A/N

So, let's get some stuff out of the way, shall we? Firstly, my Ash will only use dragons in his official Indigo League battles. Everything Kanto is meant for the dragons. In his second region, he will probably exclusively use his dark types in official battles, even if outside of them he uses something else. He's doing this because, in his mind, to claim that he's a master of dragons, he has to prove it via the League. Same with the dark types and whatever I decided to do next. If I decide anything that is.

Secondly, Pandora and her TM's. I'm well aware that for her to be a useful battler, she needs a wide range of moves. Once Ash gets to Celadon, he'll get her some. Keep in mind that he doesn't like battling with her. It isn't that she's weak, though at this point she kinda is, its more to do with her not really wanting to battle. Sure, she wants to beat down the dragons who threaten her throne, but Pandora isn't really interested in pushing herself like most of the others are. Sorry, but she's more like a companion than a normal battler. At least for now. If her attitude changes, or she gets a taste for battling, then who knows.

Thirdly, I know I made a controversial decision by making Ash and his mother distant. She is not his support system, nor does he want her to be. She loves him because he is her son, but she also loathes him for reasons that I will not go into details about yet. I refuse to spoil anything. To be fair, she does have a good reason to be wary of him, and while she is neglectful, and not exactly nice to him verbally, she always made sure that he had someone to watch over him, usually Mimey.

Fourthly, the League doesn't like him. Not everyone, of course, Brock was fine with him, and so are others, but the upper management, as I like to call the E4, don't really like him. Is there a reason? Yes. Are there good reasons? Depends, Brock and the Sensational sisters don't think so, but it's not up to them. Yes, Lance is a jerk, he's territorial and proud, neither of which are bad things, but he is aware that this kid, one he knows to be wary of, has managed to get the loyalty of a Deino, has captured a set of two shiny Pokémon, and has managed to calm down a feral Gible. He has great reasons to be wary, and even if his delivery wasn't the greatest, he knows, more than most, how much damage even a weak dragon can do. He knows how tentative the bonds between a dragon and a trainer can be, especially early on, and in his own way, he was trying to help. The fastest way he knows to bond the trainer and its team is to become something to overcome. Intelligent? No, but it worked. Strangely well too.

Next, I have noticed that my Ash doesn't talk very often, and when he does, its awkward. There is a few reasons for that. Most of it stems from when he was a child, simply being unable to make lasting friendships and being socially awkward. Part of it is my fault. I'm not the most talkative person in the world, and I also find it nearly impossible to connect with people. The combination of the two leads to what you read. Poor Ash doesn't know how to respond to people who are genuinely interested in getting to know him. The best he usually gets from people is that they are mildly disinterested in him. He does get a little better at it the longer the story goes.

Okay, lastly, and I really hate that I have to say this, this story is going to be LONG. I might time skip a bit, maybe a few months, maybe not. I haven't decided yet. Either way, this is going to be longer than I'd like. Alright? Alright. I know the pacing is a bit off, it is what it is, and I'm completely aware that some people will never like this story. I'm perfectly fine with it, and I really don't care if someone hates something specific or not. Keep in mind, I'm around 30-40k ahead of where I've last uploaded. By the time someone reads it, I can't change it without having to change a lot of other things. And, honestly, I'm writing this story because I want to. If someone wants to have a version of Ash with a loving mom and a doting league, then go ahead and write it yourself or find someone else who wants to write it. My version is not for the happy go lucky type. There will be death. There will be war. There will be torture, violence, prejudice, and all sorts of things that fit with the world I'm building. Anyone that doesn't want to read it, well, you know where the back button is. If you keep reading anyway, and flame me, be aware I'm probably laughing at you, and so are the several RL friends who know about this. If there is valid criticism, then bring it on, I love knowing how to make myself better, and how to help make my worlds immersive.

Alright, this is way too long. Let's get to the part you actually want to read, hm?

Here's our list of everyone

Deino- Barastyr

Horsea- Oceanius

Dratini- Nephthys

Gabite- Silvanus (He finally evolved!)

