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.

32. Life in a Ghost Town

Samuel Oak may have only been thirteen, but he long knew what his goal in life was: Pokemon Research. A pursuit of the endless mystery surrounding the creatures that humanity shared the world with. Or was it Pokemon sharing the world with humanity? One of many questions he dared hope to answer. Unsatisfactory grades had always been his obstacle, however. He was never academically gifted, and his dream often felt like that of a person who wanted to become a top athlete, but did not have the body built to do so. Concerned to see him fraught with disappointment, his parents had always discouraged his goal, to both his appreciation and irritation.

Limitations could only be overcome with proactivity, and that was why he ventured through Indigo as a trainer. If he was not gifted in academics, then he would achieve knowledge by absorbing it. Not through books or school assignments, but through the eyes of a trainer, he would take it all in. There was no better lesson than travel and experience to soak in the world you lived in. A world filled with Pokemon.

Among the many varied categories of such creatures, ghosts had always been among the most mysterious and hard to understand, and Lavender Town was the greatest place in Indigo, and maybe the world, to come to understand them. At least, for those brave enough to make the trip. So now, young Samuel found himself within the Noble Town, which many viewed as a town-sized cemetery. And before he knew it, he was sitting across from this girl at the local bakery's booth.

He could never explain what, but something about Agatha had jumped out at him during their first meeting inside Pokemon Tower: Was it the way she talked? The way she looked? How she carried herself beyond her years, right in her professional element within the walls of a sacred tower that her family helped to take care of? Did he simply want to chat up a local native for information, and was blessed with meeting one his age, the easiest types to interact with on equal footing? He certainly did not have an easy time talking to people younger or older than him; the imbalance was far too stressful.

But right now, the reason did not matter. He had set off from home in hopes of finding success as a trainer, studying along the way, and his stop in Lavender was entirely dedicated to the latter. This girl's invitation to meet here at the bakery to discuss things was a welcome one. He'd expected a nice talk and some good food as a bonus, although he certainly had not prepared himself for how good the pasta would taste. The orange sky on full display through the window also provided the two of them with quite the view, particularly surrounding the roof of Pokemon Tower, visible from here (and according to Agatha, every location in Lavender).

Across from him, the blonde girl in question grinned with satisfaction, and he realized he had been unable to hide just how much he was relishing the dish that he was currently halfway through eating.

"Don't worry, Samuel," Agatha's voice was as mildly posh as conceivable as she watched the boy eat his food (with pleasantly surprising table manners). "The beacon family's cooking has that effect on every first-timer. Their culinary talent is so Mew-gifted it's probably on its way to becoming genetic."

Though Samuel was not easily flustered by her teasing, his face still betrayed a sheepish smile as he set his fork down. "We don't get cooking like this in Mossgreen," he admitted. No disrespect to his folks and neighbors, but food and culinary were never a noteworthy talent back at home. "And I've only eaten basic stuff at the hotels."

She nodded along. "Fair enough. I suppose being a first-year won't easily grant you the income to treat yourself on the road." The general expectation among trainers was that it was only truly profitable in the long-term. The more momentum you had, the more money you made. But first-years don't gain momentum. Making it to the Conference was a sacred rarity. It took sticking with the occupation and coming into your own to truly prosper, but historically most trainers only remained as such for the first one or two, sometimes three years before pursuing other goals. Journey's were mostly a rite of passage, a coming of age. And for as popular as the occupation was, true dedication was dwarfed in numbers by the temporaries.

"You're a first-year too, though." Samuel replied politely. "You didn't have to pay for me."

"Don't go thinking too much of it. I'm only paying for your meal because I'm getting mine for free. They're letting me eat without charge during my stay, so I'm basically paying as much as I normally would. It's no charity."

"So you're really close to these guys?"

"For about six years." The girl's smile was fond. "But I know pretty much everybody in town."

"No exaggeration." The two perked up to see Mrs. Beacon approaching them, her name tag reading "Rose". "Even the local ghosts all know Agatha," she smiled at Samuel while gesturing her head. "A good few of them stick to her everywhere she goes in town. Like Yami, here."

That directed Samuel's attention to the Sableye seated next to Agatha. The small ghost had been with her when he had first encountered them in the tower the previous morning, and had popped up out of thin air during their dinner. Impressively, the blonde girl had not been the least bit startled by his sudden, unceremonious arrival.

Agatha patted Yami's head as she replied. "Heh, Yami's been here for around ten years now, right?" She turned back to Samuel. "Nobody knows where he came from, not that that's unusual for a ghost. He always just shows up out of nowhere. He's been a friend of mine since shortly before starting school, one of the ghosts I've known the longest." her eyes shifted to the open notebook on Samuel's side of the table. The boy was wiping his hands with the napkin, likely signaling that he was preparing to start writing again; he'd done so periodically throughout their conversation, and she couldn't help but admire the studious productivity. She was about to continue, but quickly realized what Rose's presence met, so briefly changed the subject. "Are you ready to order dessert, Samuel?"

She could see the spark in his eyes at the prospect of 'dessert'. "Yeah, are you?"

"Mhm." she nodded before turning back to Rose. "I'll have my own helping of whatever he wants, so just two of whatever he orders, please."

Nodding back to her, Rose turned to Samuel. "Do you need time to decide?"

"I won't keep you waiting." Samuel shook his head. "A plate of macadamia nut cookies, and another glass of milk, please." he was close to finishing the milk he had ordered with his dinner.

Rose chuckled. "I take it Agatha's already gushed to you about how much she loves the cookies here?" her eyebrow lifted suggestively. Some would call the "love" an obsession.

"She may have said a thing or two." Samuel admitted. Despite the light tinge in her cheeks, Agatha still somehow managed to appear unfazed whilst rolling her eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Beacon."

"Just Rose, dear. We wish for our service to be personal."

"Okay," the boy corrected himself. "Thank you Rose."

As Rose walked off (also telling Yami that she would fetch a plate of food for him as well), Samuel and Agatha's attention found their way back to one another as the two young teens worked to finish their plates. After a comfortable silence, Agatha spoke again. "So… as I was explaining, ghosts simply show up. But they're incredibly uncommon outside of a few key areas. It's like a cycle; a ghost type Pokemon is attracted to distortion hotspots like a magnet. But what creates those hotspots in the first place?"

"A gathering of ghosts." Samuel answered easily, penciling in his notebook.

"Correct." Agatha's eyes watched the pencil moving in his hand across the paper before returning to the boy's face. "And there's one hotspot in Indigo that none can compare too; Pokemon Tower." Briefly, Samuel glanced outside the window, where the tower was always visible from a distance, looming over the entire area. "That tower is the reason why Lavender is what it is. All of the ghosts that appear throughout this town and its surrounding area? They're all hovering around the tower. And the more ghosts show up, the more are attracted still. Pokemon Tower is often viewed as a bridge between our world and the afterlife. The reason being that it's Indigo's biggest cemetery… and biggest distortion hotspot."

"But that cycle has to start somewhere, right?" Samuel had held off just long enough to eat the majority of what was left of his pasta. "I mean…" he locked eyes with the girl, who stared back at him with an even gaze. He quickly found it distracting, however, and so looked down at his food as he continued. "Wouldn't there have been something that attracted that first collection of ghosts? Of course, the fact that it's a cemetery would be a natural explanation, but what if there is something more? What if there was a significant source of distortion even before the ghost type's started populating it? Or at least before the population became massive?"

Agatha didn't bother helping her satisfied smile. This boy was invested. The "I'm here to study" attitude wasn't a half-hearted one. Anya's uncle would like him. If she had X-Ray vision, she imagined she'd see the gears moving in his skull. "That's a reasonable theory. What did you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking it over, still." Samuel confessed. "Since you live here, you obviously know one of the more popular theories, right?"

"You mean how the spirit of the enemy commander in the Kanto unification war attracts all of the ghosts to the town?" Agatha sounded quite amused. It was true that the rebel who usurped Fuchsia seeking power was born where Lavender Town now stood, and was buried there as well."

"Yes."

"I do, and it's a fat load of Rapidash manure." She looked at him steadily. "Tall tales like that are simply products of this town's reputation. Horror stories from people who view this place as exactly that. Death is central to our culture, as is the inevitability of it, but the truth is obscured by rumor after rumor." Taking a final bite of her pasta, she continued after swallowing. "It's true that he is buried here, but nothing more. The distortion hotspot is something else. Admittedly, it's a bit of a mystery to even us, but there is something in that tower. The easiest guess would be a particularly strong ghost who set off a domino effect by being present. Unfortunately, even ghosts have secrets. Or perhaps especially."

"Is there any way to solve that secret?" Samuel pried.

"I know the interior of Pokemon Tower like you know the clothes on your back. But some mysteries are simply beyond humanity."

"I know.." Samuel's words hung in the air between them for a moment or two. "And that's my dream. To break the ceiling. For humans and Pokemon alike." After a few more moments of pause, he finished his plate. "My school principal says knowledge is a shackle. That limitations have always dictated what we as a species could learn. My dream is to… conquer them. Redefine humanity's limitations, regarding how we understand our world. And then overcome those as well." Although his tone of voice remained the same; calm, steady, tranquil as a breeze, Agatha could see something in his pupils. Something passionate. "I want our entire perspective on this planet to evolve."

Agatha absorbed his words, staring at him quietly as she patted Yami's head once more. Next to her, the Sableye seemed somewhat enamored with the young boy's speech as she nodded back, signaling acknowledgement of his declaration. "And that's why you came here tonight, to have this talk with me."

Samuel Oak of Mossgreen gave Agatha Kikuko of Lavender a heartfelt nod, and a smile that resembled a beacon. Innocence, excitement, fixation, anticipation… the image of it all etched its way into her brain. "Thanks for your help with that, Agatha." his eyes shifted out the window once more, glancing at the looming tower for just a brief moment. "I… doing things this way is what's best for me. Books are one thing, but perspective is another."

To his mild surprise, she giggled behind her hand. The noise was soft, benevolent. "That's good to hear, Samuel, but you should know I'm not doing this for nothing in return." At his curious expression, her hands rested on the table, allowing her to comfortably shift forward just a little bit. "Or you can consider it payment for covering tonight's meal. After this, I want to learn more about you."

The boy blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What is there to learn?" He didn't quite understand Agatha's point; he was about as unremarkable and ordinary as one could get. From a town with no story behind it, or anything resembling prestige or prominence. He wasn't even that smart. Not yet.

"Don't give me that," she pressed. "You may not come from anywhere as important as here, but I want to know about you." The girl repeated. Reaching behind her head, she effortlessly brushed aside a strand of golden hair as her mouth curved up. "I've been nice enough to spend an evening answering everything you've had to ask about our town, so now that's something you owe me. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm doing the asking, and you're going to be answering my questions." Tilting her head, her light smirk formed into a wide, heartfelt and cheerful grin. "You're quite fascinating, Samuel Oak."

The boy blinked several times at her, taking in every detail of her expression. "Fascinating"… he was to her? The world was fascinating. The mysteries surrounding it were fascinating. "Fascinating" was a word for things like those… but for him?

He was just a boy from Mossgreen. A subpar student on a mission for knowledge and perspective. To break down the walls eclipsing humanity's understanding of this planet. He was not "fascinating". The things he wanted to research were.

As her words sunk in, his lips moved upwards as well, a light chuckle that couldn't be helped escaping the young teen boy's throat.

"Heh, I… wouldn't mind that, Agatha Kikuko."

/

Dawn beckoned in the skies above Lavender, the first signs of the sun peaking over the horizon to light up the world below. As always, however, Lavender was an area lit up slightly less, and those bordering it could almost notice the shift with their own two eyes.

Such as those at the Team Rocket camp.

