Oifta! It's been a while hasn't it folks? Don't worry the Shimis haven't gotten me yet, and this story isn't dead by a long shot. If something were to happen to me, I would give this story to someone I thought could do a good job with it. Like I said in the last chapter, the next few chapters are going to be Pokemon focused ones, however, for the time being I am going to be skipping the Mt. Moon stuff, only saying that they got a Pokemon and some items in it, as I can't think of a way to write it without including some Rider stuff, and as I need a bit of a break from that, it wont appear until later. Hell, I might post it as a one-shot Explanation chapter about some things happening here. Also, we get our (for now) final party member to journey with Ash, not counting the gym leader in this story, though I think we all knew HE would join. This character is one I have seen a lot of people do cool stuff with, given his almost identical appearance to Ash. Also, I realized I completely forgot to give someone credit for inspiring me, since in a way, I did something that happened in his story. A Huge thank you to the creator of the story "The Adventures of Ash and Serena" by kirbykid13. Either way, that is enough Gapping for air here. You guys came to read a story, by gosh, YOU'RE GETTING A STORY! LET'S DO IT! (Inserts …. Ah you get it by now) Henshin!

Pokeriders OOO and Build: The Rock wall of Assurance.

It was nighttime as everyone, but the Pokemon had gone into sleeping bags or tents, Serena, Ash, and Molly sharing one as the previous attack from Blood Stark and the Spear yummy had cut their supplies and destroyed Serena's tent, meaning when they got to the new city, they had to go to a camping store as well as Poke Mart to stock up. They had summoned out all their Pokemon, as they were also near a body of water big enough for Gyrados. And right now, the Pokemon were holding a meeting.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Pikachu asked as Eevee was tallying everyone. "Present and accounted for." She responded. Pikachu nodded at her and then raised his paw into the air. "If I may have your attention, please." He called out causing the rest of Ash's and Serena's Pokemon to look at him.

"I too would like to enjoy the time we have outside the Pokeballs, but right now I think we need to discuss some things before they become a problem." He said and then gestured towards Pidgeotto and Beedrill. "As you might remember, most of us here are Shinies. But what concerns me are the ones that have the symbol. Do you guys know of any others who hold similar symbols?" He asked them, which caused them to shake their heads no.

"Unfortunate but expected. Now then, I have heard some concerns about this, like 'are we going to be treated as equals?' or 'They're shiny. That obviously means they'll have an ego problem.' Well from what Ash showed me, he treats us all as equals. No Pokemon is going to be getting special treatment unless something bad happens to it. So please, do not look down on other Pokemon, and do not feel like the Shinies are overshadowing you." Pikachu said which got all the Pokemon to nod their head. "May I ask something really quick?" Froakie asked raising his hand. Pikachu nodded his head at him. "Given how me, Pidgeotto, Riolu, Ralts, and Gible have this symbol and only fully evolved Pokemon can be used correctly without him getting hurt, is that something we should be concerned about?"

Pikachu nodded as Froakie had a good point. "While I do know he would like to, from what he talked about to Beedrill and the others, it seems he might be leaving it up to us to decide when to evolve. However, and this might extend to your friends, Eevee, we might need to find some workarounds. Ash can't keep counting on portals opening in the sky or backup from Neo Rocket." Eevee nodded at that as did everyone. "If I may." Cloyster spoke up causing everyone to turn to him.

"I talked to Ash about the Gym in Pewter city, and he agreed with something that I said. I had asked if he was going to be using me, Froakie, Riolu, or Gible in the upcoming fight. He told me 'Where is the challenge in that? You guys would win automatically. If you want to, I'll talk with the others, but it's a Rock type Gym. If I am to become a Pokemon Master, I can't rely on type advantage as that is usually a bit of a crutch.' I agreed with him on that as I would prefer to push myself fighting outside my type. It might be a way to keep us on the strong path, but with some leeway as well so that way, we don't fall behind to where he can't call on us if need be." Cloyster told them.

Pikachu nodded at this as did Ash's other Pokemon. "Serena is more Performer than Fighter, but she might need to point bottles at us to get our essence, given that the only Smash she has encountered and defeated was the Haunter Smash back in Viridian City. I'm just hoping that's not the only way to do it, and that the procedure is non-invasive." Eevee spoke up with Fennekin nodding.

"I also need to make sure Ash is someone I can trust. I wonder if it's because I was subconsciously holding back with my power since I only stayed with Serena most of the time, and that's why that feedback loop occurred." Fennekin said which they nodded at. "Speaking of which, did you speak with your hive before coming with us?" She asked Beedrill who nodded. "They can take care of things without me, and honestly, I'm thankful for it. I have felt myself starting to shall we say, lose my edge with all that has happened. I think this journey might help me get my edge back." Beedrill replied.

Gyrados then raised its head. "Do we know if you had to be born with that crest? Cause if it's something you earn, then how do we determine that?" The Pokemon nodded. "We'll sadly have to cross that bridge when we get to it. It's too early to tell with how short our adventures have been. But I don't think Ash cared about those symbols anyway. He all gave us a choice to come with him. I say that shows that while he will do his duty, he won't abandon or step on us to get through it. Given how he said he wouldn't take Butterfree's sister just because she had the symbol." Butterfree let out a happy sigh at that. Pidgeotto then hopped to the center.

"I think for now that will be enough. We'll sort more out when things begin to clear up on this. Those who are tired get some sleep. Those who aren't feel free to admire the stars or train with others, but don't overexert yourself. Me and Beedrill will be doing some rounds before going to sleep." All the Pokemon nodded at that. Froakie began sparring with Riolu since they were the closest together in a way, being extremely mindful of Riolu's injuries. Fennekin was watching them, both admiring Froakie and making sure they didn't go overboard when she noticed the Pink Riolu was about to sit next to her. She moved over and let it rest right next to her.

