Hello everyone,

I love this fucking story. Just wanted to get that out there. It pleases me very much to write this one.

I'm glad that the reception to Madara's evolution via the rainbow feather was fairly positive. I wasn't sure how people were going to react to that honestly. But I am having a problem with adding more pokemon at this point. I already feel as if I haven't included Shika in the story enough. She has had very little gym battles, and even on the Team Rocket side I haven't shown her wrecking shop or anything like that. But I do have a plan in place, so be ready!

On to the chapter!

Reminder of pokemon and names:

Hashirama aka Hashi - Hariyama.

Minato - Hypno.

Madara - Growlithe.

Shika - Absol.

Asuma - Teddiursa

Tobirama aka Tobi - Gyarados

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Disclaimer: I own nothing!

My parents left quickly after breakfast, at my behest. They obeyed without too much of a fuss. It seemed as if they were getting used to my loner tendencies, even if my mother hated it.

Dad and I didn't even talk about what happened, and the people I killed, but he did give me a look that told me he had been in the same situation and that he was there for me if I needed him. It seemed so long ago that I snuck out of the house and caught Hashi, then left for my journey. How naive I was back then. I didn't even know how long it had been, but it felt like years.

Now I'm a four badge trainer, at the forefront of Mega Evolution, and have three bodies that weigh on my consciousness at all times. Life comes at you fast.

Such is the price for ambition.

Shika laid beside the rocking chair, completely content with watching the world from the porch with me. She was always my silent companion. For a moment I analyzed my team.

Hashi was the dad of the group. He set the tone for everything, and was my starter for a reason. Where he lacked in power, he made up for it in being pretty advanced for his age. He was the rock of my team, my life.

Shika was the mother hen, always fussing over everyone, including me. Very rarely did she show her true power, but I knew her potential for battling was up there with Madara and Tobi. But she seemed content with not being the most powerful on the team, and I loved her for it.

Minato was the utility. He provided so much to the team. He taught everyone knew ways to manipulate their energies. He gave commands faster than I did. I hadn't noticed but my brain works with language. Years of it being trained into me was ingrained with how I think. He didn't have that limitation. He deciphered my thoughts before I could transform them into words, and showed them to everyone during battles. It was, quite possibly, the team's biggest advantage.

You are too kind, Brawly. Minato said in my voice from his meditative position in the yard. He was currently working on a new idea I had cooked up.

Madara's role on the team had just changed. Where before, he was the energetic son of the group, now he is the prodigal prince. Majestic, powerful, and loyal. In a day, he had gone from one of the least powerful members to the most powerful. I was confident, with wild charge and extreme speed, that he would run circles around Tobi.

And yet, he rolled around on the ground right in front of me, like an oversized puppy.

The weight in my lap stirred, and my thoughts drifted to the bear laying there. Asuma was the baby of the group, with great potential. Once he evolved, he would be the most flexible of the group. Normal types were notoriously multi-talented with the different types of energies in the world.

Tobirama… well he was a massive flying-water-dragon-thing. He brought power to the team, overwhelming power. Once it was honed, he could become the most dangerous on the team. And he was extremely protective of his family. Minato's mental manipulation of him took hold faster, and more secure, than I could ever expect.

Everyone had their role in the team, and I loved them for it.

Shika's head lifted from the floor of the porch as she looked towards the yard. In front of Minato, a floating orb of purple and black energies formed. It was his newest move, Shadow Ball. The alakazam floating beside him nodded towards him, and disappeared. I owed Professor Oak more than I could ever repay. Sometimes, I thought I took advantage of him.

Now you just need to be able to teleport with that. I told my psychic through our link. Holding it in your hand.

Minato didn't respond with words, but I could tell he thought the task damn near impossible. This was one of the only times he's been exposed to ghostly energies. It was literally his hard counter, and it was natural for him to find difficulties teleporting. But Oak's alakazam proved him wrong not a minute ago. I didn't even have to tell him it was wrong.

Just hold it, get used to the energies around you. I told him.

No shit, Sherlock.

I nearly spewed coffee out of my mouth. Minato loved searching through my mind when I was asleep. It led to many funny references. I coughed a few times getting the liquid out of the wrong pipe. When I was sure I wasn't dying, I sent a basic command to Shika at my side.

Shadow ball is a very powerful and useful move to have in the repertoire, and she should pick it up quicker than Minato was. She leapt up and moved to the yard eagerly.

