The first thing that Ash became aware of, slow as it came, was the dull ache that made her whole body protest. The next was her raspy breathing, throat dry and every inhale hurting. Throbbing pressure behind her closed eyes was next, and then a faint ringing in her ears. Then the beeping, and the faint smell of rubbing alcohol. The last was a small number of warm bodies pressed against her legs and hips, and one curled between her neck and shoulder.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking furiously even as her eyes watered from both pain and the bright light she found herself staring up into. Once her eyes adjusted, she let her gaze wander without moving her head. A hospital room… the SS Anne. The attack, that psychic blast and… Gary. Where was Gary?
The beeping sped up alongside her welling panic, and in an instant a nurse was in the room.
"Miss Ketchum, everything will be alright. I'm gonna need you to breathe for me, okay?"
The woman coached her through some deep breathing exercises, expertly calming both Ash and her Pokemon, who'd been sprawled across her lower body, with Pikachu having claimed the single available spot in the crook of her neck. Once Ash's heart rate had dropped to acceptable levels, the nurse checked her over.
"I was told to let you know that your friend, Gary Oak, was recovered four days before you were and has already been released from the hospital," the nurse said gently, smiling when Ash slumped in relief. "As for you, you'll be here a while yet. You had to get twenty stitches after we extracted shards of metal and wood from your torso, and you were unconscious while exposed to the elements for about a week. Do you have any questions?"
Ash's thoughts flashed back to the psychic blast. No normal Pokemon would have that amount of power, unless it was a Legendary. If Team Rocket had gotten their hands on one….
"The attack," she croaked, and paused when the nurse reached over her bed to pour a cup of water. The nurse adjusted the head of the bed so she could sit up, and helped her drink. "I need to report… they used a Pokemon, a Psychic type… just one, it sank the entire ship…"
"Espe," Oberon hissed at the reminder, hackles raised. He must have sensed it, even inside his Pokeball, and if that didn't speak of the mystery Pokemon's power, Ash didn't know what would. Houndour shuffled closer to Ash, and she beckoned him closer to cuddle. He didn't waste a moment in complying, shivering slightly.
The nurse, looking troubled by the information, just nodded. "I'll let Officer Jenny know, she'll probably come by later to take a statement. If that's all for now, you need to rest. We were authorized to use Ditto cells to aid in your recovery, so you need to let your body finish catching up with the repairs."
Ash nodded slowly, still a little shocked. If she'd been inured bad enough to require Ditto cells… it must have been whatever shrapnel had hit her during the blast and its aftermath. Wincing, she leaned back against the pillows, taking a few minutes to soothe her team. They'd obviously been worried, and Titania hissed lowly at anyone who entered the room for the next hour or so. Alto settled at her feet to hum lowly, trying to get Ash to sleep a bit. But the young trainer could only allow herself to after she'd thoroughly checked over her Pokemon－Pikachu in particular. He'd been almost as beaten up as she had been, since he hadn't been inside his Pokeball.
But eventually, she was satisfied with their health, and drifted off with her team tucked against her limbs.
XxXxX
Oh boy, Ash thought as Lt. Surge entered her hospital room, serious and tense. He sat down in the one chair by the bed, the furniture looking hilariously tiny compared to him, and dropped a Pokeball into her lap.
"Your Charmander," he said gruffly. "Oak sent it over, it's been worried about you."
Immediately letting him out, she steeled herself for impact as Charmander threw himself at her, warbling out something between a heavy scolding and relieved sobs. Gently rubbing his scales, she hugged her youngest Pokemon, shifting so the rest of the team could better get to him as well, grinning when Alto immediately wrapped him in her fluffy wings.
"I'm fine," she reassured him, "Everything's gonna be fine. Thank you," she directed at the Gym Leader, who was watching her with the hint of a lopsided smile. "I wasn't sure if the nurses would let me get up to use a transporter…"
"I figured." Surge heaved out a sigh, before straightening. "Let's get this part over with, you said you had something to report about the attack?"
Ash shivered against her will at the memory. "I… yes, the blast that finished sinking the ship. It was psychic. Just one Pokemon, with enough psychic power to cause that much damage… it felt cold. The power, it was like ice, pale blue and… I don't know, it was just terrifying. But I just wanted to make sure the League knew. If the Rockets have a Pokemon that strong…"
She didn't say that it was familiar, because it was only so in that strange way she knew things, but… she was supposed to know what that Pokemon was. Supposed to. But she didn't, not yet.
"Well, fuck." Surge scowled, face grim. "Good call on wanting to report that."
Ash didn't blame the man for his clipped response. This was a bad situation, and had the potential to get worse.
XxXxX
Ash was tired.
It was a good tired, in a way, the satisfied and boneless type people get after a long, hard round of exercise. But it was also an annoying tired, because despite Surge's best efforts to pummel her into the padded flooring of his workout room, he was somehow treating her like glass at the same time.
It was the week after she'd been released from the hospital, and Vermilion's Gym Leader had insisted she stay with him while she finished recovering. And then he'd insisted on teaching her some basic self-defense (it wasn't basic, nothing about this fucking boot camp was basic, thank Arceus she'd already been working out and doing those stretches to make her more flexible) once she was back on her feet.
