Chapter Seven

"Now, with the annual school Treasure Hunt around the corner, I must remind all students to make sure you have access to our remote learning options if you plan on traveling for your hunt," Saguaro looked out at the students, the home economics teacher wanting everyone's attention. "Attendance, assignments, and tests will still be taking place, even as you set foot across the grand Paldea region. You are brilliant students, and while I like to see this classroom as a place of rest from the stresses of everyday classes, that does not mean focus is not required."

Ash was reclined slightly in his seat as he listened, focusing on what was being said, but also eager for the end of class. Still he couldn't help but sit up slightly at the mention of the Treasure Hunt, excitement humming through him.

Rotom's appendages were crossed as he listened to the requirements for virtual learning, sitting on Ash's desk. Rotom had all the functions required for such that Ash wouldn't need another device, but he had no doubts that the ghost would be complaining about how this wasn't the function he had been designed for. (Though Ash knew better than to offer to use anything besides the Rotomdex, as that would only offend Rotom further.)

The Paldean League was a common choice among students for their Treasure Hunt, something that Ash planned to do during his Treasure Hunt as well, but he had in fact not put that down as the goal he would be seeking this school year. Instead he had decided to put down learning the secrets of Paldea. Rotom had insisted it was too vague, but it had been approved by the school.

The Treasure Hunt was meant to be an event for students to seek a goal, to put learning outside of the classroom. And while winning a league was a goal he would always carry… he had done it before. And it didn't seem right to put something down like that when the Treasure Hunt was supposed to be something new.

Besides, Paldea clearly had so many opportunities to learn! Terastallization, the giant crater, so the Pokemon he had yet to meet; there was a whole new adventure laid out in front of him he couldn't wait to have!

The whole classroom was buzzing with excitement for the Treasure Hunt as class came to an end, a bustle and chattering in the air. Ash took his time packing up, however, which led to Nemona to stand impatiently by his desk, waiting for him to finish. Despite being on the same track, they didn't have too many classes together, and clearly Nemona didn't want to waste the time they had.

"What did you put down for your Treasure Hunt?" Ash asked as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, Pikachu being perched on his head.

Nemona grinned. "Well my first two years I put down beating the gym challenge, then after I reached that goal I started to put down winning the league conference– and even though I haven't yet, I decided to switch it up this year anyways."

"To what?"

Nemona gave a fake pout, crossing her arms. "You don't know?" Her grin then returned, wider than ever. "It's to beat you in a battle, Ash Ketchum!"

"You already beat me in a battle," Ash reminded her as he stood up, a grin of his own on his face.

Nemona gave him a playful shove in reply. "I mean a proper battle! Six on six, with a fully trained team! I want to battle you for real, Ash Ketchum, I want to fight the strength of a champion!"

Shivers ran through Ash, instantly wanting the same thing– and the desire to pull out a powerful team here and now was too tempting, and he knew Nemona could do the same with her adventures past. But he understood what Nemona wanted if she had put down such a battle as what she was seeking for a Treasure Hunt– they were both in the process of building up a new team for this journey, and clearly that was the team that Nemona wanted to one day fight. She wasn't looking for him to pull out his strongest and face her, but rather she wanted to face the Pokemon team she would watch him train up. To see first hand how he raised his Pokemon, and then triumph over them.

Ash held out his hand to her, not to shake, but rather she clasped his hand tightly, the clap echoing through the classroom, their eyes gleaming with the challenge as they stared at each other. "We won't be holding back," he promised her. "You'll have to come at us with everything you got."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Nemona replied.

Ash could already see it now. Pikachu and Pawmott battling once more, not going in blindly, but rather intimately knowing what next move were going to be used. Quaxly terastallizing once more, but this time Sprigatito able to meet him with the same crystalline powers surrounding her. Pokemon they had yet to even meet standing by their sides, just as eager as the two trainers.

A part of Ash couldn't help but imagine Houndoom in such a battle as well, fighting by his side.

"Um…" a quiet voice broke their reverie, Nemona and Ash turning their heads together to look at the speaker. "Excuse me…"

That's when Ash realized he and Nemona were blocking the doorway. While they had been some of the last students to clear out, they weren't there very last. Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, stepping aside so she could pass.

The girl who had spoken had her head ducked low, almost shuffling forward. There was something familiar about her, but Ash couldn't quite place her as she went to leave the classroom. But before she could slip out the door Nemona blocked her path once more, eyes wide.

