With Cerulean's gym battle out of the way for Ash, and a particularly tense situation for Dawn out of the way, the duo had left Cerulean City's structured and easily navigated streets for the dense forests leading them down Route 5. The particularly idyllic resting spot was perfect for the approaching spring weather. The sun shone down between the thick branches of the trees around the group. Some of the trees had fallen during the winter, and the resulting timber made excellent resting spots. The nearby river added a sense of serenity.

Judging by how peacefully Ash lounged, hat ever so slightly tilted over his eyes to shade them and Rosa nestled to his chest, it was perfect for nap time.

Unfortunately, Dawn's head other plans. Having just come back from the river, the coordinator had been thinking of one unanswered question since the little Riolu had been let out of her Pokéball: How did Ash's aura work? She knew it was something or other about a spiritual energy… Or, was it a fighting energy?

"I should have read up more on the myths during my off time," she whined as she entered camp. "He probably won't be able to explain it right."

"Who won't be able to explain what right?"

Dawn turned, hair swishing behind her. "Oh, you're up!"

Ash nodded, standing as Rosa slid off his chest. "Haha, just woke up!" The trainer stretched. "Anyway, who was explaining what?"

"You, actually. And, the aura." She put her hands on her hips, sighing. "I mean… I get a little of how it works, but I only know it as a move… And, we never saw Riley actually use it."

"You never saw Riley use it," he corrected.

"So, you did go to train with him."

He nodded. "Do you wanna see it, then? Aura just formed?"

"Yeah," she confessed.

"Alright… It's been a while since me and Rosa actually trained!" He looked down at the little pokemon. "What'd ya say, Rosa? Let's test our skills and make sure they haven't gotten rusty!"

The puppy yipped in agreement before turning to Dawn. ~I'll show off how graceful I am, just like how Quilava was with her fire!~ That'd be good in a contest, right?

With that, Ash and Rosa began their training. The two stood side by side. Ash's palms were together whilst Rosa's paw pads were together. The two closed their eyes, remaining calm for a moment while Dawn watched. After clearing their minds, they moved in sync.

Their left feet slid forward while their rights pointed to the side, knees slightly bent. They reached behind them, hands almost clasped together before they fluidly moved forward, going through the proper movements for an Aura Sphere without actually forming one.

That completed, the two moved to stretch as they had when they were with Riley.

~... Hey! Why'd we do the real aura sphere movements?~ Rosa finally piped up.

The trainer smirked, cocking his head with his hands on his hips. "Sometimes you gotta show off."

There was no doubt that Ash meant this in the most innocent, bravado-boasting way possible, Dawn found a curve picking up at the corners of her lips, though, a bit giddy at the thought of him trying to impress her.

Ash, assuming she was just tickled he was hamming it up, let out a barking laugh. "Alright, prep's done! Rosa, I'm better at controlling aura, so why don't you take a break while I show Dawn how this works?"

~You got it!~ Rosa barked, trotting off to explore the immediate vicinity.

"It'd probably be safer if I don't attack with it," Ash decided. As much as he wanted to show off, it probably wasn't a good idea to stir up much commotion. Especially in a forest, where a swarm of Pokémon could easily become a problem. "Now, check this out!"

Eager to see his creation, Dawn came closer, peering at Ash's now open palm.

His gloved hand tensed, a good deal of effort being poured into a light blue glow. Oddly enough, suppressing a sphere small enough to be harmless was actually more difficult than creating a larger one. Still, with his newfound skill in clearing his mind, he managed to form a bright blue orb in his palm, maintaining the approximate size of a Pokéball. He and Dawn were basked in a bright, teal glow, which highlighted the awe on Dawn's features, blue orbs wide and attentive. "You're kidding me… That's amazing!" Her curiosity peaking, she slowly reached for the orb.

"You might not wanna touch it," Ash warned, pulling his hand back. "These things pack a lotta power." Was that bragging or a warning? Either way, he slowly closed his hand, squashing the radiance until it had disappeared completely.

Pouting momentarily after her observance had been denied, Dawn quickly returned to higher spirits. "I can't believe you can do things like that… Lucky for us, though, that's for sure."

