A/N: As always, love and thanks to all the people who liked/followed/reviewed my story. All the fuel I get, I burn to continue writing my story. Really stoked to have 50+ followers & favorites by the end of my second chapter.
My thanks to Austin Todd, a fellow fanfiction writer, for his continued support.
Special thanks to shivam990202 and Demeter the Sawsbuck who thought the world of my story. Demeter, I will revisit Agatha's back story later. So, stay tuned. Others who liked it too, thank you very much. I will continue to try to do my best.
Nogitsune96: Some of your review was lost in translation, I think. But, from what I gather you seem to dislike the fact that Ash got a trained Gengar and would have liked to see him trained by Ash to impress his grandmother. While that is logical, it wasn't what I was trying to convey. Gengar is trained but still a 5-badge Pokémon. Why that is, I will bring it up later. He is also one of the last connections Ash has with his late father. He has a lot of room to grow and he definitely will, under Ash's care, as you will likely see in the future.
Ivanhoosier: Your review was of GREAT help to me. I definitely want to improve my prose style and I am hoping that I will get better as I keep writing. While your idea that Agatha should give traditional, gothic names to her Pokémon is really, really cool, I think I will stick to the names I gave to them because I feel as a young one, Agatha would have had a hot-headed, ornery personality who cared more about winning and becoming a Champion and therefore would have given names to her Pokémon, which fit her personality at that time. I will also try to make the conversations a little smoother. Thank you for the constructive criticism, it helped me a lot.
Without further ado, let's get on with the show.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way whatsoever. The rights belong to Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures.
Chapter 3: A Young Bird Leaves His Nest - Part 2
4 months later (Ash, 12 years old)
The Oak Laboratory, Pallet Town
The prodigious three were glued to the screen in the computer room. Gary separated from them and started pacing nervously around in the room.
"Arceus dammit! Why is the page not loading when we refresh?!"
Daisy watched the three amused, "Relax. You are all going to do just fine."
"Yeah, yeah… She's right, you guys. We've done well, up until now. There's no reason, that should change" Leaf said to them rather unconvincingly.
"Or I might be wrong and you slipped in the rankings, killing your chances of getting a traditional starter and a Pokédex."
"DAISY!" they shouted simultaneously.
After a few more anxious moments, Ash shouted, "It's here! The results are in."
Gary jumped in surprise, but immediately went to the desk, trying to push Ash & Leaf aside.
PQE - Intermediate Trainer Exam Rankings (Finals - Year 2)
1. Ashton Ketchum - Pallet Town - Kanto
2. Paul Sterling - Veilstone City - Sinnoh
3. Gareth Oak - Pallet Town - Kanto
4. Brendan Birch - Littleroot Town - Hoenn
5. Laura Green - Pallet Town - Kanto
..…
"Thank God. Now I can rest easy", Leaf sighed in relief. Ash just nodded, with his eyes still glued to the screen.
"Who the hell is this Paul guy?! He is on the list all the time. I mean I can understand Prof. Birch's son getting into the top 5 with us but some nobody from Sinnoh? Come on!", Gary exclaimed.
"He is Roger's little protege", Oak appeared from behind them. "Or as you know him, Prof. Rowan. Tough little guy. A little blunt and obsessed with power, but a good student, regardless. You three just won me so much money. MUAHAHAHA!" he started laughing giddily.
"Grandpa, you bet on them?! Delia is going to kill you!"
"Well, of course I did. I have to get my pizza money from somewhere. I bet that these three will be in the top 5 and at least one of my students will beat Roger's." Oak hugged the three tightly. "I am so proud of you three. You make me look SO good."
"And, that's enough of that. You guys move towards the ranch. We will have an impromptu grooming session" Daisy said, rolling her eyes, shepherding them towards the backyard.
As they walked towards the ranch, Ash still seemed lost in thought - as the others chattered with each other. The professor, noticing this, asked him "What's on your mind, Ash?"
"Oh nothing, professor. I was just wondering if we should have a chat with the other two - Brendan and Paul, I mean. We could organize a video call with them and their respective professors (occasionally) and just discuss some stuff, you know - their thoughts on Pokémon training and stuff, what they wanna do in the future, maybe some tips which could be shared between us. After all, they are our peers. If it works, maybe we could make it a monthly thing or something." The others looked intrigued with the proposal and seemed to be in agreement with him.
"The idea has merit." Oak looked into the distance in thought. Then he nodded towards Ash. "I will see what I can do", as they continued walking towards the ranch.
1 month later
Suburbs near The Fighting Dojo, Saffron City
"Alright Ash! We are nearing our destination. We will be visiting an old friend of mine, Kizashi. He served as Saffron's Gym Leader for about 2 decades before he retired and gave it over to his son. If he accepts you as his student, he will be giving you some much needed self-defense lessons" Agatha smirked.
"Hey! That was uncalled for, Grams."
"Pipe down, brat! I wasn't finished" she smacked him with her cane. "There are some things you should probably know about him. He is a little quirky and er,.… shall we say, over-enthusiastic. But, he is one of the foremost authorities in training Fighting-Types in all of Indigo and he has had a hand in training many well-known trainers - Bruno, Koga, Lt. Surge - to name a few. You could learn a lot from him by just observing his training methods."
"Alright, alright. Geez! Calm down Grams. God, when will you stop hitting me with that cane of yours?" Ash grimaced in pain massaging his forehead.
