Part 18

Running.

Not only was it a great form of exercise to improve your stamina, it was also a great way to blow off some steam. And boy did Ash have some steam to let loose.

Sprinting through the muddy pathways of Pallet Town, Ash stomped his feet with each step, splashing muddy water everywhere he went. But this didn't bother Ash as he ran. He was too angry to think about how he was running or what he was running through.

No, he wasn't just angry. He was enraged, furious, aggravated. He was just flat out pissed.

Someone had murdered his mother, and he wanted to know who in their right mind would do such a thing. His mother was the kindest person he had known and he couldn't think of any possible reason for someone to want her dead.

Ash came to a halt, unsatisfied with just running. This wasn't enough. Raising one hand, Ash lashed out at the droplets of rain. Then he raised his next hand and did the same, gradually picking up the pace of each attack as he began to run once again.

Throwing out one punch at the rain after another, Ash focused intently on his hands as he withdrew his arm after each punch.

"Ash, what have I told you about fighting?" His mother asked sternly as she observed the dirt and bruises on her seven year old son.

"You said 'no fighting is allowed.'" He replied with his head lowered, trying to avoid making eye contact with his mother as she retrieved some disinfectant from the cabinet. "But Gary said that my dad was nothing but a deadbeat. I couldn't let him get away with that."

Delia kneeled down in front of her son, dusting off his shoulders with a sigh as he looked intently at her.

"Ash, just because someone frustrates you doesn't mean you should resort to fighting." She replied as she took a hold of both of his hands. "You're a special Ash, and your hands were never meant to be used to hurt others. Promise?"

"Promise." He replied, giving her a nod.

"And the next time Gary gives you any trouble, call me." She stated, receiving an incredulous look from her son.

"But mom, I'll look like a baby if you do anything." Ash exclaimed causing his mother to smile warmly at him as she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"You'll always be my baby Ash."

"Aw, mom!"

Ash exhaled as he looked down at both of his hands, recalling the number of times he had broken that promise. Ash was prone to getting into little scuffles with people as he grew older, especially in high school. He had never forgotten the promise that he had made to his mother, but he would always push it to the back of his mind as he fought. And he would do the same right now.

Spotting a tree on the side of the road, Ash quickly approached it to place his hand on the bark. It was rough, although he was positive that this wouldn't bother him. All he could think about right now was his mother.

Recalling their last conversation that they had during his sophomore year in high school, Ash bit down angrily on his lower lip as he drove his fist into the trunk of the tree. Ash grimaced slightly as a sharp pain ran up his arm before swallowing his pain. He then withdrew his arm and a gave a shout to the skies above as he began to beat away at the trunk of the tree with his bare hands.

"Pi?" Pikachu said as it's ears perked up, picking up on a sound in the distance.

"What is it Pikachu?" Anabel asked as she glanced at the small Pokemon that was resting on her shoulder underneath the protection of the umbrella she had brought.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said as it pointed out to the road they had been following Ash on.

"Do you think it's Ash?" Anabel asked, receiving a nod from Pikachu.

Anabel then began to jog down the road, calling out Ash's name along with Pikachu until they arrived at what they believed was Ash. He was sitting with his arms resting on his lap, back against the tree with his head hung low. His usually messy hair was soaked and now it fell down in front his face, hiding his eyes from view. But this didn't prevent Anabel from seeing the black aura that surrounded Ash.

"Ash?" Anabel called out as she tentatively approached Ash.

"Stay away!" Ash yelled, causing both Pikachu and Anabel to halt their advance.

"Ash, we just want to help you." Anabel replied.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu said as it went against Ash's command, running up to its trainer to check his condition. Anabel waited a moment to see if Ash would do anything, but he remained silent. She then joined Pikachu by Ash, kneeling down beside him.

"I told you guys to stay away." Ash repeated, although he much quieter this time.

"Pikachu-Pika!" Pikachu said as it tried to reason with its trainer, kick starting a conversation between the two of them. Anabel on the other hand, remained quiet as she observed Ash's hands. The skin on his knuckles had been scrapped away with pieces of bark protruding from his flesh. She was positive that he was bleeding, but most of it must have been washed away in the rain.

