AN: Alright, last part of Early Training. After this? The first major arc: Rota!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon

Dialogue Guide:

"This is normal speech"

This is a person thinking in their head

This is someone speaking telepathically or with Aura

("Pokemon Speak")

("Legendary Pokemon Speak")

It was around the third month that Ash had finally managed to ditch the crutches and could finally walk and run again. Although he still had to take it easy and not push himself, walking again with his own two feet felt great. This allowed him to train himself physically with his Pokemon. Ash wasn't unhealthy by any means, but he lacked the muscles and stamina needed for the journey. He was embarrassed to say that most of his "training" when preparing for his first journey was to figure out what Pokemon would be awesome to use and watch numerous battles online, both in the present and from the past. This time, he did several push-ups, crunches, and jumping jacks every morning, along with cardio, muscle, strength, and stamina training every two or three days. His mother was giving him a healthier diet that took getting used to, but she still spoiled him at least once a week.

Azrael and Skye had finally started learning their first new moves, having mastered their current moves well enough to earn Mew, Sorrin, and Professor Oak's approval. Azrael had realized during the battle against Gary's Eevee he had trouble catching up with her and dealing with her attacks. Because of this, Azrael decided to learn Detect so they could dodge attacks better. Azrael also realized he needed some range in his move set, so Mew started teaching Azrael how to use Swift .

Skye's training was taught mainly by Sorrin, who approved his daughter's advancement once she mastered Gust . Logically, the next move she would learn was one of the most iconic and well-known Flying Type moves: Whirlwind . However, Whirlwind would require a lot of wing power, both in strength and speed. So Skye would often fly around with weights on her feet or wings, just like Ash's father did to help train Sorrin's wing power.

Ash also learned the abilities of his two Pokemon thanks to the new Advanced Pokedex given to him by his mother, which she decided to purchase for him. She felt she had to contribute to his training and gave him a new Pokedex design that flipped like a game handheld console (AN: Gen III Kanto). It had all the standard features of a Pokedex, plus additional content like access to the PokeNet, GPS for all the regions, The Official Pokemon League Trainer Channel for updates from the league, matches to view both live and recorded and chat rooms for all the regions. Finally, it had a built-in phone that could be used to talk to anyone Ash wanted.

According to his new Pokedex, Azrael had Justified , meaning he had an advantage over his fellow Dark Types and those who used Dark Attacks. Every Dark Type blow Azrael got would only make him stronger the more he got hit with them. He would still feel the pain and damage but could pay it back with each hit.

Meanwhile, Skye was discovered to have Big Pecks , which meant that she didn't have to worry about someone lowering her defense and sturdiness in the future. To test it out, Azrael used Leer on her. Skye could ignore it and not flinch once while feeling no change in her body. It was a helpful ability, for sure.

The group grew more powerful but had a long way to go based on their outcomes against the more experienced Lab Pokemon. Occasionally, they would get a victory here or there against the more rookie types, but it was more losses than wins. Ash wouldn't deny that it upset him sometimes, but a talk with Sorrin had been able to help him move on from such a mindset.

Ash sighed as he kicked a can down the road while walking away from Professor Oak's lab. Azrael and Skye were getting healed after a hard battle with two of Gary's newest Pokemon: Mira the Growlithe and Kinga the Krabby. Gary had been catching many Pokemon lately, and they were all strong. Not to mention, he had been getting involved in so many adventures since he left:

Meeting a clan of Clefairy at Mt. Moon who worshiped a large Moon Stone while getting one of them to join him.

Helping a squad of abandoned Squirtles change their ways to become firefighters.

And winning both the Cascade Badge and Thunder Badge in Cerulean City and Vermillion City.

Gary was on a roll, and it seemed that Ash was still far behind, even though a former champion, an experienced Pokemon, and a legendary trained him. Maybe he was impatient, but he was seriously wondering if things were going too slow at the moment. Especially since his team was still not powerful enough to defeat most of the more experienced Pokemon at the lab. Wild Pokemon were easy to beat, but there were only so many other Pidgeys, Rattatas, Oddish, Caterpies, and even Ekans that you could fight before getting tired of them.

Is my training paying off? Ash wondered to himself as he passed by the lampposts with black ribbons on them. He frowned upon remembering why the town was still in a state of mourning.

