Last of the Wataru

by Jocelyjpr

Ash, unknowingly bearing the gift and surrounded by secrets, is placed under the watchful eye of the Wataru. When Blackthorn is destroyed and the Wataru slaughtered, Ash seeks to prove he is worthy of the name, unwittingly leading him towards unraveling the web of deceit around him. All the while, there is an old adage, the gift inevitably leads to madness.

2. Chapter 2

"Ash! Where are you? We're going to be late!" An exasperated voice exclaimed. A voice that was entirely too loud.

What could he possibly be late for anyway? It wasn't as if there was anything important toda- Wait.

Ash's eyes snapped open, his legs swinging the blankets, and him, off the bed into a tangled heap on the floor. The teen's tailbone slammed solidly into the wooden floor, but such a trivial matter was no hindrance. With an energy born of youthfulness, the teen leaped back to his feet hurriedly racing over to the window.

He unlatched the rickety bolt which hardly kept the window closed against the summerly winds, not that the teen was complaining; any respite from the sweltering summer heat of southern Kanto was welcome. Ash stuck his head out, a messy mop of black hair blowing every which way from the wind.

"I'll be down in a second, I was just doing some last-minute studying, Leaf!" Ash grinned down from the second story of Oak's Orphanage.

"Likely story," Leaf grumbled looking up towards the teen, the sun sparkling throughout her green irises, before shading her eyes with a hand, "Just hurry up, would you? And how many times do I have to tell you, put a shirt on!"

"Sure thing, Greenie!"

"Ash!" Leaf yelled petulantly, but whatever else she was going to say was cut off by the teen ducking his head back into his room, hastily closing the window, and latching the bolt.

She really didn't like that nickname.

Ash glanced around his room, took a quick glance in the mirror, taking a moment to bask in how far he had come from the skinny, pale kid who had arrived in Pallet town years ago.

Not that he would ever forget where he had come from. Ash stared devotedly towards the only thing that adorned the walls of his sparsely furnished room.

A plaque that bore a remarkable resemblance to the one that had stood in Blackthorn, the only difference being the words that had been faded, and in a language that was unintelligible to the teen were replaced by tidy, feminine writing.

Neither reckless, nor timid

Leaf hadn't fully understood when he had asked her for that favor, but she had known enough to not delve into the subject. Against all odds, or perhaps simply due to her odd obsessiveness with eye color, they had formed a strong friendship throughout the past few years.

She was a good friend.

Then again, she probably didn't need to understand more than the simple fact his handwriting was rubbish.

A sudden, irate knocking sounded against his door, "Shut that girl up, Ash, I'm trying to sleep. Absolutely vexing, her screech."

"Shut up Bobby, she's doing you a favor waking you up before the afternoon."

Bobby, mumbled back, already heading back towards the embrace of his bed, "Like you wouldn't do the same, given the chance."

Ash, the somber mood broken, grinned. Bobby wasn't wrong. His hand grasped the rusty doorknob, but there was something he was forgetting.

"Oh, right." he grabbed a hat from a shelf which was filled with nothing other than half a broken pokeball, and a single framed picture of him and Leaf.

Of the many abrupt changes Ash experienced after being moved to the Southern reaches of Kanto from the unforgiving, northern lands of the continent, the biggest was the Sun. It had only taken one day amongst Oak's pastures, and the burning, peeling sunburn on his face that followed, for him to learn the wisdom behind a hat, and sunscreen.

After several years the necessity of sunscreen had faded, but the hat remained. Ash placed the baseball hat atop his head, adjusting it back and forth, before nodding.

He had been looking forward to this day ever since he had arrived at Pallet Town.

The first day of sparring.

He was ready.

"Ash!"

Another particularly shill type of screech echoed from the outside, one that promised violence. It reverberated throughout the orphanage's walls, no doubt driving Bobby spare.

Wincing at the sound it made, Ash sprinted down the stairs taking two steps at a time, partly to avoid Bobby's anger, but mostly because if he took any longer Leaf would storm the orphanage.

As he reached the landing, turning towards the exit, he was immediately halted by a very different voice to Leaf's, or Bobby's, but one that was no less dangerous.

"What did I tell you about running down my stairs, Ashy?" the words were drawled with sweetness, but he had learned that they were anything but sweet. "And where do you think you're going without breakfast?"

Ash turned towards Lucretia, the matron of the Orphanage. She was a heavyset, dark-skinned woman who hailed from Orre. She never spoke of Orre, and Ash never dared to ask about it, but the region was renowned for the brutality of the crime gangs which ruled the region and the constant wars which raged between them.

If he had learnt one thing in his time under her care, it was to never mess with someone from Orre.

"I'm sorry. Leaf is waiting for me, today is the first day of pokemon sparring!" Ash smiled weakly in the face of the matron.

To his relief, Lucretia just smiled, her wrinkled face turning upwards, "Y'know I still remember when you first arrived here, waking me up in the middle of the night searching for an outhouse of all things. You've grown into a fine young man since then, your penchant for causing trouble aside."

Ash, who had steeled himself for a tongue lashing, was instead gobsmacked. Lucretia saying such... nice things was basically unheard of.

"What are you waiting for? C'mere, boy." she enveloped Ash in her arms which constricted him with such force, describing the action as a hug was much too tame, "And here, don't forget your breakfast, take some toast at the very least, it's not good to train on an empty stomach."

The matron quickly bustled away into the kitchen, and for a fleeting moment, Ash was certain he had felt something wet on his shoulder. It had to have been his imagination.

In short order, Ash and Leaf were walking towards the Laboratory which stood on a hill overlooking the town. The building was a metal conglomeration with strange antennae and all manner of devices protruding from the building.

Ash, despite his now working knowledge of electricity, televisions, and more was still unsure of what that machinery did. And he daren't ask Professor Oak, or the man would never stop talking about their intricacies.

"The first day of sparring, the biggest day of our training program, and you can't even wake up on time?" Leaf asked exasperatedly.

"What's the need to wake up myself when I have the best alarm clock in Pallet to do it for me?" Ash did his best to withhold the grin on his face, but it broke through, "You do know the rest of the orphanage despises you, right?"

Leaf's tanned face reddened, and her fists balled up, "Well, I hardly see how it's my fault when you're the jerk who won't wake up on time!"

"That's just part of my charm, Leaf, plus you know you don't have to wake me up, right?" Ash queried.

"One day I won't, I swear on my life. You take me for granted, Ash Wataru." she glared daggers towards him.

The pure, unadulterated hatred present within her green orbs almost made him believe her for a second, but it was Leaf, so instead, he just laughed, and shoved her shoulder lightly.

"Oh, let it go, Leaf, you can't stay angry at me- and you know it!" Ash cackled, dodging out of the way of her answering push, which only seemed to enrage her further.

Leaf rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him and trying to tackle him to the dirt path beneath them. However, Ash was a head taller than her and much heavier, he was only pushed back a few feet, her body pressing heavily into his.

Ash laughed harder, "When was the last time you were able to tackle me, Leaf? Two years ago? I'm not a skinny kid anymore."

Leaf scowled, looking up at him, the effect of her angry scowl being absolutely ruined by her nose which was smushed awkwardly against his chest.

"Well, well, well, I'll be honest, I expected better of at least you, Greenie. Such wanton displays of affection in the streets of Pallet?"

Leaf disentangled herself from the teen, almost leaping away in her desire to put distance between her and Ash.

Her face reddened, "It's not like that and you know it, Gary!"

Gary simply smirked, running a hand through his spiky, styled hair.

Ash's laughing, smiling face had solidified into a silent stare towards the teen across from him. After their initial meeting years ago, Ash and Gary's relationship had somehow managed to atrophy from such a dismal beginning, solidifying into a seething, roiling rivalry. He wasn't sure what he had done to provoke Professor Oak's grandson's ire but whatever it was had led the two down a path towards hatred.

No matter how heated their relationship, there was never a real, tangible avenue for the rivalry to be pursued through. Neither were foolhardy enough for their confrontations to devolve into fistfights- though it had been a near thing on several occasions.

Now, though, it was the first day of sparring, something the two teens had been looking towards for years.

"Don't get yourself in a twist, Greenie, I wasn't looking for you anyways." Gary's smirk grew at the reaction the nickname got from the girl, "Ashy-boy, are you ready to see what a true trainer is capable of? Your relation to the Wataru clan may have been able to carry you until this point, but it ends today."

Ash scowled, "That's ironic, Gary. You strut around like you own this place because of your relationship to the Professor when the truth is you're nothing special."

Gary, unbothered as always, simply grinned at the vitriol, "At least I'm not coddled and babied by Gramps because my family was butchered. Yet even that will not last forever, eventually, you'll have to prove your worth, Ashy."

Ash snarled, stepping towards the boy, but was stopped by a soft hand on his shoulder.

"You know that's what he wants, Ash." Leaf whispered.

Ash, breathing heavily, clenched his fists. Ignoring Gary in the past had been easy, but in the last year or so the teen's temper had grown. He had even asked the Professor about it at one point, and had gotten the "talk". The Professor said it was puberty, yet Gary was as unbothered as ever. That fact had served to make Ash only angrier. It also had served to ensure Ash never brought up the topic again around the old man.

Taking deep breaths, Ash turned away, taking long strides towards the Laboratory.

"She can't protect you forever, Ashy-boy!"

---

Leaf stood for a while after Ash had left, simply glowering towards Gary who met her gaze evenly, "I don't know what happened to you, Gary. You used to be a decent person, prickly to be sure, but this- I don't know what made you become this."

Gary continued to stare, silent. Leaf sighed, turning away to follow after Ash.

"Leaf, wait." he jogged after her and grabbed onto her wrist, "I had never liked the kid, I admit, he, erm," Gary stuttered, "He started to take your time away from me, and attention from Gramps. But, you're right something happened to make dislike into this… there is something not right with him if you had just seen what I did…"

Gary trailed off, staring earnestly into Leaf's green orbs. Leaf was half a mind to turn away, ignore the teen who had long ago stopped bearing resemblance to her childhood friend. Yet there was something that made her stay, maybe it was the earnest tone which had overrode the snide, slimy voice. Or perhaps it was the way his blue, sapphire eyes gazed truthfully, almost desperately into hers

Above all, though, she stayed because a small part within Leaf still hoped her old friend was buried somewhere inside.

She nodded hesitantly, beckoning him on.

Gary shook himself from her gaze, and spoke, staring into the distance, "It was one afternoon on the outskirts of the city just as the sun was setting…"

He grinned, his heart pounding and adrenaline pumping through his body. This Wataru kid was fast, he'd give him that, but Gary Oak was no slouch either.

Grandpa had always ingrained three tenets of being a trainer: Practicality, Theory, and Fitness.

Gary had always seen the use for understanding Pokemon and how to interact with them, how to battle with them, and how to train them. He understood the necessity of battle strategy and theory. He even tolerated the reasoning behind learning how to live by yourself in the wilderness.

Fitness, however, was something he had always despised. Why be able to run when you can simply fly or ride on the back of a Pokemon? Yet, he was Gary Oak, so he attacked it with the same vigor he did the other two tenets. To come in second was to show weakness- and to show weakness would lead others to believe they were cut off the same cloth as Gary Oak, as Samuel Oak.

He wouldn't let his Grandpa down.

So, it was with an elatedness that Gary's legs pumped, chasing after the boy that dared to take Leaf away from him. In such a backwater town there were few that Gary felt were of an equal to him, and Leaf was one.

Yet, for some reason beyond his comprehension, time shared between Leaf and himself had slowly been draining away ever since this kid's arrival.

Who cared that his family was slaughtered? It was a tragedy to be sure. But Gary hadn't known his parents his entire life, why was he supposed to give sympathy and understanding? Ridiculous.

Ash had initially outpaced the teen throughout the winding path which branched through portions of the pasture and deep into the surrounding forest, but Gary was taller, his strides longer, and he was gaining ground.

Gary would not lose, not to a Wataru, not to anyone.

The other prospective trainers were no doubt far behind the two of them. They had the same dislike for fitness as Gary did, but unlike him, they approached it with disdain and a lack of effort.

Gary and Ash were now almost side by side, nearing the exit of the forest, the finish line. His breaths were coming heavy and quick. Truthfully, he was unsure if he would win. To someone who had absolute assuredness in superiority in every facet of training, and in life, that was a terrifying thing.

Not that he would admit it to himself, he simply did not like being confident in an outcome. Nothing was wrong with that.

