Izu Beach, on the southern side of Cinnabar Island, was the smallest and quietest beach Ash had ever been to. The waves were small, the water was calm, and the sun was shining. Best of all, the beach was almost totally empty. It wasn't even that early in the day, but it seemed most people on Cinnabar liked to sleep in. Ash should have been enjoying the beach — she loved beaches, they were her favorite place to be. But she couldn't stop thinking about what the Professor had told her. About the journal still tucked away in Ash's bag, the journal that Ash had thought about getting rid of dozens of times since she had stolen it from Dr. Fuji, but couldn't seem to part with, no matter how hard she tried.

Ash lounged on the sand of the beach in her worn-out overalls while she watched Josh survey the TMs laid out in front of him. She had made up an excuse not to talk to him yesterday — her head hurt, she was tired, and she just wanted to sleep — and gone straight to the Poke Center to check into a room. Unfortunately, Josh checked into the same Poke Center later that night, which made avoiding him the next day basically impossible.

"You have so many," Josh murmured as he looked over Ash's TMs. Most of them had been bought at the Celadon Department Store.

"Some of those are Ryan's," Ash said. "He gave me that Belly Drum."

"Really? Why?"

"He said he was tired of watching my Cubone get whooped."

Josh grinned. "Of course he did."

Only Ryan could make a gift an insult, Josh thought to himself. He looked at Ash, expecting her to smile back, but she didn't. She seemed to look past him. Then, Josh looked back down to the TMs.

"Oh, wow," he said, as he leaned forward to pick up a green-colored disc. "You have Energy Ball? That would be perfect for Pan… Wait — you have Solar Beam?!"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Erika gave it to me as a gift."

"She just gave it to you? Why?"

Ash blinked at him. Then, she spoke.

"I don't know," she said.

"God, you're lucky," Josh marveled. He held the two discs in his hands. He looked at Ash. "Would you mind if I…?"

Ash shrugged and shook her head.

Josh thought for a moment, and then he made his choice. He took out Pan's Poke Ball and clicked it open. Josh carefully slotted the disc for Energy Ball into the Poke Ball and then snapped it shut. Josh watched as the Poke Ball's red half became translucent and a video of a Vileplume began to play, forming a perfect sphere of bright green energy and shooting it forward. Josh knew his Venusaur was watching the same thing, from his virtual world inside the Poke Ball, and would be able to start trying to use the move himself once he felt ready.

Energy Ball should be easier to learn than Solar Beam, Josh thought to himself, so we'll start with that one.

Josh set Pan's Poke Ball aside and turned his attention back to the TMs. Ash had so many options he wasn't even sure where to start next.

"Thunder Punch and Fire Punch would both be good for Dionysus," Josh muttered to himself. "And Shadow Ball would be good for Zeus — no, wait, Signal Beam would be better. Zeus already knows Pin Missile, so it'll be easier for him to learn. But Poseidon can learn Signal Beam, too — no, wait, Thunderbolt for Poseidon. Aww, man, I don't know. What do you think?"

"Huh?"

"For Poseidon, do you think Signal Beam or Thunderbolt would be better for him?"

"I don't know. Depends who you'll be fighting."

"Thunderbolt would be perfect for Ryan's Tentacruel," Josh said. "But Ryan also has an Alakazam. I don't know, could be either."

"Won't there be other Trainers you'll be facing anyway?"

"Well, yeah, but —"

"There's no way you can cover everything, just pick one."

"… Okay."

Ash looked down at her feet. She started to trace rings in the sand with her finger. She thought about the cracked computer monitors in the Pokemon Mansion. The tombstones in the Pokemon Tower. Her Marowak's eyes whenever she looked at him. The same eyes she had seen in a lifetime that wasn't her own.

"Five-on-five, free substitutions," Josh continued. "I'll open with Hermes. Poseidon, Zeus, Dionysus… but who's my fifth? Pan and Helios are both bad against Fire-types. But Pan has Sleep Powder and Toxic… but Helios is faster… Hmm… What do you think?"

"I really don't know, Josh. This isn't my thing."

"Are you mad at me?"

"What?"