Needless to say, the encounter in Viridian Forest hadn't been forgotten. "Yeah, no kidding! It really saved our butts back there. It's amazing how powerful aura is."

"It sure is! I guess we owe you guys one, huh?" Dawn couldn't help but smile to herself. As much fun as it was to fawn over aura, though… "...I should probably start some training of my own. If we want to win the next contest we come across, then we've gotta be in tip-top shape!"

"Sounds good! Just work hard, and you'll be fine!" Ash encouraged.

Walking over to where her Pokémon were, the coordinator noted the dynamics within the groups. Absol and Togekiss laid patiently in the shade, quiet and serene. Prinplup, meanwhile, was getting onto Pachirisu for something or other. Clefairy seemed to be getting on well with Quilava and Buneary. It made the coordinator happy that her Pokémon were getting along with their new teammate. However, it was now time to see what Clefairy could do.

"Clefairy! Time to check your moves!" Dawn called, pulling out her Pokedex.

The small device beeped as it went about its quick analysis, providing Dawn with the Pokémon's arsenal. "Hm… Alright! Clefairy, why don't we start with you using Moonlight?"

Clefairy paused for a moment, seemingly unsure of herself before she finally raised her hands. The other Pokémon and Dawn looked on in silent anticipation, wondering if Clefairy's version of the move was standard or if she had some deviation that could be used in a contest. However, after a moment, Dawn realized, aside from some sprinkling of sparkles from approximately three yards above Clefairy nothing was happening.

Dawn's face paled. Could Clefairy not use Moonlight? "H-Hey, what happened?"

"Clefa…" the fairy type trailed off. She shrugged her nearly nonexistent shoulders. "Clefairy Clefairy."

Not quite able to understand Pokémon languages, Dawn was able to gather through the sympathetic looks of her other Pokémon that Clefairy was indeed trying. There was also a sense of confusion. "... Let's go over a list of reasons why it might not be working. Are you… not sure how to use it?"

Clefairy shook her head.

"Is it… hard to use?"

The fairy type nodded.

"Okay, let's go over why. Can you not use it when your energy's high?"

A shake of the head.

"Let's see… Is it too bright out?" Surely that wasn't it…

But, it was. Clefairy nodded yes, babbling on and on. Dawn supposed being raised in those mountain caves meant Clefairy never had to compete with the sunlight to have her move seen. So, she could use it; it just had no dazzle when the sun was bright. They'd have to work on that.

"Well, it's no use crying over spilled milk. We'll have to try again when it's dark. Would you mind trying out your Magical Leaf for me, though, Clefairy?"

At this, Clefairy beamed. She closed her eyes, humming. Soon, a swarm of glowing leaves was summoned, twirling about the fairy's form before launching outward, cutting several small branches off a tree. Upon finishing the move, Clefairy looked proudly towards Dawn. That was her most well learned move! While she could learn stronger ones, she personally felt most comfortable with it.

"That's… way too many leaves," Dawn mumbled, impressed by Clefairy's strength, but knowing very well how that nasty cluster of dull purple-shining leaves would go over with the judges of any contest. "We'll work on refining that, but I'm very impressed! If we keep working with you, you'll make a good battler!

While Clefairy danced in place, happy that Dawn at least saw her potential, another training session was going on. While Dawn dismissed the rest of her team to focus on working with Clefairy, Rosa was just getting into a training session with Pikachu under Ash's watchful eye.

"Attagirl, Rosa!" Ash cheered, one fist up. Despite her tiny size, Rosa lived up to her fighting type and her youthful training. She had taken after him; so much strength in a tiny package! Though, he wasn't so small anymore and one day she wouldn't be, either.

Still, she was just a child. Her stamina was extremely limited. At the beginning of the match, Rosa kept Pikachu on his toes, dodging and blocking her with effort and thought. Force Palms were parried and dodged with Pikachu's remarkable speed, and he was forced to repel a number of Aura Spheres with his tail. True to the nature of most Pokémon, though, she could only use a move so many times before they became ineffective.

