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.

51. Chapter 51: The Ice Path

Any onlooker would have thought it a scene out of a storybook.

A young boy stood behind a glorious Beast, the two joined as one in the face of a small army arrayed before them. Their opponents stood across the misty lake, and human and pokemon alike stared at them with wide eyes.

"What is that?" Amelia cried even as Gary blanched. "What the hell -"

Ash and Suicune observed as one. Through his burning eyes the world was tinted gold, as if the idyllic mountains were suddenly bathed in harsh sunlight. He saw through Suicune's sun-filled eyes and the Beast watched through his. They were extensions of one greater spirit.

"This is your test. Fight to kill," Ash's voice rang throughout the valley, carried by the wind itself. It was inhumanly calm and filled with inhuman serenity. Innumerable pokemon arrived as Suicune's presence surged throughout the mountains. The onlookers began to gather on the edges of the valley. They lined every tree, peered from every peak. "You're not facing my team. You're facing Suicune."

Ash - no, Suicune - stepped forward into the lake that dominated the valley. It was the convergence of nearly a dozen bubbling mountain streams that ran down and filled it from the peaks. Every impurity within the lake was purged from it the moment his paw brushed the rippling surface. Soil, a few stray remnants of an Ariados' venom that had dirtied the waters, and a slight imbalance in the acidity of the lake...all wiped away in a moment. His purity would not abide such corruption. The pokemon that hid in the lakebed would sleep easier tonight.

But now, it was time for battle.

They laid their eyes on their opponents. Amelia, Jonathan, and Gary's teams stared with obvious hesitance. Not a single one dared to meet Suicune or Ash's eyes, and most trembled as they fell to the ground in reverence. Their trainers weren't much better. Amelia rested on her knees. Jonathan's jaw might never open again. Gary... Gary's eyes were wide and his face was white as his entire body shook.

That wouldn't do. They needed motivation.

Suicune howled.

The lake water leapt up at its masters command, the entire lake trembling and writhing in tune with the cry. Fierce gales swept the trees and the rustle of leaves filled the air as the winds coursed through them. Pokemon throughout the mountains - the entire Mahogany territory, rather - howled and screeched and roared their fury as Suicune's hunger for battle, long-cooled by its Legendary nature, blazed and filled the hearts and minds of everything that heard it.

Their foes straightened, eyes filled with raw determination. The division between the different teams thinned, then vanished altogether as they focused on a much greater presence.

Charizard roared, already coated with a coat of flames as Blaze activated from the very onset of the battle. Jonathan's Fearow flanked Charizard, ready to pick apart any openings Charizard granted it. Gary's ridiculously huge Pidgeot shot into the skies alongside Charizard, a shriek to rival Plume's let loose as it became little more than a black dot in the sky. Yanma flitted out and hid amongst the thin scattering of trees in an island near the center of the lake. Its attempts to hide were fruitless, sadly. Ash could sense it the moment the wind brushed the insect.

Ash grinned madly as hundreds of pokemon for miles around shrieked and howled and roared in unison, stirred into a frenzy by Suicune's second call. The wind had beckoned them, and every observer waited patiently as the battle began in earnest.

Alakazam played an essential part in what was to come. Ash felt his influence brush the universe, twisting and pulling at things the psychic could never fully comprehend, and immediately Arcanine, Nidoqueen, and Scizor were teleported to the central island. They didn't bother to take cover in the thick grasses and foliage, instead calling out their challenges to the Legend that waited in quivering anticipation. Moments later, Clefable teleported members of Jonathan and Amelia's teams into the battle - Rhydon, Magneton, Ivysaur, Raticate, Kangaskhan, Raichu, Bellossom, Pinsir, and Ariados immediately manifested alongside Gary's team ready for combat.

The water-types of Amelia and Jonathan's teams slowly spread around the lake in groups of two or three. Wisely, not a single one of them was willing to stand alone against the mighty Suicune.

Kingler clung to Gyarados, its massive pincer snapped onto Gyarados' massive fin and dragged alongside the sea serpent as Gyarados surged through the water - he was perhaps the only pokemon here larger than Suicune, though it wouldn't avail him. They would be the muscle of the water-types, it seemed.

Amelia's team slowly circled the lake in an attempt to remain unnoticed. They couldn't hide from Ash, however. He could sense each as the wind parted and stirred the water, and through the lake itself - as soon as they entered it, they were known to him. Politoed, Dewgong, and Tentacruel drifted carefully. He had to admit he was impressed. Without Suicune's perception, they would have vanished entirely beneath the waves.

As for Blastoise...well, it powered through the crystal clear water at incredible speed for such a hulking creature. Its massive shell, easily in excess of five hundred pounds, didn't hinder it whatsoever as it surged forth to join the rest of Gary's team.

Due to their Distorted nature, Umbreon and Houndoom were forced to wait for Pidgeot's massive talons to snatch them up and taxi them to the island while the others organized. Ash and Suicune relished the tension that filled the air like a static charge. Nothing for miles around could escape the energy begging to be unleashed.

There were no illusions here: this wouldn't be a long battle. Every pokemon in a hundred miles could join Jonathan, Gary, and Amelia and it wouldn't change a thing. Suicune was a Legend, after all. And with their connection, deepened with every breath, Ash knew just how enormous the difference was.

If Suicune took this seriously, an errant breath could conjure a howling gale to tear their opponents apart. A glance could cleanse the water in their bodies of impurities - all those pesky organic compounds essential for life. Or a simple brush could impart blissful tranquility. No need to fight, after all. No need to eat, or drink, or think. Contentment could be the most dangerous lure of all.

That was ignoring the power in Ash - Suicune, he corrected. It thrummed, pouring from an infinite font of an origin he couldn't put his finger on. There was no core or evident source - no, Suicune's body was an ephemeral and unnecessary thing, shaped as a reflection of its identity. Did the world itself supply Suicune, the Concept manifested from the natural forces?

His head dizzied, and he pushed such thoughts to the side. This was the time to fight, not think.

Winds raged, the pitter patter of raindrops against earth and leaves and the pond intensified, and the battle began.

The subtlest disturbances in the atmosphere warned him of the initial barrage - linked by Alakazam's incredible mind and powers, the army arrayed on the central island of the pond struck. Through his perception, Ash was able to pick out each and every single attack that flew their way.

Explosive discharges of electricity which lanced through the air with uncanny accuracy, gouts of flame that burned slow and dim in Suicune's presence, sizzling Hyper Beams that tore their way through the air, heavy boulders sent sailing, and storms of leaves and Solar Beams - altogether, it formed a veritable wall of offensive power that would obliterate anything unlucky enough to face it.

The sneaky water-types still made their move behind the cover of the middle group - Gyarados and Kingler attracted the most attention as the sea serpent bulldozed its way through the waves with a savage roar that boomed over the whistling winds as the gentle rain picked up - and prepared to close in. As soon as Suicune was harried by the overwhelming assault, they would close in as pincers to take advantage of its distraction. The flying-types would continue to pick their massive foe apart -

Well, that's how it would have gone.

With a simple desire, the water of the lake leapt to Suicune's command. It did not froth and tremble and twist as it did for Torrent. He had to fight the water, force it to bend to his will and manipulations. For Suicune the water was eager and fluid, an extension of itself rather than a separate entity to be dominated and leashed.

Countless threads of crystal-clear water exploded before Suicune, each like a ribbon or tendril that struck out like Tangrowth's vines to meet the incoming barrage - even Ash could hardly keep up as thousands upon thousands of thin, liquid tentacles lashed against the assault. Each thread picked out a different attack - several of the whips speared the smoking plumes of flame and burning Hyper Beams and exploded into vast pillars of steam, others easily shredded apart boulders with terrifying efficiency until they were little more than a pile of pebbles sinking into the lake, and individual leaves were picked out of the sky.

All this was done in less than a second.

One moment a wall of death had steadily zeroed in on Ash and Suicune, the next it had been picked apart by the numberless threads shaped of water and thought. Another second passed, and the water tendrils had smoothly settled back into the lake. The only proof the attack had ever happened were a few clouds of dissipating steam, a few minor tremors in the water, and the sharp crack of ozone in the air.

His friends were speechless, yet the fury Suicune had filled them with didn't abate. He knew every word they uttered as soon as it passed their lips, every frenzied command and tactic - Ash thought his own orders and suggestions and the North Wind vanished away into nothing from where its massive form rested atop the lake water.

Charizard's Flamethrower - weakened as it was - still kicked up a massive pillar of scalding steam as it devoured the spot where Suicune had stood. It would have shrouded Ash's vision completely without Suicune's senses. A good move on Jonathan and Charizard's part. The dragon, realizing its attack had failed, swerved upward alongside Fearow with a furious cry.

For a heartbeat, the entire battlefield seemed to still. Ash sensed Amelia's team working with Alakazam and Clefable's help to prepared something, then the battle resumed.

Politoed, Dewgong, and Tentacruel burbled beneath the water as Suicune's marvelous form, truly titanic in size compared to the water-types, materialized alongside them. The Beast's eyes burned with the power of the sun below the waves, and an instant later the three pokemon flew from the water, as though the lake itself had rejected them. They soared high - twenty feet, then thirty - and even Alakazam's quick intervention to soften their fall didn't protect them.

Each were quickly returned as they landed heavily against the rocky shore, the first to be removed from the fight. The other pokemon all stared at the swift defeat, and Ash could feel the dread radiating outward from them all. Whatever illusions they had of a hard-fought battle, a chance to stand up strong against the Legend, had been tossed away.

He didn't miss the blatant shock of his friends, either. Jonathan and Amelia rubbed their eyes as Gary folded his arms and scowled. Ash and Suicune offered them a brief respite, but the moment they barked out more orders Suicune followed Ash's next whispered suggestion.

It would have been child's play for Suicune to defeat every pokemon arrayed against them in a breath. A massive wave to wash them all away, even just sprinting to them and bowling through them with the Beast's incredible bulk - it was easily several times larger than Arcanine, looming larger than life.

There was no fun in that, however. They would follow a process here, taking the battle as Ash himself would handle it.

With their mobility, there was no point bothering with the massive group of pokemon on the central island yet. Suicune was untouchable to them. To be fair it was untouchable to the others too, but…

Suicune manifested itself atop the waves again, its four feet settling naturally on the water's surface. As their opponents stared, a surge of satisfaction filled Suicune and it moved. Even Ash could barely keep track of the great Beast as it raced across the waves with impossible speed and grace - it avoided a Hyper Beam from Gary's gigantic Pidgeot with a quick turn that would have broken a pokemon of flesh and blood - and shot toward Gyarados. The raging sea serpent thrashed wildly, spitting a column of white light that vaporized a trough of water that roared as it filled in the space.

He - Suicune - leapt to avoid a swipe from Gyarados' massive tail, then manifested itself from the sheen of water dripping from Gyarados' ridged back to avoid Kingler's glowing claw. Gyarados sagged as the weight of the Beast appeared from nowhere on the back, yet Suicune had no trouble holding on with its dull claws. Kingler loosed its main claw from Gyarados' plates and skittered towards Suicune with snapping claws.

Even Suicune's serenity bent at the sight of Kingler surging directly at it in a head-on assault, heedless of the rampaging Gyarados beneath their feet. It charged, came within a foot of Suicune, then the Beast errantly swiped it hundreds of feet to the side with its plate-sized paw. Kingler skipped across the water once, twice, three times...then smacked into a tall boulder and fell to the beach with a thunk.

Jonathan recalled the brave water-type, and the battle proceeded.

As Gyarados spat and bucked, Charizard, Fearow, and Pidgeot saw their chance. Suicune waited patiently. The fliers circled high above, Charizard swooped - Yanma, guided by Alakazam, loosed a high-pitched Supersonic directly at the Beast. It was muffled and nullified by a sudden torrent of rain and wind, yet the bug-type shot forward at impossible speed - it was nothing but a red-green blur as it slammed into Suicune's side.

Or, it would have. As Yanma implemented its distraction, a gaping hole opened in Suicune's body right where Yanma would have impacted. It was smooth and clear, and Yanma was traveling too quickly to reorient. Yanma shot through Suicune's suddenly open body without any form of resistance and was immediately swatted down by a tendril of water, though the tentacle helpfully carried the bug-type hundreds of yards to rest by Jonathan and Amelia.

He and Suicune couldn't help the flicker of amusement that perturbed their battle-lust. That particular tactic had been inspired by the Crystal Entei's manipulation of its physical form. In its battle with the League and the true Beasts it had been able to shift its body to avoid attacks - a smart idea for something with a malleable form, and something that Ash was eager to test with Suicune.

Their opponents didn't pause. Charizard, uncaring that Suicune stood atop one of his teammates, blazed with heat. Moments later, a truly enormous explosion of heat, smoke, and flame bathed Suicune's previous position, though the Beast dashed to avoid it. Suicune dashed around Fearow's sharp beak as the avian swooped in, and even avoided a blazing Hyper Beam from Gary's Pidgeot: it had a single target, and Charizard barely had time to cry out before Suicune effortlessly propelled itself hundreds of feet into the air and smashed its glittering crest straight into Charizard's thick belly.

Charizard dropped like a sack. Suicune fell and landed easily on the water, and ran on its surface back to Gyarados as the serpent swerved back to rush towards the Legend. Without Kingler latched on, Gyarados propelled itself faster than ever through the water. Ash paused a moment to simply enjoy the pleasure of running atop the waves, though wherever Suicune stepped the waves calmed and flattened in the face of Suicune's perfection.

Suicune dashed around a second volley of attacks from the island pokemon, swatted Fearow down as it shot in for a Drill Peck, and met Gyarados in the center of the lake. The raging beast met Ash - Suicune's sun-filled eyes, and a great peace filled its spirit. Gyarados slowed, eyes wide as it took in a pure world wiped clean of his ever-present rage and fury. He pulled away from the battle and swam back to Jonathan to admire his trainer with a clear mind.

With tranquility spread to another soul, Suicune turned to face Pidgeot. It was the last of the fliers. Once it was taken down, Suicune could effortlessly overwhelm the pokemon on the island. No need for anything flashy - Amelia's team had already begun to implement their plan, and Ash would rather nip it in the bud.

Their link was already tested. They were joined, but Suicune's serenity was not meant to be broken. Ash's battle-lust was slowly being overcome by the enormity of Suicune's spirit, and it wouldn't be long now before the connection would need to be severed for both their sake (but mostly Ash's).

Ash's eyes followed Pidgeot as it was caressed by the wind. Suicune effortlessly pulled the winds around it backwards - Pidgeot's bulk put all of its power into trying to escape, but the gales only grew stronger and stronger until Pidgeot's body failed. It was swept around in a stream of roaring winds, and the creature was absolutely helpless as it crashed into the lake. The water stole away most of Pidgeot's momentum, saving it the worst of the injuries. Moments later it was carried away by the lake and deposited safely at Gary's feet.

Suicune turned to face the island the rest of the pokemon were deposited on by Alakazam and Clefable - as it did, Blastoise fired twin high pressure blasts straight into Suicune. The water simply merged with Suicune's form harmlessly, and Ash just shook his head. Who thought using water against Suicune was a good idea?

As he scoffed, Alakazam and Clefable both teleported inches away from Suicune, supported on the waves by a sudden floe of ice that appeared thanks to an Ice Beam from one of the other pokemon. Curious, Ash and Suicune allowed the clumsy manipulation of space-time to proceed. A simple thought would have shattered their hold, but they went with it and Suicune was teleported directly…

His lips quirked into a smile. Clever.

The North Wind, the embodiment of the cooling rains that ended the inferno which devoured the Brass Tower, was teleported into a massive, dry and hot pit on the island. It was sealed with a huge, superheated stone laid atop the opening. Arcanine had bathed it in flame, melting the sand and stone to slag and boiling any trace of moisture still in the hole. It still glowed hot and orange, heat rippling the air.

It was just about the only option they had left. So far only a few short minutes had passed since Suicune appeared, and already their harrying forces of water and flying-types had been effortlessly obliterated. They'd seen how unstoppable Suicune was on the water and its command over wind and decided to remove it from those elements entirely.

A dark, scorched, claustrophobic pit... it was as far removed from Suicune's identity as anything Ash could imagine. It galled him, the removal from the wind and rain a discomfort that filled his entire being - he needed to fit this.

Suicune simply manifested in the wind above. As soon as its heavy paws touched the superheated slab that had buried it, the burning stone instantly cooled to a chill. The arrayed pokemon immediately sagged in defeat, realizing their gambit had failed.

It was time to end this.

The surrounding pokemon were hurled away with a sudden gale that came in from the northern mountains. Each was pelted with cool rain as the stormclouds darkened.

Gary, Amelia, Jonathan, and all of their team froze.

The lake itself rose from the seabed. It wasn't psychically manipulated like how Lugia had levitated the ocean back in the Shamouti Islands - Suicune simply desired the lake to rise, and it did. Water flowed and raised higher and higher until it stood in an enormous spire easily higher than most of the surrounding mountains - it did not swirl or froth. Suicune held the column aloft effortlessly. It was as still and smooth as a mirror, similar to Suicune's own crest.

It held the water aloft for a time in the form of a titanic wave that loomed above them all - if Suicune wish it could flood the mountains for miles upon miles with the lake at its disposal. Entire mountainsides would be washed clean, dirt and forests wiped away in an instant and purified to its primordial state.

A terrible dread fell over the pokemon and trainers. They realized they'd never had a chance…

And then Suicune eased the towering wave back to its original state. The lake flowed easily back into the damp lakebed, gently returning to its home with minimal disturbance. Seconds later, the lake was restored and it seemed as though nothing at all was amiss.

The pokemon knew when they were beaten. Gary, Amelia, and Jonathan silently recalled their teams and collapsed to their knees, utterly stunned by the weight of what they'd just witnessed.

He smiled gently.

Suicune manifested before him in a howl of wind. It held a certain lightness to it, a brief glimpse of relief from a long-held burden of curiosity and wistfulness. The Beast's serenity rapidly overpowered Ash's own Flame, and he felt their deep connection vanish as if swept away by a gust of wind…

Ash fell forward. The Beast was gracious enough to catch him with a raised paw. His shirt was instantly soaked through, and he nodded thankfully at Suicune.

"Thank you," he whispered to Suicune. Ash was left hollow and faded with the loss of their connection - he still felt a faint connection to the North Wind, a new Concept within him, when he focused, but the purity of Suicune's perception… he couldn't compare it to a limb or something as mundane as a sense. It was a higher state, a higher plane. It was the truth as Suicune knew it. "You honored us."

Faint amusement radiated from Suicune. It sat on its haunches and the mist that flew from its back dissipated gently into the wind. Suicune's sun-filled eyes looked down at Ash, and he grinned.

Ash sat at Suicune's feet, relishing the soothing brush of the wind and rain. All his worries washed away into the ether.

He raised the Flute to his lips, embraced Suicune's peace, and played.

The North Wind howled with him.

XX

An hour later, the Pallet Four rested together back at their original campsite. The cold, dreary weather was pushed back by a raging fire that restored a little precious warmth to their numb hands. He lazily glanced between the others - they all sat facing him on logs and rocks, utterly silent. Even after all this time they still looked like he was some kind of alien creature.

He allowed his elbows to rest on his knees and sighed. Suicune had disappeared moments after they shared one last Song together. A wind had rushed past them, and when it passed the Beast was gone with it.

Ash still felt something missing. To experience the world like that again… he craved it. Something deep within him demanded it, to be one with the world instead of a flawed participant. It was right. Natural.

Suicune had opened his eyes to something greater. Something he would never forget.

Perhaps Suicune had shown a certain psychic tagalong the same thing. Ash had felt Mewtwo's presence in the back of his mind, yet it was steady and subtle. Even when he dared to focus upon it in hopes of seeking out whatever glimpses he could grasp, Mewtwo simply pulled away with ease. It was as distant as the stars in the sky.

"So…" Jonathan's eyes burned a hole in Ash's forehead. He'd taken his hat off earlier and idly turned it in his hands. "Is that thing, like, your pet or something?"

Ash blinked. The Lake of Rage surged, and winds howled.

"No!" he said as firmly as he could. Jonathan nodded dumbly. "This was special. I can't… I can't just call on Suicune whenever I want. It's not like that. Suicune came because it wanted to. It traveled with me after Ecruteak, and before we went our separate ways I asked it if it would help me test all of you."

Amelia cut in. She looked at Ash like he was an absolutely fascinating laboratory specimen. "It really was you in Ecruteak," she whispered. Gary immediately broke out of his stupor and paid more attention. "Some of the news stations said you were linked to all that weird stuff, but I always thought they were crazy. I thought they just wanted views."

He hummed and brushed a piece of pine straw off his hat. It really was satisfying. No wonder Dazed liked to keep her pendulum so polished. "I guess they were right."

"Where'd you meet the Legendary Beasts?" Gary asked. He still appeared deep in thought. "You seemed pretty familiar with Suicune. You knew how to call it."

Ash shrugged. "They helped out at Greenfield."

Amelia chuckled unconvincingly. "We're going to have to get you to tell the full story one of these days," she brushed a few brown hairs out of her eyes. "Unown, the Legendary Beasts, and who knows what else. Did Celebi pop up too? How about…" she trailed off. "Wait, are the Lake Guardians real?"

He sent her another noncommittal shrug. "Probably. I haven't met them," Ash started, then squeezed his eyes shut as a faint wisp of a memory appeared in his thoughts. The Guardians of the Lakes, the Fractured Mind of the One bound two Orbs, one faceted and one smooth, to the victorious grin of a madman. The memory, the faintest recollection of the timeless secrets the Unown had revealed to him, faded away. "They're real," he clenched his fists.

The other Pallet trainers shared strange looks - even Gary seemed a little disconcerted.

"Oookay then," Jonathan mumbled. It didn't take him long to brighten up again. "Hey! Can you call Suicune back? It would be cool if we could get a picture with it. I want to be able to tell people I pet it…"

Ash massaged his temples. This was going to be a long night.

XX

"Have you had any more challengers?" Ash said after finishing his rice ball. "I know it's still pretty early in the season."

Pryce shook his head as he prepared the next skewer of his meal, a traditional meal of northern Johto called kiritanpo. "I'm afraid not. It's been a slow week," he took a bite. A member of the staff quickly hurried another plate over. This was Pryce's favorite restaurant in Mahogany, and it was obvious in how diligently the staff treated their table. He had claimed he came here with his wife all the time and Ash believed it. He sent Ash a sly look. "There have been plenty of new arrivals, though. Apparently Ash Ketchum has been spotted training near Mahogany…"

He grimaced. "Well, it's a good thing he'll be moving on soon.

"I'd say so," Pryce chuckled and sipped his tea. His eyes were sharp as ever. "They even say he fought a hundred Gyarados that attacked him at the Lake of Rage."

"They'd be mistaken," Ash scowled. He ripped another bite off his skewer. "It was fifteen at best."

