Pokémon: Road of the Master

by Lezaroth

Ash, a boy who was born in Pallet Town, started his journey together with his friends. He became a legend for his strengths and captured many legendary pokémon. History records him as the true Aura Guardian. Some know him as the Chosen One, others know him as their Hero. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his friends. A story of their journey to become a master. T for language!

10. Road of Progress

Hi everyone! Welcome to this week's chapter of Road of the Master! This chapter is basically focused on Celadon for once. Why? 'Cause a) training and b) progress.

I can't simply make them strong enough to battle gyms in just a couple of days right?

Still, there's enough time for the journey. Have no fear for certain story parts such as a certain project that is mentioned in this chapter.

Onto reviews!

BlackxDragonxEmperor (question only): Are you gonna let Ash have more Pokémon since his limit is ten for his main battlers?

A: Well yes, I will. I've decided on six per region or event. Think of it like: Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Battle Frontier, Sinnoh and so on. Each 'region' will have six Pokémon to be captured. Ideas are appreciated!

Tomoe Mami: Do you backlog these and post at will or do you post whenever a chapter is ready?

A: Well I kinda post whenever it's ready. Yes, I might backlog for an hour to re-read or do something else that requires me attention meanwhile but I do intend to post on the same day it's finished. I don't like waiting myself and there's a usual wait of a week with my chapters.

Also, thank you for your reviews Vital Info. Raw power indeed. This chapter will contain a very sinister sense of irony as well. I just can't let some gym leaders get ahead of themselves after Ash gets kicked down a notch. Swarms will definitely happen more often.

As for the Safari… It'll be very different! Just know that it'll be an interesting take! After all, why would Ash go into the Safari if he isn't intending to capture Pokémon for his team unless a special event occurs or he reaches the next region (or Orange Islands)?

Brock's newest Pokémon decision, a fossil Pokémon. What will it be? The votes so far are:

1 vote for Omanyte! ( Very different from most yet still a little comment, I am interested nonetheless BlackxDragonxEmperor )
1 vote for Anorith! ( A very underused Fossil Pokémon. It deserves more praise! Thank you for your vote, Vital Info. )
1 vote for Tirtouga ( My own vote! A very underused Pokémon. Nobody gives it the attention it deserves! )
1 vote for Kabuto! ( Very common but the reasoning behind it is good. Makes me wonder why not a different one as there's Tirtouga and Omanyte, but still. Thanks for your vote, Flamingpheonixlbj2! )

Now more about the chapter… Yes, Team Rocket makes a bigger approach this chapter. Albeit not completely detailed and more skipped over as grunts aren't that big of a deal. A minor admin with some knowledge was useful which was also noted in this. They also gain a new way to contact the league. They do need it with the troubles on the road.

So, this chapter a lot of people will throw rocks at me for involving a Legendary. Why did I do it? I kinda felt like it… plus Ash needed more warnings on his destiny. There's also the fact a certain activity will attract the attention of much older legends or those who have heard the stories. The reason being simple interest at seeing it happen.

I also want to do this ahead of time but what Pokémon will Ash capture in the Orange Islands? I've decided on three permanently so far. You can add three more! The Pokémon I've decided might be chosen but I won't mention it as it'll be a spoiler.

Anyway! Enjoy the chapter! Feel free to review if there's something wrong with it because I haven't had the chance or time to fully re-read it and change parts. This was practically written with a very exhausted mind. ( I wanted to add so many things, but seeing how there's enough time in the next few chapters.. I'll do that. )

---

Ash and his friends are now staying at Celadon. When they arrived Brock had decided he wanted to evolve his Graveler and Onix, so Ash helped out. Now, both trainers have new full evolved Pokémon.

However, Ash added something to his research. Thanks to his aura, his Gengar looked completely different from a normal one in color. Yes, Gengar was a shiny one originally but right now it completely changed to a completely different kind.

Red markings were on his arms and legs, similar to that of the Giant Gengar. They looked like 'flames' of energy so to speak.

There's also the fact that this Gengar is nearly pitch black instead of dark purple.

Writing about what the effects are, he also noted a type change.

His Gengar became a Ghost/Dark type! Nearly no weaknesses! Well, it is possible that that is because of him being a former Dark type. That would mean that there can be Ghost/Fire type Pokémon if done or possibly a Ghost/Dragon. Who knew of those kinds of typing?

Naturally, only few can use aura so these can be considered extremely rare were his theory to be true. There's also the fact surrounding Gengar's 'birth' as a Ghost type. What made him remember his past life and experiences? Was it circumstances upon passing away?

Trickster told the group that he'll tell his story once he is comfortable. Ash wrote down the need for this as he wanted to make no mistakes with his research.

Other than that, Ash learnt that by granting his Greninja some aura, the fighting-type moves become a lot easier. Thanks to that, Ash began feeding the Kalos starter some aura before he trained. This is to learn new moves and get used to them…

His Greninja will become a beast in close combat. If there's no close combat, he can also resort to medium distance with his attacks. A very good combination.

Other than these things, Ash began thinking of inventing new moves. What stops him from doing so?

Like Falcon's Spinning Quick Attack. It's simply adding a spin, but because of it, it can go through whirlwinds or even cancel them depending how he spins. It also adds a drilling effect. Perhaps he can teach his Talonflame Peck? That would make it so much more powerful.

Thinking about that made Ash giddy. New trainers will never know what hit them simply because new moves aren't recorded until official league matches and they're rated as good moves to teach.

Many trainers keep them as a secret though. Why wouldn't they? Copycats are everywhere. You don't want clones of yourself popping up.

These were all things that Ash was thinking of when he got there. Today, after a good night's rest, they will go shopping for items and food so they can live in the wild for a bit to train.

The best part, however, was when Ash checked the amount of money he had on his trainer account.

Every trainer automatically earns money each battle and loses as well. This is to make traveling easier for those who progress. Trainers who stay near their homes often battle travelers to support the 'winners' of their area. This is why Ash likes to battle every now and then.

Gym leaders also give a lot as a reward for beating their gym. It's surprising how much they give a trainer, but nobody complains about that.

But it seems that there is a third method. You can help out the league. When Ash checked his trainer account he could see what he earned. Naturally, he also lost some after losing some battles.

List of incoming reward money

Last week

ID1952232 - Added 3092 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11005062

ID1952231 - Added 1020 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11052600

ID1952229 - Added 2050 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11061212

ID1952228 - Added 650 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11061221

ID1952226 - Added 12502 Pokédollars after defeating trainer 11022212

ID1952225 - The League has added 50,000 pokédollars to your trainer account for stopping a wild pack of dangerous Mankey from attacking other trainers.

…

Total amount: 212,396 Poké

Yes. He saved up a lot thanks to the occasional trainer battle and gym battle.

It seems he also got around 100,000 as a reward for helping out with the Tentacruel problem. To get another 50,000 for simply helping out with a wild pack of Pokémon is pretty nice too.

Yes, having connections with the champion helps. If he was anonymous, he'd get no reward at all.

---

So the group is now heading towards the Celadon Department Store.

A famous shopping location where many trainers go to purchase new items. From training equipment (basic ones) to special vitamins for pokémon to grow up. They even sell 'boosters' which are considered legal drugs. Of course, you cannot use them during the league battles or you'll be disqualified.

Of course, they also sell items such as potions or status recovery medicine, capture items such as rare pokéballs, evolution items and TMs.

Ash, to this day, hates TMs. Yes, a Pokémon can learn new moves easily with them, but have they mastered it? Not in the slightest. Yes, they can master it after using TMs but… Doing it through hard work makes you understand the element that you intend to use. A Gyarados can learn a more powerful version of Flamethrower by learning it naturally.

How do you teach a pokémon a specific move outside of their natural typing? You get a helper. A second pokémon such as he has can often help them learn. It's also possible to explain it fully to a pokémon. Search for their raw energy and then think of a specific element. Try to understand what it means. Fire for one, is not just flames. It has impact, burning capabilities and heat. You can also help a Pokémon out to learn a fire-type move by handing out a Charcoal and make them search for the energy within it.

Like that, there are many methods. Stones for one aren't just evolutionary items either. They contain an element. An element one can either absorb or study.

So he'd rather not spend ~10,000 Poké just for some technical machine that can only be used one. Yes, there is a crack for it in Unova but it's only legal over there.

Try it in Kanto and you're doomed when found out.

Now why would Ash, who has training equipment and cherish balls to capture new Pokémon, go there to shop? It's simple: Quality food, quality vitamins and specific items one might need. He needs some evolutionary stones he does not have yet, hold items may also be useful and Meowth can definitely use a brand new Amulet to upgrade his Pay Day attack.

