian Mew himself. Brittany had been noticeably amused by the young boy's bravado, but had still promised him her full support in that regard.

"Hey, Ash?" he turned to see her eyes staring into his. The blue orbs that occupied Trucy's eyes were incredibly cute. Hard to say the word "no" too. Especially when she was pleading with him to buy her a double scooped cone. "That won't… stop you though, right? You can beat them, right?"

Ash wanted to say yes. He wanted to jump up from his seat, and make the same exact bold declaration as Gary. To be the big hero that put an end to the days of rookie trainers being looked down upon as typically weak and unsuccessful.

Instead, he simply gulped, and, after breaking eye contact with her, said something else, something that was inevitably much less motivating to him. "Let's hope so."

/

Ash Ketchum was now inside the Pewter City Gym.

It was even more overwhelming on the inside than on the outside, no longer an intimidating building to stare at from afar.

He was here.

Surprisingly, the Gym looked a lot different on the interior than he had pictured. Rather than simply being the typical stone that he was expecting, he was greeted with a more varied sight. The walls and floor were marble, which wasn't too surprising, but there was more to the inside of the building than just rock. The lobby surprisingly had what resembled a miniature garden in the middle. Little sprouts poked out from the soil, and Ash could see that the soil looked somewhat wet, indicating that they had probably been watered recently. Most surprisingly, there was a small waterfall on the far side of the room, surrounded by more vegetation.

The air was cool, and air conditioned, reminding Ash of what it felt like back at Professor Oak's Lab. The interior of the Gym had a very sophisticated feel to it, and the professional aura only heightened Ash's nerves.

It felt comfortable in here, but the amount of effort that was clearly put into just the the presentation of the Gym alone… Ash couldn't help but be reminded of just how important these places were. 

Towards the other end of the room was a counter where a teenage boy sat in a cushioned chair. He was reading a magazine, although Ash couldn't tell what it was from where he was standing.

Curiously, he also spotted a young boy standing by the large double door on the far end of the room. The doors were likely what lead to the battlefield.

His breath catching in his throat, Ash failed in his attempt to suppress his gulp while making his way over to the counter. The small boy standing by the door eyed him carefully.

Perking up from his magazine (which Ash could now see was an issue of Inside Indigo's Tech, which had apparently printed its latest installment just a few days ago), the teenage boy eyed Ash carefully. He seemed to frown for a moment. "Oh… another rookie?" he almost sounded sympathetic. This was worrying.

Trying his best to steel himself (and not actually knowing if he had succeeded or not) Ash cleared his throat as best he could, and, in an effort to shed timidness, spoke in the most professional voice he could muster.

"Hi, I'm here for a Gym battle." Ash almost felt proud of himself for how clearly he spoke. He wasn't sure why.

The boy nodded, straightening himself out and turning to his keyboard. "Alright, can I see your Pokedex?"

Reaching back towards his backpack's back pocket, Ash pulled out the Crimson device and handed it to the boy. Inserting it into a nearby slot, he began typing.

"Okay… Ash Ketchum… from Pallet Town… no badges yet, three Pokemon…"

From the corner of his eye, Ash could spot the younger boy muttering his name and hometown over and over again, as if trying to memorize it for some reason.

He titled his head towards the younger boy out of curiosity, but his attention was quickly pulled away when the teen at the counter turned to him and spoke again. "
Alright, I have you registered. I'll contact the Gym Leader and you can get started right away, Mr. Ketchum." Ash gave him a nod, which he returned, before the older boy turned to the younger boy. "Hey, Forrest, you still want to do referee duty like I suggested, right?"

The boy nodded, a nervous but determined expression on his face. It almost reminded Ash of himself…

"Yes, I'm ready. Thank you." He sounded even more confident than Ash, and seemed like he wasn't putting nearly as much effort into it. It felt natural, not forced.

"Great, just hold on a second then. I'll get things started." he pressed an intercom button, and Ash could here a beeping sound.

/

Brock sat back in his steel chair, eyes fixated on the latest issue of Indigo's Breeding World, having immediately turned to a collaboration column written by Suzie and Elacia. He was about halfway done when the intercom beeped.

Groaning, he quickly placed a bookmark in his magazine before setting it down on his desk for later. His office was pretty spacious, as despite its size he hadn't put too much in it apart from the essentials. He liked the extra room. On the wall behind him was a large poster of Suzie and her award winning Vulpix, after winning first prize in last Season's beauty contest.

Pushing the intercom button, he spoke in response to the call, already knowing what it was for.

"Challenger?" his facade was immediately put on, almost like a reflex action. His own personal interests could wait. Now was time for his priorities. It was time for business.

"Yes, his information has been sent to you and is in the Gym's database. He's ready when you are."

"Got it, just hold on a second while I look it over real quick…" bringing up his latest challenger's information, Brock started speed reading, just as he had done so many times in the past. A picture of the new challenger, and also that of each of his individual team members, showed up on the screen as he quickly went through it. It didn't take long for him to turn back to the intercom. "Alright, send him in. I'll be there. Thanks for the call."

"Alright, I'll let him know you're ready, then."

As the intercom beeped and his caller hung up, Brock rose to his feet and stole a quick glance at the clock. 9:15 AM and a challenger was already here at the Gym. They had just opened fifteen minutes ago. Stereotypically, yet backed up by the young Gym Leader's own experience, challengers who arrived this early were either full of themselves or truly meant business. Time to see which category this next one fell under.

'Alright Brock, it's time to put on your mask again.'

It was automatic. Whenever a Gym Battle began, the real Brock took a brief break from existing, and the facade that he had built up as a Gym Leader took hold of the wheel. A stone cold man meant to strike fear into the hearts of every single trainer who challenged him. The rock type specialist who led the esteemed Gym of Pewter.

/

Forrest led Ash through the double doors and down a dark, dimly lit hallway. Ash was in the middle of returning his Pokedex, which he had been given back by the teenage boy at the counter after it was time to head on into the battlefield, to his backpack pocket, when the young boy spoke to him.

"Your name is Ash Ketchum, and you're from Pallet Town, correct?" his tone of voice was stern as he spoke. For somebody even younger than him, Ash found this boy to be shockingly professional; not even Janine had been this formal with him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." he said with a nod, trying to ignore the hammering heartbeat in his chest as the double door that most likely led out of the hallway and into the battlefield continuously drew closer, and closer.

"Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town…" Forrest was muttering to himself now, saying the same thing over and over again. It was a bit unnerving.

The boy pushed the doors open, and led Ash into a massive room.

There it was. The battlefield that they had been training for all week long. Ash's involuntary gulp immediately returned to his throat as he took in the sheer size of the arena. It was easily large enough to be used in a stadium, and the room kind of felt like one.

Both sides of the room were occupied by a tall series of bleachers, where Ash could see a few people gathered on the side where the referee stood. Most Gym's often offered spectator stands akin to that of stadiums, so that the employees working at the Gym could sometimes watch the battles in person, typically when they were on their break. Apparently, there were also cameras broadcasting the battle to the employees throughout the Gym as well. Gyms that also took in Gym trainers would often have some of them observe the battles in order to get full context of what a Gym Leader was like in action. To his knowledge, the Pewter City Gym had no such Gym trainers, but plenty of people still worked there nonetheless.

The ceiling was raised high above his head, and Ash was caught off guard by just how much higher it was than in the lobby or the hallway, both of which were fairly average by comparison. This room seemed to have the ceiling fifty feet high in the air.

But the main event, of course, was the battlefield itself. Exactly as Ash had expected it, and constantly envisioned, it was a long, seemingly endless series of rocks and jutted out boulders. Exactly what they had trained for.

Pikachu's mobility training was just about to pay off.

Ash and Forrest's heads turned as the sound of approaching footsteps entered their ears. A tall man approached them, wearing a special uniform. This must have been the Gym Leader.

The Gym Leader stopped just in front of him, his arms crossed as he eyed Ash carefully. At least a head taller than the young boy, he looked down on him with a scrutinizing look that would make even some of the strictest of teachers squirm in their seats.

Ash briefly made eye contact, trying to steady himself amidst this man's gaze, but broke away almost immediately.

The man seemed to be somewhat amused by that, his lips tugging upwards for the very briefest of seconds, before returning to the position that matched the stern scowl on his face. After a few more seconds of him staring at the boy, Ash suddenly felt grateful as he was given a very brief moment of reprieve, as the man's gaze turned to Forrest, his face suddenly becoming neutral.

"So, you're on referee duty for this one?"

Forrest nodded and bowed quickly. "Yes, Timothy suggested that it would be beneficial for me to start watching the Gym battles occasionally, while also practicing my demeanor for challengers. He's working at the reception desk for now."

The man nodded in understanding. "Very well, assume your position. We will begin in a moment."

Nodding, Forrest hurriedly made his way to the referee stand, which was located at the side of the battlefield, in front of the stands, and roughly in the middle of the battlefield's perimeter. He stood there confidently, straightening himself up with his hands at his sides. His face straightened out into an even more determined look as he gazed on ahead, steadfast and forward.

Ash suddenly felt small again as the man returned his gaze to him. The scowl was back again, piercing through his face like a Beedrill's sharp needles.

"So, you're my latest challenger. Latest hotshot who thinks they're ready to hold a Gym badge in their palm?" his voice carried a judgmental aura to it, and Ash could almost feel the derision hammering down onto him.

If all of the Gym Leaders were this intimidating, then he definitely had some work to do.

Cursing himself for his pathetic social skills, Ash tried to straighten himself up, only to feel himself shrink back down as he locked gazes with the man.

"Y-Yes, sir. I've c-come to win y-your Gym-b-badge." He stuttered out pitifully.

The morbid side of Ash wanted to see Gary interact with this man. Would he be intimidated too? Or would he crank up his ego even further?

The less morbid side of him thought about Janine in concern, and how she would react to him, but she seemed to steel herself relatively well against Team Rocket, so…

The man tilted his head downwards, just enough for Ash to feel him draw closer. The boy took a step back as the man's gaze never left his face, following Ash's every move.

"And this is your first Gym match, correct?" at Ash's timid nod, which was very slowly delivered, he continued. "A Gym battle is very different from other battles. This match is going to be a test for qualification to the Indigo League's Annual Conference. This is not some playground battle held in your backyard for fun and games." he almost spat out those words, as though trying to increase Ash's discomfort.

"Y-yes, I-I kn-know." Ash sputtered back. The man shook his head lightly as he continued to stare.

"My name is Brock. I run this Gym. And I will be the opponent that you will face today. Take your position, Ash. And be prepared for defeat." the tone of his voice was final, as though the outcome of the battle had already been decided. Ash couldn't get another word out as Brock turned around and made his way to the other side of the battlefield. Ash watched for a few seconds as the intimidating Gym Leader walked across the room towards the leader's stand, before gulping yet again and making his way to the challenger's stand.

Brock had certainly made a first impression. Ash's first impression, on the other hand…

After both Ash and Brock had positioned themselves, Forrest's voice echoed across the room for all to hear.

"This Gym battle, between challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, will now commence." the boy sounded almost as authoritative as Brock himself. "Both parties will use three Pokemon. Substitutions are allowed on both sides, and the victor will be decided either when all Pokemon on either side have been defeated, or either party surrenders." his arms now spread out, he turned his head over to Ash. "Any questions from the challenger?"

Ash shook his head. Suddenly, the floor in front of him opened up, just for a stand with a screen to rise in front of him.

"Very well, both parties, please direct your attention to the screen and select the Pokemon that will be used in this battle. The Poke Balls for those that you do not select will be locked until the battle is over."

Pictures of Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant flashed on the touchscreen. The screen read clearly.

Select three Pokemon

Only having three Pokemon to select anyway, Ash quickly tapped each of the pictures and the stand returned into the floor, which closed back up immediately.

Forrest placed his hand on a nearby button. "Please wait as the barrier gears complete activation."

The barrier gears were special machines designed by Professor Oak to be installed underneath the battlefield. They casted special barriers that rose from the perimeter of the battlefield, boxing it in and shielding both the trainers and the audience from attacks. They were a necessity for safety, especially in the higher level battles.

Ash didn't know the full science behind it, but they apparently utilized energy from every Pokemon typing to nullify any stray attacks that struck the barriers. In the past, Pokemon, typically of the psychic or ghost typings, would be the ones to cast the barriers manually. They were effective, but being limited to only one type left the situation with a few noteworthy holds, often struggling against attacks with type advantages to the barriers themselves. It had been Professor Oak's idea to mechanize this, both so that the Pokemon would no longer have to exhaust themselves, and for extra safety by including all typings to make it easier to nullify the many attacks that would inevitably strike the barriers, often altering whichever typing that it harnessed to adapt to whichever attack it was protecting against.

It was an innovation that was initially strictly exclusive to that of the Indigo League, but once testing was complete, Professor Oak had immediately received permission to send the means to build these machines to both the Ever Grande and Lily of the Valley League, both of which Indigo had friendly relations to. Other territories had since begun to replicate this themselves, the Vertress League being the first one to do so.

All Gyms used some form of barriers for protection purposes. So did every professional tournament. Pokemon Centers also typically had a private battlefield of their own, that utilized these barriers. They were widespread throughout both Indigo, and, in various forms, the rest of the world as well.

Once the barriers activated, they would prevent all Pokemon and attacks from entering or leaving the arena during battle. In between bouts, the barriers will go down so that trainers may release their Pokemon onto the battlefield.

Normally, the barriers were borderline invisible, but Ash could see the faint shimmering as the machines began to turn on.

After a few moments that just served nothing more but to continue to pile down on Ash's nerves with the growing anticipation, Forrest spoke up again.

"Okay, begin!"

This was it. His first ever Gym battle. Their ever Gym battle. They had trained for this. Prepared for this. Vowed to win this, both for themselves, and each other.

And yet Ash was still scared.

Brock had already taken out his Poke Ball, currently waiting for Ash to do the same. In official battles, trainers always selected their first Pokemon at the same time, not releasing their Pokemon until their opponent had made their choice as well. That way, trainers wouldn't have an advantage by being able to start out the battle by picking their first Pokemon based on what they believed would fare best against their opponent's first Pokemon, if their opponent were to send out their Pokemon first.

Nervously, Ash brought a shaking hand to his belt. Carefully unclipping a Poke Ball, he brought it out in front of him, holding it out over the battlefield as steadily as possible.

Brock was significantly more confident as he chucked his Poke Ball into the air.

"I'll start with... Geodude, go!"

A bright flash of light from Brock's side of the rocky battlefield formed into a Pokemon that essentially looked like a large rock with a face and giant arms. Ash wasn't too surprised by this, however. According to experts, Geodude were the most commonly used rock type Pokemon around the world, native to multiple Regions and often found in the various mountains and caves of nature. Although strong, they were also considered to be fairly predictable, as just about any trainer who favored rock types had at least one of them.

Predictable didn't mean easy, however, and Ash would never allow himself to assume such, either. Common Pokemon or not, Brock was a Gym Leader.

Gripping his Poke Ball just a little bit too tightly, Ash chucked his own into the air, albeit finding that he didn't do so with nearly as much bravado as Brock.

Nebula appeared in front of him in a flash of light. Immediately realizing where she was, she frantically steadied herself and took on a battle stance.

"This is it, Nebula. That Geodude is your opponent. Watch out for its fists."

At Nebula's affirmative chirp, Ash briefly locked eyes with Brock. Even from across the battlefield, he found it hard to maintain eye contact with the Gym Leader's merciless gaze.

"The battle starts… NOW!" Forrest's voice echoed more loudly than ever, and then it began.

Brock didn't waste any time. "Geodude, use Rollout and pin it!"

Ash started at the loud volume of the Gym Leader's voice, carrying an aura of passion and power in it that he had never heard before from any opponent that he and his team had faced up until now, as the Geodude carried out its trainer's orders.

As the Pokemon's arms suddenly retracted into its body, Nebula began flapping her wings furiously, propelling herself off the ground in record time, as Geodude briefly began rolling in place to build up force before charging forward at the young bird.

Geodude charged through the spot where Nebula had once stood, but to Ash's surprise, the rolling Pokemon made a sharp turn and launched itself into the air, seemingly using a nearby rock as a makeshift ramp.

Squawking out in shock, Nebula jerked herself up higher, and Ash felt a deep sigh of relief escape from his breath, which he hadn't even realized that he was holding, as his bird companion just barely avoided the blow.

Despite thinking that he had come prepared, actually being in a Gym battle was very different from imagining it.

Nebula circled around the battlefield as Geodude attempted to follow her movements. Ash took a deep breath. This was it. No time to freeze up at the last second.

Clenching a fist, he shouted out his order.

"Alright Nebula, Steel Wing!"

Nebula's wings glowed brightly as the feathers turned metallic, cloaked in steel as she blitz forward towards her opponent. Instinctively, she boosted her speed with Quick Attack, putting even more force behind the attack.

Ash was certain that this would hit. Geodude weren't known for being fast, and although this Geodude had displayed a surprising amount of speed with Rollout, that should most likely be the exception. And given just how fast that Nebula had become, he highly doubted that Brock's Geodude had the reaction time to-

Geodude's outstretched hand grabbed hold of Nebula's right wing and stopped the Starly in her tracks. A shocked Ash froze as Nebula squawked in surprise while flailing her other wing helplessly in an attempt to free herself.

If Ash wasn't so far away, he would have noticed that the wing that Geodude had grabbed hold of was grinding against the palm of the Rock-Ground Type Pokemon's hand, the Starly still trying to push against him as she kept Steel Wing going. However, Ash did at least notice that the metallic coating on Nebula's wings had not gone away, and Geodude seemed to be lightly wincing in pain, based on its face.

Brock was stoic as he called out his order. "Put it down right away with Mega Punch!"

Ash gaped as Geodude pulled back its other fist, glowing in a deep blue aura.

Although Nebula had certainly gotten stronger over the past week, she was sadly lacking in durability. It was an issue that all of his teammates had, as none of them were of a species that was known for taking hits. And that Geodude was clearly a very heavy hitter. A single, direct hit from a Mega Punch to the head would probably leave her out cold right off the bat.

Brock wasn't spending a second warming up. As soon as a battle began, he was going for the finishing blow the first chance he got.

Ash wanted to let out a sigh of relief as Nebula instinctively raised her other wing-which was still cloaked in Steel Wing- to block the incoming blow, but the sheer force behind the attack still pushed back against her metallic wing with ease. Although the steel coating likely prevented any serious pain from being dealt to the Starly, she was still struck hard enough for not even Geodude's grip with its other hand to be able to hold her in place, the young Starly being propelled backward and landing painfully onto the rocky ground.

Before Ash could muster up any words of encouragement for his feathered companion, Brock was at it again.

"Don't give it breathing room! Rock Blast!"

Geodude's mouth opened as shards of stone came shooting outward and towards Nebula. Barely having any time to react, the young Starly shrieked as she instinctively rolled to the side, still not on her feet yet. Geodude angled itself slightly and took aim at her again, and Ash finally acted fast enough to shout out a command.

"Propel yourself with Whirlwind!"

Nebula had begun rising to her feet, and the second barrage of stone shards was narrowly avoided as she let out the biggest wing flap that she could muster, causing a powerful gust of wind boosted her up into the air.

Nebula was flying around the Geodude in circles now, slowly but surely ascending in the air in an attempt to gain some distance. Ash wasn't sure if he should be keeping track of her or their opponent, but he knew that he had to act quick, because sooner or later Brock would be barking orders again.

If that Geodude was reflexive enough to catch Nebula's Steel Wing despite the small bird's speed, then she would have to knock it off balance first.

Thankfully, they had just the technique for that. "Wind Blast! Push it back, Nebula!"

The bird immediately got to work, flapping her wings as furiously as she was able as she fired the concentrated blast of wind towards Geodude, who instinctively raised its arms over its face in defense.

Had this been a normal Whirlwind, Geodude's weight, along with the rock/ground type's obvious effort to brace itself, likely would have prevented the technique from doing very much. However, the concentrated nature of the wind resulted in much more force assaulting Nebula's opponent at once, and despite its best efforts, Geodude found itself gradually yet increasingly being pushed back, until it suddenly found itself being knocked over entirely, laying on its back as the wind subsided.

Ash couldn't waste any time. "Steel Wing, hurry!"

Once again, Nebula launched herself forward with Quick Attack as the steel energy manifested around her feathers. A week's worth of practice with the Move was about to pay off.

Although Nebula was farther away this time due to Wind Blast pushing Geodude a great deal backwards, her speed, combined with Geodude still getting up, more than made up for it. It didn't take long for the rock/ground type to regain its bearings and pick itself back up again. But it took even less time for Nebula to charge straight into her opponent, her left wing slicing painfully against its rocky body as Geodude let out a great howl of pain.

Geodude were known for being quite durable, especially compared to most unevolved Pokemon. It was a very common characteristic for rock types to have. But Nebula's Steel Wing, mastered after a week of gruelling training, was a perfect move for damaging a rock type with, and the fact that the extra speed boost that was provided by Quick Attack had greatly amplified the force of her already powerful blow simply helped her further.

Ash took note of the large gash on the Geodude's body as Nebula circled upward and resumed her routine of flying around her opponent.

Brock, however, wasn't perturbed as he shouted out his next order. "Rock Blast! Knock it out of the air!"

Even with its body having sustained the might blow, Geodude was quick to action as it fired off the stone shards in short bursts this time. To Ash's shock, they were aimed with great precision, and Nebula's surprised squawks filled the room as she was constantly forced to jerk left and right, occasionally up and down, to avoid the onslaught of her opponent.

Until one of them finally clipped her wing.

A light shriek of pain escaped her beak as Nebula reeled from the blow, losing her balance and descending into free fall. As the Starly fell head first towards the rock battlefield, Brock was already on it.

"Now use Mega Punch! Speed yourself up with Rollout!"

Normally, Geodude wouldn't be nearly fast enough to catch up with Nebula, but Brock's Pokemon was quite speedy with Rollout. It was upon Nebula almost immediately, and Ash quickly barked out a panicked order in response.

"Pull yourself up with Quick Attack, Nebula! Hurry!"

As Geodude approached Nebula, it began to cease rolling and its arms appeared again, one of its fists already glowing in its terrifying blue aura as Brock's Pokemon reared its fist back and prepared to strike.

But just mere moments before the glowing fist could shatter her skull, the falling Starly curved upwards in a sudden burst of speed, just barely avoiding what both Ash and Nebula knew would have been a fatal blow.

Ash's relief had been immeasurable. It was a damn good thing that they had worked on Nebula's maneuverability. Just a week prior, she never would have been able to do what she had just done: reversing free fall and performing a perfect turn upwards. Every passing moment of this battle was a reminder of how much of a bad idea that it would have been to challenge this Gym when they had first arrived at Pewter City, without any of the prior training that they had done over the course of the week.

But Ash quickly reminded himself that there was no time to feel relieved when battling against Brock.

"Repeat the same tactic!"

At the Gym Leader's orders, Geodude once again fired the Rock Blast at Nebula, who, to Ash's delight, spawned a copy of herself to confuse her opponent.

Geodude ceased firing and looked between the two circling Starly in bewilderment, before Brock called out to it.

"Keep going!"

The Starly began advancing at once. Clearly, Nebula wanted to keep geodude guessing so that she could strike with Steel Wing. However, the move was risky: the closer she got, the easier it would be for Geodude to hit her if it chose right.

The clone fizzled out as the shards struck it, and Geodude immediately turned its attention to the real Nebula. Although Nebula was able to quickly change direction and avoid the blast, she suddenly found herself in the same predicament as before, this time too busy frantically dodging the shards to repeat using Double Team, and, to Ash's dismay, ended up getting hit slightly more quickly than before.

Once again she was in free fall. Once again she avoided a Mega Punch to the top of her skull, even more narrowly this time.

As Nebula ascended upwards once more, Ash could have sworn he saw some blood dripping from her feathers. He snarled. She had been clipped in the same wing twice in a row now, and the pain was effecting the speed of her flight.

Nebula was giving it her all and he wasn't sure how to help her!

"Finish it Geodude! Once more!"

A horrified Ash quickly realized that Nebula would probably fall victim to the Mega Punch this time. In his panic, he suddenly felt an idea click in his mind.

"Use Steel Wing to deflect the rocks!"

Ignoring the pain in her wing, Nebula channeled the energy of the Steel-Type Move through her wings once more, this time flapping her wings against the shards of stone as they bombarded her. The metallic coating provided the perfect protection against the rocks that Geodude was attempting to pelt her with, which shredded with ease upon contact.

Ash felt a glint of satisfaction in the back of his mind as Nebula flawlessly defended herself from the move that had quickly become the bane of her existence in this fight. But quickly reminding himself of how much of a quick thinker Brock was, he immediately knew that he had to follow up right now if he no longer wanted to stay on the defensive.

"Wind Blast! Knock Geodude over again and then use Steel Wing!"

Nebula winced slightly as she flapped her wings as hard as she could, the blood dripping from her feathers being sent flying by the force of her flaps, and by the wind itself, of course.

Geodude once again found itself on the defensive, and was knocked over like before.

A triumphant shriek of aggression escaped the young Starly's beak as Nebula charged forward, Steel Wing at the ready, and once again sliced into Geodude, cleverly aiming for the gash that had already been formed by her previous assault.

Ash could have sworn that he had seen Brock actually grimace as Geodude let out an even louder, even more pained howl than the previous one, it's gash now far more visible and painful. Ash couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the injury. Pokemon battles were brutal.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter. If they failed to follow up right away, Brock would inevitably counterattack and regain the upper hand.

"Once more, Nebula! Wind Blast!"

One more Steel Wing should do the trick. They just had to knock Geodude off balance first.

But Brock's next order surprised Ash.

"Stone Blockade!"

Stretching out its massive hands, Geodude glowered up at Nebula as a large rock suddenly began to materialise in between its palms. It was at least as big as Geodude itself, and Geodude, despite its painful injuries, held it with ease as it raised the stone in front of its face, but still holding it closely.

Acting as a makeshift shield, the large stone took the brunt of Nebula's Wind Blast, providing the Geodude with an extra, and powerful cushion against the force of the attack. Ash snarled in frustration as Geodude was only slightly pushed back, but not even remotely caught off balance or winded. As Nebula ceased her now fruitless attack, her opponent leered up at her dangerously.

It was taking everything that the young Starly had to maintain a decent flight speed with the pain in her wing. Between the cut that she had received from the Rock Blast to the constant overexertion with Wind Blast, she was certainly starting to feel the effects. And Geodude, despite its injuries, had now canceled out their only means to create an opening for Steel Wing.

They couldn't risk charging in again with Geodude still upright. Even with its injuries, it could still potentially manage the reflexes necessary to grab onto Nebula's Steel Wing in time and intercept her again. It was powering through its injuries, and the immense pain that it was most likely feeling, much like Nebula herself was.

As Ash clenched his fists in sheer panic, he could feel Brock's scowl piercing into him from across the battlefield. It almost caused him to wince in pain, as though he had just been stung, but that was likely subconscious.

"So your Starly can modify its moves. Not bad, but don't fool yourself into thinking that your the only one with that idea."

Ash grinded his teeth in frustration, ignoring the slight pain that he felt from doing so. What to do now…?!

"Throw it!"

Ash started and took a light step backwards as Geodude raised the large stone over its head, bringing both of its arms back as it took aim at the Starly.

It was already pretty darn precise with that Rock Blast, and the small bird was now having more and more trouble maintaining her momentum with her light but aggravated wing injury.

And Geodude was obviously incredibly strong. Even with that rock's obvious weight, it was going to be chucked at high speeds with the force that the Geodude would inevitably be putting into it. Certainly far too fast for Nebula to avoid…

"Hurry! Use Steel Wing to shield yourself!"

As the Geodude made the powerful throw, Nebula once again coated her wings in metallic energy. This time, however, she folded both of them in front of her body, just in time for the large rock to crash into her.

It protected her from being damaged by the blow, but the blunt force behind the rock had quickly knocked her out of the air regardless.

"You know what to do, Geodude!"

And so it did. As Nebula once again descended into free fall, plummeting head first towards the rocky battlefield, Geodude once again charged forward with Rollout, preparing to exit its move and prepare a Mega Punch when able and close enough.

Ash knew that Nebula couldn't possibly avoid it this time. There was only one thing left to do.

Nebula still hadn't fully gotten the hang of calling on her ability at will just yet, but at this point, they were now left with no other options. It was their last resort.

"Activate Reckless, Nebula! Steel Wing!"

Despite being winded from the impact of the previous blow, and the pain in her wing, and the overwhelming g-force of her fall, nebula still took in Ash's orders. Scrunching up her face and squeezing her eyes shut, she did everything that she could to try to muster up her ability. Trying to-

BAM!

Geodude's glowing fist smashed into her chest, and she was sent flying backwards at breakneck speeds, possibly as fast as her flight when she was in the middle of using Quick Attack.

And had it not been for the protective barriers, she would have slammed right into Ash.

The upside down Starly slid down the barriers and onto the ground, Ash looking on hopelessly as his gaze followed his bird companion.

Her body was motionless, her eyes closed, and her chest bloodied. She showed no signs of getting up, or even trying to, as she hit the ground with a thud.

Raising a hand, Forrest called out at the top of his lungs.

"Starly is unable to battle! Geodude wins!"

It took a few moments for Ash to process it. Gazing in defeat at his feathered companion's unconscious body.

Was there anything more that he could have done?

Slowly, he reached for his belt. Slowly, he pulled out Nebula's Poke Ball, and returned her ina red beam of light.

As the Poke Ball let out a high pitched beep to signal that Nebula had been returned, Ash held it up to his face, staring into the red and white orb with a blank expression on his face.

The look in his eyes was one of defeat. One of failure. Unfulfilled.

"You were… wonderful out there, Nebula. I'm sorry I let you down."

It was true. He had let her down. Not the other way around.

Nebula had… given everything she could, truly. Tenaciously until the very end.

And Ash had failed her.

"You kept using the same strategy to try and hurt Geodude." He slowly looked up as the Gym Leader's voice echoed judgmentally across the battlefield, filling Ash's ears seemingly from all directions, as though the heavens themselves were now judging him for his failure. "You should have known better than to assume that I wouldn't find a way to counter it eventually. It doesn't matter if something works the first time, or even the second. If you fall into repetition, your predictability will make you into an open book that anybody could read. You're never going to win an official battle like that; didn't I tell you this wasn't a playground? You're overlooking every devastating hole in your battle style, like the rookie you are."

Ash snarled as he clenched his eyes shut. Images of an unconscious Pichu flashed before his eyes. A poisoned Pikachu. A Starly with an injured wing. And now a Starly with a bashed in chest.

All incidents that could have been avoided had it not been for his failure as a trainer, and his alone.

He wanted to become a trainer that they would truly want to be commanded by. Somebody that they could be happy to be with. Somebody that could lead them throughout their journey through Indigo, and to new heights. A trainer that was irreplaceable to them. Just like how he was beyond satisfied with the team that he currently commanded. A team that he wouldn't trade for the world. A team that he happily called his own. His teammates were the most valuable companions that he could ask for, and he truly felt the benefit of having them by his side.

He wanted to be the same thing to them. For them to truly feel like training under him had been good for them. That he was more than just their companion. That he wasn't just a Trainer. That they, together, could take on the world and win.

He thought he'd been ready to prove that to them today… was he?

Brock's voice filled his ears yet again as he was consumed by his thoughts.

"Are you going to send out your next Pokemon? If you have no resolve left in you, then surrender. Or are you going to start making excuses to make yourself feel better?"

Ash gradually raised his timid gaze back up to the battlefield as he desperately tried to find something, anything, that could act as a comeback line against Brock. But he kept finding himself coming up short. Just like with Gary. Just like with Gary's friends. Just like always.

Had he really not changed? All those days in Viridian Forest, a week's worth of training his team solely for preparation for this fight… was all of that really not enough?

Was he just the same kid who got walked all over by all of his peers, never capable of keeping up with them?

Professor Oak, the grandfather of somebody who hated him. Janine, a girl he had just met one night. Elacia, a woman who had barely even known him. Were all of their words of encouragement really for naught?

His teachers… his mother… Trucy… was he really only capable of letting them all down?

His signature feeling of hopelessness had returned to him. Maybe he really wasn't ready for this. Maybe Gary had him pegged. Maybe that obnoxious boy really was right about everything. And maybe Brock was too-

And then he caught sight of Brock's Geodude.

To the Pokemon's credit, its resilience really was off the charts. Most Pokemon probably would have been keeling over by now, maybe even unconscious. But this Geodude… was still upright. It bore it's injuries and powered through the pain by every minute. A true warrior worthy of fighting in a Pokemon Gym.

But it was the sight of those injuries that truly caught Ash's attention.

That snapped him out of his insufferable state of self loathing and detestment.

That brought him back down to earth and reminded him of what was going on.

That gave him the strength to remember the big picture. And what they were here for.

Those injuries…

Nebula had done this. Nebula had continued to fight until the bitter end. Just as she had vowed to do so. Just as Pikachu and Valiant had vowed to do so.

If he gave up now… and wasted all of the effort that she had put in… he really didn't deserve her.

After everything that Nebula had accomplished against that Geodude. After coming so close to victory. After utilizing everything that she had learned from her training… there was no way he could disrespect her like that.

There was no way that he could disrespect Pikachu and Valiant like that, either.

He had failed her. Which is why he was going to have to somehow make it up to her. Starting with winning this battle, and continuing to push forward, and capitalize on what she had done.

Viciously, he reclipped Nebula's Poke Ball back to his belt, and immediately took out his next one.

"Can it Brock." his voice was surprisingly aggressive. Not even Gary had been on the receiving end of something like this before, even before Ash had stopped firing back at him.

The sudden aggression was enough for Brock to perk up a bit, his brow raised in surprise as Ash glowered at him from across the battlefield, his expression suddenly matching the Gym Leader's own.

"I'm not letting you push me around anymore. You've been trying to get under my skin since we started, but I'm done! This means too much to me, and to them, for me to let you walk all over me. There are people out there who believe in me… A couple I barely even know… and I'm not wasting their faith. And I'm not wasting my team's efforts!" He held the Poke ball out in front of the battlefield defiantly. "So save your breath, because we're not losing!"

He was going to become a Trainer worthy of Delia, Trucy, Professor Oak, Janine, Elacia, and everyone else's faith.

Most importantly of all, he was going to become a Trainer worthy of Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant.

And if he didn't mean that before, then he definitely meant that now.

Valiant appeared in front of him in a triumphant flash of light white.

The Ralts stood as tall as his height allowed him, and glared defiantly at Geodude.

Time for a comeback.

"Valiant," Ash spoke in a steady tone of voice. "Nebula was just defeated. She gave it her all. Let's win this next one for her, okay?" he smiled at the Ralts' immediate nod.

To his surprise, Brock's lips tugged upwards. "Your change of attitude puts on a good show, but I'm more a fan of actions than speeches." A red beam of light shot out from his Poke Ball and sucked in Geodude. Clipping Geodude's Poke Ball back to his belt, he immediately unclipped another, and held it out for Ash and Valiant to see. "We'll see how long your new demeanor lasts."

The red and white orb opened up, and out of the blazing white light emerged another pokemon that Ash immediately recognized.

Rhyhorn were also fairly common rock/ground type Pokemon, although unlike Geodude, which were practically universal among specialists, these were at least slightly more rare. Nevertheless, they were often sought after for their super powerful evolved forms; the iconic Rhydon and the incredibly rare Rhyperior. Rhydon were among the more common Pokemon found in high level tournaments such as the Indigo Conference; much like Pidgeot, albeit not quite as much as they were traditionally a lot more difficult to capture and raise. Rhyhorn were particularly dangerous among beginner level Pokemon: Their maneuverability was rather limited due to their bulk, making it hard to make sharp turns without strict training, but they were incredibly fast for a Pokemon of their bulk and weight, and their immense physical strength made them incredibly heavy hitters, perhaps even more so than Geodude, and had garnered them fame for their durability.

A dangerous opponent indeed. Ash just hoped that Brock hadn't trained this Rhyhorn to be better with maneuverability, as it would give them a weakness to exploit. It was generally really difficult to do, so he doubted that a beginner level Rhyhorn would be able to manage such a thing.

Of course, he wasn't about to take any chances.

"Valiant," he spoke quickly. "That Rhyhorn's hide is very thick. It'll be very difficult to hurt it, so it's all up to your Magical Leaf for that. Do not underestimate its speed, and do everything that you can to not take a hit, especially if it charges you."

Valiant nodded in the affirmative, and just in time to.

As Forrest gave the signal for the battle to begin, Brock was already at it once more.

"So you have a psychic type, huh? Let's see if you know how to use it; Rock Blast!"

Rhyhorn wasted no time opening its gaping maw and letting loose the same barrage of rock shards that had given Nebula so much trouble in the previous battle. Without Ash even needing to say it, Valiant erected the glowing silver cube around him to box himself in, as Reflect shielded the young Ralts from the rocky onslaught.

The sound of rocks smashing the cube shaped barrier filled Ash's ears as Valiant braced himself against the assault, the shockwaves still causing Ash's psychic fairy type companion to brace himself with his arms held protectively in front of his face as the Rhyhorn relentlessly continued its onslaught.

Its stamina was quite impressive, as it did not let up its assault, keeping the Rock Blast going far longer than Geodude ever had.

Ash could see the cracks forming in Valiant's Reflect. Pretty soon, it would shatter, and Valiant would be left vulnerable. The cracks were beginning to form faster and faster as the Reflect continued to lose durability, and holding onto the technique for too long would have most likely been very taxing for Valiant anyway.

"Drop Reflect and dive to the side!" Ash wasn't sure if Valiant would have enough time to focus on using Teleport right after dropping Reflect, and Shadow Sneak wasn't instantaneous like Teleport was, so this would have to be their next best thing.

The cube disappeared as Valiant dodged sideways, just barely avoiding being clipped by the rocks.

Valiant hadn't moved too far away, but Ash's companion still took note of the Rhyorn's slow speed when repositioning itself to keep facing towards the young Ralts again. Ash could see the young Ralts crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"Rhyhorn can't maneuver well with its bulk, Valiant. Take advantage of that."

Valiant nodded as Ash called out his next order.

"Magical Leaf!"

Training had paid off. Valiant's Magical Leaf was stronger than ever, and shot out at Rhyhorn while glowing a bright, vibrant green. With Rhyhorn's thick hide bolstering its defenses, a grass type move like Magical Leaf was the best tool that Valiant had for dealing any damage to it; they had to focus on Rhyhorn's weaknesses.

Unfortunately, the moment Ash had shouted out his order, Brock had coun tered with one of his own.

"Use Flamethrower!"

An order like that made Ash wonder if this Rhyhorn was even beginner level at all. Flamethrower wasn't the most difficult fire type move to master, but it wasn't the easiest either. Normally, even fire type Pokemon, which inevitably had the easiest time learning the move, still needed some experience under their belts before learning it.

Of course, it immediately occured to Ash that this Flamethrower in particular wasn't a complete one. The stream of fire that escaped from Rhyorn's open maw wasn't steady at all.

Nevertheless, it had done its job as it shot out from Rhyorn's maw and incinerated the glowing leaves. The remnants of the Flamethrower continued on flying right towards Valiant, but were immediately stopped by a quickly activated Light Screen.

Imperfect Flamethrower or not, this Rhyhorn had to have been more experienced than Ash had initially thought that it was if it was even using a Move like Flamethrower. Ash doubted it was a high level Pokemon, but Brock had likely been training it for a decent amount of time. Enough for the Rhyhorn to at least get the basics of such a technique down, probably with the help of a TM.

At the very least, the very brief first impression that they had gotten from Rhyhorn's slight turning to face towards Valiant told Ash that his assumption on Rhyhorn's mobility hadn't been too far off.

"Valiant, remember what I said about its maneuverability."

Valiant nodded at the command… right before sinking into Shadow Sneak.

A look of bewilderment seemed to occupy the rhino's face as Valiant's shadow traveled underneath it. Shadow Sneak was a great Move for catching opponents off guard.

As Ash watched the young Ralts rise up a few feet behind Rhyhorn, a small grin appeared on his face as he quickly realized Valiant's plan.

Since Rhyhorn couldn't turn quickly, it wouldn't be able to counter with Flamethrower in time if Valiant fired at it from behind-

Unfortunately, Brock caught onto the plan just as quickly.

"Protect!"

A round, shimmering green barrier formed around Rhyhorn just as the Magical Leaf was fired. It wasn't a perfect barrier by any stretch of the imagination, very clearly, this Protect was something that the rhino had only just recently learned.

Nevertheless, it was enough to deflect the glowing emerald leaves as Ash and Valiant both huffed in frustration.

"Your plan amounted to attacking from behind because most Rhyhorn aren't very mobile when not running straight forward." Brock stated matter of factly. With crossed arms, he spat out his next sentence. "Do you really think that I would deserve my position if I had left such a blatantly obvious weakness unaddressed?"

Ash clenched his fists at that, but reminded himself not to let the Gym Leader get to him.

The rock specialist was just trying to frustrate him. Get him to make a misplay. Intimidate him into giving up. Anything to keep that badge away from him and his team.

But they weren't leaving here without it, and they were about to show Brock exactly that.

As the Rhyhorn turned around to face the young Ralts, Valiant immediately teleported a few yards away to clear some distance between them. He was closer to Brock's side of the battlefield now, and Ash had to focus to get a clear view of him.

It didn't help that some of those jutting boulders were still in the way.

Ash saw Valiant disappear behind one of them, likely trying to use it as cover. Brock seemed amused by that.

Rhyhorn stalked around the battlefield, heading off in the direction where Valiant had disappeared too. Its legs made loud stomping noises as it moved throughout.

Valiant appeared behind it again, but a quick warning from Brock immediately had the Protect barrier once again deflecting the Magical Leaf.

Valiant was thinking on his own pretty well. Although Brock probably found the young Ralts' strategies to be predictable, Ash was impressed that Valiant was this capable of thinking on his feet. Pokemon were often known for taking matters into their own hands when in battle, but Valiant still showed a surprising amount of initiative for a beginner level Pokemon. Could it be early signs of a gifted tactician? Ash wasn't too sure, but he certainly hoped so.

As Rhyhorn began turning around yet again to face the young psychic/fairy type, Ash began racking his brain for potential ideas. The rhino's fierce eyes pierced into Valiant as the young Ralts flinched for the briefest of split seconds, before suddenly steadying himself, taking a battle stance as he braced himself with a glare of his own.

"Thunderbolt!" Brock was acting quickly as usual, and Rhyhorn responded with equal initiative as it carried out its Trainer's orders. Ash had to admit that he was both impressed and intimidated by how on top of things that Brock and his Pokemon constantly were.

A bolt of lightning made a sizzling noise as it escaped from the rock/ground type beast's horn, but it quickly found itself being halted by a strong Light Screen, as Valiant steadfastly braced himself from within his protective golden cube.

As both Pokemon ceased their techniques, it occurred to Ash that Brock had most likely focused on teaching this Rhyhorn as many Moves as possible, in order to combat the traditional opponents and strategies that would most likely be used against it.

Flamethrower for handling grass types. Thunderbolt for handling water types. Protect for covering blind spots. Rhyhorn's arsenal was well built, but Ash knew that such a thing should be expected from a Gym Leader. It was never that simple in these types of battles.

A tint of frustration appeared on his features, however.

As impressive as it was, it had suddenly occurred to him that neither combatant seemed to have any means of hurting the other. Every attack was either countered or blocked. At this rate, it would all come down to whoever ran out of energy first. And in a war of attrition, Ash was unfortunately confident that Valiant would be tiring out much, much faster. The way that Rhyhorn had continuously been able to keep that Rock Blast up had said wonders for its stamina, and Ash wasn't entirely sure if Valiant would be able to handle an overuse of his own techniques quite as much.

But for now, they were at a stalemate…

Which Brock immediately tried to break.

"Rhyhorn, knock it off balance with Magnitude, and then smash it with Take Down!"

Ash had to cover his ears at the sudden roar the escaped from Rhyhorn's maw. Valiant let out a startled cry of shock as he did the same, looking up and watching as the massive beast reared back on its hind legs… and then slammed its front legs down on the ground, suddenly thrashing around against the battlefield with enough brute force to make Ash grateful to not be on the battlefield himself right now… while simultaneously, suddenly being concerned for Valiant's safety.

Would the young Ralts even survive getting hit by a beast like that?

Those thoughts immediately left his mind however as he watched in shock, as the battlefield began to tremor from the massive beatdown that the Rhyhorn was currently giving it.

Although the barriers protected the rest of the giant room from feeling the effects, Ash could see the battlefield shaking rapidly. Magnitude was a powerful move that could create tremors that shook the entire battlefield during the battle, perfect for situations like this when you wanted your opponent to be knocked over more easily. The move was unique in that it had multiple levels, with a Pokemon's skill with the technique determining what levels that it currently had access to.

This Rhyhorn probably did not have access to the highest levels of the technique just yet, but it very clearly had at least some handle on the move, and its massive brute strength very clearly did the rest.

Ash recoiled as Valiant was inevitably knocked off of his feet by the constant shaking of the very ground itself, the young Ralts desperately looking for something to hold onto as his body was repeatedly sent bouncing painfully against the hard stone.

Rhyhorn waited a few more moments for Valiant to be winded before ceasing its technique and charging forward. Theoretically, it could have kept the technique going right then and there, but perhaps this particular move was more taxing on it than any of the others were.

Nevertheless, the shaking of the ground quickly returned, albeit not nearly as badly, as Rhyhorn rapidly charged forward with Take Down. The Move was a hard hitting one that was perfect for a Pokemon of Rhyhorn's massive bulk.

Valiant hadn't had enough time to regain his balance, and the continuous shaking of the battlefield from Rhyhorn's charging certainly wasn't helping matters. Ash was just about to think that the battle was lost when the young Ralts, now on his knees, raised his head, as his eyes glowed a deep, bright blue.

It was using Confusion, and that same blue color began to outline the Rhyhorn's body as the charging beast began to slow down.

Valiant was very clearly straining himself here. A massive beast of Rhyhorn's bulk, charging forward at such high speeds? There was no way that Valiant would be able to stop it, but by some miracle, he was still able to slow it down.

Doing his best to keep the technique going, Valiant slowly began rising to his feet, straining himself to keep his hold on the advancing Rhyhorn while still picking himself up. Ash couldn't see it from so far away, but a gnasty bruise was on the young Ralts' head from the Magnitude attack, while smaller bruises were on his left elbow and back.

Gritting his teeth definitely, the young Ralts stood upright, releasing his hold on the Rhyhorn and activating Teleport as soon as he could.

The Rhyhorn, who had been fighting against the young Ralts' hold in order to regain its lost speed, suddenly found itself caught off guard as its full speed returned abruptly, just as quickly as it had left, and it suddenly found itself charging right into one of the jutted boulders, no longer adjusted to the speed that it was now going at due to the sudden fluctuation in momentum.

The boulder exploded on impact, and Valiant immediately had to shield his ears from the place that he had teleported to, the shockwave from the blow briefly being felt before passing just as quickly as it had come.

In the massive cloud of dust that had spawned from the explosion, Rhyhorn began shaking its head vigorously, reeling from the impact. As the dust slowly cleared, Valiant, attempting to take advantage of the recoil that the rhino was feeling, teleported behind it and fired off a Magical Leaf. The headache that he was now suffering from made it more difficult to concentrate on his Moves, especially Psychic Type Moves, but he persevered.

Unfortunately, Brock had already called out for Rhyhorn to use Protect just as Valiant had made his Move, and the rhino had recovered just in time to do so, albeit only just barely.

As Rhyhorn began turning around to once again face its opponent, Valiant began slowly backing away, prompting the rhino to begin stalking forward after catching the young Ralts in its eye.

As Valiant began drawing closer back to his side of the battlefield, Ash took note of his companion's injuries and frowned. If Rhyhorn had the stamina to keep the Magnitude up, it probably could have kept the technique up until Valiant was knocked out.

But as the Rhyhorn continued to slowly advance, Ash could see the large bruise on its forehead, most likely from when it had rammed right into the jutted boulder.

Although most Rhyhorn were durable enough to handle such a thing, this Rhyhorn, for as tough as it was, likely wasn't on the same level as the higher level members of its species.

That still didn't help them, though. Although that Rhyhorn was now bruised up too, it still wasn't beginning to start breathing heavily like Valiant was. The strain from holding onto Confusion like that, against an opponent that was very clearly capable of resisting it, followed up by an immediate use of Teleport, had very clearly taken quite a lot out of the young Ralts.

They needed to end this quickly… but how…?

Up until this point, they had only been trying to find ways to strike at Rhyhorn from an opening but…

They needed to do what Nebula had done against Geodude, and make sure Rhyhorn was unprepared first.

"Valiant, use Hypnosis. Once it begins to feel tired, hit it with Magical Leaf."

By now Valiant was almost right in front of him. The young Ralts nodded in the affirmative, the determined glare returning to his face, as he suddenly teleported right in front of the rhino behemoth's face.

Before Brock could call out any orders this time, Valiant's eyes were glowing pink as he stared into Rhyhorn's eyes, the massive beast completely caught off guard, not expecting the attack.

The young Ralts was clearly straining himself against the surprised yuet resilient Rock-Ground Type beast, but continued to pout more and more power into the move nonetheless.

"Flamethrower!"

The moment the rhino's eyelids had begun to droop, Brock had called out his order, and although the Rhyhorn was able to power through the Hypnosis in order to follow through with it, it took significantly more effort to do so than if it had been able to use Flamethrower freely.

As soon as he had heard the order, Valiant had pressed one final surge into the Hypnosis, before canceling the attack and then diving down to the side. As the stream of fire escaped the rhino's maw, this time even less steady than before due to the Rhyhorn being winded from the Hypnosis attack, Valiant took advantage of the distraction and fired off a Magical Leaf.

The flames sputtered out as the beast howled in pain, the grass type move clashing against its thick hide. Large gashes slowly but surely began to form as the attack continued, but Valiant was eventually left panting and gasping for breaths as the young Ralts was forced to cancel the attack.

Just as he had caught his breath, the rhino too had finished reeling from pain, and turned its head to spit another stream of Flamethrower over at its opponent. Dodging to the side, Valiant sunk into Shadow Sneak and moved himself over to Rhyhorn's other side, landing a powerful Magical Leaf point blank.

As the beast once again recoiled in pain, Valiant sank into Shadow Sneak again, this time appearing behind the beast. The young Ralts let out a determined cry at the top of his lungs as he let loose yet another Rhyhorn just barely managed to heed Brock's order to use Protect, it was in too much pain to muster as much of the technique as it could, and as fast, The now feeble green barrier deflected the first few leaves before shattering and leaving the Rhyhorn open to the remaining ones. Valiant was straining himself like crazy to keep on firing at his full power, while using Shadow Sneak right beforehand no less, but to Ash's amazement, the young psychic fairy type was persevering.

Rhydon sank to the ground, collapsing onto the battlefield with a loud thud.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle! Ralts wins!"

Filled with joy as Forrest made the announcement, Ash beamed at Valiant as the exhausted Ralts making his way back to him.

"Valiant…" he looked down at the Ralts, who was returning his smile with equal enthusiasm. "You were amazing!"

He really was. Valiant had demonstrated fantastic initiative throughout the battle, heeding Ash's warnings and orders and using them as building blocks for his own strategies and split second choices.

A red beam of light engulfed Rhyhorn as the beast was sucked back into Brock's Poke Ball. Holding the orb in his hand, Brock lowered his arm as he eyed Ash evenly.

"So… perhaps your little monologue wasn't just for the sake of hearing yourself talk after all." His gaze intensified. "You still haven't proven that it's going to change anything, though." he began reclipping Rhyhorn's Poke Ball and unclipping another.

Ash glared back at him, his fists clenching as Valiant took another battle stance, the young Ralts doing his best to remain stoic despite his obvious exhaustion and injuries.

'Don't let him intimidate you, Ash.' the young boy thought to himself. 'That is exactly what he wants. Fire back!'

"Then we'll just keep fighting until we have."

As Valiant nodded the affirmative, Brock's lips tugged upwards, holding up his Poke Ball." Heh. You're starting to amuse me a bit. But it will take a lot more than that to get me to lose focus."

Geodude reappeared on the rocky field.

Ash looked down at the panting Ralts, who was doing his best to hide his condition." Valiant… can you keep going?"

At Valiant's nod, the Ralts turning his head slightly to give his trainer a determined look, Ash nodded back with equal determination before raising his head to observe their opponent.

Both Pokemon were injured from their previous battles. Valiant was tired, but was powering through his exhaustion with everything he could. Geodude was wounded pretty badly, but kept itself upright and fought through the pain.

This was a contest between two Pokemon who refused to give in.

"Valiant… that Geodude beat Nebula before. But she left behind those injuries. Focus on the gash. One Magical Leaf should do the trick."

Valiant nodded firmly, fixing his glare onto his rock/ground type opponent.

Valiant didn't waste any time as Forrest gave the signal. With unrivaled defiance, the Feeling Pokemon began forming an emerald ball of energy in his hands, charging up his Magical Leaf to end the fight quickly.

But Brock was already giving orders. "Stone Blockade!"

The same large rock that had previously shielded Geodude from Nebula's Wind Blast was now doing the same thing against Valiant's Magical Leaf. Although the emerald leaves slowly began to chip away at the makeshift shield, the Ralts quickly subsided the attack, realizing how taxing it would be to keep it up.

"Throw it!"

Once again, Geodude chucked the rock at its opponent, but Valiant had already changed tactics, sinking down into Shadow Sneak as the rock sailed over his head.

The shadow of the Ralts moved around the battlefield, circling around Geodude in an attempt to catch the Pokemon on off guard. One Magical Leaf, especially to the gash, would end it all.

But Brock already realised what was going on. "Move around the battlefield with Rollout, Geodude! Don't stay in one place!"

Retracting its arms, the Geodude, still powering through the pain of its injuries, began rolling through the rocky battlefield at the fastest speeds that it could muster.

Valiant continued circling after it, both pokemon attempting to outmaneuver each other in different ways.

But Ash was nervous. No doubt Brock was trying to wait the Ralts out. Ash wasn't sure how long that Valiant could keep Shadow Sneak up, even after all of the training, there was still probably a limit, given that the Ralts was still a beginner level pokemon. Not to mention the exhaustion that Valiant had already been feeling from his previous bout.

Valiant seemed to be thinking the same thing however, but Ash soon realized with awe that the Ralts had a plan.

Once again, Valiant used a jutted boulder as cover, keeping his shadow hidden from view as as Geodude approached.

Once the rolling Pokemon was within firing range, Valiant's shadow darted out of the hiding place. Rising up, Valiant greeted his opponent with the strongest Magical Leaf his exhausted body would allow him to use.

The Geodude let out a wail of anguish as the emerald leaves smacked into its rolling form. The impact of the blow forced it out of Rollout, the Pokemon sailing through the air, and towards Valiant.

Clearly in pain, and having now been pushed past its limits by that last hit, Geodude raised a slightly glowing fist as it attempted to bring a last ditch effort Mega Punch down onto Valiant.

But as the falling rock/ground type pokemon descended, Valiant, just as blatantly defiant as his opponent, erected a last minute Reflect that boxed him in one final time.

The Mega Punch was weak, but given more force behind the blow with the gravity of the fall. The Reflect was imperfect from Valiant's exhaustion, but held up through every last bit of vigor that the Feeling Pokemon could still muster.

The silver cube shattered on impact, the shockwaves repelling both combatants as the concussive force of the clash showed no mercy to either of them. Geodude was blown back and rolled along the ground for a good few seconds while Valiant was knocked onto his back with abrupt speed, both Pokemon hitting the ground with a mighty thud.

As both Pokemon attempted to push themselves upwards, both of their trainers were already preparing their Poke Balls as they realized that this was the end. Eventually, after a good few seconds, the two Pokemon, after struggling to give up, collapsed backwards halfway through.

Geodude had been finished by that final Magical Leaf, and although it had used what remaining strength that it could to let loose that final Mega Punch, it was no longer able to ignore the pain.

Valiant, after receiving a blow to his already bruised head from the shockwaves of the Mega Punch shattering Reflect, could no longer hold back his exhaustion regardless of how stubborn that the young Ralts continued to attempt to be.

Two defiant Pokemon until the bitter end, having lost the last of their strength in the exact same moment.

"Both Geodude and Ralts are unable to battle! We have a draw!"

At Forrest's declaration, both trainers returned their Pokemon in a beam of red light.

Ash let out a deep sigh before turning the Poke Ball in his hand, looking down at the orb with a sad smile.

"You were incredible Valiant, thank you."

As Ash reclipped Valiant's Poke Ball and took hold of Pikachu's he realized that this was it. The make or break moment.

Both him and Brock had one Pokemon left. This next battle… would decide the match.

Pikachu appeared in front of him, his Starter letting out a battle cry and immediately sinking down onto all fours upon realizing where they were.

"Pikachu…" said Ash carefully. "You're the last one left. Brock only has one Pokemon left, too. Nebula and Valiant gave it their all to get us here. Let's make that final push!"

Pikachu was quick to shout in agreement, cheeks blazing with electricity as he growled on ahead with as much viciousness as his cute voice could muster.

Brock unclipped his final Poke Ball as he continued to eye Ash harshly.

"I'll admit you made it further than I thought you would, Mr. Ketchum." he spoke sternly as usual. "But no Gym Leader in the world would allow a battle to be turned around so easily."

Before Ash could think of a response, Brock's Poke Ball opened.

And out came…

The white light materialized into a new creature, and Ash and Pikachu suddenly gaped in shock as the forming Pokemon continued to rise, higher and higher.

And then the light dissipated, and an immense shadow was suddenly casted over a great portion of the battlefield.

In the stands, a couple of the spectators were snapping pictures of the giant creature that had been spawned from Brock's Poke Ball.

There, right on the battlefield, towering over Ash and Pikachu, easily over two dozen feet high, the final hurdle between them and their first ever gym Badge, letting out an earth shattering roar that shook the building…

Was a giant serpent of stone.

Onix were not commonly used for a variety of reasons. Such creatures were incredibly difficult to train and raise because of their sheer size alone, and although there were areas in Indigo where they could be easily found, these places were all incredibly hard to reach. These Pokemon were most often found in the deepest depths of the most mountainous areas, although they were not native to every Region.

They were among the most rare Pokemon to be used on the battlefield as a direct result of their incredibly high difficulty to raise and extreme habitats, but were nevertheless some of the most iconic Pokemon out there. Some of the most popular and iconic nature documentaries were focused with great dedication on the exploration of their habitats, and any Onix that was used in an official battle was given almost immediate attention.

Pikachu was back on his hind legs now, backing away slowly until his back pressed against the barrier, his face pale from the emergence of the frightening foe and the behemoth serpent's thundering roar.

"Pikachu…" Ash just barely managed to squeak out. Shaking his head vigorously, he did what he could to snap out of it as he looked down at his Starter. "Remember… this is our moment."

Looking up at his new trainer, Pikachu locked eyes with Ash, the two holding each other's gaze for a moment before the young mouse's eyes matched Ash's increasingly determined gaze.

If Brock wanted to throw an Onix at them, then so be it. They were still not leaving this Gym without that badge.

"Listen Pikachu…" Ash's breath caught in his throat as he attempted to inhale and calm his nerves. Struggling, he exhaled deeply, feeling an unrivaled surge of emotions wash over him as he continued to gaze down at his Starter. It was time. "That Onix is part ground type. Your electricity won't do anything. Try to get on top of it and strike with Iron Tail and Brick Break every chance you get." he turned his gaze upwards, doing his best to look tough in front of the towering serpent glowering down on them. "One direct hit from that titan and you'll probably fall for sure… avoid its every attack. Keep Quick Attack going as much as you possibly can, never stop maintaining momentum. And don't forget about Double Team." he looked back down at his starter, and the two locked eyes again. "This is it. This is our team's victory and no one else's."

The mouse's cheeks were blazing again, lightning crackling along Pikachu's entire body. Letting out yet another battle cry, he returned down to all fours, and stalked forward.

Brock's arms were crossed as he eyed Ash stoically. Ash met his gaze, and this time, he did not look away.

Onix eyed Pikachu with malice, as if the mouse was nothing more than prey to it. Pikachu raised his head to meet the gaze of his adversary, the two Pokemon locking eyes as they glowered into each other's gazes with a fierceness that radiated throughout the room.

Their first ever Gym battle. Their first ever Gym badge. All decided by one final bout.

Two trainers and two Pokemon. Nothing more, nothing less.

There was no hesitation. The moment Forrest gave the signal, both parties blazed into action.

The battle was on.

And there was no warm up.

Pikachu launched himself forward, bounding across the battlefield as Quick Attack did its thing.

It was almost as though the young mouse was twice as fast as he once was.

Seemingly endless training navigating rocky terrain, maintaining Quick Attack, and bolstering his speed.

This was where all of that had finally reached its climax.

The mouse was a yellow blur.

The Onix roared.

Both trainers watched.

The electric mouse zipped through the battlefield as though he were a bolt of lightning himself, and suddenly, Onix moved.

The behemoth let out another roar.

And made an abrupt diving motion as it charged head first towards Ash's Starter.

Before Ash could react, Pikachu had moved too, Onix sailing past him and head first into the ground.

The shockwaves.

The battlefield trembled more than Rhyhorn could ever make it, but Pikachu's dexterity and training in maintaining his balance allowed him to keep his bearings just long enough to plant himself firmly into the ground with Iron Tail.

It was a natural reflex at this point. Whenever Pikachu was in danger of falling, his Iron Tail would be there to save him.

Onix's massive body continued to sink into the ground, the massive beast burrowing underneath the battlefield. As it's body continued to descend, Pikachu returned to his dashing as the tremors began to subside just barely enough for him to no longer be obstructed.

The battlefield started shaking even more as Onix completed its descent, its entire body now underground as the last of its massive tail disappeared underneath. Pikachu maintained his glare.

And then Onix burst out from under the rocks.

It had attempted to launch itself upwards headfirst, right from under where Pikachu was. But Pikachu's movements were too quick.

But this Onix was quick too. Ash couldn't help but wonder if it would have been just as much of a blur as Pikachu was if its massive size didn't make it so much easier to notice.

As Onix continued to rise from underneath the rocky terrain, the shockwaves of its movements radiated across the arena. Ash was almost convinced that the barriers were the only things keeping the building from collapsing.

Pikachu maintained Quick Attack throughout it all. No matter how many times Onix tried to put him down, he would never stop moving.

Blitzing forward at breakneck speeds. Bounding with each pair of paws. Landing on the uneven terrain just right to not lose his balance while still maintaining speed. Traversing the rocky landscape with perfection. Maintaining Quick Attack the entire time. Never running out of stamina. All what he had trained for.

The monster's eyes followed the mouse like a predator, waiting to snatch Pikachu at any moment. But Pikachu kept on running, never showing any signs of slowing down.

Onix made another diving motion.

This time it had predicted where Pikachu would be, charging downwards towards the very spot that Pikachu would be at when it struck.

But Pikachu flawlessly changed direction as Onix's head smashed down into a jutted boulder, the rocky serpent once again descending underground.

The tremors were back. Another Iron Tail to keep himself planted within the stone.

And then running again.

When Onix rose this time, it kept itself half buried in the ground, charging after Pikachu with a mighty roar that was partially filtered by the ground itself, but still only added to the tremors.

Opening its maw as it closed in on its target, Onix let out a roar of triumph as Pikachu was forced to halt himself, slamming an Iron Tail down on the ground in order to cancel out his momentum.

But then Pikachu pushed himself upwards, using the force of the Iron Tail to sail through the air and above Onix's head. As the creature's frustrated roar at its infuriating failure echoed throughout the room, Pikachu brought the metallic tail down onto the massive behemoth's back.

The cracking noise was almost deafening as Pikachu dove downwards with Quick Attack before flipping himself over to deliver the blow.

The Onix howled in rage.

Pikachu once again used the force to propel himself upwards and landed on all fours, breaking into a sprint the moment his paws touched the rocks.

The beast rose upwards.

Pikachu's Iron Tail was fully mastered now. After using it as much as he did throughout Viridian Forest, and the time that he had spent honing it in Pewter City in preparation of this battle, his tail was now fully coated in metal whenever he used the powerful Move. Not to mention the amount of practice that he had put into the Move had been great exercise for his tail itself, strengthening the young mouse's tail, and, by extension, strengthening the Move even more.

Brock shouted at the top of his lungs, in order to ensure that he would be heard.

"Rock Blast!"

The behemoth's mouth opened to let lose a bombardment of stone shards that rained down on the battlefield after Pikachu.

Not slowing down his run, the young mouse darted from side to side, evading the stones as they came.

Thanks to Elacia's suggestion to add it to his training regiment, Pikachu was now capable of avoiding attacks without slowing down his traversal of the uneven terrain.

Ceasing its assault, the Onix switched tactics upon hearing Brock's next order.

"Slam!"

The still running mouse gazed upwards as Onix's tail rose into full view. A massive tremor shook the very core of the battlefield as the serpent's tail was brought down in full force.

This time, although Pikachu had once again managed to avoid the blow, it was a much closer call than before. The young mouse was unable to avoid the shockwave that was unleashed by the sheer force of the blow, and cried out in pain as the shockwave slammed into him, hitting his side and launching him into the air.

A Pokemon as light as Pikachu, hit by a shockwave created by a Pokemon as heavy as Onix. Ash clenched his fist tightly, feeling the sweat dripping down his cheek, but sighed in relief as Pikachu steadied his landing by once again slamming an Iron Tail into the ground as he approached the terrain, and then immediately afterward, used that same Iron Tail to propel himself forward, and resumed running with Quick Attack.

Yet another reason why the week's worth of training had benefited the team so much: It was the whole reason why Pikachu had developed that habit in the first place.

Repositioning itself, the massive stone behemoth looked to around to get Pikachu in its sights again…

Only to see two Pikachu darting across the battlefield instead of one.

Ash grinned. Double Team had done its job.

With the Onix bewildered by the sight of two pikachu sprinting across the rocky battlefield at the same time, Ash capitalised on the moment of confusion.

"Get on top of Onix and use Iron Tail!"

Whether Pikachu had actually heard Ash's loud shout over the frustrated roar of the beast, or if the young mouse had simply gotten the same exact idea, Ash would never know. Nevertheless, the mouse had done exactly as he wanted.

Both Pikachu rushed over to the stone behemoth, alternating between each other with well timed zigzags in an effort to confuse the Onix even further, before the clone finally fizzled out as Pikachu canceled the technique and climbed onto Onix's rocky body.

Iron Tail at the ready, Pikachu slammed the attack down onto Onix, another furious roar of pain erupting from the creature's mouth.

As the roar died down, Ash did his absolute best to ensure that Pikachu could hear him as he cupped his hands and called out.

"Get to the top and strike it on the head!"

Following up on its successful attack, Pikachu flipped himself over with his paws as Brock frantically shouted orders. Before Onix could do much, Pikachu brought his tail down again, inciting yet another roar of pain, and then used the momentum from the blow to scale even higher.

Landing on all fours, Pikachu dashed up Onix's body and then leapt up with a flip, somersaulting in the air as he ascended over the beast's head.

Perhaps a week ago, Pikachu might have froze up, or at least been nervous, about being so high in the air. But a few sessions of riding on Nebula's back had quelled most of those nerves, and the electric mouse's adrenaline rush did the rest.

As Onix raised its head towards the mouse, its mouth opened, allowing the shards of Rock Blast to emerge from it as they rocketed towards pikachu. Raising his tail, Pikachu shielded himself from the onslaught as the metallic coating did its work, deflecting the rock shards before they could strike the electric mouse. The force of the attack propelled Pikachu upwards, and the mouse did a backward flip to angle himself, landing on all fours on the rocky behemoth, hanging on near the top of its neck.

"Burrow underground with Dig!"

Ash snarled at Brock's order, realizing that he was trying to force Pikachu off now. "Brick Break, and quickly!"

As Onix prepared itself to dive downwards, Pikachu raised a glowing fist and slammed it into the back of the behemoth's neck.

Not allowing the angered roar of pain from the flinching beast to deter him, even when he was so close to the source of the sound, Pikachu made his move, once again flipping himself over with a somersault as he rose over the behemoth's head.

This time, there was nothing stopping him from bringing his metallic tail down.

BAM!

The massive beast reeled from the mighty blow, the impact pushing Onix's head, along with the rest of its upper body, forward as Pikachu descended into free fall. Somersaulting downwards, pikachu struck the ground with yet another Iron Tail, breaking his fall from over two dozen feet high in the air.

Scaling the beast's body would have been a lot more difficult for Pikachu about a week ago. But after all of the climbing training that he had done, it was now doable, at the very least.

For once, Pikachu did not run as he returned down to all fours, instead taking the moment to catch his breath.

It was a breath, Ash realized quickly, that the mouse Pokemon had very clearly needed. Between maintaining Quick Attack for as long as he had, usage of Double Team, and the numerous attacks that he had launched, not to mention the blow to the side that he had received from the shockwave of Onix's Slam attack, the young mouse was letting out deep breaths, panting as he gazed down at the rocky ground.

Ash grimaced. This battle was taking its toll on Pikachu. The adrenaline rush was simply doing a good job at hiding it. Not to mention that Onix's thunderous roars couldn't possibly be very good for Pikachu's sensitive ears…

Over on Brock's side of the battlefield, Onix had finally recovered from the painful blow that Pikachu had slammed into its skull, having shaken its head back and forth for a good few seconds in an effort to get the pain to go away. Now it leered down at the mouse, the size of its head and its height preventing Ash from noticing the deep gash that the Iron Tail had left behind.

Onix had very clearly taken a lot more damage than Pikachu in this fight so far, but as far as stamina was concerned, Pikachu seemed to be declining faster.

Brock seemed to take note of this, of course. "Your Pikachu is clearly determined, Ash." his voice remained stoic. "But, it's clear that it's reaching its limit. How long do you think it can keep this up?"

Ash's fists were clenched as he glared across the battlefield at the Gym Leader.

He wouldn't throw in the towel now. He had faith in his Starter.

"As long as it takes." he said matter of factly. Glancing over to the young mouse, he smiled encouragingly. "Right, Pikachu?"

Glancing back to his trainer, Pikachu's determined chirp was the only response. 

Brock's lips tugged upwards. Ash couldn't tell from this far away on the battlefield, but this time, the Gym Leader's smile was not an antagonistic one.

"We'll see." the Gym Leader simply responded. He raised his voice into a shout. "Dragon Breath!"

Ash inwardly started. Onix could use dragon type moves?!

Apparently it could, because the stone behemoth complied. Opening its humongous mouth, the serpent of stone fired a purple stream of flames that descended downward towards the mouse.

Pikachu broke into Quick Attack again. Ignoring the fatigue, and having spent several moments gasping for air in an attempt to regain its bearings, the mouse's break was over. Once again it sprinted across the battlefield at the fastest speeds that it could manage, as a huge explosion of dust erupted from the part of the battlefield that he had just been standing on mere moments ago, having been struck by the powerful Dragon Breath.

"Fire your attack across the battlefield! Rapid fire! Prioritize the boulders!"

Pikachu was left scrambling as blast after blast descended upon the battlefield, their targets being nothing in particular. Massive boulders shattered into huge clouds of dust upon the impact, and as his vision on certain parts of the battlefield became more and more obscured, Ash quickly realized what Brock was planning.

Pikachu could no longer see where he was going, but Onix was still in its natural element. The young Trainer wasn't sure if Onix could see very clearly either, but nevertheless, the changes to the battlefield would be less jarring for the mountain native creature. A clear advantage.

But there was something else that Ash hadn't considered, something just as important.

As the clouds of dust entered Pikachu's path, and the young mouse found himself blazing right through them, Pikachu's running began to slow, as the electric mouse began coughing as the dust entered his lungs, squeezing his teary eyes shut as the dust burned into his pupils.

The mouse no longer able to pay full attention to his path, distracted by both the pain and the dust clouds, the Onix finally hit its mark.

Pikachu's blood curdling scream left Ash shivering, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to raise as the purple flames landed upon the young mouse. Ash frantically shouted words of encouragement to his starter as Pikachu sank to the ground in pain.

"This is the end, Onix! Snatch that Pikachu up with Dig!"

Onix's blaring roar filled the air as the beast descended downwards. Diving towards Pikachu, it opened its maw wide for what was sure to be the final blow.

Pikachu's surroundings turned to darkness as the behemoth's shadow enveloped him. He could hear Ash calling out for a counterattack.

Images of Nebula's smile and Valiant's determination flashed by through the young mouse's mind.

