Return of a Legend

by shadowtala

A new threat has come to the Pokémon world, and Arceus, in his weakened state, calls upon an old safety net of his. Now, a person from our world has been tasked to save the Pokémon world. She'll team up with Ash Ketchum and fulfill a lifelong dream to become a Pokémon trainer, while helping him to be the Pokémon Master she knows he can be!

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Showered, dressed, and anxious, the perfect way to start the morning. I'd been sitting in front of the center provided computer in our room for a good ten minutes working out just how I was going to make a call.

I hate talking on the phone.

I don't want to see him, Mewtwo said. He sat on a top bunk, tail curled around him, the tip flicking idly.

"Do you want to be in the room?" I asked.

He thought for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, stay up there," I said. "If it becomes too much then feel free to leave, or tell me to hang up."

Grey took up his normal spot above Mewtwo's shoulder, while Ruby and my new Dratini – Kai – were curled up on my bed, nestled in the blankets. Lucario and Athena stood on either side of me, in plain view of the camera.

A final deep breaths and I pressed the call button.

Two rings was all it took before I was face to face with Giovanni.

"What a pleasant surprise," Giovanni said, his smile held no warmth.

"Drop it," I said. "This is a warning call."

He arched an eyebrow but didn't speak.

"Mewtwo has left you." The slight widening of his eyes was followed by his deepening frown. "He's with me, where he will stay unless he decides otherwise. If you come after him, me, or anyone connected to me, I will bring down the full force of my power onto you. You and I will have no further contact. Any questions?"

I met his gaze evenly, my only thought: Scary Face. I could feel a slight shift in my cheeks and if the tensing in his shoulders meant anything then he saw it too. His Persian sat at his side as always but only watched his trainer, not daring to look at me.

"And if you're bluffing?" Giovanni asked, his voice as neutral as ever.

"Do you really want to take that chance?" I returned. Lucario spiked his aura and Athena's eyes flashed blue, but both remained silent, allowing their power to speak for itself.

"You must realize the enemy you are making," Giovanni said.

"And you must realize the enemy you don't want in me," I returned.

"Persian," I called for the cat's attention. His ears pinned back as he looked at the screen and the look he gave me made my gut wretch. I turned my gaze back to him. "Giovanni, I'm not a bad person. I don't see Pokémon as tools or a means to an end, but if you force my hand… well, just look at Persian, he knows if I give an order, he will listen."

His jaw ticked but he seemed to understand as he nodded once and ended the call.

I slumped back into my chair, a foul taste in my mouth as I thought of the line I just toed. It would've been so easy to order Persian to do something and the cat knew it the moment I spoke his name.

But you didn't, Mewtwo's voice broke through my thoughts. He would not have thought twice of doing the same thing, but you only needed to think once to know it was wrong.

I breathed deeply, settling my nerves and stomach. He's right. Just because I can do something doesn't mean I will do it.

"Let's go eat," I said, standing up to stretch.

XXX

It was finally time. The moment I've not been looking forward to. I let Ash have the map.

We were going to Vermillion City, which is south of Cerulean, and we are traveling north through routes 24 and 25.

Brock and I had gone to the market to stock up on supplies and despite his questioning looks he didn't ask why I was preparing for a month of travel versus a couple of weeks. I also bought a few things for training ideas I had.

We were walking over a bridge when I dug out the first item, tossing a dense iron ball at Mewtwo.

"Catch," I said. His tail flicked casually as his psychic powers caught the ball and he floated it in front of him.

"We're going to work on your finesse," I said. "We'll start with an iron ball and slowly move to lighter items until you can pick up a Pecha berry without crushing it into juice." He nodded as I continued my explanation. "Start by pressing down on the ball until you feel it start to bend under the pressure, then draw back until you can't hold it up anymore. Keep it up until you think you have a handle on it and then we'll switch to something lighter, and so on. Make sure to go slow, so you can get a feel for the power levels you're using."

Mewtwo nodded again and set to work, flinching slightly at the giant dent he made in the ball… impressive given it was solid iron. I rummaged through my bag more to find my next items, a Frisbee and bouncy ball.

"Ash," I called up to him. He caught both items easily when I tossed them. "Have Pidgeotto and Butterfree work on their flying moves with the Frisbee, try and keep it airborne, and have Pikachu use the ball for his non-electric moves," I explained.

"Alright!" Ash threw the Frisbee as high as he could and ordered the two flying types to use Gust. Pretty soon the two were playing a game of keep away, using only flying moves. Whenever the disc looked like it was falling to the ground, one of them would dive to catch, their speed increasing each time as they began the basis of Aerial Ace.

Pikachu and Ash used the ball to play their own game of catch. Ash would throw the ball away from Pikachu and the electric type would have to speed after it and send it back to Ash before it hit the ground. The ball was durable enough to survive being whacked around by Iron Tail, given it was advertised for the jaw strength of the Growlithe line, so I doubted it would break easily.

Honestly I was making all this up as I went along, but it looked to be working. Playing provided dogs and other animals with positive ways of learning so I figured the same was true for Pokémon, who were far more sentient.

Brock and Misty followed my example and let out their Pokémon, though Brock waited until we were off any bridges to release Onix. Both of his rock-types weren't particularly fast, so Geodude kept up with us by using Rollout, learning to steer the move with greater accuracy, while Onix just took the time to stretch out and move around freely. Zubat stayed tucked away in Brock's jacket as the morning sun grew brighter and hotter. Goldeen and Staryu were Misty's only water-types now, but since we were still around Cerulean, there was an abundance of water around us for the two to swim in, while Kakuna relaxed in Misty's arms.

My whole team was out, along with Ekans and Koffing, most walking around me. I took the moment to breathe and evaluate my line up.

Two dragon-types from powerful parents, one ground and the other a future flying-type, both extremely weak to ice, so fire moves, and cold resistance training would be smart. A steel/psychic-type I could only assume shared the same lineage as the other two, and already proven to be stronger than the average of their species, perhaps Grey could learn Confusion before evolving. A dark-type, with experience in the wild and a natural seer of disaster, and had easily come to be a second in command for me. Ruby was my starter, of course, but Athena's age and experience made her a natural leader. Lucario, while technically caught by me, was by no means a team member with his strength, and the two poison-types were only with me for now.

Kai and Ekans got along with their shared need to slither, the two chatting while we walked, with Koffing next to Ekans and Ruby next to Kai. Lucario took Athena away from us, both still in view, so they could battle without worrying about hitting us. Lucario only defended and dodged, allowing Athena to work on strengthening her moves, as well as increasing her stamina and speed.

That just left me with Grey, who gave Mewtwo space by hovering over my shoulder, occasionally bumping my cheek and whirring. Grey was the only Pokémon species I've not been able to understand so far, even the whirring noises were just sounds, though I started to realize the whir was probably like a cat purring, if the little smiles Mewtwo kept sending our way meant anything.

As it stood, most of my team wasn't as geared towards traveling and training, but letting them walk along us would at least build some stamina and stretch their muscles before tonight's training.

Once everyone was preoccupied I pulled out my Pokénav to read the info packs the three champions sent me on their gifted Pokémon. The way all three were formatted made them appear to be personal notes and studies of the specific Pokémon they were famous for. I started with Steven's, the Beldum line being a bit more mysterious to me than the other two.

Beldum, in a colony act, as a hive mind and show no independence until they evolve into Metang. However, individual Beldum owned by trainers have been shown to develop personalities and independent thoughts, displaying the intelligence their later evolutions are known for.

They have two main methods of communication: magnetic wavelengths and telepathy. Any physical sounds made by the Beldum line have been found to be unintelligible to both humans and Pokémon alike. Wild Beldum and their evolutions make little to no sounds, while trainer raised have shown to be far more noisy.

Beldum have a weaker connection to their psychic typing than their evolutions and thus are unable to fully develop telepathic communication with other species. Other psychic Pokémon have been observed to be capable of reading the thoughts of Beldum, but true communication is only found between Beldums themselves.

That explained a lot. I glanced at Grey who seemed to be reading over my shoulder.

"Can you read?" I asked. Their lone red eye blinked at me before curving into what I assumed was a smile as Grey whirred again and bumped my cheek. There was a slight sting now and I'm pretty sure I'd bruise there but it was fine so long as nothing broke.

Beldum have two main methods of evolution. In hive situations, two Beldum deemed acceptable to evolve by the leading Metagross – or in some cases leading Metang – will be fused together to create a sole Metang. The exact process is still being researched as to how it works, though evolutionary energy has been documented. The criteria the two Beldum must meet is also a mystery at this time. Evolution in a Hive is considered important, possibly even sacred, so few have managed to witness the event in person.