Oh, it's also a fact that a Meowth can replace the Amulet. By doing so with a new one made of high quality, it can boost the attack power of a Pay Day.

Ash silently hoped to turn that in a Pay Bomb. He just needed to learn how to teach a Pokémon to explode thrown objects.

Kind of like moves such as Aura Sphere.

He will also purchase many new kinds of medicine as well as some books about the other professors their researches in order to go further with his own studies. He already finished all the books the professor had in his library anyway.

Those were a lot of books… interesting to read though. This 12 year old is capable of completing university so one must never underestimate this child.

"So what are you going to buy, Brock?" Ash asked his first traveling companion. Right now he had Meowth on his shoulder as Pikachu was resting after getting sick by having too much ketchup.

Ash shouldn't have mentioned that there would be no ketchup for the rest of the year unless he trains extremely hard until the end of the month. It does get Pikachu extremely motivated though.

"Oh, just some supplies Ash. I'm also interested in thinking of evolving Vulpix and Roselia after we finish our month of training," Brock explained and Ash nodded with a grin.

Caitlin smiled a little as she joined in, "I intend to buy some small items and new traveling clothes. My dress makes it hard to move in and seeing how you guys probably intend to train yourself… Some self defense training for myself may do some good," she explained her idea.

Ash wanted to ask her the same, but she was too fast to answer it. Shrugging somewhat, he offered her a smile. "I've got some good books explaining various martial art forms for that training. It's mostly pictures and how to improve it though," Ash explained as he did read those. It's good to know how to fight. Poachers and such are all dangers on the road. A trainer needs to know self defense in case their pokémon are busy.

Caitlin looked appreciatively at Ash, "Thanks Ash! Saves me some time to search…" She sighed at the hard time she'd have to find out a good way. Yes, she had powerful pokémon and yes she had some psychic powers but they're not always available.

Curse the Dark type Pokémon.

"Well, I'll see you guys at the training ground we decided on. It's at the clearing with the river, I'll mark some trees so you know where," Ash started as the other two nodded.

They'll spend at least 3 weeks in the wild. Time for some supply shopping.

---

Ash grumbled as he stared at all the items being sold. He needed some berries, special pokéchow that is meant for growth increase as well as a portable recovery machine..

Let it be known that those portable things are expensive. Good thing he got some money for doing good jobs. Good connections.

So he made a shopping list, plain and simple. There's also a heavy price tag, but it'll get him going in the long run. Nobody ever said that being a good trainer is cheap. Ash understood that very well… His mother often made him take care of monetary matters since he studied under Oak. It helped out quite a bit.

So he began writing down on a list, looking quite concentrated as Meowth just looked at it.

Being capable of reading as a Pokémon rocks.

Shopping List

20 Super Potions

10 Revives

25 berries of each kind

100 KG of special Pokéchow

Vitamins of all kinds for a month

2 of each evolution stone

1 portable recovery machine ( recharge capability, 6 pokémon at once ) ( Praise Arceus for Pikachu )

2 training set clothes

1 of each hold item ( Charcoal, Miracle Seed, Mystic Water etc. )

1 Amulet Coin

Total cost: 163,700 Poké

Nodding in agreement at seeing the total costs, he started his shopping session. It's a good idea to confirm what you intend to buy before doing so in case heavy prices appear out of nowhere.

Curse the recovery machine for being so expensive though. Maybe he should've asked Professor Oak? Nah, that'd be plain favoritism. Others would complain.

Sighing, he went ahead to to the food store first. Brock will most likely purchase the human food for the rest of the month plus they can live off of the wild in case it's needed.

Even now, Ash praised the glorious mind of those who made minor gravity capsules that can carry heavy weight equipment as well as lessen bag space by doing so. If he ever met them, he'll kneel to the men or women in praise.

---

"So we are first Ash?" Meowth asked as he finished scratching on the trees. It was quite obvious which was to go as he used Metal Claw in order to cut straight into the trees. It just looked like a Pokémon was training to most, but all swipes went in a single direction which meant to follow it.

"Yep. I hate to say this but right now we're not ready for some harder challenges. We may win Celadon City, but we can't beat the Cinnabar or Viridian City gym," Ash nodded.

Meowth gulped slightly, "Maybe ye should not go dere. To Viridian I mean," Meowth started.

Ash's eyes narrowed slightly as if saying 'tell me why'.

Meowth let out a tired sigh, "Da boss is the leader dere. We don't know how, but he's da Viridian Gym leader. He usually makes others lead it tho, but there's still the off chance…"

Ash's eyes nearly glowed in slight rage. Who did their job in the league? It seems that all the Joys, the elite 4 and some Jenny's did their job right. Where the heck are all the ace trainers and G-men?

Shaking his head, he began writing up a training menu to follow this month. It was of importance to do so anyway.

"Come on out everyone and start stretching while I write a menu," Ash called out all of his Pokémon which instantly began to stretch. Even Pikachu looked healthier compared to the unhealthy look he had after having all that ketchup…

Thinking about his team, Ash frowned. Now to write a list of what to do… He'll have to do it right. Not on torture level but very close. They needed to get that push.

He thought of some ideas before writing them down.

Training regime Celadon City

He made sure to write Celadon City there. That way he knows where he started it in the future.

06:00 - Stretching and jogging to warm up for the day

07:00 - Meditation until 08:00 ( Pokémon and trainers )

08:00 - Breakfast

08:30 - Start physical training ( Pokémon and trainers )

12:30 - Lunch

13:00 - Elemental and move practice ( Self study for trainers )

16:00 - Sparring until 18:00 ( Pokémon and trainers )

18:30 - Dinner ( Special growth menu )

19:00 - Start physical training again ( Pokémon and trainers )

22:00 - Meditation until 23:00 ( Pokémon and trainers )

23:00 - Sleep

He had to think about the timetable. Yes, they'll have a harsh training month but this is for progress. They won't have to travel so nothing will disturb them. Wild Pokémon may appear and are great practice as they're quite deep inside of the forest so there will be less weaker ones.

Maybe they'll meet some wild ones that want to tag along? Ash never complained, he liked to help out Pokémon. It's also fun to see the wild Pokémon lighten up to you, as if getting used to a teacher.

It's also important to push Brock, Caitlin and himself in some training. He neglected it a little after starting to travel but this was very important now that he had such rare pokémon. Especially Gengar.

"Meowth, can you come here and confirm if it's not borderline torture?" Ash asked out loud. Obviously, he intended to scare some of the weaker willed pokémon of his team but after fighting Matt… it seems they all had determination on his level. Good.

"Sure, let me see," Meowth picked up Ash's training menu for the entire month and nodded a few times.

"Yeh, it's pretty good. Half an hour breaks which gives us some time to let the food go down as well as rest some of our muscles. Meditation also helps in relaxation. Seven hours of sleep are good," Meowth agreed as he handed it back to Ash.

Ash chuckled slightly, "If it was the old you, Meowth, you would've cried blood."

Meowth laughed a little before going back to his stretching and warming up. It was true after all. Ever since meeting Ash, he began to change into a Pokémon that wants to get stronger. He's definitely stronger compared to before and the road to the top is still a long way.

Plus, they have a lot of regions to do. They have the time… There is no need to rush. One must be patient in growing up. Ash often says this after the battle in Saffron City.

"Ash! We're here," Brock called out from the forest as he popped up with Caitlin. Both carried some heavy bags as they had all kinds of food and tents, possibly some other camping equipment they might need.

"Hey Brock, Caitlin. Can you check the training menu for this month? I've let Meowth check and he agreed," He held out the paper to Caitlin first as she was the more experienced one out of the three.

Caitlin instantly looked at the paper sharply, "You're cutting off a lot of my beauty sleep but I agree. This is a good training menu… How did your old one look?" She asked curiously.

Ash grumbled slightly before scratching his cheek. "All the meditation hours are breaks. Breaks for food were also longer," Ash admitted.

Caitlin let out a small giggle. He listens well to advice and adapts right away. That is the quality of a good trainer.

Brock took the menu before nodding in agreement. "I can use some good training as well. I've always kept myself fit, but if we ever get in trouble it's good to train. Some sparring sessions also help," Brock nodded sagely at the end.

Grinning slightly, Ash looked at Brock with a teasing glint, "Can't have me stronger than you?"

Brock returned the grin with a challenging smile, "You bet Ash. I've got to score some ladies on the road!"

Both of them laughed. Caitlin shook her head as she began to set up her 'home' for the upcoming month. Good thing they are near a river which meant bathing time.

