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.

21. Chapter 21: The Hunt

Ash's head ached, his mouth was dry, his tongue was fuzzy, and his skin felt like it was on fire. He opened his eyes and groaned miserably once he became aware of the myriad of unpleasant sensations that crawled around in his insides.

The air was crisp and cold and tasted slightly of salt. He pulled himself up on his forearms and checked out his surroundings. Ash was on a large beach made up mostly of small, sharp stones that dug into his skin as he struggled to his feet.

He put a gloved hand to his head and adjusted his cap to shield his eyes. Although the weather was pretty cold, as would be expected at the end of January, the sun was bright and reflected off of the calm, sparkling waves and the odd shiny stone hidden amongst the field of gravel.

Where was he? How had he gotten here? All he remembered – he remembered.

Ash suddenly clutched his chest and his heart pounded rapidly. His fists clenched and his eyes widened with stress and anxiety. He looked down, half-expecting a hole to be in the middle of his chest, right where Mew had blasted through him.

There wasn't even a scar, but there was a perfectly round hole burned through his shirt and jacket. His breath caught. That wasn't a dream. All of that had actually happened.

Mewtwo had tried to destroy civilization. Moltres had been defeated and he didn't know if it had been saved. Mew had protected them and stopped the Creature. Ash had been resurrected.

And Mewtwo escaped scot-free. Mew had just slapped it on the wrist. It hadn't even had to pay for its crimes, all the deaths and destruction it caused! It just got to run around and find itself! Mewtwo had already found its true self: It was a monster and it had lived up to its nature.

Ash let out a frustrated scream and furiously kicked a stone. It went flying into the ocean and sunk into the lapping waves. He could only imagine that it would stay stuck in the soft ocean floor for many years.

He released another roar of rage and wished he could go back in time and order Nidoking to kill Mewtwo at any cost. All of the lives it had ended and ruined had cried out for justice and he had been too weak to finish it once and for all.

Mewtwo would pay one day. Ash would find something stronger than it and do anything to exact true justice, not what Mew had forced it into. He could vaguely remember Mewtwo claiming that it didn't want to kill anymore. As if that would happen. All Mewtwo had done since it was created was kill, either for Team Rocket or itself.

If he didn't find a way to end it than it would destroy everything one day. Mewtwo was a feral Umbreon on a leash. It was just waiting for its chance to strike back.

As hateful thoughts brewed in his head even more information ran through the floodgates of his mind. Ash was torn away and had to sit down. He ignored the sharp rocks that jutted into his body as he struggled to process everything that had happened.

The events that he remembered were vague, but he had a clear understanding of everything. He knew what had happened and win. But he couldn't remember a few important things: Namely, anything involving the location of New Island. Ash could make a guess, but he expected that Mewtwo would have hidden its fortress by now. It was arrogant but it wasn't stupid.

Ash growled and absentmindedly toyed with an oddly shaped stone. There were more important things to do. He needed to figure out a plan of action and check in with everyone. Professor Oak and his mother had to be worried. Mewtwo's storm had hit Pallet Town. He dimly remembered sending a message to Lance to help the Champion give Moltres a direction to attack. Lance was probably frantic.

He checked his pokeballs. They were all filled. Mewtwo must have done that before it'd teleported him here. Ash went ahead and released Sneasel and Plume.

The trainer was nearly bowled over by his friends once they realized where they were, although Plume could do nothing but affectionately head butt him and gently nip at his hat. Sneasel, on the other hand, was absolutely everywhere. The ball of fur had probably run over every inch of Ash's body before he calmed down and settled for using Ash's neck and shoulders as a perch.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you too." Ash said with a wide grin. He leaned into Plume to give her a brief, light hug. Her large body emanated quite a bit of heat that was a nice contrast to the chilly air. The trainer ran his eyes over her to check for any injuries. There were none. "Are you two alright?"

Plume cooed softly in response and hopped closer to him. Ash stood his ground happily and just patted her huge wing as the massive avian towered over him. Sneasel hissed an affirmative and tried to take Ash's hat off, although he stopped the dark-type by absentmindedly batting his seeking claw away.

"Not right now, buddy." He said cheerfully, not letting any of his inner turmoil and rage at Mewtwo's escape from justice shine through. Ash needed to move on and fix things. "I need your help. Sneasel, do you mind finding a good campsite? I think we all need a rest."

Sneasel growled in response and deftly leapt off of Ash's head. He landed easily on his powerful legs and loped away in a blur of black fur. Ash watched him go before he turned back to Plume, a more serious expression on his face.

"I know you're tired, but could you scout out the area and make sure there aren't any herds of pokemon wandering around? I doubt any of us are in any condition to be fighting right now."

Plume nodded and cooed again before she hopped away and took off at an incredible speed. Thankfully there wasn't any dust to be kicked up, although small pebbles pelted Ash's skin from her powerful winds. She vanished high into the sky in just a few seconds.

Ash somberly watched one of his oldest friends go before he sat down. His body felt drained all of a sudden. He had a while before they would get back and he wanted to see the rest of his friends. He had to make sure they were okay. They had gone through so much for his sake.

He decided against releasing all of them at once. Ash would rather not be drowned in a sea of overexcited pokemon. This would be a bit more personal, anyway.

The first to be released was Nidoking, of course. His friend's huge bulk made him sink into the loose gravel beach, which caused Nidoking to growl in annoyance before he realized that Ash was there. The only warning Ash received was an excited grunt before he found himself wrapped up in a very tight hug. Nidoking seemed to have picked up on the human gesture during their times at the Corral.

"I'm glad to see you too!" Ash laughed happily, although his voice was a bit tight thanks to the powerful force applied to his ribs. He patted his friend's hard shoulder and prompted for Nidoking to let him go.

Nidoking grunted and lowered himself to Ash's level so that he could look him in the eyes. Ash stared back with an odd smile on his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked seriously. He checked his friend for injuries just as he had Plume and Sneasel. Ash found it odd that none of his friends were injured, despite being in such a brutal battle. "Do you remember what happened?"

The poison-type squeezed his narrow eyes shut and flinched as though he were in pain. Nidoking glanced away and the earth itself vibrated and shifted at the turbulent emotions that flooded through Ash's friend.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ash murmured softly as he reached up to affectionately pat the side of Nidoking's face. The answer was exactly what he'd expected. Plume and Sneasel had clearly remembered the events from the previous…night? Day? He would need to check that.

Nidoking tapped a dull claw against the thick plate of armor that covered his powerful thigh to distract himself. Ash just waited patiently as the ground rolled beneath the two of them. If Nidoking needed to calm down then he would let him.

"Weird things happen to us a lot, don't they?" He remarked. Ash sat down on the rocks and ignored the slight pain as the dull edges jabbed into him. Nidoking followed his lead and awkwardly fell down, although he adjusted himself to be comfortable after a few moments.

The poison-type snorted and rolled his tail around. The thick, segmented plates on his tail ground harshly against the stones. He crushed his claws together and met Ash's eyes.

"It's not over." Ash muttered quietly. He peered upward to see Nidoking staring at him with his wise eyes. "Mew might have forgiven Mewtwo, but I haven't. We'll find it one day and make it pay for what it's done."

Nidoking growled angrily in agreement, his eyes alit with a dark rage that emanated from deep inside him. His narrow, understanding eyes lost what made them Nidoking and became bestial and base and promised bloody death. Normally Ash only saw it when Nidoking had flown into a rage over something, usually about an attack on Ash. It terrified him, but for the first time the Blood Rage Nidoking were so well known for comforted him. He wouldn't be alone when he finally confronted Mewtwo again.

That didn't mean that he didn't want to snap his friend out of it. Just because it was comforting didn't mean it was any less horrible to see Nidoking reduced to such a brutal, hateful state.

"It's alright, buddy." He soothed. Nidoking's eyes slowly returned to normal and the tiny bead of venom that leaked from the tip of his horn was quickly reabsorbed. "Save it for later. Right now we just need to get back on track."

Nidoking slowly nodded. His great chest rose and fell sedately as he calmed himself. He shut his eyes and seemed to be lost in his own world for a few moments.

"I know you're not hurt, but are you alright?" Ash inquired after a short period of comfortable silence. Nidoking cocked his head and grunted questioningly. "Mentally. I know you had to fight your clone and the others' clones. I saw you out there. You did great. They were strong but you were just better."

His friend grunted happily at Ash's thanks and approval. Nidoking affectionately tapped Ash's shoulder and dipped his head to the boy.

"Good." Ash smiled, pleased and content with his friend's peace. "We can just forget about this for a while. Champions, Legends – I think we can finally be done with that. All we have to do now is train."

Nidoking's eyes brightened at the thought of the Conference Ash had alluded to. Ash knew that all of his friends were looking forward to it just as much as he was, if not more so. All of them wanted to test their strength against the most powerful opponents they could and the Indigo Conference was the perfect opportunity. The best trainers in Indigo would be there and Ash knew he could go far enough to face truly powerful trainers. His friends would get the best fights of their lives in just a month.

His stomach suddenly rumbled, a keen reminder that he hadn't eaten in what felt like forever. Ash really needed to check on the date. He'd do that once he'd eaten and spoken to his friends. They were probably just as hungry as he was, especially with the kind of fighting they had done.

Ash checked the storage compartments he reserved for food and other essentials. He hadn't exactly stocked up on supplies when he'd left Pallet Town. It was supposed to be a tournament he was going to, not an elaborate trap for a monster to gloat. There was just the bare minimum that he always packed before a trip of any kind.

It was enough to last the entire team for a single day. He was just thankful that Tangrowth had such efficient photosynthesis and that Seeker barely required anything. A pokemon as large as Tangrowth would ordinarily require rather large servings of food to keep up their energy, but that amount was cut by quite a bit thanks to his plant-like biology. Seeker had an incredibly fast metabolism, but she didn't require much food in comparison to the more powerful members of the team.

He was well-aware of Nidoking's subtle glances and far off stare as he prepared the food. Nidoking wasn't quite as stealthy as he seemed to think, although that might be due to the fact that he looked quite distracted.

Ash could only assume that his friend was beating himself up over everything that happened. It was about what he expected from Nidoking. His friend was always furious when Ash was in danger and hadn't really encountered a situation where he hadn't been able to fight the threat.

"I don't blame you for…what happened." Ash directed to his friend. His hands shook and his voice wavered at the mention of his death. That was something he wished he could have forgotten. "None of us could have done anything to stop it. It might have been for the best, you know? Mewtwo was beaten and –"

Nidoking stood up abruptly and snarled, a deep, guttural sound that made even Ash flinch. He schooled his features into their ordinary, impassive state but his eyes betrayed slight worry as Nidoking roared and stamped his foot against the ground. Although Nidoking was gentle and restrained his strength most of the time, now he showed that he was no less a threat than Torrent or Infernus.

The ground didn't explode and shatter as it did when Nidoking used Earthquake or Earth Power, but simply rippled and shifted with every step that the powerful poison-type took. Ash gazed calmly into Nidoking's eyes, ignoring the raw panic and anger that infused the narrow slits.

He gently placed the food bags down. He'd prefer that the team wasn't stuck in the wilderness without enough food to refuel after their massive battle. At the very least Plume would need to regain her strength if he wanted to get out of here quickly.

Ash crossed his arms and waited as Nidoking furiously tore his way over to him. He was a bit wary of his friend, who was only a slight push away from slipping into a rampage, but did not fear him. Nidoking could be dangerous but if Ash was confident in one thing, it was that Nidoking would never harm him.

Nidoking towered above him, his hulking form tense with stress. Ash held his breath. He was finally a little bit afraid. It was a natural reaction to having a gigantic, agitated Nidoking built for battle right above him.

His friend took his shoulder in his massive claws and put another of the dull weapons underneath Ash's chin, so gently that Ash could barely feel it. Nidoking's eyes lost the dangerous glaze and became the calm, serene slits that were more human than most humans could ever know.

Ash felt a bit guilty for upsetting his friend so much. He was careless with his words – he should have known that Nidoking wouldn't react well to Ash so much as suggesting that his death might have been for the best. Nidoking didn't exactly follow much logic when it came to Ash's well-being.

"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. Ash held Nidoking's gaze, which was very tired and seemed older than his physical age by far. "I wasn't thinking. That was a stupid thing to say."

Nidoking let him go and grunted his own apology. Ash patted Nidoking's powerful shoulder even as the poison-type lightly tapped him on the forehead with one of his dull claws, both methods of showing their own understanding.

He bent down to pick up the food to resume filling the bowls for his friends. Once he was done with the preparations he eyed the large portion still in the torn bag and threw it to the ground. Infernus would just take it out into the wilderness and do whatever it was he did to eat.

Ash took a step back so that he could avoid the frenzy that was sure to occur. His fingers, well-trained in this particular movement, rapidly tapped the release button on every one of his friends' pokeballs. The air was filled with intense scarlet energy before his friends materialized.

"Hey!" He said with a wide grin, which only grew more exuberant when he was suddenly crushed in a tight hug by Tangrowth. Ash just let himself relax into the hug and tried to return it as best he could, although that was very difficult once Seeker plummeted into his back with a soft thud and the rest of his friends crowded around him. Dazed and Infernus hung away to the side.

"Thank you. All of you." Ash said seriously once Tangrowth slackened his grip. He gently stroked Seeker's head as he looked over from Bruiser to Torrent to Dazed to Oz to Infernus. All looked to be in great health, although there was a weariness in their eyes that betrayed the conflicts they had weathered. "But all of that's over now! Eat up!"

Bruiser pounded his chest, which Ash returned with a quick smile. He dipped his head in respect to the fighting-type, who pulled his reptilian face back into a grin before he picked up his bowl and sat cross-legged on the dull shards of stone that layered the beach. The fighting-type considerately pulled Seeker's small bowl over to the shade cast by Tangrowth. Seeker chittered into Ash's ear and snuggled into his neck before she fluttered down to devour her meal.

Ash checked on Oz and Tangrowth for a brief moment. Oz ate in a dignified position, although the odd arc of electricity shot through her thick, striped fur whenever one of Tangrowth's vines came a bit too close. She lazily popped several pieces of the food into her large mouth and shredded particularly tough pieces with her sharp fangs. Every now and then her surly expression would shift into bliss as she found some of the berries intermixed with the dry food.

He snorted once he saw that Tangrowth had unceremoniously dumped the contents of his bowl into the mouth that Ash had never seen. Tangrowth gurgled happily and flailed his vines about as one vine pulled the bowl, completely absent of any trace of food, out of his thick shell of wriggling vines and happily juggled it between stray appendages. It looked like he'd found something to hold his attention while Sneasel was away.

As his friends ravenously tore into their meals, Ash wandered over to Dazed and Infernus. Dazed gave him a brief nod before she suddenly rolled her eyes. Ash cocked his head at her quizzically, but instantly understood when Infernus teleported all of ten feet to pick up what was left of the food bag. Ash snorted again. It looked like Dazed didn't approve of Infernus' frivolous use of Teleport.

Infernus appeared again. He didn't glow red with heat or make the air warp around him, so he was certainly limiting his output of energy. Ash had seen what Infernus was capable of when he wasn't holding back. It would be incredible to see what he could do in the Conference.

"How are you two feeling? I know that you two did a lot last night." Ash asked concernedly. He figured it didn't matter if the battle was last night or if they'd washed up several days later. Once he'd checked the date he would just head back home.

Dazed shrugged noncommittally and looked away. Her eyes were distant, although they lightly glowed once every few seconds. Ash frowned at her. This had to be about her loss of telepathy. He couldn't think of anything else that would make her so sullen.

He'd have to discuss it with her.

Infernus, on the other hand, looked angry. His body briefly flared up with blue fire, although he quickly calmed it once more. The fire-type didn't have a cruel smirk on his face, for once. Instead it was more of a frustrated scowl.

"You never got to beat the Charizard?" Ash guessed. His memory of that part of the night was a little fuzzy. He could remember observing the battle between Mew and Mewtwo from the Legend's eyes and throwing the Ultra Ball at Mewtwo, but he couldn't remember the details of the battles between his friends and the clones aside from that his friends had almost fought them to a stalemate.

The Magmortar shrugged and snorted a puff of smoke and fire. He just crossed his arms and glared out at the soft, azure expanse of the ocean.

Ash frowned and thought. Infernus wasn't exactly helping him interpret whatever meaning he was trying to convey. Apparently he wasn't mad about the Charizard, but what else – oh.

"You didn't have a clone to fight, did you?"

Infernus nodded and snarled savagely, although Dazed rolled her eyes at the raging fire-type. He growled and, irritated, spat a huge stream of blue flame into the air. It seemed to linger before it finally died, nothing but a thick column of smoke left behind.

Ash couldn't help but sigh exasperatedly as he gazed at Infernus. Nidoking lumbered up behind him, similarly annoyed. Any of the others would be glad that they didn't have to fight their clone. It couldn't have been a pleasant experience fighting something that looked exactly as you did and with the same abilities.

But of course Infernus would be upset by not being forced to suffer through it. Despite his hate for the Creature, Ash was briefly thankful for it having the intelligence to avoid creating a clone for Infernus. There was no way that a battle between two exceptionally powerful Magmortar with very little regard for others could turn out well.

"Don't worry about that, Infernus. I'm sure you'll have plenty of worthy opponents at the Conference." Ash commented drily. Infernus grinned maliciously and spat another stream of roaring blue flame into the sky. Hopefully he'd keep that enthusiasm when the time came.

Infernus eyed the bag of food greedily. It was already being devoured by the flames brought on from the Magmortar's fiery touch. The bag's edges were black and white and had begun to curl in on themselves.