The Gym Leader just shook his head. "Somehow I don't think that would make a difference. Fifteen Gyarados...there are only forty confirmed to live in the Lake of Rage. You fought nearly half of them."

He frowned at that. "I had help."

"Those friends of yours?" Pryce arched a white eyebrow. "Strong, certainly. They did well in our battle."

"You know them?"

"How could I not?" Pryce scoffed. "The boy - James, I believe? As soon as he sent his Charizard out he declared he was trying to get strong enough to beat you. I'd have to be deaf to miss it."

Ash sighed and leaned back in his chair. That definitely sounded like Jonathan. "That's right. Jonathan and Amelia helped me."

"But you provided the muscle and the direction."

He didn't argue that.

Pryce took another sip of his tea. "The rumors also say Gary Oak is here as well. I suppose that might explain why my humble town hasn't been completely overwhelmed by guests."

Ash nodded. "That's right. He arrived right after we fought the Gyarados. We'll actually be going to Blackthorn together."

"He's a rude child," Pryce remarked. "You might be a good influence on him, Elite Four Ash. I think he needs a friend. Anger like that... it doesn't come out of nowhere."

He flushed at his title. "I'll see what I can do."

Pryce set his cup of tea aside. "So you'll be battling Clair soon?"

Ash's eyes lit up. "Yes! We're taking the Ice Path, but it should only take us about four days to get to Blackthorn. Once we're there...well, I can't wait to face Clair. Everyone's told me how strong she is."

"Strong, yes. Brilliant, yes. I think you'll find a good match in her," Pryce smiled. "She's a wonderful trainer, though she doesn't take kindly to being overshadowed by Lance."

He filed that information away for later use. If he could rile Clair up... well, it might be the edge he needed. She had something like a decade of experience on him, after all. He could use every edge he could get. Then again, he'd prefer not to alienate her too much. There was a difference between poking at someone during a battle and being a Gary. "Who wouldn't be? Lance is hard to live up to…" he trailed off.

The old trainer nodded simply in agreement. "Champion Lance casts quite the shadow, doesn't he?"

Ash snorted. "That's an understatement."

Pryce chuckled. "I can't wait to see the battle. Champion Lance has actually already sent the bets out."

Of course. Hadn't Lance mentioned that in one of his last messages? Somehow Ash wasn't surprised that he'd actually done it. Actually, he would've been more surprised if Lance hadn't.

"You bet on me, right?"

The Gym Leader raised his hands. "A gentleman doesn't bet and tell."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "You bet on Clair, didn't you?"

Pryce's silence was all he needed. He snorted. "I'll just take that as some personal motivation then."

The old man smiled at the waiter as he brought out another platter of rice, vegetables, and steaming soup. "Don't take it so personally, Ash. I prefer to play it safe."

He rolled his eyes and let the topic drop. Ash would just have to make sure Pryce lost. At least he knew Lance would bet on him."So, is there anything interesting coming up in Mahogany?"

"Apparently Professors Oak and Elm might be paying the Lake of Rage a visit," Pryce's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Nothing invasive, I assure you, but they were quite interested in the reports. It will be good to see Samuel again."

Ash grinned at that - he wished he could stay along to say hello, but he'd need to get going tomorrow morning. There was no way he was staying for a bunch of trainers to swarm the area looking for him, not to mention he could practically hear Clair calling his name. He shuddered and fought the urge to drop everything to fly off to Blackthorn and test himself against Clair. Something deep, deep inside of him demanded it.

Then a surge of guilt. If he'd known Professor Oak was coming he would've stretched the trip out a few days before he had called Suicune. He couldn't imagine how excited Professor Oak would be to see Suicune in the flesh.

"You know him pretty well, then?"

"Of course!" Pryce rebuked him, almost offended that Ash asked. He just allowed his lips to twitch upward into a slight smile. "I met him when he was still a boy traipsing around with Agatha. They were a cute little pair, so perky and always raring to look for their next challenge," he reminisced. "Time hasn't been kind to either of them, I'm afraid."

He frowned at that. "I'd say Professor Oak has done pretty well for himself."

Pryce shook his head and took a few miserly bites of rice. "Of course, of course," he picked at his food with his chopsticks. Ash thought Pryce looked rather old then. The quiet focus and energy coiled in Pryce's thin frame like a spring seemed to have emptied out of him, leaving a pale, frail man in the Winter Trainer's place. "He's accomplished quite a bit, hasn't he?"

Ash nodded simply. Nothing more needed to be said on that front.

The old man eyed him as Ash sipped from his thermos of coffee (the hostess had been none too pleased when he'd brought it in) and waited patiently for Ash to finish. "Remember, Ash, that accomplishments do not always imply happiness. It's a lesson many of us don't learn until it is far too late. Just ask Lance."

That wasn't news for Ash. He could remember all too well the many, many, many times Lance had bemoaned how boring it was to be without challengers. It was the curse of being the best - there was nobody else to test you. Ash could rarely remember a somber or quiet Lance, but the rare occasions that side of Lance showed its face were quite memorable. Lance's nature was like that of the dragons he fought with. To be burdened by the Champion's Mantle...well, Ash could see that it weighed particularly heavy on Lance.

"So why isn't Professor Oak happy?" He pried. Perhaps it wasn't his place to find out from Pryce, but he couldn't help himself. There was something in the Oak family's past, and he knew all the questions he had about them would be answered if he could find that missing puzzle piece. "Was he in the Last War?" Ash hazarded a guess. Professor Oak would have been a young man in those times.

Pryce started, then shook his head. "No, no. Samuel didn't fight in the war. He bested Champion Uther around that time, but Samuel was never one to believe in conflict. He offered to help protect key locations - the League offered him additional funding if he helped act as a deterrent to the Unovans in Cinnabar."

Ash narrowed his eyes, a niggling feeling gnawing at his gut. "Pallet Town?"

The old man brightened. "Yes, actually! Samuel had his first research station in...Celadon, I believe? He grew up near Viridian, though, and was open to the idea of relocating to protect it."

"Huh," Ash said eloquently. He'd known Pallet Town had its origins as Professor Oak's research center many years ago. It had grown around the Professor, a physical manifestation of the shadow he cast. "Did he ever have to fight?"

Pryce shrugged. "It was a long time ago," he said quietly. "Perhaps a few scouts? He only ever helped repel them, though. They were never able to mobilize because of Blaine. Some still hold it against Samuel," the old man added tiredly. "It was a bit of a black mark on his reputation back in the old days. There were plenty of those who thought Oak could have helped end Cinnabar's occupation much, much sooner."

"And were they right?"

"Perhaps," the Winter Trainer said. "But who can say? Samuel was truly powerful. Despite that, he was one man. It's easy to put blame on others, and easier still when you're suffering and see a good man doing nothing."

Their conversation lightened from there and moved to easier topics. Training, in other words, and a bit of Mahogany's history. Nothing groundbreaking, but Pryce seemed eager to share his knowledge. Sneasel would have a few new exercises to work on.

"So how is the road to Blackthorn?" Ash inquired, legitimately curious. He expected nothing less than a grueling journey, but it would be nice to know if there were areas Pryce would suggest he avoid. Not that he would actually avoid them, of course, but it would be nice to know what areas would be a good challenge. Might be entertaining to put Gary through the wringer, too. Jonathan and Amelia would appreciate hearing about it, at any rate.

He couldn't help the surge of excitement that filled him as Pryce smirked. "It's the most brutal route in Johto. The Ice Path is legendary among Johto's trainers - it's a rite of passage to travel from Mahogany to Blackthorn."

A wild grin stretched across his face. "I can't wait!"

Pryce looked at him strangely, then sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Make sure to dress warmly. It's never an easy trek through the Ice Path, but summer hasn't been harsh enough to thaw it. The Jynx have been riled up recently as well," he grumbled.

"The cold won't be a problem," he said. Pryce glanced at him, and nodded silently. "I went through the Seafoam Caverns," Ash mentioned, though he couldn't help but grimace at the memory of the hunting calls of Dewgong mothers as they stalked him through the depths... only the vision of Articuno resting in the deepest haunts of the cave system terrified him more.

The Winter Trainer's bushy eyebrows shot up. "Impressive," he said with genuine respect. "You should be able to handle the Ice Path, then. It's harsh, but not quite as dangerous as the deepest caverns in Seafoam," Pryce's eyes glazed over, as though reliving some particularly horrible memory. "It's been tamed in the last few decades. We used to drive the most dangerous pokemon of Mahogany there as a form of exile, but there's no need for that these days. Their descendants still grow strong and harsh, but are a little more friendly."

Ash frowned at that, mind racing with that tidbit. "The Wataru?" He guessed.

Pryce laughed outright, a guffaw from deep in his belly. "You already know Mahogany too well," he said as he wound down. "Yes, for centuries the Mahogany Lords made sure the Ice Path was as treacherous as possible. We couldn't stop their Dragonite from carrying the Wataru to strike at us, but we could ensure their armies would never be able to reach us easily. A knowledgeable scout or traveler could find find their way through the Path with a small group, perhaps, but no army could make it through without heavy losses - the wild pokemon that made the Ice Path their home would rally and push out any invaders. It wasn't impossible, but it would be a logistical nightmare."

He nodded, eagerly soaking up the information. Mahogany had adapted well to its mighty neighbors - the Wataru had led Blackthorn to greatness, but raw power wasn't the only way to thrive. Sometimes you just had to be tough and frustrating enough to pass over in favor of easier targets.

There was a lesson in that.

"So did they ever make it through…?" Ash began the first of his questions, feeling more relaxed than he had in days as their conversation continued easily.

He'd have to come by Mahogany again one day. It was easy to talk to Pryce, and that wasn't something he was used to.

Nearly an hour and dozens of back-and-forths later, Ash left the restaurant feeling more content than he could have hoped for. He made his way to the Pokemon Center to meet with Gary, then froze as a realization dawned on him.

Pryce had steered the conversation. Ash was still none the wiser about what had happened to Professor Oak.

XX

The woods were cold and grey. Without the sun, thick clouds of mist still hovered in a blinding cloak. Sneasel and Aipom's snickers were muffled by the fog, though Ash could occasionally hear the snaps and creaks of branches as the small pokemon leapt from tree to tree in a game with indecipherable rules.

"Thanks for the help, Ash," Amelia glanced his way, though she quickly looked away the moment he noticed. Ash would be the first to admit he didn't understand humans too well, but he'd have to be blind to notice her discomfort. She did her best to hide it, but Dazed had already told him the source of it. Amelia didn't know how to handle him after the battle with Suicune. "I hope these pointers are enough to help get us started - that idea you mentioned for Raichu could be really useful, especially now that him and Oz got his capacity up. You said you're trying to work on it for Oz?"

He nodded. "It's a work-in-progress."

She bit her lip. "Using the atmosphere itself as a source to charge up Oz...you really think it can be done?"

"I do," Ash said simply. She looked expectantly at him, vague irritation settled on her features, and he cracked a smile. "I have it on good authority that it's possible. Difficult, yes. Improbable, definitely. But Steven thinks it can be done. I'll need to reach out to some electric specialists."

"That won't be hard for you," Amelia rolled her eyes and stepped over a log that had fallen over the path as Aipom squeaked a warning. "You probably have half of them in your PokeNav," she hesitated. "How's Steven doing? I still can't believe we met him," Amelia said quietly. "How lucky were we?"

Considering they'd been dying underneath Pierce's - a flare of hatred shot through his mind, joined by a now-unfamiliar icy surge - Muk… "Pretty lucky," he muttered. Ash frowned. That chance meeting had practically defined his journey. Without knowing Steven, would he have been able to grow this strong this fast? He thought not, and that's ignoring the fact that they all would have died - and Ash wouldn't have had Mew to bring him back that time. "That's where it all started, wasn't it?"

Amelia shivered, though not from fear. Her eyes were filled with death. "I wish I could meet that Rocket again," she snarled through grit teeth. Ash nodded alongside her, in full agreement. If only Pierce had the chance to see how powerful Ash and his friends had become. Even his Metagross wouldn't stand a chance. "Maybe I could feed him to Jon's Gyarados. See how he likes it."

He stilled as memories rushed through him - a limp Nidorino, the bloodstained maw of Pierce's sick Umbreon, Infernus laying limp after a Hyper Beam from Metagross pierced his shoulder…

Amelia took a few more steps before she realized he wasn't keeping pace. She turned back, her brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"You never heard what happened to Pierce."

She whirled, eyes narrowed into slits. "I heard he was arrested. My mom told me she saw it on the news."

Ash shifted. A dawning look of realization fell over his friend. "What?"

"I helped Lance and Steven capture him," he said a tad too quickly. Ash frowned and pulled on Ice to numb his anxiety - it felt eerily similar to when his mother was staring him down. That wouldn't do. "I battled him and bought time for them to finish him."

Amelia stared. The surge of anger from earlier vanished entirely, and he thought she could best be described as a deflated balloon. Then she laughed, a high, clear sound that pierced the fog. The rustling of leaves and branches left by Aipom and Sneasel stopped instantly. "Only you, Ash. I'm not even surprised anymore."

He cracked a grin. "Me either."

She snorted as he caught back up with her. Her voice was a tad softer. "What happened in that fight? Your face - it was like you'd seen a ghost."

Ash's grin vanished. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked ahead thoughtfully. "Nidoking - he was still a Nidorino then - was hurt. Bad. So was Infernus. He had a Metagross," Ash added as if it would explain everything.

It did.

Amelia sighed, but Ash could tell something was going on in her head. "I'm sorry."

That was all that needed to be said. Ash nodded his thanks to her, and they moved on. A storm of anxiety roiled in his gut. His hands shook ever so slightly - he was glad he'd hidden them in his pockets. Ash allowed Ice to flood his body again. His breathing grew easy and comfortable. His feelings were cleared away, kept at a safe distance.

"So how are you going to prepare for the Silver Conference? You still have the better part of a year."

She sent him a knowing look, but went along with it. He had to admit he wasn't half as subtle as Pryce. "I'm going to follow your lead. My team is good," Amelia smiled fondly, "but we aren't perfect yet. If I want to go after a League position, I've got to impress. I can't just poke and prod - I have to show the strength of a Gym Leader and the skill."

He nodded. "I don't think you'll have any problem with that," then looked thoughtfully to his friend. "You should make sure to spend an hour or two on the PokeDex each day. Jonathan too, if you can get him to focus. It helps."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Thanks, Ash."

Silence reigned as they slowly made their way back to the camp. Hopefully Gary and Jonathan hadn't torn it apart while they were getting some last-minute training in. Knowing those two, Ash wouldn't put money on it. Not even Lance would.

"I -" Ash hesitated, uncertainty warring within him, then committed. It was hard, so terribly hard, to not draw on Ice yet again. "I'm sorry that we can't all stay here for a little longer. It was nice seeing you and Jonathan again."

"It sounds like you're pulling teeth," Amelia sounded amused. He kept his eyes firmly ahead. "It was nice to see you too, Ash. Maybe we'll find some time to stop by Hoenn later? We've got a lot of time before the Silver Conference."

He nodded. "Let me know. And if you have any questions -"

"I'll send you a message," Amelia said, satisfied. She glanced his way. "Ash...it sounds like you've got a lot on your plate. If you need anything, Jon and I are here for you. We can't really understand what you're going through - I don't know if anyone can. But we'll listen. I know Jon doesn't seem like he can keep his mouth shut, but he knows how to keep secrets."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Amelia. I appreciate it. I - I trust you and Jonathan."

Amelia looked rather pleased at that, not unlike Plume whenever she preened. "Just keep us in your thoughts," she said as they reached past the forest's reach and the camp fell into sight. The Lake of Rage was uncharacteristically calm today, its vast waves relatively flat and settled against the rugged shore. "And Ash?"

"Yes?"

She leaned in close and whispered as Jonathan waved and shouted when he saw them. Gary glumly sat a distance away with Umbreon and Clefable. He had a pair of headphones on and was faced away from Jonathan - at least it was better than them disturbing the whole Lake of Rage. "He'd never bring it up to you, but he likes to be called Jon."

Ash smiled.

XX

Hours later, they found themselves on the outskirts of Mahogany. Ash dismounted Plume and stroked her glossy feathers as he waited for Jonathan and Amelia to arrive on Charizard's back. The fire-type was quick, but it was nearly impossible to keep up with Plume.

The overcast day made it a tad difficult to pick out the approaching shadow, but it wasn't hard to pick out who it was. He waved at Gary as his friend landed on the back of his own Pidgeot, the giant creature completely exhausted by its fruitless attempt to keep pace with Plume - she looked rather pleased at her victory, and chirped cheerfully at the other Pidgeot, who just went limpin response.

"Glad you made it here in one piece," Ash grinned as he started stripping off Plume's saddle. The first of several straps came undone. Gary did the same, though his task was a little harder with how wiped out his Pidgeot was. "I saw a few scary Hoothoot hanging out in the trees. There was even a big Spearow somewhere."

"Shut up," Gary grumbled. "If this is how traveling with you is going to go then I might as well split now," he said heatlessly. "How is Plume so fast? She left us in the dust."

Plume turned her beak to the sky in as haughty a manner as she could manage and loosed an ear-splitting shriek. Ash grinned as Gary flinched at the noise and laid a hand against Plume's wing. He relished the feel of her soft feathers against his fingers. "She's just that good."

Gary rolled his eyes. "I'm like... ninety-nine percent sure you just inject liquid Rare Candies into your team. Want to fess up?"

That drew a scoff from him. His retort was cut off by Charizard's arrival. The massive orange shape slammed into the earth with awful force, then laid limply on the ground. Ash stared, a little concerned for the fire-type, and looked to Jon and Amelia for answers.

"He got a little competitive," Jon was vaguely green - Ash and Plume took a step back. He didn't want to be in the splash zone. Amelia wasn't much better and fell to her knees in the thick grass and wretched. "I told him to slow down but - I'm going to need a second," he said too calmly before he walked a few steps away and threw up into some bushes.

"Gross," Gary muttered as he looked over the other trainers with blatant disdain. "You'd think they've never flown before."

Amelia glared up at Gary as she rose to her feet on shaking legs. Well, at least she was done dry-heaving. "Some of us actually walk places. Not everyone flies or teleports everywhere, Gary."

"And that sounds like not my problem."

Ash shook his head and interjected as Jonathan stumbled back and rested against Charizard, who still trembled with exertion. He was honestly impressed with him - Charizard had a lot more bulk than any Pidgeot, and making the journey as fast as he had...well, that wasn't easy. He actually hadn't expected Jon and Amelia to make it for another twenty to thirty minutes at the earliest. Charizard had pushed himself to his limits.

"So this is where we go our separate ways?" He glanced around to the others. Ash felt a sudden pang of loss, though he quashed it. He'd known this was coming. It wasn't like he'd never see his friends again.

"Yeah," Jonathan nodded glumly. He sagged, then perked back up immediately as he reached forward to clasp Ash on the forward. "We'll see you soon, though! Try not to do anything too crazy, right?"

He smirked. "No promises."

"And if you do end up doing something nuts, let me know, okay?" Jonathan added eagerly. To his surprise, Amelia looked just as firm on that point as Jonathan. "Seriously, I want to hear it all!"

"You'll know," Ash said with certainty. He foresaw many, many more messages between them all in the future. "It was good seeing you two again. I'll see you around, Jon."

He couldn't help but enjoy the rush of warmth that went through him at the way Jon's whole body perked up at the acknowledgement. Amelia really was right. "Yeah!" The shorter boy cheered. "Just wait for it, Ash. Next time we'll meet, I'll be strong enough to give you a real challenge! I won't need your help then!"

"I look forward to it," he said seriously, ignoring Gary's scoff. Ash looked to Amelia. "Good luck. Keep Jon alive."

Amelia chuckled at Jon's indignant squawk and nodded. "Will do. Keep an eye out for the Silver Conference, won't you?" She said. "You won't be disappointed."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep," Gary sneered from behind Ash. He just sent his former rival a look and shook his head. "Don't forget that I'll be in the Silver Conference. As long as I'm around you two don't have a chance at the cup."

For once, Amelia didn't snap at Gary. Her eyes narrowed to slits, but her voice remained steady and even. Too much so, perhaps. "We'll see."

Ash fought the urge to groan. Would this song-and-dance routine ever end? "It's time for us to get going. It's a long road to Blackthorn," he glanced at the trail, which extended from the outskirts of Mahogany into the deep, unsettled wilderness of Mahogany's eastern territories. It would be a lonely road.

Amelia took the distraction for what it was. "We should get going too," she sighed. "We have a lot of training to do," Amelia smiled brightly at Ash. "When we're done we'll be headed to Blackthorn. Let us know what you pick up from Clair, will you? She crushed us last time…"

"Will do," he promised. Ash shifted awkwardly for a moment, the urge to head to Blackthorn to face Clair absolutely overwhelming. "Bye, you two. Stay safe."

"I don't think you're one to be talking!" Jonathan grinned, then waved him off as he recalled Charizard. "Get out of here! We've got places to be, Ash."

He smiled, and nodded. Ash waved one last time as he recalled Plume and set off down the eastern road with Gary at his side. It felt strange to leave Jonathan and Amelia behind, but he quashed those feelings. All that mattered now was the future.

And his future wasn't something he would find in Mahogany. He'd find it in the mountains of Blackthorn, his team at his side as he faced down the Blackthorn Gym Leader.

Clair awaited him.

XX

After two days of traveling with Gary, Ash came to a simple conclusion: Gary Oak was not designed for the great outdoors. He'd thought Gary's vast collection of appliances (including his mini fridge, a portable TV, heater, and numerous others) to be simple luxuries to make life on the road easier.

He was wrong.

Gary needed them. When Ash politely asked Gary to put the TV away the first night, his former rival had sulked until they'd gone to bed. Why he needed a heater when he had a perfectly good Arcanine he would never understand…

What was worse, even Gary's team didn't seem at home in these rugged lands - Scizor, which helped cut through the overgrowth while Nidoking trampled it with his bulk, flinched away at every branch that brushed its iron-hard exoskeleton.

Somehow the path had grown even harsher as they headed east to the Ice Path, a clear sign of long centuries of neglect by Mahogany - most likely intentional, knowing Mahogany's history with Blackthorn. The path was narrow and barely maintained to League standards.

In most territories, the Gym Leader ensured the roads were kept secure and clear of obstacles. Bushes, branches, and other vegetation were kept clear by Gym trainers and paid off wild pokemon. In the eastern reaches of Mahogany, there was no such courtesy. The path itself was clear, but towering walls of trees loomed over, branches crossing and tangling just a few feet above their heads. Even at high noon only the scantest hints of sunlight pierced the canvas and Ash and Gary had to duck low-hanging branches too often for comfort.

He couldn't count the number of times his pant leg had been caught on brambles that had crept into the road. Ash was just glad it was so cold - if he was wearing shorts his legs would probably be shredded and drenched in blood. As it was he only had to deal with a few pokes.

