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.

15. Chapter 15: Mt Moon

AN: Well, here's Chapter Fifteen. Sorry for the long wait, but I had a minor surgery that distracted me for a few days. Thanks for everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, or read last chapter, and keep it up! Nearly 500 reviews…wow. I hope everyone enjoys this one.

Sneasel hissed at his opponent as he circled the machop. He sent a few teasing swipes at the grey humanoid, but Machop stood its ground and punched back. The dark-type couldn't take hits like that, so he was always forced to back off.

"Icy Wind. Quick Attack with Ice Punch after." He said smoothly. Sneasel hissed his understanding before he opened his mouth and blew a beam of wind with sparkling blue snow in it at Machop. The fighting-type clenched its eyes shut and grunted in discomfort. It wasn't enough to do real damage, but the distraction was just as valuable.

The dark-type hissed and blurred forward. When he reached Machop both of his claws were covered in thick ice and emanated freezing mist. Sneasel snickered as he smashed them into Machop. The fighting-type threw a wild punch at Sneasel, but he danced away.

"Low Kick!" His foe, a girl a little older than him cried. Machop ducked and swept his leg at Sneasel just as the dark-type escaped. Sneasel grinned and hissed something that seemed to infuriate Machop. It broke into a reckless charge.

"Faint Attack."

Sneasel's fangs were bared as he vanished in a flare of darkness. He instantly appeared behind Machop and blasted a gust of frozen air into the fighter's back. Machop stumbled, which allowed Sneasel to swipe his claws at Machop's legs and flip it onto its back.

Now that the fighter was completely at his mercy, instinct flared in Sneasel's eyes and he dived for Machop's exposed throat with his razor sharp claws.

"Stop!" Ash commanded sharply. His voice instantly snapped Sneasel out of his blood rage and the dark-type stepped back. The Machop seemed a bit shaken and quickly stumbled back over to its trainer, who glared at Ash before returning the fighting-type and rushing off.

Normally Ash would be annoyed at her, but he'd warned the girl about Sneasel before the fight and had told her that he didn't want her money. He had too much as it was. Besides, he could understand the horror that arose when one's best friend was put into a dangerous situation.

"Good job." He congratulated. Sneasel growled happily back and clambered up onto his back. Ash smiled. The dark-type had taken to battle quite well, although he was still fighting the instincts that demanded he kill whatever he had at his mercy. They were making progress on that, though, so he wasn't too worried.

Ash released Nidoking once Sneasel was comfortable. Sneasel didn't need to battle anymore – he'd already been in six today – and he didn't want anyone to bother challenging him. For some reason other trainers weren't so anxious to battle him when he had a gigantic Nidoking lumbering beside him.

"Hey, buddy." Ash grinned as he patted Nidoking's thick purple shoulder. His friend grunted back and exposed his fangs in a friendly greeting. The trainer looked down the path that would lead them to their destination. "We'll reach Mt. Moon in the next few days. Do you think you can find the Moon Stone when we get there?"

Nidoking's eyes glazed over at the mention of the sacred object, but he retained enough presence of mind to nod. His great chest rose and fell excitedly at the mention of the Moon Stone. Ash grinned. He hadn't been able to be as close to Nidoking as he would have liked lately thanks to all the excitement going on. This would give him a chance to do something really meaningful for his oldest friend.

Sneasel growled something, which made Nidoking's eyes flash. The poison-type carefully raised his powerful arm and shoved Sneasel off of Ash's shoulder. Ash grinned as Sneasel sputtered and growled helplessly before he ran back up to his position on Ash's shoulder.

"You've got to be careful now, Sneasel." Ash chided gently. The dark-type growled and stared distrustfully at Nidoking, who had bared his fangs in amusement. "You're fair game now that you're training. If you can give a hit, you can take one."

Nidoking growled his agreement before he shoved Sneasel off again. The dark-type hissed in annoyance and scampered back up Ash's back. He didn't come all the way up, however, but simply peered distrustfully over his shoulder.

"Alright, that's enough." Ash said with a grin. Nidoking bared his fangs again and pounded his claws together. "I want to get to Mt. Moon tomorrow, so let's get a move on."

XX

Mt. Moon was about five miles away. Ash would just wake up early tomorrow so that they'd reach it by noon. Five miles was a pretty easy distance to cross in a few hours. They'd crossed much more than that in the six days they'd travelled so far.

He'd set up camp just a few minutes ago. There wasn't much to do, really. Just lay out his sleeping mat, light a campfire, and feed him and his friends.

Today was one of the days Infernus had deigned to eat. Not with them, of course. He'd taken a large bag of pokemon food and dragged it off into the wilderness. Ash had spotted it catching fire in the distance before Infernus had returned to the camp. The fire-type had seemed quite satisfied and had curled up next to the campfire.

Nidoking was digging into a large pile of food and berries Ash had poured onto the ground for him. It had vanished at an impressive rate, and now Nidoking was lazily picking around for the last scraps of berries. Even though he seemed relaxed, Ash's practiced eyes could spot a tenseness about him. His friend was anxious to seek out the Moon Stone.

Plume never seemed to be very hungry. Ash assumed that she was finding most of her nutrition in other places – ones that he really didn't want to think about. Nevertheless, Plume still pecked at the large pellets of food around the campfire. It seemed to be more about bonding with the team than anything else, however. She was huddled close to Nidoking.

Torrent was already finished eating. He had simply sucked most of the food in through his snout in a few seconds – in a dignified manner, of course – and contentedly watched the campfire leap and dance. The kingdra was levitating next to Ash and kept a watchful eye on the surrounding darkness.

Dazed was standing directly behind him. She was completely silent aside from the light sound of her breathing. Ash noticed that she had been a bit more paranoid about his safety ever since his nightmares began. Whenever she was out of her pokeball she never strayed from his side.

Tangrowth was sleeping up in a tree. He didn't really need to eat except every few days or so thanks to his photosynthesis. Since he had finished training Sneasel for the night – Ash wanted to get Sneasel's coordination perfect before they engaged in any serious battles, so he had Tangrowth launching several vines at once at Sneasel, who had to slice them off or be lightly stung – he seemed to have decided that the most productive thing he could do was sleep.

Sneasel, on the other hand, wasn't in any one place. The battles and intense training didn't seem to have any effect on his energy. One moment he was prodding Tangrowth to try and get the grass-type to play and the next he was jumping on Torrent's back. Ash hoped he calmed down soon. It wasn't like he could get Dazed to use hypnosis on the small dark-type.

His PokeNav suddenly began to vibrate. Ash frowned and curiously picked it up. He'd never had a call on it before. He was always the one calling. It wasn't as though he made friends with many people.

Nevertheless he flipped it open and glanced at the message. It was quite the surprise when he realized the caller was Steven. Ash hurriedly received the call.

"Steven?" He asked disbelievingly. Ash had never expected the former Champion to call him. "Do you need something?"

"No." The calm voice of the older man replied. There was something different about his tone, however. He sounded excited and happy. "But I do have something important to tell you. Pierce has been put away for life. The trial just ended."

A wide grin split across Ash's face. "That's great news!" He grew a bit more somber. "Have you heard about what's happening in Kanto right now?"

"How could I not?" Steven sighed. His voice was tight and stony. "I saw the video. Lance sent it to me, Wallace and Cynthia. That thing…it puts everything I've ever seen to shame. To defeat three of the Elite Four and so many ACE trainers is a stunning feat. If I could, I'd come and help however I could. Unfortunately, Hoenn is calling on me. We have our own problems at the moment."

Ash nodded forlornly and glanced at the video screen. Steven looked a bit younger than when he'd last seen him, but weight far beyond his years seemed to weigh down upon the former Champion's shoulders. While he would have liked for Steven to come and help, he understood his reasons. Hoenn was Steven's homeland. It came first.

"I'll come when I can." Steven promised. He smiled slightly and clasped his hands. "From what I've heard, Lance is putting his plans into action even now. The Psychic is too powerful to strike at directly, but perhaps we can force Team Rocket to fall down around it."

He understood. "Thanks for calling me. At least now I know Pierce won't escape again."

Steven's face darkened. "He won't see the light of day. I've made sure of that." He relaxed. Ash noticed that the former Champion had been clenching the armrests of the rather expensive looking chair he was sitting in tightly. "But enough of serious matters. They seem to be all too prevalent as of late."

The former Champion smiled at Ash. "I'll be at the Indigo Conference, by the way. It's supposed to be a good year for the League and I'm quite interested to see just how far you've come."

"Thanks, Steven." Ash said brightly. He was sure that Steven was there for additional security for the most part, but at least he had something to look forward to. "Will any of the other Champions aside from you and Lance be there?"

"Former Champion." Steven corrected lightly. His brow furrowed as he adopted a thoughtful expression. "I don't believe so. Every region has its problems at the moment, and it's not good for the Champions to be in one place for a myriad of reasons. They have their own Conferences to look after." He laughed. "Lance is lucky this year. The League finally moved the Silver Conference to February. He won't have to be jumping around between the two every March."

Ash grinned at that. He could only imagine how stressful it would be to oversee two Conferences at once, even if they were held on separate days. It'd be maddening.

"Thanks for calling to tell me." Ash said gratefully. He still had a smile on his face at the news. Pierce had finally been locked up for good. Team Rocket might have unveiled their own surprise, but at least there was some justice.

"You're welcome." Steven replied with a dip of his head. He glanced at his watch. "Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized it was this late in Kanto. Well, good night."

Ash smiled. There was just a hint of bitterness in the expression. Last night had been a good night, so the nightmares would probably hit hard tonight. He was wondering if he should call Lance. The Champion was probably still recovering and would probably know more about the strange manifestations of his subconscious than he did.

But he didn't say any of that. "Good night, Steven."

The screen went black a moment later. Ash looked up and realized that most of his pokemon were staring at him. It was obvious that they'd heard about Pierce.

"Pierce is locked up for good." He said in a very satisfied manner. Infernus' eyes burned dark at the mention of Pierce and the fire-type rubbed at the thick scar where the hyper beam had shot through his shoulder. It was practically invisible, but it was there.

Nidoking bared his fangs happily. He didn't have any scars thanks to evolution and the growth of his thick armor, but he still had the psychological scars from his mauling. Ash patted the large poison-type on the shoulder comfortingly, eliciting a low grunt from his friend.

The others hadn't been hurt as badly by Pierce. They'd taken some damage, true, and they were certainly glad that the man who had threatened Ash was gone, but it didn't have as much of an impact on them. Ash was glad for that. Even if they would gladly kill Pierce themselves it showed that they weren't keeping grudges for too long.

Ash glanced over at Sneasel. The dark-type seemed perplexed by everything that was going on. He assumed that one of the others would fill him in later.

He yawned suddenly, which made him realize that he should get to bed if he wanted to hit Mt. Moon early. If he had any nightmares he'd get more time to recover from them as well.

With that, he stood up and laid down on his mat. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Infernus would probably sleep on the camp fire and keep it from going out of control, so he didn't really have to worry about that. Everything else he could get in the morning.

XX

"My partner is foolish." The Creature hissed into his mind. It raised its orb-like fingers and crushed them together. Ash's eyes bugged out and his vision burned red as horrible pain wracked his body. His bones groaned and cracked underneath the strain and his mind raced furiously as he awaited the splintering of his skeleton. "He will see the logic in my actions soon enough. Thank you for a most interesting battle."

Ash screamed as the invisible force multiplied and his body began to break underneath the pressure. The last thing he saw were the Creature's cold, glowing blue eyes before everything exploded into whiteness –

He shot out of his bed, awoken both by the thankfully quick end of the nightmare and Sneasel's worried pokes. Ash smiled tiredly down at the small dark-type. "I'm fine. Thanks for waking me."

Dazed loomed above him as well. Her eyes were worried. The others just gave him a glimpse of concern before returning to their slumber. His friends had finally accepted that he would have nightmares and, at his prodding, had simply left him to get through it. It had taken him a while to convince his friends that there was nothing they could do to help.

"Sneasel, go back to sleep." He said soothingly. Sneasel might be fighting now, but he still had a few more weeks to go before he was mature enough to sleep with another one of the "pack" or on his lonesome. The dark-type needed his sleep. "I'll be back in a minute."

Sneasel hissed before slipping back underneath the blanket. Ash glanced at the sleek form of his friend before sighing and meeting Dazed's eyes. "I know I've said this before, but thank you. You protected me from so much for the last few months."

Dazed shrugged. She didn't seem to think it was too big a deal. Or else she was trying to take the emotion out of the situation. Ash knew that she wasn't very emotional and didn't handle the feelings well.

"Still, thanks." He replied. Ash gave Dazed a quick smile before he slipped back under the blanket with Sneasel. The trainer's mind was too active to go to sleep yet, but as he stared into the innumerable stars burning in the night sky, the sight untarnished by light or smog, he felt a bit more relaxed.

In just a few minutes he returned to sleep. There were dreams, but none of those that he feared.

XX

"Are you ready?" Ash asked Nidoking. He had just recalled Plume. She would be of no use in Mt. Moon. Sneasel rode on his shoulder. It would be good practice for him to battle any aggressive wild pokemon. Unless they were strong. Then Nidoking would take over.

Nidoking growled happily and stood by Ash's side. They weren't entering the same way as he had the first time he'd entered the great mountain. He'd gotten directions from the PokeNav's map of Mt. Moon as to where he could enter a wild area.

He knew that the Moon Stone wouldn't be accessible from the ordinary path the League had created. They wouldn't allow a natural treasure like that to be easily accessible. Aside from the importance they placed upon it, many pokemon were attracted to its power. The League wouldn't want anyone to be hurt thanks to proximity to the Moon Stone or if someone tried to steal it.

"Let's head in." He said quietly. It was a shame that he hadn't brought Seeker. She needed to get out more. Still, he'd make it up to her eventually. Right now Nidoking was able to sense the earth and feel vibrations in it. Combined with Sneasel's excellent night vision, his friend would be able to navigate through the mountain quite easily.

Sneasel hissed excitedly as they took their first steps into the gaping maw of the chasm that opened into Mt. Moon's passages. Ash just had a determined smile on his face. He didn't know how long he'd spend in the labyrinth, but it didn't matter. If it made Nidoking happy he'd spend eternity in the catacombs.

XX

He adjusted to the darkness rather quickly. Ash had opted to leave his flashlight in his pack. It was better if he just let his eyes get used to the darkness. The flashlight should be saved for emergencies.

Sneasel was having quite a bit of fun running around the caves. He'd run into several geodude, but they were easily knocked out. Ash had to spend a bit of time keeping an eye on Sneasel to keep him from going for the kill. It would normally be difficult to pierce a geodude's armored carapace, but Sneasel's claws were sharp enough. Combined with his ability to freeze the rock-types, it made Sneasel a very credible threat.

Ash was also wary of the zubat as they ventured further in. He'd had a slight headache after they'd ventured deep enough into Mt. Moon, a sure sign of active zubat being present. While he could easily fight off the zubat if they decided to swarm him, he'd rather the situation not come to that. Neither group would emerge unscathed from such a confrontation.