"Oh my Ruined Treasures!" Nemona cried, grabbing the girl's hand before she could leave. "Your backpack is absolutely adorable! Where did you get it?"

It was indeed an adorable backpack, shaped like an Eevee, and just as fuzzy as the real thing. The girl looked startled as Nemona stopped her, eyes wide behind her glasses. Ash then lit up as he took her in the girl, realizing where he recognized the girl from.

"You're the Team Star girl," Ash said, beaming, and the girl's eyes went even wider with terror at this declaration– and he realized how bad that statement sounded. "No, wait, not like that! I mean you're the girl that Team Star was bothering that one time! Do you remember me?"

She looked down at this declaration, so Ash could only see her red and blue hair, and not her expression. Still, she gave the smallest of nods in reply. "Y-you battled them…"

"You battled Team Star and didn't tell me?" Nemona exclaimed, looking at Ash, who merely shrugged.

"It was a while ago."

"Of course you got caught up in Team Star," she muttered, shaking her head. "You should have told someone if they were hanging around. They weren't causing too much trouble, were they?"

"They wanted people to join them," Ash said. "Uh, I didn't really know much about who they actually are though, I was just trying to get them to back off."

Nemona sighed. "They're always looking for new 'recruits', they thrive in numbers. Worse than a shoal of Veluza!"

"And they're students?" Ash asked, frowning.

"Honestly, they're just a bunch of bullies if anything," Nemona muttered, shaking her head. "But if you want to be technical, then yeah, they're students. Ones that like to kick up trouble. They hardly ever show up to classes, and constantly harass students that actually do take their studies seriously!"

Ash took this in silence.

"They're the worst during the Treasure Hunt, when they can target students away from the school," Nemona continued. "Apparently camp out across the region, just being a real headache to anyone who gets near. Even the teachers don't know what to do with 'em, from what I hear."

"Something should be done," Ash said, glancing out the door. School was difficult enough on its own between homework and studying– and it sounded like Team Star would only add to that.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Director Clavell will take care of their bullying in no time," Nemona said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Would you stop!" A voice cried, making both Ash and Nemona jump.

"Penny, no shouting in the classroom," Mr. Saguaro said from his desk without looking up.

"Would you please stop... blocking the door?" Penny muttered to Ash and Nemona, having once again been unable to leave with the new conversation they had started up. The two stepped back, and Penny hurried out into the hall without another word.

"Agia!" Koraidon called out happily as he was released from his Pokeball, stretching out in the sun.

"What... what is that?"

The Cyclizar riding instructor was staring at the feathered beast in front of him with wide eyes. They had been told that the Pokemon they would be working with wasn't a Cyclizar, they often got jobs with training different kinds of Pokemon to be ridden– but this wasn't the standard Gogoat or Arcanine, but rather a Pokemon that he had never seen before.

"This is Koraidon," Ash said proudly, laying a hand on the dragon's side.

The instructor's Cyclizar sniffed towards the other dragon uncertainly. "Cy..."

"Gias!" Koraidon, on the other hand, happily bounded up to the Cyclizar– playful pouncing at it. He nuzzled the smaller dragon with no hesitation, licking it across the face in greeting.

The Cyclizar twisted under Koraidon, who didn't let it up at first, but once the dragon did back up the Pokemon bolted– zipping straight for its trainer's side, while wiping off saliva with a paw, snorting. Koraidon tilted his head, but didn't pursue, instead sitting down near Ash.

"I... I've never heard of such a Pokemon before..." the ride instructor said uncertainly.

"And I've never seen a Cyclizar up close until now!" Ash replied brightly, knowing that Koraidon wasn't exactly subtle, but that didn't mean he had to draw attention to the fact that this was apparently an unknown Pokemon species.

Ash watched the Cyclizar closely in interest, as this was technically a new Pokemon to him. He had seen its image in the Pokedex before, and had seen people riding on some through town– but this was his first time being up close to one. It was now that he could truly appreciate how similar the dragon was to Koraidon, just like how Nemona had pointed out when they had first met him. Ash's eyes flickered back and forth between the two dragons, watching their dewlaps expand in synchronization, tails flicking back and forth– though the Cyclizar seemed much more irritated.

The instructor shook his head, composing himself. "Well, um, this breed certainly seems capable of being able to carry a rider, so no worry there... though I don't have a saddle that would fit these proportions. Bareback is possible, but I don't recommend it for beginners–"

"I've ridden bareback on different Pokemon before," Ash said– in fact that was how he most often rode most of his Pokemon. Besides, Koraidon's back actually looked quite comfortable compared to the average Pokemon, his back covered in a leathery hide, and the spikes on his shoulders would provide good balance if the Pokemon didn't mind Ash holding onto them.

