Dai: This is going to take a while.

Verity: Let's see... You have plans for the whole series, including much more content... Not to mention converting new episodes to fit different teams... In perpetuity... At least you aren't changing the cast much.

Dai: Yeah. I hate how they can't have Ash stick with the same group. This will be so much better.

Tsukaimon: Does the Gen Six typechart have anything to do with this?

Dai: If only you knew...

Vee-Vee: We own nothing here.

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The group was walking to Oldale Town, rather slowly, which Ash pointed out.

"Maybe if you hadn't destroyed my bike."

Ash shook his head. "This is like Misty all over again."

'Misty?'

"One of the Gym Leaders in Cerulean City, Kanto. We kinda zapped her bike, too. In our defense, we were fighting a bunch of Spearow and didn't care about anything but survival."

Ninetales winced. Without wanting to, she remembered a similar run-in.

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A Vulpix gasped as she jumped over the ledge, looking back for her companions. They were nowhere within sight.

"Spear!"

Turning around to face her pursuers, she let lose the largest Ember attack she could possibly manage. The Spearow flapped off, and the Vulpix focused on finding the others.

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Ninetales blinked back into reality to see an Azurill up ahead. May pulled out a Poke Ball.

'I recommend weakening it first. Otherwise, you're wasting your time.'

"Hey, I caught a Caterpie once without weakening it!"

'Speaking of which, Ash, shouldn't you have brought at least one Pokemon besides Pikachu to Hoenn?'

"Why does it matter?"

'For one thing, this place does a lot of Double Battles. In other words, fights where each side has two Pokemon. For another thing, although this region has the lowest age limit to become a Trainer, it is the most treacherous, with it being thirty percent desert and forty percent ocean. That leaves very little room for safe areas.'

"I'll catch something eventually."

'It better not catch you first.'

Meanwhile, May and Treecko were fighting Azurill, or, trying to. The little Polka Dot Pokemon kept jumping out of the way. Eventually, it jumped into some bushes.

"Go after it."

Treecko jumped into the bushes, only to be blasted by three Water Guns from Azurill, Marill, and Azumarill.

"I suppose I should be glad I didn't choose Torchic right now." May commented as Treecko struggled to get up.

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When they arrived at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy took Treecko, saying that he would be fine in the morning. May immediately asked for a tour of the Center from Ash. Ash complied, showing her around. After that, he made a call to Professor Oak. He and May decided to put off registering for the League until they reached a town with an actual Gym.

Meanwhile, Ninetales was just doing her own thing, more or less, just wandering, when the power randomly went out. Despite being unable to see, using her sense of smell, Ninetales identified the cause. Her fur stood on end as she recognized them.

A group of Team Magma Grunts were locking her friends and Nurse Joy in a closet. One of them stayed behind to guard. His Houndoom stood beside him, ready to fight any rescue attempts. Fortunately, it wouldn't be too hard.

Using Quick Attack, she knocked into Houndoom, pushing it away from the door. The Magma Grunt turned and gasped.

"You!"

'Leave my friends alone.'

"You act so brave. You can't do anything. You couldn't protect your last set of friends. What makes you think you can help this group?"

Angered, Ninetales breathed blue flames. The Magma Grunt turned and ran. For a group that used mostly Fire Pokemon, they sure were willing to run from them. Carefully, she levitated the key from his pocket as he fled and put it into the door. After that, she was reduced to jumping and batting her paws until the key turned in the lock. After hitting the knob, everyone tumbled out.

"Thanks, Ninetales."

The fox Pokemon turned and ran for some ruins they passed. She saw Team Magma members coming out.

"Say, I saw that Ninetales earlier."

"The one the boss wants captured? Those friends of hers were great prizes, but he specifically told us to grab the Ninetales with the blue flame if possible."

"She took me by surprise."

"True, but if we see her again, you will be the first one up."

Ninetales backed into the shadows. So, they hadn't given up. Of course, she knew Team Aqua would have similar ambitions involving her. She couldn't run forever. However, she could fight back.

She scolded herself for even thinking about leaving Ash and May behind. They had been implicated in all this just by the misfortune of May being the one to find her. She couldn't let them face two combined evil geniuses on their own.

She headed back to the Center. After all, her friends would be worried about her.

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The next morning, they checked the Pokemon out of the Center and released them outside. Ninetales was surprised when Ash brought out a Totodile. She hadn't expected him to take her advice.

They set off for Petalburg, ready for adventure.

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Dai: So May will, in fact, be participating in the League. No reason why she can't do both that and Contests. Besides, it gives me more to do.