~Hiyah!~ She chanted, throwing a palm towards Pikachu's chest. An agile hope on the mouse's part put him clear out of range, drawing a frustrated huff from the fighting type. Now, she wasn't even coming close to hitting him anymore… ~Take this, big bro!~ She chanted, drawing one paw back. A bright, blue glow formed behind her paw, wavering in size, this time around. With a yelp, she tossed the orb forward, much like Ash would a Pokéball.

The Aura Sphere, or what should've been one, floated feebly through the air towards Pikachu, lacking its intended momentum. Its stability was weak enough that the electric type was able to swat it out of existence with a lazy swipe of his bolted tail.

"Man, you're really running low on energy… Why don't you take a break for now? You've put up a good fight, but you need some rest!" Ash recommended, sure as always to add in praise.

The tyke let out a huff of relief, having had just about enough of that training session. ~Y-yeah… Good… Idea…~ Now that that was out of the way, maybe she could have some fun!

"I guess we oughta make use of our time, as long as we're here. Wartortle, Croconaw! Whaddya say we have a practice battle together? You guys were great at the Cerulean Gym, but I think I saw some stuff you could work on. You up for it?"

"War! Wartortle!" The tortoise hopped to attention, flashing a thumbs-up. After an exhilarating battle like that, he was more than eager to fight again!

"Croconaw!" The other water starter added in, hopping and dancing in place. Having fully recovered from the bout, he was equally ready to burn some more energy.

This left Rosa to her own devices. Round, red orbs scanned the clearing that the group had come across. Many of Ash and Dawn's Pokémon were simply relaxing and keeping to themselves; Bulbasaur lay out on the grass, basking in the sun. Lapras occupied the river, using the gentle current as a modest exercise, simply holding his place against the flow.

Come to think of it… Swimming did look pretty fun, when one wasn't using it for building up endurance, like under Riley. Letting out an excited yup, the Riolu hopped into the water parallel to the resting spot. The water was still somewhat cold, sending a chill up the unsuspecting pup's spine. While it wasn't quite as bad as Sinnoh, she'd forgotten that spring hadn't arrived just yet.

What she found to be more a cause for alarm, though, was the tide that started to gently carry her downstream. ~Ah!~ Rosa let out a yelp, starting to scan above water for something to hold onto.

"Plup…" A Pokémon more native to the waters trilled, wading about with a lazy backstroke. Being part of the Piplup line, chilly water was hardly antagonistic to him. It was actually pretty relaxing! However, what was cause for alarm was Rosa's cry for help. Flipping onto his stomach, the penguin made a speedy trail towards the poor drifting puppy. "Prinplup?"

~Help me!~ she whined, reaching out for the water type in panic. Thankfully, he was more buoyant than she was freaked out, and she steadied herself on him.

"Prin… Prinplup Prinplup," he offered. A ride would be fun, wouldn't it? It'd give her a chance to relax and she wouldn't have to fight the currents, that way.

Happily accepting his offer for the ride, Rosa sat down comfortable on Prinplup's back, lifting her head to the sun, eagerly awaiting it to warm her up and dry her off. ~Thank you, big bro!~ she sing-songed.

Prinplup looked over his shoulder before grinning. Big brother… he could get used to that. He chirped back, "Pri pri!" His little sister was certainly welcome. With that, they swam against the current, just enjoying themselves.

"I guess they're taking a rest," Ash noted, smiling upon the two playful Pokémon. "Alright… In that case, why don't we get some training done? Wartortle, Croconaw, you up for a battle?"

"War, Wartortle!" The tortoise affirmed, closing his tiny fist for emphasis. His cry was followed by an eater, quackish chatter from Croconaw, who was just as happy to get to spend some energy. Both Pokémon made their way to the middle of the grassy clearing, bordering the nearby stream.

"Alright. Let's get started! Croconaw, use Slash, and Wartortle, you use Aqua Tail!"

The gator wasted no time, brandishing three sharp claws before leaping towards his opponent.

Wartortle followed suit, making a swift jump of his own. Spinning his body with a quick turn, he surrounded his tail in an angry cyclone of water, slamming it into Croconaw's sharpened claws.

Neither seemed to give under the clash, pushing against one another before bouncing back.

"Awesome job. Now, Wartortle, use Rapid Spin! Croconaw, you try to dodge!"