"So do you know if anything is special with you?" Fennekin asked the Pink Riolu. "Well, I might have something to do with those Full Bottles Blood Stark mentioned. For now, I'm just going to wait to see which way the wind blows." Fennekin nodded and then smirked. "Hopefully making you bump into your dream Riolu over there." She said with a giggle before noticing that the Pink Riolu was smirking at her. "And maybe I'll drag you with me if it means you getting over your shyness of Froakie." Fennekin was about to do something when she just sighed in defeat.

It was morning when Misty woke up. She stretched out a bit when she heard punching and kicking. Thinking they were under attack, Misty grabbed Surskit and Starmie's Pokeballs and rushed out of her tent. What she saw surprised her.

Ash and Serena were throwing some impressive punches and kicks while also blocking expertly and getting in some good grapples. Meanwhile, their Pokemon were also sparring with each other. Molly and her Teddiursa were watching them from the side and mimicking their movements, but not as well often falling flat on their faces before they got up and tried again. Putting her balls away, Misty walked over to her after her most recent faceplant and helped her up. "Your siblings seem to have a lot of martial arts background. Where did they learn it?" She asked dusting Molly off knowing she would get it if she didn't help.

"From Sensei Bruno mostly, though their own personal masters helped them out as well with their powers." Molly responded innocently. Misty very nearly stumbled back from that. "As in Bruno of the Elite 4?" She asked shocked that they were trained by THE Elite 4 member known to break someone's back if they endangered Pokemon. "Yeah, my Father, from Ash I mean not the one who helped us out yesterday, is the regional champion of Kanto, Jack Ketchum. They were also trained by Lorelei and Agatha in certain ways. Lance is the only one who hasn't trained them though they agreed with him in that they want some actual real-world experience before they get trained by him."

Misty was about to faint from this info when she realized something. Neither Ash nor Serena had ever talked about who trained them in their powers such as Ash's ability to understand Pokemon or Serena's Telepathy. Nor how they met Molly and why she referred to them as brother and sister. She was about to ask when she saw Ash and Serena stop fighting.

"For now, that's where we'll end this off. Oh, and Misty? When we feel like it and that you are ready, we'll tell you our masters names." Ash said grabbing a towel and some water for him and Serena. Misty nodded and broke down her tent and made sure she had all her Pokeballs. Molly helped roll up the sleeping bags while Ash and Serena made sure that, minus Eevee, and Pikachu, their Pokemon were put in their balls and any excess were put in the Bag Box.

"YES! WE'RE OUT OF THE FOREST! HELLO PEWTER CITY!" Molly cried happy to be out of the forest. She then began to run ahead of everyone else. "MOLLY! SLOW DOWN!" Serena called to her as she ran to try and catch her. "Guys! Wait up!" Ash called out as he and Misty then tried to catch up.

Molly had gotten to the edge of a cliff and saw the city laid out before her. "Hello, Pewter City! My brother is going to challenge your gym leader and go all the way to the Indigo league!" She cried out to the city, though no one could hear her.

"MOLLY! DON'T SHOUT LIKE THAT! THAT IS INCREDIBLY RUDE!" Molly turned around to see Serena with a not so happy face with what she just cried. "Pewter City is colored grey like rocks and is just as hard. If you think your brother will just waltz right through it, then you might need to get a harsh reality check, little lady." A voice said causing them to look around. They looked down to see a tanned skinned man sitting cross legged on the ground. He had spiky black hair and his eyes seemed to be closed. "I'm sorry but who are you? And did we disturb you at all Mr.?" Serena said with an apologetic bow.

"Flint. Apologies on my behalf as well, ma'am. I was born and raised in this city for most of my life, and Rock Pokemon have been one of my few comforts throughout my hard life. It also doesn't help that some trainers who come through here have nothing but Water or Grass type Pokemon, and just say that the Gym is weak. My son has had the devil of a time with these problems." The man said as Ash and Misty caught up with them. "Though I am gonna have to ask for $30 for standing on my rocks, little miss." He said as Molly realized she was standing on it and jumped off and bowed apologizing for standing on it.

Ash then noticed a sign that said, "Fossil hunt! Pay $20 per rock and if you find a fossil, you can keep it!" He then smiled as a thought came to his head. "Hey mister! I'll pay for that and another $30 if you let us take these two rocks and the one Molly stood on!" He had sensed that 2 surface rocks had fossils in them, but he also wanted to make sure that the big rock was dug up incase something happened. The man smiled and brought out some digging tools.

Ash pointed Serena towards one rock while he picked up another. Then everyone came together to dig up the BIG rock that Molly had stood on. The rock Serena held was holding a Sail Fossil, while Ash's held a Jaw Fossil. What came as the biggest surprise was what Molly had stood on. The rock itself was a massive Fossil trove containing a Cover Fossil and a Plume fossil which explained why it was so huge and why Ash couldn't sense anything out of it. He also found a strange stone in the center that seemed to call out to both him and Serena, so he allowed Serena to take it.

"My, My! You seem to have a knack for fossil hunting my friend! Just what I'd expect from Bruno's personally trained!" The man said while clapping his hands at the catch that the cast got. Ash then smiled. "So how has it been with Brock, Flint?" He asked which shocked Misty. "He recently had a challenger come through and I think you might know him. But he refused to use his Grass type as he didn't want to rely on type advantage. At least, not STAB type advantage." Ash smiled having a pretty good idea of who it was that challenged Brock. "Brock told me that if another does the same thing, he would be going on a journey leaving the Gym in my care. Thankfully, I made sure to catch up on my children's needs."