So, he did what anyone would do in his situation.

Gary's leg shot out quickly, snaking around the boy's leg next to him, sending him to the ground with a pained exclamation.

Gary stopped, breathing a deep sigh of relief, a cramp had been slowly working its way up to his side, and there was a very real chance he was going to end up losing. With a glance behind to ensure the others were nowhere close- they weren't, Gary allowed a smirk to grace his face.

"Tough break, huh? And I'm not just talking about the ankle." Gary asked.

The pale kid, Ash, just glared towards him grimacing, his hands gripping his ankle gingerly. Of course, the ankle was likely only minorly sprained.

His lack of response only enraged Gary further, "Must have never experienced something like that in Blackthorn, huh? Well in the real world, here in Pallet, things are a bit different-"

A feral growling was his answer. Gary looked back towards the kid in shock, but then he realized the sound was not coming from the kid, but from a creature next to him.

A massive, purple rattata stood next to the boy, its eyes were bloodshot, skin taut to muscle, and foam leaked from its mouth. The rat's, beady black eyes glared balefully towards the immobile teen on the ground.

"Shit! Get up! We've gotta run, that thing's feral!" Gary shouted, trying to lift the kid up by the shoulder. Ash slumped heavily against Gary, as they stumbled forward, each step a desperate fight.

Gary shook with exertion, already tired, and now he was trying to support another person. He had just meant to win the race, not get the kid killed! Surely Wataru understood.

It wasn't long before Ash collapsed awkwardly to the ground again, "Damnit! Stop falling down."

Ash looked up towards Gary, his mouth flattening into a line. "You're the reason I'm unable to walk in the first place, genius."

Gary's mouth was open, a retort on the tip of the tongue when suddenly the growling started again, this time only a few feet from behind the two.

Rattata were not carnivores, but they were known to eat meat if desperate enough… To go after a human, though, this beast had to be exceptionally hungry, sick, or close to evolution.

"Fuck this. I'm going to get Gramps, just hold on, Wataru!"

Gary sprinted off leaving a half-crippled Ash behind, a slobbering Rattatta with two painfully sharpened teeth peeking out from its mouth only feet away.

"... truth be told, I was just scared, so I left the poor kid alone and got Gramps. By the time we'd made it back, the Rattata was gone, and a Ratticate was in its place, practically fucking preening next to him, and his eyes… they were fucking sparkling. When I saw them, I just felt my stomach bottom out, goosebumps, hair standing on end, and I felt an urge to flee like I'd never felt before."

Gary shook his head, seemingly withdrawing from some kind of trance, "He never tattled about what I did to Gramps, or told any of the other kids as far as I know. I'll never understand why."

"Of course he didn't snitch on you, he was the new kid in a new town, and you were at the top of the social ladder and related to the Professor on top of it! But it doesn't make any sense, Raticate are notoriously aggressive after evolution, and while they don't eat humans they certainly would have killed, or seriously injured him."

"That's what I'm saying! There's no natural possible way he could have calmed that thing down. And ever since I saw his eyes that day there's been this unnatural hatred towards him- I can't explain it."

"What are you hinting at, Gary?" Leaf asked.

"I... I think he possesses the curse…" Gary trailed off, his voice deathly serious.

Leaf burst out laughing. "I don't know why I thought you were serious Gary, I should've just left when I had the chance. To bring up such nonsense when you know what the curse means to me, what it did to my family... I honestly thought you were above such a thing. Ash is the furthest thing from a rampaging psychopath I've ever seen. Grow up."

Gary's cheeks reddened and flinched as if struck by her response, "I wasn't lying, it was the truth! You know what, I don't even care, just don't say I didn't warn you- you of all people should know what the curse does to a person."

The snide tone was back. Gary stormed past her in the direction of Oak's laboratory.

Leaf slowly began her own trek there, she was already painfully late. Leaf was positive whatever Gary had been spouting were nothing but lies or a childhood recollection colored by jealousy. His bringing up such a sensitive topic for her, especially for such childish reasons, was simply unforgivable.

Yet, as her eyes followed Ash cresting the hill to Oak's Laboratory, the teen with who she had been inseparable friends for the past three years, a small, infinitesimally tiny part of her held a niggling sense of doubt.

---

The inside of Oak's laboratory was, in a word, welcoming. It was in stark contrast to the feeling he had first felt when confronted with the stainless steel, whirring machinery and the imposing mahogany desk covered with messy, strewn about papers.

Now, although the purpose of many of the machines still escaped him, the noises were recognizable. Over the many hours, he had spent within the confines of the laboratory the once daunting mass of machinery coupled with the mess of paper strewn about the tiled floor no longer put him off, but made him smile inwardly at the Professor's famed messiness.

Of course, the time he had spent inside the laboratory was nothing compared to the countless hours he had spent beneath the searing sun, working on the Professor's flora. And while the work had at one point been menial, it had grown on him over the years. There was something straightforward about the simple, menial work upkeeping the grounds required. He had spent many an afternoon beneath the setting sun's warm embrace, surrounded by the many pokemon which inhabited the flora.

"Well, I'll be…" Oak muttered staring intently at something in front of him, seeming not to have noticed the teen's entrance to the laboratory. The scene in front of him would have been an odd one if the teen had not been acclimated to the man's eccentricities long ago.

In the middle of the laboratory sat a cross-legged Professor Oak, seated on a cushion. Across from him was a towering, golden Alakazam which levitated ever so slightly off the ground, its legs also crossed.

Between the two was a checkerboard on which there were several pieces. One bore a striking resemblance to a bisharp, but the rest seemed nonsensical. Ash decided, whatever this oddity happened to be, it was most certainly something he did not want to discuss with the Professor.

Stepping slowly and carefully around the room towards the back of which the classroom was located, Ash cursed as he stepped on a piece of discarded, crumpled paper. Oak was brilliant, but no one had ever accused him of being neat.

He had been so close too, just on the other side of the doorway directly in front of him, where desks that were usually crammed with students were instead mostly empty, only the odd student jittery with excitement was present.

Gary must've really done a number on him if he was on time for once. Whatever anger had consumed him earlier was now absent, the Professor's presence draining any vitriol he had left for the man's grandson.

"Ah, Ash! Punctual for once, I appreciate you keeping an old man on his heels. Do you happen to play?" Oak spoke, gesturing to the strange board in front of him.

"No, I'm not sure I've ever seen that game, either."

"I'm not surprised, chess has long ago gone out of style. I, however, always thought it was, if not a direct mirror, at least a fair representation of pokemon battling."

Now that caught Ash's interest. A stupid board game was no longer stupid if it applied in some way to pokemon, "How so?"

"There are three phases to both chess and battling. The opening phase, where opponents prod weakness, take the measure of their opponent and set the tone for the battle. The middle phase, where the true, battle defining conflict happens. Then, provided each side is on equal ground, the end phase, where each move can either secure a victory or bring about defeat."

Oak frowned as one of the pieces across from him moved telepathically, "Not to mention chess almost exclusively relies on the necessity of positioning, timing, and precision. Three undervalued aspects of Pokemon battling. Regardless, I suppose I'm rambling. You likely have no interest in an old man's game. You must be anxious about today's sparring today, I'd wager."

Ash wasn't sure how timing or positioning could defeat one of Lance's Dragonite, but decided not to get into a debate about the logistics of Pokemon battling with the Professor. Such things rarely went well for the teen who hadn't been studying Pokemon for an entire lifetime.

"A bit, I suppose. More excited than anything else, though. I've been looking forward to this day since I've arrived here, to be honest."

"Well, I must be the bearer of bad news it seems, then." Oak sighed, standing up from the board which simply disappeared into thin air, "Take a walk with me will you?"

Spiky grey hair waved impetuously in the summer winds. Although, to call it grey would be a courtesy, in truth it was almost pearly white. Oak's hair had been that color as long as Ash could remember, and his face had always been lined with wrinkles, laugh lines, and crows' feet. Yet, he never got the sense the man was aging. To the contrary, the Professor seemed as spry, if not sprier than the very trainers he was responsible for.

"Professor? Was there something you needed?" Ash questioned, wondering why the Professor had led him out from the laboratory. Not that he was complaining, he'd take the soft summer breeze and the warm embrace of the sun over a stuffy classroom any day.

The Professor had never taken an interest in Ash, most of their interactions coming within the classroom, or out in the fields surrounding the laboratory. He was a good man, though, and had given Ash a way to earn his place in Pallet. It hadn't been easy. The Professor was not fibbing when he told Ash he expected his best.

Almost as soon as he had arrived in Pallet town, he had been put to work amongst the pastures, forests, and even ponds that were interspersed throughout the surrounding landscape. Oak's flora, as it was called by the locals.

It was beautiful, in the sense that it seemed almost untouched by man, despite being created and fostered by them. Wild, uncontrollable, and untamed; ponds, forests, and fields teemed with wild Pokemon, their number and environment carefully monitored. There were few Pokemon who would find this place uninhabitable. Yet, not even a mile away was a modestly sized town.

"Professor?" Ash questioned again. The man had been stonily silent, his gaze cast over the horizon.

"Yes, yes, my apologies. I seem to grow distracted more easily with each passing year. I was simply remarking on how of all my creations, this may be my finest." He gestured outwards in a sweeping motion, the white lab cloak hanging heavily off thin arms. "No matter, though, to the issue at hand. You will not be participating in the sparring today-"

"What!?" Ash exclaimed angrily, "I've been waiting for this day for years, it was supposed to be-"

"It was supposed to be when you defeated Gary, I know, I've seen the sparring schedule." Oak's voice was not outspoken or loud, but it cut through Ash's passionate protests with ease, "I am not ignorant of people like yourself and my grandson, Ash. People such as Gary or yourself have a hard time. You've got your talent, one might even call it a gift, and you've got what your talent costs."

Oak smiled forlornly, but his eyes sparkled with some type of mirth as if there was some unsaid joke, only known to him, "Hard to say what for you this cost will be. For some their cost is vanity, some it is laziness, others madness, others it is anger… There are countless ways for aptitude to do more harm than good. You must be careful not to let it get the better of you."

Ash let the words sit, when he had been pulled out of the classroom before the sparring, he had certainly not expected that. There was some deeper meaning to the Professor's words, but elucidation eluded him.

Oak smiled, a genuine one this time, and without hardly a sound, the same towering Alakazam which had been playing chess was floating, cross-legged next to the old man, "The reason I brought you out here, in truth, was because of something long overdue. You are being outfitted for contacts, glasses don't mesh well with a trainer's lifestyle."

Ash scowled, his anger over the day he had been looking forward to "But I don't even have glasses, my eyesight is fine... You just wanted to prevent me from battling Gary, didn't you?"

Oak nodded concedingly, "You were always an observant one, Ash. Avoiding that battle did play a role, yes, neither of you are ready for such an emotionally charged battle. It would do more harm than good. Regardless, you do need these contacts, and I've known for quite a long time, but I am a busy man. Conveniently, my schedule opened up today."

"What about the sparring? Who is going to oversee it?"

"Oh, you needn't worry. They're in good hands," Oak smiled, his eyes glancing towards a line of teens trailing behind a towering, shaven blonde haired man, "Lieutenant Surge will take good care of your friends."

The insulting barks that carried across the fields, all the way to where he and Oak stood almost caused his anger at the Professor for robbing him of the battle with Gary to abate. Almost.

---

At first, Ash thought the Professor's Alakazam had made a mistake. After teleporting he immediately noticed the wind slamming relentlessly against them, sending Oak's white lab coat trailing behind him like a cape.

They were near, but not close, to the edge of a cliff that towered over the ocean beneath. Harsh ocean swells slammed into the rocky shores below, foamy water sailing high into the air, before splashing with a resounding crash back into the frothing water. The sky was filled with swirling, dark grey clouds, carrying the promise of a downpour.

The salty, ocean air wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't warm like in Pallet. A shiver ran down Ash's spine, but he smiled. Elder Yarl would have been ashamed to see him so soft, this was nothing compared to the temperatures of Blackthorn.

"Come along, Ash, we should hurry, I don't fancy being soaked." Oak's voice cut through the wind without issue, "Not to mention, this particular eye doctor doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Ash followed behind the Professor, whose strides carried him up a steep hill which traveled alongside the cliffside. If it were any other grey-haired man, Ash would've been worried sick for him. But, it was Professor Oak, and the teen found himself struggling to keep up.

