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.

38. Ember in a Snowstorm

The teenage boy's purplish black uniform bore a single stain of red that he wordlessly wiped off. A full moon glowed beautifully in the skies above Fuchsia's wilds, but his eyes did nothing to acknowledge the magnificent sight, instead focused on the batch of restrained thugs before them. Walking forward, the Nidoking towering behind him reflected his every step. Blood stained the large creature's chest, and dripped from his horn and claws.

A couple of the criminals dared to struggle against their restraints as Koga walked forward, only for the vines to painfully tighten. The worst offender found a large Beedrill's stinger pressed firmly against his throat, just enough for the tiniest amount of blood to escape the skin.

"For the crimes you have committed against our Guardian's land," Koga did not turn in the direction of the older man's voice, his eyes remaining glued to their captors, but his ears, nonetheless, were equally focused on the words. "Your punishment shall be just for all under our protection. 'From the shadows of Fuchsia's veil our knives do pierce the malicious.'"

Much like Koga himself, the older man's uniform cloaked most of his body, his face and dark purple hair all that was visible. Though his age showed to a degree, he was well built, with eyes as piercing as those in their prime. His hair would have been a mane of decent length had it not been tied back in a spiky ponytail.

A couple of the thugs attempted to spit obscenities as they were dragged away, only to be quickly silenced with pained grunts for good measure. The Beedrill returned to the older man's side, and Koga and Nidoking's eyes remained locked on their captors' retreating forms before the man's voice brought back their attention.

"Let's round up the bodies, Koga."

"Of course, grandfather." the boy nodded.

/

"Brother."

His sister's voice was the first sound he'd heard in the past few minutes as she entered the room . Aya's short green hair came into view as Koga turned in his seat to face her. There was little affection in her voice, or either of their gazes as their eyes met.

"I heard you were almost clipped in the battle," Koga spoke as the green haired girl approached the seat closest to him.

"What of it?" her reply was harsh, although he was unfazed. "I'm fine."

"I can see that."

Before any further conversation could be made, their grandfather walked in, and the attention of both siblings was stolen away by his presence.

"Ken's interrogation bore fruit. As expected, the poaching group was part of a larger collection of traffickers selling their catches underground. We will be tracking the locations they gave up."

"Was it difficult?" Koga asked with some curiosity. Some outlaws were more loyal than others, the lesser ones coughing up whatever necessary information that would spare them whatever form of wrath they were faced with. Many others still were disturbingly stubborn, and required a significantly greater amount of work to extract what was needed from them.

The Kyo clan specialized in a variety of interrogation tactics that ranged from pressuring to even outright breaking prisoners on a physical or psychological level, and it was often a matter of determining which method worked on which prisoner, and in which way. Less educated outsiders would likely use grotesque words such as "torture" or "brutality" to refer to such things, but such views were a luxury to those shielded from harsher realities. Grandfather had trained Koga and his competing sister to see the truth.

The truth was ugly, not everyone needed to see it, nor should they. But it had a purpose, a responsibility. A duty. For so many generations, the Kyo Clan lived by that duty for the sake of Fuchsia's protection, in greater service of Indigo, and atonement for the sins committed by their ancestors. Trade secrets that once lived a malevolent existence now endured for the just purpose of keeping the innocent safe from the malicious parties that threatened a peaceful way of life.

'The peace and prosperity of Indigo is built off of the blessing of the Guardian Mew and the heroics of those who earned it.' Grandfather had spoken of many years ago. 'It is maintained off of the blood of the cruel ones who try to take it away.' Koga was forced to learn early the importance of living those ugly truths. It was the role they played in maintaining that peace, no matter how hideous.

"Only the leader of the squad was hesitant to talk," Grandfather replied. "He was the one with the most information, however. It was taken care of, and that is all that needs to be said." he looked between his grandson and granddaughter. "I appreciate you both being here at such a busy time."

"It was natural, grandfather." Aya nodded courteously.

Grandfather offered her a grateful glance. "With the Conference two months away, there is much to be done on your end. I will not prevent that with any further requests, the competition requires both your undivided attention. I have high expectations of you both. One day, one of you will assume the Gym Leader position as head of the family,"

Aya's posture tensed. Grandfather was speaking to both of them, but most of his gaze was on Koga.

"But for the present, there are other things for you to chase. You are both dismissed for the night."

/

The phrase "dead of the night" rarely existed in a place like Fuchsia, because nighttime was rarely dead. Even as the team set up shop off the beaten path, they could hear the sounds of an Ariados dragging in her prey, a scream being silenced midway through as the hissing of the Seviper the spider had snatched it from carried itself through the air. Such noises would be disturbing to most.

Less so for a gang of poachers.

Amongst the group, a man with tinged tan skin and shoulder-length dirty blonde hair shifted with such unease as though his chair was made of ice. The never ending cacophony of wildlife was not the source of his discomfort, however. "Caesar," he hissed through his teeth, eyes lighting up. "Why do I keep having to say it?"

"I could say the same thing, Jad." The leader of the group was a head taller than the others, with wide shoulders and a broad chest granting him a stockier build, yet a scruffy, aimless and ungroomed mane of dark hair disheveled his appearance. "We've gone over this numerous times on the way here. Ever since Lavender Tower was destroyed by Team Rocket, the ghosts that called the place home have been scattering across Kanto, given Fuchsia's proximity, many have found their way here."

"I don't need to hear that again!" Jad's fist clenched as Caesar patted the Zangoose leaning against him on the head. "Do I have to spell it out for you!? We're in Fuchsia of all places. The-"

"Good Guardian and blasted rocks can you shut up about Koga already?" Unsympathetic gaze boring into his subordinate, a deep snort escaped his nostrils as Zangoose yawned with odd content. "I know who's turf this is, dumbass. I'm not running from the Kyo Clan, let 'em come. They've been untouched for too long anyway."

"That's the idea of staying away from here, as I've said over and over." Jad responded as a woman with strawberry blonde hair paused her work to look over at the two, expression conveying that she had heard something resembling this conversation at least two times prior before returning to her activities.

But Caesar spoke again before Jad could continue. "Over and over is putting it lightly, Jad. It's like you have some sort of obsession."

"Is this what you call an obsession, Caesar?" Jad hissed again, nose scrunching in frustration as his fingernails scratched against his thick pants. "You know what Koga and the Kyo Clan do to people in our line of work! This is practically a hunting ground for them! They throw the keys away! Rockets have died during interrogations. Their forces are like living knives coming out of the dark to stab us! You do know where the name "Knives of Kage" comes from, don't you?"

"I know, and don't need you to give me a history lesson." Caesar huffed. "And it's exactly what I'm talking about. I'd say it's time somebody bruised their ego for once. That demon Gym Leader and his forces relish being some sort of tabooed monstrosity amongst Kanto's underworld. They want to make their land untouchable. Well I say, we ought to use this opportunity to make a statement."

"And how many others do you think said the same-"

"Just drop it already!" Caesar's voice rose enough for the surrounding camp to hear. "That's what those pricks want us to think. Making an example of everybody they can so no one else will have the guts to stand up to them. Well I'm sorry, but it doesn't work on me. The iron is hot right now, thanks to what Team Rocket did." his lips stretched into a bitter smirk. "And if we can score a jackpot or two around here, Executive Ariana has promised a large sum for the amount of ghosts we can hand over."

Jad glared at his superior, who's expression dared him to retort. Despite the scrunching in his face, the blonde knew nothing more he could say would change the stubborn leader's mind, and simply shifted in his seat and looked away with a huff. Having lost his subordinate's attention, Caesar patted Zangoose's head one last time before making his way to another section of the camp, partially removing the lid from a box to peek inside.

"And of course, The Iron-Masked Marauder's generous donation will be perfect for capturing ghosts."

/

Buzzing filled the air not too far from where Janine stood with her binoculars. As the orange light of the setting sun reflected off of the water from the nearby swamp, the girl's eyes narrowed, observing two Yanma dancing in the air just above the water as a Masquerain passed by. Earlier in the day, a different Yanma and Masquerain had clashed upon meeting, but no territorial exchange was to be found this time, with the two dragonflies taking no action, nor vice versa, as the newcomer flew past them, before the pair zipped off in opposite directions themselves.

Finally, she lowered the device from her eyes, turning back to their group's would be campsite. Nebula and Golbat were the only team members absent from the group, still flying overhead. The rest either mingled or merely hung out in comfortable silence; Tentacruel and Glaceon (the latter of whom had worked especially hard throughout the day) were both relaxing in places of their choosing before dinner, while light, casual, aimless conversation dominated the remaining team members. On the opposite end from herself, Ash had also removed his pair of binoculars, the two trainers making understanding eye contact just before he jogged over to her.

"Anything of note?" he came to a stop in front of her before she shook her head.

"Everything seems to be fine on my end," she responded. "No territorial behavior or nearby nests. Judging by your tone, I'm assuming it's mutual?"

"Yeah, it is," he confirmed. "None of the wild Pokemon I spotted appear to dangerous, at least for now. That just leaves Nebula and Golbat."

"On it," she gave the boy a stiff nod before angling her gaze skyward. Pressing her index finger and thumb between her lips, she let out a loud, sharp whistle. Moments later, the two fliers descended, catching the attention of the rest of the team as they landed in front of their trainers.

"Good work you two," Ash knelt down to pat the Staravia's head, earning a smile from the bird in exchange. "How do the surroundings look? Anything we should be worried about? Nests, hostile Pokemon?" The flying duo shook their heads, leaving him to look back at Janine as he sent them to group up with the rest of the team. "Well, it looks like we should be safe camping here for tonight."

Her lips just barely curved up as she nodded back. "I agree, we should get started then. I'm sure everyone is hungry." The time taken to scope out the potential campsite had put them slightly behind schedule; she made a mental note to account for that in the following days.

A familiar sensation passed over the girl as she and Ash made their way back to the group, who were most likely eagerly awaiting for their trainers to begin cooking supper. It was the feeling of the day catching up to her, as though the moment they had determined it was time to settle down at camp, her body had granted itself permission to begin feeling tired, and somewhat drop its guard. After a full day of hiking and training through the domain lorded over by her father, a refreshing evening meal and peaceful chat with her best friend pleasantly made their way into her mind.

Said friend quickly became the subject of her attention as the duo prepared to set up dinner. Ash must have felt the not entirely casual nature of her gaze, as he soon looked back at her with a curious glint in his eyes. "Something wrong?"

Lips fondly curving just a little bit more, she shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. For someone who wasn't keen on camping outdoors last month, you've seemed fairly in your element today."

He must have been caught off guard by her words, given the red in his cheeks and the uncomfortable chuckle that left his mouth. "Heh, uh… well it's only been one day, Janine. It still has plenty of time to take its toll on a guy."

"And just as much time to gather momentum," she replied while setting up the pot of water. "To be honest, I think even a day on its own may have overwhelmed you back then."

He hummed an agreement while sorting the ingredients for tonight's meal. "There was so much more going on today compared to when we were just walking or biking from one campsite to the next. So much more to pay attention to in this environment. You're right, though. A glass half full mindset is probably the best way to keep us going out here. Wish I had that back in Viridian Forest…" trailing off for a moment, he released a breath that was something between a deep exhale and a huff. "Sweet Mew I hated that place."