Ash looked at Josh. Josh was looking at her, with a Poke Ball in one hand and a TM in the other. His Pokemon were sitting in the Poke Balls next to him, with TM videos playing in their top halves. Ash couldn't tell which moves Josh was teaching them from where she was sitting. She hadn't been paying attention at all.

"I know I don't have many TMs for you," Josh said, "but it seems like you don't want to be here. Did I do something?"

"No."

"Well, you're obviously mad about something."

"I'm not mad."

"Yeah, you are. You're pouting."

"I'm not pouting."

"No? You're just trying to dig your way to Unova?"

Ash looked down. Her finger had dug a hole the size of her head in the sand. She had somehow dug deep enough to hit the darker, wetter sand — it looked like a Diglett's nest.

Ash sighed.

"I'm mad, but I'm not mad at you," she said. "It's just something's been bugging me."

"About the Pokedex?"

"Not really," Ash said. Then, she sighed again. "Okay, yes. Sort of."

"What's up?"

Ash looked at Josh again, and he looked back at her. There were a lot of things Ash liked about Josh. Like how he would always try to help even if he didn't really know how to. Or how Ash never had to wonder about where she was going to sit in class or at lunch — wherever Josh was sitting, that was Ash's spot.

But there were other things Ash had sometimes wanted to say to Josh, but never had. Like how lonely she used to be before she met him. Or how much she liked having him over at her house when it would just be the two of them hanging out — without having to constantly put up with Ryan's attitude.

There were things Ash didn't want to tell him. What would he think if she told him about what she had seen in Lavender Town? It was crazy. Ash still couldn't really believe it herself.

But Josh was still looking at Ash, with sincerity in his eyes. So, Ash thought carefully about what she wanted to say, and then she spoke.

"Have you ever wondered if what you wanted to do with Pokemon was really the right thing to do?" she asked.

"What else would I be doing?" Josh said as he scratched his head. "I could never be a Pokedoctor, no matter how much my mom wants me to. I couldn't be a professor, either, I'm not smart like you."

"We've been running around catching Pokemon, putting them into this Pokedex, getting into battles," Ash said, "But there are some Pokemon out there that just sit in a Poke Ball for who knows how long, waiting for someone to take them in and let them live a life — if they're lucky. There are some Pokemon out there that get poached. And some Pokemon…"

Josh was waiting for Ash to finish, but she didn't. She looked off at the ocean. The sun was still shining, and the sea breeze wasn't too cold, but Ash shuddered as she remembered what she had seen in Lavender Town.

"I just get the feeling that what we're doing doesn't really do any good," Ash said. "I'm starting to think I want to do something else."

"Like what?"

"… I don't know."

They sat in silence for a moment. Then, Josh leaned over and picked up his Ultra Ball that was sitting next to Pan's Poke Ball in the sand. He held it out to Ash and twisted the top in front of her. Josh's Lapras appeared inside the Ultra Ball, sitting on an ice floe, singing a tune that was both powerful and soothing. Ash's eyes widened, and she shoved Josh on the shoulder.

"You got a Lapras?! Why didn't you tell me?" she said.

"Well, if you had checked the Pokedex, you would have known I got him two days ago," Josh said with a grin. "I ran into him in the middle of a huge storm, and he brought me here the rest of the way. I finally got to surf on a Pokemon."

"That's awesome," Ash said. "You're going to use him against Blaine?"

"Of course," Josh said. "And maybe later, I can find another Trainer who has a Lapras, and… well, you know."

Josh's face went red and he looked away. Ash couldn't help but do the same.

"But first, I just want to teach him some moves," Josh finally said, "before my battle with Blaine. You gonna help me now?"

Ash sat up and brushed her hair behind her ears as she looked down at her TMs.

"First thing you should do is teach them Protect," she said, picking out a beige-colored disc for TM17 and handing it to him. "This move is super useful. Teach it to your fastest Pokemon, and you get to waste your opponent's time, tire them out, and scout out their moves."

"You're right, I never even thought about Protect."

"Yeah, you and Ryan both. All you two want to do is hit them as hard as you can."

"Ouch," Josh said, "words can hurt too, you know."

Ash looked back up at him, about to apologize, but Josh immediately laughed when she made eye contact — and then Ash was laughing too.

