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.

42. Angel's Wings of Venom

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Janine bowed her head. "I'll be in the waiting room, then."

Though she kept a straight face, the girl was fighting the disappointment in her stomach as she left the main lobby and found a seat.

Spirits were high when she had left the Center with Jazzy, Mitch and Sarah. Jazzy was wonderful and possessed enough energy for the entire group - a bit overwhelming to speak to one on one, but not so much when two other trainers were with them to receive their share of the splash. Mitch was more laid back in comparison, although perhaps he just seemed like he was when compared to her. Sarah seemed a bit whiny, but not maliciously so; she mainly seemed upset about having to walk through the forest which Janine could not entirely blame her for.

Janine had felt tenser than ever leaving the Center with them, as though plagued by a lingering paranoia that one of them would recognize her last minute. It evaporated soon, however, and without fully noticing it, she had melted into the dynamic forming within the group. There were no walls between them, and no caution either. She was simply a girl traveling with three peers.

She should have known better than to expect that to last - except when it ended, it had been her fault.

Shortly after entering the forest, the group had encountered a Weedle. Without thinking the way she normally did, Janine sent Bulbasaur and Zubat after to secure a catch. That had likely been the mistake; after all, just one of them would have done perfectly fine. The battle had quickly grown rough, at Weedle's expense, and although Janine was initially happy to have made her second catch, she quickly realized how badly hurt Weedle had been in the battle. The larval insect was in need of immediate treatment, and thankfully they had not gotten too far from the Center.

Of course, taking Weedle back to be treated meant leaving the group that she had just joined.

The others had offered to go with her: It wasn't a big deal, they said. They could always set out fresh tomorrow. She had regretted not agreeing with them soon after leaving, but by then she had already left. Her mind was a mixture of cursing and sighing when she got back to the Center. If only she hadn't been so hasty - with both the catch and the reaction to it. The selfishness of that line of thinking had been lost on her until she had sunk into her chair in the waiting room. In the moment, she was so focused on how she had screwed things up for herself, but wasn't Weedle the one who paid for it the most? She had sent two Pokemon after her at once and had not done the best job at reining them in during the fight. Weedle had been beaten to a pulp in what should have been a simple catch, and yet all she had thought about was herself.

The girl found a camping magazine and tried to take her mind off of the turn of events. Weedle was her responsibility now, and it was likely to be a challenge acclimating her after what had happened, but she couldn't do anything about it until she was healed. That would be a matter for tomorrow, and if Weedle decided that she didn't want to go with them, releasing her would be easy enough - they'd be right in the same area they caught her in, after all.

For the first several minutes, Janine found it hard to focus on what she was trying to read. Her mind kept drifting elsewhere - the slow start back home, and the turn things took the moment it started to look up. She wondered how Jazzy and the others were doing.

She found her focus eventually. She always did - perhaps looking up at the glass ceiling was what helped. On a clear night, looking up at the ceiling was likely to provide you with the sight of a beautiful, starry night sky. Tonight, however, it was a soothing image of rain clouds and the drops that fell from them staining the glass. Rain was so relaxing when it wasn't falling too hard, and you were viewing it indoors. The sight and sound stimulated her, as though reminding her of her training. Today had not been great, but it hadn't been terrible either. She had won her first battle, had a pleasant social experience here at the Center, and made two successful captures in addition to her starter. Objectively speaking, she had little to complain about, and she knew what her father would say if she did.

She had made decent progress on her reading when a new figure entered the room: A boy wearing a cap. For a moment, she was silently surprised to see another trainer at this time of day - they would all be in the forest by now, but it didn't take long for her to remind herself that she was also an exception. With his back to her, she lowered the magazine for a moment to curiously watch him making his way to a video phone, before returning to her reading. He was talking to somebody on the other end, and perhaps she could have made out what was being said if she tried, but she did not eavesdrop.

She continued to read, skipping over to a section of the magazine that had caught her eye earlier. A trainer from Fuchsia had gotten himself an article in this new issue, detailing his escapades in Fuchsia's mountain range, and the innovative techniques that he and his team had implemented to survive out there for an entire month. Jey Cam, a name that she thought she recognized from the last Conference - he ranked in the Top 16, she was certain.

When she was about halfway through, Nurse Joy entered the waiting room, and for a moment Janine was fully alert, wondering if there were any updates on Weedle's condition. It quickly became clear that Joy was here for the boy, however, and with mild disappointment she returned to her reading. After speaking to Joy, the boy sat down a bit of a distance from her. With light curiosity, she glanced over at him, and for the first time realized that he seemed upset. He wasn't reading anything - he wasn't doing anything at all. He was simply sitting there. She frowned at the sight. She had not exactly been in the best mood either earlier, but she doubted she looked outright depressed, and she had shaken it off as always. It was just a speed bump, after all. She wondered what had happened to him. Opening Day wasn't supposed to be a bad experience.

As more time passed, she stayed immersed in the magazine, but continued sparing the occasional look at the boy. His behavior still had not changed. He was sitting there doing nothing, paying attention to nothing except for occasionally the clock. The more she discreetly observed him, the worse he looked. He wasn't depressed, he was miserable. She had to confess the sight disturbed her; what could have happened to make him like this on this day of all times?

She wondered if she should ask him. It obviously wasn't any of her business, but it did not feel entirely right just leaving him as is. She stopped herself, though. Just going up to talk to him wasn't so simple…

…

… Jazzy and Mitch had made it look so easy, though. Much easier than anyone back home, because they didn't know who she was.

'And neither does he…' she reminded herself. She wasn't in Fuchsia anymore. Here in Viridian, she wasn't Leader Koga's prodigious daughter. She was Janine, a fresh young rookie ready to set out and hit the road like everybody else. No labels or expectations attached. It had been so easy to talk to Jazzy and the others after all of that had sunk in. So refreshingly easy…

…

She placed the magazine down, and her eyes lingered on the boy for a little bit longer. He didn't notice she was staring. After a moment or two, she got up and started walking. At first she was slow, but her pace became more regular about halfway through, before she stopped in front of him.

"Hey."

/

Domino looked on silently through the windows to the training room, eyes narrowing at Damian.

The blue haired boy's posture was rigid, and although his fists clenched, the look in his eyes was hollow. Ever since the news, he had been tireless, clearly blowing off steam, but now it looked like he was ready to drop, even as he willingly volunteered to stand across from Marauder.

The boy's expression didn't change as he looked up at Charizard, who stood in front of him with a raised chin and smoke blowing out of his nostrils like a pair of cigars. "Get ready to attack." his voice was distant, as though the words leaving his throat were only a formality, and not an acknowledgment of his partner. He then directed his attention to Marauder, who was quietly chuckling.

The Sableye in front of the masked man was completely dwarfed by Charizard in every capacity, but such a fact did not seem to even register to the smaller Pokemon. The Sableye's gemstone-like eyes were blazingly glowing, a deep blood red instead of their usual pale-blue, and he was snarling without halt, rabid and feral even as he stood in place.

"Go on now," Marauder encouraged with mock-gentleness. "Your target is right there."

Sableye's snarling grew sharper in pitch as he sank into Shadow Sneak, moving rapidly across the floor and towards Charizard. At Damian's order, the fire lizard propelled himself just a few feet off the floor with his wings, in time for Sableye to emerge and lunge at him with Shadow Claw. Sableye's movements were even more rabid than his behavior, slashing at Charizard with wild rage before being knocked away, only to immediately lunge back at his target with another series of strikes, with the same result.

Sableye braced himself as Charizard reared his head back, covering him in an atrocious, but Damian's eyes widened as Sableye quickly retaliated with a third charge, his body charred and burnt, but his pace barely slowed. Charizard struck him again, once more batting him away, only to be targeted with a Power Gem.

The fight continued the same. Sableye continued to come back from each big hit, charging, whaling, slashing, and firing. Even as Charizard battered and burned him, his injuries seemed to do little to slow his pace, until a final blow to the head dropped him for good, and his eyes returned to their normal color.

Marauder grinned in satisfaction as he saw Charizard take a breath, chuckling through his lips as he returned Sableye to the ominous dark orb he had released him from. "Nice of you to volunteer so willingly, kid." For multiple weeks, the hunter had been setting the rabid ghost against the weaker fodder Pokemon used by the Rockets, cleaving through them with a frenzy of Shadow Claws and pushing his stamina to the fullest. It had become a training routine, but this boy had abruptly demanded a match - the perfect chance to show off the other side of the Sableye's stamina. The kid had been working himself to the bone even more, but had clearly gotten tired of senseless target practice.

Damian's eyes were fixed on the dark orb until the masked hunter returned it to his belt. "What exactly did you do to him?"

"The Dark Ball is quite the device," the hunter replied. "It needs to be used selectively, of course - limited supply, and known to take its toll both physically and mentally. But any Pokemon that finds itself inside becomes unrestrained, to put it lightly." he lightly rapped his fingers against the dark capsule on his belt. "It fills them with unfiltered aggression; adrenaline and anger hormones overriding everything else. You've seen the result, this little thing just wants to attack. No matter how bad you hurt him - or how big the enemy is," he nodded at Charizard, unfazed by the lizard's gaze. "He'll just keep on coming. I have to be careful on who I use it on and when, since it's not wise to frequently use it on non-disposables, but this one showed a lot of stubbornness and proactivity before I caught him. Translating that tenacity with this Dark Ball is a promising combination. He'll need to recharge, of course so it doesn't wear off."

Damian suppressed a shudder. The less he knew about the process, the better, he decided, not asking anymore questions before the hunter turned to leave. Looking back to Charizard, he found the large lizard's eyes on him. With a sigh, he raised his Poke Ball and returned his fiery partner without a word. He considered leaving the training room after that, but ultimately stayed with a huff, sitting against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Can I sit next to you?" Looking up, he saw Domino standing over him, and his nose wrinkled. He didn't want anyone sitting next to him right now, but she was his superior in rank, so he simply shrugged in response, rather than having to say "yes" or "no" out loud.

The older girl looked him over for a moment before taking a seat beside him. She frowned at him, but he refused to look in her direction, simply staring ahead past his knees.

"Damian, you've been going nonstop like this for the past few weeks." Ever since Executive Proton had gotten back from Hoenn and relayed the news of his parents' deaths. Apparently, the Indigo League themselves had sent a force after Proton's group at the Hoenn League's request, and they had been killed in that battle.

"Need to break in Charizard's evolution," the boy replied blankly. "And the Grampa Canyon mission's in a few weeks at most."

"You know that isn't what I'm talking about." she sighed. "What use do you think you're going to be if you work your skin off before the operation even starts? You realize Silver's gonna tell you to take a break the second he gets back, right?"

"He ain't here right now."

A brief surge of frustration welled in her chest, but Domino managed to suppress it, reminding herself not to get mad. Looking away with a huffed sigh, she was quiet for a moment before continuing. "Listen, Damian… I know how you feel."

"You sound like him."

"Just…" she started sharply, before softening her tone. "Hear me out, for a moment…" her brow furrowed at the unwanted memory, but she pressed on regardless. "The League killed my parents, too." That got him to look at her, at least, although his expression did not change. "It was about three years ago. They were doing an operation near Pewter and that scumbag Flint came down on them. Executive Petrel broke the news to me personally." she paused for a moment, biting back her lip. "It… I can't really word it as well as I want. If Petrel hadn't been there for me, it might have been like the world had ended."

She could see Damian rubbing his eyes. "... How did you handle it?" he finally said.

She frowned sympathetically at him before looking ahead. "I'll admit, I needed some help to do it, but I reminded myself what they died for. Petrel kept me focused on what mattered: Destroying the League, that's what they had committed themselves to doing. I knew firsthand how low they'll sink to keep us from bringing them down, and… now you do too." she looked back at the boy. "You can make them pay, but only if you're smart about it. Promise me you'll get some rest? Silver might not even let you take part if you're bent out of shape."

His face scrunched for a moment, and he rubbed his eyes again before standing up. "I'm going to bed. Nice chat."

'Best I could have hoped for…' the older girl told herself as he walked off. She waited a few moments before leaving the training room herself, just to make sure he had his space. When she exited, she stopped in her tracks, finding Marauder waiting for her with crossed arms.

"So," the masked hunter spoke knowingly. "I hear you got yourself another operation to plan for once Silver gets back."

"Grampa Canyon," she kept walking, and without prompting he followed. "Pelsberry Inc.'s expedition is scheduled for the new future. Our informant within the company has shared their findings. A jackpot's worth of fossils, and also… the belief that some ancient Pokemon, which should be extinct, are living and thriving deep underground."

Marauder whistled. "Color me jealous, or at least I would be if it weren't for…" he failed to suppress his chuckle. "My previous mission, let's just say."

She knew the reminder was coming, and bottled her unease. "You put the Master Ball prototype to good use…"

"Heh, that I did, but the final product will be even better." he nodded. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised that Silver is leading another big mission, given the S.S. Anne isn't too long afterwards. And you're supposed to be a part of that one as well."

"I can't speak for Silver," she admitted. "But I volunteered." Given what was about to happen at the S.S. Anne, the Grampa Canyon mission would be a break from operation Origin… or perhaps more accurately the only real pause she would have. The memories of Lavender Tower were still fresh in her, but they would prove miniscule sooner than later.

"Bold of you," Marauder replied. "I suppose Silver knows what he's doing. I'm content to simply sit back and prepare for my role. Ariana's pulling double duty preparing for more than one thing… of course the S.S. Anne is in the matter of a month, while we the Crested Slumber is still months away."

"Yes…" Domino trailed off for a moment, thinking over the plans that would unfold in the coming months. Up until now, Team Rocket had survived by virtue of scurrying. Outnumbered and outgunned, it was the best they could manage, striking from their hiding place and doing as much damage as they could before retreating two times deeper within.

But they only settled for that because it was all they were currently capable of. It wasn't what any of the adults wanted - they wanted war. Real, true open warfare that would end in the Indigo League's annihilation. She echoed that desire. It was nothing but an unreachable fantasy to chase until now - now such a goal was no longer fantasy, but something they could touch. It excited her, and shook the blonde girl with anticipation of everything finally bearing fruit. But whenever she thought of what was required to pull it off; it was a mess of anxiety.

"You can feel the excitement, can't you?" as if reading her mind, Marauder spoke up, teeth bared in his signature grin. "Assassinating Charles Goodshow will just be the beginning. Humanity has spent so long straying from the secrets of the world, declaring them "beyond human reach". It's time we redefined that, and stop holding ourselves back with labels and unwritten laws." his grin grew wider, wilder. "Uncovering the secrets of the world is just one step, but taking it for oneself, and exercising it in all its glory… oh yes, I am very glad I signed on for this."

His expression made Domino's blood go cold. He of all people knew what they would be unleashing, and yet he spoke of it so…

"You know…" with a mild sigh, her eyes half narrowed as she turned slightly away, but kept her eyes on him. "I don't like you."

She listened to his unfazed chuckle. "I certainly don't request your approval, girl. It is too bad, though - you're hardly poor to work with."

/

Ash found himself seated next to Ruunia at the table that night at dinner. He and Len had gone to the dining room soon after returning from the Safari Zone, making a stop at the Pokemon Center along the way, and most of the others were already getting ready when they arrived. He hadn't gotten a chance to speak with Janine yet, and tell her about his and Tempest's success, but shortly before the cooks came to bring in the food, she had had given him an expectant look from across the table (once more sitting at the end with Koga and Aya). His smile and silent nod were all she had needed to know, and she mouthed something with a returning smile before turning back.

"You seem quite satisfied with yourself, Mr. Ketchum." Ash's attention broke away from Janine, turning to see the set of pink eyes looking at him as Ruunia made her presence known. "I take it your trip to the Safari Zone was a success?"

"It was," Ash's smile stayed on his face as he nodded at the old woman. Right now, Hippopotas was resting overnight at the Pokemon Center, but she would be introduced to the rest of the team tomorrow morning. Most of them, anyway - he would need to send one back to Oak's lab beforehand. "Oh, and you can just call me Ash, by the way."

"I will do my best to remember," she replied considerately. "I hope you will understand should I slip up every now and then."

He did understand that.

Dinner with the Kyo Clan was a very different experience from any other scenario where Ash had enjoyed a meal. He wasn't sitting in an echoey cafeteria with the indecipherable sound of multiple conversations coming from every direction, but he also wasn't sitting at a small table with his mom, having a one on one conversation. The large dining table hardly contained every member of the clan - for the most part, it was just those who lived in the mansion itself - but it was an almost overwhelming step up nonetheless. He only knew under half the people sitting in the room with them, and was friends with exactly two, neither of whom were sitting with him. Giving Janine or Aya so much as a glance also required glancing at the Gym Leader sitting between them at the head of the table.

Koga's presence was not diminished by the sight of him in a sitting position, getting ready to eat his food as the dishes were brought in. On some levels, it might have been the opposite: Looking down the table and seeing him at the end almost felt like getting a glimpse of royalty. And that was before the poison master began talking.

"Before we break bread," his voice, without being raised, immediately silenced the room. "I have fortunate news to share, courtesy of Leader Morty and Ecruteak Gym." Although the man was having dinner in his own house, he spoke like he was in a board meeting, or speaking in public. Even during meal time, Ash couldn't overlook the aura of the Gym Leader's speech. It was the voice of one of the most powerful individuals across Indigo's multi-Region spanning empire. The previous night, Koga had also addressed everyone at the table, asking that they welcome Janine home and Ash himself as her guest. Tonight he spoke in the same manner, and received the same response.

"As everyone here knows," Koga continued. "The other night, Akira and his team arrested roughly half of Scarfist Company, including their leader Caesar Faylist, thanks to the efforts of my daughter and of course, our guest Ash Ketchum. Ash managed not to shrink at the acknowledgement, but Janine's posture was as straight and effortless as ever. Even as he remained steady himself, the name "Caesar" flashed memories through his mind - the ghost Pokemon suffering in the abhorrent mechanical cage, Nebula's abduction, Connie, and the Zangoose.

He couldn't help but wonder what was going through Janine's head as her father continued to talk. "They were a brutish batch of scum gleefully swimming in the sewage of Indigo's underworld, and have committed many heinous acts at the expense of this land's people and Pokemon, most despicably at the expense of several children who were kidnapped by these bloodstained thugs and, against their will, sold to Team Rocket to be groomed and brainwashed to commit crimes and take bullets for the sake of a delusionally repulsive cause." Under the table, Ash's fists were tightening, yet Koga continued to speak unfazed. "Thankfully, I am pleased to announce that "were" will forever be the keyword used to refer to these vile souls from here on out. Thanks to our successful interrogation, which was only possible due to Janine and Ketchum's actions, we were able to locate their hideout and contact Ecruteak Gym to take immediate action. This morning they raided the hideout and brought all remaining members of the gang to justice - as well as wiped the place clean from top to bottom. It was also reported that the Scarfists had two more children being held captive at their hideout, a set of twins who have now been returned to their family."

"Whichever proves to be necessary." Ash remembered Koga's simple response when he had asked the Gym Leader what "purging" the Scarfist hideout would entail. No doubt Koga new the details of the operation, but he did not share the specifics with everybody else at the table, leaving the boy with a forever unanswered mystery of the gang's fate.

Koga lifted a glass of wine that was probably more expensive than Ash and his mom's house. "Scarfist Company represented the evils that our clan swore to protect Indigo's people from, and a portion of the criminal underworld vanished with them. I would like to give a toast to our land no longer being tainted by their wicked souls."

Everybody else at the table raised their drinks, and although Ash was not familiar with the word they spoke in unison, he pronounced it to the best of his ability as Ruunia gently tapped his glass. Looking over at Janine for a moment or two, he almost thought she looked mildly content as she took a sip.

Dinner proceeded from there, and the long day finally set in for Ash. When he began digging into his food, a sense of comfort gradually washed over him - a feeling that he knew he should not have in this alien environment. The heart pounding confrontation with Hippowdon and the confusing news that Hippopotas' attacker had been her father gradually went away, at least for now. Like all bad memories, they would be back when the moment had passed, but after getting his general reaction off of his chest with Tempest in the shuttle, it was no longer as heavy as it would have been.

"So, Ash," said Ruunia next to him. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you catch at the Safari Zone?" Not everybody heard or paid attention to her question, already engaged in light conversations of their own, but the ones closest to him and Ruunia were somewhat as she asked - Ash could tell the attention that he felt was not only coming from her.

"A young Hippopotas," he answered. He wondered if he should mention Hippowdon as well, but decided to keep things simple. "She's at the Center now, most of my team hasn't met her yet."

"Is that so?" she raised a brow. "That's certainly not a bad catch. So, how did you get a hold of her?"

Ash's legs shuffled with unease. "Well, about that…"

/

Ash did not go to his room immediately after dinner, deciding to visit his team first. Pikachu and Valiant were both staying in his room with him, but the rest were enjoying their own section of the village's residential area, along with most of Janine's team. With Tempest there, the others likely already knew some version of what had happened at the Safari Zone, but Ash knew he should give them the story as well, telling them about both Hippopotas and Hippowdon.

The next step was the difficult one, and one that he had already started discussing with the team beforehand: They had more than six Pokemon now. In order for Hippopotas to officially join the team, somebody would have to go to Professor Oak, if only temporarily. He would have to get used to rotating the team and managing everything properly, but the other concern was how they would take it. According to Valiant, Glaceon and Tempest had called it a "super dumb rule". Thankfully nonetheless, most of the team had taken it well, having been aware for a while. Phenom seemed to be the most visibly upset about the situation.

