Essence

by vincentgrey21

Ash has always wanted to be a pokemon master. When the time comes for him to pick out his first pokemon, he shocks Professor Oak with a peculiar request. One thing leads to another, and he ends up with a loyal Growlithe. How will this unique situation affect the boy's destiny?

3. Kanto 3

Kanto 3: Essence

"Do you miss it?" asked Ash, curiously.

His fairy-type looked up at him in a confused manner. Her wings glowed, as she absorbed a small concentration of lunar essence from the alluring full moon.

"Mt. Moon… do you miss it?"

Clefairy shook her head left to right, after comprehending her trainer.

"Really, what about your parents?" questioned the boy, with an amiable under-tone.

Clefairy darted her eyes in the direction of the sleeping grass-type. There's no way she would show emotional weakness in front of her new comrade.

"Don't worry about him, he's out cold," chuckled Ash. "Since Growlithe's still recovering, Bulbasaur's been traveling with me all day…seems his first day away from the spa wore him out."

The fairy-type sighed; it was obvious that her trainer was fishing for vulnerability. She trusted him, and since the saurian was asleep she decided to comply. She nodded her head affirmatively, signifying that she did in fact miss her parents.

Ash frowned. "You know, I've never really known my dad. But before I left on my journey, I had never gone a single day without seeing my mom."

Clefairy listened intently.

"For the majority of my life it was just me and my mom," said Ash. "We did just fine, she's a bit nosy and kind of over-the-top sometimes, but I love her."

The dark-haired boy gazed at the beautiful moon, as he reflected aloud. "And no matter how far apart we are that'll never change."

He looked Clefairy in the eyes with care. "I can't ever replace your parents, but I'll try and do my best to care for you in a similar way."

Clefairy processed her trainers' words. The moonstone definitely had answered her prayers.

Her trainer was so thoughtful. She missed her family, but she was sure that Ash would do a great job of filling a similar role in her life. Ash was right, he could never replace her parents, but she looked forward to finding out what it was like to have a wise older brother.

"We're building a family Clefairy," said Ash. "I'm glad that you're a part of it."

The fairy-type smiled, as she filled the capacity of her wings. She had always wanted to see the world; that gift by itself was enough to make her happy. The fact that she had gained a family in the process was something she would always cherish.

"I don't know how long you'll be the only girl around," said Ash. "But in the meantime, I need your feminine perspective."

The dark haired boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, including himself in his comment. "Boys can be a little careless sometimes."

Clefairy lightly chuckled, before nodding to her trainer. She would do the best she could to provide a cushion for their impulsiveness.

They sat at the campsite in silence for a while. Ash and his Clefairy stared out at the full moon entrancingly. They say happiness will come to those that see a Clefairy under a full moon, but the one that was overjoyed was the precious fairy-type.

XXX

"That's it!" hollered an excited Ash. "Now let's try it one more time at full power!"

Pidgeotto keenly focused from above. He measured out the perfect amount of draconic-energy, before actualizing an immense whirlwind. With the use of both wings, he merged the two powers together. The fusion of elements created a menacing purple-tinted tornado; it roared like a freight train, before finally fizzling out in mid-air. The result was satisfying. All of their hard work had finally come into fruition.

…Twister had been mastered.

The rest of the team howled in celebration. Growlithe and Clefairy knew how hard the bird had been working the past couple of weeks. Bulbasaur had only been around for a couple of days, but that didn't matter. The grass-type was no stranger to the arduous chore of mastering a new skill.

The morning had been productive. Pidgeotto was the last participant of four one-on-one training sessions.

He had worked with Bulbasaur first. At some point during the past couple days of travel, Ash had used his pokedex to figure out Bulbasaur's current move-set and ability. The squamata reptile was relatively balanced. He knew two physical attacks, in tackle and vine-whip. From what Ash had seen over the past couple of days, the grass-type was extremely talented with the ladder. Bulbasaur also was the bearer of three status altering techniques. He had great control over his leech-seed and growl; in addition, his poison powder was extremely potent.

The seed pokemon's ability was extremely rare. Most bulbasaur were born with the ability overgrow, which is a status boosting condition that activates when the carrier is pushed to exhaustion. Ash's Bulbasaur, however had an unusual ability called chlorophyll. According to the pokedex, roughly three-percent of the species was born with it. Apparently, chlorophyll uses the light from the sun to create an organic steroid in its bulb. It then facilitates the steroid into its leg muscles, doubling its speed. This explained why Bulbasaur was uncommonly agile compared to the rest of his breed. It also would be a massive help as Bulbasaur grew; Venusaur weren't normally praised for their mobility.

Since Bulbasaur had satisfactory control over his entire current move-set, Ash spent their time together learning two new techniques. The first was sleep-powder. Bulbasaur's species definitely had a strong physical prowess, but their true strength lied in their bulb. The seed pokemon's evolutionary line was known for being able to manipulate status conditions at ease. The numerous biological chemicals, brewing within its bulb, gave the species a lot of options entailing learnable status techniques.

Ash figured sleep-powder was a good and easy way to start tapping into that potential. By the end of their session, Bulbasaur had a good idea of what chemicals he needed to mix together, in order to create a potent sleep inducing fragrance. It was still far from finished though, finding the right measurement for each ingredient would take some time.

The other technique they worked on was takedown. Ash wasn't a huge fan of attacks that caused recoil because of their unpredictability. However, Bulbasaur needed a stronger non-elemental physical attack, and takedown would be quick to learn. It was basically a more reckless form of tackle, so there wasn't all that much to teach. He figured Bulbasaur would have it down fairly soon.

Ash's time with Growlithe was highly beneficent. The fire-type had finally recovered from the poison, and was fresh from all of the rest he had gotten the past couple of days. The puppy pokemon was still ironing out flame-wheel. At this point, there was really nothing Ash could do to help. From a technical stand point Growlithe was exceeding expectations. All of the trouble they were having was completely based on experience and power. Growlithe was the youngest of his pokemon, and in the category of pure strength it showed. Bit by bit his inner-flame was growing, Ash just had to be patient. Growlithe's elemental techniques would come into their own with growth. In the meantime all they could do was grind.

Clefairy still had her hands full with minimize. Her grip on her thaumaturgic energy was getting better. She was now capable of drawing it in to her cells, which was great progress. The struggle now was entirely control related. She needed to figure out how to manipulate and maintain. Shifting the amount of reduction took a tremendous amount of concentration. Maintaining a stable reduction was absolutely exhausting, because of the necessary continual flow of thaumaturgic energy required to sustain.

Ash was very pleased with Pidgeotto. Now that he had successfully mastered twister, he could move on. Ash would give Pidgeotto the rest of the day to celebrate his triumphant victory over the elemental attack. Tomorrow they would begin learning the tedious technique feather-dance; a bizarre status move that covers an opponent in a mass of molted down feathers to soften their physical attacks.

Ash signaled Pidgeotto to come down from the skies. He personally applauded the avian on the brilliant display, before addressing his team. "Good work this morning guys. I don't know about you but I'm starving, how about some lunch?"

…There were no complaints.

Ash raked through his bag. He prepared all of his friends their bowls of pokemon food, before whipping together an easy meal of dried fruit and nuts for himself. Ash was still trying to figure out the whole cooking thing. Right now, he had no way of keeping meals frozen, so he had to live purely off of dried food. During his next trip to a city, he planned on picking up some rice and oatmeal, that way he could put together some more satisfying meals.

As they ate, Ash watched how his friends interacted. Bulbasaur was fitting right in. Clefairy and Growlithe both got along extremely well with the grass-type. The two more level-headed pokemon appreciated Bulbasaur's desire to get stronger. Unlike Pidgeotto, they had heard his story. They knew what kind of challenges the saurian would face.

Pidgeotto, however, enjoyed Bulbasaur for an entirely different reason. Whenever they had free time the two new comrades would play a game of tag. Bulbasaur loved to use his vines to hastily evade the flying-type. Pidgeotto simply enjoyed the mock hunt. Ash didn't mind it either. It allowed Pidgeotto to release his instinctual desires as a bird-of-prey in a much more placid way. Besides, Bulbasaur actually enjoyed the thrill. It was the perfect stress relief.

"Alright, so we are a little bit more than half way there," said Ash.

The dark-haired boy showed his four pokemon a map of Kanto that was programmed into his pokedex.

"That blinking red dot is us," said Ash, as he pointed at the screen. "I'd guess we have a little bit more than a week left of travel before we reach Vermillion City.

Ash's pokemon concentrated and observed, trying to follow what their trainer was telling them.

"You see this pink dot," said Ash, as he pointed. "That's a pokemon center. If we get moving soon, we should be able to make it before dark."

Ash's eyes lit up. "A nice meal and a shower sounds awfully great right about now."

His pokemon were sold. A well-deserved trip to a pokemon center was just what they needed. Their sore bodies were screaming for Nurse Joy's restoration machine. They finished up their meals and began their pursuit. It was time for a quick pit-stop

XXX

Ash looked atop the large boulder. He frantically checked his pokedex to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Charmander (the lizard pokemon) -The flame at the tip of its tail indicates its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the pokemon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely. It is also an indicator of the lizard pokemon's life force. If it is weak, the flame on its tail will burn weakly"

The recently confirmed charmander lied on top of the stone peculiarly. It was curled up in a ball; the flame on the tip of its tail was less than mundane. Its orange body was battered and bruised, and its cream-colored belly looked pale. The bipedal lizard's short stubby arms were fidgeting, and its eyes were shut.

Ash's chest tightened; he had a bad feeling about this. "Growlithe go check on it!"

The puppy pokemon sprang into action. He quickly grappled the big rock and closely examined his fellow fire-type. Ash watched, as Growlithe nudged the charmander multiple times. There was no response. The puppy pokemon yelped at his trainer. Ash could tell by Growlithe's reaction that they had a serious problem.

The ten-year old boy frantically scaled the rough stone. At a closer vantage point, Ash could clearly see the severity of the situation. The charmander was in critical condition; they had to act quickly.

He returned Growlithe and released Pidgeotto onto the ground with no time to waste. He thought about applying a potion, but came to the conclusion that it wouldn't help. The charmander needed a trained professional. He gently picked up the battered lizard pokemon, before facing Pidgeotto.

"I need a ride right now!" commanded Ash. "It doesn't have much time!"

Pidgeotto prepared for impact as Ash jumped from atop the boulder onto his back. Ash painfully grimaced in response to the recoil of the impulsive stunt. The charmander fidgeted in his arms - it didn't respond well to the sudden movement.

…Ash didn't have a choice though. If they didn't hurry - it would die.

The distressed boy desperately pointed south. "That way as fast as you can go without killing us! Look for a pokemon center, it should be close!"

Ash used one arm to hang on to Pidgeotto's neck and the other to carry the charmander. He ignored the pain, as he burned his dominant hand while trying to secure its tail-flame. It was the only way to keep his avian from being slowly cooked.

The raptor-like avian launched itself into the air like a breakneck jet. Ash's cheeks rippled in response to the high accelerated climb. He desperately clung to Pidgeotto, while enduring the grinding affliction of riding without a saddle. He couldn't look out at his surroundings. The dark-haired boy had to focus on hanging on to the lizard pokemon.

…His trust had to lie with Pidgeotto's keen eyes.

The charmander convulsed; Ash worried that he didn't have much time before the little guy entered cardiac arrest.

Pidgeotto whizzed through the air at a tremendous rate. He used his eyes to scan through the trees from a birds-eye-view. Ash said that it was close, so the avian figured he should be nearing a visual.

A clearing approached. He could see the trees begin to thin out into a commodious glade. As he raced through the skies, he used his acute optics to zero in on what lied ahead. He saw it; a large cabin-like building with a rosy pink roof. The avian shackled his wings to his body, as he entered a steep descent.

The wind howled. Ash held on tight as he felt their altitude begin to shift. The charmander moaned in distress, clearly in a lot of pain. The tail-flame Ash was securing was beginning to dwindle. They had to hurry.

Pidgeotto expelled his wings in preparation to land. He began to gradually slow down as they neared the pokemon center. He noticed the gaze of several idle humans as they watched the giant's rapid approach. He fought back the fiendish urge to throw a light gust their way as he neared the ground.

The landing was rough. Ash gnashed his teeth as Pidgeotto's talons slid through the gravel. The distressed boy ignored the annoying onlookers, as they came to a jagged stop. Ash didn't wait for Pidgeotto to lower himself. He jumped from the bird's elevated posterior, ignoring the jarring shock when his feet collided with the ground.

"Wait out here!" vociferated Ash, as he sprinted to the pokemon center's front entrance. He accidentally used his burned hand to pry open the door. He winced, as he felt the sharp aggravating pain of the cold metal making contact with his bubbling skin.

Ash caused a ruckus as he barreled into the pokemon center's lobby. He had tunnel vision while he zoned everything out except for the front desk. Nurse Joy jerked, reacting to the loud commotion. Ash watched, as her eyes focused in on the pokemon in his arms. She turned to the large pink egg-shaped pokemon to her right.

"Get the rest of the medical staff!" bellowed the pink-haired nurse. "Tell them to prepare for the worst! I need and EKG and a coagulation panel!"

She scampered from the lobby desk and ran out to meet Ash. She held out her arms in preparation to receive the severely injured lizard-pokemon. "I'll be taking it from here!"

Ash didn't argue. He relinquished responsibility to nurse Joy and gave up the charmander. He watched as she swept it away frenziedly, rushing back behind her desk and vanishing through a white door that must have led to the medical wing.

Ash bent over as he panted. The adrenaline from the alarming emergency had masked his exhaustion until now. A couple of other kids tried to near him to find out what had happened, but he unknowingly ignored them. All he could think about was the injured charmander.

He came to his senses and remembered that he had left Pidgeotto outside. The boy hastily exited the pokemon center, and without a word returned his friend. Pidgeotto at the time was receiving a surplus of dumfounded stares from an encompassing crowd. Ash shook his head - it was like none of them had ever seen a giant pidgeotto before.

He walked back into the pokemon center and made his way over to the waiting room. Ash ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to process the last fifteen minutes.

…A lot had happened.

The ten-year old boy's hand quivered, as he reached for Growlithe's pokeball. He wanted his best-friend right now. Hopefully Growlithe could distract him from all of the intrusive thoughts. Seeing a pokemon in such bad shape was difficult to handle. Pokemon obviously picked up injuries in battle - some more serious than others. But charmander was beaten up to a point of borderline lethality.

Ash had no way to tell what the circumstances were. It was possible that Charmander was beaten to a pulp by a wild pokemon. If that was the case, it most likely had to be a group ambush. This theory was highly unlikely though. There really weren't that many savage wild pokemon in these parts.

Another thing to keep in mind was that wild charmander were very rare, and they absolutely were not indigenous to this part of Kanto. Charmander could only be found in hot mountainous parts of the region, which pretty much limited their possible habitats to a few of the southern islands. This truth brought Ash to the conclusion that unless this charmander was a nomad that had somehow figured out a way to cross the sea. It had to be a trainers.

The dark-haired boy didn't want to believe it. He knew that the world had some sick people, but to abandon a pokemon in that condition was completely heartless. He hoped he was wrong. But after hearing from Melanie what had happened to Bulbasaur's parents, he was a little doubtful towards humanity.

Growlithe eyed his trainer. All it took was one glance at Ash's expression for the puppy pokemon to be able to tell that the lizard's condition must have been as serious as he anticipated. He curled up close to his trainer, and gently rubbed his head up against Ash's pant-leg. He could tell Ash needed some support.

"Thanks buddy," said Ash, as he tenderly scratched behind Growlithe's ears. "I'm just worried about the little guy, that's all."

Growlithe nodded - he didn't need an explanation.

Time passed by slowly. The waiting room began to get quiet as the conflux of trainers gradually retired to their rooms. Ash and Growlithe just sat there - long after arrival. The windows were dark, signifying that the sun had set. Ash's legs were stiff as a result of going such a long time without stretching his legs.

His eyes were locked on to the white door that Nurse Joy had passed through. It had been close to three hours since she shambled out of sight with the limp charmander in her arms. Ash just needed to hear some kind of news. Sitting in limbo for so long was causing a significant amount of anxiety.

It took about another hour for Nurse Joy to finally emerge from behind the white pivot door. She calmly approached Ash, before flashing him a kind smile.

"I'm happy to say that we managed to stabilize the charmander," said the nurse. "It still remains unconscious, but with a couple days of rest here it should fully recover."

Ash breathed a massive sigh of relief, as he thanked an unknown higher power.

Growlithe reacted similarly, just as alleviated as Ash.

Joy's facial expression turned from an amiable smile, to a venomous scowl. "While we were working on Charmander we were able to deduce with our technology that it is a captured pokemon."

Ash's earlier hypothesis was correct. The charmander had been abused and abandoned.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report you to the league for pokemon abuse," scolded the pink haired nurse.

Ash waved his arms back and forth frantically. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! you've got it all wrong! Nurse Joy, that's not my charmander."

"Then who's is it?" asked Joy skeptically.

Ash frowned. "I have no idea. I found it like that about a mile north of here."

She sighed. "You seem to be telling the truth, but I'll have to run your information regardless. Since this charmander has without a doubt been captured, there will be no need to have you investigated if your trainer account says that you've never captured a member of its species."

Ash willingly complied, handing Nurse Joy his pokedex.

He followed Joy as she walked over to the front desk. The pink-haired nurse placed Ash's pokedex in a portable scanning slot that was connected to her computer with a thin black wire. She pressed a few buttons on her keyboard, while mumbling to herself.

"Let's see here kid," muttered Joy, as she analyzed whatever was pulled up on the screen. "It says here that you are in possession of a growlithe…"

She paused, breaking her concentration to quickly examine Growlithe before continuing. "A pidgeotto, a clefairy…hmm don't see that every day, and a bulbasaur - also rare."

"I don't see a charmander registered under your name, so you must be telling the truth," said Joy. "It seems you're a hero, not a rotten pokemon abuser."

Ash scratched the back of his head. This pokemon center's Nurse Joy was definitely bolder then any he had met before.

"Well, since that's been cleared up," said the nurse, as she handed back his pokedex. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Actually, there is," replied Ash. "Can you please treat my pokemon and book me a room for the next couple of nights. We've been on the road for quite some time, so they're a bit worn out. And I don't feel comfortable leaving before I know that Charmander has fully-recovered."

"Sure thing," retorted Joy, as she reached under her desk and pulled out an aluminum tray with six spherical slots. "Place your pokeballs on the tray and I will take care of them."

Ash did as he was told. He returned Growlithe with a tranquil smile, before placing all four of his pokeballs in the slots on the tray. Nurse Joy handed them to her assistant chansey, before beginning to sift through a drawer in her desk.

Ash watched, as the pudgy pink egg-pokemon plodded through the door to the medical wing.

Nurse Joy rudely waved a keycard in Ash's face, garnering his attention. "Earth to kid, here's your room-card."

Ash instinctively reached out to grab the card with his dominant hand. As his bubbling extremity was suspended in front of Nurse Joy's face, her eyes lit up. He quickly drew back his hand in attempt to conceal it from the nurses' vision.

"Oh...no you don't," said Nurse Joy. "Let me see it."

It was no use, he'd been caught. Ash placed his right hand on the counter, letting Nurse Joy analyze it.

"My goodness child," gasped Joy. "Those are considerable burns."

Ash frowned. "Yeah I got them while I was carrying Charmander."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" asked the nurse, as she pointed at Ash's palm. "I mean…that has to be excruciating. You burned straight through your epithelium into your dermis; those are legit second-degree burns."

"You had your hands full," replied Ash. "I didn't want to take any attention from the charmander."

"This is a hospital," orated Joy. "We have more than one doctor on staff."

Ash bashfully lowered his gaze. "Oh…can I have someone take a look at this then?"

"Duh," said Nurse Joy, as she gestured Ash over.

Ash rolled his eyes, as he followed Nurse Joy behind the front desk. She led him through the white-pivot door and down the medical wing. The dark-haired boy didn't really know how he felt about this pokemon center's Joy. She saved the charmander's life which he couldn't thank her enough for. However, her personality was rather acrimonious.

The medical wing's hallway was long and linear. The corridor was busy, as doctors in blue and green scrubs shuffled around frenziedly. There were several chansey, and many doors that looked to lead into individual doctor's offices. Nurse Joy led Ash about a quarter of the way down the hall, before escorting him into a small doctor's office.

The pink-haired nurse wasted no time. She immediately sat Ash down on a risen navy blue patient table.

"Alright, now let me see it again," said Nurse Joy, as she put on a pair of bifocal glasses.

The ten-year old boy turned his hand over, voluntarily revealing his palm to Nurse Joy. It was moist with oozing blisters. The flesh was a nasty combination of the colors pink, red, and white.

"I mean it could be worse," Ash quipped in attempt to lighten the mood. "They could be third-degree burns."

Nurse Joy squinched her eyes. "True… But this is actually about as painful of a burn as you can get. A third-degree burn destroys both the epithelium and the dermis, completely killing all of the nerves in the burned area. Most of the time you can't feel anything."

"Wow…really?" asked Ash.

"Yup," replied Joy. "You're just lucky that you got burned in a relatively non-sensitive area."

Ash gulped - he didn't think about that.

The petite nurse reached up into one of the office cabinets, extracting a small amaranth-pink colored spray-bottle. She tested it on a paper-towel; Ash assumed that the medical expert was making sure that it was the right concoction.

"What's that?" asked a slightly anxious Ash.

"It's a regenerative potion," answered Joy. "It basically quickens the human healing process one-hundred fold."

Ash had never heard of such a thing. "Is it like the potions that we use on our pokemon?"

Nurse Joy shrugged. "Kind of…only it's way stronger."

"Is that because our bodies don't heal as efficiently as a pokemon's does?"

"Exactly," replied Joy, as she slipped on some rubber medical gloves. "Pokemon don't need quite as high of a dosage. Their cell's regenerate at a much faster rate."

"This stuff sounds a bit too convenient," said Ash. "Are there any drawbacks?"

Joy placed her gloved hand under her chin. "I wouldn't say there are any drawbacks necessarily."

Ash watched as Nurse Joy reached out for his hand. He willingly gave it to her, excited for the pain to finally cease.

