(A/N): I know these are normally at the bottom, but I need to thank you guys really quick. DANG. Never thought that I'd hit 1000 views in only six chapters! This is now my most popular fanfic! Thank you so much, and on to the chapter! -PL
The next morning dawned with the stereotypical sound of Starly and Pidgey chirping, Caterpie and Wurmple squealing at the bright sunlight, and Aurian groaning and burying her face into her pillow.
The sun rose way too early for her liking. She nudged Ash, who was currently snoring, and Pikachu, who was sleeping on Ash's head, awake. She dodged a weak Thunderbolt from the disgruntled electric-type, who then looked at her with wide and apologetic brown eyes.
"No worries, little guy. I get it. You're grumpy in the morning, just like your trainer."
"Pika-aa," the yellow rodent yawned, stretching his tiny limbs and long tail. Ash, however, rolled back over and nestled himself further down into his red and navy blue sleeping bag. The Pokémon and the other half of the patonai pair made eye contact. Pikachu started charging electricity, his red cheeks sparking. Aurian squeezed her eyes shut, and plugged her ears.
A large Thunder cracked through the area, shooting through Ash's figure and startling Max awake with a yell. Ash fell back on his sleeping bag, twitching from the overload of power.
"Mornin' to you too, Pika."
His partner squealed happily and repeatedly nudged his shoulder. Max and Aurian laughed, and started rolling up their bags and gathering their things. Aurian ran a brush through her hair, tied it up in a single Ponyta-tail, and stood up.
"We should go find Maddy- she's probably waiting on us," Max pondered. Ash nodded, and followed his friends into the Center. On the way there, Michael appeared, stretching his arms and walking alongside his Espeon.
"Morning, guys! I just recieved an email from my trainee- he said that he'd be getting here a day early!" Michael announced with a huge grin. "Can't wait to meet him. Said his name was Noah, and he's from Lavender Town over in Kanto."
"That's great!" Ash replied, high-fiving his red-haired friend. "What time does his boat get in?"
Michael turned over his shoulder and gazed at the port. "9:30, I believe- it's quite a long journey by boat. Kid must be really dedicated."
"I've done some calculations," Max answered, shoving his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "and the ride from Kanto to Sinnoh is almost as long as it is from here to Hoenn. Felt like that ride was eternal."
Aurian smiled. "You think that's bad? Try going from Canalave City to Castelia in Unova. Takes two weeks, at least, by boat. I would've gone by plane, but the tickets were way overpriced."
As she spoke, they entered the Center to find Maddy and Corona waiting on them. The blond-haired girl traded greetings with the rest of her crew as they gathered around a table in the cafeteria after grabbing breakfast from a buffet line. Max was overjoyed- finally, something that could satisfy his huge appetite!
Michael watched the pair of patonai interact with their trainees while he quietly fed his Espeon, nicknamed Saga, who purred happily and rubbed against his leg, and continued his observation as he devoured his potato and egg omelette. The two were a natural pair- he had seen their aura abilities in action, and knew that both of the trainers held a devistating force inside of them. Luckily, he had only seen them pushed to their limits once- and the resulting brawl was not pleasant to watch. Both of them were skilled in hand-to-hand as well as Pokémon battles... he shuddered at the thought, and finished his last bite of egg before chomping down on a slice of toast.
As the five and their Pokémon friends finished their meal, Ash's attention was drawn to the doors sliding open. A person he hadn't seen in four years appeared through them, her lilac hair and eyes shining like the sun. She had kept her original vest, but opted for a not-so-puffy sleeved purple shirt and a pair of yellow skinny jeans. Her hair, he noticed, had grown to her shoulders, and that distinctive Miltank lick on top of her head still remained.
They locked eyes, and Ash knew that his guise of Red wouldn't stand as long as she was here. Anabel's eyes narrowed as bit her lip, but then smiled.
Don't worry, Ash. I'll keep your secret, she thought towards him with a wink. She turned over her left shoulder, and then vanished into the throng of people congregating by the registration area. Fortunately, no one at his table noticed his brief distraction from the conversation, and he threw himself back in it with a little extra gusto. As he interacted with his friends and trainees, he wondered exactly how strong the Salon Maiden was now. She was limited to extended empathy the last time he had met her.
It has been four years. Look at what I've become, after all. Bet Anabel's way different from the way she was back in the 'glory' days.