"Won't be making a top ten list of memories for certain." Janine felt a bitter taste on her tongue as a half-forgotten memory made itself known to her. "Although, my perspective may have been colored by the pretentious samurai knockoff who tried threatening me with a plastic sword."

To her surprise, a similar memory seemed to dawn on Ash as well. "Wait, he did that to you too?"

The two rookies stared at one another for a moment, an odd silence hanging in the air before it was broken by Ash's suppressed giggles, which proved somewhat contagious.

"Sheesh," the boy chuckled. "I almost forgot about him. He was so obnoxious…"

"Putting it lightly," Janine's voice grew posh. "His behavior was an insult to all of the real warriors in the world. And even fiction."

Warrior stories, especially after she began getting the hang of high level reading, were a consistent favorite of the poison specialist. When she sought out entertainment rather than education, she would turn her attention to the pages of such books, and the fierce battles fought by great heroes and anti heroes alike. And in real life, she needed not look any further than her own family. Her father, her cousin, the ranks of the Kyo clan; all formidable and dutiful to the protection and atonement the family had sworn themselves to.

Compared to any of them, calling that farce of a samurai was unworthy of even being called a novice, or even any sort of acknowledgement at all.

"I can't believe I actually thought that was a real sword at first," Ash continued, sounding more amused than embarrassed. "You should have seen my face when I realized that jerk was coming at me with a piece of plastic."

"You should have seen Bulbasaur's face." the poison specialist's eyes turned somewhat vindictive as she relived the months old memory. "The moment he processed what was happening, he had that sham's ankles tied and bound against the closest tree trunk. Then I picked up the sword and realized it was a fake."

"Did you two still battle?" Ash began dropping the selected ingredients into the pot. "He was the first trainer I ever beat. Not sure if that's something to be proud of or not, but it felt good at the time, at least…"

"Oh, we battled alright." Janine stirred the pot, careful to maintain a correct and consistent speed. "We showed him our appreciation for his actions, and made clear not to show his face to us ever again. If he knows what's good for him."

Ash's nostrils snorted with a closed mouthed chuckle. "Wish I could've been there. Well, I at least got to beat him myself. Nebula took care of his Metapod by ramming it into a tree branch, and I'm pretty sure Pikachu slowed his Pinsir down with paralysis. Do you remember how your battle went?"

Not pausing her stirring, Janine's free hand found itself resting against her chin. "Hmmm, let's see, if I recall correctly…"

/

The sound of Nebula's pleasant, overhead chirps filled the group's ears as they continued onward following breakfast. Since today was going to be a travel heavy day, it was agreed that she and Golbat would take turns patrolling overhead in sessions. The Staravia circled around the group as they proceeded down their chosen path, not straying too far from their location, but keeping her eyes focused on the near-distant surroundings. She had already discovered a suspected nest once, due to a sizable group of Nidoran all within a close vicinity of one another, and promptly signaled to steer clear.

Valiant and Ivysaur stuck closely to Ash and Janine throughout the hike, the former being kept out in case his sensitivity to emotions proved useful for gauging a wild Pokemon's intentions. The two trainers were both planning on diving into their training starting the following day, once they had made a considerable amount of progress en route to Fuchsia City proper, and though battling wild Pokemon was a likely inevitability that would prove useful in its own right, they still wished to avoid any particularly dangerous encounters, as well as the impediment to progress such incidents would bring to days meant to be focused solely on travel. Janine's starter was a fairly ideal candidate for subduing any potential assailants; his various trapping tactics and talented usage of Sleep Powder making him a prime asset for incapacitating hostile Pokemon, preferably before the fights could grow particularly forceful or out of hand so as to avoid attracting the attention of or disrupting any other potential attackers that may follow.

Valiant and Ivysaur provided reassuring protection for the duo, but along with the fliers, Glaceon was the vital assurance policy. The ice type, rather than either of the two trainers themselves, was the one leading the group, positioned decently ahead while the others followed her down her chosen route. Just as much as Ash and Janine, Nebula would communicate with her as well, at any time it may prove advisable to alter their current direction. Her main tool, as planned, was her nose.

It had been a long while since she had put her sense of smell to uses such as this, since she was still a wild Eevee prior to being caught. And she had never applied such a thing to traveling before, having generally stayed in the same area before becoming a part of Ash's team. She was up to the task, however, and any rustiness she may have had did not last long. Scouting ahead of everybody else, the fresh snow Pokemon sniffed the air around her, directing her nose to any scents that proved standout, working to detect and/or determine the apparent trails of wild Pokemon nearby before moving forward in whatever direction her survival instincts deemed safest. All the while, she paid attention to Nebula's movements above, using the Staravia's behaviors and current positioning as additional clues to determine how to proceed next and potentially where was best avoided. A recent run in with an Ekans that had evaded Nebula's detection in the tall grass blessingly proved short lived and swiftly resolved, thanks to her ice buying her enough time to knock out her slowed down opponent with a charged Super Tail.

Staying on the safe side, she made sure to avoid advancing in that direction.

Currently, her nose was to the soil. Based on her findings from the previous day, the scents she was currently detecting may indicate the nearby presence of the Nido line. It had not been too long since Nebula had directed them away from such a nest, and though the group was well equipped to deal with the first two stages, an encounter with a Nidoqueen or Nidoking (or, Glaceon dreaded the thought, both at once) would be a surefire death sentence if they were unable to get away. With their children nearby, parents were more likely to deem outside parties a threat, let alone any deemed intruders. Ash and Janine had both made that abundantly clear to her, Pikachu, Nebula and Golbat while briefing them on the traveling plans. "Avoid Nidoqueen and Nidoking at all costs" was effectively a pillar of their traversal gameplan, leaving the most comfortable measure to be steering clear of the evolution chain altogether. Nidorino and Nidorina were known to commonly leave and start families of their own (it's not like their evolved forms were everyday findings in the wild, given the necessity of a Moon Stone), but a risk was a risk.

Turning her head and raising her nose, Glaceon took a few steps forward while trying to determine the trail of whatever member(s) of the line had recently come through the area. Speed and efficiency were key to keep consistent; she knew her time was limited before the rest of the group caught up to her, and taking two long to determine her next move would delay everybody's progress. She did her best not to rush however, lest take the gamble of leading her friends into danger. Determining where to go, she set off with a light trot.

The decent but not too great distance between her and the rest of the team was made up for not only by Nebula's presence above, but Pikachu's presence in the middle. Rather than riding on his best friend's back as he often did, Ash's starter was given a new role today: to act as a go-between to relay Glaceon's movements to the trainers. This allowed the ice type to scout further ahead than she had on the previous day without having to worry about venturing too far and losing the group. The electric mouse would keep his eyes peeled for the fresh snow Pokemon's current movements and behaviors, just as she did for Nebula above, and Ash and Janine in turn would keep their own eyes peeled for his all the same. Although nothing was perfect, and no trainer traveling or otherwise could ever depend on things truly going according to plan, a traveling structure as organized as possible would be key to navigating this unpredictable stretch of Kanto land. Although Pikachu always enjoyed the view that Nebula's back would consistently provide, he was just as committed to his new role as either of his female teammates, signaling to Ash with haste whenever the time came to change direction, but keeping quiet prior to not distract Glaceon from her work. The ice type knew that her rodent companion's eyes were dutifully glued to her, unbothered whenever she felt his present gaze nearby.

In what may have been a somewhat unfortunate irony, it was Pikachu who found himself more wary of distractions.

His gaze was as focused as it needed to be, but that focus was on Glaceon, and the longer the mouse observed her sniffing, detecting, and tracking her way through the domain, the more the sight progressively grew to be more entrancing than it should. Ever since Eevee had first evolved, things had changed. She had been strong and fast for a very good while, but not excelled in feats of strength nobody else on the team was capable of, disposing of the recently attacking Ekans with quicker fluidity than any of them could have easily replicated. Her performance in battle was second to none, and her previously proactive and sometimes hot headed personality, completely unchanged (and very much unlike the stereotypes surrounding ice types), now existed as an aura. A presence that complimented and surrounded her take-charge demeanor and inspiring capabilities as a combatant.

All of this was known to the group, and universally agreed upon by anyone within. But it was not the only thing about Eevee that had been changed or enhanced. Something else had changed. Something that had been there for the eyes the moment she had evolved, but only became clearer and clearer overtime as Glaceon's behaviors and newfound presence were observed.

Eevee had become captivating in her evolution, her newfound evolved form was mesmerizing to look at. Glaceon was mesmerizing to look at. Her wintry coat, which Pikachu knew was snowy to the touch, and the shade of blue that accompanied it. The piercing stare of her eyes that radiated whenever she was fully alert, and even her posture and the way it regally complimented her aesthetic.

Glaceon was beautiful. Entrancing. While following her lead, Pikachu progressively found his mind clouded with confusing thoughts, the act of paying attention to her so vigilantly was nerve racking, especially at its peak where it was impossible to ignore the heat that rushed to his face. It was tempting to look away. It was tempting not to as well. Having an excuse to observe her so closely without interruption. He wanted to look at her. He didn't want to look at her, the prolonged sight reminding him of the accompanying anxiety. He needed to watch her, that was his job. It was pleasing. It was anxious. It was a jumbled, inner mess.

She did not look back at him or make any sort of eye contact as she continued her scouting work, but he would glimpse her face many times. Such times he looked forward to. Dreaded. More than once, he would alert Ash more slowly than he had meant to.

It was the easiest difficult task his trainer had given him.

/

"Alright, go!"

Eyes focused but intense, Phenom stamped the grassy soil once before taking off in a sprint, locking gazes with Glaceon. The ice type's stance was firm and vigilant, meeting the young dinosaur's imperfect Iron Tail with her superior own. With his tail not coated in a full stable layer, Phenom felt a small spark of pain from the collision, but was not deterred by it, pushing against his friend's block. Glaceon did not budge, however, soon pushing him back with her superior strength. The Tyrunt did not lose his footing from the strong force of the shove, maintaining balance and regathering himself before taking aim with a wide open mouth.

Knowing that the Dragon Pulse was coming, Glaceon took a leap backwards to buy herself additional time to attempt one of her current moves in progress. The ice type quadruped's body grew tense and stiff as Ash and Valiant looked on, before being covered in a faint, not so stable shimmering.

Her Mirror Coat did not hold out; Phenom fired the Dragon Pulse for a direct hit, and although the protection of the move most likely shielded her from the full force of the blast, she was roughly knocked back, failing to produce the intended effect of rebounding the blast back at her teammate (whom Ash had instructed to try and block the blast with Iron Tail should she succeed). Although she was knocked off of her feet by the impact, she regained her balance almost as quickly as she had lost it, producing a stable landing as their trainer called for time.

It was day three of the group's travels through Fuchsia, and after covering a fair bit of ground in the previous two (with still plenty of distance between them and their goal), Ash and Janine had switched gears and dedicated the third day to training. After breakfast, the duo took some time to have Glaceon and the fliers scout out a safe enough training area for them to decently spread out and work in. They had plenty of time before they reached Fuchsia City proper, and as they had constantly told both their teams and themselves, all of that time would be needed if they wanted it to end with a Soul Badge in their hands.