This Onix was ruthless. It was almost like the Pokemon that the young mouse had known as a Pichu. The aggressive troublemakers with little sense of reason or control. And this fight was the most brutal that he had ever been in before. Everything that Ash had said to warn them about the intensity of Gym Battles had been true. But that hadn't stopped Nebula or Valiant from giving it their all and doing everything that they could to get this far.

Pikachu couldn't let this stop him either. Ash had said that the young mouse would last long enough to win this battle, no matter how long that it took. And Pikachu was going to do just that. He would return his trainer's faith in him. And he would pay back the efforts that his teammates had put in.

That week of training… would not be for nothing.

Powering through the excruciating pain in his now scorched back, Pikachu pressed an Iron Tail down against the ground, and launched himself forward to the side. Although the shockwaves of Onix's dive slammed into his backside, and once again propelled him through the air, the mouse had avoided certain defeat.

As the rest of Onix's body sank into the ground again, Pikachu landed with an Iron Tail, launched himself forward, and then took off sprinting.

He was no longer able to run at full speed with the pain and exhaustion that he felt, but if he really pushed himself, he could still come close.

Feeling the tremors of the ground increasing nearby, Pikachu quickly changed direction as the Onix erupted out of the ground, roaring the mightiest of roars as its eyes darted across the battlefield for its prey.

Doing his best to avoid the dust clouds, Pikachu made his way back to Ash. Behind him, Onix began to resume its barrage of Dragon Breath attacks at Brock's command.

Ash was racking his brain for solutions to this. Onix was fast, despite its size. Onix was powerful, just as its size would suggest. And Brock was the most ruthless Trainer that he had ever faced.

And their strategy was on point, too. With those dust clouds…

With those dust clouds…

Ash was going to hate himself for this.

As Pikachu stayed as close as he could to Ash's side of the battlefield without staying in place, Ash raised his voice. With any luck, Pikachu could hear him over the sound of the explosions, but Brock, being much farther away, couldn't.

This last tactic needed to be kept a secret.

"Listen, Pikachu! I can only say this once, so…"

It took only a few moments to explain the plan, Pikachu being able to decipher the implications as Ash simplified the description of the strategy to save time.

It was a risky plan, for more reasons than one, but it was the only way to gain the upper hand in this situation.

And although Ash knew that Pikachu was terrified of the strategy, the young mouse complied, once again putting his full trust into his Trainer, as he bolted right into the dust clouds. The dust had been growing as Onix assaulted the battlefield with more and more Dragon Breath attacks, aiming for Pikachu a good chunk of the time, and aiming elsewhere purely for the sake of kicking up the extra dust clouds in the first place.

Ash gulped, and suddenly found that he could no longer breathe.

This was it. It either worked or it didn't. They either won or they lost.

Would Brock see through his strategy? Would he fall for it? Somewhere in between? Only time will tell.

Onix caught sight of Pikachu as the young mouse exited the mass of dust clouds and advanced towards it. It leered down at its prey, and suddenly, the look in its eyes grew triumphant as it saw how much slower the young mouse was now moving.

Brock grinned viciously on the other side of the field.

"It seems your Pokemon has finally run out of steam, Ketchum. It's not even moving half as fast anymore."

Ash's gulp was back. His nerves froze up as his spine ran cold.

"You've all fought hard today, but hopes and dreams just don't cut it in my Gym. My only advice is to train harder if you decide that you want a rematch." He cupped his hands and raised his voice. "Onix! Put Pikachu down with Rock Slide!"

Ash's heart almost shot out of his body as the series of boulders materialized in the air. The rocks descended downwards, and Pikachu was now too slow to avoid them.

Forrest watched as the electric mouse helplessly found the boulders closing in. It was a shame that it had ended this way, after all of the effort that they had put into making a comeback.

But that was just how Gym battles went. You needed to be more than a good Trainer to earn your badges.

Everyone watching in the stands seemed to have realized that it was over as well. That Brock's latest challenger had just barely come up short, and that their Gym Leader had scored himself yet another victory. Everyone knew that the battle was now over.

Until the first boulder landed right on top of Pikachu… and the electric mouse fizzled out of existence.

Brock started.

Onix blinked.

And Ash just grinned.

With the dust clouds obscuring so much view, Brock had no idea… that Pikachu had used Double Team.

Cupping his hands, Ash shouted as loud as his lungs permitted him.

"PIKACHU, NOW!"

The real Pikachu blitzed out of the mass of dust clouds as Onix remained off guard.

Waiting in the dust clouds for Ash's signal had been murder for the young mouse; but for Nebula's sake, for Valiant's sake, for Ash's sake, Pikachu had persevered.

Pikachu closed in fast as the last of the Rock Slide descended onto the ground. Weaving in between the falling boulders, the young mouse lunged forward, a glowing fist outstretched as he punched Onix with the strongest Brick Break that he could muster. It connected with ferocity.

Onix reeled back at the impact, and Ash capitalized as he attempted to shout over the beast's roar of pain.

"To the top! Now!"

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. Quickly climbing on top of Onix's body, the young mouse darted upwards with Quick Attack. The electric mouse was a blur as Ash's Starter blitzed his way up Onix's body, scaling the serpent as fast as its exhausted yet determined body could muster.

It seemed just like yesterday that Ash and his Starter had not seen eye to eye. That they had not been in sync with each other in battle. And yet, in this moment, it had almost felt like years had gone by.

Neither member of the duo would forget their rocky start. Not because they had enjoyed it, but because they didn't enjoy it at all. Because it had been important. Important for them to never take their newfound synchronization for granted. They knew what it was like for a Trainer and a Pokemon to be unable to cooperate with each other.

And as they closed in for the finish, both of them knew that they would never let it happen between the two of them ever again. And this battle had solidified that.

Pikachu reached the top of Onix's head and launched himself upwards. Somersaulting through the air, the young mouse descended downwards towards his target. Towards the end of the battle. Towards their first ever Gym badge.

"Let's win this!" Ash shouted.

"Oh no you don't!" Brock was frantic now. "Rock Blast!"

"Thunder Shock!" Ash countered as quickly as possible.

Onix's last minute blast of stone shards was quickly met with a blast of lightning that triggered a small explosion. Pikachu, too close to avoid the shockwaves, was painfully propelled upwards, but steadied himself as he continued to descend, his tail already glowing in its metallic aura.

Pikachu's electricity couldn't harm Onix, but it could still most certainly be used to defend against attacks.

"IRON TAIL!"

Pikachu closed in on his opponent, swinging his tail downward as hard as his body could muster, as the electric mouse let loose the greatest body cry that his vocal cords would allow.

BAM!

Onix was sent reeling backwards as Pikachu's final attack struck the side of its head.

Ash gaped in awe as the beast descended towards the ground. A behemoth over two dozen feet tall. A behemoth made of stone. A serpent larger than life. An Onix.

Slammed towards the ground by a tiny mouse.

The greatest tremor of the entire battle rocked the battlefield without mercy as the serpent came crashing down to earth. Ash could see the barriers shimmering from the impact as Onix's landing created an explosion of dust that obscured his vision from most of the battlefield. He couldn't see Brock anymore, and the dust rose higher than any of it had ever done so previously.

Pikachu somersaulted through the air as he descended downward, the shockwaves from Onix's fall painfully launching him forward. As the mouse sailed back towards Ash's side of the battlefield, he instinctively slammed one last Iron Tail down on the ground.

But this one was not strong enough to completely break his fall. His energy all used up, Pikachu was lightly propelled into the air, bouncing painfully on the stone battlefield and rolling head over heels towards Ash. He stopped just at Ash's feet, and, now in a sitting position, gazed up at his Trainer, his head and fur bloodied with cuts, and his back burnt with charred, crispy fur.

Ash's eyes met with Pikachu's. The mouse looked exhausted, everything about his posture indicating a creature that was positively spent. Eventually, Ash moved his gaze upwards after a few seconds, surveying the battlefield. Taking deep breaths, the mouse turned his head backwards, taking in the battlefield just like Ash was, not moving from his sitting position. He was out of energy. Out of just about everything.

The dust was beginning to clear, but it was doing so painfully slowly. A devastated arena filled with shattered boulders and holes from where Onix had burrowed.

But as the dust finally, slowly but surely, began to clear up just enough for everybody to take it in, the greatest sight of all, was the unconscious Onix sprawled out across the terrain.

It was a sight that Ash could not process. Something too good to be true. An outcome that was only possible in his personal fantasies.

Until Forrest's voice filled his ears, and triumphantly brought him back to the real world.

"Onix is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" The young boy gestured over to Ash's side of the battlefield. "The victory goes to our challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

It had all come to an end now.

First shock.

Then disbelief.

And then… triumph. Satisfaction. Joy.

"PIKACHU!" Suddenly unable to contain himself, Ash scooped up his Starter and pulled him into an ecstatic embrace. "You're the greatest, buddy! You all are!"

Had Ash not been so overwhelmed with emotion, he might have heard the clapping from the stands, or noticed the look of respect and acceptance on Brock's face as Onix was sucked into the beam of red light.

But all of that was completely drowned out by his racing thoughts, and the feeling of Pikachu's yellow fur against his skin. He didn't even care that his Starter's blood might get on him. That wasn't part of his thoughts right now.

Their first ever gym battle. Their most important battle yet. Their most difficult battle yet.

And they had won.

Exhausted but overjoyed, Pikachu let out a satisfied squeak as his cheek brushed against Ash's. At the moment, there wasn't just trust between the two of them. Right now, as Pikachu snuggled up with his Trainer, the mouse was feeling genuine affection.

The sound of footsteps brought them back to the world, and Ash turned to see Brock making his way towards them, flanked by a slightly shaken Forrest. Pikachu turned his head to see the two approaching as well, and was set down by Ash as gently as possible, returning to his sitting position as he craned his head upwards towards the humans.

"Impressive." Although the powerful aura in his voice remained, the tone was no longer harsh. "Using your opponent's strategy against them is fundamental to just about any kind of Pokemon battle, but it is rare for a beginner level Trainer such as yourself to take that kind of initiative in your first ever Gym battle."

Ash eyed Brock carefully, but the joy flowing through him didn't leave his heart. He wasn't sure if the rush of their victory would ever wear off at this rate.

Brock reached into his pocket as he continued to speak. Forrest stayed slightly behind him as he watched the exchange.

"You had a rough start with your Starly, but something changed in you in the moment when everything mattered. When you were left feeling hopeless, when running away seemed like the perfect choice to make, you stayed and fought. And so did your team."

Ash's eyes widened at the small object that the Gym Leader pulled out and held in his hand.

"You never would have accomplished anything if you took the easy way out like that. And you seemed to know that. Not many rookie trainers can clear a Gym this early, but since you've passed the test, I'm proud to give you this." he extended his hand, the small object resting safely in his palm. "The symbol of your victory today. The Boulder Badge."

Ash gazed at the object for a good few seconds.

It was something that he was never sure he'd see in person. Something that his subconscious had told him was just an ideal that he could never properly pursue. A symbol of success. Something that he could never achieve.

But it was here. Right now. In front of him. And it was for him, specifically.

Reaching out slowly, as if afraid that the badge would disappear the moment his hand got too close, Ash took hold of the object delicately, raising it in front of his face with a trembling hand.

His cheeks felt wet.

Locking eyes with his Starter once again, Ash found himself and Pikachu exchanging smiles. A small nod was made by the young Trainer as his Starter's smile grew into a beam.

Two weeks together. Including a week's worth of training for this specific battle. The fruits of their labor had come in the form of something so small, so tiny, and yet, so meaningful.

They had taken their first step towards the Indigo Plateau. Towards the ultimate goal for all Pokemon Trainers under Indigo's banner.

And they had done it together.

Him. Pikachu. Nebula. Valiant. They'd earned this. It was all theirs.

Brock's voice brought him back to reality as the young Trainer locked eyes with his ruthless opponent, who had pushed him and his team farther than he could have ever thought possible. The first of many Gym Leaders that they would have to face and overcome, and an opponent that none of them would ever soon be forgetting.

"Half a month into the Season and you've already earned your first badge. That puts you twice as far as your average rookie." his lips were sticking up. "Way to go, kid."

"You'll be behind forever loser-" Gary's voice was shut out of his mind as he gazed back down at the badge in his palm. The outcome of their victory.

None of it mattered anymore. The insults. The neglect. The ostracization. What reason did he even have to care?

This badge was the antithesis of all of that. The object itself was a clear confirmation to Ash that he had proved them all wrong.

But most importantly of all, it was vindication towards everybody that had ever expressed faith in him.

Vindication for the three wonderful Pokemon that called him their Trainer.

What Gary and the others said… it couldn't dictate what he was. Not anymore. Not when he, and, most importantly of all, his team, had just defied every insult that Gary had at the ready. Every belief that Gary and the others seemed to hold.

What reason did he even have… to care anymore?

If Ash ever ran into Gary again, he'd beat him. Plain and simple. But he had no real reason to fixate on that.

He didn't care about Gary. He didn't care about Gary's followers. They had never given him a reason to.

And so he wouldn't.

It didn't matter if Gary was better. It didn't matter who was destined for greatness. Ash Ketchum was not at the bottom anymore. And he never would be at the bottom, ever again.

And he was just getting started.

They were just getting started.

This time, the young boy brought himself back to reality.

"Thank you…" he eyed Brock carefully. His voice was trembling a bit, but he was getting better now. All of a sudden… it felt like his voice was coming out… a lot more clearly. "I've dreamed about this for so long… and…"

Brock's arms were crossed. "Yes… it must be… nice… to have so much passion for something like this." As Ash knelt down to put the badge in his Badge Case, Brock pulled something else out. With an outstretched hand, he presented it to Ash. "One more thing I would like to give you."

Standing back upright and eying the object in the Gym Leader's hand, Ash blinked. "A TM?"

"Rock Blast, one of my own personal favorites." As Ash took the disc carefully, Brock continued, watching the young trainer carefully placing it in his TM Case. "It's perfect for quick rapid fire offense. If you ever get a Pokemon that can learn the Move, I'd recommend it."

Nodding in silent thanks, a thought suddenly occurred to Ash. "How did your Geodude do that?"

Brock frowned. "Do what?"

"That… technique… where it created the large boulder shield? I think you called it Stone Blockade…"

Brock perked up in understanding. "Oh, yeah, that. That was a modified form of Rock Throw. Instead of forming multiple rocks at once, I had Geodude focus all of his energy into creating a single, larger rock. It's great for defense, and counterattacks as well." he frowned slightly. "I couldn't figure out the details of your Starly's wind attack at first, so I didn't think to use it right away. An error on my part. Just like how I fell for your last trick with that Double Team."

Ash nodded in understanding.

"You'll be facing off against a lot of opponents with unique techniques that you won;t be prepared for." Brock warned. "You've already started developing them yourself. If you want to keep up, you'll have to keep making more. Don't stop growing."

Ash nodded. He would never stop. He could never stop. Now that he knew what it was like, to rise above everything that stood in his way, he would continue to do so.

And he would ensure that he helped his team to do the same. They were all in this together, and he owed all of this to them.

As he prepared to walk off, Brock made one last statement. "I can tell that something changed in you today, Ketchum. You're not perfect, but you're definitely a stronger person than when you first came in here." Eying the boy crucially, he continued. "It feels like a fire was lit in you." he turned around, looking back to the young boy as he prepared to leave. "Now that you've proven yourself, the rest of the Gym Leaders are going to be pushing you far harder than myself today. Don't disappoint them. Keep tempering that resolve of yours. And make sure that fire never gets snuffed out. Find out how to make it blaze even brighter. You'll need to. If you can do that, I'm sure that the Indigo Plateau will be in your future." with those final words of advice, he walked off, Forrest giving Ash a quick thumbs up and a friendly grin before following after him.

Taking a deep breath, Ash watched as the two of them walked off. Keep the fire lit. Blaze it even brighter. Continue growing.

Brock was the strongest opponent that they had ever faced. If they had rushed into the battle without their week's worth of prior training, any one of his Pokemon could have easily mopped the floor with his entire team. And single handedly, at that. The Pewter City Gym Leader had challenged them in ways that nobody else ever had up to this point.

And this was only just the beginning. But they were going to be ready.

Kneeling down, Ash smiled at Pikachu again as he held up his Poke Ball.

"Thanks, buddy. I'm going to be taking you guys to the Pokemon Center, now. Then we can pick up some treats to celebrate, and head on over to Elacia's."

At the young mouse';s nod, Ash tapped the Pioke Ball against Pikachu's forehead, and pikachu was sucked it.

As Ash made his way out of the room, through the hallway, and passed the older boy at the counter, he felt something new inside of him as he approached the doors leading to the outside world. It felt… different. And he preferred it.

The prologue to his journey had come to an end.

The real adventure was only just about to begin.

/

Brock stood in the center of the devastated battlefield with his arms crossed. The last bout had done some incredible damage to it. It would take at least a few hours until the battlefield was ready for challengers again.

By now, all of the spectators had left, and returned to work. Pretty soon the maintenance crew would be here to fix up the battlefield for the next chapter. There were likely to be at least a few today, as per usual.

Standing beside him, Forrest looked upwards at his older brother, eying him carefully as Brock surveyed the scene.

"Did you enjoy the battle?" he asked casually.

"...About as much as I'd be able to." Brock answered honestly.

Pokemon battling had never been his passion. But battles like this one, at the very least, prevented him from disliking his current profession outright.

Forrest smiled, looking ahead as his grin defined his face. "That guy was pretty talented. I really didn't think he was going to win at first."

Brock nodded at that. "He certainly showed some signs of potential. I was almost certain that he was going to be just another newbie to be sent packing, but he really did come through in the end. Before him, only three other rookies had managed to get the badge so far."

Only that grandson of Professor Oak's, along with Koga's girl, and that foreigner boy from Sinnoh.

And now this seemingly unremarkable kid. Hopefully more of the rookies showing up would end up being like them. Then this job would remain quite tolerable. But he could only hope for such a thing right now. Either way, until Forrest was ready, it was still going to be his job to take on every challenger, and either grant them his approval, or teach them a lesson. It was his responsibility for now. One that he would continue to carry out with the utmost dedication. The job was more demanding than most. Ironically, it was likely part of the reason why it was coveted so much.

"By the way," he said, turning to his younger brother with an approving smile. "You did a good job as referee. You just need to carry your voice a bit more. It'll be especially important when you're the one commanding the team."

The boy nodded. "I think I learned a lot, too. About strategy, I mean."

The Gym Leader certainly couldn't disagree with that.

"Yes, that's a big part of why it's so important to watch these battles. You need to see how somebody with the skill level of a Gym Leader fights, and how the challengers will respond. In the end, our ultimate responsibility is to test the Trainers."

Looking over at the remnants of a shattered boulder, Forrest rested his chin against his palm. "All of your Pokemon were stronger than his. He seemed to favor maneuverability and knocking them off balance…and he was able to take advantage of the dust clouds when they were supposed to prevent the fight from turning in Pikachu's favor..."

Brock nodded. "Competent enough. He's got a long way to go before he will be ready for the likes of LT. Surge or Koga, though."

The Gym Leader flinched at the thought of his two ruthless colleagues. For Ash's own sake, the boy had better hope that he'll have improved astronomically once the time came for the Trainer to face the two of them.

Glancing at his watch, Brock turned to face his brother in full. A smile appeared on his face. "You should do this more often. It's good for you, and… it'll give us a little bit more time to spend together, at least in some way."

Forrest beamed up at his brother and nodded as Brock place a hand on the boy's head. Turning away, Brock made his way back to his office.

Another challenger had come and gone, and now, it was back to doing what he usually did in between bouts.

'Gotta file that report for the battle first.' he thought to himself. 'After that, it's back to the magazine column.'

/

Nobody knew where the location was.

Not anywhere marked on the map. Perhaps… not even on the map in the first place.

A remote island in the middle of nowhere, where nobody could find it. It they did not want to be found, then they could not be found, plain and simple.

A laboratory, as big a gym, with clean white walls, a ceiling, and floors.

Large banners with a giant red R occupying the walls. Numerous men and women coming in and out, wearing uniforms of the same logo.

A few Pokemon were also out and about, some carrying crates, others occupying the humans like additional guards.

At a large desk sat a man with teal eyes to match his hair. Most of his uniform was a clean white.

Resting in his hand, moving up and down as he ran his fingers along it, was… what looked like a Poke Ball.

But rather than the signature red and white appearance of the traditional orbs, this one was a very dark blue. Four yellow crests folded over the sphere, and the bright, practically glowing, greenish blue lines that outlined the orb were a stark contrast from the Poke Ball's general deep blue color.

Picking up the device to answer his call, he spoke in a voice with an unsettling calmness to it.

"Yes?" he spoke simply. "You're checking in to ensure everything went smoothly, correct?"

"Of course," came the woman's voice on the other end, wearing a mask of serenity. "I trust that those we lent to you are situated nicely?"

"Yes, indeed." he listed things off. "The supplies, that masked mercenary who is also your top hunter, the technicians, and that damn clown." he spat that last one out with some vitriol.

"We're fulfilling our end of the bargain, I'd like to think." the woman on the other end spoke coolly. "Just ensure that you do not disappoint, Archer. I do not take kindly to my resources being wasted on lost causes. Productivity is everything in my world."

Archer grimaced. "Yes, we will ensure that they are put to good use." his fury was hidden beneath a mask of indifference. It was the best way to move these conversations along. "Have you received your payment?"

"Of course, that's why I called. I didn't want you accusing me of being fraudulent if something had gone wrong with the delivery process. But I am a busy woman, so I'm afraid we will have to converse some other time. Remember what I said, Archer."

As she hung up, Archer placed the device down and spat angrily.

"Damn woman." he hissed under his breath. Their benefactor was not ranked on his personal list of favorite people in the world, and he had much doubt that he was on hers in turn.

But in this field, you were always working with people that you felt that way about. It was a part of your everyday life. Something that you could not escape from. And without this particular partnership, half the technology that they had at their disposal would be absent from their versatile arsenal. They would continue to rely on these benefits until they no longer needed to.

In Team Rocket, everything that you did was for the sake of pulling ahead.

Turning to the teenage boy standing beside him, Archer offered a curt nod before getting up from his seat.

"Time for the conference call."

The boy watched him go but said nothing. His face was almost a stoic scowl by default, yet there was no rage in his eyes, only irritation. It had always been that way for him. His eyes remained on Archer's back before he turned and walked off in the other direction. As he passed by a few tanks of fluids, he spared a glance at the creatures resting within them before moving on without words or comments.

Every person in the room moved out of the way as he made his way to the exit. A few Pokemon flinched in sight. Taking one last look at his unique Poke Ball before stuffing it into his pocket, Archer pushed open the double doors leading into the hallway. There was much to go over. And plenty left to plan.

Chapter Text

"AWESOOOME!" Trucy gazed at the Boulder Badge through the screen in awe as Delia patted her head.

After checking in Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant to be looked over by Nurse Joy, the boy had rushed over to the video phones to call Delia as quickly as he could. He had been delighted to find out that he had caught her on a morning where she had been asked to look after Trucy for the day.

Delia's eyes had the slightest hint of tears in them as Ash had delivered the news, but she kept it together as she beamed at her son.

"I'm so proud of you, Ash! And in only half a month! Professor Oak says that's really rare."

Ash's face mirrored that of Delia and Trucy, and the young boy briefly feared that his grin would split his face open.

"It was really, really, really tough." he emphasized, feeling the relief washing over him about how the battle was finally over. "There were so many times where I felt like I was going to lose."

"Was he that tough?" Trucy asked, settling down still smiling nonetheless. "What Pokemon did he use? Oh! And you?"

"Geodude, Rhyhorn, and Onix. In that order. I used my Starly Nebula, my Ralts Valiant, and Pikachu."

Delia's eyes widened a bit. "Onix? I didn't even realize they had one of those."

"Yeah, I was pretty shocked too. Took everything Pikachu and I had and more to beat that thing." he grimaced. "Pikachu's ears are probably going to be sore for a while. That thing's roars were loud."

"Yeah I'll bet. Speaking of which, how is your team doing? They're not with you right now."

Ash sighed. "They… got beat up pretty badly. I think Nebula got the worst of it. I owe her an apology."

Delia frowned sympathetically. 'I don't want to sound cynical but… you're going to have to get used to that. These battles aren't going to be getting any easier."

"Yeah, Brock himself said that…" Ash trailed off as a frown on his own appeared.

What happened to Nebula was pretty much going to become the norm at this point. Even as they grew stronger, their upcoming battles would all grow in intensity. And based on what he knew, Brock wasn't even close to being the most ruthless Gym Leader in Indigo. He had no way of knowing just how merciless all of the others were going to be.

Images of Nebula's injured chest flashed in his mind. Moments like that would become the norm. It was a scary thought. Many trainers just couldn't handle it. Especially rookies. It was one of the may reasons why beginners rarely even reached the Conference in the first place.

As if the lack of experience wasn't already disadvantageous enough, the sight of such a brutally battered and beaten Pokemon on a trainer's own team was just about as demotivating and morale reducing as it gets. And Ash himself had almost fallen into that trap.

But he knew that he couldn't let that discourage him. At the same time, however, he wondered how his team felt about that.

Now that the battle with Brock was over, Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant all knew exactly what professional Pokemon training was like. Now that they had officially challenged a Gym, they had all officially entered the world of professional Pokemon training. Was their resolve any different after finding out about just how brutal it actually was? It was one thing to simply hear about it, but to actually experience it for yourself…

He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to look glum in front of Trucy. The young girl was already starting to look a bit worried by his saddened facial expression.

"Hey, so you two wanna hear about how the battle went?" he asked as the smile returned to his face.

Trucy's eyes were practically shining as Delia nodded happily, and Ash began giving them a rundown of the battle. It was all still very fresh in his memory, and he doubted that he'd be forgetting it any time soon.

/

Nurse Joy had given him a rundown on the conditions of his team.

There was both good news and bad news to this. They would all be recovering by today, but it would take until midway through the afternoon at the very least. And hearing about just what his team had gone through had especially upset him.

Nebula was the most obvious example. Her chest would be sore for the next couple of days. Her bones had been broken, which would have taken a devastatingly long time to heal had it not been for the regenerative technology that the Center had access to. Several tissues also had to be replaced via modified Ditto cells, And until she was no longer sore, she could not battle or train. Beginner level Pokémon such as her were much more susceptible to injuries that would take a longer amount of time to recover from, as even high level Pokemon that received injuries of similar intensity could usually come back from it after a day or two: the only reason big, high level tournaments like the Indigo Conference could possibly function properly. Ash wasn't entirely aware why. He wouldn't be too surprised if especially advanced healing equipment were in place during tournaments such as the Conference, but apart from that, perhaps a Pokemon's natural regeneration just functioned a lot more quickly the more developed that they were?

Either way, Nebula would be out for a while, and Nurse Joy had recommended keeping her in her Poke Ball as much as possible. Letting her out on occasion would be very important to make sure that she stayed active without overexerting herself, but for the moment, she was to spend the majority of time in her Poke Ball while her body healed itself further.

Valiant had nearly suffered a concussion from his fight with Rhyhorn, making it a miracle that he was even able to use his psychic type moves or even continue to fight in general. Unfortunately, the fact that he had continued to use such moves despite the head pain had been very mentally taxing for him. psychic type moves were, of course, powered by the mind. By continuing to use them despite the minor head injury, Valiant had effectively been inflicting even more pain upon himself: the pain in his head only increased the strain of each Move.

Nurse Joy had told Ash that Valiant shouldn't be using any moves for at least a day once he recovered. He was, however, permitted to be out of his Poke Ball regularly if he wanted to be. Laying down every now and then was recommended, however; he still needed the extra rest.

Finally, there was Pikachu. The least damaged of the trio, he simply had burns and cuts that would be healed traditionally by the Center's technology. Although Pikachu had come out of the battle with Onix far from unscathed, it hadn't been nearly to the same extent as the blunt force trauma that Nebula had suffered from, or the mental strain that Valiant had put himself through. What Pikachu had suffered from had been, for the most part, standard battle injuries by beginner Pokemon standards. It wouldn't be an abnormal recovery.

Despite his relief that his starter Pokemon was going to be just fine, Ash couldn't help the guilt that overcame him regarding both Nebula and Valiant.

He was the one who wanted to become the best. And yet… it was his own Pokemon that ultimately did the suffering for them. What did he even do for them? Apart from giving out orders from the safety of his standing position behind the barriers? Did all Pokemon Trainers feel this sort of guilt?

Ash needed to prove to them that it was worth it. That his own goals were worth their efforts. They put at least as much effort as himself, if not more, given that they were the ones who were actually battling. And as their Pokemon Trainer, it was his job to convince them that he had earned their efforts.

But only if they actually still wanted to do this.

If they wanted out and no longer wished to get involved with this stuff… maybe even wanted to leave outright? Who was he to stop them? At the very least, he hoped that they would still stay on the team, regardless of whether or not theys till wanted to battle, but… If they just wanted to leave…

"Ummm… excuse me?"

The young boy perked up.

Right now, he was sitting in the Center's waiting room. This one was similar to Viridian's, except there wasn't nearly as much glass making up the walls. The glass ceiling, however, was still present.

Still a couple of hours remained until his team was projected to be ready. Pikachu was good to go, and Ash was fumbling around with the young mouse's Poke Ball in his hand. Nebula and Valiant still needed more time.

Right now, he was trying to read the latest issue of Inside Indigo's Tech, but constantly found himself distracted by his thoughts.

The voice had snapped him out of that, though, as he looked up to see the source of it.

It was a young girl with short, red hair. A Sentret stood next to her, fidgeting constantly as though it were a habit. Behind her, a taller, somewhat lanky boy with blue hair stood alongside what Ash recognized as a Tyrogue.

The girl was frowning, her voice timid and uncertain. The boy seemed significantly more relaxed, although his Tyrogue seemed to be staring off into space, as though it wasn't aware of, or simply didn't care about, its own surroundings.

Ash was caught off guard. This was the second time somebody his age had approached him unprovoked like this. Suddenly feeling awkward, he adjusted in his seat as he looked between the newcomers. "Ummm… yes?"

The girl seemed to turn skittish all of a sudden, her cheeks reddening as she looked back to the boy, who merely sighed before stepping in front of her. He wore a relaxed smile as he looked down at Ash, in stark contrast from his nervous companion.

"Sorry to bother you. She's been wanting to speak to you for a bit but was too nervous. We were just hoping we could ask you something."

Blinking, Ash put the magazine down and eyed the boy carefully. "Oh… um… yes?"

Rubbing the back of his neck bashfully, the boy spoke. "You see… we sort of overheard that you beat Brock. We've been trying for the past few days or so and have both lost to him twice. We were just… you know, hoping for some pointers? If you've got the time, I mean?"

Ash was thrown. These two… wanted help from him?

He felt his cheeks reddening a bit, but tried to fight it off.

This was it. He'd been meaning to try and mingle with the trainers here for some time now, but he'd been hoping that he would eventually work up the courage to take the initiative. This basically felt like a repeat of Janine, where once again it was someone else who had to do it for him.

He couldn't think about that right now, though. These two kids actually wanted to talk to him. What's more, they actually wanted his help. He couldn't remember anything like this happening at Pallet Town…

It felt… different. This wasn't like his peers back at Pallet Town looking down on him. This wasn't even like Janine trying to console him after an awful day, as much as he had appreciated her gesture. These two… actually wanted him to help them?

It felt… foreign. Something that didn't belong with him. But it made him happy, he suddenly found. The fact that his input was specifically being requested. They weren't even settling for him, they actually wanted his help.

Putting on his best smile (and hoping he did a good job) Ash nodded at the two. "Sure. I have a couple hours before i need to be somewhere after my team gets healed up, so I'll see what I can do." They still needed to visit Elacia after Ash was done talking to his team and buying them treats to celebrate their victory.

The girl beamed while the boy reached out to shake Ash's hand.

"You see, Emily? I told you there wasn't anything to make a big deal about." as the girl blushed in embarrassment yet relief, the boy gave him a thumbs up. "Oh yeah, I'm Rick, by the way."

Taking his hand, Ash match's Rick's thumbs up with one of his own. "Ash."

/

Ash and the two fellow rookies spent the next two hours discussing what Rick and Emily's plans for Brock were.

As Ash learned, the two fellow rookies were actually both from Blackthorn City, but had chosen to be teleported elsewhere due to their home city not being a suitable starting point for beginners. They had chosen to go to Viridian in order to head over to Pewter, as they each wanted to check out the museum. The two were classmates back at school, and their class had made a mutual agreement to pair up with one another to make traveling easier. Apparently duos were determined by a drawing. Sentret and Tyrogue were both their starters, but, although Sentret had been near Emily and Tyrogue had been near Rick, Ash had eventually learned that Tyrogue was actually Emily's starter, and that Sentret was Rick's starter, and not the other way around.

Rick currently had a team of Sentret, Bellsprout, and Butterfree, while Emily had a team of Tyrogue, Growlithe, and Eevee. Ash wasn't too surprised to find out that Brock hadn't been using the exact same team of Pokemon against them as he had against him: he had used Geodude against Rick and Rhyhorn against Emily, but had also used a Pokemon called Cranidos against the both of them. According to Rick (and greatly emphasized by Emily) it was a rock type that could move really fast and strike hard with powerful Headbutt attacks. It could also attack at long range with Flamethrower, making it very difficult to keep it off of their toes, as even at a distance they were not safe. And thanks to its speed, maintaining distance was already quite hard anyway.

On their first attempt, each of them had gotten easily defeated by just Brock's first Pokemon alone. On their second, most recent attempt, they fared better, taking out Brock's Pokemon after losing one of their own. However, at that point, their second Pokemon was already injured and exhausted, and Cranidos easily finished off the battle.

Although Ash had emphasized to both of them that he had only barely beaten Brock, and that he had very nearly lost several times over, both of them were eager to hear his advice nonetheless. Ash wasn't entirely sure just how much advice that he would be able to give; as they both had very different teams than himself and weren't going up against the exact same opposition as himself either. Nevertheless, he did what he could, and described the training regiment that he had given his team. Emily seemed particularly interested in the mobility training that he had given Pikachu: Apparently her Growlithe was really fast but couldn't traverse the terrain properly. The female, Fire-Type canine Pokemon had kept losing her footing while trying to run at full speed which left her vulnerable to Brock's powerful attacks.

The girl had perked up when Ash suggested that she spend at least a few days getting Growlithe to train in traversing rocky fields before challenging the Gym again: suggesting that Growlithe's speed could potentially counter Cranidos after the Pokemon learned to maneuver around the rocks correctly. This would also benefit most of the Pokemon that were currently in their group.

Apparently, Rick's Sentret was having a hard time mastering Iron Tail, which was yet another thing that Pikachu could probably help out with. Realizing that the mouse would be the perfect training partner for these two, Ash had promised Rick and Emily to meet up with them tomorrow morning, so that he could show them where he had trained at Nurse Joy's suggestion, and so Pikachu could assist their teams in practicing. It would give the young mouse something to do, as Nebula and Valiant would both be needing their rest.

Not to mention, it would give Ash some extra chances to interact with a couple of other trainers, as an added bonus. He found that he liked these two quite a bit. Much like Janine, they were infinitely more approachable towards him than any of the other kids at Pallet Town could have hoped to have been. Not to mention they actually seemed very eager to get an extra opinion on how they had been approaching the battles with Brock. They knew that fighting Gym leaders was really hard and how much they needed improvement in order to close the gap. They certainly weren't arrogant. Nor were they making excuses for their losses like certain rookies stereotypically did.

Rick had been pretty open with him right from the start, and had quickly settled into the conversation as he and Ash exchanged potential ideas. Emily had taken a bit of time, and was clearly the shy one of the two (almost reminding Ash a bit of himself in fact), but it wasn't too long before she had grown used to Ash's presence, and as she came out of her shell, her personality practically changed. Apparently, according to Rick, she just wasn't good with strangers, but as she grew more comfortable with Ash being around, she was suddenly cracking jokes that had left his ribs hurting. Although she had stayed standing at first (while Rick had quickly sat down next to Ash), as she opened up, she had quickly taken the other seat next to Ash, flashing him a cute grin that could give Trucy a run for her money in terms of friendly aura. It wasn't too long before Ash suddenly found himself wishing that he had grown up with people like these two in his class.

Ash himself had surprisingly found that it didn't take too long for him to get comfortable with them. It was pretty much a sure thing after Emily had started firing off with her jokes, but Rick's easy going demeanor had quickly reeled him in as well.

He had also given them a rundown on how his battle with Brock had gone, warning them about Onix just in case.

After giving them a few basic ideas and making plans to meet up with them in the morning, Ash had received word from Nurse Joy that Nebula and Valiant were both ready.

After heading back up to his room, Ash let out a deep sigh as he prepared to release his team.

The trio appeared before him in three bright flashes of light. The three of them exchanged greetings with one another as Pikachu and Nebula quickly nuzzled each other.

While Nebula and Valiant looked up at their new Trainer expectantly, Pikachu was in a much more pleasant mood.

That's right, Pikachu already knew the outcome of the battle, unlike Nebula and Valiant.

"Hey…" said Ash unsurely as he kneeled down to face them better.

Pikachu gave Ash a grin before looking to his two teammates, obviously wanting the boy to give Nebula and Valiant the news.

The eagerness in the young mouse gave Ash a sense of optimism. He wasn't sure how Nebula and Valiant felt, but it seemed like Pikachu was still committed to this.

Smiling now, Ash announced in a happy tone. "We won."

At the news, Nebula and Valiant immediately perked up with joyful cries. Ash's grin grew as the mood in the room quickly grew ecstatic.

A whole week's worth of training had paid off for them in the end. Just about everything that they had worked on had played a role in the fight, and, by extension, their victory.

Nevertheless, the thought at the back of Ash's mind lead to him cutting the celebration short. He still needed confirmation from all of them.

Now that they knew what it was like to be involved in this kind of training… was this really what they wanted?

Raising a hand, Ash slowly silenced his team as he eyed them seriously.

"Listen… I know that fight was brutal for all of you. And I can't sugarcoat it… it's only going to get worse from here. I know this is asking a lot from all of you so… if any of you want to stop, I'll understand."

He really would. Seeing their injuries, especially Nebula's, had been a really big wakeup call for him. This wasn't like the Spearow incident where Pichu had been injured because Ash messed up. This was something much more unavoidable than that.

Before doing anything else, Ash needed to see if the battle had changed their mindsets.

The three Pokemon looked between each other, exchanging curious looks, as though they were trying to figure out what each other was thinking.

Pikachu and Valiant were both the first to step up, but Nebula quickly followed. Seeing the determined looks on their faces, Ash couldn't help his didn't want to waver, so neither did he, either. He really didn't deserve them.

/

Ash placed a gentle hand on Nebula's chest, the young bird perched on a desk in the room. Pikachu watched a few steps away from Nebula, while Valiant sat on the bed watching a breeding show.

When Nebula winced, Ash immediately decreased the pressure that he was putting on her, sending her an apologetic look.

"S-...Sorry, Nebula." he frowned sadly at the bird, who didn't seem unhappy with him, but still remembered the fight glumly. "I really thought you'd be able to win."

Geodude had been a pretty disadvantageous matchup for her. They had to knock him off balance just to get a Steel Wing in, but all of that had immediately gone out the window the moment Brock had figured out a way to counter Wind Blast. Ash cursed himself for not being able to think of a different strategy. As Brock had pointed out, he had essentially used the same tactic repeatedly and expected it to always work.

In fact, he'd made a fair share of bad oversights in his time as a trainer. Nebula getting hurt when fighting that Venonat, and the fact that he never thought to teach Pikachu to evade attacks while practicing mobility until Elacia had pointed it out…

He was still only starting out, but he really needed to up his game and plan ahead more. It was the only way to prevent more incidents like this. What had happened to Nebula was a result of his own shortcomings as a trainer.

Although Nebula seemed unhappy about how the battle had ended, she sent her trainer a reassuring gaze as Pikachu patted her back reassuringly.

"We'll keep working on your Reckless Ability." Ash promised. At Nebula's nod, he smiled.

If she had been able to activate the Ability, they might have been able to win. Obviously, he had no way of knowing that for sure…

/

The downtown section of Pewter City didn't have any of the significant locations that the city was famous for, to Ash's knowledge. The Gym and the museum were both elsewhere, as was the Pokemon Center.

But after looking at the address on the card, and getting additional directions from the police station, Ash found that it was where Elacia had chosen to set up shop during her time in the city.

Although her main location of business was at Celadon, she had minor shops elsewhere, likely for when she needed to do business outside of her home. Ash wondered how often that was for her, given he didn't know the full details on what her work entailed.

Pikachu was perched atop his Trainer's shoulder, and seemed content with a smile, as though they had suddenly done this for years.

After celebrating their victory for a bit with some treats, and showing each member of the team their new Boulder Badge too, Ash had returned both Nebula and Valiant to their Poke Balls for additional rest as per Nurse Joy's advice. Pikachu, however, was still good to go, and chose to remain outside.

Elacia's place in Pewter City was a lot smaller than he thought it would be, as Ash gazed at the one-story building. Not to mention it wasn't all that much of a stand-out building to look at. It blended right in with everything else in the city. Even though it was just a minor shop of hers and not her main shop from back in Celadon, Ash was caught off guard by how surprisingly low-budget the place seemed to be.

Knocking on the door for a few seconds, Ash only had to wait a few more seconds before it opened, revealing the pretty red haired woman, flanked by Slurpuff.

"Ash! I was wondering when you'd show your face!" smiling upon realizing who it was, she gestured him inside, which he gave her a quick thank you for. Ash was surprised to notice that his thanks hadn't come out in a timid squeak.

Taking in the inside of the shop, Ash quickly found that there wasn't really anything remarkable about it from an interior standpoint either. The room was dimly lit, with the lights on the ceiling only half switched on, A coffee table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded between two sofas and two chairs. All looked like they would be super comfortable to sit in, however.

Ash declined Elacia's offer for a cup of iced tea, instead accepting the apple cider that she offered afterwards. Sinking into the cushions of one of the couches (Pikachu leaping off of his shoulder to sit down next to him) he immediately reveled in the comfort, suddenly wishing that he could be here forever. Looking over to his Starter, Ash could already see Pikachu slowly closing his eyes with a smile on the mouse's face.

"I'm glad you stopped by." Ash looked over to see Elacia settling down across from him, plopping down onto the couch while Slurpuff took a seat next to her. The fairy type pokemon seemed amused by Pikachu's immediate elatedness to the couch. "This morning was way too busy. Needed to unwind after all of that."

Ash frowned. "What happened?"

"The usual stuff." the red-haired breeder shrugged while scratching behind Slurpuff's back, much to the fairy type's apparent delight. "Phone call after phone call. Constantly looking stuff up. A few League agents stopped by for a visit to discuss things in person. All of it condensed into one morning, so there was little room for downtime." she sighed. "The one downside to being such a successful breeder is that the League is always hounding you. They have multiple contracts going with me at once. And I'm sure most of the top breeders here in Indigo can say the same."

Ash blinked. "They turn to you that much."

She grinned exasperatedly. "We breeders make our money in a variety of ways. Selling Eggs and recently hatched Pokemon to trainers, giving therapeutic treatment to Pokemon, such as Suzie's famous massages or my food recipes, consultations for raising a Pokemon or training them, the latter being something that I specialize in, grooming, selling supplies to perform any of the aforementioned tasks, you name it, really. I've barely even scratched the surface."

Ash was taken aback. He knew that breeders were experts in a variety of fields, but it wasn't until he heard it from Elacia's mouth that he realized just how significant it was.

But it made sense. A Pokemon breeder's specialty, first and foremost, was raising a Pokemon. And that alone required a multitude of knowledge on various topics. So much went into the process that it was undoubtedly one of the most studious practices in the Pokemon world. It probably required every bit as much dedication as being a dedicated Pokemon trainer did, but just in a completely different way.

But Elacia had mentioned the League as well.

"So… the League turns to you for all of that?"

She snorted, as though it were obvious. "Only like, all the time." she chuckled. "The League always keeps track of who the top rated breeders are. The charts are printed annually, and they're always the first to snag 'em up. The League relies on people in the breeding profession for a lot of things. A lot of it is some sort of form of what we do for regular clients, such as normal trainers, for example. We help supply Gym Leaders with extra Pokemon, for one thing. Suzie and I are both best buddies with Erika. She's been our number one client for years now, since she runs the Gym in Celadon where we've set up our shops. But the League often goes to multiple breeders at once for a variety of widespread projects. Big agencies often handle starter distribution, making sure there are enough Pokemon breed to be handed out to trainers on Opening Day each Season. The League often requests our help with food supply, since many of us have all the best recipes for Pokemon food. Not to mention the foreign Pokemon they keep in captivity. Sometimes we're more likely to know about them than they are, since we often research them in advance, so our advice for what living conditions to put them under is often imperative." she sighed. "I'm here in Pewter right now because I have business with a League Official who needs to be here because of business at the museum. But it's far from the only thing I'm working on right now. I'm still taking phone calls left and right, talking to clients from the League and even having a few agents coming over from time to time. Even when I'm in the middle of traveling or working away from home like now, it doesn't always just stop. It's a constant thing regardless of where I currently am most of the time. Breeding is always busy, but once the League takes notice of you, that's it. They'll never stop finding uses for you or your help."

Ash scratched the back of Pikachu's ears for a moment, smiling softly as he listened to the young mouse cooing in response. "So a lot of it is determined by the ratings?

"Oh yeah. The moment you reach the high sections of those charts, expect a phone call from the League within a few days at least. At that point, you go from doing business with trainers and other folk, to practically working under the League in an unspoken sort of manner. I still do plenty of work for those outside of the their ranks, but it's definitely made up the bulk of my work ever since I rose near the top. And sadly, it's often the most demanding."

Ash looked at her sympathetically. Now that he was taking her in, she did seem pretty tense. He wondered just how much she did from day to day. Sure, she was free in the afternoons now, but that could just be her schedule as it is for the moment. Who knows when it might change?

"What's the breeding field like?" he asked curiously. "I mean, apart from the workload in general?"

Flashing him a smile, Elacia patted Slurpuff's head for a bit. "It's pretty fulfilling. I was always drawn to it since my family worked in an organization that made its name off of taking care of Pokemon. I found that I was in my natural element the moment that I started out. Not to mention, the 'competition' of the field isn't always so competitive."

Ash blinked. "It's not? But didn't you just say that you all get ranked every year?"

"Yup. But really, with the number of collaborative projects that we all do together, a good deal of us all owe our respective successes to each other. Take me and Suzie, for example. We're the top rated breeders in Indigo, but we work together so often. It helps that we're both primarily stationed in the same exact city and are also really close to Erika." she winked teasingly. "In our field, it's usually pretty hard to definitively separate the terms 'rival' and 'business partner'."

That… certainly was different from how Pokemon training usually went. Many famous rivalries have spawned between professional trainers aiming for the top. But since breeding was a business, rather than a sport…

"It sounds like a pretty friendly field to me." Ash admitted.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm a businesswoman, above all else. In the end it's really just about the money. Those charts are nice, but we breeders are really just looking for financial success. It keeps us afloat just as much as an approval rating ever could." taking a sip from her tea, she eyed the boy carefully. "Don't get me wrong, the recognition is great, but we don't need to worry about being considered the 'best'. I'm sure Suzie loves being number one, but it's hardly ever what she talks about."

Sipping his apple cider, and briefly finding himself absorbed in the taste (it tasted so good) Ash asked. "So you said your family has been doing this?"

"Not really the same thing. They're not breeders, but the people that they work for focus on preserving Pokemon life. Not a lot of people know this, but I'm not even from Indigo."

Ash perked up at that. It wasn't too uncommon for foreigners to reside here, as many people from Ever Grande and Lily of the Valley did, due to the three League having close relations, but it still surprised him. "So you're from Hoenn? Or Sinnoh?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Alola." At his shocked expression, she chuckled teasingly. "Yup, I know. The other side of the world."

Ash almost spat out his cider at that. Alola was often considered a secluded Region, separate from the rest of the world. No real political relations or a form of government akin to that of Indigo, Lily of the Valley, or Ever Grande, for example. The isolated Region had its own rich culture which the young boy was sorely lacking in knowledge of, and not much was known about it to outsiders in terms of in-depth information. The fact that it was so far away only contributed to this.

"Wait, so you mean… You came all the way here…"

"Yeah, it's not something you normally hear, is it?" finishing off her tea, she let out a satisfied sigh as she rested her cup on the coffee table. "Alola has its own form of Pokemon training. Sort of rooted within the Region's traditions and such. That's how I got my start, and once I was finished with that, I switched over to breeding. I had always been interested in it."

"But… why did you come all the way to Indigo?" That was something that he was having difficulty wrapping his head around. He wasn't sure how common it was for people to move out of Alola, but Alola and Indigo were both practically on opposite ends of the globe.

"Personal reasons, mostly. Wouldn't want to bore you with the details. I think there might've been at least one person working with my parents who was actually from here, though." changing the subject, she eyed him expectantly. "But enough about me, what happened at the Gym? Your team seemed fired up yesterday."

Ash's grin nearly split his face in half. "We won! Here…" taking the Boulder Badge out, he held it up in front of her proudly, and her face lit up.

"Atta boy! Betcha you're feeling a lot better now, huh?" at his crimson face, she chuckled. "I thought so."

It was true. Ever since Ash had first been handed the Boulder Badge, he really had felt a lot better about himself.

But really, the badge was just a reminder that he had potential. He couldn't just see it as a sign that he was suddenly the best. It was his first step. Their first step. It wasn't over just yet. He knew that there were a multitude of areas in which he still needed to greatly improve.

Smiling bashfully, Ash put the badge away. "It felt good." he admitted shyly. "But… I know it's just the beginning. To make it to the Conference…" he stopped as she raised a hand.

"One badge at a time, kid." her reassuring yet stern facial expression convinced him to relax. "That's one of the many mistakes I've seen you rookies make. You don't go into this with the right mindset to prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed. It's inevitable that your mind is going to dwell on that stuff, but try looking at the picture in front of you one spot at a time."

Petting Pikachu again for another few seconds (the mouse was off in his own world at this point) Ash thought about her words for a moment. "So… you've spoken to a lot of rookies, then?"

"Of course I have. I'm a breeder; I get clients of all shapes and sizes, and run into even more people at random. Like with you." she added in as an example. "Indigo's training environment is worlds different from that of Alola, but I've still been here for years. I know all about the way that you guys think, and it's easy to see why so many rookies fall astronomically short in their first year. Hell, even the ones who make it to the Conference might still have something holding them back." leaning forward a bit, she raised a few fingers and started counting. Ash took note of the red paint on her nails. "First, a lot of rookies take a while to properly build upon the pre-existing knowledge that they gain in school. Just applying it to real life experience is hard enough, but even then you're only really taught the basics. The bare minimum. It's your job to fill in the rest and carve your own path. But lack of experience yields lack of creativity. You need to find a way to be inspired."

Inspired… like how he had Nebula adapt the bug catcher leader's technique into Wind Blast.

"Secondly, initiative. You'd be surprised just how many rookies are lacking in it. The ability to think ahead is imperative for Pokemon training, and yet, most inexperienced trainers, albeit understandably, aren't great with this. This sort of ties into one last point: adapting. When things don't go a trainer's way, it's very easy to freeze up. And rookies get hit with this the most. Perhaps they have a plan, but do they have a backup plan? And have they considered every variable? Either they get overwhelmed by the big picture, or aren't actually able to see the full thing."

Consider every variable…

"Funny you should say that…" Ash frowned, suddenly finding the floor pretty intriguing. The carpet pattern looked nice, consisting of pictures that looked like they might have been Pokemon, although Ash couldn't recognize them. He couldn';t make out the one on Elacia's side, but the one on his side was lion-like, with the sun hanging over it. "Back in the forest… I sort of got Nebula injured. I used a dive bomb tactic to win a battle, but she wasn't durable enough to handle it and injured her wing. I should've known better. I don't know how I overlooked something so obvious. And… even when we were training… you were the one who pointed out a mistake that I made… and it would have cost us the battle if you hadn't been there to point out something that needed to be corrected. And even in today's battle, I fell into repetition, and Nebula lost because of it." he sighed. "Maybe I'm not considering everything. I'm one of those rookies who can't see the full picture…"

Turning his gaze upwards, he found the woman looking at him thoughtfully. After a moment, she replied. "Don't get me wrong, kid. I'm not saying these issues aren't normal." leaning back, and allowing her back to fully press against the cushions, she patted Slurpuff. "At the end of the day, you're just a kid who's started out. This is only the fifteenth day of the Season. You can't expect yourself to become perfection incarnate in just half a month."

"But… to make such obvious mistakes?"

"Obvious shmobvious. You know how many 'obvious' mistakes I made when I first started out in Alola? I sure hope that was normal." She looked downward a bit as a smile creeped up to her face, as though she was suddenly lost in thought. "My cousin was always one step ahead of me despite starting out on the exact same day, and even he made some pretty big goofs. His first battle with an Island Kahuna was embarrassing to watch… and that's despite the fact that I knew perfectly well that I couldn't do any better…"

Ash blinked as Elacia began muttering under her breath to herself. He couldn't quite pick up on what she was saying, although her voice sounded fond.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize what she was doing and perked up, shaking the thoughts out of her head. "Sorry, got caught up reminiscing. But the point is, it doesn't matter how much any given mistake seems 'obvious' to you in hindsight. A lot of oversights are going to feel that way once you've realized the full extent of your error. The repercussions hammer it in. But in the moment? You're not just going to magically see or consider everything. When you're battling, or even just training, your mind is already occupied with so many things at once. It's only natural that a few key details are going to slip through the cracks from time to time. The fact that you've taken notice of your own shortcomings is already a great first step. A lot of trainers-not just rookies-often have a hard time determining just where exactly they need to improve, and what aspects of them and their team still needs work, and they often stagnate as a result. A lot of the most successful trainers out there are the ones who scrutinize themselves to the bone. Making sure that they always know where they're strengths and skills need to be honed so that their growth won't be stunted in the long run. Never being satisfied with where they currently are at the moment." She gave him a serious look. "But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should be looking at all of your flaws with a 'I suck at this part' attitude. You need to examine your strengths and weaknesses in confidence. And then figure out how to fix them. It sounds to me like you make a lot of oversights, so find a way to be more observant. You already have the initiative-I saw that in you when you were training before-so now use that initiative to bolster your ability to think ahead."

Ash took in her words, feeling like a boulder's worth of knowledge had been dropped into his skull.

She really did speak like someone who's been there before. He didn't know what kind of training people did in Alola, but whatever it was obviously hadn't left her lacking in advice to give. She was a breeder, but her status as a former trainer was certainly shining through right now.

"Th-Thanks." Ash grinned at her, earning himself a pleased look from the woman. "I'll be sure to remember that." he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "You're really helpful, you know that?" she could have passed off as a school teacher at this point.

But Elacia just waved it off. "Nah, don't mention it, kid. I'm always happy to pass off some knowledge to a young rookie like you. Especially ones who actually seem to hold some promise in them. I doubt it's going to be for nothing, given that you already have your first badge." she leaned forward. "Speaking of which, just how tough was the battle?"

Ash grimaced as his hand rested upon the now sleeping Pikachu's head. Brock's the toughest opponent that I've ever faced by a long shot. And this was just my first Gym battle." he frowned. "He was pretty harsh, too. He got me to freeze up just by being there."

At her haughty laugh, he looked up in surprise. "Yup, that's Brock for you. Always putting on the tough guy show. It's his real talent, if you ask me."

Ash blinked. "Ummm… show…?"

She shrugged. "Believe it or not, Brock's not really all that into his job. His real passion is for Pokemon care. Breeding, medicine, that kind of stuff. He only took up the Gym Leader position so that he could hold it for his younger brother. But in reality, he really couldn't care less about that kind of stuff. That's why he puts on such an act whenever he's on the job. He has to look and play the part of what he is being at the moment." she chuckled to herself. "Beneath all of that, he's actually kind of a dork. But you would never be able to tell with that impressive facade that he always loves to play up. In all honesty, he'd probably be best off as an actor than anything else."

Ash was dumbfounded. Brock of all people… a dork?

Seeing his confusion, she giggled. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it? I've known his family for a while now since I used to work with his father, so I know a few things about him that most people don't. He's a good guy, and is more than capable of holding his Gym Leader position if he actually wanted it."

"But… he's not interested?" Ash was having his trouble wrapping his head around such a concept. Why would Brock be so disinterested in something that he was most obviously so gifted at?

She shrugged again. "That's just how it works sometimes, kid. You're not always going to be into everything that you're good at. Brock is one heck of a battler, but he just finds caring for Pokemon a lot more appealing. If he wanted to be, he could be the Gym Leader of Pewter City for a very long time, and nobody would complain, because he excels at it like crazy. This is just a placeholder position until his younger brother is ready for the mantle. Then, Brock will be moving on to following his real dream."

A realization suddenly hit Ash. "Is that why you quit training?"

A shake of the head. "Nope, I actually had a lot of fun doing my thing in Alola. But Pokemon training doesn't receive the same glorification there. It's just looked at as our first step. We have dedicated trainers there, for sure, but for the most part, it's just a rite of passage. A ritual that we go through as kids. It's sort of like that here, for some, but Alolan culture leans into it a lot more heavily." tickling a now delighted Slurpuff with her fingers, she continued. "Once I completed the island challenge, it was time to determine my future. I was inspired by the path that the rest of my family took, so I carved my own version of it. And that's how I became a Pokemon breeder."

Her answer was curious, but Ash couldn't help but smile at it. He wondered what sort of trials that she and her team had to endure back at home. He knew next to nothing about Alola apart from it apparently being a tropical paradise, but he suddenly found himself imagining in his mind how their form of Pokemon training differed from Indigo's own.

He blinked as she rose up, then gestured to the door. "Anyway, you wanna get out of here for a while? There's a family owned place nearby that has some pretty good dinners on the menu. But they also serve some really killer ice cream for dessert. I can treat you, if you want, so what do you say we continue this conversation there?"

The boy could only grin.

/

Five days had passed since their triumphant victory over Brock.

While Nebula and Valiant rested, Ash and Pikachu had assisted Rick and Emily in their training, and it didn't take too long for Pikachu to get along with Tyrogue, Sentret, Eevee, and Growlithe (the four Pokemon that he was currently working with). Growlithe had made it her personal mission to become faster than Pikachu, putting everything that she had into mobility training.

In the meantime, Ash had begun teaching Pikachu Electro Ball. Elacia had given the recommendation to prioritize the Move over anything else, as it required control over Pikachu's electricity, which would extensively make future Electric Type Moves easier to learn in the long run.

At the moment, Pikachu could only barely manage the Move. He was beginning to successfully condense his electricity into a ball, but it was sloppily formed and difficult to hold together, often fizzling out mere moments after being fired.

After Nebula and Valiant had recovered, Ash had played it safe and waited a couple more days before he resumed training them.

Although they would be leaving soon, Ash had to admit that he was enjoying his time in Pewter City quite a bit. Since Pikachu had been the only Pokemon doing any real training for the past few days, things were much more easy going for them, and Ash had settled into a daily semi-routine while living in the city. Spending his mornings with Rick and Emily while working on Pikachu's Electro Ball, paying Elacia a visit in the afternoon, and hanging out with Rick and Emily over dinner back at the Pokemon Center at night.

Having been living here for nearly two weeks now, Ash found himself becoming quite accustomed to the urban environment. Along with a sense of dread at the thought of leaving the comfort of the city to return to the wild.

But procrastinating would yield them nothing. Ash had informed his team that they would be leaving in a couple of days, to which they were okay with.

They could take a break for now, but he really didn't want to get settled in too much. The nomadic life of a Pokemon trainer was something that he was not used too quite yet, but he knew that he needed to be.

At the moment, Ash was on the outskirts of the city with his team, taking a walk along the outer parts of Viridian Forest. They had just spent some time at Elacia's shop and the sun would be setting soon.

Valiant had been a bit nervous about going back into the forest, but Ash assured him that they wouldn't be going in deeply. This seemed to give the young Ralts some peace in mind, although he notably stuck very closely to Ash the entire time.

Ash couldn't help but notice that Valiant's personality was almost entirely different while they were in the forest. Outside of it, he was quite well composed, yet he became so… timid in nature while in the forest for whatever reason that Ash could not quite grasp just yet.

Ash was in the middle of trying to coach Nebula with her Reckless Ability (Pikachu and Valiant helping out) when it happened.

The bolt of electricity fired off in the near distance, somewhat deeper into the forest, had drawn their attention, and compelled them to investigate.

Ash didn't know it yet, but what he would find would impact his journey immensely.

/

It didn't take too long to reach the source of the electrical attack. The group quickly reached a slightly deeper area in the forest, and were immediately greeted by the sight of two figures.

Standing tall was a Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized as an Elekid.

They were an electric type species of Pokemon, well known for their strong Evolution, Electabuzz, and, infamously, for their incredibly powerful-but super rare- final Evolved form, Electivire.

A boy with purple hair was standing next to the creature as he held a Poke Ball in his hand.

The boy looked about Ash's age, but his exterior seemed a lot more rough. In fact, if Ash didn't know better, he probably would have suspected that the boy was older than him.

Something about him was unsettling to look at. Ash couldn't even pinpoint it, but ignored the unease that was settling into his stomach as he and his Pokemon looked on at the scene.

Stuffing the orb away, the boy turned to Elekid, who met its trainer's gaze with a fierce, but not disloyal, expression on its face.

"Okay, we have three now. Good work, Elekid. We'll start comparing them." His voice was surprisingly deep. He sounded oddly grown up, and his tone had a hint of inherent callousness to it.

The electric type made a whirring noise as the boy suddenly turned in Ash's direction.

Ash involuntarily flinched as the boy's gaze met his own. What was it with this new boy's eyes? The look in them made his stomach feel like an empty pit for some reason.

The purple haired boy scoffed at the motion as he crossed his arms and eyed Ash and his team scrutinizingly.

"I didn't realize that it was considered productive to spend your time staring at other Trainers. I wonder what skills you're honing by standing around twiddling your thumbs." his voice was laced with bluntness, uncaring to what was coming out of his mouth, only concerned with getting it out.

The Elekid seemed to be sizing them up, its fierce gaze never leaving its eyes as it looked between the group.

Ash found himself unable to come up with a response to the boy's callout. To his credit, he was right that Ash and his team had no reason to be here, having only been drawn over by curiosity alone.

Before Ash could find his words, the boy seemed to perk up.

It was only for a brief moment, but recognition seemed to appear on his face.

"Wait… I know you."

The confusion helped Ash find his voice.

"Ummm… what?"

Behind him, Pikachu and Valiant were feeling the same unease. Nebula, having perched herself on his shoulder, was gazing at the purple haired boy with a look resembling distrust.

Next to the boy, the Elekid's face suddenly seemed to fill with recognition too. It looked to it's trainer for a moment as the other boy began to speak. It almost felt like the two of them mirrored each other based on first impressions. It felt like an ironic contrast from Gary and the stoic Squirtle that he received. But Ash wasn't certain what to make of it.

His hands falling to his sides, the boy eyed Ash carefully.

"Yes, I remember, I saw you catch that Starly that you have with you… I think."

Ash blinked. Nebula? This new guy had seen them do that?

"I… didn't know anyone was watching." he admitted.

The purple haired boy looked between Ash's trio of Pokemon, his scrutinizing gaze seemingly intensifying.

"Hmm… do you really think that Starly was worth the trouble?"

A fierce growl escaped Pikachu's throat as a fierce glare appeared on Nebula's face.

Ash's eyes widened, taken aback by the question. Suddenly, his surprised face twisted into a glare. What right did this kid think he had to judge his Pokemon like that?

"What are you talking about?" he growled out, trying his best to be intimidating. It wasn't working.

The Elekid seemed amused by Ash's reaction, but said nothing as the boy remained calm.

"Like I said, I watched you catch it. Don't you think you'd be best off catching as good as one as possible?"

Confusion again. "What do you mean by that?" Ash asked carefully. He remained on his guard as the purple haired boy unclipped two more orbs from his belt. Now with three Poke Balls in hand, he placed them carefully on a boulder before taking out a Pokedex. This one was black, and seemed to have a wider shape to it, compared to the ones Ash normally saw. Almost like it was a completely different model.

"I'm sure you're aware that your Pokedex can scan the Pokemon that you've caught to assess their Moves and Abilities. I take advantage of this." Ash watched curiously as the mysterious new boy held his Pokedex in front of the three orbs, analysing the data. After a few moments, the Pokedex was put away as the boy took one of the Poke Balls. The boy had pushed a few buttons on the Pokedex before stashing it away, causing Ash to raise a brow. "This Murkrow I just caught knows Brave Bird, Confuse Ray, and Mirror Move. Rare Moves for her species at such a level. And the perfect cherry on top is that her ability is Prankster. In comparison…" clipping the Poke Ball to his belt, he took the other two Poke Balls. "These two don't have a lot to go off of. I won't be needing them."

Ash was taken by surprise as a Spearow and Pidgey emerged in two flashes of light, flying away deeper into the forest.

The boy had… released them?

"Wait a minute…" said Ash, raising his hands up above his head. "Did you just… let them go? Just like that?"

The purple haired boy shrugged boredly. "Those two had been easy catches, so I wasn't expecting much from them, but I was even more disappointed by what they had to offer than I thought I'd be. I'm just narrowing down my options."

The feeling of unease in his stomach intensified. Behind him, Valiant's face scrunched up a bit.

"You're saying you just choose your teammates based on what Moves they already know?"

A light smirk appeared on the boy's face. "It's a pretty pragmatic way to go about things. What would you do if you had to choose between an Abra with a couple of basic moves, or one with a few significant ones?"

His point made sense in theory, but… "An Abra with basic moves can still learn the advanced ones later. Any Pokemon can be strong if you train them properly." Apart from Volt Tackle and Double Edge, which they couldn't even use at the moment, Pikachu and Nebula had nothing extraordinary going for them when he had first met them, with Nebula's reckless ability being the obvious exception. But both of them had grown far stronger than before in such a short amount of time. Ash knew from experience just how talented that they were.

An amused chuckle escaped the boy's lips. "Any Pokemon, huh? That kind of mindset is the same trap most rookies fall into. It's why so many people in the field look down on newcomers like us." his face hardened. "The fact remains is that where a Pokemon starts out is what showcases its potential. Maybe they have a bunch of powerful Egg moves that can be tapped into later, like my new Murkrow. Or maybe they've already learned some impressive techniques by themselves, without any guidance, like my Skorupi." Ash stole a quick, concerned glance at Pikachu as the electric type mouse flinched at the mention of the bug poison type Pokemon. Clearly, it was a sore spot for the both of them. His gaze returned to the purple haired boy as he continued. "You need to learn how to distinguish the best from the masses. The Pokedex has given us the tools to do so, and yet so many rookies are satisfied with trying to train up whatever Pokemon they can get their hands on, no matter how insignificant the catch is when compared to everything else available, not caring to put in the work and actually seek out the potential team members that would be the most worth it in the long run. Why waste time trying to tap into some average Pokemon's potential, when the next one you encounter could have far more? Why put so much time into trying to develop a Pokemon's work ethic, when the next one you encounter might already have one? Any Pokemon can be strong, for sure, but we're talking about a demanding profession where only the best can prosper without eventually fizzling out into obscurity. The best trainer needs the best Pokemon to utilize their training skills with. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with an average team, with nothing worth remembering. You'll just be yet another trainer, doomed to fizzle out with the rest of them." Ash took a step back from the intensity in the purple haired boy's eyes. "So many rookies claim that they'll never be forgotten, that they'll actually amount to something. But unlike them, I'm actually taking the actions necessary to live up to those words."

Ash felt a brief surge of anger in his chest.

Where Pokemon start out? Potential? This kid was starting to sound a lot like Gary, and he didn't like it. He wasn't as obnoxious, what he said made sense, and to his credit, he certainly did a much better job at explaining himself, but…

Images of subpar test grades flashed through his mind. But then he remembered the words of encouragement, and the Boulder Badge…

Having your potential be determined by where you start out? A foregone conclusion that couldn't be changed at all? That didn't sit right with him. And looking at his teammates, he could tell that it didn't sit right with them, either.

Suddenly feeling a sense of vigor in his spirit, Ash took a bold step forward and tried to harden his face to match the mysterious boy. Based on the unflinching expressions worn by the purple haired boy and his Elekid, Ash doubted that his attempt was a success, but he wasn't just going to stop.

"Who's to say a Pokemon doesn't just need a little bit of extra help to realize their true potential?" he challenged with as bold a tone as he could manage. He found himself suddenly having a little bit more backbone than he did with Gary. Pointing off in the direction where the Spearow and Pidgey had flown off, he narrowed his eyes. "Those two birds could have become even stronger than Lance's main trio, for all you know. You wouldn't know until you gave them a chance."

The boy's brow furrowed. "And what's the likelihood of that? You're taking a shot in the dark, and your ammo is pretty scarce." the look in his eyes intensified further, and Ash suddenly found himself taking an involuntary step back, eliciting a chuckle from the Elekid. "Look, kid. The Conference is in less than a year. I don't have time to play the lottery and hope to win. And neither do you, if you're really that passionate about making it to the Indigo Plateau on your first try."

Kid? Kid? Was he being condescending, now? They were the same age!

Ash growled. "So you think my team isn't good enough?" he challenged defensively.

A shrugging motion was made by the boy. "Only one way to find out. Besides…" he turned to Elekid. "There is a pretty reasonable way for trainers like us to settle disputes like this." the electric type whirred in agreement, and what seemed to be anticipation, as well.

Ash's eyes lit up in realization, as the looks on Pikachu and Nebula's faces steeled. Valiant stepped forward too, standing in front of his new trainer and looking as determined as ever. "You want a battle?"

An expression of challenge dominated the purple haired boy's face as his hand ran along his belt of Poke Balls. "Every Pokemon I have are those that I handpicked with care. This will be the perfect way to prove my point. And plus," he added with a minor hint of callousness. "It's easy money."

Ash's face scrunched up at that, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Alright, we can take you." This boy clearly knew what he was doing, but so did they. Regardless of what this new kid's intentions were, Ash had his own, and he was about to put his money where his mouth is.

Valiant's steadfast stance told Ash that his team was thinking the same exact thing.

A light smirk appeared on the purple haired boy's face. It wasn't malicious or mocking, like Gary's, but was much more intimidating. Nevertheless, Ash did his best not to waver. Elekid wasn't chuckling this time. Did that mean he succeeded? Or was the opposing electric type too busy eying his team?

For a brief moment, Pikachu and Elekid locked eyes, as though the two were both communicating a mutual challenge to one another.

The purple haired boy broke the silence of the standoff. "Okay, we'll do this at the Pokemon Center, then. It's getting late, and we won't have to worry about any wild Pokemon interfering with us." turning around, he looked back for a moment. "The name's Paul, by the way."

Ash offered the boy a brief nod before giving his own name in response.

"Ash."

/

Conveniently, just about every Pokemon Center had a battlefield of its own, for trainers to duke it out whenever they wanted to.

It was more than common for this to be taken advantage of, as many trainers would make use of these battlefields throughout the day. Whether it be to settle grudge matches, get some sparring sessions in, or even just to have some friendly competition.

Ash wasn't sure what category his and Paul's battle fell under, though. Grudge match sounded a bit too intense, although it was probably the most fitting term that he could think of at the moment. Either way, a small audience had gathered as the two Trainers took up their positions, Ash could spot Rick and Emily in the small crowd, which consisted almost exclusively of young rookie Trainers. A couple of staff members were also among them, most likely either on their break or just simply being off duty after hours.

Paul and Elekid stood on the other end of the battlefield, the new, mysterious trainer's arms crossed as he eyed Ash carefully. The intense look in his eyes could probably match that of a seasoned veteran, and was absolutely far beyond anything that Ash himself was even remotely capable of mustering up at the moment.

But he knew that he couldn't just let intimidation tactics get the best of him. It was what had previously almost cost him against Brock before. And so, he did his best to return Paul's glare with one of his own. No matter how little confidence he had that he was actually doing a good job of it, at the very least he needed to try to.

The machines had turned on, the barriers at the ready, prepared to intercept any and all attacks. The battlefield was of a rather serviceable size, perfect for the upcoming match between the two rookie trainers.

Paul's voice called out from the other side. "So, are those three your only ones?"

Ash turned to his team. Pikachu and Nebula were standing side by side behind him, while Valiant was behind them. All three of them returned their new trainer's determined expression with steel gazes of their own.

Turning back to Paul, Ash called out in response. "Yes, they are!"