---

The three trainers and their pokémon were now almost at the end of the training for the month. All three of them made progress in martial arts again as well as gain some slight muscle for training pretty hard.

The Pokémon were training like machines. They did not take breaks sometimes even when needed and their progress was astonishing. Heck, even Caitlin looked impressed as her Pokémon trained extremely well both physically and mentally with the training menu.

Ash's recipes as well as training notes in his Pokémon Encyclopedia helped her out greatly.

All three trainers began to teach their Pokémon new moves when they mastered their old ones. Even now, Ash had thought up something other trainers often neglect.

Moves that they only know. Moves that they create with their imaginative mind.

Ash trained his Pokémon for them in the last week. Greninja gained a move that would put many Water Pokémon to shame because of its usefulness.

Water Cutter. The water type version of Air Cutter. Greninja focuses water on his hands and slowly formed a 'blade' before slashing forward. Compressing all the water and adding a layer of energy around it, he sends out a blade made out of water forward. It's quite literally 'Water Cutter' and often helps cutting trees and other objects. Greninja was a natural at it once learnt and adding his recent training of fighting type moves and techniques… Yeah, that's some scary stuff.

Pikachu finally mastered Slam and Ash thought of a unique way to use it. By charging electricity and using Slam, it quite literally becomes an 'Electric Slam'. Taking it further, it became 'Electro Slam' after combining it with Electro Ball and 'Electric Slam'.

How does that work? After sending out an Electro Ball, Pikachu forces his Lightningrod ability onto it if it misses causing it to come back to him and then slams against it with an electrically charged tail as if hitting a tennis ball. It is a move that can be used on the run, especially with Pikachu's great speed.

Using Iron Tail also worked, but by using electricity with Slam made the Electro Ball stronger. There's also the fact that sometimes Pikachu focuses on sharpness and Iron Tail cuts through it because Pikachu has his reflexive defense actions through training. Ash didn't blame him at all.

He made sure to let his Talonflame practice more Flying type moves. One of them was Wing Attack and seeing the potential to it he decided to up it on the list. It now became a Fire/Flying type move called Flame Wing. It speaks for itself how it works as Talonflame coats his wings with his flames.

Taking no damage from those flames was the tricky part, but they managed to work it out with proper control lessons. Yes, this was one of the moments where 'knowing your element' and 'meditation' came in.

His Amaura went up on the list as well. While not a new move in particular, it's a move that few Pokémon know and is extremely useful when using it in consecutive attacks. Ice Ball. It practically speaks for itself outside of the fact that it gets stronger each time it's used. Glacia liked the move a lot and sometimes began practicing her Headbutt on an ice ball and keep it up in the air. It became a little game during breaks with the others. The ice was a lot tougher compared to normal ice.

Meowth powered up a move that none thought could be changed. Pay Day, the move where Meowth makes coins appear with the same design as that of an Amulet Coin with pure energy received an added effect.

EXPLOSIONS! Right now, his Pay Day evolved into what Meowth named Coin Bomb. While it can't be used in rapid succession as he can only create three at a time for now, it was technically a great move to surprise some trainers who think of it differently. It was actually when Meowth overcharged a Pay Day that it came to Ash.

Trickster became one of the scariest Pokémon he had. Next to the fact the Gengar became Ghost/Dark as a typing, its Illusion ability became half of what it was in the past. While he can't create long term illusions or extremely damaging ones, he can create multiple forms and distract an opponent. Having legs and muscles within them made it a lot faster than when it was a Zoroark so he didn't need to use Illusion on himself unless he wanted claws. Something Ash agreed with as a Gengar's natural speed is above that of a Zoroark.

There's also the fact he can fly as a Gengar.

He created a move that was extremely similar to Meowth's attack, Dark Bomb. By overcharging a Dark Pulse in the form of a Shadow Ball, he sends it out and the shell around the overcharged energy gradually weakens until it explodes.

Not just that, but he also made a rapid fire for his Shadow Balls thanks to some great practice. While weaker, it's useful when trying to either hit multiple targets or faster opponents.

That's just it for unique moves but their strength and special attacks increased beyond belief. Heck, some were even twice as fast as before. Ash did tell the Gengar to lay off the illusions until he gets into trouble or the opponent is far tougher than himself. It's a last resort slash trump card.

His Amaura often complained about wanting to evolve but there was no 'right time' yet in her opinion. Ash also wanted to at least let the Professor and his mother know when Glacia will evolve as the aurora will show in all of Kanto.

Well, all of this and they learned new combat styles. Pikachu, Hermit, Meowth and Gengar in particular began to use 'controlled' elements and made them focus on a single point.

It was perfectly fine to see the damage they caused until they began to split boulders. Pikachu in particularly made Ash and the others stare at seeing a small, yellow mouse Pokémon considered to be physically weak split a damn boulder at the size of a Tyranitar.

In another universe, Ittõsai Kunieda was very proud of someone, somewhere, learning one of his moves on his or her own.

Well, it was good for battlefield control when they found out Pikachu could split the ground with it as well. The rest of those who could use minor fighting type moves also learnt it pretty fast.

Heck, even Ash learnt it. Brock and Caitlin could do it on smaller rocks when they found out how to actually manipulate their aura a little. Nobody ever said that they weren't learning it now that Ash began 'feeding' them aura during the day.

Eh, Ash missed nothing. He had too much aura anyway.

With the new moves and increased physical and special abilities, they were ready for at least the seventh 'official' gym in Cinnabar Island. Gary already notified Ash about it but he didn't really care.

He had to beat Erika, Koga, Blaine and Giovanni. All four of them in … Well, he had to confirm his calendar.

… He has what? Half a year left? He can take his time to train for each gym but he shouldn't spend too much time as he needed to train for the league as well.

The guys there are monsters if you don't watch out. But Ash, ever since leaving Saffron City, was never complacent. He always kept looking forward to more training and getting stronger. He will get stronger and stronger until he stands at the peak with his pokémon. Until then, every Pokémon - even a baby Rattata - will be a potential opponent to look out for.

Talking about baby Rattata, they met a couple of them in the clearing. They were apparently still babies when looking at their size but they trained alongside them and improved pretty fast.

It was also good practice for Vulpix as those Rattata all knew Flame Wheel and so Vulpix could train its Flamethrower with no worries.

Egg moves, sometimes, are considered cheats in Ash's eyes. No matter in the end, since Ash learned that Pokémon can learn so called 'egg moves' if you train hard enough but they can instantly use the move once 'unlocked' and 'learned'. Once again, his Encyclopedia's data increased.

Other than the Rattata they met a couple of Oddish, Gloom and Vileplume that traveled in large groups. The Grass/Poison type pokémon stayed for a while to practice some of their moves and to learn Sunny Day and Synthesis with Brock's Roselia as well as Sludge Bomb.

There was also this small incident of meeting a Suicune that was traveling through Kanto and spotted them training like mad men.

She did a double take at seeing humans split boulders and promptly asked what the heck was going on through her telepathy.

The three, now obviously used to weird things with Ash as Brock and Ash told Caitlin stories about Ho-oh and Kyogre just shrugged off the sight of seeing a Suicune and told it what they were doing.

The Suicune was kind enough to teach Hermit how to actually stand on water. The Greninja thanked the Suicune kindly and the three trainers had a Legendary sparring partner for a day.

Hey, nobody ever said it's wrong to train with a wild Pokémon right?

It's just one of Ash's weird, lucky moments. They didn't even think of capturing a Suicune which made it look weird at them in the end and question them.

[ Flashback: Start ]

"Young trainers," Suicune began as she walked up to them with confused red eyes, "why are you not attempting to capture me?"

Ash shrugged as if not interested in the slightest, "I met Ho-oh and Kyogre," he showed his Rainbow Feather which made the Suicune stare and realize who this human is.

Brock spoke up next as he stretched his aching arms. "Well, I have no interest in capturing Legendary Pokémon. Yes, you guys are amazing but the trouble that will follow us will be far too annoying. Even now, Ash has trouble following him all around because I swear if Team Rocket spots his team they'll plot to steal them."

Ash couldn't help but agree.

Caitlin tilted her head slightly at the Suicune, "I have Entei as a Pokémon already."

Now all heads turned to her.

Caitlin realized her mistake before smiling awkwardly…

"Oops… That was supposed to be a secret," she mumbled.

"I see… I must say, I look forward to your progress. Once you reach Johto, where I mainly stay, come find me. I always seek a good battle and seeing your progress I am very interested. Perhaps you may capture me if you can defeat me, fufu," the Suicune joked slightly… or was she serious? Nobody knew with that glint in her eyes.