Before leaving for the Safari Zone, Ash had given the rest of the team a chance to volunteer who would be going to the lab first, deciding that choosing for himself should be a last resort. Tonight, he got an answer from Nebula, who had offered to take one for the team. He was very grateful for that, although he could tell Pikachu was upset - he reassured his starter that she would not be gone for long.

The next morning, after breakfast came and went, he transferred the Staravia and prepared to introduce the newest member of their family.

He stood outside with the ball in his hand, and most of his remaining team lined up. Janine and her team were present as well, but not as close - everyone knew the situation surrounding Hippopotas, and Ash knew they needed to be careful not to overwhelm her. Speaking of which…

He turned to the only member of the team who was not lined up, and instead stood next to him. Tempest perked up at the attention.

"I'll need your help with this, big guy." Ash reminded him. "You and I are going to be the only familiar faces. Everyone else needs to be eased into." he could tell Tempest was not entirely thrilled by it, but was grateful when the Kingler nodded, and ensured that the smile he gave the water type conveyed that.

He looked back to the rest of the group. Pikachu, Valiant, Glaceon and Phenom. Something about Pikachu's posture felt awkward as the mouse's eyes briefly shifted to Valiant, and for a moment Ash felt concerned that something was wrong, but decided it was normal. He was a little bit nervous himself, knowing how Hippopotas was, and given the others had not met her once it was only natural for that to be more visible.

Janine and her team waited patiently a little bit further back. Everybody was here except for Nebula, and it was remarkable how only one absence made the setup feel empty. It was a void they would have to be used to from now on: Until they acquired eight badges and brought the Pokemonc carrying limit up to nine, they would not be able to travel as a full complete group again. Seeing them now as he prepared to introduce the newest member was when that fact finally sunk in for Ash, and it left a dejected hole in his chest, remembering all the times he and his friends had camped out or shared a room together.

Of course, they would be seeing Nebula again soon enough. As long as they were here, they would be rotating the team periodically so that everybody would have a chance to train. Once they hit the road, however, that would no longer be an option. Ash decided to consider this practice, getting used to not seeing the whole gang together all at once.

"Okay," While enlarging the ball, he spoke up, making sure everybody's attention was on him. "As I've said before, our new teammate is very anxious and will probably be scared when I send her out. Take it easy and slow with her." Everybody nodded, and he pressed the button.

Hippopotas appeared in a burst of light. Her eyes slowly opened, and then quickly widened upon taking in the set of unfamiliar faces in front of her. Immediately, the brown hippo backed away, head turning to take in her surroundings. Seeing Ash and Tempest caused her to stop, but her expression remained the same, and her body almost appeared frozen like a breathing statue.

Ash tried to hide his frown, but some of it slipped out. He knew this wouldn't be easy, but it suddenly felt a lot more difficult now that they had passed the point of no return.

"Hey, Hippopotas." her eyes moved to him as he slowly crouched down. He could hear a low, quiet growl from her throat, but it stopped almost as soon as it started. "Do you remember us? From yesterday?" She looked between him and Tempest, which seemed to slightly settle her. "It's okay, we're your friends. We won't hurt you."

Her gaze shifted to the rest of the group, and her body tensed once more. Pikachu took a step forward, but stopped on all fours when Hippopotas growled again, mouth barely opening to partially show her teeth. Ash quickly raised a hand to his starter, signaling him and the others to stay put for a moment.

From her position, Janine frowned at the exchange while her team watched. "Poor thing." she spoke quietly enough for only them to pay attention to.

"They won't hurt you either," Ash continued. "I promise. They just want to say hello. Don't worry, Tempest and I are here." Hippopotas' eyes turned to the Kingler at the mention of his name. The large crab looked her over for a moment before suppressing a sigh and shuffling a little bit closer to her, glancing at Ash as he did. The boy gave him a nod of encouragement, and Hippopotas responded by closing the remaining distance, standing right next to him. Sand began to travel down her body as she looked back at the rest of the group.

'Her species expels sand in place of sweat.' Ash reminded himself. He had read up on that detail the previous night.

It would be easy to overwhelm her, intentionally or not, so they needed to do this one at a time. "You first, Pikachu. Slowly."

Pikachu nodded, having not left his position up to this point. Moving carefully, he crept his way to Hippopotas and Tempest. The brown hippo remained tense and almost took a step back. Her head slightly turned to Tempest, just enough to see him while still paying attention to Pikachu. The Kingler nodded, and although her expression did not change, she didn't retaliate as the newcomer approached.

"That's good, Pikachu." Ash spoke up after deciding his starter had come close enough, hoping Hippopotas would not get anymore scared if Pikachu came too close. And although he knew Pikachu could easily protect himself if she was accidentally provoked (and Tempest could certainly stop her as well), the last thing any of them needed was for it to come to that. It certainly wouldn't make any progress.

Pikachu stopped a few feet in front of the hippo and the crab, rising to his bipedal stance. Ash knelt down next to him, placing his hands on the yellow mouse's shoulders while putting on a smile for the nervous ground type. "This is Pikachu, Hippopotas. He is my first Pokemon, and we've been friends for months."

Pikachu managed an easy grin while raising a paw in greeting. Thinking the hippo's behavior now made the mouse realize how long it had been since he had met Ash - and how skittish he was during his first encounter with his trainer. As a Pichu, he had been surrounded by loud and hyperactive Pokemon that loved picking fights, and although it had not taken long for it all to wash away after their journey started, it was suddenly coming back to him with the wave of sympathy he felt looking at their newest member.

The sand that had come out of Hippopotas earlier now decorated the ground, as if somebody had gotten back from the beach. She looked at Pikachu with a slightly tense but mostly unreadable expression, not leaving Tempest's side.

"That's fine for now," Ash said, patting his starter's back. "You did good, Pikachu. Valiant, you're up next."

The Kirlia nodded. Feeling Glaceon patting his back with a cold paw, he looked back at her, and the ice type offered him a small smile and a nod which he returned. Leaving Ash's side, Pikachu hid his frown as the psychic switched places with him.

The rest of the team took turns introducing themselves to Hippopotas. Although she wasn't growling at him, Valiant could still detect the defensive hostility in the ground type's tension, telepathically letting Ash know that she likely would try to bite one of them if she was startled. Ash silently thanked him with a nod. Glaceon and Phenom were both on their best behavior, the former managing to stay patient as her trainer made introductions with the nervous hippo, and the latter thankfully holding back a returning growl after the hippo briefly let one slip. Janine and her team were next, and Ash prepared a bowl of food for Hippopotas in hopes of making things easier. It was increasingly clear to him that they now had another big eater in the group.

She finished her food shortly after it was over. Under Janine's watch, the rest of their teams were doing warm ups a bit further away to get ready for training, but Ash asked Tempest to stay put. No doubt he wanted to join in, but the water type still obeyed without much fuss. Now that it was just the three of them, she seemed a little bit more at ease, but would still nervously glance at the rest of the group.

"They're all great," Ash tried to reassure Hippopotas as he knelt down in front of her. With some hesitation, he slowly reached his hand out. For a split second, she flinched, causing him to retract his arm a bit. When she did nothing else, he reached out again, even more slowly this time. Her eyes stared at his fingers, but she did nothing else, and finally taking the leap, he rested his palm on her back. She tensed upon the contact, and he could feel a little bit of sand while gently rubbing her. "You'll see. Everyone here wants you to be happy with us." She didn't respond verbally, instead readjusting herself into a sitting position.

'At least she's letting herself relax.' Ash kept his eyes on her before looking at Tempest. Still at her side, the awkwardness on the crab's face could have been spelled out in red crayon, but Ash quietly pleaded with him to hang in there.

"Hey, Hippopotas." sitting down, he scooted a little bit closer to the brown hippo. "Would you like a nickname? You know, like Tempest has? It's up to you." She considered his question for a moment before slowly nodding, and Ash began thinking through a couple of ideas that had come to his mind earlier. His first instinct was to name something that had to do with sand.

"Dune" and "Silt" were both turned down, although Hippopotas had done her best to be polite about it. The third time had ended up being the charm, however.

"Okay," Ash nodded in understanding. "How about Silica?" The name sounded feminine, and also kept with the attempted theme. It seemed to pique her interest more than the previous two, and although she considered it for a decently lengthed pause, Hippopotas nodded in the end.

"Alright!" He gave Silica his best smile. "We're all happy to have you with us, Silica." Nonetheless, he reminded himself not to overwhelm her, and took out her ball, offering her the capsule. "Would you like to go back in for now? I can let you out again for lunch if you want." The brown hippo nodded a bit more quickly, so he pressed the Poke Ball's button against her snout, and she was sucked in.

Rising to his feet, Ash returned Silica's ball to his belt, and turned to Tempest, who was still paying attention to the capsule, and the hippo inside of it. "Thank you for hanging in there Tempest, it… wasn't easy for me either." The Kingler simply gurgled in response, but Ash was pretty sure he saw a light nod from his water type teammate as well. "Listen… I'm going to need to keep her with us throughout the week. Sending her to the lab will just prolong acclimating her. Pikachu, Nebula and the others will take turns in the rotation, but I'm going to need you here with us at all times, as long as she is. Are you okay with that?"

Tempest sighed, offering another nod. The things he did for his trainer. Ash was lucky that he knew that Ash appreciated him for it - Tempest would have told any less grateful trainer "no" in a heartbeat.

Ash knelt down next to him just enough to be at eye level. "It really does mean a lot, Tempest, so again, thanks. And think of it this way - since you're not in rotation, you can just keep training with the rest of us. On that note, we shouldn't keep the others waiting."

The duo moved to join the rest of the group, ignorant to the figure poking out from behind the nearby cabin.

Aya's back was to the wall as her eyes followed the boy and his Kingler, both of whom quickly caught the attention of Janine and the others as they approached. The green haired woman smiled lightly. "Not half bad for a rookie."

/

One week until the battle with Koga. That was the thought going through everybody's mind as Janine led the group to the dojo and the training grounds beyond it. Ash had been looking forward to making use of the facilities since yesterday, and the rest of his team were quick to share that sentiment. It was a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what to focus on first, but he did his best to put a plan together.

Pikachu and Glaceon stood at the start of the obstacle course. With no other company, the electric mouse fidgeted in place, doing his best not to look at his icy opponent (whose focus was thankfully on the course itself) and trying to pay attention to the booth where Len was showing Ash the settings for the course. Much like adjustable battlefields, the course had different gimmicks that could be altered between sessions, the default being a standard layout straight out of a platforming video game. A couple of alternatives were themed after elements like ice and rocks, the latter apparently being the setting that Ash wanted to start with.

Len's gray eyes watched from the window as the course transformed to the commands on the console. Soon, it resembled a lengthy landscape of rocks, sand and uneven terrain. Ash found it nostalgic to look at, and he was sure Pikachu did too.

"It requires a cooldown after changing forms," the older boy turned back to Ash and explained. "The terminal is set to not allow another alteration until an hour passes."

"Makes sense," Ash nodded back. It was hard to picture the specific details, but he didn't need to be a science expert to imagine the variety of mechanisms in play to make everything work. "Are you two ready?" he and Len called as he left the booth.

Having sunk onto all fours, Pikachu tensed, tail stiff and erect. The view of the rocky obstacle course brought back memories of Pewter - such terrain had essentially been engraved into his mind after all of the time he had spent preparing for the match with Brock. He knew this would likely be much more advanced, but it was a sentimental sight. He stole a quick glance at Glaceon, who's alluring frost gaze was locked onto the course they were about to race through. This was his strong point, and hopefully a chance to show her he could still keep up.

Seeing both of his teammates prepared, Ash gave a signaling thumbs up. "Alright, five laps starting now!"

For the first split second, Glaceon was ahead, but Pikachu slipped into Quick Attack almost immediately, and his smaller, yellow form pushed past her. He wouldn't activate Agility, at least not yet. He couldn't beat Glaceon in a race without it (and even with it, it had become a struggle, to his dismay), but they weren't running on a flat track or open field. He would need to use these first two or three laps to try and memorize the course. Going full speed right away would both tire him out and leave him more vulnerable to surprises.

He turned the first corner at a sharp, quickening curve, and his eyes rapidly took in the site ahead: The first section of the course had a much narrower, stone path surrounded by sand on either side. Staying in the middle would be crucial for maintaining speed. Beyond the sandy path was an ascending set of terrain and ledges. Just before he reached what was ahead, he felt a rush of cold air as Glaceon's larger form came from behind him and pushed ahead. The ice type galloped down the middle with as much grace as speed before effortlessly jumping the ledges. Pikachu followed her, resisting the urge to speed up.

The race was on, and both Pokemon fluidly progressed through the course, leaping from rock to rock, avoiding jagged, spike-like stones and navigating sands. Certain sections of the course had multiple pathways - there was even a tunnel. Certainly some paths might be quicker than others, but it was impossible for either to tell the first way through.

Pikachu's experience came in leaps and bounds during the hopping sections of the course. Glaceon was doing well, but his consistency and speed outmatched hers, and was almost to take the lead… until their paws returned to the ground, and her superior running speed restored the distance. By the end of the second lap, the yellow mouse could swear that she was further ahead of him than the end of the first. In the back of his mind, he had been debating non stop how much longer he should wait before using Agility. Just as he had settled on waiting until the third lap was over, he was having second thoughts. At the rate they were going now, Glaceon would continue increasing her lead unless she made a mistake, and he doubted she would. How would he look if he lost this handily in an element he had trained for in the second week of their journey?

He hesitated for a bit longer before his body shone with the blue light, and his speed amplified, propelling him across the course like a blur. The obstacles and drops were coming at him far faster than he most likely would have been able to react on the first lap, but by now he was starting to get used to it. More prepared, he progressed through most of the first lap to near-perfection.

"They're doing better than I thought," Len admitted as Valiant and Phenom watched next to Ash (Tempest lightly practicing a little bit away from the course). "Nobody's crashed yet."

"Pikachu did this a lot back in Pewter," Ash commented as Phenom briefly cheered his two teammates on. "I knew Brock's battlefield was going to be rough to run around on so I wanted to make sure he was ready for it."

"I see, good foresight." Len commented. "Although I do have to question them going this fast on their first attempt. It takes more than just a couple of laps to have all of the traps figured out, especially with the branching pathways."

"Yeah…" Ash admitted uneasily. At least Glaceon wasn't using Trailblaze yet, but his heart had skipped a beat when Pikachu had activated Agility, and he realized he had forgotten to set boundaries for the race. Should he tell him to slow down, or would that just distract him?

Reaching one of the safer parts of the course, Glaceon utilized her split second to glance back at Pikachu, who, to her alarm, seemed to have activated Agility. Her eyes narrowed, and her instincts told her to activate Trailblaze. It had been her key to becoming the fastest member of the team since learning it, although she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to use it in this environment. She only had experience running with it in open fields.

Pikachu was gutsy to use his top speed on an obstacle course. He must really be confident - she supposed he did have more practice in something like this than she did. She'd need to do this perfectly if she was going to beat him without going all out herself. It felt good being faster than him, but she wouldn't forget how talented he was himself, and she'd never take her evolution for granted: Not after he had passed his own over to let her have the ice stone. That was the whole reason she had surpassed him (and the others) so definitively, after all. He was the reason she was able to push through the limits she was breaking right now. It would be nice to return the favor after he evolved, but for now she wouldn't underestimate him - she'd simply remember how good she has gotten herself.

They finished the third lap, and blazed through the fourth. Pikachu was sure he was closing some distance, but it wasn't enough, and he inwardly hissed. Even without using Trailblaze, Glaceon's speed was amazing. He was clearly faster for the moment, but only because she wasn't using Trailblaze, and she had already put so much distance between them that he would be cutting it close trying to close it in time. He needed to figure something out…

He tried not to let his frustrations distract him as the fourth lap progressed. There would only be one to go after this. He might make it, but would playing it safe be enough-

"Slow down, Pikachu!" his eyes widened at his trainer's voice. Slow down? What good would that do him? He was already behind as it is! He needed to find a quicker path…

Coming up on the end of the fourth lap, he took a gamble. There was a pathway he had not tried yet, and he didn't have time to slow down and memorize it. Hopefully this would be a quicker route that would help him take the lead. He was working on a time limit here-

His paw slipped. In a panic, he knew what was about to happen to him before the world of physics took control, and with a sharp cry his momentum sent him flying.

"Shit!" At any other time, Ash would have cursed himself for swearing in front of Len or any of the other clan members, but that wasn't on his mind right now.

/

As he rarely failed to do, Pikachu had managed to protect himself with Iron Tail, but it hadn't saved him entirely. It had protected him from the impact of the large rock his slip had flung him into, but he wasn't being sent towards a wall or a barrier, just a boulder, and his metallic tail had simply bounced off of the rocky surface (in addition punching a hole in it). It had been a painless collision that had thankfully slowed him down a bit, but he was still flying through the air, and his next collision, while far from fatal, had not shared in the fortune, sending him tumbling to the ground. Although not knocked out, he was certainly injured.

And needless to say, he had lost the race.

Ash bent down and patted his starter's head, trying to keep a smile to hopefully ease Pikachu's glum expression as the electric type faced away from him, gripping his bruised shoulder.

"Well, it wasn't dislocated, buddy. Just take it a bit easier next time, okay? It's my fault for not laying ground rules sooner."

Pikachu sighed. Ash was trying to keep his mood up, but the damage had been done - figuratively and literally. He just had to screw up against Glaceon of all Pokemon. He didn't see any true judgment on her face (although he tried not to look at her too much, given she was watching) but the sympathetic amusement in her expression said it all. She thought he was a doofus for the stunt he pulled, and he probably was. She had offered him a quick, reassuring comment, but it wasn't long before she turned around to chat with Phenom. She could only spend so much time pitying his screwup, after all. No doubt Valiant would have a high five ready…

Glaceon watched Ash and Pikachu's exchange before Phenom got her attention, congratulating her. She had been worried when her sparring partner had been sent flying into that rock, but even though he didn't have her durability, he thankfully wasn't fragile or unable to take a hit. It was a blunder they could look back and laugh on later down the road, but for now she made sure not to express her pride in her victory until she had turned away from him, and before she did, she made sure to tell him that he had done well up until he had slipped on the rock. She remembered how she had felt constantly coming up short against him in her early days on the team, or when Nebula had been so much stronger than her for the longest time. She wouldn't rub his embarrassment in his face, but sadly, she knew there was probably only so much she could do to cheer him up. That was better off left to Ash; if only Nebula were here…

With Glaceon and Phenom occupied (the former telling the latter about her favorite part of the course), Valiant made his way to Ash and Pikachu, and gave a look to his trainer, who nodded in thanks and quickly moved aside to give him room.

The Kirlia stared at the mouse's back. Pikachu wasn't looking at him, sitting still as a rock, facing the course while gripping his injured shoulder. Sympathy washed over the young psychic as he felt the disappointment his friend was feeling, although he didn't need the ability to read emotions to pick up on something that obvious.

He tried to talk to him: Don't worry, he said. You did fine, just sit still so I can heal your shoulder. To his surprise, it almost felt like Pikachu's embarrassment… worsened. And why was he shaking his head? As he talked to his rodent friend, he was starting to feel something unfamiliar coming from Pikachu. There was embarrassment, and disappointment, of course. He felt ashamed for his slip up, and was in pain, but there was something else the Kirlia didn't immediately recognize.

He knew he wouldn't take long to figure it out if he took a moment or two, but that wasn't why he was here: He needed to make the wound in Pikachu's shoulder better.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash frowned. "Just let Valiant heal you, we can take a quick break." With a sigh, Pikachu knew he couldn't cause a scene, so he nodded and let his psychic friend apply Life Dew to his shoulder. As the glowing water sprinkled onto the wound, the pain was overtaken by a wonderful sensation: Like a massage, and a sense of refreshment. The wound began to heal.

/

The first few hours flew by like the hands on a clock were being sped up. The rock climbing wall seemed to cheer Pikachu up, although something still seemed off, or uneasy, about how he was behaving. Ash had tried asking him while getting ready for lunch at a picnic table close to the trainer grounds, but the mouse did his best to brush it off while going off to eat with Ivysaur and Golbat.

"He's still embarrassed, I'd say." Janine assured Ash while blowing on her bowl, watching the electric type settle up with her first two teammates. "He probably felt the need to push himself harder now that Glaceon's evolved."

"I figured that too," Ash said after swallowing some of his food. "I just can't help but feel like there's something else. He was acting weird when Valiant healed him - that's definitely a first." his eyes shifted to the Kirlia, who was joined by Glaceon, Phenom, and Beedrill.

Then there was the pair closest to their table: Silica had been fairly quiet and nervous as expected after being let out to eat, and had responded to Janine's attempt at greeting her with bared teeth and a growl. One of the first things she did was look for Tempest, and promptly sit close enough next to him to be a part of his outer shell. The mildly surprised Kingler had scooted away to give himself some space, but the worried look in her eyes had prompted him not to give himself too much space. Although awkward, he knew Ash was counting on him to take one for the team.

"I like the name you gave her," Janine commented. "Silica rolls off the tongue nicely."

"I thought it was a pretty name," Ash smiled while watching the hippo eat. "Like Nebula." He suddenly had a thought that had not fully occurred to him before. "You know… none of your Pokemon have nicknames, are you just not interested in doing that?" naming a Pokemon was hardly a universal expectation. For every trainer who did, there was another who didn't.