Other than those threats, the first day was rather uneventful. Most graveler and golem lived on the outside of the mountain. Geodude only stayed inside of the safe passages to keep away from dangerous situations. Onix weren't able to survive in the network of passageways, even if they were the ones who had formed the bulk of them in the first place. The mountain had been made too unstable by their constant digging to support their immense weight. Crobat and golbat were the real concern, although not a major one.

Ash knew there was a lot of ground to cover, so he knew that he wouldn't have found it on the first day. Still, he hoped that he could find the Moon Stone without too much trouble. Something about being in a tomb of stone and earth was disheartening. It made him feel on edge, even if his eyes were able to breach the darkness well enough.

At least he wouldn't have to search the entire mountain. He knew the Moon Stone was some sort of meteorite or celestial object. Therefore it would have to be somewhere at the top of the mountain. It had probably crashed through a bit of Mt. Moon before landing in its current position, so it would be easy enough to trace should he reach the higher levels successfully.

Unfortunately even getting to the upper levels would be difficult. Mt. Moon and the chain of smaller mountains that branched off of it to the south were the entire reason Kanto could be split into two. It wasn't as large as Mt. Silver, but it and its mountain chain still dominated the entirety of northern Kanto. The great mount was a little less than nine miles in diameter, although it wasn't particularly tall compared to its counterparts in the Ore Mountains. Nevertheless it was daunting to climb, even from the inside. Ash wasn't sure if he would simply search for holes made by Onix or have Torrent and Nidoking blast holes in the mountain for him.

Ash frowned as he laid down on his mat. His friends were around him and he felt perfectly safe, but he still wasn't sure how he would go about this. Torrent would likely be far more important than would be expected in the coming days.

XX

Torrent levitated back a bit in a rather satisfied manner as a section of the mountain above them fell down. He had shot high-pressured jets of water into the ceiling to cut it out. Ash had made sure to make as much noise as possible to warn any pokemon away from their location while they did that. He really didn't want any of them getting hurt.

"Thanks, buddy." Ash said gratefully. Torrent gave him a dignified nod before Ash recalled him. He glanced over to Dazed, who was standing right beside him. "Alright, I'm ready."

He closed his eyes as Dazed teleported him to the next level. Ash didn't want to wait while his eyes grew accustomed to the light. When it was safe he opened his eyes and released Tangrowth, Sneasel, and Nidoking.

"Thank you." He told Dazed. She nodded and was silent as he recalled her. Ash glanced over to Tangrowth. The grass-type's bright, saucer-like eyes were barely visible in the darkness but he could easily hear the excited gurgle. "Hey, buddy. Can you use Ancient Power to bring that rock back up?"

Tangrowth gurgled and shot several spheres of bright white energy into it. Ash made sure to look away, but he could hear the groaning of the stone as Tangrowth wrenched and sealed it back into place. It sounded like it took some effort to manipulate the stone by the end, but Tangrowth pulled through.

"Good job, Tangrowth." He said as his friend wrapped him up in a hug with his rubbery arms. Tangrowth didn't like the caves and tried to keep contact with Ash at all times. "I'll try to let you stay in your pokeball for a while, alright?"

The grass-type gurgled happily before Ash returned him and clipped the pokeball back onto his belt. Nidoking tapped his shoulder and Ash suddenly realized that he could hear Sneasel's angry hisses and the sounds of a scuffle.

"Thanks for alerting me." He said. Nidoking grunted and lumbered after him as Ash carefully stepped over to where Sneasel was fighting. Ash could make out the familiar, spherical form of a geodude floating and punching at Sneasel, who seamlessly dodged them and responded with a blast of freezing air.

"Sneasel, let it go." Ash said sternly. He could tell that Sneasel was about to use Ice Punch on the geodude, which wouldn't be good. It would send the geodude into shock and probably crack its shell.

It was a sign of good progress that Sneasel immediately backed off. He whined at Ash as he clambered up onto the trainer's back. Ash smiled and scratched underneath his feather. "Good boy. Nidoking, can you tell if this way is a dead end?"

Nidoking grunted a negative. Ash grinned and started stepping forward, although he took the time to gently move the unconscious geodude to the side so that it wouldn't be attacked.

They'd gotten their system down quite well. Sneasel took care of any pokemon that attacked, Nidoking told him when it was a dead end or when they could go up into another passage on a higher level, Torrent sliced the stone out, Dazed teleported him up once she was able to see where she was going, Tangrowth mended the damage they'd done, and Nidoking told him where to go.

It worked perfectly. Ash didn't like hurting the environment in Mt. Moon, so he was sure to fix any damage he caused. Tangrowth was more than happy to help.

He hoped progress stayed this fast. They'd gone up at least a few hundred feet thanks to the odd slopes and teleportation, so it shouldn't be long before Nidoking was able to guide him to the Moon Stone. Ash fully expected Nidoking to feel it when they grew closer. His friend was already acting strangely happy, so it was giving him hope.

Ash wasn't sure how long they'd been at it, but he figured he would just stop once he got tired. There was no point in overexerting himself, after all. He had all the time in the world to find the Moon Stone.

Sneasel suddenly hissed and pointed. Ash snapped his attention over to his left and saw the small form of a clefairy staring at them. When it realized that he saw it, the clefairy squeaked and began to run away. Sneasel grinned and leapt off of Ash's shoulder to go catch it.

"No." Ash said. He didn't want Clefairy to get hurt. Aside from it being the best way to find the Moon Stone, he needed Sneasel to curb his aggressiveness a bit. Besides, these tunnels were Clefairy's home. If it wished it could easily make life very painful for them.

"Just track it." Ash said. Sneasel hissed and leapt off of his shoulder. He landed lightly upon the hard stone ground and slunk towards the direction of Clefairy, his nose inches from the ground. Ash was glad for Sneasel's tracking abilities. None of his other friends would have been able to do it.

Ash and Nidoking set off behind Sneasel. Hopefully they weren't too far. Still, as long as Sneasel could keep on picking up a scent Ash would be happy.

The Moon Stone awaited him.

XX

After another two hours of following the Clefairy, Ash was forced to relent. His body was exhausted and he needed to sleep. Sneasel still had all the energy in the world, but Nidoking was of a similar mind as Ash. They had been traversing the tunnels for what felt like an eternity.

He honestly wasn't sure how the Clefairy was going so fast. They weren't known for their running speed, although he supposed that they had access to other sources of movement. Clefairy held many strange powers. Not all were useful for battle, but they could do many actions that other pokemon could not.

Ash had thought about catching one while he stayed in Mt. Moon, but quickly threw that idea away. He didn't want to anger the clefairy, especially not when he was in their territory. They weren't all that strong by themselves, but in large groups they could be devastating, even more so when they were angry. Clefairy were normally just as innocent as most people thought they were, but all pokemon were willing to protect themselves.

Clefairy also tended to harbor close relationships with the pokemon living around them. If he got on their bad side he might face an entire mountain of furious pokemon. The risk was simply too great.

Ash yawned and stared at Infernus' flickering tail flame, the only light in the passages. He could barely make out the forms of his other companions. Most were asleep. But he did need to talk to one.

"Tangrowth, could you come over here?" Ash asked. Nidoking started up at his words. He had forgone his sleeping mat for Nidoking. His friend served well enough as a pillow, if a somewhat uncomfortable one. When the poison-type realized that Ash wasn't calling for him, he went back to sleep, ears twitching.

Tangrowth gurgled. His large, round eyes reflected enough light that Ash could see them clearly. Ash started when he realized that his friend was just a few feet away from him. When he'd eaten earlier – he was having to eat actual food much more often now thanks to the lack of sunlight – he had been curled up next to Torrent.

Ash glanced around for Sneasel and spotted him sharpening his claws on the cavern walls. All he could see and hear was the dark-type's bright red eyes and a long, slow scraping sound. He figured that it was loud enough to drown out Sneasel's hearing.

"Keep a close eye on him." He said quietly. Sneasel was getting a little more independent as of late and he didn't want the dark-type running off to try and hunt on his own. That could only lead to trouble. "Wake me if you need to."

Tangrowth gurgled and tapped him on the forehead before falling back to the cavern wall in slumber. Ash glanced behind him at Dazed, who was standing right behind Nidoking's massive form. Her eyes glowed eerily in the blackness of the cave and he detected a nod of understanding from her as well.

With that in mind he focused his mind on sleep. It wasn't hard with the low groaning of the caves around him and the steady rise and fall of Nidoking's chest. When he was barely conscious he felt Sneasel slide in with him underneath the worn blanket.

XX

He was disturbed from his peaceful slumber by an angry hissing. Ash immediately snapped up and saw Sneasel wrapped up in Tangrowth's vines. The trainer sighed and noted that Dazed was by his side, glaring at the yowling dark-type.

"Let him go, Tangrowth." Ash said quietly. There was a note of exhaustion in his note. Tangrowth acquiesced and gurgled at the small dark-type as he rushed over to Ash. He glanced down at Sneasel, who was very small by his side. "Thank you."

"You can't go running off on your own." Ash chided gently. Sneasel hissed glumly but obediently. "You've handled the geodude very well, but there are stronger things that haunt these passages. What would you do if you found a sandslash or golbat?"

Sneasel unsheathed his claws and blew a puff of freezing air at the wall, leaving a thin layer of frost over the hard stone. Ash shook his head. "You're doing well, but you need to stick by us. When you're stronger I'll let you run around, but just stay here for now. Deal?"

The dark-type hissed before he retracted his hooked claws and gave a hesitant nod. Ash smiled at him. "Good. Go back to bed. There'll be plenty to do in the morning." He glanced up at Dazed and Tangrowth. Ash knew that Dazed had been the one who alerted Tangrowth. She didn't sleep. "Thank you. You just saved us a lot of trouble."

Dazed silently nodded before returning to his side as a vigilant guardian. Tangrowth made his odd happy noise before he collapsed to the ground and curled up.

Ash shut his eyes and placed one arm around Sneasel. He fell asleep quickly.

XX

He knew he was close. They had searched for eight hours, following every turn and trick the Clefairy had tried to pull. There had been a few run-ins with small groups of geodude and the zubat had begun to attack whenever they drew near, but Sneasel and Nidoking easily scared them off with Icy Wind and Ice Beam, respectively.

Ash wondered if he could get Nidoking to teach Sneasel Ice Beam. He knew that Sneasel could learn it from a TM, so he should be able to learn it if he was taught it. TMs just uploaded data to a pokemon's brain. They still had to have the capability to actually use it, even if it would never happen in the wild.

The trainer was dragged from his thoughts when Nidoking gave a soft grunt and tapped him on the shoulder with a dull claw. Ash stopped and glanced over at the barely visible form of his friend. "What is it?"

Nidoking growled and snorted. Sneasel hissed softly and hid behind Ash. Ash just watched carefully with crossed arms as Nidoking shut his eyes, which had acquired a silvery shine over the last hour. The great poison-type focused and lightly tapped his foot on the ground.

Ash frowned and stepped back when the tunnel began to shake and rumble from Nidoking's power. Nidoking suddenly caused the rumbling to cease, leaving nothing to remember it by but a thin layer of dust.

The poison-type stepped to the wall directly in front of them and turned around. His eyes shined from an otherworldly source as he brought his tail forward and suddenly slammed it into the wall, sending the ancient stone blasting outwards.

He coughed and covered his mouth and nose with his shirt as dust pervaded the air. Sneasel hissed and blew most of it away with a puff of icy air. Ash nodded his thanks before stepping up next to Nidoking. It was odd. His friend, normally calm and steadfast, seemed both excited and reverent.

Ash froze when he stood next to Nidoking. They stood on the edge of an immense crater. He looked down. There was naught but darkness, although he thought that part of the darkness seemed more intense than the rest, somehow. The trainer assumed that the tiny pinprick of shadow was the Moon Stone.

Then he looked up. Ash blinked in awe as he realized just how far away the sky was. After nearly three days of scaling the mountain from the inside they were only a little more than three fourths of the way up. But their height didn't matter, he mused. Their path was clear.

"Great job." He said reverently. Nidoking growled. His eyes glowed now, alit with an inner flame of flickering silver. The Moon Stone had a far stronger effect than Ash had expected. Its energy awoke something in the creatures whose evolution it sparked, something more than mere metamorphosis.

"Do you want Dazed to teleport us down or do you want me to recall you and fly down?" Ash questioned. Nidoking paused and grunted once. The trainer nodded and glanced down at Sneasel. Even his ruby eyes held a glimmer of silver thanks to their proximity to the Moon Stone. It was the only part of the dark-type that Ash's eyes could make out in the blackness. "I'm recalling you, alright?"

Sneasel hissed in annoyance but didn't fight as the red energy engulfed him and lit the entire cave. When it vanished, the only light source left was the pure light of the stars shining down through the crater.

Dazed's eyes didn't burn with silver when she was released. They simply exuded dark blue light, the same as whenever she used her power. Ash smiled when she nodded at him. She knew what had happened.

"Can you teleport us to the Moon Stone?" He questioned. Dazed cocked her head and considered for a moment before nodding. Ash was relieved. Sometimes large sources of energy such as the Moon Stone could have strange effects on psychics. At least Dazed would be fine.

Nidoking braced himself as Dazed shut her eyes and focused. He grunted in pain as the psychic energy entombed him in its bright, crushing grip and warped the trio down into the abyss.

Ash looked around in the darkness. He could only see traces of the large crater thanks to the weak starlight filtered through the atmosphere. Dazed and Nidoking stood by his side, each taking in the sacred place in awe.

He couldn't see the Moon Stone. His eyes were still maladjusted thanks to recalling Sneasel. The bright light had ruined whatever adaptations he had made over the hours.

Just because he couldn't see the Moon Stone didn't mean he couldn't feel it.

The Moon Stone released powerful energy that raised every hair on his body. It sent lightning coursing through his nerves and reverence flooding into his brain. Ash didn't fight it. He simply stood still with closed eyes. Starlight bathed him just as the Moon Stone's aura did.

He heard Nidoking take a knee, a powerful statement for the proud monarch. Dazed did not, but her glowing eyes, alit without any effort on her part, shined strangely. They pulsed with emotion, revealing just the hint of a large boulder's outline.

Ash breathed deeply one last time to let the energy enter his body before he looked straight up. The crater was far deeper than he had anticipated. It was at the very bottom of Mt. Moon, right where the mountain met the earth. When the Moon Stone had fallen from the heavens it had fallen hard.

They were thousands of feet down from their previous position, but he could see a barely visible half- moon hanging high above them through the gaping hole in the mountain, releasing what dim light it could upon its scion. It seemed that the stars were not the only thing attempting to reveal the crater to his seeking eyes.

And then a crushing weight fell upon him. Ash gasped as he collapsed to the ground. It felt as though he weighed a thousand pounds, although, quite fortunately, his body wasn't crushing itself with his own weight. That would be an embarrassing way to go, especially after he'd escaped death from the Creature.

Nidoking was strong enough to remain standing, even when Ash felt the weight slowly increase. He remained on his knee, however, blind to the troubles of the world as he gazed upon the celestial body that meant so much to his kind. Ash wondered just how much power it had over him. A single shard of the Moon Stone had held his attention for hours on end. The trainer wasn't even sure if Nidoking was capable of thought at the moment.

