Surmount

by HDK315

Although they travel down a long, merciless road that has overwhelmed all but the very strongest to eventually throw in the towel, they do so with unrivaled resolve and convictions. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his beloved family of Pokemon, and how they became the greatest of all time. Cover by Atenburgh.

7. Their Next Step: Part 1

"AWESOOOME!" Trucy gazed at the Boulder Badge through the screen in awe as Delia patted her head.

After checking in Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant to be looked over by Nurse Joy, the boy had rushed over to the video phones to call Delia as quickly as he could. He had been delighted to find out that he had caught her on a morning where she had been asked to look after Trucy for the day.

Delia's eyes had the slightest hint of tears in them as Ash had delivered the news, but she kept it together as she beamed at her son.

"I'm so proud of you, Ash! And in only half a month! Professor Oak says that's really rare."

Ash's face mirrored that of Delia and Trucy, and the young boy briefly feared that his grin would split his face open.

"It was really, really, really tough." he emphasized, feeling the relief washing over him about how the battle was finally over. "There were so many times where I felt like I was going to lose."

"Was he that tough?" Trucy asked, settling down still smiling nonetheless. "What Pokemon did he use? Oh! And you?"

"Geodude, Rhyhorn, and Onix. In that order. I used my Starly Nebula, my Ralts Valiant, and Pikachu."

Delia's eyes widened a bit. "Onix? I didn't even realize they had one of those."

"Yeah, I was pretty shocked too. Took everything Pikachu and I had and more to beat that thing." he grimaced. "Pikachu's ears are probably going to be sore for a while. That thing's roars were loud."

"Yeah I'll bet. Speaking of which, how is your team doing? They're not with you right now."

Ash sighed. "They… got beat up pretty badly. I think Nebula got the worst of it. I owe her an apology."

Delia frowned sympathetically. 'I don't want to sound cynical but… you're going to have to get used to that. These battles aren't going to be getting any easier."

"Yeah, Brock himself said that…" Ash trailed off as a frown on his own appeared.

What happened to Nebula was pretty much going to become the norm at this point. Even as they grew stronger, their upcoming battles would all grow in intensity. And based on what he knew, Brock wasn't even close to being the most ruthless Gym Leader in Indigo. He had no way of knowing just how merciless all of the others were going to be.

Images of Nebula's injured chest flashed in his mind. Moments like that would become the norm. It was a scary thought. Many trainers just couldn't handle it. Especially rookies. It was one of the may reasons why beginners rarely even reached the Conference in the first place.

As if the lack of experience wasn't already disadvantageous enough, the sight of such a brutally battered and beaten Pokemon on a trainer's own team was just about as demotivating and morale reducing as it gets. And Ash himself had almost fallen into that trap.

But he knew that he couldn't let that discourage him. At the same time, however, he wondered how his team felt about that.

Now that the battle with Brock was over, Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant all knew exactly what professional Pokemon training was like. Now that they had officially challenged a Gym, they had all officially entered the world of professional Pokemon training. Was their resolve any different after finding out about just how brutal it actually was? It was one thing to simply hear about it, but to actually experience it for yourself…

He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to look glum in front of Trucy. The young girl was already starting to look a bit worried by his saddened facial expression.

"Hey, so you two wanna hear about how the battle went?" he asked as the smile returned to his face.

Trucy's eyes were practically shining as Delia nodded happily, and Ash began giving them a rundown of the battle. It was all still very fresh in his memory, and he doubted that he'd be forgetting it any time soon.

/

Nurse Joy had given him a rundown on the conditions of his team.

There was both good news and bad news to this. They would all be recovering by today, but it would take until midway through the afternoon at the very least. And hearing about just what his team had gone through had especially upset him.

Nebula was the most obvious example. Her chest would be sore for the next couple of days. Her bones had been broken, which would have taken a devastatingly long time to heal had it not been for the regenerative technology that the Center had access to. Several tissues also had to be replaced via modified Ditto cells, And until she was no longer sore, she could not battle or train. Beginner level Pokémon such as her were much more susceptible to injuries that would take a longer amount of time to recover from, as even high level Pokemon that received injuries of similar intensity could usually come back from it after a day or two: the only reason big, high level tournaments like the Indigo Conference could possibly function properly. Ash wasn't entirely aware why. He wouldn't be too surprised if especially advanced healing equipment were in place during tournaments such as the Conference, but apart from that, perhaps a Pokemon's natural regeneration just functioned a lot more quickly the more developed that they were?

Either way, Nebula would be out for a while, and Nurse Joy had recommended keeping her in her Poke Ball as much as possible. Letting her out on occasion would be very important to make sure that she stayed active without overexerting herself, but for the moment, she was to spend the majority of time in her Poke Ball while her body healed itself further.

Valiant had nearly suffered a concussion from his fight with Rhyhorn, making it a miracle that he was even able to use his psychic type moves or even continue to fight in general. Unfortunately, the fact that he had continued to use such moves despite the head pain had been very mentally taxing for him. psychic type moves were, of course, powered by the mind. By continuing to use them despite the minor head injury, Valiant had effectively been inflicting even more pain upon himself: the pain in his head only increased the strain of each Move.

Nurse Joy had told Ash that Valiant shouldn't be using any moves for at least a day once he recovered. He was, however, permitted to be out of his Poke Ball regularly if he wanted to be. Laying down every now and then was recommended, however; he still needed the extra rest.

Finally, there was Pikachu. The least damaged of the trio, he simply had burns and cuts that would be healed traditionally by the Center's technology. Although Pikachu had come out of the battle with Onix far from unscathed, it hadn't been nearly to the same extent as the blunt force trauma that Nebula had suffered from, or the mental strain that Valiant had put himself through. What Pikachu had suffered from had been, for the most part, standard battle injuries by beginner Pokemon standards. It wouldn't be an abnormal recovery.

Despite his relief that his starter Pokemon was going to be just fine, Ash couldn't help the guilt that overcame him regarding both Nebula and Valiant.

He was the one who wanted to become the best. And yet… it was his own Pokemon that ultimately did the suffering for them. What did he even do for them? Apart from giving out orders from the safety of his standing position behind the barriers? Did all Pokemon Trainers feel this sort of guilt?

Ash needed to prove to them that it was worth it. That his own goals were worth their efforts. They put at least as much effort as himself, if not more, given that they were the ones who were actually battling. And as their Pokemon Trainer, it was his job to convince them that he had earned their efforts.

But only if they actually still wanted to do this.

If they wanted out and no longer wished to get involved with this stuff… maybe even wanted to leave outright? Who was he to stop them? At the very least, he hoped that they would still stay on the team, regardless of whether or not theys till wanted to battle, but… If they just wanted to leave…

"Ummm… excuse me?"

The young boy perked up.

Right now, he was sitting in the Center's waiting room. This one was similar to Viridian's, except there wasn't nearly as much glass making up the walls. The glass ceiling, however, was still present.

Still a couple of hours remained until his team was projected to be ready. Pikachu was good to go, and Ash was fumbling around with the young mouse's Poke Ball in his hand. Nebula and Valiant still needed more time.

Right now, he was trying to read the latest issue of Inside Indigo's Tech, but constantly found himself distracted by his thoughts.

The voice had snapped him out of that, though, as he looked up to see the source of it.

It was a young girl with short, red hair. A Sentret stood next to her, fidgeting constantly as though it were a habit. Behind her, a taller, somewhat lanky boy with blue hair stood alongside what Ash recognized as a Tyrogue.

The girl was frowning, her voice timid and uncertain. The boy seemed significantly more relaxed, although his Tyrogue seemed to be staring off into space, as though it wasn't aware of, or simply didn't care about, its own surroundings.

Ash was caught off guard. This was the second time somebody his age had approached him unprovoked like this. Suddenly feeling awkward, he adjusted in his seat as he looked between the newcomers. "Ummm… yes?"

The girl seemed to turn skittish all of a sudden, her cheeks reddening as she looked back to the boy, who merely sighed before stepping in front of her. He wore a relaxed smile as he looked down at Ash, in stark contrast from his nervous companion.

"Sorry to bother you. She's been wanting to speak to you for a bit but was too nervous. We were just hoping we could ask you something."

Blinking, Ash put the magazine down and eyed the boy carefully. "Oh… um… yes?"

Rubbing the back of his neck bashfully, the boy spoke. "You see… we sort of overheard that you beat Brock. We've been trying for the past few days or so and have both lost to him twice. We were just… you know, hoping for some pointers? If you've got the time, I mean?"

Ash was thrown. These two… wanted help from him?

He felt his cheeks reddening a bit, but tried to fight it off.

This was it. He'd been meaning to try and mingle with the trainers here for some time now, but he'd been hoping that he would eventually work up the courage to take the initiative. This basically felt like a repeat of Janine, where once again it was someone else who had to do it for him.

He couldn't think about that right now, though. These two kids actually wanted to talk to him. What's more, they actually wanted his help. He couldn't remember anything like this happening at Pallet Town…

It felt… different. This wasn't like his peers back at Pallet Town looking down on him. This wasn't even like Janine trying to console him after an awful day, as much as he had appreciated her gesture. These two… actually wanted him to help them?

It felt… foreign. Something that didn't belong with him. But it made him happy, he suddenly found. The fact that his input was specifically being requested. They weren't even settling for him, they actually wanted his help.

Putting on his best smile (and hoping he did a good job) Ash nodded at the two. "Sure. I have a couple hours before i need to be somewhere after my team gets healed up, so I'll see what I can do." They still needed to visit Elacia after Ash was done talking to his team and buying them treats to celebrate their victory.

The girl beamed while the boy reached out to shake Ash's hand.

"You see, Emily? I told you there wasn't anything to make a big deal about." as the girl blushed in embarrassment yet relief, the boy gave him a thumbs up. "Oh yeah, I'm Rick, by the way."

Taking his hand, Ash match's Rick's thumbs up with one of his own. "Ash."

/

Ash and the two fellow rookies spent the next two hours discussing what Rick and Emily's plans for Brock were.

As Ash learned, the two fellow rookies were actually both from Blackthorn City, but had chosen to be teleported elsewhere due to their home city not being a suitable starting point for beginners. They had chosen to go to Viridian in order to head over to Pewter, as they each wanted to check out the museum. The two were classmates back at school, and their class had made a mutual agreement to pair up with one another to make traveling easier. Apparently duos were determined by a drawing. Sentret and Tyrogue were both their starters, but, although Sentret had been near Emily and Tyrogue had been near Rick, Ash had eventually learned that Tyrogue was actually Emily's starter, and that Sentret was Rick's starter, and not the other way around.

Rick currently had a team of Sentret, Bellsprout, and Butterfree, while Emily had a team of Tyrogue, Growlithe, and Eevee. Ash wasn't too surprised to find out that Brock hadn't been using the exact same team of Pokemon against them as he had against him: he had used Geodude against Rick and Rhyhorn against Emily, but had also used a Pokemon called Cranidos against the both of them. According to Rick (and greatly emphasized by Emily) it was a rock type that could move really fast and strike hard with powerful Headbutt attacks. It could also attack at long range with Flamethrower, making it very difficult to keep it off of their toes, as even at a distance they were not safe. And thanks to its speed, maintaining distance was already quite hard anyway.

On their first attempt, each of them had gotten easily defeated by just Brock's first Pokemon alone. On their second, most recent attempt, they fared better, taking out Brock's Pokemon after losing one of their own. However, at that point, their second Pokemon was already injured and exhausted, and Cranidos easily finished off the battle.

Although Ash had emphasized to both of them that he had only barely beaten Brock, and that he had very nearly lost several times over, both of them were eager to hear his advice nonetheless. Ash wasn't entirely sure just how much advice that he would be able to give; as they both had very different teams than himself and weren't going up against the exact same opposition as himself either. Nevertheless, he did what he could, and described the training regiment that he had given his team. Emily seemed particularly interested in the mobility training that he had given Pikachu: Apparently her Growlithe was really fast but couldn't traverse the terrain properly. The female, Fire-Type canine Pokemon had kept losing her footing while trying to run at full speed which left her vulnerable to Brock's powerful attacks.

