I can't give any real excuse for not continuing this story at a reasonable pace. I apologize for the lack of updates and leaving it at a bad place.

Note: This is a story off the Pokémon Adventures manga, so the Dex holder's titles, Pokémon lineup, and personalities will align with how they're defined in that world. It doesn't affect the plot, but just wanted to give that reminder.


Stretching his right arm up again, he reached towards another overhang. He growled in frustration as he tried to bridge the gap. It was only another inch or two. Focused on the jutted stone, his fingertips barely brushed the surface when his vision began to blur. Drawing his hand back down, he let out a deep sigh.

He wasn't prepared for how unpredictable conditions could get on this mountain. The weather was much milder down at ground level. He was already a few hundred meters up, yet it felt like he had passed into a whole different world: a gentle reminder that the climate in this region did not always play by the same rules.

A sudden gust rushed past him as he took refuge against the rocks. He smirked at the black sky, feeling the gale lash against his skin.

Should he keep going?

It wasn't safe for him to be out here on his own, especially with the lack of proper gear. No one knew he was out here, and the temperature would only get colder the higher he went. If something were to happen to him…

The smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

Turning back towards the cliff, his eyes drifted towards the ascent again. He could barely see the peak's shadowed form some six to seven hundred meters away. This time grabbing onto a shelf just above his head, he pushed conservatively towards the next hold. His muscles strained to hold up his weight as the purchase disappeared under his feet again.

Little by little, he would pull himself up the sheer cliff. The wind, the cold… none of that mattered.

He just wanted to keep moving.

-X-

Ursaring growled at Machamp from across the underground space. The bear was on the offensive, lunging at its opponent at every chance while the fighting Pokemon opted only to avoid the attacks. At first glance, it seemed like his Pokemon had the upper hand; unfortunately, attacking wasn't everything in battle.

Without direction, Pokemon tended to fight recklessly. His Ursaring demonstrated this weakness with its wild motions and brute force...that was not the case for the gym leader's Pokemon. Machamp was reading its opponent's moves, deciding how to avoid the oncoming strikes and then carrying it out. Every movement thought out and executed with ease.

Izaya cursed under his breath as his Ursaring missed another wild swipe.

To think, this was only one of them. The boy's Pokemon made his look daft in an actual battle. He was right to ambush the gym leader and separate him from his other Pokemon. If he faced him on a level playing field...

His gaze dropped down to the second belt hanging off his waist. Raising his hand, his fingers drifted over each orb. He could feel the power emanating from inside of them. It was amazing how palpable the power of these Pokemon were even from inside their containers. He could only imagine the abilities of the others on full display.

The man shook his head.

He couldn't get ahead of himself yet. There was no point wasting time on the others until the boy was ready.

Izaya snapped out of his thoughts when Ursaring roared from across the room. Refocusing on the battle, he saw his Pokemon struggling in the fighting Pokemon's hold. Machamp had gripped the bear's outstretched arms in a one-sided grapple. Izaya tilted his head, unsure of the other Pokemon's intentions. If Machamp was still taking it easy, the two Pokemon would be at a stalemate.

At that moment, there was a subtle shift in the Pokemon's footing. Adjusting its hold on the bear's arms, Machamp pulled the other Pokémon across its body. Ursaring flew into the fighting Pokemon's awaiting stiff arm. In another fluid motion, the boy's Pokemon had Ursaring pinned down to the ground.

Izaya blinked, surprised by the sudden change in pace. He assumed the two Pokémon would continue as they were until he stepped in with some other direction. Not even his Ursaring had processed what happened.

"That's enough," Izaya called out, pushing himself towards the two Pokémon.

His words fell on deaf ears, the two Pokemon still involved in each other to notice his command. Even from its restrained position, his Ursaring refused to back down as it snapped at the other Pokemon. Machamp brought its other two arms down in retaliation, pressing heavily into the unruly bear.

Izaya clenched his fists, striding quickly towards the center of the room.

"I said Stop," he demanded.

His voice was calm but loud enough to carry over the sounds of the struggle.

Ursaring quickly went limp, finally aware of the man's presence again.

Izaya glared at the four-armed fighter. Despite his command, the Pokemon remained over his Ursaring. There was a chance it was because of the ambiguity of his instruction. Machamp had technically 'stopped'. He couldn't be sure though…it could also be that he was being ignored.

"Machamp, listen to me."