"No Pikachu, you don't understand. You can't understand!" Ash shouted, snapping Anabel out of her thoughts as he began to rise up.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Anabel asked as she put a hand on his chest to prevent him from running off again.

"You guys can't help me. It's none of your concern." Ash replied as he pushed himself up, leaving them in a full sprint.

"Ash, stop! We just want to help you! We're your friends!" Anabel cried out as she rose up to begin pursuing him once again.

Despite Anabel's attempt to call him back, Ash continued to run. Closing his hands into fists once again, Ash tightened his jaw to ignore the stinging pain of his from his hands. This pain was nothing in comparison to how his heart felt.

Looking out at the road ahead of him, Ash realized that he was running down a pathway that he had used frequently when he was still living in Pallet Town. It was the scenic route from his house to Professor Oak's lab that had an excellent view of the seaside. He had raced down this roadbefore he left home to move to the Tsugi Academy.

A thirteen year old Ash panted as he came skidding to a halt in front of his house, racing onto the pouch and bursting into his home with a shout for his mother. In turn he was greeted by a crash from the kitchen which alarmed him as he rushed to see what had happened. What he found was his mother standing beside the remains of the plate she had dropped after being startled by his entrance.

"Ash, what have I told you coming into the house like that?" Delia asked as she looked at her son who grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry mom, I'm just excited. I've got big news!" He exclaimed as Delia called for Mr Mime to bring in the broom from outside.

"Don't think that your off the hook just yet young man." Delia said as she stopped him from continuing. As Mr Mime entered the kitchen with the item that Delia had called for, she pointed toward Ash who gave her a look of bewilderment as Mr Mime placed the broom in his hands.

"Aww mom! Mr Mime could use Psychic and be done in like five seconds." Ash said as he pointed to the psychic Pokemon.

"Clean it up." She said as she motioned for Ash to begin. Ash groaned as he dragged his feet over to the broken dish which he began to sweep up. As Ash cleaned, Delia took a seat at the table, observing her son as he struggled to contain a smile as he gathered the pieces of the dish into the dust pan.

"Alright Ash, go a head and tell what this big news is." Delia said, receiving a sigh of relief from Ash as if he was going to explode.

"Do you remember that call from Professor Oak I got this morning?" He asked, receiving a nod from his mother. "Well he called me to his lab to tell me that I got accepted into the Tsugi Academy!"

Delia had to wait a moment and let this settle in. Her son had been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools on the planet. Ash waited for his mother's reaction, but all he received was a blank stare.

"Well mom?" Ash asked, motioning for her to respond, but Delia remained silent. Ash approached his mother and proceeded to wave a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her daze.

"That's...great honey." She replied slowly as she looked up at him.

"That's it?" Ash asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"No, I mean that's really great Ash." She continued as she rose up from her seat, pulling her son into a hug. "I'm so proud of you that I don't really know what to say."

Ash remained quiet, giving his mother some time to think as she released him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm so happy for you Ash. I know you've been working hard to get into the Tsugi Academy, so make you do you best while your attending." Delia said, getting a confident nod in return from Ash. "And when you graduate and decide what you're going to do in this world, just make sure your doing something you love with people you love."

"You got it mom." Ash proclaimed.

Ash hit the ground. Hard.

He had gone down face first into the muddy pathway and he couldn't quite recall how he had lost his balance, not that it really matter at this point. Ash found himself unable to hold back his tears any longer as he lay on the ground. All his anger and sadness built up into just one word.

"Why?" Ash whispered as he remained motionless on the road.

Why would someone take his mother's life? Why?! Why would they do this to her? To him? He felt numb as he thought about all of the questions that irritated him. The more he allowed these questions to float through his head, the more overwhelmed he felt.

"Ash!" A voice cried out bringing Ash back to his senses. Anabel and Pikachu had found him once again, and they were currently in the process of dragging him out of the middle of the road that he had fallen in.

Anabel huffed and puffed as she pulled Ash off the road, now realizing how heavy the twenty year old was. Their goal was to get him underneath the protection of a nearby tree where the rainfall was considerably lighter than out in the open. Pikachu grunted as it lifted Ash's leg, doing whatever it could to assist Anabel.