Single Beldum are still able to evolve outside of a hive and have been shown to have a more solid, stable personality than the hive formed. Evolutionary energy combined with a broader experience has been observed to be the reason for this evolution method to take place.

There is a more noticeable difference in intelligence between hive formed Metagross and single evolved Metagross has been observed.

"That's pretty cool," I said. The document went on for a long while so I flipped over to Dratini. Steven was very organized and I noticed after a quick skim that he got more scientific on certain matters… I would need a dictionary later. Lance on the other hand…

Dratini are social Pokémon. Females Dragonair raise the young in groups and are more likely to form bonds with other females than males. Dratini can leave the group after about seven months. Females form their own groups while males tend towards loner behavior. Trainer caught and raised don't do that… mine don't at least. Males work closely but listen more to the females in the end so Andromeda is the Dragonite in charge of my crew, despite Drake being my starter.

There was a major writing difference between Steven and Lance's documents. With only a quick scan I could see many tangents in Lance's that related to his own team's dynamics.

The Dratini line rarely claims territory and are one the kindest of the dragon-types, amiable even to other dragons, ice, and fairy types, whereas most other dragons tend toward hostility to their weaknesses. The only other exception is the Drampa line. I should add one to my team, Agatha would hate it.

I glanced over at Ruby and Kai, neither seemed at odds with each other nor uncomfortable with the other so close. I flipped over to the Gible doc, which had a table of contents.

The Gible line has appeared in many old stories in Sinnoh, mostly as dangerous threats given their evolutions tendency to violence, but some are benevolent stories that contradict their violent nature.

I skipped down through the myths and old stories, those were for me to read when we weren't walking.

Garchomp are solitary creatures only seeking out mates during the winter for warmth and breeding. Females are the more violent of the species, while males do fight other males it's more for dominance and show, while females normally aim to kill. Gible are only raised for a short time by parents before they are forced from the nest in late spring, early summer. Even those raised by humans tend to lose any paternal feelings after their young are old enough.

Young Gibles may form small groups around an unrelated Gabite to learn skills and have more of a chance to survive.

Gible tend to be the friendliest stage in the evolution while Gabite brings out their more territorial nature. Garchomp are the most vicious and can rival a Salamence in anger.

So one soon to be territorial dragon, one dragon with a tendency to being a loner, one steel-type developing their own personality, all three pseudo-legendaries that take a while to grow and evolve.

I cracked my neck, letting my gaze drift across everyone while I thought.

Ash is getting the three starters from this journey, and he got them in dex order, so Bulbasaur, Charmander, and then Squirtle… oh crap.

A large reason for Bulbasaur and Squirtle joining Ash was due to Team Rocket… who I changed the life path of already. Great. I'll just have to cross those bridges when we get to them. Some things happened before Bulbasaur… what were they…

I closed my eyes to think of what all happened before Vermillion City. I think the academy, yeah Ash had two badges then, and…

My eyes opened, a grin growing. Giant Dragonite! Bill's lighthouse where the giant Dragonite shows up! I wondered if I could talk to it, since Team Rocket won't show up to scare it off.

We stopped for camp around sunset and as Brock started making a campfire I realized I was finally about to taste Brock's cooking. We never had a chance between Rota and the bus rides, so now, finally, I get to taste the food that always made me hungry seeing it on TV.

While he cooked, all of our Pokémon got a short work out, Zubat joined the flying-types in their drills now that the sunlight was dimmer. I set my three pseudo-legends to work, running through their moves to feel out where they needed improvement while I searched my dex for new moves to start on, a note document opened on my Pokénav as well.

I had started several lists of ideas and moves I figured all of the Pokémon should learn, adding Kai and Grey on now. After a moment of thought I added Mewtwo as well, he and Grey came over to watch me after that.

Kai's data was pulled up first so I could record on my doc what he already knows: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister, Dragon Rage, along with the unlocked egg moves: Barrier, Dragon Dance, and Extreme Speed. I had no doubt that Lance and his Dragonites had trained Kai long before he came to me and the egg moves were no small surprise.

Kai offered to show Ruby Twister and Dragon Dance before I could suggest anything, though they both glanced over to make sure I was okay with it. I gave them a thumbs up and noted it down. The two of them would probably do well working together on their moves.

Aerial Ace for the flying-types and eventually anyone else that can learn it, non-missing moves were always good to have. Butterfree should learn more bug moves…

Oh no.

A feeling of dread dropped into my stomach as I looked up at Butterfree.

Oh no, no, no.

Mewtwo placed a hand on my shoulder and tilted his head.

I'll have to experience Bye, Bye Butterfree in person, and without Team Rocket to step in… huh Team Rocket won't be involved at all…

Bulbasaur and Squirtle joined Ash because of Team Rocket, Butterfree met his mate because he impressed her in stopping Team Rocket. Oh, I changed quite a bit…

Your thought process is somewhat tiring, Mewtwo said.

"Right, I should just focus on the now," I said.

Pikachu should focus on Thunderbolt and unlocking Volt Tackle, Electro Web might be good too and Butterfree can help with that.

Pursuit and Bite are Athena's only dark moves so Dark Pulse, Crunch, and Thief would be good and… she can learn Aerial Ace too so that along with her egg moves too.

I rolled my neck and looked over at Grey.

"Beldum aren't known to learn more than Take Down, and now some can get the hang of Iron Head, like you," I said. I reached up to pat their side and they hummed. "Are you interested in trying to learn Confusion? It would at least be good practice to feeling out your psychic abilities."

Grey agrees, Mewtwo said.

"Excellent," I smiled at the two of them. "This way you can work with Mewtwo as well."

Both of them tilted in confusion. I smiled at their cuteness, feeling some laughter begin to bubble up in my chest.

"The move Confusion is the most basic low level psychic-type move, so while Mewtwo learns to draw back his overwhelming power you can learn how to draw out your own," I explained. Another thought popped into my mind.

"Grey, can you tell if Mewtwo releases energy when he uses his psychic powers?" I asked. Grey tilted as they stared at Mewtwo before whirring excitedly, bobbing up and down with more energy. "I'll take that as a yes." I laughed.

Mewtwo looked at his hands, curiously.

"When we start training again, I want you two to stay close together," I said. "Grey, try to bring that energy into you, like… feed off of it… if that makes sense? You know to try and strengthen your own psychic powers."

Grey stared at me, little round head rotating as I spoke. They whirred and bumped my cheek, then moved to bump Mewtwo next.

They understand the idea, Mewtwo said.

"Great," I grinned and noted it in one doc.

I marked down a few more thoughts before Brock called for dinner.

He made curry and rice, so with an oversized helping, and after making sure everyone else was fed, I dug into what was honestly the best curry I'd ever had. The vegetables were soft and the meat tender, the spices mild but flavorful and the rice sticky. I could've cried.

XXX

After dinner, Ash and Misty cleaned up as Brock and I agreed to a meal making schedule. Once that was settled…

"My team," I called. "We're going to head out a bit for some private training."

"How come?" Ash asked.

"Because some privacy is helpful," I said, flicking Ash's forehead. His glare was adorable and held no malice as I smiled at him. Damn I was fond of this kid. "Mewtwo, Lucario, Koffing, and Ekans are welcome to come along."

Koffing and Ekans, stuffed from their own dinner, declined, the two curled up together by the campfire and started to doze. Grey nudged Mewtwo into coming along and Lucario didn't need to be asked twice.

I am technically a part of your team now, Lucario pointed out as we headed into a wooded area.

We found a little opened area and I set my team to their own tasks, while I worked on my own.

I've managed Meditate and Scary Face, and I did cough up water in an attempt at Water Gun, so moves were available to me but they're tricky. I figured I should start at the bare basics and use normal type moves first.

I pressed my back to one tree, my attention focused on another at the opposite side of the clearing.

Quick Attack, Quick Attack, I started moving, feeling myself moving faster and faster and… pain.

I slammed face first into my target tree and fell back to the ground.

"It's important to keep your eyes open while using Quick Attack," Athena said. She and Lucario stood over me, both looking very amused.

"Why didn't you stop me?" I groaned.

"Lucario felt it best for this to be a… learning opportunity," Athena said.

"I… hate…" I muttered, sitting up. I patted my face to check for blood, and sighed when I found none. I should've started with a status move.

I waved the two off and they went back to working out Dark Pulse together. Athena brought up the dark energy around her teeth for Bite, and Lucario touched it, eyes closed and aura appendages rising. When he pulled away, he brought a flicker of darkness with him, mixed with his own aura. The two focused on it, deep in thought.

Mewtwo was still working with the iron ball. He was incredibly focused on the ball floating in front of him, his eyes glowing a bright blue. Grey was in their spot over his shoulder, eye closed and body lightly glowing the same blue.