"I'm not against it," she shook her head. "Actually, none of my Pokemon were interested in being named. I asked all of them, luck of the draw."

"Makes sense, I suppose." he nodded back, before eying Tempest. "Speaking of Glaceon evolving… I still need to see if there's any way to get stones around here, since you said the shop was… forcibly closed."

Her nose wrinkled, remembering the story she had told him about the owner of Fuchsia's stone shop being exposed as a Team Rocket sympathizer. "Yeah, that's definitely something worth looking into before the deadline."

"No need to bother," the duo turned to see Len and Toxicroak approaching them, each carrying a sizable bowl of fruit. "Unfortunately, the shop has not been replaced yet." stopping at the table, the two set the bowls down while he turned to Ash. "If you were hoping to evolve one of your teammates to face Leader Koga, I am afraid you are out of luck."

Ash hid his disappointment. That was yet another reminder of the deck stacked against him this week. Nebula and Phenom were the only remaining members of the team (not counting Silica) who would evolve without a special item, and Phenom definitely wouldn't be evolving any time soon. More likely than not, he and his team would be facing Koga as is, but they would just have to pull through.

"Thanks for telling us," he looked at the fruit bowls. "These for us?"

"They are freshly picked and washed," Len nodded, taking a green apple. "A little of everything if you're interested."

"Thank you," Janine grinned at the older boy before taking a pear. "It has been a while since I had one of these, actually." Behind her, Pikachu and Valiant approached, clearly interested in bringing some to their eating spots.

Ash saw a couple of bananas in Len's bowl, and took them out. They were riper than the ones from the Safari Zone. "I told you about the big banana tree Tempest and I found, right? It was something else seeing one of those in person."

"We grow them here," Janine nodded, watching Ash unpeel one of the bananas when something caught her eye. "Hm?"

"What is it?" Ash looked where her head turned and saw Silica staring at him - or moreso, what was in his hand. "Oh…" he looked at the half peeled banana he was holding before slowly approaching her and Tempest. "Silica, do you want these?" he bent down and held the fruit out, and smiled when she nodded. "Sure, here you go."

He finished peeling the first banana, and set it in her bowl before doing the same with the second one. The brown hippo made an unfamiliar noise before nudging the bowl with her nose and taking one of the bananas in her mouth, chewing it up all at once. She made another noise, which to Ash sounded somewhat pleased, before gobbling up the second one.

"A Hippopotas that likes bananas…" Len commented as he and Janine watched. "No one said Pokemon were short of variety."

Ash stood up, backing away slowly to observe Silica and Tempest a little longer before turning back to Janine and Len. "We gave her a few yesterday, and she ate those right up too."

"Right after you saved her from Hippowdon," Len reminded. "Association is a crucial part of psychology in Pokemon just as much as humans like us. That's why she feels safer next to your Kingler but threatens anyone else except for you."

"So the bananas relax her," Janine surmised.

"I know it's not an easy thought to have…" Len looked at Ash carefully. "But we don't know the full details of her history with Hippowdon. She is young, and he was her father. Her whole life until yesterday may have been like that. She is going to latch onto anything that she associates with comfort, and makes her less scared."

"..." Ash breathed through his nose. Pikachu and Valiant paid attention to his closing hands before following his gaze back to Silica. "I definitely need to keep Tempest on the team at all times. I know he's out of his element right now, but it doesn't feel like we have any other options, and I don't know how long it will take for her to find the others trustworthy."

"Right now," Len said. "The important part is to keep the environment around her safe and secure. She's used to being scared and defensive, those are her default instincts. Reversing those expectations will require-" he was cut off by a noise from his communicator, which looked like a Pokegear. Turning off the speaker, he brought the device to his ear. "Yes?" After a moment of listening to whatever was being said on the other end, he pressed a button. "Sensei wants me to help cover a patrol. I'll see you both at dinner."

It was like the conversation up to that point had not happened, and Ash realized at the last second that Len had been (mildly) more open than the previous day - until the call came in, and his behavior turned instantly familiar. "Come on, Toxicroak." After bowing for a moment, he turned around and jogged away with his partner following him.

"Good luck!" Janine waved for a moment before turning back to Ash. "He seems to respect you; he was facing both of us when he bowed, not just me."

Ash's talk with Len last night flashed in his mind, where the older boy had bowed to him then, as well. "He didn't seem to think much of me before." he admitted. "I kept trying to talk to him on the way to the Safari Zone. He wasn't shooting me down, but, well, he clearly wasn't interested." Each time he had asked Len a question, the ninja boy would give him an answer before going quiet.

Janine shook her head. "He was merely focused on his mission, I assure you. Had he been off duty, like just now, he would have been more responsive. Yesterday he was there to do his job, not make friends."

'Especially since I was his job.' Ash thought, but he kept that part to himself. He wasn't sure if Janine knew the details of the gray-eyed boy's mission from yesterday.

The two returned to their seats at the table, where Pikachu and Valiant had already come and gone with their own helpings of fruit.

"Remember, Ash." Janine spoke while stirring her bowl. "You're not a stranger here, you're my guest. And everyone here knows what you've done - with the Scarfist gang, I mean. I can help introduce you more properly to some of the others, if you're more comfortable with me being there."

He nodded gratefully. "I would like that, but for now I'd like to focus on training, and Silica…" he looked at the Hippopotas, eating at a bit of a better pace than before next to Tempest, who silently kept to himself, but didn't try to leave her.

'Environment and association, huh…' he looked back at Janine, who had returned to her food, and it suddenly dawned on him how close they were to splitting up - after he was done in Fuchsia, that was it. There would be no more late night or early morning talks, confiding about what was on their mind, exchanging ideas for training, or even something as simple as this.

"I do want to get to know your family," he said, almost blurting it out as she looked up from her food. "Before I leave, I promise."

His friend quietly smiled.

/

"And that should be about everything…" Janine finished. She was standing in front of the console that controlled the pool's mechanisms, explaining all of the functions to Ash. "This should be a great way for them to practice Surf together."

Ash nodded along with a grin. He had been excited about the pool since Janine had shown it to him yesterday, and as he looked back at Tempest, he could tell the crab was itching for it even more.

Skrelp and Tentacruel were naturally present as well, but kept a somewhat decent distance from Tempest, due to Silica standing next to him. The Hippopotas had glanced nervously at the pool when they arrived, but Ash had promised her that she would not be in any danger of getting wet - he knew her species hated that. Nonetheless, she was still leaking sand.

"Alright," he spoke up. "Whenever you guys are ready, jump in. Silica, you can come in the booth with us."

The three water types raced to the pool, although Tempest briefly nudged Silica in Ash and Janine's direction before joining. The brown hippo was quick to scurry in her new trainer's direction as the crab left her side, but slowed down halfway as her eyes fell on Janine. The poison specialist tried to give Silica a reassuring look, raising her hands and backing away from Ash.

"It's okay, Silica." Ash promised. "Janine's great, she won't hurt you." Silica hesitated a bit longer, but nonetheless shuffled next to him and looked out the glass towards the pool.

The pool was very large, more than enough for three water types to have their way with. Tempest joined Tentacruel and Skrelp with a splash before activating Surf. The difference from using the move on the ground was immediate, and he zipped across the pull past his two training partners with more fluidity and agility than Ash and Janine had ever seen from him before. He still could not maintain the move for two long, but managed to keep himself afloat afterwards. Turning to Skrelp, a smirk formed on his face, and he brought his large pincer down onto the water, creating a splash that flipped her upside down.

Ash rolled his eyes at Tempest's gurgling laugh, and did not bat either of them when Skrelp was quick to retaliate with a Shadow Ball that the Kingler blocked. "Hopefully they don't get too distracted."

Thankfully, the roughhousing was over about as quickly as it started, and the trio were propelling themselves across the pool, lifting the water underneath them up to the ride as fast as they could manage and attempting sharp turns to varying degrees of success. The exercise needed to be done in bursts, as none of them were yet able to keep a continuous Surf going beyond several seconds, but would do their best to get a new one going right after the previous one collapsed from underneath them. It would be tiring for sure, like endless running across a track, but that was the point of the exercise, and it was a drill that could only really be done in a large body of water rather than on the ground.

A few minutes in, Ash looked to Silica, who was watching the practice while occasionally stealing glances at him and Janine. "Tempest has been practicing Surf for a long time," he explained to her. "He used to barely hold it for a few seconds while being completely still, but now he's having a blast. You think he's doing well?"

Silica's eyes did their best to follow the crab as he zipped across the water. The pillar of water he was riding collapsed, causing him to tumble into the pool and lose his momentum. With a shake of the head, he summoned a new one and resumed, trying to catch up to Tentacruel, who lost her pillar soon after, but managed to retain her balance as she summoned a new one. The brown hippo had flinched earlier when Skrelp had shot the Shadow Ball at him, but confusingly, nobody had seemed to care, not even Tempest himself. And now it almost seemed like they were having fun. Were they always "training" like this?

A few minutes later, all three Pokemon felt their pillars collapsing at the same time. Tentacruel and Skrelp tumbled over and were left floating in the water, catching their breath while Tempest successfully maintained his balance, briefly activating a new Surf before turning back and gloating to them, waving a pincer in provocation.

"There he goes again…" Janine sighed.

"Yeah…" Ash said, before looking at Silica. "Hey, just so you know," he started, getting her attention. "Tempest isn't exactly known for his modesty, he gets a big head a lot." his eyes wandered to the console as a lightbulb formed in his head. "Which is why we should try and shrink it every now and then… would Tentacruel and Skrelp mind if we didn't warn them?"

"I think they are more focused on the way he is acting right now." Janine admitted before nodding in approval. "Go on, do you remember how to do it?"

"I think so…" stopping in front of the console, Ash messed with the controls a bit before stopping. "Should be good to go now."

Tentacruel rolled her eyes at Tempest's antics. Her fondness for the crab could only give him so much leeway, although the stark difference in how his behavior and theatrics presented themselves compared to the past were not lost on her. That didn't stop her from chuckling softly at what happened next, however.

Tempest's grandstanding was cut off midway through when the water beneath him began to move. Picking up speed steadily, the pool began to emulate far less calm waters in the wild, rippling with waves that flipped the Kingler headfirst into the rapids. Although Tentacruel and Skrelp were caught off guard by the sudden shift, they manage to right themselves at the last second, saving themselves from being swept up by the current.

The waters slowed as quickly as they had begun to speed up, although they only slowed halfway, with the waves and current continuing to splash as a field of rocks and pillars rose to the surface, turning the large pool into an obstacle course. Recovering from the surprise, Tempest pulled himself up and sent a dirty look Ash and Janine's way, but soon redirected his attention to the new challenge.

"Stay focused, everybody!" Janine's voice rose with a powerful authority that may have caught Ash off guard in the past. "Line up!" The aquatic trio moved to the end of the pool and faced ahead. Tempest and Tentacruel held onto the edge to keep themselves in place, while Skrelp hopped out of the water and stood up straight at the edge in between them.

Silica blinked before looking up at Ash. Seeing that she was hoping for an explanation, he turned to her and said. "Our team is training for something called the Indigo League. A massive tournament called the Indigo Conference is held at the end of every year, where all the best trainers gather and compete; there's usually over five hundred of them." he looked back out towards the pool. "But in order to qualify, trainers have to prove that they are the best by winning eight badges from prestigious Gyms - and that's not easy, we have to train our butts off just to stand a chance. Fuchsia's Gym is run by Janine's family, and her father is one of the best there is. We practice new moves and hone the ones we already know to get as strong as possible."

Silica stared at Ash for a moment before slowly looking back to the pool. Tempest was there, holding onto the edge as the waves splashed around him, Tentacruel and Skrelp. The Kingler had his game face on; a smirk paired with an uncompromised, focused expression in his eyes as he waited for their trainers to give the signal. Ash was used to that look, but to Silica, it was foreign.

"Remember, you guys," Ash called out. "The purpose of this is strictly to practice Surf; honing your control over the move and improving your stamina while using it. The pool's current will either fight against you or give you an unexpected speed boost. You guys are going to race to the end of the pool and back five times in a row."

Janine continued. "And you are only permitted to use Surf, no other moves are allowed. There will not be any dirty play, either. That means no deliberately bumping into either of your opponents, or trying to hit them with an attack - I'm talking to you Tempest." Unfazed, the Kingler simply rolled his eyes.

Ash sent an amused glance Janine's way before turning back to Silica. "They've all gotten a lot better at using Surf, but this is the first time they've had a chance to practice like this. The obstacle course will force them to try and steer around the rocks and pillars, and the current will make it more difficult to do that. Make it a race, and their speed, endurance, and control are all being put to the test at the same time. Winning isn't really the point here, but making it a competition instead of having them take turns will motivate them to really push themselves."

Silica took in Ash's words, but the unease in her expression didn't evaporate when she looked back at the pool. Ash frowned. If only he could understand what Pokemon were thinking or saying. He could let Valiant out to try and talk to her and translate, but she needed to be eased into that.

Moving slowly to hopefully not alarm her, he knelt down and gently placed his hand on the Hippopotas' back. She flinched for a moment, but paused, as if remembering that it was just him, and it seemed like she might have been relaxing a little bit as he pet her. The surface of her skin was sandy like before.

"It's fun for them, I promise. We wouldn't force them to push themselves like this if they didn't want to train. For them, something like this is rewarding, kind of like a game. You'll see."

Silica's jaw stiffened. Why would Tempest and the others want to do something like this for fun? They could get hurt, or be so tired they could barely move. What was rewarding about that?

…She believed Ash. He had promised they'd enjoy it. But she didn't understand why.

Ash stood back up and turned his head to make eye contact at Janine, who had been watching the exchange. She mouthed an approving whisper that he vaguely caught: "Good going." His cheeks were slightly redder than normal when he returned his gaze to the pool.

"Okay, everyone!" he called out, making sure he had their attention. "Three… two… one… START!"

All three took off at once, rushing at full speed through the pool. Skrelp started off in the lead, being the fastest of the trio in a straight shot contest - but this was not a straight shot, and almost as quickly as they had begun, they were swerving and turning, trying to navigate through the field of obstacles while the current fought to steal away control over their movements.

Tempest felt the spark of adrenaline that he always anticipated as he ripped through the waters. Practicing Surf had long since become a regular routine for him - but finally having the chance to traverse water on it? It was a different feeling altogether. He could only imagine how good it would feel to fight Tentacruel or Skrelp in this environment, but he was hardly dissatisfied with the current setup on its own. He found himself taking the lead as Skrelp's pillar of water collapsed and the smaller racer was flung aside by the current, but his advantage was lost as soon as he had acquired it: His and Tentacruel's pillars gave out at the same time, but she formed a new one faster, to his frustration.

Tentacruel got to the end of the pool first, but that was only the first half of the first "lap". She still had to turn around, and when she did Skrelp had already reached the end herself, managing a much smoother turn than Tentacruel had. Tempest was trailing behind, hissing as he latched onto the end of the pool and propelled himself in hot pursuit. He did everything he could to pick up speed, straining himself to fight against the current and slowly beginning to close the distance between himself and Tentacruel - Skrelp was passing her and retaking the lead. Suddenly, the current was carrying him instead of pushing back against him, and he found himself unprepared for the "unexpected speed boost" that Ash had warned them of. Less than two seconds after passing Tentacruel, he had flung himself face first into a pillar, bouncing off the surface with a hard impact as the jellyfish passed by him again, as though he had never overtaken her in the first place.

On instinct, Ash's eyes had quickly darted to Silica when Tempest took the hit, and sure enough, the hippo was definitely worried. Janine must have had the same idea, however, because she beat him to the punch.

"Do not worry, Silica," the ninja girl reassured. "They have all taken much worse than that, they are strong enough to handle it."

"Especially Tempest," Ash emphasized. "That outer shell of his is even stronger than it looks. See? He's picking himself up right now."

Sure enough, Tempest was already trying to push himself forward again, and although Silica could not tell from where she was, he was barely bruised. It did not take long for the Hippopotas to realize that he was not moving any slower than he had before the impact, however, and a surge of admiration rushed through her chest.

Skrelp made it back to the start point first, concluding the first of five "laps" with a solid lead over her two opponents. Tempest fought to hold his pillar of water together, and managed for longer than usual before he and Tentactruel both lost theirs at the same time, and were sent flipping over as a result. Determined, the Kingler kept his balance, successfully landing upright as he summoned a new pillar to keep carrying him forward. Ahead of him, Tentacruel was not able to do the same, taking longer to get Surf going again, and giving him a chance to close a lot of valuable distance. The jellyfish still made it to the end ahead of him, and started the second lap as fast as she could, but he had to be less than three seconds behind her.

Ahead of them, Skrelp screeched as she accidentally flung herself into a rock, her back bouncing painfully off of the stone surface before she was sent skidding through the water. She recovered and continued just as Tentacruel's side clipped a pillar, causing her to stagger as Tempest seized the chance to overtake her.

"You guys are doing great!" Ash called out. Although he was silently rooting for Tempest, he was hardly rooting against the other two, and all three needed to be encouraged.

The next two and a half laps came and went, with each of the three trading the lead. Halfway through the fourth lap, they were all neck and neck, and although Skrelp's superior speed allowed her to briefly get ahead, fatigue was setting in for all of them. They were all banged up to varying degrees (Ash realized with some guilt that Tempest's excellent durability gave him an advantage in a race like this), and the constant, repeated usage of Surf had forced each of them to try and catch their breath at different points. Nonetheless, neither of the three quit, regardless of the accumulating bruises and exhaustion.

Silica was increasingly amazed that the trio was doing this willingly.

Tempest was the first to finish the penultimate lap, but spent a little bit too much time hanging on the edge of the pool to recover, and Tentacruel passed him. Just before Skrelp caught up, he launched himself forward, overtaking the jellyfish just before their pillars gave out, and Skrelp shot by. The crab did everything he could to maintain as much balance as possible as he fought to summon another pillar. This was the last lap, he could take a breather after the race was over. Hardily, he tore through the pool, closing distance between himself and the smaller water type. Skrelp was tired, he could sense it. Behind him, Tentacruel was feeling the same, but had no shortage of incentive to keep pushing forward.

He and Skrelp made it to the end of the pool at the same time, and this time he did not wait to recover. They shot forward at once, and Tentacruel was turning around behind them not a moment or two later. In the second half of the race, it had become increasingly difficult to maintain Surf for as long, and the Kingler strained himself to hold his together, overtaking Skrelp as her pillar collapsed from underneath her - and Tentacruel's collapsed behind him just afterwards. He could taste victory when, to his chagrin, his gave out next, and although he he got moving again as quickly as she could, Tentacruel had pulled ahead of him with a final burst of adrenaline. Behind them, Skrelp was struggling to do the same.

Eyes widening in determination, Tempest pushed himself through the water as hard as he could manage. He was forced to perform a swift turn to avoid a rock that threatened to halt his momentum yet again, successfully maneuvering around it. Tentacruel, meanwhile, clipped a pillar. She managed to keep moving - to Tempest's great amazement, but she was slowing from the collision. He pushed himself to speed up one final time, fighting through all of the agony and fatigue begging his body to stop.

And he grabbed the edge first.

The Kingler wanted to roar. To announce his victory to the world in the wake of his latest bout with adversity. His lungs would not allow him, the only thing on their mind was sucking in air, so instead he settled for raising his free pincer skyward, while hanging off of the edge of the pool with the other one.

Back in the booth, Janine allowed herself to sigh. "Congratulations, Ash." she did not sound too disappointed, but Ash got the feeling she was hiding it.

Ash gave her a nod before looking down to Silica. "You see? Having Tentacruel and Skrelp in the pool with him really pushed him to test himself. I'm not sure he would have done half as well without the pressure they were giving him. That's how we train together, we push each other as much as we possibly can."

Silica settled into a sitting position, watching Tempest climb out of the pool. He looked pretty happy.

/

"Brother," Aya and Akira approached the table the moment they entered the conference room, the green-haired Ace Trainer resting a hand on the chair she stood next to. "You said you received a report about the storm?"

Koga was standing by the window, where the orange sunset in the sky decorated the horizon, hands folded behind his back when his sister and cousin walked in. His brow wrinkled when he turned to face them. "Multiple reports, to be exact. From the meteorologists, but not only that. It's only just started circulating." His face carried its usual stoicism on the surface, but Aya and Akira saw through it - his expression was strained with thought. "Here, sit down."

They moved to the end of the table, with Aya and Akira sitting on either side of the Gym Leader as he arranged some papers.

Akira looked at Aya for a moment before turning his attention to Koga. "So, do they know where the storm came from?"

"That…depends on what "where" constitutes." Koga answered, as though he was only half focused on talking. "The storm's origins are still a mystery, but if you were talking about the location, they have found a rough window on where it first spawned out of nowhere." He pushed a couple of papers in between the three of them - a weather chart and a map, both marked and labeled. "These are findings from the meteorologists who have been looking into the storm. The window is still somewhat vague, however, it has been determined that the storm formed somewhere in this area." he circled his finger around a highlighted section. "We've already known that it was north of Lavender Town, but the specific area seems to be just west of the Rock Tunnel. The storm initially stood still, expanding in size over the area, and then it abruptly began to move." He traced his finger down the map, following the line indicating the storm's southern course; from Lavender to Fuchsia and then the Sevii Islands."