"Hah!" Anabel gasped after setting Ash down against the trunk of the tree before dropping down beside him.

As Anabel rested beside him, Ash leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder. Despite the downpour, Anabel could hear Ash's sniffles as he swallowed his urge to break down.

Anabel was having a hard time seeing Ash in his sorry state. From the day she had met him he had been nothing but bright smiles, a source of encouragement and a mentor that she could turn to for help. But now she could see that he was nothing more than a ball of turmoil.

She had to help him.

Pikachu looked up at Anabel curiously, noticing that her finger tips had gained a faint glow. Raising both her hands to readjust Ash so that his head was resting on her lap, Anabel's fingers left trails of light in the air that remained unphased by the rain.

"I just want to help you Ash." Anabel whispered as she placed her fingers on his temples, beginning to massage them for him.

A steady heartbeat resounded through the foggy area where Ash was resting on his back. He had a splitting headache that only seemed to get worse with each beat.

His thoughts only surrounded the possibilities of who killed his mother. He could image the killer sneaking into their house during the night and planting the Grimer slime in the basement. Or perhaps they broke in during the day? Did they use the windows from upstairs, or the back door. Maybe Mr Mime unknowingly allowed them to enter?

Ash's headache intensified, causing his jaws to tighten. His chest felt tight as his anger built up. It was almost like a pressure valve was located in his chest, and it was building up to the point where it was about to burst. The more he thought about his mother, the closer Ash got to his breaking point.

He was alone.

The heartbeat that he had been hearing began to speed up. His chest became tight, resulting in him only being able to take in sharp breaths.

All alone.

"Ash!" A voice cried out. He knew this voice, it was Anabel.

"Pika-chu!" One of his closest companions added.

"Please Ash, come back to us." Anabel begged him. "We may not know exactly what you're feeling right now, but we're your friends and we want to help you Ash. That's what we're here for."

That's right. He had friends. Friends that would always be by his side. A faint light began to shine through the fog, clearing it away and brightening Ash's surrounding. It was then he could a feel a pair of hands pressed against the sides of his head, massage his temples. Such warms hands.

He wasn't alone. He was never alone to begin with.

Anabel sighed with relief as Ash's aura became a bright blue. He was finally beginning to calm and after placing a hand on his chest, Anabel could feel the pace of his heartbeat slowing down. She could relax for a bit.

Pikachu gave Anabel a skeptical glance, trying to figure out what it had just witnessed. Anabel had calmed Ash's mind and body with her glowing fingers. Glowing fingers. At first Pikachu had to blink several times to make sure that what it was seeing was real.

Pikachu could swear on its life that Anabel had used Calm Mind on Ash to calm his raging spirit. But there was no way as human could use a psychic type move as if they were a Pokemon. Right?

The electric type Pokemon could only raise a hand and scratch the back of its head. Anabel was not only capable of understanding Pokemon, but she could use Pokemon moves as well...

There was clearly more to this girl that what meets the eye.

Ash groaned as his eyes cracked open a bit, observing his surroundings.

"Ugh, wha-happened? Where ah we?" He asked groggily, slurring his words as he tried to look around.

"Don't worry about that." Anabel said as Ash struggle to get his limbs to follow his directions. His entire body seemed to be out of sorts. His limbs were unresponsive and he could barely feel his tongue.

"I can-move." Ash mumbled out as he nodded his head a bit, receiving an odd look from both Anabel and Pikachu .

"You can move?" Anabel repeated, causing Ash to shake his head.

"Pika." Pikachu pointed out as it studied its trainer.

"You can't move?" Anabel exclaimed, receiving a small nod from Ash.

Anabel ran a hand through her hair as she opened up the front door to Ash's house, moving her wet bangs from in front of her face before making way for Primeape to enter carrying Ash on its shoulder followed by Pikachu.

At first she and Pikachu had tried moving Ash themselves, but the distance to his house was too far for them to move him on their own. Luckily Ash had his Pokemon with him, and Primeape proved to be very handy in helping them get Ash to a dry area.

