Prologue
Samuel Oak
Samuel Oak, esteemed professor, Master of the Frontier, and former Champion of Kanto stood before his burning lab, cursing silently as flames danced before him. In front of him stood a blazing structure which poured out pungent smoke, stinging the eyes and throat. As his vision swam, he was forced to turn away from his life's work, the sound of crackling wood filling his ears like a dying breath.
His fists clenched, nails biting into palms hard enough to draw a trickle of blood.
He had been discussing his latest research in Viridian when his transponder came alive with the sounds of madness. Mass casualties, renegade trainer, breach of Protocol. All available Trainers and Leaders were to be summoned to Pallet for immediate aid.
More alerts had flooded his transponder as he raced across the sky to respond, pushing Vulcan to the limits of his speed. A rogue Trainer had descended from the cloud line, laying waste to his lab with a searing lance of flame. The rest of Pallet was not left untouched as the heat from the initial blast ignited the surrounding buildings. As fate would have it, a soft wind blew in from the ocean that day as well, stoking the flames further and spreading embers northward over the town.
Thankfully, his family was safe. Daisy had already called, confirming that her and Gary had escaped safely just after the initial blast. However, the professor had yet to hear from his closest friends. Delia and Daniel lived at the northern edge of Pallet, nestled against the wall that separated the safety of the town from the wild.
They should have made contact by now.
He set off in a quick jog, weaving his way through the piles of rubble that lined the narrow streets of Pallet, each road giving rise to another wave of the scent of burning wood. In every street, what had once been lines of quaint homes were now piles of smoldering rubble. Doors whose crests had once been adorned with symbols of power now lay cracked and broken, many completely consumed by the tongues of flame.
Ignis, Lapis, Fulgur. His heart ached as he thought about the families who had lived in an attempt to embody such values. Now it was all gone, burned in an instant by the flames of a madman.
Turning a final corner, he arrived upon a grim scene. The Ketchum residence, once home to a promising young family, had collapsed into a pile of twisted and blackened wood. Surveying the area, Samuel spotted a figure huddled near what was once the entrance to the house.
He rushed over, his heart lifting as he recognized Delia, who was holding a small bundle of cloth in her arms. Tears streaked through the grime that covered her face as she turned towards him.
"D-d-daniel… He's gone."
He froze. He could hardly speak the next words, but forced them out through shallow breaths.
"...And Ash?"
Delia slowly unwrapped the bundle in her arms, revealing the soot covered face of Ash. Looking closely, he could see red welts winding its way up the left side of Ash's neck, already forming small bubbles on the surface. Despite that, Ash looked up at him with calm eyes, not a hint of a cry to be found. Even with the tears streaking down Samuel's face, a small smile appeared. All was not yet lost.
He kneeled down and enveloped Delia in a gentle hug, crying over the loss of a father and friend. As the home's embers slowly extinguished, a single thought repeated through his mind.
It was because of me.
"Men stand on the precipice of cliffs, staring out onto the beauty of destruction. Whether it be for good or for ill, they lack the will to turn away."
-Journal dated Summer 1038c, The First
Thirteen Years Later
"Mom, mom! Those are the Trainers, aren't they?" Dylan asked, pointing towards the strangers in front of the crowd as he tugged on the hem of the dress next to him.
He had been waiting to see the Trainers all year. He had been so excited for today, he even woke up early to make sure they were on time. His mom had taken him to the front of the lab three hours early to make sure they were in a good spot, and despite the waiting he found it impossible to be bored.
His mom turned and glanced downward, a small smile appearing on her face at his enthusiasm. "Yes sweetie, they are. This will be their first day as Trainers. It's a very important day for all of us."
Dylan knew that of course. It had been so long since he had seen a Trainer, he almost forgot what they looked like. They looked so cool in their matching heavy green backpacks, travelers clothes, and newly made Trainers belts. He wanted to be one so bad. Maybe they would even take him with them if he asked nicely.
But then he would have to go to the outside. He clutched his moms dress just a little tighter at the thought.
"Will they be safe, mom?"
His mom glanced down once again. "Oh sweetie." She said in a comforting voice. "Ash, Leaf, and Gary will be fine."
"How do you know?" It came out as a plea.
"Because they will be with Mercurials. No matter what, they will be safe. I bet if you ask, they may even show you their Pokemon when they get back."
Dylan smiled at the thought. Pokemon weren't that special around Pallet, but Trainers Pokemon were. Most of his friends' parents had a Rattata or Poochyena, but only the Professor and a few others had a fully evolved Pokemon. He had even seen Professor Oak's Arcanine before, and had bragged about it to his friends for weeks afterward.
Trainers are so cool.
His mother pointed out to the Trainers in front of the lab. "Look, they are about to start."
Two more people had just appeared from around the corner, but instead of wearing traveling gear, they wore militaristic green and brown uniforms, standing out against the bright white walls behind them. The crowd around Dylan shuffled, excited. The sounds were repeated towards the back of the crowd, the boredom of the wait giving way to the excitement of the unknown. A Mercurial was a rare sight.
No one knew exactly what they were used for, but where danger went, the Murcurials followed. He had heard stories about how they had trained by wrestling the Champions Dragonites, and could only go on missions once they had beaten one.
Dylan held his breath as he saw them for the first time. It was a man and a woman, that much he could be sure of. They were even stronger looking than the Trainers. The man was taller than anyone he had ever seen before, and the other Trainers only came up to his shoulder. The woman was a normal height, but even from the distance Dylan stood at, he could see the muscle of her arms underneath the sleeves of her shirt.
Becoming a Trainer was the dream of a lifetime. He would get to have evolved Pokemon, see the world, and maybe even meet the Champion. He would do anything to make it happen.
Trainers are so cool. I can't wait until I get to be up there some day.
Ash
Ash hated being in front of crowds.
Sweat dripped off of his forehead as he pulled at the neck of his shirt once again, trying to breathe some fresh air onto the scar that wound its way up from underneath the fabric towards his face. He had arrived an hour before the scheduled meeting time, joined shortly after by Gary and Leaf. Gary had attempted to engage in his usual habit of insulting Ash's choice in clothing, but after Ash reminded him that they wore the same standardized uniform now, had instead decided to talk to Leaf over the course of the next hour.
Suited him just fine.
Ash glanced out over the crowd that had assembled in front of the Professor's lab. The majority of the front row was composed of families with their kids, no doubt coming early to give them a view of Trainers for the first time. Most wore basic clothing, comfortable pants and shirts covering most of the body to protect them from the sun. There was always a focus on function over fashion here, just another one of the things he loved about Pallet and its people.
The rest of the crowd was more varied, a mix of families, single adults, and even former Trainers coming to lend their support. Each wore bright smiles on their faces, excited to see their very first batch of Trainers off on their journey. A touch of pride welled up in his chest at the thought of representing them.
Still, he hated being in front of crowds.
He tugged at his shirt collar once again, noticing the murmuring of the crowd grow louder as two Murcurials turn the corner and head in their direction. He still had no idea what strings the Professor had pulled to enlist the services of them as their guardians, but he wasn't going to be one to look a gift Taurus in the mouth.
Ash took stock of them as they approached, wondering which would be his guardian for the journey ahead.
The brown haired man struck an imposing figure. Clad in brown and green militant uniform, he looked as if he had been carved out of a boulder, his visible muscle pressed tight against bone. Despite that there was a fluidity to his motions, and it looked as if glided across the ground which each step, not a single motion wasted as he walked towards them.
The blonde woman was almost the complete opposite. Her movements were exaggerated, arms swinging freely at her sides, and there was a bounce in her step that seemed to tap into an endless amount of energy as she moved. Her hair was tied in a tight ponytail, freely swinging behind her back with each step.
Both of them approached with smiles on their faces as Gary continued talking to Leaf.
"-and I'm telling you, Gramps would wipe the floor with Agatha without even breaking a sweat!" Gary said as Leaf frowned at him. "Any Trainer with half a brain would tell you that."
"Your loyalty is admirable Gary." The man said in a soft accent Ash couldn't quite place. "But as strong as your grandfather is, his team's prime is long past. I'm sure he would be the first to admit such if you asked."
"As if a loser like you would know." Gary replied.
Ash raised an eyebrow at that, chiming in for the first time in nearly an hour.
"Gary, you do know what he is, right?"
"Anyone who thinks Agatha could beat Gramps isn't worth knowing, regardless of who they are. And unlike you, I don't try to suck up to every Trainer that gives me a hint of attention."
Ash snorted "That's ridiculous, you-"
He stopped as the man cleared his throat, holding back the crushing retort he had been planning to unleash. He rolled his eyes as a small smirk appeared on Gary's face, who obviously thought he had won the exchange.
The man stood silently for a few more moments extending his hand to Ash. "My name is Kade, and my friend here is Nilah." he said as he motioned towards the women on his left.
Nilah gave a bright smile and waved.