"What kind of eye doctor lives here?" Ash exclaimed, trying to make his voice carry over the wind.

"The kind who prefers their privacy." Oak called back, "It isn't far from Cerulean, but the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse."

Knock knock.

It had only taken a few minutes of scaling the hillside, and now he and the Professor were waiting outside a one-story brick building which had all kinds of satellites and other metal machinery protruding from the roof. It reminded him of Oak's laboratory in a way.

The door opened, seemingly of its own accord, for no person was greeting them on the other side. The interior of the house put any comparison to Oak's laboratory to the wayside.

The floor was carpeted and dark wood shelves ran almost across the entirety of the walls. These shelves were filled to the brim with books. A warm, welcome glow emanated from a large fireplace that cast light over a myriad of tidy folders, stacks of paper, and opened tomes that covered the several wooden tables spread throughout the room.

In the corner of the room there was a tube-shaped machine which was in a state of disrepair, and from there came a voice, "Oi! Give me just a minute, Samuel."

"Don't rush on our behalf, Bill."

Ash stared at the legs protruding from beneath the machine and felt a sense of unease. Come to think of it, almost nothing of this place seemed to point to the man being an eye doctor… or a doctor of any sort, really.

Something not quite right prickled on the edge of his mind, but he forced it down. The Professor had never given him a reason to mistrust him.

Time ticked by slowly, and Ash felt himself grow impatient. The soft crackle of the fire would have normally been relaxing, but the sounds of metal on metal emanating from the man tinkering with his machine was irksome, not to mention the man's penchant for dropping his tools.

Eventually, even Oak grew impatient, his foot tapping an aggravated pattern against the carpeted floor.

"Goodness, Samuel, you wouldn't mind giving me some peace and quiet? Vibrations do carry through the floor, you know." the disembodied voice from beneath the machine was exasperated.

Oak scoffed, almost fondly, "Was I mistaken, or did we have an appointment scheduled for today?"

Bill immediately wheeled out from beneath the machine, perking up. His eyes were bespectacled, large glasses which encompassed more face than they did not. Messy, unkempt hair sprouted at odd angles without rhyme or reason.

To be frank, he looked like he needed a shower.

"Well, you did say to take my time, Samuel." Bill peered through thick spectacles towards him, "You're Ashton, right?"

"Ash, actually."

"Right, right, well stop staring at me like that, Ash. I showered earlier today." Bill grinned at his gobsmacked expression, "And no, I am not a psychic. I've seen that expression more than enough times to know I look a right mess, though."

"Anyways, this is the kid who needed the contacts, right?" Bill spoke to Oak, who nodded, "Good, I just finished them up yesterday. They should perform in blocking out the.."

"The sun, yes. I appreciate you adding the features we discussed, Bill." Oak smoothly cut in, sending a significant glance towards the man.

Bill ran a flustered hand through his hair, his eyes blinking rapidly, "Oh, yes, well, here, I'll just go ahead and get them, then. Make sure they fit, and whatnot…"

Ash cast a suspicious glance between Bill and the Professor. Something was clearly afoot, but they were just contacts, right? What could be important about contacts?

"Well, here you are, try them on."

Bill handed over a dark, wooden case which was propped open. On the inside, there was a foam padding with two small indentations. The indentations held two, transparent curved pieces of a glassy material. Bill stared at Ash expectantly.

Ash glanced confusedly towards the Professor, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Oak sighed exasperatedly, "Bill has been a friend of mine for many years, but he can be forgetful at times. To put your contacts on, do as I…"

Oak demonstrated how to input the contacts into the eye, and Ash followed suit. Balancing the contact on his finger he forced his eyelids open, and slowly descended the glassy surface towards his eye. Just as they were about to come into contact with his eye, Ash noticed the glass wasn't transparent, but rather had small, silvery wires- almost invisible, running in a gridlike pattern throughout the material.

Odd, but he wasn't an eye doctor, what did he know?

After the contacts were in place, Ash blinked several times and looked towards Bill.

"Do they fit alright?" He questioned, but seemed indifferent as if already knew the answer.

Ash nodded, and Bill smiled, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Ashton. I'm afraid I must get back to work… Best of luck to you."

The teen blinked at the abrupt dismissal, what was wrong with this guy?

Oak sighed, again, "Bill loses interest in completed projects rather quickly, I'm afraid. It's nothing personal, Ash. Go ahead and wait for me outside, I'll be along in a moment."

Ash nodded, and with some reluctance, closed the door behind him.

Bill, at the sound of the door latching into place, looked up from a box of strangely shaped tools towards Oak, "I know you wouldn't have taken him in if you weren't sure of yourself, but be careful. The gift isn't a curiosity or something for the great Samuel Oak to solve, it is a very real thing…"

"I, of all people, know this exceedingly well, Bill." Oak's voice was hard.

Bill grimaced, smiling apologetically, "Indeed, I suppose you do."

"I'll be in touch on the other matter before long… Farewell."

Oak's departure was brusque. Clearly, Bill's warning had touched a nerve. Oak was rarely a prideful man, but with a topic this close to the man's heart, he really should have seen it coming. Of course, Bill rarely paid attention to anything more than his most recent fascination or project.

"Oh, Samuel, and here I had thought you left such dangers in the past," Bill muttered to himself, his gaze looking towards a neatly diagrammed sketch.

His eyes lit up, and any thoughts of Oak or Ash were relegated into the recesses of genius.

---

The beach at night held a different beauty all together than it did in the mornings or during the day. The sand was no longer warm, no longer enveloping his feet in a welcoming embrace. The salty sea breeze no longer beckoned the day ahead but rather promised the danger present within the night. The soft sea swells were no longer colored by the brilliant orange hue of the sun, but rather by the startlingly clear, star-filled sky above.

No longer did Wingull cry out in dismay or victory. It was quiet, aside from the crash of waves on the beach, the softly crackling fire in front of him, and the soft breathing from beside him. He truly wasn't sure which version of the beach he preferred more.

Probably whichever one had Leaf, he admitted to himself.

"Ash, you in there?" Leaf's voice was concerned.

Ash looked up bashfully.

Leaf sighed exasperatedly, "You were about to tell me where you were today... Gary was gloating. I didn't think he got to you that bad earlier to force you to miss the first sparring session… you've been looking forward to that since we've met."

"Oak brought me to get these," Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the wooden case, propping it open, "I don't understand though, my eyesight has always been fine… I think he may have just been trying to prevent me and Gary from battling."

"That's weird, Oak's never shown any interest in your two's feud before..." Leaf mused

"It was weird, the doctor he brought me to was positively barmy. Already had the contacts ready, no need for tests, fittings or anything."

Leaf wasn't concerned, a teasing smile on her lips, "Are you ready to admit I'm right about Oak becoming senile, now?"

Ash laughed, the events of the day fading to the wayside, "You know what? Maybe you're onto something, after all."

Leaf let out a deep yawn, her head drooping down to rest on his shoulder, "It's getting late, we should head back soon. We've got more sparring tomorrow… soon enough we'll have to face each other."

Ash grinned, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to take it easy on you Leafy. You must be getting old if you're calling it quits before me."

Leaf scowled, but it was masking a smile, "You wouldn't dare, Ash Ketchum. I will beat you at your best, I don't need any hand-holding."

Ash didn't respond, but his smile didn't dwindle. The night was better, he decided, as he looked down at Leaf, her head nuzzled into his shoulder, tanned skin shining bronze in the firelight. In almost slow motion her eyes drooped shut. The warmth of her body next to his was nice.

Gary would be sure to make fun of the two if he ever saw such a thing, but he was wrong about them. Ash wasn't sure how to describe it, but he and Leaf weren't a romantic thing… at least he didn't think so. He would know, right?

Regardless, the contact just felt normal, like it belonged.

It made him happy.

Time passed, how long, he couldn't be sure- it felt like moments, but it could have been hours. Ash felt his own eyes drooping, but then, just on the edge of his consciousness was a sound that wasn't right.

The water against the shores, the occasional rustling of wild pokemon was right, the wind was right, the soft crackle of a bonfire, Leaf's soft breathing against his neck, they were all right. The shuffling of something against sand, growing ever closer, was not.

Ash's eyes opened, and he stood, jolting Leaf awake.

"Ash… what's the-" she trailed off, looking up, following his gaze.

Gary was the opposite of Leaf, where her mere presence inspired calm, his invoked brainless anger. And that was on the best of days. Now, as Gary strolled across his place, interrupting his time with Leaf, Ash seethed.

"You're a hard man to find, Ashy- for a second it seemed as if the great Ash Ketchum was avoiding me, but I knew that wasn't the case, it couldn't be!" Gary's voice just oozed with a superior smirk, though it couldn't be made out in the dim light, "Thankfully, it seems I've finally managed to find you- not hiding, just on a beach almost a mile from Pallet… Oh, and don't worry about earlier I forgive you. I know Gramps took you off to someplace or another."

Ash prepared to snap back, but a soft hand against his shoulder stopped him.

"What are you doing here, Gary?" Leaf's voice was rendered gentle and soft with tiredness.

"Ashy boy's shadow speaking up for him again, how droll." Gary's voice dripped with disappointment, "I've managed to filch two pokemon, two nidoran to be exact, from Gramps' inventory back at the lab. We vowed all those years ago that we would decide things in battle, and here is our chance, Ashy-boy, right here, right now."

Ash stepped forward, Leaf's hand dropping from his shoulder. She knew what this battle meant to him, and even if she didn't agree with it, she knew more than enough to not impede.

She was a good friend, Ash noted absentmindedly.

Gary grinned, holding up two, pearly white and red pokeballs, "I knew there was a Wataru somewhere in there… Not that it'll particularly matter. Now, left or right?"

"Left."

Gary tossed the Pokeball in his left hand towards Ash, "Right down to business then, I like it. Greenie, you wouldn't mind refereeing this for us, would you?"

Leaf, ignoring the nickname for once, just looked towards Ash, conflicted. He nodded once, his face resolute in determination. She sighed resignedly, throwing a look towards Ash that promised a tirade later on.

The brunette walked forward, stopping midway between the two and well off to the side. If this was a serious battle there would be the need for barriers of some kind, but two Nidoran posed no serious risk.

"Numbskulls, send out your pokemon!" Leaf called out.

Neither of the boys reacted. Gary was the picture of calm, tossing his Pokeball up and down in slow languishing arcs, staring expectantly at Ash, whose gaze was locked on the red and white ball in his hand. His hopes of winning this battle, one he had been looking forward to for years, rested in this very Pokeball.

It felt like ages ago when he had sat on the verge of tears, a slobbering rattata, on the verge of evolution, approaching him, its eyes awash with bloodlust. He had faced severe mutilation, perhaps even death. Ash had vowed that if he had the chance, one day he would make the spoiled brat who had abandoned him there pay.

Inexplicably, the pokemon had evolved into a raticate, and he escaped unharmed.

And now, it was time to begin the process of making good on his word. Elder Yarl had always preached the importance of a Wataru's word- that it was a sacred binding. Over his years in Pallet, Ash had come to realize that such a thing was not true for the vast majority of people, but he was a Wataru, and so he would keep his word.

Why Professor Oak's grandson had singled him out still escaped the teen, but it no longer mattered. Tonight would be the first step towards leaving Gary Oak behind for good. The years of unprovoked insults towards himself, Leaf, and Ash's home, would not go unpunished.

Looking up towards Gary, whose foot was now tapping impatiently against the sand, he nodded, and almost as one, their arms came forward, "Go Nidoran!"

At Ash's feet materialized a small, knee high sized light blue Pokemon, with big, black eyes and floppy ears which were bigger than they had any right to be on such a small pokemon. Its light blue fur glowed strangely in the moonlight. The Nidoran line was rumored to have a special relationship with the moon, and there were even some documented instances of them evolving when exposed to rare moon rocks.

The small, four-legged pokemon looked around, doubtlessly confused at its new location when it had likely only ever known life as one of Oak's trainee pokemon on the ranch. Ash kneeled down next to it, his anger at Gary not clouding his mind to such an extent he forgot Oak's teachings.

"Hey, buddy, if it's alright with you, we're going to be battling that jerk over there." Ash nodded towards Gary, who stood in front of a purple-colored Nidoran, "If you do well for me, I'll be sure to get you some Pokepuffs, sound good?"