"Just hold onto him for a second Primeape." Anabel said as she removed her sneakers and ran up stairs to retrieve some towels to clean them off. Anabel and Pikachu had only gotten wet in rain, but since Ash had fallen in a mud puddle, he was way to messy for them to put somewhere at the moment.

Ash was in a daze as he rested on the shoulder of his Pokemon. In fact, he felt amazing right now. He felt so serene, so tranquil. He had never felt this relaxed before, and he knew that it had something to do with Anabel. The moment he had heard her voice, all of the tightness and congestion he had felt suddenly melted away.

And it wasn't just his mind. His arms and legs were like noodles. All his muscles were loose, but he couldn't complain about it. He felt great right now.

But he could only wonder what Anabel had done to make him feel this way. Perhaps she knew something pressure points...maybe.

Whatever it was she did to him, he would have to find out later.

"I'm back." Anabel said once she reached the bottom of the staircase with a number of towels in her hands. "Can you hold him up so that I can take off his shirt?"

Primeape gave her a nod as it place Ash on his feet, holding him up by his waist while Anabel removed his muddy shirt. Not only was it dirty, but it was soaked and practically glued to his skin. It took some time for her to peel off his shirt, but she finally got off, exposing Ash's muscular torso to Anabel. She had never seen him without a shirt on, and she had to admit that he was well built.

Placing the towel against his skin, Anabel began to dry him off with a small blush as she felt Ash's chest. Soon enough his upper body was dry, and Anabel had no choice but to strip him down to just his boxers in order to make sure that he was dried off properly.

"Okay, thanks Primeape." Anabel said as she motioned for the Pokemon to place Ash on the couch after she had left a number of dry towels for him to rest on. Once Ash was seated on the couch, Anabel recalled Primeape to its Pokeball which she set down on table at the center of the room. Glancing at the clock, she could see that it was well past midnight and all of them deserved a good rest after the day they just had.

Taking a seat beside Ash, Anabel took another towel and placed it on Ash's head to begin drying his hair. As she dried his hair off, Ash continued to nod off, trying to stay awake. But his battle didn't last very long as he fell asleep completely, leaning over onto Anabel who gasped with surprise as Ash practically fell on her.

Even though she had been with Ash for almost a month, she had never been so close to him in such and odd situation. But despite this, Anabel couldn't deny that she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach as Ash leaned against her. Her heartbeat had quickened and her cheeks were hot. What were these feelings?

Glancing at Ash out of the corner of her eye, his face was as close to her's as it had ever been. He was sound asleep, giving Anabel ample time to study his features, and she had to admit that Ash was an attractive young man. Taking a deep breath, Anabel dispelled these thoughts and rose up from the couch to make room for Ash to lay down. Setting Ash down on his back, Anabel then placed a sheet over his body to make sure he was warm. The house wasn't cold at all, but she wanted to make sure that he slept comfortably.

"Good night Ash. Sleep well."

June 22nd

Ash turned on his side on the couch, trying to protect his eyes from the light that came glaring through the window. But now matter how he turned, he was still in the light.

Rising up from the couch, Ash could only grumble about how bright it was outside as he moved over to window, pulling the curtains together to block out the natural light. Returning to the couch, Ash took a moment to stretch before taking a seat on the couch with a yawn.

It was then he realized that he could feel his arms and legs. Flexing his biceps a bit, checking to make sure that he was really feeling them again, Ash began to recall everything that he had felt the night before. His anger and frustration. The thorough rising he had received from the rain. The comfort from Anabel. How numb he had felt before he had fallen asleep.

It had been really long night.

At that moment, Ash's stomach gave a growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in a really long time too.

"Breakfast." He said before realizing that he was only in his boxers. "But first, a change of clothes."

Sneaking up into his bedroom, Ash retrieved a change of clothes which he put on downstairs before entering the kitchen to put together a meal. But the sight he was greeted by in the kitchen forced him to put his plans on hold. He had made a gigantic mess yesterday searching the kitchen.

"Aw man, I better clean this up." Ash mumbled as he went back into the living room, spotting his Pokeballs on the table. "Pikachu."