"Go ahead. You've earned it." Ash waved Infernus away with a slight smile. Infernus just smirked and wandered off. A cloud of steam drifted behind him.

Ash looked over at Dazed. She looked back. He frowned at her. Something seemed out of place…

"Where's your pendulum?" Ash questioned quietly. Hypno were only seen without a pendulum immediately after their evolution from Drowzee. Their pendulum was the focus through which they amplified their power, much like the spoons of an Alakazam. Dazed would still be a powerful combatant without her pendulum, but she was crippled. Fine control was beyond her without it.

Dazed squeezed her eyes shut, although Ash could see the powerful glow of energy behind the lids.

Gone.

A light, breathless voice echoed dimly into his mind. It was nowhere near as strong or coherent as when he had spoken with his friend back at New Island. She was indistinct now, although he could still hear the steely calmness with which he identified her.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Dazed could still speak! When he ecstatically voiced that thought, she opened her eyes. They flashed again.

Barely

Her voice echoed even more this time and was faint. Dazed trembled with the effort. She absentmindedly moved her hand to her mane to polish her pendulum, but quickly snapped it back into place when its absence struck her.

"Can you make a new one?" He asked worriedly, mind racing in concern at the thought that Dazed would be stuck like this. Her powers made her who she was. Without her pendulum, her focus, she would only live a half-life.

She nodded, although her large, furred fingers continued to rub together anxiously. Despite her unease, Ash smiled in relief. "Do you need any help?"

Dazed shook her head quickly. Ash wasn't surprised. Nobody had ever seen a Hypno fashion their pendulum. It was supposed to be a sacred experience for them, a sort of coming of age ceremony. It was highly spiritual and meant to be done in a solitary fashion.

"I understand." He assured her. She tiredly nodded and rubbed at her eyes. Her limbs still trembled slightly, a clear sign that she wasn't back to full strength. "Listen, could you keep an eye on the others for a few minutes? I need to take care of a few things."

The Hypno nodded in a mechanical fashion. She stared at him eerily for a few moments before she grew bored and stared off at Tangrowth and the others. Ash gave her one last smile before he walked a fair distance away from his friends, although not so far that they couldn't see him.

Once he was far enough away that he could speak without being disturbed he sat down. Ash barely registered the dull prodding of the stone shards or the seawater that had pooled underneath the rocky beach. He just reached down to his belt and pulled his PokeNav off. It was still in its case so it was unscathed from any exposure to the seawater.

Before he continued, Ash pulled his water bottle out and inspected it. It was full, thankfully, and relatively cool thanks to the chilly winter air. He uncapped it and let the blessed liquid cascade down his throat and soothe the fire that burned in his arid esophagus.

He absentmindedly licked his lips and looked back down at his PokeNav. Ash removed it from its case and checked its history. There were eight messages, seven from Lance and one from his mother.

The first thing he did was to check his location. He was a little under a hundred miles away from Fuschia. If he tried to walk there it would take several days, probably more thanks to the harsh terrain. His best option would be to fly. Plume was more than capable of carrying him.

Ash almost checked on his mother's first, but he hesitated. A fragment of fact sprung into his mind. Mewtwo had said he was Giovanni's spawn. Mewtwo had said that he was responsible for Giovanni's sins.

The sins of the father pass onto the son.

The trainer recoiled from the implication that Mewtwo had spelled out. That couldn't be it! The Creature was lying! That could not be the truth, he wouldn't let it!

He took a deep breath once he realized that Dazed was staring at him with concern. Ash let the emotion leave him as he exhaled several times. His body slackened and he stared at the PokeNav screen.

He'd call his mother back later. Lance needed to talk to him.

Ash skimmed over Lance's messages. They were about what he'd expected: Frantic questions and worried pleas about his condition. He smiled a bit at the concern, although he let the grin slip away once his cheeks started to ache. Some of the soreness he'd expected was beginning to spring up, although it was very faint.

Finally, he typed in Lance's number. He looked down at the PokeNav's small screen as he waited for the Champion to pick up. Ash adjusted his hat a bit, annoyed at the salt that made his jet black hair feel greasy and thick. He'd definitely need a shower soon. The salt was one of the worst downsides of being around the ocean.

His eyes snapped back down to the PokeNav once he heard the beep that confirmed Lance had picked it up. Ash plastered a small smile on his face once he saw the Champion, who was, as usual, seated in his large office. Gible and Bagon were curled up asleep on his desk and Ash could see Dragonite's massive, scaled tail in the background. He must have been asleep on the floor.

Before Lance started with his frantic inquiries Ash took a brief moment to examine him. The Champion needed a good night's rest. His ordinarily sharp eyes were red with exhaustion and were rimmed with darkness. Lance's face was tense and hard, albeit concerned and worried. The Champion's fists were clenched and he was staring at Ash in relief.

But above all of the exterior raggedness, Ash could see something else. It was like the fire inside him had been extinguished. Like his spirit had been dampened, but not put out. Lance just looked weary, something that Ash had never associated with the most powerful Master in all of Indigo. Even when they'd spent all day training and climbing Mt. Ember Lance had been an inexhaustible supply of energy. It was like he didn't need food or water to fuel him, just his own iron will.

"Thank Ho-Oh you're alright!" Lance exclaimed in a weak voice, a far cry from his normal boom. His dim eyes locked onto Ash. "Ash, what happened? I received your message, but I don't have any answers. Nobody does."

"Can you tell me what kind of damage was done?"

Lance nodded and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Ash feared that he had gone to sleep, but the Champion opened his angular eyes at last.

"About what you'd expect. The coast suffered extreme damage, but the hurricanes dissipated before they could actually destroy any cities. A lot of people are in trouble, but I've devoted the League to putting them back on their feet. It's bad, but it could have been much worse."

The Champion patted the sleeping Bagon on her bony crest. "Kanto's worse off than Johto. The hurricanes around Johto were held in check by…something. They still hit after a while, but they'd barely made landfall before they disappeared. Johto just has a few floods. They'll be fixed up in no time."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been afraid of so much worse. Mew had arrived just in time. Mewtwo had probably been forced to stop fueling the storms once it realized Mew was a legitimate threat.

"Tell me what happened." Lance demanded, not unkindly. Ash snapped back to attention and nodded. His face settled into a firm scowl as he recalled what he could remember of the events.

"I guess I'd better start from the beginning." He said as he settled into a more comfortable position. Ash opened his mouth but no words came out. A barrier in his mind seemed to break and his tongue was once more under his command. "A few days ago I got a message from a Dragonite. It told me about a tournament with a bunch of strong trainers that I was invited to. I decided to go. We left on a boat to a place called New Island."

"You sent the name in your message. It was mentioned in some of the data recovered from the Rocket HQ." Lance interjected, his brow furrowed. "I dispatched several Pidgeot scouts to the suspected location, but I haven't found anything yet. Nothing's there."

"Mewtwo." Ash growled. His knuckles turned white as he clenched the PokeNav tightly. A shadow passed over Lance's angular face at the mention of the Creature.

Lance leaned forward and put his hands together. His eyes, still tired, suddenly blazed up with the inner fire he carried within him. The Champion's anger briefly brought back his own self rather than the exhausted shell Ash had been speaking to.

"What happened to it?!" The Champion thundered. Ash felt himself edge back from the screen. Lance wasn't angry at him, but his fury was as intimidating as that of Nidoking. Lance took a deep breath and he calmed down somewhat. "What happened to it?"

Ash scowled. "It's still alive. Mew came and defeated it, but spared it. All I know is that it said it wouldn't cause any trouble…not that I believe it." He added bitterly. "I guess we have to trust Mew."

"Mew appeared?" Lance asked, his eyes alight with interest. "What was it like?"

The trainer stared off into the sky thoughtfully. "Strong." He said at last. "I didn't get to talk to it much, but I got to see it fight. It lost to Mewtwo but just barely. It was incredible."

Lance hummed understandingly. He suddenly grew serious. "Ash, what happened to Moltres? It left Knot Island, but then I couldn't feel it for a few hours. Now" The Champion looked at his hands, which trembled slightly. "It just vanished and I grew very, very weak. Is Moltres alright?"

"I don't know." Ash confessed. He tried to remember the battle. All that came to mind was fire meeting light and a deep glow thousands of feet below the raging waves of the black ocean. "Mewtwo trapped it underneath the ocean. It might still be there."

"No." The Champion murmured as he shut his eyes. Ash could have sworn that there was a slight nimbus of light about him, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "It's free. I can feel that much. Moltres is faded."

"Faded?" Ash echoed.

"How do I explain this?" Lance asked rhetorically. He smiled slightly. It was the first one that didn't seemed pained or anxious in some way. "There's not really a way to communicate the feeling of being connected to something like Moltres. You can't describe being a hurricane or volcano."

Lance reclined in his throne. His long, calloused fingers tapped the thick armrest as he looked at Ash thoughtfully. "Ever since Moltres touched me I could feel it. It never really did anything with the connection, but when you sent me that message it knew what to do. And then it was gone. It was like part of my soul was missing – like I was incomplete."

"It wasn't a pleasant experience." Lance gave a dull grin as he mimicked his words from after Moltres had first communicated with him. "I wouldn't recommend it."

"I'll remember that." Ash replied with a slight smile. His eyes narrowed. "So, what now?"

"That," Lance remarked, "is a very good question. I can't say I know the answer. This isn't over. Not for the League, at any rate. Mewtwo will pay for what it has done to the world. We won't just let it go."

Ash listened with eager ears. Any chance he had to actually get revenge on Mewtwo was good enough for him. He didn't care what he had to do, he would find a way.

"Don't get any ideas. You won't be involved." The Champion cut in firmly. He easily weathered the sullen, angry glare Ash flashed at him. "Don't try that on me, Ash. It won't work."

He scowled. "Why not? I've been involved already!"

"Exactly!" Lance confirmed. His piercing gaze was calm and impassive as he regarded the young trainer. "You've been put into far too many life-threatening situations under my watch and I'm not about to let it happen again. You're very strong, Ash, but you shouldn't have to deal with these things."

Lance gently stroked Bagon's thick, bony shell to focus his thoughts. "Just focus on the Conference. It's in just over a month. Forget all of this. The League will handle it – I promise."

"I can help!" Ash pleaded, his pride forgotten in favor of finding some way to strike back at the Creature. "You know I can."

"Yes, I do." Lance smiled a bit sadly. "But this isn't your fight anymore. You've gone through far too much already. Let us fix this."

His fists clenched. Ash wanted to argue more, to demand that he be allowed to assist their hunt for Mewtwo. There had to be something he could do to help, even if Lance wouldn't let him fight the Creature.

But even as he drew breath to fight for his opinion, he stopped. One look into Lance's steely gaze was enough to know that the Champion wouldn't give in. Ash wouldn't test his willpower against that of Champion Lance.

"Fine." He relented.

Lance grinned at him. It seemed that he was getting some of his normal vigor back. That meant Moltres must be recovering from the disastrous results of its cataclysmic clash with Mewtwo. Ash idly wondered just how much damage they had done. If they weren't over an empty expanse of ocean Ash had no doubt that whatever land there was would have been absolutely torched.

"Look, there's a lot to do in a month. Train, travel, maybe track down a rare pokemon or two. Relax and enjoy life for a while." Lance pressed with a bright expression on his face. He didn't seem to have any sort of tension left. "Trust me, there'll be plenty of stress at the Conference. It really puts you on the edge."

"I understand." Ash confirmed, his mind awash with possibilities. There weren't that many places in Kanto he hadn't visited, although he could always swing up to Lavender Town. He'd rather not, if only for the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to resist finding a ghost-type while he was there. Normally he'd jump at the opportunity, but there just wasn't enough time to bond with one before the Conference would consume all of his focus.

Or else he could follow a burning passion Lance's words had reignited in him: Finding the Rhydon that he'd first encountered on the way to Saffron so long ago. He owed a lot to it, including Infernus' loyalty, and he wanted to test his strength against the monster of a rock-type. Ash had grown a lot. Before his friends hadn't even been able to scratch it. Now he bet he could fight it on even terms.

"Gave you a bit of inspiration, did I?" Lance smirked lightly. Ash nodded stiffly. "That's good. Reach out and take your goal by the ears. Don't just meet whatever it is, surpass it."

"I will."

"Good, good." The Champion replied. His angular eyes flickered up away from the camera. Lance deflated and some weariness crept back into his frame. The intense light that seemed to drive him dimmed. "I'm sorry, Ash, but I've got to go. There's a lot of work to get done thanks to our mutual friend."

Ash nodded. "I understand. I'll see you at the Conference."

"See you there!" Lance grinned madly. A moment later the screen blackened and the call cut off. Ash looked at his PokeNav before he sighed and put in another number, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to call.

He thought about what he had learned. Mewtwo had done a lot of damage, but not as much as he had feared. Mew had gotten there just in time. The League was already rebuilding. Everything was going to be alright.

But now he was going into unsure grounds. Ash just wanted to get this conversation over with and find the giant Rhydon. He knew that Rhydon herds in Kanto tended to migrate to the mountainous territory of Fuschia in the winter. Hopefully someone in the area would have noticed such a spectacular specimen of the species.

Ash had a brief wild grin before it faded and died. He couldn't do that yet. He had to get something else out of the way first.

His hands shook a bit as he rapidly typed in Professor Oak's video phone number. It rang and rang for nearly a minute. Ash figured that Professor Oak was busy cleaning up Pallet and was about to hang up when the screen suddenly flared up.

"Ash? Thank goodness. We were worried out of our minds. Do you need any help?" Oak asked steadily. His familiar, soothing voice was calm and measured. It was like nothing had happened, despite the obvious concern.

"I'm fine, thank you." He said. Ash let a bit of cheer flit back into his tone. He really was glad to see that Professor Oak was alright. All he could remember was that Mewtwo had shown him a brief glimpse of Pallet Town and that his mother was okay. "How's Pallet? That storm was nasty."

"Pallet Town is fine." Oak replied, relief evident. "Alakazam was able to head off the worst of the storm. It only skimmed us. Pikachu," he smiled at the small, tired rodent perched lazily on his shoulder, which had electricity sparking constantly from its cheeks, a sure sign of overcharge, "absorbed the lightning until he was knocked out."

Ash looked at the small electric-type with newfound respect. He knew it was tough to help Oak and Arcanine keep the Corral's inhabitants in line, but absorbing lightning was no easy feat for any electric-type. Even Electivire could only absorb around ten bolts or so before the absurd amounts of energy they had taken in would knock them out – if not kill them.

"Indeed. He's a tough little creature." Oak said fondly. Ash shook the look off of his face. "Alakazam and Machamp are helping to rebuild. It won't take long. As I said, the storm barely struck us." His aged face wrinkled in distaste. "Not to say that it didn't do quite a bit of damage."

"Is my mother alright?"

Oak's eyes widened and he looked like he wanted to facepalm. "Of course! She's out with a few of my assistants checking on the pokemon. I can call her, if you –"

"No." Ash hastily interjected. Oak's eyes narrowed dangerously. There was a glint in them that reminded Ash that he was speaking with a genius. "I – I'll call her later. Just tell that I'm fine."

"Very well." Professor Oak surrendered. He met Ash's eyes. "But I need to know what's upsetting you. You can talk to me, Ash."

Ash opened his mouth but it shut of its own accord. Even if he wanted to – and he wasn't sure that he did – his tongue wouldn't follow his commands. It was separated from him by a force far beyond his ability to combat.

"You'll understand later." He said mechanically. Ash felt a deep pressure take control of him. His body was just a puppet now. He was a slave in his own temple. "Lance will inform you."

His fingers cut off the call and flipped the PokeNav shut with quick, choppy movements that lacked any of the grace his own held. The force released Ash from its control and he let his back give out from under him. He barely felt anything as he collapsed into the bed of stone.

He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, hate welled up inside of him. He hated Mewtwo. Even now, when it was supposedly redeemed, it still toyed with his body as though it were its own. As though he belonged to it.

Ash's fists clenched and his arms felt weak as he pushed himself up. He glanced over to his friends and saw that they were looking at him worriedly, their meal paused. The trainer gave them a short wave and they resumed eating, although Dazed and Nidoking continued to stare at him.

He ignored his own weakness and pulled himself up. Ash clipped the PokeNav back onto his belt as he found himself on his feet again. His back was a little wet from the shallow seawater that flooded the beach but he didn't care.

All that mattered now was that he prepare for the Conference and do his best to keep his thoughts away from the conflicts that still loomed in the future. There was nothing he could do about those, but he could prepare and grow strong.

He'd do everyone proud, he swore as he staggered back over to his friends. Nidoking lumbered out to meet him, the great behemoth's concern clearly reflected in his shiny black eyes.

More than that he'd do his team proud. They were the ones that had brought him this far. They were the ones that had fought and bled for every victory. He had just been along for the ride.

He gave a happy wave to his friend. That ought to calm Nidoking down a bit. He didn't want the whole beach getting wrecked just because the poison-type was upset. Nidoking still needed to work on his control a bit, especially since his power had grown so much under Lance's tutelage. Battling the dragons had done a lot for him.

"Hey, buddy. I'm fine. Just a little tired." He said soothingly to Nidoking once his friend had reached him. Ash laid a hand on his friend's thick hide. A wild grin adorned his dirty face. "By the way, do you remember that giant Rhydon that we fought a long time ago?"

Nidoking's nostrils flared at the memory of his defeat and his great head moved up and down slowly. He snorted and ground the heel of his heavy foot into the ground, which made the stone around them tremble with the energy. Ash held on tightly lest he be thrown to the ground.

"Well, if we have any luck we'll have a rematch."

