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In conversations unless otherwise stated this is how you can tell what kind of speech is being used.

'- Poké Speech

"- Human speech

"- Aura/Telepathy

Without further ado let the chapter begin!

Cynthia placed a hand over her racing heart as a combination of shock and confusion consumed her thoughts. She couldn't understand how she could feel like this about a man she'd only met once for a very short amount of time. She peaked around the corner again to get a glance of the two and suddenly realised what had stirred up these feelings. It was the Pikachu on Thanatos' shoulder as well as the way he behaved with his sister, it was so reminiscent of Ash's behaviour. Tears threatened to fall as she thought of her deceased friend but she blinked them away.

She watched the siblings walk towards the ice cream vendor and an idea popped into her head. She had wanted to talk to Thanatos about anything he might know about Ash which was why she had left the stadium when she saw him and Nemesis leave. The problem was that he was apparently very difficult to approach and even harder to converse with. However, she now had a perfectly innocent reason to approach the pair, she just had to make it look like she had been looking for something to eat. The Sinnoh Champion gathered herself and walked out from behind her hiding place, she headed towards the pair and decided to announce her presence early.

"Hello Thanatos."

The siblings turned to face the Sinnoh Champion who saw their faces harden at the sight of her which was intimidating to say the least. Regardless of that she approached the pair wondering what had happened to the siblings to make them act like this to other people. Nemesis quickly crossed her arms and turned away clearly showing she had no interest in talking.

"Hello miss Shirona, I assumed you would remain in the stadium to spectate the rest of the practice matches."

"I honestly wasn't that interested in the first place, the only reason I went was to meet you. As you know I was pretty angry with you after what you said at the Kanto meeting."

"That's understandable."

"It's also not been very well organised, it's almost as if this practice day was set up at the last minute. Though I can't think of why Scott would do something like that."

"I can certainly think of a reason."

"Yeah the fat sod tricked us."

"Well that's not going to happen again."

As they had their conversation neither Ash or Paige noticed the Sinnoh Champion purchase her ice cream or see that she was now studying them both intensely. Cynthia watched the pair and knew that they must be communicating through some form of telepathy. An idea suddenly popped into her head as she stood there and she vowed to talk to Sabrina as soon as possible to find out anything she may know of the pair. Suddenly the siblings snapped their gaze to her which was slightly intimidating.

"Well enjoy the rest of your day miss Shirona."

Cynthia didn't want the conversation to be over yet though, she had so many question for Thanatos. However, she knew that she may end up crossing a boundary which could ruin any chance she had of getting answers from him. The way his sister had also placed herself slightly in front of him while glaring up at her was another indicator that it was a good time to leave. She gave the pair a gentle smile and with a wave she began to walk away trying to salvage her rapidly melting ice cream.

Ash and Paige watched the Sinnoh Champion walk away both wondering what she was up to. It was obvious that she had followed them out of the stadium to question them but they couldn't figure out why. They both decided to shrug it off for now and quickly finished off their ice creams.

"Come on let's get out of here before people start flooding out and harassing us after what happened in the stadium."

"Stay right there."

The siblings sighed as they heard a familiar voice behind them growl threateningly, they turned around and saw the infuriated face of Brock glaring at them. They really weren't in the mood for any drama today and were tempted to just leave but they were curious to see what Brock wanted.

"What do you want Slate?" Paige asked.

"I'm here to make Thanatos pay for what he said the other day. You had no right to say that about us."

"Considering what you and Miss Waterflower did to Ash five years ago, can you really judge anyone on what they say?" Ash retorted.

That comment clearly took the wind out of Brock's sails and he immediately fell silent, Ash and Paige saw his shoulders slump as he turned his gaze to the ground.

"Probably not, no but I can't stand by and do nothing when someone speaks about Ash like that."

"Very well but I recommend you think about what you're doing here. I assume you heard about what I did to Agatha, now if she couldn't beat me what hope do you have?"

"I know that there's a good chance I'm completely outmatched by you but Ash wouldn't have backed down and neither will I."

Ash could feel his anger rise as Brock kept talking as if he knew him, he had no right to do that after what he did. Paige could sense Ash starting to snap due to what Brock was saying so she immediately wrapped her arms around Ash, hugging him as tightly as she could. The red haze quickly faded and Ash looked down at Paige gratefully, the last thing he wanted was to bring any attention to them. He briefly returned her embrace and then turned his attention back to Brock.

"Fine Brock you asked for this, Froslass you're up."

