August 21

Tracy watched as Ash's Pidgeot swooped over, the raven-haired trainer dismounting as soon as bird Pokémon touched terra firma. Pikachu quickly jumped onto Ash's shoulder, smiling, as was Ash when he walked over to Tracy. The former watcher was too stunned for words or even actions. Mr. Mime quickly ran over to Ash, bowing deeply and standing at his side. The rest of Ash's Pokémon limped towards him, their eyes shimmering with tears of joy.

"Sorry I didn't tell you guys I was leaving. If I didn't go when I did, I wouldn't have been able to bring these guys. Sorry I'm late."

Tracy trembled; Ash began backing away, the Pokémon around him ready to defend. A hand reached out to Ash, no longer shaking, landing on his shoulder limply.

"We wouldn't have survived if you hadn't left to get those Pidgeot. I had my doubts before, but I'm glad you're here." Tracy said, his body noticeably relaxed.

"Tracy, where's everyone?" Ash asked. Tracy flinched, having momentarily forgotten the others in the midst of the tense situation. The former sketcher turned, now facing the rubble that was once Oak's lab. As if on cue, arcs of water and pieces of the rubble burst from inside the mound, revealing a large rectangular glass box that encased the trainers and the Pokémon that hadn't escaped from the house in time.

Everyone was holding their noses; Ash's Muk had also managed to make it inside the barriers with them. Mime Jr. made a motion, causing the barriers around them shatter. It wasn't long before everyone stampeded towards Ash. Dawn was the first to reach him, nearly knocking him off his feet with a full contact hug.

"I knew you'd come back," Dawn muffled from his shoulder.

"Hey, I made a promise to your mom, didn't I? I'm gonna protect you as best I can until we meet up with your mom again."

"Seems like you and Pikachu are on good terms again," Brock said, walking calmly over to them. Ash smiled and looked at Pikachu, both of them nodding. Dawn gradually let go, positive that Ash wasn't planning to leave unannounced any time soon. Jessie and James walked over to them, the former holding a limp Seviper in her arms. James put Mime Jr. down to receive Meowth from Tracy.

At first, the two were worried about Meowth's condition; small patches of white fur had managed to escape the stains of blood that covered his body. Tracy consoled them, showing them it wasn't Meowth's blood but the blood of the Fearows that he had attacked. Tracy checked on Seviper and Meowth, telling them that they weren't too seriously hurt, and would live. The ex-rockets shedding tears of relief.

Ash's smile gradually shrunk; silently turning from the group he made his way back to his Pidgeot. If stealth had been his intent then it had been poorly executed as the action succeeded in gaining everyone's attention.

"Ash…where are you going?" Tracy asked, trying to follow him at first.

Ash froze for a moment, keeping his back to him as he spoke.

"…I'm gonna finish the job. I have to destroy the Fearow nest, and kill all the Spearow and their eggs" Ash's tone dark, walking away once more over to his old Pidgeot.

Ash's Pokémon followed, not questioning his judgment for even a fraction of a second.

"A-Ash, wait! Wait a second," Brock sprinted over to Ash, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"What?"

"Ash. Your Pokémon are wounded, you can't expect them to just fight for you now. Especially after they've been fighting for their lives in just the last hour," Tracy pointed out.

"I wasn't planning to take them. I'm only taking Pikachu and the rest of Pidgeot's flock. I'll come back when I'm done."

Dawn cautiously walked over to him, "Ash. This isn't like you."

"Ash, you shouldn't condemn the Spearow and the eggs for what the Fearow have done," Brock began.

"If I don't stop them now, they'll grow up and kill more people and destroy more cities," Ash countered, shrugging off Brock's hand.

"Ash, there's nothing left here to destroy!" Brock's arm waved around, pointing at what was left of Pallet Town.

"What's gonna stop them from flying over to another city and doing the same," Ash shot back.

"You don't know that they'll do that," Brock countered weakly.

"You know that there's a good chance they will. If I don't stop them now…then…then everyone they kill, all that blood's on my hands. I'm not gonna stand here and let that happen," the boy hissed.

"Do you think that your would mother agree!" Brock yelled, immediately regretting having to use such an underhanded tactic on his own friend.

Ash's eyes widened, he froze for only a few seconds before pulling his cap down over his eyes.

"I…I don't know what she wanted, but she's not here anymore," Ash ground out, fighting to keep his voice from wavering.

"To be honest, I kind of agree with what Ash is saying" Tracy said from the background.

"Tracy, you can't be serious?" Brock replied.

