The Legend of Leen

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

"There they are. Let's set down here."

A silver, orb-shaped, personal air transport slowed to a hover and came to rest near a bubbling stream in the Sinnoh region. The upward-sliding door to the pod hissed open, and out stepped two figures.

One was a tall, lean man in his early twenties—twenty-one to be exact. He wore casual, traveling clothes: extra-rugged blue jeans, a t-shirt (orange—his favorite color), tennis shoes, and a light jacket. At his side was a shiny, red Pokédex with an older-looking cover but the most up-to-date and groundbreaking software available, along with six Pokéballs attached to a trainer's magnetic belt.

To anyone who didn't know him, he could have appeared to have been a seasoned trainer from any modernized city in the Pokémon World. But he was not, in fact, from the Pokémon World.

Jason Matthews was one of many trainers in recent years who had ventured into the Pokémon Universe through the Real World that existed parallel to this one. While most Real Earth trainers, however, simply had avatars to interact with the digital, Pokémon World through a series of popular video games, Jason and a few of his friends had acquired the technology to digitize themselves and enter this cyber Universe for real.

This technology, of course, had not been of Earth origin.

It had been twelve years since Jason had stumbled across the portal that led him to another planet and the adventure of a lifetime.

Three years ago, that adventure finally came to its climactic conclusion as Jason battled and defeated a sentient space-time distortion that had threatened to become a pan-dimensional consciousness with powers of spatial and temporal manipulation so vast that it could have ripped the fabric of the Universe to shreds.

But that's another story.

Oh, yes, Jason had quite the share of stories he could tell, if anyone would have believed him. He had been chosen by an alien technology to carry the fate of several galaxies, transformed into a variety of animals, gained telekinetic powers, tried exotic foods on alien planets, helped end half a dozen, separate wars, lost comrades and gained friends with more appendages than he had fingers—and toes—, and so much more.

Protectors, his team had called themselves.

And, he had become a Pokémon League legend.

During his travels amongst the stars, scientists working for Ziton, the planet that had sponsored Jason and his band of heroes, had developed a way to send physical beings into the universes interwoven with and dwelling beneath our own.

In the sub-Universe where Pokémon lived, Jason, Nick, and a few others on their team had been graciously welcomed and given the chance to start Pokémon journeys of their own.

Thus, in between battling various intergalactic warlords, Jason would enjoy the more lighthearted challenge of a competitive, Pokémon trainer career.

And although his and Char-Char's start from Pallet Town had been rough, they had eventually become quite good. So good, in fact, that they had won some of the most prestigious tournaments in the Pokémon League. First place in the Silver Conference; Elite Four Challenge Champions of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn; Kanto's Super Tournament, which required a complete Kanto Pokédex for eligibility and whose final rounds featured a battle including all 151 of Kanto's Pokémon; the challenging Ultra League, to name a few.

His was not a face all would recognize as a celebrity—he didn't do many interviews—but on second glance, virtually any trainer who watched the Elite Four matches would recognize him. Jason was known in his early years as a trainer for challenging the Elite Four of various regions with team after team, with each member of his "Top 6" Kanto Pokémon eventually able to take on the combined might of their most powerful Pokémon single-handedly.

These fights, and other big-name tournaments, affiliated with the official Pokémon League or otherwise, had been broadcast on national T.V. Those living on the other side of the globe might not be as aware of him, but almost anyone on the string of islands that included the Kanto-Johto landmass, as well as those in the continental provinces west of the islands, would know his name as well as that of Lance, Steven, or Cynthia.

Perhaps less well-known—but highly appreciated by those who did know him—was the small traveler who hopped down the transport's extending steps at Jason's right.

"Leen!" Squeaked the little golden bird, happy to get some fresh air.

Jason smiled, "Wanna go let them know we're here?"

"Leen!" Leen said happily.

The bird spread his wings and took aloft, his long, Articuno-like tail feathers glistening in the bright, noon sun.

Leen had for years been Jason's ace in the hole. When tournaments allowed it, Jason had utilized the surprise of Leen's rare and powerful elemental type to get the jump on competitors.

Leen had never been in a Pokéball; the bird had chosen to follow Jason after the latter had discovered him—of all places—in the jungles of India on Real World Earth.

How a small colony of these enigmatic Pokémon had come to be found in his world, Jason had no idea. He suspected the answer to be a potential key for unraveling the unsolved mysteries of the Pokémon Universe and its relationship with his own.

And it was those mysteries that had brought him here yet again, almost a year after his previous venture in which a nearly world-ending disaster had been averted.

Again.

