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?

14. Kanto 14

Kanto 14: Essence

Area Two gradually got greener as Pidgeot flew further east. From Ash's vantage point, it appeared as if the flat plains began to sink as they transitioned into a verdurous marsh. A glut of grass-type, water-type and bug-type pokemon made this habitat their home.

His avian traveled low enough that Ash could identify a number of species. There was a colony of poliwag, poliwhirl, and a couple of politoad. The amphibians played in the water and skipped atop the lily pads. It was fascinating to see the politoad in contrast with the two poliwrath that subdued the rhyhorn heard. The alternate evolution seemed way more free-spirited.

Residing throughout the swamplands were some exeggutor — and although he couldn't see them — Ash figured there were quite a few exeggcute as well. However, it was unlikely that there were enough to be considered a horde. Swamps weren't the most optimal environment for the exeggcute line. They were much better suited for forests or environments like the Center Area's western woodlands. He was curious — why did these ones settle here?

There was an overabundance of venonat and venomoth that made the other groupings he'd seen throughout the Safari Zone look modest. The venonat convened amongst the pickerel weeds and cattails, while the venomoth enjoyed hovering along the surface of the water, often landing for a drink. Ash assumed that there would be even more once they passed over the game fences that divided areas one and two.

Ash wondered what type of species resided underneath the surface of the murky water. Magikarp and goldeen were more likely to stay healthy in unclouded water, but he was sure there were some in there. There could also be some krabby. But, due to lack of interest, he wasn't well versed when it came to their preferences in aquatic habitats. Regardless, as fascinating as an environment like this was, there was nothing that lived here that he was looking for. This seemed like a place that a scyther might wander to, but he hadn't seen one.

The marshlands eventually led to a rather large basin. It was just west of the game fence that indicated that they were about to pass over to Area One. Ash didn't pay too much attention to the psyduck and golduck that made this body of water their home. He was about to see a lot more of them throughout Area One and Lake Kaiser.

The western half of Area One was littered with ponds and small lakes. There was more water than land — a true paradise for water-types. This part of the Safari Zone was much busier by way of human activity. Ash was sure it got even more trainer traffic earlier in the day. The sun had already begun to set, and those that didn't plan on camping out had likely already headed back to the Admission Center.

There were several trainers, casting a line of tactile energy from their rods into the many bodies of water. For fun, Ash wanted to give it a shot at some point, too, even though he'd likely let whatever he caught go. He was only here for one purpose: gyarados. Unless, he reeled up a magikarp with some blue scales — a sign of evolution — fishing would solely be recreational. The chances of that were low, though. There had to be thousands of magikarp in these waters, and only a select few would activate their monstrous potential.

It was theorized that extreme aggravation and stress could trigger evolution. But not every specimen had the latent potential that was necessary. Simply put, most were duds. It also didn't help that these magikarp dwelled in such peaceful waters. Most gyarados called the ocean their home; where rough waves, vicious storms, and frightful beasts resided.

It didn't take long to spot the gargantuan body of water. Outside of the ocean — it was the largest water mass Ash had ever seen. It spread out across the central and eastern part of Area Two. From the low altitude that Pidgeot flew, it continued out as far he could see. As they approached the western edge of the lake, Ash signaled Pidgeot to begin his descent.

There was a sprawling campsite that started along the lake's southwestern beach. It extended north until stopping just short of the west-central low hanging, non-erosive cliffs. There were campfires and tents as well as pine green recreational vehicles that must have belonged to Safari Zone personnel. When Ash looked out at the lake, he saw a number of safari boats headed back to shore. They all gradually parked at the many protruding lake docks. He wasn't sure where water-types that slept on land — such as the psyduck and poliwag lines — went at night; but as far as Ash could tell, there weren't any pokemon in the open at this time.

"Head north, Pidgeot!" directed Ash, desiring to set up camp by the cliffs.

He wanted to find a place where there weren't that many people. It was getting dark, and the day had been long. It was time to stop for now. Regardless of the winding timer on his pokedex — that signified how much time he had left in the Safari Game — he needed to get a decent night's sleep. Gyarados were diurnal, anyhow, and he would never ask Wartortle to wake one up. There were few things more foolish than waking a sleeping sea serpent.

