Out of the inferno
Why should my fun have to end?
For me it's only the beginning.
I see my friends begin to age,
A short countdown to what end.
Call me irresponsible,
Call me habitual
But when you think of me,
Do you fill your head with schemes?
Better think again
Cause no one knows.
I don't want to cause no harm
But sometimes my actions hurt.
Is there something I should find
To make plans for forever?
Call me irresponsible,
Call me habitual
But when you think of me,
Do you fill your head with schemes?
Better think again
Cause no one knows.
No one knows, Green Day
The road to Azalea City went near the Charicific Valley, a preserve dedicated to Charizard. Ash grinned and took a Pokéball.
"Hey Blaze, interested in seeing your brethren in the wild?"
The dragon purred in his sphere. Why not? So, putting Silver to contribution, the group trekked across the mountains. They didn't have to walk for long before a woman with green hairs came before them.
"Hey, the Charicific Valley is closed to tourists. What are you five doing here?"
"We were heading to the Charicific Valley so my Charizard could see more of his kind." Ash explained. "We're not really here to play tourists."
"You have a Charizard?"
"Yep! Say hi, partner!"
Charizard appeared before the girl who took a step back to admire him.
"His scales shine, I don't see an ounce of fat, his tail burns bright … and I can even sense his heat from here. Congratulation, your Pokémon is in perfect shape."
"Thank you. He's one of my strongest teammates with Pikachu and Clefable. Not to boast, but he took on Legendaries and won several times."
Charizard purred under the praise. The girl raised a brow.
"Legendaries, seriously? If anything, he does look like he could go against a Legendary Beast. My name is Liza. I am the keeper of the Charicific Valley. Your Charizard looks neat. My friend and I will take you to the valley. Charla!"
A Charizard with a pink bow appeared that was carrying a hot-air balloon. There were some groceries in it.
"There's only room for three persons in here. Well, I don't think Charla will mind carrying you."
She looked at Silver who shook his head.
"Not an issue."
On this, he revealed his ice wings. Ash smiled.
"Silver can manipulate ice better than any Ice Pokémon. Gary, Misty, Brock, you go in the balloon. Silver and I will follow."
Liza nodded and rode her partner. Soon, she was flying with Silver and Ash on her tail. The mountains were filled with treacherous winds and dangerous passages, but it wasn't the first time Ash was riding Charizard. The boy dexterously maneuvered his partner between the jagged edges of the mountain and over the winds, using his Aura to anticipate any threat while it also brought him closer to Charizard, who felt the Aura around him and growled in comfort. At last, they reached the gates of the valley.
"Impressive." Liza smiled. "Was your Charizard raised in the wild?"
"No, he is a Starter that was abandoned by his previous Trainer. I found him, raised him and trained him the best I could. Silver helped me a lot. He mentored me in Pokémon Training during my first journey across Kanto. It's thanks to him that me and my teammates are so strong."
"Well, you could've fooled me. The Charizard in the valley are all stronger than naturally raised Charizard because of the intensity of the training they undergo. In there, they are raised and trained by their own kind in search of perfection. The competition is merciless and only the strongest make it through. I'm curious to see how your Charizard would do against one of them …"
The gates opened to reveal a craggy valley with spots of vegetation and many, many Charizards flying, eating and resting around. Ash winced.
"They're bigger than any Charizard I've seen."
"This is a side effect of their training. Your Charizard does look small compared to them."
Charizard growled and shook his head.
(Size doesn't matter, nor do things like type advantage or what move you know. A truly skilled Pokémon must be able to win with the skills he possesses, no matter the circumstances.)
Ash translated his partner's words, which impressed Liza.
"Very well. Let's see how long your Charizard will last against one of us. Hey!"
A big Charizard came and starred at Ash's friend.
(What? That weakling? He looks like a pushover! Can't you find someone my size, Liza?)
Ash glanced at Charizard and gave a soft nod. The next second, the taller Charizard had been grabbed by the tail and was flying away, thrown by Blaze's attack. A powerful Overheat fried him.
"How's that for someone your size?"
Liza blinked for several minutes. The fight had been short.
"Alright, your Charizard is strong. Since he beat one of us, he has the right to stay in the valley, at least for awhile."
So Charizard and the group started exploring the area. The Charicific Valley was indeed a rough place, with training grounds, nests built within the cliffs and hot springs to relax. A big Charizard came to Blaze with an arrogant smirk.
(Auto-translator: ON)
"Well, well. Look at what the wind brought up! Lost your way, kiddo?"