Chase, the trainer who had chosen Charmander, had died during a terrorist attack from Team Rocket on board the S.S. Anne. It was a trap set up by Team Rocket to steal every trainer's Pokemon. The trainers fought back, but in the chaos of the battle, the ship was heavily damaged.

A lot of people, crew members, guests, and Team Rocket members, had died in the incident. Chase, whose last message to his parents was that he won a trip on the cruise, had been one of the casualties as his body, along with his Charmander, had washed up on the shores of one of the nearby islands. The rest of his Pokemon were also missing, and it was assumed they had downed in the sea or died in the accident.

The bodies of Chase and Charmander, who he named Benny, had been returned to Pallet Town for the funeral, and Ash attended it with his mother to give his condolences to the family. Seeing Chase and Charmander's closed caskets made Ash wonder what would have happened if he had been on the S. instead. Or what if Pikachu had succeeded in killing him? Would his mother, Professor Oak, Gary, Mimey, Sorrin, Azrael, and Skye all be weeping for him like Chase's parents and friends were? He knew the life of a Pokemon Trainer was dangerous, but seeing the two graves brought it home just how easy it was to lose your life.

It was another reason to get stronger.

But what if I'm still not strong enough? What if I keep failing? What if-

("Doubt clouding your mind?") Ash paused and turned to see Sorrin resting on a large fence outside his home. He smiled warmly at Ash and chuckled. ("You were so preoccupied with your thoughts that you didn't realize you were passing your own house.")

"Oh," Ash whispered as he sighed and leaned on the front fence. "I guess I was in too deep of thought."

("Your father had the same expression whenever something was bothering him,") Sorrin asked as he put his large wing around Ash, who nuzzled deep inside the feathers. ("Are you worried about my daughter and Azrael?")

"No, I just..." Ash sighed. "We lost again. I guess I'm just worried that I'm not improving. I hate that I keep losing all the time."

("No trainer ever stays invincible forever, Ash. Even the strongest of trainers lose, and some lose a lot before they become great,") Sorrin told his master's son as he looked up at the ceiling. ("Your father lost a lot of Pokemon battles. In fact, I've taken my share of embarrassing defeats. I once lost to a Caterpie. Ignus never let me forget that, even on his dying day. Then there was the time I lost to a Nidoran as a Pidigotto because his horn managed to go right up my butthole. I couldn't move my tailend for a week after that.")

"Hehehe," Ash giggled at the story, but Sorrin smiled and continued.

("And then there was the time we all lost to this one trainer who only had Clefairies") Sorrin said before laughing. ("All of them used Metronome and hit us with a strong attack that also happened to be our Type Weakness. They each knocked us out with one blow. Talk about bad luck.")

Sighing, Sorrin then looked down with a sad yet nostalgic look in his eyes. ("But no matter the loss, Red never stopped training or getting better. Every defeat was just another lesson and drive to push him to improve. He would get knocked down, hurt, blistered, and sometimes cry in silence. But he would get back up and start again. And that went for the rest of us, too. Me, Ignus, Rai, Mystica, Helios, Ranmaru, Grand, Mary-Ann, Hamad, and Kohirabi all picked up from that attitude as well.")

"...Is that how you moved on after Dad died with most of the team in the war?" Ash asked, looking up at Sorrin.

("I will not lie and say it was not hard to move on after the deaths of Red and so many of my friends") Sorrin answered with a heavy sigh. ("We were all family to each other. A bond that was forged over the years with hardship, laughter, sweat, tears, victory, loss, adventure, and happiness. I would never trade my memories of those days for anything in the world.")

He then turned to Ash and gave a small smile. ("But I remember how Red would deal with such loss and pain every day. He would prepare himself, toughen up, and walk through the door to live another day. He would learn, grow, and prepare for the next disaster before doing the same repeatedly with each loss. Because Red didn't see losses as the end of the world. He saw them as just another challenge to overcome and grow stronger.")

Sorrin leaned down to Ash and nuzzled his face. ("And growing stronger is what he did, Ash. That is the best advice I can give you. Whenever you lose? Learn and grow stronger from it so your team can become stronger. Even if you face the worst defeat in your life, you cannot give up. You must continue onward. Because your team isn't giving up, so you shouldn't as well.")

