I know what I said last chapter; I wasn't going to write the mini-arc, but that doesn't mean I can use some of those episodes for my series.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 51: Mother of All Battles

We had about two weeks left for training, so we decided to step it up and head back to Mt. Silver. In order to reach Silver Town connected to the Silver Conference, we had to travel through a Pokémon perverse. We arrived to the border of the Pokémon Preserve that was practically a ravine that could only be crossed over by a bridge.

"It's so calm and quiet here", Misty commented while we walked down a path.

"Togiprii", Togepi chirped.

"Now, we have to be quiet and not disturb the peace of this Pokémon Preserve", Brock reminded us. "Pokémon live out here in the wild and it's strictly forbidden to catch any of them."

"Relax, Brock, I won't catch any Pokémon here", Ash said. "But I still want to see what kind of Pokémon lives here."

"Pika pikachu", Pikachu chirped from my brother's shoulder.

I breathed in fresh air and exhaled loudly. It was very relaxing so it was no wonder this area had been turned into a Pokémon Preserve. And apparently, Cedric felt the same way because his Poké Ball wouldn't stop shaking ever since we crossed the bridge.

"Cedric is getting restless in his Poké Ball", I spoke up as I stared at the wobbling device.

"How about you let him out, Ashley?" Brock suggested.

"Sure", I nodded and released my Pokémon. Cedric blinked his eyes and bounced eagerly around.

"Pupitar pupitar taar!"

"He seems very excited", Ash chuckled.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"It's almost like he's familiar with this place", Misty giggled.

"Daisy did say she found his Egg somewhere on Mt. Silver…", I trailed off as I felt the dots connect. "Maybe Cedric is from this place!"

"It would make some sense", Brock hummed. "But Daisy wouldn't do something illegal and steal a Pokémon Egg from a preserve."

"She said she found Cedric's egg abandoned somewhere on Mt. Silver, so I don't think she intentionally stole it", I defended my big sister figure.

"So maybe she found it outside of the preserve", Misty suggested.

"Should we call and ask her now?" Ash said.

"I don't even know what time it is in Unova right now", I shook my head. "I don't want to call her in the middle of a lecture or wake her up from her sleep."

"Maybe we can find a Pokémon Ranger and ask them if they've ever seen Daisy", Brock said.

"Pupitar taar!" Cedric bounced ahead like he had found something.

"Cedric, where are you going?" I called after him before I gave chase.

"Taar taar!"

"Where is Cedric taking us?" Ash called as he and our friends ran behind me.

Cedric stopped in front of a bush and started talking to it. For a second, I thought he had lost his mind, but then a Larvitar crawled out from it. "Laar?"

"Look, it's a Larvitar!" Misty gasped in surprise.

"Togi?"

"Yeah, and it looks very young", Brock pointed out.

"I wonder if Cedric thinks it could be his brother or sister…", Ash mumbled.

If my brother was right, then I would be flabbergasted. How would Cedric know that this Larvitar was related to him?

A distant cry echoed from the forest which made us halt in our movement. Larvitar chirped happily like it knew what was coming.

"What was that cry?" Ash said cautiously.

"Pika…", Pikachu growled softly.

I cold sweated as I feared for the worst. "I think…it could be Larvitar's parent… A Tyranitar."

The ground started shaking as the roaring creature came closer to us. I was right; a Tyranitar stomped to the clearing and glared aggressively at us intruders. "Graaawl!"

"You were right, Ashley! It is a Tyranitar!" Misty cold sweated.

"Hey, look! Tyranitar has a scar on its chest", Brock called out.

"T-That's the least of our worries right now, Brock…!" Ash cold stuttered.

"Laar laar!" Larvitar chirped happily and approached Tyranitar. "Larvitar taar!"

"Grawl…!" Tyranitar growled, listening to its child.

Cedric stared at Tyranitar with large eyes like he was admiring the mighty Pokémon. Tyranitar finally noticed him and crouched down to sniff him. I stood ready to recall him if the wild parent decided to attack him, but my worries were in vain. Tyranitar nuzzled Cedric who nuzzled the wild Pokémon back like they were long lost friends.