"Glad to hear it. I'll be challenging Brock later, right now I need to get to the Pokemon Center to heal up my Pokemon and get registered for the League." Flint nodded at that and pointed the way to the Pokemon Center. Ash and CO took off for it. Flint sat down by himself with a bit of a smile. "Hopefully that kid can give Brock the break he needs from running the Gym. He's starting to lose faith in himself."

Ash had just passed through the door to the Pokemon Center, with Riolu's Ball in hand, but he wanted all his Pokemon checked up just in case something came up. He had just given Nurse Joy his Pokemon when he looked to his left and saw a boy his age with a Pikachu. He thought he looked familiar as he had Brown hair in his style and a very similar outfit. Then it clicked in his head. "Ritchie?" He called to the boy, which caused him to turn around. "Ash!?" the boy exclaimed running up to him.

"Ritchie? Is that really you?" Serena asked having just come through the door and seen what happened. "Hey Serena!" Ritchie called out with a friendly wave. "Who is this, Ash?" Misty asked as the two looked like twins. "This is my cousin, Ritchie. Haven't seen him since he moved out of Pallet Town, due to some … circumstances." Ash said with some hesitation on the last bit. Serena nodded her head at that, knowing what John had done.

"Getting off that, I came here to get registered for the Indigo League. I was hoping to find some Grass type Pokemon around here before taking on the Gym Leader, but no luck. Going to have to use two moves that Sparky learned as well as Happy." Ritchie said. He was going to continue when Molly suddenly came out of nowhere, hugging Ritchie. "YAY! I HAVE A COUSIN THAT'S NOT SILVER!" She said which caused Ritchie to be confused.

"Wait. Why did you say you have a cousin now?" He looked at Ash for an answer. "That's Molly, Ritchie. We adopted her about a year or so ago. Wish I could have gotten in touch, but certain circumstances have changed those plans." He said which got Ritchie to talk fast for some reason. "I HEARD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ON ROUTE 1! DID YOU REALLY BECOME A SUPERHERO!? DO YOU HAVE THAT BELT WITH YOU RIGHT NOW? DOES SERENA HAVE HER OWN? HOW GOOD DOES SHE LOOK IN *BAP! * OWWW!" Ritchie cried when Ash delivered an elbow to the back of his head when he was about to ask how Serena looked in her armor, not really liking the direction it was going.

"Are you calmed down now?" He asked as Ritchie was still holding his head from the impact. He sighed, as when Ritchie got excited on certain occasions, he became a gibbering moron. Ritchie nodded. "OK. First, yes, but I don't have the right Pokemon right now. Second, yes, I do have it, but think about what I said in answer number one. Third, yes Serena does have her own, but the same reasoning applies to that as well. Fourth, TRY ASKING THAT IN FRONT OF HER AGAIN." He said through gritted teeth on the last answer, causing Ritchie to turn his head and see Serena with a dark aura surrounding her while she cracked her knuckles at him.

"No need, I prefer breathing I MEAN NOT KNOWING!" He said as, aside from Ash being angry, he was TERRIFIED of an Angry Serena. "Either way, me and Sparky were going to get some training in for some moves that might be helpful in the Gym Battle. Want to join?" He asked Ash as he wanted to make sure he didn't go overboard with it. "Sounds good let me get mine and then we can go." At that moment they heard a ding sound, signifying that his Pokemon were healed. "Let's me get registered for the Pokemon League first and then we will start training. Serena don't forget to register for the Battle Chateau." He said bringing out his Pokedex for Nurse Joy.

It was 2 hours later, and Ash and Ritchie were done with their training. They were walking up to the entrance when it opened, and a purple haired boy walked out. "Paul?" Ash said causing said boy to turn towards him. "Well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum. Seems we have a habit of running into each other, doesn't it?" Ash sighed as Paul's attitude sometimes rubbed people the wrong way. "So, I assume you just beat the gym?" He inquired which made Paul pull out his new Boulder Badge. "Yes, but I need to decide who to give my Azumarill to. It knows Hydro Pump and has been with me since Johto, but I'm thinking that it's time it went to a new trainer." He said with a sigh. "You're just going to give it away because it lost!? How dare you call yourself a trainer!" Misty yelled at him and would have continued to if Ash hadn't gotten in her face. "His training is something few Pokemon can keep up with. Azumarill might be powerful, but if its not getting stronger with him, it might be best to look for a different trainer that is more in sync with it! He doesn't just open the ball and tell them to get lost!"

Paul then put a hand on Ash's shoulder making a motion that he'll continue. "I may not look and act like it, but I do care for my Pokemon. It's what works for me and my Pokemon, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. I caught Azumarill when it was a Marill. Back then, it was a bit like a street brawler. Now, it seems to be slowing down. And I'm pretty sure the reason is because it is no longer compatible with my training. Once I find someone who can help it get stronger, I shall let them take care of it, as it is a great Pokemon and been a good friend of mine since Johto." He said with a small sigh looking at the Pokeball. "Anyway, I need to head over to Cerulean city. Hopefully, I can find someone in that city or along the way there who can help Azumarill get stronger." He said as he began to leave.

"Knowing Paul, he used Electivire when Azumarill went down. He's always been Paul's go to Pokemon besides his Torterra." Ash said as he and everyone went inside. It was dark inside the Gym. Ritchie was looking around, wondering if the power went out. Ash, however, knew exactly what was going on, he just didn't want to spoil the surprise. "WHO GOES THERE!?" A voice bellowed from a darkened area and suddenly the lights came on.