"When you stop interrupting me. Now stop whining. We are here."
Ash turned to look at the arch in front of him. They had arrived at the compound which contained an ordinary two-story home in the distance, with a huge field in the middle - all of which was enclosed within tall boundary walls. The field had a variety of training aids, which had seen extensive use, scattered around it - including wooden posts, some hanging targets, few exercise equipment - along with a fairly large pond in one corner. There were all kinds of Pokémon using the facility to train on their own. A few of them paused to look at the two but returned to training when they seemed to recognize Agatha.
"So, this is your grandson eh?" an old man suddenly appeared behind them dressed in a white Karate-Gi uniform with a weathered black belt tied around his waist. "Looks like a little wimp. What do you think you will learn here, runt? How to look 'up' at others?" he guffawed.
Ash tried to ignore his taunt, even though his right eye started twitching. His height was perfectly average for his age, dammit!
"What? No answer? Do you need your Grandma's permission for that? Or does she need to teach you that too?"
Ash clenched his fists tightly, grinding his teeth while still looking downwards.
"Are you sure that he is up for it, Agatha? He looks like he might piss himself at the first obstacle. No wonder you wanted to foist him on somebody else at the first opportunity. Arceus, he seems just as wimpy as his father was when you brought him here."
Ash looked up at him glaring angrily, "THAT IS IT! You can insult me all you want. But nobody insults my father." He lunged at him furiously, wanting to pound the old geezer into the ground.
3 seconds later
Ash lay on the ground disoriented, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The seemingly ancient man had just judo-flipped him onto the ground with effortless ease.
"Alright brat! That's what I am talking about. You do have SOME spirit then" Kizashi grinned down at him. "For the record, I think your old man was one of the bravest guys I have ever known. I just wanted to see what it took to get you mad enough to do something stupid."
He turned towards Agatha and nodded at her. She nodded back and vanished into the shadows.
"Get up, kid! FIRST RULE: I DON'T TRAIN WIMPS! Once I accept a student, I expect him to stand up for himself and his family. If anybody insults you, you either smash him into the ground or you smash his Pokémon into the ground. If you lose, you train until you get good enough to smash them down."
Ash could only cough as he tried to get back up.
"One month, kiddo! I will train you for one month! You will call me Kizashi-sensei. I will beat you, break you, smash you into the ground every single day and I will expect you to pick yourself up, dust it off and get right back into it the very next day. Welcome to HELL, brat!" he bellowed, complete with evil (and cliched) laughter.
.
.
.
"SECOND RULE: NEVER GIVE UP! My students are not quitters, brat. Pick that up and get back to squatting. Your set is not finished yet."
Ash lay sprawled on the ground huffing and puffing in exhaustion with a couple of dumbbells lying next to him, while Kizashi kept squatting with much larger ones.
"You and your Pokémon will be hurt in your future battles, kid. You will fall down, you will lose. It's inevitable. But, you WILL keep trying until you just cannot get up. A wise man once said: 'Winners never quit and quitters never win.'"
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It was a beautiful Sunday morning that found Ash sleeping peacefully, unaware of the approaching evil. The shadow quietly tiptoed into his room and stood over the bed. Watching the innocent face of the youngster, the shadow almost felt remorse for him. But, he had a duty and he would fulfill it. He then upturned a bucket full of ice-cold water on him.
"Wake up, you lazy rascal! It's 5am. What the hell are you still doing in bed?" Kizashi screamed.
Ash spluttered and shivered as he got rid of the covers. "What the… Sensei, it's Sunday. Why the hell are you waking me up today?"
"Oh. That's my mistake. I didn't know you were on a holiday. After all, future Champions always take holidays for no good reason" Kizashi jokingly said, before narrowing his eyes. "THIRD RULE: HOLIDAYS ARE FOR JABRONIES! Unless you are sick or extremely tired from a battle the day before, you are never allowed to take a holiday from training. You train till you drop. And then you get back up to train again the very next day. Somebody once said 'Practice makes Perfect' - that man was utterly foolish. There is no perfection! And we will keep practicing until we can even come close to that eternal goal."
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"Genji, Play Hide and Seek!"
"Hitmontop, Defensive Manoeuvres!"
Genji vanished into the shadows and popped up at random places in the battlefield, trying to confuse his opponent. But, Hitmontop seemed to be continuously spinning on his head, not allowing for an easy avenue to attack.
Slowly but surely, Ash seemed to be getting more and more frustrated. He considered his moves and decided his course of action.
"Now Genji, Sneak behind him and Shadow Punch!"
Kizashi smirked. Hook, line and sinker.
"Earthquake. Foresight. Focus Blast. NOW!"
"NOO! Genji, get out of there."
But it was too late. The combination of powerful moves was too much for the Gengar to take and he was knocked out immediately. Ash cursed himself for taking the bait, recalling his friend.
"What went wrong there?"
"I got too overconfident. I expected Genji to sneak faster and hit with an effective move there. Then hit it with Confuse Ray and overwhelm him."
"And that was your mistake. FOURTH RULE: ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. Based on my personality, you did not expect me to play defensive and were thrown off by the wait-and-see strategy. Even though your Sneak hit him, Hitmontop powered through the attack to land his hit and make your Gengar vulnerable. And then all it took was a couple of powerful moves to down him. They aren't supposed to be very tanky. You should've tried to disrupt the battlefield and then pepper Hitmontop from a distance. You would have still lost, but you would have had a better chance."