Ash let out a big yawn as Pidgeot's talons touched down on the lake's rocky beach.

XXX

"You're going to have to sit this one out," said Ash to his disappointed pup.

Growlithe's ears lowered and his head sunk as Ash broke the news.

The dark-haired boy felt a twinge of guilt. It was the third time over the past two days that he had upset Growlithe. First, he'd cut short his play time with the two security guards' canines at the trolley station. Next, he'd concerned him with the utilization of the status trap needed to catch Rhyhorn. And last but not least, Ash wasn't including him in his quest to catch a gyarados.

When it came to keeping his starter happy, things weren't going his way as of late…

"I know, I know…" drawled Ash as he bent over, scratching the back of Growlithe's ear, "I don't like it either."

He paused and pointed at the expansive lake, "but we're going out there. This time we don't have a choice — water and fire don't mix."

Granted, that was a bit of a lie. From a logistical standpoint — there was always the choice not to go, but that wasn't an option to Ash.

He had to go.

He could feel it in his bones.

"I'll make it up to you," said Ash with a gentle smile, "once we're done here, we'll go tracking together."

He paused before ruffling the tuft of fur atop the canine's head, "I won't be able to do it without you."

Growlithe's mood slightly lifted as he nuzzled his head up against Ash's chest.

"I'll let you out soon," promised Ash as he pointed the pokeball at his friend.

Growlithe nodded — his eyes reflecting subtle sadness.

After returning his pup, he let out a sigh. He knew Growlithe would forgive him — his starter wasn't one to hold a grudge — but that didn't make it any easier. The canine knew that what Ash was about to do was risky. His pup was there when he talked to Walker at the Admission Center. Growlithe didn't care about his type disadvantage. All he wanted was to protect Ash; instead, Ash was protecting him.

All of a sudden, Haunter emerged from his shadow. The ghost-type had a mopey expression on his face. Most of the time, Ash had a tough time deciphering what Haunter was thinking. But this time, it was obvious. Growlithe was his buddy after all.

"I can't take him out there," explained Ash, "it's too dangerous."

Haunter bobbed his body up and down with a hint of depression. Ash could tell he understood. The apparition may be difficult to read, but he was smart. He knew water was bad for fire-types, especially of this magnitude.

He turned his attention to Ivysaur and Wartortle, "you guys ready?"

The saurian-grass type and the emotionally vacant water-type nodded, while letting out grunts of affirmation.

After confirming their resolve, Ash looked up, ensuring that his avian was still circling the skies above him.

"Alright, kid, you ready to go?" asked the attractive woman, "I don't have all day. If you really want to do this then get on the damn boat."

Ash had spent most of the morning trying to convince one of the many Safari Zone personnel to take him out on the lake. More often than not, they agreed. That is, until he got to the part where he mentioned that he wanted to lure a gyarados to the surface. They either didn't want the trouble or thought that he was in over his head. It wasn't until he stumbled upon a well-tanned, blonde-haired woman with a fierce gyarados tattoo on her right arm that he caught a break.

XXX

"You sure you're up for this, kid?!" queried Laina, raising her voice in order to be heard over the outboard motor of the safari boat.

They'd been out on the lake for about fifteen minutes, rapidly making their way towards the center.

"I have to be!" replied Ash as they began to pick up speed.

"How old are you!?"

"Ten!"

"A ten-year-old kid doesn't have to do anything!" bellowed the gorgeous woman as she pushed the tiller, maneuvering the boat around a buoy.

"That's not true!" protested Ash as he shifted his gaze towards the front of the boat.

Wartortle and Ivysaur stood near the bow of the boat, gazing out across the water's surface. Every so often a goldeen or magikarp would breach alongside the hull, splashing them. There were a plethora of psyduck floating on their backs atop the water's surface. It was much less frequent, but sometimes a few golduck would swim over to them for a minute or two before briskly submerging themselves back underwater. Ash obviously didn't know for sure, but he liked to think that the golduck were supervising their kins' attempt to ease their splintering headaches.

"You may think you do!" replied Laina with a toothy grin, "but as you get older you'll realize, stakes get a lot bigger when you're an adult! Better to let loose and have fun when you're a kid!"