The ice type nodded with a smirk on her face, ever since she'd since Pikachu crush that Gengar she'd been itching for a battle. She floated off Ash's shoulder and levitated in front of him, she knew that this wasn't going to be a tough battle but she was still excited to get a shot at one of the treacherous scum.

"Go Steelix, use Iron Tail!"

"Dodge it."

In a flash of light Steelix appeared and he immediately began swinging his massive metallic tail at Froslass who causally dodged the attack and watched as Steelix's tail slammed into the ground creating a small crater. She then turned her gaze to Steelix and smirked at him which enraged the metallic snake who started wildly swinging his tail at Froslass in an attempt to wipe the smug look off her face.

"That Froslass can't dodge forever, keep trying Steelix."

"Give Steelix a pat on the head for his efforts."

Froslass dodged another Iron Tail and levitated up to Steelix's head, she avoided the Crunch he aimed at her and landed on his head. The steel type then started to roar angrily as he felt Froslass patronisingly pat him on the head, he tried shaking his head to shake the ice type off but it didn't succeed. His rage then got the better of him and he aimed an Iron Tail straight down on Froslass who was still sat on his head. As the shadow of Steelix's tail loomed over Froslass she grinned and then launched herself off the steel types head. Without Froslass in the way the full force of Steelix's Iron Tail slammed down on his head and drove him to the ground.

"Steelix!"

"Froslass freeze its head and tail to the ground."

A crystal orb formed between Froslass' hands and she fired several light blue beams from it at Steelix. The first hit the steel types head, freezing its head to the ground in a very uncomfortable position. Steelix tried using his tail to free himself but was stopped by the second Ice Beam hitting his tail and attaching it to the ground. Steelix flailed helpless in a futile attempt to free himself from his current position. He roared angrily again as he couldn't free himself, his roars were cut off by a third Ice Beam freezing his jaw shut.

"Now rapid-fire Shadow Ball."

The blue orb between Froslass' hands vanished and was replaced by an inky black orb which was then fired at Steelix. The orb slammed into the steel type and it let out a muffled roar of pain, his roars continued as he was bombarded by a barrage of Shadow Balls. Ash watched the scene and began to feel sorry for Steelix and he started to wonder why Brock hadn't given this fight up. It was obvious that there was nothing Steelix could do so there was no reason this fight should continue.

"Flash Cannon!" another familiar voice yelled from behind Ash.

"Pikachu, block it with Iron Tail."

Pikachu immediately leapt off Ash shoulder and launched himself towards the steel attack that was aimed at Froslass' back. When he got close to the attack his tail turned metallic and he swung it at the silver beam which sent the attack slamming into the ground below them. Froslass then caught Pikachu on her back and started to float towards the ground, Pikachu leapt off her back when they were near the ground and he gave Froslass a grin as she gave him a grateful nod.

"Sneak attacks are very cowardly miss Waterflower."

Misty growled angrily as Thanatos' words sunk in, she hated this guy with all of her being. As much as she wanted to run over to him and punch him for what he said about the people who did actually care about Ash and felt remorse for their actions like herself and Brock, she knew that doing so would solve nothing. So, she quickly made her way over to Brock and used Starmie to free Steelix from his ice prison. Both Pokémon then squared up to Pikachu and Froslass getting into a battle stance, ready to annihilate them.

"Starmie use Hydro Pump."

"Steelix use Rock Throw."

"Froslass levitate yourself and Pikachu, then barrage them with Metallic Shadows!"

Steelix quickly gathered some of the loose rubble that had been made by his massive tail slamming the ground and launched them at Froslass. The stones were then accelerated by Starmie's Hydro Pump and both Brock and Misty were confident they were about to do some serious damage. However, they were swiftly proved wrong by Froslass who had hauled Pikachu onto her back and levitated above the attacks. The ice type then formed another inky black orb between her hands while Pikachu's tail once again turned metallic and he slammed it into the orb in Froslass' hands which added a metallic property to the attack and launched it at Steelix.

The orb slammed into Steelix and knocked the iron snake down, Starmie looked at its fallen teammate in concern so it didn't see the attack headed its way. Before Starmie could even try to react to the attack it crashed into its back and drove Starmie into Steelix making them both cry out in pain. The pair then looked up at their opponents they saw a collection of attacks all hurtling towards them. The orbs bombarded Steelix and Starmie causing them to once again cry out in pain as they were shrouded in a dust storm.

When the barrage finally ended everyone watched where Starmie and Steelix had been, waiting for the dust to settle and reveal them. When Steelix and Starmie where finally visible again Ash was shocked to see that somehow, they had endured the attacks although they were clearly in a lot of pain and only just staying conscious.

