Ryan sighed from boredom as he watched his Abra Teleport away from the wild Growlithe's attack. He had racked his brain for a way to train his new Psychic-type, but couldn't think of anything. The one time Ryan had bothered to check the Pokedex, it had no useful information for him. And calling Gramps for help was out of the question. Ryan would rather his Abra never evolve than endure a mind-numbing lecture that was more about him than his Pokemon.

As a kid, Ryan had pestered his grandfather constantly on what it had been like to be a Pokemon Trainer. Every day, Ryan would visit the Lab after school ended and before going to baseball practice. Samuel Oak was the only person from Pallet Town who had ever made it to the Indigo Plateau. That used to be something Ryan would brag about. That used to mean more to Ryan than any of his Little League trophies. That felt like a lifetime ago.

Gramps always found a way to side-step Ryan's questions. To change the subject. Or answer, but in a way that seemed like it was meant to bore him out of the subject. He would drone on and on about 'hard work', 'trial and error', and 'taking the good with the bad'.

"But what about the guy who wins?" Ryan had whined once during a family dinner.

"Ryan, let your grandfather eat in peace," his mother had scolded him.

Ryan's father would always spend dinner with his eyes on the TV, watching the game. Gramps would sit beside Ryan's father, and humor him by pretending to watch, too. Ryan's sister, Avery, would read something college-related on her laptop, balanced precariously on the corner of the table. That left most of the conversation to Ryan and his grandfather. Although, it felt more like a pointless interrogation for Ryan.

"No!" he said, pounding his fist on the table and earning him a side-eyed glance from Avery. "Why does everything about Pokemon have to be a life lesson? Why can't it just be about who's the best?"

That was what bothered Ryan so much about the way his grandfather would talk about Pokemon. It all came back around to life. About how to be a good son, be a good man, and do the right thing. Nothing was about having fun, being the best, or doing something for yourself. That drove Ryan up the wall in a way he couldn't really explain.

"Ryan," Gramps said, "someday you'll get to have all the fun you want. And it will be everything you wanted it to be and more. But remember: all good things —"

"Wait, will I get my own Pokemon then?" Ryan said quickly.

"Oh!" Ryan's father exclaimed. "Double play!"

"All in good time, Ryan," Gramps said with a wink.

"And only if you behave," Ryan's mother added.

That wink had kept Ryan in a good mood for the rest of the week. The idea that someday, his grandfather would give him a Pokemon for his birthday, Christmas, or some other time; was something he could always go back to in his mind. Whenever Josh would tell him stories about his brother Jake winning another Badge. About how close Jake Dale was to going to the Indigo Plateau himself. As annoying as Gramps was, Ryan didn't want his grandfather's achievement to be beaten — by anyone except Ryan. Didn't he deserve it, after all?

Years later, on Route 7, Ryan watched the wild Growlithe as it charged at Apollo again, and the Abra disappeared again in a pink flash of light, only to reappear a few meters away without Ryan having to say anything. Ryan stifled a yawn.

Years had gone by after that dinner with Gramps with no Pokemon as a gift. Jake Dale had caught himself a Poliwag in the lake, and Ryan had watched him leave to go on his journey. Avery had gotten a Vulpix as a gift when she had gotten her Pokemon medical school acceptance letter, and all she did with it was keep it as a pet. In the meantime, Ryan had won so many Little League trophies that he had run out of room for them on his top shelf. That was when Ryan stopped bothering to ask.

Ryan had resorted to hearing stories second-hand from Josh about his brother Jake. Or the kinds of battles Ash had seen when she used to live in Cerulean. Ryan spent his hour of computer class at school looking up the results of local tournaments that were held in Saffron City. There were lotteries held sometimes that promised a Pokemon to the winner — but they were never held in Pallet Town.

Finally, Ryan withdrew his Abra. The wild Growlithe that had been attacking was so exhausted it only stared at Ryan with its mouth hanging open, tongue dangling, in confusion. It wasn't worth catching. Josh or Ash could get one of them. Ryan already had the best Fire-type Pokemon he could've asked for. Gramps had come through eventually, he supposed. But it still didn't make talking to the old man any easier.

Ryan's phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket. He read the text from the number marked "ASH" on his phone:

Got a sec? I'm in Cerulean, need a TP to Route 19.

Ryan groaned. Ash always seemed to catch him when he was in a bad mood, and the last thing he needed was a reminder of where his Abra had come from. But, a deal was a deal.

#

"Ryan, this is my friend, Madoka," Ash said, "Madoka, Ryan."

