A/N: Chapter has been re-edited and uploaded as of 10/11/2024

Tauros Rider

Ash walked towards the Pokémon Center with Joe, both boys were tired and just wanted a nice meal. Once they made it to the center, they noticed that it was unusually crowded with policemen. They made their way to the counter and looked up to Nurse Joy who was typing on her computer.

"Hello again Nurse Joy, could you please look after my Pokémon. Be careful with my Rhyhorn, I just caught him and I haven't had any dealings with him yet." Ash cautioned the nurse.

Nurse Joy smiled. "So you two are the trainers who helped Brock. You really caught one of those rampaging Rhyhorns? You've got more guts than brains, kid. We'll take care of your Pokémon and we'll be keeping the Rhyhorn in its ball so that he doesn't wreck the center."

Both Ash and Joe put their Poké Balls on the metal trays and handed them over to Nurse Joy.

Since Brock said he would cover all of their expenses, they made their way to the cafeteria to get some food. Ash didn't want to take advantage of Brock's generosity so he got a couple of burgers and some fries.

"So Joe, are you going to participate in the Indigo Conference?" Ash asked as they sat down to eat.

Joe nodded while putting ketchup on his burger. "Yeah, I've wanted to be a Pokémon trainer since I was little, however after seeing Brock battle in real life, I've been thinking about how powerful the Gym leaders are and...well, don't laugh but my dream is to become a Gym Leader."

Ash smiled at Joe. "I would never dream of making fun of that. I actually have a dream of becoming a Pokémon Master so I know how you feel. But something you said struck me as odd. You said it was the first time you have seen Brock battle in real life, have you seen him battle before?"

Ash was curious. Battles between gym leaders and challengers weren't televised like the E4 or the champion, mostly due to how serious their duties were to protect their cities. It would be inconvenient for them to have their best move recorded for someone to learn how to combat them, at least that was what Ash thought. However, the reason could have also been that they just don't like it. Most gym leaders tended to be a bit reclusive, focused on training and governing both their gym and city.

Joe's smile turned sour as he put his burger down, making Ash think he had said something wrong. "Well, the truth is, that before I started my journey, I was enrolled in the Pokémon Technical Institute or Poke Tech for short. It's a League sponsored school for trainers who don't want to go around the region collecting badges. If you graduate you qualify for the Conference."

Ash frowned. He had heard of schools like this before, but he'd never asked his parents about it since he wanted the full experience of being a trainer like his parents. "I take it from your expression that you didn't like it very much."

Joe took another bite then leaned back and shook his head.

"The school lives up to its name, all the classes are done in simulators against the Gym Leaders and their League register teams. Take Brock for example, if you had gone to Poke Tech you would have battled a simulation of him using a Geodude and Onix instead of the Rhyhorn and Graveler you battled, and he is much more intense in real life. It's the same with the other Gym Leaders too."

Ash shook his head between bites of his second burger. "It sounds really boring if you ask me. There's no way that you can learn everything you need to for the Conference by battling computers. Especially now that the League has cut the gym leaders loose, like Brock said."

Joe nodded. "That's not the worst part, the simulators are kind of fun, but their approach to training is very, well...technical. It's all about computer generated stats and what level of power a Pokémon has and what level they evolve. The student's eat it up and become almost robotic since most of them come from wealthy families. I was a scholarship kid and had been raised all my life to love and care for Pokémon, so seeing that made me angry. I questioned everything the teachers said which got me into so much trouble."

Ash smiled, he could see Joe standing firm by his beliefs. He had seen the trainer take action with his Pokémon early on in battle and praise them afterwards for their hard work.

"As you can imagine that didn't win me a lot of friends and I got bullied a lot. The worst was the class president, a girl named Giselle. She believed that type advantage was all you needed to win a battle and the higher level the Pokémon, the better. She also believed in the aptitude tests."

Ash shook his head as he finished his meal. "That's stupid yes type advantage helps, but you saw both of my Pokémon. They didn't have a type advantage with Brock and we still won. It's training your Pokémon to overcome any adversity - that's the trait of a good trainer. And what in Mew's tail is an aptitude test?"

Joe laughed and started eating again and the somber mood was lifted. "I know, you're right, but Giselle doesn't think like that. Everyone that enters the academy takes a test to determine what type of Pokémon is best suited for the trainer. After the tests are scored, the school rents you a Pokémon to help you get used to them until the official capturing field days. Giselle's results were for the ground type and the next day, instead of getting a rented Pokémon, her family sent her a well-bred Cubone."

Joe finished his food before continuing. "My tests showed that my ideal typing was the flying type. Anyways, the day before we were supposed to get our rented Pokémon, there was a test about the Pidgey line and when they evolved. I failed and was proud of it."

Ash arched an eyebrow and leaned back drinking his soda. "Explain that, aren't you supposed to be bummed out because you failed?"

Joe gave Ash a mischievous laugh. "I failed because the question was when a Pidgey evolved into a pidgeotto. I answered that when the feathers on their head start forming a crest, their beaks and claws harden and their wings start to lose old feathers. The teacher told me the right answer was when Pidgey got to level 18. I couldn't take it anymore and left the next day. I apologized to my parents and visited Lt. Surge's gym in the hopes of getting some sponsoring. He didn't have any Pokémon to give to new trainers, so he contacted Erika who was the closest gym leader, and she sent over Bellsprout. At first I was skeptical, but after our first battle, well I can't imagine having another starter besides her. We made our way to Pewter and along the way, I caught my Pidgey and Machop."

Ash shook his head and smiled. "Well you sure earned my respect standing up for your ideals. You'll show all those kids what real training is all about, especially that Giselle. Hey how about we travel together? The wild is dangerous and we can spar with each other since our goal is the same, going to the Indigo Conference."

Joe smiled and extended his hand which Ash shook. "I would love to, traveling with my Pokémon is great but I don't want to turn into a recluse who only talks to Pokémon."

The boys laughed and Ash finished his drink thinking that he had made a great friend and powerful trainer. "So which city were you thinking of challenging next?"

Joe pulled out his Pokedex and started clicking buttons. "I was thinking of going to Cerulean City, it's the closest city and going through Mount Moon should only take a couple of days."

