Traveler

by The Straight Elf

Ash Ketchum has been determined to become the best since he was a toddler. He has his eyes set on a charmander, but a twist of fate led him to the humble Nidoran. Note: Mix between anime and the games.

14. Chapter 14: The Creature

Here's Chapter Fourteen. Thanks for the amazing response last chapter! It really makes me glad.

A bit of a warning, though, expect this chapter to be a bit more intense than other chapters, especially towards the beginning. Nothing too bad, but it's a change from the rest of the story.

It's also come to my attention that I don't have a picture for Traveler. If someone wants to help out or knows where I can find a good picture, just PM me.

But enough of that. Here's the story. Enjoy!

"What happened? Are you alright?" Lance questioned quickly, concern evident. Ash wished he had chosen a better place to call the Champion than this alley. It was blocking his signal from actually getting a video feed.

"I'm fine." Ash told the man, some of his shakiness disappearing. "Just…just listen to me for a minute."

The Indigo Champion was quiet. Ash took that as his cue to continue. The trainer took a deep breath before he started speaking. "I challenged the Viridian Gym today. The psychic that blew up the St. Anne was there."

"What." Lance said. Steel entered his voice. It wasn't a question. "Are you sure?"

"I could feel it." Ash scowled, a grim expression on his stony face. "The gym is filled with its energy without it even doing anything. No Alakazam could do that."

Lance was quiet. Ash could practically see the contemplative expression on the Champion's ordinarily boisterous face. He could hear the rapping on knuckles against solid oak.

"Check out the records for his last few gym battles." Ash said, pressing his point even further. "I know one of the trainers that challenged him before me. He's strong and he was defeated six to nothing."

"This is unsettling." Lance said quietly. He was silent for a few more moments. "I'll look into it." The Champion's tone suddenly grew stern. "Ash, don't do anything you'll regret. Go to the Center and heal your pokemon. You might not have fought the Psychic, but they still have to be hurt. I'll contact you later."

Ash gritted his teeth. It was out of the ordinary for him, but he didn't want to listen. He didn't want to wait for justice. He needed Giovanni to be punished now! Ash didn't know where Giovanni fit into the Rockets' schemes, but the man was a part of them nonetheless.

"I will." Ash finally muttered. He knew that the League would take care of it. They hated the Rockets as much as he did and with Lance at their head they'd act quickly. Perhaps in another region they'd try to protect Giovanni's reputation. But in Indigo, justice was blind.

"I'll get this taken care of." Lance promised. Ash just nodded at the phone before the Champion cut the line.

He stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before he clicked the PokeNav shut and clipped it onto his belt. There was nothing to do now but wait.

"Let's go, Tangrowth." Ash said dazedly as he walked out of the alley. He simply returned his friend as they walked by. Viridian was strict on outsider's pokemon being released unless it was a dire emergency. It would be a shame if he got into trouble before Giovanni was arrested.

XX

"What on earth did you battle?!" Nurse Joy shouted at him as she came back from the operating room. She was furious. Ash blinked. "Your Nidoking has two broken ribs and severe bruising around his midsection, as well as minor burns on his back. Do you know what it takes to do that to one of his breed?"

Ash sighed and scratched his neck. "Yes, I do. You can thank the gym leader."

Nurse Joy's eyes widened. All anger was sapped from her posture. "That explains it." She shook her head. "I've told that stubborn man a million times to be easier on his challengers. One of these days there's going to be an injury he can't take back."

He began to clench his fists but stopped himself. Everything was going to be fine. All he needed to do was distract himself. "How are the others?"

"Hypno has severe bruising on her back and a few broken ribs. She had a few stones embedded in her skin, but Chansey got those out. There are three gashes from whatever she hit and part of her side was skinned." Nurse Joy recited clinically, doing her best to emotionally distance herself from the report. "Machoke is mostly fine, but his chin is cracked and he has a minor concussion. Kingdra is fine, just unconscious. Magmar is in pretty bad shape, though." She noted. "Four broken ribs, a bit of internal damage and some breathing issues."

Ash scowled and clenched his fists. Infernus shouldn't have been that hurt from a gym battle. It was like battling Pierce all over again.

"Listen, a full restore will get Magmar up and running, but you need to let him soak in some lava." Nurse Joy told him with worried eyes. "That'll soothe his pain and fix him up better than anything I can do." A tired smile appeared on her face. "I wish all pokemon could be healed that easily."

The trainer nodded in agreement. It would be nice to not have to buy so many potions and revives. He assumed she hadn't said anything about Tangrowth because there wasn't anything to say. Tangrowth could regenerate in a few hours if he really needed to.

"Your pokemon will need to stay here for the rest of the day at least. We can release Kingdra and Tangrowth to you now."

"Thank you." Ash said with a dip of his hat. Nurse Joy smiled at him before walking off and waving one of the attendants over. The girl quickly handed him Torrent and Tangrowth's pokeballs before rushing off to help Nurse Joy.

He clipped them onto his belt and watched the attendant walk into the operating room sadly. Ash hated that his friends had been so badly hurt in the gym battle. He hadn't thought that they'd been hurt badly – except for Nidoking, anyway. Dazed hadn't looked like she'd been badly hurt, just a little banged up. It was his fault for forgetting just how fragile she was.

Ash sighed dejectedly and walked out of the Center, taking a moment to apologize to anyone he rudely slipped past. There wasn't much for him to do for the rest of the day. It was almost night, but he figured he had enough time to pick up some supplies before he went to bed.

Not that he would get much sleep. Thoughts of vengeance for all of Team Rocket's victims – the drowned victims of the St. Anne, the pokemon that had been warped and twisted by the nefarious organization, the people that had been killed and terrorized – roared through his mind, demanding action. He didn't see it going away any time soon.

But a small smile made its way onto his face as he walked through the busy streets of Viridian. Vengeance was coming, and what was probably the most powerful of Team Rocket's supporters would be detained shortly. Whoever the head of the mysterious organization was, they would be furious when they heard of the setback.

That was the thought that kept a smile on his face as he went to the nearest Poke Mart and happily bought all of the supplies he would need through the depths of Viridian Forest.

XX

Something was shaking him awake. He sleepily opened his eyes and saw Tangrowth lightly poking him. "I'm up, buddy. What is it?"

Tangrowth gurgled and pointed at the door. Ash shrugged and pulled his shirt on from his night stand before he went over and peered out the hole before opening it up. His friend waddled up behind him and curiously peered over at the man standing in front of the door.

Had his friend not been there, Ash would never have opened a door for a stranger. The memory of the St. Anne still stuck with him, even if that part of it was a little fuzzy. But he was confident that Tangrowth was strong enough to protect him. If not, Torrent would be more than happy to oblige.

"Hello?" Ash stared up with distrustful eyes. The man that stood before him was odd, to say the least. He had dark purple hair, which was matched by his pants and sleeves. His formal attire – a mask that covered his eyes and a black coat – was a stark contrast to Ash's slightly dirty travelling clothes.

"Ash Ketchum?" The man asked in a friendly manner. Ash cautiously nodded.

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly, rubbing his tired eyes. Ash hadn't gotten as much sleep as he would have liked, and something told him that it was very early in the morning. But something about this man seemed familiar.

The man's lilac eyes widened behind his mask. "Ah, I apologize for my rudeness!" He said with a little bow. "My name is Will, trainee of the Elite Four and apprentice of Sabrina!"

Ash blinked. Now he knew where he'd seen the man. Aside from being mentioned by Lance, he was the Champion of the Indigo Conference two years ago. That had been a fun one to watch. Will, despite his odd appearance, had similar, albeit weaker, abilities to Sabrina that allowed him to command his powerful pokemon telepathically. It had been an interesting twist.

"May I come in?" Will requested. Ash nodded and stood back. The Elite Four trainee smiled at Tangrowth. "Hello, my good grass-type! I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Tangrowth gurgled and poked Will in the head, dislodging his mask a bit. The tall man just laughed and poked Tangrowth back, eliciting a quizzical stare from the grass-type. Will laughed again and slipped into one of the chairs in the room.

"It's been too long since I travelled like an ordinary trainer." He mused, glancing around the dark room with curious eyes. "I'm afraid the League has spoiled me. Anyways, back to business." Will coughed politely. Ash sat down in the chair across from him. "Champion Lance has requested your presence at the Elite Four rally site. I'm to take you to him."

Ash frowned. "I need to get my pokemon."

"I already checked on them." Will replied. He had the grace to glance away. "They are not ready to leave quite yet. Regardless, you will not be a part of what is to come."

"Why does Lance want me there, then?" Ash questioned.

Will smiled. "You'll have to ask him that yourself." He said jovially. The man offered a gloved hand to Ash. "I can teleport you there."

Ash felt troubled about leaving his friends behind, even if they were likely unconscious and doped up on full restores at the moment, but he took the Psychic's hand once he recalled Tangrowth. If Lance wanted to see him, Ash would oblige.

The Psychic closed his eyes and focused for a moment. Ash squeezed his eyes shut as they hurtled through a whirlwind. His body felt extremely heavy for a few brief moments before it suddenly returned to normal weight. When the world solidified around them, Ash collapsed to the soft ground and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the loamy soil.

"I apologize for that." Will said embarrassedly. "I'm still learning teleportation, and I'm afraid that my skill and power doesn't even compare to Sabrina's. It was a bit rough."

Ash just groaned and stood up on shaky legs. That was nothing like all of his other teleportation experiences. Instead of being a smooth rift in space and time, it was like Will had punched through and dragged Ash along.

"But here we are." Will gestured grandiosely. Ash realized that they were just a few dozen feet away from a small camp filled to the brim with trainers and equipment. There were several guards with grim expressions walking towards them as they spoke.

"Did anyone see you?" The first of them, a short man with darting, suspicious eyes asked.

Will shook his head with an easy smile. "Of course not, my good fellow. The guards and police had nothing to suspect. Giovanni doesn't know about the assault yet."

"That damn outfit is gonna get you caught one of these days." The gruff guard growled. Ash met his eyes unflinchingly as the guard turned his gaze on the young trainer. "Guess you're the kid the Elite have been talking about, eh?"

Ash nodded, but didn't say anything. He was still feeling a bit sick from the disastrous teleportation and a little out of his element. This was a far cry from the operation he had helped with in the Sevii Islands. He'd never been involved with the Rangers and League forces working on the mission aside from the ones in charge of transportation.

"Will, the Champion wants to see you and the little guy." One of the other guards spoke up. He seemed young, just out of his teens. Ash glared at his title. "Gym Leader Sabrina has been wanting to see you two as well. She should be with Lance."

"Of course. We'll be on our way, then." Will said with a bow. Ash followed the tall man as they made their way into the camp. He attracted quite a bit of attention from the Rangers and the grim men and women in dark, plain blue uniforms.

He knew the Rangers. They were an organization that was modelled after the Pokemon Rangers that governed Fiore and Almia. In Indigo, the Rangers generally served as the League's main source of fighters outside of the police force and actually used captured pokemon instead of the strange way of the Pokemon Rangers. Although most of the time they simply wandered and protected the area they stood in and its inhabitants, they could be called into direct action by the League if necessary.

Ash glanced at the scowling trainers curiously. He didn't recognize their uniform or where they'd fit in with the League. They were obviously part of the police, but wasn't sure how far up they went. "Who are they?"

"ACE. They're an elite force of the Rangers." Will replied, automatically knowing who Ash was talking about. "They're the best the League has to offer aside from the Elite Four. Most of them are drawn from finalists in the Conference. Each and every one is a veteran of dealing with Team Rocket. Not the most cheerful fellows, but they get the job done."

He absentmindedly nodded. The League really meant business if they were drawing from that Conference Finalists. This was more than a force to lock the gym down should Giovanni try to fight – this was an army, drawn from the best Kanto had to offer. Giovanni had no chance now, not when the Elite Four were supported by trainers of this level.

"So this is an invasion?" He spoke up, taking in the large camp with broad, sweeping glances. It was well organized. Ordinary Rangers were partitioned off into one area while the ACE trainers kept to themselves. There was a section guarded by two silent ACE trainers that they were approaching.

"Indeed." Will replied as he waved the two through the checkpoint. "Giovanni has a powerful psychic at his disposal. I saw the reports on the St. Anne and the prison that was destroyed. The psychic is probably nothing more than a pokemon enhanced by technological means, but its power is very real."

Will sent a quick glance back at Ash. "This is the largest force assembled in the last thirty years. A single member of the Elite Four is usually capable of dealing with any Rocket force. But we are taking every precaution in dealing with this threat. We saw the videos that our Porygon teams gained from the Viridian gym files. It's capable of defeating most pokemon like they're nothing."

"Do you think it has any chance?" Ash scowled, remembering the destruction the monster had wreaked. It was strong, but it would be defeated today.

"No." Will said adamantly, a sudden shift from his formerly soft, polite tone. "Perhaps it could defeat a single member of the Elite Four, perhaps even two of the Elites working in tandem. But the psychic is only mortal. We have taken every precaution and will attack with overwhelming force. Our dear friend Giovanni is helpless." He suddenly pointed to a large tent with the symbol of Kanto burned into the front. "There is Lance's tent."

Will stepped in first. Ash followed directly after. The tent was warm, but not uncomfortably hot. He suspected that there was some pokemon at work. It was incredibly spacious and several tables had been put up.

Ash grinned when he saw three famous figures standing around one of the larger tables. Another was less famous, but one he knew better. Then there was one figure he couldn't quite make out – she was shrouded in shadows from where he stood.

"Hello, everyone!" Will exclaimed. The figures looked up and Ash suddenly had a wide grin on his face.

Lorelei was the first one to glance over. From the pictures he'd seen, she normally looked like she had just walked out of a classroom. Now, however, she wore clothing like Lance had in the Sevii Islands, although even more tightly-fit in order to allow for mobility.

Agatha was next. Her eyes were mismatched: one was black and one was a pale blue. It was disconcerting, but didn't look out of place on the Crone's wizened face. While she was old, she didn't appear to be ancient. The old woman's eyes were as sharp as ever and her spirit's strength made up for what her body lacked. When she saw Ash her eyes narrowed in a knowing expression.

Lance was the last of the Indigo Elite Four. He was wearing the same outfit as in the Sevii Islands and had a wide grin on his face. "Ash! Will! How's it going?"

"Good." Ash replied stiffly. He could feel the eyes of the rest of the Elite Four on him. "Where's Bruno?"

"Still off in Celadon." Lance said with a feral grin. "He's not too happy with Erika. Not that I am either." His eyes darkened before a boisterous smile reappeared. "Anyways, let me introduce you to the rest of my associates." He pointed at Lorelei. "This is Lorelei. I'm sure you've seen her – she was helping to secure the warehouse in the Sevii Islands."