"Alright guys it's time to end this, Pikachu charge up a Thunder and Froslass prepare a Blizzard."

"Wait! I give up, Steelix is done." Brock suddenly announced.

"Brock!" Misty yelled in disbelief.

Brock turned his gaze to Misty and shook his head sadly, he didn't want to give Thanatos the satisfaction of winning but it was clear that they were outclassed. He knew that carrying on would do nothing but hurt their Pokémon.

"It's over Misty, that guy is way too strong for us. If we keep battling, we'll just get our Pokémon hurt."

"Mr Slate is correct. So, I suggest you follow his lead and surrender miss Waterflower. I'll give you five seconds to choose, once those have expired Pikachu will launch his attack and I'd rather not severely injure your Starmie."

Misty growled angrily at the hooded man, she hated the fact that they been so easily beaten and she didn't want to let this guy win. She took another look at Starmie and let a resigned sigh as it was clear that Starmie would be seriously injured if it kept fighting. She reluctantly held Starmie's Pokéball out and returned it, glaring at the hooded man.

"Fine I surrender too."

"Good decision Miss Waterflower, now stay out of my way or else."

Ash and Paige turned away from the traitors and started walking away before they could respond. Misty and Brock were completely demoralised as they watched the siblings walk away, they had been so desperate to make Thanatos pay but it was obvious that they weren't going to get the vengeance they desperately desired. The pair eventually tore their gaze away from the shrinking figures and decided to try and find some other way to make sure Thanatos got what he deserved.

Meanwhile Ash and Paige were walking down the road towards Scott's home with satisfied looks on their faces, they had enjoyed crushing the two traitors and while they had at first been irritated by their appearance they were now quite glad that they got to the chance to demoralise them. Paige suddenly laced her fingers with Ash's, making him look down at their linked hands. A tender smile formed on his face as he saw the radiant smile she was giving him. He gave her hand a squeeze which she returned and they continued their journey.

"That was so awesome, you completely dominated them and they looked so crushed afterwards."

"Yeah, I have to admit I enjoyed that."

"Do you think they'll stay out of our way for the rest of the tournament?"

"I'm not sure but it doesn't matter either way, if they do come back I'll just crush them again. Right guys."

Pikachu and Froslass cheered in agreement and were hoping that they'd get another chance to demolish the rest of the traitors. Suddenly the peace of the group was shattered by a couple of obnoxious voices yelling in the nearby woods.

"You're nothing but a worthless dog."

"And you are the biggest coward I've ever met."

Ash and Paige immediately headed towards the voices, it was obvious that some Pokémon were being mistreated and they couldn't ignore it and carry on. They didn't have to travel far to find the people who were glaring and yelling at two Pokémon who were both slowly backing away from the trainers with terrified looks on their faces.

The first Pokémon was a quadruped, canine Pokémon. It had primarily light brown with a darker brown muzzle, paws, and ear tips. It had large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around its neck was a ruff of greyish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. The dark brown markings on its paws extend to a thin point on each wrist and ankle. It had a greyish-white tail that curls tightly over its back and is covered in fluffy fur.

The second Pokémon was a small, arthropod Pokémon. Its main body was purple and was covered by silver plating across its back. It had four plates total. The first plate covered half of its head, but left room for its eyes. The upper lids for its eyes appeared to be covered with additional plating. The three plates on its back overlap, and each had a single black triangle in the middle. It had a long spike on each side of its head that curved backward, large yellow eyes with two short extensions over them like eyelashes, and two flat antennae that extend over its back. There were four short legs on its underside, and it has a long, prickly tail.

"Hey, leave those Pokémon alone!" Paige yelled.

The humans turned their gaze to Ash and Paige and glared at the hooded people who had interrupted them.

"Stay out of this brat, they're our Pokémon so we'll treat them how we like."

"There is no excuse for treating Pokémon like that." Ash replied.

"You know what if you care about these weaklings you can take them!"

Both men then kicked their Pokémon sending them flying towards a nearby tree, both shut their eyes and braced themselves for the pain when they hit the tree however the pain never came. They opened their eyes and were shocked to see that they'd been caught by the hooded people. Ash and Paige turned their attention from the Wimpod and Rockruff in their arms to glare at the two trainers but they were already gone. The siblings growled angrily but quickly stopped when they heard the Pokémon in their arms whimper. Ash hugged Wimpod while Paige hugged Rockruff and they smiled as the Pokémon almost instantly calmed down. Paige then started to giggle as Rockruff licked her affectionately.