The girl had perked up when Ash suggested that she spend at least a few days getting Growlithe to train in traversing rocky fields before challenging the Gym again: suggesting that Growlithe's speed could potentially counter Cranidos after the Pokemon learned to maneuver around the rocks correctly. This would also benefit most of the Pokemon that were currently in their group.

Apparently, Rick's Sentret was having a hard time mastering Iron Tail, which was yet another thing that Pikachu could probably help out with. Realizing that the mouse would be the perfect training partner for these two, Ash had promised Rick and Emily to meet up with them tomorrow morning, so that he could show them where he had trained at Nurse Joy's suggestion, and so Pikachu could assist their teams in practicing. It would give the young mouse something to do, as Nebula and Valiant would both be needing their rest.

Not to mention, it would give Ash some extra chances to interact with a couple of other trainers, as an added bonus. He found that he liked these two quite a bit. Much like Janine, they were infinitely more approachable towards him than any of the other kids at Pallet Town could have hoped to have been. Not to mention they actually seemed very eager to get an extra opinion on how they had been approaching the battles with Brock. They knew that fighting Gym leaders was really hard and how much they needed improvement in order to close the gap. They certainly weren't arrogant. Nor were they making excuses for their losses like certain rookies stereotypically did.

Rick had been pretty open with him right from the start, and had quickly settled into the conversation as he and Ash exchanged potential ideas. Emily had taken a bit of time, and was clearly the shy one of the two (almost reminding Ash a bit of himself in fact), but it wasn't too long before she had grown used to Ash's presence, and as she came out of her shell, her personality practically changed. Apparently, according to Rick, she just wasn't good with strangers, but as she grew more comfortable with Ash being around, she was suddenly cracking jokes that had left his ribs hurting. Although she had stayed standing at first (while Rick had quickly sat down next to Ash), as she opened up, she had quickly taken the other seat next to Ash, flashing him a cute grin that could give Trucy a run for her money in terms of friendly aura. It wasn't too long before Ash suddenly found himself wishing that he had grown up with people like these two in his class.

Ash himself had surprisingly found that it didn't take too long for him to get comfortable with them. It was pretty much a sure thing after Emily had started firing off with her jokes, but Rick's easy going demeanor had quickly reeled him in as well.

He had also given them a rundown on how his battle with Brock had gone, warning them about Onix just in case.

After giving them a few basic ideas and making plans to meet up with them in the morning, Ash had received word from Nurse Joy that Nebula and Valiant were both ready.

After heading back up to his room, Ash let out a deep sigh as he prepared to release his team.

The trio appeared before him in three bright flashes of light. The three of them exchanged greetings with one another as Pikachu and Nebula quickly nuzzled each other.

While Nebula and Valiant looked up at their new Trainer expectantly, Pikachu was in a much more pleasant mood.

That's right, Pikachu already knew the outcome of the battle, unlike Nebula and Valiant.

"Hey…" said Ash unsurely as he kneeled down to face them better.

Pikachu gave Ash a grin before looking to his two teammates, obviously wanting the boy to give Nebula and Valiant the news.

The eagerness in the young mouse gave Ash a sense of optimism. He wasn't sure how Nebula and Valiant felt, but it seemed like Pikachu was still committed to this.

Smiling now, Ash announced in a happy tone. "We won."

At the news, Nebula and Valiant immediately perked up with joyful cries. Ash's grin grew as the mood in the room quickly grew ecstatic.

A whole week's worth of training had paid off for them in the end. Just about everything that they had worked on had played a role in the fight, and, by extension, their victory.

Nevertheless, the thought at the back of Ash's mind lead to him cutting the celebration short. He still needed confirmation from all of them.

Now that they knew what it was like to be involved in this kind of training… was this really what they wanted?

Raising a hand, Ash slowly silenced his team as he eyed them seriously.

"Listen… I know that fight was brutal for all of you. And I can't sugarcoat it… it's only going to get worse from here. I know this is asking a lot from all of you so… if any of you want to stop, I'll understand."

He really would. Seeing their injuries, especially Nebula's, had been a really big wakeup call for him. This wasn't like the Spearow incident where Pichu had been injured because Ash messed up. This was something much more unavoidable than that.

Before doing anything else, Ash needed to see if the battle had changed their mindsets.

The three Pokemon looked between each other, exchanging curious looks, as though they were trying to figure out what each other was thinking.

Pikachu and Valiant were both the first to step up, but Nebula quickly followed. Seeing the determined looks on their faces, Ash couldn't help his didn't want to waver, so neither did he, either. He really didn't deserve them.

/

Ash placed a gentle hand on Nebula's chest, the young bird perched on a desk in the room. Pikachu watched a few steps away from Nebula, while Valiant sat on the bed watching a breeding show.

When Nebula winced, Ash immediately decreased the pressure that he was putting on her, sending her an apologetic look.

"S-...Sorry, Nebula." he frowned sadly at the bird, who didn't seem unhappy with him, but still remembered the fight glumly. "I really thought you'd be able to win."

Geodude had been a pretty disadvantageous matchup for her. They had to knock him off balance just to get a Steel Wing in, but all of that had immediately gone out the window the moment Brock had figured out a way to counter Wind Blast. Ash cursed himself for not being able to think of a different strategy. As Brock had pointed out, he had essentially used the same tactic repeatedly and expected it to always work.

In fact, he'd made a fair share of bad oversights in his time as a trainer. Nebula getting hurt when fighting that Venonat, and the fact that he never thought to teach Pikachu to evade attacks while practicing mobility until Elacia had pointed it out…

He was still only starting out, but he really needed to up his game and plan ahead more. It was the only way to prevent more incidents like this. What had happened to Nebula was a result of his own shortcomings as a trainer.

Although Nebula seemed unhappy about how the battle had ended, she sent her trainer a reassuring gaze as Pikachu patted her back reassuringly.

"We'll keep working on your Reckless Ability." Ash promised. At Nebula's nod, he smiled.

If she had been able to activate the Ability, they might have been able to win. Obviously, he had no way of knowing that for sure…

/

The downtown section of Pewter City didn't have any of the significant locations that the city was famous for, to Ash's knowledge. The Gym and the museum were both elsewhere, as was the Pokemon Center.

But after looking at the address on the card, and getting additional directions from the police station, Ash found that it was where Elacia had chosen to set up shop during her time in the city.

Although her main location of business was at Celadon, she had minor shops elsewhere, likely for when she needed to do business outside of her home. Ash wondered how often that was for her, given he didn't know the full details on what her work entailed.

Pikachu was perched atop his Trainer's shoulder, and seemed content with a smile, as though they had suddenly done this for years.

After celebrating their victory for a bit with some treats, and showing each member of the team their new Boulder Badge too, Ash had returned both Nebula and Valiant to their Poke Balls for additional rest as per Nurse Joy's advice. Pikachu, however, was still good to go, and chose to remain outside.

Elacia's place in Pewter City was a lot smaller than he thought it would be, as Ash gazed at the one-story building. Not to mention it wasn't all that much of a stand-out building to look at. It blended right in with everything else in the city. Even though it was just a minor shop of hers and not her main shop from back in Celadon, Ash was caught off guard by how surprisingly low-budget the place seemed to be.

Knocking on the door for a few seconds, Ash only had to wait a few more seconds before it opened, revealing the pretty red haired woman, flanked by Slurpuff.

"Ash! I was wondering when you'd show your face!" smiling upon realizing who it was, she gestured him inside, which he gave her a quick thank you for. Ash was surprised to notice that his thanks hadn't come out in a timid squeak.

Taking in the inside of the shop, Ash quickly found that there wasn't really anything remarkable about it from an interior standpoint either. The room was dimly lit, with the lights on the ceiling only half switched on, A coffee table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded between two sofas and two chairs. All looked like they would be super comfortable to sit in, however.

Ash declined Elacia's offer for a cup of iced tea, instead accepting the apple cider that she offered afterwards. Sinking into the cushions of one of the couches (Pikachu leaping off of his shoulder to sit down next to him) he immediately reveled in the comfort, suddenly wishing that he could be here forever. Looking over to his Starter, Ash could already see Pikachu slowly closing his eyes with a smile on the mouse's face.

"I'm glad you stopped by." Ash looked over to see Elacia settling down across from him, plopping down onto the couch while Slurpuff took a seat next to her. The fairy type pokemon seemed amused by Pikachu's immediate elatedness to the couch. "This morning was way too busy. Needed to unwind after all of that."

Ash frowned. "What happened?"

"The usual stuff." the red-haired breeder shrugged while scratching behind Slurpuff's back, much to the fairy type's apparent delight. "Phone call after phone call. Constantly looking stuff up. A few League agents stopped by for a visit to discuss things in person. All of it condensed into one morning, so there was little room for downtime." she sighed. "The one downside to being such a successful breeder is that the League is always hounding you. They have multiple contracts going with me at once. And I'm sure most of the top breeders here in Indigo can say the same."

Ash blinked. "They turn to you that much."

She grinned exasperatedly. "We breeders make our money in a variety of ways. Selling Eggs and recently hatched Pokemon to trainers, giving therapeutic treatment to Pokemon, such as Suzie's famous massages or my food recipes, consultations for raising a Pokemon or training them, the latter being something that I specialize in, grooming, selling supplies to perform any of the aforementioned tasks, you name it, really. I've barely even scratched the surface."

Ash was taken aback. He knew that breeders were experts in a variety of fields, but it wasn't until he heard it from Elacia's mouth that he realized just how significant it was.

But it made sense. A Pokemon breeder's specialty, first and foremost, was raising a Pokemon. And that alone required a multitude of knowledge on various topics. So much went into the process that it was undoubtedly one of the most studious practices in the Pokemon world. It probably required every bit as much dedication as being a dedicated Pokemon trainer did, but just in a completely different way.

But Elacia had mentioned the League as well.

"So… the League turns to you for all of that?"

She snorted, as though it were obvious. "Only like, all the time." she chuckled. "The League always keeps track of who the top rated breeders are. The charts are printed annually, and they're always the first to snag 'em up. The League relies on people in the breeding profession for a lot of things. A lot of it is some sort of form of what we do for regular clients, such as normal trainers, for example. We help supply Gym Leaders with extra Pokemon, for one thing. Suzie and I are both best buddies with Erika. She's been our number one client for years now, since she runs the Gym in Celadon where we've set up our shops. But the League often goes to multiple breeders at once for a variety of widespread projects. Big agencies often handle starter distribution, making sure there are enough Pokemon breed to be handed out to trainers on Opening Day each Season. The League often requests our help with food supply, since many of us have all the best recipes for Pokemon food. Not to mention the foreign Pokemon they keep in captivity. Sometimes we're more likely to know about them than they are, since we often research them in advance, so our advice for what living conditions to put them under is often imperative." she sighed. "I'm here in Pewter right now because I have business with a League Official who needs to be here because of business at the museum. But it's far from the only thing I'm working on right now. I'm still taking phone calls left and right, talking to clients from the League and even having a few agents coming over from time to time. Even when I'm in the middle of traveling or working away from home like now, it doesn't always just stop. It's a constant thing regardless of where I currently am most of the time. Breeding is always busy, but once the League takes notice of you, that's it. They'll never stop finding uses for you or your help."

Ash scratched the back of Pikachu's ears for a moment, smiling softly as he listened to the young mouse cooing in response. "So a lot of it is determined by the ratings?