"But it does have its limitations," confessed the middle-aged woman. "It only works on non-vital flesh wounds. Doctor's have yet to find a human equivalent to the full-restore. Also, if the injury would have scarred during the natural healing process, it will scar after the potion is applied."

Ash pondered the interesting concept over, as he watched the nurse point the spray bottle at his hand.

"I'll warn you now, this is going to sting like hell," admitted the female doctor.

Ash nervously swallowed.

The pain was gut-wrenching. His palm felt like it was being boiled in acid, as the potion made contact with his burn. He screamed in agony, while the skin promptly grew back. The affliction he felt from the restoration potion was worse than the original scalding. The process was quick; if it was much longer his guess was that he probably would have passed out from the pain. However, the relief he felt when the healing finally finished was blissful. The dark-haired boy looked down at his palm. There was very little scarring, but the discoloration was apparent. The new patch of skin was a couple of pigments darker than the rest of his body. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his left-hand, as he repetitively opened and squeezed his right. It was a little sore, but for the most part painless.

"How does it feel?" asked Nurse Joy, as she removed the rubber gloves from her hands.

"It feels awesome now," replied Ash. "But you definitely underestimated how painful that would be."

The slender woman shrugged. "I told you it would hurt like hell, what else was I supposed to say?"

Ash frowned. "Good point."

Nurse Joy proceeded to wrap a piece of white cloth around where the new skin had grown. "Keep this on for a couple of days. The skin will be a little sensitive."

Ash nodded. "Okay, thank you Nurse Joy."

Now that the burn had been taken care, Joy led the way back to the lobby's front desk. Ash continued to open and squeeze his hand. He had to admit the rapid healing from the potion was convenient. But for a lesser injury, he'd rather have it heal on its own. The restoration potions' agonizing bite wasn't worth it unless the wound was severe.

Nurse Joy picked up the room-key off of the counter and handed it to Ash.

"Now that your hand has been taken care of, here is the key to your room," said the pretty faced woman. "You're in room nine. I'll call your room when your pokemon are ready."

Ash thanked Nurse Joy and headed down the lodging wing. It didn't take him long to track down his room. It was much more expansive then any of the other pokemon center hostiles he had stayed in. It was a single person suite, which meant that he could let Growlithe and Bulbasaur sleep outside of their pokeballs tonight. Pidgeotto was too big, and Clefairy preferred to sleep in suspended animation.

The room had its own bathroom with a shower. Ash wasted no time - he had been waiting for this moment all day. Stripping himself of his clothing and bandage, he hopped in the shower. The overall gratifying feeling of the hot water splashing against his skin, drowned out the slight irritation it caused his recently healed palm.

While Ash was getting dressed to head back to the lobby, Nurse Joy called his room. His pokemon were ready and restored. He swung by the front desk to pick up his pokeballs, before heading down to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat.

The pasta was consummately delicious. It was only the second hot meal to reach the depths of his belly in the past week. Ash was just about to leave after finishing his food, when he overheard an unpleasant conversation.

"Damn bro!" blurted a low-toned male voice. "You've got quite the collection."

"Damian's like some kind of prodigy man," admitted a kid with a nasally inflection. "How many pokemon do you have now, like fifty?"

"Fifty-three," bragged an obnoxiously arrogant voice. "No wait…fifty-two I almost forgot that I got rid of that weakling."

"Scum," muttered Ash under his breath.

"Which one did you release this time?" said the low-toned voice. "I remember you were having problems with your spearow."

"pshhh…I bet it was that kakuna you caught a while back," snorted the nasally kid. "That stupid shell just didn't want to evolve."

"Na… Kakuna finally got his ass into gear and evolved into beedrill," said the kid known as Damian. "And spearow won his last battle, so he can stick around for now."

Ash frustratingly clenched his fists, as he turned around to take a look at the triplet of menaces. In the center of the booth, in between two other boring looking pieces of trash, sat the boy known as Damian. His black beady eyes were callous and the clothing he wore gave him the appearance of a spoiled rich kid. His hair was long and dark blue; held out of his face by a pair of expensive looking sun-glasses. His countenance was worm-like - Ash could tell he was cold-blooded just by looking at his face.

"Oh wait," said the kid with a nasally voice. "It's got to be that chicken-hearted charmander."

Ash's blood was boiling. He was going to explode if Damian was the one.

"Bingo!" howled Damian, while pounding on the table like a barbarian. "I left that sorry little lizard back in the forest after getting its ass handed to it by some stupid chick's machoke."

Ash detonated out of his seat and stormed the malign brat. He had to use every little bit of restraint he had not too sick Pidgeotto on the heartless prick.

"What's your deal nerd?" mocked Damian, as he noticed a pissed-off Ash barreling towards him.

Ash wedged his way past Damian's two lackeys. He dragged the brattish filth out of the booth by the collar of his deep-pink shirt. During the scuffle, Damian's arms flailed out, jumbling his illegally massive pile of pokeballs that were lying on the table.

"You disgusting fool!" bellowed Ash. "That charmander's in the pokemon center's ICU right now! It almost died because of you!"

Ash noticed Damian's two friends rapidly jump up out of the booth.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" wailed Damian, as he tried to shake off Ash's grip.

"Try and make me!" threatened Ash. "I'm going to make you pay for the way you treated that charmander!"

Before things got out of control, and Damian's punk friends jumped in to the fracas, a large burly man in a chef-outfit pulled Ash and Damian off of each other by their shirt collars.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in my cafeteria!" boomed the powerfully built chef, as his mustache quivered and his face fumed red.

"This punk just attacked me out of nowhere!" complained Damian, as he tried to smack the brawny chef's hand off the back of his collar.

"He's a piece of trash, a pokemon almost died today because of him!" shouted Ash.

"I don't have the time to figure out which one of you little brats started it," said the powerhouse chef. "I'll let Nurse Joy sort this one out."

The chef dragged the two brawling boys out of the cafeteria, and down the hall. As they were towed roughly by their shirt collars, Ash noticed Damian's friends sneak off as soon as they got a chance.

…Scum was hardly loyal, especially when put to the fire.

Ash looked to his right to see Damian viciously scowl at his cowardly underlings.

After an uncomfortable ride, they were dropped off in front of Nurse Joy's desk by the tempered chef.

"What's going on here Sal?" asked an irritated Nurse Joy, as she took her eyes off of the computer screen. "I thought I told you to stop doing that."

Sal gave Nurse Joy a dirty look. "But these unruly children were causing a ruckus in my cafeteria!"

"Don't you mean my cafeteria," retorted Joy, with leering eyes. "Don't forget who you work for pal."

Sal challenged Joy with his stare for a split-second, before eventually diverting his gaze. "Yes mam…"

"Good," muttered Joy. "Now leave the boys to me."

The brawny chef stormed off down the hall, back towards the cafeteria, and out of site. Ash was glad the man left, he'd spent enough time around this Joy to know not to mess with her. No matter how large the man was, something about the center's Nurse Joy made her much more intimidating.

"Mr. Ketchum, did I waste my potion on your hand only for you to use it in a fight," scolded Joy. "Because if that's the case, maybe I should have left your skin boiling in blisters."

Ash gulped - she was horrifying.

"And just who the hell are you?" asked Nurse Joy, giving her attention to Damian.

"I'm the kid that was just assaulted for no reason," hissed Damian. "This prick put his hands around my throat like some kind of fiend."

"Is this true, Ash?" asked Nurse Joy.

"Yeah it is," grumbled Ash, as he darted his enraged eyes at Damian. "And I would do it again. This is the trainer that abandoned the charmander!"

Nurse Joy gave Damian the same look she had given Ash when she thought that he was the one who had abused the fire-type.

"Is Ash telling the truth?" questioned Nurse Joy.

"Of course not," lied Damian. "I would never abandon a pokemon."

Nurse Joy looked at the weasel dubiously. "If you're telling the truth, I'm sure you won't have any problem handing over your pokedex so that I can check your trainer account."

Damian scowled. "Are you calling me a liar, I've never owned a charmander in my life?"

"No… I just simply want to make sure that you are telling the truth," explained Joy. "Now give me your pokedex, or I'll call Officer Jenny. There's a police station right down the trail."

Damian shrugged as he passed over his pokedex. "Psht…fine. What's this useless piece of hardware going to tell you anyway?"

"Obviously you don't know anything about it," said nurse Joy. "It records every pokemon you've ever captured."

Ash noticed Damian's facial expression exude anxiousness. Joy didn't notice the boys fear, as she slipped the pokedex in the scanning slot.

...The devilish boy's fate was sealed.

"Hmm…let's see…Damian Ross, eh?" mumbled Nurse Joy. "Your trainer account lists that you've caught quite a few pokemon. "Numerous pidgey, a sandshrew, a couple of metapod, a butterfree, nidoran, a spearow, a machop, six geodude, gloom, raticate, pinser, and what's this…?"

Nurse Joy looked Damian in the eyes ferociously. "It says here that you do own a charmander. I thought you said you've never owned a charmander in your life."

Damian was sweating feverishly, as he slowly started to creep away from the desk.

"I'm calling Officer Jenny," swore Joy, as she picked up the phone on her desk. "You can explain yourself to her."

Damian darted out of the building in a frantic frenzy. Ash started to pursue, when he heard the voice of Nurse Joy.

"Ash, stop right now!"

He turned around to face a no-nonsense Joy. "But he'll get away!"

"He's got nowhere to go," said Joy. "He doesn't have anything on him, and the next town is miles away. Let the authorities take care of him."

"But…"

"But what?" interrupted the nurse. "What are you going to do? Order your pokemon to attack a defenseless boy?"

Ash tried to explain. "I was just..."

"You're a good kid Ash… but right now you're not in the right mindset to make a wise choice," lectured the stern woman. "Officer Jenny will take care of this. Your help is most needed here, waiting for Charmander to wake-up."

Ash forced himself to calm down. The nurse was right. Damian was practically guaranteed to have his trainer's license revoked. The league had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to abandonment and abuse. After the arrest, it most likely would take no time at all for the league to have Damian's pokemon released back into the wild. Normally there would be a trial, but do to the fact that there was indisputable proof and a league certified eye-witness in Nurse Joy, a trial most likely wouldn't be necessary.

Therefore, Ash wanted to be there for Charmander. Chances are he would wake up extremely confused. Also, given that Charmander was more than likely born into domestication - unless Damian had taken a trip down to the southern islands to catch one - it would struggle to survive in the wild. Ash had saved Charmander's life, and if the league would let him, he'd like to give him a new one as well.

"You're right," said Ash. "I'll trust Officer Jenny and stay here."

"Good choice," replied Nurse Joy. "Now it's really late, you should go get some rest. I'll call Officer Jenny and figure out what we're going to do about Damian."

Sleep definitely sounded good...but Ash wasn't sure.

"Are you positive?" asked Ash. "I mean…don't you think officer Jenny's going to want to talk to me?"

"Probably," replied the pretty-faced woman. "But it's eleven-thirty at night, whatever officer Jenny wants from you can wait until morning."

Ash had absolutely no desire to argue - he was exhausted.

"Alright then, I'm going to go to bed," said Ash. "But if Officer Jenny needs me for anything tonight, feel free to wake me up."

"Will do," replied the nurse. "Goodnight Ash."

The boy waved, as he started to make his way toward his room. "Yup, see you tomorrow."

"Wait a second kid," inserted Joy.

Ash hesitantly turned around. "Yeah…?"

"What you did today was really something, you know that?" said nurse Joy.

"I just did what any decent person would," answered Ash.

Joy shook her head. "That's just what I'd expect someone like you to say."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"You'll figure it out eventually..." answered Joy. "For now just get some sleep."

Ash said one final goodnight to Nurse Joy, before heading to his room. He wondered what the pink-haired nurse meant by her last comment. In his mind he didn't do anything today that garnered any praise...

Room nine's bed entangled his aspirations. The dark-haired boy released Growlithe and Bulbasaur, before shutting off the light and crawling into bed.

"Today was chaos…" whispered Ash.

Growlithe grunted.

Bulbasaur didn't react at all. Ash assumed the grass-type had no idea what he was talking about.

After some quiet individual self-reflection, the three friends drifted off, snuggling up against each other like a litter of teddiursa.

XXX

Ash woke up with a startle, in response to a heavy blustering knock on the door. The hair on Growlithe's back erected as he dutifully snarled. Bulbasaur jutted out his vines in preparation to protect.

The lodges' phone annoyingly rang. Ash grumbled to himself as he lazily picked it up.

"I tried to let you sleep in Ash," said a voice belonging to Nurse Joy. "But that obnoxious woman won't take no for an answer."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash.

"League police open up!" there was a second cruelly loud drubbing on the door, accompanied by a rough female-voice. "I've waited long enough!"

Ash sighed, as he spoke into the phone. "Oh…"

"Growlithe, Bulbasaur, stand down," commanded Ash, as he hung up the phone and got up to answer the door. "It's regarding yesterday's fiasco."

Both pokemon relaxed slightly, respecting the directive of their trainer. However, they were not so naïve as to completely drop their guard. They both quietly remained fortified just in case the unexpected occurred.

"Ash Ketchum I presume," said the young woman standing in the hallway, when Ash swung open the heavy door.

She was absolutely gorgeous. Her eyes consisted of an enticing deep amber red; Ash could see his reflection shimmer about on her beautiful irises. Her facial features were fine and unlined, perfectly complimented by her well-formed cerulean teal-hair. The officer's uniform consisted of a tight blue vest that crisply lied over a white short-sleeved dress shirt, neatly accessorized by a tiny black tie. She wore dark-tinted leggings underneath her abbreviate black shorts. Ash couldn't help but notice the holstered black hand-gun safely strapped to her belt.

"That's me," answered Ash. "I'm guessing you're Officer Jenny."

She tilted the police cap that sprucely sat on top of her head. "That would be correct."

"Nice to meet you," said Ash, as he shook the officer's hand. "I'm assuming you're here to talk about Damian."

"Sort of," replied Jenny, as she took a peek inside the room. "But that can wait… For now it would be nice if you'd just get ready. I don't exactly find this hostile a suitable place to talk about league matters."

"Um…okay," said Ash. "Where do you want to talk then?"

"Meet me at the front desk in five minutes," replied Jenny. "We'll talk in Nurse Joy's office."

"Alright," agreed Ash. "I'll be there."

Officer Jenny nodded, antecedent to walking back in the direction of the Pokemon Center's lobby.

Ash returned Bulbasaur, before hastily getting ready for the meeting. Like Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny came off as the kind of woman that couldn't be overstepped.

...It didn't take him very long - he was a boy after all.

The dark-haired boy with Growlithe by his side, reached the front desk within the specified amount of time. He watched, as Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy cut their conversation short because of his arrival.

Nurse Joy gave the messy haired boy an authentic smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning Nurse Joy," reiterated Ash.

Officer Jenny bypassed Ash with her eyes, and looked down at Growlithe. "A commendable choice young man. It seems you've got good taste."

Ash remembered that the Jenny family was well known for their conventional usage of growlithe. The species' loyalty and uncanny sense of smell made them the perfect comrade for a police officer.

"He's my starter," said Ash, as he leant over to pet his friend. "We've been together since I started my journey."

"I see," huffed Officer Jenny. "You two look rather good together."

"Thanks," replied a polite Ash. "Now what exactly is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Officer Jenny turned her head slightly, making eye contact with Nurse Joy. "Would you like to lead the way?"

Nurse Joy acknowledged Officer Jenny's comment, and led them through the entrance to the medical wing. This time the linear hall was relatively quiet. There was a lone female doctor rummaging about and a few ambulatory chansey, but compared to the day before the activity was rather dull.

"It's pretty quiet back here," stated the ten-year old boy.

"Yeah… things don't usually pick up until around noon," replied Joy, as she shrugged. "Apparently the world hates mornings."

"It's such a shame," huffed Officer Jenny. "Seizing the morning is one of the best ways to improve one's productivity."

Ash could practically feel the disdainful atmosphere surrounding Nurse Joy. It was fairly obvious that the female officer wasn't Joy's favorite person. The fresh-faced boy on the other hand, didn't necessarily disagree with Jenny. In his opinion, getting up early doubtlessly had its convenient benefits.

Nurse Joy's office was at the very end of the hall. Ash originally was under the assumption that her office was the room she had healed his hand in yesterday. But apparently that was just some general practitioner's office.

The nurse's private office was relatively good-sized, especially when put in contrast to the smaller bureau he had seen yesterday. There was some medical gear, but for the most part it seemed like a typical occupational workstation. The walls were embellished by hundreds of books, adhered by a finely crafted encompassing ligneous shelving unit. Her desk was disarranged by an abundance of paperwork, and there were several used coffee cups scattered about.

"It seems you've got some tidying up to do Joy," blurted Officer Jenny. "It looks like a tornado barreled through here."

"Why?" jabbed Joy, with a glare. "Nobody comes in here except for me."

"The Ketchum kid and I are in here right now, aren't we?" angled Officer Jenny. "Besides, a little order would be good for you."

Nurse Joy took a deep breath to calm herself, before taking a seat at her desk.

She changed the subject. "I don't really have anywhere for you two to sit, so I hope you don't mind standing."

"I don't mind at all," said Ash. "I can stand."

Officer Jenny seemed offended, but she didn't verbally complain. Ash figured that the stringent woman was probably catching onto how irritated Nurse Joy was.

"Why don't you fill Ash in on the topic of discussion?" said the pretty faced nurse. "I'm sure he's anxious to hear what you have to say."

"Isn't she here to talk about Damian?" inserted Ash.

"Damian's for the most part been taken care of," said Jenny. "We're just ironing out a few little details."

"I thought you needed my witness account?" questioned Ash. "And you found him?"

"Nurse Joy's deposition was credible enough. There's no need for another witness. Besides, it would be a lot easier if we didn't get a ten-year old boy wrapped up in all of this," explained Jenny. "As for finding that brat, it was easy… he's back at the station as we speak."

"What are you going to do with him?" asked Ash, clenching his fists. "After what he did to Charmander…"

"Obviously…all of his pokemon have been confiscated," said Jenny. "And his trainer's license has been revoked indefinitely."

Nurse Joy smirked. "From what I understand, you're currently working out a correctional institute…right?"

"That's correct," replied Jenny. "It's either an institute, or a juvenile detention center. We just have to wait for the league to make a decision on what his conduct deserves."

She paused for a short moment, before continuing. "One things for sure… he'll definitely never train a pokemon again."

"That seems like a reasonable punishment," Ash concurred. "But if you have all of that figured out, why do you need me?"

"We're planning on releasing the majority of Damian's pokemon back into the wild," answered Jenny. "But…we've had a tough time determining what would be the best thing for the injured charmander."

Ash listened attentively, while Growlithe cuddled up against his leg.

"It was born domesticated, so the wild wouldn't be a suitable choice," said Jenny. "We thought about sending it back to Damian's issuer in Saffron City, but Nurse Joy had an alternative suggestion."

Ash shifted his attention to Nurse Joy.

"I think you should have it," said Nurse Joy with a wink. "After what Charmander's been through…it deserves a trainer like you."

A large toothy grin started to formulate on his face.

"Besides, if it weren't for you it wouldn't be here," added Joy.

"After seeing the way your Growlithe looks at you," inserted Jenny. "I can't help but agree with her."

Ash's eyes gleamed. "Really…are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," said Joy. "It was my idea after all."

"I already did a background check," stated Jenny. "I talked to your sponsor Samuel Oak, and he said that you are a good kid with a lot of character. With the type of integrity Professor Oak has, I have no reason to object."

"Professor Oak said that?" said Ash. "Wow…I promise to take good care of him."

Growlithe playfully yapped, excited by the prospect of having another fire-type around.

"The paperwork has all been finalized," informed Jenny, as she handed Ash some documents that he hadn't noticed until now. "We just need you to sign these papers, and ownership of the charmander will be transferred over to your trainer account."

Nurse Joy handed Ash a black ball-point pen. "You'll need this."

"This is so awesome," said Ash to Growlithe, as he placed the papers down on the desk to sign. "We're going to have another friend on our team."

Growlithe rubbed his head up against Ash's leg as a sign of elation.

Ash was about to put the pen to the paper, when he suddenly had a thought that caused him to freeze. There was one thing that he had to do before he signed the document of permission. "Before I sign this, I have to make sure that Charmander is okay with it."

"A noble gesture," said Jenny, as she turned her attention to Joy. "What do you think?"

Nurse Joy approvingly smiled. "I think that's a great idea. I'm impressed by your thoughtfulness Ash."

The ten-year old boy bashfully blushed in response to the compliment. "Charmander's been through a lot. I don't want to force him to do something he doesn't want to do."

"Like I said last night, you're a great kid," said Joy, before acknowledging Jenny. "Charmander most likely won't wake up until tomorrow though, is that okay?"

"No problem whatsoever," replied the female officer. "If everything goes as planned and the charmander agrees to travel with the kid, just fax me the paperwork."

"That works," said Joy. "Does that mean you're leaving?"

"It does," replied Officer Jenny. "Unfortunately, there are some matters relating Mr. Ross that I have to attend to. I need to get back to the station, so I really should be heading out."

"Well thanks for everything," said Ash shaking Jenny's hand, as he watched Nurse Joy quietly pump her fist in secret.

"No need for thanks," insisted Jenny. "I was just doing my job."

"Yeah thanks for figuring this mess out," said Joy in a sarcastic tone. "Remember to check your fax machine tomorrow."

"Will do," replied Jenny. "It was nice seeing you again Joy."

Jenny held her hand out to Ash. "And it was great meeting you kid. I hope everything works out with that charmander."

Ash reached for her hand. "It was nice meeting you as well Officer Jenny."

Ash, Growlithe, and Joy, escorted Officer Jenny back to the pokemon center's lobby. The lobby was a lot busier than before the meeting. Several trainers waited anxiously in line, while a chansey tried excruciatingly hard to fill in for Nurse Joy.

Officer Jenny hastily said her final goodbyes, before exiting out the front door leaving Ash with Nurse Joy.

"Thanks for recommending me to take care of Charmander," said Ash. "It really means a lot."

Nurse Joy smiled, as she playfully punched Ash on the shoulder. "No problem kid, you deserve it."

