"Ash! Ash, look, the eggs are glowing!"

Pulling herself away from helping Serena look up some basic move pools for her Pokemon, Ash let May drag her over to Titania's nest, absently burying her fingers in Alto's feathers. May's voice had gotten everyone's attention, and now it was clear to see that this was the moment they'd all been waiting for.

The light pulsed, brighter and brighter each time. With four eggs, soon it was too bright to look at, so Ash instead extended her aura senses, excited as four small auras flared. There were loud cracking sounds, and a moment later the light faded, revealing four little Eevee kits snuggled up to Titania's side.

As planned earlier, right after dinner, everyone came forward in groups to meet the new babies and congratulate Titania and Oberon. The kits were friendly and playful, immediately bouncing around after memorizing their parents' scents and faces. Ash noted that the one that hatched from the egg May had gotten attached to (she was able to tell because of the little Eevee's aura signature) began following the girl around, trying to get her to snuggle with it. A quick glance to the side showed that Max had also bonded with one of them, the kit sprawled in his lap and purring up a storm. Both of those kits' auras were flaring with happiness, already mingling with their chosen humans. The other two were prancing between the rest of the humans and Pokemon.

"Ne, Mr. Maple－"

"Just Norman is fine, Ash," he stopped her with a grin. "That makes me feel old."

Giggling at that, she continued, briefly checking to make sure the kids weren't listening. "Titania, Oberon and I talked this over yesterday… It's not possible for us to keep all four of the Eevee, but they trust May and Max, and think highly of them. If it's okay with you, I'd like to let them pick one of the Eevee to keep. I figure a good, solid Normal type would be acceptable to you," she added with a slight note of teasing. "And Eevee are sturdy, easy to care for Pokemon for beginners, despite being rare."

As Caroline gaped at her, Norman considered it, searching her eyes. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it, because he finally nodded. "If you've already agreed on this with your Pokemon, I don't have any reason to say no. You've actually been a big help to us, with May especially. She's never been enthusiastic about Pokemon, until you gave her that little talk. She told us about it last night," he explained. "I'm grateful you've been so accommodating to my children, and us."

"They're good kids," Ash shrugged, and then called both over. They were both carrying the Eevee carefully, and the kits were content just being with them. "Do you like those Eevee?"

May nodded, cuddling the one in her arms, her blue eyes bright with happiness. "This one is super sweet, and has such soft fur!" A quick pulse of aura confirmed to Ash that they had bonded, something that she'd found was pretty rare among those who couldn't use aura.

"This Eevee is great too," Max said, giggling when the Eevee reared up to lick his cheek affectionately. Another aura pulse showed their bond already forming, as well. "It's so friendly!"

"Would you like to keep them?"

The siblings' eyes bugged out, jaws dropping as they looked from their Eevee, to Ash, and back and forth several times.

"You mean it?" May whispered. "You really mean it?"

Ash smiled softly. "I do. Your dad already approved it, are those the Eevee you want?"

Both of them nodded, speechless but overflowing with joy. In a few moments, Ash knew, they wouldn't be able to contain themselves, but she didn't mind. As she'd told Norman, they were good kids, and she knew they would make great trainers one day.

XxXxX

Samuel Oak was by no means a cruel man. He knew very well that sometimes, people had been pushed farther than they could take, and sometimes snapped. He also knew Delia Ketchum very well, and that her husband's actions had hurt her badly.

They had also hurt Ashka badly. When he found out what the woman had said to her only daughter, he'd been furious. Yes, Delia had been frightened, hurt, upset and not ready to let go of her child, but that did not give her the right to hurt Ashka in turn. Those few words had left Ashka wary of others, lonely and unable to grasp the concept of trust. It was as bad as it had been when her father had first walked out, if not worse, because it came from the only parent she had left.

He'd been so happy that over the course of the year Ashka had healed, had made some more friends and learned to open up. Why, she'd even progressed to being able to interact as a mentor of sorts! The Maple children looked up to her, and her group of friends very much, and it made him proud.

The message he received later that night, hesitant and sometimes inaudible or just tears, was hard on him. He cared for Delia like he had for his own children, and he cared for Ashka as he did for his grandchildren. And despite what happened, they both cared for each other, and both were hurting and wanting to go back to how things were.

He just wasn't sure if they could.