Ash thought about that and what he knew of Cerulean City. It was called the City of Lakes since it was surrounded by dozens of them and it was the only Gym in Kanto that had more than one Gym Leader.

Owned by the Waterflower family, it was a water type gym and rumor had it that their leaders were as ruthless as they were beautiful. His team was almost entirely weak to water types, with the sole exception of Nidoran. He couldn't count on her alone to win all of his battles at that gym, there was no way that she could stand against the powerful water types alone. He then remembered what he told Joe of training one's Pokémon against any adversity, and he remembered Rhyhorn had Thunder Fang. If his new teammate was friendly, he would have a good attack to counter the water Pokémon.

He nodded. "Cerulean City seems like the place to be then. It will be rough for us but I'm sure we can pull through. But I pick the next gym, okay?"

Joe laughed and then over the center's speakers they heard Nurse Joy.

"Ash Ketchum and Joe Landers to the counter please, your Pokémon are ready."

Ash and Joe went to the counter where they picked up their Poké Balls.

"Your Pokémon didn't have serious injuries, just make sure they get plenty of rest and exercise and they would be good as new. Ash, we did a full check on your Rhyhorn and it's in perfect health, which is good for its age. There's also a message for you to call this number, the caller said it was your father. Have a good day."

Joe yawned. "Hey, Ash, I'll see you in the morning. I'm in room 71 if you need anything."

Ash nodded as he headed to the videophones and called his father. It was almost night time in Kanto so it should be early morning in Kalos. The screen lit up and a man with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes looked up. The man looked tired with bags under his eyes and clutching a cup of coffee like a lifeline.

Ash was surprised. "Are you ok, Uncle Blue?"

Blue Oak was his father's best friend and former rival. During their youth, they had battled each other countless times, and while Ash was growing up he remembered spending a lot of time at the Oak house and ranch.

"Hey there Ash, please tell me you already won your gym badge please?"

He frowned at the strange question but nodded. His uncle smiled, a sigh of relief escaping before he turned his head to yell behind him. "Would you two Dodrios quit yapping already? The kid won, so the argument is over."

It was then that Ash noticed that someone was arguing in the background very loudly. It sounded like his dad was on another phone having a heated argument.

"Uncle Blue, who is my dad talking to? And why do you look so...tired?"

Blue rolled his eyes in annoyance while the argument on the back continued. "Your grandfather is what happened. The old coot found out that you started your journey and that your first gym battle would be against rock types. He wanted to send you an Empoleon to help you win. As if that wasn't enough the Empoleon he chose was his own and had just laid an egg, which makes them extra aggressive. Your dad has spent hours convincing your grandfather of how bad an idea that is and since they don't get along on the best of days, they have kept me up all freakin night."

Ash snorted and would have laughed if his uncle didn't look so annoyed. His grandfather never approved of his dad after he had proposed to his mom, something about their personalities never clicked. "What the heck am I going to do with an Empoleon? Besides getting eaten that is. If he wanted to be supportive, why didn't he send one of his Piplups, not that I would have accepted them. I'd rather catch my own Pokémon ."

Empoleons were a proud species and there had been cases where they had killed their trainers because they didn't respect them. The safest and best way to train one was to raise it from a Piplup. His grandfather, like his mother, was a researcher that lived in the Sinnoh region.

His uncle frowned at him. "Ash, the Empoleon wouldn't eat you, their diet only consists of berries and fish. And your father told him that and your coot of a grandpa just said that his grandson could handle the Empoleon, plus he had given away all the piplups he had for newbie trainers."

Ash snorted. "Who's to say I won't look like a juicy Magikarp to that overgrown bird."

Blue laughed and took another sip of his coffee. "Don't worry, your dad can handle the coot. Now tell me what Pokémon you do have and what moves they know."

Ash laughed, his uncle may be a researcher now but he still had a battler's heart. So he told him about his team and what attacks they knew. He spent a little more time on Growlithe, since he was still psyched that his friend learned Flame Burst.

Blue listened and his eyes held that sparkle of battle. "So you basically have an Arcanine, Nidoqueen and Rhyperior once they are fully evolved. That is a powerful team Ash. And while I can't give you much advice on the Nidoran or Rhyhorn, since they aren't lines I have trained, we can certainly talk shop about Growlithe."

Ash grinned. He knew that the best person to ask about how to improve his friend's training would be either his uncle or the Professor. "Okay, Uncle Blue, I'm all ears."

Blue laughed. "In my opinion, you have the best fire type Pokémon in the world. And yes, I'm totally biased because of my own Arcanine. But jokes aside, the Growlithe line is one of the few fire type lines that can be both a physical and special attacker. Take the Charmander line that your father loves so much, they are considered some of the best fire types, but their power is all special. You won't see a Charmander or Charizard using Flame Wheel, for example, they'll just Fire Blast their way through anything. The Ponyta line goes more into the physical side as well."

Ash nodded his understanding while Blue continued. "Growlithes on the other hand are fast and they hit hard with both types of attacks. Of course, it also depends on the trainer and the Growlithe's preference."

Ash frowned. "What do you mean by preference?"

Blue grinned like a little kid in a candy store. "The answer to that question Ash lies in Ember, or rather what move Growlithes learned after Ember. To put it simply, Ember serves as the training wheels for the Growlithe line. However, the attack that they learn after it, is what decides if they are inclined to be a more physical attacker or special attacker. Almost in every case, if the Growlithe is inclined to the physical side it will learn Fire Fang after Ember. If it leans towards the special side, it will learn Flame Burst."

Ash thought about that and it made perfect sense to him. Growlithe had learned the Charge Ember combo fast, so his instincts must have kicked in. "So I should focus on making Growlithe a special attacker?"

Blue shook his head. "No, since your Growlithe is young, you should capitalize on that and make him a mixed attacker. Here's a tip for every special attack he learns, the next one should be a physical one. So if he just learned Flame Burst, have him learn Fire Fang. The flame control needed to pull it off is delicate and it will help him, for when he learns Flame Wheel and Flare Blitz. Also have him learn Quick Attack as soon as possible and make him practice everyday."

Ash figured that one out and nodded. "You mean for when he evolves and learns Extreme Speed."