"So, you're Brock?" Ritchie asked though it should have been obvious. Ash just looked at his cousin and stood battle ready. "Indeed I am. Are all of you here to face me?" Brock asked, though he was a bit annoyed at the question of who he was. "No. Just me and my rock brained cousin." Ash said. "Exac- wait WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Ritchie shouted having just realized what Ash had called him, causing everyone to laugh, including Brock. "Anyway, do you two want to take me on together or separately?" Brock asked after composing himself from the laughter. "Separately. Ritchie will go first then I will fight you, Brock." Ash replied which made Ritchie extremely excited. "For both of you, it will be two Pokemon each, subs allowed. Is this acceptable?" Brock asked holding a ball.

"You bet! Zippo, LET'S GET THE HIGHLIGHT STARTED!" Ritchie yelled throwing a ball into the air. What came out made Ash look at him with a knowing smirk. "So did you start your journey 6 days ago?" He asked which caused Ritchie to look at him confused. "Yeah, why?" he asked when suddenly Zippo ran past him. Zippo was a Charmander, and it clung to Ash's leg like a younger brother happy to see his brother.

"That's why. Me, Serena, and Red helped this little guy get ready for new Trainers. And if we were going to be getting a Kanto Starter, he was going to be my choice." Ash said as Zippo looked behind him seeing Serena. "CHAR!" he called as he charged for her. Serena waited until 10 seconds before Zippo would have crashed into her before spinning and picking him up. "Nice to see you too, Zippo. Has Ritchie been a good Trainer?" She asked it which made Zippo nod happily. "Good, now he needs your help right now. You're going to show us how strong you have gotten right?" Zippo's face changed from happy to serious as he jumped out of Serena's arms and ran for his side of the field.

"Alright, not gonna say anything about that choice right now, but GO, GEODUDE!" Brock called out as he threw a ball. What came out was a what looked like a boulder with eyes and two arms. It looked at the Charmander and looked back at his trainer as if to say, "Seriously? This guy's using a Fire type against a Rock type gym?" Brock shrugged his shoulders. "Use Rock throw! But go easy on it will ya? I don't want to hurt that Charmander too much." Geodude nodded and threw one rock at Zippo, thinking that would knock it out. To say it was shocked when Zippo seemingly disappeared was an understatement. "Now use Metal Claw!" Ritchie called out as Zippo suddenly appeared behind Geodude and his left claw glowed and turned silver. Geodude turned around but smirked when it heard Brock. "Use Defense Curl!" Geodude tucked its arms in and took the hit. Geodude uncurled and grabbed Zippo around the neck.

Ritchie waited, knowing that it was risky, but there was a chance here. He smiled when he saw Zippo's tail get bigger, and his expression seemed to mirror that. "Now use Ember in its face!" Zippo obliged by opening its mouth and spewing forth embers that looked like big pieces of coal right in Geodude's gapping face when it did that. It was forced to let go which left it open. "Metal Claw!" Ritchie called out once again.

Zippo charged the claw and slashed it across the face of Geodude. Geodude then rolled onto the ground, clearly knocked out. "Geodude is unable to battle! Ritchie and Zippo win the first round!" The referee, a boy who looked like a 10-year-old version of Brock, announced. Ritchie was ecstatic at this. "Way to go Zippo! Sorry you had to endure a neck choke, but it was partially worth it." He said expecting Zippo to look at him angrily. Zippo however had a smile on his face, having been thinking through possible scenarios in its head when Ritchie called out to it. "What do you say to coming back?" Ritchie asked, which Zippo then smirked and shook its head no. Then it began to glow.

"Zippo's evolving!" Ash said. Everyone who wasn't fighting Brock had gone to the second story viewing platform. "I guess he really took Zippo's training seriously. Fire types have a severe disadvantage against Rock types, especially the Charmander line with its evolutions." Serena replied, knowing the typing of the final form of Charizard being Fire/Flying. Molly was surprised. "I thought enough heat can melt rock big bro and sis." Molly said as she though Rock types could be defeated by Fire types easily with enough Flamethrowers. "If it was constant, yes, but a Fire type can't keep that kind of heat up without either harming themselves in the process or make the conditions good enough to where it would do that to rock types." Misty replied. "If Zippo hadn't taken as much damage as it did during the fight with Geodude, I would have been confident in him going up against whatever Brock has left." Ash said solemnly.

When Zippo stopped glowing, it looked bigger and had a horn on its head. It also looked a lot meaner suddenly, but still retained the happy grin on its face, though it did look a little terrifying as it almost looked like it was thinking of different ways to attack Ritchie. "Zippo? You ok buddy? I know that when Charmander evolve into Charmeleon, they can get more aggressive. How do you feel?" Ritchie asked nervously as, even if you have a good relationship with a Charmander from the beginning, there is a chance it will either start ignoring you or start shooting flames at your face when they evolve. Zippo reared his head back, taking in a deep breath, which got everyone on edge, thinking Zippo had succumbed to the aggression of his line, when he released a blue flame into the air.

Ritchie recognized that move as Dragon Rage, a useful move that one could have at the beginning of a journey but would not be viable at later points since it always did a set amount of damage to an opponent. Then he looked back at Zippo who looked at him expectantly, and Ritchie breathed a sigh of relief when Zippo gave a clawed thumbs up to him. "Glad to see you learned Dragon Rage buddy! Just don't give me a heart attack like that again please!" Zippo had a good laugh at that, then got ready for another battle. "Glad to see that Zippo didn't go about the route some other Charmeleon go. But let's see if it can stand up to this! GO ONIX!" Brock cried throwing out a Pokeball.