Executive Silver leaned against his tent as he locked professional gazes with the man standing across from him. Executive Petrel wore the same prestigious uniform, and stood roughly half a head taller than the red-haired teen, perhaps three quarters. His purple hair was arranged quite goofily, but a man of his quirks was not obligated to keep a less jarring appearance. Standing next to the purple-haired executive was a blonde girl one year Silver's senior, yet outranked by him all the same. Agent Domino, a prodigious, sixteen-year old young woman nicknamed "Black Tulip" throughout the organization, and a part of them since the age of eight. Familiarity glazed over her and Silver's eyes as the two looked one another over. The amount of joint training exercises and on-foot missions shared by the pair were too numerous for either of them to recall all at once.

"Domino… this will be given to Marauder when the mission starts." extending a hand, Silver handed her a stone. To the common man, it was an evolutionary stone known as the Moon Stone. To others, it was a fragment. For as humongous as the Moon Stone resting beneath Mt. Moon was, it was once much bigger, the pieces scattered about carrying the ability to evolve certain species.

To Operation Origin participants, the story went far beyond just that.

"Thank you kindly." her voice stoic and soft, she accepted the mystical rock. "Executive Petrel has already informed me of my role: I will be assisting Marauder in the raid on the tower, while the two of you will lead the surrounding unit preventing any resistance from entering the town, correct?"

"Yes," Silver nodded, brushing a strand of red hair behind him as his eyes briefly shifted to Neptune. The large Feraligatr was carrying a heavy box to another location in the camp. "Elite Four Agatha will be the one to answer the call once the League hears of our attack."

"Guaranteed." Petrel agreed. "It's far too personal for her."

"Once the League receives word, how long will we have until she shows up?" Domino bit her lip.

"No time," Petrel answered matter-of-factly. "That's why the mission must be done at night, to buy what little time we can before being noticed. But it will be easier for her to teleport to the border than directly inside the town." his face grew dark. "Elite Four Agatha, Maiden of the Ghouls… the greatest expert of ghosts to ever live, and Indigo's number two trainer, widely viewed. If she so much as steps foot in the tower, the mission is over. Which is why you and Marauder need to have secured the target by then. Even with us trying to hold her off, you are on a strict time limit." the blonde agent nodded at him as Silver crossed his arms.

"She won't be alone, obviously." the red-haired executive spoke coolly. "But she is the main concern. Holding her off will be more important than stalling most of the forces accompanying her, which is why the majority of our own must… dogpile her." Just speaking the words made him taste something disgusting. It was likely to be a bloodbath of sacrificial pawns. "Petrel and I will only be able to do so much before we're inevitably forced to retreat. But we will use every advantage available to prolong the stalling." Stalling was all that they could do. There was no defeating Agatha.

Domino stared at the Moon Stone in her hand, as though her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the object. "And this will be what finds the target." She looked between her two superiors. "Top floor. That's when we use it."

"It certainly won't be an easy capture." Petrel shifted uneasily. "The thought of staring her down is far worse, though."

"I don't disagree," Silver confessed. "But… once things get moving, the worst will be over. You two have finished your scouting, so Commander Archer will be sending Marauder to that location once he's had time to recuperate from this battle. That will be the moment of truth… the prototype my forces stole from Celadon Gym has been tested. Executive Ariana is hard at work with the blueprints. The perfected product will be the main event, but we aren't at that point yet. The prototype, however… will be needed to catch the next target."

"The next target…" Domino repeated. Her skin crawled. Her face was turning pale.

Silver's expression softened. "Domino…"

"It's… I'm fine." She lied. "But are we sure…"

"Ariana has studied the Master Ball with extensive detail, and The Iron-Masked Marauder is one of the greatest Hunters alive." Petrel answered her. "That's why he's here. The combination of him and his abilities, and the Master Ball. It's needed for this."

'That's not what I meant.' Domino did her best to fight off the anxiety. It would not be appreciated.

Silver studied her for a moment or two, before looking back at Petrel. "But that prototype will be saved for Marauder's next mission. For now, the current target is what lies in that tower."

"You've been preparing at camp," the older executive commented. "About how long will it take before we are ready for the mission?"

"The current projection is just under a week." Silver answered. "After that, we attack at night."

After exchanging a few more words, the trio were ready to part, but as Petrel walked off to speak with Marauder, and Domino turned in the direction of her tent, a hand on her shoulder halted her. Almost uneasily, she turned to look Silver in the eye. It wasn't long ago when the two of them were of equal rank. And now, he was one of the few giving her orders. It wasn't something either was used too yet.

"Something's on your mind…" he locked gazes with her. "It's because you and Petrel confirmed the lead, correct?" Her mouth remained closed for a few moments, but he was patient.

Finally, she released a breath. "It's just… Operation Origin… this whole project…" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Goes beyond humanity." Silver finished for her. He knew what she was thinking, and the thought sped up his heart rate just as much as her own. "And that's why it's the key to everything. Destroying the Indigo League is impossible… within humanity's limitations. But now we have the means to transcend that."

He allowed her to leave his grip. Standing up straight, she locked eyes with him once more. "Then… let's do it."

After a few more moments, Agent and Executive went off in separate directions. Taking in the surroundings as she walked through the camp, Domino's mind was flooded.

What was Operation Origin's limit?

/

Ash was scheduled to meet Yami at Mr. Fuji's lab (to which he was quick to acquire directions from Nurse Joy) in the afternoon. To ensure he and his friends did not get too caught up in anything prior, he had chosen an easygoing morning. Once afternoon came, Nebula would receive some much appreciated help with Ominous Wind, and he could begin everyone else's routine as well.

So for now, he had his attention set on the other subject matter: Evolution. He had already announced his intention to sell a portion of his TMs to afford one stone. That left him with two unanswered questions: Which TMs to sell, and which teammate to evolve. The latter he knew needed to be a group decision, whereas the former was on him.

After breakfast, Janine and her team had taken to using the surrounding area of the Center for training, Ash politely declining her offer to join them. With him and his team having the Center's hotel room to themselves, it was a good opportunity to use the morning to get both questions out of the way. So, while his team watched TV together, Ash had looked over all of his TMs at the table.

Iron Tail and Brick Break had been the first TMs he had ever purchased. Rock Blast, Scald, Bullet Seed and Psyshock from the four Gyms they had cleared. Steel Wing, Reflect, Magical Leaf, and various others had been purchased overtime. There was a fair amount that he and his team did not "need" at the moment, but that could all change with a single capture. He'd be able to buy back what he needed eventually, but for now, he needed to be selective. He wouldn't discard EVERYTHING that he did not immediately need, nor would he get rid of one that he had yet to use.

In the end, he had chosen to set aside Rock Blast, Steel Wing, Reflect, Magical Leaf, Scald, and Thunder Punch. Six TMs would certainly grant him enough money for one stone. It felt… wrong dividing these six in a separate section, knowing that they'd be gone within the week, but he knew he wouldn't regret the decision in the long run. Half of his team could use stones to evolve, and all three had confirmed they wanted to. In the end, this course of action would benefit them the most.

But that brought him to the more difficult choice: Who it would be.

Pikachu, Valiant, and Eevee all sat side by side on Ash's bed, their trainer sitting across from them on a chair. Nebula and Phenom observed from not too far away, and despite his attempts to focus on the TV (currently, a hijinks-filled cartoon about wrestling was on), Tempest was clearly just as interested. Ash's focus was entirely on the three on his bed, however, not allowing his attention to even slightly divert from the subject at hand.

"Okay guys," he began. "Obviously, you all know that I've been looking into helping the three of you evolve. After some thinking, Valiant has confirmed to me that he would prefer to evolve into Gallade once his time comes, which means this discussion concerns him too." he thought back to Anya's store, which contained all of the options, just waiting to be purchased. "At your current levels, I think Pikachu and Eevee are definitely at the point where they are ready. Valiant, as I said before, I believe should wait longer," he gave the Kirlia a quick apologetic look, but his friend did not seem bothered. The psychic knew that waiting until the time was right would be more worthwhile than a premature evolution. "Either way… we can only afford one stone at the moment. It'd be a bad idea to sell too many TMs. I'll do everything I can to find stones for the other two afterwards, but for now, we need to decide who's evolving first." he looked between the three of them. "Naturally, I think it's best if the three of you had a hand in that decision. You all want it, so I need to know your thoughts. Of course, we don't need to decide right away, we'll probably be here for about a week."

"I'll wait." Valiant quickly raised his hand. "There's no use spending so much on a stone I won't be using right away."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Valiant." If the young psychic had been the only one on the team in need of a stone, it would not have been a problem, but since two other teammates could use one right now, the Kirlia was easily the least practical choice present. Ash had still included him in the discussion because he felt it was the right thing to do, although he frankly wasn't surprised by the quick stance that Valiant took. "That leaves you two, then."

Silently, Pikachu and Eevee's heads turned to one another, and Ash couldn't help but feel the awkwardness of the exchange. After a moment, Pikachu said something which Valiant was quick to translate.

"They'd like to discuss this themselves for a moment."

Phenom's eyes were fixed on the pair as Pikachu and Eevee gravitated to a corner in the room, but Valiant quickly joined him to redirect his focus on the cartoon. Ash watched them talk for a moment before giving them their due space; both seemed quite civil, neither wanting to start any arguments, which was a relief. The five minutes they spent before heading back to the group were surprisingly short.

Pikachu approached Valiant first, the two exchanging a few words that Ash could not understand before both turned to him.

"Pikachu wants it to be Eevee." Looking over at the evolution Pokemon, Ash could see the mixture of emotions on Eevee's face: Some guilt, but also gratitude. "He thinks she's the best choice because she has multiple stones to choose from and he does not." Valiant rubbed his head for a moment. His telepathic communication was getting a bit better, but it would be a while still before he could comfortably talk at an extensive rate. "We don't know if we'll have this many options next time, so this gives her a chance to choose whatever she wants."

At Valiant's explanation, Ash couldn't help his smile as he reached down to pat his starter's head. "That's really thoughtful of you, buddy. Don't worry, you and Valiant will both get your moment. I'll make sure of it."

Pikachu offered his trainer a soft, grateful squeak, cheeks reddening a bit at the grateful lick from Eevee.

/

Eevee still had not decided which stone she wanted, which was fine by Ash. There was no going back after evolving, so whatever time she needed to make her decision, he would give it to her. Whatever choice she made would forever change the landscape of how she trained and battled, he was glad she wasn't rushing into the choice. To help her, Ash planned to show her videos of each possible evolved form throughout the week. Prior to leaving for Mr. Fuji's lab, he had already gotten started by showing her a couple of battles fought by Karen's Umbreon and Cynthia's Glaceon, both of which had left her captivated. He would likely spend the night researching other Eeveelutions that had been utilized in high-level battles.

For now, however, it was time for their appointment with Yami, and after some lunch, Ash had set off for Mr. Fuji's lab with Pikachu on his shoulder. He had initially felt a bit awkward showing up announced because a ghost told him too, but from what Anya had told him about the Sableye, there likely was not a need. Yami wouldn't have asked them to that specific location if Fuji would not be okay with it, and earlier in the morning, Nurse Joy had confirmed such with him: Fuji's lab was one of Yami's most frequent hangouts.

Using the directions that Nurse Joy had provided him with earlier, Ash managed to locate the lab without much trouble, and the door was quickly answered by a woman in a uniform.

"Hello there," she greeted him. "Would you happen to be Ash, by any chance?"

"Yes, that's me." he answered.

She smiled. "Mr. Fuji has been expecting you. Please, come in."

As she gestured him inside, Ash took the time to scan the room. One look at the outside was all you need to know that the place wasn't as big as Professor Oak's lab (although, Nurse Joy had informed him that there were still outside areas dedicated for Pokemon that trainers did not currently have on them, as all of the major labs had, even if Oak's Corral was by far the biggest and most perfectly varied). The lobby almost resembled a section of a library, with neatly arranged bookshelves and a few employees working on computers.