Paul nodded in understanding, before unclipping a Poke Ball from his belt. "Three on three, then. I'd prefer to do more, but I'll take what I can get."

Ash looked back to his team one last time. "Nebula, you go first, okay?"

Nebula had been the one that Paul had singled out. She deserved to prove herself, especially after the incident with Brock.

Letting out a determined chirp, Nebula flapped her way to the battlefield, standing upright as she landed and eying Paul with a dangerous glint of determination.

Behind him, Ash could hear Pikachu let out a call of encouragement, while Valiant crossed his arms and nodded towards the bird.

Grinning a bit, Paul lightly tossed his Poke Ball towards the battlefield.

Out of a bright flash of light emerged a small, bear cub like Pokemon that Ash almost immediately identified as a Teddiursa.

"This was my first catch." the purple haired boy said matter of factly. "Let's see how your bird stacks up to him."

Ash sadly didn't know much about Teddiursa, outside of how widely feared their evolution was. Ursaring were some of the fiercest Pokemon around, which could be part of the reason why Paul had chosen to have a Teddiursa on his team. If he was really that concerned about potential, no doubt he also considered a Pokemon's evolved forms.

The Teddiursa looked disarmingly cute, but the adorable expression on his face was accompanied by a fierce glare that Ash never would have expected from such a cute looking creature. Clearly, this little cub was battle hardened, regardless of its cute and cuddly appearance. Who knew what it was going to be capable of?

"Careful, Nebula." Ash warned aloud. "I'm not sure what that bear can do just yet."

As the young Starly nodded, Paul crossed his arms as Elekid took a few steps forward, stopping by it's Trainer's side, most likely to observe the upcoming battle better.

"Alright then, Ash, let's begin."

Ash nodded, and immediately called out his first command.

"Wind Blast, Nebula!"

If they didn't know what they're opponent was capable of, then they would just have to go all out before they had a chance to find out. It didn't matter if they already had a badge. Ash wasn't taking any chances with this guy.

Something about Paul made him feel quite uneasy. Uncomfortable.

Was it really just because he disagreed with him? Ash didn't want to think that his reasoning for such was so petty.

Maybe it was that Paul's ideology was essentially a better thought out version of the stuff that Gary had told him back at the lab? Something that actually presented a point of view that vindicated such a way of thinking?

Maybe it was just the mysterious boy's demeanor. Ash had never met a child his age quite like this before. He reminded him more of Brock (or, at the very least, Brock's "act" according to what Elacia had previously said to him) than just another kid.

Did it really get under his skin that much?

Ash cursed himself for being put off so easily. He knew he couldn't help himself, but that was part of the problem.

But it didn't matter right now. He needed to focus on the battle.

Nebula had the advantage of flight, but he doubted that that alone would be what decided to fight. Paul certainly didn't seem too nervous about it.

But Ash believed in his bird like companion. Nebula was still probably sour about how the fight with Brock's Geodude had ended. She wanted a second chance, and now she got it. Ash wouldn't let it go to waste.

They were going to win this battle and rectify what had happened with the battle with Brock from before.

Ash grinned proudly as Nebula quickly took to the air, the young Starly wasting no time to let out a battle cry, and wasting even less time to use her attack.

The blast of wind came sailing downwards towards Teddiursa.

Paul remained stoic at this. And Teddiursa certainly wasn't scared.

But Ash also refused to be as he observed.

Behind him, Pikachu's cheeks sparked with determination as Nebula launched her attack at Teddiursa.

Valiant looked on encouragingly.

Teddiursa suddenly bolted to the side, the blast slamming into the ground and kicking up dirt, but harming nobody in the process.

Nebula had missed her mark, but she wasn't done just yet.

Ash's grin grew as she bolted forward with her wings cloaked in metallic feathers and aura.

Nebula shrieked fiercely as she charged forward towards her opponent. Quick Attack boosted her already great speed even further.

Teddiursa may not have been a Rock Type Pokemon, but Steel Wing was still a very strong attack nonetheless.

Unfortunately, it still wouldn't be that simple for them.

On the other end of the battlefield, Paul's grin grew as Teddiursa responded. It left Ash feeling somewhat deterred by what happened right after that.

Teddiursa prepared himself before crossing his arms in front of his chest, his body glowing with a deep red aura that radiated off of his fur.

Nebula found her Steel Wing slamming into the bear cub's crossed arms, the impact pushing him back slightly and tipping him over a bit, but having very little long lasting effect as the bear cub immediately regained his footing after only a few seconds of minor wobbling at most.

Ash blinked in surprise. He had never seen a Move like that before…

"Endure." Paul spoke simply, as if sensing Ash's confusion.

Ash's eyes widened at that. Endure was a powerful defensive technique that, instead of creating a barrier like Protect, Reflect, or Light Screen, reinforced a Pokemon's body in order to make them more durable against an attack.

And Paul's Teddiursa already knew such a technique…

Paul was grinning again. "Like I said, I'm proving my point to you this way." his voice began to raise. "Now then, Teddiursa! Focus Energy! Channel it into your feet!"

Once again, Teddiursa crossed his arms, this time his body becoming bathed in glowing white light. Almost immediately after the bear cub had become encased in the brilliant pale energy, the light began transferring down to his feet, the muscles in his legs beginning to bulge slightly from the growing power.

Ash immediately realised that the young bear cub was probably going to launch himself upwards.

"Nebula! Wind Blast again!"

Nebula began flapping her wings furiously yet again, but Teddiursa was already getting to work, pressing his legs firmly into the ground before launching himself upwards.

As the Wind Blast struck the spot that Teddiursa had just been at, the bear cub was rocketed upwards, suddenly soaring a few feet above Nebula, much to the startled bird's shock.

Nebula raised a metallic coated wing to defend herself as Teddiursa's claws began to glow a fierce, dark, blackish purple. Raising the claw upwards, Teddiursa swung the powerful Night Slash down onto Nebula's now raised wing. Raising her wing to meet the attack in hopes of blocking it, Nebula suddenly found herself being pushed downwards by the surprisingly immense force.

As the two attacks met, the loud impact sounded across the battlefield. However, after a brief struggle, the two Pokemon pushing their Moves against each other as hard as their bodies allowed them too for a few seconds, Teddiursa began pushing Nebula downwards, propelling the small bird away with shocking force as she plummeted painfully down to the ground with a loud THUD. Nebula's surprised shriek had been interrupted by the forceful impact, knocking the wind out of her.

The metallic coating of Steel Wing had prevented her wing from sustaining any damage from Teddiursa's attack, but the amount of pain inflicted onto her back from the fall was definitely a different story.

And the amount of brute strength that Teddiursa had just showcased was more than concerning. He hadn't even been using Focus Energy in order to enhance that attack, having concentrated the entirety of the Move into his jump. And yet… the amount of strength that it must have took to do what he did. Nebula had been rocketed down to the ground like a blur…

The moment Teddiursa had propelled the young Starly down to the ground, Paul had called out another order.

"Body Slam and Metal Claw!"

As his claw began glowing with a strong, metallic coating, much like Nebula's Steel Wing, Teddiursa rocked downwards. Ash could only cry out as the small bear cub attempted to drive the Metal Claw right down into his bird companion, but thankfully, a frantic Nebula ignored the pain in her back and relied purely on adrenaline and fear to roll away from the fierce blow.

Teddiursa rocketed down into the ground with a loud crash, but his Metal Claw easily broke his fall.

'Apparently, Pikachu wasn't the only one with that idea.' Ash immediately realized. They should probably teach Nebula how to do the same with Steel Wing, just in case she ever got knocked out of the sky again.

This Paul guy seemed pretty ruthless. If that Metal Claw had hit, striking straight down onto Nebula while she was vulnerable, along with Body Slam enhancing the blow…

Her injuries wouldn't have been modest.

Hearing Pikachu and Nebula let out deep sighs of relief (not to mention letting one out for himself), Ash called out to Nebula again as she picked herself up and launched herself back into the air.

Her flight speed was considerably slower now. She was already badly hurt…

"Whirlwind, Nebula!"

Teddiursa had demonstrated the agility necessary to dodge Wind Blast, and Endure had allowed him to tank a Quick Attack empowered Steel Wing with such ease. They needed to find a way to knock him off balance first…

It occurred to Ash that this was the exact same strategy that they had used against Brock's Geodude, except they weren't using Wind Blast this time. The overuse of that strategy had horribly backfired on them before, but right now, Ash really couldn't think of any other options than this...

He just hoped that Nebula would be able to pull it off with her newfound back pain…

Thankfully, Nebula successfully complied, although Ash couldn't hear her winces of pain over the powerful gusts of wind as she flapped her wings as furiously as possible.

Teddiursa struggled against the fearsome gale, and, to his credit, was doing so quite well. However, Ash could already see him being pushed back little by little, trying to dig his feet into the ground as the Whirlwind continuously pushed him backwards with increasing speeds as Nebula continued to keep up her assault.

Great, just a little bit more…

"Steady yourself with Endure!"

Teddiursa's fur returned to its bright red glow at Paul's order, and the bear cub began to put up more resistance against the wind as he crossed his arms against his chest once again.

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration, but Nebula did not let up.

It was a war of attrition at this point, but Ash wasn't too sure if Nebula could win. Maintaining Whirlwind for this long was already difficult, due to how much furious wind flapping that it required to be done in such great consecutive use, but with a sore back, there was no way that Nebula wouldn't be reaching her limit soon. She was probably torturing herself just by trying to.

At the same time, however, Ash doubted that Teddiursa could maintain Endure easily, especially with the constant pressure from the Whirlwind fighting against it.

Several moments passed by as the conflict continued. From the corner of his eye, Ash could see the crowd exchanging murmurs. Pikachu was shouting out encouraging towards Nebula, while Valiant looked on with something akin to nervousness.

Finally, Teddiursa gave out, the red glow of his body fading away as he began to lose his footing from the wind.

Cupping his hands to ensure that he was heard, Ash called out to Nebula as Teddiursa was knocked back painfully onto his butt.

"Double Team, the Steel Wing!"

The young Starly split itself into two copies. Although only the real nebula's wings glowed with the metallic energy of Steel Wing as both of them blitzed forward with Quick Attack, Teddiursa was in too much of a confused state of panic from the tactic to process it.

BAM!

Teddiursa cried out in pain as the force of the blow knocked him onto his back. The bear cub was sent skidding across the battlefield as Nebula circled back around again.

However, Ash's triumphant grin was short-lived as he began to see Nebula slowly descending.

Suddenly noticing the young Starly panting from exhaustion, Ash realised that she could no longer keep up her flight. The pain in her back had only been greatly bolstered by the excessive use of Whirlwind, and now the force that she had put into that Steel Wing attack had done the rest of her endurance in.

As Nebula slowly descended to the ground in a heap, her clone disappearing in the process, Paul grinned as Teddiursa picked himself back up. As the small bear cub rose to his feet, Ash took note of the rather large bruise on his face.

Clearly, Nebula's Steel Wing had done a number on him, but it was already too little, too late.

The small bear cub was also panting slightly, most likely because of the endurance contest between Endure and Whirlwind, but he was still very clearly in much better shape than Nebula currently was at the moment.

"It looks like the bird can't keep this up anymore." Paul stated matter of factly, taking note of the exhausted Nebula's panting as he pointed forward. "Teddiursa! Finish it up with Brick Break!"

At full speed, Teddiursa bolted forward as he raised an orange, glowing fist. The grounded Nebula attempted to raise a Steel Wing to block, but the metallic wing was easily pushed away, Nebula's exhaustion and back pain easily overcome by Teddiursa's brute strength, and suddenly, Teddiursa's other fist glowed, with the same exact, powerful, orange aura, and was swung right into Nebula's forehead.

CRACK!

Ash winced as Nebula cried out and was sent flying into the barriers in front of him, Pikachu, and Valiant, her already sore back crashing into them as she slid down to the ground in a heap.

Nebula did not get up, and, after a few moments of attempting too, passed out from the pain. Her head had a giant bruise on it, and her eyes were shut as she lost hold of her consciousness.

Ash's face was glum as he returned Nebula to her Poke Ball.

"Sorry." he let out with a sigh. "Again…"

It was her second loss in a row. And it had happened a lot more quickly and easily than against Brock's Geodude.

That Teddiursa was strong. And not just in an above average manner, either. His physical strength was practically surreal for such a young Pokemon, and his moveset complimented that perfectly.

Looking over at the small bear, Ash could tell that he had been fazed by the battle, but not by much, as he was still perfectly raring to go regardless of his minor fatigue and painful bruise to the head.

Paul had kicked off this battle with a very clear advantage in numbers, and given how the rest of his team was probably going to be just as bad as this Teddiursa was, Ash regrettably had no idea how they were supposed to turn it around right now.

"Well, that didn't take very long." Paul commented. His voice didn't have the same smugness of Gary's. Instead he sounded like he was just… stating a simple fact. As though it were completely obvious. And, Ash realized, it probably was.

He could hear some murmerings in the crowd again, as some of the audience members commented on the battle and how it was going so far. He could especially here some people (such as Emily) gawking over Teddiursa's amazing strength.

Feeling a light tugging on his leg, Ash looked down to see Pikachu looking up at him with a steel gaze.

The communication between Pokemon and trainer was clear. Ash could see the anger in the mouse's eyes.

"Are you going to continue?" he heard Paul's voice call out.

"Of course we are!" Ash called back as he pointed forward. "Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu sprinted on over to the battlefield, and Paul eyed the mouse carefully.

Between Pikachu and Valiant, Ash wasn't entirely clear about who would be the best matchup against that Teddiursa. Not that it mattered, however, as Paul quickly raised his Poke Ball and returned the bear cub-like Pokemon.

"So you're using your Electric Type now, huh?" Paul remarked, clipping his Poke Ball back to his belt. Turning his head to his Elekid, he pointed forward. "Elekid, your up!"

Making its signature whirring noise, Elekid stepped forward onto the battlefield, locking its eyes with Pikachu intensely as a sadistic smirk spread across its face.

Pikachu, now having gotten on all fours, growled back at the bloodthirsty Electric Type opponent, his cheeks sparking madly with electricity.

It was hard to deny the fire in either of their eyes.

Ash kicked things off as quickly as possible. "Brick Break!"

"Block with your own!" Paul countered.

Pikachu bolted forward, speed enhanced with Quick Attack as his raised fist glowed a bright orange. In response, Elekid raised a glowing fist of its own, Pikachu's attack striking against Elekid's own fist.

With the added force behind Pikachu's Brick Break due to Quick Attack, Elekid's defenses should have toppled over easily. Elekid were a naturally more bulky species than Pikachu were, for sure, but they were also no Onix.

However, to Ash's surprise, Elekid proved to be surprisingly sturdy. Although it was struggling against the force of Pikachu's blow, it was getting pushed back very slowly, the bulkier Electric Type Pokemon attempting to grind its heels into the battlefield as Pikachu pushed it back gradually.

Changing his tactics, Ash called out. "Iron Tail! Propel yourself off of the ground!"

Pikachu coated his tail in metal, pressing it against the ground as he and Elekid continued to struggle. Up until now, this tactic had only been used to save Pikachu from a fall, but the idea to adapt it to be used offensively had suddenly occurred to Ash in the heat of the moment.

This Elekid was definitely stronger than Pikachu, not to mention bulkier. They would have to use their wits for this. Ash just hoped that Pikachu was still also faster than Elekid was too, otherwise strategy would be their only tool. For now, they could only hope that this tactic would work. Otherwise he wasn't sure what else to do.

Launching himself off the ground with his now-metallic tail, Pikachu angled his fist as it continued to press against Elekid's, using it to launch himself further. Performing a somersault over the opposing Electric Type Pokemon's head, Pikachu swung downwards as he crashed his tail painfully into his rival.

Elekid was sent skidding backwards as the blow collided with his chest. As he came to a halt, he lurched backwards on one foot, but righted himself quickly. Pikachu was already on the offensive, however, bolting forward with another Quick Attack as he yet again coated his tail in metal.

Paul acted quickly "Charge Beam!"

Elekid raised its hands, quickly collecting electrical energy in his palms as he prepared to fire. With Pikachu rushing forward, the opposing Electric Type only had enough time to fire a relatively weak beam, a small, narrow blast of lightning, but it was still one that Pikachu needed to avoid.

As the mouse dashed to the side, Elekid made its next move, bolting forward with a Quick Attack of its own as he raised a fist, now coated in electricity.

Although Elekid wasn't as fast as Pikachu, it also wasn't too far off, and before Pikachu could react, Elekid drove the Thunder Punch painfully right into his abdomen.

Ash and Valiant winced as Pikachu was sent flying backwards, the pain in his gut preventing him from catching himself with Iron Tail just long enough for his back to slam into the ground. After bouncing off from the landing, however, Pikachu righted himself just in the nick of time, coating his tail in metal and driving it into the ground to break his fall.

Both combatants had landed a clean hit, and although Ash was certain that Elekid had dealt more damage, neither of them showed any signs of stopping any time soon.

But Paul was at it again, and before Pikachu could even launch himself off of his tail, another order was shouted. "Electro Ball!"

Once again holding out its hands, Elekid began gathering more electricity into its palms. Ash's eyes widened as he took in just how much more easily that the Electro Ball was formed compared to whenever Pikachu attempted it.

And when the ball was fired, it was held together a lot better, too. Its stability was almost perfect.

This Elekid had much better control over its electricity than Pikachu currently did at the moment. Definitely not a good sign.

Pikachu dashed around the ball, leaving it to slam into the barriers as he raised yet another metallic tail. But Paul countered yet again.

"Dual Chop!"

Ash blinked at the mention of the dragon type move, Elekid's now raised fists glowing a distinct shade of purple, as Pikachu's rival put them together, meeting the Iron Tail head on with a well placed block.

"Brick Break!" Ash reacted quickly.

Pikachu launched himself upwards, using the Iron Tail-still clashing against the Dual Chop- to launch himself upwards, preparing a raised, orange glowing fist.

Elekid had pretty solid reflexes, however, and Pikachu's Brick Break was met with a Thunder Punch. As the two attacks clashed, Pikachu winced in pain as he was propelled upward, now clutching his fist somewhat painfully.

As Pikachu landed, Paul quickly followed up yet again. "Brick Break!"

"Iron Tail!" Ash countered.

Elekid ran forward, once again bolstering its momentum with Quick Attack (Ash wouldn't be at all surprised if he learned that it was pretty much a universal tactic among Trainers and their Pokemon for speed attacks to be used regularly to get around the battlefield faster and also increase the force behind blows) as it raised an orange, glowing fist. Pikachu dashed forward as well, ducking under Elekid's punch as his tail became coated with metal, before swinging it painfully into Elekid's chest.

Elekid lurched backwards, teetering a bit before righting itself, and, on Paul's command, fired a second Charge Beam. At Ash's immediate orders to dodge the attack, however, Pikachu quickly drove his still metallic coated tail into the ground, propelling himself upwards in a backflip to avoid the blow.

"Thunder Shock, now!"

At Ash's command, Pikachu gathered electricity into his cheeks while sailing into the air, before firing the bolt of lightning into Elekid. Elekid strained against the blow, but was mostly unfazed. Electric Types could sometimes absorb other Electric Type Moves into their bodies if they were skilled enough, but it most often took time to do so, and the effort that Elekid was putting into it was leaving it wide open.

Ash wasn't going to give it that needed time as he immediately followed up. "Brick Break!"

As Pikachu hit the ground, he immediately sprinted forward as he drove an orange fist into Elekid's gut. The opposing electric type wheezed as he was driven back, clutching its stomach painfully as Pikachu raised a metallic tail.

"Quick Attack!" Paul called out.

Ignoring the pain in its stomach, Elekid rocketed forward and barreled straight into the mouse. With its bulk colliding with Pikachu's body, its attack sent the mouse painfully flying backwards as Pikachu let out a cry from the impact.

As Pikachu prepared to catch himself with Iron Tail, Ash was already responding. "Double Team! Then Brick Break!" Changing up tactics, never using the same strategy too consecutively.

Neglecting the importance of that had cost them dearly against Brock. But the same thing would not happen here.

After landing, Pikachu split himself in two, beginning to run circles around the now confused Elekid.

Both of them would rush it from different directions. It would have no way of knowing which one to block.

But Paul was grinning now. "Clever, but it won't save you. Elekid, use Protect!" If Ash didn't know better, it almost sounded like Paul was actually starting to enjoy this…

As Pikachu rushed forward, along with his clone, his orange, glowing fist was met with a green, spherical barrier. Much like Rhyhorn's barrier, this Protect was far from a mastered one, but it was still just barely strong enough to stop the young mouse right in his tracks.

As his clone fizzled out, the electric mouse took a few steps backwards while clutching his aching fist. Glaring up at the Elekid, Pikachu saw his rival dispel its barrier as the opposing Electric type grinned sadistically, showing minor signs of fatigue but no signs of quitting. Pikachu met its vicious expression with an even fiercer glare, the competitive spirit in his eyes stronger than ever as Ash and Valiant both looked on.

The young Ralts was staring intently between the two, and if Ash had looked down to observe his news companion, he would have probably noticed the rather analytical expression on Valiant's face.

Valiant didn't spend quite as much time with Pikachu and Nebula as they did with each other, often sticking closely by Ash's side instead, but the young Ralts was sure that he knew his mouse companion well enough to understand his personality quite a lot. And yet he had never seen Pikachu quite this worked up before. Not even in regards to the Gym Battle.

It was almost as though this was… personal for him, and as he continued to observe the ongoing battle between the two combatants in full, Valiant couldn't help but wonder if it was simply due to their mutual typings. Was it natural for a Pokemon to become so competitive when facing off against an opponent of the same exact typing? Would he be experiencing these same exact emotions if he went up against one of his own Typing as well? Nebula had shared one of her typings with that Teddiursa from before, and yet she hadn't acted quite like this…

"Dual Chop!"

Purple fists raised and glowing, Elekid went on the assault, but Pikachu, ignoring the pain in his fist, sidestepped the blows as best he could, before attempting to drive a Brick Break into Elekid's stomach.

His rival took a small leap backwards, however, and after ducking under a Thunder Punch, Pikachu once again went for another Brick Break. Elekid caught the blow with a Brick Break of his own, however, and with no Quick Attack to boost his momentum, Pikachu was pushed back easily, crying out in pain as the opposing electric type's blow easily overpowered his own and grinded against his fist.

Slamming an Iron Tail into the ground to save himself from falling onto his back, Pikachu was suddenly forced to roll to the side to avoid an Electro Ball. Before Ash could call out any more orders, however, Elekid was already upon him again, this time with yet another order from Paul.

"Low Kick!"

The opposing Electric Type reared its leg back before sadistically driving it into Pikachu's face, the mouse somersaulting through the air with a cry of pain. Unable to ignore the pain in his face, he plopped down onto the ground, paws clenched into the pavement as he looked up and grit his teeth at the rival electric type.

To Pikachu's credit, however, Ash quickly took note of Elekid's own condition. Despite its obvious physical superiority, the opposing electric type was still beginning to more clearly tire out. Pikachu's blows had not been for naught, and the Elekid's light pants were becoming increasingly noticeable, and the bruises on its body from pikachu's successful blows were also hard to ignore.

On the opposite end, however, Pikachu was currently more banged up than Elekid was, and at least just as tired.

Their disadvantage was clear.

But the mouse was determined, and so was he.

Picking himself up, Pikachu growled at the rival electric type, who met the glower in the young mouse's eyes with one of his own, his face twisted into something akin to an angry grin.

The mutual animosity between the two had become palpable, as the two gave each other a silent challenge with the nonverbal exchange, the murmuring in the crowd restarted.

At this point, both of them were beginning to reach their limit, and although Pikachu was closer to his, Elekid and Paul were in no position to relax, and both of them knew this.

It was now or never. Either they turned the tide of this fight, or lost in the attempt.

"Iron Tail!"

"Brick Break!"

Putting everything that they had into Quick Attack, both Pokemon shot forward, Pikachu's tail encased in metal and Elekid's fist glowing orange.

BAM!

The attacks both slammed into each other head on, Pikachu's metallic tail shielding him from damage and Elekid's fist pushing against the powerful Steel Type attack. Both Pokemon's faces were clenched as they continued to put their all into the assault, desperately trying to overpower one another.

"You can do it Pikachu!" a female voice.

"Come on Ash!" a male voice.

The trainer blinked as he and Valiant turned to the side to see Emily and Rick, the former cupping her hands across her mouth and the latter holding his fists out in front of him with a determined look on his face.

Being cheered on in a battle… had that ever happened before? Not for him, at least.

The warmth in his chest was nice, but he couldn't focus on it right now, unfortunately. Turning his gaze back to the battlefield, he shouted out his own words of encouragement, while Valiant did the same.

But Paul was already back at it. "Elekid! Use your other arm to hit it with Thunder Punch!"

Ash growled. A clever tactic. He wasn't sure if Pikachu would be able to deflect Brick Break and manage to do so in time to intercept the incoming Thunder Punch.

But he believed in his starter. And he had another idea.

"Thunder Shock! Then keep Iron Tail going!"

Pikachu let out a jolt of static from his tail, causing the fist that Elekid was using to strike with Brick Break to painfully recoil backwards as the opposing Electric Type let out a growl of pain and frustration. This didn't stop it from swinging its other fist, however, but Pikachu quickly spun around and rammed the metallic tail against the electrical fist.

In fact, since Elekid was still reeling from the slight, yet painful jolt of electricity that Pikachu had suddenly hit him with, the Thunder Punch didn't have quite as much force behind it, and Ash grinned triumphantly as Pikachu's full force Iron Tail began slowly yet increasingly pushing it back. As Pikachu continued to push against it, its progress slowly but surely became faster, before completely deflecting the blow away, leaving Elekid's arm outstretched, and the growling Elekid itself vulnerable.

This was their chance. And they were going to take it.

"NOW!"

Not giving Paul any chances to react, Ash let out his order at the top of his lungs, and with a loud battle cry, Pikachu spun himself around yet again, this time ramming his still full power Iron Tail right into the Elekid's gut.

The opposing electric type Pokemon recoiled in pain as it let out a pained cry of anger, Pikachu's tail digging into its stomach with all of the force that the electric mouse could muster.

Both Pokemon were gritting their teeth as the struggle continued, the two rivals snarling in mutual defiance of one another. Neither would give in, but Pikachu was continuing to drive his opponent back with the force of his powerful blow.

But Paul wasn't giving in any more than Elekid.

"Fight through it and end this with Brick Break!" the tone in his voice was final, as though he wouldn't accept any other result than triumph, but Ash could have sworn that he had detected a hint of desperation in the other boy's normally callous voice.

With seemingly newfound adrenaline, Elekid let out an angry battle cry as it suddenly lurched forward, its voice becoming even more pained as it leaned against Pikachu's Iron Tail even further in order to attempt to drive in the blow. The tenacity was amazing, but also quite concerning.

Its fist glowing a bright orange, Elekid roared with anger as it swung the fist downwards, taking aim right at Pikachu's face. Before Ash could even react to the attack, the blow had already connected. Pikachu's cry of pain was immediately silenced as Elekid's fist drove him face first into the ground, the Brick Break grinding violently against the young mouse's cheek.

The crunching noise was audible, and was enough to make Valiant lurch backwards with a scared flinch, and Ash's eyes widen in terror.

Lifting its fist off of the mouse, Elekid stumbled backwards a bit, forcing a hand to clutch its now bleeding stomach as it painted in exhaustion, before looking down at its opponent.

Pikachu was still, the side of his face that had been struck by the Brick Break somewhat swollen, and Ash couldn't see the other side, as it was planted firmly into the ground, but he doubted that it would be pretty.

Ash tried not to think about how painful it had been. How brutal it had been. He didn't even want to know what Pikachu had felt in that moment, and he highly doubted that Valiant did, either.

Some things were just better left unsaid.

Paul and Elekid were ruthless. They were concerned only with winning the battle, now with how merciless that their tactics were. Professional Pokemon training was tough, and, above all else, without relent. What had happened to Pikachu was hardly the worst to ever come out of the profession.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop the queasiness in his stomach, as Ash tried and failed to fight off the thoughts of what his Starter had just gone through. The urge to have the events continuously replaying through his mind.

This was at least as bad as what had happened to Nebula against Brock.

Sparing a glance at Valiant, Ash could see the young Ralts shivering lightly, yet attempting to keep his expression steel. Reaching down, Ash lightly patted him on the head, getting his attention.

"It's okay." he said soothingly. "I'm a bit disturbed myself."

That seemed to ease the young Ralts up just a little bit, and as the Feeling Pokemon returned his gaze to the battlefield, Ash very quickly took out Pikachu's Poke Ball, returning his Starter and putting him in stasis.

"Excellent work buddy." he spoke with genuine praise. "You were amazing out there, like always."

But as he clipped the Poke Ball back onto his belt, he felt the disappointment creeping back up yet again.

Where had they gone wrong? They had learned from past mistakes. Constantly changing up tactics, responding quickly to their opponents' orders and Moves as often as possible, never freezing up under the pressure. Could it have possibly gone differently-

Quickly shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Ash quickly dismissed the notion. This hadn't been like when Pichu had battled against Gary's Squirtle. Or like when Nebula had battled against Brock's Geodude. They hadn't made any mistakes. No fatal errors that cost them the match. Paul and Elekid had simply been stronger than the two of them. And that was all the motivation that he needed at the moment.

Paul's voice caused him to look up, and Ash could detect a hint of relief in the other boy's voice. Had he been paying attention, he also would have taken note of Paul sighing in relief as well.

"He hasn't gone through a battle like that in a while…" a light hint of acknowledgement found its way into Paul's tone of voice as Elekid sank down onto one knee, still clutching his bleeding stomach. Lifting up a Poke Ball, Paul returned the creature. Muttering a few words (Ash thought that he might've picked up on "You stayed strong") to the Pokemon as he now rested safely into the orb, Paul quickly returned it to his belt before looking back up and locking eyes with Ash. The boy from Pallet Town still flinched slightly from his gaze, but steeled himself as quickly as possible. "Alright, you have my attention. Bring out your final teammate and let's get this over with."

Somewhat reluctantly, Ash turned his gaze down to a slightly nervous Valiant. The young Ralts had just watched both of his friends be defeated back to back, and was now expected to fight next. Surely, the Feeling Pokemon wasn't feeling anymore confident than he currently was.

"Hey…" he said lightly, earning the Pokemon's attention. "I know this battle's tough. Are you up for this?"

He wanted to think that winning was still possible. Elekid was on the verge of defeat, to the point where Paul hadn't even bothered waiting to call him back, and Teddiursa had at least been roughed up from Nebula. There was only Paul's third Pokemon to worry about, as Ash was confident that Valiant could easily defeat Elekid, and hopefully take out Teddiursa without too much trouble, in the condition that both of them were currently in.

But of course, Paul probably knew this, and would use his third Pokemon instead. So it was a matter of defeating whoever that was, and ensuring that they were still in a comfortable position afterwards in order to hopefully finish off the rest.

But that was easier said than done at this point, and although Ash tried to ensure himself, he knew that this wouldn't be easy. Teddiursa and Elekid had both been beyond fearsome opponents, and whoever this final Pokemon was would undoubtedly be no different form either one of them.

But nevertheless, Ash felt a slight sensation of inspiration surge through his chest as Valiant pumped an arm up with a determined glare, before looking away from his new Trainer and making his way onto the battlefield.

Ash wasn't sure how he would be able to ensure himself at this point, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Valiant was still ready to fight now. And so he would be too.

As Valiant made his way onto the battlefield, Paul took out one final Poke Ball.

In a bright flash of light, Valiant's opponent appeared.

Ash blinked in surprise.

More murmurs from the crowd.

Standing before the young Ralts was a large, bulky, quadruped Pokemon with light green skin and a large, yellow shell covering its back. Curiously, two bush like trees were growing out of the shell.

Although it took a bit for Ash to process what this Pokemon was, it eventually clicked with him:

This Pokemon was a Grotle… the evolved form of a Turtwig, the grass type Sinnoh Region starter.

Ash highly doubted that Paul could have found a Turtwig in the wild, which meant that…

"You're from Sinnoh?" his tone was a bit incredulous.

"So? What's it to you?" Paul's voice was back to its usual blunt tone.

"Why did you choose to come here?" Ash was curious. Although the vast majority of trainers usually stayed in their homeland, it still wasn't too uncommon for them to compete in foreign territories. What was quite uncommon, however, was for a trainer to leave their homeland on their first year. Most trainers waited two, maybe even three years before even considering such a thing.

And yet this… Paul had left his homeland mere moments after starting out. He supposed that it was realistic for Paul to be here in time for the beginning of the Season, as Sinnoh had started out earlier than usual this Season, so Paul could have theoretically hopped on a cruise ship to indigo the moment that he got his starter and trainer's license, and potentially used the teleportation service when Indigo's Season began, but… why would he even bother?

Paul crossed his arms stoically. "Personal reasons that don't concern you. Now then," he looked down towards the bulky grass type Pokemon. "Alright, now, Grotle, it's time for us to break in your evolution."

The Grass Type nodded. As stoic as it's trainer, it gazed at Valiant with an intense glint in its eyes. Valiant flinched a bit as the two combatants made eye contact, but very quickly steeled himself, glaring back into his opponents pupils.

Ash felt a bit guilty for asking. Paul was right. He had no business butting himself into whatever reasons that Paul had to be here. He had let his curiosity get the best of him.

But for now, they would just focus on the battle.

"Psybeam, Valiant!"

"Withdraw!" Paul quickly countered.

As quickly as Valiant had fired off the rainbow beam, Grotle had already retreated into its shell. Much to Ash's dismay, the psychic attack did nothing as it collided with the exterior, bouncing off of the grass type's superior defenses with ease.

The boy from Pallet Town flinched. He was suddenly getting Gary flashbacks from this. If Valiant couldn't even put a dent into Grotle's defenses, then…

"Stockpile!" Paul called out.

Grotle remained inside of its shell, which began to slowly but surely glow a vibrant white. Ash had never heard of this Move before, but it sounded like some sort of charge up technique.

The word 'Stockpile' gave him the impression that Grotle was in the midst of gathering power…

He could have Valiant erect a barrier, or go into Shadow Sneak, but doing either one of those too soon would use up too much energy. As much as the young trainer hated it, the best course of action would probably be to wait for Grotle to fire, or make whatever move that it was probably going to make, and then block it, or Teleport away at the last second.

It made him feel sick to his stomach. They were both battling on Paul's terms now, and that meant that they were both at a fundamental disadvantage…

"Get ready, Valiant."

As the young Ralts braced himself, the glowing of Grotle's shell began to get somewhat blinding, and just as Ash was about to shield his eyes, Paul called out his order.

"Spit Up!"

Suddenly, Grotle was out of its shell, its mouth open wide as a glowing, bright, white orb formed inside of it.

Before Ash could even think about what was happening, Valiant yelped out loud and quickly erected a Light Screen barrier, boxing himself in just in time for a condensed beam of pale energy to come rushing into it.

The explosion was loud and intense, and Ash flinched as he saw Valiant skidding backwards, body reeling from the shockwave, and the Light Screen completely shattered.

Although the Light Screen had absorbed the brunt of the impact, Ash quickly took note of the bruises on Valiant's body. That blast had been strong for sure. Enough to completely eliminate the Feeling Pokemon's defenses while still damaging him just from the shockwaves alone.

A direct hit from that would have been the end for sure.

Looking over to Grotle, Ash could see the bulky grass type Pokemon taking a few moments to catch its breath, before righting itself and immediately going back to its stoic expression.

A powerful blast like that most certainly would take its toll on the Pokemon, which means that Paul probably wasn't going to be using it excessively.

But that hardly mattered when there was no reliable way to damage Grotle. If Psybeam wouldn't work then Magical Leaf certainly wouldn't, as the green tortoise had a natural resistance to it. So what would they do then?

He wasn't sure how effective that Confusion would be. Hypnosis would be helpful to keep Grotle's guard down. Confuse Ray was a wild card, they hadn't practiced it that much-

"Bullet Seed!"

Ash snapped out of his thoughts as a barrage of powerful seeds erupted from Grotle's mouth.

Bullet Seed, much like Rock Blast, was a rather useful rapid fire styled attack. And this one seemed to be even stronger than the Rock Blast that Brock's Rhyhorn had used. Grotle's Bullet Seed easily put cracks into Valiant's now erected Reflect barrier, wearing it down far faster than Rhyhorn had.

It was only mere moments before the seeds got through Valiant's defenses, the young Ralts crying out in pain as they pelted his body, and Ash could have sworn he saw some minor drops of blood.

"Tackle!" the moment Grotle had ceased firing, another order had been called out, and the beast charged forward far faster than its size would make it seem to be capable of.

With grotle's massive bulk, if it crashed right into Valiant now, it would all be over…

But Valiant was already on it, eyes glowing a very deep shade of purple as he desperately tried to stop Grotle in its tracks with Confusion.

But much like with Rhyhorn before it, he could only slow the ambitious Grotle down. Immediately noticing that his technique wasn't going to be too effective in the long run, due to the massive strain of trying to maintain it, Valiant immediately ceased using Confusion and teleported to the other side of the battlefield, just in time to prevent the charging Grotle from slamming right into him. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, but knew that they weren't out of the woods just yet.

This Grotle had the defenses to render all of Valiant's attacks useless, and the raw power to break through Valiant's own defenses with ease. At this point, they were short on options.

Bracing himself, Ash called out his last resort. "Get in close! Confuse Ray!"

Valiant immediately sank into Shadow Sneak, but Paul was already countering.

"Razor Leaf! Protect yourself!"

Paul and Grotle must have known that Valiant making use of Shadow Sneak was how the young Ralts planned on getting in close to use Confuse Ray at point blank, because when Grotle fired out the razor sharp leaves, they, to Ash's shock, swirled around it like a makeshift barrier.

Was this… another modified technique?

Realizing that he could no longer get in close without being cut up by the leaves surrounding his opponent's body, Valiant rose back up from the ground, out of ideas.

"Fire!"

A yelping Valiant immediately erected Reflect as the leaves shot out toward him, but it wasn't too long before they had broken through, the ongoing barrage carving right through the silver cube and into the screaming Ralts' skin.

And the moment they had subsided, the now bloodied and cut up Ralts had looked up just in time to see Grotle looming over him, rearing up a leg and smacking him down on the back of the head.

As Valiant plopped down onto the ground and didn't get up, Ash didn't even bother checking the young Ralts' condition before he returned him. He was too afraid to look.

That had… hardly even been a battle. They hadn't even gotten a chance to do anything…

Not even Pikachu's fight with Skorupi had been that one sided. This was on the level of Pichu's fight with Squirtle…

But Ash quickly shook the comparisons out of his head. Unlike that particular battle, he and Valiant had actually been in sync. They were just… hopelessly outclassed.

Ash hadn't lost to another Trainer since Gary, but he found himself finding this loss far less unfulfilling as that one had been.

He was still shaken from the brutality of the fight, and from how one sided the fight with Grotle had ended up being, but… the battle didn't feel like an embarrassment. It certainly wasn't the complete mess that the battle with Gary was.

But he was still disappointed. The harshness of defeat still filling his heart as he registered the loss.

But he was quickly snapped out of it as he heard Paul's voice, the purple haired boy approaching him, flanked by his bulky Grotle.

"Perhaps that was a bit of a mismatch." the boy admitted out loud, looking Ash in the eye. "I knew that my starter had gotten a lot stronger since evolving, but I wanted to test him out to see just what his gains were. He hadn't gotten the chance to properly put them to work yet."

Ash inwardly snorted. Grotle certainly had gained a lot. It was easily the strongest Pokemon that they had fought so far…

"Now then…" said Paul, taking out his Pokedex. "I believe you owe me some winnings."

Nodding, Ash tried to hide his disappointment as he took out his own Pokedex. In addition to physical cash, he could also transfer some of his own stored money to Paul's account.

After the process was over, the mysterious Trainer locked eyes with him, stashing away his Pokedex.

"Perhaps you see what I mean, now. My Pokemon all have natural talent that I've honed from their already stellar starting points. They had the potential, and that's why they won. Still though…" he turned away slightly. "A Ralts with Shadow Sneak borders on being unheard of. You at least have that going for you." turning back to Ash, he added. "I'll admit, you're not half bad compared to the other rookies that I've wasted my time on since coming here." he said begrudgingly. "But I'd recommend being a bit more careful about your team's additions in the future." without another word, he turned to Grotle. "Let's go."

The Grass Type spared Ash a momentary glance before following his trainer back into the Pokemon Center. The small crowd immediately made way for them, a few people in the crowd dispersing now that the battle was done.

Ash was broken out of his stupor as Emily called out to him.

"Hey, Ash!" looking over to see her and Rick making their way over to him, Ash raised his hand slightly.

Emily's face had a hint of concern on it. "Are you okay? That battle was harsh." she seemed a bit shaken, but eased up a bit as Rick put a hand on her shoulder.

"That guy really meant business." the taller boy commented. "Wasn't expecting him to be a foreigner, but that Grotle was a freak of nature. I think you got robbed."

Ash shook his head, still slightly bewildered by the last part of the fight, but still shaking it off nonetheless. "No… we would have lost anyway. I'm sure of it. He was just… on a higher level than me."

It pained him to say such a thing, but it was true.

Could he have been… right? Maybe he had a point about a Pokemon's starting point. And did that mean that… Ash's starting point…

The image of the Boulder Badge flashed into his mind, and he quickly found himself shaking his head, his eyes clenched a bit.

No! They had already proved themselves against Brock! He wasn't going to just go back to doubting himself just because of one, single loss. Trainers lose battles all the time. It was a fact of life. Just because he had won a badge didn't mean that he should be surprised that there was another Trainer who was still far above him.

It just meant that they needed to keep on training harder. Ash already knew that they couldn't just relax just yet, but if he hadn't known it then, he definitely knew it now. This battle had been the perfect reminder for him.

"Ummm… Ash?"

He blinked to see Emily's brown eyes staring into his in concern. Realizing that he had been lost in thought, he flashed her a quick grin to settle her worries.

That seemed to satisfy her, so he nodded to them. "I just need a minute. I'll be in soon."

Emily nodded, gesturing towards Rick and leading him back inside. The taller boy spared Ash one final glance before following her, and Ash could hear him saying something about that Grotle being a monster.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ash looked down to his belt, running his hand along his Poke Balls.

"I'm sorry that I came up short again, you guys. You all did great, really. But we haven't hit our peak just yet. And Paul and his team haven't seen the last of us yet."

Ash Ketchum had no idea just how true that last statement would end up being.

Chapter Text

"Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

The mouse's tail crackled as lightning began to gather around the tip.

The battle with Paul just a few days prior had been yet another reminder that they needed to continue training, and although it had put the team out of commission for a couple of day, they immediately had a fire lit inside of them the moment that they had recovered, and Pikachu's was easily burning the brightest.

Although he had put up the biggest fight out of all three of them, he also seemed to take the loss the most harshly. Ash assumed that that was owed to how he and Elekid seemed to have made it their personal mission to upstage each other.

Letting out a determined cry, Pikachu hurled the now formed ball of electricity towards the nearest rock. Although not perfect, the orb was being held together a lot more notably than before, losing its shape as it sailed towards its target, but never breaking apart outright.

As the rock shattered from the impact, kicking up a cloud of dust, Emily, standing behind Ash, clapped her hands happily.

Rick had gone off to the route leading out of the city to battle some trainers for the day (planning to return later tonight) so Ash and Emily were training alone together today. Although Emily had vehemently accused the tall boy of ditching her, her face had practically turned into a tomato when he called out the time when she snuck off to train on her own without even telling him.

Ash hadn't spent as much one-on-one time with Emily as he had with Rick, but quickly found himself taking a liking to the cute red haired girl, who, after she had gotten over being shy, was a ray of sunshine that made it near impossible to not smile. Mostly because she was really funny when she wanted to be, which ensured the mood was always pleasant.

Her team got along with his fairly well, too. Her Growlithe being the standout example with how she was constantly challenging Pikachu to races. Her Tyrogue was somewhat distant, but friendly, while her Eevee, as Ash quickly realized, was a prankster who had made it her hobby to start messing with Nebula. Although the young Starly was initially annoyed by this, she eventually started having fun with it, and the two became friends in an odd sort of way.

"Whoa! He's really been making gains since he recovered." the girl's brown eyes observed the mouse as Nebula made her way over to him and delivered a complimenting chirp that had him slightly blushing and bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

Ash nodded happily, an excited look in his eyes. "Yeah, he should hopefully have the move battle-ready within the next couple of days. I doubt he's strong enough to manage a full power Thunderbolt yet, but the experience with controlling his electricity that he's been getting with Electro Ball will still be a really good start. We'll need that for the next Gym."

She blinked. "Oh yeah, you're going to Cerulean next, right?"

Ash nodded affirmatively. "Yup. I know that they specialize in water type Pokemon over there, which is why teaching Pikachu stronger electric attacks for his arsenal is so important. We spent the whole week leading up to our battle with Brock without really touching on his electricity, so we really need to make up for lost time."

She frowned, rubbing her arm subconsciously while suddenly finding her feet on the ground to be quite fascinating. "Yeah, this trainer stuff really is overwhelming, isn't it? So much multitasking…"

Ash flinched. She was definitely not wrong. There was so much to focus on at once while being a trainer. Yet another reason why rookies were so easily overwhelmed. How do you determine what to prioritize while still making sure that you don't fall behind in any of the other areas? Especially since trainers and Pokemon were still right in the middle of fully developing their own personal fighting styles in each of their respective beginner years.

"I'm still getting used to it myself." he admitted freely. "But I don't think it's ever going to be easy."

"You certainly make it look easy." she flashed him a sad grin. "Honestly, I'm kinda jealous."

Ignoring the tint of red in his cheeks from the surprise of somebody else being jealous of him of all people, Ash quickly tried to change the subject. "So, when do you think you'll be ready to challenge Brock again?"

The frown returned. "I'm… not too sure…" her voice trailed off for a brief moment. "After two beatdowns, I just…"

He looked at her sympathetically. He knew full well how disheartening it must be to lose like that. Especially twice in a row. No wonder she was so apprehensive about it.

Seeing his frown, she immediately perked up, doing her best to put on a smile. It seemed a bit forced, but she was cute enough to pull it off. "Oh! But don't worry! I'm totally gonna do it! Rick keeps urging me, and we really don't want all of your help to go to waste!"

He smiled back and raised his hands defensively. "Just take your time, okay? I'm not rushing you. And I'm sure you'll win whenever you decide to go back."

She grinned. "Thanks. I'll challenge him in a couple days, just give me a chance to regain my bearings, 'kay?" At his thumbs up, she looked off in the direction of the buildings. "So… you wanna go take a lunch break?" Looking back at him, she winked playfully as a glint of cheerfulness appeared in her eye. "We have all the food to ourselves, after Rick decided to be a jerk and ditched us."

"..." A few seconds after nodding, Ash took a leap of faith and tried his luck at banter.

Doing his best to put on a playful smirk, he said teasingly. "Didn't Rick say that you were the one who ditched him first?"

He was suddenly finding it quite fun to watch her face slowly but surely turn red as a tomato, first starting out as a light shade of pink, before gradually darkening, until it was suddenly impossible to distinguish her cheeks from Pikachu's own. This girl was a walking cartoon, and that just made her all the more endearing to talk with. Yet another reminder of how much he wished that he had met her and Rick sooner in his life.

She roughly slapped him on the back, but the embarrassed smile on her face told him that she was not angry.

"Not you too! Sh-sh-SHUT UP!"

It wasn't long after that before the two kids had burst into laughter, each placing a hand on each other's shoulder. Their Pokemon all watched them, curious but amused nonetheless.

Ash tried to remember he had been able to share a laugh like this with somebody his age. Since before Gary and the others had started rejecting him, no doubt.

Why was he so afraid of talking to other kids? Janine had worked out, Rick and Emily as well. The next time Ash wanted to talk to someone his age, he would.

He still wasn't completely comfortable about it, but he was at least willing to try now.

...Yeah, this was nice.

/

The day came and went as usual. Ash and Emily had parted ways in the late afternoon as Ash went off to visit Elacia. She would still be in Pewter for a little while, and he promised to visit her one last time before leaving. But for now, he just enjoyed her company at the moment.

Sipping her tea, the red haired breeder eyed him. "So, you've been spending some time with a couple of other kids, huh?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, they're really nice. I'm going to miss them after I leave."

"It's good for you, kid. You definitely look like the type who needs to socialize more, with the way that you were back when I first met you. Good to see you coming out of that shell of yours." Behind her, Slurpuff, Pikachu and Valiant were playing with a ball together, while Nebula was perched on Ash's shoulder. "So, what are they like, anyway?"

He grinned at that. "One of them is named Rick. He's really relaxed and nonchalant. Not much seems to bother him. He also has some pretty cool ideas for how he wants to train his Pokemon. He talked about having his Butterfree create a tornado of spores once she's experienced enough, and he's already thinking of ways that his Bellsprout can utilize his full moveset once he's fully evolved. He seems to think ahead a lot." he frowned. "He seems to struggle with short term planning, though. He has a hard time focusing on the current moment."

Elacia giggled. "Sounds like the exact opposite problem that most rookies have. So he heard about how you beat Brock and thought you could help him, then?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. Emily was the one who had the idea, but he jumped on board pretty quickly. I've done what I can to help both of them, but our teams are so different. I can only really give… whatever advice that I can."

"Any help is good help." she waved it off. "Nice to see you giving pointers to others, though. It really shows just how much your hard work has paid off."

He blushed a bit. "You were part of the reason why I won in the first place."

She shrugged. "Maybe, but don't let that discredit you. You came up with most of the ideas, and I just added to them." After taking a sip of her tea, she eyed him again. "So, what about the other one? You said her name was Emily?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, Rick was the one that I spent time with the most, but I spent the whole day with her today. We get along great. She has a really strong team, and although she was really shy at first she opened up pretty fast. She's really funny and cute."

Elacia's eyes glinted a bit as she grinned at him teasingly. "Oh? Sounds like someone's got a crush."

Ash spit out his hot cocoa mid-sip, startling Nebula, and he felt his cheeks heating up at record times. "What? No! I've only known her for a little bit!" shaking his head a little bit, he gathered himself before continuing. "Plus, she and Rick are probably a lot closer anyway. They went to school together. They're actually traveling together too."

Elacia let out a chuckle as she waved her hand dismissively. "Relax kid! You really need to realize when you're being teased! I guess that's another part that's gonna need some work."

Ash frowned at that, but knew that she was right. This woman loved walking all over him for fun.

"Anyway," she said, standing up. "I hate to cut this short, but I actually have a short notice appointment at the Pewter City Church."

Ash blinked at that. The Church of Mew was the biggest religious organization in Indigo, especially Kanto. And since Pewter City was one of the most traditional cities, the populace was most often known for being very religious, giving the Church an especially significant prescence throughout the area.

"What for?" he asked curiously.

She grinned awkwardly. "Apparently they've taken in a couple of young Pokemon that they found injured on the road, but the Pokemon are foreign and they don't know much about them. So, they've asked me to come on in and give them advice on how to take care of them. Information on their habits, and what their diet usually is and such."

Ash grinned at that. Since such a skilled Pokemon breeder was currently staying in Pewter for the time being, it must have been pretty convenient for them.

"Well… good luck." he said encouragingly.

"Luck? Me? Don't need it, kid." As he rose up, she eyed him carefully again. "Listen… I'd like to give you something before you leave the city. I'm sure you'll like it. Just remember to stop by, okay?"

Ash was curious now. "What is it?"

She grinned teasingly. "It'll be a bigger surprise if you find out later."

He was a bit confused, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Okay." he said. "Looking forward to it." he wasn't sure what it was, but if it was meant to be a surprise he was sure that it would be good.

/

Ash, Rick, and Emily had all arrived on the training grounds bright and early this morning. Pikachu and Nebula rode on Ash's shoulders while Valiant walked by his side. The mouse and bird exchanged smiles as they made their way to the training grounds. The Ralts looked fairly enthusiastic about what the day will bring.

And Emily was pumped, having dragged Rick all of the way there, much to Ash's amusement.

"Alright, Rick! We're committing to this! Brock is going down in just two days! You hear me?!"

"Okay! Okay! Easy on the collar!"

Behind them, Rick's Sentret was snickering in amusement at the sight. Emily's Eevee was joining in as well.

As the group stopped at the training grounds, Ash turned to Nebula. "Okay, we almost have Aerial Ace down, so are you ready to get started?" She nodded at that. "Great!"

Nebula was close to mastering the powerful technique but still needed some fine tuning. In the meantime, Pikachu and Valiant each had practice of their own.

The boy's plan for Valiant was a new one. At the moment, Valiant was doing pretty good with all of his moves. So Ash wanted to teach him a new one. After doing some more research on what the young Ralts could learn, he perked up at one of them in particular. It should be easy enough for the young Ralts to get the hang of.

Meanwhile, Pikachu would still be working on Electro Ball. Ash was confident that the young mouse would master it sooner rather than later. And Pikachu seemed to agree.

As Pikachu and Nebula conversed, Ash approached Valiant.

The young Ralts perked up and smiled at him.

"Hey." said Ash. "I have an idea for a new move that you can learn." At Valiant's nod, Ash held up his Pokedex for him to see. "Here it is."

The Pokedex showed footage of a Gardevoir firing off a sparkling blast of pink light.

"Dazzling Gleam." Ash explained. "It's a strong move, so I'm not sure how long it'll take to use it to its full potential, but getting the basics down should be easy for you. And after Pikachu learns Thunderbolt, I might have him try to teach it to you in time for the next Gym Battle. Again, it'll probably just be the basics, but this way Magical Leaf won't be your only big tool against the Water Type Pokemon." Ash lowered the Pokedex. "But that's for later. For now, Dazzling Gleam will be a good goal to work towards. Do you want to get started today?" At the Feeling Pokemon's nod, the boy grinned. "Great! I'll be working with you and Nebula while Pikachu practices on his own. He just needs to fine tune what he already has. Nebula too, but I might try to get some practice with Reckless in with possible."

Speaking of abilities like Reckless, Ash realized that he also needed to try to work on Valiant's Telepathy, in order to gain a better understanding of it. That could happen another day, but for now, he wanted the young Ralts to get a head start on his next set of offensive Moves.

/

Valiant put his hands together as he began to gather fairy type energy. By applying what he already knew in regards to fairy type moves, it should be easier than normal, especially since Pokemon traditionally had an easier time learning moves of their own type. Although, it wasn't quite the same as jumping from Thunder Shock to Thunderbolt, and Valiant still wasn't as experienced with fairy type moves as Pikachu was with electricity, so it would still be more difficult overall.

As the boy watched Valiant work, he turned to Nebula. "Alright, are you ready to get started too?"

Nebula's response was to take off into the air, body beginning to cocoon in white light as she sailed into the sky.

Aerial Ace was a great move that allowed the user to attack with a powerful charge through the air, moving at extra high speeds while zeroing in on their opponent. It was difficult to control while learning it, but once mastered, or at least gotten the hang of, it would be great for accurate flight, and even allowed the non-flying types that could learn it some sort of flight ability while using it.

Nebula was still shaking in the air, but she was doing much better now.

Behind him, Ash looked to see Valiant forming a small, pink orb between his hands. A small, narrow beam of sparkling pink light shot out of it, piercing a tiny hole into a nearby boulder.

Ash gave him a thumbs up. "Good. You have a limited version down from just a first attempt."

Not that it would be much use in a battle yet, but the young Ralts was at least capable of manifesting the move. It was a start, so Valiant deserved to be encouraged.

Valiant gave him a smile, but suddenly, after a few seconds, the smile became somewhat more strained. The young Ralts curiously looked off in a different direction, leading towards the outskirts of the city. Ash looked at him, somewhat concerned. Valiant's demeanor had changed quite rapidly.

"Something wrong?"

Perking up, as if having forgotten that Ash was even there, Valiant shot Ash a frantic look that quickly relaxed, as if trying to calm himself down. Raising his hands and shaking them, the young Ralts shook his head back and forth.

Ash raised a brow at that, but decided not to question it. If Valiant said that it was no big deal, then he would believe him.

Turning his attention back to Nebula, Ash saw her continue to soar, practicing Aerial Ace as she progressively became less and less shaky. Pikachu had taken a brief break from his Electro Ball training to watch the young Starly go.

Deciding that both of them would be fine for now, Ash made his way over to Valiant, who still seemed to be a bit uneasy about something.

Ash was a bit concerned, but decided not to keep bothering Valiant about it unless it got worse.

"Alright, do you want to try again?"

Nodding (a bit more slowly than usual, Ash quickly noted), Valiant turned to face a different boulder this time. Ash could see the sweat running down his head as the young Ralts concentrated his fairy type energy into yet another ball. This one was slightly bigger than the last one, but took longer to form.

After a few more seconds of charging, Valiant fired again, this time letting out a slightly bigger, somewhat more wide beam of pink light. Ash smiled As the boulder broke open, not completely destroyed but clearly much more damaged than before.

"Good! If we keep practicing, then at this rate you'll have a usable form of the Move down in no time!" Valiant still needed to work on the charging time so that it could be used a bit more reliably, but offensively speaking, where he was currently at would do for now. It wouldn't be for a while before he could use the Move's full power. But Ash wasn't going to rush him in that department. It would still potentially be the best Move that was currently in Valiant's arsenal if they could get some form of it down.

Valiant gave Ash a determined smile and nodded. The young Ralts always seemed to be very eager for progress, jumping at the chance whenever he could. It was a very admirable trait to have, and his work ethic was something to be taken note of.

"Alright, just let me know when you need a break, okay? I'll keep watching you." At Valiant's affirmative nod, Ash took a seat on a nearby rock as he continued to watch the young Ralts do his work.

But whenever Ash would look away in order to check on Pikachu and Nebula, the young Ralts would always shoot a nervous glance towards the outskirts of the city.

/

The sun was high in the sky when Rick had suggested a lunch break.

The three trainers were all seated in a circle, this time still at the training grounds, while their Pokemon all ate nearby them.

Emily smiled at their teammates.

"It really is nice to see them all getting along together, don't you think so?"

It was true. There wasn't any real segregation between the Pokemon. Although Pikachu and Nebula sat together like usual, they were also joined by Emily's Eevee and Growlithe, the former having struck up a friendship with Nebula, and the latter one with Pikachu.

Rick's Bellsprout and Butterfree sat together, while Emily's Tyrogue and Rick's Sentret sat with Valiant.

However, Ash took note of Valiant's mood. The young Ralts was barely touching his food, eating with nibbles at a time. Tyrogue and Sentret seemed to have noticed his situation, as they were trying to get through to him, but he was constantly twitching nervously.

It was at this point that Ash finally decided to address Valiant's mood. Something was not normal.

"What's wrong, dude?" Rick was confused as Ash got up.

"Valiant's been acting strange for the past few hours. I think something might be wrong with him. Hold on, I can handle it." The other two kids seemed to be concerned, but listened nonetheless, staying at their seats and conversing with one another as Ash made his way to Valiant, Tyrogue, and Sentret.

The latter two Pokemon both stepped aside upon seeing Ash approach, seemingly somewhat relieved that he was here.

Sitting down and crouching at eye level with the Feeling Pokemon, Ash observed Valiant carefully. "Hey buddy… you okay?"

Valiant shifted a bit, but didn't move his gaze from Ash. The Ralts' hands slowly found their way to his head, and Ash frowned as Valiant tensed a bit while gripping his head somewhat tightly.

"You… have a headache?"

A shake of the head. So that wasn't the problem.

But it was something that he was feeling inside of his head.

What was Valiant feeling…

Feeling…

Feeling...?!

Ash inwardly perked up at the realization.

Ralts was the FEELING Pokemon. They could sense EMOTIONS. If Valiant's issue was a headache… then… maybe that could mean…

"Do you… sense something happening? Is someone in trouble?"

Tyrogue and Sentret seemed somewhat confused by that question, but perked up in surprise when Valiant nodded.

Ash wasn't sure just how far along Valiant's capabilities were in their current development process. He was obviously still quite young, so his ability to detect emotions, a natural capability among all members of his species, was still very inconsistent at best. Some days he'd be much better at it than others. Not to mention, it was involuntary, and there was no way that he could be used to it right now.

Whatever he was feeling was obviously a very negative emotion. And it was overwhelming him. Eating away at him for the entire training session…

The young trainer mentally kicked himself for not confronting Valiant about it sooner. He had taken his teammate's word for it even though it was clear as day that it had just been a white lie. What kind of trainer, even a rookie, would just ignore their Pokemon's feelings like that?

And Valiant had chosen to come along with them by his own free will, too. He wasn't caught like Nebula, or acquired like Pikachu. If anything, that made Ash's neglect even worse.

Valiant had put his trust in him, and Ash was violating that trust by being so dismissive of his feelings.

He would rectify that right now.

"Valiant…" he said slowly, gently, trying not to stress him out further. "Where is it coming from? The outskirts?" That's where Valiant had been looking earlier, after all. At his slow, but steady nod, Ash stood up, but kept his gaze on Valiant. "We… should check it out. Just in case. Somebody could be in trouble."

"Huh?" Emily perked up after hearing that. "Who's in trouble?"

"I don't know yet." said Ash, strapping on his backpack while looking towards his other teammates, who had also directed their attention onto him. "Pikachu, Nebula, can you come with us real quick?"

Despite their confusion, the mouse and bird nodded and left their spots, joining Ash and Valiant by their side. Pikachu looked up at Ash expectantly while Nebula tilted her head in confusion.

"Sorry about the inconvenience, guys. There's just something that we need to check out first." Looking towards Rick and Emily, Ash frowned at them. "It's… probably nothing… but could you please go get help just in case?"

Emily was still a little bit bewildered, but Rick gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing, man. Better to be safe than sorry, after all. Just make sure you all be careful, okay?"

At Ash's nod, the other two kids recalled their teams and made their way back at a decently quick pace.

Giving the young Ralts a thumbs up, Ash looked down at Valiant gently. "Lead the way, but take it easy."

Reluctantly, Valiant nodded. He was nervous, but seemed glad to have the chance to address all of this.

/

Valiant led them to the outskirts of Pewter City at a decent pace, somewhat slower due to the uneasiness in his head.

Ash was sure not to rush the young Ralts, especially as he grew more and more uncomfortable as they gradually drew closer.

Ash felt a bit guilty for doing this, seeing as though Valiant was most obviously not enjoying it.

But he would feel even more guilty if he didn't do anything about it, and continued to leave Valiant's blatantly obvious discomfort unaddressed.

This was for the best.

"Are we almost there?"

A nod.

Ash turned to Pikachu and Nebula, the mouse following close behind them while Nebula perched herself on his shoulder. Both of them seemed to be a little bit apprehensive, although Pikachu was handling it a little bit better.

While not scared, Nebula was obviously not comfortable with the situation. And neither was Ash.

It was probably nothing. But what if it was not?

Arriving at the outskirts of the city, on a different end than Viridian Forest, Valiant slowed his pace a bit. They were getting closer then. The boy kept his guard up.

This was down the road that would eventually take them to MT. Moon, but Valiant led them off the beaten path, through a set of trees on the side.

After a couple more minutes of walking, Ash's eyes widened at the site.

A set of cages containing a bunch of Pokemon, many of whom he had never seen before.

Without thinking, he bolted forward and gripped the bars of the closest one, peering inside at the two creatures fearfully huddling up in the corner.

No wonder Valiant was so uncomfortable. They looked terrified.

One of them was a Chingling, a psychic type Pokemon that somewhat bore a resemblance to a bell with stubby arms and legs. Ash knew very little of the species of Pokemon outside of its Evolution, Chimecho, which he also knew very little about.

The other one was completely foreign to him, something that he wasn't even remotely familiar with. It was a black and white bird with a little bit of red at the top of its head, and was about the size of Nebula.

Valiant was frowning beside Ash as he made his way next to his Trainer, with Pikachu in tow. Nebula remained on Ash's shoulder, peering down at the scared Pokemon with concerned.

"So there was someone in trouble." Ash was stunned. He didn't think he'd actually find something. "Don't worry you guys, help is on the way." Standing up, he looked between his team. "Come on, Rick and Emily will have gotten help by now. We need to meet up with them and lead them here-"

"My my, what's this?"

The Trainer froze at the chilling voice, and slowly turned to see…

Two people wearing Team Rocket uniforms.

Pikachu and Valiant immediately got into fighting stances, Nebula leaving her trainer's shoulder for what she realized was about to escalate into a fight. The angry growls that escaped from Pikachu's throat made it very clear that he remembered the incident from back in Viridian City.

The two members standing before them were a man and a woman. The man had short blue hair, while the woman had long blonde hair. The man was sneering at them condescendingly while the woman crossed her arms and eyed them lazily.

"I guess this is what we get for taking a bathroom break while we wait for pickup." the woman groaned. "Wasn't expecting a kid to find us."

"What should we do?" asked the man, as if already knowing the answer.

The woman smirked viciously. "Well, I mean, he doesn't look like he'd be missed or anything like that. And he did just say he was going to get help."

Ash's blood was running cold.

No no no no no WHY?! Why Team Rocket?! This had all started out as a completely normal day and… and now…

He had no backup. He figured that if anything was going on, it wouldn't just be something like this…

Suddenly realizing that their lives were all in danger, Ash subconsciously took a few steps back as the woman giggled through her hand.

"Look at him, Butch. As scared as a Snover in a volcano. Tell you what, why don't you just stay here with us until pickup arrives? You won't get hurt as long as you don't try to call the authorities."

"Hold on, Cassidy." the man, Butch stated. "He has a bird with him. It could easily fly away and get helped if left to its own devices. I say we incapacitate him."

The woman, Cassidy, shrugged. 'I suppose you're right." she eyed Ash smugly. "What do you say, kid? Just sit tight and get knocked out. It won't be fatal as long as you cooperate."

Ash was finding it hard to think, but barely managed to squeak out a reply.

"Wh-what… A-are you -d-doing with them?"

"These Pokemon?" Cassidy perked up. "You mean you don't know? EVERYONE knows that the Church takes in lost Pokemon, and we recently received word that some foreign Pokemon had been added to their shelter. The executive that we work under likes things exotic."

A small hint of anger occupied Ash's fearful expression.

"You… stole from the Church?!" How could anyone have so much audacity?!

The man raised his arms and sighed. "It doesn't matter who we stole from. The matter is what we need. Which is a promotion. Did you know that Alolan Pokemon are the most rare foreign creatures that you could find here in Indigo? And a quarter of these are from that Region. I'm sure our superior would be happy to grant us a bonus after this."

They were doing this… just for the money?!

"Now then…" Cassidy was clearly done talking, taking out a Poke Ball and releasing a large rat-like Pokemon that Ash immediately identified as a Raticate. "Just hold still, boy."

Pikachu stepped forward further, growling dangerously at the Raticate as his cheeks crackled. His eyes were filled with terror, but he was in fight or flight mode. Nebula, sensing this, stepped forward as well, and raised her wings.

Ash gulped. He didn't want to provoke their wrath, but he also couldn't just trust them to keep him alive as promised. Many Team Rocket members killed anyone they felt needed to be dealt with and out of the way. Sometimes even children.

These two claimed to be merciful, but…that was too much of a gamble.

And yet it was also too much of a gamble to instigate a fight, but both of them were already doing that for him…

Trying (and failing) to ignore the fear in his heart, Ash looked down at Valiant. ALthough the fear leaked into his voice, he tried to remain strong for his team.

Valiant was holding his head, still. The fear of the other Pokemon in the cages was still overwhelming him.

'Valiant…" Ash said, quickly taking out the young Ralts' Poke Ball. "I'm returning you. You're in no position to fight."

The Feeling Pokemon didn't seem to like that, but nodded nonetheless. As he disappeared in a bright flash of red light, Ash turned to Pikachu and Nebula.

"You two… do you think you can handle this?"

They were fighting alongside for the first time now. This would be new to them.

But both of the teammates were determined, and nodded steadfastly. Giving each other determined looks, they gazed into each other's eyes for just a brief moment, taking in the steel gazes of one another, before returning their gazes to the vicious Raticate.

Cassidy flicked her hair a bit. "Well then, that's how it is, I suppose. Not like I'll be losing any sleep over it. Raticate, rip those two pipsqueaks to shreds and then sink your teeth into the boy."

The Raticate growled dangerously as he eyed Pikachu and Nebula like a predator, Ash and the two team Rocket members slowly walking away in order to gain some space to prevent themselves from being placed into harm's way.

And then it bolted forward.

Nebula flapped her wings furiously as she ascended into the air. Pikachu rushed forward to meet Raticate head on, crying out angrily as his tail became cloaked in metal.

The battle had begun.

Pikachu's Iron Tail was bitten down on by the Raticate, but the metallic coating protected him from harm. Before the giant rat could do anything else, however, it had to jump back to avoid the jolt from Pikachu's tail, as the young mouse prepared to fire Electro Ball.

Above them, Nebula was already preparing her Wind Blast.

Both Pokemon fired at the same time.

Raticate leapt backwards to avoid the mutual assault, and, at Cassidy's command, launched forward at Pikachu.

The Raticate was fast. It seemed to be boosting its speed with Quick Attack, but was much faster than Pikachu was.

Unable to dodge, Pikachu instead shot forward while cloaking his body in electricity. Using Spark, he rammed head first into the Raticate. The giant rat's greater momentum and physical strength resulted in Pikachu being slammed into the air, knocked away from his opponent by the impact, but the electricity of Spark itself had a painful effect on the rat, leaving it clutching its head in pain.

"Wind Blast!"

High above, Nebula fired the blast of wind down onto Raticate, painfully pinning it to the ground as the attack assaulted its back.

Turning back to Pikachu, who had already used Iron Tail to catch himself, Ash gave the order. "Brick Break!"

Ignoring the painful bruise that now occupied the top of his head from his previous clash with Raticate, Pikachu shot forward, the orange aura already enveloping his fist as he pulled it back.

The attack collided with the Raticate's forehead, sending it tumbling backwards towards Cassidy and Butch, the latter heaving an overly exaggerated, over-dramatic sigh at the spectacle.

"Such a pity. It seems these runts actually have a few fangs to go along with their fragileness."

Cassidy groaned while facepalming. "UGGGH… does this mean that I actually have to try now? And here I thought this would be easy." shrugging, she glared ahead at Ash and his Pokemon. "Welp, it can't be helped now. Shadow Ball!"

Returning to its feat, Raticate opened its mouth and began gathering a mass of distorted, blackish-purple energy in the form of a perfectly formed sphere.

Shadow Ball was a powerful ghost type move and the most commonly used of its respective typing by far. This one seemed to be quite potent, and well mastered. Getting hit by it wouldn't be good…

"Double Team!"

Pikachu split off into two copies, leaving the Raticate looking between the two, bewildered as to who the real one was.

This was it. A distraction.

"Aerial Ace, Nebula!"

Nebula, who had been waiting in the air, circling around in anticipation for Ash's next instructions, immediately dive bombed downwards and towards the Raticate, who looked up in a panic and fired the Shadow Ball on instinct.

But Ash wasn't concerned with that. As a normal type Pokemon, Nebula charged head first, straight into the ghost type move, and, with the force of her attack powering through the explosion, was left mostly unharmed as she continued her assault, bashing beak first right into the Raticate's forehead.

The giant rat was left falling onto its butt, briefly clutching its forehead in pain as it snarled lividly towards the now fleeing Starly.

Knowing that he couldn't give the rat a luxury of any breathing room, Ash followed up as quickly as he could. "Pikachu! Zap Tail!"

Zap Tail was already an attack that Pikachu had used against Dustox back in Viridian Forest. But this time, Ash had a name for it. Using Quick Attack to boost up his speed, Pikachu cloaked his tail in metal as he channeled Spark through it, leaving his Iron Tail surging with electricity.

It would be a powerful blow for sure, and, due to the electricity, Raticate wouldn't be able to intercept it without biting down on it this time. Well, not without getting zapped, at the very least.

Unfortunately, Raticate had already risen to its feet in recovery, and, upon seeing Pikachu sailing over towards him in a mighty sprint, intercepted the attack using a different method: Standing upright, it cloaked its tail in metallic coating, meeting Pikachu's attack with an Iron Tail of its own.

Pikachu's momentum initially gave him the edge, causing Raticate's feet to sink into the ground, but it wasn't long before the mouse found himself losing the upper hand against the physically superior opponent.

But Ash was already responding. "Steel Wing!"

With Raticate occupied with Pikachu, Nebula was free to shoot forward, slamming a steel-coated wing down onto the top of the rat's head. Being forced downwards, Raticate ceased defense against Pikachu's Zap Tail, and was struck into the face, rolling backwards yet again.

