Ash the Iron Trainer

by Mar 'Darry' Darren

It was a freak storm. One that separated Ash from Misty and Brock but not with Pikachu. And yet Ash was able to find an entire new region and be reunited with a friend that he never thought he will see again. With four young Pokémon found in a crate as eggs, Ash will take this new region and in the future, Kanto with skill and Mega Evolution!

7. The Battle Chateau

Ash, the Iron Trainer

The Battle Chateau

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

"Pokémon" – Normal Speech

'Pokémon' – Thoughts

Pokémon – Flashback

Pokémon – Move Names

{Pokémon} – Pokédex

Previously on Ash the Iron Trainer,

Finally, they reached the Parfum Palace. It was definitely a palace compared to the castle at Camphrier Town. The entire place was filled to the brim with bushes that were hedged to resemble objects like in the magazines and these were all about Pokémon. Ignoring all that, they just wanted to find this Princess and demand for the Poké Flute.

Unfortunately, when they did happen upon the said princess who was shorter than the lord of Camphrier Town, things took a turn for the worst. Allie refused to hand over the flute, saying that it was hers and that the lord was 'too fat and too bland' to own it. She couldn't care less about how the residents of Camphrier Town had to await for a poor harvest because Snorlax can't be awaken.

She then saw Ash's Pikachu and finally made a deal with the trainers. She will face Ash's Pikachu in a Pokémon battle with these stakes; if she won, Ash will have to give up his Pikachu to her and if she lost, she will give over the flute. But when Pikachu landed a Thunderbolt which frizzles and ruined Allie's Furforu's fur, she called off the match to fix it. But when Ash protested, it was revealed that Allie was never going to give up the flute in the first place. She just gave the match as an excuse to keep the flute and keep Ash's Pikachu.

Allie called Ash stupid for believing and trusting her and laughed at how she supposedly had it all in her favor. But she never counted on something like this,

"In that case, I won't say sorry." Ash then said which confused everyone present and including the spoiled princess.

"Oh? And for what? For throwing away your Pokémon in your stupid attempt to get my flute?" The princess said in her usual arrogant tone until some screams came from within her palace followed by some glass breaking.

Turning around, everyone but Ash was surprised to see a window broken and two Pokémon soaring from within. A Ledian and a Fletchinder! And in their arms and claws was a flute, a flute with a Pokéball on the end piece! That was the Poké Flute!

"What is the meaning of this!?" The princess demanded. Serena also wanted to know what was going on and turned to see Ash smirking as he extended his arm to take the flute from his flying Pokémon whom settled on his shoulders.

"Good work you two." Ash said and took out a couple small treats that his Pokémon happily nibbled on. "And don't you dare call me a cheater. After you broke your promise all because you are a princess, I figured that one bad turn deserves another. And after what the king of Camphrier told us, I figured that you will try something like this to get at my Pokémon." Ash said and as he begun to turn and walk off the battlefield, he said something that froze the princess and her maids on the spot like garden statues. "Feel free to chase after me but that will give the Pokémon in your bushes the prefect chance of getting inside your palace."

And to put the finishing touches, Ash pointed to the wild Ledyba, Ledian, Butterfree, Pidgey, Sentret, Beedrill and Fletching from the outside forest and from within the palace gardens entering via the broken window. Meanwhile the Venipede, Zigzagoon, Gulpin, Nincada, and Oddish were entering the door that was left open for some reason. "AIEEEE! MY PALACE!" The princess shrieked at the sight and begun ordering her staff and servants to stop the Pokémon from entering and ruining his palace.

This, of course, made her forget about Ash and his Pikachu and even the Poké Flute. The trainers and Pokémon just showed themselves out of the gardens, having enough of the horrible and self-centered designs. They just made their way to Camphrier Town and returned the Poké Flute to the king who played it for the Snorlax to till the fields and garden soil for another year's harvest.

They got a king's farewell from the town since the trainers can't afford to stay in town too long. They needed to get back on the road but no before seeing that the Parfum Palace was probably still filled with wild Pokémon as Ash and Serena could still see them flooding out of their bushes and treetops in that direction. They practically hear the screams of the spoiled princess who seemed to could only do so much while trying to get all the wild Pokémon out of her home. I guess that when they do good things for others, good karma is bound to happen after all.