XxXxX

"Iron Tail," Ash called out to her starter, her keen eyes seeing that Cloyster's Withdraw wasn't effectively trained; the silver glow was only on the outermost layer of the Pokemon's shell, none inside. Like she suspected, Pikachu's attack easily overpowered the defensive move, and he finished it off with a Thunderbolt that knocked Cloyster unconscious. Landing on the ice carefully, Pikachu grinned, excited at this battle being his turn to sweep their opponent.

"Ugh, Cloyster, return!" Pete's eyebrows furrowed as he put Cloyster's Pokeball back on his belt, a little shaken by how quickly his first two Pokemon had been taken out, and with such ease.

"Ketchum's Pikachu smashed right through Cloyster's defense," the announcer exclaimed. "Now, with just one Pokemon left, will Pebbleman choose an Ice type or a Water type?"

"Go, Arcanine!"

Pikachu looked back at his trainer, expression clearly saying 'really? Is he for real?'. Ash just shrugged as the massive Fire type materialized on the ice, body heat already causing the ice beneath its feet to melt and jeopardizing its footing.

"And a big surprise! Pebbleman's chosen Arcanine, a Fire Pokemon!"

"Prep Grass Knot," Ash instructed, causing Pikachu to smirk and start to focus the Grass type energy. Like they'd practiced, he began to summon Grass Knots all over the battlefield, lurking just below the surface of the ice. The only reason she knew where they were was because she could sense the higher aura levels of the move among the 'background noise' of the ice. "Out-speed it if necessary, Discharge when able. Don't get hit."

When Pikachu made no move, Pete threw out his arm. "Arcanine, show them your Dragon Rage attack!"

Arceus, you'd think these guys would realize that it doesn't help them to pretend like their acting out a movie, Ash thought with slight huff. Her opponents kept wasting their own time with unnecessary words and simple moves that didn't account for counterattacks.

Arcanine didn't even use the speed its kind were famous for, instead running at an easy lope while it charged up its attack. It was slow, probably only recently learned, maybe even during the competition via TM. It didn't have a solid grasp on the Dragon type energy, and it was easy prey for Grass Knot.

Grass Knot raised around two of Arcanine's paws, sending the large Pokemon tail-over-paws. Seeing his chance, Pikachu lunged, slipping into Agility and a sustained Quick Attack to seemingly vanish from his icy platform and reappear on top of the stunned Arcanine, whose Dragon Rage had fizzled out.

"Pika," her starter squeaked cheerfully, right before blasting Arcanine with a few hundred thousand volts of electricity. Lightning crackled alongside booming thunder, a pillar of light blinding the stadium for a brief second before Pikachu ended the attack, his opponent fainted and still melting the ice beneath it.

"Arcanine has been eliminated!" The referee declared, and Ash thought that just maybe the man sounded amused. It had been the shortest match of the day… "The victory goes to trainer Ashka Ketchum!"

Pikachu gave a happy cry, using his unbelievable speed to 'appear' on her shoulder, then climbed to her head to wave at the cheering crowd. Beaming, she snatched him back down to hug, murmuring praises for his hard work to him. He trilled back, just as pleased as she was. So far, so good, three rounds of perfect wins. Next up was her final preliminary round, on the grass field, which she had to win to proceed. Already planning the three Pokemon she would register, it took her a moment to find her group. The Oaks, Calem, and Max had gone to watch Gary's match, so it was smaller than she realized.

"Congrats, Ashy," Serena said just before throwing herself at the shorter girl. Ash spun them to prevent falling, Pikachu opting to leap to the safety of Misty's arms.

"Nice win, Pikachu's improved a lot since you battled me," Brock nodded at her. "So, what Pokemon are you registering for your next match? Even if you only end up needed one."

Smirking slightly at that, Ash took a moment to consider. "Well, even though he just battled, Pikachu is a given; he's got a really good move set that will work well on the grass field, and he's nowhere near tired yet. But for the rest I'll have Houndoom, and Alto. I think I'll try to save Alto for the main competition, though, she and Titania are sort of my hidden aces. So, it's Houndoom's time to shine."

"His sheer size is a good intimidation factor," Norman agreed as they headed for the grass field, the group discussing Ash's matches so far and the jump in skill to expect once the preliminaries ended. A few minutes out from the grass field, Ash split off to register her chosen Pokemon and head to the waiting area for trainers. Giving Pikachu a Poffin to give him a boost just in case, Ash checked her PokeNav.