Oberon was laughing at her again. Ash felt a disproportionate amount of satisfaction when Titania used her ribbons to slam him against the wall, for being so easily distracted during their spar.
It's not like she wasn't grateful, or that she didn't enjoy learning how to punch someone so hard and in just the right spot that they threw up (Surge also taught her how to avoid getting thrown up on), because she found herself eager to keep learning more of these katas and styles… but Ash hated being treated delicately (which should have been impossible, given who was training her, but somehow he managed). She was a trainer now, traveling the whole of Kanto with only her team, and that had to count for something, right?
"Up and on your feet, runt!" Surge bellowed with a nasty grin.
With a sigh, she kicked her legs up and out from where she lay flat on her back, the force flinging her into a crouch. She raised her fists back into the 'ready' position Surge had drilled into her, ignoring the blasts of lightening behind her－Raichu was drilling Pikachu on how to increase the power of his attacks. She'd only made the mistake of looking over once, earning herself a black eye because Surge had very clearly telegraphed his intent to punch and had very clearly expected her to be paying attention enough to dodge.
"Good, now come at me again with everything you've got."
Ash wasn't a very powerful hitter. Not normally, at least. She was fast and unpredictable, which worked very well in her favor, and she'd been developing a method of dodging that felt more like turning her body to rubber to avoid hits. It required her to read her opponent carefully for their next movement, and flow around the hit. She thought it worked rather well, although some of the Gym trainers found it hilarious when she wound herself around Surge's arms so much that she was practically clinging to him like a particularly friendly Tangela.
If nothing else, her endurance and flexibility were at an all-time high.
Despite her irritations, Ash truly appreciated the time and effort Surge was putting into not only her, but her team. The man was under no obligation to help her this much, and still he insisted on spending the days training her until she was an inch from total exhaustion. The results were worth the pain and desire to sleep for a month solid on any vaguely horizontal surface.
It was thanks to this rigorous training and the enforced periods of meditation－and that had been a surprise, that the war hero who preferred doing something rather than sitting around actually meditated－that Ash first actively called on her aura.
It had been unnervingly easy. She just fell into the rhythm of the fight, a simple but still intense spar, and her mind had slipped into the same state it did when she meditated. It was as if everything suddenly clicked into place; she could sense everyone in the area, knew what Surge was about to do, and warm power flooded her limbs enough for her to literally throw the giant man clear over her shoulder and nearly two yards away.
After the initial shock, Surge had given her a downright feral grin that was more teeth than anything, and demanded that she do 'whatever that was' as often as possible. Then he'd called Bruno, who only needed to be told that during the throw Ash's body had been covered in a faint blue light to know that it had been aura. The word felt right to Ash, so she took it in stride as instructions for further training were given.
She stayed in Vermilion another week, but as the days passed she became increasingly aware of the travel time slipping away from her. If Alto was evolved, it wouldn't be as big of an issue, but since her current transportation was just her own feet, she couldn't take too much time off from her journey. In fact, she'd have to hurry to stay on track.
Surge understood, and spent their last two days together drilling his expertise on Electric types into her brain. She'd told him about her plan for Pikachu, with Magnet Rise, and after chuckling darkly in approval, he helped her with the details and putting together a training routine to accomplish it.
Ash was a little reluctant to leave, if only because Surge was the first person to take such a hands-on approach to teach her like… well, a father would. A very gruff, electrical, giant maniac of a father. She kept that thought to herself, even when the man swiped her PokeDex to save his contact information "just in case any trouble popped up" that she couldn't handle on her own. It was touching, enough so that she ignored the fact that Surge nearly knocked her over ruffling her hair one last time before he saw her off.
Waving, she wasted no time in booking it out of the city and onto Route 8. Since her original plans had been scrapped by the SS Anne incident, she'd had to map out her new one. Celadon Gym was her next goal, then Fuchsia, then Saffron, then Cinnabar, and then Kanto's strongest Gym, Viridian. With Houndour trotting beside her, Pikachu and Charmander alert on her shoulders, she focused on the road ahead. It would take her at least three days to reach Celadon City, and she needed to re-think her strategy for the Grass-type Gym because her team had grown in leaps and bounds from the 24/7 training with Surge.
Houndour was going to be her main player for this challenge. He'd learned and mastered Flamethrower and Dark Pulse the past two weeks, giving him three Fire, one Poison, one Fighting, and three Dark type moves to work with. His speed and strength were great, his stamina even better, so she'd be sending him in first.
As the Gym Leader, Erika, always did three-on-three battles, she'd debated quite a bit over her other two choices. In the end it came down to Alto and Titania. Alto was blindingly fast in the air, and a shockingly heavy hitter. She was agile, and her move set (which now included Moonblast) would enable her to keep her distance if necessary. And Titania was her strongest, most accurate, most flexible Pokemon. With so many long-range moves, having added Shadow Ball to her repertoire, and a mastery of Protect, she could take down whatever Pokemon were left by the time she got on the field.
