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.

16. At the Lighthouse

The sun was dipping over the horizon as Ash and his friends emerged in the clearing. Soon the orange sky would give way to a blanket of black filled with shining stars.

Up ahead was a massive lighthouse beyond the end of the beach that they had found themselves at. The ocean water shone like a treasure in the light of the sunset as the group made their way towards the large building beside the lighthouse.

It was a large, mansion-like building within quick walking distance of the lighthouse, with a sign reading "Bill's Laboratory". It seemed like they had found the researcher's place.

At the moment, Pikachu and Tyrunt were the only ones out, Eevee having requested being returned to her Poke Ball. The two were gazing up towards the top of the lighthouse, which seemed to extend into the sky from where they were standing.

Ash had seen a notice on the sign stating that this Bill person was looking for a trainer to act as a volunteer for something, although it said to go to Bill himself for specifics. It piqued the boy's curiosity as he pressed the button to activate the doorbell.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a man who was dressed in surprisingly casual attire.

"Hey." Ash greeted as he looked up at the man. "Are you Bill? I saw that notice."

The man smiled. "Yes, that's me. And you?" he extended a hand which Ash accepted.

"Ash." the boy responded. He stepped inside as Bill gestured him in, Pikachu and Tyrunt following.

/

"So, what did you need a trainer for?"

Ash and Bill were sitting at a table a few rooms away from the entrance as the boy looked around to take in the surroundings. A couple of bookshelves lined the walls, which didn't surprise Ash, and a large map of Indigo covered the wall at the far end of the room. From where he was sitting, he could see a computer sitting atop a desk in front of the window, the desktop a picture of a few ancient Pokemon.

Bill had been generous enough to offer a couple of snacks for Pikachu and Tyrunt, who sat on the floor beside each other while munching on some poffins. Pikachu's ears were perked up to listen in on the conversation, but Tyrunt was absorbed in his own world while eating.

Bill folded his hands together. "Just for context, I've been using this lab as sort of a private place to do my research. Technically, I'm independent of the League, or at least not as fundamental to them as people like Professor Oak. I'm still authorized to go about my own business, though, so I can still do similar things as those directly under the Empire, just at my own pace."

Ash nodded in understanding. He was aware that there were independent researchers in different parts of Indigo, even if they were a lot more fundamentally rare than those with direct positions in the League. The vast majority of people who became researchers would choose to be hired by whatever League governs the Region that they live in. It was simply the best way to find work in the field, not to mention fundings. But some preferred the freedom of independent work, with the ability to make their own deadlines and goals. According to Professor Oak, researchers under the League could still do their own thing, but they were very much a part of the system, and would often be given required work as well. Independent researchers could always choose their own projects and how to go about them.

"So, does one of your projects require a trainer?" Ash asked curiously.

The researcher shook his head. "My recent work has been fairly small scale. I've just run into a bit of an issue that needs addressing." leaning back in his chair, he spared a quick glance at the clock before returning his focus to Ash. "I won't bore you with the details, but the gist is that I've recently taken in a certain set of Pokemon, that all evolve via the usage of stones rather than natural training. The reason why these Pokemon evolve in a less traditional manner has been an ongoing mystery in the field, and we're always looking for answers."

Ash nodded again, sparing a quick glance at Pikachu from the corner of his eye. "That makes sense." he responded. Many Pokemon had different ways of evolving, some wildly different. For most traditional evolutions, it was mostly a matter of how long it usually took for them to evolve, and what could naturally speed up the process. But then there were Pokemon like Pikachu and Eevee who had entirely different rules in terms of what it took to evolve, and it was one of those areas where the topic was broad enough to the point where it always felt like there were unanswered questions. He supposed it wasn't too surprising that Bill was looking into it. The subject was practically a pastime for researchers, given how widespread it was and how many Pokemon it covered. "So… what problem is there?"

Bill sighed. "It's honestly not a very big issue in the grand scheme of things…. But the Pokemon I've taken in are young and not very strong. Recently, a wild Pokemon living in the area has been causing trouble for them. I have my own place for the Pokemon I keep to live in like a natural habitat, sort of like a smaller scale version of Professor Oak's own. This wild Pokemon has been breaking into the area that I had set up for them, and picking fights with the younger pokemon. It's a fairly strong one, by Cerulean standards, anyway, and the younger Pokemon don't have much of a means to defend themselves. It seems like the wild Pokemon is just looking for something to punch, to be honest." he shrugged. "I considered just giving the League a call and requesting that they take care of it. They would obviously have an easy time, but… it seemed like such a minor issue, given that it's just one Pokemon. So, I figured I'd just save them the time and pay a trainer to take care of the wild Pokemon that's been attacking."

Ash perked up. "So, you want me to catch it?" he didn't even need payment for that. Bill would essentially be leading him right to a new teammate. The fact that the Pokemon's behavior was violent was still worrying, but… trainers had tamed far worse before. After all, Karen had become famous before she won the Conference, simply because she had raised and tamed a Hydreigon as a preteen. The Pokemon was labeled as a Grade S Threat much like Tyranitar and Gyarados.

There's no way this wild Pokemon would be anything like that, if Bill considered it trivial enough for the task to be handed off to just any trainer. Raising it would probably be more of a challenge, but he needed to step out of his comfort zone.

Besides, he had known for a while now that he would likely end up with a more difficult Pokemon at some point. Just about any trainer always would.

Bill nodded in confirmation. With a chuckle, he scratched the back of his head. "I've only had the notice out for about a few days now, but ironically, I recently received a request from an Ace Trainer to come visit me for some minor business. I figured I might as well ask her to take care of it while she was here tomorrow, but I decided to keep the notice up just in case a trainer does come along. I don't want the League to think I'd cry out for help over the smallest of issues."

Ash nodded back, grinning a bit. "Don't worry, I can take care of it. You don't really need to pay me for it, either. I'm already getting another Pokemon out of this. What species is it?"

"It's a Krabby." Bill responded. "We have quite a few in the area, but this one is a lot less docile than most of the others on the beach, to say the least." Placing his hands on the table, he nodded at the clock. "I've already deduced the usual patterns for when the Pokemon shows up, and its next appearance should be sometime in the late afternoon tomorrow."

'A Krabby…' Ash thought to himself. That was fairly interesting. Krabby were far from uncommon, as far as likelihood of finding them in the wild, anyway, but they were in a fairly unique position regarding professional Pokemon training. Along with their evolved form, Kingler, they were fairly average in terms of their presence in the wild, but rarely saw usage in tournaments.

And a lot of it had to do with other common Water Types in Indigo, most notably the Poliwag line. Those were essentially the go-to choices for a trainer seeking out a water type. Widely used in professional battles throughout Indigo. Many trainers would either seek out the more common Poliwag line for something easy and familiar to train more conveniently, or a far more rare breed of water type. The Krabby line was in an awkward position where they weren't as common as Pokemon like Poliwag to be widely used by the typical trainer, but also not nearly as appealingly rare as a more exotic water type. They still saw some use, but were fairly niche in the field.

"Alright," Ash responded, smiling at Pikachu as his Starter made their way to them and on top of his shoulder. "So you want me to catch it tomorrow?"

"If you're willing, yes. And you're free to stay the night as well. There are guest rooms, so feel free to pick one."

The boy was definitely happy to hear that. Anytime he got to sleep in a bed and not a tent, he would look forward to it.

/

Bill's guest room was about the size of what Ash was used to back at home, and in general made him feel like he was just staying at another house. It hadn't really been that way since he had left home, in fact, given that all of his nights since then had been spent in either a sleeping bag or a hotel room. The Pokemon Centers were all certainly hospitable, but they were different from home.

Ash allowed his team out into the room after getting Bill's permission, each Pokemon finding their own spot to spend the night at.

Nebula, as usual, made her way to the windowsill, while Valiant, Eevee, and Tyrunt grouped up together on a blanket on the floor. Pikachu rested himself on the foot of Ash's bed.

Just one night on the road was always enough to make him miss a traditional sleeping arrangement, and Ash found himself wishing he could savor the feeling as he drifted off.

The sun shining through the window forced his eyes open the next morning, and Ash found Tyrunt looking up at him eagerly as he rose out of bed.

A smile made its way to the boy's face as he realized what was going on.

The previous day, he had promised Tyrunt that they would be starting his training. Clearly the excited dinosaur remembered.

"I know, buddy." he reached down to pat the Royal Heir Pokemon's head as the rest of the team watched. "But we can't train on an empty stomach, remember?"

Tyrunt moaned in frustration at that, only for his face to color as his stomach rumbled. Valiant hid an amused chuckle behind his hand as Eevee rolled her eyes behind him. An embarrassed Tyrunt began stamping his feet in frustration before Ash quickly held up a hand to settle him down.

"Relax, Tyrunt." he said calmly, trying to soothe the dinosaur's mood before patting him on the head again. "I'll ask Bill if there are any good spots to train at, and then we'll work on practicing your moves. I actually have a TM that would be perfect for you. It's called Rock Blast. I got it from Pewter City's Gym Leader back before you were born."

Rock Blast. The TM that he had gotten from Brock after their victory at Pewter. He had held onto it all this time, but had never gotten a chance to use it until now. He wanted to fix that. Tyrunt was capable of learning the move, and he was sure that the baby dinosaur would be more than happy to take advantage of such.

He was proven right as the infant's face lit up immediately. The prospect of learning a brand new mood seemed to fill the young Pokemon with ecstasy, which somewhat amused Ash given that Tyrunt hadn't even started training yet.

The young dinosaur was eager for sure.

Looking over to his team, they all seemed to be fairly on board with the idea of Tyrunt starting to train. Valiant seemed to be particularly happy with it, having helped look after the baby dinosaur all this time.

Tyrunt would still need special care for a decent amount of time. Training or not, he was still just a baby. But even then, he'd grow more independent in time, and this was the first step.

Nebula, Valiant, and Tyrunt remained in the room as Ash left, with Pikachu and Eevee choosing to follow him. The boy still didn't know his way around the place, having just gotten here last night.

He found Bill back at the entrance to the house, talking to a woman. The two heard the sound of Ash's footsteps and turned to face him, Bill grinning as he greeted the boy.

"Oh, good morning Ash! I trust you slept well?"

Ash nodded gratefully. "Yeah, sleeping in a bed beats spending the night outside anyday. Thanks."

The woman let out a light chuckle at that, prompting Ash to turn to her.

She wore a silver colored uniform with "ACE" printed on the front. Her hair was a dark green and tied back into a long ponytail. Her blue eyes, while sharp, didn't seem fierce.

Bill nodded towards the woman. "Ash, this is Aya. She's the Ace Trainer I mentioned yesterday." gesturing towards Ash, he addressed the woman. "Ash has agreed to do some quick work for me to settle a little issue I ran into."

"Ash, huh…?" The woman seemed to linger on his name for a second, but her face remained friendly as she extended her hand. "Nice to meet you. Journey treating you well?"

As Ash shook her hand (somewhat startled by how strong her grip was), he nodded at her, although he felt a small drop of sweat traveling down his face as he met her eyes.