Blaze didn't answer and tested the water. It was agreeably warm. The Charizard grabbed him and turned him so they were face to face.
"Hey, I asked you if you were lost! Gimme an answer, damn it!"
"I am exactly where I want to be." Blaze quietly answer. "This may not be your case, though."
"Why? Where do you think I am, weakling?"
"On my bad side."
His Focus Blast had the strength of Aura Sphere. The big Charizard was blown away. Other Charizard had seen the scene and helped their brother rise.
"Who does he think he is!? Come on, let's teach him a lesson!"
Blaze sighed.
"This had to be expected …"
Liza was telling the group about the valley when Charla came to warn her about some trouble by the hot springs. When they arrived, they saw Ash's friend standing atop three downed Charizard and glaring dangerously at three more. One rushed at him with Dragon Claw. Blaze ducked and sucker-punched him with Return. Given how close he and Ash were, the uppercut sent him flying higher than the valley's cliffs. The two last Charizard jumped on him, only for the first to be caught by Dragon Tail and the other to be fried by Overheat. Charla purred in appreciation. Suddenly, a gigantic Charizard came before him. The creature had to be of Lugia's size, which was saying something. Blaze growled.
"Are you looking for a fight too?"
"Quite the opposite, actually. I am here to offer you a place in this valley."
"Go tell that to your brethren. I just come for sight-seeing and I got six morons jumping on my wings like frenzied Primeape because I'm smaller and come from the outside."
The giant Charizard looked at Blaze's victims.
"This is a mistake they're not going to repeat. I am Searing Wind, the leader of the Charizard of this valley. Liza's partner, Charla, is my daughter. I heard you were bred. Do you have a True Name?"
"Yes. It was granted to me by Ho-Oh himself after I proved my loyalty to Ash. I am Blazefire."
"The Lord of the Sky? That's more reason to make you this offer, then. I've seen you're strong. We could use your might to teach the hatchlings and protect this valley from poachers and potential threats. New blood, especially as blazing as yours, is always welcome."
Blaze looked away.
"I don't really feel like leaving Ash behind. What is there for me if I accept?"
Searing Wind crossed his arms.
"Knowledge. About your kind, about this place, our lore and traditions. We may not look like it, but we have our own pseudo-civilization. It isn't as developed as that of the humans outside, but we're growing."
"I have seen similar not long ago, the hidden village of Ben'Alia. Maybe I could help you …" His sight fell on Charla. "Cute daughter."
"Thank you. She is my pride and joy. So, what do you think of my offer? There may be … unsuspected benefits."
He had clearly seen how Blaze was looking at Charla and he didn't mind. The trained Charizard had proven himself. Blaze sighed and came to Ash, then took his human form, surprising everyone outside the group.
"Ash, the leader of the Charizards offered me a spot in the valley as a combat trainer and I admit the offer is interesting. Do you mind …"
Ash gulped and looked down. He had managed to seize bits of the conversation.
"You want to stay, right? Can I … Can I still count on you if I ever need your help?"
"On Ho-Oh, you can. Just let me know you need me and I'll come as fast as my wings can carry me. You have my words."
"Then it's best you stay, then. You're strong enough to face Legendaries. The hatchlings could use having a mentor like you."
"Thank you. I'll try to make you proud."
The boy gave his partner his Pokéball, then hugged him tight. He was on the edge of crying. Blaze caressed his head.
"Don't worry. It will be as if I was in the Corral. You can still call me when you feel like it, alright?"
"Alright."
It was with tears in his eyes that the boy left the valley. Searing Wind looked at Blaze.
"How can you do that!?"
"Faith. By being undyingly loyal to Ash, Arceus granted me and my teammates the ability to become human. It has its uses, especially since I can use an in-between form."
On this, he took a cigarette and lit it with his tail, exhaling a long puff of smoke.
(Auto-translator: OFF)
Ash was in a sad mood after that. He and Charizard had been very close and their separation was weighting on the boy, who found no distraction in a Sunflora contest, the antics of an old superhero or even a girl who controlled Ledyba with a whistle. They were walking by a small cliff when something collided with the boy's stomach. It was a hedgehog-like critter with a yellow stomach and several red spots on its back. Gary raised his brow.
"A Cyndaquil?"
The little Pokémon seemed a little lost. Then footsteps were heard and he rushed in the many holes in the cliff. A boy appeared who was holding a butterfly net appeared.
"Hey, have you seen a Cyndaquil around?"
"Yeah." Ash answered. "He went that way."
He showed him the path behind him. The boy thanked them and ran. Misty raised a brow.
