"That operation was a waste of time, dumbass. How are we supposed to explain this to Proton?" The woman snarled at the man walking next to her, who seemed as if he was trying to tune her out.

This particular area was not the ideal place to be wandering at night. The myths circulating the infamous place were not to be taken lightly. Which was why she was all the more infuriated with how their botched operation had turned out.

"You better not be blaming any of this on me." the man grumbled as the leaves overhead hid the stars above from view. "I had no way of knowing."

"Then you shouldn't have convinced him to let us do anything!" the woman hissed, sweat traveling down her face as she looked around their surroundings uneasily. The R on the center of her uniform was barely visible in the shroud of darkness enveloping the inside of the forest. "Just because that operation the higher-ups are planning for Celadon is scheduled for a month or two from now, doesn't mean we had to go there!"

"But once that division becomes stationed in the city, the board says we won't be able to perform any more activity within the borders, since it'll tip the police off to investigate." the man replied, trying to speed walk ahead of his companion so as to not listen to her rambling. "I wanted to act with time to spare. She's renowned worldwide for her breeding, and I had been tipped off that she had just gotten a new batch fresh for the picking. I figured a quick, one-and-done infiltration could net us at least a couple of rare Pokemon."

The woman's aggression faded, giving way to a deep sigh. "But that info turned out to be outdated. She probably already gave that batch up to clients and customers. All we got out of it was one Pokemon-"

"Which was still a foreigner." the man interrupted, holding out the Poke Ball that now carried the Pokemon that they had stolen from the Breeder's home. "And, to my knowledge, one that is still rare around these parts. Hey, that counts for something. The black market should-"

"I know." the woman cut in. "Either Proton tells us to keep it or takes it himself to auction off. But there's no way he's going to consider this last-minute mission you proposed to be worth it over just one Pokemon. Even if it is a foreign, it's not like you caught some exotic Alolan or Galarian Pokemon. I still say this was a waste." her face contorted in mild disgust. "And that's not the real reason I'm mad. To botch an escape plan like that… that's not like you. The police were on our tail and now were forced to take a drastic change in direction." she ran a hand down her face. "We're supposed to be shipping off with Proton a few days from now, with his crusade to start claiming territory in Ever Grande. We could have spent our remaining time with Damian, giving him some last minute advice before it was time to leave." she stopped walking, spreading her arms out wide. "Where are we instead? Viridian Forest, hiding out from the cops!"

The man stipped as well, palm rubbing his forehead as a guilty frown emerged on his features. "Fair point, honey. But we just need to lay low for a day or two. After that, we can make a break for it and get back on schedule. I'm sure we'll have time to speak to Damian before-"

"I don't want to spend a day or two here! This is one of the last places I'd ever be willing!"

"Look, I know you're superstitious, but even you probably understand that the rumors are exaggerated-"

"Famous last words. Everyone with half a functioning brain knows that this place is haunted. And it even goes beyond that, too. How the forest is constantly ever-shifting, manipulating the pathways and getting trainers lost. How the wild Pokemon and trainers alike go insane from being in here too long." she jabbed her index finger into her husband's chest. "Not to mention, it's a deathtrap for another reason, too. Thanks to your little slip-up with the police, we are now in a place that three different Gym Leaders have varying levels of jurisdiction over. Erika may have the least, but do you really think she's going to take that lying down? Proton says that that woman is one of Erika's best friends, and she's obviously going to be getting those police reports. She'll know we kidnapped one of her Pokemon, and if she finds out we're here, she'll pressure Brock and Giovanni to help her search the forest."

Trying to be gentle, the man grabbed his wife's arm and pushed her away. "You're being paranoid. There's no way she's going to dedicate that much of her forces over just one Pokemon, or especially try to get two other Gym Leaders to do the same. Even if it is for a friend, she has her duty. She wouldn't go that far." He continued walking forward, spotting an increase in density in the trees a slight distance away. Must not be a clearing up ahead. "Besides…" he ran his hand across a few Poke Balls on his belt. "There's a reason we were placed directly under Proton. We can fight off a few ghosts."

She followed after him, now walking side-by-side. "Fine, maybe I am overthinking it a bit. But you still need to accept that you're the one who got us into this mess. No more last minute proposals to the boss, got it?"

A nod from him. "Seems reasonable. And I'll be sure to take the fall for this next time we see him." He ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair. "He'll probably have me on janitor duty the entire trip to Hoenn."

"You deserve it."

"I have allergies, you know."

"Stop whining, I'll grab you some meds."

Around them, the trees became more and more numerous, the sky increasingly hidden as the dead darkness of night seemed to overtake their surroundings. The woman chewed on her lip, feeling the sweat return. Growing up in Lavender Town meant that stories of this forest ran rampant throughout her childhood. Her spouse was more than lucky to have been raised on tales of how incredible and regal Blackthorn's dragons were.

Deciding to change the subject, she swallowed her memories of those stories downward, instead speaking up in a tone that desperately attempted to mask her nervousness. "I-It's hard to believe the kid is going to be entering the ranks soon. He'll have the honor of helping to tear down the empire."

The man chuckled, pulling out a flashlight as the path in front of them grew darker than ever, his other hand continuing to hold the Poke Ball. "Proud of him, alright. He'll do good for certain. We've been preparing him for this since he was born."

The woman fiddled with her dark-blue ponytail, still looking around with unease. "We'll set an example for him overseas. There's a lot riding on getting our foot in Hoenn's door. That is where rare candies are at their best produced, after all."

"True…" the woman began. "That's-" her eyes widened. "Oh… no."

"What is it?" asked the man, even as his eyes found themselves shifting to a purple glow from the side. "Wait, what's that light?"

Before the woman could react, her husband had stopped and turned in the direction of the altar they were passing. Purple torches lined the structure. The source of the sudden light.

The man's eyes squinted. "Interesting… i wonder what-"

"We need to get out of here now!" his wife's grip roughly yanked on the back of his collar. Startled, he lost his grip on the poke Ball, which fell to the ground, enlarging and bursting open.

The bright flash of light that erupted from the fallen orb lit up the surrounding area for a few precious seconds, before being replaced by the form of a Ralts.

The young psychic's eyes widened as his head whirled around in confusion, startled by everything. The darkness. The change in scenery, the-

The man pushed his wife away, shooting her a light glare. "What's gotten into you?!" His voice brought the Ralts' attention to them, the feeling Pokemon falling on his bottom in surprise.

"We can't stay here!" she urged. "This place, it's, it's…"

His face scrunched up. "I told you you're being paranoid. Nothing's gonna get at us out here. Either way we have to get our prize back." turning to Ralts, the psychic whimpered, sweat rolling down his face as the snarling man fixed him with a deep scowl. "You best get back in the ball, runt. You're not getting away."

Still on his bottom, the Ralts scurried backwards, only to freeze in even more terror as his back pressed against the altar.

The woman groaned, her growing fear mixed with frustration as she reached down to pick up the Poke Ball, glowering at the young psychic in front of them as she held the orb in front of her. His confusion made sense. He hadn't even been awake when they abducted him. "Do as he says, you braindead imbecile! We don't have any time!" her heart began to race at the protesting shrieks let out by the Ralts. He was holding his head firmly in his hands. She paused for a second, her blood running cold. It didn't seem like they were the only ones making him act like this-

Darkness.

All three of them paused and looked around, the torches surrounding the altar completely unlit.

"The hell…?" the man started, now feeling uneasy. What could have made them go out? There was no water, no gust of-

A light breeze brushed against his uniform. An abrupt, collective shiver overtook the three as the temperature seemed to drop at its own, free will.

The woman was about to restate that they needed to leave, but before she could get the words out of her now-open mouth, something else cut in first.

The sound of the Ralts' scream.

It was probably the highest pitched noise either of them had ever heard in years. The young psychic was now on his knees, face firmly directed to the ground as his hands squeezed against the sides of his head. The tears were flowing from his eyes like two tiny waterfalls.

The wind was increasing in speed. Even the rate of the increase was going up. She didn't tighten her grip on the Poke Ball in time, the orb rolling out of her hand. Growling, she felt the panic rising in her chest further. From the corner of her eye, she could see the Ralts gripping a rock, which he quickly pressed himself against, desperately attempting to escape getting swept away by the current.

The man felt his wife grasping his shoulder. "Forget the Ralts, we need to-"

Something descended onto the altar. A stream of dark-purple mist, like a beam, came firing down out of nowhere, striking the center of the structure. An explosion of the same color triggered on impact as the shockwaves nearly smacked the duo off of their feet, the two Rockets grinding their heels against the dirty grass and crossing their arms protectively in front of their faces, the man caring very little when the still-lit flashlight in his hand was ripped out and sent rolling away. The explosion of purple smoke suddenly began to condense, as if taking a physical form as the wind slowly died down. The screaming Ralts lifted his head at the sight, and the large, dark-purple cloud hanging over their heads solidified, blood-red eyes glowing in the night, arms and legs extending outward. As it loomed over the group, its teeth spread into an enormous, malicious smile.

The psychic no longer had the energy to scream, simply sitting there, hands planted firmly into the dirty grass, as the tears freely flowed from his eyes.

The woman felt her heart hammering, as a lifetime's worth of myths rapidly crept back into the front of her mind. Instinctively, her hand ripped a Poke Ball from her belt, her husband doing the same.

The man's face scrunched up as the oversized figure leared down at them, his own hand grasping a Poke Ball as he sidestepped next to his wife. Despite himself, he could feel the sweat running down his body, and the frigid sensation in his spine.

The figure in front of them just grinned.

/

Kimberly jolted out of her seat on the bench pressed against her cabin. A few feet away, a confused Feral approached her. "Something wrong?"

With uncharacteristic franticity, her eyes darted in his direction. "Get all of the night scouts indoors, now!"

Her tone of voice put him on immediate alert. "Why, what's happened?!"

Her gaze was distant as she faced outward, staring into the abyss of trees beyond the camp. "Somebody has offended The Ghost."

/

As Ash's eyes opened, revealing the ceiling above him, he felt… completely different.

It was as though last night had never happened, completely washed away from the hours of sleep and comfort.

That was how his body felt, anyway. It was like the bed he was laying in was made of magic, all the stress and tenseness in his muscles evaporating overnight. Maybe it was the relief that the encounter with Damian and his followers was finally over. Maybe it was just reassurance, knowing that he was within the safety of a city's borders, and no longer at the mercy of the outside world's cruelty.

No matter the reason, the sensation that overtook him as he rose into a sitting position, the rejuvenation, was a catharsis that he wouldn't trade for the world.

He looked over at the digital clock. The final moments of the previous night were a jumbled blur in his memories. Once Officer Jenny had whisked him away, everything felt incoherent. He could vaguely remember how heavy his eyes felt, and how much his body hated moving, but even for the life of him, he couldn't muster up any real recollection of checking into the Pokemon Center, and turning Pikachu and the others in to Nurse Joy for treatment.

...That's right. Everyone apart from Pikachu had been able to get by with treatment from the potions, but the young mouse had been in need of more professional care. Which was why he had been placed in his Poke Ball immediately after the battle. However, just to be safe, Ash had turned in everybody else as well.

And for that reason… Yes, that was why he was the only one in the room right now.

He hadn't noticed it before, but… he was all alone. Pikachu and the others were all probably downstairs (or on the same floor? He didn't know what floor he was on) waiting for him to pick them up from the staff's care. Right now, they were separated. It made him feel naked. Insecure. Nowhere near as devastating as when Adam had run off with Pikachu, Nebula, and Tyrunt the previous day, but certainly uncomfortable. Unusual. It was a surreal feeling, really. It hadn't even been two months ago when he had no Pokemon at all. Now, even just having less than six Pokemon made him feel off balance. As though he was missing a layer of clothes.

Feeling his feet press against the comfortable carpet, Ash looked around the room. Normally, Pikachu would be snoozing at the foot of his bed, completely content. Nebula would be in the windowsill, observing the beautiful view of the city from whatever angle their room allowed her. Valiant, Eevee, and Tyrunt would all be together somewhere near his bed, each resting on top of a pillow. And Tempest would be off in his own corner of the room, probably daydreaming about their next big fight.

Almost feeling a magnetic pull emanating from the window, Ash was soon at the end of the room, pushing the window open, and feeling the magnificent morning breeze against his face as he gazed out into Celadon. Judging by the view, and the distance between the ground and where he was, he assumed he was on the second floor of the Center. As if he needed more comfort, the young rookie inhaled deeply, as if trying to take in as much of the crisp air as possible while observing the famed, towering skyscrapers that had contributed to Celadon's reputation.

This was it. One of Indigo's most upper class cities, and the pinnacle of its breeding field. Kanto's center stage for shopping, art, and fashion. Not just the home to Celadon Gym, but also to Erika's perfume company, which dominated its respective industry.

The most important part, however, was that he and his friends were within a city's borders. They were secure. They were now free. No ambushes from Team Rocket, no aggressive wild Pokemon, no elements to brave. Just society. Civilization. Accompanied by the clean, reassuring air the territory boasted (perhaps a natural quality for a lot of grass type specialists, Erika was always supportive of maintaining the environment), the multitude of activities, and of course, the anxious excitement of a Gym battle ahead.

Pulling himself away from the window, Ash took another glance at the digital clock. Almost 10:30 AM. Just how late had it been when he first got here? His teammates must have been ready for a while now. Pikachu was probably the only one indeed of overnight medical care, and even he was likely done by now.

Straightening himself out, and stretching his arms and legs for a moment, Ash sighed to himself and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. He needed to push aside his foggy memories of last night. They probably weren't of any real significance, anyway. It was the usual routine: Check into the Center, hand over any teammates in need of a checkup, get assigned a room. The only difference this time was that Ash had been too tired to maintain any memory of it.

As he stepped into the bathroom, however, Ash was greeted with another sensation: a rumbling stomach. It encouraged him to get finished and downstairs all the more quickly.

/

Having purposefully made his shower as short as possible, Ash soon found himself back down on the first floor, where he apparently had already been last night, despite his memory refusing to acknowledge such. Suppressing the urge to scarf down the closest donut he could find, the boy had quickly headed to Nurse Joy's counter before the cafeteria, and after thanking her for taking care of his team, didn't waste any time to let them all out.

It was odd. He had only been separated from them for a night that he couldn't even remember, and yet, just the mere knowledge of their absence had been enough to elate him upon their return.

Having been in a similar, exhausted state as himself, they had only recently awoken as well, and still needed to eat just as he did. After breakfast, Ash called his mother as usual, and it was finally time for the day to start, albeit a couple hours late at this point.

As Officer Jenny had suggested (if he remembered correctly), they were probably going to be taking it easy today. He wouldn't deny his team any training or battles if they were in the mood later, but he also wasn't going to be pushing for it. They'd wait for tomorrow to see if they were up to paying a visit to Celadon City's Gym.