Sandile- Anubis

Larvitar- Icelos

Bagon- Megara

Axew- Hades

Cleffa- Pandora

Vibrara- Viridios

Froakie- Boraes

Litten- Erebus

Ash tucked his badge case back in his pocket, patting it contentedly as he walked back out of the glass doors. That had gone better than he expected. Not only had Hades done an excellent job, but Silvanus had evolved, and Viridios had proven to Lily and her sisters just how dangerous a Vibrava could be. He hadn't seen the youngest Waterflower sister anywhere. And, best of all, Neph was getting close to evolving!

Well, he thought she was. She had the signs that her time as a Dratini was starting to come to a close. She probably just needed a little more draconic energy before she would evolve. Which was why he decided that he would spend the rest of the day training with his team.

Nephthys needed some time to absorb as much draconic energy as she could, and his team, especially right now, was full of all dragons. Well, and Anubis. Hopefully, that would give her the last boost she needed. Maybe it would persuade Anubis and Oceanius that they did actually want to evolve eventually.

He really wanted to test Silvanus against Oceanius, Anubis, and Viridios. With his new power, he should be able to easily slice through those he had struggled against in the past, and from his performance, he was clearly stronger than both Barastyr and Icelos. It was a surprise that he hadn't been expecting, but he was proud of the not so small dragon.

To actually do that, he made a quick stop by the Pokémon center to heal his Pokémon and switch his team around. Instead of his all dragon team that had challenged the gym, he was more balanced at the moment. Barastyr was a steady, if lazy, presence by his side. Silvanus, Anubis, Viridios, Icelos, Oceanius, and Pandora made up the rest of his team. He carefully warned the Professor that he would be switching around his team again soon and asked the man to make sure Hades and Megara spent some time together with Nephthys. He'd be bringing the three of them back in a few hours to rotate with the others.

He walked a little way out, towards the beach that he had fought Hades, Megara, and V on. This time, the only fights would be when he decided they would be.

Barastyr nudged at his leg, jolting him out of his head. He smiled down at his starter, still completely in awe of the trust his Pokémon gave him. He looked around, making sure that he had the area to himself.

Thankfully, there weren't many people here today, and all of those who were here seemed to want a private part of the beach. He could see, a little further down, a set of four trainers having a double battle with each other. Other than that, the only other people was a kid, splashing around with an Azurill, and a girl who was tanning with her Persian.

One he was sure that no one would interrupt, he let the rest of his team stretch their legs. Barastyr greeted his teammates with a quiet growl, before going off to lay in the sun.

Oceanius trumpeted regally, before his eyes lit up as he saw the oceans. Ash gestured for the Pokémon to go ahead and dive in.

Viridios went to the air as soon as he was out of his Pokéball, hovering in place with his large wings as he eyed the rock that Barastyr had settled on. He thoughtfully buzzed around a bit before heading to the rock and trying to push Barastyr off. V, being V, just wanted to annoy his teammates into a fight, and he had apparently chosen Bara to try to beat today.

Icelos formed and stretched lazily, relaxing in the warm sun. He eyed his teammates with mischievous red eyes and headed toward V and Bara. Together, the two of them could take down the dragonfly, and Bara was definitely interested in joining forces with the rock type.

When it was her turn, Pandora practically leapt out of her Pokéball. Every part of her wanted to claim her throne again, but she knew that she needed to catch up on what her boy had been up to first, so that if she needed to tug roughly on his hair for being stupid, she could. She trilled a happy greeting at Barastyr, Viridios, and Icelos, content for now to spend time with her fellow Pokémon. She would, of course, claim her throne soon enough.

Anubis paced as he formed, energy practically overflowing from his being. He didn't dare stop, even at the concerned sigh from his trainer. Anubis wondered if his boy had a death wish when he came to the mighty croc's side and rubbed at his head. It took every bit of strength he had to stay still and allow the touch.

The last one out was Silvanus, who immediately took all of the attention for himself as he examined his long limbs. The ground dragon seemed particularly interested in the sharp fins coming from his lower arms, and walking, which no longer came as easily as it did when his center of gravity was lower.

Every step taken was a challenge conquered, and pride over his evolution made any discomfort worth it. Silvanus may have been taken out, but he had earned his place on the team now. He wasn't going to be left behind any longer.

A curious growl made the bigger Pokémon stop and crouch down next to Ash's starter. Evidently, Sil had gained Barastyr's approval with his evolution. The rest of the team, minus Anubis, gathered around him, taking in his new scent and congratulating him on his bigger form. Oceanius trumpeted that hopefully, it would be easier for him to protect their boy now that he was bigger.

