"I can't believe my only child would do something as dangerous and stupid as jump of a building to save something that was destroying it not five minutes earlier!" raged a mother with brown hair as she yelled at her cringing daughter on the video phone.
"Charizard was there to get us!" Ashley said hoping that would stop the screaming of her very terrified and furious mother.
"And that was your plan?!" she screeched. "I could see the look of relief on your face when he grabbed you! You had no idea where he was or if he was going to catch you!"
"It worked out, didn't it?" Ashley shot back getting angry herself. She didn't even have a scratch on her, why was her mother flipping out so badly. She did crazy stuff all time to save pokemon, most of which she never breathed a word about to her mother and swore her traveling companions to silence on.
Ashley's mom looked like she was going to scream something before she just let out a huge sigh and started to cry and it made Ashley feel horrible. Her mother was the sweetest kindest woman she knew and she made her cry.
"I'm sorry mom." Ashley said quietly, not even able to look the woman in the eye.
"I know sweetie." Delia Ketchum replied. "You get more like your father the older you get. It just breaks my heart to see you risk your life like that." she said as she stopped her crying.
"It's something he would have done. He was always trying to save pokemon." Ashley replied stubbornly as her mother wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"Yes, he did." Delia responded sternly, "But your father also lost his life doing that as well and left you and I all alone."
Ashley had no comeback for that. Her dad had died when she was six trying to stop a band of poachers in Hoenn from stealing a group of Bagons. He stopped them, but was seriously injured for his efforts, and died before the authorities and medics could get to him. It was subject that neither one of them brought up very often.
"I'm just glad your safe my baby. Please just don't do anything like that again please." she whispered to her only child, and the only permanent reminder of her late husband.
"I'll do my best mom." Ashley muttered quietly, the mention of her father's death knocking any fight out of her to make the promise to her mother.
"Good. Stay safe and have fun." her mother replied before hanging up the phone.
Ashley groaned as she hung up the phone. Her mother had just killed any enthusiasm she had for saving Garchomp.
"I take it didn't go well?" asked Alexa as she saw slump in the chair in front of the video phone.
"Nope." Ashley said as she rubbed her eyes before standing up and making her way back to the professor.
"Cheer up!" Sycamore said happily, "At least she already yelled at you. Now you don't have to worry about it happening later."
"You're just a ray of sunshine kind of guy, aren't you?" Ashley said as she sat down.
Before he could reply, a large group of police officers entered the building. The fun Times were about to begin. Ashly groaned again as she knew exactly what was going to happen.
"I really hate being questioned by the police." Ashley muttered as she and Pikachu got ready for bed in a room provided by the professor. The questioning took forever. Because it involved a criminal group from Kanto, the International Police were called in after the Lumiose Police left. Ashley couldn't be sure, but she could have sworn one of the officers looked familiar.
"Let's hope we have a few calm days before we get involved in anything like this again Pikachu. We got out plans for Kalos and I want to follow them as close as possible for once." Ashely whispered as she gave Pikachu a hug before falling asleep.
The next morning where the only thing on the news and in the newspapers, were the damage and horror done to the city of Lumiose by a rampaging pokemon and the hero who stopped not only the carnage, but also saved the lives of the helicopter crew who ran foul the dragon on the terror spree.
So far Ashley's name hadn't been released as the savior and she was hoping to keep it that way. She never did any of the things she did for recognition, she did them because it was the right thing to do.
After a breakfast and a quick shower Ashley was excited to head off to Santalune City for her first gym badge in Kalos.
"Before running off let me call my sister and make sure she's there." Alexa said as she stopped Ashley from running out the door to her gym battle.
"Fine. I guess it's better than showing up and its closed." Ashley said as she sat on the couch impatient for Alexa to get off the phone.
While sitting the Froakie from yesterday came and tapped her on the knee getting her attention.
"What can I do for you Froakie?" Ashley asked the small blue frog.
Froakie pointed at the pokeball he saw her put Charizard in.
"You want to see Charizard again?"
Froakie shook it head in the negative and blew a few small bubbles at the ball.
"You want to battle Charizard?" she asked in disbelief. The only answer she got was a happy yell before the frog took off into the front yard where the battlefield was.