Jason sighed. So often, he set out on these journeys for leisure, and they turned into something much bigger, much more dangerous, with much more at stake than he had ever wanted to be responsible for. With his luck, this trip that was supposed to be devoted purely to exploration and research would lead him to uncover some diabolical plot to—but maybe that was destiny's way with him.

Just like it was destiny's way with the young man Jason was on his way to see.

On a picnic table next to the stream sat a boy with ardent eyes gazing across the field at the city not too far in the distance. He had just returned from the Sinnoh League Pokémon Tournament. A trainer that Jason knew held greater promise than any other in the world.

Because his heart is more passionate than any other in the world, Jason thought admiringly.

The grass crunched as Jason and Leen approached, and the boy, 15 now, turned his head.

"Ash," Jason smiled.

Ash's eyes widened, and his face beamed in a grin.

"Jason! Hey, Pikachu, it's Jason!"

"Pika, Pika? Pika! Chu!" Said the little mouse Pokémon who had been napping, resting his head on Ash's lap.

"Hey, Pikachu! Good to see you, buddy!"

"Ka-Chuuu!"

"Leen!"

"Pika!"

The two trainers laughed as Pikachu and Leen tackled each other and began play-wrestling on the ground.

"What're you doin' here?" Ash asked.

"I'm on my way to another adventure," Jason smiled wider, "I wanted to come see you before I left. I watched you in the tournament. You did great!"

"Haha, yeah, I felt pretty good about it. It's never easy to lose, but I know we'll just get better the more we train! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikaaa!"

"Hey, you got in the top 4. That's pretty awesome. You're one of the best trainers out there, definitely better than most people your age. You'll win one soon, I bet. And then you'll just start winning all of them."

"Haha, I hope so. So what's been new with you?"

Jason had made his way over to the table and joined Ash in sitting down, looking across the open plain.

"I'm actually kind of starting a new Pokémon journey," he said, grinning at Ash to see his reaction, "I'm taking Leen to the Nyor region west of Hoenn. Some friends at Silph Co. told me there were some energy readings there and some legendary bird sightings, including one that might have been a Leen. We're going to see if there's any connection to the Leen in my world or if there's any clues on how Leen can evolve."

"Ha, wow, that's awesome! I hope you find out all the stuff you're looking for! I'm fixin' to head off to the Unova region for another journey, too!"

"Really?" Jason marveled, "I've never heard of it. Where is that?"

"On the other side of the world! I looked at the map of your world that you showed me, and it's right where a place called New York would be. That's pretty close to where you live, right?"

"No way! Yeah, it's in the same nation, anyway. That's so cool. I hope you have a great time. Brock and Dawn going with you?"

"Nope. This one's just me and Pikachu again. Starting over."

Jason felt a little disappointed that his friend would be starting off alone. But, then again, you were never alone when you had a friend like Pikachu with you.

"It really is all about making new friends for you, isn't it?" Jason asked.

That's where Ash was different from him. Jason loved having friends, but at this stage of his life, he put more energy into the relationships he had already built. That's why he was relishing this opportunity to spend some time traveling and exploring with some of his oldest Pokémon companions.

Ash grinned broadly. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'd never leave Pikachu behind. I guess without at least one good friend, I'd be pretty lonely. And Pikachu is my best friend, so I can't go wrong! Besides, like you said, I'll be making all sorts of new friends, I bet! And the more friends you have, the better life gets, because bonds between true friends can never be broken!"

Jason couldn't help but smile at Ash's heart.

Definitely one of my favorite people to be around.

"You know, though . . . " Ash turned serious for a moment while somehow still being energetic and lighthearted, "I've been thinking about what you said the last time I saw you. About my motives for training. Do you remember talking about that?"

Jason nodded appreciatively. It had been a great conversation.

"I want my motives to be selfless. And with all the adventures I've been on, I'm starting to see myself as someone who's supposed to protect people and Pokémon. I want it to be about that, not just about getting to the top."

Jason nodded again, smiling. "I think that's great. Just how it should be."

"But," Ash qualified, "I still believe it's my destiny to become a Pokémon Master."

"I do too," Jason agreed, "I've always believed that, from the day I met you. You will be the best. I just hope you'll stay humble."

"Will do," Ash gave a firm nod and an exuberant grin.

"Hey, Ash!" came a voice familiar to both of them, "Who's that with ya?"

Their mutual friend, Brock, and Ash's new companion, Dawn, whom Jason had only met once, came running up. There were handshakes and hugs, and recounting of stories of the trio's adventures in Sinnoh. There was laughter as the group let their Pokémon out to play and catch up together. And then, finally, it was time to say goodbye.