Extreme Speed was a move that only Arcanine could learn. In ancient times, when Arcanines went into battle and used Extreme Speed, they said it was like watching the Pokémon turn into a gale of wind. That's where the saying "run like the wind" had originally come from.

Blue nodded. "Exactly that is going to be one of its most useful moves. Also Ash, remember that for both Growlithe and your Nidoran, not to use an evolutionary stone too quickly. You will harm your Pokémon if you do that, let them grow and learn all the moves they can before evolving and don't evolve them without contacting me first. I want to provide you with the stones."

Ash didn't know his uncle wanted to give him the stones, he was capable of looking or buying one himself, but he promised him. At that moment his dad sat next to his uncle with a tired look on his face. His dad looked even more tired than his uncle - his typically messy hair was even more wild than usual and his beard looked like it needed to be trimmed.

"Hello Son, congratulations on beating Brock. I heard that Lance cut loose the Gym Leaders so be careful some of those Leaders can be tough. I remember his father had a nasty Onix and was very cheap on the maintenance of the gym. The battle went to hell when the sprinkler system went off. By the way, remind me to send your grandfather a few hundred Grimers, the stubborn old coot." Red Ketchum rambled, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

Ash rolled his eyes. "That bad?"

Red just shook his head. "I managed to convince him not to send the Empoleon. It was a good thing that you had already won, but he is determined to give you a Pokémon, so let's hope it's not something crazy. Anyways, how was the battle?"

Ash smiled and recounted his battle with Brock again for his father, as well as the Rhyhorn incident. He spoke a little about Joe and informed his father that they would be traveling together.

"You're crazy to capture a rampaging Rhyhorn, but I'm proud of you son. Now that you mention it you have two Pokémon who will need an evolutionary stone and your friend will also need one for his Bellsprout. You said your next destination is Cerulean City right? Why don't you visit an old friend of ours? His name is Bill and he has a cottage north of the city."

Blue choked on his coffee and glared at Red. "That quack? You want Ash to meet him? Have you been sniffing Glooms when I wasn't looking? He doesn't need to see that...that..mad man on steroids"

Ash's dad just rolled his eyes. "You're just mad at him because he beat you using only one Pokémon."

Blue glared at Red. "That wasn't a fair battle and you know it. Plus, he beat you too Mr. Tall, Dark and Silent."

Red glared back and pinched Blue's cheek. "You wanna go a round, blabber mouth?"

Ash knew that if they started, it would be hours before they stopped arguing. "Who is Bill and why does uncle think he is a quack?"

Red let go of Blue's cheek, causing the blond to start rubbing his face. "Bill is the owner of Silph Co., and a very powerful man in Kanto, but he is, at heart, a researcher. He took over his father's company when he died and pretty much runs the whole thing from his cottage in Cerulean. He is also a trainer, but he is peculiar in that regard and only trains certain Pokémon."

Blue snorted. "He is a quack, crazier than a Psyduck with a three month old headache. What your father is trying to say is that Bill has a full team of only one Pokémon line. Forgive your father Ash, you know speaking isn't his thing."

Ash rubbed his temples. He wasn't going to add fuel to the fire and seeing his dad's famous glare being directed at his uncle, he chuckled. "Sure, I'll visit, don't worry. I want to take care of my Pokémon to the best of my abilities."

Blue grinned and looked at Red and gave Ash a mischievous smirk. "By the way, Squirt, since you decided to compete in this year's conference, a word of advise on the gym leaders. Always do the unexpected and keep a clear head in battle. But most important of all, whatever you do, be careful with Sabrina. She and your dad dated back in the day before he dumped her."

Ash's mouth dropped to the ground. He'd never known his dad had dated Sabrina. Red groaned at his friend. "I didn't dump her and we only went on three dates, I hardly call that dating."

Blue smirked and pinched Red's cheek. "Aww, don't be embarrassed. You were totally dating her and she was head over heels for that silent routine you had back in the day. And you did dump her."

Red pinch Blue's cheek and pull. "Listen, blabbermouth. I didn't dump her, she had to go into closed door training with her Pokémon to further develop her powers and the conference was getting closer, so when she asked me to wait, I had to say no and she understood."

Ash raised his hand. "Let me get this straight. One of the most powerful gym leaders in Kanto, who I have to battle no matter what, is an old flame of my dad's who left her heartbroken and she might take it out on me? Please tell grandpa to send the Empoleon, at least being eaten by a giant metal bird will be less painful."

His dad and uncle busted out laughing so hard tears rolled down their eyes. His dad looked at him. "Ash don't be dramatic, I'm sure Sabrina won't hold it against you. She is a professional after all."

Blue smile. "Yeah, she won't remember that your dad met your mom in Cinnabar Island and started dating a few weeks later."

Ash groaned, letting his head thump against the table. "Uncle Blue not helping."

Red chuckle. "Cheer up son, I have a gift for you. Sorry I didn't give it to you in person. You can pick it up at the counter once we finish the call. It's the brand new Pokenav made by the Devon Corporation. It's linked to your trainer account and Pokedex. Much more stylish since you can wear it on your wrist and it serves to check your email, maps and a videophone."

Ash glared at his dad. "Dad, a fancy gadget is not getting you off the hook."

Red just smiled. "Ash, you need to challenge yourself, but anyways we have to go, say hi to your mom for me. And son don't worry, I've been told Sabrina hasn't fried anyone's brains in weeks."

And with that the screen went dark and Ash found himself glaring at his own reflection. He sighed and went by the counter to pick up the package before going to his room. He opened the box and the high tech black and red watch shone from the bottom. He picked it up and put it on his wrist and started playing with the different apps before getting ready for bed.

He released Growlithe and Nidoran who both looked healthy. "Hi guys, you did great today. Growlithe, I'm proud of the way you handled yourself and learning Flame Burst was amazing. I spoke with my uncle and he gave me some tips for our next training session. We'll be working on perfecting Flame Burst and then we'll start working on both Quick Attack and Fire Fang."

Growlithe wagged his tail. He would have barked but it was late and Nidoran was here and the canine was aware of how sensitive her ears were.