Turning its head, the fighting Pokemon's eyes slowly drifted up towards the man. Izaya slowed his steps, wary of the attention. The man studied the clouded red irises staring back at him. He half-expected to be ignored again, yet here the Pokemon was waiting for his word…

"Machamp…let go now."

This time, Machamp released the other Pokemon at the command. The fighting Pokémon stepped away from the bear, giving the other Pokémon room to stand on its own.

Ursaring pounded the ground in frustration. Getting on its feet again, the bear snarled at the fighting Pokémon.

Izaya sighed.

Walking over to place himself between the two Pokemon, he turned to face his own. His eyes narrowed as he met the bear's gaze.

Ursaring recoiled a bit, looking back at him pleadingly. He could see how much the Pokemon still wanted to fight…but he had seen enough.

"It's okay," said Izaya. Raising his arm, he quieted the large bear. "You don't have to fight anymore."

Ursaring's gaze flickered briefly between him and the Machamp before dropping itself down to the man's level. Balancing on one paw, the Pokemon hung its head with a low whine of resignation.

Izaya frowned at the bear's awkward stance. Eyeing the mangled fur from where the Machamp had gripped his Pokemon's arm, he reached his hand towards Ursaring again.

"I'm sorry I made you do this for me," he said quietly. The bear growled softly as it nuzzled into his open palm. Taking out a Pokeball from his belt, the man smiled apologetically at the dejected Pokemon. "Take a rest for now, and I'll get you healed up soon enough."

It was hard to ignore the crestfallen expression on the Pokemon's face before it disappeared into the ball. He gently patted the surface.

"Don't worry…it's for the good of our future."

Placing the orb back on his belt, Izaya's hand lingered on his waist. The man stood in silence for a moment, his eyes downcast. With a heavy sigh, he finally turned to the four-armed creature behind him.

"Well, that was nothing short of what I would expect from a member of a gym leader's team," he sighed. The man stepped closer while Machamp simply stared forward. "Even more satisfying to see that you're responding to my commands…at least most of the time."

Izaya reached into his cloak, standing on his toes to get a good view of the Pokemon's face.

"But you've been more trouble than I anticipated," he chided, "You all are quite apt with your trainer...Green."

Watching Machamp's expression, Izaya braced himself for a reaction, but the Pokemon did not respond to the name.

The man breathed out, letting a small smile form on his face. After days of resistance, he was getting through to the boy's Machamp. It had been slow going with the first few of the Viridian gym leader's Pokemon, but he had finally made some real progress.

Izaya reached up to place his hand on the collar. "I promise you," he whispered, feeling the cool touch on his skin, "It will be much better with me."

"So this is where you've been."

Izaya was taken aback by the sudden interruption. Turning about the room, his eyes fell on the other man peeking through the doorway.

"Is that Pokemon listening to you now?"

The younger man hesitantly nodded.

"Ah, that's great to see! Nice work, Ageku." Dr. Reynolds stepped through the entrance, letting the door swing closed.

"Thanks."

Izaya watched the doctor do a once-over of the room. Come to think of it, he hadn't exchanged words with Reynolds since yesterday morning. The doctor was nowhere to be found when he was done fitting the boy with the collar. Throwing out the other man the moment there was a bit of resistance to move on with the plan…it was a bit embarrassing the way he had handled the situation.

The old man's gaze suddenly fell in his direction, causing the younger man to unconsciously shift on his feet.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order."

Izaya tilted his head. "What are you talking about?"

"He survived through the night," said Reynolds nonchalantly, "I was sure your impatience was going to backfire, but that boy defeated all odds."

The younger man's mouth twitched. "Ah, I can't believe you had so little faith," he retorted, "I told you he could handle anything I throw at him."

"I hope that remains true," Reynolds whispered. A faint smile played across the old man's face, obscuring the strain in his voice.

Izaya's gaze shifted to the ceiling. He didn't want to get into another argument about this subject again.

"I'm surprised to still see you here," he admitted, "Didn't say you didn't want to be involved in this part?

Reynolds' eyes widened at the question. He seemed to struggle to find an answer as he turned his attention down to the ground. "I never said I was going to abandon...the project."

"Even though you don't agree with the direction I've taken it?"

The doctor set both hands on his cane. "I won't go back on my word."

Although he didn't respond, a gentle smile appeared on Izaya's face. He could feel Reynolds' eyes now on him. The old man probably expected more of an acknowledgement, but there wasn't anything left to talk about.