"It's okay boy, you're free now." Paige whispered

"They can't hurt either of you anymore. They'll pay someday I swear it, now you two should get out of here and enjoy your freedom." Ash added.

Ash and Paige placed gave two Pokémon one more hug, they then placed on the ground and started walking away. Rockruff and Wimpod exchanged a look and with a nod they chased after the two hooded figures who had saved them. They quickly caught up with them and moved in front of the pair, Rockruff begin nuzzling Paige's legs while Wimpod did the same to Ash.

"Do you two want to come with us?" Paige asked.

The Pokémon nodded to confirm Ash and Paige suspicions, the siblings gladly picked the pair up and held them to their chests, they smiled happily as their family had just grown by two.

"Come on let's go back to our temporary home, we need to find out a bit more about these two." Ash suggested.

Everyone cheered in agreement and they started walking down the road to Scott's house. Wimpod and Rockruff settled into their new trainers' arms and quickly fell into the first peaceful sleep they had had in a very long time. Ash and Paige looked down at their new additions to the family and were glad that they had save them from their despicable trainers.

Half an hour later Ash and Paige reached their temporary home, as the front door creaked open both the Pokémon resting in their arms woke up. It saddened Ash and Paige when they saw both Pokémon stiffen and look around fearfully, it made them both wonder just how much Rockruff and Wimpod had suffered with their old trainers. They turned the two Pokémon so they were facing them and were relieved to see both start to calm down when they locked eyes with them.

"Don't worry you're safe." Paige whispered.

Wimpod and Rockruff were completely calmed by Paige soothing voice and they nuzzled their new trainers. Ash and Paige smiled down at the pair and then carried them through to the lounge where the pc was set up. They sat down in front of the pc and booted it up hoping that the online Pokédex, could shed some light on the new Pokémon that had joined their extended family. Everyone watched the screen intently as Ash scrolled through all the known Pokémon before he finally came to an image of Rockruff

"Rockruff the Puppy Pokémon, it's considered to be a good Pokémon for beginners because of its friendliness, but its disposition grows rougher as it grows up."

Ash had to admit he was slightly worried by the end of the Pokédex entry, the last thing he wanted was for Paige to have a Pokémon that could grow up to be dangerous. However, he could tell from the short time Paige had spent with Rockruff that there was nothing to worry about. There was no doubt in his mind that Rockruff would never do anything to hurt his sister. Ash then decided it was time to look up the Pokémon he had gained.

"Wimpod the Turn Tail Pokémon, this Pokémon is a coward. As it desperately dashes off, the flailing of its many legs leaves a sparkling clean path in its wake."

Ash and Paige stared at the screen in utter shock, neither of them had expected to hear such a derogatory Pokédex entry. They quickly turned their attention to Wimpod who was looking at the screen with a heartbroken look on his face. Ash picked up the crushed Pokémon and hugged him hoping to brighten his spirits.

"Hey, don't look so down, we don't care about what that Pokédex entry says." Ash said hoping it would bolster Wimpod.

"Yeah we couldn't care less about what they say especially then they say something so mean." Paige said.

"I just can't believe the Professor's thought that this was an acceptable Pokédex entry." Ash added in disbelief.

Wimpod was overwhelmed that his new trainer, no new family was so supportive of him. It was clear by the honest in their voices that they were both serious and meant every word they had said. He squirmed out of Ash's arms and using his tail he clicked on the mouse which opened the next Pokédex entry. Ash and Paige stared at the new Pokémon on the screen completely in awe of it, neither had seen it and were wondering why Wimpod had changed the screen to this Pokémon.

"What's that?" Paige asked.

"I have no idea, let's see what the online Pokédex has to say."

"Golisopod the Hard Scale Pokémon and the evolved form of Wimpod. It battles skilfully with its six arms and with a flashing slash of its giant sharp claws, it cleaves seawater—or even air—right in two. However, most Golisopod spend most of their time peacefully meditating in caves deep beneath the sea."

"Wow, that's incredible, but listen Wimpod I don't want you to feel obliged to evolve. That's not how I train Pokémon. You are part of our family now and we don't force family members to do anything they don't want to."

While Ash's words reassured Wimpod's decision to join him, it didn't change his mind, he was determined to evolve and become a powerhouse for Ash. The only thing he had to decide now was when the right time to evolve would be, then an idea came to him but to make it work he needed Ash to take him to one of his matches.

Notes

Thank you all for reading this chapter, please leave a review below telling me what you liked and what I could improve on. I'm also willing to use any ideas you may have.