Suddenly, Josh's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He read a text message, smiled, and started to type a reply. He was still a painfully slow typer. And he failed to notice Ash leaning forward to read his screen.

"Who's Sayuki?" she asked.

"Oh, she's a girl I met back in Vermilion, I taught her how to use a Poke Ball," Josh said, "we've been texting lately."

"Uh-huh," Ash said. "Because Poke Balls are so complicated."

Josh didn't need to look at Ash to know that she was smiling smugly at him, the way she often did when she knew what Josh was really thinking. He finished his text message and snapped his phone shut. He looked back up at her and grabbed the Poke Ball containing his Venusaur.

"Well, if you know so much, how about some training?" Josh said. "I've got a whole day before I have to battle Blaine."

Ash nodded and reached into her bag to pull out her own Poke Ball.

"Sure," she said. Then, her face broke into a smile. "If your Pokemon are going to learn to use Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, the best way to learn is by watching the experts."

#

The Cinnabar Island Gym was still half-destroyed when Josh and Ash showed up in the morning. The rubble created from the Fossil Pokemon's emergence had been pushed into one great mound next to the building, and a bulldozer sat unoccupied next to it. Josh walked past the debris with Ash by his side and resisted the urge to ask her what had happened. Josh knew her well enough to know when to leave stuff like that alone, and he wanted to keep her in a good mood. It had been awkward seeing her the way she had been on the beach.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky above the battlefield, and plenty of apprentices were talking amongst themselves in the Gym. There were a few reporters, with notepads and cameras in their hands — just like when Jake had challenged Sabrina, Josh remembered. There were also many scientists inside the Gym, including Bill and Professor Oak. Josh waved to them and approached.

"Hey," Josh said. "You here to talk to Blaine about the Pokedex?"

"That's not really Blaine's area," the Professor said, "but he does support the work we've been doing. I thought I'd watch your Gym Challenge — if you don't mind. It's been a while since I've watched a good battle in person."

"Yeah, sure," Josh said. "Do you, uh, have any advice? Is that allowed?"

"It's always been allowed," the Professor said. "If there's one thing I learned after years of battling against Blaine, it's this: keep an eye on the sky at all times."

Josh frowned for a moment as he considered the Professor's words.

"Good luck," Ash said.

Josh nodded to her and left to talk with Blaine, leaving Ash alone with the Professor. He gave a pained smile as he looked at her.

"Would you mind if I sat with you, Ashley?" Professor Oak said.

Ash nodded, and the two of them moved to the spectators' seats. They sat down next to each other. Blaine was standing on one end of the battlefield, Josh on the other. Across from them, the referee was standing ready with the flags; and Blaine's apprentices were lined up, ready to observe.

"The battle will be five-on-five, the Challenger will open, both will have free substitutions," the referee announced. Then he addressed each combatant. "Are you ready? Are you ready? All right, then: begin!"

"Go, Hermes!" Josh said.

Josh threw his Poke Ball in the air, and his Pidgeot emerged. He flapped his wings to stay aloft, and Blaine took a moment to think before he sent out his own Pokemon. From the sidelines, Ash leaned over to Professor Oak.

"What is this about 'opens' and 'substitutions'?" she asked.

"For a Trainer's first few Gym Challenges, the Gym Leader will handicap themself by sending out their Pokemon first, and restricting how many switches they can make in a battle," the Professor answered. "This is to give the less experienced Trainers an advantage. As they earn Badges, these self-imposed restrictions are lifted. Josh has six Badges, so now he's the one who has to send out his Pokemon first."

"Go, Magmar!" Blaine said.

Blaine's Magmar emerged and landed on the ground. He let out a snort as he looked up and locked eyes with Josh's Pidgeot, which gave a puff of black smoke from the Magmar's snout.

For a moment, neither Trainer gave any order. Then —

"Magmar, Thunder Punch!"

"Protect!"

The Magmar charged forward and leapt into the air, his fist glowing yellow and crackling with electricity, but Hermes tucked his wings across his chest and threw up a lime-green shield to defend himself. The Magmar's fist hit the shield, electric sparks dancing across the surface — and then the Magmar fell clumsily to the ground.

"Again, Magmar, Thunder Punch!"

