A start on high tides

And I'll light the fuse, and I'll never lose
And I choose to survive, whatever it takes!
You won't pull ahead, I'll keep up the pace
And I'll reveal my strength to the whole human race!
Yes, I am prepared to stay alive.
I won't forgive, the vengeance is mine
And I won't give in, because I choose to thrive!

Survival, Muse

Upon leaving Valencia Island, Ash turned to Silver.

"So, where do you think we should start?"

The man frowned.

"The Orange Archipelago is large. I suggest we start with Tangelo Island. It's the closest from here and Odin can easily carry the three of us. Also, there's a Pokémon park for those of us who want to have fun."

Ash's eyes lit.

"A Pokémon park? What are we waiting for?"

Misty laughed. Despite his skills and maturity, her friend was still a kid at heart. A heart that was made of solid gold. So the three rode on the Articuno and landed near the Pokémon Center. People looked at them with wide eyes, not used to see a Legendary from that close. The three got down and made their way to the park where the adult explained more about the islands and the place.

"Tangelo's Pokémon Park is a very touristic destination where a lot of people, mainly senior citizen, come and take pictures of wild Pokémon in their natural environment. Kids also come to feed them with their parents. It's a very peaceful place and catching these Pokémon is forbidden."

Misty and Ash let their baby Pokémon run around under Pikachu and Lya's careful eyes. Togepi met with a very young Rattata and started playing tag with it while Axew fell tusk to lip with a Bellsprout and looked at it in curiosity. The Bellsprout seemed just as curious and touched the Dragon with the tip of its vines. Axew touched its leaf and started playing with it. Soon, the two were jumping around.

"What can you tell about the Orange Gym Leaders?" Ash asked his mentor.

Silver frowned.

"The Gym Battles are different. Instead of simple Pokémon battles, they are challenges of skills and abilities between Trainer and Gym Leader. The closest Gym is on Mikan Island. There are four Gym Leaders. All of them are powerful and shouldn't be underestimated."

"I won't. Don't worry."

A Growlithe had joined the game and was barking in happiness as it played headbutting with Axew. Togepi was cheering on the fight, soon joined by a Pidgey and a Farfetch'd. Finally, the baby dragon returned to his father and climbed in his arms before falling asleep. Ash lulled him softly while caressing his head.

"Sleep tight, Baby Tooth. Sleep and grow, you young and pure heart. In the arms of your father, no harm can reach you, no pain can hurt you. I will keep you safe from the wide world around, so sleep tight and rest well. One day you'll grow wise and strong."

Misty watched her friend with very soft eyes. The boy really had taken a page or two from Silver's book. Only eleven and already able to raise a Pokémon that was just a few weeks old! He had a gift, that was for sure. They spent the day on the island and slept in the Center, then headed for the beach the next morning. Ash wanted to enjoy it a little while Misty wanted her Pokémon to have some exercise. While her friend was teaching Axew to swim, she was working with Psyduck and Seaking, trying to teach her dumb Duck Pokémon Water Pulse. Then they heard a shriek. Ash frowned.

"That was a Pokémon!"

Having Lya dry him fast, he raced with Pikachu and Axew to the place the scream came from and saw three teens harassing a young Lapras with sticks.

"Come on, move! You worthless piece of trash!"

"Yeah, we need you to take us to the other islands to challenge the Orange Crew! Shake it!"

"Stop whining and obey, damn it!"

The boy's Aura instantly flared at the sight. Being a Healer, he could sense the poor blue Pokémon was in pain and it nearly drove him mad. Telling Axew to step back, he went to the three, Pikachu's cheeks sparkling with electricity.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The trio turned to the angry kid. The first has spiky green hairs and an orange shirt, the second had brown hairs shaved in a banana cut and Hawaiian undershirt and the third had tanned skin, a white bandana, glasses and a blue shirt. They immediately noticed the threatening look the kid was giving them but didn't pay it mind.

"We're forcing that lowly piece of sh!t that's this Lapras to work for us. Problem?"