The small pokemon was entirely uninterested until Pokepuffs were mentioned. Normally pokemon were motivated by a bond between itself and the trainer or a desire to grow stronger. However, Oak had dozens upon dozens of pokemon intended for the use of young, inexperienced trainers. As such, these pokemon needed a different source of motivation, in the form of Pokepuffs a type of candy most pokemon were semi-addicted to.

Ash's Nidoran nodded, turning towards their opponent, a vicious gleam in its eye. The fact a mere treat could inspire such a desire in a pokemon was almost disturbing, but he didn't dwell on it for long.

Gary laughed, "A female Nidoran? Seems like you got the short end of the stick, Ashy-boy. Sure you want to do this?"

Ash scowled but had to admit that Gary wasn't wrong. Male Nidoran were objectively better for training. They possessed a longer spiked horn which synthesized poison, they were easier to train and handle, lacking the maternal instinct their counterparts did, which compelled female Nidoran to form and protect a horde, even at their earliest stage. Most serious trainers didn't entertain a female Nidoran for such reasons alone.

"I'll handle it just fine, Gary." Ash spat, "I won't need the advantage to beat a second rate trainer like you anyways."

"Whatever you say, bud." Gary smirked, "Care to do us the pleasure, Greenie?"

"Three, two, one, Begin!" She dropped her hand, and the battle began.

Ash's body thrummed wildly like it never had before. Apprehension, excitement, a feeling of truly living. He had spent almost the entirety of his time in Pallet looking forward to this moment with relish, and he didn't plan on losing.

"Well, I was going to give you the first move, ladies first and all that- but if you're just going to sit there and dawdle… Nidoran, horn attack!"

Ash ignored the insult for once, his eyes observing the charging Nidoran. The purple-skinned pokemon's horn dripped ever so slightly with poison. He grimaced internally, that was the largest disadvantage; male Nidoran synthesized poison during their first evolution, females did not.

Such a difference was drastic, poison would wreak havoc on the small, frail female nidoran in front of him, even if the attack was minor, exposure to the poison could prove ruinous.

"Nidoran, you need to avoid that… wait for my command, then use Sand Attack," Ash muttered quietly, ensuring his voice was not overheard.

Nidoran, however, didn't understand his command. Instead of waiting for Ash's signal, the nidoran struck quickly- furiously digging front paws into the ground, tearing up the loose sand of the beach, sending it into a cloud obscuring the vision of Gary's nidoran.

Ash grimaced. It had been a mistake to give a complicated command to one of Oak's training pokemon. They were not nearly as conditioned as starter pokemon. It had likely heard the attack and ignored everything else.

Gary's pokemon barrelled out of the thinning cloud of sand, furiously blinking but otherwise unbothered. Its horn was heading directly towards the chest of its counterpart. Ash tensed, they couldn't allow that attack to land. Even if it didn't end the battle, the poison certainly would, given enough time.

Ash felt desperation grow as the purple nidoran grew ever closer, his mind desperately scrambling for some solution. The sand beneath its feet caused the pokemon to approach slowly, careful to not stumble or trip.

Finally, a plan materialized, but there was only one way it would work, "Nidoran, I need you to listen to me this time. When I give the word, lower yourself to the ground, and horn attack above you."

Gary's nidoran had avoided the worst of the premature sand attack, but its eyes were still blinking rapidly. If Nidoran could just understand him, they could time the horn attack just right so the attacking pokemon wouldn't notice in time to adjust. It was a risk, giving a command that his pokemon could very well not understand, but to win despite the disadvantage he was facing, he needed to take a risk.

Time seemed to slow down, his heartbeats audible thumps. Then, just before the purple Nidoran made contact, and just as its eyes blinked closed, Ash shouted, "Now!"

For a moment it appeared as if Ash's nidoran didn't understand the command, as it just sat there as the attack inched ever closer. But, just as Gary's pokemon head lowered, preparing to thrust forward, the nidoran dropped to the ground, folding its legs up underneath itself. Its smaller horn glowed faintly in the night with energy, and with one thrust upwards, the horn impacted its counterpart's underbelly, sending it careening through the air, catapulting over its own body before making contact with the ground, sinking heavily into the sand.

Gary, for once, was silent- simply staring tight-lipped at his pokemon which was heaped in a deep indentation within the sand, looking around confusedly. Then, its eyes locked on the light blue Nidoran which had regained its feet, and Gary's nidoran's eyes glowed.

No- that wasn't right, its entire body began to shimmer and shift against itself in an almost grotesque manner. Then, the shimmering flared, forcing Ash to avert his gaze, his head spinning, and his vision blurred.

Those discomforts subsided in short order, and he turned back to the Nidora- Nidorino.

"You've got to be fucking kidding," Ash muttered, his stomach falling to the floor.

Gary's pokemon had somehow evolved.

His rival laughed, laughed some more, and continued laughing... He only stopped when he was forced to gulp in massive mouthfuls of breath, with his hands on his knees, "You actually had me worried there for a sec, Ashy-boy."

Ash's teeth audibly ground against each other, his jaw clenching. Gary had been spoiled with everything Ash hadn't, influence, connections, a family, his choice of a starter. Whereas Ash was unknown, had any semblance of a family snatched from in Blackthorn, and was relegated to receiving whatever starter Oak could procure.

But, the final straw, was that just as the boy was at the brink of defeat he was bailed out by an impossible, infinitesimal chance. Ash had never even considered it a viable possibility, a mid-battle evolution with a pokemon he had never interacted with before the battle.

Ash felt liquid congregate in his eyes, and he blinked furiously. He wouldn't let tears fall in front of Gary. Resignedly, his hand reached down to his pocket, it brushed against the contacts Oak had instructed him to wear at all times. Absentmindedly, Ash noted he had to get into the habit of doing so, he had forgotten to wear them.

Ash blinked furiously, feeling wetness congregating in his eyes. He wouldn't allow tears to fall in front of Gary. Resignedly, he reached down to his pocket, his hand brushing past the contacts Oak had instructed him to wear at all times. Absentmindedly, as his hand continued further, he noted he had to get into the habit of wearing them.

His hand grasped the Pokeball. He was going to concede. No matter how fiercely his body burned at the thought of surrendering to Gary of all people, he would not put the innocent Nidoran at risk in a helpless fight.

Nor did he wish to grant Gary the satisfaction of witnessing his defeat.

A bright, swelling light distracted Ash from his deprecating thoughts. Where his Nidoran had stood was now a much larger pokemon, still light blue, but now it glowed brilliantly in the night sky, reflecting the moon. A Nidorina. Poison ran in rivulets down the spines protruding from its back.

A feeling akin to being submerged underwater covered Ash, but he paid it no mind, his focus solely on defeating the Nidorino in front of hi- Nidorina.

Ash grinned, ignoring the feeling, his eyes locking with the gaze of the light blue pokemon in front of him. Now, they could win. He could keep his word. He would honor the memory of the Wataru, he would protect Leaf, and he would show Gary that there was more to pokemon than he understood.

Sounds brushed on the edge of Ash's consciousness. They seemed faintly familiar, itching at the edge of his mind, begging for attention, but these sensations were secondary. They sounded like words, he knew that much, but they were incomprehensible as if for just a moment the sounds lacked meaning.

Regardless, Ash paid them no mind. It felt natural, some things were meant to be understood, and others were not, such was existence.

The moon was suddenly a constant, comforting presence, seeming brighter and something within him pulsed happily at the rays from the moon, which showered across his back sending sparks of brilliance running up and down his body. It was almost euphoric.

Some part of the teen wished to understand these things, but what purpose was there in understanding? It was simply the things were, the moon was good; knowing why was of no consequence. His eyes seemed to multiply, multiple perspectives being viewed at the same time. Some from higher up, some much closer to the sandy beach. They all locked onto the Nidorino across from him, or was it them?

He felt his mouth open, but commands were unnecessary, he saw- no he felt the Nidorina respond to his commands. It almost felt as if he himself were moving.

Nidorina ran forward, its horn sparkling with brilliant energy and the Nidorino was motionless in front of their power. Ash felt the sand against four feet, he felt the energy congregate on his forehead and he felt the bulging, new muscles he was unaccustomed to, swell against his skin.

His mind spun, a splitting headache spiking painfully, but sensory overload quickly numbed everything.

Then, he felt a massive, jarring impact shatter through the numbness.

Then, nothing.

---

The sun was just beginning to rise, brilliant purple streaks stretching across the otherwise black sky. The Wingull were beginning to take to the air, Pidgey were singing their song, and before long Oak would be waking up, preparing to instruct a day of sparring.

If he hadn't been awoken hours earlier, that is.

Oak stood next to the dying embers of a bonfire, the salty breeze sending his white lab coat trailing behind him. He felt his hands run over the dozen pokeballs connected to his belt, which chafed uncomfortably against his waist. It had been far too long since he had adorned his old belt.

Next to Oak stood a towering, golden Alakazam, fine hairs visible in the rising sunlight, his gaze impassive.

Thankfully, it seemed that donning his training belt and rallying his old crew was wholly unnecessary. He had learned to never take risks when dealing with the gift, however. He had in the past, and it cost him dearly.

Across from him were three shapes, two breathed regularly, one's breath was ragged, wheezing, and short.

Oak's long strides carried him across the sand, and he knelt next to a Nidorino, small and clearly recently evolved. He had a good idea of what had occurred here, considering he had been given the story by a distraught teenager in the waning hours of the early morning.

The pokemon's breaths were uneven, and a massive, swelling bruise was located on its sternum. A Nidorina, especially a recently evolved one, shouldn't be capable of such a thing, Oak noted grimly. If it had been any stronger, such an attack could have been fatal.

A mere thought later, and the Nidorino disappeared with the small pop of displaced air, and Oak moved to the two other bodies. They were close together, the Nidorina curled up alongside a tanned teen, with wild, uncontrolled black hair.

The sight of the teen made Oak tense. Ash had always borne a striking resemblance to Red, one that seemed to grow with each passing day. The only true difference was their eyes. And now, with his eyes shut and breaths coming peacefully, Oak was truly perturbed. The resemblance was uncanny.

His appearance stoked an emotion Oak had kept under wraps for well over a decade, and he took a deep breath, before exhaling. He would not hold a father's sins against his child, but when their resemblance was so similar, it was hard not to see the face which still greeted Oak in his nightmares, instead of the teen who slumbered in front of him.

Oak knelt, his hand gingerly patting against the teen's pockets, withdrawing a Pokeball, and a small container. He popped the container open and sighed. Within were two contacts.

"Perhaps I should've been more heavy-handed with my instructions to wear them…" Oak spoke to himself.

He recalled the Nidorina and stowed the Pokeball in a lab coat.

With another thought, the teen's body disappeared, deposited in his bed at the orphanage.

"So, it begins," Oak said, glancing towards Alakazam, who's eyes glowed brilliantly in response.

Oak snorted, his eyes glowing, "You're getting too old for this? No, I'm getting too old for this. Your kind lives for centuries, you're a child in comparison to me."

Alakazam's eyes glowed once again in response, and Oak laughed, a smile gracing his face. With one last gaze over the area, making sure he had not missed anything, he and Alakazam disappeared with a pop.

---

"His eyes were unnatural. He's been my friend for years, but still it just… it made me scared- no, terrified. I called out to him, trying to get his attention, but he didn't answer. Then, the Nidoran evolved, I couldn't help myself, I just felt this uncontrollable urge to flee. I don't understand, he is my friend… or was."

Oak's sharp eyes glowed with restrained curiosity, "And did he respond to any external stimuli, such as you calling out to him?"

"No, that was the most disturbing part. It was like he couldn't understand me like he didn't recognize me…" her voice broke, before she tried to continue, "I don't, I don't understand what happened, Gary can't be right about him, can he?"

Oak's gaze softened, the need for information abating for the moment. Leaf was just a teenager, after all.

"Well, I've always believed honesty is the best approach, so I shan't mince words. Ash possesses the gift as I've long suspected."

Leaf's countenance broke, any strength she had seeping out. She slouched over in the chair across from Oak, her hands covering her eyes as she sobbed. Oak simply observed her in silent understanding. She had lost more to the gift than even he had, this news must have been devastating.

Eventually, she looked up, turning away from Professor Oak, and towards the whiteboard behind her. She took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair, trying to impose some semblance of neatness to it, before turning back towards him.

Despite her efforts, strands of stringy brown hair plastered onto her face with tears and snot. Droplets still charted their course down her cheeks, but her eyes were fierce despite their redness, and they drilled into Professor Oak with desperation.

"Why is he here to begin with?" she asked, accusatorily.