Ash just smirked slightly. "Better not keep you waiting then! I'm going to the Orange Islands first though. I've heard that there are rare Pokémon there and there's also a small league with unique challenges," Ash began and the Suicune nodded in agreement.

"I have visited the Orange Islands. Be careful when you reach Shamouti as the prophecy on that island will give you trouble, Ash."

"Huh? My name?" Ash turned to the Suicune in surprise. The Suicune looked a little smug.

"The Prophecy speaks of 'the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. I won't say more as it is your destiny to most likely help out… I will warn you to prepare, as it might be one of your toughest challenges yet. Take this as a reward for impressing me, young trainers."

Ash, Brock and Caitlin blinked a few times before nodding dumbly. It seems that there'll be something big in Shamouti… They'll have to train hard.

"I shall leave now. It was a pleasure to stretch my legs somewhat and have some small battles. Some even managed to injure me pretty well. Thank you for your medical attention, young medic," the Suicune gave a bow to Brock before jumping off and rushing in high speeds that they couldn't follow with their eyes yet.

[ Flashback: End ]

Honestly, Ash will never know how he meets Legendary Pokémon so often or why they all liked him so much. He did manage to take a picture of Suicune with him as he wanted to tease the Professor… Suicune agreed with a gleam in her eyes.

Who knew Legendary Pokémon can be pranksters?

That same day Ash could hear Oak practically scream in jealousy all the way from Celadon City when he mailed it.. along with receiving about 10 replies to hear of the experience by meeting Suicune.

But it helped greatly in their training. Now they were all ready.

Heck, Trickster was also taught his place once by Caitlin's Gallade and Brock's Steelix who apparently learned Crunch pretty fast.

Let it be known that a Steelix can bite… hard. Trickster still had some aches thinking about it.

It only shows that you must never get satisfied or ahead of yourself. Everyone can become slightly arrogant after getting much stronger, even the best of the best.

But now, the trainers were finishing packing up the tents and getting ready to head back. Every Pokémon was now outside of their ball to rest and have a conversation with each other about the training and experiences.

"I must say Ash, we learned some… very unique and new things," Brock spoke the 'new things' with some slight hesitance. What else can he say? He gained some minor aura control to at least send some power in his hits and learned how to split boulders.

Caitlin just smiled slightly. She definitely benefited from training with Ash as she mastered all of the katas in the book as well as some improvised techniques which were learnt with Ash.

Do not underestimate a Psychic learning new things. They learn even faster than Ash when put in the right state of mind. It's only because Ash has an active imagination and a unique way of thinking that he's in the same league as Gary… along with his unending desire to get stronger.

"That's all good right? Your Pokémon learnt new moves. Heck, Steelix improved Iron Tail and made it grow. You can't complain about that… not even Pikachu can do that yet," Ash complained slightly.

Caitlin giggled as Brock and Ash got into an argument about 'teaching new moves' and 'being unfair'. Some things never change as the two boys could act like rivals at one point but best friends at the other.

Well, Brock also made great improvements as a doctor thanks to his self study lessons. He finished a lot of books which helped out the Suicune at the end.

"Come on boys, let's leave already," Caitlin rolled her eyes. She wanted a hot shower already. The rivers are okay but some luxuries are always a want.

"Okay," both boys agreed as they asked their Pokémon who wanted to stay out. Apparently they were all still tired so they returned all of them.

"Let's go then! First trip to the Pokémon Center and we'll go to Celadon to store up some new food and medicine. Only THEN can you challenge Erika, Ash!" Caitlin ordered somewhat. Seeing her like that, Ash could only agree and followed. Brock was walking like a machine behind Caitlin.

Girls can be scary.

---

After they went back to the city, had some refreshments which meant that Caitlin had her much desired shower, they went shopping. The usual list of purchasing food as well as an everstone for Meowth who currently had no desire to evolve yet.

It was quite funny to see Meowth struggle against his evolution when it happened at the end of the training session. Apparently he wasn't ready for it yet in his honest opinion.

Yes, he wanted to prove he was amazing as a Meowth before actually evolving.

Ash honored his wishes just like any other of his Pokémon's wishes.

Besides - he wanted to train Meowth a lot more before actually evolving. Unlike common belief that after evolution they can grow more, there's also the fact that the stronger they are pre-evolution, the stronger they after post-evolution.

"Well it's time to battle Erika… Where's her gym, Brock?" He asked his companion, who often reads those pamphlets with such information.

Ash never knows when or where Brock gets one. If he did, he'd get one himself.

"Her gym also functions as a flower shop.. It has a Gloom design, despite Erika evolving her Gloom a while ago," Brock told his companion.

Caitlin looked at Brock, "No comments on her beauty?"

Brock let out a sigh after hearing that. He really started changing. Maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing.

---

"Welcome to the Celadon City Gym," A young girl introduced the trainers to Erika's gym.

They met the girl halfway there as they were going to the same gym, so they just tagged along and decided to talk about grass types and their abilities.

Brock in particular was interested because of his Roselia.. Thinking of Roselia, he did promise her to evolve her after the training. She trained so hard with Vulpix, she really deserved it.

He'll do it after the gym battle Ash has.

"Thanks Midori," Ash thanked the girl now named Midori. The girl in question smiled at the trainer as she guided him and his friends towards the battle area inside of the gym.

"Erika! You have a new challenger!" Midori called out to the Gym Leader. When they looked around, Ash instantly began analyzing the battlefield but then spotted a girl sitting there with her grass types.

A pretty big Venusaur, a decently trained Torterra and a tougher looking Vileplume were sitting together with a girl - Erika - as they were having some small snacks.

Erika looked to be around 15 years old. She had medium length, straight black hair and droopy black eyes. One might even mistake her for a model at first. She wore a green hair tie and a beautiful yellow kimono with green flower imprints on it. The obi it was tied with was the same color as the hair tie, emerald green.

She noticed the trainers coming in and offered a polite smile. "Welcome trainers, I take it you are another challenger for the gym?"

Ash nodded, "I am. These are my friends Brock and Caitlin," he pointed at Brock and Caitlin respectively. "They travel with me but I'm the gym challenger," Ash explained so she could focus on his battle.

Erika simply smiled as she stood up. "Then we shall hold a battle. I assume you are at least a seven badge trainer?"

Ash blinked a few times before shrugging, "Yeah. We can do that." He didn't deny it. If he did, she might give him a five badge challenge because he only has four official badges and that's just an insult to his team.

Erika nodded as she let Vileplume go ahead to the area. Seeing that, Ash called out his Amaura to combat the Vileplume. This would be a nice challenge for the Ice/Rock type.

Erika blinked a few times at seeing such a beautiful Pokémon. The special effects after being called out of the ball also mentioned that it is shiny.

"Glacia, this Vileplume is tough. You can see the poison gathering inside of the flower… which is larger than average too," Ash grunted slightly at seeing the tough opponent. However, Glacia was a predator to these kinds of Pokémon.

Seeing the Pokémon, the Glacia's eyes became fierce. It seems that she was ready for battle as the fossil Pokémon began to cool the air around it as if ready to take action whenever.

There was no judge. There was no need for a judge this battle.

Erika simply smiled, "Vileplume, use Leech Seed please," the Vileplume instantly fired multiple seeds towards the Amaura that now glared even fiercer.

What did they think she is? A little Magikarp that can only bounce on the floor? This is child's play.

The Amaura let out a small roar as the seeds were instantly frozen, canceling the move that was fired at it. Taking the chance, the Amaura forced ice to form around the seeds to create miniature ice balls and fired them straight at the Vileplume.

"Dodge!" Erika called out as the Vileplume jumped upwards to avoid the Ice Balls that expertly chose all sides the Vileplume can go to…

A mistake was made..

A real Ice Ball was charged in front of the Amaura's mouth and fired at the Vileplume that was still in the air, being three times as strong as the previous ice balls that were fired.

"Vileplume! Petal Blizzard!" the Vileplume began to spin around in the air, multiple pink petals around it as it nearly became a twister of petals.

Sadly, that move distracted the Vileplume. The Amaura fired an icy wind at the ground, once again taking control of the battlefield. After the Petal Blizzard ended the Vileplume reached the ground… and promptly slipped.

"Take down!" Ash called out as the Amaura began to glow an icy blue. Refrigerate is such a useful ability. The Amaura charged straight at the Vileplume, running on ice like it's a Goldeen swimming in the water.

"Vileplume!" Erika called out in worry as the Vileplume received the full force of the take down. Now, normally a Pokémon feels recoil but after practicing it the right way and training the body properly, Amaura felt nothing at all.