"Nice to meet you sir, I'm Ash." Ash said as he shook Kades hand firmly.
Kade waved his hand in a gentle dismissal.
"No need to use "sir" around me. We are both Trainers now. Please, speak to me just like you would anyone else."
"I'll try my best." Ash replied "Thank you for being our guardians for the trip by the way. I thought we would be given Trainers with a badge or two, or maybe a fully realized Trainer at best. Certainly not Mercurials."
"You'll find that your Professor has ways of getting what he requires. When Samuel Oak speaks, people listen."
Just then the doors to the lab swung open, revealing Professor Oak in full lab attire. His face bore lines of deep fatigue around the eyes, the marks of a man who slept little, and only lightly when it came. The edges of his coat sleeves were stained with what could presumably be coffee, which had been there as long as Ash had known him. Despite his more disheveled look, there was an aura that surrounded Samuel Oak, one brought about by the authority and conviction of a man who had charged the course of history, and it was something that everyone in Pallet paid respect to. The Professor stood tall before them, waiting for the crowd to quiet down, which was buzzing at the sight of his arrival.
The professor waited a few long moments, the spark of joy evident in his eyes as the crowd shuffled closer to hear his words.
"Good morning everyone!" Professor Oak announced over a now silent crowd. "Today we have come to watch some of Pallet's finest take the first steps on their Pokemon journey. This accomplishment was possible not just by their own individual hard work, determination, and unyielding resolve, but also by the unwavering support you have given them over the years. Pallet has undergone the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows since its inception twenty years ago, but this is our crowning achievement, the day we step up on the stage of the world and announce that we are here!"
The crowd erupted in noise, shouts of praise and support reaching out over the sound of feet stomping hard enough to raise dust from the ground. Ash stood with a smile plastered to his face, waving gently to the crowd. Unfortunately for him, the Professor knew how to play to an audience, and as much as he hated the attention, he truly did want them to know how much he appreciated their support.
After a time, the Professor raised his hands for silence and the crowd's noise slowly dimmed to murmur. "I want to thank you all for your support, please be sure to let our Trainers know how proud of them you are after we go to meet their first companions."
Leaving the crowd behind, they followed the Professor as he turned and walked into the lab. They stayed behind him as he picked his way through, skirting past a number of tables holding assorted microscopes, test tubes, and electronic parts being worked on by his staff. Ash stayed far from the edges of the tables, remembering -with a small amount of fondness- the dressing down he had gotten from his mother after bumping into one and shattering tubes all over the floor as a child. They made their way to the back wall, where three bright Pokeballs sat nestled in cushions on a black workbench. Each shone brightly under the lab's harsh artificial light.
Reaching the desk, Professor Oak turned around to address them. "Now, who would like to pick their Pokemon first? I assure you that all three of these Pokemon are equally capable of protecting you on your journey. Charmander is on the right, Squirtle in the middle, and Bulbasaur on the far end."
Ash waited, looking over each of the pokeballs carefully. After learning that Professor Oak was sponsoring him as a Trainer, he had spent the last two months looking over the options the Professor would provide for them.
Charmander would turn into the offensive juggernaut that was Charizard, easily sweeping through teams that were unable to handle the massive firepower it unleashed. Squirtle would evolve into the massive tortoise Blastoise, who served as a surprisingly mobile cannon that could use its shell to mitigate almost any damage. And finally, Bulbasaur would grow to be the plant based behemoth Venusaur. A tank in every sense of the word, Venusaurs could take and dish out incredible amounts of punishment while controlling the battle with their various spores, placing your team in a figurative chokehold with its status effects.
Any of them would make an incredible starter, which makes the decision all the more difficult. Leaf had mentioned she wanted a Bulbasaur. I should let her go first.
As he waited, Gary approached the counter and grabbed the middlemost pokeball.
Stepping back, he pointed the ball towards the center of the lab, firing a coalescing red beam towards the floor. Squirtle popped out with a small squeak, glancing around until its eyes landed on Gary in front of him. Both sized the other up, each examining something in the others face closely. After a few moments a small smirk appeared on both of their faces.
"Yeah, this will work." Gary said as he returned Squirtle to his ball.
Leaf glanced over at Ash before picking Bulbasaur, and after a brief introduction and pats on the head returned it to its ball.
Finally, it was Ash's turn. He walked up to the counter and slowly grabbed the final remaining pokeball. As he grasped it, the sweat coming from his palms made his fingers glide lightly over its cold metallic surface. He briefly worried he might drop his very first Pokémon before releasing it. Death would probably be preferable to Gary's unending mockery if he did.
He turned away from the counter, heart pounding in his ears, and slowly pointed the ball towards the floor and pressed the release button.
What would happen if Charmander didn't listen to him? Ash's thoughts raced at the beam shot out. Would he have to give up being a Trainer? All his hard work, his passion, gone in an instant? Please Arceus, don't let it happen to me.
Before his thoughts could go any further, Charmander appeared before him.
It was about thigh height, with soft orange fur that covered its entire body. The hairs on its body moved gently, as if pushed by a soft wind, even though they were indoors. Ash looked at it from head to toe, stopping only to look at the tip of its tail. The flame hovering there seemed to have no beginning, no end, and silently rolled in on itself as it flicked the occasional ember into the air. It seemed to pull him inwards, and no matter how hard Ash tried he couldn't look away from the depths of it.
Ash's breath caught as his mind flickered.
Smoke.
Fire.
Breath Breath Needtobreathe
NEEDTOBREATHE!
With a gasp, Ash ripped his eyes away from the flame.
"... Char?"
Charmander looked at him with a tilted head, its worried eyes looking up at Ash's face.
Stupid! So stupid! How could I forget?
Focus. He had to focus. This was his one chance. He could make it through this.
Steadying himself, Ash took a deep breath and crouched down to charmanders level, holding his hand out as if to shake.
"Hi Charmander. My name is Ash. I'm a Pokemon trainer, and I'd like you to be my very first Pokemon." Charmander stared at him with wide eyes.
"How about it, would you like to be friends with me?"
Ash was sure he had blown it. His hands wouldn't stop shaking, despite his best attempts to clear his mind like he had been taught. How could Charmander possibly want a Trainer that was this pathetic?
But Charmander padded up to Ash slowly, nuzzling into his outstretched hand with a small smile.
As they made contact, Charmander gave a soft hum, and the pressure that had been steadily building in Ash's chest released. Ash gave Charmander a few soft strokes, a comforting warmth filling his hand as he petted its head.
Ash could have stayed like that forever, marveling at the silken fur that ran through his hands, but was broken from his thoughts by a small cough from in front of him. Standing up, his face warmed as he realized everyone had been watching him. He looked to Professor Oak, who was smiling broadly.
"It is my privilege to give you your very first Pokemon. They will be the beginnings of your very own family." Professor Oak started.
"These Pokemon have not been given to you lightly, and the League has placed an incredible amount of trust in you to use them wisely. When fully trained your Pokemon will wield immeasurable power. It is your duty to use this power to work with your fellow trainers for the ultimate good of society and the world at large. Failure to do so will result in termination of your status as a Pokemon Trainer."
Ash looked down at Charmander, swallowing softly.
"Now with those words of warning out of the way, I'd like to present you with a small gift from yours truly."
Professor Oak handed each of them a bright red tablet, and spoke while gesturing to the copy in his hand.
"This is my newest invention, which is the accumulation of years of research from myself and other professors. It is called the Pokedex. It will serve as a mobile encyclopedia for you on your journey. Simply point the lens at any Pokemon, and it will identify them and give you a brief summary of vital information on them. Underneath each Pokemon you will find a folder with more extensive information, as well as a section to write your own notes, which will be transmitted back to our lab for review."
Ash aimed the lens at Charmander. The pokedex scanned it briefly and began giving a summary.
Charmander: Male. The lizard pokemon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. If the Pokemon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely.
Charmander knows the moves: Scratch, growl, ember. Its ability is Blaze, which allows its flames to burn more intensely when in danger.
"Please be extremely judicious in showing this technology to others. Information on Pokemon, particularly their abilities and habitats, is closely guarded by the League. Should your Pokédex get stolen or lost, immediately contact me and your Pokédex will be turned off remotely." Professor Oak said.
"Additionally, for your own safety, guardians have been provided for you until you obtain your first badge. Ash, you will be traveling with Kade. Leaf, you will be with Nilah. Gary, I have spoken to you already, and expect you to be on your best behavior."
"Sure thing Gramps. You know me, I wouldn't cause you any trouble." Gary said.
"Then off you go, and please, feel free to contact me at any time. I look forward to hearing about your travels!" Oak said "Ash, if you could wait a moment though, I'd like a word with you before you depart."
Kade leaned over to Ash. "Meet me outside Pallet in two hours, and don't be late."
Ash nodded, recalling Charmander as he waited for the others to leave. He finally had his first Pokémon! On top of that he would be traveling with a Mercurial. Arceus knew what type of training was required to become one, but if he learned even a fraction of what Kade knew, he would have a massive advantage over the rest of the field.