"Oh yeah. The moment you reach the high sections of those charts, expect a phone call from the League within a few days at least. At that point, you go from doing business with trainers and other folk, to practically working under the League in an unspoken sort of manner. I still do plenty of work for those outside of the their ranks, but it's definitely made up the bulk of my work ever since I rose near the top. And sadly, it's often the most demanding."

Ash looked at her sympathetically. Now that he was taking her in, she did seem pretty tense. He wondered just how much she did from day to day. Sure, she was free in the afternoons now, but that could just be her schedule as it is for the moment. Who knows when it might change?

"What's the breeding field like?" he asked curiously. "I mean, apart from the workload in general?"

Flashing him a smile, Elacia patted Slurpuff's head for a bit. "It's pretty fulfilling. I was always drawn to it since my family worked in an organization that made its name off of taking care of Pokemon. I found that I was in my natural element the moment that I started out. Not to mention, the 'competition' of the field isn't always so competitive."

Ash blinked. "It's not? But didn't you just say that you all get ranked every year?"

"Yup. But really, with the number of collaborative projects that we all do together, a good deal of us all owe our respective successes to each other. Take me and Suzie, for example. We're the top rated breeders in Indigo, but we work together so often. It helps that we're both primarily stationed in the same exact city and are also really close to Erika." she winked teasingly. "In our field, it's usually pretty hard to definitively separate the terms 'rival' and 'business partner'."

That… certainly was different from how Pokemon training usually went. Many famous rivalries have spawned between professional trainers aiming for the top. But since breeding was a business, rather than a sport…

"It sounds like a pretty friendly field to me." Ash admitted.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm a businesswoman, above all else. In the end it's really just about the money. Those charts are nice, but we breeders are really just looking for financial success. It keeps us afloat just as much as an approval rating ever could." taking a sip from her tea, she eyed the boy carefully. "Don't get me wrong, the recognition is great, but we don't need to worry about being considered the 'best'. I'm sure Suzie loves being number one, but it's hardly ever what she talks about."

Sipping his apple cider, and briefly finding himself absorbed in the taste (it tasted so good) Ash asked. "So you said your family has been doing this?"

"Not really the same thing. They're not breeders, but the people that they work for focus on preserving Pokemon life. Not a lot of people know this, but I'm not even from Indigo."

Ash perked up at that. It wasn't too uncommon for foreigners to reside here, as many people from Ever Grande and Lily of the Valley did, due to the three League having close relations, but it still surprised him. "So you're from Hoenn? Or Sinnoh?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Alola." At his shocked expression, she chuckled teasingly. "Yup, I know. The other side of the world."

Ash almost spat out his cider at that. Alola was often considered a secluded Region, separate from the rest of the world. No real political relations or a form of government akin to that of Indigo, Lily of the Valley, or Ever Grande, for example. The isolated Region had its own rich culture which the young boy was sorely lacking in knowledge of, and not much was known about it to outsiders in terms of in-depth information. The fact that it was so far away only contributed to this.

"Wait, so you mean… You came all the way here…"

"Yeah, it's not something you normally hear, is it?" finishing off her tea, she let out a satisfied sigh as she rested her cup on the coffee table. "Alola has its own form of Pokemon training. Sort of rooted within the Region's traditions and such. That's how I got my start, and once I was finished with that, I switched over to breeding. I had always been interested in it."

"But… why did you come all the way to Indigo?" That was something that he was having difficulty wrapping his head around. He wasn't sure how common it was for people to move out of Alola, but Alola and Indigo were both practically on opposite ends of the globe.

"Personal reasons, mostly. Wouldn't want to bore you with the details. I think there might've been at least one person working with my parents who was actually from here, though." changing the subject, she eyed him expectantly. "But enough about me, what happened at the Gym? Your team seemed fired up yesterday."

Ash's grin nearly split his face in half. "We won! Here…" taking the Boulder Badge out, he held it up in front of her proudly, and her face lit up.

"Atta boy! Betcha you're feeling a lot better now, huh?" at his crimson face, she chuckled. "I thought so."

It was true. Ever since Ash had first been handed the Boulder Badge, he really had felt a lot better about himself.

But really, the badge was just a reminder that he had potential. He couldn't just see it as a sign that he was suddenly the best. It was his first step. Their first step. It wasn't over just yet. He knew that there were a multitude of areas in which he still needed to greatly improve.

Smiling bashfully, Ash put the badge away. "It felt good." he admitted shyly. "But… I know it's just the beginning. To make it to the Conference…" he stopped as she raised a hand.

"One badge at a time, kid." her reassuring yet stern facial expression convinced him to relax. "That's one of the many mistakes I've seen you rookies make. You don't go into this with the right mindset to prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed. It's inevitable that your mind is going to dwell on that stuff, but try looking at the picture in front of you one spot at a time."

Petting Pikachu again for another few seconds (the mouse was off in his own world at this point) Ash thought about her words for a moment. "So… you've spoken to a lot of rookies, then?"

"Of course I have. I'm a breeder; I get clients of all shapes and sizes, and run into even more people at random. Like with you." she added in as an example. "Indigo's training environment is worlds different from that of Alola, but I've still been here for years. I know all about the way that you guys think, and it's easy to see why so many rookies fall astronomically short in their first year. Hell, even the ones who make it to the Conference might still have something holding them back." leaning forward a bit, she raised a few fingers and started counting. Ash took note of the red paint on her nails. "First, a lot of rookies take a while to properly build upon the pre-existing knowledge that they gain in school. Just applying it to real life experience is hard enough, but even then you're only really taught the basics. The bare minimum. It's your job to fill in the rest and carve your own path. But lack of experience yields lack of creativity. You need to find a way to be inspired."

Inspired… like how he had Nebula adapt the bug catcher leader's technique into Wind Blast.

"Secondly, initiative. You'd be surprised just how many rookies are lacking in it. The ability to think ahead is imperative for Pokemon training, and yet, most inexperienced trainers, albeit understandably, aren't great with this. This sort of ties into one last point: adapting. When things don't go a trainer's way, it's very easy to freeze up. And rookies get hit with this the most. Perhaps they have a plan, but do they have a backup plan? And have they considered every variable? Either they get overwhelmed by the big picture, or aren't actually able to see the full thing."

Consider every variable…

"Funny you should say that…" Ash frowned, suddenly finding the floor pretty intriguing. The carpet pattern looked nice, consisting of pictures that looked like they might have been Pokemon, although Ash couldn't recognize them. He couldn';t make out the one on Elacia's side, but the one on his side was lion-like, with the sun hanging over it. "Back in the forest… I sort of got Nebula injured. I used a dive bomb tactic to win a battle, but she wasn't durable enough to handle it and injured her wing. I should've known better. I don't know how I overlooked something so obvious. And… even when we were training… you were the one who pointed out a mistake that I made… and it would have cost us the battle if you hadn't been there to point out something that needed to be corrected. And even in today's battle, I fell into repetition, and Nebula lost because of it." he sighed. "Maybe I'm not considering everything. I'm one of those rookies who can't see the full picture…"

Turning his gaze upwards, he found the woman looking at him thoughtfully. After a moment, she replied. "Don't get me wrong, kid. I'm not saying these issues aren't normal." leaning back, and allowing her back to fully press against the cushions, she patted Slurpuff. "At the end of the day, you're just a kid who's started out. This is only the fifteenth day of the Season. You can't expect yourself to become perfection incarnate in just half a month."

"But… to make such obvious mistakes?"

"Obvious shmobvious. You know how many 'obvious' mistakes I made when I first started out in Alola? I sure hope that was normal." She looked downward a bit as a smile creeped up to her face, as though she was suddenly lost in thought. "My cousin was always one step ahead of me despite starting out on the exact same day, and even he made some pretty big goofs. His first battle with an Island Kahuna was embarrassing to watch… and that's despite the fact that I knew perfectly well that I couldn't do any better…"

Ash blinked as Elacia began muttering under her breath to herself. He couldn't quite pick up on what she was saying, although her voice sounded fond.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize what she was doing and perked up, shaking the thoughts out of her head. "Sorry, got caught up reminiscing. But the point is, it doesn't matter how much any given mistake seems 'obvious' to you in hindsight. A lot of oversights are going to feel that way once you've realized the full extent of your error. The repercussions hammer it in. But in the moment? You're not just going to magically see or consider everything. When you're battling, or even just training, your mind is already occupied with so many things at once. It's only natural that a few key details are going to slip through the cracks from time to time. The fact that you've taken notice of your own shortcomings is already a great first step. A lot of trainers-not just rookies-often have a hard time determining just where exactly they need to improve, and what aspects of them and their team still needs work, and they often stagnate as a result. A lot of the most successful trainers out there are the ones who scrutinize themselves to the bone. Making sure that they always know where they're strengths and skills need to be honed so that their growth won't be stunted in the long run. Never being satisfied with where they currently are at the moment." She gave him a serious look. "But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should be looking at all of your flaws with a 'I suck at this part' attitude. You need to examine your strengths and weaknesses in confidence. And then figure out how to fix them. It sounds to me like you make a lot of oversights, so find a way to be more observant. You already have the initiative-I saw that in you when you were training before-so now use that initiative to bolster your ability to think ahead."

Ash took in her words, feeling like a boulder's worth of knowledge had been dropped into his skull.

She really did speak like someone who's been there before. He didn't know what kind of training people did in Alola, but whatever it was obviously hadn't left her lacking in advice to give. She was a breeder, but her status as a former trainer was certainly shining through right now.

"Th-Thanks." Ash grinned at her, earning himself a pleased look from the woman. "I'll be sure to remember that." he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "You're really helpful, you know that?" she could have passed off as a school teacher at this point.

But Elacia just waved it off. "Nah, don't mention it, kid. I'm always happy to pass off some knowledge to a young rookie like you. Especially ones who actually seem to hold some promise in them. I doubt it's going to be for nothing, given that you already have your first badge." she leaned forward. "Speaking of which, just how tough was the battle?"

Ash grimaced as his hand rested upon the now sleeping Pikachu's head. Brock's the toughest opponent that I've ever faced by a long shot. And this was just my first Gym battle." he frowned. "He was pretty harsh, too. He got me to freeze up just by being there."

At her haughty laugh, he looked up in surprise. "Yup, that's Brock for you. Always putting on the tough guy show. It's his real talent, if you ask me."

Ash blinked. "Ummm… show…?"

She shrugged. "Believe it or not, Brock's not really all that into his job. His real passion is for Pokemon care. Breeding, medicine, that kind of stuff. He only took up the Gym Leader position so that he could hold it for his younger brother. But in reality, he really couldn't care less about that kind of stuff. That's why he puts on such an act whenever he's on the job. He has to look and play the part of what he is being at the moment." she chuckled to herself. "Beneath all of that, he's actually kind of a dork. But you would never be able to tell with that impressive facade that he always loves to play up. In all honesty, he'd probably be best off as an actor than anything else."

Ash was dumbfounded. Brock of all people… a dork?

Seeing his confusion, she giggled. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it? I've known his family for a while now since I used to work with his father, so I know a few things about him that most people don't. He's a good guy, and is more than capable of holding his Gym Leader position if he actually wanted it."

"But… he's not interested?" Ash was having his trouble wrapping his head around such a concept. Why would Brock be so disinterested in something that he was most obviously so gifted at?

She shrugged again. "That's just how it works sometimes, kid. You're not always going to be into everything that you're good at. Brock is one heck of a battler, but he just finds caring for Pokemon a lot more appealing. If he wanted to be, he could be the Gym Leader of Pewter City for a very long time, and nobody would complain, because he excels at it like crazy. This is just a placeholder position until his younger brother is ready for the mantle. Then, Brock will be moving on to following his real dream."

A realization suddenly hit Ash. "Is that why you quit training?"