His own team had handled the claustrophobic atmosphere quite well - Nidoking had been happy to remain at their sides while Plume scouted above. For his part, Sneasel had the time of his life loping through the trees with impressive grace and agility - his claws dug easily into the bark and the crisp mountain air kept him invigorated. Ash shouldn't be so surprised, he supposed. Sneasel had literally evolved to live in this environment. The little dark-type certainly enjoyed tearing apart any trees marked by other Sneasel packs. He took a sort of vindictive glee in completely removing any evidence of a pack's territory and etching his own nonsense carvings into the wood.

Now, however, they were on the edge of the Ice Path. It was perhaps another two hours down the road, though that could take longer depending on how badly the path deteriorated. They'd used Nidoking and Nidoqueen to clear a path into a clearing that Plume spotted by a winding creek. It was still difficult to get through, but at least now they wouldn't be ripped to shreds by the brush.

"Thanks for the fire, Infernus," Ash grinned at his friend. Infernus nodded back and meandered his way back to his magma pit he'd created to rest in for the night. He wasn't too happy about being cooped up in his pokeball for the day or two they'd be in the Ice Path, so Infernus had elected to make the most of tonight.

Ash snorted as Infernus veered too close to Gary's team for comfort. It wasn't quite to the point of burning them, but the rippling heat radiating out from his burning body was certainly uncomfortable. Arcanine shifted uneasily as Infernus settled into his magma bath, visible as little more than a black shadow in the cherry-red molten stone.

He couldn't blame Arcanine for being wary. Infernus had stared him down nearly every time they'd been released together - Arcanine didn't particularly like the Magmortar, either. He still remembered their disastrous battle in the Indigo Conference. It had been the first time Infernus was released in the Conference, and he'd made quite the impact.

"So do you think the Ice Path is going to be better or worse than the Seafoam Caverns?" Gary looked squarely into the fire as he poked it with a stick. Sparks flew and the rich scent of burning wood filled Ash's nostrils. The heat was a blessing in the freezing night, though Ash could always cheat and draw upon Fire if he needed it. He'd avoid it if at all possible, however - if his team (and Gary, he supposed) couldn't be comfortable, he'd suffer with them. "My money's on worse. It's cold as shit out here."

Ash shrugged easily and took a bite of his sandwich, then tossed a scrap of it up to Plume. She was perched just above him in the boughs of an ancient, weathered oak and cooed down at him once she'd snapped her treat up. "Pryce said it shouldn't be that bad. Maybe as bad as the upper levels?"

"That's as far as I went," Gary pointed out and leaned back against a tree trunk. He stroked Umbreon's long ears as she laid her head in his lap, red eyes closed contentedly. "Gramps wouldn't shut up about how dangerous the lower caverns were," he opened an eye and slid his gaze over to Ash. "Guess he had a good reason for that, huh?"

"Yeah," Ash muttered. He rested his hand on Nidoking's great head. His friend had curled up right beside him, though every now and then his slit eyes glanced to where Nidoqueen had made a small nest with Blastoise and Scizor in the muddy creekside. Every time he did it Ash had to hide a smile. "He did."

Silence reigned for a few moments, the only disturbances the crack of logs in the fire, the howling of the wind through the leaves and branches, and chatter of pokemon off in the distance. Humans were rare visitors to this area and their presence had drawn quite a bit of attention. He could sense countless eyes peering on their brightly lit campsite from the darkness.

He was right at home.

"...Thanks for giving me the heads up," Gary grumbled, his face contorted into a grimace. Ash took a stab of pleasure at that. "If I'd run into that thing…" he trailed off and his face softened into a frown. Umbreon licked at his hand and whined (Nidoking glared at the dark-type) and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Clefable reaching out to grasp Gary's hand. "What do they look like? You say they're like forces of nature, but that doesn't help much."

Ash froze. Had anyone ever asked him that before? They were always interested in what the Legends were doing, what their next step would be. What kind of threat they posed. He couldn't remember anyone asking such a simple question, born of curiosity rather than dread.

Despite the knot in his stomach at the subject, something about this left Ash relaxed. This was something he could answer.

"Ice - Articuno," he amended, "was hidden at the bottom of the Seafoam Islands. It was perched on this altar carved out of stone. The whole place was covered in ice. It was so cold we could barely even breathe," Ash recalled the sensation of the freezing, suffocating air filling his lungs. Would the Ice Path even approach that dread cold? "By the time we reached the shrine I could barely walk."

Gary looked at him strangely. "Why did you even push that far? Gramps said there were crazy strong pokemon down there too. Didn't you take the hint that the things down there weren't supposed to be found?"

Ash paused, then shook his head. "We couldn't stop," he said. "It was a challenge. We can't quit halfway. I wanted to see it all."

His friend glanced at him, the dim glow of the flames cast across his features. "Yeah," he said, nodding slowly, "I get that."

"But Articuno. It was beautiful," Ash sighed. Ice resonated within his core as he envisioned Articuno. Words would never do it justice. How could he describe its presence, the crushing weight of its oppressive gaze, the blood-freezing cries that heralded howling blizzards cast by its wings, the overwhelming everything. "Kind of like the artwork. It was like pure, living ice - I could barely see it through the mist, but every part of it is shaped from ice and snow. It's big, too. They all are. You can't look away."

Gary's brow furrowed. "That doesn't even make sense!" He scoffed. "There are pokemon with physiology adapted to subzero temperatures, but they can't literally be made from ice or magma or stuff like that. It can be a component of their anatomy, but not the whole thing. You have to have an organic or silica component - ice can't live. Unless it's animated by a ghost-type," he added absentmindedly.

Ash snorted. "They aren't alive. They aren't pokemon, Gary."

"What does that even mean?" The Oak sneered. "Are they just giant ghosts animating inorganic matter, then? Because those are still pokemon."

That...was actually impressively close to the truth, or at least how Ash understood it. He was in a better position than, well, anybody to make that call. "Not quite, but close enough. If that makes more sense, roll with it."

Gary scratched Umbreon's ears. "So they're just giant ghosts, basically? Doesn't sound too Legendary to me."

He stared flatly at Gary. "They're more. Much, much more."

"So tell me how," Gary needled. Ash could feel the incessant curiosity burning in his friend as if it were his own. "Nobody else can tell me crap. Like it or not, you're the only one I can ask. Not like Gramps would tell me even if he knew," his nose wrinkled in irritation.

That wasn't something Ash was going to get into right now, though he hoped he could get more information out of Gary later on. "It's not like a ghost animating some ice, or fire, or lightning," he began, every word chosen carefully. "The best I can put it is that it's like a ghost animating a blizzard, or a volcanic eruption, or a hurricane. But not exactly. It's more like those things just… woke up one day and decided to live," he said quietly. He'd mentioned their scale before, but he wanted to ensure Gary knew exactly how vast their power was. "It's not something you can fight. You can run, or you can die."

His fists clenched - Infernus had learnt that lesson all too harshly. Nidoking grunted at him, then licked at his hand. The toxins in Nidoking's saliva left his skin tingling, though it wasn't unpleasant. Ash looked down and smiled softly at his first friend.

Gary was stricken, face pale. No doubt he remembered the revelation Ash had shared about his own death. It was hard to sympathize with other humans at times, but Ash could too easily imagine how he'd react to the news. After the battle with Suicune it would be child's play to realize how easily he and his team might have met the same fate.

Thankfully, Gary avoided diving into that can of worms. Ash doubted he'd be able to share much about it regardless… the icy fire in the back of his mind had grown ever stronger over the last few days, though Mewtwo's presence never made its presence known beyond the occasional surge of emotion or jumble of thoughts too deep and complex for Ash to truly comprehend.

"And the others?" Gary pressed on, eager to move on. Ash thought he might've balked at the demand, but the normal reticence just wasn't there. He could talk. He could share. His friend wanted to know, to learn about this new earth-shattering enigma.

"The other Birds," he began, resting one hand on Nidoking while his eyes cast off to Infernus' magma pit, "Zapdos and Moltres. You saw Moltres at the Conference."

Gary smiled. "I did," he said wistfully.

Ash smiled at the blatant awe that Gary held for the Bird of Fire. It wasn't often he got to see Gary without his ever-present sneer or mocking grin - it completely changed Gary's appearance. He was softer somehow, his edges rounded and smoothed out.

"It's different in person," Ash said, his hand held over his heart where the Feather burned softly. It flared at his touch, and Gary stared. "It's not just fire. Its frame is like obsidian, while golden flames burn around it - countless feathers, all burning together to make an inferno. When I first met it I could barely breathe. The air was so hot - it lived in a dead volcano, but was so powerful people still thought the volcano was active. And its eyes," he muttered, thoughts cast back in time to the first time he met the Bird.

Gary leaned in closer. "You have one of its feathers on you," his eyes (and those of his fascinated team) lowered to Ash's chest. The Feather was visible through the dark fabric of his shirt, little tongues of flame licking out from the obsidian frame. "Can I see?"

"And after all the crap you gave Amelia," Ash sighed as he pulled his shirt up. The freezing wind didn't bother him in the least. Gary scowled at him, but didn't respond to the quip - he was far more interested in analyzing the Feather. His eyes traced every little barb that reached out from the Feather's shaft and wormed seamlessly into Ash's skin, muscle, and bone. He reached out as if to touch it, but pulled his hand back like he'd been scalded.

It was impossible for Gary to miss the other components of the Feather, though Ash suspected he'd already noted them during their first time he'd seen it. Gary stared at the little arcs of electricity that jumped erratically from barb to barb, occasionally surging down the shaft with a far brighter glow than the golden flames of Moltres could manage. Rainbow colored it all, casting interesting sheens and shades to the fire as it flickered.

"Does it hurt?" Gary asked quietly, like he didn't really want to know.

"No," Ash shook his head. Some of the tension drained out of Gary's shoulders. "Sometimes it can be - sometimes it's overpowering," he corrected himself. "But most of the time I forget about it. It's a part of me, like an arm or a leg."

Gary looked at him sharply. "And can you remove it, if you wanted to? Or would it kill you if you tried?"

"I…" he hesitated and unconsciously raised his hand to hold the Feather's frame. Fire pulsed, and the campfire surged in a sudden inferno - the dying flames consumed the rest of their fuel in an instant, leaping to a height of twenty feet before settling down. Despite the limbs and felled logs they'd arranged being reduced to nothing but embers and ashes, the fire burned steadily on. Gary stared, face white after the sudden burst of heat and light. "I could. But I won't. Like I said, it's a part of me."

The other boy didn't look so convinced, but Ash thought he was too unsettled by what just happened to push. He shifted around on his log, and Clefable wrapped his hand in hers again. Blastoise rumbled off in the distance, no doubt watching Ash carefully.

That was another factor he'd have to get used to: mistrust. Gary's team had never traveled with him. They'd spent time with Ash and his team at the Corral after the Conference, but it hadn't built quite as much companionship between their teams as either would like. Ash and Gary had been quick to patch up their friendship after the Conference, but they'd had years of prior good times to build off of.

All their teams had known of each other was the rivalry, and neither trainer had left great impressions on the other's team. Ash knew he hadn't had the kindest things to say about Gary when he'd talked about him to Nidoking and the rest of his team… not that Ash regretted it. Like Jon and Amelia were fond of saying, Gary was a jerk. He just happened to lose some of his edge with Ash.

"So Zapdos? What's it like, then? Living lightning?" Gary rolled his eyes. "That makes even less sense than living ice or fire - at least you can look at things like Froslass or Magmar for something similar to that."

Ash shrugged with a wry grin on his lips. "Close enough."

Gary slumped. "This is crazy!" He buried his hands in his face and moaned. Umbreon licked his hand and nuzzled in a little closer. Nidoking's nostrils flared. "How did it come to this, man?"

"We're lucky enough to live in interesting times," he replied. Ash grinned as Seeker fluttered above them and circled down to clutch at his back. Her little hooks were sharp as they dug into his shirt, but he didn't mind. It wasn't so bad compared to Sneasel's claws. He held a little bit of sandwich for her to sniff at, though she recoiled away from it. "Just stay out of it. We have time."

"But how much?" Gary challenged. "I'm not an idiot like the other two," his lip curled, "You keep telling me how powerful they are. How none of us - not Champion Lance, not you, not Gramps - stand a chance. But even you don't seem to know that much! I'm not just going to wait for some overgrown ghost to come burn me away."

He grasped the Unown tablet. It felt rather heavy all of a sudden. "There's time, I think. Lugia told me something big is coming, though. Something in Hoenn."

Gary arched an eyebrow. He didn't even react to Lugia's name - he seemed perfectly accepting, surprisingly. "Is that why you're down there?"

"Lucky coincidence."

Judging from the look on Gary's face, he didn't buy that. There were no coincidences in Gary Oak's world. Too bad for him. It was the truth, this time. "Well, are you going to tell me what's supposed to happen?"

"I don't know," Ash said plainly. The other boy scoffed. "I really don't. Lugia didn't say much. Just something like 'Behemoth and Leviathan breathe'."

He didn't bother to fully quote the words Lugia had seared into his brain - Ash couldn't forget them for as long as he lived.

"Seriously? That's its help?" Gary groaned. "What kind of cryptic bullshit is that?"

Ash smirked at Gary's irritation. If that was enough to frustrate him he needed to spend more time around psychics - either Gary's Alakazam was shockingly direct, or it knew that Gary would have no patience for vague predictions and symbols.

A reedy, thin male voice projected itself into Ash's mind. Dazed's influence immediately made itself known, both a ward against foreign influence and a warning. She was watching.

It's the latter, Storm-Tamer. Gary just doesn't appreciate a good puzzle.

Well, Ash couldn't agree with that. He just thought Gary might like a more… grounded puzzle. One that had a clear answer, or at least only a few missing pieces. If Gary was anything like his grandfather (and Ash could see more and more of the greatest Oak in him) then he wanted a problem that could be broken down and handled logically, not a riddle.

"Whatever," Gary grumbled and rose from his log. He dusted his pants off and looked positively disgusted at the mud that got on him - and then positively livid when his head bumped into a branch. "Stupid thing. You've given me a lot to think about, Ash. I'm out."

He waved Gary off. Ash knew all too well what a headache thinking about all of this could give. Besides, the more sleep Gary got the less irritable he'd be tomorrow. That would be a win in Ash's book.

Gary slipped into his massive tent and zipped it up after Umbreon and Clefable dashed in - they were plainly Gary's shadows. The rest of his team were just too big and bulky to follow him everywhere, much like Ash's team. He glanced around and caught sight of the others as they shifted back into their nests - Ash didn't miss that Gary's current team were mostly those he'd used in the Conference. His friend was building a powerful, well-trained core for the Silver Conference instead of spreading his efforts across the army he had before.

Ash nodded approvingly.

Blastoise had dug out a small alcove in the muddy creekside to lay in, and seemed rather content to make sure his cannons were always pointed in Infernus' general direction. Nidoqueen was bundled nearby on a gathered pile of brush, sticks, and a few soft cushions Gary had given her from his storage compartment - Ash would have to remember that. It could be a good idea. Scizor had vanished into the woods nearby, though occasionally Ash would see the fading light of the fire glint off its armor.

It was impossible to miss Pidgeot as well. The gigantic creature had been forced to find a particularly tall tree to shelter in due to its ridiculous bulk - the flying-type's every movement left a shower of leaves, branches, and detritus to fall all over them, though Ash could hardly blame the massive Pidgeot. To be honest, he was shocked he could even fly.

Arcanine had happily curled up on the other side of the campfire, head laid across his massive paws onto the burning hot stones the fire had heated - it was nothing more than a gentle warmth to the canine. His back was pressed against the fabric of Gary's tent, probably by the boy's request - Gary hated the cold, and so long as Arcanine was nearby he'd never have to worry about it. Alakazam sat cross-legged close by, likely just as happy as Gary to soak up the fire-type's radiating heat. They weren't built for the cold.

He just smiled as his team shifted to fill the gaps. Sneasel was already passed out in his lap, snoring quietly - normally he'd be more active this late at night, but he'd completely exhausted himself running wild in the woods today. Seeker was still clutched to his back. She'd probably remain there until he stood up to go to bed, then would find Bruiser off in the woods.

An informative discussion, Friend-trainer. It is good for you to share this burden.

"Is it?" Ash murmured as he tossed a few more sticks into the flames. Sparks and smoke flew, but he ignored the stinging in his eyes. "I don't want them getting in trouble."

Dazed took a step forward and stared into the fire's light beside him. Her pendulum quivered on its string.

It is my opinion that it is better for the humans to know what awaits. You would be disappointed if they died due to their own ignorance.

Ash chuckled and looked fondly at his friend. "I suppose I would."

Her eyes twitched upward into one of her smiles.

You are already difficult to pull from your thoughts. Their deaths would only make our jobs harder. It would not be appreciated.

She paused to rub her white mane against her pendulum, though Ash couldn't imagine how it could possibly be made any cleaner. It already sparkled beautifully in the glowing firelight.

Thank you, Friend-trainer. Your senses are limited, however. Eyes show only a reflection of the world. My abilities reveal the truth of things.

He poked the fire with a stick and shifted some of the ashes around. "Sometimes it feels like I see more."

Dazed's silence was telling.

So you do.

Ash sighed after a minute or two had passed and pulled out his PokeDex from his pack. As he pulled up a few of the videos he'd downloaded - all of Clair's most significant battles throughout her career - he glanced to Dazed. "I'm going to do some research. Would you mind keeping an eye on Infernus in the meantime?"

Of course. Without the Torrent to watch him, I will ensure the Brute does not cause another disaster.

He chuckled and clicked on the first of Clair's battles, her final match in the Silver Conference as a rookie. Ash had seen it before, of course. With the time he had to prepare, he'd made sure to look through her battles to ensure he had a good understanding of her team, tactics, and personality. This was just extra practice, a measure to be more thorough and pick out patterns his first viewings had missed.

"When I'm done, how about we read a little? We could start at the Slateport section again, if you like" Ash called out to Dazed as she shuffled away through the forest. A pulse of pleasure filled his mind, and he smiled.

Ash settled in and scratched at Nidoking's ears as he watched Clair's battle in the Top 16 - she'd lost to a brilliant poison-type specialist in this Conference who had outmaneuvered her at every turn. She was good. Strong and smart, yet an absolutely brutal battler. Clair refused to hold back, and it had taken her far.

He found her a joy to watch, honestly. Clair and her Dragonair had a bond unmatched by most trainers, and they exploited it. They worked as one, Dragonair carrying out her orders instinctually. Ash had seen psychic links work less effectively than Clair and her team. She loved them and they loved her right back, fighting all the harder for it.

If Clair could be down on the battlefield fighting alongside her pokemon, she would've been. Ash had no doubt about that.

Especially in later years, he'd seen her offense to be overwhelming. Clair had a brash, aggressive personality and it seemed like her pokemon matched that - her Kingdra was particularly merciless, boasting a specialization in powerful dragon-type techniques that Torrent couldn't match. Whenever it made an appearance, Kingdra would inevitably turn the tide.

Ash couldn't help but grin at the thought of that match - he couldn't wait for Torrent to meet another Kingdra in battle. Lance's Kingdra, Mael, was just too far out of Torrent's league. Too powerful, too experienced, too good. It was like Ash trying to win a fistfight with Bruno.

To be honest, Ash had little doubt in his mind that Clair was a stronger trainer than him. She had over a decade of experience on him, an incredibly powerful team of dragon-types that would utterly dominate most battles, and the knowledge and history of her clan to draw upon to supplement her team. She'd earned her reputation as one of the most formidable trainers in Indigo, below only the esteemed Elite Four.

But that wasn't everything. Clair was stronger and more experienced, but she had glaring weaknesses as well. That had only become more and more obvious to Ash as he rewatched her battles over and over again and vital chinks in her armor revealed themselves.

Oh, he wasn't about to fool himself into thinking it would be easy. No, if it was easy then Ash would probably be crushed. He wanted to fight, to meet a greater foe and break them. He wanted defeat to be within an inch, yet to escape it and find victory all the same.

Clair would give him the battle he wanted.

She'd modeled herself to be the ultimate Wataru, drawing on countless centuries of tradition. Clair had succeeded. Every year had left her noticeably stronger, more skilled, and with a practically indestructible team that would fight to their last breath.

The problem was that it was nothing Ash hadn't seen before. He'd trained tirelessly with Champion Lance, the Drake of the Wataru, and everything Clair did in her battles Lance did ten times better. To most trainers dragon-types were a rare sight, terrifying foes found only in the highest echelons of battling. Only a handful of trainers would have any experience with the durability and ferocity of a dragon by the time they reached Clair, and that left them terribly vulnerable.

Ash knew what was coming. Lance had wanted him to know how to fight dragons and spent tons of their time together on anti-dragon techniques. He'd taught him every trick in the book that could be used against his team, and after watching Clair he knew that a fair bit of that would apply to her as well.

It wouldn't make him better than her, but it would even the playing field. Knowing your enemy was essential, and it was something Ash was determined to by the time he and Gary reached Blackthorn.

Clair was mighty. Any other time, she'd probably be the Drake of the Wataru. From what he'd seen and heard, she'd spent her entire life striving for that lofty goal. She'd modeled herself into a powerful trainer that demanded respect throughout Indigo and beyond.

Unfortunately, she'd been born alongside Lance. Clair was great, but how many people could even hope to rival the legendary Champion Lance, youngest Champion to ever live? The Lance who'd shattered records left and right and made his mark in the history books before he was even a teenager?

His cousin made her mark, but for all her efforts she'd been stuck with the silver medal. A fantastic example of a Wataru clan member, but one that had never brought anything new or innovative to the table.

Lance had. Lance specialized in dragons, but he'd grown beyond it as well. He knew their weaknesses better than anyone alive and had imparted that knowledge to Ash.

It was his greatest weapon against Clair, and Ash had already concocted countless ways to use it…

XX

The Ice Path was everything he could have imagined.

As they had first entered the labyrinthine network of tunnels, small caverns, and paths that filled the frozen mountains, it hadn't seemed anything special. To be honest, Ash had been rather disappointed in it - not particularly cold compared to the Seafoam Caverns, and it wasn't even that dark! Sunlight pierced countless cracks and chasms in the mountaintops above, and each ray scattered endlessly across the frozen glaze of ice and powdered snow that clung to each rock formation and even the floor. It was a beautiful sight, but it didn't do much to awe Ash as they wound through countless minor tunnels.

Any disappointment had faded the moment they found themselves in the first great sight nearly five hours into their trek. They'd been talking over some potential strategies Gary had devised for Clair - he planned to use Clefable and her strange abilities quite heavily in the fight to circumvent Clair's raw power - when they entered the bright light that had been their target for nearly twenty minutes now. Ash and Gary both froze, and Sneasel's eyes widened from his spot on Ash's shoulder. He felt the skinny arms wrapped around his neck tighten, and the little dark-type purred.