"Thanks," said Ash. "You know you're a lot different than the other Joy's."

"Yeah I like to say I'm the coolest in the family," bragged Joy. "What are you planning on doing all day kid? Charmander won't come out of unconsciousness until tomorrow…"

Ash looked down at Growlithe decisively. "We're going to train."

XXX

Ash watched, as Charmander's bright blue eyes opened up to greet his own. The boy smiled, trying his best not to frighten the waking fire-type.

The lizard pokemon jostled, shocked by the unfamiliar human's face.

"It's okay Charmander," said Ash. "You've been asleep for a couple of days."

Charmander tilted his head curiously. What was the human talking about? Last thing he remembered he was in battle.

"Damian's no longer your trainer," confessed Ash. "He's been convicted of pokemon abuse. He can no longer be in possession of a pokemon."

Charmander remembered. He remembered the bastardized boy that treated him worse than dirt. He remembered the boy that never used kind words. He remembered the boy that didn't care about his health. He remembered the serpent that only acknowledged himself...could it possibly be over.

"I found you beaten on a rock about a mile north from here," bemoaned Ash. "You almost didn't make it."

Charmander painfully recollected. He was crushed… overpowered by a brute of machoke. He had angered his trainer; his unloving, unsympathetic, hard-hearted trainer.

...And then everything went black.

…Is it possible that he had almost died?

"We're at a pokemon center somewhere southeast of Saffron City," said Ash. "Nurse Joy's done a great job of getting you better."

Charmander slowly propped himself up; he was in a stationary pod-like apparatus. It was comfortable and warm, he felt like his body was gradually being rejuvenated. He noticed his tail-flame safely secured through an aperture on the side of the pod. The fire-lizard also identified a second human in the vast room. This one was female…she looked somewhat familiar.

Nurse Joy calmly approached the conscious charmander. "It's nice to finally see those pretty blue eyes of yours."

Charmander felt an external heat source coming from somewhere in the room. He scanned the room's scope, before settling his eyes on a growlithe sitting loyally next to the human boy's feet.

Growlithe looked at Charmander with inviting eyes. He was very aware of the kind of influence he had over the fire-type's perception of Ash.

"Ash here saved your life," boasted Joy. "If it weren't for him…"

Charmander nodded - he understood what the boy had done for him.

"I only did what was right," said Ash. "Don't feel like you owe me anything."

The boy's modesty was refreshing. On a daily basis, Damian did whatever he could to make Charmander feel like he owed him everything; simply for the sake of being allowed to live. He hated the way Damian treated him, he hated it…he hated it…he hated it…he hated him.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. Damian was the trainer destiny had picked for him. Shame would eat him alive if he were to rebel while he was bound to him. His species prided itself on honor. Unfaithfulness to a trainer meant total degradation. He would be debauched by dishonor.

He recalled what the boy had said earlier.

...Could it really be true that he had been freed from his torment?

...Is it possible that Damian finally got what he deserved?

"At this moment in time, you are no longer a captured pokemon," said Joy. "The league has completely exterminated Damian's status as a pokemon trainer. Right now they are currently working out a more exclusive punishment."

Charmander took a deep breath, before celebrating with an abbreviate flame-induced snort.

"Good news?" questioned Joy.

Charmander excitedly nodded - he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Ash happily chuckled. "I'm glad you're handling this well."

"Now since you are still considered a league pokemon until your official release," explained Joy. "We've basically come up with three choices for your future. You can pick any of them, it's your decision."

The obedient charmander listened proactively. His honor bound him to oblige by the rules.

"Choice number one, which in my opinion is the worst of the three," said Joy. "You are free to find a niche in the wild. You weren't born in the wild, so I don't think this is the best fit for you."

Charmander for the most part agreed. He didn't like the idea of trying to make it on his own. The lizard pokemon wasn't bred for the wild - it would most likely be the same as suicide.

He shook his head left and right, affirming a negative.

"Wise choice," responded Joy. "Option two is a little bit better."

Charmander paid attention with an open mind.

"We could transfer you back to your distributer in Saffron City," offered Joy. "However, it would be difficult to find another trainer willing to start with an abused pokemon. So unless you are prepared to live your life at the lab in Saffron…it's a risky choice."

Charmander hated that idea with a passion. He loathed that lab ever since they had unwisely discerned that Damian deserved a pokemon. The fire-type also despised Saffron laboratory's idiotic professor. In his mind, the man was a rotten bigot that looked at pokemon as inferior beings, instead of valued partners.

…Charmander once again shook his head no.

"Okay, well then I would advise you to go with the third option," said Joy, as she directed her gaze towards the dark-haired boy. "I'll have Ash explain this one."

"There's really not all that much to explain," said Ash, with a shrug. "Option three is that you come with me."

Charmander perked up in the pod. He wasn't expecting that to be an option.

"I would like to give you a shot at a new life," implied Ash. "I think that you deserve a trainer that will treat you right and train you to your potential."

"Ash is a great young trainer and an even greater kid," inserted Nurse Joy. "He's the polar opposite of Damian."

Out of the three options, this one was definitely the best. If it weren't for the dark-haired boy, he'd be dead. Also, if he remembered correctly, the boy had said earlier that he'd been unconscious for a couple of days. That meant that the human had stayed the whole time, waiting for him to recover.

Another element to factor in was the growlithe. The fellow fire-type's species was well known for its loyalty and judgement of character. Given that the growlithe looked happy, he could tell that the boy known as Ash took good care of his pokemon.

Ash watched as Charmander shot his gaze towards Growlithe, while muttering something to the pup.

Growlithe communicated back, while animatedly nodding his head up and down.

Charmander was sold. The Growlithe spoke wondrous things about the boy Ash, and he was pretty sure that it was impossible for a Growlithe to lie. Therefore, he had no reason to deny the offer. Besides, regardless of what the boy said earlier, he felt like he owed him.

The moment the boy chose to save his life, they were bound together by Charmander's honor. Charmander had made a decision. With an enthusiastic smile and a playful growl, he accepted the offer.

Nurse Joy raised her arms above her head in celebration.

Growlithe eagerly yapped.

Ash light-heartedly smiled, while reaching out to pet Charmander's head.

A lone tear slowly dribbled down Charmander's scaly orange face. As he received more affection in that moment, than he had ever gotten from his old trainer.

Ash turned elatedly to Nurse Joy. "I think I'm ready to sign those papers!"

XXX

Ash, Growlithe, Charmander, and Nurse Joy stood outside of the pokemon center in preparation to part ways.

"Well Charmander, I guess it's time that I officially make you part of the team," said Ash, as he handled an empty pokeball.

This was a process Charmander was already familiar with, but for some reason things felt different this time.

Ash held the pokeball out to Charmander. "You made the choice, would you like to finish it?"

Charmander nodded, stepping forward towards his soon to be trainer.

"Whenever you're ready," insisted Ash.

"The paper-works been faxed and processed," said Joy. "Everything will be finalized after the capture."

Charmander nervously eyed Growlithe, whom gave him a confident gesture of affirmation.

Ash observed, as Charmander isolated one of his extremities and raised it up to the pokeball. He hesitated for a split-second, before tapping the button on the spheres smooth metallic surface.

The pokeball rapidly opened, simultaneously encasing Charmander in an effulgent array of red light. The pokeball seemingly inhaled, sucking the primary fire-type into sequester.

Ash watched, as the spherical apparatus fell an abbreviate distance to the ground. The pokeball remained steady, lacking any contentious movement. There was a metallic click, indicating a successful capture.

"Congratulations Ash," said Joy, as she watched the ten-year old boy pick up Charmander's new pokeball.

Ash light-heartedly smiled, showing his dimples to the pink-haired nurse.

"Well I guess it's about time you get going, eh?

Ash adjusted the straps on his backpack, in anticipation to travel. "Yeah, I want to cover at least some ground today."

"Understandable," replied Joy. "Besides, I got to get back to work. The rest of the staff's starting to get frustrated."

"Sorry about that," murmured Ash. "I guess I've been kind of distracting the past couple of days."

Don't sweat it," huffed Joy. "They'll get over it."

Ash chuckled, as he reached out for Joy's hand with his own. "It was awesome getting to know you Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy surprised Ash by deferring his handshake, wrapping him up in a tight motherly hug. "It was a pleasure Ash, do great things out there."

He gladly returned the hug. "I'll try not to let you down."

Upon severance, Nurse Joy smiled. "Don't forget about the Joy stationed in the middle of nowhere. Have one of my relatives help you give me a call sometime. I'd like to know how you and Charmander are doing every once in a while."

Growlithe quietly whined.

Ash cackled. "Don't forget him."

Nurse Joy bent over and gently stroked the tuft atop Growlithe's head. "Oh I could never forget my friend Growlithe."

The puppy pokemon graciously absorbed the attention, before being interrupted by his trainer.

"Alright Growlithe it's time to get going," insisted Ash.

Growlithe pouted slightly, before scampering back to his trainer's side.

"I'll make sure to give you a call sometime soon," said Ash. "Until then, thanks for everything."

Nurse Joy gave Ash a warm smile. "See ya later kid, I look forward to hearing from you in the near future."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

As Ash and Growlithe put distance between themselves and the pokemon center, the boy thought back to the negative first impression he originally had of Nurse Joy.

…He couldn't have been more wrong.

XXX

The dark-haired boy contentedly reflected on the past week, as he walked down the route's primary trail accompanied by Growlithe and Clefairy.

A lot had occurred...

He had made two new friends; pokemon that he had no intention of catching when he first set out on his journey. Not because he didn't want them, but because he thought that it would be nearly impossible to find either of them in the wild.

Bulbasaur were highly endangered. Prior to discovery, he had zero expectation of ever coming across one amidst the uncultivated wild.

Charmander was an option as a starter back at Professor Oak's lab. Their breed wielded an absurd amount of abeyant potential. However, they happened to be an exorbitantly rare species in the wild. His original assumption was that he had given up his only chance to train one, when he had uniquely elected to start with Growlithe. Thankfully…he was wrong.

Whether it was a product of fate, or just plain old luck, somehow he had managed to procure two of the three "original" Kanto starters. The boy wasn't foolish - he was fully aware that finding the right pokemon was ordinarily a very strenuous task. Regardless, he had to admit, the dice of travel had so far rolled his way.

Bulbasaur gifted him with the best grass-type option in the region. Ash no longer felt the need to seek out another grass-type in Kanto, especially since there weren't any other Kanto native grass pokemon that really caught his attention.

Charmander was a fantastic and valued new addition to his team, despite the fact that his presence didn't necessarily alter Ash's internal "pokemon to catch" list. Nevertheless, regardless of need, Charmander's promise provided him with great flexibility and versatility...

In addition, the past week of training had resulted in a sufficient amount of developmental growth for his pokemon.

Growlithe was agonizingly close to mastering flame-wheel. The progress they had made within the past couple days of travel was astounding. Ash's guess was that they were probably about a week away from completion. Hopefully, it would be ready before his battle at the Vermillion City gym.

Pidgeotto's ongoing development was exceptional. Not only had he mastered twister during the beginning of the week, but he was also having a relatively easy time with feather dance. The reality that he was a giant amongst his species, gave him an incredible advantage when it came to learning the technique. His tremendous size blessed him with an enhanced surplus of available molted feathers. The only thing left for him to get a handle on was the bizarre secretion of a natural sticky solution, that pidgeotto can create through the root of its pin feathers. He indispensably needed the solution, in order to get his feathers to instantaneously stick to his opponents.

His fairy-type was still grating through the process of learning minimize. Progress was limited over the past couple of days. For the most part, Clefairy was still calculating how to manipulate and maintain her reduction.

During the past couple days of travel, his saurian grass-type had successfully conquered take-down. Like Ash had assumed, Bulbasaur was quick to get the hang of it. The recoil was a bit unappealing, but he figured it would slowly diminish as Bulbasaur grew. Sleep-powder on the other hand, was severely more abstruse. Bulbasaur was still struggling to accurately decipher the perfect chemical computation. He was a little bit closer to comprehension than he was a couple of days ago, but the technique would still require work.

Over the past two days, Ash had learned a lot about his freshly caught charmander. The fire-type possessed the ability blaze - an ability that greatly enhanced a fire-type's inner flame, when the wielder's pushed beyond its limit.

Charmander's current move-set was surprisingly impressive in Ash's opinion. He knew scratch, growl, focus-punch, ember, and smokescreen. Four out of the five techniques were relatively basic. However, focus-punch was not typically in a charmander's learn-set. Ash assumed it to be an egg-move - a technique that a pokemon mysteriously procures during its embryonic phase. Focus punch gave Charmander a viable option against rock-types, which charmander's species was typically incompetent against.

The lizard pokemon's training over the past couple of days was light. Ash was wary to rush the fire-type after his near death experience. He had yet to begin teaching Charmander a new technique. The meager amount of training they had done primarily consisted of the evaluation of Charmander's current moves.

His scratch was solid.

Growl was above-average.

Ember and smokescreen were potent.

Focus-punch was more than useable, but still required some slight touching up…

Even though Charmander was at an acceptable place battle-wise, Ash was much more pleased with how he socially cooperated with the rest of the team.

Charmander and Growlithe got along vibrantly. Ash wasn't quite sure if it was simply because the two fire-types shared the same typing, or if their personalities candidly meshed well. Whatever the reason was, they behaved like two peas in a pod.

The lizard-pokemon seemed to get along relatively well with Pidgeotto. Despite the avian's less than secretive sadistic nature, Charmander found a way to relate with Pidgeotto's altered sense of honor.

Ash still wasn't quite sure what kind of relationship Clefairy and Charmander would have. At this point, they hadn't really gotten much of an opportunity to bond. Any free time Clefairy had, she chose to spend working out minimize. Ash figured that her social-life would remain slightly impaired, until she finally mastered the personally frustrating technique.

Bulbasaur and Charmander seemed to get along decently well. Charmander had tried to take part in Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur's game of chase. But he severely struggled to keep up. The fire-type couldn't wait until he evolved into a powerful Charizard, that way he could legitimately compete…

Moreover, Ash was semi-satisfied with the ground they had covered geographically. On the days that they had traveled, the boy thought that a lot of distance had been resolved between themselves and Vermillion. The map on his pokedex suggested that they were nearing the southeastern coast of Kanto, hinting that they were realistically about a week away. If they went straight there, without any distractions, Ash calculated that they could probably cut it down to about a five day trip. But…the ten-year old boy was starting to realize that his journey never quite went according to plan.

As if the world was listening in on his reflection, Ash's internal rumination came to an abrupt end, as he was smacked back into reality by Growlithe's menacing growl. He paused; Growlithe only behaved in such a way when he was either surprised, or they were threatened. The present circumstances seemingly leaned towards the ladder.

"What is it Growlithe?" asked Ash, in an edgy tone.

The puppy Pokemon darted his eyes back and forth, ostensibly scanning their surroundings.

Ash used his eyes to follow Growlithe's lead. He didn't see anything.

He anxiously turned to Clefairy. "Do you sense something?"

The fairy type's ears fidgeted, before she nodded her head in affirmation. She used both of her stocky arms to visually portray to Ash that they were surrounded.

He hoveringly drifted his hand over Pidgeotto's pokeball. If they were dealing with a multitude, the flying-type's widespread attacks would come in handy.

He waited anxiously, as everything perceptually muted for a split-second.

…The surprise ambush had been initiated.

Ash chuckled - apparently, the region of Kanto was using divine means to show its enthusiasm towards his decision to pass on its primordially selected starters.

With both hands, he firmly grasped Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur's pokeballs, as he watched a troupe of squirtle frenziedly flood around them.

The gaggle of turtle-pokemon came to a sudden halt. They raised their guard, as they witnessed the release of a momentous Pidgeotto, and an inconvenient grass-type. Since their foolhardy blitz was on momentary pause, Ash was able to make out the oddest component of this random encounter. Every single encompassing squirtle was wearing…black sunglasses.

"What the hell?" questioned Ash, to no one in particular.

His pokemon outwardly surrounded him, in preparation to protect their trainer.

Growlithe settled into a defensive crouch, loading a high-temperature ember in his barely open maw. His ability intimidate activated, in attempt to place fear in the hearts of their water-type adversaries.

Pidgeotto leant over and glared like a hellion. Ash wasn't quite sure if the behemoth was being protective, or truculent.

Clefairy raised both of her fists, showing her alertness and readiness for combat. Ash knew her well enough at this point that he could tell she was mulling something over, most likely her plan of attack. Unlike her more instinctual-styled male counter-parts, Clefairy's battle style was much more analytical.

Bulbasaur growled, as he protruded his retractable vine-like appendages. He triggered chlorophyll, using the light from the sun to boost the strength in his leg muscles. Squirtle were fast… he intended to be faster.

The gang of squirtle hastily grouped together, organizing themselves into an arching defensive formation. Ash counted eight. He carefully watched, while one of the eight squirtle barged its way towards the head of the formation.

The ten-year old boy perceived that the assumed leader was almost a whole-foot taller than the rest of its comrades. Ash wasn't sure if it was genetically a larger specimen, like Pidgeotto, or if it was simply nearing evolution. The boy also took into account the alpha's different styled sunglasses. The frames' upper edges were pointed, unlike the rest of its pals who wore standard round frames. The dark-haired boy was not so foolish as to think that it was a coincidence - the leader was obviously trying to stand out amongst the rest.

While emitting a sonorous battle cry, the leader used one of its fists to pompously pound upon its shell-encased chest. The rest of the squirtle troupe raised their fists, as they mimicked their audacious leader.

Ash's body subtly twitched, as he internally became restless. He wanted it. Any pokemon that could extract that kind of response out of its kin was awfully enticing to train. Ash detached an empty pokeball from his belt. He was going to try and catch the final member of the Kanto region's "original" elemental trio.

Anticipation for a battle was brewing on both sides.

"Wait until they make the first move," said Ash quietly. "Pidgeotto… go after the big one."

Nearly a minute went by without any movement, before…

The troupe of squirtle charged.

Ash's team fearlessly prepared for retaliation.

The gaggle of squirtle howled - their voices blended together, constructing a vicious tenor-toned choir.

"Go get em!" bellowed Ash.

Bulbasaur, Clefairy, and Growlithe used the fast-twitch muscle fibers in their legs, to propel themselves forward at a tremendous rate. Bulbasaur and Growlithe left after-images, as they dashed towards the right half of the eight-turtle brigade. Clefairy tapped into the lunar essence stored in her wings, while she smoothly glided towards the left-side of the squirtle-formation.

Pidgeotto launched himself into the sky as fast as a comets tail. With both wings he prepared a powerful violet-tinted twister, with intention to crash it on top of the leader's head.

While they were on the move, all eight squirtle conjured a highly concentrated water-gun. They patiently let it rest in their gullets, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The two sides were about to clash, when...unexpectedly…

In response to a loud, overbearing, collection of police sirens, both groups of pokemon came to a sudden stop.

Ash briskly turned his head around. He watched, as a sextuplet of black and white police cars raced towards the scene. A cloud of dust followed, their tires ruthlessly spewed the trail's gravel in every which direction.

Ash covered his eyes to protect them from the airborne dirt, as the six police cars braked and slid, before coming to a gradual halt. Ash briefly glanced back towards the battlefield, watching as the troupe of squirtle madly scrambled back into the brushwood. His Pokemon let them flea, unaware of his plan to catch the leader. The leader emotionlessly looked back towards Ash, before following his comrades into the woods.

Ash scowled, as he disappointedly cursed under his breath. He'd let it get away.

He gestured Growlithe and Clefairy back to his side, before returning Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur to their pokeballs without saying a word.

He turned around to face the flood of oncoming police officers. He had a feeling this was going to be one of those days.

At the center of the squadron, was Officer Jenny. For a fraction of a second Ash thought to nonchalantly say hello, but then he remembered that "this Jenny" was probably one of the "original Jenny's" identical relatives.

"What were you doing with the Squirtle Squad boy?" asked Jenny rudely; her eyes hidden behind a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses. "Are you an accomplice?"

"No…we were battling," said Ash curtly. "They ambushed me and my pokemon while we were walking down the trail."

Officer Jenny grimaced. "Dammit!"

"What?" asked Ash, in a confused manner.

"The friggin' Squirtle Squad's resorted to attacking traveling trainers," ranted Jenny. "This is a new low for them."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Wait…the Squirtle Squad, that's their name?"

"Yeah, they're a friggin' nuisance!" growled Jenny. "They've been terrorizing our town for the past year."

"Your town?" asked Ash curiously. "There's a town around here?"

Officer Jenny sighed, clearly annoyed. "Why is it that no one knows about it?"

"Is it on the map?" heckled Ash. "Because that could have a lot to do with it…"

Jenny sarcastically rolled her eyes. "We don't qualify. Our town's too small to be on the official Kanto map."

"Really?" asked Ash. "They count populace for something like that?"

Officer Jenny sadly frowned. "Yeah…unfortunately the league isn't perfect."

One of the other five male police officers interrupted Jenny. "Should we pursue them?"

"Don't bother!" commanded Officer Jenny. "Once they reach the woods, they're impossible to track."

"I could help," inserted Ash. "My Growlithe could probably use his nose to track them down."

Officer Jenny crossed her arms, physically showing her frustration. "The station has a growlithe too. Unfortunately, tracking them by scent doesn't work."

"Why's that?" questioned Ash.

"They escaped into their territory," said Jenny. "They've booby-trapped that part of the woods with all kinds of hidden traps."

One of the other accompanying officers spoke up. "That place is impossible to safely maneuver around - it's like a makeshift minefield."

"Well then let's draw them out," said Ash. "We can battle them head on."

Officer Jenny skeptically tilted down her sunglasses, as she used her amber-red eyes to stare deep into Ash's soul. "Why are you so interested in the Squirtle Squad kid?"

"I want the big one," answered Ash, honestly. "It would be a good addition to my team."

"Pshhh… you think you can train that thing?" queried Jenny. "That friggin' bastard's as unruly as they come."

"I'd like to try," said Ash, ignoring Jenny's crude mouth. "That 'thing' practically oozes potential."

"Well I can't really complain," sputtered Jenny, as she squinched her face. "If you think you can take that degenerate little beast on, who am I to stop you? Besides…it would help us out."