A shake of the head. "Nope, I actually had a lot of fun doing my thing in Alola. But Pokemon training doesn't receive the same glorification there. It's just looked at as our first step. We have dedicated trainers there, for sure, but for the most part, it's just a rite of passage. A ritual that we go through as kids. It's sort of like that here, for some, but Alolan culture leans into it a lot more heavily." tickling a now delighted Slurpuff with her fingers, she continued. "Once I completed the island challenge, it was time to determine my future. I was inspired by the path that the rest of my family took, so I carved my own version of it. And that's how I became a Pokemon breeder."

Her answer was curious, but Ash couldn't help but smile at it. He wondered what sort of trials that she and her team had to endure back at home. He knew next to nothing about Alola apart from it apparently being a tropical paradise, but he suddenly found himself imagining in his mind how their form of Pokemon training differed from Indigo's own.

He blinked as she rose up, then gestured to the door. "Anyway, you wanna get out of here for a while? There's a family owned place nearby that has some pretty good dinners on the menu. But they also serve some really killer ice cream for dessert. I can treat you, if you want, so what do you say we continue this conversation there?"

The boy could only grin.

/

Five days had passed since their triumphant victory over Brock.

While Nebula and Valiant rested, Ash and Pikachu had assisted Rick and Emily in their training, and it didn't take too long for Pikachu to get along with Tyrogue, Sentret, Eevee, and Growlithe (the four Pokemon that he was currently working with). Growlithe had made it her personal mission to become faster than Pikachu, putting everything that she had into mobility training.

In the meantime, Ash had begun teaching Pikachu Electro Ball. Elacia had given the recommendation to prioritize the Move over anything else, as it required control over Pikachu's electricity, which would extensively make future Electric Type Moves easier to learn in the long run.

At the moment, Pikachu could only barely manage the Move. He was beginning to successfully condense his electricity into a ball, but it was sloppily formed and difficult to hold together, often fizzling out mere moments after being fired.

After Nebula and Valiant had recovered, Ash had played it safe and waited a couple more days before he resumed training them.

Although they would be leaving soon, Ash had to admit that he was enjoying his time in Pewter City quite a bit. Since Pikachu had been the only Pokemon doing any real training for the past few days, things were much more easy going for them, and Ash had settled into a daily semi-routine while living in the city. Spending his mornings with Rick and Emily while working on Pikachu's Electro Ball, paying Elacia a visit in the afternoon, and hanging out with Rick and Emily over dinner back at the Pokemon Center at night.

Having been living here for nearly two weeks now, Ash found himself becoming quite accustomed to the urban environment. Along with a sense of dread at the thought of leaving the comfort of the city to return to the wild.

But procrastinating would yield them nothing. Ash had informed his team that they would be leaving in a couple of days, to which they were okay with.

They could take a break for now, but he really didn't want to get settled in too much. The nomadic life of a Pokemon trainer was something that he was not used too quite yet, but he knew that he needed to be.

At the moment, Ash was on the outskirts of the city with his team, taking a walk along the outer parts of Viridian Forest. They had just spent some time at Elacia's shop and the sun would be setting soon.

Valiant had been a bit nervous about going back into the forest, but Ash assured him that they wouldn't be going in deeply. This seemed to give the young Ralts some peace in mind, although he notably stuck very closely to Ash the entire time.

Ash couldn't help but notice that Valiant's personality was almost entirely different while they were in the forest. Outside of it, he was quite well composed, yet he became so… timid in nature while in the forest for whatever reason that Ash could not quite grasp just yet.

Ash was in the middle of trying to coach Nebula with her Reckless Ability (Pikachu and Valiant helping out) when it happened.

The bolt of electricity fired off in the near distance, somewhat deeper into the forest, had drawn their attention, and compelled them to investigate.

Ash didn't know it yet, but what he would find would impact his journey immensely.

/

It didn't take too long to reach the source of the electrical attack. The group quickly reached a slightly deeper area in the forest, and were immediately greeted by the sight of two figures.

Standing tall was a Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized as an Elekid.

They were an electric type species of Pokemon, well known for their strong Evolution, Electabuzz, and, infamously, for their incredibly powerful-but super rare- final Evolved form, Electivire.

A boy with purple hair was standing next to the creature as he held a Poke Ball in his hand.

The boy looked about Ash's age, but his exterior seemed a lot more rough. In fact, if Ash didn't know better, he probably would have suspected that the boy was older than him.

Something about him was unsettling to look at. Ash couldn't even pinpoint it, but ignored the unease that was settling into his stomach as he and his Pokemon looked on at the scene.

Stuffing the orb away, the boy turned to Elekid, who met its trainer's gaze with a fierce, but not disloyal, expression on its face.

"Okay, we have three now. Good work, Elekid. We'll start comparing them." His voice was surprisingly deep. He sounded oddly grown up, and his tone had a hint of inherent callousness to it.

The electric type made a whirring noise as the boy suddenly turned in Ash's direction.

Ash involuntarily flinched as the boy's gaze met his own. What was it with this new boy's eyes? The look in them made his stomach feel like an empty pit for some reason.

The purple haired boy scoffed at the motion as he crossed his arms and eyed Ash and his team scrutinizingly.

"I didn't realize that it was considered productive to spend your time staring at other Trainers. I wonder what skills you're honing by standing around twiddling your thumbs." his voice was laced with bluntness, uncaring to what was coming out of his mouth, only concerned with getting it out.

The Elekid seemed to be sizing them up, its fierce gaze never leaving its eyes as it looked between the group.

Ash found himself unable to come up with a response to the boy's callout. To his credit, he was right that Ash and his team had no reason to be here, having only been drawn over by curiosity alone.

Before Ash could find his words, the boy seemed to perk up.

It was only for a brief moment, but recognition seemed to appear on his face.

"Wait… I know you."

The confusion helped Ash find his voice.

"Ummm… what?"

Behind him, Pikachu and Valiant were feeling the same unease. Nebula, having perched herself on his shoulder, was gazing at the purple haired boy with a look resembling distrust.

Next to the boy, the Elekid's face suddenly seemed to fill with recognition too. It looked to it's trainer for a moment as the other boy began to speak. It almost felt like the two of them mirrored each other based on first impressions. It felt like an ironic contrast from Gary and the stoic Squirtle that he received. But Ash wasn't certain what to make of it.

His hands falling to his sides, the boy eyed Ash carefully.

"Yes, I remember, I saw you catch that Starly that you have with you… I think."

Ash blinked. Nebula? This new guy had seen them do that?

"I… didn't know anyone was watching." he admitted.

The purple haired boy looked between Ash's trio of Pokemon, his scrutinizing gaze seemingly intensifying.

"Hmm… do you really think that Starly was worth the trouble?"

A fierce growl escaped Pikachu's throat as a fierce glare appeared on Nebula's face.

Ash's eyes widened, taken aback by the question. Suddenly, his surprised face twisted into a glare. What right did this kid think he had to judge his Pokemon like that?

"What are you talking about?" he growled out, trying his best to be intimidating. It wasn't working.

The Elekid seemed amused by Ash's reaction, but said nothing as the boy remained calm.

"Like I said, I watched you catch it. Don't you think you'd be best off catching as good as one as possible?"

Confusion again. "What do you mean by that?" Ash asked carefully. He remained on his guard as the purple haired boy unclipped two more orbs from his belt. Now with three Poke Balls in hand, he placed them carefully on a boulder before taking out a Pokedex. This one was black, and seemed to have a wider shape to it, compared to the ones Ash normally saw. Almost like it was a completely different model.

"I'm sure you're aware that your Pokedex can scan the Pokemon that you've caught to assess their Moves and Abilities. I take advantage of this." Ash watched curiously as the mysterious new boy held his Pokedex in front of the three orbs, analysing the data. After a few moments, the Pokedex was put away as the boy took one of the Poke Balls. The boy had pushed a few buttons on the Pokedex before stashing it away, causing Ash to raise a brow. "This Murkrow I just caught knows Brave Bird, Confuse Ray, and Mirror Move. Rare Moves for her species at such a level. And the perfect cherry on top is that her ability is Prankster. In comparison…" clipping the Poke Ball to his belt, he took the other two Poke Balls. "These two don't have a lot to go off of. I won't be needing them."

Ash was taken by surprise as a Spearow and Pidgey emerged in two flashes of light, flying away deeper into the forest.

The boy had… released them?

"Wait a minute…" said Ash, raising his hands up above his head. "Did you just… let them go? Just like that?"

The purple haired boy shrugged boredly. "Those two had been easy catches, so I wasn't expecting much from them, but I was even more disappointed by what they had to offer than I thought I'd be. I'm just narrowing down my options."

The feeling of unease in his stomach intensified. Behind him, Valiant's face scrunched up a bit.

"You're saying you just choose your teammates based on what Moves they already know?"

A light smirk appeared on the boy's face. "It's a pretty pragmatic way to go about things. What would you do if you had to choose between an Abra with a couple of basic moves, or one with a few significant ones?"

His point made sense in theory, but… "An Abra with basic moves can still learn the advanced ones later. Any Pokemon can be strong if you train them properly." Apart from Volt Tackle and Double Edge, which they couldn't even use at the moment, Pikachu and Nebula had nothing extraordinary going for them when he had first met them, with Nebula's reckless ability being the obvious exception. But both of them had grown far stronger than before in such a short amount of time. Ash knew from experience just how talented that they were.

An amused chuckle escaped the boy's lips. "Any Pokemon, huh? That kind of mindset is the same trap most rookies fall into. It's why so many people in the field look down on newcomers like us." his face hardened. "The fact remains is that where a Pokemon starts out is what showcases its potential. Maybe they have a bunch of powerful Egg moves that can be tapped into later, like my new Murkrow. Or maybe they've already learned some impressive techniques by themselves, without any guidance, like my Skorupi." Ash stole a quick, concerned glance at Pikachu as the electric type mouse flinched at the mention of the bug poison type Pokemon. Clearly, it was a sore spot for the both of them. His gaze returned to the purple haired boy as he continued. "You need to learn how to distinguish the best from the masses. The Pokedex has given us the tools to do so, and yet so many rookies are satisfied with trying to train up whatever Pokemon they can get their hands on, no matter how insignificant the catch is when compared to everything else available, not caring to put in the work and actually seek out the potential team members that would be the most worth it in the long run. Why waste time trying to tap into some average Pokemon's potential, when the next one you encounter could have far more? Why put so much time into trying to develop a Pokemon's work ethic, when the next one you encounter might already have one? Any Pokemon can be strong, for sure, but we're talking about a demanding profession where only the best can prosper without eventually fizzling out into obscurity. The best trainer needs the best Pokemon to utilize their training skills with. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with an average team, with nothing worth remembering. You'll just be yet another trainer, doomed to fizzle out with the rest of them." Ash took a step back from the intensity in the purple haired boy's eyes. "So many rookies claim that they'll never be forgotten, that they'll actually amount to something. But unlike them, I'm actually taking the actions necessary to live up to those words."

Ash felt a brief surge of anger in his chest.

Where Pokemon start out? Potential? This kid was starting to sound a lot like Gary, and he didn't like it. He wasn't as obnoxious, what he said made sense, and to his credit, he certainly did a much better job at explaining himself, but…

Images of subpar test grades flashed through his mind. But then he remembered the words of encouragement, and the Boulder Badge…

Having your potential be determined by where you start out? A foregone conclusion that couldn't be changed at all? That didn't sit right with him. And looking at his teammates, he could tell that it didn't sit right with them, either.

Suddenly feeling a sense of vigor in his spirit, Ash took a bold step forward and tried to harden his face to match the mysterious boy. Based on the unflinching expressions worn by the purple haired boy and his Elekid, Ash doubted that his attempt was a success, but he wasn't just going to stop.

"Who's to say a Pokemon doesn't just need a little bit of extra help to realize their true potential?" he challenged with as bold a tone as he could manage. He found himself suddenly having a little bit more backbone than he did with Gary. Pointing off in the direction where the Spearow and Pidgey had flown off, he narrowed his eyes. "Those two birds could have become even stronger than Lance's main trio, for all you know. You wouldn't know until you gave them a chance."

