AAML: Diamond and Pearl version

by EchidnaPower

Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. A Pokeshipping series. Also includes Penguinshipping, Handymanshipping, slight mentions of Contestshipping, and a Brock shipping to be named later. Oh yeah, there's PikachuXBuneary here too.

17. The Kidnapped Riolu

Here we go, another episode redux. I have a question for you all, I think I may be neglecting the Pokémon in my writing, but Pikachu says "pika pika" just about every other sentence. I'll let you guys decide what happens. Also, in response to previous reviews, I will not be making Misty and Paul have any past with each other, especially one involving Paul being a perv. And Misty has already met Zoey, check the contest battle chapter. Anyways, without further ado, the next chapter is here!
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Chapter 17

Ash's POV

We were on our way to Pastoria City for my next gym battle. Battling Maylene and Lucario was awesome, and I felt more energized in that battle than I had in a long time, and for once I knew why. The fiery, red-headed angel walking next to me was why, Misty cheered me on just like old times, and her voice caused an adrenaline rush to go through me during the battle. And she would make an awesome sparring partner since the next gym leader was an expert in water-type Pokémon; of course I thought that Misty would be the judge of that. But there were more serious things happening now, this new group of freaks called Team Galactic showed up before we left Veilstone, talking about creating a new world, what did that even mean? I couldn't think about that now though, I had to worry about comforting the trembling Misty, who was afraid a bug would appear since we were walking through a forest. I wondered if she'd ever get over this bug-phobia of hers.

"Come on Misty, nothing's gonna hurt you." I said comfortingly.

"A-Are you sure?" Misty asked fearfully.

"For the fifth time, yes I'm sure." Not that I thought Misty gripping my arm was a bad thing, I rather enjoyed it, but she was squeezing so hard that I was starting to lose blood-flow in my arm.

Brock rolled his eyes at the pathetic sight, "I can't believe you're still terrified of bugs Misty, I figured that since you're fifteen now, you'd at least have gotten over it a little."

"Forget it Brock!" the redhead spat, "I'm working on getting over carrots, but bug-Pokémon I'll never get over!"

"Oh please, try being surrounded by a swarm of Ariados that know 'Hyper Beam' and then we'll talk about fear." Dawn teased.

I laughed when Misty gave Dawn an icy-glare that would've made me wish I were a Shuckle hiding in its shell. "Alright, watch this Misty." I pulled out a Pokéball and called out Chimchar.

"Chim char?" (What's up?)

"Ok Chimchar, if a bug-Pokémon tries to attack us, scare it off with a fire-attack. Got it?"

"Chim chim char!" (I'll do my best!) And with that, Chimchar started scanning the area. "See Mist, nothing to worry abo…" I stopped in my tracks. I suddenly felt a strange feeling inside…not a Misty feeling…it was like I…sensed something.

Normal POV

"Ash, w-what's wrong?" Misty asked.

"I feel something." Ash said, looking straight ahead.

"Is it Lucario again?" Dawn asked.

"No…it's weaker than Lucario, but it feels the same." Ash replied. The team looked around, and saw nothing, but suddenly a Riolu came into view, clutching its arm.

"Whoa, what is that?" Misty asked.

"A Riolu!" Brock exclaimed.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it. "Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, its aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies." the Pokédex explained.

"Ash, you felt it! It must need help!" Misty exclaimed.

Suddenly, Riolu fell to its knees in pain. "Look, Riolu is hurt!" Brock exclaimed.

"Here, let me help!" Ash knelt down in front of Riolu, but when he touched it, Riolu smacked his hand away threateningly. "Hey little guy, I'm just trying to help." Ash said soothingly. Riolu didn't buy it and growled, and readied an 'Aura Sphere' to attack with.

"Ash look out!" Misty cried. Ash took the full brunt of the attack, and rolled in front of the trio of concerned teens. Naturally, Misty was the first one by his side. "Ash, are you hurt?" she asked with concern.

Ash groaned and clutched his stomach, "Don't worry Mist, I'm ok." he strained, "But man that was some move."

"That was an 'Aura Sphere' for sure!" Brock exclaimed.

"Aura Sphere'?" Dawn asked.

"Why is that such a surprise?" Misty asked.

"Because 'Aura Sphere' is usually learned after Riolu evolves into Lucario, but obviously not this time…incredible!" Brock explained.

"Then this Riolu is really special." Dawn said in awe.

"Special or not, Riolu needs a hand." Ash got back up to try and approach the little Pokémon again. "Ash wait," Misty grabbed Ash's shoulder and held him back, "What if it attacks you again?"

"So what if it does? I felt its aura, which means it's practically calling for help!" Ash replied.

"But Ash…" Brock stopped talking, since Ash had already went to confront Riolu again.

"C'mon, just relax, I know you're hurt and I'm only trying to help!" Riolu ignored Ash, and readied another 'Aura Sphere'.

Riolu fired, but before the attack could hit, a young, brown-haired man in a trench coat appeared and deflected the sphere. "Hey, everybody still in one piece?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're alright." Ash said.

"Thanks for helping us." Misty said.

"No prob." the man replied. While the humans talked, Riolu turned to walk away.

"Hey, Riolu!" Ash exclaimed, noticing the injured Pokémon trying to escape.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this!" And with that, the man chased after Riolu, leaving Ash and co. behind.

"I wonder who that was." Dawn said.

"Come on guys! We can't just stand here and do nothing while Riolu needs help!" Ash ran off in the direction of the man and Riolu.

"Ash, wait!" Brock called.

"Let's just follow him, there's no changing his mind when a Pokémon needs help." Misty chased after Ash, soon followed by Dawn and Brock.

Team Rocket had seen the whole scene from behind a bush. "An 'Aura Sphere' toting Riolu is one power-packed Pokémon, wouldn't you agree?" James asked.

"Yeah, and dat's da kinda power we need ta pack!" Meowth said.

"We can't allow Riolu to languish with those losers, Team Rocket for the power play!" Jessie exclaimed. And with that, Team Rocket continued their stalking.

Meanwhile, Misty had caught up with Ash, and was once again clutching his arm for protection. "Why do you keep doing this Ash?" Misty asked fearfully.

"Look, I can help Riolu, I know I can!"

"I have no doubts on that," the redhead replied, flinching as she thought she had felt something crawl up her arm, "I mean why do you keep getting us lost in bug-infested forests?!" Misty said. Ash was about to reply, when someone grabbed his arm and yanked him into a bush, dragging Misty along too.

"I told you guys I'd take care of this, didn't I?" the man scolded.

"Yes, you did." Misty shot a glare at Ash.

"But…" Ash was cut-off.

"Shh! Look up there!" the man said, pointing up into a tree.

"It's Riolu." Misty whispered.

Dawn and Brock had now found the trio, and kneeled down to join them. "So, is that your Riolu?" Dawn asked.

"Nope, it's not mine." the man replied.

"So then it's a wild Riolu." Brock figured.

"Nope, it's not wild either." the man replied.

"Then I don't get it, that's pretty much the only two choices." Misty said.

"Riolu has a home already, and all it wants to do at this point is go back home." the man explained.

"Go back home? Where's that?" Ash asked. Just then, a loud noise was heard, and two giant tank-like vehicles stormed in. As soon as they stopped, four soldiers came out, who were immediately recognized by Ash, Dawn, and Brock.

"That's Pokémon Hunter J's goon squad!" Dawn hissed.