Ash and his group walked Jason and Leen back to their transport pod to see them off.

"It was great seeing you, Jason. You too, Leen," said Ash.

Pikachu and Leen chirped in agreement.

"You too, Ash. Brock. Dawn, really nice to see you again."

"Always a pleasure," said Brock.

"You too!" Dawn smiled, "Have a lot of fun in Nyor. Be safe."

"I will," Jason smiled.

With a few more waves, the group parted ways as the door to the transport slid closed. Soon, Jason was lifting off, waving down one last time from the cockpit, and then maneuvering out of sight as the little airship streaked off toward the west.

Grasslands, forests, mountains, and towns zipped by, and as Jason watched them, he felt a sad longing for a place he could settle down. He passed by the remains of the pyramid where several months before he had done his part in narrowly preventing an apocalypse.

Soon, he crossed the ocean and was nearing the eastern shore of Kanto. Seeing the familiar coastline, his mind changed—as it often did—from wanting to reach his next destination as quickly as possible to deciding to take a little trip of nostalgia.

He slowed the transport and took a couple quick turns for fun around Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. Then, to the west.

Just outside the city, there was his Gym, the Power Gym, Pokémon League certified and run by a staff of trainers and Pokémon during the long stretches of time that he was away. Its Indomitable Spirit Badge, representing Jason's strategy of all-out, max-power attack and fearlessness in the face of opponents' offenses, was still one of the most sought-after by trainers and one of the most rarely obtained, but numerous trainers stayed there for long periods of time to get some top-of-the-line coaching.

Veering south, Jason passed Fuschia City to his left and swooped over Seafoam Islands, where he had captured Freezy, his loyal Articuno, shortly after leaving Fuchsia City with his Soul Badge. Jason hadn't used Freezy much in the beginning, but when Jason had begun to learn the importance of a balanced team in regard to elemental types, Freezy joined his Top 6 and quickly became Jason's number two Pokémon, after Char-Char.

I was so naïve starting off. How in the world did we make it this far, guys?

Jason veered north, with Cinnabar far to the left, where the Missingno crisis had occurred. Jason winced at how foolish he had been and what his greed for quick and easy power, joined with that of other trainers, had almost cost the world.

Next, he passed Pallet Town just off to the left. This was where the journey began. Ash's mom had let Jason and a few of his friends use her house as a home base during their travels. Jason thought about dropping in to see her and Professor Oak, but night was falling and he was itching to get where he was going.

Soon, Viridian City was off to the right, where Joseph Oak, the professor's grandson, Gary's cousin, and Jason's once bitter rival, now led the Viridian Gym, another Gym emphasizing battle strategy rather than a particular elemental type.

Then, ahead, Indigo Plateau, where Jason had spent weeks at a time training to take down the Elite Four. Faces had changed since those days. Lorelai, whose water and ice types had given him so much trouble upon his first arrival that his Pokémon were too worn out to handle what would have been easier battles against Bruno and Agatha, had retired. Jason remembered, embarrassed, how he had traded temporarily for a friend's Venosaur in order to achieve his first few Elite Four victories. Eventually, though, Char-Char had gotten strong enough to handle Lorelai on his own, causing the world to marvel at such a remarkably powerful Fire-type.

Jason steered his ship further to the west and crossed over Mt. Silver, where he and Nick had been declared joint winners of the Silver Conference. The preceding battle had been one of the most ferocious and exciting of both their careers.

Then, Blackthorn City, where Claire, another friend Jason had made a few years back, had her Gym.

Jason's journey through Johto had been a strange set of circumstances. He had been admitted to the Silver Conference years before because of his accomplishments in Kanto, but he had always wanted to challenge the Gym leaders in Johto.

Strangely, a time-traveling fluke having to do with Missingno had placed the journey's actual occurrence right after his journey through Kanto, but he remembered it as having happened only a couple years before the present day. Claire and Professor Elm were the only people from Johto that he had told about it, so the only others from the region who had any knowledge of his having traveled through were the members of the new Pokémon team he had caught there. Many of them were accompanying him on this trip.

The transport carried Jason across another ocean, and there was Hoenn. It was in these waters, at age 17, that Jason had met a Kyogre and captured it to save the region from a torrential rainstorm that had threatened to submerge the islands entirely. He had kept the legendary Pokémon for a short time and then released her upon her request, but first she had given him an egg that had hatched into the male Kyogre that was now a permanent member of his team.

He had not brought the young legendary with him because he was not battle ready, and because he wouldn't enjoy the mountainous geography and arid climate of the Nyor region.