Ash turned to Nidoran and scratched her beneath her chin, which from the look of her, she really liked. "Girl you did awesome today, the power of your Double Kick and Poison Sting are first rate. I checked your move set and we will work on your Bite and Fury Swipes next. That way you will have more options to defend yourself."

Ash wanted her to get the most offensive capabilities possible so that she could defend herself. Bite would let her take advantage of her powerful teeth and Fury Swipes was the next step after

Scratch which was a more powerful move, as the claws would elongate and Nidoran would strike fast and hard.

Nidoran smiled and nodded to her trainer as she knew that she needed as many options as possible due to her small size. Ash gave her a few more scratches before laying down on the bed. "Growlithe fill Nidoran in on our new friend we will be meeting him tomorrow. After that get some sleep you two."

Growlithe gave a soft yip and licked Ash's face before his trainer went to bed. He then turned to Nidoran who was grooming herself, the poison rodent did that every chance she could. He told her of the stampede and of his trainer catching a Rhyhorn who might have a bad temper.

Nidoran listened to Growlithe recount of the day's events after her battle and she was surprised that such a thing had happened. Her sire had warned her of the Rhydon species - that they were proud and powerful, thinking themselves kings of the earth. Well if this Rhyhorn had a poor attitude, she would adjust it for him with a good kick, or two maybe even some of her poison needles in his hide.

Growlithe finished his tale and then jumped up onto the bed next to his trainer and settled down to sleep while Nidoran finished her grooming and hid her barbs before jumping next to the warm fire pup and falling asleep.

Ash woke up bright and early and ate breakfast with his Pokémon in his room before going downstairs to meet up with Joe. He found him waiting by the door with a blue backpack by his feet.

"Hey Ash ready to go?"

Ash nodded and the two exited the center and started off for Mount Moon. After a couple of hours of silent walking Ash decided to get to know his new friend.

"So Joe, you said Bellesprout was your starter. So who did you catch first - Machop or Pidgey?"

Joe grinned. "Pidgey was first, I caught her right outside of Vermilion City after she nearly took Bellsprout's eye out. After that I caught Machop on the way to Pewter City. Since two of my Pokémon were strong against rock types it seemed like the logical choice."

Ash nodded. Vermilion and Pewter weren't exactly close, but you had to get every advantage possible. "However just knowing the typing won't matter if what Brock said is true about the Gym leaders being cut loose and getting to use their regular teams."

Joe frowned as they walked along Route 3. "Which means that the tougher gym leaders should be pushed back as much as possible. How about after we beat the Cerulean Gym, we head to Vermilion and then Celadon City. That would leave the monster trainers, such as Sabrina and Giovanni, for the end."

A shiver went down Ash's spine at the mention of the psychic gym leader. "Let's leave Sabrina for dead last if at all possible."

They continue to walk and joke around. When they came to the next clearing, they found a girl with a Meowth resting. She had shoulder length, curly brown hair and jean shorts with a white t-shirt with a Poké Ball stitched to the front. Ash noticed a purple hoodie tied around her waist.

She saw Ash and Joe and got up from where she was sitting. "Are you two trainers?"

The boys looked at each other before nodding, the girl smiled. "Good, I've been looking for an opponent all morning. So which one of you is it going to be?"

Ash looked at Joe and shook his head. "You take this one, I still have to meet Rhyhorn and might need my team to deal with him."

Joe nodded and handed Ash his backpack before turning towards the girl. "I will be your opponent. My name is Joe from Vermilion City."

The girl nodded, she already had a Poké Ball in hand. "My name is Sophie from Ecruteak City in Johto. How about a three on three no substitutions?"

Joe nodded and Ash moved to the middle. "Okay, I will act as referee for the battle between Joe of Vermilion City and Sophie of Ecruteak City. It will be a three on tree with no substitutions. Winner is declared when the other trainer has no more Pokémon."

Joe took out a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it in the air. A white light shone from it and a small bird with brown and cream feathers flew into the sky with a cry of joy. The Pidgey was small for its species but Ash could tell she was fast and loved to be in the air.

Sophie did something similar and the Pokémon that came out was also a round bird, bigger than Joe's Pidgey with brown feathers and red eyes. Ash recognized it as a Hoothoot, a bird more commonly found in Johto, although flocks could be seen in Kanto they preferred the more mild weather of Johto.

"Pallas, let's show them who rules the skies, Spiral Wing."

The Johto bird flew into the skies before diving down in corkscrew motion aiming straight for Joe's Pidgey. However Joe didn't seem worried, in fact he looked excited.

"Pidgey! Dodge with Quick Attack. Blow him away with Gust."

Pidgey's body was shrouded in a white light as she flew out of the way from the spiraling hoothoot, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the whole attack. The edge of the spiral grazed the Kanto bird before it cleared the area.

The Kanto bird flipped to face its opponent, flapping its wings to create a strong gale of wind that made Ash grab onto his hat before it went flying. The Johto bird was still spiraling as it dove back up and cut through the wind and used it to increase the speed of the spiral, hitting the small Kanto bird in the chest. The added momentum from the gust gave Hoothoot enough power to send Pidgey against a tree.

The small Kanto bird slid alongside the tree trunk, unconscious from the blow of the larger bird. Ash winced for the poor bird and raised his hand.

"Pidgey is unable to battle the winner is Hoothoot."

Joe smiled and returned his Pidgey and looked at the Poké Ball. "We have to work on your dodging speed girl, you're too small right now to take any big hits."

Sophie also returned her Pokémon after praising it for a job well down. Joe looked up and smiled.

"That was a good move, using Wing Attack like that. Given Hoothoot's body shape and size, it gave her maximum power."

Sophie smiled. "Don't think praising me will get you an easy battle, but yes, we've worked hard on that move. Your Pidgey was very fast. We almost missed her with our first attack and only just grazed her. But enough of that, let's see if you can deal with my starter. Nile, dance time."

Sophie threw her ball as she spun on one foot, releasing a small blue bipedal crocodile with red spikes along its spine. The crocodile jumped in the air and did a backflip before it started dancing left to right.

Ash recognized it as a Totodile - one of the official water starters that Professor Elm gave to new trainers in Johto. Seeing the small water Pokémon made Ash think of his mom and Professor Oak, who were in Johto investigating the theft of a Totodile, as well as a Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

Joe smirked and lazily threw his Poké Ball releasing his bellsprout who looked at the dancing with a confused look. The plant shaped Pokémon shook its leaves, ready for battle.