The boy's brow furrowed. "And what's the likelihood of that? You're taking a shot in the dark, and your ammo is pretty scarce." the look in his eyes intensified further, and Ash suddenly found himself taking an involuntary step back, eliciting a chuckle from the Elekid. "Look, kid. The Conference is in less than a year. I don't have time to play the lottery and hope to win. And neither do you, if you're really that passionate about making it to the Indigo Plateau on your first try."

Kid? Kid? Was he being condescending, now? They were the same age!

Ash growled. "So you think my team isn't good enough?" he challenged defensively.

A shrugging motion was made by the boy. "Only one way to find out. Besides…" he turned to Elekid. "There is a pretty reasonable way for trainers like us to settle disputes like this." the electric type whirred in agreement, and what seemed to be anticipation, as well.

Ash's eyes lit up in realization, as the looks on Pikachu and Nebula's faces steeled. Valiant stepped forward too, standing in front of his new trainer and looking as determined as ever. "You want a battle?"

An expression of challenge dominated the purple haired boy's face as his hand ran along his belt of Poke Balls. "Every Pokemon I have are those that I handpicked with care. This will be the perfect way to prove my point. And plus," he added with a minor hint of callousness. "It's easy money."

Ash's face scrunched up at that, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Alright, we can take you." This boy clearly knew what he was doing, but so did they. Regardless of what this new kid's intentions were, Ash had his own, and he was about to put his money where his mouth is.

Valiant's steadfast stance told Ash that his team was thinking the same exact thing.

A light smirk appeared on the purple haired boy's face. It wasn't malicious or mocking, like Gary's, but was much more intimidating. Nevertheless, Ash did his best not to waver. Elekid wasn't chuckling this time. Did that mean he succeeded? Or was the opposing electric type too busy eying his team?

For a brief moment, Pikachu and Elekid locked eyes, as though the two were both communicating a mutual challenge to one another.

The purple haired boy broke the silence of the standoff. "Okay, we'll do this at the Pokemon Center, then. It's getting late, and we won't have to worry about any wild Pokemon interfering with us." turning around, he looked back for a moment. "The name's Paul, by the way."

Ash offered the boy a brief nod before giving his own name in response.

"Ash."

/

Conveniently, just about every Pokemon Center had a battlefield of its own, for trainers to duke it out whenever they wanted to.

It was more than common for this to be taken advantage of, as many trainers would make use of these battlefields throughout the day. Whether it be to settle grudge matches, get some sparring sessions in, or even just to have some friendly competition.

Ash wasn't sure what category his and Paul's battle fell under, though. Grudge match sounded a bit too intense, although it was probably the most fitting term that he could think of at the moment. Either way, a small audience had gathered as the two Trainers took up their positions, Ash could spot Rick and Emily in the small crowd, which consisted almost exclusively of young rookie Trainers. A couple of staff members were also among them, most likely either on their break or just simply being off duty after hours.

Paul and Elekid stood on the other end of the battlefield, the new, mysterious trainer's arms crossed as he eyed Ash carefully. The intense look in his eyes could probably match that of a seasoned veteran, and was absolutely far beyond anything that Ash himself was even remotely capable of mustering up at the moment.

But he knew that he couldn't just let intimidation tactics get the best of him. It was what had previously almost cost him against Brock before. And so, he did his best to return Paul's glare with one of his own. No matter how little confidence he had that he was actually doing a good job of it, at the very least he needed to try to.

The machines had turned on, the barriers at the ready, prepared to intercept any and all attacks. The battlefield was of a rather serviceable size, perfect for the upcoming match between the two rookie trainers.

Paul's voice called out from the other side. "So, are those three your only ones?"

Ash turned to his team. Pikachu and Nebula were standing side by side behind him, while Valiant was behind them. All three of them returned their new trainer's determined expression with steel gazes of their own.

Turning back to Paul, Ash called out in response. "Yes, they are!"

Paul nodded in understanding, before unclipping a Poke Ball from his belt. "Three on three, then. I'd prefer to do more, but I'll take what I can get."

Ash looked back to his team one last time. "Nebula, you go first, okay?"

Nebula had been the one that Paul had singled out. She deserved to prove herself, especially after the incident with Brock.

Letting out a determined chirp, Nebula flapped her way to the battlefield, standing upright as she landed and eying Paul with a dangerous glint of determination.

Behind him, Ash could hear Pikachu let out a call of encouragement, while Valiant crossed his arms and nodded towards the bird.

Grinning a bit, Paul lightly tossed his Poke Ball towards the battlefield.

Out of a bright flash of light emerged a small, bear cub like Pokemon that Ash almost immediately identified as a Teddiursa.

"This was my first catch." the purple haired boy said matter of factly. "Let's see how your bird stacks up to him."

Ash sadly didn't know much about Teddiursa, outside of how widely feared their evolution was. Ursaring were some of the fiercest Pokemon around, which could be part of the reason why Paul had chosen to have a Teddiursa on his team. If he was really that concerned about potential, no doubt he also considered a Pokemon's evolved forms.

The Teddiursa looked disarmingly cute, but the adorable expression on his face was accompanied by a fierce glare that Ash never would have expected from such a cute looking creature. Clearly, this little cub was battle hardened, regardless of its cute and cuddly appearance. Who knew what it was going to be capable of?

"Careful, Nebula." Ash warned aloud. "I'm not sure what that bear can do just yet."

As the young Starly nodded, Paul crossed his arms as Elekid took a few steps forward, stopping by it's Trainer's side, most likely to observe the upcoming battle better.

"Alright then, Ash, let's begin."

Ash nodded, and immediately called out his first command.

"Wind Blast, Nebula!"

If they didn't know what they're opponent was capable of, then they would just have to go all out before they had a chance to find out. It didn't matter if they already had a badge. Ash wasn't taking any chances with this guy.

Something about Paul made him feel quite uneasy. Uncomfortable.

Was it really just because he disagreed with him? Ash didn't want to think that his reasoning for such was so petty.

Maybe it was that Paul's ideology was essentially a better thought out version of the stuff that Gary had told him back at the lab? Something that actually presented a point of view that vindicated such a way of thinking?

Maybe it was just the mysterious boy's demeanor. Ash had never met a child his age quite like this before. He reminded him more of Brock (or, at the very least, Brock's "act" according to what Elacia had previously said to him) than just another kid.

Did it really get under his skin that much?

Ash cursed himself for being put off so easily. He knew he couldn't help himself, but that was part of the problem.

But it didn't matter right now. He needed to focus on the battle.

Nebula had the advantage of flight, but he doubted that that alone would be what decided to fight. Paul certainly didn't seem too nervous about it.

But Ash believed in his bird like companion. Nebula was still probably sour about how the fight with Brock's Geodude had ended. She wanted a second chance, and now she got it. Ash wouldn't let it go to waste.

They were going to win this battle and rectify what had happened with the battle with Brock from before.

Ash grinned proudly as Nebula quickly took to the air, the young Starly wasting no time to let out a battle cry, and wasting even less time to use her attack.

The blast of wind came sailing downwards towards Teddiursa.

Paul remained stoic at this. And Teddiursa certainly wasn't scared.

But Ash also refused to be as he observed.

Behind him, Pikachu's cheeks sparked with determination as Nebula launched her attack at Teddiursa.

Valiant looked on encouragingly.

Teddiursa suddenly bolted to the side, the blast slamming into the ground and kicking up dirt, but harming nobody in the process.

Nebula had missed her mark, but she wasn't done just yet.

Ash's grin grew as she bolted forward with her wings cloaked in metallic feathers and aura.

Nebula shrieked fiercely as she charged forward towards her opponent. Quick Attack boosted her already great speed even further.

Teddiursa may not have been a Rock Type Pokemon, but Steel Wing was still a very strong attack nonetheless.

Unfortunately, it still wouldn't be that simple for them.

On the other end of the battlefield, Paul's grin grew as Teddiursa responded. It left Ash feeling somewhat deterred by what happened right after that.

Teddiursa prepared himself before crossing his arms in front of his chest, his body glowing with a deep red aura that radiated off of his fur.

Nebula found her Steel Wing slamming into the bear cub's crossed arms, the impact pushing him back slightly and tipping him over a bit, but having very little long lasting effect as the bear cub immediately regained his footing after only a few seconds of minor wobbling at most.

Ash blinked in surprise. He had never seen a Move like that before…

"Endure." Paul spoke simply, as if sensing Ash's confusion.

Ash's eyes widened at that. Endure was a powerful defensive technique that, instead of creating a barrier like Protect, Reflect, or Light Screen, reinforced a Pokemon's body in order to make them more durable against an attack.

And Paul's Teddiursa already knew such a technique…

Paul was grinning again. "Like I said, I'm proving my point to you this way." his voice began to raise. "Now then, Teddiursa! Focus Energy! Channel it into your feet!"

Once again, Teddiursa crossed his arms, this time his body becoming bathed in glowing white light. Almost immediately after the bear cub had become encased in the brilliant pale energy, the light began transferring down to his feet, the muscles in his legs beginning to bulge slightly from the growing power.

Ash immediately realised that the young bear cub was probably going to launch himself upwards.

"Nebula! Wind Blast again!"

Nebula began flapping her wings furiously yet again, but Teddiursa was already getting to work, pressing his legs firmly into the ground before launching himself upwards.

As the Wind Blast struck the spot that Teddiursa had just been at, the bear cub was rocketed upwards, suddenly soaring a few feet above Nebula, much to the startled bird's shock.

Nebula raised a metallic coated wing to defend herself as Teddiursa's claws began to glow a fierce, dark, blackish purple. Raising the claw upwards, Teddiursa swung the powerful Night Slash down onto Nebula's now raised wing. Raising her wing to meet the attack in hopes of blocking it, Nebula suddenly found herself being pushed downwards by the surprisingly immense force.

As the two attacks met, the loud impact sounded across the battlefield. However, after a brief struggle, the two Pokemon pushing their Moves against each other as hard as their bodies allowed them too for a few seconds, Teddiursa began pushing Nebula downwards, propelling the small bird away with shocking force as she plummeted painfully down to the ground with a loud THUD. Nebula's surprised shriek had been interrupted by the forceful impact, knocking the wind out of her.

The metallic coating of Steel Wing had prevented her wing from sustaining any damage from Teddiursa's attack, but the amount of pain inflicted onto her back from the fall was definitely a different story.

And the amount of brute strength that Teddiursa had just showcased was more than concerning. He hadn't even been using Focus Energy in order to enhance that attack, having concentrated the entirety of the Move into his jump. And yet… the amount of strength that it must have took to do what he did. Nebula had been rocketed down to the ground like a blur…

The moment Teddiursa had propelled the young Starly down to the ground, Paul had called out another order.

"Body Slam and Metal Claw!"

As his claw began glowing with a strong, metallic coating, much like Nebula's Steel Wing, Teddiursa rocked downwards. Ash could only cry out as the small bear cub attempted to drive the Metal Claw right down into his bird companion, but thankfully, a frantic Nebula ignored the pain in her back and relied purely on adrenaline and fear to roll away from the fierce blow.

Teddiursa rocketed down into the ground with a loud crash, but his Metal Claw easily broke his fall.

'Apparently, Pikachu wasn't the only one with that idea.' Ash immediately realized. They should probably teach Nebula how to do the same with Steel Wing, just in case she ever got knocked out of the sky again.

This Paul guy seemed pretty ruthless. If that Metal Claw had hit, striking straight down onto Nebula while she was vulnerable, along with Body Slam enhancing the blow…

Her injuries wouldn't have been modest.

Hearing Pikachu and Nebula let out deep sighs of relief (not to mention letting one out for himself), Ash called out to Nebula again as she picked herself up and launched herself back into the air.