XXXXX

After the incident at the Parfum Palace, Ash and the gang were comparing notes on the latest in their Pokémon catching and filling out the Pokédex.

{Smeargle, the Painter Pokémon. Colored fluids ooze from their tails which they use to mark their territory and to express themselves.}

Smeargle is a beagle-like, bipedal Pokémon with white and brown fur. It has a long tail with an end resembling a paintbrush. This paintbrush oozes with paint, and the color of the paint may vary for each Smeargle. Smeargle will use the paint to mark its territory. It can also use its signature move, Sketch, to copy moves from other Pokémon.

Smeargle has a footprint on its back that is the same color as the tip of the tail. Smeargle also has a round structure on its head with a point that resembles a beret. It has floppy, brown ears and a brown collar on its neck. The rings encircling Smeargle's eyes are also brown, as are Smeargle's eyelids. Its arms have two brown bands, and its legs have only one. Each of its limbs have three digits. Smeargle is often found in urban areas.

Ash caught one since he learned that Smeargle could only learn Sketch while unable to learn any other move in another way. To him, it was a challenge to train and Ash needed a challenge before his life gets boring and besides, with Sketch, Smeargle can be very unpredictable Pokémon. Ash just had explain while Smeargle's Pokéball disappeared.

{Volbeat, the Firefly Pokémon. Volbeat uses the designs on its tail for sketching and communicating with other Volbeat.}

Volbeat is a firefly-like, bipedal Pokémon. Its body is black with a blue chest and abdomen. There are two yellow stripes across its front: one on its chest and one near its legs. A red band separates each limb from its body and a thicker, incomplete one surrounds its shoulders. Two simple wings extend from the band around its shoulder. It has a blue face with yellow eyes, and curly, yellow antennae with black stripes. It has a spherical yellow tail, which glows to communicate and draw geometric patterns in the sky while in a swarm. Additionally, the glow allows it to use its former signature moves, Tail Glow and Signal Beam. This is a male only species; Illumise is its female counterpart. Volbeat is attracted by the sweet aroma given off by Illumise. It lives in forests near clean ponds, but will move if the pond becomes dirty.

{Illumise, the Firefly Pokémon. Illumise uses Sweet Scent to lure in Volbeat, having them draw geometric patterns in the sky.}

Illumise is a firefly-like, bipedal Pokémon. It has a blue face and large, slanted blue eyes with purple markings at the corners. Surrounding its head are purple curls that frame its face. Its antennae are small and yellow. Its body is black with a blue belly and a yellow bid marking. Its arms and legs are black and are connected to the body by purple borders. It has small wings used for flying with others, and a pattern of three oblong yellow spots on its rear. This is a female only species; Volbeat is its male counterpart.

Illumise uses its sweet aromas to lure in Volbeat and have them draw geometric patterns in the sky. It is said to earn respect from others by composing designs that are more complex. Over 200 different patterns have been discovered. It is a nocturnal Pokémon that lives in forests.

{Roselia, the Thorn Pokémon and the evolved form of Budew. Roselia's aroma can bring serenity, but the thorns on its head contain a vicious poison.}

Roselia is a small, light green bipedal Pokémon. It has three thorns on top of its head, and it has black eyes with long eyelashes. Visible from the back is a small stretch of yellow coloration around its neck much like a collar. There are leaves extending from its shoulders like epaulettes. It has a leaf skirt with a yellow stripe running down the front. A male will have a shorter skirt than a female. It holds a rose in each of its hands, a red one in its right and a blue one in its left. However, it is said that it will occasionally have unusually colored flowers.

Roselia's aroma brings serenity, but the thorns on its head contain a vicious poison. The more healthy it is, the more pleasant its flowers' aroma. It can lull opponents to sleep using its former signature move, Grass Whistle. It shoots sharp thorns at anything that tries to steal its flowers, and uses different poisons in each hand when it attacks. It lives in grassy areas where it drinks nutrient-rich spring water.

{Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. It lives in swamps and forests where there is very little light. It prefers moist places.}

Croagunk is a dark blue, bipedal Pokémon that resembles a poison dart frog. It has yellow eyes, which are surrounded by black markings. There are orange, expandable pouches on its cheeks, and its teeth are wide and flat. A black marking encircles its upper arms and chest, and there are white bands around its chest. The white markings are slightly higher up on the female Croagunk than the male. It has three fingers and toes, most of which are black. The only digits that are not black are its center fingers, which are orange instead.

Croagunk's cheek pouches and fingers contain a poisonous fluid. However, the fluid squeezed from its finger is also a significant ingredient in remedies for lower back pain. The cheek pouches can be used to create an unnerving sound. When its opponents are distracted, it tries to stab them with its fingers. Despite this, it is a mild Pokémon, fighting only to ensure its own survival.

{Ducklett, the Water Bird Pokémon. A skilled diver, Ducklett swims underwater in search of its favorite food: peat moss.}

Ducklett is light-blue, duckling-like Pokémon. It has two feathery tufts on its head that connect at the bottom, forming a V-shape. It has a darker blue, feathery underside which makes it appear as if it were in mid-mount. It has yellow, webbed feet and a small tail. Ducklett lives around ponds and rivers. It is a talented diver and can spray water from its feathers for self-defense. The foe is distracted by the spray, allowing Ducklett to escape.

{Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokémon. This hopping Pokémon is light as a feather, and can be lifted by the gentlest breeze.}

Hoppip is a round, pink Pokémon with long green leaves growing on top of its head. The leaves on its head have ragged edges, similar to a dandelion. It has big, triangular ears with dark insides and beady yellow eyes that lack pupils. Its arms and legs are stubby, and it has a short tail with a rounded tip. There is a circular yellow pad on the underside of each foot.

Hoppip's body is very light, and it is easily lifted off the ground by winds and will drift in the air. Hoppip can sense approaching strong winds. In order to avoid being blown away, it clusters and links leaves with other Hoppip or grips the ground firmly with its feet. However, it enjoys gentle breezes. Hoppip lives in grasslands, although some also drift through fields, mountains, and even urban environments.

Serena happen to like these Pokémon and they seem to like her too. Ash theorized that it must had been the scents and perfumes, both manmade and natural.

{Spritzee, the Perfume Pokémon. Spritzee gives off a fragrance that delights anyone who smells it, which changes depending on what Spritzee eats.}

Spritzee is a pink avian Pokémon with a white beak that takes up most of its face, reminiscent of a doctor's mask. It has orange eyes with long lashes that lay near the beak. It has a large, curly tuft of feathers on top of its head, as well as two small, pink wings. Its feet are light purple, and appear to curl up into its body during flight. The scent it emits, which can vary depending on its diet, enraptures those who smell it.

{Swirlix, the Cotton Candy Pokémon. Swirlix only eats sweets making its fur as sticky as cotton candy.}

Swirlix is a small, fluffy white Pokémon with two pink spots on the top of its head. It has a small pink nose in between its two eyes, which have pink sclera and a white pupil. The lower half of its body is light pink, and its tail is pink with some white near the base. Its mouth is covered with the fluffy substance that covers the rest of its body, and its pink tongue is constantly sticking out. When it opens its mouth, two pointed teeth can be seen just below its upper lip. Its feet are rarely visible; when they are, they are seen to be a light shade of pink. It can entangle its opponents with white sticky thread. It only eats sweets, which makes its fur as sticky as cotton candy.

But the real shocker to top the day off was when they found the Battle Chateau. The Battle Chateau was something that originated in Kalos and hasn't yet introduced to any other Region yet. Basically, the place was part of a set of castles that date back to the medieval times of Kalos, over a thousand years ago.

What is done in the Battle Chateau is pretty much what is in the title. Members who join and attend will battle each other in Pokémon duals. However, there are rules and limits. Aside from the regular rules in a Pokémon Battle that every trainer knew, there were additional things to be aware of.