Silvanus agreed, still trying to get the hang of talking to his fellow Pokémon. A lot had changed in his brain now that he was a Gabite. He had noticed it against the Icy Shelled One. His brain still told him that his jaws were his most powerful weapon, but his instincts disagreed. His mind was. His entire body was more like a weapon, head more than able to do damage now that it was more narrow, arms equipped with fins, like his back and tail, that were more than capable of causing damage, claws able to slice, feet equipped with claws that would be able to slice through anything that got in his way, and spikes on his legs. Yes, his entire body was able to do more damage, but it was difficult.

He knew the way he had fought as a Gible wouldn't be effective any more. He would have to find out which of his deadly features he was more likely to use than the others.

They relaxed contently in the warm ocean air, except, of course, for one of their team. Sil had noticed that scents were much stronger now, like he could smell clearly for the first time in his life. Thanks to a combination of the aggravated growls, the unbridled movements, and the scent of pure bloodlust, Silvanus decided to go over to his dark type teammate. He didn't feel comfortable leaving their boy with a Pokémon that seemed like he was seconds away from snapping.

The rest of the team seemed to relax again, but Sil could smell that they were in fact paying very close attention to him and their boy. None of the others wanted to get close to Anubis and risk him snapping near their boy. But they didn't see what he did. They couldn't tell that Anubis was likely to snap even if the rest of them stayed away.

He raised one clawed hand in greeting, moving to sit on the other side of their boy, and grumbled out a polite hello.

Anubis greeted him back tersely, relaxing slightly even as the other Pokémon got in his space.

For his part, Anubis was glad that someone on his team was smart enough to realize that their boy needed a guard, even from him. He didn't want to hurt their boy, but his instincts were screaming at him. Part of them were telling him to get away before he hurt his trainer, but the other part said to stay close in case someone tried to attack his boy. That left poor Anubis pacing on the warm sand, trying to keep himself calm.

Unlike most of his boy's Pokémon, he was one of two that there was a warning about. He was a male Sandile, one who could be extremely violent when he was on a Moxie high. It was because of that, Ash always used him last. It worked for them because it kept him in control of himself, and it kept Ash confident that he wouldn't lose himself to the high that was Moxie.

Yet, as his aggression grew, so did his resentment at having to always be in control. It wasn't fair that Viridios could be free to act however he wanted, hurt whomever he pleased, yet Anu was stuck practicing control. At this point, it would have been easier for him to spend his time in his Pokéball, but that didn't even help. When his boy was out of sight, it caused his protective side to grow to nearly unbearable levels, making him more and more of a mess the longer this went on.

He needed to get away and evolve in peace, but he couldn't trust the others to take care of his boy. Viridios was strong, yeah, but he was unreliable and unstable. His evolution hadn't done anything good for the dragonfly. It had made him more intelligent, more sly, and more likely to play with his prey. That wasn't the type of Pokémon he trusted to watch his boy.

If Oceanius evolved, then maybe, but the seahorse was fighting his evolution just like Anubis was fighting his. Oceanius had seen how much his teammate had changed once he evolved, and he was terrified that he would lose himself once he evolved as well.

Anubis couldn't disagree. He wasn't particularly excited with the idea of changing his personality either. Still, they both knew that their times in these forms were done. Anu just wondered which of them would snap and evolve first.

Still, he was grateful to the now larger Pokémon for coming over to protect their boy. He wasn't sure how strong the once clingy, former Gible was, but he was loyal to their boy in a way that only Barastyr, Oceanius, and himself had been from the beginning.

Oh, he knew Barastyr would deny it, but he was just as taken with their boy as Anubis was. The dessert croc had spent some time talking about how Barastyr had tried to distance himself from his trainer. It was the sign of a weak Pokémon to try and keep a distance from what they cared about, and if Anubis had met the Deino when he was leaving with their boy, he would have ripped the dragon type to pieces.

He caught Barastyr's nose turned towards him and tried to relax slightly. The blind Pokémon was able to sense his aggression and wasn't particularly pleased that he was so close to their boy when he was this worked up.

