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.

40. Chapter 40: The Recovery

Hey guys sorry for the wait! Between my biochemistry lab I'm working in, three advanced science courses, and undertaking a lot of jobs in organizations I'm a part of I haven't had the time to work on this as I'd like. But I've managed to work some extra time in lately so I could get this out. I'd have liked to get it out Friday to celebrate the release of Sun and Moon but unfortunately I got a pretty bad respiratory infection.

Also, I just have to say thank you so much for pushing Traveler past 4000 reviews! I can't believe how far it's come.

Hope you enjoy!

"Please remove your shirt and lay down on your stomach."

Ash heeded the doctor's professional voice quickly. It wasn't the sort of tone that brooked argument. His muscles screamed at him with the slightest twitch – his back especially burned with a deep, throbbing ache that radiated out through the rest of his body. It was like dropping a white-hot pebble into a pond made of pain and torn muscle –

That analogy might have gotten a little away from him.

"Sit."

The doctor pulled on a pair of stretchy blue latex gloves as Ash laid himself face down on the plush cushion of the "bed" he'd been ordered to. He was slow and deliberate with his movements despite the daze he found himself in – he grimaced as he twisted his back a little too much.

That was getting annoying really fast.

Ash cast his ruined shirt aside – it would just be thrown away later anyways. The Ariados' attack had pierced most of the way through his armor and left it a ruined wreck of sharp plastic shards and tightly woven cloth. Steven hadn't let him see the exact spot where it had hit but the man's face was paler than usual.

He couldn't really make out whatever the doctor was feeling. The tall, thin man with the pale skin of a mainlander didn't seem particularly expressive at the best of times. Dr. Alexander had been fairly brusque so far – curt and to the point.

It was probably the best experience Ash had had with a medical professional.

Plus it probably helped that he hadn't been jabbed with a needle yet, although after Claydol stabbed him with a full-blown Antidote he doubted any others would faze him.

The doctor hummed a little as he presumably examined Ash's injured back. It still burned, though Ash could force the pain down. Without the adrenaline pumping through his veins it was much, much harder but at least he had new aches to worry about. The scabbing cuts on his face where his helmet's visor had sliced him had finally managed to make themselves known.

He just buried his head in his hands and relaxed. Ash wished he could have had some of his friends here with him. Unfortunately the doctor's Alakazam was having to attend to them in the next room. Apparently they would be "too stressed" if they were in the same room as him.

Ash grudgingly admitted the doctor probably had a point there.

He hissed as one of the latex-covered fingers prodded the main wound in his back – a growl rose up from deep within his chest, though the guttural noise trailed off once the offending digit vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

That was incredible reaction time, like the doctor had known what he'd done wrong before it even happened.

"You're very lucky, Mr. Ketchum," his thoughts were cut off by Alexander's words. Ash thought the man sounded very tired. "The Ariados' horn entered your back mere inches from your spine. It was fortunate your armor deflected the attack. If it hadn't you'd be looking at a minimum of a month recovering before the Ditto cells could properly heal the damage."

Alexander gave him just a moment to process the sentence. "As is I believe you'll be fine once I apply modified potion and you have time to rest."

He stiffened unwillingly. Ash hadn't even thought about the alternative – Ariados could have easily paralyzed him. Maybe that wasn't quite as grievous as before Ditto had popped up and revolutionized medical science but it definitely wasn't his cup of tea.

Ash was positive he'd go mad cooped up in a bed for that long.

"How long before I'm back?" He cut to the chase. His voice was a little muffled from behind his arms. Ash kept his eyes shut – there was something relaxing about the darkness. The doctor's room was too bright, though not as bad as the sun had been when Steven walked him in.

There was a long moment before the doctor confidently stated, "Your back should take roughly a week to recover. More if you exert yourself – don't exercise for two weeks or so. These injuries are putting your body under a lot of stress and you don't need to add to it."

Ash grimaced. That probably meant Steven wouldn't be allowing them to travel again for a while. His mentor had been absolutely suffocating ever since he'd gotten back to the scene of the battle. Somehow Ash doubted he'd be getting to do anything especially exciting for the near future…well, not under Steven's watch at least.

On the bright side there wouldn't be physical training! It was almost worth the crippling injuries.

"Mr. Stone also asked us to examine you for signs of a concussion. Based on your behavior and thought processes I agree with his request. You show many of the standard symptoms."

He frowned. Ash didn't think it was too big of a deal. Aside from the hole in his back, all the cuts littering his face, arms, and hands, and the disconcerting feeling that he'd been hit by a hammer the size of Nidoking he was fine.

It was nothing he hadn't faced before.

After all he hadn't even died this time, Ash thought as a morbid smirk slipped over his face.

Then something Dr. Alexander mentioned slipped back into the forefront of his mind – "What was that about my thought processes?"

"I'm a psychic, Mr. Ketchum," the doctor said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I don't have much of a choice in the matter. Your thoughts are scrambled. Based on my previous experiences you have a concussion. I'll discuss that with you later. I'm not certain of its severity at this time."

"Huh," Ash muttered eloquently after a few moments. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He was really tired. "You aren't like a bunch of the other psychics I've met."

Dr. Alexander didn't say anything for a while as he continued examining Ash's back. He felt a warm, soothing heat wash over him. A brilliant purple light suffused the entire examination room, bright enough that it was obvious even behind Ash's closed eyelids. Ash felt himself relax – it was like being under the soft heat of the morning sun when he woke up surrounded by his team.

"I'm putting you under for a few moments while I apply the Potion," Dr. Alexander's voice sounded like it was drifting to Ash through a thick fog. He mumbled something incoherent as something he thought might be a nozzle clicked. Something sprayed onto his back – it burned for a moment before fading away into the pleasant haze he found himself lost in.

There was a cold, sharp jab in his shoulder but somehow Ash couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by it.

He wasn't sure how long he spent under the gentle, lulling power of the doctor's abilities before the world cut back into focus. Ash started at the sensation, like he'd just fallen back into his body from a great height.

As he sat up he decided this really wasn't his favorite feeling in the world. The burning of the potion as it sunk deeply into his flesh and blood was more apparent now, though hardly as painful as the initial application. Even his muscles felt a little better already.

"Sit still – I need to wrap your back."

Ash did as directed and awkwardly looked around the League clinic Steven had taken him to. He idly wondered where the former Champion was – Steven hadn't been injured in any way despite the fierce battle he'd presumably been engaged in. Then again he wasn't liable to just up and leave Ash and his team if his presence wasn't demanded elsewhere.

"So why're you a doctor?" Ash blurted out – he grimaced to himself at how childish it sounded. He rubbed his temples and wished this stupid headache would go away. He didn't like this. Everything was out-of-focus, almost like he was watching himself from outside his body.

Dr. Alexander paused briefly in wrapping Ash's scarred torso – he dimly realized he needed to never, ever let his mother see how much damage he'd taken over the course of his journey – and seemed focused on the small round patch of shiny pink tissue Mew had left him as a souvenir. He didn't immediately frown, at least, so Ash doubted that he'd gone too far. Alexander seemed more amused than anything.

The brown-haired man (his age was hard to read, although Ash thought Alexander was at least in his thirties) raised a hand and Ash could practically feel the energy radiating from him as his palm burned a vibrant purple, winding the bandages around Ash in an instant. Dr. Alexander eyes lacked the overwhelmingly glow that came from Sabrina or Will – only the vivid shine searing within his pupils displayed the power coursing through his every cell.

"I like helping people."

Ash nodded slowly, not really sure what he expected. Dr. Alexander remained quiet and the power he channeled quickly dispersed as the job was wrapped up. The boy absentmindedly moved to rub at his bandages – they were tight, though not suffocatingly so.

A flare of psychic power and stern glance from the doctor cut that short. Ash just frowned. Normally he wouldn't be so irritated but the headache pounded behind his eyes and he felt itchy – he needed to move.

"You'll be out of here soon enough, Mr. Ketchum," Dr. Alexander's said, obviously amused at his impatience. Ash just watched the psychic doctor with a raised eyebrow, though he frowned as the bright light emanating from the man's palm left him squinting. It was brighter than it should've been. "I'm just filling out some paperwork. It shouldn't be long before Alakazam –"

The door slammed open. Ash's eyes narrowed into slits as he whirled around but barely held back a stunned gasp as his torso screamed in protest. His bandages certainly weren't helping matters. He couldn't help the narrowed hunch of his shoulders, though he did calm a bit once he realized it was just Steven.

Ash blinked.

His mentor looked harried, his usual air of cultivated patience and utter calm gnawed at by the events of the day. Steven Stone's hair was usually fairly messy but in a controlled way – now it was all over the place and the man's long fingers fidgeted incessantly, like he was trying to reach for something that wasn't even there.

Steven's shoulders slumped a bit after he saw Ash and some of the lines in his face smoothed out. A light smile graced Ash, though it was a far cry from Steven's normal confidence. Ash couldn't help but let his eyes flick down to Steven's perfectly unruffled suit, the only part of his appearance that didn't show the whirlwind of paperwork and reports Steven had probably just escaped from.

Ash's eyes opened slightly, the fog billowing throughout his mind shaved away for a few split seconds. He couldn't help but remember the strange piece of jewelry hidden away in the folds of Steven's suit…that tiny stone had upended everything he'd known about evolution.

No pokemon could evolve more than twice. It was simple fact, some little quirk of evolution (not the "semi-instantaneous metamorphosis" his mother loved going on about in her letters to him) that had been kept throughout the ages. There were some oddities, like some pokemon having multiple evolutionary pathways depending on what stimuli they received, but it was a simple fact that the third stage of their line was the last.

Metagross and Steven had apparently decided that those rules were more of suggestions than a guideline. Even now Ash didn't even know where to start on analyzing that – aside from thinking making his headache worse it just seemed like he had no information to go off of.

The stones Steven and Metagross possessed were obviously involved somehow, possibly like ordinary evolutionary stones? They certainly hadn't resembled the more common stones but that wasn't enough for Ash to consider discarding that relationship. And it looked like Steven had been the one to activate the evolution.

A link there, perhaps?

Would Metagross be in that form forever? Ash held back a grimace at that thought. He didn't want to have to fight the improved version of Metagross – that just wasn't even fair. Maybe if he could get his own team to involve again…though even then that would be more of a case of evening the scales than actually throwing things in his favor.

Fighting Metagross evolved to an even more powerful form would be just as bad as fighting the First's Rhydon if it had evolved into a Rhypherior during their battle, Ash decided. The First's Rhydon had been absolutely terrifying to face (even if Ash had been more excited than anything), possessing strange powers over rock and earth that Ash hadn't even imagined before.

He idly wondered if he could incorporate that into Nidoking's style somehow…

It was frustrating. That was all he could really decide on. Steven wouldn't be sweeping this whole situation under the rug – that was a certainty. Ash would take a page out of Gary's book and outright ignore his mentor until he got his answers.

"Ash!" Steven sounded concerned. He blinked and took a few seconds to focus on Steven, who was standing just a little in front of him with a thin frown. His arms were crossed and he really did look exhausted.

"What is it?" He cocked his head to the side, wincing as some of the gashes on his face stretched open. Dr. Alexander audibly grunted at that and Ash felt a little guilty – was the doctor feeling everything he did?

Ash wouldn't envy him for that.

The former Champion looked down at him, obviously not sure of what to make of Ash's complete and utter lack of real concern. "How are you feeling? Have you been – "

Dr. Alexander stepped forward and blocked Steven from Ash's view. The boy just watched through half-closed eyes. He couldn't pick out any sort of glow from the psychic doctor but somehow he could feel the energy that tingled his skin as it emanated from the slight man – it was a warning.

"Mr. Stone, please remove yourself from the room until I've concluded my examination of Mr. Ketchum."

Steven actually scowled. His whole posture screamed of defiance. Somehow Ash got the feeling that Steven wasn't used to being reprimanded. Not in a way beyond the subtle mocking and jabs Lance always sent his way, at least.

Alexander clearly didn't care.

"I'm his teacher!" Steven protested. One of his hands was curled into a tight fist while the other absentmindedly brushed one of the pokeballs on his waist. Not quite a threat but a clear sign of his agitation. "It's my responsibility –"

The doctor cut him off without any sort of hesitation. "Mr. Stone, if I recall it's your 'responsibility' – or lack thereof, I might add – that got Mr. Ketchum into this mess. You might be a former Champion but you are not in charge here. This is my clinic and you will remove yourself before I am forced to press the issue and have Alakazam expel you."

Ash blinked at Alexander's bluntness. He thought that was a bit harsh. From the waxy look of Steven's face it looked like the former Champion agreed.

"Very well," Steven's lip curled up nastily, though he didn't push the doctor's orders. He looked a little shaken. The Steel Master stepped to the side and looked past Alexander to Ash – looking at him head-on like this made him think that Steven himself might need to see a doctor. He'd seen better days. "Ash, I'll be waiting outside. When you're done just find me and I'll have us taken to my apartment, alright?"

He nodded back. Steven sent a strained smile his way before dipping his head and turning to leave.

"Now where were we?" Dr. Alexander asked, utterly nonplussed by Steven's interruption. He acted like this was a regular occurrence for him…though for all Ash knew it was. "Hmm, give me a moment and I'll have the preparations for more thorough examinations made."

Dr. Alexander's eyes shone a brilliant purple for just a few moments.. Veins in his forehead bulged grotesquely under the strain of his telepathy and even his breathing became harsh and labored – by the time the glow faded and he slackened a bit with the sudden disappearance of the pressure a slight sheen of sweat misted his face.

Ash frowned. Sabrina had never shown that sort of difficulty.

The doctor chuckled at that and shook his head, though he didn't bother saying anything. Ash frowned – he always did have trouble remembering that his thoughts were essentially broadcasted to any psychics around. It wasn't a big deal to him like it was to some trainers.

"Do you not like Steven?" Ash spoke up suddenly after a few moments of comfortable silence. He frowned inwardly at his bluntness then shoved the niggling feeling away. It wasn't like it mattered – Dr. Alexander knew what he was thinking regardless. Unlike most psychics, however, the doctor didn't just have one-sided conversations with Ash.

He could appreciate that, he supposed.

Dr. Alexander ignored the abrupt query and continued about his work as he checked off a few things on a clipboard. "Not particularly so. He was a skilled Champion and both Alakazam and I are impressed with his ability to work so well with psychics. I feel that he's been reckless and irresponsible as of late, however. It's unbecoming of someone so trusted by the League."

Ash lifted an eyebrow and idly toyed with his hat, which the doctor had made him remove pretty much the moment he was dropped off. "Reckless doesn't sound like Steven."