"Hermes, return," Josh said quickly, "Go, Zeus, use Thunderbolt!"

Josh waited for the perfect time — after the Magmar had jumped into the air a second time, but before he was able to reach Hermes. Josh's Flying-type disappeared, and Josh's Jolteon appeared under the Magmar. Neither Blaine nor his Pokemon was able to react in time, and the Jolteon let out a massive bolt of lightning that struck the Fire-type mid-air and sent him tumbling hard into the ground again.

"Magmar, use Smog!"

"Dodge it, Zeus, use Dig!"

The Magmar sprang back to his feet and let out a massive cloud of thick, purple smoke from his snout. But Zeus disappeared in a cloud of dust and dirt in a flash. A second later, Ash heard the sound of the Magmar yelp as another hole in the ground appeared where the Fire-type had been standing a moment earlier.

"Magmar is unable to battle!" the referee announced while lifting a red flag.

Blaine held his Poke Ball forward and recalled his Fire-type.

"How does the referee know when a Pokemon is defeated?" Ash murmured. "I didn't even see what happened."

"It takes years to get a license from the Pokemon League to become an official referee," Professor Oak said. "Most of them start at Trainer Schools, work at some local tournaments, and observe higher-level matches. Once they're working at a Gym, they've got it down to a science."

"Go, Rapidash!" Blaine said.

Blaine's next Pokemon appeared. Her fiery mane burned brightly in the sunlight and she stomped her front hooves impatiently.

"Zeus, Dig!"

"Rapidash, use Agility!"

Josh's Jolteon was back underground faster than Ash could blink. Blaine's Rapidash flared her nostrils and lowered her head, as if trying to see through the ground itself. Suddenly, the ground at the Rapidash's feet gave way — but the Rapidash dashed away, and Zeus hit nothing but air as he jumped out of the second hole he had created. The Jolteon whipped his head around as the flames from the Rapidash's tail still lingered where she had been standing a moment ago, but Blaine was too quick for Josh and his Pokemon.

"Rapidash, Megahorn!"

The Rapidash lowered her head, her horn grew to twice its normal size as it began to glow bright green, and the Fire-type charged forward. She moved even faster than Zeus, and impaled the Electric-type in the side as he tried to dash out of the way. Zeus yowled in pain, and the Rapidash violently swung her head up, sending the Jolteon flying into the air and crashing hard against a wall.

"Jolteon is unable to battle!" the referee announced while lifting the green flag.

Josh held out his Poke Ball and recalled his defeated Pokemon. He reached another hand into his pocket as he thought for a moment.

"Go, Hermes!" Josh said.

"Flare Blitz, Rapidash!"

"Dodge it, Hermes, dive!"

The mane on the Rapidash's head blossomed into a massive trail of fire. The fire consumed the Rapidash's entire body, turning her into a giant fireball, and she leapt into the air — higher than Ash would have thought possible — and sailed toward Josh's Pidgeot. But Hermes tucked in his wings and dropped like a rock, dodging the Flare Blitz and watching the Rapidash arc through the air as she gracefully landed on the other side of the battlefield. Josh wasted no time.

"Now, Hermes, Whirlwind!"

Still standing on the ground, Hermes unfurled his massive wings and gave one powerful gust of wind. The wind blast was so powerful that the Rapidash was lifted off the ground, her legs flailing helplessly in the air, until she disappeared back into her Poke Ball, still held in Blaine's hand. Before Blaine even moved, another Poke Ball at his belt clicked open, and a Charizard emerged from it.

Ash raised her eyebrows. The only other Charizard she had ever seen in person was Ryan's. Ash also saw Josh take an involuntary step back.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"D-Dodge it, Hermes, quick!"

Hermes flapped his wings to get airborne again — but the Charizard rushed forward and took flight himself, gliding across the battlefield and spitting a massive stream of fire at the Pidgeot. Hermes was completely engulfed in the fire, and he screeched in pain.

Ash felt the heat from the fire from where she was sitting. She grimaced as she imagined the pain that Josh's poor Pidgeot was feeling at that moment.

"Hermes, Brave Bird, give it everything you've got!"

"Charizard, Wing Attack!"

