Hey Nuggies! Well I really shouldn't be doing this, but here I am writing another fanfiction since I have writers block on a few of my other ones, and because this won't leave me alone. Here is your warning this will be SLASH! Not too sure on if it'll be M!Preg or not, but at this moment I have not thought about it.

Main Pairing: AshxPaul

Side pairing: AshxGary (One sided on Gary's part)

Rating: M (to be safe)

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon it belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, Creatures, The Pokemon Company, etc, nor do I write this for profit. This is for entertainment use only.

Sakiq-Sakik, your dedication to wait for more chapters before reading them is admirable. I wish I had that kind of restraint. His family is getting big and will only get bigger! Don't worry about not having any suggestions on pokémon I'm not running out of any kind of inspiration.

AtheneMetis, thanks! I do too!

Enjoy my little nuggies! And please don't forget to leave a review. They give me motivation to keep writing!

Wide red amber whiskey eyes widened as he heard what the powerful pokémon in front of him had requested of him.

"W-What?" he choked out as his pokémon looked at him in concern. The trio obviously had not heard what Mewtwo had said.

"Capture me," came the amused repeat of the shocking sentence, "You are one of the more purest of souls I have come across after I left captivity. I do not wish to fear for my safety and from what I have gathered from various pokémon is that the safest I will ever be is within the ball like vessels known as a pokéball."

Ash bit his lip softly as he looked over the newly healed Mewtwo. The creature in front of him was obviously either a Legendary or even a Mythical. He had never heard of such a pokémon and the only closest creature he could think of that was even close to Mewtwo was Mew. A brief thought of wonder if Mewtwo was an evolution of Mew that hadn't been discovered yet before he shook his head. There was no way Mewtwo was an evolution of Mew.

"O-Okay," Ash stuttered as he made up his mind. All Mewtwo was asking of him was a safe place. If he could provide it, he would give it. Digging into his bag he grabbed a pokéball, only slightly saddened that he couldn't give the creature a unique ball, but in the end he knew to keep Mewtwo safe like he wanted he didn't need to give him a ball that only caught the attention of others.

Lifting the ball up towards the towering Mewtwo he only had to wait a few moments before a three fingered paw lifted up and pressed against the button on the center of the ball. He watched as a red beam of light sucked Mewtwo in and he held the ball close as he shook in his hand. He gave the ball a small smile as it fell still just a moment later with a small ding!

Taking a deep breath he released Mewtwo.

Once bright purple eyes opened Mewtwo spoke to the human teen, "I thank you, Ash. I am now safer than I was before."

"You're welcome Mewtwo," Ash replied as he gripped the ball tightly as if he were afraid he would lose it, "What are you going to do now?"

The creature before him looked him over before settling for looking him in the eye, "I believe I will explore around the world. There is much to learn and see."

Ash nodded and took a deep breath before saying, "Well, you always have a home with me. If you are hurt or if you just want a bit of rest you can find me! I'll mostly be here in Kanto for now, but you never know what the future holds."

Mewtwo gave him a semblance of a kind look before replying, "If you are in need of any assistance, be it you or for one of the ones you call family, you need to only think of my name and I'll be there. I'll keep you safe, just as you are keeping me safe."

"I will," Ash promised as he gave the creature a nod. He was only a bit sad that Mewtwo wouldn't be traveling with him, but he knew the need to go out and explore. He supposed that after Mewtwo had his fill of looking around he would join them as they made their own way around the world.

They bade each other goodnight before Mewtwo disappeared in what Ash thought was a teleport. He quickly gathered his trio of pokémon before making his way back to the Center. His watch had told him that it was well past midnight. Letting out a small yawn he set out in a jog so it wasn't later in the night that he would get to the Center.

Seeing the building close in the distance after leaving the beach he picked up his speed and managed to get to the building in five minutes. He quickly checked in at the front desk by a too wide awake for the time Nurse Joy before walking up the steps to the upper floors where the rooms were. He was lucky to get a room close to the stairs.