Ryan gulped hard to clear his throat and blinked a few times. Teleporting still gave him a weird feeling. It felt like stepping out of a moving car too soon or missing a step on a staircase. It made his heart jump and his throat go dry in a way he really didn't like. That, and dizziness. But Ryan pushed the feeling down.

"Hey," he finally said.

Madoka had chestnut hair and light blue eyes. Her hair was in a side-pony tail, like most girls Ryan had seen from Cerulean. ¥2000 says this girl is a Misty fan, Ryan thought to himself. Madoka was taller than Ash, almost Ryan's height, and was way prettier than Ash, too.

"Hi," she said with a smile, "you're Ash's friend with two Badges, right?"

"That's right," Ryan said with a grin.

"That's amazing!" Madoka said, "I don't know anyone who's beaten Misty on their first try."

Ash rolled her eyes. She had almost not wanted to call Ryan after Madoka had recognized her in the store. It had been years since they had seen each other, although Ash couldn't help but remember that Madoka had hardly talked to her in those days. Even so, they had caught up while Ash stocked up on the berries she needed. Madoka had lots of questions about her journey as soon as she spotted the five-packs of Poke Balls in Ash's shopping cart.

Madoka had had the fastest breaststroke when they had been on the swim team, while Ash had the fastest freestyle. Madoka was nice, but Ash could already tell she was too nice. Specifically, too nice to be left around Ryan without letting the size of his ego grow to a dangerous size. Most girls in Pallet Town already know what Ryan is like, Ash thought to herself, but Madoka's not from Pallet Town, which means she has no idea.

"So, Route 19," Ash said, "can you get me there?"

"I can come too, right?" Madoka asked her.

"Uh, sure," Ash murmured, "if Ryan says so."

"Yeah, I know it," Ryan said, "where specifically?"

"A beach, somewhere I can fish," Ash said. Then, she held up a bushel of Magost berries. "I want to catch a Staryu."

Madoka's eyes went as big as saucers.

"Just like Misty!" she said.

Ash smiled at her, though Ryan just rolled his eyes. Even so, he called out his Abra. The three of them clasped hands, and they disappeared in a pink flash of light.

#

It was just after sunset and Josh was trekking through Route 6. He hadn't felt the need to find a place to camp out yet, until he sensed a familiar quietness — familiar, but unnerving. The same kind of quietness he had felt on Route 25, right before the Gyarados had attacked him. Wild Pokemon only left Trainers alone for this long because even stronger Pokemon were lurking around. Somewhere.

Josh stopped walking and held his Poke Ball containing Pan at the ready.

Josh whipped around as he heard a faint rippling coming from a nearby lake. Sure enough, the water broke — not in a great wave like the Gyarados emerging. Instead, four sharp points silently broke the surface of the water as the Pokemon rose, and later a single red gem gleamed at Josh, followed by a pair of red eyes.

Josh checked his Pokedex. A Golduck, Josh read quickly while keeping an eye on it, these Pokemon usually have tricks up their sleeves. Ice-type moves, or even Psychic-type moves.

The Golduck stared at Josh. Then, it gave a deep bow like a musician about to give a performance. Josh hesitated as the Golduck straightened up, but quickly returned the bow as the Golduck's eyebrows furrowed at him. Josh fished a hand around in his bag for Eevee's Poke Ball as he bowed. He wasn't going to make the mistake of trying to battle a strong Pokemon one-on-one again.

But then, the sound of grass rustling behind Josh broke his thought process. Josh whipped around. A glowing red gem emerged from the darkness first, and then the eyes of a Persian followed. It was huge, almost standing as tall as Josh himself. Its whiskers twitched as it sniffed the air, and it gave a low growl as it made eye contact with him.

Josh wished he had started running the moment the Golduck showed up. Now, sandwiched between two wild Pokemon who both probably outclassed his whole team, Josh knew there was no escaping either of them.

But, the Persian looked past Josh. It snarled, and Josh turned to see the Golduck straightening up from another bow. The Water-type sneered at the Persian. Josh could almost relate. Like when the teachers snap at Ryan in class, Josh mused to himself. "Where are your manners?"

The Golduck brought its arms up over its head, and a massive bubble of bright blue water formed in the air. The Persian whipped its tail forward lightning-fast, and a wave of pale white stars shot out. Josh ducked and rolled to avoid the attacks.

The Water Pulse and Swift attacks collided and created a blast of water that soaked Josh's clothes. Josh took a breath and then jumped to his feet. The Persian slashed at the Golduck with a glowing white claw, and the Golduck surrounded itself in a stream of water as it slammed into the Persian.