"Idiot!" yelled Cassidy as Raticate began picking itself up again. It was getting pretty banged up now, its injuries beginning to show. "Your Shadow Ball won't work on that damn bird! Get smart and focus!"

"Pikachu! Double Team and Brick Break! Nebula! Double Team and Steel Wing!"

"Just get out of the way!" screamed Cassidy, already realizing what Ash's plan was.

As Pikachu and Nebula charged forward, they split into copies that charged with them. Raticate would have no way of knowing which ones to watch out for, leaving it wide open to both attacks.

Unfortunately, it abandoned that thought at Cassidy's orders, dashing to the side with Quick Attack and leaving the duo to miss their mark.

"Flame Wheel!"

Ash's eyes widened at that, as Raticate's body became cloaked in fire, rolling rapidly towards Pikachu.

"Jump over it and use Thunder Shock!"

Propelling himself up with Iron Tail, Pikachu gathered the electricity in his cheeks before firing back at Raticate, who's flames allowed it to tank the attack, but was still slowed down by the abrupt impact.

"Quick Attack to get away!" Yelled Cassidy as Nebula's Wind Blast was fired down after it.

Raticate bolted away from the danger, but Pikachu pursued it. Although normally not as fast, the mouse was beginning to gain on the giant rat due to its new injuries beginning to slow it down. Nevertheless, his Brick Break was still narrowly avoided…

Only for Nebula to intercept with Aerial Ace, and send the rat reeling off in a different direction.

"Grr, let's see how they like this! Ice Beam!"

While Nebula was still gathering herself from the impact of slamming into Raticate, the giant rat fired a concentrated blast of ice into her. Ash gasped as the small bird was immediately struck down to the ground, seething in pain from the attack.

Pikachu looked back and gasped as Nebula struggled to pick herself up, but this left him open, as Raticate was suddenly upon him with Iron Tail. Pikachu quickly blocked with one of his own as Raticate slammed its tail down onto his, but could put up little resistance as he was pushed downwards.

Ash's fists tightened as his breath caught in his throat.

At this rate, they'd all be doomed. They'd be killed. They'd-

NO! He couldn't think like that right now! He needed to be strong for his team! Regardless of how terrified that he was!

And that meant getting them out of this!

"Electro Ball!"

The explosion knocked Pikachu down on his back, but the concussive force also caused Raticate to stagger back and fall on its butt. To Ash's relief, Nebula had gotten up, and, despite the pain that she was in, taken to the air again.

Whirlwind wouldn't work with Pikachu there too, as he would be blown away even more would Raticate, so Wind Blast would have to do.

At Ash's order, Nebula fired the concentrated blast of wind the the large rat, who attempted to avoid it but struggled to maintain its balance as it was clipped in the side.

"Brick Break!"

Now picking himself up, Pikachu rushed forward and drove his orange fist into Raticate's gut, briefly knocking the wind out of the giant rat as Nebula came in with an Aerial Ace.

As Raticate attempted to fire off yet another Ice Beam, Pikachu zapped it with a quick jolt from Thunder Shock, stalling it just long enough for Nebula to hit her mark safely. As Raticate staggering backwards again, falling onto its butt once more, Ash gave the order.

"Zap Tail, Pikachu!"

Rushing forward, and cloaking his tail in metallic coating, Pikachu reared back as he channeled lightning into his Iron Tail, driving it across Raichu's face with a mighty SLAM.

The rat cried out in rage and pain from the painful blow to the job, falling onto its side and struggling to pick itself up.

"Wind Blast!"

"Outta the way, idiot!" screamed Cassidy, somewhat desperately.

Raticate just barely managed to lurch out of the way from Nebula's attack, but began to stumble forward as Pikachu locked his eyes on it.

"Electro Ball!"

Pikachu's attack slammed right into the Raticate's side, blasting it a few feet away and leaving it rolling across the ground. Now on its back, it briefly attempted to pick up its head before falling unconscious.

Ash couldn't allow himself to breathe out a sigh of relief just yet. Not when Team Rocket was still here, but he was still very proud of his team so far.

In a one on one fight, that Raticate would have very easily overwhelmed Pikachu and Nebula, for sure.

But together, they had prevailed.

However, Ash and Pikachu both started as Nebula's body began to envelop in bright, white light.

Without warning, her body began to grow, extending outwards and increasing in bulk.

When the light died down, in place of a Starly, was a Staravia. Ash couldn't stop himself from smiling, and Pikachu mirrored his reaction.

If only the evolution had come at a less stressful time.

As Nebula landed near Pikachu, who exchanged smiles with her quickly before returning his attention to Team Rocket, Cassidy seethed with anger as she returned her Raticate.

"What a stupid oaf that damn rat was! To think he was beaten by a couple of lowly runts like that! ARGGH!" she began pulling on her hair angrily as Butch placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now, Cassidy, there's no need to be a sore loser. Especially since we haven't actually lost."

Ash gulped again. He knew it.

Obviously, these two weren't going to back down just because of one Pokemon being defeated.

A merciless grin appeared on Cassidy's lips at that.

"Right, right. How could I forget? It's not like Raticate was the best Pokemon on our team, after all. I just got cocky is all."

As Ash's breath caught in his throat, Butch stepped forward with a Poke Ball in hand.

"You've got spunk for a rookie kid, but the show's over. You've had your chance to show off, and now we have ours. Feast your eyes on the real deal!"

Tossing the orb into the air halfheartedly, Butch viciously smirked at what exited it.

And Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula all paled in terror.

It was a large, bulky, bipedal rhinoceros that towered over Ash's teammates, and even himself. It landed on the ground with a violent THUD, kicking up a large cloud of dust that temporarily obscured it from view.

Ash wished it could stay that way, and so did Pikachu and Nebula.

But its silhouette already looked intimidating enough, and as it rose up on its hind legs to glower down on its prey, Ash knew true terror as he and his teammates backed away in horror.

The Rhydon roared.

Covering his ears in pain, Ash desperately racked his brain for something, anything, that could possibly get him out of this, but constantly found himself coming up short.

Nobody on his team was strong enough to take a Rhydon just yet. Ash didn't even know just how trained that thing was, if it was newly evolved or had been a Rhydon for years. But it mattered not. Because not even a newly evolved Rhydon would struggle against him and his team the way that they were right now.

It took a while for Rhyhorn to evolve, but when they did, they most certainly showed it. Although greatly eclipsed by their evolution, Rhyperior, Rhydon weren't nearly as rare, and were still more than strong enough to compete in the big leagues in their own right. Many high level trainers in the Conference used a Rhydon as a part of their team.

The smirk on Butch's face was bitter and malicious as Cassidy cackled with glee.

"Thought you were being real slick, didn't ya?" asked Butch slyly. "Well, if you weren't going to do things the easy way and get mauled by Raticate, you'll have to settle for getting stomped to death by Rhydon. Time for this beast to grind your bones into particles!"

Ash could feel himself almost about to vomit, the queasiness in his stomach suddenly being accompanied by nausea in his mouth.

"H-hold on now! C-can't we t-talk about this?!"

"Talk? About what? You didn't cooperate with us before, but you will now that you know that you're doomed?" Butch snarled with glee. "Sorry kid, but our offers are a one time thing. This beast is going to have some fun with you."

Nebula stood in front of a terrified Pikachu as the ferocious rhino glowered down at them like a predator eying a vulnerable group of prey, but she herself was sweating up a storm as the Rhydon began to advance.

Ash found himself sinking to his knees. So this was it… even after all that… they were just toying with them. They had everything under control the entire time. They could have easily sent out the Rhydon before, but just chose to have a little bit of fun with them instead. And now…

"AAASSH!"

Ash perked up at the frantic, panicked voice as the sound of furiously pounding footsteps filled his hearing.

And then, all of a sudden…

"ENOUGH. Team Rocket."

Ash blinked at the figure in front of him. A woman standing tall, standing upright, holding her arms protectively in front of him.

As he slowly got to his feet, Ash blinked furiously before coming to his senses.

"E...Elacia?'

Meanwhile, Slurpuff had gotten in front of Pikachu and Nebula, urging them to step back.

"Trying to murder a child like that. Have you no shame?!"

Elacia's voice… she was furious. This was... he could barely recognize her in this tone.

Team Rocket was less than intimidated, however. "HAHAHA!" Butch guffawed as Cassidy sneered ferociously. "Is mommy here to save the little cub? Oh, how terrifying!"

Elacia wasn't intimidated herself, nevertheless. Or amused, for that matter. Backing up a bit, she wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him in, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Your friends came to the Pokemon Center to report the trouble that Valiant seemed to be picking up on. I was there at the time, so I went on ahead while Nurse Joy contacted the authorities. I couldn't find you at first, but Rhydon's roar led me here. Don't worry, it's gonna be fine. You're all gonna be fine."

Ash was still scared, but the tone of her voice was warming. Comforting. Team Rocket was right there and yet he could already feel his nerves beginning to ease up. The way her touch felt, the way her voice sounded, it was suddenly as if her very presence was the end to all of his troubles.

This wasn't Elacia as she normally was. She was dead serious, yet completely calming. It was an abrupt change, and yet he welcomed it.

The things she said, and the way she said them… were exactly what he needed right now.

It almost reminded him… of his mother. Like that time when she was right by his side when he had twisted his ankle in soccer. Or when he had been scared of storms.

"Uhhh… Excuse me?!" Butch's voice was agitated beyond belief. "We're still here, you know! STOP IGNORING US!"

Gently pushing Ash behind her, Elacia stood defensively in front of the child, her gaze steel and her glare steady. Sparing a glance at Pikachu and Nebula, she quickly gestured towards the duo.

"Pikachu, Nebula. Over here, come on." without argument, the two quickly scurried to where their trainer was. Slurpuff stayed put.

Pikachu quickly made his way to Ash's shoulder, and the young boy felt relieved to have the mouse near him again. Looking down at Nebula, he exchanged a quick smile with her.

They were all safe. For now.

Cassidy snorted despicably. "Just because some rando shows up you think you're safe? Life doesn't work that way!"

"ENOUGH." Elacia's tone was one of boldness and authority. "I didn't come here to listen to you."

"Elacia…" Ash said carefully. "They robbed the Church. Those Pokemon in those cages were stolen by them."

Elacia's glare tightened as the Rhydon advanced forward, glowering down at Slurpuff, who seemed to be less than intimidated.

"You join a group of terrorists. You rob a Church. You try to kill a child and his team." Her clenched fists were trembling. "You're just trying to check off every atrocity in the book, aren't you?"

Butch snarled disgustingly as he pointed a finger forward. "You're in no position to lecture us, woman. I have a massive Rhydon towering over all of you, and all you have is some little cream ball over there." Slurpuff was unfazed by the insult.

A small smirk appeared on Elacia's lips, although the anger in her eyes never subsided. "You must be even worse than a rookie if you think size determines everything in a battle. Let's just say my Slurpuff has handled Pokemon far bigger than your Rhydon in the past. She has nothing to fear from the likes of you two."

As Slurpuff assumed a fighting stance, Ash felt himself tensing up again, but felt his nerves easing once more as Elacia's hand made its way to his shoulder.

"I'm giving you one chance to back off." she spoke evenly, holding back a snarl to prevent Ash from getting any more nervous than he probably already was. "I suggest you take it before I change my mind anyway."

"Don't bargain with us!" yelled Butch. "We're in control here!" He took a step forward. "Rhydon! Prepare for battle!"

The Rhydon, as if stretching, raised a foot, and then pounded it into the ground. He then repeated the same process with the other foot. Each of the two stomps sent a massive shockwave outwards, whilst kicking up a very large amount of dust. Elacia and Slurpuff remained steadfast but Ash and his team found themselves flinching just a little bit.

Elacia stopped waiting. "Slurpuff! Belly Drum, now!"

Ash raised a brow. Belly Drum? What was that?

Slurpuff puffed out her chest and began beating her small, stubby arms against her stomach. The sounds of her arms banging against her belly progressively grew louder and louder as her body suddenly began to vibrate, and Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula all proceeded to gawk as a red aura began to manifest around her, first appearing as an outline, and then, suddenly enveloping her entire body, as if an additional exterior. As the blood red aura surrounded her, crimson lightning began to crackle along her body, and, much like the aura, continued growing in intensity. The vibrations of her body began to increase more and more, the sound of her arms banging against her stomach suddenly becoming thunderous.

Ash wasn't sure what he was watching, but all of a sudden, Elacia's cute and cuddly companion was a hell of a lot more intimidating than she was when they first met.

"I don't know what that does, and I'm not finding out!" Butch screamed defiantly. He pointed at Ash, causing the kid to step back a bit. "You should have cooperated with us when you had the chance, runt! Rhydon! Crush that little thing with Hammer Arm!"

But Elacia responded immediately. "Drain Punch!"

Rhydon charged forward on its hind legs, letting out a mighty roar as it raised a glowing arm, enveloped in blinding white light. The arm violently crashed to the ground, shaking the earth as Slurpuff leapt out of the way at the nick of time.

Landing beside Rhydon, Slurpuff launched herself forward. Her fist glowed with a bright, orange light, with a level of intensity that made even the glow in Rhydon's Hammer Arm seem faint and dim by comparison. Slurpuff kept her fist channeling the new attack, gathering energy for the upcoming blow, and she reared it back as she charged forward. The battle cry that she let out as she swung her fist made Pikachu's seem mellow and dispassionate by comparison.

Rhydon didn't know what hit it.

BAM!

The sound was… deafening as Slurpuff's powerful punch connected. Ash could hardly even believe it. One moment he was cowering in fear in the face of this terrifying creature, and the next… and the next…

Rhydon roared in agony as Slurpuff's fist smashed into its stone hard hide. Its defenses were supposed to be absolute, and yet it immediately found itself helpless in the face of such a small, seemingly intimidating creature.

Everyone's jaws dropped to the ground as Rhydon sailed through the air. Elacia remained steadfast as the massive, incredibly heavy creature was sent flying across the battlefield without effort, swiftly crashing straight into a large wall of boulders off to the near distance.

A loud smashing noise was heard as the beast collided with the rocks, and as the Rhydon helplessly fell to the ground, it immediately became clear that it would not be getting up.

Ash didn't know whether to feel relieved or astounded. The reassurance that he had felt from Elacia and Slurpuff's quick victory was clashing with the sheer amazement from the absurdity of it all.

Standing tall, Slurpuff looked completely normal as her aura died down, glaring fiercely at the two Team Rocket members, who were in complete shock from the whole ordeal.

"B-b-b-but-b-b-b-b-b-but…" Butch was coughing up slobber as he struggled to stutter the words out. "T-t-that… R-r-Rhydon w-w-was… the s-strongest P-Pokemon t-that w-we h-had…"

Cassidy wasn't faring much better, either. "W-what k-kind of m-monster is that damned little thing?!" she pointed at the breeder's partner as though Slurpuff was the single most terrifying creature in existence.

A hint of satisfaction arrived in Elacia's eyes as she eyed the two pale faced Team Rocket members. They were looking even more terrified than Ash ever did.

"Sorry folks, better luck next time." her lips curved upwards, a somewhat nasty smirk taking up her normally good natured features. "Oh wait, that's right. There is no next time. You're going to jail, suckers!"

As the two stunned Team Rocket members collapsed helplessly to their knees in misery, Ash inwardly declared Elacia the most amazing person that he had ever met.

/

An unrivaled sense of relief hung overhead back at Pewter City. Cassidy and Butch had been apprehended by the authorities, led by Brock and Officer Jenny. The Pokemon were all returned to the Church, safe and sound.

And now, it was all over. Everything was back to normal, back as it should be. And Ash's psyche was all the better for it.

At the moment, he was standing outside of the police station with Brock and Elacia. Officer Jenny was inside filling out the paperwork, and Brock would have paperwork of his own once he got back to the Gym.

Ash had given his own report on how everything went down. He felt nervous the entire time, scared to miss specific details, or to say the wrong thing. Thankfully, Elacia had been there to help him ease up. All of a sudden it felt like she was the answer to all of his problems. He'd always enjoyed being around her, but after the incident, he suddenly had a whole new level of appreciation for her, seemingly for her very existence.

"Cassidy and Butch." said Brock. "Two rookie members of Team Rocket, according to their files. Based on what they said it seemed like they came here on their own accord." he frowned. "That's the second Team Rocket incident of the Season. Nothing too unusual, but…"

"They were being bold." said Elacia with a grumble. "They snuck into a Church and kidnapped Pokemon that were being sheltered there. Not the worst thing they ever did, but still unprecedented, to my knowledge."

Ash grimaced. "How often do these things happen?"

"No pattern." Brock admitted with a sigh. "Usually I don't have any direct responsibility on it unless they need additional hands. Since Pewter City is so close to the Indigo Plateau…"

"They're usually too scared to come here?" Elacia suggested.

"Exactly. I don't want to say that we let our guards down, but… maybe we do." He gave Ash an acknowledging look. "If your Ralts hadn't picked up on them, they probably would have gotten away." his gaze was suddenly softer, his "facade" as Elacia liked to call it, seemingly dropping a bit. "I know it was a scare for you, but you really did help us out. So thanks."

Ash's cheeks reddened at that, and he stammered.

"N-n-no. It was V-V-Valiant who did it. He was the one who deserves the credit. P-plus, we're not the ones who stopped them." he looked over to Elacia, who shrugged humbly with a light smile.

"I'm glad you took action, though. Or at least I would be, if it hadn't put you in danger." Brock's frown grew. "I know it goes without saying, but be careful out there. Team Rocket operates with no predictable schedule. They could strike at anytime, anywhere, and in any way. All of their members have a variety of different ways of doing things. It makes it borderline impossible to predict what sort of incident that they're going to be committing next." he sighed. "And of course, they are all incredibly dangerous. Many of them don't even care about whether or not they are killing children, as you've now seen."

He'd seen it already, at the Viridian City Pokemon Center, but he had felt truly helpless this time.

Team Rocket… he had known about them for a while. Everyone in Indigo did. But after two encounters, and not even against any of their most dangerous members, in fact, he knew more than ever.

Avoid them at all costs.

"Hey…" Elacia's hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see her apologetic smile. "Sorry about… y'know, getting so worked up back there, and all." she chuckled a bit. "Maybe I've grown a bit more attached to you than I expected."

He ignored the blush and giggled a bit.

"Anyway…" said Brock, pushing himself off of the wall that he was leaning against and permitting his crossed arms to fall to his sides. "You've both given your reports, and I'm afraid that I'll have a good amount of paperwork tonight, so I need to get back."

Ash frowned sympathetically. "From just one incident?"

"Part of the job, kid. When we're not battling, training our teams, and testing trainers for the upcoming Conference, we're usually doing this."

Elacia wrapped an arm around Ash, half protectively, half affectionately.

"Come on, kid. I'll walk you back to the Center."

Ash nodded with a light grin. After everything that happened, he appreciated the close contact. He felt more… secure.

Brock offered a nod. "May the Guardian Mew watch over you on your travelers."

The two friends offered a light, appreciative wave to the Gym Leader before making their way back.

/

This was it. His last day in Pewter City.

Three weeks as a trainer. Two of them spent right here. It almost felt surreal to leave.

But he knew that if he didn't leave soon, he would never want to.

Even after Elacia eventually left, he was too… comfortable here. He had grown too used to it. Almost like a second home. If he hesitated anymore, he would probably just want to do things the easy way and stay here forever. No long roads of traveling. No Team Rocket. No harsh wilds. Just here in Pewter City. Safe forever.

But that could never happen.

If he wanted to make it as a trainer. He had to travel. He had to train. He had to battle. He couldn't just stay in one place. It was a harsh reality that he had to face. His little vacation in Pewter City was over. He couldn't grow complacent with the places that he visited, and it was something that he had to accept.

This morning, he had called his mother to inform her that he was leaving. The previous day, the morning after the incident with Cassidy and Butch, he had called her and told her about Nebula's evolution, deliberately omitting the details regarding Team Rocket's involvement.

He was still a bit shaken from it. Not just from almost getting killed (which was certainly the primary cause) but the actions of the group in general. He had only really heard about their crimes on the news, and even though they had only tried to steal Pokemon this time, it definitely made the threat feel real. Between this and Viridian City, he knew that it wasn't to be taken for granted.

He thought back to the Pokemon. Elacia had only been informed of a couple of Pokemon being taken in by the Church, but judging by the number of Pokemon that Cassidy and Butch had attempted to steal, there must have been more before that. He wondered how often the Church did this.

Having gotten everything situated, he had made his way to Elacia's place one last time. He would certainly miss her.

And, leaving him mildly flattered, it seemed as though the feel was mutual, as she gazed down at him with a sad smile.

"So then… this is it, huh? Back to the cruel, unforgiving outside world?"

Atop his shoulder, Pikachu frowned a bit at that, but didn't seem too discouraged. Ash tickled under his chin affectionately, earning a delighted squeal from the young mouse as he looked back up at Elacia.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I can't dawdle any longer. I've already gotten so many holdups. I better leave before… something else happens."

Chuckling behind her hand, Elacia reached down and patted Slurpuff on the head. "Yeah, can't argue with that, can I? Hopefully you'll have better luck in the next city."

A comfortable silence fell into the room, but Ash awkwardly broke it while rubbing the back of his head.

"Thanks… for everything, by the way. You've helped me so much."

It was true. Giving him advice on training, someone to talk to in general, saving his life, and his team's at that, he wasn't sure how to express his gratitude to her.

But she took it in stride. "Don't mention it, kid. Anyway, I said I had something for you before you go, so…"

Ash blinked. That was right. She did say that she did.

"Oh yeah."

Smiling, she gestured over to him, leading him to the end of the room. "Here, just take a seat real quick, and I'll go fetch it."

The boy complied.

As she disappeared into the back, PIkachu took a seat on the table in front of Ash's seat, and the young boy petted him for a bit while they waited.

It didn't take long for her to return, however, holding a small backpack that she placed onto the table in front of them.

"Okay, in here."

Ash blinked as she opened it and prepared to take out what was inside.

Pikachu looked on curiously.

"I know it sounds a bit sudden, but I realized that even after all the time we spent together…" she flashed him an apologetic grin. "I never really offered to do business with you."

Ash's eyes widened… as she placed an Egg on the table.

"I'd like to rectify that, if you're okay with it, of course."

This was… sudden. In front of him, Pikachu looked equally surprised.

The boy had experience with Eggs, due to Heracross' Egg back at home, but to actually be offered one of his own…

"This is what you wanted to give me?" he asked, a bit flabbergasted.

She nodded. "Yup. Received this from a contact in Kalos about a week or two ago. It shouldn't be far from hatching."

Ash took a look at the Egg curiously. Pokemon Eggs came in a variety of colors, often displaying a different pattern or color scheme depending on the species.

As for this Egg…

It was mostly grayish-brown, with certain parts of it a lighter shade of grey. The Egg was about the typical size for Pokemon Eggs.

"So… what species is it?" he asked as Pikachu sniffed the Egg quizzically.

Elacia crossed her arms as she took a seat across from the boy, Slurpuff making her way onto the table as she did so. She cocked her head with a light smile.

"I mean, I could tell you, but don't you want to be surprised?"

Ash blinked at that, but then a light giggle escaped his throat.

"Yeah, nevermind." he was embarrassed to even ask such a question. Most trainers loved the surprise of not knowing what was in a Pokemon Egg. It added a whole new level of excitement to the moment when it finally hatches.

Of course, a fair amount of trainers still preferred to know ahead of time, often requesting a Pokemon Egg for a very specific species, or at least of a certain variety, but since Elacia was offering this to him, rather than him coming to her for a request…

He eased up a bit and took in the Egg again.

To think… he could actually leave Pewter City with this. A brand new team member… one that he and his friends could raise together from an infant. But…

Elacia leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as she studied Ash with a friendly grin.

"So… what do you say?" she asked the boy. "It's all up to you, of course."

Ash offered her a sad smile, lightly pushing the Egg away a bit, with some regret.

"Thanks… but… I really can't afford an Egg right now. I don't have the extra money yet."

She nodded in understanding. "Yeah… I figured, but I was going to make a deal with you." At his raised brow, she took out a piece of paper and began writing. "I don't need you to pay me everything up front. Since I like you, I'll just let you take it for now, and pay me when you can. It's not like there's a rule against it, right?" after finishing, she pushed the paper towards him. "You'd owe me this much."

Ash took the piece of paper as Pikachu peaked over. Seven thousand... certainly a sizable amount of money. Pokemon Egg prices often varied depending on the species, so if it cost this much… it was either a very powerful Pokemon, or a very rare one. Perhaps both.

Looking up, he made eye contact with her. She was back to resting her chin in her hands, a very professional look in her eyes as her gaze met his.

She was a businesswoman right now.

"You'd really be willing to sell me this? Just like that?"

"I'm a businesswoman by trade, obviously. But really, I'd like to see what you could do with this Pokemon. As a breeder, I've made a habit of scouting potential. And you've got lots of it. Part of why I'm willing to compromise with you about not paying upfront. It's all up to you, though."

Ash exchanged a quick glance with Pikachu. After a few more moments of thinking, he looked back up at Elacia with a smile. He nodded.

"Sure." he said happily. "I'd be happy to do it. And I'll get you your money as soon as I can."

Elacia's grin was back. "Don't stress it, kid. Not trying to put you on a time limit or anything like that." getting up, she reached out her hand, which Ash accepted after getting up himself, and the two shook.

Pikachu placed his paws on the Egg, feeling its outer shell for a moment with a smile.

Taking out a folder, Elacia handed it to Ash, who looked at it curiously.

"This has instructions for how to take care of the Pokemon after it hatches." she gave him a quick wink. "Of course, if you want the species to be a surprise, then be sure not to open it until after the Egg is hatched. The details should come in handy after it does."

Ash nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

He released Nebula and Valiant real quick, first to show them the Egg, and then to give them the chance to say goodbye to Elacia and Slurpuff. It was dawning on him that this would probably be the last time he saw her or spoke to her for a while. It… hurt… but that was part of being a Trainer. The nomadic lifestyle made this sort of thing the common norm.

After the goodbyes were done, Elacia handed Ash one more thing: it was another business card.

Ash took the card curiously. It had a picture of a Vulpix on it. "What's this?"

Elacia grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be a stranger, kid. Once you eventually get to Celadon, I'd like you stop stop by, if that's okay. The card I gave you before has my address there, but if I'm not in town at the time…" she slowly put a finger on the card she gave him. "This is Suzie's card. I'd… like you to visit her if I'm not around."

Ash blinked up at her. "What for?"

She grinned, somewhat uneasily, but quickly hid that. "No real reason. I'd just… recommend it. You'll do it, right?"

Ash wasn't sure what this was about, but slowly nodded nonetheless. "Okay."

She flashed him a more cheerful grin. "Great! I'm guessing you want to hit the road while you've still got a good amount of daylight left, so I won't keep you any longer. Knock 'em dead, okay kid?"

Ash couldn't argue with that. Pumping a fist in the air, he tried to respond with passion. "Yeah!"

On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu repeated the notion, letting out a loud cry of enthusiasm.

And with that, Ash made his way to the door, him and Elacia carrying fond memories of their time together.

But unfortunately for him, she still couldn't resist getting one last jab in before he left.

"Make sure you tell Emily you love her before you leave!"

He was out of the door faster than Pikachu could use Quick Attack.

/

The outskirts of Pewter City were just ahead of them.

Ash and his team rested at the waiting place, where Rick and Emily would be meeting him. Both knew that they'd be leaving today, and this was also the day where they were finally going to rechallenge Brock. Ash had faith that they could win, and looked forward to hearing from them.

Much like Elacia, he'd miss them quite a lot too. His interactions with them were something that he hadn't really gotten back in Pallet Town.

During the wait, Nebula had taken to the skies with Pikachu on her back. Ever since her Evolution, she was able to give the young mouse rides without any sort of difficulty.

As the mouse and bird duo had fun in the air, Valiant stayed close to Ash, keeping an eye out for their friends. They had been here for about twenty minutes at this point…

"Hey Ash!"

The boy smiled as Rick and Emily came running, Emily happily waving her arm in the air with Rick quickly following behind.

Noticing them, Pikachu and Nebula returned to the ground, offering friendly greetings to the two fellow rookie trainers as they arrived.

Raising a hand in greeting, Ash beamed at them as they stopped in front of him and Valiant. "Hey, you guys! How'd it go?"

Emily was positively giddy as she held her hand up towards his face. Ash immediately saw why as he noticed the Boulder Badge between her fingers. His smile grew brighter.

"Congratulations!"

Emily's grin could have split her face in half. "I know, Thanks!" she was jumping up a bit, as if high on her ecstasy.

Glancing over at Rick, who didn't seem nearly as overjoyed, Ash offered his other friend a curious look. "What about you?"

Rubbing the back of his neck somewhat bashfully, Rick offered an awkward smile. "Heh. Sorry." he held up his hand. "Jus barley lost by the slightest bit of smidges." he pressed his thumb and index finger together as he said that, as if to emphasize. Ash frowned.

"Oh… sorry…" he wasn't so sure what else to say. He knew that Rick had been just as passionate about all of this as Emily was. How did he feel, seeing Emily get her first ever Gym Badge when he didn't?

But Rick waved it off rather quickly. "Nah man, it's all fine. I'm just going to keep training for a couple more days before rechallenging him. I'm already right there, so just gotta break through the edge, y'know?"

He sounded convincing enough, but Ash could still just barely detect the disappointment in his voice. Nevertheless, the optimism greatly outweighed it.

His attention was brought back to Emily as he felt her hand on his shoulder. "So… I guess you're all leaving now?" her smile was a sad one. Ash returned it with one of his own.

"Yeah… I'd love to stay, but that's exactly why I have to leave. If I don't go while I have the chance, I'll never want to. I've grown too complacent being here."

They both seemed a bit saddened by his answer, but understanding was worn on their features as well. They both knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Heh, okay." said Emily with a sad smile. "Just be safe out there, okay?"

"Especially when Valiant is picking up on distressed emotions." Rick piped in.

A light giggle escaped from Ash's throat. "Yeah, I'll… do that…"

It was a pretty bittersweet moment. Happy to be moving on, unhappy to be leaving everything behind. Not nearly as difficult as leaving Pallet Town, but it still hurts, nonetheless.

Rick and Emily couldn't let out their own respective teams since they were all still recovering from their battles with Brock. So they settled for simply exchanging goodbyes with Ash's Pokemon.

After exchanging a quick handshake with Emily and a fistbump with Rick, Ash waved goodbye as he found himself exiting the city, Valiant beside him as Pikachu and Nebula took to the skies. The boy looked back at the city fondly before continuing on ahead, keeping his focus on the main road that would take him and his team to Mt. Moon.

So much time spent in that one city. He wouldn't be forgetting it any time soon, and neither would his team.

But for now, the memories would be all that they had.

/

Rick and Emily sat outside of an ice cream shop, sipping their milkshakes (Rick with a strawberry and Emily with a vanilla) as they watched a few passersby.

It had been a couple of hours since Ash and his team had left. They were still waiting for their own Pokemon to recover from the battles against Brock.

Emily let out a sigh as she took a break from sipping her shake.

"We really should have asked him to stay with us." she gave Rick a look. "Wasn't that your idea, by the way? Why didn't you bring it up before he left?"

Rick rubbed the back of his neck as his face adopted an apologetic look. "Sorry. I was going to ask him, honest. But then I lost the battle… he'd have to stay here for longer, and I really didn't want to slow him down like that."

She gave a small, sympathetic grin in response to his regretful look. "It's fine, don't worry. I understand." she looked off to the side, in the direction of the outskirts (which weren't visible from here). "He helped us out a lot, though. I'm glad we ran into him."

Rick smiled more genuinely this time. "Yeah, same here. He's still probably ahead of us, though. Especially after Nebula evolved. We'll both catch up eventually." he blinked. "...right after I beat Brock, of course. Heh heh."

Emily nodded. "Right, I'm sure you can do it. I'll keep helping you train. And then, we can both get out of here, too."

Rick nodded back. "Yeah, thanks."

/

The sun had set in Pewter. The moon was out now, the dark night skies starry and cloudless. It was quite the pleasant sight to look at, especially coupled with the dark silhouettes of the mountains surrounding the city, and the trees of Viridian Forest. Pewter City at nighttime was almost always a beautiful spectacle.

Most people were either headed in side or were going about their nightly activities outdoors. Overhead, a few bird Pokemon could be spotted soaring in the nighttime sky.

Elacia had her lights turned on all the way now, coming inside with Slurpuff after gazing out at the clear, starry night skies for a few moments.

The two of them were a bit sad to see Ash and his team go, but now that he was on the road again, the red haired breeder had a matter to deal with.

Taking a seat near her video phone, she quickly dialed a number. After a few moments, it didn't pick up.

"Guess I'm gonna have to leave a message, then." she said.

Slurpuff took a seat next to her as she spoke.

"Hey, Suzie. This is Elacia. Sorry we haven't talked in a good bit, I know it's been a while." she shifted a bit uneasily in her seat, her gaze becoming slightly serious. "Listen… I don't want to get your hopes up about anything… it's probably nothing, but… do you remember that… incident that you told me about… I think almost a month ago?" After a bit of a pause, she continued. "Look, I'm not saying we should jump to conclusions, but… I met a boy named Ash Ketchum here in Pewter. He won't be in Celadon for a while, but I'd recommend keeping a lookout for him just in case. Obviously he'll probably have more Pokemon by the time he gets there, but right now, his team consists of…"

Chapter Text

"Everyone!"

Five year old Ash Ketchum quieted down, as did the numerous other kids that were chattering away as they reached the base of the large hill.

Still within Pallet Town, although away from most of the buildings. It was the closest that they ever got to entering into the outside world of Indigo,

Until they all became Pokemon trainers, of course.

In front of the sizable group was Gary Oak, standing proudly with his fists against his hips as everybody immediately directed their attention onto him.

Everyone followed Gary. Grandson of Professor Oak, the man who practically ran the town. The children saw Gary as someone who was to them what his grandfather was to everyone else in the town.

Ash wasn't particularly close to the boy, but they got along fairly okay. They were mostly friends due to being a part of the same exact group. Ash wasn't sure if there were any sort of specific kids that he was closer to than the others.

Gary had quickly taken to his status as the leader of the children. Not to mention how much he clearly enjoyed it.

Much like everyone else in the group, Ash simply went on with whatever Gary did.

And today, Gary had picked a fun game.

"Today, everyone…" said Gary with dramatic build up. He slowly extended his index finger outwards towards the large hill behind him. "We are going to climb Mt. Moon!"

The children cheered.

"Now then…" Gary continued. "This is going to be a very important expedition, so we will need to split into groups. And be wary of the wild Pokemon that shall attack us!" he continued dramatically. Pointing towards a section of the kids, he continued. "All of you! You are wild Pokemon! Bloodthirsty creatures who want to eat all of us!"

The kids cheered enthusiastically as they began making animalistic noises, doing their best to sound intimidating.

Gary next pointed to the group of kids that Ash was a part of. "You guys are all powerful trainers of the League! You must protect everyone else! Researchers who are here to uncover the Moon Stone!"

"I want to be a Rhyhorn!" one of the wild Pokemon kids.

"My partner's a mighty Dragonite! Like Lance!" One of the League Trainer kids.

"I'll dig up the Moon Stone up first!" one of the researcher kids.

Smiling to himself, Ash happily prepared himself for the upcoming game.

As he did so, he continued to look out towards the hill, where Gary still currently stood.

Mt. Moon… he couldn't wait to go there for real someday.

/

Ash eyed the quadruped creature carefully. In the same vein, it eyed him with a great deal of steel caution.

Of all the Pokemon that he could have run into here… an Eevee?

It hadn't taken long to reach the Pokemon Center that rested at the foot of Mt. Moon.

On the road in between Pewter City and Mt. Moon, Ash and his team were lucky enough to run into a decent amount of fellow trainers to battle. Not only did this give Nebula the perfect chance to break in her evolution, but it supplied them with a fair amount of prize money as well.

The newly evolved Staravia had received incredible boons in every single regard since evolving. Her abilities were incomparable to that of when she was a Starly. She saw the most action on the road thus far, easily winning every battle that she fought in.

Pikachu and Valiant had won all of theirs as well, apart from when Valiant had been defeated by a Drowzee. The creature had a much better handling of its own Psychic Abilities than the young Ralts did. Thankfully, Nebula had pulled off a comeback.

Now they had arrived at Mt. Moon's foot. The Eevee had emerged from the last of the tall grass and forest trees to give way to the rocky landscape that stood before them.

Ash had arrived in the morning, but wasn't going to Move out with his team just yet. They needed some time to recuperate first, so he figured that a day or two at most would suffice.

Amazingly, if he hadn't made such a choice, he never wouldn't have had this encounter. He had simply just been exploring some of the area outside of the Pokemon Center with Pikachu, not really expecting to find anything…

But then this had happened…

A few trees surrounded them. There had been less and less of them as they had continued to approach the mountain. Right now, they were in a grassy area off the beaten path, not too far away from the Pokemon Center itself.

Eevee were revered Pokemon in the training world. Famous for their quality of evolving into one of many different Pokemon, each of them with a completely different Typing.

They were also among the Pokemon that the League would give out as substitute Starters. Karen of the Indigo Elite Four had received one as her first ever Pokemon. That Eevee had Evolved into an Umbreon.

They were incredibly rare, however. The discovery of one out here was the greatest stroke of luck.

Ash wasn't one to let luck go to waste.

Nebula appeared in front of him and Pikachu.

From his position of Ash's shoulder, Pikachu offered a friendly wave to the Staravia, which she returned as she prepared herself for battle and locked eyes with the Eevee, who began to tense up almost immediately.

The chance to capture an Eevee, of all Pokemon…

It was… exciting.

"Alright, Nebula! Get ready!" As Nebula took to the skies, Ash watched her for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the Eevee, who was frantically attempting to track the flying Staravia's movements.

It was time.

Nebula easily had the best chance of capturing Eevee due to the boons that her evolution had granted her. A Pokemon with such versatile Evolution options was too good of a chance to pass up as a member of the team, so Ash wanted to go all out right from the start.

"Alright then Nebula, Wind Blast!"

Nebula's blast of wind just barely missed its target as the Eevee sprinted away, eyes locked onto the Staravia with an angry glare as Nebula soared downwards.

"Aerial Ace!"

Eevee just barely managed to jump over Nebula's attack as the bird swooped downwards, but was grazed and lost its balance in the air. It did not give up, however, turning in midair and opening its mouth to fire a series of golden stars at the rising Staravia.

Ash blinked. Swift. He hadn't expected that.

Swift was a decently powerful ranged attack that could be fired with very great and easy accuracy and precision. Particularly high leveled variations of the attack could even zero right in on the target, homing in on them and being very difficult to avoid as a result. Even lower level versions of the attack had these same exact qualities to at least some certain extents.

Thankfully, this version of the attack wasn't too much of a problem. Ash wasn't quite sure just how well Nebula would fare against advanced variations of the technique, but her maneuverability in the air allowed her to avoid the incoming attack all the same.

Eevee landed on all fours and glared up at Nebula as she dive bombed downwards with Steel Wing.

Nebula was too fast for Eevee to reliably avoid. That was a good sign, but they couldn't let their guard down.

Nebula yelped as the Eevee suddenly assaulted her face with sand. A Sand Attack. Nebula's vision was blinded for a moment, making her unable to properly strike with Steel Wing, but she still collided head first into the Eevee, sending both Pokemon tumbling across the ground together as Nebula lost her balance, already off balance due to the Sand Attack blending her vision and still not quite ready for the sudden impact.

Nebula recovered first, but was still the the midst of trying to get the sand out of her eyes before taking off, leaving her open for Eevee to leap upwards and chomp down on her head.

The Staravia shrieked in anger and pain, but the struggle was brief as she ignored the pain in her eyes and slammed a Steel Wing into the Eevee, forcing it off of her. Now with painful teeth marks and tears in her eyes from the Sand Attack, Nebula glared after the Eevee as it tumbled into a tree, making its way to its feet and charging forward again.

Nebula hadn't been able to put her full force into that Steel Wing due to being preoccupied with the Sand Attack and also caught off guard by the Eevee's assault, but Ash took note that the attack still seemed to hurt Eevee quite a bit, as the evolution Pokemon had staggered to its feet, despite still getting up quite quickly overall.

Eevee lowered its head as it charged head first towards Nebula, but was met with a painful Steel Wing that blocked its assault. Pushing back against the metallic feathers, Eevee eventually lost the struggle, and was forced backwards, skidding across the grass on all fours as Nebula took to the skies yet again.

"Whirlwind!"

Eevee found itself growling in frustration in agony as the large gust of wind almost immediately overwhelmed it. Nebula's raw power was just far too great, and the quadruped Normal Type Pokemon could do very little to resist the win as it was picked up off of its feet, sailing back first into a tree trunk.

"Wing Attack!"

Before Eevee could recover from the painful impact, Nebula was already upon it, slamming her wing downwards into the opposing Pokemon's cheek, leaving the Eevee laid out in the grass as Ash prepared his Poke Ball.

Tossing the orb at its target, Ash watched with a glint of satisfaction as Eevee wa scuked inwards. After a few seconds of struggling, the Poke Ball beeped, and Eevee was caught.

Excitement surged through Ash's heart as he rushed forward to pick up the Poke Ball, looking at it triumphantly as Pikachu leapt off of his shoulder to congratulate Nebula.

Just like that…

"Way to go, Nebula!" Ash praised, turning to his bird companion as she soaked up compliments from Pikachu. "Once again, we didn't even need to use your Reckless Ability!"

Nebula's Evolution had allowed her to get a better handle on Reckless. It wasn't perfect, but with practice, she was now mostly able to activate it at will, although some times took longer than others.

Nebula's Evolution had already granted the Staravia an astronomical increase in physical capabilities, but Reckless only further added onto that to an even greater extent; unlocking the inner reserves of Nebula's body and physical strength in order to quickly bring all of it out to the forefront at once.

Obviously, it wasn't without its drawbacks, of course. Given that bringing out said reserves would inevitably tire out Nebula much more quickly, and that Nebula and Ash did not yet know how to turn the ability off (or even if it was possible to do so at all, for that matter) Ash was currently determined to save the ability for a last resort, especially since Nebula still wasn't completely perfect at activating it just yet.

Not to mention the fact that Reckless would completely change Nebula's behavior during a battle. Making her significantly less cautious. Little to no self preservation. Very easily something that could backfire, especially combined with how she would also end up being tired out much more easily. It was an incredibly powerful Ability for sure, but certainly not one to be abused. They hadn't even completely mastered it yet. Ash wasn't even sure what a mastered version of the Ability would look like.

They were still quite far off from perfecting it, and it would most certainly be a very long time until they actually did so. So for now, Ash felt that it was best to only use Reckless in moments of necessity. Against opponents that Nebula couldn't possibly hope to defeat without it. So that it would only be used when all other alternatives were no longer viable. That was the best course of action… for now. And Nebula and the others seemed to agree.

Thankfully, they hadn't even needed to resort to the ability just yet. Nebula had won all of her fights without it. Ever since evolving, anyway. Just like with the Eevee.

Nebula chirped happily at Ash's compliment as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

As much as he wanted to celebrate, they needed to get Eevee checked up on quickly. Thankfully, Pikachu and Nebula both seemed to understand.

"Come on, you two. Let's go."

/

A decent amount of trainers were staying at the Pokemon Center.

Mt. Moon was a popular tourist attraction during certain times of the year, but at the moment, Ash noticed a distinct lack of people who weren't his own age. He wasn't sure what times of year that Mt. Moon's tourist attraction status was at its most active, but this time of year apparently was not it.

The boy took a moment to watch the other trainers going about their daily business. Some of them were mingling amongst themselves, others exiting the Pokemon Center, either to head on over to Mt. Moon or to explore or train.

It was certainly a blessing that the League had stationed a Pokemon Center at the foot of Mt. Moon. Not just for trainers, but for tourists as well. As a result, the Pokemon Center was larger than what one would normally expect from one that was on the road. It was, however, still not nearly as big as in the city.

Thankfully, the line to the front counter wasn't very long, so checking in Eevee didn't take too much time. Ash was told by Nurse Joy that the recovery should probably be quick.

Eevee had been completely overwhelmed by Nebula, not able to do much against the Staravia's newfound power. However, the injuries that the Evolution Pokemon had received were fairly superficial and would heal easily after an hour or two at the most in the Pokemon Center's machines.

Before long, Ash was back in his room, with Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant all out and ready to greet their new teammate.

Eevee had a bit of a confused expression on its face when it appeared out of its Poke Ball. Looking around to take in its surroundings, it suddenly started as its gaze settled on Ash and Nebula.

With a bit of a yelp, it took a step back as a low growl escaped its throat, eyes locked onto Nebula.

Ash frowned at that. Either Eevee was holding a grudge or it was afraid of the Staravia. Either one made sense.

"Hey…" Ash cautiously approached the Evolution Pokemon, who tensed up as he knelt down to look at it at eye level. "It's fine, we're not here to hurt you."

But right after saying that, Ash felt like a blatant liar. Did they not just attack Eevee unprovoked? All of a sudden he felt selfish. It was common for trainers to attack Pokemon out of the blue. That was part of what being a trainer was, after all. To capture Pokemon. But his reasonings for attacking Eevee and wanting to capture it essentially amounted to being excited about acquiring a Pokemon with so many different evolved forms. Putting it that way…

Ash's encounter with Paul suddenly flashed back into his mind.

That other boy… hadn't really gotten inside of his head, had he? The knee jerk reaction to capture such a valuable Pokemon on sight was just a natural feeling that just about any other trainer would have felt. An opportunity to be taken advantage of. Right?

Or was it really just because of all of Paul's talk about potential?

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Ash returned his focus on Eevee. He would worry about determining whether or not his motives were problematic later. Right now, this was more important. The deed had been done, and now it was his responsibility to calm Eevee's nerves.

The Evolution Pokemon was not growling at him, thankfully, but it didn't seem entirely trusting, either. Its uncertainty remained as Pikachu approached the pair, although as Eevee turned its gaze over to the electric mouse, Ash noticed that the doubtful expression on its face wasn't as strong.

Probably because Pikachu wasn't the one who attacked Eevee, Ash realized. Or, he thought with renewed guilt, the one that had told Nebula to attack Eevee in the first place.

The two small Pokemon locked eyes for a few moments, before leaning forward cautiously and sniffing each other.

Behind Pikachu, Valiant had begun to approach as well, but still kept his distance and chose to leave it to the mouse. Nebula hung back, likely realizing that she was the member of the group that their new member trusted the least.

Looking over at the Staravia, Ash could feel the guilt on her expression, too. As Pikachu began to try and make conversation with the Eevee, Ash approached Nebula and crouched down next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" he reached out and patted the bird's head.

She seemed to appreciate the gesture, easing up a bit, although her expression remained the same whenever her gaze turned to Eevee.

Trying not to frown, Ash did his best to console his feathered companion. "I know you're guilty, Nebula…" he spoke slowly, softly, hoping to sound comforting. Was he good at this? " I am too. It's just…" his words trailed off as he found it a bit hard to come up with any justifications.

He knew the answer was simple. He was a trainer. As a team, they were supposed to capture Pokemon. But how was he supposed to give Nebula an explanation like that? It certainly wouldn't make her feel better.

Nebula herself had been captured against her will. Ash suddenly found himself mentally slapping himself at the realization. The hypocrisy that Nebula likely believed herself to be guilty of was probably the main source of her guilt, not the simple fact that she had attacked a wild Pokemon unprovoked.

And Ash, instead of realizing that, had thoughtlessly chosen Nebula of all Pokemon to make the capture. All because it would be easy with her. A pragmatic decision, for sure, but one that had completely disregarded his own Pokemon's feelings.

"Nebula…" he locked eyes with his bird friend. "I'm… sorry… I didn't realize…. But I should have. You went through this same thing when Pikachu and I caught you, didn't you?" At her solemn expression, Ash gently wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry." he whispered softly. "I won't send you out to capture any more wild Pokemon if you don't want me to."

A small smile made its way to his lips as he felt Nebula's feathered wings wrapping on him in response.

/

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon of the normal type. By altering the composition of its body, it can suit the surrounding environment, and its unstable genetic makeup gives it many potential evolved forms.

"This Eevee is female and knows the moves Tackle, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Swift, Bite, Take Down, Dig, Shadow Ball, and Body Slam. Its ability is Adaptability, which gives it a significantly easier understanding of moves that match the user's type, which consequently greatly boosts their power."

Putting the Pokedex away, Ash glanced down at the Eevee, who was looking up at him a bit more calmly, albeit curiously, right now. Sitting in between Pikachu and Valiant, she seemed fairly indifferent to him, not expressing any real dislike towards the young boy, but not really giving him the impression that she liked him, either.

It was a step up from before, however. While Ash was busy consoling Nebula, Pikachu and Valiant seemed to make decent enough progress with their newfound teammate. It helped that Valiant could sense Eevee's emotions, and had occasionally coached Pikachu on how to approach the conversation. Eevee seemed appreciative towards Valiant's inherent understanding of her own feelings, almost gravitating towards the young Ralts to a degree. Overall, she wasn't the most open so soon, but he and Pikachu seemed to have passed whatever test she was trying to give them when checking them out.

The only one that she didn't seem to trust was Nebula.

The young Staravia hadn't made any real attempts to converse with the Evolution Pokemon, due to Eevee's very clear dislike towards her.

Ash was frowning at that. Up until now, everyone on the team was getting along just fine, Pikachu and Nebula were inseparable, and both of them were quite fond of Valiant.

Would things become any more difficult now that Eevee was very clearly not fond of Nebula?

He'd have to talk to Professor Oak about it. Or his mother. He was cursing himself for not thinking far enough ahead. Did he really expect to go through his whole entire journey with no drama between his team members.

He was getting stronger, and yet he was still making a lot more mistakes than he thought. Was this a common issue that all rookies went through? Yet another oversight that beginners were often prone to?

For now, he'd talk to Eevee for a bit and help her get settled in. Now that she'd calmed down, she seemed to be more open to conversation, despite not being completely accepting of the situation, understandably.

"You okay now?" He asked, not sure how to start the conversation. He kept his voice gentle, soothing, hopefully. He wanted her to know that he was friendly, despite her first impression.

She sniffed his hand as he kneeled down next to her, and seemed to grow a bit more at ease as she did.

/

The night had grown a bit more progressively smoothly afterwards.

Although Nebula kept her distance (Pikachu keeping her company) Ash and Valiant made good progress with Eevee, although in Ash's case it was simply that she had accepted him as her trainer, rather than actually liking him or seeing him as a friend. Ash wasn't offended by it, given that he had gone through the same thing with Nebula and had a much worse start with Pikachu back on Opening Day. A lot had happened since then as he abruptly found himself realizing, and all of a sudden, it felt surreal to say that he had four Pokemon on his team.

Valiant's ability to read emotions was a massive boon for interacting with Eevee, as Ash realized sooner rather than later. The young Ralts had a better understanding of how to approach a conversation and ease the newcomer into things, which was perfect given that she had been understandably on edge after being captured. They were all still strangers to her, but Ash was given hope that the overall dynamic of the team would still be positive.

He just needed to figure out how to work things out between Nebula and Eevee. Thankfully, Professor Oak was just a call away.

Ash had risen early and left his team in the room. All of them were still sound asleep at the time, so he chose not to disturb them as he made his way to the video phones.

He wondered if Professor Oak would be up this early, as it wasn't quite 8:00 AM yet. Thankfully, he had picked up.

"Hello, Ash! Wasn't expecting to hear from you." The Researcher's face appeared on the screen and smiled at the boy, who returned the expression quite quickly. "Where are you calling me from, might I ask?"

"I'm at the Pokemon Center just at the foot of Mt. Moon." Ash replied. "We got here yesterday morning. I'm planning on going through the mountain tomorrow, although I might wait an extra day to get things situated with my new teammate."

The Professor perked up. "Oh, yes! The Eevee! I noticed that she was added to your roster yesterday. A surprising catch."

Ash nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I felt really lucky. Although, that's actually why I'm calling."

The man's face was curious, but not concerned. "Is there an issue?"

Ash subconsciously scratched the back of his neck. "I'm hoping it's not too serious, but I had Nebula fight Eevee when we found her. She beat Eevee pretty easily and now Eevee seems to hold a grudge. She was okay with me after a while, and she seems to get along fine with Pikachu and Valiant, but she hasn't opened up to Nebula. She keeps shooting her glares or dirty looks."

The Professor nodded understandingly "Yes, that's not too surprising. Not every Pokemon is going to be happy about being captured, and even though you're the one who gave the order, she likely associates Nebula with her loss of freedom. Or maybe the humiliation of being beaten the way she was is the real issue, if she's not hostile towards the rest of you."

Ash frowned. The guilt was coming back now. "What do you think I should do? This hasn't happened with the other three before. At worst Nebula was just neutral towards me and Pikachu when we first caught her. I don't want there to be too much drama between the team."

"Understandable. Team dynamic is everything for a variety of aspects to Pokemon training. Unfortunately, it's not always going to be this simple. I'm afraid an issue like this was unavoidable. Whether it be because of a grudge or really anything else, it would have been miraculous for you to never run into conflict between any of your teammates." he paused a moment. "As for advice, there's no miracle cure, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless. She's only just joined, so it'll inevitably take some time for things to cool down. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but for now, just try to have them give each other some space. Give Eevee some time to get to know Pikachu and Valiant better, and yourself, of course. Once things have had time to cool down, start prioritizing training exercises between Nebula and Eevee to hopefully build some camaraderie between them. Once you get through Mt. Moon, it shouldn't take you too much longer to reach Cerulean City, so I'd recommend getting started once you've gotten there. By then, a few days or so will have passed, and I'm sure the upcoming Gym Battle will be giving your team motivation. If Eevee herself takes interest in it, that would be especially helpful. Try not to worry about it too much for now, but that's my recommendation." He gave Ash some time to take it in.

After a few moments, Ash nodded, and smiled gratefully. "Okay, thanks Professor. But what do you think I should do if things haven't settled down by then?"

"Good question. I unfortunately can't say much in that regard but you may just have to give it more time in that case. Every case will always be different. But for now, I'd recommend not letting it stress you out too much and just try to focus on integrating her into the team. A new capture will always be a very big moment for everyone in your group. The dynamic will never be the same. If it takes a long time for things to settle down, try to observe their behavior and interactions and see if you can determine any additional root causes. I can help you out with tha myself, of course."

Ash nodded, but was also deep in thought. The dynamic will never be the same…

Those words echoed in his thoughts for the next few moments as he contemplated the true meaning of the Professor's words.

...It was true… wasn't it? Up until this point, Ash's team was a well rounded trio. Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant were all very good friends with little to no drama between them. And they had been his new family along with that too.

The overall simplicity of the group dynamic had been easy. Convenient. They were all just a small group of friends traveling together and fighting battles. Helping each other train. Conversing with each other.

Things would become much less simple, and much less convenient, as the adventure went on. New Pokemon would be joining their team. New relationships would be established and would inevitably have to be taken account for. This was just the beginning. Eevee was far from the last teammate that they would ever have.

"You okay, Ash?"

Realizing that he had spaced out and had spent longer contemplating on his own inner thoughts than he had initially anticipated, Ash shook himself out of his stupor and grinned awkwardly at the Researcher, a slight tinge of red appearing on his cheeks.

"It's fine. Sorry about that." Trying to forget the embarrassment, Ash quickly changed the subject. "So… ummm. Where's Clefable?" he asked awkwardly, thinking of the first thing to come to mind.

"Oh, she's asleep. We were both up late last night watching movies, but I still woke up early somehow. I chose not to disturb her, so I'm letting her sleep in."

Ash grinned a bit at that. Professor Oak wasn't always one for free time, but he certainly made good use of it whenever he took a break from his work. Despite being a workaholic, he could at least effectively relax whenever he gave himself the chance.

The two of them didn't talk for much longer, after that. Oak was a busy man, and along with not wanting to keep him for too long, Ash was hungry for breakfast. It was still early, but he would need to wake his team soon so that they could eat.

/

The cafeteria was modestly filled with other rookies this morning as Ash and his team made their way in.

Eevee stuck by Valiant on one side of Ash while Pikachu and Nebula occupied the other. The Evolution Pokemon was still displaying some coldness towards the young Staravia, which only furthered Nebula's guilt, but much to Ash's gratitude, Pikachu was there to console her.

At the moment, Ash was concerned with filling his team's bellies, as well as his own. Professor Oak's advice continued to replay through his mind, so he was sure to make sure that Eevee had time to adjust before rushing into things. Right now, everyone still seemed to be equally excited to eat. Ash had explained the Pokemon Center's cafeteria to Eevee after waking everybody up and she seemed to have perked up at it. The rest of the team's enthusiasm seemed to have been contagious, too. They had all certainly taken a liking to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria food while in Pewter City, and each Pokemon Center was essentially the same in that regard. At least in Indigo, that is. It hadn't taken too long to get ready to head out of the room.

It was still rather early when Ash had woken his team. Pikachu had been the first to respond, while the others got up shortly afterwards with help from Pikachu.

His call with Professor Oak hadn't lasted too long, but it had shaved off some time. Still early in the morning, but past 8:00 AM.

Ash had always enjoyed the simplicity of morning, even back in Pallet Town. Before the day got fully started, before it was time to progress with their agenda. Just an enjoyable breakfast as they all got settled in. That was how it always was, and he always looked forward to it.

At the moment, he wasn't sure which food Eevee liked, so he tried some experimentation with berries and a couple of different assortments of traditional food. Eevee seemed to respond quite positively to the berries, but only seemed to be mildly interested in everything else.

It was a start. He would get a better grip on the Evolution Pokemon's diet in time. Meanwhile, the rest of his team devoured their food happily, Pikachu especially eating quite fast, much to Eevee's bewilderment, and everyone else's amusement.

The mouse never did take the time to enjoy his food when he liked the way that it tasted. Not that Pikachu ever seemed to mind, of course.

Enjoying his own food, Ash opted to eat a bit more slowly as he went over his plans for the day. Taking a bite into one of his pancakes, he thought about it for a moment.

Eevee had just joined them.

Outside of her brief scuffle with Nebula, Ash didn't know much about where she stood in terms of capabilities. Going over her moves and taking the ti9me to observe her would be a good way to get started on that. At the moment he only knew what she was capable of using, but not really anything else. He'd have to base his training regimen for her on his findings in that regard.

Pikachu was now working on Thunderbolt. Although Electro Ball could still use some fine tuning, he was in a position where Ash felt that he could start working on Thunderbolt in hopes of having it ready for their upcoming Gym Battle in Cerulean City.

Getting Pikachu to actually use the move was simply enough. It was essentially a more powerful version of Thunder Shock at the moment. However, Pikachu couldn't use it as reliably just yet. He was still in a position where it took longer to charge up, and although it was still much more powerful than Thunder Shock, he still had yet to access the full power of the move, and it seemed to be a bit more draining on his stamina.

It could still be used more practically in battle, but it couldn't be abused. The longer charge time meant that they had to be a lot more careful about the timing, and that, in addition to the stamina issue, made repetitive use of it a no go. It was a nice trump card to pull out and surprise the opponent for big damage, but not a signature technique at the moment.

At the current stage that Pikachu was at, there weren't any other specific moves that he was desperate to teach the mouse that he felt that his Starter was ready to learn. He wanted to work on Volt Tackle eventually, but he doubted that Pikachu was ready for it yet. He had tried Double-Edge with Nebula recently, but despite her having a far physically superior body post-evolution, it was still not a very practical Move for her to use. Lots of power even without her being able to tap into the full power of the technique (which Reckless admittedly helped to make up for), but she had injured herself quite notably with just one use. Nebula had much better control over her techniques, as well as power in general, after evolving, but even she still had a great ways to go. Pikachu likely wouldn't be able to tap into nearly as much power with Volt Tackle as Nebula could with Double-Edge, and yet he would still probably injure himself a lot more. Ash was planning on starting work with the technique once they reached Cerulean, but it still wasn't a priority just yet.

Apart from that, teaching Pikachu Agility should hopefully be quick and easy given the young mouse's experience with Quick Attack. But even then, it was a psychic type move with a necessity for understanding those elements as well, so it would likely require Valiant's guidance. Ash planned to have Pikachu and Valiant help each other out once it was time to teach Valiant Thunderbolt, but for now, Ash and the young Ralts were still working on Dazzling Gleam, which was progressing quite well.

That left Nebula. Rather than teaching her new Moves for the moment, Ash was planning to have her work on Double Team a bit more. Her evolution had given her a bit of a boon with the move, now allowing her to split into four instead of just two, but the Staravia was still only able to move one copy along with herself, and only if she was split into two and not three or four. Maintaining any other copies took up too much effort for her to allow one of her copies to also move along with her simultaneously.

For now, Ash's plan was to have her keep working on producing more copies of herself. At a later date, maybe they could train to get her to move more than one copy along with herself, but Elacia had warned him that that would be much more difficult and also take much longer, and had advised him to simply start focusing on increasing the quantity of the clones for now.

Speaking of Elacia, the Egg that she had given him still had yet to hatch, which didn't surprise Ash too much. According to her, it wasn't too far off, but that didn't translate to "any second now!". Valiant had quickly taken to helping him take care of the Egg. The dedication that the young Ralts showed was still quite admirable. Ash had always been touched by how quickly Valiant had hopped on board with him and the rest of the group, and the Feeling Pokemon seemed to be determined to do anything that he could to help them with just about anything, really.

Ash still hadn't opened the folder that Elacia had given him, which would reveal the species of the Pokemon that the Egg would eventually hatch into. He really wanted to. It was tempting. But he could live with the suspense for now. As agonizing as it was to not know what the Egg would hatch into, it would be much more satisfying to find out when it hatches, rather than from simply reading it.

The rest of his team seemed to agree, too, although Valiant had apparently wanted to peek into the folder himself, without giving away the surprise to anyone else, which Ash eventually deduced was because the young Ralts wanted to see if there were any recommended ways to take care of this specific kind of Egg. After Ash had assured him that the method of taking care of Pokemon Eggs was pretty much universal among every species, however, the Feeling Pokemon had changed his mind, and had simply resorted to waiting anyway. As a whole, care for the Egg seemed to be going along smoothly, although Ash and his friends were still all anxiously waiting for their new teammate to finally hatch.

"Is this seat open?"

Ash and his team perked up at the voice and turned to see a girl about Ash's age standing in front of them, holding a tray of food consisting of orange juice, applesauce, and crepes.

Her hair was a bright orange, tied into a single ponytail on the side. She probably would have looked quite pretty if the look on her face was a bit more positive. It seemed like a mixture between a frown and a scowl, not necessarily looking sad or angry, but just not in the best mood. Ash couldn't even really place what was putting her in a down mood. She didn't look annoyed or irritated… just not happy.

Perhaps she was masking whatever the source of her unhappiness was. Ash couldn't say that he was the best at reading people. His social skills still needed work, despite them getting better from spending time with Rick and Emily (and Janine to an extent).

"Hey, are you listening?!" her voice grew a bit more aggressive, causing the boy to flinch out of his inner thoughts. The sharp tone behind her tongue had caught him off guard.

Realizing that he hadn't answered her question yet, an embarrassed Ash shook himself from his inner stupor as that familiar sensation of a tinge of red in his cheeks returned to him. Looking up at her and trying to make eye contact (her scowl did seem a bit more irritated now), he gave her an awkward, apologetic smile in response. "N-no, it's fine."

Her mood softening a bit (although she still didn't smile), the girl placed her tray down on the table and sat down next to him, his team eying her for a moment before returning to their food once they were done sizing her up.

Ash found himself eating a bit more slowly as he awkwardly stole a glance at the newcomer every now and then. She wasn't paying them much mind, simply taking to digging into her crepes and applesauce, while sipping the orange juice on occasion.

Something about her seemed a bit intimidating. Maybe it was just her more hardened, moody features. It was a stark contrast from Janine, Rick, Emily, or even Gary (despite him not being friendly), all of whom were a lot more cheerful in comparison. This girl seemed to be a bit temperamental, based on the brief first impression that Ash had from her behavior. She didn't give off the same unsettling vibe as Paul, at the moment, although he still felt intimidated by her.

Which, Ash realized, could have also been because she was right next to him.

Apparently his attempts to look at her weren't as secretive as thought, as in his latest attempt, he was met with a piercing stare as she suddenly turned her head to face him. The boy found himself flinching as her fierce, viridian eyes locked onto his.

"Any reason you keep staring at me? I'm trying to eat."

'She's the one who wanted to sit next to me.' Ash thought out loud, but knew better than to voice it. It wasn't like that gave him an excuse to keep staring at her anyway, even out of curiosity. She was right.

"S-s-sorry." he stumbled out pathetically.

"Hmmm…" she almost seemed disappointed by his submissive response, the look in her eyes briefly losing some of its inherent irritation to temporarily replace it partially with one that somewhat resembled that of pity, before reverting back to their usual hardened gaze.

As she turned back to her food, taking a bite out of one of her crepes and chewing silently, Ash worked up the courage to say something else.

"So… ummm…." he flinched a bit as she paused her chewing and turned her eyes to him, although she didn't turn her head. Regaining his bearings quickly, he continued. "Is there- I mean… why do you seem so upset?"

'Damnit. Was that question too personal?' he quickly thought to himself. He braced himself for an aggressive response, but thankfully got none.

The girl took the time to swallow the food in her mouth for a moment, before letting out a quick sigh as she craned her head towards him slightly, not looking at him directly but offering a bit more acknowledgement than before.

"Some older Trainer goaded me into battling him and poisoned my whole team. Now they're recovering and I have nobody to eat with." she turned away again, taking another bite into her crape. After chewing for a bit, she swallowed and continued. "Jerk probably just wanted some easy money from me. Probably preys on rookies all the time. Too afraid to pick on people on his own level so he has to antagonize the newbies like some lowlife."

Her words quieted into angry mumbling as Ash shifted in his seat uncomfortable. He returned to his food for a bit before he heard her voice again.

"So… you're going through the mountain, I'm guessing?" mercifully, her voice sounded a bit softer and less irritated than before, although it still didn't carry a very friendly tone.

Swallowing down the bit of pancake in his mouth, Ash looked over to her and nodded, a bit surprised that she was trying to make conversation so suddenly. "Y-yeah. Either today or tomorrow. To get to Cerulean, of course…" he said awkwardly.

"Obviously." her voice was blunt. She finished the last of her crepes before turning to her applesauce, which was half done. "Glad I don't have to deal with any of those annoying tourists right now. They can be obnoxious."

Ash... wasn't sure if he would put it that way, but it was no secret that tourists could get a bit out of hand with their behavior sometimes. He didn't want to assume the lowest of them, however.

Deciding not to contest the girl's statement, he simply nodded along with her. Looking over to his team, he could see that they seemed to be a bit interested in her, particularly Valiant, but kept to themselves for the most part. Pikachu and Nebula seemed to be engaged in some sort of discussion, which Eevee seemed to be listening in on at the current moment.

Taking a leap of faith as he turned back to the orange haired girl sitting next to him, Ash managed to croak out. "U-Um… I'm Ash." he managed to get out.

The girl stopped eating her applesauce just long enough to answer.

"Misty."

/

Breakfast was over not too long after, with Ash and Eevee now outside of the Pokemon Center with Pikachu and Valiant. Misty had returned to her room after they were finished, offering Ash a curt nod and a quick goodbye before she was gone.

The girl had opened up just a tad bit during their conversation, but remained blunt and somewhat aggressive throughout. Her dismissive attitude left Ash a bit confused about why she wanted to eat with him in the first place, unless she just wanted someone to sit next to in place of her team, rather than simply being left alone.

Nebula was flying overhead to continue working on her aerial mobility for the time being, with Ash planning to start the day by assessing Eevee and her capabilities. He had gotten a brief glimpse of them on the previous day from when he and Nebula had captured her, but he needed more in order to be able to truly properly gauge her.

Pikachu and Valiant were both at his side as Eevee stood in front of him, both Pokemon offering her encouraging smiles as she looked up at her new trainer with a sort of unsure gaze adorning her face.

She seemed ready, at the very least, Ash assumed. That was something. The boy wanted to see each of her moves in action at least once. Even the Moves that he had already seen before, he should probably see again, now that his focus was solely on her, herself, and not a battle.

The young trainer nodded to Eevee.

"Alright, you ready to get started?"

Eevee nodded.

He offered her a friendly smile. "Good. Pikachu and Valiant are going to be your sparring partners for this. You'll be testing your moves out on them."

Eevee nodded again, eying her new teammates carefully. They both gave her encouraging looks (particularly Valiant) before taking their places.

First up, Valiant stood face to face with Eevee as the two teammates locked eyes.

"Okay, first use Tackle!"

Eevee took off running, her quadruped body being carried at a decently fast rate towards her opponent by all four of her feet. It wasn't her top speed, as she was not using Quick Attack, but Ash was relatively pleased by her agility.

THUNK!

Eevee winced painfully as she crashed head first into Valiant's erected barrier, the Reflect easily absorbing the impact and leaving the young Ralts unharmed. She plopped down on her butt, giving her new teammate the stink eye as she made her way to her feet.

Offensively, her Tackle attack hadn't been strong enough to even remotely damage Valiant's barrier, but that could have been saying more about Valiant than Eevee herself.

Ignoring the small bruise on the top of her head, Eevee returned to her stance and awaited further instructions. Valiant casually dropped the barrier and crossed his arms professionally, viewing the Feeling Pokemon with a hint of an analytical attitude.

Next up, Pikachu locked eyes with Eevee as Ash gave his next order.

"Alright, Sand Attack!"

Eeveem dug her paws into the ground and flung multiple large patches of sand consecutively towards the electric mouse. Pikachu's tail became cloaked in metal as he deflected the onslaught with precise swipes.

Eevee's Sand Attack was traveling pretty far. And fast. She was very good with the technique. However, Ash also took the moment to take pride in Pikachu's reaction time.

Next up, Pikachu and Eevee stood side by side, eying each other on occasion as both Pokemon got into their own respective stances on all fours, ready to take off into a sprint the very moment that Ash gave the order.

"Quick Attack!"

Now it was time to test Eevee's top speed. What better way to do so than to see how she stacked up against Pikachu? He had practically made his name on the team with his speed and agility.

Both Pokemon took off in a blur, putting everything that they had into their own respective top running speeds as Ash and Valiant watched excitedly from the sidelines.

The moment he took off, Pikachu was already ahead of Eevee, and the Evolution Pokemon growled in frustration as the electric mouse trailed further and further ahead of her as the race progressed. She kept pushing herself more and more, doing everything that she possibly could to add more and more effort into her sprint, but the distance between them just wouldn't close. It kept widening, and widening, and widening even more until the mouse completed his lap and waited for her to finish.

To Eevee's credit, she was definitely really fast. Ash didn't fault her for losing the race to Pikachu. Nevertheless, she obviously didn't see it that way, if the somewhat dejected expression on her face as she made her way back to Ash and Valiant after finishing her own lap was of any indication. Ash could also see her breathing a bit heavily, having been a bit notably more fatigued from the exercise than her Electric Type teammate.

"Hey, it's fine." the boy commented, reaching down to gently pat her on the head in assurance. She flinched at first, but soon accepted the touch, closing her eyes for a second, just long enough to briefly nod her head. "Pikachu is really fast. His speed has really got us places in the past too." he thought back to the decisive battle against Brock and Onix. A fight that would have been impossible for Pikachu to win without his amazing speed. "You'll get there, don't worry. You're already quite fast yourself. We'll work on your speed for sure."

She seemed to be mildly encouraged by that, although the disappointment of the loss was still clearly there. Not too unexpected, Ash supposed. It wasn't like it was just going to go away with just a few simple words of encouragement.

He knew the feeling.

Shaking off his frown, Ash called for a quick break, offering Eevee some water and some extra time to catch her breath.

After a few minutes of drinking and resting, Eevee was facing off against Valiant again, with the young Feeling Pokemon already preparing for himself to erect a barrier.

"Swift!"

Ash had gotten a glimpse of Eevee's control over the technique when she had used it against Nebula. He had considered testing it out once again against Pikachu, by having the young mouse try to maneuver around it, but he figured that they could get back to that after going over all of the other techniques. For now, he just wanted to see how powerful that it was, and if it could stand up to Valiant's impressive barriers.

The golden stars escaped from Eevee's now open mouth as the glowing projectiles sailed over towards Valiant at impressive speeds as Ash and Pikachu observed from the sidelines in interest.