Dazed was unaffected. Her eyes emanated a frightening amount of light as she fueled an intensely powerful shield around her. It grew brighter and brighter under the strain of resisting whatever power was doing this. She looked helplessly down at him, although her attention was forced to return to maintaining her own protection.

When his mind cleared, Ash recognized this technique. He'd seen Will use it back in the Finals two years ago. It was called Gravity. The effects were obvious: whatever used the technique utilized psychic energies to manipulate reality around the target so that gravity was stronger around them. Quite useful for bringing down levitating creatures or flying-types.

And that meant Clefairy and Clefable. They were the only pokemon Ash knew of on Mt. Moon that could utilize the technique, rare as it was. It seemed that he had angered them in approaching their object of worship.

He squinted as the moonlight suddenly intensified, casting everything in a bright silver glow. Nidoking's eyes seemed to be moons themselves.

Ash's attention and reverence was first directed to the Moon Stone itself. The Moon Stone was a huge, roughly spherical object of stone blacker than black. All light seemed to be directed around it, never reflecting off. It was as though it was a hole in the world, albeit one that was physical.

But then he saw the pokemon surrounding them and blanched.

Three Nidoking and Three Nidoqueen stood beside the Moon Stone, eyes burning with the power infused into their bodies by the Moon Stone. They were led by the largest Nidoking and Nidoqueen Ash had ever seen.

The Alpha Nidoking was the paragon of his species. He was nearly twice the size of Ash's friend and his armor was so thick that Ash wasn't sure anything could breach it. His horn was nearly two feet long and dripped vile poison that sizzled when it landed upon the stone pedestal that kept the Moon Stone from touching mundane ground.

The Alpha Nidoqueen was no less impressive. She seemed to be calmer than the Alpha Nidoking, but still held a bright, shining anger about her. Her body was roughly nine feet tall and Ash suspected that she was six feet from the tip of her muzzle to her tail. Her armor, while less thick than Nidoking's, was covered in decades worth of battle-scars.

He wouldn't be able to take either of the Titans in battle. Even Torrent would be helpless against the sheer strength they exuded, empowered by their long proximity to the Moon Stone. They were the perfect guardians – indomitable and reverent to their charge.

The Patriarch sent the entire mountain groaning as he moved – at least that's what it seemed like to Ash. Every step sent ripples of energy through the ground, completely unintentional upon the Patriarch's part.

It stared down at Nidoking, who refused to look away from the Moon Stone. The Patriarch growled, a sound that elicited every bit of Ash's self-preservation instincts to run, and laid the massive horn that could probably spear through a steelix at Nidoking's throat. His friend didn't react at all, drowned by the Moon Stone's influence.

Ash wasn't so blinded. He snarled and thrashed as a bead of poison dripped from the Patriarch's horn onto Nidoking's back, powerful enough to eat through a bit of Nidoking's armor. The Patriarch growled down at him and put his horn at Ash's throat, but Ash just glared back at the Patriarch's ancient, narrow eyes.

The Patriarch's irises seemed to be filled with fury at Ash's defiance and he roared. Ash refused to flinch away as the mountain trembled beneath the Patriarch's voice, the gnawing fear held back by steely resolve.

A tiny drop of poison fell onto the ground in front of Ash. He stared as it ate several inches through the earth, leaving a rancid smell in its wake. The Patriarch lowered his horn so it was a mere inch from stabbing into Ash's frail throat.

That was what broke Nidoking's vacant stare. He yanked himself up, despite the crushing force that was still placed upon his body, and tried to charge at the Patriarch. The Patriarch simply grunted and used a single hand to wrench Nidoking back into position. Nidoking growled and roared, but it was a pitiful thing compared to the Patriarch's.

A low hum distracted the Patriarch from his rage. The Matriarch stepped forward, leaving the lesser Nidoqueen arrayed next to the Moon Stone. She sniffed the air and slowly lumbered over to Ash. Her movements were just as powerful as the Patriarch's, who was currently glaring down at Ash, but more refined. There was a strange grace in her movements that Ash wouldn't have expected from a pokemon her size.

The Matriarch tapped the Patriarch on the shoulder with a blunt claw that could have easily crushed a boulder into fine powder. Ash held back a sigh of relief as the Patriarch stepped back and removed his horn from Ash's throat.

He watched as the Matriarch glanced at Dazed and met her eyes, molten silver matching burning blue. In just a few moments she made a satisfied noise and stared down at Nidoking, who still bared his fangs at the Patriarch. His friend's attention was soon focused upon the Matriarch, however, who cooed softly at Nidoking.

Nidoking grunted back for a few seconds. The Matriarch gave a nod with her great head and stepped back. She stamped her foot against the ground, which caused Ash's teeth to rattle and the force of thunder to roll through his bones, and gave a low, bright cry.

Ash gasped in relief as the weight crushing down upon him vanished. He painfully pulled himself up and breathed deeply. His lungs hurt badly from the intense pressure. The trainer nodded at Dazed, who quickly allowed her shield to dissipate. Her yellow-furred body slackened as the power she'd been forcing through her mind vanished, but she stayed standing.

"Are you alright, Nidoking?" Ash asked through gritted teeth. Nidoking growled and protectively stood next to Ash, reminding the trainer quite a bit of the beginning of their adventures, back when Nidoking was a small, fearful Nidoran.

His friend glared hatefully at the Patriarch, who seemed unimpressed. The Patriarch snorted and stared disdainfully back.

Ash's eyes were drawn to movement at every edge of his vision. He frowned when he realized that dozens of Clefairy were separating themselves from the shadows. Each of their eyes glowed the same eerie silver as Nidoking's.

But there were others mixed in. There were about ten jigglypuff intermixed with the clefairy and cleffa, and about three wigglytuff staring at him with molten eyes. He cocked his head curiously when he saw several small, pink felines standing next to a large, tan feline with purple ears at the back of the group.

A single Clefable suddenly appeared in front of him. It seemed to materialize from nothingness, although Ash wasn't sure how. He didn't think that Clefable could learn teleport. Not naturally, anyway.

He'd only seen Clefable on TV before. None of them even compared to this one. It seemed to be ethereal, its star-shaped body shimmering as though it were underwater. Clefable's eyes shined as brightly as the Matriarch and Patriarch's, perhaps even brighter. The normal-type waved its hand and forced him to his knees, eliciting a growl from Nidoking. Dazed quickly shut him up.

Clefable gently grabbed his face with a small hand and forced him to look into its burning silver eyes. The small pokemon seemed ageless, neither young nor old. Ash didn't know how old it was, but the aura of power it exuded made it seem like it was as old as the Moon Stone, the very incarnation of its essence.

In practice it was probably just a very old, very powerful Clefable. Still, something about the Clefable made Ash think that the Matriarch and Patriarch were merely assistants or acolytes. The true Guardian of the Moon Stone stood before him.

He hissed as he saw Clefable waggle one of its fingers and place the glowing digit upon his forehead. He'd heard that Clefable and its line were shy. Researchers had apparently never met this stern, ageless creature.

Clefable closed its eyes, but the molten silver glow was still present from behind its eyelids. Ash felt a presence, ancient and fluid, slip into his mind and take in his entire being. It must have used Mind Reader or some variation on it, although Ash had no idea how it had done so. The normal-type had clearly used Metronome. For it to have gotten exactly what it required was disturbing. Nothing could choose what it wanted from the move.

The normal-type withdrew its finger from Ash's forehead and waggled it again. Ash felt strangely exhausted from the mental intrusion. Clefable's eyes glowed a mixture of bright blue and molten silver as it used the technique Ash recognized as Future Sight. Once again, its selection of its move disturbed him. Metronome was random. Pure chance. It had never been commanded with precision.

But those worries were wiped away when Clefable's wide face, which was simply an extension of its body, broke into a smile. It snapped its finger and Ash heard Dazed collapse. He worriedly glanced over and saw that a psychic net had dematerialized from around her. The trainer scowled at the attack on his friend, but Dazed shook her head.

Ash sighed and glanced over at Nidoking. He was back underneath the Moon Stone's thrall, although he made sure to move with Ash.

Clefable smiled again and motioned toward the Moon Stone before waggling its fingers and disappearing seamlessly into the universe. Ash recognized teleportation when he saw it.

But he broke into a smile as he realized that they had been given permission to go to the Moon Stone. Ash was aware of the eyes of dozens – no, hundreds, he realized as he looked around at the growing number of pokemon drawn to the Moon Stone – of pokemon upon him.

He ascended up the smooth stone pathway to where the Moon Stone rested. The Patriarch and Matriarch were silent as he passed by their vigilant eyes, as were their fellow Nidos. When he was mere feet from the Moon Stone, he stopped.

"Nidoking, go on." He said with a smile. Nidoking was broken from his spell and turned his great head to Ash, shocked at what the trainer was giving to him. "You deserve to go first. This is your journey."

Nidoking grinned at Ash, exposing all of his fangs. He stepped forward, but stopped. The poison-type looked at Ash with bright silver eyes and pointed. Ash blinked. Nidoking was giving up his chance to go first? He'd managed to break the Moon Stone's power over him?

He glanced at Dazed, who shook her head. Ash slowly stepped forward and reverently placed his hand upon the impossibly smooth, glossy surface of the Moon Stone. It seemed to shimmer underneath his touch.

Ash closed his eyes. He could feel the energy from the Moon Stone flowing through his body, stimulating his nervous system and giving him strength. Something about the massive amount of energy emanating from the Moon Stone made him understand why so many pokemon seemed to worship, or at the least revere, the Moon Stone. Ash didn't get a fraction of what they did from it and it was incredible.

For just a moment he wanted to stand there and let his body remain empowered by the Moon Stone for eternity. But he yanked his mind from that addiction and simply ran his hand over the Moon Stone's glossy surface for a few more moment. He couldn't hold back a smile when he felt a tiny chip in the otherwise perfect surface.

He had no idea how Steven had convinced the Guardian to let him take a shard from the Moon Stone. Steven must have been incredibly convincing, or at the least a very smooth talker. Or perhaps the Clefable had seen something in the former Champion that merited a reward.

Whatever it was, Ash knew just how impressive Steven's feat was when he pulled his hand away from the Moon Stone and stepped back. He watched with a soft smile as Nidoking stepped forward, bound to the Moon Stone's will.

Nidoking's eyes flared up when he gently touched the Moon Stone with the very tip of his claw. What was once a flickering silver flame ignited into silver suns as the celestial object's energy flooded Nidoking's body. His friend was still for nearly a minute as he was content to simply bask in the Moon Stone's power.

Finally, Nidoking stepped away. He lumbered over to Ash and wrapped him in as gentle a hug as the massive creature could manage. Ash grinned and returned the hug as best he could. Nidoking reared his head back and met Ash's eyes with his own burning silver. There was pure gratitude in them, no sign of any other emotion except for pure happiness visible.

Ash squeezed his friend's armored shoulder before he glanced over and saw Dazed. She seemed almost bored as she touched the Moon Stone, although her eyes burned just as brightly as Nidoking's. In just a few moments she had joined him and Nidoking, although her gaze did linger on the Moon Stone for a few more seconds.

He quickly released the rest of his friends. The Patriarch growled and lowered his horn, but the Matriarch calmed him. Apparently all of his friends had been judged worthy as well.

Plume awkwardly hopped over to the Moon Stone. Her eyes didn't glow, but they did have a shine to them. Ash assumed it was because she was fairly mundane. Nidoking and Sneasel had a strong connection to the Moon Stone, or at least the night. Dazed was simply powered by the energy released from it.

She bowed her large head and gingerly touched the Moon Stone with her beak. Her eyes glowed slightly, but the light was cut off the moment she hopped away from the sacred stone. Ash gently stroked her crest when she arrived. Plume cooed and lightly nipped his hat. The trainer wondered just how long it would be before she accidentally sliced through it.

Sneasel tried to dash past the others, but Torrent gave him a hard glare. The dark-type timidly slunk away, wary of the temper Torrent had been revealing in bits and pieces over the past few days. Torrent snorted when Sneasel ran off and levitated up to the Moon Stone. He cocked his head and closed his eyes before dipping his head and lightly touching the onyx with the tip of his snout. In just a second he had his fill of the intoxicating energy and floated away.

Torrent was certainly the most immune to the Moon Stone so far. Perhaps it was a result of his own strength of mind and body, or perhaps he was simply untrusting of it. He seemed to respect strong will and independence. To see so many pokemon bound to the Moon Stone's energy was probably disturbing to him.

Ash had to admit that he was a little worried when Infernus stepped forward. He had shoved past Tangrowth with something unidentifiable in his dark eyes. The trainer was afraid that Infernus would try to burn the Moon Stone or use Brick Break on it. It seemed like the petty sort of thing Infernus would do if he had the desire.

He gave a sigh of relief when the magmar snorted at the Moon Stone. Infernus tapped it with one of his sharp claws. His eyes didn't change at all, but simply burned with his own inner fire. The fire-type growled in disgust and took his place by Torrent. His tail flicked around in annoyance, casting off angry blue flames. Ash thought he seemed more disappointed than anything else, as though Infernus couldn't understand what the fuss was about.

Sneasel dashed past Tangrowth, who didn't seem to mind in the least. The grass-type simply kept a few vines behind Sneasel to catch him should he fall on the smooth stone. Ash smiled at that, but found his attention focused upon Sneasel.

The newest addition to the team touched a claw to the Moon Stone with reverence Ash had never expected. Ash had heard that the most important thing in each Weavile and Sneasel pack's unique culture was the night. Still, he hadn't expected it to be an inborn trait, even with Sneasel's strong connection to darkness. The Moon Stone seemed to be as important to him as it was to Nidoking.

Sneasel took a knee and kept his eyes squeezed shut. After what felt like an eternity he finally stepped away, although he sent longing looks toward the Moon Stone and its strength. There was a look of greed in his eyes, mixed with reverence.

Tangrowth was last. He stared at the Moon Stone for a few moments before waddling over. The grass-type cocked his vine-covered head and poked the Moon Stone with one of his large, rubbery arms. Ash smiled as he continued to poke it, not really sure what he was supposed to do.

Finally, Tangrowth got bored and waddled over. Ash noted that he didn't seem enthralled by his contact with the Moon Stone at all. Perhaps it was a sign of a strong will or perhaps Tangrowth simply didn't understand the appeal of power.

He flinched when Clefable suddenly appeared in front of him. The ethereal fairy smiled mysteriously at him before snapping its fingers.

Ash didn't have time to react before everything went black.

XX

The harsh sun pounded on his face. Ash groaned and groggily sat up, eyes blearily glancing around to see where he was. He suddenly stood up. Lightning shot through his body as he remembered the Moon Stone and the events that had taken place there.

Ash realized that all of his friends were still unconscious save for Dazed and Sneasel. He assumed that it was some sort of psychic technique the Clefable used on them. Clefable seemed to have a knack for them.

"Dazed, where are we?" He questioned. Dazed smiled at him with her eyes and dipped her head to his right. Ash walked over but froze when he stared down into an abyss so deep that even bright sunlight could not reach it. He immediately knew where they were: the very peak of Mt. Moon. "Wow."