"You've got to admit that he's making a lot of sense," the ex-sketcher pointed out.

"Yeah, but enough blood has been spilled today," Brock concluded.

Ash whipped his body around to them, his furious expression shocking them.

"Why are you trying to stop me? Why are you protecting them!"

"Because they're still innocent, they haven't done anything," Brock answered back firmly.

"But they will! You know it! I know it. You want me to stop them once they've been given a chance to destroy another town?"

"I'm not saying killing them once they've killed is a good thing, But I prefer it to slaughtering newborns" Brock put forth.

Ash was trembling, but took deep breaths and calmed down rather quickly, heading back towards them, pulling his cap over his eyes once more. The attempts at relaxing were futile; the seeds of bitterness and anger had already been sown deep into his heart.

Tracy surveyed all the Pokémon that had fought, comforting everyone by telling them that their wounds would heal with time and they would be okay. After rummaging through the rubble they found a first aid kit and used to bandage and splint the wounds of their collective party.

They would have to heal by the old fashioned method of waiting, there were no potions or Pokémon centers nearby, or rather, that even worked anymore.

Brock cooked with the only thing that they had to work with, Fearow breast, Fearow legs, and Fearow wings. No one really wanted to eat.

"Guys, after this, I need to get my blueprints and the Pokémon in the vault, but it's under the rubble so I'm gonna need your help." The Pidgeots and Pidgeottos roosted on the ground, waiting patiently for their alpha to give a command. Ash's old Pidgeot was busy catching up with the old and new additions to Ash's team. They swapped stories and talked while Ash and the others sat and ate.

Everyone nodded; the Pokémon listening in to the conversation joined in on the gesture. Those too wounded to move were set aside while the ones who weren't as wounded worked. The Pokémon seemed generally happy with their near victory, mostly because no one had died.

By the end of the day everyone was soaked with sweat and exhausted. Tracy overlooked the smashed computers, shaking his head in disappointment as none could be saved or salvaged. He'd asked that every paper they found be collected, regardless of whether it was blank or torn.

Dawn had found Oak's body still lying, as if still asleep in his bed. Somehow he had managed to remain untouched during the building's collapse. The blunette froze; still unaccustomed to dealing with cadavers. Ash went over to her, moving her away from the sight.

"This must be even harder for him, he knew him," Dawn thought as he pulled her aside.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I wish I had gotten to know him," she eventually said, unsure of what to say in this kind of situation.

"He was a good man. He was always really nice to me. I'll never forget him. I made a promise to him as well," Ash replied softly before leaving her side.

Tracy perked up as Ash approached him, laying down several torn pieces of paper he'd been holding and trying to see if they had originally been part of the same sheet.

"What is it, Ash?" Tracy asked visibly annoyed from being interrupted.

"Before professor Oak died, he left me in charge of finding Gary and giving him his Pokémon."

Tracy's eyes widened, discarding the papers in his hands as if they were nothing and going back to the ruins of the facility. After a few minutes Tracy came back, a heavily embroidered wooden box in his hands.

"This box contains Oak's Pokémon, it's a pretty big honor for his grandson to have them." Tracy explained, handing the box over to Ash. Ash looked around the box, trying to find an opening but finding no recognizable keyhole.

"I can't find an opening to it, how do you get it open?" Ash said, tugging at various corners and creases around the box with all his strength.

"The professor said that his grandson had the key," Tracy added.

"And… if Gary's dead?" Ash suggested, immediately hating having to consider the scenario.

"The professor said that Gary always has it on him, so if he died then it should be somewhere near him at least. I don't think Gary would die so easily anyway; he's got as much Pokémon as you."

Ash nodded in agreement, a pregnant silence soon followed before he spoke again.

"Dawn found the professor's body…"

Tracy said nothing, reaching down to pick up the scraps of paper he'd been examining earlier, turning them like one does a puzzle piece. Ash decided to leave him to his own devices, feeling better now that he'd taken a small break.

Everyone continued like clockwork, eventually making various piles of debris surrounding the original site.

Ash fell back onto the ground, letting the sweat roll off his face. Brock, Jessie, and James quickly following suit. Dawn insisted on sitting while Tracy had disappeared into a secret basement beneath the lab. The sun was setting now, some of the stars beginning to appear.

"What a week," Dawn sighed.

Ash held onto her comment, realizing that everything that had happened so far had all transpired within a week's time. It had felt much longer than that, but he imagined stress did that to people's perception of time.