A few moments after the woman spoke into the intercom, a door leading further into the lab opened, and Mr. Fuji's eyes quickly set themselves on Ash and Pikachu.

"Good afternoon, Ash." The older man approached the duo offering a quick handshake which Ash accepted. "Yami informed me you would be coming, he says you need help teaching your Staravia a move?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "Thanks for letting us use your place for this."

Fuji shook his head. "Think nothing of it. Lately this lab has become something of a second home for that Sableye, after Pokemon Tower of course. We may not be particularly big compared to our counterparts elsewhere, but there is still plenty of free room outside for you to conduct your business. Oh, and feel free to let the rest of your team roam if they would like. We have a free section closed off from the other Pokemon, so you can use it at your leisure."

/

As Fuji led him and Pikachu to the outside area of the lab, Ash couldn't help but realize that this was the first time he had been to a lab's "Pokemon areas" outside of Oak's Corral. The Professor's Corral was effectively unrivaled throughout Indigo: specially designed very similar to that of the Safari Zone, it emulated numerous different types of habitats for Pokemon to freely roam. Since trainers were only allowed to carry six Pokemon with them at a time before acquiring eight badges, the Oak Corral was a haven that took good care of Pokemon for trainers throughout Indigo; not just limited to Pallet Town or even Kanto itself. Of course, every lab, including Fuji's own, had areas of their own for the safekeeping of Pokemon, but few could hope to match that of the Corral.

Ash had been to the Oak Corral numerous times, as his class had taken their fair share of trips for educational purposes. Their time was mostly limited to the simpler, grassy sections, however, but it was nothing short of marvelous nonetheless. In comparison, although Ash knew that Fuji's equivalent to the Corral was far simpler, it was still fairly in line with what the young rookie was used to: Grass and trees, with a sizable pond in a separate section.

Yami was waiting for them in a not too far off area of Fuji's Corral, talking to a Shuppet that had quickly vanished upon their arrival. After exchanging a few friendly words with the Sableye, Fuji wished Ash luck before returning to the lab. The small ghost's attention then turned to Ash and Pikachu, the latter of whom lept off of his trainer's shoulder to greet the Sableye with a handshake.

"Thank you again, Yami." Ash knelt down to speak to the ghost more evenly. "We really appreciate your help with this. So, do you know how to use Ominous Wind?" Even if he did not, simply being a ghost type meant that the Sableye had a great deal of expertise with distortion, which was necessary to use such a move. His coaching would be invaluable for Nebula regardless, but Ash was curious. At the question, the Sableye quickly nodded.

Although Pikachu remained out, Ash decided not to let out the rest of the team until things with Nebula had gotten started. After that, they could tackle things one step at a time. So without delay, he quickly released the Staravia from her ball. Nebula emerged from the light offering a cheerful chirp and a raised wing for her trainer, before greeting Pikachu with a light nip to the cheek, eliciting a blush from her electric type friend.

"Nebula," Ash gestured to the Sableye in front of her. "This is Yami, who I told you about before. He's going to help you learn Ominous Wind." The two Pokemon quickly exchanged greetings of their own, Yami waving to the Staravia with what appeared to be a light smile as she chirped at him with a friendly expression of her own. After a few words (which Ash , as usual, could not understand) between the two, Yami signaled for Ash and Pikachu to back up as he stepped in front of the Staravia.

Holding his hands together, Yami's eyes scanned the grassy area ahead of them for a moment before stretching his arms out. After giving a couple of seconds to ensure that Nebula was watching closely, he fired off the attack.

A surge of dark purple wind erupted from the small Sableye's palms, and Ash immediately knew that Yami packed a punch. Anya had described him as docile, but that was clearly by choice, because judging by this usage of Ominous Wind, Yami could easily hold his own in a fight if he wanted to. More importantly, the Ominous Wind in question was very well made, shooting out of the small ghost's palms without effort, perfectly structured and stable. At his ear, he could hear an impressed noise from Pikachu (who was back on his shoulder) as the two of them watched the attack.

At Yami's side, Nebula's eyes widened for just a moment at the sheer ease of use, before the wind subsided and the smaller ghost turned to her. The two of them began chatting again, the Sableye making a couple of hand gestures to further elaborate his point as the Staravia nodding along with the occasional reply. The two seemed to be getting along fairly well, and based on how the exchange was going, Yami was explaining things in decently simple terms for an inexperienced party to understand.

/

"So… what do you think, Mr. Fuji?"

Nebula and Yami had continued practice for about an hour or so as the calm Sableye guided the eager Staravia along in her attempts. Although it took much effort, Ash's bird friend had eventually managed the tiniest of success, producing a small shade of an attempt. Whatever advice Yami had given her regarding distortion was clearly working; although Valiant and especially Eevee were both good with Shadow Ball, neither of them knew nearly as much about the ins and outs of distortion energy as an actual ghost type inevitably would.

Ash had decided to give Nebula a break for the moment, since actually summoning distortion for the first time (even to such a small extent) was a first step on its own. To his pleasant surprise, however, Yami had offered to continue assisting them whenever they were ready to continue, and when asked, Fuji had kindly told Ash that he and his team could continue coming to the lab for training during their stay in Lavender, to which Ash was beyond grateful.

With Nebula taking a break, Ash allowed the rest of the team out to work on their own training; Valiant continued to hone Calm Mind while also acting as a sparring partner for Pikachu's electricity training and Phenom's Dragon Pulse practice. Eevee had opted to simply use the time to further ponder who she wanted to evolve into, however, and had joined Ash inside the lab to ask Fuji for help with something else that had been on the young trainer's mind: Tempest's evolution.

The stones were one thing, but Tempest, Nebula, and Phenom would all be evolving "traditionally". Tempest was determined, and although they hadn't expressed the same, Ash was certain that the latter two were also interested in the subject. So, heading inside of the lab with Eevee and Tempest while the rest of the team practiced outside, Ash had politely asked Fuji to examine the eager river crab.

Fuji had complimented Ash's agency, and agreed to look the Krabby over with some diagnostics due to not being too busy at the moment. Tempest had been surprisingly patient during the examinations, which had just finished up.

Fuji, after examining the Krabby's shell up close, stood back up from his crouching position, straightening his posture for a moment before turning to Ash. Eevee watched the exchange sitting off in a corner.

"Well, for starters," as Fuji began, Tempest found it harder and harder to hide his anticipation, and the older man spared the water type an amused glance as his pincers began to click, before returning his attention to Ash. "This Krabby is incredibly healthy. Extremely well fed and well worked. He's fairly large for his species already, certainly above average, and his current movepool is impressive. When he does evolve, you're going to have quite the Kingler on your hands. In fact, if he were to evolve right now, I think the evolution would be fairly healthy."

Ash's eyebrow raised in some excitement. "So… does that mean he's ready?"

"In theory, I would say so, although the actual answer isn't as clear cut." Seeing Tempest's curious expression, Fuji elaborated. "You see, when a Pokemon evolves with a stone or another item of the sort, the trigger is automatic. It's like you're pushing a button that activates the evolution, regardless of whether or not the Pokemon is ready for it. If done too soon, the medical repercussions can potentially be… severe." he brushed something off of his uniform, a somewhat dark expression passing over his features before quickly vanishing as he continued. "Outside of extreme, criminal scenarios that we best not get into, traditional evolution does not have this problem. A Pokemon will only evolve when they're ready. If not ready, extreme, emotional circumstances could potentially be a trigger that pushes them past the line, but even these would normally be impossible unless the line is somewhere within reach. But even if a Pokemon is ready, it's not as telling when exactly the evolution will take place. There's no set time, just a sliding scale." he held up his hands. "Imagine that I am holding a meter with a blue, yellow, and red section. If your Pokemon is in the blue section, it is not going to evolve anytime soon. In the yellow section, they are approaching that threshold. If close enough to the red, an extreme physical or emotional trigger could, in some cases, create a hypothetical "orange section" that causes them to evolve earlier than they normally should have otherwise. In those circumstances, there usually will not be medical repercussions, as long as the Pokemon in question is very healthy and in shape. If not, then you may have cause to worry, but a very healthy body that's still very strong in its own right will usually be able to adapt to an early evolution in the long term, although it will take time."

As the researcher gave Ash a moment or two to allow the explanation to sink in, Ash's mind thought back to Mt. Moon. Valiant had evolved during the heated confrontation with the Iron-Masked Marauder (the thought of the man forced Ash to push the memories of bad dreams away from his mind). Was he in the "orange section" at the time?

"The red section," Fuji continued on after the pause. "Effectively means that evolution could take place at any given time. Usually in moments of exertion, like in the heat of battle, or an intense training session. It's far from uncommon for a Pokemon to evolve after a particularly hard-fought battle, as well. The adrenaline often induces the cells and genes and triggers the process. The rush gets things moving, and there are a lot of things going on inside of the body, not just during the evolution, but in the moments leading up to it as well. Sometimes, the Pokemon in question can even feel it coming."

Ash nodded along. "That's… a helpful way to put it, thank you." He imagined that there were tons of convoluted explanations and unrecognizable words that Fuji could use in order to fully describe the subject in ways known to the people in his field, but the researcher had effortlessly translated the complexities into a simple analogy.

"In the prime of my career, genetics were my specialty," Fuji explained, looking back to Tempest, who seemed fairly invested as well. "So evolution is an extensive subject of mine. My rough estimation is that Tempest, here, is getting close to the red zone. I don't think he is quite at that finish line yet, but judging by his condition, he is definitely well on his way. Once he gets there, it will just be a matter of when and how."

Ash playfully rolled his eyes as the water type puffed his chest, and Eevee scoffed over in the corner. "I guess all that's left is to keep on working, right?" his teammate clicked his pincers with an enthused grin.

"It's worth noting, of course," Fuji's words redirected the pair's attention back to him. "That the meter varies from species to species. Different Pokemon will have different expectations when it comes to how mature or strong they have to become in order to reach that red zone. A Pikachu or an Eevee normally would not take as long, while other species will take a lot more. Of course, Pokemon are never simple: certain flexibilities, such as the "orange zone" will always create a lack of guarantees." he nodded outside the window. "If you'd like, I can also look over your Staravia and Tyrunt during your stay here in town, although I will not have time to do it today. Your Kirlia may also be worth a look, so you'll have an idea of when he'll be ready for a Dawn Stone." looking back at Ash, he added, "You don't have to worry about it being too much trouble. Again, this is my specialty, and our labs are supposed to assist trainers like you."

Briefly, Ash bowed his head in thanks (was Janine rubbing off on him, he wondered?). "That would be a really big help. My friend Janine and I are planning to be here for about a week, so… would one a day be alright?"

"I think that would be perfect for my schedule. And yours too, I imagine."

"Great," Ash turned back to Tempest. "So… you ready to work on Ice Beam and Crabhammer?"

Tempest shot out a clenched pincer as though he were pumping a fist. The more training, the faster he'd be a Kingler.

Just as they were about to head back outside, the door opening caught their attention. Ash perked up as a familiar short, brown-haired boy walked into the room. He quickly recognized him as Caleb, the boy from the bakery last night. He was holding a small notebook in his hand, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the scene.

"Oh, um…" Caleb's cheeks turned rosy. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

"It's fine, Caleb." Fuji said casually before turning to Ash. "Caleb is receiving tutorship here, he was taking notes on a Conference documentary that I had him watch." Turning back to Caleb, he added, "This is Ash. He and his team will be spending time here throughout the week."

Looking at the younger boy, Ash realized that Caleb seemed to recognize him as well.

/

"Phenom, Dragon Pulse!"

At Ash's order, the young Tyrunt stamped a foot into the grass as his jaws opened as wide as he could manage. After a few seconds of effort, a rainbow-ish colored ball began forming inside. The orb was not stable, constantly rippling and fluctuating in size before bursting outwards towards Valiant.