Valiant's Light Screen intercepted the long ranged attack, which pelted against the glowing, golden cube with a good deal of might, but couldn't break through it. Ash took note of the tiny crack in the barrier, however, and smiled at the sight.

Eevee's Swift was actually pretty potent, at least offensively.

After Valiant dropped the barrier, it was Pikachu's turn again.

"Bite!"

Eevee's mouth opened as wide as she could manage as she sprinted forward towards Pikachu. The young mouse's response was to raise his now metallic tail and hold it outwards defensively as Eevee bit down on it.

The young Evolution Pokemon yelped as her teeth painfully clamped down on the metal, not strong enough to handle it. Ash winced a bit, and gave Eevee a few moments to gain her bearings.

Next up, Valiant stood in front of Eevee.

"Take Down!"

This was the move that Ash was interested in the most. Take Down wasn't quite as potent as Double-Edge, but it was still, all the same, a very powerful move with an absurd amount of offensive potential. However, much like Double-Edge, recoil damage would be a problem.

Eevee became cloaked in a bright, white light as she charged forward with her head down, taking aim at Valiant as she let out a battle cry and leapt forward.

BAM!

Valiant's Reflect was raised to block the attack, but the impact from Eevee's assault was strong. Ash and Pikachu could mildly feel the shockwaves as Eevee's charge clashed with Valiant's protective silver cube, and although the Evolution Pokemon staggered backwards growling in pain from the impact, a large hole was left in the part of the cube that Eevee had just shattered.

To his own credit, Valiant seemed mostly unharmed from the assault, although the wind pressure seemed to have reached him, as he was still reeling just a little bit.

Ash grinned, and made his way towards Eevee with Pikachu in tow.

"Good going!" he said excitedly. "That Take Down of yours sure is powerful!" he knelt down to make eye contact with the Evolution Pokemon, who's cheeks reddened a bit as Pikachu seemingly voiced his own compliments to her.

In front of them, Valiant was also grinning, impressed by the destruction of the portion of his barrier that Eevee had struck. With just one hit.

"Alright, next use Dig."

Valiant's barrier was back up as Eevee began clawing away at the dirt, burrowing her way underground. Ash noticed that it took her a decent bit to do so. It wasn't instantaneous, and left her wide open. It wouldn't be practical for battle yet.

And when Eevee surfaced, she was nowhere near Valiant, looking around in confusion to find her opponent.

Understandably, she couldn't tell where she was going underground. It would need practice.

A few minutes later, Eevee and Pikachu were facing off again. Pikachu had an Electro Ball at the ready, waiting on the tip of his tail to be fired.

"Shadow Ball!"

Eevee opened her mouth, and a series of purplish black, distorted energy appeared within her jaws. At first a tiny speck, the mass of energy began to gradually grow, eventually concentrating itself into a perfect sphere.

The charge time wasn't perfect, but the form was great.

And the ball itself was actually quite large. It looked pretty potent.

As Eevee fired off her attack, Pikachu flung his Electro Ball into the Shadow Ball to intercept it. Ash and Valiant flinched at the explosion, bracing themselves from the shockwaves and the wind that was kicked up from the impact.

Although Eevee remained perfectly fine, some of the shockwaves reached Pikachu, who held an arm out in front of his face as he was suddenly pushed a few inches backwards by the wind force.

It seemed like Eevee's Shadow Ball was the attack with more power behind it. Eevee herself seemed to realise this, grinning cheekily at the sheepishly grinning mouse who had upstaged her previously in their race.

That left just one more move…

"Body Slam!"

Eevee ran forward towards Valiant, leaping in the air into an effort to pounce on him. Once she reached her maximum height, she repositioned herself, and suddenly came rocketing down at high speeds.

Body Slam seemed to be a move that she was quite good with.

POW!

Eevee crashed down on top of Valiant's barrier, with a tiny crack forming in the Reflect. As she bounced off of it, Ash took note that her Body Slam was certainly quite strong. Take Down was definitely her best move, but along with Shadow Ball, this attack also gave her a lot of offensive potential as well.

"Good work, Eevee!" The boy approached her, accompanied by Pikachu and Valiant. Eevee grinned at them, the overall success of her training seemed to have improved her mood. That was a good sign. "I just wanted to go over what could do a the moment real quick. You did great." she allowed him to pat her head, this time smiling a bit more. Standing back upright again, Ash eyed his team for a bit. "Alright, we'll take another break, and then we can-"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Ash froze on the spot, and so did Pikachu. Valiant and Eevee were mostly curious than anything else, but the difference is that they did not recognize the voice.

Whirling around, Ash faced the source of the sudden voice, and his stomach became a pit.

Gary Oak.

Looking smug as ever, he locked eyes with Ash, his arms crossed the way he usually liked them.

Coincidentally, Nebula had chosen to take a break from her flying, landing next to Pikachu and eying her friend with concern as he snarled at the newcomer on all fours.

Eevee and Valiant both grouped up behind Ash as the two eyed the newcomer with a good deal of scrutiny Both of them could sense the tension in Ash and Pikachu (particularly Valiant) and so neither of them were comfortable with this new boy.

Ash didn't snarl. He didn't grit his teeth. He didn't even glower. The glare on his face was simply a normal one, one with some anger but mostly annoyance.

Awkwardness with Misty aside, he had actually been having a really good day. But one of Gary's greatest talents (and boy did he have a lot of them) was instantly bringing down his mood just by being there.

"What do you want, Gary?" Ash managed to get out. It wasn't in an angry voice. It wasn't in a fearful voice. It wasn't in a devastated voice. It almost came off as a half groan. As though Gary's very presence was just a mood killing inconvenience.

Gary snorted. "You sound a lot less cheerful than you did just a few seconds ago. I'd like to say you're less annoying like this, but…" He straightened himself up. "I was just taking a walk when I overheard whatever this training of yours was supposed to be. I just got here."

"And you couldn't just… I don't know… pass by?" Ash tried to sound as exasperated as possible. But maybe that was just making it worse.

Gary flinched in mock offense. "Hey now, is that any way to talk to an old schoolmate? You should be honored that I've even considered making the time for you."

Appearing in front of Ash, Pikachu growled aggressively at Gary, settling down a little bit when Nebula walked back up to him and placed a wing on his back, but never losing his angry face.

Gary's smirk widened. "Whoa there! Isn't that Pikachu that pathetic starter of yours from before?" Nebula and Valiant both glared, while Eevee simply narrowed her eyes. He put a hand behind his head and laughed a bit. "Guess you still haven't gotten the little thing's behavior under control! I'm surprised you even survived getting this far. You have a taxi surface of bodyguards escorting you past all of the dangers?"

Ash's glare deepened for a moment, but suddenly, the image of the Boulder Badge flashed through his mind…

...No… He wasn't going to get worked up over this. Gary didn't know what he was talking about.

"Or maybe he just realized that you kill the mood wherever you go." Ash spat back.

Gary's brow raised at that. "You're… awfully quippy there, Ashy boy." his face scrunched up. "You better watch what you say."

Hardening his gaze dangerously (at least, he hoped it looked that way) Ash crossed his arms and tried to eye Gary on an even level, doing his best to remain hyper focused on the other Trainer and stand upright in the face of the slightly taller boy.

"Why's… that?" he did his best not to be intimidated. "I have a badge now, I'll have you know. Why should I listen to you." he did his best to ensure that his voice remained even. Trying to hide the anger in his mood, and not come across as though Gary was intimidating him.

Gary's lips tugged upward again. "A badge? From Brock, you mean? What sort of favors did you do for him? How many toilets did you stick your head into? How many boots of his did you kiss before he finally agreed to give you a freebie?"

Ash's fists tightened, and behind him, Valiant began backing away a bit as the tension in the air turned fiercer. Denser. Doing his best to ease up, the boy kept eying Gary.

The other trainer seemed so… relaxed. Like he could do this all day. This was all just a game to him, wasn't it? A game that he had beaten Ash at so many times before… until Ash stopped even trying.

Not trying anymore was a mistake. Ash should have kept arguing back against Gary in the past, but lost all his nerve eventually. Ever since that stupid incident with the Poke Ball…

It didn't really matter much, anyway, he supposed. It's not like he was ever good at arguing back, in the first place, as it ever was. The fact that he had eventually just stopped and given up still did nothing to change that.

But that was still a mistake. And he was done making mistakes. Gary had had his fun for far too long at this point.

"What did you do?" he growled back a bit. Did he sound intimidating? His tone of voice was always so timid by nature. If he came across as squeaky or gentle Gary would probably just be laughing on the inside. "Flash your stupid grin at him, lean against his wall with your arms crossed, and talk to him in your nasally voice that makes him want to throw up until he tossed ten of them at you and told you to get the hell out of his Gym?"

There… that was serviceable… right?

To his surprise (and, to his shame, his delight) Gary's eyes widened. He almost took a step back, but the spikey haired kid stopped himself from doing so, glowering at Ash with blazing fury in his eyes.

The smugness was gone.

"You… you little prick!" His hand went to his belt as a Poke Ball was pulled out and enlarged. "Have the past few weeks seriously been enough for you to suddenly forget your place?! Maybe I'm going to have to remind you of where you stand. It'd be a real shame if your memory had given out from whatever rock you must have tripped on while on the way here."

Ash's glare tightened as Pikachu's cheeks crackled. Nebula and Valiant both began to sink into stances while Eevee, while reacting less, eyed the scene carefully.

"Fine." said Ash. "I won't lose to you this time, so remember that you asked for it."

Gary's grin was back, although it was much more malicious than smug this time. "I think… I'm gonna enjoy this. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Four." Ash stated simply, gesturing to each of his team.

It was at this point that Gary froze, as if suddenly noticing everybody else that was currently with Ash and Pikachu.

"You… have the same as me…"

Ash wanted to say that he technically had more. That he had an Egg in his backpack. But… no, he wasn't just going to start rubbing things in like that.

Something like that was practically trademarked by Gary in terms of behavior. No way Ash would start practicing it too. He'd get enough satisfaction when he put Gary in his place on the battlefield.

"Something wrong, Gary?" Ash grumbled at the boy's somewhat pale face, Gary's eyes slightly distant.

Shaking his head furiously and then glaring at Ash with a somewhat reddened face, Gary snarled at the boy.

"Nevermind. Let's just get to the Pokemon Center already. And keep your damn tongue in check, you hear me?"

Ash's gaze stiffened as Gary turned around. He waited for the boy to clear a few extra feet between them before he followed.

/

After reaching the Pokemon Center, Ash quickly looked over his team before returning them.

Gary was waiting for him at the battlefield just outside. The boy's arrogant attitude (or at least the smug form that it normally took) was gone from his face as he watched Ash make his way to his own side of the field. Instead it was replaced by a glare, an offended one.

Ash could spot Misty sitting in one of the chairs, staring at a booklet in an absentminded manner. She perked up when she saw him pass by, and Ash noticed her setting the booklet down and focusing her attention on the battlefield. She was the only audience member.

"Took you long enough." Gary grumbled. "This'll be four on four, understood?"

Ash nodded, a Poke Ball already in hand.

This was his first time seeing Gary since that… humiliating excuse for a battle.

But things were much different now. He had a badge on his record. Apart from the newly caught Eevee, he was in perfect sync with everybody on his team this time. He wasn't the same person from a few weeks ago, and neither was Pikachu.

As if to emphasize this point, Ash sent Pikachu out first. The mouse perked up and immediately began crackling his cheeks as he locked his eyes on Gary.

"This is it, Pikachu." Ash said somewhat quietly. "This is our chance to make up for last time. He won't make a fool out of either of us today."

That just increased Pikachu's morale even further, the young mouse tensing himself up, pushing his legs against the pavement as if to spring forward at any minute.

Gary allowed a callous grin to occupy his face. "Heh. This brings back memories to Opening Day. I wonder what kind of tantrums you two are going to throw this time."

Ash did his best to ignore that statement,

'Stay focused.' he thought to himself.

Ash blinked at the Pokemon that appeared on Gary's side of the field. It was humanoid, and it was mostly blue, but with a white, onion shaped head. Its cheeks had pink ovals on them.

Gary snorted. "Never seen a Meditite before? Guess she has a lot to teach you."

Meditite… a fighting/psychic type Pokemon native to the Ever Grande territory, to Ash's knowledge. Ash didn't know much about the species regarding its reputation or capabilities, but if it was anything to go off of based on its Typing, it would be tricky to deal with by nature, and would likely have martial arts abilities.

At the same time, that also depended on the Pokemon's experience. Fighting types were naturally gifted at martial arts, but how many moves did Gary's Meditite currently know that could help the Pokemon capitalize on that?

Ash noticed that the Pokemon was sitting cross-legged in some sort of meditative position, and was levitating slightly off the ground. So the Pokemon could float, too...

With a raise of a hand, Gary snapped his fingers and pointed forward. "Let's get this show on the road, already. Brick Break!"

Leaving her meditative position, Meditite rushed forward, raising a glowing, orange fist towards her rodent opponent. Pikachu sprung into action immediately, sidestepping out of the way as her fist stuck out, then flipping over to bring an Iron Tail down upon her head.

But Pikachu's efforts were met with a glass barrier in the shape of a cube. Much like Valiant himself, this Meditite also knew Reflect.

A large crack was left in the barrier as Pikachu returned to the ground on his hind legs, before descending down onto all fours. Meditite dropped her barrier as she turned to face Pikachu, bracing herself as he rushed forward with a Quick Attack.

Meditite's eyes glowed a deep, bright purple as she stretched her hands outwards. Pikachu began enveloped in an outline of the same purple color as he suddenly slowed down and then came to a halt. Frantically wriggling his limbs in the air, he was left suspended a few inches off the ground as panic appeared on his face.

Gary smirked. "Confusion. Now give him a toss!"

The glow in her eyes flashed even deeper and brighter as Meditite let out a quick battle cry, sending a yelping Pikachu flying through the air and slamming back first into the barriers to the side of the battlefield where Misty was currently watching from the sidelines in silence. The attack had sent Pikachu quite a bit far. And at a surprisingly high speed at that. Ash winced a bit at the painful impact, but thankfully, Pikachu caught himself with Iron Tail as he fell down to the ground, able to right himself and regain his composure jus tin time in order to successfully pull off the Move.

Meditite's Confusion was pretty well developed, but could she use it consecutively? They didn't really have any effective way of dealing with it, but that was assuming that she wouldn't just tire herself out by just using it over and over again.

Either way, they needed to proceed with caution.

"Thunder Shock, now!"

Pikachu's bolt of lightning, fired from a long distance, was blocked by a golden barrier in the shape of a cube. Ash grunted. Light Screen. Between that, Reflect, and Confusion, Meditite and Gary both now had three different answers to any offensive Moves that they used.

"Double Team!" commanded Gary.

Ash blinked as Meditite split into four copies. Pikachu's cheeks crackled with intensity as the young mouse growled in frustration.

"Force Palm!"

To Ash's note, only two of the Meditite moved forward. So she could still move her copies even when split into four, but only one copy could move along with her…

He didn't have time to contemplate that, however, as he needed to respond.

"Double Team! Quick Attack!" Two could play at this game, and as Pikachu split into two, both the real one and the copy bolting around the advancing Meditite and her clone, neither of the combatants were able to tell who the real one was.

Stalemates weren't nearly as satisfying as outright triumphs, but a the very least, Ash and Pikachu had forced an even playing field.

If Ash had spared her a glance, he would have noticed the look of intrigue on Misty's face as the battle unfolded.

Deciding to take a leap of faith, Ash called out. "Brick Break!"

Both Pikachu rushed forward, each one targeting one of the two Meditite that had previously been moving. One of them was the real one…

The real Pikachu chose wrong, and the clone of Meditite immediately fizzled out and dissolved upon contact from the young mouse's orange, glowing fist. However, the real Meditite had also taken the time to erect a glass barrier with Reflect, which proved to be a waste of energy as the clone of Pikachu targeted it, fizzling out uselessly upon impact with the glass cube.

Ash and Gary both winced.

It hadn't gone well for either of them, and the stalemate hadn't been resolved. With her cover blown, Meditite allowed the remaining Double Team clones to disappear as she and Pikachu both turned to face each other.

Dropping the Reflect barrier, Meditite eyed her opponent with what could only be described as analytical scrutiny. She was quite stoic, in stark contrast to her Trainer, much like Gary's Starter, in fact, as Ash had recalled.

Pikachu displayed a lot more emotion, however, a low growl of frustration rumbling from his throat as his cheeks continued to spark, the mouse looking on at his opponent with gritted teeth.

This was not an easy opponent for sure. Unsafe to attack her up close, seemingly ineffective to attack her from a distance, and she knew Double Team just like Pikachu did, and was more skilled with the Move to boot.

Nevertheless, there still had to be a weakness. If not that, then at least a way to reliablyu get past her. He could just try to exhaust her barriers. Much like Valiant, there was no way that she could keep using them forever.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt could help out with that, but even then, using that move in rapid succession would tire Pikachu out just as much…

But Ash wasn't willing to risk going in close just yet, and it was their strongest long ranged attack. Electro Ball would also work, so maybe just use Thunderbolt if they needed a decisive hit…

"Hidden Power!"

Ash blinked as aqua colored, blue glowing orbs materialized in the air around Meditite, the Pokemon floating in the air once again as she prepared her latest attack against the growling electric mouse. They very clearly were made of water, signifying this move as the water type variant of the Hidden Power technique. Ash wasn't entirely sure what determined the Typing of the Move. But that was hardly his concern right now.

"Thunder Shock, now!"

Pikachu's lightning bolt was fired defensively as Meditite, having raised her hands in front of her to levitate the Hidden Power orbs surrounding her, pushing her arms outward, firing the Move at her rodent opponent at surprisingly quick speeds. The lightning clashed with the glowing, aquatic orbs and quickly destroyed them, but Meditite was already rushing forward with an orange, glowing fist.

Brick Break.

The boy's Starter reacted with a quick Iron Tail. Ducking under Mediitite's punch, Pikachu drove his metallic tail painfully into her gut. A loud, high pitched cry escaped her lips as she felt the wind being knocked out of her, the attack propelling her backwards and sending the humanoid Pokemon painfully bouncing across the ground for a brief moment before she regained her composure, landing upright on her feet but still holding her stomach in pain with one hand, glaring at Pikachu and lightly gritting her teeth.

A brief moment of victory, but Ash knew that now wasn't the time to get cocky. So he followed up as quickly as he could.

"Electro Ball!"

Because she was still reeling from the previous blow, the Light Screen that Meditite had surrounded herself with a the last minute was a lot more feeble to the previous one, the side of the cube that was struck by the orb of electricity almost completely shattering (and being very cracked) upon impact.

Seeing his chance, Ash called out. "Double Team and Iron Tail!"

With Pikachu split into two copies, Meditite wouldn't know who to focus on, even if she regained her composure in time to use Confusion…

But Gary had a different plan. "Use Bide!"

Ash's eyes widened. Bide was a power stockpiling move that absorbed the damage dealt from enemy attacks to build up energy for a powerful counterattack. Although the user would still sustain damage upon getting hit, charging up the move also heightened their durability, making them more difficult to faze even if the attacks dealt them great pain and damage to their bodies.

Striking Meditite with Iron Tail would be doing a lot more harm than good now, but before he could call off the attack, Ash's mouse partner was already upon their opponent, his clone fizzling out as it struck Meditite, while the real Pikachu bright down a powerful, metallic tail against her.

Meditite, now once again floating in the air, had curled up into a ball-like form, her body glowing in a bright, white. As Pikachu's powerful, metallic tail struck, she was sent back a few feet, but remained composed, ignoring the large bruise that now occupied her body as Gary called out to her.

"FIRE!"

Spreading her arms and legs out wide, the still floating Meditite let out a cathartic cry as she released all of the built up tension from the energy that she had stored from Pikachu's attack. A large blast of pure, blinding white light catapulted at the mouse faster than he could react, and a small explosion kicked up dirt and dust as the young mouse was sent catapulting through the air and into the barriers in front of his trainer, crying out painfully upon both impacts.

The young mouse had not been expecting the blast, evident from the shout of shock that had escaped his throat just before being struck.

As the dust cleared, Pikachu's body was filthy and bruised, the mouse staggering to his feet as he stood on his hind legs, gritting his teeth defiantly.

Ash was quite proud of his Starter's resilience, but the blast had clearly taken a lot out of him. Looking on over to Meditite, however, he saw that the same was true for her, too. The damage that she had sustained from that Iron Tail was still quite significant, and if her panting was anything to go by, that Bide attack was still quite taxing for her, even with it only absorbing just one blow.

It was a gamble… but she might not be able to reliably use Confusion right now. If they could just get in close...

Pikachu was a bit tired himself, but wasn't panting nearly as much. He had clearly sustained quite a bit of damage from the blast, coupled with the previous damage from before, but his reserves were still (for the most part, anyway) good to go.

"Pikachu…" said Ash, giving his starter a thumbs up as the young mouse looked back towards him with a curious expression. "Great job. Now, let's end this."

A confident grin made its way to the electric rodents face as he pumped his arm out and returned his attention to Gary and Meditite.

Compared to their first battle with Gary's Squirtle, the difference was night and day.

Gary's fist was clenched tightly and outstretched as the young mouse returned to all fours.

"That… that was supposed to finish him off!" he snarled aggressively. Meditite herself also looked quite frustrated, but was keeping it together much better than her Trainer, who was practically trembling with fury at the new development.

It was rare to see this kind of frustration being exhibited by Gary. Ash tried not to take too much catharsis in it. He didn't allow himself to smirk.

He wanted to criticise him for his tactic. For using up too much of Meditite's power on the assumption that it would finish Pikachu off. But he bit back his tongue. Now was not the time for banter.

"Aim for the back of Meditite's head! Zap Tail!"

"Shadow Ball!" Gary quickly countered.

As Pikachu ran forward, Meditite charged up a ball of distorted energy between her palms. Despite her fatigue, she fired it off quickly, powering through her newfound exhaustion.

The ball wasn't that tlag, but nevertheless, Pikachu avoided it by pressing an Iron Tail against the ground and catapulting himself upwards. Somersaulting over the Shadow Ball and over his opponent, Pikachu channeled electricity into his Iron Tail as he brought it downwards, colliding with the back of Meditite's head.

CRACK!

A sickening sound made itself known as Pikachu's attack collided with its target, Meditite immediately catapulting face first into the pavement. No sounds were made from her, and she did not get up.

Pikachu had won.

Not noticing the small grin that made its way to Misty's face as the orange haired girl continued to watch the battle from the sidelines, Ash grinned widely at his starter as Pikachu quickly made his way back to him, a wide grin on the young mouse's face to match his trainer's own as the electric critter chirped in delight.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash complimented excitedly. The adrenaline rush was beginning to kick in.

This was it. They actually stood a chance. Gary still had three Pokemon left, but win or lose, this fight would not be like last time!

Pikachu's grin only grew wider as he shared in his trainer's enthusiasm. Turning back to the battlefield, his triumphant expression remained, but his eyes were still filled with just as much determination as Ash's.

Ash could tell that the mouse was tired, but not on his last legs. That Bide attack had taken a lot out of him, but he was still raring to go. Ready for whatever Gary sent their way next. And so was Ash.

Gary's face was murderous as he returned Meditite to her Poke Ball. Glowering at Ash and Pikachu with bright red fury in his eyes, he snarled menacingly at them.

"Hmph. So you actually DID pull something off for once. You've heard the idiom about the broken clock, right?"

Ash couldn't prevent the light scowl from arriving on his face at that, but did not respond. Nor did he clench his fists.

They would just keep battling. To prove their point to Gary one way or another.

As Gary returned Meditite's Poke Ball to his belt, he was fuming.

Truth be told, the battle had actually given him some indication on where Medititie still had to grow… but he would never say it out loud. Just the mere thought of that pissed him off to no end at all.

Gary took out his next Poke Ball and held it out in front of him.

"Don't get cocky, Ashy boy. This is still just the beginning for you. You and your pathetic rat."

Pikachu snarled at that, but had no time to retort as his next opponent appeared in front of him.

Ash blinked in surprise, and so did Pikachu.

It was another Eevee.

This one stared at Pikachu blankly, its eyes wide but unmoving. After a few seconds, the Evolution Pokemon suddenly perked up, as if finally registering the fact that Pikachu was there.

Pikachu's head tilted to the side as his face displayed genuine confusion.

"You're not the only one who's managed to get their hands on an Eevee, Ashy boy." Gary grunted. Crossing his arms yet again, he allowed a small smirk to creep up on his lips. "And I'm pretty sure that mine is better. He'll just have to prove it to you."

Ash eyed the Eevee with caution as he assessed the situation.

Pikachu still had energy left, but with his injuries he was running on finite juice. Using Thunderbolt would be too risky because of this, coupled with the yet to be mastered Move's longer charge time…

Gary made the first order. "Shadow Ball!"

In response, Ash immediately countered. "Iron Tail!"

Pikachu bolted forward as Eevee charged up his attack. To Ash's surprise, Gary's Eevee fired much quicker than his own Eevee did, although the Shadow Ball was also a lot smaller, potentially as a result.

Pikachu leapt over the ball and continued his advance, allowing the attack to strike the ground where he once was and kick up some dust in its wake. However, Eevee was already charging forward himself, shockingly at a speed that was quite comparable to Pikachu's own, and the Evolution Pokemon's tail was also metallic.

Thankfully, Pikachu had built up more momentum, likely due to Eevee having not started running until afterwards. As the two metallic tails clashed, Pikachu quickly pushed his opponent back, sending the Evolution Pokemon skidding a few feet across the battlefield, albeit perfectly unharmed.

"Brick Break!"

Hoping to strike before Eevee could regain his bearings, Pikachu bolted forward again, his fist glowing orange as he reeled his arm back and socked Eevee in the jaw.

As Eevee tumbled painfully across the battlefield, Pikachu immediately followed up with a bolt of lightning. However, the Thunder Shock was sidestepped by the Evolution Pokemon, who, just in time, used all of the willpower that he had to ignore the pain from the previous attack and land on his feet, bolting out of the way with Quick Attack.

"Shadow Ball!"

At Gary's command, Eevee circled around Pikachu and fired the ghostly orb into the mouse's back. Pikachu, having just finished firing off his Thunder Shock, was caught unawares as the ball painfully exploded against him, sending him tumbling head over heels with a loud cry.

Now Eevee rushed forward to Pikachu with an Iron Tail. Much like Eevee himself, Pikachu ignored the pain in his back, regaining his bearings and turning around in time to raise his own Iron Tail to block. However, Eevee's momentum carried him, and Pikachu quickly found himself grunting as he was knocked onto his back, his Iron Tail shielding him from the damage but not from the impact itself.

"Great work, Eevee! Body Slam!"

Pikachu rolled out of the way as quickly as possible as Eevee came down towards him, but the first thing that the Evolution Pokemon did upon landing was fire off a Shadow Ball in the fleeing mouse's direction.

That could have been yet another hit to Ash's Starter Pokemon, but luckily, Ash found himself breathing a sigh of relief as Pikachu raised a hasty Iron Tail to absorb the damage from the blow. Pikachu was pushed back ever so slightly, but by barely even a few inches at most.

This Eevee was almost as fast as Pikachu was, and he seemed to hit decently hard, too. His Shadow Balls weren't as powerful as the one used by Ash's own Eevee, but they also came out a lot more quickly. A weaker, yet more efficient form of the technique.

What's more, Pikachu's efforts to combat the pain of his injuries in favor of going all out were sure to be taking their toll on him. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, which meant that they needed to make this count.

"Double Team and Zap Tail!"

Pikachu split into two, and Eevee likely wouldn't know which one to defend against. Only the real Pikachu could actually pull off the technique itself, but with both the clone and the real Pikachu rushing forward at once, Eevee's chances at being able to notice were slim due to the franticness of the situation.

Instinctively, Eevee raised an Iron Tail to block, but ended up blocking the wrong target, the clone of Pikachu that had been created by Double Team phasing out of existence as the real Pikachu raised a metallic tail, now coated with electricity, and rammed it right into Eevee's broadside. A loud cry escaped the Evolution Pokemon's mouth as he was sent rocketing across the field, rolling painfully across the pavement before balancing himself.

Pikachu was breathing heavily now, and wasn't able to go on without catching his breath. Ash and Gary could both see some deep breaths from Eevee, too, the latest attack doing quite a number on him.

Pikachu was running out of energy. They needed to finish this quickly.

"Thunder Shock!"

"Headbutt!"

Pikachu's bolt of lightning took too long to charge up due to the mouse's exhaustion. To Ash's frustration, Eevee was already circling around, the Thunder Shock missing its mark as Eevee swiftly advanced, charging forward with Quick Attack with his head downward as he took aim at Pikachu.

SLAM!

Eevee slammed head first into Pikachu's side. A loud, high pitched cry escaped the mouse's lips as he was sent flying into the barriers in front of Ash, his other side slamming directly into them.

Ash winced at the sound of the impact, and sadly wasn't surprised when Pikachu did not get up.

With a bit of a solemn expression, Ash took out Pikachu's Poke Ball and called back his starter.

"You did great, Pikachu." he said soothingly. "Take a rest for now."

Clipping the Poke Ball back onto his belt, he returned his focus to Gary and Eevee.

The Evolution Pokemon certainly wasn't in perfect shape anymore. He was confident that any of his team could defeat him now, but he knew he couldn't let that go to his head.

Gary seemed visibly frustrated despite the victory. Pikachu had single handedly beaten one of his Pokemon and injured another. Ash allowed himself to feel a small glint of satisfaction at that, but the battle wasn't over yet.

Ash removed a Poke Ball from his belt.

This Eevee knew Iron Tail and Shadow Ball, which could put Valiant at a disadvantage. However, Reflect and Light Screen could help make up for that. Not to mention Teleport and Shadow Sneak could help trip Eevee up.

The young Ralts appeared in front of him, crossing his arms and analyzing Eevee as he took note of his opponent.

"Pikachu's been knocked out." Valiant tensed up at that, but nodded. "You ready, buddy?" another nod.

However, Gary returned Eevee and took out another Poke Ball.

"You're really pissing me off, Ashy boy." he grunted with annoyance. Suddenly, a sadistic smirk formed on his lips. "Maybe an old friend of yours can knock you down a peg."

In a bright flash of light, a large, blue, bipedal turtle appeared.

Ash's face stiffened. A Wartortle.

Gary's Squirtle had evolved. In and of itself, that wasn't too surprising…

So… just how much stronger was Wartortle now?

His mind flashed back to Pichu's battle with Squirtle, but he immediately shook his head.

No. That was then. This is now. Win or lose, they certainly wouldn't be going out like that.

The water type was as stoic as ever, perhaps even more so. Valiant's analytical gaze was met with one of pure stoicism, the large turtle looking at the young Feeling Pokemon not as though he were strong, or weak, or interesting, or boring… just… looking at him.

The glare on Wartortle's face contained little emotion. Just a piercing gaze that notably put Valiant quite a bit on edge, the young Ralts continuing to tense up under the intensity of the gaze from his significantly physically larger opponent.

"Valiant…" said Ash, the young Ralts quickly looking back at him. "Don't be afraid. That Pokemon beat Pikachu before, and he's much stronger now, so don't underestimate him. Just remember, we can't be intimidated." a nod from the young Feeling Pokemon, as Valiant returned his gaze back to Wartortle, looking a little bit more determined now.

Gary scoffed. "Pep talking from one pipsqueak to another, I see. Whatever floats your boat, Ashy boy."

Just an empty insult. Nothing more. Ash had proven his worth before against Brock, and Valiant had even moreso.

As the two combatants sunk into their stances, Ash adjusted his cap and, as if by accident, glanced over to Misty for the briefest of seconds. Maybe it was out of curiosity, he wasn't sure. However, he had quickly looked away again out of fear of being noticed, so he hadn't caught sight of her facial expression.

Returning his focus to Gary and Wartortle, Ash began to think…

No doubt that Wartortle had a lot of raw power going for him now. And his defenses were probably far exceeding that of when they had previously fought back in Pallet Town. Could Valiant even hurt this thing?

They'd have to be tricky. Valiant had been practicing his Telepathy ability a bit, making him a bit more skilled at reading his opponent's, which was something that he was already naturally good at, and he had some versatile techniques at his disposal, but he wasn't sure how effective that Hypnosis or Confuse Ray would be, given his lack of mastery towards them, particularly the latter.

Shadow Sneak and Teleport would certainly be the key. They could catch Wartortle by surprise.

But it looked like Gary was finished with his planning, so he would have to spring into action.

"Valiant, that Wartortle's defenses aren't going to be easy to deal, so be careful. Magical Leaf!"

Valiant responded right away, holding his hands up and allowing the brightly glowing leaves to fire towards his opponent.

But Wartortle was ready, quickly retreating into his shell, which began spinning rapidly.

He was using Rapid Spin.

As the leaves uselessly bounced off the seemingly impenetrable shell, Wartortle advanced toward Valiant, aiming to smash into the young Ralts with the full force of his rock hard, spinning shell.

Valiant ceased Magical Leaf and erected a glass cube to surround him. He winced and strained himself as Wartortle's rapidly rotating shell grinded against the Reflect, the cracks slowly beginning to form on his barrier.

Ash gulped. No doubt weaponizing that hard shell was one of the first things that Gary tried to do while training Wartortle. As good for offense as it was for defense…

Gary switched orders. "Ice Punch!'

Exiting his shell, Wartortle reared a fist back. Although the barrier was cracked, it was stable enough for Valiant to not feel the temperature around the two combatants drop as as the frozen aura formed around the tortoise's fist.

SMASH!

The already damaged barrier didn't stand a chance as Wartortle's frozen fist was sent flying straight for the cracked part of the glass cube, Valiant flinching from the wind force as the Reflect shattered and left him exposed.

Valiant could feel the cold air radiating off of the frozen fist as Wartortle reared back and shot a jet of water from his mouth.

The Water Gun would have cleanly struck Valiant's forehead if the Feeling Pokemon hadn't teleported away, appearing several feet behind the tortoise in an effort to catch his breath.

But Wartortle was already turning around, and Gary was already giving his next order.

"Aqua Jet!"

So Wartortle had learned to use one of his Egg Moves…

Water appeared beneath the blue tortoise's feet, and quickly rose upwards to engulf him. Although it didn't surround him completely, as Ash briefly took note of, the Wartortle was still quite skilled with the technique, almost capable of using it in full.

Aqua Jet was a fairly useful technique that would surely add to Wartortle's speed despite the Pokemon's notable bulk. It would likely give him a lot of aerial potential as well.

Engulfed in water, the blue tortoise launched himself head first towards Valiant, flying slightly above the ground towards his target.

The Feeling Pokemon yelped in surprise just before his bulky opponent smashed into him, and Ash (and Misty) winced painfully as Valiant was sent tumbling several feet away as Wartortle dissipated the water vortex surrounding him and landed firmly on his feet.

Gary pointed a finger towards Valiant as the green headed Pokemon began making his way back up to his feet, his hands resting against the ground to keep himself propped up.

"Wartortle's never lost a fight before, Ashy boy. Your little Ralts will be the perfect addition to his winning streak."

Ash held back a grimace as he called out his orders to the now standing Ralts. "Shadow Sneak and Magical Leaf!"

Valiant was in aching pain from just one blow, his body quite frail compared to the bulky monstrosity that was Wartortle.

Nevertheless, he did what he could to power through the pain. This opponent was clearly far stronger than him, much like that Grotle from before. But Valiant was resilient. He wouldn't let one big blow stop him.

Wartortle looked somewhat bewildered as Valiant sank into the ground, absorbing himself into his shadow to travel behind the large, blue tortoise, resurfacing to fire the leaves at his target.

Valiant knew that this Wartortle was durable. Not just the shell, but the entire body He was behind Wartortle right now, so firing at his back would just result in the leaves uselessly clanging of of the shell again.

Regardless of whether he was attacking from the back or the front, however, it was clear to him that the head was probably the best place to aim. His opponent would be tough to put down regardless, but it would be more effective to aim there than the rest of the tortoise's bulky body.

Wartortle let out a pained cry as the leaves hammered against the back of his head. Stumbling forward, and nearly losing his footing, he turned to glare at Valiant as the young Ralts prepared to fire off a second round.

"Icy Wind!"

Just as Valiant fired off his second barrage, Wartortle, ignoring the momentary pain in his head, opened his mouth. Out fired a strong gust of cold, snowy wind. It was a concentrated blast of air, similar to Wind Blast. But some of the blunt force was traded for a frozen iciness.

Valiant yelped as the wind froze over the leaves and continued onwards towards him. Although parts of the gust painfully slammed into him, and left him shivering as a result, he managed to power through the pain and gets his Light Screen up before he could suffer the full brunt of the assault.

As the snowy wind pushed against the golden cube barrier, Valiant grunted from the strain of the assault, the Light Screen successfully holding up but clearly being challenged. Just as the tiniest of cracks began to form, Gary switched his orders.

"Aqua Jet!"

The sound of the cube shattering was loud and clear as Wartortle rocketed head first into the small, forming cracks. The bulk of his body, and his overall brute strength, combined with the speed of the Aqua Jet easily managed to overwhelm the slightly damaged barrier.

Wartortle reared his fist back for an Ice Punch, but Valiant's Telepathy ability allowed him to get a better reading on the large, blue tortoise's body language. With his battle senses heightened by the Ability, Valiant found his Water Type foe's actions to be quite telegraphed, and easily ducked under the powerful blow that would have surely put him down if it had struck him in the head.

Valiant grimaced uncomfortably from the freezing cold air radiating off of the turtle's fist, but persevered as he sidestepped around to Wartortle's side, quickly firing a bright pink beam of light into the side of his opponent's head before the water type Pokemon could have time to react accordingly.

The Dazzling Gleam sent the unsuspecting tortoise staggering backwards, but the turtle righted himself quickly as Gary called for another Aqua Jet.

As Wartortle dashed forward yet again, Ash was in awe. Valiant was attacking his opponent by aiming right for the head, probably the most viable strategy for dealing with Wartortle, and yet the blue tortoise was still able to shrug it all off. Just how much stronger was he than Valiant?!

Valiant wasn't able to completely form a Reflect barrier in time, and staggered back from the painful shockwaves as Wartortle easily smashed through the incomplete glass cube.

As Wartortle exited his Aqua Jet, Gary cried out. "Water Pulse!"

Extending his hands outward, Wartortle concentrated as an orb of glowing, bright blue water materialized in between his palms. As the orb grew in size, he raised his hands upwards, before fiercely throwing the orb downwards, slamming it point blank into Valiant.

Ash cried out as Valiant was blasted backwards, the Ralts shouting in pain as he tumbled across the ground.

Gary smirked victoriously, but his eyes widened as Valiant began staggering to his feet once again.

Ash blinked. Valiant was definitely the least durable member of the team. He needed Reflect and Light Screen to make up for his lack of natural defenses, and Teleport and Shadow Sneak to make up for his lack of agility.

Yet despite the powerful blow that he had taken, Valiant refused to give up. Covered in bruises and dirt, and completely drenched in water, the young Ralts rose to his feet, glaring defiantly as he clenched his teeth.

Gary's eyes lit up in frustration. "Just go down already, pipsqueak!"

Instead of complying, Valiant gathered Psychic energy in his hands as fast as he could, and fired off a Psybeam in Wartortle's direction.

After the attack proved futile, easily deflected by Wartortle's Rapid Spin, Gary aggressively let out an order as Wartortle exited his shell.

"Bubblebeam! Now!"

Wartortle opened his mouth, allowing a barrage of bright, glowing, blue bubbles to escape from his mouth and rocket towards their target. Valiant, in response, did his best to erect a Light Screen, but in his wounded state, wasn't able to manage a full barrier. The feeble cube was easily shattered by the incoming bubbles, the shockwaves from the projectiles knocking the Feeling Pokemon over as Gary, unwilling to allow Ash and Valiant any breathing room, barked out another order.

"Ice Punch! Increase your speed with Aqua Jet!"

"Confusion!" Ash quickly countered.

As his now clenched fist was once again surrounded with snowy energy, Wartortle engulfed the bottom half of his body in water. He did not keep it that way permanently, however, simply utilizing the Aqua Jet to propel himself forward, rather than fully committing to it.

Aqua Jet was a great way to make up for Wartortle's bulkiness, being capable of launching his otherwise bulky body forward at high speeds that many might not expect a Pokemon of his build to be capable of moving at. Although Ash figured that he could probably run at a decent pace regardless, the usage of Aqua Jet ensured that he would never be easily outpaced.

As Wartortle sailed through the air, advancing upon Valiant and rearing his fist back for the final blow, the young Ralts quickly shot his hands outwards as he rose back up to his feet, eyes glowing a fierce, deep purple as Wartortle's body was suddenly engulfed in a purple outline.

Ash grimaced as Wartortle struggled against the Psychic hold, his icy fist trembling in the air as it moved forward ever so slowly, trying to break free and deal the final blow to Valiant.

Both trainers were shouting words of encouragement to their Pokemon as Misty looked on, one combatant doing everything that he could to deal the final blow, and the other doing everything that he could to halt his opponent.

Valiant's teeth were clenched tightly, grinding together as he strained himself to hold the powerful, bulky body of Wartortle in place, fighting against both the tortoise's momentum and the water type Pokemon's brute strength. As well as the Feeling Pokemon's own exhaustion and pain from the rest of the battle.

Valiant's arms began shaking, and a deep frown appeared on Ash's face a she realized that the young Ralts was giving out.

Whether he gave in to exhaustion or pain, nobody was quite sure. But the purple glow of Valiant's eyes began to flicker, and the weakening hold of the Psychic energy allowed Wartortle's body to successfully break through, the turtle letting out a frustrated shout as he brought his frozen fist down upon Valiant's forehead.

A loud CRACKING sound was heard as Valiant was propelled downwards onto his back, the smashing blow to his head annihilating the young Ralts' consciousness and leaving him still on the ground.

Snorting triumphantly, Wartortle rose upwards, his hands firmly pressed victoriously against his bulky hips as he stood over to the unmoving body of his latest fallen foe.

Disheartened, Ash returned Valiant to his Poke Ball as quickly as possible, looking a the small orb apologetically as the young Ralts was quickly sucked into it by the beam of red light.

"Thank you for giving it your all, buddy." he spoke soothingly to his companion, despite doubting that the unconscious Feeling Pokemon could hear him. "You never gave up, even when it was clear that you were outmatched. I couldn't ask for anything else from you."

Returning the young Ralts' Poke Ball to his belt, Ash immediately prepared himself for Gary's inevitable insults.

"How was that, Ashy boy? Brings back memories, doesn't it? Just replace that Ralts with a Pichu and this was pretty much a reenactment-"

"Enough, Gary." the other boy snarled as Ash had the sheer audacity to cut him off. "The battle isn't over yet. Save your trash talk for later."

As Wartortle stoically crossed his arms in patient preparation for his next opponent, Gary glared daggers into Ash's eyes from across the battlefield. Although Ash flinched a bit from the ferocity, he did his best not to make it visible, standing steadfast as he returned Gary's glare, albeit probably not quite as fiercely.

"I told you to keep your tongue in check, Ashy boy." Professor Oak's grandson snarled. "Don't forget, right now, I'm the one in the lead."

Ash grimaced at that. He was right, but…

"Not for long." he spat back, sounding more determined than angry. Unclipping another Poke Ball, he held it out in front of him as he eyed the orb carefully.

That Wartortle was a juggernaut for certain. Probably comparable to that monster of a Grotle that Paul had sicked on them back in Pewter City.

Enough raw power to easily overwhelm Valiant's barriers, even when they were at their best. Enough durability to shrug off just about anything, even blows to the head that didn't have to deal with his absurdly tough shell. Pokemon always received massive boons upon Evolving, he'd seen that first hand with Pikachu, and especially with Nebula.

Eevee wouldn't stand a chance. As much as Ash hated to admit it, her attacks would just be ineffective against this bulky monstrosity. Even Take Down would probably struggle against the durable might of Wartortle's shell, and would also leave Eevee herself injured in the process.

"It's time, then."

It had to be Nebula. She was a lot stronger than anybody else on the team right now, easily overshadowing all three of her teammates in terms of physical capabilities alone. If anybody could bring down Wartortle, it was her.

And if that still wasn't enough, they always had their trump card…

"You sure you don't want to just forfeit and give me my money in advance, Ashy boy?" Gary's insufferable voice sounded out from across the battlefield. "You'd be saving you and your team a heck of a lot of trouble!"

Gripping Nebula's Poke Ball tightly, and preparing to toss it outwards, Ash shook his head.

"Can it, Gary." Gary glowered as the ball sailed through the air, but couldn't fire back as Nebula emerged in a flash of bright, white light.

The Staravia was ready, immediately locking her eyes on her opponent, who did so in turn.

"Careful, Nebula." Ash warned her. "That Wartortle took out Valiant easily. He's really strong, and even more durable. Watch out for his shell, that thing's practically invincible."

As Nebula nodded, she glared forward upon hearing about the defeat of her friend. As she spread her wings outwards, in preparation for battle, Wartortle sunk into a fighting stance as he awaited Gary's orders.

"So it's the bird now, then." the other boy commented. "No matter. Wartortle! Blast that beak brain with Water Gun!"

The jet of water shot at Nebula, who launched herself into the air to quickly avoid the attack.

"Wind Blast, then Wing Attack!"

Gary blinked in surprise as Nebula fired her blast of concentrated wind at the Wartortle, who clearly wasn't expecting such a move as he quickly held his arms protectively in front of his face. He fought against the force of the wind, but the condensed pressure of the blast pushed him backwards and left him staggering in the process.

Which gave Nebula the perfect time to charge forward with Quick Attack and smash a wing, which was glowing with white light, into the large tortoise's cheek. Ash grinned at the impact of the attack as Wartortle was knocked off of his feet.

The triumph was short lived, however, as Wartortle surrounded himself in a watery vortex, using the aerial mobility provided to him with Aqua Jet to reposition himself and land on his feet.

No doubt, one of Gary's ideas.

"Rapid fire Water Gun!"

The series of continuous blasts of water spat out by the large, blue tortoise wasn't nearly as individually powerful as a single, concentrated Water Gun, but it was in much greater quantity. Had Nebula not greatly improved her aerial mobility since the battle with Brock, Ash might have been a bit worried, but he allowed a surge of pride to fill up in his chest as his bird friend skillfully dodged blast after blast.

But, upon realizing that this wasn't working, Gary quickly switched tactics. "Icy Wind! Full blast!"

The large gust of freezing cold, snowy wind that escaped from Wartortle's mouth was much bigger than the small, narrow jets of water that he had been firing at Nebula previously. Taken aback by the sudden change in tactics, Nebula abandoned dodging and flapped her wings to create another Wind Blast, which clashed against the Icy Wind.

Gary smirked. Perfect. The bird was in one place now.

"Wartortle! Aqua Rush!"

Abandoning Icy Wind, Wartortle retreated in his shell and began spinning. The Wind Blast slammed harmlessly into his rapidly rotating shell as his shell suddenly became submerged with water. Ash and Nebula both gasped aloud as Wartortle suddenly rocketed forwards, sailing upwards towards Nebula, his still spinning shell remaining engulfed in the water as he rushed towards her at incredible speeds.

A combination of Rapid Spin and Aqua Jet, an aquatic technique that fully weaponized the incredible strength of Wartortle's shell by utilizing the high speed momentum from Aqua Jet.

Nebula shrieked as she coated her wings in steel, crossing them out in front of her in a protective manner as Wartortle's water-engulfed shell slammed into her at full force. Even with the metallic coating of the feathers shielding her from the damage of what would have been a positively devastating impact, the sheer force of the blow sent her flying backwards and towards the barriers in front of Ash.

However, she kept her wings coated in steel, and slammed one of them into the barriers in order to catch herself, halting her flight.

The Iron Tail tactic that Pikachu always used to break his falls. But this time, with Steel Wing.

Ash was flabbergasted. What WAS that attack?! He hadn't expected a combination move like THAT.

And it was definitely potent, too. He wondered if Nebula would even still be conscious if she took a direct hit from that…

Wartortle was most certainly the real deal. As Nebula resumed her flight, Wartortle exiting his shell and landing on his feet after the previous collision with her Steel Wing, Ash called out his next order.

"Double Team! One copy!"

Nebula complied, splitting herself into two, both the real one and the copy flying around in opposite directions as they circled Wartortle from above.

Gary quickly responded.

"I see what you're doing, Ashy boy! It won't help you! Rapid Spin! Stay in place!"

Wartortle complied, and Ash grimaced as the stoic tortoise quickly retreated into his shell. Spinning at high speeds while Nebula circled around.

Gary and Wartortle had no idea which Nebula was the real one that they actually had to defend against, so instead, they had just resorted to Rapid Spin, so that Nebula couldn't hurt them regardless. Paul and Elekid had used a similar tactic against him and Pikachu back in Pewter City.

Changing tactics, Ash remained steadfast. "Drop Double Team and use Steel Wing!"

Wartortle had a natural resistance against Steel Wing, but at the same time, the added durable that the attack provided her wings with would allow Nebula to fair better against the incredible exterior of his shell.

Rushing forward with a burst of speed provided to her by Quick Attack, the clone vanishing in the process, Nebula slammed a wing with feathers coated in cold steel into Wartortle's shell. The metallic wing was unable to penetrate the blue tortoise's monstrous defenses, but Nebula herself felt no pain as the two clashed.

The force of Nebula's attack pushed Wartortle back a bit as Nebula sped back upwards. As Wartortle exited his shell to fire a quick Bubblebeam in her direction, Ash shouted out another order.

"Aerial Ace!"

Nebula gracefully flew under the incoming barrage of bubbles as she took aim at her water type opponent.

Coating herself in a glowing white aura, she began to speed her way downwards, but Gary had already shouted a counterorder.

"Aqua Jet!"

Engulfed in water, Wartortle propelled himself upwards towards the advancing Staravia.

BAM!

The two combatants both smashed into each other head-on, Nebula's sharp beak colliding with the top of Wartortle's sturdy head. Both of them bounced off of each other, descending through the air. However, Nebula, with a pained expression on her face, was knocked off balance from the impact, while Wartortle remained in control.

Even with Nebula's greater speed and momentum, Wartortle's bulk and the overall strength of his attack had given him the edge in the clash. Taking advantage of his opponent's newfound vulnerability, he opened his mouth to fire off a quick Icy Wind while still falling in midair.

Before Nebula had the chance to recover from the clash, she was struck head on by the snowy gust of wind, shrieking in pain as she was blasted backwards. As Wartortle solidly landed on his feet, however, Nebula was finally able to power through the pain just in time to break her fall with a Steel Wing, smashing a metallic coated wing into the ground to save her from being further hurt by the impact.

As Wartortle crossed his arms, Ash clenched his fists tightly.

Nebula had the advantage in speed and overall mobility, especially because she could fly, but Wartortle was clearly still stronger than her. And his overall defenses and great durability both complemented that greatly. Apart from the bruise on his cheek from Nebula's Wing Attack at the beginning of the fight, he was still mostly unscathed. Meanwhile, Nebula had just taken a painful hit from an ice type move, and was unable to come out on top whenever their attacks clashed against each other, even with her greater speed and momentum.

For the first time since evolving, Nebula had finally met her match…

There was no other choice then… they had to do it.

"Nebula! It's time, use Reckless!"

Gary and Misty both perked up at that, while Wartortle tilted his head curiously at the mention of the Ability.

Nebula also perked up at the mention. At the signal.

Nebula's eyes flashed red, and her whole body began to tense up as a glowing red outline surrounded it.

Pokemon had natural reserves of strength, that they continuously tapped into while exerting themselves in physical activity. These reserves allowed them to continue onwards with longevity, being tapped into overtime.

With Reckless, however, Nebula was now tapping into them all at once. She had no more reserves to fall back on for later. She was throwing all of her eggs into one basket, and using all of her inner energy at the same time. No worry or concern for tiring herself out. No worry or concern for getting herself hurt. No worry or concern for how her opponent might respond.

She had, quite literally, become reckless.

The bird shrieked violently towards the sky as she spread her wings outward, red lightning sparking across the surfaces of her body as her voice loudly echoed throughout the battlefield. The glowing, red outline lining across her body flashed brighter and brighter, radiating off of her body with unrivaled intensity as she set her sights on her opponent. A feral snarl escaped her beak, her bloodlusted and now animalistic noises directed towards the large, blue tortoise standing in front of her.

Surprisingly, Wartortle actually seemed quite caught off guard by the sudden change, slightly tilting his head to the side with his arms still crossed, a look of mild confusion on his face as he carefully assessed the bird from afar, still not yet moving from his position.

Gary and Misty were even more surprised, the former taking a small step back at the sound of the noises escaping from the bird's beak. Even ASH found himself perturbed by her sudden change in behavior, images of Nebula's friendly smile flashing throughout his mind as he struggled to take in… that.

An angry, somewhat crazed grin made its way to Nebula's face. With one more loud and violent shriek towards the sky above, blatantly reveling in her newfound power, she spread her wings out yet again, before flapping them furiously, making her way towards the air as she prepared to take her newfound strength (and bloodlusted killer instincts) out on her formidable opponent.

Ash immediately called out an order before Gary could.

"Wing Attack!"

The response happened fast.

The boy then grinned.

Gary's eyes practically bulged.

Nebula's speed was carried by Quick Attack, but whatever agility she had before paled in comparison to the blur that she was now.

Ash would have felt the wind force from her quicking off of the ground if it hadn't been for the barriers.

Before either he, Gary, or Misty could register it, a loud SMACK sounded throughout the battlefield, as a yelping Wartortle was sent flying back first into the barriers in front of Gary.

As Nebula kicked off into the air, flapping her wings to gain altitude, the tortoise got to his feet as a notable bruise appeared on his front. The water type staggered a bit, but was otherwise still ready to go.

Gary's face was pale as Nebula hovered above the battlefield. Ash considered using Wind Blast, and was just about to give the order, but suddenly decided against it.

Now that Reckless was in effect, Nebula's actions would become far more taxing on her energy than usual. She no longer had any reserves, and an overuse of Wind Blast and Whirlwind surely wouldn't be doing her stamina any favors, given the sheer amount of vigorous wing flapping that they both involved.

Nebula wouldn't realise this, of course. She wasn't being cautious anymore. Which meant that Ash now had to be cautious for her instead.

But before he could switch tactics, he heard Gary shouting.

The other boy was livid. From just one attack, Nebula had put him on edge.

"Wartortle! Blast that thing with Water Gun! Rapid Fire!"

Normally. Nebula probably would have skillfully avoided the barrage of blasts being spat upwards her way, but in her new state, things were different. She'd much rather smash through, charge through, or deflect incoming attacks than avoid them. Whatever was the most convenient. Cautiousness was not an option anymore.

She was out for blood.

The Staravia shrieked another violent shriek as she charged downwards towards the incoming barrage, her wings glowing with a bright, white light as she sliced through each and every blast of water in her way with Wing Attack.

She winced in mild pain as her wing smashed into Wartortle's now rotating shell, the blue tortoise having used Rapid Spin just in time to block her attack. However, the sheer force of her blow catapulted the spinning shell a good distance away.

However, as she began to charge after it, Wartortle exited his shell and hit her with a barrage of bubbles, the young Staravia being struck by them just as she was closing in.

She grunted in frustration and pain from the blow, being propelled backwards a good few feet, but was back to rushing forward the moment the momentum ceased, undeterred by the attack.

This time, Wartortle, having just finished using Bubblebeam, had no time to retreat into his shell, and was smashed head on with an Aerial Ace, the tortoise crying out in agony as he was painfully tackled across the battlefield.

He could only keep Nebula at bay temporarily, but could never hold her off for long. As Nebula cleared the distance between them to prepare for her next attack, Gary's body was shaking, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists with increasing tightness.

"NO!" he shouted to his temporarily downed Starter. Pointing a shaking finger at Ash, he snarled in a manner that almost came across as animalistic. "This moment of glory's finished! I'm not gonna have you humiliate us any further!" he looked to Wartortle, who was in the process of picking himself up, albeit much more slowly this time. "Get up Wartortle! We're not losing to some worthless failure and his beak brain!"

Wartortle made his way to his feet, and, picking up on Nebula's hyper-aggression, immediately retreated into his shell, spinning with Rapid Spin in preparation for Nebula's inevitable next attack.

As Nebula prepared to charge forward, Ash called out. "Steel Wing this time, Nebula!"

Nebula complied, coating her wings in metal as she descended towards her guarded opponent. With another animalistic shriek, she smashed one of her metal wings into the spinning shell, sending it sliding across the battlefield, the impact of the blow disorienting Wartortle and leaving him to involuntarily retreat from his shell.

The momentum of Nebula's blow didn't stop as Wartortle exited his shell, though, and, unprepared for the velocity, and, ultimately, unable to maintain his footing, he the blue tortoise found himself staggering backwards as he struggled to stay upright, teetering back even as his movements began to slow to a halt.

Ash had to admit that Nebula's behavior was… unsettling. This wasn't the same Nebula who usually greeted everyone in such a chipper tone every morning. Who was practically everywhere with Pikachu and even gave him free rides on her back to check out the view from the sky together. Who felt so guilty about her role in Eevee's capture just yesterday.

This Nebula was entirely different. As though she had been swapped with another Staravia altogether. Reckless was certainly a terrifying Ability. Not just because of the boosts that it gave, or the drawbacks to the user's stamina that it involved, but, most of all, because of how it altered the mind.

He wondered how Pikachu would react to Nebula's sudden and abrupt change in personality. The thought of the young mouse's potential reaction to his best friend's sudden mood shift was both an amusing and concerning one.

Ash would have to look up the exact cause of this later. Was it an adrenaline overdose? A sudden anger? Was her brain just going haywire in general?

They were questions that were flowing through his mind throughout the battle, but also ones that he knew would need to be addressed later, and not immediately.

Because for now, they had an advantage that they needed to capitalise on.

"Nebula! Quick Attack, then Wing Attack!"

The young bird shrieked in response, bolting head first into the still staggering Wartortle as she forcefully drove him to the ground. Pinning him onto his back with her talons, she drove a glowing wing into his face with another battle cry escaping from her beak.

The SMASHING sound echoed across the battlefield as Wartortle was slapped cleanly across the face, Nebula's glowing, bright red eyes glowering down at him as her glowing wing struck its target.

Gary was screaming at the top of his lungs now. "Icy Wind!"

Had she not been in her Reckless state, Nebula probably would have been able to avoid the blast of icy air that struck her at point blank, but with her newfound aggression, she wasn't in nearly as much of a hurry to clear the distance between herself and her opponent.

An enraged shriek sounded across the battlefield as Nebula was catapulted upwards, the direct hit from the Icy Wind agonizingly assaulting her body. But as the attack ceased and she was left hanging in the air, she quickly righted herself, hurt but far from down, as vengefully blitzed forward with another Wing Attack. Wartortle was still in the midst of getting up, struggling his way to his feet, when the attack smashed into him, sending the back of his shell smashing into the barriers in front of Gary as the tortoise wheezed in agony.

The large, blue turtle slid downwards onto his butt, shell leaning against the barriers as his bruised and battered body struggled to pick itself back up.

Gary looked like he was going to puke. "W-Wartortle…"

This couldn't be it, right? They wouldn't lose to Ash-

The small grin making its way to Ash's face immediately disappeared as both he and Gary were visually reminded of something.

Nebula wasn't the only one here with an Ability that greatly powered the user up.

And Wartortle's just so happened to take effect in moments like these.

This time, it was Wartortle's body that glowed brightly as a powerful, ocean blue aura engulfed his body.

Torrent was an Ability that activated when its user was on the ropes. When they were on their last legs.

And when it did, the power of their water type moves increased exponentially.

Wartortle's eyes flashed a bright, ocean blue to match the rest of the aura surrounding his body as he discovered newfound adrenaline, making his way back up to his feet with a facial expression that conveyed much more enthusiasm than Ash had ever seen from him before.

He could feel the energy coursing through his veins. Pumping through his bloodstream. Flowing throughout his body. And it felt GOOD.

Ash's face suddenly became uneasy. Up until now, Nebula's Reckless ability had given her the edge. The power to overwhelm Wartortle's defenses while smashing through his attacks. But now, with Wartortle's newfound power boost…

Had they just lost the upper hand?

In spite of his usual stoicism, Wartortle could NOT help the widening grin that made its way to his face as he let out a triumphant battle cry towards the sky occupied by his powerful, feathered opponent. Above him, Nebula let out a fearsome shriek in response, as if accepting a challenge.

Gary was starting to feel just a little bit more eased up now, but not by much as he pointed forward at Nebula, who flapped her wings above them while aggressively eying her opponent.

"Wartortle! That feathered freak of nature is no match for your power! Put that loser down with Water Gun! Rapid fire!"

The jets of water that escaped from Wartortle's mouth were much bigger than before. And yet also more condensed. And they moved a lot faster.

"Out of the way, Nebula!" Ash shouted frantically.

Nebula should have dodged. Ash TOLD her to dodge.

But she didn't.

Nebula was already rushing forward, prepared to smash through the powered up blasts with her Wing Attack like before.

As the first blast of water collided with her wing, Nebula felt a sharp pain in her wing from the force of the impact. All of a sudden, it was as though she had smashed wing-first straight into a rock. She grunted out in displeasure as her now stubbed wing scattered the water that it had just struck, the droplet's raining down onto the battlefield, but could not right herself in time for the second blast from the barrage to strike her square in the chest.

Ash gasped aloud as Nebula shouted in pain, losing her balance in the air as Gary gave a follow-up order.

"Great! Now Water Pulse!"

Wartortle held out his arms again, this time, the sphere of liquid forming in between his hands growing much larger and glowing much more brightly than before.

ANd when he tossed it, it SAILED through the air and SMASHED into its target quicker than anyone currently present ever could have predicted, including even Gary and Wartortle themselves. Nebula's pained shriek of agony assaulted Ash's ears as the boy guiltily watched his airborne friend sailing towards the barriers.

Nebula couldn't regain her composure in time to slam a Steel Wing into the barriers in order to stop herself. And even if she could, she wouldn't have been cautious enough to do so anyway. She wasn't thinking about saving herself, only about beating down her opponent.

She smashed back-first into the barriers, and began descending downwards. Just before her body could hit the pavement, however, she regained her composure, stopping her fall with a mighty flap of her wings as she continued to flap and make her way back upwards. As she reached full height once again, a primal shout escaped from her beak, directed straight at Wartortle, her eyes practically pulsing with their red glow and her face livid.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as Gary's mockery filled his ears.

"How's that, Ashy boy? Now that we're on an even playing field again, it's time to finish this with style!" he pointed accusingly at Nebula. "Your glorified feather freak won't be able to stop this one, and won't be smart enough to dodge with that ability activated! Wartortle! End this bird brained trash heap with Aqua Rush!"

Wartortle retreated into his shell yet again. As he spun, the water that engulfed him was much fiercer than before.

Ash's face was pale. Gary was right. Nebula wouldn't dodge it.

Blocking it with Steel Wing wouldn't work. Nebula had still been sent flying last time. And this time, she would lack the self preservation to stop herself with Steel Wing before she could slam into the barrier.

Wind Blast? Maybe, but she'd surely tire herself out, even if she could block the attack with it. She had already been using Reckless for quite a bit, and Ash wasn't sure if the attack would be enough to do true damage to Wartortle while he was still in his shell.

The rest of Nebula's arsenal certainly wouldn't work either. Which meant that…

...Nebula would probably knock herself out in the process, but hopefully, if she could overpower Wartortle and Gary's attack, at least she could force a draw on them.

Aqua Rush was clearly a very powerful technique. Probably the best one that Gary and Wartortle had.

So Ash and Nebula would just have to respond in kind.

"Cut loose, Nebula! Double-Edge!"

As Wartortle's rotation continued to increase in velocity, Nebula let out a loud cry as she engulfed herself in a bright, white aura.

The pale energy surrounded her body as she took aim at her target. Ash's breath caught in his throat as both combatants rushed forward, and if he had been paying attention to Gary, he would have seen a similar reaction from him as well.

Wartortle's Aqua Jet carried him far faster than it already had before, and had even more power behind it as well. As a result, this Aqua Rush was incomparable to the one that had previously been used earlier in the fight. The tortoise ascended towards Nebula in his rapidly spinning shell, at speeds far greater than Ash could have ever imagined the blue brute traveling at.

Nebula's spine-chilling cry sounded across the battlefield as she propelled herself downwards towards her advancing opponent. Traveling at an even greater speed than Wartortle, she put all of her might into her powerful charge in preparation for the upcoming clash.

SLAM!

The smashing noise echoed across the battlefield as the two attacks met with one another in midair. Ash, Gary, and Misty all would have felt the gusts of wind that were birthed from the shockwaves of the collision had it not been for the barriers separating them from the conflict.

The two attacks pushed against each other in midair, Nebula straining herself as she continued to push against the opposition combatant with a ferocious snarl. Wartortle's shell was beyond rock hard, and the momentum provided for it from the powered-up Aqua Jet was not something to be understated.

She felt the sweat flowing down her body and the fatigue slipping in. She had been using Reckless for a fairly good bit now, and had attacked several times at full force with her Moves being greatly powered up by the Ability. All of the energy in her body, being used up at once. And she was beginning to run out.

It had only been a matter of time, too.

But she would use all of the energy that she had left to win this battle. To demolish the opponent struggling against her and come out on top. For Ash's sake. And for Valiant.

Wartortle had been slowly pushing her back, but her convictions were too strong. Putting everything that she ever could have had into the clash, she shrieked angrily as she began pushing back against the might of her opponent, her body roughly shoving against the exterior of the hard shell that stood in her way.

Gary's eyes widened in disbelief as Wartortle began to slowly, but surely, be pushed back by Nebula's assault.

"No…!"

Ash didn't breathe. He didn't open his hands. He watched in silence and intensity as Nebula slowly but surely gained the upper hand. As she hammered against the advancing shell with her strongest attack, pushing it back and doing everything that she possibly could to shove it down-

And then her body gave out.

Nebula had been using Reckless for too long, and now she was out of steam.

As the might of her Double-Edge rapidly decreased along with her now deteriorating momentum, Wartortle pushed forward with his feathered opponent now at the mercy of his shell. With Nebula's resistance gone, she was rapidly launched into the barriers by the impact of her shelled opponent's attack, smashing against the barriers before falling to the ground.

Ash's heart sank as his feathered friend unceremoniously hit the ground with a thud. Her body was motionless, eyes closed as she lay sprawled out on the pavement.

Nebula had been using Reckless for too long. The boons of the Ability had allowed her to gain the upper hand, but in turn, the drawbacks were ultimately what had cost her the fight.

Exiting his shell, Wartortle landed on his feet and observed Nebula's still form, drawing deep breaths as his hands fell to his sides. He was tired, but his Torrent Ability meant that he still had plenty of power left.

Ash missed the deep sigh of relief that Gary breathed, only noticing him when the other boy finally spoke up again.

"Y-You see now, Ashy boy?!" he pointed to Wartortle, who began to stand upright again, albeit still breathing a bit hard. "That's power!" he pointed to the unconscious Nebula. "Your featherbrained loser was just a pretender!"

Back on the sidelines, Misty rolled her eyes at the boy's tone of voice. It almost sounded like this Gary kid was trying to convince himself more than Ash.

Ash paid Gary no mind as he returned Nebula to her Poke Ball. As the red light finished drawing her in, he looked down at the orb sympathetically and placed a hand on it.

"You were amazing, Nebula. Thank you so much."

Nothing Gary said fazed him. They all knew the truth. Gary knew the truth. That Wartortle had met his match every bit as much as Nebula had met hers. And Ash would never stop being proud of her for that.

Still, it meant that he now only had one teammate left.

The situation technically wasn't as bad as it seemed to be on paper. Gary's Eevee had taken a decent amount of damage, and Wartortle even moreso.

At the same time, however… Eevee had literally just joined the team. She had never battled with him before.

And as damaged as Wartortle very clearly was, his defenses and Torrent ability would still most certainly serve a problem. His Ability was still invigorating him, as far as his Water Type Moves were concerned, at the very least. Eevee would probably just need to land a few clean hits at most in order to finish the job, but the opposite was also true.

Gary's own Eevee, while certainly not in tip top shape, still wasn't completely helpless, and he also had one more Pokemon that hadn't even battled yet.

Ash clutched Eevee's Poke Ball in his hand as he found himself deep in thought.

This was a do or die situation. Maybe he was moving to fast to assume that he was ready to beat Gary yet…

But… quitting just because he would probably lose if they continued… was that what Trainer's did?

Was walking away when the odds were too against you to be worth it considered pragmatic or spineless?

He knew Gary would say the latter, if only to have an excuse to continue mocking him… but this wasn't about what Gary said. They weren't in Pallet Town anymore. Gary wasn't the "leader" anymore.

"What's taking you so long, Ashy boy?" the other boy scrunched up his face. "That bird was your ace, right? This won't take very long, then. Send out your Eevee so we can get this over with."

Ash glared at Gary, but said nothing.

He doubted he'd win at this point. But it wasn't hopeless, and although he didn't care what Gary's views were, and didn't consider surrendering to be spineless… that didn't mean that he would just give up.

Overcoming odds that were too great to be overcome… that was something that every rookie trainer strived to do. Perhaps the one thing that he and Gary both had in common, was the desire to achieve what no other first year Trainers ever had.

Win or lose, didn't matter at this point. If he spent his journey running away from battles like this, he'd never reach the Indigo Plateau.

Eevee appeared in front of him, immediately perking up at the sight of Wartortle.

"Eevee…" Ash knelt down to speak with her for a second. She turned her head towards him with a hint of uncertainty. "Our opponent is tough, but I believe in you, okay?"

His voice was encouraging, doing his best to hide his doubts. No need for Eevee to go into her first battle on the team feeling like she was in a hopeless position.

Whatever small chance that they had… they would capitalize on.

"Hmph." Gary grunted in an unimpressed tone. "For a moment there I thought you were giving up."

Ash's face grew stern.

"Rookies give up all the time, Gary." he said with an even tone of voice. "But whether you like it or not, I'm not going to be one of those rookies."

A hint of anger appeared in Gary's eyes, although his face quickly grew into a smirk.

"And what makes you think you're going to be the one to break all those records and achieve what the other first years hadn't? Hate to break it to you, Ashy boy, but you're a prime example of all the inevitable failures that are spawned with each Season. Only the exceptional trainers won't be forgotten."

"You mean that little speech you gave to me on Opening Day?" Ash's glare tightened. "Doesn't resonate with me anymore, Gary. So quit trying."

Gary's eyes practically flashed red for a moment. As he returned Wartortle to his Poke Ball, he snarled in Ash and Eevee's direction, which earned him a look of aggression from Eevee.

'Pipsqueak thinks he can talk back to me.' he thought bitterly to himself. 'He earns one little Gym badge, and he thinks he's not at the bottom anymore? He's not a future master. He's just a sub par failure who fluked his way through the Qualification Exam. Well flukes don't cut it in the world of professional Pokemon training, and they certainly don't cut it against me!'

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I'll just have to clamp your jaw shut, wannabe." Holding a fourth Poke Ball in front of himself, he spoke cooly. "My first capture isn't that far off from Wartortle, and I think she'll be the perfect way to put the curtain down on your little glorified fantasy dream."

Ash immediately recognized the Pokemon that appeared in front of Eevee.

It was a bulky, yellow, bell-shaped plant with a wide, gaping mouth and pink lips. A small, brown stem in the shape of a hook was on the top of its head, and three small green spots rested just above its eyes. On each side of its body were two large, green leaves that seemed to act as hands.

Gary's final Pokemon was a Weepinbell.

Gary crossed his arms confidently. "You like her? She'll be the one to put you down. You and your little furball."

Eevee snarled, but Gary seemed to be more amused than intimidated.

'Probably because he's got his teammate and the barriers protecting him.' Ash thought with an inward snort.

But back to the battle.

That Weepinbell was definitely bulky, but it also hopefully meant that Eevee was much more agile. They'd have to exploit their speed advantage to even stand a chance.

"Careful, Eevee," he spoke softly. "That Weepinbell is part poison type. She'll be lethal against us." at Eevee's acknowledging nod , he continued. "Speed around the battlefield with Quick Attack. Do your best to maintain your agility. Prioritize Swift and Shadow Ball, and keep your distance as much as possible. Got it?" at her second acknowledging nod, he grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Great! Go for it!"

Eevee took off running, immediately dashing off to the side as Weepinbell attempted to track her.

"Let's end this with style, Weepinbell!" Gary's voice sounded out across the battlefield. "Catch that furball with Vine Whip!"