"The storm stood still…" Aya repeated. That didn't sound natural. The storm as a whole seem natural, but the added details were increasingly disturbing. "So it just grew in place?"

"There is more," Koga looked at his sister just long enough to offer a nod, before returning his full focus to the documents. "While the storm was still growing north of Lavender, it was not moving, but it was rotating. The team's findings say that the storm clouds were going in a circle over the surrounding area, as the storm expanded and gained strength. But soon after the storm started moving, it's behavior almost completely changed. The rotating slowed, and its patterns suddenly became more predictable, like a "normal" storm." his lips tightened. "'Soon after it started moving' are the key words. When the storm first began traveling southward, it was still rotating and gathering strength. But then it… stopped gaining strength, and started weakening on its way here. All of these changes happened without warning, like pressing a button on a machine."

"That is… peculiar," Akira managed to say while Aya nodded in agreement. The black-haired man gently pushed the map in his direction to get a better look, although made sure it was still visible for the other two. "So they've determined the 'what' but not the 'why'?"

"Yes," said Koga. "But that is not the only information I have received." He took out two more papers and laid them on the table. "These are photos we received from the range base stationed north - Team Rocket sightings."

Aya put the pieces together, and her eyebrow rose. "Wait, you mean… the same place the storm formed?"

"The general area, correct." Koga confirmed. "They were going to report it sooner and request backup, but then the storm happened. Take a look."

The first photo was vague, clearly shot from a distance with several figures in the picture. The second was zoomed in, and although the details were not the greatest, the Iron-Masked Marauder's form was unmistakable."

Akira's face was serious. "Do they believe there is a connection? What was Team Rocket doing near the Rock Tunnel?"

"No answers, I'm afraid." Koga shook his head lightly, gazing at the pair of photos with veiled frustration. "But the number of soldiers present indicates some form of operation. The Rangers are investigating the area as we speak - whether or not it has anything to do with the storm, they were doing something in the area, and we need to know what was there that interested them."

"The Iron-Masked Marauder was in the photo…" Aya's nose clenched, and her eyes turned sharp. "They had to be looking for something. Something that would require him to be deployed." She turned to her brother. "Do you have any theories?"

Koga stared at the photos a moment longer - long enough to be mistaken for not listening, but she knew he heard him. "...No, merely a bad feeling. After all of this activity, and what they have done, I am not comfortable calling this sighting a coincidence. Not with him being there."

"Speaking of the Marauder," Akira added. "Is there not an International Police agent here working with the League regarding him?"

"Yes, there is." Koga responded. "Agent Klark, I believe. The report says he was informed. He will likely be joining them in their search."

Even as he spoke, the gears were moving in the Gym Leader's head. A man of Marauder's specialty had to be involved in the operation, whatever it was, for a specific reason. The poison master had no idea what the Rockets had been doing - or searching for - when the storm had hit, but his heart was telling him that the answer would scare him.

Mt. Moon, Celadon, Lavender, and now this. It would take a fool to assume anything would be the same…

/

It was the third of nine days leading up to the Gym battle - with six more days to prepare. After a brief discussion, it was determined that Glaceon would be the one going to Oak's lab today, with Nebula coming back. With the Staravia back on the team, Ash and Janine started the morning with a visit to the village's "flying arena", designed for aerial combat training.

The flying arena was a tall, round structure with a wide open space for flight. According to Janine, it was a fairly new addition to the training grounds, with its own unique mechanisms. The arena contained built-in fans designed to generate wind currents of adjustable strengths, similar to the pool from yesterday. Propeller-powered aerial targets were deployed for the Pokemon to take out.

As Janine showed Ash the controls from the safety of the barrier separating them from the arena itself, Pikachu, Nebula, and Golbat awaited the start of their training session. The electric type was relieved to have her back - even just one day with her gone had been felt, but the mouse quickly felt more comfortable standing next to her, and both half dejected and relieved that Glaceon was not here.

Patting his best friend's wings (was she groomed while at the lab?) Pikachu asked Nebula what it was like at the Oak Corral. She chirped cheerfully, sharing a story of her brief vacation and a race she had with a couple of the other flying types there while Golbat stretched his wings.

"This meter keeps track of the wind currents," Janine explained while Ash stood next to her. "I would recommend we keep it around the medium levels for now. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Ash started. "How durable are the flying targets?"

"Enough to absorb most of the impact when hit, but I don't imagine our team would have much difficulty destroying them. We sadly lack variety in that regard,"Janine admitted. "But it should be enough for the level of training we are currently practicing."

Ash nodded. It sounded good enough for him. He was about to tell her he was ready when the door opened, stealing away both rookies' attention.

Aya entered the room wearing her silver uniform which contrasted the laid back tone of her voice. "I was told you two would be here. Room for one more?"

Janine's expression did not change too much, but even Ash could see her purple eyes light up like the candles on a birthday cake. "No need to even ask! We were just about to get started."

The Ace Trainer nodded, approaching the two while looking past the barriers to the trio of Pokemon preparing for their session. "Huh, you have Pikachu out there too?"

"He can't fly," Ash explained. "But he rides on Nebula's back a lot. We decided to incorporate that into the training; he'll give her and Golbat a bit of extra weight to carry while they learn to fly with the current. Plus, even Pokemon that don't fly can benefit from practicing something like this, in case an aerial opponent snatches them up." Among everyone on the team, Pikachu was the safest to practice this with, given that he had Iron Tail to break his fall, unlike Valiant.

"I see," Aya commented. "Creative."

After Janine called out that they were about to start, Nebula and Golbat got into position, and Pikachu climbed onto the bird's back. With a series of flaps, the two fliers ascended into the air, circling around the tube-shaped interior while Ash started up the fans.

Nebula grinned to herself as she felt Pikachu tighten his grip on her. Flying around with him had been a favored pastime for the duo for almost as long as the group had been together, and turning that into a training method had been both a smart and appealing idea. She was quickly reminded to take it seriously as the currents began to intensify. Ash did his best to make the increase as gradual as possible, giving her and Golbat time to adjust to the strength of the wind and maintain balance. Pikachu's paws clung to Nebula for support as he felt the wind against his fur. It wasn't just strong - it was cold. Despite the gradual increase, all three Pokemon in the air felt the difference sooner or later, and Pikachu hugged Nebula's back tighter as she tipped over for a moment.

"The arena is designed to contain the wind," Aya explained as Ash watched. "It bounces off the walls to create the rotating currents."

He nodded before speaking into the microphone, which projected his voice to the trio. "Just focus on flying for now, you guys. Try to get used to it before we start the target practice."

Golbat nodded, adjusting himself in an effort to glide with the current. As he and Nebula circled each other, he felt his wings shaking for a moment, doing his best to hold them steady. After a few minutes the difficulties seemed to subside.

"If all of you are ready," Janine said into the microphone. "Then try switching. Pikachu!"

The mouse's ears stood up at the order, and he and Nebula exchanged a quick glance. Looking over to Golbat, the poison flier was doing his best to keep his eyes on them, and preparing himself to catch the mouse. Trying not to look down, Pikachu took a breath, waiting for the right timing, and leapt off of Nebula's back. Golbat moved to intercept him, quickly feeling the additional weight as the electric type grabbed onto him and readjusted himself on the bat's back.

"Good." Ash approved. He looked at Janine, who nodded, and began putting commands into the console. "Alright you guys, get ready!"

The aerial targets were round objects a little bit bigger than Pikachu himself, decorated with bullseyes rising into the air and flying with the current. Narrowing her eyes, Nebula curved her body and charged an Air Slash before flinging it at one of the targets. The current continued to carry her even as she fired, and the sharp blade of air just missed its mark, leaving her hissing in frustration while trying to reposition herself for a second attempt. Golbat's first try did not work out much better, only barely clipping the target.

Grunting, Nebula almost fired a second Air Slash right after, but restraining herself. Even as they took aim and fired, the wind would mess with their calculations. She needed to give it more time, and make sure he was flowing with the curtain first…

After taking a breath, the Staravia lapped a few circles in the air, gradually rising higher into the arena as she did. Finally she dived down and took aim again.

This time, the Air Slash hit its mark almost perfectly, and Nebula felt a surge of satisfaction as the target shattered.

/

"Silica, this is Nebula. Nebula, Silica."

After spending some useful time in the flight arena, the group had moved on to the dojo and battlefield for more general training, but while Valiant and Phenom joined Janine and her team for some light warm ups, Ash took the chance to introduce their newest member to the one member of the group she had yet to meet. Pikachu stood off to the side with Aya to give them some space, while their trainer crouched next to the Staravia.

Nebula raised a wing and offered the brown hippo a greeting chirp. Silica stared at her uncertainly before looking back to Tempest, who gently prodded her forward. Ash knew the Kingler was still well out of his comfort zone, and reminded himself to make it up to him somehow.

Knowing Tempest still wasn't too far behind her (and that Ash was right there as well), Silica stopped in front of Nebula and managed a quick greeting as she rested herself in a sitting position. She seemed a bit more relaxed than normal, but the sand particles coming off of her were a reminder.

"We're all going to be training together for a while, Silica." Ash petted the bag of Nebula's head, earning an affectionate hum and playful nip from the bird. "Do you want to watch with me? I'm sure Tempest would love to show off some of his tricks to you - not on you of course." Tempest perked up at that. The ground type turned her head to look back at him before nodding at Ash, who stood up and gestured to the training area where Janine and the others were waiting. "Sounds great, let's get started then. Plenty of work to do." Nebula flapped her way ahead, while Silica stuck by Tempest as he followed, but Ash hung back for a moment as he approached Aya and Pikachu, the latter climbing to his shoulder and earning a chin rub.

"I was told about how you found Silica," Aya crossed her arms. "You seem to be doing a pretty good job with her, but don't feel deterred if progress doesn't pick up for a while. It might, but if it doesn't, don't immediately think you're doing something wrong, okay?"

"Yeah…" Ash nodded back. "So you know everything, then?"

She managed an oddly strained smile. "A whisper or two about you and Tempest dumping a Hippowdon on his head." The blush on his face was just what she needed to lighten her mood. "It's gotten around, a bit."

"Oh, heh…" Ash giggled. It was embarrassing, bashfully rubbing his neck in front of an Ace Trainer, but Aya was Janine's family, and for some reason that didn't provoke the same anxiety as the rest of the clan. Even with her aura, there was something comforting about her as well.

"That's actually another thing I was informed of," Aya continued as they started walking. "That you handed Hippowdon over after catching him."

"I…" Ash's face fell. "Didn't think I was ready for him. I didn't want to get rid of him entirely, but I figured he needed professional help. I'm not sure how he would have gotten on with the rest of the team, given…" his fists tightened. "What he was doing to his own daughter. And with Silica here with us, keeping them apart is for the best."

"You made the right choice," she patted his back. "There's no easy way to say this, but what you saw probably wasn't the only time. He's a trigger for her, and if she ever sees him again it can't be for a long while." she saw the look on his face, and felt her heart tug. "You've… never seen that before, have you?"

He stopped. Pikachu looked at him curiously, but he patted his starter's head, managing a smile. "Buddy, can you go with the others? I'll be there in a bit." After a moment, the rodent nodded and took off.

Ash held back a sigh as he turned to face Aya. "I… it just…" his shuffling feet were interesting for a moment. "It's just hard to process that somebody could do that to their own kid."

"You must have amazing parents."

That got him to smile. "Mom's the best person on the planet. There's nothing she wouldn't do for me."

She returned his smile, although there was a sad sweetness to her expression. "Cherish her always." she looked back to where Janine and the others were. "Ash, family is… complicated. With all due respect, it doesn't sound like you've been exposed to that - which is good," she quickly added, looking back to him. "Please don't misunderstand, a simple, comfy home life is the best anybody can ask for. But families are like people and Pokemon, no two of them are the same. You've already heard a good deal about our family - we are not normal." Her tone when speaking that last sentence may have been the bluntest he had ever heard from her.

"But you're still good," Ash replied. "I know your ancestors did bad things in the past, but you're different now." Almost as soon as the word "different" left his lips, the memory played in his mind.

"Every cruel method that was practiced by their people, and every fraction of talent and intelligence they were equipped with. It would all be used in service to the Indigo League, forevermore."

"Different in a lot of ways," she agreed. "But think of it this way: would you have wanted to grow up here?"

The question caught him off guard. His immediate answer was almost "no". He had felt like a sore thumb on his first day here, but… that was only because it was his first day. He only stuck out because he was an outsider. Had he been raised here, he wouldn't be a visitor, he would be one of them.

He would have met Janine a lot sooner, too.

"I mean…" he tried to think carefully, although he thankfully got the impression that Aya was not trying to pressure him into a definite answer. "I'll admit it's kind of hard to picture what it would be like, but…" he thought about everything Janine had told him. The way people looked at her different, sometimes out of fear. The way it reminded him of the metaphorical fence between himself and most of the other Pallet kids. The fence that Gary and his clique had built, where it felt like everyone was invited in except for Ash Ketchum.

"I know it's a weird thing to ask," Aya's hand rested on his shoulder for a moment, as if to assure him he didn't have to think too hard. "But if you aren't sure what you'd say, that just goes to show how different families can be, right? Your whole life and way of thinking might not have even been recognizable if you grew up somewhere else, especially here."

He relaxed a bit as she let go of him. "Yeah, I think I see your point."

She hummed for a moment. "You've learned a lot about the Clan's past, but maybe a more modern perspective on our present day could help you out. I can tell a couple… personal stories, if you're interested." she brushed her ponytail, looking back in the direction of the others. "It might help you with Silica in the long run, having more experience to go off of than just your own."

Ash thought about it for a moment. The history lesson from the other day had certainly been eye opening, and he had meant it when he told Janine he wanted to know more about her family. "If you think that would help, I'm all ears."

"Sounds good. Meet up with me after dinner then, and we can talk." satisfied, she started walking again, gesturing for him to follow. "We should hurry up, everyone's waiting."

So he followed, their conversation slowly stashing itself away in his mind for the time being, and thoughts of training returning to the forefront.

/

"Don't lose patience, Phenom!" Ash reminded the young dragon as he sparred with Tempest. The Tyrunt's growth spurt was continuing, but the Kingler still had him substantially outweighed, and although not helpless, it was clear the dinosaur was out muscled in close range. Trying to switch to distance combat wasn't much more helpful, as it gave Tempest an opportunity to utilize his icy arsenal. Rock Blast did well to provide Phenom with some protection, but it was far from perfect.

Grunting, the Tyrunt charged through the mist as his jaws lit up with psychic energy. Psychic Fangs had been a priority for a while, and Ash felt happy seeing the end result. Though Tempest blocked the vicious bite with a Metal Claw before wrestling Phenom to the ground, the young dinosaur's usage of the move had gotten very strong, and it would be vital to their offensive arsenal against Koga next week.

Phenom struggled to push Tempest off of him, but his opponent had him pinned like he was chained to the cement. He could feel the chill coming from the water type's pincers - he was planning to ice him point blank. With a burst of adrenaline, Phenom unleashed the strongest Roar he could muster, pushing Tempest off of him before lunging forward again with Thunder Fang, biting down on the Kingler's head.

Silica watched Tempest struggle to force Phenom off of him, finally slamming the dinosaur hard on the ground and smacking him with Crabhammer. They were fighting viciously, yet Ash was simply standing there giving them instructions, and on occasion, either combatant would smile for a moment before continuing.

It was all so… foreign. It didn't feel barbaric either; she and the others were always forced to hold out until dad was done letting his anger out, and were left nursing their wounds, but Ash seemed to make sure things did not get out of hand, and had berries and medicine ready in case it did. And it was fair. Everyone was strong, and could protect themselves.

And Tempest was really strong. He seemed to push through everything Phenom hit him with. She had never imagined fighting back the way either of them did.

"Battles can get pretty rough," Ash had explained to her when offering her a taste of one of the berries (it had tasted pretty good, although she preferred the bananas). "But proper battles are just competitions, like that race at the pool yesterday."

Tempest grunted after blocking a Dragon Pulse with Frost Pulse. Phenom couldn't hope to beat him since he evolved, but the Tyrunt was as tenacious as ever. If he hadn't evolved, the Kingler found himself admitting that their positions were likely to be reversed - even back at the lodging, early into Phenom's growth spurt, Tempest had only barely beaten him after struggling.

"Alright, Tempest," Ash chimed in, signaling a brief pause to the action. "Before we wrap it up, try using Surf, and see how long you can go with it. Phenom, get ready to fight back."

Tempest snorted a moment, it was a fine idea to him. Looking over at Silica, he could see that her eyes were squarely on him - they had been for nearly all of his training sessions, not just spars but also when he simply honed his moves with the others. She was weaker than all of them, and it was almost like anything they did amazed her.

…Well, if she really wanted to watch that badly, he might as well show her how it's done. Looking over to Phenom, he asked if he was ready. The Tyrunt's response was to kneel down with a low grunt. Tempest smirked, and a pillar of water lifted him off of his feet.

Phenom braced himself as his opponent rushed forward. Glaceon's gains had been spectacular, but Tempest was something else altogether. A true powerhouse in every sense, and seemed nearly impossible to knock out with how good his defenses had gotten. Evolution was a gift he knew he wouldn't taste for a while, but he would bite and claw his way through everything he needed to earn it.

And when he finally reached that point, he would truly embody his nickname.

Tempest propelled himself forward, riding the water while preparing a Razor Shell to slash at his target. Phenom took a leap back, charging a Dragon Pulse in his jaws. As he fired the blast, Tempest was forced to deviate from his original course, curving to avoid the attack as the exploded against the wet ground. Ready to intercept the incoming charge, Phenom ran towards the Kingler, jaws crackling with lightning, but was surprised when Tempest continued riding the Surf away from him instead of towards him. An onslaught of Frozen Bullets erupted from his open pincers, pelting Phenom before he could try and counter them. The icy projectiles exploded against his hide, assaulting him with a barrage of cold air that sent him staggering back and off of his feet, although he regained his balance just in time to see the water type charging towards him this time.

Tempest raised a Metal Claw and swung forward to deck Phenom in the face, but the Tyrunt lunged for him again, latching onto the metallic pincer and intercepting it with a second Thunder Fang. Grunting, Tempest fought against Phenom's grip as the dinosaur tried to drag him off of the pillar of water. The two strained against each other, but Phenom growled as Tempest began pulling him backwards after a short lived stalemate. Despite his best efforts, the dragon was forced to allow his feet to move forward with his opponent so he wouldn't lose his balance.

Then the pillar collapsed. Phenom's eyes widened as the water that had been carrying Tempest splashed all over him, and the large crab tumbled into him, his hard shell bowling the Tyrunt over as they collapsed onto the concrete together.

"Alright, that's time!" Ash held his hands up. "Good work, both of you. That one lasted longer."

Silica watched the two pick themselves up. Tempest's pincer was prodding Phenom's back, complimenting him. That felt foreign too.

/

"I'm going to give Janine the book before she gets back on the road."

Aya sat under the pavilion outside the mansion. Dinner was over, and Ash would be here soon. It felt sort of nostalgic being here at this time of the day, when the stars were coming out to decorate the blackening sky. It was a sight her teenage self had grown used to seeing, although it hadn't been the view that had attracted her to the pavilion, moreso the general location. Close to the mansion, but still feeling somewhat sectioned off, where one could be alone with their thoughts. She had spent many nights here before bed.

The Ace Trainer's face tightened as she recalled her brother's words. She knew he had already been considering it, but had the recent reports been the final straw?

"I just… can't help but feel I pulled the wool over my own eyes." "I let my guard down."

"Hmm…" she hummed to herself.

"Something wrong?" looking to the side, she perked up, seeing Ash approaching the pavilion.

She managed to put on a smile from him, patting the spot next to her. "Just work thoughts, did you enjoy dinner?"

As he sat next to her, Ash's instincts nagged at him. Aya had a pretty smile, and a strong gaze in her eyes to go along with it, but looking at her now, something in his mind swore that her smile looked more strained, and that something behind those blue eyes was different. Of course, he hadn't known her long enough to really know, so why did the apparent difference jump out at him so abruptly?

…

He chose not to push those thoughts aside. They were alone, and he was comfortable enough around her to ask.

"I did, your chefs cook really well, but…" he paused for a moment. It felt awkward being the one to change the subject before a conversation had even started, but he still did it. "Hey Aya, I hope this isn't a weird thing to ask, but… are you stressed?"

The woman blinked in alarm. "Huh?" was all she could manage. The reaction could mean he was wrong… or that she was surprised he had noticed.

"I might be jumping to conclusions," he said, trying to keep eye contact. "It just seems like you've had a lot on your mind, and with everything going on with… the Rockets," his tone strained a bit saying the word, but he still got it out just fine. "I was just wondering."

Aya looked like she was studying him for a moment before her lips curved up. This smile was smaller, but he swore it lacked the strain; looked less forced. "I suppose I have been putting on a bit of a brave face, if you're willing to leave it at that. Didn't realize my armor was this cracked, though." she looked on ahead. "Maybe that's part of the reason I wanted us to talk here specifically. This was my night spot before I left. As a teenager I wasn't a stranger to stress… or thoughts." When she looked back at him, her gaze felt normal. Sincere. The aura was gone, but so was whatever front she seemed to have been putting up. "And that does sort of play a part in the things I was going to tell you about, if you're ready."

"You mean about the Clan?" Ash asked.

"Yes, from my own perspective. Are you comfortable there?" He nodded back, and with a breath, Aya looked down at her legs for a moment, considering her words.