A soft beep was the only indication that the door had been unlocked before he twisted the knob and walked into the room. It was a regular room. A large bed, a dresser with a tv mounted to the wall above it, an attached bathroom, and two side tables by the bed as well as a table by the window were one could sit and eat or do work.

Ash was quick to set his bag down and release his pokémon. The only one not sleepy was Sandile. If anything the reptile was a bit irritated if the twitching tail and grumpy look on his face was anything. "Sandile?" Ash asked softly as he kicked his shoes off before his pants joined them on the floor, "Are you okay?"

The croc hissed catching the attention of Ralts. The tiny shiny looked between the croc and her Father before walking over. Ash knelt beside the croc and laid a hand on his back. While the croc was irritated he wasn't about to turn and bit his human trainer. He was better than to give into his irritations.

"Evolving," came the small girly voice. It sounded so soft in his head that Ash was caught off guard as he was giving Sandile all of his attention.

"What did you say, Ralts?" Ash asked softly.

"Sandile… Evolve," the words came slowly as if his little girl was just getting use to speaking with her psychic powers. "Irritated."

His eyes widened as he looked down at the croc. He could see in the moonlight that filtered through the window how much Sandile was shedding and how long his snout had gotten. Ash supposed that he hadn't paid much attention while Sandile trained, having been more worried over the new additions as well as Charmanders' training, that he hadn't seen the beginnings of Sandiles' evolution.

Ash gave the croc a small proud smile as he said how proud he was to the croc that all of his hard work was paying off. He just knew that the croc could very possibly evolve during the gym battle later. He moved until he was laying down on the floor next the croc. As much as he wanted to lay down on the soft bed one of his family members needed him much more right now than he needed some comfort.

He whispered softly to the croc as he ran his hand down his back not only causing the croc to fall asleep, but himself as well. He didn't feel it as Ralts made herself comfortable by his head as well as his other pokémon that laid around and on top of him to keep him warm.

The morning came quickly and Ash was amazed at the long line in front of the gym. Trainer after trainer lined themselves up almost stretching to the doors of the Center. He almost felt bad as he made his way to the front doors of the gym since he was promised the first battle of the day and here it was just passed eight. He was sure quite a few trainers could have come and gone before he had gotten there.

He heard trainers grumbling as he came closer to the gym. As he neared the building he heard yelling. "What do you mean we can't go in!? Do you not see how many people are here to fight?!" a female voice yelled.

"And I told ya," another female piped up, "Ya ain't getting in. First battle was promised to another trainer and none of y'all are going in until after he battles."

Ash cleared his throat as he got closer, "I'm here for my battle," he said as he lifted his hand in a wave.

"Name?" the female in front of the doors asked, ignoring the other female before her getting more angry.

"Ash Ketchum," he answered before he was waved inside and as he walked into the empty gym he heard the trainers outside getting louder. He let out a heavy sigh as he continued inside. He saw a couple more gym trainers training their pokémon as he walked into the battling area.

He spotted Surge and tiny Leon with Raichu by the office and he waved causing attention to be brought to himself. "Alright! Everyone to the stands, the first trainer is here for a battle," Surge boomed as he picked Leon up and placed him on one of the stands. The tiny tot was joined by the same lion-like creature from yesterday.

Quickly the trainers and their pokémon were evacuated from the ground and Ash quickly made his way to the center of the room where Surge stood. "Two on two? No subs and no items?" Surge asked as he crossed his arms over his chest causing his biceps to bulge.

Ash nodded, "Is it alright if I let a pokémon out to observe the battle? He's a baby and the only official battle he's seen was in Cerulean."

"Sure," Surge said as he walked to his spot on the ground before Ash did the same. As the referee announced the battle he let out Charmander and knelt to speak with him softly. He ignored the rather loud whispers as the trainers caught sight of Charmander as he stood up and looked over at Surge.