"Who's Pokémon Hunter J?" Misty asked.

"That's right, you don't know." Brock said.

"Hunter J is a Pokémon Bounty Hunter! If she's involved, there's bound to be trouble!" Ash said angrily. The group watched, as the leader of the thugs barked out orders.

"Now Crobat, 'Wing Attack' go!" the leader barked. A Crobat appeared, and knocked Riolu out of the tree. "Retrieve the target!" the leader ordered.

"Those thugs are after Riolu!" Brock said quietly.

"No way! I won't let them!" Ash said determinedly.

"Ash wait!" Misty hissed. It was too late; Ash had already gone to confront them.

"Stop it!" Ash yelled.

"Hey kid, who are you?!" the leader asked angrily.

"Ok, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu tried to zap the Crobat, but it dodged with its aerial acrobatics, but it got knocked out of the air when an 'Aura Sphere' made a clean hit. After taking out its flying foe, Riolu leaped out of the bush, and angrily fired multiple 'Aura Spheres', which nearly struck Ash and Pikachu. Riolu landed back on the ground after its assault, and clutched its hurt arm in pain.

"So that's the famous 'Aura Sphere'…impressive…good power. Riolu's ours, let's go!" the leader barked. The three lower goons tossed out Pokéballs, revealing three more Crobat.

Angrily, Ash clutched a Pokéball of his own, ready to take them all on. "Crooks, no way!"

"I won't allow it!" the trench coated man stepped out of the bushes and ripped off his guise, revealing himself as a Pokémon Ranger.

By now, Misty, Dawn, and Brock had come out of their hiding place to check on Ash, and were amazed at their friend's true identity as a ranger. "It's a Vatonage Styler!" Brock pointed out the device the man had in his possession.

"That means he's a…" Misty paused.

"Pokémon Ranger!" Ash finished.

"Capture on!" the ranger yelled. His styler flew around a nearby Ariados, as he proceeded to make his temporary capture. "Capture complete! Ariados, use 'String Shot'!" Now under the control of the ranger, Ariados acknowledged, and fired a stream of sticky string at the three Crobat, wrapping them up in a web. The ranger reloaded his styler, and proceeded to capture a nearby Nincada. "Nincada, use 'Dig'!" The Nincada obliged, and dug a huge hole underneath the four thugs, trapping them in a pit.

"Awesome." Ash said in awe.

"Wow! Seeing a real life Pokémon Ranger in action up close and personal like this is so cool!" Dawn gushed.

"And he's no ordinary Pokémon Ranger either, he's a top ranger!" Brock exclaimed.

"A top ranger?" Ash asked.

"That's a Pokémon Ranger who's skilled enough to use a Vatonage Styler!" Brock explained.

The ranger thanked the captured Pokémon for their help, and let them be on their way, and then he walked up to the frightened Riolu and showed it a red bag, which contained a doll shaped like a Riolu. "You see Riolu? You can trust me." the ranger said. He placed the bag around Riolu's neck, and picked it up into his arms. "Come on, follow me." the ranger said.

"So you came out here to help out that Riolu right?" Ash figured.

"Right, the name's Kellyn, hi there."

"Hi, I'm Ash."

"My name's Misty.

"And mine is Dawn."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Brock."

After the introductions were completed, Kellyn took the group to a nearby stream, where he tended to Riolu's wound with a Super Potion. Riolu winced at the stinging pain from the antiseptic in the potion. "Riolu, you'll be feeling better in no time." Kellyn said calmly. Riolu backed off and stared at the river, wanting to be alone. "Looks like Riolu's suffered through some tough times, which can make it hard to trust anyone."

"Maybe that's why Riolu attacked Ash." Brock figured.

"The poor thing, not being able to trust anyone, it must be so lonely." Misty said sadly.

"As sad as it is, it's going to take time before Riolu can trust people again." Kellyn said.

Riolu took its doll out of the bag, and stared at it, as it remembered its home. "Hey, isn't that the doll you gave to Riolu before?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, it was a gift from the man who raised it." Kellyn explained. Suddenly, Ash gasped in astonishment.

"Ash, what is it?" Misty asked. Ash didn't respond. "Ash…are you alright?" Misty tried again. Ash stayed silent, it was as if he was in a trance of some sort. Misty waved her hand in front of his face, when Ash didn't react, Misty began to get worried. "What's wrong with Ash?" Misty asked with concern.

"I…don't know." Brock said, staring at his frozen friend. Not one of them realized what Ash was seeing, memories and thoughts that connected to Ash through Riolu's aura.

Ash finally blinked, and Misty wasted no time getting to him. "Ash, what happened?" Misty asked with concern.

Ash didn't respond, and walked up to Riolu. "That means more to you than anything, right Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu looked up at Ash, and even Riolu itself was shocked at what Ash said next. "You used your aura to tell me that." he said.

"Ash, what do you mean Riolu used its aura?" Dawn asked.

"I think he means that he just felt exactly what Riolu was thinking, right Ash?" Misty asked.

"You're right Misty. I saw a whole bunch of stuff about Riolu's home." Ash said.

"Like what?" Brock asked.

"He lives in a kingdom, but was taken away." Ash growled.

"The poor thing, who would do something like that?" Misty asked.

"Hold on a sec, how come Ash feels all this and not us?" Dawn asked.

"You see, an aura is like a feeling or spirit, all living things have their own unique aura," Kellyn explained, "Ash my friend, it looks like your aura and Riolu's aura are a perfect match."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ash said.

"Then you were right Ash, Riolu was calling for help." Misty said.

"Yeah…" Ash turned his attention to the puzzled Riolu, "I'll help you get home safe, don't worry about that Hunter J, you can trust me."

"And I'll help you too Riolu, we all will." Misty said, kneeling down in front of Riolu as well.

"Yeah." Dawn and Brock said in unison.

Just then, Kellyn's styler began beeping, signaling a fellow ranger was calling. "Kellyn here."

A young, turquoise-haired woman appeared on the screen of his styler. "Hi, it's Solana!" she said. Ash saw his friend appear on the screen, and gave her a cordial greeting. "Well if it isn't Ash and Pikachu, it's been a long time." Solana said.

"And…who is that Ash?" Misty said, tapping her foot impatiently. The sight of a beautiful woman being so cordial with Ash was not a welcome one in her eyes.

Ash raised his hands in self-defense, "Uh…just a ranger friend of ours we met when May was traveling with us."

"You know a real life Pokémon Ranger?!" Dawn squealed and looked at the girl on the screen, "Wow, it is a girl! And with such awesome clothes! My name's Dawn!"

But then Brock pushed Ash out of the way with hearts in his eyes. "There's your proof Misty." Ash scoffed, pointing at the love-struck Brock.

"Hmm, I guess I'll let you off the hook...this time." Misty said teasingly. Misty pushed Brock over to get her own look.

"And who is this?" Solana asked.

"This is my girlfriend, Misty." Ash said, making his way past the crowd.

"Wow, you of all people found a girlfriend?" Solana asked teasingly.

"Actually, I'm more of an old friend turned girlfriend; this isn't the first time I've been traveling with Ash." Misty replied with a slight blush.

"Well I'm very happy for you both." Solana said with a smile. Ash and Misty blushed a bit harder, and then were knocked over again by Brock.

"I hope you didn't forget little ol' me Solana!" Brock exclaimed.