He felt a walk out into the city would help. There were already two things he wanted to do here, outside of challenging the Gym: One was to visit Elacia as she had asked, or Suzie if the redhead wasn't home. Ash hoped his friend would be there, suddenly missing the times he had visited her back in Pewter, but he would be certain to stop by her friend's place if she wasn't.

The thought of meeting Suzie as well felt surreal, however. He already thought it was incredible that he had run into Indigo's second biggest breeder purely by chance, but to meet with the top ranked one as well?

It was a silly thought, he knew. Technically, Suzie and Elacia's statuses in indigo's breeding world theoretically meant that many people knew them, and that it wasn't at all unusual for trainers like him to interact with them as clients. Still… They were celebrities through and through, and he ha dmet one of them.

He had been pondering over whether or not to visit Elacia prior to the Gym battle. Deciding that he didn't want to keep his friend waiting, he had asked Nurse Joy if she knew whether or not the famous breeder was home at the moment. To his disappointment, the pink-haired woman had confirmed to him that she was currently out on business, although she didn't know where, or when she would be coming back. Apparently, the nurse had heard something about the Johto Region, but that was where her knowledge currently ended.

Deciding to wait a bit and see if Elacia would come back later, Ash had instead gone with his second choice: The Department Store. Celadon's shopping district was famous for its sublimity, and although he doubted he'd be able to indulge nearly as much as his inner fantasies made him want to, Ash figured that this would be the best opportunity to scoop up some more TMs. With the experience that they were now garnering. His team wouldn't have to rely on them as much anymore: Tempest could probably start working on Ice Beam the moment he had gotten a bit better with Icy Wind, Valiant's great usage of Dazzling Gleam likely meant he could get started on Moonblast at any time, and pikachu could probably muster up the control to learn just about an electrical technique that wasn't a part of the top tiers, even if mastering some would obviously take longer than others. The young mouse had plenty of base experience to at least get started on any electricity-utilizing move that his species was capable of.

But, as always, there were areas where the team hadn't yet been ironed out enough to quickly learn specific moves without help, and Ash was sure that the store would have at least a few that benefitted them. Even outside of that, the boy's curious mind was eager to see just how vast the store's collection was: Given its reputation.

Pikachu happily clung to Ash's shoulder as the boy stepped out of the Center, taking the time to tickle his starter under the chin as they walked through the automatic doors. The young mouse was as refreshed as his trainer was, both mutually desiring to put the events of last night behind them, however hard that may be. At Ash's side was Valiant, who was also back to perfect shape after a night's rest. Although neither of the trio wore perfect expressions, each collectively trying to push the bad memories away and focus on where they were right now, Valiant's smile was the only one that was truly uneasy, an anxious pit forming in his stomach and chest as he looked around and took in... the city.

Due to his ability to sense emotions, something he still wasn't particularly used to, even now, the bustling atmosphere was more than a little overwhelming for the young Kirlia, although it wasn't the only reason he was feeling uneasy today.

...They were here now. It was bound to happen at some point, and yet…

"Hey, Valiant…" the Kirlia glanced up to the side, met with the sight of Ash's concerned face. "You sure you wanna do this?" he had asked that question before, right before leaving. Obviously, the rookie knew that being in such a populated, urban area might not be overly ideal for the psychic. Although his species naturally found themselves in such places, they were rarely in the thick of it all unless they had fully grasped their emotion-detecting capability enough to properly control them.

Albeit still strained, Valiant's uneasy smile turned reassuring as he nodded back at Ash's question, doing his best to look the young rookie in the eyes from the angle he was at.

He needed this, after all. It would be good to start practicing to get a better grip on his detection abilities. Besides, he'd rather enjoy his time at his trainer's side. Make more memories. Thankfully, the upcoming gym battle would certainly serve as the perfect opportunity.

"I'm good, Ash."

Ash was a bit concerned, but nodded back at the young Kirlia as Pikachu grinned down at the psychic. Perhaps the two of them saw this as good practice, too…

Practice for sure… but would he get the chance to make use of it?

Ignorant to Valiant's inner thoughts, Ash adjusted his cap as he observed the sun-bathed surroundings. Pedestrians and vehicles passed by from numerous directions, the buildings towering into the sky, as if piercing through the blue. The few clouds overhead were pure white, no signs of messy weather in sight.

Taking a chance to look behind them as they walked away from the Pokemon Center, Ash admired the building's bulky, towering form, before focusing onward and getting Pikachu and Valiant's attention.

"We'll be visiting the shopping district today. We can explore a bit, but even with our winnings, there isn't much room for overzealous luxury. We're mostly in this for essentials, and TMs."

"Any ideas?" Valiant seemed eagerly curious, to which Ash grinned.

"We'll see when we get there. It all depends on what we can afford. I can't make any predictions regarding that, but it also depends on what they have, in which case… almost everything, from what I've heard." he offered his two teammates a quick thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to get something fancy, you guys deserve some more high-quality food after all this time."

To Valiant's cheerful amusement, Pikachu certainly seemed to like the sound of that.

/

Celadon was one daunting city to navigate, leaving the trio toremain hyper focused on the street signs that signaled where to go. Thankfully, the Pokemon Center wasn't too far from where they planned to go, and they soon found themselves in the midst of a plaza filled with shopping malls, fashion stores, gaming stores, and essentially just about any place where you could buy things. To Ash's knowledge, Erika's main perfume shop was also somewhere around here, although he had no interest in perfume.

Their surroundings had become even more overwhelming, with the abundance of stores encircling them from every angle, and the dense frequency of the passersby leaving Valiant to lightly clutch his head as the group continued onward. Ash had once again asked his young psychic friend if he wanted to be returned to his Poke Ball, only to be turned down.

Although the Department Store should have stuck out like a sore thumb, the overflowing distractions had resulted in it taking a good deal longer to find the place than Ash would have cared to admit. Thankfully, the towering structure soon stood over them, and after admiring its shining blue exterior, as well as its grand scope, the group had headed inside.

Although it wasn't a shopping mall, Celadon's Department Store was Kanto's largest individual shop, and if the building's exterior hadn't reminded him of that, being inside certainly would have. The first floor alone was big enough to compare to some decently-sized stores, and including the roof, this place was six stories tall.

Floor one acted as the main hub of the store, where general aspects such as customer service were stationed. What mainly interested Ash was the second floor, which specialized in trainer gear. Everything from backpacks, to Poke Balls, to healing items, to TMs could be found there. Even bikes. Ash had no need for a new backpack at the moment, and he already had the latest in bikes thanks to his trip to Miracle Cycle back in Cerulean. He knew that there were some newer back[packs with upgraded storage technology, which could be useful, but he needed to ensure he had enough money first, which he wouldn't today.

The main concerns for now were acquiring a few TMs, as well as ensuring that they were restocked on food and medicine.

Valiant followed his trainer up the stairs that took them to the second floor, although the first floor was decently populated, the group knew that the remaining floors were going to be the busiest for sure. They were proven right as they stepped into the Trainers' Market, the section of the store that the second floor consisted of, and were greeted with the sight of aisle after aisle, as far as the eye could see. And the market was hustling and bustling with numerous customers, from kids his age, to teens and adults.

Even though he had been expecting it, actually seeing it first hand was enough to startle the boy. This one floor saw enough activity to pass off as a full grocery store, and it was just a piece of the puzzle when grouped with the rest of the building. Briefly stopping in his tracks, the young rookie found himself looking around, and taking it all in as the various trainers populating the floor went about their business: Plucking items off of the shelves, showing their teammates what was in their shopping carts, conversing amongst one another about their journeys so far-

'There could be a dozen Rockets in this room, and I wouldn't even know.' Ash almost jolted from the thought that crept into his mind, as memories of yesterday abruptly sprung up. Adam's hoodie making way to reveal his true uniform, the Rockets that had battled Paul while in disguise, posing as ordinary trainers.

Suddenly sweating, Ash took note of Valiant's concerned gaze as he began shaking his head, as though his thoughts were a cramped container that needed to be emptied out.

'She said that Team Rocket hadn't infiltrated society on that scale.' the boy reminded himself of Officer Jenny's reassuring words. The chances were probably one out of ten at most.

"You okay?"

"Gah!" Ash whirled to the side, his abrupt movement somewhat startling pikachu as he and Valiant turned to face the source of the sudden voice.

He looked about five years older than him, and was a good deal taller to show for it. His hair was long and red, and his outfit was a simple black and white.

The teenager seemed fairly at ease, arms crossed and back leaning against the wall a few feet away. His face, although somewhat stern, didn't convey hostility.

"Oh! Ummm… sorry, I'm fine." Ash's face was beet red. He really needed to stop doing this. Misty would either be laughing in his face or cracking his ribs right about now.

The older boy seemed unfazed, straightening himself out as he approached the trio with an analytical expression.

"I saw you all frozen up back here, so I just came over to see what's going on." he spoke honestly as Ash's gaze focused on his pale shirt.

'His outfit is too thin to be hiding a uniform.' the young rookie's mind reassured him. 'Relax. Settle down.'

He felt himself easing up even as the thoughts went through his mind. Feeling his posture straighten out, he fixed the newcomer with a relaxed smile. "Oh, sorry about that. Guess I'm just not too used to places like this." It wasn't entirely a lie. Less than two months away from home wasn't quite long enough for him to grow completely accustomed to places like Celadon, far surpassing the scope of Pallet Town and then some.

"Hmmm, yes that makes sense. I was certainly in for a shock when I first left New Bark Town." the older boy's face formed into a small smile. "You'll get used to it eventually, although you might lose that sense of wonder in the process."

Ash hadn't thought about it that way. Right now, his experiences had been a double-edged sword, mixing intimidation with awe. But without one, the other might go away as well…

The thought was slightly disheartening, but he pushed it aside for now. As a trainer, he'd never run out of adventures to be had. At worst, he'd just be a bit more difficult to surprise, which could lead to less embarrassing moments like this.

The boy nodded back at the teen. "Well, sorry to worry you. We'll be on our way." the red-haired teen waved them off (Pikachu happily returning the gesture) as Ash led Valiant into the market.

Even as they're backs faced the older boy, he continued to stare.

/

Ash chose to focus on restocking his medical supplies first. He had already put some of his money aside to restock food at a later date (probably whenever it was time for them to leave the city), so with his current fundings, he felt it was best to get the necessities out of the way, so he'd be left free to use the rest on TMs. Pikachu remained perched on his shoulder as the trio browsed the aisles, Valiant casually following behind them.

They rarely had the surrounding space to themselves, with no shortage of trainers rummaging through the store's vast selection. These were supposed to be some of the most effective brands Indigo had to offer, so they were hardly lacking in terms of the number of trainers actively seeking them out. The ordeal from the previous evening was like a magnet that had pulled Ash to the burn heals, before ensuring that he had at least a few vials of every basic category (as well as plenty of potions). He didn't need to restock on paralyze heals, but he found himself grabbing at least one or two of everything else, outside of particularly niche items.

Around them, he could make out a variety of conversations.

"So, I'm gonna be challenging Erika in a couple of days. I'll have my second badge for sure!"

"Neat! I'm competing in the Contest next week. This time, I'm sure I'll have my first ribbon!"

"There were a lot of battles at the Pokemon Center yesterday. Apparently that one girl with the purple hair beat five people in a row with like, three Pokemon total!"

"Yeah, I was there. She may look cute, but that Ivysaur and Beedrill destroyed me. Kind of scary, honestly."

"Did you catch Suizie's latest lecture? It was so helpful!"

"Totally! Honestly, it's like she always knows what the most relevant topics are."

"Hey, does your Squirtle know Ice Beam? Cause I've been trying to get Vaporeon to learn it, and we're struggling."

"Sorry, but we're kind of struggling ourselves. I don't wanna challenge Erika without it, though."

Overhearing the various topics almost made Ash feel relieved, at a time where he felt he shouldn't need to be.

There wasn't anyone dangerous here. Just a bunch of ordinary trainers like himself, all going about the latest day in their respective journeys.

Once he was satisfied with the medicine, Ash set his sights on the TMs that the store had to offer: the largest public selection available anywhere in Kanto. This took him and his two friends to the end of the massive room, a bit beyond the series of aisles most of the customers were navigating.

Ash heard Pikachu's awed reaction right in his ear as the trio approached the seemingly endless shelf of TMs that came into view. A few other trainers were browsing the selection themselves, albeit decently more spaced out, as there was more room here than in the aisles. He imagined that made things easier on Valiant.

Pikachu leapt off of the rookie's shoulder and scampered over next to Valiant as the young Kirlia stopped in front of the shelf, head angled upward and mouth slightly open as he took in the sight. It was a goldmine of potential new moves, ripe for the picking. Of course, Ash knew that they couldn't afford to be overzealous, tempted as he was.

'Just look through the selection and take the few you think you could use the most right now.' the young boy took a deep breath. A small part of him almost preferred the smaller selections: They weren't anywhere near this intimidating. He took a moment to smile at Pikachu and Valiant as the two chatted, before running his hand (and his eyes) over the shelf in front of him.

One particular TM immediately caught his eye: Surf. Normally, Ash wouldn't have wanted to spend his money on a move that was too long-term, at least not right now, but the sooner Tempest got started on a move like this, the more the Krabby would benefit from it. It was a move that would allow the river crab to summon water beneath himself and carry him across the battlefield. It was one tactic that some trainers used to help certain teammates, that were less mobile than others, get around that particular weakness, although the fact that it took a great deal of time to fully master prevented the strategy from being universal. Tempest would be working on this move for a long time and the fruits of his labor wouldn't start showing right away, but it was an investment worth considering.

A bit more expensive than the rest of the TMs that Ash had purchased up to this point, but definitely worth it.

Plucking the encased disc off of the shelf, Ash began walking down, making sure to let Pikachu and Valiant know where he was going (the two decided to follow after him anyway, however). He had enough money for at least two more TMs, so he needed to make the choices count.

He was tempted to purchase another biting move for Tyrunt, but decided against it. Later on, he would certainly want to teach the dinosaur as many as he could, in order to ensure that those deadly jaws were as useful as possible, but for now, the youngest member of their group was in need of more variety.

So with Tyrunt in mind, the young rookie found his eyes resting on something else: Earth Power. It would improve the royal heir Pokemon's ranged options, while still covering a typing the eager biter did not know. And pretty soon, Pikachu would be helping to teach him Brick Break. They'd put jaw-training on a hold for now: Tyrunt was already performing up to expectations in that regard.

It was a few more minutes before Ash found the final TM that he wanted. Numerous sources of temptation made themselves known to him, but he was always too hesitant to pluck them off the shelves. Really, there was no right or wrong choice: Just whatever he ended up deciding on, but even thinking along those lines stressed him out.

Shadow Ball almost convinced him. It was a move that Valiant could learn, and although Eevee was already there to help teach the Kirlia, Ash knew that most psychic type's struggled with Ghost Type moves without prior experience with them. And of course, it would be great to plan ahead for Sabrina.