Her flight speed was considerably slower now. She was already badly hurt…

"Whirlwind, Nebula!"

Teddiursa had demonstrated the agility necessary to dodge Wind Blast, and Endure had allowed him to tank a Quick Attack empowered Steel Wing with such ease. They needed to find a way to knock him off balance first…

It occurred to Ash that this was the exact same strategy that they had used against Brock's Geodude, except they weren't using Wind Blast this time. The overuse of that strategy had horribly backfired on them before, but right now, Ash really couldn't think of any other options than this...

He just hoped that Nebula would be able to pull it off with her newfound back pain…

Thankfully, Nebula successfully complied, although Ash couldn't hear her winces of pain over the powerful gusts of wind as she flapped her wings as furiously as possible.

Teddiursa struggled against the fearsome gale, and, to his credit, was doing so quite well. However, Ash could already see him being pushed back little by little, trying to dig his feet into the ground as the Whirlwind continuously pushed him backwards with increasing speeds as Nebula continued to keep up her assault.

Great, just a little bit more…

"Steady yourself with Endure!"

Teddiursa's fur returned to its bright red glow at Paul's order, and the bear cub began to put up more resistance against the wind as he crossed his arms against his chest once again.

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration, but Nebula did not let up.

It was a war of attrition at this point, but Ash wasn't too sure if Nebula could win. Maintaining Whirlwind for this long was already difficult, due to how much furious wind flapping that it required to be done in such great consecutive use, but with a sore back, there was no way that Nebula wouldn't be reaching her limit soon. She was probably torturing herself just by trying to.

At the same time, however, Ash doubted that Teddiursa could maintain Endure easily, especially with the constant pressure from the Whirlwind fighting against it.

Several moments passed by as the conflict continued. From the corner of his eye, Ash could see the crowd exchanging murmurs. Pikachu was shouting out encouraging towards Nebula, while Valiant looked on with something akin to nervousness.

Finally, Teddiursa gave out, the red glow of his body fading away as he began to lose his footing from the wind.

Cupping his hands to ensure that he was heard, Ash called out to Nebula as Teddiursa was knocked back painfully onto his butt.

"Double Team, the Steel Wing!"

The young Starly split itself into two copies. Although only the real nebula's wings glowed with the metallic energy of Steel Wing as both of them blitzed forward with Quick Attack, Teddiursa was in too much of a confused state of panic from the tactic to process it.

BAM!

Teddiursa cried out in pain as the force of the blow knocked him onto his back. The bear cub was sent skidding across the battlefield as Nebula circled back around again.

However, Ash's triumphant grin was short-lived as he began to see Nebula slowly descending.

Suddenly noticing the young Starly panting from exhaustion, Ash realised that she could no longer keep up her flight. The pain in her back had only been greatly bolstered by the excessive use of Whirlwind, and now the force that she had put into that Steel Wing attack had done the rest of her endurance in.

As Nebula slowly descended to the ground in a heap, her clone disappearing in the process, Paul grinned as Teddiursa picked himself back up. As the small bear cub rose to his feet, Ash took note of the rather large bruise on his face.

Clearly, Nebula's Steel Wing had done a number on him, but it was already too little, too late.

The small bear cub was also panting slightly, most likely because of the endurance contest between Endure and Whirlwind, but he was still very clearly in much better shape than Nebula currently was at the moment.

"It looks like the bird can't keep this up anymore." Paul stated matter of factly, taking note of the exhausted Nebula's panting as he pointed forward. "Teddiursa! Finish it up with Brick Break!"

At full speed, Teddiursa bolted forward as he raised an orange, glowing fist. The grounded Nebula attempted to raise a Steel Wing to block, but the metallic wing was easily pushed away, Nebula's exhaustion and back pain easily overcome by Teddiursa's brute strength, and suddenly, Teddiursa's other fist glowed, with the same exact, powerful, orange aura, and was swung right into Nebula's forehead.

CRACK!

Ash winced as Nebula cried out and was sent flying into the barriers in front of him, Pikachu, and Valiant, her already sore back crashing into them as she slid down to the ground in a heap.

Nebula did not get up, and, after a few moments of attempting too, passed out from the pain. Her head had a giant bruise on it, and her eyes were shut as she lost hold of her consciousness.

Ash's face was glum as he returned Nebula to her Poke Ball.

"Sorry." he let out with a sigh. "Again…"

It was her second loss in a row. And it had happened a lot more quickly and easily than against Brock's Geodude.

That Teddiursa was strong. And not just in an above average manner, either. His physical strength was practically surreal for such a young Pokemon, and his moveset complimented that perfectly.

Looking over at the small bear, Ash could tell that he had been fazed by the battle, but not by much, as he was still perfectly raring to go regardless of his minor fatigue and painful bruise to the head.

Paul had kicked off this battle with a very clear advantage in numbers, and given how the rest of his team was probably going to be just as bad as this Teddiursa was, Ash regrettably had no idea how they were supposed to turn it around right now.

"Well, that didn't take very long." Paul commented. His voice didn't have the same smugness of Gary's. Instead he sounded like he was just… stating a simple fact. As though it were completely obvious. And, Ash realized, it probably was.

He could hear some murmerings in the crowd again, as some of the audience members commented on the battle and how it was going so far. He could especially here some people (such as Emily) gawking over Teddiursa's amazing strength.

Feeling a light tugging on his leg, Ash looked down to see Pikachu looking up at him with a steel gaze.

The communication between Pokemon and trainer was clear. Ash could see the anger in the mouse's eyes.

"Are you going to continue?" he heard Paul's voice call out.

"Of course we are!" Ash called back as he pointed forward. "Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu sprinted on over to the battlefield, and Paul eyed the mouse carefully.

Between Pikachu and Valiant, Ash wasn't entirely clear about who would be the best matchup against that Teddiursa. Not that it mattered, however, as Paul quickly raised his Poke Ball and returned the bear cub-like Pokemon.

"So you're using your Electric Type now, huh?" Paul remarked, clipping his Poke Ball back to his belt. Turning his head to his Elekid, he pointed forward. "Elekid, your up!"

Making its signature whirring noise, Elekid stepped forward onto the battlefield, locking its eyes with Pikachu intensely as a sadistic smirk spread across its face.

Pikachu, now having gotten on all fours, growled back at the bloodthirsty Electric Type opponent, his cheeks sparking madly with electricity.

It was hard to deny the fire in either of their eyes.

Ash kicked things off as quickly as possible. "Brick Break!"

"Block with your own!" Paul countered.

Pikachu bolted forward, speed enhanced with Quick Attack as his raised fist glowed a bright orange. In response, Elekid raised a glowing fist of its own, Pikachu's attack striking against Elekid's own fist.

With the added force behind Pikachu's Brick Break due to Quick Attack, Elekid's defenses should have toppled over easily. Elekid were a naturally more bulky species than Pikachu were, for sure, but they were also no Onix.

However, to Ash's surprise, Elekid proved to be surprisingly sturdy. Although it was struggling against the force of Pikachu's blow, it was getting pushed back very slowly, the bulkier Electric Type Pokemon attempting to grind its heels into the battlefield as Pikachu pushed it back gradually.

Changing his tactics, Ash called out. "Iron Tail! Propel yourself off of the ground!"

Pikachu coated his tail in metal, pressing it against the ground as he and Elekid continued to struggle. Up until now, this tactic had only been used to save Pikachu from a fall, but the idea to adapt it to be used offensively had suddenly occurred to Ash in the heat of the moment.

This Elekid was definitely stronger than Pikachu, not to mention bulkier. They would have to use their wits for this. Ash just hoped that Pikachu was still also faster than Elekid was too, otherwise strategy would be their only tool. For now, they could only hope that this tactic would work. Otherwise he wasn't sure what else to do.

Launching himself off the ground with his now-metallic tail, Pikachu angled his fist as it continued to press against Elekid's, using it to launch himself further. Performing a somersault over the opposing Electric Type Pokemon's head, Pikachu swung downwards as he crashed his tail painfully into his rival.

Elekid was sent skidding backwards as the blow collided with his chest. As he came to a halt, he lurched backwards on one foot, but righted himself quickly. Pikachu was already on the offensive, however, bolting forward with another Quick Attack as he yet again coated his tail in metal.

Paul acted quickly "Charge Beam!"

Elekid raised its hands, quickly collecting electrical energy in his palms as he prepared to fire. With Pikachu rushing forward, the opposing Electric Type only had enough time to fire a relatively weak beam, a small, narrow blast of lightning, but it was still one that Pikachu needed to avoid.

As the mouse dashed to the side, Elekid made its next move, bolting forward with a Quick Attack of its own as he raised a fist, now coated in electricity.

Although Elekid wasn't as fast as Pikachu, it also wasn't too far off, and before Pikachu could react, Elekid drove the Thunder Punch painfully right into his abdomen.

Ash and Valiant winced as Pikachu was sent flying backwards, the pain in his gut preventing him from catching himself with Iron Tail just long enough for his back to slam into the ground. After bouncing off from the landing, however, Pikachu righted himself just in the nick of time, coating his tail in metal and driving it into the ground to break his fall.

Both combatants had landed a clean hit, and although Ash was certain that Elekid had dealt more damage, neither of them showed any signs of stopping any time soon.

But Paul was at it again, and before Pikachu could even launch himself off of his tail, another order was shouted. "Electro Ball!"

Once again holding out its hands, Elekid began gathering more electricity into its palms. Ash's eyes widened as he took in just how much more easily that the Electro Ball was formed compared to whenever Pikachu attempted it.

And when the ball was fired, it was held together a lot better, too. Its stability was almost perfect.

This Elekid had much better control over its electricity than Pikachu currently did at the moment. Definitely not a good sign.

Pikachu dashed around the ball, leaving it to slam into the barriers as he raised yet another metallic tail. But Paul countered yet again.

"Dual Chop!"

Ash blinked at the mention of the dragon type move, Elekid's now raised fists glowing a distinct shade of purple, as Pikachu's rival put them together, meeting the Iron Tail head on with a well placed block.

"Brick Break!" Ash reacted quickly.

Pikachu launched himself upwards, using the Iron Tail-still clashing against the Dual Chop- to launch himself upwards, preparing a raised, orange glowing fist.

Elekid had pretty solid reflexes, however, and Pikachu's Brick Break was met with a Thunder Punch. As the two attacks clashed, Pikachu winced in pain as he was propelled upward, now clutching his fist somewhat painfully.

As Pikachu landed, Paul quickly followed up yet again. "Brick Break!"

"Iron Tail!" Ash countered.

Elekid ran forward, once again bolstering its momentum with Quick Attack (Ash wouldn't be at all surprised if he learned that it was pretty much a universal tactic among Trainers and their Pokemon for speed attacks to be used regularly to get around the battlefield faster and also increase the force behind blows) as it raised an orange, glowing fist. Pikachu dashed forward as well, ducking under Elekid's punch as his tail became coated with metal, before swinging it painfully into Elekid's chest.

Elekid lurched backwards, teetering a bit before righting itself, and, on Paul's command, fired a second Charge Beam. At Ash's immediate orders to dodge the attack, however, Pikachu quickly drove his still metallic coated tail into the ground, propelling himself upwards in a backflip to avoid the blow.

"Thunder Shock, now!"

At Ash's command, Pikachu gathered electricity into his cheeks while sailing into the air, before firing the bolt of lightning into Elekid. Elekid strained against the blow, but was mostly unfazed. Electric Types could sometimes absorb other Electric Type Moves into their bodies if they were skilled enough, but it most often took time to do so, and the effort that Elekid was putting into it was leaving it wide open.

Ash wasn't going to give it that needed time as he immediately followed up. "Brick Break!"