Kai and Ruby were off to the side, shimming in place. Kai was glowing with dragon energy as he swayed, while Ruby was only managing little sparks at the moment. She was definitely enjoying herself though, if the little bounces in her movement meant anything.

A Pokéball flew out of the tree line and smacked Kai on the head. It fell on the ground, useless, but it did cause all of us to stop working.

A boy came out of the woods, a Sandshrew at his side, and a full, lumpy sack over his shoulder. He looked familiar… but mostly, he looked annoying.

"Can we help you?" I asked, standing up to glare at the boy.

"I saw your Dratini and thought it was wild," the boy shrugged. His Sandshrew looked at me with wide eyes. "Can't blame me for trying to catch it."

"No, I can," I said.

"How about a trade?" he offered. He dropped the sack on the ground, revealing a bunch of Pokéballs inside. "I'll even trade you several Pokémon for your Dratini."

"No, thanks," I said.

"Come on, I can train it into a beast," he said. "You aren't doing anything with it."

Kai scowled, an odd look for a Dratini, and Ruby began to growl, her teeth bared at him.

"I said no, now leave," I said, my patience running thin.

The boy frowned, before smirking.

"Alright, how about a battle? You win, I leave you alone, I win, and you give me your Dratini," he said.

"In what world did you think that was a good offer? I can just leave and be done with you," I said. "If you tried to follow then I could report you for harassment."

"So you're a coward then," he sneered.

"Sure," I shrugged. His eye twitched as his face grew red.

"Then you don't deserve to have a dragon-type, you'll only fail to train it right," he spat.

"Enough," Kai said and moved over to my side. "I'll battle him."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "This kid doesn't deserve our time, let alone for us to "prove" anything to him."

"I can't allow him to disrespect my trainer," Kai said.

I shrugged.

"Fine, we'll battle," I said.

"See, your Dratini knows," the boy said.

He pulled a whip – of all things – off of his belt and snapped it in front of him. Sandshrew leapt in front of him while Kai slithered in front of me. The rest of my Pokémon moved behind me, none looking pleased.

I snapped my fingers when I realized who this guy was.

"You're the kid that wants to win a hundred battle before taking on the league, right," I said.

"So you've heard of me," he smirked and puffed out his chest. "I'm about to have 96 wins."

He snapped his whip and Sandshrew leapt into the air, spinning.

Is 95 wins a lot now? Lucario asked. I shrugged.

"Barrier," I said.

Kai's head fins flicked as a solid pink barrier formed around him. Sandshrew struck it hard, his body continuing to spin, but ultimately, Kai's barrier stood strong.

"Did that Pokémon speak?!" the boy asked.

Of course not, Lucario said.

"That would be ridiculous," I added.

Utterly absurd, Mewtwo tacked on.

Sandshrew landed, the barrier released, and I noticed the slight glow still around Kai.

"Oh, Twister," I said.

The boy snapped his whip again, Sandshrew spun again and leapt back into the air. Kai's eyes glowed, wind wrapping around him and draconic energy building. Sandshrew was dragged into the Twister, pelted by rocks, wind, and dragon energy, boosted further by the Dragon Dances that Kai had been doing earlier.

The attack ended and Sandshrew landed with a heavy thud, unconscious.

"What?! How?" the boy shouted. "Sandshrew's defenses are incredibly strong."

"Hey, you were the one who interrupted our training before Kai had time to cool down," I said.

He didn't say any more, just returned Sandshrew, lifted the sack back over his shoulder, and left.

"You know what I find really weird," I said after a long moment. "No one ever questions Mewtwo."

There was a moment of thought before everyone agreed.

"Good work, Kai, that barrier was strong," I said. Kai preened and happily accepted a pet on the head.

We went back to training, once Lucario confirmed that kid was gone. I sat under a tree this time to work on status moves. Growl came easily, barely took any concentration, maybe because I was still annoyed.

XXXX

I made it back to camp expecting everyone to be asleep, everyone but Lucario and Mewtwo were tucked away to rest. Brock was still up, sitting by the fire.

"Where were you?" he asked, sounding much like an upset parent. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Brock," I sighed. "If Ash or Misty stay out like this, then I'm all for the parent act, but I'm not going to let you try it on me."

We stared at each other for a long moment before he finally deflated.

"Right, sorry," he said. "I just got worried."

"I do appreciate the concern," I said. "Now go to sleep."

XXXX

As we traveled the next day, Ash was challenged by several trainers we passed. He won each battle with ease, the only issue was the ego boost it was giving him. He flashed his badges every chance he got, but I guess he was still a good sport… I'd stop him if he got bad.

"Wow, you really are strong," the last challenger said, shaking Ash's hand. "I would suggest you battle AJ but he apparently lost a battle yesterday so he's closed for training."

"AJ?" Ash asked.

That was his name! Really had been bothering me.

"Yeah, he started his own "gym" so he could battle people," the kid said. "He wants to win 100 times before taking on the real gyms."

"And he lost?" Misty asked.

"Yup! Wish I could see who beat him! He beat me two days ago," the kid said. "95 wins and 1 loss."

I smiled to myself, Mewtwo chuckled in my head.

"Well if he's not accepting challengers, guess we'll have to pass," Brock said.

"You could always check out the Pokémon Academy," the kid said. "It's just down the road from here, maybe an hour walk."

He said goodbye before anyone could ask another question and we continued on our way. Brock and Misty took turns explaining the academy to Ash, and to a lesser extent me, as we went.

Sure enough, about an hour later we came across the academy, though since we were technically ahead of schedule there were no kids "studying" outside when we arrived.

"Should we really wander into a school?" I asked.

"It's fine, the school is open to all traveling trainers," Brock said.

"Cause that's safe," I muttered more to myself. Then I remembered I was no longer back home and this world was most likely "safer" in the sense that people didn't just… you know.

There was a teacher at the entrance that greeted us.

"Welcome! Are you kids here for some classes?" he asked.

My eye didn't twitch…

I busied myself with returning everyone but Athena and Lucario, by this point those two were bound to be left out.

"I came to battle!" Ash declared.

"Yeah!" Pikachu added. They both pumped their fist in excitement.

"Well, we'll be having a break soon," the teacher said, motioning us to follow. "Perhaps you should put your Pokémon away so the others can't plan around them."

"They are?" Ash said, looking around him confused. He patted his two Pokéballs on his belt just to make sure.

"I think he means me," Pikachu huffed. He was right and glared at the teacher when he pointed it out.

"Pikachu doesn't like Pokéballs, so he stays out," Ash said.

"Ah then perhaps some obedience classes would be good while you're here," the teacher suggested.

"Obedience and trust are very different things," I said. "Pikachu trusts Ash and he trusts Pikachu, that's all that matters."

He looked at me and frowned deeply.

"Visitor or student, children shouldn't talk back to their teachers," he said.

"Another point. Talking back and standing up for yourself are different too," I said.

"Young lady, return your Pokémon at once and apologize for your lack of manners," he insisted.

"Brit's not a lady, though," Ash said. "Or a child."

"It's fine, Ash," I said, smiling at him. "You can really tell a lot about people by how they treat people they see as inferior. Don't grow up to be like him, okay? Everyone deserves respect, even Pokémon."

"Right!" Ash nodded, matching my smile with a grin.

The teacher was about to retort but the bell rang.

"By the way," I said as we passed him to head to the battlefields, "I'm 25, and don't appreciate your tone."

Ash was already battling a kid when I walked up. Pikachu against a Geodude. I looked around the area until I found the girl I was looking for, Giselle I believe her name was. She was watching the battle and talking rather loud to her friends.

"These foolish traveling trainers don't know anything about true battling," she said. "A little Pikachu could never hope to beat a Geodude."

Pikachu defeated Geodude.

Ash and Pikachu cheered, as Giselle stared, slack jaw, at them. She snapped out of it fast and stepped up to battle. Her Cubone against Butterfree.

Um… Mewtwo moved closer to me, anxiety rolling off of him.

A bunch of kids were staring at us, mainly focused on him, curiosity clear in all of them.

"Staring is rude," I said. Most stopped staring though it didn't last as the teacher approached me with a woman in a business suit.

"Excuse me," the woman said. She looked at my Pokémon warily before she continued. "I need to see your trainer ID."

"Sure," I shrugged and fished out my Pokédex. Both of them seemed slightly taken aback by that as they pulled up my ID. The woman cleared her throat as she handed the dex back to me.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, it would seem there was a question as to your actual age," she explained.

"Oh, probably because he was being incredibly rude and speaking down to me," I said with a shrug. "He must've wanted to feel vindicated."

His face went red. I didn't bother to hide my smile.