"How can I improve, sensei?"
"Here's what you do…."
End of the Month
Agatha stood at the gate waiting for the teacher-student duo to get their goodbyes out of the way.
"Alright kid! This is goodbye. Keep up with your routines and never miss a workout. You will thank me later for that."
"Yes, sensei. I promise!"
"And if you ever catch a Fighting-Type in your journey, come back here. I will help in its training."
"Absolutely, sensei. And I have got your contact. I will keep in touch, whenever I can."
They bowed to each other in respect.
"Yeah, yeah! Enough of the mushy stuff. Let's get going, brat. Time's a wastin!" said Agatha, rolling her eyes.
3 months later
Route 2, Viridian Forest
".… These are edible mushrooms. You can use them in simple stews or simply roast them with a few herbs. Either way, they are really healthy and serve as a good food source both for yourself and herbivorous Pokémon. I will show you later how to include them in their food mix." Delia explained, picking a few of them for use later.
She smiled, as her son ran ahead to explore. He kept shouting questions from a distance, inquiring about the various shrubs all around them. She patiently explained about the various berries that could be found on Route 2, delving into their usage and their long & short-term effects on Pokémon.
"Don't worry, Ashy. I will give you a comprehensive list of all the explored routes in every region and the shrubs you can find in them, when you leave. This is just to give you an idea of the do's and don'ts when it comes to survival during your journey. Now, it's nearing lunch time. I want you to find us a suitable place to set up the tent and then we will cook lunch together using the stuff we gathered from this route."
A few minutes later, Ash found a beautiful clearing which opened to a small natural pond. She decided that they would spend their remaining time in the Viridian Forest there. She then showed him how to pitch a tent and take it down, how to collect firewood and set up a fire and the many things that one needs to do to successfully set up camp in the wild.
Both of them sat down to have a late lunch - a delicious stew of assorted mushrooms and vegetables with a side of spicy crushed Razz Berry sauce. They were eating in silence enjoying the meal, when suddenly they heard a rustling sound from the bushes.
They turned around to see a rather chubby boy clad in Samurai clothes running towards them screaming in challenge with an old-fashioned sword in his hand.
"My name is Samurai, fair lady! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle" he exclaimed boisterously, pointing his sword at Delia.
"Genji! Incapacitate him, NOW!" coming out of his shock, Ash angrily pointed at the boy.
"Aaaaahhh! Get away from me, you filthy ghost!" The boy struggled to escape the ghost's hold. Genji hissed angrily at the boy, incensed that someone would dare attack the people under his protection.
"WHAT THE HELL do you think you are doing, pointing a sword at my mother?!" Ash bit out, glaring at him angrily.
"I w-was just challenging her to a battle. Nothing else" Samurai stuttered.
"You want a battle? I WILL give you a battle. Release him, Genji" Ash scowled at him.
"F-fine, standard rules, 1-on-1. No items. Agreed?" Samurai blustered, still shaken after being released by Genji.
"Agreed but on one condition. If you lose, you will not use that stupid sword to scare other trainers, before challenging them. It's dangerous and could really hurt someone. I can't believe that nobody else has objected to it yet. Mom, do you mind refereeing?" Ash said, frowning at him, still very angry.
"No problem, Ashy. This is a one-on-one practice battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Samurai of Viridian Forest. No items allowed. Begin!" Delia announced.
A few wild Pokémon appeared from the foliage and arrayed on the boundaries of clearing to witness the battle, after hearing the commotion.
"Guard and Protect, Talos!" proclaimed Ash, releasing his Pokémon.
"Your metal bot doesn't scare me, boyo! Pinsir, crush him!" the boy cried, releasing his own. "Focus Energy, Rush & Vice-Grip!"
Admittedly, seeing a rare Pokémon like Pinsir in Samurai's hands surprised him but Ash regained his composure immediately.
"Talos, Reflect!"
The Iron Claw Pokémon grunted robotically and raised their claws to erect a golden rectangular barrier in front of them, towards the direction of the incoming attack. Despite looking strong, the Pinsir's horns simply couldn't find purchase against the nigh impenetrable psychic barrier. Talos automatically adjusted the barrier to deflect any attempts by Pinsir to change the attack direction.
"Pinsir retreat. Swords Dance and use Bug Bite to break through the barrier." Samurai clenched his fists, visibly frustrated.
"Meet it head-on with Iron Head, Talos!" Ash dispassionately stated.
BAAAMMM!
Talos barreled right through the bug energy gathered by the Pinsir unaffected and viciously smashed him right on the head.
"Keep up the momentum, Talos. Bullet Barrage!" said Ash, steeling himself. This was something he had learned after losing many, many battles under the tutelage of his master. If an opponent was downed, you had to be brutal and take the opportunity to finish the battle. No quarter was to be given!
The robotic Pokémon rotated their arms wildly and unleashed a barrage of Bullet Punches on the grounded Pinsir.
"NOOO, Pinsir! Try and deflect using your horns. Prepare for X-Scissor." Samurai frantically cried out.
"Do not let it, Talos. Deflect any attempts it makes with Metal Claw from the left and finish it with Thunder Punch from the right."
The Metang almost looked down in pity but still dutifully carried out their orders, when the Pinsir weakly tried to defend itself. It groaned from the ground as the Metang beat it down into the ground using the electric attack.