After awakening the small Pokemon who had been sound asleep on the arm of the couch, Ash called out Ivysaur and Wartortle to help with the clean up in the kitchen. During the hour that the team of for had been cleaning the kitchen, the Pokemon could see that Ash was becoming increasingly distracted as he cleaned until he finally declared that he was going for a walk.

"When Anabel wakes up, tell her I just went for a walk and that she doesn't have to worry about me." Ash explained to his Pokemon, receiving a nod from all three of them as he opened up the front door to leave. "And I don't want to hear about any trouble from any of you."

Anabel rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands as she sat up on the bed. She was definitely hearing some commotion downstairs, but it was taking some time for her to fully awaken and realize what could potentially be taking place in the house.

'Ash?' Anabel said to herself, recalling what had taken place the night before. This immediately got her going as her eyes snapped open. Was Ash okay?

Jumping off the bed, Anabel rushed down the stairs to the living room where she scanned the room for Ash. Unfortunately, he was no where to be found. But a shout from the kitchen brought Anabel's worries to rest as she moved to the kitchen, expecting to find Ash.

Instead of Ash, Anabel found Ivysaur and Wartortle wrestling in front of an open fridge with Pikachu perched on the dining table acting as the referee with a Sitrus Berry beside it.

"What's going on guys?" Anabel asked, bringing everything to a halt. "Where's Ash?"

"Pi, Pika-chu. Pika." Pikachu explained, once again putting Anabel's worries away. He was fine, just out for a walk.

"So what's going on here?" Anabel asked Pikachu as she motioned to Ivysaur and Wartortle who had returned to their wrestling match.

"Saur!" Ivysaur called out as it was pinned to the floor by Wartortle.

"War-tortle." Wartortle added, providing Anabel with all the information she needed. There was only one Sitrus Berry and both of them wanted it.

"Guys, there's no need to fight over this. I'm sure we can come to an agreement." Anabel said as she separated the two of them. She then moved over the the fridge where she began to search for a snack that would hopefully please one of them.

Wartortle had joined her in looking through the fridge, but Ivysaur decided to sneak off while none of them were looking, heading underneath the table. Using Vine Whip, Ivysaur distracted Pikachu with one vine while snatching the Sitrus Berry with the other. Pikachu gasped in surprise once it realized what had happened, gaining the attention of both Anabel and Wartortle. Turning to see what had happened to Pikachu, both of them spotted Ivysaur underneath the table feasting on the Sitrus Berry much to Wartortle's dismay.

"War!" Wartortle shouted as it charged at Ivysaur who had finished eating the Sitrus Berry, tackling it angrily.

Anabel sighed as she watched the two of them push each other around the kitchen. They weren't doing any damage to the room around them. Perhaps they would sort this out themselves, after all, Pokemon were intelligent creatures. At that moment, Anabel heard the front door open and close, meaning that Ash had returned.

"Ash?" Anabel called out as she went into the living room where she found him taking a seat on the couch, deep in thought. Remaining silent, Anabel approached him slowly, making sure that he caught sight of her before she sat down next to him.

The two of them sat in silent for a moment, Ash with a hand on his chin as he replayed what he could remember of last night in his mind. Anabel leaned against the arm of the chair, patiently waiting for Ash to speak as she studied his light gray aura. As far as she could remember, gray signified confusion, so maybe it would be best if she took the initiative.

"Ash, how are you feeling?" Anabel asked as she looked at him. He sighed deeply as he leaned back in the couch before he spoke.

"I don't really know. Kind of numb, maybe." He replied flatly. "I guess I just don't know what I'm supposed to feel right now. I always thought that my mom had just died, you know. And now to find out that she had been killed by someone, I'm just shocked."

Ash began to palm his fist, one time after another as he thought about what he would say next.

"Of course I'm angry, an d now I just want to find out who did it. I need to know who would kill my mo-" Ash's voice became choked up as his hands began to tremble. Sensing his increasing frustration, Anabel placed a hand on Ash's, giving it a comforting squeeze which helped him calm down Ash.