Between the three teammates that Ash was currently working with, there was a decent amount of connection between what they were doing. Prior to reaching the city, Ash was hoping to have Valiant's versatility further expanded, one thing that would near certainly be necessary to deal with a challenge as unpredictable as Koga. Life Dew and Dream Eater were both on the to-do list, but would very likely take more time, not to mention effort in coming up with methods for how they could be practiced or honed. For now, Zen Headbutt was a fairly safe addition to his offensive arsenal, and the combination of Glaceon's help and his newfound experience with Icy Wind had added Ice Punch to the list of moves Ash aimed for his psychic friend to have battle-ready in time for the eventual Gym match against Janine's father. Perhaps more importantly, however, was working on Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, two debilitating moves to combat the ones they would no doubt be facing. The former was an easy bet; Valiant was skilled with electricity and had Pikachu on standby in the unlikely event he would need any further help. The latter would require more work but would hardly be the most difficult task Ash had ever entrusted the Kirlia with.

Ahead of time, Ash had worked on making a list of every move his teammates currently knew, in addition to the special modified and/or combination moves that they had picked up along the way. It was in making that list where he had realized how well versed Valiant had been growing elementally. To varying degrees, he had some form of foundation for fire, ice, and electricity, as well as grass, which could be pulled from moving forward. Although the two currently in progress additions to the directly offensive side of his move pool would hardly hurt, it was expanding the other side of his skillset that Ash hoped to prioritize. Valiant had never been lacking in versatility, but in Fuchsia's Gym (as Janine had fervently warned him) you could hardly have too much.

It was that notion that also influenced his plans for Glaceon. Unlike Valiant, the freshly minted ice type had more urgent room to grow on the directly offensive side; despite easily having the most power out of everybody in the group, the recent nature of her evolution meant that her actual utilization of her newfound element was fairly limited. She was off to a good start, but currently battled less like a Glaceon and more like a stronger Eevee with an icy touch to her moveset. Before challenging Fuchsia's Gym, she would have to truly come into her own, making true use of the doors that her evolution had opened.

In addition to better mastering the new moves that she had already learned, Glaceon would also be working with Tempest to learn Water Pulse. Taking a page from Misty's book, Ash also planned to have both team members learn to freeze their Water Pulses into an icy variation, a combination first encountered against his rival's sisters. With Glaceon's natural affinity for ice and Tempest already having experience doing exactly that with Bubble Beam, it would be an easy addition to both Pokemon's movesets, requiring significantly less effort for the good benefit it would provide them. Freeze-Dry would be another greatly useful addition to her wintry ammunition, and in particular would be useful against water types thanks to its special properties. As a side project, Ash also looked to have her begin practicing Trailblaze, a grass type move similar to Flame Charge that would also give water type opponents something to worry about in addition to giving her speed full utilization. Pikachu would be the ideal sparring partner, or in this case, racing opponent.

But offense was not the only priority: Mirror Coat was high on Ash and Glaceon's list for the upcoming stretch of training the group would be undergoing on their way to Fuchsia City. It would likely be the most difficult of the aforementioned techniques that she was currently seeking to learn, but would produce very rewarding results once battle-ready. Valiant, of course, was the most ideal training partner, due to his long running experience with barriers.

Phenom would be partnered with Glaceon for the foreseeable future. He had a variety of moves that Ash wanted him to work on, and the boy knew he needed to be careful about balancing and prioritizing to avoid spreading the young dinosaur's efforts too thin. Stomp and Crunch were both moves he could easily practice on his own, but would make for worthwhile additions nonetheless, the latter being an especially strong weapon for the Tyrunt and his ever so reliable Strong Jaw ability. Hyper Voice, Iron Tail, and Ice Fang were all moves that Glaceon would assist him with. Psychic Fangs was a priority: Not only was it another powerful biting move, but it would be, in theory, the most offensively useful against Koga. Unfortunately, it would be more difficult to learn. Valiant was here to guide his friend in learning how to channel psychic energy into his bites, but it would be a process, and one that would require much attention. Ultimately, Ice Fang would be a side project, as Psychic Fangs was the more urgent biting move to learn, and Hyper Voice and Iron Tail were more needed for variety, respectively giving him more options in long ranged combat, and close ranged attacks that did not solely rely on his teeth.

Speaking of variety, Ash knew his dinosaur friend needed to also expand his rock type utilization. Ancient Power would be a versatile addition, but the difficulty, or lack thereof, that any given Pokemon (sometimes, even those of the same species) had grasping the move was varied and unpredictable. It was a tempting prospect, but until the Tyrunt made decent progress with the moves Ash was prioritizing, and the boy was able to get a feel for how much difficulty the young dragon would have learning a move like Ancient Power, it would be another side project.

Training for Fuchsia's Gym would be a busy and eventful process, needless to say.

/

"You almost got it, Nebula!"

The Staravia was covered in a raging blue as she circled around in the air, preparing to make the dive. Not too long after the aura surrounding her had intensified, however, it began to flicker. Nonetheless, she performed the dive anyway, wincing as she swooped back upwards and the aura evaporated.

For a move of such a caliber that she had only begun working on recently, Nebula was off to a fairly good start with Brave Bird, although having Golbat as a training partner certainly helped. The two fliers were both working on Heat Wave and Agility, and that overlap made it a fairly easy decision for Ash and Janine to have them practice together. There was thankfully nothing but smooth interactions between the aerial duo, who had taken to enjoying mutually beneficial competition with one another.

The two continued their overhead routine as Golbat exchanged a few words with the Staravia following her most recent attempt, and Ash turned his focus to Pikachu and Tempest. In addition to his collaboration with Glaceon and continued training with Surf, the Krabby was now working on two new moves: Iron Defense and Liquidation.

Iron Defense had a double purpose in the context of battling Koga. Although the move would obviously be a boon for the water type's already great durability, courtesy of Shell Armor, it functioned by the user coating themselves in protective metal. This attribute would go a long way in defending against Koga's deadly poison, which would without question be employed by the Gym Leader in a variety of potentially heinous ways. The move could hardly be abused by any means; even once Tempest got good at it, overuse would drain his stamina too much, which was counterproductive for a fighter like him who was ideal for a war of attrition. Nonetheless, Koga's own tactics already made such wars of attrition dangerous by default, and they would need all the tools they could utilize to prevent the poison master from kneecapping Tempest's valuable strengths.

Liquidation was a strong water type move that had the user slamming against their opponent while submerged in water. Realizing the full, offensive potential of the attack required a good amount of water control, which Tempest was developing at a satisfactory rate. With evolution hopefully in the Krabby's near future, Ash was confident they would have the move ready for the next Gym, not to mention the benefits evolving into a Kingler would provide for Surf.

Pikachu was learning Swift, a move that Nebula and Glaceon could both periodically take turns helping him work on in between their own practice. Glaceon being the busier of the two, Nebula would likely be his main training partner for that particular move. He was also further honing his Counter Shield, the move that had won them the day against Gary. The big project, however, was Discharge.

Practicing Discharge out here was a risky move if not planned carefully; an explosion of lightning erupting from the mouse's body could easily disturb nearby wild Pokemon, some of whom could respond with hostility. It made it all the more important to properly scope out safe and secure training sites every time the group opted to take a training day in place of travel. It was easy enough to show commitment on today, their first day of doing so, but complacency going forward would prove problematic, and something Ash vowed to avoid.

Ash was not all too certain how useful the move may prove to be against Koga outside of a last resort. Although the plan was certainly for Pikachu to be efficient with the move by the time they reached the city, it was doubtful that his starter would be able to use the move even once without feeling the drawbacks. It was an inherently taxing attack that would often leave its user winded after the blast, and avoiding such an outcome would likely be something they could not even strive for until Pikachu was a Raichu. Against Koga, usage of such a move would therefore prove gamblesome without perfect timing. As strong as it was, it was also an easy way to leave oneself open, and even without Janine's insistent warnings of her father's expertise in precision strikes, it was widely known how good Koga was at wearing down opponents as it is (expected of a poison master). A move like Discharge that risked the user wearing themselves out could prove a death sentence.

Nonetheless, it was a move that would further add to Pikachu's firepower and versatility long-term, and speaking of powerful moves with drawbacks, the ever present elephant in the electric type's room was Volt Tackle. The egg move that, for the longest time, Ash's first partner could never be able to use without knocking himself out. A recent experimental attempt had yielded far better results, but the move would still not be ready for a while. It certainly packed a punch, but still hurt Pikachu too much to comfortably be anything other than a last resort. Continuing to hone Pikachu's stamina and electrical control while practicing the powerful egg move on the side was the current game plan.

And by the time he was a Raichu, Ash knew his partner would be a blazing blur of electrical magnificence.

The Counter Shield and Volt Tackle were things Pikachu could practice on his own, particularly when none of his current training partners were available (although even when not preoccupied, a proper sparring partner was further good practice for the former). But for Discharge, Tempest was the best possible sparring partner, making Pikachu in turn the best possible for Iron Defense.

Despite his typing's natural vulnerability to electricity, Tempest's natural durability and toughness counteracted such disadvantages in a consistently effective and well historied. He was hardly a punching bag for the young mouse's own benefit, however, as being the target for Discharge simultaneously gave him a great opportunity to practice Iron Defense, in an effort to protect himself against the blast. Such a routine would be started now, as Ash had the two facing off.

Tempest's pincers were crossed in front of him, staring down his electric type sparring partner with a focused gaze. Sparks rolled down Pikachu's cheeks as he assumed his own stance, tail fully erect with all four paws pressed firmly into the grassy soil. At the very tip of the tail, tiny jolts of static occasionally made themselves known with a small popping noise.

Ash made sure to back away before calling "Alright, do it now!"

His starter closed his eyes. Discharge functioned by gathering and consolidating the electricity inside of his body, concentrating them all together into a core before releasing it outwards in an explosive blast. He was no stranger to charging and firing off lightning, but it was that specific attribute of the move, to release it all out in multiple directions where he had lacked experience. Thankfully, the practice with Counter Shield had helped give him a taste, but he still needed to properly gather everything inside.

Tempest watched the mouse with some anticipation, focusing his own move while doing so.

After a decent moment or so, Pikachu's eyes snapped open, letting out a cry as blue lightning erupted from his body. Tempest reacted as quickly as he could; the chrome layered glow that coated his exterior shell was imperfectly formed, only his first proper attempt at Iron Defense, but Pikachu's Discharge was hardly at full capacity either. The zap was not a comfortable experience by any means, but the river crab easily endured it, shaking off the sparks soon after it was over. On the other end, Pikachu quickly inhaled, trying to regather his breath as his muscles relaxed once more.

Ash nodded in approval. "Take a moment or two before trying again."

They managed to repeat the process two more times before the electric type was clearly spent. The work he had put into preparing for this training would surely pay off in the long term, but for now, this was still his first time truly attempting Discharge regardless of preparations, and the high energy costs of such a move were on full display. It was best to end today's session, Ash decided. The oran berry he quickly fed to his first partner would rejuvenate his stamina, but that newly restored energy could be put to better, more efficient use with other exercises. Tempest naturally received an oran berry as well; despite not being as tired it ensured the Krabby was kept at full strength for sparring with Glaceon.