Ash knowingly smiled. "So we'll work together?"

Jenny readjusted her sunglasses. "Why not…? If we can lessen their gang by one, it would be worth it - especially...if that one, is that damn leader of theirs."

"Awesome," said Ash, as he bent over and pet Clefairy behind her ears. "But we need a plan."

"It shouldn't be too difficult to draw them out," said Jenny, as she placed her hands on her hips. "There are certain things that those little vandals can't resist."

"It sounds to me like you already have a plan," said Ash.

"Roughly," replied Officer Jenny, with a smirk. "Let's plot out the rest back at the station."

"Sure," said Ash with a shrug. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Officer Jenny gestured towards her black and white police car. "Hop in. I'll give you a ride."

XXX

The police station was located in a quiet place on the outskirts of town. Ash wasn't able to get a thorough feel for the rural town, because of the short direct drive and its outmost residential location. However, he was able to decipher that the unmapped establishment was probably somewhere around the same size as his small hometown of Pallet.

The station was medial-sized; its exterior was rather contemporary compared to the rest of the town's more rural surroundings. It was an odd cylinder shape, painted beige, with a protruding blue semi-circle jutting out of its face. The top-half of the building portrayed a Kanto police hat, distending out from the structures right-side was a massive garage sealed with a retractable green, steel, door.

Officer Jenny reached above her head, clicking a button on the face of a tiny apparatus that was clipped to the edge of one of the vehicle's sun visors. In response, the station's green garage door retracted, making it possible for the squad to safely park their cars inside.

After they parked she led Ash, Growlithe, and Clefairy, through a side door into the station's main department. It was cluttered with about a dozen cubicles. Half of them were idle - Ash assumed that they were the workstations of the officer's that were following in behind them.

Clefairy got a lot of interested stares, as Jenny led them toward her private office. Growlithe looked anxious. Ash wanted to help his puppy pokemon squash his fear of large groups of people with a little dose of exposure therapy. They were in a controlled environment, so Ash figured it would be a good time to try something. The dark-haired boy didn't want Growlithe to go through life debilitated by social anxiety.

Jenny's office was small, tidy, and businesslike. The only evidence that it belonged to her, was the chrome nameplate and framed photograph that sat on her desk. Ash examined the picture; it was a family photo, consisting of herself and a handful of her identical relatives.

Officer Jenny relaxed into a comfortable looking swivel chair. She gestured Ash to sit down in one of the two stationary chairs positioned opposite of hers.

"Growlithe and Clefairy, you should go ahead and get comfortable," suggested Ash, as he eagerly sat down.

Growlithe and Clefairy both listened to their trainer, and found a comfortable spot on the ground adjacent to him.

"Alright kid, before we come up with a plan… are you really sure you want that squirtle?" asked a no-nonsense Officer Jenny.

"Yeah, I'm definitely sure," affirmed Ash with a nod.

"Okay, in that case… I'll tell you what I know about him," said Jenny. "That way you have an idea of what you're getting yourself involved in. It's actually quite the story - you see…he showed up about a year ago."

"With the rest of the Squirtle Squad?" interrupted Ash.

"Just let me friggin' talk kid," scolded Jenny. "If you still have questions at the end, feel free to ask em."

Ash gulped. "Okay…"

"Alright… so it was about a year ago, when that big, bad, squirtle, showed up in tears, dragging his unconscious trainer into our town's local hospital."

Ash raised his eyebrows, while Growlithe and Clefairy listened attentively.

"The squirtle's trainer was immediately rushed into the hospital's ICU. He was in pretty friggin' bad shape; one of the most gruesome scenes I've seen in my ten year career. His body was covered in deep bruises and nasty lacerations. He was missing several fingers, one of his eyes was gouged out, and the rest of his face was heavily disfigured."

Ash made a wry face, while visualizing the scene.

"No matter how hard the doctors tried to get the squirtle out of the way," said Jenny. "He wouldn't leave his trainer's side."

Clefairy and Growlithe nodded to themselves. If something like that were to happen to Ash, they knew that they would behave the same way.

"The doctors back at the hospital deduced that the boy was attacked by an angry flock of spearow. The damn birds mutilated his flesh and left him to die."

Ash and Growlithe scowled, thinking back to their run in with the flock of pissed-off spearow on the first day of their journey. If they hadn't come across that basin back then, something similar would have probably happened to them.

"The doctor's didn't think he'd make it," continued Jenny. "But miraculously… he came out of a coma about a week after his final surgery. By this time, his parents had long since arrived on the scene. The doctor's wouldn't let them see him until he had finally come out of unconsciousness. It might sound kind of backwards, but the surgeons were having a difficult enough time working around the immoveable squirtle."

"And what happened when they saw him?" blurted Ash, unable to control himself.

Officer Jenny excused his interruption, before carrying on. "Obviously they were devastated. Their ten-year old child was barely recognizable. Wild Pokemon attacks weren't necessarily unheard of, but one of this magnitude, well...it was pretty disturbing."

Ash nodded, he could only imagine.

"As hard as the parents took it…the boy's reaction was much worse. He could hardly look at himself without vomiting. His new reflection haunted him. He grew to hate pokemon, labeling them as evil. His parents tried to explain that not all pokemon were corrupt, but he wouldn't listen. And the saddest part of all…was that he took all of his newfound anger out on the squirtle that had preserved his life."

Ash frowned, he had a feeling Squirtle's story was going to go this way...

"The boy wanted nothing to do with pokemon. When he was well enough to leave the hospital, he exterminated his trainer-account, before hatefully releasing every pokemon he had ever caught…including squirtle. He abandoned all of them right outside town-limits. In the part of the woods that you saw the squirtle squad escape through earlier today."

Clefairy sorrowfully looked down at the ground, while Growlithe quietly whined.

"All of his pokemon were heart-broken," said Jenny. "But one-by-one, at their own pace, they all went their separate ways. However, ever since that day, Squirtle's never left. Some say, it's because he still hopes his trainer will someday come back for him. But I don't think so. I think that at that moment in time, his confusion turned into a grudge. He began to hate humankind, because the only person he'd ever come to love hated his kind. He decided to take out his twisted anger on our little town, probably because the only attachment he has to it involves malice and mistrust."

Ash sorrowfully looked down at the ground, before he thought curiously about an important detail.

"Where did the rest of the Squirtle Squad come from?" questioned Ash.

"I'm getting there," grumbled Jenny. "Dammit kid, you're more impatient then a preschooler."

"I'm Sorry, I'm sorry!" babbled Ash, as he waved his arms back and forth. "It won't happen again."

"Well anyways," continued Jenny, slightly amused by Ash's frenzied display. "The rest of the squirtle gradually started to show up over time."

Ash gave Jenny a peculiar look, while Clefairy and Growlithe perked up with interest.

"My guess…is that he's recruited other abandoned squirtle with a vendetta against humans," explained Jenny. "But there are other theories out there. No one really knows for sure."

Ash remained silent, as he patiently waited for Jenny to continue.

"That's all I got kid," said Jenny. "You can ask questions now, although I can't promise I'll have answers."

Ash honestly thought he'd have some. But he didn't. Officer Jenny had pretty much explained everything he wanted to know. The rest was most likely just fluff.

"I'm good," replied Ash. "Thanks for sharing."

"Good," stated Jenny simply. "You handled that story pretty well…most people don't."

"I've had an interesting week," heckled Ash.

Jenny raised an eyebrow, before excusing the comment. "Well anyway, I think we should talk about this plan."

"I agree," retorted Ash. "Now what do you have in mind? If you can draw them out and help me distract the other seven squirtle, I'll gladly take on the leader."

Jenny squinted, as she racked her brain.

"The Squirtle Squad is awfully predictable when it comes to food," said Jenny. "If we throw a banquet, they'll doubtlessly show up."

"You really think it'll be that easy?" asked Ash. "I mean, hasn't the gang been wreaking havoc for like a year? Shouldn't they be a little more difficult to reel in?"

"Oh…yeah," answered Jenny. "They're almost guaranteed to show up; but don't let your guard down. Trust me, they'll have a plan… the bastards always do. Remember, just because they're easy to find, doesn't mean they'll be easy to catch."

Ash nodded his head. "So our plan's a banquet?"

"Yup," replied Jenny. "It's going to friggin' work too, trust me."

"If you say so..." said Ash skeptically.

"Just worry about catching the leader kid," suggested Jenny. "I'll take care of the rest."

"That sounds like a relatively simple strategy," retorted Ash.

"The difficult part is going to be executing," said Jenny, waving her finger back and forth. "The little devils are tricky."

"I'll take your word for it," said Ash, standing up out of his chair. "Now let's get this show on the road."

Growlithe and Clefairy hopped to their feet, ready to trigger the plan.

"Hold on a second kid," sputtered Jenny. "Before we do anything, I got a question to ask you."

"What is it?" asked Ash curiously.

Jenny looked at Ash with a straight face. "What the hell's your name?"

XXX

The town was wild, as the majority of the populace had disregarded whatever they were doing in order partake in the rambunctious party. Ash observed, as hundreds of people swarmed together, looking to enjoy the impromptu festivities.

It was Officer Jenny's idea to hold the banquet at the town's event-center. The pavilion was situated in the center of town. It was expansive, occupying around fifty-thousand square-feet.

Ash was impressed by the setup. With less than a day's notice, Jenny and the rest of the police station had put together an extremely entertaining banquet. There was pleasant music, fun games, and a plethora of different food options. The ten-year old boy had to admit, he was enjoying himself…

After explaining to Clefairy that it was inappropriate to stand on the buffet table, they both sat down to eat with an elegantly dressed up Officer Jenny. The food was delicious, but they were careful not to overeat. If things went according to plan and chaos unfolded, they didn't want to be running around with bloated stomachs.

"Where's your Growlithe kid?" asked Jenny. "I was under the impression that you kept him outside of his pokeball."

Ash shrugged. "He doesn't do well around a lot of people."

"Oh really," said Jenny. "Social anxiety?"

"Yeah," replied Ash. "I've been trying exposure therapy, but releasing him under these circumstances would be cruel."

Officer Jenny laughed. "No…it'll be cruel if you don't destroy the phobia before the league tournament."

"Why's that?" asked Ash

"Do you know how many people watch a league match, kid?" questioned Jenny.

"Crap," retorted Ash. "I didn't think about that."

"Well you better friggin' start thinking about it," said Jenny. "Social anxiety can be as debilitating as the most potent thunder-wave. You don't want your Growlithe freezing in front of the whole region, do you?"

Jenny had a good point. He'd have to start taking Growlithe's phobia a little more seriously.

Ash's rumination was cut-short by an ear splitting shriek that came from somewhere behind him. He knowingly eyed Jenny, before shifting his gaze back towards the howl. A middle-aged woman was frenziedly pointing in the direction of the buffet table, her facial expression portrayed fear.

Ash used his eyes to follow her line of sight - he didn't see anything.

"They're here," whispered Jenny. "I told you they wouldn't be able to resist."

"I don't see anything," said Ash. "How do you know?"

"Trust me…they're here," warned Jenny. "Those bastards are the only thing that could trigger a reaction like that in this town."

Ash tried to stand up, but Jenny firmly grabbed him by the arm before he had the chance.

"Dammit Ash, be patient!" hissed Jenny. "This is my job. Focus on figuring out how you're going to take out the leader."

Ash shot Jenny a glare, before obediently sitting down. "Fine…"

"I like your spunk kid…" whispered Jenny. "But what's the friggin' point in a plan, if you don't carry it out."

Ash nodded, while Jenny playfully patted him on the shoulder.

Jenny proceeded to extract a palm-sized walkie-talkie out of her seemingly expensive, black, leather purse. Ash watched, as she held down a button on the side of the device.

"Begin the operation," ordered Jenny. "Surround the pavilion. Don't leave any holes to breach. The Squirtle Squad has entered the venue."

A few seconds passed by before feedback came through. "Affirmative boss, should we proceed to evacuate the guests?"

"Let me handle phase two unless I say otherwise," answered Jenny. "I've got an idea."

"Roger," replied the male voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

Officer Jenny stood up from the table. "Stay here kid…I'll be right back."

"Sounds good boss," heckled Ash, while he stroked Clefairy behind the ears. "We'll do as told for now."

Officer Jenny smirked. "You better friggin' catch it kid. If you don't, I'll make you pay back every single penny the department spent on this damn party."

Ash sarcastically chuckled. "If you do your job, I'll do mine."

"Oh…I'll do my job," said Jenny, as she swaggered away. "Just watch brat."

Ash did as told, watching as Officer Jenny's long dark-blue dress entrancingly waved back and forth, as she strutted in the direction that the wailing lady had pointed to earlier.

"Come one, come all!" bellowed Officer Jenny. "Outside of the venue we are holding a very exciting raffle!"

Ash caught on to what the amber-eyed woman was doing.

"We'll be giving away all sorts of pokemon apparel!" yelled Jenny. "Pokeballs, t-shirts, hats, movies, stuffed animals, gift-cards, and cash prizes! If you can think of it, we got it!"

Officer Jenny headed back towards Ash, as the mass of people began to flood out of the event-center in a high-paced frenzy.

"Well that was easy enough," said Jenny with a smirk. "Nothing gets people moving faster than free crap."

"Well done," said Ash. "It looks like you've cleared out the venue."

"Hell yeah," replied Jenny. "I gave the Squirtle Squad the perfect opportunity to make their move. At least...that's what they think."

Ash smirked. "We'll see if they take the bait."

It took a couple of minutes for everyone to clear out. Ash was surprised - he didn't think her plan would be so 'friggin' effective. The venue was quiet. Other than Officer Jenny and himself, no one else was visible. They waited anxiously. If Officer Jenny's plan worked, the Squirtle Squad could make a move towards the buffet table at any moment.

"Can you pick up on their movements?" asked Ash to Clefairy.

Clefairy used her enhanced hearing, like a colander, to remove all of the sounds that didn't match a squirtle's signature movement pattern. She zeroed in on them, deciphering eight distinctly similar movement patterns over by the buffet table.

Ash watched, as Clefairy pointed over to the long, far-reaching, buffet table.

"Yeah… I know that's what they're looking for," said a confused Ash. "But where are they right now?"

Clefairy continued to insistently point at the buffet table.

Officer Jenny rolled her eyes. "Yeah we already know that the foods what they want."

Clefairy vigorously walked the long-distance towards the buffet table, frustrated that she wasn't being understood. When she was close enough to make her point, she crouched down towards the ground and pointed underneath the table. The lengthy table was decorated by fine black linens; they draped over the side, concealing the window of space between the table and ground.

"Oh…" said Ash and Jenny simultaneously.

"So how should we approach this?" asked Ash.

Jenny lowered her eyebrows in thought, before taking the walkie-talkie out of her purse for the second time. "I've got it covered."

She pressed the button on the side of the device and spoke into the walkie-talkie's microphone. "Is phase three complete?"

"Roger," replied the rough male voice. "We're ready for the final phase on your command."

"What was phase three?" asked Ash curiously.

"We had to inform the town's people what was going on," explained Officer Jenny. "Now they won't interfere."

"Smart," replied Ash. "I was wondering how they'd respond to the commotion."

Officer Jenny nodded, before speaking into the walkie-talkie again. "Standby, wait for my command."

"Roger."

"What do you say, want to get a little friggin' messy kid?" asked Jenny, directed towards Ash. "I'll give you the honors."

Ash followed what Jenny was saying. "I've got the perfect pokemon for the job."

He released Pidgeotto from suspended animation. The flying-type immediately leered in the direction of the buffet table. Apparently, Ash didn't need to explain the situation. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the baffled stare on Jenny's face, as she admiringly gawked at Pidgeotto's monstrous size.

"Do you want a big mess, or a slightly smaller mess?" asked Ash.

Jenny shook the surprise off of her face and shrugged. "This party's as good as over. We might as well go big."

Ash smirked. "You heard her Pidgeotto, twister it is."

Pidgeotto's eyes turned savage, as he used both wings to draw upon the atmosphere's rich draconic energy. The surrounding air shrieked like a banshee, as it interacted with the controlled draconic vortex.

Ash tightly held on to his hat, careful not to let it get caught up in the carnage. Jenny's hair went wild in response to the windy ruckus. Clefairy stood firm, not allowing the behemoth's power to overthrow her balance.

The dark-haired boy looked straight ahead. He watched as one of the squirtle peak its head out from behind the linen. Its jaw dropped, as it witnessed the source behind the sound. It concealed itself back within the cloth and reemerged seconds later, accompanied by seven more squirtle heads.

Ash giggled, as he noticed the blotches of food smeared all over their faces. Apparently, they'd been having a feast under the buffet table the entire time. He zeroed in on the leader, who tilted his sunglasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Out of his peripheral's, Ash watched Pidgeotto violently propel his purple-tinted twister. It streaked across the pavilion as fast as a raichu, sucking up various objects along the way. The Squirtle Squad scampered expeditiously, barely clearing the atrocious attack. The buffet table was turbulently ripped from the ground and launched a far distance. The twister mindlessly catapulted the food in every which direction, resulting in an unappetizing mess.

Ash frowned, disappointed by the outcome. He was hoping that at least one squirtle would get caught up in the raging tempest. The dark-haired boy watched the Squirtle Squad, as they jetted towards the edge of the pavilion in attempt to escape. The troupe moved like a calculated machine, following their leader in what appeared to be a pre-planned formation.

"Initiate the final phase," commanded Jenny, as she spoke into the walkie-talkie. "The bastards are on the move!"

Ash hastily released Bulbasaur, wisely inviting him in on the fray. The saurian's elemental advantage would come in handy during the battle to break-up the Squirtle Squad.

"Pidgeotto, go get the leader!" bellowed Ash. "Clefairy, Bulbasaur, give Pidgeotto support!"

Pidgeotto wasted no time. He went airborne, tearing through the pavilion's available sky. Ash could tell he craved battle by the devilish expression on his face. The raptor-like avian left mayhem in his wake, as a result of the harsh subsequent air-current he created during flight.

Bulbasaur hastily sprinted after his comrade, protruding his vines in preparation to assist. Clefairy followed his lead, taking a well-analyzed pursuit-angle in order to quickly cover the distance between herself and the squadron of squirtle.

Jenny cursed impatiently. "Where the hell's my damn squad?"

Right on cue, a dozen police officers barreled into the pavilion. They were accompanied by several pokemon. Most of them were either normal, or grass-types. Ash spotted several gloom and oddish, along with multiple raticate, and one rare eevee. The short little fox pokemon was the first of its species that Ash had seen on his journey. It was excruciatingly cute; the fur on its body was a glistening light brown, complimented nicely by the off-white-colored tuft around its neck.

"Surround them, don't let them get away!" commanded Jenny.

The myriad of officers efficiently encompassed the eight panicked squirtle. They hastily closed in on them, doing their best to carry out Jenny's orders.

Pidgeotto combatively collided with the leader, who wasn't prepared to take on the airborne assault. Pidgeotto clawed at Squirtle's withdrawn body, using his immense talons to heave the leader out of the chaotic skirmish.

"This time you can't let it get away!" yelled Ash. "I'm going to catch him!"

Pidgeotto nodded and engaged in combat. He menacingly darted his eyes towards Bulbasaur, who tried to interfere with a vine-whip to the leader's shell. Ash saw this and changed his plan of action. It was obvious Pidgeotto wanted to take the leader on one-on-one.

"Bulbasaur, Clefairy, let Pidgeotto take on the leader!" barked Ash. "Go help subdue the rest of the squad!"

Clefairy and Bulbasaur hesitated…before dashing off in order to follow orders. Ash proudly observed, as Bulbasaur jumped into the massive brawl using his vines to hammer down one of the subordinate squirtle. With a powerful pound, Clefairy used her fists to engage another squirtle. When it came to physical combat, Ash's fairy-type definitely wasn't one to be underestimated.

Ash moved his attention back to the main event. The leader was no longer withdrawn. It accurately shot several highly condensed water-guns in the direction of the airborne Pidgeotto. The leader had an unfeeling expression painted across his face, as he tried to hit Pidgeotto with a barrage of whistling water-guns.

Pidgeotto meticulously dodged, using his quick attack to repetitively avoid the turret-like assault. He joined the long-ranged shoot-out with some high powered gusts. As fast as squirtle could fire, he still needed to take a breath to reload.

Squirtle changed his approach, surprising Pidgeotto with a widespread bubble attack. The highly concentrated buoyant solution exploded upon contact, causing legitimate damage. Pidgeotto grimaced, as he endured the elemental strike. Because Squirtle's unexpected attack utilized identical form in comparison to water-gun, there was no tell of a shift in strategy.

The flying-type shook it off and hastily conjured a devastating twister. He flung it at the leader, sadistically looking to inflict pain. The scope of the cyclone was too commodious for the leader to dodge. He withdrew into his shell in attempt to shield himself from a direct attack. The impact was harsh, the explosive contact the twister made when it hit the ground sounded like a meteor hitting the earth's surface.

When the dust cleared, Squirtle was still standing strong. There was some damage, but not much. It appeared that his sturdy shell had somehow diminished the brunt of the attack. The one notable difference in the leader's image, was that his glasses had been knocked off. Squirtle's eyes were cold and distant, bearing the full weight of the hellish life he had endured.

Ash briefly changed his focus. He proudly smiled as he saw Clefairy and Bulbasaur wreak a noticeable amount of havoc, amidst the already chaotic battlefield.

"'There are five squirtle left excluding the leader," said Jenny. "Your' Bulbasaur and one of our gloom each took a squirtle out. Clefairy's close to beating another."

"Thanks for the update," replied Ash. "keep em coming…"

"I'm not a friggin' league broadcaster," retorted Jenny. "But I guess…I'll try."

Ash laughed at Jenny's comment, as he turned his attention back towards his avian. The leader was doused in pidgeotto's down feathers. Ash immediately came to the conclusion that Pidgeotto must have performed feather-dance, while his focus was elsewhere. Unfortunately, Ash didn't think that it would make a big difference in the outcome of the battle. Feather-dance really only lessened the damage of physical attacks. Squirtle were known for their long-ranged elemental combat ability. The species didn't usually learn to fight with its body's until the wartortle stage. Regardless, it was nice to see Pidgeotto's progress. He was getting a handle on the unique status technique faster than originally anticipated.