Actually, Anubis noticed with a snarl, all of the others were watching him. He could see Oceanius' head raised from the waves as he watched the Sandile with cool red eyes. He could see how Icelos, Pandora, and Barastyr were trying to pretend that they were focused only on each other. He could see Viridios not even trying to pretend he wasn't watching the croc, emerald eyes glued to him.

Only Silvanus had the right to watch him, as he was the only one who had bothered stepping up to come near their trainer. The rest of the cowards…

Anubis threw himself back, further away from his trainer as something clicked in his mind. He saw the others lose their relaxed stance, before everything was covered in darkness and pain.

For his part, Oceanius knew what was happening the second he locked eyes with his rival. His instincts were calling him further into the ocean, so that he could be away from the threat, but he couldn't do that. He watched sadly as Anubis's form stretched and shifted. He shot out of the water but made sure to stay back.

As a Horsea, he wouldn't be able to protect their human against Anubis, should he be as insane as he feared he would be. He watched, hesitating on what he could do to help. As the light faded, he could immediately see the difference in his teammate. He was taller, still tan, black, and light red in coloring, with thin arms, powerful legs, and a tail that Oceanius was sure could break his entire skeleton without even trying.

It was his eyes though, pitch black as always, but tinged with red as he roared his pain and loss of sanity, that made Oceanius finally give into his own evolution. Those were the eyes of a Pokémon who just wanted to cause agony and death to those around him. Those eyes told Oceanius that, right now, none of the others were strong enough to take down Anubis. So, he would have to do it himself.

For his part, Ash was extremely wary of Anubis right now. He had noticed that the aggression had become too much and seen how his friend had tried to throw himself further from his trainer. He knew that he had to be very, very careful right now.

As soon as the light died down around Anubis, Ash offered him a small smile. It died as the trainer took in the lack of familiarity in Anubis's eyes. All his Pokémon knew was that he hurt, badly, and he wanted others to hurt just as badly.

He was so proud of his Pokémon, and he took in every change to his reptilian friend. He was taller, broader, more powerful, and dangerous in every sense of the word. Honestly, the changes just made him more excited towards the day when Anubis became known as a powerful berserker like Krookodile.

He sighed quietly, trying to figure out how to approach his wild Pokémon. Beside him, Silvanus was tense for an attack, ready to guard his trainer should he need to. Ash wished he could figure out how to reach his oldest friend, but there was no way that Anubis would allow Ash to touch him right now.

A second light caught his attention, making him tear his eyes away from the powerful crocodile and towards an irritated water type. His lips twitched again in exasperation. Of course, the only thing that would make Oceanius decide to evolve was Anubis evolving first. He wished he was surprised.

Still, he watched fondly as Horse's body raised to the height of Anubis', his spikes becoming more pronounced. The fin like wings on his back stretched and pulled, becoming more spiked as his mouth became longer and more defined.

As the light faded, Ash saw his friends coloring had shifted slightly as well. The smokey purpleish black color had become an inky black, seeming to distort the light away from his scales. His soft underbelly, which always had a golden gleam, became more like a soft grey color, and far sharper in shape. Like this, Anubis and Oceanius were even with Viridios and Silvanus, possibly even stronger as Oceanius hadn't gained his dragon typing yet, and dark types were simply powerful opponents.

He couldn't wait to pair the four of them up and see just how much stronger their evolutions had made them.

He was extremely proud of them. Still, he needed to deal with Anubis before he celebrated having four Pokémon evolved into their second forms. Right now, the croc wasn't thinking, but moving completely from instinct. Anubis's mind made him the formidable battler he had become, but like this…

"Oh, Anu…" He whispered sadly, watching his oldest friend roar out in rage once again. He really didn't want to fight with his Pokémon, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to defend himself.

The whisper was, apparently, a bad idea, as the raging croc decided that his trainer was now his target. He rushed forward in the blink of an eye, swiping his long claws at his trainer as he took a few uncertain steps. Silvanus blocked him, catching the dark types claws in his own as he pushed him back.

There was no way that Silvanus was allowing his trainer to be hurt right now. As strong as his evolution had made him, it still wasn't enough to completely hold off a raging Krokorok.