"I know you angry Ash. Believe me, I can see it. But you can't let this eat away at you. I may not have known you for too long, but I know for sure that you're a fantastic person who loves his friends and Pokemon. Don't let this destroy you Ash." Anabel said as she looked directly into his eyes.

Returning her stare, Ash could see that she was earnest. And she was right. He had every right to be angry, and it was a problem that was going to get under his skin, but he was letting it get to his heart.

"You're right Anabel." Ash said after a few moments. "Thanks...again. For helping me right now, and for hunting me down last night." There's no telling what I would've done."

"That's what friends are for Ash." Anabel replied with a soft smile. At that moment, Pikachu exited the kitchen which seemed to be the green light Ivysaur and Wartortle had been waiting for as the noise level jumped up another level.

"Pikachu, can you take care of them?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from Pikachu before it disappeared into the kitchen.

"Pika-chuu!" Dead silence followed as Pikachu walked of the kitchen, causing both Ash and Anabel to burst into a fit of laughter. Anabel could see Ash's aura become a yellow with bits of gray mixed in, proof that his mood was improving.

"It's finally nice outside Ash, do you want to go out for another walk?" Anabel offered, once they had stopped laughing.

"No. I don't think walking around Pallet Town is the best thing for me to do right now." Ash replied.

"But you just came back from a walk." Anabel pointed out.

"I was actually visiting the cemetery. I wanted to see mom one more time before we go." Ash explained. Anabel gave him an understanding nod before raising an eyebrow.

"Wait, where are we going?" Anabel asked.

"I want to back to Cerulean City. I was hoping we could leave today." Ash said, watching as Anabel became sullen. "Is something wrong?"

"Ash, it's been nearly two weeks since my last serious training session. When am I going to get back training?" Anabel asked him directly with an unwavering expression. Ash returned her stare for a moment before slapping himself mentally for his ignorance.

He had been dragging Anabel all over Kanto, and she had little to no time to train. She was traveling with him to become a trainer, but he was clearly holding her back right now. She had already sacrificed so much time for him, going as far as to speak to the Sensational Sisters for him so that they could come to Pallet Town. And he had the nerve to take away more of her time.

"I'm sorry Anabel. I haven't been thinking straight lately." Ash replied as he returned her stare. "And now I feel terrible because I've been taking away all of the time that you should've been devoting to training with your Pokemon. This is my fault."

"No, you don't have to go that far Ash." Anabel said as he expression softened.

"I haven't been fair at all Anabel." Ash said as he shook his head. "If you've been frustrated or irritated by all of this, I sorry. But don't be afraid to tell me anything Anabel. We're traveling together, so please tell me if there's something you want to."

Anabel remained silent as she maintained eye contact with Ash. Now it was his turn to give her an earnest stare as he waited for his reply. Anabel felt her heart skip a beat as Ash's aura seemed to dance as though it were the flame at the center of a fire pit. He wanted to make sure that they had open line of communication wholeheartedly.

"Alright then, I want to train." Anabel stated, receiving a nod from Ash.

"You got it." He replied as he rose from the couch. "But we'll have to make and agreement."

"What sort of agreement?"

"We'll remain in Pallet Town for today, and return to Cerulean City to check on Misty tomorrow. But once we get there, I promise that we'll focus on nothing but your training." Ash declared. Anabel gave him a small smile in return before giving him a nod of agreement. She could see the sincerity in Ash, and he was clearly the type of person that didn't break promises.

"Espeon, use Double Team!" Anabel called out. Espeon gave a shout before multiple copies of itself appeared in the field behind Ash's house, halting Ivysaur who had been prepared to strike down its opponent.

"Don't get anxious Ivysaur." Ash stated as the two of them looked around at the dozen copies of Espeon that were leering at them. "Listen for Espeon, and then use Razor Leaf!"

"Saur." Ivysaur said softly as it looked around the field, listening closely for Espeon to make its move. "Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur shook the leaves on its back, firing off a round of razor sharp crescent leaves from its back toward one of the Espeon's. Unfortunately, the copy faded away as the attacked passed through it, leaving Ivysaur open for an attack.