First there was the title of the trainer. There were six in total and in this order; Baron/Baroness for first comers, Viscount/Viscountess, Earl/Countess, Marquis/Marchioness, Duke/Duchess, and the Grand Duke/Grand Duchess as the highest rank any member can ever hold. The most important thing to remember about your rank is that you can't challenge someone whose rank doesn't match your own. The only way to increase your rank is to stack up your victories until the minimum is completed, for the staff to award the one with the winning streak.

Another to remember is that when you lose, you will stay in your rank but with the list of wins as that rank will fall to zero. Those were all the extra rules to the Battle Chateau and now let's see just how Ash did and the gang first learn all that. It all started several moments ago,

"So that is the Battle Chateau Nico?" Ash said while walking with Serena down a path and facing an older boy who wore an orange cap that had white glasses attached. His right cheek had a bandage on, his hair was an indigo color and his eyes were black. He was wearing overalls over a red shirt. A black undershirt is also showing and a matching wristband was on his right wrist.

"I am sure, sure, sure, sure! It never changes, yo-yo-yo!" Unfortunately, at least for Serena, Niko and his younger brother named Chester, who wore clothes very similar to his brother's only in a green theme, had the annoying tendency to rap at the end of their sentences and they were proudly bad at it. "That is where I win try for my tenth win and then I will be able to advance to the next rank."

"All this talk about ranks, just what aren't you not telling us Nico?" Ash said, "And please cut that out. No one is happy about all that rapping."

"I can't help it, it, it! I just love to talk as happy as I really am, am, am!" Nico of course never listened to anything that was negative about his rapping habit, another thing that Chester takes after. And so both trainers plus one Pokémon had to listen to that racket until they entered the castle via the main entrance where they were greeted from a man who was the stereotypical butler that was accompanied by a woman dressed in the manner of a stereotypical maid; they both acted the roles very convincing.

"Welcome Baron Nico. I see you have brought some friends. Are they trainers?" He introduced himself as Turner, who was once a Duke himself until he ultimately decided to take over as the owner of the castle where he oversaw countless more matches with his maid named Molly.

"They sure are and they are interested in joining this time." Nico answered and Turner nodded.

"Very well. We are always open to trainers who wish to join us. This way." Turner led the trainers through a hallway that led from the front door and into a much larger room. One that is filled nearly to the brim with various other trainers given that they had Pokéballs on their belts and some even had Pokémon outside besides them.

"Are they all members?" Ash asked while subconsciously grasping Serena's hand. He had this feeling of doing it and with good timing because the girl in question was getting a little nervous given the large amount of strangers and strong looking Pokémon in the room.

"They sure are young man. And they all are very executional trainers of all the titles they fought hard for." Turner said until he was given the names of the trainers. "Thank you. Now all we need to do is start a match for Baron Nico since he had sent a request to our castle."

"You mean there is more than one Battle Chateau in Kalos?" Ash asked and Turned and Niko nodded. The former then showed Ash and Serena a map of Kalos, showing that Lumiose City was at the center of it all and all the roads ultimately led back to the city. There were dots in various spots but mostly on the many routes including where they were right now. Ash folded the copy of the map and placed it in his large backpack via Pikachu's helpful hands.

Later, Nico had a found a fellow Baron named Farrell and so they left the hall by a couple of exits to the left of the room. Outside, surrounded by water of the lake above which the Battle Chateau was built on, the two Baron ranked trainers faced each other while each wearing a robe that proved that they were Barons. The capes were white with a golden edge and a yellow rope, there to tighten the robe.

Nico took out a Fletchinder that he showed to Ash before seeing that the latter had one as well. But it was Farrell's Pokémon that really got Ash's attention. It was a primarily black Pokémon somewhat resembling a cyclops. Its cylindrical head was light gray with a single eye that has a yellow iris and a red pupil. There was a yellow band near the top of its head, and a short, yellow antenna with a disc-shaped tip extends from on top. Six flat projections extended from the base of its neck and surround its head, resembling an upturned collar. It had well-developed arms with two yellow bands near its wrists and large, gray hands. On the front of its torso were two almond-shaped marking, and on its back were two circular markings. Both sets of markings resembled eyes. A yellow band encircled its body, zigzagging along the front and forming a long curve around the back. Finally, it had a wispy tail in place of feet.