Ace Trainers were among the most esteemed the League had to offer within the their ranks. They worked within the League as high-ranking officials, known for both their prowess as trainers and strategic leadership. Typically, an Ace Trainer would be the one leading a squad during operations that didn't involve a Gym Leader or Elite Four member.

He couldn't help but feel nervous in this woman's presence. He didn't know if it was just because he knew of her status or not, but it felt like she was giving off a very intimidating aura. One that conveyed very clear levels of importance.

"Y-yeah…" he stammered out, his cheeks reddening at the realization that his nervousness was showing. "I-it's an honor to meet you, ma'am."

A friendly giggle escaped Aya's lips as the two separated. "None of that, now." she responded with a casual smile. "The formalities honestly embarrass me."

Ash felt a hint of guilt at that, but managed to look her in the eye as he nodded back. "Oh… O-okay." behind him, Pikachu and Eevee looked up at the woman, before Pikachu made his way up to Ash's shoulder and offered a small wave, which Aya returned.

With the greeting out of the way, Bill got Ash's attention again. "Do you want me to show you to the kitchen, Ash? We have plenty for breakfast, so you don't need to dip into whatever you already have."

Ash's face lit up with gratitude. "Yes, please!" he responded almost too excitedly (much to Aya's amusement). "Thanks for offering." The boy had been planning to use the kitchen to eat, but wasn't sure if he should ask for Bill's own food or not. He already had enough food left for himself and his team, so he didn't want to risk sounding greedy by asking.

Then again, this was apparently the same person who had loaned A.J. the means to use artificial barriers for his own private battlefield. In hindsight, perhaps he probably wouldn't have minded if Ash had asked him. But the boy still feared that he would have come off as impolite, regardless of whether or not Bill himself had considered him to be.

Turning to Aya, Bill gestured towards a hallway, which Ash assumed led to the kitchen. "Have you eaten yet? It's still pretty early, so you can have breakfast here before we get started with what you wanted to discuss."

Aya nodded. "I'll take you up on that. My team's fed already, but I could use a few bites to get me going."

/

During breakfast, Ash had asked Bill if there was any place nearby where he could train his team while waiting for the wild Krabby to show up. Thankfully, Bill had revealed that he had his own private battlefield for Ash to do his training at, which had excited the young rookie.

Tyrunt's eagerness had led to him devouring his food at seemingly ten times the pace, to the point that Ash was initially worried that he would choke. The baby dinosaur could just barely contain his excitement as he waited for his friends to finish.

On the way to the battlefield, Ash had applied the Rock Blast TM to the excited dinosaur. Now, the boy stood at the battlefield with Valiant, Eevee, and Tyrunt all looking around and taking in their surroundings.

It was only a short walk away from the lab, the lighthouse still towering over their heads as Ash observed the perfectly paved cement and the large drawing of a Poke Ball that was located in the center of every official battlefield.

It would do perfectly.

Tyrunt was hopping up and down, transitioning between each foot as he expectantly waited for his trainer's instructions. Ash watched him for a second or two before reaching down to pat the dinosaur's head, getting him to cease his movements.

"I know you're excited, Tyrunt, but try to save your energy for the training itself." the amused boy said. Tyrunt nodded quickly at that, although the Pokemon's wide grin remained. Standing upright again, Ash turned to face Valiant and Eevee, who were waiting together with significantly more patience.

Eevee was in a sitting position, her expression neutral but friendly as she waited for Ash to start. Valiant, standing next to her, had a similar expression as the young trainer approached them.

Looking between the three Pokemon, Ash went over his plans. "Alright," he announced. "This is Tyrunt's first time training, so he hasn't had any chances to use any of his moves yet. We'll be testing those out first." he looked over to Tyrunt for that, the dinosaur letting out an excited cheer. Smiling, he turned to Valiant and Eevee, his gaze finding its way to the young Kirlia. "Valiant, I'd like you to be his sparring partner. Is that okay?"

As expected, Valiant nodded almost immediately, locking gazes with the baby dinosaur who nodded back in anticipation.

Smiling at the Kirlia, Eevee let out a soft bark of encouragement, earning her a quick grin from the Emotion Pokemon before he got into position and lined himself up with Tyrunt. As Tyrunt made an attempt to sink into a stance (which more or less resembled a pouncing position), Ash and Eevee backed away to clear some distance between the two.

Prior to leaving for the battlefield, Ash had double-checked Tyrunt's moves by looking through the dinosaur's record on the Pokedex. Tackle, Roar, Bite, Dragon Tail, Poison Fang, and now Rock Blast. They currently had six to work with, so it wasn't too much of a task.

"Alright!" he called out to Valiant and Tyrunt as Eevee made her way to his side and sat at his feet. "Start with Tackle!"

Making his best attempt at a battlecry, Tyrunt moved forward, his feet carrying the newborn as fast as they allowed as he set his sights on Valiant.

The baby wasn't moving very fast, as Ash had predicted. He wasn't necessarily slow, but any member of the team could outpace him for sure. Ash was still pleasantly surprised by the dinosaur's speed, however. For an infant, he was still faring pretty well, which spelt good news for his leg strength.

Tyrunt lowered his head as he closed in on Valiant, but found himself abruptly colliding with a glass cube, the collision knocking him into a sitting position as he held his head.

The dinosaur whimpered for a brief bit, but the impact didn't seem to cause him too much harm. Like most rock types, he wasn't lacking in durability, although his very young age likely still limited that. Dropping the glass cube, Valiant began to approach the young dinosaur, only for the infant to pick himself up, still rubbing his head but nonetheless attempting to shoot his friend a reassuring smile.

Ash observed the interaction with some fondness, while also going over what had happened. As expected, Tyrunt's Tackle had done nothing against Valiant's Reflect. Brute strength was natural to just about any dragon type, but much like a rock type's durability, that could only go so far when the dragon type in question was still an infant. Tyrunt had an exceptionable physical aptitude for an untrained newborn, but that wouldn't carry him. It simply gave him strong building blocks.

Valiant gave Tyrunt a nod of approval, stepping back again as Ash issued his next order.

"Alright, let's do Roar next!" the young boy called out.

Nodding in response, but not turning away from Valiant, Tyrunt took a deep breath before closing his eyes for a moment.

A moment later, he reared his head back, and lunged forward, letting out a shout, with as great a volume as his vocal cords would allow him.

As Valiant braced himself, shockwaves fired out of Tyrunt's maw, pushing against the young Krilia and sending him skidding a few feet backwards before halting himself, remaining upright.

Roar was a move that allowed the user to generate powerful shockwaves with their vocal cords, often to knock an opponent backwards and clear some distance between them. At his current level, it didn't seem like Tyrunt could use the move effectively unless it was at point-blank. Higher level Pokemon could often utilize it as a long-ranged move, and it made Ash wonder if it had anything in common with Nebula's Wind Blast combination.

Valiant was unharmed by the shockwaves, which were only strong enough to push him back a few feet, even at point-blank. Nevertheless, he offered his friend an approving nod as he lowered his arms, prompting a pleased squeal from Tyrunt.

"Alright Tyrunt, back up a bit and then use Bite! Valiant, get your barrier ready again."

This was it. It was time to test out how strong Tyrunt's biting moves were. According to the Pokedex, a Tyrunt's jaws were naturally mighty, and even with his young age limiting his strength, Tyrunt's Strong Jaw Ability could just as easily make up for that. Ash confidently believed that Bite and Poison Fang were going to be the little one's trump cards in a fight.

Backing away to clear a few extra feet of distance between himself and Valiant, Tyrunt nodded at Ash's command before dashing forward once more. Still crying out his attempt at a fierce battle cry, the dinosaur opened his mouth wide as he advanced for the young Kirlia, who had once again encased himself in a glass cube.

"Try jumping up and biting the top of it!" Ash called out.

Tyrunt complied with the order, using his feet to push himself off of the ground and into the air. His jump was fairly high for somebody his age, rising just above Valiant's shield and sinking his teeth into the edge.

Tyrunt hung onto the top of the glass cube, clinging to it with his jaws as he grinded his teeth against the cube's edges. After some effort, cracks began to form where Tyrunt was clinging, only for the baby to lose his grip and fall to the pavement before he could break through. He landed on his feet, but immediately lost his balance and fell on his bottom.

Valiant dropped his Reflect as Tyrunt picked himself back up. Even without training, his Bite was, impressively, already strong enough to do damage to the cube. It was especially amazing given how much stronger that Valiant's barriers had gotten since he had evolved.

It was clear as day just how dangerous those jaws of Tyrunt's were. It was honestly kind of scary, knowing how lethal his friend would be after growing up just a little bit. But even as Ash thought that to himself, he quickly reminded himself that the same could be said for all of his teammates, really. Pokemon were very powerful creatures, and although the highly trained ones were obviously the most dangerous, sometimes it was easy to forget how dangerous even inexperienced Pokemon could potentially be at times.

As Tyrunt sank back into his stance, Valiant backed away to clear some minor distance between the two of them while Ash issued the next order.

"Okay, now Dragon Tail!"

Nodding, Tyrunt let out another battle cry before running forward towards his target. His tail began to glow a bright purple as he raised it upwards, closing in on Valiant before taking a swing.

The glowing tail was bright, but flickering. Tyrunt hadn't used this move before, and Ash imagined that the dinosaur was in a similar position with this move to how Eevee was with Iron Tail. Perhaps he could have them train the two moves alongside each other…

Valiant's fairy typing granted him immunity to dragon type moves, the young Kirlia simply crossing his arms in a defensive position as he firmly pressed his feet against the pavement.

The tail collided with him, knocking him back a few feet, but he remained steadfast as he skidded away from his attacker. Continuing to press his feet against the ground, he brought himself to a stop before allowing his arms to fall to his sides.

Ash nodded in approval. "Alright, now try Poison Fang!"

Ash imagined that this move would be especially deadly. Tyrunt's powerful jaws would allow him to break through a lot of defenses, making it far easier for the Poison Fang to inject its venom into whatever target that the young Royal Heir Pokemon might be fighting. As Valiant erected his barrier once more, a similar sequence to before ended up playing out, with Tyrunt clinging to the edge of the glass cube, gnawing away at the Reflect and forming cracks around it, only to lose his grip and fall before he could break through.

As Valiant and Tyrunt cleared the distance between each other once more, Ash issued the final move in Tyrunt's arsenal.

"Alright, Tyrunt! Now Rock Blast!"

Stamping his feet giddily, excitement pumping through him from the training, Tyrunt opened his mouth and let out another battle cry, a barrage of pebbles escaping from his maw.

They weren't coming out nearly as fast or consecutively as they could be, which Ash had already expected. He watched the pebbles uselessly pelt against Valiant's Reflect before he and Eevee made their way towards the duo.

As Tyrunt ceased his attack, Valiant dropped his Reflect and approached the dinosaur, who leaned into the psychic's touch as Valiant rubbed the top of the prehistoric Pokemon's head. The Kirlia seemed to be giving quick commentary to the young dinosaur as Tyrunt nodded to his friend with a cheerful growl.