With that Ash started to walk away. Plume circled above the circle of his friends and he could see Sneasel playfully blowing gusts of frozen air onto Tangrowth from behind. Now that they had some knowledge of the area he could at least get ready to put his plans into action.

XX

Most of his friends were napping. Sneasel had led the way to a nice, open clearing in the thick forest that enveloped the beach. It was only a few hundred meters away and was clear enough for Plume to easily launch into the sky but provided enough shade to rest comfortably.

He leaned back against Nidoking's tough hide. His friend was dozing off, but still had one eye lazily opened to keep watch for threats. Nidoking's ears twitched every now and then, but he didn't move aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Dazed had left. She had motioned that she would be back soon. Ash figured she was going off to create another pendulum. She'd looked tense and far less serene than usual since he'd woken up. Hopefully a new focus for her psychic powers would be enough to restore her peace of mind.

Ash looked around for Oz. He wanted to talk to her. She had been hanging back from the team for a while now, aside from Infernus. The Electabuzz seemed obsessed with finding a way to overcome the fire-type, although Infernus' exponentially increase in power ever since he evolved had left her in the dust.

He found her exactly where he expected to see her: Leaning back against a tree not too far from where Infernus slept in a pool of lava. Torrent had doused the area heavily with water and regularly blasted it with freezing gusts of air to keep the sheer heat released by the molten stone from igniting the forest. Normally Dazed would have contained the heat with a psychic shield but that wasn't an option at the moment.

The trainer stood up as quietly as he could, lest he interrupt his friends' sleep. Nidoking's arm reached out for him almost unconsciously, but Ash gently pushed the powerful limb down. His friend grunted softly and let him go.

"I'll be right back." He promised as he stepped away. Ash veered around Bruiser and Seeker, who slept cradled by the fighting-type's powerful arms, and headed to Oz. Her fierce eyes snapped open and she growled, a deep, guttural sound that would have raised the hair on the back of his neck if he hadn't seen Nidoking in a blood rage, before she realized who it was.

Oz focused slightly and the electricity that crackled through her thick coat of black and yellow fur ceased. She made to stand up to acknowledge Ash, but he waved that away as he sat down in front of her.

"No, sit." He said. Oz nodded and stared at him. "So, how are you feeling? I saw you last night – you were incredible."

The Electabuzz's coat was alit with currents of electricity as she preened under his compliment, clearly pleased with herself. Some of his friends were traumatized by the events. Seeker was even meeker than usual once her excitement over seeing Ash had worn off, Bruiser was quiet and withdrawn, and Plume seemed rather pensive over the stalemate she had fought her own clone to.

Oz was like Infernus if he would have had a clone to battle. She was energetic and gleeful from the thrill of combat until the events of the previous night finally hit her and she felt the need to rest, but even now her pride in the skill and strength she had shown in fighting her empowered clone was clear to behold.

Ash could see her in his mind's eye now, one of the few images he had glimpsed of her. Oz stood tall and proud as she was enveloped in the vast arcs of electricity created by the raging clash of the electric-types. She fought hard and matched her clone blow for blow until the explosions of light and plasma forced Ash to look away.

"Anyways, how are you feeling?" He repeated. Ash couldn't help but smile in return when she gave a sort of grin that bared her sharp, pointed fangs and shot a small bolt of electricity into the air. It collided with a limb and left it smoking and black. "I'm glad."

"We don't have much longer until we can really see how powerful we are." He related to Oz. She listened interestedly. "I know you've heard me and Lance talking about the Conference, but do you really know what it is?"

Oz shook her head. A bit of lightning shot through the air with her movements. It wasn't as powerful as it had been last night. It looked like Oz would need to feed on a source of electricity soon. Normal food and berries was enough to sustain her, but the strength of an Electabuzz came from the power they absorbed. Nidoking would be able to fuel her for a bit longer with a Thunderbolt but getting back to civilization was even more necessary.

Ash was just glad that Electabuzz didn't require half as much electrical power as an Electivire. Electivire could easily absorb a lightning bolt and then require another in around six months, whereas a single lightning bolt would be enough to easily fuel a small herd of Electabuzz and Elekid for around a year.

It wasn't much of an issue since the League's decoy power plants were enough to sate their need for power, but it would introduce some additional complications once Oz evolved. He'd prefer to not let her feed on other electric-types as some Electivire were known to do once they were desperate enough.

He shook himself back into focus. Those contemplations could come later. Right now it was Oz's curiosity that needed to be sated, not her thirst for power.

"The Conference is where the best trainers and teams in Indigo come to find out who's the strongest. We battle each other until only one remains." Ash explained. Oz nodded understandingly. He knew the harsh society and social habits of Electabuzz were based around who was the strongest. It was nothing foreign to her as it would be to Tangrowth. "Whoever wins is the Conference Champion and their team is entered into the Hall of Fame."

Oz bared her fangs and sparked happily at the thought of leaving a legacy. Even if it wasn't Infernus, she liked beating others.

"Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You've been pretty quiet lately." He said. Oz nodded in recognition of his concern and closed her eyes. It looked like she didn't want to talk anymore. Ash smiled at his newest friend one last team before he walked away.

He'd like to get in a short nap of his own before Dazed came back. The exhaustion of the previous night and the lack of any real sleep was hitting him hard.

XX

Everyone was starting to awake by the time Dazed returned. Ash had woken up not long before the others and watched her silently as she shambled back into the camp. Her eyes were bright lanterns in the shadows that had begun to fall upon the forest. Power seemed to follow her.

He rose, followed quickly by Nidoking. The poison-type didn't seem keen to let Ash out of his sight. Ash didn't mind, though, and patted Nidoking's shoulder affectionately as his friend lumbered beside him.

"Any luck?" He inquired as Dazed shuffled to a stop. Her eyes smiled brightly at him as she raised her left hand, which held a loop of string that ended with a circular, dark blue crystal that was open on the inside. It was almost flat but seemed to have slight facets that glittered in the light of the dying sun.

"It's beautiful." He said in awe as he regarded the jewel. Ash wondered where she had found it. It didn't look like any gem he had seen before.

Dazed's eyes smiled even more. It was amazing how much emotion she could express with just her eyes and face. She didn't have a mouth but it just wasn't necessary for her. Her mind and face could accomplish everything a mouth could, even though she was just now able to attempt to communicate with her greatest tool.

Thank you, Friend-Trainer.

Ash broke out into a grin so wide that it made his face hurt as he heard Dazed's serene, ethereal voice echo dimly into his head. It was still indistinct, but it was stronger than it was this morning and Dazed could actually communicate more than a single word.

Dazed's eyes dimmed after she communicated. It was still horribly draining on her, but at least with her pendulum she could work far more efficiently. She wouldn't have to put all of her strength into telepathy.

"Where'd you find that?"

Dazed didn't speak this time. Ash figured she wanted to conserve what energy she could. Instead her eyes flashed and a large boulder was ripped up from the earth with frightening ease. Her new pendulum shined in unison and the boulder was instantly split apart into two perfect halves.

The two halves rotated to show Ash a core of crystal, although it wasn't the same as whatever gem her pendulum was made of.

Not identical, but similar.

The Hypno spoke into his mind, although her voice was even weaker now. She didn't seem particularly strained, so Ash assumed that she didn't feel like devoting much effort to telepathy. Dazed just used the bare minimum to get the message across.

"Ah." Ash said. "So is it any different than your old one?"

Dazed shook her head. Ash could tell that she knew that he wasn't talking about its looks. At least this one wasn't any different in capabilities. It would be very, very bad if he had to adjust his style with Dazed in the span of a month.

"Good." Ash suddenly turned and whistled for Plume. She lightly swooped down from the gigantic, thick tree that she had found. It was the only one capable of supporting her immense size. "Hey, Plume. Are you ready to head out?"

Plume shrieked happily at the prospect of flying with Ash again and flapped her wings excitedly. Sneasel scurried over to see what was happening, followed closely by Tangrowth. Ash smiled as Plume reached down to nuzzle Sneasel affectionately, although the dark-type did his best to get away from the gigantic bird.

It was a little abrupt, but Dazed was all that they had been waiting on. Ash wasn't about to force her to continue without a pendulum, especially since he was looking for one of the most powerful pokemon he'd ever encountered. He wasn't sure how it would compare against his friends now that they were truly powerful, but from what he'd seen it was at least as powerful as Saph. Certainly more powerful than the Rhypherior that Giovanni had used.

He wanted to reach Fuschia before the dark and bitter cold of winter fell over the land. They had about three hours before the shadows grew into night and he wanted to make the most of it.

Ash let his friends wake themselves and surround him as he pulled on a second jacket, some goggles, and thick gloves. He'd already put on a second pair of socks and a long sleeved shirt underneath his jacket.

Plume would certainly be flying lower than she normally would since he was on her back, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't be horribly could. The air was already chilly and at that high of an altitude it would no doubt be freezing. He wasn't looking forward to flying more than an hour in those conditions.

When he was done he warned his friends that he was going to recall them. He could only imagine how nasty of a shock it would be to be sucked into stasis at random.

"You ready, girl?" He asked Plume as he pulled the goggles on. Ash was more thankful than ever to have storage compartments. Goggles and additional clothes would be a pain to store otherwise.

Plume butted her head against his side happily and cooed at him. He grinned and lightly stroked her glossy feathers before he climbed onto her back and held on for dear life. Ash really needed to buy a saddle for her. He trusted Plume to carry him safely, but it would make him feel a lot more secure. It wasn't exactly safe to go without one.

Ash couldn't hold back a yelp as Plume took off in a blast of air and launched herself high into the freedom of the skies. The wind whipped against his face with bitter force and cold but he couldn't find it in him to care – flying was great, even if he had to make sure to never look down.

Once he'd gotten used to the sensation of being utterly dependent on Plume it was nice. Relaxing, even. He really needed to do this more often. There just hadn't been that many chances before now.

Plume gave one last cry to herald her flight before she suddenly flapped her wings for a second time. Ash's eyes widened and he gripped her powerful body even tighter as the world blurred around them. He'd thought they were going fast before – they weren't. That was just a warm up for Plume.

Perhaps flying wasn't so relaxing after all.

XX

He was fairly certain that there was a law against flying into a city without clearance, but if somebody tried to stop him from flying straight to one of the Fuchsia Pokemon Centers he would just give them Lance's number. Ash was tired, freezing, and his fingers were probably about to fall off from frost bite. His gloves were not nearly enough to keep him warm.

Nevertheless he thanked Plume, who looked like she had only flown for a few minutes rather than an hour. She nipped his hand affectionately as he put his hat back on. He stroked her long crest for a moment and thanked her before he recalled the powerful flying-type.

Ash walked into the blessedly warm, bright Pokemon Center as he clipped Plume's pokeball back onto his belt. As his body was filled with refreshing heat his extremities were awash with a strange, slightly painful itching sensation. He tried to rub life back into his fingers to get rid of the feeling, but to no avail.

"Can I get a room, please?" He chattered. Nurse Joy looked up with concern and wiped away her boredom. The Pokemon Center wasn't very populated. Only a few stragglers hung around. That meant that everyone was either in their rooms very early or they were avoiding Fuchsia for some reason.

"Oh, you poor boy! Of course!" She said quickly as she examined him. Ash bore her scrutiny without any complaint. "I need to see your Trainer ID first."

He nodded and pulled it out with his numb fingers. Nurse Joy quickly put the information into her computer and handed it back. By the time he'd put the ID back a room key was waiting for him.

"Have a nice night! If you need anything don't hesitate to come down." She waved him away cheerily. Ash smiled at the woman and nodded, although he didn't say anything. Right now he just wanted to collapse onto a bed.

Sleep was looking very good right now.

XX

"Hey there! How can I help you?" A cheerful Janine asked him when he walked into the Fuchsia gym. She looked up from the naked blade of a simple knife that she casually spun in her hand. "Have we met before? You look pretty familiar."

"I battled Koga a while back." He replied as he stepped further into the plain building. Ash had a constant smile on his face. He just felt so relaxed now. Last night he'd washed off and had a great night's sleep, although he felt guilty once he saw that Dazed looked rather sickly. She waved off his concerns, though.

He was at the Fuchsia gym for one simple reason: They were the most likely to know where a gigantic, monstrously powerful Rhydon was. It was their responsibility to know about potential dangers in their territory and Koga was more vigilant about that duty than most, largely because of how many powerful and aggressive pokemon made the rough terrain of the Fuchsia territory their home.

"Really?" Janine asked, her lavender eyes narrowed as the teen tried to recognize him. "Mind telling me your name? I've never been the best with faces."

"Ash Ketchum." He told her.

Janine's eyes widened and she stood up with a grin. "Oh, wow! I remember you. Of course, I've heard a lot more."

"Really?" He mimicked her. Unintentionally, of course. Janine didn't seem to notice.

"Yep. Let's just say that my father tends to keep an eye on people when even Surge says they're tough!" The teen laughed. It was a pleasant sound, clear and high. Janine looked closer at him. "Oh, sorry. I forgot that you're actually here for something."

Ash walked up to the desk. Janine quickly sheathed the large knife and placed it on her belt. "I'm looking for information on a specific pokemon. A giant Rhydon."

"Not this again." Janine grumbled, although she didn't seem annoyed by him. "Sorry, that was rude. It's just that we've gotten a ton of requests about it."

"Has anyone gone after it?" He inquired, a bit worried. Ash wasn't sure if he wanted to catch it yet. At the moment he just wanted to find it and battle the giant.

Janine gave him a look. "More than I can count. It's kind of an old legend around here. I'm not supposed to give anyone help, though. If you want to find it you're supposed to go search for yourself. The Fuchsia gym doesn't want to be held liable if it hurts or kills you."

"I understand." He told her. Ash made to leave. Perhaps someone around town could help him if the gym wouldn't.

"Wait!" Janine called out. Ash turned around. The ninja glanced around suspiciously. "That's our policy for most people. You're trusted by the League, so I think I can help you without getting into much trouble. Father wouldn't mind."

A grin broke out on Ash's face. "Really? Thanks!"

"No problem." Janine laughed. Her face pinched into a more serious expression. "Just don't spread this around. We keep this Rhydon out of the limelight for a reason. It's Champion-level. You're messing with it at your own peril, especially right now."

That just made Ash's desire to go and fight it all the more powerful. He could feel his pulse pounding with excitement in the anticipation of the thrill of the battle even now. It was a great feeling to finally get to fight something within his limits.

This Rhydon wasn't commanded by one of the greatest trainers of all time. This Rhydon wasn't a Legend that embodied Nature itself. It was just a very powerful pokemon that was a worthy adversary for Ash's team.

"I accept the risks." He said with a calm tone that belied the fire in his blood.

"Alright, then." Janine smiled. She pulled out a file from the desk and flipped it open. After a few moments of skimming she pulled a piece of paper out and showed it to him. It was a map of the Fuchsia territory.

Janine held out her hand. "Have you got a map on your pokedex or something?"

Ash nodded and handed her the PokeNav. Janine's eyes lit up when she saw the rare device. "You actually have one of these? They just got released in Hoenn! How'd you grab one?"

"A friend gave it to me." He told the older girl. Ash doubted that Steven would like extra publicity. The former Champion was a rather private individual.

The ninja just nodded and ran through the PokeNav's menus like she knew it better than Ash. In just a few seconds she had found her way to the map of Kanto and set up a small square about eighty miles to the southeast of the ancient city of Fuchsia.

"This is the area it's been staying for the winter." Janine explained as she handed the device back. Ash glanced at the map again before he shut the PokeNav and clipped it to his belt. "Its herd will be very close, and I suggest that you don't mess with them. They wouldn't be too hard to fight off, but you don't want to make the Rhydon angry. It's dangerous enough when it's playing with you."

"I understand. Thank you." Ash said gratefully. Before he could leave, however, Janine's rough hand snapped out and latched onto his wrist. He stiffened a bit at the contact and turned to regard the ninja.

Janine's eyes were deadly serious. "I'm helping you out with the expectation that you won't try to capture the Rhydon unless your life is in danger. Rhydon is more important than you know and it's prideful. If you try to catch it, you'd better make sure you get it on the first try. We of the Fuchsia gym do not want to have to find a way to stop a Champion-level Rhydon on a rampage."

"I understand." Ash repeated. Janine nodded and loosened her grip. The trainer pulled away. "Thanks for the warning."

"Good luck! If you find it make sure to drop by." Janine said cheerfully, a far cry from the serious warrior that had confronted him moments before. "I'm sure Father would love to hear about it. He hasn't been fighting much lately."

That reminded Ash. "Where is Koga?"

He wasn't about to challenge him since he wanted to set out to find Rhydon as soon as possible, but he wouldn't mind speaking to the powerful gym leader again. Ash wouldn't mind a rematch sometime, but he didn't want to deal with the dangerous effects of Koga's poison-types with the Conference just around the corner.

"He's out helping to clean up and make sure that nobody's trying to take advantage of the chaos." Janine shrugged. "That freak storm completely wrecked most of the fishing villages on the coast. We're lucky that it didn't hit us."

"Good luck with that." Ash said. Janine nodded her thanks. "I suppose I'll be back in a few days."

"Bye!" Janine waved her farewell. Ash nodded back before he stepped out of the plain gym and into the bright sun. He fixed a wild grin on his face as he started his journey to the gates, where he would be able to release Nidoking and the rest of his friends.

He had a few days before he would reach the Rhydon's territory. Ash certainly wouldn't mind having his companions out to keep him company.

Ash had already restocked all of his supplies. It was expensive, but he wasn't sure just how long he would be out in the field. Janine had narrowed the area he'd have to search, but the Rhydon's territory was still vast. He might be there for a few weeks before he found his foe.

