StarMage: Hi everyone! This is the next chapter. Hope you all like it even though it will be short.
Notes-
'thought' "speak" (author's notes) ~psychic communication~ spell
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Chapter Six- Brian's Departure! Mystery of the gifts!

It was late at night. Billy, Brock, Misty, Ash, and Pikachu were all fast asleep. They all had good reason to be. At least Ash. Earlier that day, Ash had beaten Ryan for the Earth Crest. What was of Brian right now? He was still awake in his room. Hair undone and only tied back, his brown eyes looked tired but in thought, and his mind was concentrating on something important. He sat at a desk in his room. His hand writing some letter. Also on the desk were six pokeballs with pokemon in them from his gym. Brian had had those sent to him earlier that day. His hand moved back and forth with the pen. Many things had been writen and said already on it. It was all for a reason known only to Brian.

"Hm..." said Brian chewing a bit on the pen cap as he thought. "I better add this... This will explain my point better..."

Brian stopped abruptly in his writing and leaned back a bit on his chair.

'I wonder,' thought Brian. 'Is leaving them all a good decision? Even with Billy? But I can trust Billy. I know that. I just hope this works. At least for Ash's sake...'

Brian folded the letter and put it in an unsealed envelope. He then made sure that everything was ready to go for tomorrow. That would be the day he left the group to return to the gym.

***The next morning***
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu all awoke that morning at an unsual hour for them. Even without Brian waking them up, it still was early for them. They got ready expecting Brian to say that they were leaving until it hit them. Brian was leaving today.

"Oh my gosh! We forgot! Brian's leaving today!" said Misty.

"Finally! No more training!" said Ash with relief.

"PIKA!" shouted Pikachu in happiness.

"You guys make Brian sound like a monster the way you seem so happy," said Billy as he walked in.

"Oh, sorry Billy. It's just that Brian can be a bit hard on people you know." said Ash.

"Hm... I do know. But you have to understand that it's in your best intrest. Brian doesn't want anything to happen to you guys here."

Everyone in the room quieted. They had to admit that Billy was right. Brian had only been trying to help them. He had taught and trained Ash to be able to fight here. Brock was still under lessons from him on swordsman ship and attacks. Misty was still learning healing. All this was to help them. Not to give him happiness or enjoyment from their hardships of the training.

"Now, let's go see what Brian's doing. He should have been up by now..." said Billy as he left the room. The others followed.

The reached Brian's room in a matter of seconds as it was only a door away. They knocked on the door and got no response.

"Brian? Brian are you in there? Are you okay?" asked Billy.

They knocked again and to their surprise, it opened. There they found Brian sleeping peacefully on his bed. Eyes closed loosely, face calm, hair in his face a bit, and he was curled up in his blanket too.

"Aww... Isn't that cute?" said Misty.

"Yeah, but I don't get it? Why didn't he wake up a long time ago? He should have been up by now." said Billy. "I just don't get it! Why would he sleep in today of all days?!"

"Because he felt like it. Now get out and give me some peace before I blast you all out." said a now semi-awake Brian with half lidded eyes stareing at them. His hair covered some of his face as he sat up a bit.

"Oh! Oops, sorry. We'll leave you alone now." said Misty as she shoved them all out and quietly closed the door.

"Now that's strangely uncommon for Brian," said Billy.

"How so?" asked Brock.

"He's hardly ever like this. I wonder if he's sick or something. That would explain it, but he seems fine if he threatens to blast you..."

They all pondered Brian's supposedly strange behavior until the door opened ten minutes later and Brian came out. His hair was a bit neater, although it still looked like he just came out of bed. His eyes were more open now. The dark brown orbs were still covered a bit by both hair and the lids. His clothes weren't as neat either. It seemed like he had gotten ready in a rush after just waking up.

"Wow, Brian, you look like you just rolled out of bed." said Billy.

"What do you think! I did! You people were talking so loud out there... I couldn't get anymore sleep." said Brian in an angryish tone.

"What! We were wispering! How could you have heard us! Especially through the door!" said Ash.

"It's a gym leader thing." said Brian as he walked off down the hall.

***Later on***
Brian was in a better mood now. Billy was still trying to reason the reason why Brian was the way he was earlier. Ash and Pikachu were trying to find a good way to thank Brian for what he did for them. Misty was thinking of nothing in particular. She was too busy getting her routeen caffine intake by means of coffee. Brock was trying to ask Nurse Joy out on a date.

"Okay, Billy, could I talk to you for a minute. In private," said Brian.

Billy got up and walked over to Brian. They talked about something and Brian seemed to hand him something. Billy nodded in acknowledgement. The two came back to the group and they all left the pokemon center. Not before Ash returned Muk and Kingler to Prof. Oak and told him about the league. He was intreagued and told Ash to continue. Ash then made his team: Pikachu, Cindaquil, Bulbasaur, Noctowl, Totodile, and Bayleaf.

"Okay guys," said Brian. "I guess this is good bye. But I have something for you all."

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out six pokeballs. Each pair of two had a different color. There was blue, yellow, and brown.

"Misty, these are for you," said Brian as he handed over the two blue pokeballs to her.

"Thanks. You didn't have to you know."

"Your welcome, and I want to."

Brian moved on to Brock and gave him the brown ones. He then came to Ash.

"Ash, for the hope that you will go far, I give you these." he gave Ash the last two pokeballs.

"Hey! Thanks! You didn't have to get us personalized pokeballs!"

Brian nodded his head no. "They're not personalized pokeballs. Each one has a pokemon for you. I ask that you do not use them until later on. They will listen to you. I've made sure of that. Now I must leave you all. Thank you for putting up with me. I know it was not easy."

Brian stepped back and prepared to leave as he planned, but Ash stopped him.

"Brian, Pikachu and I just wanted to say thanks. You know for comming along with us, training us, and helping us out. I don't know how to thank you beyond this." said Ash. "Pi Pikaaa," said Pikachu to add on.

Brian only smiled. "Don't worry, Ash. This kind of thanks is enough. I look forward to the day that we can face each other, Ash. Don't disapoint me."

"I won't! You can count on it."

Brian smiled again and stepped back a bit more. "See you all later when you come by. Don't forget what I asked of you. All of you," he said stareing particularly at Billy. "Teleport!"

Brian vanished in a flash of stardust and light before everyone.

"You know, I'm going to miss him a bit." said Ash.

"Don't worry!" said Billy. "Just listen to me, and you'll get what you need to meet him again and fight for his crest!"

Ash only smiled. "Okay..."

"Now let's get moving!"

"Wait! I need to do something first," said Ash.

He ran into the pokemon center for a few minutes and returned.

"Okay, now we can go."

"Then we leave now!" said Billy as he led them on and out of Forest Town.

As they left, Ash, Misty, and Brock were wondering what pokemon were inside the pokeballs they got.

"Hm... he did say to open them later on," said Brock.

"Now would be a good time, wouldn't it?" said Misty.

"Yeah! Let's!" said Ash.

"I think not." said Billy. "There's a time and place for everything. Now is not the time. Wait until later. Until that later comes, we need to get going."

"Okay..." said everone else.

They all continued on down the forest path. Passing the numerous trees and going on to the next town.
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StarMage: See? Told you it was short. It probably didn't make much sense though. Oh well. Now on to the next chapter preview thing-y! In the next chapter: Ash and co. leave Forest Town. On their way, they're challenged by a group of bandits. What! Ash can't handle them? Who said that? Billy? What's this technique he's talking about? And why does it need three pokemon? Find out next time in the next chapter: Out of the woods and into... Bandits?