Gary had won his match, and his next was practically right afterwards, so they'd meet up later. Mentally wishing him luck, she scrolled through her messages. Samuel wanted to talk about something later that night, Surge told her to keep up her perfect winning streak, Serena wished her good luck on her last match, and Lance told her to remember to rest properly once her last match was over. Sending back a round of 'thank you's to the well wishers, she briefly wondered what Samuel wanted to talk about, but soon enough shelved the thought and made her way up for her match.

Her opponent, Jeanette Fisher, was a crowd favorite, even though Ash could hear her own name being chanted in the stands as well. Filtering out the excess noise, she waited for the call to start the battle.

"Our next trainers are coming onto the grass field for the fourth round," the announcer's voice blared throughout the stadium. "The Green trainer is Pallet Town's Ashka Ketchum! And now, the Red trainer is coming out onto the field!"

Ash blinked as a red carpet was unrolled from the opposite entrance, and then mentally groaned. Why couldn't she get normal opponents? First the magician guy, now this dramatic entrance? In with a bang, out with a bang, her mind offered, but the only solace that gave was the thought of beating this girl as thoroughly as she had Mandy.

When the girl entered, looking mild and dressed up in a formal kimono, with an assistant showering her with flower petals, Ash decided to vent her frustrations gathered from days of being trapped in the large crowds properly. With fire.

"Jeanette Fisher from Crimson City!" The announcer shouted.

"I am honored," Jeanette stated. Ash just inclined her head to acknowledge it, and fought the urge to roll her eyes at the cheering squad behind her. At least Gary had decided against getting his own, she didn't think she could tolerate his ego otherwise.

"It looks like our opponents are ready to face off!"

"Trainers, go!" The referee raised his flags to signal the start of the match. Both girls threw out Pokeballs at the same time, with one Pokemon quickly recognized at the real threat.

Houndoom let out a deafening roar, spitting a cloud of Embers just for show. Jeanette's Beedrill looked decidedly nervous at its opponent's respectable height of nearly six feet－he'd grown since his evolution. Seeing the expression on Jeanette's face, Ash held in her laugh.

This would be fun.

XxXxX

"And Jeannette is doomed," Serena declared, earning a few chuckles from her group. "Apparently she's a self-proclaimed Grass type specialist."

Brock winced in sympathy, but kept his eyes on the field. Ash and her team had really grown in leaps and bounds since they'd split off in their travels, and so far she'd proven leagues above her opponents in skill and power. There was no doubt the gap would close once she rose higher in the tournament, but at the moment she was making quite the impression.

He did wonder just how much of her growth had been forced by her numerous near-death encounters, but the fact that she had survived them spoke volumes of her will and dedication. So he watched this last match closely.

"Beedrill, Tackle attack!"

Alright, so this Jeannette's strategy needed… work. Even though her beauty was perfect.

Despite the microphones placed in the trainer boxes, so far Ash had been speaking lowly enough that the spectators couldn't make out her commands. This held true, but the result was clear. Houndoom let the Beedrill get close, and then twisted around its body at the last possible second to chomp down on Beedrill's wing and back with a devastating Fire Fang.

"Houndoom is really good," Misty noted. "He's so fast, even though he's huge!"

Serena agreed. "Yeah. He also has a lot of tricks to use, though I don't think Ashy will show them here. He's got a really huge move set."

As Brock watched the Fire/Dark type use a Foul Play that knocked out Beedrill within seconds, he reminded himself to ask Ash just how she trained her Pokemon. And maybe ask to see her PokeDex, he was curious about the move sets of all her Pokemon.

"Beedrill is out of the match!"

"Alright Ash!" Serena cheered. "Keep it up! Go Houndoom!"

For such a quiet-seeming girl, she sure does cheer loud, Brock thought, amused, but sharing the sentiment.

"This one won't be so easy!" Jeannette snapped. "Go, Scyther!"

Even from this distance, Brock could see that her Scyther wasn't exactly at its prime. Young, a little ungainly, it probably hadn't had the time to build up its muscles for speed or power. It was likely strong enough naturally that she didn't realize it was no match for someone of Ash's skill level.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Scyther, use your Slash attack now!"