"Why is he in Pallet, and not buried in a ditch somewhere?" Oak rebuked, "As I said earlier, I'll no longer mince words with you Leaf, you're soon to be of age and a certified trainer. You are no stranger to the sentiment Kanto holds towards the gift. If he was found out… things would not end well for him, one way or another."

Oak's harsh tone softened, "Is that what you would prefer? No one would fault you after what the gift has put you through, least of all myself."

"No… no of course not!" Leaf exclaimed.

Oak spread his arms placatingly, "I thought not. What then would you have me do?"

Leaf opened her mouth several times, words forming then being disregarded, "There has to be a reason he's here, right? You wouldn't take someone with the gift in after what happened for no reason..."

"Indeed, you are correct. I've lost a great deal to this gift, nay this curse. There are few things I despise more. You know the feeling well, I'd imagine..." Oak trailed off, a faraway look on his face, before he cleared his throat, "I had hoped to avoid having this conversation with you and Gary, but I suppose it's time I come clean."

"I said earlier I suspected Ash possesses the gift, but that is not entirely true… I've known he has the gift. Ash is our key to understanding and ultimately curing the gift. He shows no signs of madness, but then again, those gifted rarely do at the beginning. He does, however, have an unusual sway over Pokemon, especially so if confronted with an emotionally charged situation, as you've no doubt seen."

Leaf's mouth opened, but Oak continued, "There was a time when I was of the mindset that the gift didn't truly make a person bad, but rather the judgment and misunderstanding they were subject to did. Then, when they realized they were gifted, and had special, unique abilities, that they struck out against those who had wronged them. I had thought that if someone was raised correctly, with an understanding of their powers, that they would be a force for good, rather than senseless evil."

He laughed, but it was harsh, unamused, "Needless to say, I was wrong. I raised and taught the man that took my son and his wife, that took your mother, and that took so many other innocents. I have their blood staining my hands. I will do whatever it takes to make my mistakes right, to prevent any others from losing loved ones to this madness again."

Oak's words were vulnerable and passionate, a rare occurrence for the even-tempered professor. He took a deep breath, exhaling, "If I wish to do so, I need data. I need to understand how the gift matures, what goes wrong, and what changes within a person. Thus, Ash."

Leaf's eyes opened in shock, "Ash is just a test subject?"

Oak's eyes flickered with something, "Of course not, the boy is not at fault, the gift is. Once we have produced the necessary data, every attempt will be made to cure the boy of his affliction."

"What if you fail and Ash isn't cured?"

'Then, I'll do what I should have done decades ago."

Leaf knew better to press further. His eyes were fierce and his fist was shaking. The ageless professor she joked about going senile suddenly seemed his age, filled with regret, self-loathing, and anger.

"This isn't fair, he was my friend… we were going to journey together."

Oak took a deep breath, his voice returning ever so slightly to normal, "Ash is still the boy you know, he is still your friend. I cannot promise he always will be, the gift does seemingly inexplicable things to a person. Any choice you make is your own."

Leaf simply gazed in the general direction of Oak, her gaze vacant.

The Professor frowned, he truly had bungled this, his intent was never to have children holding secrets for him.

"I think it's time for you to go, Leaf, you have a long day tomorrow and it's growing late." As she stood, Oak spoke again, "I presume it goes without saying the importance of what we discussed here not being mentioned elsewhere?"

Leaf nodded, and Oak smiled softly at her.

The sound of the door shutting, and Oak's fist slamming into his wooden desk were almost simultaneous.

---

Ash no longer preferred the beach at night or the day for that matter.

Ever since that night he had defeated Gary, after which he had woken up in his bed without a memory of getting there, Leaf had disappeared. Any glimpses of her were alongside Gary, and that only served to make his blood burn. He had tried to go to her house, but she never was home, or at least not answering.

He didn't understand what he had done to make her flee from him in such a way, and it was eating him alive. That night had been a weird, confusing blur.

The sight of her talking to Gary, a smile on her face, was too much to bear. He had taken to skipping Oak's instructional meetings, instead just sitting on the beach in the faint hope that it would clear his mind as the scenery had before. Yet, no matter how long he sat beneath the sun or the stars, it never did.

He noted absently that the sunset above was beautiful, sending streaks of orange intermixed with purple across the cloud-filled horizon. Pidgey sang their song, and Wingull cawed as they always did, nothing about the beach had changed. Inexplicably, however, it felt empty now. Not just empty, he thought, devoid of everything that had made it special in the first place.

A sound, one that didn't quite fit amongst the ambiance he knew so well, a shuffling of feet against the sand caused Ash to twist around so quickly his neck twinged painfully.

But, it wasn't what, or rather who he was looking for.

Instead of long, brunette hair, it was short, spiky, and white. Brilliant green eyes didn't look towards him, but intelligent blue ones did.

"I knew you'd be here."

Ash snorted, "You had Alakazam find me, didn't you?"

Oak smiled, "Tricks of the trade, I'm afraid. You're witty- you remind me of someone I once held rather dear."

"What happened to them?" Ash questioned dourly.

"Friends, Ash, are fickle. It is a lesson I've drilled into me many times, hardheaded as I am. These, however, are not." He withdrew a Pokeball from his lab coat and held it up in the withdrawing sunlight.

"Take it," Oak tossed the Pokeball to Ash, who stared at it dumbly, "I had thought someone with your test scores would be able to piece this together, Ash- it's your starter, your companion as I believe you referred to it when we first met."

Ash's eyes flickered impossibly fast between Oak and the Pokeball, his spirit raising for the first time in a week, "Why? I haven't even passed the exam for my trainer's license."

"And here I thought you'd be appreciative." Oak quipped, "The trainer exam will be nothing more than a formality for you, Ash. Besides, this beauty just arrived today, and I was rather excited to see what you thought of it."

Ash stared down at the Pokeball, apprehensive. He wasn't prepared for this, he hadn't expected to be receiving his starter for another two weeks… This was quite possibly the most important day of his training journey, forming a bond with your starter.

"What pokemon is it?" Ash questioned, his head still spinning.

"It's a Swablu. I doubt you've ever heard of such a pokemon in Kanto, though."

"What type?" Ash questioned, trying to buy time to process such a huge, abrupt event.

"Find out for yourself, I'm interested to hear your thoughts. And stop stalling, you, alongside my grandson are two of the most talented students who have graced Pallet in well over a decade. There is nothing to be nervous about."

Ash nodded somewhat hesitantly.

Oak smiled reassuringly, "I know this is somewhat of a personal process, I'll give you some space."

Ash took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. Everything he had seen on television and even training manuals suggested most bonds between starter and trainer were formed nearly instantaneously, the starter types being either weak or bred specifically for the purpose.

There was nothing to be worried about.

He was a Wataru, enough of the apprehension.

Neither reckless, nor timid.

The adage echoed in his head, and then click.

The Pokeball sprung open, a red light flashing for the quickest of moments, before materializing into a shape in front of him.

Two blue talons dug into the sand beneath. Above was a round, deep blue body that seemed to almost directly mirror the color of the sky above. On either side of the body were wings. The wings were fluffy, white, and bore such a striking resemblance to the clouds in the sky, Ash felt a keen desire to reach out and touch them, but something told him that would be a bad idea.

His gaze continued upwards, past a sharp beak, and directly into the glare of two, fiercely intelligent eyes. Ash knelt, careful not to break eye contact with the pokemon. He reached a slow, careful hand out, Oak's careful teaching for the past years taking over- Ouch!

He withdrew his hand quickly, wrapping it in his other. The pokemon had nipped him! Not harshly, granted, but still!

Ash felt his face grow red, this wasn't how it was supposed to go.

"Hey!" Ash called out to Swablu, who's eyes no longer were locked with his own, but rather scanning the sky full of wingull above. His starter's gaze was familiar, strangely. It resembled the way Gary looked towards him when they were in an argument.

Condescending and seeking to prove it was better. Now, Ash knew how to approach his starter.

"You know, you shouldn't care about those Wingull. We have our goal set much higher than them."

"You know those Wingulls won't be anything compared to us. We have our goal set much higher than them." Swablu, about to take off, cocked its head towards Ash, "My family, my flock was attacked when I was a child. I am going to grow stronger, no matter what it takes, and I'll make whoever killed them pay. I'd like you to help me. I can't promise you it will be easy, but I swear to you that wingull will be nothing compared to you."

The Swablu chirped once, a deeper sound than Ash would have expected, and its strange, cloudy wings started beating against the wind, lifting into the air.

Ash's spirits lowered much further than they had been before. First, Leaf had chosen Gary over him for no discernible reason, and now Swablu, a starter Oak had seemingly put extra effort into obtaining, was leaving him high and dry.

How he was going to explain this to Oak, he had no idea.

His head dropped, but then he felt the weight of something on his shoulder. He looked next to him and was face to face with the fierce gaze of Swablu.

Ash grinned.

"Congratulations, Ash- you just tamed a dragon," Oak spoke.

"No way! Swablu is a bird," his eyes were drawn to its wings, "or something, but it's not a dragon."

"Most of my colleagues would agree with you. Spare me a moment of arrogance, but I am rarely incorrect- they are wrong, Swablu and its evolution Altaria are dragons." Oak laughed at the teen's reaction, "Bestowing dragons as starter pokemon, as I'm sure you know, is explicitly forbidden due to their ferocity. Flying types? Perfectly legal."

"There's no way I can afford this, sir." Ash spoke, "I promise I'll repay your generosity."

"No need for all that, Ash. I consider it an investment. Besides, it wouldn't feel right giving a Wataru anything less."

"I don't even know if I deserve it, Professor." Ash spoke, words coming out unbidden, "Sure, I was raised amongst the Wataru, but I never fit in there entirely. Now, here, in Pallet, I don't fit in either, I wasn't raised here, I don't understand things everyone else does. It's like I'm in the middles… close to both sides, but not truly aligned with either."

Oak's wrinkled hand, gripped Ash's shoulder, "Sticking out isn't a bad thing, Ash. It's one of the better things you can accomplish. If you don't feel like a Wataru then become worthy of the name, prove to yourself above all else that you are a Wataru. Or, don't, the choice is entirely up to you."

Ash nodded, "Do you know how they died?"

"The Wataru? Yes." Oak nodded tersely.

"I saw them, their bodies, I mean. It was foolish, but I was filled with anger. I ran through the burning town searching for the man who had defeated Wataru. I still am filled with anger."

"Anger is a tool, Ash, nothing more. Use it as motivation, to pull yourself forwards, but do not let it control you." He intoned gravely.

Ash nodded, his gaze far away, "I will find whoever slaughtered my kin, whether I was truly a Wataru or not."

Oak's mouth thinned, "To be driven by vengeance at such a young age… If that is what you desire, I cannot stop you. But, I implore you to find meaning in something else. There is much beauty in this world, Ash, and vengeance blinds you to almost all of it."

"Now, I think it's time this discussion came to a close." Oak's voice was hard, "There is one more thing; I've noticed you skipping the scheduled sessions at the laboratory. I've allowed it thus far, and I won't force you to attend, but from now on I expect you to devote that time to working on the flora."

"I will, sir."

"Good, now I'll be heading off." Oak's dismissal was abrupt, something had clearly rubbed the man the wrong way during the conversation.

Ash shook his head, unsure of why he said those things to the Professor, but doing so had felt right. Nonetheless, he didn't have long to dwell on what had upset Oak. The conversation had awoken a tangent of memories which assailed his mind, images, sounds, and above all the smell of the day in Blackthorn years ago.

Then, there was a squawk from his shoulder, and Ash looked into the sharp eyes of his starter.

He grinned freely, and the visions retreated.

---

Swablu crooned softly, but persistently from a perch on the wall. The sound was rather nice, Ash decided, as it slowly summoned him into the land of the waking. Much better than the abrasive, screeching yells he had awoken to for the past couple of years, at any rate.

The reminder of Leaf led his gaze beneath the perch, to the table below. Swablu's perch had taken the place of a framed photograph. It captured Ash and Leaf standing side by side and had for the past few years been the only decoration in his sparse room.

Ignoring the pang in his chest at the reminder of Leaf, a whirlwind of confusing and contradicting emotions, Ash instead took a deep breath, staring fondly at his starter. Without Swablu, the past few days could have been much darker.

They hadn't battled yet, instead just spending time exploring the wilderness around Pallet, careful not to stray too far away from the traveled paths, but never close enough risking being seen by venturing too close to the town. Receiving a starter before one's certification was likely violating several rules.