What came out of it almost made Zippo shiver in fear if his evolution didn't instinctively search out opponents like this. In front of him was a giant rock snake, looking like it barely had room to maneuver around given the closing of the building. Everyone there had seen Onix before, however most had never seen one up close like this before.

"Onix vs Charmeleon! BEGIN!" The referee shouted as the two Pokemon began sizing each other up. Zippo, unfortunately, was still suffering from the battle damage he took from Geodude. Ritchie saw this and knew he had to be smart. "Use Dragon Rage!" He called which made Zippo unleash a ball of blue flames at Onix, who just stood there. It connected but when the dust settled, it was clear that Onix was tougher than expected. "Onix use Bind!" Brock called out as Onix suddenly began snaking around Zippo. Ritchie realized what was going to happen. "Zippo! Use Metal Claw! And try to jump above Onix!" He called out. Zippo obliged as he used Metal Claw to get a boost out of the Bind that Onix was trying to do but got knocked into the air by its tail. "TRY DRAGON RAGE AGAIN!" Ritchie called up to him. Zippo reoriented itself to face Onix while charging up the blue flame again, but Onix suddenly shot its tail up to Zippo and wrapped him with it. It cut off the attack and now Zippo was getting crushed. It couldn't use its claw attacks and the squeeze was so tight on its lungs it could not use its breath attacks as well.

"Do you surrender!?" Brock called to Ritchie who had tried to use his Pokeball to recall Zippo, but Bind prevented it from working. "I do not forfeit the match, but I forfeit Zippo. He can't take much more." Ritchie replied which made Brock give a nod to Onix who gently placed Zippo on the ground before uncurling its tail releasing him. Ritchie ran forward to his fallen partner with Sparky on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Zippo! I got so excited by your evolution and new move that I forgot to keep in mind your damage from the previous fight." Ritchie said cradling his fallen friend in his arms. Zippo opened his eyes, and smiled while stroking his claw across Ritchie's face, showing that it didn't blame him and that if anything, he got too arrogant with his evolution.

Ritchie smiled at Zippo's actions and then returns him to the Ball. He walked back to his spot and got in position. "Alright Sparky. Ready to put that training to use?" He said looking at his faithful Mouse Pokemon. "Pika!" Sparky replied. "ALRIGHT SPARKY! LET'S BEGIN THE HIGHLIGHT!" "PIKA!" Sparky replied jumping off and going onto the battlefield. "Even though Zippo lost, he did still deal decent damage to Onix with that Dragon Rage and that Metal Claw. I just hope those two special moves he was working on with Sparky can pull through." Ash said having used the 2-hour training session with Ritchie to see his new moves, and he was glad Ritchie covered his weaknesses.

Brock was surprised at Ritchie sending in an Electric type, he had to admit his Charmeleon had put up one of the best fights he had ever seen from a Fire type, especially a first stage evolving to second stage one. But he would commend Ritchie at the end of the fight. "Onix use Slam!" Brock called to his Rock Snake Pokemon who prepared to slam his tail on the little rat. Ritchie smirked. "Use Iron Tail!" He called as Sparky's tail suddenly turned metal and practically uppercut Onix's tail which, aside from catching the big Mon off guard, also caused it to smack into its face disorienting it. "Onix, no!" Brock called out but Ritchie wasn't done. "Use Agility! Climb up its body!" Sparky obeyed and began running up Onix at very fast speeds. When it got to the top, it used another Iron Tail right on the face. Onix was weakened but it still wasn't done. "Onix, use Dig! It can't hit you underground like that!" Brock called to his partner.

Ritchie, however, was waiting for that. "Use Grass Knot, Sparky!" This was the move he had wanted to teach Sparky, given his weaknesses, but also wanting to take advantage against an opponent like this. Sparky immediately glowed green as four grass blades emerged from the ground, grabbing Onix's head as they slammed it face first into the ground, cancelling out the dig move. Brock was about to call out another move when he saw Onix had swirly eyes, meaning it was knocked out. Brock stood there a moment before sighing and smiling happily. "Forrest, call it." He said to the young boy, who nodded. "Onix is unable to battle! The victory goes to Sparky and Ritchie of Ethuan city!" (I just made that name up I have no clue what town Ritchie hails from.) Brock recalled Onix and made his way to Ritchie. "Excellent job there, Ritchie. May I ask, why was Grass Knot so effective against Onix despite it not being a STAB situation?" Brock asked hoping Ritchie would know the answer. "It's because Grass Knot deals more damage to heavier opponents, and since Onix is one of the heaviest Pokemon alongside Pikachu being one of the lightest, I thought using it here would help cover Sparky's weakness to this type." He answered. Brock smiled at that. "Then I present to you the Boulder Badge, Ritchie." He told him giving him the badge.

Ritchie was excited that he would have celebrated had Ash not elbowed his head to make sure that he didn't go into one of his spiels. "Do you need a moment to get your Pokemon rested Brock?" Ash inquired. "No, I always make sure I have a second team in case something goes wrong with my first team such as sickness or situations like this come up. So that no Trainer gets the same fight twice." Brock replied motioning for everyone else to go back to the viewing platform.