Ash understood what she meant, but she didn't know the things that he'd seen over the past three and a half months. He was confident that most adults hadn't been through what he had. Sure, Ash wanted to build a fearsome team to compete with in the League tournament. But, he also wanted to be prepared for what else was to come. If he really was the Chosen One, his journey would likely take him down some dark and turbulent paths.

They needed to get stronger.

"Let's coast for a bit!" blustered Laina before throttling down the motor, reducing the boat to an idle speed.

Ash wasn't sure how far out they were, but he could no longer see the western shore. The eastern shore was way out in the distance, corroborating the mighty breadth of Lake Kaiser. It was quiet. The dark-haired boy could see a handful of other safari boats in the water, but they weren't close by.

The boat slightly swayed as Ivysuar made his way to his trainer, gently nuzzling his head up against his knee. Wartortle continued to look out ahead. Ash couldn't see from his position, but he imagined there was a fragment of eagerness in his water-type's eyes. The turtle pokemon had originally wanted to swim alongside the boat before they had left dock, but Ash had decided against it. He wasn't sure how far out they were going to go, but he needed his water-type to conserve his energy. For the second day in a row, Wartortle would be an instrumental part of the plan.

"Why gyarados?" asked Laina, raising an eyebrow.

The vessel bobbed up and down in the water as Ash gently stroked Ivysuar's rosy pink bud. He made eye-contact, letting out a sigh before taking a brief moment to look up at Pidgeot, ensuring that his giant flying-type was still doing alright. He'd been doing a lot flying the past couple of days. It was good for him — since it had helped the avian get to a point where Ash thought he was fully used to his body — but still… Pidgeot had to be exhausted. He made a mental note to give the sadistic flying-type a full restore before they headed to the western woodlands.

"I want to be a great trainer," replied Ash with a soft smile, trying to smother his anxiousness, "and great trainers challenge themselves."

"Isn't that what the gym circuit is for?" questioned Laina with a shrug, "this is risky busin—"

She looked at him in a way that told Ash that she was racking her brain in attempt to come up with his name.

"Ash."

"This is risky business, Ash," restarted Laina with a fierce expression, "I'm taking you because I had a feeling that if I didn't, you'd have tried to catch a ride on your Wartortle."

Ash internally rolled his eyes. He wasn't trying to get killed.

He would have flown with Pidgeot and released Wartortle from above the water, duh…

"I get that it's risky…" drawled Ash, "but if you want to be the best, you have to train the best."

He paused, flashing her a smirk, "and gyarados is one of the strongest water-types in Kanto."

"THE strongest water-type in Kanto!" corrected Laina, pointing to the massive tattoo of a ferocious gyarados on her right arm.

For a second, Ash thought he felt a malignant energy that must have belonged to Haunter's other personality, but it turned out to be Wartortle, glaring at Laina with disgust after her comment. Ash couldn't help but chuckle. Pride and disdain were emotions, too; Ash would take what he could get.

"Don't be like that," said Ash wryly, "you'll get your chance to see one up close and personal soon, anyways…"

Wartortle's facial expression shifted back to being mildly intense as he turned back around and focused on the lake.

"That one has a lot welling up inside of him," whispered Laina, trying not to be heard by the turtle pokemon.

Ash nodded his head in agreement. If Wartortle was a human, he'd have already been to a counseling consultation or two.

"Anyways," drawled Laina, "gyarados' strength is incredible, and its potential is nearly limitless. But, there's a reason why you don't see that many kids your age training them."

"Because most magikarp are nearly impossible to evolve through training," replied Ash, "and wild gyarados are rare and seriously dangerous to approach."

"Well there's that…" uttered Laina, "but, I'd say in comparison to catching a gyarados, training one is even harder."

She wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. It's not like a wild pokemon's nature changed post capture. If it was treacherous before being caught — it would be treacherous after.

"That's what I've heard," replied Ash with a knowing expression.

She looked at him with a mischievous grin, "did you know that gyarados hate children?"

"Huh?" asked Ash, confused, "do you mean inexperience? Age shouldn't matter. Pokemon respond best to affection and competency."