"Yeah. For you. Pikachu?"

The electric mouse jumped from his friend's shoulder and walked toward the punks with a look that said 'Imma gonna light you like a Christmas tree …' The banana cut frowned.

"Want a fight? Okay. Kiddos like you don't scare us a bit. Spearow, go!"

Ash cocked a brow. A Spearow? Against a mouse who fought a Zapdos? These guys didn't know who they were dealing with. A Hitmonchan and a Beedrill joined the bird. Misty and Silver came and saw the scene. The man turned to the red head.

"Ten poké-dollars they last less than three second."

"You're on."

Pikachu glared at his opponents. What? That's all? Those guys were screwed. Before he could start, however, a teen with black hairs and a green shirt came and looked at the Pokémon, taking measures and analyzing them.

"Yep, that's what it seems. This Hitmonchan lacks exercise, this Spearow is vitamin-deficient and the colors of that Beedrill are poor. This Pikachu, however ..." He examined it like he did with the other Pokémon and grinned. "His fur is shining, his shapes are perfect and the sparks from its cheeks are strong. If it fights against you, you three stand no chances."

The spiky head frowned.

"Hey, who are you to judge our Pokémon like that?"

The teen bowed his head.

"My name is Tracey Sketchit. I'm a Pokémon Watcher. I saw you four about to fight and thought you'd like to be warned about the outcome."

"But this boy's just a kid! He's harmless, no matter how he looks."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"He's right." Ash said coldly. "Leave now and I'll forget you hurt that Lapras. Attack and I'll send you flying to Kanto."

"Bluffing won't work on us!" The bandana punk growled. "Beedrill, Twineddle!"

Ash didn't have to say a word. The wasp flew to the mouse, only to get swatted flat by Iron Tail. Hitmonchan rushed with Bullet Punch. Pikachu went first with Volt Tackle and sent it crashing to a tree. Spearow took flight but, before it could launch an attack, the mouse zapped it with Electro Ball. Silver nodded.

"Three seconds, one each. You win." He handed Misty ten poké-dollars and grinned. "Now, all that remains is those jerkass Trainers. You send them running, kid?"

The three were in shock, unable to believe they had been defeated that easily. Tracey grinned.

"Told you."

The punks growled.

"You bastard! We don't need Pokémon to trash you!"

Pikachu immediately stepped in front of Ash but the boy came before him.

"Leave it. I can take care of them myself."

The green-haired punk was mowed by a kick at the knees, the other by a foot connecting with his jaw and the third took the boy's knee in the stomach. In a single spinning move, Ash had taken the whole trio down. He stretched.

"I don't get to fight very often, so occasions to show off some skills are always appreciated."

Silver grinned.

"Yep, teaching you capoeira wasn't useless, after all."

Tracey whistled.

"Not bad at all!"

"I had a good mentor."

The punks rose up.

"Beating us that fast … that's impossible! Round two!"

The orange shirt was the first up. He ran at Ash … and was sent in a tree by an Aura-powered fist. The bandana guy got caught by a jump-kick in the head that made him crumble down and the last jerk was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of an Aura Sphere. The Pokémon Watcher was dumbfounded.

"No ways … That was a Pokémon attack!"

"Not exactly. Any human having Aura can do the same. Ash is one of them and those idiots were stupid enough to annoy him. They should have known better."

The jerkass trio not being a problem anymore, Ash went to the young Lapras. The creature immediately scurried away, surprising the kid. Tracey frowned.

"It is afraid. The three's bullying must have made it scared of humans."

"But it needs help." Ash frowned. "It is wounded and needs rest. Where is its herd anyway?"

"There was a storm, no long ago. It must've gotten separated from the others."

"I see."