The only one on her team with a type advantage was Houndour, but if she played her cards right it hardly mattered.
Choices made, Ash enjoyed being back on the road, letting her entire team out once they were on their own. She hadn't been able to spend much time with them while Surge was training her, so now she made sure to give each of her precious friends some long-overdue attention and care as they traveled. Much to her joy, one day out from Celadon Houndour evolved into a magnificent and massive Houndoom.
He'd just beaten another trainer's Growlithe, the battle having proven just enough to kick his evolution into gear. Now standing five foot at the shoulder, curved horns jutting proudly out of his skull, he howled his victory, newly lengthened tail whipping around him. He was the third of her Pokemon to evolve, and it had been long enough that Ash had pretty much forgotten the sense of awe and joy that came with it.
But he was still her goofy, cuddly buddy. Only now he tried to hide it when they were battling, tossing his head and snarling at his opponents to make himself more intimidating. And then as soon as the battle was over, he'd dart over to his trainer and jump at her in search of praise and affection.
XxXxX
"Ashka! By Xerneas, it's been way too long! How long had your hair been cut short? It's super cute!"
Unable and unwilling to stop the smile spreading across her face, Ash let out a soft laugh. Thankful that Celadon's Pokemon Center had video phones in the available rooms for the trainers' privacy, she took in the changes in her friend's appearance, noting with fondness that the years hadn't dimmed her smile any.
"I know, I'm sorry. I don't have one of those fancy cell phones or anything, so I can only make calls from Pokemon Centers. And it's been a few years, I just didn't have the patience to keep up with long hair. Looks like yours is even longer than before! How've you been?"
Losing herself to the conversation, Ash relaxed even more now that she'd finally been able to contact Serena. After weeks of digging, Daisy had finally managed to procure a phone number, only giving it to her after thoroughly scolding Ash about the danger she'd ended up in. Apparently Gary had freaked when they'd been separated on the SS Anne, and while he hadn't been able to stick around Vermilion due to Samuel's Alakazam Teleporting him back home for a few days, he'd been a little frantic trying to confirm that she was indeed alright. But the lecture and extracted promises of excess caution were worth getting to speak to the one person she'd been anxious to talk to.
Serena had really grown up since that summer camp, much more outgoing and no longer afraid of Pokemon. Her mom was training her in Ryhorn racing, but the honey-blonde really didn't want to pursue that career. She wanted to travel, and find her own dream, but Grace wouldn't hear of it until she was at least fifteen.
Ash had to focus on breathing normally at the familiar situation, but managed to offer her friend a smile. She couldn't suggest running away, refused to encourage bridge-burning, but she could support Serena in other ways. "Hang in there. But hey, if you have five extra years to prepare, nothing should be a problem for you. You can take the time to figure out what starter you want, and research stuff around Kalos for ideas when you are able to go on your journey."
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we can travel together by then!"
"We could! My 'big' plan is to do all the League Challenges, you know, use some of the money I earn in each region to get to the next. If I follow the League schedule－they stagger the conferences throughout the year, so I mean using that order－I should be on to Kalos in five years."
"That's perfect! Mom would be happier if I went with a friend too, and since you'll be so experienced by then it'll be like having a pro journey guide! So what's your team, so far? I don't really know much about Kanto-native Pokemon, are they cute?"
Laughing at Serena's eagerness, Ash called over her team one by one to introduce them, showing them off and telling her friend about each of them. Serena was very vocal in her approval of all of them, praising Charmander for his 'excellent coaching skills' and announcing her wish of also getting a Sylveon one day. Titania preened at that, vain little thing. Soon enough, Ash was giving Serena the rundown of everything that had happened so far on her journey… Even the fight with her mother, the SS Anne, and discovering her aura.
Serena was horrified to learn of the painful and frightening experiences, but was quick to assure Ash that she was a good person and was going to be an incredible Pokemon Master someday.
Something in Ash's chest loosened, letting her breathe easy. Still, she was pretty much done with the topic, so Serena asked about her badge count.
"I just got the Rainbow Badge this afternoon," Ash reported with mock seriousness. "Houndoom, Alto, and Titania were amazing, they've worked so hard and really showed that in their battles. Erika was impressed. I'm super proud of them. We're heading for Fuchsia City next, I was thinking of checking out the Safari Zone, too."
"Congrats, Ash! Man, I can't wait till you get here, the next five years are gonna drive me crazy… I can't get a starter unless I'm going to journey within six months…"
Tilting her head thoughtfully, Ash weighed a few ideas. "You know, I can always ask Professor Oak to transfer a Pokemon to Kalos' Pokemon Professor. You can still take the license exam even if you don't go on a journey immediately, so I could gift you a Pokemon for you to raise at home."
"Are you for real?! Do you know what you're saying, ohh, you're the absolute best, Ash! I love you! I'll do it, I'll take the exam, I'll love whatever Pokemon you send, oh my－"
Ash just laughed as her friend practically fell over herself in excitement. She really should have found Serena's number sooner.