"Ash, I wanted to congratulate you on becoming a Pokemon Trainer." Professor Oak began. "You've come a long way from the small boy that came to visit the ranch every morning. Everyone, especially myself and your mother, are very proud of you."
Ash felt his chest tighten.
"That being said, I want to give you the same advice I have given Gary in the past. Remember, you have nothing to live up to. The legacy your father left behind was you, and he would want you to live your life as you want to. No matter what you do going forward, you have made him proud because of the person you have become."
"Thank you Professor." Ash said quietly "But my reasons for becoming a Pokemon Trainer are my own. I know that dad would have wanted it that way."
"Splendid." The Professor said, turning around to organize some loose papers on the desk behind him. "I'm sure I'll see you soon, don't be afraid to drop by anytime."
Ash turned, and headed out towards the exit to the lab. As he walked away, he managed to catch the soft muttering coming from the Professor as he worked.
"How many times have I told that boy to call me Samuel?"
Ash crossed the threshold of the lab out into the bright afternoon sun. The crowds were gone now, off to go about the daily business required to keep Pallet up and running. The market was still open, children still needed teaching, and the walls still needed guarding. He smiled at the thought. He would miss the quiet hustle and bustle of the town when he was gone.
Looking to his right, he saw Gary leaning up against the wall, arms crossed. Squirtle was leaning right beside him, its tiny arms crossed in a surprisingly adept imitation of him.
"So Ash, you ready for your first loss as a Trainer?" Gary asked, moving off of the wall with a smirk.
"You wish." Ash replied. Gary had always been full of himself, and somehow his ego had gotten even bigger since beating him on the entrance exam…. By a point. Following Protocol, he released Charmander onto the soft dirt in front of him with a quick shout.
"Go, Charmander!"
Charmander crouched as he appeared, glancing in each direction.
"Hey, Charmander. Do you think you can beat Squirtle for me?" Ash asked. Charmander sized up Squirtle before baring its small claws and nodding slightly.
Gary snorted "Let's make this a quick loss for you. Go Squirtle, use tackle!"
Squirtle hopped in front of Gary, bending at the knee and pouncing forward in an attempt to ram Charmander with the corner of its shell.
Ash's mind raced as Squirtle swiftly approached Charmander. He hadn't had any time to practice with Charmander, and only knew the moveset the Pokedex had told him. Cursing silently, Ash decided to stick with the basics.
"Scratch it, Charmander!"
Charmander raced forward as well, swinging at Squirtles head as he approached. Squirtle leaned to the side, striking Charmander with the ridged edge of its shell as Charmanders claws bounced harmlessly off its back.
Charmander grunted with the impact, and tumbled away head over heels before settling in the dirt.
"Charmander!" Ashe cried out.
Charmander slowly picked himself up, wincing slightly as he did. He looked up at Squirtle, eyes burning and readying himself for the next attack.
"Finish him Squirtle." Gary said with a smirk. Squirtle charged again, accelerating quickly.
As it approached, Charmander yelped sharply. Squirtle hesitated, briefly startled by the loud noise as its momentum carried it forward. Meanwhile, Charmander raised his left claw and struck at its head.
Squirtle again leaned to the side, and Ash watched as Charmanders stopped moving his claw, pivoted, and followed through with the right. Squirtle tumbled off to the side as it felt the full impact of the scratch to its face. Charmander pounced on the opportunity, scratching haphazardly as squirtle tried to fend him off from its weakened position on its back. After several seconds of taking Charmanders abuse, Squritle curled on its side, clearly uninterested in fighting any longer despite Gary shouting instructions. Ash called him off after a few more seconds.
Good job buddy!" Ash cheered as Charmander walked over to him. " You did it! You won your very first battle!"
Gary stood silently, anger etching sharp lines into his face. He looked down at Squirtle, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he looked over the disabled Pokemon. Ash held his breath. Gary had always been as sore of a loser and he was a winner.
After a few moments, Gary must have come to some conclusion because he recalled Squirtle and walked away without saying a word.
Letting go of his breath as Gary left, Ash leaned down to Charmander to examine him. The fur over the center of his chest was disheveled from where Squirtle had struck him. Ash touched the area gently, moving the fur aside to check the paler skin hidden underneath. Compared to the soft tufts above it, the Charmanders skin may as well have been made from iron. There wasn't a single bruise or scratch in the area, and it refused to budge even when Ash pushed hard enough to blanche the skin under his nails white with pressure. After finding no reaction from Charmander, he determined that the tackle hadn't caused him any real harm.
"Hey Charmander, I haven't asked you yet. Do you want a name?" Ash asked, standing up straight.
Charmander nodded his head furiously, making Ash chuckle at his enthusiasm.
"Okay then, how about Ember? No? What about Pyro? No, definitely not that one." This continued for a dozen or so names before Ash finally found one that stuck.
"Ares?"
Charmander bounced up and down and released a quick chirp, making Ash smile.
"Alright Ares, do you want to walk the rest of the way home with me?"
Ares ran up and bumped his head against Ash's thigh, evidently enthused by the idea of going home. Ash petted the top of his head softly, turning back towards the road. They walked silently for a few minutes, Ash spending the time contemplating what he should say next.
There were very few people he could call true friends in Pallet, but that didn't mean he was antisocial. He just had a harder time trusting people than others. Maybe it was that what caused him to spend the majority of his childhood caring for, and becoming friends with, the Pokemon at the Professor's ranch.
By far his favorite was the Professor's matronly Arcanine, who spent the majority of her time watching over the vast array of Pokmeon who lived at the ranch just outside of town. Each clique of Pokemon had their own relationships and rules, but all of them revered the awesome might that Amber wielded, and respected the fair treatment she gave to those who stepped out of line. By watching her, he had learned that each type of Pokemon responded to a different type of justice, and that the type of discipline that needed to be given out varied wildly depending on the type of Pokemon in question.
For example, Charmanders -and by extension Charizards- tended to be extremely territorial, gathering together in large groups called pods. The pods were typically led by a small number of Charizards, ruling over a vast area of land and the resources that came with it. Strength was the only factor that played into becoming one of the leaders, and the Sevi islands that contained the majority of the population were often lit at night from the flames of their bouts. To a Charmander, might truly did make right, and they would respect anyone who could wield it competently.
Looks like Ares and I might have a common goal then.
"Ares" Ash started "I don't really know anything about you yet, but today is our first day as a family. How does that feel?"
Ares cooed in response, his face softening slightly.
"I've been looking forward to this day for as long as I can remember, getting my own Pokémon. Mom and I have been alone until now, and you will be the first addition to our new family. You should know, mom…. is amazing. I don't really know how to describe it, but she always supported me and my dreams. Even though she had to do it all by herself, she worked to put me through Trainer school and managed to be a full time mom as well. I don't know if I could do that in her position."
Ares walked alongside him quietly, seemingly digesting each piece of information.
"Anyways, my goal is to become Champion someday. To be the best of the best, and to do that, you will have to be the strongest Charizard of all. Do you think you are ready for that?"
Ares' eyes lit up and he responded with a bark.
After that, Ash continued filling Ares in on his life as they walked, mentioning anything that came to his mind. Days spent watching Pokemon battles, playing out in the sun, or struggling through school. He even mentioned the time he had gotten lost in the fields pretending to be a Rattatta when he was four, though he had to look away in embarrassment as he told it. Ares absorbed every word he spoke, and he could have sworn he heard a slight chuff from beside him when he told the Rattata story.
They soon approached Ash's house on the outskirts of town, and Ash's mom greeted them at the door.
"Oh my gosh, he's such a cutie!" She exclaimed as she swept Ares up in her arms. Ash tried to call out a warning before she burnt herself on his tail, but she gave him a stern look and started to stroke its head gently, carefully avoiding the heat from his flame.
Ares gently nuzzled into Delia, basking in his newfound attention.
"I'm so happy for you Ash, you couldn't have done better than Charmander. He obviously knows a good mom when he sees one." Delia said with a small wink. "Does it have a name yet?"
"His name is Ares. He's incredible already, I can't wait to see how strong he is after we start training." Ash said.
Delia smiled and placed Ares on the ground. Walking over to Ash, she enveloped him in a gentle hug.
"I know you have to head out, but I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't tell you to stay safe. Being outside the walls can be dangerous, but I know you will be able to handle anything that comes your way. Remember that you will always have a place to call home, and I'll be right here waiting for you when you come back."
Ash felt tears in his eyes as he hugged her back tightly. They stayed like that for several minutes, each reluctant to be the first to let go.
"I'll miss you mom…"
Finally pulling himself away, Ash steeled himself and set out through the door with a wave. He took off in a quick jog towards the heavy gated doors that seperated Pallet town from Route 1, Ares following diligently behind.
Ash saw Kade waiting patiently for him just beside the entrance.