But there was still plenty of time left in the day, so a short break would not hurt. Ash sat down between the two, not minding the feeling of dirt beneath his pants as he watched them eat their berries.

As his eyes fell on Pikachu contently munching on the blue fruit, a thought slowly yet abruptly entered the boy's mind, in a way that oddly relaxed him. "Hey, Pikachu." With a calm grin, his starter's head turned towards him while finishing the last of his berry. "You know, back when we were first starting out, you didn't have much of any control over your electricity. You were just a Pichu back then, and we had to fight by working around that to beat the Meowth. Remember?" the mouse's ears perked up at the memory, nodding as Ash sighed with a mild giggle. "Went from a simple Thundershock to this." Tempest's eyes instinctively landed on the charred grass where they had practiced.

Pikachu's eyes stayed on his trainer for a bit longer, as if taking in the memory. The mention of Thundershock and his early struggles with the comparatively simple move surface another, directly associated thought: That their first battle with Gary, his and Ash's mutual most embarrassing memory. It was something his teammates had only been told about, and only the two of them had actually been there for. Gary, of course, was still fresh in everyone's mind for a much more fulfilling reason now. The mouse's rematch with Wartortle that had only happened what felt like a lifetime later. So much was different now…

Finally turning his gaze to the environmental results of his and Tempest's session together, his lips moved up. The thought of how much he could do with his electricity nowadays was amazing to him. He had long felt like a completely different Pokemon since the day he and Ash had first met, and that feeling would likely return once he evolved.

Evolving… between Discharge and Volt Tackle, that one thing would likely mend a good deal of his current struggles. As a Raichu, it would all come easy: fully evolve, with the long awaited opportunity to finally start chasing his true potential. He could have been there now, had he been the one to receive a stone back in Lavender.

His eyes fell on Glaceon and Valiant, who were currently working on the former's efforts to learn Mirror Coat. He had certainly wanted it. And if he had pushed for it, he might be a Raichu right now. It was almost a frustrating thought. Almost. Maybe it was.

But would it have been selfish? Eevee was the one with the options. Over half a dozen evolved forms to choose from, and they did not know when they would have access to such a selection next. It made the most practical sense for her to go for it at a time when she could genuinely make a proper choice, when so many options were right there and available, hers for the taking. The mouse had been half proud to take one for the team, and half frustrated as the limitations of his current form began to show themselves. He could make good progress for now, not just with Volt Tackle and Discharge, but with his general speed and strength as well. But sooner or later, and most likely sooner, he would hit a ceiling that would prove very difficult to raise without a Thunder Stone.

The memory of his match with Wartortle was one of ecstasy. A crowning achievement after everything that he and his trainer had both worked for to turn themselves around after that horrible first day they both wished they could forget, but knew that they probably should not. Ecstasy… but had that been his peak? Glaceon had an entire set of horizons ahead of her now that she was evolved, Nebula and Tempest were both almost certainly nearing that same cusp, and Phenom had made amazing and almost sudden strides. But Pikachu was gated, if he did not get a Thunder Stone soon, he would be left behind, and it would not take long for the results to show. Did Valiant feel anything similar?

The mouse sighed. Why was he letting this subject invade his thoughts? Ash was trying to bring up all of the progress that they had made, and so was he. Instead the perceived expiration date of their current progress had snuck up on him. No doubt that wouldn't be a good mindset to promote healthy training…

…There were plenty of Thunder Stones out there, and various ways to get one, one way or another. He couldn't completely quell the paranoia, but he had done the right thing back in Lavender. Eevee had benefited from that situation more than him.

…Besides, she looked very pretty as a Glaceon.

/

A few days had come and gone. The group had fallen into a comfortable routine, alternating between dedicated traveling and training days. No day was completely devoid of training, with some occasional light exercises on traveling days, in addition to a few wild encounters. At the moment, no close calls had occurred, with each assailant being neutralized effectively.

Ash and Janine were somewhat surprised that they had yet to run into any humans while traveling. Fuchsia was an expansive environment, so it was believable enough that they may have just barely missed the other trainers that were surely here, but with the area being a popular training ground for higher leveled trainers, the oddity of encountering no other travelers found its way into their thoughts.

That streak would today, however.

It was currently Golbat's turn on aerial patrol, and the group had taken a sharp detour when the venomous flier had spotted a Nidoqueen carrying a Nidoran; most likely retrieving a wandering child to bring him back to the nest, as Professor Oak had told Ash about prior. Just hearing the word "Nidoqueen" had made Ash's spine tingle, a potentially close call indeed. It was perhaps not even thirty minutes later when Glaceon, still scouting ahead as usual, quickly called them in alert to something on her path.

It was a sizable, quiet pond with a couple of trees near its edge. A woman with short and slickly cut, bright blonde hair slept against one of the trees as a Rapidash drank from the water. Not too far from them was a man with a green ponytail tied diagonally upwards. He wore a large backpack almost the size of his body (and Ash could see an identical one beside the sleeping woman) and was accompanied by a second Rapidash, next to which was a decently sized wagon undoubtedly intended to be pulled along the path by the two fire types.

Ash blinked at the sight, but Janine did not share in his surprise as she observed out loud. "Merchants."

The man's face was smooth and relaxed as he raised an arm to wave at the group. Seeing the interaction, Golbat descended from above, perching himself on a tree branch. His arrival prompted an alert but otherwise unconcerned look from the two Rapidash, before the one that had been drinking from the pond made his way back to the wagon. The second Rapidash, accompanying the male merchant, followed him as he moved to approach the group, but stopped short, as though to ease the collective attention of Pikachu, Ivysaur, Valiant, and Glaceon.

"Pleasure," the man chipperly spoke in a vague Galarian accent that Ash took a moment or two to recognize (not commonly heard in Indigo). "You two kids enjoying your lil' hike so far?"

Quickly getting over his brief surprise, Ash stepped in front of the four Pokemon, which, coupled with the Rapidash not being too close, seemed to relax them. "We actually had a near run-in with a mother Nidoqueen," a nervous chuckle accompanied his reply. "But we've dodged every bullet so far, thankfully."

The merchant nodded, face shifting in understanding. "I see, yes that does sound like a bit of a scare. If it would help, you're not likely to find anything too dangerous on this path. When going through a place like Fuchsia, most merchants make a point to stick to the safest possible routes; easy terrain and paths not frequented by the worst buggers of the wilderness. You'll never find a perfect path, of course, but it's safe by these standards." his head turned back to his wagon for a moment, where the previously drinking Rapidash stood silently watching the exchange. "Granted, I understand that slavishly sticking to this route won't always be the best way to get you where you want to go, depending on where you're headed."

"We're on our way to Fuchsia City," Janine responded with a nod.

She wasn't too surprised by the man's reply, and neither was Ash. "I see, unfortunately, you're definitely not going to get there following this road. It leads to a village about a day or so off. My friend and I are coming from there, currently on our way to Vermilion City." He nodded to the sleeping woman.

"So you guys sell to travelers on the way?" Ash confirmed. Behind him, Glaceon had slowly backed away from the group after exchanging a trusting glance with Valiant, and headed over to the pond for a quick drink. Pikachu followed her, but chose to keep a distance while taking a drink of his own.

"You got that right," the man replied with a grin. "We've been in this business for three years strong, usually going around the eastern side of Kanto, top to bottom. You never run out of travelers, trainer or otherwise, so business is usually steady and consistent. And when the end of the Season rolls around, we warp our way to the Plateau to open up some stands for the Grand Festival and Conference. We're hardly the only sales people you'll find, of course. There's so many people on the road that the outdoors are practically a market of their own."

"I met a merchant near Cerulean's coast a couple months back," Janine commented. "She actually had something I happened to need, so it was timely."

The man hummed. "I must say, you two seem rather young. Second years I assume?"

"First, actually." Ash felt a brief swell of pride in his chest as he corrected a man. That's right, they were in a place that most trainers of their experience level weren't quite ready to tackle. And they'd proven that they were ready.

Although far from smug, he couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with himself as the man blinked. "Truly? Been a bloody while since we've run into any rookies brave enough to come out here, especially if you're headed to Fuchsia City itself."

"If you don't mind me asking," the man's wording quickly reminded Ash of something. "Speaking of brave, isn't it dangerous for you to come out here too? I know you said you stick to the safest paths, and you have your two Rapidash to protect you if anything happens, but it still seems a bit risky for a place like this."

The merchant shrugged nonchalantly, clearly unoffended by the curiosity. "Any form of travel carries risk, as I'm sure you've learned these past few months. But Crimson and Scarlet are tough fellows, so we have full confidence in them should the worst ever happen. And of course, we also have repels to help deter most Pokemon from coming too close, whenever we're going through a hostile area."

Repels, Ash knew of those. They were a special spray that came in different variants, each meant to dissuade different kinds of Pokemon. Most commonly, they were designed to give off either a special stench, or certain feel in the air, that such Pokemon (albeit some more than others) would pick up on, eliciting an unpleasant or sometimes even disgusted response that would discourage them from going to wherever the repel had been sprayed. They were hardly available in droves, however. Substances like that would be easy to abuse if used too often by too many parties at once, the worst case scenario being a situation that disrupted habitats and Pokemon behavior. Because of this, they were not typically something that most people, common trainers included, could get their hands on very easily, and were often sold at high prices when they were available on any given market. The League often used them, naturally, and Ash supposed it made sense that merchants like these people would have better access to them as well, if only for safety reasons.

"To your knowledge," Janine questioned. "Do you know if there's less trainers than usual on the road right now? We have not run into any yet since coming here. We've been in the area for the past few days."

The man shrugged. "Personally, we haven't noticed any difference from the usual, based on the route we've been taking. We've gotten a decent few customers since arriving. It might just be luck of the draw, for either of us. Or maybe most of the trainers that are around at the moment are still deeper in. If you're looking for opponents, you'll have plenty of time, since Fuchsia City is still fairly far off."

"That's what we're hoping," Janine replied with a thankful nod. At the current rate that they were going, they might not even be halfway for a while. 'Plenty of time' indeed.

"Anyhow," the man briefly padded his backpack while glancing back at the wagon. "Would you two be interested in browsing our wares? Aside from some Galarian curry recipes and ingredients, which admittedly cost a bundle due to their rarity in this Region, I won't pretend to have anything overly fancy, but the things we do currently have on supply are stuff you can never have too much of. Food, medicine, Poke Balls, cooking equipment, even a few articles of clothing if you're low on that."

After hearing the offer, it almost abruptly occurred to Ash just how much the merchant duo were likely able to carry in two backpacks of such size. No doubt, the backpacks already utilized storage technology like his and Janine's did, allowing them to hold far more than they'd outwardly appear, and without being as normally weighed down at that, but both of their backpacks were at least twice the size of his own, not to mention there was almost certainly additional merchandise being stored in the wagon…

Politely holding up a finger to signal the man to give her a moment, Janine removed her backpack, briefly looking through it as Ivysaur took a step back to give her some extra space. After a quick couple of moments, she showed the merchant her cooking pot. "Do you have anything bigger than this? Preferably made from the same material. You can examine it if you need."