"Look! Tyranitar is treating Cedric like he's its child!" Misty gasped.

"Then…could it be…that Cedric is Tyranitar's offspring?" I asked, extremely surprised by the knowledge.

Larvitar danced around Cedric and Tyranitar, happy by the family reunion. Cedric looked so peaceful while receiving love from his parent. I smiled softly and carefully walked over to the family. "Tyranitar… I'm Cedric's Trainer. I've raised him ever since he hatched from his Egg." I bowed down deeply. "I'm sorry you two were forced apart. I know you can't have those times together with Cedric as a Larvitar, but I…hope you can have a long time with Cedric as a Pupitar."

"Ashley, what are you saying?!" Misty gasped.

"Are you going to release Cedric?" Ash asked.

"Pikaa!"

I turned to my brother and friends and nodded hesitantly. "I-If Cedric wants to stay here… I will release him."

"Pupi…", Cedric rumbled.

"Grawll…", Tyranitar purred from its throat.

All of the sudden, something struck Tyranitar and it got wrapped in some kind of bag. We shrieked out in surprise as Tyranitar struggled to get out of the trap, but it didn't destroy it. Its mouth was wrapped around too, so it couldn't even use Hyper Beam.

"What just happened?!" Misty exclaimed.

"Where did that bag come from?!" Ash shouted.

A motor vehicle in the shape of some kind of robot drove out from the woods and braked in front of us before three men climbed out on the top. "Excellent! We've got Tyranitar!" the man in the middle cackled.

"Who are you guys?!" Brock growled.

I stood in front of Cedric and Larvitar to keep them out of sight from those bad guys.

"I'm Brago, the leader of this little operation!" the middle guy introduced himself.

"I'm Chico, the inventor of this group!" the smaller guy grinned widely.

"And I'm Blurt, the destroyer of this gang!" the larger guy flexed his muscles.

"And together, we are the Pokémon Poaching Brothers!" the trio spoke simultaneously.

"Pokémon Poachers?!" my group exclaimed angrily.

"We've been on the hunt for Tyranitar for a long time", Brago explained. "When we failed to catch her, we instead went to find her nest where we stole the single Egg she had laid. We thought of selling it at the black market, but the Pokémon Rangers were right on our tail, so we had to dump it."

"That explains how Daisy found Cedric's Egg!" I exclaimed. "He is Tyranitar's child!"

"And now, thanks to you, the whole family is now gathered, so we're taking Tyranitar's kids too!" Chico cackled.

"Three catches in one day! We owe you a big fat thank you!" Blurt smiled.

"You better release Tyranitar right now or else you'll have to deal with us!" Ash yelled at the poachers.

"I highly doubt it, kid", Brago shrugged. "A Pokémon Hunter doesn't release their catch until they find a buyer."

"Hey, maybe you want to buy Tyranitar?" Blurt laughed.

"Give us money now and we'll release it", Chico smirked.

"Like we're gonna buy Tyranitar!" Misty yelled. "Your actions are illegal!"

"Laar laar!" Larvitar shrieked as it tried ripping the bag apart with Bite to free its mother.

"Chico, it's time", Brago snapped his fingers.

Chico held up a remote control and pushed a button. A new bag ejected from the large machine heading toward Larvitar. Ash and I were both ready to jump in to protect the baby, but Cedric jumped out of nowhere and was caught in the bag.

"Cedric!" I cried out in shock.

The quietness of the preserve was broken by sirens that were approaching the area. "Boss, the Ranger is coming this way!" Chico gasped.

"So it's time to run?" Blurt asked.

"Right", Brago nodded. "We got two catches, so we'll be satisfied with them today and collect Larvitar tomorrow."

The brothers climbed into the machine before they made it stretch out a pair of arms with claws that easily lifted up Cedric and Tyranitar. "Let them go!" I yelled, feeling very panicked inside that I couldn't think of how to stop them.

"Come back with money and then we'll talk!" Brago called out through a speaker before the vehicle fled deeper into the preserve.