"Recall your Pinsir, it can't take any more damage. If you don't then Talos is ready to finish with a Flash Cannon" Ash coldly looked into the Samurai's eyes, clearly displaying his intent to carry out the threat.
Samurai thought about it for a second before conceding defeat. He recalled his Pokémon and murmured a few words of consolation to the Pokéball. "You may have won this round, Ash Ketchum. But, mark my words! We will have another battle in the future and I WILL WIN!" Samurai vowed.
Ash glared stonily at him, as he ran away from the clearing clutching his Pokéball.
"Well done, Talos" he congratulated "You were brilliant in your first real battle. We will have many more like this and we'll conquer them all!"
"That was rather brutal, Ashy! His Pinsir looked pretty young too. Maybe a year old."
"Yeah well, he shouldn't have attacked you. Nobody gets away with doing that and escaping a brutal beat-down from me." Ash looked away, still annoyed with the Samurai.
"Aw! I love you too, Ashy!" Delia grinned at him and hugged him tightly. "Now let's get back to work."
4 months later (Ash, 13 years old)
Video Conference Room - The Oak Laboratory, Pallet Town
"... No! That is not right. You shouldn't pressurize your Pokémon to evolve. They have the right to decide, not the trainer" Leaf scowled angrily at the screen.
"Look, Green! I really don't care what you think about my opinion here. But it is just that - MY OPINION! I believe that the best way to train a Pokémon is to train them until they reach their final evolution. Only then will they unlock their full potential and be powerful enough to compete in higher-tier battles" Paul rebutted.
"Who cares about the competition? And besides there are many great… "
The other three - Brendan, Gary and Ash - sighed loudly, as the usual argument between Paul and Leaf continued.
It was that time again - the time for a monthly video chat between the League's top 5 students. Ash tuned out the argument and started thinking about how the ritual had started. Prof. Oak had organized the first call between the five and their respective tutors - Prof. Birch and Prof. Rowan - had participated as well.
Conversations between them had been at first rather tentative but over the chat, the five had bonded over their mutual love for Pokémon. Since then, the monthly calls had become a routine and usually all five of them were present. They had spirited debates, discussions and exchanged research over various topics. They also shared any tips and tricks they gathered from their mentors with the others. The results were obvious - they were the undisputed top 5 now and the gap between them and the rest of their peers was just too much to overcome.
Ash had spent most of his young life with Gary and Leaf as friends, so he knew them very well. But, it hadn't taken him very long to get to know Brendan and Paul, size up their personalities and become friends with them as well.
Brendan was very much like Gary except he wasn't quite as arrogant. He wanted to become Hoenn's Champion and he wanted to do it as a generalist much like his idol Champion Cynthia. He had an encyclopedic knowledge about Hoenn's Pokémon much like the others had, of their own regions. He loved doing research and often accompanied his father on field trips across Hoenn. His battling style was a direct result of that - a very rigid, defensive style which factored in habits and techniques of wild Pokémon.
Paul, though, shared many similarities with himself. He was focused, dedicated and meticulous and he had only one goal - to dethrone Cynthia and become Sinnoh's Champion. He, with the help of Prof. Rowan, had also sought out many tutors across Sinnoh to further his knowledge. This was where the similarities ended however. Unlike him, Paul had a very ornery personality and wasn't interested in making friends with others. He had a very rigid style of battling dependent on the power of his Pokémon. He made detailed lists of Pokémon (including their moves and abilities) that he wanted and wasn't averse to releasing Pokémon that he caught, if they didn't fit in his plans. Despite their differences, they had great mutual respect for each other and were good friends. They often had chats outside the five, mostly about training and battling in general.
He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by Leaf. "What do you think, Ash? Is evolution absolutely necessary?" she questioned him.
"Ah, well! Both arguments have merits. It really depends on what you want out of your Pokémon. In quite a few evolutions, the Pokémon sacrifice some of their characteristics to be a totally different Pokémon. But, in others they just enhance what they already have in an obvious way. For example, a Pokémon like Electabuzz will have to give up their mobility and speed when they evolve into Electivire but they gain a tremendous amount of power and unlock potential for many, many moves and frankly gain a much better ability.
To be honest, my opinion is a little tilted towards Paul's because evolution is a natural process. Once a Pokémon reaches its final form, they usually have access to a lot more moves, different abilities and even typings on occasion. They are essentially completing their life cycle. If they don't feel like evolving, then it's our duty as a trainer to clearly lay out the advantages of evolution in front of them and convince them that it is in their best interests. If you both, however, feel that it isn't necessary to evolve, then the reasons & alternatives need to be clearly laid in front of the Pokémon to ensure that it is not an impulse decision they might regret later."
Ignoring her attempts to interrupt him, Ash continued "Take your preferred starter Bulbasaur for example, Leaf. Apart from their obviously expanded well of power and move-pool, if either Bulbasaur or Ivysaur don't evolve in the first few years in wild or in training of their life, then chances are they might never evolve into a Venusaur. Since, they are usually long-lived Pokémon, this would mean that they would remain as either of them for the rest of their lives which could be range anywhere between 100-150 years *(1)."
Leaf grew somber as she realized Ash's point. When it looked like the conversation was delving into the realm of awkwardness, Gary decided to immediately change the topic. "Speaking of preferred starters, have you guys decided what you are going to pick? Coz I already…"
3 months later
Route 33, Wilds near Azalea Town
It was a beautiful day as they walked down the small pathway carved through the forest. Huge, dense canopies completely covered the path in shade providing a cool atmosphere, despite it being uncharacteristically sunny. Ash followed his Grams sedately, wondering what their destination was.