"Challenger to release first!"

Ash nodded and grabbed Sandiles' ball. He had decided to use him and Pikachu, who had joined Charmander on the ground, for this gym battle.

"To battle!" Ash called out as he released the irritated Sandile. The croc let out an angry hiss as he whipped his tail side to side. On the other side Surge let out a rather large Pikachu and let out sparks from its cheek pouches.

"Dig Sandile!" Ash said as he saw that Surge wasn't going to do anything. The croc did as ordered and quickly dove into a space he felt better in than out in the open. He couldn't hear his trainer in this area but he knew that he needed to take out the Pikachu on the other side of the field.

"Thunderbolt into the hole!"

"Keep moving! Don't stand there and let it get you!" Surge said as he saw the croc dig into the ground.

Ash smirked as he stood there. Sandile was well used to getting shocked as he trained with Pikachu as well as the odd trainer with an electric type. Ash knew the croc could take the hit and keep going for a while. He stayed silent as the Pikachu let loose the electricity it had in its pouches.

Dust exploded from the ground as the bolt of electricity met it. It took a few moments as the dust settled only to show the ground a bit messed up and nothing else. Seconds went by as both the referee and gym leader waited to see if Sandile was knocked out as the croc hadn't done anything after the blast, the Surges' Pikachu came to a halt. Ash though knew otherwise.

"Sandi-" the referee said about to announce that Sandile had been defeated after a few more silent and tense moments, but was cut off as the sand colored croc burst out of the ground and clamped down onto the shocked Pikachu.

Ash could see bits of electricity flowing over the rough scales and knew Sandile had been shocked enough to be paralyzed for a few moments before the croc had attacked. "Fire Fang!" Ash called out as Sandile whipped the Pikachu back and forth. His own Pikachu winced as the mouse saw bits of blood drip from where sharp teeth had pierced skin.

"Iron Tail!" Surge called out just as Sandiles' fangs sparked into a flame causing the mouse to let out a squeal. Not only did the flames singe and burn the mouse a bit; it cauterized the bite wounds to keep the mouse from bleeding out.

Sandile let out a deep snarl as he felt an iron hard tail smack him in the face causing him to loose his grip on the mouse. He shook his head and let out a snort as the tail managed to hit just right to cause his nose to bleed. He banged his tail on the floor and unleashed an Assurance on the mouse only for it to be dodged.

That only made him more angry that he was at the beginning of the fight.

The croc didn't wait for his trainer to say anything as he delved into the ground once more. He could feel each step as the Pikachu ran around to make him confused, but he was faster underground than he was on the surface. Breaching the surface he once again got the annoying mouse in his teeth and he bit down hard.

He heard it cry out as he whipped his head back and forth like would have done his prey out in the wild before releasing it and quickly spun around to whack it with his tail sending it flying. He growled as he chased after the mouse only for his trainer to call him back from going after it.

As usual he listened to his trainer.

He quickly made his way back in front of his trainer as he kept his eye on the mouse. It seemed as though his tail had done the trick.

"Pikachu is unable to battle Sandile wins!" the referee announced once he saw that Pikachu wasn't getting back up. Ash watched Sandile for a moment and saw the red haze enter the dark eyes indicating that Moxie had taken hold of Sandile. For a moment he wondered if he should call the croc back, but decided to trust Sandile and left him on the field as Surge called out his Raichu.

The large evolution gave the croc a taunting laugh before letting out shock after shock of electricity as it ran around the croc. Ash watched as Sandile endured each blast as well as how much angrier the croc was getting. He saw the Raichu running past the croc as well as the shine at the end of its tail.

Ash opened his mouth to yell for Sandile, but just as his words were about to leave the croc shown brilliantly. Ash watched amazed as Sandiles' form grew larger and upright. His tail lengthened and his head was now more proportional to his body than it was before. A smile stretched across his lips as he took in Krokoroks' body.