Hermes flew forward to meet the Charizard — still on fire, and glowing bright blue — and Ash felt a blast of wind to her face as a shockwave formed at the tip of Hermes's beak. Blaine's Charizard planted his feet and swung one of his wings forward to meet Hermes's attack. The ground at the Charizard's broke from the impact, and the Fire-type was sent tumbling backward — but Hermes ricocheted just as violently, and landed on the ground with a crash.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" the referee said while holding up a green flag.

"Go, Poseidon, Surf!" Josh said, withdrawing Hermes into his Poke Ball while tossing out an Ultra Ball.

"Dodge it, Charizard!"

Josh's Lapras emerged and unleashed a deluge of water from his mouth. Poseidon landed on the pool of water he had created, and the water bubbled as it lifted him and crested into a massive wave. The wave rushed forward, with Poseidon on top of it, and covered the battlefield — but the Charizard had taken flight and avoided the wave completely.

"Charizard, Solar Beam!" Blaine said.

Ash watched the horror on Josh's face as the Charizard's wings began to glow bright yellow. The sun was bright in the sky, and there were no clouds to dim the light, so it hardly took the Charizard more than a moment. The Fire-type opened his mouth and launched a column of bright yellow and green energy that struck Poseidon with enough force to flatten him into the ground like a pancake. Ash heard the hiss of steam as the water Poseidon had created around him was immediately vaporized.

The steam from the water obscured the battlefield, and Ash was waiting for the referee to call it, until —

"Get him back, Poseidon, Thunderbolt!" Josh cried out.

Ash couldn't see either Pokemon, but she saw a flash of yellow light and heard the clap of thunder. Then, she heard a heavy crash into the ground. The steam dissipated, and the Charizard was lying limp on the ground. Josh's Lapras was burned and smoking from the Solar Beam, but still standing.

"That must be the toughest Lapras I've ever seen," Professor Oak murmured to himself.

"C-Charizard is unable to battle!" the referee stammered. Then he hastily held up a red flag.

Ash watched as Blaine withdrew his Charizard and sent his Rapidash back in. Not only did Josh not attempt to switch a different Pokemon in, he didn't even try to tell Poseidon to attack. The Rapidash rammed into Poseidon's side with another Megahorn attack, and sent the Water-type flying back to Josh's side of the field. Ash watched as Josh withdrew his Lapras, and then held the Ultra Ball close to his mouth as he whispered something to Poseidon that she couldn't hear.

He knew his Lapras was too injured to do any more, Ash observed, but he tells them he's sorry after he lets them get knocked out. Either that, or he's promising to get them some food later. His go-to apology.

"Go, Helios!" Josh said as he tossed out another Poke Ball.

Josh's Arcanine emerged, wagging his tail and panting with his tongue out. Ash remembered the day she watched Josh catch him as a Growlithe on Route 7. Ash smiled to herself as she remembered that day, along with Josh having to throw away his jacket, since Helios had set it on fire.

"Rapidash, Megahorn!"

"Helios, Take Down, aim for her legs!"

Blaine's Rapidash charged, her horn pointed forward and level with the ground, and Josh's Arcanine ran to meet her. But at the last second, Helios lunged and dove under the Rapidash's horn, ramming his head into her legs and sending her tumbling into the ground behind him. Josh immediately told Helios to use Crunch, and the Arcanine buried his teeth into the Rapidash's neck, keeping her on the ground. The Rapidash whined and kicked her hooves in a desperate attempt to get back to her feet, but it was impossible with Helios wringing her neck and planting his paws firmly on her body. Soon enough, the Rapidash's horn stopped glowing and shrank as her Megahorn attack failed, and she went limp.

"Rapidash is unable to battle!" the referee said while holding up the red flag.

Blaine withdrew his Rapidash and smoothed his tie against his chest while he thought for a moment. Ash looked at his belt. The Gym Leader had two Pokemon left, same as Josh.

"Go, Ninetales!" Blaine said.

Ash recognized this Pokemon. She was the same one that Blaine had used to battle against the Aerodactyl they had resurrected the day before. The Ninetales stood upright as her tails swayed gently back and forth behind her. Ash made a mental note to visit Celadon again so she could get her hands on a Fire Stone.

"Helios, Take Down!"

"Dodge it, Ninetales, and use Roar!"