Weepinbell nodded to her trainer, as Vines quickly extended from her body and lashed out at the moving Eevee, who avoided them with ease. Jumping into the air, she fired off a quick Shadow Ball, not charging it up too much, but putting just enough power into it to faze her opponent. The orb of distorted, ghostly energy struck down on Weepinbell's forehead and pushed her back a bit, but she did little more than grunt in mild pain.

In response, the large, bulky plant opened her mouth and allowed a blast of glowing, purple powder to escape from it. Ash grimaced. Poison Powder, of all Moves.

Eevee immediately realised that the glowing, purple cloud advancing towards her was bad news, and quickly changed directions, firing off glowing, golden stars from her mouth that pelted the side of her opponent's body as she made her escape.

"Hidden Power!" Gary called out.

The glowing orbs that Weepinbell fired off were very clearly in resemblance to rocks. A rock type Hidden Power. However, as Eevee quickly changed direction in order to avoid the assault, she was struck by a vine to the face as Weepinbell predicted her movements.

Feeling a sharp pain in her cheek, Eevee tumbled away from the blow as Weepinbell took aim at her yet again.

"Energy Ball!"

Ash blinked. Energy Ball? That was a really powerful grass type move…

But the young boy immediately realized that Weepinbell was taking a good deal of time to charge up her attack, so he immediately went on the offensive.

"Jump up with a full power Shadow Ball!"

Eevee complied, charging up the ghostly energy in her mouth and jumping up just in time to avoid the bright, glowing, emerald colored orb that shot out of Weepinbell's mouth a few second slater. As the large orb slammed into the barriers in front of Ash, creating a powerful shockwave that surely would have knocked Ash off of his feet had the barriers not been there to shield him, Eevee fired off her attack, a large explosion being triggered by the impact as Weepinbell yelped out loud in pain, the powerful Ghost Type Move scoring a very clean, direct attack right on her forehead.

As Eevee pelted Weepinbell with more glowing, golden stars on her way down back to the ground, Gary grunted in frustration. Upon landing, Eevee immediately took off running once again, only for Gary to quickly give another order.

"Poison Jab!"

To both Ash and Eevee's mutual surprise, Weepinbell fiercely propelled herself forward with Vine Whip, her leaves glowing a deep, bright purple as she lashed out at Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon was caught off guard as Weepinbell swung forward with one of her leaves and quickly slammed it into Eevee, smacking the young Pokemon away as the poison excruciatingly entered her system.

Ash's breath caught in his throat. That Weepinbell was incredibly fast when she used Vine Whip that way...

As Eevee tumbled away, Weepinbell quickly took hold of her with her vines. Ash's face paled as she slammed Eevee up and down against the ground multiple times before Gary gave his next order.

"Bullet Seed!"

Weepinbell opened her mouth, and quickly blasted Eevee with a mighty barrage of glowing, golden seeds that completely pelted the Evolution Pokemon's body. Eevee cried out in unbearable agony at the aggression of the attack, her body practically being pierced by the mighty onslaught.

As if to top it all off, Weepinbell chucked Eevee into the air once she was done, leaving the young Evolution Pokemon to unceremoniously fall head first to the ground. Ash let out a deep sigh as his newest teammate lay limp on the ground, and quickly returned her.

"You did good, Eevee." he said soothingly. "Don't worry, this was just your first battle. We'll get stronger together."

Looking over to Weepinbell as he clipped Eevee's Poke Ball back to his belt, Ash could see that the grass/poison type Pokemon had not gotten out of the battle unscathed, in spite of how quick that it was. Her forehead was bruised from the Shadow Ball, and a few minor bruises outlined other parts of her body.

It was all mostly superficial, though. She was still certainly in much better shape than the rest of Gary's Pokemon were.

After showering his Pokemon with praise, Gary returned Weepinbell and made his way towards Ash, arms crossed and a triumphant look in his eyes.

Ash steadied himself, meeting Gary with an even look as the other boy's signature smirk reappeared on his face.

"We both knew how this would end, Ashy boy. But you were just in denial, weren't you?"

Instead of answering him, Ash removed his backpack and rummaged through a pocket. Pulling out some money, he strapped the backpack back on and extended his arm to Gary.

"Just take your money, Gary. You won, I lost, I get it already."

Gary frowned at him, but accepted the prize money nonetheless.

"You 'get it', huh? That's not the impression I got during our-"

"Because I'm not going to lose next time." Ash cut him off, crossing his arms and doing his best to remain steadfast and neutral, eying the other boy carefully. "You beat me this time. And last time, too. And right now, I'm okay with that. I'll be stronger than you eventually. Next time we run into each other, my team and I will beat you and your team, no matter what you guys throw at us."

At the end of the day, Ash and his team had knocked out one of Gary's Pokemon, and injured two. Weepinbell was the only one on Gary's team who had come out of it in good shape.

His teammates had given it their all against their opponents, and so had he.

Ash was… disappointed by this loss, but he wasn't broken by it. This wasn't the humiliating dumpster fire that his first battle with Gary was. This was a hard fought battle where he and his friends had simply come up short. They weren't weak. They were simply outclassed. But they won't be forever.

Gary's scowl almost made Ash flinch a bit, but the young boy quickly steadied the look in his eyes as the other boy poked him in the chest.

"You'll win next time? Keep dreaming, pipsqueak. I don't know what's gotten into you since you left Pallet Town, but I'm not liking this new attitude of yours. I'll beat you down as many times as I have to until you get the picture. I'm at the top, you're at the bottom. Stop acting like things are going to change."

Ash wanted to respond, but decided against it. It was one thing to fire back at Gary and not let him walk all over him anymore, but it was another thing to let it drag out into an argument.

He'd said his piece, and that was that. Anything else would just be dragging things out, or reiterating what he had already said. He wasn't in the mood for a shouting match.

Let Gary have his moment of glory. The latest of many. Ash was used to being upstaged by him, just like how everybody else in Pallet Town was.

'No… I can't let Gary of all people define what my journey is going to be like.' Ash thought to himself. As he watched the other boy leave in a huff, disappearing back into the Pokemon Center, he ran his hand across the four Poke Balls that were currently residing on his belt. 'Beating Gary is just a small part of our adventure. We have to focus on the greater goal too. Not just surpassing one person. Enough with the tunnel vision.'

He had already realized that before, when he had earned the Boulder Badge from Brock. That he could succeed, and that what Gary and the others all said didn't matter.

But he realized that even more now. Regardless of how the battle had ended, he knew he just couldn't keep dwelling on what Gary thought of him. Or what all of his peers back home did either.

This journey of theirs… that he and his team were on… it wasn't about beating Gary, or proving anybody else wrong, either.

It was about reaching the Indigo Plateau. The ultimate goal for every Trainer in Indigo.

He and Gary both shared in that goal. All of the other Trainers in Indigo did as well. And it was what should matter the most.

He wanted to be stronger than Gary, but that wasn't what was most important thing in play right now. If he limited his goals to just a single person, he and his team would never reach their true goal, the one that counted in the end.

Ash smiled to himself as he looked down to his Poke Balls.

"Thanks for fighting as hard as you can, guys. We'll win next time, I promise you that. For now, let's just keep training."

He was about to head back inside, when a familiar voice suddenly made itself known.

"He was quite obnoxious, wasn't he?"

A slightly startled Ash whirled around to see Misty approaching him, somewhat more casually than before.

Right… she was here.

"Oh… hey." Ash said, suddenly feeling a bit shy again as he remembered their previous… "interactions"... if he could even call them that.

She rubbed the back of her head a bit, sighing irritably.

"I was honestly hoping he'd lose. Just to shut him up a bit." she scoffed. "Although, I suppose he would have just thrown a crying fit if you'd beaten him. Would have just made it worse."

"U-um… yeah." Ash stuttered in response.

He supposed he'd never really thought of how Gary would actually react to losing… mostly because he'd never seen Gary lose before.

But Gary was already getting worked up within the battle itself, and Ash wasn't sure if the idea of him throwing a temper tantrum was cathartic or insufferable.

"So…" Misty crossed her arms a bit. "I'm assuming there's history between you two? Doesn't sound like it's pleasant."

Ash allowed a small, awkward grin to make its way across his face as his cheeks mildly flushed. "Y-yeah. I g-guess you could say that."

"Hmph."

A quick silence fell between them, Misty carefully looking Ash over as though she wanted to say something. Ash was still a bit uncomfortable in her presence, but waited to see if she still had anything else to say.

When she never did, he slowly turned to leave, assuming that she just wanted to be left alone again.

However, he quickly stopped upon feeling a hand on his shoulder. Turning around a bit to meet her gaze, he could see her frowning a bit.

Removing her arm from his shoulder, Misty looked him over again as a mild twinge of redness began to occupy her cheeks.

"Look… about… before…" she sighed. "I'm… sorry about my behavior from earlier today, Ash." she eyed him apologetically, her voice seeming to be sincere. "I was just… not in the best mood. I… shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Ash blinked a bit, but rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"N-no. I-it's… fine. It's fine. You don't need to apologize, I was never offended."

"Hmmm…" she didn;t seem so sure, but she also didn't press any further. Gesturing towards the inside, she spoke. "I'll make it up to you. It's a bit early for lunch, but you wanna go grab a quick snack while your team recovers?"

Ash was taken aback by the sudden invitation, but found himself quickly nodding. "Sure, if you want."

She grinned a bit. It was a bit friendlier than before. Not the most cheerful smile in the world, but certainly more appealing than Gary's, for whatever that was worth. And overall, it conveyed an effort to be welcoming. No hostility, or smugness of any kid. Just a small grin and nothing else to it.

"Great, let's go."

Ash nodded, allowing her to go first before following her in.

Mercifully, Gary was long gone by the time they got inside. After turning his team in to Nurse Joy, Ash followed Misty to the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat.

Their conversation was a bit more lively this time.

Chapter Text

Ash's eyes slowly fluttered open, greeted with the sight of the ceiling above him.

He found himself groaning momentarily as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to subdue the drowsiness. Once he was woken up a bit more, he took in his surroundings as he made his way out of the bed, bare feet pressing down against the carpet floor.

Pikachu was asleep on his bed, curled up into a ball and peacefully snoozing, light, cute noises let out as he breathed. Valiant was laying down on a pillow besides the bed, still asleep, with Eevee sleeping on her own pillow on the other side of the bed.

Looking over to Nebula, she was in the windowsill, and Ash could see her beginning to wake. After he approached her, the two exchanging quick greetings with one another as he patted her head, Ash's eyes made their way to the digital clock that sat beside the television on the large counter.

'7:00 AM.' he thought to himself. A very early rise, but on an appropriate day to do so.

Yesterday had been their battle against Gary, the day prior being the day that Eevee had joined the team. Today, they were planning on going through Mt. Moon once they were all filled up on breakfast.

Also on the counter was the Pokemon Egg that Elacia had given to them, wrapped in a blanket to be kept warm.

Ash was caught off guard a bit as another yawn escaped his mouth. He was still tired, but he'd fully wake up soon. Sparing one last glance at the Egg, he made his way into the bathroom for a quick morning shower.

/

The cafeteria was fairly bare this morning, most of the trainers likely not awake yet. Ash and his team found barely anybody in the large room as they made their way in. Curiously, he looked around to see if Misty was anywhere.

Despite their awkward start the previous morning, the orange haired girl had notably warmed up to him a bit during their snack together, enough for them to continue talking for about another hour or so even after they were finished eating.

Misty, despite her first impression, was fairly pleasant to be around when she was in a good mood. She was definitely more outgoing than him, usually the one on the proactive side of their conversations, and carried herself in a very bold manner. Her enthusiasm was a bit different from Emily, who was more goofy by comparison, or Janine, who was a bit more sophisticated and proper to go along with her kindness. Misty's aura was a bit more intimidating, although not unbearably so when she was happy. Her more cheerful side felt forward, even somewhat aggressive despite her not being upset. Although her more energetic behavior and manner of speaking took some getting used to, occasionally making him feel a bit nervous, he had grown to like her a good bit. It was a bit weird that his overall opinion of her was somewhat dissonant from how her behavior sometimes made him inwardly react, Ash supposed he was just happy to make another friend.

She certainly wasn't bad despite her more intimidating, hot blooded personality. He had a feeling that she had a temper on her, based on their first meeting, but she definitely wasn't malicious or condescending like… well, Gary.

According to her, she had come from Cerulean City, where he was currently headed right now. Although the city was a known hotspot for rookie Pokemon trainers, Misty had feared that it would be a bit too rookie friendly, making the choice to use the teleport system (which was apparently available in all cities this Season) in order to go elsewhere for just a bit of extra challenge. Although she had chosen Viridian, she also voiced regret towards picking that specific location. When Ash had asked why, she had shivered uncomfortably and said "too many bugs."

She had also revealed to him that she hoped to become a water type specialist, expressing a great deal of fondness for the aquatic side of Pokemon.

Ash supposed that it didn't surprise him too much. A lot of expert trainers specialized in a specific typing, usually favoring it and occasionally even going so far as to use it exclusively. The major benefits of focusing on such a team included making it particularly easy for them to practice together, as well as learning the in depth details of the specific typing more easily, due to having various different Pokemon who fell under it, and potentially utilized it in very different ways. It made it especially easier to learn how to cover up the weaknesses of the typing, therefore almost completely negating the major disadvantage of specialization: being countered more easily by certain types.

It was a very common practice among elite level trainers, with the majority of Elite Four members, Gym Leaders, and even Champions throughout history all specializing in either one type, or perhaps two or three that meshed together well. Champion Lance was an interesting example, as he was a dragon specialist, but rather than favoring dragon types specifically, he focused on Pokemon in the dragon egg group, many of which were still dragon types, but many of which also were not. The biological similarities were definitely present among his team, however. He was an example of a type specialist who had a preference for a specific typing, but didn't completely favor it outright. In fact, only about half of his usual signature Pokemon were dragon types, if Ash recalled correctly, and one of his three greatest and most well-known team members was a Charizard, who wasn't a dragon type at all.

That wasn't to say that trainers who chose not to specialize in any specific types of Pokemon were uncommon, however, as there were still plenty with no real specialization. Often, not even a preference. Currently reigning Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh was a particular standout example. Only the third Champion throughout that particular League's long history (which matched Indigo's own) to not have a specialty, or even at least a preference.

Despite seeing the obvious appeal of type specialization, Ash wasn't sure if he himself would ever end up practicing it. Right now he was just focused on building a strong team in general, and had no such preferences to speak of at the moment.

But it was certainly a common practice, so Misty's stance definitely made sense. Although, he was still somewhat surprised that she was already focusing on it so early. Most trainers didn't do so until gaining more experience. Granted, all three of Janine's Pokemon back in Viridian had also been poison types, between Bulbasaur, Zubat, and that Weedle that she said she had caught. Perhaps she was one too?

Whatever the reason, Misty's convictions were quite clear: she wanted to be the greatest water type trainer of all time, and had declared as such quite loudly to Ash (causing him to nervously shrink down a bit). Ash admired her enthusiasm, although she was quite scary when she raised her voice.

A smile made its way to Ash's face as she spotted Misty with her team out a bit further into the cafeteria. If he remembered correctly, they were seated at the same table that Ash and his team had eaten breakfast at yesterday. As he led his team to her, his Pokemon seemed to recognize her from yesterday, and looked at their Trainer curiously.

Much like Ash, Misty had four Pokemon with her. The hot-blooded girl had told him about them during their conversation yesterday.

The first was a golden-brown, starfish-like Pokemon. It was a Staryu, and Misty's starter. Apparently, Staryu had no gender.

The second was a surprising one. A penguin-like Pokemon, whose color was mostly a mixture of light-blue, dark-blue, and white, with yellow feet and a yellow beak.

This was a Piplup, which was a foreign Pokemon. In fact, it was known to be the water type starter Pokemon for the Sinnoh Region.

Misty had lucked out with this one, apparently catching Piplup at a fishing event held at Cerulean City on Opening Day prior to using the teleport system. The Piplup was male, and was the first Pokemon that she had ever captured. Certainly a very exciting first catch, to say the least.

The next Pokemon was an Eevee. Much like Ash's own Eevee, this one was female. Misty had captured her at Viridian Forest.

The fourth and final Pokemon was pink and had a spherical body. It was a Jigglypuff, a normal/fairy type Pokemon. This one was female and had been captured just outside of Viridian Forest, shortly after Misty had earned her first Gym badge.

Overall, she had a pretty interesting team. Ash wondered how strong they were…

But he shook those thoughts away for now. As much as he'd love to ask for a battle (suddenly realizing that none of his battles had been against people that he was actually friends with), he knew that he and his team would really have to get moving after breakfast.

Instead, he put those thoughts aside for now, approaching Misty with caution.

A sudden feeling of nervousness was suddenly felt within his stomach. Why was he nervous? He had talked with her before. She seemed to like him well enough. Why was initiating an interaction with somebody that he already knew so difficult?

Ash shook his head a bit, trying to clear away the doubts from his mind. He needed to stop waiting for people to come to him. He was a Pokemon trainer now. He needed to be more confident in himself. And that definitely included being more social with other people.

Right now, she hadn't noticed him yet, and neither had her team. All of them were simply focused on eating.

Taking a deep breath, Ash steeled himself and, taking a leap of faith, made his way over to her. Judging by her tray, it seemed like she had only just started.

"Hey… Misty?"

The girl perked up and turned to see him standing behind her, suddenly attracting the attention of her team as well. He tensed up a bit at the sets of eyes staring at him.

To his relief, however, she smiled. Not an overly ecstatic grin, but also not a small, halfhearted one. Just a regular, friendly smile.

"Oh! Hey, Ash. Nice to see you."

Ash felt a small case of Butterfree in his stomach at that, but tried not to make too big a deal of it.

'Relax, Ash.' he thought to himself. 'This girl isn't Gary. Her being happy to see you shouldn't be so overwhelming.'

It was true that "Nice to see you" wouldn't have ever been something that he'd hear from one of the kids his age back at Pallet Town. Not directed towards him, anyway.

But he knew better now. There was no need to be surprised when somebody said that to him. It was a very typical thing to say. Misty, Janine, Emily, and Rick weren't the kids from Pallet Town. Therefore, he needed to keep his memories of Pallet Town divorced from his expectations when socializing.

As Misty's team eyed his own team carefully (Ash's team themselves doing the same), the young boy's eyes flickered over to the spot next to Misty before he locked eyes with her again.

"Would it be okay if we… sat with you guys?"

Misty blinked for a second before her grin widened a bit.

"Duh, why are you even asking?"

The built up stress within him subsided completely.

'See?' he thought to himself. 'That wasn't so hard.'

/

It didn't take more than a few minutes for the two rookies to introduce their respective teams to one another. Ash's Eevee and Misty's Eevee both took an immediate interest in one another due to being of the same species. Valiant found himself sitting next to Staryu, the two both silent but content with each other's presence, while Pikachu and Nebula quickly engaged in friendly chatter with Piplup and Jigglypuff.

Ash set his tray down next to Misty's, the girl scooting over a bit so he could set next to her more comfortably.

"Nice to see your team's still chipper after yesterday." Misty commented, taking a break from her muffin (which looked like it was blueberry), fruit punch, applesauce and eggs to look over to the two teams eating together. "You should've seen my team after they recovered yesterday. Nothing but grumbles."

Ash chose not to point out that she herself wasn't in the best mood herself the previous morning, and simply smiled a bit. "I was worried they might be upset. Especially Pikachu. He… doesn't like Gary."

She turned her gaze to him, curiosity now occupying her features.

"You don't seem to either." her tone of voice wasn't accusatory, just matter of fact.

Ash's face became uneasy, turning back to his food, consisting of pancakes (he was treating himself to chocolate chip this morning), apple juice, sausages, eggs, and a hash brown. Sensing his discomfort, Misty frowned guiltily.

"Sorry, I-" her voice was a lot more… gentle than normal.

"It's fine." Ash quickly cut her off. "He's… caused me a lot of trouble back at home, but I'm trying not to think about that anymore right now." he took a bite out of one of his pancakes, joyously taking in the taste of the chocolate chips as he chewed. "What matters right now is getting the badges that I need to reach the Indigo Plateau. I'll get stronger than him eventually. I just can't limit myself by focusing on it so much."

Misty blinked a bit at that, before turning back to her tray with a chuckle. "Heh. Noble of you, I guess. If it were me, I wouldn't stop until that idiot was crushed in my palm."

Ash winced a bit. "But, ummm… not literally, right…?"

Her lips were twitched upwards. "You heard what I said."

Ash giggled nervously at the gung ho girl and quickly returned his attention to his food as he changed the subject.

"So… ummm… how has your team been today so far?"

Misty shrugged her shoulders at that. "Their mood's improved a good bit. They were pretty bummed out yesterday but they've gotten over it now, I guess." She took a bite of her muffin, chewing with a bit of an irritated look on her face before swallowing. "I'm still pretty peeved about it, though. Wasn't even a fair fight, the cheapskate." That last sentence was spoken in a growl.

Ash flinched a bit fearfully from the aggressive nature of the tone, which prompted a questioning look from her.

"What're you so worked up about? I'm not mad at you."

Ash's hands were quickly held out in front of him defensively. "N-n-n-nothing!" he said somewhat frantically in reply.

A sigh escaped her throat. "You really are skittish, you know that? What happened to your behavior from yesterday when you were battling that Gary loser?"

"Oh…" Ash's eyes wandered to the side as his facial expression suddenly became somewhat awkward.

It wasn't untrue, she had a point. A different side of him that he wasn't fully aware of prior had been brought out yesterday.

"You know what I mean, don't you?" she tapped her fork against her tray while keeping her eyes on him. "You were just… a lot different from right now. And from when we first ate together."

Ash smiled awkwardly a bit. "Yeah… I guess so. Just got tired of the way he was, I suppose."

"Can't blame you there." she took a sip of her juice as that smirk returned to her face. "Not that verbal stuff is all there was to it, of course. Nurse Joy probably had to check that precious Wartortle of his for a concussion after what your Staravia did."

A feeling of pride toward Nebula to occupied his thoughts as Misty brought up that one portion of the battle, although he did his best not to take any cathartic glee in it.

He had a feeling that Misty would have herself, however, had she been in his shoes.

"Heh, yeah. She really did do a number on him. I'm really happy for her about that." his gaze turned to his team, by the side of the table just beyond Misty, as he grinned. "They're all really strong. I couldn't ask for better companions."

Misty smirked at that. "We'll see about that. You and I should battle sometime. I know you're planning on leaving soon, but another time." the look on her face became a little bit smug as she returned to her food. "My team and I don't lose. Yesterday was just a fluke. That jerk was at a much higher level than we ever could have been realistically ready for. Doesn't count." those last couple of words were growled out again.

Ash flinched a bit again, but not as fearfully this time. "Ummm… yeah, I'm sure." his face returned to normal as he inwardly shook the nervousness away. "I'd like to battle you. It's just that… like you said, I was hoping to go through Mt. Moon soon. I wanted us to get started this morning."

A brief silence fell between the two as she studied him carefully, before speaking up again a few moments later.

"Speaking of which…" she spoke up, earning his attention to her. She frowned a bit, but her face quickly returned to normal. Much quicker than Ash's had before. "I'm planning on leaving today too. This afternoon. I just wanted to get in a little bit of light training first." she looked over to her food as she tapped her fork against the tray absentmindedly. "If you want… we're all going to the same place anyway, so…" she shrugged a bit, her face neutral but friendly. "If you're willing to wait a few extra hours, we can all go together. No reason not to, right?"

Ash's eyes blinked rapidly, Butterfree suddenly in his stomach again.

"You'd… be okay with that?" he wasn't really sure how else to respond. He had never traveled with another human before. Sure, he had spent extensive time with Elacia, Rick, and Emily, and a night with Janine, but he had never actually been on the road with someone else apart from his own team. He had never even really considered such an offer before until now.

"Our teams seem to get along fine." she shrugged her shoulders as her gaze made its way to the Pokemon seated on the floor, happily coexisting together as they dug into their food. She looked back to Ash with an even look on her face, her lips curled upwards into a small smile as she shrugged at him absentmindedly. "I mean, wouldn't hurt, right?"

Ash blinked, scratching his cheek a bit as he processed the request. Someone was just offering to let him tag along with them out of the blue. It was… sudden.

Not unpleasant, though.

He liked Misty. He still wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't like their personalities meshed together in the slightest. If anything, they were as opposite as he and Gary were. But for reasons that he couldn't quite pinpoint, it didn't bother him.

Besides… The thought of having another human to talk to while on the road was something that… appealed to him greatly as well.

It wasn't that he wouldn't trade Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, and Eevee for the world, because they were and always will be irreplaceable to him. Really, they were all that he needed.

But they weren't human. Not that that was an issue, at all, because it most certainly wasn't to him, but getting to interact with other people was an experience that interactions with Pokemon just could not provide, and vice versa.

The fact that the invitation had actually been extended to him, and done so casually, as though Misty didn't even believe it to be such a big deal… he couldn't help his lips curving upwards just a little bit.

Misty tilted her head at the young boy. "Ummm… Ash? Is that smile a yes? A simple 'Sure, I would like that' would do just fine, you know."

Ash jolted out of his thoughts and shook his head frantically for a second or two, his face crimson as he looked apologetically at the orange haired girl.

"Sorry about that! Sure! I would love to join you!" After stammering out his lines, he chuckled a bit, in a nervous tone as he tried to regain his bearings.

Misty looked at him weirdly for a second before returning to her food, giving a quick thumbs up in response.

Still eating her eggs, she stole a quick glance at him from the corner of her eye, as Ash tried to focus on his pancakes, still trying to hide the embarrassment from his face.

'He's kind of a wimp.' she thought to herself matter of factly as she bit into her food. She shrugged uncaringly. 'But he's not so bad.'

/

Soon after, breakfast ended. Ash and Misty had continued to talk for a bit while eating, although none of the topics were particularly noteworthy. The smalltalk between the two of them was enjoyable, though. At least it was for Ash, although Misty seemed to like it herself. They spoke to each other without a preference, just saying whatever came to mind for them. And Ash couldn't help but like it that way.

It was nice. Nothing much else to say. He could get used to it. The more he engaged with other kids like this, the more he realised that he had been missing out on a lot. Misty was a bit unpredictable, but despite being nervous around her on occasion, Ash was glad to have ran into her.

And it seemed like the feeling was mutual, at the very least. Misty had been fairly friendly with him so far, anyway. Not quite mellow, and definitely more brash, but it didn't bother him in the long run. It was intimidating at times for him, but not something that would turn him away.

Yet another kid he wished he had gone to school with. Was this going to be a trend for him? Because it was beginning to feel like a pattern.

Regardless, once the duo was done eating, they had quickly rounded up their respective teams, who had also finished their food. Despite being surprised by the news, none of the Pokemon reacted negatively to traveling together, which pleased both trainers.

In fact, Pikachu and Jigglypuff seemed to be quite open to the idea, which seemed to help further encourage the rest of the Pokemon along with them.

Misty and her team spent a few hours on the battlefield training together, with Ash and his team watching and occasionally doing some minor drills of their own.

After a quick snack break, everybody was ready to go, saying a quick goodbye to Nurse Joy as they made their way out of the Pokemon Center.

Said Pokemon Center was located right at the foot of Mt. Moon, so it wouldn't take too long for them to get there.

Ash had Pikachu and Eevee at his side. Nebula wouldn't be able to fly around as freely in the caverns of Mt. Moon, and Valiant had preferred to not take the trip on foot. Pikachu, as Ash had noticed, had never taken issue to traveling outside, usually choosing to stay out and about whenever Ash had provided him with the option. The boy was surprised that Eevee had chose to come along too, however. Not that he was upset about it, of course.

Part of him wondered if it was a good thing that Nebula wasn't out at the moment, then, since Eevee was still feeling bitter towards her for their encounter from a couple of days ago. It was still too soon.

On Misty's end, only Piplup had opted to stay out.

The penguin-like Pokemon was casually conversing with Pikachu (Eevee curiously listening in), as Misty approached Ash.

"Alright, are you ready to get going?" her backpack was strapped neatly over her soldiers as she eyed the boy, who slowly nodded in response.

He was suddenly feeling a bit nervous. Not just because of Misty's presence (he wasn't used to traveling with other people), but because of the thought of traveling through the caverns.

Mt. Moon's caverns were known to be a frightening concept for many rookie trainers, even when not taking the pathways that lead deeper into the mountain. Since their mutual target was Cerulean City, Ash and Misty would thankfully be avoiding those deeper paths themselves, but that didn't stop the trip from being intimidating nevertheless. The young boy frequently found himself paranoid about getting lost inside of the tunnels.

The thought had him inwardly shivering, but he suppressed those fears for now, doing his best to put on a brave face in front of his new friend. He'd already embarrassed himself in front of Misty a good few times, after all.

"Y-Yeah, ready when you are." he hoped his smile didn't seem too fake. Thankfully, Misty wasn't studying him very closely as he responded, so he seemed to be good to go.

"Great." The brash orange haired girl had a much more genuine smile on her face as she casually nodded back at him. Was she not nervous at all? Or was she just better at hiding it? Or maybe she wasn't hiding it as well as Ash thought she was and he just wasn't observant enough to pick up on the signals?

The boy tried to study her for a moment as she made her casual, carefree response. There didn't seem to be anything deceptive occupying her features, but then again, what signals was he supposed to be looking for?

Was she really that much braver than him? Or just better at acting like it? Or was he just horrible at picking up on other people's cues? Just what was it that he was doing wrong?

"Ummm… Ash?" he blinked out of his stupor to find Misty scrutinizingly looking him over, her hands pressed against her hips. "Why are you staring at me? Or looking off into space?"

Ash's face was getting hot again.

"Sorry! I'm ready, let's go!" he stammered out nervously as the exchange caught the attention of their Pokemon.

Misty's eyes slowly began to narrow, prompting the young boy to flinch under her gaze. Mercifully, however, it did not last long, and she soon turned to their teammates in order to get their attention.

"Alright, you three! Chitchats are over, save the rest of your talk for the trip." she pointed her thumb backwards in the direction of the towering mountain ahead of them.

The three Pokemon nodded and began moving. As they followed their trainers towards the mountain, Ash pressed his hands against his cheeks a couple of times, as if trying to will the blush on his face away.

'Damnit.' he thought to himself. 'I embarrassed myself again.'

/

The trek to Mt. Moon was short but rough.

Reaching the caverns required the group to traverse the increasingly rocky road ahead of them, which eventually began to rise into a hill of somewhat uneven ground as they followed the path that led them to the entrance of the caverns. More than once, Ash and his orange haired friend found themselves stumbling as they focused themselves and their efforts to maintain their balance, Misty having to grab hold of him to stop him from falling on a couple of occasions.

Pikachu was having no trouble with the climb, having spent a whole week practicing such things back in Pewter, but Eevee and Piplup were notably more troubled by the ordeal, while Ash and Misty were left moving forward in an awkward manner as they constantly had to switch gazes between their feet and the road ahead of them, making sure to look exactly where they were stepping while simultaneously having to keep their eyes out in front of them. It was a tedious ordeal, and one that neither of them enjoyed.

Ash could not fault Misty for the groan that escaped her throat as the group of five finally made their way to the entrance of the tunnels.

"UGGGH…remind me never to do that again. Now I definitely wish I had started somewhere else! I should've waited until I was far into my journey and had a nice, big flying type to just soar me over this bullcrap!" The girl grunted in disgust as she glared spitefully back at the path they had just crossed. "Piplup went through some training to navigate rocky landscapes, but I never bothered teaching him to climb."

Ash wiped a bead of sweat from his face as the anxiety temporarily left him…

...Only to quickly be replaced by even more anxiety as his gaze found its way to their true goal, the entrance to Mt. Moon's infamous tunnels.

"Let's hope we fare better inside." he muttered apprehensively as he stared into the abyss contained within the mouth of stone that lay ahead of them.

Misty's face scrunched up as she joined him at his side. "Yeah, I guess the real complaining comes later." she said uneasily.

/

Mt. Moon's inside tunnels were outlined by dimly lit lanterns, mercifully installed by the League in order to ensure the safety of the many travelers that would pass through the caverns year by year. Although it spared the equally grateful Ash and Misty of being left at the nonexistent mercy of the pitch black darkness that the tunnels would have contained otherwise for them to be left with no sense of direction or security to speak of, it only provided minor comfort for the duo of trainers and their Pokemon as they made their way through the still overall dark tunnels.

The lanterns each had a bit of a short range, the brightness not enough to light up the inside of the caverns entirely. The golden light that shined from them colored the walls of the tunnels, but only within a short range or so. The inside of the caverns was a mixture of shining, golden stone and pitch black rocks as Ash and Misty trod through.

The boy was frowning with anxiety as he carefully looked through his surroundings, turning his head slowly as the group made their way through.

Misty's face was lit up by the light of the lanterns as she suddenly broke the tense silence between the group of travelers.

"How long have we been walking, Ash? Any rough estimates?"

Ash flinched.

"I… uh… wasn't keeping track." he anxiously met her gaze. "Half hour, I guess?"

The boy couldn't tell if his friend was sighing or scoffing. "Would've expected you to be a bit more proactive about it." she looked on ahead. "Still, though, that was about my guess anyway. Maybe a bit longer…"

The tunnel was gradually beginning to increase in width as they continued their way through, with larger lanterns to compensate. Eventually, they reached a point where the paths began to branch off into multiple tunnels. A sign was mercifully there to signify that their current path was the one leading to Cerulean.

Misty looked over to Ash. ""We're probably more likely to run into more Pokemon if we take one of the other tunnels." she pointed out. "It's where a lot of them nest." she frowned towards one of the branching tunnels. "I'm not really looking to catch anything right now, though. I just want to be in and out of here."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, same."

/

"Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu's bolt of lightning was narrowly avoided by the Zubat, which took aim at the young mouse to charge forward.

For the most part, the main path was lacking in wild Pokemon, but Ash and Misty had run into a few as they made their way through the mountain. Although they hadn't intended to capture any of the Pokemon that came out and attacked them so far, the battles were at least good practice for their team.

Zubat's bared fangs began to glow purple as the use of Poison Fang engulfed them in toxic substances. At Ash's warning, Pikachu quickly leapt out of the way of the attack, tail now coated in metal as he ran forward for his counter.

Behind Ash, Misty, Eevee, and Piplup all looked on as the battle unfolded. Since they were using these encounters with wild Pokemon as additional training, the two friends had mutually agreed to take turns not jump into battles unless it proved to be necessary. So far, the two rookie trainers had been faring quite well, all things considered.

Zubat flew upwards to avoid Pikachu's strike, and responded by flapping its wings, shooting slices of wind that Ash recognized as Air Cutter in the mouse's direction.

The attack kicked up dust as it exploded against the rocky ground, Pikachu taking a leap backwards to dodge the attack as an Electro Ball formed at the tip of his tail.

The Zubat was sent catapulting through the air as the orb of lightning struck it, but as it righted itself, it let out a horrific screech that had everybody present reeling.

Ash wailed in agony as he practically slammed his hands against his ears, desperately wishing to conceal the eardrums from the sound as the Supersonic mercilessly made itself known to his sense of hearing.

Behind him, Misty was on her knees as she mimicked Ash's own actions.

"GET THAT DAMN THING TO SHUT UP NOW!" she practically roared as the Zubat continued to cry out.

Piplup and Eevee were both reeling from the attack as well, as was Pikachu. As the mouse covered his ears in pain, the noise suddenly stopped as Zubat attempted to take advantage of Pikachu's recoil to charge forward with another Poison Fang. Scrambling in shock, Pikachu rolled out of the way just in time.

Gasping, Ash felt a mix of relief for the sound being gone, yet was also being tortured by the lingering pain that it had left behind in his ears. As Misty began to stand up, her face now murderous as she observed the Zubat circling around in another attempt to bite Pikachu, Ash gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He had to end this battle before Zubat used that move again.

As Zubat once again charged forward with poison Fang, Ash gave the order. "Pikachu, Zap Tail!"

Both pained and angry, Pikachu smirked bitterly as he responded to Ash's command, holding out his metallic tail to intercept Zubat's Poison Fang.

As Zubat's teeth painfully chomped down onto the steel coating of Pikachu's tail, the young mouse immediately sent a surge of electricity through the tail, agonizingly zapping Zubat at point blank range, the bat like Pokemon crying out in misery as Pikachu swung his tail backwards to fling the opposing Pokemon away. As Zubat sailed through the air, Pikachu charged forward, lightly enhancing his speed with a brief Quick Attack, and slammed his Iron Tail into the bat like Pokemon's stomach with as much blunt force as possible.

Zubat, after bluntly colliding with the stone hard walls of the caverns, fell to the rocky ground in an unceremonious heap, and Misty huffed uncaringly as she observed the Poison-Flying Type's limp body.

"Hmph. Good riddance." Ash felt her shoulder roughly bump his own to get his attention. "Ugh, thanks for dealing with that one quickly. I'm pretty sure I would have had to glue my ears back on if it tried to pull that crap again."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck a bit as he tried to take in Misty's words, still reeling from the effects of the Supersonic just as much as she was. In an attempt to take his mind off of it, he looked over to Pikachu, who was being approached by Eevee and Piplup. All of them were also trying to get over the attack.

They seemed to be doing a slightly better job at it, though, which Ash thought was nice, even if it made him feel just a little bit envious of them at the same time.

It was only natural that Pokemon could recover from the effects of a Pokemon's moves quicker than humans could, but it didn't mean that Ash wasn't frustrated by how much more difficult that humans had it.

Humans were so fragile compared to how Pokemon were. But then again, Pokemon were the ones who typically did the fighting anyway.

Which made him wonder if he even had a right to complain.

Misty sure seemed to think so, but he felt conflicted.

Eevee approached Pikachu a bit slowly, but there was clearly trust in her eyes for the moment. She had grown used to the mouse, thankfully,

After the Evolution Pokemon sniffed at him for a bit, Pikachu rubbed the back of his head bashfully as Eevee barked out what seemed to be a compliment, and Ash couldn't help but smile. Joining in, Piplup chirped out what seemed to be praise as well.

Pikachu wasn't egotistical, but he certainly enjoyed positive attention nonetheless.

The mouse perked up as Ash approached the trio of Pokemon with Misty in toe.

Patting his Starter on the head, Ash looked forward, suddenly perking up as he heard a noise in the background.

It sounded like a pair of voices, although he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Misty, I think some people are up ahead." he commented.

Misty shrugged. "Probably some other trainers. Maybe if we hurry and catch up with them they can tell us how much further we have to go."

Ash nodded enthusiastically. "Good! Let's go!"

With their Pokemon dashing alongside them, the duo of trainers made their way forward through the tunnels, reaching a large room with multiple branching paths.

Almost immediately, they spotted the sources of the two voices, a man and a woman standing a bit further into the room.

Ash waved a bit as he began to approach the duo. "Hey, we were wondering if-"

He froze as the two turned around.

Ash and Misty's faces paled as they spotted the large R on their uniforms.

Team Rocket.

/

Deeper into the caverns, a platoon of Team Rocket soldiers had set up camp. The room that acted as the main area of their makeshift hideout was fairly large, enough for them to comfortably set up equipment stations while still being able to move about freely. Although a good few of them were currently out and about, just as many were still in the room.

Activities amongst the group ranged between discussion amongst each other regarding their current mission, maintenance on the equipment that they had set up, and silently standing around waiting for orders.

A small group of soldiers were gathered near one of the far ends of the room.

A large table was set up for beakers of water and soda, the group gathered around the table to get some drinks.

Among the group was a towering, muscular figure whose face was concealed by a mostly green mask that covered much of his head, with spiky hair sticking out of the top. His hair was somewhat dark, although apart from his goatee and the hair sticking out of his mask, not much of it could be seen.

His subordinates eyed him with unease, their stomachs twisting into knots and making it difficult to drink their beverages as their eyes landed on him. His lips twitched upwards a bit at their behavior, although he didn't say anything.

His commanding presence translated into his tone of voice as he addressed the soldiers, raising his voice as he left the table with a glass of water in hand and made his way to the center of the room.

Silence immediately fell to every other soldier in the room, leaving only room for his voice as his words boomed across the makeshift hideout.

"Listen up! We still have a bit of a ways downwards to go before we reach the Moon Stone." The mask on his face made him seem perpetually crazed, near impossible to tell if the look on his face was truly bloodlusted, or just an illusion. As his mouth twisted upwards into a grin, he continued his announcement. "The area of the Moon Stone is the den of high level Pokemon that have made the nearby sections of the mountain their nest." he said evenly, yet in a somewhat excited aura. "Therefore, only our top members within the group will be going any further from here." pulling out a clipboard, he looked around the room. "I have a list of our strongest members here who were handpicked by Commander Archer to be the frontrunners of our mission to secure the Moon Stone. These will act as our elite squadron to raid the deepest depths of this mountain in search of the prize. Agent Cyan! A word!"

The somewhat lanky, mustachioed man with dirty blond hair tried to remain upright as he approached the mysterious masked man, but found himself shrinking more and more the closer he got.

The masked man's fists pressed against his hips as Cyan stopped a few feet in front of him, a couple heads shorter than him, and therefore, forced to look upwards as his masked superior addressed him.

"I'll be leading the offensive squadron to take the Moon Stone, of course, which means that you will be in charge of maintaining our base. Keep everyone patrolling for trainers so that our efforts aren't compromised by unpredicted nuisances."

Doing his best to look tough, Cyan nodded, before replying in a somewhat nasally voice.

"Of course, sir. Let's just hope no one else tries to put up any resistance like the last group that was encountered. A couple of broken legs came out of that incident."

The masked man shrugged, the metal mask concealing his face hiding whether or not his facial expression was callous or simply matter of fact. "You can never predict the actions of these travelers. Some are either cowardly enough, or smart enough, to cooperate, while others will make things harder for everybody involved. Speaking of which, I'm going to pay a quick visit to our prisoners before departing. Round up everyone on the list." handing the clipboard to Cyan, he turned away without another word, walking off towards one of the tunnels.

As Cyan began reading the names on the list aloud, watching as the assigned members lined up, his mind was in an almost completely different place.

'Despicable that I am not on the list. Is the commander really that incapable of recognizing talent? We have all these people getting ready to pillage this mountain's greatest treasure, and I'm… stuck on guard duty!'

/

The Iron-Masked man made his way through the tunnel to reach a smaller room, eying the children and teenagers that were lined up against the wall in the back. He grinned as most of the prisoners froze up upon his arrival, with the soldiers watching over them in the room immediately perking up upon noticing his presence.

Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a pink haired girl sitting on the hard, rocky floor, shivering as she was accosted by one of the soldiers.

She could be no older than twelve or thirteen, perhaps eleven, and the look of horror on her face as she realized that she had nowhere to back away was palpable.

The soldier pressed his hand firmly against the wall as he glowered into her eyes. "Thought you could get away with passing secret notes to your buddies, huh? Do you take us for some kind of joke? If you want to get out of this without any bones fractured, you'll cooperate with us until our mission is done!"

The girl squealed fearfully as her hands covered her head, eyes closed as she looked away from her assailant and down to the stone cold floor.

"I'm sorry!" she stuttered in a frightened tone of voice. "It was wrong of me, I know! Just please don't hurt me!"

"If you didn't want to get hurt, then why do something so stupid in the first place! Your not-"

"What's going on here?" the man with the iron mask questioned as he casually strode over to the two. "And here I thought order was being maintained while I was addressing the rest of the crew."

The pink haired girl's eyes shot open as her gaze landed on the towering man before her, her lips quivering as she began to feel as though she would vomit from the stress.

Even with the metal mask covering his face, it still felt as though his gaze was piercing right through her. As the leader crossed his arms, she once again panicked at the realization that she had nowhere to scoot back to.

"Iron-Masked Marauder." the other man did his best to keep his voice composed as he looked over to his masked superior, and although he managed for the most part, the anxiety was still partially slipping through. "I apologize that you had to walk into this. I was just trying to remind this little girl to behave herself while she is in our custody."

"Yes, I heard. Secret notes, huh?" His sharp gaze returned to the pink haired girl, who felt as though her chest was about to give out.

"Please… I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have-" her fearful stammering was interrupted by the man.

"Enough, kid." his raised hand cut her off, along with the blunt tone of his voice. Crossing his arms again, he glared down at the young prisoner with a stoic expression that was twisted and warped by the presence of his metal mask. "The dissonance of your words and your deeds makes you hard to speak to. You clearly act like you don't want us to do anything to you, and yet you knowingly do something that is guaranteed to provoke us if you get caught in the act. I'm all for a little bit of inconsistency in this world, but your behavior is just bizarre. And Team Rocket has had at least a few dozen other prisoners just like yourself." her gaze was practically frozen in her terrified expression as he leaned down minimally in order to get a better look at her. "Your so-called survival instincts are just hypocrisy. Try to learn your place before you've given us a reason to hurt you, not after."

As the other soldier kneeled down, he grabbed onto the girl and roughly pulled her to her feet. He tightened his grip on her in order to prevent her from staggering and losing her balance from the sudden action, before smacking his hand across her face and roughly shoving her in the direction of the other prisoners. When the two kids in front of her caught her to prevent her from losing her balance again, he turned to the masked man, who held his head high as he addressed the prisoners with an even tone of voice.

"A word of reminder to you all. You're not trainers right now. You're hostages. People whose well-being are on the line until we've gotten what we came for." as the fearful crowd took in his words, his glare tightened. "I don't want to hear about anymore incidents when I get back. Simply do your part and stand against that wall. Cooperate with our men until you are told you can leave. And never provoke the people who could punish you at a moment's notice. Understood?"

It was probably the sharp tone of his voice that got the crowd of trainers nodding frantically in immediate response to his declaration. Satisfied, he turned to the other soldiers in the room, who had all gathered behind him, before offering them all a curt nod.

"We'll be moving out now. Into the deepest depths of the Mt. Moon caverns. Just keep everyone here in check until we get back. The Moon Stone will soon be property of Team Rocket."

The men nodded at that, still trying to ease themselves in his presence, but only managing somewhat.

With nothing left to say, the masked leader made his way out of the room.

The prisoners were already somewhat relieved to see him gone, and even the soldiers were somewhat mixed about it.

/

"I didn't realize there were still trainers left to clear out."

Ash was afraid he'd vomit out of stress as the man spoke.

The woman grumbled. "Tch, he'll have our heads if we leave any stragglers." her voice suddenly became booming. "Hey kids! You need to come with us! Now!"

Ash and Misty backed away with quivering eyes and lips as the two figures approached them, walking forcefully across the room.

Pikachu, Eevee, and Piplup weren't faring much better, but the young mouse's cheeks sparked madly as he dared to let out a fierce growl towards the approaching soldiers.

The duo stopped just a couple of meters from the groups as the electricity crackled across the mouse's cheeks.

The man's face twisted into something akin to a glare as he leered down at the yellow rodent. "Control your rat, kids. We're in the middle of an important mission." he gestured his hand out, his movements friendly, but his face not. "Hand over your Poke Balls and follow us to where we are keeping the other trainers. You won't get so much of a scrape as long as you cooperate. Otherwise…" two orbs suddenly appeared in his hands, the Poke Balls quickly enlarging. "You won't be the first ones to get hurt for your recklessness."

'There's more of them?!' Ash thought frantically as his breathing suddenly sped up. How many trainers have they imprisoned here? Where were they? What were he and Misty supposed to do?

The encounter with Cassidy and Butch hadn't been very long ago in the slightest. This was the third time that he'd run into Team Rocket on his journey, and it hadn't even been a month yet! What was going on right now?! Why did he keep having to run into this group?! What had he done to deserve it?!

Misty had backed away from him just a bit. It seemed as though she couldn't make up her mind as to whether she wanted to protect Ash or the other way around, her arms wrapped protectively around the boy while she simultaneously hid behind him. The color was completely gone from her face, giving her a sickly appearance as the stress of the situation overwhelmed her.

The man snarled. "Not going to comply, huh? Very well, just remember that you brought this upon yourself. Stupid brats."

Ash recognized the Pokemon that emerged from the Poke Balls. A Sandshrew and a Tangela. As he took them in, the woman took out a Poke Ball of her own and released a somewhat large, bulky Growlithe.

Pikachu backed away a little bit, but the electricity emitting from his cheeks increased in intensity. Eevee attempted to imitate him with a growl of her own, but wasn't quite as good at hiding her fear.

Misty released Ash and tried to stand upright. Ash felt her breath brush against his ear as she whispered to him, simultaneously trying to sound encouraging to him while also convincing herself to be brave.

"We have to fight, Ash." her voice was soft, but final. "Who knows what they'll do to us?"

She was right. And Ash hated knowing that.

Ash nodded reluctantly and released Valiant, while Misty released Staryu.

The woman sneered. "Five to three, eh? Nice try, but strength in numbers won't be enough for a couple of kids."

Ash and Misty ran backwards to clear some distance as Valiant and Staryu surveyed the situation, the young Ralts immediately tensing up upon noticing Team Rocket's presence. Eevee scooted over towards him, her growls now becoming a bit more genuine as a Shadow Ball appeared in her jaws.

"Attack!" yelled the man.

Sandshrew bolted forward and allowed its body to intercept the blast of electricity that Pikachu had aimed at Growlithe. However, fully blocking the blast caused it to stay in one place for too long, and although the electricity was harmless in the face of the Ground Type Pokemon, the same did not hold true for the blast of bubbles that collided with the Sandshrew as Piplup quickly launched a follow-up attack of his own.

Now Pikachu took aim at Sandshrew as he charged forward with a metallic tail, only for a Vine Whip from Tangela to suddenly wrap around said tail as Pikachu attempted to thrust it forward. However, as Tangela attempted to flip Pikachu over, the electric mouse letting out a shocked yelp as the attempt was made, the Grass Type was assaulted by a simultaneous Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam from Eevee and Valiant, sending the opposing Pokemon rolling backwards as Pikachu freed himself.

But just as the young mouse attempted to get back into the fray, he was blessed at point blank range from an Ember attack as the Growlithe rushed forward.

"Staryu, Rapid Spin!" at Misty's order, Staryu flung itself through the air, rotating with great velocity as it slammed painfully into the canine Pokemon's side.

As Growlithe wailed in pain from the sudden blow, Eevee was upon it, firing a point blank Shadow Ball right into its head at Ash's command. The concussive blast was too much for the Fire Type Pokemon, which was already reeling in pain from Staryu's attack.

As Growlithe collapsed, Pikachu took aim at Sandshrew, who had been blasted by yet another barrage of bubbles by Piplup as it had attempted to join the fray. Raising a metallic tail, the young mouse slammed it down on top of the Ground Type's head, leaving Sandshrew to unceremoniously faceplant into the cold, hard stone.

Now the only one left, Tangela raised its vines again, preparing to attack.

Suddenly, Valiant rose from the ground behind it, exiting Shadow Sneak as he froze the unprepared Grass Type Pokemon in place with Confusion. With a loud battle cry, Piplup flung himself forward with a glowing beak, driving it head first into Tangela, who was sent flying away and landed in a heap.

The man's face was twisted in rage as the five Pokemon advanced on him and his comrade.

"Dammit all!" he stuttered lividly as he backed a few steps away from the advancing Pokemon who were glaring daggers at him. "We exhausted our stronger Pokemon against the other trainers! We gotta move!"

"Yeah, let's split!" shouted the woman frantically.

Not even bothering to recall their Pokemon, the two turned tail and fled, only for Pikachu to dash ahead of them and blast them with a quick jolt of electricity, forcing their bodies to collapse painfully onto the stone hard floors.

"This was supposed to be the easy part of the mission..." The man stammered his words out pathetically as he and the woman were left delirious from the shock, their bodies spasming on the rocky floors.

As Ash and Misty regrouped with their team, Ash allowed a deep sigh of relief to escape from his lungs, and he could hear Misty sighing as well.

"Great work, you guys." he said as he allowed a nervous smile to make its way onto his face. "Now let's hurry up and get out of here so that we can contact the authorities at the next Pokemon Center and-"

"HEY! What's going on here?!"

The entire group paled as they turned around and saw four more soldiers running into the room from another tunnel.

It was too soon to be feeling relieved or safe.

/

"Agent Cyan! A report!"

Cyan perked up as a somewhat short woman approached him, her uniform a bit dirtied from a previous battle.

"What is it, this time?" he grumbled irritably, his eyes constantly wandering to the tunnel where the Marauder and his squadron had headed off to.

"We've received word that two more trainers have been spotted roaming the caverns! Rookies, from the looks of it. They took out two soldiers and are now fleeing from more!"

Cyan groaned in dissatisfaction. "Is this the most interesting this mission is going to get for us?" he looked around the room. Most of the soldiers that hadn't been assigned to accompany the Marauder on his mission to secure the Moon Stone were now out on patrol. "We can't spare any more troops. Simply send word to those who are already out on patrol. I doubt they're a threat, but… our leader wouldn't appreciate it if we were to take any risks…"

He and the woman both shivered at that, and she nodded.

"Understood, sir. All patrolling units will be mobilized immediately."

/

Ash Ketchum had the worst luck.

At least, that's what it was starting to seem like, at any rate.

Quickly recalling everybody except for Pikachu and Eevee, he and Misty had bolted the moment the other four soldiers had arrived on the scene, Pikachu and Eevee quickly launching attacks to keep the soldiers at bay and give the group a head start. They hadn't even paid attention to which tunnel of the caverns that they had bolted into, nor did they even remotely care.

Ash was afraid that they would send some sort of speedy Pokemon to intercept them, but no such Pokemon came. Had he been in a better state of mind, he would have recalled what the previous Team Rocket soldier had said earlier, about exhausting all of their stronger Pokemon.

Right now, all he was focused on was remaining alive and well. The adrenaline pumping through his body carried him across the tunnels as he and Misty ran side by side, the normally temperamental girl in a similar mood of panic as her feet pounded against the rocky floors.

As they approached a branching path, Ash and Misty gaped in horror as they saw two more soldiers running out of one of the tunnels. The group made a quick beeline for the second tunnel, now sure where it would take them.

One soldier successfully managed to seize Ash's collar from behind, prompting a shriek of terror from Misty. A painful Iron Tail from Pikachu had sent the man flying backwards (probably with shattered ribs), as Misty latched onto Ash as quickly as she could, the boy falling backwards for a brief moment before his new friend grabbed him and pulled him back up, sparing him a hard collision with the rocky floors of the caverns.

More running. More panicking. More shouting from the soldiers in hot pursuit.

There was no end goal in sight. Just a desperate attempt to stay out of the reach of their assailants as long as they possibly could. How long would that last?

"COCKSUCKERS!" Misty's voice assaulted Ash's ears with its sheer volume, and, had it not been for his completely panicked state of mind, the young boy probably would have been totally floored to hear such language from somebody of his age group.

He kept his gaze up ahead in the seemingly endless labyrinth of tunnels. No reprieve in sight. Just more running and panicking. The group was doomed. What else?

The two trainers could hear the shouts of the soldiers as their longer, adult legs carried them across the tunnel, rapidly closing the distance between themselves and the children that they were pursuing. A Machop had been sent out by one of the new soldiers, and had taken the bullet when Pikachu fired a quick Thunder Shock towards the approaching soldiers in an effort to stall them.

The electricity from the attack had provoked a wail of pain from the Fighting Type Pokemon. Now with the knowledge of Thunderbolt, Pikachu was able to put extra strength into his Thunder Shock attack much more easily, without needing to charge it up for as long as he used to.

Machop was resilient, however, and although it sank to its knees initially after being struck with the electrical blast, it was soon back on its feet, attempting to catch up with the Team Rocket soldiers, who quickly found themselves scattering frantically in response to a second Thunder Shock from Pikachu, and a Bubble Beam from Piplup, who Misty had sent back out in an effort to drive off the tenacious attackers.

A bird Pokemon that Misty had apparently recognized as a Murkrow emerged from a Poke Ball that another soldier had removed from their belt, and the new Pokemon shrieked horrifically as it made a mad rush for the duo of trainers, a Shadow Ball appearing in its open beak as it closed in.

As Piplup fired a trail of Bubble Beam at the approaching soldiers in an effort to keep them at bay, Pikachu intercepted the Murkrow and slammed it in the face with Zap Tail just before the bird Pokemon could fire. While the Murkrow was still reeling from the blow, Eevee pelted it with Swift.

This suddenly gave Ash an idea. Swift was a move that could lock onto opponents and make it easier for the user to hit their target. Although Eevee wasn't perfect with the move, it could certainly prove useful in this situation.

"Eevee, use Swift on them!" he pointed forward. In response, Eevee turned her attention to the approaching Team Rocket soldiers as Pikachu rushed the falling Murkrow, body coated in spark.

Two of the six soldiers were in the process of removing a Poke Ball from their respective belts as the golden stars erupted from Eevee's mouth and sailed through the air towards them. The grunts yelped in shock as the stars were suddenly upon them. Although most attempts to avoid the onslaught were successful, the stars exploded on the ground near their feet, the shockwaves doing the rest of the work and knocking four of the soldiers off balance, two of which were the ones who had attempted to take out Poke Balls, which slipped out of their hands and rolled across the rocky floor of the tunnels. One soldier hit their head on a nearby rock as they fell, leaving him dazed and with a serious throbbing pain in his head as his vision instantaneously blurred. The other three were left with painfully twisted ankles. A fifth soldier actually was struck by one of the stars, but was righted by the sixth soldier, who grabbed onto his comrade to prevent him from falling as the attack left him wheezing in pain.

This action left both of the two remaining soldiers wide open, however, and a sudden Bubble Beam from Piplup was frantically avoided by both of them, trying to dodge in separate directions. The soldier who had gotten hit by the Swift, however, was still reeling from the blow, not used to taking hits from Pokemon moves (but still not seriously injured due to it only being just one star), and lost his balance immediately. Although he caught himself with his hands, feeling a sharp pain as the force of his fall pressed his palms against the hard surface of the floor, a Shadow Ball from Eevee exploded nearby, the impact flinging him away from the shockwaves and leaving his back to collide with the ground with a painful THUD.

The other soldier also caught himself with his hands, but a Thunder Wave from Pikachu left him spasming on the ground.

With all six soldiers now on the ground, Ash felt Misty's hand roughly clasp onto his shoulder as she bluntly pulled him forward.

"They're down! Come on everyone!"

Not one to argue with that, Ash took off into a sprint as the orange haired girl led the way, Pikachu and Eevee both hot on their tails, and Piplup only sparing a single moment to glance back and ensure that the Team Rocket soldiers were all still down.

As the group bailed as quickly as their bodies allowed them too, Machop finally caught up and stopped amidst the fallen Team Rocket soldiers, looking around in concern.

One Team Rocket soldier, struggling to his feet as he reeled from the pain of his twisted ankle, pointed off in the direction that the group had ran off too.

"Machop, Murkrow… go after them, hurry!"

A quick nod was offered by the fighting type Pokemon in response, before it ran forward. Coming across Murkrow, it stopped briefly to survey the condition of the fallen bird Pokemon.

Murkrow's body was badly beaten, the injured bird Pokemon struggling to rise up as it pointed its wing forward, signaling for Machop to go on ahead.

Reluctantly, the fighting type complied, rushing off to catch up with the retreating group. Behind it, Murkrow finally managed to rise into the air, flapping its wings weakly as it attempted to fly off in pursuit of the travelers.

The bird would never quite catch up, however, collapsing from exhaustion and pain just a minute or two later.

/

"WHAT?!" Cyan's voice was livid and horrified.

"I'm sorry, sir!" came the soldier's voice from the other end of the receiver. "They just caught us off guard and got away! We sent a couple of our Pokemon after them, but-"

"How the hell is this so difficult for you?!" Cyan demanded as he tried to ignore his increasingly rapid heartbeat. "We're trying to tear down the Indigo League for crying out loud! Aren't you well equipped enough to handle a couple of damn rookie children?!"

"We've been here for a while, sir!" came the reply. "And most of our stronger Pokemon have already exhausted themselves fighting some of the more powerful trainers that we took hostage after coming here! And the strongest within our group have all been taken by the Marauder's squadron to secure the Moon Stone. We're all running on low juice right now."

Cyan snarled, yet sighed in acceptance. "You're right. Keep me posted." hanging up, he placed the device next to him as he sank into his chair before sighing deeply, pressing his palm firmly against his face as he did so.

It was supposed to be a simple procedure. Raid Mt. Moon. Gather up all of the trainers traveling through the area before any of them could alert the authorities, confiscating all of their Pokemon in the process. Send an elite squadron of soldiers led by the Iron-Masked Marauder in order to secure the Moon Stone. Maybe "simple" was the wrong word for it, but "efficient" would probably be a good way to describe it. It certainly wasn't supposed to be difficult.

And in the beginning, things had gone quite easily for them. Obviously they were met with resistance, but any and all trainers that they had encountered were captured before the League could be contacted. They had several soldiers on patrol throughout the mountain in order to round up any stragglers.

Mt. Moon was under their control. At least, it was supposed to be. Cyan highly doubted that these two children could do much of anything to jeopardize the mission currently at hand, but that was not the Iron-Masked Marauder's way of thinking.

Their squad leader's orders were absolute, and Cyan wasn't going to risk provocation of whatever… punishment awaited them on the off chance that these two children actually did manage to interfere.

"Sir…" a soldier approached him cautiously, earning a neutral gaze from Cyan. "Are we really sure that a couple of children pose that much of a threat to us? It's not like they're going to be going down into the depths of the mountain, and even if they do, there's no way they'd be strong enough to stop-"

"That's not the point." the soldier flinched as Cyan caught him off with a raised hand. "We're supposed to have this place under total lockdown, and if those two kids manage to escape and get a hold of the League…" he grumbled. "Our squad leader is not to be trifled with. You can't go anywhere in the criminal underworld without hearing tall tales about how monstrous he is. Thing is, in this line of work, a lot of those tall tales are probably true. If we perform anywhere under his satisfaction, it's bad news for all of us. I think I'd rather be imprisoned by the League."

The soldier grimaced, his face contorting in anxiety. "What exactly would he do?"

"Who knows? He's one of those people who is willing to do pretty much anything. Moral code usually isn't a factor in his way of thinking. That's why we have to play by his rules." Cyan looked off to the side, not making eye contact with his subordinate.

'Otherwise I'll probably be the one who ends up paying the price.' he thought bitterly to himself.

/

The group stopped to catch a quick breather after several more minutes of nonstop running in the tunnels. Their lungs all appreciated the quick break, but their brains wouldn't stop shouting at them to continue to flee.

Gasping a bit as he tried to take in as much air as possible, Ash pressed his back to a wall and glanced at Misty, who had Piplup by her side. Pikachu and Eevee were by his.

"You think they're still after us?" he bit his lips nervously.

Misty's face was sullen. "Who knows how many of them are here? And now we've lost the main path while running from them. I don't even know where we are in these damn tunnels."

She was gritting her teeth, snarling ferociously in frustration, but her eyes were filled with terror. They were trapped in the labyrinth caverns of Mt. Moon with a group of terrorists pursuing them.

Do they keep moving and risk running into more soldiers? Or do they stay put and risk the soldiers coming to them? It was dumb luck that let them survive the previous chase, and nothing more.

Ash wanted to keep running. To at least have a chance at escaping the mountain. Waiting around carried the same amount of risk as moving away, and at least moving away carried the slim possibility of them stumbling upon an exit by some pure miracle.

But his chest hurt. His legs were sore. His feet were sore. He wanted to sit down. To never run again. To just lean against this wall and put his head up, close his eyes, and think relaxing thoughts. Or maybe even not think at all. Either way, he just wanted to rest his muscles.

That was what his body wanted. But his brain wanted the opposite. To run. To find a way out of this damn mountain and never return. To never see Team Rocket ever again.

Fatigue clashing with self preservation. Exhaustion growing in the face of waning adrenaline.

Eying Misty, he wondered if she was in similar turmoil. The normally hot headed girl had her usual aggression in her mannerisms, but her breathing was just as hard as his, and there was a hint of paleness in her face.

Pikachu looked like he could still run. He was used to this. Piplup and Eevee both seemed to be on their last reserves, however.

He couldn't hear any soldiers or Pokemon at the moment, so they should be safe. But for how long? They could come bursting in at any minute. Right now, they were near the entry point to one of the many branching tunnels in the caverns.

Forcing himself to start moving again, Ash pushed himself off of the wall and eyed the group frantically.

"We should really go. If we don't we could-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Misty cut him off. "Once we get out of here and contact the authorities, I'm taking a shower."

Talking about what she was going to do after escaping from the mountain was Misty's way of trying to reassure herself that she would ever be escaping the mountain period. But Ash didn't pick up on that.

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears erected upwards, and he let out a cry as something burst through the entrance to the tunnel.

"GAH! What's that?!" cried Ash.

Stepping out of the shadows was the same Machop that had chased them before. It crossed its arms in an attempt to appear authoritative as it sized the group up, a neutral expression on its face that conveyed no happiness or anger. As though it didn't care which side it was on.

Pikachu growled as he rushed forward and placed himself in between Machop and the group, cheeks sparking madly as the young mouse grinded his teeth.

Sinking into a fighting stance, Machop prepared itself.

Ash grimaced. They would have to fight after all. Oh well. "Pikachu, let's end this quickly!"

Nodding at his trainer, Pikachu shot forward towards his opponent. Machop responded in kind.

The electric mouse was clearly faster, striking at their fighting type adversary with a metallic tail just before Machop could react.

Machop reeled from the blow as it skidded backwards, glaring at Pikachu as it managed to stay upright before charging forward again.

Pikachu leapt over a kick from the fighting type before delivering a well-placed Brick Break to his opponent's cheek, prompting Machop to stumble forward. A second Iron Tail was met with a mighty punch that pushed Pikachu back towards the group, the mouse sinking down onto all fours as he snarled at his adversary, cheeks sparking in an effort to look as intimidating as possible.

Ash and Misty immediately distanced themselves from the fighting as Eevee and Piplup both took their places besides Pikachu, although the young mouse remained slightly in front.

"Misty," Ash said quickly, slightly turning his head in her direction, while still attempting to keep his eyes on the Pokemon. Misty responded in kind. "Pikachu should be fast enough to engage Machop directly. Eevee can give him cover from a distance. You think Piplup can do the same?"

A quick nod from Misty. "We'll try to keep it on the defensive." she replied.

Both trainers turned their attention completely back to the battle, where Machop was already getting ready for its next move.

Ash and Misty both blinked rapidly as Machop's body suddenly glowed a deep orange. Letting out a low, ominous rumble from its throat, the Fighting Type raised its arms outwards as its muscles suddenly bulged, pulsating with power across its entire body.

Bulk Up. A move that bolstered the power of a Pokemon's muscles, the boost to the Pokemon's brute strength being a massive boon for their offense and durability. Which meant that Machop had just become a hell of a lot more difficult to put down.

But that just raised the question of whether or not Machop could maintain the technique for long before needing to drop it. There was a reason why moves that powered up the user weren't universally used in battles, despite the obvious boons that they granted for the user. Almost all of them had some sort of drawback or strain to them, powering up the user to levels that their body was not actually at yet.

Making good use of its new leg strength, Machop rushed forward, raising a glowing, purple fist as it barreled over towards Pikachu.

Locking onto the young mouse with Poison Jab, the fighting type Pokemon was most certainly putting its newfound strength to good use. But Pikachu quickly leapt away as his adversary attempted to sock him, leaving the Machop wide open to a Bubble Beam from Piplup, which sent the bulky opponent staggering backwards as the watery barrage hit it the face, grunting irritably as the attack painfully pelted it.

"Piplup!" Misty called out. "Support Pikachu from behind! Keep attacking from a distance!"

"You too, Eevee!" Ash declared. "Use Swift!"

Just as Machop was upright again, Eevee's golden stars pelted against its chest. As the fighting type staggered backwards, Pikachu was upon it again, Zap Tail at the ready as he struck Machop clean on the head.

Machop wailed in agony As Pikachu relentlessly pushed the electric tail firmly against its head, the electricity from the tail being driven into Machop's head further and further as the young mouse kept up his assault.

Not wanting to give Machop a chance at recovery, Misty quickly followed up. "Water Pulse!"

As Pikachu gave Machop one final, rough push that sent his opponent staggering away, Piplup took aim at the opponent as it struggled to maintain its footing. The deep, blue orb of glowing water that formed in between the penguin's wings was flung towards Machop at full force, splashing against the bulky adversary and knocking it clean off of its feet.

Machop regained its bearings just in time, catching itself on its hands before it could hit the ground, but Eevee was already charging up a Shadow Ball. To Ash's chagrin, however, Machop quickly lurched itself upwards in time to avoid the attack, which exploded against the stone wall. The wind force from the shockwaves of the blast blasted a series of dust that collided with the fighting type's back, Machop standing tall as it bared its fists at the group, the dust almost acting as a backdrop.

Pikachu launched a Thunder Shock at the bulky fighting type, but Machop raised a fist, now glowing with electricity, and intercepted the attack.

Thunder Punch. Machop hadn't used it to block Pikachu's electricity during the frantic chase, but with things more focused now, perhaps it was easier for the Fighting Type to come up with the idea.

Pikachu gritted his teeth irritably as the electricity from his own attack strengthened that of the Machop's, the lightning radiating off of the fighting type Pokemon's fist now much more intense than before. As Machop charged forward, Pikachu responded in kind, rushing the bulky Pokemon at full speed and driving a powerful Zap Tail into Machop's gut.

Making good use of its durability from Bulk Up, Machop, despite wheezing in pain, attempted to push forward against the force of the attack, increasing its pain further as he leaned into the electrical tail in an attempt to sock Pikachu with its fist of lightning. The water that Machop's body was soaked in from Piplup's attacks was no doubt making this even worse, but the Fighting Type was ludicrously resilient as it adamantly braved its way through the excruciating pain.

A grimacing Ash was quickly reminded of the ending of Pikachu's fight with Paul's Elekid back in Pewter City. Elekid had also powered through Pikachu's attack in order to deal a devastating blow.

Thankfully, a Swift from Eevee forced Machop backwards as the golden stars pelted against its face. The electricity in Machop's fist dissipated as it held an open palm against its gut in pain, growling angrily in Pikachu's direction as its hand clutched the sore wound.

If Machop kept taking more damage like this, it would likely get worn out from having to maintain Bulk Up while simultaneously dealing with the pain. As its body sustained damage, it would become harder and harder to handle the move without wearing itself out, becoming completely exhausted as all of its energy dried out. At that point in time, it would be forced to either drop Bulk Up entirely, or go for broke and attempt to finish the fight quickly before completely exhausting itself entirely.

When Ash voiced this to Misty, she simply nodded. "Right, we need to keep hammering away at it until it drops." the look in her eyes was still scared, much like Ash's, but there was a noticeable fire in them that Ash's lacked. "It doesn't seem to have any ranged moves, so maybe Pikachu should widen the gap between them too?"

Ash nodded at that, watching Pikachu dodge a flaming fist from their opponent before driving an Iron Tail into Machop's stomach, right where the wound was. The young boy winced a bit as the muscular Rocket Pokemon cried out in agony, its wailing suddenly cut off as it was blasted with Eevee's Shadow Ball. Just before Piplup's Bubble Beam could strike it, however, it moved to the side and narrowly avoided the onslaught.

"Good idea." he raised his voice. "Pikachu! Back up buddy, real quick!"

Pikachu's ears perked up at the change in strategy, and quickly leapt away as Machop attempted to strike the young mouse with a now icy fist. The frozen punch struck nothing but air as Pikachu scampered away, stopping in between Eevee and Piplup and glaring at Machop on all fours, cheeks sparking dangerously.

Machop was certainly stronger than any of the other three Pokemon currently fighting it, but that meant very little if it couldn't land a hit. Just one blow from the Fighting Type would probably be devastating, causing serious injury that would cripple the combatant that was on the receiving end for the remainder of the battle.

Thankfully, Pikachu's evasiveness and the long distance assaults from Eevee and Piplup to further keep the fighting type at bay had made this a non-issue.

Now, it was just time to finish it up.

"Icy WInd!" Misty called out.

Piplup's open beak unleashed a gust of frozen air as Machop raised its arms defensively. The fighting type Pokemon was forced to look away, wincing loudly as the sharp, unforgivingly cold air assaulted its skin. The water soaking its skin from previous attacks was beginning to freeze over.

Ash saw his chance. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Normally, Thunderbolt would take longer to charge. Pikachu had not yet gotten a full grip on the powerful electric type move. But with Machop occupied with Icy Wind, Pikachu was left with as much time as it needed to gather the electricity in his cheeks.

With a loud cry, Pikachu's body erupted in lightning as the golden bolt sailed towards Machop, rocketing into the Fighting type's body and bathing it in merciless static.