"Ash, what gives?"
"Yeah." Brock remarked. "It's not like you to fool an other Trainer."
"Cyndaquil was scared." Ash explained. "I felt it when he collided with me. He was very afraid of that boy, even though I don't know why."
Cyndaquil emerged from a hole in the cliff. Ash grinned.
"It's alright. You can come out. The other is far, now."
The little Pokémon cheered. Gary frowned and focused on his mind. After a moment he nodded.
"The other Trainer wanted to capture him but Cyndaquil didn't trust him. He saw the other Pokémon this boy trains. They don't look happy so he didn't want to be captured by him."
"Hey, you could've asked before reading his mind!" Misty berated.
Gary made a sheepish face.
"He's right." Ash said more kindly. "I was going to ask him myself. So the other guy doesn't look like a good Trainer. I can understand. I've seen and trained Pokémon whose previous owners behaved badly. It's alright, little guy."
Cyndaquil let him rub his head while the group looked at one another. They knew what Pokémon their friend was talking about. Suddenly, the boy with the net appeared.
"Hah! I knew you were lying to me!"
"What gives?" Ash quietly asked.
"You're a Trainer. Cyndaquil are cool Pokémon so of course, if you saw one, you'd try and keep it to yourself. Sorry but that Cyndaquil is mine!"
Ash stood and faced the brat.
"No can do. It's obvious that Cyndaquil doesn't want to be trained by you. Look at him, he seems dead scared."
"Does it matter? I'm a Trainer. It's a Pokémon and I want it. What stops me from catching it?"
"Me."
Misty and Brock looked at one another. The kid's argument was not only invalid against someone like Ash, but it just served to make him mad. And indeed, Ash was looking a bit angry.
"Alright, then. Let's fight! If I win, Cyndaquil is mine. If you win …"
"You will leave this place and target an other Pokémon than him. Deal or nothing."
"Deal. Sandshrew, go!"
Ash nodded.
"One on one. First down loses. Chikorita, I choose you."
(Play Main Battle, from Final Fantasy X)
The boy lost no time.
"Sandshrew, Slash!"
"Whip Vine."
Sandshrew ran at the Grass Starter, only for the girl to catch her in the stomach. The armadillo was pushed back. The boy growled.
"Rollout!"
"Dodge and use Energy Ball."
Chikorita obliged and sent a brutal sphere of energy that knocked Sandshrew off track. Gary growled.
"Ash is pulling his punches. If he wanted, Sandshrew would already be down."
The boy ordered Fury Swipes, which were countered easily by Whip Vines. It was clear to anyone that Ash was toying with his opponent.
"Magical Leaf."
A flurry of leaves caught Sandshrew off guard and was followed by a series of Whip Vines that knocked the Ground Pokémon around like a rag doll. Ash decided to end it.
"Leaf Blade."
Chikorita grinned. Charging her leaf until it was a green laser blade, she rushed at Sandshrew.
"Counter it with Night Slash!"
Sandshrew obeyed and covered her claws with black energy. The two blows collided, only for the sound of something breaking to be heard and Sandshrew slamming into a tree. The boy gasped. What were broken were Sandshrew's claws! Chikorita placed herself between him and her Trainer grinning victoriously.
"I win." Ash simply stated.
(End music)
The boy growled.
"No! I really want that Cyndaquil!"
His answer was a Flamethrower in the face, from Cyndaquil himself. Ash crossed his arms.
"Get it now? Leave."
The boy ran away crying. Misty winced and caressed her friend's shoulder softly. She hated seeing Ash angry, especially since he was a kind and compassionate person. People like him should never feel an emotion like anger. Cyndaquil caressed his leg and earned a rub.
"Go now. This brat won't try to catch you anymore."
The little Fire Pokémon thought a little before nuzzling insistently Ash's hand. Gary grinned.
"He wants to join you."
"For real?"
Cyndaquil eagerly nodded. Ash smiled gently and took a Pokéball.
"I never say no to a Pokémon who seeks to join my team. Welcome in."
Cyndaquil cheered and let himself be trapped in the sphere. Silver smiled. The little creature seemed to have a gentle personality in accordance to Ash's own temper. And, he hoped, training a new Fire Starter may help him heal from his separation with Charizard … The following days were spent traveling to Azalea City. As the Ice Aura Master believed, training Cyndaquil did wonders to Ash's mood. The little creature was halfway in temper between Sandslash and Axew in that he was childish but shy and gentle. Heracross, who had decidedly taken the role of the team's big brother, treated him with great kindness, always nursing him or carrying him on his back for a flight, which never failed to make the five humans smile and Cyndaquil giggle for the end of the day. He also let himself be used as training dummy due to his great stamina and tanking abilities.