The lesson started off just fine, the riding instructor showing Ash the basics of riding on his own Cyclizar– how to mount and dismount safely, how to lean with the Pokemon through the turns, and how you used your legs' grip to stay on the back. The instructor explained how training varied by Pokemon species, but they figured things would be mostly the same with Koraidon as with Cylizar due to their similar builds. Ash's past experiences with Pokemon riding helped this to go quickly, as his teacher seemed more confident in Ash's skills when he learned about Ash's many Tauros and the times he had ridden them. (More like the times they've stampeded at him and thrown him on their backs.)

However things went south when Ash actually tried to mount the instructor's Cyclizar. He managed to get on just fine, and the dragon type had no problem with Ash being on their back– but apparently Koraidon did. His newest Pokemon immediately tackled the Cyclizar, knocking it off of its feet, and of course Ash off of its back. It wasn't an aggressive tackle, playful if anything– but when the Pokemon tackling you was the size of a golf cart it wasn't gentle.

So they decided to switch tactics, with the trainer attempting to get on Koraidon himself to start teaching the dragon the basic signals a rider would use to guide him. Koraidon wouldn't let the instructor on his back though– immediately rolling over onto his back as if he were a puppy, clawed paws waving in the air making it clear that he was not giving rides.

If it were any other Pokemon Ash would take this as a sign that they didn't want to be ridden and call off the training– except for Koraidon wouldn't let that happen either. The dragon let out a long protesting cry when Ash suggested the idea, and did listen intently when the instructor was explaining the signals Pokemon should know. He just actually wouldn't let the instructor demonstrate such on his back.

But he had no problem when the instructor got on Cyclizar's back to show them the commands and signals, making the man frown.

"Usually I don't want students on the back of a Pokemon that's never been ridden before..." He said thoughtfully. "But I think what's going on is that this strange Pokemon does want you to ride it– but only you to do so."

"You think?" Ash said, and immediately Koraidon perked up, feathers flaring out. Ash chuckled, approaching the dragon. "Well, if that's what you want, bud!"

With that Ash pulled himself up onto Koraidon's back, gripping the spikes on his shoulders like they were handlebars. Koraidon twitched slightly as Ash shifted to get comfortable, but was completely calm unlike when the instructor had tried to ride him. Koraidon happily began prancing about the field they were training in, forcing Ash to tighten his grip as they started moving. The instructor gave a small laugh, while his Cyclizar rolled its eyes, unimpressed.

"Yep, it looks like you're the only one allowed on his back," the instructor said, mounting his Cyclizar. "I'll have to switch up my teaching methods a bit, but we can work with that."

Ash felt he learned best by demonstration anyways, and was more than happy to have the lessons be watching the instructor work with his Cyclizar, then mimicking those actions with Koraidon. From there the first lesson went well, and Ash felt quite confident sitting atop the dragon's back– though the instructor insisted that future lessons would be needed to ensure the safest means of riding.

"There's much more than just being able to stay on the Pokemon's back," the man told him as their first lesson came to an end. "You need the Pokemon to be able to understand what you want them to do from touch alone, and you need to be able to understand what they're feeling when you're on their back. Verbal instructions will only get you so far when you're running at full speed."

"When's the next time you can come out?" Ash asked.

"I'll send you a list of the times I have open, and we can schedule another lesson from there," the instructor said with a smile. "I don't think you'll need too many more lessons, we just need to make sure you and your Pokemon are in perfect sync when riding."

"Just like when battling," Ash said with a grin.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu called at the mention of battling, and Ash turned to look at the end of the field they had been training in, where Pikachu and Sprigatito were curled up, having been watching. The two were running over to them now, Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder, while Sprigatito drew close around his legs.

"Never been much of a battler myself, but that's what I often hear," the instructor said with a smile.

"Well, I best be heading back to school," Ash said, adjusting his cap. "We'll just meet here next time though?"

"Sounds good to me," the man said with a nod.

"Awesome," Ash said, before turning to his Pokemon, holding up two Pokeballs. "Here, you guys come back for now, and I'll let you guys out when it's dinnertime– return!"

With a few flashes of light Koraidon and Sprigatito were recalled to their Pokeballs, which Ash tucked away. He waved goodbye to the instructor, who was mounted on his Cyclizar, steering the Pokemon away from the field and back to the main road. With a smile on his face Ash ran back towards the school, Pikachu clinging tightly to his shoulder.