Eager to land the first successful hit of the battle, Wartortle eagerly obeyed. Retreating to his crimson shell, he launched towards his energetic opponent, the round, sturdy carapace little more than a rotating blur.

Unfortunately for the eager-to-lead tortoise, Croconaw had no plans to end up a victim. Watching the speedily approaching shell, a quick, athletic jump cleared the water type of the incoming projectile. Better than that, or worse, rather, for Wartortle, the gator's nimble feet landed upon the shell, pressing down with fleeting weight that gave Croconaw an extra jump, and quickly grounded Wartortle.

"That was smooth…" Ash trailed off, not sure whether to be proud of Croconaw or sorry for Wartortle. "...Alright! Let's keep it moving! Croconaw, use Hydro Pump!"

A gargling cry followed, a powerful, persistent jet firing out of the Pokémon's open mouth.

"Now, Wartortle, see if you can deflect it all with Rapid Spin!"

Still within his protective shell, with plenty of frustration to burn, the Squirtle Squad leader acted without hesitation. Turning the armor into a speedy, spinning top, Wartortle prepared himself to take the jet head-on.

Hydro Pump crashed into the Rapid Spin attack, the movement splitting the powerful jet to send water spraying every which way. As powerful as the diversion proved, though, it failed to stop Hydro Pump from sending Wartortle skidding across the land, and soon into the small river nearby.

"Watch out, Wartortle!" Ash warned, hand outstretched. The tortoise wasn't far at all from various stones jutting out of the water!

The hard shell did crash into one of the rocks, soon enough, taking that collision as an opportunity to bound into the air, finally landing atop the elevation on Wartortle's own two legs.

"Hey, not bad, Croconaw! That was some serious firepower. And you held it off pretty great, Wartortle!" Ash held both hands on his hips, grinning at the display. "I guess we'll try something else, now. Croconaw, why don't you use, Slash? And Wartortle, you use Iron Defense. Try to hold it off!"

"Croc, croc!" Croconaw chanted, leaping towards Wartortle across the body of water. One arm was drawn back, shiny, sharp claws brandished.

"Tortle…!" The more defensively oriented Pokémon stood upright, his guarded chest puffed out with confidence. Normally darker blue skin and yellow armor were basked in a silver shine, taking on a layer of defense that made even his weaker spots sturdy.

Most Pokémon, or humans for that matter, would cower at the razor-sharp slice coming Wartortle's way, and the feral, black-tinted gaze didn't make Croconaw any less intimidating. Wartortle, though, was on another level of bravery. Or, so he liked to think. He stood his ground, tensing his body for the slash that soon struck across his body.

Croconaw's powerful claws met Wartortle's tough body, leaving three streaks of white in their wake. The other hardly seemed to budge, however, stubborn to stand his ground.

As always, Wartortle's defenses were no joke. Both second stage water starters had come to a standstill, holding their ground dangerously close to one another atop the rock that was frequently splashed with gently pushing waters.

"Lookin' good," Ash noted. "Now, use Skull Bash!"

Of course, only one of the two knew that move, and that Pokémon was quick to respond. Ducking his head, Wartortle fortified his defensive posture before jumping upward, slamming his skull into Croconaw's infamous, powerful jaw.

A pained cry and an ailing jaw were Croconaw's response, the momentum sending him reeling before he managed to teeter onto another rock jutting from the river. Spinning, staggering steps righted Croconaw with a jovial twirl. Even in pain, he shot for grace, it seemed.

"Now, why don't you fight back with Hydro Pump?" Ash called out, not wanting to show bias towards one Pokémon over another.

Yet another stream shot out of Croconaw's mouth, quickly threatening to crash into Wartortle.

Needless to say, the turtle wasn't going to take that without a fight. Spotting another nearby rock in the river, Wartortle made a swift leap from one platform to the next, narrowly dodging Hydro Pump.

"Good! Now, Bubblebeam!"

Landing without missing a beat, Wartortle quickly retaliated. Lightly pursed lips fired out a slew of explosive bubbles towards Croconaw, quickly countering the last water type attack.

As anyone who knew Croconaw would expect, he quickly flipped onto the last rock Wartortle had occupied, once more avoiding one of his persistent attacks.