Lorelei smiled and waved at him. "I've heard a lot about you. You've made a good impression on some very important people. Keep the attitude you have now and you'll go far."

Ash nodded back with a slightly stiff smile. Lorelei seemed friendly, but he still felt a little uncomfortable. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

Lance pointed at Agatha. Ash noticed that her shadow seemed a bit too corporeal for comfort. For just a moment he saw it grow and writhe before settling down. It looked like Agatha didn't always keep her Gengar in a pokeball. "Agatha."

She rapped her cane on the ground and gave a disconcertingly kind smile at the trainer. It didn't fit what Ash had heard about her personality. "Indeed. So you're Oak's little prodigy. I've heard far too much about you."

Ash smiled. That was more like the Revenant Crone he'd heard about. He hadn't had much opportunity to hone his sarcasm in the wilderness, but he figured Agatha would appreciate it. "I'm sure you'll hear even more about me soon enough."

"Oh, so you have spirit!" Agatha cackled. "Not just another young fool with more brawn than brains. We'll see if it holds up until the Indigo Conference."

"I'm sure he will." Lance interrupted. Agatha gave Ash a crooked smile before settling back to her previous position. Her old-fashioned clothing was in stark contrast to the other Elite Four members' tight, flexible suits, but she looked no less powerful for it. "Ash, you know Sabrina."

He smiled at Sabrina, who returned it warmly. "You have grown stronger. Bruno taught you well."

"He did." He replied with a quick grin. "I learned a lot from him."

Sabrina closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them they were alit with bright blue energy. The air around her face shined a deep blue and distorted from its presence. "The Ice is fading from you. But it will be replaced soon."

Ash frowned. He didn't think he was forgetting about the encounter with Articuno, but Sabrina would know better than he did. But he didn't like the implications – would he be encountering something just as powerful in the future?

He held back a sigh when he saw Sabrina's lips upturn. That confirmed that something huge was going to happen soon, although he noted that they shifted into her normal stoic expression moments later. Sabrina withdrew suddenly, and the light in her eyes flickered and died, leaving nothing but bright red behind.

"Karen, say hello." Lance said with a small grin. Ash heard a sigh as the figure in the shadows stepped forward. They seemed to bend around and cling to her before falling away to reveal the form of a tall, willowy teenage girl, probably eight years older than him. She had long, silvery hair and wore a surprisingly casual outfit considering the circumstances.

"So you're the trainer that has the Rockets quaking in their boots. How amusing." The girl began with a haughty smirk. Her silver-blue eyes glittered unfathomably. "I would have expected you to be taller. My opinion of the Rockets is plummeting as we speak."

Ash blinked. He hadn't expected that.

Karen inspected him again before turning away and retreating back into the shadows. She didn't seem very impressed with him. Ash just glanced at Lance helplessly, not really sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Most people he'd met so far had been friendly, or at the very least polite. Not many people had reacted with outright disdain.

Lance just gazed at Karen in disappointment before turning back to Ash and Will. "Both of you, come over here. You need to know the plan."

"I thought I wasn't participating." Ash frowned as he walked over. Will guided him over to the spot that had been reserved for him, right between Lorelei and Will.

"You aren't." The Champion replied, glancing at Ash before looking at the map in front of them. It appeared to be the location of and around Viridian gym. "This is too dangerous, and I won't allow you to take on something like this psychic. Only League forces will be participating."

Ash's brow furrowed. Why he was he here, then? He'd reported everything he knew of the psychic's capabilities, which wasn't that much. All he really knew was that it was vastly powerful and would probably require an army to take down – which the League seemed to have taken into account.

"I called you here so you could watch." Lance revealed. "We wouldn't have caught onto Giovanni's indiscretions if you hadn't called, not for a while, at least. You deserve to see his fall. Team Rocket is going to be dealt a major blow today. Besides, it'll be educational." He laughed.

Lance pointed at the gym as Ash grinned in excitement and thanks. "Here's the plan. The ACE trainers are going to surround the facility from different vantage points. They're armed with psychics, ghosts, and dark-types. If Giovanni doesn't peacefully surrender, we're going to blast the psychic with everything we've got. Karen is in charge of that group."

"The Rangers will be evacuating the immediate area." Lance said as he pointed out a large radius around the gym. "We need to protect the civilians in case of a battle. Sabrina and Will are responsible for restraining the psychic and giving the rest of us a chance to attack."

Lance glanced around with a hard, determined face. Each of the Elite Four met his eyes with the same serious look. Ash's eyes were set as well. He might not be fighting, but he'd be willing to help if it came to that.

"The Elite Four will approach the gym and apprehend Giovanni." The Champion said seriously. His hands were clenching the edge of the table and were white from the pressure. "If he calls upon the psychic, we will do our best to defeat it. Should our initial attempts fail, we will retreat and allow the rest of the plan to follow through. There can be no mistakes. We know what this psychic is capable of, and Team Rocket must not be allowed to harness its power any longer. The St. Anne was only the beginning – a test."

Ash's eyes widened. Team Rocket had destroyed the St. Anne to try out their newest weapon? They had condemned thousands to death just to see what their new toy could do? His teeth gnashed together and fury rose in his heart. He'd enjoy watching Giovanni fall.

"We leave in ten minutes." Lance finished heavily. He stood up and glanced around. "Prepare yourselves. This will be like nothing that we have seen before. Ash, come with me."

As Lance walked outside, Ash rose and followed him. The inhabitants of the tent gazed after them, some curious and one condescending. Ash paid no heed to them. He winced as the bright light of the sun hit his eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dim tent, but didn't let it bother him too much.

He followed Lance until they stood on the edge of a high cliff. It overlooked miles of unbroken forest and showed Viridian City far off into the distance, barely a dot on the horizon. The sight was beautiful, but he knew it wasn't what Lance had pulled him away for.

Ash stood next to the Champion and crossed his arms in the same manner Lance was. The bright morning sun cast them in a long shadow, both of which melded together. Lance looked down at Ash, his angular face inscrutable.

"You did a good thing." Lance said quietly. "I don't know how high up in Team Rocket Giovanni is, but he's important. They won't recover from this." He was quiet for a few seconds. Ash listened attentively, locked onto every word of the Champion. "You won't be on the ground. It's too dangerous there. You'll be watching from the sky."

Realization dawned on Ash as Lance unclipped a pokeball from his belt and released a gigantic dragonair that Ash recognized as Saph. The dragonair cooed at the two and wrapped around both trainers in greeting. Ash laughed and patted her side. Lance just smiled and stroked the top of her smooth head.

"Won't you need her?" Ash asked as Saph unwound from around them and cocked her head. He lightly rubbed her smooth scales.

"She's not ready for this yet." Lance's eyes were a bit regretful. Saph growled quietly, eliciting a shake of his head. "Saph, you're stronger than most pokemon can hope to be. But I need the main team for this one."

Saph cooed understandingly and snapped toward Lance so that she could lick his cheek. Lance smiled and scratched behind one of the tiny wings adorning her head. He glanced over at Ash. "She'll get you where you need to go. Saph can make some cover so that the two of you won't be seen by the guards." Lance suddenly smirked. "I hope you don't mind getting wet."

Ash sighed. He where this was going. They were travelling by air and they needed cover. What better than a cloud?

The dragonair suddenly moved so that Ash could get on her long, thick body. Ash climbed up and glanced over at Lance. "Good luck."

Lance grinned wildly. "The Rockets will need it more than us." He sobered up after that. "Hopefully none of us will need it. I don't want this getting messy." The Champion shook his head and snapped his fingers. Saph reared up and launched into the air.

He yelped in surprise as Saph took off at a great speed, much faster than she had been the last time he rode her. Apparently any speed was fine as long as he didn't have a concussion. Saph rumbled happily as she smoothly maneuvered through the air. The wind bent around her and left her in a bubble of calm air. Ash was just glad that she could do that – he wasn't being buffeted too badly by the winds at such a high altitude, which was nice.

Ash glanced down at the forest. They were probably two thousand feet up in the air. The air was getting thinner but not too insubstantial. His stomach lurched when he looked down at the trees, which were little more than multihued green dots. He grabbed onto Saph tighter, grateful that her scales were just rough enough to get a good grip on.

The bundle of smooth jewels on her tail and under her neck began to shine brightly as they neared the city. Ash sighed when moisture began to gather around them and condense into a large cloud that shrouded them from prying eyes. He'd expected it to soak him to the bone judging from Lance's warning, but it was more like he walked into a cold fog than anything else. His clothes were damp, but that was about it.

Saph gave a low, haunting call as she raced towards Viridian. Ash managed to force himself to look down after nearly a minute of flying and saw that, through the white fog encasing them, they were just a little bit away from Viridian. Its small, Spartan buildings soon began to pass underneath them at a dizzying speed.

Ash began to feel a little queasy and looked up. He hadn't realized just how fast Saph was. Her manipulation of the air currents made it feel as though they were just gliding along, when in reality they were barreling through the air. The trainer wondered just how fast Plume was in comparison.

The dragonair gave another cry as she suddenly dove down and stopped. Ash closed his eyes and clenched onto Saph's large body as she suddenly ground to a halt. The kickback was enormous and made him wince from the pain. It faded quickly enough, however, and he recovered enough to peer down at the gym, which was recognizable even from their height hundreds of feet above it.

He could see the ACE trainers positioned on top of the buildings. They were nearly invisible, but he could just barely make out their definition. The streets around the gym were completely deserted, and the guards in front of the gym were the only one humans he could see.

"What do you think will happen?" Ash asked quietly, thoughts strangely calm. He was about to see Giovanni given justice, and he wasn't even sure he could feel happy about it yet. It was like he was in shock.

Saph cooed softly to him and peered back at him with wide, sapphire eyes. She flicked her tongue out of her mouth and blinked before nodding toward the gym. Ash followed her gaze and saw three figures stepping towards the security checkpoint. Lance's massive frame was clearly visible, as was Lorelei's slim body and Agatha's old, frail form.

The guard seemed to be in shock and immediately let them in. Ash grinned at that – he had probably never expected three of the Elite Four to be in one place outside of Indigo Plateau, let alone at the gym. Lance nodded to the guard but was stopped by the two men in bronze armor.

A few stern words from the Champion appeared to force the guards to relent. They stood back and opened the door for the Elite Four, but Ash saw one of them speak into some sort of communications device. Ash figured he was warning Giovanni.

It was a quiet situation as the Elite Four entered the gym to confront Giovanni, so Ash took some time to analyze where each of the ACE trainers were. That way he would know where to watch if a battle came to pass.

Most were on roof tops, mainly partnered up with another trainer. Some were on the street or in alleys and they looked to be alone. Ash spotted Karen skulking in the shadows with two of the powerful trainers flanking her. He wondered just how powerful she was to be an Elite Four member in training. She certainly hadn't received the position for her attitude.

Will and Sabrina were situated together on top of a large building. They both sat cross-legged on the dirty surface and seemed deep in meditation. Their pokeballs circled them continuously, held aloft by a constant flow of psychic energy. He could see energy pulsing beneath their eyelids, giving the two psychics and eerie appearance.

He glanced away from the psychics. They weren't interesting yet, and he wanted to see if there were any more forces he could discover. This was an incredibly powerful force, but –

Pain.

Ash heard a distant scream echoing through the blood pounding in his ears and numbly realized it was own. He clutched his head so tightly that his nails drew light trails of blood, but that was barely noticeable compared to the vast, piercing lance that stabbed into his mind and twisted until he screamed and bled and burned.

And then there was nothing. Ash panted heavily as he began to see something aside from whiteness of his agony. The pain had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, replaced by a gentle, soothing caress that kept him calm and healed the damage to his mind.

He shuddered briefly and wiped his eyes. It felt as though he should be crying from the pain. There was nothing.

Saph seemed fine, however, if strained. Her eyes were closed, the thick, glossy blue hidden from the world. She seemed to be maintaining all of her energy towards staying aloft or maintaining her own influence.

"Thank you." He gasped, coughing as the aftereffects of the strange assault wracked his body. Saph cried out gently. Ash clenched his teeth and stared down at the gym. It looked like things hadn't gone over diplomatically.

That was made all the more apparent as the Elite Four were dragged into his vision by a corporeal shadow with bright red eyes and a wide, grinning set of sharp fangs. Agatha seemed furious and rapped her cane against the ground. Another Gengar popped out of the nearby shadows and whisked her away to the top of a building where she would be safe. The first one followed and appeared by her side.

A ghostly pokemon Ash as a Mismagius appeared beside her as well, its features obscured by its large hat. What must have been some sort of foreign pokemon also materialized, its single, blazing orange eye cold and furious. It appeared to have a scowling face on its ethereal chest and was connected to the ground by a tendril of shadowy energy.

The ACE trainers quickly released their own pokemon. They seemed to have recovered from the assault when Agatha's ghosts appeared, although they were still wincing in agony. Each quickly released their own ghosts, dark-types and psychics. The psychics' eyes immediately began glowing, as though they were empowered by some otherworldly force.

Ash shuddered as a wave of gloom and cutting cold spread through the air thanks to the presence of so many ghost-types. He felt a brief surge of paralyzing fear wash over him, a natural response to large numbers of ghosts, but he fought it down with an iron will.

Ghost-types naturally disrupted a psychic's powers – they weren't of this dimension and warped reality to the tiniest extent wherever they appeared, which in turn disrupted a psychic's ability to manipulate reality.

Dark-types simply had another kind of energy theorized to be from a universe where everything was distorted coursing through their bodies. It meant that they produced an energy field that completely prevented psychic energy from directly affecting them, unlike ghosts, who were incredibly vulnerable to psychics thanks to not being firmly grounded in reality – they were in a sort of halfway state. Ghosts couldn't be killed, but their corporeal forms could be destroyed. They could reform quickly if powerful enough, but most would be left as nothing more than wisps for months or years.

So it made sense that almost all of the pokemon released were of the ghost and dark-types. They would be the only thing to really stand up to a psychic pokemon that powerful.

Ash watched with clenched fists as Lance released six massive, overwhelmingly powerful pokemon: Two Dragonite, one of which was the one Ash had met previously, a Charizard that rivalled Professor Oak's, a Kingdra that made Torrent look tiny in comparison, the Aerodactyl that Ash had seen at the Rocket Warehouse, and a Gyarados that took up the entire city square in front of the gym.

Lance's face was stone as he leapt onto Dragonite's back and took off into the air, too fast for Ash to see as anything but a blur. His second Dragonite immediately followed. Aerodactyl and Charizard took to the skies as well, but Kingdra and Gyarados simply watched and waited. Each seemed to know exactly what to do, even without Lance's output.