"Larvitaaar!" Larvitar shrieked after its family.

"Oh no, you don't!" Brock growled and threw a Poké Ball. "Crobat, follow those crooks and report back where they are!"

"Croo!" Crobat hissed and followed the poachers just as a motorcycle parked next to us.

The driver was a woman dressed in an orange ranger uniform and behind her sat a Croconaw. Brock's cheeks immediately flared up at the sight of her.

"Who are you people?" the Ranger asked. "This area is off-limits to the general public!"

"We're sorry, Miss, we didn't know this part of the preserve was off-limits", Misty apologized.

"That's not important right now!" Ash exclaimed. "Ma'am, three poachers just captured Tyranitar and my sister's Pupitar that's actually one of Tyranitar's kids!"

"Poachers?!" the Ranger gasped.

"Yes, but we've got everything under control!" Brock pushed my brother back to get closer to the Ranger. "I just sent my Crobat after them, so we can find them quickly! What is your name, madam?"

The female Ranger didn't look so comfortable being complimented, but she switched back to a serious expression. "I'm Ranger Mason. Were the poachers' names Brago, Chico and Blurt?"

"Yes! They called themselves the Pokémon Poaching Brothers!" Ash nodded.

Mason gritted her teeth in frustration. "Those three men have caused lots of disturbance in the Pokémon Mt. Silver Preserve for a long time and are wanted criminals. They've stolen many Pokémon and we always lose them. They are a very sneaky trio with many tricks up on their sleeves."

Larvitar started crying and shed lots of tears. I crouched down and gave it a hug, realizing it was still very light for a Larvitar. "Don't worry, Larvitar. We're going to save your mother and brother. I promise."

"L-Laar…", Larvitar sobbed.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulders and spoke gently with the distressed Pokémon. "Pi pikachu pika pika pi."

Pikachu's comfort eased Larvitar's pain as it soon calmed down enough, but it still had tears in its eyes. "Laar…"

Ash crouched down next to me and patted the baby's head. "Your mom will be back with you real soon, Larvitar. Don't give up until it's over."

"Mason, was it ever reported that those guys stole one of Tyranitar's Eggs?" Misty asked.

"Yes. We went looking for it, but never found it so we feared the worst", Mason replied.

"Crocoo…", her Croconaw growled sadly as it got reminded of that awful day.

"It was actually found by our rival's big sister last year", Ash confessed. "She brought it to Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town where the Egg hatched and the Larvitar chose my sister as its Trainer."

Mason sighed in relief. "It's a relief knowing the good outcome from that case, but I need to get in touch with this Daisy and get her details about it."

"She's currently in Unova studying in a university, but we can give you her number", Ash said.

"That'd be much appreciated", Mason nodded.

"Crobaat!" Crobat shrieked as he came back from scouting the area. "Croo croo!"

"Crobat, did you find where the poachers are hiding?" Brock asked.

"Croo!" Crobat nodded.

"Lead us the way, please!" Mason called.

Ash picked up Larvitar before we followed Crobat. He led us to a rocky area not so far from where we encountered the poachers. At the same time, Mason radioed the Pokémon Preservation Center for backup so we could surround the brothers with no chance of escaping.

"Hold it right there!" a familiar voice called out.

We stopped by a hill and were greeted by the same machine the poachers used, but the voice didn't sound like any of the brothers.

"Prepare for trouble, we're here to collect!"

"Make it double or we'll cause a wreck!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wooobbuffet!"

"It's Team Rocket!" I exclaimed, instantly recognizing the voices.

"Why are they operating the machine the poachers used to capture Cedric and Tyranitar?!" Misty wondered.

"Easy; we joined up with Brago and his brothers as apprentices!" Jessie revealed.

"It's more like we're practicing our skills to become better thieves", James said.

"So it's like a summer job", Meowth added. "And we're gonna start by capturing Pikachu and Larvitar!"

"Not under my watch!" Ash snarled.

"Time to fire the Poké-bag!" Meowth commanded just as a new bag fired from the machine.