"Hmm…" the man accepted the pot. "Yeah, I have a feeling a couple of ours are made the same way. I'll take a closer look at it just in case, but I can see why you'd want to stick to the same style, if this is what I think it is. Definitely top of the line, albeit not super cheap. Of course, you'd get a discount if you were to trade this one."

Smiling a bit, the purple-haired girl offered him a satisfied nod. "I'd be happy too. I'd also like to look at what ingredients you have. We don't have the money for Galarian curry, but general food. Human and Pokemon."

"I'll look through our medicine real quick," Ash chimed in. "I can cover whatever we seem to be short on."

One business session later, Janine had a new cooking pot, and the group's water, food, and medicine supply had been securely restocked. They had also purchased two large umbrellas, too big to actually hold when open, but designed to protect tents in the rain, keeping travelers dry and healthy should they be caught in downpour at night with no shelter. Neither trainer had as much money left over as they would have otherwise wished (albeit neither of them were broke, either), but the additional supplies would give them a surefire cushion to reach Fuchsia City comfortably.

"Well then, it's been nice meeting you two." the merchant declared after everything was over.

"Likewise," Janine nodded back a thim, which Ash mirrored.

"I won't keep you too much longer than I already have," he continued, looking between the two trainers as he spoke. "But there is a quick thing that I feel I should share with you both. Don't worry, the information's free."

"What is it?" Ash raised a brow. Something in the man's tone had seemingly changed.

"Well…" moments later, Ash realized what that change had been. Hesitance. "I take it the lot of you are aware of the… incident that occurred at Lavender Tower?"

The mood had changed in an instant. The dread surged through Ash's chest as he fought to keep the images and sounds out of his mind, but could do nothing about the feelings and emotions. For a moment or two, he had briefly forgotten that he was out here, in the wilderness of Fuchsia, and not laying on the soft grass of the used to be ghost town, sobbing powerlessly with Caleb in his arms.

He had hardly thought once or twice before his hand found its way to Janine's not registering that she was feeling and doing the same things as him, and the same pace. Both trainers mutually squeezed one another's hands in a tight grip, seeking as much solidarity as simple relief.

He wasn't sure how visible their reactions were (nor was he currently thinking about it), but the merchant's apologetic response was suggestive, nonetheless. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pinch any nerves."

His words seemed to bring them back, releasing each other's hands from their grip and briefly stealing a glance at one another. There was tender vulnerability in both their gazes as their eyes met, but they tried to relax their gazes while looking back at him.

"It is fine," Janine inwardly flinched at the stiffness of her voice before trying again. "It is just a scary story, that is all."

"It certainly was," the man responded in a solemn. "We never even found out until we reached a town a few days later, but it actually happened the day after we left Lavender. To call us shocked and horrified would be an undersell, but that's all I'll say, for all our sakes." after a deep breath, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, what I was saying… oh, yes! After the tower was… destroyed," he spoke the words as gently as he could, but Ash's heart clenched regardless. "The myriad ghosts occupying it had nowhere to go. They've all fled the town altogether, scattering across the land. Lavender Tower was the distortion hotspot of Indigo, let alone Kanto. Apparently, there were far more ghosts living in that place than even experts ever could have predicted, and now they're all effectively homeless without warning."

Janine's eyes became interested in the ground as her hand rubbed her elbow. "It's terrible."

"As terrible as it is chaotic," the merchant replied. "As I said, they're were more ghosts there than anyone ever could have thought. All gathered in one place, and now not a single one of them is in that one place anymore. Ghost Pokemon are being sighted all throughout Kanto, and I imagine it may not even be long before some find their way to Johto if they wander far enough. They're in a panic, desperately sprinting about after having not only their own home, but also their very way of life completely ripped away."

Ash's fists tightened. Something found its way to his eyes. He could feel the tears for certain, the same ones that had drenched his face as he hugged Caleb against him in the grass. They were threatening to come again. Everything felt cold, as the terror teased him. Reminded him of what he had felt. What he still felt, in the back of his mind, even when not thinking about it. What he always felt, in some way shape or form, ever since that night.

But as the merchant spoke, there was the tiniest of sparks. Something hot. An ember in a snowstorm.

Lavender Town was a place of many stories. Many that many people had heard. It was also a place of reputation, and how could it not be? It was a town crawling with ghosts. That was terrifying. Lavender Town should be terrifying. Any place like it should.

But ghosts were Pokemon too. Creatures in habitat. A habitat in an ecosystem. And the ghosts of Lavender were exactly that; Pokemon that had made the town their home, sheltered in the tower. Most never leaving, from the sound of the merchant's words, but many still, regardless of the percentage, being a part of the town's everyday community among the humans. Admelia, the cheerful, antic filled Misdreavus. Yami…

Ash's heart clenched a second time at the thought of the Sableye.

They were peaceful ghosts. Civil ghosts. No different from any other Pokemon you'd find. Just as Pokemon were, on some levels, no different from people. And a group of monsters had taken everything from them.

He was grateful when the green-haired merchant continued talking, doing his best to listen closely and distract himself. "But that's what I really wanted to let you two in on, ghosts are almost everywhere right now, and it just so happens that a decent bulk seem to be floundering about around here, in Fuchsia. They're in a state of great distress and confusion right now, so who knows what would come of an encounter. Some might run off on sight. Others might lash out. So be on guard."

"Wait a minute…" tapping her chin, Janine realized something. "Wouldn't their presence disrupt the wildlife? One bad run-in could result in a rampaging Nidoking."

"That is the worst case scenario, yes." the merchant nodded grimly. "Perhaps not as likely as you may think, though. There's certainly bound to be some panic amongst the wild Pokemon here, but I imagine the very sight of something like that would bring about a quick retreat. Still though, never an impossibility. Leader Koga's been sending people out to investigate, and hiring able-bodied trainers to help out as well. We actually did business with one earlier today. Anyway, that's all I wanted to tell you. We haven't run into any ghosts ourselves, but make sure to keep looking over your shoulders. Especially at night."

Janine offered him a quick bow. "Yes, thank you for your time."

/

The day was hotter than normal as the sun bathed the area below shortly after noon. The group had set up lunch after a morning of light sparring and practice. Ash had spent the most time with Nebula today so far, helping her to further hone her usage of Ominous Wind, and spoke to her one last time before joining Janine.

"You've gotten pretty good at the move, and seeing the way you use it had me thinking about something," he explained to the curious Staravia. "Since Ominous Wind is, you know, a wind-based move, do you think it's possible to combine it with Air Slash and Air Cutter if we practice enough with it? They have more of an offensive edge to them, and the ghost type properties could bolster that against certain opponents."

Nebula's head tilted for a moment. It made sense in theory, but something about the idea did not sit right with her. Would she really be ready to do something like that?

"Don't worry," Ash took note of her reaction. "We'll still keep focusing more on the move you're currently working on if that's where you're more comfortable. We should give Ominous Wind some more time before attempting something like that. But it is a worthwhile idea, I think. I just thought it would be best to let you know in advance." she nodded back.

While heading over to where Janine was sitting, his eyes scanned the rest of the campsite. Tempest had just finished getting in a few minutes worth of extra Surf practice before helping himself to his food, sitting with Pikachu and Tentacruel. The Krabby had been progressively more social with the rest of the team since his battle with Phenom at the lodging; it had not been immediate, and still was not, but Tempest's presence was no longer distanced from the group. He ate with the rest of the team at every meal and participated in whatever conversations the group was having that Ash and Janine naturally could not understand the language of, even if he was not the most talkative participant in said conversations. He certainly seemed to be listening when he wasn't talking, and on the opposite end, the rest of the team was similar. It was an obvious adjustment period, as the interactions lacked the affectionate familiarity between the others, but hostility was no longer a problem, and the lingering tensions were softened, although not yet gone.

From Ash's observations of their training, Phenom and Tempest were still in competition, but the pent up emotions from before were thankfully lacking in comparison to prior. Tempest had a clear respect for the youngest member of the team that had not been present before, no doubt thanks to the dinosaur pushing him as far and hard as he had in their match. The battle seemed to have given Phenom the closure he needed as well, at least in regards to the water type's earlier antagonism, but Ash knew better than to assume that they were out of the woods entirely regarding the Tyrunt: His emotions and instincts were under control for the moment, but that was due to his grudge against the large Krabby being squashed. Tempest had only exacerbated what Elacia had warned regarding Phenom's species, and Phenom's hostile response was simply just that: A symptom. That conflict between the two had only been one form that the Tyrunt's potentially destructive nature could take on, and although it had certainly been important to address, Ash knew he needed to make sure that no other potential triggers came into the picture.

Thankfully, the boy felt decently optimistic regarding the young dinosaur's emotional progress, albeit not complacently so. Tempest may not have been the root cause, but the conflict had been a trial, and for as much as Ash knew that they had dodged a bullet settling things sooner rather than later, the silver lining was that the dragon now had some worthwhile experience to pull from that would hopefully make any further potential incidents easier to deal with. For now, the healthier rivalry that seemed to have formed between him and the river crab would surely benefit both of them as they continued training.

Even so, his eventual evolution would be a potential wrench that they needed to prepare for. Adding mental exercises with Valiant into the Tyrunt's routine would likely be ideal, but Ash did not know much about meditation. While eating with Janine, he brought the topic up.

"You said you've practiced that stuff back at home, right?" he asked after taking a spoonful from his bowl. "And you do it with your team every now and then."

"I try to, at least." she confessed, stirring her bowl before blowing on it for a moment. "I've been told I'm a faster learner, but I'm not the best at teaching it, I'm afraid. I can still at least try to help, of course. Have you ever attempted it before?"

"Probably not in any meaningful way," Ash admitted, feeling his cheeks redden. "I've seen characters do it on TV and that's about all I had to go off of. You can probably guess the results."

She snorted in amusement, keeping her mouth closed to suppress her chuckle. "Yes, perhaps I can." After gently consuming a spoonful of her food, her gaze found its way to Phenom, who was chatting with Beedrill and Skrelp. "As you said, Valiant's developing usage of Calm Mind already gives him a helpful outlook. Psychics in general have a meditative foundation to them, self explanatory. I can do my best to help you three get started together, although I can't promise anything effective. But once we get to the city, I'm sure some people from home would be willing to lend a hand. They'll be more useful help and can teach it better than me. Until then, you guys are welcome to join in whenever I try to practice meditation with my team. Ivysaur and Tentacruel are usually the most interested."

"Is it because they're the most calm?" Ash questioned. Her Ivysaur was about as level headed as they came; not in a supremely stoic way like Gary's Wartortle (and unlike his rival's starter, Ivysaur's demeanor did not change nearly as drastically when Overgrow was activated, albeit the adrenaline boost was definitely present), but he and Tentacruel both seemed to have a comfortable air about them, which did not necessarily translate to a lacking of expressiveness. Nobody on her team was poorly behaved by any means, but the others were more outgoing, apart from maybe Skrelp.

"That is probably a factor," the poison specialist confirmed.