Up in a nearby tree a small Squawkabilly watched the humans depart, white feathers ruffled. It had been resting up there for quite some time, the Pokemon having observed the whole training session. Now that the field was empty, the Squawkabilly stretched its wings, the Pokemon looking quite bored. The Squawkabilly then opened up its beak, letting out a loud cry. It was not the cry of its own species, because like many parrots it was an expert at mimicking.

And the call it mimicked was a perfect copy of Koraidon's cry.

"Whatcha reading?" Ash asked, leaning over Arven's shoulder.

"Gah! What do you want?" Arven cried as he realized Ash was standing right behind him. He turned around, glowering at the champion with a scowl, who only smiled.

"Koraidon wanted to see you," Ash said. "I wanted to see if there was a time I could bring him by."

"Shhh," Arven grumbled, throwing a glance around the library.

"No, it should be fine to talk about Koraidon now, I think," Ash paused, thinking for a moment. "I mean your mom was the one that recommended training him as a ride Pokemon, and that's not exactly keeping him hidden."

"Mom… what?" Arven looked confused, though his expression quickly shifted into an unreadable one. The boy clutched the book in his hand tightly to his chest, the leather cover looking worn.

"Uh, your mom called me," Ash explained, shrugging slightly. "Basically asked the same thing you did of me, if I'd look after Koraidon since you gave me the Pokeball." Ash scratched the back of his head, letting out an uncertain laugh. "It was... an interesting conversation?"

"She called you," Arven said, sounding incredulous, though his gaze looked distant. "What... What was she doing?"

Ash sat down next to Arven, not sure what to say. The boy had never said anything exactly positive about his parents before, and Ash personally found them a bit strange– but that didn't mean he intended to say anything bad about them. He scratched Pikachu behind his ear, before giving a shrug.

"Apparently they were in the great crater," Ash said after a moment. "I couldn't see much from the call, it just looked like a regular lab. She and your dad, er, well they kinda argued about Koraidon for a bit? And then they ended the call when a bunch of alarms went off. There was a breach but they didn't explain what was being breached."

Arven snorted. "Sounds like them."

"You know what they're studying down there?" Ash asked.

Arven rolled his eyes. "They don't tell anyone anything. I doubt they even tell each other what projects they are planning." He shifted, tapping his foot slightly, and Ash wasn't sure if he was thinking or wanting the conversation to end. "...Whatever."

"So, is there a time Koraidon can come visit?" Ash asked.

Arven looked down at the book he had been reading, sighing. "I'll let you know if I have time... but you know. School. Homework. The Treasure Hunt. I'm busy as is."

"What goal did you set for the Treasure Hunt?"

Arven's eyes gleamed sharply. "None of your– ugh, it's none of your business."

That only made Ash's curiosity grow, but he didn't push it. Arven's mood seemed fickle enough at times, and he wanted to keep his friend in good spirits. They had come a long way since Arven first slammed a door in his face, but now he had trusted him to take care of one of his Pokemon– and Ash wanted to keep that trust.

"Well, I hope you're able to reach it, whatever it is," Ash said with a grin. Arven regarded him for a moment, before closing his eyes. Ash leaned back in his seat, eyes flickering to the book in Arven's hand, and he frowned. "Wait," Arven's eyes flashed open. "Is that–?"

Ash didn't get to finish his question, Arven slamming the book against his chest once more, keeping Ash from seeing the Pokemon etched into the cover. Arven leapt to his feet, tucking it under his arm. "I need to go to class."

Then without another word Arven stormed away with the strange red book– which Ash had sworn an image of Koraidon had been adorning the cover.

It didn't make sense, because the book had looked very old, and apparently Koraidon was a new discovery. But the silhouette of the dragon on the cover had been adorn with feathers, reared up on its hind legs like Koraidon had been back in the cave, fighting off the Houndours...

They were in a library, and Ash could only assume that's where Arven had gotten the book– so he went on a hunt for another copy. He hadn't caught the title of the book though, so he had no idea where to start in his search, so instead he just started pacing the shelves, pulling out similar books that were red or had the same style of binding as what he had seen on the cover.

He did not end up finding the red book he had seen Arven with– but he found one that was no doubt very similar to it, bound with purple instead. Perhaps they were part of the same series? This only seemed to be the correct guess as he looked at the cover and found what looked pretty much the same as what he had seen on the red book– gold edges with a black title at the bottom, all highlighting a silhouette of a dragon.