Lorelei moved like water as she released her pokemon in smooth, flowing motions. A gigantic Mamoswine appeared beside her and reared up, while a Cloyster, Lapras, and Slowking materialized in a semicircle around the Ice Queen. They were tense and ready to attack.

He was well aware that these were the most powerful pokemon he had ever seen. Only Professor Oak could rival them. Each of these pokemon were capable of destroying a town in a day and defeating an army of lesser pokemon with little effort.

These were the kind of men and women who, in times long past, had possessed the strength to band together and unite an entire nation. Their pokemon were practically undefeatable, the greatest specimens of their breed.

On their own, the three members of the Elite Four would be able to defeat anything that the world could throw at them. Supported by some of the strongest trainers Kanto could offer they were the most powerful fighting force Kanto had seen in a very long time.

These were the Masters.

But his attention was now drawn to the gym. It was rattling and some of the more ornate pieces of the impressive building were falling off. He blinked as a small section of the roof exploded, sending rubble flying high into the air.

He could see that something was hidden in the smoke – a pair of burning blue eyes that seemed subdued in some way he couldn't place were clearly visible in the thick haze. But they flashed again and caused the smoke to be blasted into the atmosphere, leaving the figure that had haunted Ash's thoughts visible for everyone to see.

A humanoid figure hung in the air, supported by nothing but its own mind and willpower. Sleek armor covered the creature, leaving thin sections of its body exposed. What wasn't black and metallic was covered with thin, gray fur. But the glowing eyes that were hidden behind the black, unfeeling visor attracted the most attention.

The creature was silent. Everything froze for just a moment as they took in the entity that had proven to be such a menace.

Even Lance took a moment to examine it and had Dragonite slow down. He suddenly scowled. "Attack!"

It was bombarded with a hundred attacks at once by the ACE trainers' teams. Shadow Balls, Dark Pulses, Night Dazes, and Ominous Winds blasted towards it, enough to kill even the most powerful psychic. Ash even caught a few psybeams and other psychic-type attacks in the mix, each far, far brighter than they should be.

The Creature seemed to regard them with disinterest as it flicked its wrist. A supernova flashed through the city as its energy set to work. Bright energy encompassed the Creature in a protective cube. Ash watched in horror as the attacks that should have carved straight through the barrier washed off harmlessly.

It flicked its wrist again and sent a shockwave towards the ground. The attack didn't really do much, but it provided enough of a distraction for the creature to raise one armored arm and create an orb that shined as brightly as the sun in the time it took Ash to blink.

As the next volley of attacks launched, tiny beams of multicolored energy that shot out from the blue sun seamlessly intercepted each one, vaporizing even ghost and dark-type attacks. After the explosions were finished, Ash saw a countless number of intense blue beams shoot out from the small blue sun and shoot a hole through every ghost-type's chest.

Ash felt true fear for the first time as he saw every ghost-type in the area glance down in shock at the hole in their corporeal form. Even Agatha's pokemon had been struck by the psychic beam.

An instant later their corporeal forms exploded in a puff of ghostly energy before diffusing into the atmosphere. Each of the ACE trainers reacted quickly and recalled their pokemon immediately, although Ash noted that Agatha's ghosts reformed after just a few seconds.

Agatha seemed furious. She tapped her cane against the building again, prompting her ghosts to immediately appear next to the Creature. They launched a flurry of attacks, but the Creature simply glanced at the ghosts with burning eyes and they exploded into their incorporeal forms.

Ash shuddered as Agatha was forced to recall her powerful pokemon, the only ones that had a chance to disrupt the Creature's power to begin with. It was up to the rest of the Elite Four now.

Saph cried out mournfully at the scene as Lance began his assault. The Champion fearlessly commanded his draconic beasts as they darted at and around the Creature, blasting it with streams of fire and energy that would easily destroy a building. Ash couldn't even see the Creature as it was consumed in an inferno of fire, ice, lightning, and several hyper beams.

Lorelei began her assault as well, followed by Karen. Her ice and water-types bravely began to fire ice beams and blasts of water that would effortlessly slice through steel, adding the powerful attacks to Lance's coordinated assault.

Karen looked tense as her Umbreon, Houndoom, and a large, white pokemon with a large scythe on the side of its head shot intense blasts of dark-type energy at the Creature. Although Ash couldn't see their effect, he knew it was the most likely thing to actually hurt the Creature now, especially since the ACE trainers were still supporting the Elite Four with their own dark-types.

He frowned and wondered uneasily what Will and Sabrina were doing. Ash glanced over at their former location and realized why the Creature hadn't retaliated yet. Both humans had released their pokemon, who were arranged around them in a circle. All the powerful psychics were staring at the Creature, who was barely visible behind the enormous amount of attacks being thrown at it, with eyes far brighter than any Ash had ever seen.

Ash assumed that they were doing their best to distract the Creature, or at least take over its mind for a few brief seconds. Their efforts were at least preventing the Creature from acting, so they were getting something done. Hopefully the combined force of the fourteen incredibly powerful psychics would be enough to lock the Creature into place and give the Elite Four and the ACE trainers enough time to take it down for good.

The stalemate continued for another minute. During that time he began to desperately think of any way that he could possibly help or make a difference with Tangrowth and Torrent.

There wasn't one.

Neither side was able to hurt the other, but Ash could tell that the ACE pokemon were beginning to falter. It was difficult to keep a sustained assault like that up, and even they couldn't keep it up forever.

But the Creature was unable to retaliate either. It seemed to have enough presence of mind to casually deflect the incredible power of the attacks being thrown at it relentlessly but was too distracted by the psychics to actually finish the fight.

Ash's palms began to sweat and the pit in his stomach began to grow when he saw each of the psychics – each some of the most powerful in the world, human or pokemon – suddenly freeze. Their eyes, which had been mostly light blue or pink, suddenly blazed in a supernova of ice blue energy. The psychics had lost their mental war with the Creature – it was just too strong.

The light hiding behind their eyes suddenly snuffed out, leaving them to collapse to the ground. Even Sabrina – the most powerful human psychic in the world, on par with an Alakazam – and her monster of an Alakazam had fallen to the Creature's might. Ash wasn't sure if they were unconscious or dead. He wasn't exactly an expert on psychic combat but he dearly hoped they were just unconscious.

Lance zoomed by on Dragonite's back and whistled. From the brief flash Ash saw on his face, Lance knew that their chances of victory were shrinking quickly. He had a hard look of determination in his narrow eyes. There was no fear.

All of Lance's pokemon attacked at once. Each fired a hyper beam from their mouth that bathed over the Creature in a wave of golden and orange energy. Ash had to turn away from it. The heat and sheer energy released by the hyper beams was incredible that it felt as though it were burning him, even from hundreds of feet away.

The Creature banished the explosions in a swirl of psychic energy. Ash clenched his teeth even as Saph cried out mournfully. Each of Lance's pokemon barely seemed affected by the immense strain they had just put their bodies under, but all the attack had done was show that the Creature was practically invincible. Those hyper beams would be enough to destroy almost anything – if it could block that that then nothing they could do would affect it.

Lance didn't give up, however. He whistled again, this time at a higher pitch, which caused his monstrously powerful pokemon to snap into action and begin their attack anew. The ACE trainers did their best to support him, and Lorelei continued to blast the Creature with powerful ice and water-type attacks over and over again to little effect.

Agatha's ghosts were flitting around the battlefield, hurling shadow balls before slipping back into the darkness. Every time they were struck by a tiny beam of the icy light, their physical forms exploded before reforming moments later. But it was starting to drain on them, Ash could see. It was taking longer to force their physical form back into being.

Finally, the Creature seemed to have enough of the battle. The shield it had raised blasted outward, encasing around each pokemon it hit and locking them into place. Even Lance's pokemon were affected. They growled, but couldn't even thrash against their psychic bonds. All of the others were unable to even make a sound.

It was eerie watching the Creature stare at the pokemon in disgust, casually sending them hurtling into the ground one by one with a flick of its wrist. Ash thought it seemed slightly tired, but not enough to stop it from battling with the same ruthless power it had used the entire fight.

Luckily, Saph was far enough away to avoid the psychic blast. It faded out of existence mere moments before it would have frozen her in an aura of psychic power. Ash watched in horror as the Creature suddenly hurled Lance's second Dragonite to the ground at crushing force, although it would only be enough to bruise the powerful creature. The brutality of the act and the worry of what was to come was what really bothered him.

"Saph, can you support a Tangrowth?" He questioned, blanching as he realized what was going to happen soon. Saph cooed a reply that he took as an affirmative. "When I release him, fly towards Lance and Dragonite as fast as you can."

Ash quickly released his large friend, who wrapped one arm around Ash happily. The trainer glanced up. "Tangrowth, I need you to catch a man if you see him falling. Make sure he stays safe."

Tangrowth gurgled a reply and wrapped around Saph's long body even as the dragonair took off. She didn't bother spending the time manipulating air currents, and for good reason – the Creature had just flicked its wrist and sent Dragonite and Lance hurtling to the ground. From that height it would be fatal.

Lance was unable to hold onto Dragonite as the Creature assisted gravity's call. His form was sent flying into the air, helplessly grasping for something to keep him from splattering against the pavement below. Ash could see him growing closer and closer as Saph launched herself through the air as fast as she could. Just a few seconds before the Champion hit the ground, several long, dexterous vines wrapped around him and yanked him onto Saph's back.

Ash pumped his fist in victory as the Champion was settled onto Saph, but that turned into a cry of surprise when one of the tiny, bright blue beams of energy shot out from the Creature's armored hands and slammed into Saph's side, carving a large, neat hole through her long blue body.

Fortunately, they were close to the ground. Saph slammed into the marble surface of the gym's exterior before crashing into the hard ground. She groaned pitifully in pain. Ash saw that she wasn't able to move her body past the hole. It had burned straight through her spine, but there was little blood. The immense energy in the beam had cauterized the wound.

He gasped as he slammed into the ground. The air was knocked out of him and it felt like he'd cracked a rib. Every breath felt as though a knife was stabbing into his side. Nevertheless, Ash pulled himself up. Tangrowth assisted him a bit and tried to stand in front of the trainer's body in a protective reaction.

Ash wheezed and gratefully nodded at Tangrowth, who gurgled sadly in reply. He winced as he turned to look at Lance. The Champion was hard-faced and had returned Saph. There was no noticeable sorrow on his face, but his eyes shined with immeasurable sadness. But he was all business as he hobbled over to Ash as fast as he could with what looked to be a badly injured leg. While he couldn't see the specific injury, Ash could see a lot of blood and the leg seemed misshapen.

"We have to get out of here!" Lance shouted. He grabbed Ash's arm and began to limp and lead him away, but they both stopped and clutched their heads in pain as another supernova of light blasted through the square. Ash looked up with eyes nearly squeezed shut from the pain and saw that every person and pokemon in the area had been locked down.

The Creature suddenly appeared in front of them, its armor menacing and dark in the sunlight. But what scared Ash the most were the burning blue eyes. They held no fear, no sorrow, and no regret. He couldn't even see what they really looked like.

Lance stood in front of Ash and met the Creature's eyes fearlessly. Ash took the opportunity to recall Tangrowth, ignoring his friend's fearful gurgle. He looked past Lance's large body and met the Creature's eyes himself.

He was going to die.

He would not die a coward. He would not bring one of his best friends to die with him. He would not die without staring his death in the face and making it watch and see what it had done.

A long, armored arm swung up and pointed at the two trainers. Three large, orb-like fingers crushed together as a miniature sun of blue ice appeared in front of it. It intensified until it looked as though it would be able to wipe Viridian off the map with a careless gesture.

"The Champion of Indigo and a Child." A deep, masculine voice echoed inside of Ash's mind. He crushed his hands to his ears in a futile action to stop the horrific pain as the words ripped through his mind and split his brain in two. Ash was in too much agony to be properly awed at the fact that he was actually hearing a pokemon speak. "I had not expected the honor. This confrontation was not expected for a long time yet. My partner believed that you and your Elite Four would be a proper test of my skills, Champion. He was right. This battle was amusing. It will be a shame that none of its participants save I shall be alive to remember it."

Ash refused to close his eyes and stared straight into the Creature's eyes as the glow intensified even further. He idly wondered if there would be anything left of the two to find. The energy being collected in the Creature's grip looked like enough to reduce them to atoms.

But death did not come immediately, as he had expected. Instead the creature continued to stare at them. There was no pity in its glowing blue eyes, but the light pulsed in annoyance.

"Champion, step away from the child and it will live." The voice wracked their brains again, the pain even worse thanks to the annoyance bristling in its words. Lance accepted and began to step away from Ash, but the trainer refused to let the injured Champion do that.

Lance was worth much more to Kanto and Indigo than he was. Ash was an up and coming trainer, but Lance was a leader, a symbol of the strength and fighting spirit of the League. He was a legend, the role model of every young trainer in the region, an enduring fighter and great warrior.

He wouldn't let the Champion die. Even if Lance was just a symbol or famous figure Ash knew of, he wouldn't let the man die. But Lance was more than that: He was a friend, and Ash held the power to potentially save his life.

So he grabbed the badly injured, barely conscious Champion – now that he looked closer, he could see blood dribbling from a large gash on the Champion's face and the arm that was at an angle that no arm should ever bend to – and forced him to the ground. Ash repaid the favor Lance had tried to do him and stood in front of the horribly wounded Champion.

Lance was barely conscious, but he had still tried to shield Ash and save his life when the opportunity presented itself. Ash would show the Champion the same respect and honor.

The Champion tried to stand up and hobble away from Ash so that the boy's life would be spared, but he was unable to force himself up on his one good arm and collapsed to the ground. Ash couldn't stare away from the Creature's eyes, daring the Creature to strike him down and violate whatever almost-forgotten principle or order kept it from simply killing him.

At first it appeared that the Creature would pay no heed to whatever voice was telling it to spare Ash, but it casually snuffed out the orb of light that would reduce his body and mind to nothing but atoms.

He couldn't see past its shiny black visor, but Ash could tell that it was staring at him with its own form of annoyance.

"Consider yourselves lucky." It said flatly, driving another spike of pain through his mind. "My partner is acting irrationally. He will not allow you to be hurt, and unfortunately my power is too great to so much as touch you without crushing your body into a bloody pulp."

It whipped its large tail around angrily. "It is a mistake, but I will honor my partner's wishes. Besides, it looks like more of your misguided allies have arrived." The Creature said, annoyance echoing in its painful mental roar. Ash could see dozens of people in Viridian City police uniforms rushing onto the scene behind the Creature. "Perhaps this is for the best. My message has been sent.