But Valiant knew Shadow Sneak, and was relatively good at it. That preexisting experience, combined with Eevee's tutelage, would likely make the learning process just smooth enough to where a TM wasn't fully necessary. Or, at the very least, when their fundings were still fairly limited. If they could maintain momentum, they'd likely be in a comfortable enough position to make less crucial purchases such as that, but for now, he wanted to focus on moves that borderline required the assistance offered by TMs.

With that in mind, Ash finally made his choice: Play Rough. It was a fairly strong fairy type move that both Pikachu and Tyrunt could learn. A good bit of variety for the both of them, especially Tyrunt.

Pulling the disc off of the shelf, Ash turned to his two teammates. Seeing the relatively cheerful looks on their faces (especially Pikachu) as they conversed away, he found himself wishing he understood Poke-speak (as it was often nicknamed). Valiant's mental speech only went so far, and that wasn't even accounting for how long it would take for the Kirlia to truly use it efficiently.

"Hey, Pikachu." Ash knelt down in front of the duo, who gave him their attention as he showed his starter the disc. "This is a move that you and Tyrunt can learn. I figured a lot of the other moves you'll be working on in the near future are electric-based, and Tyrunt still needs to diversify his moveset, so this should work pretty well." at the mouse's happy nod, he turned to Valiant. "I'm thinking I should get you started on Shadow Ball, to go along with Moon Blast. I don't think we'll need a TM for it, though. Eevee already knows the move, and you do have some experience thanks to how often you use Shadow Sneak. Either way, it'll help you a lot. What do you say?"

The emotion Pokemon seemed somewhat surprised by the proposal, before quickly grinning with a nod. No doubt the idea of further training with Eevee pleased him. She was already a big help with improving his agility, which they would continue to work on. The thought of learning a move from her likely sounded promising.

Ash chuckled. "Good! We're focusing on Erika now, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to prepare for Sabrina as well. She's probably going to be our next challenge after we're done in Celadon, after all."

Both Pokemon seemed to be in agreement at that, although one of them was hiding a mildly lingering sense of doubt.

/

In a way, Celadon's skyline almost felt like something of a ceiling, albeit one that soared over everybody's heads. It was an atmosphere that was easier to appreciate on the walk back to the Center, when the sounds of the city still filled the trio's ears, but the road wasn't nearly as quiet.

Ash's mind couldn't help but wander as he and Valiant traversed the sidewalk together, Pikachu steadily perched on the young rookie's shoulder. His travels had taken him to six cities at this point, and though Eastern Kanto loomed ominously in the group's future, it abruptly occurred to the boy that he had actually seen a great deal of the Region by now. Of course, he hadn't even come close to seeing more than a fraction of Indigo, but whenever it dawned on him just how much had happened since leaving Pallet Town, he never knew what to think.

Ironically, he wasn't as far from home as he was back in Cerulean or Saffron, due to Celadon being west of both cities. There was, of course, the dreaded Viridian Forest, just west of Celadon as well. He didn't feel any closer, however. Every location he had been to since leaving home had felt like a different world from the quiet town he had never needed to step foot out of prior to becoming a trainer. The world within Pallet's borders was like a safe haven, a comfort zone.

Celadon's skyline reminded him of that, and Ash couldn't help but angle his head upward to marvel at the tall buildings and skyscrapers that rose above their heads as he and his friends navigated the sidewalk. When in Celadon, everywhere they went, everything they did on the ground, it was all with the top of those structures towering overhead.

Pallet didn't have this. Pallet didn't have that feeling of buildings looming above you from every direction. Compared to the somewhat spread out structure of his hometown, where the buildings never extended into the sky and clouds above, Ash almost felt like he was indoors right now. If the skyline was a ceiling, then the buildings that made it up were like a set of walls enclosing them in.

Every city they had been to was like this, but there was a difference between each, he found. Saffron and Celadon were easily the most drastic, and Viridian and Vermillion were at least more so than Pewter and Cerulean.

That was six cities that he had stepped foot in. All on a completely different plane of existence from the serene, comforting town that he'd grown up in for a decade. All in not nearly as much time as his mind made it feel, even if he had still been away from home for a while now. It didn't feel real.

"Ash, we're here."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ash took a moment to process Valiant's words before realizing they had almost passed by the sign that directed them to the Pokemon Center. Muttering a "thank you" to his psychic friend, the trainer led the way back to the building.

He was growing tired of this habit. His mind always dwelled on something that couldn't be helped. And there was so much inconsistency in how he felt about being away from home. He was only used to it when he wasn't thinking about it.

That guy back at the store had said he'd get used to it eventually. With the way he said it, it was as if it was inevitable. Ash wasn't sure how he felt about that. Just how much would he get used to? Just the change in scenery? Or would he stop feeling homesick as well? He couldn't really imagine-

In front of them, the doors to the Center opened, the trio collectively stopping in their tracks at the figure that abruptly came into view.

On the other side, just about to exit the Center, Gary was just as startled.

The dwelling was suddenly replaced with a familiar pit in Ash's stomach. Running into him of all people at the most abrupt times. This wasn't going to be a trend, was it?

Ash must not have properly hid the frustration from his face, because the Oak boy's own expression immediately scrunched into an ugly scowl. "You better watch the way you look at people, Ashy boy."

'And you have free reign to treat people however you want?' Ash couldn't help the thought that came to his mind. Next to his ear, he could hear Pikachu's unpleasant growl, as if the mouse was acting on instinct. In front of him, Valiant had stepped between the two trainers, an obviously hostile aura surrounding him. Ash had begun to extend a hand to prevent the Kirlia from advancing forward, but thankfully, his friend held back.

Ash tried to keep his face neutral, but stern, knowing Gary would very much capitalize if he behaved passively. "Wasn't expecting to see you here." Didn't want to either, but he omitted that.

That disgustingly familiar smirk found its way back to the Oak boy's face. "You're saying that to me? All I can think about now is how miraculous it is that you're not stuck in some gutter back in Cerulean."

"Shut up." the voice did not fill Ash's head, instead directed at Gary.

The brown-haired boy started at the sudden, new voice, his eyes ablaze as his head darted back and forth. "Hey, who said that?! Come out now-" as if having an epiphany, his snarling voice was cut short as his eyes landed on Valiant. "You…"

The glare hadn't left the young Kirlia's face, although the emotion Pokemon was inwardly relishing in the brief victory. It took Gary's own realization for Ash and Pikachu to realize the psychic had said or done anything, the duo sparing their friend a quick, downward glance before refocusing their attention on Gary.

They were just in time to lock eyes with the Oak boy, his former smugness eclipsed with rage. Had this been a month or two ago, Ash surely would have recoiled. But that was before he had witnessed (however briefly) the demon lurking within Misty's temperament.

"Get your buddy's act together, loser." Gary sounded like a king who had just been offended. "Or are you as bad at training your Pokemon as you are at battling with them?" For an instant, Ash felt a twinge of pain as the sparks from Pikachu's cheek brushed against his own. It went away as quickly as it started, however, as the boy's starter reigned in his instincts. "Meditite started talking to me five days ago, so don't go thinking you can slip that past me."

"My friends have minds of their own. I'm not going to scold them for doing nothing wrong." Gary's face tightened at the implication, but Ash continued. "I'm sure you'd love for me to be stuck in some gutter. You better get used to seeing us this far out, cause we're not stopping here."

"Heh, tch." Gary's bitter smirk formed through clenched teeth. "Just how many Gym Leaders have you curried favor with to come this far? Or are you expecting me to believe you're this lucky just because your psychic knows how to talk?" he spared another spiteful glare at Valiant, who's eyes narrowed in response.

Despite himself, Ash felt his eye twitch. There it was again, and not a moment too soon. Gary's signature accusation of how everything he did right was luck, or underhanded. He kept telling himself to brush it aside. Forget about it. Gary and his friends were the last people he needed to prove himself too, especially since they never accepted any of his achievements, as they had proven back when he had scored high on the Qualification Exam.

He knew that, at the very least, but every time Gary reminded him, the old wounds made themselves known. It seemed everything was easier in intention than they were in practice.

'Just keep your cool. If you can do that, he'll get frustrated.' Even as he talked to himself, Ash knew that Gary would just double down out of spite. Still, it was better than letting things play out the way they always did back in Pallet Town.

A lot had happened since he had left, and they weren't on Gary's playground anymore. 'He doesn't need to accept your success.' Ash told himself. What mattered was that he himself was aware of his accomplishments. Gary's opinion didn't matter.

"What do you think I did?" Ash crossed his arms, his posture as straight as he could manage. "Did I clean the pool top to bottom back in Cerulean, as if that would be any easier than battling? Maybe I handed Surge ten thousand bucks to get him to have his men escort me everywhere I went, nevermind I'd have to win battles to get that much money anyway?" As his face formed into a glare, Gary's own became twice as hostile. "You're the one with the connections, Gary, not me. Be careful who you accuse."

The Oak boy's knuckles turned white as his hands squeezed at his hips. "Oh, so now I'm the hack? You're gonna start-" he started as Ash cut him off, the rage in his eyes suddenly becoming difficult to gauge.

"I'm saying that you'd have a much easier time "currying favor" with just about anybody than I ever would." Ash felt himself easing up, just barely enough to be noticeable. "And yet you're the one questioning me, all because you feel the need to deny me any credit." Ash felt a sudden weight on his head as Pikachu climbed onto his cap, his starter letting out an affirmative squeak in Gary's direction as Ash's body adjusted to the shift.

Gary was silent for a few moments, simply staring the trio down. Ash didn't move. The Oak boy had chosen to play this game, and they weren't going to give him any luxury.

"Do you know why I was at the top of the class our entire upbringing?" After offering Valiant a brief sneer, Gary finally spoke, his gaze shifting to Ash's eyes. The anger had turned more focused, less fury and more concentration. "It's because I earned the right to be. I was the one pulling all-nighters once a week to keep my knowledge at top capacity. Those tests don't ace themselves-heh, I suppose you of all people would know-you know why I absorbed all of that information? Better than anyone else?" his arms were crossed now. "Because I was the one who could. Out of everyone in town, I was the one with potential that needed to be tapped. So I tapped it. And used what I got as a reward. You were down there, scraping away at the bottom of the barrel, trying to salvage the slightest bit of worth you could muster for yourself, while I had figured everything out long since. That's how I knew where I stood back at home, and how I knew you had become a lost cause."

Ash nodded, but said nothing.

"You know why Squirtle and I beat you and your stupid rat back on Opening Day?" Pikachu snarled as Gary's index finger locked onto him. "Because only one of us was ready. Only one of us deserved to become a trainer. The other was just some long since proven failure who got tossed into a profession he wasn't capable of after lucking out on an Exam." The smile on Gary's face was not a smirk. It was more victorious, matter-of-fact. "And after that, when Wartortle and I beat you and your blasted bird back at Mt. Moon? When my team picked yours apart? It was because I was the better trainer. I earned that win, just as much as I earned all those A pluses back at school. That loss was your punishment for being worse, just like all those lukewarm grades you always got. Like the one you should've gotten on the Qualification Exam." his finger was now facing Ash's chest. "Do you think you deserve success? People like gramps and I have been winning our whole lives! You think we deserve to lose out to people who think they're just now starting to get the hang of it?" his hands fell to his sides. "You're half a decade behind me, and I'll be damned if I start slowing down for your sake."

Pikachu leered at Gary's speech, while Valiant's posture turned rigid. Ash felt the frustration in his chest returning.

Nobody needed to be born a winner. That's what Professor Oak had told him. And he'd met people since who seemed to think similarly. Gary didn't need to slow down. He, Pikachu, Valiant, and all the others were already content with finding their own pace. Because…

Ash's own hands fell to his sides, his posture mimicking Gary's. "Gary, I'm not the same person I was two months ago. Or one month ago.." his face tightened. "Are you expecting me to stay where I've always been? I don't have the right to move forward for myself? Maybe you just want me to stay put for your sake."

A few more moments of silence. The air was broken by a quiet, dark chuckle from Gary's throat.

"You're the one who thinks you belong here, Ashy boy." his hand rummaged around his belt, the Poke Ball he pulled out enlarging as he held it out front for the trio to see. "You want to talk about who has the right? No need, I'll remind you."

Ash let out an inward sigh, which almost escaped outwardly. It was the inevitable conclusion. Now that he and Gary were trainers, their disputes would never be solved with words. It felt like there was little point in talking. The conversations were just a quick warm-up that came and went. The real argument took place on the battlefield.

'We're supposed to take it easy today…' Ash told himself, looking down to Valiant as Pikachu leapt down next to the young psychic. The young mouse immediately rose to his hind legs, fists tightened and held in front of his chest. At his side, Valiant crossed his arms. "I'll fight you."

Once again, only Gary heard the voice. He shot an annoyed smirk down at the young Kirlia through clenched teeth, before facing Ash and looking him in the eyes. "Your psychic pal's real annoying, you know that? Glad I got myself a more pleasant one." he tossed the Poke Ball in the air, just once, before lowering it to his side and pointing at Ash's chest with the other hand. "Three on three. Just enough. Still in over your head?"

Those conditions were pretty convenient, Ash decided. He wasn't sure if the others were in the mood or not, but Pikachu and Valiant were both clearly ready, and Tempest would be about as likely to pass up as he would be to have just about any physical contact with a Pokemon that wasn't a punch to the face. They had their lineup.

"Alright." Smiling, Pikachu and Valiant exchanged nods as Ash offered Gary his own. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes."

/

It hadn't taken long to brief Tempest on the current situation. It had taken even less for him to agree to take part.

'Note to self: the upside to having Tempest around is that you'll always have at least one teammate who's in the mood.'

Gary waited for Ash on the other end of the Center's battlefield. Pikachu and Tempest were back in their Poke Balls, with Valiant remaining out. The Poke Ball was still in Gary's hand, tossing up and down.

With Valiant standing at his side, Ash pulled out Pikachu's Poke Ball, listening to the other trainer speak.

"I already told you the conditions. I'll be sure to keep this short and sweet." Not wasting any time, Gary chucked the orb into the air. Ash's brow raised in intrigue at the newcomer.

It was a Growlithe, head raised with regality as she assessed the duo. There was no shortage of popularity with the species in Indigo. They were naturally loyal, and very appealing to raise and train as a result. And their evolved form, Arcanine, was practically a celebrity in Indigo's competitive field. Swift as a bullet, and hit just as hard. They had always been amongst the most popular fire types amongst trainers worldwide. And a staple in just about any big, Indigo-native tournament.

Tempest would be a natural fit, but trainers were supposed to select their first Pokemon at the same time, and Ash had already grabbed Pikachu's ball…

Thankfully, he was still satisfied with that matchup.