Not for a lack of trying, however. Swablu, cute appearance aside, was constantly urging Ash with squawks, chirps, and everything in between to challenge the offending pidgey and the rare sparrow to a battle. Of course, Ash had rebuked these requests, there would be more than enough time for such things after the trainer certification exam….

Wait!

"The exam, shit!" Ash scrambled out from his bed, collapsing into a misshapen ball of blanket and teenager, "I've got to go Swablu, I told you about this yesterday. I can't take you to the exam, I'm not even supposed to have you yet!"

Swablu chirped, oddly expressive for a simple sound. Confused, or exasperated, Ash couldn't tell, but most of his focus was on pulling his pants up without slipping on the tangled blankets beneath his feet.

He raced down the stairs, somehow evading the ire of the matron, Lucretia, out the front door and onto the dirt paths of Pallet beyond.

Ash strode into the classroom, his heart racing- and not only because of the near sprint, he had been forced to maintain throughout the streets of Pallet to reach the Laboratory on time, but rather the fact that the only empty desk in the classroom, filled to the brim, was next to her.

Absently, Ash noticed a stern-looking man, a meticulously maintained mustache, and severe, rectangular glasses peering disapprovingly towards him, "Punctuality is a most important aspect of a trainer, Sir..?"

Just his luck, he thought, "Ash Wataru, sir."

The man blinked slightly at the name, rubbing a hand across his mustache, "Yes, well, ensure it does not happen again. Now, I'm your proctor for today, my name is…."

Ash tuned out the remaining conversation, sliding into the last open seat. He was innately aware of every detail of Leaf beside him, but stilled himself from looking over, no matter how badly the impulse urged. It may have been childish, but he had come to terms with how things were.

Oak hadn't been lying when he had told Ash the exam would be a formality. Compared to the last few years of the Professor's training program, this stuff was child's play. No wonder the Professor's program was one of the most prestigious, drawing children from across the region to the small frontier town.

Ash was the second to finish, just seconds after Gary. But, instead of turning it and heading out behind Gary, he paused, waiting for the teen to exit the Laboratory, before standing and heading up towards the proctor, turning in his exam.

He had no wish to have another confrontation with the boy or anyone else for that matter. He had Swablu, and the journey he had been looking forward to since he was a child ahead of him, nothing in Pallet held importance any longer.

"Wait, Ash!" a soft hand grabbed his wrist from behind, he knew immediately who it was. So distracted with his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed her approaching him. She must have been waiting to turn in her exam until he had finished. Damn her.

"What is it, Leaf?" Ash almost flinched at the anger present within his voice. He had tried to keep his voice stoic, but it was an impossible task.

"I just thought…" Leaf was taken aback, "I thought you'd want to talk after everything."

"After what exactly?" Ash asked rhetorically, "Me beating Gary? You disappearing? Your decision to abandon me for that prick?"

"I should've just left it alone... " Leaf took a deep breath, "You don't understand everything, Ash- maybe if you did, you'd see where I'm coming from, why my actions are what they are."

"Then explain it to me."

Leaf clenched her fists, "I want to, Ash, more than anything, but I can't."

He scoffed, "And why can't you? Is it that hard to admit you prefer Gary to me?"

"This was a mistake. I'm sorry, Ash." Leaf's eyes teared up, "Thank you for the past few years, Ash. I wouldn't replace them for the world."

"What are you talking about? You don't need to replace them. I'm still here!" Ash was almost hysterical, for all his tough words he had been hoping she would change her mind.

Leaf ignored the outburst, "The last thing is our plan to travel together...I know we planned this for years. I'm sorry, but I just can't anymore, Ash. One day maybe you'll understand."

"Why the fuck would you talk to me, just to tell me I don't understand anything, and then refuse to explain it?" Ash snapped, "Is this just a poor excuse or something, is this a joke?"

"As I said, it was a mistake." Leaf's brilliant green eyes were watery, gazing into Ash's viridescent eyes, the very connection that had inspired their friendship in the first place.

With a jerky, abrupt nod, a tear-streaked down her face, and Leaf turned away in a hurry, brown hair trailing behind her as she strode swiftly away down the path. Ash clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. He just didn't understand what the purpose of her pulling him aside was. It didn't make sense.

Taking a deep breath, his gaze traveled across the horizon. From atop the hill, Ash could see everything, the surrounding grassy fields, forests, all illuminated by the warm, orange-hued gaze seemingly inherent within Pallet. Ash usually managed to find some semblance of peace or belonging in the view.

He had spent many hours toiling under the very same sun, amongst the very same fields and forests. But now, they seemed empty.

His decision was made.

"We leave tonight."

---

"You know packing was this difficult?" Ash questioned.

Swablu chirped back excitedly, likely not understanding his question, but he appreciated the pokemon making an effort.

As a boy who had never owned anything other than a few sets of hand-me-down clothes, the collection of things in front of him were astounding. When Ash had approached Oak about leaving earlier than the other trainers, Oak had arranged his starting supplies to be delivered to the orphanage.

Of course, Ash hadn't told him that he meant to leave tonight.

The professor hadn't skimped on his supplies. All trainers were required to be given certain supplies from a league stipend, but Oak had clearly gone far and beyond such a baseline.

There was a set of leather battling gear that offered more protection from wild pokemon- something Ash likely wouldn't need anytime soon, but perhaps once he began to face more worrisome pokemon. Training and battling accidents were exceedingly common, after all.

A fully stocked med-kit was filled with basic potions, but even a couple of rare full restores were present. A full tent set up, complete with bug-repelling patterns, or whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, and the 'deluxe' version of prepared trainer meals were abundant, much to Ash's dismay.

Those meals would be the death of him, Ash grimaced. He really needed to learn how to cook.

Not to mention, the glossy red device which was currently in his pocket. A Pokedex. Not a very recent model, but still, much more than what he had expected from the Professor. He hadn't had the opportunity to fully explore its features, but it had to wait.

More important matters were afoot.

After finally managing to stuff everything within the pack, Ash walked down the steps which led to the foyer of the orphanage. It would be dishonest to say the orphanage or Pallet had ever felt like a true home to him, but Lucretia had always treated him well.

Indeed, it was almost enough to make Ash feel guilty for sneaking off during one of the few holidays celebrated en masse within Pallet Town. Lucretia, however, would never agree to such a thing- and he didn't fancy her certain wrath at the mere idea.

There was no reason to stay within Pallett for any longer, he had no family to spend his last moments with before departing for the horizon- besides Ash would take any advantage he could get when it came to staying a step ahead of Gary.

Leaving early was the obvious choice for the trainer.

The sound of a creaking floorboard behind him caused Ash's heart to stop, his head involuntarily swirled around making eye contact with the one person he didn't wish to meet.

Lucretia, in all her glory, stout, short, harshly tanned skin which stretched like leather, bearing a permanently stern, severe expression on her face. She had always been kind to those who obeyed the rules and didn't make trouble.

But, Ash was making trouble.

He gulped, trying futilely to hide his backpack behind him.

"What's the meaning of this, Ashton?" Lucretia innocently questioned, so much so Ash knew immediately it was a trap. She had always called him Ashton, despite his repeated insistence that his name was in fact, Ash- much to the trainer's chagrin.

"Uh…" Ash stumbled, his mind scrambling for an excuse, "You know I'm always one to get things out of the way early. I was just packing up for the ceremony next week, wanted to make sure I had everything in order."

The trainer grimaced as Lucretia stared him down, that lie sounded horrible even to himself, but to his shock the woman instead allowed a small grin to stretch across her worn face, "You are the worst liar I've ever met, Ashton, always have been."

"My name is Ash, not Ashton," Ash grumbled, knowing he had been caught.

"I don't want to hear it, boy. Now, shut up and give ole' Lucretia a hug, Ashton." The matron admonished, and Ash complied. His body was crushed by the same inhuman strength all women seemed to possess when hugging. Of course, his sample size was two, one of which was currently crushing him in her arms.

As the door shut behind him, his body still aching, Ash revised his opinion, perhaps there was something of home in Pallet, after all.

The sky was in the in-between state, dark on one horizon, yet brilliantly colored on the other. Families walked around the town, and for once there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and community in the air.

It almost reminded him of the single-mindedness of the Wataru that had seemingly infused the very being of Blackthorn. The usually quiet hamlet of Pallet transformed the night of trainer exams. Celebrations rang out, families heaping praise, teasing, and interacting with the newly crowned trainers.

There was no formal name for the celebrations, but each year, without fail, they happened and consumed Pallet. Even though only ten or so trainers native to Pallet passed the exam each year, almost all of whom were a part of Oak's program, the week meant something much more to the town.

To Ash, he had spent the last several years of life longing for this moment. To be accepted, and welcomed amongst a community alongside Leaf. To feel like he belonged.

Unfortunately, that was not to be.

As he became accustomed to the monotonous strain of his backpack bouncing up and down on his shoulders with each step, the sounds of celebration fading into the background, Ash took one last glance behind him.

The blue eyes of Gary Oak met his own with a single-minded intensity. He stood motionlessly at the entrance to Pallet, a long ways behind Ash. He felt goosebumps crawl across his neck. Eventually, Gary bowed mockingly, breaking eye contact, and strode back into the depths of the town.

His victory days earlier over Gary, while satisfying, had been merely a beginning. No one aside from Leaf had seen Gary losing to an orphan from Pallet Town, he didn't feel the humiliation he deserved. Besides, that wasn't truly a battle- a true battle would be in front of thousands, fought with the best of the best.

The Indigo Tournament. However long it took, Ash would face Gary and triumph over him. Or, at the very least outlast him in the tournament.

Ash reached to his belt, his hand wrapping around the warm Pokeball of his starter. Such thoughts were far away, but he, no- they would make it there. Their journey began today. He released Swablu, who chirped, flying in circles around Ash before landing on his shoulder.

Ash smiled, yet the goosebumps did not go away.

---

Ash sat atop a log, in front of a smoking campfire, a metal rack with a foil bag atop above the fire. His gaze was focused intently on the Pokedex in front of him. In a low hanging branch above him rested Swablu.

"You know the Professor says you're a dragon, right?" Ash spoke, his gaze looking up from the Pokedex. Seeing Swablu's confusion, he held up the Pokedex, swiping through several entries, "I can't show you your final evolution, this is just a regional Pokedex. But, these are dragons, Charizard, Dragonite…"

Swablu chirped amusedly in response, and Ash grinned, "Yeah, maybe Oak was playing a joke on me or something, I don't see it either."

Eventually, the teen's nose wrinkled and he looked up from the Pokedex again towards the foil bag over the fire, as if contemplating death.

Prepackaged trainer meals. His favorite.

"You're lucky you don't have a sense of smell, Swablu."

During Oak's program, it was a requirement that each trainer survives a simulated traveling experience for a week. It would have been unremarkable if not for the prepackaged meals, and their aftermath. Ash grinned at the memory of Gary emptying his stomach, much to the boy's embarrassment.

Of course, the memory would have been much more amusing if Ash hadn't also been keeled over, expelling the contents of his own stomach at the same time.

Ash suddenly jerked back, as Swablu had swooped down and clutched the foil bag in between his talons, swooping over Ash and dropping it in his lap, the smell growing tenfold in strength at the close proximity.

His starter chirped in amusement.

"Thank you, Swablu, very helpful," Ash said sarcastically.

He hesitantly picked up his spoon and scooped a small amount of the substance. It was supposed to be some mixture of Tauros meat and potatoes, but instead, it just appeared as a glob. As soon as it made contact with his mouth the substance seemed to melt, gaining the consistency of melted rubber.

"So much for the glorious life of a trainer, huh?" Ash questioned, grinning at Swablu's chirp.

The next bite of his meal quickly wiped the grin away.

---

"Remember," Ash murmured, his voice almost inaudible, "We're aiming to disable here, don't want to risk injuring the first Pokemon we see."

Swablu, atop his shoulder, chirped its agreement quietly, understanding the seriousness of the situation. He was creeping slowly throughout the overgrown bramble, grass, weeds, and sparse trees that grew alongside portions of the route towards Viridian City.

The days on the path had allowed Ash to divine meaning from the many, many different chirps, tweets, and shrieks of his starter, "There shouldn't be any extremely dangerous Pokemon around these parts, but keep your eyes out."