"Well, I'm sorry for the rude welcome, I hope it doesn't color your opinion on our school," she said.

Honestly, there was no raising my opinion of this place, but I was polite enough to hold my tongue on that matter.

Ash won against the Cubone when I glanced back, and Giselle released a Graveller against Pidgeotto.

"That boy is going to lose with a type disadvantage like that," the teacher said.

I snorted.

"You don't know Ash," I said.

"Giselle is our top student," the teacher said. "She would never lose in a match so weighted in her favor."

Graveller used Rock Throw and Ash called for Steel Wing. Pidgeotto blocked and threw the rock back with her steel covered wings. She dove after it, slamming a wing into Graveller's midsection before swooping back into the air.

"Now, Gust Storm!" Ash shouted. Pidgeotto cried out in confirmation and beat her wings for Gust. That Gust grew and grew until small flares of dragon energy appeared within it. I don't know how, or when, he managed to teach Pidgeotto Twister, but damn, go Ash.

Giselle called for another Rock Throw, but it was over. Pidgeotto was no longer in the same place, having used Faint Attack to move without being seen. She appeared behind Graveller, striking him with first the dark move then finishing him with Steel Wing.

"Graveller is unable to battle, the winner is Pidgeotto!" Brock announced, acting as ref.

"Way to go Ash!" I called and smirked at the teacher.

Honestly, nothing against teachers, but this guy really shouldn't be one with the way he acts. Even Lucario seemed to feel the same, if the annoyance I felt from him said anything.

"Since you seem so keen on talking up this kid, then how about we battle," the teacher said.

"I don't understand how those are related," I said.

"Clearly, you are his coach, and if you can't win a single battle then what does that say for your student?" he asked. "Your strongest Pokémon against mine."

I wasn't sure what to really say on that, but turns out I didn't need to. Lucario nudged me in the side and gave me a look.

"Are you sure? I mean… how about the second strongest in my party?" I offered.

"Please, you'll need your strongest," he said.

I gave him a chance. I really did.

"Alright," I shrugged.

"Clear the field!" he ordered, striding across to take Giselle's spot. I saw him say something to her before she left the field as I stood next to Ash.

"My turn," I said. Ash grinned and stepped back with Misty to watch.

"One on one battle," I called to Brock who repeated it in an official voice.

"This will be a one on one battle between Brit and…" A student leaned forward to tell him the teacher's name. "Mr. Iver. Begin!"

"Nidoking!" Iver shouted, releasing a rather massive Nidoking. Lucario stepped onto the field.

"You got this?" I asked Lucario.

Of course, he said. Feel free to catch up on other things.

"K," I said and pulled out my Pokénav.

"Not even going to watch?!" Iver shouted.

I turned on the camera and started to record the battle. Mewtwo was greatly amused by this. Students were looking at me like I was insane, though some were snickering at my actions. I heard a few mention Nidoking only being used for demonstrations because he was so strong.

"Nidoking, Earthquake!" Iver shouted.

The ground shook and nearly threw people to the ground before two Alakazams were released to erect a barrier around the field.

Lucario was unfazed, Mewtwo reported.

True to form, Lucario didn't even move to avoid the attack. Nor did he for the next several that followed. Iver clearly grew frustrated, switching out the long range for up close.

"Brick Break!" he shouted.

Nidoking huffed and began to charge at Lucario.

"Hey!" I called. "I'm getting bored."

Lucario glanced back at me, smiled and waved for the camera, before turning back to the charging Nidoking. He stretched out one paw, planting his feet slightly wider apart and stopped Nidoking without so much as scooting back from the impact. There was a collection of gasps followed by more as Lucario simply flicked his wrist down, sending Nidoking flying backwards and slamming into the barrier.

Nidoking picked himself up, glare set on his opponent as he slammed his tail down for another Earthquake. Lucario nodded slightly as the attack started to peter out, lifted one leg, and dropped it back to the ground.

The earth tore up in a straight line from Lucario to Nidoking, never straying or spidering off, just one perfect line. Nidoking roared in pain at the ground move before fainting.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner!" Brock announced, the only person not stunned into silence.

I stopped recording and sent the video to the champions, figuring they would appreciate it, or at least… want to give Lucario a real challenge some time.

"You should've taken my offer," I said. "Athena would've taken a bit longer to finish this and would've gotten a work out in the process."

Iver just stared at his defeated Pokémon. A bell rang and students started to head back to their classes.

"Perhaps I should offer you a job here," the woman from earlier said.

"Nah," I said. "Traveling is where I'm meant to be right now."

"We should go anyways," I added. "Lots of ground to cover."

XXXX

Two days of traveling found us in a forest with Ash still leading the way. We were in fact lost in extremely tall grass, that made it difficult to see the shorter Pokémon after a point that I had to return them for the meantime.

"MMM AHH!" Misty shouted suddenly. "We're lost! Why on earth did we allow Ash to lead us?!"

"Fun?" I offered and received a glare.

"It's not that bad Misty," I laughed. "Look, we can rest up ahead."

We stopped by a tiny pond where an Oddish was drinking.

"Hey, a Pokémon!" Ash shouted and pulled out his dex.

Ash and Misty argued over catching it like I remembered and Misty sent out Staryu to battle. I knew the outcome, of course, the moment Misty threw the Pokéball… bam! Bulbasaur appeared to protect Oddish.

"A Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted in excitement. "My turn!"

"Wait!" I called. Ash stuttered in his attempt to turn his hat around to look at me. Bulbasaur and Oddish paused as well, shock on their faces.

"Sorry, Ash but look," I pointed at the two grass-types. "Bulbasaur is protecting Oddish, so something is probably wrong, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess so," Ash said. He calmed down some as he looked at the two. I stepped around him to crouch on the ground.

"Hey, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding," I said. "I promise I won't allow them to attack you again."

"Thanks," Bulbasaur huffed. "We're going home."

"Wait, please," I said. "We're kinda lost, could you bring us with you? I'll keep everyone on their best behavior."

Bulbasaur eyed the other three suspiciously, even looking at Mewtwo for a long moment before he nodded and motioned with a vine for us to follow.

Oddish walked ahead of us, Bulbasaur between it and us, as they led us to the hidden village.

"So why is Bulbasaur protecting Oddish?" Ash asked.

"I protect all of the Pokémon of our village," Bulbasaur said. Lucario translated for them.

Village? Mewtwo asked, cocking his head.

"We'll get you directions and then you can leave," Bulbasaur huffed.

I thought of the episode for Mewtwo's benefit and he nodded along, appreciation tapping my mind from him.

The village of course was only a single cabin. Melanie was outside tending to some of the Pokémon as we approached.

"Oh, Bulbasaur! Who'd you bring with you?" Melanie asked, dusting herself off as she stood.

"Hi," I waved and introduced everyone. "We got a bit lost and Bulbasaur agreed to help us out."

"Really? How odd," Melanie said. "I'm Melanie, and this is like my own personal Pokémon sanctuary. I take care of the sick and injured Pokémon around here so they can return to the wild."

"Oh wow! That's amazing!" Misty said.

"Incredible! And you work all alone?" Brock asked, blushing.

"Yes, it's hard work, but I love it," Melanie said. "You are welcomed to rest here, but please don't try to catch or fight any of the Pokémon."

"Of course," I nodded. I didn't need to look at the others for them to agree as well. "We'd be happy to help out as well." I added.

"That would be wonderful! Thank you!" Melanie said.

It was about then I noticed all of the eyes on me. I dropped my stuff by the house, the others followed suit. Several Pokémon stared at me a little too long and Melanie took notice.

"They really seem interested in you," Melanie said.

"That's because all Pokémon love Brit!" Ash said. "Even really really strong ones loved Brit instantly. Which is why Brit is the coolest person ever."

"Ash," I sighed, my cheeks warmed some at his words.

Melanie giggled at us as I gave Ash a light shove away from me, smiling the whole time. She gave us simple tasks to do after that.

Misty apologized to Oddish and Bulbasaur kept a wary eye on them. Ash was given a cloth and went to wipe down a Staryu. After explaining his dream to Melanie, she entrusted Brock with a Weepinbell that needed his leaves trimmed. Mewtwo and Grey spoke with an Abra, Athena sat beside the river and looked to be talking with a Magikarp, and Lucario was with Melanie, translating for a couple of Pidgey.

Two Rattata were with me, both claiming to be perfectly fine, they just didn't want to leave such a safe place. That got my mind going and after mulling it over for a moment, but I needed to check something before I was certain.

While everyone worked I moved from one group to another, checking on the Pokémon and seeing how long some had been there. The Rattata had been there the longest and there were more Pokémon hanging around than were being worked with, so I took the time to talk with all of them as well.