Ash took out his Pokédex at the same time as Serena and they all listened to the mechanical voice saying,

{Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon. The antenna on its head captures radio waves from the world of spirits that command it to take people there.}

"A Ghost type without a doubt, I have heard of them this scary." Ash said and Serena had to agree since she was shivering next to his arm in fright at the appearance of this Dusknoir. And yet the fight didn't take too long; even though Dusknoir used a super effective Thunder Punch on Niko's Fletchinder, the Gripper Pokémon fell to a Flame Charge only worthy of a highly trained Fletchinder. Upon this victory, Niko was given a new robe which was red instead of white, the proof of a Baron turned Viscountess.

All this had made Ash and Serena even more excited. And since they had plenty of time on their hands, they wanted to try it out as Barons themselves. Thankfully, there was another trainer who wanted to try as a Baron for Serena since Ash and Chester already had their match.

Ash used his Pikachu while Chester took out a Fletchling that knew Quick Attack like Pikachu and a steel type move named Steel Wing. But what really set the odds was when Fletchling somehow used Feather Dance to lower Pikachu's attack power. Ash finally won when Pikachu was able to outrun Fletchling while counteracting the effects of Feather Dance by using Iron Tail multiple times to build up the damage and land a super effective Thunderbolt. That allowed him to become a Baron.

After that, he used Steel Team that he called of the four Steel type Pokémon that welcomed him to Kalos. Honedge went against a Scatterbug, Pawniard faced a Ledyba, Durant with a Bidoof and Mawile finished a Burmy, all belonged to fellow Barons. His Skiddo, Frogadier, Fletchinder and Kadabra also pinched in. Now he had just one last fight until he becomes a Baron, just like with Nico. He stopped there because he wanted to see Serena fight in the Battle Chateau.

Meanwhile, Serena had a ball herself. In detail of her fight to earn the Baron title, she pitched her Braixen against what the trainer called as Honchkrow. It was a Pokémon that neither Serena nor Ash had seen before. They just to look it up,

{Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokémon and the evolved form of Murkrow. Honchkrow recruits many Murkrow to travel with it, and it spends much of its time at home preening its feathers.}

Honchkrow is a dark-blue avian Pokémon with plumage resembling a person dressed in formal attire. It has a large feather crest resembling a fedora hat that has spikes extending from the back. It has circular red eyes with white sclera and dark blue eyelids. Its yellow beak is slightly curved, and its head is supported by a broad, short neck. Honchkrow has a white and prominent crest of feathers on its chest that bears resemblance to a beard or cravat. Its wings have red feathers on the inside. Honchkrow has black feet with four toes. The tail's base is a white, cylindrical stalk, on which there is a growth of red feathers on the end. Honchkrow is known to be ruthless. With a mere cry, it can summon and organize flocks of Murkrow in this manner, and is known as the "summoner of the night" by the pitch black darkness that often accompany such a spectacle.

"Use Fire Spin!" Serena wanted to see just what can this dark and flying type can do and what better way than to trap it in a torrent of flames that will constantly eat away Honchkrow's health. Braixen used the stick that was inside her tail to summon flames from seemingly nowhere and covered it in Honchkrow.

"There goes Sucker Punch," The trainer muttered under his breath since apparently his initial plan didn't start off as good. "Use Haze!" Honchkrow ignored the burning pain and generated some kind of dark smoke that covered the entire flied, with the user safe in the skies.

"Flame Charge!" Serena of course ignored the Haze and hoped that Braixen will speed up like when she first read about Flame Charge. After engulfing herself in flame, she charged and hit Honchkrow "And then Light Screen!" Serena shouted since she learned that it is handy to increase a fire type Pokémon's special defense since its type weakness are mostly special attacks. But nothing happened, "What happened!?" Serena started to panic and so did Braixen until,

"Serena!" It was Ash's voice that got their attention, "It is the effects of Haze. It prevents both Pokémon from stat changing. But it will wear off so try for the offense until it does!" Ash shouted and Serena was able to get her guard up when her opponent decided to go out now that Ash had told Serena what was going on.