Squirtle desperately continued to try and hit Pidgeotto with his water-gun. Every so often he'd change it up and spit-out a bubble attack, but he'd already used that trick on Pidgeotto once. The avian wouldn't let it happen again.

The flying-type viciously used both wings to consecutively impel gusts down on the leader. Ash could tell Pidgeotto was enjoying himself - the flying-type's expression was boarder line euphoric.

The clashing of Pidgeotto and Squirtle's inherent elements, created a wildly concise hurricane. Squirtle's countenance remained cold and bitter. His knifelike eyes were as sharp as a samurai's blade. Ash wondered if the sunglasses were meant to conceal his icy violet gaze. Squirtle's species' purple irises were known for their beauty, Ash was flabbergasted by the indisputable physical toll of corruption.

Pidgeotto shackled his wings, abruptly using quick attack to dive in close to Squirtle. The leader showed emotion for the first time, surprised by Pidgeotto's decisive move into a closer proximity. He fired two high-velocity water guns; one barely missed to the right, the other trimmed a feather off of Pidgeotto's intimidating face.

Pidgeotto chortled malignantly, as he met squirtle face-to-face. He used his right wing to thrust an authoritative gust at squirtle, sending him flying across the pavilion. Ash saw a slight scowl from the leader, before the turtle pokemon enshrouded himself within his shell. His durable biological shield smashed into the ground, leaving a long streak of dug up gravel in its wake.

Ash's focus was broken by the sound of Jenny's voice.

"Four of his subordinates remain," said Jenny. "Clefairy just finished one of them off with a bizarre combination. Bulbasaur and eevee are working together to take on another one."

"Disarming voice and double slap?" asked Ash. "It's surprisingly very effective."

"That sounds about right," replied Jenny. "Damn…Bulbasaur just threw his body at that squirtle!"

Ash transferred his line of sight over to the brawl. His saurian grass-type was shaking off the inconvenient recoil of an aggressive take-down. The poor squirtle lied on its back unconscious, spinning slowly on its shell.

"Now there's only three," reported Jenny. "I'm impressed by your pokemon kid."

Ash gave no response, as he was once again centralized on Pidgeotto's battle. Squirtle was back on his feet, the tough turtle finally showed visual signs of damage. Regardless, he still had fight left in him. He responded to the close-ranged gust by ferociously charging Pidgeotto. His arms were extended behind him, as he leaned forward, using his thick scull to pierce through the resisting wind like an arrow punctures its target.

Descending at an incredible rate, Pidgeotto met the leader head on. He restrained his wings and hardened his neck muscles with intention to create a percussive collision.

Right before contact, Squirtle withdrew into his shell. He skillfully slid underneath the flying-type, catching him completely off guard. When he conclusively cleared the avian's underside, the water-type erupted out of concealment. Using his momentum, he skated across the gravel with his cold violet eyes planted on Pidgeotto's backside. He ruthlessly unloaded, showering Pidgeotto in a battery of pressurized water.

Pidgeotto shrieked as he painfully crashed to the ground. The flying-type turbulently rolled across the earth's surface, squawking throughout the entire agonizing process. Ash dolefully winced throughout the crash. Dust went everywhere, causing the boy to cover his eyes to avoid irritation.

When the cloud of dirt dissipated, Pidgeotto was standing exhaustively. He was in bad condition. His body was bruised and battered. Ash grimaced; he hadn't seen Pidgeotto in this kind of shape since his battle with Growlithe back in the Viridian Forest.

Squirtle gave Pidgeotto a deadpanned smirk, impressed by his own handiwork. He then mockingly glared at Ash, intentionally trying to get under his skin.

Ash broadly smiled; this kind of attitude actually intensified his desire to catch the leader. Besides, if Squirtle was under the impression that he had won, he was in for an unfortunate surprise. Squirtle's benumbed arrogance would lead to his bungling demise.

Ash observed, as the leader turned back around to shockingly find Pidgeotto within arms-reach. The bird's minacious eyes were primitive and ruthless; lost behind the dishonorable image of Squirtle mocking his trainer. One in each wing…the raptor-like avian created two highly concentrated diminutive twisters. With a scowl on his face, he subsequently smashed the flustered Squirtle in-between the two howling tempests. The draconic energy in both cyclones clashed, emitting an ear-shattering screech. Intermixed with Squirtle's howl it sounded like a steam engine with a faulty blast-pipe.

"Check-mate," said Ash, as he detached an empty pokeball. "It's good to be confident, but cockiness…well it usually leads to clumsiness."

Squirtle's form was revealed as the binary-twister deteriorated. He lied on the ground unconscious, uncomfortably sprawled out on his belly. Pidgeotto hovered over to Squirtle's feeble body, overwhelmingly satisfied with his victory. The avian proceeded to discharge a triumphant outcry, before walking off to the side to preen his filthy feathers.

Ash smiled while launching the empty pokeball at the leader. It smoothly made contact, before engulfing the impressive Squirtle in a radiant red light. Squirtle's body was converted into pliant energy that was instantly consumed by Ash's pokeball. It roughly fell to the ground, and clicked, indicating a clean capture.

Ash turned to Jenny and sarcastically winked. "I told you I'd catch him."

"Shut up," jested Jenny. "Now go thank your Pidgeotto. He did all the work."

"Good point," said Ash with a shrug. "But don't forget, he's the one that didn't want any help. I was only respecting his decision."

"Psht…whatever you say kid," ragged Jenny. "By the way, Bulbasaur just knocked his third squirtle out with another friggin' nasty vine-whip. And his poison-powder was partially responsible for another K.O. that our station's eevee just delivered."

As Ash neared Pidgeotto, he tuned into the one-sided brawl, just in time to watch Clefairy knock the final remaining squirtle out with a vicious double-slap. The dark-haired boy grinned, happy that all of their recent hard work had paid off. The fruition of training was clearly evident throughout today's battle.

"A little tougher than usual," said Ash, as he approached his flying-type.

Pidgeotto softened his eyes in response to his trainer.

"That variance on twister was pretty creative," said Ash.

Pidgeotto cackled sadistically, as he resumed the preening of his feathers.

"I say we come up with a name for that one later," laughed Ash. "I'd like to add that to your repertoire."

The avian delightedly nodded his head, before using his bruised wing to point towards Squirtle's idle pokeball.

"I'll get it in a second," replied Ash. "I just wanted to thank you. You battled hard today."

Pidgeotto gave Ash an affectionate look, before unexpectedly bending over to tap the button on his pokeball. The flying-type was in pain from the battle and deeply desired suspended animation, until Ash could apply a potion. The raptor-like avian's personality never ceased to be amusing. The ten-year old boy giggled, as Pidgeotto was instantaneously vacuumed into the pokeball fastened to his trainer belt.

Ash proceeded to retrieve his freshly caught squirtle's pokeball. He internally celebrated, extremely thrilled over his latest capture. With squirtle on his team, he now possessed all three "original" Kanto starters, an accomplishment he wasn't expecting to achieve when he left Pallet Town. He also had his first water-type, which would greatly balance the dynamics of his team.

Moreover, the former leader of the Squirtle Squad was a highly talented specimen. He didn't think Squirtle would be technically classified as a giant. Nevertheless, he was large for his kind. Ash couldn't wait to start training him. Even though, he had a feeling that the stony-eyed turtle was going to be a hassle to get through to. The young trainer didn't mind though. Ash had yet to have a significant challenge to attain a pokemon's loyalty. He'd have to be an idiot to suspect that every pokemon's allegiance would be so easy to persuade.

While handling Squirtle's pokeball, Ash joined Jenny over by where the brawl had taken place. Bulbasaur and Clefairy scampered over to his side, both of his pokemon had a few scrapes and some small bruises, but neither had taken any consequential damage.

"I heard that you two put a whooping on the Squirtle Squad," said Ash, as he crouched down to praise his friends.

"They sure did," blurted a random officer. "Five in total, our eevee managed to get in a knock out though."

"Don't forget Gloom," inserted a rough looking officer. "She took one out with a mega-drain attack."

"Which gloom?" asked a female officer.

"The one that I always use," replied the officer. "You think I'd be bragging about somebody else's gloom?"

"Shut up you two," grumbled a bulky man with a familiar voice.

It took Ash a moment to sort out why the man's voice sounded familiar, but he eventually figured it out. The course voice belonged to the man that Jenny was communicating with over the walkie-talkie. The boy also recognized the middle-aged man as one of the silent officers that was accompanying Jenny when they first met.

The officer that Ash assumed to be second in command turned his attention to Jenny. "Officer Jenny, all seven subordinate squad members have been detained. I didn't get a chance to take my eyes off of the donnybrook, but I assume the leader has been captured?"

Officer Jenny placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "He sure has. The friggin' kid defeated that bastard a couple of minutes ago."

Ash once again ignored Jenny's vulgar language. He figured she didn't mean anything personal by it.

"Yup," said Ash, as he held Squirtle's pokeball out to show the force. "He's right in here."

Bulbasaur picked Ash up with his vines in celebration, causing the town's police department to erratically break-out into an uproar. Ash couldn't help but react with laughter, as his usually serious Bulbasaur hoisted him above the celebrating crowd. Out of his peripherals, he saw Officer Jenny's joyful smile. His initial thought was that she was smiling at him. But then he noticed that she was locked onto the pokeball in his hand.

Ash assumed she did beforehand…but now he knew for sure. The smile on her face confirmed it…

It seemed the no-nonsense Jenny, had a soft spot for the "bastard" leader after all.

XXX

"What are you going to do with the rest of the Squirtle Squad?" asked Ash, as he sat down with Officer Jenny in her private office.

"Hmmm…" she replied. "We've actually put a lot of thought into what we're going to do with the rest of em…"

"And…?" questioned Ash.

"Well...they were detained using our league customized pokeballs," explained Jenny. "So they're no longer considered wild pokemon."

"League customized pokeballs?" asked Ash. "What are those?"

"You ask a lot of friggin' questions kid," complained Jenny.

Ash smirked. "I'm a curious kid, what can I say?"

"Just be careful out there," warned Jenny. "If you ask the wrong people the wrong questions, you can get yourself into trouble. The world doesn't always respond well to nosy people."

"I'll keep that in mind," answered Ash earnestly. "But you're not the wrong person…so can you please tell me what the customized pokeballs are?"

Jenny sighed, while rolling her eyes. "We call them snare balls. They're basically pokeballs designed specifically for the league's police section. They automatically register a pokemon into league custody - which is very convenient. On top of that, they can override a trainer's registration, allowing an officer to temporarily confine a misused captured pokemon."

"Interesting," said Ash. "Are they stronger than a standard pokeball?"

"Um… A little bit," replied Officer Jenny. "In terms of potency they probably range somewhere between a pokeball and a great ball."

"Gotcha," said Ash. "So that means that the other Squirtle Squad members are now league property."

"Essentially," replied Jenny. "But we're still debating protocol. The buggers have a pretty lengthy rap sheet. However, it doesn't make sense for us to report them to league HQ, especially since we're allowing their leader to get away pretty much scot-free."

"What other options are there?" asked Ash.

"Well there's a few…" said Jenny. "But I don't really feel like listing all of them off. Instead, I'll just tell you which one were leaning towards."

Ash nodded. "Fair enough."

Officer Jenny huffed, as she rested her chin on her palm. "We've pretty much settled on some type of probation. As for severity and length...that's still relatively up in the air."

"Probation?" asked Ash. "How does that work with pokemon?"

Jenny leaned back cozily in her swivel chair. "It's pretty simple. They'd basically assume roles as squad pokemon, until they've either completed their probation sentence, or been released back into the wild due to good behavior.

"So the town's dreaded Squirtle Squad would become your ally, eh?" laughed Ash. "Kind of ironic don't you think?"

"In a way," retorted Jenny. "But if irony is what it takes to straighten those bastards out, I'm all for it."

"I bet," giggled Ash.

"So what are your plans, Ash?"

The dark-haired boy smirked. "I'm headed towards Vermillion City. I plan on taking on Lt. Surge."

"Surge, eh?" said Jenny, while sitting up perkily in her chair. "Tell the bastard I say hello!"

"You know him?" asked Ash confusedly.

"Hell yeah I know surge!" bellowed Jenny. "He's an old drinking partner of mine."

"Small world," replied Ash. "I'll make sure to mention you."

"Don't friggin' forget," answered Officer Jenny. "I haven't seen him for a while. I'd like him to know that I'm doing well."

Ash's facial expression portrayed seriousness. "Don't worry, I've got you covered. Do you have any pointers?"

"I'll tell you one thing…you better friggin' be prepared kid," said Jenny. "Surge isn't a joke."

Ash broadly smiled. "I know…raichu and a voltorb right?"

"Yeah, that's his league registered team," answered Jenny. "Most people don't have too much trouble with his voltorb. But Raichu…well let's just say I wish you good luck."

"Gee thanks…" replied Ash sarcastically. "I'm glad you have so much faith in me."

"Cut the sarcasm," grumbled Jenny. "It's starting to get annoying."

"Yes mam," Ash jested, with a salute.

Officer Jenny grumbled something under her breath, before changing the subject. "Alright kid. So how are you planning on dealing with the leader?"

Ash placed a hand under his chin. "That's tough, I'm not quite sure yet."

"At least you're honest," replied Jenny. "He is gonna be one tough cookie to crack."

"I know…" said Ash. "But I can be patient. Squirtle's for the most part a luxury catch, so it's okay if he doesn't come around for a while."

"That's a good way to look at it," said the female officer. "You're a smart kid."

"Thanks," answered Ash, while scratching the back of his head bashfully. "That actually means a lot coming from you."

Officer Jenny smiled. "No problem kid, just stating the facts, that's all."

Ash's corresponding smile was cut-short by a yawn. "Well, it's probably about time I get going."

"It's going to get dark in a little bit, you sure you don't want to crash here at the station?" offered Jenny.

"It's an enticing offer," replied Ash, as he stood up from his chair. "But I think I'd rather use up the rest of the sun, and cover as much ground as I can. I'm afraid if I keep getting distracted I'll never make it to Vermillion."

"If you say so..." said Jenny.

Officer Jenny proceeded to stand up from her chair, before leading Ash out of the station. There was still plenty of light from the sun. Ash figured he probably had a couple of hours until he'd be forced to set up camp. Officer Jenny explained to Ash the best way to get back onto the main path. He always had the satellite synced GPS map on his pokedex, but getting directions every once in a while from another human being was quite refreshing.

"I'll make sure to say hello to Surge for you," said Ash. "I can't guarantee when though…"

"Well it's about a four and a half day walk from here," replied Jenny. "But I take it you tend to get distracted."

"That's an understatement," laughed Ash. "My journey's always entertaining. Four and half days without being side tracked would be a miracle."

"Well you better get moving then," said Officer Jenny. "It sounds like you need as much spare time as possible."

"You're probably right," said Ash, while shaking Jenny's firm hand. "Thanks for everything."

"Take it easy kid," replied Jenny, with a smirk. "I'll be looking for you on the television during the league conference."

"And you'll find me," said Ash.

"I friggin' better," ragged Jenny. "I expect you to at least make it to the top sixteen."

"We'll see," retorted Ash. "Anyway, I really should get going. If I'm ever around this part of the region again, I'll make sure to stop by."

"Sounds good kid," replied Jenny. "Next time I see you, I expect you to have an obedient beast of a blastoise on your team."

"Obedient…?" Ash mumbled. "More like manageable."

"Psht…when it comes to that bastard," said Jenny. "Manageable is good enough."

XXX

"You two battled great back there," said Ash, as he walked down the trail accompanied by Growlithe and Bulbasaur. "That kid didn't stand a chance."

It was early morning. A couple of days had gone by since the incident with the Squirtle Squad. They had only packed up camp about an hour before Ash was challenged by some annoying brat. The arrogant boy wanted a two-on-two match. Ash complied, mostly in order to deflate the boy's humongous ego.

The cocky kid's first pokemon was a pretty sorry weepinbell. Its clumsiness led Ash to believe that it had probably just recently evolved. The pathetic grass-type didn't land a single attack.

Growlithe's intimidating leer, followed by a tenacious bite/ember combo, made quick work of the outlandish flycatcher-pokemon.

Bulbasaur's battle was just as easy, but way more entertaining. The brat used a geodude - which had a super-effective disadvantage against the rare saurian grass-type. All Bulbasaur had to do was activate chlorophyll and plant a leech seed on the rock-type. Ash found it incredibly amusing to watch the frustrated kid repetitively stomp his foot in frustration, while Bulbasaur made geodude "it" in his energy draining game of "tag".

The aggravating kid left in a tantrum. Ash, Growlithe, and Bulbasaur had been on the go ever since. The dark-haired boy decided to let Bulbasaur stay outside of his pokeball. He figured the grass-type would enjoy the verdant scenery.

The trail was gradually getting greener, as they continued to near the southeastern coast of Kanto. The air was crisp; it reminded him of the alluring fresh air that dwindled about amongst the surrounding routes of Cerulean City.

"We should reach the ocean sometime today," said Ash. "From there we can basically follow the coast all the way to Vermillion."

Bulbasaur and Growlithe nodded with a smile. Growlithe had already experienced a large body of water before. But this would be Bulbasaur's very first time seeing the ocean. Ash could tell he was excited for the upcoming experience.

Ash looked down at Bulbasaur, as the light from the sun caused the seed-pokemon's bulb to glisten. "Did Melanie tell you anything about the ocean?"

Bulbasaur grunted, as he responded with a positive gesture.

"She must have told you how amazing it is," said Ash.

Bulbasaur continued to react excitably.

"You're going to love it," said Ash. "There's the smell of the air - the sandy beach - the humbling reality that you are so small compared to the vastness of the water."

Bulbasaur couldn't wait. It was just one more new thing that he was going to get to experience with his self-descried, chosen, trainer. Melanie had told him so many stories about how the ocean was seemingly limitless, and that there are so many pokemon that could be found within its expansive depths.

"I can't wait to show it to you," said Ash.

Bulbasaur secretly smiled at Growlithe, who knowingly beamed back.

Yup...they had the best trainer the world.

XXX

"Beautiful, isn't it?" questioned Ash, as they walked across the soft sandy beach.

Growlithe, Clefairy, Charmander, and Bulbasaur answered amicably in their own language, while soaking in the captivating view. The grand body of water was magnificent enough in its own right. The fact that it was sublimely enriched by the sky's ravishing sunset was frankly icing on the cake.

"What do you think Bulbasaur?" asked Ash. "Is it everything I made it out to be?"

Bulbasaur happily nodded, as his scarlet red-eyes glimmered amidst the cogent orange sunlight.

"Good…I'm glad," said Ash. "What about you Charmander? What do you think?"

Charmander delightedly squealed. His tail-flame shined the same tangelo-orange that was painted across the darkening sky.

"This is so great," commented Ash. "There's nothing quite like being able to walk along the beach with your friends."

Growlithe playfully howled in response to Ash's statement. Clefairy eagerly fidgeted, she was just excited for the converging night.

"We should probably head back to the main trail though…" suggested Ash. "The sand might feel nice on my feet, but it's not very kind to my muscles."

All four pokemon confirmed their approval with an acquiescent grunt.

Ash arduously led his pokemon off of the beach and back up onto the main trail. They traveled the path for nearly an hour, all the while the light from the sun gradually languished. Just when Ash felt that it was about time to set up camp, Charmander spotted a revolving light aimlessly illuminating amidst the inky horizon.

"What's that?" thought Ash aloud, as his eyes followed the vertiginous beam.

The dizzying light came from the direction of the ocean. In order to distinguish the source, he beckoned his pokemon to follow him back down to the beach. When they emerged from the lush brushwood, back out onto the oceanfront, they spotted a tall ominous lighthouse situated on a cliff-side. The cliff-side protruded from the upper mainland, out and across the beach like a pier. It held the lighthouse like a pedestal; the eerie tower projected the lustrous beam from its upper kerosene lamp.

Ash swiveled his head with a smile, looking at his four released friends peculiarly. They knowingly glanced at each other, clearly seeing the desire in their trainer's eyes.

"We've got to go check it out!" implored Ash. "I've never been to a lighthouse before!"

Growlithe, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Clefairy simultaneously shrugged. They didn't see a problem with the request...It was on the way.

However, Growlithe internally giggled. His best-friend was so predictable.

XXX

The eerie lighthouse towered over them, as they stood out front of its colossal front entrance. The large stone double-doors were artistically designed, engraved with numerous hieroglyphic-like images of rare pokemon. Like a blind-man reads brail, he gently ran his fingers over the ridges that outlined the different illustrations: arcanine, clefable, venusaur, electabuzz, scyther, gengar, alakazam, Articuno…etc.

"These are amazing," said Ash aloud, as he carefully inspected the detailed enchasing.

Like a torch, Charmander dutifully held up his tail flame, thus allowing his trainer to get a better look.

"Oh look here," said Ash towards his lizard-pokemon. "Here's a charizard. One day you'll look like that buddy."

Charmander's eyes gleamed, excited for what the future beheld. The image of the charizard was stoic - it stood atop a steep mountain, with its dragon-like wings unfolded. Erupting from its powerful jaws, into the vast sky, was an awe-inspiring pillar of fire.

"Can't wait, eh?" questioned Ash, with a smile. "I know I can't..."

The fire-lizard was enjoying this moment. He'd never dreamed with a friend before...he most certainly never dreamed with Damian.

"I can see you eyeing that arcanine picture," said Ash to Growlithe. "One day buddy...but keep in mind that we still have a lot to learn before then."

Growlithe dejectedly pouted. He wished the hurdle of time would cease to exist. His yearning desire to become a regal, strong-flamed, arcanine grew exponentially with every passing day.

"It's for the best," said Ash. "We must be patient in order to maximize your potential."

Growlithe didn't necessarily like it, but he understood that his trainer knew what was best for him. He wouldn't complain, at least not yet.

"Clefairy look up there," declared Ash, as he pointed towards an engraving etched into the top right corner. "There's one of a clefable too."

Clefairy nobly curtsied, honoring the abstract image of one of her evolved kin.

"Should I knock?" asked Ash, once the boy and his three released pokemon were finally finished looking at all of the engravings.