"Most pokemon do," quipped the beautiful Safari Zone employee, "and Gyarados do, too…with time."

She paused before using her thumb to point towards her chest, "I speak from experience. I have three of my own, after all."

Ash's jaw dropped, "you have three!?"

He had a feeling she might have one because of her tattoo and the way she spoke so highly of them. But, three…That must have taken an egregious amount of time to get them all to cooperate.

"Yup, three!" bragged Laina, sticking up just as many fingers, "each one of them was a pain in the ass to train... But I caught my first when I was thirteen, and she didn't listen to me for two years."

Ash gulped, "that's a long time…"

"Fang was tough," she replied, "but, it wasn't until after I started working here that I figured out why."

Ash listened curiously.

"When you observe a habitat for long enough," she said, "you begin to pick up on little details. The information's available if you look in the right places. But even if you find it, sometimes you don't fully understand it until you witness it firsthand."

She paused before continuing, "It's pretty common knowledge that gyarados have an instinctual hatred for their primary form. Some researchers think that it's because the sight of a magikarp reminds them of the inferior feeling that they had back when it was their reality."

Ash knew that much. He had read something along those lines while studying for the trainer qualification exam.

"But, gyarados experts believe that it goes even further than that," informed Laina, "there's a rather fascinating theory out there that gyarados despise all young. It hasn't been one-hundred-percent accepted by scholars and researchers, but I believe it. I've lived it — and I've seen it at this lake a number of times."

"Interesting…" drawled Ash, finding it hard to believe.

"Listen, Ash, I've battled gyarados on this lake countless times," shared Laina, "Baboa has us relocate them to the ocean when they get to be a certain size. The older wild gyarados get the more territorial they become. They're here for a maximum of two years after evolution, anymore than that and they become too big of a disturbance to the ecosystem."

"That makes a lot of sense," said Ash, spreading out his arms, "I heard there are some in the ocean that can get up to fifty-feet long."

"Exactly…the ocean can sustain more gyarados that size than you'd ever be able to count," she shook her head, "Lake Kaiser probably couldn't even handle one."

She waved her hands emphatically, "anyways, I'm getting off topic, the point that I was trying to make is that when it's time to relocate them — I'm in charge."

Ash had to admit — in terms of occupations —that had to be about as badass as it gets.

"I've taken on hundreds of them over the years," she stated, "it's how I caught my other two."

She paused as she looked him in the eyes, "never have I seen them more pissed than when they run into a young trainer."

At this point, she was so convincing that he'd be a fool not to believe her.

"Why?" asked Ash.

"I'm not completely sure," shrugged Laina, "it could be a number of things. I've tossed around a bunch of ideas. The only thing I'm confident in is that it has to do with their pride."

"Pride?" parroted Ash.

"Yeah…" she uttered, "I think gyarados are so full of pride that they get infuriated by the idea that a child — something comparable to their primary stage — could tame them."

Ash's shoulders slumped, "so, regardless of skill, I might not be able to get one to listen to me for years…"

She laughed, "not necessarily. There have been rare exceptions. The Champion was able to train one at a young age," she placed her hand on her chin, "there's also that little Waterflower girl of the Cerulean Gym that has one."

Ash already had a high opinion of Misty — but with the information that Laina had just shared with him — it was now through the roof.

"Some exceptions is better than impossible," replied Ash with a smirk.

She smirked as she looked up, "and for what it's worth you got that massive bird to listen to you."

Ash smiled.

After looking up she pointed down, "not to mention that creepy ghost that keeps popping its eyes out of your shadow."

Ash keeled over with laughter when a large, solitary tongue flopped out of his shadow and onto the deck, causing Laina to shriek.

XXX

"We're here," declared Laina as she throttled the safari boat down to a complete stop.

They were at the center — the deepest part of Lake Kaiser. At this point they had gone far enough north to where the eastern shore had transitioned into lofty, high hanging, jagged-edged cliffs. They were the only land visible, and the black rock that formed them was ominous and foreboding. There were no pokemon on the surface — a sign that monsters lurked beneath.

"I should have asked earlier, but what's your plan?" questioned the well-tanned blonde.