Holding his hands before him, Ash let his Aura flow, amplifying his Healer's empathic powers to reach out to the young Water Pokémon. Lapras frowned. There was something off with that boy … Kneeling on the ground, the young Aura Apprentice closed his eyes and put his hands on his legs, leaving his Aura flow toward the Transport Pokémon. The creature's eyes widened as it sensed the blue energy surround it, carrying the peace and kindness held in the boy's heart. It turned to the young human and looked at him, surprised. This energy … was it Aura? The creature had heard of it before, every Pokémon had. Some of them could use it, but it was so rare that those few Pokémon were held in great respect. As for a human having Aura, the phenomenon was so rare it had become a myth!

Sensing the Pokémon was no more afraid or hostile, Ash rose and came toward Lapras, speaking.

"Don't be afraid, I don't want to hurt you. Sure, these jerks hurt you and abused you, but they are gone now. They won't do it again. You're safe."

The young Lapras looked at the human boy. His voice had something magical, enticing. Slowly, it came to the child who smiled.

"You don't have to be scared of me or other humans, not all of them are this way. Come. I don't want you any harm, just to heal your wounds. I have a potion with me. Let me heal you."

Taking the vial, the boy spread it on the young Pokémon's wounds, grinning as they closed in the blink of an eye. The Lapras looked at them in surprise. The boy wasn't lying. He really didn't mean harm. Ash let his heart connect with that of the creature, causing its eyes to widen. It could sense the feelings the boy had within him, and all were soft and gentle. The heart of this child was made of pure, untainted gold. No human had a similar purity inside them. It looked into Ash's eyes and, slowly, lowered its neck as a sign of allegiance.

Tracey watched in awe as Ash magically tamed the scared Pokémon and healed it. Silver and Misty grinned. They were used to this kind of trick. The boy offered the Pokémon to join his team, something the Lapras accepted. Tracey turned to the two.

"He does it often?"

"Only to tame angry and scared Pokémon. Ash is an empathic Healer. Instead of healing a Pokémon's wounds, he heals their heart, like he did with this Lapras. It's always interesting to see him at work. And his Aura abilities amplify the phenomenon."

The boy nodded. Silver came to his apprentice and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you want to do now? The closest island, Mikan, has a Gym. You want to challenge it?"

The boy frowned.

"Yes, but not with Lapras. She's young and under-trained, and besides, she needs to rest a bit. I'll call my other teammates once I know what the challenge is about."

"Wise decision." Silver smiled. "We'll go using Odin."

Tracey grinned.

"I'll go with you. Ash's abilities to influence Pokémon are very curious. I want to learn more about them and see them some more. Besides, by traveling with you, I'll be able to meet other Pokémon."

So it was set. When Silver got Odin out, Tracey was utterly amazed to see a Legendary from that close and had to hold himself from sitting and drawing the bird right away. To help his friend, Silver didn't ride him but summoned two tall wings of ice instead and flew along the Articuno. Ash grinned. It was rare for his mentor to have to use his ice powers. Odin was very grateful for it. They reached Mikan as the night was falling and decided to rest at the Pokémon Center. That evening, while Ash was tending Lapras, Tracey nearly begged Silver to get Odin out so he could study it. The Ice Aura Guardian complied to the request and released his friend. The Watcher immediately started analyzing the Legendary.

"His feathers are shining and have a very nice coloring. His body is muscular too. You take care of him well."

"I found Odin as an egg in an old sanctuary dedicated to his species. Poachers were after him but I took the egg before they did and managed to escape … even though they nearly killed me in the process. Blitz, my Zebstrika, managed to take me to Pallet Town where I met, Ash, his mother, Gary and Professor Oak. Delia healed me back and Odin hatched no long after I woke up. I've been raising him and training him since then."

Tracey's eyes shone.

"You know Professor Oak?"

"Yes. He offered me to become a Pokémon Professor specialized in Legendaries but I far prefer my lifestyle."

The Watcher held his hands.

"Professor Oak is my idol! I so want to meet him ..."

Ash grinned.

"Once I complete the Orange League, we'll stop at Pallet Town. If you want to meet Professor Oak, why don't you stay with us?"