"Did he or did he not bring an untrained child into an active combat zone?" Dr. Alexander retorted, though not unkindly. Ash frowned. "It was a rash decision even if he assessed it to be less dangerous than it truly was. He put your life in danger – perhaps if you had seen yourself when you first arrived you'd understand. It's been years since I've had to treat a child with those sorts of injuries."

"I can handle myself," Ash scowled. "I've been through a lot worse than that. This is nothing."

Dr. Alexander rolled his eyes as he set the clipboard down next to a small terminal and sat down in a comfortable looking rolling chair. "I'm afraid you have a skewed perspective of 'nothing', Mr. Ketchum." Ash didn't miss the doctor stare pointedly at the perfectly round scar on his chest, "You're certainly capable and mature for your age but you aren't experienced enough for live combat yet. The League puts its agents through months of specialized training before they're put into these sorts of situations."

Ash stewed on this for a few minutes once he realized that Dr. Alexander had nothing left to say. He didn't agree. Sure he'd been surprised, but he'd ended up fine. He was still alive and, more importantly, his team had made it pretty much unscathed.

Compared to facing down the might of a Legend this was a joke.

Rockets were nothing in comparison. Even the Pokemon Hunter was just a blip on the map compared to Mewtwo or the Birds. The only difference to him was that the Rockets had actually tried to fight him – and his friends had won.

He'd been through too much to be treated as just another kid even if Ash had to admit that the battle had been slightly overwhelming at first. But that was fine – Steven had gotten him through it almost entirely okay. At least Ash had learned something and managed to do some good in the world.

Next time he'd really be ready. Maybe it wouldn't go perfectly but at the very least he could save even more of the Rocket pokemon from their fates. The Rockets wouldn't last against him.

"The examinations are prepared," Dr. Alexander spoke up. He looked at Ash with something indecipherable hidden behind his reserved mask, though he didn't give voice to his thoughts. That was just fine with Ash. "Come with me, Mr. Ketchum. I'll get you out of here quickly."

Ash nodded and pushed himself up with just the barest hint of a wince. Not that he could complain. He could already feel the scrapes and superficial damage healing – no, regenerating – until there wouldn't even be scar tissue left. In a week he'd be good as new.

And all he had to pay for that was the gnawing bite of hunger in his gut as his body's metabolism skyrocketed to supply the energy consumed by the Potion. Not a bad trade, all things considered.

He shook his head and stepped into the sterile white hallway of Dr. Alexander's clinic. Ash wobbled slightly, his legs unsteady and his vision uncomfortably blurred still. Everything was so bright…

No, he needed to stop that and focus. He needed to get through this so that he could return to his team and Steven.

He was ready, he decided. Now all he had to do was rush through these exams.

XX

Ash stared dully into the mirror as he finished drying his hair with one of Steven's impossibly soft, fluffy grey towels. He idly wondered how much money the former Champion spent on them before he realized that was something he was probably better off not knowing. Steven was very much a fan of the finer things in life.

He examined his face. It was fairly red from how vigorously he'd scrubbed. Ash could still remember Claydol matter-of-factly mentioning how he still had Ariados on him…he reflexively wiped behind his ears again with the damp towel.

No matter what he did he still felt dirty.

The dirt and grime and blood had all been wiped off by the time he'd been taken to the hospital so that doctors could examine his injuries. Most of it, anyway. Ash still had the niggling feeling that there was still dried blood or ichor or something hidden away on him.

It was maddening.

Ash wasn't anything close to a neat freak. He didn't want to be absolutely disgusting but he wouldn't worry himself over a bit of dirt and sweat. It was a fact of life on the road. The closest thing to a bath he could get was washing for a few minutes in a cold river or pond. Normally he just had Torrent hose him off – his friend had a particular knack for getting particularly obstinate smudges and clumps of dirt off.

Not that that was particularly impressive considering Torrent's jets of water could bore through rock without much particular effort.

His eyes squeezed shut. Even with Dazed and Alexander lulling him into a hazy euphoria he still felt exhausted. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to sleep thanks to his concussion – Dr. Alexander had ended up confirming that, unfortunately.

It wasn't especially bad but the doctor wanted him to stay up until the normal time he fell asleep.

Too bad that happened to be in just a few hours now. He really was on a weird schedule thanks to Steven's rigorous training. He'd have to adjust to a new one – Steven hadn't said much to him since they'd left the clinic but Ash got the feeling it would be a while before they went back to the training grounds.

Ash froze as a foreign presence brushed his mind, though he relaxed when there was no violent surge of icy fire or a mocking laugh to chill his bones. It was relaxing, like a gentle sea breeze wrapping around his very essence.

His head pounded at the contact, though, and he couldn't help but grimace underneath the sudden pressure.

Trainee Ketchum, your presence is required in the living room.

He allowed his eyes to open to slits as he numbly nodded. Juliet, the Gardevoir assigned to Steven, quickly cut the mental connection. At least one of the psychics poking around in his head was considerate. Even if he wasn't that much of a stickler for privacy he could appreciate what Juliet and Alexander were trying to do.

Ash raised an eyebrow when he didn't even feel the ghost of a hand clenching around his heart from the indirect jab at Mewtwo. That was a surprise. Progress came in many forms, he supposed.

That wasn't really important, Ash told himself. He needed to stop getting so distracted. It sounded like this was actually important…a report, maybe? Steven hadn't really gotten around to showing him how to do one of those yet. They'd definitely need his testimony of the events, if only to make sure most of the Rockets were accounted for.

Or maybe he was totally wrong. Ash's lips pulled up into a snarl – he hated feeling like this. It was like he couldn't even trust his own mind. Everything was muddled and blurry and would this stupid pounding just stop?

Peace, Friend-Trainer.

Ash exhaled deeply and sent a wave of gratitude towards Dazed's soothing words. He ignored the intensified throbbing in his head for now. It was more than worth the pain if he could hear her. It was just a headache, after all.

He fumbled with the towel a bit to fold it right before he left it on the perfectly smooth, seemingly unshaped granite of the countertop. Ash had to admit it fit Steven's apartment perfectly – everything in this bathroom, including the shower and the separate tub (wasn't that hard to wrap his head around) was shaped from harsh, craggy stone with flat planes and smooth curves of absolutely flawless marble.

Somehow it didn't come as a surprise.

Ash quickly pulled on an impossibly soft grey shirt and similarly comfortable black pants. He wrinkled his nose at the musty smell they carried, though he couldn't really complain. Steven hadn't gotten his pack and belongings from their old camps yet so for now he needed to make do with some of Steven's old clothes.

Once he was dressed he glanced one last time at the perfectly polished mirror. Ash grimaced at what he saw. His face was covered in scrapes and small gashes that had only just begun to heal thanks to a tiny dose of modified potion injected into his shoulder to clear things up. He absentmindedly rubbed the throbbing spot.

They'd definitely scar. Though none of the gashes from his splintered helmet were especially long they'd been plenty deep. It wasn't as bad as the long stretch of pale, ropy scar tissue from Articuno's Blizzard but he wouldn't be forgetting this battle anytime soon.

He was fine with that. Ash didn't want to forget this. Seeing what had happened to the Rockets' pokemon, to the Pokemon Hunter's army of slaves…that would push him on no matter what. He'd fight as long as he needed to if it meant that he wouldn't have to face such utterly broken beings again.

Ash sighed. He had to focus. No more distractions.

With hands still shaking from exhaustion – one downside of the potions pulsing through his bloodstream – he opened the carved marble handle of the bathroom door and swung it out, frowning when it hit something with a heavy thud. All he heard was a light chuff and the shifting of a huge mass.

"Nidoking?" He frowned. His friend peered up at him from his spot right outside the bathroom, shifting just enough to let Ash pass. Nidoking quickly rose and dipped his head, not meeting Ash's eyes. "Relax, buddy. Here, come along with me. Steven needs me for something."

Ash eyed his friend worriedly as Nidoking mechanically shifted and followed Ash as he stepped out into the guest room Steven had sent him to. Nidoking seemed keen on staying as close to Ash as he could – every time he looked back Nidoking's massive face was just a few inches away, though Nidoking would quickly back off once he realized that he'd been caught.

It looked like he'd need to talk to his friend sooner than expected. Nidoking obviously hadn't handled things very well. Ash frowned at that. Normally Nidoking was fairly stoic and reserved, always careful to keep his composure in order to maintain his status as a leader. For him to so obviously shed that veneer meant that he was even more rattled than Ash had thought.

His gut twisted nervously. Ash couldn't help but brush one of his hands over Nidoking's leathery head before he opened the door that'd take him into the living room. He breathed deeply, forcing back the dizziness that had decided to tag along with his concussion, and scratched Nidoking's ears gently before he stepped forward.

"Ash," said the former Champion. Steven nodded to him tersely – the man seemed even more reserved than usual in the wake of the battle. Somehow Ash didn't think that Dr. Alexander's dressing down helped matters. The Steel Master was still pale and more ruffled than he'd ever seen him.

"Steven," Ash smiled lightly back. Steven's shoulders lost some of their tension and the man turned to introduce Ash to the other occupant of the room that he'd barely even noticed.

"I'd like you to meet Sidney of the Ever Grande Elite Four," Steven motioned to the tall, lanky man beside him. Ash's attention quickly sharpened and the piercing headache was just an afterthought as he took in the Dark Master that stood before him.

He'd read this man's file.

"Savage" Sidney, a Dark Master well-known for focusing almost entirely on offense. In the Conference where he'd been accepted as an Elite Four member he'd utterly devastated almost everyone he'd faced down with his team's overwhelmingly powerful attacks, dirty tactics, and strange abilities.

Sidney might not have had the opportunities to show off his skill in the Rocket War like the members of the Indigo Elite Four but Ash had no doubt that this man would crush him in a battle. He possessed at least a decade of experience on Ash and had benefited from the League's brutal training for several years now.

Ash found himself staring for a little longer than was polite. Despite his reputation Sidney wasn't all that impressive physically.

He wasn't a tall, muscle-bound knight in shining armor like Lance or standing with the cool, smooth grace of Karen. No, Sidney was lanky and awkward with a mostly bald head, sharp red eyebrows, and a crooked grin.

Despite feeling a little awkward there just staring Sidney down he couldn't help it. There was something strange…

"Hey there, nice to meetcha!" Sidney dashed forward and shook Ash's hand before he could even react, ignoring Nidoking's low growl at the sudden movement. Ash twitched at the man's roughness but somehow knew that Sidney didn't mean anything by it. Instead he just shook it back and sent the grinning Master a strained smile of his own. "So you're the kid who knocked all those heads! Good goin' there, sport. You sure showed them!"

"Yeah," Ash grunted as politely as he could. Just because he didn't want to forget the battle didn't mean he wanted to discuss it. Sidney completely ignored his unease and stepped past to look at the hulking Nidoking behind Ash.

"Well aren't you a big brute? You must be the one who wrecked the whole forest," Sidney chuckled and slapped Nidoking's shoulder like they were old friends. Nidoking's nostrils flared, his eyes went black, and the very room shook with the force of his primal growl.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief and he only had a moment to gape at the sheer stupidity of the Dark Master before Nidoking snarled and lunged with a lowered horn, though Sidney just stood there with a cocky grin and his fists held loosely at his side.

"Are you insane?" The younger trainer snarled furiously as he surged forward and tried to shove the Dark Master out of the way of Nidoking's sudden attack, trusting his friend wouldn't harm him.

He dearly hoped Nidoking would realize what had happened – he wasn't sure his first friend would ever forgive himself otherwise.

Ash touched nothing but air.

"Huh?" Ash looked dumbly at his hands as he stumbled through Sidney. He turned to the smirking man and was barely cognizant of Nidoking's pointed horn that had swerved to the side almost as soon as Ash had moved. "What?"

Sidney winked at him even as his shape melted into nothingness. All Ash could compare it to was a fresh painting with water thrown on it – it took mere seconds for the man to dissolve into a slick puddle of oily goo at his and Nidoking's feet.

A strange hacking wheeze reached him, paired with a long-suffering sigh from Steven. He looked to his mentor in some vain hope of answers and only found irritation reflected, though he didn't think it was directed his way.

"Sorry, sorry," another Sidney cackled from the doorway where Ash knew he hadn't been before. A third copy of the man slipped out from the corner with the same crooked smirk. The lanky men wore identical masks as they watched him with dark eyes. "Couldn't resist, ya know? You shoulda seen the look on your face, pal! Classic, just classic."

Ash and Nidoking glared at both of them. He was pretty sure Steven wouldn't be too mad if he released Infernus and had him sear the twins to a crisp. It couldn't be that expensive to replace the carpet…not in comparison to getting to avoid these idiots, at least.

It was too bad Dazed wouldn't be of any use here considering who they were dealing with. Psychics and Masters of the Dark didn't play too well together. It would just be a waste of time asking for her help here. At least one of Sidney's teammates had to be involved here.

"That's enough, Sidney. Neither of us are in the mood for games today."

Ash looked gratefully to his teacher. He had the nasty feeling Lance would've let this go on for a bit longer.

"You're no fun," the second Sidney pouted, though instantly he dissolved into that greasy goop the first one had. The third reached to his face and tore it away with a sickening rip that revealed the deep red of healthy muscle and black fur –

What?

He only got a fang-filled grin before that Sidney collapsed in a limp, boneless heap. Moments later it simply vanished as though it had never existed in the first place.

A dark figure manifested itself from the ceiling and dripped down next to Steven like a black Grimer, though the shadows dripped away almost instantly. Ash eyed this newest Sidney warily, not trusting anything at this point.

This one folded his arms as he glanced over Ash and Nidoking. He just stared back, taking the "man's" measure. Ash honestly couldn't tell if this was another stupid trick or not.

"Ash, I'd like to formally introduce you to Sidney of the Ever Grande –"

"Nice to meet ya," Sidney interrupted. He stepped forward a little more cautiously than his first doppelganger had, though still a little too at ease with an irritated Nidoking for Ash's liking. "Sorry about all that," the Master apologized with a wry grin, "Zoroark just likes to have his fun, you know?"

Ash blinked. "Sure," he said, more than a little lost. Between his concussion, the events of the last day, and whatever on earth had just happened he was having trouble keeping up.

"If it helps I'll introduce you two for real," the older man chortled. He glanced over to the closest corner, where black strands of shadow wove themselves into a large, bipedal canine with a long red mane. Its claws dripped darkness into the floor and it took a moment for him to get over his surprise long enough to meet the strange creature's eyes. It winked and waved to him and Nidoking, who was only held in check by Ash's hand resting on his shoulder, before it melted away into nothingness.

"He's an obnoxious little jerk," Sidney said fondly and reached out to stroke Zoroark, who manifested next to him by seemingly climbing out of a bloody pool on the floor. Zoroark flashed a satisfied grin and leaned into the touch. "But he's a good friend once you get to know him. I bet he could teach that Sneasel of yours a few things, champ."