Ash scratched the back of his head nervously, "Wartortle's going to go down and get one's attention. hopefully, he can get it to follow him back up."

"It'll follow," she answered dryly, "with some luck it'll just be one."

"How many are there?" asked Ash with a gulp.

"We just relocated a few last month," said Laina with a shrug, "there shouldn't be more than six."

"Shouldn't?"

"We took the pods down there last week to check," she replied with a smirk, "but you never know when a magikarp is going to evolve."

Ash nodded. She had a good point.

"When you get it to chase, you better move fast," recommended Laina, shifting her attention to Wartortle, "get it to surface away from the boat, I'd rather not get my uniform wet."

The turtle pokemon let out an affirmative grunt. He had a glint of determination in his eyes. Ash could tell he wasn't intimidated by the challenge. He was aware of it before, but the past two days had further clarified just how fearless Wartortle was.

"What's stopping them from attacking the boat right now?"

"There's a camouflage energy barrier on the keel of the boat," she replied, while removing her safari hat and tying back her hair, "they can't see it until they breach."

Ash nodded, marveling at the wonders of technology.

"What are you gonna do once one's on the surface?" questioned Laina, raising an eyebrow.

Ash pulled out a depository case and withdrew a couple of status traps — one to cause paralysis and the other to induce slumber.

"I'm gonna set a short timer and have Pidgeot drop these on top of its head," replied Ash with confidence.

"That's not gonna be enough," retorted Laina with a smirk, "they'll help, but those aren't potent enough to incapacitate a gyarados when you take into account the dulling effect of water. The best you'll get with both of those is a couple minutes of sluggishness."

Ash had already assumed it wouldn't be enough, "once Pidgeot hits it with the traps, we'll wait for it to attack — then we'll battle."

"You talked to Walker about this, didn't you?" she queried, "that guy can't keep his mouth shut."

"Isn't that his job?"

"I guess," she shrugged, "but he shouldn't be so careless when it comes to what he tells young trainers."

Ash mentally face-palmed. He didn't think the only Safari Zone employee that was reckless enough to escort him to catch a gyarados should be lecturing the burly, bearded man from a distance.

"Anyways, I wouldn't wait til it makes the first move," said Laina, swinging her right fist into her left hand, "hit it with everything you got right from the jump."

"But the rules—"

"Rules schmules," interrupted the audacious blonde, "Baboa would never enforce them when it comes to gyarados."

"Alright…" drawled Ash skeptically, "I guess I'll take your word for it."

"My word is as good as gold, kid," replied Laina with a grin, "now, are you gonna get this show on the road or what?"

"How long do you think it'll take him to find one?" asked Ash before shifting his attention to Wartortle.

"Shouldn't take long, depending on how fast this guy can dive," she said gesturing to the eager turtle.

Ash glanced down at the status traps.

"I'd set the timers on those for about five minutes," said Laina, pointing at the two devices in Ash's hands, "just keep track of how much time has gone by. Worst case scenario your pidgeot hits it with them mid-battle."

"What if it takes longer than five minutes to lure one up?"

"It won't."

Ash took a deep breath in anticipation before signaling for Pidgeot. His avian shackled his wings, entering a nosedive. As he neared, he unleashed his wingspan, leveling out directly in front of them.

"Fuc—" blurted Laina — interrupted by Pidgeot's blistering squawk.

Ash laughed for a moment before addressing his flying-type, "once I set these, I need you to take them. When you hear my whistle, drop them on the gyarados' head."

Pidgeot cocked his head in confusion.

"You'll know it when you see it," said Ash with a wry smile, "if it's under the water when I signal, you still gotta drop them. I don't want you getting caught in the gas when they go off."

Pidgeot nodded, letting out a trill that conveyed comprehension.

Ash shifted his eyes over to Ivysaur, "no Sweet Scent. I don't want it to slow down the others. Sunny Day for a boost — then hit it with Razor Leaf and whatever else you can manage, depending on how close it gets."

Ivysuar snorted, heeding his trainer's commands.

"Haunter," called Ash, looking down at his shadow, "it's time to come out."

The apparition emerged — bursting with ghoulish laughter. He turned to Laina, sticking his tongue out as far as he could.