"Of course not Brock, still working on becoming a Pokémon Breeder?" Solana asked politely.

"Yes, of course, though now I'm working on something else, and that's for you to use your capture styler to capture me!" Brock exclaimed passionately. Misty had had enough, so she slammed her mallet onto Brock's head, just as Croagunk 'Poison Jabbed' him. "Capture…incomplete." Brock strained.

"High-five Croagunk." the redhead laughed. Croagunk obliged happily, and the group laughed at their breeder friend.

"So, you're in the Sinnoh Region now, working hard to join the Sinnoh League I'll bet." Solana said.

"Yup, that's the plan for sure!" Ash replied.

"Well that's great, good luck! And Kellyn, with Ash being such an amazing trainer, I'm sure he's gonna be a big help to you." Solana said.

"Sounds good Solana." Kellyn replied.

"He's already proven that he'll be a big part of this because of the whole aura thing." Misty said.

"That's another good point." Kellyn said, "So what's the latest on the search?"

"We've determined the precise location of Pokémon Hunter J's client, and Officer Jenny and I are on our way there now." Solana said.

"Excellent, Riolu's under our protection, and we're heading for the rendezvous coordinates." Kellyn said.

"Understood, we'll be in touch." Solana replied, and then she hung up. The team suddenly heard a loud thunder-like noise, and saw a giant airship in the sky.

"What's that thing?" Misty asked.

"It's Hunter J's ship." Dawn replied angrily.

"She finally arrived." Brock said.

"Let's go, for Riolu!" Ash said determinedly.

"Now everybody needs to stay calm, and do just what I say, got it?" Kellyn said sternly.

"Right." they said in acknowledgement. They followed Kellyn to the stream, where a boat just happened to be there for the waiting.

"We'll use this to avoid making any footprints or traceable signs, and then we'll meet with a transportation team on the other side." Kellyn explained.

"I'll get Staryu to pull the boat." Misty said.

"It'll need help, come on out Buizel." The two Pokémon appeared, and Kellyn placed a rope connected to the boat around Buizel's neck, and Staryu's top point.

After they shipped off, Kellyn began explaining the story. "This paradise kingdom is Riolu's home, Riolu's official title is: Inheritor of the Aura, and it was carefully raised by its breeder."

"Inheritor of the Aura?" Misty asked.

"Each royal generation uses Riolu's aura to protect the kingdom, it's passed on and on, from generation to generation, and Riolu's next in line." Kellyn explained.

"So that's why Riolu can use 'Aura Sphere'!" Brock exclaimed.

"A kingdom…protected by the power of aura…oh no." Misty said quietly to herself. Ash picked up on why Misty had become scared, and squeezed her hand to comfort her.

"Riolu was kidnapped and locked up by people who planned to use its power for evil purposes. But a different group of people orchestrated Riolu's breakout for their evil purposes, although it's obvious Riolu managed to escape from them too." Kellyn said.

"And now this…hunted by a Pokémon Bounty Hunter." Brock said sullenly.

"That's exactly what I saw when Riolu used its aura to talk to me." Ash said.

"The poor thing, no wonder it doesn't trust anyone outside its kingdom." Misty said sadly.

"What an awful way to live, always afraid someone will betray you." Dawn added.

Ash clenched his fists, accidently hurting Misty's hand in the process, "Selfish people mistreating Riolu like that, I can't stand it!" he said furiously.

"Ash...ow."

Ash looked at his closed fist and quickly loosened up, and the redhead took her hand out of his and rubbed it, "Sorry Mist."

"S'ok."

"To transport Riolu safely back home. That's what my mission is all about." Kellyn said.

"And we'll have your back all the way through! There's no way I'm gonna let them get away with what they've done!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hopefully there won't be much to it; the recovery team from headquarters should be just up ahead." Kellyn said. Suddenly, four Sharpedo leaped up from the bottom of the boat, sending the group flying into the water.

Ash breached the water with Buizel and Pikachu, and looked around frantically. "Misty, Misty where are you?" Ash called. Then Misty breached the water with Staryu, and Ash had Buizel swim over to her. "Are you ok?" Ash asked. Misty gave a small nod, and tossed out Politoed for Brock to hang on to. "What are they doing?!" Ash yelled.

"Those Sharpedo belong to Hunter J! They found us!" Brock exclaimed.

A Floatzel suddenly leaped out of the water, and Kellyn wasted no time capturing it for his own use. "Now guys! To the other side! Floatzel, help out!" Kellyn ordered. The group obliged, and proceeded to make their escape…until…

"Sharpedo, 'Aqua Jet'!" the leader yelled. The four Sharpedo combined their attacks, for one ultra-powerful 'Aqua Jet', causing the group to go flying. They regrouped again, but the Sharpedo continued their pursuit.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu jumped out of the water, and fried the Sharpedos with a powerful electric attack.

"Floatzel, step on it!" Kellyn yelled. The group and their Pokémon sped up their escape, but were cut off by a sweeping 'Hyper Beam' before they could get away. When the water settled, Hunter J loomed over them on her Salamence.

"It's J!" Ash yelled angrily.

"I'm taking Riolu!" 'J' exclaimed.

"I don't think so! Piplup 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Staryu, Politoed, 'Water Gun'!"

The attacks were fired, but 'J' stayed calm. "Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'." she said. The attacks collided, and when the smoke cleared, 'J' had cocked her Cement Cannon, ready to fire at Riolu.

"Aaah! Floatzel, 'Water Gun'!" Kellyn yelled. Floatzel fired, trying to knock Salamence off balance, but 'J' remained focused on her target.

"Ash, isn't Salamence a dragon-type?!" Misty asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ash replied.

"Don't you have someone who can use a dragon-attack?" Misty asked.

"Hey yeah!" Ash pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard roared upon release, and stared down his opponent. It remained stone-faced however, as Hunter J fired her unique weapon.

"Dodge it!" Kellyn yelled. Kellyn, Floatzel, and Riolu narrowly escaped becoming statues, but the beam did manage to scrape the bag containing the Riolu doll, which fell into the river.

Riolu split up with the group, and swam after its only reminder home. Noting Riolu's decision to separate from the Top Ranger, J ordered her men to chase down Riolu. "Buizel, let's go!" Ash exclaimed. With Charizard overhead for protection, the group swam after Riolu to keep it safe from the thugs, but J chased after them.

"Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" she ordered. Salamence fired, getting the attention of Charizard.

"Charizard, use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard turned around and fired a 'Dragon Breath' attack at the dragon-type. But they would learn that the group was not Salamence's target, but the rocks in the canyon were. Salamence easily dodged Charizard's attack, leaving the group to face the danger.

The canyon walls began crumbling around them, forcing everyone to branch off in different directions to avoid getting crushed. Ash had continued going forward, chasing after Riolu while dodging the rocks. "Ash, come back!" Misty screamed. But that would prove impossible, as Hunter J chased them down just before the canyon created a blockade of rocks in front of the group.

"She's gone." Kellyn said.

"There's…nothing we can do?" Dawn asked.

Kellyn was about to respond, when Misty spoke up. "There's something I can do!" she exclaimed determinedly, "Charizard can fly me over the rocks to help Ash!"

"If that's the case, I think I should go instead." Kellyn suggested.

"But Charizard won't listen to you. Will you Charizard?" Misty asked with a smirk. Charizard gave a small smirk, and shook his head in a 'no' fashion.