His trusty starter was already on all fours, cheeks blazing with lightning as he emerged from the Poke Ball. Looking back at Ash and Valiant, Pikachu offered a chirp, the determined grin to go along with it, and a nod, which Valiant had immediately returned with a quick word of encouragement (not that Ash understood what either of them were saying, unfortunately).

On the other side, Growlithe was in a sitting position, looking back and her trainer as he gave her instructions.

"Pikachu." Ash got his starter's attention as the mouse fixed his eyes on the fiery canine. "You've fought Growlithe before, but this one Gary's." he emphasized. "Of course, it's probably a fast runner like you are. We may have to use Agility early." as his starter tensed up, he added. "Can you handle that?" a nod.

Ash smiled at his friend before returning his focus to Gary, who was now ready.

"Prep time's over, Ashy boy. Growlithe, Agility!"

They were going for it right away. "Same for you, buddy!" Ash called to pikachu.

Growlithe kicked off the ground, a blue glow coating her fur as her paws galloped across the pavement. Pikachu's body did the same, dashing to the side to avoid her charge, then changing direction to acquire his target. As he thrust his body forward with Slam, the puppy mimicked his dodge, just before a stream of flames escaped her jaws.

The moment Pikachu's paws landed back on the ground, he immediately kicked off again, narrowly avoiding the Flamethrower as it passed by and pelted the barrier.

"Zap Tail!"

"Burn Tail!"

Now both combatants were on a collision course for one another. Still cloaked in Agility, their tails became encased in metal, Pikachu's engulfed in electricity, and Growlithe's in fire. Shockwaves spread around them as the attacks smashed into one another, the impact sending sparks and embers scattering about.

Teeth grinding together, Pikachu strained his muscles as he pushed against his opponent, who mirrored his own resolve. Both sets of paws grinded against the pavement as best they could, each combatant trying to steady themselves while simultaneously pushing the other away. Finally, Pikachu was sent tumbling a foot or two before balancing himself on all fours.

"Headbutt!"

Just as Pikachu had righted himself, however, Growlithe had turned to face him yet again, lowering her head as she rammed into his face. The electric mouse rolled away with a yelp, stopping himself just in time to look back at his opponent and see her preparing a Flamethrower.

Wasting no time, Pikachu's fur became engulfed in electricity, the bolt of lightning that erupted from his body exploding against the blast of fire that had been sent his way.

Ash's eyes narrowed analytically at the dust cloud that was kicked up from the clash. So far, Growlithe was just about as formidable as he expected. And her power and speed were at least on par with Pikachu's own. They'd need to focus on more than just outmaneuvering her and Gary.

But right now, the smoke cloud was-

"Roar!"

On the other side of the cloud, Growlithe bent her knees, feeling energy building up within her throat, before letting out a loud blast of shockwaves that smashed into the cloud of dust standing between her and Pikachu. Rising to his hindlegs, the mouse shielded his face as the dust blew against him, along with lingering shockwaves.

Ash didn't wait. "Double Team! Into three!"

Even before the remaining force from Roar had dissipated, Pikachu was already rushing to the side, just as a barrage of golden stars escaped from his enemy's jaws. Two separate clones of Pikachu abruptly formed, and split off from either side as the Swift curved in an attempt to follow its target, only to pelt against the barrier instead.

Gary's voice was firm and confident. "Growlithe! Pikachu's clones won't be able to use Agility like him. Go full speed and weed him out!"

It was clever on his part, but hearing the order brought a risky thought into Ash'd mind. "Don't use Agility, Pikachu!"

No doubt Pikachu was confused by the order, but he seemed to comply. Ash only hoped it wouldn't backfire.

True to Gary's command, Growlithe was once again coated in blue, her body galloping after her targets as the psychic energy of Agility bolstered her speed. One clone immediately fizzled out of existence as her metallic tail smashed through it, the fiery puppy only taking a moment to reposition herself before speeding after the next target. As she closed in, a stream of flames exited her jaws, her eyes predatorily glinting as Pikachu leapt over the Flamethrower, a small bit of his fur catching fire. She had found the real one.

Ash's blood was pumping. "Agility and Brick Break!"

Growlithe's tail was already raised as the puppy once again prepared Burn Tail. Pikachu, the moment he landed, kicked off towards the fiery canine, the familiar aura of Agility surrounding him as he pounded an orange fist into the flaming Iron Tail. His fist became engulfed in agony as the flames washed over it, but punctured the Iron Tail even as the mouse shrieked from the burning sensation. As Growlithe recoiled from the pain in her tail, Ash continued.

"Thunder Punch!"

Pikachu's fist thankfully wasn't in contact with the flames for long. He was a Pokemon, not a human, and the pain he felt was brief despite being sudden. Ignoring the lingering burning sensation, the young mouse reared back his other fist, the lightning in his tail flowing into his arm and condensing into the fist, before thrusting forward to sock Growlithe in the jaw. As his opponent tumbled away, he returned to all fours, the lingering ache in the briefly burned fist beginning to subside, before taking off yet again.

Gary was frustrated, but unfettered. "Move around, Swift!"

Now Growlithe was running as well. Both combatant's maneuvered across the pavement, not allowing either to leave the other's sight. Before long, both were cloaked in Agility again.

Pikachu wouldn't be able to keep this up for long, but with any luck, neither would Growlithe. Gary must have been planning to end the fight quickly by going no-holds-barred right from the start, in an effort to overwhelm Pikachu immediately. Since they had responded in kind, both pokemon were left using up everything they had at rapid rates.

But Agility was dependent on mental prowess, not physical prowess. Ash could only hope that Growlithe's endurance in that regard wasn't any better than Pikachu's.

The stream of golden stars erupted from the puppy's mouth, and Pikachu was left with no options. If he deflected the stars with Iron Tail, he'd be left open. If he changed direction to avoid them, he'd still be all the same.

Moving as fast as possible, the mouse swerved to the side, the homing projectiles not quite locking on completely. Growlithe was prepared for that, however, head lowered as she pursued her opponent like a missile and smashed into his ribs.

Pain shot through Pikachu's body as Ash's starter was flung through the air, body a few feet above the arena as Ash and Valiant followed his flight. He did not relent, however, smacking an Iron Tail down onto the pavement before using the impact to regain his momentum and take off again before Growlithe could rush him. As his paws carried him forward, he could already feel his eyes growing slightly heavy, but ignored the sensation as his body became cloaked in Agility again.

"Fire Spin!" no doubt Gary was trying to ensnare them.

"Jump, Electroweb!"

The stream of flames that escaped from Growlithe's jaws rotated into a spiral as it made its way to its target. As Pikachu leapt above the arena, flipping himself over and pushing against the ground with an iron Tail in order to enforce his jump, the Fire Spin collided with the ground that the young mouse had previously occupied, engulfing it as it spread out across.

Thanks to Iron Tail, Pikachu maintained his momentum, even as he soared through the air. Angling himself to keep his gaze focused on the dashing Growlithe, his cheeks crackled with lightning before transferring to his tail, his body flipping over yet again to launch the barrage of lightning downwards.

The electricity took the form of a net as it descended onto the arena. Growlithe sidestepped around it as it landed, zigzagging to avoid the electrical trap, but Pikachu returned to the ground immediately after, attention fixated on the preoccupied puppy.

"Zap Tail!" Ash spoke the words before Pikachu had even landed, the moment when Growlithe had changed direction. Capitalizing on the split-second opportunity, Pikachu rocketed after her, plunging his electrified Iron Tail into her side. A howl of agony escaped her throat as she was launched across the arena, but as Pikachu tried to pursue her, her own tail smashed onto the pavement, the metal coating shielding her as she pushed off and back onto her paws.

She didn't have time to build up speed however, as Pikachu was already upon her. Just as he prepared to deliver another strike, a startle yelp instead escaped his throat as he flung himself away from the sudden Flamethrower she launched while turning her head back to face him. Even as he dodged, he could feel the heat against his face. In the confusion, his aura dissipated. With his momentum gone, her fleeing form cleared distance as her momentum returned to her.

Now with the wave of fatigue filling his brain even moreso, Pikachu took off after her, his body flickering as he struggled to call upon Agility yet again. On the other side, growlithe, still running, faced the same obstacle, the blue aura of Agility flashing in and out around her body.

The two combatants returned to their earlier routine, circling around one another, doing everything they can to remain locked on. Ash knew neither of them would last much longer. Although their bodies could probably take more, their minds were shutting down, on the verge of passing out. No doubt, Gary knew the same. Now was the time for the decisive strike.

"Growlithe, Flame Wheel!"

"Pikachu, Shock Rush!"

Shock Rush was the name Ash had given to the Spark/Slam combo that Pikachu used against Damian's Charmeleon the previous evening. He had shared it with his starter over breakfast. For now, he figured the move would be a decent substitute to Volt Tackle.

Mutually sensing the finality of the situation, both pokemon summoned the strength to coa themselves in Agility, the flickering finally coming to a stop after a few last moments of struggling. They were likely using up whatever mental strength they had left to pull this off. This would be it.

Maintaining the speed-boosting move, both Pokemon found themselves lined up with one another. As the charged forward, Growlithe's body became enveloped in the storm of fire that escaped from her mouth. Her advancing form curled head-over-heels, assuming a spherical form as she rolled across the pavement, closing in on Pikachu as fast as Agility could carry her.

Pikachu, at the same time, growled as his cheeks became engulfed in lightning, only for it to transfer to his tail, and then around his body. As his fur became shrouded in the onslaught of electricity that now surrounded him, his body took on an orange glow. The young mouse hollered with determination as he thrust himself into the Flame Wheel.

With no interruptions to slow their speed, both attacks collided, the ensuing explosion immediately coating the surrounding space in smoke. Shockwaves carried the dust cloud across a sizable portion of the battlefield, hopelessly obscuring both combatants from view.

Over on the other side, Gary was fidgeting as his foot hastily tapped against the ground. Ash had to admit that he could feel some minor sweat himself.

At his side, Valiant simply watched, the concern in his eyes not matching his steadfast body language.

It didn't take long for the smoke to clear up, revealing the unconscious forms of both fighters. Ash's heart sank a bit, but he wasn't overly surprised. He quickly took out Pikachu's Poke Ball and returned him, even as Gary did the same for Growlithe.

"Thanks, buddy. You took everything she had and brought her down with you." Ultimately, both sides had mutually benefited from the battle. If it indeed had been Gary's plan to get an early lead by using Growlithe's full speed right from the start, then he had failed.

Looking over at the other trainer, Ash took note of Gary's irritable glare, seemingly confirming his suspicions.

"It's a tie." Ash spoke matter-of-factly, to which Gary scoffed.

"Tying with you is just as bad as losing." the boy spat back as a second poke Ball appeared in his hand. "That won't happen again."

Ash removed Tempest's Poke Ball from his belt, returning Gary's gaze with confidence. "Agreed."

The river crab appeared in front of him, pincers clicking together excitedly as he realized the action was about to start. Taking a moment to glance at Valiant, Ash could see the Kirlia eying the Krabby with crossed arms, albeit not quite as tense as he usually was.

Ash almost didn't recognize the Pokemon that emerged on Gary's side of the field. It was slightly larger than Nebula, body coated with metal armor.

For at least a moment or two, Ash thought he was looking a foreign Pokemon, but after a somewhat more thorough examination, his eyes widened in understanding.

This was a Skarmory. It was just smaller than most, likely because it was still growing. Unlike Pidgey or Starly, Skarmory were not part of any evolution line. It made training and raising them a notably different approach from most, and the same could be said for watching them grow.

The metal bird took the time to crane her head back, offering her trainer a loyal coo, which returned with a thumbs up. As her eyes set themselves back onto Tempest, the young Krabby leered at her, pincers extended predatorily.

Ash considered what he knew about Skarmory, trying to rack his brain for details. If he remembered correctly, these birds could actually fly quite a bit faster than their metallic armor would suggest, due to their wings being hollow. Much like Tempest, Gary's friend could likely prove very successful in taking hits, but their opponent wasn't a sluggish tank.

"Careful, Tempest." The Krabby perked up as Ash gave his usual pre-battle advice. "That's a Skarmory. It may look bulky, but it can still fly, and its speed is fairly deceptive. Find a way to intercept it."

The boy grinned as Tempest nodded in acknowledgement. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how favorable this matchup would be. Both combatants were far from lacking in the durability department, but Skarmory's ability to fly and apparent speed would spell clear trouble if they couldn't stop her in her tracks.

Thankfully, Tempest appeared to recognize that.

Gary took the initiative. "Air Slash!"

Tempest had already gone on the offensive with a stream of bubbles, only for Skarmory to avoid the aquatic onslaught by taking off into the air above, hovering over the battlefield, where she raised a glowing wing.

Tempest was already crossing two Metal Claws together when Skarmory tossed the blade of air. The young Krabby could feel his body being pushed back a slight amount as his pincers intercepted the blow. As Skarmory angled her body to face headfirst towards her opponent, Ash called out to Tempest.

"Razor Shell!"

Dropping the metallic coating, the river crab raised his opening pincers (now glowing ocean-blue) as a blade of aquatic energy erected from both. Above him, Skarmory's body began to rotate as her beak glowed white. Like a missile, her body propelled forward, the Drill Peck intercepted by the crossed blades. Tempest felt his body straining as he tried to press his feet into the ground, attempting to stay in place as Skarmory's bulk bombarded him. Even as he repelled her, the river crab staggered back, but still managed to aim a pincer and blast a torrent of boiling water at the metal bird's fleeing form.

Skarmory shrieked as the Scald washed over her, metallic hide burning from the heat, yet straining from the impact. Tempest pursued his target, a barrage of bubbles trailing after the powerful bird.

"Pull up with Aerial Ace!" Gary's voice betrayed minor irritation as Skamrory's glowing body curved upwards and avoided the Bubble Beam. "Air Cutter!"

"Defend with Metal Claw!" Ash was conflicted. If Gary attacked from a distance they'd have no chance at intercepting them. All Skarmory needed to do was stay overhead. But if they could successfully fend off any long distance assaults, then what? Would it be a stalemate? Would one of them have to switch out?

Skamrory ceased flight, hovering above the arena once again as a series of small blades of wind streamed out of her glowing wings. As they harmlessly bounced off of Tempest's metallic pincers, Gary pressed on. "Air Slash!"

The much larger blade of wind was tossed with all the strength the metallic bird could possibly muster. Although his pincers remained unharmed, Tempest found himself staggering back as the flying type move struck him.

Gary was grinning. "Missile Drill!"

Tempest hadn't even finished staggering backwards as Skarmory's body became outlined by a blue aura. As her body rotated, her beak glowed pale, and the bird shot downwards.

Ash realized at the last second: A combo of Agility and Drill Peck.

The boy could only cry out to Tempest as Skarmory crashed into him. Too quick for the Krabby to cross his Metal Claws again, Skarmory's drilling beak found its way right into the river crab's abdomen, pain shooting through the water type's body as the momentum of Agility carried his opponent's bulk like a literal missile for her rotating beak to tear through his hide.