"Swagger!" He shouted and Honchkrow smirked and caused Braixen to become so enraged, she was confused about it. And the effects of the Haze had prevented the attack increasing addition of a standard Swagger. She was just acting all clumsy and was seeing some kind of small red birds walk in a big circle around the level of her eyes.

"Braixen!" Serena knew what confusion does, it has a greater change of self-harm and failure to carry out a move than using it just fine. "Try Psybeam!" Serena just had to see if Braixen can still fight, she was wrong. "Use Flame Charge!" Now that her opponent had her on edge, all Serena could do was try to work her way through it; her Braixen had just hurt herself in her confusion which was a lot given how exhausted and hurt she looked. Braixen was, fortunately, stable enough this time to try and use Flame Charge to do more damage to Honchkrow. But,

"Sucker Punch!" Since Serena used an attack move, Honchkrow was able to get the first hit in due to Sucker Punch's priority the highest of them all when the opposing Pokémon is using an attack move while not using a status move. "Use Wing Attack!" Serena's opponent was definitely fighting hard and smart to use Physical moves against a fire type.

"Try a Psybeam!" That was about as optimistic as a little child who believes that they got the game in the bag and that was the best anyone can say about Serena saw that her Braixen was able to shake off the confusion. But when the Psybeam landed on Honchkrow, it did nothing at all.

"You still have a lot to learn." Serena's opponent taunted her and it didn't help that Honchkrow was still hovering with wings strong while Braixen was. "Use Night Slash!" Honchkrow obeyed and struck the injured and defenseless Braixen with a wing covered in dark and eerie energy that landed a very nasty hit on the fire type.

"BRAIXEN!" Serena felt that she was in a nightmare, from which she was able to wake up because it hurt that much. Her Pokémon never got up from that spot she landed,

"Braxien is unable to battle, Honchkrow is the winner. Grena has now earned the position as Baron." Molly announced while Serena just returned her Braixen before this new Baron will rub all this embarrassment further into her face and in front of Ash. She felt like everything she learned from Ash was wasted on that defeat until Serena felt someone hug her tightly outside the front door of the Battle Chateau castle.

"Don't worry about what they all have to say. They will just make you feel even worse about this." That voice was definitely Ash's but Serena didn't feel happy about her crush hugging her. Her heart was like it suddenly turned to lead and was trying to sink down past her stomach, dragging the rest of her insides with it. "Don't feel that way. You did better than my first battle."

"…what?" Serena nearly lost her breath. That was the last thing she ever expected from Ash. He always won his matches and seemingly like he never lost in his life.

"This will not stop the Serena I know and love from moving on, learning from her mistakes and do much better when the next chance comes. Please, be that girl." Ash then said and Serena suddenly felt light hearted. Ash was asking of her to be that type of girl, for him!? "Please, I want that Serena for a friend and I also want you to be that friend."

After a while, it was just them with Pikachu somewhere else since he wanted to give them some time to themselves. Then Serena broke into tears again and this time, she lifted her arms to grasp Ash's, using no strength to pry them off. She just wanted to know if the arms were still holding her tightly and she cried double on that one. "Okay Ash. I will do my best to be the friend you always wanted. Please say that you still want to be friends with me."

"If I wanted to not be friends anymore, then we were never friends. Never say things like that. I will never leave someone like you…Serena." Ash said and Serena nodded while the raven haired trainer signaled for Pikachu to come and join them on the path leading away from the Battle Chateau but not before they got another surprise. And that is a story for another day.

XXXXX

After the hassle, disgrace and promise at the Battle Chateau, Ash and the gang continued on the trip to Cyllage City. That is where Ash will try for his second Gym Badge.

{Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned.}

Zubat is a blue, bat-like Pokémon. While it lacks eyes, it has pointed ears with purple insides and a mouth with four pointed teeth. There are two pointed teeth on both the upper and lower jaws, and a male will have larger pointed teeth than the female. It has purple wing membranes support by two, elongated fingers, and two long, thin, tails.