Ash looked around, seeing that everyone's Pokémon were resting outside of their pokeballs. Pikachu had curled up beside him.

"Guys! I have something to show you," Tracy calmly yelled as he emerged from the rubble, carrying a steel suitcase with him.

"What is it?" Brock asked, pushing himself into a sitting position with a bit of effort.

"It's something that I was helping the Professor with before all of this happened. He and other professors, as well as many great minds such as Kidd Summers. We were developing a prototype for trainers to use when they went on their journeys. We combined almost all the previous pieces of technology that were given to starting trainers and put it into this piece of equipment. This object can scan and analyze Pokémon just like a Pokédex. It has a holographic three-dimensional map based off the Pokénav, and has a built in cell phone, radio, and watch. It can also hold the pokeballs for you summon faster as well as return them quicker," Tracy listed off.

Jessie whistled in approval, Brock simply smiled at the news.

"Alright, what's the catch" James interjected. Tracy shook his head and grinned for what seemed like the first time in ages.

"No catch, it's powered by a rechargeable battery that can be solar powered. We were working with the Pokémon centers so that they would have charging ports within the facility while people waited for their Pokémon to be healed."

"I'm guessing this was really expensive to make and it's not cost effective," Brock deduced.

"That's partly true. What we've got here is the prototype. If they proved successful, we were going to have them mass-produced. These things are heat resistant, durable, and can go underwater without damaging the person wearing it."

Tracy began to open the suitcase, everyone drawn in like a Venomoth to the flame. They traced the ex-sketcher's fingers as he undid the clicks and pops of the buckles of the suitcase. Tracy paused, almost as if for dramatic effect before opening the suitcase and revealing to the object inside.

The top half of it was red with a glossy sheen, the white lower half was separated by a black line. It looked more like a Pokéball and a football that had fused together.

Tracy picked it up gingerly, holding it with one hand, while the nails on his other hand searched for a crease within the black horizontal line. His fingers found the opening and pried the gauntlet open. The ex-sketcher put his arm in and closed the other half of the gauntlet over his arm. It clicked into place, a soft hum emanating from it as the machinery inside the gauntlet whirred to life.

"What's it doing?" Dawn inquired.

It's scanning me and taking a sample of my DNA and voice. Once someone puts this on, it becomes bound to it. Right now I'm the only one who can wear this thing, if anyone tries to wear it, it won't work for him or her. If its original owner is ever separated from this thing for more than a week, then it'll permanently deactivate, the same thing goes if someone tries to take it apart and tamper with it. I've added a few modifications to this thing myself. This baby can now hold up to twenty Pokémon and even summon them all at once if necessary."

"That's all great, but now that you have it on, we can't use it, what any good is it to us?" James pointed out.

"I never said that there was only one" Tracy replied smugly.

Everyone's eyes lit up, watching Tracy leave and come back with more suitcases. Each one opened their own case and put the gauntlet on, binding with it for life. Ash aimed his gauntlet at Pikachu, a white screen appeared on the shiny red surface. Pikachu's stats flanked a miniature hologram model of the electric mouse.

"What were you planning to call them?" Dawn asked, admiring the accessory from different angles.

"The professor isn't really creative with the names of the technology he's created so he decided it the Pokéglov."

"How many do you have?" Brock asked as he placed his on.

"We have about thirty of them down at the basement. We were planning on shipping them out and seeing how trainers did with them."

"How long does the battery last for?" Ash said, his back to Tracy as he scanned all of his Pokémon one by one.

"The battery dies out in two weeks but it only takes three hours to charge at a Pokémon center or a good electrical attack."

"A what?" Ash asked the former sketcher, not entirely sure he heard him right.

"Here, I'll show you," Tracy replied, walking over to the young coordinator.

"Dawn, ask your Pachirisu to do Thunderbolt at my Pokéglov."

The blunette nodded, positive that Tracy wouldn't be asking her to do this unless he was perfectly sure he would be safe. Doing as he was told, Pachirisu launched a bolt of lightning at the gauntlet. Tracy looked at his pokeglov; its battery life now visible on its screen.

"The gauntlet's at full power," Tracy announced, "and when the Pokéglov is at full power it deflects the lightning somewhere else. Just be careful where you deflect it."

"Hey Tracy, this is cool and all but how can we bring out our Pokémon with this thing?" the raven-haired boy inquired.

"You can also assign Pokémon to your fingers and the gauntlet'll read the movements and summon them accordingly. There's more to it but I'll get into it later."