Reynolds sighed as he walked further into the room. "Well, it's almost been a week," he stated, his eyes moving onto the silent Machamp, "A little longer than I expected, but it's no surprise that this Pokémon would be receptive to you by now."

Izaya finally leveled his gaze as the other man stopped in front of him. "You should be proud, doctor," he said quietly, "This wouldn't be possible without your work."

The old doctor smiled. "Yes, the serum is quite effective…especially for its intended use." His eyes lingered on the Pokémon before falling back on his partner. "That's six more for the books, assuming that boy managed to put together a full party."

Izaya widened his grin, shaking his head. "I may have his Pokemon in my possession, but they're definitely not all under my control."

"Eh…What do you mean?"

Izaya shrugged. "Honestly, it's only recently this one started listening to me without the serum's help."

"You must be kidding," exclaimed the older man, "Just one?"

"And one other."

Reynolds laughed, giving the other man a dubious look. "Did you leave them alone for too long?" he questioned, "It should have only taken three…maybe four days to suppress almost all cognitive functions for you to take the wheel."

"Yes, I know…but their hostility towards me kept resurfacing that I needed to extend the dosing."

"Please," Reynolds jeered, "That boy looks like he can't have started Pokemon training more than one or two years ago."

The younger man crossed his arms, perturbed by the old man's comment. Pointing out the boy's short career wasn't much of an argument to the Pokemon's resistance.

"Yes…but these Pokemon aren't easily influenced," Izaya continued, "They are quite strong, intelligent and…"

The man paused, his expression hard as if perturbed by the words he was about to say.

"...very attached."

The old man raised a brow. "Intelligent…Attached?" He laughed again, shaking his head in contempt. "Don't be absurd, Ageku. Pokemon are rather impressionable to start…they'd need to be extremely strong or highly trained to have the clout to resist the drug."

Izaya shook his head, confused by the other man's logic. Reynolds was pointing out the obvious, but it seemed like he didn't realize the very situation he was describing applied to Green and his Pokemon. Looking over at the man, he studied the doctor's expression. Despite his condescending tone, the old man seemed genuine in his opinion.

"Hold on, doctor. Do you really think that boy is some beginner trainer?"

"What?" asked Reynolds in disbelief, "Of course…I mean isn't he?"

"Reynolds, you're a genius in the lab, but your ignorance in current worldly affairs still amazes me." Inclining his head, the younger man let out a hearty laugh. "He may be young, but that boy is not as inexperienced as you think," Izaya explained, "Even I underestimated his status as a Pokemon trainer."

"What are you getting on about?"

"I have an idea," The man smiled as he reached into his cloak to pull out a pair of Pokeballs. "Let me show you just how simple that boy's Pokemon are."

Reynolds didn't have time to protest the ominous offer as he watched a Pokeball fly over his head. A Porygon2 took form from the single orb within a few feet of where he stood. He fell to the ground, panicked by the new Pokemon's proximity.

Holding his cane across his chest, he glanced anxiously over at the younger man. "Why did you bring another Pokemon out?"

"Worried?" laughed Izaya. The man bent over to help the doctor on his feet again. "It's not like I'm going to have it attack you or anything," he assured, "Like I said, I just want to show you something."

"Show me what?" he questioned sharply.

"Just watch."

Turning the other Pokeball in his hand, Izaya nodded at the two Pokemon in the room. "You know what to do," he whispered sternly, "Please protect us."

Reynold's eyes widened at the request. Machamp and Porygon2 looked to acknowledge the man's direction, apparently aware of the coming situation. Stepping behind his partner, the doctor grabbed the other man's arm. "Wait, what are you -"

The old man went silent when Izaya peered back at him. Taking his arm from the doctor's grip, the younger man tapped the corner of his eye with a wry smile.

Izaya turned away from the other man, briefly wondering why he was trying to comfort the doctor. His eyes fell on the second Pokeball in his hand again.

"Come out, Golduck."

The Pokeball split open as the named Pokemon materialized before them from the red glow.

Izaya caught the returning ball, quickly replacing it on the belt without taking his eyes off the third Pokemon. Just like the other two, the Pokemon had a collar around its neck. All three had been subjected to the device at the same time, in fact. The very night that he returned with their unconscious trainer. However, they had not progressed at the same rate.

Crouched down on all fours, the Golduck stared at the ground. Izaya unconsciously braced himself from the apparent tension. He wasn't sure how the Pokemon was responding today, but based on its posture he had a pretty good guess.

"Stay behind me, doctor," Izaya quietly demanded.