For once, Ash's voice was audible through the speakers, and Brock winced at the command.

"Counter."

Scyther was going too fast to stop itself, and Houndoom took the blow head on with a slight sheen to his body, and the force was returned with twice the damage. Scyther shrieked as it was sent flying back, landing heavily on one of its wings.

Again, Ash's voice could be heard. "Flamethrower."

Houndoom opened his mouth and released a very narrow, very hot stream of fire at Scyther, with perfect accuracy. Houndoom cut off his attack a few seconds later and Jeannette quickly recalled her fainted Pokemon.

"The Scyther has been defeated," the referee announced.

"Jeannette's down to her last Pokemon as she's forced to play catch-up with Ketchum!" The announcer crowed, hyping up the crowd.

Jeannette seemed to be losing her composure, flinging out her last Pokeball with much more force than her previous two. "Go Bellsprout!"

"Uh-oh. She should just forfeit now," Serena said with great concern.

"Why?" Grace turned to her daughter, an eyebrow raised.

"Because Houndoom hates Bellsprout."

As if on cue, Houndoom let out a furious screech, snarling at his opponent. Bellsprout faltered at the sudden aggression, glancing back at its trainer uncertainly, but it held its ground.

"This looks like a desperation move by young Fisher," the announcer noted in surprise.

"Bellsprout, get ready!"

"Restrain yourself, Houndoom. Hide in plain sight, then you can play grimy and heat things up."

Ash's words caused a confused murmur to sweep through the crowd, at least until the battle resumed. When Bellsprout didn't move, Houndoom bared his teeth before spitting out a thick Smog, covering the battlefield, and suddenly it made sense. Bellsprout let out a startled cry as the field was covered by the Smog. Well, at least up to Bellsprout's height, Houndoom still loomed above the poisonous clouds. And then he lunged forwards to deliver a Foul Play and end the match with an Ember that ignited the Smog.

When the burst of flames died down a few seconds later, Bellsprout was unconscious, and Houndoom looked overly pleased.

"Bellsprout is out of the match, and the fourth round victory goes to Green trainer Ashka Ketchum!"

Jeanette returned her Bellsprout to relieve its pain from the obvious burns, turning on her heel to walk out of the stadium clutching the Pokeball to her chest. Ash raised her hand to accept the cheers, then leaped over the railing of her still-elevated trainer box only to be tackled by a happy Houndoom, his tail wagging rapidly as he licked her face.

Brock silently went over the match again as he clapped for Ash's win. Her battling style was becoming clear; speed, accuracy, and not giving her opponent a chance to actually attack. Of course, Ash didn't slack on strength, defense, or stamina, but it hadn't yet been needed. She planned ahead to overwhelm her opponents quickly and efficiently, and if Serena was to be believed had given her Pokemon a wide variety of moves to control the flow of battle. She was also creative, as that improvised 'bomb' proved. But she was also holding her cards close, only displaying a few moves for each of the four Pokemon she'd revealed. A smart strategy.

Her upcoming matches would no doubt show just how skilled she was.

XxXxX

"I told you she'd be the one to watch," Bugsy said with a smile as he entered the lounge where the Kanto Gym Leaders were going over the day's matches. On the screen showed the last few seconds of Ashka's final match, and the Bug type specialist eyed the Houndoom shown approvingly. "I see she's raised Houndoom even better than I'd expected."

"That thing's a beast," Surge grunted, eyes eager as he continued. "And the runt owes me a rematch."

Lance shook his head, although he was smiling too. Ashka had truly dominated her matches. While it wasn't a real display of her ability, it spoke of high intelligence and skill to get through the preliminaries as fast as possible while still keeping as many secrets as possible. She had yet to use her Altaria and Sylveon, which would no doubt be nasty surprises for her future opponents where bulky, power-focused Dragon types were common. He was looking forwards to seeing how far Alto had progressed since he last saw her. She was truly a magnificent dragon, and no he was not biased due to her typing or her trainer.

From the way Sabrina smirked at him, she had caught that last part. He scowled and looked back to the screen to watch the following match. So far only a handful of trainers had caught the eyes of the League, but the tournament was far from over. The Top 16 round was coming up after two rest days, which is when the real show would begin.

He grinned, baring the fanged canines common in his clan. He might even get a challenger this year.