Charmander responded by moving his tail flame, enlightening a bright red doorbell that was situated on the face of a medial black apparatus. The electrical box was neatly fastened into the wall; it had dozens of tiny holes divided into it. Ash assumed that it also worked as a short-distance call box.

"Why knock, when you can ring a doorbell?" jested Ash. "Good find Charmander."

Charmander placed his hands on his hips and puffed up his chest, proud that he had helped his trainer.

"You're a funny guy," Ash chuckled. "But I'm always proud of you no matter what you do, just so you know."

Charmander gave Ash a toothy grin. The boy said things that made him feel special. All Damian ever did was tear him down, making him feel like dirt. He had gone from having the worst trainer in the world, to having the best. He made an internal promise to himself to always cherish the way Ash treated him.

Ash readily pressed the doorbell. The call box buzzed, emitting a signifying ring from the speaker. There was a momentary pause, before Ash heard the sound of a sophisticated male voice.

"Hello," said the disembodied voice. "Who goes there?"

"My name's Ash Ketchum," he replied cheerfully. "I'm a traveling trainer. I was passing by and saw the lighthouse. Mind if I come check it out?"

"Godsend!" exclaimed the well-cultivated voice. "I don't usually permit random trainers…but I've gotten myself in quite the predicament. Come on in; the doors automated so don't let it spook you."

"Sweet," replied Ash. "What's your predicament?"

Before Ash could get a wanted response, the call box promptly shut off. He waited anxiously, while the engraved doors slowly creaked open. Ash was excited, judging by the lighthouse door the owner was most likely some kind of pokemon enthusiast.

When the double-doors finally came to a halt; Ash, Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander entered the lighthouse. The entrance hall was dark and commodious. There were a few lit-up lamps throughout the corridor, but only enough to safely maneuver about. Ash examined about as much as he possibly could. However, the severe lack of light made it difficult to attain a decent feel for the caliginous lighthouse.

With the help of Charmander's risen tail-flame and the limited number of illuminated lamps, he was able to discern that the llighthouses' floor was coated with fine, crimson-red, wool, carpeting. Every so often, as he and his pokemon sauntered down the linear hall, he was able to make out an exquisite piece of furniture, or a dazzling article of décor. On the occasion, Ash would jump at the sight of a shadowy statue. The long corridor was littered with life-sized stone sculptures of various sparse species of pokemon. At this point, Ash was awfully interested in meeting the owner of the luxurious lighthouse. Whoever it belonged to was more than likely wealthy beyond reason.

"Where do you think this guy is?" asked Ash, to no one in particular, as they continued their way to the end of the crepuscular hall. "I'd feel kind of silly if we had to apply tracking methods in a situation like this."

Charmander decisively veered off to the left, once again using his tail-flame to unveil the composition of a long winding staircase. It appeared to lead up to a second floor. Ash shouldn't have been surprised; the lighthouse was an extremely tall structure, multiple floors were inevitable. Besides, there had to be a way to access the assumed to be, kerosene lamp, at the top of the tower.

"You're on a roll today," praised Ash, directed towards Charmander. "Let's go up."

Charmander responded with a dainty smile, before leading them up the dark enclosed staircase. Ash watched, as Charmander used his claw to carefully secure his blazing tail-flame.

The dark-haired boy perceived the constant twitching of Clefairy's ears - her auditory receptors indicated that there was activity coming from above. He also noticed Growlithe's distinct train of focus. Ash could tell he was in the process of reaching out with his aromatic awareness. The boy inwardly cackled, his friends couldn't help but always be on guard.

At the top of the staircase was an abbreviate passageway. The shadowy walls were decorated with a few intricately framed photographs. Unfortunately, Ash was unable to decipher the contents of the pictures, because of the hall's limited light-source. Furthermore, the passageway's primary feature was without a doubt the acutely crafted wooden door that most certainly led onto the next floor.

"Shall we see what lies behind the door?" asked Ash, with a creepy voice and a contorted face.

His pokemon looked at him with a blank stare, blinking rapidly throughout the awkward silence.

"Psht…it looks like no one understands good humor around here," said Ash.

Growlithe shook his head in embarrassment, before beckoning his trainer to open the door with the gesture of his head.

"Fine…" said Ash, as he reached out to grab the door knob. "We'll work on your sense of humor later."

He opened the door; Ash was nearly blinded by the abrupt change in lighting. He rubbed his eyes in attempt to soothe the sudden contraction of his pupils, caused by the bright light.

"Geez," complained Ash. "I definitely wasn't expecting that."

As his vision gradually shifted back into focus, he noticed the squinched look on all of his pokemon's faces. Apparently, the rapid light change affected them in a similar way. Once he was able to see clearly, the ten-year old boy dizzily walked through the doorway out onto the second floor.

"Holy crap," mumbled Ash aimlessly. "That's a lot of books."

The lighthouses' second floor was basically a library; it was packed, disorganized, and musky. There were tens of thousands of books littered throughout the entirety of the corridor. Maybe half of them were neatly situated in their respective shelves, but the rest were disarranged all over the place: on the floor, on the tables, underneath the tables, stuck in between the cushions of a couch, wedged behind a shelf, etc…

From what Ash could tell, every single book had something to do with pokemon. He briefly scanned numerous titles like: Evolutionary Physics of Pokemon, Elemental Energy, Selective Habitats in Kanto, Genetic Reconstruction, and Legends.

Ash flipped through the pages of some of the displaced titles. Every single one of them was thoroughly annotated by the same sloppy handwriting. Ash tried to decipher some of the explanatory notes, but couldn't make out the, boarder line, illegible handwriting. Ash moved on, curiously picking up one of the shelved books for the first time. It was unmarked. He picked up another shelved book; it was also unmarked. Ash came to the conclusion that the library was in fact organized after all.

It was clean chaos. The disarranged books had been read, and the shelved books hadn't. In Ash's opinion, it was actually a rather simple system. Obviously the lighthouse keeper wasn't bothered by a mess, that is, as long as he knew where everything was located.

Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander waited patiently for Ash to finish his investigation, before resuming their search for the lighthouse keeper. Ash led the way, as they continued to rummage through the book-filled corridor.

"What do you guys think?" asked Ash, to his pokemon. "The guy's got to be a researcher, or something along those lines. I mean...no normal human writes that much commentary for the hell of it, right?

His pokemon once again stared blankly, not understanding the meaning behind the question.

"Don't worry about it," Ash sighed. "I guess I'm talking about stuff that you guys wouldn't understand. Either way, thanks for listening to my babbling. It shows that you at least care about what I have to say."

All three pokemon authentically nodded - of course they cared about what Ash had to say. He was there leader after all.

As they persistently trekked through the corridor, the ten-year old boy noticed that the piles of books were gradually getting larger. He wondered if it meant anything. Perhaps more books meant that they were getting closer to the keeper. It sort of made sense…maybe.

Situated behind the final row of shelves, was a beautifully constructed lounge. Unfortunately, its current condition made it look like it had been used as a playground by a barrel of mankey. The red carpeting was completely concealed by a layer of scientific journals and opinionated literature. The comfortable looking furniture was occupied by hundreds of scribbled on pieces of paper. Ash guessed that the unkempt lounge was where the lighthouse keeper studied.

Ash suddenly paused...

His body momentarily went stiff, in response to the unexpected appearance of a large bizarre creature. It creepily plodded out from behind a book shelf. He recognized it - its existence was baffling.

Growlithe instantaneously crouched into a defensive position. He snarled menacingly, while confusion crept up into his thoughts. Why had he not picked up on its scent earlier? The canine pokemon reached out with his aromatic awareness once again…

Charmander's eyes boiled blood-red and his tail-flame grew. He showed his teeth in attempt to intimidate the strange pokemon. The lizard-pokemon raised his claws, prepared to protect his trainer.

Clefairy remained relaxed. The creature's signature movement pattern didn't match its frame. She chuckled internally - it wasn't what it appeared to be.

Ash drifted his dominant hand hoveringly over Bulbasaur's pokeball. From what he'd read on the primordial creature, the grass-type would have the best shot at taking it down.

All of a sudden, two of its yellow pointed claws frantically waved back and forth. "Whoa there chap! whoa there! It's just a costume. Please don't do anything rash!"

"My stars is that a Clefairy?"

Ash recognized the kabuto's voice. It had the same inflection as the one that transmitted over the call box. The fact that it talked would typically erase any suspicion, but ever since the boy's encounter with the elder clefable at Mt. Moon, he couldn't be completely sure.

"A costume, eh?" asked Ash. "How can I be sure?"

The brown-shelled creature's red eyes realistically blinked. "Observe your pokemon young man, do they appear to be hostile?"

Ash glanced down at his three pokemon. Growlithe and Clefairy both appeared to be relaxed. Ash trusted their judgment - their uncanny senses were nearly always accurate. Charmander was still slightly on edge. But that was to be expected. The lizard-pokemon didn't possess any special perceptual abilities.

"Fair enough," replied Ash. "But why…?

"Sometimes the only way to get to know a species better, is to spend some time inside of its own skin," said the lighthouse keeper. "Kabuto is as far as we know extinct. I figured it would be fun to study the species as one of its own."

"Okay…" said Ash. "That makes sense, I guess."

"Yes it does," retorted the man in the costume. "Unfortunately, I designed the bloody thing sloppily."

He waved the kabuto costume's moveable claws back and forth. "The damn arms are too short. I can't reach the bloody release button. The costumes automated, so I can't take the thing off unless I press the bloody button."

"Is this the predicament?" asked Ash, slightly disappointed.

"I'm afraid so lad," answered the keeper. "Now please, help me get out of this poxy costume."

Ash approached the Kabuto costume, with his pokemon following closely behind. "Okay, so what do I do?"

He used one of his yellow pointed claws to awkwardly point in the direction of a tiny black button that protruded out of the costumes side. "The bloody release button is right here. All you've got to do is push it."

"Easy enough," said Ash, as he bent over to press the button.

As his index finger made contact with the release button, the kabuto costume's shell separated down the middle. A cloud of smoke was released, as the shadowy figure of a man slowly emerged. Once the foggy smoke dissipated, the identity of the young man beneath the costume was more astonishing then the costume itself.

"Holy crap!" bellowed Ash shockingly. "You're Bill Montgomery!"

"That would be correct," said the voice of the brilliant young pokemon researcher. "Thanks for getting me out of that thing. I've been stuck in there for hours. I believe you said your name is Ash Ketchum?"

The dark-haired boy examined the appearance of one of the most brilliant young minds in the world. He looked to be in his late twenty's - his body was slightly on the scrawny side and his facial features were thin and unlined. The young researcher's eyes were a dark-brown. His hair for the most part matched his eye-color, except for the fact that it had a slight peculiar forest-green tint to it. Bill wore a fine, but crumpled, expensive looking crimson-red suit. It had thin green pin-stripes that streaked from top to bottom, and was accessorized by a vibrant green tie. The researcher's dressy outfit most definitely projected a distinct image of wealth.

"That's right…I'm Ash," mumbled the ten-year old boy, somewhat star-struck. "But you…you're Bill Montgomery."

"I believe that's already been established," jested Bill, as he nonchalantly pointed at Ash. "That reaction right there is why I spend the majority of my free time in seclusion."

Before he made a fool out of himself, Ash got a grip on his behavior. "Sorry, I guess I was sort of surprised. It's not every day that one of the more famous people in Kanto emerges from the inside of an extinct pokemon."

"Good point," said Bill. "Besides, you saved my life lad, and for that I owe you more than just a good attitude."

The pokemon enthusiast gratefully shook Ash's hand. "If it weren't for you, I would've had to call upon someone from the league. There's no way to eat or drink in that poxy costume. I'm afraid if I didn't do anything, I could have died like a prat."

Ash nodded; he hadn't thought of that. "Well I'm glad you're okay now Mr. Montgomery."

"Please...call me Bill," said the researcher. "Mr. Montgomery makes me sound like a bloody duffer."

"Alright...Bill it is," chuckled Ash. "I'm glad I stumbled across your lighthouse. I'm assuming it would have been rather embarrassing to call the league over something like this."

"That's correct," heckled Bill. "You definitely saved my bloated pride, although now I feel that I owe you a favor."

"Don't mention it," replied Ash. "Anyone can press a button. I was just in the right place at the right time."

"I will not take no for an answer," retorted Bill. "A debt must be repaid. I shall have it no other way."

"Well if you insist…" said Ash. "What do you have in mind?"

"Being Bill Montgomery has its perks," replied Bill arrogantly, while raising an eyebrow. "Whatever you want, it shall be yours. Judging by your clefairy, it seems you have a liking for rare pokemon…maybe something along those lines?"

Ash immediately declined the offer. "I would rather find my own pokemon."

"You sure?" questioned Bill. "I mean...I can't promise something as rare as a clefairy. But I do have my resources."

"I'll pass," said Ash. "Can I have some time to think about it please?"

"Of course," said Bill, with a smile. "Take as much time as you'd like. If you'd like to sleep on it, you're more than welcome to stay in one of my many guest rooms."

"Really?" asked Ash. "Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Imposing…please," scoffed Bill. "This bloody place is too big for me anyway. You can stay here as long as you'd like."

"Awesome," said Ash. "I'll probably only stay tonight though, I'm trying to get to Vermillion before the end of the week."

"Suit your-self," shrugged Bill, before changing the subject. "So what pokemon do you have Ash?"

Ash took a second to reply, as he gestured towards his Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander. "I have these three, a bulbasaur, a pidgeotto, and a squirtle."

"A Bulbasaur you say?" questioned Bill, with a raised eyebrow. "Fascinating, has Professor Oak begun to issue them again."

"Nope…my starter was Growlithe," replied Ash. "I actually found Bulbasaur in the wild."

"Interesting…" said Bill, with a hand on his chin. "Does that mean you found Charmander and Squirtle in the wild as well?"

"Kind of," said Ash. "They were both abandoned by their previous trainers."

Bill sadly shook his head. "Bloody ingrates…well it looks like your Charmander is happy now. So at least it worked out for the best."

"That's a good way to look at it," said Ash, as Charmander nuzzled up next to him in agreement.

"All three of these specimens look to be in fine shape," said Bill, as he closely examined Clefairy. "Do you mind if I see your others?"

Ash nodded. "You can see everyone except for Squirtle. I haven't released him since I caught him a few days ago. He needs a restoration machine - it was a pretty intense battle…"

"Understood," replied Bill. "Feel free to release Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto whenever you're ready."

Ash wasted no time. He quickly unclipped Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur's pokeballs, before proceeding to release them within the messy lounge.

Bill's jaw dropped, at the sight of Pidgeotto's monstrous size. "A king…"

"King?" asked Ash. "What do you mean by that?"

Bill's eyes lit up, as he whistled. "Ash Ketchum, that Pidgeotto is a living example of one of the rarest genetic phenomenon on this planet."

"Making him a King?" asked Ash confusedly.

"Essentially," replied Bill. "It's called the king's nature. It's a genetic alteration that is similar to that of a shiny pokemon (a pokemon with a unique color variation). This genetic mutation is recessively passed on throughout the generations. Only about one in a million of its species, possesses this genetic gift.

"One in a million..." reciprocated Ash. "You hear that Pidgeotto, pretty cool, eh?"

Pidgeotto puffed up his chest, and chortled sadistically. He didn't need some stranger to tell him how badass he was.

"Pretty cool...doesn't do it justice Ash," said Bill enthusiastically. "That Pidgeotto is rarer than your Clefairy."

"When you say it like that I guess it is pretty amazing," said Ash.

"Damn right it's amazing," admitted Bill. "Ash this team has incredible potential. You better not waste it."

Ash appreciated Bill's honesty. "I won't…I promise."

"Good…" replied Bill. "All of these specimens bear a vast pool of latent potential. I look forward to witnessing you bring that potential out. You'll be competing in the tournament I presume?"

"That's my plan," said Ash.

"Hmmm…" mumbled Bill. "Maybe I'll come this year, Mr. Goodshow's been bugging me about it for years."

Ash ignored the eccentric Bill's quiet babbling. "So how do you know so much about this so called, king's nature?"

Bill responded quickly, as if he'd been expecting the question. "Follow me."

Ash hastily returned Pidgeotto, and offered Bulbasaur the opportunity to remain outside of his pokeball. Bulbasaur opted to go back inside - the saurian grass-type was still exhausted from the long day of travel.

Bill proceeded to lead the way, as Ash, Growlithe, Charmander, and Clefairy followed him out of the lounge and through a narrow passageway. The corridor was well lit, and just like the other hallways, there were various stone statues and framed photographs. This time Ash was able to clearly make out the images. He came to the realization that some of them were paintings. Ash's favorite happened to be a beautiful depiction of Kanto's three elemental birds of legend. They stood stoically as a trio, dwelling within the fury of their own individual elements.

Ash moved on, continuing to follow Bill down the lengthy corridor. He looked down at each of his friend's faces. All three of them appeared to be eager. Ash assumed that they were just as interested in what Bill had to show them as he was

"Where are you taking us?" asked Ash, as they reached a decrepit door at the end of the hall.

Bill pointed towards the roof. "We're going to the top."

"Awesome," said Ash, as he looked at all of his pokemon. "But what does the roof have to do the king's nature?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," replied Bill. "Maybe you should pursue professorship?"

"I'll pass…training's my passion," said Ash. "Besides, I can learn a lot by simply traveling the world."

"Good answer," replied Bill, as he opened up the door to another flight of stairs. "A goal without passion will always die out."

"I agree," said Ash, as he looked down at his pokemon. "What about you guys?"

Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander gave Ash an affirmative grunt.

Bill scratched his head, as he laughed. "Glad to see that you guys are on the same wavelength. They say a great trainer can distribute his passion to all of his pokemon, no matter what their personality looks like. It seems to me that you may possess this unique quality."

Ash mulled it over. "Hmm…maybe, but I just started my journey. I guess we'll just have to just wait and see."

Ash and his pokemon followed Bill the long distance up the lantern-lit spiral staircase. Ash's legs were tender and sore by the time they had finally reached the top. The long days of travel had definitely accumulated an evident toll on his body.

At the end of the staircase was a thick steel plated door. Bill reached into one of his coat pockets, pulling out a silver ring that obsequiously clung onto a surplus of metallic keys. He fumbled through the ringed cluster, until he found the padlock's corresponding key. The famous pokemon enthusiast carefully inserted it into the keyhole, unlocking the door that led to the roof.

"Wow," said Ash, as he followed Bill through the door. "So this is what it's like to be at the top of a lighthouse."

"Indeed," replied the researcher. "The warmth of the lamp - the breathtaking view - it really is quite the experience."

Ash observantly looked around at his surroundings. The open floor consisted of two distinct sections. The first section was where Ash resided. It was a magnificent view point that served as a spot to look out at the vast ocean. The spectacle was gorgeous. Ash could see the sparkling stars alluringly reflect off the surface of the ocean.

The second section was stationed on an elevated platform - it supported the lighthouses immense pivoting lamp. Ash watched, as the kerosene lamp endlessly revolved in a half-circle, projecting its light out onto the ocean.

"So why did you take me up here?" asked Ash, as he bent over and rubbed the fur underneath Growlithe's maw.

"You asked how I know so much about the king's nature," replied Bill. "Well I figured this would be the best place to explain…"

Bill grabbed the railing at the edge of the view point, as he gazed out at the ocean. "The king's nature is one of several pokemon phenomenon that I have spent my life researching. It's actually the reason why I'm currently shacked up in this bloody place."

"That makes sense," replied Ash, as he joined Bill at the lookout. "But why here? What can you learn in a place like this?"

"Good question," replied Bill. "See... I came out here originally because of the vast amount of knowledge stored in the libraries. My family has owned this lighthouse for generations. Throughout time they have stocked the corridors with all sorts of bloody decorations and books galore."

Ash listened attentively, as Charmander cuddled up next to him.

"But the reason why I haven't left…" sighed Bill. "Well... just listen to this."

Bill removed a small mechanical device from his other coat pocket. It was relatively bland. Its only feature was a small green button that was situated in its center. He pressed the button - Ash reacted with a jolt, as an intensely eerie cry was emitted from the lighthouses broadcast system. Until now, Ash had failed to notice the large, gramophone-like speakers that were built into the side of the building. They aimlessly pointed towards the ocean, calling out to something in the distance.

Ash looked down and saw Clefairy covering her ears. His lone female pokemon was extra sensitive to loud noises, an unfortunate drawback to her acute hearing capabilities.

"What is that?" asked Ash curiously.

Bill smiled. "The biggest pokemon I have ever seen. I recorded its cry right before it vanished back into the depths of the sea."

"That belongs to a pokemon," scoffed Ash dumfounded. "Is it a legendary?"

"Maybe, unfortunately I only saw its silhouette," said Bill. "But…"

"What else could it be?" interrupted Ash, as he racked his brain.

"Its' cry is inexplicably similar to that of a dragonite," said Bill. "My hypothesis is that it's a bloody massive one."

"A massive dragonite?" asked Ash, with large eyes. "But wouldn't that mean…"

"Correct," inserted Bill. "It would make it a pseudo-legendary in possession of the blasted king's nature."

"But that's insane!" gasped Ash. "That would make it like one of the strongest pokemon in Kanto."

"Debatable," said Bill. "It depends on how you feel about the existence of legendaries."

Ash scrunched his face. "What do you mean? It's not like sightings are unheard of...of course they exist."

Bill shrugged. "People still refuse to believe. The human race is…skeptical to say the least. I even know a few trainers that have managed to catch some of the lesser legendaries. It still doesn't put a stop to conspiracy theorists."

Ash rolled his eyes. "People…"

"Why do you think I spend my life focused on pokemon, Ash?" Bill jested. "People are a bloody nuisance."

Ash chuckled, before responding. "Wait, what are you planning to do here? What will sticking around accomplish?"

Bill looked out ahead with glazed eyes. "I wish to meet it."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

Bill pressed the button for a second time, replaying the booming eerie cry. "This howl sounds exactly like a dragonite's call for fellowship. I don't know why…but I believe it's seeking out a friend."

"A friend, eh?" questioned Ash. "Well I hope it finds one..."

Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander nodded. They understood how important it was to have a friend. Charmander nestled his head up against his trainer's leg. No one understood how important a friend was more than the previously abandoned fire-lizard.

"Me too, me too," echoed Bill. "I just want to meet it. That would be enough for me. Then I could finally leave this lighthouse satisfied. Dragonite are rare enough as it is, meeting one with the bloody king's nature...well that's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Ironically...that's when it happened...

The same ominous cry that was projected from the broadcast system, was thunderously reiterated from somewhere far across the sea. Ash watched as the shore's waves became significantly larger, which was a strange and sudden reaction.

"My stars Ash, did you hear that?" asked Bill, as he jumped up and down gleefully. "It finally responded!"

Ash simply blinked, utterly flabbergasted at the timing.

"Look out there!" bellowed Bill, as he pointed forwards toward the large body of water.

Leaking out from the obscure horizon was a bizarre and expansive purple fog. Within its depths existed a colossal shadowy figure - it lurked towards them, continuously casting out the, intense, creepy bellow.

Ash's lower lip trembled. "Are you sure about this Bill? That thing's humongous."

"Oh I'm bloody positive," said Bill giddily, with fire in his eyes. "Its' call isn't hostile Ash, there's no need to be afraid."

Ash gulped. "If you say so…"

The tide ascended, responding to every fragment of distance that the giant covered. As it got closer to the lighthouse, its silhouette became much more distinguishable. If Ash had to guess, he would say that it was probably around thirty-feet tall. Unless the fog was disorienting its image, Ash could tell that its body was bulky and round. It had thick arms, and its legs were encased by the ocean. The creature had two massive wings that, despite their tremendous size, were slightly disproportionate to its colossal frame. The creature's head looked to be oval shaped with a wide pointed horn protruding out of the top of its skull. There was a pair of curious wavy antennae, planted adjacent and symmetric to both sides of the horn - squiggling about aimlessly. The name king's nature didn't fully comprehend the monstrosity of the prodigious dragon-like form. This was transcendent of a king; Divine nature was much more suitable.

"Ash...now that you've acquired a good look at its shadow," said Bill, with a smirk. "What do you fancy it is?"

"I have no doubt..." replied Ash, slack-jawed. "That's a dragonite."

"Indeed," replied Bill, with a smile. "indeed! Indeed! Indeed!"

The purple haze continued to follow the massive dragonite, while it gradually neared the lighthouse. Bill continued to play the recording, convinced that it was seeking its own voice by means of echolocation. Ash highly doubted it though. The lighthouses' lamp seemed to be more than enough of an indicator to draw it in.

The tide was on the brink of reaching up over the cliff-side. Ash thought he knew why. His first guess was that it had to do with the colossal dragonite's weight. But then he factored in the ocean's overall density. It made much more sense for the tide to be raised, simply by the sheer gravitational force the giant created as it plodded through the water.

The titanic dragonite was now close enough that it could without a doubt reach out and snatch them if it wanted to. It remained enshrouded inside of the fog; Ash considered that the eerie purple veil accompanying the dragon was some type of peculiar ability. Based on its purple-tint, Ash assumed that it consisted of draconic-energy. He'd had enough experience with Pidgeotto's twister to be able to deduce that much.

Ash's legs shook, and his heart pounded, as he stood beneath the gargantuan silhouette.

Growlithe dutifully stepped forward, prepared to serve as a distraction. Charmander and Clefairy quickly followed suit. They would willingly give up their lives if the situation turned for the worst. If that's what it took to help their trainer escape, so be it...

"Greetings Dragonite!" bellowed Bill, as he stepped forward, while initiating first contact. "Presuming that is what you are?"

Ash remained still, allowing Bill to handle the encounter.

"We mean you no harm," implored the pokemon researcher. "We just want to be your friends, will you please show yourself?"

The immense dragonite momentarily paused, insinuating that it was internally conflicted.

"I promise!" howled Bill. "You can trust us!"

The colossal dragon disembogued a peculiar outcry, as the surrounding purple fog gradually dissipated. Once the self-induced haze had completely faded, the king's form was completely clear.

It was terrifying, yet magnificent…

"I see…" replied Bill, utterly confounded. "So something like you does exist…"

Ash didn't need an explanation from Bill; he knew what was going on. This creature was beyond unique. It transcended one in a million. Its existence was in fact, divine.

The titanic green dragonite slowly lowered its head, bringing its gaze down to eye level. Its eyes were soft and docile, glowing in a majestic lambent grey. The long ekans-like antennae on its head carefully reached out towards them, looking to make contact with the two astonished humans.

Ash followed Bill's lead and reached out a hand, allowing the beast to feel out his extremity. Its antennae was cold and slimy, but Ash didn't care, he was caught up in the moment.

The dragon took its antennae off of the human's hand, relocating them over to Ash's pokemon. It performed the same bizarre ritual with the pokemon - examining them with its sensory appendages.

"Is that typical for a dragonite?" asked Ash, as the creature reeled back its antennae.

"Not necessarily," answered Bill, just as confused. "But a pokemon of this level can't be compared to the rest of its species. Ash, it's a bloody genetic miracle. To have the king's nature is one thing, but to bear shininess as well; one in a billion."

Ash's attention was snatched by the large creature. It playfully whinnied, as if it was waiting for them to do something. Ash and Bill laughed - Dragonite were well known for their dominantly jolly nature. But this…well it was unexpected to say the least.

Ash took a moment to fully grasp the dragon's features. Its scaly skin was a glossy jade-green. Its striated underbelly contrasted its scales with a creamy off-white color, as it stretched from its neck to the tip of its absurdly long tail. The insides of its disproportionate wings were naturally painted a vibrant purple; it matched the color of the eerie violet cloud that it previously dwelled within. Its snout was round and its nostrils were small. Ash mentally scoffed. The dragon was oddly resplendent.

"What is it dragonite?" asked Bill. "Is there something that you want?"

Ash shook his head. "Bill…remember what you said earlier. I think it wants to be your friend. I believe it's waiting for you to introduce yourself."

Bill smiled. "Of course…sorry dragonite, I got lost within your elegance."

The pokemon researcher welcomingly waved his hand above his head. "My name is Bill. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time."

Dragonite jovially murmured, before setting his lavishing eyes on Ash.

"My name's Ash," said the ten-year old boy. "And this is Growlithe, Charmander, and Clefairy.

The three pokemon exhaled a massive sigh of relief, before introducing themselves in their own individual languages.

Dragonite playfully clapped its hands together, unintentionally creating a deafening vibration. Ash, Bill, and the three released pokemon covered their ears, protecting their eardrums from the booming sonic explosion.

Dragonite apparently seemed to recognize this, it stopped itself mid-clap, slouching its shoulders gloomily in sorrow. The two humans and Ash's pokemon lowered their hands from their ears, as the vibration gradually fizzled out. They mentally chuckled, noticing Dragonite's personified guilty conscience.

"Don't sweat it dragonite!" bellowed Ash. "We're just as happy as you are!"

"Damn bloody right we are!" howled Bill, while mirroring Dragonite's display from earlier by goofily clapping his hands together like a cymbal mankey.

Ash and his Pokemon rolled their eyes at Bill. As adorable as dragonite's display was, it didn't change the fact that it was excruciatingly painful. All four of them were afraid that Bill's reciprocation would encourage Dragonite to recreate the sonic boom. Fortunately, dragonite seemed to be too enthralled with Bill to reiterate the brutally loud noise.

Dragonite used its wiggling antennae to delightfully pet the top of Bill's head, as if the famous researcher was a young eevee kit. Ash laughed hysterically, the scene was almost too comical to bear.

Once Dragonite was done petting Bill, the researcher happily turned to Ash. "I love the bloody guy already, isn't he fantastic!"

Ash nodded in agreement - Dragonite most certainly was an amazing pokemon.

Dragonite excitedly bounced up and down. He turned around in circles while pumping his massive fists in the air. His eyes were eager like a child, as if he was anxiously waiting for something.

"What do you think it's trying to say?" asked Ash, with an amused smile on his face.

"Come on Ash, isn't it bloody obvious," blurted Bill, with radiant eyes. "He wants to play!"

Ash scratched the back of his head confusedly. "I hate to break it to you Bill, but as friendly as Dragonite is, I'm not quite seeing a way to play with it. His monstrous-size complicated things."

Bill placed his fist under his own chin, as he mulled things over. "Hmm…I guess that is sort of a conundrum."

Bill all of a sudden jolted excitably.

Ash gulped; he could tell the researcher had just formulated a, most likely, ludicrous idea.

Bill created a flesh-made megaphone, wrapping his hands around his mouth like a tunnel. "Care to stretch your wings Dragonite!"

Ash sighed in relief; the request wasn't as bad as he had originally anticipated.

Dragonite joyfully howled. He lowered his head in preparation, making it possible for Ash and Bill to grapple on. Ash beckoned his pokemon to stay put, before mirroring Bill by climbing onto a groove that was fortunately created by two merging scales. The groove was located at the base of Dragonite's muscular neck. It was far from comfortable, but Ash assumed it to be relatively secure. His thick scales were course enough to grab hold of, but smooth enough that they didn't tear at his flesh. A dragonite's convenient hide, along with its absurd top-end speed, made it one of the more desirable winged pokemon to ride.

Dragonite emitted a harmless growl, ostensibly trying to communicate with them.

Ash had no clue how to respond. Bill on the other hand replied quickly, as if he knew what Dragonite was saying.

"Yup, we're ready whenever you are my friend!" howled Bill, as he patted Dragonite's scales. "Take to the skies!"

Ash gave his three nervous pokemon a brief smile of assurance, before turning to Bill.

"How did you know what it was saying?"

"Maybe one day I can share that with you," Bill replied, with a wink. "But for now, I'm going to have to pretend I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ash was utterly confused. "What?"

He was interrupted by the abrupt gust of wind that Dragonite triggered, as he fully extended his wings. The dragon's body significantly quavered throughout the beginning stage of ascension. Three powerful thrusts of its wings impressively created enough momentum to raise the massive, shiny king, up and out of the water.

Ash scoffed, as he saw dragonite's dripping wet legs for the first time. They were giant and sturdy, similar in build to two immense concrete pillars. Ash's original estimate was off - Dragonite was at least fifty-feet tall.

"Why is he so big?" Hhowled Ash, over the loud crashing sound of the water, as it fell from Dragonite's scales and hit the ocean's surface. "My Pidgeotto is only about twice the average size!"

"I don't know!" bellowed Bill. "Much like Pidgeotto, typically they are all about two-fold the norm! I think Dragonite's monstrous-size may have something to do with the combination of both genetic mutations!"

Their abbreviate conversation was cut-short, as Dragonite rapidly burst into the air. The atmosphere clapped, reacting with a shriek in response to Dragonite's extraordinary speed. If it weren't for the groove in which they were situated, in addition to the fact that Dragonite was skillfully manipulating the air currents, Ash and Bill wouldn't have stood a chance at hanging on.

They escalated through the heavens, increasingly gaining altitude. At no point did Ash feel out of breath; it was obvious that the Dragonite was somehow facilitating excess oxygen into the smoothly manipulated air current. Once Dragonite had reached an awe-inspiring height, the benevolent dragon periodically relaxed his wings. He let the procreated air-current do most of the work, as he leveled out and calmly glided through the inky sky.

Ash and Bill looked down at the magnificent view, while they relaxed within the clutches of Dragonite's massive scales.

"Researchers have deduced that a dragonite can circle the globe in less than sixteen hours," sputtered Bill. "How long do you think it would take this guy, Ash?"

Ash exited a dumfounded zombification, as he mulled it over. "Well judging from a few moments ago...its size doesn't seem to hinder its speed. In fact, my guess is that it has had the opposite effect. Uh…I don't know how to get an exact number, but maybe twelve hours. I'm just guessing though…"

"I reckon it can go even faster," said Bill. "But I guess there's no way to find out unless we actually tried. But it's too late tonight…maybe tomorrow."

"That's up to you," said Ash. "I have to get going in the morning."

"Moving on can definitely be an unfortunate part of life," said Bill sadly, while shaking his head.

"I guess…" mumbled Ash. "But I'm thankful for the little bit of time I've had here. It's been an amazing experience."

"It has, hasn't it?" replied Bill, while gently stroking one of Dragonite's scales. "I mean…it doesn't get much better than this."

"You can say that again," retorted Ash.

Bill once again created a flesh-made microphone, as he blustered for Dragonite's attention. "Are you having fun my friend?"

Dragonite gleefully whinnied, fluttering his wings within the air-current.

Ash reflected within the moment. The world he lived in was brimming with so many unbelievable creatures. Everywhere he went there was something new - something to be learned - people to meet - pokemon to encounter. He'd only just started his journey. There were so many more magical moments, like this one, waiting for him. He could feel it. He hadn't even scratched the surface of what was to come.

Within a month's time, he had: received his first pokemon, left his hometown of Pallet, been chased by a psychotic flock of Spearow, seen what must have been a legendary pokemon soar throughout the heavens, battled his best friend, captured a pokemon that possessed the king's nature, caught one of the rarest pokemon in the region, earned his first badge, captured the three "original" Kanto starters, and helped a few other people along the way.

His journey was just beginning...yet so much had already happened. As he centrally processed his thoughts, realization struck him like a ton of bricks. He had six pokemon. Because of his inability to release Squirtle over the past couple of days, this was something that he hadn't given much thought to.

The maximum carry limit for a beginning trainer was six. This meant that any additional pokemon caught outside of the league-set limit, were automatically teleported to a trainer's designated sponsor. In a nutshell, all of his future captures would be sent to Professor Oak's laboratory, until an official transfer could be initiated from the pokemon center.

This posed a serious problem…

Unless he took a different approach to his journey, the carry limit would destroy his chances at catching the rest of his "living dreams". He owed whatever pokemon he caught the opportunity to be trained to its potential. He couldn't do that if they were forced to sit idly at Professor Oak's lab, while he traveled in between cities for weeks at a time.

Furthermore, he couldn't stand the idea of being away from his current team. His friends were his family - they belonged together. He couldn't part from them…not even for a little bit. The idea itself seemed out of the question. So there was really only two options…

He had to either stop catching pokemon…

Or find a way to bypass the limit.

He was disgusted by the first option, so he desperately racked his brain over the second.

Bill interrupted Ash's intramural reflection. "What are you thinking about Ash?" The dark-haired boy had almost forgotten about the famous researcher, as he intensely thought about his current personal dilemma. "Oh it's nothing Bill don't worr-"

The symbolic lightbulb in his head unimpededly lit-up.

Bill…Bill! Destiny had sent him the solution to his problem in the form of an extremely famous researcher.

Ash intensely looked Bill in the eyes. "I remember reading somewhere that you recently helped modify the league transfer system, is that true?"

"That's correct," replied Bill. "What of it?"

"You offered me a gift," said Ash. "I know what I want."

"And that is…"

"Can you please have my beginner carry limit removed," implored Ash. "You can do that right?"

"Consider it void," replied Bill nonchalantly.

If he wasn't thousands of feet in the air, on the back of a giant Dragonite, he'd jump up and down in pure joy.

"Really!" replied Ash ecstatically. "You can actually do that for me?"

"Well duh," quipped Bill. "I only designed the bloody interface. Besides, the league only has the limit in place because beginner trainers are prone to getting in over their heads. But I've spent enough time around you to know that you're not the typical beginner. You're responsible enough to be an exception, aren't you?"

Ash frenziedly nodded his head. "I think so…"

Bill comfortingly grasped Ash's shoulder. "Well I know so! So consider the bloody limit gone."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Bill, this is going to have a huge impact on my journey."

"You're welcome Ash," replied Bill, as he faced forward. "Now let's cut the chatter and enjoy the rest of our present excursion."

"Sounds like a bloody plan," said Ash, with a momentous grin on his mug.

XXX

Ash could make out the vague images of Growlithe, Charmander, and Clefairy, as Dragonite gradually descended back down to the lighthouse. They were jumping up and down cheerfully. Ash figured they were probably worried sick for the past couple of hours while he was thousands of feet in the air. He felt slightly guilty, next time something like this happened he would ask for their approval.

Dragonite extended his wings, using them to gradually slow down. The giant proceeded to carefully submerge his legs back into the water that surrounded the pier-like cliff-side. Regardless of effort, the controlled splash was significant enough. It aimlessly showered the entire cliff-side, narrowly avoiding the surface of the land.

The uniquely colored, colossal, dragon lowered its head parallel to the lighthouse roof, allowing Ash and Bill to safely disembark. Ash bent down to greet his anxious pokemon. They hastily pounced on him, flooding him with tons of relief-based affection. Ash responded cordially, giving each one of them a brief moment of individual attention.

"Well Dragonite, I guess this is it for tonight," said Bill. "I'm bloody exhausted. It's time for me to hit the kip."

Ash stood up and centered his attention on the massive dragon. "You're an awesome guy Dragonite. I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

Dragonite lowered his head gloomily, upset that their meeting had to come to an end.

"Don't be sad my friend," said Bill. "There's always tomorrow!"

Dragonite instantaneously perked up.

"Come back tomorrow around the same time," continued Bill, with a smile. "We can go flying again if you'd like."

The humongous dragon-type jumped up and down giddily, unintentionally causing the earth-made pier to shake.

"Relax my friend," pleaded Bill, while frantically waving his arms up and down. "I would like for there to be a lighthouse for you to return to tomorrow."

The king calmed himself down, compromising with a quiet fist pump.

"That's better," laughed Bill.

Ash interrupted. "Unfortunately I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so I'm afraid this is it for now…"

The massive pseudo-legendary noticeably frowned, in reaction to the news that his new friend would be leaving so soon.

"Don't worry," said Ash. "I'll come back to visit sometime. It's not goodbye forever…"

Dragonite's expression changed from hopeless to hopeful, at the prospect of Ash returning someday. He stretched his neck forward, and used his antennae to gently pet Ash on the top of his head. The boy laughed in response to the tickling sensation of Dragonite's sensory appendage. Never in his life had he imagined a scene quite like this.

Once Dragonite was finished petting Ash, he lightly pat Bill on the head for a brief moment, before slowly backing away from the lighthouse. Ash and Bill each waved a hand above their head, as Dragonite used one of his bulky arms to warmly wave back.

"Goodbye my friend!" shouted Bill.

"See ya again someday big guy!" howled Ash.

Growlithe, Clefairy, and Charmander each blustered something in their native tongue, while gazing out at Dragonite's parting form.

The giant dragon formulated its foggy veil, while pouring fourth a heart-felt goodbye growl. Ash and Bill watched silently, as their extraordinary friend gradually trekked farther and farther away, until he eventually vanished out of sight.

"What an exhilarating experience," said Bill, while gazing out at the ocean with his hands planted comfortably on his hips. "What an amazing pokemon."

Ash affectionately pat Charmander on his head, as he replied. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"You definitely picked a good day to stroll on by," chuckled Bill.

Ash scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Yup, that seems to be a recurring theme on my journey."

"I believe it," said Bill, with a raised eyebrow. "It's rather…fitting."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ash.

While forcing a yawn, Bill suspiciously looked down at the expensive looking watch that was fastened onto his wrist. "Oh look at that...it's bloody midnight already. Yup, time to hit the kip. Follow me down stairs Ash, I'll show you to one of the guest bedrooms."

Ash was too tired to try and decipher his eccentric friend's bizarre behavior. He ignored it…for now. The ten-year old boy beckoned his pokemon to follow, as he accompanied Bill back down the long winding staircase. It was time to get some rest. Tomorrow morning he would set out once again for Vermillion City.

XXX

It was mid-morning; Ash adjusted the straps on his backpack in preparation for the day of travel. His two fire-types waited loyally by his side, as he stood out front of the cryptic lighthouse door accompanied by a melancholy Bill.

"So you're off to Vermillion, eh?" Bill asked. "It's about a three day trip from here, just follow the coast west."

"Gotcha," said Ash. "Thanks for letting me stay the night."

"No problem my lad," said Bill, with a fake smile. "Thanks for getting me out of that dreaded costume."

"No problem," said Ash, while sensing Bill's grief. "Is something wrong?"

"It'"s nothing," Bill lied. "I'm fine."

Ash skeptically pointed at Bill's agitated eyes. "Why does it look like you're about to cry then…?"

"Dammit Ash!" shouted an embarrassed Bill, as he wiped the minuscule tears from his eyes. "Why do you have to ask so many bloody questions?"

Ash raised an eyebrow…

"Sorry... it's just…I can't usually relate to other people," spluttered Bill. "You're the first real friend I've made in a long time. And it's a bloody shame you have to leave so soon."

Ash internally chuckled; who would have guessed that the great Bill Montgomery was so…sensitive.

"It's okay Bill," comforted Ash. "Like I told Dragonite last night, someday I'll come and visit you again too."

"You promise," mumbled Bill.

"I promise," replied Ash, with a slight chuckle. "You guys are my friends, and friends visit each other."

Bill's mood polarized, as he instantaneously perked up. "You're right! There's nothing to worry about! Blasted me…I always have to take things to the bloody extreme."

Ash mentally face palmed; Bill's last comment was an understatement. The young genius defined the word "melodramatic".

"So how much longer are you going to stay here?" asked Ash, changing the subject. "I know last night you told Dragonite to come back, but before you met him, you were telling me that you were almost ready to move on from this place."

Bill scratched the back of his head. "Good question…I guess I'll stick around for a little bit longer. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'd like to study him as much as I can before I move on."

"Fair enough," replied Ash. "But once you're done here, I think you should come out of seclusion. Judging by those tears, I think you've been away from civilization for too long."

"Oh bloody shut it," quipped Bill, with a smirk. "Speaking of civilization, I made a few calls this morning concerning the favor you asked of me."

"And…?" asked Ash, anxious for a reply.

"It's been taken care of," replied Bill nonchalantly. "I called league headquarters for approval. I don't ask much of Lance, so when I do, he's usually quick to comply."

Ash's eyes ecstatically lit up. "Lance! Like champion of Kanto Lance!"

"That's the one," answered Bill. "He's an old friend. Speaking of Lance, I forgot to tell him about Dragonite. Hmmm…it's probably for the best. That greedy bastard would most definitely try and catch him."