"Espeon, use Quick Attack!" Anabel called out, trying to break the stalemate that had set in near the beginning of the battle. Espeon struck Ivysaur from the side, sending it sliding away on its stomach with a grunt.

As Ivysaur rose back up to its feet, Ash could see it grimace slightly. The stiffness Ivysaur had been experiencing from its injury during the Indigo Conference had finally passed away, but after sustaining a certain level of damage in battle Ash could see that Ivysaur was trying to hide the stiffness when it returned.

"Ivysaur, good work out there, but its time to tag out." Ash said, getting an glum sigh from the grass type as it watched Wartortle take its place on the field.

"Take a break Espeon." Anabel called out, motioning for her Pokemon to step aside as well. "Psyduck, you're up."

"Duck." It stated as it stepped onto the field, looking at its opponent.

"Let's get this started Wartortle, use Water Pulse!" Ash ordered as he pointed at Psyduck. Wartortle then proceeded to generate a sphere of water in front of its mouth which it fired at Psyduck.

"Psyduck, dodge it!" Anabel command made Psyduck realize that the attack was heading straight for itself.

"Psy-i!" Psyduck exclaimed as it made an immediate one-eighty, trying to run away from the approaching Water Pulse. Running toward the nearest thing it could hide behind, Psyduck dove behind Espeon, covering its eyes with its hands as it waited for Espeon to get hit. After a few moments, Psyduck uncovered its eyes to see if Espeon was alright, discovering that Espeon had stopped the attack using Psychic and that Anabel was now kneeling down beside it.

"Psyduck, you can't just run away from an attack like that." Anabel said as the water type Pokemon hid its face in an attempt to hide its shame.

"Don't worry about it Anabel. Psyduck just needs to adjust to the thought of battling other Pokemon." Ash explained as he approached the two of them. Anabel looked down at Psyduck who was still resting on its stomach with its hands its head. "How about we come back to Psyduck later?"

"Yeah, that might be the best move right now." Anabel said as he helped Psyduck return to its feet. "Good try Psyduck, take a break for now."

"Duck." It said quietly, taking a seat beside Espeon.

"Growlithe, your up!" Anabel called out to the pup who yipped as it rushed onto the battlefield. Out of her three Pokemon, Growlithe was always ready to battle, interested in becoming strong not only for its own sake, but to protect Anabel as well.

"Pikachu, are you up for another round?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from his partner as it joined Growlithe on the field. "Alright, let's begin!"

"Growlithe, use Ember!" Anabel ordered, starting the battle.

"Pikachu, dodge it and then use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded in reply. Growlithe fired off a round of fire balls at Pikachu who gained a burst of speed to avoid the oncoming attack. Once Pikachu had gotten past Growlithe's initial attack, it charged straight toward the Pokemon seeking to attack.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel to protect yourself!" Anabel said quickly, causing Ash to raise and eyebrow. Growlithe barked as a sphere of flames erupted around it, just in time to intercept Pikachu who crashed into the attack. Pikachu was sent stumbling away from the attack, clearly shaken from the sudden defense. "Now attack!"

Growlithe pounced at Pikachu, slamming itself into Pikachu's body, this time sending it tumbling back to Ash had a small grin on his face. Anabel was finally beginning to get the hang of the basics. Avoid the straightforward attacks, or use defense and turn it into offense. She was learning.

"Alright Anabel, let's see how you handle this. Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!" Ash said with a smile. This would be Anabel's test. Pikachu charged up a large amount of electricity into its tail which it then swung toward Growlithe, firing an electrical wave at Growlithe.

'Thunder Wave causes paralysis to anyone who its hit by it. So we have to avoid contact with it.' Anabel said, but before she could call for Growlithe to dodge it, she noticed that it was growing in size as it rushed toward them. To the point where it appeared as though they had no way to go around it. So they would have to take the next best option, go through it. "Growlithe, use Flame Wheel to redirect Thunder Wave!"

Igniting the Flame Wheel, Growlithe directed the flames to swirl around it clockwise as it rushed toward the Thunder Wave. Once the two attacks collided, direction the flames pulled the Thunder Wave in, causing it to join the flames in swirling around Growlithe who remained unaffected by the electricity. Ash could only watch Anabel with a stupid grin as she countered their attack.