The Creature rose from the ground, not obviously harnessing any sort of energy and stared down at the two in disgust. "I will meet you again, Champion. You will not be protected by the child forever. I will claim your life, and next time not even my partner's protests will spare you."

Ash watched in awe as the Creature rose far above the ground before glancing over the area in disgust. It teleported away with no visible effort, leaving the scars of its presence over the entire area. He collapsed to the ground on trembling limbs and glanced over sorrowfully at Lance. The Champion had fallen into unconsciousness from the severity of his injuries.

Thoughts of the Creature roiled in his tired mind as he stared at the Champion's lax face, watching worriedly as the large man lightly breathed and gasped in air. The Creature was nothing like the world had ever seen. It had defeated at least a hundred ghosts without trying, along with their dark-type counterparts. It made psychics more powerful than they should be and still defeated fourteen of the greatest psychics in the world, all the while defending against an army and the Elite Four.

It had defeated the Champion as though he were nothing and had locked hundreds of incredibly powerful pokemon into place while still being able to harness its power and speak into their minds.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He was tired.

Screams and worried cries suddenly woke him from his attempted slumber. He snapped his eyes open and watched as Lorelei and Karen rushed over to the two fallen trainers with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Lance!" They cried as they rushed over to the unconscious Champion. Karen went straight for the Champion, but Lorelei paused and looked over Ash.

"Are you all right?" She asked quietly, resting a cold hand against his cheek. When she pulled it away there was blood. That was funny, Ash hadn't even noticed he was bleeding.

"I'm fine." He muttered, thoughts still racing through his mind. Why did Giovanni spare him, assuming that was who the Creature's "partner" was.

The man seemed to like him well enough – he mentally shuddered at the thought, even more so when he remembered that Giovanni had mentioned offering him a job in a few years – but that shouldn't have kept him from taking the opportunity to kill the Champion and most of the Elite Four. Team Rocket didn't exactly have a problem killing children should it be necessary.

It was a mystery, and he didn't like it. He blearily cut back to Lorelei, who was staring at him worriedly and whispering to him, probably try to keep him awake.

"—medics should arrive soon." She said soothingly. Her pale face, which was mostly untouched from the battle aside from her glasses being somewhat askew, was as calm as could be. "You did a very brave thing, you know. I've known that you were brave in taking on the Rockets, but you did more than anyone could have expected. You saved the Champion's life."

He nodded tiredly, comprehending what she was saying perfectly well but too exhausted from the sudden loss of adrenalin to particularly care. He'd done what any real trainer would have done.

"Lorelei, I need to say something to the kid." A haughty voice entered his ears. Ash sighed when he recognized it as Karen's. Lorelei frowned but stood up and walked over to check on Lance's crumpled form.

Karen squatted down next to him. She looked at him for a while with inscrutable silver eyes.

"…Thank you." She said quietly, meeting his eyes. He could see the fear in them. Ash started. Karen didn't seem like the kind of person who would willingly show any genuine emotion. "I could see what you did. Lance owes his life to you, and everyone in Kanto ought to thank you for that. That would have been a terrible blow to all of us."

She suddenly dipped down and kissed him on the cheek. Ash's eyes snapped open in surprise and he froze, staring at the Elite Four trainee in shock. Karen stood up and laughed, all solemnness gone.

"There's your reward from me, kid." She smirked. "Try not to get a big head about it."

He stared at the teen as she walked over to Lance and crouched beside his body. That was unexpected.

Ash shrugged and did his best to ignore the spot on his face that tingled slightly – a sharp contrast to the rest of his face, which was pounding with heat. He closed his eyes and waited for the medics to arrive.

He wouldn't be forgetting that anytime soon.

XX

"You're all free to go, Mr. Ketchum." The female doctor said. She didn't seem too happy about giving him admission to leave. Although they'd corrected all of his injuries in the first three hours he stayed – he had two broken ribs which had been set and injected with a modified potion, the large gash on the side of his face had been cleaned and stitched up before another potion had been injected, and the bruising on his chest was mostly gone – he still wasn't completely healed.

But he wasn't about to let that hold him back. He wasn't in danger of hurting himself any worse now, he just had to make sure to take it easy as he travelled. "Thank you."

He rose from the bed and stretched, grimacing at the slight waves of pain that shot through his body. Ash shook it off. What he was feeling was nothing compared to some of the League forces that had been involved in the battle.

Speaking of League forces, he noticed two bulky ACE trainers standing in the doorway with grim expressions. They were silent as the doctor spoke again.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You're largely healed externally, but your body needs rest. Potions accelerate healing, but they take up a lot of energy for humans." She warned. Her aged face broke into a scowl. "Personally, I think you should stay for another day just to make sure. But the League has requested that you be released as soon as it is safe to do so. Your medical records and any proof of your existence have been sealed as well. The gentleman over there can tell you more."

The shorter of the two stepped forward and cleared his throat. Unlike the ACE trainers Ash had seen, his uniform was solid black, but a silver Ranger insignia was stitched onto it. "Mr. Ketchum, before you leave, we have your pokemon. We took the liberty of retrieving them from the Pokemon Center. It's chaos there right now."

"Thank you." He said gratefully as he walked over and took the bag of pokeballs from the Ranger's hand. Ash quickly clipped them onto his belt, glad that he had all of his friends back.

"Champion Lance has also requested your presence before you depart." The man said in a professional tone. "We will lead you to him now. Follow me, please."

Ash nodded and followed both agents as they strode through the bare white halls of the hospital. He gave the tired looking doctor a grateful nod before he left her. They travelled through the building quickly. It was deserted, which was odd. He'd expected that it would be busy considering how many League forces the Creature had hurt.

The two suddenly motioned to a door about a minute after walking through the winding halls. "Champion Lance is awaiting your presence."

He nodded and stepped in. It was similar to his own room, if a bit larger. Two more ACE trainers were inside, although they gave him a respectful nod before walking out and leaving Ash and Lance to their privacy.

The Champion looked very weak. He was covered in casts and bandages and an IV fed an unfamiliar fluid into his veins. Ash could barely equate this wounded man to the proud, strong Champion he knew. Lance had never been anything but exuberant and powerful in the short time he'd known him. This Lance was alien to him.

"Hello." Lance rasped. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, but he seemed to be in much better condition than he had when Ash last saw him. "Ash, I'm sorry. I should have kept you away from the battle. I knew that the psychic was powerful, but I was careless."

"No!" Ash replied sharply, barely believing he'd just said that. "It was for the best. We all know what Team Rocket can do now. And what if I hadn't been there? You'd have died!"

Lance frowned and sighed. "Team Rocket might as well have killed me. I'm alive, but they've sent a message. They have the power to defeat the Elite Four, and it's only a matter of time before they use it. We will fight as hard as we can and find some way to defeat the psychic, but they've spread fear. They've shown that even the Elite Four can be defeated."

Ash didn't have much of a reply to that. It was true. Team Rocket had showed their last card. They'd been losing their war in the shadows ever since Lance truly began his campaign against them. Now the tides had turned. But at least the Elite Four could still fight – even if they'd been defeated, they were still alive to keep on fighting.

"How's Saph and your other pokemon?" Ash asked quietly, hoping to turn the conversation to a different topic. Nothing productive could come out of the path it had been taking.

Lance closed his eyes briefly. There was visible pain and regret on his proud face. "They're fine. Most were unconscious and badly injured when they were recovered from the wreckage, but they survived and will be back to normal in a few days. Saph has a longer recovery."

"How is she?" Ash asked uneasily. He'd seen that Saph was paralyzed – not in the battling way in which the nervous system was stunned or muscles were locked up, but in the real way where the spine was severed – but he didn't know what else had happened to her.

"She'll be okay in about two weeks. What our doctors can do today is closer to miracles than medicine." Lance said, a trace of happiness mixed into his tone. It was clear that he'd been terrified for the dragonair. "They've healed the most extreme damage to her body, but injected some ditto cells into the spine. They should specialize and replace her spine and nerve cells in about a week. Then it's all about getting her used to her body again."

Lance sighed and leaned back onto his hospital bed. He glanced at the needle that was neatly slid into his hand. "I don't know where ditto came from, but I thank whatever caused them to pop up a few years back. If not, Saph might have never recovered."

Ash nodded in sympathy. For any pokemon to lose its mobility would be an awful thing. But for a pokemon with as much natural majesty and power as Saph it would be a true horror, a half-life. Battling pokemon enjoyed fighting. It was their life.

"But I didn't request your presence for that." Lance continued. Ash just silently waited for the Champion to speak. Every word seemed to take effort. "First, I wanted to thank you. You saved so many lives by standing up to the psychic. I don't know why it and its partner refused to kill you, but you thought quickly and acted bravely when I was too injured to do so."

"Any real trainer would have done the same thing." Ash echoed his thoughts from earlier.

Lance smiled and shook his head. "Perhaps. But there aren't many real trainers anymore, if there ever were." He sighed forlornly. "But I'm proud to say that you are part of that exclusive group. You've proved many times over that you are braver and more skilled than your years suggest."

Ash hid an embarrassed smile.

"I've placed several ACE trainers in Pallet Town." Lance murmured. "I don't know if Team Rocket knows your identity or if they grew enough of a conscience to recoil from slaying a child," both Lance and Ash's face showed their doubt of that sentiment, "but I believed it would be safest to do so."

"Thank you." Ash replied, clenching his fists at the thought that Team Rocket might target Pallet Town because of him. "If Team Rocket tried to do anything and I wasn't there…"

"Then the good Professor would likely intervene." Lance smirked, although he coughed a bit afterwards. "Professor Oak is no pushover, as I'm sure you know. But it never hurts to have a few extra fighters, especially when they are as powerful as ACE."

Ash nodded his agreement. Oak might be powerful – although he didn't know just how strong the older man was – but he couldn't protect the entire town at once. At the very least the ACE agents could hold attackers off while the Professor finished the rest.

"If you would like, I can assign a Ranger or ACE trainer to you for a while." Lance spoke up. Ash frowned. He knew the Champion was only trying to help him, but he was more than capable of protecting himself. The only thing the Rockets could throw at him that he couldn't beat was the Creature, and no amount of protectors would defeat it. "Just until some of the heat dies down. Your identity has been kept sealed, but I'm afraid the media will leak your image soon."

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm leaving today anyways. The Rockets won't have time to trace me."

Lance frowned and a troubled expression took root on his angular face. "Very well. Be careful and keep a watch on your surroundings. I'll do everything in my power to keep you out of the spotlight, but the Rockets have their own resources. We still don't know if the psychic is capable of entering our minds. Sabrina and Will are still practically catatonic."

"Are they alright?" Ash snapped out worriedly. He'd known they were hurt, but he'd forgotten about the psychics in the following confusion and pain. "I saw them collapse."

"The League said they would be perfectly fine, given time." Lance replied soothingly, momentarily forgetting his own injuries. Ash could see that he had a cast on his right arm, his left leg, and several stitched gashes. They would be removed shortly. The casts were just there to set the bone as it healed from the potions. "They're stable, as are their pokemon."

"Who else was hurt?" Came the dreaded question. Ash hadn't seen the Creature's actions after he'd crashed, but he knew that it had done something. It had certainly disabled each of its foes. But he didn't know if it had actually finished the job.

Lance grimaced. "Eight ACE trainers are dead. Five more are severely wounded from the aftereffects of the destruction of their ghosts. Most of the dark-types have been hospitalized, but the ghosts have started to reform. Only a few psychics were actually killed, however. It was lower than we'd feared."

He felt sick. The Creature had added more victims to its long list. Had it been given a bit more time it probably would have killed everyone in the area. Whatever it was, it needed to be put down or stopped somehow.

Ash knew he wasn't to blame – he'd told the League what he could about the Creature, and they'd prepared extensively for it. But he still felt as though he could have informed them of just how dangerous it was. Mere words didn't communicate his message well enough.

"It's not your fault." Lance said. He had managed to pull himself up so that he could meet Ash's brown eyes on an even level. "We underestimated the psychic. The League has never combatted such a powerful entity before. Your information at least gave us an idea of its potential."

He collapsed down into his pillows with a pained grunt. His arm was shaking from the strain of pushing himself up. "It is better that we met a minor defeat now than a major defeat in the future. We know to escape should we ever meet the psychic again. You've saved more lives by revealing its existence."

The trainer nodded. He knew that. It made logical sense. But that irrational, gnawing guilt continued to tear at his stomach. Ash suspected that it would for a few more days, at least.

"Ash, I need to sleep soon." Lance said exhaustedly. "The doctors have increased my dosage."

Ash nodded understandingly and turned away, but Lance requested for him to stay a bit longer.

"Leave Viridian. Call your mother and tell her you're safe. If you need help for anything, call me." Lance said seriously. "Let everything die down and try to avoid the Rockets in the future." He gave Ash a small smile. "But don't hesitate to fight back, should you be forced to. You've proved many times now that you aren't a boy: you're a man, and a man doesn't falter."

A large grin stretched across Ash's face at the praise. For the Champion to say that…it was high praise. "Thank you. I hope that you and your partners get better soon." He said earnestly.

While it was important for Lance to get better, it was just as important for his pokemon to as well. The Champion was nothing without his family.

"No." Lance shook his head. "Thank you. I wish you good luck on your journey, Ash. Stay safe."

Ash nodded back before walking out. The two ACE agents walked in front of him. "We'll take you to the atrium, if you wish."

He stopped and considered before shaking his head. There was a promise he needed to keep. "Is there a trading machine here?" He asked.

The agent that seemed to be in charge nodded. "Indeed. I take it that's where you want to go?"

When Ash gave him a nod, the agent motioned for the trainer to follow him and the other ACE agent. Ash followed their brisk pace easily. He just ignored the slight pain in his side as he walked. It was nothing.

Eventually, after going down what felt like miles of halls and several flights of stairs, they arrived at a dark, empty room with several trading machines and video phones in it. It was small and discrete, clearly not meant for casual use.

"Here it is." The agent announced. "We'll take you to the atrium when you are done."

Ash dipped his hat – it had managed to avoid most of the damage, although he would need to change his ragged, torn clothes when he had a chance – to the agents before walking in. He sat down at the nearest monitor and pulled Bruiser's pokeball off of his belt.

He released Bruiser as he used one hand to quickly type in Professor Oak's number. The video phone began to ring, and he turned to his friend. Bruiser looked as good as new, if not a little weary.

Bruiser eyed his ragged appearance worriedly. He gave Ash a questioning grunt. The trainer sighed.