As Ash knelt down beside Tyrunt, Eevee made her way towards Valiant, brushing her fur against his side with an approving grin before offering him a cheerful bark. Valiant smiled back at her before patting her head. Watching the brief exchange from the corner of his eye, Ash patted Tyrunt's head to congratulate him.

"You're doing great, buddy." he encouraged cheerfully. "You're able to use all of your moves properly, so we just need to work on their efficiency now." the baby nodded rapidly at that, Ash pulling his hand away with an amused grin at the dinosaur's comical behavior. Standing back upright, Ash looked off to the side to see Valiant and Eevee approaching them for further instructions. Nodding to them, Ash looked back at Tyrunt.

"Alright, we've tested out your moves now. Before we continue those, I'd like to get a better look at your speed. We saw some of it when testing out the close-ranged moves, but I'd like to see how you run for longer periods of time. It'll be a good way to check for your endurance, too." As Tyrunt nodded back at him, the boy turned towards Eevee, who perked up at the attention. "Eevee, you can help us with that, right?"

After a brief moment, Eevee nodded in confirmation, and Valiant patted her back as she turned to face the approaching dinosaur. Offering Tyrunt a quick bark as he sank back into his stance, Eevee allowed her legs to tense up as Ash gave the signal.

"Alright Tyrunt, I want you to try and catch Eevee. And… go!"

Right as Ash finished, Eevee turned and bolted, dashing across the battlefield (but not slipping into Quick Attack) as Tyrunt's legs carried him after her. Dirt kicked up as his legs stamped across the arena, Eevee circling around as the prehistoric Pokemon mimicked her direction in pursuit.

As the distance between the two Pokemon grew wide, Eevee temporarily ame to a stop, turning towards the approaching Tyrunt to let out a quick bark before resuming her run. Valiant called out to both of them as Tyrunt attempted to pick up speed, hotly pursuing the Evolution Pokemon.

Watching the sequence with some satisfaction, Ash imagined that Tyrunt likely wouldn't have the stamina to keep up for too long, but it wasn't an issue for him. All they were doing was assessing Tyrunt's abilities today, and that seemed to be good enough for the eager dinosaur. It was the baby's first step to officially joining the team.

/

After taking a twenty-minute break for Tyrunt to drink some water and gather his bearings, the group kept practice going until noon, when they made their way back to the lab.

Tyrunt's sleeping form rested peacefully in Ash's arms, the young dinosaur emitting some of the most adorable noises the boy had ever heard as the young rookie carried him back to the lab. Valiant and Eevee walked alongside their trainer, the Kirlia sparing the occasional fond glance at the snoozing Tyrunt as he and Eevee casually chatted.

Ash looked down to the baby that he was holding and grinned to himself. Tyrunt had the dedication and commitment to challenge Valiant's own, to the point where he had stubbornly worked himself to sleep in a single morning. It wasn't something that Ash was planning to repeat, but he had allowed the training to continue because of how much fun the newborn had clearly been having. Nevertheless, his lack of inexperience and stamina had finally shown itself, and he would likely be out for hours.

As they neared the lab, Ash perked up at the sight of Aya, who waved the group over upon noticing their arrival.

The Ace Trainer crossed her arms and nodded to the dinosaur in Ash's arms as the boy approached her, a curious Valiant and Eevee tailing him from behind.

"Heh, I take it your session well?" her amusement leaked into her tone as she eyed Tyrunt.

Ash's face reddened somewhat as he nodded at her, a pleased expression adorning his features nonetheless. "Yeah," he spared a glance at Tyrunt before returning his attention to her. "He just didn't wanna stop. But I'm happy with our progress."

"That's always a good sign, isn't it?" she responded, allowing her arms to fall to her side as she began walking forward to approach the boy. Her expression was friendly, but Ash still felt his nerves tighten in the high-ranking trainer's presence, almost taking a step back as she got closer. She raised a hand in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Relax, kid. No need to be intimidated, remember?"

Ash's eyes widened in realization, nodding apologetically as he attempted to straighten himself. "Oh… right, sorry!" he responded a bit too frantically.

Her smile eased his nerves a bit, but he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of tension as he locked eyes with her. She was generally laid back and casual, but there was a glint in her eyes that displayed what seemed to be a lingering ferocity. The boy supposed that such a thing was to be expected of an Ace Trainer. Regardless of personality, they were all highly trained soldiers hardened for battle. Such an attribute leaked into the air around them. But it felt so… contradictory with Aya. The boy had a hard time wrapping his head around such a seemingly friendly woman also being a deadly, top ranked soldier for the League.

But he doubted that she was the only example. Trainers came in all sorts of different packages, of course. Just like any other occupation. Ash couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for stereotyping, even if he wasn't making any verbal comments about it.

Leaning forward to get a better look at Tyrunt, Aya appeared to study the young dinosaur for a moment or so as Valiant and Eevee exchanged curious glances. Finally, she spoke.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but I'm curious… how did you get your hands on this fellow, anyway?"

Ash blinked at that. There it was. He supposed he should have been expecting such a question. As an Ace Trainer, Aya of all people would know how seldom it was for a trainer in Indigo to have a Pokemon like Tyrunt in their roster, being both a foreign creature and a prehistoric one at that.

Not sure if Elacia would want him name-dropping her, Ash chose to omit his friend's name as he responded, attempting to keep his voice straight. He wasn't sure why he was nervous about answering a simple question. Aya's tone of voice clearly conveyed that she meant no harm.

'But she's an Ace Trainer.' Ash reminded himself. He supposed that was hard to forget. That made her just short of Gym Leaders in terms of importance, and Ash's conscience wouldn't stop reminding him of the authority that this woman carried. He wanted to show her respect, and yet was afraid of taking it too far, especially since she had already made it clear that she wasn't hung up on etiquette.

"He just hatched fairly recently." the boy responded to the woman. "Back before I reached Cerulean City. I received his egg from a Breeder in Pewter. I still have to pay off the price, though."

'Uh oh.' He thought to himself. 'If I just gave away where I got the egg from, could she possibly know that Elacia was in Pewter last month?' he'd only just met Aya, but her stature (not to mention position) seemed to convey an analytical mindset, so he wouldn't put it past the woman to be able to connect the dots.

After a second or two, the woman nodded back at him before standing upright. "I see...Must have been a pretty high-profile Breeder, if they had gotten their hands on an Egg like that."

Ash giggled a bit nervously. "Yeah, I guess so."

Thankfully, she didn';t press any further, simply offering a good natured shrug as she nodded back at the dinosaur. "Well, it's nice to see that you're up to the task of training the guy. Not every rookie's ready to raise a dragon."

Ash blushed again. "To be honest, I didn't even know his species until he hatched. It was pretty shocking but…" his gaze returned to the peacefully sleeping Tyrunt, and the boy's face brightened as he nodded. "I'm willing to do it."

Aya tilted her head at that, seeming fairly satisfied. "That's good to hear. You don't seem to be in over your head, which is a good sign. It's not uncommon for a beginner to bite off more than they can chew, so just be careful." as Ash nodded her back, her face suddenly turned a bit more serious, which almost startled him a bit.

"Is… something wrong?" Ash questioned her as Valiant and Eevee studied her expression.

She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…" she locked eyes with him, her gaze now much more serious than before as she addressed him. "Just make sure you're careful. Tyrunt are known to have a pretty dangerous temper. The fact that you're raising this one from an egg will likely make things easier on you, but be sure to nip it in the bud before the problem manifests. A tantrum can spell a lot of trouble on a good day, and I don't want to think about the worst case scenario."

Ash gulped at that, whether it be from her words or the look in her eyes, although he imagined that it was a combination of such. He knew she was right, though.

Nodding back at her, he tried to keep his bearings in order as he responded. "Yeah, I know it's gonna be difficult." he looked down at Valiant and Eevee, both of whom had thoughtful expressions while watching the boy's exchange with the woman. "But we'll do our best."

As Valiant nodded, Ash returned his attention to Aya, who seemed to accept his answer.

"That's all you can do, I suppose. Just making sure you know." Her serious expression dropped, suddenly replaced with curiosity as she looked off to the side, resting her chin against her fingers. "Hmm… your name's Ash, you said…"

Ash blinked. "Yeah… Something wrong?"

She shook her head reassuringly. "Nope, just trying to remember, I'm pretty sure I've heard your name before?"

Ash blinked at that before realizing something. It wasn't a guarantee, but it's possible that she had seen some of the files for the incidents that he'd been involved in since the Season began.

The attack on Viridian City's Pokemon Center, the Pokemon that were stolen from the Chruch, and…

Ash's eyes squeezed shut as images of falling rocks filled his mind. He wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't-

"You alright?" Aya's concerned voice brought him back to reality, and he was grateful for that as he nodded at her with an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, sorry."

Her curious expression returned to her face. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your last name?"

"Ketchum." he responded.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! So that's how I know. You were there when…" she trailed off before finishing, her face suddenly turning apologetic. "Sorry for prying."

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry, I know why you're asking." Everyone in the League must have known about Team Rocket's attempt to steal the Moon Stone from Mt. Moon. Particularly since such a dangerous criminal had made an appearance during the incident, and had been the one leading the raid…

Behind Ash, Valiant seemed to be catching on, and frowned at the memory. It hadn't been the happiest time for him to have evolved, for sure…

Holding her chin thoughtful again, Aya seemed to be pondering something. "Now that I think about it, wasn't there also an Ash in Viridian when-" her expression brightened as she perked up. "Oh, that's right! I think my niece mentioned you in passing, too!"

Ash blinked. "Hmmm?"

Aya nodded. "Yeah! Her name's Janine. You might not remember, but she met you in Viridian back when the Season started."

Ash's face lit up in realization at that. "Oh! Yeah, I remember her!"

He hadn't seen Janine since that night, but he hadn't forgotten either. She had been there when Team Rocket attacked the Pokemon Center. Even tried to fight them off herself. Before that, she had tried to give him advice about Pichu after their disastrous first day together.

He couldn't help but smile at the memory. It hadn't even been a month and a half yet, right? So much had happened since then, that it felt like ages ago. He wondered how she was doing.

Aya chuckled. "Yeah, she contacts me whenever she has the chance to, as long as I'm able to answer her. She had a lot to say about that incident. Wasn't how she had been expecting her first night to go, obviously, but she seemed to like talking to you, at least. Small world, I suppose?"

Ash chuckled at that. He couldn't disagree there.

So Janine's aunt was an Ace Trainer… Well, she had said that her father was an official for the League, from what he could recall, so he supposed that it ran in the family.

/

It was 6:00 PM when Bill led Ash to the area where the wild Krabby was scheduled to show up. The orange tint in the sky above was becoming increasingly visible as Ash looked around to take in the surroundings.

Bill had already evacuated the Pokemon he was looking after to a more secluded area of the habitat that he was keeping them in, so Ash sadly wasn't able to spot any of the creatures. The habitat itself seemed fairly standard for a researcher to have, consisting of a mostly grassy area that extended to the ocean ahead. The aquatic portion of the habitat was closed off by a set of rocks and gates, separating it from the rest of the ocean. Bill was still in the middle of investigating how the Krabby was breaking in, but the wild Pokemon was apparently using the aquatic portion as a passageway to access the land portion, which made sense to Ash.