The sudden wet, plopping noise of glove-ish hands clapping distracted everyone from the battle. A Poliwhirl stood on the edge of the river, looking on with admiration. While Ash felt confusion and pulled out his PokeDex to check to see if the Pokémon was wild or captive, Wartortle haughtily snorted. The fluffy tailed fellow assumed they'd garnered a fan.

Only Croconaw seemed to realize the true nature of the onlooker. Precariously perched upon the rock he'd landed up before the interruption, Croconaw looked on curiously as the Poliwhirl mimicked his earlier dances before beaconing the crocodile closer. The Poliwhirl wanted to dance? No one ever wanted to dance!

"Huh? Croconaw, where are you going?" Ash asked as Croconaw leapt into the river, crossing to where Poliwhirl waited, same side as Ash. He watched in mild annoyance but abundant patience as Croconaw danced with his new friend. Ash supposed it wouldn't hurt to give the reptile a minute break from the battle to play.

Wartortle, however, had no such patience. Reaching into his shell, the water type donned his signature glasses before yelling at his supposed practice partner. "War! Wartortle tortle!" They had a battle to finish, after all.

Unimpressed with Wartortle's goading, Croconaw only looked over his shoulder to see what his teammate wanted. After deciding he'd rather keep playing with the Poliwhirl, Croconaw put a claw to his lower lip and pulled down, little pointed tongue poking out of his snaggly toothed mouth.

"Hey, Croconaw, that isn't nice. Besides, it's time to start training aga - AUGH!"

The trainer, with all his good intentions, and jogged over to try to talk to Croconaw just as Wartortle let off a Hydro Pump intended to get Croconaw back in the game. Knocking the teen over, Croconaw and Poliwhirl alike snickered at Ash's expense.

"Ugh… Seriously," Ash panted, coming to his senses. "You've gotta get back to practice."

Croconaw seemed to ponder this for a moment before looking at his new friend. The two exchanged a lot before suddenly dashing off. Ash quickly jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Get back here!" Quickly throwing Croconaw's Pokéball, Ash unfortunately missed. The ring of the approaching sphere was at least successful in separating Croconaw and Poliwhirl. "Aw, man, I've gotta get him back… And, before the Poliwhirl does!" Ash lamented.

Others of the group seemed to have noticed the commotion.

Ash's shoulders slumped, an exasperated sigh passing his lips. "Gimme a break... "Apparently, catching the crooked-toothed croc on his own was out of the question. He looked towards Dawn and company, noting that all eyes seemed to be on him. "Hey, you guys mind giving me a hand here? We can't leave for the next city without the whole gang here!"

Dawn could only offer a sympathetic smile, a hand resting on her hip. Ash had some very… independent Pokémon, that was for sure. Not that hers were any different. "You're right about that… No need to worry! We'll get Croconaw back in no time! Right, everyone?"

Ash and Dawn's Pokémon alike erupted in a cheer, equally enthusiastic to retrieve their teammate… Even if this whole mess was his doing to begin with. Prinplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu in particular were no strangers to this mess.

"Oh, right… We can't just leave our stuff here, huh?" Ash lamented, scratching his cheek. "...Hey, Bulbasaur! Can you watch our food and stuff while we're at it? We wouldn't wanna lose our lunches, would we?"

"Bulba!" The Seed Pokémon affirmed. Trustworthy as ever, he'd assume full responsibility.

"Awesome! Thanks a lot. Now, let's go catch that Croconaw!"

Running side by side, Dawn and Prinplup were the first to come across Croconaw after his great escape.

"There he is!" Dawn proclaimed. "Prinplup, I'll distract him! You take him on, okay?!"

"Prinplup!"

As they came upon the runaway, Dawn shrugged off her vest and threw it towards the fleeing water type. Or, at least, that was the plan.

Dawn squealed in shock as Croconaw tackled her, knocking her flat onto her back. So pained by the impact was she that she couldn't keep her hold on her jacket. It flew out of her hands and into a mud puddle which, naturally, Croconaw stomped all over after crashing into Dawn.

Sitting up, the disoriented diva tried to figure out what was going on before seeing her vest. "It's filthy!" she cried.

Confident and ready to avenge his trainer, Prinplup jumped into battle, wings flashing dangerously with an awaiting Steel Wing.