Dazed nodded and shuffled over to him. She peered deep into the darkness as well, but her eyes suddenly glowed. Ash breathed deeply when a film of psychic energy covered his eyes, casting everything in a dark blue shadow but illuminating so much.

The shadows that somehow remained in the wake of the sun's appearance were dispelled, showing that they had been created through psychic means. At the bottom of the impossibly deep yawning hole at the peak of Mt. Moon laid the Moon Stone, just as perfect as he remembered. The sunbeams seemed to bend around it, unable to touch the sacred object.

"I guess we had our time." Ash mused. Dazed nodded in agreement. He glanced over at the pile of his friends. Sneasel was running about and poking them. The dark-type snickered every now and then as one of his victims unconsciously growled or twitched. "Can you wake them up?"

Dazed shook her head. Ash sighed. "It looks like a waiting game, then. We just need Plume to wake up. I know you aren't able to teleport to the base of the mountain yet."

The psychic-type nodded understandingly. She stayed in the same place as Ash found himself a somewhat comfortable pillow in the form of Nidoking. He was still a bit tired, despite the hours he had probably spent snoozing on the mountaintop.

He shut his eyes and lowered the bill of his cap. With the sun gone, it didn't take too long for him to dip back into a sea of blackness.

For the first time in around three weeks his sleep was dreamless.

XX

"Alright, Plume, are you ready?" He asked somewhat nervously. Plume affectionately nipped his shoulder and nodded. Her eyes were bright and eager for this. Ash sighed and mounted Plume the way the pokedex had told him to. Thanks to her being able to manipulate air currents with some of her moves, a saddle was not necessary. It would have made him feel safer if he had one, though.

"Take it easy, alright?" He requested. Plume nodded before taking off. Ash yelped as his second friend took to the skies with a single wing beat. The trainer clung tightly to her feathered body as she blasted through the air.

Although he knew how smooth a flier she was, he was still surprised when there was little air resistance. He wasn't buffeted by the air at all, which meant that he loosened his grip just a little bit. Ash was never more grateful for teaching her Tailwind. It was intended to let Plume push herself along with air, but she had mastered it to the degree that she could bend the air in front of her out of the way, creating a perfect bubble that enabled her to travel even faster than she ordinarily would have.

He hesitantly looked down at the ground, which Plume was quickly approaching. Even from their rapid descent – Ash didn't want to know just how fast Plume was really going – the trees appeared as nothing more than a seamless mass of different shades of green, although some differentiation occurred as they grew closer to the ground.

Ash was almost tempted to have Plume fly him to Cerulean City, but he knew it was too risky. They needed more experience with this before attempting such a long journey. It would be at least a few hours long. Plume wasn't slowed down that much from Ash riding her, but Cerulean was a week's time away by foot.

The trainer found himself actually enjoying the flight by the time it ended. Once he got over his nerves and the prospect that any real adjustments on Plume's part would probably send him flying into nothingness it was rather pleasant. He'd have to do this again eventually.

"Thanks, girl." He said with a wide grin on his face. Ash patted Plume's side before he released Nidoking and Sneasel. Plume cried out and cooed at him before taking to the skies once more. She seemed rather pleased with herself. Ash watched her go before turning to his friends. "Well, it's a long way to Cerulean. We'd best get started."

Nidoking growled in agreement and stood faithfully by Ash's side before they set off. Sneasel ran ahead, probably looking for some wild pokemon to chase. Ash smiled as Nidoking stood alongside him. They'd never lost any of the closeness between trainer and starter, but their bond felt even stronger now.

Ash met his friend's eyes and grinned before they started walking. Last night had been amazing, but today was a new day. It was time to start anew.

XX

The route to Cerulean was rather boring, honestly. Most trainers were put off by the large, intimidating Nidoking that walked beside him or by Torrent, whose haughty glare was enough to send most scurrying off. He still managed to find a few willing to battle his real team, though, and they tended to be good ones. Not always difficult, but the other trainers were determined.

Sneasel got in a good bit of practice as well. Most trainers were much more amenable to fighting the small dark-type than the hulking Nidoking. They tended to think better of it after seeing Sneasel in action – he'd grown much stronger very quickly, although he was leagues behind the rest of the team and likely would be for another few months at the very least.

They'd been travelling for five days now and Ash had made camp. The PokeNav said he was only six miles away from Cerulean, so he figured that would be a good warm up in the morning.

He prodded the dim, flickering flames with a stick. Ash idly raised the stick when its end caught aflame and blew it out, which left only a bright, glowing ember in its wake.

Sneasel promptly dashed over and blew it out with a puff of freezing air, although he leapt past and scurried into a tree. Ash shook his head at the small prank before he glanced over at Nidoking. The little dark-type needed to burn some of that energy, and training was the best way to do it.

"Nidoking, could you fire an ice beam at him?" Ash yawned. He leaned back into the stone he was sitting in front of and smiled when Sneasel hissed and fell out of the tree once Nidoking had shot the beams of intensely cold light at him. "Evasion practice, Sneasel."

The dark-type growled and glared at Ash, only to leave himself open to another of Nidoking's intentionally weak ice beam. Sneasel yelped as he was sent flying back into a tree. A thin layer of frost covered his fur, which Sneasel struggled helplessly against.

Tangrowth helpfully shattered the ice with a few strategically placed strikes of his vines. Sneasel hissed and glared at Nidoking again, although this time he was fast enough to evade the single strand of icy energy. It struck a bush and completely froze it.

Infernus snorted and joined in on the game as well. He looked up from where he was curled up and shot a feeble stream of dull orange flame at Sneasel, who promptly ducked underneath it. Ash nodded thankfully at Infernus for not using anything more powerful.

Sneasel shot a cone of icy air towards Infernus, which didn't even make contact thanks to Infernus suddenly flaring up, wreathing his body in fire. He idly shot another stream of fire towards Sneasel, who leapt above it and avoided a feeble ice beam from Nidoking in the process.

Ash smiled as the dark-type did his best to escape the attacks. He was fast and agile, so it wasn't too much of a problem. Still, Sneasel weren't built for endurance. They were fast hunters meant to strike with a partner and escape, not to dog their prey until it collapsed. That was a weakness Ash was doing his best to fix with exercises like this.

When Sneasel accidentally jumped into a sleeping Torrent, he froze and met Torrent's suddenly angry eyes. Sneasel's expression changed as he realized just how much trouble he was in before he suddenly dodged a blast of water from Torrent. The game had another player.

For several minutes Sneasel dodged dozens of attacks from Nidoking, Infernus, and Torrent. He was obviously breaking underneath the assault, however. His reflexes were slowing and his movements were less agile.

Dazed seemed content to watch as Sneasel struggled to fight back, a stark contrast to Tangrowth, who seemed rather worried. There was no love lost between the psychic and dark-type.

Ash motioned for the game to stop when Sneasel was hit by a weak blast of water from Torrent and went flying into a tree. Infernus snorted amusedly and returned to sleep, bathed in the heat of the campfire.

"Good job, Sneasel." He said with a pleased grin. Sneasel panted and glared at him, but couldn't find the energy to growl at Ash. The dark-type always got a little prickly during training, especially when it was unexpected. At least he was tired out now. "Come over here and go to sleep."

Sneasel hissed at Nidoking as he passed, but quietly slipped under Ash's arm. Ash felt his breathing slow and steady as the dark-type finally fell asleep. He smiled before bidding his friends a good night.

It didn't take him long to fall asleep himself.

XX

Cerulean was the place that most trainers truly began their journeys. The west side of Kanto, aside from the Viridian gym, was a learning experience. It was where young trainers tended to congregate and get a bit of experience before exploring and battling seriously.

Its gym did a good job of testing young trainers. While it was hardly difficult, the unprepared would be torn apart by the pokemon the Cerulean normally used. The gym leaders were actually quite competent when they deigned to actually battle. They had to be if they wanted to keep their positions. The League wouldn't let just anyone protect and essentially rule a large part of Kanto.

While his last battle there hadn't been particularly difficult, perhaps he could get them to use one of their real pokemon, the ones they would bring to a serious battle. Ash had heard that they had a few incredibly powerful pokemon there, each exceptional.

Still, he had to focus as he entered the Pokemon Center at about three o' clock. He just wanted to get in and out. Neither he nor his friends were tired enough from the journey to need to wait to battle.

"How can I help you?" The attendant chirped. She had a bright smile on her pretty face as she greeted him. Sneasel purred contentedly as she waved at him. There were several teenage trainers staring at her from the TV area, Ash noticed.

"I just need a room." Ash told her. The attendant nodded and gave him a key to one of the second story rooms.

"Have a good stay!"

Ash nodded his thanks before walking out of the Center. He pocketed the card. A few other trainers watched him curiously, locked onto Sneasel. They were probably confused as to why anyone would allow such a notoriously vicious pokemon to have its claws anywhere near their throat. Sneasel were involved in quite a few "training accidents".

He just glanced at them before he left the Pokemon Center. Maybe he'd get a battle out of a few of them later. Nidoking needed a challenge. His first friend definitely wouldn't be battling in the Cerulean gym.

But before he stepped out, he saw what was on the TV screen. It was the news.

"…the storm that passed through Saffron City a month ago has centered in the north east of Kanto." A female anchor droned. "It has remained strong and engulfs an area of ten miles in heavy rain and lightning. Experts report that the storm is growing and are baffled at this turn of events. The League has been silent on the matter."

Someone clicked to the next station.

"And the death toll continues to rise as the League raids on Team Rocket grow more frequent." A tall, stocky man said grimly. "We have word that League casualties have risen to nearly a hundred over the past few weeks, ever since the incident in Viridian City. Officials have claimed Team Rocket is being driven back, but this reporter has to ask: Just how long before the Rockets strike back?"

Ash scowled and clenched his fists. Sneasel hissed curiously at him, but Ash just walked out the door. He didn't want to hear about that. It was a good thing that he'd been out in the wilderness for so long. The grim realities of the war in the shadows with Team Rocket were quickly appearing.

But he had to wonder the same thing as the newscaster. How long would it be until the Rockets unleashed the Creature again?

XX

"Welcome to the Cerulean City gym!" The girl at the front desk said brightly when Ash stepped up. It wasn't quite as busy as the last time he was here, but there were still quite a few challengers ahead of him. She looked up and cocked her head quizzically. "Hey, have we met? You seem familiar."

"I've been here before." Ash noted. "It's been a few months, though. I think it was back in May."

The girl nodded. "I guess that's it. Anyway, are you here for a gym battle or are you wanting a ticket to one of the shows?"

"I'm here for the gym." Ash replied quickly. He didn't care to watch people swim, not when he could be making progress on his journey.

"Name and badge number, please." She requested. It was something he hadn't expected to run into. Most of the primary gyms either went all out like Surge, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and Giovanni, or just adjusted for the kind of trainer that usually went to the gym like Brock, Erika, and the Sisters.

Ash adjusted his hat. "Ash Ketchum, eight badges."

The girl's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide with surprise. "Really? But this has to be your first year."

"Yes." He said with a shrug. "I just focused."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, I've sent it in. You'll be called in soon. But I've got to ask something. What are you doing here if you've already got your badges? The Cerulean gym isn't the hardest."

"I'm doing another loop." He explained before a small smile crossed his face. "Besides, Daisy wanted me to come back when I'd gotten stronger."

The receptionist nodded. "Got it. You'll get called up in a few minutes."

Ash dipped his head and took a seat. There were only a few other trainers hanging around. Most trainers had already gotten the Cascade Badge by this point, so only the stragglers remained. In about five minutes, a bit after the trainer before him had been called up, a familiar voice broke the monotony of the situation.

"Ash Ketchum, you're up!" Misty called out. Ash stood up and glanced curiously at the girl. She looked just like she had a few months ago, although much cleaner. Being in a city instead of on the road could do that.

Her blue eyes widened when she saw him walk up. Sneasel bared his fangs at her in greeting, although she just ignored him. "I knew your name sounded familiar! How's it going?"

Misty seemed much friendlier than she had last time. Ash just did his best to ignore his surprise. "Pretty good. I thought you were travelling, though. How are you?"

"Good. I just got tired of being on the road. All I'd wanted to do was see Kanto for myself, and I went to every city. I got back about a month ago. My sisters are annoying, but it's nice to be home." Misty said as she led him out to the massive swimming pool. She glanced back at him guiltily. "Sorry about the last time we battled. I was being a brat."

"It's fine." He said uneasily. That wasn't a part of his journey he liked to recall. "If I remember it right, I wasn't nice either. That was right after a pretty bad event. I still hadn't gotten over it."

She nodded, but before the surprisingly friendly girl could inquire more, Ash noticed the Sensational Sisters standing in front of the challenger's box. They were chatting about something, but lit up when they saw Ash.

Ash blinked when he found himself being hugged by the Sensational Sisters. That…wasn't the greeting he had expected.

"Thank you so much!" One of them gushed. Ash couldn't remember her name. Was it Violet? "Karen told us what you did back in Viridian! That was, like, totally awesome. You saved Lance and did all of the girls in Indigo a favor!"

He blinked again. Ash sent a desperate glance to Misty. While he wasn't particularly averse to being touched, he didn't like his personal space to be invaded. He'd gotten better about it ever since Tangrowth joined the team, but the point still stood. She just looked at him with wide eyes.

Ash had to admit that he was surprised that Karen had told them. The caustic teenager didn't seem the type to talk much with the bubbly, air-headed Sisters. He halfway suspected that she'd told them just on the off chance that he went to the Cerulean gym again. Karen was the type to mess with him like this.

"Oh, sorry. You probably came here for something else, didn't you?" Daisy apologized. He remembered her more vividly than the others. They let him go. While he wasn't exactly able to breathe during the hug, it wasn't nearly as crushing as that of his mother's.

"I just wanted a battle." He explained as he brushed himself off and readjusted his jacket and hat. The Sisters sighed in disappointment.

"Fine." The last one, Lily, he thought, said despondently. "You got the runt last time, right?"

Ash nodded, but he sent an apologetic glance at Misty. He didn't want to ruin whatever friendly connection they had at the moment. She just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Misty seemed used to the teasing.

"Well, let's go then! Don't worry, we'll give you a good fight. One on one." Daisy exclaimed. The Sisters laughed as one. Ash cocked an eyebrow as they ran off to the other side of the pool. That was unexpected.

"I hope you've got an electric-type." Misty muttered to him before she went off to work as the referee. "Daisy looks serious about this one. She only gets like this if she thinks a battle will be really good."

Ash nodded his thanks to her before stepping into the platform. He tapped each of his pokeballs as he thought over which would be the best for this battle.

Nidoking had thunderbolt, but there was way too much of a chance that he would fall into the water. That would be a disaster, so his first friend was out.

Plume had worked well in the pool last time, but if they used what he suspected she would be practically powerless.

He picked Torrent the moment he thought over his friend's gifts. Torrent was a powerhouse that could stand up to most anything. The dragon-type could take plenty of hits and would be at an incredible advantage in the pool. While he held an incredible amount of power on land, he was truly at home in the water. There was a reason Kingdra were called the Lords of the Sea.