Take down was essentially an overcharged Tackle. Lessening the power to acceptable levels made the move unable to hurt the Fossil Pokémon.

Now that the Vileplume was launched in the air the Amaura fired a fourth ice ball. Since the field was frozen and the area was much colder now, the ice ball charged faster than before and became twice the size as the one that was dodged by the use of Petal Blizzard.

Vileplume was still in a state of hurt as she was fired into the air. It was quite obvious that Take Down hurt it quite a bit thanks to becoming a super effective move with Amaura's ability.

The Ice Ball fired straight at the Vileplume with deadly accuracy. As the ball hit the Grass/Poison Flower Pokémon, Erika swiftly returned her as it was the Amaura's win.

"I see… Your pokémon is very independent, but that just means you have no bond with your Pokémon. Only when there is a bond, a Pokémon and trainer can be truly powerful," Erika smirked slightly as her Torterra ran up to the field.

Ash stared at Erika. Glacia stared at Erika.

Both turned to each other before Ash's eyes began to glow a little thanks to his anger and aura acting up.

"One move," he spoke in false calm.

The Amaura nodded in complete agreement. Yes, she knew him only for a few months now… but they have build a bond that will last for many, many years. This girl just insulted that.

Glacia do not like.

Opening her mouth as she didn't even wait, as the Torterra was already running to her for whatever physical move, the Amaura charged a massive orb of energy in front of her mouth.

Because it was such a light blue, Erika expected a massive ice beam.

Technically… it is a beam. An ice-type, boosted, same type attack bonus hyper beam. While same type attack bonus isn't commonly mentioned as it's mostly just called STAB, every trainer knows that a Pokémon's main element is stronger than an element of a different kind… hence why Meowth's Coin Bomb is so dangerous.

Seeing a repeat of his last gym battle on the gym leader instead made Ash feel a sense of irony.

As the hyper beam fired, it hit the Torterra straight on and sent it flying without any troubles. A two times super effective move. There was no challenge.

Right now, Erika felt some form of fear. Her Torterra was taken out in a single hyper beam? A single move?

She spoke out of line. Now she'll reap what she has sown.

Gritting her teeth, she sent out her Venusaur to finish this battle. The Amaura must be tired, especially after that hyper beam. It is true that Glacia is tired though.

Ash, as much as he likes 'fair play' returns the Amaura. Challengers can do so anyway.

Seeing Erika's surprised face, as well as loss of some hope in her eyes made it worth it in his slightly sadistic state of mind. She shouldn't have mentioned his bond with Glacia being non-existant.

Ash thought about who he should throw in… before throwing out a ball. It was time for him to practice against someone other than his teammates after all.

Out of it came Trickster. Transformed as a Moltres. Just to mess with Erika.

Erika blinked a few times before nearly fainting at seeing a legendary pokémon.

Ash just blinked before going along with it. He did mention that he shouldn't do so but apparently the Gengar heard what happened outside of his cherish ball. "Psychic," he ordered as the Moltres's eyes began to glow a fierce blue. Venusaur was lifted into the air before being slammed down and what came next was a shadow ball.

Now, Erika is no professional, but Moltres can't learn those moves.. right?

"Venusaur! Frenzy Plant!" She ordered as roots began to sprout at high speeds, hitting the Moltres and out of it came a grinning, though pretty wounded Gengar.

A very vicious looking Gengar if you can see his glowing green eyes and slightly malicious grin.

"You know what to do, Trickster," Ash grinned slightly at his Gengar.

The Gengar's red markings began to glow and the dark red of his sclera became a maroon colour not unlike Ash's.

At first it was a small, round field around him. The power began to boil up as the Gengar roared out loud and the orb expanded and expanded with pure power. Now that's a real Night Daze.

The Venusaur could only blink before it reached him and blasted him away.

It seems that Celadon City is pretty overrated. Oh, right… Most challengers don't get in because they insulted her perfume.

Oh? The Venusaur actually stood up again, roaring as petals began to flow around it and it launched a petal dance straight at the Gengar. Along with it were some hidden stun spores.

The Gengar ran on the floor and became a black blur to some but the barrage of petals were relentless. Eventually, the Gengar had to jump up and land onto the wall before pushing off of it towards the Venusaur that was now definitely angered by the Gengar dodging his moves.

Sadly, the field was now covered in stun spore and the Gengar inhaled some, making it struggle a little. He had been paralyzed by Pikachu's electric attacks, why would this stop him completely?

At least this was a better match than that Torterra. Erika definitely got kicked off of her high horse with that single attack finishing off such a strong Pokémon.

Admiring the sight of a proper opponent, the Gengar charged a shadow ball before firing it at the feet of the Venusaur to make a small explosion and cause dust to come into its eyes or at least block its sight. The black blur didn't stop, even while slowed down thanks to the stun spore as well as some petals hitting its body.

The Gengar can handle some damage. This was nothing compared to Gardevoir's magical leaf.

'Time for a little surprise, hope you like it Ash!' Trickster thought before his hands began to glow an icy blue, punching the Venusaur once close enough. The moment the glowing fist connected a small amount of ice appeared onto the Venusaur and sent it flying somewhat.

Petal Dance, however, was a move that continued no matter what. The Venusaur was already busy doing its best to control it lest he loses the move.

Seeing the chance, the Gengar used Psychic to throw the Venusaur straight into the air and started to charge multiple shadow balls in order to defend itself from petal dances.

Grinning maliciously, the Gengar had a certain thought… What would happen if a Venusaur had a nice, explosive landing?

A massive Shadow Ball appeared right under the Venusaur, where he will land. The Shadow Ball began to get bigger and bigger, awaiting something to touch it.

Who ever said that shadow balls should be in front of a mouth or hand? Even now, Gengar had some minor ones protecting him from some petals as he focused on the larger orb. He couldn't lose focus now or he'd be blasted away himself.

That's a lot of ghost energy though.

The Venusaur couldn't do anything but let gravity do its job. Falling down with its massive weight, it landed straight on the massive shadow ball much to Erika's horror and the Gengar's glee. An explosion occurred right away.

Now, Gengar did get some damage out of it but thanks to Venusaur's large body, none of his own ghostly energy hit him. Good thing too because he might knock himself out by doing so.

Panting as the Gengar was somewhat tired, his green on maroon eyes were staring forwards to see the sight of a Venusaur completely knocked out.

Trickster let out a cheer, "That's what I thought! Can't win against me, big guy! Hey Ash, liked the surprise?"

Ash laughed out loud at seeing the Gengar cheer so childishly. It must be because he finally got to have a real battle after his evolution - not counting Brock's, Caitlin's or the wild Suicune.

"Can I get back into your shadow now? I need some aura to heal myself.. this stun spore is annoying," the Gengar grunted as he walked to Ash.

Sighing, Ash let Trickster get into his shadow without any fear or reply. He trusted the Gengar to be careful as Trickster will heal himself with Ash's aura. Ironically, his shadow gained some red markings around his legs and arms because the Gengar willed it to.

Scare tactics for the heck of it. Ash thought of it as funny so he never really minded or commented about it. People did look at him weirdly for it but hey, why not? Makes him different from the others.

On the other hand it also lets him and Gengar bond together in peace.

Ash walked up to Erika, his maroon eyes looking slightly disappointed but otherwise fine. "Did I win the badge?"

Erika had a troubled look before sighing. If she didn't give it now, the gym would definitely get closed down.

She lost against the boy. Completely crushed. No mercy. While her Venusaur gave a decent battle, the other two were taken out without any troubles. She really should not have talked about bonds. Thinking about it, maybe she was getting slightly arrogant. Time for a change.

Taking out a small flower-like badge with colors on each petal that make it look like a rainbow, she handed it over to him. Ash grinned slightly as he took it.

"Thanks for the battle, Erika. Perhaps in the future we'll do so again. Hopefully, you'll use your real team," Ash smiled as he walked towards the exit, not waiting for Erika's reply.

He just wanted to get going. After getting his new gym badge, he wanted the other as soon as possible!

To be honest, Erika, in his opinion, was slightly disappointing… She insulted the bonds between trainers and their Pokémon. A Gym Leader should know better. Hopefully, Koga will be better. Ash didn't know he'll get an elite four candidate as an opponent.

---

Ash, Brock and Caitlin were about to leave Celadon City for the next one to get Ash's seventh badge. They had already let their Pokémon recover in the Pokémon Center.

KABOOOOOM!

The three trainers jumped aside as a large piece of rubble nearly hit them.