Croconaw paused, cocking his head to and fro before considering his options. He then recalled a particular story Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon had shared when they were all on Mt. Silver. Prinplup had a peculiar fear… One that Croconaw could and would exploit.

Tilting his head back, Croconaw began preparing an attack. Unfortunately, the bright white light of a forming Ice Beam looked too similar to a forming Draco Meteor.

Prinplup cried, his tiny heart pounding in his chest, before sprinting away from the perceived threat. There was no chance that he'd get caught up in another one of those!

"Prinplup, no!" Dawn whined, holding her muddy vest at a distance. "Wait, no, Croconaw, you don't leave either…!"

It was in vain. Prinplup was fleeing and Croconaw had already escaped. Dawn sighed, resigning herself to try and find Prinplup and get her vest clean before chasing down Croconaw again.

Croconaw skidded to the side at the last minute, barely avoiding a surprise attack from Rosa. The Force Palm's energy burst went off entirely too close for comfort, putting the crocodile on edge. That edge served as an advantage, giving him forewarning to Pikachu's cry.

Dancing out of the way of the Thunderbolt, Croconaw realized the situation was too dangerous. Pikachu was Ash's number one. Croconaw knew better than to fight him.

As Croconaw fled, Pikachu jumped down, losing sight of the water type in the underbrush. "Pika…" the mouse muttered to Rosa.

~Sorry… I didn't get to feel his aura too closely, so I can't track it. I'm not familiar with him.~ So much for that plan. Rosa smiled as Pikachu patted her, comforting her and letting her know Croconaw getting away wasn't her fault.

Once more, Croconaw was ambushed. This time, however, the attack landed.

"Buneary!" Landing atop Croconaw's head with a crater forming beneath their impact, Buneary stood proudly, a perfectly executed Bounce opening the fight. She hopped off, fists raised and ears tense.

Croconaw stood, shaking his head and blinking. He hadn't ever fought any of Dawn's team before, but suddenly he understood why everyone said Ash liked to battle Dawn. However… Admiring this bunny wasn't going to help him beat her.

It was then that the little normal type lunged forward, ears ready to deliver a mighty Dizzy Punch.

Figuring he could wing it, Croconaw used Crunch.

He almost wished he hadn't. Buneary squealed in pain. Her ears were her most sensitive body part, after all. Croconaw decided to spin, releasing the rabbit once he got enough momentum and sending her flying.

He breathed a sigh of relief once she disappeared beyond the canopy. There was one less Pokémon to fight, now.

Wartortle swam beside Larpas. The two assumed at some point Croconaw might try to cross the river… And, they were being proven right.

"I see him!" Wartortle muttered in his own language, speeding ahead to execute a Rapid Spin.

Croconaw was knocked onto his back. Wartortle landed on the other side of him, crouching lowly with a grin. The runaway was trapped between the turtle and the Transport Pokémon.

Lapras let out a triumphant cry. Surely Croconaw was caught now.

"You gonna come peacefully?" Wartortle inquired, not entirely against the idea of having a tussle with Croconaw.

"Heh," the crocodile cackled. "Catch me if you can."

Rolling his eyes, Wartortle spat out an Ice Beam. At the same time, Lapras fired off another Ice Beam.

For a moment, Croconaw stood still… Then he darted away, watching over his shoulder as the Ice Beams passed each other by and instead hit the two team players. The crocodile snickered as they both froze before making his grand escape.

Absol stilled, looking in the distance to where she heard Croconaw approaching with mirthful laughter pouring out of his throat. It was barely audible, though, over Clefairy's endless humming. Honestly, the dark type was pretty pissed that she'd gotten paired off with the noisy fairy type. Why Dawn liked this incapable youth Absol would never know.

Right on time, Croconaw came burst into their path, freezing at the sight of the bristling dark type and the startled fairy.

"Croco…" Darn it. Couldn't Absol see the future or something? Croconaw would have to be careful with this one.

Sure enough, Absol's eyes flashed brightly. She used Future Sight, setting up for what she hoped would be a quick, successful battle. Though she hoped to see herself hauling the Croconaw's sorry hide back to her trainer, instead the flash of the future she saw thanks to her innate ability to sense disaster… Cause her to look with wide eyes towards the Clefairy.