At the same time, my arcanine leapt to his feet and moved to the porch. He sent images of what he wanted from me. It was easy to discern that he wanted me to hop on his back and go for a ride. I was a little taken aback, mainly because I had never considered it. Partly because he could go way too fast and hurt me, partly because I didn't have a saddle, and finally because he seemed too majestic to be turned into a steed.

Madara barked at me slightly and motioned to his back with his head. I sighed, and prepared myself for an uncomfortable time before getting up out of my seat. I set the teddiursa in my hands on the ground next to where Hashi lounged around in the yard.

Madara laid on the ground in front of me, making it easier to climb on. As soon as I straddled his back, I was reminded of his 'inner flame'. My legs warmed immediately when they touched his fur. It was a strange warmth, it didn't make me hot, or really even transfer to my legs at all. It's like it just stayed outside of my skin. It was a very perplexing feeling.

Madara stood up abruptly, and I almost fell off. I locked my legs on his side, and managed to catch myself, but only barely. I was about to tell Madara to take it slow when Professor Oak came running outside.

"Hold on, hold on! Don't go anywhere!" Oak said. I had never actually seen him move that fast. He was spry for an old man.

"Are you about to tell me this is a horrible idea?" I asked back.

"Without a saddle, it's suicidal!" Oak replied quickly, as he reached us. "But I have a solution to that!"

Suddenly, Oak's arcanine was there beside him, with a small seat in it's mouth. On the bottom of the seat, it was curved to fit around the arcanine's back perfectly. I had a feeling it was custom made.

Oak reached for the saddle and grabbed it out of the arcanine's mouth before turning to me. "Move back real quick." Oak said. I obeyed.

He set the saddle down on top of Madara's back, who tried sniffing the object and bumped Oak in the process. I was about to berate him but Oak just took the blow in stride and slapped the seat down.

I was confused about how the seat worked, but once Oak got it where he wanted it, he pushed a button. Straps extended from inside the seat and began to wrap around Madara's frame. In the end, it strapped up like a horse saddle would, except it was a singular seat, with almost no support on his back.

"You can't have much more than the seat, because of how fast he moves through turns." Oak began explaining. "You'll have to work your core a lot to ride him. Keep your head low, and make sure he knows that he can't go too fast."

Oak was obviously speaking from experience, so I listened with my full attention. I couldn't help but notice Oak's arcanine looked on with envy and worry for his aging trainer. It was obvious to me that if Oak could even ride the arcanine, it would have to be ridiculously slow. To a pokemon like an arcanine, that didn't age like humans did, it must have been horridly sad to watch it's trainer wither away.

I wondered if Madara, Hashi, and the others would have to watch me do the same.

"Get on it, now." Oak told me. I obeyed and when I felt comfortable, Oak pushed another button on the seat. More straps extended from the already extended straps and locked onto my legs. The technology of this world was mind boggling.

"The most important lesson of all, have fun!" Oak finished and slapped Madara on the ass.

I had a hand on Madara's neck hair, and thank Arceus that I did. He rocketed forward, and I pulled on the hair. He made no notion that it hurt him for me to do it, and the hair stayed in his skin stubbornly. I took that as a good sign that I had a hand hold now and focused on paying attention.

Oak was right about my core. I engaged it the whole time, keeping my body stable with each stride from Madara. Although, I just now appreciated just how graceful he was in this state. It was like we glided over the ground. Sure there were slight bumps, but for the most part, it was a smooth ride.

And boy were we moving.

We moved through the first pasture with amazing speed. If I would have blinked, I would have missed it.

I tried keeping my eyes open and enjoying the ride, but the wind was blistering and I did have to blink frequently. I made a note to purchase some goggles.

Within two minutes, we arrived at the lake that Tobi learned to become a part of the team. Once we moved past that, we were bounding through the woods. We passed so many pokemon, I couldn't hope to recount all of them. Their forms were only blurs.

The important ones made themselves known.

Oak's arcanine chased after us casually, enjoying the run.

Then a charizard swooped down from the clouds to ride beside us. I wasn't sure if it was the fire nature of the arcanine that made the charizard friendly and playful, or if he was one of Oak's.

A quick look told me the answer. Daisy Oak sat on it's back, in another saddle of similar make. I smiled towards her and let out a yell. The feeling of going so fast, so carefree was freeing.

And then Oak's dragonite was flapping alongside us for a moment.

Madara banked left, and we left our companions as we moved through the trees again. Venusaur, Blastoise, Sceptile, Scyther. I saw all of them as we moved through the trees on a different path back to the house on the Oak ranch.