A speedy, red blur approached from the distance and landed right in front of them. The dust settled to reveal a massive, hulking Scizor standing in front of them, with its claws raised in warning.
"Masamune, stand down! They are friends" an old but steely man dressed in a traditional gray kimono appeared from the foliage commanding his Pokémon. "Hello Agatha! It's been a while. How's Delia?" he smiled at her.
"Muramasa, old friend!" Ash gaped in shock as his Grams uncharacteristically hugged the man and patted him fondly on his back. "She's doing just fine. She's starting a new project with Oak. Let me introduce you to her beloved son and my grandson, Ash. Ash, this is Muramasa, an old friend of mine."
"Please, follow me. I will take you to my sanctuary."
The duo followed him through the path. In the distance they could see a large monastery nestled within the trees, almost as if it were hidden from the everyday traveler.
"Who is he, Grams? I've never heard of him" Ash whispered to her.
"That's because he prefers to stay out of the spotlight, young one. In my not so humble opinion, he is currently the single greatest teacher in all of Indigo" she whispered back.
"You flatter me, Agatha! It wouldn't be right of me to claim such an honour" Muramasa smiled back at them, letting Ash know that his conversation wasn't entirely private.
"Do not listen to him, Ash. In his younger years, he was a brilliant trainer who specialized in Steel-Types. We had many spirited battles whenever our paths crossed during our respective journeys. That Scizor of his, is still infamous in Elite circles - it was called the 'Crimson Streak' in its hey-days.
When he decided to settle down, he could easily have picked up a position as an Elite Four in any region, but he decided to give back to the trainer community. He has had a hand in training of many great trainers including Steven Stone, Gym Leaders Jasmine, Brock and Byron. He was also your father's master for 3 years during his journey."
Ash looked at the seemingly unremarkable man in utter awe. He then bowed in respect to the trainer-Pokémon duo. This was a man who presumably had a deep connection with his late father. Someone who had shared meals with him, had deep, meaningful conversations with him and watched over his father, as he trained his Pokémon day & night. And Ash very much wanted a similar connection with him too.
"Please teach me!" he implored the master.
"You don't need to bow to me, young one. My sanctuary is open to any and all trainers who sincerely want to train their Pokémon and develop a long-lasting connection with them. I'd be happy to teach you, the same way I taught your father" he smiled gently at Ash.
The three reached the gates of the sanctuary after a few minutes of walking. The monastery was massive with multiple two or three story buildings with old Johto-style architecture sprawled all around the compound. There were multiple open fields with dozens of trainers doing personalized training with their Pokémon.
Ash beamed at his Grams, "This is awesome!"
Muramasa chuckled lightly at him, "Yes it is, young one. Come, let's have tea. And we can discuss how you want to spend your month of training here."
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.
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"To establish a connection with your Pokémon, you need to train with them. Try to understand their thoughts, their struggles and difficulties. Any technique, regardless of the difficulty, can be taught to a Pokémon if you have a clear connection with them and communicate with them on a personal level." Muramasa intoned calmly to Ash.
Both of them were seated in a seiza position in a private wooden chamber.
"But how do I do that, master?"
"You meditate with them. Every single day. This is a never-ending activity, Ash. Every day you need to set aside an hour or so to meditate with your Pokémon. This experience can't exactly be described, young one. Different trainers have different connections with their Pokémon. But, this is a great step to deepening your connection with them. Now bring out your Pokémon and I will show you how to meditate properly" he explained releasing his own Scizor and Lucario.
"Oh! And did I forget to mention that this is the first step to establishing telepathy with any Psychic-Type Pokémon you have?" he smirked at Ash.
Ash gaped at his master and immediately released his Pokémon. There was work to be done.
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.
.
Ash was quietly sweeping the compound as he went about finishing his chores for the day, when he was suddenly accosted by a small group of students a few years his junior. They were led by a rather angry kid who stood over him.
The kid was Shingo, a 10-year old orphan who had been adopted by the master, when he was very young. He had bright purple hair framing his face in odd-shaped bangs and green eyes which were narrowed at him. Before Ash had arrived, Shingo had been the top student in the sanctuary and had been the one to spend the most amount of time with the Master. The master was his idol and he wanted to be a future Steel-Type Master very much like him. But lately, that attention had transferred to Ash because of the short amount of time he was spending here. And that didn't sit right with him.
He glared angrily at Ash, clutching a Pokéball, "I don't know why Master spends so much time with you. But, I will show you and everybody who is the best student here, once and for all. I challenge you to a battle!"
Ash sighed in exasperation. "Do you really want to do that, kid? You are much younger than me and therefore, have much less experience than I do."
"That won't matter. I will still beat down any Pokémon you have."
"Well then, I guess we can have a battle," Ash sighed.
They walked to the ground and stood on opposite sides of the field.
"Be ready to be humiliated, newbie! Go, Magneton. Win this for me" Shingo shouted.
Ash smirked. Now that the challenge had been issued, he wouldn't back down. He'd hate to disappoint Kizashi-sensei after all.
"Guard and Protect, Talos!"
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"Steel-Types are very hardy Pokémon. They usually have an immense amount of defense and can take a lot of hits before falling. And that is exactly what you have to enhance in them, Ash."