As Pikachu hit the ground, he immediately sprinted forward as he drove an orange fist into Elekid's gut. The opposing electric type wheezed as he was driven back, clutching its stomach painfully as Pikachu raised a metallic tail.

"Quick Attack!" Paul called out.

Ignoring the pain in its stomach, Elekid rocketed forward and barreled straight into the mouse. With its bulk colliding with Pikachu's body, its attack sent the mouse painfully flying backwards as Pikachu let out a cry from the impact.

As Pikachu prepared to catch himself with Iron Tail, Ash was already responding. "Double Team! Then Brick Break!" Changing up tactics, never using the same strategy too consecutively.

Neglecting the importance of that had cost them dearly against Brock. But the same thing would not happen here.

After landing, Pikachu split himself in two, beginning to run circles around the now confused Elekid.

Both of them would rush it from different directions. It would have no way of knowing which one to block.

But Paul was grinning now. "Clever, but it won't save you. Elekid, use Protect!" If Ash didn't know better, it almost sounded like Paul was actually starting to enjoy this…

As Pikachu rushed forward, along with his clone, his orange, glowing fist was met with a green, spherical barrier. Much like Rhyhorn's barrier, this Protect was far from a mastered one, but it was still just barely strong enough to stop the young mouse right in his tracks.

As his clone fizzled out, the electric mouse took a few steps backwards while clutching his aching fist. Glaring up at the Elekid, Pikachu saw his rival dispel its barrier as the opposing Electric type grinned sadistically, showing minor signs of fatigue but no signs of quitting. Pikachu met its vicious expression with an even fiercer glare, the competitive spirit in his eyes stronger than ever as Ash and Valiant both looked on.

The young Ralts was staring intently between the two, and if Ash had looked down to observe his news companion, he would have probably noticed the rather analytical expression on Valiant's face.

Valiant didn't spend quite as much time with Pikachu and Nebula as they did with each other, often sticking closely by Ash's side instead, but the young Ralts was sure that he knew his mouse companion well enough to understand his personality quite a lot. And yet he had never seen Pikachu quite this worked up before. Not even in regards to the Gym Battle.

It was almost as though this was… personal for him, and as he continued to observe the ongoing battle between the two combatants in full, Valiant couldn't help but wonder if it was simply due to their mutual typings. Was it natural for a Pokemon to become so competitive when facing off against an opponent of the same exact typing? Would he be experiencing these same exact emotions if he went up against one of his own Typing as well? Nebula had shared one of her typings with that Teddiursa from before, and yet she hadn't acted quite like this…

"Dual Chop!"

Purple fists raised and glowing, Elekid went on the assault, but Pikachu, ignoring the pain in his fist, sidestepped the blows as best he could, before attempting to drive a Brick Break into Elekid's stomach.

His rival took a small leap backwards, however, and after ducking under a Thunder Punch, Pikachu once again went for another Brick Break. Elekid caught the blow with a Brick Break of his own, however, and with no Quick Attack to boost his momentum, Pikachu was pushed back easily, crying out in pain as the opposing electric type's blow easily overpowered his own and grinded against his fist.

Slamming an Iron Tail into the ground to save himself from falling onto his back, Pikachu was suddenly forced to roll to the side to avoid an Electro Ball. Before Ash could call out any more orders, however, Elekid was already upon him again, this time with yet another order from Paul.

"Low Kick!"

The opposing Electric Type reared its leg back before sadistically driving it into Pikachu's face, the mouse somersaulting through the air with a cry of pain. Unable to ignore the pain in his face, he plopped down onto the ground, paws clenched into the pavement as he looked up and grit his teeth at the rival electric type.

To Pikachu's credit, however, Ash quickly took note of Elekid's own condition. Despite its obvious physical superiority, the opposing electric type was still beginning to more clearly tire out. Pikachu's blows had not been for naught, and the Elekid's light pants were becoming increasingly noticeable, and the bruises on its body from pikachu's successful blows were also hard to ignore.

On the opposite end, however, Pikachu was currently more banged up than Elekid was, and at least just as tired.

Their disadvantage was clear.

But the mouse was determined, and so was he.

Picking himself up, Pikachu growled at the rival electric type, who met the glower in the young mouse's eyes with one of his own, his face twisted into something akin to an angry grin.

The mutual animosity between the two had become palpable, as the two gave each other a silent challenge with the nonverbal exchange, the murmuring in the crowd restarted.

At this point, both of them were beginning to reach their limit, and although Pikachu was closer to his, Elekid and Paul were in no position to relax, and both of them knew this.

It was now or never. Either they turned the tide of this fight, or lost in the attempt.

"Iron Tail!"

"Brick Break!"

Putting everything that they had into Quick Attack, both Pokemon shot forward, Pikachu's tail encased in metal and Elekid's fist glowing orange.

BAM!

The attacks both slammed into each other head on, Pikachu's metallic tail shielding him from damage and Elekid's fist pushing against the powerful Steel Type attack. Both Pokemon's faces were clenched as they continued to put their all into the assault, desperately trying to overpower one another.

"You can do it Pikachu!" a female voice.

"Come on Ash!" a male voice.

The trainer blinked as he and Valiant turned to the side to see Emily and Rick, the former cupping her hands across her mouth and the latter holding his fists out in front of him with a determined look on his face.

Being cheered on in a battle… had that ever happened before? Not for him, at least.

The warmth in his chest was nice, but he couldn't focus on it right now, unfortunately. Turning his gaze back to the battlefield, he shouted out his own words of encouragement, while Valiant did the same.

But Paul was already back at it. "Elekid! Use your other arm to hit it with Thunder Punch!"

Ash growled. A clever tactic. He wasn't sure if Pikachu would be able to deflect Brick Break and manage to do so in time to intercept the incoming Thunder Punch.

But he believed in his starter. And he had another idea.

"Thunder Shock! Then keep Iron Tail going!"

Pikachu let out a jolt of static from his tail, causing the fist that Elekid was using to strike with Brick Break to painfully recoil backwards as the opposing Electric Type let out a growl of pain and frustration. This didn't stop it from swinging its other fist, however, but Pikachu quickly spun around and rammed the metallic tail against the electrical fist.

In fact, since Elekid was still reeling from the slight, yet painful jolt of electricity that Pikachu had suddenly hit him with, the Thunder Punch didn't have quite as much force behind it, and Ash grinned triumphantly as Pikachu's full force Iron Tail began slowly yet increasingly pushing it back. As Pikachu continued to push against it, its progress slowly but surely became faster, before completely deflecting the blow away, leaving Elekid's arm outstretched, and the growling Elekid itself vulnerable.

This was their chance. And they were going to take it.

"NOW!"

Not giving Paul any chances to react, Ash let out his order at the top of his lungs, and with a loud battle cry, Pikachu spun himself around yet again, this time ramming his still full power Iron Tail right into the Elekid's gut.

The opposing electric type Pokemon recoiled in pain as it let out a pained cry of anger, Pikachu's tail digging into its stomach with all of the force that the electric mouse could muster.

Both Pokemon were gritting their teeth as the struggle continued, the two rivals snarling in mutual defiance of one another. Neither would give in, but Pikachu was continuing to drive his opponent back with the force of his powerful blow.

But Paul wasn't giving in any more than Elekid.

"Fight through it and end this with Brick Break!" the tone in his voice was final, as though he wouldn't accept any other result than triumph, but Ash could have sworn that he had detected a hint of desperation in the other boy's normally callous voice.

With seemingly newfound adrenaline, Elekid let out an angry battle cry as it suddenly lurched forward, its voice becoming even more pained as it leaned against Pikachu's Iron Tail even further in order to attempt to drive in the blow. The tenacity was amazing, but also quite concerning.

Its fist glowing a bright orange, Elekid roared with anger as it swung the fist downwards, taking aim right at Pikachu's face. Before Ash could even react to the attack, the blow had already connected. Pikachu's cry of pain was immediately silenced as Elekid's fist drove him face first into the ground, the Brick Break grinding violently against the young mouse's cheek.

The crunching noise was audible, and was enough to make Valiant lurch backwards with a scared flinch, and Ash's eyes widen in terror.

Lifting its fist off of the mouse, Elekid stumbled backwards a bit, forcing a hand to clutch its now bleeding stomach as it painted in exhaustion, before looking down at its opponent.

Pikachu was still, the side of his face that had been struck by the Brick Break somewhat swollen, and Ash couldn't see the other side, as it was planted firmly into the ground, but he doubted that it would be pretty.

Ash tried not to think about how painful it had been. How brutal it had been. He didn't even want to know what Pikachu had felt in that moment, and he highly doubted that Valiant did, either.

Some things were just better left unsaid.

Paul and Elekid were ruthless. They were concerned only with winning the battle, now with how merciless that their tactics were. Professional Pokemon training was tough, and, above all else, without relent. What had happened to Pikachu was hardly the worst to ever come out of the profession.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop the queasiness in his stomach, as Ash tried and failed to fight off the thoughts of what his Starter had just gone through. The urge to have the events continuously replaying through his mind.

This was at least as bad as what had happened to Nebula against Brock.

Sparing a glance at Valiant, Ash could see the young Ralts shivering lightly, yet attempting to keep his expression steel. Reaching down, Ash lightly patted him on the head, getting his attention.

"It's okay." he said soothingly. "I'm a bit disturbed myself."

That seemed to ease the young Ralts up just a little bit, and as the Feeling Pokemon returned his gaze to the battlefield, Ash very quickly took out Pikachu's Poke Ball, returning his Starter and putting him in stasis.

"Excellent work buddy." he spoke with genuine praise. "You were amazing out there, like always."

But as he clipped the Poke Ball back onto his belt, he felt the disappointment creeping back up yet again.

Where had they gone wrong? They had learned from past mistakes. Constantly changing up tactics, responding quickly to their opponents' orders and Moves as often as possible, never freezing up under the pressure. Could it have possibly gone differently-

Quickly shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Ash quickly dismissed the notion. This hadn't been like when Pichu had battled against Gary's Squirtle. Or like when Nebula had battled against Brock's Geodude. They hadn't made any mistakes. No fatal errors that cost them the match. Paul and Elekid had simply been stronger than the two of them. And that was all the motivation that he needed at the moment.

Paul's voice caused him to look up, and Ash could detect a hint of relief in the other boy's voice. Had he been paying attention, he also would have taken note of Paul sighing in relief as well.

"He hasn't gone through a battle like that in a while…" a light hint of acknowledgement found its way into Paul's tone of voice as Elekid sank down onto one knee, still clutching his bleeding stomach. Lifting up a Poke Ball, Paul returned the creature. Muttering a few words (Ash thought that he might've picked up on "You stayed strong") to the Pokemon as he now rested safely into the orb, Paul quickly returned it to his belt before looking back up and locking eyes with Ash. The boy from Pallet Town still flinched slightly from his gaze, but steeled himself as quickly as possible. "Alright, you have my attention. Bring out your final teammate and let's get this over with."

Somewhat reluctantly, Ash turned his gaze down to a slightly nervous Valiant. The young Ralts had just watched both of his friends be defeated back to back, and was now expected to fight next. Surely, the Feeling Pokemon wasn't feeling anymore confident than he currently was.

"Hey…" he said lightly, earning the Pokemon's attention. "I know this battle's tough. Are you up for this?"

He wanted to think that winning was still possible. Elekid was on the verge of defeat, to the point where Paul hadn't even bothered waiting to call him back, and Teddiursa had at least been roughed up from Nebula. There was only Paul's third Pokemon to worry about, as Ash was confident that Valiant could easily defeat Elekid, and hopefully take out Teddiursa without too much trouble, in the condition that both of them were currently in.

But of course, Paul probably knew this, and would use his third Pokemon instead. So it was a matter of defeating whoever that was, and ensuring that they were still in a comfortable position afterwards in order to hopefully finish off the rest.