I couldn't help but wonder about all of the pokemon Oak had on the ranch, and how he acquired them. I wouldn't put it past him to have a colony of dratini and dragonair hanging around somewhere. Or beldum. Oak seemed to bask in powerful pokemon.

Before I knew it, we were back at the ranch. I hadn't even noticed, but my legs and my core were screaming at me in protest. I was strong, and in shape, but riding an arcanine is a different set of muscles than what I was used to using.

I pushed the same button that Oak had to strap me in, and suddenly my legs were free. Madara laid on the ground so that I could step off of him. When I planted on the ground, it was with shaky legs that I stood up.

A massive hand grabbed my own, and I used it as leverage to pull myself up. I looked to see Hashi helping me up.

I looked down to Madara and I shouldn't have been surprised, but he wasn't even breathing hard. We had to have gone thirty miles in the span of fifteen minutes and he looked like he hadn't even moved. It was incredible.

A flash of orange, and the charizard carrying Daisy cleared the tops of the trees in the direction Madara and I had come from. I was briefly surprised she wasn't already waiting on us.

"She has a charizard too?" I asked myself as I watched her descend. I tallied another pokemon to the balls on her belt. Another powerful, powerful member.

"Not quite." I heard Professor Oak say beside me. Hashi let me go when he noticed that my legs were solid again.

"He was her fathers." Oak explained. "He's the sire of all the starter charmanders for the last ten years. I let her use him from time to time. Her altaria isn't as fast you see, and she can't stand teleporting."

I filed the information in my mind and shielded my eyes as the charizard gave a few powerful flaps of its wings, sending dust flying all around. She hopped off as if she was born on the saddle. I was reminded of my weak legs again.

"He's fast!" Daisy said as she attacked Madara with pets and attention. He ate it up like he normally does.

"No kidding." I agreed.

Daisy stood up after a moment of petting and looked toward me. "I'm glad you're ok." She said a little softly.

I smiled at her, and tried not to think about how the battle with Team Rocket would have gone if Madara hadn't evolved and given us the upper hand. "Me too." I agreed.

Oak interrupted us before we could continue the conversation. I was fairly glad too, it was about to take a dark turn, I suspected.

"Lunch?"

I sat back, full from gorging myself on the burger Oak had made for us. It was cooked to perfection too. I knew why he kept that particular research assistant around, and it wasn't for her research.

"How goes the analysis?" I asked. It was the first time I had brought up progress on mega evolution since the morning after my 'death'. I had been patiently waiting, but hadn't heard anything.

Oak took a deep breath and sighed before rubbing a hand through his hair. "It's damn near done, but we have a small problem. I think you should start, dear. And I'll go after." Oak replied, and motioned to Daisy.

Daisy set her burger down and wiped her hands on the napkin in her lap. I've never seen someone eat so properly, while also eating so improperly, it was something I was trying to copy her on. Mostly, I just shoved food down my throat and prayed I didn't choke.

"The league has a question for you Brawly." Daisy began once she swallowed the bite in her mouth.

"Ok." I told her, before waiting for her to continue.

"They've had their eyes on you for a while now, waiting to see how you develop." Daisy replied.

"They?" I couldn't help but latch on to the way she referred to the league. She was a part of it, shouldn't it be 'we'?

"Alway keep the league at arms distance, Brawly. Treat them like a new dragon on your team, use them while they use you, and always watch for the dagger in your back." Oak interrupted, handing out priceless advice in a way only a former champion could.

"You've found yourself involved with Team Rocket. They will not stop coming after you, just as they never stop coming after the rest of us. So the question is, do you want to become involved?" Daisy asked the question simply, as if it wasn't worthy of her time.

The question was so loaded, I wasn't sure if I even knew of all the implications.

What I did know, however, is that I wanted Mewtwo. I had a fair shot of encountering him if I followed down the rabbit trail that was Team Rocket. Giovanni and Mewtwo have been together in so many games and appearances. Giovanni stood at the top of the hierarchy of Team Rocket.

At least he did in the games.

The pokemon world is massive. That much is obvious. A lot of it has been untouched by humans for a long time. It was only now that we were truly exploring the lands that were beyond our reach. There was no telling where Mewtwo was.

But my gut told me that he lay down the same path as Team Rocket.

"Yes." I decided, quickly.