As a fairy type, the Kirlia could have easily tanked the dragon type move simply by bracing himself, and no harm would have come to him in doing so. However, Ash was having Valiant working on something as well: Psychic barriers.

Up until this point, his friend had constantly been relying on Light Screen and Reflect for his defensive game, but for as effective as they were, there was an efficient means for more skilled psychics to protect themselves: generating their psychic energy into protective shields, made of pure psychic energy. Although usage of the moves certainly improved durability, skilled psychics would strain themselves less this way, albeit at the cost of the shields usually not being as durable. On large scales, such a method was also used to create barriers during official battles, albeit with the weakness of bug, ghost, and dark type moves not being as easy to contain, part of the reason why the switch to machines was done. Nonetheless, the practice was still very much in use in places that did not have access to such machines.

Psychics usually could not generate such barriers at just any level, however. It often required experience and skill, due to the necessary manipulation. With all of the progress that had been made, Ash believed that it was finally time for Valiant to work on such a thing.

The Kirlia's mood was not lost on him, however. Whatever was on Valiant's mind from the previous day had not gone away yet, and if the psychic did not start talking soon, Ash knew he would have to get it out of him. His concentration seemed slightly off compared to normal, and it showed with Phenom's latest attempt.

As the Tyrunt's Dragon Pulse approached him, Valiant raised his arms, trying to summon the psychic barriers to surround him, only for nothing to happen. As the small blast exploded against him, the Kirlia suffered no damage, simply sliding back a tiny bit before righting himself. Across from him, Phenom recuperated with a deep breath before locking eyes with Valiant once more. The mood exhibited by the young Tyrunt was almost exactly the opposite, and Ash had noticed the stark contrast in him just as quickly as well. Recently, Phenom had been a lot more… focused. Fixated. He was still the way Ash knew him, and yet he wasn't.

Of course, he had known Phenom since the very moment the Tyrunt had hatched. Phenom was no longer a baby, and thus was not going to act like one forever, but the gradual attitude shift had caught Ash's attention. The young trainer had also felt something in his throat upon seeing the way Phenom had looked at Tempest on occasion; once, he had even heard a growl.

The memory of what had happened between the Tyrunt and Krabby during the first trip to Saffron still stuck in Ash's mind, and apparently, it had stuck in Phenom's as well. He was beginning to second guess the plan to have Tempest help the dinosaur learn Ice Fang. It was important to make Tempest work with the others; keeping them apart just would not do anymore. But in addition to mending the Krabby's position amongst the rest of the team, he also needed to prevent further incidents. Even with supervision, having the two working together did not seem to be wise at the moment. Keeping them apart, at least for the time being, would likely have to be prolonged, even if it meant revising his future training plans for the team.

For the moment, however, he needed to address Valiant, and with that in mind, he raised a hand to give the training session pause.

"Phenom," the Tyrunt perked up as his trainer addressed him. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but could you go to Pikachu and ask him to spar with you? I need to speak with Valiant for a moment."

The Kirlia seemed to know what Ash was getting at, because he began tensing up as the team's youngest member nodded before taking off, offering Valiant a quick, friendly goodbye. Nonetheless, he complied when Ash asked him to sit with him on the nearby bench. A bit of a distance away, Tempest paused his own training (where he had just shattered a rock) to look over at them.

Ash didn't say anything at first, looking down to study his friend's expression. Valiant had grown a bit fidgety from the silence, however, so Ash quickly broke it. "I know you don't want to rush into it," he started, "But something's clearly bothering you. You said it's not just that this town has ghosts, right?"

For a moment or two, Valiant did not respond, seemingly trying to think over his response. Finally, he turned to look up at Ash, and nodded. Behind the bench, Ash could see Tempest approaching, seemingly to listen in. After a moment or two of thinking, he chose not to turn the Krabby away (although the water type would not be able to hear whatever Valiant said to him telepathically) and focused on Valiant. He was about to say something when the Kirlia finally spoke up.

"I've been… thinking about Viridian Forest." That gave Ash pause. "You remember what Suzie said about the Rockets… who kidnapped me?"

Ash thought back to that conversation. "They were… killed, right? The authorities found them dead?" The Kirlia nodded. "Did you see it?" Thinking back, Valiant had never told them what had killed his abductors. When the subject had come up. It had quickly been dropped because of the Kirlia's clear discomfort.

Although Valiant nodded, he gave pause for a moment again, his head turning in the direction of the looming tower in the distance. Finally, "It was… a ghost. A really strong one." he rubbed his head for a moment. "Back in the forest… I escaped the fight but… I could feel him everywhere. It was like the place was… one and the same with him." Although he paused again, Ash knew his friend wasn't finished. Valiant was trying to space out his sentences, likely in hopes that the conversation would not exhaust him as fast. He still could not have a full blown talk with his trainer without putting himself to sleep. "My sense of time and direction was gone. All I could feel was that… monster. And then I got caught in that trap and you guys saved me."

Ash stared at Valiant for a moment. "I… I knew the forest was rumored to be haunted but," he bit his lip. Most would write Valiant's story off as a tall tale, but he knew better. He remembered how much Valiant hated that forest. "To that extent? It was really that bad?" A nod. "Do you… know what species the ghost was?" Valiant shook his head.

"There's more, Ash." The Kirlia continued, his eyes moving to the tower again. "It's… the tower."

"Is… something in the tower." As Tempest's eyes narrowed behind him, Ash suddenly wasn't liking what Valiant was getting at.

"Yes, it… it feels just like that ghost from the forest."

/

"Um, excuse me, Ash?"

Ash had a lot on his mind after his and Valiant's brief talk, but did his best to save those thoughts for later. With Valiant tired out from their exchange, he had recalled the Kirlia for the day to let him rest. Soon, it was late afternoon, and they would be halting training for the day. Before that, however, he had one last thing he wanted to work on with Pikachu. He and hiss tarter had just been reviewing those plans when Caleb had approached them.

Looking up from the electric mouse, Ash perked up at the sight of the younger boy approaching them. There was a notebook in Caleb's hand, and as he stopped in front of the duo, his feet shuffled in the dirt uneasily.

"Oh, hi Caleb. Did Mr. Fuji need something?"

Caleb shook his head. "Um, no. I just wanted to ask you something." his cheeks reddened a bit before straightening himself up. "You see… I was wondering if I could watch you train?" At Ash's surprised expression, the younger boy elaborated. "You see… I'm trying to become a trainer too. Mr. Fuji's been helping me study, but I've never really seen anything up close before. So I was wondering if I could take notes while you…" he seemed a bit embarrassed as he trailed off.

Ash blinked for a moment, not expecting the request, but after exchanging a quick glance with Pikachu, he turned back to Caleb with a smile. "I don't see why not." he probably would have jumped at the chance to do something similar if the opportunity had presented itself. "Just try to keep a bit of distance for this one, Pikachu's about to test out an idea I had."

The embarrassment left Caleb's features, replaced with a wide grin that instantly lifted Ash's spirits. "Okay, thanks!"

The trainer led Caleb a decent distance back as the brown-haired boy got his notebook and pen ready. Meanwhile, Pikachu stood on all fours, paws sinking comfortably into the dirt as his tail stood erect behind him.

"Alright Pikachu, do it!"

At Ash's signal, Pikachu threw himself to the ground on his back, and began rotating as electricity fired off of his body. The sparks went off in different directions, but Pikachu's movements were sloppy and slow, far from what Ash had envisioned. This was only the first attempt, after all.

With Caleb watching the mouse with wide-eyed curiosity, Ash decided to narrate what was going on to the younger boy. He was trying to take notes, after all, so it would help to give him something to take notes on. "I'm planning to teach Pikachu Discharge by the time we get to Fuchsia City." he started. As Pikachu halted his spinning, now on his stomach, Caleb turned to look up at Ash. "It's a really difficult move, though. It requires a lot of control over electricity, both to use it, and especially to not get tired out in one go. That's why, our first step has been for Pikachu to exercise himself by manipulating lightning in ways he has not done before. He knows Electro Ball and Electroweb, which definitely helps for controlling the electricity, but we need more to solve the stamina issue.

Caleb's pen moved across the paper in his notebook as Ash spoke to him, before looking back up at the older boy. "Okay, so… what was he doing?"

"That was an experiment," Ash explained. "It's an exercise to work on control and stamina, like I said, but I'm also hoping to turn it into an actual technique that combines offense and defense. If Pikachu spins around properly while firing off the Thunderbolt, he could sort of create this spinning forcefield made out of lightning." He looked over to his starter while Caleb stared at him curiously. "I was thinking of calling it a "Counter Shield". Because it's meant to be an attack and protection move all at once."

Caleb was writing faster now. "Wow… what gave you that idea?"

"I was racking my brain for exercises," Ash replied. "That's really how it all started; I was trying to come up with creative ways for Pikachu to practice. When I thought of this, I realized that the idea could be tweaked a bit to create a special, modified move. And if Pikachu can get the hang of that, he might be ready for Discharge."

"That's…" Caleb finished writing. "Really cool. But it sounds hard."

Ash chuckled. "A lot of these kinds of moves are. I'm sure Mr. Fuji told you that the higher level trainers like to combine and modify their moves a lot?" The younger boy nodded. "I wanted to try my hand at that as soon as possible. It started when this weird girl I battled back in Viridian Forest used a bit of a trick against me with a wind based attack, and when I firs thad Pikachu combine his Iron Tail with electricity. Most of this stuff takes a lot of practice to get down, but it's worth it for how strong the combos can be. And, it makes the Pokemon even better at using the moves involved, since they're getting in great practice on how to manipulate them." Caleb was writing again. "Janine does stuff like that too, her ideas are really good." After giving Caleb a chance to finish writing, he called out to his starter. "Hey Pikachu, are you ready to give it another go?"

Pikachu, who had waited patiently throughout the exchange, nodded with a determined grin. His back was filthy from all the rolling he had done in the dirt, but he almost ignored it completely. He was starting to enjoy getting dirty.

/

Ash fell into a routine on the next day, getting up at a reasonable time before heading towards Fuji's lab after breakfast. As agreed, the researcher would look over one member of his team a day and determine how close they were to evolving. Phenom was examined on the second day, and predictably still had a ways to go. Not only was he younger than the others, but Tyrunt typically took longer to evolve as well. Having said that, Fuji also emphasized that the young dinosaur was progressing very nicely, and that he might become a Tyrantrum somewhat more quickly than normal with the strides that he was making, although he was certain to encourage Ash not to rush it. It was important that the Tyrunt built himself up as much as possible before taking such a big leap. The more he did, the more his body would be prepared to adapt to such a monstrous change.

Fuji's words had done wonders for the Tyrunt, however, who had thrown himself head first into training immediately after the examination was finished. Although the cheerful side that Ash had come to adore was still perfectly visible, it was no longer dominant. Phenom did not spar with Valiant with the excitement of a child battling because it was fun. There was a layer of determination coating his exterior as he gave the Kirlia as much as he could. Ash went out of his way to ensure that Phenom and Tempest did not train within one another's vicinity.

Speaking of Valiant, Ash had been sure to talk to him again during dinner, and before going to bed. Although still tense, Valiant had seemed progressively more at ease as the night progressed, and thanked Ash for helping him get things off of his chest. Their conversation still played in Ash's mind during the second day of training, and he was tempted to ask Fuji about it. He held off on it for now, due to the researcher receiving an important call from Kris (who was planning to stay in town for a bit longer than he and Janine were) regarding an incident at the Center that had left him unavailable for the remainder of the day.

Valiant's somewhat improved mindset showed itself on the second day, being much more engaged with the sparring sessions with Phenom and even Tempest. The Kirlia's clever usage of Calm Mind had allowed him to make great strides with Icy Wind, Moonblast, and Psyshock as of late. His psychic barriers still needed work, but that was a new addition to training that Ash was aware would take some time.