Ash looked up at Sorrin and nodded as all traces of his worries faded from his mind. Looking at his Pokedex upon getting a text, Ash smirked and said, "I'm going to get Azrael and Skye from the Professor's place. We'll take it easy the rest of the day before doubling our efforts tomorrow."

("Sounds like a plan.")

Ash nodded and was about to head out, but instead, he smiled warmly at Sorrin and said, "Thanks for the advice, Sorrin."

("Always, Ash,") Sorrin said as he watched Ash run off. ("Always.")

While Professor Oak, his Pokemon Team, and Sorrin all played a role in teaching, Mew was the most surprising. For a Pokemon who seemed to joke around and pull pranks occasionally, they were brilliant in battling and combat. Mew took on Professor Oak's entire team, consisting of his Dragonite, Alakazam, Arcanine, Nidoking, Vaporeon, and Venusaur, to show her power.

Mew beat them all in thirty minutes with barely any damage done to her in such a one-sided and epic fight that nobody could speak afterward except for Mew, who said it was an excellent light workout.

For Ash, this was mind-blowing. Professor Oak had been a Region Champion at nineteen, the youngest in Kanto history. Even though he only held it for one year before retiring from Pokemon Battling to focus on his studies as a researcher, he was still considered one of the strongest Pokemon Trainers in the entire region to this day. He was enough to beat most of the Elite Four, and it was still a widespread online discussion among fans who would win in a fight: Former Champion Oak or Current Champion Lance.

Professor Oak was not a pushover, but whatever strength a Pokemon Master might have, it pales compared to the Legendary Pokemon. Mew would even say that she wasn't the strongest Legendary in the world either, as many others could match her or be considered greater than her. It opened Ash's mind to how small he was compared to others in the greater world.

Ash couldn't sleep. He had a horrible nightmare last night that he was afraid of seeing again tonight. It was one where Pikachu, a giant-sized version of him, smashed through Pallet Town and killed everyone but Ash, leaving him to suffer the losses of his family and friends. He had to be woken up by his mother and sobbed in her embrace as Azrael and Skye nuzzled him for comfort.

Even after three months, he was still scared of Pikachu in general. The ones at the lab gave him panic attacks, and after explaining the situation, they agreed to stay clear of Ash for his mental health. The sessions with his therapist were helping, but it was clear that they had a long way to go. The young, traumatized boy had managed to finally accept that what he was going through was not his fault or a sense of weakness, but it still hurt to deal with every day. Ash sometimes wondered if he would ever return to being normal or if that ship had already sailed.

Standing up, Ash walked down the stairs, past the living room, and through the back door to look up at the stars. Seeing them always gave him a sense of comfort. He stared at them for some time until he felt a familiar presence behind him. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he could always tell when Mew was around in a general sense, which he chalked up to whatever bond he had formed with the Legendary.

"Hey, Mew," Ash greeted as the cat-shaped Legendary landed on his shoulder. "How was the meeting?"

("Boring as always") Mew said with a shrug. Since Ash could understand her, she didn't need to use telepathy. ("Arceus went on about the usual stuff. Groudon and Kyogre argued. Cobalion is an emotionless robot. Zekrom and Zapdos got into a debate about thunderstorm types. And Heatran can't stop heating the place.")

That honestly sounded interesting to Ash. An entire meeting of most of the planet's Legendaries came together to discuss the world's condition in the mythical Hall of Origin in Sinnoh, where the universe came to life. It amazed Ash just how many Legendaries there were in the world, as well as how many were following Arceus while others refused to do so for various reasons.

"Say, Mew? Compared to the other Legendaries, how strong are you?" Ash asked as he looked at the smiling Pokemon.

("Well, my strength is that I know practically every move in the book and can transform into any Pokemon I want. Two things limit me: I can't turn into certain Legendaries like Palkia or such. And Two, I can't use their special moves. They were made for them and them only. My strength is my versatility, which allows me to switch to various moves on the fly. Plus, the transformation makes it easier for me to hide from trainers.")

"So kinda like Dittos?" Ash asked.

("Yup! In fact, Dittos are the offspring of a Mew and Arceus, believe it or not,") Mew said, which made Ash's eyes widen. ("Surprised? All Pokemon are descendants of a Mew who either mated with a Legendary in the past or mated with a new Pokemon that gave birth to a new species that spread. There was once a time when the only other Pokemon besides certain Legendaries were Mew, but as we mated with everything, we became less and less around until I was the only one left. I was the last natural-born Mew between two Mews about five thousand years ago. After my parents died, I was the only one left. And I'll always be the only one left.")