The lights of Sootopolis glimmered up from the sea out of the ancient, hollowed volcano where Jason's summer house resided. He loved that city, with its beautiful courtship between nature and human history. If there were any place in the Pokémon World outside of Pallet Town that he would say felt like home, it would be there.

Jason swooped by the routes where he had caught the members of his two Hoenn teams and reminisced over the places where some of them had evolved. Finally, Hoenn's edge was upon him, and he was above the water again.

Two hours later, Jason saw where the moonlight stopped reflecting off the ocean. There it was. Nyor.

A region purported to be completely untouched by mankind, it was a nature preserve under the jurisdiction and protection of the neighboring country of Ere, further to the west. It was brimming with elemental energies and uncharted corners, and no one had ever set out to explore it. It was completely unknown.

And it would have been highly illegal for Jason to be there, had he not received special permission.

His heart pounded a little as he remembered his conversation with Silvia during the planning time for this trip.

"I know I don't need to say this, and I hate to sound this way, but if you get caught, you are in no way affiliated with Silph, right?"

"Not a problem. I agree that this needs to be done. Arceon brought up questions that need to be answered. I wouldn't be doing this if it was just for Leen, as much as I love him. But this could get us the information we need to prevent something like the A02 and Team Galactic incidents from ever happening again. I've decided I'm totally on board, and none of you will be implicated if Ere finds out I'm there. I was acting on my own, and I'll just get deported and that'll be that."

"You know I don't care about me. It's Stephen I'm worried about."

"I still can't believe he's putting his neck on the line for this."

"Yeah, well, we're keeping that on the DL, remember? If it gets back to me, I was acting on my own."

"Well, hopefully they won't find me. Nyor is a big place, and they aren't even looking."

"Good thing you're as good as you think you are."

Jason had laughed after that, but knew that both of them had left their concern unspoken. It was a dangerous prospect. Some higher-ups in the Ere government had given Jason exclusive permission to research the region, but everyone on Jason's and Silvia's side of the operation had been given the distinct impression that not all the higher-ups knew about it.

Jason wasn't sure if Ere's Prime Minister knew about it.

The implication had been clear: If Ere's intelligence groups found out that Jason was in Nyor, those in the government who had given the go-ahead to the exploration mission would be forced to take action out of self-protection. There would be trouble for Silph Co. and for all of Kanto.

And that was for good reason.

"We're keeping this under wraps, Jason," Silvia had told him at the very beginning, "Nobody knows about this. Nobody."

"And who isn't nobody?"

"Me. Five others. Including . . . ."

"Stephen?"

Stephen Hilks was the new, young, president of Silph who had taken over after the regime change that had taken place following the Arceon incident. He was as good-hearted as he was business savvy and proficient in politics.

"If he knew, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. If he were collaborating with me, that wouldn't surprise me either."

"I'll take that as a 'keep your mouth shut.'"

"Good," she smiled, "Then we're on the same page."

And having the majority of the corporation out of the know was wise. If anyone else at Silph found out that there was anything interesting in Nyor besides Silvia, Stephen, and the few that they trusted most, the corrupt board might turn the entire province into a marketing opportunity that would not only destroy the ecosystem of the nature reserve, but would develop bad rapport between Kanto and the already reticent Ereians. And worst of all, the world could wind up with another Arceon kind of problem on their hands.

Or they could wind up messing with the secretive Leen population in the jungles of Northeastern India. Even though the continental government wouldn't allow it now, with enough pressure, big businesses could move politics, and Stephen, Silvia, and Jason knew that, as did several of Silvia's trusted coworkers.

They were all trustworthy people that Silvia had put her money on to do the right thing and preserve Nyor's peace and ecological stability while learning as much from the region as possible. The last thing anyone needed was another part of the world with big towers and machines. Especially ones that were sucking evolutionary energy resources dry to create the ultimate fighting being or some other such nonsense.

No, the last thing they needed was for dangerous information to fall into the hands of people like Team Rocket, who would exploit the region here and now, in any way they could.

And both Jason and Silvia had met enough of both those types of people—the scientists overstepping their bounds and the criminally insane—to last a lifetime.

This is probably a bad idea, Jason thought. He knew he would be looking over his shoulder the entire time. And Silvia would be, too, any time he contacted her.

But if they could keep it quiet, find out what they needed to know, and give Stephen time to consolidate his control of whatever operations would arise, they could manage the research and development well enough to bring forth beneficial technologies without allowing the creation of the dangerous ones.

Jason hoped the mountains beginning to fill up his window were cultivating harvests of fruit and not of thorns.