On Tempest's side, the Krabby did not seem as dismissive when coaching the Kirlia as he used to be. Although he was a far cry from Valiant's chemistry with Phenom, Ash couldn't help but the notice the more hands-on involvement the water type had begun exhibiting, especially as Valiant's progress became increasingly clear. The two of them even seemed to have a discussion halfway through the day. It was the progress that Ash had been hoping to see when he had first assigned them together, and although he'd have to handle Phenom with care, he was hopeful that the progress could begin translating to the rest of the team, still thinking of ways that Tempest could become involved in their training as well. And when not coaching Valiant, the river crab was as passionate as ever, working himself to the bone with Crabhammer, Ice Beam, and Surf. Fuji's talk about evolution had lit a fire in him; the metaphorical "red section" was the Krabby's goal until further notice.

WIth Nebula being coached by Yami, Pikachu (between Counter Shield training) had taken over Eevee's Double Team practice, and a pleasant air was given off as Ash watched the two race together to further hone their speed. Much earlier on, Eevee's approach to training with the mouse had been very different, back when she was behind her teammates in both training and performance on the battlefield. Her recent strides had closed that gap, however, and although Pikachu still outran her eight times out of ten, she could very easily keep up with him when he was not using Agility. She gave off less intensity practicing with him now, less focused on beating him or reaching his level, and more on simply improving herself.

No doubt, the victory in Saffron had greatly contributed to that new spark.

Yami had eaten lunch with the group on the second day, and Ash had taken the initiative to try and talk to the Sableye. The small ghost had humbly brushed off the young trainer's gratitude in helping Nebula, who seemed to be getting along with him very well. During the meal, she and Pikachu had chatted freely about their current training exercises, with the initially reluctant Sableye joining in with some encouragement from both. Having more time to interact with the dark/ghost type, Ash had quickly found himself taking a liking to the local ghost, whom Caleb had stated much of the town was fairly fond of.

Caleb, in question, had stuck to Ash like glue all day (with Fuji's encouragement to soak in as much as he could manage). The marvel in the younger boys eyes gave Ash bittersweet flashbacks to Trucy as he observed each member of Ash's team practicing to their hearts content, asking a myriad of questions along the way that Ash had found to be increasingly fun to answer. He and Janine had discussed one another's training fairly often during mealtime and rests, often offering some additional perspective to one another along the way. In a different way, this was equally enjoyable, and Ash couldn't help but remember the times he had spent explaining certain things to Trucy as the two of them watched tournaments together back at home. It was… satisfying, to explain the mindset behind each training exercise to a younger, eager party who absorbed everything like a sponge. Caleb's productivity was certainly one to be admired as well. Ash was pretty sure his notebook was half full just from this day alone. To the trainer's surprise, the younger boy had also brought along some cookies from the bakery to share with him, informing him that he had received his grandmother's permission to do so. Ash hoped that he was telling the truth, because one small bite of the snickerdoodle was all that was needed for him to never go back.

He hoped his mother would forgive him for thinking that the Bakery of Beacon gave her cooking competition.

/

"Excuse me, Mr. Fuji, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" The researcher in question had just finished looking over Nebula, who had received a fairly similar assessment to Tempest two days prior. Admelia, the Misdreavus that had been following Janine and her team around in their first day in town, was also present in the lab, this time choosing Fuji as her playful target. Ash had learned from Fuji himself that Admelia, much like Yami, was fairly harmless (albeit much more likely to pull pranks than the docile Sableye), and also that she was quite young; only a few months old.

Patting the young ghost's head for a moment, Fuji turned to Ash as the boy let Nebula back outside, with Yami following her. "Sure, go ahead."

For a moment or two, Ash felt a lump in his throat, awkwardly thinking back to his conversation with Valiant a couple of days prior. "Well, you see…" he paused for a moment to find his words before continuing. "It's about Pokemon Tower." Admelia grinned at the mention.

Fuji chuckled. "Yes, I suppose there's a lot of questions that can be asked about that place. Something in particular pique your interest?"

Ash looked at Admelia for a moment. "What are the ghosts… like, in the tower? Are any of them dangerous? Or really powerful?"

Fuji crossed his arms for a moment, fingers tapping against his elbow as he contemplated Ash's question. "Hmmm… even we probably don't know everything, I'll freely admit. Ghosts come in all varieties, no different from any other kinds of Pokemon. But in general, Lavender's ghosts are not likely to turn hostile unless disturbed. Particular, if the tower itself was violated. There are many that never leave the tower, purely by choice. Nonetheless, the overall community of Lavender's ghosts have long since grown accustomed to co-existing with humans. They consider us to be a part of their everyday lives just as much as the reverse." his head turned to look out the window. "There will always be territorial creatures out there, but I can assure you, none of the ghosts in Lavender would harm anyone innocent. An incident would have occurred long ago if otherwise, and even the ones who constantly remain in the tower or its surrounding area are not hostile towards visitors. They respect the tower's role as a cemetery in our community just as much as we acknowledge it as their home."

Ash nodded along with him. The researcher's words were reassuring. Whatever ghost Valiant had encountered in Viridian… if there was a ghost like it up there in the tower… maybe that did not necessarily mean it was a hostile ghost? Maybe it was only just as strong. He was certain the Kirlia would be relieved to hear that, although it still left him with another question.

"And… Valiant said that he can feel a really powerful ghost somewhere in that tower. Like, something abnormal. And he's said he's felt something like that before, back before I caught him."

Understanding washed over Fuji's features. "Is he scared? It would be normal."

"Yeah…" Ash glanced at the door for a moment. "It's been eating at him for the past few days. Do you know anything about a really powerful ghost in the tower? Or in Viridian Forest?"

Fuji rubbed his chin. "Hmmm… well, the tower is a distortion hotspot for a reason. But if we're talking something at the level you're implying, it must have kept itself hidden from humans, blending in with everything else to avoid being noticed by those scanning the tower and its inhabitants. The ghosts themselves would know about it, though." he glanced up at Admelia, who simply stuck out her tongue before vanishing. Looking back at Ash, he continued. "An alpha, perhaps. Most people figured the tower has one, but nobody has ever seen it. If a ghost does not want to be found, then no matter how abnormally strong they may be, hiding themselves in a hotspot like Pokemon Tower is a surefire way to ensure that. Even if they give off intense levels of distortion, so does the tower itself." he crossed his arms. "And… you mentioned Viridian Forest, as well?"

"That's where I caught Valiant," Ash elaborated. "The forest is rumored to be haunted, and…" he bit his lip. "Valiant claims the stories are true. That he met a really strong ghost that he could feel… everywhere, throughout the forest."

"I see…" Fuji's face was wrinkled with thought. "Those stories have been around for a while now, and I did find them plausible, but I never considered any ghosts in that area to be particularly strong."

"Hasn't anybody tried to check for distortion before?"

"Elite Four Agatha has considered investigating, but she often wrote the stories off as 'silly tales'. She gets like that, sometimes."

"Hmmm…" Ash supposed that it made sense, if most people weren't given concrete reason to believe that whatever ghosts in the forest may be truly dangerous. "I understand, it's just that Valiant seems really terrified of… whatever he saw in that forest." he held his tongue for a moment. Should he divulge too much? The Kirlia had been okay within him bringing this part of the story up to Fuji, but he was still hesitant. "You see… Valiant was in Viridian Forest because… Team Rocket abducted him."

Fuji's attention was clear and focused. "Is that so…"

Ash nodded sadly. "Yeah, and… the ghost, or whatever it was… it killed his kidnappers. He got away. But he doesn't seem to think it's a friendly creature."

Fuji rubbed his chin. "Hmmm… well, with all due respect, I can't guarantee a rookie's testimony will be enough, but I can try to have your story relayed. Leaders Giovanni, Erika, and Brock all have jurisdiction over that forest."

"I think Leader Erika knows about the kidnapping," Ash felt somewhat reassured. "I was told that it was reported in Celadon at the time."

"Then perhaps she'd be most likely to believe it." Fuji smiled at Ash. "I'll do my best to make sure Brock and Giovanni get word as well. I can't guarantee you anything, but if you're certain, then I appreciate you and your Kirlia coming forward about this."

Ash grinned appreciatively. "Thanks, it means a lot."

"So to be clear, you did not see this ghost or other creature yourself?"

He shook his head. "No, but I believe Valiant."

"That's good to hear."

After a bit of mingling, Ash was getting ready to head outside again when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, I was wondering… do you know any of those Gym Leaders personally?"

Fuji shook his head. "Admittedly, no. I'm not really in regular contact with any of them apart from Sabrina. Although," a wave of nostalgia seemed to hit the man. "I was quite close to Leader Blaine once."

Ash perked up. Leader Blaine, the fire specialist who currently governed Cinnabar Island. In his youth, he had been an Elite Four member before age caught up to both him and his strongest teammates. Even that had not slowed him down entirely, however. Certain elite trainers and their teams were simply built different, seemingly not hindred by age nearly as much as most would be (some, like Elite Four Drake of the Ever Grande League, weren't even slowed down by it at all), and Blaine maintained a reputation as a fearsome Gym Leader with all the experience a former Elite Four member would have. He was quite mysterious, however, with not much known about his present-day self outside of rumors.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's he like?" Chances were, Ash knew he may be facing Blaine sooner or later. He may not get another chance to ask somebody this question.

Fuji chuckled. "That's a question with a loaded answer, boy." walking over to his desk, he picked up a picture and stared at it for a moment. "Blaine isn't just an incredible trainer, but also a gifted academic mind, as you may know."

"Professor Oak has mentioned having history with him in the past." Ash confirmed.

Fuji nodded. "Indeed. Blaine was as invested in research as he was in training. He and I worked on many projects together, back when I was working in Cinnabar. Such a passionate man, becoming of his fiery specialty. Although we don't speak as often anymore, we consider one another partners even to this day." with some regret, he sighed. "Age has not been kind to his manner of carrying himself, unfortunately. He has grown quite bitter over the years. Most modern info regarding him is passed through word of mouth, because that's just about as much as he allows. He's closed himself off quite a bit. Changed…" the older man was clearly saddened as he spoke those words, but straightened himself as he turned back to Ash. "If you end up facing him on your journey, you'd best be prepared."

Ash nodded at him. Rumors were plentiful regarding Blaine. He was the least challenged Gym in Indigo, from what he was aware. That often caused stories to spread. "Is it true that he is… particularly cruel towards rookies?" That was one of the most persistent rumors: That the fire specialist had a strong resentment for first year trainers.

"He and Surge do have a reputation for that, I am afraid. Of course, you have other options in Johto."

The memory of a Raichu firing the enormous blast of electricity passed through Ash's mind for a moment. "I know I do, but I thought I'd ask. I'm hoping to push myself further than that. That's the whole reason I'm going to Fuchsia this soon."

Fuji smiled approvingly. 'Yes, I suppose it is."

/

Tempest reared back his left pincer as it lit up a bright blue. In front of him, Valiant raised his hands, eyes flashing as shimmering psychic energy cocooned around his body to intercept the Crabhammer. The water type's mighty punch punctured the makeshift barrier, and Valiant winced and groaned as he staggered back before falling on his bottom. Tempest stared at his pincer with mild satisfaction as his sparring partner picked himself up.

Ash and Caleb watched the session from a nearby bench, with Pikachu half asleep on his trainer's lap. The electric type had spent most of the day practicing the Counter Shield and racing with Eevee nonstop. Above them, hints of orange made themselves known in the sky, and Ash and his team would be heading back to the Center for dinner soon.