Now that he could get a better look at the dragon, he realized it was a bit of a jump to guess it was Koraidon. What he had assumed to be feathers now seemed to be a more stylistic choice of displaying spikes and horns, the creature looking powerful, but it wasn't an image of Koraidon. Ash frowned, now losing a bit of interest in the book, but he did glance through a few pages.

The words were hard to read, written with a looping handwriting instead of printed text– and there was even a few sections where letters had been blotted out entirely, making the passage unreadable. It must have been a journal of some kind, old black and white photos and hand drawn diagrams within. He didn't pause to read any of it, instead sliding the purple book back on the shelf– perhaps Arven would check this one out after he was done with the red book.

Ash frowned, looking at the crowded streets in front of him, and then back to Rotom. "Are you sure this is where Nemona wanted to meet?"

"Yep!" Rotom replied, bringing up the text once more, reading it. "Hey Ash, meet me down by the ice cream stand at sunset, I want to tell you about a cool new battle strategy I found."

Sunset was a bit of a vague time, Ash having not known if she meant right when the sun touched the horizon, or when it had fully vanished behind the mountains. Most of the sun had disappeared behind the horizon at this point, but still no sign of Nemona.

Maybe she had meant another ice cream stand? But this was the only one they had ever been to together! She would've had to be more specific if she meant another one, right? Ash was getting a bit impatient from just standing here, but also a bit curious. What did she mean by a new battle strategy? He couldn't imagine her just telling him about one– she was definitely the type to only show off a new skill in an actual battle.

Ash leaned against a brick wall with a sigh, still waiting. Pikachu and Sprigatito had been laying in a small patch of grass while they waited, and as he looked at them now he saw that Sprigatito was soaking up the last of the fading sun, while Pikachu was play-wrestling with a Flareon.

"Rotom, can you call Nemona?" Ash finally asked.

"I can, but please remember this call feature was originally intended to connect with scientists and other Rotomdexes for communication purposes, and not to act as a common phone."

Ash smiled. "Of course."

Nemona answered the call after a few rings, and Ash was surprised to see that she was in her dorm room. Had she forgotten about the meet up she had asked for? Or maybe she had meant another day?

"Hola, Ash!" She said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Hey, just wondering where you were," Ash replied.

"In my dorm, doing homework," she made a face. "I kinda left it all to the last minute."

"So I guess we're not meeting up tonight then?"

"Huh?"

"Your text," Ash clarified, seeing that she had indeed forgotten. "You said you wanted to talk about a new battle strategy?"

"Text?" Nemona looked confused for a moment, before she burst out laughing. "Nice try, Ketchum! Because I'm not telling you any of my strategies, if I wanted you to see it I'd show them to you– in battle!"

"But–"

"Heh, gotta be sneakier than that next time," Nemona said with a grin. "I gotta go though, this math isn't going to do itself! See you tomorrow!"

With that the video call went dark, and Ash stared down at it in sheer confusion. "...Rotom, would you bring up the text again?"

"Sure thing–" Rotom began, before stopping mid sentence. He hovered there in the air for a moment, ellipsis flashing on his screen. "I... I can't find it."

"What?"

His texts with Nemona were pulled up onto the screen, but the one about meeting at the ice cream stand was nowhere in sight– instead the latest message between them was now from two days ago, discussing what had happened in their battle studies classes. Ash tried to scroll down, but the text that had brought him out here was nowhere to be seen.

"This isn't a funny joke, Rotom," Ash said uneasily– and an exclamation point appeared on screen.

"You think I did this?" Rotom buzzed unhappily. "Maybe some wild Rotom would– but I don't mess with data or communications! I wouldn't be selected for a Rotomdex if I did!"

"Could it be... Nemona's Rotom?" Ash asked, not liking to place the blame, but it wasn't like Nemona could delete the text on his phone herself. And that Rotom did have a grudge against his...

"Seeing how proud that thing is of being a gossip machine, there's no way they'd break their training and do something like that," Rotom whirled for a moment in thought. "Besides, they couldn't have done it on their end, they would have had to have gotten into my Rotomdex– which is impossible as long as I'm in it!"

"Could you have deleted it by accident?" Ash asked uncertainty, already wincing as he knew Rotom wouldn't like that question.

"I wouldn't have been assigned to a Pokedex if I was accidently deleting data!" He cried shrilly.

"Then what's going on?"

"I... I don't know," Rotom finally said, a worried emoji appearing on screen.