"There was a battle in Viridian." He explained, although he quickly moved to placate Bruiser when the machoke seemed to grow furious at the threat to Ash's safety. "Don't worry, I got off easy. We battled a psychic capable of taking on the Elite Four. It beat us, but like I said, I escaped without any bad injuries."

The fighting-type didn't seem too convinced, but any further conversation was cut off as the black screen flickered to life, revealing both the tired, anxious Professor Oak and his obviously terrified mother.

"Ash!" His mother exclaimed. She clapped her hands together and peered at him worriedly. "We heard about what happened at Viridian! It says you're calling from a hospital. Please tell me you're okay!"

"Everything's fine." He said as soothingly as he could. His mother still stared at him with frantic eyes, while Oak examined him with worried, exhausted eyes. "It's settled down. I'm leaving the city today."

Professor Oak cut in. He was stern but just as worried as his mother. "Ash, I was told about the raid. Were you a part of it? The reports are still slow, but my contacts have informed me that it was based off the observations of a young trainer."

Ash guiltily glanced away at his mother's suddenly furious gaze. She obviously wasn't too happy with him putting himself in danger, even indirectly. "Ash Ketchum! If you got yourself involved in another dangerous raid on who-knows-what project of Team Rocket, I will –"

"I told them that Giovanni had the thing that destroyed the St. Anne." Ash said quietly and tonelessly. Bruiser placed a calming hand on Ash's shoulder. The trainer glanced at his friend gratefully.

Both adults were silent. Oak's red-rimmed eyes flashed with pure fury tempered by an ingrained curiosity, while his mother froze in horror. She hugged her arms to her chest and began to tear up.

"What." Professor Oak said furiously. His fists were clenched and his knuckles were white. Ash's mother didn't seem capable of speaking yet. "Giovanni is part of Team Rocket? He's been hiding the psychic this entire time? How did you know?!"

"When I was entering the gym, I felt energy." Ash began hesitantly. He emphasized his words with unconscious hand motions. "It was psychic, but so far beyond anything I'd ever encountered that I knew it had to be the thing that blew up the St. Anne. I saw it as I was leaving, and I recognized it instantly. I called Lance and he managed to verify what I'd seen somehow."

His mother burst in. "You mean the Champion roped you into the raid!" She hissed coldly. Ash understood at that moment just why so many people in Pallet had done their best to be kind and polite to him and his mother. While his mother was usually happy and exuberant, her fury was a thing to behold. "I've had enough of the League enlisting an eleven year old! This is ending right –"

"I didn't participate in the raid." Ash cut in, hoping to halt his mother's wrath in its tracks. He didn't like seeing her like that. Both adults stared at him confusedly. "I watched, and I only got involved because Lance was about to die!"

"You could have died!" His mother shot back. Professor Oak was opting to stay out of the conversation for now. "How could you have helped against something that the Champion himself couldn't handle?"

Ash shifted uncomfortably. "I couldn't. The psychic was too strong for me to fight." He admitted without hesitation. "But I couldn't just let him die. He's more important than I am. Kanto needs him! He's the only person that even posed a challenge to the Creature."

"But I need you." His mother whispered, raising a hand to the screen. Ash smiled regretfully and placed one of his scraped hands up to match hers. "Lance might be more important to Kanto, but you're much more important to me."

Both sides were silent. Professor Oak watched quietly as mother and son stared at each other. He let the effect sink in for a few more seconds before he stepped in.

"A single creature managed to defeat the Elite Four?" He asked disbelievingly, horror written on his face. "And a psychic, at that? Was Agatha present?"

Ash nodded. "So were about twenty other trainers with ghost and dark-types. The psychic just wiped them out without even trying."

Oak sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is worrying. Agatha's ghosts are powerful beyond belief. A single psychic should not have been able to combat them, even if its power was focused through some kind of technology." He raised his head and stared at Ash with his piercing, intelligent gaze. "If it so effortlessly defeated the Elite Four, why did it not kill everyone present?"

He ignored his mother's intake of breath at the mention of his death. "I'm not sure." Ash replied. "It was going to, but then it saw me behind Lance. The psychic told him to step aside so that I could live, but I stood in front of Lance and kept it from attacking. It said that its partner was acting irrationally – that he, or Giovanni, I'm assuming, wouldn't let me be hurt."

Relief and – was that hope? – shimmered in his mother's eyes before she cradled her head in her hands, whispering something that he couldn't hear. She stayed like that, so thankful that he was spared that she didn't even rebuke him for placing himself in harm's way.

"Odd." Oak murmured to himself, although relief at Ash's luck was evident in his eyes. He glanced up and saw Bruiser, who still had a strong hand keeping Ash steady. "Thank you for telling me that. I doubt I'll get the full report for several more hours. But did you need to exchange pokemon?"

"I did." Ash said with a smile. He was glad to change the topic. The battle wasn't something he wanted to speak of anymore. "Do you have Plume's pokeball?"

Oak nodded and raised it. Ash smiled at Bruiser before he returned his friend and placed his pokeball into the trade machine. Moments later it was exchanged with Plume's.

"I should probably get going. There are people waiting on me" Ash said guiltily, glancing at his mother. She had raised her head, but he could see that she was an emotional wreck. "Bye, mom. I love you."

She gave him a bright smile. "Stay safe, sweetie. I love you to."

Ash smiled sadly at his mother before Professor Oak spoke up. "Good luck on your journey, Ash. I hope the trip to Pewter is less eventful than it has been in Viridian."

"I do too." Ash laughed. It was nice after so long of being serious. "Thanks, Professor. Bye."

Before he could cut the connection, Oak raised his hand in order to get Ash to stop. Ash gazed at the older man curiously. He couldn't think of what else the Professor could ask about.

"Do you know where Gary is, by any chance?" Oak asked hopefully. "He called and told me he was challenging Giovanni, but hasn't contacted me since."

"I'm afraid not." Ash said with a sigh. He didn't like the dejected expression on the Professor's face. "I saw him heading out of the gym, but after that I lost contact."

"Very well. Thank you for telling me." Professor Oak told him. Ash nodded and smiled at his mother one last time before he cut off the screen and stood up from his chair.

He slid it in before heading outside to meet the ACE agents. There were still a few hours left in the day. Ash wanted to use them as best he could and get away from Viridian. He was tired of this city.

XX

The first steps into the looming trees and thick foliage of Viridian Forest were nostalgic. Ash had a small smile as he exited the suburbs of Viridian, which were still in a state of confusion from the battle with the Creature.

Ash had already told his friends what had happened. He'd managed to assuage their worries and keep them from becoming too bitter over not being there to protect them, but Nidoking had demanded to walk with Ash during the journey.

He'd happily accepted his friend's offer. Ash hadn't gotten to spend as much time with Nidoking as he would have liked, and now it felt like old times again. Plume flew high above them, a powerful presence that deterred any of the indigenous pokemon from attacking.

For just a moment he could see a small, determined Nidoran and a pidgey flitting from one branch to the other just a few feet above him. Then reality came back and banished the glimpse of memory. Ash smiled fondly as he walked down the beaten dirt path. The plants of the forest encroached upon the edges thanks to the invigorating heat of summer, but they had not yet caused the path to be overgrown.

A lone caterpie was crawling on the road ahead of them. The tiny creature looked up and started in fright as it saw Nidoking and did its best to crawl out of the way.

Ash and Nidoking stopped as the caterpie slowly inched away from them. He smiled softly at the creature. It wasn't much yet, but soon it would be a bright, beautiful butterfree dancing through the woods. He wondered if his journey would have changed much if he'd caught any of the dozens of caterpie or weedle he'd encountered during the time he spent within the great forest. They weren't particularly strong, even as their final evolutions, but butterfree and beedrill could still be quite effective in the right hands.

He blinked and realized that the caterpie was gone and had taken his idle thoughts along with it. Nidoking grunted questioningly at him and Ash shook his head.

"Sorry about that, buddy." He frowned. Ash started stepping forward. The pain that accompanied every step was shrinking quickly. His doctor definitely knew what they were doing when they fixed him up. At least they had more resources than the tiny hospital/Pokemon Center in the Sevii Islands. "I just blanked out."

Nidoking growled and tapped him comfortingly on the shoulder with one of his dull claws. Ash sent a thankful smile back at his friend. The poison-type would probably be worried about him for a few more days before their journey ended up at the forefront of their minds. All of his friends were upset that they hadn't been able to help.

"Let's get going. It's going to be a long journey."

With that, both friends stepped forward and began their travels again. They might know the way through, but Viridian Forest was a natural maze. Ash expected the journey to take a little bit less than two weeks. Just because he was more experienced and had an idea of where to go didn't mean that he could cut an entire week off of the travel time.

XX

Ash shot up as he was jostled awake. It was the third night of their journey through Viridian Forest. So far it had been quite boring. Nidoking's presence scared most of the other trainers off. Even the stronger bug catchers didn't want to tangle with the intimidating creature.

It felt like he'd only been asleep for an hour. The forest was completely dark since he'd put the fire out before heading to bed so he couldn't tell the exact time, but his mind still felt weary and frayed. At least it wouldn't be dark. He'd had Infernus create himself a small pit of lava to sleep in. Tangrowth had used ancient power to raise rocky walls around the pit and Torrent had carved out a small trench filled with water to keep any potential fires down. If they failed Dazed would simply snuff the flames out.

"What is it?" He asked as he stood up from his sleeping bag. Ash easily recognized Nidoking's touch once he'd regained awareness.

Nidoking grunted excitedly and pointed to Infernus. He was barely visible in the dim light cast off by the fire-type's tail flame, but Ash was able to make that out at least. Ash glanced over to Infernus who seemed to be standing up and watching something interestedly. The other members of the team were huddled around as well, their features barely illuminated by Infernus' bright fire.

His eyes widened. It couldn't be. He hadn't expected this to happen for at least another week.

"Thanks for waking me." He grinned. Nidoking grunted and bared his fangs in a friendly manner before lumbering over to the others. Ash was right behind him.

Ash's friends made a space for him as he approached. He slipped in right between Dazed and Torrent, who had been guarding the camp for the night.

"Could you light the fire? I can't see very well." He directed at Infernus. It seemed that Tangrowth had covered up the magma pool with a sheet of rock – or else Torrent had hardened it with a few blasts of water. The fire-type acquiesced. Moments later a large flame danced in the air, providing heat and, more importantly, light. "Thank you."

He crouched down by the black egg. It was shaking erratically. A few small cracks had begun to thread throughout the ebony shell as it shook more and more. Ash had an uncontrolled grin on his face as he watched the egg tremble.

Ash's mind had completely forgotten that it was deprived of sleep. Now it was solely focused on the excitement of the situation. He had wanted to know what was in the egg for a long time now, and he was finally getting to see it hatch. The trainer could barely believe this was happening. For so long it had felt as though the egg would remain that: an egg.

He'd gotten a few shakes from it every now and then, but nothing like this. It had begun to roll around as the young pokemon entombed in it finally gained the strength to break out.

A single arm suddenly shot out of the egg, sending a tiny piece of the hard shell scattering off into the night. Ash noted that Tangrowth shot a vine out and snatched it out of the air before it could become lost.

Ash glanced curiously as the sleek black arm, wet and sticky from the amniotic fluid in the egg, tipped by a surprisingly large and slightly curved claw, wriggled around and tasted fresh air for the first time. Another tore out and waved around as well. The tiny pokemon didn't seem to know what to do.

Finally, the pokemon that Ash still couldn't make out managed to tear the egg apart, sending the two large halves flying a few feet through the air. He grinned wildly and pulled his pokedex out as he saw the creature that had been unveiled. A bit of clear, odorless fluid leaked out onto the ground.

The tiny creature peered up at him with curious ruby eyes. It stared at him intently with an awestruck expression. He grinned as it wobbled over to him so that it could get a better look at the human. Ash lowered himself a bit more, although he was careful enough to be ready to dodge at any moment should the small, wide-eyed creature try anything. The trainer knew that its kind were prone to mischief and sometimes vicious behavior.

It was a vaguely feline pokemon with slick, thick black-blue fur – although part of the slickness might be from the amniotic fluid inside the egg – but had a few bright red, feather-like growths on its ear and lower back. The creature idly retracted its large claws, which made Ash feel a bit less wary. There were distinctive yellow markings on its forehead and chest.

Ash smiled. "Hey, little guy. Are you feeling okay?"

The black pokemon cocked its head and peered at him. Ash knew it could understand him – all pokemon could understand human languages, even while in the egg – but it didn't react helpfully. Instead the small creature sat down and stared at him with a reverent expression.

"I'm just going to scan you. Is that alright?" He murmured softly. The pokemon narrowed its eyes slightly before nodding. It stared at him and growled in a friendly manner.

He held the pokedex out and scanned his new friend.

"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokemon." It droned. "Sneasel can extend or retract its claws instantly during attack. It is extremely vicious and will not stop attacking until its foe is incapable of moving.

This Sneasel knows the moves: Quick Attack, Faint Attack, Icy Wind, Fury Swipes, and Ice Punch. Its ability is Inner Focus, which enables it to withstand attacks better."

It would certainly fight well, although he wouldn't start training it seriously for another month at least. Pokemon were ready for combat the moment they exited the egg, but they needed time to build up their muscles and grow enough to be really effective.

"You're going to be a tough little guy, aren't you?" Ash mused after he checked the pokedex to confirm that Sneasel was male. Sneasel nodded happily, still intently staring at Ash's face. It would retract and unsheathe its claws every now and then, apparently fascinated by the process.

Ash stood up. Sneasel jumped at the sudden change and looked at Ash's new height with wide eyes. It didn't appear very fearful, but it was surprised.

"Let's make some introductions." Ash began. He motioned to his friends, who were still gathered around them and staring at Sneasel with sharp eyes. Sneasel stood up and glanced at each one as Ash pointed them out. "That's Nidoking."

Nidoking grunted as unthreateningly as he could manage and met Sneasel's eyes. The baby pokemon didn't seem intimidated, which was good. He seemed more impressed than anything else.

"That's Plume." He said next. Plume cooed sweetly at the tiny dark-type. Sneasel yowled back. Ash was glad that they seemed to like each other well enough. He had been slightly nervous that Plume wouldn't like Sneasel thanks to his species. Sneasel were nest thieves, and the pidgey line were their favorite targets. It wouldn't have been surprising if Plume had an instinctual dislike of the tiny creature.

"Torrent." The trainer continued. Sneasel cocked his head curiously at the large, dignified dragon-type. He hissed curiously, and leapt back as Torrent let loose a low rumble that caused the earth to tremble. The dark-type grinned and bared his tiny, sharp fangs. Torrent just stared down at him with gauging eyes.