Golduck's gaze quickly shot up the moment the man spoke. Red eyes moved wildly around the space before falling in their direction.

Izaya grit his teeth as he met the Pokemon's gaze. Reynolds gasped. Extending his arm out in front of the older man, he reached his other hand back inside his cloak. Maybe it was rash of him to do a live demonstration for the sake of proving a point.

"Golduck," he whispered.

The single word elicited a low growl from the Pokemon. Slowly inhaling, the man stayed still as the Golduck stood upright.

"Stand down."

He inwardly winced at his tone. If the Golduck's recognition functions were still intact, the command would not be welcomed.

In an instant, the Pokemon lunged towards the pair. Reynolds screamed from behind him as the Golduck quickly closed in. Eyeing the Pokemon's flexed claws, Izaya stepped back.

"...Porygon2!"he called out, his voice shaking with panic, "Psybeam!"

Porygon2 instantly appeared between them. A brilliant light had already formed in front of its bill from the charging energy. The water Pokemon stopped, caught in the line of attack. Golduck could have avoided it, but it made no move to defend itself from the other Pokemon.

The man squinted as the ray projected out, hitting its target head on. The attack wasn't particularly effective. The minimal physical damage on Golduck proved it. It did, however, take the Pokemon's attention off of him.

Izaya watched the water Pokemon step forward hesitantly as it called to the other Pokemon. Golduck's voice was low; still, there was a clear sense of excitement in its tone. Why wouldn't it be excited? The Pokemon was seeing a friend it hadn't seen in days.

Izaya sighed sadly as pulled out his hand that was hidden in his cloak. In his grasp, he held a small device dominated by a central screen. Thumbing quickly through the displays, he glanced up at the water Pokemon.

"I'm sorry, but your friend won't recognize you," he said quietly.

Golduck turned back towards him, its crimson gaze hardening again. Glancing back at Porygon2, the Pokémon seemed to take a moment to study the other more logically. There was no doubt Golduck had made the connection when its glare returned in his direction. Amazing the intelligence this one displayed. The Pokemon readied itself to charge the man.

"It's time you let it happen too."

Despite Golduck's threatening stance, Izaya maintained his ground this time. Just before the water Pokemon could take a step forward, the man tapped the screen once more. Golduck went stiff for a moment, before it crumpled to the floor.

"Golduck," he called out calmly, "Don't fight."

Despite his instruction, the Pokemon did not listen. Golduck did the exact opposite, trying in vain to fight off the haze that was undoubtedly spreading through its mind. The man clenched his fists. It was hard to watch, but he had to make sure things wouldn't go too far. He watched the Pokemon roll on its back, crying out as it clawed at its skull.

"Machamp, takedown."

Machamp did not need further direction, quickly taking hold of the tormented Pokemon. Golduck was startled into paralysis under the weight of the fighting Pokemon. The water Pokemon observed the new threat, its eyes widening again as it recognized the familiar face.

Izaya rushed in closer to the two Pokemon. Golduck continued to struggle in Machamp's grip, calling out to the other Pokemon the same as it did to Porygon2. Just as he thought, this one was still well rooted in its consciousness. He could see it in the Golduck's eyes, especially this close. The pain, the confusion, the anger…he finally looked away.

Izaya threw a Pokeball at the tortured Pokemon, concealing Golduck in the preceding flash. The room fell into silence as the ball flew back into his hands. Just as quickly as it started, it had ended.

The man breathed out, taking note of his heart rate pounding rapidly in his ears. The other Pokemon still in the room also seemed to be wound-up. The fact that it took two of them to keep the other Pokemon in check was alarming, and Golduck hadn't even used any real attacks. Things could have gone horribly wrong if Machamp and Porygon2 did not distract the Pokemon.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Reynolds.

The man peered at the man behind him. Reynolds was on ground again, his face pale and chest heaving from what they had just witnessed. The poor man was probably moments away from fainting before he recalled the Pokemon.

"I wanted to show you," said Izaya.

"Show me what?!"

"What your serum looks like with a high level Pokemon."

The older man shook his head in disbelief as he scrambled to his feet. "I can't…I don't…I'm getting out of here!" he exclaimed, stomping towards the exit, "You're always so reckless, Ageku."

Izaya called after him, but the old man would not hear it. It was futile to try to run for a man his age. He could hear the younger man's steps outpacing his own in his wake.

Reynolds swung the door open, catching the handle to close it behind him. To his dismay, the younger man's pull on the other side easily overpowered his own.