When I was certain of my idea, I went over to Melanie with the Rattata following at my heels.

"This is a really nice place," I said.

"Thank you," Melanie smiled. "It's nice to have some help, especially being able to understand exactly what's wrong with them."

"How long have some of these Pokémon with you?" I asked.

"Oh, well I try to make sure that the Pokémon here are healed up before they leave, though I suppose some of them have stayed beyond that," Melanie answered. She looked concerned as she began to pet one of the Rattata with me. "But I've noticed recently that this place has become too safe, and a lot of the Pokémon aren't leaving because of that. I know he means well," she glanced over a Bulbasaur with obvious fondness, "but Bulbasaur has thrown himself so deeply into the role of protector that it's doing more harm than good. I really want to make sure the Pokémon here can return to their natural environment and flourish, but if they stay here, they won't reach their full potential."

"You're a really good person, Melanie," I said. She ducked her head a bit at that, but I could see the small smile and blush on her face.

"You're also right," I continued, sending a glance at the Rattata, both of which had the decency to look sheepish. "Having a refuge like this is nice, but taking advantage of it only hurts those who need it more. Perhaps…" Ideas were clicking into my mind as I looked at the wild Pokémon around us. "Have you ever asked the Pokémon you treat to help you in return?"

"Oh, I couldn't," Melanie shook her head.

"No, no, think about this," I said, "Bulbasaur referred to this place as a village, and in a village, everyone supports each other to make a working community. You heal these Pokémon, give them food, shelter, and a safe haven while they recover. So then, Rattata," they both glanced up at me, "instead of just staying here because she gives you food for nothing, why don't you act as scouts. You can move through the forest, find those who need help and guide them here or warn Melanie about intruders. You can ask the Pokémon to help you without withholding whatever you are willing to give. If they don't want to help then fine, but if they do…"

There was a pop of air and the Abra appeared beside us, floating a few inches off the ground.

I… help… a strained voice echoed in my mind. Melanie flinched slightly so I'm sure she heard it too. Abra's serene face suddenly scrunched up in annoyance, followed by a bright glow of white.

Mewtwo and Grey came over as Abra grew into a Kadabra.

She heard what you were saying, Mewtwo explained.

Kadabra looked over her new form, eyes curving up in a grin.

Help. Melanie. Speak. Pokémon. Kadabra's voice came through clearer now, though still stilted, her meaning was clear as day.

Melanie was tearing up, hand pressed over her mouth. Others were gathering around too, curious about what was happening. Bulbasaur reached a vine up to wipe a tear from Melanie's face.

Images passed through my mind, all of which revolved around helping Melanie. It took a moment for me to realize it was Kadabra projecting them to the Pokémon, as a lot of them began to rally around her.

"It looks like they agree," I smiled.

"Everyone," Melanie sniffled, her smile impossible to hide. "Oh, Bulbasaur, that would mean less to protect with all the extra help."

"It's fine," Bulbasaur patted her shoulder, his meaning felt through his actions. "I'm still here for you Melanie."

She shook her head.

"No, Bulbasaur, you know this place isn't meant to be stayed at forever, and you're far too strong and adventurous to stagnate here," Melanie said. She rubbed a spot behind his bulb that had him closing his eyes.

"So you're going to kick Bulbasaur out?" Misty asked.

"No, of course not," Melanie said. "Perhaps he would like to go with you?"

She looked at me then and I hadn't expected that…

"Actually," I knelt in front of Bulbasaur, meeting his eyes, "I don't think I would be the right choice, but if you want a trainer who will respect you, love you, and listen to what you want out of life, then Ash here is the trainer for you."

Ash beamed at us while Bulbasaur looked him over.

"I would be happy to have you Bulbasaur!" Ash said.

Bulbasaur looked from him to me to Melanie and then back at Ash. Pidgeotto and Butterfree landed beside him and Pikachu on his shoulder, all of them ready for whatever Bulbasaur decided.

I'm certain I was the only one who anticipated Bulbasaur throwing himself at Ash's stomach and knocking him down. While the others worried for a moment, Ash began to laugh.

"I get it," he said. "You want to battle first."

Bulbasaur huffed and widened his stance, ready to fight. Butterfree fluttered forward, excited for a fight. Ash barely finished giving a command before Butterfree shot forward in a Tackle, dodging around Bulbasaur's vines.

"Now! Gust!" Ash called. Butterfree flared his wings, body jerked back by the force before he brought his wings forward, wind whipping up in front of him. Bulbasaur inhaled deeply and blew out an almost as strong wind current.

"Keep it up and Confusion!" Ash said. Butterfree's wings kept up the pace, eyes beginning to glow an ethereal blue that encased Bulbasaur, lifting him in the air. Bulbasaur lost focus, his breath ending and Butterfree's Gust hit him full force. The Confusion was dropped in time for Bulbasaur to be thrown backwards.

"Go! Pokéball!" The red and white sphere flew through the air and smacked Bulbasaur square on the forehead and sucked him in. Three shakes and a click later and Ash now had his fourth teammate.

The following minutes were spent treating Bulbasaur and Melanie saying her goodbyes, so I had one more idea to enact. I went over to the little Oddish who was still standing near Misty.

"Hey, Oddish," I said. "Would you be interested in a trainer?"

"With you?" Oddish asked with wide eyes, a hint of fear in them.

"No, no, no, while I have no doubt that you'd be an amazing partner, I think your talents would be best with Misty here," I said.

"Me?" Misty blinked in surprise. I nodded.

"See, Misty wants to become a water-type master, and I think one of the best ways to do that is to have teammates that are strong against water-types," I explained. "A grass-type like you would be a great partner to help Misty, and while she's a little hot headed, she's also one of the most caring people I know. I'm sure that no matter what you decide to do later in life, Misty will support you."

"Brit…" Misty whispered. She knelt beside me and held a hand out to Oddish.

"I'd be happy to have you with me," she said.

Oddish grinned and hopped into Misty's arms, lucky that Kakuna wasn't there for once.

A few more goodbyes were said, and Melanie pointed us in the direction of the nearest Pokémon center.

XXX

The nearest Pokémon Center was still three days away from the hidden village. Unbeknownst to my human companions, these were three of the most stress filled days so far. I checked the weather almost hourly, sometimes more as we walked, and while we were ahead of schedule, I still worried about the storm predicted to hit the area in four days.

Training did make for a good distraction, however.

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf and Whirlwind!" Ash called.

Sharp leaves rose out of Bulbasaur's bulb and flew forward with perfect control, his whirlwind whipped them into a dangerously sharp vortex. Butterfree let himself drop from the air to avoid the worst of it, nicked by the edges of a couple of leaves.

"Hmph, good dodge," Bulbasaur nodded. He brought his vines out, Leech Seeds attached to them and a faint trace of purple powder on them.

"Great! Now, Butterfree, Confusion and Powders!"

Butterfree's eyes glowed with the ethereal blue of psychic energy as his wings released a potent combination of Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Poison Powder. His psychic control condensed the cloud of spores and surrounded himself with it. The spores wouldn't stop any attacks, but would be trouble for any close combat Pokémon.

Butterfree dove forward, the cloud of powders kept around him but not touching him as he aimed for Bulbasaur. The powders wouldn't do anything to the grass-type, but the practice of keeping them around Butterfree was needed.

He dodged around Bulbasaur's snapping vines, twisting his body and spreading the powders.

"Take this!" Butterfree brought his wings forward in a close combat Gust and sent Bulbasaur skidding backwards. He lost control of his powders in that moment, the cloud spreading out further than intended. Realizing the cloud could spread to the others, Butterfree back pedaled, calling for a pause as he focused on bringing it all back to him.

"Drop them on me, I can absorb them," Bulbasaur said, motioning with one vine. The powders landed on Bulbasaur, coating his entire body. He shook a little, eyes closed as he took a moment to absorb the spores into his skin and bulb.

"Wanna keep going?" Butterfree asked once the spores were all gone.

Bulbasaur smacked his lips a bit as he settled, then nodded, spreading his legs into a fighting stance. The two started back at it again, occasionally changing moves when Ash called for them.

I'm proud to say that I only had to mention combo moves and Ash did the rest. It actually took Lucario showing me a couple of combo moves he and Sir Aaron invented to make me remember a very key feature of the world around me: this isn't a video game.

No longer was I bound to the turn based battles or four move limits. There was also the wondrous discovery, after watching a few league videos, that type advantage could be severely overcome. Watching one of Lance's Dragonites take a full blown Blizzard and not so much as flinch was really eye opening.