Sneasel's ruby eyes were locked with Torrent's scarlet eyes for several seconds. Eventually Torrent seemed to come to a conclusion and snorted. The dragon nodded and dipped his large head to Sneasel, who hissed back.

Ash smiled before pointing at the next member of the team. "Dazed."

The dark-type's eyes glittered maliciously when it recognized the psychic. Dazed stared back expressionlessly, the only emotion in her eyes a faint trace of dislike. Ash suspected that there would be problems with those two. Sneasel's more vicious tendencies would probably become especially pronounced around Dazed since she wasn't able to retaliate effectively.

He moved on quickly. That issue could be sorted out tomorrow. "Infernus."

Infernus growled and glared down at the tiny ice-type as he caused a thin veil of flames to burn around his body. He didn't seem too impressed. Sneasel hissed back and raised its claws, although he relented after a few moments and scampered behind Ash's legs. The dark-type peered out and growled threateningly at Infernus, although he quickly pulled his head back when Infernus snorted a bit of smoke and fire.

Ash hid a smile. At least Sneasel would have one member of the team willing to be harsh and discipline him. Nidoking and Torrent would be quick to step in if the dark-type stepped out of line, but Infernus would be the one that Sneasel would be careful around. It would be good to have Sneasel afraid of Infernus, as bad as it might sound. Sneasel would need someone to temper his more malicious tendencies, and there was no one better for the job than Infernus.

"And that's Tangrowth." Ash grinned. Sneasel scampered out from behind his legs and stared at Tangrowth, who gurgled happily and wrapped the small creature up in a hug with several of his vines. The dark-type squirmed and growled cutely in an attempt to fight Tangrowth's greeting off, but Tangrowth didn't notice. It was several more seconds before Sneasel escaped.

"These are your teammates." Ash said as he kneeled again and met Sneasel's eyes. The dark-type seemed locked on to Ash's every word. "They'll be your teachers and friends. They are your pack."

That word seemed to resonate with Sneasel, and he nodded his small head understandingly. He retracted his claws and examined each of them with short little glances.

"We're going to make you as strong as you can be. We'll be your family." Ash promised. Sneasel's eyes glittered brightly at that. The statement seemed appealing to him. "All that I want from you is that you follow my instructions and do your best to avoid trouble. Is that alright?"

Sneasel nodded and exposed his small fangs in a grin. Ash smiled back, but blinked in surprise when Sneasel scampered behind him and leapt up on his back, displaying quite a bit of agility. He was a bit uneasy for a moment, but quickly realized that Sneasel was just trying to be friendly.

"I've got to call Professor Oak and tell him about our new friend." Ash told Nidoking seriously. His friend nodded. He glanced up at Sneasel and saw that the tiny dark-type was peering around his shoulders at him. Sneasel reminded him a bit of Seeker in that respect. His tone was soft as he spoke to the baby pokemon. "Sneasel, could you go with Nidoking for a while? He'll tell you more."

The dark-type growled before glancing at the large form of Nidoking. He almost looked like he was going to jump onto Nidoking's back, but the large spikes seemed to dissuade him from that idea. Instead, the dark-type leapt onto the ground and followed Nidoking as the poison-type lumbered away. The rest of the team followed.

Ash watched his friends go for a moment with a soft smile before unclipping his PokeNav and dialing Professor Oak's number. He patiently waited as it began to ring. The Professor would probably take a long time to answer. It was rather late, after all.

While he probably could have waited until morning, Ash didn't want to take any chances of something happening to Sneasel. His friends would be able to track the dark-type easily and protect him from any threat, but there were a lot of pokemon and trainers in this forest. Ash didn't want Sneasel to be attacked or captured by a wandering trainer.

"Ash, why are you calling me at this hour?" The Professor spoke up as the screen flickered onto life. Ash smiled apologetically at the Professor. Oak's eyes were red from exhaustion and there were large bags under his eyes.

"You told me to call you whenever my egg hatched." Ash said with a grin. Try as he might, he just couldn't hold back his excitement. He was rather happy with his newest friend. While he would have been happy if a rattata hatched from it, Sneasel was just perfect. "It's a Sneasel!"

"I didn't mean that literally." Oak muttered. Still, he seemed more attentive now. "I'll authorize you for an additional pokemon. You will only be allowed to have an extra member on your team for two months, after which your seventh registered pokemon will automatically be sent here. Just give me a moment."

Ash nodded his thanks as Oak got to work, typing at an incredibly fast speed. In a matter of seconds the Professor was done.

"Thanks, Professor." Ash grinned a bit guiltily. "Sorry for waking you up. Good night."

"It's fine." Oak sighed. "I really am happy for you. I always wanted an egg to raise when I was a trainer. I'm sure that you'll raise Sneasel well." The Professor yawned before focusing his bleary eyes on Ash. "Good night. I'll be more excited in the morning, I promise you."

The trainer grinned again before the call was cut off. He clipped it back onto his belt and waited for his friends to return. It would probably only be another minute or so. Nidoking knew that it would be a brief conversation.

He sat down next to the dim campfire. Ash had a slight smile on his face. He'd faced horrible things these past few days, but everything was getting better. Now the death and destruction unleashed by the Creature was tempered with new life and new experiences. It would distract him from the grave events unfolding in Kanto, at least.

Ash picked up a small twig and drew a few patterns in the dirt. It was relaxing in a way and let him think. He wasn't sure how Sneasel would fit into the team. For now he was the baby. Sneasel would probably be pampered like no other teammate had been – mostly by Plume and Tangrowth, if Ash's expectations held up.

But in the future, Ash wasn't sure what twists and turns Sneasel's personality and role would take. He was going to have to start planning for problems. Sneasel were tightly bound to their packs, but there was a great deal of internal competition ingrained in their personality. Hopefully he could curb the most vicious tendencies of the dark-type, but if not he'd have to pay close attention to Sneasel.

At least he had Nidoking, Torrent, and Infernus. They'd keep their newest addition out of trouble and show him the discipline he needed when Ash wasn't there. He couldn't see Sneasel misbehaving too much around him, at least. Ash was the first thing that Sneasel had seen. Sneasel had imprinted on him. Now Ash was the closest thing the dark-type had to a parent.

He resolved to set a good example. Trainers influenced their pokemon and vice versa, but the role he would play in a newborn's life was especially relevant. Ash would need to strive to be the best he could be and instill the best traits into Sneasel.

Ash was distracted as he noticed his friends coming back. Nidoking seemed to have realized that it was time and led the group back into the clearing. Sneasel rode on Torrent's smooth back, grinning at everything he saw. Torrent looked slightly annoyed, but sharp glances from Plume kept him from shaking the little dark-type off.

"Did you fill him in?" Ash asked. Nidoking grunted. He smiled. "Thanks. Sneasel, could you come down?"

Sneasel agilely leapt off of Torrent's back and landed lightly on his feet. He looked rather pleased with himself for the feat, and Ash smiled at the dark-type.

He pulled a pokeball out of his pack and showed it to Sneasel. The newborn poked the metallic device with one of his sharp claws before he sniffed it. Ash smiled. "This is a pokeball. It lets me bring a lot of my friends with me. You need to let me put you in it if you want to come with me. Is that alright?"

The dark-type nodded without thinking. Ash smiled and lightly pressed the pokeball to Sneasel's chest. It sucked him into the pokeball in a burst of red light that illuminated the entire forest. For the first few seconds the ball shook wildly. But when Sneasel realized what was happening, the pokeball stopped shaking and clicked.

Ash picked up the pokeball and clipped it onto one of the additional spaces on his belt. He'd release Sneasel in just a few moments. But he needed to talk to his friends first.

"I know I don't have to tell you this, but we need to be good examples for Sneasel." He began. Each of his friends showed their understanding in their own way, even Infernus. "Be nice, but don't coddle him too much. He needs a firm hand if we want to make him a good member of the team. Discipline him to the best of your abilities if you find him doing something wrong and explain to him why he shouldn't do it."

His friends nodded again. Infernus seemed disinterested at this point. The others understood well enough, however, and that was all Ash asked for.

"Dazed, wake us up if Sneasel does anything." Ash told the psychic. Dazed nodded and shuffled off next to his sleeping mat. She didn't like being unable to watch over him closely. "To the rest of you, get some sleep. I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible."

They had similar opinions. Nidoking lumbered over to his sleeping mat as well before he curled up in a massive ball. His plates were facing outward and providing him an incredible amount of protection as he slept. Plume cooed softly to Ash before fluttering up to a branch strong enough to support her weight. Ash closed his eyes to protect against the powerful winds and dust kicked up by her movement.

Infernus nodded at Ash before slinking over to the lava pit. He casually punched through the thin barrier of rock keeping the heat in before slipping in. It flared up in response to his powerful presence before returning to its previous state. The magmar seemed rather comfortable in the bath of liquid stone.

"Torrent, could you stay here for a moment?" Ash requested as his friend began to levitate away. Torrent nodded and stayed as Ash released Sneasel. The dark-type darted his head around curiously. It seemed that leaving the pokeball was an interesting experience for him. "Sneasel needs a bath."

Ash glanced at Sneasel, who was still a bit wet from leaving his egg. "Sneasel, Torrent's going to clean you off. Just hold still. It'll be over quickly."

Sneasel growled his understanding and nervously stood still. Torrent gently sprayed the young pokemon with water. It easily washed the amniotic fluid off. The liquid was essentially salt water, so it didn't resist the stream in the least.

When it was over, Sneasel shook himself off like a growlithe and sent water droplets everywhere. Ash grinned. "Thanks, Torrent. Sneasel, come with me. It's time to go to bed."

Sneasel didn't follow his instructions. Instead of following Ash, he leapt onto Ash's back and deftly climbed up the back of the trainer's shirt. He was quite skilled, even without using his hooked claws. Ash didn't really mind and just smiled back at the baby.

He walked over to his mat, although he took a moment to say a goodnight to Infernus. The fire-type grunted and snorted a bit of fire to return the sentiment. Ash took care to walk around Nidoking as he walked to his mat. It wouldn't be good to trip around his friend.

The dark-type nimbly leapt off of his back when Ash began to lay down. When Ash had gotten comfortable, he glanced up and saw that Sneasel was looking at him hesitantly. He grinned and pulled up his light blanket. "Come on in, buddy."

Sneasel happily slid underneath the thin sheet of cloth and snuggled into Ash's chest. Ash could barely believe the species was known for having an attitude problem. So far Sneasel was as nice as could be, although he suspected that would change when the dark-type wasn't exhausted.

He fell asleep quickly. Ash was still a little tired from being woken up, so it was nice to return to his slumber. Returning to bed after waking up was definitely one of the best feelings in the world.

XX

Ash felt a lance of fear pierce his mind as he slid toward the roaring waves of the cold ocean. A ship sliced into two was dragged into the depths of the cold waters underneath him, yanking him and countless other helpless souls into the icy darkness as well.

He did not feel an iron need to survive and fight. Ash felt the fear he had when he was a newbie trainer alone in the wilderness for the first time.

Talons picked him up and he felt a flare of hope. Perhaps he could survive this after all.

But it was not to be. Plume shrieked horribly as his shirt tore and he fell screaming into the icy waters. Memories lapped at him as he lost oxygen and the edges of his vision grew black, not mixing well with the ocean. It was bright with the last lights of the doomed ocean liner and suffused in a choir of damned voices screaming as the water poured into their lungs.

He looked around desperately for the bright flash of light that would herald his salvation. But Torrent did not come through this time.

Ash gagged and choked helplessly on the icy water as he lost control and breathed in deep the killing liquid. He thrashed and writhed and looked around again, and he felt a flash of hope as he saw something moving in the abyss.

But his oxygen-deprived mind screamed when two horribly familiar glowing eyes lit up the ocean with the light of the sun, revealing hundreds of floating bodies drifting around them, pale and lifeless in the

"You cannot escape me." The Creature roared into his mind before yanking him down to the deepest trench of the ocean, laughing cruelly at Ash's dying screams.

He -

Ash shot up from his sleeping mat. A cold sweat covered his body and he was panting. He couldn't help but stare at his hands, just barely visible thanks to the fire's calm light, to make sure he was really outside.

A gurgle caused him to look up and realize that each of his friends had circled around him. He noticed that Sneasel was looking at him with fearful eyes, upset at the change in Ash. The others were simply worried. Nidoking placed a comforting claw on Ash. It hurt a bit, but the message was what mattered.

"I'm fine." He said shakily. His breath rattled in his lungs. What was that? "You can go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

His friends didn't seem to believe him, but they followed his command. Ash realized that even Infernus had come over to investigate what was going on. The fire-type narrowed his eyes at Ash curiously before slinking over to the lava pit and curling up again.

Ash shuddered again. He couldn't remember what exactly what was in the dream, but he knew that it had terrified him for some reason. It had already flitted away from his mind even as he tried to grasp it and confront whatever had inspired his fear. Dreams were frustrating like that.

Wait.

He'd dreamed.

That hadn't happened in months, ever since he'd gotten Dazed. He knew that Dazed had been feeding on his dreams ever since the St. Anne. The only reason he'd bothered giving her permission to do so was because he wanted to keep her from feeling guilty. Dazed needed sustenance, and humans tended to have more nourishing dreams than pokemon.

Ash couldn't even remember the last time he'd dreamed. But now he just had, which was disturbing. Dazed was always in close proximity to him at night, both to guard him and to gain the nourishment that was unobtainable otherwise.

He glanced up at Dazed. Sneasel had already snuggled back against his warm chest and seemed to be asleep. Dazed stared back at him. Her eyes seemed guilty.

"I had a nightmare." He said quietly. Dazed nodded and glanced away, an oddly open display of emotion for her. She had known before he'd said anything. It was a hypno's gift to know what dream someone was having. "Would it have made you sick?"

Dazed gave a tiny dip of her head, but still seemed uncomfortable. Ash sighed and pulled himself up on his forearms so he could be more comfortable. He was careful to avoid disturbing Sneasel, however.

"I understand." Ash said with a tired smile. He wondered just how many disruptions to his sleep he would get tonight. First Sneasel hatching and now night terrors. "I don't want you to get sick on my part. You shouldn't have to suffer for my problems."

The psychic shook her head in disagreement and stepped closer to Ash. She idly polished her stone pendulum in her white mane as she nodded pointedly to Sneasel. Understanding glinted in Ash's eyes as he realized what she was trying to get across.

"He's blocking you, isn't he?" Ash murmured quietly, lightly stroking Sneasel's feathers. The dark-type growled unconsciously and nestled further into Ash's chest, completely unaware of the event he had inspired.