As the clock kept ticking, they eventually resorted to people-watching from their corner table. Ash saw quite a few of his old friends register and recieve names the way that he did earlier.
"So I take it that there's no limit on Gym Leaders and Battle Frontier Leaders competing?" Maddy asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
Michael shrugged. "Nope. Some Elite Four members will be fighting exhibition battles on request with anyone who makes it to the top 20, but that won't happen until at least a week or two from now. I really hope I'll be in there- I have a bone to pick with Will and Lucian. Said my Espeon was second class... not for long," he trailed off, fiddling with the wire that connected the Snag Machine palm to its base on his shoulder.
"It'll be interesting to see how that plays out," Aurian responded, returning Azul to her Pokéball. "I've fought most of the Leaders that I've seen here, and I've had a few email me and ask for rematches."
Ash frowned. "I've never had that happen..."
"Dad's called a few people back," Max piped up. "But only if he feels that they're worthy of a rematch. I've only seen two people come back- some kid a few years older than May named Brendan, and a kid with red hair named Silver. Both of them were really good. I was really little when Dad rematched Brendan, but I remember his brawl with Silver like it was yesterday..."
Max felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to find his sister. "Yeah, I remember that, too! It came down to the wire between Slaking and that Feraligatr of his..."
"Sounds like a fascinating battle," Michael responded. "It's almost nine-thirty, and I need to go pick up my trainee from the docks. I'll be back in a flash."
The rest of his table nodded and waved him off, and the red-haired trainer smiled as May took his seat. She'd probably try to flirt with Ash. The poor boy was completely unaware of anything slightly romantic, which he found incredibly amusing. Heck, he was two years younger than the guy and he caught hints way faster. Saga walked happily by his side as they approached the docks, and they eventually sat down on a bench to wait. The pink feline jumped up next to him and curled up in the sunlight, evidently deciding to take a nap.
The boat, S.S. Progress, docked after a three minute wait. Michael watched anxiously for a head full of forest-green hair, and found the boy after about half the passengers had disembarked. One thing caught him off guard, though- the ten-year old was wheeling over to him, a Squirtle in his lap. Injuries severe enough to limit a human to a wheelchair weren't all that common around Kanto and the other Regions, and the boy was gaining more than a few stares as he caught sight of Michael and grinned. Noah wheeled over to him, and smiled.
"Hey! Sorry I'm a little late, but the crew had to help me figure out a faster way to get off. I can outrace a Meowth with this thing, but getting off boats isn't exactly my forte. I'd like you to meet my partner, Torlan."
The little blue turtle smiled in Michael's direction and offered a tiny hand to shake. The older trainer shook the water-type's hand, along with his trainer's hand as well, which was gloved and callused from years of evident wheeling around.
"So, would you like to meet my friends?" Michael asked. "They're back at the Center finishing up breakfast. Bet Red's already on his third helping of food by now..."
Noah laughed. "Sure, why not? A friend of yours is a friend of mine."
The two made their way back to the Center, and the red-haired trainer could feel the excitement emanating from the younger boy's form. He grinned once they made it inside the mega Center, and he made his way up to the corner table where the group was sitting.
"Hey, I'm back," Michael announced, grabbing an extra chair and sliding into it. "I'd like you to meet my trainee, Noah."
The mentioned boy smiled as he positioned himself in the slot that the other trainers had made by scooting their chairs a little closer together, and observed as each trainer introduced themselves to him. "As he said, I'm Noah. This is my partner, Torlan, and I'm pretty sure you're all wondering why I'm sitting in this right now."
Maddy blushed. "Well... yeah. It's kinda improper to ask, though..."
"Nah, I'm used to people asking. I was in a car wreck when I was six. Had a piece of shrapnel from the other vehicle hit my spine, which paralyzed me from the waist down. I'm lucky to be alive, though," Noah replied, shifting his hair aside to reveal a nasty scar. "This was also from the same wreck."
Aurian bit the inside of her lip. "Dang, kid. You're like the human personification of a Lucky Egg."
Noah shrugged. "That's what my mom always says. My journey so far has been rather eventful, mostly because of this," he motioned towards the chair, "but I'm not letting my disability stop me. I'm planning on challenging my first gym the second I get back to Kanto."
"Atta boy," Ash responded with a grin. "I think that Blue, Michael and I are going to start a joint training session with the three of you. How's that sound?"