Helios ran forward and lunged into a tackle, but the Ninetales swiftly jumped backward and avoided the attack. Then, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and let out a deafening cry that made Ash jump in her seat. Before Josh could react, his Arcanine disappeared back into his Poke Ball, and the Ultra Ball in Josh's left hand clicked open. Josh's Snorlax appeared in the air, and the ground shook as the massive Normal-type landed.

"Ninetales, Hypnosis!" Blaine said.

"Dionysus, Earthquake, quick!"

The Ninetales began to walk forward slowly, her eyes glowing bright pink, and her nine tails began to dance behind her. The Fire-type's tails moved in a giant circle, they looked like a giant roulette wheel, and Ash even began to feel her own eyelids droop for a moment until Professor Oak snapped his fingers loudly in front of her eyes.

Ash shook her head quickly and looked around. She opened her mouth to say thanks, but —

The entire Gym shook again, and some of the lights flickered, as Josh's Snorlax slammed the ground with both fists and sent a shockwave in all directions. The ground under the Ninetales collapsed, and the Fire-type yelped in pain.

"Ninetales is unable to battle!" the referee shouted.

Josh threw his fist up in the air in triumph, but his victory was short-lived. Dionysus began to sway, his mouth opened as he tried to make noise, but only a strangled murmur came out. Josh's Snorlax fell forward and landed on his face, asleep.

Blaine threw out his last Pokemon, an Arcanine.

"Arcanine, Roar!"

Josh's Snorlax disappeared back into his Ultra Ball, and his own Arcanine reappeared. The two Fire-types growled, their fur standing on end to make them seem larger, as they sized each other up. Blaine's Arcanine was older and bigger, but Josh's Arcanine didn't show any fear.

"Helios, Take Down!"

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"

Josh's Arcanine broke into a run, but Blaine's Arcanine seemed to disappear into thin air without even moving. An instant later, the Arcanine reappeared, slamming his shoulder into Helios's side, and sending Josh's Pokemon tumbling across the battlefield.

"Whoa," Ash said. "I've never seen anything move so fast."

Professor Oak nodded. "Blaine's specialty. That move takes years to master, but the payoff is worth it."

Josh tried to tell Helios to use Crunch, but Blaine's Arcanine hit Helios with another Extreme Speed before he could even finish his sentence. Helios was sent flying and slammed into another wall. Ash didn't see a way he could take much more.

"Helios, use Flamethrower on the ground in front of you!" Josh said quickly.

Helios shot out a jet of flames that lit the ground on fire, but Blaine's Arcanine simply appeared behind Helios and headbutted him into the flames. Josh's Arcanine went limp and he recalled his defeated Fire-type into his Poke Ball.

Josh threw out his last remaining Pokemon, Dionysus, who appeared in the air above the fire that Helios had started. The Normal-type landed flat on his back with a crash, still asleep from the Hypnosis that Blaine's Ninetales had put him under. But the fire under Dionysus burned his back, the smell of burnt fur filling Ash's nostrils, and the Normal-type jolted awake.

Ash heard Professor Oak chuckle quietly to himself, and she couldn't help but smile as well. Josh would oversleep all the time, and it wasn't rare for her to see him sprinting after her on her way to school, with his backpack unzipped and his shoes still untied. One day, Ryan gave Josh an alarm clock — the old kind, with metal bells and a hammer on top — as a joke. Except that Josh actually used it. He put it next to his bed, close enough that the alarm was too loud to ignore, but not close enough to stop without getting out of the bed. As Dionysus grumbled and rubbed his burnt backside, Ash could almost imagine Josh doing the exact same thing every morning before school.

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"

"Dionysus, Earthquake!"

Blaine's Arcanine disappeared and rammed into Dionysus side faster than Ash could blink, but the Normal-type swung his arm down onto the ground and blasted away the Fire-type, along with all of the ground he had been standing on. The Arcanine yelped in pain and fell over.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!" the referee said.