Dazed nodded. Ash sighed, staring down at Sneasel. The energy that ran through his every cell didn't end with his body. It extended just a little bit beyond that, a field of energy from a foreign, distorted universe that completely neutralized psychic powers in its proximity.

Normally that ability was a boon, but not right now. As long as Ash was this close to Sneasel, Dazed wouldn't be able to eat his dreams. That created two problems: Dazed couldn't derive sustenance from his dreams, and he would fall prey to whatever nightmares the psychic had protected him from.

The obvious solution would be to keep Sneasel away from him at night, but that wasn't an option at well. Sneasel needed to be close to him. He'd imprinted on Ash. Their bond could not be jeopardized at such an early stage in Sneasel's life. When Sneasel had grown a bit older he would be free to sleep wherever he wanted, but for now they would be sticking together.

Fortunately, Dazed didn't require human dreams. She could easily devour the dreams of his other friends – with their permission, of course – to get the energy she needed. Dazed simply preferred his dreams.

He would have to go through a few nights without a dreamless sleep, then. It shouldn't be too bad of a problem. Perhaps this was just a rare freak occurrence. He'd gotten over the St. Anne. The only things left were mere flickers.

Now that he had a half-decent plan for the coming weeks, Ash prepared to return to bed and get what sleep he could. But before he could, he realized something.

"Dazed, you've eaten my nightmares before, haven't you?" He asked pointedly. Ash didn't quite accuse her, but he was being direct. Memories of a few mornings where Dazed seemed strangely downtrodden instead of her ordinary placid calm stormed through his mind.

Dazed nodded and met his eyes. Ash stared at his friend, who had been acting as an unknown protector of his mind for months now.

"…Were they bad?" He asked weakly. Dazed didn't show any expression as she nodded. Her eyes seemed just a bit tired as she recalled them. Ash grimaced. He'd never meant to cause his friend pain, even unintentionally. "I'm sorry. You don't have to do that if it hurts you."

The psychic seemed to sigh – even without a mouth – and rolled her eyes. She shook her head to refute his argument. Dazed pointed at herself, then conjured a protective shield of dim psychic energy before pointing at Ash.

A small smile curled on the edges of his lips as he understood her point. She was a shield for him. Ash helped her and protected her in some ways and she was simply doing her best to help him as well.

"Thank you, Dazed." He smiled. Dazed nodded and sat down. She continued to polish her pendulum as he continued. "But if it ever makes you feel too bad, just stop. I can face it if I need to."

Dazed just stared back at him before she glanced down at her pendulum. It was as shiny and clean as stone could be. Ash shook his head with a grin before slipping back into the mat. Sneasel hissed in his sleep but didn't wake up. He glanced at Dazed for just a moment and saw a flash of guilt pass through her calm eyes before he settled down.

He shut his eyes and let unconsciousness claim him. It would be a hard day tomorrow.

XX

Ash rubbed his red eyes as he walked down the path. He'd managed to avoid another nightmare, but the two major disruptions to his sleep had ruined the entire night for him. The team would be turning in early tonight.

A young trainer with a caterpie crawling faithfully behind him began to approach him, probably for a battle, but picked up his caterpie and scurried away when he saw Torrent levitating behind Ash. In just a few seconds the bug catcher had disappeared into the thick brush.

Ash couldn't hold back his smile at that. Torrent gave a low rumble that Ash easily identified as a laugh. When he'd first travelled through Viridian Forest that would have been a fun battle. Now it was just pointless. He'd come a long way.

Sneasel hissed as he chased after the trainer before scurrying back. Ash had decided to let him stay out while they walked down the trail, provided he didn't stray too far. There weren't any particularly powerful pokemon living in Viridian Forest – at least not in this area, which was relatively safe for trainers to go through – so Sneasel wouldn't be in danger. Even if he did somehow find a way, Plume's keen eyes would send her barreling towards the dark-type instantaneously.

The dark-type quickly leapt up onto Ash's back and grabbed on for the ride. Ash grinned and scratched behind Sneasel's feather. It seemed to be a particularly sensitive spot and made Sneasel's small body twitch.

"Having fun yet?" He asked drily. Sneasel hissed excitedly into his ear, doubtlessly telling Ash about every caterpie, weedle, and other helpless pokemon he had chased after. Ash smiled and noted that Torrent's eyes had a glint of amusement coloring them as well. "That's nice. Make sure you don't run into their parents, alright?"

Sneasel growled softly and leapt onto the dirt trail in front of Ash. He extended his claws and hissed as menacingly as he could at Ash, waving the hooked implements around wildly. When Ash laughed, Sneasel hissed and pointed once at Torrent and then at the sky.

"That's probably a better plan." Ash commented as Sneasel regained his former position. "Make use of Torrent and Plume while they're still protecting you. Once you start training you'll be all on your own."

The dark-type hissed excitedly and leapt onto Torrent's back. Ash grinned as Torrent rumbled in annoyance. Sneasel wasn't deterred, however, and happily clung onto his thick plates of armor with his hooked claws.

As Ash kept on walking down the path, he again found it hard to believe that Sneasel could ever be vicious. It would be a startling transformation, to say the least. Still, he felt that he could at least curb some of Sneasel's more undesirable traits. Sneasel would be a good member of the team.

For now, however, Sneasel's antics put a smile on his face as he continued his expedition into the ominous forest. It helped to pass the time and would doubtlessly make the coming monotonous days of journeying through the forest much more amusing.

XX

Ash took a sip from his heavy water bottle as he watched the rather curious interaction between Infernus and Sneasel. Sneasel had been out of his egg for two days now and he had a good idea of how he would interact with the rest of the team for the observable future.

Nidoking seemed to be wary of Sneasel, although he wasn't hostile. The poison-type was rather friendly and helpful, just careful and observant at the same time. He was biologically hardwired to be a leader and care for the herd, so he was naturally suspicious of Sneasel. Aside from trying to flesh out the newcomer's personality and motives, Nidoking was also wary of him simply due to Sneasel being a dark-type. They tended to have loner personality traits that were alien to social creatures like the nidoran family.

Plume seemed enraptured with nurturing Sneasel. She tried to help him and show the newborn how to do important things. Ash thought he'd seen her trying to teach Sneasel how to fly once. That had gone poorly. But Sneasel seemed to like her well enough and neither were showing the enmity Ash had been afraid of.

Torrent was similar to Nidoking, albeit less wary. He seemed to get annoyed by Sneasel's antics rather easily, although the dragon was amused by them at the same time. Sneasel seemed to know this and took particular joy in annoying Torrent by sitting on his head, randomly jumping on him, or poking him continuously. Ash was curious to see just how far Torrent's exceptional patience would extend before the dragon's dangerous temper would reveal itself. Sneasel would have to learn limits from someone, after all.

Dazed was wary of Sneasel. He instinctually knew that she was practically helpless to retaliate against him and took full advantage of that, despite Ash's scolding and warning him numerous times. Sneasel would learn his lesson eventually. The dark-type just had to push the right button so that Dazed would snap and show off what she was really capable of. But for now they seemed at an impasse. Dazed had, at Ash's suggestion, stayed around one of the other teammates to keep Sneasel from pushing her further.

Infernus was actually getting along with Sneasel disturbingly well. The fire-type was quick to scare Sneasel off with a weak blast of flame if the ice-type annoyed him, but Infernus had more patience than Ash had expected. He didn't understand all of the complexities of that relationship, but he knew that Infernus would be a good example and role model for Sneasel. Sneasel seemed to look up to the fire-type.

Tangrowth was probably the closest to Sneasel, aside from Ash and Infernus. He seemed to enjoy babying the dark-type and liked playing games just as much as Sneasel did. Right now their favorite game seemed to be one in which Tangrowth would try to poke Sneasel with several vines. Sneasel's part was to sever as many as he could, although he was inevitably overwhelmed by Tangrowth's speed and tickled until the grass-type grew bored.

Right now, Sneasel was trying to stalk Infernus. The fire-type was curled up in the ashes of their campfire, apparently asleep. But Ash knew his friend well enough to see the slight twitches that revealed that Infernus was awake.

Ash leaned back into Nidoking's armored chest and watched with a grin. Dazed and his temporary, rather uncomfortable headrest were watching as well. Plume was off doing something or another, and Tangrowth was sleeping in the last patch of the sunset's fading light. Torrent looked like he was asleep. It was hard to tell, sometimes.

Sneasel was silent as he prowled around in the shadows cast by the hundreds of trees surrounding them. His tiny fangs were bared as he suddenly rushed forward and leapt at Infernus from behind. He had quite a bit of strength in him for such a young pokemon.

Unfortunately for Sneasel, Infernus was well aware of what he was trying to do. The fire-type's eyes glinted with dark amusement as he casually slammed his tail into Sneasel and sent the dark-type flying a few feet.

He snorted at that, as did Nidoking. Dazed's eyes shined brightly, but not with psychic power. Sneasel cocked its head confusedly and stared at Infernus with bemusement. Apparently he couldn't understand what had just happened.

While Sneasel had been rebuked several times if he pushed too far, this was the first time physical force had been used on him. It was rather gentle, meant more to amuse Infernus than punish Sneasel for his attempted sneak attack, but it was still a first for Sneasel.

Sneasel growled and rushed at Infernus again, only to stop and dive to the side when Infernus turned his head and lazily shot a tiny, weak stream of orange flames towards Sneasel. The ice-type recoiled at the hot temperature but determinedly prepared to attack Infernus again.

Ash's eyes were alit with humor. Maybe memories of this would pop up in his dreams tonight instead of the rather unpleasant ones he had been subjected to thus far.

He relaxed onto Nidoking's armor even further and kept on watching the game. Ash wondered how long it would take Sneasel to realize that he wasn't going to win. Sneasel had proved to be very determined so far, and would probably only stop his mad drive for victory when he had completely exhausted himself.

So long as the two kept this up for a little longer, Ash didn't really care. He could watch this all night. It was a better alternative to watching the dark forms of the trees and prowling pokemon in the forest, at least.

XX

Five days later he was finally about to break out of the great forest. He hadn't been getting as much sleep as he normally did thanks to the incredibly annoying and infuriating nightmares that struck every other night or so and wouldn't go away and had eventually gotten so fed up with being tired, itchy, dirty, and extremely irritated that he'd cheated and had Plume show him the quickest way out.

It really was amazing how fast he could get through the forest when he had Infernus blasting a way through. So long as he had Torrent on hand to carefully extinguish the flames everything turned out perfectly. The lush vegetation he'd burned would regrow quickly enough.

As things turned out, however, he ran into that idiot in samurai gear again. He was in no mood for the other boy's crap, and released Infernus, who gladly took his side. Torrent levitated next to him as well. Sneasel was still perched on his shoulder, curiously leering at the boy in front of them.

"I remember you!" The boy cried. He released his Pinsir, who clicked its horns angrily at Ash and his friends. Ash just glared back. He wasn't in the mood for this. "You are one of the trainers from Pallet! I challenge you to a battle."

Ash scowled. "Infernus, you're up. Torrent, extinguish any fires. Sneasel, this is a battle." He grinned dangerously, which was matched by Sneasel and Infernus. Sneasel had started getting more mischievous, although not quite dangerous. "Well, this isn't a real battle. This is just what happens when trainers of vastly different skill levels battle."

Sneasel growled in amusement and peered closer. Infernus stepped forward with darkly amused eyes. He snorted a bit of flame.

He sighed when the idiot in front of him still thought it was a good idea to battle. "C'mon, Pinsir! Guillotine!"

Ash was actually surprised that the Pinsir was skilled enough to know the move. Maybe the idiot wasn't as bad as he thought. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to let the dangerous move so much as scratch Infernus.

"Flamethrower." He scowled. Infernus happily followed his command and bathed the bug in a blue stream of flame. It was hot enough to do serious damage to Pinsir but no so dangerous or strenuous as Infernus' ordinary white flame.

Pinsir instantly collapsed. Its trainer cried out in concern and instantly recalled the hurt bug-type. He turned to Ash furiously. "What are you doing? You could have hurt Pinsir! He's weak to fire."

"It's just unconscious." Ash growled as the boy ran up to him. Infernus slinked over to his side and menacingly glared down at the boy. "I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine. If it can't take a bit of fire, you should try training it."

The boy growled back but just walked away furiously. Apparently he wasn't used to losing. Ash didn't know what else the boy had expected. He'd just stayed here for months while Ash had been training and adventuring. He couldn't find it in him to feel any amount of pity for the other trainer.

Whoever the boy was, he was a Camper – the kind most trainers despised. A Camper was someone who simply stayed in one area and challenged travelers and passerby. Most of the time it was a perfectly legitimate way of training, especially if the trainer wasn't up for travelling.

But this kid seemed to be one of the ones that just did it for the money. He was staying at the very edge of Viridian Forest on the main path that most trainers took. Quite a few newbie trainers stayed in western Kanto since the pokemon there were less dangerous, and Viridian Forest was practically a requirement unless you could fly or teleport across.

In other words, the kid preyed upon young trainers. He probably lost a few times when the trainers were coming from Pewter and weren't tired and worn down – if he challenged the fresh trainers at all – but the ones that were exhausted and weak from fighting through Viridian Forest were probably simple for him to defeat. Most young trainers didn't have the skills of Ash, or even Jonathan and Amelia.

Ash wouldn't mind if the kid was trying to get better, but he seemed to just aim for money. It was annoying, really. He just glared at the kid as he ran away, too annoyed to want his money.

He shook his head and wiped the scowl off of his face. Ash knew he was probably overreacting. His interrupted sleep hadn't altered his mental state too much, but it, combined with the time spent in Viridian Forest and the stress the battle at Viridian had placed on him, had made him surly and a bit more temperamental than usual.

The trainer returned Infernus, although he left Torrent out. His friend had just finished extinguishing any of the flames left over from the rather pathetic battle, but Ash wanted to keep him out to keep any other trainers on the path from battling him.

For now he just wanted to travel the next half mile or so to Pewter, get a hot shower and some food that wasn't bland and flavorless, and battle Brock. Then he would be perfectly happy and content. For a night, anyway. He would be picking up on his journey as soon as he could.

So he started walking down the path yet again. Hopefully he wouldn't have any further disruptions. All Ash wanted now was to get out of the forest.

XX

Ash had a grin on his face when he stepped out of the bathroom. He'd just taken his shower and brushed his teeth and he finally felt clean. It wasn't as though he neglected his hygiene when he was out on the road, but it was difficult to get properly clean when he depended on getting sprayed down by Torrent or taking a dip in a river. A shower was a vast improvement.

He had switched out Plume for Bruiser already. Plume was fine with it since he would be bringing her back as soon as he could. She was just too valuable on the road to leave behind, even if she wasn't one of his best friends.