And then he was there. The moonlight showed Nyor as an endless range of mountains. The peaks rose up abruptly out of the sea and continued on for miles. He had been told that when morning came, they would stretch even beyond the horizon.

Finding elemental energy deposits like the Moss and Ice Rocks in Sinnoh would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Jason set his transport down in a secluded crag, shifted it into stealth mode, and got to work packing.

He expected to spend several months here, and from what Silph knew about Nyor, there was little vegetation, so they had stocked him up with protein bars and canned goods to save space.

He couldn't risk flying around the whole time. Ere might have radars or other sensors that would pick him up if he did too much of that. Instead, he would stuff his backpack with a sleeping bag, a small tent—really just a pop-up shelter—and enough food for a couple weeks, head out for seven days, and then backtrack and try a new direction. If nothing in the area seemed to jump out at him or his equipment, he would move the transport to another location and start scouting again.

Jason had decided that since there would be so much hiking on rough terrain, he would rotate his teams and let out a few Pokémon at a time so the others could rest in case something serious came up. His years of traveling and battling both with Pokémon and in his home Universe had not taken away his adventurous spirit, but they had taught him some important lessons about wisdom and practicality.

Such as you can never overestimate the unknown.

He quickly changed from his T-shirt into a warmer and sturdier camouflage shirt and jacket. He was far enough from the ocean that the air didn't smell salty, but he could still hear the waves, and the proximity to the water plus the altitude made it a bit chilly, even at this latitude.

Next, he removed his tennis shoes and laced up a pair of hiking boots. Specially designed by Silph, this one pair should last the many weeks he would be spending on the rocky heights.

Finally, Jason strapped on his most important set of equipment: his Pokéball belts. With one around his waist and two making an X across his chest, he looked like he was carrying ammo packs, which he thought was kind of fun. And with 30 Pokémon, including Leen, he really didn't have an alternative.

From Johto, there was Flamia, his Typhlosion, a female, and the leader of his Johto Top 6. She had been slow to evolve, but had always been formidable in both physical strength and fire attacks, and she was now at a strength almost comparable to that of his Kanto team. Then there was Nightwing, Jason's Crobat—a male—and his fastest Pokémon; Eggy, Jason's Togekiss—male— sweet and playful, and one of the Normal types he liked to use when he needed a safe, resilient fighter; Sphya, a female Espeon and one of the few Psychic types on his team; Bubbles, a guts-and-glory, male Poliwrath Jason had brought from Kanto that had added an essential balance in his strategy in Johto; Sprout, a female Victreebel who had an almost-friendly rivalry with Bubbles over who was the strongest; Big Red, a shiny, male Gyarados who had been untrusting at first but was now friendly to most and fiercely loyal to his trainer. Jason had captured and befriended him, and he had often rotated out with other members of his Johto Top 6—really a Top 7. Jason had brought them on his trip through Sinnoh, and had enjoyed getting to know them better. They were all looking forward to spending some more time together in Nyor.

Jason had also brought two teams from Hoenn. His first Hoenn team consisted of: Flambo, his Blaziken—male—a noble soul with a dutiful spirit and a playful side whose power matched that of most of his Kanto Top 6; Armos, a female Aggron who was tough but tender and an absolute tank in battle, having trained to withstand even some pretty powerful fire attacks; Wolfen, a male Mightyena who was a fierce warrior and a loving friend whose lack of sheer power was made up for by her resiliency and endurance; Marvin, a male Gardevoir, extremely intelligent, witty, and good-humored, and Jason's most powerful Psychic type; Blue—male—, Jason's silly but mighty Azumarill; Gem, a mischievous and constantly pondering Sableye, also male.

After Johto, Jason had returned to Hoenn to train a second championship team: Metatak, a Metagross who had been a gift from Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn's Elite Four and a friend he had met during his first journey there; Cinder, a female Ninetales who acted as the nurturing leader of her team; Goldwave, a male Lanturn with a quiet, but playful personality whose dual Electric and Water types provided an excellent edge in certain battles; Sky, a male Altaria whose cute, friendly personality belied some terrible Dragon powers; Tropius, a quiet, sweet-hearted female, and another whose dual types—Flying and Grass—provided some unique advantages; Castform, an enigmatic Pokémon with a single, powerful attack and some awesome weather-changing abilities.

Finally, Jason's Kanto Top 6, his most powerful fighters and oldest Pokémon friends. He kept them at the front of his belt for easy access; any of his Pokémon could handle themselves, but in a dire emergency, it would be one of these six that he would call on.