When they got up there, Misty did admit that she was looking forward to fighting Ritchie in Cerulean. She got into a good viewing position when she began to hear a foot tap. Thinking Molly was glaring at her, though she didn't understand why, she looked over and saw that it was indeed Molly, but she was more focused on Ash. The tapping was weirdly familiar though. Having trained in ballet once, Misty recognized that Molly's feet were in a V shape version of the first position. Her right foot was doing the tapping, but it seemed to be following a rhythm, and it was going at a rather slow pace. Also, it was the same tap regardless, being the toes going up in the air no matter what with her heel being rooted to its spot. "Noticed that, didn't you, Misty?" Misty looked to her right at Serena alongside Ritchie who had also noticed it. "It's a bit of a quirk Molly developed in the year we met her. She's a big fan of Disney, with one of her Favorites being Mary Poppins. (I don't know a good Pokemon Equivalent of Disney so if you have recommendations, send them my way!) She would always ask to see that movie. And if you couldn't tell, her favorite scene was the Step in Time dance number. She does that whenever she gets nervous or anxious." Misty and Ritchie nodded in understanding and turned their attention back to the battle.

Ash was proud of his cousin, but he wasn't going to let that distract him. He had decided on his team, with Pikachu being one of them, and another having requested to battle. He was waiting for Brock's first choice. "Rhyhorn! To the Battlefield!" He cried throwing a ball.

Serena almost paled at that announcement. "Please don't let this be like all the other times!" She said which got Ritchie and Misty confused. The Pokemon that came out was completely grey and looked like a beefed-up Rhinoceros with armor plating. Ash tensed up at seeing this, knowing what happened a couple times in the past. Brock saw Ash's reaction and almost sighed at it. "You know Ash, if your intimidated by Rhyhorn, I would suggest- "He stopped when Ash made a quiet motion with his hand. "Let's hope it doesn't see- "He was cut off as well when Rhyhorn suddenly began smelling the air and looked up. Right at Serena. "Oh crap." Was all Ash and Serena could get out before Rhyhorn suddenly got hearts in its eyes and began to charge up the stairs. "RHYHORN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THEY AREN'T FIGHTING!" Brock yelled at seeing Rhyhorn's behavior. Everyone tensed when it got up to the second floor and tackled Serena. "Hey that tickles! Stop, STOP! I'VE ALREADY HAD A BATH!" Serena shouted when Rhyhorn began to lick her face.

"Serena had trained as a Rhyhorn racer by her mother, Grace Gabena. Unfortunately, that caused her to become covered in both male and female pheromones. Whenever a Rhyhorn gets that, they bolt for her, and it takes a minute for it to calm down and refocus. Unless you know a technique for getting Rhyhorn back on track, we need to wait." Ash told Brock after he facepalmed at once again, Rhyhorn getting distracted by Serena. Brock nodded in understanding at that, having followed Grace as a kid, and wondering why Rhyhorn were attracted to her and her other daughter, Yvonne Gabena. Thankfully, he did know a way to get Rhyhorn to focus. "Rhyhorn! Are you sure you want to be seen doing this in front of Rhynie?" He asked which caused Rhyhorn to bolt back to reality. Realizing that it was not on the battlefield, it ran back down the stairs and to its trainer's side of the field, giving a sheepish laugh at itself. "Um how did you do that?" Ash asked. "Rhynie was the mother of my Rhyhorn. She passed away but was one of the best battlers my father had ever used. It wanted to follow in her footsteps, so a way to make sure it focuses is to ask if it wants to do something in front of Rhynie, as that was how we kept it in check as a baby Rhyhorn." Brock responded.

Ash was impressed by that. However, he now knew which Pokemon he was going with first. "OK. PIKACHU! I CHOOSE YOU!" Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and went to the middle of the field. Serena had just gotten up off the ground from Rhyhorn's affections when Eevee's ball opened releasing her Kanto starter. "Came to cheer your Pika Knight, Eevee?" Serena asked it as Eevee, unlike most of her other Pokemon, was open with her affection of Pikachu. Sparky heard that and began walking over to her. "So, you're his girlfriend?" Sparky asked which at first made Eevee get defensive." WHOA, WHOA, THERE! He is my cousin and I want to make sure that he has a happy life after what happened to his father." Sparky said after seeing Eevee get a Double Edge ready. "Oh sorry. I heard that story. It seems like it. But I am not going to push further right now." Sparky nodded at that.

Pikachu stared down Rhyhorn, ready for a fight. It's training with Sparky had gotten it ready for this situation. "PIKACHU VS RHYHORN! BEGIN!" Forrest called out. "Use Iron Tail!" Ash called out, but this time Brock was ready for it. "Use Bulldoze!" Rhyhorn began to pound the ground until a shock wave began to happen charging for Pikachu. "Us that Iron Tail to jump into the air, Pikachu!" Ash called out. Pikachu slammed its tail into the ground to propel itself up into the air. Thinking they wasted the attack, Brock called out another move. "Use Stone Edge!" Rocks began flying around Rhyhorn until they shot at Pikachu.

Ash however smirked at this. Brock was confused by this reaction when he saw Pikachu dodge every single rock, and that the tail was still metal. Pikachu crashed it onto Rhyhorn's head, which severely disoriented the Mon. "Now use Grass Knot!" Pikachu glowed green and sent four grass blades into Rhyhorn which then pulled it back down onto the ground hard. Rhyhorn had swirly eyes from this. "I have lost to 2 Pikachu now. Though, if I may be a bit cheeky here, I do think Rhyhorn's head wasn't completely in the game with Serena here." Brock said which Ash nodded to. "Do you want to scrub this fight?" He asked which Brock shook his head. "We need to be ready to fight no matter what, so I have to figure out a way for Rhyhorn to not get distracted by that." Ash nodded. "So, who's your last Pokemon?" He asked which made Brock smirk. "Someone I honestly didn't think I'd have to use." He said throwing a grey colored ball into the air.