As they finished their bowls, Janine pulled two bags of chips out of her backpack, offering one to Ash who accepted it. They sat in what Ash thought to be comfortable silence, but roughly halfway through his bag, he could see Janine looking elsewhere, eating fairly slowly as she appeared lost in thought.

"Is something wrong?"

She perked up at his voice, shooting him an apologetic glance before looking down at her bag with minor unease. "Sorry, I feel like being here has just got me thinking a little bit."

"About returning home?" Ash guessed. The subject had been brought up before, and after hearing her open up about certain things, the conflicted tone mildly glazing her voice was easier to understand. It reminded him of how he would likely find himself feeling, once it came time to return to Pallet Town, even if their reasons were as different as they were similar.

"Well that, yes. But, more specifically…" he wasn't too used to the look on her face as she stared down at the innocent bag of potato chips in her hands. It almost read as timid, which for his friend felt… wrong. "Back at home, I'm never allowed to eat most highly processed food."

He blinked; it wasn't an answer he thought of. "Really?"

"Nutrition has always been important to our family," she explained. "And we've always had the resources to avoid compromise. Since leaving, I've broken those rules a few times. Sometimes out of curiosity, I'll admit, but as a trainer on a budget and limited options. It's never felt right to me, even after these past months."

"It's just a bag of chips, Janine." Ash spoke the words without much thought.

"It's not natural food." Her retort didn't require much effort of her own.

Ash didn't realize until after her reply how automatically he had said it. He knew potato chips weren't healthy; that was borderline universal knowledge, but for as long as he could remember (and most likely far longer), he had taken them for granted. They were as everyday as they became, and although his mother had certainly made sure his diet was healthy and varied, she hardly forbade any unhealthy snacks. At worst it was always about avoiding overindulgence.

"So they're that strict about your diet?" he asked.

"For my own good, yes." she replied. "But hardly just me, everyone there is the same. I've had to get used to compromising since leaving, but it never stopped feeling odd. I know it probably doesn't sound like a big deal to you."

It didn't to him, but he held his tongue on that front.

For as similar as certain things seemed, a whole lot was definitely different.

/

Ash and Janine were making sure to count the days since setting off from Benver's Lodging, currently on day thirteen. The pacing of their progress was still balanced between travel focused days and training focused days, today being the latter. In that time, the progress made by just about everyone was beginning to show, bearing appealing fruit. Some moves had found greater progress than others, but everybody had considerably grown, and it was a vindicating thing, as it should not be too much longer before they reached the city, even if they still had a fair ways to go.

Even if it slowed their travel progress a decent bit, one very relieving development was that the group had finally begun running into other trainers to battle, making travel focused days just as useful as the training ones, not to mention stimulating for the team. Phenom and Tempest in particular were clearly overjoyed to have some fresh opponents to throw down against; the rest of the team made for great sparring partners (and the presence of Janine's Pokemon ensured variety), but it would have only lasted so long, especially since battles against other trainers were typically far more serious. Beedrill and Toxtricity seemed to share in the sentiment.

A new training day was upon them, and work on Trailblaze was the first on Ash's to-do list for Glaceon. Racing Pikachu naturally required more space to move around compared to the rest, and although Ash knew he needed to be cautious in a place like this, he also knew that being too modest with the space made available for the group's two fastest runners would defeat the purpose altogether. Thankfully, they had Nebula to scope out the surrounding area to ensure the coast was clear, not to mention supervise the race from above. If any wild Pokemon were to try and jump the duo, the rest of the group would be signaled immediately. So far, only once incident had occurred where a wild Pokemon had intruded upon the camp during training; a Seviper that had been quickly neutralized by Tempest and Tentacruel.

Without Agility, Pikachu stood little chance at matching Glaceon's running speed. She in turn would always fall short of the mouse when he used the move, making such races perfect practice for the both of them: Glaceon to push herself into keeping up with an overtaking the electric type's blazing velocity, and Pikachu to push himself into maintaining Agility longer than usual. Such exercises had been a boon for Pikachu's increased utilization of Agility, and by extension, his mental fortitude. The better he got with the move, the longer and more frequently he could use it before experiencing diminishing returns or feeling a noteworthy strain. It would make his eventual evolution all the more healthy as well.

Glaceon's newfound practice in Trailblaze had altered the dynamic of these races, however. Trailblaze functioned effectively identical to Flame Charge, with a different element. It was a move where Glaceon would utilize grass type energy to propel her body forward in a forceful charge, creating great momentum that would only increase the better she maintained the move. After the initial struggle, her already impressive speed almost immediately experienced the benefits once she began to get a grip on using the move properly. To Ash and everybody else's amazement, the ice type was able to outrun Pikachu even at his best, for at least a short period of time. She still needed to work on maintaining the move, but in that brief window, it seemed as though she may have overtaken the electric rodent's top speed, briefly surpassing that of his Agility. And upon realizing that, she had become more determined than ever to master the move.

The ice type briefly looked up, seeing Nebula overhead just before refocusing her attention on her opponent in front of her. Pikachu's fleeing form was coated in the all-too familiar blue hue that signaled his usage of Agility, the move that had kept his speed undisputed prior to her evolution. Ever since realizing that she could finally make that dispute, she had looked forward to (and actively sought out) every training session together, occasionally challenging the surprised mouse outright. It had not been the first time Pikachu was a subject of her fixation, but this fixation was not brought on by frustration towards her shortcomings (those feelings had been a thing of the past well before she evolved). It was the excitement of reaching that next step, to which racing him was the key. The more she trained, the more thrilled she felt at the thought of tapping into the true capabilities of her new form.

Those thoughts swirled in her mind as she struggled to focus the green aura that she was attempting to surround herself with. She could feel her speed increasing, and the gap between her and her opponent widening. For a good moment, the startling, adrenaline-pumping thrill of going faster than you could handle hit her, and she did her best not to flinch or stray from it, instead pushing even harder, passing Pikachu by just before the time came for the two of them to make the turn back to the camp. She held on longer than usual, performing a near-perfect u-turn as Trailblaze continued to boost her speed, now widening the gap. Behind her, Pikachu strained himself to run faster, but was already at top speed. The gap widened for a moment or two more before Trailblaze began to flicker.

Both racers took note immediately, and although a mildly frustrated (but not necessarily surprised) Glaceon tried in vain to will the grassy aura around her into restabilizing itself, Pikachu's resolve hardened, the opportunity a reminder to keep Agility going for as long as possible. Even as Trailblaze left her, Glaceon still retained the momentum for a time, galloping at similar speeds even with the move itself no longer in play. She would require further practice with the technique to retain said momentum for longer than she did, however. Though she remained fast as ever, the speed boost began to wane, and Pikachu had narrowly retaken the lead shortly before they returned to camp. With a bigger, safer area to traverse, not held back by their trainer's understandable caution, the race (and Pikachu's win) likely would not have been quite as close.

As Nebula called down in approval at their collective performance, both Pikachu and Glaceon sat down in the grass for a quick breather. Another memory of frustration passed through the ice type's mind as her gaze fell on her training partner. She saw her old self, as an Eevee, struggling to get the hang of Iron Tail, a move that Pikachu had already trained and honed to use against Brock well before she had even been caught. It was hard not to remember how painful and infuriating it had been when her own Iron Tail had given out mid-spar, leaving her with a sore and stubbed tail in the face of her sparring partner's near-perfected one.

She did not feel much of any of those emotions today, however. Instead, whatever initial, spur-of-the-moment frustration that had inevitably accompanied her withering Trailblaze was simply replaced with a sense of mild fulfillment for another hard-worked race, not to mention a further reminder to keep improving. She'd win one of these days, and it would be a joy when she did. She was hardly blind to her opponent's progress, of course. She was almost certain that Pikachu had somehow grown even faster, even if only by a little bit. No doubt he would be receiving an additional boost once he evolved, leaving her back behind him.

That was fine, however. Evolution made her feel… free. Like the locks holding her body back had been opened, the full potential of what she could one day be hers for the taking. Training and battling, as she had come to realize, was like the process of exploring all of that bit by bit. It felt good, and eventually all of her friends would feel the same. She'd be happy for Pikachu when he finally got to experience that for himself. Had it not been for his selflessness back in Lavender, he'd be doing it already, and she'd still be an Eevee.

Even as a Pikachu, however, he still had legs to stand on, and she was sure to voice that to him as she sent a complimentary bark his way. He seemed to flush at the praise, offering an awkward thanks with a strange lack of eye contact.

Not too far from them, a short blast of water from Tempest's pincers easily doused the small, purplish-white fireball that Valiant had tried to launch at him. Crossing his pincers, he quickly braced himself for impact as the Kirlia rammed into him with Zen Headbutt, grunting and being pushed back as he let himself take the hit. Shortly after recovering, he dove forward at the psychic, a surge of water enveloping his body as he took a swing. Valiant dodged the hit and fired a narrow bolt of electricity, aiming for the Krabby's side, but Tempest turned and easily halted the Thunder Wave with a Mud Shot, which was deflected by a quickly produced but still sturdy psychic barrier.

Ash watched the two closely, lips curving up as both parties targeted one another with Icy Wind, freezing the grass between them in a stalemate. To call the duo friends would be a gross overstatement, but coexisting was no longer the difficult task it had once been. Sparring sessions were void of Valiant's distrustful demeanor or tempest's derisive dismissiveness towards every other mistake, although the Kirlia was making fewer as time went on.

Will-O-Wisp was a solid, debilitating burn-based move typically designed more to weaken the opponent than for truly direct offense, similar to Thunder Wave in that regard. In addition to being a fire type move, it was also known to use distortion energy (or something similar to it, Ash's knowledge of the greater details was vague at best). To Ash's knowledge, the move was as associated with ghost types as it was with fire types as a result, and Valiant's prior experience with Shadow Ball and having Shadow Sneak as an egg move were both beneficial to learning it. Especially since he was a psychic type, an attribute that would normally make learning the move a bit more difficult (thankfully not to the degree of an actual ghost type move). Ash had expected Valiant's progress with Thunder Wave to be better and faster, but to his satisfaction, Valiant appeared to have a decent hand in both moves. Calm Mind, of course, proved helpful as well. Zen Headbutt and Ice Punch had seen similar progress, and the boy would periodically have his psychic friend attempt to heal his teammates (and himself) in between particularly rough sparring sessions, practicing Life Dew. It was Dream Eater that lagged behind the rest, largely because it was a fundamentally more difficult move to practice.

Tempest had gotten the basics of Liquidation, enough for Ash to be confident in the river crab's prowess with the strong water type move once he had achieved the elusive evolution he was chasing after. Iron Defense was coming along smoothly, enough to where the Krabby likely could have tanked some of his sparring partner's attacks with ease if he had chosen to do so. Ash silently commended Tempest's apparent sportsmanship for not doing such a thing; though there would not have been anything truly wrong with it, he seemed to instead be giving Valiant a more genuine opportunity to gauge the progress of his offense, taking the hits to give the psychic's offensive moves a better chance to produce a proper effect, especially helpful with Ice Punch and Zen Headbutt, the two attacks he was currently working on.

