"Anything interesting ahead?" Ash asked. "We agreed we were going to Fallarbor first, I know that…"

"Depends what you think is interesting," Brock replied. "We need to go past the turn off to Verdanturf, so we'll be going the long route first, but there are a couple of interesting spots on the way-"

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

Brock's explanation was interrupted by a howl that echoed off the hills.

"Huh, that sounds familiar," Ash said, shading his eyes as the long, spine-chilling howl finally faded, then saw what he was looking for and waved. "Absol! Nice to see you again!"

"I do wish I could say the same thing," Absol replied, shuddering, then loped over to them. "I really thought I'd be able to cope with that better the second time…"

"Is there something wrong, then?" Max said. "If you've shown up again, I mean…"

"After what happened in Forina, I decided to go out into the world to seek out other potential disasters and do my best to avert them," Absol told them. "So far I've stopped a small avalanche, rescued a young child from falling in a well in the first place, and now my disaster sense has led me right back to you… though it's not something imminent, not yet."

Brock frowned, thinking.

"Is it about Jirachi?" he suggested. "Jirachi's still asleep back at the Maples' house, if I've got his schedule right."

"No, it's not to do with Jirachi," Absol answered. "It's all something to do with close people and Pokémon, but not in-this-clearing close. I think."

She shook her head. "So, ah, how is Rayquaza doing?"

"I introduced her to Dragonite earlier!" Ash replied. "She likes him, but says he's a bit overwhelming sometimes… she's having a rest now."

He indicated his bag. "She can look out the top without anyone seeing, so it lets her choose."

"Giving someone choice is a wonderful thing," Absol said, quite firmly.

Then a Togetic flew over.

"Hi!" she said, brightly. "Ash, Brock, it's great to see you again! I'll just go and let Misty know where you are, she'll be along in a minute!"

"Oh, I didn't know Misty was in Hoenn!" Ash brightened. "I wonder who's taking over the gym for her?"

At around the same time, in Cerulean, Daisy was facing a challenger.

"So… you've got six badges," she said. "Right?"

"That's me, all right," her opponent said. "Why are you checking a clipboard?"

Daisy tsked. "Our sister left us a list of what to do," she explained. "She kind of insists on it. Okay, uh… six badges and up… right. Go, Psyduck!"

Psyduck emerged onto the poolside, and the challenger sent out his own Pokémon – a Servine.

"That's neat," Daisy said. "So, uh… Psyduck, Hypnosis!"

Psyduck fell asleep.

"Um…" the challenger frowned. "Are you sure that's what's meant to happen?"

Daisy turned over the page. "Step three. Tell Psyduck to use Sleep Talk… step four, exit building at speed?"

Psyduck began to vibrate, rising into the air and emitting multicoloured light, then used V-Create.

Daisy decided to follow step four. So did her opponent.

"We got it working, really properly working, last month!" Togetic explained, happily. "So now Misty can understand what I say, and we're working on it for the others too!"

"That's great news!" Ash said. "Well done, Togetic!"

The Happiness Pokémon smiled, then flew over to say hello to Max and May. As she did, Brock checked the map again, then looked down at Absol.

"Is it something to do with the Togepi Kingdom?" he asked.

"I… think so?" Absol answered. "Sort of? I'm trying to answer your questions but half the time the answer is 'headache'."

"That's fine," Brock assured her. "Anything is helpful… but I think we need to turn off about… here."

As it transpired, the problem was indeed in the Togepi Kingdom. One of the kingdom officials, Colonel Hansen, was trying to mount a coup and overthrow the royal family, and he'd got several soldiers and their Pokémon to help him out.

"Well, we'll just have to stop you!" Ash declared. "Come on out, everyone! Let's stop this guy!"

"Shedinja!" Hansen retaliated. "Ninjask! Guards! Stop them!"

Pikachu immediately hit a Magmar over the head with his surfboard, then total mayhem erupted, and Absol looked back and forth before nudging Ash's leg.

"I need help," she said. "It's… something, it's urgent!"

"Dragonite!" Ash called, and the big Dragon-type punched a Swellow very hard indeed before flying down to Ash's level. "Take Absol where she needs to go, okay?"

"Is it okay if I come?" May's Dratini asked, from where he'd been acting as Dragonite's tail gun. "May?"

"Go ahead!" May called back.

Absol jumped into Dragonite's arms, and he rose into the air. "Which way?"

"That way!" Absol replied, pointing with a paw.

"My Shedinja is unstoppable!" Colonel Hansen declared, down below. "Nothing can beat a Shedinja with Sturdy!"

"That's what you think!" Misty replied. "Gyarados!"

Misty's red Gyarados erupted in a flare of golden light as he Mega Evolved, then his Hydro Pump flattened Shedinja without perceptibly slowing down and went on to hit a Gengar so hard it flew off the castle entirely.

"You won't get away with this," Princess Sara said. "Colonel Hansen isn't the ruler of the Kingdom, and he never will be."

One of the soldiers guarding her snorted. "Seems like he's the ruler if he says he is and nobody argues, right? And if you make too much noise, we'll just have to teach you to shut up."

The Princess folded her arms. "My mother and father won't give in to such threats, and neither will I!"

"Then we'll just have to hurt the Togepi, won't we?" the soldier said.

Sara gasped.

"You wouldn't," she said.

"We would," the soldier replied, glancing over at the square where a dozen frightened Togepi were guarded by two snarling Mightyena, an aloof Houndoom and a Swalot. "So keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for them."