The painful sensation lingered in Tempest's body as the Krabby was sent flying into the barrier in front of Ash and Valiant. Ash perked up, however, when the water type regained his composure in time to smash a Metal Claw into the barrier, shielding his body from further impact.

'I guess he's been paying attention to Pikachu and the others at least a little bit.' Ash thought to himself with a small smile.

Ignoring her sore beak, Skarmory took off flapping into the air as Tempest picked himself up, glowering at her retreating form while clutching his stomach for a brief moment. The sudden jolt of pain had been excruciating, and much of it was still lingering from the attack.

Ash grimaced. If Gary kept repeating the process Tempest was a goner. They needed to go on the offensive.

"Scald!" Skarmory was still high up. He wasn't sure if this attack would connect or not…

Sure enough, the bird simply swerved out of the way as the stream of hot water rushed for her.

Gary was smirking now. "Air Slash again!" Without thinking , Tempest once again crossed two Metal Claws together, and was pushed back by the force of the blow.

As Gary called for another Missile Drill, Ash's brain sped up, desperately trying to grasp onto something. As if on random, he called out a move.

"Flail!" Struggling to maintain his balance, Tempest heeded his trainer's order, extending his pincers outward and beginning to spin. Clearly frustrated, he put as much force into the move as possible. Skarmory's body rocketed forward with the same speed as the previous attack, prepared to leave yet another gash in the river crab's abdomen.

As if by accident, Tempest's pincer struck the side of the bird's head, prompting a pained shriek from Skarmory as her trajectory was altered. Slamming beak-first into the ground, the metallic bird bounced across the pavement as Tempest regained his balance and pursued her.

Eyes lighting up at the unexpected opportunity, Ash's abrupt excitement crept into his tone of voice. "Vise Grip!"

Smirking with vindictive vengeance, Tempest raised a pincer, glowing blue, and grabbed onto Skarmory's neck. The river crab's tightening grip clashed against the metal plating that served as the bird's outer armor. Ash and Valiant couldn't help but grimace as a horrible shriek filled the air. He should've known Tempest would have gone for the neck.

Even as Skarmory cried out, Tempest raised his other pincer, an aquatic blade of energy shooting outward. He loosened his grip just enough for the blow to the abdomen to force Skarmory back, the bird gasping for air as she landed on her side.

Abruptly, Gary recalled her.

The whiplash of the situation wasn't lost on Ash, but he supposed he couldn't blame Gary, given the sudden change of pace.

'A change that was brought on by chance.' he reminded himself. It didn't feel like a total victory. And Skarmory wasn't down just yet.

Ash didn't notice the sweat on the young Oak boy's face, or the furrowed brow, but he couldn't miss the scowl.

"Don't go thinking I'm gonna start praising you for a lucky shot." Gary replaced Skarmory's Poke Ball with a third.

Meditite appeared in front of her trainer. The female psychic emerged from the bright, white light in a cross-legged position, levitating off of the ground as her hands pressed together. Raising her head, she opened her eyes to see the Krabby, ignoring the painful bruise on his stomach to leer at her. Although her eyes narrowed at the sight, her expression remained otherwise stoic.

Ash thought back to their encounter with Gary back at Mt. Moon. Pikachu had fought Meditite back then and won. But how much stronger was she now?

Gary had knelt down to speak some instructions to his psychic companion as Tempest turned to Ash expectantly.

"She's a psychic and fighting type." Ash warned. He gestured to Valiant. "Think of the tricky stuff that Valiant's capable of, mixed with martial arts. Up for it?" The question was practically a formality. Neither he nor Valiant were surprised when Tempest nodded gleefully while turning back to face his newest opponent.

Hands still pressed together, Meditite had begun lowering herself onto the ground, legs straightening out to fixate herself into a standing position, before her arms fell to her side, only to be readjusted into a fighting stance upon landing. There was recognition on her features. She remembered Ash.

"Scald!" Ash went for it immediately. This could hopefully disrupt Meditite if it connected.

It didn't, however. The torrent of boiling water that escaped Tempest's pincers crashed into the golden wall that erected in front of Meditite's outstretched hands. Though she felt a mild burning sensation on her palms, the young psychic was otherwise unharmed.

Tempest was even more proactive than Ash, however, viciously charging for his target at speeds that almost surprised her as a metal pincer reared back to strike.

As the Light Screen dropped, Meditite's eyes flashed a bright blue, just quick enough for her target to miss it. As she analyzed the movements of Tempest's muscles, the actions that the river crab took became telegraphed. Her fist erupted with lightning as the Metal Claw struck the air, completely missing her head. All the while, she lunged forward and planted the Thunder Punch into the bruise that Skarmory had left behind.

The lingering pain that still pestered Tempest erupted into a quick surge of agony as the powerful, elegant strike carried the electricity into the wound. Ash and Valiant collectively flinched at the shriek erupting from the water type's mouth as the bulky combatant staggered backward. Gary was taking advantage of the injury that Skarmory had already inflicted upon Tempest. Should he recall Tempest for later? But if he sent Valiant out now, Gary would just call on Skarmory again. Valiant had the tools to fight against the metal bird, but vice versa was also true…

Meditite's body flashed as her blow sent Tempest staggering away, the young psychic type suddenly splitting into three separate Meditite. However, one of the clones created by her Double Team was almost immediately dissipated as a duo of Water Gun erupted from the enraged Krabby's pincers on reflex. The remaining two meditate circled around their target, the real one prepared to strike, while the clone got ready to perform a feint.

Ash wouldn't let that happen. "Freeze the ground around you with Icy Wind!"

Just as his dual targets were about to close in, their advance was halted as the young Krabby spun around, open pincers spraying frozen air across the immediate surrounding pavement. The delay was only momentary, however, and even as the ground in front of her froze over, Meditite allowed her final remaining clone to fizzle out before pressing her own hands firmly into the pavement, launching herself above the young Krabby with a quick flip.

"Shadow Ball!"

Hovering over her opponent, the young psychic firmly pressed her palms together as the blackish-purple orb of distorted aura formed in front of her. After expanding to about twice the size of her head, the Shadow Ball was launched downwards towards the river crab, who was already crossing dual metal Claws together in preparation.

The explosion only eclipsed the Krabby's figure with dust for a brief moment as the young psychic descended downwards. Curling her fist and rearing it back, she began to gather more lightning in preparation to strike Tempest's head from above. Ash had already called out a warning to the river crab, however, and the water type, unharmed from the Shadow Ball, scurried to the side, emerging from the already dissipating cloud of smoke as he slid across the ice. Realizing that she was going to miss, Meditite readjusted the angle of her body, landing on her feet before propelling herself forward, after the Krabby's fleeing form.

The electricity covering her fist fizzled out, however, as a stream of bubbles nailed her face, prompting a surprised cry of pain from the psychic martial artist as her momentum halted and reversed. As she was knocked off her feet, Tempest altered his own course, rushing her yet again as an aquatic blade extended out of his pincer. She landed on her feet just in time to erect a wall of glass. Shockwaves slammed into her scrunched up face as the Reflect cracked from the force of the Razor Shell. Quickly dropping the barrier, she leapt backwards, angled a bit to the left. A rush of heat slammed into her face as the boiling water the rocketed out of the other pincer just barely passed by her head, although a few painful droplets still stung her skin.

Flipping over and landing on her feet once more, Meditite stretched her hands out, eyes flashing purple as she attempted to lock Tempest in place with Confusion. His body strained from the sudden struggle, a purple glow outlining his exterior features as his muscles suddenly felt heavier, his movements slower. He fought against it, continuing to move forward, albeit at a slower pace.

She didn't; account for his aggression, however, as the dual Water Guns had already escaped his open pincers. Forced to release Confusion, she ducked under the aquatic jets while resuming her advance forward. This had returned Tempest to full speed, however, and although he almost staggered from the sudden increase in momentum, the whiplash failed to halt him, and he was upon Meditite in seconds. Her eyes flashed once again, telegraphing the movements of his raised pincer, before raising an orange fist into an uppercut, her Brick break meeting the Metal Claw and pushing it back over her opponent's head. Tempest barely flinched from the clash, however, his durability coming through.

Although she had responded to one of his moves, Meditite had no time to respond to the next. Eyes widening, all she could do was jerk her head in the direction of the other poincer as it opened up, firing a point-blank blast of boiling water into her body. As the Scald propelled her away to the side, Gary flinched at her pained shriek.

Success filled Ash's mind as Meditite caught herself on her hands, flipping her way back onto her feet before sliding a few feet back across the arena, deftly glaring at her target. Steam was rising from her body, emanating from her somewhat reddened skin. Although he couldn't see it from here, the young psychic martial artist had her teeth clenched in an effort to ignore the lingering pain.

"Tempest, hit her with Icy Wind!" With her skin painfully hot, the sudden drop in temperature was sure to be overwhelming for her. Sadistically grinning, yet with still somewhat angry eyes, Tempest rushed forward yet again, his body carrying him towards the young martial artist as his open pincers prepared to erupt with cold air. As the snowy air was about to escape, however, Gary called out to his -partner on instinct having already caught on to Ash's plan.

"Double Team!" This time, Ash's eyes widened as Meditite split into four. She must have been limiting herself to conserve stamina, as he realized all too late.

As the four Meditite spread out, Tempest halted his advance, glancing around in frustration. Ash was about to call out for the Krabby to focus on the one in pain, when he finally got a good look at two of the Medititie.

Both of them were clenching their teeth.

'She's… having her copies mimic pained expressions…!' He couldn't even get mad at that. It was genius.

"Poison Jab!" Gary's fists were eagerly held out in front of his chest.

"Tempest!" Ash called out hurriedly. He was going to ask him to look for the one with steam coming out of her body, but that was a tall order. They didn't have time to distinguish. They just needed to attack. "Just spin around while you fire!"

All four Medidite were rushing him from all directions as Tempest raised his open pincers and did as he was told. The snowy blast of air erupted from the openings as his body rotated, the ground it struck beginning to freeze over as the barrage of Icy Wind advanced.

"Shadow Ball!" Gary's orders were completely in sync with Medititie, flawlessly timed as she, along with her three clones, flipped over on their hands and rose back over Tempest. The young river crab turned to face one of them in hopes of blasting the real target, only for the one that he was locked onto to fizzle out of existence (along with the other two clones) before he even had a chance to fire. The next moment, even as he had begun to turn around, an explosion slammed against his back, flipping him over his head, and leaving him sprawled out with his belly exposed.

The real Meditite came down even as he lost his balance. Almost at the very moment his back had collapsed onto the pavement, her reared back fist, surrounded by a purple, sludgy aura, shot downward, landing directly on top of his still worsening bruise. Ash's heart sank as the Poison Jab almost certainly injected its toxins into the young Krabby's system, the bruise left behind by Skarmory and exacerbated by Meditite's Thunder Punch acting as the ideal weak spot and point of entry. With her downward momentum carrying her punch forward, and into Tempest's bruise, Meditite couldn't help but flinch at the aching of her knuckles upon impact, but pressed forward regardless as Tempest's agonizing scream gave way to a desperate gasp for air.

As the sludge flowed through his blood, Tempest was roughly hoisted upwards as Meditite rose to her feet. His vision was slowly beginning to blur, his muscles abruptly feeling tired. His bruise was burning horrifically, and all he could do was struggle to gasp yet again as a Thunder Punch found its way right to his sore spot. The electricity flowed across his deepening gash as his body was launched backward, pincers spread out over his head as he landed onto his back. Struggling to lift his head, his increasingly blurred vision fought to make out Meditite's slowly advancing form, just before his head fell, and his world turned to black.

Meditite halted as Gary clapped his hands for her. From where they were standing, neither Ash nor Valiant could make out the subtle unease creeping into the young Oak boy's eyes.

"Bravo, bravo Meditite! I knew you wouldn't disappoint against that hopeless brute!" As Gary offered a quick thumbs up, Meditite took the time to nod back at her trainer, allowing a small smile to form onto her face before turning back to Ash and Valiant, her gaze expectant.

As he removed Tempest's ball from his belt, Ash's mind raced. Valiant was all he had left. A strong hit from one of Skarmory's steel type moves would devastate him, as would one of Meditite's Shadow Balls. But the young Kirlia had the tools necessary to take on both, and neither had gotten away from Tempest unscathed.

Unsurprisingly, the young emotion Pokemon was already looking up a thim as Ash turned to face his psychic partner, the boy's eyes immediately met with the sight of Valiant's own.

"That Meditite's smart, but so are you." A warning and a reassurance. Ash couldn't help but return Valiant's forming grin as the Kirlia nodded, the duo turning back to face gary and Meditite, the former's voice stretching across the arena just before Valiant could step forward.

"This is the final curtain, Ashy boy. Send out your last teammate so I can take my money and leave!"

"We're ready." Ash simply responded before nodding to his psychic friend, who stepped onto the battlefield and lined himself up with Meditite.

The two psychics stood a few feet apart, eyes finding their way to one another. Medititie's face was cold, analytical, and steadfast. Valiant's own replicated that same unbreakable analysis, but with stoicism traded for curiosity as the two studied one another's pupils.

He tried to mimic her stance, but found it felt far less natural compared to witnessing her. Not wasting any time, Gary called out.

"Shadow Ball!"

Meditite retained eye contact with the Kirlia as the blackish-purple ball of distortion formed in her pressed hands. As the orb expanded in front of her, the psychic martial artist stepped forward and prepared to break into a run, firing the attack.

Instinctively, Valiant's arms shot outward, eyes flashing gold as the wall-shaped barrier of the same color formed around him. His eyes reflexively clenched as the Light Screen strained against the ghost type attack, but any cracks formed were rather small.

Gary's expression had widened into a smirk, however, and Ash didn't have time to fully warn Valiant before the advancing Meditite drove an orange fist into the barrier.

Disorientation overtook Valiant as he stumbled backwards, the shards of the now shattered Light Screen scattering in all directions upon impact from Meditite's Brick Break. Frowning, Ash couldn't help but wonder if Gary had accounted for that…

"Go for the throat, Poison Jab!" Ash started at that. Gary wanted to go for the kill asa quickly as possible…

In a case of fortunate irony, however, the weight of Gary's orders hadn't been lost on valiant, either. Even as Meditite's other hand curled into a fist, drenched in a sludgy aura, the Kirlia dove away to the side, still not fully focused from the shock of Light Screen's destruction, but powered by adrenaline all the same. As the Poison Jab missed its mark, Valiant forced his body to straighten out, his vision refocusing as he reared back a Thunder Punch.

Meditite's eyes flashed blue. Although the arm that had struck with poison jab remained outstretched, the psychic martial artist whirled her body around as best she could, her other fist crackling with electricity as she met one Thunder Punch with another. Her block hadn't been delivered at an ideal positioning, however, and Valiant's momentum quickly cost her her balance.