Brock and Dawn gave their own smirks, knowing that Misty had once again outsmarted her argument opponent. "I guess we have no choice then." Kellyn said.

Misty gave a satisfied smile, and Charizard lowered himself enough for Misty to pull herself up, and then return Staryu to its ball. "Good luck Misty." Brock said.

"Misty, be extremely careful, Hunter J is ruthless, and will stop at nothing to get her hands on Riolu." Kellyn said bluntly.

Misty gave a nod to respond. "Let's go help Ash, Charizard!"

Charizard grunted out a response. (I've got some business with that Salamence.) And with that, they flew off in pursuit of Ash and Riolu.

Ash's POV

Riolu was still chasing down its doll, and I felt my face fall when Riolu was forced through some rapids. Buizel and I charged through them, gaining some air after being propelled by the speed of the rapids. When we splashed down, I felt Riolu's aura weaken, as it started to drown. "Riolu's in trouble! Dive underwater!" Buizel acknowledged, and we managed to scoop up the now unconscious Riolu and bring it back to dry land. I sent Buizel to fetch the doll, and it returned quickly with it in hand. "Thanks Bui…" I stopped, as I started seeing things through Riolu's aura.

Misty's POV

I was starting to get really concerned, "You see anything Charizard?" Charizard shook his head. "Oh Ash, where are you?" I began to lose hope, maybe he had gotten captured…or worse. But I wasn't going to give up, I would find him even if it was the last thing I did. I looked down, and I saw a figure by the stream, and two smaller figures next to him, one yellow, and one orange. "Pikachu and Buizel! It must be Ash down there!" Charizard roared, and swooped down to the spot I had pointed out. We landed, and I was thrilled to see that it was Ash.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu jumped into my arms and I hugged him tightly.

"I'm so glad you guys are alright!"

"Bui bui bui." (That's a relative term.) Buizel said with its arms crossed.

I looked at Ash, who was kneeling down in front of something. "Charizard, stand guard." Charizard grunted to acknowledge, and I walked up to Ash, who was kneeling in front of Riolu. "Ash? It's me…are you alright?" I asked softly. Ash's face was completely blank, as if he was in a trance of some sort. "It must be another one of those aura things." There was nothing I could do except wait for Ash to come back to reality.

Ash's POV

What I was seeing…was like some sort of dream. I was seeing Riolu's memories through its aura! Riolu was practicing how to use 'Aura Sphere' by the looks of its warm-up, and there was an old man carving Riolu's doll out of wood. The man called Riolu over to him, saying that the doll was finished. Riolu ran to him happily, and smiled in glee at its new toy. Just then, I saw strange men approach Riolu and its master. When I saw Riolu run behind its breeder in fear, I figured out that these must've been the men who took Riolu.

"Give us Riolu…or should I say Project RX1?" they had said. When I heard them say that, I felt like going over and punching the guy in the nose with a right-hook. But I had to remember that I wasn't really there, these were only memories…but I was still pretty ticked. The last thing I saw was their Drowsee using 'Psychic', and Riolu's breeder pushing Riolu away, telling it to make its escape. After that, I "woke up" from the aura connection, just before Riolu regained consciousness.

"Ash, are you alright?" I heard a voice ask.

I turned around and saw Misty standing over me, concern obvious on her face. I stood up to meet her face. "I'm alright, but how did you get here Misty?" Misty pointed over to Charizard, who was standing guard. "What about the others?"

"They were cut-off by the rock slide, Charizard only flew me here." Misty replied.

This was bad; this meant that it would be me and Misty versus Hunter J and all of her cronies. But Riolu was awake now, so I couldn't act nervous, I kneeled down in front of Riolu. "I'm glad you're awake Riolu, we were worried about you." Riolu started looking around; I knew what it was looking for. "Here." I handed the little Pokémon his doll, "I'll tell ya Riolu, your kingdom is a beautiful place, I can really feel it, its aura that is...this belongs to you; now take good care of it." Riolu gave me a smile, and I smiled back,

"Looks like Riolu finally trusts you Ash." Misty said happily.

"Yeah, and I'm glad too."

Normal POV

Pikachu sensed something nearby, and it was obvious that Charizard did too, because he was growling angrily. "J must be nearby!" Ash whispered, "Return for now Charizard!" Ash called back Charizard in hopes of being a little stealthier.

"They'll find us if we stay here too long!" Misty whispered.

"Then let's get going! Come on guys!" Ash, Misty, and the Pokémon ran to hide in the forest, hoping to escape their pursuers.

"You think they spotted us?" Misty asked.

"Hope not, but we have to be ready for anything!"

Suddenly, the whole forest seemed to catch fire all at once, which startled the group. "They must know where we are, they're trying to flush us out!" Misty screamed over the fire.

"C'mon, we can't let them get Riolu!" They ran through the blazing forest, looking for any place where they could hide, but that would be futile, as 'J' had spotted them, and cut them off with a 'Flamethrower' from Salamence.

"I warned you to stay out of my way!" Hunter J said threateningly.

"We're taking care of Riolu, so you just ran out of luck!" Ash yelled back.

"It looks like you're the one who's out of luck." J replied.

"We've faced worse than you and come out on top, so this time won't be any different!" Misty screamed.

"Then I'll finish this here. Salamence, use 'Flamethrower'." Salamence fired a burning flame directly at the group.

"Look out!" Ash yelled. They dived to avoid their fiery death, and just narrowly escaped. But now they were surrounded by a ring of fire with nowhere to go. "Buizel, 'Water Gun'!" Buizel fired a jet of water at the flame, and gave them an opening.

"Let's go while we can!" Misty exclaimed. They turned to run, but Salamence came up from behind them.

"Enough!" J fired her Cement Cannon, and Riolu was instantly transformed into a statue.

"Riolu!" Ash yelled. They ducked to avoid the swooping Salamence.

"I spared Riolu the pain and suffering from the flames, you should be grateful!" the Bounty Hunter snarled.

With anger coursing through his veins, Ash picked up Riolu's doll and squeezed it in his fist. "Who do you think you are?!"

"You have no right to take Riolu away from its home, or destroy the homes of other Pokémon!" Misty added.

"Hmmph, part of being a Bounty Hunter means you have no use for rights." J replied.

"And what makes you think we'll just stand-by and let you take Riolu?!" the redhead shouted.

"Exactly, we won't let you get away with this!" Ash added.

"I don't expect you to stand-by, I expect you to perish! Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" Salamence fired its attack, and the group dived out of the way to avoid their probable doom.

"That's it! You want a battle? You've got one!" Ash yelled, "Charizard, I choose you!"

"Misty calls Gyarados!"

The couple called out their two most powerful Pokémon, who roared upon release. "I won't be intimidated by the likes of you. Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" J ordered. Salamence backed into the sky, and fired a powerful beam that stretched out to hit both Pokémon.

"Get ready Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard readied its wings for flight, muscles tensed and tingling.

"Gyarados, counter with your 'Hyper Beam'!" Gyarados fired, and the two beams collided in mid-air with an explosion.

"Now! Use 'Dragon Breath'!" Charizard flew through the smoke, and fired a super-effective breath attack at the dragon-type Salamence, who groaned in pain, but didn't fall out of the sky.

"I wasn't hired to fight with brats! Salamence, use 'Flamethrower' and then get that Riolu!" Salamence fired its attack, forcing Charizard and Gyarados to back off a bit, but that was all it took, as Salamence swooped through the hole that had opened up.