"Why?" Ash asked.

With a sad smile, Mew turned to Ash and answered, ("Because a Mew can't age until they pass on their genes. Be they the mother or father, they cannot die of old age until their gene has passed. It's just how we were made. But I'm sterile. I can't pass on my genes. I'm never going to have kids of my own.")

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Ash whispered in horror.

("It's okay. I kind of like having semi-immortality. There is so much to see and do, especially with you humans always changing things around every century or so,") Mew said as she floated in the air and flipped upside down. Giggling, she said, ("Maybe I'll never be a mother, but I can still be a lover. A friend. A sister. A buddy. Etc. Etc. I've had mates, even if we never had children. I'm practically friends with all the Legendaries, even if I annoy them every so often. And I'm very powerful thanks to all my years of being alive. The only Pokemon who can match me or are greater than me are few.")

And then Ash began to learn just how powerful the greatest of the Legendaries were.

Palkia, the Legendary Pokemon of Space, could distort space and create dimensions. Her Spacial Rend could split the sky and cut across reality to swallow you into oblivion or some other dimension of pure horror that you could not escape.

Dialga, the Legendary Pokemon of Time, could see and feel all the threads of multiple timelines in the past, present, and future. The infamous Roar of Time was said to be so powerful that it could warp your entire body back in time to the point before you were born or forward it to the point where you are dust.

Giratina, the Legendary Pokemon of Antimatter and the Ruler of the Distortion World. The realm where evil and corrupt souls suffer upon death. Giratina was called the "Renegade Pokemon" for their rebellion against Arceus and numerous efforts to usurp his position as God. Though calmed down for the most part now, Giratina was still whispering with fear as her wrath was said to be apocalyptic, especially when using her deadly Shadow Force .

All three children of Arceus were vital because they helped maintain the balance of the universe so that nothing fell apart. Without any of them around, the entire universe and reality itself would cease to function. That was why most of their power was focused on keeping such balance in check, as without them, it would be a disaster unlike anything ever seen. And while they had their issues, ultimately, they were siblings who cared about each other and their father. Even if Giratina had her qualms with the others, Mew believed she still loved her family deep down.

That wasn't to say that there weren't other powerful Legendaries outside of them.

In Hoenn, there was Rayquaza, The Legendary Pokemon of Sky and Defender of the Planet, who was worshiped by the Hoenns as their true God, even more so than Arceus due to the origin story. Trusted with the fate of protecting the planet from threats like asteroids with his mighty Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza was the one who could tame the infamous rivalry of the Legendaries Groudon and Kyogre. He was also the only Pokemon who could Mega Evolve without a Mega Stone.

Kyurem, the Legendary Pokémon of Boundary and Shell of the Legendary Great Dragon of Unova, was another powerful and deadly one. Kyurem was a being of cold hatred whose Glaciate was said to be pure frozen death. Although hidden away from the world, Kyurem was always seeking a means to return to his former glory and was said to be the strongest Ice-type Pokemon in the world. He could also steal the abilities of his counterparts, Reshiram and Zekrom, making him extremely dangerous.

Kalos was home to three important and influential Pokemon that were also a near match for the Sinnoh Creation Trio.

First was Xerneas, The Legendary Pokemon of Life, who was among the most beautiful Pokemon in the world and practically seen as the leader of all Fairy Types. However, due to the embarrassment of most (Including Professor Oak, who made a quick change to the Pokedex), they often misgendered Xerneas as a female when they were really male. What made Xerneas so powerful and noble was their ability to heal any injury with Geomancy , both for nature and Pokemon. He was also one the only Pokemon, outside of Arceus, who could revive the dead, provided they had an intact body and hadn't been dead for too long.

Then there was Yveltal, The Legendary Pokemon of Death, who was considered to be among the most dangerous of the Legendaries. Just by being near him, you were exposed to his deathly aura, and whenever he went, destruction followed. Of course, that was nothing compared to his Oblivion Wing, a move that even Mew said she wouldn't want to get caught in as few can even resist it since its purpose was to bring pure annihilation towards anyone who was caught in it. Yveltal was often seen as the "Grim Reaper" of Pokemon due to his duties of traveling to the spirit world to collect the souls of the dead and properly send them to Arceus or Giratina based on their actions in life.