"So cool…" muttered Ash, with gleaming eyes. "Can you introduce me someday?"

"Sure thing…now enough about Lance for now," retorted Bill. "Anyway, after getting approval from the champion, I called Professor Oak."

"You called the old man," replied Ash. "Why?"

"I had to let him know that your carry limit has been removed," said Bill. "I didn't want him to worry about why he's not receiving any of your pokemon."

"What did he say?" asked Ash.

"Simply that he thought you could handle the responsibility," reported Bill. "And that you needed to call him, along with your mother, as soon as possible. He sounded pretty bloody pissed off that you hadn't checked in for a month."

"Crap!" cursed Ash. "I keep forgetting! My mom's gonna kill me!"

"Crap is right," confessed Bill. "You really shouldn't worry your loved ones any more than necessary. Even I know that..."

"I'll call them as soon as I get to Vermillion City," said Ash, with a gulp. "I hope my mom isn't too mad."

"I'm sure she's more worried than she is mad," said Bill, as he fumbled through his coat pocket. "Anyway, you should take this. It'll make things a little bit easier for you."

In Bill's hand lied a miniature black device. Situated on its watch-like, octagonal, face was a small rectangular LED screen. Bill undid the strap that was fastened around the back, and handed it to Ash.

"Put it on."

"What is it?" asked Ash curiously, as he obediently stuck his hand through the loop and tightly secured it onto his non-dominant wrist.

"It's the latest xtranceiver model," answered Bill. "The league sent one to me a while back so that I could work out all of the kinks. These things haven't been released anywhere yet, they're basically portable videophones."

"Awesome," said Ash. "Are you sure you can give this to me?"

"I don't see why not," said Bill, with a shrug. "They never said I had to send it back."

"Well are you sure you don't want it?" asked Ash.

"Eh...I got a video phone at the lighthouse," replied Bill, while pointing at his own head. "Besides, if I change my mind I can just make one myself. I've got it all up here."

Geniuses…thought Ash to himself, as he held down the lone button on the side, firing up the tiny black device. "Can you give me a quick rundown?"

Bill sighed. "Honestly, it's pretty straightforward. Other than making calls and storing contacts, its only other significant function is a GPS map that allows you to record locations. You're a smart kid. You should be able to figure it out on your own. I already programmed a few contacts for you, so you should be good to go."

Ash nodded. Like Bill said, the main menu only had three primary icons in addition to a settings and tools application. Ash used his finger to touch the tiny little contact icon. The sensitive screen picked up on Ash's touch and loaded the new page. The screen read three names, accompanied by three corresponding ten-digit numbers. His three current contacts were: Mom - Professor Oak - and of course, Bill Montgomery.

"You put the lighthouses phone number in here," stated Ash, as he looked down at the tiny screen.

"Of course I did," replied Bill. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but what if you leave," said Ash.

"No worries, I wrote down your number," answered Bill. "If I leave, I'll make an xtranceiver and program your bloody number into it."

"Okay cool," responded Ash, as he powered down the device. "I'll give my mom and Professor Oak a call later today."

"Good idea," answered Bill. "Give me a call next time you catch a pokemon, I'd like for you to keep me updated."

"Will do," replied Ash.

"You better," Bill retorted with a glare. "Friends keep in contact Ash."

"I will, I will…I promise."

"Okay then," replied Bill with a nod. "If you want to get to Vermillion by the end of the week, you better get moving."

Ash looked down at Charmander and Growlithe beckoningly. "You guys ready to hit the road?"

Both pokemon grunted an affirmative.

Ash gave Bill a friendly handshake, accompanied by an amicable smile. "I'll keep in touch."

"Like I said...you better," replied Bill, with a smirk. "Until then…I guess this is goodbye my friend."

XXX

Ash nervously gulped; he anxiously pressed the icon that corresponded to his mother's contact. Hopefully this conversation would go better than the scolding he had just gotten from Professor Oak. Ash restlessly waited, while the xtranceiver continuously reiterated the same, standard, dial tone.

"Ring…"

"Ring…"

"Ring…"

"Click."

Ash recognized the universal pick-up clack, as his mother's soothing inflection simultaneously reverberated out of the device.

"Ketchum residence!" answered his mother cheerfully. "May I ask who is calling?"

"Mom, it's me…Ash."

"…honey is that really you," answered his mom in a relieved tone.

"Yeah," replied Ash. "I'm sorry for taking so long to call."

"It's okay…" bemoaned his mother. "You're on the phone right now. That's all that really matters, right?"

Ash's chest tightened and his stomach dropped. He'd hurt his mother - he could tell by her evident, strained, tone of voice.

"No, it's not okay," replied Ash guiltily. "I wasn't considerate towards your feelings. I had so many chances to call, but I was forgetful and selfish. Please forgive me."

Ash felt the awkward feeling of tears slowly develop in his eyes, as he fully comprehended the consequence of his forgetfulness. He was glad that his mother's house phone was purely auditory. He'd always hated crying in front of her.

"Honey…I understand," replied his mom, forgivingly. "You just started to live out your dream. You got sidetracked, I get it. Just please remember… while you're out there experiencing the world, promise me that you won't forget your good old mom."

"… I won't, I promise," swore Ash. "I have an xtranceiver now. I can call you whenever I want."

"...really!" squealed his mother delightfully. "That's wonderful news. I'll make sure to save the number on the caller I.D."

Ash took a second to catch up to his mother's sudden change in mood, before replying. "That's a good idea."

"Oh I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. "But how did you afford one?"

"My friend Bill gave it to me," replied Ash. "He said I needed to do a better job of keeping in touch with the people I care about."

"This Bill sounds like a smart guy," answered Delia. "Where did you meet him?"

"At his lighthouse," answered Ash, matter-of-factly. "He owns one on the coast of southeast Kanto."

"You're friend Bill owns a lighthouse," scoffed his mother. "His family must be pretty well-off."

"You could say that," answered Ash. "He's a Montgomery."

"...what!" she bellowed. "You made friends with a Mont-"

"You're friends with B-B-B-Bill Montgomery!" shrilled his astonished mother.

Ash knew she'd react this way. His mother had an obsessive passion for the scientific community, and Bill just happened to be its front-runner.

"Yup," replied Ash. "I helped him out back at the lighthouse...and surprisingly we got along really well. He removed my carry limit and gave me this cool little gadget as a thank you."

Ash heard the unmistakably clear sound of his mom's phone hitting the floor, before it was fumbled around and picked back up once again.

"Sorry," she blurted. "Are you still there Ash?"

"Are you okay?" asked Ash sincerely. "Did you faint or something?"

"Nope…" replied his mom. "You just surprised me, that's all."

"Enough to make you drop the phone…"

"I guess so," she retorted. "Now Ash, I want you to tell me everything that's happened since you left Viridian. Don't leave out any details."

Ash mentally sifted through what he could and couldn't share. Although his mother asked for all the details, there were just some things he just couldn't tell her. She would worry way too much if she knew everything.

"Well, let's see…where to begin," said the boy. "Oh yeah, so the morning after we last spoke on the phone, Gary showed up at the pokemon center. "

Ash's eyes gleamed, as he prepared to continue. "And that's when we both had our very first battle."

XXX

Ash was about a day and a half away from Vermillion City. He had to admit, the last couple days of travel had been genuinely pleasant. The weather was euphoric; the days consisted of a steady cool breeze, complimented consummately by an ample dose of sunlight.

Battles had been frequent, but not overwhelming. The dark-haired boy had accumulated quite a hefty sum of earnings, and provided his pokemon with a great opportunity to gain some valuable experience.

Growth had been evident amidst his team. However, over the next few days, Ash found it necessary to spend as much time as possible training, while also doing his best not to over-extend the remaining duration of the trip.

At the present moment, his attention was zeroed in on Growlithe, as they worked hard to complete their quest to master flame-wheel…

"Ignite and immerse!" bellowed Ash.

Growlithe took a deep breath, before slightly opening his maw. He rapidly exhaled, immediately blanketing his head and forelegs in an ensemble of fire. He simultaneously pushed his inner-flame out of the eccrine glands in his back paws, completing the process of engulfment.

"Create the wheel!"

By intensely increasing the velocity of his flame-based discharge, the puppy pokemon raised his body off of the dirt. He proceeded to further augment the fire that was disembogued by the glands in his back paws, catapulting his body forward at a formidable speed.

Ash smirked in response to the sizzling byproduct of hard-work. The wheel of fire had submitted under Growlithe's will; he skillfully steered his body around the clearing with ferocity.

"That's it!" howled an excited Ash. "You finally got it!"

Growlithe ceased the arrant ignition, sliding smoothly to a sparkling halt. Ash took a brief moment to let Growlithe cool, before congratulating him with a proud pat on the head.

"That was awesome buddy," said Ash. "We finally completed it."

Growlithe happily yapped in response to Ash's praise.

Ash winked. "Now let's do it one more time."

The puppy pokemon briskly bolted, obediently carrying out his trainer's request. He erupted into a ring of fire, swiftly revolving like a reckless bowling ball.

Ash's smile stretched from cheek to cheek. Flame wheel could finally be relied on in battle.

XXX

"You almost had it that time!" cheered Ash encouragingly; as he watched Clefairy's minimize rebound, causing her to jerkily expand back to her typical size.

Clefairy smashed her fist into the ground in frustration. She was so close. All she needed was a little more concentration.

"Don't lose your cool," said Ash. "It's difficult enough when you're level headed."

Taking Ash's advice, Clefairy took a deep breath, relaxing her mind in preparation for another try. She looked deep within herself, locating, and then calling upon the difficult technique's required thaumaturgic energy. She secured it with her mind, before calculating the correct amount of energy for a full-scale minimization. The fairy-type consciously distributed it into her cells, gaining command over every morsel of her being. She squeezed; once the thaumaturgic energy re-calibrated the substance of her cells, she was able to trigger a reduction.

Ash and Growlithe watched, as Clefairy's body illuminated a bright auroral pink, before rapidly shrinking to about a fourth of its original size. Ash anxiously held his breath. The upcoming part was what always gave her the most trouble.

The thaumaturgic energy pulled, wanting desperately to return to its natural niche. Clefairy mentally yanked back in attempt to stabilize the skittish power. It vibrated within her cells, trying to find a way to slip out. She continued to wrestle it with her mind, using every bit of focus she had to maintain its positioning.

Ash looked down to his right - he internally laughed at what he saw. Growlithe was closing his eyes, evidently nervous. His distressed behavior was apparently triggered by watching his pink friend botch so many previous attempts. Ash abruptly frowned. Growlithe's lighthearted nervous display, reminded him of the much more serious problem that he had yet to address. Something had to be done soon about Growlithe's hindering case of social anxiety.

Clefairy mentally attacked the energy, intentionally attempting to force it to submit. It viciously fought back, as if its sole purpose was to frustrate its wielder. This time…Clefairy would not take no for an answer. She encased it within her will, leaving it with nowhere to go, and nothing to do but lie still. The thaumaturgic energy froze; it had no choice but to stabilize.

"Yes!" howled Ash, as Clefairy's external energy ceased to flicker, signifying that she had finally learned to maintain a reduction. "Now hold it."

Clefairy held the minimization for a considerable amount of time, before Ash had seen enough. "Good, relax."

Clefairy instantaneously shifted back to her original size, as the auroral pink cloak of energy dissipated.

Growlithe emitted a congratulatory bark, praising his friend for her hard work.

Clefairy raised a fist in celebration, while panting exhaustively.

Ash smiled. "Good, that's enough for today. Next time we learn to apply it to live battle."

Clefairy smirked; the hard part was now over. From here on out the completion of minimize would be much more enjoyable.

XXX

Bulbasaur determinedly tried combination after combination, mixing various measurements of propofol and fluothane in order to conjure up the perfect anesthetic. Chemical computation was an intricate task. The slightest variance could lead to an entirely different reaction.

"How's it coming along?" asked Ash.

Bulbasaur grunted a short response, cementing his focus on the current task.

"Got it," replied Ash, understanding that the saurian grass-type was in an intense state of centralization.

Propofol is a natural chemical typically used for heavy sedation. Unfortunately, it is a liquid, making it unusable as a stand-alone chemical in sleep-powder. Besides, by itself it's extremely risky. If an improper dosage is given, propofol can cause a lengthy coma. Fluothane is an artificial inhalation sedative, formulated by the mixture of numerous natural chemicals. It isn't nearly as strong as propofol, and isn't guaranteed to put a larger pokemon to sleep. But the fact that it resolves in the form of a gas, makes it the perfect substance for a sleep-powder.

Fortunately, the combination of both propofol and fluothane has the potential to create a flawless anesthetic. In bulbasaur's last battle, he tested his most recent batch. It was almost perfect. It just needed to be a little more potent, which could easily be accomplished by an increase in the infused propofol.

Bulbasaur separated the two solutions brewing within his bulb. He internally examined the last batch of sleep-powder, making a mental note of the exact measurements. He emptied its designated secretion sac, clearing space for the forthcoming concoction. The saurian kept the fluothane's measurement the same, filtering it out of his bulbs biological beaker. He then added the adjusted amount of propofol, before dumping the excess solution back into his near limitless supply of natural chemicals that continuously circulated throughout his bulb.

The saurian grass-type stirred the solution, confident that this would be the final batch. He then proceeded to filter it out of his bulb's natural beaker, and into sleep-powder's selected secretion sac.

It was complete...

Ash observed, as Bulbasaur exited his internal laboratory and came back to the real world.

"Are you finally done?" asked Ash.

Bulbasaur emitted a grunt of affirmation.

"Good, hopefully we come across another trainer," said Ash. "It would be nice to test it before we reach Vermillion."

XXX

"Duel-twister?" asked Ash, as he sat down next to his giant avian. Pidgeotto was presently preening off some of his excess molted feathers, after proving to Ash that he had without a doubt mastered feather-dance.

Pidgeotto stopped what he was doing to shake his head - the name didn't flow.

"Okay…well what about binary-twister?" questioned Ash. "It fits, right?"

The immense flying-type shook his head even more vigorously, signifying that his trainer was getting colder.

"Double-twister?

Pidgeotto blatantly rolled his eyes - double-twister was way too bland.

"Do you even want twister to be in the name?" asked Ash. "Or, do you want something a little more creative?"

Pidgeotto indifferently shrugged. He honestly just wanted something that sounded badass.

"What about double-cyclone?"

Pidgeotto perked up a little bit, but still wasn't quite satisfied.

Ash's eyes lit up, as he thought of a name that both exuded power and smoothly rolled off of the tongue. "Twin-tempest…"

In response to at last hearing the winning title, Pidgeotto chortled approvingly.

"Twin-tempest it is then," declared Ash.

Pidgeotto nodded, before using his large wings to raise himself from the ground. He relocated a good distance away from Ash, ensuring that his practice wouldn't endanger his trainer. Even though he could doubtlessly execute the technique without fail, he was still testing out the scope of its potential. Basically, he was trying to figure out the exact amount of power he could facilitate into both tempests, before the draconic energy mindlessly magnetized into one massive twister.

Ash watched from afar, as Pidgeotto arduously worked on ironing out twin-tempest. He'd give his flying-type another week to explore its potential, before they started to learn the "essential" agility technique.

XXX

The large boulder fractured in numerous places, before crumpling under the immense pressure of Charmander's focus punch.

"Good work!" praised Ash. "It's gotten so much stronger."

The fluorescent glow that enshrouded Charmander's fist faded. The fire-lizard smiled, as he proudly stared at his dominant fist.

"Pretty impressive," said Ash. "Now we just have to figure out a way to shorten the preparation time."

Charmander nodded his head in agreement, before nuzzling it affectionately against Ash's leg.

"Do you want to take a break?" asked Ash. "Or keep going?"

Charmander puffed up his chest and flexed his arms above his head - a blatant sign that he wished to continue.

"That's what I thought," replied Ash, with a smirk. "Eventually I'm going to have to start forcing you to take breaks."

Over the past week Ash had definitely noticed Charmander's praiseworthy work-ethic. Out of all of his pokemon, he would consider the fire-lizard to be his hardest worker. The fire-type thoroughly enjoyed the grind of training - the feeling he got from pushing himself beyond his limit was rather addictive.

"Okay, well I would like to get a better grip on how we're going to execute focus punch in battle, before we start to learn dragon-rage."

Charmander listened attentively, stretching his short stubby arms while Ash spoke.

"Although your full-power focus-punch is strong enough," said Ash. "The amount of time it takes to charge poses a problem."

The fire-lizard continued to stretch. So far his trainer hadn't said anything that he didn't already know.

"In order to quicken the preparation process," said Ash, while crouching down to meet charmander's eyes with his own. "We're going to have to compromise the technique for a bit."

Charmander squinched his face peculiarly, as he tried to understand his trainer's logic.

"Right now we need to focus on speed," declared Ash, while eyeing his busy Growlithe. "Growlithe, take a break from your jaw conditioning. I need you for a second."

The fire-canine ceased his project of chewing through a dense stone, before obediently scampering over to his trainer's side.

"Alright, so I'm going to have Growlithe repetitively blitz you," informed Ash, as he pointed at Charmander. "You're going to counter with focus punch. I don't care how strong it is. Just keep Growlithe off of you. No other techniques are permitted...and you can't move from that spot."

Charmander readily grunted, while emitting two rambunctious flames from his nostrils.

Ash shifted his attention to Growlithe. "Just throw your body at him and try not to take a direct hit. It'll be good prep for when you start to learn takedown."

Growlithe accepted the challenge, happy to help his lizard friend.

"Charmander are you ready?" asked Ash.

Charmander's tail-flame flickered, as he lifted up both claws in preparation to charge up focus punch.

"Right on," replied Ash. "We start on your movement Growlithe."

The puppy pokemon wasted no time - he loaded his energy into his hind legs before taking off like a gunshot.

Charmander dug his feet into the ground, as he focused his energy into his dominant right arm. He desperately tried to load the technique as fast as possible.

Ash anxiously watched, as Growlithe jetted towards a stationary Charmander. Right before the collision occurred, the fire-lizard's dominant fist glowed vibrantly. The fire-lizard's focus-punch managed to repel Growlithe's sloppy, makeshift, takedown. There was enough power packed into the punch to cause Growlithe to bounce off of him. However, his momentum was merely diverted. Charmander needed much more strength in his quick-fire focus-punch, in order to cause any actual damage.

Growlithe slid across the dirt, as he gathered himself in the process. Charmander swiveled his body around in preparation for the next assault.

Ash smirked, as his two fire-types sparred with passion. Training two pokemon of the same type had turned out to be a blessing. Charmander and Growlithe both pushed each other in a way that only they could fully comprehend.

It was…inspiring.

XXX

Ash was concernedly sitting up in his sleeping bag, while handling Squirtle's pokeball gently. He was in deep thought, trying hard to come up with a strategy to attain the troubled water-type's loyalty.

Growlithe and Bulbasaur burrowed up against their trainer, sensing that he was being consumed by his own thoughts. The puppy pokemon curiously yipped in attempt to procure his best-friend's attention. Bulbasaur waved his vines in front of Ash's line of sight, doing whatever he could to break his trainer's mindless trance.

Ash looked up from Squirtle's pokeball, falling victim to his friend's plot to distract him. "What is it? Why are you guys doing that?"

Bulbasaur used one of his vines to point towards Squirtle's pokeball, while emanating ans inquisitive growl.

Ash sighed, as he caught on to what Bulbasaur was trying to say. "You want me to tell you what I'm thinking about...don't you?"

Growlithe and Bulbasaur nodded, while affirming a yes in their native tongues.

"It's really not that big of a deal guys," said Ash. "I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with Squirtle."

They both curiously tilted their heads, waiting patiently to hear what Ash had to say.

"Well, it's just…" muttered Ash. "I have a feeling he's going to be rather difficult."

Ash switched what hand secured Squirtle's pokeball, before wiping off the sweat that had accumulated on his palm. "I'm thinking about waiting until after we battle Lt. Surge to release him. There's no need to do it before then, and if he rebels I want us to be in a secluded place where no one will get hurt."

Both Bulbasaur and Growlithe nodded their head, understanding their trainer's logic and concern.

"I'm going to need all of your help," said Ash. "Squirtle's pain is deep, so deep that he's forgotten how to feel. It's going to take everybody's influence to get him to open up to another trainer."

His pokemon murmured, accepting the challenge.

Ash sighed, as he looked up into the stars. "Thanks guys, it means a lot.

Growlithe and Bulbasaur snuggled up even closer to their trainer, while gazing at the night sky in wonder.

"By the way," said Ash, changing the subject. "I'm using both of you against surge. Be prepared for a tough battle."

Their eyes gleamed with vigor. They would soon partake in their very first gym battle. Ever since he was told he couldn't compete back at the Cerulean gym, Growlithe had been waiting for Vermillion City anxiously. Bulbasaur had been anticipating a chance to battle in a gym ever since Melanie had explained the pokemon league to him when he was a youngling.

Ash could feel the atmosphere around him shift, as his two friends entered a state of eagerness. He smiled, understanding the feeling. Truth is...he'd felt that way ever since he walked out of the Cerulean gym's door.

XXX

To be continued

XXX

A/N:

Phew… well that was a long chapter. I updated a day early because I have a busy day tomorrow and I don't know if I'll have time. I want to say thank you to everyone that has favorited and reviewed so far. It means a lot. Also, I want to address something right now. Just because I removed Ash's limit does not mean he's going to catch a million pokemon. Ash is selective, and is picky about what he trains. For the most part I removed Ash's limit because of character development. This way, when he does catch a new pokemon, I don't have to forfeit the other character's development. Besides, Bill felt that he owed Ash a favor… ;) making friends in high places has its benefits. Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Next month is Vermillion City and as much of the S.S. Anne as I can get done. The story will take a twist after S.S. Anne. I know my stories followed the canon in some ways but expect that to change. I'm not willing to budge on the update date. This chapter was more than 36,000 words and like 110 pages in word...therefore, I need as much time to write as possible. Don't expect every chapter to be that long... I don't use a beta reader so I also have to edit this thing two to three times by myself, so once a month is as good as it's going to get. If you want a question answered p.m. me. I'm not willing to disclose any serious info, but I'm willing to talk about some stuff.

Much love, vincentgrey21