"Are you ready for your first steps as a Pokémon trainer?" Kade asked.
"I've been ready my entire life."
"Is that so?" Kade said with a soft smile. "Well, I suppose we will see."
Ash took a steading breath as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
They had traveled a few hours along Route 1, a simple dirt path carved through the wild found just outside of Pallet's walls. The lawless zone surrounding Pallet was made of vast fields, stretching for miles in every direction like a sea made of soft green grass.
Unlike the Viridian Forest, the Plains of Pallet contained relatively harmless Pokemon, and one could travel freely between Viridian and Pallet with a single Pokemon for protection. Such easy travel had fed the growing trade between the two cities in recent years. Viridian received a gluttony of natural fruits, vegetables, and other crops year round, grown in fertile fields which enjoyed daily rain from clouds coming north off of the ocean. In return, Pallet had enjoyed the fruits of industry, importing most of the textiles and other manufactured goods produced in the highly populated Viridian.
The relationship between the cities was one of stability and comfort. Bolstered even further by the lack of high powered Pokemon or valuable natural resources found on the Plains. Unlike other lawless areas, Route 1 had no contested areas between the two cities, and the Subordinates of Leader Giovanni were free to peruse the open plains without fear of being contested by an opposing Gym. Giovanni's First had even visited Pallet from time to time, checking in on the status of the city as well as any possible threats to the area, though Leader Giovanni seemed wholly uninterested in the status of a city with little to offer him.
Probably for the best.
Ash snapped back into focus as the Rattata in front of him growled, dodging Ares ember once again. It had poked its head out of the field just minutes before, chirping at them as they walked past, and had skillfully dodged every attempt Ash and Ares had made to hit it since.
So far he had followed the strategies laid out in his Trainer books carefully, attempting to whittle down the wild Pokémons stamina before closing in with a decisive strike, before using the Pokemons following confusion to nail it with a Pokeball to secure the capture. Thus far, his attempts to hit it with ember had limited success, and the Rattata looked prepared to fight for hours if need be. It was simply too agile for Ares to hit at range, and tossing around so many embers meant that Ares' stamina was waning fast. Numerous scorch marks littered the surrounding area from the failed attempts.
I need to control its movement.
Easier said than done. Without any way to disable it, Ash would have to make due with Ares limited movepool.
"Ares, ember left, scratch right!"
Ares dutifully tossed out another ember at Rattata. The pokemon dodged to its left, its belly slinking across the ground as Ares' following scratch missed by inches overhead. The Rattata followed up with a sharp thrust of its teeth, aiming for a vicious bite towards Ares' exposed underarm.
Ares had other plans.
Spinning with the momentum of his previous scratch, he snarled and struck rattata with the base of the flame on his tail. Rattata, while nimble, wasn't as rugged as Ares. It screeched and fell to the side, revealing a flank that was scorched with burn marks. Ares pounced on the weakness, following up with a scratch of its claws which left open gashes in the already damaged flank, causing the Pokemon to cry out in pain a second time.
"Ares, move!"
Recognizing the opportunity, Ash had already unpocketed his available pokeball. Pressing gently on the top, he shot a small beam out of the front of the ball, aiming for the spot Ares was standing. Ares jumped deftly to the side, causing the beam to land directly on the Rattata. With a small *ding* signifying it had been locked on, Ash tossed the ball in the direction of the downed creature. It soared directly towards the Rattata, opening and sucking in the hapless Pokémon in a swirl of red light. Ash waited with baited breath as the ball softly rocked back and forth.
*Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump….. click*
Ash jumped into the air, pumping his fist.
"YESSS!"
His first catch! Ash ran over to the pokeball and picked it up fervently. Pride welled up on his chest as he looked at its shining surface. It was his first day and he had caught a Pokemon! Rattata were common in this area, but catching one on the first day? He couldn't wait to call mom and let her know once he reached Viridian.
He turned around as he heard soft clapping behind him.
"Well done Ash." Kade stood in front of him, a small smile on his face.
"Congratulations on catching your first Pokémon. You did well to take advantage of Rattata's injury. Locking the ball, rather than free throwing it, was a smart move. It's always preferred to lock your throws when a Pokémon is disabled."
Ash waited for Kade to continue, but felt his heart sink after realizing Kade was done speaking.
"….. that's all?" Ash asked, feeling a touch self-conscious.
"Yes, that's all."
"So, I must have done other things wrong then." Ash stated, looking at the ball in his hand.
"That would be correct. You read your strategy out of the textbooks provided in Trainer school?"
"Yeah."
"Those manuals provide a strong starting point, but won't teach you the adaptability to succeed in the wild. Wearing down the stamina of a wild Pokémon is a safe strategy, putting you and your Pokemon at no risk. It's recommended to new trainers because they won't always recognize the difference between a serious threat and a minor one. A Raticate looking for a test of strength won't hurt you, but one that's protecting its young?" Kade asked. "You'd be lucky to leave alive. Keeping your distance gives you plenty of opportunity to run if your battle starts taking a turn for the worst."
"Oh."
Ash frowned. Many Trainers were lost in the first year of the journey. Natural disasters, stampedes, raging Pokemon. There was a reason that guardians had been mandated for Trainers until their first gym victory. Trainers were a society's greatest resource, and throwing them away unnecessarily would be a waste of years of investment and training, and it made sense to teach them to be cautious.
But Ares hadn't been in any real danger during the battle, even if the Rattatas strike had landed. Ash suspected it would take at least dozen hits to take Ares down. Still, the bite would have been painful. Was it the right call to have Ares get hurt for the chance to catch a single Pokemon?
They get hurt in Trainer fights all the time. What is the difference between that and the fighting in the wild?
Ash contemplated before speaking.
"But if Ares gets hurt, I'll have no Pokemon to protect me."
"Excellent point." Kade said, smiling at his statement. "But it's also the reason you have a guardian. I was watching over you during your fight, and you were never in danger. However, you are correct. If you are on your own, you should always be extremely watchful of your team's status; never risk the last Pokemon in your party unless the situation is life or death, as you may need them to make your way back to Pokemon Center at any time. Now that you have a backup, I'd command Ares' to move in and force smaller Pokemon to exchange attacks rather than dodging. It's likely that Ares would knock it out in the first few blows. Honestly, you found the solution quite quickly."
Ash smiled. At least he had made the right call in the end.
Kade turned back towards the route and began walking.
"Focus on leveraging Ares close quarters during fights when you can. There are very few Pokémon that can take a direct hit from his flame here. Don't worry about the rest, you'll find yourself with your first badge before you know it."
Ash caught up to him after a few quick strides, Ares trailing to his right as they walked.
"Any advice for when I go to get that first badge?"
"Yes," Kade said, "Skip Leader Giovanni and challenge Leader Brock."
Skip Leader Giovanni?
"Why would I do that?"
"Leader Giovanni only fights with his primary team. Technically illegal, but functionally allowed so long as the Champion doesn't give him a strong enough reason to stop doing so. Right now, Leader Giovanni has decided his time is worth the hefty fines, so only Trainers with 7 badges even attempt to challenge him."
"Isn't it his duty as a Leader to help newer Trainers?"
"It's his duty, but not his priority. Don't think too poorly of him though, all of the Leaders have their own proclivities towards shirking certain duties. Technically Leader Brock is assigned with mapping out the caves of Mt. Moon, though his Trainers are rarely seen there, and I'm fairly sure the majority of Leader Erika's time shouldn't be used to prioritize her perfumes. Every Leader must strike a delicate balance between personal projects and the massive amounts of tasks they must accomplish for their people. Protecting their cities, training their teams, gathering funds, coaching their underlings, and consolidating political power are only a few of the larger ones."
Fair enough. Ash thought. But I still wouldn't skip out on helping the Trainers that needed it most.
"Let's cut the discussion for now." Kade said. "We have a long way to go before the campsite."
"We're here." Kade said, taking off his pack.
Ash looked around. They had entered a grove of trees just off of Route 1 as the sun fell to the horizon on their left. Surrounding them now was a small clearing measuring a few dozen meters in each direction, with trees lining the parameter bearing scars up and down their lengths. Nests of the Nidoran family weren't uncommon here, and judging by the height of the scratches on the trees, some sizable Nidorino had been here as well.
The two worked in relative silence as they set up their campsite. Ash hung his sleeping bag from a pair of trees, then he began to gather sticks as Kade dug out an area for their fire. After a few minutes of wood piling and pit digging, Kade stood up abruptly, brushing his hands on the front of his shirt.
"Let's get started. Call out your Rattata."
The sticks Ash had been carrying clattered to the ground. He had been dying to release his new Pokemon all day. He scrambled over to the open area in the clearing, grabbing at the pokeball on his belt as he went. Ares followed closely behind, his tail swishing gently as he walked.
As he prepared to release Rattata, Kade stood behind him at a distance giving instructions.