"It's not as creepy when I can see your face," said Laina, looking over Ash's ghost-type.

Ash smiled as he thought of Haunter's earlier shenanigans before addressing his comical friend, "as long as you keep your other personality under control, I'm giving you free rein. Hit it with whatever you want. If you get a good opportunity, though, try and put it to sleep with hypnosis."

Haunter bobbed up and down before releasing another discordant emission of guffaws.

Ash pivoted to Wartortle, "Are you ready?"

Wartortle grunted in response before ambling over to the tip of the bow.

"Wartortle," said Ash, getting his water-type's attention, "be careful down there. Don't do anything crazy. Get one's attention and swim like hell to the surface."

Wartortle turned his head, making eye contact with Ash. The dark-haired boy thought he saw a sliver of a smile begin to form before the impassive reptile dove in to the water.

Ash didn't have time to process Wartortle's subtle expression. He quickly set the timer on both status traps, while simultaneously setting one on his pokedex to keep track. Pidgeot firmly took one in each talon before promptly taking to the skies.

Now, all they could do was wait…

Kkkkrrrrrrssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barely a minute had passed before an immense geyser of water launched Wartortle high into air. Having used a combination of Withdraw and Protect to diminish the blow, his shell rapidly spun. Wartortle did more revolutions than Ash could count before emerging from his biological armor. As he began his descent, the turtle pokemon released a shrieking Ice Beam towards the center of the collapsing pillar of water, turning a portion of it into a crescent shaped glacier.

Ash anxiously reached for Wartortle's pokeball — just in case he had to return him — when the ice form detonated. It caused thousands of shards to spray in every which direction. Laina grabbed him by the shirt collar, pulling him down to the safari boat's deck. Ash winced upon impact as he thought about how unnecessary it was. Haunter had already begun to initiate psychic in order to stop the frozen debris dead in its tracks.

The dark-haired boy frantically stood up, briskly surveying the lake's surface. The scene that unfolded in front of him was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Wartortle slid at a breakneck pace along a stretched out bed of ice. He repetitively sequenced Ice Beam and Water Gun — using Ice Beam to elongate the gleaming runway and Water Gun to keep it slick.

In pursuit of Wartortle were two serpentine behemoths. They carved through the water, causing significant distress to the surface. The boat rocked and swayed with the waves, forcing Ash and Laina to grab hold of the gunwale to stop themselves from falling. Ash let go though when he realized that Ivysuar had one if his vines around his waste, having wrapped the other around the hull of the boat to support them.

"Change of plans — pick one!" shouted Laina as she unclipped a safari ball from her belt, "I'll handle the other!"

Full of adrenaline, Ash's eyes darted between the two gyarados and Wartortle. The one attempting to flank Wartortle from the left looked slightly smaller than the one that was chasing the turtle pokemon from behind. They had sleek, blue, overlapping scales with a creamy yellow underbelly. The multitude of spots that cascaded along their long, imposing bodies were the same color as their underside. There were four large, aciculate dorsal fins that were spaced out, protruding along their back, as well as two small white fins that jetted out of each side of their head.

The one on the left had lengthy, curling, white barbels — signifying it was female. The gyarados trailing behind Wartortle had barbels that were blue — indicating it was male. The three pointed crests on each one's head were the same shape as their tail fins, albeit their tail fins had white flesh spread between each point. In Ash's opinion their most notable features — outside of their sheer size — were their large, gaping mouths that contained four blade-like teeth in addition to their beady, vicious, red eyes.

They were magnificently atrocious.

"I'll take the one on the left!" exclaimed Ash.

Size definitely mattered, but there wasn't that big of a difference between them for it to sway his decision. He wanted the one that had shown strategical intelligence by trying to flank Wartortle. Ever since they surfaced, the other one had been trailing Wartortle with a one-track mind, nothing but rage in its eyes.

"Got it!" replied the blonde, tossing her safari ball out above the water.

In wake of the giant surge of white light was a towering monster. It looked down at the boat with its scarlet red eyes before letting out a thunderous outcry. Outside of Wallace's two wailord, it was the largest pokemon he had ever seen. If Ash had to guess, Laina's gyarados was at least ten feet longer than the two wild ones. He couldn't help but wonder how big a gyarados with the king's would be.