It was an odd thought to have about a ten year old boy, but sharing these details with Ash felt like they'd help her cluttered thoughts. Deep down, she knew why that was. For him, this was about learning more about their family, and considering those different contexts when approaching his new teammate. She did want to help him with that, but as she prepared herself, she found she had her own reasons for wanting to teach her niece's friend. She just hoped she wasn't burdening him.

"I told you our family wasn't normal." She started. "It's not just because we're an upper class bloodline, either, as you know. We have been born and raised warriors since the dawn of our name. Janine and Akira told you about the vow Maya Kyo made a long time ago, right?" She looked back at him, and he nodded, listening closely.

"Our…" with a breath, she looked ahead. "Our Clan's entire way of life has been built off of the promise she made to the League. Our predecessors committed so many atrocities in Travash's name, and we recognize them as such. But we didn't bury their deeds, we did the opposite: Keeping them alive, in service of justice. That's how we atone: To take what was used for evil and instead use it for good. That's what I was taught since I was a child, because it's a mission every generation inherits. Mine and my brother's. Our grandfather's before us. Our upbringing is built off of that. And so is Janine's."

Ash nodded, still listening. Right now she was retreading the history lesson, supposedly to keep it fresh in his mind.

Aya bit her lip for a moment before continuing. "To tell you the truth, my family experience was never pleasant. In fact, I actually left for a while."

Ash's head snapped to her. "Wait, you mean, like… ran away?"

She raised her hand to reassure him. "No, nothing like that. But I did leave. I worked within the League's framework and eventually became an Ace Trainer, and came back home a completely different person from when I left."

"Okay, so…" Ash held his tongue for a moment. He realized this was about to get personal, but they both knew that going in. Normally he may have been uncomfortable hearing it, but Aya was doing this to broaden his horizons. "Why did you leave, then? If you're willing to talk about it, I mean."

"I am," she nodded. Her face was mostly at ease, but behind her gaze was a woman reliving memories. "It's a loaded question, though. Where to start…" gathering her words, she rubbed her chin with a light sigh. "Well, first some context. You're already aware that whoever leads this Clan is also the Gym Leader, right? The two positions go hand in hand, it's been that way since we were first put in charge of Fuchsia." Ash nodded. "Well, there's a tradition that goes back further than that: Every Kyo Clan leader is directly descended from Gwyniff. Her child, their child, their child, their child, and so on. And because of this, leaders are encouraged to have more than one kid. Can you guess why?"

Ash thought for a moment. From the way Aya described it, it sounded a lot like royalty. Indigo was a stranger to such a thing, but from what he knew, other Regions had such things in ancient times, not to mention fictional stories. If a royal heir died, their younger sibling would have a claim to the throne, and become the new heir. Like a safety net for inheritance.

"So you have more than one heir in case something happens to the oldest, right?" he guessed.

"Not quite," she said. "In fact, successor's aren't determined in that way. The oldest is never guaranteed to be the next in line. It could be the second oldest, or the youngest. That's a tradition Maya started: The leader would choose their successor between their offspring, based on who they think is most fit for the role. That developed further once we gained leadership of our own Gym: Succession became a competition."

"You compete to be the next Gym Leader?"

"Mhm, more than that, we are literally raised to compete. If you're a child of the Gym Leader, your siblings are your rivals from birth. That's all by design: The Clan's governance over Fuchsia is all a part of fulfilling Maya's vow to atone for Gwyniff's sins, and every Gym Leader needs to be the best they can be. Competition brings out the strongest of everybody involved, so the whole system is designed to see who has the most potential, and get them to unlock that."

"So you and Koga were rivals, then?" Ash said. He frowned a bit. It went without saying, Aya had clearly lost.

"Yup." the green-haired woman answered simply. "From the moment I was old enough to walk, my older brother was my rival. Our late grandfather was the leader at the time, and he pitted us against each other in everything. Even the most mundane things you could think of, Koga and I were always compared. It conditioned us to see each other as a threat, encouraging us to compete. Pretty much everything we did was some kind of a competition, even things that should have nothing to do with training or leadership."

Ash tensed at her words. As an only child, he had sometimes wondered what it would be like if he had a brother or a sister - he definitely never imagined it being anything like that. "But didn't you two hang out and play together sometimes?"

The Ace Trainer shook her head. "No, we didn't want to. Koga and I weren't friends growing up." she looked and saw his conflicted expression. "None of this makes any sense to you, does it?"

"I mean…" Ash tried to piece together what he was being told. Aya came from a family where siblings were encouraged to compete. "Being a Gym Leader is one of the biggest honors there is, and…" he looked at his feet. "You and Koga were raised to chase that dream. So you saw each other as-"

"As a threat," Aya reminded him. "The word "sibling" didn't carry any affectionate connotations to us, it was just another word for rival." she paused, her nose wrinkling. "And maybe even enemy. Grandfather took it further than most - Koga doesn't seem to believe it was deliberate, but after leaving the Clan and doing some soul-searching, I couldn't see how it wasn't. I mean, why else would he condition us to see every measly thing we did together as some kind of contest? Sometimes he would even point out when one of us was dressed neater than the other. If he really just wanted us to compete for the position, he would have limited that to our studies and training, not our literal life."

The woman tried to restrain a huff, and when she looked to her knees, her expression tugged at Ash's chest.

"Hey," without as much hesitation as he may have expected, the boy scooted a little bit closer to her and patted her back. "Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"You're uncomfortable, aren't you?" her eyes met his, and he could see the gaze of a soldier, and the woman behind her. "My grandfather probably sounds way different from your mom."

Ash frowned. "I… yeah, I can't picture her acting like that."

"You've said something like that before." she pointed out, lips curving into a tiny grin. "A certain ground type you recently befriended?"

"...Yeah…" he sat back, looking at the floor of the pavilion. It was the point of Aya's story, after all. "I'm uncomfortable because I'm not used to it."

Now she was patting his back. "You don't need to worry about me, Ash. I got past this a long time ago. Would you like to hear the rest?"

"..." it was an unsettling story, but if she was really willing to tell it, he would listen. "Yeah, go ahead."

She nodded at him. "Like I said before, Koga and I weren't friends as kids. That's an understatement, though. To be honest, I hated my brother for a while. Maybe I only thought I did, but truth be told, I'm pretty convinced. I wanted to be the Gym Leader more than anything, and so did he. Grandfather spent our whole childhoods pointing at that Soul Badge, making sure that was what our eyes were on. I did everything I could to be the better sibling - the stronger rival." she breathed through her nose, lightly shaking her head. "As you can see, that didn't happen, but I didn't just come up short. Koga crushed me. It's not even that I was lacking or anything like that, everyone knew I was good, and that I was fit for the role. But I wasn't Koga. It felt like he was better than me at everything, and the gap wasn't even that small. My brother put everything in his soul to embody what it meant to lead our Clan, and to lead a Gym. He was perfect: His academics, his battling, his strategy, the way he carried himself. Everyone in the Clan knew who was going to succeed grandfather, especially grandfather himself. It was that obvious. I was just a capable rival who motivated my brother not to slack or get cocky, but I never had any chances of winning. The results had already been written."

Ash pressed his lips, pushing away the inevitable image of Gary. "But you could have always caught up. I used to struggle a lot back at home, but I grew. If you were good from the start, why was everyone so sure Koga would always be better."

"Trust me," she gave a quiet, amused snort, although the grin on her face conveyed appreciation. "I tried. The Guardian Mew knows I tried. I was obsessed with proving everybody wrong. I worked myself to the bone to catch up to my brother, I did literally everything I could think of. But it never happened. It was always just in my fantasies, and no matter how hard I worked or how much of myself I put into my training and studies, it was like the gap between us just kept getting bigger. I had no idea what he had that I didn't, and it drove me crazy. I hated him. He was the bane of my existence." Despite her wording, her voice oddly didn't sound that pained. "Of course," she glanced at the ceiling. "I have a bit more perspective now. My brother probably knew more than anyone how much I was improving. He felt threatened to, in his own way. He saw how much better I was becoming and knew he had to improve himself at the same pace, or I would overtake him. Nothing fueled him more than my determination."

Ash's eyes shone with realization. "Because that was the whole point of the system in the first place."

"There you go," Aya nodded. "Koga and I brought the best out of each other, at the expense of our relationship. He's convinced we chose to hate each other, and that it was our own fault for putting the competition first and the way we looked at each other second." she shook her head. "I can't agree with that. Grandfather knew exactly what he was doing. The future of Fuchsia was on the line: whoever took the reins would carry on Maya's wishes, and play their part in serving Indigo and protecting its people. That was more important than love or bonding. What's a brother and sister to an entire Region - multiple Regions?"

Ash held his tongue. None of it made sense to him - not when he remembered all of the memories and affection he and his mother shared.

But he and his mother were just two ordinary people with nothing on their shoulders. Was something so wonderful really worth giving up?

"There was me, the talented granddaughter. And then there was my brother, the epitome, and maybe even the only reason I would never be Gym Leader. Koga wasn't just the best, he was the best. Looked upon as quite possibly the greatest in our history. Even now, he transcends his own title: Being a Gym Leader is unreachable for many, but my brother is an Elite Four member in all but name. Ask the Elite Four themselves and they would agree. The only reason he, Giovanni, Clair, and Pryce don't have a spot is because all four are already taken by the existing Elite Four, and neither of them are in a rush to pursue it. But if any of them did, they would at least have a chance. The boy who grew up to become that man, that was who I was up against. A prodigy the likes of which our family had never seen before."

"I couldn't accept that, though. I came up short every time, but I don't think I ever saw the writing on the wall until we faced each other at the Conference. Once he beat me, that was it. Even I couldn't run from the truth anymore. I wanted to be better than my brother, more than anything in the world, but it wasn't to be. I just wasn't the one."

Ash's face wrinkled. He would like to think that he had done plenty even before beating Gary at Benver's Lodging. By the time they faced off in their latest confrontation, he was already more confident than he had ever been before. Even if he lost, he wanted to think he would simply pick himself back up and keep moving, and that he would still be proud of how far he had come.

That was all hypothetical, though. At the end of the day, he had won, and even if Gary were to beat him a dozen times in a row afterwards (not that Ash planned on letting that happen), he would always have that validation. And it was the best feeling he had ever had. Aya never got that.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Aya." he kept his voice even. For something so unfamiliar and foreign, her story was starting to hit closer to home than he thought it would. "You shouldn't have had to go through that."

But there was no heartbreak on her face - that smile wasn't trained at all. It radiated all of the strong beauty that he had associated with the Ace Trainer in the short time he had known her. "You're a sweet kid, Ash. I'm glad Janine is friends with you. But like I said, I made peace with all of that. It wasn't an easy process, though. When I finally realized I would never surpass my brother, it was like I had been stabbed through the stomach with a sword. And when he finally did get coronated, that was like the finishing blow that I knew was coming. I was a broken girl, with no idea what to do. My memory is a little bit foggy, but the short and sweet version is that I ran from it all. I left Fuchsia and simply worked within Indigo's framework. Kanto, Johto, and I was even stationed in the Orange Islands for a short-lived period. At first I was just going through the motions, but somewhere down the line I started doing some soul searching. I had been away from home for a while, and all of a sudden, I wasn't chasing something that I would never catch. Without realizing it, I was forging my own path."

Ash smiled a bit. "That's a good sign. So you didn't let your starting point define you? That's a little something I was told before leaving home."

She giggled. "I guess I didn't. That's when I started realizing how much different everything felt now that I was no longer with the Clan. And it's when I started looking back at my childhood, and my choices. And honestly, I had never really chosen. I was just raised. Koga and I were who we were because grandfather taught us to be those people, but it didn't start with him, because he was taught that way too. And so was his mother, and her father - you get it, right?"

"Yeah…" Ash trailed off. Without warning, a thought was creeping into him.

"I wasn't a part of that environment anymore, and I became a new me. I worked and grew and I changed. I was promoted to Ace Trainer, which was an amazing accomplishment, of course, but it wasn't a goal I was pursuing. After that, I came back after a long time working abroad. I was a completely different woman, and by then I had realized that I never hated my brother - if I ever did, I didn't anymore. After I got back home, our relationship was just about as different as I was. No hostility, no more rivalry or feeling "threatened" by each other. He deserved to be the Gym Leader, and I wasn't jealous anymore. I also met Kris and took her under my wing, she was a great student."

Ash had a small smile on his face, but it evened out as he voiced his thoughts. "Hey, Aya, about what you said earlier…" she turned her head towards him, meeting his gaze. "You said you were all raised this way, right?" she nodded. "So… what about Janine?"

When she shook her head, her face was bittersweet. "Her as well, but with one key difference you might have noticed."

"What's that?"

"Janine doesn't have any brothers or sisters."

He blinked. "Oh yeah… but she's still," he looked away, hoping to hide his reddening face knowing that he was saying this to Janine's aunt. "She's still amazing. She didn't need a rival."

"Janine is an incredible girl," Aya's eyes twinkled. "And everybody here knows it, especially my brother. He is a once in a lifetime figure in our lineage, and will likely be remembered with the same reverence as Gwyniff and Maya. But Janine is twice in a lifetime, all of the potential that everybody saw in her father, they also saw in her. She is just as smart, just as gifted, just as dedicated. With the right tools and guidance to bring all of that out, she may even surpass him." she looked down. "She is also a rare case, given that she is an only child. She doesn't have a rival to chase after or stay ahead. She just has herself, and my brother's…" she closed her eyes.

Ash took in Aya's response. The way Janine and Koga acted around each other was pretty different from him and his mother, too.

"I'm not always around," Aya continued. "I spend most of my time working in Fuchsia, but that extends far beyond the city. The wilderness, the smaller settlements - it's an expansive part of the Region, this city is just the capital, after all. And I certainly spend a fair amount of time elsewhere, like when we first met at Bill's place. But whenever I'm here I always make time for Janine, taking her out. Sometimes Kris is with us." her face scrunched. "My brother is… a leader first."

"But…" Ash drummed his fingers against his seat. "I mean, a lot of the kids around here are afraid of her just for being "the Gym Leader's daughter." Did you and your brother get treated that way?"

"Oh, definitely," said Aya. "Of course Koga and I had more people in our age group growing alongside us here than Janine did, but our peers outside the Clan were definitely afraid of us. Or respected us to the point of thinking they had no business trying to associate with us directly. Or both. The way people look at Janine is exactly how I remember it, it's nothing new. She just… was also unlucky, having no true peers here in the village. Len is two years older than her, so she only enjoyed an odd middle ground with him. Everyone else is either much older or a lot younger, mostly the former."

"But the other kids only thought she was scary," Ash insisted. "That was just their expectations coloring what they saw."

"Only… half true, to be perfectly honest." said Aya - Ash was surprised at just how simply she said it. "I know I wasn't there, but if you want my brutal honesty, I don't think Janine was quite the same away from home, as she was before leaving." she pointed at him. "She has more than one side to her, I've seen it, and I'm sure you have, too. Did you really ever think that she was just an ordinary girl?"

"..." Ash considered his phrasing. "She always had a mystique to her, and I figured from the start that she was upper class. Just not…" he waved his hand. "This much."

"But that's not all we are, remember." Aya reminded him. "Janine is a fledgling warrior, and she always has been. I'm sure the label of being my brother's daughter played an important part; he's made our family more feared and respected than they've ever been, and plenty of that was obviously going to extend over to her." she brushed the green hair just above her forehead. "That doesn't mean they were wrong, though. They just weren't entirely right, and I'm sure Janine knows that deep down. The way she looks, and the way she talks and presents herself. If a kid her age saw that, knowing exactly who she was, I wouldn't blame them for being a little intimidated."

"Hmmm," Ash hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose not knowing who she was from the start did cause, well, misunderstandings on my part." Aya was right: the "warrior" side of Janine had been there from the start. What he thought was the etiquette of a rich girl was the composure of a warrior. The way she fought on the battlefield was the way Koga had trained her, calculated and unapologetic. And by not having the full context from the start, he wasn't scared off by seeing everything at once. Even then, there had always been the occasional trainer who shied away after seeing her style. The trained stoicism, the sharp hatred for crime. The loyalty to everything the League and Indigo's history stood for, and the devotion to Mew - she prayed decently often.

It was all there. The only thing she had kept hidden from him was her name.

"I can't pretend that me and my brother see eye to eye." said Aya. "When I have time to be around Janine I do my best to, well, give her a break, so to speak. You got to see a little bit of everything." she chuckled at him. "She's never said anything but good about you. That's why I don't mind telling you this stuff, you're no stranger. I trust you."

Ash's eyes lit up with his smile, and he felt a pulse of relief in his chest. "She always has good things to say about you, also. She really appreciates you."

"Good to know," she responded with sincerity. "So, have I been any help for you?"

"I've definitely learned a lot," he spoke earnestly. "I still don't know the details on Silica and Hippowdon, but I'm going to do everything I can. I want to understand her more beyond just the obvious, so that she can feel safe opening up."

"For now, I suggest you keep sticking to what works, but try to experiment lightly. Little things; the details are crucial to shaping somebody's environment."

He nodded. Were they ever.

/

The next day of training was here, this time with Phenom temporarily at Oak's lab.

Pikachu's Discharge let up, and the mouse sucked in as much air as he could as Valiant dropped his barrier across from him. He did his best not to look hostile as he glared at his sparring partner.

The two had been simultaneously training Pikachu's stamina and Valiant's defense, and although the Kirlia was noticeably burnt from the electrical onslaught, his psychic barriers had done their job absorbing the brunt of the punishment. Both their endurance levels had improved vastly; Pikachu could use Discharge properly and at nearly full strength, and although the move still consumed a lot of energy, practicing repeated use and pushing through the fatigue had been exhausting yet in the long run effective exercise. Valiant was able to maintain his barriers for longer without tiring himself out as well, and the psychic energy that he protected himself with had grown stronger, although hardly enough for repeated blasts of Discharge to leave him unscathed.

Both needed a moment to catch their breath. Ash or Janine would be here with berries soon, but for now, the electric type knew he couldn't look weak. Not in front of Valiant. Despite his fatigue, he put on a brave face for his friend, gritting his teeth as his cheeks crackled, charging the next blast.

Valiant kept his stance, but as he locked eyes with his teammate, a weird feeling kept passing over him. Pikachu had been acting strange for the past few days, and to the emotion Pokemon's frustration, he was barely unable to place why. He had assumed that his ability to sense emotions would make things easier, but he knew he wasn't a mind reader - it was at the tip of his tongue, but he still couldn't quite place what Pikachu was feeling. He had considered simply asking the mouse outright, but Pikachu was dancing around him in between training sessions. All he could truly tell was that his friend was uncomfortable. He knew he needed to tell Ash, but his curiosity was getting the better of him (to his guilt).

For now, he surrounded himself with more psychic energy as Pikachu let loose another explosion of electricity. The lightning hammered against his barrier as he struggled to keep it strong, grinding his teeth as the immense heat from the blast hammered away at him.

Elsewhere, Glaceon and Tempest were sparring while Silica watched from the sides. After finishing with Nebula (who was beginning to practice Ghost Cutter and Ghost Slash) Ash had stopped by to instruct them for a moment, while also checking on the young Hippopotas.

"Alright, Glaceon. Trailblaze and Super Tail."

The ice type kept her eyes locked on the large crab as she backed away to gain distance. Tempest's defensive stance almost made him resemble an iron wall, and his returning gaze fueled her with additional fire. Ever since evolving, her strength had skyrocketed, and before his own evolution she had been unrivaled. It was a bit exhilarating to hit him as hard as she could, because she knew he could take it.

Up until now, she had not had much practice utilizing Trailblaze offensively, something that their trainer had planned to rectify. After believing that she had put enough distance between them, Glaceon shot forward, propelling herself at substantial speeds with the grassy charge. Focus Energy surged through her tail, which then became encased in metal, and without slowing down her sprint, she struck.

Tempest had fully braced himself, shielded by Iron Defense just in time to absorb the incoming blow. Ash covered his ears as Glaceon's tail smashed into the Kingler, who's pincers were crossed in front of him for additional protection. The collision was like a gong had been smashed, and for a brief moment, everybody nearby stopped to look. The tremendous force of the Super Tail sent Tempest sliding back a little bit, and the Kingler definitely felt the impact, but seemed to be overall unharmed. Glaceon was only frustrated for a brief second - striking something that hard was too cathartic for the irritation to last for any longer.

Ash took a moment to steady himself before removing his hands from his ears. "Alright Glaceon, brace yourself! Tempest, River Brawl!"

Tempest grinned, and with quick, split second huff, Glaceon coldy glared into his eyes while sinking into a stance and raising her tail. Assuming an offensive stance, Tempest activated Liquidation, surrounding himself in water before lunging forward.

"River Brawl" as Ash had chosen to call it, was a combination of Liquidation and Flail, designed to hammer the opponent with the force of the former move with the rapid-fire succession of the latter move. Tempest had practiced it a little bit the previous day, but this would be his first time attempting it in combat.

As Tempest took the first swing at her, Glaceon lashed out with Iron Tail to intercept the blow, but the second one was already coming. She blocked it as quickly as she could, but Tempest was battering at her quicker than she could protect herself, and it wasn't long before she was overwhelmed. Silica winced as Tempest wailed on his sparring partner, but the assault was short lived as Liquidation abruptly gave out - the water surrounding him collapsed in similar fashion to Surf, splashing all over the ground around them as Glaceon falled back and rolled to her feet. She lost her balance for a moment but managed to right herself as Ash jogged to look her over.

