Ash was relieved that her team took so well to Charmander. They treated him like the second baby of their little family, and Houndour was happy to play the part of big brother to his fellow Fire type. They were very understanding about Charmander being unable to battle, and spent their time with him either cuddling or getting him involved in games. Titania and Alto babied him the most, and Ash was pretty sure Alto had appointed herself his new mother.
As for Charmander himself, it took him three weeks to realize that Ash wasn't going to abandon him, that she didn't think he was useless. However, being told that for health reasons he couldn't battle or evolve was extremely difficult for him, and he was very depressed about it. Ash made sure to keep telling him that there would be other things he could do, that she loved him anyways, but it would be a long time before Charmander would be able to accept the life fate had dealt him.
Meanwhile, Ash spent more and more time and attention towards training her team and making sure Charmander was at least physically recovering. Misty and Brock understood to an extent, but within a few weeks grew tired of traveling with someone they hardly spoke with. They parted ways from her two weeks out from Vermilion, on good terms if not close. They did exchange addresses, though (Ash gave them Professor Oak's, as there was no other 'home' left to her), and Ash saw them off with a smile and waved until they were out of view.
Now she was finally, finally free of human company. Relieved, she focused on her upcoming Gym match at Vermilion. She'd been hesitant to tell Charmander, but Oberon spilled the beans and turned a potentially bad situation into the greatest progress Charmander had made yet.
Oberon asked Charmander to cheer for whoever battled, insisting that they could win if Charmander was there to support them. That gave the little Fire type a purpose he clung to, and he began to breathe bursts of Embers when they trained, calling out praises and encouragement. His efforts made an obvious difference, with the team improving in leaps and bound so as not to disappoint their newest brother. The night before they would arrive at Vermilion, Ash glanced around the camp, taking in how much her family had grown.
Oberon, while still a prankster, was beginning to come into his own as one of the team's leaders. He was smart and diplomatic when necessary, able to lift the mood when things got dark or the others became discouraged. He had mastered Protect and Shadow Ball, and improved his control over his psychic abilities to an extent that rivaled his queen's.
Titania, ever the monarch of the team, had learned to relax around her 'subjects', caring for them deeply, almost as much as she cared for Ash. She defended the others with a ferocity no one would ever think to expect from such a delicate-looking Pokemon. Her word was law, and the others respected her wisdom and incredible control, her greatest strength. Recently having mastered Protect and Draining Kiss, she was a force to be reckoned with.
Pikachu, her official starter and partner, had opened up from the sullen Pokemon she'd first met to become one of her best friends. He was witty and mischievous, always by her side, a friend to all the team. He was her ambassador and translator when it came to wild Pokemon, the welcoming committee to new teammates and friends. He was quick-witted and quick-footed, a menace on the battlefield. He'd mastered Iron Tail and Thunderbolt, and was almost finished perfecting Electro Ball, and still he pushed to improve.
Alto, easily taking on the role of surrogate mother to any who would let her, was a pillar of emotional strength and support for the entire team. Her gentle nature, combined with her sweet voice, enabled her to comfort the others and help them relax when things got stressful. Ash could not even begin to describe her love and appreciation for the bird. Her wings were open to any who needed a soft embrace, and yet those same wings could cut down trees in battle with ease. Should any Pokemon seek to harm her flock, she would not hesitate to destroy them. Having mastered Steel Wing and Perish Song, Alto was no slouch when it came to training, and could KO an opponent while humming a lively tune to herself.
Houndour, her lovable goofball, the 'middle child' of the team. He was energetic and optimistic, something the team had needed quite a few times. The first to wake and last to finish training, he was never too tired for cuddling or playing. He was Ash's snuggle-buddy at night, unreserved with his affection and friendliness. If you were having a bad day, Houndour was the one who rushed over to cheer you up. His friendliness didn't stop him from learning and mastering Fire Fang and Foul Play, though, and he was always up for a good battle.
And finally Charmander, sweet and still-timid Charmander who cheered his teammates on with everything he had. He couldn't battle but he sought to make up for it by being whatever the others needed; a helper, someone to encourage them through training, a friend, a brother… he earned the semi-joking title 'Assistant Coach', and was proud of it. He still had trust issues, and nightmares, but his body was healing. His scales were already regaining their natural, vibrant orange instead of dull, grayish umber, and his slate blue eyes sparkled with life now that he was loved and cared for. To Ash, there could be no better result from the situation; he was healing, and he was learning what happiness was.