Izaya grabbed the doctor's shoulder, spinning the older man on his heels. "Hear me out!"

"And why should I, Izaya!" shouted the old man, "You manhandled me yesterday and then almost get me killed by an insane Pokémon today! And for what?"

"To prove to you that boy's Pokemon aren't so simple to be easily taken advantage of like you believed, Dr. Reynolds," explained Izaya, holding the man still.

They stood in the unlit niche of the cave, their forms barely visible by the glow coming from the window at the other end of the space.

"You know that Pokemon was not insane. You could see it…the way it tried to reason with the other two, that it was fighting to stay conscious even after an extra fix of the serum."

The old man huffed. He was still enraged and annoyed by the younger man, but he couldn't help his curiosity.

"It's been almost six days and your commands weren't doing a thing," recounted the old doctor, "even after you administered another dose?"

Izaya stepped away as he nodded, confident the other man wouldn't rush off again.

"How is that possible?"

Running his fingers through his hair, the younger man looked over to the source of light. "Like I said, developed ties are harder to break," Izaya answered, "When people train their Pokemon, the first thing they think about is how strong they are getting…building new skills, enhancing abilities, mastering tactics."

Izaya glanced back down at the doctor, observing the deepening frown on his partner's face.

Reynolds had followed his suit from earlier and was now staring at the window.

"But there's more to it," he continued, "Pokemon also learn to connect with others. They develop levels of respect and build bonds of trust and that makes them mentally mature as well."

"I don't understand…how could a young trainer have such strong Pokemon?" the doctor asked.

"Like I said, that boy isn't just some random trainer," the younger man answered.

A bitter smile appeared on Izaya's face again, but it did not reach his eyes. He looked back at the framed view of the white room.

"That kid is one of the Kanto gym leaders."

-X-

His body was starting to tire from the demanding pace, but he still didn't want to stop. Not now. Stepping around the uneven surface, he carefully made his way up the snow capped ridge. It was hard to move through the frigid condition, his pace significantly slowed with each sunken step.

Several minutes passed before he finally came upon the point where the severe slope leveled off. Groaning in exhaustion, he fell to his knees.

He had done it. It took him longer than expected, but he finally made it to the top.

In the earliest hours of the day, he had started the ascent to conquer the mountain with nothing but the supplies on his back. Above the trees, the clouds…he made it so far on his own. He thought he would feel more triumphant, but all he could feel was how tired he was.

A sudden gust rushed past him as he took refuge in the light fabric of his cloak. Sweeping his hair out of his eyes, he watched the fog of his breath get carried off by the swirling wind into the dark horizon.

'Five…maybe ten with the clouds?'

Should he call his Pokemon out now to keep him company through the end of this undertaking? No, that wasn't a great idea. Even if he didn't want to be alone in this experience, there was no reason to force any of them to endure the frigid temperatures on account of his selfish wishes.

Getting into a more comfortable position, he leaned over his knees as he stared off into the endless grey below. Bright red was beginning to seep into the deep indigo sky. It wouldn't be long. For the next couple minutes, other colors would join the brightening sky. Yellow, orange and magenta…all leading to the moment he was waiting for.

He squinted as a ray of light finally broke out from the cloud line. The golden light washed over the muted scenery. Despite the lifeless environment, all the white and grays looked more alive in the sun. A touch of warmth from a far.

He reached his arm out towards the sun, his fingers silhouetted in the light. Focusing on the outline of his own hand, he studied the red hue of the exposed skin. Was it red? No, maybe it was purple. He wasn't sure.

Either way, his skin was probably raw from the biting cold.

Funny, he didn't feel a thing. His fingers…no his whole body was numb.

Leaning back onto his hands, he watched the sun's rays continue to break over the clouds. A distant smile appeared on his lips as the light sparkled on the frozen mountainside. Here at the icy peak, he felt an odd sense of calm and peace. It wasn't the triumph he had expected, but this serendipity was far better. Absorbing the feeling, he hoped he could recall it even when he left this place.

He sat at the top watching the sun rise. Alone.


I had given myself the new year's resolution of writing 3-4 new chapters this year to get this moving again. Here we are nearing the end of the year with only 1, and it's actually a rewrite. If you had read the prior Ch 6 that I had taken down, you'll notice that this iteration is completely different. That's not to say those events won't happen...in fact, some of them will show up later. I just thought I needed to get some parts of the plot moving before others.

Please review!