"I don't understand, master."
Muramasa then released his own gigantic Metagross. "This here is Tetsu-kabe. Masamune, please demonstrate for Ash my point."
The Scizor nodded and unleashed an absolute barrage of powerful attacks on the Metagross. The Metagross mostly just stood still, mostly taking the attacks but redirecting and protecting against a few of them, without any visible discomfort.
Ash looked on in fascination as the unbreakable wall that was Metagross just weathered the storm that was Scizor. He smiled gleefully, thinking about Talos and imagining whether he would match up to this defensive powerhouse in the future.
"The point that I am trying to make here, Ash, is that Steel-Type Pokémon are meant to be tanky. They take a lot of hits and reply in kind with overwhelming but precise attacks whenever they can, especially Metagross. Your training with Talos will have to include exercises like this to build up their defense and ability to take hits. It will be brutal but in the end, it will be worth it" Muramasa pointed out.
"Yes master, I understand."
"Good. Then, let's look at the exercises you can use in the future…"
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End of the Month
Ash was seated at the porch watching the sun rise to a beautiful morning. This would be his last day here in the sanctuary before his journey. Tangibly speaking, he hadn't learned any new techniques per se under his master. But, the immense wisdom of his master was invaluable and the methodologies he had learned to train Pokémon under his tutelage would be extremely useful in the future. He would return later, for sure, when he had grown. But, for now, this was goodbye.
"You know, Ash. Masamune recently had a young one with his mate. If you are interested, maybe you could be its trainer?" Muramasa appeared from behind his prized student.
"As flattered as I am by the offer, master, I don't think I need another Steel-Type Pokémon in my roster for now. Talos is more than enough for me. Maybe… maybe, you could offer Shingo that Scyther, master?" Ash questioned him quietly, touched by the offer.
Shingo predictably had lost their first battle. His Magneton was very young and hadn't really been a challenge for Talos. Incensed by the loss, Shingo had pestered Ash for re-matches all throughout the month, in an effort to win back the attention that he had (to his mind) lost from his adoptive father.
Muramasa smiled at him knowingly, "You have a good heart, Ash. Richard would be proud. I am proud to call you my student."
Tears pooled in his eyes, as Ash hugged his master in gratitude.
"Thank you, master!" Ash released him and bowed in respect. "I am honored to be your student."
"Farewell, young one. Agatha is waiting for you at the boundary. Go out there and make history."
4 months later
Ash's Sanctuary, Pallet Town
Ash gazed into the mid-day ocean from his little sanctuary, contemplating his journey. He had thought about it a lot and made some hard choices - choices which could very well rock the lives of the people in his life in the upcoming future.
He had found this place three years ago, just after his father's death. His mother had been in mourning and his Grams hadn't come to Pallet in a while, still looking for justice for his father. He had been lost in thought and kept walking from his home until he had arrived in this little place on the shores of the ocean. You could see the ships coming and leaving from the Pallet port nearby very clearly and there were numerous aquatic Pokémon which gathered on occasion around the shores. He had immediately fallen in love with the serenity of this place and it had become his very own sanctuary. This is where he came when he wanted some time to himself with his thoughts. Only his mother and Grams knew of this place and that was out of necessity.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice his Grams coming from behind him until he heard the tell-tale sound of the rhythmic tapping of her cane. He turned to look at her who was in turn looking at him in concern.
"You have been distracted in the past few weeks, Ash. Both your mother & I are worried about you. What's on your mind, young one?" Agatha queried gently.
"It's just some stuff I have been thinking about, Grams. I have made a few decisions in the last few days and I don't know how to approach you or Mom with these thoughts" Ash turned back to look to the ocean, seemingly gathering his courage. "If I tell you something, will you promise to not be mad, Grams?"
"Why would I be mad, Ash? Just tell me, what is it?"
"I don't want to start my journey in Kanto, Grams. I want to start in Hoenn" Ash looked away from her nervously.
"Okay and why do you want to do that?" Agatha coaxed gently.
"My desired starter and quite a few Pokémon I am interested in having in my team originate in Hoenn" Ash started tentatively, before resolutely continuing, "But, more importantly, while not many know that you are my Grandma, I am worried that those in the know might have unreasonable expectations from me. They might have preconceived notions about what I should be like as a trainer. And I don't want to mould myself to match their thoughts. I don't want to be your carbon copy, Grams. I want to make a name for myself outside of Kanto, before coming back here and competing."
He looked up at her, searching her for her thoughts on the matter.
"That's perfectly acceptable, young one" Agatha smiled down at him.
Ash visibly relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He immediately hugged her in gratitude. "I knew you would understand, Grams. You are the best!" he excitedly said.
"I already knew about your plans, young one" she smirked at him. "I had a peek into your little book, which you carry around."
Ash gaped at her in shock. "Grams! That's supposed to be private!"
"Yup" she grinned toothily at him. When he gave her the stink eye, she continued unabashedly, "What?! I was worried, okay? You have been moody and distracted lately, so I just sneaked in and found out what the issue was. I was just waiting for you to bring up the topic. Now, do you have anything else you want to share?"
Ash grumbled. "Fine, if you have read my book you already know. The League just needs me to take two badges in my first year and the badges will be valid for 5 years. I want to wait for 2 years before taking part in my first conference. I am hoping to give some time for my future Pokémon to grow into their respective evolutions."
"Again, acceptable. And what else?"