Ash turned off the hurting trainer in his mind and tried to look at the situation from a perspective of a battle. He had, maybe, ten minutes before Oceanius was exhausted, probably less than that before Silvanus couldn't move anymore. Viridios had just taken down two opponents, so he was reaching the end of his rope as well. Still, he couldn't hesitate. He had to take Anubis down before someone got hurt.

"Pandora, Icelos, Barastyr, to me. Oceanius, drench the sand around Anu. Make sure that if he digs, he will almost drown. Viridios, try to get as many hits as you can. His senses are sensitive right now, he'll be weaker than normal to your sound-based attacks. Sil, dual chop. Direct engagement." Usually, he preferred to let his Pokémon move by themselves, without much input from their trainer, but he couldn't do that with this. Anubis was already one of his most powerful Pokémon, and the evolution would have made the already powerful fighter even more difficult to beat.

This wasn't the best place for the fight to take place, especially when his team was tired, but he couldn't exactly recall Anubis. He had absolutely no doubt that his oldest friend wasn't in the mood to listen. He hated to admit it, but Anubis was too powerful right now for his team to take out one- on- one. He was too lost in a dark rage, to tortured from his evolution to listen to logic. All he could do was gang up on the croc and hope that was enough.

He considered his options. Pandora wasn't a fighter. She wasn't made for the intense battle that was taking place on the beach. Barastyr and Icelos, on the other hand, could do some damage, but not enough. Besides, he needed them close by incase his croc decided to turn on his trainer. Ash really hoped he wouldn't become a statistic.

After a few seconds of deliberation, he changed his mind. This wasn't going to work. Not like this. "Oceanius, switch things up, try to trip him up. V, push him back towards the water. Sil, help him out. We can't let him get any closer to anyone else. Try not to hit me, if you could."

With the new plan in place, they worked together, pushing Anubis towards Oceanius' domain. While they were distracted, Ash took a deep breath and started to move forwards. There were three ways that a Pokémon in an evolution rage snapped out of it. One was to be beaten down. The next was to kill their trainer. The third was for their trainer to snap them out of it. He couldn't afford to hesitate; he couldn't let himself question it. This was the only way that he could get his partner back. If it didn't work, well, his partner would calm down anyways.

He stalked over to Anubis, eyes flaming in determination. He was done with his Pokémon throwing a fit. Anubis froze, making his other Pokémon pause as well. He moved so that he was less than six inches away from the sharp snout filled with teeth that could shred his flesh with no effort. His golden eyes stared directly into Anubis' dark ones. "Enough." He commanded harshly. "You're better than this."

Anubis lunged forward, the edge of his snout touching Ash's cheek, but the trainer didn't move, didn't blink. "You shouldn't have put this off for so long, Anubis. By trying to protect me, you made it more dangerous for me. If you want me dead, Anu, then do it." He opened his arms in a dare. "I'm right here, I'm not running." Barastyr moved closer, making Anubis snarl angrily, eyes bleeding red.

"Back off." Ash said harshly, making sure his team knew that he wasn't just talking to Anubis. They tried to fight, maybe if they were fresh, they could take down the mad croc, but like this? No, they couldn't win. But he could.

The Krokorok seemed confused by the command. The logical part of his mind wanted to listen, but that part was being smothered by instincts that demanded he shred, tear, and destroy. Still, he didn't want to hurt the idiot in front of him. He did, but he didn't.

The croc knew the boy, but that knowledge was hidden behind pain and suffering. He was hurting. He wanted everyone else to hurt too. Yet, he didn't want the boy to suffer? He wanted to protect the golden eyed child? Why?

Memories forced their way behind his eyes. He remembered hatching, being cold, abandoned, and miserable. He remembered lashing out within minutes of hatching, surrounded by other Sandile. He had been so cold, so small, and then, the golden warmth found him and picked him up, tucking him under his chin to try and protect him. The golden warmth had tried to keep him safe, making the other, bigger Pokémon back away from him. The golden warmth had saved him. He had been the smallest, and the one that was likely to be his siblings first meal. He had been so cold, so alone.

He remembered sitting in the sunlight with his golden warmth, sitting on the stomach of his boy. He remembered spending day and night with his golden warmth. He remembered his golden warmth feeding him, making sure he was able to grow into a powerful Sandile. He remembered finding out that his golden warmth was going to be leaving soon, and that he couldn't go with his golden warmth. He couldn't protect his golden warmth like his boy had protected him when he needed it. He remembered watching, silently, from the shadows, as his golden warmth left the ranch with the little blue and black Pokémon at his side. He had been so jealous, so sad, and so cold.