Ash frowned. On one hand Zoroark and Sidney were really annoying. They got under his skin in ways not many others could and he'd known them for less than a minute. Even Gary on his worst days couldn't claim to do that.

On the other hand Sidney was one of the most renowned Dark Masters in the world. Zoroark, for all of his irritating personality, quite obviously displayed his talent to the world. Ash had never seen a pokemon do what Zoroark could.

The Dark Master sniggered and waved Zoroark off. The mysterious creature vanished without any fanfare this time. "But that's for another time, yeah? Let's let the big boys talk," he trailed off thoughtfully and looked at Ash. "Then again big is a bit subjective. Let's just call it two and a half."

Ash was pretty sure he heard Zoroark's odd wheezing again. He got the strangest feeling that the creature thought Sidney'd dumb joke was absolutely hilarious.

He also realized that that meant Zoroark was somewhere in the room…presumably somewhere extremely close.

Zoroark could essentially turn itself invisible.

He needed that.

"If you're finished," interrupted Steven frostily, "we have serious matters to attend to. Sidney, are you ready?"

"Yeah, yeah. Chill out, boss man."

Steven turned to Ash. "We need your complete account. Normally we'd just ask you to submit to a psychic probe but…"

"But?" Ash cocked his head. He had the funniest idea of where this was going. His nails bit into his palm.

"— But you've got some weird stuff going on up there," Sidney tapped a long, skinny finger to his temple mockingly. Ash kept both eyes on the man, still not sure what to make of him. The Dark Master looked away and focused on a seemingly empty corner of Steven's brightly lit apartment before sending a wry grin to nothing in particular.

Zoroark was really, really annoying, Ash decided.

Steven rolled his eyes and picked up his own PokeNav from one of the polished stone tables. Ash took it in quickly – the device looked a bit newer than Ash's and was also a fair bit cleaner. The former Champion cleaned it so obsessively he could swear Steven had just unwrapped it.

"He's not entirely incorrect, although he could've phrased it much more diplomatically," Steven stressed the last word. Sidney just rolled his eyes and leisurely plopped onto a nearby couch, raising his feet up onto the polished granite table. His mentor's jaw twitched. "Juliet had difficulties testing you for psychic damage while you were unconscious. Something," he looked knowingly at Ash, "knocked her out."

Ash would say he was surprised but, well, that would be a lie. Mewtwo didn't play well with strangers. He was so tired he couldn't even harbor more than a slight bit of annoyance at Mewtwo for making him deal with all this.

He made a mental note to apologize to Juliet sometime. Mewtwo hadn't made a habit of being gentle thus far.

"Get on with it, will you?" Sidney complained, plucking at one of his sleeves. "I promised Absol I'd go running with her before sunset. She's been antsy since we left Ever Grande."

Steven hummed. "Absol have been migrating to the area for the last few weeks," he stroked his chin thoughtfully as he peered out of one of the carved windows into Rustboro's brilliant light. "Would you mind looking into that?"

"You aren't the Champion no more, Steve," Sidney scoffed. Steven frowned and the Dark Master's scowl melted into a lopsided grin. "But I'll see what I can do, pal. Seriously, though, can we hurry this up? I've got better things to do than listen to boy wonder here."

Ash snorted at that and fought a slight smile. For Sidney that had been almost entertaining. Still, he'd play the game for now. Best to get him out of here before his oversized Vulpix decided to spice things up a bit by teaching Sneasel a few tricks.

He grimaced as the sight of Sneasel cheerfully offering him Ariados' severed head dripping thick, gooey ichor flashed to the forefront of his mind…

"Fine," he shrugged the gruesome thoughts away. Ash folded his arms and relaxed onto Nidoking's massive side. He knew his friend well enough to avoid any of the venomous barbs. At the same time he felt a little uneasy as Nidoking almost seemed to lean away from the touch. That was new. "Where should I start?"

"The beginning, Where else would you start, Ashley?"

Ash didn't rise to the bait and just looked to Steven, who didn't offer more than a weary shrug as he glanced over at the Dark Master. That wasn't a good sign.

"Fine."

This was going to take a while.

XX

Sidney whistled and looked at Ash a little differently. "So you met good old Jacqueline Durand. I don't envy you that one, Nancy. I was wondering when she'd pop up again…"

"Who is she?" He demanded. Nidoking loomed up behind him as well, his ears twitching in a way Ash knew meant trouble. Ash could almost feel the barbs and spines on Nidoking's back raise. "She was weird but –"

Steven nipped that in the bud. He'd shifted closer to Ash (and farther from Sidney) over the course of the story and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "I'll forward you the files soon. For now just know that she's not someone to make friends with. She's dangerous."

Ash frowned at Steven's purposefully vague answer and leaned harder back into Nidoking, who chuffed lightly and made sure to keep Ash comfortable. He'd relaxed a little over the past ten minutes or so and Ash wasn't sure if words could describe how relieved he was.

Nidoking not wanting to be near him was just wrong.

"I understand."

"You're lucky you came back in one piece, champ," Sidney yawned as he stretched out on Steven's couch. His dirty boots had caked drying mud all over the polished table and Ash was pretty sure Steven was about to have an aneurysm. That twitch was starting to look pretty serious…"She has a body count higher than I do! Once we unfroze those Rockets you captured all but one of their heads –"

"That's enough, Sidney!" Steven cut in. Ash jerked as Steven practically snarled at Sidney. The frosty look sent the Dark Master's way wouldn't have looked out of place on Articuno. Ash found himself reminded that this was the man who had hunted the Rockets to extinction in Hoenn.

Steven stole a look at Ash after he'd a moment to breathe. Sidney discretely dropped his feet to the floor.

"Thank you for your account, Ash. Sidney and I have a few things to discuss in confidence."

Ash was smart enough to pick up on the unspoken command. He tried not to let his imagination get the best of him as he thought of what Sidney said about those Rockets. Instead he pulled up from Nidoking and took a moment to steady his shaking legs. Nidoking was quick to hold him up with one of his powerful arms.

He hadn't even realized Jacqueline had done something to the Rockets even as she'd had a relatively pleasant chat with him. Ash felt a little wary even without the hints Sidney had dropped. He wasn't exactly sad about the Rockets – not after what he'd seen of their pokemon – but it was wrong.

Who was Jacqueline Durand? She wasn't with the League. That much was obvious. That Steven wouldn't even let him hear what she'd done…

Ash shook his head as he hobbled away from the two Masters. He paused for just a moment to stare suspiciously at the table Sidney had rested his boots on. There had been so much mud there just a moment ago.

Steven's frown hurried him along. Ash couldn't hold back a spike of annoyance at how much his mentor was coddling him. He knew where Steven was coming from but he'd seen and heard so much worse already.

He needed information.

"I'll talk to you later, then," he called back to Steven as Nidoking helped him stumble back to his room. Ash winced at the sudden pang that shot through his head but ignored it. He graced Sidney with a nod (and got a cheery wave back) and disappeared back into his room.

Steven was right about one thing: he really needed to rest.

XX

"Ash! It's wonderful to see you!" Professor Oak's tanned face was bright and clear on the PokeNav's camera. Pikachu clung to one of Oak's shoulders and chirped at him with sparking cheks. It must still be feeling the effects of that lightning it'd absorbed during Mewtwo's storms.

He sent the Professor a genuinely happy grin, though it wasn't too comfortable for him. His face was still healing and every motion stretched it painfully. It was like he was wearing a mask too small for his face.

"It's good to see you too," was all he got out before Professor Oak actually looked at him. Ash winced as the older man's expression practically froze over. A glacier would have shown more warmth.

"Ash. What. Happened."

Even Pikachu picked up on the mood and tensed up. Professor Oak looked much less like the kindly scientist he'd become and more like the warrior Agatha had idolized.

He didn't know? Ash almost jerked back, though thought better of it. He supposed it made sense…Oak's influence didn't run quite as deep in the Ever Grande League. In Indigo he was one of the most revered figures of the modern era. In Hoenn he was just a highly respected scientist.

"Rockets," he said tonelessly. Ash straightened his posture and pet Aron a little harder while the little steel-type nuzzled into his lap. Aron just wriggled a bit and leaned into his warm touch. "The Stone's Beldum colony was raided earlier."

"Again?" Oak leaned forward, his face a mask of shock. The building anger in those old eyes was wiped away in an instant. "How have I not heard of this? This is vital to know! If the Rockets managed to get their hands on –"

He knew this wasn't going anywhere good and stopped the Professor in his tracks. It took a lot to get the old man mad but once he did his fury would consume everything in his path. "I stopped them," he cut in. Ash paused for a moment and added, "With Steven's help."

There, that was better.

The relief was palpable. Oak slumped in his massive, cushy chair and rubbed his temples. "Thank Mew. Whatever you did, you did it well, Ash. I'd normally be more concerned for your safety but the Rockets with a renewed source of Metagross…"

Ice filled his veins at the mention of Mew but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Ash exhaled and looked at the Professor wearily. It felt good to know that at least the Professor supported him. It would be a small mercy if his mother ever got wind of this.

"But how on earth could they pull off an attack of this magnitude? The League devotes several Ranger squads to the Stone Property…" came the muttered stream of words as Oak started to think things over. Ash kept up for a moment but once Oak's monologue devolved into names he didn't recognize, ranks he probably wasn't supposed to know about, and a steady list of locations he didn't know existed he stepped in.

"A Pokemon Hunter did the bulk of the work," he said grimly. Ash flinched as the memory of the grey-haired woman's body landing on the ground rewound itself in his mind. "She took out the League forces and met the Rockets a few miles away."

Oak jerked up, his eyes dark. His opinion of the Pokemon Hunter was all too clear. "Let me guess, she was well-armed with an airship, an army of pokemon, and extremely advanced technology."

Ash nodded. "How'd you –"

"There's only one current Pokemon Hunter willing to stage such an outrageous assault. And only one with a prototype energy cannon," Oak looked pointedly at Ash's red skin. It was all that was left of the burns the Hunter had left on Ash. "Hunter J."

The name struck a cord with him (something Steven had mentioned, perhaps) and Ash nodded.

"You didn't face her down?" Oak said hopefully. Ash quickly nodded, knowing it was the right answer. "Thank goodness," the Professor looked several years younger then. "I have confidence in your abilities but she was too dangerous for you. You aren't trained for that kind of conflict."

Ash frowned, more than a little indignant. He could handle himself just fine. It'd been overwhelming at first, but his team had done well.

And even taking into account what he assumed to be the Hunter's true team (the much more powerful Ariados, for one) he'd had her outnumbered. The moment Steven and Metagross had torn her ship from the sky he could've taken her on himself.

"She was nothing compared to the Legends," he said dismissively. "I could have –"

"Ash, listen to me. You are not ready for that fight," the Professor hissed. He met Ash's eyes and he knew very well that he wasn't meant to look away. "You're brave and your team is powerful. You've connected with them beyond almost any other I've seen," Oak mused. "But you aren't trained. You're still just a boy, Ash."

He stayed silent. A million thoughts ran through his head, none of them able to claw their way to the top. There were so many things he wanted to do, spurred on by Fire and Ice and Lightning.

But he could not say any of them.

"A battle with an opponent deliberately trying to kill you is different than surviving the Legends as you have, Ash," Oak spoke every word deliberately. His face was pained. Ash's gut rolled as he realized the Professor was speaking from experience. "You've done very well so far. You've saved the world – nobody else could have. But if you face a trainer like Hunter J you will die. She doesn't fight like you. She only has one priority and that is to kill you and escape."

Aron warbled as Ash stopped stroking him. He mechanically resumed his pets and Aron cheerfully burrowed back into the crook of his arm.

"Do you understand me, Ash?"

"I understand."

"Promise me," the Professor said quietly, "that you will remember that. That you will not try to fight someone like that unless you're forced to. I don't want to be the one to tell Delia her son was killed in a stupid battle that could have been avoided."

There was a lump in his throat that lingered despite Fire blazing in his heart, urging him to cast the concerns aside and engulf any foe that challenged him in his fury.

"I promise," came the quiet words, carrying a certain weight that worried Ash. At the same time even the thought of what his mom would do if she heard he'd been hurt or killed…

"Thank you," came the response, and Ash could tell that Professor Oak was genuinely relived.

A minute of silence followed. The storm of Ash's thoughts was too much to try and talk through. Professor Oak looked very, very tired then.

Finally the comfortable veil of quiet was broken.

"Your mother told me you traveled with Daisy," Oak brightened up a bit. Ash blinked. Why had his mother been the one to tell him?

"It was…interesting. Daisy's very…" he trailed off. Dazed, who lingered in the corner of the room, shuddered at her name. Oak caught the move and laughed.

"Ah yes, say no more," the Professor chuckled. He absentmindedly scratched Pikachu's ears as the rodent drank from a bottle of – was that ketchup? "I thought she'd be good company on your travels through Hoenn. I knew she wouldn't be able to pass up the chance to see who you'd become, Ash."

Ash grumpily rolled his shoulders and rubbed Aron's dome a little bit harder. It looked like Sneasel was getting impatient for his own turn. "She enjoyed it plenty. I didn't think she could be worse than Gary but she proved me wrong.

Oak smirked. "I'll be sure to mention that to him next time he calls. He'll appreciate learning about that particular challenge."

"Please no."

He didn't need an even more obnoxious Gary – they'd only just managed to get things back to normal. If Gary was any more annoying Ash might have to take his chances in Kalos or Unova just to get away from him. The Eastern Continent wouldn't be safe.

Ash thought Professor Oak looked like he was enjoying this whole scenario a bit too much. Well, at least he knew it was genetic now. Then again even Pikachu squeaked with what he knew was laughter. After meeting Surge's Raichu he wasn't surprised it had a terrible sense of humor.

"Can we talk about something productive instead?" Ash groused. Professor Oak just smirked. "What have you been dealing with lately, Professor?"

Oak's whole demeanor shifted. "Oh, it's fascinating! Leading the efforts to document the Legends has proven to be quite the endeavor!"

He thought the Professor was a little too cheerful to be discussing the Legends but he kept that opinion to himself. Then again he couldn't really say he was surprised. The Legends defied all scientific logic and he was sure the Pokemon Professors couldn't even imagine letting that stand.

"Find anything interesting?" Ash cocked his head to the side. Sneasel stealthily clambered up onto his shoulders and curled around his neck. He grimaced but spared a few moments to give his friend a few scratches. In the meantime he just had to ignore the sudden sweltering heat from Sneasel's thick fur.

"I haven't – I'm primarily managing our operations," the Professor explained. He reached to the side and returned with a strange purple pokeball in hand. Ash eyed it curiously but didn't bring it up even as Oak absentmindedly tossed it up and down. "Rowan's research is proceeding quite well, in my opinion. He's currently investigating a theoretical link between the Legends and evolutionary stones, and if they are linked, then –"

He stopped the Professor right there. "They do," he said flatly. It was hard to forget the violent reaction the Thunder Stone in Steven's home had when he touched it. He'd need to bring that up to his mentor some time or another.