"Does it come in any other colors?" Dawn asked sheepishly. Tracy, Brock, and Ash gazed at her incredulously, a bead of sweat dropped behind them. Dawn blushed and stared at her feet in embarrassment, "Sorry, stupid question."

"I'm showing her one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment in the region, she'll be one of the first people to ever use it, and she's asking if it comes in any colors? What does she want! Mauve? Magenta!"

"So what now?" Jessie asked, the last to put on the gauntlet.

"I was thinking we could leave here by morning. I don't think there's anything left for us here."

"Sounds good to me," James chimed.

"I second that," Brock added.

"Alright then, it's settled. Get a good sleep cause we move in the morning." Tracy announced.

Everyone pulled out their sleeping bags and snuggled in while Tracy silently took first watch.

Tracy loomed over the edge of a rectangular hole in the ground. Ash made it apparent that he was going over there so not to spook him.

"What're you still doing up?" Ash inquired, now standing next to the professor's assistant. Ash gazed into the hole, unable to see its contents at the bottom.

"I could be asking you the same. I take it you couldn't sleep?"

"...Yeah. You?"

"...Just doing some unfinished business," He said solemnly, Ash noticed the shovel in his hand and understood.

"He's down there, isn't he?" Ash whispered, Tracy nodded and began filling in the hole. When they were done they stood in the same spot they had before, instead now looking onto the tombstone that Tracy had placed there before he had started digging. It was one of the pieces of debris from the house; Tracy had taken the time to carve it into the right shape as well as carve the words on it.

Here lies Samuel Oak

Genius of his time

Loving grandfather and a wonderful Teacher

The world can never hope to give back what this man has given to the human and Pokémon community.

"This doesn't do him justice" Tracy sighed, Ash nodded. If they had their way, the entire world would be mourning the death of this great man. He'd have a grand funeral with hundreds of people, a better tomb, and a better eulogy. For now, he would have to suffice with this.

"You should go to sleep now Tracy, it's getting late and we're gonna need you for tomorrow."

"You're right, but what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna stay and watch, I'm not to sleepy at the moment. I'll switch off with Noctowl when I'm done."

Tracy nodded, leaving the area and going back to where the group was and slipping into a sleeping bag. Ash walked over to Noctowl who was wide-awake at the moment.

"Noctowl, can you watch over them? I need to go somewhere for a bit."

The bird nodded, watching as Ash left the campsite.

Ash walked far, deeper and deeper into the rotting wound that was the former Pallet Town. Oak's facility now mimicked the rest of the town in its disheveled state of ruin and rubble. Ash barely recognized some areas, but others were still discernible, like the stream where he and Gary had fought for a rusted Pokéball.

Ash pulled out the rusted the Pokéball, both halves now with him since the Silver Conference. It was here that the piece had split into two. Memories of Gary settling their old rivalry and telling him that he was gonna follow his grandfather's footsteps and become a researcher came to Ash. Hopefully Gary was still alive.

He would find Gary and help Dawn reunite with her mother, but not before they stopped by Brock's home to see if his family was okay. He also wanted to see Misty, and May and Max and… and every second they weren't moving was a second that his friends could be closer to death.

Ash's mind was a buzz of thoughts and feelings of what to do. The only thing he could do was tackle one thing at a time, but he wouldn't be able to do anything from here. All he could do was hope that they were all right.

Ash continued to walk until he found what he was looking for, he had also come here to end some unfinished business.

Ash stood before the tombstone he had made, he hadn't bothered to dig a hole, as there was no body to bury. He had used debris from mound that used to be his house to make the tombstone, carving it and molding it into the right shape, just as Tracy had done.

Here lies Delia Ketchum

Awesome mom and cook

Ash didn't know what more to add, he didn't bother to say a eulogy, as no one would hear it but himself. There were so many things that had been left unsaid, he couldn't remember the last time he had said, "I love you" to his mother or the last time he had hugged her.

She had always looked out for him, supporting his every journey and decision. He was glad that Mr. Mime had kept her company while he was gone. She must've still missed him and worried about him; wondering whether he had changed his underwear or been eating well. He had taken so much for granted, he hadn't even said goodbye to her. Had she thought of him before she died?

Ash shook his head; it was too painful for him to think about that. He was glad that he was here alone, what would the others say if they saw him now. His knees buckled beneath him, his hand resting on top of the tombstone. For a long time he cried, letting out all of his sorrow.

Once he was done he pushed himself up with the tombstone and wiped his tears away, heading back to the camp.