What came out was not what Ash was expecting. It was a grey colored Pterodactyl like Pokemon that was huge. It looked down at Pikachu and hungrily licked its lips. "HEY! PIKACHU IS NOT ON THE MENU!" Ash yelled at it, then immediately regretted opening his mouth when the Mon looked at him like, "You say something?" Brock saw this and put a stop to it. "Aerodactyl! That's enough!" Brock warned it which made Aerodactyl look like a puppy almost with how he got scolded. "Pi- Pi- Pikachu vs Aero-o-o-od-d-d-dactly. Begin!" Forrest called out before suddenly running up the stairs. "Is everything alright?" Serena asked seeing Forrest so scared. "Aerodactyl has a problem. If electricity connects with its head or is paralyzed, it goes into a berserker rage. Last time it did it, it DESTROYED the old gym." That got everyone's attention and look at him like, "Is there a safe place we can go to?" which Forrest shook his head no.

Aerodactyl expected it to be easy with this pathetic Pikachu but was shocked when the little rat managed to uppercut it with its Iron tail. "Aerodactyl! Use Rock Tomb!" Brock called to it. Aerodactyl flew to the top and smacked the ceiling releasing stalagmites that fell towards the rat. "Use Agility! Then use Volt Tackle!" Ash called to his partner. By using Agility, Pikachu began to scale the rocks falling towards him and got Volt Tackle going. Aerodactyl was not expecting Pikachu to climb that fast and as such was blindsided. "Use Crunch!" Brock yelled.

Aerodactyl obeyed and chomped on Pikachu, however that was when it happened. When it prepared to bite down on Pikachu again, Pikachu's Static ability activated. At first, Ash thought this was good, until he saw Aerodactyl's eyes turn blood red. "Oh no." was all Brock said when Aerodactyl began unleashing Hyper Beams all over the place. Ash had grabbed Pikachu and saw what Aerodactyl was doing. "Pidgeotto! I CHOOSE YOU!" He cried releasing his trusted bird Pokemon. Pidgeotto took one look at Aerodactyl and made a very snide comment. "Wow. You're so pathetic you'd actively ignore your trainer?" That got Aerodactyl's attention as it seemed to calm down and look to Brock for orders. "OK. Hopefully it can keep it together."

By this point Molly was getting nervous for Ash, both for his win and his life. Serena could tell as her tapping had changed. Now whenever her foot tapped, she would point her foot forward and then return it to its previous position every tap. Serena couldn't exactly blame Molly, though. That Aerodactyl had basically slaughtered Pikachu. Why Ash brought out Pidgeotto was beyond her though.

"Use Agility!" Ash cried which Pidgeotto obliged getting faster and faster every pass around Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl did not look amused. "Use Crunch!" Aerodactyl chased after Pidgeotto to bite down on it, but Pidgeotto used Agility to lead it to the ceiling and dodge at the last second causing Aerodactyl to crash face first into it. "Use Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto rammed into the side of Aerodactyl which made it even more angry. "Use Iron Tail!" Brock shouted as Aerodactyl's spade tail turn metal and was about to connect with the head of Pidgeotto.

"Use Steel Wing!" Brock was shocked at that. Pidgeotto's wings become steel and it almost looked like it was using her wings as swords. First it blocked the Iron Tail which threw Aerodactyl for a loop, then began to alternate between hitting the face and stomach regions. Aerodactyl finally lost it, charging in with Rockslide. Pidgeotto, however, made one final spin and connected a Steel Wing directly to the top of the head and neck, knocking Aerodactyl out of the fight.

"AERODACTYL IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! PIDGEOTTO IS THE WINNER!" Forrest almost joyously shouted before being grabbed by everyone as he almost fell off while jumping. Ash breathed a sigh of relief before walking up to Aerodactyl. It at first was about to try and strike him, when he released his other four Pokemon that he had on him now. Riolu got an Aura Sphere ready and aimed at Aerodactyl while Ralts held him down with Confusion being helped by Butterfree, Froakie had landed on its back with a Water Pulse in its hand in case it tried something. "Why do you have such rage, Aerodactyl? You have shown loyalty to Brock, why did you discard that here or whenever you get hit with electricity or paralysis? I doubt it's because of what Brock or any of his family did. Serena, can you help us out?"

Serena nodded as she and everyone had gotten to the floor. Brock was also surprised when he saw the Gym doors open and Flint had come in. Serena released her own Ralts and Starmie to have an easier time with it. Aerodactyl was confused when everything went white for everyone.

The land looked completely different from what they had seen. At first everyone thought that Aerodactyl had just forgotten everything when they saw him fly above them. What shocked them was the fact that no modern Pokemon were around. Only ones that were classified as Fossil Pokemon. Eventually, they saw Aerodactyl going into a cave, which they could assume was his home. They were shocked to see two more Aerodactyl in the cave. One who was clearly younger than him, but the other was quite the shock.

Instead of being grey, this Aerodactyl was pink or a light shade of purple. But on its chest, just like most of the Shinies they had encountered was the symbol of Aerodactyl on its chest. It also happened to be ginormous. "How was the hunt?" The big Aerodactyl asked. "Another successful bounty, Father. Do you think it is time for my daughter to prove herself?" the one who was clearly the father of the younger Aerodactyl asked. The young one looked eager to prove herself. "Indeed. She must seek out 2 Omanyte and 2 Kabuto. Then she shall truly be one of us." The leader said as she looked eager to go. 5 hours later, the daughter returned to the cave, but it was clear that she hadn't made the Pokemon food. In fact, she also had a Kabutops and a Omastar with her, but they were Shiny as well, with the coin symbol. Aerodactyl also noticed that his daughter found a strange object. Brock's eyes widened when he saw that. It looked like a sword in a stone with three slots for something. Aerodactyl was about to ask what had happened when suddenly an explosion occurred outside. Rushing out, he saw meteors smashing into the ground, killing many of the Fossil Pokemon. "QUICKLY! GET INTO THE CAVES!" He cried out as the Pokemon took off for the caves. He had just made sure a Tyrunt and Amaura had gotten into the caves when he was blindsided by a meteor and crashed into a tree. He soon found himself unable to get out of the sap and he saw the object jet towards him, while also seeing the cave entrance get blocked and the whole mountain sink into the ground. "NO!" He roared as he tried desperately to break free and get there, but it was no use. He soon found himself unable to breathe as the soot in the air made sure to coat his lungs, as his eyes closed, thinking this was the end for him. Before he completely succumbed, he heard a voice. "Give the Seiken Driver to the one you first see upon awakening again." Was all it said before he blacked out.