"Isn't that… the gym?!" Ash shouted in shock as he and the rest instantly ran towards it.

Why wouldn't they? Their pokémon can protect them. There's also the fact Ash has some hero personality that demands that he helps them out. The other two followed him as it's the right thing to do.

Normal children, they are not.

When they arrived they saw a lot of vans with large R's on it as well as a hurt Torterra and Venusaur being carried off. Most likely to be stolen from Erika.

The three trainers didn't need to see more. Brock and Ash had experience with them. Caitlin heard of them.

Team Rocket is attacking the gym and attempting to steal the Pokémon there.

"Get them, everyone!" Brock and Ash didn't hesitate in the slightest as they called out their entire team. Caitlin followed up eventually.

Brock's team, consisting of Golett, Steelix, Tyranitar, Golem, Vulpix and Roselia let out enraged cries. They all heard about the situation and instantly moved to damage all the cars. They will not let anyone escape.

Ash took care of all the trainers with Caitlin. His team being a Talonflame which took care of Team Rocket escaping into the air, a Pikachu that paralyzed all humans whenever he had the chance, Meowth who bombed all pokémon that came out, Greninja who took to the shadows and search for any hidden members, Amaura that stopped the fires with her abilities of using rock, ground and ice type moves and finally a Gengar that protected the trainers.

Caitlin called out a Metang that instantly went on the offense as it slammed a car away from its trainer, a Gallade and Gardevoir that simply stood still and searched the area as well as picking some minds for information and finally Espeon. She left some others at home seeing how she might capture other friends like Metang.

It seems that either the three were monsters or that the rocket members only had an escape plan with the vans after grabbing some of the gym's Pokémon because it was really pathetic.

Grimers, Zubats and Ekans were being thrown around like beach balls. After Brock's Pokémon finished destroying all vans - as well as weaponry of the team rocket members - they attacked all Pokémon that they called out.

It's still funny seeing a Vulpix use Iron Tail and slap six different Pokémon at the same time as if they're not worth her time.

Tyranitar took care of some of the stronger ones being an odd Muk or Golbat, but no Arbok it seems as the snakes were instantly down to prevent escaping through the underground.

The battle continued like this for a good half of an hour. At least 50 Team Rocket grunts were there as it seems to be a pretty big operation. Sadly, they met Ash Ketchum the still novice Chosen One who has some tough Pokémon… and his friends who are an extra that are definitely at his level in either power or skill, or in Caitlin's case, beyond it in both.

Pikachu seemed to be exhausted as he had to fire countless thunder waves to prevent them all from escaping or use thunderbolt to prevent himself from being hit by them. Meowth was in the same league using his new move that completely exhausted him, Talonflame seemed to be alright as he took care of all the Zubat in the air as well as taking out a single helicopter. Looking back, seeing a massive Talonflame and still going towards it was a dumb action. A good flamethrower did the deed to melt some parts and cause it to crash right onto some other Team Rocket vans. Greninja had taken out the Admin, later known as Joel, before he could react to the trainers attacking them and Amaura stopped all the flames and explosions. Gengar was the least tired because the trainers knew how to protect themselves from the odd punch or kick to catch them off guard and the few Pokémon that tried were down for the count.

Brock's team was pretty much in a near unconscious state due to using far too much energy. Nothing a good rest at the Pokémon Center won't fix. The one who was hurt the most was Tyranitar because in a small fit of rage he used headbutt on a van without enhancing it… Yeah, that hurt.

Caitlin's team were all fine. Metang was definitely living up to his fame of being part of a pseudo-legendary evolution line and took out a couple of grunts on his own. Poison attacks were useless on it and being psychic made it able to beat most enemies. Gardevoir and Gallade were relaying all the information they got to Caitlin who had a notepad and was writing things on it with a serious face and Espeon was just being Espeon, lazy after a battle.

Right now there were others with the three traveling trainers as while they treated their Pokémon's injuries, a few Officer Jenny were writing down what happened with Erika standing next to a hurt Venusaur, Torterra and Vileplume. There were a few league Ace trainers in case someone does something stupid and a few G-men along with Lance.

Attacking a gym in broad daylight is a serious issue. Ash didn't have to call Lance.

However, Lance wasn't surprised to see Ash. He's always in trouble, somewhere or somehow.

---

"So they are under orders of Giovanni," Lance concluded as he and the three traveling trainers were now sitting in a private room of the Pokémon Police Station.

Caitlin nodded as she handed over a list of planned crimes as well as names. For now, only the future attacks will be mentioned.

Plan 1: Attack Celadon City's gym to weaken the defense

Plan 2: If succeed, take over the game corner

Plan 3: Attack Silph Co and steal the prototype Masterball

Plan 4: Use Project M2 and take out the league

There were no details of M2's project. Only the knowledge of when and how. What M2 is, Caitlin had no idea and there were no images.

Lance had a troubled face at that, but they can now increase the defense of all the mentioned locations. Nodding in agreement, he began to call some ACE Trainers, the best of the best in this case, to order them to get there.

The three children just remained in the room discussing the battle and the way they should improve.

Honestly, it was strange to see such a thing. Children fought off adults that intended to commit a heavy crime. They, with only around 20 Pokémon managed to defeat so many grunts of an evil organisation within Kanto that it just made it look pathetic.

The first thing they do is battle. Their age did not matter in this case, mentally they were all prepared and slightly hardened.

Who wouldn't be? Ash nearly died within only a few months of his journey only to be saved by a Kyogre - a Legendary that hadn't been seen for a while. Brock was the one who experienced the sinking S.S. Anne with Ash and also fought against Team Rocket there. Caitlin, being a former Frontier head had enough experience with such things and knew of the 'real world' so to say.

They matured mentally. Normal adults don't compare to them right now.

Ash was a prodigy through and through. His aura makes him more than a simple human and he can use special ways of dealing with Pokémon.

Brock was a wise teenager. He knew a lot about medicine, was a good cook and finally studied to become a breeder as well. Taking care of Pokémon was easy for him so his team was strong enough. He mentally grew up after meeting Ash as well. There's also the fact he was the only one taking care of his family for so long.

Caitlin was a psychic. She is capable of doing much more than a normal human and thinks differently. Thanks to her psychic abilities, her mental activities are much faster and thanks to that she can learn extremely fast as well as mature faster. That, and a girl just matures faster than a boy when comparing her to the other two.

When Lance finished his call, he couldn't help but think how kids are doing the league's job and how they manage to get into so much trouble.

The champion let out a sigh before he sat down in front of the group, "You know what? I'll give you three special privileges on your Xtransceiver or Pokénavs to call the league officials with high priority. With you guys always being involved in these kind of things, I seriously doubt that this'll be the last time," Lance rubbed his forehead.

Ash chuckled a little in amusement as he handed over his Xtransceiver so Lance could upload the software/OS update. He didn't really know as it's something only the league uses. Hopefully it won't delete his other numbers…

The two others followed up seeing that it'll be useful. They do need a backup Xtransceiver in case something happens to Ash after all. Not that it'll happen when they're around.

"Thanks, Lance," Ash said with a grin. It's great to have the ability to call someone other than Lance for these problems. The champion must be bothered enough already.

Lance shook his head in amusement before looking at Ash, "Did you receive the reward money? We do intend to send reward money to trainers that help out," Lance explained as he looked at the other two who were confused. Ash simply nodded with a 'Yes'.

Ash turned to them and blinked a few times, "You guys should have received some as well."

Brock and Caitlin blinked once, then twice and finally thrice before opening their Xtransceiver and opening their trainer account. Indeed, they had received some money for helping out with the Mankey and in Brock's case, Tentacruel as well.

That's quite a bit of money.

Lance chuckled slightly before looking at Caitlin, "So, the princess finally decided to go on a journey… Considering the family you come from, it's not much of a surprise. If you're with Ash, you're bound to get stronger," Lance spoke with softness as he got the stress of the workload behind him for now.

Caitlin blushed slightly at the compliment and the fact that Lance had such a trust in Ash as well as her getting stronger.

Lance then turned to Brock with a sharp eye, "You have some powerful Pokémon with you, young man. Some of them are considered powerhouses in their own right, but to see such a Golett.. I am impressed. When the Golett evolves, let's have a battle," Lance rarely had any battles these days. Trainers were always complaining that he was too strong.

Personal, casual… nobody even reached past Lorelei or even Bruno nowadays so he doesn't have any good battles. His Pokémon often get annoyed because of that too.

Well, his main Dragonite has been coming home lately completely bruised up for some reason. He did wonder why. It always returned with this childish excitement in his eyes as if having had the fight of his dreams.

