Ash had no idea how this happened.

Okay, she had some idea, but… she was in Lance's family's house. Her, some newbie trainer from Pallet Town, was currently in Johto, in Blackthorn City, inside the house that Champion Lance Blackthorn grew up in, talking to his mother.

This… this was something no one could expect, right?

Oberon cackled at her star-struck aura, and without missing a beat she shoved him off the counter where she was helping Lance's mother cook dinner. He used Psychic to catch himself and hover midair, sticking his tongue out at her before levitating himself out the nearby window, most likely to go find Pikachu.

"Your Espeon is so funny," Kaida giggled, tucking a long strand of crimson hair behind her ear. Every move she made was elegant, Ash felt self-conscious just standing next to her, but she was a very kind woman. Lance had clearly gotten his color and charisma from his mother.

"He likes to think so, too," Ash sighed, though she was grinning. "He and my Sylveon were my first Pokemon, so they've known for a long time that they can get away with pretty much anything. Oberon's the only one to use that, though, but my little Queen keeps him in line for the most part."

Titania, appearing as if her title summoned her, trilled with a haughty toss of her head. In two of her ribbons she held Ash's Ocarina, and with the other two she pulled her trainer away from the kitchen and pushed her towards the back door. She pressed the ocarina into Ash's hands and took over cutting up the vegetables Ash had been working on, ribbon wrapped tight around the knife's handle.

Kaida found this both adorable and hilarious. Ash wanted to disagree, but… well, it was.

So she obeyed Titania's clear command and went outside, after apologizing to Kaida about it, and looked around. Alto hummed, and she headed for her dragon, burying her face in her chest fluff, trying to contain herself. She'd been in Blackthorn City for nearly four days now, told that she should take the time to rest and relax while she finished recovering.

As far as the events at the Safari Zone, Ash had managed to stop the Rocket grunts and save the Dratini, albeit at high cost (she'd caught a look at her medical records, this incident had been worse than her injuries from the SS Anne, and they hurt more because this time she was awake for them). Lance had retrieved her things before taking her to Johto, also making sure that Buneary had been properly transferred to her. She'd taken a full day to tell Buneary all about Serena, showing her the few pictures she had, reassuring the Pokemon that as soon as the other girl had her trainer license, she'd find a way to get them together.

After that, though, Lance had been in and out of his house, though he spent a few hours with Ash daily. Their talks ranged from their teams, training methods, mild debates about strategies, and the realities of essentially running a region to things like what they did on their down time, preferred music, and such. Ash found herself thinking of her idol as a possible friend, which was amazing and far easier than she expected. She'd shown him some of the photos she'd taken (his favorite being the one with Oberon chasing Alto back before she evolved), and even taken some new ones with Lance. So Ash was still in a bit of a daze.

She learned a lot about Indigo's Champion, and what struck her the most was that part of the reason he was such a competent Champion at such a young age was that growing up in the Blackthorn clan had put a number of huge responsibilities on his shoulders very early in his childhood. He was apparently the heir of the clan, and he managed the clan as well as both regions of Indigo, all at the age of fourteen. It was a heavy burden that he bore proudly, and she admired that.

She took pride in how he praised Alto, and her care of her dragon. He'd confirmed that it was extremely rare for an Altaria to get so large, and when he'd complimented the glossiness of her feathers, Alto decided that he was now her second-favorite human. Not surprisingly, Charmander followed suit, following the Dragon Master around on several occasions.

When Lance had asked why Charmander didn't battle, the feelings of grief and rage that she'd thought she'd moved past came bubbling up again.

"His first trainer," she'd said through gritted teeth, "was abusive, to the point that Charmander sustained injuries that could prove fatal if he ever evolved. Charmander agreed to come with me after that bastard abandoned him, but we made sure Officer Jenny got to Damien first."

One look at Lance's face had showed that he understood her sentiments on the matter. Ash had the feeling that Damien would be receiving Karma like a sucker punch to the sternum, courtesy of a teen that could probably break him in half with little effort.

"Ah, there you are." The voice drew her from her thoughts, and she peeled her face away from Alto's feathers as Lance walked over. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she replied with a small smile even as Alto arched her long neck to inspect her hands, nudging at the ocarina. "Titania kicked me out of the kitchen, though."

Chuckling, Lance shook his head at the mental image, eyes following Alto's movement to land on the instrument in her hold. His golden eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You play?"