Ash just shook his head at the duo and raised his hand. "The second battle will be Totodile vs Bellsprout begin."

Joe didn't wait long. "Bellsprout, Whip Barrage! Don't let up!"

Ash winced. He remembered seeing this particular combination when battling the Rhyhorns yesterday. Bellsprout planted its feet into the soil and started attacking with its Vine Whip, fast and hard. Ash could see the nutrients being absorbed by Bellsprout as it used Ingrain for leverage and health.

Sophie smiled at the incoming attack. "Nile, deflect them using Ice Punch and get close enough to use Bite."

The water crocodile gave a big toothed smile as the air around her little fists grew colder and pale blue light shrouded them as the Vine Whips loomed closer she started punching the vines out of her way as she slowly moved forward. What surprised Ash was that she was using her two fists to punch the vines away.

The last time Ash had seen something like that was with that wild Nidoking Giovanni caught.

Normally when a Pokémon used a punching move, they used their dominant arm. It took serious training for them to use both. Ash was starting to look at Sophie in a new light. Ash could see that the spots where totodile's punch hit were encrusted in ice.

Joe frowned in thought as Totodile moved closer to Bellsprout. "Bellsprout! Smash your vines into the ground to break the ice then use Sleep Vine, fast and hard."

Bellsprout nodded and smashed her two vines into the ground hard, breaking the ice into small crystals before attacking Totodile with renewed vigor hitting the blue crocodile square in the jaw with such force that a tooth was knocked out.

Totodile started punching the vines away with her Ice Punch again, but Ash started noticing that the little croc was slowing down with each punch as her eyes drooped until finally she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

Ash counted to ten on his head before raising his hand. "Totodile can no longer battle. The winner is Bellsprout."

Sophie had a look of confusion on her face as she returned her Pokémon which Ash understood he didn't get why Totodile decided to take a nap all of the sudden.

Joe smiled and returned his Pokémon . "Bellsprout's vines were covered with her Sleep Powder. Every time she would hit Totodile, she would inhale a little of it until it would be enough to send her to sleep. It took us a while to figure out the right amount of powder needed for it to have any effect since when she attacks most of it comes off. Sorry about Nile's tooth."

Sophie smiled in thought. "That is actually not a bad idea and don't worry about her tooth. She's always biting things she shouldn't and losing teeth left and right. They just grow back stronger than before. Now enough chatter. Kiba, time to hunt."

Sophie released her last Pokémon - a small canine with gray fur around its body and black fur on his face and paws. Ash remembered reading about them, it was a Poochyena, native to the Hoenn region. There had been a massive influx of the species appearing in Johto due to families importing the cute dark type.

Joe didn't look worried as he released his final Pokémon as well. Machop started flexing his muscles as soon as he entered the battlefield. Ash rolled his eyes at the fighting type's antics.

"Final battle will be between Machop and Poochyena, begin."

"Kiba, let's end this quickly, Sand Fang Roulette."

Sophie grinned as the dark puppy rushed towards Machop and swiped his paws in the ground, kicking sand into machop's eyes, blinding him as the puppy's fangs crackled with lightning. He bit Machop's muscular leg and swept him off his feet.

Ash's mouth hung open as he watched, but he closed it quickly. He noticed that Sophie's battling style was flashy, yet creative. He'd never battle anyone like that.

Machop was frantically trying to get the sand off his eyes. Ash figured his pride must be injured as well, after being taken down so easily.

"Kiba do another pass with Fang Roulette."

Ash thought it was strange that Sophie was attacking with the same move, to his surprise Poochyena fangs were not crackling with lightning but ignited in flames. Joe saw that and frowned in worry.

"Machop calm down and listen to my voice. Leave the sand alone and use Focus Kick on your right now."

An orange glow shone from Machop's leg as the fighting type focused all of his energy on the leg and launched a kick, hitting the dark puppy in the side and sending him crashing against a tree.

Poochyena looked dazed and was struggling to get up but after a few seconds he fell to the ground and was knocked out.

"Poochyena can no longer battle the winner of the battle is Joe from Vermilion City. Great battle you two."

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and shook hands. Joe smiled. "That was some intense battling and your Pokémon knew some stellar moves and combinations."

Sophie grinned and nodded. "My parents are breeders who have been raising and taking care of Pokémon all my life. Since I was little all I wanted to do was show my parents breeding skills in contests. That's partially why I'm heading to Pewter City. Brock is a friend of my dad's and I was hoping to get some tips from him on canine and feline Pokémon for the upcoming Pewter Contest. I'm also picking up a Pokémon egg from him for my parents."

Ash nodded, her Pokémon looked well taken care of and her moves were flashy enough to get her points in a contest. "We're on our way to Cerulean City for a gym battle."

Sophie smiled and picked up her things. "Well, if you battle as good as Joe, you'll do well. Anyways it was fun meeting you guys."

They said their goodbyes and Joe turned to Ash. "She was a tough trainer, those other coordinators won't stand a chance."

Ash nodded. "Let's rest here for a bit, that way I can meet Rhyhorn and you can give your team a quick potion fix until we get to the center at Mount Moon."

Joe nodded, sat down and released his Pokémon. The worst one off was his Pidgey but he gently soothed the little flying type who looked dejected about losing her battle.

"Don't worry, you did great. We just have to work a little harder. How about we work on your speed and maneuvers?" Joe soothed, stroking the bird's soft feathers.

The little bird perked up and flew into the air. Ash smiled and released Growlithe and Nidoran who looked towards Joe's Pokémon with a confused look.

"No, we're not here to battle. You guys remember that we will be traveling with Joe? Those are his Pokémon. We'll say hello in a moment. First we have to meet Rhyhorn. He might be hostile, so if you see something that presents a danger, use Iron Tail and Double Kick to restrain him."

Both of his Pokémon nodded and Ash plucked Rhyhorn's Poké Ball from his belt and stared at it for a moment. He remembered everything that he had read about the species - they were a proud and aggressive race. Many believed that they had small brains due to them charging in a straight line, but that was incorrect. Studies of Rhyhorn had shown them to be quite intelligent and that they would use their large bodies as cannon balls, rushing forward with their incredible strength. Aggressive, but loyal, if you could gain the trust of one it was said to be a true honor.