For Caleb's sake, Ash had steadily fallen into the habit of narrating whatever important thoughts he had, knowing that the younger boy was eager to write things down. "Tempest seems to be getting the hang of Crabhammer faster than Valiant with the barriers. He's doing well with ice Beam, too. I think both moves will be battle ready by the time we leave town. Valiant seems like he's starting to get a grip on the barriers, but that will probably take longer." Caleb began writing as Ash continued, watching the Kirlia closely as he assumed a stance for the Krabby's next attack, Tempest preparing to aim an Ice Beam at him. "He's spreading the psychic energy around his body… but it's spreading really thin. He's not going to be able to defend himself like that. Tempest is using new moves that aren't at full strength yet, so that helps keep Valiant from getting too hurt, but…"

As if on cue, Tempest fired an uneven Ice Beam into Valiant's defenses. Although unstable, the icy attack still pierced his barrier, stinging as Valiant hissed and fell to his back.

Standing still for a moment, Tempest observed the young psychic lying in the dirt before slowly approaching him. Lifting his head to see the Krabby peering down at him, Valiant paused for a moment before picking himself up in a sitting position and catching his breath. Reaching up to rub his head, he locked eyes with the Krabby's unreadable expression for a moment before looking away. Ash watched the two carefully. Not too long ago, Tempest probably would have scoffed or even laughed at a teammate's struggle, especially Valiant's.

Deciding to give them a brief break (it was probably best to start slowing things down anyway, with dinner coming up soon), he turned to Caleb, who was now done writing. "Have I been enough help for you?"

The younger boy's grin was a little bit contagious. "Yeah, thanks so much!" almost as if on autopilot, he began flipping through the pages of his notebook with little rhyme or reason. "It's been really fun! I'm gonna start reading through before bed tonight." Closing the notebook and letting it rest against his lap, he glanced at Pikachu, still resting peacefully on Ash's own. "You're team's really cool, too. I wanna have one like them when I become a trainer."

Ash felt a surge of pride at the comment. "Yeah, they're the best." Patting Pikachu's back, he glazed back at Valiant and Tempest, the latter beginning to punch away at the air, clearly not in the mood to rest quite yet. "I'm proud to have all of them." A thought occurred to him after a couple of moments. "Hey, I saw back at the bakery that you have an older sister" he glanced at Caleb. "Is she a trainer too? Has she given you advice?" Based on what Lacey had said, that Kimberly girl would be twelve by now.

As Caleb froze, Ash quickly realized the younger boy had not been expecting the question. 'I… uh…" Ash was caught off guard as Caleb shifted in his seat, face turning uneasy. "Kimberly… ran off a couple of years ago."

Ash was caught off guard by the response, a feeling of unease now settling in his stomach. From the way Caleb had worded it, it didn't sound like she had just left to be a trainer.

"It was… a little bit before she was supposed to get her license." Caleb explained. Guilt began to fill Ash's chest at the younger boy's notable shift in tone, especially as Caleb turned to face him. "We… Our family had a Scyther named Knighter. My sister really loved him, and then…"

Somehow, Ash already knew what was coming. "I'm… I'm sorry," he quickly spoke up. "You don't have to tell me this."

Caleb shook his head. "It's okay," his lips turned up with a sad smile. "When I become a trainer, I'm going to find her." he shifted again. "Knighter… he got sick, and passed away. Kimberly got really mad at everybody and then ran." he gripped his knees. "Nobody found her. She was just gone."

Ash stared at the smaller boy for what felt like an eternity before putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm… I'm really sorry about all of that. I wouldn't have said anything if…"

Caleb's smile was a little bit weak as he looked back at Ash. "You didn't know. I'm okay." Looking back to see Valiant and Tempest resume their sparring, he continued. "Knighter's the reason my sister loves bugs. She said she was going to catch lots of them once she became a trainer, so I think that's what she's doing now."

'I sure hope so.' Ash didn't dare mention the other possibility. Not if nobody found her after two years.

"Knighter is on the fourth floor of the tower right now." Caleb continued, his tone improving as he gazed up at the structure looming over them in the distance. A thought seemed to occur to him as he looked back at Ash. "His birthday is coming up at the end of the week. We always visit him on his birthday. Usually at night, he and Kimberly loved playing in the dark." he paused for a moment before asking. "Do you want to come?"

Ash was caught off guard by the offer. "I… don't want to intrude." His talks with Valiant and Fuji replayed in his mind. Something was in that tower that reminded the Kirlia of the traumatic ghost from Viridian Forest… and yet Fuji had been extremely confident that no malevolent entities resided in that tower. He knew it was safe to go in, people did it every day. But this was still a family matter for the Beacons. "I mean… isn't it private for you guys?"

Caleb shifted again. "Well… grandma has a meeting with some suppliers from out of town that she wasn't able to reschedule, and she told me we might have to have somebody else take me to see Knighter this year. But you're a trainer, I'm sure she'd let you take me if I asked her."

So that was it… Ash looked Caleb over for a moment with sympathetic eyes. He couldn't imagine the thought of losing one of his Pokemon, but if he ever did, and they were buried in the tower, he'd make sure not to miss a single scheduled visit for as long as he was alive.

So there was only one answer to his new friend's request. "Of course, just ask your grandma tonight. If she says yes I'll take you whenever you want."

/

"Janine, by now you've memorized the Kyo clan's motto, i trust?"

"Yes, father."

"Then tell me what the motto's central word is."

"Atonement."

"Correct. It's time you read this to learn why."

It was just after lunchtime as Janine exited the Center, flanked by Ivysaur and Toxtricity on either side as they made their way to Fuji's lab, where Ash had spent the majority of their stay in Lavender hanging out. It would only be a couple more days before they left Lavender and began the long journey to Fuchsia City, home to one of Indigo's most infamous Gyms.

The Gym run by her father.

Rubbing her arm for a moment, the girl looked back at the Center before continuing onward. She and Kris had briefly discussed telling Ash, but they only had as much time as his bathroom break lasted. There were still things on the poison specialist's chest. Things she had not had the chance to get off with Kris' busy schedule (although they had briefly run into one another at the town's Church). She couldn't help the occasional wandering in her mind after lunch: Rumors being swapped in the cafeteria about the Ace Trainer making frequent visits to the Applecorn Inn as of late. She pushed that aside for now, however. Kris was an Ace Trainer, and whatever business she had was important.

It just meant that Janine would have to figure things out on her own, and perhaps visiting Ash himself could help with that. Besides, there was little doubt he would be in the mood for a quick spar.

/

Up to this point, Fuji had looked over all of Ash's Pokemon except Pikachu and Eevee, both of whom were ready to evolve now. Valiant had been the fourth and last to receive an examination, and had pleasingly produced favorable results regarding his progress. He wasn't ready to be a Gallade now, but by the time they were in Fuchsia City, he very well could be. Unfortunately, much like with Pikachu, how soon he evolved would depend on how soon Ash could get his hands on the proper stone, with it already being agreed that Eevee would be the first to do so.

It was reassuring words, nonetheless, and although the Kirlia could not help the occasional glance at the tower in the distance, he had become progressively more focused as the week went by. Despite receiving no shortage of bruises from Tempest and Eevee while struggling to produce stronger barriers, a combination of perseverance and the occasional oran berry snack were all he needed to keep coming back for more. Tempest, himself still working on Ice Beam and Crabhammer, seemingly came to see the persistence as a challenge, although Ash couldn't help but detect a lack of maliciousness in the Krabby's competitive spirit. Ash also kept a watchful eye as Yami continued to coach Nebula, the Sableye gradually becoming something of a sparring partner for Pikachu as well. The small ghosts demonstrations of Ominous Wind made perfect practice for the electric mouse's Counter Shield to defend against, all the while Nebula watched with dedication to replicate their new friend's showings.

To Ash's pleasant surprise, Janine had stopped by shortly after lunch. Ever since arriving in town, their time together had fallen squarely into breakfast, dinner, and bedtime, with both trainers being mostly apart throughout the day. Their brief chat was a nice change of pace, going over one another's progress thus far. It wasn't long, however, before Janine requested a small spar between two of their teammates to help test out their new moves for a proper battle.

Ash was quick to accept, of course.

So with Fuji's permission, the two now stood at opposite ends of the researcher's personal battlefield; about the size of the public battlefield's one would find at a Pokemon Center, but made of hard, solid dirt instead of concrete. Tempest was at Ash's side, while Tentacruel was at Janine's. The Krabby had been visibly pleased when the poisonous jellyfish had been selected; it was clear as day that he had been wanting to battle with her for a while at this point. The rest of Ash's team, along with Caleb, Yami, Ivysaur and Toxtricity, watched from the sidelines.

Crouching down, Ash looked his water type partner in the eyes to speak with him. "Remember, Tempest, the point of this match is to practice what we're currently working on. We can still try to win, but it's not an ordinary battle. We're testing out your new moves and seeing how they mesh with what you already have. Janine and Tentacruel are going to be doing the same." The Krabby did not seem too disappointed by Ash's instructions, simply offering him an understanding nod before walking onto the battlefield and sinking into a stance, eyes glued to Tentacruel as Janine provided her with her own set of instructions. Training was training, after all, and Tempest seemed just as okay with viewing the battle as a glorified training session.

A few moments later, Tentacruel calmly made her way to the battlefield, eyes easily falling onto Tempest's own as she raised two tentacles in front of her. Standing firm and straight behind her partner, Janine's face took on the familiar, calculated stoicism it almost always did whenever a battle started. "I take it you're ready, then?"

He nodded at her. "You go first."

"Kind of you." As her voice rose in volume, her first order signaled the start of the battle. "Toxic Bubbles." Without hesitance, Tentacruel fired the Bubble Beam, and as the name immediately implied, the barrage of bubbles she let loose in Tempest's direction were clearly polluted. It reminded Ash of the "Frozen Bullets" combo move that he planned to have Tempest work on once he was done fully learning Ice Beam. Both involved manipulating Bubble Beam by combining it with another element.

Steel was always the best defense against poison, so Ash quickly responded with "Metal Claw" as Tempest crossed two Metal Claws in front of him to intercept the incoming barrage. His trainer's command had not even been necessary, and Tempest was wise enough to keep both Metal Claws as protectively in front of his face as possible, in order to ensure that the toxic particles within the bubbles did not splash onto his face as the bubbles exploded against his defense. "Okay, Crabhammer."

Raising one of his pincers, Tempest ran across the battlefield with his sights set on Tentacruel. Moving at a decently fast rate for his species, he swung the Crabhammer at his target's face as Janine watched in silence. Tentacruel's tentacles flashed as she lashed out with two of them in the front. In flash, both appendages wrapped around the Crabhammer before twisting Tempest's arm, forcing him to turn around as two other glowing tentacles found their way around his waist, also binding the end of his other arm near his shoulder. The tentacles binded as tightly as they could against her opponent's hard, sturdy shell.

If this were a serious match, Ash would be concerned. He'd seen Tentacruel fight a fair number of times, and her Wrap was extremely tight and secure on its own, and became even more so whenever she combined it with Acid Armor. He'd never seen an opponent break through it before, and given what Janine had commented she was currently teaching the bulky jellyfish, her next move was likely to be…

"Giga Drain." Janine's tone of voice and delivery of her commands were methodical and to the point, just as always; not an inflection wasted.

As quickly as her trainer had given the command, Tentacruel's tentacles began to glow with a flickering emerald hue. The grass type move was still new to her arsenal, which Ash knew would give him and Tempest some time to respond. "Ice Beam, then Crabhammer again."

Ash knew his partner was in a tricky position. One of his arms was completely restrained by his opponent, the Wrap forbidding him from opening the pincer attached to said arm. The other arm was somewhat limited in its movements, making it difficult to take aim. But aim he still did, and just as the Krabby began to feel the painful sting of the Giga Drain, he fired the Ice Beam into two of the tentacles binding him. Though the move still needed more work before he could use it with full stability, it was strong enough to disturb the grass type move (which Tentacruel herself was still in the midst of practicing). With part of her grip on Tempest compromised, Tentacruel failed to fully maintain her hold, and was treated with a Crabhammer to the face once her opponent had freed himself.