"Pikachu, stop it with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Croconaw, use Hydro Pump!" Mason joined in.

The two Pokémon combined their attacks and struck the bag midair. I moved to the side to make sure the bag wouldn't hit me or Larvitar in case they couldn't stop it. To our luck, the force of the moves pushed the bag back at the machine and caused a major explosion. The machine broke apart and the trio was thrown up to the sky, passing by their own air balloon that was operated by the poachers.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"

"Look! There're the poachers!" Brock gasped, pointing at the sky.

"And they've got Tyranitar and Pupitar!" Mason exclaimed. The two Pokémon were hanging down under the basket of the hot air balloon.

I got an idea and yelled as loud as I could for Cedric to hear me. "Cedric! Use Sandstorm!"

Cedric responded by summoning a whirlwind of sand that engulfed the entire balloon. We watched as the sandstorm expanded until an explosion erupted. The balloon crashed only a few meters from us. Thanks to the explosion, the bags Cedric and Tyranitar were trapped in were ripped apart.

"Over here!" Ash waved his hands.

Tyranitar and Cedric hurried toward us while the poaching brothers regained consciousness after the crash.

"Oh no, you're not going to escape our grasp!" Brago growled and threw a Poké Ball. "Shiftry, use Swagger!"

A human-sized Pokémon came out from the Poké Ball, having a brown body that looked like it was made out of wood and had long white hair and leaves as hands. "Triii!"

"What's that Pokémon?" Ash wondered.

"It's a Shiftry, a Pokémon commonly found in Hoenn!" I explained.

Shifty jumped over the mother and son pair and looked at them in an intimidating manner with its body glowing red. Cedric and Tyranitar's eyes started glowing red before they got confused. Tyranitar was worst affected because she launched Hyper Beams one after another nearly striking us. Cedric remained in his position, flailing helplessly about while Shiftry smirked proudly.

"Cedric, Tyranitar, snap out!" Ash shouted.

"L-Laaar…", Larvitar whimpered in his arms.

Chico had in the meantime called out a Claydol and ordered it to use Protect to shield them and the other poachers from Tyranitar's Hyper Beam. "There! Now we don't have to worry about getting hit by Hyper Beams!"

"That was quick thinking, Chico!" Blurt nodded before he threw his Poké Ball calling out a Makuhita. "Makuhita, use Arm Thrust on Tyranitar!"

"Makuu!" Makuhita dashed toward the confused Tyranitar and punched her repeatedly with its boxing hands. "Maku maku maku makuhita!"

Tyranitar screeched in pain as she was knocked down to the ground by the super effective move. Larvitar whimpered in my arms as it saw its parent being down by the bad Pokémon.

"Shiftry, release the force of nature with Nature Power", Brago called out calmly.

"Shiftriiii…", Shiftry hummed as it stretched its arms out wide while gathering the power of nature. It glared and threw its hands down on the ground, causing the area to rumble like an Earthquake. I lost my balance with the others and fell down on our knees. Cedric fell down on his front and couldn't get up. Instead, he was thrown up by Makuhita using Vital Throw who then slammed him down.

"Cedric!" I yelled worriedly, tears leaking from the corner of my eyes.

Larvitar sobbed before it suddenly screamed so loud I thought my eardrums exploded inside my head. I covered my ears while enduring the Screech along with my brother and our friends.

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

The poachers and their Pokémon were also affected by the screech and covered their ears. Tyranitar and Cedric growled in pain, but their eyes cleared up and took their stands after they were just knocked down. I could barely hear them roar, but my eyes widened when Cedric's body released a white light.

"Cedric?!" I exclaimed as I removed my hands from my ears, realizing Larvitar had stopped crying.

Cedric's cocoon-like body grew up and shifted into a bipedal creature with arms and spikes on its back. His blue ribbon snapped off as it was too small on those large spikes. The light faded away and revealed Cedric's new form.

"GRAAAWL!" Cedric roared aggressively.

"Cedric evolved into a Tyranitar!" Brock exclaimed in relief.