Josh considered taking the opportunity to run. But then he reconsidered. As strong as these Pokemon were, they didn't look as strong as the Gyarados on Route 25, at least. Josh checked his bag.Crap, he thought to himself, I've only got one empty Poke Ball left. Josh brought out Pan and Eevee from their Poke Balls.

The two Pokemon looked at Josh curiously.

"They're really strong," Josh whispered while keeping his eye on the two wild Pokemon. "If you just wanna run, I get it. But what do you think, can we take them?"

Josh's Pokemon looked at the battle, and then at each other. Eevee shifted on his feet nervously, but Pan gave a single bark at him. Then, Josh's Eevee nodded and looked back at Josh. Pan's vines emerged from his bulb and curled, ready to attack.

"All right," Josh said with a smile, "then let's do it. Pan, Vine Whip on the Golduck! Eevee, Quick Attack on the Persian!"

Josh's Pokemon sprang into action. Eevee was no more than a brown blur as he slammed his head into the Persian, striking it in the center of its body and sending it tumbling into the tall grass. Pan's vine stuck the Golduck on the side of its head and it fell back into the water.

Josh waited for the Golduck to reappear, but he jumped at the sound of grass parting. The Persian reemerged, and Eevee recoiled in pain as the Persian's claw flashed across his face.

"Pan, Sleep Powder, on the Persian!" Josh said.

Pan shot out a puff of green powder, but the Persian hissed and quickly jumped out of the way.

God, this move is hard to land.

Josh opened his mouth to give another order, but the Persian suddenly melted into the darkness surrounding it. Josh looked around frantically, trying to find where the Normal-type had gone. Instead, Josh's Eevee yelped and was sent flying. The Persian appeared again, seemingly rising from a shadow on the ground.

A Quick Attack? Josh thought to himself, no, it took too long.

The Golduck emerged from the water. The Persian growled and disappeared again into the shadows. The Golduck brought its fingers to its temples, and its eyes glowed with pink energy. Suddenly, the Persian appeared next to Josh and collapsed. Josh watched a small puff of black smoke lifted from the Persian's fur.

It must have been using a Dark-type move — Feint Attack! Josh realized.

The Golduck's eyes met Josh's, and it brought its hands up over its head as it gathered energy for another Water Pulse.

"Hermes, Quick Attack! Pan, Sleep Powder!"

Josh threw Hermes's Poke Ball forward. It snapped open, and Hermes flew straight for the Golduck like a missile, striking it in the center of its chest and making it stumble back. The moment of delay was all that Josh needed, as he watched Pan's Sleep Powder finally hit its mark. The green powder landed on the Golduck's face, and it promptly fell asleep.

Finally, Josh let himself relax as he took stock of the situation. The Persian had fainted at Josh's feet. The Golduck was floating face-up in the water, asleep. They were both much stronger than any Pokemon in Josh's party, even Pan. But Josh had also just left Cerulean City without managing to catch a single Water-type Pokemon. No Water-type Pokemon meant having to let Yukari clean his shoes after that storm on Route 25. And worst of all, Josh thought to himself, I've never had a Water-type to deal with Ryan's Charmeleon.

Josh took the last empty Poke Ball he had from his bag and threw it at the sleeping Golduck. Again, Josh held his breath, as the Poke Ball swallowed up the Water-type and fell into the water. If it breaks out, I'm out of here.

But the Golduck never reappeared. Instead, the water in the lake briefly lit up with white light from under the surface and then darkened once again. The Pokedex beeped, and Josh smiled to himself.

"Good job, guys," Josh said, "you can all have a good re—"

But then, another white light began to shine from behind Josh. He turned around, and his jaw dropped as his Bulbasaur seemed to shine brighter than the sun. It burned his eyes, but Josh refused to look away. The outline of Pan's body began to shift, and Pan grew in size. After settling into his new form, the light finally died down, and Josh was face-to-face with his newly-evolved Ivysaur.

The bulb on Pan's back had sprouted into a big, pink flower bud. Even on all fours, Pan was now almost as tall as Josh himself, and he dwarfed Hermes. Hermes's eyes grew wide and he chirped in surprise.

"Pan, you look awesome!" Josh exclaimed.

Pan ran in a circle to get a good look at himself. Then, he brought his vines out to pull down on his newly-sprouted leaves to bring them in front of his face. He barked excitedly.

"See that, Hermes?" Josh said, "I've had you almost as long as Pan. You'll evolve just like him, soon."

Hermes squawked and flapped his wings feverishly. Pan shook his leaves like pom-poms as he started to dance. And Josh enjoyed the sweet scent of Pan's flower bulb as his own celebration.