"You know that Prof. Oak offered the Junior Field Researcher post to all three of us. At first I thought of accepting it. But, I don't think I am well-suited for that post. I don't know how much research I could do for him, when I will be on the road."
"While I hate to agree with Oak, I think you are mistaken here, Ash. You are going to a completely different region. You will be exploring many places, seeing odd phenomena and even getting the chance to have a first hand look at many historic and/or scientific places of interest. All you need to do is keep him posted. He might ask you to do odd jobs for him, but despite the slight detours you might have to take I think the benefits are too good to ignore, young one" Agatha pointed out.
And Ash had to agree. Being a Junior Field Researcher did come with many, many benefits - priority occupancy at Pokémon centers; Pokémon carry limit extended to 8 and after 3 badges to 12; subsidies for food, healthcare and Pokémon supplies; and access to research papers and lectures both offline & online - and this was apart from all the benefits they got as sponsored trainers. Yes, Ash would be foolish to not to take advantage of these benefits.
He nodded in agreement. He would accept the position.
"Alright then, have you filed your paperwork for this yet?"
"No. I wanted to talk to you guys and Prof. Oak first."
"Have you told your mother yet?" she asked.
"Ah! Shit."
"Language!" she smacked him with her cane.
1 month later
Champion's Chambers, Indigo Plateau
Agatha closed the doors behind her and turned around to look at the gigantic chamber. Nearly two battlefields in length and breadth, with hardwood floors and a glass ceiling with a view of the night line, the famed office of Indigo's Champion was a thing of beauty. A huge desk stood in the centre of the office on a raised dais overlooking the whole chamber, arrayed with various knickknacks - which were in actuality mementos from previous Champions who had graced this office. The walls were arrayed with priceless paintings from famous artists and portraits of some prominent figures in Indigo's history. A small pond was constructed to house any aquatic Pokémon the Champion had. A balcony lay behind the desk, which opened to a beautiful view of the Indigo Plateau. Whenever she came to this office, she almost regretted turning down the position of the Champion all those years ago.
She could see both the Champion Lance and the League President Charles Goodshow seated at the desk facing her, chatting and laughing affably about something or the other. All the Pokémon of Lance's main team were arrayed around the room. The Pokémon looked at her curiously before going back to what they were doing. She had been invited here to have a chat, and she already had an inkling about the topic.
"Ah! Agatha. Please come. Sit down! Have some tea." Charles gestured to the seat in front of them boisterously. She sat down silently, refusing the tea.
"So, how's your family doing, Agatha? Are they good?" Lance queried.
"Can we please dispense with the pleasantries, gentlemen? You both are as subtle as rampaging Hydreigons. Why have you summoned me here?" Agatha said pointedly.
"Well… let's get to it then. Look Agatha, we know that in the past few years, you have been mentoring Elite Four Trainees Will and Karen and you have been slowly giving them more and more responsibilities, so that you can spend more time with your family. We have accepted that, because we think that both Will and Karen have bright futures" Charles pointed out.
"We also know that you've started mentoring your grandson and have been especially involved in his training after Richard's death", Lance said somberly. "I admire that. The new generation is fantastic and the Pallet 3 (as they are being called) are going to be great trainers in the future. The results of your training are obvious. Your grandson is breaking records in PQE and is already a gem of a trainer. The future of Indigo might very well be in his hands, with the way things are going."
"Get to the point, Lance!" Agatha bit out. The other two frowned back at her.
"We received the paperwork regarding his wish to start his journey in Hoenn. And we don't think it's the right move for a trainer of his caliber, Agatha. What kind of message does it send to other regions, if a prodigious trainer who is likely to finish 1st among all the trainers in the world in PQE doesn't want to start in his home region?" Lance questioned.
"And besides, Ash is born to be a future great, with an enviable legacy - not just yours but also Samuel's. His start should absolutely be in Kanto" Charles pointed out.
The temperature suddenly dropped around them.
Agatha looked down, her face invisible behind her hair as shadows seemed to be covering her. "How did you know?" she said hollowly.
"We have known this for a very long time. We do thorough background checks on people of interest. Not to mention, Richard was a part of the First Regiment - we have a detailed file on him as well" Charles mentioned casually.
Agatha tapped her cane twice on the ground. Lance got a sudden sense of foreboding and his well-honed senses warned him of approaching danger. There was a blur of movement, as shadows coalesced all around the chamber. Suddenly, the chamber was filled with headache-inducing chants and a nauseating aura. Before he could call out a warning, it had already been too late.
"You people" she chuckled humorlessly. "You think you can call me to your fancy chamber, then offer random platitudes, patronize me and then strong-arm me into doing your bidding? You think I would go against the wishes of my own grandson, just to satisfy your misguided sense of patriotism?"
The shadows cleared to a horrifying scene in the chamber.
Her Gengar stood over his two unconscious Dragonites, smiling chillingly at him. His long tongue was wrapped around one of the Dragonites, ready to fatally lick it at a moment's notice.
Her Froslass stood over his frozen Gyarados and Kingdra. She had frozen the whole pond solid along with them. She cheerily waved at him, though her innocent giggle just terrified him.
Her Dusknoir emerged from behind his unconscious Charizard. Its gigantic red eye staring at him emotionlessly as it opened its centre, wide enough to engulf the Charizard whole, in warning.
Her Aegislash stood vigil with its sword around the neck of his brutally beaten down Aerodactyl.