"You good, girl?" He knelt down and examined his friend, but he didn't touch her fur extensively - it was cold. She was superficially bruised but hardly alarmingly so. As strong as Tempest's attackers were, he had not been able to hold the combo together for long, and Glaceon's durability had become increasingly impressive since her evolution.

Glaceon answered contently. This close, her breath felt like a breeze of cold air, even colder when her tongue lapped against his hand. Ash did his best not to pull away, the discomfort made up for by the warmth in his chest.

He went to Tempest next. The crab was clearly frustrated by the short-lived nature of his new combo. "Hey, cheer up, big guy. You know we've just gotten started with it." For a moment, Ash looked back at Silica, who predictably was staring at them both. "Liquidation probably fell apart from its structure being disrupted by Flail. We're going to need to practice holding it together. Water control; it goes hand in hand with your Surf training." Ash had a really good feeling about their new idea - even when Tempest used River Brawl as briefly as he did against Glaceon, that short moment had only further solidified the potency of the combo in the boy's mind. "If you ask me, that should be the priority for the next few days. Once River Brawl is ready for battle, I have a feeling you'll be tearing the competition to shreds with it."

Not surprisingly, the Kingler couldn't stay dejected or annoyed for long.

/

Another day of training had come and gone. Dinner had wrapped up a while back, and Ash had fallen asleep in bed a few minutes ago. Pikachu and Valiant were the only ones staying in the room with him, the former dozing off at the head of the bed as usual, curled up in a yellow ball.

Valiant was the only occupant in the room awake. Although he was tired (they had been going pretty hard these past few days with Koga's shadow looming over them), he did not feel like sleeping just yet. A lot was on his mind, and he had wanted to wait until he was alone to truly mull it over.

To that end, he concentrated his Confusion to gently open the door and headed out to take a walk. They had been here for a few days, so the shock factor had mostly worn off, but the interior of the Kyo mansion truly did feel like something out of a palace. Although Ash was as focused on the job as ever, Valiant could feel the lingering apprehension in his trainer - scheduled to challenge one of Indigo's greatest period for their next Gym badge, and spending the entire leadup to the match under Koga's roof. As far as Valiant knew, Ash and Koga had not spoken one on one since he was first brought into the Gym leader's office, but Koga was always there. His presence was felt within these walls, and to a lesser degree on the training grounds. This was his property, his domain, and every day ended with Ash sitting at his table for dinner.

The Kirlia passed by a couple of clan members as he walked through the halls of the mansion - neither of them paid him much mind, they seemed to trust him, Ash and the others. He hoped he had the path to the lower levels memorized. It seemed like a pretty good place to get alone time at night.

Apparently however, he wasn't the only one with that thought. It didn't take him too long to find the lower level - he planned on sitting somewhere in the dojo and let himself space out for a little bit, but quickly discovered he was not alone.

Janine was on the mat, dressed in a purple gi doing motions with a kendo stick in her hand. She seemed to be alone. Valiant had been paying attention to some of the other Clan members practicing martial arts (and Ash was planning on him practicing close quarters with Pikachu starting the next day), given that he wanted to be Gallade, so upon walking in, he couldn't help but feel briefly entranced as she switched between stances before striking with the stick.

Of course, his appearance in the dojo had hardly gone undetected by her, and the surprised girl broke focus for a moment to look at him. "Valiant, is something wrong?"

Valiant's eyes were on the kendo stick in her hands as he approached her with a shake of the head. "No, nothing wrong. I was just taking a walk before bed. I didn't realize you would be here."

"I see," her expression relaxed into the composed smile he had seen so many times. "I was simply doing some training of my own."

"At night?"

"Our ancestors built their reputation beneath the moon, after all." with an even face, she adopted a new stance facing off to the side. Valiant's gaze remained glued to the weapon in her hands as the ninja girl attacked the air with fluid grace. "I have been away from home for months, and father would not approve of rust. My attention has been on my team throughout the day, so I have been putting an hour aside for myself before bed." Another strike, and she looked back at the Kirlia. "Merely an hour, I would not disrupt my sleep schedule at such an important time. No need for concern."

Crossing his arms, Valiant nodded, and his narrowing eyes studied the girl that had become almost as much of a teammate as the rest of Ash's Pokemon. "Is me being here distracting you?"

"Not for the moment," she assured. Looking back at him, her smile was familiar, but it clashed with the equally familiar coolness in her eyes. "I only need it to be quiet and calm, not to be alone. I am okay with you staying if you would like too, I was just about to get started on shurikens."

The young psychic thanked her before finding a seat next to the wall. He did not need his emotional senses to realize it entirely - the subtleties in her behavior and movements were beginning to become slightly more clear, but as he continued to study her, he knew it beyond a doubt. She was much more stressed than even Ash.

/

The days leading up to the battle continued to go by. Pikachu spent a good deal of his time wrestling with Valiant and helping the Kirlia work on his close quarters fighting, and also helping Tempest. Ash wanted River Brawl to be ready in time for the match with Koga, and doing so required both practicing the combo and improving water control, the latter of which had given him an additional idea: Teaching the Kingler how to use Counter Shield. He would hardly have the experience with the technique that Pikachu himself did, but it would at least be a start, and Tempest would spend the remaining training days pushing himself more than ever.

The electric type did, however, find an opportunity to join Nebula and Golbat in the flying arena a second time, and managed to perform better than the first attempt, even taking out a decent number of targets himself while the Staravia showed off her progress with Ghost Cutter and Ghost Slash - both of which had exceeded their trainer's expectations.

Even as they made strides, however, the clock continued to tick by. Every dinner at the table was not only a chance to converse with the Clan, but a reminder that another day had passed. Ash found himself sitting next to Ruunia the majority of the time, although the older woman had taken the initiative to bring a couple of the people sitting near them into conversation, leading to a couple of questions about what Pallet Town was like. Ash did his best to keep the personal details vague, but nonetheless grew comfortable answering their questions.

Now, only two days remained until the upcoming battle. Ash was planning on using the last day as a rest day for everyone. Even Tempest would be outright forbidden from even light sparring. They had been working nonstop for the past week and would need the next day to unwind. The closest thing to "training" would be the appointment he had made with Ruunia to help teach him meditation techniques, something that he and Janine had discussed doing for Phenom before first arriving here, but there would be no battling.

Thankfully, they would all get that out of their systems today anyway. With only one day left to prepare before the rest day, Ash had left the village and gone into the city proper. More specifically to the Pokemon Center in hopes of having a few good battles. Janine would be joining him eventually, currently enjoying some quality sparring sessions with Aya, but for now he was on his own as he stepped into the Center with Pikachu perched to his shoulder.

The lobby was modestly active. The first thing he saw was a couple of teens speaking to Nurse Joy at the encounter before turning around and walking past him. Multiple other people were out and about, while a few still were sitting down reading in a further section of the lobby. The first place he went was the giant sign on the wall close to Nurse Joy's desk, which pointed the battlefield to be predictably near the cafeteria as it usually was.

"No time to waste, buddy?" Pikachu agreed as Ash made a turn for the hallway, although they didn't get far.

"Hey, excuse me?" Stopping, they turned their heads to see a white-haired boy approaching them from behind. "You look familiar… wait."

Upon seeing the older boy, who looked like he was about twelve or thirteen, Ash had the same initial thought, and turned around to better focus on him. His eyes widened for a split second.

"Wait, you're… Josh?" he was one of the older trainers from Benver's Lodging, who had watched his last battle with Gary.

He could see the same recognition in Josh's eyes. "And you're Ash, the rookie kid from the lodging." he crossed his arms, although his posture seemed easygoing. "I see you made it here in one piece."

/

In the cafeteria, Angelina finished her food, and recalled everyone on her team apart from Flaaffy, who she offered a quick pat on the head. "Alright girl, time to hit the road. Grandpa Canyon shouldn't be more than a couple days away if we move quickly." her starter offered a cheerful reply as they headed for the exit.

As she headed down the hall, she could see two boys a bit off in the distance. One had a Pikachu on his shoulder, and was conversing with a boy with white hair. She didn't think much of the sight, silently heading in their direction to get to the lobby.

Then her heart froze.

"Wait, wha-" A bit startled, Flaaffy looked up at her trainer as the blue-haired girl's eyes suddenly widened without warning. "Shit, hurry!" Equally without warning, she scooped her partner up in her arms and darted in a different direction, only putting her down after they were out of sight.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Angelina shook her head and patted her cheeks before giving the bemused electric type an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Flaaffy. I didn't mean to startle you." with a sigh, her face tensed as she looked in the direction they had just come from. "I can't be seeing things, but… was that Ash Ketchum? What the hell is he doing here!?"

Of all people, and just when she was about to leave. All of a sudden, a wave of anxiety rushed over her, and she was thankful she didn't feel nauseous - although the sweat on her palms didn't take long to annoy her.

Her lips pressed together, and her nose wrinkled. "I don't think he saw us, we should go the other way out." Turning to Flaaffy, hestarter was clearly concerned, and suddenly the girl realized how she was acting, and her face fell. "I… wasn't trying to freak you out. Come on, let's get going."

/

"Yeah, Janine and I have been here for about a week." Ash replied. "I didn't realize you were headed here too. Are your friends here?"

"You mean Patricia?" Josh replied. "And Beth and Jordan? Nah, we weren't traveling together. We know each other, but were all just hanging around the area at the same time. I left a while after you two did, got here yesterday. Patricia is getting ready for the Grampa Canyon expedition, she's helping to lead their security and Beth decided to join her, so they left together."

Ash perked up at that. "Oh… I've actually decided to join in on that once I'm done here." he knew Patricia was going to be a part of it, and was the one who had suggested it to him, but it looked like he would be seeing Beth again too. "And Jordan?"

"Goldenrod, as far as I know, although he also wants to look for ghosts along the way, since they're… you know, scattered."

Ash and Pikachu tried to ignore the pits in their stomachs when he responded. "I see…"

"So," Josh casually looked behind the younger boy. "I see you're alone too."

"Janine's at the-" Ash caught himself. "Visiting her aunt, for now." subconsciously, he patted his starter's chin, and the smiling electric type was quick to lean into his touch. "Pikachu and I were actually headed for the battlefield - our match with Koga is in two days and we wanted to put all of our preparation to the test."

"Did you now…" Josh's hands sank into his pockets, and his face grew serious. "Well then, sounds like good timing."

Right away, Ash could tell that the older boy was studying him - and very sternly at that. He did not back down from Josh's glare.

"I've been curious ever since I met you guys, you know. I haven't seen any rookies as strong as you and that girl. Or that boy you battled. You were both pretty impressive, and Janine was able to beat Jordan, but I never got to see you first hand."

Ash didn't glare back, but his face did grow steel. "So in other words, you're still curious."

"If you're brave enough to face Koga, I'm sure you wouldn't run from me."

Ash's lips curved into a small smile, and the anticipation began flaring in his chest. "Lead the way."

Josh turned round, walking a little bit faster than average as the younger boy followed him. With the challenge set, the older boy briefly changed the subject.

"By the way, did you notice that weirdo girl with the Flaaffy who just ran off?"

Ash blinked. "Oh, no. Guess I missed her."

/

Ash and Josh only needed to wait about ten minutes for their turn, once the current battle wrapped up with an Arbok sinking her teeth into a Buizel. With a decent audience, Ash and Josh stood across from each other, with Pikachu standing upright next to his trainer to either participate or watch - either way, he'd be battling at some point today.

"So," Ash called out. "What rules are we using?"

"Does best of three sound good?" Josh answered, already taking out a Poke Ball."

"Sure!" Ash replied. He brought his hand to his belt, pausing for a brief moment before making his selection. 'I don't know much about this guy, but he's obvious pretty experienced - like a lot of the trainers around here. I should start strong.'

Tempest appeared in front of him, and moments later, the Kingler's eyes lit up as a Luxio appeared on Josh's side of the battlefield. Ash could already hear some light conversation from the audience, and he was pretty sure at least one girl had commented on his age, but he ignored it.

One way or another, they would all see that he belongs here.

"That's an electric type, Tempest." The large crab turned away from Luxio - who Josh was currently instructing - to listen to what his trainer had to say. "I'm not super worried because of your durability, but just keep that in mind, okay?" Tempest nodded before excitedly turning back to the opposition.

"Are you good to go?" Josh called.

"Yup!"

"Good, then we're going first. Electro Ball!"

The electric type bent his knees forward for just long enough to send a growl Tempest's way before leaping into the air. Sparks gathered at the tip of his tail, coming together in a ball of lightning that he hurled down at Tempest. The crab did not flinch, batting the projectile away with a Metal Claw. As Josh's eyes narrowed, the water type pointed his other pincer at Luxio as he landed, firing a Mud Shot.

"Trailblaze, then Thunder Fang!" As Luxio dodged the ground type attack, his speed began increasing, empowered by the same grassy energy Glaceon had learned to utilize. He didn't got for Tempest immediately, curving around to build up more speed.

"Get back with Surf!" Ash called out. It wouldn't be enough to outrun their attacker, but it would keep Tempest in motion.

The moment Tempest summoned the wave beneath him to carry him in the opposite direction, Luxio bolted for him with a sharp turn. He closed the distance faster than Ash anticipated, and once he was in pouncing range, he targeted the Kingler with electrical jaws extending from his mouth. The Thunder Fang latched onto Tempest's outer shell, grinding against the exterior - Luxio strained in an effort to penetrate his foe's natural defenses. Although Tempest's shell absorbed a great deal of the attack, the river crab still let his pain be known, and the electricity from Luxio's teeth burnt against him.

"Fight through it, Tempest!" Ash encouraged, knowing his partner could take the punishment. "Hit him with Mud Shot point-blank!"

But Josh was already reacting. "Kick off and use Light Screen!" Even as Tempest tried to take aim at Luxio while he continued to cling to him with Thunder Fang, the electric type was already acting. Using the electric grip of his teeth as leverage, Luxio flipped himself over and launched himself off of Tempest, causing the water type to stagger for a moment. Tempest fired a Mud Shot after him, but while still in the air, Luxio turned and summoned a Light Screen to absorb the ground type projectile.

"Charge, then Electro Ball!"

As Josh gave the command, anticipation flashed in Ash's chest. "Don't let him fire, Tempest! Ice Beam!"

"Approach!" the older boy quickly countered.

Sparks were sizzling throughout Luxio's entire fur coat as he landed on all fours. He stayed still until Tempest fired the Ice Beam, and then sprinted away in a curve, leaving the attack to freeze over the place just behind where he had been standing. The electricity lighting up the quadruped's fur gathered around the tip of his tail, forming a second Electro Ball at least twice the size as the first. With a holler, he flung it at Tempest.

"Iron Defense!" Ash reminded, his voice betraying his nerves.

Tempest assumed his usual defensive stance, and his shell turned to metal. The amplified Electro Ball detonated against his body in an explosion that resembled a firework - but made of lightning, and up close. Ash could not immediately see his partner's form as the water type was sent sliding back, but when he was in view again, he had returned to normal, briefly using Surf to prop himself up and maintain balance before returning to the ground standing tall and confident. Across from him, Luxio's expression was one of surprise, and almost mirroring his partner's face, Josh blinked.

It could have been either Tempest's success or the murmurings of the small audience that lit up Ash's face. "Good thinking, big guy! Now charge him!" Now Josh knew Tempest could stay safe at a distance just as much as he was dangerous up close.

On his side of the battlefield, the white-haired boy did his best to hide the pressure he felt. "Meet him head on with Roar, then Discharge!" Both combatants advanced on the other, Tempest propelling himself with Surf and Luxio dashing with Quick Attack.

Ash knew what Josh's plan was: Knock Tempest off of his Surf with Roar, and then blast him with an electrical explosion. Simple yet effective, but they would make sure it was Luxio's last attempt. "Ice Beam in front, then River Brawl!" The blast of ice was leaving Tempest's pincer before their opponents could even register. Unprepared, the electric type's eyes widened as his paws gave out beneath the ice, and he slid the rest of the way, now a fully open sitting duck.

Tempest stopped Surf just in time to use Liquidation, and surrounded himself with water just. With no remorse, he closed the remaining distance and pummeled his opponent with an onslaught of punches as Josh tried to shout a counter command. It didn't matter - the last blow sent Luxio tumbling away, his body decorated in bruises and his face leaking blood. His paws pressed against the concrete, trying to push the rest of his body up on shaky legs.

"This one's yours Tempest, Frost Pulse!" Frigid air seeped from Tempest's pincer as he charged the frozen water pulse, making a lunging motion as he fired. The large, round projectile exploded into a cloud of icy mist as it crashed into Luxio, knocking him out.

The stunned onlookers were frozen, the only initial noise was Tempest's victorious cry, punching upwards as everyone else processed what had happened.

"That was so quick!"

"Kingler's not even scratched…"

"Maybe he's not a rookie after all? There's no way."

Ash allowed himself a surge of pride as he heard their comments, but tried to stay focused on the match at hand, keeping his attention on Tempest as the water type made his way back to him and Pikachu.

"That was excellent, pal." Ash felt no amusement or annoyance at the look in the Kingler's eyes, only encouragement. "You barely broke a sweat." The Luxio was hardly a push over - his speed was impressive and his attacks clearly packed a punch, but his momentum had been short lived in a way that Tempest made look easy. At his side, an excited Pikachu echoed his trainer's words, earning both a satisfied gurgle from the large crab before Ash returned him and took out his next Poke Ball.

On the other side of the battlefield, Josh had been as shaken as the audience, and even from where he was standing, Ash could clearly see that the older boy's composure was not the same. It was satisfying, but after realizing his grin was getting a little bit too wide, he muttered to himself to keep his eye on the ball.

The match was best of three, not a traditional three on three battle. That meant the reset button was being hit going into the next round.

Holding his next Poke Ball of choice, Josh realized that he had failed to hide his pale expression, and did his best to straighten his face out. "That… I wasn't expecting that." his free hand tightened into his fist for a second or two as he let out a deep exhale. 'Humiliated by a first year in front of all these people.' Some of his familiar glare returned to his eyes as he lifted his head to make contact with Ash's - but only some. "Don't let it go to your head, rookie. I'll be making up for it from here on."

Ash wanted to respond, but bit his tongue. He had the upper hand, he was winning. That was all the bite he needed.

Both trainers released their next Pokemon: Nebula in the air appeared on Ash's side, and a Gligar on Josh's. Hovering just above them, the Staravia turned her head to greet Ash and Pikachu, soaking up a happy call of encouragement from the yellow mouse before flapping her way forward to focus on her opponent.

This time, Ash took the initiative. "Quick Attack!"

Nebula pointed her beak straight at Gligar and launched herself at him. Swerving in midair, Gligar avoided her and tried to slash her abdomen with his pincers, but she dodged the strike and aimed a Steel Wing at his face. His own wings turned to metal and the two clanged together.

"Use Ghost Slash!" Ash called out.

With the two Steel Wings still pressed together, Nebula kicked off of Gligar, stumbling him in midair as she took aim at him with her wing. The Air Slash she formed was mixed with Ominous Wind, forming a large, dark purple blade of wind.

Josh's eyes narrowed. "Interesting, Dark Pulse! Then Ice Fang!"

As Nebula nearly finished charging her attack (she needed more training to use it quickly), Gligar gathered blackish-purple energy in his pincers and fired the blast just after she tossed the blade at him. The dark type attack successfully stopped the ghostly combo in its tracks, and Gligar climbed higher in the air before rushing Nebula with Ice Fang. She responded by climbing higher as well, keeping herself above her attacker at a diagonal angle before firing a Wind Blast to stop him. The attack hit him dead on, and the Ice Fang disappeared as he was knocked out of his flight.

"Good, Steel Wing again!" Ash called.

With Gligar in free fall, Nebula turned her wings to metal and dive bombed in pursuit. As she closed in to smack him, however, a ball of sand formed in one of his pincers, and was flung into her face. The bird shrieked in shocked pain, her eyes blinded and her offense forgotten.

"Poison Tail!" As Ash tried to call out to his friend, Josh and Gligar were already taking advantage. The ground/flying type caught himself in midair before he could hit the ground, and channeled toxins through his tail, a few drops of purple liquid dripped from the appendage. Launching himself upwards, he lashed at Nebula, striking her in the chest. The blow took the air out of her lungs, and Ash knew with a grimace that some of the toxins may have found their way in as well. "Thunder Fang, finish her quick!"

'I guess he's trying to get me back from the last round.' Ash thought. Josh was going for the killing blow the moment in presented herself. "Double-Edge, straight down!"

Nebula still couldn't see properly. Her teary eyes were unable to fully open for more than a second, or make out what was in front of her, and they were still burning from the sand. She trusted her trainer, however, and powered through the pain to do as she was told. Beneath her, Gligar was charging electricity through his teeth, but even as he lunged upwards to sink his fangs into her, she was shooting down with Double-Edge. His eyes widened almost comically just before they collided, and with a loud smash he was sent rocketing into the cement while his targeted launched herself back up.

At Ash's side, Pikachu raised a paw and called out to Nebula happily, and the boy smiled. Above them, Nebula's eyes were clearing up, given proper time to recover as Gligar stumbled to his feet.