Blaine's Ninetales returned to the field. Blaine gave the order for another Solar Beam, and the Ninetales's many tails began to glow as she took in glowing orbs of yellow energy. Josh reacted quickly, and his Snorlax began to lumber forward in order to deliver a Body Slam. But the Ninetales struck first, opening her mouth and blasting a massive cone of yellow and green energy that Ash had to squint in order to not look away. Dionysus took the blast head-on, and his slow lumber slowed to an agonizingly slow crawl. But the Normal-type continued, refusing to give an inch, and the Solar Beam eventually petered out as the Ninetales closed her mouth and began to breathe heavily from the exertion.

The Ninetales was too exhausted to dodge, and Dionysus slammed the Fire-type with his massive belly, sending the Ninetales into the wall behind Blaine.

The referee declared the final knock-out, and Professor Oak immediately stood up and began to applaud. Blaine and his apprentices applauded as well, and soon enough, even Ash joined in. She smiled as she watched Josh switch from excitement at his own win, to confusion about why people were clapping, to embarrassment when he realized he was the reason.

Ash watched as Blaine and Josh met again in the center of the battlefield and shook hands. Blaine handed Josh a ruby-red Badge shaped like a burning flame, as well as a red disc that was undoubtedly a Fire-type move for Josh to teach his Pokemon. Josh stowed the disc in his bag, the Badge in his case, and hurried over to meet the Professor and Ash.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday," Ash said quietly as she watched Josh approach.

"Don't be sorry," Professor Oak said. "Never apologize for doing the right thing."

Ash wanted to say more, but Josh reached them, and he was too excited to speak at a normal volume.

"Did you see my Lapras?!" he said. "Took that Charizard out in one shot!"

"I did," the Professor said, "you've come a long way from Pallet Town, Josh."

"So you have seven Badges now?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," Josh said. "Only Viridian City is left."

"We could surf over there right now," Ash said. "My Blastoise could give us a ride… Or your Lapras could."

"Sure!"

Professor Oak raised his hand to wave goodbye, but Josh ran forward and hugged him tightly. Ash stepped forward and hugged the Professor as well, and he hugged them both back.

The two waved goodbye and started to leave the Gym together.

"I'm starving," Josh said, "know anywhere to eat here? Maybe a ramen place?"

"Ramen? It's, like, 30 degrees out," Ash said. "If we're going to eat, I want ice cream…"

The Professor watched them go, and Blaine stepped up next to him.

"Is it just me, or are Pokemon Trainers younger than they used to be?" Blaine asked.

"It's not just you," Oak said with a laugh.

"I haven't felt this old since my grandson graduated university," Blaine said. "Speaking of which, I heard Avery is graduating Pokemed school — with high honors, no surprise there — congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you."

"And I must say, you've taught them well," Blaine continued, as he watched Josh and Ash walk out of the doors of his Gym.

"I'm afraid I can't take much credit with those two," the Professor said with a smile. "I knew they'd make great Trainers. That's why I picked them for my Pokedex project."

"I see. Then maybe you can take some credit for Ryan's skills," Blaine said. Then, he grinned. "Battling him felt like going back in time. He certainly has your hubris."

The two men laughed.

#

Ryan closed the window for the PC System Storage on the computer he was using, and the desktop came back into view. The wallpaper was an animated image of two Trainers battling during the Grand Finals of the Indigo Plateau Conference, from 2004. Ryan had watched that match at his house, along with Josh, Ash, and some other friends from school. It had seemed like the most exciting thing in the world, back then. But, five years later, the picture on the computer in front of Ryan barely seemed to matter.

Ryan couldn't remember the name of the Trainer who won this particular Conference. She hadn't managed to defeat the Elite Four in time to challenge the Champion, and so the Champion continued reigning without even having to face her. When Ryan really thought about it, the system didn't make much sense to him.

Lance handled all the public announcements, was the strongest Trainer in the Elite Four, and had personally defeated more Indigo Plateau winners than the Champion had. So why wasn't Lance the Champion already? Why hadn't he challenged the Champion? After all, that's one of the perks of being an Elite Four member — they can challenge the Champion at any time.

Ryan was sure that if Lance would tried, he would definitely win. The Champion was old. He never showed his face anymore. He was lazy.

What a waste, Ryan often thought to himself. Why train so hard and win, just to sit back and let someone else do all the work? Has he gone soft? Can he not cut it anymore?