The others had something to offer, but none would be as powerful in this gym as Torrent. Besides, it would be nice to see what his friend was really capable of.

Sneasel growled as Torrent appeared on the tiny strip of land. He apparently hadn't forgiven the dragon for the surprise training last night.

Torrent, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic at finally being around a large source of water. Ash smiled brightly as he saw the joy in his friend's warm scarlet eyes.

"Oh, he's beautiful!" He heard one of the Sisters cry. Ash glanced up in surprise. Violet had her hands clasped together and she was staring at Torrent with excited eyes. "Try to take it easy on him, will you, Daisy?"

The blonde shook her head, although she had a smile on her face. "No can do, Violet. This is going to be our battle of the week. Then we can just chill and let Misty do the battles. Hey, Ash, get ready!"

Ash frowned, but a wide grin stretched across his face when Daisy released an absolutely massive Gyarados. The Sisters seemed gleeful at seeing the monster, but he noticed that Misty's face was pale.

It crashed into the water and roared. Torrent rumbled back. Both he and Ash were very, very happy with this occurrence. This would be a battle worth returning for.

The two titans glared at each other for a moment before Daisy made the first move. "Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

Gyarados roared as it burst up from the water, sending massive waves rolling through the pool. Particles of white-red energy began to collect in its mouth and slowly coalesced into a small sphere of dense energy. Ash grinned. This was a good way to start off the battle.

"Dragon Pulse!" He cried. Ash would have told Torrent to get under the water, but he wanted his friend able to hear his commands for this part of the battle.

As the powerful blast of energy from the Hyper Beam shot towards him with incredible accuracy, Torrent charged up a Dragon Pulse and shot the sphere of iridescent green energy straight into it.

Ash turned away as an immense explosion occurred. The massive release of energy vaporized a good bit of the water around the collision. Gyarados roared in response to one of Daisy's commands, which he couldn't hear, and suddenly exploded through the smoke. Its cavernous maw gaped as it tore through the water at an incredible speed.

"Agility." He grinned. Torrent was normally forced to be a tank and take most hits. But in the water he could take full advantage of his speed. "Get under and make a whirlpool."

Torrent rumbled as he darted out of the way of Gyarados' jaws and shot a Dragon Pulse at the rampaging sea serpent for good measure. Gyarados roared and snapped its fangs furiously, but Torrent dived deep into the water. Ash guessed that the gigantic pool went at least sixty feet down. It had to for Gyarados to move very well.

"Hyper Beam! Hit it with Dragon Rage when it comes up." The Sister shouted with a dramatic flourish of her arms. Gyarados roared and thrashed in the water, kicking up huge waves. It shot a huge stream of red-orange energy into the pool, causing a huge cloud of steam to explode upwards and cover the entire stadium in a shroud of boiled water.

Ash just crossed his arms and smiled. The water was beginning to tremble and surge around Torrent, who he could barely see at the very bottom of the pool. His pale blue scales kept Gyarados from immediately identifying him. It was temporarily weakened and blinded from the Hyper Beam and the steam it had produced, which was further distracting the great leviathan.

Torrent was capable of forming vast whirlpools with a mere yawn, a reflection of his immense power. Normally it was used to funnel prey down to a kingdra after it had awoken, but Torrent was using a far more powerful variant.

Twister was a powerful move, as any trainer that had met Torrent's Ice Storm could attest. On land it was capable of creating large tornadoes from the likes of Plume, let alone Torrent. Under the waves it was capable of forming a vast cyclone or whirlpool. And in conjunction with another move Torrent was an expert with, Gyarados would have no chance of escape.

Daisy had noticed the water as well. "Gyarados, get down there. Find it and use Outrage."

Gyarados gave a furious roar before diving under the water. Its motions held no grace or fluidity. They were raw power that forced through the waves, not like Torrent. He moved with them or manipulated them to move him.

Ash frowned at the mention of Outrage. That would be devastating if it hit Torrent. Outrage focused the energy within a pokemon into pure fury and caused it go on a rampage. That in itself would be bad, since Gyarados were at their most powerful when drowned in fury, but Outrage utilized draconic energy to spark the rampage. Torrent would take one or two hits at the max.

But he was confident as he watched the water slowly churn. As Gyarados dived down to aimlessly search for the camouflaged Torrent, it began to twist faster and faster. What parts of the pool he could make out through the veil of slowly dispersing steam were starting to leap up and down, commanded by Torrent's power.

He was halfway surprised that Gyarados still wasn't able to find Torrent. It had evolved to be the apex predator of the ocean. Gyarados should have been able to pick past Torrent's camouflage quite easily. The sea serpents were colorblind, which made them more effective at looking past camouflage and seeing the definition of their prey.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised. The steam couldn't have been good for Gyarados' eyes and there were plenty of bubbles to obscure Torrent's position. But soon that wouldn't matter. Torrent was following his instructions quite well.

Ash grinned when the pool seemed to implode. Torrent had created a vast whirlpool after he'd finally focused enough of his power. It engulfed most of the pool until the tiny island and strips of land broke it, but that was still more than enough to engulf Gyarados. He could see the massive serpent thrashing wildly and belching huge blasts of flame and energy as it was sucked into the whirlpool.

When Gyarados began to regain control of its body, Torrent did exactly what Ash expected him to. Gyarados was just too strong to be swept away by the whirlpool's currents for long, so they had to have an exit strategy.

Gyarados' eyes began to grow red as it focused its energy into Outrage, which would magnify its strength tenfold for a brief period of time. Fortunately, Ash and Torrent wouldn't have to see the devastation the sea serpent would wreck.

Torrent, now visible only as a dark figure beneath millions of gallons of water, blasted out an immense stream of ice and froze the entire whirlpool in the span of a few seconds, an act which displayed his mastery of the technique. Sneasel hopped up and down and peered down at the new glacier with excitement, awed at the power behind the Blizzard.

The trainer had a wide grin on his face as about half of the pool became nothing but ice. Gyarados roared furiously and did its best to destroy the ice, but it was just too thick. A good ten feet of Gyarados' massive form was trapped beneath the ice, so it wasn't able to effectively use its immense physical strength.

Still, it would break out in a few seconds. Its eyes were pulsing with red energy as it pushed itself harder and harder. He glanced up and noted that Daisy seemed flummoxed. She had no idea what to do. Neither did any of the other Sisters.

When she noticed him looking, she scowled. It was an unexpected expression on her ordinarily smiling face. Daisy clenched her fists. "Gyarados, Iron Head on the ice, Flamethrower and Hyper Beam straight down."

Ash frowned. Torrent could handle any of the attacks easily, but he'd best get out of the way before the Hyper Beam. At least he'd have the warning of Flamethrower. His friend was probably preparing something regardless.

His eyes widened when he realized that Gyarados' crest was glowing a bright white, even as Outrage was still in effect. Gyarados gave out a loud, threatening roar before it crashed its head into the ice. Huge cracks spread throughout the glacier that Torrent created, but that was just to give Gyarados more room.

It suddenly reared its great head back and loosed an immense stream of intense blue flame at the very bottom of the frozen whirlpool. Vast amounts of steam sizzled upwards as the ice melted, revealing that the very bottom of the pool hadn't been frozen.

Ash barely had time to notice that Torrent wasn't at the exposed area of the pool before Gyarados shot a massive hyper beam with pinpoint accuracy. He watched as the beam evaporated a large amount of the water that wasn't frozen, an act that made him grin.

Daisy had a grimace on her face as the center of the frozen whirlpool collapsed into the void Gyarados had created. Steam billowed upward and obscured the scene, but Ash winced as he heard dozens of tons of ice collapsing down. The ice had already been weak since water expanded when it turned into ice – the pool was overflowing and the small island had been completely covered – so the cracks had completely collapsed.

Gyarados blasted a vast stream of flames into the sky as it roared and shook with agony. Its massive plates of armor kept any real damage from occurring, but the immense pressure of so much ice crushing down on it had to have hurt.

"Gyarados!" The Sisters cried. Even Misty, despite her evident fear of the sea serpent, seemed to be almost in tears. Ash winced along with them. Daisy recovered first. "Melt it off of you!"

The sea serpent twisted its great body around and shot more blue flame at the ice. It melted straight through, giving Gyarados a few moments to try to escape before the ice above crashed down.

Before Gyarados could work on wrenching its body out, Torrent made his appearance. Ash supposed that he had been lurking beneath the ice and utilizing tiny explosions from Dragon Pulse to melt through the frozen water.

He didn't appear physically. Torrent made his presence known, however, by blasting Gyardos with a Dragon Pulse so powerful that it sent the massive sea serpent flying out of its icy prison. Gyarados slammed into the collapsing ice on the other side of the frozen whirlpool, cracking the thick wall.

"Dragon Rage!" Daisy screamed. Gyarados quickly belched a ball of ethereal blue and black fire towards the hole Torrent was appearing out of.

"Dragon Pulse." Ash commanded. Torrent rapidly fired a tiny, intense Dragon Pulse straight into the ball of fire. As expected, the attacks exploded violently in a huge release of energy. A large hole in the ice melted where they met, but Gyarados wasn't done.

Daisy looked desperate. "Hyper Beam!"

Ash cocked his eye. She was very reliant on the move, although she'd demonstrated good tactics in other ways. Perhaps she really was that desperate. Gyarados was badly weakened, after all. It wasn't thinking clearly.

"Dragon Pulse." He shouted. Ash idly realized that he should step up Torrent's training when they got to a sufficiently secluded area. His friend needed more variation. Draco Meteor would be a very helpful move once they finished learning it, but he might buy Torrent a few TMs whenever he hit Celadon next.

Both attacks collided again, but this time Gyarados was left weakened. Torrent launched himself through the smoke left over from the explosion and charged up a massive sphere of swirling draconic energy. Ash grinned when the Dragon Pulse that was larger than Torrent slammed into Gyarados and exploded right in its face.

The massive explosion caused the weakened Gyarados to roar as it fell down the rough, icy walls of the whirlpool. It was too large to fall through the hole it had made earlier, so it was in a loose, uncomfortable looking coil. Gyarados was still too weak to fight back.

"Dragon Pulse on the wall." Ash ordered. It was time to finish this battle. He was lucky Torrent had been lucky and skilled enough to avoid Gyarados' attacks. Even one hit would be devastating thanks to the immense sea serpent's sheer power.

Torrent rumbled his understanding before he shot a tiny, powerful Dragon Pulse into the whirlpool. The glacier groaned before huge chunks of ice fell and landed on top of Gyarados, burying the great serpent.

Before any more could fall, a thin red beam of light struck Gyarados and recalled it into its pokeball. Ash glanced up and saw that Daisy was staring at him in disbelief. A few moments later his box lowered to the ground.

"Here's your –" Misty shook her head and put the Cascade Badge away. "Sorry, I'm not used to people coming here for just a battle. Follow me. My Sisters probably want to talk to you. It's not just any day that someone manages to take out Gyarados." She commented drily.

Ash smiled and waved at Torrent. His friend quickly levitated over and took his spot next to Ash. Sneasel hissed excitedly at him from Ash's shoulder, which elicited an amused rumble from Torrent.

"You were amazing, Torrent." He grinned. Ash patted Torrent's hard scales. Torrent rumbled and dipped his head to Ash. "Remind me to get you some TMs in Celadon, alright?"

Torrent seemed to laugh before he straightened up and adopted his normal imperious expression. Ash glanced up and noticed that the Sisters were coming over.

"You just beat Gyarados." Lily said dumbly, idly brushing a strand of wet hair out of her face. "Without using an electric-type."

Ash nodded. That was established.

"Wow." Violet drawled. Her expression seemed locked into surprise. She snapped out of it when she saw Torrent and adopted a cheerful smile. "Your Kingdra is amazing! And," she peered at him for a moment, "he's so pretty! You must take really good care of him."

Torrent raised his head, apparently pleased at the attention. Ash just shook his head and laughed at his friend's preening. "I try. He does most of the work."

Violet smiled widely and exposed her glistening white teeth. "Well, that just means he's really smart! Can I touch you?" She directed to Torrent. He cocked his head for a few seconds before finally giving the teenager a nod. Violet immediately started patting him and checking his scales.

"That was some battle." Daisy said dazedly. "You must train a lot. I guess the rumors about you are true."

Ash blinked. "There are rumors?"

Daisy laughed. "Of course. You think a rookie trainer sweeping the League doesn't attract attention? Helping Lance at the Sevii Islands and Viridian just made it bigger. Even Sabrina seemed impressed by you." She said sadly. Ash realized that Sabrina must still be in her coma. He felt a little guilty about forgetting about her and Will.

"The Sevii Islands were supposed to be confidential." He said suspiciously.

"We're gym leaders!" Lily chimed in. "Nothing's confidential to us!"

Ash sighed. That meant he'd have a lot to talk about with Surge. The Vermillion Leader was notorious for his campaigns against Team Rocket. They had been hunted down mercilessly in his territory, although that might change now that the Creature was being put into active use. Surge would probably be very interested in his experiences.

"Sorry about holding you up." Daisy said quickly as she looked at her watch. "Lily, Violet, Misty, we've got to hurry up! The gym closes soon and we have a lot to get done. It's a good thing we decided to not schedule a show today."

"Do you want me to help?" Ash asked as he glanced over the vast field of ice Torrent had created. He knew that it would be a lot of work to get done. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Daisy shook her head. "No thanks. Misty, get Gy. We're going to need a lot of fire."

Misty nodded. She glanced over at Ash. "See you."

Ash nodded back before she ran off. The other Sisters stepped away from Torrent. He unclipped Torrent's pokeball and recalled his friend before beginning his trek away from the gym.

Before he could leave, he heard one of the Sisters call back his name. Ash paused and glanced back, wondering what they wanted.

"Make sure to come back here in a few years!" Lily called out before breaking into a fit of giggles with her sisters. "We want a rematch."

Ash nodded before he turned away to hide his blush. He walked out of the gym rather quickly after that.

XX

The next day, Ash left for Vermillion. Cerulean was nice and he wouldn't have minded sticking around a few more days, but there was honestly nothing productive he could do. He didn't need to watch the Sisters' show or relax in the fields or by a river, he needed to train and get stronger.

It would take him a little bit more than a week to reach Vermillion. Last time had taken around two weeks, but that was because he and the others had been plagued by massive storms and an assortment of bad weather. The route was normally quite easy, so hopefully his luck would hold out.

Ash glanced at the road that would take him past Saffron and south to Vermillion. He could just stop in Saffron, but there would be no point. The city didn't hold much appeal to him and he wouldn't have the incentive of battling Sabrina again. That would have to wait.

He shrugged and released Plume. She nipped his hat and received a light stroke before she burst into the air. Ash turned away from the dust cloud, but Sneasel wasn't as lucky. The dark-type coughed and hissed angrily as he breathed in a lungful of dirt.

The trainer snorted in amusement before he released Nidoking. His friend roared and crushed his claws together when he materialized. That was another reason Ash preferred to be travelling, or at least away from cities. Any of his friends larger than Dazed or Tangrowth couldn't be released in public, and even they were frowned upon. Only something around Sneasel's size could go around in public without attracting too much attention.