There was Sugar, his Blissey, who was extremely resilient to attacks but whose greatest strength lie in her Softboiled healing ability; Tulip—the only other female on the team—a Vileplume whom Jason had temporarily traded for his friend's Venusaur only to discover that after the trade, her powers had grown tremendously, evolving into Gloom and learning Petal Dance, making her his new battler to stand against Lorelai and Bruno's Water and Rock types; Elecuty, Jason's Raichu whose Electric powers were off-the-charts phenomenal; Crusher, a Golem who had been one of Jason's first captured Pokémon and had literally earth-shattering power; Freezy, Jason's second-most powerful Pokémon who could level Lance's team with the slightest lift of his wing; and finally, Char-Char, Jason's very first Pokémon, and one whose power was nigh untouchable.

Char-Char could stand toe-to-toe with Dragonites and legendary Pokémon like Moltres and walk out the victor—by a clear margin. He had special attacks that only some leagues allowed performed, including a new one that he had perfected just weeks ago. Jason had only gotten to test it out in one battle, just before coming on this trip, and they were anxious to put it to more use, but they knew they had to be careful because of how dangerous it could be.

It was time to get started. Jason selected three of his team leaders to begin the journey.

"Char-Char, Flamia, Flambo, I choose you!"

He tossed their Pokéballs out into the air. The containers popped open and returned to Jason's belt, leaving behind a Charizard with a shorter, rounded snout and unusually thick arms, a Typhlosion, and a Blaziken, all of whom would have looked incredibly intimidating to even the toughest of trainers.

"Hey guys! Ready to go!"

Jason's Top 6 Kanto Pokémon had learned to speak English, but they rarely did so, as Jason had developed the ability to understand their speech. So Char-Char responded with a growl that Jason knew meant, Been looking forward to this for a long time! Flamia, Flambo, and Leen voiced their agreement.

And with that, the journey began.

After walking a few hours' distance from the transport, Jason spotted a nice little cave—more like a crag, really—for them to settle down in. It was a good distance up a stack of boulders, so Jason and Flamia climbed, while Char-Char and Leen flew (Char-Char offered Jason a ride, of course, but Jason wanted to get his blood pumping), and Flambo took a quick leap to the top.

They were surprised to find a dried-up bush outside, which Flamia used to start a fire.

They all snuggled up to go to sleep, but were soon stirred by a noise from outside.

Every ear in the cave perked up, and every eye was trained on the opening. Suddenly, there burst over the edge of the cliff a large figure—probably a Pokémon, Jason knew.

Action already, he thought, Yup, figures.

Char-Char intensified his tail light and pointed it toward the creature whose menacing eyes glared back at them. It was a Graveler. And it looked really, really angry.

First strike, Jason thought instinctively.

"Flamia, Flamethrower!"

It was a Rock type, so it had an advantage, but Jason knew his Pokémon's strength, and no wild Pokémon could withstand their attacks.

The Typhlosion's Flamethrower barreled down on the Graveler and consumed it with intense heat. When the flames let up, Jason expected it to fall over.

To his shock, the soot blackened hunk of rock still stood snarling at them. Its growl intensified and its eyes grew angrier as its feet shifted slightly.

It was about to lunge, Jason realized in the split second before it was too late. Unfettered by surprises due to his vast experience in combat, Jason knew they needed to turn up the heat, and fast.

Not one to take risks, Jason quickly said, "Char-Char, Blast Burn!"

A wave of fire that could have razed a forest streamed from the lizard Pokémon's mouth.

The Graveler was stopped mid-charge, looking a little surprised. Apparently, it had never face opponents this tough before.

But it did not go down.

Jason was stunned. It should have been a one-hit KO.

And that's when he knew that they had to get out of the way. Now.

Before he even yelled, "Move!" his Pokémon had split directions to run around the Graveler and reach the edge of the cave.

Flamia picked up Jason and tossed him on her back as she bounded down the boulders to more stable ground. Leen was flying right behind them, and Char-Char and Flambo were bounding off to their right.

The space below would allow for more maneuverability during the fight, but for a split second Jason wondered why Flamia had put him on her back. Jason had been expecting a projectile attack—it's what he would have done had he been in the Graveler's shoes, and he figured such a tough opponent would have the experience to know that would have been the best strategy against the opponents he was facing. Jason trusted Flamia's judgment, so he ascertained that she would not have put him atop her unless she knew that he needed to get down the boulders faster, and that there were no rocks on their way toward the back of their heads.

That meant either the Graveler was tackling, or . . . .

As soon as Flamia hit level ground, the earth starting shaking violently. Jason jumped off to give her room to move.