The Champion was as old as Gramps was — or maybe he was even older, Ryan wasn't even sure. But other Trainers kept on battling even once they got old, like Blaine and Agatha. So age wasn't an excuse Ryan would buy. A sneaking suspicion had entered Ryan's mind a few weeks before he had gotten his Charmander from the Professor — maybe it wasn't that the Champion couldn't cut it anymore, maybe he just didn't care anymore.

Ryan could already hear his Gramps' voice in his head, even though Ryan had never bothered trying to ask him anything about what the Champion was like.

There's more to life than just battles, he would say.

As if.

That was the same reason Ryan wasn't asking Gramps for help with his disobedient Pokemon. His Gyarados and Dragonite wouldn't listen to him, no matter what he tried. Gramps used to have a Gyarados on his team, back when he was a Trainer. But Ryan had never seen that Pokemon in person. The whole point of Ryan getting one of his own was so he could bring her back and show his grandpa.

But that wasn't going to happen. If Ryan's Pokemon wouldn't listen to him, they were better off in the PC. And if Ryan didn't have anything impressive to show his grandfather, he wasn't going to talk to him, either.

The computer beeped, and a notification for a news alert popped up in the corner of the screen. Ryan didn't click on it, but the headline told him everything he needed to know.

Pallet Town native defeats Cinnabar Island Gym Leader (7/8)

Ryan pursed his lips. He hadn't seen Josh since the dinner back in Pallet Town. Ryan would have bet money Josh would have needed at least a few rematches before he beat Sabrina — just like his brother. But Josh had beaten Sabrina on his first try. After her, Blaine was supposed to be the hardest Gym for Josh to beat. Apparently, Blaine wasn't a challenge for Josh, either.

It all comes down to Viridian, Ryan thought to himself. Without his Gyarados or Dragonite, Ryan would have to use other Pokemon against that Gym. And he would use them against Josh the first chance he got. Ryan's Pokemon could use another ego boost.

#

The waitress put the banana split, two ice-cold Cokes, and a spoon down on the table and then gracefully roller-skated away. She balanced her two trays, one empty and the other weighed down with another order and drinks, with ease. The banana split that they had ordered — per the waitress's recommendation — was huge, it was made up of several bananas and what looked like nine different scoops of ice cream. It was perfect for the two of them, the waitress had said, and she had been right.

It wasn't until Ash grabbed the spoon and took her first spoonful of delicious ice cream that Josh realized they were only given one spoon. He looked at Ash, who looked back at him with a mouth full of ice cream. Then, Ash's eyes went wide as she realized the problem.

Ash hurriedly wiped the spoon clean with a napkin and held it out to him, but Josh waved down another waiter and asked for another spoon. Then, Josh's phone buzzed. It was his brother calling.

"Jake?" Josh said as he answered it.

"I did it!" Jake voice said as he came over the cheap speaker in Josh's phone. "I beat Sabrina! I've got all eight Badges!"

Josh nearly choked on his ice cream. "Oh, my God, that's awesome!" he said, then reached for another napkin to wipe the sprinkles off his face.

"Congrats," Ash added.

"Who is that?" Jake's voice asked.

"It's Ash, she's here with me," Josh said.

"Oh, thanks, Ash. Hi there," Jake said, "where are you guys?"

"Cinnabar," Josh said, "I just got my seventh."

"Seventh?! That's great! But, why are you still in Cinnabar?"

"What do you mean why am I still here? I literally just finished my battle."

"But —"

Josh's phone started buzzing again in his hand, and he held it out to read the screen.

"Hang on," Josh said, "someone else is calling me, how do I pick up?"

"You're asking me?" Ash said.

"Oh, crap, I think I just hung up on Jake," Josh muttered. "No, wait, I hung up on the other person… no, I hung up on both of them. Oops."

"How do you not know how to use your own phone?"

"Well, I don't usually get calls at the same time," Josh said, his face red. Then, his phone buzzed again. And again. And a third time.

"Oh, Cate's texting me," Josh said as he flipped his phone open and started to read.

"Who's Cate?"

Josh's eyes widened, and he stood up from his chair as he read. He snapped his phone shut and looked at Ash.

"The Viridian Gym's finally open," Josh said. "Sorry, Ash, change of plans — we're flying home. Right now."