That didn't matter. As long as he was back in time to train a little before the Conference he would be fine. Ash could easily resume the search in April once the Conference was over. It couldn't be too hard to follow the rumors of the giant Rhydon.

With that he cleared his mind and set off. He had a long way to go and not nearly enough time.

XX

Three days after Ash set out he stood on a high, weathered cliff that looked out over miles of pure wilderness, forests and mountains untouched by any sort of human interference. It was beautiful in a way that humanity's cities weren't.

"Enjoying the view?" He directed to Nidoking, who stood beside him. His guardian snorted and nodded as he looked out at the Fuchsia wilds. Mountains jutted high into the twilight sky and carved through clouds.

He stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled shrilly. The noise split the air, a high note that made Nidoking's large ears twitch in annoyance. Ash gave a look of apology to Nidoking and ceased to produce the noise. His call would be answered.

Ash smiled when he saw a huge, black shape hurtle through the clouds. Plume's wings stretched outward and cast a massive shadow upon the cliff as she dived down to meet him. In just a few seconds the dark blur stood before him on the cliff, eyes bright and happy. The Pidgeot loved this kind of land. It let her stretch her wings without any fear of damaging human structures.

Perhaps he'd spend a few months out here sometime. He enjoyed it and it would be a good experience away from civilization. It would be nice to be around nobody except his friends for a while. With the events they'd been involved in recently they hadn't had too much time to just relax.

"Did you see anything?" Ash inquired. Plume shook her head and let out a piercing shriek to let the whole world know about her annoyance. He smiled softly and put a comforting hand on her huge, wickedly curved beak. "It's alright. We're just now entering their territory."

Plume cooed at him and nuzzled his hand as he glanced up to the sky. As Ash absentmindedly stroked her feathers he frowned. "It's getting dark. Is there a way to get down this cliff quickly or do we need to set up camp?"

The Pidgeot pointed her beak at the cliff. Ash nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Plume. Just wait here a minute while I get everything ready. Dinner will be ready in no time!"

He smiled as his friend cooed at him. Nidoking shadowed him as Ash began the process to set up a small camp. It didn't take too long. Unless it was raining or snowing he was content to sleep on his sleeping mat under the bright stars and if his friends needed shelter Tangrowth would use Ancient Power to create a few earthen tents.

What took the most time was creating the fire pit – or at least it used to. Ash just glanced over at Nidoking, who nodded and shut his black eyes for a moment as he tapped his huge, clawed foot against the hard ground. A circle with a diameter of about three feet was suddenly depressed into the earth and another motion caused a short wall to surround it.

"Thanks, Nidoking." Ash said to his friend as he laid his sleeping mat on the ground. He didn't really feel like actually cooking anything after a long day of travel, so he went ahead and released the rest of his friends after he had pulled out their food.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted brightly. Ash had felt oddly happy for the last few days. There was almost zero pressure on him for once, although dark thoughts of revenge concerning Mewtwo cropped up every now and then. The rest of the time was great, though. He just walked and spoke with his friends.

There weren't many trainers around this time of year, unfortunately, so he didn't get to test his friends' new strength. It was rather cold, and the trainers capable of entering the Conference didn't want to risk one of their team being injured before the Conference. Since those were the only trainers Ash wanted to challenge there wasn't much use in facing the odd trainer he found. Most of them were enough to give Sneasel a good workout or defeat the dark-type, but otherwise he didn't bother.

Ash glanced over at Sneasel as his thoughts focused on him. The dark-type cocked his head and hissed up at Ash curiously. "Sneasel, do you mind gathering up some firewood really quick?"

Sneasel ceased sharpening his cruel, wickedly hooked claws on a patch of stone and ran off excitedly, glad to be able to help. Tangrowth gurgled and whined for a moment before Ash rolled his eyes and smiled. "Go on and help him."

Tangrowth pulled Ash into a quick, comforting hug before he used his vines to pull his large, heavy body up into the trees. Ash watched the grass-type run off with a quick grin. At least Tangrowth was as excitable as ever.

He had been about to tell Tangrowth to go with Sneasel anyway. Sneasel was good for gathering a lot of brush and small, thin sticks but Tangrowth was needed to rapidly gather the thick chunks of wood that they'd need for Infernus to burn.

That brought Ash's attention back to something he needed to address. His eyes locked onto Infernus, who was engrossed in a glaring match with Oz. Flames rippled up the Magmortar's hulking form, which were matched by wild currents of electricity that glowed carelessly from Oz.

Ash sighed. He didn't need the cliff being destroyed. Not while they were on it, at any rate.

"Infernus!" He intervened. The fire-type growled deeply and stared at him, although his defiance wilted almost immediately. Nidoking loomed threateningly behind Ash, a bead of deathly poison at the tip of his horn. His threats weren't needed. "Come with me and Nidoking for a moment. I need to talk to you."

The Magmortar snorted but acquiesced, although he gave an annoyed puff of hot blue flame at Oz. She snarled and easily dodged it with her incredible reflexes and shot a thin, intense bolt of electricity at him in turn. Infernus just gave her a cruel, mocking smirk as he easily neutralized the attack with Air Lens.

Nidoking gave a harsh, guttural grow at the duo to get them to calm down. Unsurprisingly, they obeyed. Ash wasn't surprised when even Infernus backed down. Whereas Oz was at a definite disadvantage in regards to both skill and power when it came to Nidoking, by all rights Infernus shouldn't have been too intimidated by Nidoking.

Although Infernus' attacks were dampened somewhat by Nidoking's thick armor and ability to use ground-type attacks to protect himself, Infernus had the raw power and sheer determination to match Nidoking easily.

No, it wasn't Nidoking's strength or even the wide variety of attacks Nidoking could use that caused Infernus to back down. Nidoking was quite formidable, even for one of his breed, but the title of the strongest member of the team fell on either Torrent or Infernus. In raw power they were probably evenly matched, although Torrent had the edge thanks to his resistance to fire.

It was Nidoking's…charisma wasn't the right word for it. Nidoking had a presence about him that forced the other team members to stand down. It was the same as the regal aura that shrouded Torrent. Nothing physical, but a commanding presence that demanded obedience.

Ash could feel most of his friends watching the trio as they walked a short distance away. He didn't really care if they listened, but he wanted to keep this discussion between him, Nidoking, and Infernus.

Nidoking grunted softly as they came to a stop and rested on his strong hind legs. Infernus just focused his hard black eyes on Ash with a feverish intensity. They softened a little, but he kept that deadly smirk on his face.

"I'm not quite sure how long it'll take us to find this Rhydon, but I want to have a plan set up for when we do." Ash explained to his two friends. They just listened closely. "We're going to fight it one on one this time. We don't have to gang up on it just to slow it down now."

That made Nidoking nod resolutely, although there was a gleam of excitement and anticipation of a great fight in his face, and Infernus actually smiled instead of giving Ash a mockery of a smirk. He grinned back. Ash enjoyed going up against powerful opponents just as much as any of his friends.

"Which of you want to go out first? You two were the key players in fighting it last time." Ash requested of his friends. He wasn't surprised when Infernus instantly stepped forward and wreathed his body in flames, incapable of controlling his immense power when he was this excited. Infernus looked like a delighted child as fire seared the stone and he happily spat a column of fire high into the sky.

"Alright, then." Ash said, although he stepped back a bit from Infernus. His friend wasn't even close to releasing his full power and he was already burning up. He felt as though his skin would ignite at any moment. Getting a foot away at least dulled the pain.

Nidoking noticed his problem and shuffled in front of him to block the worst of the heat. Ash flashed a smile at him, although he quickly grew more serious and met Nidoking's eyes as Infernus continued to wildly spit flame into the atmosphere.

He could easily read his friend's intention. Nidoking wouldn't have minded fighting the Rhydon first in the least but he was far more willing to think of the potential consequences than Infernus. Ash knew that the Rhydon had been toying with them last time and had still easily weathered their combined assaults. Nidoking wanted to let Infernus rampage against it to get a feel for the giant's true abilities – as did Ash.

"I'll send you up next, then." He nodded at Nidoking. His friend grunted in acceptance. Ash peered over at Infernus, who had finally calmed down. The Magmortar still had that disturbingly cheerful smile on his fiery face, but he wasn't blasting everything around him with terrible blasts of flame anymore.

That was an improvement.

"Let's get back to the camp. I'm sure you're hungry."

XX

"Plume?" Ash whispered confusedly as he saw the massive form of his friend dive down at him. Her wings cast great shadows across the forest. He wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow as she slammed into the ground in front of him and kicked up a huge cloud of dust. The forest around them became silent as the pokemon detected the presence of Plume.

"What is it? Did you see something?" He inquired wildly. A bit of hope surged within him. Ash had been traveling for eight days now and they had found no trace of the Rhydon, despite having been in the territory Janine had directed him to for quite a while.

Plume cooed and nodded. A wild, gleeful smile split Ash's face and he felt his blood begin to pound. It was almost time. This battle had been in the making since almost the beginning of his journey and it was about to be resolved.

How much had he grown? Exponentially. He wasn't recognizable from the weak boy who had been saved from the carnage of the St. Anne. Ash had grown in every way. He was strong now.

He had fought Team Rocket and faced down the Legends that struck fear and awe into every human's heart and lived to tell the tale. He had trained under Elite Four Bruno and the Indigo Champion Lance. He had proven his strength many times over.

But this battle would prove if he had grown enough. If he couldn't defeat this Rhydon than he knew how much more he had to train before he stood even a ghost of a chance against Lance or Steven. Janine had said it was at Champion-level and he could believe it, despite the fact that he hadn't even seen its true strength.

"Can you lead the way?"

Plume shook her head and lowered her body to the ground. Ash cocked an eyebrow. "We have to fly there?"

She nodded. Ash had a quizzical frown as he absentmindedly pulled himself onto her powerful back. How did the herd get somewhere that they would have to fly through? Either they had a secret entrance or Rhydon had manipulated the environment to its advantage.

He held on tightly and quickly pulled his cap off as Plume shot high into the glorious freedom of the sky. The wind whipped and roared around him and Plume didn't seem to notice until his grip became loose and Ash let out a panicked shout to try to alert her that she was going far too fast.

Plume instantly slowed down to only a fraction of the speed that she had been going. Ash took a deep breath and tried to silence his pounding heart. He forced a smile on his face and comfortingly stroked Plume's crest as she looked back at him with her huge head and cooed concernedly at him, although he couldn't actually hear her over the rush of wind.

"Save that kind of speed for when I have a saddle." He shouted above the atmosphere's cacophony. Plume nodded solemnly and created an air bubble around them that made the air resistance practically nonexistent. Ash felt much better now and laid his head against Plume's soft, glossy feathers and took another calming breath. His heart wasn't quite as busy, but he still needed a moment.

He definitely needed to buy a saddle once the Conference was over with. Ash wasn't sure what he'd do after the competition, but he did know that he'd like to be able to fly with Plume. It was enjoyable, even if he absolutely refused to look down unless he had to.

After another minute or so of quick gliding Plume shrieked and angled downward. Ash frowned and pulled his head up from where he rested. He squeezed his eyes shut as his stomach lurched but slowly opened them again when Plume cooed softly at the trainer.

Ash stared out at the ground. They were still thousands of feet up, although it wasn't so high as to give him serious breathing issues. The world was a vast expanse of green underneath him, completely untouched and only broken by the odd winding river or rugged mountain.

Right now Plume was slowly diving at a mountain. Ash squinted at it. There was something odd. Unlike the other, lesser mountains around it, this gigantic height had a huge, smooth hole ripped in the top of it. Something had made it. The hole was too clean to be natural.

Plume shrieked as they suddenly landed beside the missing section. Ash was reminded of looking down at the heart of Mt. Moon as he dismounted his friend and stared down into the glade below. Something had carved out the interior of the mountain with incredible skill. Ash wasn't sure how the exterior didn't collapse on itself. Perhaps the sculptor had left just enough for the mountain to remain stable.

This was a sanctuary that would remain untouched by all but those who knew of it. Very few trainers flew out here and those that did probably wouldn't notice the odd mountain. The giant Rhydon must have made it to protect its herd.

"Is Rhydon down there?" Ash asked as he stared into the beautiful, unspoiled glade that prospered between the vast walls of stone. Plume nodded. He would accept that. His eyes were far too weak to make anything out other than a large expanse of soft green and the odd gray smudge. They were probably members of the herd, but it might have just been rock.

"Could you fly me down there?"

Plume lowered herself and shrieked as he pulled himself onto her back. Ash held on for dear life as she lightly dived into the secret grove. He felt queasy as the green grew closer and closer and resisted the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. Plume probably wouldn't appreciate it.

After about ten seconds the nauseating journey came to an end. Ash looked around warily as he leapt off of the flying-type. The area had a sparse dusting of tall, thin trees that seemed almost ethereal as light cast them in a golden glow. There was quite a bit of light shrubbery, although he didn't see many large bushes or plants. Most of the glade was covered in short, thick grass that looked to have been recently trampled by large, heavy feet.

He saw several napping Rhyhorn curled on top of a small outcropping of stone, but the rest of the large herd he remembered was nowhere to be seen. Ash frowned and glanced up at Plume, who was also doing her best to find any trace of the group of rock-types.

Ash silently released Tangrowth. He didn't want to let out any of his friends that the herd might consider a threat. Bruiser, Sneasel, Seeker, and Tangrowth were probably the only safe bets. Nidoking would probably induce a rampage, Infernus was Infernus, Oz wouldn't be useful against the Rhydon, the raw power Torrent exuded would probably attract giant, and powerful psychics like Dazed tended to make pokemon unused to them uneasy.

"Keep an eye out. If something moves, don't hurt it. Just restrain it if it tries to attack." He instructed. Tangrowth gurgled happily and lightly tapped Ash on the forehead as he followed the trainer. "Thanks, buddy."

"Thanks for your help, Plume." Ash said gratefully. She nipped softly at the bill of his cap and nuzzled him slightly, although Tangrowth helpfully kept him from being knocked over. "Do you mind if I recall you?"

She cooed and shook her head at him, so Ash went ahead and returned her. Plume was fast, but he didn't want her getting hit by an attack from the Rhydon. Rocks were deadly to her and a broken wing might not be completely healed by the time he needed to head to the Conference.

Now, alone with the cheerful Tangrowth, Ash started walking. He still didn't see anything other than the odd, napping Rhyhorn with the occasional Rhydon that the younger rock-types huddled around. They were in the midst of a sort of hibernation. It wasn't true hibernation as an Ursaring would take, but when exposed to cold Rhyhorn and Rhydon tended to become very drowsy and sleep for days on end. The only time they would awake was if they were under threat or they were hungry.

At least they had a safe place to hide from poachers. Rhyhorn were valuable, albeit relatively common. They weren't very intelligent but they were very loyal and more than capable of breaking through an enemy's lines with their charge. It was the primary reason some criminal organizations and the League preferred to use them when dealing with the sheer numbers of Team Rocket. The fact that they were practically immune to all but the strongest of poison didn't hurt matters.

He came out of his ponderings when he suddenly saw something of interest: A strange gap in the mountainside that looked large enough for an Onix to fit through. It was clearly made by something with far more finesse than the stone serpents, however. The passageway was cut in clear, sharp lines reminiscent of the skill and power of the one who had carved out this mountain.

"Stay with me." He whispered to Tangrowth as he headed into the passage. It was dark so he reached into his bag and removed a small electrical lantern. The blackness was banished as light emanated from the device and Ash looked around.

The passageway was not what he had expected. Instead of rough, carved stone on the sides he was surrounded by unnaturally smooth walls that had carvings etched into them every few feet or so, seemingly from thick, powerful claws. They went deep into the stone without any sign of roughness. Most likely the giant Rhydon was the artist.

He suddenly frowned once he actually looked at the carving nearest to the entrance. Ash's breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the etching in the stone. It was something that was far too similar for him to be comfortable with: The emblem of Pewter City and also its badge. The symbol was covered in gray stone that barely stood out from the black behind it.

Ash glanced at the wall opposite. It was carved into the form of a simple teardrop and overlaid with a glossy light blue gem. He couldn't even have imagined what it was. It was too light to be a sapphire, which was the only blue stone he could think of off the top of his head.

The trainer raised his lamp higher and continued walking down the passage. All of the badges were here, the ancient symbols of their cities that were a lasting memento of times when they had been divided and fractured.

The golden, octagonal star of Vermillion. The rainbow flower of Celadon. The purple heart of Fuchsia. The golden circles of Saffron. Cinnabar's red flame. Viridian's green plant.

They weren't in that particular order, but they were all there. He felt a bit of anticipation rush through his veins as he slowly stepped through the strange passageway. Ash wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that this wasn't anything he had expected.

At the very end of the passage there was a slight overhang. Ash raised his lantern and squinted at the symbol, although his eyes widened even more when he recognized it. It was the ancient symbol of the League – a circle that held a stylized Rhydon in it, which was bisected to symbolize the two halves of the Indigo League. His mind began to race with possibilities, but he headed on.

When he left the darkness of the tunnel his eyes widened. He hadn't simply entered another glade, he had entered a sanctum. There were no trees or shrubs, just a small hollow in the mountain that had an overpowering presence. Ash felt as though he were unworthy to be here.

This chamber was timeless. Even the grass seemed to be locked in perpetual stasis. It was short and thick, more comfortable than he would have imagined. Several pillars that were of some sort of shiny white stone were placed evenly throughout the four corners of the room, although Ash thought they were simply decorative.

That wasn't what stole his attention. Ash flicked off his lamp and placed it in his backpack as he stared in awe at some sort of monument that dominated the hollow. It was sculpted from plain grey stone, hewn from the very heart of the mountain. The monument was on dais raised about twenty feet above the air. A flight of smooth stairs had been raised to provide access.