Machop screamed in pain, not just from the strength of the bolt, but from the sudden contrast from the freezing cold Icy Wind that left its skin unbearably cold, to the sudden, extreme heat of the Thunderbolt, mercilessly burning against the Fighting Type's now excruciatingly cold skin. The water on its body only added to the pain, making an already unbearable attack even worse, as though rubbing salt on a wound.

As the attack subsided, Pikachu exhaled deeply, and Ash could see his starter Pokemon breathing a bit hard. They would have to work on Thunderbolt later, but at the very least, the young mouse was clearly capable of using the technique without completely exhausting himself, even if it was very clearly a taxing move for the small rodent to pull off. At the current moment, anyway.

Turning his gaze towards Machop, Ash grimaced as the fighting type steadfastly remained standing. Although it panted in exhaustion with its hands on its knees, its muscles mostly returned to normal, and its body bruised, burnt, and beaten with sparks of static rolling across it, it still refused to sink to the floor. A tenacious opponent for sure.

But Misty wasn't having any of it. "Still standing up, huh? Well I've reached my limit with you!" pointing at the penguin , she glowered at the wounded Rocket Pokemon. "Put it down with Aerial Beak!"

Piplup nodded, before raising his head highly. His beak glowed a bright white as it seemingly grew in both length and sharpness. Kicking off of the ground, Piplup's body became enveloped in that same bright, white light as he sailed through the air and towards Machop.

Charging forward with Aerial Ace, Piplup drove his Peck right into Machop's forehead, the fighting type Pokemon not even having time to cry out in pain as it was blasted off of its feet, blood spraying from the spot where Piplup had struck, and landed on its back with an unceremonious thud. As Piplup landed gracefully on the stony ground, he looked over to his opponent, who was not getting up.

A wide grin developed on Misty's face momentarily before she suddenly returned to her nervous, uneasy expression.

"Ash, we need to get out of here. We don't know if this battle attracted any of their attention or not."

Ash quickly nodded in understanding.

/

Pikachu had been fed a quick oran berry before the group took off again, the young mouse's stamina rejuvenated. Machop's unconscious body was left at the sight of the battle, and thankfully, no other soldiers or Pokemon had arrived to attack them before they could make their escape.

Ash and Misty were both still fighting against exhaustion, but had mercifully decided to stick to jogging. It was still taxing in their fatigue states, but wasn't nearly as immediately excruciating as a full blown sprint would have been.

The group had no idea where they were going. No idea where the main path was, how deep they were in the caverns, or even what level that they were currently at in general. All of that had been completely lost in the sheer panic of the initial chase, and Ash cursed himself for not paying attention.

He didn't know it, but Misty was currently feeling the same exact way as well.

Although he tried to convince himself that it couldn't be helped, and that they were both bound to lose their focus in the chase, the repercussions of such still certainly didn't bode well for any of them.

The group of five were lost in the tunnels, and who knew when they'd run into somebody next? And whether or not it would be even stronger than that Machop?

Although he kept an eye out for soldiers and Pokemon, Ash wasn't too sure how vigilant he could be while simultaneously trying to move.

What's more, the boy found his growing exhaustion clashing with said efforts to be vigilant, his mind constantly shifting focus to how much his body wanted to stop moving.

The boy told himself to keep running, but how long could he keep that mindset up? It all felt so hopeless.

Even so, an optimistic voice in his brain wanted to tell him that it was over. And that they had gotten away. A much louder boice told him that it was too good to be true.

The tunnels in this mountain were seemingly endless. Ash didn't know if it was the paranoia of Team Rocket lurking within the caverns and probably searching for them, or just the simple fact that there was still no end in sight, but he felt as though he was completely closed off from the world. As though Mt. Moon was an entirely different place from the world that he lived in.

And that might have added to the hopelessness that he was feeling. Not even in Viridian Forest had he ever felt this separated from civilization. From the world itself. It added to the fear he had developed for these seemingly endless caverns. And it ultimately added to his desperation to escape.

Slightly ahead of him was Misty, as he had begun to slow down a tiny bit in an attempt to hopefully conserve energy.

"Ash, I think the tunnel is opening up into a room up ahead-"

The group skidded to a halt at the entrance to the room, a group of Team Rocket soldiers standing in front of them.

The soldier in front of the rest seemed quite irritated, and stressed.

"Damnit…" said Cyan. "So they stumbled they're way here, now."

Misty's face was pale as she stepped backwards, at Ash's side now, while Pikachu uneasily glared at the soldiers in front of them, cheeks sparking mad with lightning.

"So… we walked right into their camp…" she whimpered out.

Ash felt like he might vomit. This whole time, he had been desperate to escape from the caverns of Mt. Moon, and now, they had just done the opposite.

They had effectively just delivered themselves right to Team Rocket. He felt truly sick.

Standing in front of the soldiers, Cyan glowered uneasily at the duo of trainers.

"Well, you two made it easy for us, and you're clearly tired of running. Are you ready to cooperate yet?"

Misty did her best to snarl. "No way!" as she stammered with a combination of fear and rage, her hand shot to her belt. "You bastards are just going to strip away our Pokemon and use us as hostages when the authorities get here! I'm not some bargaining tool!"

"You really don't know what you two are getting yourselves into, kids." Cyan's hand reached for his own belt as he allowed his gaze at them to even. If only you knew what our squad leader was like, you'd be jumping to become a prisoner in place of the alternative." The Poke Ball that he removed from his belt enlarged as he gripped it firmly in his palm. "Quite frankly, I don't care if you get hurt or not. My condition is what's going to be critical if he ends up being dissatisfied. I'm not letting my own well being go to risk just because a couple of brats decided to do things the hard way."

Ash's eyes narrowed at that. Squad leader? This guy sounded scared of whoever was leading the operation. Speaking of which…

"What are you even doing here?" Ash blurted out, trying to sound demanding. Given the man's sneer, he had failed in that department.

"Quite trying to sound tough, half-pint. Didn't I just tell you I can't take any risks? You won't get any meaningful information from me." he reared his hand back, preparing to throw. "Now then, hold still. This is your last chance."

A Golbat appeared in the air before them. Zubat's evolved form.

Looking around the room, Ash realized that there was a lot more space here than most of the tunnels. There should be enough for Nebula to comfortably fly around…

The Staravia appeared in front of him, along with Valiant. The two Pokemon nodded uneasily upon seeing their company.

Beside him, Misty released the rest of her team.

Ash felt his heart racing as the rest of the soldiers sprang into action, filling the room with Zubat.

/

Outside of Mt. Moon, the sky was becoming engulfed in gray clouds, a light drizzle beginning to descend from the sky as a large group made their way out of the Pokemon Center on the other side.

Cerulean City was just a distance away from that Center.

About twenty adults in Indigo League uniforms formed the group as they gathered near the entrance to the mountain. Their facial expressions were hardened, but clear. An air of professionalism to them as they prepared to enter it.

At the front of the group was a tall, young woman with long silverish hair. The Weavile at her side was running its claws together in an absentminded manner, as though they weren't even on a mission.

The woman gazed into the entrance to the caverns for a brief moment before turning to her group.

"We are lucky that one of Team Rocket's grunts leaked this operation to us during interrogation." she sighed. "They will be heading deep into the caverns. We'll move quickly, but with the number of trainers likely in the mountain we'll probably be dealing with a hostage situation."

Her face was a bit grim. She certainly wasn't the most serious person compared to her peers, but knowing the potential stakes of the mission was fairly easy for her.

She was so strong as a trainer, that it was sometimes easy to forget that she was younger than everyone in the squad that she was leading today. They certainly didn't look at her in such a way. To them, she was a powerful trainer beyond description, an absolute terror to go up against or even witness. And for those reasons, her age was barely even considered by those who answered to her and her orders. An irrelevant factor compared to everything else about her.

No different from any other member of the Elite Four.

"Do we know exactly where we are going, Karen?" spoke one of the soldiers. His voice conveyed nothing but obedience. Absolute recognition of the young woman's much earned ranking.

Karen nodded. "We have our instructions for how to get to the Moon Stone. With any luck, we can take the quickest path to the Moon Stone and intercept Team Rocket before they can reach it. Either way, we'll need to move swiftly." With that, she turned around, focusing all of her attention on the entrance to the cavern in front of her as her silverish hair swayed with her motions. Weavile did the same. The soldiers all prepared themselves without any comments. "It's time."

Chapter Text

Ash and Misty had come to Mt. Moon with the simple goal of traveling through the caverns to reach the other side and move on to Cerulean City. Things rarely go as planned, especially for trainers, but neither rookie could have predicted the extent to which their travels had blatantly gone off the rails.

The "setback" that they had been faced with wasn't a simple detour, an injury suffered by a teammate, or even just getting lost normally.

They HAD gotten lost, but it was because of the real setback: Team Rocket.

And in the chaos, they had both found themselves in the makeshift hideout that the terrorists had set up within the caverns of the mountain.

Things almost never go as planned, but in this case, no plan in the world could have prepared the duo for today's current events.

Nebula ducked under Golbat's Steel Wing as Cyan and the rest of the soldiers barked orders at the numerous bats flying through the air in the room.

Things had devolved into chaos the moment the battle had begun, with Nebula's Whirlwind doing well to keep the bats at bay, while Piplup's Icy Wind provided additional backup that took advantage of their inherent weakness to ice type moves.

Unfortunately, the bats weren't all they needed to contend with. The soldiers had taken to releasing multiple Poochyena to cleverly duck under the aerial combat, leaving Pikachu, Eevee, Valiant, and Staryu to defend their trainers, with Piplup pitching in whenever he wasn't providing additional backup for Nebula (who was contending with at least a dozen foes at once).

Cyan, despite the blatant advantage in numbers, was getting frustrated with the lack of progress. Ash wasn't counting on that continuing, however. Nebula could only use Whirlwind for so long, after all.

The Zubat were hardly an individual threat to her or Piplup, nor were the Poochyena to the rest of the team. However, there was a very large number of each. Nebula still fared well despite that, and the rest of the team was able to successfully split their efforts, but Cyan's Golbat was a completely different story. It was keeping pace with Nebula, and Nebula couldn't focus all of her efforts solely on it and give it the necessary attention to deal with it, due to the rest of the Zubat constantly preoccupying her.

A change in strategy would be a blatant necessity in making it out in one piece. But it was hard to come up with any sort of plans in the chaotic state of battle that Ash and Misty found themselves in, and the constant screeches of the bats certainly wasn't helping either rookie's inner concentration.

Ash let out a startled yelp as a Poochyena tried to slip through and leap at him, only for an angry Pikachu to smash it aside with a powerful Zap Tail to the jaw. Above them, A Zubat made its way down towards Misty, only to be met with an Icy Wind from an equally pissed off Piplup.

Team Rocket was not backing down on their offensive, and so far, all they could do in response was defend.

While watching Valiant blast another Poochyena away with Dazzling Gleam, Ash did his absolute best to tune out the chaotic noise of the battle, confident that his and Misty's Pokemon would be able to keep them safe while he attempted to come up with a plan.

But he still found it to be next to impossible, because even with his attempts to drown out the noise with his inner thoughts, his fear still dominated his brain. There was practically no escape from it.

No matter what he did, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from remembering that he and Misty were both being targeted by a terrorist organization.

It was why he had to focus. Because of the sheer stakes in a battle that they could not afford to lose. But the knowledge of those exact stakes prevented him from summoning the focus that he so desperately needed in order for them to win.

He needed to focus, or else they'll all probably die. But that same exact fear of death prevented him from thinking. Prevented him from-

"ASH!"

Ash screamed out of his thoughts as he suddenly ducked under a leaping Poochyena that nearly sunk its teeth into his face. His canine assailant was immediately smacked away by a powerful Brick Break from an enraged Pikachu.

Misty's terrified scream had saved his life.

Above them, Nebula swatted away a trio of Zubat with a series of powerful Steel Wings that sent the now unconscious bats crashing down to the ground.

Cyan grumbled. "Stubborn brats."

"Get used to it, thug!" Misty fired back pettily.

Unfazed, Cyan turned his attention to Golbat. "Golbat, Air Cutter!"

The boy grimaced at the mention of the move. Now Team Rocket was the one changing up their tactics, before they had a chance to do so themselves.

Nebula glared at her attacker as Golbat took aim. Smacking away yet another Poochyena with Iron Tail, Pikachu's attention was briefly turned upwards, Nebula preparing to evade the incoming offense. Meanwhile, the Zubat in front of Nebula parted in an effort to not get hit themselves.

Golbat had taken aim at Ash's powerful feathered friend with noticeable speed, leaving only a small window for reaction. The wind that was let loose in Nebula's direction was weaponized, but not in the same way as her signature Wind Blast technique. Air Cutter was something different.

When this move was used, the wind itself that the technique produced was sharp; quite literally like blades made out of wind. Ash had no idea how the move actually worked or functioned, but he knew that much about it. While Wind Blast was a good move to use for blunt force, Air Cutter was designed to slice through opponents to take them out.

Golbat howled viciously as it flapped its wings with vigor, sending as much sharp, blade-like wind towards Nebula as possible. The Staravia wasted no time in avoiding the technique, maneuvering through the air.

One blade-like gust nearly hit Ash, who sidestepped away in a frenzy to avoid being sliced. Another nearly hit Valiant, who had erected Light Screen to defend himself with. Yet another still almost hit Misty, who, much like Ash, frantically avoided it.

Nebula cried out angrily, retaliating with a Wind Blast. Golbat sailed upwards to avoid the attack, but suddenly found Nebula's beak meeting with its body as she charged upwards into him with Aerial Ace. The remaining Zubat that had previously moved to avoid Golbat's Air Cutter were now charging towards Nebula at once, the majority of them opening their mouths wide as their teeth glowed purple.

With her assailants coming from all directions, Nebula had no means to counter them all at once, but the Staravia's attackers were all left bewildered as she suddenly split into four. Taking advantage of the brief confusion, Nebula bolted upwards, her three clones not being able to move along with her, and slammed a metallic wing into one of the shocked Zubat in her path. As the bat was sent into free fall, knocked out on impact from the forceful blow, Golbat attempted to pursue Nebula, only to be forced to dodge to the side as a bolt of lightning from Pikachu nearly hit it.

Although Pikachu had just enough time to fire the Thunder Shock, the Poochyena immediately made themselves known again, but to the young mouse's luck, Valiant had teleported in front of him and erected a glass barrier to intercept them.

As a few of the soldiers released more Zubat, Nebula attempted to take advantage of Golbat's distraction with a Steel Wing, but as she charged forward, Golbat raised a metallic wing of its own, blocking the strike. The Staravia's momentum sent Golbat flying through the air before the opponent righted itself, but no harm was done by either side.

"Ash." the boy turned to Misty as Nebula fired another Wind Blast, which Golbat dodged. The orange haired girl was glancing at him from the corner of her eye, but did not turn her head, her vision divided between him and the two Poochyena advancing towards her.

Suddenly realizing that he needed to be paying attention himself, Ash turned his head away from Misty, looking at her from the corner of his eye as well.

"I think I might have a plan." she said as Piplup and Staryu blasted away her attackers. "They seem to be running low on Poochyena, but there's still more Zubat up there." she gestured towards the reinforcements that the soldiers had sent out. Ash assumed that they hadn't sent them all out at once because they feared that crowding the room too much would limit their flight ability. "We need to get Piplup on Nebula's back. His Icy Wind can be aimed better up there."

Ash nodded in understanding. Looking up at his feathered friend, he cupped his hands. "Nebula! Pull back and use Whirlwind! Then come down here quickly!"

Nebula was somewhat surprised by the order, but complied nonetheless. Backing away to ensure that all of her opponents were in the blast zone, she flapped her wings with all of the fury that she could muster, the powerful gale of wind forcing her adversaries backwards. Golbat responded with an Air Cutter aimed solely for the Staravia, but the bird was already headed downwards, staying on the ground just long enough for Piplup to climb onto her back, before returning to the air.

"Icy Wind, Piplup!" Misty shouted upwards with cupped hands.

Complying, Piplup opened his beak and allowed the frozen wind to flow freely. Feeling the cold air up close made Nebula unpleasantly wince, but she powered through the pain to allow Piplup to continue.

Multiple blasts of cold air were fired as the bats circled around Nebula and Piplup with perfect coordination. Although some were hit, and sent falling to the ground, many still eluded the penguin's attacks, dodging the icy gusts that were fired in their direction.

Golbat made a bold move and charged head on towards the duo of birds, cloaked in Aerial Ace as it took aim at the Staravia with a Steel Wing. Although Nebula blocked the fast-approaching assailant with a Steel Wing of her own, the momentum from Aerial Ace carried Golbat forward still, knocking Nebula off balance and leaving a shrieking Piplup to hold on for dear life as the bird began to fall.

Ash was about to cry out when Nebula suddenly let loose a series of small, but forceful, gusts of wind, flapping her wings downwards towards the ground to push herself upwards with the gales that she created. Golbat and the squadron of Zubat all descended downwards towards the duo with purple teeth ready to sink into their targets, but were all forced to scatter as an upwards Icy Wind from Piplup threatened to collide with them.

Ash inwardly grunted. They were elusive, but…

This gave him an idea. He couldn't bring himself to grin in such a dire situation, but a surge of confidence suddenly found its way to his chest.

"Nebula!" his hands were cupped as he shouted upwards. "Combine Piplup's Icy Wind with your Wind Blast! And rotate while you use it!"

Nebula shot herself upwards yet again, this time deliberately positioning herself in the middle of her adversaries as she began to flap her wings madly, taking aim at Golbat.

As Piplup's Icy Wind escaped his beak yet again, the wind from Wind Blast immediately carried the icy air forward. Although Icy Wind already traveled at a fairly decent pace when Piplup was using it, the extra momentum from the concentrated blast of air that Nebula had let loose carried the ice type move forward far more quickly, and therefore, forcefully, than normal. Although Golbat just barely avoided the attack, the two Zubat behind it weren't so lucky, shrieking in agony as the fast moving air assaulted their bodies. It could have been the brute force of the Wind Blast pounding against their bodies, or it could have been the freezing cold air from the Icy Wind that the Wind Blast was carrying along with it, enveloping them and painfully coating parts of their bodies with a thin layer of ice. Either way, both Zubat fell to the ground, unconscious, and down for the count.

And the rest of the group soon followed. Although Golbat had initially evaded the attack, it was immediately hit full force as Nebula spun around in midair, rotating several times as the brutish and frigid combination of Wind Blast and Icy Wind collided with every bat in the air. The Staravia was spinning around as fast as she could, rotating herself, and, by extension, the combination attack that she and Piplup were both using together, at high speeds and leaving their opponents with very little time to adapt.

Soon every Zubat was coated in ice, falling to the ground in unceremonious defeat.

Only Golbat remained. Weakly but defiantly all the same, the larger bat continued to flap its wings as it struggled to maintain its aerial balance. Ice layered several parts of its skin, and it was very clearly bruised from the repeated rounds of getting assaulted by the brutish force of Wind Blast, which had smacked it into the rocky walls at least twice, if not more.

Nebula and Piplup glared at their mutual rival's tenacity, but showed no signs of pessimism. It was very clear who was in control now.

"Steel Wing, Nebula!" And Ash took quick advantage of that as he gave the final order. Letting out a brief, but triumphant shriek, Nebula blitzed towards her opponent as Piplup gripped her feathers tightly. Carried by the momentum of Quick Attack, Nebula slammed her metallic wing into the large bat's face with all of the muscle that she could muster.

The solid, blazingly fast moving metal was overkill for the already wounded bat. Sent flying through the air at a record pace, the Golbat was unconscious mere moments before colliding head first with the stony walls, and had no chance of changing that as it dropped to the ground.

Nebula and Staravia remained in the air as Cyan blanched pathetically. Looking around him, Ash saw that all of the Poochyena had been defeated.

But neither he, nor Misty and the Pokemon allowed themselves to smile.

"Damn this!" the agent backed away a hit as he eyed the victorious team. Snarling with anxiety, he raised his voice across the room. "Everyone! Send out another wave!"

Ash and Misty braced themselves as their respective Pokemon all remained in their fighting stances, but no such reinforcements came.

"I'm… out!" announced one of the soldiers.

"Me too!" another one.

To Ash's relief, a chorus of announcements erupted from the enemy soldiers, none having any Pokemon left to send out.

The boy still didn't smile, though. Not when Team Rocket was still active, and certainly not while Cyan enlarged one, final Poke Ball.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" the agent moaned in displeasure. "I'm really starting to hate children…"

Misty dared to speak up. "Yeah, well you're the ones causing us trouble! Quit whining about losing fights that you started!" she was trying to sound intimidating, and was very clearly angry, but the color had not yet completely returned to her face.

"Can it, brat." Cyan snarled as his finger shot out at the blunt toned girl. "You must really not want to leave these caverns alive, if you have a mouth like that."

Before another word could be said, they were greeted with the sight of the large, hulking figure that escaped the Poke Ball's flash of light.

Ash's eyes widened at the sight of the creature.

It was very clearly a dragon. Blue skinned. With red in the middle, and a light blue underside. On both sides of its head were appendages that looked like they could pass off as engines for planes. Each arm had a fin, as did its back and tail. Near both of its knees were spikes, and sharp claws occupied its feet.

A Gabite.

A quite intimidating dragon/ground type Pokemon native to the Sinnoh Region. They were famous (or was that infamous?) for evolving into one of the most powerful and near-universally feared species of Pokemon in the world: Garchomp.

"Say your prayers while you still can, children." Cyan leered nastily at the duo, having lost all of his patience with them. "Bet you haven't gone up against a dragon before, huh? Well, he'll be your last opponent."

As Gabite snarled ferociously, a horrible, monstrous sound escaping from his throat as Pikachu, Eevee, Valiant, and Staryu all backed away in caution under his dreadful gaze, a startled Ash felt a firm hand clasp his arm, and he dared to turn his head to see a tense Misty shivering ever so slightly.

The color was completely gone from her face once again, her previous facade of bravado having vanished.

"I'm… scared." her voice was weak, quiet. Terrified.

Hearing the horror in her voice certainly wasn't doing any favors for his own morale. She was a much bolder person than he was, and the look of terror on her face, as she spoke in the quivering voice that accompanied it, would have been more than enough to sell him on the sheer weight of their current situation, had Gabite's mere presence not already been able to do so.

He knew the frown on his face wasn't helping her mood. It was just vindicating her fear. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't put on a brave face. She was a lot better at that than he was.

Looking forward, and inclining her head upwards towards Nebula and Piplup, Misty practically screamed. "Piplup! Nebula! Use your combo from before!" All of her hot headedness had been replaced by a desperate voice of despair as she attempted to end the fight as fast as possible.

Icy Wind would be tremendously effective against Gabite. No doubt the mighty dragon was far stronger than any of their teammates, and Ash wasn't sure if Reckless would be quite enough for Nebula to match the behemoth's brute strength. Dragons were famous for their raw power.

The ice type move would practically be a necessity. And with Wind Blast greatly bolstering the force behind it…

Unfortunately, Cyan had other ideas as he quickly responded to the order.

The boy felt a pit in his stomach as the agent let out a counter command. "Use Flamethrower!" he called out to the dragon as Nebula and Piplup fired their combo downward.

Gabite responded to the order by inclining his head upwards, a surging stream of fire escaping from his open maw. The powerful blast of frozen wind was met with the scorching flames, intercepted in an explosion as the shockwaves pulsed through the air.

Ash snarled in frustration and panic. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. It was only natural to teach a dragon/ground type how to use fire so that it could counter ice.

Looking around him, the battlefield was filled with the unconscious bodies of the Poochyena and Zubat, with the Golbat lying down at the far end of the room. It suddenly occurred to him why the Rockets hadn't recalled their defeated Pokemon. The unconscious bodies throughout the room would force his and Misty's Pokemon to avoid tripping over them as they moved throughout the battlefield.

The far larger Gabite had no such worries.

No doubt those unconscious Pokemon could suffer serious injuries (or worse!) if they were to be hit by a stray attack or stomped on by Gabite… Was Team Rocket really going to leave them out and risk their well-being just for a tactical advantage?

That answer, of course, was obvious. It was far from the worst thing they had ever done.

Instinctively, Ash and Misty backed further away from the fray. At the same time, Cyan gestured for his crew to move behind him, the group of Rockets all gathering in front of the entrance to the tunnel at the back of the room they were in. The towering adults fixated their stern gazes onto the two children, as though they were attempting to intimidate them to make up for not being participants in the upcoming battle.

Ash felt himself shrink under their gaze, forcing himself to look at Gabite instead. It didn't help his mood in the slightest, but it was a lot more practical.

A flash of light briefly appeared in front of him and Misty. On edge, the two children were startled in the moment, but a split second later, Valiant was in front of them, ready to erect a barrier at a moment's notice.

An anxious smile made its way to Ash's lips. Even with everything going on, Valiant was concerned for their safety. Two humans who had no moves or special powers to defend themselves with.

"Thank you… Valiant."

A nod. Ash would have seen the stern, determined glare on Valiant's face if the young Ralts was facing towards him. Instead, Valiant's eyes were locked fiercely onto Gabite, who was now inching his way towards Pikachu and Eevee, both of whom backed away cautiously.

A nudge from Misty's elbow quickly brought Ash's attention to his new friend.

"Don't even consider close-up combat for now." she stated firmly. "That behemoth would crush our Pokemon in an instant."

Ash nodded in understanding, but winced. Pikachu had no ranged attacks that would work on Gabite. His ground typing granted him absolute immunity to all electricity.

It mattered not. Misty was right, after all. Getting in close would just make things worse.

"Keep your distance, everyone!" he called out quickly, as Cyan finally got tired of playing the waiting game and ordered Gabite to move.

The dragon was fast. Thankfully not too fast for Pikachu and Eevee to avoid him with Quick Attack, but his speed was far greater than his bulk would make things seem. Not that Ash was surprised, at this point. Plenty of large Pokemon moved a hell of a lot faster than one would ever realistically expect them too. He himself had even seen it firsthand with Brock's Onix.

The dragon raised a large claw, glowing a powerful pinkish-purple as he brought it down towards his two targets. The Dragon Claw collided with the stone floors as Pikachu and Eevee yelped in fright and leapt aside in opposite directions, small rocks kicked up by the impact of Gabite's mighty blow.

A distressed Ash was suddenly having flashbacks to the fight with Meowth, all the way back at Viridian City's Pokemon Center back on Opening Day.

And just like with Meowth, just one strike from that Gabite's mighty claws could be the end of it.

The image of Pikachu and Eevee's bodies being torn through like tissue paper filled Ash's mind, and he could have sworn that his heart stopped for just the briefest of moments.

Eevee was responding, however, having already begun charging up a Shadow Ball prior to Gabite's attack. She fired it at him while she retreated, the ball of distorted energy colliding with the dragon's face just as the Evolution Pokemon's feet hit the ground. The small explosion from the impact sent Gabite staggering back with a pained grunt, but there wasn't much visible damage done to the dragon's body from what Ash could see. Maybe if he was a bit closer to the action, but Ash doubted that they'd be able to dish out all that much lasting damage with just one attack.

Thankfully, Misty was following up. "Staryu! Dazzling Gleam!" Her Staryu wasn't very skilled with Icy Wind yet, so she was going with the next best thing.

The gem in the middle of Staryu's body glowed brightly as a bright beam of pink light fired off from it. However, Gabite righted himself and lowered his head. Ash winced as the dragon's head suddenly glowed and became coated in metal, Staryu's Dazzling Gleam bouncing harmlessly off of Gabite's Iron Head.

Turning his gaze towards the water type now, Gabite kept his head lowered and charged forward. Staryu was caught off guard by the sudden offense, but Gabite was suddenly forced to change direction to avoid Nebula's Wind Blast, carrying Piplup's Icy Wind. As the powerful blast of frozen wind collided with the ground (and the unconscious bodies of a Zubat and Poochyena), Cyan called out a follow-up order.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Ash's eyes widened at that. Dragon Pulse was a strong move. So was Dragon Claw, but unlike that move from before, this wasn't being aimed at the agile Pikachu and Eevee.

Gabite roared with great ferocity as a glowing, pinkish-red orb appeared in his mouth. Growing in size, it suddenly expanded into a large blast of light with dragon-like jaws at its front. The attack sailed towards Staryu at great speeds.

But at the last second, Staryu surrounded itself in a golden cube. With a large explosion, the Light Screen immediately shattered on impact, and Staryu was sent flying away a few feet, struggling to maintain its balance as it landed.

Ash couldn't see it from where he was, but the whiplash alone had left Staryu with bruises on its body. A direct hit from the attack would have spelt doom.

Gabite was about to pursue his prey, but suddenly stopped as he felt a series of golden stars pelting his back. Only slightly fazed, he turned his attention towards Eevee, who was attempting to put on a brave face as a Shadow Ball charged up in her jaws.

Valiant considered firing a Dazzling Gleam of his own while Gabite was distracted, but quickly decided against it. That would just draw the dragon's attention to him, while he was trying to protect Ash and Misty from harm. And after what had just happened with Staryu, the young Ralts' confidence in his barriers being able to properly defend against the Gabite's attacks was suddenly beginning to dwindle.

Thankfully, Ash took the initiative as Gabite began to run forward, his foot stomping down on an unconscious Poochyena's skull with a sickening CRUNCHING noise as he raised his glowing claws.

"Move backwards while you fire, Eevee!"

"Mud Shot!" Cyan called out.

As Eevee began to run backwards, her Shadow Ball firing out of her mouth and towards her target, Gabite opened his maw, allowing a large ball of mud to escape from his throat, firing towards Eevee with staggering speeds as it collided with the Shadow Ball.

Although it was somewhat weakened by the explosion, the Mud Shot easily overpowered the Shadow Ball, continuing on its course, only slightly smaller than before. Eevee bolted to the side with Quick Attack, without thinking as she desperately avoided the ball of mud. The attack nearly clipped her in the side, but missed its mark and collided with the nearby wall.

Before Ash and Misty could breathe a sigh of relief, however, their eyes widened in horror as Eevee, moving too quickly to stop, tripped over the unconscious body of a Zubat.

Eevee yelped in shock as she flew through the air, her momentum carrying her forward as she collided headfirst with the ground, rolling painfully along the stone floor of the room. Once she stopped, she lifted her head, lying on her stomach as her eyes suddenly bulged, a weak, fearful gasp escaping her throat as Gabite loomed a few meters away, eyes locked murderously on his target.

"Eevee!" Ash and Misty shouted in horror as a grinning Cyan took advantage of the situation.

"Dragon Pulse again!"

The bruised Evolution Pokemon worked her way up to her feet, but Gabite was already charging up his attack, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Strong enough to shatter a Light Screen, the powerful blast would surely destroy her body. Eevee was left with no time to react as the dragon-jawed blast escaped from the roaring Gabite's mouth, speedily flying towards its vulnerable target.

Ash was thinking a million thoughts at once.

One of his Pokemon was about to die. Right in front of him. And the rest of the team.

And he had no way to stop it. No moves that he could use to save her. No command that he could give her would help, there was no time for her to react.

Eevee had joined the team just two days ago. And he had already failed her. And now-

The explosion happened before the blast could reach its target.

In a split second, Ash and Misty realized that Valiant was no longer in front of them anymore.

In a flash of light, the young Ralts was standing about halfway between the Evolution Pokemon and the blast's current position.

But with the swift speed of the blast, there was no time for Valiant to fully erect a barrier. His Light Screen was incomplete, only half finished, when the Dragon Pulse smashed into him.

The shockwaves of the explosion generated a strong gust of wind that sent a yelping Eevee rolling a few feet backwards, but she was spared from her fatal fate.

Valiant was part fairy type. Immune to dragon type moves. But he wasn't immune to the explosion that was generated from the impact of the blast.

The Light Screen that he had erected cushioned the blow a little bit, but as it was half finished, it was annihilated even more easily than Staryu's had been. Some blood sprayed from the young Ralts' head as he was catapulted into the air.

The brief moment of surprise that Gabite felt from Valiant's sudden intrusion was just the distraction that Nebula and Piplup needed. The next moment, before Gabite could act, the dragon was suddenly howling in pain as the combination attack scored a direct hit on him. Pushed backwards by the force of Nebula's Wind Blast, carrying with it the merciless, frozen might of Piplup's Icy Wind. The dragon let out a deafening roar of rage and agony as the ice from the attack assaulted his skin, the effectiveness all the more amplified by the force and momentum of Nebula's powerful attack. He felt his skin grow cold, his back covering with ice…

Ash took a brief moment to turn his attention to Valiant, sighing with relief as the young Ralts, while bleeding in the head a bit, made his way to his feet, having been caught by a fast moving Pikachu before his body could hit the rocky floors of the caverns. He was still in fighting condition, despite being hurt.

And looking over to Eevee, she was now on her feet as well, an awed gaze directed towards the psychic/fairy type Pokemon that had saved her life.

Turning his attention back to Gabite, the dragon was still reeling from the powerful combination attack, doubled over in pain as he desperately gripped at his back in agony.

Misty took a step forward. "Staryu, Dazzling Gleam!"

"You too, Valiant!" Ash quickly called out in turn.

A spinning Staryu flew over Gabite's head as it directing its pink beam towards the dragon's already agonized and frozen back. At the same time, Valiant took aim at the behemoth's face.

Both attacks landed, inciting more roars of rage and agony from the bulky dragon as Ash gave a follow-up order.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail! Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

Now reeling from multiple hits that his typing was vulnerable too, Gabite saw no reprieve as the young mouse bolted his way towards him, metallic tail at the ready. At the same time, Eevee bolted as well, quickly advancing towards her opponent as a Shadow Ball appeared in her jaws.

Both Pokemon were enhancing their speed with Quick Attack, as per usual. Pikachu leapt upwards, preparing to strike down on the dragon that had nearly taken the life of one of his teammates, while Eevee fired her Shadow Ball at the behemoth that had nearly been her killer.

Both attacks landed at once, Eevee's Shadow Ball colliding with Gabite's chest while Pikachu's Iron Tail was brought cleanly down on his head.

Gabite wheezed from the impact of the Shadow Ball, while the metal tail from Pikachu smashed down onto his skull. The next thing Ash, Misty, and their respective teams knew, the large dragon was lying face first on the rocky ground of the caverns, motionless.

The Rockets were left stunned, backing away slightly as Nebula and Piplup returned to the ground, Valiant teleporting back in front of Ash and Misty while Eevee and Staryu made their way back to their respective trainers. Eevee's eyes were locked on Valiant, who, despite his bleeding head, greeted the flabbergasted Evolution Pokemon with a raised hand and a smile.

Only Pikachu chose not to return to everyone else, his feet instead slowly carrying him forward towards the Rockets, his angry gaze fixated on them as his cheeks sparked madly.

Cyan's fists were clenched as his knuckles began to turn pale white. "I… I lost… to these brats?!" he shrieked pathetically as Pikachu began to charge.

Ash didn't even need to give the order; his starter already knew. The dashing rodent raised his tail as his cheeks crackled with lightning, ready to incapacitate the Rockets-

The Rockets suddenly parted with a collective yelp as a silver beam with a metallic aura came flying out of the tunnel, aimed right at the charging Pikachu. Crying out in surprise, Pikachu fought against his own momentum to take a leap backwards. The beam struck the ground from where he once was, with such tremendous impact that the young mouse cried out loudly as the wind force from the collision sent him flying across the room.

Ash, Misty, and their teams all yelped out loud with startled expressions as the kicked-up wind reached all the way towards them, fighting against the shockwaves that threatened to bowl them over. Valiant raised a Light Screen to help protect himself, Eevee hiding behind him while Staryu erected its own Light Screen, while Nebula jabbed two Steel Wings into the ground, Piplup holding onto her for dear life.

The unconscious bodies, however, were currently capable of no such resistance, flying across the room, with only Gabite not being lifted too highly off of the ground, instead rolling a few feet away in comparison.

Ash and Misty had their arms crossed protectively in front of their faces as they stumbled backwards, each of them thankfully pressing a hand against the wall before they could fall over completely. Ash looked to see Pikachu catching himself with iron Tail, but couldn't sigh with relief as he and his friends took in the newcomers.

Cyan's face was pale as a masked man made his way out of the shadows. Flanking him was four other men in Team Rocket uniforms, and a Pokemon that Ash recognized as a Scizor.

The mask hid much of his facial expressions, but it didn't hide the Iron-Masked Marauder's snarl.

"So… this is what's gotten all of you in such a bind? When I heard that a couple of children were doing this, I was already disappointed, but it's even worse than I thought." His glowering face, hidden beneath his mask, turned its attention to Cyan and the rest of the soldiers, all of whom were miniscule under his brutal gaze. "How are you bumbling cretins so incompetent at managing affairs that this is supposed to be an emergency?!"

Ash let out an audible gulp as he felt the pit in his stomach growing ever deeper.

Whoever this guy was, he already wasn't liking the vibe that he gave off. The sensation of dread that formed in his chest like a bottomless pit just by looking at him. The same pit that extended all the way to his stomach as the masked man began to talk. And that Scizor must have been the one who fired the blast. It was strong. Much stronger than even any of the attacks that that Gabite had just used.

He inched closer to Misty, practically involuntarily. She seemed to be doing the same. It was as though they were both desperate for the close physical contact make them feel more secure, and less vulnerable.

Despite knowing that it would not.

Fear worked in strange ways, sometimes, and it almost felt as though Ash's own feeling of fright was mocking him with the situation that he was in right now. Any sense of comfort that he might have felt from being close to someone else would just be an illusion of safety that these newcomers could shatter easily, with just a single attack from that Scizor.

What's more, Ash knew that he wouldn't even feel the illusion anyway, that getting close to another was just a desperate attempt to try to feel it. So why was he so determined to even make the attempt in the first place, knowing that it was hopeless? Why even try to get rid of this feeling, when you already know that your methods will never yield any results? Was that, in and of itself, an illusion of comfort?

Cyan staggered backwards as the Marauder's gaze pierced into him. "What are you doing here?" He stammered out in panic. "Weren't you-"

"Someone from your group sent a distress signal saying that a couple of kids were giving you guys trouble. Sounded pretty mundane, but his tone of voice seemed to imply that you were losing control of the situation. I had most of the squad continue while I rushed up with a few people."

Cyan was about to demand just who had sent the signal, when he suddenly felt fearful vomit in his throat as Marauder pulled him in with one arm, locked around the man's head as he grinned sadistically.

"You know, Agent Cyan? I think I owe you an apology." Marauder's voice was laced with cruel sarcasm. "When I gave you this mission, I figured it would be a simple one. After all, I was only instructing you and the others to look after the base and keep the rest of the mountain under control while we retrieved the Moon Stone. I guess I thought the assignment would be an easy one for you. Something that you can handle. Stress free, my friend, you know?" he pulled the agent in closer, and Cyan could almost feel his heart ceasing to beat forever as the Marauder's deadly grin came into full view. "But I must have made a massive oversight. How could I ever forget about the possibility of something like this happening? How could it slip my mind that you and your group would be faced with something as terrifying, horrific, and daunting, as two rookie children?!" the derisive sarcasm in his voice was beginning to give out, the true fury behind his words slowly leaking through his condescending demeanor.

Ash wanted to grab Misty and run. Even from where he stood, he could feel the monstrousness creeping through this man's voice, and all he wanted was for them and their teams to be as far away from Team Rocket as possible.

But he knew that he couldn't. Scizor's sharp eyes hadn't left them, and the powerful bug/steel type looked ready to eviscerate them all at a moment's notice. That blast that it had fired would have surely obliterated Pikachu if it had made contact, too.

Their Pokemon all had their eyes locked onto the powerful bug, expressions ranging from either outright fear, or a mixture of fright and anger. Even Staryu, despite seemingly being faceless, trembled in a manner that conveyed genuine horror for the current situation. Valiant was the least fearful of the group, eyes locked onto Scizor with grinding teeth. Even then, however, the sweat flowing down his head was quite visible.

Daring to spare a glance at Misty, if only for a moment, he could see her face was frozen. She was barely even blinking, not taking her gaze off of Team Rocket. It was like she wanted to gulp, but couldn't.

Quickly returning his own gaze to Team Rocket, Ash felt his fists clenched. Taking his eyes off of them would be a bad idea, but it's not like paying attention to them would suddenly change the situation.

Perhaps, that too, was an illusion of comfort.

Marauder released Cyan, roughly shoving him backwards, leaving the terrified man to be caught by a couple of comrades before he could topple over. The force behind Marauder's push was strong, conveying a great deal of muscle and strength, without much effort needed to speak of it.

As the masked man walked forward a bit, Ash and his friends reflexively took a small step back, while also not trying to move too much, so as to not provoke Scizor into retaliating. Marauder turned his head to look around the room, surveying the end results of the battle that had just taken place.

"Honestly, it's quite the spectacle to see all of these Pokemon from our side out like a light! It's almost as though you weren't even able to pin down a couple of children with such a huge numbers advantage!"

One soldier dared to speak up. "Most of our stronger Pokemon are tired after-" a stern look from Scizor stopped whatever remaining words that there were from exiting his throat, leaving Marauder to continue.

Ash and Misty suddenly felt sickly as his eyes finally found their way to them. His mask hid his face, leaving them unable to deduce how he felt towards them.

All they could see was his malicious grin.

"Children shouldn't be meddling in our affairs like this. Although, I suppose Cyan and the others probably said something similar. Perhaps words don't work on you now that you already proved most of this squad wrong?"

No response. Ash didn't know what he could say that wouldn't piss this man off. Was there even a safe response? Was staying silent also wrong? What could he...

That Scizor was right there.

A sinister chuckle from the masked man. "Well, someone's going to pay for wasting my time." his face slowly turned serious. "So, I'll just skip the dialogue for now-"

"NEBULA! Reckless, and Steel Wing!" Ash's tongue moved faster than his brain.

Apparently, Nebula's body moved faster than her brain as well. Cloaking herself in the blood-red aura that accompanied her ability, shrieking madly in a manner that didn't even make Marauder flinch, she rocketed forward towards Scizor, moving at untrackable speeds, metallic wings at the ready-

THUNK!

Scizor didn't even budge as his raised claw, now glowing a metallic blue, was struck by Nebula's wing.

Misty's hands shot up to her mouth as the uselessness of Nebula's offense became known to everyone else in the room.

Marauder simply chuckled again. "Metal Claw, Scizor."

In a flash, Scizor had shoved Nebula away, catapulting her into the air, where, with an amount of sheer flight speed that was far greater than even her own, the bug was suddenly above her. Ash didn't have time to register the armored bug's actions as its glowing claw was smashed into Nebula's stomach. Nebula didn't even have time to wheeze in pain as she was rocketed towards the ground, landing on the unconscious body of a Zubat, the impact kicking up a great deal of dust as she immediately lost consciousness.

Before Ash could even react by shouting out his feathered friend's name, Pikachu acted.

The mouse's voice was filled with fury. By the time Scizor returned to the ground, Pikachu's body was crackling with electricity. Ash and Misty could feel the heat of the sparks as the lightning cloaked Pikachu's fur, surrounding him as he rushed madly towards his best friend's assailant.

It was his first time using Volt Tackle.

Ash didn't even have time to shout at Pikachu to stop as the young mouse leapt forward. His cry was animalistic as he shot headfirst towards Scizor's body, only to be intercepted by another Metal Claw.

Much like when it had stopped Nebula's Steel Wing, Scizor made no offensive moves. Simply raising a claw to block the attack, not moving an inch from the force of the impact. Pikachu angrily grinded against Scizor's defenses, desperately trying to get his opponent to even budge with his attack, but it was to no avail, and he was quickly shoved away.

As Pikachu was sent flying through the air, Ash threw his arms out to catch his starter Pokemon. His eyes widened as he took in Pikachu's unconscious form.

The young mouse was not yet strong enough to handle Volt Tackle. Not that it mattered, because Scizor likely would have retaliated again if he had remained conscious.

His eyes darting towards Nebula's body, Ash could feel the vomit building up within him. Two teammates down already. And that armored bug would take care of the rest with no effort.

A snarl turned his attention towards Valiant, who was holding his head in pain, the emotions radiating throughout the room overwhelming him.

Tears brimming in his eyes, the young Ralts glowered at Marauder and Scizor, both of whom practically bore holes through Ash and his friends with their merciless gazes. Walking forward, the Feeling Pokemon spread his arms out defiantly, doing his best to remain steadfast despite his shaking legs, and Eevee's attempts to pull him back.

Marauder's gaze was dangerous as he turned his focus to the Ralts. "Heh, another hero in the group, huh? Well Scizor and I don't have time for those. So if you would be so kind as to just drop dead-"

Marauder was cut off as Valiant let out a battle cry that carried across the room.

And then, his body was glowing a pure, bright white.

Ash's mind felt jumbled as the Ralts began to grow in height, suddenly replaced with a Kirlia as the light around him dissipated.

Had it not been for the circumstances, he would have expressed his surprise and shock wholeheartedly.

It was as though Valiant had called upon the strength of the evolution to power through the bombardment of overwhelmingly painful emotions that he had been detecting.

If anything, however, it was a moment that they were robbed of. No joy came out of the evolution. Not when they were all about to die, and Ash knew for a fact that Valiant's sudden evolution wouldn't turn the tables in their favor, and so did Misty.

Scizor had already proved its strength against Pikachu and Nebula.

Marauder's laughter grew ever so crueler as Valiant continued to stand defiantly between Scizor and his friends, eyes locked dangerously onto the armored bug, as though he was attempting for his glare to split the opposing Pokemon in two.

It was a nonverbal form of empty words, however, for both Pokemon involved in the nonverbal exchange knew exactly who the far stronger of the two was.

"I suppose evolving is a pretty good way to spend your final moments." Marauder pointed out dismissively. "I'll give you an A for effort, Kirlia."

Ash finally found his voice.

"Please…" he said. "We just-"

"So now you're willing to negotiate?" Marauder cut him off crudely. His fists pressed against his hips as he turned his gaze to the boy, who's face remained colorless along with Misty's. "Not exactly the time for that, kid, not when you were so quick to spring into action before." Scizor tensed up as it prepared to launch itself forward, claws beginning to glow again.

"Ash…" Misty's voice practically cut itself off as Ash suddenly felt her hands squeezing his arm. He would have winced in pain from how hard she was gripping him had his senses not been jumbled. And the panic in her voice was too great to even register. The fact that they were all about to die hitting her full force, with no more beating around the bush.

"Scizor," Marauder's voice was perfectly even, and even uncaring, as he spoke the words. "Go for their hearts."

Ash finally allowed the scream to escape his throat as Scizor rocketed forward towards them.

Suddenly, however, he felt a blast of cold air surge by him, a figure rocketing past him and Misty, an icy fist colliding with Scizor's skull.

It was now Marauder's turn to have difficulty registering things, as Scizor was sent sailing through the air, skidding across the ground and struggling to return to its feet, the armored creature's face dented and icy from the blow.

Marauder's face was twisted beneath his mask as he snarled out in response. "Who dares-"

"Me. No more questions."

Ash and Misty perked up at the voice, suddenly whirling around at the figures behind them exiting the shadows.

Ash immediately recognized the silvery-blue haired woman in front of the two men that stepped into the room, and Misty seemed too as well.

With wide eyes, Ash Ketchum gazed at Karen, of the Indigo Elite Four.

The young woman was known for being lively, even on camera. She exhibited an aura that was much more casual compared to what you would expect from somebody of her position. Despite being Indigo's third highest ranked trainer, and one of the world's most revered dark type trainers, her personality was said to be completely dissonant from the indescribable strength that she possessed.

None of that was visible today, however.

Karen's face was stoic as she strode forward, stopping in between Ash and Misty, both of whom's gazes followed her movements as though she were a magnet for their eyes. She stood a good deal taller than both of them, her hair falling behind her as her eyes locked onto Marauder.

Ash briefly found himself lost in gazing at the woman, before his focus suddenly came back, returning his own gaze to Marauder as well.

Standing in front of the masked commander was a Pokemon that Ash quickly identified as a Weavile. Karen's Weavile was as infamous as the rest of her team, known for his unbelievable speed and dexterity, and the sheer precision behind each and every one of his attacks. Ash had seen him battle alongside the prodigious Master a good number of times on television, and it was always a spectacle to watch him blur about the battlefield, striking his opponents from nowhere as though his speed made him invisible.

Behind Marauder, Cyan and the rest of the Rockets were petrified at the site of the woman. Some Rockets made pitiful attempts to stammer out their words, only to come up short of anything to say.

Although Marauder seemed to keep it together better than his subordinates, he took a couple steps back, sweat piling up behind his mask. "How… how did you get here?!" he did his best to ensure that his anger masked his shock as he stammered his words out. "The League shouldn't have known about-"

"One of your goons leaked your plans." Karen interrupted cooly. Ash wasn't sure how to place her voice. Was it elegant? Brash? A mix of both? "You came here to steal the Moon Stone, and you've placed the entire mountain on lockdown to secure your mission." she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately for you, you did not take the fastest route to your target. Our men have already gone ahead to intercept yours. We have the entire mountain mapped out, including secret routes that nobody else should be aware of, let alone you thugs." She strode a few more steps forward, the two men following her. Ash and Misty froze as her gaze turned back to them. Her presence was dominating, incredible, and Ash's breath caught in his throat as her eyes briefly met his. "Stay put, you two. We'll get you and everyone else out of here."

Up until now, Ash and Misty's Pokemon had their gazes locked on the Weavile that had just saved their lives from Scizor, but upon the woman's declaration, they immediately retreated back to their trainers.

A tug on the leg from Valiant finally snapped Ash out of his stupor, the boy taking the moment to quickly return the unconscious Pikachu and Nebula to their Poke Balls.

He felt Misty grip his arm again. It was much less tight this time, her muscles relaxing as the new circumstances behind their situation slowly began to sink in.

Ash felt it, too. Before, they were alone. Trapped inside of the caverns with Indigo's worst terrorist organization, the masked man's Scizor about to tear through all of them as though they were made of crumpling paper.

But now, the League was here. Their soldiers were here. She was here. The one and only Karen, who's prowess on the battlefield was rivaled, let alone exceeded, by few trainers in existence.

It didn't matter how many Rockets there were to deal with or how strong their Pokemon were. A member of the Indigo Elite Four was here.

Her gaze was steel as her eyes never left the masked man. "Iron-Masked Marauder." her voice oozed confidence, and professionalism, despite her usual casual demeanor. "One of the most infamous Pokemon Hunters known throughout the world. You're wanted by three major League's for crimes that stretch to mass poaching and murder, and have one of the highest bounties ever put on a criminal." her gaze sharpened, the look in her eyes forming into a glare as she bore a hole through all of the Rockets standing behind their masked superior. "I had no idea you had thrown your lot in with Team Rocket, but I suppose I should have expected as much from the likes of you."

Ash blinked rapidly, his eyes turning to the now significantly calmer Misty to see if she had any knowledge of this information. The look on her face told him she did not.

Returning his gaze to the confrontation in front of them, Ash inwardly gulped. No wonder this man's Scizor was so strong. No wonder just his mere presence was so terrifying. He wasn't anything like any of the other Rockets that he and his friends had encountered up to this point. This one was in a class of criminal reserved for only the world's most elite evildoers.

And a Pokemon Hunter, no less. Ash didn't know much about the occupation outside of the barebones basics. It was an inherently criminal job to have, and often involved poaching illegal Pokemon, or even outright stealing Pokemon from others, and auctioning them off at the black market. Most hunters, particularly the notably successful ones, were infamous for using especially cruel methods at obtaining the Pokemon that they planned to sell. Apparently the most wanted Pokemon hunter on the planet had access to horrifying technology that allowed her to quite literally turn Pokemon into stone temporarily as a means of capturing them.

The fact that he had crossed paths with such a man even once made Ash's legs feel as though they would turn to jelly. He was sharing this room with a man that had probably killed more people than years he and his mother had been alive combined. And that was likely putting it lightly.

As though his confidence was starting to return, Marauder's lips curved upward.

"Heh. It's nice to see the League is proactive enough to keep track of what's going on elsewhere in the world. I would be flattered if you hadn't just botched our entire operation." Despite everything, he put his arms to his chest and performed a mock bow. "Yes, I am the famed Iron-Masked Marauder, butcher of many unbearable souls and one of the most accomplished Pokemon hunters who hold the world of the black market in the palm of their hand." his head lifted upward as his eyes blazed with rage from behind his mask. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Elite Four Karen, Princess Of The Shadows."

Ash had always loved Karen's moniker, an enigmatic title that she had voluntarily dubbed herself as to the public before even winning the Conference. But hearing such a horrific man snarling it through his teeth with the seething hatred of a provoked Gyarados made his stomach churn.

One of Karen's men glared dangerously at the masked hunter as Marauder righted himself, eyes not leaving the Weavile that was currently clicking his claws together in preparation.

"It's over, Marauder. Your operation has been thwarted, and you and your squad will be behind bars before you can blink."

"And as for you, specifically." Karen's glare would have terrified Ash and Misty if she was facing them. "Once we're done getting whatever information that we can out of you, we'll either ensure that you never see the sun again, or ship you off to one of the other places that you have wronged with your demonic presence. I hear that one particular Region that you are wanted in has even considered giving you the death penalty."

Marauder's teeth grinded with livid ferocity as he glared lasers into Karen's eyes, as though he was trying to kill her with his own gaze as the sweat behind his mask drenched his face.

Behind him, Cyan and the other Rockets looked as though they were already dead.

They knew that this wasn't a fight that they could win. Any victory that they may have hoped for was immediately dashed the moment the Indigo League Elite Four had come knocking.

"Ummm… Sir-"Cyan began to stutter.

"QUIET!" Marauder roared, only to flinch as Weavile made a motion in response to his raised voice. Behind him, Cyan and the Rockets whimpered at their impending doom.

"Enough, Marauder." said Karen sternly. Her tone of voice was inspiring, Ash's eyes and ears enamored with the way that she carried herself, and how she spoke to such a dangerous man. "You're coming with us." she gestured to Weavile, who sneered demandingly at the Rockets and their masked leader. "Now, stand down."

Relief continued to wash over Ash for the briefest of moments, only to abruptly be replaced with apprehension as the masked man began to chuckle.

His laughter was dark. Deep. Hollow. A thoughtless, uncaring noise that rumbled from his throat.

Suddenly a Poke Ball was in the man's hand.

"Sorry, Princess," Marauder snarled in defiance as he raised the ball in front of his face. "But there are ways out of situations even like this!"

He chucked the orb into the air. First there was a bright flash of light.

And then there was terror.

Crashing down to the ground was a Pokemon that could not simply be described as a behemoth. The towering figure that loomed over the two groups was a Pokemon that struck fear into the hearts of nearly every human in the world.

It stood several feet tall. Was bipedal. Its hide was like a suit of armor.

Its towering appearance, the monstrous aura that its presence gave off, it all immediately did away with any sense of relief that had previously overcome Ash, Misty, and their teams.

Ash's eyes were filled with agonizing fright as the creature rose to its full height. He and Misty helplessly gazed up towards the monstrosity of a Pokemon that had been let loose by the Iron-Masked Marauder. Its eyes were filled with murder.

And above all else, the roar that it let out was a horrific, deafening, mind numbing noise that had Ash, Misty, and their Pokemon all screaming in pain, fright, and panic as their hands desperately shot up to their ears.

There were many dangerous Pokémon in the world. Some were more feared than others. Other Pokémon still may have been placed in a special tier of dangerous beasts that all trainers in the world needed to be wary of at all costs.

But there were very few Pokémon in the world with the murderous bloodlust, and consistent reputation, of Tyranitar.

Classified as a "Grade S Threat" by analysts who were known for examining the wild, Tyranitar were notorious for their absurd raw power, even among completely untrained members of their species, astronomical durability credited to the thickness of their armor-esque hide, along with their infamous, animalistic rage. Taming such a creature was considered one of the greatest feats that any trainer could ever accomplish, and they were among the rarest Pokemon to ever be seen in battle as a result.

Marauder didn't waste any time.

"Tyranitar, Hyper Beam! Upwards!"

Ash and Misty's eyes practically bulged out of their skulls.

"WHAT?!" Karen's composure was suddenly gone.

"THAT MADMAN!" A League soldier screeched.

Weavile was about to spring into action, but it had already been done.

Tyranitar's head craned upwards towards the ceiling of the caverns. An orb of bright, orange, white, and purple energy forming in its maw.

And then it fired.

The malicious beam of light soared in a straight, vertical line as it tore through the rocky ceiling of the room. It continued onwards, barreling through the levels of the mountain above them, and suddenly, the cavern began to shake.

It started out as a light tremble. An instant later, it grew in intensity. Soon, the cavern and the very earth around them had become the site of a terrifying tremor.

Rocks were falling from the ceiling. Ash was struggling to maintain his footing as what felt like an earthquake shook the room around all of them.

The rocks were falling at a faster and faster rate. And they were increasing in size, too. Ash covered his head with his hands as an involuntary shriek escaped from his lips.

"KAREN!" one of the soldiers shouted. "EVERYTHING IS COLLAPSING!"

"Valiant! Eevee! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ash's mind was beginning to stop working again.

"Staryu, Piplup!" He could hear Misty's cries.

"HOLD ON, EVERYBODY!" Karen's voice echoed over the chaos as Ash, Misty, and their teams finally lost their composure.

Suddenly, everything was black.

/

The darkness slowly began to give out to light as Ash's eyes fluttered open.

Where was he?

He wasn't in the caverns anymore. He was gazing up at a pure, white ceiling with an overhead light. The room was comfortably lit all around. Nothing like the dim, darkness of the caverns of Mt. Moon.

Looking off to his side, he saw a window at the end of the room. Raindrops rolled down the glass.

What had happened?

The memories. They all came rushing to the surface at once, against his will. The Rockets that had chased him and Misty throughout the mountain, Valiant's evolution, the cave in-

Ash suddenly jolted upwards in his bed as panic filled his mind.

What had happened to them?! Where were they?! Where-

He felt something brush against his arm, and turned to see Valiant at his side, Eevee slightly behind the newly evolved Kirlia.

Valiant was looking at him with relief, as though a great deal of stress had been lifted off of his chest. Looking over at Eevee, her face seemed very troubled. Shaken.

Ash couldn't let the relief flow through him for too long, however. Valiant and Eevee were okay, but where was Misty? And what about the Egg in his backpack? And-

"Thank the Guardian Mew, you're awake." Ash, Valiant, and Eevee turned to see Nurse Joy entering the room. The look on her face sent a surge of warmth through his body, her voice like a soft, warm blanket wrapping around his body as her hand briefly rested on his shoulder. The tension in his muscles intensified for a split second, before subsiding in gradual relief. "Your friend Misty woke up a little while ago. She's speaking to Elite Four Karen and Officer Jenny right now."

Ash nodded as his racing heart slowly began to calm, not processing the soothing woman's words as fast as his mind.

"Is all of my stuff intact?" he asked nervously. "I had a couple teammates still in their Poke Balls, and an Egg-"

"They're all fine." she quickly cut him off with a raised hand. Her face was neutral, but her voice remained as comforting and relieving as ever. "Your Pikachu and Staravia are recovering from their injuries. Misty says that they got knocked out by a Scizor. Your Egg isn't damaged. You were teleported out of the cave before any of the rocks could damage it. I looked it over as thoroughly and compulsively as possible to make sure it was unscathed, and its actually due to hatch soon."

It was Valiant's evolution all over again. Ash normally would have been over the moon to hear that the mysterious Egg of theirs was going to be hatching soon, but with everything that had happened today…

Still, Ash finally allowed the sense of relief to overcome him as Nurse Joy filled him in.

According to her, he and Misty had passed out from a panic attack when the cave in started. That Iron-Masked Marauder guy had caused the entire cavern to collapse so that he could teleport away in the chaos while Karen and the League were preoccupied. Karen and her soldiers had managed to teleport all of them to safety, but apparently several Rockets had already been discovered in the rubble. Not all of them had been able to escape.

Right now, they were at the Pokemon Center in between Mt. Moon and Cerulean City. He had been out for about three hours now. But he was here. Away from harm. Away from the Rockets. Away from that horrible monster in a mask. Away from it all.

What still made him feel stressed was Nurse Joy revealing that most of the trainers that had been held hostage by the Rockets were still unaccounted for. No confirmed deaths or serious injuries, thankfully, as the cave in hadn't reached them, but it also made it more difficult for the League to get to them. The soldiers were currently in the middle of rescuing and retrieving them, while keeping an eye out for any remaining Rockets. Karen was planning to join them soon.

Team Rocket's reason for taking over the mountain was to steal the Moon Stone. Ash had heard of it before. It was said to be the origin of the evolutionary stone of the same name, and was also fabled in legend to be made of magical, and one-of-a-kind material that could power up Pokemon. Team Rocket's plan was probably to try and harness the power of the legendary rock, and potentially sell it on the black market to make money off of the material if the rumors turned out to be false.

The terrorists had apparently gained access to what was supposed to be secret information regarding the mountain's layout, taking what they thought was the quickest path to the Moon Stone. Nobody had any idea how they had gotten ahold of such vital info, but thankfully, there was even more advanced information that they didn't have access to. Additional secret paths that only people of Karen's rank even knew existed. The League's forces had made use of this info to reach the Moon Stone before the Rockets could, although the squad that had been sent to steal the legendary rock had apparently retreated after Marauder did.

Now it was the League's turn to place the mountain under lockdown, and Karen's squad hadn't been the only one to pursue the Rockets, either. Apparently Brock had led a team of his own on the other entrance to the caverns. The entire mountain had been placed under siege to trap the Rockets in, forcing them to teleport away. But since only a select few of them had the means to do so, the majority were sitting ducks.

"Do you have any other questions, Mr. Ketchum?" Nurse Joy's voice remained gentle and sincere, having delivered the entire story as precisely, yet delicately as possible.

Ash gave her a grateful smile, trying to mask his sadness but not quite succeeding, and shook his head.

"I'm fine for now. Thank you."

She still seemed to be concerned, but gave him a kind smile nonetheless.

"I'm glad. I'll go tell them you're awake. Misty wasn't happy about having to leave you while you were still unconscious. Your Kirlia needed to persuade her."

Ash gave Valiant a curious glance, and recieved a simple shrug in response. He patted the Kirlia's head in thanks as Nurse Joy exited the room.

"Thanks for everything you did today, pal." he did his best to put on a kind smile as he looked between his two friends. Valiant was now a decent deal taller than Eevee, standing at about a foot taller than he previously had been as a Ralts. "You even saved Eevee."

Eevee brushed against the Kirlia a bit, the young psychic turning his head to face her at the contact.

Ash suddenly flinched as the image of Eevee nearly getting pulverized by Gabite's Dragon Pulse entered his mind. And his face paled as he remembered the image of that Tyranitar…

He felt Valiant brushing against his arm again, and even Eevee made a gesture of her own, lightly licking at his skin. He offered them a grateful smile.

They weren't at Mt. Moon anymore. And Ash didn't plan on going back anytime soon. He'd take the Viridian Forest over that any day.

"Congratulations on evolving, Valiant." Ash attempted to ease himself further by bringing up something good. "I'll bet you're a lot stronger, now, but you're probably hungry, right?"

Valiant pointed to a desk besides the bed. An empty bag of Pokemon food was sitting there. So Nurse Joy had already fed him. No doubt the evolution had upped his appetite considerably for the moment. He'd have to feed Valiant extra food for a while.

Not to mention the food that they would need for the baby Pokemon when it hatched. Would it be a big eater?

"Ash?!" the door flew open, and the trio turned to see Misty bolting into the room. She appeared unscathed, to his relief, and her face lit up upon seeing him awake.

"Hey, Misty." he raised a hand to wave to her, hoping to quell any remaining concerns that his new friend might have. "I'm glad you're okay." It seemed to work, and the girl became a little less frantic as she approached him.

"Whew, likewise." She took a seat next to his bed. "Karen just got done questioning me when Nurse Joy told us you were awake. You sure you're okay?"

The frown on her face almost felt foreign. Knowing Gary, he probably would have been disappointed that Tyranitar hadn't devoured him.

Ash mustered a smile "Misty, I'm fine, really." he took a breath. "How are you?"

Her muscles tensed at the question as she struggled to offer even a sad grin. "I'm... no worse than you, I promise."

He wanted to say more, but all attention in the room quickly returned to the door as it opened once more, and Ash immediately gawked as the newcomer stepped inside.

It was Karen.

The dark Master's face displayed an uneasily gentle grin as her eyes fell on him. "Hey, kiddo. Good to see you're alright. Had to borrow your friend for a moment."

Ash felt the largest gulp of his life in his throat, and his face suddenly grew hot.

The Karen was right in front of him. The winner of his favorite Conference (and tournament) ever. One of the five people who helmed the Indigo Plateau, representing everything he aspired for himself to become. The third strongest trainer across Indigo's entirety at only eighteen years of age, and one of the Pokemon world's greatest and most famous prodigies. Not to mention she wasn't exactly ugly…

"K-Karen of the Elite Four…" he choked out weakly as he suddenly felt sweat rolling down his cheeks. Valiant and Eevee looked at him with mild concern while Misty just snorted. Although, there was an undetected hint of gentleness in the orange-haired girl's eyes.

Brushing a strand of silvery-blue hair aside, the young woman smiled cheekily at Ash's expression. "Settle down there, kid. I could do without the formalities. The old hag's always trying to shove them down my throat. Your name is Ash, wasn't it?"

Old hag? Was she talking about Agatha?

Trying to straighten himself a bit, Ash nodded nervously. "Y-Yeah. That's me."

Karen nodded. Magnificence radiated from her very presence in the room, clashing with her friendly expression. "Nurse Joy said she filled you in on everything while I was talking to your friend here." she glanced at Misty. "I was going to check on you anyway before I left. Sorry about…" Her face turned apologetic and sincere. "Well, everything, really."

"It… wasn't because of you." Ash was starting to find his words, but the heat in his face persisted.

"I know it wasn't." the woman responded. She shifted in place, running a hand through her beautiful hair. "But you kids shouldn't have had to go through the crap that just went down. Team Rocket has been surprisingly active this Season, but this was definitely one of their most large scale operations. I never thought they'd try to seize an entire mountain like that." her face suddenly darkened, losing some of its elegance. "And I definitely didn't expect them to have hired that piece of human filth into their ranks."

She was talking about the masked man that had led the raid, Ash quickly realized.

"You… know a lot about him?" He asked uneasily.

"Never met the guy until today." she admitted. "But you can't be someone of my position and not have heard of such a high-profile criminal. We receive updated lists of the most wanted people out there fairly frequently. He's incredibly high, and among the Pokemon hunters specifically, currently second to the top."

Ash winced, almost in genuine pain. So this day really had been a close call, even moreso than he had realized beforehand.

"He escaped, right?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah." Misty answered with a frown. Suddenly, her face was dark as well. "Karen told me everything. Apparently that bastard caused the entire cave in just so he could flee while we were all distracted. He didn't even care whether or not his own men were able to make it out with him. And all of those Pokemon were still scattered across the room after our fight. He just left them all to die there, when they weren't even awake to even try and escape."

A new sensation of fear surged through Ash's chest. Someone like that who held their own "comrades" in so little value certainly wouldn't be the type to lose any amount of sleep over killing anyone else. He almost pitied the rest of the Rockets for being stuck under the command of such a man. Was it selfish that his own relief for being alive overtook that pity, however?

The Rockets had tried to kill him, Misty, and their friends. Many would say that they had gotten their own due karma, killed and backstabbed by their own superior in the middle of a full blown operation the very moment that things got tough for them. But even thinking along those lines disgusted Ash.

An evil human was still a human. A Pokemon being commanded by a terrorist organization was still a Pokemon. Were all of those Rockets truly deserving of death? And what about the Pokemon? They could very easily range from taking after their own trainers, to just being loyal and following orders.

How much evil could somebody commit before it was appropriate for their death to be celebrated? Where was that line drawn? Could taking joy in somebody else's demise ever, truly, be justified?

Ash felt his head start to hurt.

"You alright?" he heard Misty ask him gently. Turning to her, her expression was... soft.

Ash attempted a reassuring smile. "Sorry, zoned out for a moment."

"You do that a lot." She sounded more sympathetic than exasperated.

"It's understandable." the two turned their attention to Karen again. "I recommend that you two take it easy for a couple of days. Cerulean City is a day or less away from here if you walk, so it won't be a long trip, but you really should get everything together before you get back on the road." her expression darkened again for a moment. "And don't worry about that damned hunter. He's just added another Region on his list of places where he's wanted; and another League to the list of those who are after him. Now that we know that he's here, the Indigo League's entire empire is coming down on him."

"Good." Misty's tone of voice turned fierce, reflecting her aggressive expression as though a switch had been flipped, and a chill shot down Ash's spine. "Throw him in a cell for all I care. Or a coffin. Whichever one's more convenient for you."

"Easy there, kiddo." Karen's expression softened. "I get that you're angry, but you shouldn't have to be the one to think such things." She looked between the two kids, along with Valiant and Eevee. "Your journeys are supposed to be an experience you'll never forget. Memories that will be carried with you forever. I'm sorry Team Rocket has tainted those memories today." she sighed. "The best advice that I can give is to stay as far away from them as possible. And do everything that you can to notify the authorities if they ever do strike. I know today, that wasn't possible for you, but just advice for the future. For now, just get some rest, and once you're situated, try to focus on making memories that are worth remembering. I'll do everything in my power to ensure that those who try to ruin those memories won't get away with it."

Ash looked at the Elite Four member in awe, the red returning to his cheeks.

'She's just as amazing as she is on television.' He thought to himself. 'I'll bet the others are, too.'

Staying here a couple of days or so was for the best, too. To give them time to recuperate, not to mention Valiant will have a chance to break in his evolution. And the Egg was about to hatch, too.

Karen nodded at him. "Ash, the police and I have already spoken to Misty, so we won't have to pull you away. You two just hang tight. I gotta get back to the mountain and get to work. See you around." flashing them a smile that sparked more heat in Ash's face, the dark Master bid farewell with a casual wave. "For the record, you were fairly impressive to hold out for as long as you did. Keep on growing stronger, okay?"

"Thanks for helping us!" Ash quickly called out as the door closed behind her.

Misty sighed as she turned back to the boy. "Well, that's one way to meet one of the greatest trainers in the world."

"Yeah…" barely hearing her, Ash trailed off absentmindedly as he continued to stare at the door.

He had actually met Karen… The circumstances were awful but… he had actually spoken to her face to face. She had even said his name! He wondered what she thought of him. Should he tell his mother about this? Wait, but then she'd know about the Rockets. Should he change the story or-

"You're spacing out again, aren't you?" he jolted in the hospital bed at Misty's deadpan declaration.

"S-Sorry about that!" his face felt like it was on fire. Hearing a couple of giggles off to his side, he frowned in defeat as he saw Valiant and Eevee gazing up at him in amusement.

Misty rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, but offered a friendly grin to her new friend. "Whatever, I'll give you a pass for now." she rose from her seat. "Anyway, you still tired? Nurse Joy said she'll register a room for us when we're ready."

Ash slowly made his way out of the hospital bed, but felt a light rumbling in his stomach.

"Actually…" he started as Valiant and Eevee both made their way behind him. "I think I could go for something to eat. What time is it?"

"Early evening." said Misty thoughtfully. Her smile returned. "Alright, cafeteria it is, then. Let's get going." she gestured towards the door as she made her way out of the room, Ash, Valiant, and Eevee in tow.

Yes… some food would do all of them quite well, right now.

/

In an unknown location, the Iron-Masked Marauder sat on top of a hill, a few of the other Rockets down at the bottom. In this area, there was no rain, although it was still mostly cloudy. A few, occasional holes in the clouds made way for the stars in the night sky. The soldiers at the bottom of the hill were currently keeping themselves entertained with a game of cards while they awaited further instructions.

The masked man was currently gazing at a laptop, conversing with the frustrated figure on the other end.

"So this is what I have to expect from the legendary hunter himself?" Archer snarled at the fairly unintimidated Pokemon hunter. "Several of my men dead because of your own worthless actions, and no Moon Stone to even speak of it?!" he leaned back in his chair, a look of disgust on his face. "Honestly, I don't even know what to say. Your first mission ended in failure, and first impressions mean a lot when you're a part of Team Rocket. Yours isn't exactly… ideal, I'll have you know."

Marauder snorted, fairly unimpressed. "And what were you expecting, commander? That things would go off without a hitch once that dark type bitch showed up? You of all people would know that there isn't a soul within this organization that could stand against the likes of Karen. Most people in the world would have better luck trying to touch the roof of a skyscraper than win against someone like her. The mission was over the moment she showed up." he crossed his arms dismissively. "You run a large scale terrorist organization, for crying out loud. You're one of the smart ones, right? So there's no way you're ignorant enough to deny something like that. Escaping was the only success that we could expect from ourselves at that point."