"Gladly! I feel this journey will be very interesting!"

Taking a pen and his sketchbook, he started to draw the Legendary Bird with nearly uncanny precision. He even used some colored pencils to make the picture even better and showed it to the group. Misty smiled.

"That's very nice. You have a gift."

"I wish I could draw like that!" Ash smiled. "It's well done."

He also drew a picture of Ash nurturing Axew and the two sleeping in Silver's lap. Finally, sleep claimed him too and he leaned on Misty's back before falling in dreamland.

The next morning, the group headed to Mikan's Gym. The trip was going nicely … until Ash saw a fallen coconut. His eyes sparkled with stars.

"A coconut! I love coconut milk!"

Axew looked at the fruit, curious. His father smiled.

"You'll see, Axew. It's really delicious. And the flesh is good too."

He grabbed it … and was rewarded with a bucketful of water on the head. The kid immediately removed his soaked jacket.

"What the heck was that!?"

A black-haired kid appeared, a huge smirk on his face.

"You fell for it! You fell for it!"

The young Trainer looked at the coconut again and noticed a string. The string was linked to a mechanism atop the tree, which contained a large bucket of water. Ash growled.

"You! You set this trap!"

"Yep. You mustn't be a good Trainer to fall for such a trick. Not good enough to face my big sis."

"Good enough? I made it to the semi-finals of the Indigo League! Besides, it's been ages since I didn't eat a good coconut and I wanted to share it with Axew. Where's the wrong in that?"

"There is none." A feminine voice answered.

The group turned to see a woman with auburn hairs, a black tank top and long red skirt come to the kid.

"Senta, I thought you had to clean your room, today."

"Oops! Er … yeah, I was about to do it. But he started it!"

"Wrong! I just wanted to enjoy this coconut with my Pokémon! Listen, I am here to challenge the Mikan Gym Leader. My name is Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town."

The woman grinned.

"Really? My name is Cissy. As the Gym Leader of this island, I accept your challenge. Care to come?"

The boy frowned.

"I heard that Gym Battles in the Orange Archipelago happened another way from those of Kanto. There are kinds of trials the Trainer must go through to win. What are yours?"

Cissy nodded.

"An intelligent Trainer. To get my badge, you must go through two trials: a Water Gun challenge and a Pokémon Wave Ride. In the first, two Pokémon mastering Water Gun battle each other into hitting the most targets. The second is a race where the two of us ride Water Pokémon."

"I see. Thank you. Now that I know, I can prepare myself." The boy cut the coconut from its string and went to the Pokémon Center. "I'll be back once I'm ready. It may take some time."

Cissy nodded.

"Agreed. It's nice to see someone who doesn't blindly rush ahead."

As the group returned to the Center, Ash was thoughtful.

"Wartortle could easily win the Water Gun challenge, but he isn't big enough to carry me across the race. Lapras is, but I doubt her accuracy with Water Gun, as well as her speed. Maybe I should take both to the challenge. I don't know."

"You can borrow one of my Pokémon." Misty offered. "Omastar is large enough that I can ride him and he's very fast too."

"Or you could train Lapras." Silver finished. "I know you want her to take it easy, but it isn't a reason to be too soft either."

Lapras immediately jumped from her poké-ball and nodded. She nuzzled her Trainer strongly, as if wanting to show she could and wanted help. Ash frowned.

"Really? You really want to take the race challenge?"

Lapras's answer was to turn to a date palm and shoot the fruits right at the base. The grapes of fruits fell heavily on the ground under Silver's smirk.

"Looks like she isn't too shabby in aiming."

Ash was speechless. Lapras kept shooting the base of each leaf of the tree, amazing the entire group. Her Trainer grinned."

"Alright, you win. I'll take you for both challenges. If you insist ..."