Pikachu was perched on the boy's shoulder while Valiant accompanied them from the side. Tyrunt was still resting (although awake now) with Nebula watching over him back in the room while Eevee took a nap. That left Ash with Pikachu and Valiant to take on the Krabby. He had reminded himself of his promise to Nebula to not make her fight any wild Pokemon anymore, after the incident that had occured with Eevee. But he was confident that Pikachu and Valiant could manage on their own, and that they might even be the best suited for this particular opponent.

Bill came to a stop a few feet from the water, checking his watch as Ash stopped next to him.

"We're nearing the time it usually shows up." the researcher commented as he observed his watch. Dropping his hand to his side, he looked over to Ash as he continued. "I'd say another ten minutes, tops."

Ash nodded back at him, Pikachu leaping off of his shoulder as he took a seat on a nearby rock. As Valiant took his place beside the mouse, the boy looked out towards the ocean water, which was reflecting the increasingly orange sky above. The shimmering water gave off a very atmospheric mood that proved soothing to take in.

Standing a few feet away, Bill glanced back at Ash, a somewhat content expression accompanying his features.

"I've always appreciated the view of the ocean." the researcher admitted to the rookie trainer. "It's why I set up shop here. The coast of Cerulean is a wonderful place. Usually really quiet, too."

Ash could understand that. "You're independent of the League, too. So the atmosphere compliments your freedom?"

Bill chuckled at that. "You could say, I suppose. Although I'm not sure which desire came first."

The two continued their idle chatter for about five minutes before Pikachu cried out, jumping up and down as he pointed at something in the water.

With a splash, a bulky figure emerged from the surface and made its way to the land.

Bill's eyes widened. "It's here!"

As Ash sprang up, he took the time to take in the wild Krabby's appearance. The crab-like water type was rolling around in the sand as if to dry itself off, but once it stopped the boy was able to get a better look at the creature.

He couldn't help but think that this Krabby was bigger than most of its species. It wasn't humongous, but it was taller and significantly bulkier than the typical Krabby was known to be. Maybe almost double or so? He'd have to look up more details on a Krabby's size later on.

That increased size also stretched to its claws, its large pincers clicking together with aggression as Krabby stared down Pikachu and Valiant.

The expression on the water type's face was fierce, and Valiant felt a chill roll down his spine as he looked the creature in the eyes. He didn't sense bloodlust, but he certainly sensed a violent streak. Without any questions, this Krabby had come here solely to pick a fight.

Ash made his way to Pikachu and Valiant as Krabby began to advance on them, growling out a challenge at the two Pokemon.

Bill came up from behind. "Yes, this is definitely the same one. It always comes out of the water and picks a fight with whoever's closest by."

Ash nodded. "Got it." He looked down at his starter. "Pikachu, you up for this?"

Already on all fours, Pikachu glanced back at his trainer and nodded as Valiant made his way back to Ash's side, ready to give the mouse backup if needed.

The group began to back away to give Pikachu some additional space, but Krabby was already making its move as it made its way onto the grass. A barrage of glowing bubbles escaped both of its now-opened pincers as Pikachu scrambled to the side to avoid them.

As the bubbles exploded against the grass, Pikachu skidded to a stop before bolting directly for Krabby.

"Zap Tail!"

Crying out, Pikachu engulfed his now metallic-coated tail in electricity, closing in on Krabby to strike at the water type with the attack. However, a coating of metal engulfed one of the crab-like creature's pincers, and Pikachu suddenly found his attack halted as his tail struck.

The mouse gritted his teeth and snarled as he attempted to push back his adversary's defense, but it was to no avail as Krabby strained itself and pushed the mouse off.

The momentum of Pikachu's speed and the power of Zap Tail had both failed in the face of this Krabby's defenses. Was it durability? Or brute strength?

It was likely a combination of the two attributes, but Ash was left wondering which was greater as Krabby pressed its newfound advantage.

As the water type aggressively made its way towards Pikachu, its pincers opened up once more and unleashed a blast of mud that sailed towards its target. Pikachu curved around the Mud Shot as he dashed for his target, leaping upwards just in time to avoid the water type's pincers as his cheeks crackled with static.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt descended downwards towards Krabby, who coated both pincers in metal once more, raising them defensively to intercept the bolt of lightning.

"Static Tail!"

Pikachu propelled downwards as the Thunderbolt finished up. Before Krabby could react properly, the mouse had smashed his tail against the back of the crab-like combatant's head.

Krabby stumbled forward from the impact, but Ash noticed that the attack hadn't done much to hurt it.

Static Tail utilized electricity from thunder Wave, and therefore wasn't very offensively potent, and water types had a natural resistance to Iron Tail. But even so… Krabby seemed almost completely unfazed by the impact.

What's more, the electricity from Static Tail simply rolled along the crab-like Pokemon's outer-shell momentarily, before fizzling out. It almost seemed like the water type's natural defenses had shielded it from the electricity reaching its muscles and triggering paralysis, sort of like with the battle with A.J.

Bill bit his lip. "That shell is strong. Krabby have the Shell Armor Ability, so maybe that's it…"

Ash nodded at that with a troubled expression. Shell Armor… it was a good hypothesis. Krabby would practically have the external durability of a Steel type if that was the case…

Krabby moved forward. Not a particularly fast creature, especially compared to Pikachu, but it was almost as though the water type's aggression was propelling it forward. Pikachu took a leap backwards to avoid a swing from its clenched pincer, before Ash called out to his starter.

"Pikachu, this Krabby's defenses are high! We need to push through it. Use Double Team and Zap Tail!"

As Krabby opened its pincers, Pikachu split in two, the real mouse and the copy both taking off in separate directions while glowing, light blue orbs appeared inside of the crab-like water type's pincers. As two orbs of glowing water shot out, the mouse avoided the Water Pulse as he prepared to strike at the bulky opponent.

Both Pikachu closed in from opposite directions as the real one coated his tail in metal and electricity. Crying out, Pikachu rushed the confused Krabby and drove his tail into the creature's side.

The strike seemed to prompt a more pained reaction from the water type this time, Krabby slightly wailing as Pikachu's tail pounded against its outer shell. However, as Pikachu kept the attack going, pushing against the water type to shove it backwards, Krabby resisted, grinding its legs against the ground in an effort to slow itself down as it raised one of its pincers again.

Ash was about to call out to Pikachu in warning when Krabby had already fired the Mud Shot point blank. Pikachu screeched in pain as the ball of mud struck down on him and pushed him into the ground. Now fully regaining its bearings, Krabby made a rotating motion as its other pincer collided with the side of Pikachu's body, sending the young mouse hollering out as Krabby smacked Ash's starter through the air.

Despite the painful bruise left behind, Pikachu regained his bearings in midair and broke his fall with a well-timed Iron Tail. Briefly clutching his aching side, the mouse returned to all fours as he turned to face Krabby again, the water type already rushing at its target once more while Piakchu snarled at it through his teeth.

Ash felt a bead of sweat rolling down his face from witnessing Krabby's aggression. This particular member of the species was completely trigger happy from the looks of it. It was rushing Pikachu no-holds-barred, simply focused on attacking and defending.

As Krabby's open pincer began to glow a dark shade of purple, Pikachu shouted at his opponent while firing another Thunderbolt. Coating its other pincer in metal, Krabby defensively crossed its pincers to intercept the bolt of lightning once more.

As the lightning collided with Krabby's defenses, Pikachu shot forward, raising a metallic tail and curving around his opponent to strike Krabby in the side. Krabby staggered away from the impact, before letting loose a barrage of bubbles that grazed Pikachu as the electric type attempted to dash to the side.

As Pikachu struggled to maintain his balance, Krabby was upon him again, raising a metallic pincer and swinging forward towards the mouse. Pikachu's Iron Tail quickly intercepted Krabby's Metal Claw, but as the young mouse snarled through his teeth, straining himself to push his way through Krabby's attack, Krabby continued to push back, sending Pikachu rolling across the grass before charging him again.

Just as Pikachu was beginning to get up, a second Metal Claw slugged him in the face, leaving a trail of blood as the mouse flew a few feet in the air before landing on the ground. As Pikachu skidded to a stop on all fours, Ash, Valiant, and Bill all winced upon catching sight of the electric type's bloody face.

Krabby was already rushing the mouse once more. As Pikachu dove away from his opponent's Night Slash, only for his Electro Ball to be blocked by another pair of Metal Claws, Ash began to think things through in mild panic.

'Damnit! We have to find a way to slow that Krabby down, but the electricity isn't doing much to break through.' Even the Thunder Wave used as part of Static Tail hadn't done much to paralyse Krabby due to not being able to reach the water type's muscles properly. Its outer shell was just too tough.

As Ash shouted quick encouragement to Pikachu, who was now splitting into two once more and landing a clean shot with Zap Tail, he ran through his options while watching Krabby stagger from the blow. Zap Tail was enough to hurt it, but not severely enough per hit. They needed to find a way to get the electricity through krabby's defenses, but the only way to do so was to break through the shell. But what if Pikachu fell before enough Zap Tails were landed?

Had Nebula been here, her Reckless Ability could potentially be enough to take Krabby down, with Pikachu's paralysis as backup. But he wouldn't go back on his promise to her. They needed to figure this out quickly…

As Krabby's pincers opened to unleash another barrage of bubbles, Ash's eyes widened.

'Wait a minute… if Pikachu's electricity can't break through the shell, then maybe-'

"Attack while its pincers are open!"

Ash almost started from the sound. He had just figured out a strategy, and yet he felt like he heard somebody shouting the same thing at him.

Looking around, he could only see Bill, who was watching the fight with some concern before looking back at Ash.

Ash blinked. What was that…

Bill brought the boy's attention back to him. "Ash, do you have any ideas?"

After a brief moment, Ash's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered the idea. Quickly nodding in reassurance, he gave Bill a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I think I got one!"

As Valiant observed the Krabby, Ash called out to Pikachu. "Pikachu! Get a Thunder Wave in when it opens its pincers!"

Ash wasn't sure if it was a good idea to give the strategy away to Krabby, but the water type didn't seem to be focused on thinking things through. Nodding at Ash's command, Pikachu rushed towards the bulky, crab-like creature and dodged a swipe from his opponent's Metal Claw as Krabby attempted to catch him.

They were playing the waiting game at this point, but after the young mouse had dodged a few more strikes, Krabby began to open up a raised pincer.

This was their chance. "Now!"

Just as a glowing, blue orb began to form inside of the opened pincer, Pikachu fired off a bolt of lightning, aimed directly at the opening. The Thunder Wave collided with the pincer, travelling inside as Krabby's limb suddenly began to convulse, much to the water type's surprise and confusion.

Valiant grinned as Bill nodded in approval. "Great!"

With one of Krabby's limbs no longer able to be used with nearly as much efficiency, Ash pressed his advantage. "It's defenses are compromised, Pikachu! Zap Tail, and stay on the side of the pincer you hit"

Krabby attempted to intercept Pikachu with both pincer's but Pikachu remained on a single side, the paralysed pincer not moving nearly fast enough to stop his attack as the mouse batted his opponent backwards.