Gary was struck dumb by the sight, unable to say even a word. Ash couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

Words could not do the sight justice. They had wandered into a valley of sorts, a vast stretch of frozen alpine forest that went on for as long as he could see in a narrow, dark trench between four of the Ore Mountains that converged above, the mighty peaks little more than black shadows that towered above the primeval forest. A heavy snowfall clouded the sky, and only the barest hint of sunlight pierced the thick cover to sparkle across the snow and ice carried by the impenetrable forest.

He couldn't help but smile and picked Sneasel up off his shoulders to carry him in his arms - his friend trembled in his grip, dark fur puffed up as he took in the sight of the Ice Path. This was where Sneasel belonged, Ash knew. It was the same as Ash returning to Pallet Town after a long and hard journey. A homecoming.

"Stay close," Ash whispered to Sneasel as he gently set him onto the frozen earth. Sneasel nodded, his ears twitching madly, and took off to investigate the ancient woods. Two fat Delibird watched them warily from their nest high above on a rocky precipice that jutted outward from the mountain they'd just traveled through, obviously unused to visitors in this far-flung place. Ash waved at them, and one hesitantly waved back. They glared down at Sneasel as he scurried around the clearing they'd entered, however.

"This is crazy," Gary's breath came out as a white fog. He rubbed his gloved hands together as his eyes darted around the valley. It was a stark contrast of evergreens, tough brown shrubs able to survive the harsh environment, black and grey stone, and the harsh, pure white of the snowfall that had covered everything in sight. "I've never seen anything like it. Have you?"

Ash just shook his head, basking in the cutting wind that pierced his heavy coat with ease and left his flesh covered in goosebumps. The air was cold, so terribly cold that it hurt to breathe, yet it was crisp and clear and pure. Despite the rustling of trees and cries of pokemon throughout the boreal valley, a quiet lingered. Sound was muffled and traveled slowly here, trapped by the cold and ice, and it felt wrong to intrude upon it.

"Pretty, but too freakin' cold," Gary scowled - his face was flushed red with the wind and cold, even with his heavy scarf and fluffy earmuffs. Ash knew he'd stuffed heat packs in his coat, sturdy gloves, and boots as well - Gary had spared no expense in making sure he'd get through the cold unscathed. "C'mon, Ash. We don't have long before the sun sets, and I don't want to be trapped out here."

He nodded and stepped forward, Gary alongside him. None of Gary's teammates were particularly fond of the cold, so he'd given them the mercy of remaining in stasis during their trek through the Ice Path. No doubt he'd release Arcanine at least to lay with once they made camp - Arcanine would handle the cold much better than Infernus, and was more than happy to sit with his trainer.

To be fair, Ash's team was in the same situation. Not many were suited for freezing temperatures like these aside from Sneasel. They could weather it, but he'd rather them avoid the discomfort if they could. Nidoking would bear it easily - he'd accompanied Ash through the deepest reaches of the Seafoam Caverns, after all - but he was too big to fit easily in the tunnels.

Still, he didn't hesitate to release Plume. She appeared with a mighty shriek that pierced the frozen air for miles upon miles around, and the entire forest went silent in an instant. Plume's feathers puffed up to protect her from the cold, but she showed no care of the snow or wind as she looked expectantly to Ash.

He stepped forward to stroke her crest, grinning as she leaned into his touch and cooed. "What do you think?" Ash motioned out to the rest of the valley, from the alpine forest all around them to the craggy ice-bound slopes of the mountains that loomed about them like great monsters. "Pretty, right?"

Plume nipped softly at his glove, just light enough to avoid any damage. Ash laughed and picked a bit of Sneasel's fur that had floated onto her cheek - she looked particularly offended as he pulled it away and sent a dirty look into the woods where he could hear Sneasel rustling about.

"Do you mind scouting ahead and letting us know if you see anything we should be worried about?" He looked into the Pidgeot's dark eyes. She chirped and nodded, stretching her wings luxuriously as she prepared to take off and claim this sky as her own. "Thanks, Plume. Enjoy the view, and make sure to stop by if you get cold, alright?"

She cooed again and took off in a swirl of snow and icy air, her explosive take-off carrying her hundreds of feet into the sky in an instant. Soon she was little more than a distant shadow, hardly even visible through the blanket of snow fluttering down on them.

"Ready?" Ash looked to Gary expectantly. His friend nodded, and the two set off into the darkness of the untouched forest with snow crunching under their boots.

XX

"This is your fault!" Gary declared and plopped to the ground. His face was dark and irritable, ready for the slightest spark to set him off. The cold left his exposed skin red and raw after the three hours they'd spent on the path through the boreal forest earlier, the blistering icy temperatures in the tunnels afterward, and the last hour that they'd fought through the darkness in the second of the three great valleys in the Ice Path. "I knew we should've waited in the tunnels. Why did you even want to push so hard anyways, you prick?"

Nidoking growled at Gary, but the other boy was in no mood for the reprimand. Ash laid a soothing hand on Nidoking's plated shoulder. "My bad. I thought we could make it through to the next tunnel system."

Gary drooped and pulled his comforter, a heavy, dense thing of Mareep wool of course - only the best for Gary Oak - up to his neck. Arcanine helpfully licked the boy's face, and the boy laid back into the fire-type's burning fur. The thin, wavering flame Arcanine had started for them smoked and flickered - it wouldn't last for long.

Without fire-types, this could have been a dangerous situation. Then again, if there was any real risk Ash never would have gone for it. Survival was easy when you had pokemon on your side, though. All they needed to stave off a slow, cruel death by frostbite was to release Arcanine or Infernus (or, if things were truly desperate, have Alakazam teleport them or Plume fly them).

Then again, Ash wasn't entirely sure he could die of hypothermia. There were a few perks to being a cosmic plaything, he supposed. He relished the cutting winds that howled through the endless rows of conifers and branches. The Ice within him was particularly content, and it was all too tempting to draw heavily upon it and relax into the numbing Concept.

He looked to the flame. A particularly forceful gale from the northern mountains swept in and purged the alien flame from this cold, frozen place. Ash wondered if Suicune could feel them now, hidden within this ancient, practically untouched valley. Trainers wandered through the Ice Path every year, but it was still a rare occasion in this day and age. Many did it once - if ever - and were quite happy to never come near this wondrous place ever again. Even more were content to teleport or fly whenever they needed to reach Blackthorn where it lay nestled in the mountains.

It was no wonder no army was willing to march through this place. If this was the bitter cold the Ice Path could muster during summer (albeit a particularly chilly one) then he couldn't imagine the logistics of marching through any other time. That wasn't even to mention the wild pokemon that made the Ice Path their home…

"Arcanine, can you get the fire going again?" Gary looked utterly crushed as the last wisps of the campfire were buried beneath snow, wind, and the oppressive grasp of cold. A tad bit of pity welled within Ash, though he'd never let Gary see it. Arcanine licked Gary's cheek again and raised his great head to breathe a gust of white-hot flame that ignited the brush and melted away the snow in a burst of steam… then choked out and died. "No! Damnit damnit damnit -"

Ash raised his hand. "Relax, I'll help."

"Your crazy Magmortar would probably just burn this whole stupid forest down," Gary's teeth chattered as he huddled into Arcanine. Though Arcanine couldn't keep the fire going - not without seriously overdoing it and causing more harm than good - the canine curled around Gary as much as he could to completely surround the boy. It was strange how small and vulnerable Gary of all people looked compared to the mighty Arcanine.

He ignored Gary's spiteful remark and stared into the last cinders. Fire resonated within him, just like it had last night - it was there in the practically untouched brush, half-choked and starved - and he allowed the Flame within him to grow, stroked it until it blazed.

His friend stared at him as though seeing Ash for the first time: steam boiled off of Ash as his body heat spiked and the snowflakes which coated him melted, helpless before the blaze. The Feather burned beneath his coat and heavy shirt, and his muscles and bones and nerves seared with the heat of the Feather as it filled with his own Fire. The air grew hot and dry around them, as though it had banished the wintery touch of the mountain air entirely and filled it with warm summer - Gary's face shone with slick sweat and he was forced to pull his scarf to the side. The cinders in Arcanine's fur were stoked into a coat of flame as the fire-type leapt away from Gary.

The dying fire, snuffed out by the icy conditions and the unrelenting howl of the north winds, blazed back to life. It did not leap like it had last night, wild and uncontrolled, but shone as a bright, warm, and gentle presence in this cold, dark night. It burned evenly, Fire balanced by Ice, and Ash had no fear of it burning out of control as fire was wont to do.

Not yet, at any rate.

"How?" Gary whispered, eyes locked on Ash as though he was a particularly fascinating specimen to pick apart and examine. Ash stared evenly back. "Are you even human anymore? I've never seen a psychic do anything like that," he shifted uneasily, though Gary held his hands to the calm campfire.

"I'm human," Ash said resolutely, hand clasped tight around the Unown tablet. He stared past Gary, thought back to Cynthia's explanation of Aura. "Just… expressing myself, I guess."

Gary scowled. "That makes no sense and you know it."

Ash cracked a grin, light and airy after embracing Fire so deeply. He wished he had released Infernus so his friend could share in it with him. "Sorry."

"You just keep shaking up my world, man" Gary sighed, a lot more easy-going now with a crisp fire warming him. It acted as a bulwark against the night. "It's a lot to wrap my head around. Some kind of special psychic powers? Magic?" He said, strained. Ash was tempted to say yes just to see the look on his face…

"It's hard to explain," Ash replied. "I don't know what to call it, honestly," and he realized that was the truth. Was it Aura? Were the Legends something else entirely? Ash just didn't know yet. They were linked, he knew, but it was impossible to narrow things down with such little information. "It's not something I can teach you about."

Gary was less than pleased at that, but nodded at last. "Fine. If you're tired of my questions just say so."

"You have been interrogating me lately," Ash pointed out, though said it with an easy smile to soften the jab. Gary scoffed. "Maybe it's my turn."

"Sure, whatever," his friend sneered and reclined casually into Arcanine's furry mane. The canine seemed quite content with the situation now that his coat wasn't literally burning anymore. Gary spread his arms wide. "Shoot, Ashy-boy."

He hesitated, well-aware that what he truly, desperately wanted to know was off-limits. Or it should have been, at any rate. Gary - none of the Oaks - went into detail for a reason. Still, it was all too easy to cast that consideration and worry aside, emboldened by the Fire within and without. They stoked his courage and curiosity, burnt away his fear and worry and concern and shrouded them all in smoke.

"What's up with Daisy? Why doesn't she ever come back to Pallet?"

Gary's smile vanished in an instant. "Screw off, Ash."

He raised his hand from where it rested on Nidoking's thick shoulder - his friend looked up with sleepy eyes, fighting off the long exhaustion of the day. "It's just a question."

"Oh really? Here's a question: what's up with your mom?" Gary jabbed. "You've barely mentioned her in the last few days, and that's pretty weird for a momma's boy like you. Gramps hasn't mentioned her either. Trouble in paradise?" The boy sneered.

Ash's jaw tensed, though he kept his smile. It was brittle as glass. A deep rumble shaped in Nidoking's chest and the mighty poison-type began to rise, though a single word from Ash kept him in his place. Arcanine backed down as well, though his eyes were sharp and bright in the firelight.

"Don't go there, Gary."

Something in his voice must've struck the boy. Gary leaned back, eyes locked on Ash's own, and nodded slowly. There was still a deep, frothing venom in Gary, but it was muted now. Hidden behind something else that Ash couldn't quite decipher.

"...is it serious?"

Ash leaned back against the firm wood of the fir tree behind him. He shut his eyes and concentrated on the cool bark and the last bit of slush which dripped down it. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

He nearly started at an apology from Gary Oak of all people, but hid it. Ash's eyes cracked open. Gary still leaned back into Arcanine, though he wore a frown now instead of an ugly sneer.

Later on, Ash would have no idea why he did it. He'd shared it with nobody. But something about the earnestness he knew laid in Gary, wrapped up in layers upon layers of toxicity, snark, and sharp words, compelled him to speak.

"The Unown fucked with her head," he spat. Gary started - he clearly hadn't expected that. Ash's eyes squeezed shut again. He didn't want to look at anyone. The only comfort he found was in Nidoking's dull claws as they rested against his foot. "She doesn't remember me. Or she does, but it's not right. Jumbled, like she's lived another life and she doesn't know what's right. She knows it all, but I might as well be a stranger."

"Well...shit." Gary said succinctly. Ash's dry laugh hitched in his throat. It was all too desirable to tug just a tiny little bit at Ice to numb the feelings inside, but he stopped himself. No crutches. Not for this. If he numbed himself to his own mother's pain…

Silence fell over them, and Ash imagined the fire between them began to fade under the crushing weight of snow and wind. Gary said nothing else, and Ash was truly grateful for that. The other boy commiserated with him, and that was all that was necessary. He didn't want Gary's pity.

He was lost within his own thoughts, drowning in everything he'd hidden and ran from in the past weeks… Ash hadn't even reached out to his mom. He'd run, like a coward too afraid to face his problems. Was that who he was at heart? When his family was removed, was a frightened little coward all that was left?

What was he without his team?

"My parents are dead."

Ash jerked back to reality. He emerged from his self-pity and looked to Gary, who had shut his own eyes now. Arcanine nuzzled closer to Gary, and his friend buried his hands in the canine's hot mane.

He nodded, though Gary wouldn't have seen. It was something he'd known, though Ash had always simply accepted it as a fact of life. It wasn't something Ash had ever thought about - he'd never met Gary and Daisy's parents, and it was easy to forget about them with Professor Oak looming so large.

"I don't even know what happened," Gary hissed. "Gramps shuts down and I haven't really talked to Daisy in years. It's bullshit. I deserve to know - I've looked everywhere and it's nowhere to be found. Not in newspapers, not in broadcasts. I found one mention of it in a Viridian newspaper from eleven years back. One. It doesn't even say what happened, just an obituary. Samantha and Scott Oak, deceased August 4th, PIL 988. Nothing else."

Ash didn't even know what to say to that. He took a page out of Gary's book and just listened. If anyone would get it, Gary would.

"It sure as hell wasn't natural," Gary's fists clenched. "But Gramps is worse than useless. Old man just chokes up - the most I've ever heard is that it was an accident. I even snuck onto his computer - his password is 'Sarah', by the way, if you ever want to hop on - and couldn't find anything before one of the League Porygon locked me out. That dressing down sucked ass."

He nodded along, sympathy welling up inside. It didn't hurt that Gary had gone a little bit of an embittered rant at the end - that was a sign he wasn't too broken up. Ash wouldn't have known what to do with a crying Gary. Could he share Ice with him? His only other option would be having Dazed put him to sleep…

Despite that, unbridled curiosity reared its head. "Who's Sarah?"

Gary's eyes cracked open and he waved dismissively. "My grandma. I never met her. She was listed in the obituary too. Old man really needs to work on his password habits - that's, like, the first thing they teach you not to do. It's still his password, by the way. I checked, but the Porygon locked me out immediately this time."

Well, that was something to keep in mind. Not that Ash would need to break into the Professor's computer anyways - there wasn't much on there that he didn't at least know something about, and everything else would be of little interest or too high over his head. It wasn't like he was lacking in security clearance. The things that an Elite Four member wasn't cleared to know could probably be counted on one hand, even with his trainee status.

Inspiration struck him, yet something forced him to consider his words carefully as he took in the sight of Gary curled up in Arcanine's fur. His friend's face was red and every breath was labored - Gary wasn't quite broken down, but this was probably the most fragile Ash would ever be allowed to see. It was weird. Gary was supposed to be confident - no, arrogant - and spouting off cutting words and cruel jokes. Sincerity didn't suit him, not yet.

He couldn't hold his tongue. "I might be able to help," Ash said measuredly, though a part of him warned against what he was about to say. He clenched Nidoking's shoulder for support, and his friend was all too willing to offer it. The claws against his leg pushed closer, a comforting pressure that eased him. "The Elite Four have access to information. I can look through the archives, if you want, and see what I can find. Worst comes to worst, I could probably ask Lance when I'm in Indigo Plateau this week. He would know."

Gary looked at him with something undecipherable etched all over him, from his expression to his body language. The Oak unknowingly chewed at his nails, something Ash had never seen him do before. It wasn't something Gary would share with him, or anyone else.

"Yeah," his friend muttered, nearly too low to be heard over the crackling fire. Arcanine licked Gary's cheek again and the boy hugged the giant canine closer. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"It's done," Ash promised, though he couldn't fight the gnawing feeling that this might be a stone better left unturned. If Professor Oak went to such lengths to hide it - he frowned. Going against the Professor's will so blatantly… it might be unreasonable, but Ash couldn't help to think of it as a form of betrayal, good intentioned as it might be. "I'll let you know as soon as I learn anything."

As Gary slowly nodded, appearing utterly lost to the world, Ash couldn't help but think of all the other things he could learn if he scoured the archives for himself. It was something he'd been forced to put off for now, always consumed by the next tragic twist of circumstance (or the fallout that resulted from it). There were questions he had himself, questions he hardly dared to consider for fear of the answers he might find.

Giovanni, the Rockets - he cut off that line of thought, unwilling to pursue it at this moment.

The hunting bays of a Sneasel pack hidden out in the impenetrable darkness of the woods carved through the comfortable silence that followed, high, keen wails that sliced through the frozen air. Glimmering eyes raced through the darkness, though they didn't dare approach the campfire. Ash had no doubt that they would love to attack and test the invaders, but Sneasel were cowards at heart. They didn't like facing a foe that could fight back.

His own friend was a notable exception - any wild Sneasel would think him utterly mad for the odds Sneasel had taken on before (especially without backup). A madness he'd grown up with, thanks to his own unusual 'pack'.

"Screw this," Gary grumbled out of nowhere. His eyes sagged. "This shit's getting too heavy, man. Scary giant ghosts, magic, just everything you bring to the table. Gives me a freakin' headache."

"You're not the only one."

Gary said something rude under his breath, but Ash pointedly ignored it. "I'm out," Gary relaxed into Arcanine, who seemed all too pleased with the arrangement. "Gotta say this is the best sleep I've gotten in ages - normally I'm up till dawn," he bit his lip and looked to Ash with blatant suspicion. "You aren't using your Hypno on me, are you?"

He shook his head.

The Oak almost looked disappointed at his theory being proven wrong, but shrugged it off. "Whatever. Just seemed like something you would do," he added. Ash couldn't exactly disagree with that. "Let me know if anything tries to eat us, alright?"

"You got it."

With that, Gary shut his eyes. Over the next few minutes his breaths slowed and deepened. Ash thought he looked disturbingly peaceful in the firelight. He watched over his friend for a little longer, though his sharp ears were quick to strain for any approaching movement. The Sneasel packs might be curious enough to venture close, even though the sight of Nidoking and Arcanine would send them scattering. He could only imagine their reaction if he released Infernus - his friend would have too much fun mopping the floor with them.

Their ancestors, wild and savage things that had stalked the forests and Ice Path as vicious shadows in the night, wouldn't have held such reservations. They would have had to fight for every step they took, death in the trees and wind and earth itself.

A rustling in the snow-drenched bushes drew his attention. The campfire dimmed, though the Fire that fueled it was not overcome. It blazed back with a simple thought, and Ash looked patiently to the newcomer. Nidoking stood to his full height, the juggernaut's ears twitching frantically. A bead of venom dripped from his horn.

"Hello?" Ash questioned the darkness. He kept his voice low - no need to wake Gary up for this. Whatever was out there had waited patiently for the other boy to sleep for a reason - perhaps been the reason for his sudden exhaustion in the first place, Ash's suspicious thoughts pointed out.

Three dark shapes, the middle several inches taller than the others at its flank, stepped into the light. They kept to the shadows and snow, however, and never dared to expose themselves fully to the campfire. Its warm light was anathema to them, and Ash understood as soon as the lead figure's identity was revealed.

Dark figures clad in robe-like garments, though they could have just as easily been part of their anatomy for all Ash knew. Their garments were a brilliant crimson with gold accents, vivid colors that stood out starkly against the blindingly white snow all around them. Curtains of white-gold hair hung around their heads, brushing the ground beneath their hidden. Their large hands were dark, rigid, and appeared painfully swollen due to frostbite - the rest of their skin was similar, chapped and dead and colored by gangrene. It was smooth and whole, however, so perhaps the unsettling similarity they held to human women colored his opinion of their unhealthy appearance.

Jynx. Not an unheard of sight in an environment like the Ice Path, though they tended to keep their distance from humans.

"Can I help you?" He arched an eyebrow, more curious than worried. The Jynx didn't seem aggressive. Ash sensed that they mirrored his own interest.

He frowned as something prickled at his senses. The garbled, human-like speech that Jynx were known for filled his ears. Scientists claimed it was indecipherable, a jumbled mess made in imitation of human speech due to uncanny anatomical similarities between humans and Jynx, yet the longer Ash listened the more he sensed a certain pattern to it, a harmony of the disjointed words the human mind wasn't meant to understand.

The Jynx filled the gaps in with their own psychic abilities, certainly. He was too familiar with the subtle brush of Dazed's mind against his own to miss such a touch, though he had to admit their touch was far defter and masterful than Dazed's (at this point, at least).

Whatever they were attempting to communicate, it wasn't through something as clumsy as words. He staggered beneath the weight of their collective psychic influence, a painful feeling not unlike a brain freeze filling his head -

Ice. That was what he sensed within them - the center one, at least. The other two were familiar, somehow, like echoes or a poor imitation of a great sculpture. Built the same, yet without the spirit and deliberate intention of the original.

Images flashed through his mind too fast to comprehend, then repeated, and again and again and again, each time with more urgency and insistence, a craving for him to understand -

A pale, dark-haired girl shivering in a thin red ceremonial robe trimmed with gold. Her feet burned at the freezing touch of the ice beneath her feet. It was rough and left her feet raw and bloody as she stepped across the ocean frozen at the word of the Mother, the mortal woman Lord Winter had taken under his vast, frozen wings as his own daughter.

Reciting the words whispered into her mind, blinded by the pain of her frostbitten fingers and toes. When she stepped to the beckoning Mother she left skin behind, but was too numbed by the icy ocean winds to feel it. Her tears froze in trails as they ran down her cheeks. She basked in the cold, marble-like beauty of the Mother.

The Mother welcomed her into her arms. They were cold enough to blister her skin. The Mother's lips did not move as intricate meaning and images filled her mind. She did not whisper words of kindness, but of resolution. The Walk of Winter offered no solace, only will. She spoke to the people of her home. A sacrifice, a blessed child with the power of the mind, to be offered to Lord Winter to take her place at his side.

Her beautiful Mother cradled her face in her slim hands, though her skin still pulsed with warm blood and burned the Mother's icy hands. The Mother's eyes, blazing white like the depths of a blizzard, stared into her own and she saw things. Vast white wings outstretched in the cold, the crown of Lord Winter, and the endless stasis that awaited -

Mother pressed her lips to her own in a chaste kiss. The Blizzard consumed her. Blood froze in her veins. Her hair froze into a voluminous sheet. Pain like nothing else filled her essence as what she was died.