She watched, smiling, as Charmander sprawled out over Houndour, sharing body heat in the crisp evening air. Alto fluttered between them and Titania, chirping lazily as they conversed. Pikachu and Oberon were playing some sort of game that involved stacking twigs in increasingly unstable formations and flicking leaves at them, cackling when the structures collapsed and scratching out a tally of points; Ash didn't understand the scoring system, and had a feeling she never would.
It was peaceful, everyone was relaxed after a few rounds of song with both ocarina and singing (and not just Alto, everyone had joined in with gusto if not skill or ability to understand pitch), and Ash had the sudden thought that she was home.
XxXxX
"Hang in there, Rattata!"
Ash stared as the young trainer sprinted past her into the Pokemon Center, teary-eyed and cradling an unconscious rodent covered in electrical burns. Narrowing her eyes, she shared a glance with Pikachu and Oberon, each hanging off a shoulder, and followed the boy. She waited until a resigned Nurse Joy had taken the boy's Rattata to the back, having noted all the other trainers in similar situations, before approaching him.
"Did Lt. Surge do that?" She asked lowly, sinking into the seat next to the boy. He jerked, looking up at her with watery green eyes.
The boy nodded slowly. "His Raichu took out Rattata with one attack, but then he kept smacking him around! It was horrible, I couldn't do anything…!"
"That was unnecessary and cruel of him." Ash reached out to pat his shoulder, thinking quickly. "I won't say anything about your decision to challenge such a strong Gym Leader, but a word of advice; if you're ever in a situation like that again, recall your Pokemon to prevent farther damage from being inflicted. The Pokeball will also keep your Pokemon in stasis, so they won't be in pain."
The boy's eyes widened as he realized his oversight before he slumped. "Oh… I hadn't thought of that…"
"We all have our moments," she reassured him absently. If Surge was being this hard on his challengers, beginners no less, she needed to rethink her strategy. He was a tough Gym Leader, of course, but this sort of viciousness was far out of the norm even for him, from what information she'd gathered. It didn't make sense for him to suddenly go power-crazy on obvious new trainers. "Why did you challenge Surge? You don't look like you've been a trainer that long…"
"It's the tickets he's giving out to people who beat him," the boy explained, sullen now that everything was beginning to sink in. "They're for a cruise on the SS Anne, and there's supposed to be a lot of rare prizes for the competition that will be held during the trip…"
A luxury cruise ship would certainly have rare, expensive prizes, and that kind of opportunity would make most trainers at least give it their best shot at obtaining a ticket. It also explained why Surge was suddenly destroying his challengers rather than just defeating them. Frowning, Ash reconsidered her next move for a long moment, but then shook her head. She turned back to the boy.
"I'm sure it was tempting, but just remember to consider your Pokemon's abilities and weaknesses. An unevolved Rattata would usually have a hard time against anyone's Raichu, much less a Gym Leader's like Surge," Ash scolded gently. Better to have the boy suffer a crushing defeat now and learn a hard lesson from his partner's pain than him overestimating his ability and ending up with a dead Pokemon. "You'll have more chances to travel and compete, alright? Take it easy for a bit and plan out your next move."
With that, she got up and left the Pokemon Center, not noticing the newly-determined look in the boy's eyes, or that she had earned herself an admirer. She'd probably need to sign up for a time slot to challenge Surge, with what the tickets and all.
XxXxX
Ash walked back up to the Gym's entrance and settled in line two days after she'd booked her challenge; there were two, one for those with appointments and one for those wanting to schedule one. On her left shoulder, Pikachu casually glanced around, taking in small details most would never notice. On her right shoulder, Charmander clung, looking around curiously. Ignoring the smirks and scoffs she was getting from the rest of the challengers and Gym trainers-just because she was the shortest!-she focused on her strategy.
She'd observed several battles yesterday and discovered Surge's biggest flaw; he preferred power over speed, and had evolved his Pikachu into Raichu immediately. Raichu was a beast, to be certain, and one hit would definitely knock Pikachu out cold, but that was only if he could hit her partner. The same went for Surge's Voltorb and Magneton. They were strong, but they lacked even the mobility Raichu had, and would be hard pressed to land a hit on Pikachu.
And Pikachu was very, very good at not getting hit.