Zubat lives in abundance in caves. It has evolved to have neither eyes nor nostrils, instead navigating through dark environments with echolocation. During the daytime, Zubat sleeps hanging upside down in caves, forests, or under the eaves of old buildings, avoiding sunlight at all costs. Daylight causes Zubat to become unhealthy, and prolonged exposure can even burn its skin. However, captured and trained Zubat have been recorded as being much more tenacious in the daytime, even when directly exposed to sunbeams.

{Whismur, the Whisper Pokémon. Whismur can become so startled by the sound of its own crying, that it will continue to cry until finally falling asleep from exhaustion.}

Whismur is a mauve, bipedal Pokémon with a spherical body. It has two stubby arms and two round, yellow-tipped feet that lack toes. Its ear covers are long and rabbit-like with yellow tips, and the ear openings can be seen as a hole at the base of each ear cover. Its eyes appear as cross or plus sign-like black marks, and it has a simple, wide mouth usually shown open. It has a small, plug-like tail with a hole in it and a yellow crescent marking above it.

Whismur's murmurs are barely audible, but when it senses danger, it lets out a cry at an ear-splitting level. While it is crying, it will cry louder from being startled by its own cries. It breathes through its ear canals, which allow it to cry continually without having to breathe. It stops crying when its ear covers are shut. It lives in caves.

{Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon. Meditite uses meditation to increase its power, never skipping a single day of yoga training.}

Meditite is a humanoid, bipedal Pokémon that resembles a person meditating. It usually sits in a yoga position, with knees bent and feet together with its hands resting on its knees. Its lower body is blue, with white on the wrists, feet, and lower body. Its onion-shaped head is also white with large eyes and pink ovals on its cheeks. It has round, swirled ears on the sides of its head. These ears are higher up on a male than on a female.

Meditite heightens its inner energy and spiritual power through the meditation, which allows it to levitate. It trains hours a day, and never skips its daily yoga training. Its training never ends, since it loses concentration and focus while meditating. It eats one berry per day as part of training, which tempers its spirit and makes its senses sharper. It lives and trains on the mountains.

{Axew, the Tusk Pokémon. Axew marks its territory by making scratch marks on trees with its tusks, which regrow if they fall out.}

Axew is a bipedal, grayish-green Pokémon with pale, straight tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth. These tusks can regenerate if broken, and will regrow if they fall out. This repeated regrowth strengthens and sharpens its tusks. The tusks serve numerous purposes, from making territorial gashes in trees to crushing Berries for eating. The back of its head is dark grayish-green with a tall, slightly curved horn. Large, dark grayish-green ovals surround its red eyes, and it has a short, rounded snout with large nostrils. A forest green collar marking encircles its neck. Axew's limbs and tail are short, with its forelimbs having three digits and its feet having two digits.

"Stop!" Ash said with his booming voice echoing in the cave which successfully stopped Serena from leaving via the exit of the cave. "It is already night out there and we are too far away from any Pokémon Center to kick in for the night. It is best that we stay put." Ash said and Serena didn't want to admit this but it was indeed dark outside the cave and with wild Pokémon, the outdoors will be the worst to spend the night.

"B-but…" Serena still wanted to protest even though her front was a tad weak with her stuttering. "W-what about the hideous and disgusting Pokémon! They will attack us if we stay in here much longer! I wanted to get to the next Pokémon Center!"

"Serena." Ash said with a soft but stern tone that had silenced his human companion completely. But he didn't say anything else after that, only point his attention and an open hand to the ceiling. Serena then saw that the Zubat in question were not attacking them, they were instead hanging on the stone stalactites like regular bats, softly snoring. They were sleeping instead attacking them! "Pokémon in the wild only attack if they personally find a good reason to. Whatever because they are just mean or that we have offended them in some way. But I know Zubat, they are among the friendliest Pokémon in the world, so I have seen so far. They won't attack if we anger or scare them, and we are doing neither so we will be just fine." Ash said with a voice that never raised or lowered its volume.

Then Ash pointed for Serena to look in another direction and saw the wild Meditite, Axew, and Whismur in groups and also silently and softly snoring the night away. It looked rather cute to Serena who blushed at the sight, like a few month old infants during their nap time, huddled together with their friends. "Wow." Serena was no longer shouting and almost lost her voice altogether.