He felt as if he were guided. There was no other option for him than to step through this empty chamber and begin his slow journey up the stairs. His footsteps echoed loudly throughout the area. The world was silent.

Tangrowth waited at the bottom for some reason, but Ash didn't notice as he finally reached the monument. He could see that it was far less perfect now that he was in the single beam of sunlight that graced this chamber through a small hole in the mountain above. It illuminated the chamber and gave the statue an ethereal look.

The monument was weathered with age, but it looked like something had tried to preserve it. He could see that it seemed to pay homage to five figures. While their statues were disfigured by the ravages of time and the natural elements, he could still make them out.

A man, tall and proud with a straight back. His eyes were not stone but small, cut circles of sapphire. Ash couldn't tell many details of the man's face thanks to the statue's age, but he was able to see that it was angular and had high cheekbones. There was not a beard or any other facial hair on it, so Ash assumed that the subject was rather young.

What faded clothes he had were simple robes, although Ash didn't know enough about ancient history to try and connect the robes to whatever time period the figure was from.

"Who are you?" He muttered as he regarded the proud figure. Ash looked at the other statues.

To the right of the human was a hulking Rhydon, at least ten feet high. It was a perfect replica and stood protectively by the human. Ash assumed that the man was its trainer. Ash smiled as he was reminded of Nidoking's own devotion.

At the human's left was a regal Ninetales. It had its head raised haughtily, although the small eyes of bright ruby angled up at the human in a way that Ash could perceive as adoring. The stone beast's tails were spread widely in an elegant manner. A rocky caricature of a Fire Stone was cradled between its paws.

The last immortalized figure was obviously a Tauros, massive and powerful. It dwarfed any that Ash had seen other than Professor Oak's. Tauros' horns ended in a wicked curl that complimented the sheer power it would have possessed had it been alive.

Ash looked up at the figures in awe for a few more moments. He had no idea who they were, but they must have been incredibly important. He'd like to know why there was a monument to them in the middle of the Fuchsia wilds rather than in an actual city. There had never been any sort of civilization here.

He shrugged it off and tried to find something that would identify them. Ash checked the front of the rectangular platform they were mounted upon and was pleased to find his suspicions confirmed.

Luckily the words had been carved so deeply into the stone that they were still legible even after the untold amount of time the monument had been sheltered in this timeless chamber. They seemed to bear more resemblance to the Unown that Ash had seen at Jessica's home than modern script, but it wasn't too hard to translate it.

Written language hadn't changed much. It was always based off of the Unown. Their influence on humanity would be felt for eons.

"Here rests Champion Taimu, the Uniter. May his name live forever in the stars." Ash read in shock, a weight upon him as he read the ancient characters that revealed this man as a Champion of Indigo. He'd never heard this Champion's name, but the title revealed him for what he was – the First.

He bowed his head in respect as he regarded this ancient, legendary figure. The origins of the Indigo League were dim, but he knew that this was the one who had united the fractured territories of Kanto and Johto and united them under a single banner through nothing but his own strength.

"Champion Taimu." Ash said softly as he stood up and straightened his back to look at the ancient depiction of the First. The proud visage, touched by time as it was, simply looked past the young trainer with the stony focus that Ash would imagine the living Taimu to possess. "The rest of the world might have forgotten your name, but I won't."

Ash regarded the First and his team for a few more moments before he turned around to leave. He wanted to find the Rhydon that so perfectly matched the one that stood behind Champion Taimu. Whatever estimations of its strength he'd wagered before were not enough.

This was a Rhydon legendary for its strength. It had been the cornerstone of the First's team and had assisted Champion Taimu in uniting dozens of squabbling territories under a single banner. There was no telling just how powerful it really was.

He felt a little fear. It wasn't something he enjoyed, especially as the dread settled fitfully in the pit of his stomach. The League had been established for a little under a millennium. For a Rhydon to live that long was nothing short of awe inspiring.

Ash knew that Rhydon could live for centuries thanks to their odd biology that incorporated both large amounts of minerals, a robust cellular regenerative abilities to keep them from tearing their bodies apart with their immense strength and mass, and the sheer durability they had to possess to function under such crushing weight.

The problem was that most of the time Rhydon ended up dying in territorial disputes. They were vicious when it came to protecting their land and their herd. Normally they were rather sedate, but if they felt threatened they would go onto a rampage similar to that of a Nidoking, which normally ended with the League being forced to take them out of the wild.

As a result nobody knew how long they could live. It wasn't easy to find a Rhydon in their natural habitat if they didn't want to be found and it was exceedingly dangerous to pry. But he felt that this might be the oldest one alive, outside of the odd, ancient Rhypherior.

It made sense. Whereas most Rhydon were slain by other Rhydon or furious Nidoking, it would be practically impossible for a wild Rhydon to even touch the giant Rhydon that had fought with the First.

Ash frowned and wondered if he should fight the Rhydon. It had to be stronger than he had dared to imagine and Janine had made it sound as though it were rather territorial. Perhaps he should simply leave and be content with the wonders he had discovered.

He couldn't make up his mind as he turned back to stare at the ancient, weathered depiction of the Champion Taimu. The First's sapphire eyes stared off into the passageway, unchanging and hinting of the power the human had possessed in life.

The trainer finally made up his mind to leave. He didn't want to disturb the Rhydon. He certainly didn't want to try to catch it anymore. Rhydon had been trained by the First, one of the greatest Masters to ever walk the earth. No one could be a deserving trainer to such a creature, certainly not Ash. He wasn't sure if even Lance would measure up to Rhydon's standards.

Before he left he unconsciously pressed his fist over his heart, which still had a bare spot in the form of the perfectly round hole. It was small enough to not really bother him, plus it forced him to never forget what Mewtwo to cause.

His mind flickered to dark places concerning vengeance and justice before he forced himself to return to himself. He could not be consumed. Justice would be done in the future, but for now he needed to let go. After the Conference he could seek out ways to force the Creature to pay.

He bowed his head to honor the First for a few moments and turned away to Tangrowth. It was time for him to leave this hallowed ground.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case.

Ash froze when he heard the rumble of heavy, plodding footsteps that seemed to connect to the mountain itself. The stone sang around him as the steps grew more and more powerful. Dust lifted off of the ground, although the monument was left safe.

Tangrowth gurgled and turned to face the passageway, concern evident in his saucer-like eyes. He extended his vines into the blackness, although the grass-type whined piteously and frantically tried to pull back as something seemed to grab the thick appendages.

"Tangrowth!" Ash shouted and rushed forward as Tangrowth was suddenly yanked from his large red feet, no mean feat considering the vines his friend had dug into the ground in an effort to resist the overwhelming force.

The grass-type gurgled piteously and outstretched a vine to wrap loosely around Ash's hand as he was unceremoniously reeled into the blackness. Rationality snapped back into Ash's mind and he instantly recalled his friend before he could be subjected to whatever fate had been in store for him.

Ash steeled himself and resolutely faced the darkness as the thunderous rumbling grew closer. A dark form was slowly outlined, at least eleven feet high and half as wide. The sunbeam that fell upon the monument was the only light available for Ash to analyze the hulking creature.

It was even larger than he remembered, especially now that he had gotten better at estimation. Now that he wasn't sprinting for dear life away from this behemoth he could pick out quite a few more details.

The first was a faint carving in its thick armor that Ash couldn't make out the details of, although it appeared to be composed of eight symbols. He assumed that it was the badges, although he doubted he would really be able to see it unless he knocked the Rhydon out and analyzed it up close.

What was far more obvious were the five pale grey stones Rhydon had seemingly implanted onto itself. Ash had never used one or actually held one, but he could tell what they were even from this distance: Everstones. It looked like Rhydon didn't want to evolve, despite the enormous increase in power it would give to the ancient rock-type.

Ash dimly wondered how powerful it was that it required multiple Everstones to repress its evolution.

Rhydon's slate eyes glared at him reproachfully and it bared its huge, blunt fangs. It softened and lost some of its anger as it stared sadly at the monument Ash stood on, but when it actually realized that Ash had dared to approach the sacred statue of its trainer it roared with a fury that sounded as though two mountains had been crushed together.

Its massive hand twitched. Ash yelped in surprise as the ground around him suddenly exploded upward, although it didn't even come close to touching the First's statue. Rhydon took great care to protect the memorial.

He held on for dear life as the stone pillar rushed high out of the sky, propelled by Rhydon's will. Ash refused to squeeze his eyes shut, however, and watched with intermixed awe and horror as the pillar forced him hundreds and hundreds of feet into the air until the pillar finally ground to a halt by the mountain's side.

Ash looked around desperately. He'd have to jump off of this thin jutting stone and land on Plume if he wanted to escape. While he had become a bit braver in regards to flying that still sounded like a last resort. He trusted Plume with his life but even the thought of leaping off into the infinite sky made him queasy.

Fortunately or unfortunately, a huge pillar shot into the sky beside him and stopped at the same height. It was absolutely massive, composed of tons of stone that were required to lift the ill-tempered Rhydon to its position in front of Ash.

As Rhydon leveled a glare at him, Ash wondered just what it was about to do. It could easily kill him at this point. All it had to do was will the pillar that supported him to break or fire stone shards at him. He was at its mercy, although he put his hand on Plume's pokeball to prepare. Seconds could be the key to his life.

Rhydon snorted and shot a small cloud of dust from its large nostrils. It forced its right claw forward with a grunt. Ash warily waited for some sort of attack, but his eyes widened and he fought the urge to flinch and step back when the side of the mountain they stood by suddenly shot out from its resting place and formed a platform several hundred feet around just underneath them.

As Ash failed to comprehend the power required to perform such a ridiculous feat of strength, Rhydon dipped its head and caused the pillars to lower until they were simply another part of the absolutely gigantic platform. It growled and walked over to the other side of the stone arena and lowered its head.

Realization flitted through Ash's fear and disbelief. A slow grin split over his face and he shifted his hand from Plume's pokeball to Infernus'. Rhydon didn't want to kill him. Not yet, anyway. It wanted to fight, to test him.

Well, he'd give it what it wanted. He twisted his hat backwards so he'd be able to see. A cloud above them provided enough shade that he wouldn't have to worry about the glare of the bright sun.

"Infernus, you're up." He whispered, almost unconsciously, as he released his friend. Infernus appeared in a blaze of fire, his power undeniable as the inferno he was named after surrounded his powerful form. The Magmortar spat a roaring tongue of flame into the sky to herald his arrival and sneered at Rhydon, who snorted back, unimpressed.

"It's stronger than we thought!" Ash said as calmly as he could to his friend. That statement just served to inflame Infernus farther – a gleeful smirk carved its way across his fiery face as he regarded the giant Rhydon. "Be careful and don't get knocked off!"

Infernus shifted one hand into its cannon-like form while the other remained a clawed fist. His form wavered from his own heat and his strong legs bent a little, ready to propel him into motion at any opportunity.

Ash quickly analyzed the situation. The battlefield meant that Infernus didn't have much to turn to his advantage. It forced a blunt, head-on approach to the battle. There wouldn't be any tricks like Haze. Rhydon could probably detect them as long as they were in contact with the stone.

Rhydon had plenty of its natural element at its disposal, so it would automatically have an advantage over Infernus. Ash had an idea of how to fight Rhydon and Rhypherior – get inside their guard with a powerful fighter or whittle them down from a distance with a maneuverable pokemon – but he wasn't sure how it would work against this ancient creature. It was on an entirely different level than Giovanni's Rhypherior.

He wasn't absolutely certain of how much damage Infernus would be able to get off with such an inherent disadvantage. Ash wasn't entirely certain how powerful his friend was now, despite his grandiose displays of strength. Infernus hadn't faced a real enemy yet outside of that cloned Charizard. It was one of the reasons Ash had wanted to seek the Rhydon out in the first place.

But that didn't matter. Right now he needed to find out what the Rhydon's capabilities were.

"Smokescreen!" He commanded. This wasn't a life or death battle, so he felt comfortable assisting his friends. Rhydon was monstrously powerful but it probably wasn't out to kill them.

Infernus snarled an affirmative and spewed a thick cloud of oily black smoke from his mouth. It quickly drifted over the field and obscured Rhydon's weak vision entirely. Ash just waited. "Be ready to dodge."

The order was proven to be a good one when a hail of sharp shards of stone suddenly sailed through the veil of smoke, their speed enough to leave a thick gap in the Smokescreen due to the wind they kicked up.

Ash flinched as they sailed by just a few feet away, but felt that he'd gained much more than Rhydon from that exchange, especially since Infernus' reflexes, enhanced by the heat he produced, allowed him to easily dodge the lightning fast attack.

That proved that Rhydon wasn't relying on its eyes. Its hearing was good, but not good enough to determine Infernus' position. It had to be using the technique some powerful rock-types were capable of learning called Stone Sense. They were able to detect vibrations through rock and ground, which let them know exactly where their opponents were. Ash supposed it was similar to Dazed's own psychic "echolocation", although it was far more limited.

Regardless, it was a useful ability and he now had something to work with for the rest of the battle. It was just too bad that only Plume would be able to avoid that. She could be really effective against Rhydon, however, if he managed to keep it blind.

"It can feel where you are!" He shouted to make sure that Infernus could hear over the roaring flames he spat aimlessly across the battlefield. The air smoldered and flecks of ash danced through the air like grey snowflakes as Infernus roared his understanding and let his true strength out.

Ash had to raise his sleeve to shield himself from the horrible heat Infernus produced. Even then it felt like his arm was about to burst into flame if Infernus didn't run or lower his heat output.

He watched with wide eyes as the air spontaneously combusted around Infernus, wreathing him in a deadly aura of flame that was far more impressive than if he had simply caused his body to ignite. This wasn't a deliberate action – the ignition that left Infernus in a glow of orange and cherry fire was simply a byproduct.

"Earthquake." He commanded over the fire's din. Infernus, a furious flicker of motion amidst the roaring inferno, snorted and smashed his claws foot against the ground. His shackled leg sent wild flames rushing around him, the explosion nothing but a way for Infernus to propel himself toward his legendary foe.

Ash dearly wished he had found a less crippling method of testing Rhydon's Stone Sense. The smokescreen made it impossible to make out Rhydon amidst the black clouds, which was very dangerous. It was a stupid mistake, one he would have easily avoided if he hadn't been so worked up. He'd have to remember to stay calm during the Conference.

He had to trust Infernus to know what to do for the next few seconds. The winds synonymous with this kind of altitude were doing their best to clear the smog away, although it would take a while for all of the smoke to disappear. Ash didn't need all of it to disappear, though. All he needed was a bit of clarity.

"Don't try to take anything it throws at you!" He roared to Infernus as the Magmortar rushed straight into the heat of battle. Ash had to hope that Infernus wouldn't try to test his new power by attempting to weather an attack from Rhydon.

Infernus had always been able to soak up an inordinate amount of damage in battle, which had proved very useful in many fights. As a Magmortar Ash couldn't even begin to fathom how much stronger he was. But to pit Infernus, strong as he was, against the First's Rhydon was, simply put, a very bad idea.

He gritted his teeth as Infernus was suddenly hurled out of the smoke and into the clear air. Infernus landed nimbly on his feet and snarled furiously as a huge boulder, rough and uneven as if it had been torn from the mountain by Rhydon's claws, flew towards the Magmortar. It extinguished the thick trail of fire Infernus had left in his wake as he was thrown back but soon met a raging Infernus' fist.

Ash blinked as Infernus casually shattered the huge boulder with a single strike. He snorted and spat a powerful tongue of flame into the billowing smoke in return, although Ash doubted it did anything other than annoy Rhydon.

"Fire won't do anything to it." The trainer informed Infernus, although he expected that his friend already knew that. Infernus was very adept at understanding his foes' weaknesses. Ash sighed. He hated to do this, but it had to be done. "You have to get close – you know what to do."

He couldn't see Infernus' face, but he could easily imagine the grotesque, bloodthirsty grin that would mark itself on the Magmortar. Infernus steadied himself and roared one last time, a cry that caused all of the flames left searing the stone battlefield to leap wildly at their lord's call and caused Infernus' blazing aura to grow even more powerful.

Ash savored the thought of that kind of power in the Conference for just a moment before Infernus flitted into nothingness. The flames that had previously surrounded him fizzled out, choked dead without their master's fuel.

And then the great, fiery light that Infernus effortlessly emanated exploded from the other side of the field, casting the rays of a small star through the thick, clogged air. Ash shielded his face at the burst of heat and condemned himself to bearing it as flashes of fire exploded again and again, one for each of Infernus' powerful strikes. Every now and then thick boulders would come crashing through the air, although they never came close to Ash.

Not to say that they didn't strike fear into him. If Rhydon grew careless and used an attack like that it would easily crush Ash. Perhaps Infernus could smash the boulders as if they were tiny pebbles but Ash was just a human. A rather small, relatively defenseless human aside.

He grinned when the smoke had finally cleared enough to give him a good view of Rhydon and Infernus. As expected, Infernus had teleported inside Rhydon's guard, likely by its flank to give him the maximum advantage.

Rhydon wasn't putting up much of a fight, which immediately put Ash on edge. It was lashing out at Infernus, but the blows were slow enough for the nimble Magmortar to dodge with ease. Infernus, on the other hand, was a constant blur of movement only traced by the fires that moved with him. Every blow exploded on impact and a few cracks had threaded throughout its thick armor but it didn't seem worried.