As Krabby staggered away and struggled to retain its balance from the blow, Pikachu leapt up into the air, dodging a Mud Shot from his adversary's good pincer as his cheeks crackled with lightning. Observing the water type carefully, Ash noticed a bruise left behind from where the Zap Tail had struck. They were finally making progress, it seemed.

Krabby was only able to properly raise one Metal Claw to intercept the electrical blast, the water type still making the effort to move its other pincer, but not being able to do so as well as the other. Its limbs were now out of sink.

With only one Metal Claw to block the lightning, more pressure was put on Krabby from the attack as Pikachu followed up by dive bombing downwards with an Iron Tail. The metallic tail grinded against the top of Krabby's head as the crab-like water type attempted to snatch Pikachu off, landing a Bubble Beam as Pikachu tried to leap away.

Catching himself with iron Tail, Pikachu almost sank to the ground as the bruises on his body continued to ache. As Krabby advanced forward, not moving as fast, and somewhat limping for the mouse, Ash considered sending Valiant in to wrap things up, but held back for the moment.

They only needed a little bit more.

"Double Team and Zap Tail!"

Powering through the pain and exhaustion, the battered Pikachu split into two and raised towards the Krabby. The real Pikachu came up from the side where Krabby's pincer had been hit with Thunder Wave, and as Krabby was toppled over from the mouse's strike, Ash tossed a Poke Ball into the persistent Water Type.

Ash, Valiant, and Bill watched with great anticipation (and Pikachu with some level of anxiety) as Krabby was sucked into the orb, which rolled along the ground seemingly nonstop.

Krabby was struggling. As the Poke Ball continued to roll around, Ash began to worry that the water type might break through before it finally came to a stop with a confirming beep.

Faces lighting up, Ash and Valiant raced over to Pikachu as the relieved mouse beamed at them. However, when Ash tried to pick Pikachu up to hug him, he flinched as Pikachu winced in pain from the contact.

Ash frowned apologetically. Looking over his starter, he observed the bruises and spots of blood covering up his battered friend.

"Sorry, buddy." he said guiltily. As he placed Pikachu back on the ground, he and Valiant took note of the electric type's heavy breathing. As Valiant observed the mouse with concern, Ash took out his Poke Ball. "Rest up, I'll treat you as soon as I can, okay?" The last he saw of Pikachu was the mouse's nodding motion as his starter was sucked into the orb.

"I have to apologize." Ash and Valiant's attention was brought to Bill as the researcher approached them. "I wasn't expecting that to be so rough. I knew that Krabby was aggressive, but I must have underestimated its abilities. I should have figured its shell would be that strong. I'm sorry I didn't warn you."

Ash frowned at that, but shook his head nonetheless. "It's fine, Bill. I wasn't really expecting it myself." returning Pikachu's Poke Ball to his belt, he looked down at Valiant, who gave the boy a confirming nod. Smiling at the Kirlia, Ash returned his attention to the researcher. "Well, the good news is your problem's solved now, right?"

Bill bit his lip despite nodding back. "You sure you can handle it? If you don't want to hold onto the Krabby, I can always ask Aya too…"

Ash's gaze made its way to the ground with some consideration for a few moments. He exchanged another look with Valiant, some minor concern evident in the Kirlia's eyes, before looking back at Bill and shaking his head.

"Thanks… but I think I'll at least try. You can't count on every new catch being docile, right?"

Bill grinned at that, chuckling a bit as his nerves seemed to slightly ease themselves. "That's certainly true." his face turned even. "Just be careful. If anything goes wrong, I can take responsibility."

After a few moments, Ash nodded. It was fair enough.

"If you want…" the boy's voice trailed off for a bit as he glanced back at Valiant, who seemed to be deep in thought. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that." After a few moments, Valiant's arms crossed, agreement noted on the Kirlia's features, although the look in his eyes remained somewhat worried.

"Anyway…" Bill began to change the subject. "I have healing machines back at the lab. And some sitrus berries. Who should get your Pikachu fixed up as soon as possible."

Gratitude adorned Ash and Valiant's features as the trainer gave a thumbs up in thanks. As Bill led the way back to the lab, Ash spared a glance down at Valiant, who still seemed to be a bit uneasy about the whole ordeal.

Truth be told, Ash was feeling a bit nervous himself. He was willing to see things through to the end, having made the conscious choice to capture Krabby.

He just hoped he wasn't biting off more than he could chew…

/

After feeding some of the sitrus berries to Pikachu, Bill had recommended that the mouse spend the night in the healing machines as the healing factors of the fruit did their work. With Pikachu's consent, Ash returned his starter back to his Poke Ball, which Bill then placed in one of the machines.

Nebula had stuck closely by Pikachu's side as her friend munched on the sitrus berries, Pikachu reassuring the concerned Staravia that he was okay. It thankfully wasn't too difficult for the mouse to settle the bird's worries, which had led to her congratulating him for his victory.

It was 8:00 PM now, with Nebula and Eevee asleep in the room while Ash fixed himself a late snack in the kitchen. Bill had granted him access to the food for the night, but the boy didn't want to push it, simply opting for a bagel sandwich, albeit one made from much higher quality bread than the overall average sandwiches he had packed for the road. Aya had teased Ash for his modesty, but the rookie pointed out that he had already had three fairly sizable meals from Bill's food. He didn't want to be gluttonous about snacking on someone else's stock.

The green haired Ace Trainer was sitting across from Ash while Valiant and Tyrunt chatted off to the side. Unbeknownst to Ash (who didn't understand their words), the Kirlia was giving Tyrunt a play-by-play recount of Pikachu's battle. Despite not being aware of the topic, Ash and Aya had assumed that it was something exciting given Tyrunt's enthusiastic reactions, and Valiant's own somewhat energetic mood while recounting the fight to his friend.

"They're quite the odd pair, wouldn't you say?" Aya's amused voice brought Ash's attention to the green haired woman as she observed the two converse. As she locked eyes with the boy, Ash felt his nerves tense up again, her battle-hardened aura leaking through her overall lax demeanor.

Nevertheless, the feeling didn't last for too long, and Ash grinned back at her. "Yeah, Valiant's been looking after Tyrunt since he hatched, so they're almost inseparable." Stealing a glance at the Kirlia, who hadn't picked up on their conversation due to him and Tyrunt each being fixated on their own exchange together, he added. "He was actually helping me take care of him even when he was an egg. He's been super helpful." At this point, it was no secret to Ash that Valiant was arguably the most dedicated member of the team. That wasn't to discredit the others, as all of them had pulled their weight, but Valiant had always gone out of his way to convey that determination.

Ash wished he could know what drove the Kirlia, and the rest of the team as well, but he was grateful nevertheless.

Aya gave the Kirlia an approving look, before directing her expression at Ash. "Well, a Pokemon's loyalty is the product of the trainer, most of the time. I'd say you have a lot to be proud of, Ash."

Ash felt his face grow hot as his gaze nervously locked onto the table. "Heh, t-thanks…"

She seemed to find amusement in his flustered reaction, which just embarrassed him further, but she thankfully didn't tease or press. Glancing back at the duo, a hint of nostalgia adorned her features as she continued.

"You know, at first glance, they kind of remind me of my first two teammates." looking back at Ash, she said. "I found an egg in an abandoned nest before making my first catch. Fuchsia was having some poaching problems at the time and some of the wild Pokemon in the area were a bit hasty when they fled. Their parental instincts dictated them for the most part, but there was the occasional odd exception of those who left one of their eggs behind by accident."

Ash bit his lip nervously. That sounded awful. He didn't know that Fuchsia had a history of poaching problems, but perhaps that was one of the problems Koga was said to have solved. Based on what he knew, the poison specialist was one of the most ruthless and pragmatic Gym Leaders imaginable, and had reduced crime in the territory to a crawl.

Continuing, she nodded with a sad smile. "It was a bit of a rare occurrence. The Gym Leader's in Fuchsia are usually great at keeping things under control, even if the current one has easily done the best job at it." something lit up in her eyes as she spoke, but Ash didn;t notice. "But this issue was a bit of an exception. Didn't last too long, but the effects were pretty notable at the time." Taking a pause, she continued. "Anyway, my Starter and I brought the egg to Fuchsia City's Pokemon Center, and after it was looked over and confirmed to be in good health, the authorities gave us the permission to take it in." her expression grew rather fond. "It hatched only a few days later. I still hadn't caught any Pokemon yet, since I was so fixated on caring for the egg, but the female Nidoran that came out was the best partner me or my starter could ask for. She's even my cornerstone nowadays." Taking a glance back at Valiant and Tyrunt, she finished. "And my Starter was there with me every step of the way. Oddish was her dedicated older brother. Both before and after she had hatched."

Ash beamed at that. She seemed to be really fond of the memory, and he couldn't blame her. He'd never forget the time spent raising Tyrunt.

"Anyway, I shouldn't make this about me." the woman chuckled sheepishly as she spoke. Turning back to Ash, she tilted her head inquisically. "You're the new guy to the profession. You said you have two badges, right?"

He nodded in confirmation. "Yup! From Pewter and Cerulean!" Ash certainly wouldn't be forgetting those fights, either. And the same could probably be said for all of his remaining Gym battles.

"Do you have any idea where you plan on getting your next one?"

He shrugged. "Saffron's the next city ahead. After that, I haven't decided which direction I'll take yet. There's a few branching paths from there. I'll figure it out, I suppose."

"Makes sense. Either of the roads you can take from Saffron have their merit. And most of the wildlife you'll find along the way shouldn't be too troublesome." her face evened a bit. "You'll definitely notice a difference if you go in the direction of Vermillion or Lavender Town, though. And of course, things will get a lot more intense once you go beyond either of those, especially in Fuchsia territory."

Ash was aware of that for sure. The eastern side of Kanto was generally a lot more dangerous than the rest of the Region, especially Fuschia. Yet the harsher wildlife also attracted more hardened trainers, who often made the areas their grounds.

Ash wondered just how different of an experience trainers had if they chose to start out in Fuchsia's territory. The plains between Pallet and Viridian were a far more ideal starting point for a rookie than the mountainous, untamed wilds of Koga's stomping grounds. Even Janine, despite being a Fuschia native, hadn't been that bold.

And even if it was years ago, Aya had started out there, and at a time where the wildlife was a lot more unpredictable due to the poaching incidents.

Curious, Ash was about to bring it up when the sound of footsteps brought his and Aya's attention back to Valiant and Tyrunt, who had finished their conversation and made their way to Ash.

Taking note of their bright moods, Aya commented. "They're both in pretty high spirits."

Rubbing Tyrunt's head as the baby dinosaur pushed his head against his leg, Ash agreed. "Ha, yeah."

After a few seconds, Aya took a glance at the clock before giving Ash a considerate look. "Say, Ash, if you're interested."

After patting Valiant's head for a moment, Ash looked back at her. "Hm?"