The group shared the fruits among themselves, Tracey grinning as Axew took the fruits in his little paws to open them with his tusks and eat the flesh while Lapras swallowed them whole. Silver froze the rest and put it in his backpack. Apparently, the item had been enchanted with a space-related ability to have an infinite size. Though it looked like a regular bag, the inside was way bigger and could hold all of the group's possessions. When someone wanted something back, all he had to do was keep it in mind and put his hand in the item. Finally, Ash showed his adoptive son how to dig a hole in the coconut's shell and drink the milk through it. The baby Dragon found the threat to be a pure delight. Seeing how much he enjoyed it, Ash let him have it all. The young dragon then sliced the fruit open and ripped the white flesh, offering some to his father. Tracey was surprised by how close their bond was.

"Ash hatched Axew after he received him as an egg. He's been taking care of him from the very start. Axew recently started to walk, so now Ash is teaching him how to get his food and use his tusks as tools."

The Watcher nodded. On his sketchbook, a picture of Ash and Axew eating joined the others. Once their meager meal was finished, they returned to the Gym where Cissy was waiting for them.

"You look ready. Well, let's get started."

Ash took a poké-ball.

"I'm counting on you, Lapras."

The arena's ground opened to reveal a pool where the Transport Pokémon appeared. Cissy called for Seadra and let Senta push a button. The nearby wall opened to reveal a line of twenty cans. Ash looked at his partner.

"Ready for it?"

Lapras's eyes narrowed. Of course, she was! This boy with such a pure heart had protected her and healed her. She had a debt toward him. And she was going to pay it. The contest started. Seadra immediately shot five cans down. Lapras grinned. Going to the farthest part of the pool, she focused and hit six of the tin bottles. Seadra frowned. Jumping, he shot six cans, leaving only three soda bottles that were quickly knocked down by Lapras. Cissy nodded.

"Your Pokémon is well-trained. But how well can it do against moving targets?"

The young female frowned. She was used to trading blows with Golduck and other Seaking when she was with her herd. Senta pushed a button to make the wall retract in the ground, revealing a saucer-launching machine. Another push and one of the disks was sent flying. Seadra hit it dead-on. Ash looked at Lapras, making sure she was okay. The female turned and winked. A new saucer was sent that was blown away by the Pokémon's deadly shot. Silver whistled.

"This young and already so accurate. Makes me wonder what she's been through ..."

Three saucers were launched at the same time. None were missed by the blue seahorse. The same happened with Lapras and the three disks that followed. Cissy frowned.

"Last one is an instant death. Ready?"

"Yeah!"

A saucer was launched by the machine. Lapras and Seadra attacked at the same time … and hit at the same time. The challenge was a tie! Cissy frowned.

"Well, then the surf challenge will decide the winner. What Pokémon are you going to use?"

"Lapras again. She insisted to do them all. Despite the fact I recently caught her and didn't have time to train her."

He said the last part with his head down. The Gym Leader raised a brow.

"You're challenging me with an untrained Pokémon?"

"It was her wish! If I didn't comply, she was going to pout!"

The girl help back her need to violently face-palm.

"Well, don't expect to be as lucky with the race as you were with the target challenge."

They went to the beach where Cissy called for a Blastoise. Ash frowned. The blue tortoise was fast, especially if it used its water cannons as a jet-pack. But Lapras in general had a reputation for being good swimmers. The race started at the yellow buoy, go around the green one and come back. And the green buoy was far. The boy nodded.

"Alright, let's do this!"

He jumped on Lapras's back as he and his opponent went to the starting line. Senta fired the flash gun, signaling the beginning of the race. The two Pokémon immediately rushed on the water at high speed, Ash holding onto a spike of Lapras's shell while Cissy was outright surfing on Blastoire's back. Ash closed his eyes. His Pokémon had a surprisingly smooth pace and was worthy of her specie's reputation as swift swimmers. As they neared the buoy, Cissy had Blastoise hit the younger creature, nearly causing Ash to fall. The boy growled.

"No ways I'm having that happen! Lapras, dodge the attacks!"