The trainees beamed, and Torlan, Corona, and Ralts responded with happiness evident in their calls.
After the table was cleared of food scraps and plates, the team of six ventured outside back to Ash, Aurian, and Max's campsite.
"Well, it's not a League regulation field, but it'll do for our purposes," Ash pondered. "Blue, how are we starting? Master class or individual training, or rotations?"
The aforementioned girl frowned. "I think rotations would be good for now. We'll have a full out Master Class after lunch."
"I'll take Max," Ash offered. "We'll trade off every thirty minutes, how does that sound?"
Everyone nodded as they split off into their groups.
Ash watched as Max pulled his Ralts off his head and set the little psychic-type down on the ground.
"What now, Red?" Max asked.
The older trainer frowned. "Let's start with that Teleport maneuver that Blue suggested yesterday. I have a teammate that can give us a hand." An Ultra Ball was pulled from Ash's belt and thrown upwards, revealing a Gallade. The dual-type stood just a little under his chin-level, and gave a friendly bow towards his trainer upon release.
"This is Xiphos. He'll be giving us a hand with training today," Ash said with pride. "Hey buddy, we'll be training your psychic side today, just a heads up. No sparring, for now. Do you remember the method that Blue learned from our teacher?"
Xiphos nodded, and prepared a Teleport. As he reappeared from thin air, he sliced out at a hanging branch with a perfectly aimed Leaf Blade. Max and his Ralts clapped as the Gallade looked towards Ash, rather unsure of his next actions.
"Ralts, are you ready to try it?" Max asked. His starter nodded.
"Teleport, then try a Double Team!"
The little green-helmeted Pokémon vanished, and one transparent copy of itself appeared as it landed on top of a rock. "Ra..." the little psychic muttered, clearly dissapointed.
Ash approached the dissapointed little one and knelt down to look it in the eyes. "Hey, this maneuver takes months of practicing to get right. That copy that you made looked very good from what I could see. Do you want to try it again?"
Ralts nodded, and waited for Max to call his command. At the sound of the ten-year old's voice, he vanished once again. This time, three copies, looking a bit more corporeal, appeared and held steady as the real Pokémon returned to his trainer's side. After several more repetitions, Ralts had progressed from three to six to a decent ten copies all formed in a circle around the elder Gallade.
"That's better!" Ash exclaimed. "I think I'll let Xiphos take it from here. I'd like to ask you about your training philosophies before we rotate."
Max frowned as he watched Xiphos start tutoring his starter in his own language. "Okay. Why are you asking me this, though?"
"I ask the questions. First off... what do you see your Pokémon as?"
The olive haired trainer knew the answer immediately. "As friends, of course."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Anything more than that?"
"Not just friends... but family? They're like homes away from home, I guess."
"Progress," Ash responded.
Max's grimace deepened. "Why are you asking me these things?"
"There are people out there who will make you question your every belief about what you know," the older trainer responded. He then dropped his voice to a whisper. "Know what you think before you set out to travel. If I had known that when I started my journey, things would've been a lot less rocky, and perhaps things would've turned out a bit differently."
As Ash looked over his shoulder, he saw a young woman with extremely curly hair and violet eyes pass by, wearing a coral jacket, a primrose-hued backpack, and a pink and white baseball cap patterned with a single tulip on the front.
Could she be any more obvious? Ash pondered. He caught Aurian's eyes, and passed along a quick hand gesture- a thumb pressed to his right temple.
Team Rocket Member.
Both Michael and Aurian caught the signal, and gave slight nods before turning back to their trainees.
Aurian did her best to hide her surprise when she glanced back at Ash's signal. Maddy was engrossed with making sure Corona was all right from a tough fall she had taken, thank goodness, so the older girl's quick turn over her shoulder was unnoticed.
"Is Corona ready to try again?" She asked.
"Blue? What else can I do with SmokeScreen? We've already covered defense, offense, covering during transitions..." Maddy trailed off.
Aurian frowned. "Not too sure. I guess we've covered all we need to until we rotate. Do you want to talk about anything?"
Maddy bit her lip. There was one question burning inside of her head, but her mentor would probably never forgive her if she asked it.
"I can't guarantee an answer to any inquiry, you know," the older trainer responded. "But you should ask what's on your mind. Red and I's teacher always said that 'if you don't like the answer, you shouldn't have asked the question'."
"All right," the petite blond trainer asked, sitting down on the grass. "Two questions. First one- how did you and Red meet?"