"No you don't!" Ash leaped out of the bush and ran to grab Riolu, but was blocked off by Salamence who tackled him.

Ash took a painful tumble, and finally stopped when Misty stepped in from behind him. "Ash are you ok?" she asked with concern.

Ash clutched his mid-section, but gave a nod. "She's got Riolu!"

"Now Salamence, finish them with 'Flamethrower'!" J ordered. Ash and Misty gasped in horror, as the dragon Pokémon prepared to end the battle there and now.

"Chimchar, come on out and use 'Dig' quick!" Ash launched a Pokéball, and Chimchar popped out and dug a hole, big enough for the humans to squeeze through. "We can't beat her like this; we have to get out of this forest!" Ash and Misty returned their Pokémon, who growled at J before withdrawing into their balls.

Salamence fired the flame, just as Ash and Misty dove into the hole dug out by Chimchar. "Mission complete. We have the target." J said with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Kellyn, Dawn, and Brock were at the end of the burning forest, trying to keep all of the wild Pokémon from freaking out. "Everyone! Over here!" Dawn screamed over the flames.

"This way, everybody keep calm!" Brock yelled.

Kellyn turned around, and noticed three Blastoise who were staring at him determinedly. "Alright Blastoise, I'll need all of your help! Capture on!" Kellyn proceeded with the capture, and the Blastoise roared their approval. "Blastoise, use 'Rain Dance'!" The three Blastoise fired six balls of water high into the sky, which quickly formed thick clouds that rained out the fire all over the area.

"Yes! Blastoise's 'Rain Dance' will put out the fire!" Brock exclaimed.

"You're all going to be just fine." Dawn reassured the Pokémon.

"I'm sure that this fire was the work of Hunter J!" Kellyn glanced at the ground, "I'm worried about Riolu, Ash, and Misty."

"Ash and Misty are the best team you could ever want, they just have to be ok, and Riolu has to be too!" Dawn exclaimed with worry.

"Well let's go and find out!" Kellyn said.

"Right!" Dawn and Brock replied. With that, they ran off in search of their friends.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket, who had dug yet another pit-trap, and purposely jumped into it for protection, were now gasping for air from their now full hole.

"Alright, alright, who did the 'Rain Dance'?" Jessie said angrily, looking in all directions.

"Not me, I was a bit preoccupied, treading water." James said.

"Only one thing it coulda been, the great Team Rocket wata boy in da sky!" Meowth said dramatically.

Back with Ash and Misty, Chimchar had now resurfaced from underground, with the couple not far behind it. "Hey, thanks to you using 'Dig', we're all safe and sound." Ash said gratefully.

"Chim char." (No problem.) Chimchar replied.

"Now take a nice rest." Ash returned the fire-type to his ball and slowly got to his feet, still sore from the earlier impact.

"At least this rain will take care of the fire." Misty said.

"Yeah, I just hope all the Pokémon are ok."

"Ash, are you ok? I saw you holding your ribs earlier."

Ash shook his head, "They're a bit sore still, but not enough to stop me from trying to help Riolu!"

"But we have no idea where they are right now, how will we find them?"

As if on cue, a rumble was heard from the nearby canyon. Ash and Misty looked over, and saw a huge air-ship. "It's Hunter J's ship!" Ash said.

"And it looks like they're getting ready to leave!" Misty pointed out.

"Come on, they must have Riolu!" Ash and Misty snuck into the air-ship, just before the hatch closed and the ship took off, leaving them trapped inside.

The ship flew over the forest, which did not go unnoticed by the others down below. "That's Hunter J's ship!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Does that mean they got Riolu?" Brock gulped.

"Oh no, what about Ash and Misty?" Dawn asked worriedly.

Brock wasn't quite as worried about them as Dawn was, "As long as they're together, the things they're capable of are amazing, don't underestimate them."

"Don't underestimate Hunter J either." Kellyn warned.

Back on the ship, Ash and Misty had managed to reach the door that led to the bridge, "I hear talking behind here." Misty whispered.

"Is it J?"

"It's a girl's voice for sure, but it's hard to tell from behind this door."

"If Riolu is behind here, we have to get it now!" Ash said determinedly, "I'll snag Riolu, then Charizard can bust the glass and fly us out of here!"

"Not a very complicated plan, but given the circumstances it'll have to do." Misty replied, "I've got your back."

Ash nodded, and counted off seconds on his fingers. When he ran out of fingers, Ash charged through the door. "Riolu!" Riolu turned its head as much as it could, since its bottom torso was still petrified. It cried out happily at Ash's presence, but J re-petrified its upper-half, keeping their reunion at a minimum. "Let Riolu go!" Ash yelled angrily.

Hunter J pulled out a Pokéball instead. "Drapion, grab him now!" A giant scorpion Pokémon emerged, and grabbed Ash tightly between its claws. Ash groaned in pain at the increasing pressure Drapion was putting on his body. "I've been aware of your little intrusion the whole time."

"So why didn't you do something before?!" Ash strained.

"So I could personally punish a little fool like you." Hunter J said menacingly. Drapion squeezed Ash tighter, causing his face to begin to turn blue from lack of oxygen. "You will suffer the consequences of getting in my way. And weren't there two of you? Where's your foolish friend?" Hunter J asked.

"She's right here!" Misty revealed herself and pulled out her mallet and leaped over the giant scorpion, smashing its eye with a painful bang. Drapion released Ash as it held its claws over its eye, and the black-haired trainer collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"M-Misty…Riolu." Ash managed to cough, weakly pointing towards the petrified Pokémon.

Misty was about to acknowledge, when Hunter J pressed a switch, and a hole opened up from underneath the couple. They fell through a long, dark tube, and they suddenly found themselves falling to the forest. "Ash, call out Charizard!"

Ash reached for Charizard's Pokéball, but he fumbled with it, and the Pokéball fell to the ground as well. "No! I dropped it!"

"Now what do we do?!"

"This…could be it!" Ash turned his head to glance sorrowfully at his girlfriend, "I'm sorry I got you into this Misty!"

"Ash, I don't regret a thing, I'm just sad that it's ending like this." Ash and Misty shared what they thought would be their final goodbye hug in mid-air, as the trees below them were growing closer and closer.

Just then, Ash was caught by the backpack by a pair of large talons, and Ash gripped Misty's wrist with all of his strength to ensure that she would not fall to her death. "I got you guys! You alright?!" Kellyn asked from the back of the Staraptor he was riding.

"A little out of breath, but otherwise ok." Ash replied.

"I got off better than Ash did, so I'm cool too." Misty said with relief.

"Wait, what about Charizard?" Ash asked suddenly.

"You mean this?" Kellyn held up a Pokéball for emphasis.

Ash sighed in relief, "Thanks a lot Kellyn."

The group then looked up at the enormous air-ship, which under the influence of its cloaking device, vanished from sight. "They got away." Kellyn said in disgust.

Ash growled in disgust with himself, "Riolu's with J! And it's all because I messed up big time."

Misty was getting tired of hearing Ash put himself down. "How can you possibly blame yourself Ash? You did everything you could to save Riolu!"

"She's right you know," Kellyn added, "It's not your fault. Don't worry; we'll save Riolu for sure."