From the sidelines, Phenom watched intently as Tempest hit his mark. Even from here, everyone on the team could see how strong the river crab's swing was, and although the move itself was imperfect, the force behind his punches had only gotten stronger for sure. Without comment, his teammate focused his eyes on Tentacruel's gaze as she staggered back, predictably not too badly hurt from just one blow. The Krabby had sunk back into his battle stance with genuine ease as Janine gave her next order.

"Toxic Pulse."

"Block it with Mud Shot!"

/

The back and forth between the two water types continued for a while longer. Although Tentacruel managed to find the upper hand more than the reverse, Tempest had managed a comeback towards the end that had forced the match into a stalemate before being called off. With his adrenaline beginning to pump, the Krabby was clearly disappointed by the non-conclusion, but complied nonetheless, reluctantly showing a restraint that he previously would not have.

Valiant and Toxtricity had sparred next, followed by Pikachu and Ivysaur. Much like Tempest and Tentacruel, neither match reached levels too intense, so that energy could be conserved for another hour or two of personal practice afterwards. Janine and her team had stuck around afterwards, resuming their own training sessions alongside Ash and his team. Caleb had filled quite a bit of pages during those two hours.

Both teams had called it a day earlier than usual, but still hung out at the lab. Janine had taken to one of the books on the shelves, relaxing inside to read it. Now, with the sun beginning to set outside, she and Fuji were both in the midst of wrapping up while Ash conversed with Caleb and Yami outside.

"That's a new one," Fuji commented as Janine returned her book to the shelf. It was an edition of "Indigo's Unsolved Mysteries" covering urban legends and unexplained incidents. "It was published about six months ago."

"I saw that," Janine stared at the shelf for a bit before turning to him. "I just finished reading one of its newer sections, about the island that vanished without a trace?"

"New Island." Fuji confirmed. "Yes, that is definitely a peculiar tale. And fairly recent. You might be old enough to remember the news reports."

She was. Civilization never occupied the island, but its disappearance had still been subject to much alarm, with no signs of it even existing in the first place. When reading through the book, her eyes had lit up in recognition about the "New Island" section.

"Come to think of it," Fuji continued. "Wasn't your father one of the people investigating the disappearance?"

Her eyes widened a bit. "At first, I think. My memory is fuzzy, but I think he went New Island's coordinates when it was first reported. Did not find anything, of course." her expression turned cautious. "So you know who I am?"

"I've seen a couple pictures. Janine Kyo, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes," her eyes lingered out the window. "Just… don't tell Ash. He does not know yet."

Fuji seemed to understand. "It didn't seem like he did. How long have you two been traveling together?"

"We came from Celadon. We'll be splitting up when we're done in Fuchsia."

"It is common for trainers to pair up for a while when they're going in the same direction." Fuji patted the head of a Snubbull that had handed him another book to put away. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, if you don't mind me saying. Is it because you know he'll find out about your father?"

He was perceptive. Given that he was a researcher, Janine was not surprised.

"It's not an easy thing to say," she finally answered, glancing out the window one more time. Based on what Ash had said, it would still be a decent bit before he came inside. "To be honest, I feel I got used to people not knowing who I was."

Finishing up the last of the books, Fuji nodded at her, gravitating toward a chair before looking her in the eye. "Used to it in a good way, I presume?"

Taking a deep breath, Janine sat down near him. "...Yes. Ever since I left Fuchsia, things have been… easier, I would say. And now that I'm about to head back, there are a lot of things I cannot get out of my mind." eyes lingering on the Poke Balls on her belt, for a moment, her brow furrowed.

With a sensitive gaze, Fuji studied the girl for a moment. He wasn't surprised at how different of an… air she had to her compared to most her age; that was definitely a product of where she came from. She was not beyond her age, however. She only seemed it on the surface, to the unobservant eye. "Are you looking forward to visiting home?"

"To a degree…" she responded, finally making eye contact. "There are a lot of people I care about back home, but it's a bit different." She paused for a moment. "None of them are really my age, for one. I get along well with a lot of the people who work for my father, or Kris, my aunt's student. It's not the same as the trainers I meet on the road."

"What about your peers?" If Fuji was correct, he was starting to see what she was eager yet hesitant to bring up.

"Peers…" Janine repeated, brow furrowing as the expression in her eyes slightly shifted. "Not many people in Fuchsia aren't aware of me, including those my age or even younger, given who my father is. The Kyo clan has governed Fuchsia for almost as long as it's had a Gym, roughly three centuries now. He's one of Indigo's biggest Gym Leaders, and one of the most feared. An Elite Four candidate. And my tutorship came directly from him." she broke eye contact for a moment. "Nobody ever saw me as a peer."

"And things changed quickly after you left." Fuji surmised.

A small smile made its way across Janine's face. "I noticed it pretty quickly. Once I teleported to Viridian and started mingling with the other rookies. It was like a fence had been taken down. A fresh slate." She sat back a bit. "Being a stranger was nice. To go up to someone and start talking about anything, and none of them know who you are. It was all so relaxing and different."

"And you're worried this fence will come back up after you tell Ash?"

"... I don't know, maybe." Her brow was furrowing, hands momentarily clenched before releasing their grip. "Having somebody to share this stretch of my journey with, with no walls whatsoever. It's been really comfortable, and that could change at any moment." A light chuckle. "Ash is… I'd never ask for someone different."

Fuji studied her again for a moment. "You said you two paired up in Celadon. That's plenty of time to get to know one another." he folded his hands together, and Janine found his relaxed expression somewhat reassuring. "I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's important to remember that this is not the same situation as when you were back home. Ash has had time to see who you are, without everything else to influence that. Others in your home city may have had a premade image of you in their minds, but he developed his own by himself. That image is you, and you alone. I'm not sure that picture will be altered so easily." he gave pause to allow time for his words to sink in. "You're right, being a stranger is an odd luxury at times. But once you're friends with somebody, you're not strangers anymore. At that point, secrets become a burden. That's the opposite of a luxury."

Janine stared at the older man for a few moments. Her shoulders felt a little less heavy as time went on.

Finally, her face felt relaxed. "...Thanks. I appreciate that."

/

"Alright guys, one last time before we go back in."

Ash, Yami, and Caleb watched from a decent distance as Nebula hovered over Pikachu, who sank into the dirt on all fours as the Staravia took aim. A dark-purple gust emerged from her flapping wings and descended down to the mouse. Acting quickly, Pikachu flipped onto his back and began spinning in place. The crackling sparks from his cheeks and tail erupted around him into a tornado of lightning that rotated along with him. As the Ominous Wind came into range, it was deflected away by the spinning Thunderbolt.

Ash beamed at both his teammates as they ceased action, Nebula returning to the ground after a few moments of soaking in her success. "That was awesome! Both of those should probably be ready at this point if we can keep them consistent. I think we should try practicing them in battle tomorrow. As Yami offered what sounded like a compliment of his own, Ash looked down at him approvingly. "You've been a huge help, Yami." The Sableye almost seemed a bit shy as Pikachu and Nebula gave praise.

Ash stared fondly at the ghost for a moment or two before Caleb got his attention. "So, does that mean you're going to be leaving soon?" he could see the younger boy's disappointment.

Ash offered him a sad smile. "Janine and I will probably be here for a couple more days before we leave town. Don't worry, I'll make sure to visit you again before we go. We're also going into the tower soon, right?"

Caleb nodded, mood seeming to lift. "Knighter's birthday is in two days. Grandma said it's okay after Mr. Fuji told her about you."

Ash made a mental note to thank Fuji for that. "Sounds good, we'll meet you there when it's time."

/

Ash and his team spent most of their time at the Center the next day. A decent number of trainers were present and willing to battle, resulting in the battlefield being used quite frequently in rotation. With the road to Fuchsia looking to be long, he was pleased to see the number of available opponents; they'd definitely need the money.

Thankfully, they had gotten a winning streak going quickly after starting, and everyone on the team saw a decent amount of action. Pikachu's Counter Shield still was not completel;y reliable, as some attempts were better than others, but the effectiveness of the technique had quickly proven itself, especially after it had completely incapacitated a charging Croconaw. Phenom's Dragon Pulse had also become quite forceful despite clearly not yet being the strongest iteration of the technique. By the end of the day, everybody was tired but satisfied going to bed.

The next day was planned to be their last day in town, so Ash and Janine both chose to take things easy for a time, although Phenom, Tempest, and Toxtricity had all still undergone some lighter exercises. The sun was beginning to set when they met Caleb near the tower, accompanied by Pikachu, Valiant and Ivysaur..

The closer they got to the structure, the more Ash found his head angling up, his starter mirroring the motion from atop his shoulder. The presence of the giant building had been a constant throughout their stay in town, always visible no matter where they were, but now they were seeing it up close for the first time. Looking at it from the bottom, it was like watching the roof kiss the orange sky.

Beside him, Janine's gaze was one of slight awe. "I've read so much about this place," she commented, staring up as Ivysaur looked around at the nearby ghosts observing them. "It feels… hard to describe, knowing how sacred this tower is."

'Yeah, and to the townspeople it's an everyday thing.' Ash reminded himself before looking down at Valiant. The Kirlia's visible shivering quickly elicited a frown from him. His friend had requested personally to be present when they went into the tower to see Knighter's grave, but… "Valiant, you really don't have to be out here."

For a moment, there was no response as the young psychic cautiously looked around at the surrounding ghosts, most eying the group with curiosity, but none with hostility. Ash was pretty sure he saw Admelia amongst them, tailing Caleb as the younger boy approached them with a quickly reciprocated wave. "It's… fine, Ash. I need to do this." Although nervous, his telepathic voice was still firmly reassuring.

Ash chewed his lip in concern, but said nothing else. His psychic friend had already made it very clear why he wanted to come. It was admirable, but he made a mental note to pay close attention to Valiant throughout their time in the tower. No need for him to torture himself.

"The ghosts around here won't hurt anybody." Caleb reminded them as he stopped in front of the group before pointing back to the Misdreavus. "Admelia picked me to follow around today." The playful ghost floated around him for a moment before approaching Ash and rising up to Pikachu's level, offering a teasing noise before vanishing for a moment. "Are… you guys ready to head inside?"

Exchanging a quick nod with Janine, Ash looked back at him. "Sure, lead the way."

With Caleb in the front, the group drew closer to the tower's entrance, Valiant initially moving slightly slower before picking up the pace to catch up with them. Shortly after passing a sign that read "Any battling or capture of Pokemon in or around the tower is strictly forbidden and punishable by law." they found themselves inside.

Seeing the tower truly up close before entering, Ash noted that it was decently wide, and yet the interior seemed far wider, almost unnaturally so. Shortly after passing through the doorway, they were quickly greeted by a large room filled with neatly organized gravestones, with a staircase leading to the second floor on the other end. Entrances to other rooms were present halfway through on both sides, however.

"Each floor is divided into sections," Janine narrated as Ash looked around. "Even on the first floor alone, the gravestones are difficult to count."

"Difficult" being an understatement. Ash wasn't even going to bother trying to count the gravestones as the group made their way through the room. Despite what many would likely expect of the contrary, the interior of the tower did not feel all too ominous. Instead it was quiet and tranquil; the lanterns throughout the room kept everything well lit, but not too well, it was still fairly dim, but not oppressively so. The windows also helped a fair bit, allowing the light of the setting sun (soon to be moonlight) to seep in. For a moment, he watched Ademlia circle around a few of the gravestones, her movements briefly pausing to linger her gaze on one of them before she continued after Caleb.

As they reached the doorway leading to the stairs, Caleb turned to remind them. "Knighter's on the fourth floor at Section A. It's a long climb."