Finally, there was Zygarde, The Legendary Pokemon of Nature, believed to be a myth, but Mew confirmed they existed. They existed everywhere due to being split into multiple small "Cores" and "Cells" that monitored the balance of the ecosystem across the entire world. Zygarde could reform himself into a certain percentage of his Cores for travel or combat, but rarely was he involved in such things. A fully powered 100% Zygarde was said to be one of the most powerful Legendaries, especially when they used Core Enforcer. However, Zygarde has only done that twice in two dark moments in history: Giratina's Rebellion and The Darkest Day.

Speaking of The Darkest Day, there was also the sadly deceased Legendary Wolf Duo known as Zacian and Zamazenta from Galar. The wolves had once been the greatest knights of Galar and served the royal family as their protectors. Zacian was the greatest swordwielder ever with her Crowned Sword while her brother Zamazenta's Crowned Shield was said to be impenetrable even against the Legendary attacks. The two sacrificed themselves to defeat The Darkest Day and were missed by the Legendaries who honored them even today.

However, none of the Legendaries can compare to Arceus.

The God of the World.

The Creator.

The Original One.

The very first being to exist and conceived the entire state of creation. According to Mew, the Arceus that was known to all was merely the physical representation of their proper form and was beyond mortal understanding. Arceus was powerful, wise, cunning, gentle, kind, wrathful, and many other emotions. Arceus had decided the fate of entire civilizations with his blessings and curses. He knew every attack like Mew, but he was also able to access all the Legendary moves as he wished unlike her. He could change his type with his Legendary Plates on a whim to take whatever form was needed and even use them all at once to be near invincibility, with only The Darkest Day having ever come close to beating him in that form.

Then, there was the most powerful attack in the entire Pokemon World. One that only he could use.

Judgment

A move that, according to Mew, was capable of destroying the entire world if Arceus wished it. He had only ever used that move thrice in existence, and each one had devastating consequences. If Arceus used that move...well, Mew said it best.

("You are fucked.")

It amazed Ash just how powerful the Legendary Pokemon were, and it made sense that so many worshiped them as gods. But for Ash, it was also a means to get him to help him focus on getting stronger because, deep down, he wanted to challenge a Legendary Pokemon to a fight one day. A fight where he would do his best to win not just for the glory but for a chance to prove himself. If he could defeat a Legendary, then he would become one step closer to becoming a Pokemon Master.

According to a Mew, only a handful of humans and Pokemon had ever defeated Legendary Pokemon, much less captured them for a time. Only one person ever defeated Arceus (even if he was holding back considerably) during a time when Sinnoh was called Hisui at the time. But that didn't hold Ash back; it made him want to train even harder.

"You think I can beat a Legendary?" Ash asked.

("Well, I have said It's been done before,") Mew said with a nod before smiling as he grabbed Ash's hand and held it. ("In fact, let's make a deal, Ash!")

"A deal?"

("Yup! When you feel you have become a true Pokemon Master, I will give you the honor of battling me as well as the chance to capture me! You can come with as many Pokemon as you want, and I'll give you my all! No holding back for either of us! But you only get to do this once, so you better call it when you know you are ready for me. Be it even years from now, you better be the best there is and the best there ever was! Because I will accept nothing less!")

Ash stared at the determination in Mew's eyes, and at that moment, he felt a new dream bursting inside of him. A dream that was similar to his dream of being a Pokemon Master.

To beat and capture Mew.

He wanted to be the one to show her that he was the best, and he could prove it by beating her.

It was ambitious, and Ash was sure it would take him a long time to do it, but he felt like he could.

No, he knew he could.

"...Alright, Mew! You got a deal!" Ash said as he held out his hand.

"Great!" Mew cheered as she shook it.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Mew and Ash froze up before slowly turning to see a tired Delia Ketchum glaring at them. "Do you two know what time it is?"

Mew and Ash gulped as they stared into the furious and disapproving eyes of the one creature that even Arceus would be afraid of.

An angry Delia Ketchum who soon unleashed her ultimate attack.

Harsh Scolding.

It was a Critical Hit.