He watched as he was reunited with his golden warmth, his trainer now, who had been hurt by people he wanted to tear limb from limb. All he wanted was to protect his golden warmth like his boy had protected him.

Anubis, that was his name, blinked, horrified with himself as he realized how close he was to tearing off the head of his boy. He tilted his head, turning so that his neck rested on the boys shoulders and let out a pained growl. He was surprised when warm arms wrapped around him, protecting him once again. He had almost hurt his golden warmth. He had almost hurt his boy.

Ash felt his eyes soften at the sound. "I'm okay, Anu." He whispered softly, knowing that his oldest friend was tearing himself apart for almost hurting his trainer. He squeezed the Pokémon softly, glad to have his friend back. He was just glad that worked.

He adored all of his Pokémon, but this one, more than the others, had been the one he opened up to the most. Anubis was meant to be his starter, and they had developed a relationship as if the Krokorok was. Anubis had needed him at first, needed to be protected in a way that Barastyr never had. They had needed each other, and Ash had put in the time and effort to help the smallest Sandile.

He pulled back, looking into his friends pitch black eyes. "Next time just evolve. Okay?"

They both knew that it was a lie when Anubis nodded, but the Pokémon was willing to indulge his trainers' delusions.

Ash scratched the top of Anubis' head carefully, before withdrawing his friend. He breathed out a long sigh and let himself fall on his knees. That was terrifying. He didn't want to do that again any time soon. Deep, slow breaths escaped him as he forced himself to calm down. That could have ended really badly. He was okay, he reminded himself, and so were all of his Pokémon. Anubis would be grumpy for a few days because his muscles would be sore from the evolution. Oceanius-

His head shot up as he finally recognized what had happened with the first Pokémon he had ever caught: Oceanius had evolved to protect him. His Horsea was one step closer to becoming a majestic king of the sea. He was so proud of him.

He pushed himself back up, walking closer to the water's edge before walking into the ocean, going next to his second Pokémon. Oceanius didn't just bob along in the water now, he actively seemed to be swimming. He was bigger than any Seadra Ash had ever seen before, even the ones in the Cerulean City Gym. The Pokémon should have been just a little shorter than four feet, but from how far he stood out from the water, the Pokémon was probably well over four feet tall. He pulled his Pokénav out of his pocket and flicked to Oceanius' page. The Pokénav information had automatically updated when he had evolved, telling the trainer that his Pokémon was now four foot three, four inches taller than he should be, and a massive sixty- three pounds in weight.

Oceanius was only eight inches shorter than his trainer. Ash blinked down at the Pokémon, looking into deadly red eyes, and let out a relieved sigh as Nius butted against his side gently. He rubbed his scaly head and inspected the Pokémon himself.

It was weird for Oceanius to have darkened so much, but he was still an impressive Pokémon to have on his team. Black scales seemed to bend the light away from them, while the soft grey scales of his underbelly glowed in it. "Its going to take forever to groom you now, Nius." Ash commented, watching as Oceanius' eyes lit up in happiness. He still loved being groomed more than the others ever would.

He was so proud of his team that he felt like he could destroy those who had stood in his way. With four of his Pokémon in their second form, it was difficult for him to not get cocky. He knew that Oceanius could blow through anything that Brock would send his way. Still, he was going south.

Making a mental note to go through his pokenav later, if only so he could see where his team was compared to where they could be, Ash withdrew almost all of his Pokémon. They had enough beach time to last for a while. He left out Silvanus, who was fixing the beach, and Pandora. He was slightly worried about his baby girl. Unlike the other monsters on his team, who had fought their evolutions, Pandora just hadn't evolved.

To be honest, he really didn't want her too. She was still tiny, petite, and adorable. He really didn't want her to become a Clefairy any time soon. He was more than happy to have her sitting on his head, glaring at anyone, including Silvanus, who got too close to her throne.

He really wanted to spend more time with his girls, but it was difficult. Nephthys, despite being better, was still distant with him. Megara didn't really care either way. Pandora, he knew didn't really like being on the road as much as in the cities. She wanted a warm bed, a clean place to relax, and, Pokémon to boss around. Sometimes, Icelos, Hades, and Barastyr indulged her, but for the most part, the rest of them just thought she was an idiot.