…Now that would be horrifying.

The instant Laina's gyarados was released both of the wild specimens' attention shifted away from Wartortle. The turtle pokemon used the opportunity to divert his course, diving off of the protracted ice bed, and immersing himself in the lake. The two wild gyarados blitzed towards their position, targeting Laina's leviathan. Ash wasn't sure, but it seemed as if they had yet to notice the boat.

"Intercept the male!" commanded Laina, pointing towards the larger of the two wild gyarados.

Laina's gyarados rushed ahead, causing the boat to quiver and sway. With Ivysuar's continued support, he hung on to the side of the boat. Ash and the Safari Zone employee were doused with water in the aftermath of the beast's sudden movement.

"Dammit, Fang!" cursed Laina before looking at Ash incredulously, "of course it would be mine that got me wet!"

Right as she finished her sentence, Wartortle shot up out of the water, vaulting himself back onto the boat. His breath was heavy, and his eyes were intense. Despite his fatigue, it was apparent that he was still locked in.

"Great job," said Ash as he checked the timer on his pokedex, "take a break for a few seconds."

Two minutes until the traps would go off.

He turned to Haunter, "go after the smaller one!"

The ghost-type zoomed towards the female gyarados, leaving a trail of paranormal energy. Ash was surprised that Haunter had managed to keep his second personality at bay when the ice form exploded. Hopefully, things stayed that way during this exchange.

Ash noticed out of his peripherals that Ivysuar's bud was beginning to emit a bright, orange glow. He proceeded to fire the energy vertically. It striated through the air with a hum, before further brightening the surrounding area's coexisting daylight. Now that the targeted gyrados was finally in range, the saurian grass-type followed it up by discharging a myriad of razor-sharp leaves. As the barrage of blade-like leaves landed — causing the gyarados to clamor with anger — Haunter hit it with a dark-purple wave of spectral energy. The gyarados responded to the Night Shade by stirring up water-infused draconic energy, creating a swirling, purple vortex. Ash instantly recognized it as Twister on account of his avian's mastery of the technique.

The gyarados' Twister was instantly dispelled by Pidgeot. The flying-type used a Twister of his own, bearing a reverse current to ensure that they didn't merge. The gyarados proceeded to quickly submerge itself under the water in order to get momentum before hurling itself into the air. With its approximate twenty-plus feet of length, it swung and cracked its tail like a whip, enveloping it in a swirling coat of glowing water. Ash recognized the technique as Aqua Tail. Taken off guard by the nimbleness of its hulking from, Haunter was hit and sent flying off into the distance.

Ash's eyes followed Haunter. He watched as his ghost-type used the force from a flurry of full-throttle Shadow Punches in attempt to slow the speed in which he involuntarily flew. He was successful, steadily stabilizing himself before brusquely flinging himself back in the direction of the gyarados. Haunter's body was coated in a black aura as he projected a beam of dark energy. Payback hit the Gyarados' flank, simultaneously with Ivysuar's slicing barrage, as the serpent had begun to change its angle of pursuit. It shrieked out in pain, blitzing the boat in reaction to Ivysuar's machine-gun-like Razor Leaf.

"Wartortle — Ice Beam! Ivysuar — Leech Seed!" commanded Ash, grabbing his thumping chest with one hand, checking his pokedex with the other, "Don't let it any closer!"

One minute until the traps would go off.

"Dammit!" cursed Ash. If the responsibility of the traps was what was making Pidgeot be passive in this battle, maybe they were more trouble than they were worth.

Laina revved up the motor, preparing to evade.

The radiant beam of ice and the numerous energy draining seeds made contact with the gyarados, causing another ear-shattering outcry. It stopped its approach for a moment. Ash could have sworn it made eye contact with him before its rage begun to heighten. The ten-year-old boy was pretty sure that the theory about gyarados hating children was true because if the serpent was pissed-off before, he didn't know what to call its current disposition. It thrashed with acrimony as it attempted to blast the boat with a Twister. Once again, Pidgeot intercepted it as Laina hastily maneuvered the boat, circling around the Gyarados' position.