"When you get back up," Josh called out. "Sword Armor, and Crabhammer. Use Swift to cover yourself." As the onlookers watched, the bruised Gligar launched himself back into the air. At Ash's call, Nebula fired a flurry of Air Cutter his way, and the onslaught was intercepted by a Swift that Gligar fired in turn. The ground/flying type's body hardened while a pale energy passed over him, his pincers looked like they were shining.

'It's gotta be a Swords Dance combo.' Ash told himself. Maybe mixed with Harden?

Gligar charged up at his target, but Nebula already knew she did not want to get hit by his Crabhammer. Using Agility, she dived down, but took a sharp turn to leave his path before sending an Air Slash his way. The blade hit its mark, but did not do more than make him stumble. At Ash's orders, she used Double Team when he targeted her again, but Josh reacted immediately.

"Dark Spread" Gligar charged another Dark Pulse through his pincers, but it did not come out as a straight blast: instead it formed into a wide wave that washed over Nebula's clones. Not nearly as concentrated, but it didn't need to be to destroy them. Right as he was done, he fired another barrage of stars at the bird, and when she was responding with her own, shot forward, still cloaked in Sword Armor. She swung a Steel Wing at him, but he reared his clenched pincer back and drove Brick Break into it. It easily penetrated the metallic wing, and with an agonized squawk Nebula was sent rolling back in midair. She almost entered free fall, but even as she caught herself, her left wing was weak.

Ash thought quickly. "Nebula, Reckless!" his friend would need the power boost to contend with Gligar's new combo.

The Staravia's eyes widened in alert, and then went red. With a violent shriek, she surrounded herself in the crimson aura that she had strengthened herself with so many times, and gazed upon her opponent with a new, energetic fervor. When Ash called for a Whirlwind, she pumped her wings back and forth, summoning a mighty gale that flung the approaching Gligar away before charging after him with another Steel Wing.

"Fire Fang!" Josh shouted with noticeable urgency. Nebula's speed was greatly amplified, but by some miracle that Ash knew wasn't in their favor, Gligar managed to catch her strike in his flame-filled bite. He wasn't able to halt her; even as she squeezed her eyes in pain, she kept charging pushing him back with her wing in his mouth. "Dark Pulse!"

With Nebula's mind focused purely on offense, she barely responded when Gligar charged the Dark Pulse, which exploded against both of them point-blank. The two aerial combatants were sent rolling back, but both caught themselves, and Nebula was already charging again. "Swift and Thunder Fang!" Gligar propelled himself forward to meet her charge, firing another barrage of stars to distract her. She deflected them with a rabid flurry of wing strikes, but Ash warned her too late, and Gligar's lightning filled jaws sunk into her. His teeth penetrated her skin, and the bird screamed as the lightning was injected into her wound. She thrashed and fought to get him off, but his jaws were locked into her.

Pikachu called out in concern, and Ash's face darkened. Josh had countered them very quickly, and all of a sudden the battle was looking lost. But Gligar wasn't out of the woods yet. "Aerial Ace, upwards!" Nebula struggled to activate the move, only managing brief flashes as she attempted to carry her attacker higher into the air.

Eyes widening, Josh must have realized what they were doing. "Let go and finish with Crabhammer!"

"Fling him back, Brave Bird!" with a guttural howl, Nebula pushed Gligar away before gathering energy. Surrounded in a raging blue aura, she charged straight for him, and the two violently smashed together before free falling to the ground. Nebula bounced off of the pavement, while Gligar crashed into the ice that Tempest had left behind.

Neither Pokemon got up, and the audience clapped while both trainers recalled them.

"Good work out there, girl." Ash spoke softly to Nebula's ball as Pikachu looked on with a sad smile. Returning her to his belt, he thought over his options for a few moments before choosing his third and final teammate.

Across from him, Josh took a little bit longer to pick his own. He did his best to push his frustration down when he finally took out his last capsule and enlarged it. "Well played, Ash… but I still have a chance to tie us."

Ash nodded, staying serious. "Yes, that's right." losing the next round was still a real possibility, especially after how troublesome Gligar had proven to be. He wouldn't take Josh's last Pokemon for granted.

"Tell you what…" Josh looked at the crowd for a moment - it seemed to have gotten a bit bigger since they first started - before returning his focus to Ash and Pikachu. "If I win this next round, we go into sudden death."

"...Okay." Ash responded. It was understandable that Josh didn't want to settle for a tie, and it meant he would still have one more chance to win if this round went poorly for them.

Phenom emerged from the light and pointed his nose to the sky, and a few of the onlookers. By now, the Tyrunt's build had gotten pretty stocky, much bigger than when Josh had seen him battle Gary at the lodging, something the older trainer immediately took note of.

"Ready for a fight, buddy?" Ash grinned. "This is gonna be a tough one." The dinosaur smiled toothily at his trainer and Pikachu before turning back to Josh, the claws on his left foot scraping against the pavement. The white-haired boy waited for a moment before tossing his Poke Ball.

The Rhyhorn that came out landed on the ground in a loud thud, and Ash was almost taken aback. This Rhyhorn was just as one would expect, maybe even more so - he was pretty sure it was bigger than average. But the sight filled him with excitement - he was the perfect opponent for Phenom to test himself against.

Josh's eyes were more serious than ever. "Ice Beam!"

"Block with Rock Blast!" Ash countered quickly.

With a stomp, Rhyhorn lunged in the dragon's direction and fired the blast of ice from his mouth. Phenom mirrored his movements, launching a barrage of rocks from his gullet that smashed into the Ice Beam in a perfect defense.

But Josh was already giving an order even as the attacks collided. "Drill Run!" The moment Rhyhorn stopped firing, he charged. The ground around him shook as he broke into a mighty sprint. Many said that a Rhyhorn looked like a fast tank when charging at their prey, and this sight certainly lived up to the description. Soon after gaining speed, his horn pulsed with light, and his body rotated, now moving even faster. One moment Phenom was defending himself from an ice Beam. The next, he was smashed into by what looked like a missile.

"Phenom!" Ash's shout was involuntary when his friend was sent flying, but despite the unforgiving impact, Phenom recovered in midair, and landed on his feet with a thud. Though he stumbled, and his body still ached, he retained his balance in the end. He was both a rock type and a dragon, and the resilience and stamina he gained from the latter was equal to the durability he gained from the former. "Earth Power!"

"You too!"

Both Pokemon smacked the ground, sending waves of energy towards each other. The two attacks collided midway, detonating against one another as Phenom charged the bulky rhino.

"Scorching Sands!" Ash recognized the blast of bright reddish-orange sand that came rocketing out of Rhyhorns mouth - Hippowdown had used the attack back in the Safari Zone. Phenom wisely changed course and rolled out of the way. "Dragon Rush!"

"Eh!?" Another involuntary reaction on Ash's part - he had no idea Rhyhorn could use that move. "Jump over it!"

Rhyhorn was charging again, and once more his already impressive speed greatly amplified as he used his next attack. His body was cloaked in a deep, ocean blue energy that radiated power and regalness, and he shot himself forward to smash into Phenom again. But the Tyrunt kept running toward him, and with a mighty boost from his legs, soared over his attacker's passing form as Josh grimaced from his side of the field.

"Now Dragon Pulse, and charge!" Turning himself around, Phenom's powerful legs continued to carry him in hot pursuit as Rhyhorn came to a stop. Josh was shouting for him to use Ice Beam, and the dragon fired the blast. Rhyhorn turned himself around with the wintry attack charging through his maw, but just as he fired, the Dragon Pulse was already exploding against him, the tremendous force amazingly enough to send him tumbling.

Ash's blood was rushing with adrenaline, and the chattering of the audience only made it better. Nevertheless, he did everything he could to channel those emotions into the battle. This was a hard hitting contest between two powerhouses, and his excitement was furthered by the conviction that they would not lose. "Ice Fang!"

Even after firing the blast, Phenom kept on running. His gaping jaws were frozen with with wintry energy as barreled into Rhyhorn and latched onto his thick, stony hide. Most Pokemon at this level would struggle to penetrate an exterior like this, but Phenom's jaws were a physical wonder all on their one. Rhyhorn roar in displeasure as the icy grip of the Tyrunt's teeth grinded against his outer armor, and the noise slowly transitioned into a wail as they sank deeper and deeper, injected ice and cold air into the forming wound. The deeper Phenom's teeth sank, the stronger his jaw's grip got, and Rhyhorn's efforts to toss him off were in vain.

Josh hissed through his teeth, cursing at the sweat forming in his clenched fists. "Keep fighting, Rhyhorn! Bulldoze!"

Rhyhorn's wailing grew more aggressive - but not less pained - as his large form began flailing against the earth. The ground around him and Phenom shook from the impact as his feet pounded into the cement, sending shockwaves outwards. Phenom's did his best to tighten his grip, and the rhino's pain worsened, but he persisted as much as he could. Phenom could feel his grip slipping before he was finally dislodged from the violent movements, leaving behind a gaping wound. The rock/ground type blinked through his tears when the Tyrunt was finally flung off of him, and turned to fire an Ice Beam. Phenom blocked it with a Rock Blast, but Rhyhorn charged straight through the collision with Dragon Rush, colliding into the Tyrunt with no less mercy than he had been bitten with.

The impact was wince-worthy - so loud that Ash and Pikachu could both feel it in their minds. They watched as their friend bounced across the pavement before struggling to get up. Mercifully, Rhyhorn was forced to catch his breath, granting the young dinosaur just enough time before Josh continued his urgent offense.

"Run forward with Scorching Sands!"

"Approach with Dragon Pulse!"

Both Pokemon began to advance, and just as the two attacks collided, Josh called for a Drill Run. The Dragon Pulse pushed through the flaming blast of sand, but what remained of the attack was easily deflected when Rhyhorn's missile-like form charged through it.

Ash's mouth was already reacting - he just hoped Phenom would be fast enough. "Earth Power!"

As quickly as he could, Phenom smashed his foot into the ground, sending a wave of energy that erupted through the cement. Rhyhorn was already upon them, and when the blast detonated against him, Phenom was caught in the impact, but thankfully didn't suffer a direct hit from it. Rhyhorn was stopped in his tracks, and Phenom's form staggered back. Both Pokemon were dazed, receiving encouragement from their trainers as the crowd started to cheer.

Blinking, Phenom shook his head clear and saw Rhyhorn getting up. Knowing he had to make the first move, the young dinosaur let out his best roar and charged. Orange energy pulsed through his tail as he drove a Brick Break straight into the large rhino's face. Rhyhorn strained himself to push against the attack, but Phenom won out, and with a violent shove from his tail, flipped his opponent over onto his back.

Ash's heart was hammering. This was it, they were going to win it right here.

"Yes! Dragon Pulse!" Next to him, Pikachu let out a battle cry of his own, as if willing his teammate to nail the final blow.

Phenom leapt back just enough to create appropriate distance while the draconic energy swirled within his mouth. Opening his jaws to their full, terrifying length, he thrust his head forward and spat out the lethal blast. Rhyhorn was still trying to get up when the attack exploded against his form, launching him back and cleanly knocking him out.

When Josh recalled him, Ash and Pikachu were both overcome with triumph, and applause from the crowd made it even better.

/

Josh's sigh was deep as he met Ash and Pikachu in the middle. "Your dragon really knows how to take a hit, doesn't he?"

"It was a great battle." Ash nodded, grinning ear to ear.

"...Yeah, it was pretty good." the older boy's fists pressed against his hips as his head angle to the ground before managing eye contact. "It just means I'll be sending my main team after you if we ever see each other again."

Ash's heart did a flip at that, but he managed to keep his smile. "I guess we'll just have to keep working hard just in case."

"I'm sure you will," Josh replied genuinely, taking out his Pokedex to administer the prize money. "Nobody gets that strong in just a few months without busting their ass. Alright, here we go." After they put their Pokedexes away, he offered a hand, which Ash shook. Their grips were mutually firm. "I'm not mad, or anything. I hope you do well in the Gym." 'If only because it will make me feel better about losing.'

"We'll be sure too," Ash nodded. "Thanks for the battle."

Josh allowed himself the tiniest of smiles - for a clear prodigy, this boy didn't seem too keen on bragging. If he was in Ash's shoes he'd have rubbed it in everyone's face. "Same here. Speaking of which, I think we have company."

Indeed, their audience was noticeably bigger since before the start of the match, and more than a few were looking to get in on the action themselves. A gathering of trainers all looking for some competition.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash gave his starter a knowing look. "I think it's your turn next, what do you say?"

The mouse's lips stretched into his sparking cheeks.

/

It was the last day. The Gym battle was tomorrow.

Those were the thoughts going through Ash's mind as he had woken up in the morning, and when he met Janine for breakfast. It was the longest either of them had ever gone without challenging a Gym - and it wasn't even close, yet the "pre Gym battle" sensation was as familiar as ever, yet stronger than ever. Perhaps making today the "relaxation day" was good for more than one reason. Ash had no real plans for the day - outside of meeting with Ruunia and calling his mother, but once breakfast was finished, he and Janine planned to visit the rest of their teams (only Pikachu, Valiant and Ivysaur were currently with them due to staying in their rooms) but Valiant had caught Ash by surprise requesting to speak with him alone. Ash was confused by the suddenness, but nonetheless assured the others to go ahead without them - they would catch up.

To ensure privacy, Ash was back in his room, sitting on his bed with the Kirlia. Although his young psychic friend had a mostly even face, it wasn't hard to tell that he was nervous. Not after they had known each other for so long.

When Valiant didn't take the initiative to speak first, Ash did it for him, his expression curious but inviting. "Well? What's bothering you, buddy?"

He could see the hesitation on Valiant's face, but the Kirlia took a breath, knowing that the time to back out had passed, and that he needed to come forward regardless. "I'm… sorry that this is all coming out of nowhere, Ash, but I was really hoping to get your advice about something."

Ash nodded. "Of course, that's my job." He wasn't sure what he and Valiant were getting into. It obviously wasn't training, or at least not strictly, otherwise there would be no need to keep it so private.

With another breath, Valiant took the leap, and turned his head to make eye contact with his beloved trainer. "Have you noticed that Pikachu's been acting odd recently?"

Ash blinked. So Valiant noticed it too. Pikachu had been more himself yesterday, hanging out on the battlefield, but elsewhere it wasn't quite the same. Since today was so open, he had been hoping to get some alone time with his starter to sort out whatever had been going on, unless it was all just a misunderstanding, but if Valiant was bringing it up now, he had a feeling that it wasn't. "Yeah, I have. I was going to talk to him about it and see if there was a problem… did you sense something?"

"I did…" the Kirlia looked ahead for a moment. "And I didn't bring it up right away because I wasn't able to fully grasp it, that took some time. But…" Valiant felt some tension in his chest, which he released with a breath before looking back at Ash. "The truth is, I think Pikachu might be jealous of me."

…

Ash was still for a moment, trying to process what Valiant had just told him. "J-Jealous…? Why would he be jealous of you?"

"Because he has a crush on Glaceon."

The bluntness of Valiant's response probably caught Ash more off guard than the words themselves. After processing it, however, his face shone with realization. "O-Oh…" The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. And the more it made sense, the more his mind raced. "Did I…" his expression shifted, and now his eyes were directed at his knees and feet hanging off of the bed. "Did I really overlook something that simple?"

"I've known that for a while," Valiant commented. "I started picking it up from him more easily on our way here to the city, but ever since we got here, he's also started feeling weird around me. I wasn't sure why at first, but I've been taking the time to piece it together and process the new emotion. Glaceon and I have been close since she was an Eevee, and now that Pikachu likes here…"

"He feels threatened." Ash finished. How couldn't he? It was all so obvious. Then thought had him perking up. "Wait a minute… do you have a crush on Glaceon?"

"No," Valiant responded as quickly as he could, and Ash could feel the firm honesty in his voice as it projected through his mind. "She's my best friend, but not that kind of best friend. And I haven't gotten that feeling from her, either. Or Phenom, he still thinks she's his big sister."

Ash tried to hide his relief, not that there was any point when talking to a Pokemon that could feel your emotions. He would have been perfectly fine if Valiant had said yes, but the fact that he said no made things a lot simpler. "So it's all in Pikachu's head, then."

"It's not his fault."

"It's no one's, you're right." Ash nodded. '"It's just… a misunderstanding we need to clear up. No big deal, but you should be the one to talk to him. I can give you guys alone time tonight."

"Thanks…" Valiant offered Ash a familiar, small smile. "He's my friend too, and lately he's seemed really anxious. When I realized I was the cause of it…"

Ash gave the Kirlia a warm grin, wrapping his arm around him and hugging him against his side. It was hard to ask for a more loyal Pokemon. "You've done nothing wrong. Just let Pikachu know you don't see Glaceon that way, and you're not trying to make him uncomfortable. He's nervous, but he'll listen." Valiant mirrored his trainer's face, and allowed his eyes to close for a moment or two while leaning into Ash's embrace.

"By the way," the two stayed together as Ash spoke again. While they were alone, he realized there was something he wanted to ask the emotion Pokemon. "A couple people here told me that they've seen you taking walks at night the past few days." Valiant looked up at him to meet his eyes. "They weren't complaining or anything, I was just curious if you've been going anywhere in particular."

"Oh," Valiant replied. "I've actually been going to the dojo at the lower level below. Janine's been training there every night."

Ash blinked. "That's… news to me."

"I'm not surprised," the Kirlia looked away for a moment. "She… it feels like she's keeping a lot of things to herself, ever since we first got here. I've been trying to pay attention to her, and…" he closed his eyes. "She's harder to figure out than Pikachu. She's really stressed, and I wonder if she's trying to blow off steam, or clear her head."

Ash's face grew more serious, and also slightly confused. He could feel something turn in his stomach as Valiant talked. "Why would she be stressed? I know things are complicated for her out in the city, but Shadowblood Village is different. She's surrounded by her family here."

"I'm… not sure if things are any simpler in here than they are out there," Valiant replied. His face was thoughtful - another familiar expression. "You know, Ash, I've been thinking about all the times you've talked about your mom, or talked to her on the video phones. It reminds me of Suzie; you always feel so warm and comfortable. There's so much love, and it feels good whenever I pick up on it. Even now, I can feel it a bit when I'm telling you all of this."

Ash's face flushed, but he wasn't ashamed. "I get it. So, what does that have to do with Janine?"

"It…" Valiant paused. "To be honest, kind of a lot." he looked ahead, still leaning against Ash, but folding his knees up to his hands. "It's just that, as far as I'm able to tell, I've… never really felt those things between Janine and Leader Koga. It almost feels like she's scared of him."

Ash blinked again, and for a moment he had a hard time thinking of what to say. Then hhis mind started moving, and he thought about Silica, and Hippowdon… and Aya. "Really- I mean… are you sure?" he managed to speak through the lump forming in his throat.

Valiant nodded. "It's been very consistent. That cozy warm sensation I get when reading someone's emotions, I don't get anything like that between them. She gets it a lot more around her team, or Aya." he straightened his posture, making sure he was looking directly at Ash. "Or you."

Ash's chest turned, and the embarrassment was doubled by the fact that Valiant definitely felt every last bit of it.

…

"Ash, family is… complicated."

Aya.

"With all due respect, it doesn't sound like you've been exposed to that."

/

Ash was holding his tongue when he and Valiant met up with the others. It was Nebula's turn to go to the lab again, but everybody else was accounted for. Tempest was with Silica, a comfortable distance from the rest - but not too far, bragging to her about the great battles he had yesterday while she listened with interest. He went over to them first, bringing a few bananas from the kitchen, which she was happy to accept.

Pretty soon, it was time to meet with Ruunia, so he, Valiant and Phenom made their way to the lower levels where she was waiting near the dojo.

"Well now," the older woman leaned forward to get a good look at Phenom. "I take it this is the rascal you need help with?" The Tyrunt didn't seem to take much offense to the joke.

"He's good," Ash assured. "But yeah." he had already explained the situation with Ruunia when they had made the arrangement - how Phenom's species (which she admitted to not knowing much about) were known for their violent tempers in addition to their typical dragon instincts, and how more and more of that seemed to seep out now that he was hitting his growth spurt. Ash wasn't sure how much meditation would be, but it was a worthwhile method to try out, and would hopefully at least help, even if he doubted it would erase the problem altogether.

"You said you've done a few sessions with Janine out on the road," Ruunia straightened herself. "But that you didn't get much out of them?"

Ash shook his head. "Yeah, it was mostly just to get us started." The thought of Janine made him glance at Valiant for a split second, but he stayed focused on the subject. "She admitted she's not much of a teacher, it was really just a 'better than nothing' deal."

"Well, she is still learning herself, so I could not color myself surprised." Ruunia replied. "Of course you already know meditation requires a clear mind, and repeated exercise with it can help one find balance and connect with their spirit." she pressed her hands together. "A warrior's blade is doomed to dull if not wielded with such things, so you have come to the right place I may not know much about Tyrunt, nor am I an expert on dragons as a whole, but I will do what's in my power to provide you with a new tool with which to continue nurturing this young one. And of course," her eyes fell on Valiant, who returned her friendly demeanor. "We all know a psychic type could never have too much of such things. Nor a fighting type, which I hear you are planning to become sooner or later."

"Future Gallade." Valiant spoke proudly to her (Ash couldn't hear him, as he had not yet learned how to project his voice to multiple people at once. "One Dawn Stone away." His trainer had already determined that he was most likely ready to evolve, just like Pikachu. All either of them needed was a stone.