Oak looked at him patiently.

"Just trust me," Ash finished. He fidgeted slightly. "I'm not sure what it is but there's a link. When I was handling some of the stones in Mossdeep they exploded when I touched them."

The older man smiled brightly. "Fascinating!" Oak murmured and set the pokeball down in favor of jotting a few notes down. When he returned his attention to Ash he looked at the boy like he was a particularly fascinating specimen.

Which he was, Ash supposed.

"You haven't looked into it further?"

Ash snorted in a way reminiscent to Nidoking when Sneasel did something especially stupid, "I don't have the money to be blowing up that many stones."

"A pity," Oak replied, absolutely serious. Ash just shifted Aron off to the side so Sneasel could curl up on his lap. Aron didn't even flinch and just sleepily licked the covers for a few seconds before curling back up. "I'll see if I can requisition a few. I'd love to see it in action as soon as I can – no reaction like that has ever been recorded!"

"We seem to be running into things like that a lot these days," he shook his head. Oak just chuckled. "Sorry I don't know more than that. If I figure anything else out I'll let you know," Ash said. He paused for a few moments. "Did you hear about that mural I found in the Granite Caves?"

Oak sighed. Any levity fell away in an instant. "Of course. Steven informed me immediately. I've added Groudon and Kyogre to the list of prospects, though I must admit we haven't made any progress on that front."

No surprise there. Ash couldn't even begin to imagine where they could be resting. The planet was a big place. He could assume they were near Hoenn but there was no guarantee.

"It's hard looking for something when you don't even know what it looks like," Ash agreed. Sneasel nodded along with him as he kneaded his velvet paws into Ash's leg.

"Exactly. We don't know their size or any concrete knowledge of their abilities, though we can make several assumptions," Oak trailed off on a grim note. He massaged his temples but the corners of his mouth twitched up when Pikachu helpfully offered the nearly empty bottle of ketchup to him. "Thank you, Pikachu, but not right now."

Pikachu just shook its head and bounced off the Professor, taking its ketchup away with it.

Oak watched the rodent scamper off fondly before getting back to business. "I have to admit that Groudon and Kyogre honestly aren't our top priority. We're still struggling to track the known quantities. The Zapdos you encountered at the Power Plant seems to have outright vanished," he finished, frustrated. "Don't ask me how something like that disappears so easily. If I knew it would make my job much easier."

Ash pet Sneasel thoughtfully as he considered the news. They needed to find those two. He could hear Lugia's warning echo through his mind as deeply as he had months ago.

Land and Sea, Behemoth and Leviathan…they breathe.

Lugia might not have given the names bestowed upon them by ancient humans but to Ash the identities of Land and Sea were clear as day. Whether it was his own knowledge, common sense, or some shade of intuition granted by Lugia didn't really matter. All that he cared about was taking heed of that danger.

The Song echoed through his mind and he found himself thinking back to the old myths.

"There's more than just Groudon and Kyogre to be worried about," Ash stated. He didn't need to elaborate.

"Rayquaza?"

Ash nodded. The Professor shifted uneasily. "We've made no progress on that front either, I'm afraid. If it's still active it must move far too frequently to track effectively. Our satellites has revealed nothing of the sort and the Sky Pillar is lifeless."

He grunted. That was unfortunate but he hadn't expected otherwise. A few awkwardly silent moments passed by. "So have you had any luck? You must have found something, right?"

"We have," Oak relaxed a bit. He started toying with the strange ball again. Ash watched it for a few moments. "The Beasts seem to remain centered in Johto. Sightings are more frequent than ever and they haven't evaded our Rangers as they usually do. They're more subtle than the Birds but easy to find once you know what to look for."

That was something. Not as much progress as Ash would've liked to hear but it sounded like they had tabs on at least some of the Legends. It was a nice change from being totally in the dark. The only others they knew the absolute location of were the Shamouti Birds, the Mt. Ember Moltres, and Mewtwo…not that the latter even mattered. New Island had vanished entirely from what Ash understood.

His mind turned to the most ancient of the Leagues. Kanto and Indigo were the first of the Leagues but Sinnoh's history was undeniably old in a way they couldn't match. It had been civilized for thousands of years, though it had risen and fallen in the same way all empires did before the modern era.

"What about Sinnoh?" He cut in. Oak's frown told him that he wouldn't get much good news on that front. "Mom used to tell me about all the stories up there. Has the League figured anything out?"

Professor Oak drummed his fingers against his desk as he finally nodded. "Rowan has been a great help in that regard. Invaluable, in fact."

Ash fidgeted impatiently. "And?" His betrayed his interest. He thought of all the myths and stories his mother had told him. "What'd he find? The Lake Guardians? Heatran?"

"Give me a moment to answer," the Professor laughed at his enthusiasm. Ash sheepishly quieted down and hid a groan at the sudden resurgence of his headache. Nidoking chuffed and raised his great head to lick at Ash's arm. He just grinned at the tingling feeling and scratched for a bit on Nidoking's leathery ears. "Professor Rowan believes he's managed to trace Heatran."

He nodded, calmer now. "What will you do about it?" Ash spoke up, genuinely interested. Heatran wasn't the star of many myths but it seemed fairly benevolent. Assuming the stories were accurate, anyway. He'd learned that plenty of the old tales were a tad distorted by time over the past year or so.

"Nothing," the older man said firmly.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," Oak repeated. "This is a slow, careful process. We will observe but we'd prefer to leave Heatran in solitude for as long as possible. If we offended it all of Sinnoh might suffer."

He dipped his head. Yes, he could imagine how much havoc an offended Legend could wreak. Somehow Ash doubted he'd be able to rely on any of the other Legends to stop it either. Mew was nowhere to be found, Lugia seemed intent on remaining out of conflict, and Moltres would probably just make things worse.

Asking for Mewtwo to step in…that idea was laughable.

I agree.

Ash sneered at that but quickly wiped it away before Professor Oak could take note. He wasn't entirely successful given the odd look on the older man's face.

"Just be patient," Oak began. Ash didn't like the way he was looking at him. "We have time."

That wasn't something he was so sure of. To be honest Ash wasn't sure he could be patient right now. Lugia's warning wasn't going to leave him any time soon and he knew it had been given to him for a reason.

The world wasn't safe right now and he couldn't just sit back and wait while other people worked to preserve it. That just wasn't his nature.

Sneasel hissed at Ash's sudden melancholy and possessively trapped his right hand between his soft paws. He wasn't getting that back any time soon.

He cracked a grin. He really did need to relax. "So how's my mom doing?" Ash turned the conversation to a lighter topic. There was plenty of time to grill the professor later. "She's tried explaining what she's studying but, well –"

Professor Oak looked to appreciate the change in topic as much as Ash did. "She's doing quite well for herself! Several of the professors at Goldenrod have had nothing but good things to say about her!" He boasted. "Your mother is making the most of her time there, I assure you."

That was a relief. Ash felt like there was a weight lifted off his chest. There'd been no doubt in his mind that she'd be happy back in her element but he'd still been a little worried about her. She'd been in Pallet for more than a decade. It must've been hard to adjust to the busy city life.

Not that he really knew anything about that, he had to admit. Ash hadn't exactly gone out of his way to linger in the cities he passed through.

"To be honest I haven't spoken to her as often as I'd like," Professor Oak admitted. He looked wistfully at Ash. "But she seems very happy, Ash. She's doing what she loves."

He felt a little stab of guilt twist into his heart but he made sure to quash it. His mother would smack him if she thought he felt guilty for holding her back. It'd make her unhappy if he was unhappy.

Then again didn't the same go for him? He wasn't blind or stupid. His mother loved him and had put everything into the café and their tiny family. But it didn't take a genius like Professor Oak to see that she craved an escape. She was too smart for that. She must've been bored out of her mind once he left on his journey.

She was supposed to do more with her life. Ash might've been a bit biased but he thought his mother was brilliant, even if she didn't flaunt it. She deserved more than just grinding her life away in Pallet.

So he was happy she was happy.

"Good," Ash said simply. He looked down at Sneasel and squeezed his eyes shut. The headache was back.

Naturally Professor Oak picked up on it. "You should get some rest," he said kindly as Pikachu leapt up into his lap. The rodent squeaked at him and waved in agreement – Ash's lips curled up into a smile when Sneasel's ears twitched and an unconscious hiss rose from his throat.

"Call me whenever you'd like, Ash," Oak smiled tiredly at him. The older man looked away for a brief moment. "Pallet's been rather quiet as of late."

Ash nodded slowly. "I will," he promised. He hadn't thought of how isolated the Professor must feel with his family, Ash, and his mother gone from Pallet. No wonder the Professor had devoted himself so fully to the Legendary project. "Thanks, Professor. I'll call soon."

"Thank you," came the genuinely grateful reply. Ash shared a hesitant smile with the Professor before the screen went black.

With that done he just sat silently for a few minutes. The only time he moved was to pet Sneasel and Aron every now and then. He couldn't help but smile when he looked down and saw Sneasel's repulsed look as Aron snuggled deep into his warm black fur.

The rest of the team was arrayed all around him for the most part. For the first time in what felt like ages he was totally relaxed.

Unfortunately the headache decided it was a good time to spike back up. That would be annoying. Dazed couldn't do anything for it. She didn't have Dr. Alexander's medical training and every time she tried to communicate the headache got exponentially worse.

Ash needed to sleep. He'd be an idiot to argue with the heavy weight draped over his body from exhaustion. Every muscle was stiff and he was pretty sure someone had filled his every cell with lead. It'd been a long day and he needed rest desperately.

But he couldn't. Ash eyed the cold grey silk of the pillows arrayed comfortably at the head of the bed. He felt absolutely no desire to sleep here. After his time in Hoenn so far it just felt wrong.

He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong for him as he reminisced about collapsing on his thin sleeping mat and watching the stars every night. Maybe he really did need to spend some time back in civilization.

That was a debate for another time, though. He sighed and picked up his PokeNav with his free hand. It took a little extra effort to type in his access code and scroll through his recent notifications but soon enough he got to see his two new messages.

Courtesy of Steven, naturally.

Curiosity got the best of him. He ignored the weariness and quickly accessed the messages. Ash was actually a little impressed with himself when he managed to avoid disturbing Aron or Sneasel.

His exhaustion faded quickly and Lightning jerked him to alertnesss the moment he laid eyes on the documents Steven had sent over:

Dossier: Jacqueline Durand.

Dossier: "Hunter J"

Ash's bare fingers shook slightly with the sudden burst of energy. He quickly accessed Jacqueline's dossier, more than a little interested to see what lay within. He couldn't find it in himself to care for the flame hanging in the back of his mind.

What did it even matter if Mewtwo was interested?

Full Name:

Jacqueline Yvonne Durand

THREAT LEVEL:

AA (Master, do not approach)

Age:

26 (PIL 973 - )

Height:

5'3" (approx.)

Weight:

125 lbs. (approx.)

Eyes:

Green

Hair:

Blonde

Place of Origin:

Laverre City, Kalos

Family:

Disassociated

Personality:

Highly independent and avoids strong bonds with others. Unpredictable and operates on an unconventional moral code. Rarely shows remorse for her actions. Generally appears friendly. Rarely attacks without due cause but has been notably aggressive in the past. Particularly protective of pokemon. Many of her confirmed kills are known poachers or abusers.

Little to no regard for the law when it suits her. Generally tries to work within its boundaries to avoid undue attention.

Bio:

Noted as a promising trainer early in her career. Placed Top 16 of the Lumiose Conference as a first year trainer.

Placed on list of potential recruits for Lumiose League. Lumiose League grew particularly interested after she placed Top 8 and Top 4 the proceeding years.

Was approached in 987 after becoming the Lumiose Conference Champion her fourth year of training. Refused training.

Proceeded to leave Kalos in 988. Pokemon Center records shared across Leagues confirm travels across multiple regions.

Visited Unova between 988 and 990.

Whereabout unknown in 991. Possibly entered the Ranger Union at one point (Report 6A sec. 5b) and Sinnoh.

Remained in Sinnoh during 992. Movements seemingly random. Last known location was in Veilstone City.

Lumiose League received sporadic reports of her movements until 994. Sighted in Alola and Hoenn regions during 993. Suspected to have ventured into the wilderness of the Western Continent late in 993. Activities unknown.

Confirmed contact with paramilitary group "Plasma" in Unova. Extent of collusion likely minimal. Status as a direct asset extremely unlikely based on personality profile. Noted to avoid keeping firm ties with organizations.

Returned to Kalos in 994. Presence noted and observers placed as mandated by Lumiose League protocol for returning trainers.

January 3, 995: Assassination attempt against Lumiose Elite Four Malva for reasons unknown (Note: Look into that). Unsuccessful. Four Lumiose ASTRE trainers charged with protecting Elite Four Malva were killed.

Elite Four Malva lightly wounded. Team suffered substantial damage. Delphox killed, Houndoom critically wounded, though it later recovered. Durand escaped with only two surviving team members (Shiftry and Farfetch'd).

Resurfaced in Kalos in 996. Almost apprehended. Appeared to have developed an entirely new team (specialties unknown, only Shiftry and Farfetch'd currently observed) with specialty in combat and anti-psychic tactics.

Vanished. Whereabouts unknown.

Resurfaced in 999 in Hoenn. Contacted Elite Four Trainee Ash Ketchum (see file Ab6) and appeared non-hostile to him. Knew who he was (Indigo Conference) and did not engage. Fled after my appearance. Current whereabouts and affiliations unknown.

Threat Level/Protocol:

Deemed Master-level before attack on Elite Four Malva. Currently suspected to be more dangerous than before, though her activities and team are mostly unknown. From what reports have gathered she has reshaped her new team into combat specialists. Likely to exhibit exceptional teamwork. Noted for anti-psychic capabilities.

Ranger Squad Protocol: Do not engage. Alert Hoenn ACE immediate. Several teams developed for Durand as per protocol. ASTRE team from Lumiose stationed in Ever Grande to be dispatched in event she is found.

If possible at least one member of the Elite Four or myself will be dispatched to engage. With her interest in Trainee Ketchum she has become a priority to dispatch.

Criminal Activity:

See attached file DURAND: CRIME

Ash sat the PokeNav down. He looked down and numbly noted his hands were shaking. It wasn't just due to Lightning and adrenaline this time.

Jacqueline – no, Durand, he corrected – was dangerous. He'd been a bit sympathetic at first. It didn't sound like she'd gone after good people. Poachers and abusers weren't exactly on his list of people he'd want to be around.