With a mastery of Agility that most Pokemon could never hope to achieve, he could turn on a coin at full speed and vanish from sight. Even Oberon, who specialized in sensing the location of an opponent's mind rather than tracking them with his eyes, had a hard time keeping up with Pikachu's speed. Ash was relying on that ability, had built her strategy around it. Pikachu's speed would enable him to land a dizzying number of blows with Iron Tail and Quick Attack, making up for the power difference with the number of hits.
Since she was a new trainer, the Gym trainers had laughed at her and put her down for a one-on-one battle. That suited her fine; it would be higher stakes, of course, but ultimately an easier battle to win because it would have her undivided attention. Absently patting Charmander's snout, grinning to herself when he snapped playfully at her fingers, she followed the line. It wasn't that long of a wait, as defeated Challengers kept running out of the building every few minutes.
When she made it to the front, she made sure her face didn't show her surprise when Surge stepped out behind the defeated challenger, a sneer on his lips. She'd heard he was tall, but… Surge was massive. His Raichu sat atop his shoulders comfortably, as her Pikachu did her own shoulders, and it didn't look out of place. She barely came up to the man's waist. He must have been at least seven feet tall.
Holy shit, she thought.
"Tch. Alright, what weakling am I gonna pound into the ground next?" The blond giant barked, causing most trainers in line to flinch back.
"I'm going to make you eat those words," she said by way of announcement, steeling herself when he glanced down at her with that intimidating sneer. Ignoring it, she met his gaze coolly. "Shall we get on with it?"
He laughed in her face. "Aw, look, the baby runt's got an attitude! I'm gonna crush it."
It was a goad, an obvious one, just like the cackle Raichu aimed at Pikachu. Her starter, bless him, didn't even change his expression, totally disregarding his likely opponent in favor of yawning. It had the desired effect; Raichu hissed, riling itself up at the perceived insult. Perfect; she already had the advantage.
Ash just started into the Gym, although Surge's height meant that it only took him two steps to take the lead. He glanced back at her once, and she could have sworn she saw faint amusement in his eyes before the arrogant expression came back. She didn't dwell on it much; if a portion of his demeanor was currently exaggerated because of those tickets he was supposedly giving out, he probably didn't get many challengers who met his gaze dead on and didn't back down.
Regardless, she was here to earn the Thunder Badge, and nothing else mattered. Ignoring the snickering (and a few concerned croons from some females in the crowd) in the background from the Gym trainers and observers at her obvious young age and short stature, she went directly to the challenger's box, Pokemon slipping down to the ground to wait for Surge to get to his own. A scowling referee rattled off the rules for the match, then told them to choose their Pokemon.
"Go time, Pikachu," she murmured, her partner's sensitive ear's twitching in reply as he jumped onto the plain dirt field. The Gym was more like a plain warehouse than anything, with a balcony halfway up for the 'stands', but that was fine. It gave Pikachu a lot of room to maneuver and no obstacles to slow him down.
"Hah! Still haven't evolved your baby Pikachu? What a waste. Raichu, get out there and show them what real power is!"
"Rai!" The Electric type grinned nastily, beady eyes narrowed at its pre-evolution. Its cheeks sparked threateningly.
Charmander leaned into her leg, and she spared a moment to smile at him. "Cheer us on, okay?" The Fire type nodded and turned to the field. Doing the same, Ash focused on the pending battle.
"This will be a one-on-one battle between Gym Leader Surge and Challenger Ashka Ketchum! The battle will end when one side's Pokemon is unable to battle. Ready… Begin!"
"Move 9!" Ash called, purposely raising her voice enough to be heard throughout the whole Gym. She'd worked on her plan with Pikachu the last few days; the command meant to slip into his sustained Agility/Quick Attack technique (at a lower speed than normal, though still impossibly fast) and start with nine points of contact with the surface of the field. It would confuse low level opponents, and give high-level opponents both a test and a 'pattern' they would then be tempted to memorize. If they did that, Ash would either shift gears into more contact points (and thus a new 'pattern) or use whatever information she'd gathered from their opponents' reaction to the strategy. It would throw them off guard either way.
Pikachu obeyed without a word, vanishing in a blur of yellow and black, clouds of dust exploding off the ground where his paws connected and he changed directions. Raichu let out a shocked cry, vainly trying to pinpoint Pikachu's location. Judging from Surge's face, he had not been expecting anything on this level.
Good. There was more where that came from.
"Electric Terrain!" Surge snapped, instantly dropping the verbal discouragement tactics he'd used in the battles Ash had watched previously. "Dig, get it unstable!"