Pokemon were not inherently cruel creatures, Ash liked to think. But, for some, there were no better explanations. Fearow, Beedrill, and even Spearow- all of which were common in the southern reaches of Kanto were responsible for dozens of trainer deaths a year. The memory of the monstrous, aggressive fearow Oak's Arcanine had to forcibly remove from the flora spoke for itself.

For the next couple of hours, Ash and Swablu, sometimes seated on his shoulder other times flying a short distance above, scouring the treeline with its sharp eyes, crept North through the thicket, exercising caution to avoid any unwanted wild Pokemon. It was odd, though, Ash thought, to not find anything. Not a Spearow, Pidgey, or even a Rattata.

While the forest, which had been systematically removed by the Professor years earlier, clearing a much safer pathway North to Viridian, Pokemon life was still rather abundant. Perhaps catching his second Pokemon, which he needed to have any hope at defeating the rock gym leader, was not meant to be.

As the strong, persistent wind that had been blowing northward for the last few hours reversed course, blowing refreshingly into Ash's face, he sat, his back coming to rest against a solid tree, relishing the cooling breeze.

"This is just weird, Swablu." Ash commented as he opened a protein bar, breaking off a small piece and offering it to his starter who turned its head away at the offering, "Your loss, buddy. But, as I was saying, we must be over halfway to Viridian now and we haven't spotted so much as one pokemon."

Ash opened his mouth, moving the disregarded piece of granola towards his mouth, before pausing. There was a smell carrying alongside the wind. A faint smell, but it almost seemed familiar.

No matter how faint the smell was, however, it did nothing to mask its horribleness. The trainer gagged as the smell strengthened, recognizing it. Mortal conflict in Oak's flora was rare, but for some territorial pokemon, such as Tauros, it was just their way of life. Deaths were certainly not unheard of, and Ash had stumbled across decaying pokemon on a few occasions.

The smell was similar to what he had experienced prior but amplified. The smell seeped into the trainer's very thoughts, consuming any semblance of thought. Ash lifted up his shirt, covering the bottom portion of his face, removing some severity of the smell.

Swablu, lacking the sense of smell Ash did, merely seemed confused by his trainer's reaction, but was clearly on edge, his wings flickering with an urge to take to the sky. The trainer, some of his previous caution disregarded, moved quickly through the brambles, heading closer to where the smell originated from.

As he headed further north, the smell continued to grow worse, until he was positive he was on the brink of discovering the source of the smell. Whatever, the source of the smell, it had been decomposing for several days. The smell of death was incredibly fetid.

As such, he thought, whatever had caused the death would be long gone.

Hopefully.

Ash shook off his misgivings, taking shelter behind a rather stout tree, peering carefully through the thick bramble. The crackling of a leaf and a shriek from Swablu was the only warning he got, as he dived forward, a flash of golden red in the corner of his eye.

He collapsed through the bramble, thorns pricking his skin and digging through his shirt. His heart was pumping, and his head swiveled around desperately searching for whatever had attacked him. That golden red color… it seemed so similar to the pelt of a Vulpix, but that was impossible.

Vulpix packs roamed much further North.

Swablu had taken to the air, swirling around protectively just a short ways above Ash's head, the canopy making it difficult for the flying type to ascend any further. He grimaced, heading this deep into the foliage, armed only with a flying type- even if Oak had said it was a dragon, was foolish.

Swablu shrieked again, swooping down in a dive, and Ash swiveled around just in time to see the Vulpix charging him once again.

"Swablu, quick attack!" Ash called out.

The Vulpix continued to charge the trainer. Absently he noticed that Vulpix were much bigger than he had thought, coming up to slightly above his knee, height-wise. Just as the fire type was about to pounce towards Ash, he leaped to the side, his forearm coming up to shield his fall.

And, from behind Ash's leaping body emerged the sparkling form of a flying Swablu.

The Vulpix tried to reverse course, but its paws just slid futilely in the mud beneath. Swablu, his white, cloudy wings held close to its body slammed into the side of the charging Vulpix, sending the fire type slamming into the soft ground, rolling to a stop a few feet away.

The fact that the Vulpix was attacking a human was confusing, usually only extremely desperate or rabid pokemon of its size would ever consider attacking a much bigger threat. Ash wasn't complaining, however, doing so gave Swablu a perfect opportunity.

Ash reached into his backpack, desperately scrambling for a Pokeball.

"That packed a punch, buddy. I guess it wasn't expecting an attack, focused as it was on me." Ash muttered softly to Swablu.

Quick attack was a relatively weak move but combined with the velocity Swablu had, and the fact it had been concealed, it must have been enough to knock out the Vulpix. Ash, his hand around one of the three empty pokeballs Oak had given him, approached the Vulpix cautiously. But, even as he neared the pokemon, and Swablu swooped down, landing on his shoulder, it didn't move.

Relaxing ever so slightly, Ash stooped down next to the Vulpix, examining it for the first time. It clearly wasn't in good shape. A myriad of wounds, recently given, ran across its body. It was also much skinnier than it should have been, bones visible through its fur.

Separated from its pack then, it seemed. That could explain why it was this far South… but something didn't sit right with Ash.

Regardless, Ash ran a hand across the Vulpix's fur, "You got the jump on me, huh?"

A growl, a hint of pride present, emanated from the fire type, its eyes flickering open lazily.

Ash chuckled, "Don't get too confident there, look where you are now."

The Vulpix growled, muscles tensing as if preparing to move. Ash withdrew his hand quickly, not wanting to be bitten, but the pokemon relaxed just as quickly, whimpering slightly. He frowned, it must have been hurt before their fight with it, which would help explain why only a quick attack had been needed.

But from what?

Ash's temporary distraction was all the Vulpix needed. It stood up in a flash, sending Ash sprawling backward away from the fire type. It scrambled into the underbrush surrounding the pair.

The sounds of underbrush being trampled on, always at the very edge of Ash's hearing was driving him mad. Clearly, the Vulpix had not been knocked out, but just needed a moment to catch its breath. It was in bad shape, though.

Swablu was back into the air, circling, its eyes scanning throughout the dark, shadow covered brambles surrounding the small clearing they were in. Suddenly, a light flared from his peripheral, and a fireball soared through the air towards his starter, scoring a glancing blow across the bottom of Swablu's blue body.

Ash's starter faltered for a moment but quickly steadied.

"Swablu, double team," Ash spoke, his brow furrowed. For a wild Vulpix, that ember had been startingly well aimed.

Swablu's double team hadn't been practiced and was likely far from perfect. Nonetheless, the two forms should be nearly indistinguishable from each other in the setting sunlight, or so Ash hoped.

So much for making it to Viridian today,

Another ember emanated from the shadows, briefly illuminating the surrounding area, but this one impacted Swablu's clone. Another light began to grow from the same spot, targeting the real form of his starter, this time. Ash grimaced, he hadn't expected they would be fighting a pokemon with ranged attacks such as Vulpix had this far south, and hadn't covered such a strategy with Swablu.

Another ember emanated from the shadows, briefly illuminating the surrounding area, but it impacted Swablu's clone. Yet again, a flame steadily grew in the shadows.

Ash grimaced, he hadn't expected to find a wild pokemon with such powerful ranged attacks this far south and hadn't covered any semblance of a strategy with Swablu on how to deal with them.

"Swablu, agility, avoid those fireballs, and then swoop in for an attack!" Ash called out, hoping his starter could understand the gist of the command.

Several fireballs emanated from the forest, but Swablu was much quicker than before, and deftly avoided each. It appeared as if the wild Vulpix wasn't one for defending, instead of halting its attack, the fire type rushed towards the middle of the clearing.

The wild pokemon leaped, seeming to defy gravity as it sailed through the air who was much lower in the air because of the low-hanging treetops. There was simply not enough time to react, and Ash was at a loss of what to do. This wild pokemon fought with a ferocity and desperation he was not expecting.

The attack slammed into Swablu's side, sending his starter careening through the air. Ash raced across the clearing, diving to his knees, sliding through the mud catching his starter before he made contact with the ground.

They had to run.

Swablu, however, had different ideas.

His starter stirred in his arms, his eyes burning with determination, and his wings fluttered unsteadily, but powerfully, sending him into the air again.

The Vulpix, no longer hiding, stood in the middle of the clearing, its mouth coalescing a much larger flame than previous attacks. For a moment, Ash thought it was a flame burst or even a flamethrower, but that wasn't possible. It had to be close to maturing a more advanced fire attack, though.

Ash grimaced, looking towards his starter whose wing beats kept him adrift in the air, but he was in no shape to be battling. Swablu's path through the air was zig-zagging, changing elevation, and unsteady.

"We need to attack before he unleashes that flame, Swablu!" Ash called out, desperate- but his starter didn't react.

The Vulpix ran forward, jumping into the air, unleashing dozens of individual fireballs. Ash was gobsmacked, it was as if the Vulpix had combined several embers into a single attack. For a wild pokemon to develop such an attack was a rarity.

Ash reached to his belt, intending to recall his starter, but then he felt the wind.

Swablu's wings glowed faintly in the night, twinging back and forth quickly, generating visible wind, which pushed Ash ever so slightly back. The flames continued their path towards the flying type, but moments before impacting, Swablu's wings grew a bright silver, and a gale of wind sent the flames sailing into, and through, the canopy above.

A sound, the likes of which Ash had never heard, filled the air. A fierce keening imbued with anger, causing him to stand, rooted to the ground. Then, there was a massive gust of wind- no, those were wings.

He knew that sound, Spearow. Dozens, no hundreds, of birds took to the sky. And where there were this many Spearow in a single place, it could mean only one thing; a Fearow.

"Fuck."

As the Spearow took to the sky, the trees around him became alive, filled with the flapping of hundreds of wings, and tiny white eyes reflecting the moonlight, becoming visible in the darkness.

Ash's blood turned to stone.

He immediately recalled Swablu, turning to sprint away before he remembered about the Vulpix. The fire type was staring up into the sky- motionless, seemingly terrified. In a split second Ash's decision was made, he raced back to the dog, scooping it up into arms, and sprinted out towards where he thought the path resumed.

The air around him was filled with the sound of flapping wings and angry keeling, combining to form a single terrifying melody. There were precious few things a starter trainer in the southern reaches of Kanto feared more than a hoard of angered Spearow.

Spearow in general were not angry creatures, although they were territorial. When they were led by a Fearow, however, their temperament became much, much worse. Not that the knowledge of that was of much help to Ash in his current predicament.

The trainer was reminded of his many mornings spent in the valley of Blackthorn, desperately seeking to triumph over the taller, faster Wataru. Now, however, his refuge was civilization a handful of miles away, and the other children, a veritable swarm of territorial, bloodthirsty birds.

Soon enough the familiar motion of running he was so used to, from both the Wataru and Oak's tutelage, soothed Ash's nerves, the dread of the flock of Spearow filling the air above him inspired was pushed aside as the repetitive motion swept all concerns to the side.

Until Ash tripped.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

Ash had not tripped- he had slid, he had initially thought it was mud, but the smell- the smell was not of mud. All around Ash, in the sparsely lit forest, the last vestiges of sunlight filtering through the trees, was what he had smelled earlier, and explained why Vulpix was still motionless in fright within his arms.

An entire pack of Vulpix slaughtered, tiny peck marks present on the hides of some, on others there were only bones and tendons left. Skulls were left without eyes. Ribs lay discarded on the ground, and entrails were spread around like confetti.

Ash felt bile rise within his mouth, but he forced himself back up on his feet and to continue running. The previous calm which had infused the teen was gone, and he struggled mightily to move his legs which grew heavier with each step. Dread set in around Ash, and as he looked to the sky he was met with the glaring red eyes of a Fearow, swooping straight towards him.

The long, outstretched talons of the predator were harshly outlined by fading sunlight, and he crumpled to the ground, cradling the Vulpix away from the impact. The Fearow cried out angrily as it swept up towards the sky once again. He wouldn't be an easy meal for the creature, Ash thought grimly, pulling himself towards his feet.

At least, Ash had thought he wouldn't be an easy meal, in his single-minded attention to avoiding the Fearow, the trainer had forgotten about the hundreds of other birds in the air.

Dozens of tiny impacts crashed into his back, the small, sharp beaks failing to penetrate his jacket. The blunt force collapsed him to his knees, the form of Vulpix cradled in his arms, beneath his chest.

His nose inhaled dirt from the path beneath him, and he tried to turn his head away, towards the sky, but his spine was numb.