Professor Sycamore laughed at Ashley's dumbfounded face. "Froakie loves to battle tough opponents."
"Why hasn't he been picked by a trainer then?" Ashley asked as she stood up and made her way out front.
"He has, a few times actually." the professor said sadly. "He just abandons them. They don't have what he's looking for in a trainer. So, I've been doing my best to look after him until he finds what he's looking for in a trainer."
Ashley said nothing as she thought about what she just learned about Froakie. Maybe this was Froakie's way of testing her.
She saw Froakie ready to go on his side of the field and was waiting on her.
"I'm not going to go easy on you Froakie. I want you at your best as well." Ashley got an affirmative yell before she released Charizard to battle.
Charizard looked at the little frog in front of it and puffed black smoke out his nostrils in preparation for battle.
"You have the first move Froakie."
Froakie wasted no time before throwing a turbulent ball of water at fast speeds towards Charizard who looked at the attack with disinterest.
"Dragon Claw to destroy it, then Flamethrower."
Charizard's glowing green claw made short work dispersing the attack and launched a massive wall of flames in retaliation.
Froakie responded by using Double Team to hopefully confuse Charizard as to his location. When the flames just consumed the clones, Froakie used Dig to dive in the ground to hide from the flames.
"Watch your surroundings. You feel the ground shake, blast the area with Dragon Pulse." Ashley ordered watching the field for the blue pokemon.
Charizard noticed some loose stones trembling near his left foot and jumped in the air and launched the swirling compressed ball of draconic energy at the spot causing an explosion of dust and debris.
When the dust cleared Froakie was doing his best to stand out of the crater of the attack before collapsing into unconsciousness.
Ashley walked over after pulling out a Hyper Potion out of her bag and spraying it on the frog healing his injuries and patting the slowly awakening pokemon.
"You were fantastic Froakie. Seeing how quick you reacted to Charizard's moves made it very clear to me you work very hard to get stronger. Your moves prove it." Ashley said softly to the now very happy pokemon who did his best to jump and give her a hug.
"Maybe you should take Froakie with you and make him stronger. He seems to really like you." Professor Sycamore suggested.
"What do you say Froakie? Do you want to work hard with me and all my other pokemon?" Ashley asked the now super excited pokemon who nodded eagerly. Ashley removed an empty pokeball and tapped Froakie on the head. The pokeball immediately dinged signaling capture.
"I promise I'll take very good care of Froakie." Ashley said to the smiling professor. Charizard and Pikachu yelled their approval at their new team member.
"I'm sure you will Ashley." He said as he smiled at her. He gave a glance at Charizard and commented, "You have a very well trained Charizard. It makes me wonder who would win in a battle between your Charizard and my Garchomp."
"We will just have to find out when Garchomp is all better." Ashley said excitedly. It wasn't everyday a former Champion challenged her to a battle.
"Just know I won't take it easy on you. I want you at your best!" he said with a chuckle at her enthusiasm for the battle in the future.
"I should have my first Gym badge by the time Garchomp is healed, we can battle after that." She suggested.
"About that," Alexa interrupted, "my sister isn't at her Gym right now. She is off right now doing a photoshoot right now with the current Champion for her upcoming title defense against Drasna, a member of the Elite Four."
Ashley slumped at the news. She was looking forward to her first Gym battle in the Kalos Region. "Do you have any idea when she will be back?" Asley said glumly.
"A few days at the most. She was hired to take pictures of the challenger and their face off and what not. This is a big deal. Diantha hasn't had a public battle in almost a year."
"I understand. I'll just have to be patient." Ashley said as she scratched the back of her head in annoyance.
"Cheer up! That gives you a few days to train. My sister is no pushover." Alexa cheerfully said.
"True, but I guess that gives me an excuse to get something done I've wanted to do since I was in Johto." Ashley said with a renewed burst of vigor.
"And what is that?" the professor asked.
"I want to catch a Larvitar. Can anyone direct me to Terminus Cave?" she pleaded looking at the adults around her.
"Well, there are certainly reports of Larvitar being found there, they are in the deepest part of the cave system. Getting there is not easy, nor are the pokemon particularly friendly to humans." Sycamore cautioned Ashley.