Aurian grinned. "He was getting his butt kicked by a large group of thugs outside of Sunyshore City a few years back. I jumped in and gave him a hand. We kinda stuck together after that, since I could see that he had suffered a pretty big loss. We've been travelling together ever since."
"Second question," Maddy stated. "Are you and Red... together?"
"You mean 'like like' or dating?" Aurian responded. "Nah. It'd be like dating my older brother. Ever since the Sunyshore incident, we've been really close friends. And if you haven't noticed, he's really dense about anything romance related. You didn't hear that from me, of course, but I notice things that other people don't. It's kinda a specialty of mine."
Maddy pondered this new piece of information as the two resumed their training session.
Noah was really excited to start his training session. Michael was one of the kindest people he had met so far on his journey, and people kind to him were few and far between. He may not have liked being confined to a chair, but at least his parents let him trick it out for his tenth birthday. He was extremely proud of the many Pokémon-themed decals on the back, which he adapted from the murals found on the side of the Tin Tower in Johto. Michael had noticed almost immediately and complemented his artwork.
"All right, let's see what Torlan can do. I'll be using my Poliwrath, Hapkido, to give you a hand. What moves does he know?"
"Water Gun, Tackle, Withdraw, and Tail Whip," the green eyed boy replied.
Michael smiled. "How's the accuracy rate with Water Gun?"
Noah looked a little sheepish. "Well... not that great, actually. He's still learning."
"I'll give you a hand with that. We'll use those rocks- give us a hand, Hapkido- to practice," the redhead announced. He helped his dual type to turn the rocks so that they would make accurate targets, and then rejoined his trainee.
"Ready, Torlan?" the boy asked. His starter responded with a friendly wave. "Water Gun!"
The turtle aimed and a rather wide stream of water came from his mouth, completely missing the target and nearly soaking Maddy and Blue and their Pokémon.
"Hey!" Maddy exclaimed. Blue just shook her head and smiled.
"Anyways," Michael picked back up, "I think Torlan should try narrowing the stream of water that he produces, so that way it acts a bit more like a laser than a wide beam of light. There's more room for precision, there. Plus, more built up pressure equals..."
"More power! I get it! Thanks, Michael!" Noah responded. "Let's try it again!" This time, the Squirtle's attack hit the right side of the target.
"Looking good! Keep it up!"
After a lot more training and frustration on Torlan's part, the two finally got their accuracy rate to a point where nine out of every ten targets were hit.
"Let's call it a break- plus, I think you should get to know both Max and Maddy a little more. They're great kids, and I think you three would make an unstoppable team."
Noah nodded, and wheeled over to meet with his potential new friends. All three of the trainees ended up sitting side by side in the grass, staring up at the sky while trying to find Pokémon in the clouds... with some friendly debate, of course.
Aurian got Michael's hint, grabbed Ash, and the three of them stood off to the side in a conference.
"You're normally not this social, Mikey," Ash noted, much to the chagrin of the redheaded trainer in their midst. "What's up?"
Michael sighed. "You know how I hate that nickname. Anyways, I got a wire from Dragon Master last night. He sent me these pictures." He fiddled with his P*DA, and a collage of four pictures appeared on the screen. The pair of patonai shuddered as they both noticed the glitched 'L' from the night before.
"So... there's more than one of it?" Aurian asked.
Michael shrugged. "Not really. It turns out that this thing has five forms. The first, the glitch-L, is the one that you saw last night. The others are the fossil forms of Kabutops and Aerodactyl, a deformed Gastly, and something that recon couldn't get any footage of called the B6-8 variants."
"Why is this important?" Ash asked. "It's not like Dragon Master to give us info without a location or anything like that."
"That's the problem," Michael retorted, paling. "There is no location. Rocket is bringing the party to us."
(A/N): Review response time!
SerenaTheHedgehog: Thank you very much!
Pokedexter: Glad you're enjoying this!
partner555: I'm rather inexperienced with the glitches, so I'm kinda wrapping them into the game/anime verse as I go. Thanks for reading all of this from the beginning.
Kamen Rider Lynx: Thanks for the complements! I noticed a considerable lack of G-Men here, and thought that I'd expand the idea.
Please review! Tell me what I'm doing right, what I should change, what you would like to see! And, if this hits a certain amount of reviews, I may have a little surprise for all of you!
PL, signing off!