But the attempted assassination of an Elite Four member? Killing League ASTRE trainers (whatever those were)? Leaving such a trail of devastation that Steven had to make an entirely separate file just for her criminal history?

It was hard to reconcile with the relatively pleasant, albeit odd, woman he'd gotten to know.

He felt a little gross remembering how he'd thought she was pretty. That spark he'd seen in her eye wasn't just the spark of a great trainer. It was the spark of a great trainer who'd utterly fallen off the deep end.

Ash had already picked up on the fact that she was incredibly dangerous. When Savage Sidney respected her lethality he'd have to be stupid to realize what was going on. But this was more than he'd ever expected.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a little nauseous right now. Then again that might be due to his exhaustion and medicine more than anything.

After a moment of staring at the link that would take him to Hunter J's file he shut the PokeNav and tossed it aside. Ash wasn't in the mood.

The bed looked much more appealing than it did before.

XX

He couldn't sleep.

Ash scowled and flipped over on his bed so he could stare up into the blackness of the ceiling. It was utterly silent. Steven must've soundproofed his apartment somehow. He shifted uncomfortably in the luxuriously soft and smooth silk of his covers. They were grey…just like literally everything else in this apartment.

Hmm, what could Steven's favorite color be?

The room was almost completely black. He could only see Dazed's hunched figure because of her glittering pendulum. Moonlight scattered off from the crystal and painted the entire area in pale silver.

It was mark of just how bored and frustrated he was that he noticed the glow from the city didn't penetrate whatsoever. Ash figured psychics were involved somehow. Whenever something defied explanation they were usually a safe bet.

Or maybe it was something the Devon Corporation had done?

Ash silently resolved never to ask. He didn't need another perfectly recited summary of a product – did Steven get paid for that, maybe? Ash knew a Champion with such a close relationship with the business would do wonders for it. The Leagues loved their leaders.

He glanced over at Dazed as her eyes burned an eerie blue, though they flickered out of existence mere moments later as she presumably recalled that her telepathy didn't mix too well with concussions.

They'd need a few days before Ash could communicate with her again. There was a sour taste in his mouth as he considered that. For the past few months Dazed had been the person he talked to the most. He'd had plenty of conversations with Daisy and Steven but Dazed had been with him for so long that he couldn't even recall being without her.

The same went for the rest of the team, if he was being honest. It felt like he'd been absent from the sleep hills of Pallet for three or four years rather than just one.

He reconsidered her as she set to polishing her pendulum. Ash was pretty sure the little loop of crystal hadn't been anything less than pristine since she'd found him.

Ash could confide anything to Dazed…and now she was lost to him. For now.

Dazed shuffled closer, careful to avoid waking any of the other members of the team. Most of them had tried to stay up with him (except for Sneasel, who'd cheerfully curled up under the covers the second the lights went out) but Ash knew they needed their rest. Dazed had quite helpfully put them to sleep with a liberal use of Hypnosis.

So now they were the two left in the waking world while the rest of the team drifted off into peaceful dreams.

He surveyed them thoughtfully.

Just Nidoking's head gently laid on the bed was enough to force Ash to roll over to the side – his bulk was so great that Ash was fighting to avoid rolling into him. Plume was utterly still except for the occasional ruffling of feather, perched as she was on one of the chairs.

Even Torrent had allowed his regal bearing to falter. He drooped ever so slightly without water to support his great bulk. The Kingdra was the last to have claimed his own spot. All the others had been forced into the center of the room in one big heap. Tangrowth was at the center, of course. Ash could hardly even see him underneath all the others.

Dazed's eyes held only a sliver of the power she wielded. They burned dimly in the black and the brightness of the moonlight only made them dimmer in comparison. But it was all she needed. The thin filaments of writhing scarlet connecting to their sleeping family kept everyone peaceful and relaxed.

He admitted defeat and sat up. This was one of the few times he didn't have to worry about disturbing his friends' slumber. "Thanks," Ash murmured, shattering the silence that pervaded the apartment. Dazed was simply silent as her eyes curved up into one of her smiles. "So this is every night for you, huh?"

She shrugged. Ash sent a crooked smile her way. "This must get kind of boring."

Her shoulders shook just a bit at that. Ash felt a little satisfied. It wasn't always so easy to make her laugh.

He fell silent for a few moments as he gathered his thoughts. "How're you feeling after today?" Ash's voice was so low he was worried she'd have to strain to hear him. Dazed shook her head noncommittally. The burning eyes flashed again and he winced at the sudden flare, though she quickly locked away her psychic powers. "Yeah, that's about how I am too. It…I can't sleep tonight."

Ash's eyes fell shut. All he could see was the dark shape of the Pokemon Hunter collapsing. The broken, silent forms of the pokemon his team had fought.

The images became more defined. Sharper.

Nidoking crushing a snarling Houndoom with a fearsome sweep of his muscular tail. Infernus tearing into a Charizard's thick orange hide with claws sparking with electricity.

The entire nightmarish horde of enslaved pokemon ripped apart by the seamless teamwork of the Metagross colony wasn't something Ash would ever forget.

After the bond he'd forged with the Metagross he didn't know that he could. They'd shown him their perspective. Granted him an insight to the eidetic memory of the colony. It had marked him, though he didn't know for how long.

Back during the waking hours he hadn't been too bothered. At the least he had his team to distract him. But now he was alone. Even Dazed, his usual partner for late nights, was cut off from him. The adrenaline was gone. His hands shook from exhaustion, now, not the volatile cocktail of chemicals and venom and potion coursing through his veins in the wake of the battle.

Ash was trapped with only his own thoughts to keep him company. Dazed wasn't able to let him cheat his psyche this time.

He wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow and stared at his wet palm. How did Steven sleep like this? Compared to the muggy heat of the training grounds this was downright comfortable. But the warm air trapped like this…it was wrong. All he could think about was how close the walls were, how the ceiling loomed closer and closer the longer he watched it.

Dazed really had spoiled him. Sleep had never been hard to come by with her around. Dreams were little more than a distant memory by now, for better or for worse. The last time he'd really had to face them were when Sneasel had been insistent on cuddling with him as a baby.

It had been a brutal few weeks but they still brought a smile to his face. It wasn't as tight as it had been before.

The Hypno shifted closer. She shuffled awkwardly over to his bedside, careful to step around Aron, who was rolled over on his back (and dreaming of running, if his stubby legs twitching were any indication) until she rested silently mere inches from Ash.

Her hand hovered over his for a scant few seconds before she allowed her yellow-furred fingers to brush against his palm. Ash smiled up at her in return, appreciating the gesture for what it was. She might not be able to shield him from his dreams tonight but that didn't mean she had to stand by and do nothing.

She'd never been comfortable with physical touch. Ash had accepted that without a second thought. After traveling with Jonathan he'd developed a personal bubble only his team really got past.

His breath fled his lungs. Ash hadn't even realized he'd held it in until now. He shut his eyes as his entire body slumped.

"Thank you," Ash whispered as he felt her fingers, thicker and clumsier than his own, lightly rest against his palm. Her fur was incredibly thin, almost like Mew and Mewtwo's. He could feel her rubbery skin beneath and focused on the texture. It was interesting. Foreign yet shockingly familiar.

Dazed's luminescent eyes softened and her head twisted to look down on him. They flashed several times, like she was about to speak to him telepathically before she remembered his concussion. Instead she just watched over him like a golden-white statue, though he could still see the warmth hidden within that most were blind to.

Hypno were feared for their powers and mannerisms. Most psychics were regarded warily by those who hadn't known one of their kind. Those who were attuned most closely to the mental arts were particularly fearsome in some people's minds, though he honestly couldn't understand that any more.

The world would be a better place if people just learned to trust on character instead of their own hasty judgments.

His friend's hand squeezed just a little tighter. Ash's smile renewed at that and he adjusted himself to be more comfortable. Even with his eyes shut the images weren't so sharp anymore.

Howls fell, cries dimmed, and the crystalline perfection of his memories slowly faded away.

He squeezed his eyes shut and focused instead on the Song rushing through his ears. His hand twitched for the familiar, cool weight of the Flute, and he waited.

Ash wouldn't remember the darkness enveloping him.

XX

It was an awkward time sitting at the table for lunch. The mood was a little more lax than yesterday but neither of them really knew where to start. Ash almost wished Lance were here. He was too impatient to wait for Ash to start whatever discussion they were about to have.

Instead of speaking he watched his mentor eat since there honestly wasn't anything else to distract him. Steven ate with a mechanical precision Ash would normally only attribute to a Metagross. Though that stirred up some rather unpleasant memories…

Before he could slip down a darker road he hastily spoke up. "I had no idea," Ash admitted as he sipped on some water. The spaghetti Steven had made for them both felt odd as it slid down his throat. Not that it was unpleasant – it was actually pretty good. Better than his last few teacher's had given him, at any rate.

Steven just arched a silver eyebrow and waited for Ash to finish washing down his food.

"About Jaqueline," he clarified. Ash idly wound some of the spaghetti around his fork. "She was weird and all, but…" the boy trailed off. Steven finally decided to break his own silence.

"Dangerous," the former Champion finished for him. Steven delicately set his utensils down as they finally got to the real Donphan in the room. "Yes," he added, "there's a reason I was so concerned from subduing J. I never would've thought she would be the lesser threat."

Ash nodded tiredly. Yes, from what he'd read of Hunter J's file this morning that sounded about right. She'd made Jacqueline look like a saint. At least the strange Master seemed to have some semblance of morality.

Hunter J, on the other hand, had a rap sheet even longer than Aqua and Magma combined. Ash wasn't sure if there was something illegal she hadn't done. It was like she'd had a checklist of every major law and decided to see how many she could break before she got caught.

It looked like she'd hit her limit, came the morbid thought. He just ignored the chuckle that reverberated from his mind to his bones to his mind again.

He brightened a bit as he ate another mouthful of the noodles. Kanto really needed to get this. It was a million times better than what he'd eaten the past two weeks, which were all based around Steven's complicated nutritional plan instead of flavor.

Back during his journey through Kanto it wouldn't have bothered him at all. Not after the black broth Bruno and Surge had tried to force down his throat. But now that he had so much money from the League (he was still a little mind boggled) he'd spoiled his team and himself.

"This is good," he remarked absentmindedly. Steven's pointed look reminded him to shut his mouth and swallow before speaking. His teacher was a bit more of a stickler for manners than his team. "Sorry."

"Thank you," came the gracious reply, studiously ignoring his breach in conduct. Steven leaned back in his chair and seemed content to abandon the heavy start to their conversation. "I can teach you how to make it, if you'd like. Cooking is an important skill to learn."

Ash's head bobbed up and down. "I don't cook often," he admitted and absentmindedly shifted his meal away from the seeking paws of Sneasel, who hissed unhappily before scampering away. "Mostly I eat trainer meals and nutrient bars."

Steven looked just a little disgusted, "You sound like Lance. I should've known better than to have expected otherwise," the Steel Master sighed. He paused then looked more than a tad concerned, "Ash, you don't eat that swill the Indigo League serves its operatives, do you?"

"The black broth? No!" Ash recoiled. He was pretty sure he could still taste the disgusting sludge. "Just…no!"

"Good," Steven made a face. Ash eyed the silver-haired man curiously – he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Steven quite so petulant before. "Lance prepared it for me the morning after I became Champion. I was…unwell at the time and he promised it would make me feel better."

The former Champion paused in his reminiscence.

"Needless to say, he lied," Steven finished flatly. A sour look crossed his face. "I should've just taken the hangov—illness," he hastily corrected himself. Ash just smirked.

"Bruno made me eat it when we were training," he recalled. Ash set his spaghetti down. He didn't really feel like eating for now. "I'm pretty sure it was just Grimer in a cup."

"You're not giving Grimer enough credit," his teacher chuckled. Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The texture of Grimer might be a tad better, actually."

Ash grinned a little at the joke and finally took another bite of spaghetti. At least it gave him something else to think about. They sat there quietly for a minute or so, the only noise being what little came from Ash eating. Steven had finished.

There was something else weighing on his mind, though. "When are we leaving Rustboro? The investigation's over, right? I don't have to talk to Sidney again?"

"Thankfully not," Steven sounded a tad relieved. He pushed his plate to the side. Ash had to yank Sneasel back by the scruff of his neck before he could slink over to steal the scraps. "Sidney's back in Ever Grande, thankfully. I don't know how much longer I could have put up with his brat of a Zoroark."

"Where's Zoroark from?" Ash interrupted. It was annoying but he'd been fascinated by its abilities. He'd never seen anything like it, let alone from a dark-type. He was more than a little tempted to try and hunt one down. Even if he didn't catch it that would be a fascinating battle.

All he really knew was that they weren't native to the National League. His PokeDex would have informed him if it was.

Steven didn't waste time answering. "Unova," the man eyed Ash knowingly. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, Ash. They're fantastically rare…or hiding in plain sight. Who knows?"

Hmm. Yeah, he could see how they might be hard to track down. The level of control Zoroark had over its illusory abilities was insane. Even psychics usually lacked that sort of skill. Psychic illusions could be broken since they were direct alterations of the environment or light. Even the illusions hardest to break, those created in the minds of the manipulated, were rarely on that level.

Then again that just raised even more questions. How did they pull that off? Dark-types generally favored a much more blunt approach to their powers. The deception they used tended to be based around skulking in the shadows before unleashing brutal assaults with their corrosive powers, not truly warping the perceptions of others.

"But we're leaving tomorrow," Steven finally answered his first question. Ash perked up. He'd been worried they'd be stuck in the city for ages with how Steven had acted. "That said," he brought Ash's attention back on him, "we'll be traveling very lightly. You aren't in any condition for strenuous activity," the man finished with a grimace.

Ash grudgingly nodded and twisted some more spaghetti around his fork. "Where are we headed? Back to the training grounds?"

Steven shook his head abruptly. "No, I think our time there is done. You're ready to progress to the next step of your training," he added with a slight smile. Sneasel hissed cheerfully at that from below. "We'll be moving to Slateport – there's someone there I'd like you to meet. He'll be at the Contest Hall."

He leaned forward, his interest plenty piqued by Steven's comment. "Who?"

Ash was more than a little frustrated when all he got was a lingering silence. He suddenly found himself twisted between being frustrated at Steven's reticence and curious about whoever they might be meeting.

Wallace, perhaps? The current Ever Grande Champion was still famed in the Coordinator circuits. Lisia was another option but he doubted Steven would take him all the way there just to meet the girl.

He had the grudging suspicion Steven was doing this just to annoy him.

"I know better than to play that game," Ash sighed and took a moment to squeeze one of Tangrowth's searching vines. Sneasel yowled before he was yanked back to the grass-type in a crushing hug. Steven smirked ever so slightly. "Fine, where are we going after that? I don't think Slateport would want us training there."