It was not over. Some faint semblance of life, of humanity and hot blood, still persisted. Mother effortlessly lifted her frozen, rigid form and placed it upon an ice-encrusted altar. Mother addressed the crowds and beseeched them to witness the beauty of this transformation.

A sacred Feather of Lord Winter, a crystalline and jagged thing of utter perfection, appeared in Mother's hand. Mother regarded it with cold adoration. The Feather froze even the hand of Mother, yet Mother relished in it. She gasped as Mother slid the barbed Feather into her chest, and Ice filled her essence as it was imparted unto her. Her human life, ended by Mother's loving kiss, was forever lost to her and a new life began.

As Ice's essence filled her, Mother pulled the razor-sharp Feather out and raised it to her breast. She smiled as it cut effortlessly through her stone-hard skin and half-frozen blood flowed from the open wound. The Feather repelled Mother's blood, too pure to be sullied by mortality. Mother fed the blood into her frozen lips, and she was born anew.

Mother gathered her as she loosed the wails of a newborn servant of Ice, and the spell captured the onlookers…

He came to in a cold sweat, and the heat of the fire could scarcely reach him. Ash shivered, and his vision swam as he looked at the lead Jynx - the Jynx whose memories he had just witnessed. They clung to his mind, demanding to be witnessed. Ash relived the memories again and again, and vomited (though he was sure to miss Nidoking).

"You were human," he looked at the lead Jynx in utter horror - even the dark presence of Mewtwo paid attention, surging to life in the back of his mind. The other Jynx were not. They were born as Jynx, lacking that connection to Ice that the firstborn possessed. How they were produced, Ash had no idea. Asexual reproduction? For all Ash knew a Jynx just found a bunch of snow and breathed life into it. "A girl."

The lead Jynx was utterly unphased by his horror. She didn't seem particularly upset at her fate - the last thing Ash could remember of her memories before Ice filled her and wiped her passions away was a resplendent, inhuman joy.

"And your Mother…" he trailed off, then his blood ran cold. A choking fist grasped around his hearts as he knew where he'd seen her before. It had been less than a week ago at the Mahogany Pokemon Center! The woman in the Seafoam Islands who'd held Articuno's Feather - Haukea, he recalled. "When did this happen?" He asked, voice hard and pointed. "When did she do this to you?"

Jynx looked at him oddly. A rush of memories - family, ramshackle homes, the psychic powers that had drawn Mother's loving attention - filled his mind and he knew. Hundreds - maybe thousands - of years had passed since this Jynx had been 'born'. Did she suffer? Did she even care that her human family had long since rotted away into the earth?

No, she did not. If there was anything Ash knew with absolute certainty, it was that. Once the girl had been reborn, she would have killed them all herself with zero hesitation so long as it served her Mother and god. Such things as compassion were alien to the followers of ice.

All in all, he had to fight the urge to vomit again. The acrid taste burned his tongue yet his stomach still churned with the knowledge that had been forced on him. He refused to draw on Ice to numb it - after this past revelation, he didn't dare. Too raw.

"And why did you come here?" He whispered. Nidoking growled alongside him, flames roiling in his throat. At a moment's notice he would bathe the Jynx in flame - Ash found that a rather comforting thought. "Why did you show me this?"

He was prepared this time, but nothing would let him weather the surge of memories untouched. Ash groaned and raised a hand to his head.

Pleasure as Lord Winter and its inferior siblings Awakened - Mother Haukea stirring from her long slumber as Lord Winter and its siblings clashed to the south - Mother's will whispering to her, a loyal servant of Ice and Herald of Winter, to carry the truth to all who would listen - Storm-tamer entering her appointed domain, Mother's commands to be heeded -

The Jynx inclined her head, as did the others. Ash nodded back, still rather ill. She seemed disappointed that Ash did not draw upon Ice for her, did not reveal his own link to her Lord, yet took it in stride. He knew she could still sense it deep within him. It was a part of him, after all. She disappeared into the darkness, her duty completed. Her loyal servants followed suit.

He sat there for a long time, mind roiling. Eventually he pulled out his PokeDex with trembling hands and began to watch another of Clair's battles. Anything to avoid the unsettling realizations this unexpected meeting had left him with.

Eventually even that wasn't mindless enough for him, and with cold fingers he started typing up a letter to Molly - he hadn't had much of a chance to reach out to her, and he was a little concerned about the girl. Thoughts of the Hale family brought dread, anxiety, and a terrible sense of hope that nearly managed to distract him from his current predicament.

Nearly.

This Haukea, a servant of Ice (and wasn't that horrifying), wasn't like Ash and Lance. She was a relic of the old world, full of knowledge and power and terrifying certainty. He knew without a doubt she would love to watch the entire world freeze forever, locked in an endless winter.

And she knew him.

The campfire did not seem such a comfort anymore.

XX

Despite the intense conversation of the night before, the next day passed quickly. The only thing that got on Ash's nerves was Gary's incessant questions about the Legendaries. He wasn't content with what Ash had given him - he wanted to know it all, and it felt like as soon as Ash got him to shut up about the other boy started nagging at him again.

Having seen the worst of the Ice Path - or, in Ash's opinion, the most impressive - the rest went by without circumstance. The Sneasel packs watched from a distance, but gave them a wide berth now. In the event one curious Sneasel strayed too close to the travelers, a sharp whistle from the lead Sneasel or Weavile would reign them back in.

Sneasel took it as a challenge, naturally. He loved the Ice Path - it was going to be difficult taking him out. Ash would have to seek out any icy areas in Hoenn for him to enjoy, though he couldn't even begin to guess where they might be hidden. An underwater cavern, perhaps? Something to ask Steven about, and certainly Glacia if he ever had the pleasure of meeting the esteemed lady.

The Sneasel packs didn't appreciate Sneasel's obstinance whatsoever, however. They leered at him from a safe distance, hissing challenges and dares to seek them out in the icy caverns or frosted woods - if he had risen to the bait, Ash had no doubt that at least a dozen Sneasel would have descended on him with razor-sharp claws to pay him back for his intrusion.

It would have been a terrible mess for the wild Sneasel.

Although the onlookers left a shiver down his spine on occasion, he and Gary fell into an easy routine. There was an openness between them now, albeit a fragile one. It wasn't unimaginable for Gary to mention Daisy's name of his own accord - though it could just as easily come up with long-veiled bitterness or fond recollection.

On occasion, Ash dared to mention his mother. It was still a hesitant subject that Gary never brought up himself, but after the first day it didn't quite feel like he was chewing shards of glass every time he thought of her.

He would reach out to her, he decided. Ash had run for long enough.

All too soon they found themselves on the other side of the Ice Path. Beaten, numb, and exhausted beyond belief, but they'd made it. He'd faced greater challenges, but Ash couldn't help but feel a stir of pride in his gut. It was nearly enough to make him forget about the Jynx...and, looming far greater than the psychics' strange visit, Haukea's pale face. It lingered constantly in his mind. He had no doubt that every one of his dreams Dazed had devoured was full of the Winter Woman.

Nothing good would come of pursuing that line of thought. Something to speak to Lance about, not ruminate endlessly upon.

Gary was just happy to be out. "Screw the cold!" he said as they stepped out of the wintry mountain passes and into the short stretch of wildlands that separated them from Blackthorn. They had less than a day's journey to Blackthorn, and Ash couldn't help the blood that pounded in his ears at that thought. Less than a day from Clair and the battle he'd craved for weeks now…

"Yeah," Ash said absentmindedly as he relished the slightly warmer breeze drifting along his skin. A part of him still missed the harsh cold, yet even more of him refused to consider that. He'd seen what Ice unrestrained could do.

"Eloquent as ever!" Gary jabbed as he painstakingly removed the small wardrobe of wrappings, warmers, and other clothes he'd thrown on for the rest of their journey through the Ice Path. "Man, it still sucks out here. Least it doesn't hurt to breathe, right?"

"Yeah."

His friend made a disgusted sound and ignored him. Ash hid a smile.

You two are entirely too happy to pick at each other. It's exhausting.

He just laughed as Gary growled at Alakazam, who had elected to finish the trek with them. It had been draining for the mighty psychic, but Ash found himself enjoying his company. Alakazam was certainly more pleasant than Bob - then again, Bob had permanently lowered his standards. Any Alakazam would look like a saint in comparison.

I'm glad I meet your standards.

That drew a grin from him. It didn't hurt that Alakazam reminded him of a Dazed with all her mystery and metaphors stripped away - Gary had beaten every semblance of stereotypical psychic mumbo-jumbo out of Alakazam with a brazen combination of snark, irritation, and the equivalent of beating his head against a brick wall until the bricks were just a pile of dust at his feet.

It was remarkable.

He thought to release Dazed, but decided against it. Sneasel needed some attention (he had sagged in disappointment the moment they left the Ice Path) and Plume was enough protection for now as she soared through the skies. Besides, Dazed wouldn't enjoy the hours of walking they had ahead of them. She wasn't built for long distances.

Besides, he didn't want to slow down for anything. He couldn't wait to reach Blackthorn, home of the Wataru legacy and countless years of history and legends. In a way, his entire journey to this point had led to this. His training with Lance, his visit to the First's tomb and meeting with the mighty Rhydon that guarded it…

"Come on," he decided. Gary groaned and glared, clearly not ready to move on quite yet. "We've got a lot to do."

When Gary still looked as unmotivated as a Slowpoke, Ash realized he needed to sweeten the deal. "Once we get to Blackthorn we can get out of this cold -"

He didn't have to push any harder. Gary had already picked up the pace down the wide, well-kempt path (a far cry from the Mahogany side) and Alakazam levitated lazily behind him.

Ash just smiled.

XX

"This place sucks."

Ash sent a dirty look Gary's way. "Shut up."

"Woah, woah, let's lower the hostility," Gary sneered as he walked between a couple holding hands on the sidewalk, forcing them to separate. They both sent him dirty looks as Ash walked past, careful to hide his face beneath his cap. "You can't tell me you actually like this dirthole, right? Goldenrod's way better. It's an actual city, not a glorified dump in the mountains."

He forced Gary to wait for him as he admired an iron-wrought statue of a mighty Dragonite handing a lone figure, a man in hunter's garb who looked positively miniscule compared to the great dragon, several tiny eggs.

Drake Hiro, the only of His name. Our Progenitor.

"I like it."

"Of course you would." Gary seemed resigned. He made disparaging comments every once in a while as they made their way through the ancient city of Blackthorn, but kept them under his breath. Knowing Gary as well as he did, Ash was content with that.

Blackthorn was everything he could have imagined, yet it still managed to surprise him in some ways.

He'd expected an ancient city of history, mythology, and great regard for their past. A city built around dragons and the legendary figures that had tamed them in the past, the ultimate dichotomy of man and pokemon.

It was exactly what he had received. Blackthorn was, above all else, a relic. The city seemed as traditional as Ecruteak in its own way. Modern fixtures were everywhere, yet each and every building could have been erected centuries ago for all he knew. Not a single skyscraper graced the skyline - only a few small fortresses and spires built into the towering Ore Mountains which Blackthorn was nestled comfortably in dared stand above the rest. Even from here he could see the plain platforms of hewn rock and wooden supports built into the mountains for as far as he could see, designed for the landing and take-off for creatures as large as Dragonite. They were everywhere, and soon enough his eyes grew so used to them that he ignored the pads entirely.

Every single building was designed for that purpose, built with flat roofs or connected to nearby houses and shops with thick wooden roofs. Even the buildings backed into the mountains were built for defense and war, ready to be utilized by Blackthorn in a moment's notice.

Ash shut his eyes. He could only imagine how wonderful a sight it was to see dozens or hundreds of the majestic Dragonite taking off at once with their partners on their backs. The clear sky would have gleamed gold as the sun reflected off the dragons' scales. Roars and battle cries would fill the ears of everyone for miles as the dragon riders embarked on their missions.

He desperately wished to be able to see through time in that moment, to see what had been lost to the new world.

Despite all that, it was plain to him that Blackthorn had embraced the new world as much as it had the old. Fashions were starkly familiar instead of the traditional garb of Ecruteak - many citizens favored plain jeans and t-shirts, or a light sweater that would've let them fit right into modern metropolises like Saffron and Goldenrod.

Many regarded them suspiciously as they walked past, eyes slanted and hard as they took in the newcomers. Blackthorn was ancient and isolated and saw few visitors. They were largely self-sufficient and maintained little trade with the rest of Johto. Most relaxed as they saw the pokeballs at Ash and Gary's belt, yet he couldn't feel quite comfortable as several locked eyes with Ash and recognition sparked.

Aside from that, Ash couldn't help but notice that plenty of the people that walked by, laughing with friends or lost in their own thoughts, had faint similarities with Lance. The people of Blackthorn were hardy and strong. Most stood several inches taller than the average and possessed wide frames.

Occasionally, he passed by a man or woman that left him startled, certain that Lance or Clair themselves must have walked by - they stood tall and proud, a Dratini looped around their shoulders or Dragonair at their side. The others in Blackthorn would acknowledge them with respectful nods or even bows, blatant respect in their words and posture.

These few were the Wataru. Although there was some variance in hair color - Ash saw everything from brown to blue to the pale red of Lance - they all held some strong resemblance to one another: their faces were angular and hard like their dragons, and many walked together away from the other folk.

The Wataru blood ran strong. Aside from those who possessed a startling resemblance to Lance or Clair, he doubted there was a single member who could be mistaken as anything but a Wataru. He had to wonder how insular the clan was - there were differences, certainly, but they were subtle and easy to miss. Ash might have to ask Lance about how often the Wataru married outside the clan…

Then again, they fit right in with the rest of Blackthorn's citizens. The Wataru just seemed more, as if their genetics were simply an exaggeration of the mountain-dwelling folk that the current people of Blackthorn were descended from. Too extreme, too sharp. Too distinct. Everyone here was pointed and large, but the Wataru took that to the next level.

Was that because the Wataru had spread their bloodline far and wide, their genes diluted by the common folk, or had the Wataru just interbred for generations until they had pushed their original genes to their limit? An interesting (albeit disturbing) question. Maybe he'd been reading Cynthia's book too often…

Still, Ash couldn't help but smirk at Lance's reaction if he brought it up. Or Clair's…

There was an idea.

Historical inquiries aside, Ash thought he could stay in Blackthorn for weeks or months without getting bored and yearning for the wilderness - they could hardly turn a corner without running into a relic, monument, or shrine to some ancient event or heroic Drake. Museums were everywhere and Ash knew for a fact he and Dazed would find their way to plenty. Blackthorn had a storied past of great heroes and villains alike, and it was clear they cherished that legacy.

It was plain and rugged in a way, with no thought for elegance or adornments beyond simple carvings and murals, yet held a great beauty regardless. This was a place of little pomp and all substance. Every inch of their decorated history could be substantiated in blood and trophies and Blackthorn displayed it for all to see.

He found it fascinating that Blackthorn venerated its failures and atrocities as much as it did their heroes and greatest victories. Perhaps venerated was the wrong word. Unlike many other cities, Blackthorn exhibited them so they were plain to see in monuments and artwork. The Mad Drake, an entire wall devoted to the tale of Drake Ikki who had fed his rebellious brother to his Dragonite, and the First Champion smiting Drake Ryoto (according to the plaques) and ending Blackthorn's dominion over Johto.

Blackthorn was a land that embraced its histories, the good and the bad. They were a forthright people who knew there was a great deal of wisdom to be found in the failures and mistakes of the past.

There was so much to learn here.

"We're here!" Gary looked nearly as excited as Ash felt. An energy filled them, tense and electric and ready to explode at a moment's notice. "Still good with the plan?"

Ash hummed an affirmative. Gary wanted Ash to battle Clair first so he could get a better idea of her tactics. He'd shown Gary a few of her videos, but he wanted to see a real fight. Surprise, surprise. He was pretty sure Gary really just wanted to watch Ash get beaten - there was no way the Oak hadn't already studied their opponent.

Gary was many things. Lazy was not one of them.

He wasn't about to turn down the chance to face down Clair at her full strength. If he beat her after Gary had tired her out, it was no victory at all. Just a farce.

In contrast to the simplistic, nearly primitive, design of the rest of Blackthorn, the Gym was a stately, majestic building of tan brick and stone that commanded respect. The Blackthorn Gym vaguely reminded him of the Hale Mansion in appearance: plain yet elegant, overbearing yet humble. It was blocked off behind a tall, iron gate guarded by endless pairs of statues that led to the Gym's doors and the Gym appeared to have been built into a mountainside. Each statue depicted a man or woman across from a mighty Dragonite, though Ash spotted a few Kingdra and even the odd Salamence and Garchomp in their midst, immortalized in bronze. Some were startlingly realistic, as if they'd step off their pillars and take their first steps in centuries any moment now…

"Blackthorn needs to up their game," Gary scoffed. He clearly had no appreciation for the history behind this place, Ash groused to himself. "I mean, seriously. When was the last time this place was renovated? Does it even have electricity? Running water is probably cutting edge to this backwater."

Ash wanted to point out that the Gym had several lights on, but decided it would be more pragmatic to ignore Gary. Without waiting for the Oak, he stepped forth. As he walked between the giant statues, he felt as though he were being watched by giants.

As Gary struggled to catch up, no doubt spitting all kinds of foul words under his breath, Ash stepped into the Gym. It was plain, just like every other Gym. The seats were mostly empty, no surprise there. Most trainers were still working up to the lesser Gyms, let alone Blackthorn's. Clair's reputation was well-earned. According to a statistic in a training magazine he'd picked up a while back, something like 90% of trainers in Johto avoided Clair's Gym entirely in favor of the minor Gyms in the Blackthorn territory (which were still quite a challenge themselves).

The receptionist jumped as they entered, clearly not used to visitors. Her cheeks flushed as she hid away her PokeGear.

"Welcome to the Blackthorn Gym!" The receptionist greeted with a brilliant smile. She was perhaps a year or two older than them and a blind man could have realized she was a member of the Wataru clan. Her hair was the same rosy red as Lance's and her face was pointed and angular. "How may I help you today?"

"We'd like to battle Clair," Ash said, a little startled at her appearance. It was actually a little creepy how much she looked like a girl version of Lance…

She started, surprised, then squinted at the pair of them. "Okay, if you're sure," she said doubtfully. "Names and trainer I.D. numbers, please."

"Ash Ketchum," he said flatly. Ash ignored her gobsmacked expression as he rattled off his I.D. number. He'd memorized it long ago.

Her mouth formed a small 'o' and she quickly typed the information in. Gary went next, a light smirk on his face as she had a similar reaction. "If you wait for just a moment, Leader Clair will give permission to -"

The receptionist's headset crackled, and the girl smiled brightly. "Looks like you two are good to go! Head on in through the doors on the right," she pointed them the right way.

"Thanks," Ash nodded as he forced the doors open, anticipation stirring deep in his gut. This was what he had waited for so long, and he would not waste this opportunity.

Gary stepped up alongside him as they entered a small antechamber built of flat wooden panels and stone walls, lit with blue dragonfire that cast everything in a sinister azure shade. His hands trembled and Ash couldn't stop the mad smile from appearing as he viewed its single inhabitant.

Gym Leader Clair lazed about on a plain throne hewn from an ancient, jutting rock. It was weathered with time alone, shielded from the elements as it was. She was a tall woman, nearly as tall as Lance, and her bright blue hair that matched the dragonfire was bound in a ponytail. As they approached she didn't twitch, her hard blue eyes skimming over the two challengers with some little interest.

"What do you want?" She drawled, her face propped up by her fist. Despite her lazy air and general apathy, Clair commanded respect. Every word was spoken quietly and with great intention behind it, selected carefully. He strained to hear her soft address, yet didn't dare interrupt.

"We're here for a battle," Gary stepped forward with a nasty grin on his face. He brushed a few strands of brown hair out of his eyes and stared Clair down without an ounce of apprehension. "I've heard a lot about you."

She slouched even more, sprawled across her throne. "Am I supposed to care? Why should I even allow you the honor of challenging me?"

"Because you're the Blackthorn Gym Leader. It's your job," Ash said quietly. Clair's gaze jerked to him, and she scowled. "I'm going first."

Clair looked as if she wanted to say something, but held her tongue. She straightened and stared him down with a feral grin. "Good! You're tougher than the Oak boy. I saw the videos," she added Gary bristled. "Don't disappoint me, boy. Or do," her cruel smile shifted into an easy grin. "I'd love to see Lance's face when he hears."

He arched an eyebrow. Looked like Clair hadn't inherited the social genes. If Lance was a storybook hero born in the wrong century, Clair was the cackling witch that accosted him. "Are you done?"

Her scowl deepened. Clair rose steadily from her throne. She towered over both of the boys, nearly a foot taller than both. Her blue bodysuit shimmered in the blue dragonfire… well, at least Ash wouldn't have any trouble guessing her favorite color.

Clair stalked off towards a massive pair of double doors behind her throne. She didn't bother looking back, clearly expecting the boys to follow her. Ash frowned at the cape she wore. Hadn't Lance said that was for the Drake and nobody else? Probably just some formality or clan custom he wasn't aware of.

Regardless, he couldn't fight the grin any longer. His body hummed and quivered with nerves, his fingers constantly running over his friends' pokeballs. Would his plans work out? Had his work amounted to anything? Could Clair have prepared any nasty surprises in the months since her last recorded battle?

Ash hoped so.

The battlefield behind the doors was worthy of a trainer such as Clair. It was gigantic - the bounds, already marked by shimmering psychic barriers, stretched for nearly three hundred feet in every direction. How far back into the mountain did this go? Every aspect of it was fairly plain: flat expanses of dirt made up the majority of the arena, but a small forest of plain stone pillars sat on the left side of the field and a huge pool spanned the right.

It had been updated since the last video he'd seen. Her old arenas always possessed some kind of environment designed for tight quarters, ambushes, and traps - he'd seen a mountain riddled with a tunnel network, a forest made up of artificial trees, and even a painfully complex maze of metal walls, hidden pits, and environmental hazards. He had to admit he was a little disappointed he wouldn't get to send Sneasel into that. Sneasel would probably have the time of his life in there.

Oh well. The stone array would serve its purpose. Not many dragons would be able to effectively maneuver in there (without wrecking the whole set-up, anyways) very well. She wouldn't include something she had no options for, however, and Ash could say he was genuinely interested to see what she had prepared. This could get interesting.

As for the gigantic pool - well, that was good. That was a permanent addition. Torrent wasn't to the point of effortlessly ripping up tsunamis yet, but that would let him make the most of this battle. He wouldn't be able to lead with Torrent, of course. Ash had already promised him that he'd receive the fight against her Kingdra. Whenever it came out, Torrent would be released.