Brock gave Lance a faint grin, "I might not be a gym leader anymore, but being with Ash surely helped me get stronger… my Onix and Geodude from before have all reached their final evolutions… I'll be ready. Actually," Brock had almost forgotten and he called out his Vulpix and Roselia.

Both Pokémon immediately knew why and stood in front of Brock as he was searching through his bag.

"I promised them to let them evolve after enduring a month of extreme training. They did very well," Brock said as Ash and Caitlin sat back to enjoy the sight of an evolution.

Lance, while it's usually done in emergencies and he never had the time to appreciate the sight of it, always liked to see Pokémon evolve as well. It's quite special to see two Pokémon evolve like that so he just leaned back in his chair with a small smile.

Yes, this group of trainers is interesting. They always give him something special to see or do.

Brock first found the Fire Stone, making the Vulpix jump up in excitement as he placed it down on the ground in front of the Fire type, who in turn walked up to it.

Staring at the flames inside of the stone, the Vulpix nodded as she decided to reach her final stage. She got far enough in her current state. She learnt as many moves as she can as a Vulpix. It was time.

Touching the stone with her paw, the Vulpix began to glow a bright light. The small figure slowly began to grow up, tails gradually extending before gaining another and another until it reached 9. The tails, as the figure was still white curled up and then the snout of the Vulpix extended somewhat. Tufts of fur extended as inside of the light the color changed completely. The white figure slowly began to sit down as the bright light finally disappeared to show a beautiful Ninetales.

Brock smiled as Roselia began to pet the now evolved Ninetales on her head with the flowers. It was obvious that Roselia was still the older one here as the Ninetales simply let her with a small yip.

In the back, the two trainers and the champion looked at the Ninetales with a sharp eye. A very beautiful Pokémon indeed, something many trainers wish to have.

"Ninetales are indeed very beautiful Pokémon. Perhaps you should train her for contests when you reach Hoenn, Brock," Lance spoke out with a smile. It might be a nice recording to review later.

Brock thought about it before turning to the Ninetales, "Would you like to do contests in the future?"

The Ninetales seemed to think about it before nodding in agreement with that idea.

Smiling, Brock pulled out the second evolution stone. A Light Stone.

"Well Roselia, you wished for evolution for a while now. Can't let Vulpix evolve alone, right?" Brock smiled at the Roselia that now had shiny, black eyes as she stared at the stone.

The Roselia took the chance the moment it reached her. Bending forward, the Roselia touched the stone with one of her flowers as she too began to glow and grow around three times in height. The previous spikiness on her head changed into a smooth hair design and a sort of cape seemed to come from her back. The flowers grew along with the Roserade's arms seeing how, despite only holding them for battle, they're apart of the Roselia/Roserade evolution line.

When the light disappeared, there stood a Roserade. Staring at the flowers she held in her hands, the Roserade nodded before moving them behind her back. For some reason, the flowers disappeared under her cloak as she now revealed two green hands and bowed to her trainer. She definitely had a rogue-ish look with some sort of mask around her eyes.

Ash had to think about this movie called 'Zorro'.

"Oh? You can make your flowers disappear now?" Brock asked curiously as the Roserade nodded with a smile.

"They're now a part of my body. By moving my hands behind my cloak, I can 'absorb' them so to speak. In case of battle I can make them appear anytime," the Roserade explained. Ash simply relayed what had been told to the humans.

The Ninetales looked amused really. Not many humans know, but Roselia usually held onto the flowers. They practically keep it as a part of their body instead of using their hands. They also use their energy to keep the flowers alive, and when they finally evolve the flowers they've nurtured become a part of their body.

"Marvelous evolution," Lance complimented as he nodded with a grin. To be honest, he hadn't seen many Roserade yet. He didn't know that tidbit of information either so he could tell ACE trainers about it. No wonder research shows that flowers eventually change when held by Roselia. The better the nutrients and water, the better the energy that the flowers will absorb.

"Both are very nice," Caitlin commented with a smile. She admired those two beautiful Pokémon.

Ash simply smiled and called out his Amaura. Perhaps she'd like to do so now?

"Oh? You've evolved," the Amaura smiled at the Roserade and Ninetales.

Both Pokémon turned to the shiny Amaura and nodded with excited looks in their eyes. Seeing that, the Amaura figured what they thought of.

Perhaps it's time to grant them a small wish.

"Ash, would you like me to evolve as well? Tonight will be a fine night. I suspect a full moon?"

Ash nodded at the Amaura before turning to Lance, "Lance, care to see an evolution nobody except the two other Aurorus trainers has seen before?"

Lance, seeing the chance had a glint in his eyes, "Of course, I'd be honored to. Don't forget to call the professor, I'll send my Dragonite to bring him… and your mother, I assume," Lance spoke with a grin.

Ash looked at him knowingly, "She's still not interested, Lance," Ash said calmly as he knew Lance liked his mother. Heck, she was very popular in Pallet Town.

The fact she has a very, very overprotective Mr. Mime helps out though. Any men that try to even touch her get a full force psychic or barrier blocking them.

Ash often had good laughs with his mother because of it.

"A shame.. Doesn't hurt to try," Lance shrugged.

Ash just smiled a little. He actually wouldn't mind Lance as a father.

---

Glacia began stretching her limbs somewhat as she was getting prepared to evolve. Her kind usually gains a lot of ice abilities and it's a lot of trouble to keep it contained as an Aurorus. How does she know? Well, traveling Aurorus often told her when they came to Mt. Everstone.

It took a grand total of 40 minutes before two Dragonite arrived at the scene. Ash, Caitlin, Brock and even Lance had all their Pokémon outside of their pokéballs to watch the show.

Delia immediately rushed to her son and gave him the hug of his life before ranting about all the dangerous things.

And the smile. Oh Arceus that smile.

Everyone just backed off a good ten steps when that smile came forth. For some reason, a shadow was moving as if taking notes.

Professor Oak remained behind to study all the rare Pokémon. Yes, a royal Golett, a Steelix, a Tyranitar… not to mention that Gengar. He studied them all with his eyes before turning towards the Amaura that was closing her eyes and seemed to absorb some moonlight, preparing her energy.

"Amazing pokémon…" He mumbled as he walked towards the group that were sitting outside. They moved out a while ago with Amaura standing in the middle of a clearing, alone as if preparing a show.

Oak even brought a recorder for this. He wouldn't miss the chance, no sir.

Delia went to sit down between Ash and Caitlin. Oak took seat between Lance and Brock.

Lance silently pouted. No luck again.

Glacia finally opened her eyes, having absorbed enough moonlight, "Ready, Ash?" Glacia asked as she turned her head to him.

Ash simply smiled at the fossil Pokémon, "Ready when you are Glacia. Just know that I will like you no matter if you're an Amaura or an Aurorus. Just before you have any second thoughts," he winked.

Glacia smiled at her trainer's thoughtfulness before shaking her head. She definitely wanted this.

Looking up into the sky, it started out with a soft cry.

Snow began to silently fall around her figure, created within a certain distance of the Amaura. It was definitely controlled in order to prevent any mass snowstorms around the area. Heck, the ones watching her could still feel the cold but they were too amazed to speak.

The small cry eventually become a type of song. Ancient, unknown to anyone. A song that only those of the past could know of.

In the nearby future, Ash would comment how Lugia's song was similar yet different. Whereas Lugia's was meant for soothing and healing, this one was filled with passion. Passion to reach evolution, passion to finally reach the next stage. All to please her dear trainer.

Not even Ash could understand the lyrics, none of the Pokémon could. They could only stare at the beauty as the moon finally shone on the Amaura's shiny figure.

It gradually began to glow, slowly expanding as the snow became fiercer and began to spin around like a small storm around the figure.

The figure, despite the snow, was completely visible. Nobody dared to take a single breath at seeing this evolution. Yes, many evolutions are special but this one seemed to be the practice of the ancient Pokémon.

The Amaura's body began to glow and expand many times its previous size. The usual stubby tail began to grow and extended properly. Her long neck became even larger as the small sails began to get bigger and bigger to cover the entire length of the neck. The previous single gem became multiple and went from her neck towards the tip of the tail that now curled inwards. The hindlegs gained three clawed toes but the forelegs only had one large nail and a single claw.

The area around the Aurorus became colder and colder as the snowstorm expanded but then moved into the air. Like a mirror, the snow began to rise instead of fall and disappear into the sky as it melted by gradually leaving the cold area.

The previous passionate song became deeper, more mature as the light slowly began to disappear.