"Correct. Once we've wrapped everything up there we'll be off to Mt. Chimney. It's isolated enough that we shouldn't have to worry about property damage."

Well that was a relief. There was something liberating about knowing his team was so strong they couldn't even train around populated areas.

It meant he was just one step closer to becoming a Master. There was a reason they tended to affiliate with the Leagues or hide away in the wilderness. Even a single misplaced attack could cause utter devastation in the confines of a city.

Sneasel seemed pretty pleased about that as well. He flickered into Ash's lap in a blur and purred like a small motor after managing to escape from Tangrowth's loving hug…which was probably a good thing, considering Tangrowth's vines could crack rock if he really tried.

He scratched the little dark-type a bit more than usual. He'd been good today. Sneasel hadn't even tried to ambush Seeker once.

It was kind of sad he considered that progress but what could he do?

The moment was ruined a bit when he had to smack Sneasel's seeking paw from snagging his food but he could take it. Ash really should have seen that coming.

"Sounds good to us," he flashed back a feral grin mimicked by Sneasel. Steven rolled his eyes. "So what're we doing for the rest of the day?"

Steven pursed his lips. "We aren't doing anything. I'm going to be analyzing some data and taking care of some details about yesterday's conflict. You're going to stay here with your team. You don't need to be out andabout."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "I'm fine," Ash stressed. Even his headache had faded a bit, though there was still an uncomfortable pressure pounding. At least he could focus now. Plus his back only hurt when he moved. "How about I go battle Roxanne? That won't be too hard. Plus I'd like to see how Aron –"

"I'm not arguing this," Steven was firmer than before. "Dr. Alexander was very clear that you desperately need rest."

Fire spurred him to argue but was stopped in its tracks by Steven's placating hand. His jaw snapped shut and he shifted impatiently while Steven tried to string some words together.

"I know you've had worse than this," his mentor shaped every word slowly so Ash would listen. The former Champion's voice was so low and soft Ash had to strain to hear. "I'm not happy about that but," silver brows lowered, "I will not have your recovery hindered. I need you at your best for our future training."

Ash hesitated, swayed a bit by Steven's logic. "Fine," he folded his arms. His lunch was forgotten. "Is there at least something else I can do? I can't just sit here!"

Steven actually looked at him sympathetically then. He stroked his chin as he thoughtfully looked past Ash to one of the numerous, well-kept display cases practically bursting with rare stones.

He really needed to bring up the Thunderstone incident soon, he realized.

"There is, actually," came the response. Ash grinned just a little at the good news. At least he wouldn't be totally bored today. "Before we commence the second phase of your training we need to determine where you want to take it. I know your plans for Nidoking and we've been working together on Aron," Steven looked at him. "How goes your progress with Magnet Rise, by the way?"

"It's fine," Ash shrugged. They'd started working on the technique after Aggron's display with the metal rod a few weeks back. Steven had been kind enough to explain the key to Aggron's abilities: a complete and total mastery of the Magnet Rise technique. It would be a long road before Aron could boast that skill. "I think what we really need is to devote some time to it. Right now he's just doing his best to master the basics when he's not going through conditioning."

Steven scooped up what dishes were cleared and rose to take them over to the sink. "Yes, it's not a simple technique to learn," he agreed knowingly. Ash snorted at the understatement. "We'll have plenty of time, however."

Well, that was just what they needed. Ash knew time was his most precious resource right now. It just so happened to be running out at a disturbing rate. Ash needed to become stronger like he needed oxygen filling his lungs. If Jacqueline had taught him one thing it was that the strength his team had fought for so far wasn't nearly enough.

Ash couldn't deny that he'd gotten a bit arrogant since he'd come to Hoenn. To be honest it'd been festering in the deepest, darkest parts of him since the Conference. He'd found himself measured against the best of the Indigo League and found most of them wanting.

It was time to remember the lessons he'd first learned when Sabrina absolutely thrashed him in their first battle: he had a long, long way to go. Just because he was one of the stronger trainers in the region didn't give him an excuse to think he was unstoppable.

He was far from his peak. Ash would have to be an utter idiot to think he couldn't grow stronger from here. No matter how powerful his team grew he would always have room for improvement…he desperately needed to push and push until he found the next wall to tear apart.

Ash couldn't remain as he was. He'd been weary and exhausted when he'd met Jacqueline and so had his team but that was no excuse – knowing what he did now, he should've stopped at nothing to keep her pinned down until Steven could capture her.

Ash couldn't change the past. Time was something he'd never be able to fight.

But the future…that was another beast altogether.

Jacqueline would have crushed him no matter what, he knew. There was no denying that. That didn't mean their next meeting had to go the same way. Fire, Ice, and Lightning all spurred him on to greatness – it wasn't in their nature to be mediocre.

"I'm not hungry any more," he explained to his mentor as the silver-haired man watched him oddly. Ash rose with a certain sense of purpose and gave a pointed look at Sneasel. Finally given permission to gorge himself the dark-type practically purred as he leapt atop the table.

"You seem like a man on a mission," Steven chuckled as he rinsed the dishes. "What's the cause of all this?"

Ash rolled his shoulders. There was a spike of pain but nothing too severe. Not yet, anyway. He had some time before his medication wore off. "Just a bit of inspiration," he said as he focused on one particularly appealing mental image. Plume wouldn't look at him for a week if he didn't tell her about this.

He looked at his suddenly pristine plate. Sneasel always did eat fast, he mused. "Should I…" he began, more than willing to help out with the dishes before he holed up in his room.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. To be honest this is keeping me from paperwork so I don't mind at all," Steven confessed. He tossed one of the plates aside with practiced ease. "Just put some thought into your team, alright?"

"Will do!" Ash called back as he treaded through the dark granite doorway back to his room. He barely caught sight of one of Tangrowth's long vines dropping his clean plate into the bubbly sink, though he took care to pretend like he didn't hear Steven's curse when his pristine suit was dowsed in water.

Instead he focused on the sudden roar of the Song in his ears and the inspiration rearing its pretty head. How could he say no to that?

Ash was a little worried he'd drown in the soft, fluffy bed when he fell onto it but he supposed he got lucky.

Aron wasn't. He warbled cheerfully as his round metal carapace rolled clean off the bed, only to be saved by a sudden flare of power from Dazed. Ash shook his head and sent a mental thank you to the bored Hypno.

Too bad he got cut off by a metal pokemon being dumped in his lap.

If it weren't for the innocent baby-blue eyes looking up at him Ash was pretty sure he'd have let out a worse curse than Steven had. Instead he just rubbed his (probably cracked) ribs and gave Aron a few vigorous head rubs before he got to work.

His PokeNav clicked as he flipped it open. Ash glanced at the screen – no new messages yet. Not too surprising. Jonathan and Amelia were supposed to be in pretty deep wilderness. Gary was…well, Ash was never really sure what he was up to. He just assumed his former rival was probably doing something to annoy Jonathan.

No matter what he'd probably hear about it sooner or later. He would say that being so far away from them was a good thing since it saved him from rants about Gary (or Jonathan) but all it really meant was that he got to read it instead. Jonathan's spelling meant that that could be a pretty huge hassle.

A quick tap opened up his notes section. There were already dozens of entries: strategies, his own thoughts about where to take his team's abilities, complex nutrition plans Professor Oak had helped him with before Ash had left Pallet…the list went on and on.

He ignored them all and opened up a new entry. No need for the old notes. Right now he was going to try and break totally foreign ground – the Song had promised him that much.

The only things that split his attention were Aron sleeping on his lap, Dazed lurking in the corner, and Oz climbing up onto the bed to watch the young steel-type. The rest of his focus laid solely in his own mind.

Everything seemed so simple now.

XX

In the end it was the Song that guided him. It painted the apocalyptic clash between the Birds and the Titan of the Abyss in his memories as though he were watching it right now – as the Feather flared with Fire and Lightning he felt almost as if he had been cast back in time.

The Inferno, the Blizzard, and the Storm swirled and raged and clashed in displays of grandeur that could not be named. His words only summoned to mind pale imitations of nature's wrath. No human words could conjure up words to explain the rawest expressions of Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

But for once it wasn't the Birds he was thinking about. It was their master.

For all the raw, primal might the Birds wielded so effortlessly it was like nothing in the face of Lugia.

Shrieking Ice, Roaring Fire, and Thundering Lightning swirled and mixed and fought. A ball of light shaped easily in Lugia's fierce maw, collecting for just a moment before it erupted in a blinding, deceptively thin lance of orange and gold that carried with it all the might of a hurricane. It tore through the squabbling Birds' elements and whipped up a screaming gale behind it that purified the air of the storms that befouled it.

He rubbed his temples. The darkness that lurked within his mind was silent. It still hurt, though. At the same time the memory lingered and seemed to soothe some of the pounding ache spiking through his brain.

Every cloud had a silver lining, he supposed.

Though this particular silver lining was a little more useful than others. Ash had picked up the strange, potent technique Lugia had used as its most reliable offensive power. Even in the frenzy of the Clash it couldn't be denied.

It was what Lugia used every time a genuinely dangerous threat (to it, anyways) reared its ugly head. The elemental storms were banished by its power and Infernus with the might of Fire behind him was brought to his knees.

At the same time it was hard to wrap his head around it. The thought of a Legend using a technique of all things was mindboggling. To be honest if it were anything other than Lugia wielding that power he'd be more than a little worried. All that brute force he normally attributed to Legends was dangerous enough. At least they tended to use that overwhelming and seemingly infinite power with all the subtlety of Lance.

Shaping and honing that power to be in its most effective state was something that bothered him. Mew and Mewtwo had been bad enough. Their battle had been almost beyond his comprehension, full of tricks and uniquely devastating uses of psychic energy he'd hoped never to see replicated.

Lugia had shattered that dream. Not that he could fault it – Lugia had saved the world with that technique. But there was something distinctly fearsome about the attack it had used, something he hadn't felt from Mew and Mewtwo.

That battle had been about deception and creativity as much as anything. It was how Mew had handled itself so well against a trained warrior like Mewtwo. Everything was about manipulating their powers with the mastery of both an unfathomably powerful psychic and the experience to use it most efficiently.

But when Lugia summoned that blast…it was like a hurricane had been breathed into the world. Like something far greater than psychic manipulation had taken place. Lugia had poured a bit of itself into the world with the beam, expressed itself in a way Ash wasn't sure he could quite understand.

The Guardian of the Sea was the bridge between what he knew of the Birds and Mew. All the raw, elemental force of the combined Birds with the terrifying potent and versatile psychic power that lent it unstoppable force when it dared to spread its wings and touch the world.

And it was that power Ash intended on harnessing for Plume. A tiny, infinitesimal fraction of that power, of course, but it would draw itself from the same source.

Hopefully. It was a long shot but he thought he might be able to do it. Lugia had shown it was at least possible – though whether a mortal pokemon could pull it off was something else entirely.

If anyone could make that dream a reality it was Plume, though. Ash had an air of certainty he wouldn't abandon easily. Plume was smarter than most of his team and just as skilled.

Plus she needed this. Hyper Beam might grant her the offensive power to pierce otherwise unbreakable defenses but it was a liability. It was exhausting and robbed her of the stamina that made her almost untouchable. She wasn't Infernus. She couldn't just keep fighting and flying for hours.

Training would help that. Had helped that. But Hyper Beam was an inherently exhausting technique. It was the price you had to pay for using that sort of power at a whim. Hyper Beam's strength didn't come from the sun like Solar Beam. The energy was drawn directly from a pokemon's own body.

It was useful but the drawbacks more than made up for it. But if his friend could compensate for that physical toll with the control she'd gained over wind she'd be in a much, much stronger position. Plume had proven time and time again that she was good at what she did.

The problem was she couldn't do it for very long.

She slowed down when she was exhausted. When she slowed down she got hit. When she got hit…well, she didn't like getting hit.

Aside from all that he had to admit that embarking on the long, arduous road of unraveling Lugia's tapestry of secrets sounded like the sort of challenge he craved. He'd always felt that demanding little voice urge him forward on the road of life and it seemed it finally had something that might slow it down.

He couldn't wait. That was the voice that demanded he do the impossible. That he uncover the secret of a Legend. That he learn from the truest masters of the elements – the elements themselves.

"Plume!" Ash's face was pulled painfully tight by his grin when she materialized from her pokeball in a brilliant flash of light. For once he didn't stroke her plumage. Instead he just admired his friend as she preened – she really was incredible. Massive, sleek, and honestly everything he thought a Pidgeot should be. "Hey there. You feeling better? I know you were still a bit roughed up last night."

She cooed and butted her head against his hand. He rested it there, happy she'd gotten over yesterday's injuries. Ash just took care to avoid brushing against some of the feathers that were still snapped and broken. They'd come back in soon enough.

"That's good," he agreed. Ash showed her the Flute. Plume eyed it as greedily as Torrent had on occasion. They knew what it represented. He had her interest now. "So, you remember Lugia?"

"Stupid question," he amended when Plume stared at him like he'd grown a second head. Nevertheless she watched him in that peculiar way that meant she was truly, genuinely intrigued. Ash hummed along with the Song as he gathered his thoughts. "I've been a little…distracted," Ash allowed. Plume cooed again, softer this time, and gently rubbed her massive head against his own. The force nearly knocked him off the bed. "Thanks, Plume."

He smiled as she rested her head on the top of his hat. Ash barely kept from buckling. The headache came back in full force but he'd put up with it. "Let me rephrase that: Do you remember that attack Lugia used? The beam?"

Plume cocked her head. It felt odd considering where she was laying it. A loud chirp let him know that did. Ash smiled and eyed the glossy plumage that trailed down to the floor behind her.

Ash allowed a few brief moments of silence. How to proceed?

A light tingle came from the spot the Feather was bound to him, followed by a flush of warmth.

He knew his answer.

"You're going to learn to use it," Ash twisted the Flute in his hands, marveling at the impossibly smooth surface. It almost felt like it would slip from his hands at any moment. There wasn't a single imperfection.

She jerked away, rearing back like she'd been struck. Her raptor eyes stared at him, wider than he'd ever seen them.

That was a bit more of a reaction than he'd expected but Ash wouldn't complain. At least this way he knew that he had her attention. Her feathers puffed out like she'd been hit by a bolt of electricity courtesy of Oz.

Speaking of which, the Electabuzz looked fairly interested in the way this conversation was going. He thought she seemed a little more interested in the Feather glowing bright beneath his pale grey shirt, though.

He really needed to have a talk with Steven about getting some variety in here. It felt like he hadn't seen more than three or four different colors since he'd gotten here last night. Everything was a shade of grey or silver.

Including Aron, he smirked. The aforementioned steel-type sleepily rolled over in his lap, nearly crushing the Flute. Then again Ash was pretty sure Aron would just slip right off of it. Plus there was a good chance the Flute, having come from a Legend, was a bit more durable than Aron would ever be.