"Alright you two, that's enough for now." As Ash called for the session to halt, Valiant obediently stood down, the Shadow Ball in his hands vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Tempest took a moment longer, expressing some disappointment before nonetheless complying, Crabhammer's glow disappearing from his pincers. The two turned to their trainer, quick to accept the oran berries he offered to each of them. "Those barriers of yours definitely seem to be a layer stronger now, Valiant. It felt like you were absorbing more punishment without having to rely on Light Screen or Reflect. It's a defensive staple for a lot of psychics, and I'm sure it will be handy against Koga. Speaking of which, I'll have you both take a break for a bit, but afterwards I'll pair you with Phenom so he can get some practice for the day with Psychic Fangs and maybe a short-"

All three quickly snapped their heads in the direction of Nebula's alerting cry.

An Arbok had wandered into the camp, and as it faced off with Phenom and Skrelp, the hostility on the cobra's face was clear.

Skrelp glanced somewhat uneasily to the side at Phenom, who bent his knees and bared his teeth at the invading serpent. Before he could make a move, a blur passed over him, and Glaceon drove an Iron Tail into the poison type's side. As Arbok reeled from the impact, he hissed in Ash's direction as he, Valiant and Tempest arrived on the scene. At the boy's signal, everyone except Tempest and Glaceon backed away.

"Frost Pulse, both of you!"

A steady Water Pulse expanded out of Glaceon's opening mouth, before quickly freezing over into solid ice, the strong glow of the water type move still shining through its icy encasement. The frozen sphere looked quite pretty as a result, and was soon matched by an identical one that had formed from Tempest's pincer. Both teammates fired at the same time, striking the snake cleanly in the head and stomach just in time for two more Arbok to show up, clearly displeased at the sight of their fallen kin.

"Nebula!" Ash called up to the Staravia, whom he already knew was listening. "Are there anymore?" his feathered friend lowered herself just enough for him to see for certain that she was shaking her head.

"Good." Ash had not noticed Janine's arrival until she had spoken, steady and stoic as ever. The moment the one word left her lips, the Arbok on the left was knocked back by a shockwave. The two trainers exchanged nods as Toxtricity positioned himself in front, standing proudly with his head raised.

Eyes narrowing, Tempest offered electric/poison type a clearly displeased grunt before moving in even closer, almost just in front of the third, unharmed Arbok. The second Arbok picked itself back up, ready to retaliate against Janine and Toxtricity's transgression.

"Careful, Tempest." Ash quickly reminded with a firm, disproving tone. "Don't get too close yet." The Krabby's outstanding defenses would do well to shield him from any debilitating moves, but they did not know exactly what these Arbok could do, and he'd rather not be surprised. Tempest responded by backing away just enough to satisfy the order, aiming a challenging pincer at the uninvited guest while his trainer looked back at Janine. "Let's drive them away quickly."

"Agreed." As always in battle, his purple-haired friend was firm and unflinching, and devoid of relaxed demeanor.

/

A cold sweat passed over Ash as he jolted from his sleeping bag. It took a moment or two to register everything, taking in his surroundings.

He was in the mouth of a cave, which the group had set up camp in to avoid the coming rain that had begun to fall the previous evening. Although not a downpour, it had hardly been comfortable. Looking outside, the rain seemed to have stopped, although he could still feel the cool moisture seeping in.

Standing up, his eyes scanned the rest of the group. Everybody still seemed to be asleep. Carefully, he made his way to the end of the mouth to catch a glimpse of the sky. Much of it still was not visible, covered in clouds. Nonetheless, he could see some stars overhead. It was likely very early in the morning. A chill passed down his back as what sounded like a loud call (he did not recognize the species) was heard through the air. Sighing, he made his way

Back inside, eyes falling on the rest of the group one more time before sitting a few feet away from his sleeping bag, back pressed against the hard, stony wall. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, but was not trying to sleep. Just relax.

Another dream had come and went. Another visit to Lavender Tower. Another phantasm of the Iron-Masked Marauder. Another echo of Tyranitar's roar, and the feeling of falling as the tower collapsed from beneath him. No two dreams had been the same, but the memory found new ways to torment him each time it resurfaced in his sleep. It was as frustrating as it was nerve racking; you never knew what you were going to dream until you were already asleep, and often you wouldn't even realize it was a dream until you had already woken up. It's what made nightmares so terrorizing, you were there. Convinced that it was real. How many times had he gone to bed since the incident, with no idea whether or not the night would produce peaceful, stress free rest? There was no pattern to it. No way to prepare… not that he imagined he ever could prepare for a nightmare, of course.

So instead, he simply leaned against the wall, closing his eyes again in an effort to keep them closed. Keep them relaxed. A sense of emptiness could be relaxing…

He must have dozed off at some point, however, because his eyes eventually opened to the sound of Janine sitting next to him. She hadn't been awake before, which made him wonder how long he had been out. Looking outside the cave, it still seemed decently dark.

"My apologies, did I wake you up?" she asked cautiously. Her purple hair was down beneath her shoulders, lacking the usual spiky ponytail. A sight no longer unfamiliar to him.

"I didn't really know myself," he admitted. "It's fine."

She hummed something, back pressed to the wall beside him, just enough to where their shoulders barely did not touch. They were silent for a few moments as both trainers gathered their thoughts.

"Had another nightmare," Ash said. She did not seem surprised, looking over to him with a solemn nod as her hand pressed against her knee.

"I had…" she bit her lip for a moment, face wrinkling in minor thought. "I don't know if nightmare is the right word entirely, but it was definitely a weird dream. Unpleasantly. Was yours about the tower again?"

"As usual," Ash exhaled the words out a bit, mild sarcasm lacing his next sentence. "What number version are we at by now?"

Her brow furrowed for a moment before looking forward at the rest of the team. None of the Pokemon were awake for the moment. Golbat would occasionally be up at night, but was not for now. Her eyes lingered on her flier before returning back to Ash. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Talking about it was always a choice. They had agreed to never keep it from one another, always letting each other know whenever they had a bad dream the previous night. Whether or not they discussed it depended on the moment, or the mood. On some levels, Ash did not like speaking out loud what was already running wild in his thoughts, disturbing his sleep on a whim whenever his memories felt like he did not deserve a relaxing night. With Janine sitting next to him, it did not always feel that way. Not always. She had been there herself.

"Not sure if there's a lot new to mention," he admitted. "It was a 'falling' dream, I guess. I didn't see Tyranitar this time, just heard him. Tower was collapsing and suddenly I was going down. I think Caleb might have… already been gone?" he paused to swallow. How many nights was Caleb tortured with images like this back at home? He remembered how subdued the younger boy had been afterwards… back then Ash had simply been happy to see him, but looking back…

…

…"I… uh, don't remember if any ghosts were in the dream this time," he half realized. "It might have just been me. Same idea, though." he turned his head to look at her, earning a nod. Her face was… strained wasn't the right word, it was too soft for that. The expression did not seem relaxed, however.

"Anything else?" she invited.

"It's a foggy one this time," he replied. "Do you want to talk about yours?"

"Hm… there were ghosts in mine," she said after a pause. "It was one of those dreams that doesn't make sense no matter how you think about it. More so than usual, I mean. But the ghosts were one of the clear parts. They were in these glass containers, knocking on the glass and laughing." she chewed her lip, nose scrunching. "Do you remember what that merchant told us?"

"You mean how all of those Lavender ghosts are basically homeless now?"

"Yes that, but also… the fact that they all scattered around Kanto because of it. People aren't used to seeing ghosts just anywhere. All of these sightings could cause a panic. The tower being destroyed already did."

"..." Ash looked back at the wall on the other end of the cave's mouth. "I wonder if Yami would have run off." he suddenly blurted it out, half by accident. He paused for a moment in realization of what he had said, but his friend's unchanged expression told him to continue. "I know he probably wasn't any different from the other ghosts… I guess he just sticks out."

"Of course he does," she said. Her tone of voice was simplistic and to the point. As though it were obvious and did not even need to be spoken. "He was the one you knew. A better part of the weak."

"And aside from that… Alpha thing," Ash recalled with some effort. "He was the only one who didn't, you know…" The only one who didn't get away. Unlike the other ghosts, Yami was not homeless, running around in a panic, potentially frightening travelers that would frighten him back in return. His home was the dark, almost alien looking Poke Ball that Marauder had sucked him into.

Janine did not finish his sentence for him, to his gratitude. Instead she simply nodded, a much more comforting reaction. She continued to study the side of his face as he looked away towards Nebula, the one who had spent the most time with the Sableye. "Did you want to catch him?"

Her words brought his eyes back to her, blinking for a moment as he processed the question. "Oh, you mean…"

"I was just curious," she said, voice laced with a mild apologetic tone. "You bonded with him a decent bit, and were impressed by his strength. So was I, but he was your friend for the most part. It just made me wonder, is all."

"Hm…" he nodded with a light hum, gaze shifting to the stony floor where his hand rested next to his knee. "You're right, I'll admit the idea popped into my mind once or twice. I didn't really plan on acting on that, though. It didn't feel the same, he was like a resident of that town. For all I know, I wasn't even the first traveler passing by who made friends with him. Or the second or third. I mean, he was there since before my mom was born."

"It does feel different," she echoed in agreement.

Breathing through his nose, Ash felt another cold sweat. "He saved me. That's how he got caught. I'm sure he was scared but he kept fighting, and I just froze."

"...No, you didn't." the girl shook her head, a bit lightly, just enough to get the motion across while keeping her hair behind her. "If you had really frozen, Caleb would have died. Maybe Yami… maybe he felt the same way you did." It felt like she wanted to say something more, as though her tongue had frozen mid movement. Ash studied her face, a cloud passing over he expression.

"Are you thinking about the…" he paused for a moment. He needed to mention it as gently as possible. "Skeleton you saw?"

Her eyes traveled down as he said it. He felt guilty for mentioning it, but found he was getting somewhat used to it. These talks were semi recurring.

"I did freeze," she finally said. Chewing her lip, she did not want to look Ash in the eye speaking her next sentence. "Team Rocket is scum, worthless." It was probably the tone of voice, albeit shaky, that discouraged her from looking in his direction.

So he looked away from her, and they both stared at the wall in silent agreement. He wasn't sure who's arm moved first, but their fingers locked against the floor. A tense, but relaxing touch shared in an uneasy, but comfortable silence.

/

The next traveling day, following a productive day of training by the cave, bore promising fruit as Janine's widened at something in the near distance, just close enough to be made out. "Hold up, look!"

As per routine, Pikachu was scouting ahead of the group, and Glaceon ahead of him while Valiant and Ivysaur remained at their trainers' sides. It was currently Nebula's turn on sky patrol, and the Staravia was filled with energy, performing the occasional loop-de-loop that would produce amused smiles from the observing group. Of course, she did not forget her duties in the midst of having fun, and kept a vigilant eye on the below surroundings, prepared to signal anything suspicious or concerning.

A tiny hop brought Janine's feet just barely above the ground as she viewed the tree she spotted, having swiftly verified it with her binoculars before turning back to Ash with what almost felt like uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "See the tree? The really bulky one? Here."

He accepted the pair of binoculars as she handed them to him, peering through the lens with curiosity to see what she was talking about. It was definitely a bulky tree, alright. Almost round like an oval, with skinny branches that almost resembled spikes. The branches extended higher than the trunk itself, but the tree was still certainly tall.