Pidgeotto swooped past the battling two, a Gust of her own throwing off their battle briefly before she had to focus on her own task. Pikachu was bobbing and weaving around their training area, working on attacking on the move while also attacking a moving target. Pidgeotto was tasked with dodging his attacks as well as throwing her own at random teams to keep them on their toes.

"That all you got Sparky?!" Pidgeotto called, angling herself away from a Thundershock.

"You're so lucky I can't stop moving!" Pikachu called back with a heavy pant. Static built on his cheeks as an idea formed in his mind.

"Maybe you're just not as fast as you thi-" Pidgeotto cut off as she had to back wing quickly. Pikachu used his speed to jump against a tree and propel himself into the air, electricity coating his whole body as he aimed for Pidgeotto.

He managed to clip her wing as he passed and did a few somersaults to ease his descent before landing in a skid on all fours.

"Nice, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. "Pidgeotto, try to use Steel Wing next time!"

Both Pokémon nodded and went back to it. Pidgeotto sped past Bulbasaur and Butterfree, messing up their flow with another Gust. Pikachu took the moment to breathe before shooting off in a Quick Attack, sparks building once more.

Misty had Staryu and Oddish sparring to bring the grass-type up to speed. Her Absorbs were decent against the water-type, and Brock noticed she was close to turning it into Mega Drain. Staryu thankfully had Recover so they could keep going for a long while before growing tired.

"Keep it up, Oddish!" Misty called. "You're doing great! Staryu, use Rapid Spin."

Staryu began to spin in place before shooting forward like a ninja star. Oddish hopped out of the way, green energy pulling from Staryu as they passed.

Goldeen was working on her speed out of water, using Water Sport to aid in maneuvering over the grass. She was aiming Pecks and Horn Attacks at a few targets set up around her, listening for Misty's cues to change the move or target.

Kakuna rested in Misty's arms, content to watch her teammates train.

Brock was kind enough to work with Ekans and Koffing, with Zubat watching from his vest pocket. His rock-types were both working on Rock Polish to aid their speed.

As for my team.

Grey flew through the air like a bullet, switching between steel and normal energy as they attempted to hit either Kai or Ruby. The dragons, for their part, had to focus on increasing their speed with Dragon Dance and not getting hit. Needless to say, both had several bruises blooming over their bodies. If that wasn't bad enough, Athena would occasionally leap in to attack between her bouts with Lucario.

"Brrrrrrrrr," Grey trilled as they made another pass on the two. Both dragons dodged to opposite sides, draconic energy flowing over them. I rolled my lips to stifle my laughter, the pure joy the little steel-type was displaying was adorable.

Even Kai and Ruby, despite glaring at their teammate, couldn't help the small smiles at the happy noises the Beldum made whenever they passed.

For his part, Lucario was mainly defending against Athena's attacks, only sending out his own when she least expected it. It became clear very fast that he was holding himself back as she managed to dodge his attacks. He aimed for blind spots, having her rely on disaster sense to avoid the hits.

"When will you cease-" Athena cut off as she caught Lucario's paw in her horn and flung it to one side. She leapt backwards, Razor Wind building, as her eyes widened a fraction. Aura flared briefly around Lucario, so strong it appeared almost solid before disappearing. "Nevermind. Please continue to restrain yourself."

Lucario's little smirk spoke volumes as he allowed the normal move to strike him. One aura appendage quirked slightly as he thought.

Not bad, but it needs more of an edge, he said. He leapt back a bit as Athena released a weak Dark Pulse - neither had quite gotten the hang of the move yet - and shot back one of his own. His was noticeably stronger and Athena clearly took offense to that, as she charged another.

They all seem content to train, Mewtwo said to me. He floated beside me as I watched the area. I tried to focus mainly on my own team, but I couldn't help but watch over everyone.

"Some Pokémon love to fight and get stronger," I said, "but some don't as well."

What happens to those who don't? he asked.

"If you'd have asked me that a couple of days ago, I wouldn't have had an answer," I said. I looked over everyone training once more and over to where Brock was setting up for lunch. I could feel eyes on me. I'd felt them the moment we stopped to train and weirdly… I wasn't creeped out by it.

Lucario had assured me the eyes belonged solely to wild Pokémon and no humans were following us. Mewtwo had added that none had hostile thoughts.

And now? Mewtwo asked.

"Now… I'm thinking of what I saw in Pewter and Cerulean and Rota," I said. "Pokémon were everywhere but so many weren't battle Pokémon. Pets, companions, employees, I think Pokémon can work just about anywhere they want."

Even me? he asked.

"Of course!" I grinned up at him. "If there is anything you want to try out, let me know, I'll see how I can help."

He didn't say anything, but the feeling of gratitude settled in my mind. It was in these moments that I could push the nagging worry to the back of my mind, a nice sense of peace settled in me.

xxxx

The next couple of days passed much the same, though my anxiety began to ramp up more and more, keeping us from stopping anywhere for too long until nightfall. So to say I almost cried in relief when we came across the rock with Charmander curled up on it, was an understatement. Like hell was I leaving him there for another night, storm or no storm. After talking Ash out of attempting to out right catch Charmander, I went over with Lucario to speak with him while everyone else hung back.

"Hey Charmander," I said, quietly.

"You're…" Charmander's breathing was heavy.

"Yeah, I am," I said. I held a hand out towards him. "May I?"

At his nod, I ran my fingers over his head, feeling the slight warmth to his smooth scales. He closed his eyes, content with my petting for the moment, a low rumble in his throat.

"Charmander," I whispered after a moment. I waited for him to make a sound before I continued. "I'm really sorry, but I need to tell you something." He opened one eye, the blue iris dull and glassy as he looked at me. "Damian isn't coming back." It's a harsh truth, especially for a Pokémon as loyal as Charmander, but it needed to be said.

"But… he promised," Charmander argued, a whine to his voice. I felt my throat tighten and tears threatened to well up as I looked at the broken face of a trusting Pokémon.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "if I could tell you otherwise I would, but… I can't lie to you."

Tears welled up in his eyes before squeezing closed tightly as he curled into himself.

Lucario stepped forward and placed a paw on my shoulder, sympathy clear in his eyes.

"Charmander, I know this is hard," I said, breathing deep to center myself, "but you're starving, freezing, and maybe hurt. We need to get you to the Pokémon Center, okay?"

Charmander didn't answer, nor did he resist as I carefully pulled him towards me. I leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, whispering another apology.

With that, I took a step back, one hand still resting on Charmander, and turned toward my friends.

"Ash," I waved him over and waited for him to get to me before I continued. "I need you to carry Charmander for me. He's not well and he's been through a major trauma, so a Pokéball wouldn't be good for right now."

"Got it," Ash nodded. He stepped forward and carefully scooped Charmander into his arms, not a sign of fight in the fire-type. The look on his face, it was so very Ash Ketchum, filled with determination and love and the need to do the right thing, it almost made me choke up at the sight. An instinctual knowledge rose from my subconscious as I stared at him, and if I hadn't already known this truth it may have startled me with just how deeply I felt it: Ash was Chosen.

The look on Lucario's face told me he felt it too, but there was no time for that as we took off in a jog. Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder to run at his heels while Misty and Brock followed behind us with Mewtwo and Athena, all of us focused solely on the center that laid just ahead.

Nurse Joy had taken one look at Charmander and rushed him into the intensive care unit without a word to any of us. The heaviness of the reality around Charmander weighed down on my shoulders while I made the other three go for food.

Your memories claim that he'll be alright, Mewtwo said.

"I know… but…" my teeth clenched and my hands curled into fists and I scanned over the lounge of the Pokémon Center.

You should eat as well, Lucario said. You haven't eaten much the last few days.

With an annoyed sigh, I decided to listen, trying to ignore the curious gaze Mewtwo leveled me with as we joined the others. Ash kept shooting looks at the door Nurse Joy had gone through, only picking at his food.

We were half way through lunch when Nurse Joy came to our table, a severe look on her face that looked very out of place on her.

"Who does the Charmander belong to?" she asked.

"We found him on a rock just a little way away from here," I answered. "He was left there by his trainer who promised to return for him."

Nurse Joy seemed to deflate a bit at that, anger turning to sorrow.

"Will Charmander be okay?" Ash asked.

"He's stable now and should make a full recovery," she said. "If you hadn't gotten here when you did, I don't know what might've happened."

"Can we see him?" Ash asked, already pushing away from the table.

Nurse Joy pursed her lips as she looked over us.

"Yes, but only one at a time, I don't want to overstimulate him," she said.

"Go on, Ash," I said. "I think you'd be good for him. Talk to him, but remember to be calm."

Ash grinned at me, nodding as he followed Nurse Joy into the back.

Good. I needed Ash gone for what came next.