"I know that. It's just that there are so few places to catch one in the wild where they aren't located on pokemon preserves."
"Indeed. That line of pokemon is notoriously difficult to train, not to mention their rarity." he agreed.
"I can handle it. I've been in tough situations before. Besides I know Larvitar as a pokemon. I hatched one from an egg and raised it for months before he was returned to his mother. I just visited him a few weeks ago. He's sweet on another Larvitar in his play group."
"Was that the trip you took for Professor Oak?" Alexa asked. Ashley had run an errand for the old researcher that she just said she had to check up on something for him.
"Yeah! I even videotaped the group for the professor. He said it could help in his research on interpersonal pokemon relationships."
"You took that video?" The professor asked excitedly looking like Christmas had come early.
"Uh yeah. I even took some notes while I wasn't playing with them." Ashley asked slightly confused by his excitement.
"You realize that video completely contradicts the belief that Tyranitar are solitary when raising their young. It's been speculated that because of their immense power and fierce protectiveness of their young that they raised them away from others for safety. Your video shows that that theory is completely wrong regarding the population living at Mount Silver. This has sparked a huge debate if that is just an anomaly with that population, or if it applies to the species as a whole. And if these pseudo-legendary pokemon socialize their young, do the other species do the same for their young." he sprouted in joy.
"Okay…." Ashley and Alexa deadpanned.
"You have just started a whole new debate among pokemon researchers. This is huge." He tried to defend himself at their disbelieving expressions.
"Right." Ashley said. "All I know is that I got to play with a bunch of cute pokemon and it made me want one for myself. Doesn't hurt that Tyranitar is so amazing."
"Professor Oak's report said nothing about anyone interacting with the Larvitar. The mothers actually let you play with them?"
"Well it's not like they just let me. The Larvitar I took care of and his mother vouched for me with the others." Ashley explained how she got to hang out with the rare pokemon.
Professor Sycamore rushed inside the lab to get a piece of paper and pen to start taking notes about the experience. When he got back he asked, "So, you are saying that just by having one Tyranitar and her offspring vouch for you was enough to appease the others that you had no ill intention towards their children?"
"Well, I mean I met Larvitar at the Pokemon Ranger Station. He took me to where he lived with his mother. We had a nice reunion there and then it was his mom that took us the gathering. I'm sure we were watched as soon as we got there. The Rangers had said there was an unusual amount of activity from the Tyranitars before my arrival."
"So, they were scouting to see if you would be safe to be around their children. Fascinating. You told all of this to Professor Oak?" he asked as he finished up the note he was writing and looking her in the eye.
"Yeah." Ashley confirmed. "He also got some of the video the rangers took of the unusual activity before I got there. He said he was going to analyze it some more before releasing his findings."
"This is incredible!" Sycamore shouted in glee. He started to then hurriedly mutter to himself before rushing off to his lab, to do what Ashley and Alexa didn't know what.
"I think you might have a new number one fan." Alexa teased Ashley.
"Please." Ashley scoffed. "If he saw some of the videos I took of my encounters with legendary pokemon he would cry himself to sleep."
"Manaphy was so cute!" Alexa squealed as there was large picture in Ashley's house with her and the Hoenn Legendary hugging on the beach with the sunset behind them.
"Yes, he is. I saw him after I home from the Sinnoh League. He was traveling around the oceans doing whatever it is he does and recognized Pikachu on the boat. We got to spend a few hours together before we had to part ways again."
"You are so lucky to have met so many Legendary Pokemon. Seeing even one is so rare." Alexa said with some slight jealousy in her tone.
"Not very many times I did meet them didn't involve me almost dying." She would never admit that the events on New Island did in fact kill her. She was thankful besides her and the legendaries involved, Pikachu was the only ones who remembered that part of the adventure. She would never admit for months afterwards she would have nightmares about the incident, and Pikachu the only one she could confide her fears too.
"Very true. Your story of Team Plasma and what they did before you met up with me sounds terrifying. Battling a pokemon of that kind of power and walking away from it. It's no wonder you won the League there."
"I won because of all the work my pokemon and I put in to it. I couldn't have done it without them." Ashley said as she gave Pikachu a scratch on his head as he jumped in her arms.