"Yeah, I see it," he lowered the device from his face before handing it back to her. "It's… oddly shaped."

"Mhm," she hummed in affirmation. "Do you know what it is?" Unsurprisingly, her tone of voice indicated that she did know, a fact that was quickly confirmed as he shook his head. "That's the armored tree of Sennfence. It's said to be the sight where Gwyniff Kyo married her husband, named after his surname. Never actually been to it myself because it's a fair way out, but I do know that Fuchsia City is about a day or so away from it if one goes at a good pace. If we sped up a little bit, and continued southeast, we should be there within thirty six hours."

Ash's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, eyes widening with a sense of finality. After all of the hiking and precautions… "That is good news!" as he grinned, Valiant and Ivysaur mirrored his expression, exchanging knowing looks. All four parties seemed to have the same thoughts flowing through their minds.

"We could switch the schedules for the home stretch," she offered, putting her backpack back on with a slightly tightened grip. "Just traveler the remainder, it would be easy enough to make up the training time once we get there. Fuchsia City has its good share of quality spots for training. And I'm sure you're looking forward to a true bed."

"One way to put it, for sure." Ash chuckled. "Although, I'm sure you're also looking forward to seeing your family again. Been months since you saw your father in person."

As Ash's words sunk in, Janine's expression did not noticeably change, but Valiant blinked for a moment, gaze turning to the girl with studious focus. After a moment or two, Ivysaur picked up on the psychic's facial expression, and followed his eyes to his trainer's face.

"Regardless," Janine continued. "Should we let Pikachu, Nebula, and Glaceon know? Since we're speeding up."

"Yeah, will do."

Over their heads, Nebula saw the group break into an abrupt jog after Pikachu and Glaceon. Her eyes glinted in curiosity at the sight, and she was just about to follow down after them to see if anything was up, when something else from the opposite end just barely caught her attention. Had she not been circling in that specific direction, she most certainly would have missed it entirely.

Taking one last look back at her friends, the Staravia veered off course for a brief moment. Doing so was part of her job, after all. The sight that had grabbed her notice was a fair distance away, but as she got closer, it started to seem… mechanical?

Humming in confused curiosity, she continued her approach, until she was almost directly above it. To keep an eye on the rest of the group, she circled above, trying to remain high enough to be seen by them in case she needed to give any signals. Nonetheless, she did her best to zero in and focus on the object. It was box-shaped, and inside was…

The Staravia's eyes widened just before an agonizing pain erupted in her left wing. A piercing, stabbing sensation that went directly through it, a bladed object. All thoughts left the normal/flying type as a harsh, ugly shriek erupted from her beak, and her aerial balance was completely gone, as though it was a function that had been turned off by a button. Her left wing went limp; it hurt like every synonym to the word, and yet it was almost as though she couldn't feel it. It slumped lifelessly down to the side, hanging in the air as her right wing flapped ferociously to know avail. She spiraled in the air, every which way, in every direction but up, until she was only going down. The ground came closer and closer until she could see nothing.

…

"Alright you two," having gathered Pikachu and Glaceon, Janine knelt down to look the scouting duo in the eye, hands gripping her knees. "There has been a last minute change in plans. First, we're going to be heading for that tree to-"

Her blood turned cold, a wintry sensation rushing down her spine as she heard Ivysaur's call directly behind her. It was a shrill, borderline alien cry that rarely, if ever, escaped her starter's throat, and along with Ash and the rest of the group, she was whirling around to look at him in less than a second. "Ivysaur!? What is-" She paused almost the second her eyes fell on her partner, noticing the vine that had exited his bulb, pointing to the northwest. Almost skyward. "The sky, what is it?"

"The sky…" Ash repeated in a mild confusion, but very much alert from the grass/poison type's panic. "Wait a minute, I don't see Nebu-"

Valiant's mental voice quickly relayed Ivysaur's words, and Ash's heart stopped.

/

A satisfied whistle escaped Caesar's lips as he approached the cage. It was roughly ten feet in height, with the width of most cargos on a box truck. The bars were not ordinary steel, glowing with red-violet light, and vibrating with a minor pulse, just enough for those close to the cage to hear the hum. Inside the cage were multiple ghost types of varied species, all of whom appeared to be some combination of drowsy and distressed.

"An operation like this was a borderline freebie," he declared to no one in particular as he looked over the mechanical structure.

When Executive Ariana had enlisted Scarfist Company for the assignment, they had been generously loaned equipment used by the Iron-Masked Marauder himself. The legendary Pokemon Hunter was an expert in hunting all types of Pokemon, which included ghosts, for which particularly special equipment was often used for the best success. The equipment supplied to them had made their current hunt a foolproof undertaking in the making.

One such device was a special emitter that gave off signals designed to imitate distortion. Although not actual distortion, it was capable of fooling the senses of most average ghosts (those with especially fine tuned senses or advanced training were likely to tell that it was simply a fabrication), attracting them to the area the signal was coming from. With the ghosts scattered across Fuchsia's wilds in large numbers, the best method was to avoid the search and have the targets come to them.

The cages supplied to them were special contraptions designed for restraining ghosts. The machines emulated a potential form of dark type energy to suppress and contain the spectral creatures. Touching the bars would burn like a stovetop, and being enclosed and surrounded by them would be oppressive and debilitating. When Caesar had curiously asked why the cages were not bigger, Ariana had explained that the functions of the device were most effective when each set of bars were not too far apart, ensuring consistent proximity to the harmful effects. For this reason, the size that had been distributed to Scarfist company was often viewed as the best quality; just big enough to house a decent number of captives without compromising the restraining functions. Essentially the largest the cages could be while still producing maximum energy inside.

As the large man stopped in front of the cage he was examining, a movement directed his eyes to two particular ghosts. One was a Misdreavus, shivering in fright. The other was a Haunter, the one resident of the cage who had an expression of anger, rather than fear, sadness, pain, or fatigue. Snarling, the ghost lunged in Caesar's direction, but the lead poacher did not flinch. Instead, he simply offered a light shake of his head, mildly amused as Haunter hissed in displeasure upon making contact with the bars. As the hostile ghost backed away, Caesar fished a remote from his belt, adjusting a slider as the humming of the cage grew slightly louder, and the glow from the bars intensified.

The reactions were immediate, with every ghost in the cage instantly feeling the effects of the extra pressure. Haunter snarled for a moment or two longer, but once Caesar was certain that the aggression had been quelled, he returned the settings to normal.

"Ever since your home was destroyed," Caesar kept his eyes on the ghost/poison type for a few more seconds to ensure a repeat would not occur. "Those arrogant hypocrites in the League have been hunting Team Rocket like game. It's hard for them to come out and do an operation like this, when their movements have to be so much more careful than usual. And the Marauder is needed elsewhere for what sounds like a very special mission." he shook his head again, disproving irritation gleaming from his eyes. "The Rockets' plight is not good news, but Ariana has assured me that it is only a rough patch. Even something that was taken into account. It's good to hear; when they finally destroy the League, they can create a world where people like us are free to do what we do with no swords at our back. No law, no restrictions. Just the instincts of man. It sounds like paradise, doesn't it? They say paradise isn't real, but you all came from one: Lavender Tower. Team Rocket had to destroy it to create one for the rest of us; it was simply a price that needed to be paid. Nothing personal." returning the remote to his belt, he crossed his arms. "In the meantime, with Team Rocket's hands tied, my company was more than happy to accept this job. Lending our hand to the cause, and looking forward to the paycheck. That's what it means for us at Scarface Company. Nothing personal here eit-"

A sound from elsewhere nearby in the camp caught his attention, and his face wrinkled in annoyance, a large hand running through his hair. "Not again… Jad! The Sunnytown girl is acting up for the umpteenth time. Tell her to knock it off!"

"On it," brushing his dirty blonde hair behind his head, Caesar's subordinate jogged to the source of the noise.

That source was a small girl tied against a sturdy, cushioned seat, with a tight piece of cloth muffling her screams. Six years old, the child had icy blue hair to go along with her cerulean eyes. It had been tied into a ponytail prior to restraining her against the seat. Her eyes widened as she saw the man approaching, and her struggling halted.

As he slowed down, and eventually came to a stop in front of the child, Jad let out an exhale before crouching to eye level, keeping his voice firm and authoritative.

"What the hell is it now, young lady? You were fed a sizable and healthy meal for your age two hours ago, so don't be greedy. You need a juice box or something?" he carefully reached up to grip the cloth covering her mouth, pulling it down slowly. "Don't try my patience-" He was cut off by a loud scream, high pitched and frantic.

"Please let me go! I want my-"

Jad's face clenched, eyes flashing for a moment as his hand collided with the side of her face. She immediately stopped all speech and movements, as if the impact had flipped a switch. "What did I just say!?" his gaze bore into her tear stained face. "We're doing our best to accommodate you before it's time to move out, which will be in less than a day. You should be doing your best to cooperate, not making everything harder. It's bad enough we're doing this here of all places and we don't need any inconvenience weighing us down. Do you hear what I'm saying?" After a moment or two, she offered a hesitant, weak nod. "Are you sure?" The second nod was more steady.

"Good." Jad kept his firm eyes locked with hers, studying every corner of her face as he stared her down. "You may not know it now, girl, but a few years down the line you'll back at us and be grateful. If you had stated with your parents, you would have grown up to be another brainwashed cog in the Indigo League's monopoly. It's a waste that they'd have tricked you into finding fulfilling. Executive Petrel is going to give your life a true purpose. Something greater. Something you'd never have had if we hadn't snatched you. You'll see, one of these days." After a moment or two of silence, he stood back up, keeping his eyes on her as he brought the cloth back to her mouth before staring down at her. "He's good with kids, you'll be introduced soon."

As Jad left the girl to return to his usual work, two more poachers teleported a few feet away from Caesar, who had since walked away from the cage of ghosts he had been reviewing, now on his way to his tent. The woman with strawberry blonde hair, and a shorter man with spiky green hair laced with blue dye at the tips. Next to them was a Kadabra, who held an unconscious Staravia in her arms. Blood dripped from the Staravia's left wing, and her beak was dented from a hard fall.

"Sir," the woman's voice caught Caesar's attention. As he turned to them, his eyebrow raised in intrigue when his gaze immediately locked onto the wounded bird. "We just shot down this Staravia. She came across one of the cages from above, and based on her movements seemed to be closely inspecting it. We're not sure if she's wild or trainer owned, but if the latter…"

"She could have alerted her trainer if left alone," Caesar's eyes narrowed, and his fingers gripped his chin. "And if she does have a trainer, her absence won't go unnoticed…"

"What should we do?" the spiky haired man questioned. "We're scheduled to meet Ariana and Petrel in twelve and a half hours, right? We can't afford any last minute disruptions while preparing to leave."

"You're right," Caesar's arms fell to his sides, biting his lip as his forehead wrinkled. "But we do still have time. Scope out the area, and put the bird in a cage. Separate from the ghosts."

The two poachers nodded, before the woman signaled for the Kadabra to follow her. As the psychic walked through the camp, Nebula's eyes fluttered open, but could only manage halfway.

Everything was a haze…