Bruiser hadn't gotten to show off his new skill when he was battling Giovanni. He'd gotten taken out by a lucky shot. Now that he had had some time to rest and recover from the injuries incurred from Golem he was ready to battle.

If Bruiser somehow lost, he'd let Torrent take the field. It had been a while since his friend had gotten to be in a more casual battle. Torrent was just too strong to use on an unprepared trainer, so he was normally forced to use him in important battles. But Brock was a gym leader. He would be ready to face Torrent, especially if he'd toughened up as much as Ash had.

"Sneasel, let's go." He called out. Sneasel quickly leapt off of his perch on Tangrowth's head and dashed over to Ash. Tangrowth gurgled and tapped Ash on the forehead before he was recalled. The others were already in their pokeballs. Ash had just wanted Tangrowth to keep Sneasel company.

Pewter City's Pokemon Center was quite small, so he was out in just a minute or so. More trainers were beginning to filter into the lobby, so he was glad he'd arrived when he did. It looked like the Center would be filled up pretty soon.

He grinned when he felt the midday sun strike his face. Viridian Forest's thick canopy had kept him from actually feeling the sun most of the time, and it was a rather pleasant feeling. There wasn't a tree in sight in the City of Stone, so he was perfectly content.

Ash was guided by memory as he made his way through the perfectly aligned streets of Pewter. He liked Pewter. It wasn't too huge, but still large enough to be impressive. He hadn't properly appreciated the age and craftsmanship that went into the city and its buildings the first time he had come here.

The people were nice as well. They reminded him more of people from small towns and cities like Pallet and Viridian than those of massive cities like Saffron and Celadon. There wasn't anything wrong with the city dwellers, but he had been raised in a tiny town. He was able to understand people from Viridian and Pewter better than the inhabitants of Saffron.

He found himself standing before the large gym in just a few moments. It was just like he remembered it: sturdy and plain. There wasn't much beauty in it like Sabrina's gym or creativity like Blaine's, but it fit the gym's philosophy and ideals perfectly. Strength and stability were more important than looking fancy. Practicality over aesthetics.

Ash had a nostalgic grin on his face as he stepped forward and pushed the heavy wooden doors open. At least he didn't have to rely on gym trainers to do it like he had in Viridian. He actually wondered if Pewter City had any gym trainers. They had to in order to protect the city, but he hadn't seen a trace of them in his last visit.

Perhaps they were primarily sent to guard Pewter's territory from poachers and settle dangerous pokemon like Rangers. Pewter's territory was vast and untamed, making it prime land for criminals to hide in.

"What are you here for?" A teenager with dark skin asked in a deep voice. Ash grinned as he recognized Brock. The gym leader was exactly as he remembered: he still wore the same green vest and was sitting cross legged on a pedestal of stone.

"A rematch." Ash spoke up. His eyes glittered with amusement as Brock's eyes actually snapped open, although they returned to their normal form almost instantaneously.

"And why would Ash Ketchum, the Prodigy of Pallet, want to battle me again?" Brock asked as he stood up. He crossed his arms and looked quite serious, although a light smile took the bite out of his words. "I haven't improved that much since we've battled, you know."

Ash smiled. He felt Sneasel peering out over his shoulder, curiously taking in the building they were in. Sneasel probably liked how dark it was. "I'm doing another circuit of Kanto. Why wouldn't I come back here? We've both gotten better, and this time you'll take me seriously."

Brock uncrossed his arms and grinned. "It's been a slow day so far, so I'll take you up on that offer. You know the drill. We don't need to go over the rules, do we? Two-on-two, just like last time."

The gym leader quickly led him to the battlefield – it was exactly the same as when he'd first entered the dark gym – and took up his side of the field. Ash entered the challenger's box and smiled when he felt the barriers spring to life.

"Challenger chooses first." Brock called out. Ash nodded and released Bruiser. His friend pounded his chest and gave Ash a respectful nod before focusing on whatever Brock would send out. "Like you said, I've gotten better. Let's see how you work against Steelix!"

Ash reflexively shielded his eyes against some of the debris that exploded as a huge Steelix, just a bit smaller than Giovanni's, erupted in the center of the battlefield. It roared and coiled up in the tiny mountains. Dull eyes peered out at Bruiser, full of life and warmth even during battle.

"Dragon Breath!" Brock roared. He pointed unnecessarily at Bruiser. Steelix opened its gaping maw, revealing a tunnel of darkness, and blasted a huge column of light green air at Bruiser.

"Take it." Ash commanded. Bruiser wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack, so he'd just have to take the hit. While his friend was perfectly capable of anchoring himself to the ground and staying rooted, he needed Steelix to strike. There was no way he'd get close enough otherwise.

Bruiser was sent flying into the psychic barriers. He grunted as he crashed into it and fell to the ground, but recovered just in time to see Steelix rushing towards him. Brock was too secure in its indomitable power.

As Steelix lurched back and struck, Ash called out, "Do the same thing as you did with the onix!"

His friend needed no other explanation. Bruiser reared his fist back and slammed it straight into Steelix's skull as it snapped at him. Steelix roared in pain and froze for a moment, giving Bruiser a moment to pick himself up. Ash was glad that fighting-types were so much more durable than humans. If they weren't that blow would have broken Bruiser's hand.

Bruiser grunted in pain as he sprinted over to Steelix and leapt onto the steel-type's massive body. Steelix roared and bucked. Ash watched interestedly as Bruiser was sent flying high up into the air. Steelix moved to slam into him and instantly knock Bruiser unconscious through its sheer size and power, but Bruiser knew what to do.

Sneasel hopped up and down excitedly on Ash's shoulder as Bruiser maneuvered his body so that he would be able to punch Steelix as he fell down. It was remarkably similar to how Ash defeated Brock the first time.

Unfortunately, Brock seemed used to the technique. "Dragon Breath. Then Iron Tail."

Steelix blasted Bruiser with the stream of green air and sent him flying back up into the air. Bruiser flailed helplessly, but as Steelix swept its tail at him Bruiser caught it and held onto the tip. He didn't try to resist the force, which saved him from a potentially severe injury.

Bruiser squeezed as tightly as he could. Ash grinned when he saw Steelix thrash angrily in pain. The steel on his tail was beginning to bend from the immense, constant pressure. It was a slow process, but it was infuriating Steelix.

Brock shouted soothing words at Steelix to calm it, but the creature continued to thrash thanks to the pain. Finally it had enough presence of mind to try and slam Bruiser into the battlefield, but Bruiser took that moment to jump off.

"Rock Tomb!" Brock shouted. Ash didn't bother giving Bruiser commands. There wasn't much he could do to help. Bruiser knew what he was doing.

Steelix finally calmed down enough to follow Brock's order. It slammed its tail into the ground. The entire battlefield churned and groaned as the stone and earth responded to Steelix's command. Huge pillars of rock shot out from the earth and the stone walls. Each was aimed at Bruiser.

Bruiser punched through several of them before he realized he had to dodge. He destroyed one more before he charged at Steelix, who was completely focused on commanding the earth. Steelix tried to block Bruiser's charge with a wall of stone, but Bruiser barreled through it.

Steelix was too slow to avoid Bruiser as he landed a powerful punch straight into Steelix's midsection. The steel armor dented from the blow and caused Brock to resort to desperate measures. Brock seemed to realize that Bruiser was too agile for Steelix to hurt him physically, not without Bruiser being weakened.

"Hyper beam!" Brock shouted. Steelix instantly formed a ball of swirling orange and red energy in its mouth. It built up for just a few seconds before blasting towards Bruiser. Bruiser leapt out of its way, but Steelix followed him easily. Wherever the hyper beam hit the earth was covered in soot and fused into molten glass.

"On its back." Ash said with a grin. Sneasel was growling happily into his ear as the little dark-type watched the great battle. He seemed even more into it than Ash was.

Bruiser used all of his immense strength to leap onto Steelix's back. The steel-type was forced to cut off its hyper beam before it accidentally attacked itself. While the attack was classified as a normal-type move, it held so much raw energy that the effects were much like an extremely concentrated flamethrower. It was understandable why Steelix wouldn't want to melt its own armor off.

Ash grinned as Steelix collapsed to the ground for a moment. Bruiser took the time to race up to its head, slide down, and punch it right between the eyes. Steelix roared confusedly as its forehead dented. He winced at that. That would be annoying.

"Finish it." He ordered calmly. Bruiser jumped onto the solid earth and closed his eyes. The fighting-type focused all of his energy into a single movement as he turned around and slammed his fist into the same, dented spot.

Steelix's eyes opened up almost comically in shock before shutting. Its immense body grew slack before Brock returned him. The gym leader was smiling. "Good battle. I have to admit, you've done a good job training your pokemon. Let's see how well you do against Rhydon!"

Ash silently groaned. Rhydon were tough. They had incredibly thick stone armor, they had access to a wide range of attacks, and they functioned quite similar to Nidoking in a battle. As he'd learned from his friend, Nidoking were nothing to be trifled with, and, by the same logic, neither were Rhydon.

Rhydon seemed a bit larger than average for its breed, although nothing exceptional. It certainly didn't compare to the monster that Ash had met on his way to Saffron for the first time. Nevertheless, he resolved to be careful. Brock was taking him seriously now and wouldn't send out a weak pokemon against him.

"Bruiser, be careful." Ash warned. "Keep away from its tail."

Bruiser nodded and cracked his knuckles. He tensed up and prepared for a charge.

"Stone Edge!" Brock shouted. He pumped his fist in excitement. "Follow that with Earthquake! Keep it away."

Rhydon roared as rings of energy formed around it before yanking stone from the ground and fashioning it into sharp stone projectiles. It looked like it wasn't quite strong enough to transform the energy directly into the stone.

Even as the sharp rocks shot towards Bruiser, Rhydon leapt up into the air. When it landed an immense shockwave tore through the ground and made the ground ripple like water. Bruiser leapt into the air to avoid the earthquake, but two of the stones slammed into his chest and sent him crashing to the ground.

Ash winced but didn't step in yet. Bruiser would be fine. It looked like Rhydon was preparing another attack.

Bruiser dodged a weak lance of electricity that sparked forth from Rhydon's horn and began his charge. Rhydon blinked dumbly at him before slamming his tail into the ground. Another earthquake, somewhat weaker than the last, rippled through the ground.

Now that he knew what to expect, Bruiser leapt midcharge before landing easily on his feet. He quickly resumed his charge and, carried by the momentum, arrived at Rhydon quickly. The rock-type roared and tried to stab at Bruiser with its horn, but Bruiser easily ducked around the blow.

Bruno's lessons to Bruiser seemed to take hold then. Instead of simply letting Rhydon's angry attack pass, Bruiser grabbed Rhydon's head and used his immense strength to pull both of them down. Rhydon grunted angrily as it slammed into the ground next to Bruiser and kicked up a small cloud of dirt.

Rhydon was too heavy to get up easily, so Bruiser took his time. He circled around Rhydon and patiently looked for any chink in its thick armor he could exploit. When Bruiser found none, he grimaced and carefully launched a punch into the back of Rhydon's head.

The thick stone hide was excellent for neutralizing elemental attacks and most physical attacks, but it wasn't so good against blunt force. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. It protected quite well against reasonable amounts of blunt force. But the kind of power Bruiser put into his punch was far beyond what anything could ordinarily expect to encounter in the wilderness.

So it wasn't a surprise to anyone when Rhydon collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Bruiser pounded his chest and turned back to Ash as he stood above his conquered foe. He gave a respectful bow to Ash, which the trainer returned. Ash gave Bruiser a bit longer to savor his victory before he returned his friend.

Sneasel was hissing happily as well. He was scraping his claws together, which Ash took to be an expression of excitement.

"Good job, Bruiser." Ash whispered to Bruiser's pokeball. It shook a bit in response before quieting down. He had a grin on his face as he placed it back onto his belt. He stared at it a bit longer before he realized that Brock had circled around.

"I can see why the other gym leaders were impressed." Brock said with an easy grin. "That Machoke of yours is pretty impressive. I bet the others are just as good."

"They are." Ash replied. All of his battlers were incredible. He couldn't have asked for better.

Brock nodded and crossed his arms. "Well, I don't really have anything to give you. You already have the Boulder Badge and I don't have any unruly pokemon that I need to get rid of."

"A good battle is enough for me." Ash said happily. It was nice to have a gym battle that wasn't a constant struggle for victory. Technically this wasn't a gym battle, but to him it was. This had reminded him of his early days, when the gyms hadn't been a true challenge.

"Me too." Brock replied. He held out his hand, which Ash grasped in return. It was rough and calloused, exactly what he would expect from the Pewter City gym leader. "If you ever want to battle again, I'm game. I'll be ready next time."

"I'll swing by eventually." Ash smiled. It would be nice to battle Brock again. While it wasn't especially challenging, it was still fun. Bruiser could use the workout, anyways. "Thanks for the battle."

"You're welcome." Brock said. As Ash turned around to leave, he had one more thing to say. "Good luck on your journey, by the way. I'll be watching at the Conference."

Ash nodded his thanks again before walking out of the large gym. Sneasel was still perched on his shoulder and relentlessly growling and hissing as they walked back into the sun. It was still afternoon, so they had plenty of time to burn.

He wouldn't be leaving today, but he still needed to stock up on supplies. Viridian Forest had drained quite a bit of it.

So he set off to gather what he needed. It would keep him occupied for a while, at least. After that, who knew? Maybe he would get a good, long night of sleep for once.

XX

Ash stood outside of Pewter with his friends. Plume was flying overhead, lazily circling high above him. He smiled as he looked up at her. If his memories of the road from Pewter to Mt. Moon were reliable, she would be invaluable navigating the difficult terrain.

Nidoking and Tangrowth stood beside him. They were both eager to get a move on. His first friend simply enjoyed travelling and finding new challenges while Tangrowth wanted to explore and swing through the trees.

He grinned and started walking. Things had gotten dark over the last few weeks, but things were finally calming down. Maybe the world would fix itself by the time he got to Cerulean.

But he had another area to investigate first. It was the site of an incident that had shown him just how far Team Rocket was willing to go and had set him down his path. But those memories weren't important to him, not in this matter.

What was important was finding the Moon Stone. If it was as important to Nidoking as he suspected, he would spend months searching for it in the depths of Mt. Moon.

That was in the future, though. The near future, certainly, but for now he should just focus on walking. He'd get there in time.

Everything would work out for him in time. He was sure of it.

And there's Chapter Fourteen! I know it's not a monster like the last two chapters have been, but I think it's a refreshing change. My hands aren't slowly breaking down, which is definitely a plus.

Enough about me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and remember to review!