"Hey, buddy." He grinned as he patted his friend's shoulder. Nidoking grunted back happily and stamped the ground. Ash nearly lost his footing as a tremor swept through the earth, but just shook his head. "Very funny." Judging from his snicker, Sneasel agreed. "We're heading to Vermillion."

Nidoking's ears perked up. Ash grinned. His friend had liked Vermillion. Not the city itself, but the areas around it were largely massive, flat plains dotted with small pools of water. In other words, the nidoran family's ideal habitat. Vermillion being the place where he had evolved into a nidorino hadn't hurt his opinion of it either.

Ash made a mental note to stay away from the port. He'd mostly gotten over his trepidation of the ocean, but he wasn't sure if it would ever fade completely. But the waters of Vermillion would never be something he enjoyed.

"Well, it's a long journey." Ash said as he glanced at the long, straight road. He adjusted his pack to be more comfortable. "Let's get going."

XX

That night was a comfortable one. It was the first day of October, and the harsh heat of summer had been fading for weeks now. But it wasn't too cold to be annoying or uncomfortable. Right now it was the perfect mix of waning summer and waxing autumn.

But it also heralded a new part of Sneasel's training. He was doing quite well and rapidly growing, but it was time for him to begin learning from his teammates. Sneasel needed something to push him harder and show him what a real battle was like.

It was a shame that he didn't have any other light, speedy pokemon. The rest of his friends were bulky and powerful, built for taking hits and dealing out even more damage or aerial fighters. He couldn't just have Sneasel learn from an experienced pokemon of the same style.

So it seemed that Sneasel needed to learn the mentality behind fighting. He was too quick to fall into a blood rage at the moment. Sneasel didn't have proper control over his emotions and instincts, which could be very, very bad in a real battle.

Ash would speak to Nidoking and Torrent about training Sneasel in Ice Beam and Blizzard, respectively. He wasn't quite strong enough to use the moves yet, but the little dark-type wasn't too far off. Sneasel was almost a month old, so he was going to start maturing rapidly. Right now he was still a bit underdeveloped.

"Sneasel." He called out, breaking the comfortable silence that pervaded the small camp. Sneasel instantly stopped playing his game with Infernus and looked over with wide eyes. Infernus's eyes glinted amusedly before he picked Sneasel up by the scruff of his neck and threw him into a tree. Plume squawked irritably and sent them both a death glare as she was awoken from her slumber.

Sneasel skittered over to Ash and hissed at Infernus. The fire-type snorted smoke and spat a thin tongue of flame at Sneasel. The ice-type growled and leapt out of the way, allowing it to crackle into nothing.

"Enough." Ash said calmly. Both of his friends instantly stopped their mock battle and glanced over at him. "Sneasel, you're starting your real training tonight. Tangrowth, give him everything you've got with your vines. Don't knock him out, but don't give him any respite."

Tangrowth gurgled and extended a dozen of his innumerable vines. He stood up on his stubby feet and stared at Sneasel, who had scrambled away from Ash and into a relatively empty part of the camp. Sneasel hissed at his primary caretaker and unsheathed his massive, hooked claws. Both were instantly encrusted in a thick crust of ice that released tendrils of frosty air.

Sneasel suddenly vanished into a blur. A moment later he appeared in front of Tangrowth and slashed at his guardian without remorse or hesitation, but Tangrowth reacted with lightning quick reflexes and caught Sneasel's thin, wiry arms with two of his smaller vines.

The dark-type hissed in confusion as he was suddenly hurled about twenty feet back into a large tree. Ash smiled as Tangrowth gurgled apologetically before he sent four vines lashing towards Sneasel. He was pleasantly surprised that Tangrowth wasn't holding back. While he didn't like pitting the two against each other, this training method ensured two things.

One, the camp and surrounding area wasn't destroyed by Infernus, Nidoking, or Torrent. He hated ruining the environment of local pokemon, although it would heal rather quickly. Just because trees and other vegetation had evolved to recover fast to survive pokemon attacks didn't mean that they should have to.

Two, it would show Sneasel that Tangrowth wasn't as weak as he seemed to think. Ash had noticed Sneasel taking advantage of Tangrowth much more in the week before they reached Cerulean. He would take a large portion of Tangrowth's food, blow large blasts of icy air into Tangrowth and use Quick Attack to escape, and pull other pranks.

Ash had let it slide for then aside from a few rebukes. Sneasel listened to him on many things, but it wouldn't do any good in this instance. Tangrowth seemed too easy a target and Sneasel's instincts demanded that he take advantage of him. As a species, sneasel respected strength and cunning. Tangrowth wasn't exactly cunning outside of battle, but strength was something he had plenty of.

He didn't bother calling out commands as Sneasel vanished into the darkness and appeared behind Tangrowth, although the dark-type found several powerful vines waiting for him. Ash trained Sneasel to listen to his commands and understand the implied message behind them in the battles with other trainers. This training was meant to teach Sneasel how to react to different situations and improve his physical abilities…along with teaching him a lesson, of course.

Sneasel hissed as the vines holding him began to glow a soft green. His muscles slackened before Tangrowth took pity on the ice-type and gently dropped him to the ground in front of him. Tangrowth's mercy was repaid by Sneasel leaping at him with bared fangs and ice encrusted claws.

Ash rolled his eyes as Tangrowth reflexively wrapped Sneasel's body so tightly that the angry dark-type couldn't move a muscle before he lightly shook his body and sent a tiny burst of stun spore directly into Sneasel's face.

He rooted around in his bag for one of his few Paralyze Heals and walked over to Sneasel, who Tangrowth was cradling in several of his vines. The dark-type was staring blankly into space thanks to his temporary paralysis.

Stun Spore, like most attacks or moves that caused paralysis, worked by delivering neurotoxins into the system of whatever breathed them in. The neurotoxins temporarily froze the nervous and chemical pathways required for muscle movement, although it would wear off after a few hours. Humans affected by it could remain paralyzed for around a day. They just weren't as durable as pokemon.

Sneasel was perfectly still as Ash poured the modified potion into his mouth. It was chock full of chemicals that would remove the inhibitors introduced by the Stun Spore. In just a minute or so Sneasel would be up and running.

"You can put him down now, Tangrowth." He said quietly. Tangrowth gurgled and gently laid Sneasel onto the soft ground. Ash glanced over and saw that his saucer-like eyes were despondent. "It's alright, buddy. He'll be fine. It was just an accident."

Tangrowth gurgled and flailed his arms around guiltily. Ash sighed and walked next to his friend. The grass-type made another odd noise. His vines were twitching as a result of his emotional distress. This was the first time Tangrowth had ever really hurt Sneasel in their training sessions, so Ash could understand why he was upset. His friend didn't exactly think through situations.

"Look, he's fine." Ash pointed at Sneasel as he began to twitch. Tangrowth immediately calmed, although his vines still twitched every now and then. "I can let someone else train Sneasel for now, alright?"

His friend shook his head as Sneasel tiredly pulled himself. Ash smiled and walked back to his previous position by Nidoking. The large poison-type was watching the situation in amusement. "Just keep at it. Make sure to be a bit more careful with effects, though. I only have so many potions."

Tangrowth gurgled and gave Sneasel another minute to recuperate before he began his assault anew. The dark-type hissed as he started the dance all over again.

Ash watched with a small smile on his face. Sneasel was certainly more cautious now. Perhaps he'd managed to learn his lesson after all. At least he'd respect Tangrowth more, especially when the grass-type was so gentle with him.

XX

Vermillion was a nice city, Ash decided as he stepped through the large gates and glanced around. It had a warm, sunny atmosphere even as fall dawned and the people were friendly. He had spent most of his time running around the countryside last time he'd been here, so he never really got a chance to appreciate the city itself.

He even liked the fresh, salty sea air. It didn't have the most pleasant of memories attached to its familiar scent, but he could overlook that, just as he overlooked the massive ships docked in the harbor that he could see from here.

As he idly made his way to the Pokemon Center, Ash considered who he would use to battle Surge. It would be a nice bit of nostalgia to use Nidoking, but that wouldn't really be fair. He wanted a real battle out of Surge, one that wasn't decided upon a very lucky evolution or a type advantage.

Torrent had battled the Sisters, so he was out. Besides, Ash didn't want to accidentally destroy Surge's gym. Dazed would probably have a fun time, so she was a possibility. He hadn't gotten to use her in a serious battle for a while now, not since he battled Giovanni.

Ash ignored the involuntarily lash of fury that sparked through his mind and focused on the situation at hand.

Infernus would have a good battle as well. Ash wasn't able to use him as often as he liked in the wilderness thanks to the sheer destruction Infernus tended to bring with him, and he could only imagine how fierce a battle it would be if he fought Surge and his Raichu with Infernus.

Bruiser would be torn apart by Surge. Physical based fighters didn't have a good time with electric-types, no matter how tough they were. Electricity had too strong of an effect on their bodies unless they had a thick hide to disperse the shock. Unfortunately, Bruiser failed in that requirement. He had tough skin, but it wouldn't be able to shrug off most elemental attacks until he evolved into a machamp.

Plume was obviously out.

Tangrowth was another possibility. He'd had more opportunity to fight than the others since he tended to be much cleaner in his battles, but Ash suspected that he'd do quite well against Surge. His shell of vines would weaken the electricity blasts to near useless levels and his rubbery body wouldn't conduct the electricity well in the first place.

Perhaps he'd get Surge to adjust his normally rigid rules. It wasn't as though this were an official match, after all. And if Surge was really as impressed by him as Daisy seemed to imply he would be sure to bend that much.

Ash was snapped out of his thoughts when he found himself staring at the Pokemon Center. It was practically bursting with trainers, he could tell. This was about the time of year when most trainers felt that they were ready to begin challenging the serious gyms.

Most would fail, of course. Surge would be using his team to its full potential. Ash knew that he and his friends had gotten a lucky break with the gym leader. Nidoking had evolved during that battle, which essentially gave him a clean slate against the poisoned Raichu. Additionally, Ash suspected that Surge hadn't really tried his hardest against the rookie trainers. While it was still an impressive feat to defeat Surge at that stage, Ash knew that this would be a real battle.

Amelia had fought Raichu when it was still weakened from his own and managed to circumvent its formidable power through status conditions, if Ash remembered correctly. Even then it had been close thanks to Raichu's power.

Jonathan didn't even have to battle Raichu. He'd gotten to battle a rather formidable Pikachu in its stead.

In other words, they hadn't gotten a real battle out of Surge. Ash wanted to fix that. Surge's reputation as a harsh and brutal gym leader was surpassed only by Giovanni's. He was ready to face that gym leader fairly, without any lucky evolutions.

Ash stepped into the Pokemon Center. The moment he was done he would head over to the gym. He'd been there enough that he could locate it in his sleep.

There was a long line for the front desk, but it moved quickly. Trainers just got a room key or gave Nurse Joy their pokeball before walking off. Most just went over to the TV area.

He did notice that there weren't any extensively injured pokemon outside of their ball, unlike when he'd been here last. It looked like Surge was being much more careful now that the League had put his leash back on. Without the St. Anne tickets at stake he couldn't be as brutal as he would have liked.

"How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked cheerily. Ash snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the nurse.

"A room key, please." He requested. Nurse Joy smiled and handed one over. Ash nodded his thanks and walked off, although he went to the TV area to check everything out. He needed to keep up with the news now that the war with Team Rocket was picking up.

He didn't take a seat. It would be pointless. Ash was just going to move on anyways. Instead he walked up just a bit behind the rest of the twenty or so trainers that were watching

"…League casualties continue to rise." A grim man droned on. "In the most recent raids, more than twenty Rangers were killed or injured. Sixty three Rockets have been taken into custody, however, and more were injured or killed in the battle. The League continues to be silent on their attempts to locate the strange creature that was responsible for the astounding defeat of Champion Lance, Elite Four Lorelei and Agatha, and dozens of highly trained League personnel."

The trainers around him grumbled in discontent. "How's the League supposed to fight Team Rocket when their best got beat by one pokemon?" He heard one mutter. Ash scowled. They weren't helping the situation by being afraid and meek.

Ash didn't stay to listen to their fearful mutterings. He just clenched his fists and walked out of the Pokemon Center. Sneasel hissed lightly and peered at him worriedly. The trainer just put on a slight smile and scratched underneath Sneasel's feather. That calmed him down and kept him from worrying about Ash.

What he needed was a good battle. Ash just needed to get his mind off of Team Rocket. The League would take care of everything. Lance wouldn't rest until he found a way to defeat the Creature and destroy Team Rocket for good.

XX

"I remember you." One of Surge's gym trainers said with a scowl. The large, burly man crossed his arms and glared down at Ash. He stared back. After meeting Surge, Lance, and Bruno this man's physical power didn't intimidate him. "You're that runt who got lucky and beat Surge. Here for a rematch, kid?"

"I am." He replied coolly. Sneasel hissed at the gym trainer, who still had a scowl on his face.

"Surge has a challenger right now, but head on in." The gym trainer grunted. He pulled open the door and followed Ash in. "Roxie, make sure no one else gets in. We don't need the League on our backs about someone getting hurt."

The female gym trainer nodded and silently crossed her arms. She glared out at the passerby, who either seemed used to it or sent nervous glances her way. Ash wondered just how strong the gym trainers were. Surge wouldn't accept anyone that was weak and Ash knew that the gym trainers would have been instrumental in driving Team Rocket from Vermillion's territory.

He smiled as he entered the gym. It was just as he remembered it, although it was a bit brighter than last time. The gym was still plain and seemed more like a warehouse than an important location.

Surge was standing on one end of the large, plain battlefield with a grin on his face. The challenger was a tall, muscular teenager who wore a look of horror on his face as his Flareon was being torn apart by Raichu.

"I'm bored." Surge announced. Arcs of electricity shot out of Raichu's electric sacs as it heard the gym leader speak. "Blast him."

Raichu had a mean grin on its small face as it swished its tail back and forth. Its body was enveloped in a massive shell of electricity before a massive bolt blasted out and slammed into Flareon. The fire-type collapsed as immense amounts of electricity wracked its body.

Before it could properly faint, the trainer returned Flareon and stared at the pokeball despondently. "You did your best, Flareon. Thanks."

"Get out of here and come back when you're actually strong." Surge barked. The trainer glared up at the gym leader before storming out, which elicited a laugh from the giant of a man. "Alright, next challenger!" He shouted before he glanced over and saw Ash. Surge's eyes widened and he grinned widely. "Alright! Look who it is. Here for a rematch, runt?"

Ash grinned back. Sneasel hissed and unsheathed his claws threatening, although Raichu just sent a tiny bolt of electricity at him that threw him off Ash's shoulder. "Definitely. This time it'll be a real battle."

"Good." Surge said. Battle burned in his eyes. "This isn't an official match. You want one-on-one again? Raichu won't be easy on you this time."

"Three-on-three." Ash corrected. Surge's smile grew wider and Ash reached for his first pokeball. "I've got a few of my friends that haven't had a real battle in a while."

Surge crossed his arms. "I'll be glad to give them one. Ready to lose, runt? You won't be so lucky this time."