"Pokemon heal much more quickly than we do, and your Pokeball will supplement that slowly over time. It will likely be partially healed when it comes out, so don't feel the need to rush over to spray a potion on Rattata immediately. It will respect you for defeating it, but it's your actions moving forward that will define you as a Trainer. Communicate and earn your Pokémons respect. If you do so, they will go to the ends of the earth for you."
Ash nodded, gripping the Pokeball. All those hours on the ranch had prepared him for this moment, and he was ready to befriend his first wild Pokemon. Cocking back his arm, he gave the ball a soft toss into the clearing. It soared through the air before dipping towards the ground, releasing a flash of red light just before impact. Ash caught the ball's return in a smooth motion before looking down at the released Pokémon.
The Rattatta stood with its ears back and its fags bared, glancing around at the edges of the clearing. As it did, Ares stepped in front of Ash and snarled, baring his teeth menacingly. The Rattata crouched, melting into the ground to avoid confrontation with the Pokemon that had beaten it earlier that day. Soon, Ares and the Rattata began chirping back and forth, with Ares motioning his head towards Ash several times during the exchange. Rattata tilted it head questioningly at first, eventually settling into a more neutral expression before padding up to Ash cautiously.
Ash reached down as it approached, mirroring his meeting with Ares. Rattata sniffed his hand cautiously before giving it a small lick. Ash observed it as it continued to sniff his hand and look up at his face carefully.
Rattatas fur was a soft purple, the texture resembling something closer to hay than hair. It almost looked like a child's doll, deceivingly small and apparently harmless until one looked at the jagged yellow teeth protruding from its mouth. The injury Ares had given had indeed closed, a trio of scabbed wounds that now ran up its left flank. It chittered softly before walking away to a comfortable distance.
Ash stood and pulled out his Pokédex, pointing the lens at Rattata.
Rattata: The rodent Pokémon. Male. It bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.
Rattta knows the moves: Tackle, tail whip, quick attack. Its ability, Guts, increases its attack if the Pokémon is suffering.
Ash reread the last sentence twice more before closing the Pokédex with a snap.
Interesting. Suffering?
He would have to look deeper into Rattata's files to see what constituted suffering later. It seemed like a poor choice not to be slightly more specific about it for beginner trainers. Maybe he would even write to Professor Oak about it.
Finally, he spoke. "Alright Rattata, I'm going to spray a potion on you now. It should make your side feel better. Is that okay with you?:
Rattata glanced up at him, pausing for several moments before giving a chirp of assent. Ash pulled the potion out of his backpack by his side, walking slowly up to Rattata not to startle him. As he did, Ares walked by his right side, eyes staying fixed on their new team member.
"Ares, I need you to stand back while I do this."
Ares abruptly halted. Narrowing his eyes and looking up at Ash.
"It's okay buddy." Ash said gently. "We can trust him. He's part of our family now."
Ares snorted softly, but stayed where he was as Ash walked up to Rattata. Ash leaned down and sprayed the potion, noticing the Rattatas body shiver as the particles hit the wound on its side.
Instantly, the wound began to close. The edges of the gash Ares had given it closed together as if by magic, cutting off the scab that had formed over it and causing it to fall to the ground. The healing of the burns was even more incredible. The fur on Rattas flank had burnt, leaving black husks where there had once been hair. The superficial skin underneath had peeled away, leaving angry wet patches of red underneath. But before Ash's eyes, new skin proliferated, turning a soft pink before molding back into healthy skin in an instant. A few moments later, purple hairs sprouted, leaving Rattata's flank indistinguishable from anywhere else.
"Incredible." Ash said.
"Yes, it is." Kade replied. " I had forgotten what it was like to use a potion for the first time. You become numb to the magic of Ditto cells after using them for so long, but the first time is certainly special."
I'll say.
He was holding a miracle in a bottle. It seemed almost criminal that they were for the exclusive use of Trainers. Focusing on Rattata, Ash stood back up.
"Well? How do you feel?"
Rattata chirped in response, walking in a few tight circles to test out his newly regained mobility.
"Looking good to me." Ash said with a smile. "How would you like a name? Ares got his right after we met too."
Rattata nodded in agreement, and Ash ran through a list of names he had thought of while walking on Route 1, finally running across one that caused the rattata to bound around the clearing with yips of excitement. He continued for several laps before bounding into Ash's arms, making Ash laugh as he wriggled up against him.
Ash soon found himself resting next to Splinter and Ares. A warm campfire had been lit in front of them by Kade, who gazed up at the streaks of red and yellow light that highlighted the branches above.
His cheeks still hurting from smiling, Ash looked above the fire as a warm feeling spread through his chest. He had added another member to his team today, one that was happy to be with them. He couldn't wait to see what Splinter could do, and judging by their battle earlier, he would be difficult for anyone to bring down with how quickly he could move.
Tomorrow he would need to begin training. His internal clock usually woke him up before sunrise, and he planned to complete his training session before Kade woke up, hopefully surprising him with his progress in the upcoming days.
He had decided his training regime before he had even left Pallet. Most Trainers ran their team through various sets of drills, focusing on either physical skills or specific move sets. Novice trainers tended to focus on learning new skills, as each new ability would drastically increase a Pokemon's adaptability and type coverage. However, he had been warned that many trainers did that to the detriment of physical tools such as agility, strength, and balance, and that setting that precedent early would only hurt him in the long run. Ash's plan would have his Pokémon offset these days, with even numbered days focusing on their moveset, and odd days focusing on physical strength. As it was, he planned to have Splinter and Ares spar tomorrow morning, to get a better grasp of the skills they already possessed. He refused to be caught off guard like he had with Gary outside the lab.
Kade stayed motionless from across the fire. His face intermittently hidden by the wisps of flame that flickered in front of them. Suddenly, his voice cut through the peaceful silence of the night, interrupting Ash's thoughts.
"Ash, why do you want to become a Pokémon Trainer?"
"To become Champion.'' Ash stated immediately.
"An impressive goal. As you know, the competition to become a Trainer is fierce, and becoming Champion would be exponentially harder. Do you think you are ready for that?"
Ash paused briefly before continuing. "Becoming a Champion is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I didn't make friends very well, so I guess I was a little alone growing up. Traveling the world with my very own family, working to become the very best, it sounded like a dream to me. I want to become Champion and prove to everyone that I have what it takes."
Kade examined Ash's face, staying silent for a time before speaking gently. "I heard that many people lost their families during the attack on Pallet Town. And that it was done by a Trainer. Did they ever find out who was behind the attack?"
Ash gritted his teeth, his mind flashing back to that memory, one filled with a curtain of flames and smoke.
Of course Kade would know about the attack, it had been national news for months. He could lie again, and brush it off as an event that he was too young to remember. But Kade was a Mercurial, and he might have access to knowledge Ash didn't. This could be his chance to get assistance from a source he would be unlikely to have again.
Throwing caution to the wind, Ash spoke.
"Some coward flew in, burned the professor's lab, and ran away before anyone could catch him. It's true that I've always wanted to become Champion, but I want to do it to protect Pallet Town and all of Kanto. Call it stupid if you want, but no one has been the same since the fire. Even now, I see how much it has hurt mom and the Professor. I won't let it happen to anyone else."
"That's a good reason," Kade said, brushing off Ash's earlier lie. "But you will have to push yourself more than you can imagine to become Champion. Many Trainers give up well before they get close, and there is no shame in that. Most become Gym Subordinates, while the elite become Ace Trainers, or even Leaders. Becoming Champion means surpassing all of them, with each step you take becoming exponentially harder than the last. I will ask you again, do you truly believe you have what it takes to become the Champion?"
"I'd rather die than give up. I'll become Champion one day."
Kade glanced up at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Ash's face. He stayed like that for a few long moments, scrutinizing Ash through the flames. He must have found what he was looking for, because after a few moments he returned his gaze to the fire, watching the embers flicker from its base.
"Best get your sleep now." Kade said. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Recognizing the conversation was over, Ash climbed into his bag, giving one last look towards Ares and Splinter as he did. They were resting next to each other, backs gently pressed up against each other for warmth despite their earlier battle.
As Ash drifted off to sleep, he thought about what Kade had said. He knew he had what it took to become Champion, and he would show Kade that he was worthy, no matter what.
Ash got up early as usual, and after waking a slightly grumpy Ares and Splinter, walked through the grove to find an appropriate place to train. After a few short minutes of hiking through the tall grass and trees, he found a clearing similar to the one they he had slept in the night before. Large grooves had scored in the trucks of the surrounding trees, and the markings had become calloused with time, suggesting that whatever had stayed here was long gone.
Despite this, he had Splinter clear the surrounding area, making sure the area was free of wild Pokémon before they began. Shortly after that and some light stretching, Ares and Splinter faced off in the middle of the clearing.
"Alright guys, only sparring for today." Ash stated "I need to see how you fight before we get to the real deal against other trainers. We have more training to do after this, so no overdoing it, okay?"