Raichu, not fazed by Krokoroks' evolution, ran past once more, but was halted in his run as the croc caught him and tossed him. Krokorok looked at his smaller opponent and let out a roar as he bashed his tail into the ground causing it to crack under it.

Ash must admit that he was surprised at how well Krokorok took to his new form as the croc ran, rather quickly, at the Raichu and used Crunch. The teen knew though that the croc was tired and hurting after all the hits he had taken, so when the Raichu slammed its tail into Krokoroks' stomach with an Iron Tail causing the croc to release it and fall unconscious, he wasn't surprised.

"Krokorok is unable to battle! Raichu wins!" the referee announced.

"Pikachu to battle!" Ash announced before the referee could call on him to release his next pokémon. Ash knew his Pikachu was strong enough to finish off the Raichu. He wasn't worried.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Iron tail to the ground!"

Raichu was quick to let out the attack, but not quick enough to hit Pikachu before he dug his iron hard tail into the ground to act like a lightning rod. "Pikachu give it all you got! Thunderball!" Ash yelled out the combo move he had been teaching Pikachu. He watched as the yellow mouse used Agility to race up the wall of the gym while dodging bolts of electricity that Raichu sent after him. Once Pikachu was over the field he let himself drop. Ash knew this was the hardest part for Pikachu. The mouse had to gather as much electricity as he could in his body and focus on making it hard and condensed around him as he used Slam to prepare his body for the hard impact to the ground.

Ash watched as the mouse fully formed the condensed ball around himself halfway to the ground. All that was left was for the impact. Ash picked Charmander up and braced himself just as Pikachu made contact causing the ground the rumble and break like it would have if a pokémon used the move earthquake. He felt the electricity run up his legs causing them to tingle as he heard Surge scream at Raichu to dodge.

The larger mouse was closer to the point of impact than he was and was unfortunately unable to dodge.

Looking up Ash saw Pikachu wobbling his way out of the crater he made with his body as well as Raichu swaying side to side dazed. "Iron Tail!" Ash called out catching Pikachus' attention. The yellow mouse shook out his electrified fur before, much slower than before, ran towards his opponent and smacked the Raichu downward with his tail.

Silence reigned through the gym before a loud booming laugh came from Surge. "Let me tell you what kid," the older man said, "That was one of the best battles I have battled in; in a long time! Ref call it! Raichus' down for the count."

Ash let out a small chuckle as he gathered his wobbly Pikachu up in his arms after returning a rather excited Charmander back to his ball. Looking up as he heard footsteps he saw Surge standing before him with his sleeping Raichu in his arms.

"Congratulations kid," Surge said as the referee walked towards them with a box in his hands, "You've won the Thunder Badge."

Ash smiled and took the badge within the box as Surge continued speaking, "As well as this," Ash looked up to see a piece of paper in Surges' hand and when he took it he saw that it was not just a piece of paper, but a ticket.

"What's this for?" Ash asked as he looked it over for a moment.

"The League told me I needed to be a bit harder on the trainers getting their badges because of this," the gym leader said, "It's a ticket for a cruise ship called the S.S. Anne. It departs in two months from the dock here and it loads its passengers during the last week of June. They're holding a tournament on the ship that only the best of the best, and those that can afford a ticket, can participate in. There's only a select amount of people that can be on the ship for it and congratulations you're one of them."

Ash looked at the ticket with wide eyes. A tournament! On the S.S. Anne! He couldn't wait! He would be sure to keep it in a safe place.

"Now Ash," Surge said as he ushered the teen towards his office after handing a pokéball to one of the gym trainers, "Tell me about the move you just used on Raichu." Ash laughed as they were joined by Leon and happily began to explain the combo move.

He stayed there for a while before he had to leave. He had two months before he had to come back and he needed to get stronger. He decided his next step on his way to the center. Next up! Meeting up with Paul and onto Fuschia City!