There was a reason the mascot of the league was its evolve form Rhydon.

Ash released the spikes Pokémon as the ground type looked around and noticed Ash. Rhyhorn snorted, giving him a hateful glare. He remembered being with his herd, pasturing and then something wasn't right - a huge blinding light sent them running down the mountain where they met the humans with their Pokémon . He recalled his herd being defeated one after the other and suddenly filled with anger as he watched his comrades go down. So angry that he had tried to use the move Dragon Rush he inherited from his sire, but he was still too young to master it and trying the move had tired him so much that he'd been captured by the human with the skinny legs.

Ash noticed the glare and he raised his hand up in a friendly gesture. "Hello there Rhyhorn, my name is Ash. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want us to be friends. I caught you and you know what that means. I promise to make you the strongest ground type there is. What do you think?"

Rhyhorn glared at the human, who did he think he was? He would bow to no one and he didn't need anybody. Especially not some half grown human telling him what he could do. He turned his back on the kid and started running away from him when he noticed a weight landing on his back. He looked back and the human was riding him. Fury darkened his vision as he sped up, crashing into any boulders and trees that came his way.

Ash knew he had made a mistake when he saw Rhyhorn turn his back on him, acting on instinct he ran towards his new Pokémon and jumped on his back, holding on tightly to the rock spikes along its back. Riding Rhyhorn was not the most pleasant of experiences, especially after the ground type realized he had been jacked and sped up, crashing into everything that was on his path. Ash had to keep his mouth close for fear of biting his tongue.

He could hear Growlithe barking as the fire puppy struggled to keep up with the ground type while avoiding the rocks and trees that had been smashed by his unruly teammate. Ash tried to get Rhyhorn to a stop, but that seemed to enrage the ground type even more. Soon Ash saw that the small forest turned into a rocky plain and Mount Moon looked even closer. He saw trainers jumping out of the way, trying not to get rammed by Rhyhorn.

Ash saw the Pokémon Center getting closer and Rhyhorn was not only not slowing down, but he was speeding up. He tried pulling back on Rhyhorn by one of his spikes, but that only enraged the ground type to the point that started jumping back and forth, making Ash's teeth chatter. Ash suddenly had a new appreciation for Tauros Riders. All that Ash was missing was a cowboy hat.

Rhyhorn wanted to get the human off his back, but the skinny legged one had a strong grip on his spikes and no matter what he did or what he smashed into, the human was not letting go. He saw the tall metallic building and stopped jumping and rushed towards it. One way or another, he was getting the human off.

Ash had only one idea to stop Rhyhorn and it was going to hurt a lot, but there was no other way.

He slowly detached the ground type's Poké Ball from his belt and pressed the button enlarging it. He pressed the ball to Rhyhorn's hide and returned his Pokémon . Without Rhyhorn to hold on to, Ash was sent propelling like a bullet towards the Pokémon Center windows. He started praying to Mew, Zapdos, heck even Articuno to not break all the bones in his body when he felt a warm presence envelop his whole body stopping him a couple of inches short of smashing through the windows.

Ash saw his body covered in a blue light and a force laid him down gently. He looked back and saw a trainer maybe sixteen years old with thick, dark brown hair and green eyes tinged with brown specks. He was wearing a blue shirt and shorts. Ash noticed he had his arm in a sling.

Next to him was a Pokémon Ash had never seen before. It was a bipedal feline with dark blue fur and white markings along its ears, forehead and tail. The Pokémon was a psychic type, that much was obvious, as it was enveloped in the same blue light that Ash was. Its ears were extended and as soon as Ash was on the ground, they folded and the light was gone.

The trainer came running with a worried look on its face. "Are you okay? That Rhyhorn almost killed you. They are better ways to catch a Pokémon than bull riding them." He looked down at the psychic type. "Thanks Kevin you were awesome."

The psychic type nodded before standing by his trainer. Ash noticed Growlithe running towards him. The orange canine gave him a look that said he thought his trainer was an idiot.

Ash smiled and scratched his friend behind his ears. "Thanks for the help, my name is Ash. And actually, Rhyhorn was a recent capture and that was the result of our first meeting."

The trainer smirked. "If that's the first meeting, I don't want to see that guy pissed. The name is Gregory Raines. I'm from Sinnoh."

Ash shook Gregory's uninjured hand and frowned. "Well you might get to see that sooner than you think. Step back a little, Growlithe get your Iron Tail ready. It's time we had a serious chat with Rhyhorn."

Ash took out Rhyhorn Poké Ball and released his rampaging teammate. The spikes Pokémon had a confused look on his face. He had not seen himself freed so quickly. Ash walked up to him and slapped him on the horn. Rhyhorn was shocked that the human dared to hit him.

"That was a stupid, reckless thing you did Rhyhorn. You could have killed someone. If you have problems with me as a trainer, then take it out on me. Not on innocent bystanders. If you're so mad that I caught you and want to kill me, then do it. But don't drag other people into it."

Ash was furious that someone could have been hurt. So angry that even Growlithe was shocked.

Ash then took a deep breath and calmed down before kneeling in front of his Pokémon speaking to him gently while looking him in the eye. "Listen, I really want you to be a part of the family and I hope that you can see us as your new family. I meant what I said before and have no plans on giving up on you. But please if you have any issues with us we will deal with it like a family."

Growlithe was growling softly in warning, his trainer was crazy but he was here to back him and not let him get killed. Rhyhorn looked at the human in shock - no one had spoken to him like that, ever. He was still confused over the human's words when the red light returned him to the Poké Ball.

"I don't know what's crazier, jumping on top of a running Rhyhorn or smacking him on the horn and giving him a major tongue lashing. I like your attitude, kid, pretty ballsy."

Ash turned to Gregory and his Pokémon. "Thanks again for saving my life and yeah I guess that was a little reckless."

"Reckless? That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen! Ash, you were lucky you weren't killed." Both Ash and Gregory turned to Joe who was panting with Nidoran at his side.