That did not surprise Ash. There were seven stories in total, and with how humongous the structure was, even the fourth floor would be a great way up. Had this been a few months ago, he would have worried about getting exhausted during the climb, but his body had long since grown accustomed to such long treks. Coming here for nearly the other side of the Region had certainly done his stamina favors.

Reaching the second story of the tower, the group once more made their way across the room, the field of gravestones arranged every bit as neatly as the first. Ash looked down at Valiant, who was walking next to Ivysaur taking the occasional deep breath, before patting Pikachu's head. Still on his shoulder, the mouse returned the gesture with a quick nuzzle to the cheek before resuming his roaming gaze around the room. A couple of Gastly and Haunter floated about on opposite ends, one Haunter near the entryway to Section C. None of them paid the group much mind, simply offering acknowledging glances before resuming their business. Valiant paused his walking for a moment as his gaze lingered on the specters, before continuing onward, only slightly more slowly before as he breathed deeply to calm his heart rate.

'The ghosts are all used to humans coming here.' Ash reminded himself as he slowed his pace to allow Valiant to walk alongside him. 'We're just an everyday occurrence to them, not intruders.' And as they made their way through, that message sank in clearer and clearer. He was rather surprised by how… unalarmed he felt being in here with them. He had been here for roughly a week, but when exactly had he gotten used to it?

Just as they were about to reach the next stairway, Ash caught sight of a familiar Sableye from the corner of his eye, right next to him and Valiant. "Yami!" he paused for a moment, looking down to see him in full. "When did you get here?" Had the Sableye just popped up? Or had he joined them earlier without any of them noticing? His voice momentarily caught Janine's attention, the poison-enthused girl pausing for a moment to look back at them with a light grin as Yami chattered a cheerful greeting to Ash.

A couple of Duskull occupied the third floor, and a sword-shaped ghost that Ash was pretty sure identified as a Honedge floated into the room through Section B. Not many ghosts were around… or visible, as Ash knew was the proper word for it. Whatever number currently occupied the tower was likely many times greater than what they could see. There were supposed to be countless of them, after all. Yami remained in the back with Ash, Pikachu and Valiant as the group made their way through, while Admelia had taken to casually circling Caleb's head at the front. The younger boy was completely unfazed by her actions, even looking to the side to offer one of the Duskull a quick smile.

"How are you feeling, Valiant?" Ash and Pikachu looked back down to check up on the young psychic.

"I'm… it's getting better."

Finally, the fourth floor was next. By now, the sky outside was considerably darker, some stars coming into view to accompany the growing moonlight. The windows provided quite the beautiful view.

Ahead of them, Caleb slightly quickened his pace, prompting Janine and Ivysaur do the same, but Ash lingered for just one moment to look back down at the Sableye. "Hey… Yami?" He immediately had the Sableye's attention, the smaller ghost looking up at him with friendly curiosity. "I know I've already said this plenty of times, but I really appreciate you helping Nebula out this week. If there's anything you want before Janine and I leave, just let me know, okay? I'll do my best to get it." After a moment or two, the Sableye offered him a smile before nodding.

"Here lies Knighter Beacon, as beloved as the oran berry pies he ate."

Caleb knelt in front of the gravestone not too far from one of the windows in the room, about a little bit more than halfway to the next set of stairs. His hand slid across the surface of the gravestone for a moment as his face grew into a glowing smile. Behind him, Janine and Ivysaur gave him some space as Ash and the others arrived.

"Knighter loved oran berries." Caleb looked back at them for a moment before returning his focus to the gravestone. "Grandma would have him help her experiment with flavors. I was surprised that he loved the charred ones so much. Kimberly wasn't, though." reaching to his pocket, he pulled out an oran berry, which he rested just in front of the gravestone. "Happy birthday, Knighter. The others are coming first thing in the morning, they had one of those stupid business meetings they could not get out of. I'll make sure they bring extra as an apology."

Ash wasn't sure what he was feeling watching the exchange play out… but there was something in his chest. Did he feel warm? Was he hurting? He couldn't tell if his eyes were wet or not. His senses were starting to feel disoriented.

A gentle tug on his arm brought his attention to Janine, who gave him a knowing look. She seemed composed… but there was something about her. Something different. Was something similar happening to her?

"I haven't been at a gravesite in a while." her whisper was smooth and precise, as though designed only to slip into his ear.

"Me neither," he replied, whispering back just as quietly. Looking back at the gravestone, Admelia floated just above, looking down with an uncharacteristically calm expression as Yami joined Caleb at his side. The younger boy was talking about life at the bakery and new menu items, speaking as though the Scyther was sitting right in front of him, all the casual tone of a simple conversation. "The people here do this all the time."

"Death is their culture." Janine was next to him now. "The cycle of life, the process of passing on, and existing in the afterlife. To them it's like riding a bike."

A moment of silence before Ash responded. "...I like this town…" he looked back at her, meeting her purple eyes. "It's been strange for a while, but…" his eyes fell on Caleb and Yami. "I'll be sad when we leave."

"Are you nostalgic?" he looked back at Janine quizzically as she spoke the question. "To be back in a town instead of a city?"

Pallet Town entered Ash's mind. The bullying and ostracization from Gary and the rest of his peers. The poor grades that egged such behavior on. But also… his mother, Trucy, his teachers. The quiet atmosphere and the fear of leaving. The unknown of the outside world, and the dauntingness of Viridian City. The shockingly good grade on the Qualification Exam that had been his ticket to the life of a Pokemon trainer.

A small smile graced his face. "I… certainly don't mind it. It's nothing like Pallet, but… it's a lot closer to everywhere else we've been." he turned to face her in full, still keeping his whisper as Caleb continued to speak to Knighter's gravestone. "Are you… feeling nostalgic too?" Speaking of hometowns, reaching hers was their current goal. He had no idea how long it would be before he was back in his.

Her face was unreadable for a moment. Memories flashed through her mind. Days upon days of training and studying. Camping practice. Cooking practice. Wild Pokemon interactions. Research. Writing. Father's critiques, criticisms, and punishments. Visits to the Church for prayers. Going out with aunt Aya for fun and exploration during her visits and time off. Other kids watching her from a distance with admiration or timidness. The trainers on the road and in the cities never looking at her in that same way. Ash, standing next to her, having no idea she was thinking these thoughts.

"There's…" she paused for a moment, eyes lingering out the window for just one moment. "There's a lot to think about. But it will be nice being somewhere familiar."

After what was probably a few more minutes, Caleb stood up, and Admelia lowered herself to look him in the eye. He tickled her chin for a moment before turning to Ash and Janine. "Thanks for coming here with me. Everyone else couldn't make it, so it wouldn't be right if I couldn't." his smile was fairly relaxed, as though he had not been talking to a gravestone at all.

Ash returned that smile, however. "You don't need to say thanks. This was important. I'm sorry the rest of your family was occupied."

Thinking back to his earlier talk with Caleb reminded him of what the younger boy had revealed about his sister. That Kimberly girl. Who had apparently gotten angry and ran off after Knighter died. Ash wanted to ask why. And what could have caused that… but he wouldn't dare overstep such a boundary. Especially right in front of the Scyther's grave.

Caleb allowed himself one last moment to look back at the grade before turning to them with a nod. "Okay, I think I'm ready to go ba-"

A noise from Yami stole away everyone's attention, and Admelia had immediately floated down next to the Sableye, a concerned expression at the sudden distress.

Janine blinked. "Yami… is everything okay?"

Something in the air changed. Was it colder? Stiller? Emptier? Heavier? And suddenly, Ash could have sworn he could hear something in his ears. It sounded like… whispering.

Whispering… chattering… it was spreading across the room, almost like it was one with the air itself. Behind him, Valiant's face was pale. Pikachu's ears and tail stood on end. Ivysaur backed into his trainer's leg, eyes wide and alert.

"Wh-Wh-..." Caleb's entire demeanor had changed. His body was shaking as hue suddenly clung to Ash's shirt, his voice almost a moan. "What's going on?!"

The whispers continued to spread. Valiant clung to Ash's leg next. Pikachu's grip on his shoulder was growing tighter. Yami was looking around frantically… before suddenly sinking into the floor.

"Yami, wait!" Ash reached out to him, but the Sableye was already gone. Quickly, he looked over to Admelia, who now wore almost the same, exact distressed expression that Yami had. "Admelia-!" and then she had vanished as well.

"Valiant!" kneeling down to try and calm Ivysaur, Janine's eyes found their way to the Kirlia. "Are you sensing anything?"

Valiant was holding his head tightly. Everything was overloading. It was hard to talk, but…

"Panic."

The whispers were loud now.

/

In the sky above Lavender Town, seemingly just above Pokemon Tower itself, the moon was beautiful, and so were the stars surrounding it. Domino's gaze remained upward for just a little bit longer as she appreciated the sight… before falling down on the entrance.

Behind her were several Rocket soldiers. In front of her was the Iron-Masked Marauder.

Taking one step forward, the masked hunter's predatory gaze leered at the doorway leading into the interior. A Poke Ball was in hand, but a second one soon found its way off of his belt as he chucked it into the air, a Weavile emerging from the flash of light and landing in front of his trainer in a crouching position with his claws crossed.

Turning to meet Domino's gaze, he spoke. "I must say, it's nice to have you sharing this mission with me, Agent Domino. You may only be sixteen, but I sense you are a lot more… capable, then that buffoon Cyan I had to deal with back at Mt. Moon."

Her body turned rigid as he looked her in the eye, even with the mask on his face covering his own eyes, obscuring the view of his gaze. Instinctively pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she took a moment to find her words. "I… appreciate your statement, Marauder."

"Are the numbers all accounted for?"

"Yes," her eyes lingered backwards to the squad behind them, every soldier present standing rigidly with readiness. "I must send the signal to Executive Petrel the moment we start." Executives Petrel and Silver had spread their forces out across the town's perimeter, not a foot of ground left uncovered.

"Then be ready to send it," he confirmed before his gaze spread out across the unit. "Attention soldiers!" his voice rose above the seemingly frozen air as all eyes fell on him, Weavile staring directly into the entrance of the tower as though it were a pitch black abyss. "Everybody sends out at least one dark type now. No matter the training, nobody short of Masters of the typing is prepared for the sensation and presence of countless, panicking ghosts. We must enter quickly, so there is no time left to wait."

As though his words had pressed a button, flashes of light filled the air as numerous dark types filled the area they occupied. At Domino's side, a Crawdaunt and Mandibuzz appeared.

"Good…" Marauder grinned at the sight before turning back around towards the entrance. "It's been over a year since I was last on a ghost hunt, although the contents of tonight's mission should more than make up for lost time. Now, then…" Raising the remaining Poke Ball in his hand towards the entrance to the tower, he turned his head back to Domino. "Back away with the rest of the squad, Agent Domino. With the creature I am about to send out, I cannot guarantee your safety."

Well aware of the game plan, the teen Rocket Agent stiffly nodded, eyes not leaving the tower as she and her two teammates backed away into the rest of the squad. "We are good to go, shall I send the signal now?"

"Please do." Was all Marauder replied before chucking the ball. It was a hard throw, one that carried the capsule all the way through the entrance and into the first room of gravestones.

The Poke Ball burst open.

Emerging from the light… Was a rock with a face. Trapezoidal in shape. A single whisper spread through the wind as the frowning rock remained motionless. Seemingly breathless. Still without any action whatsoever.

And then something emerged. A mixture of purple and green, spiraling out of the stone with the screams of one hundred and eight voices. The purple and green continued to spin, rippling with no rhyme or around the rock of its origin with no rhyme or reason before taking a round form. The purple formed a body. The green formed a face, and the round dots surrounding it. Something spread out across the air from its body, an oppressive, unplaceable aura throughout every possible direction.

Just outside the tower, the Iron-Masked Marauder wore the grin of a demon clothed in the skin of a human.

"Get things started, Spiritomb."