"Cedric!" I cheered happily.

"This wasn't part of the plan", Brago commented with a raised brow. "But two Tyranitars are better than one."

"Let's go get them!" Chico exclaimed eagerly.

Larvitar dashed to its mother and brother as Tyranitar got up and growled aggressively at the poachers' Pokémon. The mother launched a Hyper Beam at Makuhita that was sent flying before it crashed on the ground.

"Makuhita!" Blurt gasped.

Cedric followed suit, but instead of using Hyper Beam he stomped the ground before summoning sharp rock pillars one after another until they struck Shiftry. The dual type Pokémon didn't have time to dodge the move and was struck by one of the pillars.

"What kind of move was that?" Misty wondered.

"It's Stone Edge!" I explained. "It has a high critical hit ratio!"

Shiftry crashed while Larvitar fired a Hidden Power at Claydol when it lowered its guard and removed the Protect shield. It shrieked as it was pushed down on the ground in front of the poachers.

"Brago, things are not looking good for us!" Blurt exclaimed after he recalled his Pokémon.

Brago gritted his teeth as he recalled Shiftry. "Mission has failed. Chico, teleport us out of here with Claydol."

"Right, boss!"

Claydol levitated up and started glowing in a pink and blueish light in preparation for a Teleport.

"No! Stop in the name of the law!" Mason yelled and rushed toward the trio who casually waved like they had already won.

The light from Claydol intensified before it sparkled in a sickening purple light. Claydol yelped as its attack was canceled. The poachers were very surprised by the failing escape.

"What just happened?!" Blurt exclaimed.

Brock's Crobat flew out from trees and cackled mischievously at the poor suckers. "That was Crobat's Mean Look!" Brock explained. "It prevents Claydol from using Teleport!"

"One step ahead of us… Clever", Brago hummed and rubbed his chin before he realized what that meant. "Wait-"

"Cedric, encase them with Stone Edge!" I shouted.

"GRaawl!" Cedric stomped the ground once again, summoning several rock pillars that surrounded the poachers and Claydol. It was like an improvised version of Rock Tomb.

The poacher brothers grunted as they tried punching their way out, but the pillars were too thick for them to chop on without a pickaxe. Mason and her Croconaw walked to them as the air was filled with sirens and a helicopter flying above us.

"You three are hereby arrested!" the Ranger announced.

"Crocoo!" Croconaw hissed through its teeth.

The trio's faces paled when Cedric and Tyranitar joined the justice duo and bared their teeth at them, Larvitar resting in its mother's safe arms.

XXXXXXXXXX

The other Rangers took the poachers away while Ash, our friends and I had to fill out our statements about this incident for the investigation. We stayed the night at the Pokémon Preservation Center and rested up for the next day.

Mason led us the way out of the Pokémon Preserve and showed us in which direction we needed to go to Silver Town. "If you pass this bridge and keep heading north-east, you'll arrive to Silver Town in a couple of days."

"Thank you so much, Mason", Misty smiled.

"No, I have to thank you four", Mason smiled. "My colleagues and I wouldn't have caught the poaching brothers without your help. You helped us protecting the preserve."

"It was no problem at all, Mason", Ash chuckled sheepishly.

Brock flushed up and gently grabbed the Ranger's hands, which made her uncomfortable. "Oh, Mason dear! I wish my Crobat's Mean Look could affect me so I can stay here with you and protect the preserve together-"

Misty grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away. "Then let me help you move with my version of Teleport."

"Owowowowow!" Brock yelped as he was dragged across the bridge to the other side of the ravine.

"Hey, Ashley", Ash spoke up. "What happened to Cedric?"

I shifted my weight between my legs while staring at the ground. "I let him stay over the night with his mother and little brother. He hasn't come back yet, so I think…he's going to stay with them."

"Pika…", Pikachu hummed.

"You were serious about releasing him?" Ash asked with big eyes.

I nodded slowly, feeling a pang of pain in my heart. "Yes… If he's happy here, then it's the best thing I can do for him as his Trainer."