Ash scowled. Infernus was using Brick Break, although it looked like he'd combined it with Fire Punch. Of course, the explosions of fire could also be from Infernus' roaring aura that served to enhance him even further. The fact that Infernus was using a move designed especially to break through armor and shields and still failed to do any significant damage was disheartening.

It looked like he'd have to use another little trick that Lance had given him.

"Hyper Beam!" He roared to his friend. It was dangerous, but it was the only hope they actually had of breaking through Rhydon's nigh impenetrable armor. Last time they had barely managed to cause it to stumble, so at least they were doing some damage. That wasn't enough, though. Ash had to win this time.

Ash grinned as Infernus seamlessly leapt away from Rhydon's brutish blows and sweeping tail and shifted his molten fist to its cannon-like state. Rhydon roared and just had time to prepare itself before Infernus unleashed the full might of his Hyper Beam on the giant.

He squinted and was thankful for the remaining smoke as a huge beam of pure white light utterly consumed Rhydon. Ash had seen ridiculously powerful Hyper Beams before, but they had only been from older, powerful trainers like Lance. This was the first time one of his friends had actually used the powerful technique in battle, although he would rectify that in the future.

Hyper Beam was classified as a normal-type attack because it didn't have any sort of special attributes. It was just raw energy released in the form of focused, superheated plasma. As a result even weak Hyper Beams were capable of unleashing terrible destruction. The technique wasn't affected by the general weakness of the crude, physical blows most normal-type attacks consisted of against the thick, armored shells of rock-types, so it was a highly prized technique for many teams based around normal-types. Not much could resist a blast of energy that powerful.

As a result of expending so much energy on an attack that powerful, Infernus fell to one knee for a few brief seconds. Even his seemingly endless vitality could be sapped, it turned out. Ash would have to train to remove that weakness.

"Good job, Infernus. Hang in there!" He called encouragingly. Infernus just snorted and rose to his feet as Rhydon's form was emerged, relatively undamaged thanks to the monstrous amount of protection its shell gave it.

He sighed despondently, although he did notice that Rhydon looked a little tired. It wasn't completely immune, then. Hopefully that would have softened it up.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Rhydon rose to its full, intimidating height and let loose a roar that shook the entire platform. Ash's bones felt like they would shatter apart from their bonds for a few terrifying seconds, although it settled quickly.

Infernus roared in return, although it was cut short when Rhydon swept one of its huge arms to the open air. His friend had barely processed it enough to leap away when a huge block of stone shot out from the side of the mountain they were attached to and slammed into Infernus hard enough to send him flying far over the edge, his immense power useless against the force of gravity.

For the most part, anyway. By the time the command had begun to form on Ash's lips Infernus had teleported back onto the platform. He was beaten but not broken. If there was anything Ash had learned it was that Infernus would never give up or accept defeat. Above all he was a fighter with the obstinate will the title implied.

He let the sharp breath he had taken flow out of his body. His heart slowly pounded at a normal rate, although his blood was still up and pumping.

Rhydon thoughtfully gave Infernus a breather. Ash could see from its open nostrils and a certain gleam in its shiny black eyes that the battle had finally become of interest to it.

Infernus reared his head back and roared all of his pain out. The stone around his feet bubbled and melted as Infernus finally exerted everything he had. Blue flames rippled up and down his body and licked the air greedily, sucking in all of the oxygen they could to feed themselves. Crackling tongues of orange fire danced around his powerful form, fueled by the core of white that was Infernus' body.

Before Infernus had been trying as hard as he always did against powerful opponents. He fought gleefully and sadistically, every blow meant to cause pain and force his prey to acknowledge his own assured superiority. It bespoke of his own strength and the arrogance it had instilled in him.

Now he had been hurt. Now he had moved past that. Ash had only rarely seen this side of Infernus – the cold, efficient side that cared little for anything other than victory. It wasn't the thrill of battle that fueled him now or the domination of his enemies. All that could sate Infernus in this state was the sight of his opponent broken before him.

This was Infernus, with all the power and brutality that name had come to mean.

He didn't snarl or spit any more. Ash grinned darkly as his raging fires calmed and focused. They took on a blue tinge as Infernus lost the madness that characterized his normal battles. Their crackles and roars shifted to more of a steady hiss.

"Confuse Ray." He ordered. Normally Infernus didn't care for the technique. The Magmortar much preferred beating his enemies senseless and ambushing them within his infernos. "Earthquake, then get in close. You know what to do."

Infernus was silent aside from the hissing fires that exuded from him. His flames brightened momentarily as he met the implacable Rhydon's eyes. The scarlet glow that pulsed from his sinister eyes due to Confuse Ray was completely drowned out by the bright light he manifested. All Ash could catch was a small, focused ball of dark purple energy that shot out at Rhydon before Infernus began to move in for the real attack.

Rhydon grunted softly when it was struck by the Confuse Ray, but it didn't seem affected by the technique. It just stayed absolutely still, but its attempt to circumvent the nausea and disorientation caused by the Confuse Ray was ruined when Infernus silently stamped his foot on the hard stone platform.

Ash was just thankful that Infernus remembered to focus the waves of force that emanated from his shackled foot toward Rhydon rather than throughout the arena. Considering the precarious position they were in that could have been bad.

While Rhydon lost its balance, Infernus took full advantage. He flitted out of existence, instantly reappeared by the monstrous rock-type, and began to savagely strike with quick, forceful blows that constantly exploded in a well of fire.

He pumped his fist gleefully when Rhydon was finally knocked over by Infernus' heavy blows, the Titan unable to fight gravity as its own bulk pulled it downward.

And then it jerked its head in a quick motion, which caused the stone underneath it to ripple, lurch upward as though it were soft sand, and force Rhydon back into its secure position. Rhydon reared back a fist with terrifying speed and ruthlessly smashed it into Infernus' chest, the unexpected blow enough to send Infernus' flying through the air.

"Teleport!" Ash roared helplessly, his eyes wide in shock as the focused Infernus was thrown away like a used doll. Infernus had been knocked into a daze by the force of the blow; his eyes were unfocused and his body was limp. He wasn't quite unconscious, though, since his flames still burned strong.

Before Infernus could land and regain his coherence, Rhydon snorted and raised its huge arms to the sky. It crushed them together with a sound like stone being crushed into powder and somehow ripped two absolutely massive chunks of rock, each a rough sphere of about ten feet diameter, from the mountain the platform was imbedded upon and levitated them high in the air.

Rhydon's claws contracted and the boulders shattered into several large slices with the motion of the dull keratin. The behemoth silently moved a finger and dexterously exerted control over the carved hunks of stone with eerie precision. One whizzed through the air and smashed into Infernus before he could actually land, while another slammed into his helpless form again to send him further into the air.

Ash's pale face looked up in horror as Rhydon casually played with Infernus. He prepared to raise the Magmortar's pokeball and recall his friend when Infernus' flames, almost extinguished by their master's steady defeat, flared up one last time in rebellion. Infernus' eyes snapped open and he reared back his fist and smashed the next of the stones to try and attack him.

The Magmortar landed heavily, his breathing fast and frenzied. He leaned heavily on one leg and scalding blood dripped steadily onto the stone battlefield. Infernus focused and shifted his fists into their cannon state in the moment before Rhydon renewed its bored assault.

He had to look away as three streams of identical blue flame with a thin core of white exploded from Infernus' weakened, broken body and lashed toward Rhydon with nothing but pure desperation fueling them. It was Infernus' last ditch attempt to exact some form of victory on the impossibly powerful Rhydon.

Rhydon just swept its heavy arm up with a grunt. A wall of gray stone three feet thick was erected in front of it, more than large enough to protect the entirety of Rhydon from the flames. Ash felt that it was more a show of power than anything. Raw fire wouldn't be enough to get past Rhydon's armor, despite the slight damage Infernus' blows had done to it.

Despite that, Infernus continued to pour his very being into the brazen assault. His eyes had lost their cold focus and had attained unadulterated determination in their stead, although that resolution weakened even as Infernus' body began to refuse his steely commands.

Ash assumed that this was all he was capable of doing. His body was too badly injured to try and rush Rhydon, although it would be fine after a soothing bath in molten lava. In the same way his mind was too scrambled by the brutal beating he had endured from Rhydon's rocks to attempt to access his psychic abilities.

After about thirty seconds of constant fire, Infernus' flames began to weaken. After the first signs of defeat his assault lost its strength rapidly. He was just too weak to maintain a sustained attack like that at the moment.

And then his cannons and mouth refused to fire anything than a steady stream of smoke. The flames that had formerly coalesced around his white-hot form had died and now he held the appearance he did outside of battle. Infernus had fought valiantly, but he was finished.

Rhydon was left relatively unscathed from Infernus' last stand other than large scorch marks from where Infernus' dying flame had struck after it had melted through the entirety of the stone. The rock-type eyed Infernus with a smidge of respect.

It cocked its head at the beaten, dazed Infernus before it grunted and swept its arm to the side in a brutal motion. Rhydon's absolute mastery over stone became apparent when the entire mountain side between it and Ash jutted out with a constant grinding sound and smashed into Infenrus.

As Infernus was unceremoniously hurled off of the edge and into the skies hundreds of feet above the Fuchsia wilds Ash reflexively returned him. By the time he looked up from the white and red pokeball the mountain had been returned to its proper position with a minimum of effort.

"You did wonderfully." He murmured to the pokeball, which seemed to pulse with an inner heat at his words. Ash carefully placed the pokeball onto his belt and stared over at Rhydon, who patiently waited for its next toy.

He was aware that it hadn't used a single actual technique. It had just struck at Infernus physically and weathered his blows until it had finally shown its true power. Rhydon had molded and manipulated stone without any sort of "attacks" and on a grander scale than anything Ash had ever seen before. Ash had no doubt that its sheer size, power, and experience probably made it more powerful than even Lance's Dragonite.

It was sort of like the Clefable that guarded the Moon Stone, in a way. The Guardian was far beyond any normal pokemon Ash had seen before. It had accessed heights of power that Ash couldn't have imagined for a Clefable – namely, mastering Metronome to an extent formerly believed impossible.

Rhydon was on the same impossible level. Although its species were noted for being able to use many techniques that could wrench stone into a desired position, he'd never even imagined it on this kind of scale. The First's Rhydon had pulled out the side of a mountain without any visible strain.

The ancient Rhydon had moved beyond mere "moves" and techniques. It didn't have to focus its power to command the stone, the stone moved with it. Rhydon had become one with the stone, in a sense.

Ash wasn't sure if the stone had become an extension of Rhydon or if Rhydon had become a channel of the stone, but Rhydon and its element were connected in a way closer than any pokemon Ash had seen aside from Legends. It was incredible to behold.

He continued to stare at it and pondered this fight. Rhydon was certainly Dragonite's superior in regards to raw power, but Ash thought that his team would be able to eke out this victory. Whereas a major reason he'd never been able to defeat Dragonite was due to its absolutely incredible maneuverability and unmatched speed Rhydon was practically a sitting target. A very powerful, almost invulnerable sitting target but a sitting target nonetheless.

Ash grabbed Tangrowth's pokeball. He'd told Nidoking that he would send him out after Infernus, but he had to weaken Rhydon greatly if he wanted any of his friends to strike the creature down.

Tangrowth appeared in a flash of scarlet light. He dumbly blinked and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. Ash couldn't help but smile when a small vine lightly wrapped around his arm for comfort.

His friend gurgled worriedly when he saw Rhydon and started to waddle away, but Ash quickly grabbed the grass-type's thin vine to attract his attention. Ash's ploy worked and Tangrowth turned to look at him with his huge, bright eyes. They actually showed fear, something Ash had never been aware that Tangrowth could feel.

"It's alright, buddy." Ash said softly. He kept a light hand on Tangrowth's vine. Rhydon had scared Tangrowth. Now his friend needed to know that Ash had faith in him. "Everything's fine. This is just like any other battle. Focus, you can do it."

Tangrowth still squirmed and his writhing vines were more agitated than usual, but he ceased his attempts to flee. He stood and faced Rhydon, who looked exactly like its statue did down in the First's resting place.

Ash let the thick tension linger for a few more moments before he finally began this next round.

"Root yourself, then hit it with a Solar Beam!" Ash shouted. Tangrowth's quick reflexes instantly flew into play. Dozens of his smaller vines lashed down into the stone and quickly wormed their way deep within. It was a potential weakness thanks to Rhydon's control over stone, but Ash knew that keeping Tangrowth on the platform was much more important. He couldn't teleport.

Tangrowth rapidly fired off the column of pure light, although Rhydon easily erected a stone barrier to absorb the worst of the massively powerful attack. It didn't display any of the ferocious power it had against Infernus as their fight waned, however. Ash assumed that it was waiting to see just how powerful Tangrowth was before it actually attacked.

"Tangrowth, absorb as much as you can! Pry into its armor." Ash commanded quickly. Urged by Ash's concerned tone, Tangrowth gurgled and sent dozens upon dozens of his thick, prehensile vines lashing toward the Rhydon from every imaginable direction.

Rhydon's eyes actually widened at the potentially dangerous attack and quickly raised its arm to erect yet another thick wall of stone. Ash just grinned at it once Tangrowth's vines reached the barrier.

Although Tangrowth hadn't grown quite as dramatically as the others during Lance's training, he had become much stronger. And that strength gave itself to his Ancient Power technique as much as any other sort of attack or ability he possessed.

Before his training he had been capable of using Ancient Power on up to around two dozen of his vines at once. It was a weaker form of the technique, but still a devastating force on the battlefield as several of the gym leaders could attest.

Now the grass-type could use the same technique on almost all of his hundreds of vines at once, although it was weaker still than the variant he had used previously. Individually the Ancient Power could not hope to match the Ancient Power used on just a few vines. As a whole, however, it was exponentially more powerful.

In this case, he didn't even need Ancient Power to create a barrier or a barrage of sharp rocks. All Tangrowth had to do was use Ancient Power to cause Rhydon's stone shield to crumble into nothingness.

Even as his lips and tongue shaped to give Tangrowth his order, the grass-type's seemingly instinctive grasp of battle tactics came into play. Ash didn't have to do anything but watch with a gleeful smile as the shocked Rhydon was exposed to the air and enough vines to completely ensnare it.

Which was exactly what happened. Rhydon was buried underneath the thick appendages, seemingly helpless to resist as the vines glowed with a soft, natural green light that showed Tangrowth was using Mega Drain through every single vine.

Ash's eyes were bright with anticipation as Tangrowth steadily sucked more and more energy from the apparently infinite reserves of the Rhydon. The huge form hidden under Tangrowth's appendages slowly hunched and bent as it lost the strength to resist Tangrowth's overwhelming maneuverability.

He had to admit that he was surprised. Although he knew Tangrowth had an incredible natural advantage over Rhydon thanks to his vines, which also doubled as shock absorbers for any boulders, and the enormous variation and maneuverability they granted him he hadn't expected the cornerstone of the First to go down so easily.

Perhaps it was understandable. Rhydon were excellent at facing single or even multiple foes head on, but they weren't able to defend their rear very well. It was one of the reasons the powerful creatures congregated in herds. They instinctively fought together in order to nullify their primary weakness and cover all angles of attack.

Ash sighed. Perhaps he should have saved Tangrowth for later. His friend was practically custom-made to defeat Rhydon.

Hopefully he could find it again in the future and have a real –

Tangrowth gurgled and squirmed helplessly in his thick shell of vines as he was hurled sideways by a large column of stone that suddenly jutted out from the mountainside and slammed into him. Ash blinked in surprise.

Rhydon roared, a terrible sound that caused the mountain to shake and spill clouds of dust and pebbles from its side, and ripped its way out of the prison that had encased it. As Tangrowth tried to right himself with his vines Rhydon snarled and swept its arm to the side, which caused a massive blade of stone to yank itself up from the platform and effortlessly slice through almost all of Tangrowth's vines.

Eyes wide, Ash let out a hurried stream of commands to try and regain the dominance Tangrowth had attained previously, but Rhydon was merciless. It had finally decided to show its strength again. Huge boulders were ripped from the mountainside and hurled at Tangrowth, whom managed to stop most of them with Ancient Power barely moments before they would have struck him.

The First's primary pokemon began to shift for the first time in the battle. It clenched its right claws and rode up on a wave of stone that rippled like water as it rushed Rhydon closer to Tangrowth with terrifying speed. Blades and storms of stone continued to rain down on Tangrowth, who slowly weakened as more and more of his vines were severed. Now most of his appendages were naught but squirming, wildly writhing stumps that still tried to move at Tangrowth's command but simply couldn't.

He grimaced when Rhydon finally reached Tangrowth, who was still attempting to save himself, and casually stamped on him. Tangrowth didn't seem too hurt thanks to his thick shell of stumps and his few remaining vines, but he was helpless as Rhydon raised its foot once more.

Rhydon stumbled about a foot backward when Tangrowth suddenly fired yet another Solar Beam into its face, but quickly recovered and glared at Tangrowth. One of its Everstones was slightly dislodged, although a large, dull claw delicately shifted it back into place.

The behemoth raised a single arm, which effortlessly ripped a massive blade of stone from the ground. It raised about ten feet above the platform, directly above Tangrowth, and suddenly plunged down to strike nothing but the last of the scarlet energy that was Tangrowth as Ash recalled his beaten friend.

"Thank you." He said gratefully to his friend as he stared in horror at the blade of stone, which had wedged itself deeply into the platform. Rhydon growled and quickly rode a wave of stone back to its previous position. Another wave of its arm restored the platform to its previous state.

Ash could tell that it was hurt. Although it was still unnaturally powerful it hadn't emerged unscathed from Tangrowth's imprisoning technique. Its movements were a bit slower and its eyes had grown slightly weary.