When Nurse Joy approached us, as eager as I was to hear about Charmander, I couldn't keep my gaze from falling past her, landing on the person I've been waiting to meet. Damien entered with a group of people surrounding him, hanging off his every word.

My Pokénav was out of my pocket the moment Ash was out of sight, camera up and zoomed in on Damien's face.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked.

"That," I really did try to keep the venom from my voice, "is the person who abandoned Charmander."

I heard Misty suck air in between her teeth, her own anger roiling off her in waves. Brock was silent as he stared at me, my fingers tapping over my nav as I filed an abandonment report and shot a copy off to Lance.

"Brock, Misty," my throat felt tight, "I - an adult - cannot condone violence, nor should I ever think of hitting a child." I stood, giving them both a smile. "I think I ought to get some air."

My Pokémon followed me at the unspoken signal.

In my time, his age wouldn't matter. Lucario whispered. Not for that sort of crime, at least.

"He'll be punished, rest assured," I said. There were three dots showing Lance was typing back so I kept my nav in hand as we walked around the center. I breathed deeply, taking in the smell before the rain, always soothing.

"Yes, I see disaster in his future," Athena said, sounding a little too happy.

I couldn't help the smile at that though, glancing at Mewtwo to see how he was doing. He looked thoughtful, his tail swishing slowly behind him and Grey over his shoulder.

Behind the center was a small battlefield, nothing like the ones at the centers in the cities, though I doubted many trainers spent long here. Mewtwo perked up a little more, head tilting to look at a window.

Ash is there, he said.

Curious, I snuck over to the window to peak in. I couldn't hear anything, but Ash was smiling, talking in the excited way of his to Charmander. The little fire-type was staring at him, clearly uncertain about what to expect. Bulbasaur sat at Ash's side, occasionally making gestures with his vines whenever he would catch Charmander's eye. Pikachu was on his normal perch, occasionally adding to whatever Ash was saying and his two flying types were perched on the bed. Pidgeotto leaned forward at one point, gently nipping at Charmander's neck before rubbing their heads together and Butterfree flapped his wings in joy as Charmander seemed to respond to them.

It was slow, but the beginnings of trust could be seen in Charmander's eyes as he began to warm up to the little group.

I smiled and left them be, feeling a little lighter as we gathered in the training field.

"Let's just run through what we are learning right now," I said. "Nice and simple."

I dropped my bag and dug out the Iron Ball for Mewtwo. He levitated it from my grip before I could toss it, though his attention wasn't really on it. His gaze was on my backpack, tail flicking a bit before stopping as he decidedly looked anywhere else.

I checked the others were working before opening up the berry pocket.

"Pecha for your thought?" I asked, holding the berry out to him. His pupils grew huge as he gingerly, physically, took the berry from me.

I was thinking how convenient a bag would be, he said as he ate the berry. Then I remembered I do not own anything.

"Mewtwo," I whispered. Damn Giovanni and his damned ways. "If you want a bag we can shop for one in Vermillion. As for owning stuff, well that Iron Ball is yours and I've actually portioned off some Pechas for you only, so those too. You can have other things too, if you want. I mean I have a bunch of random junk in my bag now because I like to collect stuff I find and…" I took a breath. "Please know, you can ask for things, Mewtwo. Maybe we can't always get it right away, but I can't help if I don't know."

Mewtwo stared at me for the longest time, eyes searching for something and the light pressure on my mind made me realize he was looking for a lie. When he found nothing, the pressure disappeared and his eyes closed. A small nod was his only response.

I patted his shoulder before another thought occurred to me.

"May I hug you?" I asked.

His eyes snapped open once more, wide and uncertain.

"You can absolutely say no," I assured. "If you don't want someone to touch you, then you have every right to say no."

He looked at the ground, his feet barely above grazing the packed dirt. I'd never seen him walk before, now that I thought about it. He seemed to hear that thought, amusement rolling off him as he lowered himself to the ground and held out his arms, a bit stiffly.

I stepped forward, moving slow so he could pull back at any time. My arms wrapped around his torso, head pressed to his chest. Mewtwo was well over 6ft, another tall person in my life. Curse my shortness.

His own arms folded around me, stiff and awkward, as he tried to figure out how he felt.

"You're free, Mewtwo," I whispered. "You can be whoever you want to be."

There was a slight tremor in his body, his arms tightening around me more as he relaxed into it, head bowed to rest in the crook of my neck. I didn't think about the wet spots I felt on my shoulder, thinking instead of the attention we were garnering from the rest of the team.

Grey was the first to break the little silence, whirring over to rub against Mewtwo's side. I pulled back a little, arms still lightly around him, and looked around.

"Okay, who else needs a hug?" I asked.

Ruby grinned and ran over, grabbing hold of my leg, followed more slowly by Kai who leaned against me.

"Group hug?" I asked, thinking of the concept for Mewtwo's benefit. He smiled and nodded, lifting the two dragons off the ground, to be at hug level with us. Athena trotted over and stood up on her hindlegs, balancing on my side as I wrapped an arm around her.

It was goofy and awkward, and we probably looked like a silly sight, but it was nice. Kai wrapped around me and Mewtwo, Ruby cuddled onto my hip, Grey pressed against Mewtwo's cheek, and Athena between Mewtwo and me. We called Lucario, who grinned at us before joining, standing behind Athena and me to hug us.

"New team rule," I decided, "if anyone needs a hug, all they have to do is ask. And know, I love each and every last one of you." I pressed a kiss to the two dragons' heads before setting them down. Athena landed back on all fours, so I pressed a kiss to her head before straightening up and doing the same to Lucario. Grey floated to me, eye closing in anticipation, happily whirring as I kissed him.

I glanced at Mewtwo, letting him decide if he wanted one too. He was smiling, wider than I've ever seen him smile, and he leaned forward for me to press a kiss to his forehead.

XXX

When we finally re-entered the center, Brock was sitting at our table, a bag of ice on one hand and Misty was nowhere to be seen.

"You good?" I asked. I rested a hand on his shoulder, eyeing the ice, as Lucario and Mewtwo took seats opposite of him.

"Uh… yeah," Brock coughed, not meeting my eyes, a slight blush over his cheeks.

He punched that boy you pointed out, Mewtwo reported.

Brock ducked his head, blush growing.

"Brock!" I gasped. He wasn't looking at me so he definitely didn't see the joy on my face.

"I went to talk to him! I swear!" he defended. "But then he started mouthing off and saying how pointless training is, if he can just catch something stronger… and… I just…" he clenched his uninjured hand, glaring down at the table, the bitterness in his voice a bit intimidating. "He deserved more than that."

"I agree," I said. I pulled a chair over to sit beside him, staring until he finally looked at me. "I can't technically approve of violence, but damn good job Brock."

What happened to the boy? Mewtwo asked. He was getting better at reeling in his mind reading, still unable to not read the minds directly around him.

"Misty is watching him until an officer arrives to take him in," Brock said. "Nurse Joy was going to detain him, so she offered to guard him."

I pulled out my Nav to check my message from Lance. There were still three dots showing he was typing, and while I dreaded to think he was typing up a long message, I did enjoy the mental image of the intimidating champion, passed out at his desk, a letter pressed and spammed.

"Did he cry?" I asked, unable to help myself. Brock snorted and shook his head, smile replacing his guilt. "Shame."

About half an hour later, an Officer Jenny arrived and carted Damian out of the building, a lovely black eye forming on his face. Misty came back to join us, dropping into her seat with a huff, arms crossed and face sour.

"Wha-"

"He's rich!" Misty snapped. "He's a rich, spoiled brat who is going to get out of this without so much as a stain on his record, because his parents will just pay off all the charges and hide it! He could've killed an innocent Pokémon and nothing will happen to him!" Misty kicked the table after her rant. "He bragged about it to me! He's lucky I didn't just…"

My Pokénav buzzed with a message from Lance. Brock tried to comfort Misty as I clicked the message. A thumbs up emoji was all he sent… that's it…

I typed a new response to him: Kid is rich, can you make sure he doesn't get off without any consequences?

Another thumbs up. Well at least he didn't wait nearly an hour to respond this time.

"I've taken care of it," I said. Both snapped their heads towards me, Brock questioning and Misty hopeful.

"How?" she asked.

"I've got my ways," I said with a wink. "Now, let's go check on Ash and Charmander."

XXX

We left the Pokémon Center the next morning, a new member added to Ash's party. Charmander stuck close to Ash's side as we walked, allowing for the morning to remain peaceful and easy. We would apparently make it to the next town in about two days, so not too bad. That did mean, however, the Squirtle Squad will be appearing soon and potentially pitfalls.

When we finally settled for camp that night, Lucario asked for our attention. We were settled around the campfire with bowls of stew for everyone.