Without warning, he felt the ground give way beneath him, and his feet slipped into a hole of unknown depth. He grabbed hold of the lip of the fissure that had formed beneath him and prayed the wall wouldn't break.

Flambo was already responding to the Earthquake attack with a Blaze Kick on the Graveler's body, and Char-Char swooped in to lift Jason out of the hole.

Before his feet even touched the ground, Jason shouted to the recovering Blaziken and the Typholosion who was already charging back into the fight, "Flambo, Blaze Kick again, and Flamia, Mega Punch! Take it down!"

Char-Char glanced around for more attackers, and when he saw none, he lifted up into the air and prepared another Blast Burn in his gut.

But the extra firepower would not be necessary. Upon the impact of fist and foot there was a crackle of sparks. The Graveler shuddered for a moment and then went down.

Leen fluttered down next to Jason, and everyone breathed heavily for a few moments, a little shaken.

"Good job, guys," Jason finally said, "Wow, he was tough. I'm glad you fought together. Any one of you guys could have handled him, but as tough as he was, it's good that you saved your strength. There might be more like that out here."

Jason hoped not. But as this was uncharted territory, a wild land brimming with raw, elemental power, it wouldn't surprise him.

At least not a second time! He smirked to push past the nervousness.

The danger having passed, the scientist in Jason had to know this Pokémon's statistics. He shook off the jelly in his legs—he hadn't felt anything but confidence in battles for a while, so it was simultaneously concerning to see that he could still be shaken and a healthy reminder that he was only human and needed to be dependent on God—and trotted over to the cliff again. He climbed the boulders—carefully, because the Earthquake had shaken them up—, and pulled out his Pokédex as he stood over the unconscious Graveler.

His eyebrow cocked and he tried unsuccessfully to give a low whistle through dry lips. He laughed at himself before scrolling down the page.

Jason's Kanto Top 6 were registered at level 100, but their real power was somewhere around what would be level 130-140. Char-Char would probably be at level 150 by now.

This Graveler's individual stats were not nearly as high as Jason's strongest Pokémon, but its brute level score was almost as far off the charts as theirs were. The modified program he had installed in the Dex put it at level 120.

Some members of Jason's Johto team and second Hoenn team were at level 70 or so.

They would not have been able to win against this Graveler. A wild Pokémon would have beaten some of the toughest fighters in the Pokémon League, and it wasn't even fully evolved.

"Nyor looks like it's going to be an interesting place," Jason quipped.

Char-Char snorted and replied in his Pokémon language, "Should we stay here or move on?"

"I say we move," Jason responded, "We don't know their behavior patterns," he said, referring not just to Nyor Gravelers, but to all the Pokémon here.

Char-Char nodded, "They could be drawn to the fire. Curious. Or just wanting to fight. This one seemed to."

"Territorial?" Jason asked, knowing that didn't quite add up with the way the Graveler had looked.

It had seemed downright vicious. Like it didn't just want them off its property, more like it didn't want them to exist. Still, in a region untouched by humans, Pokémon might just handle territory disputes with a completely different psychology.

Char-Char shook his head to confirm Jason's suspicions.

"No. It was more than that. It was . . . I can't put my finger on it. But that was weird."

"Phlo," Flamia said in agreement.

"Okay," Jason said, "Then let's head out."

After grabbing their gear and glancing at their fallen attacker one last time, the group headed north. Jason wisely decided to pull out the rest of his Kanto team for extra precaution.

That night, they were able to find another spot to rest. He and his Pokémon all took shifts keeping watch this time, but there were no more eventful occurrences.

In the morning, Jason got to work setting up tripods with scanning equipment to check the ground and the surrounding area for signs of elemental energy stores while his Pokémon half stood guard and half helped him out. They would be doing this for the remainder of their stay in Nyor, and hopefully they would be able to discover the answers they were looking for.

The first full day passed by uneventfully. So did the second. The third day, however, they received another surprise visitor, this time a Vileplume.

"Whoa, guys," Jason said to Sky, his Altaria, and Sprout, his Victreebel, who were out of their Pokéballs, "Let's let Flamia handle this one. I don't want any risks, or any Stun Spores."

Flamia, already out of her Pokéball as well, had discovered some berries that the group had harvested earlier that day. The Pokédex had said that not only were they safe to eat, they would raise a Pokémon's special attack. It was time to put them to the test.

Jason had already decided that he would train all of his on-hand Pokémon during this trip to get as close to his Kanto team's strength as possible. They might need the firepower if they were to run into more Pokémon like the Graveler as Jason expected they would.