As her hands pressed against the ground to catch herself, Meditite used the momentum of her fall to raise her legs. Valiant's own eyes flashed, but he didn't have time to react as the psychic in front of him twirled around on her hands, her foot connecting with the back of his head. He nearly struck the ground face first, but managed to (albeit painfully) press his own hands against the pavement and flip forward onto his feet. Now a few feet behind him, Medidite once again pressed her hands together, another Shadow Ball beginning to take form.

"Teleport behind her, Valiant!" Ash warned his partner as quickly as he could. He almost allowed himself a sigh of relief as Valiant reappeared in front of his opponent just before she fired the ball. Already in throwing motion, Meditite could not stop herself, and the orb traveled uselessly across the arena, no destined target apart from the barrier that would soon cleanly absorb it.

Even as she was tossing the attack, the Kirlia behind her pressed his own hands together, eyes flashing pink as an orb of the same color formed in his palms.

"Light Screen, surround yourself!" Gary was quick to warn his own partner just before the Dazzling Gleam fired, only to be met with a hastily erected golden cube, which strained under the force of the pink-colored blast. Ash grunted as the cracks formed in the cube nearly caused it to fall apart, but in the end, the barrier was dropped on Meditite's own terms after enduring the blast. Turning around to face Valiant, the stoic martial artist took off running backwards, a somewhat smaller Shadow Ball quickly forming between her hands before being tossed in Valiant's direction just as the young emotion Pokemon had begun to pursue.

Full power or not, Valiant knew quite well what a ghost type move could potentially do to him. Meditite hadn't even bothered fully chagrin it up, simply opting for a quick offense that would throw him off course. It sadly worked, and the young Kirlia was forced to roll to the side, just barely avoiding the blow as the windforce from the passing Shadow Ball pushed against his body.

After clearing enough distance, meditite stopped in place just in time for Ash's next order.

"Valiant, attack with Shadow Sneak!"

Rapidly picking himself up, Valiant took off running, his momentum continuing as he sank into his shadow mid-run. Meditite kept her eyes focused on that shadow, which slithered across the ground at an impressively steady pace, before the young Kirlia rose up at her side.

As he emerged, Valiant swung a flaming fist mid-rise, aimed for the side of Meditite's head. But as she turned to address the offense, Meditite's eyes flashed blue, Valiant's motions coming into view more quickly than she otherwise would have been able to get at the right angle to read them. The Fire Punch was caught firmly in her palm. Her eyes squeezed shut as a burning sensation assaulted her hand, and she nearly lost her balance form the force, but the psychic martial artist remained steadfast, planting her feet firmly in the ground to prevent herself from falling over as she squeezed as tightly as she could against the Kirlia's fist, exacerbating her pain for the sake of a better grip. As his opponent pulled her arm back, Valiant found himself abruptly yanked forward, right toward the waiting Thunder Punch that was driven into his abdomen.

Gasping for air, Valiant felt the sparks of electricity rolling along his stomach just before meditite took advantage of her control over the situation. In the next instant, the young Kirlia almost yelped (but couldn't muster the breath to do so) as his opponent hoisted him over her shoulder, his back slamming against the pavement.

Although his vision blurred for a split second, he quickly received an upside-down view of his opponent, feeling his shoulder firmly grinding against the ground as her outstretched arm pinned him. Her other arm was raised above her head, the fist on the end sporting a familiar purple glow…

Just before the Poison Jab could be thrust downward for his throat, Valiant raised his free hand, sparking with some electricity, and fired off a weak Thunderbolt. Meditite's body convulsed just as she began to deliver the blow, her fist stopping in its tracks as she was forced onto her bottom. With his shoulder now free, Valiant rose to his feet and clenched his fist, gathering more electricity before going on the offensive. Still in a sitting position, Meditite once more pressed her hands firmly against the ground, flipping away just before the Krilia's Thunder Punch could strike her head. Tracking her retreating form, Valiant flashed his eyes pink as another Dazzling Gleam began to form in his hands.

Meditite was one step ahead of him, however, a Shadow Ball already between her palms as she landed on her feet. Not waiting for the attack to fully charge up, the female psychic fired off the move. With no time to continue charging his own attack, Valiant let the Dazzling Gleam loose, the pink blast exploding against the distorted ball of energy.

Both combatants, no more than several feet from one another, crossed their arms defensively as the wind briefly pushed against their bodies, only to subside as quickly as it came. Collectively allowing their arms to fall to their sides,the two young psychics found themselves absentmindedly sinking back into their respective stances, eyes quickly locking once again.

With the action paused, both trainers were given a chance to observe the state of the conflict as each combatant analyzed one another's respective condition. Valiant could feel the exertion of the fight creepily catching up to him, although he wasn't ready to sink to his knees just yet. Despite himself, however, he could almost feel his breath grow slightly heavier, but did what he could not to think about it. Maybe as long as he kept it out of his mind, the fatigue would not overtake him…

The young Kirlia studied Meditite's face extensively. She was showing signs of a similar situation. The stoic expression in her pupils was beginning to feel more like a mask, a sight akin to desperation threatening to leak to the surface. Her skin was somewhat charred (no doubt the previous soaking from Tempest had aggravated the small Thunderbolt she had just received), and her teeth chewed her lips, almost as if to distract from pain or soreness. Perhaps her arms and/or hands were sore? Her knuckles had gone through a decent bit of punishment, as had the palm that had stopped his Fire Punch.

As he looked more closely, he could almost spot a trembling sensation in her body's behavior...

Ash tried to push down the small surge of anxiety that threatened to creep to the surface. Valiant was having trouble with this one, and although that wouldn't normally be a problem, they still had Skarmory to deal with after this. Even assuming they won, they'd still be battling uphill, regardless of the damage that Tempest had previously dished out to the metal bird.

Looking over to Gary, however, Ash caught sight of a glare on the Oak boy's face, although his opponent seemed to immediately drop it after being spotted. Perhaps Gary was frustrated that Meditite hadn't landed a decisive hit yet? They were both in the same boat, but Gary was the one with a cushion…

Finally, Gary broke the silence. "Meditite, Double Team, to the max!"

Ash and Valiant collectively started as the female psychic split into five. Although a strained expression initially lined her features as the clones spawned out of her, it was soon replaced with focus after a few moments, as the five Meditite that now stood in front of Valiant shuffled around in a sideways jogging motion.

Ash almost felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight. Four clones total, and she was still able to move them all along with herself…

Instinctively, Valiant found his form taking a few reflexive steps backwards as the real meditite bended her knees, her clones mimicking the action as they all prepared to pounce together. His mind was racing, combing his thought process for solutions.

If Meditite had been limiting her Double Team all this time, that meant she had been conserving energy. Using all four clones at once to split herself into five must have been excruciating for her to do in the long term. If he dipped under with Shadow Sneak, he could potentially wait it out. She'd be forced to relent eventually…

But overuse to the ghost type technique would be taxiing on him as well, and with Skarmory still lurking overhead, he couldn't afford to expel too much energy, even if he won.

The thoughts raced through his mind in a matter of seconds at most. Irritatingly, he felt the sweat rolling down his face. Was there no way to tell them apart-

Something in his mind lit up. Meditite's clones may have been capable of faking emotions…

But they couldn't give them off.

That should have been it. His species could feel the emotions that others emanate. If he could just concentrate enough to single out which Meditite was giving off any emotions… but he was not yet good enough at the ability to focus it. It still overwhelmed him in extreme situations, like with crowds, or with… he shut the memory away from his mind.

"Valiant, clear the distance with Teleport!" Ash's order sounded off before Meditite had the chance to act.

Gratitude filled Valiant's mind at the command. Ash likely knew of his predicament, but still remained on top of things. Still focused on the Meditite and her clones, the Kirlia teleported backward, to the other end of the battlefield, nearly with his back pushed against the wall.

The Meditite and her four clones took off running. The real one got ready to charge upa Shadow Ball, only to stop as a golden cube encased her target.

As long as he could maintain it, this could buy him some time. She wouldn't attack from a distance and give away her position. SInce she and her clones were all closing in rapidly, she wouldn't have much more time to shuffle back up and confuse him once more, and the Light Screen would protect him from the Shadow Ball, leaving her exposure a waste.

But now that the barrier was up, she'd likely go for Brick Break. If she broke the barrier, he was a sitting duck. He needed to figure this out…

The five figures all surrounded the cube, each with their fists raised. Only one could actually give off the glow of Brick Break, which was why she was probably going to be careful about it. Start charging at the last second before she strikes...

How long did he have? One second? Two? Maybe three if he was lucky? He needed to get this right! He just needed to manage it once… even for a brief moment…

All of them had their fists reared back. He could feel the modest hostility, but… who was it coming from? Valiant squeezed his eyes shut. Focus, focus, FOCUS!

And then he felt it. Aggression. Intention. Coming from the… left side!

He dropped the Light Screen, just moments before the orange fist would have collided with it. Instead it was now on collision course for his head, but he quickly ducked, leaving Meditite lunging forward with an outstretched arm.

Valiant thought fast. During the fight, it had occurred to him that Meditite likely had the Telepathy ability like he did. She could read movements too. Coupled with her natural fighting senses and martial arts instincts, she no doubt had the edge over him in close quarters. Her reaction time was better, and his own Telepathy wouldn't be able to compensate for that if she knew it too.

Instead, he flashed his way behind her, Teleport changing his position by less than a few feet as he turned around to face his target. Before Meditite could even know what was happening, she was in a full nelson. As she struggled, Valiant rotated his body before backing away, trying to clear a few feet between them and the barrier. Almost losing his grip on his target, his eyes flashed as Confusion attempted to bind her, although it did not halt her efforts completely.

Abruptly, he halted the Confusion, shoving his opponent away as his eyes flashed pink. As Meditite staggered forward, desperately trying to regain her balance from the suddenness of the situation, the Kirlia fired the Dazzling Gleam. Pain overtook Meditite's senses as she was blasted in the back of the head.

The next moment, she crashed head first into the barriers. Her form remained sprawled out on the pavement, and an attempt to push herself up resulted in her collapsing face first into the arena. She stilled a few moments later.

As Gary recalled the unconscious psychic, an abrupt realization dawned on Ash, the implications of the situation never sinking in until they were already there… Gary only had one Pokemon left. They… actually had a chance to win.

The sensation felt foreign. Almost dull. Like he could barely make it out. He had never bested Gary at anything before. Just the possibility of that happening now… he wasn't sure how to grasp it. It had come without warning.

He tried his best to push the excitement down, however, as he waved at Valiant with a smile, the young emotion pokemon making his way back to his side of the battlefield.

"Valiant, way to go!" They still needed to defeat one more Pokemon. Skarmory was weak to electricity and fire… that needed to be their focus for now. But being a fairy type, Valiant was in danger.

'Don't get excited yet.' he told himself. 'Focus only on winning.'

His gaze refocused itself on Gary. As he returned Meditite's Poke Ball to his belt, the Oak boy was staring at him.

On the other side, Ash could make out the Oak boy's pale expression, but the horror that glazed over Gary's eyes was not visible to him.

"You…" Gary's body was shaking. "How did you…"

Making his way back in front of his trainer, Valiant turned to fix the opposing trainer with a glare. Ash tried to keep his expression even. He couldn't let the optimism overtake him just yet.

As if flipping on a switch, the white sheet that passed over Gary's face turned red.

"I'm gonna…? No…!" Without another word, his hand scrambled for Skamrory's Poke Ball, and the metal bird was in front of him. Valiant's body tensed as the Skarmory pumped her wings outward, raising her head to the sky with a loud shriek.

As the metallic flier leered at the duo, Ash returned Valiant's nod when the emotion Pokemon looked back at him.

"We're at a disadvantage." he whispered honestly, just loud enough for Valiant to hear. "We can't afford to take big hits. Remember to prioritise fire and electricity." Ash grinned at his partner as Valiant turned around and sunk into a stance, eyes fixed on Skarmory. His body was tense for a moment, but steadied as he gained control of his breath.

This was it. They had kept pace with Gary for the entire match. Now they just needed to make the final push.

Shaking his head on the other side, Gary appeared to steady himself, the look in his eyes shaping into a dull glare, never leaving Ash. "Take off, Air Slash!"

Squawking with aggression, Skarmory's powerful wings carried her above the arena as she locked onto Valiant like a predator. Valiant didn't wait, breaking into a run as he kept his gaze skyward, following the sight of the metallic figure flapping her way through the air.

Reaching the other end of the battlefield, Skarmory performed a sharp u-turn before raising a now glowing wing. Lashing forward, a blade of air shot out of her wing, carving through the air on a collision course with its target. Quickly changing trajectory, Valiant turned to face the blade and dove to the side, even as Gary was currently giving another order.

"Flash Cannon!"

Ash responded quickly. "Thunderbolt!"

As the Air Slash carved its way into the ground that Valiant had once occupied, Skarmory's beak opened to reveal a orb of silver energy, expanding to just enough of a size to occupy the beak fully opened. With a loud cry from Gary's partner, the orb extended into a beam that traveled downward, diagonally for Valiant, who simultaneously placed his hands together as electricity began to gather in his palms.

The bolt of lightning collided with the Flash Cannon, creating a cloud of smoke that briefly obscured Skarmory's view of Valiant. Even as the cloud subsided, however, Valiant was gone.

As Skarmory blinked, Gary was just about to warn her when the Kirlia abruptly emerged from his shadow just behind her. A second Thunderbolt extended from his palms even as he rose. The blast of electricity pushed her away with a pained yelp, the lingering sparks rolling across her body as she regained her bearings and retook control of her flight.

Valiant braced himself as she turned to face him again, hovering in midair. Ash wondered if she and Gary would go for the same missile technique that they had used against Tempest. He wasn't fully confident that Valiant's Reflect could handle that combo, but at the same time, a well timed Thunderbolt might be able to intercept her. It likely wouldn't halt her momentum, however, and therefore wouldn't be Valiant's ticket out of harm.

Teleport could work if Valiant reacted fast enough. No doubt Skarmory would be doing herself quite a bit of harm if she missed with the technique and collided with either the ground or the barriers, but he wouldn't put it past Gary to be aware of such a risk.

"Air Cutter!" As the command left Gary's lips, Ash's heart abruptly sank. Of course. Gary was going to be playing at this from a distance. And unlike Valiant, Skarmory didn't have to erect any mentally taxing barriers to protect herself. In a war of attrition, she would…

He snapped out of it as quickly as he could. He needed to guide Valiant through this. Otherwise they'd never win. "Light Screen!"

The barrage of small blades of wind erupted from Skarmory's glowing wings just before the golden barrier manifested in front of Valiant. The psychic strained as the onslaught pelted his glowing shield. Saving on energy, he dropped the now cracked barrier the moment the attack ended.

Skarmory was already in motion again, however, her beak opening to reveal another Flash Cannon. The blast of silver energy extended downward towards the arena, crashing into the ground as Valiant took off sprinting to avoid it.