Ash looked out at his Pokemon– and found that Pikachu had settled next to Sprigatito, eyes closed. The sun was nearly gone now, the western sky now lit red with the last of the retreating rays. He stood there for a moment, not sure what to do or where to even begin to figure out what had happened. If even Rotom was stumped... well, that was never a good thing.

"It's almost time to feed Houndoom," Rotom said, interrupting the silence with the same reminder he gave Ash every night.

"Let's... let's do that," Ash finally said, pulling himself from his confusion. He still had no idea what was happening, but caring for his Pokemon wasn't something he couldn't push aside. He made his way towards Pikachu and Sprigatito, finding that both of them had fallen asleep during their time here.

Ash decided not to wake either of them, even though he usually had Pikachu come with him to feed Houndoom. Instead he scooped them up into his arms and made the trek back to his dorm in silence, where he settled both the mouse and the cat onto his bed, while Rotom settled onto his charging dock for the night. That left Ash alone as he took Houndoom's Pokeball and the dishes for his meal, heading out into the hall and up towards the courtyard.

The sun was long gone by the time Ash stepped out of the elevator, the only lights being the artificial ones that lit the schoolyard. Ash made his way to the same location he fed Houndoom every night, easing himself to the ground as he set out the dishes in front of him. It was all routine now as he set everything up, his mind drifting from the mysterious vanishing text to Houndoom himself. While progress had been made with the aggressive Pokemon... it all felt dreadfully slow as well.

Houndoom no longer attacked him and Pikachu on sight, and had come to learn to expect food and water to be available to him upon being released from the Pokeball. Beyond that though, the Houndoom had become an impassable wall of rage. He refused to let them approach, not even to let Ash refill the foodbowl. Moving too quickly was met with snarls, and attempts of talking were greeted with snapping teeth. It wasn't unexpected, but it was still disheartening all the same.

He had met many Pokemon that weren't fond of humans, but Houndoom was still a unique case. This wasn't a Pokemon that was afraid of humans, nor one that was consumed in so much pride that it would not listen– but rather he was burning with fury. And what caused such anger towards humans was a guess that Ash did not have.

A former abusive trainer was never out of the question– Ash had seen the painful results of such 'trainers' many times before. Still, he doubted that there was a previous trainer in Houndoom's history, seeing the expanse of the pack that had been at Innlet Grotto. Along with how long Houndoom had been labeled as a marked Pokemon, it seemed most likely he had been born and raised in the wild.

The lack of answers made it difficult for Ash to know how best to approach Houndoom. Right now his best choice was to establish himself as a presence in the canine's life, and build from there.

Ash rose to his feet as he finished setting up the bowls: one containing charred fish, and the other cold water. He was pretty sure these were Houndoom's preferences from what he had observed– the canine had a strong preference for meat over kibble, and if his food wasn't cooked he'd char it himself. Originally Ash had been using warmer water for the fire type, but he realized that Houndoom was no doubt used to the cooler spring water of his former home– and Ash hoped he could mimic that familiarity with what he offered.

Ash retreated back to his and Pikachu's usual observation point, Houndoom's bowl set up a bit closer than where it had been last time. This kept their location predictable for the fire type, but still closed the gap between them, forcing Houndoom to grow used to his presence. And while Ash didn't like forcing things, he knew acceptance was the only way he would be able to get Houndoom home. With a deep sigh Ash pulled out the Pokeball, pressing the release button.

Houndoom was released with a burst of light, red eyes sweeping the area cautiously as usual, before they landed on Ash. They narrowed slightly as they saw Ash was alone tonight– and he wondered if Houndoom would take that as an opportunity to attack. Instead Houndoom dipped his head, quickly choking down the food in front of him. He never took his time, clearly not wanting one moment of vulnerability. Ash watched him as he ate, eyeing the scars visible under his fur, and the jagged edge to his broken horn. All of them looked to be healed over, but he also knew it wasn't uncommon for wild Pokemon to try to hide their pain– not wanting to be a target to potential foes.

"I need to get you to a Pokemon Center," Ash whispered softly, earning a growl from the Houndoom as he ate. Of course Houndoom had been to a Pokemon Center after being captured, being exposed to the healing machines through a Pokeball. But Ash wanted a proper check up for the Pokemon, to make sure the old injuries were truly properly healed. A physical exam like Pikachu always got, but that wasn't an option if the Houndoom was just going to turn and attack the nurse the moment he was out.