He glanced up and found his suspicions that they were in the mountain confirmed. The ceiling was flat and smoothed out by countless years of work and crafts, innumerable murals of Dragonite, men, and great scenes of war, victory, and fire immortalized in the stone. It was easily high enough for a flying-type to build up speed and maneuver, even Plume. That opened up several strategies he'd put on the backburner…

Clair must have had one of the Gym's psychics teleport her over to her box. It was upraised compared to Ash's own with yet another hewn throne for her, guarded by two massive Dragonite statues with eyes burning with dragonfire. She sat in it with the air and posture of a queen. She looked down her nose at them, a far cry from the lazy, slouching figure she'd cut before.

This was Clair in her element.

"The rules are simple!" Clair's voice carried throughout the cavernous arena - by the way it filled his mind, it seemed like the psychics maintaining the barrier were transmitting the meaning clearly to Ash and Gary. The reverberating echoes reached him a few seconds later. "Five-on-five. No psychic communication is permitted. No substitutions. Battle is until incapacitation or surrender. Do you accept my terms?"

Ash stepped forward. Gary looked around for a chair or bench, then grumbled when he realized Clair offered no such comfort for any onlookers. As such, he stood somewhat awkwardly behind the box, though he made sure he still had a great view.

To be honest, Ash was a little surprised she'd allowed Gary to watch at all.

"As the Gym Leader, I will release my pokemon first," she finished the official spiel, then grinned. "Choose wisely."

With that warning given, the stage was set. Clair released her first teammate, which was exactly who Ash had expected. She always started off battles the same way, then adapted to her opponent as the conflict went on. It was an interesting strategy, certainly one with its merits. It gave Clair a sort of predictable path to follow throughout every battle, though it was also a potential weakness if her opponents had studied her tactics.

A lengthy blue serpent manifested in a flash of light. Dragonair was particularly large for one of its species, even longer than Saph had been. Its thick hide was a rich blue azure and a bright white underbelly, designed to offer camouflage in its natural oceanic homes and flight. The Dragonair bowed its head to Ash. He was more than happy to dip his head back.

Nidoking appeared before Ash. He rolled his plated shoulders and glared at Dragonair as the serpent coiled, utterly serene in the face of the massive Nidoking. His friend's nostrils flared and potent toxins ran down the length of his horn in preparation.

Ash just folded his arms and waited. Clair was silent, eying him like Plume eyed a Sentret unwise enough to frolic in front of her, then frowned. "Begin."

The moment she uttered the word, Dragonair moved. Before Ash or Nidoking even blinked, the blue serpent struck. Dragonair's eyes burned with azure flame, and its body immediately shone with a pale aura of the same hue - Agility. Less than a second later, Dragonair swept forward with graceful, deliberate movements that, to Ash's eyes, appeared nearly as a dance -

A flickering green flame ignited about it as the Dragon Dance ended, Dragonair's body thrumming with power. It coiled like a spring, Nidoking squared himself, and Dragonair shot forward at incredible speed - it was little more than a blur, and it wasn't even flying. Its wings hadn't extended yet. Dragonair shot nearly the full length of an arena in just a few seconds, and Nidoking barely had time to ready himself before the dragon slapped its tail, shimmering with green power, straight into Nidoking's shoulder -

His friend was forced back as a detonation of pale green light and searing heat exploded outwards from the contact. It filled Ash's eyes and he was forced to rub them to clear them of stars - without the psychic barriers in place, he probably would have been knocked out by the blast.

Nidoking weathered it with ease. He staggered, yet remained on his feet. The poison-type was quick to spark a Thunderbolt straight into Dragonair's hide - or it should have. As the Thunderbolt shot off Nidoking's horn, the cluster of jewels at Dragonair's flash shone a gorgeous blue. The Thunderbolt dissipated nearly immediately, and in the confusion Dragonite sprung away with insane speed to avoid other attacks. Ash grit his teeth - that would have been a great time for Poison Sting, but it would be useless against something with regenerative abilities like Dragonair. Ice Beam would have been a great start to the battle, but Thunderbolt was quicker and simpler for Nidoking to generate. Ice Beam could have easily been dodged.

The two opponents took stock of one another. Nidoking's tail whipped back and forth in the dirt, leaving deep grooves. Dragonair's wings gracefully extended and it took to the skies with eye-catching grace - it took Ash a moment to ignore the dragon's elegant movements and pristine sheen as it circled above the battlefield, perhaps halfway between Ash and Clair.

He frowned.

Dragonair would be a tricky opponent. One as well-trained as Clair's would doubtlessly be at home in any environment: ground, sea, or sky. Ash suspected this was Clair's most versatile pokemon, designed to expertly fight in whatever section of the battlefield was necessary at the time. Not many dragons could offer that - Kingdra would be hampered in the tightly packed earthen pillars, while others would be at a distinct disadvantage if they were forced to take to the ground.

Then again, he'd expected this. Dragonair circled tirelessly in the air, never breaking its view of Nidoking. He couldn't hide away in a chasm or tunnel since Dragonair would be able to easily avoid any of his attacks from the air, but he'd known what was coming and chosen Nidoking for a very specific reason: Ash knew Dragonair's tactics.

It was a nightmare, honestly. Dragonair lacked the overwhelming speed, power, and defenses of a Dragonite (and Ash had no idea how Clair's hadn't evolved after so many years training), yet Clair had made hers into a terrifying force.

Her strategy was simple: Dragonair liked to test an opponent. Once it had their measure, Dragonair would rush them again. Instead of striking a second time, it would use its natural abilities to overcome its opponent's aggression with a surge of calm. Once its opponent was stunned, Dragonair would strike with a Thunder Wave to slow and paralyze its foe. From there, Dragonair liked to enhance its own abilities with Agility and Dragon Dance and essentially run circles around its slow and vulnerable enemy.

And if its opponent did have counters, Dragonair proved to be a defensive monster. It could shroud itself with Safeguard to blunt ranged attacks, stop the attacks in full with Protect, and nullify weather manipulation with the energies stored in the deep blue crystals set into its throat.

The magic of Dragonair was that it fought the opposite of how you'd expect a dragon-type to fight. It fought more like a poison-type, honestly. It hampered its opponents, picked them apart, and avoided any danger it possibly could. Dragonair didn't have the same endurance as a Dragonite - it couldn't easily hurl endless barrages of elemental devastation or take blows easily. Its long, serpentine body held a great deal of strength and power, yet at the level of battling they stood at there were plenty of foes that would crush it in a physical confrontation. In that case, Dragonair's best best was to simply coil around its opponent and squeeze.

Nidoking countered practically everything Dragonair could do. Due to his leathery hide and ground-type skills, he could shrug off Thunder Wave. The spines all over his body meant Dragonair couldn't leverage its speed and flexibility to coil and crush him without being seriously hurt and poisoned. He was tough enough to handle Dragonair's meager offense and wielded Ice Beam with incredible skill.

No, Ash was confident that Nidoking was his best possible option to face Dragonair. It wouldn't be easy by any means, but Nidoking's main problem would be pinning down the far more maneuverable dragon. It would only be made more difficult by the massive arena - Dragonair could flee practically anywhere.

He grit his teeth. This would be a long, slow, and brutal grind of a battle.

Clair's eyes flashed as she sat upon her throne. "Enough, Dragonair!" Her harsh voice echoed throughout the vast cavern. "We will not win in direct battle - retreat!"

Ash scowled. She'd realized the same thing as he had, then. "Approach. Slow it down however you can. Overwhelm its poison resistance. Ice Beam."

Nidoking's shoulders set as he plodded down the center of the battleground. He never let his gaze stray far from Dragonair's glimmering form as it swayed slowly toward Clair's throne, confident in its abilities to avoid the slow and lumberous Nidoking. Several streams of jagged, arcing Ice Beams shot into the sky to test the dragon, yet Dragonair easily swerved out of the way.

This was going to be frustrating. Dragonair would just try to chip Nidoking down, never daring to engage directly to leverage its superior speed and maneuverability -

Dragonair's long form, still blazing with the enhancements of Agility and Dragon Dance, landed gently upon the earth with all the weight of a feather. It reared, staring at Nidoking from across the arena, and - Ash frowned, there was no way it was going to -

It shot forward. Nidoking barely had a moment to fire off an Ice Beam before Dragonair crossed hundreds of feet in seconds, body ablaze with draconic power. The Ice Beam slammed into Dragonair, yet didn't seem to have much effect thanks to the familiar, incredibly frustrating sight of a Protect manifested inches ahead of Dragonair's body.

Nidoking weathered the whiplike blow of Dragonair's Dragon Tail with ease. The slam forced him back, but even the draconic blast failed to harm him. "Hurry!" Ash snapped. "Dragon Dance is down!"

Dragonair slithered away with the aid of Agility, yet wasn't able to avoid the dozens of poison-filled barbs Nidoking spat into its blue hide - most failed to penetrate, but at least a few of the Poison Stings pierced Dragonair's scales and pumped toxins into the dragon. It growled, but was able to ignore the worst of the effects.

"After it!" Ash called, eager to take Dragonair down as quickly as possible. Clair wasn't the type to fight a slow, grinding fight. He should have predicted that. She was going to blitz Nidoking and do her best to overwhelm the powerful poison-type. "Ice Beam!"

His friend bellowed out a challenge as he charged after Dragonair, an Ice Beam already lancing off his horn. Dragonair deftly squirmed out of the Ice Beam's freezing path, ducking beneath the arcs by a hair, yet cried out as it barely swerved away from Nidoking's follow-up Shadow Ball that shot past the dragon and plowed straight through the psychic barriers.

Unfortunately, Nidoking wasn't content to stop there. As Dragonair's wings extended to take flight and gain mobility, Nidoking finished his move - yet another Ice Beam struck Dragonair square in the chest and hurled the serpentine beast to the ground as frost glazed its scales in a thick crust. The shock stunned Dragonair, and Nidoking wasn't about to lose his advantage - who knew when he would next pin down the slippery dragon?

Another Ice Beam, then another. Both landed squarely on the shocked Dragonair, yet the first was blocked by a hasty Protect, then the next washed over Dragonair. It hurt, certainly - Dragonair didn't look pleased at all at the rush of cold - yet it was rendered mostly impotent by a shimmering aura of blue-green that suffused Dragonair's form. Safeguard, of course. He'd known it was coming. It wasn't like Protect that outright blocked and shielded against attacks, but Safeguard was able to hold off the worst of damage like a second layer of scales for Dragonair.

The technique was excellent for mitigating secondary damage - burns would be lighter, ice would fail to cling and take hold, shield against specialized techniques like Thunder Wave, and disrupt subtle psychic attempts to induce sleep and confusion.

It wouldn't mean much in the face of a physical attack, but given Dragonair's own toughness to most elemental attacks and maneuverability it wasn't a glaring weakness.

Nidoking knew all of this. He'd been made aware of what to expect from Dragonair, and it was paying off in spades. So, seeing Safeguard's distinctive haze, he charged. Dragonair growled and thrashed, shattering the ice hindering it. Just as Nidoking came down on the dragon, Dragonair shrieked. His friend slowed as his sensitive ears were hammered by the high-pitched squeal of Supersonic, and staggered as his balance was torn to pieces.

Dragonair didn't try to escape. Before Nidoking could hope to react, Dragonair struck. It flickered in a rush of Extreme Speed that accelerated it directly beside Nidoking, then it snapped its glowing body into Nidoking with an Iron Tail that hammered him hard enough to throw him to the ground. The earth shook with Nidoking's fall, and Dragonair reared up with incredible speed, distinctive gold-and-red sparks collecting above its snout to blast Nidoking with a Hyper Beam -

The earth beneath Dragonair shone gold, and just as Dragonair unleashed its Hyper Beam to finish Nidoking off, a gaping chasm scarred the earth. Dragonair caught itself with its extended wings, but the sudden loss of stability sent its Hyper Beam blazing to strike near Ash in a thunderous blast - his eyes watered at the sudden explosion against the psychic barriers, but he didn't dare look away.

"No! Finish this with Draco Meteor!" Clair howled. Her hands clenched the arms of her throne, and he thought she was about to leap from it altogether.

Dragonair tried to carry out its mistress' commands, it really did. As it surged into the air, Ash spotted a golden sphere balanced above its maw as it focused its powers into one decisive blast, one that would lay waste to the entire battlefield and crush Nidoking. He was tough, but only a handful of pokemon could resist a Draco Meteor from something as powerful as Clair's Dragonair.

No, they couldn't let Dragonair unleash its most devastating attack. With all of its normal strategies stripped away by Nidoking's natural abilities and physiology, it had been backed into a corner. A pokemon with no other options was at its most dangerous.

Safeguard was still active. Any elemental attacks would be practically useless - Ice Beam would do damage, but it wouldn't shock Dragonair's system like it normally would. Dragonair was too high to hit with a physical attack.

"Confusion!"

Nidoking's eyes flashed with psychic power, somewhat strengthened through practice with Dazed but still nothing compared to a true psychic's technique, and Dragonair's head snapped back as the telekinetic blow caught it in its jaw - Draco Meteor sputtered out, though its mind was still its own.

"Sludge Bomb!"

As Dragonair began to recover and pull back, it howled as Nidoking spewed a thick stream of noxious, toxic sludge all over it. The resplendent blue scales of Dragonair were utterly drenched, its whole body buried beneath the fuming mass. It began to fall, thrashing madly in midair, and Nidoking took his opportunity. This was something they'd discussed earlier, a way to bring Dragonair down from the air and onto even ground.

Dragonair spasmed wildly, tossing thick globules of the Sludge Bomb off to spatter and eat at the earth itself. Just as it began to clear its wings of the sludge, Nidoking reared back his head. A blistering stream of flame washed over Dragonair, and the remaining traces of sludge that dirtied Dragonair's gorgeous hide ignited in a fireball - the flash of heat and light was like a pyrobomb going off, and Dragonair fell.

He stared at the limp heap, then grinned as he saw Dragonair prepare to rise. It had been caught off guard, but it wasn't beaten. Not yet.

Time to change that.

"Ice Beam! Keep it grounded."

As Clair's furious orders went unheeded by the slow Dragonair, Nidoking struck. Dragonair was still aware enough to deflect his Ice Beam with a Protect, but even that was a part of Nidoking's strategy. Dragonair trembled with the effort to manifest the shield, and by the time it had recovered enough to spit a gout of blue dragonfire into Nidoking the poison-type had already reached the serpent.

Nidoking bowled into Dragonair. It was a physically powerful pokemon in its own right, but it was too tired and damaged to put up a good fight or try to escape. Before it could fight back, Nidoking had already wheeled around. His thick, muscular tail shone like gleaming iron, and Nidoking returned the favor for Dragonair's earlier Iron Tail with one of his own.

Dragonair flew, but not under its own power this time. The exhausted dragon was flung nearly ten feet to the side, struggled to rise one last time -

The Blackthorn Gym Leader recalled her Dragonair into its pokeball. She silently clipped it to her belt, and looked to Ash with death in her eyes. "Not bad," Clair choked out. Ash could practically see the vein bulging in her forehead. She smiled thinly. "You won't be so prepared for my next friend. Kommo-o!"

Something he'd only heard whispers of appeared on the battlefield opposite of Nidoking, clad in gleaming armor that glittered in the azure light. Its plated scales were mostly grey, with rich golden accents throughout its body and over its club tail. The noble dragon's head was protected with thinner scales that led up to a magnificent headdress of gold and red scales, lending it an air of authority and might reminiscent of Torrent or Nidoking. Its hulking arms and fists were heavily armored as well, designed to withstand the immense force behind its every strike.

He couldn't help but admire the noble creature. Kommo-o's tail swayed ever so slightly, making minute adjustments to its balance. It regarded Nidoking with a cool respect after Kommo-o measured the poison-type's powerful frame and found him acceptable.

Where on earth had she found this mighty dragon? Another one of those exchange programs between Leagues, perhaps? Ash had access to the PokeDex logs of native pokemon from far-flung lands like Alola, Galar, Unova, and Kalos but he admittedly didn't spend as much time on them since he wasn't likely to come across pokemon from other continents. He knew enough to recognize them, but he preferred to spend his time perfecting his knowledge of pokemon from the National League.

Clair smirked as she reclined in her hard throne. She looked particularly smug as Kommo-o clanged its arms together, the scrape of the scales awakening something primal in Ash's chest - the part of him that was a twelve-year old boy recognized an apex predator and urged his stupid body to flee. The rest of him - the majority of him - tingled with excitement.

This was what he'd come for.

Nidoking snorted at the intimidation display, hard eyes never straying from the new opponent. He had emerged from the last battle mostly unscathed thanks to their planning, and he was ready to face this foe.

"Dude, I don't want to fight that," Gary complained from the side. Ash started - he'd honestly forgotten about Gary. He'd been too focused on the battle. It didn't hurt that Gary had been shockingly quiet, more content to analyze and pick apart Clair than make snide comments. "Can you make sure to put that thing out of commission for a few days?"

He ignored Gary. Kommo-o rose to its full height of seven and a half feet. It wasn't as thickly built as Nidoking, but it towered over the large poison-type. The statement was clear: in a physical match, Kommo-o would not be defeated.

Bruiser definitely had more strength, but if Kommo-o defeated Nidoking he knew he wouldn't send the fighting-type out. Kommo-o's scales would crumple and tear off beneath Bruiser's fists, but Kommo-o had too many other options at its disposal. Without fully understanding its capabilities, it just wasn't worth the risk.

This was where the battle could turn. He hadn't seen Kommo-o in any of the recordings - had Clair hidden it just for this reason? It was too easy to imagine her holding certain powerhouses back just to catch powerful opponents off guard…

He knew Kommo-o's strengths as a species, but only recalled a handful of facts that would be useful. Extreme physical power, incredible defenses, and nearly limitless stamina. It was a beast that could easily stand alongside fighters such as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Garchomp. There was a good chance Clair had gone out of her way to obtain it for just that reason…

Did Lance know? Ash couldn't fight the grin of Lance realizing he didn't have one of the strongest dragon-types represented on his team. He filed that curiosity away for later.

"Begin!"

Nidoking wasted no time. As soon as his sensitive ears (probably still ringing from Dragonair's Supersonic) picked up the signal, an Ice Beam exploded from his horn. It left trails of freezing air and frosted the ground beneath it, a sign of its power as it launched directly at Kommo-o.

Their opponent didn't waste energy raising a Protect or tanking the Ice Beam - it simply leapt to the side. The moment it did, Kommo-o crushed its powerful arms together. Its scales clanged, a chiming sound that rang throughout the arena, and its body instantly blazed with the familiar blue-green haze of Dragon Dance as it used its power to amplify its strength and speed.

It deftly side-stepped a Thunderbolt - useful again since Kommo-o didn't possess the weather manipulation of Dragonair - and smashed its arms together. Kommo-o's roar echoed as it challenged Nidoking, and its thick claws rent the earth as it charged. The clanging of its scales inspired glee and terror and excitement as it charged, a warning to whatever was foolish enough to face it.

His friend heeded Ash's command and readied himself. Kommo-o wasn't nearly as fast as something like Garchomp, but it had managed to pick up some good speed. More maneuverable than Nidoking, but it was closing ground fast enough that it couldn't turn easily…

"Terrain!" He shouted, and Nidoking quickly followed his command. The earth shone gold yet again, and a winding chasm carved its way into Kommo-o's path, opening quickly enough that the dragon couldn't escape -

Kommo-o ran on air. No, that wasn't right, Ash thought as his eyes widened - Kommo-o manifested a Protect beneath its clawed feet even as the earth crumbled away around it. The dragon leapt off with incredible speed, its powerful legs sending it far from Nidoking's attack, and it quickly charged again.

An Ice Beam was ducked beneath, Thunderbolt absorbed with minimal trouble. Poison Sting clattered uselessly to the ground as Kommo-o's armor deflected it, and soon enough the mighty dragon bore down on Nidoking.

"Go!" He roared, and Nidoking snarled as he charged forth to meet Kommo-o in a physical clash. Moments before two charged into one another, a golden thread shot out from where Nidoking's foot touched the earth and shot forward…

Kommo-o howled as it tripped forward, foot trapped in the Earth Power crevasse opened up by Nidoking at the last possible second. As Kommo-o fell, Nidoking's eyes glinted with satisfaction. He wheeled around, his tail hardened and glowed as he used Iron Tail, and thrashed the mighty dragon.

His opponent was sent to the ground, leaving cracks and shattered earth where he fell, and Nidoking didn't offer it a second's relief. Jagged beams of frost shot from his horn, engulfing the dragon, then a Thunderbolt lanced against Kommo-o's iron-hard scales, and finally Nidoking spat a raging torrent of flame to bathe Kommo-o.

The dragon surged upwards, fire in its eyes, and slammed one of its armored fists into Nidoking's chest. Ash cried out Nidoking's name as he was thrown backward, the poison-type raising his claws to his chest. Blood stained them. Nidoking's eyes dilated, and he challenged Kommo-o with a mighty roar as the dragon righted itself - Kommo-o was singed and didn't move quite as easily as before, but it was still in peak fighting condition.

Kommo-o (bolstered on by Clair's snapped commands) was more than happy to accept. Its armor rang loudly as it charged to close the distance. Nidoking waited, body pulsing with power, and as he focused his energy the poison-type yet again opened up a vast hole in the earth - this time both he and Kommo-o fell in, though Nidoking fell above the dragon since the hole opened under Kommo-o first.

As Kommo-o landed easily into the ground, it raised its head to snarl at Nidoking - only to meet with Nidoking landing atop of it with his feet burning with focused power. Kommo-o barely raised its armored arms up in time to block the powerful blow, but it didn't matter as Nidoking's Double Kick (Ash couldn't even remember the last time the bulky, heavy Nidoking had an opportunity to use the technique) smashed into its defenses. Nidoking's hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of hide, muscle, and thick bones crashed into Kommo-o with enormous force and nearly flattened it to the hard earth. Nidoking lowered his glowing horn, ready to pierce the stunned Kommo-o's defenses with Mega Horn -

A chunk of rock, controlled by Kommo's Rock Tomb, shot out from the hole's dark walls and smashed directly into the injured Nidoking's head. He staggered back, and Kommo-o leapt to its feet with amazing speed. The creature wasted no time pressing its advantage, bruised as it was from Nidoking's attack.

The first punch cracked Nidoking's jaw, expertly placed in the leathery hide not marked by countless poison spines and quills. The second landed squarely in Nidoking's chest, sending the poison-type stumbling back. Before Nidoking could even process Ash's frantic calls, Kommo-o finished him with a brutal uppercut - Nidoking actually rose into the air, then crashed into the ground.

He was out cold. Kommo-o leapt easily from the pit and stood strong. It was tall and powerful despite the dented, blackened, and peeled scales. Nidoking had done some damage, but Kommo-o still had a lot of fight left.

As he recalled his friend, there was only one member of his team he would send out against this enemy.