"Attack again!" Anabel ordered confidently. Growlithe gave a howl as it rushed toward Pikachu, preparing to deal a blow that would hopefully end this battle.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt as a shield!" Ash called out suddenly as he snapped out of his daze. Pikachu unleashed a wave of electricity that Growlithe crashed headfirst into. There was a deafening thud as the two attacks met, creating a display of fire and electricity that left Anabel staring up at it in awe.

She wasn't watching professionals do this on television. She wasn't watching her instructors demonstrate how certain moves affect each other. She was doing it herself.

Both Pikachu and Growlithe came sliding out of the fray on their feet with small smiles, ready to continue the battle. And their trainers more than prepared to do the same.

"Wow Anabel, I had no idea that you could battle like that." Ash exclaimed as the two of the rested on their backs on the grassy field behind Ash's house. Anabel was exhausted now that their day had come to a close, trying to relax as she looked up at the golden skies above them.

"I may not have been training these past two weeks, but I've been doing a lot of thinking." She replied.

"Well it shows." Ash commented.

"But there's still so much I have to work on." Anabel said. "I'm still working on just the basics, and I'm still having trouble with just that."

"Don't beat yourself up Anabel."

"I know, but it just feels like I'm not making any progress. It feels like I'm not cut out to be a trainer." Anabel explained, causing Ash to sigh as he knew this was partially his fault. Glancing at Anabel, the flowers beside her drew Ash's attention, reminding him of something he had seen in a while.

"You know Anabel, I have something to show you." Ash said as he jumped up to his feet, motioning for her to do the same. "There's something I want you see."

Ash led her further down the field, moving down to a small flat plain where they found a delightful sight waiting for them. Purple roses where everywhere, filling up a large portion of the plain.

"Have you ever seen these before?" Ash asked as Anabel slowly approached the roses.

"They're beautiful." She stated as she studied the marvelous color of petals.

"Do you want to know something cool about these roses?" Ash asked her, receiving a small nod from her. "Most of the flowers in Pallet Town bloom in early spring, but these roses bloom later than all the others. Usually around early summer. I was just thinking...that these flowers are a lot like you."

Anabel looked up at Ash curiously.

"Even though these flowers bloom a lot later than all the others, they're just as beautiful if not the most. So even though you may feel like you're not getting anyway, it my just take you some extra time likes these roses before you really bloom." Ash explained, causing a smile to break out on Anabel's face as she looked back down at the roses.

She had work to do, a lot of work to do. She had been expecting immediate results for a while, but now she needed to work hard everyday, and soon enough all of her hard work would show. It might take more time, but as long as she was working hard she was one step closer toward becoming a better trainer.

Ash smiling inwardly. He could see that his little comparison was having its desired effects. Anabel was a hard worker, but she was still easily discouraged. But this was all apart of being a new trainer. She would toughen up as she continued to work, and once she saw her hard work begin to yeild results...

He couldn't wait to see her reaction.

Saffron City

Silph Co

Executive Office

"Everything he does just infuriates me!" Riley shouted as he pounded his desk with his fist.

"Riley, calm down." Mindy stated as she watched her boss swing around his chair, looking out the window at the city spread out across the landscape before them.

"I have every right to be angry! I don't understand how people are falling for his charade." Riley exclaimed. "Why would the League trust him of all people with such an important event."

"There's no changing it at this point." Mindy said as she turned, heading out the room to allow Riley to cool off by himself.

Riley remained silent in his office, opening and closing his hand, trying to calm down after hearing some outrageous news. The Pokemon League had entrusted the task of hosting this year's Hall of Fame induction to Lawrence III.

Riley could only assume that there was trouble on the horizon.

A/N

And I'm finally back, and I mean it this time. Since I've been gone for the a really long time, you guys deserve and explanation, and I have one.

Since last September I had been working on an art portfolio that absorbed all of my time. So I've been busy for months. But now the deadline passed and I'm free once again. So I'll get back on track with Ambition soon enough because things are going to get exciting from here.

Read and review guys and enjoy your day! :D