"This is what Pokémon really are Serena and ever since I left on my journey, I never enjoyed such beautiful sights. It was the only way to remind me of the time I first met you Serena. You must understand that much." Ash said before finding a space that was not taken by the Pokémon and relaxed on the wall. The Stalactites and stalagmites didn't bother him at all.

After Pikachu found Ash's pack a very comfy bed, Serena decided that she needed to find a place to sleep or at least relax on since they were still full of energy from the fun day at the Battle Chateau. And for some reason, Serena didn't feel the least bit annoyed when she saw that Ash and Pikachu had dozed off before she will even sit down next to them. Right on the other side of Ash to Pikachu.

Serena wanted to be as close to Ash as possible since she still felt a little nervous about staying in a cave filled with Pokémon. She always dreamed of sleeping at least right next to Ash, to be able to lay her head on his shoulders. Serena always read in the romance novels, that couples always find it very comfy with a head on the other's shoulder.

And it was, more than it shows in those novels. It was like Serena had found the most comfy pillow in Kalos and it is all hers. Then Serena felt like Ash was moving his head, like her bold move awoke him. Thinking of moving fast enough to live tracks in the cave floor, Serena instead stayed still as a statue. All because Ash didn't wake up.

Instead, he just moved his head so that his cheek will be on Serena's forehead. It was like he knew she was there but didn't do a thing about it. Serena didn't even care about why Ash did that, she was enjoying the feeling of warmth that filled her from the head up. 'Ash…I knew that you will do this someday. I just wish that I can be the girl, the friend you make the luckiest in the world.' Finally, Serena closed her eyes while not budging from her place next to Ash, with all the peace and quiet found in a cave, even one filled to the brim with wild Pokémon.

XXXXX

Later, the next morning,

"Well we are out of the cave and now on Route 8 or as they call it, the Muraille Coast." Ash said.

"Great! I was getting a little tired of those creepy Pokémon." Serena said until she noticed that Ash was not taking that very well. "I-I take that back Ash! I swear!" She panicked, thinking that Ash was going to blow up in front of her face.

Instead Ash just sighed, "Serena you need to respect and remember the fact that Pokémon are found in all shapes in sizes and if you don't like one then that is too bad. You won't like it when you are seen as ugly or creepy by others do you?" Ash said and Serena nodded. "I just can't stand those who think that they can break hearts because they think that only beauty deserves to be trained and including those who think that only the strong Pokémon deserved to be trained. They are nothing but bullies and I will rather die than be one of them someday." Ash then stated until he trailed off into the distance while speaking that last distance.

"Ash…" Serena muttered and ran after Ash who started to walk down the path. 'Just what kind of trainer are you Ash? And just what kind of boy did you become since I last saw you?' Serena had no idea that she will learn so soon when the answer becomes clear.

End of Chapter 7.

*Thanks for everything. I really thought that it was going to be a little bland for making you all wait. I guess that this is another thing that I am actually glad for.

I am sorry but all day, I felt pretty bad. It is either that I am cold or hot, never in between. Maybe I am getting some kind of bug but it seemed to dim as the day passes on so I hope that means I am slowly but surely getting healthier.

As for Honchkrow, I figured that since the anime had supplied a Baron with a Dusknoir that I need to have a Pokémon I think will be in the theme. After all, even if you get a Dusclops in a trade that happens to evolve into a Dusknoir, you will still have to be more than a mere Baron ranked trainer to handle such a powerful ghost type. Please tell me what you think!

One last thing, I am getting close to Ash's second Gym battle in Cyllage City. I still need to have Ash and Serena venture into the cave of fossils and unlike the anime, I will have Team Flare be the primary antagonists. I will tell you that Team Rocket come much later. That is your only hint about them. See you all later!*

Pokémon on Hand;

Ash – Pikachu (Male), Honedge (Male), Pawniard (Male), Mawile (Female), Durant (Female), Frogadier (Female), Fletchinder (Male), Ledian (Female), Skiddo (Male) and Kadabra (Female).

Serena – Braixen (Female), Furfrou (Male), Plusle & Minun (Female), Audino (Female), Spritize (Male), and Swirlix (Female).