"Just a little. I only know a couple songs, but my teams likes the sound, so I try to play them pretty often. It's been a few weeks since the last time, though." Which was probably why Titania had bullied her out of the kitchen, now that she thought about it.

Without another thought, she brought the ocarina to her lips, knowing that as soon as the first few notes reached their ears, the rest of the team would come running (or Teleporting, in Oberon's case). Her fingers automatically moved to play Lugia's song, and Alto sank to the ground, relaxing as the familiar melody spilled into the air. After a few moments, she joined in with her voice, creating a harmony on the spot.

Pikachu skidded to a halt a few feet away, Oberon flopping to the ground beside him even as Houndoom trotted over with Charmander on his back. Ash knew Titania was listening through the kitchen window. So she played, eventually transitioning into Oracion. By then, several dragons had wandered over to listen, and other Blackthorn clan members, but Ash found herself lost in the songs again.

Every time she played, she felt the echo of power in those melodies, and it soothed her.

XxXxX

Lance was pretty sure he was fucked.

He'd been interested in Ash, ever since Bugsy had emailed him about her, glad to have a name for her when Surge explained why he'd had one of his Gym trainers taking care of all challengers for those two weeks after she'd been released from the hospital, in the aftermath of the SS Anne tragedy. He'd been concerned, but when she resumed her journey he'd gone back to mild curiosity.

Or so he'd thought, but apparently he'd been wrong. When he'd realized that the girl covered in blood was actually the same Ashka Ketchum he'd been keeping an ear out for word on, he'd never felt so… well, furious at the Rockets, for one. He'd never felt the urge to stay close by to someone before, not even his cousin Claire, who was arguably an extension of himself by this point (they were closer to twins than cousins, really). And this, this strange warmth and being pleased every time Ash willingly spoke to him?

He refused to call it a crush. He was interested, that was all.

(Who was he kidding, he was head over heels for this spiky-haired trainer with cute odd birthmarks and a love for traveling, this girl who was a brilliant strategist and loved Pokemon, this girl who for some inexplicable reason all the dragons he knew adored, this girl who would probably someday beat him in a Pokemon battle and by Lugia and Ho-oh, he couldn't wait).

Now if he could just get Claire to stop trying to tell his mother that Ash should marry into the clan, he'd be able to handle this.

XxXxX

Augustine Sycamore was a bit eccentric, and that was something Ash spotted within ten minutes of being in the same room. It was something Oberon appreciated, the mischievous Espeon charming the Kalosian professor in a matter of seconds, and something that seemed to annoy Lance. It took Ash a long moment to recognize what the look in his eyes was.

"Lance… are you jealous that Oberon liked Professor Sycamore faster than he liked you?"

The redhead scoffed, which was as good as admitting it, and when Ash caught Oberon's smirk, she realized the brat had intended to get that sort of response. For what reason, she'd likely never know, but she made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the prankster. Who knew what he was up to.

It turned out that Sycamore had recently rescued a Gible, and was asking the Blackthorn clan for advice on raising it. He'd also been accompanied by a small blue frog-like Pokemon that Ash's PokeDex registered as a Froakie, one of the traditional Kalos starter Pokemon. He was an aloof little thing, and apparently he had a habit of abandoning the trainers that chose him. Sycamore seemed to think he just didn't like trainers, but Ash told him straight up that he was wrong.

"It's not that he doesn't want a trainer. If he didn't, he wouldn't be so interested in all the training grounds here. He's been following a lot of the stronger trainers around to watch how they train, and then he sneaks off to practice on his own－he wants to get stronger, so he's looking for a trainer that can help him do that with the most efficiency. What he wants is experience, and that's just not something most newbie trainers can give," she explained, never once looking up from her notebook as she jotted down her plan of action for fighting Sabrina, PokeDex on the table in front of her with all the information she had on the woman and her Pokemon displayed on the screen. That was why she missed Froakie nearly falling off Sycamore's shoulder in shock at being 'outed', and the way the professor looked at Lance, eyebrows raised.

Then Froakie started following her around, watching with rapt attention whenever she trained her team. Sycamore had taken to watching those sessions as well, and the day before he was to leave, he stepped onto the porch she was sitting on and dropped a Pokeball in her lap. When she looked up, baffled, he grinned at her.