Croconaw, however, was confused. The Absol hadn't done anything with the bright eyes, and why was the Clefairy wiggling her fingers?

Clefairy herself was singing happily, hoping her Metronome attack would magic out a marvelous move. Soon, she felt a bright, warm light within her. What move was this? Why was Absol running away? Was it that strong? Croconaw looked scared, too… Oh, the move she must be using must be…!

Self Destruct. With a might kaboom, Clefairy let off an explosion, rocking Croconaw back and knocking herself out. Mostly unharmed, the fairy type was by no means a threat any longer. Croconaw considered himself lucky; in the chaos, the Absol had also run off.

Unfortunately, at that time, the Future Sight came home to roost.

"Croco!" he complained before running off again.

"Quila!"

Croconaw couldn't believe his eyes. How very bold… The Quilava was challenging him all by herself. Didn't he know he outranked her in power? Shaking his head, the fellow Johto starter spat a stream of water.

All it took was dousing out her flames to make the big baby high tail it. And, he'd thought Rosa was the scaredy Meowth.

The sun was nearly setting and no one had captured Croconaw yet. While Ash hadn't lost hope, he was growing discouraged. What if Croconaw didn't come back? Surely the little guy wouldn't just run away, would he?

Nope. Er, well, at least Ash made visual contact with Croconaw. And, that jerk Poliwhirl. "Hey!" he shouted, running towards them. Trailing up the group was little Pachirisu. She stopped and Ash hesitated, wondering what she was going to do. They'd reached the head of the river, where it was being fed by a craggy cliff lined waterfall.

Pachirisu released a Discharge. Ash grinned. At the distance he was at, he would be fine, but Poliwhirl and Croconaw wouldn't be!

However, his luck couldn't be that good. The Poliwhirl turned, climbing the jutted sides of the waterfall hastily. Croconaw paused before jumping after, using teeth and claws to scale the rocky cliff side.

Ash let out a groan. They were that close.

With the move finished, Ash walked over to where Pachirisu looked despondently up the waterfall's cliff face. "Don't you get any ideas," he tutted.

The electric type huffed, insulted that Ash would bring back her escapades from so long ago! She was months older now, she'd changed so much!

"Well, we're gonna have to chase 'em. You comin' with me?" the trainer inquired of the little electric type.

She agreed. "Chi."

With that, Ash began finding foot and hand holds, laboriously making his way up the craggy side. At least it wasn't too difficult. If Croconaw could make it up, surely he could. Pachirisu had an even easier time due to her small size and speedy nature. She held Ash out, hopping to ledges he could use and generally guiding him up the path of least resistance.

Things were going pretty smoothly, with Ash's years of climbing experience put to use. "Alright… We're almost there!" He grunted out, pulling himself up using an outcrop that supported his arm. Suddenly, though, a shadow loomed over him, obscuring the sun.

"Huh?" Ash's eyes turned upward, only to find a flopping Magikarp flopping over the top of the waterfall.

"Karp, karp," it repeated, wriggling about as gravity pulled it down towards the unfortunate trainer.

"Wah!" Ash yelped as he was decked in the face with the generally harmless fish, nearly losing his grip on the rock. "Ahhh… That would be my luck," he resigned, disoriented. Things could have been worse, though; he could have fallen down into the river, or worse. "I'm not hungry enough to eat a Magikarp for lunch just yet." If memory served, that wasn't a very appealing option to begin with. With that unpleasant thought in mind, he carried on.

As he hauled himself over the ledge, Ash panted an accusation at Pachirisu. "Why… didn't… you help me?"

She shrugged. It was there and gone before she knew. Besides, if she had shocked him, he really would have fallen.

Ignoring his relatively unhelpful aid, Ash turned his attention to Croconaw and the Poliwhirl. There was nowhere else to run. The river sprang up from here and all around the area would be forests crawling with the search part. Furthermore, the rest of the knoll was too steep to safely go down.

"It's time to come home," Ash chided, stepping towards his wayward water type.