"We'll see." Ash replied. He tapped the pokeball's release button. A moment later Tangrowth appeared on the battlefield. His friend gurgled happily and extended one vine to poke Ash on the forehead before he focused on Raichu, whose cheeks were sparking.

"Tangrowth, huh?" Surge muttered. "Raichu, Thunder Wave, then use Shock Blast."

Ash just smiled as Raichu shot the thin blue bolts of electricity. Tangrowth knew what to do. His friend gurgled as the tip of his arms began to glow brightly with spheres of bright white light. The grass-type swept them both upward, causing a wall of earth to burst out of the ground and block the Thunder Wave.

The wall also managed to catch an immense blast of electricity from Raichu that was so powerful it caused the earth wall to explode. Ash was rather glad that Tangrowth had put up the wall. That would have been devastating if it hit.

"Drain it." Ash commanded. Tangrowth instantly sent dozens of his vines lashing from his body toward Raichu. They completely entangled the electric-type, but Raichu simply closed his eyes and released another blast of electricity.

Ash frowned when he saw the vines wrapped around Raichu baked to a crisp from the sheer amount of energy that had flowed through them. Tangrowth couldn't just warp Raichu up and suck all of his energy out. They would have to be more creative.

"Effect Spores." He commanded. Tangrowth quickly shook his body to release an immense cloud of stun spore and sleep powder. It quickly billowed all over the field. Raichu shot a bolt of electricity at Tangrowth, but it barely made his friend stumble back. "Ancient Power, Ingrain."

Tangrowth's gurgle was muffled as he followed Ash's commands. He created several walls of earth that would protect him from the inferno that would result from the effect spores and also rooted himself to the ground.

Ash had crippled Raichu with the Effect Spores that pervaded the air. Aside from the obvious problems it would face, it wouldn't be able to use electrical attacks for fear of causing the spores to combust. While that would normally be crippling for Tangrowth, the shelter he had built would protect him from the majority of the inferno.

"Clever." Surge growled. Raichu bared its fangs as the stun spores and sleep powder clouds slowly grew nearer. "Ground Flare."

Raichu seemed to grin madly as it suddenly moved in a blur. Ash frowned when it suddenly dug a large hole in the ground, aided by what little practice it had with the move. The earth seemed to melt around Riachu as it leapt into the hole.

Ash sighed when he saw Raichu use Discharge. Dozens of bolts of electricity exploded from Raichu's pit, which arced out and turned the air into a raging fireball. Raichu stayed in the relative safe zone, mostly safe from the immense heat caused by the ignition.

He was silent until the last embers had burned out. Ash was rather thankful for the psychic barriers in the gym. That would have been a disaster otherwise.

"Tangrowth, get out." He ordered. Tangrowth quickly lowered the earthen walls, emerging from his shelter at the same time Raichu hopped out of its small hole. "Sludge Bomb and hit it with Power Whip. Wrap it up with your other vines."

"Focus Blast." Surge snapped as Raichu dodged the massive wave of sludge. As dozens of vines lashed towards its small form, Raichu formed a small blue ball of energy between its hands and threw it at the mass of vines.

Tangrowth reflexively scattered his vines to minimize his loss, but made sure to use Ancient Power in order to erect a wall of earth and stone that blocked Focus Blast. Although the ball of energy completely destroyed the wall, leaving it nothing but dust, it served its purpose. A good quarter of Tangrowth's vines had been severed or destroyed by the release of energy.

"Volt Shield." Surge grinned. Raichu, who didn't seem to be affected at all by the powerful attacks it had been blasting for the last minute or so, bared its fangs and collapsed to all fours. It raised its long, whip-like tail as high as it could to gather electricity, which caused it to shine brightly. Raichu's electrical sacs sparked erratically as arcs of lightning jumped all over its body.

Just as some of Tangrowth's vines began to close in, the arcs of lightning on its body exploded outward, although they were maintained in a sort of aura. Raichu was completely still as the shell of lightning burnt all of Tangrowth's vines to a crisp.

Ash sighed again. So long as that Volt Shield – a rather impressive design, although Ash doubted that many electric-types had the sheer power to maintain it effectively – was up Tangrowth's vines were useless. It was time to get serious.

"Tangrowth, give him everything you've got." Ash said with a wild grin. Tangrowth was powerful when he battled normally, but Ash had trained Tangrowth to battle seriously. He wouldn't be limited to a single strategy right now.

Surge blinked in surprise as Tangrowth fired off another Sludge Bomb, which Raichu was forced to dodge. The Volt Shield would just burn some of the sludge and change it into a very toxic gas while the rest would land on Raichu and finish him off.

Ash had to admit that he was impressed that Raichu was actually able to keep the Volt Shield up as it moved. It looked very draining. If it weren't for the vines Tangrowth had extended, Ash had no doubt that Surge would go on the offense.

Raichu's cheeks sparked as it sent another powerful bolt of electricity at Tangrowth, although it simply knocked his friend back. Tangrowth wouldn't be knocked over now. He was anchored to the ground with his vines.

He smiled as Tangrowth used both of his arms to enhance his Ancient Power. Huge chunks of earth were gouged from the floor and hurled at Raichu, who was barely able to leap out of the way. Both were destroyed by errant bolts of electricity, although they simply splintered into smaller chunks.

Volt Shield was beginning to fail. Instead of the steady current arcing through the air, the electricity began to fizzle. It was still too powerful for Ash to risk Tangrowth's vines, but it was a start.

"Sludge Bomb, then Ancient Power. Keep it up!" Ash called. Tangrowth gurgled and renewed his assault. He grinned when a chunk of earth finally slammed into Raichu, throwing it off guard and ending its Volt Shield. "Power Whip and Mega Drain!"

Even as Tangrowth shot dozens of vines toward Raichu, the electric-type regained its footing and glared heatedly. Surge hadn't given it any commands since there wasn't anything to do but weather the assault. Ash got the feeling that Raichu was based purely around power. It was fast enough, but it didn't seem to have any evasive ability.

"Lightning Bolt!" Surge roared. He had a look of both surprise and desperation on his face. Surprise because Tangrowth was winning, and desperation because, again, Tangrowth was winning.

Ash frowned. Lightning Bolt? He didn't have a good feeling about that. "Ancient Power!"

Tangrowth swept his rubbery arm upward and created an earthen wall even as his vines lashed at Raichu's exhausted form. But it seemed that Raichu wasn't too tired for one last, desperate display of incredible power.

The smell of ozone that pervaded the air grew even stronger in his nostrils as Raichu charged up an immense amount of energy. Ash could barely see Raichu behind the glow released from its body, but he could hear its furious growl when it finally released the Lightning Bolt.

It was amongst the most powerful attacks Ash had ever seen. The Lightning Bolt incinerated every one of Tangrowth's vines that it hit and plowed straight through the wall of earth before hitting Tangrowth. Ash had to turn away as the light grew too intense and huge chunks of the wall exploded everywhere.

He worriedly glanced back with Sneasel and saw that Tangrowth was lying unconscious on the ground, despite his healthy state before. Ash blinked in awe and looked that Raichu was unconscious as well. Tangrowth had managed to knock him out with a few powerful lashes of his vines before he was hit with the Lightning Bolt.

"Looks like it's a tie. That Tangrowth of yours is impressive, but it can't take that kind of power!" Surge laughed as he recalled Raichu's smoking form.

"What was that?" Ash questioned in awe as he returned Tangrowth. That was by far the most powerful electrical attack he had ever seen. Most electric attacks would have done some damage to the earthen wall thanks to the concussive force behind them, but that had blasted through the barrier as though it were nothing.

"Lightning Bolt." Surge grinned. "It's an electric-type variation on Hyper Beam. We spent the last year perfecting it. You're the first challenger I've had to use it on."

Ash supposed he should be proud that he was the first one to push Surge that far. But he was still in too much of a daze to really feel it. All he knew was that if he ever needed help with an electric-type Surge would be the very first person to go to.

He released Dazed. She looked out at the completely destroyed battlefield with a rather bored expression. Ash figured Dazed had gotten used to seeing the sheer amount of destruction that tended to accompany their serious battles.

Surge scratched his chin and examined Dazed thoughtfully. Ash knew that most gyms that focused on elemental and nonphysical attacks tended to despise psychics. Their shields were capable of absorbing vast amounts of energy before breaking, which was always a pain.

"Haven't really used this guy, but this should be fun." Surge shrugged. He casually sent out a large, very powerful looking Jolteon. It examined its surroundings and seemed to smile before tensing up and staring at Dazed. "Jolteon, start this off with Thunderclap. Psychic-Strat. 1."

"Dazed, you know what to do." Ash growled as Jolteon's body began sparking. "Finish this quickly."

His friend's eyes flashed as she sent a massive wave of force blasting toward Jolteon, who nimbly leapt out of the way. When it recovered it vanished in a blur, although the electricity that engulfed its large body trailed behind it in a massive stream of lightning.

Dazed barely managed to teleport out of the way before Jolteon came to a stop right in front of Ash. Thunder rolled through the air and shook the ground as Jolteon stopped. The electric-type snarled and shook its body. Thin arcs of electricity shot out and covered the entire battlefield, although Dazed easily blocked the weak bolts.

"Adjust to S2." Surge called out. Ash assumed it was to compensate for Dazed's teleportation. It wasn't common to see a hypno with teleport.

Jolteon suddenly flashed into nothingness before a dozen ethereal clones of it appeared. Each flickered and locked onto Dazed. Ash watched with narrowed eyes as Jolteon and its illusory doubles used the same Thunderclap technique. Identical trails of lightning blasted through the battlefield as Jolteon appeared right in front of Dazed, although she managed to hurl it back with a wave of psychic force before she teleported.

Thunderclap was a brilliant technique. Many pokemon were sensitive to the bright flash of light and the loud sound. Psychics were particularly vulnerable. Their brains were large and caused them to be extremely sensitive to external stimuli thanks to their keen senses. A technique like Thunderclap would practically overload them for a few seconds if they weren't prepared.

Dazed appeared in front of Ash. She immediately erected a large shield of bright blue psychic energy. It was right in time, as well. Jolteon had shot dozens of sharp, yellow needles made out of its fur. They actually managed to penetrate, although the quills were stuck in the shield. His friend managed to keep it up.

"Multi Ball, then Psychic." He said quietly. Dazed dropped the shield for a split second to conjure the balls of ghostly energy, which she instantly fired in all directions. Jolteon used Quick Attack to flicker out of the way, although a wave of psychic force caught it off guard and threw it into the barriers.

That had been a risky strategy. It was generally acknowledged as impossible to use a ghost or dark-type attack while using psychic energy at the same time without extensive training, simply because ghost and dark-type attacks disrupted psychics. If Dazed wasn't so fast Jolteon could have easily taken advantage of the momentary lapse.

"Disable and put it to sleep." Ash ordered. Dazed instantly followed his command. Jolteon was still too out of it to act on Surge's sudden flurry of orders, so Dazed had an easy time of locking him into a prison of light blue energy. Her pendulum began to sway back and forth in a rhythmic, enrapturing motion as her eyes glowed a bright blue.

"Shadow Ball!" Surge shouted. Jolteon's eyes flickered back to awareness thanks to the command, but it was too weak to actually utilize the ghostly energy. Ash knew that the attack wasn't to actually hurt Dazed, it was just to disrupt the Disable and give Jolteon an opportunity to escape.

Jolteon's eyes slowly lowered before they closed at last under Dazed's influence. Surge recalled it an instant later. "That's why I hate battling hypno." The massive man sighed. "Damn things have too many options available to them. Alakazam aren't the only psychic threat out there."

Ash grinned and nodded. "Good job, Dazed. I'll recall you for now."

Dazed nodded and shut her eyes as she was transformed into scarlet energy and pulled back into her pokeball. Ash clipped the ball to his belt before he removed Infernus'. This would be an intense battle. Neither of Surge's pokemon so far had failed to disappoint. He was sure Infernus would be satisfied.

"Raichu isn't actually my strongest, you know." Surge began conversationally as he pulled an ultra ball off of his belt. "She's my starter and I work with her best, but I've got something with more raw strength. Have fun."

Ash's eyes lit up at the prospect of the battle. He tapped the release to let Infernus out into the world.

Infernus stamped onto the ground with a shackled foot, splitting it and causing lava to burst out. He looked up to the ceiling and spat a stream of white flame before his entire body ignited into an inferno.

A massive Electivire appeared directly in front of Surge. It was bulky and humanoid, and two long, thin tails swished around behind it. Electivire roared and crushed its fists together, which produced a shockwave of thunder.

His grin grew even wider. This was better than he could have hoped for. Infernus seemed to be of the same mind. He roared back and spat a stream of blue flame around him as he glared at Electivire. Both powerful pokemon's respective element crackled around them as they stared each other down, silently awaiting their trainers' command.

Ash had been working out a strategy for Infernus during the rest of the match. It was a reflexive act whenever he looked at a setting, almost unconscious. Learning how to exploit the terrain was one of the most integral parts of being a trainer, and he was skilled enough to do it all the time.

He was going for the massive chunks of earth that had been gouged from the battlefield by Tangrowth. It would be simple for Infernus to fill them up with lava, which would make part of the field inhospitable for Electivire and also give Infernus a place where he could recover. Extra heat would boost Infernus to his prime.

But he had to make the first move. He had to be the one to break the stalemate. Just from a cursory glance he could tell that Electivire was too powerful to be allowed to go on the offensive. Infernus had to fight unrelentingly, without holding back in any manner.

"Bring up lava in the pits." He said quickly and quietly. Infernus lightly stamped the earth and blew a stream of flame into the air to obscure Electivire's vision and maintain a bit of secrecy. Ash grinned when he felt immense amounts of heat, dampened by the psychic barriers around the battlefield, rise upward.

"Haze, then Fire Blast. And, Infernus?" Ash called out. His friend nodded that he was listening. "Don't hold back."

If Infernus had an ordinary mouth, Ash was sure that he would have been grinning madly. Instead, he suspected that Infernus' eyes had lit up and burned with glee.

"Lightning Bolt!" Surge shouted. He was overconfident in Electivire. Ash wondered if he knew about Air Lens. The gym leader probably did. It would be a common strategy for anyone with a sufficiently powerful magmar. Ash really needed to get around to meeting Blaine again.

Electivire roared as it forced one of its thick arms forward. Electricity surged around it as it charged its power. A few moments later it released Lightning Bolt, which surged forward in a powerful beam.

Thankfully it was mostly dispersed by Fire Blast. Electivire roared again, but Infernus vanished as he used Fire Spin to set his entire side of the battlefield aflame. He was invisible, indistinguishable from the roaring inferno as he stalked through it.

Surge scowled. "Earthquake, then Shock Wave. When you find its position, Light Dash."

"Take cover." Ash ordered. He barely made out Infernus' shadowed form slipping into one of the larger magma pits before the earthquake rattled through the ground. While it probably caused Infernus a bit of damage even in the magma pit, the force didn't travel as well through the molten stone. Additionally, the intense heat from the magma pool would hopefully act as a rudimentary Air Lens.