Oak, who had his hands clasped together in front of his face, sighed once again. Daisy sat back in her chair, and looked toward the ceiling.

Both of them acted as if they didn't want me to say that. The entire mood changed quickly.

"What drives you Brawly?" Oak asked quietly, but with his champion voice. "I've seen a total of six people in my life that stride towards the horizon like you. One of them was myself. I sought this." Oak said pointing at the ground beneath our feet.

"I had an idea when I was young. 'How would an encyclopedia of Pokemon change the world?'" Oak continued. "The question was the first thing in my mind when I woke up, and the last thing I thought about when I went to bed. But the funding required wouldn't have been accomplished just by being a strong trainer, or a smart man. I needed more. So I saw the champion position as my ticket. I was right, and I accomplished my goals. But it took more than I would give again." Oak explained.

There was a pause.

"Let me say that one more time, in case you didn't hear me. It cost me more than I would give this world again!" Oak reiterated with a slam of his hand on the table in front of us.

Daisy and I tensed slightly, but we did not jump.

"Two others like us are at the top of two regions. One, you have already pissed off. That being Lance. The other resides in Galar, and is undefeated in every recorded battle." Oak continued. "And the other two just started their journey's, I gave them their starters myself."

Leon. Red and Gary.

"The last is sitting across from you." Oak said nodding towards his granddaughter. "This goes no farther, until you give me the reason."

Normally, I would be ecstatic to be put in the same category as Lance, Leon and two future champions, if the games were to be believed. But the way Oak said it, was bordering hatred and self-loathing. I couldn't take joy in the comparison.

I already knew I wouldn't tell him about my transmigration into this universe. I doubted I would ever tell another soul. Not after Blaine. But I could give him the answer he needed. I owed him that, and much much more.

"The night that I turned sixteen, I snuck out with a pokeball in my hands and rebellious thoughts…" I paused then, unsure of how to continue. "...I made it a couple hundred feet into Granite Cave before I stumbled on the reality of this world. A mother hariyama and her children were in a fight with a family of golem and geodude. I don't really remember what happened, but when I woke up I had a freshly captured makuhita, and a killer headache." I told them.

"I promised myself that I would get a team powerful enough to never be as scared as I was that night. That IS the one thing I remember vividly. The fear." I continued. "So I told myself that the best way to do that was to make sure nobody, or nothing could inspire that to me. Lance seemed like a good measuring stick in that regard. So I applied for a license in the Indigo Plateau, and got it."

"I captured a feebas before leaving on my journey." I said. Dark thoughts plagued me then.

Daisy didn't react, but Oak did. He knew all of the pokemon I had in my possession. It was not hard to decipher that she was not with us anymore. His head hung a little bit. I knew he was piecing together our first conversation when I hinted at the fact that I lost a pokemon.

"She was a good one. I trained her from scratch, got her strong. Traveled to Three Island, caught a drowzee through unique circumstances." I paused once again.

"And then I went to Cinnabar." I started again after a moment. "Battled Blaine, won after Hashi evolved, and made it to Route 21 when it happened." I tried to hide the emotion in my voice, but failed.

"I remember everything with absolute clarity. We were all on the beach, enjoying ourselves and our new win. Everyone was out of their balls. Including my brand new growlithe. Suddenly, Hashi's hand was on my shoulder and he was looking back towards the island. A wave of energy, that I now know was pure psychic type, was moving towards us. It is still the most destructive force I have ever seen in my life. I recalled Madara immediately, but I wasn't close enough to the other balls to recall the others." I paused, only briefly this time.

"Hashi knew it, and grabbed me before throwing me on his shoulder and started running towards the water. We barely made it to my drowzee when it hit us."

I saw the rest of the story play out, before I could tell it, and for the first time in a long time, I saw Hashi holding the broken body of Tsunade.

"My drowzee evolved from the amount of psychic energy, alone. Hashi and I were thrown at least a hundred yards into the ocean. When I made it back to the shore, Hashi had found my new hypno, and was dropping him off. But I didn't see my other pokemon, so Hashi went back in."

I had to look away. I had only ever told my father of what happened that night. Of how it had happened. It was a memory that I have been trying to get over, and still haven't been able to.

"When he emerged, he was holding the broken and bloody body of my feebas. My second…" I searched for the right word. Pokemon didn't seem to do the trick to me. "..family member, gone without warning."

I wasn't looking at Oak or Daisy. I couldn't.

"I took her from him, once I realized she was dead. I'm glad I did. Minato wanted me to leave, quickly. I think he could sense what caused the disaster on Cinnabar."