Mason patted my shoulder with a warm smile. "Don't worry, Ashley. I think he'll come back to you."

I blinked away the few tears in my eyes, wondering why she looked so confident. I got the answer when Cedric, Tyranitar and Larvitar showed up from the forest. This time, the mother carried two additional Larvitars and one of them was a different color compared to its siblings.

"Grawl!" Cedric rumbled and stepped to me.

"Cedric…?" I sobbed and wiped my tears. "You…came back?"

Cedric leaned down and licked my tears off, nuzzling me so I started laughing at the tickling sensation. "You want to go with me…?"

"Graw!" Cedric nodded confidently.

"But… What about your family?"

Cedric turned to his mother and little siblings who nodded to him. They were okay with him leaving so he could come with me to the Silver Conference. I bit my lower lip to hold back my sobs, but I still erupted into a fountain and hugged him as much as I could.

"T-Thank you, Cedric…", I whimpered against his rock hard chest.

"Laar!"

The same Larvitar who we met yesterday walked up to Ash and pulled his pants, looking at him with eager eyes. My brother crouched down to get to his eye level. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"Pika, pika pi?"

"Lar larvitar, tar tar!"

I looked at Tyranitar and saw she had a slight sad gleam in her eyes at the same time as she had a proud smile on her lips. "Tyranitar…?"

"I think Larvitar wants to go with you, Ash", Mason giggled.

"Really?" Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that really okay, Tyranitar?"

"Graawl…", Tyranitar rumbled softly from her chest while still cradling her new babies.

Ash turned back to Larvitar with a small smile. "Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Laar!" Larvitar nodded determinedly.

Ash's eyes softened before he grabbed a Poké Ball. "Then… Welcome to the family, Larvitar." He touched the Pokémon with the capture device. It opened and absorbed Larvitar before it shook in his grip thrice and then calmed down. The Poké Ball soon vanished from his hand, being automatically transported to Professor Oak's laboratory.

My brother straightened up and bowed to Tyranitar. "I promise I'll take good care of your baby, Tyranitar."

"Grawl!" Tyranitar nodded with her newborns chirping in her arms.

I recalled Cedric to his Poké Ball before Ash and I waved goodbye to Mason and the wild family while crossing the bridge where Misty and Brock were waiting. Who would have thought that Ash would catch a new Pokémon in the last minute before the Pokémon League?

"You really caught Larvitar, Ash?" Misty asked, having seen everything with Brock.

"Yeah, but I won't use him in the Silver Conference", Ash replied. "He's still too young to battle in the tough league."

"A wise choice", Brock nodded. "And this also means both of you will have the same Pokémon in the future."

"Yeah, you both have a Dragonair and one Pokémon from the Tyranitar family", Misty giggled.

Ash and I shared a smile. "That's true", I nodded. "We're becoming more and more like twins."

"Ashley, we are twins", Ash pointed out. That comment brought a laugh out from each one of us, lightening up the mood after the tearful goodbye.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the original episode, the poachers didn't have any Pokémon so I decided to give them one each for the battle. And since we're close to the Hoenn Saga, I thought of giving them Pokémon from Hoenn.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Cedric the Tyranitar (male)

Mystic the Togetic (male)

Hikaru the Ampharos (male)

Victor the Houndoom (male)

Sora the Dragonair (female)

Queendra the Kingdra (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:

Trica the Furret (female)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Aria the Lapras (female)

Axel the Scyther (male)

Lily the Espeon (female)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's roaming Pokémon:

Crystal the Suicune (genderless)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Pikachu (male)

Bayleef (female)

Cyndaquil (male)

Dunsparce (male)

Croconaw (male)

Phanpy (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Tauros (male)

Ivysaur (male)

Kingler (male)

Poliwrath (male)

Wartortle (male)

Shiny Noctowl (male)

Heracross (male)

Snorlax (male)

Larvitar (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's roaming Pokémon:

Entei (genderless)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Politoed (male)

Lanturn (female)

Corsola (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:

Goldeen (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Crobat (male)

Forretress (male)

Magcargo (male)