Staraptor flew towards a large clearing, where Dawn and Brock awaited the return of Kellyn. "Brock look!" Dawn pointed into the sky so Brock could see what she saw.

When Brock saw it, a smile broke out on his face, "It's Kellyn!"

"And he's got Ash and Misty with him!" Dawn ran up to her friends once Staraptor landed, "We're so glad you're ok!" she said with relief.

"Thanks." Ash and Misty said in unison.

"I guess J must've escaped with Riolu." Brock said sullenly.

"She did…but not before Ash nearly got the life squeezed out of him, that creepy Drapion of hers almost killed him!" Misty spat.

Brock crossed his arms, "J is known to be ruthless. She won't show mercy to her enemies."

"Don't take this the wrong way Ash, but why are you still alive then?" Dawn asked.

"Misty saved me." Ash relinquished a small smile as he glanced at her, "She bashed that bug in the eye with her mallet." In response to that, Misty gave a proud smile and twirled her mallet in triumph.

Just as Kellyn released Staraptor, his communicator began beeping again. "Kellyn here." he said.

"I'm so sorry Kellyn, but unfortunately J's client managed to escape." Solana said sadly.

"What did you say?!" Kellyn asked in shock.

"You see, Jenny and I did our best and got as close as we could…but…"

Solana was cut-off my Kellyn. "I see…" he sighed, "The truth is…J stole Riolu from us as well." Kellyn didn't notice, but Ash's face fell when he said that, as Ash still thought it was at least partly his fault. Misty gave Ash a small hug from behind to comfort him.

"That's awful!" Solana said.

Kellyn shook his head despondently, "She's on her way to rendezvous with her client and then transfer Riolu, then…they'll probably cover their tracks, which of course means one thing."

Dawn hung her head, "That we'll have lost Riolu."

"Which means…Riolu will never be able to get back to its kingdom!" Brock added.

Misty gave the two teens a glare before she felt Ash's fists shaking at his sides. "Ash, try to relax. It is not your fault."

"I know Misty…but there's no way I'm gonna let Riolu be taken away!" Ash broke free of Misty's embrace, and ran to the middle of the field, shouting. "Riolu, come on, let me know, tell me where you are! Riolu!" the trainer fell to his knees, with tears welling up in his eyes. "Riolu…I'm sorry." he whispered.

Ash's friends surrounded him, and Misty knelt down next to him and tried to give him a hug, which this time Ash rejected. "Ash?" Misty said, slightly hurt at his rejection.

Ash strained his body, trying anything he could to make an aura connection with the little Emanation Pokémon. "Riolu…if you can hear me somehow…tell me…come on, tell me!" Suddenly the boy gasped as if he had figured out something.

"What is it Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash stood up and looked into the distance in an almost trance-like fashion. "Riolu…that's where you are!"

"Ash, do you sense Riolu's aura?" Misty asked.

"Exactly!" Ash pointed into the distance, "This way! Riolu's this way!"

Kellyn nodded and smirked before turning his attention back to Solana, "We're on our way to free Riolu right now! Please inform headquarters for me!"

Solana smiled and nodded back, "Understood. Good luck Kellyn!" With that, Solana severed the connection.

"Can you really feel where Riolu is Ash?" Misty asked.

"Yeah Mist. It's like I can see Riolu in my mind." Ash replied.

"Then let's go save it!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Right, follow me!" Ash was about to take off running when Kellyn stopped him, "No wait! I have an idea, come on!" The team ran after the Pokémon Ranger, who activated his styler for capture.

"Well Mist, looks like you're getting your own adventure with auras." Ash said.

"I just hope that we don't get any closer to death than we already have." Misty said sincerely.

Ash smiled, "We'll be fine. I promise."

"Alright, capture on!" Moments later, Kellyn had found and captured five Dodrio, which would make the trip much faster. "Hop on everyone, and let's go save Riolu!"

The team hopped onto their birds, and Ash led them on. "Hang on Riolu, we're coming!"

"Ash, what do we do when we get there?" Misty asked.

"If J tries using Salamence again I'll just have Charizard give it a beating it'll never forget!" Ash replied.

"But what about Riolu? She probably still has it!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Only until she makes the exchange with her client, that's our chance to get Riolu back!" Kellyn exclaimed.

"I still can't believe Riolu's aura could reach Ash all the way out here!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That just goes to show how strong the connection between Ash and Riolu is!" Brock said.

"You should've seen the way Riolu reacted to Ash while we were separated; they acted like they were best friends!" Misty added.

"Riolu responded to Ash's thoughts, those thoughts, along with Ash's emotions allowed Riolu to use its powerful aura to transmit its whereabouts." Kellyn explained.

"Wow, this is just so complicated." Dawn moaned.

"Riolu, don't worry!" Ash said to no in particular.

"How's that feeling Ash? You got a bead on Riolu?" Misty asked.

"Yeah! The aura's stronger than before, so we're getting really close!" Ash replied.

"Get ready everyone; it's time for a showdown!" Brock exclaimed.

Just before they reached the edge of a canyon, Ash winced a bit. "Riolu must be down there!"

"Hurry!" Kellyn yelled. They reached the edge of the canyon, and found Hunter J and her cronies with a few other men.

"There she is!" Misty exclaimed.

"We found you J!" Ash yelled angrily.

"We won't let you get away with this!" Kellyn declared.

"A-A Pokémon Ranger?" the client said fearfully.

"Annoying brat." J mumbled.

"Riolu needs to return to its kingdom so give it back immediately, or else!" Kellyn threatened.

The client held the statue of Riolu away possessively. "No, I'll give you nothing!"

"Then we'll take Riolu back, and get it back where it belongs!" Misty screamed back.

"Staravia, use 'Quick Attack' go!" Ash launched a Pokéball, and Staravia popped out of her ball and immediately swooped down to knock Riolu out of the man's hands. "Charge!" The five Dodrio ran down the canyon wall.

"What now?" Hunter J's head thug asked.

Hunter J waved her hand dismissively, "We have our money, let's go."

J's impending departure did not go unnoticed. "It's J!" Ash exclaimed.

"And she's getting away!" Brock exclaimed.

Kellyn snapped at the teens to get their focus back on track, "Never mind, it's too late, get Riolu!"

"No, Riolu belongs to me and nobody else!" the client ran to grab the petrified Riolu that Staravia had previously knocked out of his hands.

"No, Riolu!" Ash and his Dodrio ran to scoop up Riolu first, until…

"Golem, use 'Hyper Beam'!" one of the man's henchmen shouted. A Golem appeared, and fired a 'Hyper Beam' right at Ash's Dodrio. The resulting explosion knocked Ash off of his Dodrio, and Ash landed with a painful thud.

"Ash!" Misty cried. The team got off of their Dodrio, and surrounded their friend, Misty as usual, tended to him. "Ash, are you ok?"

Brock and Kellyn helped Ash to his feet, and Ash gave a nod to acknowledge. "Finally, I've got a Riolu that can use 'Aura Sphere'!" the man said excitedly. Suddenly, J's ship took off, causing a huge gale of wind to blow inside the canyon. The group shielded themselves from the hurricane-like winds, as J took off without issue. Using the distraction to his advantage, the client ordered their escape. "I've got Riolu, let's go!"

Now enraged thanks to the abuse Ash was on the receiving end on, Misty snarled at the client and clutched a Pokéball in her hand, "If you think you creeps are going to get away with hurting Ash and taking Riolu, you really are insane! Misty calls Gyarados!" Gyarados appeared in front of the group of thugs, blocking them off from their truck.