"That may be true…" Archer's face remained sharp. "But your little escape method sacrificed almost every soldier in the room with you. And now the rest of our members in the mountain will get rounded up by the League in no time." his glare turned dangerous. "That woman better not have been overselling you, Iron-Masked Marauder."

A confident grin spread across Marauder's masked face. "Tch, as if, Commander. You've seen the rankings for yourself, haven't you? Besides…" he leaned forward towards the screen. Archer was not intimidated, or even responsive. "The President is a perfectionist. Flaws of any kind are a sinful blemish to her." his grin widened. "So… knowing that, do you really think that I would be in her good graces if my reputation was even remotely exaggerated?

"I suppose not." Archer admitted, although his stern facial expression did not change.

A satisfied Marauder leaned back away from the screen. "Really, I'd say that it speaks for itself, so wouldn't you too? Besides, Cyan, and most of the other soldiers at the mountain, were far from irreplaceable. As were the Pokemon that died or were taken by the League's forces. It's just an inconvenience to you. Most of the worthwhile soldiers made it out in one piece, and sometimes, a few sacrifices here and there are necessary to ensure that."

"There's no need to lecture me about sacrifice, Hunter." Archer's tone was serious. "I've made more sacrifices in my life than someone in your own line of work would in order to get to where I currently am today. And I will continue to make those sacrifices tenfold, in order to tear down Indigo's empire and put this era to an end."

Marauder smirked, although a small part of his smile was actually surprisingly genuine. "Heh, looking forward to that, Commander. Truth be told, I'm actually quite excited for the show that's to come."

"Only because you have minimal personal stakes in it." Archer snorted. "As long as you just keep on looking out for yourselves and are never caught, you, that clown, and everyone else who was loaned to us could just go running right back over to your usual employer if our cause ends up failing. It's not all or nothing for you guys like it is for the rest of us."

Behind the mask, Marauder rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you have a point, but that doesn't mean I'm not dedicated. I chose to come here, did I not? She only recommended me to you. You were the one who took her up on the offer, and I was the one who took you up on yours. And the same goes for everyone else. not to mention..." a flame lit up in his eyes behind the mask. "The long-term mission that you have planned... Operation Origin, you called it?" his tongue almost licked his lips as he crossed his arms with confidence. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Not the universe, not every ounce of money on the planet. We are fully committed to lending our strength to Team Rocket. I promise you."

Archer's eyes narrowed. "Very well, but remember that I've got my eye on you. All of you. But for now, report to the nearest base, along with the rest of the soldiers that are currently with you, and remain there until further orders are given to all of you."

Marauder nodded. "Understood, Commander."

The connection cut off.

/

The rain continued to fall outside of the Pokemon Center. It was now late in the night, and the dark clouds along with the absence of daylight made the area outside practically pitch black as the once modest rain turned into a downpour.

As it was meant for two people, Ash and Misty's room was quite spacious, with two beds roughly a couple of meters apart from one another. Misty had picked the bed that was closer to the window, which provided a somber view of the rain falling outside. They were on the second floor of the Center, so the view was fairly good.

The two friends had finished eating before getting their room key from Nurse Joy. Pikachu and Nebula had also finished recovering. Once they had settled into their new room, they had each taken turns taking showers and changing into their pajamas.

The two friends were seated a couple of feet apart on Ash's bed, Ash on the very end and Misty on the side, looking off towards the window. Her orange hair was down, and she looked quite different without her usual side ponytail.

Their respective teams were currently spread out across the room as well. Each with their own selected spots to spend the night at. Misty's Eevee had selected Misty's bed as her resting spot, while Nebula was at the windowsill as usual. Pikachu was lying down next to Ash on his bed. Valiant sat next to the young mouse, looking off at the Pokemon Egg that was currently resting in a blanket on the desk ahead of them. Ash's own Eevee had curled up on a pillow near Ash's bed, with Jigglypuff choosing to accompany her on a pillow of her own. Piplup and Staryu each had their own respective pillows nearby Misty's own bed.

Despite the sleeping arrangements for the group being in place, everyone was still awake, albeit fairly relaxed for the most part. Misty's Eevee and Jigglypuff, having not been part of the incident from today, had the easiest time settling down, and Pikachu and Nebula were rejuvenated from their treatment. Nevertheless, Ash's mouse and bird duo were far from mentally relaxed. The healed muscles in their bodies certainly gave them a soothing feeling, but their brains kept flashing back to the ordeal from today.

But it was Ash, Misty, Valiant, Staryu, Piplup, and Ash's Eevee who were the most affected. All had been present for the cave collapse, which kept replaying through their minds on occasion.

Ash and Misty would often remind themselves (and occasionally each other) that they weren't in Mt Moon's caverns anymore. That it was over. They were no longer seemingly trapped within endless caves, with only limited sources of light that almost ironically reminded them of how dark that it actually was, and with rocks surrounding them from every direction, including above and below them. That they were not dealing with Team Rocket anymore. That they were within the safety of the Pokemon Center, with hospitality and luxury to soothe them and help them recover from their traumatic ordeal.

But every now and then, images of the cave in would fill their minds. Even within the security of the Center, the recollection of the falling rocks, pursuing Team Rocket soldiers, and towering Tyranitar would constantly make itself known. It heightened their appreciation for the Pokemon Center's comfort, while simultaneously making it much more difficult for them to actually enjoy it. Every now and then, even during their casual interactions with one another, there was a lingering fear in the back of both trainers' minds that the sound of the raindrops outside would be replaced with shouting Team Rocket soldiers and a roaring Tyranitar, and that the perfectly normal ceiling above their heads would suddenly be replaced with falling rocks that threatened to end them.

Valiant's absentminded expression told Ash that he was having the same thoughts, and the young boy wouldn't be too surprised if the rest of the Pokemon that were present for the cave in were too.

But the growing fatigue thankfully made it a bit more difficult to dwell on such fear and paranoia, although neither trainer was ready to go to sleep just yet. Settling into the Pokemon Center had certainly relaxed their nerves, but their minds still dwelled on the traumatic events of the day, and in general, they still weren't tired enough to hurry under the covers of their respective beds.

They weren't really doing anything at the moment. The television wasn't on, and neither of the young trainers were distracting themselves with any tasks of sorts.

Just enjoying the fact that they were in the Pokemon Center's hotel room, and not the deep caverns of Mt. Moon.

Still, neither of them were quite enjoying the silence anymore, and Misty broke the ice.

"You know." she said, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "We really are lucky that they apparently used up most of their stronger Pokemon on all of the other Trainers. Can you imagine what would have happened if…" she trailed off knowingly.

"Yeah…" Ash responded. "Speaking of which… How do you think it's going for the League? Rescuing the other Trainers, I mean?"

"We can always ask Nurse Joy tomorrow, I suppose." Misty nodded. "I was thinking too, anyway. I'm sure they're all fine, though. The worst is over, right?" it almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself of such. "Besides, I'm sure the League has done this plenty of times before, and now they have a member of the Elite Four with them. It should be a piece of cake."

Ash nodded in response. He really shouldn't be worrying, right? Karen and the rest of the Elite Four were all perfect. And so was Champion Lance. They had never failed before. Retrieving the trainers trapped in the caverns would be effortless for them. Right?

Deciding to change the subject, Ash turned his head towards his friend. "So… are you happy to go back to Cerulean?" he certainly found himself missing Pallet Town, even with the constant calls with his mom. He honestly felt just a little bit jealous that Misty would already be able to pay a visit to her own home city. He would really love to see his mother in person.

To his surprise, however, Misty was wearing a conflicted frown. "Eh… it's no big deal. Personally I wouldn't mind if it took a little bit longer."

Ash raised a brow. "But… aren't you happy to be going back to somewhere that you know? To see your family or-"

Misty laughed a bit. "That kind of stuff can wait. My family isn't really anything to get excited about. If anything, I was glad to be off on my own."

Now Ash was REALLY confused. He couldn't imagine being glad to leave any family behind. Throughout his childhood, Delia was mostly all that he had. Trucy was the main outlier, but he would have never been able to become a Pokemon trainer without the support from his mom.

But... he tried to consider. Misty probably didn't have the kind of life that he did. She was a confident and pretty girl, who likely wasn't targeted by her own peers, and, given her mannerisms, probably wouldn't have taken half the crap that Gary and his cronies had thrown at Ash himself. She likely had a far better social life than he did. Or, at the very least, a much less antagonistic one.

Even so, Ash couldn't really fathom why she wouldn't be over the moon to see her own family. And if not them… wouldn't she have any close friends that she was looking forward to seeing again?

"What about… friends?" Ash asked carefully. "I'm sure you-"

"I have friends." she confirmed casually. "But seeing them again means seeing my folks again, and I can do without that." she crossed her arms. "Obviously, I need to get that badge from the Gym, but that's all that I'm really excited about. I'll be in and out of the Gym and off on my journey again. Besides, my friends won't really need anything more than a quick hello."

Ash was suddenly curious, in an uncharacteristic manner that caught him off guard, but he didn't want to pry. He'd known her for two days. It wasn't his place. It didn't stop his curiosity, but he did his best to push that away.

Misty's personal life was her own. He had no reason to try and barge in. So he would not.

"You know," he perked up at her voice. "A couple friends of mine might like to see you. They're both pretty big fans of foreign Pokemon, and one of them is also a pretty big Pikachu fan. Meeting your team would practically guarantee a good day for them."

Ash turned himself away from the Egg, which Valiant remained focused on, albeit absentmindedly, to face Misty's direction. Her offer took him by surprise, but he couldn't stop the small smile that made its way to his face as he looked over at her. "Heh, I guess I could do that. Wouldn't hurt. Are they planning to be Pokemon trainers?"

"Coordinators, specifically." Misty responded.

Coordinators. They were a different class of Pokemon tainer who competed in Pokemon Contests. Although not as big as the Conference, they were easily, far and away the second most popular form of Pokemon training. The world of Pokemon Contests was still fairly young compared to the traditional form of Pokemon training, but it had quickly become a tradition in its own right.

Although the Sinnoh Region was still very easily the Pokemon Contest capital of the world (some aspiring Coordinators even heading over to Sinnoh at the start of their respective journeys even if they were not actually from the Region), Kanto and Hoenn had saw great traction over the past decade or so, and Johto was beginning to build a fairly sizable Pokemon Contest scene for itself. Apparently Kalos had also adopted its own profession that had its own similarities to the traditional Pokemon Coordinator sport.

Sometimes, Ash had entertained the idea of entering a Contest for himself, just to try it out. He wasn't too sure if he would or not, yet, though. It could be an enjoyable distraction to do for fun, but he would need to find the appropriate time to do so. Not to mention, he had never been in front of a very large crowd before, but this was something that he would already need to get used to for the Conference if he wanted to make it to the Indigo Plateau this Season. Perhaps, in that sense, it would be great practice for it?

"That sounds like a fun goal to have." the commented, suddenly hoping to keep the conversation going. "It's probably not as stressful, either." Not as stressful as what traditional Pokemon training has to offer. But still equally involved and committed.

"Yeah, it has its appeal." Misty admitted. "But if I'm going to become the greatest Water Type Pokemon trainer ever, then I need to focus on the stressful stuff. Those two buddies of mine are a bit more interested in the flashy, performance-like nature of Pokemon Contests, but I'm planning on mastering the typing." she looked up towards the ceiling in thought. "Obviously I'm not just restricting myself to it, but it's definitely what I want to focus on."

Ash giggled a bit. "I'm surprised your delving into it so early. It's not usual for a beginner. Because they-"

"Need to have prior experience to cover the weaknesses of the typing?" Misty finished for him. She snorted. "Heard that before, buster. Maybe it's the safer option to take, but head starts have their own benefits. You can't reach the top without being fearless."

Ash blinked. It was… certainly not an incorrect ideology to have.

"You're bold." he blurted out. He chuckled a bit. "It's honestly kind of scary."

Misty shot him a dirty look. "Oh? So now I'm scary because I have agency? You've got a long way to go if you get intimidated that easily."

Ash raised his hands defensively. "That's not what I meant! I'm just a bit surprised at how bold you're being. It's not what I'd expect."

Her lips slyly curved upwards. "Of course you wouldn't. I mean, at least my face doesn't turn into a tomato like yours did when you saw Karen."

Ash froze at the comment, and suddenly, he could practically feel the exaggerated redness on his cheeks as his face grew hot.

Misty's smirk turned to a grin as her finger shot out to point at him. "Hey, look, it's doing it again! You'll hold still for the camera, right?"

In shame, Ash's hands shot up to his face, as though a desperate attempt to hide it, and an embarrased moan escaped from his lips.

Misty pouted. "Hey! You can't cover your face up like that! That's cheating!" She turned over to Valiant. "Hey, Valiant! Could you use your powers real quick to pry off your trainer's arms-" she paused upon noticing the look on his face. It was a lot more intent than before.

Curious, she followed his gaze. Her eyes widened as they landed upon the Egg.

It was glowing a deep, whitish blue. She turned to Ash.

"Ash! Quickly! The Egg!"

Perking up, Ash uncovered his face and gasped as she saw the Egg. Racing over to it with Misty in tow, he was quickly joined by Pikachu, who leapt up onto the desk to observe the Egg more closely, and Valiant, who teleported onto the desk for the same exact reasons. The rest of the team stayed put, but took notice.

All eyes were on the Egg.

What felt like millions of thoughts flowed through Ash's mind at once. It hadn't been too long ago that Elacia had given him the Egg, but it almost felt like an eternity. He had been so excited to find out what it would be hatching into, and finally-

The glow brightened as Ash and Misty squinted, covering their eyes with their hands as the first few signs of cracks began to form on the outer shell. The glow continued to grow brighter until it eventually started to fade, more and more cracks outlining the Egg's surface.

Finally, the top opened up.

The Egg shell fell onto the desk as everybody looked on in simultaneous suspense and excitement.

First, a snout found its way out of the Egg. The lower part of the creature's jaw, still within the Egg shell, began gnawing away at it, causing the front end of the eggshell to fall over as the creature stumbled its way out, quickly caught and held upright by a concerned Valiant, who was quickly joined by Pikachu.

Now in full view, and still covered in Egg shards, the whimpering infant raised its head as it took in the sights of Ash and Misty.

It wasn't a creature that either Trainer ever recognized.

Bipedal and dinosaur-like. Quite small due to its newborn age. A grayish-brown body with a back that had a small hump. A belly and lower jaw that both were a lighter gray. It's head was quite large when considered in proportion to the rest of its body. In particular, its jaw was a standout. Even at a newborn age, its jaw looked to be quite powerful, leaving everyone present to wonder just how dangerous that same exact jaw would be once the new, mysterious creature had developed and matured. The lower jaw had two visible teeth, which were quite tiny, likely due to its age.

Although the Pokemon whimpered and cooed, it took in its surroundings with curiosity. It stopped, however, as Ash leaned down to get at eye level with it.

"Hi…" he said gently. "Are you okay?"

Still holding the creature from the side, Valiant gave the mysterious creature a nice, warm smile of welcome. Beside him, Pikachu did the same, putting on his signature, cheerful grin that Nebula adored so much.

"It's cute." Misty commented with an affectionate smile. She tapped Ash's shoulder. "See what it is."

Nodding, Ash took out his crimson Pokedex and allowed it to scan.

"Tyrunt, the Royal Heir Pokemon of the rock/dragon type. Originating from ancient times, they have incredibly powerful jaws, said to be capable of chewing up an automobile.

This Tyrunt is male and knows the moves Tackle, Roar, Bite, Dragon Tail, and Poison Fang. Its ability is Strong Jaw, which greatly enhances the jaw strength of a Pokemon, consequently giving their biting moves an enormous boost of power."

With widened eyes, a speechless Ash lowered the device, taking in the sight of his latest team member, while Misty's own eyes bulged from behind him.

The newborn infant allowed Pikachu and Valiant to continue holding him upright, trying to maintain focus and balance on his feet as he waddled forward a bit, raising his head a bit more towards Ash and letting out a content moan, eyes adjusting to the light of the room as his new trainer looked on in awe.

'I HAVE A DRAGON TYPE NOW?!'

Chapter Text

Pallet Town was a wonderful place. Despite Ash's social life not being the best, the overall comfort of the area could never be understated. Incredibly clean air, with a number of serene places to just hang out and get peace and quiet, to be completely left alone with his thoughts as he allowed himself to endlessly get lost in his own mind. Why would he ever want to leave? And just as much, why would he ever consider leaving his mother?

Delia was the best parent that he could ask for. Such a wonderful woman who had made life so much better for him than it normally would have been otherwise. All of the garbage that he had to put up with from Gary and the others at school would have been unbearable if he didn't have such an amazing mother to come home too.

Delia had never shunned him for falling behind the other kids, despite constantly encouraging him to do better. She was supportive, not antagonizing. And she had pretty much provided for his every need. Did he REALLY want to be a trainer, when everything that he could ever want in life was right here with her?

But Ash knew very well what this mother would say to that: "Don't let go of your dreams for me! You'll regret not taking the opportunities!" and she was right. Which was why he would be setting off once Opening Day rolled around. He still had no idea how he was able to do so well on the Qualification Exam. The endless studying had most certainly bore fruit, but it was still quite surreal to think about. A last ditch effort to ensure that he would do good enough on the Exam to pass, and he had ended up scoring the second highest out of all of them. Only Gary had scored higher, but his perfect score was hardly a very big surprise. Sure, it was such a thing that had never been done before now. But it was Gary. The only thing that spoiled it was that Gary and his friends were somehow convinced that he had cheated.

But seizing the opportunity that had just unfolded before him would still mean saying goodbye to Delia very soon. Which was why he was determined to spend as much time with her as possible.

So when Delia had called him down from his room upon arriving home from work, Ash had bolted down the stairs, nearly lost his balance, and arrived in the living room to greet his mother's loving smile.

Except she wasn't smiling this time. In fact, she looked distraught. Her face was overflowing with a deep concern that Ash rarely ever saw, even in her most worrying moments.

His frown almost immediately mirrored his own. What could have possibly happened?

He voiced this concern immediately. "Mom… what is it?" his voice was shaking. Seeing her like this wasn't right. Something bad had happened for sure.

"It's Trucy…" she trailed off. Ash's heart skipped a beat. "I just got off the phone with her grandparents. She's disappeared. Nobody can find her anywhere. Even Professor Oak has searched for himself."

Horror was in Ash's eyes. Trucy? Gone?! Where was she?! And why was it so hard to find her?!

"How long has she been gone?!" he questioned frantically, making no effort to mask his panic. Delia of all people knew just how much Trucy meant to him.

"The whole day." she bit her lip. "I needed to let you know. They were hoping you could help find her. Since you're so close to one another…"

Ash was out the door with the momentum of a Rapidash as he hollered back at his mother. "I'll bring her back! I promise!"

Delia's voice filled his ears as he ran off. "Be careful out there, Ash!"

Ash's feet and legs carried him through the roads of Pallet Town as a few onlookers stopped to observe him. He could have sworn he had heard one of Gary's buddies make a snarky comment at how the grandson of Professor Oak was a faster runner than he was, but Ash paid it no mind.

Trucy's safety was top priority.

Although Delia was explicitly the person that Ash loved the most, it wouldn't be unrealistic to think that Trucy was second on that list. The young girl was only half his age, but really the closest thing that he had to a friend up to this point. Their relationship essentially consisted of Ash and Delia babysitting the little tyke while her grandparents were out, but those experiences alone were more than enough to surpass the interactions that the young boy had had with Gary and the others over the past few years.

Whatever had happened to Trucy was a mystery, but Ash wouldn't rest until she was safe at home.

But as he ran throughout the town, he found himself subconsciously going in a very specific direction, to a very specific place.  He had no thought or input into his movements, simply moving on instinct. As if he already knew for a fact where she was.

His body carried him down a set path until he arrived at a small field. And there she was.

Her back was turned to him. She was looking off somewhere as her blonde hair flowed through the wind.

He called out to her. No response.

"Trucy!" he tried again, raising his voice louder this time. But she just kept on staring outwards.

What in the world…?!

Rushing forward, he clasped her shoulders from behind, and turned her body around to face him. As their eyes met, his own widened upon seeing her facial expression.

It was a disturbed look of surprise. Her gorgeous blue eyes, normally the beautiful orbs that would turn his legs to jelly when she lovably pleaded for ice cream, were wide with what looked like a frozen look of surprise. Her facial expression in and of itself was unmoving, and Ash suddenly found his face growing pale with stress.

"T-Trucy…?"

"Why are you here, Ash?" her voice was unchanging in tone as she delivered her words, staying in a perpetual state of surprise.

The boy blinked at her. "You've been gone all day. Everyone's looking for you. Even Professor Oak. What are you doing here?" he looked up towards the trees that she had been looking out towards. "Is… something there?"

Trucy gently shook herself out of his grip, body still facing him, but turning her head back towards the trees. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."

Ash blinked again. "Dangerous? How?"

"A lot of things are dangerous." her eyes turned towards him, although her head remained in the same position, facing off towards the trees. "You should have stayed home with your mother. The woman who believed in you, kept you warm on cold nights, fed you delicious food, and never bullied you."

Ash's face scrunched up in confusion. "Trucy?"

"You shouldn't have left your house, Ash." she turned fully towards him, her expression vacant. This wasn't the Trucy he knew. Where was the life in her eyes? Her energetic smile? Her happy tone of voice? It was all gone. "You never should have left such a safe place to come here. And you never should have come to Mt. Moon."

Ash's eyes were wide as saucers. "W-What…"

A small glare on her face, yet still managed to be vacant. "Why would you go there when you could have stayed with her? When you could have stayed here in town? And you shouldn't have gone to Viridian Forest, either. Maybe you never should have become a Pokemon trainer in the first place."

He glared at her. "What are you talking about?!" he demanded harshly, albeit immediately regretting the aggression in his tone of voice. This was Trucy. Not Gary.

"You left the safest place in the world, Ash." her facial expression was blank once again. "What if you die? The same way that you almost did in those caverns." The breeze was picking up. Her eyes were soulless, and yet her voice sounded... pleading? "It's not worth pursuing a dream for. Your heart will stop beating long before you ever reach it." he was feeling cold, the wind picking up even more. All of a sudden the breeze felt like it was from winter, not summer or spring. "Why do you leave the comfort of your home to throw yourself into peril?"

"What are you talking about?!" his face was growing uneasy. "I'm not a trainer yet-"

"Yes you are. And you've been unwise. This is your home, not the wilderness." above them, it was getting darker. Was he crazy, or were things starting to pelt them from above? "You should have stayed home where it was safe. Your dreams are no good to you dead. Now…"

Suddenly he realized what was above them: The ceilings of a cavern. It had replaced the blue skies and white clouds that had been hanging over their heads just mere moments earlier.

And rocks were falling.

"You're stuck in a world that wants to kill you."

As Trucy finished her sentence, a giant figure appeared behind her. Tyranitar roared deafeningly as the rocks continued to fall.

Misty screaming. Valiant and Eevee panicking. Staryu and Piplup panicking. The rocks falling much more rapidly, increasingly in size as Ash covered his head.

"TRUCY! LOOK OUT!" his arms flung out towards her, and he screamed as Tyranitar acted before he could reach her.

Blood sprayed Ash's face as huge, violent claws removed Trucy's head. A large rock landed on Ash's own head, knocking him face first to the ground, which was no longer lush, green grass, but cold, stone floors.

As Tyranitar continued to roar, the stones pelted Ash's back, crushing his bones as he desperately tried to get up, only to find himself completely immobilized.

"The world will burn." Was that the Iron-Masked Marauder talking? "But you will never see it from the rubble."

The rocks tore his body to shreds. His bones were flattened like Delia's pancakes.

This was what happens when you become a trainer. This was what happens when you left the comfort of your own world, in order to hopelessly pursue your dreams.

You were thrust into a world that wanted nothing more than for you to drop dead.

And now, that world was about to claim him-

/

Ash's eyes shot wide open.

A perfectly normal ceiling was above him. And nothing was falling from it.

With record speed, he rose up into a sitting position.

The caverns were gone.

So were the rocks.

It wasn't dark anymore. The room was lit up. Pikachu was sleeping soundly on the other end of the bed.

He allowed himself to calm his breathing, but couldn't fully, as he took in the sweat drenching his body.

He looked over to Misty's bed, which he found did not contain her. Focusing a bit more, he could hear the shower from the bathroom.

A deep sigh escaped from his throat.

'Karen saved you. You're not at Mt. Moon anymore. And Trucy never went missing.'

Not at Mt. Moon anymore…

Not at Mt. Moon anymore…

No longer in the caverns. No more falling rocks.

Because… He wasn't there anymore.

/

Tyrunt's hatching had thrown the night off considerably. Despite the already long day, Ash had taken him to Nurse Joy to get checked out, assuring Misty that she could go to bed if she wanted to. Valiant had accompanied him. The Kirlia had shown so much commitment to his trainer ever since leaving the forest, and the same commitment he had when assisting Ash in taking care of the egg hadn't gone away after Tyrunt's hatching.

Ash still wasn't entirely sure what the source of the young psychic's loyalty was. Was it gratitude for saving him in the forest? He himself was grateful o Valiant nonetheless; he could still use all the help he could get taking care of Tyrunt as a newborn. Tyrunt had remained fixated on Ash, seemingly identifying the young human boy as his "parent". Nevertheless, it didn't take the infant dinosaur long to develop an instinctual trust towards Valiant, who was always right there next to him. A sense of security seemed to set in for the prehistoric Pokemon without much of an issue.

Nurse Joy had immediately looked over the infant newcomer to see if he was healthy, and was happy to announce that he was born perfectly.

Ash had convinced Misty and most of the others to not wait up for them, but Pikachu was still awake when Ash and Valiant had returned with their newest team member. His starter was willing to go to sleep once Ash had assured him that everything was fine with Tyrunt, but he himself couldn't sleep just yet. He needed to look over the information that Elacia had given him regarding Tyrunt, which he and Valiant spent the night doing. The duo had read through the information with extensive detail while Tyrunt slumbered peacefully on a pillow next to the bed.

Ash was still completely floored that Elacia was entrusting him with a dragon type Pokemon of all things. One of the most fundamentally feared typings in all of Pokemon, any Pokemon just being of the typing at all was more than enough to generate attention and interest. They were all rare Pokemon, albeit to varying extents, and the fearsome reputation to go along with it existed for a reason.

Was this just a friendly gesture from her? A test to see if he could handle it? A way to encourage him to keep pushing himself more? Either way, he could understand why the price that she gave him was so high. And he would most certainly be paying off that debt.

What's more, it was a prehistoric Pokemon. Meaning that it's own parent was likely one of the ones that was restored via machinery. That made it all the more rare, to a ridiculous extent. It made sense that Elacia would have such connections, given her prominence as such a high profile Pokemon breeder, but wrapping his head around it was still simply unreal to him.

Of course, dragon types were often considered to be ridiculously hard to raise and train. The fact that Tyrunt had hatched from an Egg and had not been caught in the wild would most likely work in Ash's favor, as Tyrunt had no prior upbringing due to being a newborn, but the creature's own natural instincts would still be a factor.

Tyrunt was no exception as Ash and Valiant learned from the documents that they had read through. It had characteristics that would need to be addressed at a very early age in order to hopefully prevent them from becoming problematic in the future. They were, by nature, selfish and spoiled, and prone to throwing tantrums.

Although its jaws wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as an undeveloped newborn, they were still something to keep on the radar. Especially with the Strong Jaw ability. They could inflict injuries on their own trainers unknowingly just by playing with them. It was immediately clear to Ash that he would need to be very careful about his early "parenting" towards Tyrunt, in order to ensure the smoothest upbringing possible. Valiant, thankfully, seemed to have the same idea, and when Ash had asked his friend if he was really sure that he would be willing to participate in this undertaking, the Emotion Pokemon had touchingly affirmed it.

Theoretically, the young Kirlia had no real obligation to assist in raising Tyrunt, especially so directly. Even if they were teammates, Ash was the trainer. He was the only one who really didn't have a choice.

But apparently Valiant didn't see it that way. Was this another form of gratitude? Or was it a sense of obligation as a teammate? Ash wasn't quite sure. But either way, he more than appreciated it, especially as reading the documents made it progressively clear just what this situation would entail.

Despite helping hatch the Heracross Egg from Professor Oak's Lab, this was something quite different. He would be raising this Tyrunt from a baby to an adult. Elacia's writing would help, but following it properly was crucial.

Just yet another challenge for them to have to overcome on the road to the Indigo Plateau.

It had been a long night. But thankfully, they finally got to sleep, miraculously. Valiant moved his pillow right next to Tyrunt's, and the rest of the night was peaceful and quiet.

An arduous day and a tiring night, but Ash and Misty's group had finally found peace.

Mercifully for everyone, no one was in a hurry to get up. It was a lot later in the morning than when Ash would usually rise.

In fact, it was now after 10:00 AM, Ash just now getting up.

He hadn't bothered laying back down after his dream, simply finding himself involuntarily climbing out of his bed.

Misty was already in the shower, so Ash waited his turn, finding a need to use the bathroom.

He didn't mind the wait too much. So instead, he took the time to observe the room.

Tyrunt and Valiant were still dozed off, both looking content. Tyrunt's infant body was a sight that Ash would need to get used to.

No longer an Egg.

Nobody else was awake either, except for Misty, apparently. The boy wondered how long she had been awake.

As he looked around, he wondered if he should wake Pikachu and the others, but decided against that.J ust like Misty and himself, they would wake when they were ready.

After all, today was a no training day. As far as Ash was concerned, today would be the quietest day of their journey so far. It was according to what Karen had suggested to them as well, was it not?

A peaceful day of quiet relaxation for all of them. A reminder that they were no longer in Mt. Moon.

After a few more minutes, the sound of the shower stopped, indicating that Misty had finished. Not too long after, she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her signature side ponytail and a much more relaxed expression on her face. Her hair showed some signs of being wet, but she had still been fairly thorough with drying it. Ash had heard her using the hair dryer.

He raised his hand to her as she stepped out, to which she returned.

"Oh, good morning." she greeted. "Sleep well?"

That was not the question that Ash wanted to hear.

He did his best to hide his flinch as the images of his creepy dream with Trucy flashed back through his mind for a moment. He wasn't sure if he did a good job of it or not. He could have sworn that Misty's brow had raised for a moment, but she dropped it pretty quickly. Her smile was casual. Friendly. But despite the relaxed expression, Ash couldn't tell if she was putting in effort to stay relaxed or not.

Was it all coming easy to her? Or was she just putting on a facade to mask her own trauma? Was he doing a good job at masking his?

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm going to go downstairs and ask Nurse Joy some questions. See if anything new has happened over at the mountain. Wanna come with?"

That's right. The League might have had an update on their current operations by now. Ash wanted to hear about it himself.

But he shook his head. "I have to stay here in case Tyrunt wakes up." he said a bit regrettably. "You'll tell me whatever she tells you, right?" he asked politely.

She nodded. "Right." she offered him a casual wave as she turned and walked off. "Good luck." he waved back at her as the door closed behind his friend.

Ash sank down into a seating position in front of his bed, and felt some yellow fur brushing against his arm. Turning towards Pikachu, who was now awake, Ash smiled down at the young rodent and patted his Starter Pokemon on the head.

Not in Mt. Moon anymore… Not in Mt. Moon anymore… Not in Mt. Moon anymore…

/

Misty returned around the time the rest of their two teams began waking up. With everyone wanting to eat, she promised to fill Ash in during breakfast.

The cafeteria wasn't packed, but it did have a fair amount of trainers in it. Apparently, according to Misty, most of them were those who had been rescued from Mt. Moon.

The League was still searching through the caverns just in case, but for the moment, it seemed like everybody had been accounted for, including the straggling Rockets that had been scooped up by the League immediately. And Mt. Moon itself had been placed under indefinite lockdown. With the knowledge that it was now one of Team Rocket's targets, the danger posed by the massive cave-in, and the need to continue searching through the caverns, trainers would no longer be allowed to pass through the mountain's caverns for the foreseeable future. Instead, teleporting services were going to be set up on both sides for travelers to use.

It certainly sounded a lot more convenient, but Ash imagined that trainers who were more into exploration and searching for specific Pokemon would find themselves very disappointed. It was unfortunate, but understandable.

Thankfully, no deaths had been confirmed yet, at least among the trainers that Team Rocket had imprisoned, but there were injuries. Some Team Rocket soldiers refused to come quietly, and attempted to put up a fight. Most of these soldiers were subdued rather quickly. But apparently, a few of the more stubborn Rockets ended up losing their lives, the League forced to finish them.

Once again, Ash found himself feeling conflicted about the deaths. Karen and the League had done what had to be done, and yet… These were still men and women, being killed. His lack of concern over their deaths, on its own, concerned him. It was all too… conflicting… confusing… how much crime could be committed before someone's death was no longer one to be mourned? When did somebody lose the right to be grieved over, or felt sorry for? Ash didn't have that answer. And neither did Misty, apparently. Even after the obvious hatred that she had expressed over the Iron-Masked Marauder, she didn't seem to be any more comfortable than Ash was while relaying the information.

Mutually, the group chose to do their best not to focus on it. This was supposed to be a relaxation day, after all. The group shut away any thoughts of the mountain, and focused on enjoying their meal.

Ash had assumed that a Pokemon like Tyrunt would be carnivorous, which Elacia's notes had confirmed to him and Valiant the previous night. Ash was able to ensure that the baby dinosaur was fed meat. He kept a close eye on the infant as all of them ate, hoping that he would be able to eat his food without any issues. Thankfully, Valiant had also taken it upon himself to sit next to Tyrunt, vigilantly monitoring the way their newest team member ate.

Looking outside, the rain had stopped for the most part, but was still in the form of a light drizzle. It made Ash somewhat glad that they would not be traveling or training today. Drizzles weren't necessarily too bad for him, but he would still much prefer to travel in dry weather. He couldn't imagine himself traveling even in a drizzle unless he absolutely had too.

Incidentally, however, he did enjoy what it felt like to be outside after it had stopped raining. He had always liked the feel of moisture in the air after rain. If they were to start traveling again tomorrow, it would most likely be like that.

Breakfast time was aimless that morning, Ash and Misty conversing with one another throughout and talking about whatever random topics came to mind. It was less an opportunity to socialize and more an attempt to keep their minds off of the previous day's events by any means necessary.

Training ideas for the future, what it was like in Cerulean City, favorite TV shows, favorite foods, essentially anything that wasn't related to Mt. Moon. Whenever one of the two found a topic coming to their head, they would blurt it out immediately. The conversation moved forward without rhyme or reason, a series of completely unrelated topics loosely stringed together by the mutual desire to think about literally anything other than the previous day's events.

Prior to nightfall, however, it was the most interaction that Ash and Misty had throughout the day. Although the two still saw each other and would exchange some quick words throughout, along with having a quick lunch together in the middle, most of Ash's day was spent with Tyrunt. The prehistoric infant was still stumbling around as it tried to walk, and was still vulnerable due to his young age.

Thankfully, despite the warnings in Elacia's notes, the dinosaur wasn't too dangerous just yet. He was, after all, still only a newborn. Ash spent as much time as he could playing with the baby Royal Heir Pokemon. Valiant joined in as well, the rock/dragon type progressively latching onto his secondary caretaker.

Ash was afraid that the rest of the team would be upset about how little time he was spending with them, but they thankfully seemed to be quite understanding of it. Pikachu and Nebula both had each other, so there was nothing to worry about on that front. Eevee, however, was in a bit more of a difficult position. Still a little bit bitter towards Nebula, she avoided spending time with her, and therefore wasn't with Pikachu either, as the electric mouse had spent nearly the entire day hanging out with his bird friend. The Evolution Pokemonn may have been more willing to spend the day with Valiant, but he was helping Ash take care of Tyrunt, and Eevee wasn't as comfortable about how well she would be able to fare at directly raising the baby as he seemed to be. Although she occasionally spent some time with Misty and her own team, Eevee wasn't as comfortable being alone with them, and was therefore left off to do her own thing.

Ash found himself torn between the situation of having a newly caught teammate alongside a literal baby that needed attention for the entire day, and weighed his options between asking Valiant to take a break to spend time with Eevee, or just doing so himself. As a trainer, he had a personal obligation to both newcomers; he didn't want to send Valiant to hang out with Eevee and make it seem like she was being neglected by her own trainer, not even half a week after being caught, and yet he'd be beyond irresponsible to leave all of the responsibilities of looking after Tyrunt to Valiant as well.

As a compromise, he had decided to introduce Eevee and Tyrunt to each other formally. Although the Evolution Pokemon was understandably not very comfortable with trying to raise the baby dinosaur, she could still potentially play with him.

Things seemed to mostly decent between the two of them. Tyrunt was a bit nervous around the Evolution Pokemon, who Ash quickly realized wasn't nearly as patient as Valiant, but to Eevee's credit, she mostly just seemed happy to not be alone. The two Pokemon took turns lightly passing a small ball around with each other, although Ash had found himself unable to hold back an amused laugh after Tyrunt had chewed the ball up.

Through the day, the boy thankfully found his nerves easing up bit by bit. Unwinding was more than what he could ask for.

Nevertheless, he still often found himself, and his mind, drifting back to thinking about that dream. He did his best to shut it away from his mind, but it was not always easy. It creeped along the back of his subconscious throughout the day, sometimes sneaking its way to the forefront. Ash had no idea how to get rid of the thought.

Despite the lingering stress, however, he found himself much more at ease overall by dinnertime. His conversation with Misty that night had been a lot more focused than the one from this morning.

When Ash asked Misty if she wanted to wait another day before leaving, his new orange-haired friend shrugged.

"Today was nice," she admitted freely. "But I really do want to get moving." she frowned. "Your Tyrunt could probably use another day, though. Infants don't normally go into Poke Balls, right?"

That was true. It was recommended that baby Pokemon be kept out of Poke Balls until they had grown at least a little bit. Something about the stasis being detrimental to their early development. Tyrunt would be on the road with them, which meant that he needed to get used to walking around.

"Valiant and I had been working on that." Ash said as he bit into his food. They were both eating pasta, Ash with spaghetti and Misty with mac and cheese. "We could probably use another day, though," he admitted with a frown. "You could go ahead of us, if you want," he offered reluctantly.

He didn't want to separate from Misty just yet. As much as he loved his team, it was nice traveling with another human. She provided a type of interaction that wasn't available with that of a Pokemon. But he also didn't want to be a dead weight to her and her own journey. These were her travels too, of course.

Misty tapped her chin thoughtfully at that. Ash bit back his lip a bit nervously. He would understand if she just chose to leave… He hoped it wasn't too selfish of him to want her to stay. But they were going to be separating after they were done with Cerulean's Gym anyway…

After a few seconds, however, she shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. And I think my team is too. If you only need another day or so, then we can wait."

Ash smiled at her, almost saying "thanks", but chose to hold back on that. He didn't want to sound like he was dependent. It's not like he would have been mad if she had chosen to leave.

"Besides…" Misty's face transitioned into a cheeky smirk. "I still want to battle you before we part ways, and now's probably not the most appropriate time to do that." a quick, yet bright, flash appeared in her eyes, almost as though her pupils had suddenly contained fire. "You didn't think you were gonna get away without that, did you?"

Ash grinned uneasily as he failed to hold back a nervous chuckle.

"No…" he admitted. "I guess not."

But despite himself, he actually felt kind of excited about it.

/

The next day came and went, and the routine was nearly identical to the previous day. Breakfast, group time, lunch, more group time, dinner, bedtime. It was pretty clear cut, but that's how everybody wanted it.

Ash and Valiant put extra time into helping Tyrunt with his walking. The infant dinosaur wasn't perfect, but balance was becoming easier for him now. The progress seemed pleasing to the rest of the group, and Tyrunt himself seemed to enjoy it.

Mercifully, Ash's sleep wasn't haunted by traumatic dreams for the next two nights.

He spoke with his mother just before leaving with Misty, and told a white lie regarding the Rocket raid, simply saying that the raid happened before he and his team could pass through the mountain, and that they just used the teleportation service in order to reach the other side.

He felt disgusted in himself for lying to his mother, but the alternative would be to tell her the truth and inform her that he was very nearly killed by a man who was apparently one of the world's most dangerous criminals.

And if he hadn't already been planning on doing it before, he certainly was with the sheer look of horror on Delia's face as she questioned him regarding the mountain incident-which had been dominating the news-not to mention her terrified tone of voice. Her face was pale and sickly when he had called her, and any relief that she might have felt from seeing that he was okay would have been completely eclipsed by the horror of knowing what he had went through.

Ash hated himself for lying to the person in the world that he loved the most, but his guilt ended there as he told himself he had picked the right thing to do. Anything to ease her consciousness. She was already stressed out about having a Professional Pokemon trainer for a child as it was. No way he was going to worsen it. He just hoped that he had lied convincingly enough. Delia seemed to be convinced, but that could just be a facade. Misty had given him a few comments on occasion, about how he was apparently bad at hiding things. And his mother had known him for a lot longer than his new, hot-headed friend.

Thinking back to his dream, Ash wondered if all parents who had trainers for kids felt the kind of stress that she seemed to feel. The ambitious nature of the occupation was romanticized everywhere, but at the end of the day, it was one hell of a dangerous profession. Ash felt like he was being selfish by going through with it when it was obvious his mother feared for his safety twenty four-seven, but she would always just fire back and talk about how she herself would feel selfish if Ash were to give up his dream for the sake of her peace of mind.

Ash had no idea how he would ever pay back his mother, but one day, he would. She was the most selfless person in his life.

Ash and Misty had eaten an early breakfast with their teams in order to be on the road as quickly as possible, but not before saying a final goodbye/thank you to Nurse Joy right before their departure. Since they were leaving first thing in the morning, it should only take them about the day to reach the city, with Nurse Joy estimating that they would arrive late at night.

Nebula flew overhead with Pikachu riding on her back. Eevee was perched on Ash's shoulder (with Misty's own Eevee doing the same with her) while Valiant and Tyrunt walked by Ash's side, the former sticking close to the latter like a magnet. The atmosphere between the group frequently alternated between comfortable silence and light conversation.

The air was still moist from the rain, which Misty seemed to appreciate as much as Ash did. Ash wasn't sure if this was just because of her affinity for water types, or if she just enjoyed the feel of the air the way that he did. Either way, she seemed quite pleased with the walk.

Neither of the duo was expecting there to be many trainers on the road to the city, but were pleasantly surprised by the decent amount of people that they ran into. Or, at the very least, for the standards of just one day. The two friends took turns battling the other trainers that they crossed paths with, each claiming victory in every battle. It gave both of them the opportunity to observe each other's teams in a much less stressful situation than the Team Rocket business back in Mt. Moon, which Ash was almost certain that Misty would be taking advantage of. After all, had she not already made it clear that she wanted to battle him?

Ash took the opportunity to observe her as well, taking notes in his brain to stash away as he watched her go into battle, her Staryu receiving the most action out of everyone on her team. It was fairly versatile, with access to multiple different types of moves, along with a potent Light Screen. Most of its moves were ranged attacks, but its Rapid Spin provided it with further additional offense, and occasionally defense as well.

Sadly, he hadn't gotten enough out of the rest of her team to develop opinions beyond first impressions. Her Eevee's fighting style reminded Ash of his own Eevee, which wasn't too surprising, since they were not only of the same species, but were also both still beginner level, and, therefore, they still had not gotten as much time to develop their own personal fighting styles just yet. It was a bit more difficult to pinpoint how Piplup and Jigglypuff fought for the moment. Unlike with Eevee, Ash had no such teammates to compare either of them to.

Out of everyone on the team, Valiant had benefited from the battles the most. The perfect way to break in his Evolution, not to mention showcasing the immense increase in overall power that the Kirlia now had. He would tear through his opponent's with powerful blasts that he had never been capable of as a Ralts.

Tyrunt would watch the battles unfold with intrigue. Not necessarily enthusiasm, but it was pretty clear that the infant dinosaur could sense everybody else's enthusiasm for the events. And he would always share in with the victory cheers, if only on instinct.

By the time the day was over, Ash and Misty had each earned a fairly decent amount of prize money from their battles, not to mention the effective morale boosts for their respective teams, in the face of multiple consecutive victories.

More money for food and supplies, and extra confidence for their respective teams. Who's to say which one was more important?

According to Misty, the money.

The orange-haired hothead would go out of her way to celebrate two particular victories where she had totally annihilated her opponents. One trainer's Snubbull had been no match for her Staryu, and her Eevee had made equally quick work of another trainer's Growlithe. Whether it be by cartwheeling across the road or pumping her fists in front of Ash's face, Misty was fairly… bombastic in her triumphant moments.

He supposed that he couldn't totally blame her, however. He had, in fact, felt similar emotions himself when Valiant had easily defeated an Abra, further showcasing the newfound power of his Evolution, or when Nebula had dropped a Spearow in just two simple hits. Misty was just expressing them outwardly.

/

The stars were high overhead in the pitch black night sky by the time they had reached Cerulean City.

Misty gazed up at the gates as she and Ash came to a brief stop. "Alright then, everyone." She spoke neutrally as Nebula and Pikachu descended to the ground beside them, before turning to face the group and spreading out her arms whilst raising her voice. "Welcome to Cerulean City, the rookie capital of Indigo."

Holding Tyrunt (who had gotten tired from the walking) in his arms, Ash smiled in relief at the city gates. The day had been nonstop, in order to ensure that they made it by nighttime. But now he and Misty both just wanted to go to bed, and he was certain that their Pokemon all felt the same.

But they couldn't sleep right away, as much as they wanted to. Their hunger was undeniable, their desire for food keeping them awake even as they fantasized about sinking into the bedsheets and drifting off into slumber.

Not to mention, they both needed a shower.

Ash was a bit more used to the taller buildings, and the overall greater scope and denser nature of the city, than he used to be back when he had first set out from Pallet Town. This was now the third city that he had been to in his life, and after spending a large chunk of his travels in Pewter, he hadn't necessarily grown accustomed to the much more urban nature of these cities, but he was no longer overwhelmed by it.

Besides, anything was a step up from Mt. Moon. Ash was going to have a hard time not appreciating the places that he traveled too after an experience such as that.

It was still difficult to get the caverns out of his mind, but he hoped he was managing better than before. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't confide in his mother about it without her knowing that he was there, which he didn't want, and he wasn't sure if he should tell Professor Oak either.

Unless he already knew. He was a high-ranking member of the League, and Ash and Misty's names were most likely included in the reports. That itself inspired fear in Ash; what if the Professor told his mother? He likely would have already, which almost eased Ash's worries, but the lingering paranoia still lurked in his brain.

Despite his tired nature at the moment, Ash found himself grinning as he absentmindedly looked around, taking in, and appreciating, the feeling of being part of civilization.

Many trainers loved the wild. Understandably so. Ash himself enjoyed traveling with his team overall. But he couldn't imagine himself never desiring the comfort of civilization. Even when his enjoyment towards his travels were at their utmost high, he would probably always have that longing for society in the back of his mind. It would always be an excellent break from the action, or the hardships of travels.

Due to the late time of their arrival, the streets of the city weren't too bustling as they stepped through the gates and made their way to the Pokemon Center, Misty leading the way due to knowing the area. The lack of a crowd was merciful, as it made it a lot easier to proceed through the streets undisturbed.

Nevertheless, their presence still attracted the curious eyes of many who were still out and about. Unavoidable, as it was typically easy to spot a trainer. Granted, it wasn't like it was an unlikely sight in Cerulean City. This place was known for being a hotspot and gathering for beginner level trainers. The most beginner friendly place in Kanto, possibly Indigo as a whole. The outskirts were often populated with rookies trying to hone their skills against each other, often considered the perfect place for a rookie to be. Not to mention that most of the wild Pokemon in the surrounding area had a reputation for being docile compared to most of the other places in Indigo, Cerulean Cave being the sole exception. It was very much unlike Fuchsia, which was known for being popular with higher level trainers, and much more dangerous Pokemon in the wild.

Being the seaside city that it was, Cerulean always had the feeling of moisture in the air, and Ash suddenly realized why Misty enjoyed such a feeling so much. She had literally grown up with moist air throughout her childhood. Pallet Town wasn't far from the shore, and had a beach nearby, but this was something different.

"Maybe it is good to be back…" she trailed off absentmindedly as she led Ash through the streets. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if taking in the atmosphere. "Funny how this place was never all that standout to me until I wasn't used to it anymore."

Behind her, Ash looked down at Tyrunt, who was dozing off in his arms. He smiled at the dinosaur, failing to suppress a tired yawn. "Interesting point…" he trailed off for a moment. "I wonder if I'll appreciate Pallet Town in a new light after being to all of these cities." he had always loved the simplicity of Pallet Town, but actually being able to compare it to places like Cerulean or Pewter would certainly make it stand out even more to him.

"Hmmm…" Misty commented, looking on ahead. "Anyway, we should be to the Pokemon Center soon. I call dibs on the shower, got it?"

Ash frowned. 'Darn it, I should have called dibs.'

/

The welcoming atmosphere of the Pokemon Center's lobby was cathartic to Ash and Misty as the two friends walked through the large pair of automatic doors. The sheer size of the building would have greatly intimidated Ash if he hadn't already been used to it from both Viridian and Pewter. Most of their Pokemon had been recalled, but Valiant remained at Ash's side, Pikachu now riding on his shoulder while Tyrunt slept in the young trainer's arms.

Up ahead was Nurse Joy's counter, and Misty squinted in recognition at the figure conversing with the pink-haired woman.

"Is that…" She began. Her eyes suddenly widened as the figure turned around to head off.

He was a tall, teenage boy, probably around fifteen years old or so. On his shoulder was a green, monkey-like Pokemon that Ash didn't quite recognize. His hair was brown, tied up into a neat ponytail behind his head. He had sharp facial features, with eyes that matched his hair.

Upon seeing Misty, his eyes widened as well, suddenly smiling as the monkey on his shoulder waved cheerfully.

"Misty!" His voice was fairly smooth, although its tone was just about what Ash would expect from somebody of the teenage boy's age. "I didn't realize you were already back in town!'

Racing over with a light grin, Misty looked up at the teenager. "Just got here tonight. How's Maria doing, Ryan?"

The boy, Ryan, scratched the monkey's cheek, earning a soft, positive response from the creature as he spoke. "Energetic as always. She and Laura have been gallivanting aimlessly since you left. She keeps saying it isn't the same without you, so she's constantly hanging out with her to try and fill the void."

A smug smirk occupied her features as Misty's chest puffed up. "Hmmm… yeah, I know I'm irreplaceable. Hopefully a few days or so of me being in the city will be enough to fill the hole in their hearts." her voice was oozing with pride and arrogance. But Ryan seemed to be more amused by it than anything else.

'He must be pretty used to her.' Ash assumed as he watched the conversation play out. It sounded like he was related to one of her friends that she had mentioned before.

Not too long after, Ryan glanced past Misty as his eyes landed on Ash. "Oh yeah, is he with you? You two walked in together."

As if she had forgotten all about him, Misty's eyes widened as she turned her head to face Ash, who was standing there awkwardly, not sure what to do or say.

A light tinge of red made its way to Misty's cheeks as she recoiled out of embarrassment for forgetting Ash's presence, but it went away pretty quickly, as her composure returned. "Oh yeah, this is my new friend, Ash. I ran into him a little bit after leaving Pewter. That's Pikachu, Valiant, and Tyrunt with him."

Ash gratefully took note that she hadn't specified Mt. Moon being where they met in her introduction; not implicating herself or him in being involved in the recent events.

Fully turning herself around to face him, Misty smiled at Ash while tilting her head in Ryan's direction. "Ash, this is Ryan. He's the older brother of my friend Maria, and a Pokemon researcher in training. He works at Cerulean's local lab." she pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "And that little monkey on his shoulder is Grookey."

Ash almost backed away a bit as Ryan approached him. The much taller boy looked down at him as he casually closed the distance, but his inviting gaze differed much from Misty's usual hotheadedness and Gary's smugness, and Ash quickly found himself not all too intimidated by the approach.

Ryan grinned calmly as he extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, kid. Hope your journey's been going smoothly."

Ash pushed Mt. Moon from his mind as he readjusted his grip on Tyrunt, taking hold of the little dinosaur with one arm so he could shake Ryan's hand. The infant stirred in his sleep a bit, but did not wake up and thankfully didn't seem to be too disturbed. "It's been fine," he forced a smile, trying fill his mind with the victory at Pewter Gym, or the evolutions of his teammates. "We've already made a lot of progress.

The older boy nodded in approval. His grip was firm and tight, but he didn't hold it for long, and his eyes landed on Tyrunt as the two separated. "Newly hatched, I'm guessing?"

His question helped push the unpleasant memories away from Ash's mind, and the young rookie's grin quickly grew more cheerful and genuine. "Yeah! Just a few nights ago, in fact!" returning his grip to the more comfortable position it had been in before, he looked fondly at the baby in his arms. Once again, Tyrunt shifted, but showed no signs of disturbance in his sleep. "He's a bit of a handful, but I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."

"That's the right attitude." Ryan offered him a pleased hum before his gaze turned curious. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get your hands on a Tyrunt? Even by foreign Pokemon standards, they're just about as rare as they come."

Ash blushed. "I was just as surprised as you are. I got an Egg from a new friend of mine who's also a breeder. Next thing I know, he's the one who hatches from it." He figured it best to hide that his friend was specifically Indigo's second highest ranked breeder.

Ryan put his hand to his chin and whistled, Grookey eying Tyrunt with a friendly sense of curiosity. "I'm surprised to hear that, honestly. Rookie trainers usually don't deal with breeders this early into the Season." he eyed Ash carefully. "What price was it?"

"I haven't paid it yet." Ash responded quickly. "It's... Pretty big, but she was nice about it and told me that I could pay it off later. I'll be working on that."

Ryan's nonchalant grin returned to his face, briefly eying Valiant, who had been looking up at him with intrigue throughout the brief conversation. "I guess it all worked out for you, then." His eyes turned thoughtful. "Good luck with that one. They are… definitely a challenge to raise. I presume you were provided with instructions?" he seemed satisfied at Ash's quick nod, before once again turning towards Misty, who was patiently eying the interaction. "Do you want me to let Maria know you're here? I'm sure she's dying to see you."

Misty's arrogant smirk returned. "Of course she is! Make sure she tells Laura, too. I can come by and visit your place tomorrow if you'd like."

Ryan chuckled. "I'm sure she'll look forward to it." He offered a friendly wave as he walked towards the doors, Grookey emulating his movements with a friendly cry. "See you around! And nice meeting you, Ash!"

Returning the wave, Ash and Misty turned to each other as the doors closed behind the exiting teenager. Misty's fists pressed against her hips as she tilted her head with a grin.

"He's one of the better reasons for me to come back here." she elaborated. "His sister has known me since we were eight. So her family is pretty familiar with me." she giggled behind her hand. "I just knew he'd zero right in on your little dino. Where do you think Maria got her love for foreign Pokemon from?"

Ash titled his head curiously. "So, she's one of the friends you mentioned before? The other night, I mean?"

Misty nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah, her and Laura. Laura's the Pikachu lover, too." she giggled again as Pikachu's cheeks sparked with pride, although Ash flinched due to being in close proximity. Thankfully, it wasn't too intense. Crossing her arms, her expression mellowed out. "You wouldn't mind coming over with me tomorrow, would you?"

He felt a nervous pit forming in his stomach, but managed a grin nonetheless. "Of course not. I already promised I'd meet them, right?" Beside him, Valiant crossed his arms curiously, seemingly interested in the idea.

Misty nodded with a light smile. "Good." turning towards the counter, she patted her hand against Ash's shoulder. "Just to warn you, Maria's a bit of a motor-mouth and just loves to ask about everything, so make sure you're ready to answer loads of questions when you get there. Laura should be a bit easier to deal with, since she's a lot calmer. Although, she can be a bit of a flirt at times. Don't worry, I'll pull her ear for you."

Ash's cheeks flushed lightly at that, but he quickly shook it off as they made their way to the counter.

/

Misty plopped down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling as she lay sprawled out on her back.

It had been 10:00 PM when they had arrived at the Pokemon Center, and after quick showers and a dinner, the two trainers and their teams were finally ready to turn in for the night after a long day of traveling and battling.

Sitting on his own bed, Ash observed with a tired grin as his and Misty's respective teams worked out their sleeping arrangements for the night.

They were on the third floor of the Center, in a bigger room than last time. Understandable, given the sheer size of urban Pokemon Centers. Once again, Misty's bed was the one closer to the window. She seemed to like those a lot.

Ash was still feeling fatigue kick in, and the feeling of the bed that he was sitting on was already more than enough to be relieving for him.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be at Maria's house." said Misty, gazing up at the ceiling thoughtfully, before turning to him. "I suppose if we end up being there for most of the day, I could start my training for the Gym battle on the next day." rolling over to get a better look at Ash, she frowned. "You okay with that?"

Ash nodded. "Sure. It's always good to unwind. Besides, it's not like I'm in a rush. We just got here."

Truth be told, the thought of tomorrow felt complicated to Ash. He was, once again, looking forward to meeting more people his age. Obviously, these were Misty's friends, and not his, but they sounded pretty nice from what she had told him. And yet... he couldn't help but feel miles out of his comfort zone.

A sudden thought occurred to him, prompting a frown. "Speaking of which… training for the battle is going to be pretty difficult for me. I don't have any water types, and we need to prepare for the aquatic arena."

Ash didn't know much about the Cerulean Gym, but he knew that it was a water specialist Gym, and that the battlefield took the form of a massive pool with platforms to hop across. Water type Pokemon naturally would have the advantage with such terrain, but while Misty currently had two, Ash currently had none. Nebula's flight would come in handy, but the rest of Ash's team would be in trouble for sure.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Way ahead of you, kiddo."

'That wording was a bit condescending…' Ash thought to himself with a blush.

Elaborating further, Misty spoke up again. "I still have to train Jigglypuff and my own Eevee to handle that battlefield, remember?" she jerked her thumb sideways. "We have plenty of bodies of water in the area. I can take us to one that has a lot of rocks to hop around on. The water should be shallow enough so that it won't be too dangerous. Piplup and Staryu can get some practice in too, but I'll probably have to take them to a deeper one so that they can swim more freely."

That could work. It could give the teammates that couldn't fly a means of practicing to traverse the platforms of the pool.

Ash nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Misty."

Misty's prideful smirk was in full force as she returned her gaze to the ceiling, arms behind the back of her head. "Your native Cerulean trainer, here and at your service." she inclined her head slightly towards him. "Just what would you ever do without me?"

He pouted a bit at that. "I'm sure I could manage…"

A haughty laugh was her response. "Sure, but only about, like, half as well." as his pout grew, she giggled. "Take it easy, Ash. I know you'd think of something. But you've gotta admit, my presence is pretty convenient for you right about now."

Ash couldn't argue with that, so he wouldn't.

"I'll try to pay you back somehow-"

Misty cut him off. "Keep your money, kiddo. I'll just be sure to beat you when we battle before we leave." An excited glint entered her eyes, which found their way to the ceiling once more. "A good way to celebrate us getting our second badges. Wouldn't you say?"

Ash scratched his cheek in thought. "You don't want to battle before we challenge the Gym? Maybe as a way to prepare?"

Misty's smirk was back. "Give me a break, Ash. I gotta make sure you're ready for me first, right?" she inclined her head towards him with a cheeky grin. "I mean, it's one thing to humiliate some nobody that I don't give a damn about, but you and I are friends. If I completely tear through your ass because you weren't strong enough to face me yet, I'd just feel bad."

Ash blinked in mild bewilderment. Misty swapped back and forth between compassion and narcissism as though she was just flipping a simple switch.

Leaning backwards to lie down on his bed, he giggled nervously. "Yeah…" he paused for a second. "I suppose so." 'At least she seems to be doing better after Mt. Moon.' It didn't seem like her behavior was a facade.

"Heh." Misty pulled herself under the covers as she turned off her lamp. "Whelp, see you in the morning, buddy. Gotta make sure I'm rested up to deal with those two when we pay them a visit. Plus, beauty sleep and the like."

Ash nodded, turning off his own lamp as he retreated under his own covers. "Right, goodnight."

As he dozed off, he inwardly sighed to himself a bit. Misty was every bit as arrogant as Gary was. And yet... he could only manage an amused grin.

/

The sun shined through the windows and woke him from a pleasantly peaceful slumber.

Yawning as he rose from his bed, Ash took the time to smile at the sleeping Pikachu at the end of the bed. This time, the yellow rodent was joined by Eevee, who kept her distance to a degree, but not to the extent that would have otherwise told Ash that she felt uncomfortable being near the mouse.

Nebula may not be in Eevee's good graces at the moment, but Pikachu was growing on her, and she was attached to Valiant. That was a good sign. With her warming up to the mouse, Ash could only hope that she would drop her grudge on Nebula eventually.

Once they started training again, he would have to work on that. He couldn't force them to be friends, but he could hopefully convince them to at least patch things up, and let things go on their own from there.

Perhaps with Eevee growing more accustomed to being a member of the team, she would hold less of a grudge against Nebula for her role in the Evolution Pokemon's capture. But perhaps there was a principal involved.

But if that was the case, why didn't she seem to be angry at Ash?

These thoughts ran through Ash's mind as his feet touched the floor, but he was pulled away from them as he felt Tyrunt's head brushing against his legs. Smiling down at the tiny dinosaur infant, Ash patted his head for a moment, prompting him to close his eyes and smile at his trainer's touch. Standing back upright, Ash looked down to Valiant, who nodded a greeting.

"Look after him for me, okay Valiant? I need a shower." the young Kirlia obliged and waved his trainer off as Ash made his way to the bathroom.

Ash wasn't sure why he felt the need to shower again given that he already had last night, but Misty apparently showered every morning too. Something about "I need to keep my gorgeous skin healthy." From the way she worded it, he wasn't sure if it was supposed to be more arrogance, or just compulsive behavior about her health.

The boy stepped into the tub and felt the warm water pour onto his skin as he took in the feeling. Even after just one day of traveling, indulging in the luxuries of the Pokemon Center felt heavenly. Even if it involved showering twice in a row. He could definitely get used to it, or wanted to at any rate, but he'd be leaving eventually, just like in Pewter.

It was better to get used to being on the road than in civilization. That way, he'd be better prepared for the road, and would find more relief from civilization. That was how he saw it, at any rate.

After a few minutes of quickly showering himself, Ashs stepped out of the bathroom to find Misty waiting at the door. Apparently she had just gotten up while he was in.

The two offered amicable greetings before exchanging places, Misty heading into the bathroom for her usual shower to get ready for the day. Just before breakfast, Misty called Maria's house to see if it was okay to visit, while Ash contacted his mother. After hanging up, he was informed by Misty that they had been invited to have breakfast at Maria's, by her mother, although they needed to feed their teams first, as the house was short on Pokemon food.

/

It was 9:00 AM, the sun rising high above the buildings of Cerulean as Ash and Misty made their way down the sidewalk. Once again, Pikachu rode atop his shoulder, Valiant walking by the side in between Ash and Misty, while Tyrunt enjoyed the comfort of his new trainer's arms.

Misty led the way yet again, seemingly knowing the city like the back of her hand, and the apparent memorization of Cerulean came as a pleasant surprise to Ash. Sure, he knew Pallet Town fairly well, but Cerulean was several times larger. Not to mention busier and more hectic.

Although certainly not the chaotic metropolis that Celadon and Saffron were both known to be, activity and scope in Cerulean were nothing to be scoffed at. People came and went on both sidewalks on either side of the street. Although the streets weren't overwhelmingly crowded, and probably modest by city standards, they were certainly a step up from Pallet Town. Automobiles frequented the streets, and Ash and his Pokemon all quickly got used to seeing them as Misty led them through the complexes.

She spoke up after a while. "It shouldn't take too much longer. Maria lives in the suburban area, and we're getting pretty close to there." she scoffed. "We actually passed Laura's place a few minutes ago. Kind of wish I just asked to meet up there…"

"It's fine." Ash replied with a friendly grin, trying to cheer her up. "We could use the exercise anyway, right?"

"I get enough exercise actually traveling between cities." Misty growled to herself. "And just when I'm given the opportunity to take a quick break, I go and make more work for myself. Just wonderful."

/

The suburban area of Cerulean was a place that Ash expected to be similar to Pallet Town, for whatever reason. But it definitely wasn't. The vibe was totally different, yet he still couldn't quite place why.

He supposed no two towns were going to feel alike, although he couldn't find many differences from this area's structure compared to that of Pallet Town. So what exactly felt so different, then?

Maybe it was the air? Cerulean was inevitably a lot moister than Pallet usually was, but that could just be because of the recent rain. This part of Cerulean was away from the seaside portion of the city.

Maria's house was bigger than his. Three stories high. Much more fancy architecture (was that what felt different?) despite not necessarily being an aesthetic that seemed to be blatantly upper class. Overall the place still seemed to be a lot more expensive than his and his mom's home. And probably more spacious too.

When he commented this out loud, Misty mentioned that Maria's parents were both far from being short on financial income. Her father was a schoolteacher for an institute that centered around electronics and software, while her mother was a maintenance worker for Cerulean Gym, hired by one of the Gym Leaders. When Ash expressed surprise that there were apparently three Gym Leaders in Cerulean instead of just one, the orange haired girl only grumbled irritably, much to his confusion.

Arriving at the porch, the pit in his stomach (which had been lingering in the background throughout the trip) returned in full, and he suddenly backed away as Misty pressed the button that sounded the doorbell.

He reminded himself that he was trying to meet more people his age. This would be good for him. He just couldn't let himself get overwhelmed, was all. Besides, despite being… the way that she was, Misty was still fairly nice overall, so she probably kept good company.

He wasn't given much time to contemplate further as the door quickly opened a few moments afterward.

Greeting them was a woman with black hair tied into a long ponytail that fell down to the side. She was wearing fairly casual clothes, a blue shirt and purple shorts. She beamed at the sight of Misty.

"Misty! Good to see you in person. I told you this on the phone, but Maria was thrilled when Ryan told us you'd be visiting." she gestured her inside. "It's been a month already, hasn't it?"

Misty grinned, exchanging a quick handshake with the woman before folding her hands behind her head. "Sure has. I feel like a different girl already." she looked inside. "So, is Laura here too yet?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah, she got here just before you, actually." as if by accident, she glanced at Ash, Pikachu, Tyrunt, and Valiant. His heart skipped a beat, and he may have flinched, but he found his composure as he prepared to greet her. "Oh, and is this Ash?"

Misty smiled. "Yeah, he's a bit skittish." at Ash's beet-red face, she gestured towards the woman with her thumb. "This is Maria's mother Jennifer. Jennifer, this is Ash and his Pokemon. They've been tagging along with me for a bit."

Ash awkwardly nodded to Jennifer. "Hey… thanks for having us.'' Pikachu and Valiant followed in kind, offering casual waves to the woman, while Tyrunt just chattered happily.

The woman kindly gestured forward. "It's good to meet you all, Ash. I hope you'll make yourselves at home."

As Ash stepped inside (giving a quick thanks), he took a look around the living room. It was about twice the size of his own, with an even bigger sofa and recliner chair. The television was on, covering what looked to be a small-scale Pokemon tournament being held at Cinnabar Island. Jennifer left the room, saying that she was going to go fetch Maria and Laura while Ash and Misty settled themselves in.

Misty turned to Ash for a moment before sitting down on the sofa to watch the television and pass the time. Ash almost sat down with her, but changed his mind at the last second, instead setting Tyrunt down at the baby's request, the dinosaur happily joining Valiant by his side.

A few minutes later, two sets of feet were heard rapidly descending the nearby staircase, and Misty grinned at the sight of the two girls making their way down.

"Yoohoo! Is that you, Misty?"

Pikachu climbed to Ash's head as the girl's reached the floor, Misty moving to greet them.

One girl had long, auburn hair and copper eyes. She was about Misty's height, and had her hands together as she lightly jumped up and down.

"Oh man, I didn't think I'd get to see you again so soon! How many water types do you have? Got any badges? It's been a month so this is when rookies usually start to get them. Oh, wait, but it would have taken time to get here, so did you get any early? Oh, and have you evolved your Staryu yet? I can't remember how long it usually takes for them too-" Misty's hand shot towards the girl's mouth to silence her, the girl's voice comically muffled as she continued to speak from behind the hand regardless.

'A motor-mouth.' Ash tried to remember what Misty had said the previous night. So this was-

"Calm down, Maria." Misty's face was an amused grin. "I have one badge from Pewter. Still just have the two water types that I left the city with, although I also have an Eevee and a Jigglypuff. Nobody's evolved since I caught Jigglypuff as she was. That satisfy you?" At her friend's frantic but happy nod, Misty released her, before turning to the other girl.

This one must have been Laura. She was barely shorter than Ash, and was a brunette with shorter hair that fell to her shoulders. She had brown eyes and an easygoing smile. Unlike the much more hyperactive Maria, she seemed to be quite composed.

Said composure was reflected in her lax demeanor as she spoke up to Misty, sharing a quick shake with the orange-haired hothead.

"I'm sure we're all excited to hear about your escapades Misty, she spoke cooly. "But still…" Ash perked up as her attention suddenly turned to him and his team, gesturing over to the boy with a wink. "Aren't you gonna introduce us to that little cutie over there?"

Ash's face was red again. Right, Misty had said something about a flirt.

Thankfully, Misty's hand firmly clasped the other girl's shoulder.

"Back off, Laura. He's skittish." she offered him a playful, yet not necessarily joking grin. "Would probably crumble to pieces if you get too forward with him." Now Ash's cheeks were red due to a different kind of embarrassment.

Laura giggled behind her hand. "Aw, man. I had a few lines ready, too." She offered him a casual wave. "Well anyway…"

Ash suddenly jumped as the girl was in front of him. She moved fast. It took him a moment or two to register her reaching her hand out, but he shook off the embarrassment as he accepted it.

Her grip was friendly and delicate, with the feel that she could probably squeeze harder if she wanted too. "Name's Laura, one of Misty's buddies."

Ash tried to mask the awkwardness with a grin, although this girl seemed like the type that could see right through him. "H-Hey. I'm Ash." His Pokemon all offered their own quick greetings.

"So, you ran into Misty on the other side of the mountain, huh?" she flashed him an easy grin. She was pretty cute. "Hope it hasn't been too bad to be with her for this long. She can be pretty scary, huh?"

"Riiight heeere." Misty's suspiciously cheerful smile coupled with her deliberately and obviously forced sing-song voice sent a fearful chill up Ash's spine as Laura stuck out her tongue.

"Oh come on, girl. I'm just speaking the truth to a new friend. Anyway…" she turned to Ash's direction again, but this time her attention was focused on Pikachu. The mouse currently perched atop Ash's cap began to coo with utter glee as his chin was affectionately tickled by a set of gentle fingers. "I haven't seen a Pikachu in a hot minute. Aren't they just the cutest?'' She said that last sentence in a very affectionate and charming voice, and Ash's starter leaned downward into the girl's touch, closing his eyes with joy for a moment as he continued to soak up her affection, as though he had fallen in love. Clearly taking pride in Pikachu's joy, the brunette sent the mouse a bright smile that practically left Pikachu with heart-shaped pupils as she brought her finger along the rodent's chin just a little bit more.

'At this rate, he's going to prefer her over me…' A somewhat embarrassed Ash thought to himself. He inwardly sighed as he eyed Laura's smile, a simple yet charming expression that had completely enamored the young mouse. 'Who am I kidding? He already does. I don't stand a chance against her…'

He was broken out of his thoughts as a hand clasped his shoulder. Startled, he turned to see Maria at his side, taking his hand and shaking it a bit too fast for his liking. "Yo! Is that a Tyrunt?! And a Kirlia? Wow, you must have gotten really lucky to catch Pokemon like those so soon! So is Tyrunt a baby? Because Ryan mentioned something about an Egg and he knows quite a lot about that stuff because he works at the lab and I bet he could give you a lot of pointers on raising him-oh but how have your travels been? Got any badges yet or are you taking it slow-" Misty was there again, this time taking the other girl's mouth in both of her hands as Ash, somewhat taken aback, sent her a grateful look.

"There." said Misty as the auburn-haired girl's now muffled voice continued to ramble from behind the water type specialist's hands. "Just try to answer her quickly."

Ash tried to gather his thoughts after the overwhelming avalanche of questions from the girl. Misty certainly kept a colorful pair for company, but he couldn't say he disliked these girls. They just… weren't what he was used to.