I felt Oak tense beside me.

So he knows.

"A bright white light shone in the sky. It was so far away, yet we all knew it was the cause of what happened. Hashi yelled out towards it. There was no way the white light heard him. I know that it sensed my pain and the pain of my pokemon. I know that's why it approached us." I told them.

Professor Oak stood up from the table and walked towards the kitchen. He stopped half-way.

"Mewtwo." Oak confirmed my suspicions. Ever since meeting Oak, I had my suspicions of his involvement with Blaine.

"Is that what it's called?" I feigned ignorance.

Oak didn't respond.

"Good, now I have a name. As of that night, Lance only became a stepping stone, a marker to let me know when I'm ready. You want to know what drives me? The image of me confronting Mewtwo again. I don't even care if I win. There will be a battle. He dies, or we do. That's all there is to it." I revealed. It was the first time I ever spoke the words out loud. Before they were only thoughts.

Now that it was out there, I realized it was a dumb and shallow goal. A pokemon I knew for what… a month? It was revenge, plain and simple. I knew that it wouldn't bring closure. I knew that it would do nothing but taint my soul. I didn't care. Mewtwo would die by my hands, or I would die by his. Maybe I would get answers to why I was even in this universe also.

"Revenge." Oak said simply.

"Yes." I confirmed.

I had a hold on my emotions again, so I looked to the others in the room. Daisy stared at me, with a curious look on her face. It was as if she was assessing me again. Like she didn't know me. It was probably true, she didn't know me.

"I have half a mind to destroy that stone, and kick you out of my house." Oak said with a snarl. "But would it stop you?"

"No." I confirmed. It was true. I was going after Mewtwo before I knew about Mega Evolution existed in this world.

"I thought not." Oak said.

We all fell into silence then. It was a long silence. One that creeped into your soul. One that was self-induced. The world was deaf to my ears. I got lost in my mind for a moment.

"The League's of the world have agreed that the title of 'Ace Trainer', or an equivalent, must be attained before one can get the permit required for Mega Evolution." Daisy revealed out of nowhere.

That threw a wrench in my plans. I was not an Ace Trainer, and I was two badges away from even being looked at. At least that's what I thought.

"You have been offered a position." Daisy continued.

That immediately set alarms off in my head, and I turned to the Professor. "You said nobody would know about me having the stone!" I accused.

"Nobody does!" Oak replied quickly. "I pulled strings that haven't been there for a long time to even get you this, boy! I thought your drive had nobler roots. I doubt I would have given you this opportunity, had I known the truth." Oak revealed.

I knew he was right, but it still pissed me off. Anger pooled in my gut, and adrenaline ran through my veins.

"Let me finish." Daisy interrupted, and my anger fell slightly. "You have two weeks to meet the requirements for Ace Trainer."

Fuck. The thought summed everything up pretty quickly.

That meant that I had to beat two more gyms in two weeks. And the kids gloves were off now that I was a four badge trainer. I wasn't completely sure that I could do it, to be honest.

"So none of this matters." Daisy said matter-of-factly. I hated her a moment for uttering those words.

"You're wrong." It was Professor Oak that said it.

As much as the man was pissing me off right now, I couldn't help but gain another three notches of respect for the man. He believed in me.

"Two badges, in fourteen days grandpa." Daisy said, as if Oak was a dumb man.

"What happens if he doesn't achieve it, Daisy?" Oak retorted, and I knew a strong tongue lashing was to follow. "He will go to his father, who will use his significant resources to help his son achieve his dreams. Within a year, he'll be an Ace Trainer for Hoenn, and approved for the Mega Program. Steven will provide any stone he needs. Then Brawly will go after Mewtwo, get himself killed, or worse… he'll succeed and go the rest of his life with that burden on his shoulders."

"What happens if he does get the requirements?" Daisy's retort was swift and confident. Oak was ready for it, and once again showed his wisdom, and smarts over his granddaughter. I loved him for his response.

"Then he stays here. With me. That's his best chance to abandon this foolish ambition."

A/N: Boom!

The League strikes again. There are a bunch of subtle politics that didn't really get explained in this chapter that will be expanded upon in the next one.

It seems like just when things are looking up for Brawly, something steps in his way. Another obstacle bars his path.

What do we think of Oak's stance on Brawly's path? What about the League?

Oak proves to be a formidable man, and one of the wisest alive.

Let's talk in the reviews!