"I think you have what Froakie is looking for," he told her with a shrug, motioning to the yard where the little Water type was practicing Bubble using Oberon's multiple Protects as targets. Froakie was focused, but he also looked like he was having fun, and Alto chirped out encouragement and advice every now and then.

"You sure?"

"One hundred percent," the professor nodded, eyes bright. "I already asked Froakie, anyways. He would rather stay with you."

Chest warming at that, Ash looked at the man for a moment, considering. Then she nodded to herself. "Professor, one of my best friends lives in Kalos. She's not allowed to go on her journey until she's fifteen, but she's taking the license exam soon, and to help her get a little experience before she's allowed to travel, I recently acquired a Pokemon that is already excited to meet her. Would you mind taking it with you and looking after it for her until she can pick it up?"

"Marvelous! You have a lucky friend! I'd be happy to, what Pokemon?"

Ash pulled the Love Ball out of her pocket; she'd gotten it a while back, and had chosen to transfer Buneary to it because Serena was both a huge fan of pink and hearts. "A shiny Buneary," she informed him with a slight smile, handing over the Pokeball. "You can study her if you like while you have her."

Sycamore took it gently, clearly delighted with its contents and the permission she'd just given him. "You certainly know how to charm a scientist, Mademoiselle! I promise, Buneary will be well-cared for, and safely given to your friend. What is her name?"

"Ah, Serena Yvonne. She lives in Vaniville Town, her mom's a Ryhorn racer. I'll let her know you have Buneary once she gets her license, I'm sure she'll convince her mom to take her to Lumiose ASAP after she finds out."

"One's first Pokemon is quite the motivation," he agreed, amused.

Secure in the knowledge that Serena would be getting Buneary fairly soon, Ash spent the rest of the day getting to know Froakie. He was an honorable fighter, and enjoyed training more than most Pokemon would. He preferred to be productive, but wasn't averse to having fun－so long as he could hone his skills while doing so (Poke Tag became his favorite training game, for the challenge his new teammates presented in their advanced skill sets). He took to her training methods like a bird to the air.

Her new Pokemon revived the urge to get out and get back to her journey, and it had been two weeks since she'd done any traveling. After only having traveled for less than two weeks before that, she was more than ready to get back to collecting badges. Fortunately, Lance understood that.

"I'm actually out of vacation time," he admitted from his spot on the foot of the bed as she went over her equipment to pack. "I'll take you to Saffron, and then I need to get back to Indigo Plateau. Oh, and take this." He handed her a plain box. "A friend of mine gave me two of them to test run for him, but they're not prototypes, they just haven't been released to the general public yet. I've already programmed my contact information into it, so feel free to send me a message whenever."

Ash stared at the logo of the Devon Corporation for a minutes before lifting her gaze, eyebrows to her hairline. "This thing is probably worth more money than me." Quickly continuing when she saw the look on his face at the comment, she picked up the dark blue device. "Thank you, though, really. What can it do?"

"It's capable of normal and video calls, can take photos, has email and an instant messaging feature, a fully functional GPS system as well as normal maps, and there are several applications related to monitoring different information about your Pokemon. When they're released for purchase, you'll be able to download other apps. I think Steven mentioned there will be a database of trainer profiles, at least for Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and Champions."

So basically, this was the ultimate companion to a PokeDex. Lance laughed when she said as much, pleased that she liked it. Slipping it into her vest pocket opposite the one she normally kept her PokeDex in, she promised to take care of it and that yes, she would message him whenever. She took that as a sort of confirmation of their friendship.

After saying their goodbyes to the clan (Kaida told Ash she was welcome to come visit any time), Lance hauled her up onto his Dragonite's back, holding her in place in front of him. Dragonite was much faster than Alto, and since they were on a bit of a time crunch, it just made sense to double up. That didn't stop the weird, warm tingling Ash felt everywhere her back had contact with his chest. She ignored it in favor of making sure Pikachu was securely tucked into the top of her pack, strapped to her front for the trip. She had lots of practice with ignoring things.

In the end she was too distracted by the thrill of the sheer speed they were flying at. She'd known that Dragonite were practically the fastest flying Pokemon known to humans, but being aboard for the ride was something entirely different. It barely took the a half hour to cross over to Kanto, and from there only one for them to see Saffron City in the distance. The winds were too loud for them to talk, but knowing that she'd be able to message Lance, Ash didn't mind the lack of conversation. He dropped her off just outside the city, a wise move considering who he was. She'd rather not get torn apart by fans.