"Sorry guys, I didn't think, I just acted." He looked down at his Pokémon who looked a little tired from all that running uphill. "How about I return you guys to get a check up at the Pokémon Center and have some extra berries at dinner?"

Both his Pokémon nodded and Ash returned them. "Joe, this is Gregory. He and his...Pokémon saved me from entering the center through the window." Ash hesitated since he didn't know what kind of Pokémon the psychic type was.

Gregory smiled. "Kevin is a Meowstic, a psychic type from the Kalos region. Why don't we head inside and get out of this heat?"

Ash nodded and entered the Pokémon Center, followed by Gregory and Joe. Both he and Joe gave the resident Nurse Joy their Poké Balls for a check up.

"Don't worry, your Pokémon will be treated with the best of our abilities and we should be done with treatment by the end of the day."

Ash smiled and swiped his pokedex to pay for the services. "Nurse Joy, are there any requirements for crossing Mount Moon?"

Ash knew that certain areas of Kanto needed special requirements due to the Pokémon living there. For example there was Diglett's Cave that connected Pewter City with Vermilion City. It was a massive network of caves that were off limits to trainers who had three badges or less.

"There is only one. You need to rent a League registered Zubat or Golbat here to cross the mountain and return it to the Pokémon Center on the other side of the mountain. Zubats are available for any trainer and the fee is $500 Poké Dollars, while the Golbats are $1000 and can only be rented by trainers with four or more badges. At the moment we only have Golbats, the last Zubat was rented this morning."

Ash nodded his understanding. The bat Pokémon were a good measure by the league to prevent trainers from getting lost. The Golbats probably cost more due to trainers using them to hunt for Pokémon such as Geodudes, Onyxes and other rock types. Of course, the rarest of them all, and most elusive, was Clefairy Kanto's native fairy type Pokémon . But those were too rare and even with the help of a Golbat, it would be next to impossible to find.

"Could you please let us know when a Zubat might be available." Joe said as he paid for his team's treatment.

"Sure, no problem, have a wonderful day." Nurse Joy smiled as she took the trays with Poké Balls to the back.

Ash turned to the two trainers and smiled. "Well I'm hungry. How about we get something to eat. Gregory, want to join us?"

Gregory smiled and returned his Pokémon . "Sure thing."

They made their way to the cafeteria and ordered a large pepperoni pizza for all three of them to share and sat down to talk.

"So Ash, Joe, are you guys competing in this year's conference?" Gregory asked after taking a big bite of his slice.

"Yeah we are going to Cerulean City to get our second badge. What about you Gregory." Ash loved pizza and after the ride with Rhyhorn he was famished.

Gregory laughed at Ash eating like he hadn't seen food in years. "No, I'm actually with my... I guess you can call her my teacher. She came to Kanto to see some ruins in Grampa Canyon and bring her husband the new Pokenav, like the one you are wearing, Ash. She is in the phone room right now arguing with her husband for breaking the two others she brought him."

Joe laughed. "I'm guessing she wasn't too happy about that."

Gregory shook his head. "No, she was really mad and went to have a word with him. So anyways I heard from my teacher that the Kanto Gym leaders have been cut loose and allowed to use their real teams, even against rookie trainers. I wish they would have done that in Sinnoh when I competed."

Ash knew that Gregory was a trainer but he didn't know that he had competed in a league. "You competed in the Sinnoh League?"

Gregory nodded. "Yeah, I placed top sixteen in the Lily of the Valley Conference in my rookie year and in the top eight of the Silver Conference. Now I'm training to compete again in the Lily of the Valley Conference before working for the league officially."

That's how most of the leagues worked - they scouted the trainers with the best potential to work for them and improve both their skills and the regions. Ash knew the best way to improve one's skills is to be taken under the wing of an experienced trainer. "Officially? Does that mean you do work for them?"

Gregory frowned and shook his hand from side to side. "Sort of. It's more like an internship, rounding up poachers and stuff like that. It's how I broke my arm. Some poachers were running loose in the Safari Zone and upsetting the wild Drapions. I was sent there as support to the local ranger who was getting close to retirement and while rounding up the Drapions and poachers, one of the drapion's hit me with a Poison Tail before my starter took it down. I was in the hospital for a month and after I got out, my teacher took me under her iron wing."

"And you haven't stopped complaining ever since."

Ash saw Gregory paled. "Is there by any chance an extremely hot blonde wearing black standing behind me?"

Ash and Joe snickered and nodded their heads. Gregory turned around and smiled. "Hi Cynthia, you know you are the best teacher in the world. Meet my new friends Ash the Rhyhorn rider and Joe."

Ash frowned at Gregory, but that's when he noticed who the woman was as she took a seat next to Gregory. She was wearing a dark shirt and pants, along with a long black coat. "Cynthia as in Champion Cynthia?"

Cynthia smiled and nodded. "The very same, although right now I'm just an annoyed teacher and wife. So how did you meet my lazy student?"

Gregory scoffed "Lazy? I'm not lazy, I just have selective motor functions."

Cynthia glared at him. "If it's not joking, reading, eating it doesn't happen. You are worse than a Slakoth in winter."

Gregory looked like he wanted to argue but just took a bite of his pizza. Joe and Ash laughed then Ash proceeded to tell them the whole Rhyhorn incident and how Gregory and his Meowstic saved him from being a window ornament.

"It was a good idea to have a one-on-one meeting with Rhyhorn and your other Pokémon, however even though every Pokémon is different as a species they will each have a unique quirk. For example, take your Growlithe, his species is known for their leadership and loyalty, Squirtles are pranksters and so on. Rhyhorns have serious protective instincts, more so than the average Pokémon. You captured and took him from his herd. Now he doesn't have a purpose so the best thing to do is to give him one. Next time you release him, talk to him and it might be good to also have some berries and vegetables. Rhyhorns go crazy over them."

Both Ash and Joe were in awe with the Sinnoh champion as she devised a pretty solid plan to get Rhyhorn to trust him. Ash thought about what she said and she had made very good points.

"Thank you Champion Cynthia, I will do as you suggest." Ash smiled before taking another slice of pizza.

"Please, just Cynthia, so are you both going to be competing in the Indigo Conference?"