Crossing her arms, Aya said. "I'll have to be on my way in about an hour or two, when one of the League's psychics comes to pick me up, but…" her lips twitched up. "I'm interested in seeing how you fight. If you'd like, would you care for a quick battle?"

Ash inwardly started at that. An Ace Trainer was challenging him to a battle?! How could he even-

She must have noticed his pale expression, as the woman quickly raised an amused hand to ease his worries. "Relax, I'm not gonna sick one of my usual teammates on you, if that's what you're worried about. I have a couple of Pokemon on me that are a lot less experienced, so one of them should be a fair match for you if you've already made it through two gyms."

Ash's panic eased up a bit at that. Looking down at Valiant and Tyrunt, he observed them for a moment. Tyrunt had just started training, and he didn't want to bother the others if they had already turned in for the night, so…

"Valiant, are you up for this?"

With an encouraging nudge from Tyrunt, Valiant exchanged a brief look with the Ace Trainer, before turning to Ash a few moments later and nodding with a steel gaze.

/

The group found themselves back at the battlefield where Tyrunt had done his training earlier that morning. The stars overhead made for a pleasant backdrop as Aya took her position on the other side of the arena.

Tyrunt stood by Ash's side as Valiant slowly walked in front of them, taking his place as the trio observed Aya enlarging a Poke Ball.

After a bright flash, a Venonat appeared on her side of the arena. It leaned into Aya's touch as she reached down to pat its head, before walking its way to the arena as Valiant observed it. The purple bug was fairly amicable, offering Valiant a quick wave as Aya spoke up.

"Venonat should be a good opponent for you." Aya called out from the other side as Valiant quietly returned the wave. "I haven't been training him for too long yet."

Ash nodded, although his heart was still beating fairly rapidly.

"Valiant…" he quietly spoke to the Kirlia, nervousness leaking out of his voice. "Even if that Venonat isn't much more experienced than we are, his trainer is. And I'm not sure how easy she is going to go on us outside of her choice in Pokemon." he couldn't see the look on Valiant's face from behind, but the Kirlia had a light glare on his face as he nodded at Ash's statement.

As Tyrunt let out an encouraging chatter (which did a somewhat decent job at easing Valiant's nerves), Aya spoke up again.

"So, one on one, correct?" At Ash's nod, she nodded back before raising a hand. "Well then, let's get this started. Venonat, Signal Beam!"

The purple bug wasted no time executing his trainer's orders, performing a small hop as he fired a beam of green light at his target.

"Valiant, Dazzling Gleam!" Responding with equal swiftness, Valiant put his hands together to form an orb of pink light, which then extended into a blast that intercepted Venonat's attack.

Being a fairy type move, Ash imagined that the pink beam would make for a fairly decent shield against the opponent's bug type attack. As the two beam's collided, Valiant's attack pushed back against Venonat's, as the purple bug watched, before bracing himself against the shockwaves once the two blasts exploded closer to him.

Immediately pressing his advantage, Valiant sank into Shadow Sneak, traveling along the ground as Venonat blinked in bewilderment, before Aya gave an order.

"Toxic Scatter!"

Ash raised a brow as Venonat kicked off of the ground, eyes glowing with a bright blue aura as purple powder descended onto the arena. The bug had jumped decently high, and Ash noticed the Poison Powder becoming enveloped with the bright aura of Confusion, as Venonat used the psychic technique to carry the powder as far across the battlefield as possible.

As Valiant excited his shadow beneath Venonat, he immediately yelped and encased himself in a golden cube as the powder descended onto him. Ash couldn't tell if any of the attack had actually made contact with Valiant or not, but the good news was that it could only have been a little, given how quickly the young Kirlia had reacted.

They weren't out of the woods yet, however, as Aya issued her next order. "Zen Headbutt!"

Now the top of Venonat's head began to glow with a bright blue aura as the bug angled himself in midair before dive bombing straight down for Valiant.

SMASH!

Remnants of the barrier scattered for a brief moment as the cube shattered, before quickly fizzling out of existence as Venonat landed in front of the Kirlia, having struck the top of the Light Screen from straight above.

As Venonat moved in on the disoriented Kirlia, Aya pressed on. "Sleep Powder!"

"Push it back with Confusion!" Ash called out, hoping Valiant could repel the Sleep powder with the technique before it hit him.

Unfortunately, Valiant's eyes didn't even have a chance to start flashing before the whitish-blue powder was upon him. Regaining his bearings, the Kirlia yelped as he attempted to bury his head in his arms, trying not to breathe in too much of the attack.

But Aya was still pressing. "Venonat! Zen Headbutt again!"

Tyrunt cried out in concern as Venonat rammed headfirst into Valiant's front, sending the weezing Kirlia flying a few feet away before skidding on his back.

As Valiant came to a stop by propping his hands against the pavement, Ash suddenly winced as he realized his folly. With Valiant still somewhat out of it from Light Screen's destruction, he wouldn't have had the concentration to execute Confusion, or at least not one strong enough to repel all of the powder at once.

Aya wasn't giving him time to mentally kick himself, however. "Just because you need time to think things through doesn't mean your enemy does! Swift, Venonat!"

A barrage of golden stars erupted towards their target as Valiant picked himself up. Frantically, Ash responded.

"Valiant, Magical Leaf!"

Aya was being completely rapid-fire about her approach to this battle, which said more than enough for how fast her mind moves. The moment one order is finished, she immediately thinks of another. Just what kind of training was she put through to be this honed?

As the leaves exploded against the stars, Ash knew that they needed to pick up speed themselves. Ash hoped this wouldn't result in him or Valiant making anymore misplays, but if Aya didn't need time to "think things through" like she said, then they couldn't afford to either.

"Valiant! Teleport and Thunderbolt!"

Venonat slightly started as Valiant flashed in front of him, hands beginning to crackle with electricity. But Aya's response was even swifter than Ash had already thought.

"Supersonic!"

Valiant had just begun to fire off the bolt of electricity when Venonat hollered out at him, emitting a near-deafening noise that Ash, Tyrunt, and Aya were all thankfully spared the more harmful elements of thanks to the barriers kicking in. Valiant, however, was struck point blank, his usage of Thunderbolt disrupted as the portion of the blast that had yet to escape from his palms became compromised by his newfound lack of concentration, scattering outwardly without nearly as much force behind it.

Unfortunately for Venonat, however, Valiant had still managed to properly fire off at least half of the blast, which scored a direct hit on the purple bug (along with a few remnants of the compromised second half of the attack) that sent the young Kirlia's opponent staggering backwards, crying out in pain from the sparks.

With Venonat getting electrocuted and Valiant holding his head in pain, trying to clear up his disorientation, both Pokemon were off balance as their trainers called out in encouragement.

"Shake it off, Venonat! And use Stun Spore!"

"Valiant! Try to focus and use another Thunderbolt from a little more distance!" Ash had expected a point blank Thunderbolt to be the perfect offensive choice. He hadn't expected it to backfire like that. The close vicinity had benefited Venonat's Supersonic every bit as much.

As Venonat regained his bearings and began firing off the small cloud of yellow powder, which suddenly began to travel a greater distance as the aura of Confusion enveloped it, Valiant jogged backwards as quickly as he could, still holding onto his head for a moment before charging up another Thunderbolt. The electric attack lit up the surrounding area as the lightning escaped from the Kirlia's hands.

Venonat's purple fur was already somewhat charred from the previous shock, the round bug quickly leaping backwards as the now fully-powered electrical blast carved its way through the cloud of yellow powder that he had unleashed. As the bolt of lightning collided with the ground, Venonat, still in midair, unleashed a second barrage of golden stars that Valiant hastily raised another Light Screen to block.

The Light Screen wasn't at full strength, Valiant just barely being able to raise it in time as the attack closed in on him. Cracks formed along the exterior of the golden cube as the Swift pelted against it. Thankfully, however, the barrier held up long enough, before being dropped by Valiant just as Venonat was on the move towards him once more, Aya issuing another order.

"Zen Headbutt!"

"Teleport, quickly!"

The frantic look in Valiant's eyes partially gave way to a more hardened expression as he flashed out of existence, Venonat coming to a stop to see him materializing a few meters away off to the side.

Hoping to give an order before Aya had the chance, Ash called out. "Psybeam!"

Aya responded an instant later. "Signal Beam!"

Eyes glowing, Valiant fired the beam of rainbow colored light at the purple bug, only for Venonat to with a green blast of light that collided with the psychic attack head-on.

After a moment or so, the Signal Beam cleaved through the Psybeam, its bug typing crucial to providing it with the edge.

Valiant swayed to the side as the beam passed by him, Venonat already advancing towards him yet again, Aya calling out her next order.

"Supersonic, point-blank!"

Sweating, Ash responded. "Light Screen!"

The same horrible sound from before was emitted as Venonat closed in on his target, but the Kirlia was already locked away in the safety of his golden cube. The close proximity of the attack made itself known, however, and Ash flinched as he and Tyrunt noticed the small cracks forming on the shield, the barrier just close enough for them to make out. Valiant clenched his eyes shut as he tried to endure the noise, cushioned by the Light Screen, but not fully protected.

"Swift, Venonat!" Ash doubted that Aya could see the cracks from where she was. Was she just counting on it?

Still directly in front of the barrier, Venonat pelted the cracked areas with golden stars. The shield strained as Valiant gritted his teeth, struggling to keep the cube intact. It lasted for a few moments, before the front of the cube fully broke, and the remaining stars crashed into Valiant, throwing him onto his back as the rest of the Light Screen fizzled out from his disrupted concentration.

With Valiant downed, Venonat immediately heeded Aya's next command. "Sleep Powder!"

As Ash called out to Valiant, the Kirlia rolled away from the incoming powder that nearly descended upon him, scrambling to his feet as quickly as he could as Venonat proceeded to advance towards him with another Zen Headbutt.

Seeing the purple bug incoming, Valiant dodged away, his side getting clipped by the bug's attack as he nearly lost his balance. Ignoring the mild bruise left behind by the blow, the Emotion pokemon turned around and fired another rainbow beam into the side of Venonat's back, prompting a pained squeal from the bug as Aya's partner was sent bouncing away from the blast, before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop. Although his back was somewhat scorched from the attack, and the Kirlia could notice the bug mildly breathing a bit harder than usual, the opposing combatant turned to face Valiant with as much resolve as ever.

Ash could note the somewhat deeper breaths that Valiant was letting out as well. The Emotion Pokemon was fairly good at continuing to fight even as he began to tire out, but the rookie knew that Valiant would be reaching his limit sooner or later.

It still felt surreal that they were fighting against an Ace Trainer, and Aya certainly fit the bill, even if she was going easy on them. He couldn't imagine what she was like (and what tricks she had) when using her primary team.

As Aya observed Venonat, she took in her partner's condition. It looked like he could use a moment to catch his breath just as much as Valiant…

"Your friend's pretty resilient!" she called out to Ash, who turned his attention to her. "He's hanging in there pretty well. Hasn't disappointed so far."

Ash was a bit surprised that she was suddenly slowing the flow of the battle, given how fast-paced she had been up to this point, but he wasn't complaining. Valiant could use a couple of moments to take a breather. Besides, the psychic deserved the compliment.