As his partner remained in motion, Ash chewed on his lip. There was no way for Valiant to get to her. Skarmory would just keep sniping away at him until he had nothing left in the tank.

An Air Slash was intercepted by a Thunderbolt. Some lingering sparks passed through the collision but had lost enough force to be easily avoided by Skarmory.

"Rock Slide!"

Ash blinked as Skarmory pursued her target, hovering directly above him as her wings glowed brightly once more. Rocks began to form underneath her, descending downwards towards Valiant in a barrage.

Valiant kept on running, turning to jog backwards as a familiar emerald orb formed between his two palms. As he evaded the rocks, the magical leaf erupted from the ball and collided with a few of them. Dust spread out across the air, once again temporarily obscuring Valiant from view.

But Gary wouldn't allow the same tactic twice. "Fly higher!" Just as he was about to sink back into his shadow, Valiant paused upon hearing the command. By the time the dust was no longer obscuring him from view, Skarmory was at least twice as high as she had previously been. Now there was no way for Valiant's attacks to reach her at all, and although it came with the silver lining of her likely being too far away to properly aim, the difference was that she could close the distance whenever she was ready.

Ash scowled. Gary was clever. Like a true trainer, he exploited any advantage he had, including one as fundamental as flight. It was to the point of blatant unfairness, yet the Oak boy would have to be crazy to not appreciate the convenience, and utilize it while he had the chance. Throughout the match up to this point, the other trainer had been relentless. Aggressively trying to go in for the quickest knockout possible. The abrupt change in approach was jarring, but effective.

As looked to the other side of the field, however, Ash did not find himself met with his opponent's trademarked, insufferable smirk. Gary's head was angled upwards, gaze locked onto Skarmory, and his expression tight. He almost looked paranoid.

Ash quickly returned his eyes to Skarmory, however. He couldn't get distracted…

Either they found a way to break the stalemate, or the stalemate would slowly decay, until Skarmory was declared the winner. With the way things were currently panning out, Valiant would surely run out of stamina faster. Sparing a quick glance at his partner (being sure to not let Skarmory leave his sight for more than a few seconds at most) Ash frowned at the deep breaths the young Kirlia took while his gaze followed after the metallic bird. Her form wasn't as visible as before, but it wasn't like she had soared all the way towards the clouds, either. His glare might as well have been glued to his face, masking a fatigue that wasn't visible amongst his expressions.

What moves could Valiant use to break the current status quo of the fight? Thunderbolt was the only ranged move that would do much damage, and Gary had already figured out how to properly avoid it. Fire Punch and Thunder Punch would only work up close, and-

Teleport.

'If Valiant teleported onto her back, he could zap her point blank…!' Even as the thought occurred to him, Ash felt no relief. Valiant wasn't used to warping vertically, and they'd have to wait for Skarmory to get in attacking range before they even made the attempt. And even if he did pull it off… Even when in attacking range, Skarmory could still potentially be a decent ways above the battlefield. The sharp distance would put a strain on Valiant for sure.

Mentally cursing, Ash shot his friend another look. Valiant was still now, not hiding with Shadow Sneak (which would expend more energy), or even running. It was an approvable approach: he wasn't going to act in any way unless he needed to. The psychic had long since recognized the war of attrition they were in.

He wasn't sure how Valiant would respond to his command, however. How long would it take for him to summon the concentration to pull it off? He doubted it would be instantaneous, and Skarmory could very easily retreat the moment the order was given. She had the luxury to do so. The further away she was, the less likely they were to succeed…

They only had one shot at this. Gary had many.

As his eyes squinted at Skarmory, it abruptly dawned on Ash that Valiant still wouldn't be out of harm's way, even if they succeeded. If he delivered a Thunderbolt point blank, he'd be zapping himself, too…

Valiant had done it before, Ash supposed. But the thought of the tactic was always uncomfortable. Still, if they didn't do it, his friend would be taking a beating anyway-

It seemed Gary was done with the stalemate. "Flash Cannon!"

Ash immediately snapped out of his train of thought. On full alert, he turned to valiant, who was bracing himself to take off running as Skarmory descended into the sky. Hopefully this order didn't surprise him too much…

"Valiant, Teleport on Skarmory's back!"

"WHAT?!"

Valiant's reaction did not mirror Gary's. Instead, he took just enough time to shoot his trainer an affirmative nod, the calculated glare still not leaving his face, before returning his fierce gaze to his opponent.

"Skarmory, pull up, quick!" The metallic bird was already in the motion of firing, having descended downward just enough to take aim for her prey. As the silver blast escaped her open beak, Valiant took off sprinting, eyes closed as the Flash Cannon carved its way into the pavement. Ash's breath caught in his throat as Skarmory began her ascent back upwards. As expected, Valiant wasn't teleporting instantaneously as usual. Did he still need more time-

A flash.

Valiant had appeared on top of Skarmory, arms wrapped around the startled bird's torso as the sudden weight began to drag her down.

Ash's heart was pounding, his eyes wide. This was a chance they'd never had before. It didn't even feel like his mind was processing it…

But he wasn't going to wait. "THUNDERBOLT!"

Valiant's enthusiasm emulated his trainer as lightning erupted across Skarmory's body. Bathed in a golden glow, the bird's screams spread throughout the air above the battlefield as Valiant's jaw snapped shut, the Kirlia's own scream muffled through a forcibly closed mouth that desperately begged to open, fearing that outwardly venting his pain would encourage his body to lose its grip.

"NO!" Ash was momentarily startled out of his composure from the primal noise that escaped Gary's throat. The Oak boy's hands were gripping his head, fingers fiddling away at his hair as his gaze locked onto the pavement. "This isn't...argh!" his gaze shot skywards, rage giving way to desperation. "Skarmory! Get him off you! Now!"

Not wanting to be distracted, Ash's focus quickly returned to the two combatants, hands cupped to his mouth. "Hang in there, Valiant!" His excitement somewhat gave way to concern as he observed Valiant clinging onto the thrashing Skarmory, who had thankfully adjusted to the new weight just in time to receive the shock. Struggling to maintain his balance atop the bird trying to throw him off, he had been unable to maintain the Thunderbolt. Although Ash couldn't see it from here, he was in the midst of attempting to prepare another.

"Hit her again!" Ash urged. "You can do this!"

It was as though his trainer's words were a performance enhancing drug. Valiant's grip atop Skarmory's metallic hide stabilized mere moments later, the sparks in his palms becoming more numerous as his focus redoubled. Though his skin was burning, he kept his jaw squeezed shut, fearing the temptation of grunting in discomfort. The lingering sparks from the previous Thunderbolt were still rolling along her exterior. Just one more blast-

"SKARMORY!" At the top of his lungs, Gary's words were more of a plea than an order. "Agility and Steel Wing! On the barrier!"

Even as his face paled, Ash's tone of voice didn't waver as his hands balled into fists. "Hold on, Valiant!"

Still trying to charge Thunderbolt, Valiant attempted to add pressure to his grip around Skarmory. The breeze slammed into his face as his opponent tore through the air, her exterior layered in a blue aura as an extra coating of metal adorned one of her wings.

Trying to fight through the sudden motion, the Kirlia bit back yet another scream as electricity erupted across Skarmory's body once again-

SMASH!

The Steel Wing collided with the barrier just moments after the Thunderbolt was fired off. Though Skarmory squawked from the painful zap, her momentum remained true, and to the psychic's dismay and panic, Valiant could feel the shockwaves ripping his arms away from the metallic flier's torso.

Ash called Valiant's name as his partner fell to the ground, but Gary's relief was short-lived as Skarmory tethered in the air. With more sparks rolling across her wings, the bird felt her muscles lock up.

Gary shouted as she began to fall as well.

Heavier than the Kirlia, Skarmory passed Valiant on her way down, and although her outer armor cushioned the impact, it did not completely erase the pain. On his way down, Valiant's eyes squeezed shut, the emotion Pokemon struggling to summon the concentration to call on Reflect-

His form struck the ground.

Not able to hold it in any more, the Kirlia shouted as a surge of pain blasted through his side. A few feet from him, Skarmory struggled to catch her breath, rising to her feet as confidence returned to Gary's voice.

"T-that's right, Skarmory! This battle's ours!" he pointed forward, index figure laser-focused on Valiant. "Finish him off! Flash Cannon!"

With encouragement, the metal bird stood up straight, wings pumping outward as she prepared to flap.

Ash's face scrunched in guilt as he observed Valiant's form. Despite everything, the Kirlia was still struggling to his feet, hand pressed against the pavement as he collected his breaths, steam rising from the charred parts of his skin, and an ugly gash where he had landed on the ground. "Come on, buddy! Fight back!" His confidence was beginning to diminish, however. Although it was slow, Skarmory was already rising into the air-

Almost as soon as her feet left the ground, she had descended. Still standing, the silver orb in her beak had fizzled out.

"Wha…" Gary trailed off.

Sparks trailed across her body as the orb began to form again this time with Skarmory making no effort to take flight. The silver orb steadily began to grow, only to fluctuate in size, ranging from half complete to almost nonexistent. It fizzled out again.

'Paralysis…' as the realization dawned on Ash, his earlier spark of hope dared to return.

"Valiant, use Thunderbolt!" His tone of voice was encouraging. Empowering. Having witnessed Skarmory's setback, Valiant shoved his hands against the pavement, forcing himself to his feet, whether his body was ready for it or not. As the aches and fatigue threatened to drop him, he stumbled to the side for a second or two, before wobbling in place on one foot, and firmly planting his feet on the pavement.

Gary's panic returned as the young Kirlia pressed his palms together. The sparks were coming out slowly, fizzling out every now and then as he desperately fought for control. Squeezing his eyes shut for two or three seconds, he could feel them beginning to stabilize.

"You can do it, Skarmory! Flash Cannon! Flash Cannon! FLASH CANNON!"

Skarmory's beak had almost completely closed both times the charging Flash Cannons had fizzled out, as though the sparks around the beak were clamping down on it. With an audible grunt, she forced it open yet again, the silver orb emerging from the opening beginning to fluctuate in size once more. The lingering electricity still clung to certain parts of her body, and she didn't dare attempt flight again, instead settling to keep her feet grinded against the pavement, much like Valiant, as though the action stimulated their tenacity.

Valiant's vision momentarily blurred a couple of times as the electricity between his palms gathered. The Thunderbolt was coming slowly, but as both trainers called out to their respective partners, Skarmory wasn't faring any better.

The fluctuation was beginning to slow down, however. The orb was gradually stabilizing. Skarmory fought against the paralysis, exacerbated by pain and fatigue, as she desperately summoned the final attack. Across from her, even as the orb in her beak neared its full size, the lightning in Valiant's hands was on the verge of shining like a beacon.

Raising his arms upward, the Kirlia stepped forward and-

Most of the electricity fizzled out, and he almost stumbled.

Skarmory fired.

The lightning never left his palms. The glow of Flash Cannon filled Valiant's eyes just before he was struck by the blast. His adrenaline disappeared as his form was launched several feet back, rolling across the pavement before stopping himself, blistered hands pressed firmly against the pavement as he struggled to rise to his knees.

Just before he could finish, his arms gave out, and his forehead collided with the ground.

As Skamrory's form collapsed onto her bottom, Ash's hands fell to his sides, his fists unfolding back into open hands.

All the excitement in his chest plummeted down into a hastily formed pit, gone in almost an instant. The whiplash was jarring.

They had been there. They had been right there, with a gift wrapped finish line screaming to be stepped over. But they hadn't passed it.

With a strange feeling surging through his body, he took a moment to glance at Skarmory, the metallic bird in a sitting position, catching her breath as she observed Valiant's fallen form. There were burn marks on her body, and tiny sparks of lingering electricity made themselves visible every now and then. It didn't look like she wanted to stand.

With his gaze now on Valiant, and his hand absentmindedly reaching for his partner's Poke Ball, a deep sigh that Ash hadn't even realized had been forming escaped from his mouth. The red beam of light returned the unconscious Kirlia.

"Valiant… good work…" he tried to say something else, knowing that his friend deserved more, but couldn't think of anything.

His attention was brought back to Gary as Skarmory disappeared in a flash of red. Without a word, the Oak boy had returned the Poke Ball to his belt. He hadn't moved yet.

'Time to pay up.' with a mild sense of dread, Ash's legs carried him across the arena. This could've ended differently. What else could he have done? They had been so close… surely just a slight change in tactics would have changed things, right?

He almost didn't want to come up with any ideas. He needed the hindsight, but, would the confirmation just exacerbate it?

As he approached Gary, the young rookie took out his Pokedex. This didn't hurt him too badly on a financial level, he realized as he made his way through the menus, practically on autopilot. He had already spent most of his cash at the department store. Thankfully, he should still have enough for food later on.

He kept his eyes on the screen for a few moments before raising his head to Gary. The Oak boy hadn't confirmed the transfer yet…

Gary's expression was pale. For a moment, his eyes were distant, although that went away as Ash looked at him.

"You…" Gary's arms were shaking as his hands folded into fists. Abruptly, they tightened, as his eyes momentarily flashed. "How…? You almost…" Ash flinched as he took a step forward. "What's going on with you?! You weren't like this when we first battled, you were never…!" absentmindedly, one of his hands lifted up and picked at his scalp. "You and that mouse were helpless on Opening Day! Squirtle and I could've beaten you a thousand different ways if we wanted too. I've been training nonstop for almost two months, it should be the same as…!"

"Stop." Ash straightened himself as Gary glowered at his interruption. Almost out of patience, his eyes fixed into a glare. "I've already told you, I'm not that person anymore, and I won't go back, either. I'm tired of having to repeat that to you." raising his Pokedex, Ash faced the screen towards his opponent. "You're the one who won. This is what you wanted, right-"

"I wanted to remind you of…" Gary's words trailed off into a snarl. Ash's face tightened.

"Remind me of what? That I should be helpless? You just wanted to humiliate me like you always did?" He fought to suppress the temper rising in his chest. "My shortcomings really mattered to you that much, didn't they?!" Gary said nothing. "Answer me-!" Ash cut himself off. He couldn't keep this up. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be in his room. Or at the Gym. Away from Gary. With his team, or even anyone else.

"You said you're not slowing down for me." his muscles tried to relax as he took a deep breath. Some of the anger left his face, replaced with confidence as he gazed into the Oak boy's eyes although he couldn't get rid of it all. "Well as you can see, my friends and I are doing just fine. Whether you like it or not."

Taking out his own Pokedex, Gary took a deep breath, although not much of the anger left his face as he confirmed the transfer.

Ash watched him leave.

/

The stars above the skyline were partially covered by the cluster of clouds. Although there was no rain in sight, the view of the night sky wasn't entirely clear as Gary moved away from his window.