Splinter gave a short nod and shake of his tail. Ares stayed silent, his only movement coming from the rise and fall of his chest with each breath.
"Alright then, ready…..begin!"
Splinter immediately dashed to the side, trying to flank Ares as the fight began. He hesitated every few moments, randomly shooting off in a different direction in an attempt to find an open angle. Ares' eyes carefully tracked Splinters every move, his feet shifting softly over the firm dirt as he turned.
Suddenly, Ares struck. Whipping out his tail, he abruptly cut off Splinter's path. Splinter shifted his momentum, but again found himself cut off by Ares, a claw swiping directly into his path. This continued, each successive attack cornering Splinter farther and farther against the dense tree line surrounding the clearing. Quickly, Splinter was left with no room to dodge, and chose to strike directly at Ares' throat.
Ares responded with a twist, slamming Splinter into the ground with the shaft of his tail. As Splinter rose to his feet, he was swept up in a claw and unceremoniously flung back into the middle of the clearing.
"Alright guys, that's enou-" Ash started, but was quickly cut off by a sharp growl from Ares, whose eyes were burning with intensity.
Splinter rose to his feet, never taking his gaze off of his opponent. With a short huff, he dashed directly at Ares. With lightning speed, Splinter attacked again and again, looking for a weak spot in Ares defense. However, Ares wouldn't be denied. He deftly parried Splinters teeth with his blunt claws, and shifted his footing to dodge attacks at his limbs. After a multitude of attempts, Splinter changed tactics and whipped out his tail, knocking Ares' foot outward. An opening appeared as Ares lost his balance from the tail whip, and Splinter struck his chest with a forceful tackle.
There was a short huff from Ares, who slid back several inches from the impact to his chest. As he slid, he quickly wrapped his arms around Splinter in a hug, grip unyielding despite the Rattata wiggling in his grasp. With a grunt, Ares slammed Splinter into the ground with a thud, who remained still as dirt floated into the air.
"Splinter!" Ash called out as he ran over. Ares moved away as Ash approached, an impassive look upon his face. Ash examined Splinter carefully, and found him to only out a breath and heavily bruised from the fight. Petting him softly, Ash looked up at Ares who was at the edge of the clearing.
It was clear that Ares had wanted the fight to continue after the first round, but Ash was puzzled over exactly why. Both Ares and Splinter had each proven themselves capable, and neither had any resentment for the other. If anything, they seemed to get along well, having no issues the night before.
"Ares, why did you two keep battling? We have more training to do today." Ash asked.
"Char!" Ares responded, swishing his tail back and forth aggressively.
"You don't resent having a new member on our team, right?" Ash asked.
A small shake from Ares head. He paused briefly, before nodding his head and walking over to a nearby tree. He pointed a blunt claw and the smaller score marks. He then nodded over to Splinter, and tapped the marks midway up the small tree before turning back to Ash.
You want to help Splinter evolve?" Ash asked.
"Char! Char!"
Ash laughed and shook his head softly. "Okay buddy, just be careful next time okay? We still have training to do, and it won't help if you two can't practice after your fights."
Area crossed his arms and looked away pointedly, but gave a small nod.
The rest of the morning was spent working on Ares' ember while Splinter rested against a nearby log. Ash had Ares blast ember against a small rock, working out its effective range and spread. As of now, Ares could fairly reliably shoot the embers 10 or 15 meters, heating the rock to glowing red every few attempts. Rarely did Ares miss the rock completely, and the scattered embers splattered against the rock with each attack, burning gently for a few seconds before sputtering out.
After an hour or two, Ash decided it was time to head back. Splinter padded along faithfully, sore but mostly recovered from his earlier beating. Ares followed behind, his tail sticking out over the grass like a small beacon in the early morning light.
As he approached camp, the smell of cooking meat wafted through the air. Parting some small branches, Ash stepped into camp to see Kade hunched over a small pan on the fire.
"Our for some early training?" Kade asked without looking up from his cooking.
"Yes." Ash grumbled. He had expected to have at least a few days before Kade caught on to his morning activities.
"You think you're the only one who has thought of getting up early to train?" Kade said, chuckling. "I'm resting more than usual, but soon you will have to wake up early if you want to beat me to the punch."
Before sunrise isn't early?
Ash nodded and gratefully accepted a small plate from Kade before sitting down.
"Speaking of training" Ash started "I haven't seen you use your Pokemon at all since we set out. Do you usually have them in their pokeballs while traveling?"
Kade shook his head, his hand resting on the six pokeballs strapped to the right side of his waist. "No, usually I have them out, but I wouldn't want to disrupt your team this early in the process. Having unfamiliar, fully evolved Pokémon around could make yours more timid, or become more complacent when traveling in the wild."
Ash nodded. Already he could tell Ares was taking the initiative. He had trailed them all the way back to camp to watch their backs, even refusing to walk directly next to Ash even when he asked. Looking around, he spotted Ares at the corner of the camp, watching over them as he rested.
Soon they had cleaned up camp and moved back out to Route 1. The traveling was pleasant, a small breeze pushing them northward towards their destination. They passed a few groups along the way,, from tradesmen whose packs were full of one good or another, to families traveling for leisure. All had Pokemon walking by their side, loyally padding alongside them and enjoying the good weather. Most were friendly, waving a quick hello as they passed, though a few did stare at Kade before looking away.
It was early afternoon before they met their first trainer.
He was a younger Trainer, likely around Ash's age, wearing a casual combination of khaki shorts and T-shirt. As he saw them approach, he made a beeline for Kade and introduced himself as Joey, demanding a battle. Kade politely declined, directing him towards Ash instead. The trainer looked less than enthused to battle Ash in Kades place, but eventually agreed.
"You have two pokemon? The Trainer said "I have three, are you safe to have a two on two?"
"Yeah." Ash replied "That sounds good to me."
Following Protocol, they shook hands before spacing themselves out on the road, calling out their Pokemon to initiate the fight.
"Splinter, I chose you!" Ash said as he tossed his first ball into the air.
"Go, Caterpie!"
Appearing in flashes of light, Splitter bared its teeth and growled as Caterpie looked at the surrounding area. Ash took the offensive immediately.
"Quick attack, aim for the head."
Splinter moved forward, keeping its usual pattern of shifting side to side as it approached.
"Don't let it get close Caterpie." Joey stated. "Stringshot when you can"
The Caterpie narrowed its eyes upon the command, tracking Splinter with its mouth as he approached. After a few brief moments, it shot out a silky looking string, which darted in the direction Splinter had just cut.
Splinter danced around the shot, striking the side of Caterpies head with his flank as he dashed past. Caterpie tumbled over its side from the force of the strike, but maintained its composure and continued to track Splinter as he dashed away. Caterpie shot out another string as Splinter turned to head back towards the bug pokemon, catching his front right paw with the sticky substance.
Splinter growled softly, jumping backwards to put distance between himself and his opponent. He continued to dodge stringshots after that, but his mobility was clearly hampered by the dirt and debris that accumulated in the string around his foot from the effort. The fight would be all downhill from here, and getting hit again might leave Splinter completely immobile, even if he did finish Caterpie and move on to the next opponent.
"Alright Splinter." Ash stated, "Don't worry about the string, end it with a tackle."
Splinter sprinted directly forward, catching Caterpie off guard and causing its next shot to sail over his head. The mistake proved to be Caterpie's downfall, as Splinter's shoulder connected directly with its head with the full force of its momentum behind it.
The caterpie cried out, tumbling head over tail across the clearing.
"C'mon Caterpie, you got this!" The Trainer called out, though it was of no use. The caterpie lay on its back, making no attempt to flip back over and continue the fight.
"Fine then, are you switching Pokemon?" The Trainer asked.
"Yeah, I think I will." Ash stated, recalling Splinter. "Go Ares!"
The trainer grimaced at the appearance of his charmander, but grabbed the second pokeball of his belt, calling a Pidgey to battle. Flying pokemon may have given Ares a bit of trouble in different circumstances, but in its unevolved form Pidgey would have limited mobility or ranged attacks to pick from. Ash had Ares work on his ember this morning for this exact matchup.
"Alright Ares, use ember. Let them have it!"
Ares crowed out with delight, dashing towards his opponent while drawing in a deep breath. The Pidgey saw the incoming danger, taking flight to put distance between them, not bothering to wait for its Trainers command.
"Pidgey, use sand attack."
Stopping abruptly, the Pidgey swooped downward, making an attempt to buffet some of the looser dirt towards Ares. Unfortunately, it played directly into Ares proverbial hands.
With a grin, Ares shot out an ember where the Pidgey was descending, forcing it to swoop even lower to the ground to avoid the attack. As it did, Ares leaped into the air, digging its claws into one of the Pidgeys wings as it glided past. The impact caused an abrupt shift in momentum for both of the Pokemon, causing each to tumble across the ground in different directions.
"Nice job." Ash called out "Now, finish him with ember!"