Ash could feel the intent glare of the Fearow sear into his back, as it crowded out triumph, doubtlessly circling above him awaiting the perfect moment to end him. The elongated, sharpened beak sent shivers down Ash's spine- it was probably as long as the trainer was tall.

Perhaps he should have worn the reinforced trainer gear Oak had provided, not that it would do anything against the beak of a Fearow, but at least his back wouldn't be in such acute pain.

Also, Ash thought, staring towards the Fearow, perhaps he shouldn't have been as attentive a student as he had- for now, he knew with grim certainty that Fearow rarely gave their prey a quick death, they liked to play with their food.

Usually, they started with the eyes.

Ash felt his belt, ensuring the Pokeball with Swablu in it was safe- at least he would not let down his starter. Only if he could have caught the Vulpix earlier, then the fire type would be spared from the certain, slow death his packmates had been condemned to.

No wonder it had been so vicious, so desperate.

The Vulpix, which had been completely still ever since the Spearow had taken flight began to scurry against Ash's weight, attempting to free itself from beneath the trainer's body. It was terrified of those birds.

"Even you know I'm screwed, huh?" Ash laughed, but it ended up as a pitiful cough.

With a substantial degree of effort, Ash managed to lift himself onto his forearms, allowing the Vulpix to go free. His back burned fiercely at the movement, its numbness slowly fading. Once it had extracted itself from beneath his body, he rolled himself onto his back, ignoring the pain. He would, at the very least, stare upwards at his death- he was a Wataru, after all.

He would have laughed deprecatingly if the mere thought of doing so didn't cause his ribs to twinge with mind-numbing pain.

The fire type did not attempt to escape, however, instead standing next to Ash, shooting embers up into the air. Hitting Spearow left and right, as it was basically impossible to miss, the entire sky was covered in the birds, but the attacks did no serious damage from such a distance.

"Run away, you idiot." Ash coughed, his voice scratchy. He was thirsty.

The sky was rather beautiful, you could be forgiven for believing it had been transformed into a writhing mass of amber and white feathers, the occasional sliver of moonlight descending through a crevice between the birds.

He closed his eyes, seeing the Fearow stoop around, heading towards him, and that stupidly foolish Vulpix, who at one point had been so furiously intent on defeating the teen, but was now defending him to its death.

All those lofty dreams, finding who had burnt Blackthorn, humiliating Gary, and so much more only to be ruined by a stupid flock of birds. What would his parents, whoever they were, think of him? What would Oak think of him? What would Leaf think of him?

Well, at least Leaf's opinion couldn't be worse than it already was, Ash snorted in spite of the situation. Was the world spinning, or was that just him?

As the mass of Spearow, led by the Fearow, descended from the sky, a palpable, oppressive aura filled Ash's senses, overwhelming the constant pain he had been in. If there was one word to describe it; dark, the feeling was dark.

Was this death?

A rough, sandpaper tongue lapping against his cheek did a rather thorough job at convincing Ash that he was not, in fact, dead. Sputtering, he jerked away from the feeling, brushing his hand against his lips, but he felt nothing.

The Pokemon in front of him was not Vulpix, it stood significantly taller, and had a scythe protruding from its head, and an ethereal mane of white fur which reflected the starlight.

Wait- starlight? The trainer's head swiveled towards the sky, and saw only stars, the beautifully dangerous cacophony of colors which had filled the sky moments ago, completely gone- then the trainer heard a murmured command before being welcomed with blessed blackness.

---

Ash stirred, his head spinning as consciousness rapidly returned. He attempted to lift himself up, but fell backward into a pair of nimble hands, holding him up.

"Rest easy," a silvery voice whispered, "You'll need to take it easy for a bit longer, you're still weak."

The trainer glanced blearily around, noticing the person who had helped him up was a girl.

Ash gratefully relaxed back against the sleeping bag he had been slumped on when he had awoken. He remembered disorienting fragments of consciousness, hands bandaging his body, slivers of conversation, but now he was truly awake.

He grasped for Swablu's Pokeball and felt even further relief upon finding it still attached to his belt. The Vulpix which had stood against death alongside him earlier was slumped in a deep slumber next to the campfire, bandages wrapped around the fire type.

"How are you feeling?" the girl asked, drawing his attention back towards her.

She was older than him, Ash guessed. Loose silvery hair framed a heart-shaped, youthful face that seemed to glow in the dusk. Green eyes, which reminded him of Leaf, peered out from beneath an oversized cap with a large R logo emblazoned onto it. She was beautiful. The thing which stood out the most to Ash, however, was the six pokeballs strapped to her belt.

Ash brushed a hand across his face blearily, "Well, I'm alive, and I guess that's thanks to you?"

The girl smiled a bit, shifting in place, "Sort of, I stopped that Fearow from… you know." She trailed off before continuing, "I patched up that Vulpix, I assume it's yours, but I couldn't find another Pokeball."

Ash chuckled grimly, "Yeah, I know... thank you. I was trying to capture the Vulpix but as you saw- we had bigger fish to fry."

The girl nodded absentmindedly, twisting her hat's bill around in her hands, staring into the fire. Ash peered at the hat, emblazoned on the front was a large R logo.

"What's the logo on that hat?" Ash asked, trying to interrupt the awkward silence.

"Do you not recognize it?" The girl's eyes were focused, staring intently at Ash.

"No... should I?" Ash questioned slowly, off-put by her seriousness.

The girl's sudden tenseness relaxed, and she giggled, "If you're telling the truth you may be the only one who doesn't know what the logo stands for."

Ash, his curiosity on the logo not sated nonetheless put the matter to the side, taking a deep breath, or as much as a deep breath as he could with the bruises on his back. He leaned back, resting gingerly on his elbows.

"Well," Ash said, "Thank you, I guess, I am Ash, by the way."

The girl glanced up a slight smile lingering, "I'm Ariana."

---

Ash awoke to the smell of cooked meat.

"How long was I out?"

"You slept for a while," Ariana answered, "You must have taken quite a beating before the Spearow were taken care of."

Ash simply nodded in agreement.

"What are you doing out here so far anyway?" Ariana looked up from the device she was typing it into, "These parts aren't exactly tame, and you've only got one pokemon."

"You're right," Ash nodded somewhat abashedly, "I got carried away tracking down Vulpix, they aren't very common around these parts."

Ariana nodded, her hair bobbing alongside her head.

"Anyways, where are you headed to, Ariana, right?" Ash asked, seeking to change the subject from his own failure.

"Do you not remember my name?" Ariana glanced at Ash sharply, "I'm not sure whether to be offended or not. I did save your life, after all."

"Sorry," Ash groaned as he turned over from his side, so he didn't have to twist his head to face the girl, "near-death experiences, you know, things tend to blend together after one of those, Ariana."

Ariana giggled, an amused glint entering her eyes, "Is that so? I've never been bested by a flock of Spearow, so I wouldn't know."

Ash laughed, the pain in his back and ribs a mere ache.

"As for your question I am not really traveling anywhere specific," she looked away, "I just enjoy traveling, exploring, finding things that keep my interest."

Did she just refer to something interesting being this far South?

"Are you going to see Oak's flora or something?" Ash asked, the words escaping his mouth quickly, unable to think of anything else remotely interesting this far in the southern reaches of Kanto.

She perked up immediately, "You guessed it, that was rather far up on my list… do you know the Professor well?"

"Not really." Ash swallowed a bite of whatever meat he was eating, it was delicious, "I worked on the flora for a few years, though."

"Mm, that's no small feat, I doubt just anyone can say they've worked for the esteemed Professor Oak." She returned to her typing for a moment, "What is your opinion on the man?"

"Well…" Ash paused, thinking, "He's honest, caring, but beneath that there is an intelligence about him, a genius I suppose, like everyone expects. Most of the time he's like anyone else, though."

"Is he still the caliber of battler he once was?"

Ash frowned at the line of questioning, "Not sure. He doesn't like to be asked about it, either, prefers to be cooped up in his lab researching… why?"

Ariana's rapt attention wavered for a moment, before she sighed, "Never mind about the old man. You mentioned chasing after the Vulpix… How long have you been trying to gain its trust?"

Ash frowned slightly at how she referenced the Professor, but responded, "I met it yesterday, about ten minutes before that Fearow tried to impale us… it gave me and Swablu a tough battle."

Her eyebrow quirked, "That's surprising, they're usually rather strong-willed. She's obviously already taken to you, hardly would let me get close to you before she passed out."

"Well," Ash absentmindedly scratched the still sleeping Vulpix behind the ears, noting he had to see if the creature really did wish to journey alongside him, "She was the last survivor of her pack, I think, and near-death experiences usually bond people and Pokemon together, right?"

"That may have something to do with it," Ariana agreed, but from her tone of voice, it was clear she had her reservations, "Nevermind that stuff, it is dangerous this far out in the wild, as I'm sure you've noted- there's strength in numbers, would you like to come with me to Pallet Town?"

"I can't." Ash spoke, genuine regret in his voice, "I need to start training and challenging gyms if I'm going to qualify for the Indigo League.

Unspoken was Ash's desire to avoid visiting Pallet Town and being forced to face Oak with his failure, and indignation at being rescued mere seconds from death.

"Ah, a gym trainer, I remember those days well." Ariana peered at him for a moment, "Trainer, to trainer, I do have a suggestion… There is a place in Viridian known as the Rocket Rumble. There is a measure of secrecy surrounding it. I'm not allowed to disclose everything to you, but while it may not be a gym if you're serious about avoiding a repeat of those Spearow, that's where you'll want to go."

"If it's so secret how do I find it?" Ash questioned, "And why is it even secret, to begin with?"

"Calm down, kiddo, what do you take me for, a criminal?" Ariana laughed, a bit too loudly, "The worst thing that happens there is betting on pokemon battles… which the league has no issue with, as long as they are leaching from the profits, anyway. As for how to find it, you'll be looking for a man named Gerald. You won't be able to miss him, trust me."

"I'll consider it, as long as it doesn't slow me down." Ash replied dubiously, "And I'm not a kid, you can't be much older than me."

Ariana peered at him oddly for a moment, perhaps she wasn't used to being declined?

"I suppose you're right, but until you can handle yourself around a flock of Spearow, you'll be a kid to me." She giggled, taking any bite away from her words, "And, it is your decision, but as I said, if you're serious about becoming stronger, you would be remiss to skip such an opportunity."

A period of silence ensued, the only sound the soft crackle of a few dying embers, Ariana's incessant typing which had begun to grate on his nerves, and the hum of bug types within the surrounding forest.

"Well, Ash, it appears our time together has come to a close. I have a schedule to upkeep, and I'm afraid our little adventure has derailed it rather significantly already."

Ash scowled, "Next time just let me be speared by a Fearow, then."

"You don't mince words, it's refreshing." Ariana smiled, "I rather hope if there is a next time it doesn't involve a Fearow."

"You and me both," Ash grumbled, rubbing his sore ribs.

"I'm glad I ran into you, Ash, even if I did have to save you from a flock of Spearow." She stood, picking up a lone backpack, and slinging it over her slim shoulders.

He groaned exasperatedly, "You're not going to let me live that down, huh?"

"No, I suppose not…" She paused, her brow furrowing. When she spoke, her voice was absent the previous teasing lilt, "You know... it is rumored in some places an Absol's tongue can bring souls from the brink of death back to the light, perhaps such a folktale is not as far from the truth as it seems, hm?"

Ash stood with some difficulty. An Absol, she had said, he had never heard of such a pokemon. From behind the girl's slender form, as if summoned by Ash's thoughts slinked a white creature shrouded in shadows.

A dark, weighty feeling pressed onto him, and for a moment it felt as if he couldn't breathe. The pokemon leveled a stoic stare towards the boy. White shaggy fur covered a muscular body, but the feature that caught Ash's attention was a massive black scythe protruding from its head.

Its black eyes seemed to bore on endlessly into Ash's green orbs, before it disregarded him, circling its body around its owner's feet.

"Goodbye, Ariana, and thank you," Ash spoke, the trance broken.

"I think we'll see each other again, I don't save just any trainer's life, ya know?" Ariana winked, the teasing lilt back in force. With a casual wave, which Ash hastily returned, she turned on her heel and strode into the depths of the forest.

Once she was out of earshot, Ariana looked down towards her Absol, deep in thought. "Of course, it is also said the lick of an Absol brings untold misfortune."

The Absol just stared.

---

Some big differences with Ariana will play a role, or not. Who knows.

A lot going on right now but will relax soon enough. Probably.