It was how Ash discovered that the Fire Starter could only use Flamethrower under duress. When the other boy had tried to catch him, he had panicked and used the move. The rest of times, he was limited to Ember. Ash shrugged it off and worked with the moves the critter already had. Then he found out he had Flame Wheel as a birth move. This made for a nice compensation for Flamethrower, even though Cyndaquil was limited to two per day before being exhausted. Ash quickly discovered it was actually the root of many of the Pokémon's problems: Cyndaquil had decently powerful attacks but tired fast. Ember and Smokescreen were okay, Flame Wheel came in limited edition and Flamethrower simply burned everything the Starter had in stores in one move, unless he was under a nasty adrenaline rush. And it made the crash even worse, completely grounding Cyndaquil for the next day. So Ash decided to be patient and took his time, using easy and game-like but steady exercises to slowly improve the Pokémon's stamina. He had the time. After all, he didn't even have his second badge yet. And Cyndaquil was a wellspring of childishness, alongside Ledyba and Stantler, that was refreshing for everyone. Misty was happy to see Ash smile again and found herself partaking more often than not in the Pokémon's antics, to everyone's pleasure. Then they reached Azalea Town and saw the state of despair it was in. Brock's words summed up everybody's thoughts.
"This stay will not be peaceful."
And here is the new chapter! Yes, I'm back into the rhythm. The chapter may be short, but next one has a Gym battle in it and furthermore, one can see I glossed over several of the anime's episodes. So, next we have a bug story, the one after is full of water, after which we have ... the third movie. Yes. At last. Two more chapters and Entei appears. I have a passage for that chapter I admit I am dead scared of writing. Mainly because of what it is about (remember Silver's fury against Mewtwo? It's gonna be worse this time. I'm not saying why but Silver won't be involved.) Yes, I am actually scared of writing a chapter. Can't believe it ... And after that is Whitney. Okay, planning set and scheduled, one thing outta my mind.
About the reviews ...
- Me: fast enough this time?
- knightblazer85: really? Someone just got a good power boost, then.
- Nightshadegirl: I'm still thinking about this one ...
- thli1693: congratulation, you just found out my biggest problem with writing chapters at this point. It is very hard to make a fight relatively fair given the level Gary and Ash currently are, at least without implying the Trainers of the current region would trounce the Trainers of previous regions with a single Pokémon, which is not the case must I say.
- Dream Guardian King Allen: I said I'd give Misty and Brock more spotlight. For Brock, I'm having trouble. Misty, as you can see, is a different story.
- JediMasterDraco: don't worry, Turtwig won't be nerfed for Chimchar, you have my word. As for the Gym Leaders, they will reappear so you will be able to enjoy their little quirks.
- EUREKA STRIKER ALPHA: as I read somewhere, "Sometimes, the person who tries to keep everyone happy is the most lonely person." If I ever give up on that story, it means I've lost the fight.
- Birdy1210: see next chapter. And yes, Ash and Misty are going to fight over Totodile. At last a decent fight with equally strong people! Yipee! For Onix, can't tell yet. And Ash doesn't own a pseudo-Legendary yet but Gary owning one (say, a Dragonite) isn't out of question ... Maybe I'll give him a Salamence.
- MidnightHunter563: you're right, Axew/Fraxure learned Guillotine. Misty won't compete Gym battles, but local tournaments are her thing. For the Clefable expies, Blade (Oshawott) definitely isn't. The others will have varrying degrees of ressemblance. Gary? We'll see. For anything regarding Bugsy, see next chapter.
- Siggimondo: it isn't about Physical or Special, more about the strengh of the move and how it looks like (I won't upgrade Grass Knot into Solar Beam or Bubble into Water Pulse). It wasn't cheating! The crew's teammates are always teaching each other new tricks. Togekiss didn't love a wing because Chikorita isn't that strong yet. But it's coming ... I didn't use Counter against Hurricane, right? Given Counter is for moves that make contact rather than long range ones anyway. Don't be misunderstook, Pidgeot is still pretty strong. He's Falkner's ace anyway. Finally, for the awesomeness, we can always count on Charizard. But, now he's gone, who will replace him?
- : Giratina and Darkrai confirmed. Rayquaza is special because Ash will get an item to more or less control him during Hoenn (he won't be part of the team, though).
Well, that's all for now. See you soon, I hope!