As Valiant and Venonat allowed themselves to somewhat ease up, albeit not taking their focus away from one another, Ash smiled at Aya's statement and nodded. "Thanks! He's always been a really hard worker, so he deserves all the credit." Sparing Venonat a glance, he added. "Your Venonat's doing great too."

Now that he thought about it… he and his team had first encountered Valiant back when they fought that Bug Catcher with the Venonat all the way back in Viridian Forest… that was the fight that had led to Valiant joining the team, hadn't it?

As he stole a glance at the Kirlia, Ash couldn't help his widening grin.

'It really does feel like such a long time.' They were only in Cerulean territory. They hadn't even seen half of Kanto yet, let alone Indigo as a whole. And yet… so much has already happened since the beginning. It was scary, and yet, it was also why so many people loved being trainers.

Including him.

Aya seemed to be done talking after a few more moments passed. Snapping her figures as if to give a signal, she once again raised her voice across the arena.

"Well, your friend has proven his resolve. So let's see how long it can last under this kind of pressure. Now, Venonat!" As the bug took off running in Valiant's direction, she added. "Swift, then Leech Life!"

Leech Life… she was probably planning on getting some of Venonat's stamina back. Healing moves weren't quite as effective as restoring energy as they were at healing injuries, but certain ones could still do the job. And in Leech Life's case, it specifically restored stamina by draining the energy from the target. Less about dealing damage, and more about making the opponent worn out. If Venonat scored a direct hit, he would likely be revitalized (whether it be completely or just by a significant amount), while Valiant would be left with even more fatigue.

As Venonat sped towards Valiant as fast as he was able, the purple bug unleashed yet another barrage of golden stars. But Ash had already given Valiant the counterorder.

"Teleport behind Venonat! Then Thunderbolt!"

Despite the stars making Venonat capable of homing into whatever target he locks onto, the capability became compromised when Valiant reappeared in a completely different direction from where the stars have been aimed. As the glowing projectiles aimlessly collided into the barriers in front of Ash and Tyrunt,Valiant was already gathering electricity within his hands, preparing to fire.

Aya must have taken note of the somewhat greater distance between the two combatants, as she did not order for Venonat to disrupt Valiant with Supersonic like last time. "Jump and use Signal Beam!"

The purple bug leapt up as high as possible, angling himself around in the air to face Valiant properly and fire off the beam of green light.

Valiant had responded quickly, however, the beam crashing down onto the golden cube that he had formed around himself immediately after firing off the Thunderbolt. With the hastiness of how the barrier was formed, however, the Signal beam wasn't dealing with the Light Screen's full strength, the barrier struggling as a chunk of it was broken off by the impact.

Aya herself had already given Venonat another order as he fired the beam. "Zen Headbutt!"

"Drop the cube, Valiant!"

Ash knew he couldn't let Venonat destroy the Light Screen. It had to go away on Valiant's own terms, so that the destruction of the mentally created shield wouldn't throw the psychic off balance.

Thankfully, Valiant did just that, lowering the cube and allowing it to fizzle out just as Venonat came down on him. As Valiant swerved to the side, the bug collided with the pavement, which didn't seem to harm Venonat very much (likely because of the usage of Zen Headbutt, Ash decided to guess). While Venonat bounced off of the arena, Ash gave his next order.

"Blow him back with Confusion!" They needed to keep their distance from Venonat so that Supersonic wouldn't be so dangerous, whether they widened the gap with Teleportation or just by pushing the purple bug backwards.

Venonat yelped as the aura of Confusion engulfed him, Valiant holding his hands out from behind the purple bug as he sent Aya's partner flying a few feet away.

As Valiant jogged backwards a few more feet away, Venonat landed on his side, rolling a few feet backwards before springing back into an upright position.

As the two Pokemon turned to eye each other, their fatigue was becoming all the more noteworthy. The constant back and forth would eventually lead to one of them collapsing.

Aya's lips twitched in approval at the sight. "It's been fun so far, Ash!" she called out. "But let's see if we can end it now! Venonat, Super Swift!"

Ash and Valiant felt a hint of surprise as Venonat's eyes glowed, unleashing another barrage of golden stars with the outline of Confusion. At Ash's frantic command, Valiant erected another Light Screen to encase himself with, as the projectiles bombarded his defenses.

The shockwaves from the repeated impacts left Valiant gritting his teeth in displeasure as he struggled to hold up the barrier, which was already beginning to form cracks as Venonat's assault continued.

The stars… seemed to be moving a lot faster than normal. No doubt, Venonat was using Confusion to push them forward and add a lot more force than normal to the attack.

Why hadn't Aya done this sooner? Was she holding back to go easy on them, or just conserving energy? This did seem like it would tire Venonat out if used too greatly, which could be why she had saved the technique for when both combatants were already approaching their final reserves. Whatever it was, it was working now, Tyrunt crying out in concern as the glowing projectiles finally broke through the cube for the remaining portion of the onslaught to bombard against Valiant.

As Valiant hollered in pain, some blood appearing as was knocked back down onto his backside Venonat rushed towards him, preparing to finish the battle with the Kirlia still stuck on the ground.

"Giga Drain!"

Ash's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the grass type move. As a vine-like beam of dark green energy was fired off and tethered onto Valiant, Ash noted that the glow it gave off was a somewhat faint and flickering one. It made sense that Venonat hadn't fully mastered the move just yet, as it was fairly advanced. But the purple bug definitely did have the basics down, and it was rather impressive that he had been able to use it at all at his current level.

And tha meant trouble for sure, as the nervous rookie frantically realized. Even in an unmastered state, Giga Drain was a very effective move that centered around sapping strength from the target's body to heal the user's wounds and somewhat revitalize their stamina. And now, Valiant was pinned by it.

Ash watched with a grimace as the young Kirlia struggled against the binding, as flashes of light traveled along the Giga Drain and back towards Venonat. They weren't coming very fast, either due to Valiant's resistance or Venonat not being overly experienced with the move, but Valiant's strength was being sucked dry all the same.

"This is it, kid!" Aya called out, her voice more challenging rather than condescending. "If he can't break free, it's over for him!"

As Venonat slowly began to glow from the revitalization properties of the attack, Ash called out to his friend.

"Valiant! I need you to use Confusion! Hurry!" Loudly grunting as he struggled against the green energy tethered to him, Valiant's eyes briefly began to flash with the familiar aura of the psychic move. Nevertheless, even as they did, they continued to flicker, as the young Emotion Pokemon's focus grew weaker and weaker.

As Tyrunt anxiously moaned, Ash found himself clenching his teeth with a pained expression as a bead of sweat traveled down his face. Giga Drain wasn't just taking a physical toll on the young psychic. It was taking a mental toll just as much. And that was exactly what was needed for psychic type moves.

Valiant continued to struggle against the Giga Drain, wriggling his body as much as the binding allowed as his eyes continued to flash.

To break free of the Giga Drain, or to use Confusion. Right now, Valiant wasn't able to do either…

Eyes widening, Ash called out to his friend again as Tyrunt looked on.

"Valiant! Listen to me!" As the Kirlia continued to struggle, Ash cupped his hands with the most encouraging voice that he could muster. "Forget about breaking free! Just focus on using Confusion! Put all of your effort into that!"

Aya's brow raised, a knowing smile making its way to her lips as she watched Valiant comply with Ash's order.

No struggling. No wriggling. No physical exertion. Nothing but mental strength.

As Valiant ceased his physical struggle and glared at Venonat with flashing eyes, Aya nodded in approval.

'He knows his friend won't be able to break free. So he doesn't want him to waste the effort. But will this tactic be enough?'

Valiant's eyes continued to flash, still flickering, his teeth grinding as he struggled to focus through the pain and fatigue.

But suddenly, the flickering became faster…

And then-

Venonat yelped as Valiant's eyes glowed with a blinding blue aura. A surge of psychic energy knocked the purple bug off balance as Aya's partner was suddenly covered in the blue light. As he teetered backwards, it was his turn to lose focus, the Giga Drain destabilizing as Valiant tore his way out of the binding.

As the Kirlia stood upright, fighting the fatigue in his body and the pain from the previous onslaught of projectiles, Ash struck while the iron was hot.

"Psybeam!"

Venonat didn't seem like he had healed himself too much, so they still had a chance.

Making one final effort to gather all of his focus, Valiant's eyes flashed once again, briefly charging up his attack as he ran forward towards his target to make the attack point blank, before firing the rainbow colored blast directly into Venonat's front.

Still slightly off balance from the Confusion, Venonat's guard was not up as the attack blasted into him, the purple bug wailing as the Psybeam carried him across the arena, before bouncing along the surface and coming to a stop a couple of meters from the green haired Ace Trainer.

When Venonat failed to move, Aya took out her Poke Ball and returned him in a bright flash of red light.

/

Ash bent down and caught Valiant in his arms just as the exhausted Kirlia began to fall backwards.

"Great work, pal!" The young rookie's voice was a notable combination of congratulation and concern. "Are you okay?"

As Tyrunt stopped right beside them, Valiant tiredly opened his eyes and offered his trainer a fatigued grin. Tyrunt seemed to be somewhat mindful of his friend's condition (likely remembering what it was like to be so exhausted from his training earlier that day), giving the Kirlia a praising smile, but trying not to make too much noise.

Cradling the psychic in his arms as he stood to his feet, Ash gave the Emotion Pokemon a nostalgic grin. "Hey Valiant… you remember what Pokemon Nebula and I battled when you were caught in that Bug Catcher trap, right? It was against a Venonat. That was Nebula's first big battle since joining the team. And it's how we met you."

For whatever reason, Valiant had been terrified of the forest. He had been so meek and timid when they had first encountered him (not that Ash was one to judge). Something had happened after they had finally left, however. It was almost like he had transformed. The Valiant that had trained for and fought against Brock in Pewter City was a completely different one from the one that Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula and all first met. The young Ralts had come out of his shell after being freed from the forest that he seemed to fear.

And yet, that was just an addition to the list of things that felt so much longer ago than they actually were. First the incident with team Rocket at the Pokemon Center, and now he was thinking back to this. Just how far away was Viridian at this point?

The trio's attention was drawn to Aya as they heard her approaching footsteps, the Ace Trainer having finished consoling her Venonat.

Her expression seemed quite amused. Ironic, even. "Well what do you know?" she spoke with a chuckle. "I'm an Ace Trainer who lost to a rookie. Imagine if my comrades heard that out of context."

Ash's smile matched her own at the joke. "Ha, yeah." it hardly counted in his eyes. Aya hadn't used anywhere close to her strongest teammates, and even with Venonat himself, the boy wasn't sure how seriously she had been taking the battle throughout.

It didn't mean he wasn't happy with himself, or Valiant, however. A victory was a victory, and Aya had only held back enough to be on their perceived level. Not below.

Crossing her arms good naturedly, Aya's grin was casual and easygoing. "I can see how you have two badges already. I might have to warn Janine that another rookie is becoming a threat." The last part was said in a fairly joking tone.