It was difficult for him to balance the team he had. Some of them lived for battle, some hated it, and some didn't care one way or another. He knew where most of his Pokémon fell on the scale, except, for his newest two. They were mischievous, sure, but neither of them really wanted to stand out, and that was a problem. He had spent some time with Boraes, his Froakie, and Erebus, his Litten, but neither of them showed a preference towards battling. Boraes seemed more interested in perfecting his moves, he and Hades were friends, while Ere just wanted to nap.

They needed training, badly. Still, he had to work with the team he was going to be using against Surge. He knew which of the dragons he was going to be using for his official team, Barastyr, Oceanius, Silvanus, Nephthys, Hades, and Viridios, as well as which one would be his backup player, Megara. He was also fairly certain which Pokémon would be on his dark type team, or at least a few members of that one, but he wasn't sure which of his Pokémon he wanted on his travel team. Some spots were taken, he had to have Barastyr, Anubis, and Viridios with him, but that still left four spots that he had to fill. Icelos, probably, Hades was always fun to have around, but other than that, he had no idea.

It was irritating that he was limited on what combinations he could use. There were some of his Pokémon that, frankly, he didn't trust to behave at the ranch. Barastyr was staying, Anubis would terrorize everyone, so would Viridios, and Icelos… well, he wasn't sure what Icelos would do. If he had the others from his old team there, he might be alright, but that wasn't a sure thing. Oceanius would grumble and try to poison everyone around him, or he would have as a Horsea. Now that he was a Seadra, there would be changes in his personality, but he wasn't sure what they would be.

Silvanus was also another unknown. He had been clingy as a Gible and seemed to be more protective now that he evolved. Would the Gabite even allow his trainer to leave him at the ranch?

It would only be for around ten days, maybe less before he got to Saffron City, but that might be too much time. He supposed he could take Pandora, but she wouldn't like it, even if she would love the time she got to spend with her trainer. He could take Ere, but the lazy Litten would want to be carried all the time. He wasn't a serious battler, not yet, anyways. Megara would like it, as long as she had plenty of open spaces to run around, and rocks to jump off of. There was no way he was taking Neph on the road. Not when she was this close to evolving. It could scar her, damage her scales beyond repair if she got into a sticky situation. Maybe Boraes, he considered. He and Icelos had a bit of a rivalry going on, as they both liked pranking each other, and he got along with Viridios.

He suppressed a shiver at the thought. Somehow, some way, Boraes and V had become friends. It was terrifying to think about what they could do if they teamed up. But V did push the little Froakie harder than the rest of them. He wanted his buddy to take the place of the second most powerful on their team, even if he was a long way away. If Hades ever got into a double battle with V as his partner, though, they would be just as deadly as Boraes and V. His little pyromaniac was trying to reach out to the others, but he was having a heck of a time with it.

Eventually, he would have to prepare for another powerful, angry Pokémon on his team. As soon as Bill was done with his study, he would have Fearow on his team as well. Even if he wasn't sure how he was going to handle the Pokémon, his team had grown a lot since their battle with the larger than normal bird, and hopefully, would be more than enough to keep the Pokémon in its place. Or, at least, keep it from killing Ash.

He wandered around a little bit more, enjoying the time with Pandora chittering on his head and Silvanus grumbling back. It was peaceful, and nice not getting the same fearful looks he was used to. Not that some people weren't afraid of Sil but seeing the Gabite having a conversation with a tiny Cleffa seemed to negate the bad feelings that the dragon type seemed to cause.

It was going to be weird, he realized with a cringe, not having Hades by his side, but he knew that the Axew would be alright at the ranch, especially compared to Oceanius. All too soon, he reached the Pokémon Center, and switched around his team once again. He left with Barastyr, Anubis, Viridios, Icelos, Silvanus, Boraes, and Oceanius, after getting a promise to keep a close eye on Neph and to message him immediately if she or Pandora seemed like they were ready to evolve.

After triple checking that he had everything that he needed to make it safely through to Saffron, he headed out, leaving Cerulean behind him, and with it, the uncertainty of the path that he was destined to go down.