But that was easier said than done at this point, and although Ash tried to ensure himself, he knew that this wouldn't be easy. Teddiursa and Elekid had both been beyond fearsome opponents, and whoever this final Pokemon was would undoubtedly be no different form either one of them.

But nevertheless, Ash felt a slight sensation of inspiration surge through his chest as Valiant pumped an arm up with a determined glare, before looking away from his new Trainer and making his way onto the battlefield.

Ash wasn't sure how he would be able to ensure himself at this point, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Valiant was still ready to fight now. And so he would be too.

As Valiant made his way onto the battlefield, Paul took out one final Poke Ball.

In a bright flash of light, Valiant's opponent appeared.

Ash blinked in surprise.

More murmurs from the crowd.

Standing before the young Ralts was a large, bulky, quadruped Pokemon with light green skin and a large, yellow shell covering its back. Curiously, two bush like trees were growing out of the shell.

Although it took a bit for Ash to process what this Pokemon was, it eventually clicked with him:

This Pokemon was a Grotle… the evolved form of a Turtwig, the grass type Sinnoh Region starter.

Ash highly doubted that Paul could have found a Turtwig in the wild, which meant that…

"You're from Sinnoh?" his tone was a bit incredulous.

"So? What's it to you?" Paul's voice was back to its usual blunt tone.

"Why did you choose to come here?" Ash was curious. Although the vast majority of trainers usually stayed in their homeland, it still wasn't too uncommon for them to compete in foreign territories. What was quite uncommon, however, was for a trainer to leave their homeland on their first year. Most trainers waited two, maybe even three years before even considering such a thing.

And yet this… Paul had left his homeland mere moments after starting out. He supposed that it was realistic for Paul to be here in time for the beginning of the Season, as Sinnoh had started out earlier than usual this Season, so Paul could have theoretically hopped on a cruise ship to indigo the moment that he got his starter and trainer's license, and potentially used the teleportation service when Indigo's Season began, but… why would he even bother?

Paul crossed his arms stoically. "Personal reasons that don't concern you. Now then," he looked down towards the bulky grass type Pokemon. "Alright, now, Grotle, it's time for us to break in your evolution."

The Grass Type nodded. As stoic as it's trainer, it gazed at Valiant with an intense glint in its eyes. Valiant flinched a bit as the two combatants made eye contact, but very quickly steeled himself, glaring back into his opponents pupils.

Ash felt a bit guilty for asking. Paul was right. He had no business butting himself into whatever reasons that Paul had to be here. He had let his curiosity get the best of him.

But for now, they would just focus on the battle.

"Psybeam, Valiant!"

"Withdraw!" Paul quickly countered.

As quickly as Valiant had fired off the rainbow beam, Grotle had already retreated into its shell. Much to Ash's dismay, the psychic attack did nothing as it collided with the exterior, bouncing off of the grass type's superior defenses with ease.

The boy from Pallet Town flinched. He was suddenly getting Gary flashbacks from this. If Valiant couldn't even put a dent into Grotle's defenses, then…

"Stockpile!" Paul called out.

Grotle remained inside of its shell, which began to slowly but surely glow a vibrant white. Ash had never heard of this Move before, but it sounded like some sort of charge up technique.

The word 'Stockpile' gave him the impression that Grotle was in the midst of gathering power…

He could have Valiant erect a barrier, or go into Shadow Sneak, but doing either one of those too soon would use up too much energy. As much as the young trainer hated it, the best course of action would probably be to wait for Grotle to fire, or make whatever move that it was probably going to make, and then block it, or Teleport away at the last second.

It made him feel sick to his stomach. They were both battling on Paul's terms now, and that meant that they were both at a fundamental disadvantage…

"Get ready, Valiant."

As the young Ralts braced himself, the glowing of Grotle's shell began to get somewhat blinding, and just as Ash was about to shield his eyes, Paul called out his order.

"Spit Up!"

Suddenly, Grotle was out of its shell, its mouth open wide as a glowing, bright, white orb formed inside of it.

Before Ash could even think about what was happening, Valiant yelped out loud and quickly erected a Light Screen barrier, boxing himself in just in time for a condensed beam of pale energy to come rushing into it.

The explosion was loud and intense, and Ash flinched as he saw Valiant skidding backwards, body reeling from the shockwave, and the Light Screen completely shattered.

Although the Light Screen had absorbed the brunt of the impact, Ash quickly took note of the bruises on Valiant's body. That blast had been strong for sure. Enough to completely eliminate the Feeling Pokemon's defenses while still damaging him just from the shockwaves alone.

A direct hit from that would have been the end for sure.

Looking over to Grotle, Ash could see the bulky grass type Pokemon taking a few moments to catch its breath, before righting itself and immediately going back to its stoic expression.

A powerful blast like that most certainly would take its toll on the Pokemon, which means that Paul probably wasn't going to be using it excessively.

But that hardly mattered when there was no reliable way to damage Grotle. If Psybeam wouldn't work then Magical Leaf certainly wouldn't, as the green tortoise had a natural resistance to it. So what would they do then?

He wasn't sure how effective that Confusion would be. Hypnosis would be helpful to keep Grotle's guard down. Confuse Ray was a wild card, they hadn't practiced it that much-

"Bullet Seed!"

Ash snapped out of his thoughts as a barrage of powerful seeds erupted from Grotle's mouth.

Bullet Seed, much like Rock Blast, was a rather useful rapid fire styled attack. And this one seemed to be even stronger than the Rock Blast that Brock's Rhyhorn had used. Grotle's Bullet Seed easily put cracks into Valiant's now erected Reflect barrier, wearing it down far faster than Rhyhorn had.

It was only mere moments before the seeds got through Valiant's defenses, the young Ralts crying out in pain as they pelted his body, and Ash could have sworn he saw some minor drops of blood.

"Tackle!" the moment Grotle had ceased firing, another order had been called out, and the beast charged forward far faster than its size would make it seem to be capable of.

With grotle's massive bulk, if it crashed right into Valiant now, it would all be over…

But Valiant was already on it, eyes glowing a very deep shade of purple as he desperately tried to stop Grotle in its tracks with Confusion.

But much like with Rhyhorn before it, he could only slow the ambitious Grotle down. Immediately noticing that his technique wasn't going to be too effective in the long run, due to the massive strain of trying to maintain it, Valiant immediately ceased using Confusion and teleported to the other side of the battlefield, just in time to prevent the charging Grotle from slamming right into him. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, but knew that they weren't out of the woods just yet.

This Grotle had the defenses to render all of Valiant's attacks useless, and the raw power to break through Valiant's own defenses with ease. At this point, they were short on options.

Bracing himself, Ash called out his last resort. "Get in close! Confuse Ray!"

Valiant immediately sank into Shadow Sneak, but Paul was already countering.

"Razor Leaf! Protect yourself!"

Paul and Grotle must have known that Valiant making use of Shadow Sneak was how the young Ralts planned on getting in close to use Confuse Ray at point blank, because when Grotle fired out the razor sharp leaves, they, to Ash's shock, swirled around it like a makeshift barrier.

Was this… another modified technique?

Realizing that he could no longer get in close without being cut up by the leaves surrounding his opponent's body, Valiant rose back up from the ground, out of ideas.

"Fire!"

A yelping Valiant immediately erected Reflect as the leaves shot out toward him, but it wasn't too long before they had broken through, the ongoing barrage carving right through the silver cube and into the screaming Ralts' skin.

And the moment they had subsided, the now bloodied and cut up Ralts had looked up just in time to see Grotle looming over him, rearing up a leg and smacking him down on the back of the head.

As Valiant plopped down onto the ground and didn't get up, Ash didn't even bother checking the young Ralts' condition before he returned him. He was too afraid to look.

That had… hardly even been a battle. They hadn't even gotten a chance to do anything…

Not even Pikachu's fight with Skorupi had been that one sided. This was on the level of Pichu's fight with Squirtle…

But Ash quickly shook the comparisons out of his head. Unlike that particular battle, he and Valiant had actually been in sync. They were just… hopelessly outclassed.

Ash hadn't lost to another Trainer since Gary, but he found himself finding this loss far less unfulfilling as that one had been.

He was still shaken from the brutality of the fight, and from how one sided the fight with Grotle had ended up being, but… the battle didn't feel like an embarrassment. It certainly wasn't the complete mess that the battle with Gary was.

But he was still disappointed. The harshness of defeat still filling his heart as he registered the loss.

But he was quickly snapped out of it as he heard Paul's voice, the purple haired boy approaching him, flanked by his bulky Grotle.

"Perhaps that was a bit of a mismatch." the boy admitted out loud, looking Ash in the eye. "I knew that my starter had gotten a lot stronger since evolving, but I wanted to test him out to see just what his gains were. He hadn't gotten the chance to properly put them to work yet."

Ash inwardly snorted. Grotle certainly had gained a lot. It was easily the strongest Pokemon that they had fought so far…

"Now then…" said Paul, taking out his Pokedex. "I believe you owe me some winnings."

Nodding, Ash tried to hide his disappointment as he took out his own Pokedex. In addition to physical cash, he could also transfer some of his own stored money to Paul's account.

After the process was over, the mysterious Trainer locked eyes with him, stashing away his Pokedex.

"Perhaps you see what I mean, now. My Pokemon all have natural talent that I've honed from their already stellar starting points. They had the potential, and that's why they won. Still though…" he turned away slightly. "A Ralts with Shadow Sneak borders on being unheard of. You at least have that going for you." turning back to Ash, he added. "I'll admit, you're not half bad compared to the other rookies that I've wasted my time on since coming here." he said begrudgingly. "But I'd recommend being a bit more careful about your team's additions in the future." without another word, he turned to Grotle. "Let's go."

The Grass Type spared Ash a momentary glance before following his trainer back into the Pokemon Center. The small crowd immediately made way for them, a few people in the crowd dispersing now that the battle was done.

Ash was broken out of his stupor as Emily called out to him.

"Hey, Ash!" looking over to see her and Rick making their way over to him, Ash raised his hand slightly.

Emily's face had a hint of concern on it. "Are you okay? That battle was harsh." she seemed a bit shaken, but eased up a bit as Rick put a hand on her shoulder.

"That guy really meant business." the taller boy commented. "Wasn't expecting him to be a foreigner, but that Grotle was a freak of nature. I think you got robbed."

Ash shook his head, still slightly bewildered by the last part of the fight, but still shaking it off nonetheless. "No… we would have lost anyway. I'm sure of it. He was just… on a higher level than me."

It pained him to say such a thing, but it was true.

Could he have been… right? Maybe he had a point about a Pokemon's starting point. And did that mean that… Ash's starting point…

The image of the Boulder Badge flashed into his mind, and he quickly found himself shaking his head, his eyes clenched a bit.

No! They had already proved themselves against Brock! He wasn't going to just go back to doubting himself just because of one, single loss. Trainers lose battles all the time. It was a fact of life. Just because he had won a badge didn't mean that he should be surprised that there was another Trainer who was still far above him.

It just meant that they needed to keep on training harder. Ash already knew that they couldn't just relax just yet, but if he hadn't known it then, he definitely knew it now. This battle had been the perfect reminder for him.

"Ummm… Ash?"

He blinked to see Emily's brown eyes staring into his in concern. Realizing that he had been lost in thought, he flashed her a quick grin to settle her worries.

That seemed to satisfy her, so he nodded to them. "I just need a minute. I'll be in soon."

Emily nodded, gesturing towards Rick and leading him back inside. The taller boy spared Ash one final glance before following her, and Ash could hear him saying something about that Grotle being a monster.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ash looked down to his belt, running his hand along his Poke Balls.

"I'm sorry that I came up short again, you guys. You all did great, really. But we haven't hit our peak just yet. And Paul and his team haven't seen the last of us yet."

Ash Ketchum had no idea just how true that last statement would end up being.