"Precious," Ruunia said, before returning her focus to Ash. "I sincerely hope that you are planning to pay attention for more reasons than just your team, Ash. You are right that learning to meditate would be a good exercise for your teammates to have, but it is useful for a human as well, and not just psychics or martial artists. It is a healthy habit to develop, so if I am to help you, I must ask that you think of yourself just as much as your friends."

"Okay," Ash nodded, offering her his hand. "It's a promise."

"Good, good." Although her touch almost appeared gentle, Ash could feel her strength as the two gripped one another. Ruunia, of course, was a warrior too. "Before we go in, I have brought a small snack for Phenom and Valiant - no eating in the dojo, remember!" That last statement was sharp, like a school principal laying down the law. Off to the side, she revealed two containers containing Pokemon treats, and Phenom and Valiant were quickly curious at the sight. "This is a personalized recipe for Pokemon, mixed with special herbs designed to soothe the system and promote relaxation. Not always the best to eat right before a fight - but you're not battling again until tomorrow, so that won't be a problem - but it is definitely useful to put a Pokemon at ease, or prep their state of mind for meditation, in this case. Eating too much at once makes you drowsy, though, so only take your share, you two."

Ash Valiant and Phenom had their quick snack, Ruunia go Ash's attention. "By the way, there are also certain poffin recipes known for helping to put a Pokemon at ease, among other foods. I'd recommend looking into it, given your newest teammate."

Ash nodded and thanked her. It was yet another thing to add to his notes.

/

Ruunia was a thoughtful teacher, approaching the lessons with all the focus and integrity she demanded from her three students. Ash and Phenom were as inexperienced as ever, but with careful instructions, it did feel like today's session had been their most successful attempt yet, and he promised to make time for her before he left the city.

The rest of the day went by more quickly than he would have liked. "Boring" days were infamous for dragging on and on for what felt like double or even triple their actual length - but today was not a boring one. It was a relaxing one, a calm before a storm, and Ash's attempt to distract himself from the incoming clouds simply made them go faster. If only Ruunia's recipe wasn't just for Pokemon…

After he was finished with Ruunia, the rest of the day went by in what felt like three hours, and he was in the dining room, enjoying the taste of his food, but feeling Koga's gaze on him from down the table. It was like sitting in the open knowing that a sniper was watching you, and that the barrel was pointed and ready - but the time to pull the trigger hadn't come yet.

And as quickly as he had found himself in the dining room, he had found himself leaving the dining room. Conversations felt far more fleeting than they actually were. The food felt like it was disappearing off of the plates without anybody touching them. He blinked and dessert was in his stomach. He blinked again, and now he was in his room, with Pikachu and Valiant.

'This is it,' the boy told himself as he watched Pikachu hop onto the bed, waiting for him to join. Once he went under those covers and closed his eyes, the night would be gone in a blink of an eye, too. And he would wake up on the day he was to challenge one of the most feared and respected of all Gym Leaders. Janine's father held the next badge he and his family sought.

Ash was prepared to resign himself to that. He, of all people, knew how hard he had prepared for today. Of all people, his Pokemon knew how hard they had worked. In between now and the battle with Sabrina, unthinkable things had taken place. Words were spoken, people were met, horrors were experienced, and battles were won - above all, Gary and Caesar. It didn't matter how strong or smart Koga was, and it didn't matter if he was only a rookie. He had no excuse not to be ready for tomorrow after everything that had taken place.

But he couldn't go to bed yet - he had promised Valiant a moment with Pikachu, and Koga was not the only thing that had been plaguing his mind all day.

"When we go to bed tomorrow," he softly got Pikachu and Valiant's attention. "There are going to be five badges in our case. Then our eyes will be on Grampa Canyon, and after that, Surge." he took a breath. "And after we win tomorrow, we'll know for certain that that rematch will end differently." Pikachu smiled, while Valiant crossed his arms with soft stoicism.

"I'm going to be taking a walk," his starter was surprised at that, but Valiant knew he had been about to say it. "Don't worry, I won't be out late. We got too big of a day tomorrow for that. You two stay in here…" his eyes fell on Valiant as he said that, and telepathy was not needed for the communication.

And Valiant's face was knowing - he didn't just know what Ash was telling him to do, but where his trainer was about to go.

/

Ash walked quietly through the halls of the mansion without a sign, and took a breath as he approached the lower level. He took another one as it led him to the dojo - he only paused for a moment before coming in.

Janine was there, dressed in her gi, throwing strikes at the bag she had set up. Her kicks were something Ash hadn't realized somebody his age was capable of pulling off, until he had seen her practicing a few weeks prior. She wasn't surprised until she turned to see him, although it went away as quickly as it had come.

"I thought you were Valiant," she looked calm. She sounded calm. But Ash knew she wasn't. "Did he tell you I was here?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is." she wasn't looking at him anymore. Her eyes - and her fists - were focused on the bag. "Don't worry, I'm going to be in bed soon, after a quick shower. I assumed you would already be."

And with that, it was like he had disappeared. The next couple of minutes were wordless, and the only sounds that could be heard on the whole floor was the ninja girl's fists and feet smacking against the bag. She paused after every flurry, and then did another one. And another. Ash tried not to think about what it would be like to be on the receiving end.

…

Staying silent, Ash took his shoes off and took a place on a mat. Janine was still focused on the bag.

"Hey."

She paused mid-flurry, casually looking away from her target, but then stopped in her tracks.

Ash was at the end of another mat across from her, knees bent and arms spread out. His face was of even confidence.

"Your stance is wrong."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"You have more openings than a row of broken windows," her expression was unchanged as her finger pointed at him, moving and angling with her observations. "Your legs are completely in the wrong place, and your arms are sloppy. Here, stay where you are."

She left the bag where it was and made her way over to Ash's mat. Without a word, she put her hands on him, and he tried not to flush as she worked to readjust his limbs. "There, stay like that." She made her way into the other end of the mat while Ash did his best to keep his position and not move a muscle. Of all things, how did standing still manage to feel so difficult? Once Janine was across from him, she assumed a stance that matched his, but he had a feeling was a thousand times better.

There was no movement after that. He spent several seconds waiting for her to attack, but when she didn't, he decided to make the first move. Stepping forward, he moved for her as fast as he could and did his best to aim a good strike at her abdomen-

And then the arm that he had thrown the strike with was in a completely different place than where he had sent it, her knee was in his stomach, and then he somehow went from that to being on his stomach. Janine was kneeling over him, pinning him against the mat, and a second or two after he had (sort of) processed what had happened, he found he couldn't move.

"Were you even reading me?" her voice was disapproving, and he couldn't see the tiny grin forming on her face. "Your gaze wasn't going anywhere, I was trying to give you a chance to fix that when you came at me."

"Oh…" he said dumbly, and heard the quietest of giggles as she pushed him more firmly into the mat, just enough to be painful. "You're strong."

"And you're dead." was her response before finally releasing him and picking herself up. He rolled over onto his back and saw her standing over him, extending an arm. "Now come on, get up."

He muttered as he took her hand. She pulled him up with so much force that he was only half sure he had put any of the work into it.

The moment he was almost upright, she flipped him.

He was on the mat again, in a similar position, this time with her foot resting near the top of his spine.

"And now you just died again," she spoke bluntly. "By letting your guard down."

"But I thought the round was over." he managed to get out in a daze.

"That's not how it works."

He tried to take a breath and gather himself. "Alright- ugh." her foot was pressed firmly into his back. Deciding to stop talking, he managed to roll away, feeling the pressure she was placing on him decrease. Before getting up, he tried to trip her, but she avoided the move like there was an invisible barrier wrapped around her legs. Then her foot struck him.

He tried to back away, managing to get to his feet just in time to take a swing at her, and this time, he wasn't surprised when that just led to him being flipped even harder. He landed on his back with a thud, and did his best to roll away, but an instant later she had him pinned.

With a sigh, she released her hold on him again, standing upright. "I think it's safe to say I won - you died four times, by the way." Kneeling down a bit, she offered him her hand. "Come one."

Face wrinkling in suspicion, he backed away. "I think I'll stand on my own."

"Good," she watched as he got to his feet. "You're learning."

"...You were gonna knock me down again, weren't you?"

"That would have been the last time."

The two stood there for a moment… and then he giggled. She was following suit, and it was only a few seconds or so before they were both laughing. Once that settled down, they were sitting against the wall, hands on their laps.

After another moment, Janine turned to look at Ash. "Thank you for that."

He gave his friend a smile. "Did it help?"

"...A little bit, yeah." looking away, she sighed. "I suppose you can't keep much from Valiant - I hope it wasn't worrying you too much."

"I was just doing what you did," he said, and as her head turned he was met with a set of purple eyes. "You know, the night we first met? We were total strangers back then, and you still came to talk to me just because you thought I needed it. And that's what we said we would do afterwards, right?"

She closed her eyes for just a moment, then directed them to the ceiling. "Yes…"

There was another silence. It was comfortable, but the more Ash looked at her, the more he noticed. It wasn't as present, but it was there.

"So," he started. "What is going on?"

She was quiet for a moment, although her attention indicated that she was still listening to him before looking forward at their feet. "You have sort of talked about it before, but… well, you remember what it is like, to think about how everything changes you?"

"...Yeah."

Her smile was small, yet complicated. "I've done a lot of things in this dojo. And the one separate from the mansion, and elsewhere." her fingers drummed against the mat. "One time, father and I were helping a couple of other clan members in the orchard. Not just picking fruit. All of sudden, father came at me from behind and I was on the ground. He had a pointed object pressed against my back, and asked me a hard question. I think it was about who Arto Kyo dueled on his sixteenth birthday. Anyway, he let me up after I answered. Correctly; I got it wrong the first time." her eyes seemed distant for a moment.

"Does that happen…often?" Ash tried to ask carefully.

"Enough to get the point across," she said. "He's been overseeing my trainer prep ever since the very first day. I would be writing in my room until my hands hurt, training like this, learning to cook or camp, anything basic that was needed. I would always go to bed feeling tired and stronger. That was the purpose." Now she seemed more reminiscent. "It was always for my own good. Every lesson, every task, every punishment. He went through it, aunt Aya went through it, their predecessors did too. Whenever aunt Aya was here, I could drop my guard and do something fun. That was always a vacation, though."

"Okay…" Ash frowned. He knew some of this already, yet even more so than before, it didn't sound normal. "What…" he almost said "What do you think of your father?" but stopped himself there.

"Being back here," Janine looked at him. "I have been thinking a lot. All of this," she gestured to the mat. "Is to prepare us for things such as my journey. Or fighting criminals. Or anything else important, really. A trainer's journey is like one big, giant test. And…" she bit her lip, stopping abruptly. Ash gave her time, simply patting her shoulder as a silent reminder.

They talked to each other. Understood each other. Maybe it was for one to comfort the other, maybe it was to enjoy each other's company. On any given day, it had mattered increasingly less.

She finally continued "Have I been taking a test, or simply been on vacation?" Ash blinked at her, not sure what to say yet. "Do you remember why I was at the Viridian Pokemon Center that night?"

He racked his brain. "It was because… You caught a Weedle in Viridian Forest, and Bulbasaur and Zubat injured her by accident?" and since then, all three had evolved - twice in Weedle's case.

"Correct…" she raised a hand just long enough to scratch the side of her neck before returning it to her lap. "The truth is, we were not alone back then. I met three other trainers that I was going to be going through the forest with. It was how I realized how different everything was when away from home. I was so surprised that I suddenly was not on a pedestal anymore. No expectations from the kids, adults, father or anyone else. I could just introduce myself and be that normal person."

"Yeah," he agreed. She had spoken of this a long while ago - back in Lavender when she had first told him the truth about her family. "It was really good, wasn't it?"

"Was it ever…" she trailed off for a moment. "And I learned to indulge in that, to the best of my ability." her face was growing darker. "But the world does not care what you have chosen to do… it never mattered if my team and I were having fun, or working as hard as we could. People like Team Rocket were working either way." she tightened her grip on her gi. "Celadon, Lavender, even that silly, dead on arrival "attack" in Viridian back on Opening Day. And what happened to you at Mt. Moon, or when you first met Damian. Being with you helped so much for all of that, but… I still dream, and a good amount of them are ones I'd rather not have."

"Did you have one recently?"

"Not since the last time I told you," she reassured, nodding at him. "I would have told you if I did, right?"

"Yeah…" he nodded back. "Same here."

Sighing through her nose, she gazed at the wall on the other end of the dojo. "Father is aware of everything that has happened. I asked him where I'm supposed to go from here, and… he said bad memories are an experience. Nightmares are a reminder. Suffering is a lesson. And I guess I wonder if there are things I should have done differently from the start. You have felt that way, correct?"

"A lot of times…" Ash straightened the feeling in his stomach when he replied. "Actually, like the day we ran into each other at Suzie's salon. Hearing you two talk made me think about all of the errors I had made along the way up until that point. And then the attack on Celadon happened, and…" he looked at his belt. His team was not there, but the Poke Balls associated with them were. "Well, I knew I had to do things differently. Like how I've handled Tempest. I had changed a lot, but I had not done enough reflection on the person I was before." he looked back into her eyes. "But your mind is on something else, right? You don't think it was wrong to have fun, do you?"

"Of course not," she shook her head. "That is absurd. But I know what father means when he says what he says…" she bit her lip. "And I know he is going to make tomorrow far rougher. Are you ready?"

As she looked at him, he could feel the concern in her eyes - it was not the kind of concern that often accompanied a Gym battle.

"I know I am." he said.

"He is going to make your life a living hell, Ash." she pressed. "And your team. You have only heard stories. Even I don't know what he is going to do to you guys in there."

"I'm…" his heart quickened. "I'm done running." as if by accident, he realized something. "I didn't tell you this, did I… when I fought Caesar, I was really angry. About what he was doing to the ghosts, to Connie, and…" his nose wrinkled. "Everything else before that, honestly. But eventually, against his Zangoose I thought we were going to lose, so I convinced myself to stay strong and hold out until help arrived. And then Tempest evolved." he shook his head. "Suddenly, I couldn't believe it. I was actually planning on waiting for someone to save me. Wait for a miracle if you can't run away. I was disgusted with myself. Every time I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's what I have always done - panic and run. Hope things go well if I have to fight." he clenched his fists. "But that battle with Caesar… I'm strong enough to fight back. At least now I am, and so is my team. And if they're still willing too, then I am too. Because we're not helpless anymore." he looked back at her, and became the subject of her analytical gaze. "I don't know what Koga is going to throw at us either. I can't promise it'll be easy for me, but I can promise I'm not going to break. And if he has anything to ask me like he did before, I'll be ready with a straight answer."

"Hmm," her lips curved up just a little bit. "You have reassured me." she exhaled, eyes lingering on the training bag she had to put away. "And after that… we're splitting up. You'll be going to Grampa Canyon, and I will be getting ready to have a rematch with Sabrina.

"..." he barely grunted, unable to look at her for a moment. He'd like to think he hadn't taken talks like this for granted, but he supposed the first day he and his team spent without her and her team would be the test for that.

…

"Janine…" he managed to say.

"Yes?"

"Before I leave this city," he looked her in the eye again. Always make eye contact. "I want to battle you again. This time with everything."

"... Six on six?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it is," her expression eased. "Let's make one final memory to figure out where our paths take us, shall we?"

Battles were a form of communication as well. They were lessons, or conversations, or competitions, sometimes all of them.

They went the next minute or so without saying anything else, simply a little bit closer to each other, allowing their fingers to touch. They had been in this position before, and for a brief moment, Ash was conscious of where they were.

"I still have to figure things out," Janine broke the silence, and scooted just a little bit closer, not that it felt necessary anymore. "A lot of things are going to be different after tomorrow, and I'll be reflecting as much as I can. The things I did right, the things I would change." Just stepping through the city gates was enough to get her to remember the day she had left. "Honestly, if Celebi came to me and offered me a chance to redo my journey, I… probably would have taken those three up on their offer, and went with them through the forest. Who knows what would change just from that, but…" she made eye contact for a moment or two, and Ash fully processed the fact that their shoulders were touching, because the next thing she did was relaxingly lean into his. "I'll always make sure I was at Suzie's the same day you were visiting."

A million thoughts took turns going through Ash's mind, although the spike of tension did not last. Like the rest of the day, this moment would go by fast, a calm before a storm, but for once he forgot about the clouds, or the fact that his biggest fight yet was just over twelve hours away, or the epiphany to not run away or wish for a miracle.

"I'm… happy about that." his chest was relaxed with the contentment coming up from his stomach. "I'll make sure I'm there."

"Good to hear." she looked different again - like how having her hair down before or right after bed made her look different, except the physical change wasn't needed this time.

He realized just in time: The mystique had worn off. It likely had a long time ago, but the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He wouldn't have made that realization if it had taken a second or two longer, because when she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, her face disappeared from view. Not caught off guard, he returned the action and softly rubbed her back.

It was getting late, and they would be going to bed soon. When they woke up, it would be the day.

But they would enjoy the calm before the storm a little bit longer.

/

Ash's battle was going to be first.

He was alone in the lobby of the Gym for nearly a half hour, according to the clock. He didn't pass the time, his mind was clear enough - too clear for him to want to do anything between now and the match.

The door opened, and Len walked through, bowing with one hand. "I am here to escort you, Ash."

He nodded at the older boy, and followed him through the door. The hall was long, and basic. Dimly lit, with a nice carpet. The door at the other end looked so small, until they were about halfway there. Then it was getting bigger. Len stopped in front of the door, gesturing to the touch screen beside it, displaying Ash's team.

Select five Pokemon

Phenom, Tempest, Glaceon, Pikachu, Valiant.

It was processed, and then he turned to Len. His gray eyes were as calm as the eye of a storm - which always preceded the worst.

"Are you ready to go to war, Ash?"

The younger boy breathed through his nose. "Yes, I am."

Len opened the door.

Like most Gyms, the door was a portal, and the arena was an entirely different world. The floor and walls were all black, and although it was late morning, Ash forgot the time - because he had looked up at the ceiling.

It was dark, and decorated with beautiful stars and a full moon. But it did not give the vibe of decor - it felt as though he was actually outside, even though all of his surroundings should have reminded him that he was inside of a building. He saw the ceiling, and he saw the sky of a tranquil, gorgeous night outdoors. He did not see a ceiling that was decorated to resemble such a thing.

As he looked back at the battlefield, he realized that Len had left his side without a trace - as though he had vanished the way ninjas often did. With another breath through his nose, he kept walking, and found himself in front of the battlefield. There was a platform where the trainer was to stand, raised just enough to have an elevated view, but he didn't use it yet.

The battlefield was as big as he had come to expect, and like almost every Gym that he had been to, it was unrecognizable compared to any of the others. A sprawling arena of grass, like the Celadon Gym, but there was no forest this time. The grass was a bit taller than normal, a bit darker and more uninviting than normal - the exact opposite of the "night sky" above. It was not just a field of grass, however - Ash realized that a fair amount of it was simply dirt. Debris scattered throughout the field - remnants of small huts, some more decimated than others. Although there was no forest, there were still trees. And there was fire, not burning intently or setting everything ablaze like it should, more like lingering flames that refused to die out.

Overlooking the battlefield to his right were the stands. Several clan members were there - probably about two dozen if he were to guess. He could see Ruunia among them, and Janine was sitting next to Aya. Len was finding a seat himself.

"Have you examined your surroundings, Mr. Ketchum?"

He turned to his left, and Koga's appearance was far more sudden than Len's disappearance could have hoped to be. The Gym Leader was wearing a black uniform, with certain parts lined with light armor. His head gestured towards the battlefield.

"What is this?" his voice was not raised, but it carried strength that no shouting was necessary for him to produce.

"You mean the battlefield?" Ash asked.

"What was Leader Brock's battlefield?"

"Oh," Ash realized, resisting the urge to scratch his cheek. His arms remained against his sides. "A field of rocks, sir. Kind of like a mountain."

"I see, and the sisters?"

"A giant swimming pool."

"With all of that in mind," Koga's tone of voice did not change. "What is this?"

…

Ash looked back at the battlefield. "This is… a village. A war torn village. At night."

Koga stared at him for a couple of moments longer before talking again. "A general is a Pokemon trainer for their army. Battles emulate the psychology of war in a variety of ways - a general's job is to plan the battles. Map out the battles. Study the enemies that will be faced in the battles. And with all of that in mind, issue orders to their soldiers. A soldier's job is to flow those instructions, while both the soldier and the general are forced to make split second decisions, and alter their long term goals depending on what the enemy is planning or doing. Does that resonate with you?"

Ash's hand clung to his belt, where his family lied in wait. "It does, sir."

"Sir." Now it was Akira's turn to approach them out of nowhere. He was carrying a box. Koga offered his cousin a nod, and opened the box that he was holding.

"I told you to deconstruct yourself and your journey," Koga looked upon the boy, and the blade of the executioner rested next to the back of Ash Ketchum's neck. "Before I had the chance to do it first. Tonight, I will destroy you and leave the remains to decide your true self." He left no room for response. He reached inside the box, and after pulling out what was in it, Akira walked away without a word.

Koga was holding the head of a crowned serpent with deadly fangs. He put on the mask, turned to his challenger, and as Ash was forced to look into the eyes, his heart skipped a beat, his blood turned cold, the skin on his palms became glazed with sweat, and his hair twitched up. In that moment, he was trading gazes with one of history's most vile, brilliant and bloodstained.

Shadowblood's wrath.