From what he knew of the Air Lens technique, it relied upon Magmar intensifying the heat around it in a specific manner designed to neutralize electrical charges. Infernus didn't have the degree of control or instruction required to pull off such an incredible feat, but the pool's sheer temperature would hopefully be enough to mimic it. If not, it didn't matter. Infernus was invulnerable while he was in the magma pit.

Ash grinned when he saw the Shock Wave, which was ordinarily capable of being attracted to its target's bioelectricity through some complicated scientific means that Ash couldn't claim to understand, fizzle out over nothingness when it reached the magma pit. Unfortunately it still gave Surge and Electivire an idea of where to look.

Realization dawned on Surge's face. "It's in the ground. Rock Tomb! Trap it in."

Electivire cried out, a sound that reminded Ash of a whirring motor, as it stuck out its arm and fired several spheres of purple energy out over the ground. With a sweep of its arm it flattened the field and covered each of the pits with a strip of stone. It seemed that Surge and Electivire still didn't know about the magma.

"Magmar can't hide anymore." Surge laughed. "It's got to reveal itself before it can escape. We might as well call this one mine."

"Don't be so sure." Ash muttered. "Infernus, Lava Plume! Blow the place up."

Everyone froze as they heard the earth groan and rumble, although Ash wore a grin at the same time. The earth covering Infernus' pit began to crack and bulge upward as huge amounts of pressure began to build up underneath it.

"P. Def." Surge barked. Electivire crossed its arms. Its eyes began to glow as a screen of yellowish energy formed in front of it before being overlaid by a blue one. Ash recognized it as a Light Screen and Barrier combination, although he hadn't expected to see its use by Electivire. "When it's open, hit it with Lightning Bolt, Mk. 2."

Ash didn't have time to wonder at there being a second variant of Lightning Bolt before the world exploded. Infernus erupted from the ground in an outward blast of stone, magma, and energy. He was wreathed in flames as he spat a massive Flamethrower straight at Electivire, although all of the attack washed harmlessly off of the powerful barrier.

"Move!" Ash cried out to his friend. Infernus tried to jump to his left, but he didn't even have time to start before two immense blasts of electricity – two Lightning Bolts at once, how did Electivire manage that? – in its most powerful form slammed into his chest with pinpoint accuracy.

He winced as Infernus was briefly enveloped in the massive amount of electricity before the concussive force behind sent his body flying into the flames left over from his Haze technique. Ash sighed and reached for Infernus' pokeball. It looked like he wouldn't be winning this one.

But he stopped when he saw a defiant figure stagger to its feet, fearless and somehow conscious despite the power of the attacks he had just weather. Ash's eyes widened when he saw Infernus roar furiously and cause the flames that harbored him to leap twenty feet into the air, licking the gym's ceiling.

Ash shook his head. Only Infernus could survive two electric-type hyper beams and still be furious enough to fight. Perhaps they had been slightly weaker than normal thanks to Electivire splitting its energy between the both of them, but it was still an astounding feat – both for Electivire by actually doing it and Infernus for taking it.

"Smokescreen!" Ash shouted. He might not have expected this, but he would make the most of it. "Get in close, use Fire Blast and Fire Spin."

Infernus roared before dashing forward. He was a bit slow, but the thick shroud of smoke he spewed into the air helped to cover him and protect him from the bolts of electricity Electivire was firing into the haze.

"Shock Wave. Follow up with Light Dash." Surge snapped. He seemed annoyed that Infernus had taken the Lightning Bolts. It was unexpected for everyone.

Electivire roared before shooting the blue lance of electricity into the smoke. Infernus roared and blasted it with a stream of flame, but it still revealed his position. At least he wasn't hurt from it.

The electric-type easily weathered the Fire Blast that slammed into its chest and exploded in a bright flash of fire and energy. It hummed in annoyance and began to do something that Ash could barely make out, but it was suddenly enveloped in a twisting vortex of flame. Ash grinned when Fire Spin worked. Infernus had the advantage again.

At least he did until Electivire released a huge pulse of psychic energy from its body and caused the Fire Spin to disperse into embers. Ash sighed and realized that it must have used Light Screen to envelop its body before blasting the energy outward. It was quite similar to the technique Dazed regularly utilized.

"Same orders." Surge called. Electivire hummed before enveloping itself in a Light Screen again, although this time it melded to its massive body instead of acting as a simple shield. Ash frowned when it suddenly disappeared in a blur of motion. Something that large should not be able to use Quick Attack.

"Brick Break and Fire Punch." Ash called out. Normally Infernus would be fine if he just stayed in his flames, but that wouldn't work if Electivire was protected by a Light Screen. All the raging fire would do was comfortably warm the behemoth's fur.

So he had to remove that protection. Electivire couldn't fight for long when surrounded by flames. Infernus was obviously outmatched in regards to power, although his fierce need for dominance balanced the scales, so they had to be tricky.

Ash could barely see the outlines of the dueling fighters thanks to the raging inferno, but he could get an idea of what was going on. Electivire had finally impacted and Infernus had struck, but, here his heart skipped a beat, there seemed to be an incredibly powerful release of energy.

He blinked in surprise when he saw several bolts of lightning scatter throughout the air, leaving the sharp scent of ozone wafting into his nostrils, as well as the aforementioned explosion of purple and orange energy.

The trainer could see why Surge had referred to Electivire as his strongest pokemon. Not only was it able to use two Lightning Bolts at once when even one was enough to finish Raichu off, it was able to recover rapidly from it and protect itself using rare psychic techniques. But that was only the beginning. What really impressed Ash was the technique it had used, Light Dash.

If he had seen it and identified its obvious components correctly, Light Dash utilized at least four moves at once: Quick Attack for the speed, Light Screen for the protective shell of energy, Giga Impact for the sheer power it afforded, and some sort of electrical blast. It must have required quite a bit of rigorous training.

Ash was even more surprised when he saw the flames explode as well, right after the first explosion had blasted most of the fire away. It must have been from Infernus, who he was surprised to see still standing and also locked into a furious contest of strength with Electivire. Infernus was doing his best to hold Electivire back, but it was clear that the electric-type was easily overpowering Infernus.

"Fire Blast." Ash called out. It was a last ditch attempt at winning. Electivire was incredibly powerful at a distance, but up close it was indomitable. There was no way Infernus would escape, but at least he had a chance of winning if he used Fire Blast.

Infernus quickly spat the huge fire ball into the ground, causing an immense explosion. Electivire whirred angrily as it stumbled back, its coat burning with embers, but recovered easily. It glared and stepped forward menacingly. Ash winced as his friend tried to stand up, only to be wrenched up into the air by Electivire's powerful wire-like tails.

"Plug him." Surge called out with a grin, even as Ash desperately shouted, "Fire Blast."

His friend did manage to shoot the powerful fire ball into Electivire's chest and send the behemoth stumbling back a few steps, but not before Electivire squeezed its tails tighter around Infernus and touched the red, sparking tips to Infernus' neck.

Ash recalled his friend as Infernus began to spasm wildly. The battle was over. He wouldn't put Infernus through anything else.

It was a surprise when Surge recalled Electivire, who whirred in victory before it raised its arms and shot bolts of electricity into the air. Ash had expected to send Dazed back out to battle Electivire and determine who was the victor.

"I forfeit." Surge announced. Ash's eyes widened in surprise. "In an ordinary gym battle you would have won twice over. You're a damn good trainer, and it would be pointless to pit Electivire against that Hypno of yours. It would be a stalemate. Neither would get a hit in."

Ash nodded and placed Dazed's pokeball back onto his belt. He numbly realized that Sneasel was still standing on his shoulder. "One day you'll be out there." He said quietly.

Sneasel hissed excitedly and absentmindedly clung tighter to Ash.

"How sweet. The runt has a baby." Surge said with a booming laugh. He offered out his hand to Ash, which the trainer gladly shook. Sneasel hissed but didn't try anything. Even if he managed to hit the expertly trained warrior, Surge would probably just kick him clear across the gym. "Good job, Ash. I knew you'd be a good trainer."

"Thanks." He said with a grin. Surge teased a lot, but Ash liked him. The man was easy to get along with when he actually liked someone. "I'm glad that I got to battle you for real."

The gym leader laughed. "Our last match wasn't too impressive, was it? I just had Raichu pummeling that Nidoran of yours around and you managed to win thanks to poison and luck." He paused. "Has it evolved yet? Evolved pokemon will always carry you further."

"He evolved into a Nidoking around two months ago." Ash said happily. "I would have used him against you, but that wouldn't be a fair fight."

"Glad you see it that way, kid." Surge replied. "Well, I guess we'd better get to the Pokemon Center. We really did a number on each other."

That was something of an understatement, Ash thought privately.

"Hey, Jack!" Surge boomed. The gym trainer that brought Ash in snapped to attention and caught one of Surge's pokeballs. Ash noticed that the man looked at Ash in awe, as though he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. "That's Electivire. You're taking challengers for the rest of the day. Just use Thunderbolt on them. No mercy." Surge glanced back at the completely ruined battlefield. "Call that Golem in. We need to get the field fixed up real quick."

"Yes, sir!" The gym trainer saluted. He held the pokeball tightly before running around the field. Ash wasn't able to see where he was going before the two left the gym.

They attracted the attention of quite a few passerby, who looked in awe at their leader and protector. Ash assumed that it wasn't too common to see Surge outside of his infamous gym. He was far too dedicated to his duty to leave without cause.

He attracted a bit of attention himself. Ash was an average-sized eleven-year-old, but compared to the giant Surge he might as well have been a sentret next to a very large ursaring. It was probably something to see.

"I've heard about what you've done for the League." Surge said quietly. It still sounded as though he were shouting. "Nice work, that. Reminds me of my glory days. Now all I get to do is electrocute a bunch of useless Rocket grunts until they can't see straight." He snorted. "Of course, things might be getting more interesting thanks to the Rockets' newest toy."

"What'll you do if it comes to Vermillion?" Ash questioned.

"Run and get as many people to safety as I can." Surge replied without hesitation. At Ash's surprised look he gave a great, booming laugh. "What? I got the reports. If that thing can take down the Champion and the Elite Four without too much trouble, what could I do? I might not like running, but it's the only sensible thing to do."

Ash could understand that perfectly. Running was the only sort of victory when it came to something that powerful. He was still a bit surprised that Surge would ever willingly retreat, however. It didn't seem to fit the powerful man's nature.

"Well, enough of that. It makes the people nervous." Surge growled. He brightened up shortly. "What pokemon do you have? From what I saw you've got a nice little team set up."

"Aside from Nidoking, this little guy," he nodded at Sneasel, who hissed back, "and the others you know, I've got a Zubat, Machoke, Kingdra, and Pidgeot."

Surge nodded in approval. "Good diversity. That Kingdra'll give people hell in the Conference. Not many counters to something like that."

Ash didn't say anything as they stepped into the Pokemon Center. He was aware of dozens of trainers staring at the two in awe and fear. Well, they were staring at Surge. All he got were a few glances.

Most trainers shied away from Surge as he walked through the Pokemon Center. It didn't seem like many had good experiences with the man. Ash couldn't blame them if Surge had taken them seriously. Raichu alone was devastating.

"How are you, Lt. Surge?" Nurse Joy asked cheerily. She leaned forward on the counter and took the pokeballs Surge carefully set in front of her. He noted that she seemed surprised at the amount. Ash went ahead and put his injured friends alongside them. At least he wouldn't have to wait in line this way.

"Great!" Surge laughed. "Just had a damn good battle with this runt." He pointed at Ash. "It's nice having an actual challenge. Everyone else I've faced lately is a little baby with their tail between their legs." Ash noticed that Surge seemed to be aiming his words at the assorted trainers rather than Nurse Joy, who just had an amused smile on her face.

"That's nice." Nurse Joy commented drily. She glanced at Ash. "Mr. Ketchum, is it? I'll get your pokemon back to you as soon as I can. Lt. Surge, I'll transfer them over to the gym when they're healed."

"Thanks, Holly." Surge said gratefully. Nurse Joy rolled her eyes at the name. "Have a good day."

She laughed. "You too, Surge. Try not to be too harsh on the challengers. I have to clean up your mess."

"No promises." Surge gave a savage grin. Ash felt the corners of his lips curling up at the exchange. "Someone's got to keep the babies on their toes." He glanced down at Ash. "Runt, come with me. I've got to say a few parting words."

Ash acquiesced to the request and followed the giant out of the Pokemon Center. He felt a little uneasy underneath the stares of the trainers, most of which were either curious, impressed, annoyed, or a combination of all three.

When they stepped out into the soft Vermillion sun, Surge glanced down at him.

"Come back here eventually. I want a rematch. It'll be something to look forward to when I have to crush the dreams of a dozen babies a day." Surge boomed. "And if you ever need help with an electric-type, swing by."

"Thanks, Lt. Surge." Ash said with a grin.

"Just Surge." The gym leader shrugged. "You've earned that much." He looked around and crouched. "Runt, I liked you after our last battle. You had potential, more than I'd seen in a long time. After a real battle, I think I can respect you. Not many can best me in a match like that. Make sure to swing by for one last battle when you're the Champion or runner-up of this year's Conference."

Ash nodded, pride welling up inside that Surge thought so highly of him. The man's respect was hard to gain, and it was something he was proud to have. "I will. Someone's got to keep you on your toes." Ash said with a cocky grin.

Surge straightened up and laughed uproariously, attracting quite a bit of attention from random passerby. "Looks like you've got some claws after all. Make sure to keep them unsheathed more."

He glanced down the road that would take him to his gym. "Well, I'd better be off. Jack has probably blown up the gym by now."

"Bye." Ash said before the gym leader walked off, each stride equivalent to three of a smaller man. He shrugged and watched Surge leave before heading back into the Pokemon Center. It would be nice to clean up before he came back down for his friends and dinner.

XX

"Celadon's next." He told Nidoking and Plume. Plume's eyes darkened with uncharacteristic fury. She had bad memories of Erika's gym. Nidoking simply growled. The battle with Petrel and the Rocket hideout weren't their happiest memories. "Don't worry, Plume. You'll get to show her just how strong you are now."

Plume cooed softly and nipped his hat before taking to the skies. Ash watched her fly off wistfully before returning to Nidoking. "The journey will be about a week. I'm going to have you start teaching Sneasel Ice Beam. I think you're ready for it, aren't you?" He said softly to Sneasel.

The dark-type bounced up and down on the ground excitedly. He blew a puff of icy air before he raced off to chase some unfortunate pokemon.

"Keep an eye on him, will you?" Ash murmured to Nidoking. His best friend nodded seriously. They both knew that Sneasel might turn to more dangerous activities with the power of Ice Beam behind him. The trainer was a bit nervous about teaching him a powerful move like that in the first place, but he knew that he might as well get the phase over with. Sneasel would grow powerful eventually anyways, so it would be best to teach him discipline while he was still weak enough to be easily chastised.

But those thoughts could be put behind until tonight. For now he just wanted to get a move on. Ash shared a smile with Nidoking and glanced up at Plume's lazily circling form before he stepped off.

Celadon awaited him.

XX

And that's it. I cut it a bit short this time. Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have as long as they aren't too spoilerific, and make sure to review!

I'll get the next update out as soon as I can!