Infernus appeared in a flash of heat, glowing light, and smoking cinders. His heat warped and twisted the air around him, leaving him a wavering shadow. The earth blackened and cracked beneath his feet. The Magmortar assessed the ripped earth, gaping chasm, and grinned at last when he set his eyes on Kommo-o.

Kommo-o didn't even bother clanging its scales for Infernus - there was no doubt in its mind that Infernus was ready for anything it could dish out.

"Keep back," he warned Infernus. His friend nodded to show he heard, then shifted his claws into cannons. "Kommo-o hits hard. Don't let it land a hit. Start off just like we've practiced!"

As soon as Clair called for the match to begin, Infernus acted. Huge clouds of oily smoke poured from his mouth and cannons, shrouding the air in a black haze. Once Infernus was concealed, he set their plan into motion.

A wave of force rippled throughout the arena as Infernus slammed into the ground, creating a massive surge that absolutely shattered the earth nearby - Nidoking had already done the majority of the work with Earth Power, and Infernus' Earthquake simply widened the fissures. Each stretched and crumbled until the center of the field where Nidoking and Kommo-o had fought was little more than a cracked network of chasms and pits.

The moment it was ready, Infernus teleported into the midst of them for caution - a good call, as Kommo-o barreled through the spot Infernus had unleashed the Earthquake seconds later. Kommo-o was an amazing combatant, but with how its scales clashed against each other it would never be stealthy.

With some distance between them, Infernus enacted their next move. Ash couldn't see him anymore, but the effect of Lava Plume was obvious - a font of lava gushed from where he rested in the cracks, then another and another… within a minute, the crevasses were completely filled with the thick molten rock.

Inside the lava, Infernus was invisible and untouchable. His wounds would close up as they were packed with lava and it was a simple matter to teleport back in if he needed a respite.

Of course, the results of their training by the Lake of Rage had taught Infernus to leave a few nasty surprises around the battlefield as well…

Their initial move set up, Infernus exploded out of one of the lava-filled cracks near Kommo-o. The dragon waited patiently, happy to assess the mighty Magmortar. Infernus looked like a monster from an old tale as he rose, absolutely covered in thick clumps of molten lava that glowed brightly in the dark. A wild grin stretched grotesquely over the Magmortar's face, and a moment of tension filled the air before he charged forth.

Kommo-o seemed just as pleased, and it shot forward with great bounding leaps to clash with Infernus. They met with a terrible crash - Kommo-o roared as it ducked beneath Infernus' powerful, burning punch bolstered by the lava still clinging to his skin, and its fist shot forward with blinding speed to bury itself in Infernus' gut.

Ash shook his head - he should've known Infernus would want to test Kommo-o for himself. The dragon's strength was blatant as ever. Even Infernus' toughness didn't let him ignore the insane force behind the blow - he bowled over with a roar, though it wouldn't slow him down at all.

How had Kommo-o even punched Infernus without being horribly - ah, there it was. He didn't miss the rippling green shield that dematerialized as Kommo-o backpedaled away from Infernus as fast as it could. Shielding its fists with Protect to avoid the heat and lava pouring off Infernus was a clever move.

It didn't mean that Kommo-o had come away unscathed. Even being within twenty feet of a combat-ready Infernus wrapped in his cloak of fire and heat was pure agony - Kommo-o's thick scales would protect it somewhat, but some of the heat would make it through. The dragon wouldn't be able to trade blows like it had with Nidoking. Every second it spent punching Infernus was another second it was subjected to his molten body.

Infernus grinned madly at Kommo-o as it retreated and steadily stepped closer. Kommo-o pulled back measuredly, heeding Clair's roars and making minute adjustments to its stance and pace. Ash's wild smile matched Infernus' exactly as Kommo-o made its first real mistake since fighting Infernus.

The mighty dragon's foot landed upon a bulging bubble, nearly invisible without looking closely. Kommo-o looked down, surprised at the softened earth, and a terrible realization dawned on the dragon and its mistress.

His friend stamped heavily upon the earth. The bulging section, packed to the brim with lava, leapt to its master's command.

Three things happened then.

Heat, light, noxious volcanic gases, and a spout of lava exploded from the pocket in a thunderous eruption that rattled Ash's teeth - droplets of glowing lava washed over the battlefield, sliding sluggishly down the psychic barriers that caught them. Viscous ash and superheated dust diffused throughout the arena in glowing sparks and embers, choking Kommo-o as it filled the dragon's lungs.

Kommo-o screamed.

Infernus charged.

They met in a brief exchange. Kommo-o had erected a Protect to shield it from the eruption, but that didn't mean much - it had shattered underneath the force of Infernus' artificial magma chamber, although Kommo-o was in a much better state than it would've been if it was entirely caught off guard.

That didn't change the fact that Kommo-o was rattled - for once, it tried to evade. It ducked and wove around Infernus' strikes with incredible grace, and even managed to land a solid punch to Infernus' jaw when he tried to breathe a Flamethrower into Kommo-o's face. Infernus retaliated with twin Flamethrowers that burst from his cannons in red streams, bathing Kommo-o's quick Protect.

By now Kommo-o had to be exhausted. There was a reason Protect wasn't commonly used despite its utility - it was draining, similar to Hyper Beam. Even masters like Kommo-o couldn't just use it over and over again, even briefly.

But if the choice was defeat or exhaustion, Kommo-o would use it as much as it needed to. Infernus was finally hurled away as Kommo-o clanged madly and screamed in frustration - Ash and Gary threw their hands over their ears in vain hopes of blocking the Boomburst, and Infernus staggered backwards. He roared and thrashed in frustration, briefly overwhelmed by the explosion of sound waves.

"Now!" Clair boomed as she leapt to her feet, her face bloody red with passion. Her cape fluttered behind her with the movement and she pointed at Infernus with a scowl. "No defense! Automize! Belly Drum! Clangorous Soul! Work Up! Bulk Up! Dragon Dance!"

The dragon froze, then Kommo-o's maw curled into a sort of grin. Ash watched with a strange mixture of dread and utter joy as Kommo-o unleashed its fullest potential. Its thick plating of scales simply fell away - the heavy chains, the scales around its chest, and leg guards all crashed to the ground. Only its headdress, tail spikes, face scales, and the wide plating on its powerful arms remained to protect its most essential parts.

As Infernus rose to his feet with utter murder in his eyes, Kommo-o followed the rest of Clair's command with incredible swiftness - without the heavy armor all over it, Kommo-o's body was light and able to get full use out of its muscles.

Kommo-o's eyes squeezed shut as it punched itself in the gut one, two, three times. Each blow could have cracked a tree in half - he could hear the slap of each blow from where he stood. Belly Drum filled its bloodstream with adrenaline and its muscles with strength at the cost of serious damage to itself - a red glow gleamed from its dark hide as its power was unleashed.

From there, Kommo-o's body burned. Pale purple light wreathed the mighty dragon in a faint aura, shaded red with the glow of Belly Drum. Kommo-o sagged as though it had just run a marathon, then straightened until it rose to its full height yet again. The creature's muscles bulged grotesquely, the aura around it flickering like a bloody flame.

It shut its eyes again and its teeth gnashed, focusing more and more of its power… Ash recognized this technique as Work Up, a way of using a pokemon's stress, fear, and rage to amplify its physical strength - it wasn't dissimilar to the state used by Superpower in that regard, and Ash had heard of many trainers using the technique Work Up as a sort of gateway to the much more potent (yet short-lived) surge of strength required for Superpower. Not quite as extreme, but much easier on the body. Sustainable.

From there, another red aura filled the purple light of Clangorous Soul - Kommo-o's muscles were drawn taut as it used Bulk Up to further increase its strength. Its teeth were grit in agony, yet the dragon didn't hesitate in using its draconic powers to fortify its body to an unheard of degree - Dragon Dance's pale green aura mixed and merged with the red and purple, creating a strange, rainbow hue that left Ash beaming.

Ash couldn't believe it. A single fortification technique such as Dragon Dance, Bulk Up, or this Clangorous Soul (he vaguely recalled it as a technique used by Kommo-o) was immensely draining. It was like a lesser version of Rampage. To draw on them all at once, sacrificing its health, stamina, and defense for a chance at victory… well, he couldn't help but respect that.

It had taken less than ten seconds for Kommo-o to cycle through the fortifications. The dragon wheezed, not daring to shift its swollen muscles for fear of ripping them to shreds, and Ash wouldn't be surprised if the strain would just outright knock the exhausted creature out - every breath appeared an agony, each twitch a potential torn muscle.

In that time, Infernus had risen. Most of the time had been spent recovering from Kommo-o's Boomburst. When Ash glanced to his friend, he saw that Infernus was still a little unsteady on his feet. The soundwaves had torn his sense of balance to shreds, although he was still functional.

The two stared at one another, tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Infernus grinned, and Kommo-o did as well. Blood dripped from the dragon's mouth.

Ash could have shouted for Infernus to pull back, to teleport into the lava and let Kommo-o's body give out. It would have been the wise thing to do. He wanted to win. He wanted to face Clair of Blackthorn and bring her to her knees.

He said nothing. The wise thing wasn't always the right thing, and this would be a hollow victory if he disrespected Kommo-o's sacrifice - it was tearing itself apart for a single chance at defeating the overwhelming power and aura of Infernus. If he spat on that...well, it just wasn't him.

Infernus was free to handle this however he wished. He knew his limits.

In a single second, the tension shattered. Infernus' body was wreathed in flames, his core burning hot enough to glow white, and Kommo-o flinched at the heat - without its scales, it felt the full power of Infernus directly.

In that moment, Infernus struck.

Kommo-o did not so much as twitch as Infernus raised a cannon and a great surge of orange flames spouted from the barrel. He caught sight of a solid Protect to shield against it, though the superheated air surged around the barrier and scalded Kommo-o's unprotected skin -

Infernus charged through the remaining flames with a roar, his right cannon shifted back into claws, and Kommo-o saw its single chance. It shot forward with blinding speed - muscles amplified to the point its strength could likely approach Bruiser's - and landed an armored fist straight through... nothing?

Ash flinched as he heard its muscles shred beneath their own strength, rendering its arms useless. There was a reason nobody had created something like Rampage before. The Machoke line was adapted for such incredible strength. Their bones, tendons, and ligaments had adapted to muscles that would snap a human's bone like a twig if they were traded. Even then it required training. It had taken months before Bruiser had reached his current, sustainable version. You couldn't just jump into it like Kommo-o had without tearing your body apart.

Even as Kommo-o charged, Infernus teleported (perhaps milliseconds before the blow would have broken his ribs) to Kommo-o's side. The dragon barely had time to blink before Infernus' left cannon blasted a lance of white-gold power into Kommo-o's unarmored chest.

Kommo-o's mace-like tail whipped as the dragon fell, propelled by the same monstrous strength of Kommo-o's arms, and landed squarely in Infernus' ribs.

"Infernus!" He screamed at the sickening crack. Infernus' thick muscle and dripping shell of lava protected him somewhat, but that didn't mean much in the face of an attack like that. His friend dropped to his knees (but landed another punch on the slack Kommo-o on his way down) and wretched. The earth steamed and cracked as Infernus vomited boiling blood all over the ground. Ash grimaced at the ugly sight. It wasn't right to see Infernus like that, bloody and beaten -

He'd spoken too soon. When Ash raised the pokeball to recall his grievously injured friend, Infernus knowingly looked to him and shook his head. It killed him, but as soon as he saw Infernus' bloody grin he knew he couldn't recall him.

Infernus was a fighter, and he was still conscious. Ash finally nodded as Claire recalled Kommo-o with a terrifying blank expression. "Back in the lava," he said. "Great job, Infernus."

His friend instantly teleported into the lava. It wouldn't bring him back into fighting shape, but at least it would soothe his pain and ease his wounds. Any relief would help.

"You're leaving a half-dead pokemon on the field?" Clair scoffed with her hands on her hips. "Irresponsible!"

Ash grit his teeth and ignored the jab -

"She's one to fuckin' talk," Gary sneered. His voice was quiet, though. Ash spared him a glance and saw him taking in the devastation of their fight with Kommo-o. Everything from the torn crevasses, molten lava pools, and rent earth stood out starkly compared to the pristine pool and untouched pillars - so far the battles had been restricted solely to the middle strip. Dragonair could have taken the battle anywhere, but Kommo-o was too bulky and powerful to fight well in the tight quarters of the pillars.

"Kingdra!" Clair declared as her large Kingdra appeared near her box, safely in the twenty foot deep pool already. He wasn't surprised she'd get it in there as soon as possible - even a crippled Infernus was still a terrifying combatant. All he would have to do if Kingdra was on land was teleport on top of the water-type and hold on for dear life until his body heat did the job for him. "It hides in the lava - you know how to handle this. Like we planned."

Clair helpfully pointed the specific pool out to Kingdra. He took a moment to assess the dragon from his vantage point. It was slightly larger than Torrent due to her age and sex. Female Kingdra tended to be wider and a little bulkier than the males. What was truly eye-catching was the slight violet sheen to the Kingdra's thick scales, though it was difficult to see through the water.

It wasn't quite the bright violet of a 'shiny' Kingdra as most trainers called pokemon with extremely rare phenotypes that led to colors and patterns outside the norm for the species. He'd seen examples from many species in the PokeDex, and had always marveled at examples from his team's species.

Clair's Kingdra must have had an ancestor with the genes. He didn't know enough about the subject to say for sure, but maybe it could be a codominant trait? The Kingdra wasn't quite a 'shiny' since it was predominantly blue like most Kingdra, but its scales definitely had a tint out of the norm. Finding a unique Kingdra seemed like something Clair would do, anyways.

He frowned softly as Kingdra, unable to strike in any other way, simply used Surf. She pulled a small wave of water into service, then directed the surge straight into the crevasse Infernus hid - as the water rushed into the lava, Ash squeezed his eyes shut since he knew what was coming.

The lava pool exploded in a huge geyser of lava and steam, the water rapidly evaporating on contact. Lava at the top had blackened and cool, yet the cherry-red magma beneath surged up through the cracks and gushed all over, steaming as it drenched the surrounding earth. A few clumps of lava landed into the pool and rapidly cooled, falling to the bottom as black heaps.

Psychic barriers trembled beneath the force of the detonation, the walls themselves shaking as the wave of force washed over them.

Infernus was nowhere to be found. Ash smirked - that would have easily knocked his friend out, but he had no fear that Infernus would actually stay in the pool Clair had seen him hide away in. It was easy for him to teleport into a different pool once he was submerged to avoid a situation exactly like this.

"It switched pools!" Clair shouted, amplified voice reaching Kingdra through the waves. "Hit them all!"

Kingdra was all too happy to comply. She appeared to concentrate, and all at once the water in the pool rose in a vast wave that washed into each and every lava pool. It required more effort than Ash had expected, but perhaps that was no surprise. In other battles he'd seen, Kingdra showed a notable focus on dragon-type techniques. It only used water when necessary or when facing a pokemon vulnerable to those techniques.

Unfortunately for Kingdra, Infernus escaped just as the next explosion boomed. Ash staggered back as steam billowed furiously from the lava pools, the majority of the magma cooled or hurled out of the pools to nullify his hiding places.

Worse for Kingdra, Infernus teleported right next to her beneath the waves. Even Ash stared as the water around Kingdra boiled furiously, Infernus' face twisted in a rictus of agony as the cool water stole away his fires, then his claws grabbed into Kingdra and they both vanished.

A drenched, soaking Infernus and startled Kingdra teleported just above one of the cooled lava pools - despite slowly hardening, it was still burning hot. The air above each pit wavered and twisted from their heat.

His earlier injuries and the teleportation took their toll. As the two fell, Infernus' tight grip on Kingdra slackened and vanished entirely as his incredible stamina finally failed him. He passed into unconsciousness, and Ash wasted no time recalling him - Infernus was tough, but for him to pass out...well, that said a lot.

Kingdra fell into the pool of lava. Or it would have, if it hadn't swiftly levitated up and out of the pit before it could land in the molten rock. Without Infernus' bulk dragging Kingdra down it was easily able to escape gravity's pull. The water-type looked rather shaken, and quickly retreated closer to the water, though it didn't actually enter the pool.

Adrenaline pumped through him as he clipped Infernus' pokeball safely to his belt and held Torrent's aloft. It shook lightly in his palm. Torrent knew what was coming.

He grinned.

"Let's go, Torrent!" Ash crowed. Torrent appeared just in front of him, his proud gaze quick to assess the situation. He froze as his stare landed upon Clair's Kingdra, which met his scarlet gaze evenly. The water of the pool trembled ever so slightly.

A second later, Clair marked the battle's beginning.

Torrent immediately forced his way toward the water. It would be his greatest strength, especially given Kingdra's emphasis on dragon-type techniques. He burned more energy than necessary - his equivalent of a sprint - to get there, but he managed to slip into the water with a slight splash.

It was just in time too. Kingdra fired off three tightly compressed Dragon Pulses in quick succession. Each one was smaller than Torrent's, yet no less destructive. The shimmering green orbs shot forward at incredible speed and only missed Torrent by a hair. Each was placed with pin-point accuracy. Two slammed into the psychic barriers and tested the limits, the last struck the water atop Torrent and detonated, kicking up a massive spray of water.

Fortunately, Torrent had rapidly sunk to the bottom. He was safe from Kingdra's draconic attacks, yet it didn't leave him with much of an offensive option. Kingdra would have no trouble standing against whatever water techniques Torrent threw her way - she was built to handle crushing pressures and force. Hard as it was, Torrent would have to hit her with overwhelming force to overcome her defenses.

Kingdra levitated to the pool impatiently, eager to take the battle to Torrent where he rested at the bottom. She slipped easily into the water and surged towards Torrent… and was immediately blinded as Torrent spewed a greasy black cloud that darkened the water until it was dark as night. Ash couldn't even pick out a thing within the pool as the Smokescreen diffused.

He waited with baited breath. Clair stalked back and forth like a Persian on her upraised platform with her arms folded beneath her cape. Her face was still hot and red. Ash wished he was still merged with Suicune - he'd probably be able to hear her teeth grinding down to nubs. She didn't like going one-for-one like this. Kommo-o alone would be powerful enough to sweep most challengers with ease.

Ash's lips twitched as explosions pulsed in the black waters. The pool sprayed up every few seconds, hundreds of gallons tossed out into the main strip until it was nothing but a muddy mess. He couldn't see anything but the odd flash or ripples of water, and then one moment the water shook, twitched, and jerked to Torrent's command.

His friend created a funnel in the water with Whirlpool, though it wasn't perpendicular to the water's surface like it had been against the Gyarados. Torrent angled this one, creating a sort of hollow tube in the water to suck Kingdra toward him. She resisted heavily, but a shout from Clair caused the Kingdra to stop wasting energy fighting and just go with it.

"Torrent, she's using Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted a warning - Kingdra used the opportunity of being pulled into the vacuum to fire off a blazing Hyper Beam through the funnel, unobstructed by the thick walls of water. His call reached Torrent just in time. He managed to collapse the Whirlpool just before the Hyper Beam reached his body, so it detonated in the rushing water instead.

That didn't help much, to be honest. Force traveled even more efficiently in water. The actual explosion was muted and dulled as the water absorbed the blast, but the shockwave itself slammed into Torrent and sent him spiraling to the bottom. It had the side effect of dispersing the Smokescreen even further, making it possible for the combatants to see through the water.

Kingdra wasted no time. As soon as she was back in the water, her eyes squeezed shut. Draconic power enveloped her as she used Dragon Dance, and her next movements were even swifter than before as she slid through the water with ease - Torrent barely had time to right himself before Kingdra body-slammed him with enough force to rip through a house. He avoided most of the damage by firing a frosty Ice Beam at her, freezing the water between them into a thick wall of ice, yet Torrent was still stunned and sluggish as Kingdra circled around for another go.

Ash couldn't remember the last time Torrent had been in an actual fight underwater - he almost never fought physically. His body just wasn't as suited for it. His strength was in using water techniques and other elemental attacks to take enemies down at range.

Clair clearly thought otherwise. Kingdra, her speed and strength amplified by Dragon Dance, moved swiftly and with great purpose as she went to slam Torrent a second time. Torrent was already rattled, having not expected the previous attack.

When they clashed underwater, Kingdra clearly had far more experience than Torrent. She had been trained to fight physically and efficiently.

Unfortunately for her, Torrent didn't need to face her head-on. His scarlet eyes narrowed with concentration as Kingdra darted through the water, closing the thirty feet between them at an incredible rate, until she stopped.

Clair's brow furrowed. "What are you doing?" She bellowed. "Finish him!"

Kingdra's fins waved madly. Her pale green aura brightened to the point she was a blazing beacon beneath the water - even her sharp snout lunged forward, as if a single push was all she needed.

She didn't so much as twitch.

Torrent slowly hovered back beneath the water, eager to put some distance between him and his ferocious opponent. He didn't dare let his concentration waver, however. The water manipulation to lock Kingdra in place was all that gave him some breathing room.

"Good job!" He called. "Freeze her!"

He hoped Torrent could hear him, though if not the Kingdra at least had the same idea. They'd thought up several strategies for Clair's Kingdra, after all. She was going to beat Torrent to a pulp if they didn't keep her away, which was a major hamper to their plans. Their original (and hopeful) strategy was to keep Kingdra in the water where his water manipulation would give him a massive edge.

That was still an advantage, but it didn't change the fact that Kingdra wasn't quite as helpless as they'd hoped. She hadn't even attempted a water technique yet, though that meant they still had a nasty surprise waiting for her and Clair when they did go for it.

Now if they could immobilize the powerful dragon…

Torrent got started. He kept Kingdra bound in the watery prison - although she never stopped thrashing in an attempt to free herself - and cautiously drifted closer. His friend couldn't use Ice Beam or Blizzard with any precision underwater. He needed to be up close to simply freeze Kingdra in a block of ice.

It went faster than expected. The water, mostly cleared of the inky stain of Smokescreen, froze quickly around Kingdra as Torrent painstakingly released a ceaseless Blizzard against the enraged Kingdra. She stared daggers at Torrent, though he paid her no attention.

As Kingdra was almost fully sealed in the ice - despite her resistance, that had to hurt - she got a nasty glint in her eye to match Clair's. Even as the ice began to cover her head, Ash barely had time to warn Torrent before Kingdra followed through with the only course of action still available to her.

She exploded. Or, rather, the massive Dragon Pulse she just generated did. It instantly shattered the ice, yet sent both Kingdra and Torrent spinning backward through the water. Kingdra came off worse than Torrent - he'd expected her to pull something and had made sure to be prepared for the eventuality.

Torrent recovered first. His scarlet eyes locked onto his foe and the water around them trembled even as Kingdra immediately bolted for the surface. Dragon Dance's flickering aura surrounded her, amplifying her speed, and Torrent allowed her to go.

Kingdra quickly retreated away from the pool. Ash couldn't help but snort at that. Who would think to see a Kingdra running away from water? It wasn't a surprise, especially with Clair's rapid orders that were utterly unintelligible to him - codes, most likely. Clair and Kingdra were both smart. They didn't understand how, but they knew Torrent had the advantage in the water.