"Now Staravia, slash their tires with 'Quick Attack'!" Staravia swooped down again, this time to rip apart the tires on their truck.

"What?! No!" the man yelled.

"Now give Riolu back!" Ash demanded.

"Forget about it! Get them!" the man ordered. His henchmen all threw out Pokéballs, revealing a Nidoking, Tyranitar, Rhyhorn, and Graveler next to the already released Golem. "That's a lot of power on their side." Dawn said fearfully. Just then, a Fearow appeared in the air, the leader gripped its leg to make his escape.

"I'll leave you to take care of them!" the man laughed. "Riolu!" Ash yelled. Ash turned to his adversaries, angrily clutching Charizard's Pokéball, when all of a sudden Officer Jenny appeared with Solana. "Kellyn, leave them to us, you go after Fearow!" Solana exclaimed. "Come on Ash, let's go!" Misty exclaimed. "Not you Misty, they need your Gyarados' power to beat them, in fact, take Charizard's Pokéball to even the odds." Ash said before hopping onto his Dodrio.

Misty clutched Charizard's ball tightly. "Be careful Ash." she said. "I'll be back Misty, I promise, and I'll have Riolu!" Ash replied. "Alright, hyahh!" Kellyn yelled, getting the Dodrio going. "No you don't, Golem, 'Sandstorm'!" one of the thugs said. Another thug ordered his Rhyhorn to do the same. "You're not getting your greasy mitts anywhere near Ash! Misty calls…Charizard!" Misty screamed.

Charizard roared and spewed a flame at the two rock-types, which managed to stop them just enough to let Ash and Kellyn get away. "Time for a free-for-all!" Solana exclaimed.

"Growlithe, come on out!" Officer Jenny said.

"You too Croagunk, let's go!" Brock said.

"I need everyone's help, let's go!" Dawn said.

Growlithe, Croagunk, and all of Dawn's Pokémon flanked the two dragon-like Pokémon: Charizard and Gyarados, and faced off against their adversaries. "Let's do this for Ash and Riolu!" Misty shouted. The rest of the team roared their approval, and readied themselves for a Pokémon Battle for the ages.

Meanwhile, Ash and Kellyn had caught up with the man and his Fearow. "Stop now!" Ash yelled from below.

"Stubborn pests!" the man growled.

Kellyn had his Dodrio run up the wall, and jump onto the back of Fearow. "Dodrio, 'Fury Attack'!" The three heads of Dodrio pecked away at Fearow's neck, forcing it down for a crash landing.

"Now give Riolu back!" Ash demanded.

"Not in a million years!" the man ran for a cave inside the canyon wall, hoping to make his escape.

"Come on, let's get him!" Ash yelled. They chased after him, and when they caught up, the man's Aggron used a 'Rock Smash' to create a cave-in, blocking them off from him. "Oh no, he's getting away!"

"There has to be another way through." Kellyn said calmly.

Ash snapped his fingers, and called out Chimchar. "Chimchar, try using 'Dig' to get us under these rocks!" Chimchar dug a hole, but quickly came back up, saying that the ground was too hard to dig under. "Well, thanks for trying Chimchar, return." Ash sullenly returned the little fire-type, and his thoughts drifted back to Misty, "I hope Misty's alright, I left her Charizard, but I don't know if that was enough."

Kellyn looked around and saw a Donphan walking through the cave; he quickly captured it, "Donphan, use 'Rollout'!" Donphan smashed through the rocks like they were nothing, but they were shocked to find four choices to go through.

"Oh great." Ash sighed.

Meanwhile, the battle continued back inside the canyon. Misty and Solana were leading the group through battle. "Gyarados, use "Hydro Pump' on Rhyhorn! And Charizard, use 'Dragon Breath' on Tyranitar!" Misty ordered.

"Piplup, Ambipom, help them out with 'Bubblebeam' and 'Swift'!" The four Pokémon fired their attacks, and their adversaries groaned in pain.

"Nidoking, use 'Hyper Beam'!" another thug said.

"Growlithe, 'Flamethrower'!" Officer Jenny countered. The attacks collided and made an explosion.

Seeing an opportunity, Brock barked an order of his own, "Quick Croagunk, use 'Brick Break' on Nidoking!" Croagunk leaped through the smoke and bashed Nidoking's head, unaffected by its 'Poison Point' since Croagunk was also a poison-type.

"Buneary, Pachirisu, use 'Ice Beam' and 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. The attacks were fired, but then Tyranitar used a 'Hyper Beam' to create a barrier against them.

"Charizard, hit Golem and Graveler with a 'Steel Wing'! Gyarados, help Buneary and Pachirisu!" Misty ordered. The Pokémon followed through, but it was obvious that the two most powerful members were getting tired. Even Misty herself was getting fatigued from calling out orders for the dragon-like Pokémon, her long red hair swinging back and forth as she turned her head in all directions to continue calling out orders. Golem and Graveler got up from Charizard's 'Steel Wing', and attacked using a 'Sandstorm' attack. Buneary and Pachirisu, being the lightest Pokémon there, were sent tumbling backwards, while the others shielded themselves. "Charizard and Gyarados can't keep up this pace, those Pokémon are too strong for them to take on alone!"

"We're trying to help, but they keep defending each other!" Dawn added.

"There's gotta be a way to stand up to them!" Brock yelled.

"There is!" Solana exclaimed as she noticed a certain Pokémon walking across the battlefield, "I'll capture that Trapinch and have it use 'Rock Tomb'!"

"Alright…" Misty exhaled in exhaustion before standing tall again with a determined look on her face, "We'll try to cover you!" Solana nodded at the Gym Leader and ran to fire her Capture Styler at the Ant Pokémon.

"No way! Tyranitar, use 'Hyper Beam'!" a thug ordered.

"Gyarados, give them one more 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty countered. With sweat dripping from his brow, Gyarados fired once more, countering the beam sent by Tyranitar.

"Rhyhorn, use 'Take Down' on those punks!" another thug ordered. Rhyhorn charged towards the exhausted water-dragon, which would tip the odds in their favor.

"Charizard, use 'Seismic Toss' on that Rhyhorn and do it for Ash!" Misty countered. With the extra motivation to help his master, Charizard attempted to lift Rhyhorn into the air, after a bit of struggling, Charizard managed to get into the air and throw the rhino-Pokémon into its friends. After which, Charizard collapsed onto one knee from exhaustion. "Anytime Solana!" the redhead screamed nervously as the remaining thug Pokémon began moving in on her exhausted team.

"Capture complete!" Solana exclaimed, "Everyone back off! Trapinch, use 'Rock Tomb'!" Trapinch activated its attack, and rocks appeared from the ground, surrounding the thugs and their Pokémon, finally ending the battle.

After it was clear it was over, Misty stumbled and fell to her knees in exhaustion from leading the battle. "G-Good job Gyarados," she panted, "I couldn't be prouder." Gyarados gave a tired growl in thanks. Then Brock and Dawn came up to help the exhausted Gym Leader to her feet. "And you Charizard, were amazing. Ash would be proud if he saw you battling just now." Charizard gave a tired grunt in response.

"And I think Ash would be proud of you if he was here Misty." Dawn said.