Ares was the first on his feet. Jumping up quickly, he spat another ember directly at his opponent, scoring a direct hit across the chest of the pigeon pokemon. The scent of the burning feather made Ash gag slightly, but his opponent instantly recalled his pokemon after realizing it had been hit. Ash had won handidly.
"Wow," Joey said as he walked over towards Ash. "That was some battle. Although I knew I would be in rough shape once you called out Charmander. I don't have any water pokemon yet."
"He's my starter." Ash replied, patting Ares head. "He's pretty incredible, isn't he?"
"Yeah, and you weren't too bad yourself. Let me know if you want to battle again sometime, okay?"
"Sure. I can write your number into my Pokedex if you want."
That sparked some questions about Ash's new device, which led to Joey begging for one himself. After a quick deflection and promises to let him use it the next time they met, Joey and Ash shared their numbers, each heading their separate ways down the dirt path.
Ash and Kade spent the next three days traveling. They settled into a routine, with Ash waking up early to train Ares and Splinter, and Kade preparing food for them by the time they arrived back.
Ash had spent two of the days with light physical training, keeping it easy with sparring or jogging for the beginning of their journey. He didn't want to tire out Ares and Splinter needlessly, and ran alongside them to get a sense of how far he was pushing their endurance.
On their moveset day, Splinter made a number of strides toward learning bite, a move that focused energy into his teeth, making them shine and giving him a viable high damage attack. So far he had not been able to complete it, but the gouges he made in logs were noticeably deeper by the end of the session. Meanwhile, Ash had focused on Ares' control of ember, instructing him to narrow or widen the spout of flame and monitoring the results. Ares happily did as instructed, spitting flames across rocks no matter how long he was asked to do so.
Ash asked a number of Trainers on the road to battle during that time. Unfortunately, he didn't have any takers. Many were limited to a single pokemon, traveling to Pallet or Viridian for personal reasons, others were out of Ash's league, and politely declined upon learning he had a single badge.
No one asked Kade for a match.
It was on the afternoon of their third day that they finally came across the next Trainer that was willing to battle Ash. After a brief shaking of hands, they called out their first Pokemon.
"Go, Nidoran!" "Go, Splinter!" The pair arrived on the ground at the same time, with Splinter and Nidoran each baring their fangs at the other.
Nidoran. The poison barbs on it would be a nightmare for Splinter to deal with, but with sharp timing, they may be able to find an opening. Ash quickly shouted out instructions.
"Splinter, tail whip!"
Splinter dashed in, weaving back and forth as the Nidoran tried to track it. As he approached, he whipped out his tail on the front legs of Nidoran, who managed to jump lightly over the attack. Unprompted, the Nidoran shot barbs out at Splinter's tail as it whipped past, the sharp darts missing Splinter's tail by inches.
"Quick attack, watch for the barbs!"
Splinter dashed in again, zig zagging past volleys of barbs Nidoran sent his way. Closing the distance, he struck at Nidorans back legs with his flank, landing a solid connection and sending Nidoran skidding across the field.
"Okay Nidoran, show him you mean business. Leer, poison sting."
Nidoran turned towards Splinter, eyes glowing red with psychic energy. Ash called out to Splinter just as Nidorans vision centered on Splinter's body.
"Splinter, move!"
But it was too late. Splinter shook violently in an attempt to follow Ash's command, but had already been locked in place by Nidoran's psychic energy. The hold only broke as Nidoran shot another cluster of darts, burying several of them into Splinter's flank.
The fight needed to end quickly if Ash had any chance of victory. He could feel his nerves getting to him, and there was little time to devise a strategy as each passing second would let the effect of the poisonous needles grow.
I hate poison.
"Quick attack, tackle! Give it everything you've got." Ash commanded.
Splinter dashed around the Nidoran madly now, barely skirting around the edges of the needles. He landed a single hit on the Nidorans back legs, sending it careening across the dirt road in a cloud of dust. Unfortunately, Splinter's luck ran out shortly after. Pinning Splinter with another leer, Nidoran rose up into the air, only to come crashing down directly onto Splinter's chest with both of its feet. Ash winced, immediately recalling Splinter as he skidded across the ground from the impact of the double kick.
"Is that all you've got?" The Trainer asked with a raised brow.
"Hardly." Ash replied. "Go, Ares!"
Ares appeared in a swirl of light, the flame on his tail flaring as he bared his teeth.
"Alright Ares. Triple ember, just like we practiced!"
Ares spat, throwing out three quick bursts of flame in the Nidorans direction low to the ground. The Nidroan jumped over the approaching attack, its back feet glowing. As it did, Ares put a fourth flame into the sky, directly in the path of the approaching Nidoran.
Ash mentally cheered at the success of his misdirection.
"Scratch now!"
Ares dashed forward, keeping low to the ground and extending his arm backward. As he closed the distance, the Nidoran ran into the flame, screeching and tumbling downward, its earlier attack completely forgotten.
Ash leaned forward in anticipation as the two Pokemon crossed paths. With a grunt, Ares brought his claws forward, slicing through the small spines located on Nidorans flank. Nidoran cried out again, tumbling backwards as its body shivered from the impact of Ares' attack.
"Nidoran return!"
The Trainer already had his ball held out, the narrow red beam sucking Nidoran into it instantly.
"Not bad" The trainer called out. "But it won't be good enough for Noctowl!"
Ash groaned.
Suspicions about Johto spies had run high prior to the war, and although Johto denied using lone pokemon for information purposes, Hoothoots and Noctowls had been killed on sight within Kanto's borders for years. However, the population of them had flourished in Kanto after unification, causing them to become a more common sight in Trainers parties. Noctowl were specifically coveted for their combination of agility, intelligence and psychic attacks, which were a nightmare for opposing Trainers to deal with. It looked down at them with a haughty gaze as it waited for its first command.
"Alright Noctowl. Work him with air slash!"
Ash took a small step back and worked through his options. Noctowl would likely maintain his distance, sending waves of slicing air at the lesser mobile Ares. Ares couldn't return embers easily, and even if he was accurate enough to hit Noctowl, they would likely be dodged easily in the time it took to travel to him.
With limited options, Ash decided to take a risk. "Ares, growl and tight ember!"
Ares let out a sharp bark, but got little response from the Noctowl, who knew it had little to fear from the noise emitted by the less threatening Pokemon. Despite that, it was still caught off guard by what came next.
Ares raised his head quickly, sucking in a deep breath before shooting out a flame with an audible huff. A tightly packed ember zipped from his mouth towards the Noctowl, moving with twice the speed expected from a similar attack.
Ash grinned. While training, he had explained the concept of flamethrower to Ares. It consisted of a high pressure shot of flame, which coiled around in a tight spiral before expanding outward in every direction at its peak. The stronger the flamethrower, the longer the thin, high pressure spout of flame would travel before expanding and dissipating. Ash had seen Vulcan, the Professors Charizard, do it during the spring festival, the flame traveling nearly 150 feet into the air before expanding and eventually dissipating.
Ares couldn't hope to approach that at the moment, but Ash had devised tight ember in its place. Focusing on distance rather than heat, Ares would spit a condensed spiral of flame that would travel much farther than a normal ember before spreading. Doing so required pinpoint accuracy from Ares and tired him quickly, but he had shown some limited success when they had practiced.
The Noctowl veered sharply to the side as the flame approached, dodging a direct hit from the condensed spiral of flame. However, the flames still managed to punch through distal feathers of its right wing, burning the quills there instantly.
The Noctowls features quickly turned from haughty to enraged. It screeched loudly, causing Ash and Ares to flinch as it hurled slice after slice of concentrated air in Ares direction. Ares valiantly tried to dodge, but was struck in the chest by the third slice, tired from his previous exertions. Ares cried out as it hit, skidding across the ground in Ash's direction.
Another air slash followed immediately after that, striking Ares' body with a loud thump. Mercifully, the air slashes stopped after that. Giving Ares time to valiantly attempt to lift himself out of the dirt. Once, twice he pushed his body off of the ground with trembling arms, only to collapse on the third, clearly knocked out from the attack.
Ash said as returned Ares back into his ball.
"You did great, buddy."
The Trainer recalled his Noctowl as well, smiling widely as he did. "You put up a pretty good fight there, I was surprised you even managed to hit Noctowl."
"Yeah, we had been working on that for a bit. It didn't really make a difference though."
The Trainer chuckled, turning around and walking in the direction Ash and Kade had come from. "Well, come back anytime if you want to get beat again. Just be lucky that you don't have a badge, or I'd be taking your money too."
Annoyance set in as the excitement and adrenaline from the fight left Ash's body. What was he supposed to do in that situation? He had predicted this might happen during training, and he and Ares had spent hours working on tight ember so he could hit a Pokemon that relied on range. He knew that he was leaving Ares completely defenseless after, but they didn't have any other options to work with.
Maybe Ares would have more options if you were a better Trainer.