"Thanks for the ride," she smiled, patting Dragonite's side. The large dragon reached out to gently pat her head in return, and Lance nodded.

"Good luck with your battles. You still have… about six months left, if I'm not mistaken, to gather the rest. I expect to see you at the conference, Ashka."

With that, he was gone, and she waved as Dragonite vanished into the sky. It was still relatively early in the morning, so she went to check in at Saffron's Pokemon Center first. She handed her Pokeballs over to Nurse Joy to check over, Pikachu hopping onto the trolley, and settled down in the lobby to wait. Busying herself with transferring the contacts she had saved to her new PokeNav, Ash debated making a call or two, but eventually decided against calling the Oaks. It was still early. The only person she could call would be Serena, as the time difference would make it late afternoon in Kalos.

Seeing no reason not to, she hit the call button and waited. After a few seconds, Serena appeared on the small screen, confusion melting away when she saw who was calling.

"Ashka! How're you?"

"Good, just got to Saffron. How's your racing training?"

Making a face, Serena groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me. It's not like I hate racing, I just… don't love it. Mom's upped the hours I train per week in exchange for letting me take the exam…"

"Have you taken it yet?"

"I did!" Despite the screen's small size, it was easy for Ash to see the happiness on the other girl's face. "Now I just have to wait to see how I did, I think they said it would take a couple weeks for the tests to be graded and the results sent out."

Ash smiled, excited for the day she would tell her friend about Buneary. "I'm sure you did great."

They chatted for a while, and Ash told her that this number was permanent (she was lucky the Pokemon Center was practically empty at eight in the morning, because Serena flipped the fuck out upon learning the events since their last call) so they could now talk wherever Ash happened to be. Messaging, too, as Serena had a tablet with a compatible app.

"I'm gonna have a heart attack if you keep getting into trouble, Ashy," Serena warned her. "You'd better check in every day so I don't worry so much about you, even though you need it."

"Okay, Ser," Ash sighed, though she was looking forwards to having regular contact with her friend. Hearing the familiar bell that signaled Nurse Joy's completion of a checkup, she got up. "I'll let you know how my match goes, but I need to train a bit first. Later."

"Later, good luck!"

Hanging up, Ash retrieved her team and headed out to the training area. She honestly wasn't sure about Saffron City's Gym Leader, because hardly anyone ever won the Marsh Badge, and those who did didn't talk about Sabrina afterwards. She only really had information about her from a few League exhibition matches, and it was all but official that she was a powerful human psychic.

Ash was willing to bet that she would be facing psychic bonds in this Gym match, and planned accordingly. Psychic bonds meant no warning when it came to attacks, so she'd have to be careful. While the concept was one she had been wanting to work on with Oberon, he wasn't ready to combine such a high level skill with active battling. It took an extremely experienced Pokemon to split their focus in such a way, even aided by having a trainer who had psychic abilities of their own.

Oberon would definitely be battling, though. He'd be able to fight off psychic attacks and unlike most Psychic type Pokemon he wasn't physically frail, so he had a slight advantage there. She'd send him out first, and hopefully he'd be able to take out more than one opponent.

Houndoom would be next. His Dark typing would protect him from the worst of the damage, and she'd trained him to mix his Dark type energy with his fire attacks. In theory, it would prevent Psychic types from shielding themselves from the flames, but she'd never had the chance to test it. If it came down to it, Houndoom had physical moves, and he could coat his own body in Dark and Fire type energy.

Her third would be Pikachu, because the bright lights and loud sounds of his electricity would disrupt the necessary focus of any psychic in the area. Add that to his speed, and he would be able to dart in and land multiple attacks before retreating and then repeating as needed.

Most Gyms preferred three-on-three battles, but if Sabrina decided otherwise, Ash would send out Titania, Alto, and Froakie in that order. She'd rather not use Froakie just yet though, not against such a powerful opponent. He was improving rapidly but he just wasn't on the same level of the others yet. In a few months and after he'd evolved he'd be a terror on the battlefield, but until then she didn't want to pit him against someone that far above him.

That decided, she put her team to work. They needed to perfect their newest skills before she challenged Sabrina.