"What?" A lopsided grin rolled onto his features. Plume's feathers ruffled a little more and she raised her head high, seemingly to regain what little dignity she'd kept. She feigned disinterest but he knew her too well for that. "Don't even try that act. I know you can do it, Plume. We know it's possible. It's not like we're working from scratch."

Ash wasn't sure how comfortable he was with being stared at. Plume must have thought he was out of his mind. He cringed a little at the low grind of her razor sharp talons against the expensive marble tiles. He wasn't sure he could afford to owe Steven any more money after the Thunder Stone incident.

He just shot her a pointed look and she slackened just a tad. The trainer was also going to do his best to ignore that he pretty much was starting from scratch on this pet project.

In his time as a trainer he'd seen a lot of fantastical things: Ancient Rhydon whose very breath could manipulate rock, a Clefable with a power so incredible and versatile he wasn't sure any living pokemon could compare, and a Ninetales that could dissolve into living flame.

He had no idea how any of those worked. Ash had his guesses and a few theories but he doubted he'd be able to reverse engineer a single one of those techniques in a reasonable amount of time. There was a reason those pokemon had ascended to greatness, after all. If everyone could develop those techniques then they wouldn't be special at all.

Lugia's technique was something else. It was a fair bit simpler, yet at the same time was so mysterious and beyond his comprehension right now. He needed time to think on it and dissect it. On the surface it appeared basic, yet he knew there was more going on than just blowing a bunch of wind around.

At the same time he trusted in Plume's own ability and experience. They'd tread this path together.

And it wasn't as if they were going alone. Ash's eyes strayed to the length of cool metal in his hands. It had been created for him.

They had a guide. Right now they just needed to learn how to approach it.

"Think on it, will you?" Ash stroked her plumage just the way she liked. Plume's beak snapped down on his hat as gently as she could, though he winced as he heard something snap. Just another reminder of how powerful she was. "We're going to start on this as soon as we leave the city – we just have to figure out where we want to start."

Plume nodded. Her resolve was obvious and it made Ash feel a little more confident about this whole thing. Rebuilding the technique of a Legend for the use of a mortal pokemon was a long shot, sure, but he doubted the Song would be singing so clearly right now if it wasn't possible.

They fell into another companionable silence as Ash released the Flute from his grip. He was a little concerned when Aron's rasping tongue sleepily reached out to lick at the moonlight made manifest but it was for nothing. Aron's tongue left no more of a mark than if he'd ran a finger down its spine.

He pulled out his PokeNav and opened up the notes section again. Ash grimaced as he saw the entry on Hunter J – he didn't want to read that again any time soon.

People said that you died twice: Once when you stop breathing and once when nobody remembers you. Ash had seen Hunter J's first death yesterday. Now he wanted to do his part in putting her to rest for good.

But then a message came in. Ash raised an eyebrow – he hadn't expected one from his mother quite yet. She'd given him the heads up a while ago that she'd be really busy as she started to take her first tests.

If he didn't know better he'd say that Oz smirked at how fast he opened up the message. He just rolled his eyes and read a little greedily. It felt like forever since he'd talked to his mom.

Ash,

Hi, just wanted to check in on you! I hope training's been going well – if it's too hard then give me Steven's number and I'll make him give you some time off! Anyways I just wanted to apologize for not being able to call lately…all the professors seem to think they're my only class!

But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've learnt so much and gotten to meet so many brilliant people. I'd say there are even a few Samuel would have trouble keeping up with!

So how have you been? I know you haven't had a lot of spare time lately. You must be being worked to the bone! I bet all of you are getting so strong! Say hi to everyone for me…it's been strange not seeing Bruiser and Seeker around. I got so used to them! I'm glad they're with you now.

But besides my classes I've been spending a lot of time with your Uncle Spencer and Molly. I know you must be so tired of me talking about them but it's been amazing to see them so often! Do you think you'll be able to come to Johto some time this year? I know you're really busy being a big, bad member of the Elite Four but I think it would be a lot of fun for you to come to Greenfield or Goldenrod. I've told little Molly all about you.

I'll let you go now. I hope you weren't too bored reading this, Ashy. It feels like you've always got something exciting going on.

Love,

Mom

Ash curiously clicked on the attachment his mother had added. She hadn't really sent him pictures or anything before.

He blinked and leaned in a little closer once it loaded. Ash had to admit he was a tad surprised. There was a little stab of envy thrown in there too but that wasn't something he'd be telling anyone about.

"She looks happy," Ash muttered. He looked at the picture a little longingly as he saw his mother, Uncle Spencer, Molly, and Teddiursa all lounging in front of the Hale's massive mansion. It had been a long time since he'd seen those rolling green hills. Ash wouldn't say he was homesick but there was nothing like those in Hoenn. Hoenn was like an entirely different world.

Plume chirped at him and leaned over his shoulder to look at the picture. She cocked her head quizzically but didn't really seem to get what was so important about it.

"It's nothing," he brushed off her concern. He still smiled as she rubbed her face against his cheek. Ash appreciated that – it did make him feel a little better. Not that he was upset or anything. This wasn't a big deal. It was just that he hadn't seen his mother in a while and it was weird seeing her like this.

The picture wasn't anything too fancy. Great scenery, of course. Greenfield was beautiful if nothing else. The Hales were lucky to live in a place like that even though their mansion was a bit too fancy for Ash's tastes.

His mother and Spencer knelt next to each other, his arm around her shoulders and huge grins on both their faces – his mom looked like she was laughing at the funniest joke in the world.

That smile washed years off of her – she could be in her early twenties for all he could tell. Molly was dressed up in a Teddiursa costume for some reason (he had the sneaking suspicion his mother was involved) and hugging her Teddiursa so tight he was almost a little worried for it. The small creature looked cheerful, though.

They all did.

Ash stared at the image a little bit longer. They looked like a family. A full one that was just missing a son instead of a father. His mom was as happy as she'd ever been with her arms draped around Spencer and Molly, hugging the girl tight. She was laughing.

He exited away from the image and his mother's message. Ash would reply later.

Instead he just opened another notes section and set to work. Steven needed to know what he had planned for his team.

They'd talked about this before. But it had never been anything too concrete. Mostly it was Ash brainstorming and seeing if Steven thought it was a completely terrible idea or not. Steven hadn't given too much input these past weeks – he mostly just seemed interested in whipping Ash and his team into shape more than anything.

But Ash could see the wind blowing in a different direction. Steven thought his team could keep up now.

This was where the real work began. And if it distracted him – not that he needed to be distracted, no matter what Dazed seemed to think as she watched him from the corner – then all the better.

XX

Ash folded his arms and leaned against one of the thin, pale trees that filled the forest just outside Rustboro. It bent under his weight, slight as it was, but didn't break. That would've been a bit of a downer.

Most of his team were either at the apartment or in their pokeballs. This was private. Steven had grudgingly allowed him to leave the apartment while the older man went over the courses Ash had charted out for his teammates. It would take him some time to analyze the plans and prepare his feedback and Ash couldn't bear being cooped up anymore.

He needed to stretch his legs. Breathe some fresh air. Talk to Nidoking.

The aforementioned massive, purple individual stood right in front of him. Neither of them did much of anything. Ash didn't doubt that Nidoking knew why he'd brought him out here. His friend was smarter than most gave him credit for.

Ash didn't feel like being the first one to break this silence – tense, for once. He didn't know if this situation could actually be less awkward. It wasn't as if they didn't want to have this talk. It was just that there was something heavy between them. Some sort of mental wall that had built up over the past day.

No, that wasn't true. Ash wouldn't try and claim that. This wasn't something new. This had been building since Nidoking had evolved years before most of his species. Since he'd had an influx of hormones and primal instincts and urges that Ash wasn't sure his friend had been prepared for.

Nidoking had never been the most expressive member of the team. He'd always been firm and calm. Level-headed. That was something Ash would always respect. It was what made Nidoking the sort of leader that could keep a team with as many diverse personalities as theirs from falling apart. Even Infernus still respected Nidoking despite surpassing him in raw power. It wasn't just that Nidoking had always been strong, it was that he'd practically been born to lead.

Ash should have realized the problem sooner. Nidoking had been a tad reclusive and short-tempered since evolution but it hadn't been until New Island that things really went downhill. The Conference had stabilized him a bit, but it seemed that since they'd gotten to Hoenn his friend was more withdrawn than ever.

They were still close. Ash would die for Nidoking and Nidoking would die for him. It was as constant as the sun rising.

The problem was Nidoking would probably get himself killed if Ash died. He was too reliant. If it weren't for Ash there wouldn't be anything truly binding him to this world. No reason for him to go on. Ash had become his life and he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

Nidoking was friendly with the team. He was their leader, after all. He was the one to deal discipline and control the wildest members (and Infernus, who jumped right past wild and into raging wildfire). Plume got along well with him and so did Dazed.

Ash thought he and Torrent were as friendly as two monarchs could ever be. Bruiser and Seeker were respected as well, though they weren't especially close. Tangrowth was tolerated. Infernus was respected for his formidable ability if nothing else. Sneasel…well, Nidoking didn't despise him quite as much anymore. He doubted Nidoking and Oz would ever be friends.

Aron…well, there was Ash's hope. Nidoking actually enjoyed having him around. It was the only thing so far that had actually distracted Nidoking from constantly following Ash and acting as a massive, armored protector.

He appreciated Nidoking's constant companionship but he knew this had to stop.

What had happened yesterday had unraveled something in Nidoking. Ash had known his near-death would probably be harder on the poison-type than it would on Ash himself. But whatever misplaced guilt Nidoking was feeling was rotting him from the inside out.

His friend – no, his brother – could hardly even look at him anymore.

That was what he needed to fix first.

"Look at me," he said. Ash's hands shook just a little. He'd walked a long way to make it this far. Nidoking grudgingly crane his neck up until his narrow black eyes stared right into Ash's. "Good," Ash breathed. "What's up?"

Nidoking grunted and started to look away. He barely caught himself. His mighty, spiny tail swayed back and forth, the only sign of his discomfort.

"I almost died yesterday," Ash broke the silence. He honestly wasn't sure where he was going with this. Fire didn't guide him. Nor did Ice or Lightning. This was all him. Even Mewtwo seemed to withdraw.

As expected his friend let out a thunderous groan and smashed his tail into the earth. Little ripples emanated out from where it impacted, warping the ground like it was just water. He'd never get used to that.

"Relax," he raised a calming hand. Nidoking's nostrils still flared and Ash was pretty sure he was flashing back to yesterday but at least the heavy pressure filling the air had slackened somewhat. "I'm fine," Ash stressed. He held out a hand for Nidoking to sniff, as though to prove he was still here. Nidoking hesitantly leaned forward and tapped the tip of his face to his knuckles. His hot breath left tingles on Ash's knuckles.

"See?"

Nidoking reared back and ascended to his full height. Ash admired his friend for a moment – it was easy to forget Nidoking was hunched over most of the time. Right now he easily pushed past six feet. He might not be the best judge but he was fairly sure Nidoking was closer to seven feet than six.

"The reason I'm alive is you – and the rest of the team," he finished. Ash crossed his arms and casually looked up at his hulking friend. "I think it's time to realize that you aren't my only protector, buddy."

He winced at Nidoking's groan. His friend looked like he'd just been struck. His tail swished back and forth, agitated. Ash knew Nidoking would never hurt him but he needed to tread lightly.

"We're a family, Nidoking," he leaned forward and rested a hand against his friend's heavy armor. "Nobody has to bear these burdens alone. That's what makes us strong – we split up the load. I know you've had it hard," Ash whispered sympathetically. His grip on Nidoking tightened and his friend finally met his eyes again. "But it's time you hand off some of this responsibility. It's eating you up. It doesn't take Dazed or Claydol to see that."

The poison-type's claws clenched tightly together. Ash knew from experience that they could grind rock into powder with less effort than that.

Ash sighed. He should've taken care of this much, much earlier. It was only now he could see how much this had festered in the deepest, darkest parts of Nidoking. "I can't be your whole world."

If Nidoking's slit eyes and raised spines were anything to go by he didn't take kindly to that. Even Ash had to take a deep breath to avoid flinching at the display…the low groaning roar didn't help matters. It was like the earth itself was expressing its displeasure.

He just let his first friend get it out of his system. No good would come of trying to cut him off.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Ash said at last. He looked past Nidoking and out into the dim forest. Only thin rays of light pierced the foliage. It was oddly silent but he'd gotten used to that. Most wild pokemon weren't too interested in hanging around a massive Pidgeot or a grumpy Nidoking. "What do you care about besides me?"

Nidoking hesitated. His eyes roved, settling on nothing in particular. It looked like he genuinely didn't know the answer to that question. The mighty tail thumped rhythmically against the layer of moist vegetation covering the ground – not that it mattered. His connection to the earth was as strong as ever.

Ash sighed. "You need to let go, Nidoking."

His friend whined. Ash looked up jerkily. He hadn't heard a noise like that from his friend since he was a humble Nidoran. As far as he knew Nidoking couldn't even make a noise like that.

"I know it's hard, buddy," Ash stepped forward and took care to dodge Nidoking's spines as he hugged his friend's massive midsection. The leathery plates of armor all over him were surprisingly warm. He spoke into Nidoking's chest. "You know I love you. You were my first real friend on this journey – we're gonna be together forever," he said with certainty. But he squeezed his eyes shut. "But I need you to grow past me. There are others protecting me and others that need to be protected by you. Like Aron."

A massive arm wrapped around him. The blunt claws scraped lightly against the back of his shirt.

"I know it's a lot easier to say than do," Ash smiled and pulled away from the embrace so he could look up to meet Nidoking's black eyes. "It always is, isn't it?"

Nidoking chuffed slightly and nuzzled Ash's head. His horn just barely avoided piercing his skull.

"Just think on this. I want to help you. You can't continue on like this, bound just to me," the boy said to the beast. Nidoking was utterly silent. "We can talk on this later, okay? I just want you to at least consider it. Can you promise me that?"

In the end Nidoking took an entire minute before his mind was made up. He stepped back and extended his arm towards Ash, pausing when it was about a foot away from his trainer.

Ash grinned at the distinctly human gesture and took Nidoking's huge, solid claws in his smaller, softer hand. Whatever tension there was before dissipated as they shook on the deal and he felt his shoulders slump in relief.

This was all he could ask of his brother-in-arms.

"It's still light out," he pointed out after a few seconds of contemplation. Nidoking's ears twitched. "Want to explore a little?" Ash asked with a wry grin. "It's been a while since it's been just the two of us. It'll be like old times."

Nidoking's lips pulled up into what Ash knew to be a smile and his tail thumped the ground happily. He let Ash rest for a moment before following the boy's lead.