That's what Ash had wanted when he sent Tangrowth out. Not to beat Rhydon but to weaken it.

His fingers lightly played across the surface of Nidoking's pokeball, but he opted to wait just a little longer. Nidoking would come soon. He needed Rhydon weakened slightly more before he sent out his first friend. While Nidoking had the raw power and versatility to deal some major damage to their foe, he didn't have the speed to avoid Rhydon's terrible attacks. Rhydon needed to be slowed down beforehand.

Dazed appeared in a flash of scarlet light. She was perfectly calm as she regarded the scorched and weakened Rhydon, although her pendulum fluttered and bounced hypnotically in the air as psychic power flooded through her body.

"Keep moving." He ordered. "Try to tire it out. It has Stone Sense."

His friend nodded stoically and allowed a constant stream of light blue light to flood from her keen eyes. Her mane waved gently as it was carried by the wind that whipped through the air at such heights. The crystal pendulum she had crafted trembled with her great power as she prepared to do battle with the powerful Rhydon.

Although Ash had directed the rest of his friends, he allowed Dazed to remain relatively autonomous. She had to react quickly and knew how to maximize the efficiency of her power. Aside from that, she would have to constantly make split second decisions, which Ash's commands would only slow down.

He'd given her directives. It was up to Dazed to execute them to the best of her ability.

Rhydon didn't wait for her to make the first move. It finally seemed to accept that Ash's pokemon could be significant threats and began to act accordingly. Dazed barely had time to teleport as Rhydon forced its arm lower and yanked huge boulders down from the cliff, all of which crashed down onto Dazed's previous position with teeth rattling force.

Ash coughed and couldn't see through the haze of dust that had been thrown up by the boulders' fall. Every now and then he could see bright flashes of blue as Dazed fired Psybeams and waves of psychic force that likely forced Rhydon back a foot or two, although never to the extent that it would be seriously hampered.

He flinched in surprise when the huge, largely untouched boulders that lay in front him suddenly rose, split into thousands of small, jagged shards of rock, angled themselves at a certain point, and launched with an incredible velocity that would be more than enough for the barrage to penetrate any shield Dazed could create.

The trainer was finally able to make out Dazed through the lingering cloud, although it was mostly from her lantern-like eyes rather than her actual body. She teleported constantly, her increased strength enough to let her transmit herself through time and space far more frequently than before. From the great booms and cracks of stone meeting stone that rang throughout the air such rapid teleportation was entirely necessary.

Rhydon was the only thing he could actually make out. Its gigantic form loomed above even the dust cloud and held itself as a dark shadow. The creature's roars made his ears feel like they were about to bleed and made his footing uncertain. Every quick, precise movement it made allowed him to feel the stone rippling and shifting under the behemoth's silent call.

Finally the dust dispersed enough for him to clearly see the battlefield once more. Dazed was barely visible in the midst of the battle. She was clearly on the defensive as Rhydon was in a constant state of flux, every movement calculated to place danger in every single part of the platform. Every now and then she would manage to blast the Rhydon with a well-placed Psybeam or make it stumble with a wave of force, but for the most part she was helpless.

He grit his teeth. This wasn't working. Rhydon's unnatural strength and stamina meant Dazed would be tired long before it felt the ache of fatigue in its hard bones.

Although it went contrary to the strategy he'd hoped for, Ash had no other choice. "Charm Lock!"

Dazed was forced to teleport around the arena a few more times before she struck another lucky blow and had the opportunity to enact the attack. As Rhydon was knocked off balance, her eyes flashed brighter than they had during the rest of the battle and Rhydon's monstrously powerful form was frozen into place under a glowing, rippling layer of psychic power that shined and strained with the task of keeping Rhydon frozen.

His friend cared little for maintaining the prison, however. She was far more concerned with forcing Rhydon to stare at her pendulum. Her initial telepathically transmitted impulse didn't appear to do anything to sway Rhydon's iron will, so she quickly shuffled to a position that forced the great rock-type to watch her pendulum sway back and forth in its hauntingly hypnotic manner.

Her eyes continued to shine brightly as Rhydon's lids slowly began to fall. Its will was strong but Rhydon weren't known for being resistant to mental attacks. Regardless, Ash kept a close eye on his foe and the layer of psychic energy that kept its powerful form immobilized.

The layer grew dimmer and dimmer as Rhydon ceased its struggles. It looked uncharacteristically peaceful as it layer trapped under Dazed's influence. Ash almost felt guilty for what Dazed was about to do to it.

Dazed quickly extended her hand, which was encased in an aura of red light. Rhydon's body also glowed red, which contrasted sharply with the cold blue of Dazed's Disable, and a tendril of red energy connected the two.

"Be gentle." He said quietly as he regarded Rhydon. It didn't look as though its dreams were being devoured. Rhydon just looked at peace aside from the odd twitch. The legendary creature was almost entirely motionless.

She quickly sapped energy from Rhydon, although it would have been a slightly faster process if she didn't have to restrain herself. Ash had to smile as he saw Dazed's form, exhausted after a mere minute and a half of battling thanks to the constant teleportation she employed in the game, slowly straighten itself. Her posture became erect and some of the bruises she'd gained from unblocked shards lightened and faded from existence.

He was a bit concerned when Rhydon still hadn't been knocked unconscious twenty seconds after it had been placed under Dazed's enchanting spell. Although she was working slowly and carefully Dazed was still draining a huge amount of energy with every passing second. Rhydon had more strength left than he had believed after Tangrowth's own absorption.

Ash's face settled into a worried frown when he suddenly saw Rhydon's arm twitch, although no pillars of stone jutted from the ground in response to the movement. It appeared to be a reflexive action during sleep.

Then its eyes snapped open and regarded Dazed with cold disdain. Rhydon didn't seem to be itself anymore. Its eyes weren't a sharp, intelligent obsidian anymore. In fact, they seemed to be glowing.

A bolt of frozen lightning shot down Ash's spine when the Disable was suddenly broken. Dazed was hurled backward as Rhydon roared and tore its arms free of its imprisonment. The stone platform erupted in a wave around Rhydon and exploded outward, which caught the Hypno completely off guard as their connection was broken.

He stepped back unconsciously when Rhydon's entire body began to glow with the familiar white glow of evolution. Its features were completely obscured as the righteous fury it felt over Dazed's entrapment overwhelmed its rational senses and consumed Rhydon's very soul.

A roar, louder and more terrible than any noise Ash had heard before outside of the Legends' cries, split the stone. Cracks and fissures threaded through the platform in an intricate web even as the mountain shuddered and shed billowing rains of dust and stone from its jagged side.

Ash's breath was caught in his throat even as Dazed teleported next to him. Their eyes held matching fear as they regarded the Rhydon in the midst of evolution.

He watched on with horror as Rhydon roared its frustration and rage into the tumultuous skies of Fuchsia. His stomach churned. The trainer couldn't help but feel sick at what he had caused.

Through his actions he had caused the First's Rhydon to evolve. The Rhydon that had remained in the same form for a millennium. The Rhydon that had actively sought to avoid evolution if the five Everstones embedded into itself were anything to go by.

The Rhydon that should have always remained a Rhydon.

For the first time since the very beginning of the fight Ash felt unsafe. When Rhydon had been interested in testing their strength he had felt confident in his ability to match the ancient, powerful creature of immortal flesh and stone.

It had been horribly powerful but it had been limited. He didn't believe that it had actively sought harm unto him and his team.

Now? Now rage had consumed it enough to overpower the simultaneous influence of five Everstones and force an evolution that would exponentially increase its already legendary power in every way, physical and mental. Its impressive control over the stone would be magnified and Ash would lose any chance of victory.

And so it was that the trainer from Pallet and one of his closest friends watched Rhydon's glowing form with trepidation. Ash held onto Dazed, as she was more than ready to teleport as far as she could to save them both from the rampaging creature.

But Ash noticed something odd: Rhydon wasn't changing. It continued to gnash its large dull teeth and sweep its huge tail as agony incurred from the immense, natural energies it channeled worked to cause a rapid metamorphosis, but its body structure wasn't suddenly changed as sections of genetic code previously left alone were rapidly expressed.

In fact, absolutely nothing had changed other than that the energy was growing even more intense. He could scarcely stand to look at Rhydon's glowing form without Dazed's protective psychic shield filtering the majority of the light radiated from the ancient Rhydon.

His blood chilled as Rhydon suddenly raised its great head to the sky and exploded with a great burst of energy that was released both outward in a wave and upward in a concentrated beam of white light.

Ash felt a psychic weight gather around his shoulders to anchor him to the ground, which proved quite useful when Dazed's shield, focused and powered by her resolute will, was instantly shattered by the immense energy that could not be consciously commanded by any pokemon.

The platform's fissures slowly grew deeper as a seemingly infinite amount of energy was fed into the beam of light fired from Rhydon's void of a maw, although Ash could steadily see Rhydon's body growing duller and lifelike once more as it shot a great column of light into the endless reaches of the atmosphere.

It finally ended and Rhydon's limbs fell back into place. The rock-type looked even more tired, but still faced them with strength beyond what most pokemon could muster, especially after this much punishment.

Rhydon was still merciless, however. It quickly jutted its arm out, which caused a pillar of stone to jut out from the platform several feet in front of Dazed and smash into her frail, unprotected chest. Ash heard a short crunch as the stone impacted.

"Dazed!" Ash cried as his friend was sent flying over the edge. He had already raised his pokeball and recalled the psychic-type by the time he'd noted that her body was limp and that her eyes had ceased glowing, a sure sign that she had been knocked unconscious by the cheap blow.

He silently thanked her and glanced up at Rhydon to analyze it once more. Although the most blatant characteristics it possessed at the moment were the supreme fatigue it showed and the littering of injuries from his friends' attacks, Ash was far more interested in the ultimate display of willpower it had just shown.

Few pokemon were willing to turn down the power and status afforded by evolution and even less were capable of actually stopping the process. It was practically unheard of. The average wild pokemon would gladly accept the increased abilities and respect garnered from their evolution. Evolution was a way to publically announce strength and allowed pokemon to effectively protect themselves and their group. It was dangerous to not evolve when one could suffer terribly at the hands of a more formidable, evolved predator.

Trained pokemon were even more willing of evolution in most cases. Aside from the fact it was an integral component of a species' life cycle, it also allowed them to better fight for their trainer and team. Evolution unlocked doors that would be forever closed if one remained in a lower form. Power came with adulthood and maturity, both physical and mental.

For a pokemon to have actually denied itself evolution for nearly a thousand years as Rhydon had was unthinkable. Rhydon was already one of the most powerful pokemon Ash had ever seen, but to have actually stopped the process of evolution showed that it possessed strength far greater than it did in mere battle.

Rhydon's will must have been absolute to deny itself what its instincts craved: Absolute power. It would be untouchable if it evolved, far beyond even Lance's Dragonite. That sort of strength was what almost every pokemon craved. Power was life in the wild.

Ash figured it must have wanted to preserve itself in the image its partner would have last seen it as. Loyalty was a trait common to Rhydon, and it appeared that this one took the generalization much further than most. It was beautiful, in a way. And rather tragic.

He was yanked from his thoughts by Rhydon's deep growl. It restlessly paced back and forth across the field, angry at the near-evolution. Ash could see it constantly tap its Everstones, as though it were counting them. Its eyes were slightly panicked, although an ancient wisdom seemed to regulate that fear.

Ash closed his eyes as he took Nidoking's pokeball off. It was time for his best friend to match himself against this legendary relic of the past. No matter how it ended, Ash knew Nidoking would make him proud.

Nidoking emerged, a proud opposite of Rhydon. His dark purple hide glistened in the pure light of the sun and shined even more as poison unconsciously secreted from his assortment of venom sacs. He roared and squared himself equal to Rhydon, which snorted and glared at Nidoking with its black eyes, which still glowed slightly with the remaining evolutionary energy.

"Freeze its limbs." Ash said softly. Nidoking's large ears twitched, signifying that he'd heard the command. He immediately reared his head back and formed the small ball of icy blue energy. Jagged streams of white-blue frost exploded from his jagged maw and, displaying the control he had mastered in his time with Lance, separated into four streams that struck Rhydon's shoulders and the joint that connected its powerful legs to its body.

Rhydon roared in annoyance and flexed, but the ice was just thick enough that nothing occurred but a few cracks that shot through the frozen substance. Ash grinned and unconsciously pointed at Rhydon with glee. "Poison it."

Nidoking snorted happily and did what he did best: Charged. His thick, powerful legs pushed him forward and gathered him plenty of momentum even as the weakened Rhydon thrashed and struggled to try to free itself from the ice. At the beginning of the fight it would have torn its way out easily. Now it was weak enough to be badly affected by such measures.

As he observed Nidoking's fearless charge, he noted just how similar the two were. It was a resemblance he'd thought of whenever he'd seen or faced a Rhydon, but it was clearer than ever now. Rhydon and Nidoking were practically equal, although Nidoking was more balanced in its physical and elemental strength while a Rhydon's strength was primarily physical in nature.

It wasn't as if he hadn't known of it. The pokedex had even pointed out their related ancestry. The two species hadn't diverged too far back, geologically speaking. The Rhydon line had undergone standard evolution to survive in rough, mountainous terrain while the Nidoran line evolved to survive in open plains and gentle hills. Two sides of the same coin.

But now he could really see the resemblance. And as Nidoking's horn met Rhydon's thick, armored hide and actually struggled to pierce the carapace it was particularly stark. He couldn't believe that Nidoking's horn hadn't gone straight through the armor with the kind of momentum he'd picked up.

Ash's thoughts returned to the battle. He couldn't afford to lose focus, not when he was close to defeating Rhydon. It still had enormous strength at its disposal, but the numerous injuries and drains it had sustained had left it a shadow of its former power.

Rhydon's eyes suddenly flashed with the white glow of evolutionary energy even as Nidoking struggled to force his long, sharp horn which could easily shatter diamond with the right orientation through the ancient creature's shell. The ice shattered around it and, just as Nidoking pierced into its slightly softer tissues Rhydon snorted and picked Nidoking up with one massive hand.

His eyes widened, but before he could do anything Nidoking had blasted Rhydon in the fact with a particularly powerful Ice Beam. Rhydon didn't let it affect its body, however. Although its head was frozen and it was probably going into shock at the quick temperature shift Rhydon kept its vice grip on the back of Nidoking's neck. Its massive hand was almost large enough to encircle Nidoking's entire body.

Nidoking struggled frantically and layered more and more Ice Beams onto Rhydon. Rhydon's tail suddenly twitched and caused a pillar of stone to smash into the encasing of ice, easily shattering the prison and allowing the Rock to glare at Nidoking.

Rhydon roared and cast Nidoking, who was easily four hundred pounds of armor, muscle, and bone, nearly a quarter of the way across the massive platform. Nidoking grunted in pain as his armor absorbed the shock and sluggishly pulled himself up. He wasn't fast enough to avoid Rhydon, who smashed into the poison-type with earth-shattering force as it rode a wave of stone into Nidoking's front.

"Earth Power!" Ash shouted, fear coursing like the bitterest poison through his veins. Everything was slow as Rhydon circled around on its small wave of loose rock to strike Nidoking again. Nidoking's ears twitched.

Still on his back and almost unconscious from the raw power Rhydon had delivered through the quick blow, Nidoking managed to thrash his thick, muscled tail onto the ground. It didn't transmit quite as effectively through rock as it did through earth, but nevertheless a crevice lined with gold energy opened straight toward Rhydon's form of transportation.

Rhydon caught onto the trick and leapt off as its wave of stone collapsed through the five foot gap in the platform, but it gave Nidoking just enough time to pull himself onto his haunches and prepare himself for Rhydon's ineveitable charge.

For whatever reason Rhydon didn't seem keen to use its power over stone. Perhaps pummeling Nidoking into the rock acted as a form of catharsis after its stressful, barely escaped evolution. Ash silently shuddered as he considered fighting a Rhypherior that was exponentially more powerful than the form it chose to remain in. It would make Lance's brutal training seem like a cakewalk.

"Earthquake, then lock it with Ice Beam!"

Nidoking enacted the combination in tandem. As his large foot smashed onto the stone and released a wave of force through the platform that caused Rhydon to stop its sudden charge in favor of neutralizing the unbalancing attack Nidoking fired an Ice Beam straight into Rhydon's chest.

This time, however, a wheel of stone was pulled smoothly from the platform and casually intercepted the Ice Beam before it could actually strike its intended target. Rhydon snorted at the repeated technique and resumed its charge.

Ash placed his hand on Nidoking's pokeball as it became apparent that Nidoking would have to meet Rhydon's charge head on. Nidoking was strong and tough, but he was barely half of Rhydon's size. Determination and willpower didn't trump the cold equations of physics.

Nidoking barely had time to lower his horn before Rhydon trampled over him. The poison-type was crushed under the weight as Rhydon plowed by as though he weren't even there. Ash winced, but didn't return his friend. Nidoking was trying to pull himself up even as Rhydon used a pillar of rock into its chest to slow its charge and allow it to turn around for another go.

"Earthquake and Ice Beam!" Ash repeated. It was the most effective combination Nidoking could muster against Rhydon. Something like Sludge Bomb wouldn't make it past its armor and if he tried to match it physically in a straight fight he would be defeated in seconds, as the last minute or so had proven.

His friend snorted softly and sluggishly responded to his command, although his body looked as though it wanted to cease moving entirely. Ash barely managed to keep himself upright as the wave of force shot through the platform but had to hold back a groan when Rhydon casually batted the Ice Beam aside with another rotating semicircle of rock. That feint wouldn't work anymore.