Ash giggled a bit, looking down to the ground as Valiant began to doze off. "Two badges… it just keeps me thinking…"

"About what?"

Looking up at her, Ash's cheeks flushed as though he were about to reveal an embarrassing secret. "I've just… started to think about how much has gone down already. I don't think it's even been six weeks since I left my home… but it feels almost twice as long." his gaze briefly alternated between Valiant and Tyrunt as his mind seemed to wander. "So much has already happened since then…"

Aya's hearty laugh snapped him out of that state, the boy flinching back as his cheeks reddened further.

"W-What's so funny?" he stammered.

"You are, silly." her voice evened out a bit as she locked eyes with him. Her gaze seemed to be rather nostalgic too. "I'd recommend you get used to that, Ash. Your life is only going to get more eventful from here. Especially now that you have a full team of six. By the time you're at Indigo Plateau, you'll be feeling like your career has already gone on for a decade. Take it from someone who knows." Suddenly finding the stars interesting, she continued to speak, albeit not looking at Ash. "You should cherish as much of those memories as you can. And not just the triumphs, of course. Even failure can be an unforgettable milestone. My mind still often flashes back to the time my brother knocked me out of the Conference." After a few moments of silence, her eyes returned to Ash as she took out a dark blue Pokedex. "Well, I did lose to you, after all. I'll be a good sport and pay up."

Ash blinked. To be honest, he had forgotten about the prize money (which was somewhat embarrassing). Despite having earned quite a bit of it from other rookie trainers since leaving Cerulean City, he hadn't had it on his mind when accepting Aya's challenge."

After Aya finished transferring some of her money into the boy's account, she pocketed the device before looking back at Ash. "And… that should take care of it. Sorry about cutting this short, but I need to wait for the League to pick me up. Gotta get some rest tomorrow since I'll be meeting with a Breeder in Celadon in just two days from now and all."

Ash didn't notice the otherwise tired Valiant's eyes briefly widening as he offered the understanding Ace Trainer an understanding nod. "That's fine. I know you gotta be super busy. Thanks for making time for us." he gratefully added.

The green haired woman waved it off, however. "I didn't just do it to be generous." she chuckled. 'When you're in my line of work, you can always use the downtime. It's been fun."

Ash and Tyrunt watched her go as she turned around, Valiant mustering up just enough energy to wave before closing his eyes again.

Today, they had started Tyrunt's training, captured an aggressive and powerful Krabby, and befriended an Ace Trainer.

As he and Tyrunt made their way back to the lab, Valiant still in the young rookie trainer's arms, Ash grinned to himself.

Perhaps those were some of the memories Aya had suggested they cherish.

/

Valiant spent the night in a healing machine following the battle with Aya. Ash and his team said their goodbyes and thanks to Bill the next morning, before heading off on their way.

They had taken a detour to get to Cerulean's coast, but thankfully, their new bicycle would help make up for that. Even if they stopped for training and battling, Ash imagined Saffron would only be a few days away.

However, there was still one more matter that they needed to settle now before leaving the area.

Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, Eevee, and Tyrunt all stood in front of Ash as he showed them Krabby's Poke Ball. The group was a bit of a ways away from the lighthouse now, in a grassy area surrounded by a few trees.

"We have a new teammate now," he explained. "And, as you all know, they aren't as friendly. There is a chance that we will have to restrain them, but we can't encourage their hostility." The team nodded at him. Valiant and Eevee seemed to be the most uneasy about it, but didn't object, and Pikachu's somewhat anxious expression made it clear that the young mouse was still thinking about yesterday's fight.

As he enlarged the orb, Ash felt the anxiety flow through his chest as his thumb lingered on the release button. He wasn't sure how Krabby was going to act once it was let out.

But they needed to get this over with.

The bulky water type appeared in a flash of light, a somewhat surprised expression on its face as it looked around. It didn't take too long for Krabby to notice the group standing in front of him. Springing into an alert stance, his gaze quickly fell on Ash, Pikachu, and Valiant as his pincers began to rapidly click together, opening and closing as the Pokemon let out a deep growl, as if preparing to pounce.

The brief wave of panic that Ash felt was shaken off as quickly as he could manage. "Now, Valiant!" He hoped his anxiety hadn't filtered into his tone of voice.

Just as Krabby moved forward, Valiant was in front of the group, eyes flashing as the unprepared water type was binded by a blue aura. Its pincers hung open as it struggled against the unexpected psychic hold.

Pikachu acted next, the others hanging back as the electric mouse moved to Krabby's side and aimed his tail towards the opening of one of his pincers. Krabby stopped struggling as the water type noticed their position.

With caution, Ash walked past the remaining team members and crouched down in front of Krabby. "We've already beat you one on one." he tried to keep his voice even as he made eye contact with the crab-like creature. He could still feel some shakiness in his speech despite his best efforts. "Please, make this easier and don't start anything."

Krabby seemed a bit dejected and frustrated by the boy's statement, but seemed to comply as Ash prompted Valiant to slowly release it. The water type's limbs eased up as the blue aura gradually dissipated, the psychic's hold on the crab-like creature slowly fading away.

As Pikachu pulled his tail away from Krabby's pincer, the water type shot him a look that didn't seem hostile. Ash couldn't quite place it, but Krabby at least didn't seem to hold a grudge.

"Now…" the boy started, feeling his nerves beginning to ease up (albeit not completely). "We caught you, fair and square. You know what that means, right?"

The Krabby's eyes narrowed for a few moments before it's expression evened out somewhat, looking between the rest of the team with more eased up features.

Pikachu and Valiant were still on high alert, with Nebula watching closely as well. Eevee and Tyrunt seemed to be a bit more nervous, although the baby dinosaur felt slightly more secure as the Evolution Pokemon's fur briefly brushed against him.

Pulling out his Pokedex, Ash held the crimson device in front of Krabby where the water type could see it. "I'm going to scan you for a moment, okay?" He tried to keep his voice stern, but not hostile. It was getting a little bit easier as he progressively grew less nervous. At krabby's nod, Ash hit the button.

"Krabby, the River Crab Pokemon of the water type. Their pincers grow back if torn out of their sockets, and in addition to being powerful weapons, are used for balance when walking sideways.

This Krabby is male and knows the moves Vise Grip, Water Gun, Leer, Metal Claw, Mud Shot, Bubble Beam, Flail, Hammer Arm, Water Pulse, Razor Shell, and Night Slash. Its ability is Shell Armor, which greatly increases the durability of a Pokemon's exterior body."

That was a good amount of moves for a Pokemon in Cerulean of all places. Ash doubted Krabby could properly use Razor Shell, or even remotely use Hammer Arm (That was likely an Egg Move), but the wide variety of moves seemed to suggest that Krabby had done a fair bit of training all by himself, which certainly checked out with what the boy and his team knew about the water type. And, just as Bill predicted, his ability was Shell Armor of all things.

"You've… got quite an arsenal." Ash complimented as Krabby puffed his chest forward a bit. Clearly, a Pokemon like him that was so obsessed with fighting would be quite prideful about being good at it. "You like to battle, don't you?" At Krabby's matter-of-fact nod, Ash gave him a stern look. "Okay… but why have you been terrorizing those Pokemon that were staying over there at the lab?" he nodded towards the direction of Bill's place, confirmed by the towering lighthouse that was still in view. "If you hadn't kept coming back to beat them up, Bill never would have started looking for trainers to help him out, and we never would have caught you."

Krabby almost seemed to scoff irritably at that. Ash's brow furrowed as he observed the bulky water type. "You seem to like fighting a lot… is that why you keep on attacking them?" at Krabby's shameless nod, Ash frowned. "So… why them specifically? Are you just trying to brag about your power in a fight that you know you can win?"

Krabby seemed to glare at that accusation, but held back from doing anything upon eying the other Pokemon. Easing up, the water type allowed the look in his eyes to even out once more as Ash continued. "Battling isn't about picking on others that you know aren't able to beat you." for the briefest of moments, an image of Gary flashed into his mind, but Ash quickly pushed out the thought. He was done with that. "I'm sure somebody who loves combat obsessed as you enjoys fighting strong opponents, yet you're also wasting your time picking on Pokemon that you consider to be helpless. That sounds more mean-spirited than competitive." Although Krabby seemed to be a bit irritated at that, he also seemed curious.

Getting into a sitting position, Ash observed the River Crab Pokemon carefully. "We managed to beat you. That proves that you still have room to grow. If you come with us, you can have a lot more exciting battles than just preying on the docile Pokemon around here. Not to mention, the feeling will be mutual, instead of picking a fight with a bunch of Pokemon at a lab, you could run into wild Pokemon that are more willing to fight, or, better yet, other trainers who are actively seeking out battles. I can help you hone your moves, and even teach you new ones. If you like being strong, you can get a lot more out of it if you come with us than sticking around here playing the bully." he glared at the Krabby, albeit only lightly. "But if you do want that, you need to cooperate with us. You are to treat Pikachu and the others with respect at all times, or at least coexist at the bare-minimum." his face evened out, softening a bit at the water type. "We can be friends. And I'd like to think I don't ask for much to make that possible."

Krabby stared at Ash's face for a few moments, before taking another glance at the rest of the team, his gaze lingering somewhat on Pikachu. After a few more moments, he looked Ash in the eyes and nodded.

Ash nodded back. So that was it then… for now.

"Do you want a nickname?"

At Krabby's nod, Ash began running through his brain for a few moments. The first couple of ideas were rejected, but eventually?"

"Hmm… how about…" he locked eyes with Krabby once more. "...Tempest?"

After a few moments of mild consideration, Krabby nodded, and Ash smiled.

And with Tempest on the team, his Pokemon family was now a full roster of six. Such a milestone had already been pointed out by Aya, but it hadn't truly hit Ash until just then.

As the boy stood up to look over his teammates once more, he couldn't blame them for feeling uneasy about the addition. And he was too. But he would give it a chance.

Returning everybody except for Tyrunt, getting his bike out, and mourning the vehicle with Tyrunt in the basket, Ash took in the breeze of Ceerulean's coast as he began to peddle his way to Saffron.

Pikachu, with his lightning speed to match his literal lightning.

Nebula, with her deft flight, wind abilities, and powerful Reckless trump card.

Valiant, with his blossoming mind and versatile psychic abilities.

Eevee, with her unrivaled possibilities.

Tyrunt, with his powerful jaw and latent potential.

Tempest, with his brute strength and near-impenetrable defenses.

This was a team worthy of the Conference. And it was Ash's job to be a trainer worthy of that team.

Aya is a character who has appeared in the anime before. She used a Venonat in canon.

Pokemon Profiles: Valiant

Trainer: Ash Ketchum

Caught At: Viridian Forest

Best Friends: Ash, Eevee, Tyrunt

Loyalty To Trainer: Near-Perfect

Hobbies: Brainstorming ideas for tactics and new moves.

Likes: Helping Ash in any way needed

Dislikes: Internal drama within the team

Ash's Pokemon:

Pikachu (Male)

Nebula-Staravia (Female)

Valiant-Kirlia (Male)

Eevee (Female)

Tyrunt (Male)

Tempest-Krabby (Male)