A risky gamble, Ash mused as she waited for Raichu to carry out the commands. Electric Terrain would power up all Electric types and moves, but it would also give Raichu better accuracy and force behind wide-spread attacks. Using Dig was a nice touch; unstable ground would trip up almost any speed-reliant Pokemon. A good counter to Pikachu's speed, but ultimately useless. Pikachu had trained on loose sand and gravel and a bit of ground giving way would be nothing. Pikachu would be gone by the time the tunnels caved in. It certainly looked impressive, though. Maybe she should teach it to Pikachu…
Ash couldn't help the slow smile spreading across her face as the battlefield began to collapse in several spots, flickers of yellow dancing across newly-uneven ground, unhindered. Surge grit his teeth, eyes not even attempting to track Pikachu's unbelievable speed. When Raichu surfaced, she tilted her head as if amused.
"Siege, Pikachu," she commanded, voice clear and calm but her eyes bright.
"Pika!" He replied with a disproportionate amount of glee, cackling as Iron Tails began to bombard Raichu from every conceivable direction and several inconceivable ones. Silver light flickered from countless spots on the battlefield as Pikachu relied more on Quick Attack for bursts of speed to further power his Iron Tails. Through it all, Raichu was knocked silly, tumbling over itself as it was attacked from all directions. Its naturally low defense failed it quickly, and Ash made her final command.
"Finale."
A blast of air and silver light, and the helpless Raichu was sent flying into the back wall, a small crater appearing in the concrete. Pikachu appeared in front of Ash, panting, but eyes never leaving his opponent until it slid to the ground, unconscious.
All of this took place in less than two minutes.
There was a long moment of stunned silence, and then Surge started to roar with laughter, a great booming sound that echoed slightly from the metal walls. He returned his Raichu to its Pokeball with a grin and gruff thanks, the device appearing like a child's toy in his large hands. Ash was certain that she would never get over just how tall Lt. Surge was.
"Not bad, kid!" Surge strode forwards, waving the ref over, and held his hand out and down. Ash shook it without hesitation, although mildly concerned with the way her hand seemed to vanish within his. He was gentle, though, which kept her at ease. "That Pikachu of yours is something else, that kind of speed could take on my main team without much trouble."
"He works hard," she replied with a respectful nod, grinning when Pikachu finished celebrating with Charmander and jumped up onto her shoulder. He chirped at her, nuzzling her face, and then motioned for Charmander to climb up too.
"You've done a phenomenal job training him. You've got the skills to make it big, kid, so keep that momentum going. Here, you've more than earned this Thunder Badge," Surge said as he took the metal pin from the ref and dropped in her hand, and then handed her a folded piece of stiff paper-a ticket, she realized. "Come back once you've gotten all your badges, I know you'll be a good opponent for my main team. But don't think it'll be nearly as quick as this time! Now that you've proven you can back up your talk, the kiddie gloves are coming off."
Nodding in agreement with a slight grin, Ash promised herself she would do so. A proper battle between them would be the perfect preparation for the League. Although… what, exactly, did Surge consider 'kiddie gloves'?
Pleased with the win, she expressed her thanks for the battle and ticket, endured a toned-down pat on the back that still almost knocked her over, and traded a few words with Surge's Gym trainers who saw her match before going back to the Pokemon Center. Making sure Pikachu got a bottle of ketchup as a reward for a flawless victory, she fed her team and briefed them on the new plan now that she had the Thunder Badge.
The SS Anne was set to depart the upcoming weekend, so they had four days to resupply, train, and hammer out a new route. The cruise ship would stop by Cinnabar Islands (where Ash would have to get off, as she didn't have a passport) before continuing on to Johto. The Cinnabar Island Gym was a difficult one, and not only because its Leader was a Fire type Master. Blaine had moved his Gym after a year-long stunt of beating every single challenger, so that 'only the real trainers' would be able to find it. But Ash had done her research, and had a few contacts via online forums that hinted at its location. Her Pokemon would have difficulty getting through Blaine's powerhouses, but it was within their current abilities.
After that, she'd have to pay for a ferry ticket to get back to the mainland, and she'd head for Saffron. She planned to go to Celadon City next, then Fuchsia City. Since the Safari Zone was right outside of Fuchsia, she would check it out before heading back to Viridian to challenge the most powerful Gym in Kanto. By then, she was certain she would be able to win, so long as she made sure to train her team properly and perfect her strategies.
There was a lot to do, but she would get it done. She always did.
She already had, that older voice whispered, frustrated. And yet again, she ignored it.