Beyond the sight of his troublesome Pokémon was Saffron in the distance. The city was beautiful in the setting sun. If he didn't have Croconaw to deal with, he might have enjoyed the sight. As it was, he had business to attend to.

And, the business almost got the best of him!

Poliwhirl had leaped forward, attempting to jab Ash in defense of his new friend. Thankfully, Pachirisu did act this time, using a mighty Super Fang to take Poliwhirl's punch off course and bring his attention to herself.

With those two engaged, Ash realized he'd have to take on Croconaw himself. "Pachirisu, you hold on. I'm gonna do my best, too!" The trainer reached up, turning his cap around as the Croconaw snapped his jaws threateningly. Then, the teen ran at the water type, circling his arms around the reptile just so that Ash's muscular arms kept the unyielding threat of Croconaw's jaws tightly closed.

"H-Hey! All those battles paid off! I remember a League… when me and Mom were hanging out between travels…! I saw it! It was an old one in Johto! You know somethin', Croconaw! Your bites nasty, but you can't open your mouth too easy, can you? I can hold it shut with one arm, huh?" Ash taunted. Though it was easy to keep Croconaw's mouth shut, the Pokémon's body thrashed violently for release.

The two fell onto the rocky plateau surrounding the river-feeding spring. Ash groaned and grunted as Croconaw's bucking and writhing slammed him into the ground. Likewise, Croconaw's panic increased as he realized he wouldn't be escaping Ash's grasp.

Eventually, after smelling the blood from the scrapes he'd caused on Ash's body, the crocodile calmed. As much as he wanted to play, he didn't really want to hurt Ash…

Ash realized the water type had calmed. "... You gonna act right?"

Croconaw nodded.

"Go back in your pokeball?"

Croconaw nodded again.

Hesitantly letting the dancing fool go, Ash saw that he strayed nowhere. In short order, Ash returned him, looking to where Pachirisu was menacing Poliwhirl not to move. A latent Spark crackled along her cheek pouches. One wrong move and she'd let Poliwhirl have it.

As it was, there was no need. Poliwhirl saw his friend had been apprehended and there was no need for him to remain there any longer. With a sigh and a leap, he fell back into the spring, letting the current take him on. Ash watched in shock as the water type drifted down the waterfall… but upon seeing it land safely, the trainer remembered that once upon a time he'd fallen down a waterfall, too.

Nursing his scrapes and scratches, Ash figured it was time to gather the gang. "Hey, Pachirisu, can you let off a discharge so everyone knows where we are?"

Agreeing, the little electric type went do just such while Ash went to go sit on the cliff edge, resting after the whole ordeal. Soon, Pachirisu joined him and he found her surprisingly calm. Then again, she was always a little less antsy after a battle. Maybe she just needed to let more of her energy out. Regardless, he absently petted her as the party gathered below, everyone wondering what Pachirisu's signal meant and if everyone was alright.

Eventually, almost everyone arrived.

"I'm guessing you caught our little run away?" Dawn called up.

"Yeah! Where's the rest?" Ash yelled back.

"Prinplup found Wartortle and Lapras! Wartortle was frozen on land while Lapras floated down stream. He pushed Lapras back upstream, and now he's watching them both until we can help them out. Clefairy got knocked out. Bulbasaur's still watching our stuff."

Ash nodded. Croconaw could sure cause some problems if he wanted to… "Oh yeah! I saw Saffron City from up here!"

"That's great, but when am I gonna get a formal apology from Croconaw? My vest's soaked! I had to wash in the river."

"Dawn… we're gonna be in a town soon! It's fine, isn't it?" Ash said, laughing. Several of the other Pokémon joined him, chuckling in their own way.

Blushing, Dawn cross her arms. "Y-Yeah, well, he still shouldn't have run me over into the mud! Climb down so we can get somewhere where there's a laundry machine!"

The group just continued to laugh at her expense. They couldn't help it, really. Who else would have such a one track mind right then? While she'd get over it shortly, in the moment, all Dawn could think about was her vest, not Saffron. Even worse for her, before they could head in a direct that would actually have anywhere for her to get back comfortable, they'd have to go collect the frozen Pokémon and their things. Regardless, our heroes were at least closer to Saffron than where they started. What adventures would await them next time after such an ordeal as this?