Just as Rhydon charged into Nidoking's comparatively tiny form with a nauseating crunch Ash returned his friend. Rhydon growled deeply and rushed its way back to its starting position on its wave of stone. It waited steadily, although Ash could see that Nidoking had done quite a bit of damage to the weakened rock-type.

Rhydon was rather sluggish thanks to the Ice Beam. Like Onix, they didn't respond well to cold temperatures, especially not when the shift was rather abrupt. They didn't evolve to handle cold conditions. It was probably in a minor state of shock, although it had probably recovered by now.

Other than the weakness incurred from Ice Beam, Nidoking had managed to pierce its nigh impenetrable casing of hard rock hide. Ash knew that Nidoking wouldn't have allowed much poison to flow into the wound lest Rhydon be put into mortal danger, but even a bit of the powerful venom would be enough to make Rhydon very, very weak. It would kick in shortly.

What he needed to do now was get Rhydon moving. Its sheer size and natural resistance to toxins would keep Nidoking's powerful venom from taking effect in a reasonable amount of time, but if he got its heart rate up more than Rhydon would be crippled rather quickly.

Ash considered releasing Torrent and finishing Rhydon right here, but opted against it. Torrent would have an easy time of it. Too easy, in fact. There wouldn't be any fun in letting Torrent drill holes through Rhydon's armor with his precise Hydro Pumps.

Out of all his friends, Torrent was the one best suited to fighting an overwhelmingly powerful rock-type like Rhydon. Rock-types tended to have an exceptionally strong hide composed primarily of hard minerals that had very low conductivity, which allowed the pokemon to negate most fire and electric-type attacks. If subjected to focused force, such as a precise blow from a fighting-type or a water-type's high-pressure attacks, it would shatter. Their hide was meant to resist dispersed force, not an intense blast.

Tangrowth was the second best for dealing with Rhydon since grass-type attacks such as Vine Whip or Razor Leaf tended to have focused force as well, but they were also able to weather the hide very quickly and work their way through with intense, steady pressure.

Torrent would likely get a chance to shine in a few minutes, but now he thought it was time for Bruiser to fight. He hadn't been in real combat for quite a while. Ash didn't count the battle at New Island as a battle – that was a slaughter.

Bruiser appeared in a flash of light. He glanced around for a bit, unconcerned, but his flat, reptilian face broken into a pleased smile when his weak, beady eyes focused on Rhydon's hulking form. The Machoke turned to Ash and smashed his powerful fist into his barrel-like chest as a gesture of respect. As was their tradition, Ash returned the greeting and bowed his head in turn.

"This Rhydon's defeated all of the others except for Torrent." Ash told his friend. Bruiser's eyes had a determined glint as he turned and faced Rhydon, who swayed slightly as more and more poison pulsed through its veins. "Do your best. I believe in you."

The Machoke nodded shortly and focused on Rhydon, who met the fighting-type's eyes and sprang into action. Rhydon raised its hand upward and caused the part of the platform it stood on to break off of the main body and levitate ten feet above the stone outcrop. A few small squares of stone broke off from the new platform and shattered into dozens of small fragments, which levitated and oriented themselves to fire at Bruiser.

"Bruiser, this is your game." Ash instructed. He realized that he wouldn't be able to effectively command Bruiser in this situation. While he'd gotten tons of experience instructing his friend during their training with Lance, this was a situation he wasn't ready for. Bruiser had never been the focus of attention during the battles against Lance's dragons. He was a supporting fighter.

Now he had an opportunity to shine. Rhydon wouldn't fly hundreds of feet above him. This was an enemy he could pummel into submission.

But with that intense, up close battle came a lack of oversight on Ash's part. Bruiser would be too busy dodging and counterattacking to risk listening for Ash's orders. It was a problem, but not a major one in most cases. He trusted Bruiser to know his limits and his own skills.

That didn't meant he could help. Ash could make sure that Bruiser didn't get any nasty surprises from the Rhydon.

"It has Stone Sense and can do pretty much anything with rock." Ash said tersely, his voice easy to hear in the utter silence that characterized the battle. "Watch out for boulders and pillars that it can form. Don't stand still."

Bruiser pounded his chest one more time before he moved. Rhydon's small projectiles shot forward at a terrifying speed and struck the earth, their force enough to kick up a small cloud of dust and make a loud crack as they embedded themselves in the platform.

Thankfully none of them struck Bruiser. His speed and agility had improved immensely during their time with Lance and he moved like liquid as he leapt and ducked through every attack Rhydon threw at him. Boulders hurled from the sky, more barrages of stone shards, pillars that shot up unexpectedly: All dodged with serene focus.

And suddenly the fighting-type leapt high into the air, his ridiculously powerful muscles more than enough to propel his comparatively light weight twenty feet into the air and onto the platform. Rhydon snorted and tapped its foot to the stone, which caused the piece of stone Bruiser stood on to shudder and fall away, but Bruiser easily leapt closer to Rhydon and avoided the sluggish swipe the behemoth attacked with.

Ash couldn't see the action very well, but he could see Bruiser's hard fist rear back and snap forward like an Arbok. A roll of thunder shattered the sky and he heard a guttural roar of pain from Rhydon. Its eyes flashed with the pure white of evolutionary energy and it lost all hints of weakness for just a few seconds. Bruiser went flying as Rhydon casually smashed its clawed fist into the fighting-type's chest, although he landed nimbly on one knee.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked calmly as Bruiser slowly pulled himself up and brushed his chest off. Bruiser turned and nodded quickly. He could see that there was a bit of dark red blood leaking from the area Rhydon had struck, although it didn't seem to have done any real damage. "Good. Keep it up, buddy."

The Machoke pulled his face back in a grin and nodded once more. He cracked his knuckles and raised his palm. A small orb of light-blue energy formed above it and was held tightly in place by Bruiser's iron will. It spun and grew slightly larger before Bruiser hurled the Focus Blast at Rhydon's platform.

Ash couldn't see through the resulting explosion of dust and light, but he could hear the results. The platform shuddered as several tons of stone fell out of the air in huge chunks and groaned when its master landed heavily behind its levitated stone.

Bruiser hummed what seemed to be some sort of peaceful tune as he leapt into the fray, excitement gleaming in his beady eyes. The thick, billowing dust obscured the action, but he heard several pained roars from Rhydon before Bruiser was hurled back out of Rhydon's domain.

He was hurt this time. Bruiser's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, exhausted by the combat. Ash supposed that he was putting everything he had into his battle against Rhydon. Although Machoke had incredible strength and stamina, it was used up quickly if they put all of their power into their blows. Even with their restraining belts on, that much strength was dangerous to use. Flesh and bone weren't meant to use that much energy in a sustained manner.

In this battle, however, that kind of risk was required. Rhydon's armor was likely to thick for anything less. Even a focused, enormously powerful punch wouldn't be enough to shatter it and do real damage to the behemoth. There could be no restraint.

"You're doing good. Just a bit more!" Ash called out reassuringly. Bruiser flashed him a smile before he set himself and prepared for another charge into the battle.

That plan didn't work out.

Rhydon surprised both of them when it suddenly exploded out of the dust, its carapace cracked and dented under the enormous force of Bruiser's strikes. The behemoth's eyes were wild with fury as it charged straight toward Bruiser, who suddenly sprinted to meet it in one last attempt to win.

The inhumanly powerful creatures met with another clap of thunder. There was another huge dent in Rhydon's nigh impenetrable armor and the beast roared in agony, but it made sure Bruiser suffered far more.

Although Bruiser had more than enough raw strength to match Rhydon, he had neither the size nor weight of the ancient paragon of its species. As such, he wasn't nearly as anchored to the ground as it. Super strength didn't mean that he could stay in one place, just that he could hit extremely hard.

Because of that, while the meeting hurt Rhydon and slowed it down even more, Bruiser was absolutely devastated. He was hurled back and landed with a heavy thud near Ash. Bruiser struggled, but could only pull himself up to a sitting position. A small orb of blue energy formed in his hand, his last stand. It almost sputtered out thanks to the heavy injuries he had sustained, but he was able to hurl it into the massive target Rhydon provided before he fell unconscious.

"Thank you, Bruiser." He said softly as he recalled his friend. Ash glanced at the Rhydon, who roared and reset the whole platform with a few quick motions of its arm. It slowly limped back over to its ordinary position, too weakened to use its incredibly powerful stone wave to move around.

Ash glanced at the last pokemon he would use. Oz and Sneasel were capable of battling, but it would be pointless to send them out against Rhydon. Sneasel was still too weak to go against a foe this powerful and Oz's electrical attacks would do little to no damage against its stony hide. Plume was just out of the question. It was too easy for Rhydon to deal her a crippling injury, which simply wouldn't work before the Conference. Besides, she was his ride home.

So it fell to Torrent. If Torrent somehow failed he would admit defeat and leave. Plume would be able to get him out of here in no time at all. She was quick and agile enough to easily avoid whatever attacks Rhydon sent at them.

Rhydon crushed its massive claws together, a motion which sent tremors racing through the hard, yielding stone. Ash felt his bones shake in their cocoon of flesh and his teeth rattle inside of his head.

"Well, buddy, you're up." He muttered as he released Torrent. The monarch reared his head back resplendently as he regarded Rhydon. Recognition flashed through his bright scarlet eyes, which narrowed in distaste as he remembered his wounded pride. Torrent couldn't forgive anything that made him look so weak. "Torrent, it's almost finished. Stun it with Dragon Pulse and take it out."

Torrent's fins flared menacingly as he stared at Rhydon. The rock-type just managed to roar out a challenge when three Dragon Pulses, each compact and intense, shot at it in rapid succession and knocked the behemoth onto its back. Rhydon caught itself with a few blocks of stone, but the diversion bought Torrent time.

Perhaps Rhydon would have been able to handily defeat Torrent at the beginning of the fight, Ash mused. Its armor would have taken several sustained Hydro Pumps to pierce, which simply wouldn't work when Rhydon would have been able to bend stone to its own desire.

Now it had no hope. Torrent was just too fast, too fresh. Rhydon had been worn down over the course of the previous fights and suffered rather debilitating injuries. Its wounded form struggled to stand against the relentless onslaught of high-pressure blasts of water that were more than capable of carving through steel.

It didn't help the ancient creature that Torrent was angry. He had calmed greatly from when he was a tiny Horsea or surly Seadra, but the old fire still smoldered in his spirit. His great pride was the quickest way to rouse the embers and their previous meeting with Rhydon had brought him low.

Torrent had decided to finally pay that insult back. He was merciless. Rhydon had several holes drilled into its hide at this point, but Torrent didn't slow. He wouldn't until Ash called him off or Rhydon fell to him.

Rhydon growled in a disturbingly accurate mimicry of a rock slide as it finally pulled itself together and made one last charge. No waves of stone carried it to Torrent. No barriers absorbed the jets of water. Its body was broken and exhausted, but rage and adrenaline carried it through.

Ash crossed his arms and watched silently as Rhydon absorbed several more Hydro Pumps. It roared in pain but refused to go down. Torrent levitated resolutely in the air as Rhydon drew nearer and nearer. He wouldn't back away, not even to save himself from what would undoubtedly be quite a bit of pain.

A bead of sweat began to work its way down his brow as Rhydon made it halfway across the platform. Even if Torrent knocked it out the momentum would probably carry it into Torrent. Ash doubted that a fall would do much to Rhydon, but he'd prefer not to put the First's legendary partner in that kind of risk.

"Ice Beam its legs." Ash directed. "Keep freezing it until its down."

Torrent rumbled his assent and shot off four precise Ice Beams, two for each leg. The jagged arcs of frost slammed into the giant's powerful legs with perfect precision, just as Ash expected from Torrent. Rhydon stumbled and collapsed painfully onto the platform as it lurched forward unexpectedly.

Ash winced in sympathy as the stone cracked around Rhydon. It fell hard and didn't get up. He dipped his head in respect to the giant. The ancient Rhydon had proved to be far more powerful than even he had expected. It was more than a worthy opponent.

"Stop!" He had to call out sharply to Torrent. His friend had prepared to fire one last Hydro Pump into the rock-type's back. It was easy to see from how his powerful chest had puffed up and his snout had focused sharply. "It's down. Leave it, you paid it back."

Some of the fire in Torrent's eyes dimmed and he bowed his head to Ash in deference. Ash smiled and walked over to his friend, who continued to glare at Rhydon's fallen form.

"You did great!" He laughed as he lightly patted Torrent's smooth, interlocked scales. The dragon-type rumbled happily at the praise and leaned into Ash's touch. "I knew you could do it."

Ash removed his hand from Torrent's side and cautiously approached Rhydon. Its hulking form rose and fell steadily. At least it wasn't badly wounded, just unconscious.

He was a bit leery about getting close to something this powerful, but Ash needed to make sure Rhydon was okay. It had given him one of the best fights he'd had in a long time and deserved far more than to be left on the rocks.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked steadily as he crouched by Rhydon, just out of range of any physical blows. He trusted that it wouldn't be able to manipulate stone at the moment. If it did Torrent would just freeze it.

Rhydon's claws twitched. Ash tensed up, but relaxed when the behemoth raised its head. He dimly noted that it was the size of half his body. Rhydon snorted softly and struggled to pull itself up.

When it failed, Ash slowly reached into his bag and pulled out several potions. Rhydon would need them. "I can help you, if you want. These will heal you."

The rock-type begrudgingly nodded, although its heavy eyelids sagged slightly with fatigue. Ash could feel Torrent's scarlet eyes watching Rhydon carefully. If it tried anything it would know the wrath of a Kingdra – something no Rhydon would ever desire, even if it was of prodigious size and power.

It only took a few minutes to patch Rhydon up. Rhydon's injuries were extensive, but not so bad that potions wouldn't help.

Not that potions really healed anything to begin with. Potions were an anesthetic and a clotting agent, for the most part. They sealed wounds and released transmitters that caused a brief adrenaline surge that would get the subject moving again. Although they had a few Ditto cells to increase the rate of healing, they mostly served as a safeguard against infection and blood loss. Actual medical attention would be needed if the injuries were serious.

Rhydon would be fine, however. Its hide protected it from the worst of the damage. The holes Ash's friends had punched in it would require time to heal. What Rhydon had really needed was a brief surge of energy to let it get up.

"You're good to go." Ash told the behemoth once he had sprayed most of its wounds. The creature snorted and lumbered to its feet. Its weight made the platform around it vibrate a bit, but Ash managed to stay on his feet.

The ancient creature nodded to Ash with grudging respect before it snorted and waved its arm. Ash couldn't help but flinch as a perfectly round hole opened in the platform and Rhydon dropped down hundreds of feet. He looked down and saw it riding down waves of stone that jutted in perfect synchronization with its falls. A few moments later it vanished.

Torrent loomed behind him and watched with annoyed eyes. Ash could tell that his friend would like nothing more than to fire one last parting shot at the Rhydon. He just rolled his eyes when he saw the mad intensity behind the Kingdra's gaze.

He still had trouble believing the events of the last hour. Not only had he found the burial ground of the First, he had battled with the Rhydon that had been immortalized throughout the Indigo League.

Ash stared off at the place he had last seen Rhydon before it escaped back into the sacred grove it had likely created. Rhydon was so much more than just a powerful pokemon. It was beyond Champion level. He thought that it, along with the Moon Stone's guardian Clefable and the two Nidos that served it, were the closest that any ordinary pokemon could come to becoming Legends themselves.

They were something more than pokemon. Clefable had commanded Metronome with ease thought impossible. The Patriarch and Matriarch had reached massive sizes and had the power to match. Rhydon had seemingly become one with the stone. It bowed to Rhydon's will as though it were just an extension of its body.

And he had fought that creature and won. It was not without blood and sweat and pain, but they had won.

A slow grin stretched across his face. They had won.

"Thank you, Torrent. Do you mind if I recall you? We need to get out of here."

Torrent shook his head and kept himself straight in the air as he was engulfed in a field of scarlet energy and sucked back into the pokeball. Ash clipped it back onto his belt and released Plume. She screamed her arrival to the heavens and stared happily at Ash.

"Hey, Plume. We beat it." Ash said tiredly, but not unhappily. He stared off at the high noon sun. It washed over the vast, untamed wilds of Fuchsia like a fiery blanket that no human weaver could ever begin to match. The trainer stroked Plume's crest lightly as his mind raced about what to do next.

There were many things to do before the Conference. He needed to return to Fuchsia to speak with Janine and Koga. He needed to train and make sure he was the best he could be.

But he also needed to speak to his mother. Ash hadn't called her, despite his assurances to Professor Oak nearly two weeks ago. Mewtwo's gleeful words haunted him, no matter what he did to distract himself.

Could Mewtwo have spoken the truth? It could see memories that he would never recall and had no reason to lie. A cruel truth was far more painful than the worst lie. Mewtwo would have preferred tormenting him with a truth. Ash couldn't see it lying, not when it had no reason to. There was little need to lie when one held all the power in the world.

He put it out of his thoughts. Ash would speak with his mother soon enough.

"Let's go, Plume." Ash said softly as he patted the side of her head. She cooed and nuzzled his shoulder for a brief moment before she lowered herself to let him climb on. "We need to get to Fuchsia. There's no rush."

Ash just held on tightly as Plume shot into the high sky. He didn't spare a glance at the expanse of green beneath him. His mind was too busy all of a sudden.

He tried to stop himself from thinking about it. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

The future was when the question could be answered.

Who was his father?

Well, there's that. I hope everyone enjoyed it! Sorry for the wait. This was supposed to be out on Tuesday, but I had to leave a day early for my vacation. I didn't have any access to a computer, so I just had to wait it out.

Anyways, hopefully everyone enjoyed it. Don't forget to review!