"Of course not. You have a relationship with your pokemon that I haven't seen very much among the younger trainers." Alexa commented.
Before Ashley could respond, Professor Sycamore returned carrying a small box and a smile on his face. He handed the box to Ashley and motioned for her to open it up. Inside she found a red device similar in shape to her Hoenn pokedex.
"What is this?" Ashley asked curiously as she picked it up and looked it over.
"It is a Holo Caster. It's just been released by Lysander Labs. He left a few of these here for me to hand out to research assistants to keep in contact in the field. They are like the Xtransievers used in Unova, except instead of a small video screen they use holograms to project an image." He explained as he pulled out his own and showed Ashley and Alexa a short clip of Garchomp having a mock battle with a Pangoro.
"This is so cool!" Ashley said as she looked at the device in her hand with wonder in her eyes.
"Yes, they are." he agreed. "I was hoping if you had any other encounters with rare or pokemon exhibiting strange behaviors if you could record them for me. It could be a huge help to the research conducted here at the lab."
"Of course! I do the same for Professor Oak every time I go to a new Region." Ashley agreed as she shook his outstretched hand.
"Excellent!" Professor Sycamore said cheerfully, a large smile across his face. "This will be a huge help to the work we do here."
"No problem." Ashley said as she went to pocket the Holo Caster.
"Hold on a second." He said causing Ashley to pause in her actions. "I have taken the liberty of highlighting the route for you to take to Terminus Cave after a short stop in Anistar City."
"Thank you, Professor Sycamore! This will be a real help." Ashley exclaimed.
"No problem. It shouldn't be any more than a couple hours flight on you Pidgeot to get to Anistar City. You can spend the night in the Pokemon Center and head out early tomorrow morning."
"I'll do that." Ashley agreed with his plan. "I'll ask around the Center to see where they have been found in the cave. I can't be the only one looking for a Larvitar."
"Certainly not." Alexa agreed. "That is where I caught my Noibat, who've you met. She was the most adorable little pokemon. Even after evolving she hasn't gotten rid of her habit of biting strangers." She laughed uncomfortably at Ashley's deadpan look. Ashley had been on the receiving end of those teeth a few times when they first met.
After chuckling a little about her experience with the older woman's pokemon Ashley put her hand out, "I guess this is where we part ways then?"
"Unfortunately, it is. I really must finish my story for the paper. It has been a blast traveling around with you Ashley." Alexa said as she bypassed the handshake and pulled the younger girl into a hug.
Ashley returned the hug and said, "Thank you for coming with me to Kalos and for helping me train my pokemon."
Alexa chuckled as they broke the hug, "I'm sure my pokemon got out of it than yours did. Noivern sure let me know her displeasure at having to work so hard."
"My pokemon did get a lot of experience fighting such a fast flyer. We all got something out of it." Ashley argued.
"Sure thing squirt." Alexa laughed as she hugged her again. "Now go catch a Larvitar. Remember my sister is a bug specialist so it will really help you out in the battle."
"I will. I hope to see you soon Alexa." Ashley said as she turned around and returned a now snoozing Charizard and releasing Pidgeot. She climbed on her waiting back and waved to the two adults before taking off at a blistering pace.
After watching the young trainer go off into the distance, Professor Sycamore said after Ashley was no longer visible, "She's going to make it to the finals of the League, isn't she?"
"She going to win it." Alexa said as she started heading out to her apartment to drop her things off from her journey.
"I'm sure she has the potential to." he said as he waved her goodbye.
Meanwhile in a bunker located under the city, Lysander was going through reports on the trainer who stopped the rampaging pokemon yesterday.
He was disturbed by a knock and his door, after admitting them a man in a bright orange suit with matching hair handed him a folder and left after being dismissed.
Opening the file, he found reports stolen from the International Police's records. It seems this Ashley Ketchum had been involved with more than just stopping an out of control pokemon. Reports from Kanto, Johto, and every Region she had been in she played a huge role in the destruction of the criminal organizations there.
Putting the file down he picked up his phone and made a call, after a moment for the other party to pick up, he said, "I have a new mission for you. You're going to like this one."