Ash gritted his teeth at the thought. Rationally, he knew that they all had done their best in the fight. Not every battle a Trainer fought could be won. In fact, the vast majority of Trainers lost close to half the battles they participated in. Unfortunately, that statistic did not make the taste of losing any less bitter.
Ash sighed. Moving on would be the mature approach to take. He would apologize to Ares and Splinter later, and in the meantime come up with better strategies to cover their weaknesses moving forward.
"Well" Ash said, turning up the road "We might as well start walking, right?"
Seeing Kade nod in response, Ash started walking, going through the fight again and again in his head as he did.
"Ash, wake up"
Ash bolted awake, whipping his head past Kade, who had squatted by his side while shaking him gently.
"What's happening?"
"Time for you to start your training"
Ash looked at Kade, confused. They were still at their campsite for the night, and Ash could see the moon hovering above the horizon through the canopy. What time was it?
"But Ares and Splinter train every morning."
"No, it's time for your training." Kade said. "Come with me."
They walked slowly through the brush surrounding their campsite, with Kade clearing a path with a small knife he carried at his waist as they went. Still, branches scraped past Ash's leg as they went, making him grumble at the inconvenience. He vastly preferred the wide open plains of his home to the sheltered forests of Viridian. Unfortunately, in recent days they had slowly transitioned to the latter, with the small groves giving way to larger and more dense patches of forest.
"Let's walk through your battle." Kade said as they arrived at a small clearing. "Did you accomplish what you wanted?"
"No. I wanted to win. I barely even landed a hit on the Noctowl." Ash replied.
Kade sighed.
"Come on then, fight me."
"What?"
"Come now, you won't hurt me. Give it your best shot."
Ash stood hesitantly, looking up at the much larger man. Kade had adopted a relaxed boxing stance, fists up near his chin as he waited. "You have an odd way of training." Ash informed him.
Kade chuckled. "You're stalling, let me see what you've got."
Ash sighed, but did as he was instructed, moving in with his fists held high.
"You are looking at the fight in only one direction." Kade said as Ash's first punch sailed past his head. "You are looking to win the fight with an offensive barrage. Which isn't necessarily a bad tactic."
Ash continued to jab at Kade as he spoke, each punch sailing well past Kade as he weaved and dodged.
"But your strategy is narrow minded, becoming useless if you can't directly harm an opponent or deal significant damage with each strike. You will learn there are many approaches you are ignorant to. Poison, environment, weather, deception, evasion." Now Kade was swinging back, landing light counter punches on Ash's shoulders, thighs, and stomach with each example.
"Are you so proud that you want to win with pure strength? That you cannot see that some obstacles must be avoided, not overcome?" Lightning fast punches flew past Ash's face now, close enough that he could feel the air they displaced. Could Kade not see Ash would be injured if it landed?
"You will become humble, respecting your opponent and what their Pokemon can accomplish. You will come to know others' strategies better than your own, and then you will punish them for it." A shot to Ash's ribs now, knocking the wind from him.
"Come on now, fight." Kade chastised.
"I can't even hit you." Ash said through gritted teeth.
"I didn't ask for excuses."
So Ash went on the offensive, swinging wildly at Kade's body, face, and limbs, desperately trying to land anything on the larger man. After a particularly wild swing, Kade stepped through Ash's guard and landed a swift chop to Ash's throat, sending him reeling to the ground and gasping for air.
Ares growled menacingly nearby, standing up as his tail flared.
Kade walked over to Ash, extending a hand downward and helping him to his feet.
"I want you to remember what this felt like." Kade said. "The feeling of complete helplessness before your opponent. You will feel this way again, whether it be against a Leader, the Champion, or even me. The League will tell you that fights are fair, and they have contrived ways to keep them balanced. But no fight is ever fair. One Trainer will be better prepared than the other, or will have a team of Pokemon that happens to directly counter the other. The Leagues Protocols are fine ideals to follow, and directly disobeying them will lead to excommunication. But you will find that many strategies are not covered by those rules, and that the winner rarely apologies for using them . You could have had a chance to win that battle with the correct approach. Take your time, and come back to me when you have some answers."
Ash sat, thinking back over the battle. Both Ares and Splinter had lost without taking out a full strength opponent. Splinter had landed multiple hits, but lacked the firepower to finish off the Nidoran. Ares on the other hand, had lacked the ability to actually hit his opponent, but a clean hit might have sent the Noctowl reeling. Each of those could be fixed with time and additional moves. Splinter was already on his way to learning bite, and he was planning on working on smokescreen and ember for Ares to take down more agile opponents.
But Kade had stated he could have won with the tools at his disposal, which meant only with the moves available to him. Ash thought for a long time, watching Ares and Splinter tumble around on the ground together.
Ares had won their last three matches, flipping Splinter head over tail before pinning him to the ground with his paws. Ash watched casually, chuckling at Splinters angry chittering with each consecutive pin. On the fifth or sixth bout, inspiration struck, and he raced over to Kade with his answer.
"I could used the sand on the ground to make cover for Ares. I could have had Splinter stall for time, causing Nidoran to run out of needles. I could have tried to blind Noctowl by having Ares flare his tail. I could have worked on dodging follow up attacks. I could-"
"Correct." Kade said, smiling from his position sitting against a tree. "You have realized there are many strategies you could have taken rather than taking a direct fight, but I will teach you the simplest strategy first. To dodge. You successfully avoided many attacks, but after your opponents landed their first strike Ares' fate was sealed. Continuing to move after being struck is the most basic tactic one can learn, but it will serve you well in your upcoming battles."
Kade stood up, brushing off his pants. "You will be the one to teach this in the future, so watch carefully."
Kade walked over to where Ares and Splinter were wrestling, each stopping instantly when they heard Kade clap his hands. "Ares, I want you to flip Splinter through the air once again."
Ares growled softly at the command, but acquiesced after looking at Ash and receiving a nod. He then scooped a claw underneath Splinter's belly, careful not to slice the rattata's skin with his sharp nails, and flung him into the air. Splinter tumbled across the ground again, but Kade called out a command at the very end.
"Roll."
Splinter slid on his side, looking confused and glancing at Kade.
"Ten laps, start." Kade commanded, looking at Splinter and Ares.
They glanced at Ash, who nodded once again. Dutifully, they both set off around the clearing, jogging in circles around the parameter. As they went, Kade sat back down at his place against the tree.
"You will continue to have them practice this at least an hour every morning, with your choice of conditioning if they should fail. They will be able to recover to their feet without losing their momentum from a strike once this is perfected. Be sure to shout the command during your battles as well, reinforcement is crucial. You can stop when they can recover 100 times without fault."
Ash looked at Ares and Splinter, who were now sprinting around the clearing in an attempt to outrace the other. "What about our practice with conditioning and move training?"
"Hmmmm." Kade said, a small smirk appearing on his face. "It looks like you may have to wake up earlier to make time."
After their training they set back out north. The morning was kind to them, with clear skies overhead and the nearby trees protecting them from the sun, they made a great pace along the route. By midday they had reached the edge of the forest they had camped in, the thick treeline suddenly giving way to knee high grass.
A few minutes after stepping out onto the plain, their travel was interrupted by a distant rumble, followed by a force that shook the ground under their feet. Kade's head instantly snapped up, his eyes darting around in every direction. His hand fluttered over each of the pokeballs at his waist, moving from front to back before repeating the pattern.
Ash looked at the field around them. Nothing had changed in their immediate surroundings, but Ash's breath caught as he made out the faint plume of smoke over the tree line they had just exited from. Another fire? It couldn't be. Not here, not now.
Suddenly, a hand clasped him firmly on the shoulder, and he realized he had begun walking towards the plume of smoke without thinking.
"It's not Pallet." Kade said, eyes narrowing. "We are much too far away. However, there should be nothing in this area that could cause an explosion of that size. We will head to Viridian, contact Leader Giovanni, and request additional assistance before investigating."
As he finished speaking, another rumble shook the ground, though this one felt much stronger, much closer.
"I thi-"
"RROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
Whatever Kade was going to say was cut off by an ear splitting roar from the treeline in front of them. Turning around, Ash saw Rattata streaming from the forest, their cries echoing over the plain. They scattered in all directions, headless to their surroundings as they ran in an all out sprint. Ash froze as he saw the source of their terror.
A Nidoking burst through the edge of the forest, moving faster than Ash had ever thought possible for a creature of its size. It towered over the fleeing pokemon at nearly 7 feet tall, the normally vibrant purple hue of its plates dulled with age and exposure. Behind it, its tail crashed side to side with the exertion of its sprint, carving a wide path through the grass. However, all of this came secondary to the primal fear Ash felt when glimpsing the massive horn that adorned the head of the monster, a serrated blade that emitted a slight whistle as it cut through the air. It headed directly for them, an unstoppable force of death and destruction. It would be on them in seconds, and there would be no time to escape the hell that had arrived on the Plains of Pallet.