I would like to begin teaching you all about Aura, he said.

"What's that?" Ash asked, around a bite. I reached over to flick his nose while Lucario explained.

Aura is a life force that everything in the world possesses, he said. My kind are able to harness it to extreme matters and use it to fight. Once, there were humans that could do the same, like Sir Aaron. I believe Ash can learn to use his to almost the same skill as Sir Aaron, and I can help everyone learn to feel it, at the least. There are other advantages to it as well, such as understanding Pokémon or reading people.

"Really?! That sounds so cool!" Ash grinned, bouncing in place a little.

"I'm definitely interested," I said.

"That sounds really useful," Brock nodded.

"When do we start?" Misty asked.

We will need a place to practice for a bit of time before I can train you on the road, Lucario said.

"Then why don't we start once we make it to Vermillion," I said. "After we get our badge, we can camp somewhere outside of town and train."

Lucario nodded his approval.

May I learn too? Mewtwo asked.

Of course, I think you would benefit greatly from some of the exercises, Lucario said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. Actually, we could begin with those while on the road. Meditating is simple enough to do at night and perhaps some fitness drills as well.

Ash visibly paled at that, probably flashing back to Cerulean.

"Just remember we are fragile humans and not at war so start us at like… child level," I said.

Lucario hid a snicker behind his paw as he nodded.

We can do the guided meditation after dinner, Lucario offered.

None of us had an issue with that, so once we were finished and dishes were cleaned, we sat with our teams around the campfire once more.

"Try not to fall asleep," I said.

No, no, "child level" allows for that until they get the hang of it, Lucario said. He did air quotes with his paws and it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Find a comfortable position, sitting, laying, or standing is fine. Close your eyes and listen to only the sound of my voice.

I fell asleep.

XXX

Walking along a river bank was actually pretty peaceful. Our Pokémon were working on light training, the sky bright and clear, and everything so lovely.

"Stop!" Athena body blocked me, but didn't stop Ash and Misty, Brock stopping behind me before he could ram into my back.

The ground shook slightly before giving way under their feet. Charmander was the only one able to stumble away from them, falling onto the ground by the forest. Ash and Misty ended up in a heap at the bottom of a pitfall trap.

"You guys okay?" I called. I only got groans in response but hey, it meant they were alive. I got distracted by the loud cackling coming from the river. The Squirtle Squad made its appearance.

"Aw mon, we didn't get all of the humans," one squirtle said huffed.

"What were you thinking?" I asked. Five heads snapped towards me in almost perfect unison, mouths agape and sunglasses sliding down their faces. I crossed my arms and stood over them, attempting to be imposing.

"Someone could've been seriously hurt," I said.

Bulbasaur was helping the two out of the hole with his vines, sending a glare towards the Squirtles as he did.

"We… uh… well you see…" One of the round glasses Squirtles tried to explain.

"What are a bunch of Squirtles doing here?" Ash asked. He flipped open his Pokédex to scan them, the electronic voice reading off their info.

"We were abandoned by our trainers," Ash's future-Squirtle explained. I heard Lucario translating for everyone behind me. A spike of anger emanated from Mewtwo.

"So we get back at all humans!" another piped up.

"What happened to you is terrible, but using it to hurt others isn't helping anyone, least of all you," I said. "Just because you have trauma doesn't mean you can inflict it onto others."

Three of them had the decency to look guilty, while the one that just spoke just looked away. The leader, however…

"Humans deserve it," he snapped. "All they do is take and destroy and they act like it's to help us, but when we can't measure up, they just leave us. Humans… show me one human who isn't like that."

"I can show you three," I said and motioned at my friends. "You've all met some rotten people. People that I want to make sure can't do this sort of thing again if I were to meet them."

"Well, you're different," Squirtle huffed. He peered over his glasses at Ash and the others. "What makes them different from our humans?"

"Uh… boss…" one of the Squirtle's tapped the leader's shoulder, but was ignored.

"They want to be good people, to help Pokémon reach their full potential. Brock wants to be a breeder, someone who cares for Pokémon no matter what, who sees the strength and beauty in every Pokémon. Misty wants to be a water-type master, someone who can fully bring out the true power of all water-types that she trains, but she also is working with two non-water types. Then there's Ash! He works hard every day to make himself and his team better than the day before. He wants to be a Pokémon Master. He cherishes and loves his Pokémon and those that aren't his. These are good people, and there are hundreds of thousands more out in the world, but you can't meet them if you vilify every human in the world. There are bad ones, I will never deny that, but there are many, many good ones too."

"Boss…" another Squirtle tried.

Brit… Mewtwo called me.

"Fire!" Athena shouted.

We all whipped around to face the tree line, where poor Charmander was trying to pat out a rapidly growing fire.

"Squirtles!" Ash shouted. "I'm sorry you don't trust people, but Pokémon live in those trees! Use Water Gun all together!"

There was a moment, a split second of thought as the leader looked at Ash, who was taking off his jacket to suffocate smaller flames.

"Squirtle Squad! Full force hose down!" the leader shouted. All five inhaled deeply before releasing a torrent of water onto the fire. Bulbasaur's vines shot out and tugged Charmander away, keeping him safe from the water. Two more streams were added as Misty called out Staryu and Goldeen.

The fire went out quicker than it appeared and just in time for Officer Jenny to come screeching to a halt on her motorcycle.

"What happened here!?" she asked. The Squirtles glared at her, but they didn't leave, surprisingly enough.

"There was a small fire, but lucky us, the Squirtle Squad was able to put it out in no time," I explained.

"And who caused the fire?" she asked, looking down at the Squirtles.

"I think it was one of our Pokémon, by accident, but had they not been here we might not have been able to put it out fast enough," I said.

"This area seems pretty dry, despite the river," I kept talking before she could ask anymore questions, "and I know there's a town nearby, maybe everyone could benefit from some strong water-types helping out."

I turned to the squad. "You could live in or around town and help the people with fires, if you don't like that you can stick to the wild, or find a good trainer, or anything! There are so many possibilities that you can do instead of pulling nasty pranks on people."

"Would we be fed?" one asked.

Good question, Lucario said, turning to Officer Jenny, would the town provide food for the Squirtles?

"Um…" Officer Jenny seemed very lost, especially under the expectant looks of… well… all of us. "Yes? Yes, of course, if the Squirtles lived in town we'd happily provide them food and shelter in exchange for their services."

"And if we want to battle?" one asked. Surprisingly, it wasn't the leader.

"I can help you find a good trainer," I said. "Hell, Misty here is amazing, or if you want a diverse group, Ash will be one of the greatest trainers." I directed the last part at the leader who looked thoughtful.

"Give us a minute," leader Squirtle said. The five of them hopped back into the river, only their shells visible in the water as they talked, little bubbles popping around them.

"What did I stumble on?" Officer Jenny muttered as she looked over us all.

"Meh, this is a Tuesday for us," I shrugged.

It's Friday, Mewtwo said.

My eyes widened a bit as I tried to figure out the day… turning to the psychic type.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded, clearly amused at my reaction.

The Squirtles leapt from the river once more, landing in a splashing display.

"Here's the deal," the leader said, using his sunglasses to gesture dramatically. "These three," he pointed at three Squirtles, "will go live in town, we'll trust you One-Who-Is-All."

Lucario was translating, though I noticed he didn't say my title.

"She," Squirtle patted the Squirtle beside him, "wants to be trained by the water trainer."

Nice little bonus there. Misty looked overjoyed.

"As for me," Squirtle placed his glasses back on his face, arms crossed in front of him and chin raised as he faced Ash. "You will have the honor of training me."

"Really!" Ash shouted in excitement, bouncing in place. "I promise I won't let you down, Squirtle!"

Welp, that was easy.

Two flashes went off as Misty and Ash caught their new teammates, and after making sure there were no lingering flames or smolders that could reignite, Officer Jenny led us to town.

Things really did go smoothly this whole trip. Without Team Rocket popping up every other day really did make a difference. I dared to even hope that our journey would be like this the whole time.

An unsettling feeling settled in my stomach as soon as I thought that. I glanced at Athena, her face scrunched and eyes squinting as if she was trying to see something impossibly far away. Mewtwo's mind brushed against mine, curious and concerned, and Lucario stepped closer to my side.

I should've known better than to expect peace.

XXX

AN/ chapter 8 done. it is definitely a long one spanning several episodes, but early kanto was packed with new pokemon for Ash, and now Misty. Lots of things to come, including Bill's lighthouse, which I was going to include here, but decided to leave it for next time. To everyone reviewing, thank you so much, I love seeing that people are enjoying this. Thank you everyone for reading! Let me know what you're thinking 3