"FATHER! FATHER! IT WORKED!" A voice called out as Aerodactyl suddenly realized he could breathe again. He opened his eyes as he looked around at his surroundings. No longer was he in a forest or a mountain range. He was in a strange structure that was completely alien to him. Looking down, he saw a squinty eyed child looking up at him excitedly. He suddenly realized he was in a container with strange liquid surrounding him. Then it opened as he fell out, the object he had grabbed hold of before falling next to his head. "Hey what's that?" A new voice said as he looked to his left. A guy in a white coat had seen the Driver fall to the ground and was about to pick it up when Aerodactyl snapped at him, grabbing it away.

"Hey! I thought you said that it was changed!" The scientist said. "I thought so too! But it seems to have rejected the neural implants!" Another scientist said which got the attention of 3 other people. The others in the room were Flint, which wasn't a surprise, but the other 2 were for Serena and Ash. Lance and Bruno were in the room, and they did not seem pleased to have heard the scientists.

"I thought you said you weren't going to use that technology at first, Doctor Sebastian!" Bruno yelled which made said scientist scoff. "Oh please! What good would a thinking Fossil Pokemon do us?" That immediately got Lance to slam him to the ground while his associate was apprehended as well. Aerodactyl was looking straight at the child that he had seen, remembering the words that voice had said. "Hi! My name's Brock! And you were revived from a piece of amber that's a million years old in Grampa Canyon!" He said happily then changed his expression.

Aerodactyl suddenly had a horrid thought when Brock said a million years. Does that mean he's the last of his kind? What about his daughter? Why was his world ripped straight from him? Why would a supreme being just end his world? He began to cry when Sebastian suddenly released a Electabuzz who fired a Thunder Attack right at Brock. Aerodactyl saw this and took the blast, and then he lost it. He had lost his home, his life, and most importantly he lost his family. He took one look at the Electabuzz and charged at it at terrifying speeds grabbing both it and Sebastian and shook the life out of them before throwing the bodies away.

"AERODACTYL! PLEASE STOP!" Brock yelled. Aerodactyl then just stood there crying. Brock saw the Driver and picked it up. "I know your hurting, but as soon as I can leave on a Journey, I will take you to Grampa Canyon and see if we can't find some trace of your family!" He spoke. Aerodactyl looked at him and nuzzled him, hoping he would keep up his end. That was 5 years ago. Brock had been forced to take up the duties of a Gym Leader, and he knew Aerodactyl would not be good for this given his tendency to go berserk when hit with electricity or paralysis. So, he usually stayed on the back burner, but Brock had never forgotten his promise. But until an opportunity presented itself, he was stuck here at Pewter Gym, as far as he knew, as the last remnant of his world.

"So that's why you did that." Ash said as the memories came to an end. Aerodactyl realized that they had seen his memories and looked ashamed. "I don't blame you for going berserk but why did you lick your lips when you saw Pikachu?" Ash asked. Aerodactyl looked at him. "Because he reminded me of the food I used to eat back in my time. I would give them a fair shot to run before becoming my main course." He said though he didn't expect Ash to understand. "Well things are different now. You can't eat other Pokemon." Aerodactyl was shocked that Ash understood him. Then saw the other Pokemon that surrounded him and realized that they were shiny with a symbol.

"Son, I think it is time for you to go on that Journey you promised Aerodactyl. Maybe you can follow your dream there." Flint said as he had seen everything as well and had come to the Gym when he heard Aerodactyl's crazed roar. Brock nodded, then went to the back and came back up with the Sword that Aerodactyl had when he first met him. Ritchie also said he was joining them as he wanted to get to know Molly better, plus he didn't want to be left out of the adventures. Once Serena got registered for the Battle Chateau, everyone left Pewter City to continue the journey, and figure out what in the world was going on.

SHEESH THIS TOOK FOREVER! BUT YES I HAVE SEEN THE NEWEST KAMEN RIDER. I DECIDED TO GIVE RITHCIE HIS CATCHPHRASE TO SPICE IT UP A BIT. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF AERODACTYL'S BACKSTORY? IS HE THE LAST OF HIS KIND? AND DID SEBASTIAN REALLY DIE FROM HIS JURASSIC PARK ATTACK. ALSO YES BROCK WILL BECOME A RIDER AT SOME POINT BUT NOT RIGHT NOW. ALSO, AT THE SUGGESTION OF GAON14129 I HAVE CHANGED SERENA'S FAMILY NAME TO GABEN AND FLIPPED THE NAME AROUND ON Y. ALSO Gaon if you read this, what makes you think the Adventures series didn't happen in a way? We'll have to find out next chapter when the group gets to Cerulean City! (I haven't thought of a good plot yet for Mt Moon so skipping it for now.) Until then folks remember:

THE SABER IN YOUR HAAAAND IS APEN TO WRITE IT DOOOWN! WORDS TO SAVE THIS WOOOOORRRLDDD!