What stood there made the humans simply stare in awe. A beautiful, white Aurorus stood there. The sky blue gems and stomach matched perfectly with its eyes. The sails were a beautiful white and light blue to speak of its happiness as the now Aurorus lowered her head to look at the humans and Pokémon.

Its eyes focused on Ash as he stood up, walking over to Aurorus and extending his hand.

Seeing her trainer do that, Glacia closed her eyes and lowered her head further. The V-shape on her head now in full sight with the gem in the middle making it look like a tiara. Ash's hand reached the side of her head as he began to stroke it while watching in amazement, looking at his reflection on the gem on the Aurorus's forehead.

Yes, this definitely was an ancient Pokémon. One who existed in the past before many others were born. This grace, this beauty was something only few could match.

"You're beautiful, Glacia," Ash complimented with a smile. Heck, Pikachu began to cheer excitedly as the other Pokémon let out roars of approval. None of them had seen such an evolution yet, and it was definitely special.

Like that, Glacia's gems began to glow and light shot up into the skies. A beautiful mixture of green, purple and other colors began to intertwine as an aurora was seen all over Kanto.

Everyone simply stared up at the sight, taking it in without saying a single word. It was beautiful, as simple as that. Ash grinned as he and Glacia were now watching it together before the Aurorus roared out in the sky, brightening the controllers as if controlling it.

All beings stood in silence now, simply watching. Professor Oak was silently videotaping everything and took in the sights himself.

He was old, he was wise but he could still be amazed beyond words by the acts of a Pokémon. By Arceus, was this one of the most beautiful sights in his life. Even more than the Suicune with Ash in the future.

What they didn't know is that they attracted the attention of various legendaries by this evolution alone. Multiple screeches were heard from resting spots as they all admired the sight, a sight that the older ones hadn't seen in countless years. Roars of the hounds were approving and even a roar within the skies could be heard in some parts of Kanto as the legendary Pokémon traveled through it to see the sight.

It was like a message. A message to tell everyone that an Aurorus has appeared, an Aurorus with a lot of power to make it happen throughout the entirety of Kanto.

However, the ones around the Aurorus remained silent. It was only after viewing it for a good 20 minutes that it finally ended, making everyone turn back to the sight of Glacia. Truly, it viewed the beauty of the ancient. The gems seemed to glinster as the air was colder around the ice/rock type, the newly evolved Pokémon already controlling its powers.

Lance smiled in excitement. Good thing he promised a battle with Ash after he reaches Kanto.

Oak couldn't help but praise it, "Beautiful. I simply have no words. I feel that even the recording can't show the beauty of what occurred today. Ash, Glacia, congratulations upon the evolution."

Glacia's sky blue eyes looked at Oak before nodding slightly. The Pokémon walked up to the other trainers before opening her mouth and creating small ornaments.

Nevermeltice. Lance, Oak and Delia received three pieces of such ice as the aura around it was much different compared to normal ice. Lance received the figurine of a Dragonite and its trainer as the Aurorus had seen the Dragon Master with his Pokémon, Oak received a Pokéball on a stand and Delia received figurines of Ash and his Pokémon. Naturally, small so they can be carried and placed somewhere.

"A gift, for them. Brock and Caitlin will be with us for a while but once they go home for a while I shall present them with the same," the Aurorus spoke to Ash who was looking confused at that moment before he gained some light of understanding. Nodding, he translated it to them.

The three who received the presents didn't complain as they all showed happy smiles. Lance was the first to speak, "Three evolutions in one day and Team Rocket was caught. If there was anything else occurring, I'd say Arceus was messing with us," Lance joked slightly.

Oak just laughed as Delia showed a small smile, "Take care of my little boy, okay Glacia?" Delia asked the fossil Pokémon. It seemed the rest of his team also popped up to stand next to the Aurorus with their blossoming power clearly being displayed to their trainer's mother.

All six of them stared determined at the mother, "We will," Meowth began as he showed a fanged grin, "Ash can't help but get in trouble. Ya'd have no idea what he'd do without us."

Pikachu simply nodded as the rest of them said the same.

The message was clear, they will.

Brock's, Caitlin's and Lance's pokémon all came around them to see the new Aurorus and for Lance's, to see possible new opponents. They all admitted it was a good team, heck, Gyarados wasn't joking about the boy being a good trainer.

"Ah that's right," Ash blinked a few times as he looked around and finally spotted his Houndoom. Smiling somewhat, he called out to them. The Houndoom simply remained silent so far as to not attract attention but it was time to let them go with their chosen jobs. They've trained well this month as well.

"Mom, Professor Oak. These two girls are Houndoom I've recently captured to help you two out. Mom, I know that sometimes the restaurant can get rowdy. Mimey can't protect it on his own forever… so I want you to take care of Lily, the younger Houndoom." When her name was mentioned, the younger Houndoom now named Lily walked up to Delia and sat down in front of her. Ash, seeing that, knew that the Houndoom decided to follow the woman and threw her Luxury Ball towards the Houndoom that the hound captured in its jaws to present the woman.

Oak seemed surprised, but smiled nonetheless. It's always something with his students, his prótéges. They were all special.

"You will come with me to help me out?" The Professor asked the Houndoom himself. Despite his age, his excited smile was the same. It's always great to find new friends and family members. He might be old, he might be a former champion but a person is never too old to fall in love with new Pokémon.

The Houndoom studied the professor. Despite seeming to be harmless, the elder held an aura of confidence and that made the Houndoom like him. Confidence, not afraid of anything. That's something the Houndoom also respected in Ash.

"That's Eva, she's the older one of the two. I've told her about some jobs in the ranch. I've trained her and Lily for a while now so they should be ready for it all," Ash explained as the old man grinned slightly. Typical.

Ash also threw Eva's pokéball at her, making the hound capture it between her jaws and present it to the elder. Both the elder and Delia received the luxury balls with a smile.

"I'll take care of you, Lily." "Don't worry Eva, there's always excitement in the ranch."

The rest of the night was spend together, simply talking about the adventures and some fun. Lance even decided to join them for this night as it seems his work didn't bother him.

All of them had a pleasant evening. Trainers chatting with each other, a mother worrying somewhat, the teacher laughing in pride and the champion snickering at remembering his own journey. The Pokémon themselves were just talking about their own growth and adventures with the champion's pokémon obviously telling the more exciting ones.

Though Pikachu was smug at mentioning that he wounded a Suicune in battle, rode on Kyogre and saw Ho-oh.

Though the dragons of Lance's team did meet a legendary once, which was a Raikou, they did not battle it nor did they speak to it. They simply flew past it.

Similar conversations went on until they had to go back home with Ash giving a hug to his mother and teacher. Like that, they rested again, ready to move onto the next challenge.

It's time to earn the seventh badge.

---

Now, this chapter is mostly based on Celadon with some training and more evolutions.

Why is Glacia's evolution special? Well, you need to spotlight the ancient fossil Pokémon. Like a Hydreigon that can go on a rampage after evolution, the Amaura has a special evolution effect. I wanted it to like this as to show that the Pokémon of old have a special thing. The fact they're only restored as a fossil and are considered 'nothing special' bugs me.

A Tyrantrum for one should be an apex predator that most Pokémon will instinctively fear or bow to after its evolution. There's also the fact I dislike that they simply don't shine enough.

Now, they're all special. 'cause I make them so. Any complaints about this? I do need a 'source' for Lugia's song. In the end, it'll have a history as well as reason why it has a healing effect on Lugia. Hinthint: Meloetta.

So. Roserade, Ninetales and Aurorus. Three evolutions in one chapter. While I would've liked to place the Aurorus' evolution until after Koga, I felt like it was time. I kept delaying it but right now the little Amaura deserves a boost after a good month of training.

Any questions about the training? I did try my best with the ideas of using 'invented moves'. Honestly, they're just little changes or unique ideas to use an element. Meowth's especially is what made me interested. He'll be in the next gym battle.

Also, STAB… Yes, it exists. It's kind-of obvious why as same type moves will simply be stronger than others. The energy comes naturally to them and so does the use of power and control.

So this is it for this week's chapter. I have had no time this week, completely exhausted to even write more. I need a small break, but next week there will be another chapter. Now to Brock's romance!

Daisy Oak – 1 vote!

Clair Blackthorn – 1 vote!

Hope you enjoyed the read, feel free to review! I'd love to hear any positive or negative opinions on what I've done. Make a single pokémon outshine too much? Make Pikachu less special? Not give enough attention to legendaries? Consider some battles as too easy? Just a heads up! Next chapter will be different and focus a little more on the game version of the Cycling Road, together with the anime parts!