He didn't have any particular goal in mind – Ash just knew he was totally safe in these woods. They were strange in a pleasant sort of way. They were as different from the temperate forests of Kanto and Johto as could be yet they were just familiar enough to remind him of home.

In a way it was like they really were beginning a new journey. What had happened yesterday was a breaking point in Ash's mind…he felt a rare certainty that this was a new chapter of his life.

All there was to do now was to figure out whether it would be better than the last.

As he and Nidoking made their way through the forest, Ash talking and his friend silently listening like they had in the old days, he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

XX

Steven put his PokeNav down and looked over at Ash from his comfortable grey (of course) chair. It seemed like a king's throne thanks to Steven's quiet dignity. Ash sat on the couch across from him waiting for whatever judgment the former Champion might give.

"Good job."

Well that was a tad unexpected. Ash jerked up and waited for whatever else Steven was about to drop on him. That was how Steven worked, he'd learned. He liked to catch Ash off guard. Either he opened up with something positive then tore him down or vice versa.

It hadn't taken him that long to learn most of Steven's tics.

"That said, I think we have some things to discuss."

There it was.

"Like what?" Came his measured response. Steven just smiled at him.

"Oh, nothing too severe. You mapped out your plans quite well. I'm impressed by the creativity you've put into some," Steven congratulated him. Ash fought the urge to preen like Plume did when he paid her a compliment. "But I'm looking at Infernus' and I'm honestly confused."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "About what?" He thought he'd been pretty clear. It wasn't anything too crazy. Mostly he'd just explained how he wanted to start having Infernus try to psychically manipulate his flames.

Nothing too major. Ash just thought it might be a way for Infernus to get a little more precision in his blasts and maybe be able to take down flying opponents without teleporting on top of them. Plus it might let him focus his power a little more and stop being so wasteful. If he removed that flaw Infernus would honestly be much, much more formidable.

The only other thing he'd included was his plans for Infernus to negate Metagross' vacuum. Normally Ash would've held that strategy close to his chest but he didn't care about beating Steven so much any more.

Yesterday had taught him one thing: Ash needed to improve. Striving to beat Metagross was important but he'd rather take advantage of every bit of Steven's knowledge and experience. Survival in whatever battles were to come was much more important.

Besides, he had no doubt that even if Infernus did manage to penetrate the Vacuum with his heat that Metagross would just throw him halfway across Hoenn with their telekinesis. Disclosing one trick wasn't that big of a deal.

"Convection," Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully. His cheek twitched like he was holding back a smile. "Convection is the movement of heat from one place to the other by the movement of fluids."

"Yes?" Ash ventured hesitantly. He had the strangest feeling that Steven was going to make him feel really, really dumb. This must be how Jonathan felt every time he talked to Gary. Or Amelia. Or…well, the list went on and on.

Steven folded his hands together. "Do you know what a fluid is?"

"Gases and liquids," came the quick reply. Ash squinted at Steven. Where was he going with this?

"You're planning to penetrate Metagross' Vacuum technique by moving heat from Infernus' fires to Metagross via convection. Convection is the transfer of heat from one place to another via the movement of fluids – gas, in this case."

Ash nodded along. Wait…

Steven smirked. "Do you know what isn't in a vacuum?"

The groan that came out of Ash's mouth could've easily been mistaken for a low whine Sneasel would have emitted. But it wasn't. Ash didn't whine.

Instead he just hung his head in his hands. He was right. Steven did make him feel like an idiot.

"I'll forward you a physics notebook my father gave me when I became a trainer," his mentor chuckled. Steven seemed perfectly content to just watch Ash's misery. "It has some basic definitions that might do you some good. I assure you it's a very useful tool if you use it correctly."

"Thanks," Ash grumbled. He tried to ignore Sneasel's hissing giggle from across the room. At least Tangrowth seemed sympathetic if the thick vine gently squeezing his hand was anything to go by. "I wasted so much time on that."

Steven seemed a little too amused by that. "Ah yes, it happens to the best of us. Trust me when I say I've run into similar issues in the past – not that I can think of any off the top of my head, of course."

"Of course," Ash agreed easily. He frowned and scratched his chin thoughtfully. Just one of the tics he'd picked up from Steven as of late. "Well since that's a bust…how would you penetrate Metagross' Vacuum?"

His mentor laced his long pale fingers together and nodded approvingly. Claydol levitated out of Steven's room and levitated behind him, circling slowly as though to let every single one of its 'faces' see the room. "Fantastic question. I was wondering when you'd ask."

Steven rose – though he looked as though he regretted that decision when Sneasel clambered up onto his seat and settled comfortably. The chair would be more black than grey soon enough.

"Ugh," the former Champion sighed and massaged his temples. Ash thought Claydol seemed faintly amused if anything. It was hard to tell with the mysterious pokemon, though. "As I was saying, that was a good question. There's a few options."

Ash waited patiently. Steven was being surprisingly helpful. Maybe he should've approached him sooner. But for now he would just sit and listen as Steven started making himself a glass of an amber liquid and what looked like some kind of soda.

"Vacuum is honestly only really useful against fire-types and melee fighters," came the thoughtful reply. Steven gave Ash a sideways look as he sipped from his glass. It glittered as though it were shaped from crystal. "And to be honest if Metagross weren't already fairly resistant to fire-types it wouldn't be that much of a help. Propulsion based fire-types aren't as inhibited, though fuel based fire-types –" Steven coughed and shook himself out of his lecturing state. "My apologies. Essentially it's mostly a way to manage the worst of fire-types and ensuring that nothing can get close to Metagross."

He nodded. That was something Ash had already pieced together. "But how can Infernus get through it?" Ash pressed. "There has to be a way."

"My solution is admittedly crude and simple – much like Infernus himself," a brief smile graced Steven's features as he took another sip from the glass. "Have Infernus teleport on top of Metagross and do his best to break Metagross' focus. It won't be easy but I think it will work better than any refined technique."

"Not what I would've expected from Steven Stone," Ash grinned. Oz swaggered into the room (probably at the mention of Infernus) and took her place at his side. Sneasel eyed her warily but seemed more concerned with making sure he kept his new bed. "Normally you're a bit more…elaborate."

Steven smirked and stood next to Claydol, resting a gentle hand on the construct. The other was wrapped tightly around his drink. "Well, when all you have is a hammer…"

Even Oz just shook her head. All that showed she was amused was her flared nostrils and an odd whirr that reverberated all through the room, like it came from the very depth of her chest. To be honest it almost sounded like she was purring.

Ash smiled and gently rubbed behind one of the crests on Oz's forehead. He was sure to be gentle. Those crests were how Oz detected electric fields so well, one of the main advantages she had against some other electric-types like Raichu. Honestly he was just happy she was comfortable enough with him to let Ash touch her.

But he frowned suddenly. With his mind on Metagross one of the most pressing – and honestly confusing – issues he'd been thinking of lately came to the forefront.

"What happened with Metagross?"

"I'm sorry?" Steven sounded almost flustered. Ash sent a hard look his way. The former Champion almost deflated.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Fine," his teacher stroked his chin thoughtfully. He exhaled tiredly. "To be honest I'd hoped to avoid this conversation for some time yet. Unfortunately the events of yesterday forced my hand."

Ash just waited as a pregnant silence filled the room. Even Sneasel had perked up at this. It seemed his team were just as curious about Metagross' transformation as Ash was.

"I don't suppose you've ever heard of Mega Evolution?"

Steven didn't seem the least bit surprised when Ash shook his head. Mega Evolution? The term made sense, given what he'd seen, but it still seemed so fantastical…

"I didn't think so," Steven said. His eyes hardened just a tad. "You must understand, Ash, what I'm about to tell you is a closely guarded secret of the League."

"I'll add it to the list," he snarked back. Steven's disapproving frown shut him right up. "Sorry."

"I suppose it's fine. You have more a right to say that than anyone else I can think of," his mentor actually laughed after a moment. "Mega Evolution is one of our best kept tools. Before the Last War it was known only to a scant few. The Draconids and the leaders of Sootopolis guarded its knowledge in Hoenn. But Kalos…well, the Lumiose League has incorporated it into their traditions for centuries. It was their greatest weapon against the National League when we stormed Unova, a way to balance our numbers with their raw power. And, in defeat, it was their way of setting us all on equal ground. A peace offering like none we'd seen before."

Ash nodded, enraptured, but decided to interrupt before Steven could wax on any longer. "But what is it?"

"An excellent question but unfortunately we still don't totally understand it," Steven shook his head. Knowing Steven that drove the former Champion absolutely crazy. He wasn't one to enjoy unknowns. "From what we do understand it's a temporary transformation spurred on by the input of energy from what we call a Key Stone," the man flipped the inside of his lapel out to reveal the strange piece of jewelry hidden within, "which reacts with a Mega Stone unique to every pokemon in order to induce the Mega Evolution. There's steady research into the process but considering how closely we guard the knowledge…"

"It's basically going nowhere," Ash finished just a tad bitterly. He wasn't too dissimilar from Steven or Professor Oak in that he liked to know what was going on. Then again considering what sort of entities he found himself consorting with on a regular basis he might be able to get one of them to reveal the secrets. "So who gets it?"

Steven's spirits lifted a bit with that. "Each region's Elite Four and Champion are provided with Mega Stones and Key Stones by the Lumiose League should they hold a pokemon with the potential for Mega Evolution."

"So they don't all have the ability?" Ash raised an eyebrow. That seemed a little strange. He'd have thought they all had that power.

"Theoretically they do," Steven nodded. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But in practice the Lumiose League has only unearthed a small number of Mega Stones."

Ash leaned in, his curiosity more than obvious. His hands shook just a little. Even the heavy presence infesting his mind didn't dare to interrupt. "Where do they come from? None of this sounds –"

"Natural?" Steven smirked. Ash dumbly nodded. "That's the current theory. I don't know who or what could have made them, however. We've found our fair share of strange artifacts before, but this isn't like an invention of a psychic commune. With the resurgence in the Legends we've considered them but haven't proven anything. Perhaps the Aur –" he cut himself off very quickly.

"Who?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself as of yet. I still have to have a few secrets of my own," came the useless response. Ash scowled. He'd have to find a way to draw it out of Steven.

Ash didn't say anything for a while as he puzzled over the new information. Steven hadn't really bothered to piece too much together for him. He'd answered his questions and given him tantalizing little hints of knowledge but he knew the former Champion well enough to know that he wanted Ash putting this mystery together himself.

There was a lot to think about. He'd be up all night pondering over all this.

But there was only one real question he had left. It was potentially the most important of them all.

"Will I get access to it?"

"In time," came the quick reply – too quick, in Ash's opinion. But Ash didn't press. Not yet. "You're still in training," Steven explained. "When you're more experienced I will likely be the one to train you in its use. We have an Aggronite and Pidgeotite stored away somewhere…" he muttered. "And there might be others for your team given time."

"Understood," Ash dipped his head. He wondered just what Aron and Plume would like Mega Evolved. It was such a foreign notion to him that he couldn't even hazard a guess.

Steven watched him blankly for a few moments. Claydol just kept casually spinning around. Ash wished telepathy wasn't crippling to him right now. It had been an interesting psychic to talk to and he wouldn't mind getting to know it in a more casual setting.

Claydol had definitely caught Dazed's attention, Ash smirked.

"I think it's best we talk about your plans for your team another time. We became more sidetracked than I'd anticipated," Steven admitted. Ash nodded – he had enough to think about already with the revelation of Mega Evolution. His whole worldview was practically shattered.

He stood and took just a moment to stretch. They'd been sitting longer than he'd realized. Oz offered a bulky forearm he gratefully took. His body was weaker than the norm thanks to the potions still burning through his system.

To be honest it was probably about time he got to bed. At the very least he needed to put this in his notes and start listing out everything he'd noticed from the Mega Evolved Metagross. From what Steven said Metagross would revert to its normal state sooner or later but he'd like to have an idea of the power granted Mega Evolution granted.

"One last thing before you leave, Ash," Steven sounded almost hesitant. He was a little too still for Ash's liking. "What was it I saw yesterday? Your Feather – I could feel the power emanating from it. Your eyes burned like a psychic's. I had no idea it could hold such a direct influence in the world."

Ash was silent. The Feather jolted and burned him in equal measure. He even felt pleasant cold lace through his veins – the frozen touch of Ice rather than Mewtwo's malignant breath. It was something he'd felt far less than Fire or Lightning but it was welcomed all the same.

"I wish I could tell you. This Feather – even I know nothing about it beyond what you already know," he admitted. One of his hands brushed it unconsciously. Ash couldn't help but take comfort in its warmth. "They don't give up their secrets easily."

"That they don't," Steven agreed with a note of exhaustion. He took a longer sip of his drink and looked deep into the dark liquid. "Good night, Ash."

"Good night," he repeated as he walked past the quiet man. Sneasel lazily hitched a ride on Oz as she passed, though was quick to sheathe his claws after a deep whir erupted from Oz's throat. Tangrowth didn't seem to have any idea what was going on and just tried to snake a tentative vine towards Claydol.

"We'll be leaving for Slateport tomorrow," the former Champion said to him as he passed. Ash didn't pause – he'd seen it coming. He was fine with it. It didn't seem like there was much more to do in Rustboro, to be honest. "Make sure you're ready to leave by sunrise. I'd like to get there by noon."

He nodded. That was about what he'd expected. Steven was the type to feel like he wasted the day if he didn't get up by dawn. And, much to Ash's annoyance, he was rapidly becoming the same way.

Oh well. He couldn't complain too much. They did have a lot to do.

Besides, he couldn't be too disappointed. He'd heard good things about Slateport from Lance, though those were mostly about the girls there. But he knew their Summer Festival had started just a few days ago so that made him a little more interested than usual. Who knew what kind of strong trainers might flock there? Ash would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to a good fight.

But for now he could put that out of his mind. He had other things to think about.

And no matter what happened Slateport awaited him.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world but I thought it was important to get it out as soon as possible. Besides, I think Ash and co. could use the rest.

Please review or PM me with what you thought of the chapter! As always I really value all feedback and try to get back to everyone who contributes to the story.

Now there's one thing I'd like to get everyone's opinions on: a . It's something several people have recommended to me but I'm more than a little hesitant and would like all of your opinions on.

One thing I'd like to clarify is that even if I do set one up I would still strive to update as frequently as possible and as often as I could. It would just be a way to make things a little easier for me. Nobody would have to worry about me holding back updates for donations or anything absurd like that – Traveler is something I love writing as much as anyone else could enjoy reading it.

Anyways just something I've been thinking about. Again, please review! I hope to have the next update out as soon as possible. My semester has been more than a little crazy but it's almost over and I'll have a one month break.

Thanks for being so patient!