Houndoom had cleaned out his bowl, moving onto lapping up the water. Like with eating his food he was swift and dedicated, trying to finish as quickly as possible. Ash shifted, and immediately fur was raised as the Houndoom jerked his head up towards him, drops of water still dripping from his mouth.

"You can rest," Ash offered quietly, and again sharp fangs were flashed at him– but Ash just gave a strained smile at this. "I know you get rest in the Pokeball, but it's not the same as being out, is it?"

Houndoom let out a low growl, pacing alongside the bowls, never quite turning his back to Ash. Muscles were tense, the unhappiness seeming to radiate from him. Ash so badly wanted to reach out, to promise this Pokemon he would never harm it– but of course such actions would not be welcomed.

It was tense, Houndoom was stressed, but not running or attacking him. Hopefully this was just another step forward for them, one that would be for the better. Perhaps this pacing might lead to the Houndoom sitting, or maybe even laying down. Any small hint that this Pokemon at least knew that he wasn't going to attack him.

But still the Houndoom slunk back and forth, eyes locked and unwavering, seemingly waiting for Ash to do something. For a moment Ash considered moving slightly closer, wondering if he could even pull off such an action– when Houndoom suddenly whipped his head around.

Ash was startled, this being Houndoom's first time looking away from him– and that was the only warning Ash got. One moment they were sitting there in the stiff silence, and the next a dark figure was racing towards them at blinding speed. Ash couldn't make out much more of the figure save for the fact it was sleek and fast, before it sped past Houndoom in a blur, releasing a blinding burst of light.

Spots danced across Ash's vision, the brilliant Flash leaving him unable to recognize what Pokemon had used the move. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, alarm rising in him. Ash rose to his feet, desperately straining his eyes– but only bright specks danced across his blurred vision from the Flash.

Then the lights in the courtyard suddenly went out.

It was all happening quickly, the blackout taking place mere moments after the move had been fired. The blinding light to the pitch blackness made Ash feel like he had been hit by a Confuse Ray, the shapes in his vision feeling like they were mushed together. Still he was able to make out the vague shadow of the strange Pokemon scurrying towards were Houndoom had been standing, slamming into him with a powerful blow.

The darkness should have given the Houndoom the advantage, yet he staggered back as the Pokemon crashed into him, Houndoom blindly snapping the air in a failed retaliation, and the shadow came at him from the other side, glowing a faint maroon as they struck with a Foul Play.

"Pikachu–" Ash began as his vision started to focus, before cutting himself off– because Pikachu wasn't here.

Houndoom pawed at his face, snarling as the foe came charging at him again. It wasn't the action of a confused Pokemon, but one that seemed to have something physically afflicting him. Blinded, but not disoriented– able to turn as their attacker came looping back, releasing a Flamethrower to force the shadowy Pokemon to veer off course.

The flash of fire temporarily lit up the night, letting Ash catch a glimpse of the mud that covered Houndoom's face, the remains of the Mud-Slap forcing his eyes to stay tightly shut. His paws had done nothing but smear it across his face, leaving the Houndoom just as blind as the Flash had been for Ash.

"Behind you!" Ash shouted, spotting a blur from behind, but the Foul Play struck first– sending Houndoom stumbling.

The worst of the Flash had worn off, but unfortunately Ash's night vision was as limited as all humans– only able to make out the shape of the attacker when it was close, but nothing more than that. What species it was he didn't know, and with Rotom on his charging dock in his room he wasn't going to get an answer unless the lights came back on.

Ash stepped forward, and Houndoom spun around at the sound, fangs bared and eyes closed. Fur was raised as he listened to the sound of their attacker charging from the other side– surrounded by those he considered foes. Houndoom had no time to weigh his options, and lunged forward at Ash with a Crunch.

He sidestepped the attack, the Houndoom's fangs snapping at empty air– but the attacker was still coming from behind. With no hesitation Ash stepped between the shadow and Houndoom, and with no time to slow down the Pokemon slammed the Foul Play straight into Ash's legs, sending him falling to the ground.

He felt fur against his legs, before the Pokemon was speeding off again, trying to come from another angle. Ash couldn't see where it was in the distance, and instead looked at Houndoom near him– whose head was angled towards the sound of the Pokemon's paws, low growls coming from his throat.

"Wait," Ash whispered as he felt Houndoom tense. "Don't run, that's what it wants you to do."

Another growl.

Ash made out a faint flicker of movement in the dark, the dim glow of another Foul Play alerting him to the attacker's location, and he swallowed. "It's coming behind you."