He turned his attention back to Sara, but the Princess was still watching the Togepi… which meant she saw it when two brilliant jets of yellow-purple fire swept over the entire square.

Swalot and one of the Mightyena went flying, the other collapsed as he took a direct hit, and the Houndoom vanished entirely – as did the Togepi – and Sara gasped, but when the flames faded, every single Togepi was completely unharmed.

Houndoom wasn't.

Then, as Sara stared, an Absol landed in front of her.

"Soool," the Absol said, horn glowing faintly, and turned at bay to keep the soldiers away.

"I don't know how we can thank you enough, travellers," the King said. "Without your help, I don't know what the traitorous Hansen would have done to the Kingdom and to the Togepi."

"It's what any good trainer would have done!" Ash replied. "You know, helping out!"

The King chuckled. "I wish so many were so noble… you have our sincerest thanks and our great gratitude."

"Yeah," Togetic said, a little sadly.

"What's wrong, Togetic?" Misty asked.

"I was thinking," Togetic explained. "The Togepi Kingdom needs to be safe, and…"

She shook her head. "I don't like it, but – maybe the reason the Togepi are in danger is that there isn't a Togetic here. I… I might need to stay here."

"Togetic…" Misty said, swallowing against a lump in her throat.

Sara picked up one of the Togepi, and it promptly evolved.

So did two of the others.

"...oh," Togetic said, and giggled at the sudden release of tension. "Never mind then! Thanks Ash!"

"You're welcome?" Ash replied, a little confused. "Thanks for what?"

Misty started giggling too.

"Hmm…" Dragonite said, putting a paw to his chin. "I think I have a proposal to put to Parliament when I get home. But first I should ask..."

He checked where Vulpix was, then flew down to the Queen of the Togepi Kingdom. "I wish to suggest to the Parliament of the Ryuunited Kingdom that we establish an embassy here. If they agree, would you be interested in hosting one?"

The Queen laughed. "That sounds like an excellent idea!"

Dragonite gave her a diplomatic hug, which meant he didn't actually squeeze as hard as he could.

"Hello there, little one," a Dragonair said, that evening, as Rayquaza emerged from her Heavy Ball. "We heard you were coming back here for the first time. Would you like me to show you around?"

"That sounds nice," Rayquaza agreed. "This is the first time I haven't been around Ash and Pikachu, so I'm a bit… not sure what to think, really."

"Tell you what, then," Dragonair decided, and flicked the Heavy Ball into the air with one of his coils before catching it. "I'll carry this around, and any time you want you can just go back inside and none of us will judge you. Okay?"

Rayquaza nodded shyly.

"Now, let's introduce you to Lokoko to start with," Dragonair added. "She likes helping with the cooking at Ash's house."

"So… you're not sticking around?" Max asked Absol.

"No, but given what you people get involved with I strongly suspect we'll meet again," Absol replied. "Probably more than once. Seriously, you have no idea what it's like looking at Ash, it's astonishing. Imagine being the only one who can perceive light and looking into the sun."

"Well, any time you want to visit, just turn up!" Ash told her. "Or, uh, if you want to say hi to the Pokémon of mine who aren't right here… I guess Hyperspace Hole would probably work, so you could contact Hoopa somehow?

Absol blinked a few times.

"I am still not ready for this," she declared. "Very much still not ready for this."

With that, she loped off into the gathering night.

"I guess you're heading back to Cerulean Gym too, right?" May said. "That's a shame. It was nice to meet you, Misty."

"Yeah, kind of wish I could keep travelling with you guys," Misty agreed. "But I don't really think my sisters can keep it up for all that long… honestly by this point the swimming pool might be on fire. And I do enjoy doing the Gym Leader stuff too, so it's one thing or the other."

Togetic cooed, then put her hands together and bowed to the others. "It was lovely meeting you! I hope we see you again!"

"Take care," Brock said.

Then Togetic clenched a fist, and with a grinding roar her Ancientpower summoned a slab of rock out of the ground. Misty stepped onto it with a casual ease, and pointed back in the direction of Slateport. "Okay, Togetic, use Fly!"

They watched her leave.

"...I sort of hoped she was the normal one of your friends," Max said.

Ash blinked. "Huh? What's not normal about Misty?"

Max grumbled something under his breath.

Far away, in the Dragon Paradise near Blackthorn, a council of Dragon-types examined the Dragonair hovering before them.

"You have to realize, it's not exactly normal that the Ryuunited Kingdom's first proposed embassy is to a Fairy-associated Kingdom," the Garchomp said. "We're not offering criticism, it's just weird."

"Oh, well, King Dragonite would have had one set up in Altomare before now, but there's only one Dragonite and that's him," Dragonair replied. "We're going to rectify that once there's a supply of extra Dragonites. It's a pageantry thing I think."

"Altomare?" the Altaria trilled. "Oh, of course, Latias and Latios."

"Right!" Dragonair agreed brightly. "Though, come to think of it, we should probably do… um, what are those other ones… Rota and the Lucario Kingdom, too. But, again, not enough Dragonites."

"Honestly, I think it's a good thing it's going this slowly," the Dragapult mused. "Would you want Ash Ketchum to have such an enormous supply of Dragonites… already, anyway?"

She patted one of her Dreepy. "Goodness knows it's going to happen eventually."

"We've got a sweepstakes running on who evolves next!" Dragonair told her.

AN:

And that's where Absol was, and now is.