Nodding, Lapras managed to keep a definite gap between the two of them, allowing them to turn around the buoy at the same time. From afar, the group was cheering for the kid while Senta was cheering for his sister. Pikachu suddenly noticed something

"Pikapi!"

Ash frowned and turned … to see a big tidal wave coming their way. Cissy saw it too.

"Oh, great gods ..."

Lapras frowned as an idea came to her head. Focusing her power, she froze one half of the wave with Ice Beam, allowing her to escape while the other half sent Cissy and Blastoise into the sea. Ash grinned.

"Well thought!"

He used that the two were getting back together to take the lead … only to see that Blastoise was using his cannons like jet-packs. Ash frowned as an idea came to his head.

"Lapras, use Ice Beam to make a slope to the finishing line!"

The Transport Pokémon nodded. Thought she was a good swimmer, she was even faster when slipping on the ice. Her ice attack drew a long path to the end of the race, on which she sled and crossed the line two seconds before Cissy and Blastoise. Ash got off her back and cheered.

"Won!"

The Gym Leader nodded.

"And with a Pokémon you just caught. It takes some serious skills to pull such a stunt."

Silver smiled and crossed his arm.

"I don't think it has a lot to do with Ash's skills. Instead, I think it's more Lapras wanting to return the favor he made her by saving her from thugs and healing her. All of Ash's Pokémon are fiercely loyal to him."

The woman raised a brow.

"Really? That's surprising. I don't know many Pokémon who share the level of loyalty of this Lapras right after being caught."

"Because you don't know how Ash caught her." Tracey grinned. "Apparently, he has the ability to 'connect' to a Pokémon and tame it very easily."

Cissy nodded.

"In any case, you deserve to have this." From one of her pockets, she revealed a small pink clam shell with a small gemstone in the middle. "This is the Coral-Eyed badge. As a proof of your victory."

Ash held it and placed it in his wooden badge case. Cissy looked at it.

"It's a nice case. Who did it?"

"Silver, after I won my third badge. He made it himself. As for the yin-yang pin in the middle, it is also a badge he gave me before the Indigo Conference. He called it the Harmony badge."

The man grinned.

"I wanted to see if this little black head was worthy of entering the Conference so I had him fight me. I let him beat five of my Pokémon and finished him with my Ninetales."

"And he still got the badge?" Tracey asked.

"Yes. The Harmony badge represents Strength and Friendship, two things every Trainer must possess. Trainers who fight me for this badge and only show one quality get the corresponding side." As a proof, he took the pin and showed its two halves. "Only five people managed to get it full on their first try. Ash is one of them. As, even thought he lost, he still proved me he had what it takes to become a good Trainer."

Cissy nodded.

"You sound like a man of experience. If you say this kid is good, then I trust you. Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you."

As they left the place, Ash was looking at the badge in his case.

"I didn't think Lapras was that strong. The two of us will go very far together. And I've gotten my first badge!"


And here is the new chapter! Yes, I know, it's kinda short and there is no battle scene. Well, since Orange Gym Battles don't always happen this way ... Don't worry, though. Next chapter will have its share. And Ash gets his first partner and badge. Yes, I made Lapras a girl. A very skilled girl, at least outside of Pokémon battle. And more scenes with Axew! Little guy will get his share since it's during this journey that he starts to really grow up. And Ash gets to kick a$$ by himself. It doesn' happen often ...

A small question: between Walrein and Samurott, which do you think fit Silver the best?

I'm not telling you why I'm asking, it's a surprise. Now, for the reviews ...

- Wolfman-053: can't promise anything.

- Nightshadegirl: you'll see during the movie. I plan on making it EPIC.

- pikachu14: don't worry, I will. I give you my word.

Well, it seems people are eager to read the movie chapter. According to the anime timeline, it happened after Charizard chills, but if Ash's team is complete by then, I should put it earlier. Charizard being obediant, this episode has no reason to be. But I give you my word that I will put as much skills into it as I did in Mewtwo Strikes Back. I promise.

Lay in wait for next chapter. Things start getting serious from there.

See you soon!