His Pokédex now told him that the Vileplume before him was comparable in strength to the Graveler they had faced before.

No holding back, then.

"Flamia, Fire Blast!"

A star-shaped burst of fire shot toward the Vileplume. The Grass Pokémon tried to dodge, but got hit head on. Scorched and enraged, it began charging up a Solarbeam.

"Bad news! Get it with another Fire Blast!"

Flamia shot another star at the Vileplume, and this time it was stronger. A critical hit left the Vileplume unconscious, and the deadly Solarbeam unfired.

Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

The following day, they were attacked again. This time, it was a Rhyhorn, and it was even stronger than the Graveler and the Vileplume.

Knowing he couldn't rely on his Kanto team or his leaders the entire time, Jason called out Bubbles, Blue, and Tropius.

Blue, the Azumarill, started off with an Ice Beam which the Rhyhorn nimbly dodged. The Pokémon lunged straight for Blue, but was caught in the side by Bubbles' Hydro Pump.

Surprisingly unscathed, the Rhyhorn continued its charge, and although Blue leapt out of the way, it struck a glancing blow on his arm.

"Mariiiiill!" Blue cried, flying a short distance to the side before hopping to his feet.

"Blue! Heads up!"

The Rhyhorn was charging again, and Jason had instructed Tropius to charge a Solarbeam.

"Bubbles, Hydro Pump! Tropius, cancel the Solar Beam and give me a Magic Leaf. Aim for its face!"

The homing leaves collided first, hitting the Rhyhorn in its eyes and temporarily obstructing its vision. The Hydro Pump, full force, smacked into its side, and it roared in frustration.

"Turn it around!" Jason shouted to his Poliwrath.

Bubbles moved the Hydro Pump's stream to the Rhyhorn's hindquarters and spun it in a quarter circle before it regained its vision. In the split second it took to gain its bearings, Jason had two Ice Beams on the Rhyhorn, followed by a Solarbeam.

Jason thought that would have finished it.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The Rhyhorn shook itself furiously and stomped the ground, and then kicked up several large, broken fragments of earth at Blue's head. Blue jumped, but a second Rock Throw struck him in midair.

Tropius swooped down and cut a third Rock Throw with a Razor Leaf, grabbing Blue out of the air with her mouth and tossing him on her back.

That gave Jason an idea. The Rhyhorn couldn't hit them if they were out of range, and Ground attacks wouldn't work against flying opponents at all.

"Great idea, guys! Freezy, come on!"

Jason threw the Ultra Ball containing his Articuno.

"Freeeeee! Cooooo!" shouted the powerful legendary bird.

"Bubbles, get on Freezy's back! All of you, target Rhyhorn with your most powerful attacks! Bubbles and Blue, nonstop, Freezy, alternate with Tropius while she's charging up Solar Beam!"

Blue launched a concentrated Blizzard, while Bubbles fired Hydro Pump. Freezy's own, devastating Blizzard and Tropius's Solar Beam took turns pounding their foe. Rhyhorn was able to launch one Earthquake with no effect other than causing Jason to dodge to the side to avoid the cascade of rocks that launched his way. After that, he collapsed.

"Okay," Jason said, "Great job. We'll need to stick to weaker attacks from now on to save the strongest ones for emergencies. Let's rotate out so you guys can rest."

But Blue was saying something.

"Huh?"

Tropius landed so Jason could hear. Freezy and Bubbles soon followed.

Blue was animatedly pointing to the north with his good arm. The other, Jason noticed, wincing a little, had a nasty bruise beneath the blue fur.

"You saw something over there? Was it another Pokémon?"

But Blue looked too happy for him to be communicating another impending battle.

"Fire?"

Jason thought Blue may have spotted a fire Pokémon at first, but apparently he had seen what looked like a natural fire. The Pokémon flew ahead, leading Jason for a while across several small peaks and then up a taller one.

"Huh," Jason said as he topped the ridge, "That looks promising."

There, in the distance, was a column of smoke. He didn't know what it was, but it was the first interesting thing they had seen besides the over-powered Pokémon that were apparently more common than not in this neck of the woods.

Leen, who hadn't battled during their trip yet, hopped on Jason's shoulder.

"Wanna go see what it is?"

The group sounded their agreement.

A few days later they found their answer. As Jason swung his legs over some boulders and reached the top of the latest slope at sunset, his jaw literally dropped open.

There, in a small valley below them, less than a day's journey away in this land not trodden by human feet, were the window lights of a small town and several columns of smoke rising from their chimneys.

"Nyor sure is full of surprises," Jason breathed.