Her Arbok had its body so tightly wrapped around his Dragonair, that it was already unconscious due to the overwhelming pressure.
Her Mismagius stood over his younger dragons all lulled into sleep by her soothing chants. The witch-like Pokémon just looked at him and raised a finger to its lips as if to shush him so that the young ones wouldn't wake.
Before they could even think of calling for back-up, her gigantic Crobat had placed both of its larger wings around their necks in warning.
And finally, her large, shiny Gengar stood vigil behind her to ensure that she was protected from any surprise attacks, while her Cofagrigus and Chandelure stood guard at the balcony and door respectively.
He couldn't believe his eyes. His prized team of dragons lay prone and vulnerable in his very own chamber - defeated as if they were rookies participating in their first conference.
Both of them were sweating nervously, as Lance stuttered out, "W-what we are asking y-you is for the g-good of Indigo, Agatha!"
"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT IS OR ISN'T GOOD FOR INDIGO!" she screamed angrily at them, as her team hissed furiously at the both of them. "I have been in her service for 40 years. 40 years! I have sacrificed and worked more for her than anybody else in this region and have continued to look out for her best interests, long before you were nothing more than a sperm residing in your father's nut sack, you little brat!"
"Do not forget that you are only the Champion because the older generation felt you would make a better champion than Marcus. And not because of your battling skills. Step a toe out of line and Oak, Pryce or me would be happy to remind you that you aren't as strong as you think you are. We have been deciding the fate of Indigo long before you had come into the picture and we will be the ones guiding it long after you are gone, little Wataru!"
"And you, Charles" Agatha turned towards the near catatonic President. "You have more skeletons in your closet than the number of bones in your body. Do not press your luck, President. You will not like the result."
Agatha stood up to drink a glass of water and started pacing around the chamber.
"Ash has always belonged to Indigo and will always belong to Indigo. The only reason he wants to go to Hoenn is because he wants to step out of my shadow. He wants to make a name for himself, before he comes back to his home. It's his choice, a mature and admirable one and I will not allow anyone to take it away from him."
She slowly started walking away, turning her back to them.
"This is a warning to you two. Leave Ash alone. Do not interfere in his journey. Do not try to influence him. He is not yours to mould to your liking."
She turned part way at the door to look at them with her blue eye glowing menacingly, "And one more thing. If I find out that the secret of his full legacy has been leaked to everyone in the League, then I will destroy you both. I will openly challenge you for your title, Lance. And when I do, I will make what happened in this chamber today look like a happy memory. This is my promise to the both of you."
She tapped her cane twice, as she vanished from the chamber into the shadows with her Pokémon.
Omake
The (Igniting of the) Flames of Youth #1
"YOSH! My YOUTHFUL student! This is goodbye for now. Keep up with your YOUTHFUL exercises and spread your YOUTH to your Pokémon as well. Here, this (green) jumpsuit will help you in your future endeavors.
"HAI, KIZASHI-SENSEI!"
They both hugged YOUTHFULLY and shed manly rivers of tears, as they embraced each other.
Kizashi pointed into the distance, as out of nowhere a beach with a setting sun appeared on the horizon in front of them, complete with the sound of a beautifully played saxophone in the background.
"ASH!"
"KIZASHI-SENSEI!"
"ASH!"
"KIZASHI-SENSEI!"
"ASH!"
"KIZASHI-SENSEI!"
Agatha arrived at the gate to pick up her grandson, happy to see him after a month, only to arrive smack-dab in the middle of their bonding moment.
"NOOO! NOT MY GRANDSON, YOU BASTARD!" she screamed in despair.
A Serene Delia is a Scary Delia #2
"... I w-was just challenging her to a battle. Nothing else" Samurai stuttered.
Ash made to respond, but his mother stopped him. "It's OK Ashy, I will battle him."
2 minutes later
"Pinsir, win this for me!" Samurai shouted.
"Arcanine, dear. Please teach this boy a lesson", Delia smiled serenely.
3 seconds later
"AAAAHHHH!" Samurai ran away from the clearing screaming, his sword lay forgotten on the field.
"What did we learn from this, Ashy?" Delia asked her son sweetly.
Ash gulped loudly and stuttered, "N-never a-attack a w-woman from b-behind with a sword?"
"That's my boy!" Delia beamed at him.
A/N: And that's the end of the third chapter guys. Hopefully you like it. If you do, please like and/or follow the story. They literally are my fuel to continue writing. I would continue to love reading some reviews.
The two omakes are my tribute to one of the greatest anime series of all time - Naruto. Hope you guys enjoyed them. Apologies that I didn't include the start of this journey in this chapter. But, I felt this was a good point to stop. Next chapter will absolutely include the start of his journey and should be out within the week, barring any unforeseen delays.
P.S. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations SUCKS.
* Notes:
1. The fact about the Venusaur line and their respective life cycles is not canon.
Until next time! I have been a Smart Alec :)
Agatha's Main Team:
1. Gengar - Blacky (Male, starter)
2. Gengar - Shiny (Female, shiny)
3. Crobat - Crowy (Female)
4. Mismagius - Missy (Female)
5. Dusknoir - Dusky (Male)
6. Froslass - Frosty (Female)
7. Cofagrigus - Coffin (Male)
8. Arbok - Arby (Male)
9. Aegislash - Slashy (Male)
10. Chandelure - Glowy (Female)