Since Ash had his mouth full Joe answered. "Yeah, we both are competing. Ash wants to become a Pokémon Master. I'm aiming to be a gym leader."

Cynthia smiled and gave a sly look to Gregory. "Those are some very impressive dreams. I wish someone else had a dream like that."

Gregory just shrugged, a laidback smile curling his lips. "I don't have a dream, since eventually I'm going to be the Sinnoh Champion. But in the meantime, I'll learn all of your tricks."

Cynthia just rolled her eyes at her student. Ash noticed that Gregory liked to tease his teacher, but he wasn't obnoxious about it. Cynthia then turned to Ash and Joe.

"So Ash, what does being a Pokémon Master mean for you? Is it mastery of one type of Pokémon ? Or is it becoming the champion of the league? And what about you Joe? What does it mean to be a gym leader?"

Ash thought about it. He always said that he wanted to become a Pokémon master but what did it really mean to him? He didn't want to become a master of a single type. There were many Pokémon in the world for him to just limit himself to a single type.

"I don't have a concrete answer yet. I guess as I walk the path it will reveal itself to me, but limiting myself to a single type isn't my style. And being the champion of Kanto is a lot of responsibility at the moment. I'm going to focus on training my Pokémon and preparing for the league. What comes after will make itself known to me. But whatever it is, I will face it with my family."

Joe finished his pizza and took a big gulp of cola. "I think Ash is right, we need to march towards our dreams. We will see the right path. But to me, a gym leader is a person responsible for the safety of both Pokémon and people in his city."

Cynthia gave them a thoughtful look before smiling. "You both have very insightful minds and your bonds with your Pokémon shone even in your words, that's something you share with Gregory. He may look like a laid back knuckle head but he loves his Pokémon dearly. I hope to see you realize your dreams."

Ash was moved by the champion's words. He knew that the road ahead was hard, but also filled with adventure and fun.

"Would trainers Ash and Joe please come by the reception desk, your Pokémon are ready."

Ash looked at his pokedex and noticed that the treatment was finished a lot faster than he was told. They picked up the trash and made their way to the reception desk where a happy Nurse Joy handed them their Poké Balls.

"Your Pokémon are healthy and rested. While we did our check on them we noticed that both Pidgey and Nidoran were showing signs of being near their evolutions. Joe, we also noticed that Machop was feeling a little pain on his right arm so he should rest that arm for a day. Ash, I'm sorry to say that we won't be receiving any Zubats until tomorrow at noon."

Ash clipped his friends' Poké Balls on his belt frowning. He wanted to get going as soon as possible. Cerulean was a week away from Mount Moon, with two of those days spent just crossing the large mountain range.

"Thanks Nurse Joy. Would you happen to have any rooms available?" Ash didn't want to stay in the center but there was no other choice.

Cynthia looked at Gregory then at the rookie trainers. "Why don't you two come with us? We rented a Golbat and we are almost ready to go. The more company the better and it will give me something to do other than listen to Gregory complain about not doing his chores."

Gregory frowned. "Thanks Cynthia, as if my self esteem couldn't get any lower. I'm going to need to hire a horde of Diglett to dig it up if you keep telling people I'm lazy."

Cynthia snorted and ruffled her student's hair. "I'm sure we can find some when the time comes." Then looked at Ash and Joe. "So what do you say guys? Want to stick together as far as Cerulean City?"

Ash and Joe didn't need to even discuss it. Who would pass up an offer to travel with one of the world's most powerful trainers and maybe learn a thing or two from them? You would have to be mad to pass the opportunity up.

"We would love to, if that's okay with you." Ash couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Cynthia smiled. "I have to take care of one last thing and then I'll meet you outside the Pokémon Center."

Ash watched the champion turn around and walk upstairs where the rooms for trainers were located. Gregory turned to the rookies and smiled.

"Well, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to other than Cynthia. She's great, but don't get her started on Pokémon Mythology or your ears will bleed from all the facts she can cram into you. Anyways, let's go outside and wait for her."

Ash and Joe followed the older trainer as they waited for Cynthia. It had been a day full of excitement and Ash was ready to hit the road again and continue towards Cerulean City and his next badge.

Hello guys Harlequin K. here with another chapter. Thank you so much first and foremost for the support this story has gotten.

This chapter was a lot of fun to write since it let me show you guys a little bit of how the world of Titans is and we get to see Joe battle for the first time which was a lot of fun.

Now onto a quick round of thank yous, first and foremost thank you to Statelineoftexas for editing the chapter you rock man.

Next thanks to all those who submitted their OC's they were a blast and I'm still accepting more OC's so if you got any send them over. I will use them as the story progresses and if the story merits more than one appearance from an OC they will show up as many times as needed.

A special thanks to Silviax17 and Thus Dud who are the creators of Sophie and Gregory. I hope you guys like how I portrayed them.

Now to answer some questions:

Alpha Draconis: Legendaries are like myths in our world. Some of them are so obscure that unless you live in the place you wouldn't know about them. So Giovanni not knowing about Landorus is normal and if he is aware then he didn't count him due to him being a legendary.

Phantomsoul2015: Rhyhorn may seem op but just because a Pokémon has a move set doesn't mean he knows how to use them. Rhyhorn is young as stated by Brock and Nurse Joy plus he right now he doesn't like Ash very much. So the first hurdle might be for Ash might to convince Rhyhorn not to kill him or run away.

Thor94: I can't say who will start the war but everything is pointing to Alder. As for Giovanni yeah he is different from the games and the anime. I hope this version appeals to everyone.

Waberjack: Yes Ash will end up with a very diverse team with Pokémon from most if not all the regions. I have already in mind what his first six are going to be and it has Pokémon s from 3 different regions.

SilentSniper05: Yes Team Rocket does exist in this world and you have seen them or results of their actions at least twice already you have to read between the lines and keep an eye out for them.

Well I hope that answers some questions and that you guys enjoy the chapter. This is a new structure for the story that I will be implementing where one chapter will be dedicated to the gym battle and the others will be character development. If you guys like it let me know.

As always please Review with your thoughts and questions on the chapter and I will be more than happy to answer them either via PM or in the next chapter. I welcome any and all thoughts so please feel free to share them. Well till next time.

Harlequin K.