Houndoom whipped around at Ash's words, releasing a bright Flamethrower right behind him. The burst of flames lit up the night, their attacker caught up in the fire– where it let out a pained cry before retreating again into the shadows. Ash's heart was pounding, and he shifted towards Houndoom slightly. His fur was warm against Ash's arm, his whole body shaking with growls.

"Your left, now," Ash muttered as he caught sight of another Foul Play out of the corner of his eye, and with no hesitation Houndoom whipped his head to the side, releasing another Flamethrower. Ash didn't have time to even be surprised by Houndoom's immediate actions– as he was just as dependent on Houndoom's firepower as the canine was on his ability to see. Ash's mind was already shifting to that of a battle, mentally evaluating this opponent and how to best face them.

The Pokemon was powerful enough– that was clear from the bruises Ash could feel forming on his legs, but due to the strategy it was deploying so far it seemed the Pokemon was being cautious in this fight. Using moves to both limit the Pokemon and trainer with Flash and Mud-Slap, then using Foul Play to attack– a move that turned one's strength against them. Clearly this Pokemon thought Houndoom to be more powerful if that was its attack of choice.

"Straight ahead," Ash whispered softly as the foreign Pokemon came again, and this time he could see the gleam from the attacker's eyes.

Houndoom sprang forward to meet the Pokemon, fangs glowing with a Crunch. His teeth sank into the Pokemon, which let out a pained howl upon contact. Houndoom did not let go, thrashing his head to the side. Ash felt an uneasy feeling in his gut, quickly rising to his feet– but before he could say a thing a flash of red light engulfed the Pokemon Houndoom had captured.

The return beam instantly engulfed the attacking Pokemon, pulling it free from Houndoom's jaws and back into the safety of the Pokeball. Ash's eyes flashed towards where the beam had led– but he was too far away to see who the Pokemon belonged to. He rushed forward, the sound of his footsteps echoing in time with the other's.

"Stop!" Ash snarled at the trainer who had attacked them, but of course they didn't slow. If anything the figure moved faster, racing towards where the elevators were. Ash stumbled through the darkness, desperately trying to catch up– but he could hear a ding from the elevators as the door slid shut.

The lights in the courtyard then flickered back to life just in time to reveal that the elevator was moving down– leaving Ash and Houndoom alone once more. Ash panted, glowering at the doors as if they had been the one to ambush them. He rushed to them, pressing the down button several times– but he knew it would not come back up until it delivered its current passenger.

Ash turned back to look at Houndoom, who was once again pawing at his face, trying to get rid of the Mud-Slap. Ash made his way back towards him, and was instantly greeted with white fangs at the sound of his approach.

"It's me," Ash muttered quietly, and while the snarl didn't leave, Houndoom didn't attack either, eyes pressed tightly shut.

"Rrrrrr," Houndoom rumbled in warning.

"Let me get that off of you," Ash muttered, slipping down to his knees. "You're just going to make it worse."

"Doom!"

"You know I'm not going to hurt you," Ash insisted, and he knew that the Houndoom understood that, because he could have attacked him a hundred times already. "You don't have to like me, but I do want to help you. I swear."

The growl faded, but the blinded Houndoom still stood unnaturally tensed. Fur raised as it had before, barbed tail posed to strike. Still Ash slowly moved forward, not trying to be quiet so the Pokemon would know where he was. Ash pulled a cloth from his backpack, dipping it in the water bowl as he drew closer. As still as a statue, the Houndoom still didn't move, even as Ash laid a hand under his jaw.

"There we go," Ash said, pressing the wet cloth against the closed eyes, beginning to wipe away the mud. "You don't have to try to handle this all on your own. You have a pack, you know what it means to depend on others– and you can depend on me."

He wiped the mud away from one eye, which slid open, a glaring red iris locked on him. Ash smiled softly, moving to the other eye, folding the cloth so he was working with a clean side. The Houndoom's gaze looked accusatory, and Ash could picture the doubt the Pokemon would be growling at him if he could speak.

"Hey, you don't have to like me to depend on me," Ash replied as he finished clearing the other eye, and the Houndoom snorted. "We're stuck together, might as well make the best of it, hm?"

Houndoom growled in reply, pulling his snout out of Ash's hand. The Houndoom turned his back on him, making his way over to the water bowl to get a drink. Ash knelt there, watching as the canine coldly ignored him, chugging the rest of the water down.

Ash took it as a win.

Ash: Pets Houndoom.
Houndoom: What is this?
Ash: Affection.
Houndoom: Disgusting.
Ash: ...
Houndoom: Do it again.