#

The Staryu skipped across the water like a flat stone, leaving a trail of barely perceptible ripples in its wake. The last of Ash's Great Balls just barely missed the Water-type and landed in the water with a meager sploosh. The Staryu swam away, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

"It's so crazy that they can swim so fast without even moving," Madoka said.

"If they were easy to catch, everyone would have one," Ryan said.

Ash ignored him as she reeled in her fishing line. It had taken practically all day for her to land one, but the Staryu had moved so fast that it had snapped the hook off of Ash's line almost as soon as she had started trying to reel it in. The Staryu had moved too fast for Ash's Paras, Absolem, to land a Spore and put it to sleep. What had followed was Ash pointlessly having Pat try to slow the Staryu down with Water Gun attacks, while Ash tried her hardest to hit the Water-type with a Great Ball.

Ash had bought 15 Great Balls at the store, and she had only landed two throws. The Staryu had broken out both times, before finally swimming away. Josh and Ryan had been on the baseball team, even before Ash had moved to Pallet Town. Ash knew how accurate their throws could be. But Ash had no such experience. That was why she was trying her hardest to avoid Ryan's eyes as she reeled in her hookless fishing line. That Super Rod had cost her a bundle, too.

"Sorry to drag you out here for nothing," Ash mumbled.

"I mean, I had fun," Ryan said, making no effort to suppress his laughter.

"How's that Abra working for you, by the way?" Ash shot back.

"About as well as that Super Rod is going to work for you, Ashley," Ryan said.

"Could I borrow yours?" Ash said. "Just for a sec. I just need to see something. Real quick."

Madoka giggled, and the two of them turned to look at her.

"Sorry," Madoka said. "This is just, like, the most I've ever heard Ash talk. Like, ever."

"What?" Ash said.

"I don't know. You were just always so off on your own, you know?" Madoka said. "You were kind of hard to approach. Honestly, everyone on the team was kind of intimidated by you. You were always so serious all the time."

Ryan laughed. "That hasn't changed. She's just like that, back in Pallet Town."

"Excuse me? What about you?" Ash said. "You were team captain when we were on the swim team."

"Oh, come on. That's only because my dad owned the country club and let us have first dibs on pool time," Madoka said. "Everyone always knew you were the best on the team." Ash opened her mouth to speak, but Madoka held up her hands. "I'm not trying to argue. I'm just saying, it's nice to see this side of you. I'm glad you made such good friends in Pallet Town. It's always cool seeing how people rub off on each other, you know?"

Madoka smiled at Ash as she finished talking. Ash couldn't think of anything to say. And that smile made her look away for a reason she couldn't understand. But even more oddly, she noticed, was that Ryan was also not saying anything and scratching his head awkwardly.

"It's funny," Madoka said, "there was this one guy who went to our old school back in Cerulean. He was always going on and on about how his parents were already letting him catch Pokemon for his tenth birthday."

"Ukyo," Ash said.

"Yeah! That was his name, Ukyo. Anyways, he was bragging so much about it, but it literally took him, like, the rest of the year just to catch his first Pokemon. And then, it took him another two years just to get it to evolve," Madoka said, "I remember thinking 'God, took him long enough!' But then everyone got older and more people tried catching their own Pokemon. And, turns out most of them were taking just as long, even though they were older."

"Two years to get just one Pokemon to evolve?" Ryan said in disbelief.

For once, Ash couldn't really fault Ryan for judging. Ash had gotten Pat to evolve after four months. And Lory had reached his final evolution stage even quicker than that. But, Ash realized, she had never asked the Professor if that was normal. Was that not the average for most Trainers?

"Yeah, I guess you two are just something else," Madoka concluded. "I'm sure your Abra will evolve soon. Just gotta give him a little longer. And I'm sure you'll catch a Staryu, too. Just make sure you come and visit again, once you do."

"Thanks," Ryan said.

"Sure," Ash said.

If Ash was being honest, she had never thought much of Madoka. She had never taken her job as team captain that seriously, from what Ash saw. All she had ever done was give the occasional 'do your best' before Ash's event, and the obligatory 'nice job' after it was over. But now, Ash was questioning everything she thought she had known about her. She had managed to spend all day with Ryan without getting offended by his constant bragging, or provoking him. And apparently, she had paid a lot more attention to Ash than she had ever realized.

"Anyways, I should probably get home now," Madoka said.

Ryan brought out his Abra. He took his Abra's hand in one hand, and Ash's hand in the other. Ash held out her hand to Madoka.

"Wait," Madoka said. She took a deep breath, which reminded Ash and Ryan to do the same, and then Madoka took Ash's hand. "Okay, let's go."