No trainer wanted to fight against something they didn't understand.

Oh well, that was fine. Ash grinned and he imagined that Torrent did as well as the pool around him began to twist and rise, guided by a monstrously powerful Twister to shape it into a writhing imitation of hurricane. The spout rose quickly, wavering and flexing as Torrent's incredible will guided it. Kingdra backed further away, though didn't seem surprised even as Torrent slowly floated out of the pool with the terrible cyclone that tore the earth to shreds wherever it touched with the force of millions of gallons of water at Torrent's command.

What was left of the magma pits were utterly drowned. Great clouds of steam billowed forth, then were utterly consumed by the hurricane Torrent shielded himself with. It wasn't Ice Storm just yet - with his newfound skill in water manipulation, it was easier for him to keep the initial stage going longer.

That quickly changed. As the swirling spire reached fifty, sixty, a hundred feet high - though Torrent, Ash, and even Gary all knew it was just a pale imitation of what a true master of water manipulation could accomplish - Torrent's shadow hidden in the hurricane raised its snout and breathed a frosty Blizzard into the air.

It didn't freeze the cyclone or fill it with little chunks of frozen dirt and ice quite as quickly as it normally would due to the massive size. Even still, Ash could see the base of the cyclone slowly fill with white.

If Clair didn't want to fight something she didn't understand, Ash and Torrent were more than happy to fight her with something she did: overwhelming force.

"You idiot! You fool!" Clair cackled (rather madly, Ash thought). Kingdra stood alone in the face of a force of nature bearing down on her with single-minded determination, a proud figure against a giant. She held her head proudly, then raised her snout to the sky. "You aren't the only one who researches their opponents!"

A part of him felt flattered that a trainer as powerful as Clair had bothered to research him. The rest tingled with anticipation. He couldn't even warn Torrent of the danger (not that he knew what was coming, anyways) due to the roar of the hurricane.

"Seriously, who talks like that?" Gary complained. Ash steadfastly ignored the rest of his moaning.

Kingdra had less than a minute before the outer edges of the hurricane would reach her. She'd only bought so much time by steadily retreating into the stone pillar section, though she would be less than useless in an actual fight there.

Unfortunately, Kingdra was prepared. Three massive orbs of golden, crackling power slowly devoured the vast supply of energy Kingdra fed into them until they were around three feet in diameter. The golden orbs streaked into the sky like comets, two hovering around half the height of the towering hurricane (which had grown whiter and denser as it whirling contents froze into a proper Ice Storm) and the last flung high into the sky. By the time it came to a stop, it hung just below the vaulted ceiling of the mountain and hovered threateningly directly above Torrent's slow-moving Ice Storm.

His face set into a tight scowl. All he could do was wait for the chance to command Torrent again.

Three Draco Meteors manifested and controlled at once. No doubt they weren't nearly as powerful as a full-strength Draco Meteor of Kingdra's, but they would get the job done. How strong was Kingdra? He couldn't help but shake his head and marvel.

And then it begun. Kingdra landed heavily on the ground as the Draco Meteors were released, utterly drained of energy for a moment. She quickly recovered, however, and slowly levitated back to her normal height.

The Draco Meteors exploded. The two on the outside immediately fragmented into multiple golden comets that struck Torrent's Ice Storm like an artillery barrage - individually they didn't pierce the thick layers of ice, water, and whipping wind yet each massive explosion disrupted the integrity of the Ice Storm and Torrent's focus as the deafening blasts went off. They whittled the Ice Storm down with relentless pounding until the contents were thrown all over the arena.

With Torrent's multiple layers of defense exposed, the central comet fell from the side. It didn't fragment. It was meant to unleash as much energy as possible in a single, massive explosion.

"Intercept it!" Ash screamed. With no other recourse, Torrent's body quivered. They were lucky he hadn't made it far from the pool - a vast wave was yanked from the pool with all the force and subtlety of a rampaging Snorlax. The sheet was flung without any hope of aim or precision, yet it served its purpose.

The wave barely reached the Draco Meteor before it slammed into Torrent - it was perhaps fifteen feet up, and the explosion was deafening. A gold flash like a lightning bolt went off, and the entire mountain rattled as tens of thousands of gallons of water were vaporized in an instant.

He and Gary winced as one of the loudest sounds he'd ever heard, intense enough to remind him of Zapdos' bone-shaking thunder, rolled through the arena, kicking up dust and mud and ice and shattered the psychic barriers around the arena with the sheer force behind the shockwave. It flickered away, then the psychics maintaining it immediately poured all their ability into bringing it up again. The psychic barrier manifested, yet it was duller this time. He thought he might be able to break through it with a simple punch, though it grew more focused by the second.

Torrent barely had the strength to levitate. His head hung low. His plates were utterly scorched by the explosion - his back was fragmented and broken by the blast, though it had absorbed the worst of the force. One of his fins was torn and fluttered erratically.

Kingdra wasn't much better off. She had used Protect (of course Clair had taught that to her) to block the majority, but she still looked exhausted.

To be honest, it was a miracle either of them were still standing. Well, levitating.

They stared at one another. Ash supposed both were rather shocked that the other had survived the blast.

"Finish this!" Ash and Clair roared at the same time, then glared at each other. "Now!"

Torrent's injuries hindered him. He raised his head sluggishly, but by the time he was ready Kingdra had already spat a high-pressure jet of water straight at his chest. It was a quick, powerful attack that would be more than enough to put the crippled Torrent out of the battle.

It would have, if Torrent didn't bring his new-found skills into play.

As the Hydro Pump neared Torrent, its trajectory was slightly altered so that it went off-course and slammed useless through the psychic barriers far behind him. Ash thought the psychics might need a day off after this…

Despite his poor state, Torrent's eyes gleamed in satisfaction. He straightened. The second Hydro Pump met the same fate. Torrent wasn't in a good place to use his water manipulation to its fullest extent (Ash had dreams about the day Torrent could whirl those Hydro Pumps right back into Kingdra) but he was strong enough for this.

Kingdra cocked her head. She looked at Torrent in a new light, and nodded.

Torrent's body trembled as he pushed the limits of his stamina. A mighty, rippling orb of barely-controlled power shaped before him. As he shaped the Dragon Pulse, Kingdra looked at him with something approaching sympathy. Her body flickered green, and Torrent's Dragon Pulse blew up in his face.

"What?" Ash howled as Torrent flew back. Kingdra's body lost its subtle green glow. Some kind of interruption technique or a way of overloading draconic techniques perhaps he couldn't think straight he needed to figure this out and come up with a plan to beat her and get Torrent out of this he had to it was necessary -

"Yes!" Clair crowed. She cackled again and flung her arm out towards Ash. The motion sent her cape fluttering behind her. "You think you can come into the Wataru - Blackthorn Gym and turn our own techniques against us? Your Kingdra is impressive, but we are the Dragon Masters. This is over!"

Then Torrent rose again. It was slow, unsteady, and rather painful to watch, but he rose.

Clair scowled at his defiance. The message was clear: Torrent would not quit.

"Very well. We gave you your chance to surrender with dignity, but if -"

A Hydro Pump slammed into Kingdra's chest. She spun, though remained levitating, and quickly surged forward, a Dragon Pulse readied -

Another Hydro Pump. Her Dragon Pulse dissipated into harmless green flecks of energy in a controlled fashion, yet another mark of her mastery over dragon-type techniques, and Kingdra barely used Agility to shoot out of the way of Torrent's successive Hydro Pump. Every attack left Torrent closer and closer to the ground. Soon his levitation would give out entirely.

Kingdra was forced to evade a second Hydro Pump, and Torrent crashed to the ground. She didn't dare slow, and a Water Gun shot past her head.

"Enough!" Clair thundered. An ugly, tired look came over her sharp face. When Kingdra heard the command she seemed to have a similar thought. "Our enemy will not stop fighting," she said with grudging respect. "You need to stay strong."

Ash wondered why Clair went into so much detail. It almost sounded like she was trying to convince him -

"Attract!" Clair looked like she wanted to cringe at the words. Kingdra appeared just as disappointed, and dipped her head to Torrent before she stared deeply into the male Kingdra's red eyes. He (thankfully) couldn't perceive whatever Torrent was, but he knew the mechanics of the technique. A surge of pheremones released into the air, disorienting a pokemon of the opposite sex. It tended to be helped along by a healthy nudge of psychic manipulation, though it wasn't necessary.

"No!" He cried out to Torrent as he stared at Kingdra with awe. There was a conflict within him, an unwillingness to bend, but Attract had stunned him for just long enough to allow Kingdra to bitterly end the battle with a single Dragon Pulse.

When the dust cleared, Torrent laid unconscious on the ground. Kingdra silently floated away. Ash begrudgingly returned Torrent and whispered a few encouraging words to the unconscious pokemon.

On this, at least, all five of them agreed. Torrent had deserved better than to have the fight snuffed out of him. He couldn't exactly be upset - this was a fight, after all, and all Clair had done was prove that she was willing to do whatever it took to win. Still, he knew they all would have preferred this end any other way.

"That blows. Whatcha gonna do, Ashy-boy?"

"Shut up!" he snarled. Gary just smirked and sat back to watch the show.

Well, if Clair wanted to fight dirty…

Plume appeared on the field. Kingdra eyed her warily, though the dragon looked utterly exhausted.

Good.

"A Pidgeot against my dear Kingdra?" Clair arched an elegant blue eyebrow. "You must be out of your mind, little Lance."

"Says the one who basically copied his whole team…" Ash must have said it louder than he intended, because Clair's face colored. Moments later, the battle was joined.

Kingdra began with a standard volley of Dragon Pulses like she had against Torrent - unfortunately, Plume was faster than Torrent could ever hope to be. Within a second of the battle beginning, she had already taken to the skies. There was no way for Kingdra to keep up with the blur. This battlefield was designed for fliers to take advantage of, and Plume relished having enough room to maneuver for once.

They sparred briefly. Plume would swoop in, Kingdra would manifest a Protect in hopes of Plume smashing into it, and the Pidgeot would retreat. With every effortless spar Kingdra grew more and more exhausted, and the Protect was slower to appear. When it barely flickered into existence, Plume ended this.

For a moment, the tan blur roaming the skies split into three separate shadows, each traveling too fast for Kingdra to possibly keep up with. One of the shadows swooped to strike Kingdra down - it vanished just as Kingdra fired a Water Gun, and at the same moment the remainder struck in a staggered pattern.

The second illusory Plume attacked next, and as Kingdra dealt with it the real Plume slammed a Steel Wing into Kingdra. She shot facedown into the dirt, and Plume loosed a victorious shriek as she took to the skies. Clair silently returned Kingdra and a few seconds of deliberation passed before a giant fluffy Altaria appeared beside her.

He'd only seen Lisia's Altaria so close before, and this was nothing like the Contest pokemon. Altaria still seemed loving and affectionate - its fluffy wings were quick to embrace Clair before it swooped gracefully onto the field - yet it was hardened and tough in a way Lisia's Altaria was not. This was a fighter through and through.

It was also a terrible choice against Plume. This was one of Clair's central teammates and he'd seen it fight in dozens of battles. To be honest, Altaria was one of the most terrifying members of Clair's team if one was unprepared. He'd spent time with Plume planning around it for a reason.

Altaria was deceptively tough. Altaria was surprisingly ferocious with an offensive arsenal consisting of powerful dragon-type techniques like Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, and Outrage alongside a massive variety of elemental attacks. Worst of all, Altaria was built almost entirely around lulling its opponents into sleep, slowing them down, and otherwise rendering them helpless.

During the long hours of footage he'd watched, Altaria had been single-handedly responsible for nearly half of Clair's wins. On the rare occasions she was pushed past Kingdra or Dragonair, she would always use Altaria. Much like Dragonair, its arsenal consisted of making its opponent harmless. It didn't matter how strong you were, Altaria could leave you sleepy and vulnerable to its mighty attacks.

He'd witnessed entire teams fall to Altaria. To be honest, he had to wonder why Clair had two members of her team with such similar strategies - Dragonair and Altaria filled the same niche, though Dragonair was perhaps more flexible. Ash had to wonder if she had chosen nullifying more directly powerful pokemon for a reason - a way to catch up to Lance, perhaps?

Still, Ash hated to end the fight like this, but he had no choice. The fluffy avian presented such a threat to most of his team that he'd prepared several strategies for it. His research would save him a harsh defeat at this dragon's hands...or wings.

"Super Speed!" He commanded. Plume was all too eager to oblige and instantly accelerated to blinding speeds as she zipped around the battlefield. Even with Lightning enhancing his senses he could just barely manage to track Plume. She would be impossible for Altaria to keep up with, and he knew for a fact that none of Altaria's techniques such as Sing or Hyper Voice would be able to reach and disrupt Plume. The biggest threats were out of the way, all that was left was to -

Altaria lazily floated over to the forest of stone pillars and nested, then spewed a dense fog from its beak to fill the air and obscure its presence until it was little more than a shadow. It actually looked rather comfortable there as it rested, preening its fluffy wings. Ash snarled, and Plume seemed just as offended. She'd be at a disadvantage trying to attack physically in the midst of all those pillars, but she didn't need to.

A blazing golden Hyper Beam struck Altaria - or, rather, its Protect. He really needed to get ahold of that technique. It was practically a staple of battling at this level.

The blast shattered the pillars around Altaria, yet the avian itself was utterly unharmed. It picked a few pieces of rubble off its downy wings.

The cycle repeated, and Ash dearly wished he and Plume had managed to make any real progress on Lugia's technique so he could just blow this irritating Altaria away…

"Get it!" Ash snapped, frustrated at Altaria's disregard. All it would take was one hit. At the speeds Plume was striking at, Altaria would be knocked out by a single blow. And with Super Speed it would never see her coming. Plume's Hyper Beams were visible and flashy enough to be blocked, not to mention slower than Plume herself.

Her buffeting wings, snapping beak, or carving talons? They were much more terrifying to something like Altaria.

Plume attacked before Ash's eyes could hope to track her. She traveled thousands of feet in an instant, snapped Altaria up with her talons... and barely managed to decelerate before she slammed into the ground when the Substitute faded in her talons.

Dawning horror fell over him (and presumably Plume as well) when Altaria appeared from the mist nearby with an insufferably smug look in its eyes. Plume, slowed down and vulnerable to its sound-based techniques, was immediately engulfed in black waves, horrible and unnatural things, that gushed from Altaria's mouth as it sang foul, terrible notes that left Ash with a terrible headache that only threatened to get worse and worse as time went on.

His blood ran cold and he cursed his own arrogance - Clair played him! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She'd seen his frustration at Torrent's ignoble defeat and goaded him into an angry, quick, and dirty win against Altaria. STUPID!

Plume's defeat would arrive in minutes. Crippling pain induced by the unnatural notes would grow worse and worse until she went into shock - it was a strange ability that Altaria and a select few other species had adapted in order to hunt prey, escape from territorial pokemon, and flee from battle. Scientists still struggled to understand the ability, but many theorized it was some strange auditory way to induce similar effects to the Curse technique used by ghosts.

And he'd been too blind to see it coming. Altaria had never used it in battle, given that it was a sure defeat for the user as well. It was best used by a hurt or weaker pokemon to overcome a stronger or dangerous foe… like Plume compared to Altaria. Clair and Altaria finally found an opponent they were desperate enough to use it on.

Damn it!

Plume didn't go gently. Altaria tried to vanish into its mists again, but the enraged Plume was having none of it. She shot forth with a horrible screech, snagged Altaria's fluffy wings with her talon, and spat a vengeful Hyper Beam point into Altaria's trapped body. Tough as the pokemon was, it went limp and was tossed hatefully aside.

Ash and Clair returned their pokemon.

He stewed in Clair's surprising turnaround and cursed his overconfidence - he should have expected a trap. Ash had to be better. Confident in his research and preparations, but not arrogant and emotional and stupid. Clair knew Plume would be too fast to use her normal strategies on, and she'd overcome that challenge. She really had done her research.

Stupid. He'd failed Plume.

Clair certainly wasn't happy that they were even as they came down to the last match, but she smirked and folded her arms once she released her next pokemon: a heavy, thickly built Shelgon that glared at Ash as it appeared on the battlefield. "I can't believe you didn't see that coming, little prodigy."

Well, at least she wasn't calling him little Lance anymore.

"She played you good, dude. How'd you choke like that?"

"Shut up, Gary," Ash bit out, and Gary went quiet. He was sure that if he looked to the side Gary would be wearing a smarmy grin. It must've been incredibly cathartic to see Ash pushed so hard after a week of Ash bulldozing the rest of the Pallet trainers, and especially after Suicune's test.

Their next opponent appeared to be a defensive powerhouse. It was a massive Shelgon, and Ash shuddered to think of the power it would hold as a Salamence. The flightless dragon was slow and unwieldy, yet Ash wasn't fooled by simple appearances. Shelgon could be rather quick once it got going, and with so much weight behind it the dragon could be devastating in a close-quarters battle.

This was another one of Clair's favorites, although Ash didn't dare assume he knew all of its abilities. It was primarily used for anti-psychic purposes. Shelgon had a fair bit of straightforward power, yet it also held some esoteric talents. Although it was difficult to tell through the videos, he thought Clair had trained Shelgon heavily in its own meager talent for psychic abilities: it seemed to possess an unnatural awareness of its surroundings, and often reacted faster than Ash thought possible. And when the dragon faced a true psychic it rendered itself immune to their attacks with its thick hide, massive weight, and Shadow Claw to break through mental attacks.

It favored wide-range attacks. Hyper Voice to overwhelm teleporting psychics, Rock Tomb to hit them from anywhere on the battlefield, and Twister. To be honest, Ash thought he might have to come back here once Shelgon evolved and reached its full potential.

Still, Shelgon's abilities meant Dazed wasn't an option. Normally he'd have favored her for a quick defeat against an immobile target. Sneasel would be able to harass it extremely well, but Ash didn't want to risk him getting attacked. One good hit from Shelgon would be enough to knock the fragile dark-type out of the battle. Oz wouldn't be able to deal serious damage to Shelgon's heavy hide.

His options were narrowed to Tangrowth and Bruiser. Tangrowth would probably be the safer choice, but Ash had his doubts. Shelgon was durable enough to stand up to Tangrowth's normal arsenal of earth, Ancient Power blasts, and Solar Beam. It would be defeated, but it could prove to be a long fight, which would give Shelgon plenty of time to strike back.

No, Bruiser was the right choice here. With Rampage even a single blow would be devastating. Shelgon was designed to handle ranged fighters by acting as a wall their attacks would wash off of. It wasn't helpless like Torrent was in close combat, but Bruiser was much better suited to it.

Clair scowled as Bruiser appeared, and even Shelgon shifted backwards. It was tough and obstinate, but not stupid. The dragon's yellow eyes narrowed as Clair gave the mark to begin, and it immediately unleashed a rain of golden comets into the sky, each of which quickly angled towards Bruiser to finish this battle before it could begin. It was Shelgon's only chance.

Too bad Bruiser wasn't just going to sit there and let them hit. His muscles flexed and bulged, the large veins running through his muscles nearly glowing red as his cardiovascular system went into overdrive - every time his heart beat his veins surged, and his muscles grew slightly bigger as they flexed to their limits. Bruiser's eyes narrowed to slits as he took in the approaching doom, and moved.

This wasn't even close to his limit. If Bruiser wanted he could magnify his already monstrous strength to absolutely terrifying limits that would leave him in a state like Kommo-o with every breath. No, this was the efficient version. Not as powerful, but it was sustainable. That was far more valuable in a battle.

He surged forward with explosive speed, the ground shattering beneath his feet with every forceful step and wind clapping behind him. Shelgon expertly attempted to maneuver the Draco Meteor to strike where Bruiser would be, but Bruiser's speed let him easily outpace the comets. His focus narrowed in entirely on Shelgon, the deafening explosions rattling the battlefield behind him of no importance.

Shelgon charged forward. It refused to wait for its defeat despite Clair's sharp call to retreat - Shelgon spat a vast stream of flames to consume the entire battlefield in front of it, though Bruiser effortlessly dashed to the side. He leapt away from Shelgon's following Dragon Pulse, plowed through a Rock Tomb barrier erected in his path with his lowered shoulder, and didn't even bother differentiating between the three different Shelgon that charged toward him as Shelgon used Double Team for misdirection.

No, Bruiser didn't waste time. As the two fighters met, Bruiser strafed left - one of the Shelgon made the mistake of reacting to his movements while the other two continued to run ahead. His target identified, Bruiser reared back and smashed his fist into -

Another shimmering Protect. Bruiser cracked the shield, but so much force turned back against him managed to break Bruiser's impressive pain tolerance. The Machoke howled with rage, and set his eyes back on Shelgon. The dragon shot forward with a Zen Headbutt, but Bruiser was having none of it. He slid underneath the leaping attack, and buried his fist straight into Shelgon's rock-like underbelly.

Shelgon's eyes bulged. It made a noise somewhere between a croak, wheeze, and a cry as Bruiser's fist drove all the air from its lungs. Its stubby legs wriggled helplessly as Bruiser helped it fulfill its dream of flight - Shelgon flew nearly twenty feet in the air, spinning madly, and just before it landed heavily into the earth Bruiser pulled back and landed a brutal Rampage-enhanced kick straight into the dragon's side.

It did not get up.

Ash smiled.

Gary stared.

Clair howled.

A/N: Thank you for reading this gigantic chapter! My original plan for it was to reach around 20-25k, but I'm utterly incapable of not writing way too much apparently. I'm sorry this was slightly delayed! The battle with Clair just kept on going! It feels great to get this chapter out even though I ended cutting off the last third. Originally I was going to have all of Blackthorn in this chapter and end it with Ash leaving, but that just wasn't going to work! I'd probably be at like 55-60k by the time that was written.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Depending on when this is released tonight, I'll be uploading a chapter of Traveler: Recollections as well so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks so much to everyone for your support these last few months, and I hope everyone is staying safe with this outbreak. If this chapter can distract you for even a few minutes I'll be happy!

Please review! I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter.

Have a wonderful April! I'm hoping to upload the next chapter (which SHOULD be a decent bit shorter) later this month. Early May at the absolute latest.

By the way, I will most likely be making a Discord for Traveler in a few days to centralize messaging and discussion - the PM system on this website can be difficult to keep up with. I've been doing my best, but the number of PMs I receive is just too much for me to keep up with on top of responding to reviews and releasing updates in a timely manner. Once I've gotten this situation figured out, I'll post a link to my Fanfiction profile as well as m n. I will still be checking my PM inbox and do my best to respond, but I will most likely be doing it only after each chapter is released so I can get a big batch of PMs out!

If you're interested, keep an eye out! I'll post the link in the next chapter of Traveler and Traveler: Recollections (not the one released tonight).

Thank you all so much for your kindness and patience!