Misty managed to turn a little redder from blush instead of fatigue, before being sat down onto a rock by Brock and Dawn. "Then we're done here. It's all up to Kellyn and Ash now." Solana said.

"I hope you're ok Ash." Misty thought.

"There are tons of boulders blocking every passageway, and Riolu can only be behind one of them." Kellyn said.

Ash closed his eyes, and concentrated his aura. "Riolu, tell me, where are you?" After a minute, Ash's eyes popped open, and he ran towards the passage farthest to the left. "There, Riolu's in there!" he exclaimed.

"Donphan, 'Rollout'!" Kellyn ordered. Donphan smashed through the rock pile, and they quickly caught up with the man.

"Alright, stop!" Ash yelled.

"It's all over!" Kellyn added.

"But how could you have figured out which way we went?!" the man asked in panic.

"Simple, Riolu told me!" Ash exclaimed.

"T-Told you?!" the man said in disbelief.

"Riolu's coming with us now!" Kellyn declared.

"Not a chance!" the man said defiantly, "Quick, Aggron, 'Double Edge'!"

The Aggron charged forward for a hard shoulder tackle. Ash gripped a Pokéball in his hand, ready for battle, but Kellyn held him back. "I'll handle this one! Donphan, 'Horn Attack'!" Donphan's tusks glowed and grew in size, and nailed Aggron in the ribs, knocking it backwards into its master. The man dropped Riolu's case, and it rolled on the floor.

"Riolu!" Ash ran toward the case, and wasted no time freeing Riolu from its statue-like state. Riolu looked around, wondering where he was, and then he saw Ash. Riolu squealed with glee, and ran into Ash's arms for a tight hug. "Riolu, you're ok!" Ash said with relief.

"No! Riolu belongs to me! Aggron, 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Aggron charged its attack, ready to strike.

Riolu leaped out of Ash's arms and fired an 'Aura Sphere' to counter the powerful beam. After the two attacks collided, Ash got up to finish the job. "Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!" Pikachu ran at full speed, an electric aura completely enveloping him, and he crashed into Aggron with a powerful tackle. Aggron fell over backwards, and crushed its master underneath, leaving him trapped.

"I'd say you're done. Give up!" Kellyn said triumphantly. The man grunted in defeat, and surrendered himself to Kellyn's custody. "Ok Ash, let's get back to the others."

"No problem!" Ash said happily.

They walked back to the group with their prisoner in tow, and they were happy to see the thugs tied up, and their friends alive and well. "Ash!" Upon seeing Ash return, Misty ran up to him and embraced him in a tight and loving hug, which Ash gladly reciprocated.

"I'm glad you're alright Misty." Ash said softly.

Misty pulled back to look at him, "What? You were actually worried that we couldn't handle these losers?" she asked teasingly.

"No," Ash chuckled a little before turning serious again, "I was worried that something would happen to you while I was gone." Misty smiled coyly at his sweet comment, "Was Charizard any help?" the black-haired trainer asked.

Misty beamed with pride, "Ash, Charizard battled like he never had before. He and Gyarados led the pack against those bozos and exhausted himself in the process."

Ash relinquished a proud smile of his own, "How is he now?"

"He's completely out of energy. Charizard battled until he couldn't anymore." Misty's smile faltered momentarily, "I'm sorry if I worked him too hard."

Ash shook his head, "As long as you're ok, both me and Charizard don't mind." Misty embraced him again in response.

"Misty battled pretty hard herself." Brock said as he and Dawn walked up to the couple.

"Yeah, she was calling out orders left and right, non-stop! She was amazing!" Dawn complimented. Misty blushed from embarrassment.

"I'm glad to see Riolu is back safe and sound." Solana said, walking up to the teens and her fellow ranger.

"Ash's aura sure came in handy." Kellyn said.

"Now, let's go meet up with headquarters to take Riolu home." Solana said.

Later, as the sun set over the horizon, Riolu's breeder showed up in a truck, just as Officer Jenny sped away with the thugs and their leader in tow. "So thanks to all of you, mission safely accomplished. You were great!" Kellyn said.

"Don't forget, I told you Ash would be a big help." Solana said in an "I-told-you-so tone.

"Aww, it wasn't much." Ash put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, "Don't forget, if Misty hadn't have battled as hard as she did, it would've been a lot tougher."

Misty smiled and blushed a bit at the compliment. "Aww, thanks Ash."

At that moment, Riolu's breeder came up to them with Riolu tucked safely in his arms, "On behalf of the many wonderful people who live in our kingdom, I wish to convey my sincere gratitude for returning our Riolu to us."

"Hey thanks, and since Riolu's first set of captors have been arrested as well, you can return home without worry." Brock said.

"Riolu, you take care." Dawn said.

"And I hope you remember us." Misty added.

Riolu nodded to acknowledge, just before Ash remembered something. He pulled out Riolu's doll from his pocket, and placed it in Riolu's paw. "And remember to take good care of this too."

Riolu squealed with glee, just before Ash got one last aura message with a wince. "Riolu's aura, right Ash?" Misty asked.

"Yeah Mist, that was just Riolu saying thanks. Ain't that right Riolu?" Riolu grunted happily, proving that Ash was indeed correct. "Riolu, I'm never gonna forget you, not ever!" Ash exclaimed.

"And I'm sure Riolu will never forget you." the breeder replied.

"Good luck in the Sinnoh Region Ash, and thanks again for your help." Solana said.

"No prob, we'll see you around, so long Riolu." Ash said. The group turned to walk away, and find a place to set up camp. Ash was walking with his eyes closed though.

"What is it Ash?" Misty asked.

"Oh, Riolu was just telling me goodbye."

"I'm so glad Riolu will get to go back home finally!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, under most circumstances, there's no place like home." Misty replied.

"It's really getting dark you guys, how about we find a clearing, and settle down for the night?" Brock suggested. The group nodded, and walked to the grassy clearing that the Dodrio ran across. "I'll get dinner ready now guys."

"Alright Brock, I'm starving." Ash replied.

"You're always starving!" Misty teased.

"Who wouldn't be after a day like today?" Ash said.

"Good point." Misty beamed at her boyfriend, "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

Ash smiled lovingly back at her, "Thanks Mist, I'm proud of you too." The group enjoyed a dinner in comfortable silence, and rolled out their sleeping-bags for bed.

Ash squeezed into his bag with a bit of difficulty. "Looks like that sleeping-bag is gonna be too short for you soon Ash." Misty said.

Ash blushed with embarrassment. "What can I say that won't sound like I'm tooting my own horn?" he said bashfully. Misty giggled and placed her sleeping-bag as close as she possibly could to Ash's.

"You going to sleep with your Teddiursa Misty?" Dawn teased. Misty stuck out her tongue at the younger girl, and slipped into her sleeping-bag.

"Let them be Dawn, they're probably exhausted." Brock said.

"I know, they really are a perfect couple, but I have to tease them, I can't resist!" Dawn replied.

"What if Misty gets her mallet?" Dawn's face fell in fear at Brock's implication, but it quickly went back to a smile as she stared at the two teens, whose hands were intertwined as they slept. "Well, tomorrow's another day, and Ash will be back to training tomorrow." Brock said.

"I guess you're right. Goodnight Brock."

"Goodnight Dawn."

Dawn slipped into her sleeping-bag, and was soon followed by Brock, who had to put out their campfire. The group slept soundly, and the next day they would back on the road to Pastoria City, and Ash's next gym battle.