He had just picked his team up from treatment, giving them the news on how the battle had gone. Weepinbell and Skarmory had both turned in for the night, dozing off in their own respective corners of the room. Eevee and Growlithe were curled up side by side at the foot of his bed.

That Oak boy's back pressed against the wall as he slid to the floor beside the window. The events of the battle were playing through his mind on loop, never leaving his consciousness since he had walked away from the battlefield.

Wartortle and Meditite wandered over to either side of him. Gary acknowledged their presence with an absentminded nod as they curiously looked up to their trainer..

What had changed in such a short span of time? Ash had never had anything to his name back home. He'd done nothing to earn it. Everyone knew about the boy who wouldn't go anywhere, not worth paying attention to.

It had all started with that damn Qualification Exam, hadn't it? Ever since he had miraculously lucked out and passed (and not even barely!). But why was it happening now? He had never been capable of anything before. And now…

"People at the bottom don't deserve anything…" he muttered out loud, before shifting his head to Wartortle. "That's why they want what we have. They were never good enough to earn nothing for themselves." patting his starter's head, he turned to Meditite next. The female psychics had her arms crossed, sitting cross legged with her side against the wall as she met her trainer's eyes. "But they'll never be able to get it. It's our privilege. Not theirs. They have no say." his gaze shifted forward again.

Ash could never hope to beat him. He never had before. He belonged in obscurity. Only one of them had grown up proving themselves to the world.

He remembered the times when things were simpler. Before the trials of their trainer preparations had determined where who standed. Every kid had gathered around the Oak boy. Followed his every move. And once, Ash had been a part of that group. Just like everybody else.

He wasn't like them, though. That's why he had fallen behind so easily when it counted. Had Gary not given him plenty of chances? Warned him of how the world would soon see him if he didn't shape up?

It had never happened. Ash Ketchum was a weak link in the squad. That's why he had to go. An imperfection to be wiped. Despite Gary's best efforts, Ash Ketchum didn't belong with them.

It had shown even after he had passed the Exam. Their first battle was exactly what the world could have expected of either trainer. Floundering from one party, flourishing from another. The match had been a representative of their lives up until that point, and a preview of what's to come.

Gary's teeth pressed together. But at Mt. Moon… that Ash hadn't been the same. And today…

"He's doing…" Gary trailed off. 'How is he doing better with each consecutive match?' his hand scratched his scalp again. 'How did I almost lose to the last person who could have ever…'

Was Ash improving faster than him? Was it only a matter of time before…

Gary took the time to look around the room, observing the four Pokemon who had turned in for the night, and reminding himself of the two present at his side. For nearly the past two months, he had worked himself to the bone with his new family, ensuring that they'd always grow at the best rate possible. See the best results. Be the best results. Both before and after receiving his license, he had done everything right. And so had they.

Thee hadn't been slacking. And they had left the starting line long before Ash and his crew had ever reached it. So what was…

"Well keep fighting." taking note of Medidite's attention, his psychic companion staring at him intently, his hand patted her head. There was a place in his heart that only the six Pokemon present were allowed to enter. He'd never have gone anywhere further without his team's loyalty, but that had just been another part of the test. Which he had passed perfectly, as always. They were a well oiled machine. A family. Soon to be the greatest family of the profession. "We earned our places up here. Noone's knocking us off. Especially the people down there." She nodded at him, before her gaze turned to the door. Much like her trainer, she had a distant look in her eyes as well.

Start strong, stay strong forever. That was what his grandfather, one of the greatest minds to ever exist, had told him. The perfect career. It was their legacy.

Even so, Gary Oak's arm was shaking.

/

It wasn't known to either of them, but in the room directly below, Ash plopped down in the chair in front of the desk, as he looked behind him to observe his team.

The night had grown somewhat late while waiting for his team to recover. They'd likely be sleeping in for a bit tomorrow morning, which was fine by him. They would all need the extra rest for the upcoming battle with Erika.

Pikachu was seated on the desk, tranquil as Ash patted his starter's head every now and then. Valiant was nearby, in deep thought. Ash assumed the Kirlia was going over the previous battle in his head. Eevee and Tyrunt were asleep on their respective pillows, and Nebula at the windowsill. Tempest was awake, but was getting ready to doze off in his corner.

Rubbing his forehead, Ash let out a sigh.

The battle… for a moment there, he had actually thought he'd won. It seemed silly in hindsight. It's not like he'd ever managed such a thing against Gary before, even if he had come closer than ever today.

The real frustration, however, was how Gary still always got him worked up. It felt like forever since he'd decided that he didn't care about the Oak boy's opinion, and yet he couldn't help but feel like he had failed to put that into practice. Was he just spouting platitudes to himself, that he had no way of following? The optimist in him wanted to say that he was just confusing "getting worked up" with "fighting back", but he wondered how far that line of justification would take him.

'Not that there is no justification.' Ash thought somewhat bitterly. After all, Gary had started this whole thing.

Truth be told, he and the Oak boy had never been extremely close before. Friends, for sure, but never anymore close than any other kid in Pallet Town.

The kids in their age group had been jus that. A group. Gathered around by instinct, their own junior community. And given Gary's status, everybody had rallied behind him. So Ash had as well. He was just doing what everyone else was, following the instincts of the herd. And things had been great for a while. Carefree and innocent.

It was when preparations for their careers had started that everything had gone downhill.

Now that Ash thought about it, he wasn't sure what the origin of his dream was. He wanted to become Indigo's Champion. It was relatable, but hardly original. He had been sucked into professional Pokemon training ever since he had first started watching tournaments. But really, his passion was no different from most other kids in the class. In a sense, it made him feel plain. But that didn't mean that he was ashamed of it. Had Lance been ashamed when pursuing the mantle? None of the other kids seemed ashamed. The goal existed for a reason.

Unfortunately, that harmony within their little junior community had quickly fizzled out after preparations began. At least for him.

"Woah, Ash. That's a pretty big bummer. Hopefully you'll do better next week." Gary's shocked voice when he had seen Ash's grade on the first test. A fifty. One of three students to fail the early assessment.

The Oak boy had sounded so sincere at the time. Genuinely concerned. Almost encouraging, even. But it hadn't taken long for the ace student of the class to become increasingly less sympathetic as time went on. Same shoddy results with slow improvement. Ash couldn't remember when he had finally detected the change in tone. In presentation. Gary's words had gone from "hopefully you'll do better next time", to "you'll never get anywhere at this rate".

When had Gary cast him aside? He couldn't even remember that, either. All he could remember is that Gary had deemed him worthless. Irredeemable. Not worth the acknowledgement. Because he didn't mean anything. Because he would never mean anything. The world had to keep moving forward, even if people got left behind.

And of course, every kid in the group had immediately followed his lead. Took his words to heart. Because if Gary said it, it had to be true. Because they always followed Gary. They always rallied around him, their guiding compass. After all, Gary was the best of them. Committing to his wisdom was the best way to ensure success. To ensure that they always took the right approach. It was the beauty of having a peer who was right about everything. You always knew what the smartest answer was.

And once, Ash had been one of those kids. Always blindly following Gary Oak. Taking what he said first. As though it were a routine of life. Right up until the point that very mindset had turned against him.

More whiplash. He hated Gary. He hated his ideology. He hated how it had ruined his reputation. And he hated how the Oak boy was now.

But… did he even have a right to? Had he not also been a blind follower to the grandson of the great Professor Oak? What if he had never fallen behind? What if somebody else had fallen behind instead? Would he have followed Gary around, parroting how worthless that person was, all because Gary Oak said so? He hadn't been disillusioned with the habit of "Gary Oak is always right" until it had hurt him specifically. If it had not… would he have been just another enabler?

Gary's earlier words pricked away at his mind. He believed that he was entitled to everything, all because he had started out as the best. That he needed to stay that way. That people lie him and his grandfather, who were always-

Wait… what?

"Gary said that Professor Oak started out as a winner…" Pikachu and Valiant perked up as Ash mumbled allowed. Cheeks flushing, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, just talking to myself."

His gaze shifted forward in front of him. Up until now he had been glancing around the room to observe his team every now and then, but he remained still for now.

Just before the battle, Gary had claimed that both he and his grandfather had started out at the top...That wasn't consistent with what the Professor had told him on Opening Day. it was how he had consoled him after that utterly humiliating match with Gary and Squirtle.

The Professor had opened up to him that morning. Told him something about himself that not even his iconic biography had shed any light on. Along with that Janine girl's encouragement, it was what had led to him and his starter patching things up, leaving their horrific first day behind and starting anew on the second. It was why the first day of his career hadn't broken him. It was even why he had given Valiant his name.

Professor Oak had told him of all people such a thing. Despite having no obligation to. Ash wasn't part of his family, he was just another kid from pallet Town who just so happened to be Delia's son. The most important takeaway of his first day as a trainer had been handed to him free of charge.

But if Oak was willing to share such a thing with him, then why hide it from his own grandson-

Ash froze.

Had… he been lied to…?

"People aren't defined by their starting points." That was the mindset that the great Professor Oak had implanted in him. It was what had pushed him forward in those first couple of weeks. All the way to the top of that Onix's head. Who knows how far he would have gotten without that ideology in the back of his mind? It was a simplistic one, for sure, but for him, it was all that he had.

But… had that even applied to Professor Oak? Did it even apply at all? Was it Gary that Oak had lied to? But what reason did he have to lie to his own flesh and blood that didn't apply to the boy that his grandson despised?

Had he just been told what he wanted to hear? To ensure that he;d step out into the world and pursue his dream, lost cause or not? If Oak's own statement didn't apply to himself, then was it even true? Then what was the point of-

Ash stopped himself again. He was doing it again. ALways faltering so easily. Always getting worked up. Absent-mindedly, his eyes found their way to Pikachu, who was beginning to doze off in his sitting position, albeit not completely just yet.

Right… he knew what the point of this was. It had been one of the first things he learned.

"Are you okay?" Valiant's compassionate voice entered his mind, prompting Ash to nod back at him with a smile.

"Yeah… just fine."

Looking around the room, his true family was here. Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, Eevee, Tyrunt, even Tempest. Delia was waiting for him back at home with Trucy.

Was the Qualification Exam just a lucky fluke? A miracle birthed from excessive studying? Ash didn't know, but what had happened after that had been no lucky fluke. He had been to six different cities. Had a team consisting of as many Pokemon. Had won two Gym badges in not quite as many months. Even the past few days, he had seen their own progress in a more linear form, keeping pace with Paul, and now Gary, two trainers he had no chance against at first.

"People are not defined by their starting points." Had Professor Oak meant what he said? Was it empty encouragement? Ash didn't know, but he also knew that it didn't matter. They had proven it themselves. He didn't need that phrase to keep him going anymore. He had passed that starting point a long time ago. He didn't need empty encouragement to fuel him any longer. Because as he told Gary, he was not that person anymore.

"Let's get that third Gym badge tomorrow." he looked between Pikachu and Valiant. There was fire in his eyes, although it threatened to get put out by the wave of fatigue he suddenly felt. It was getting late.

Pikachu grinned sleepily as Ash ceased patting his head, scooping his start up in his arms to carry him to the bed. Valiant shot them a smile as well.

They'd keep showing Indigo how far they'd come. Tomorrow, Erika would be the next to know.

/

Valiant had remained seated on the desk for a time as Ash and Pikachu turned in at bed for the night. Cross-legged, he gazed at his trainer for a few seconds, before his gaze shifted around the room.

When he had first joined forces with Ash, he hadn't been sure what to expect. He had wanted to repay his new friends for getting him out of… there, at all costs, and that was initially what had driven him. Return Ash's kindness, and help him achieve this dream of his.

At some point or another, however, that initial motivation had simply integrated into their travels. Something about the dream was contagious. Maybe he had just developed the habit, from all of the constant training for Brock, to the heated battle with Brock, to everything else that had happened since then… At first he was just doing what he could to be helpful, but somewhere down the line, he began to believe in the goal as just that: a goal, and not simply a means to assist his friends.

Now, he truly wanted to see everything through. And so did everyone else.

His eyes narrowed a bit as they lingered on Tempest. The one member of the group who wasn't loyal. Who cared more about barbarism than camaraderie. The one who had picked a fight with a baby just for a cheap thrill.

...He hated that Krabby. He wished Tempest had never been captured. What was the point in having a teammate who didn't have the group's best interests at heart? Ash had pointed out that the young water type had yet to do anything wrong ever since the dreadful incident with Tyrunt, but how long would it be before Tempest's egotistical selfishness jeopardized them again?

But then he thought back to last evening. Pikachu had told them about Tempest's attempt at saving Paul's Sneasel, failed or not. And the young Kirlia had even seen it for himself. It was probably the one time the young Krabby had done something for somebody else, or, at the very least, tried to. He had been attacked before he could perform the rescue, not that Valiant held such a thing against the river crab. The thought mattered just as much as the end result. But could he dare hope…?

Valiant looked away. He didn't have time to dwell on something so uncertain. Not with yet another Gym battle looming ahead of them. Especially since…

He frowned as he hopped off the table and made his way towards his pillow, in between Eevee and Tyrunt. It had felt like ages, but he was finally back. He was in Celadon.

He knew it would happen eventually. And it wouldn't matter right away. Theys till had one last battle left to win before…

His eyes became downcast as he seated himself on the pillow. Then there'd only be one thing left on their agenda. He was looking forward to it wholeheartedly. The place that he never should have left in the first place. And yet…

She had told him that he could get a trainer whenever he was ready. He had been allowed to stay because he wanted to, not because he had to. For that reason, he wasn't too worried, but if the worst case scenario happened…

He was being paranoid for no reason, wasn't he? She had never forced him to do anything. So why was he even worried? And yet, he'd still be saying goodbye to someone

His gaze lingered on Tyrunt's snoozing form. Memories flashed through his mind. The dinosaur hatching. Helping Ash to raise him. Him and Eevee assisting in the young royal heir Pokemon taking his first ever steps as a battler. At first, caring for the infant was mostly just a way to help Ash, but Tyrunt was certainly no object.

He felt something brush up against his back. Pressing against it. He rolled over to look at Eevee, grinning at him sleepily. The feeling of her nose was familiar.

He had thought she'd been asleep, but perhaps she just had her eyes closed. The look on her face, although tired, seemed curious. Like she knew he was deep in thought.

He smiled reassuringly at her. He always enjoyed spending time with the quadruped. He couldn't quite place his finger on why. It had just happened naturally.

Although… he had learned his lesson after attempting to pull a prank on her, back when he had first discovered his mental speech. She'd made him pay for that.

Rolling over, the young Kirlia closed his eyes. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he wasn't sure what would happen after this. But that was all the more incentive to fight as hard as possible at the Gym tomorrow.

One way or another, at the very least, he'd be earning his trainer one more badge.

Ash's Pokemon:

Pikachu (Male)

Nebula-Staravia (Female)

Valiant-Kirlia (Male)

Eevee (Female)

Tyrunt (Male)

Tempest-Krabby (Male)