"Your pokemon are holding their own!" bellowed Laina, as she slammed the tiller and pivoted her eyes between both battles.

Fang was absolutely toying with the male gyarados. The momentous serpent used several moves in its arsenal, clearly flaunting the difference in their abilities. Ice Fang, Dragon Rage, Crunch, Twister, Hydro Pump, Aqua Tail, Hurricane, etcetera… In the brief amount of time he'd observed the ridiculously one-sided battle, the only high-level move in its natural moveset that Ash hadn't seen was Hyper Beam. He had a feeling Fang was saving it for when it got bored. It was obvious that Laina's gyarados had a twisted personality. It could have ended the battle before it even started.

As they circled the target, the gyarados lost track of them after being engaged by Haunter once again. They were exchanging blows. The apparition was sequencing Night Shade, Shadow Punch, and Psychic; whereas, the gyarados alternated between Bite, Ice Fang, Twister and Aqua Tail. At this point, the boat was out of range for Ivysuar to land any of his moveset, but Wartortle was able to accurately connect Ice Beam, Water Gun, and even an incomplete Water Pulse.

Ash's mental timer was nearing the end of the countdown. He briskly confirmed it on his pokedex.

Fifteen seconds until the traps went off.

He looked up in the air to ensure that Pidgeot was still directly above the gyarados. Ash was positive that the serpent was aware of his avian's presence, but it had yet to attempt to attack. The young trainer had an inkling suspicion that the Gyarados' only had Twister in terms of long-range techniques. Wild gyarados weren't known for their restraint, and there had been a plethora of opportunities to utilize moves like Hydro Pump, Hurricane, or Hyper Beam.

When the timer hit four seconds, Ash used his fingers to whistle as loud as he could. It took a brief moment — but with a harsh squint — the dark-haired boy could barely make out the image of two objects plummeting down towards the sea serpent. Haunter darted out of their range, showing keen awareness in accordance with the plan.

Three.

Two.

One.

They went off, showering the behemoth in a large cloud of dark yellow and azure blue gas. It let out another cacophonous roar before deliberately engulfing itself into the lake.

"Can you bring the boat closer!" shouted Ash — his heart pounding in anticipation.

"It's not over yet!" replied Laina, having already begun to direct the boat in the battle's direction.

As the colossal water-type sluggishly reemerged from the water, it was concurrently battered atop the head by Pidgeot's Wing Attack as well as Haunter's Shadow Punch. In a daze, the Gyarados used Thrash in attempt to fend off its assailants. The bucking serpent's normal-type desperation attack phased through Haunter, but clipped Pidgeot. The Avian responded angrily with a Quick Attack/Wing Attack combination, burying the brutal assault into the middle of the gyarados' exposed underbelly. It emitted an emphatic gasping sound — having had the wind knocked out of it — as its prodigious figure collapsed backwards into the water.

As they rapidly approached, Ash unclipped a safari ball. He raised his leg like a baseball pitcher before launching it as far as he could at the gyarados.

It connected.

Bobble.

The safari ball buoyantly bounced in the water.

Bobbl–

The capture attempt failed as a beam of resounding white energy released, revealing the form of the gyarados. It was damaged and exhausted, but it had enough strength to reject submission. Laina hastily turned the boat, whipping the throttle. For a fraction of a moment, Ash was so close he could feel its icy cold breath. His pulse was out of control as he reached for another safari ball and enlarged it. Thanks to the gold package, he had plenty of chances if the hunt dragged out.

"Ivysuar, Poison Powder while we're close enough!" directed Ash, "Wartortle hit it with another Ice Beam!"

His saurian flung a pellet that bursted open, covering the gyarados with violet, toxic powder. In succession it was hit by another Ice Beam, causing the rundown serpent to flail.

Ash was starting to get seasick as the safari boat sharply changed directions, allowing him a second chance.

Once again, he made contact.

Bobble.

Once again, the capture failed.

Bobb—

Laina created distance as she yelled to their flank, "stop playing around, Fang! Finished it!"

Ash's eyes remained glued to the ragged female gyarados. They were close. He took a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Razor Leaf!"

"Ice Beam!"

"Hypnosis!"

"Twin Tempest!"

The gyarados attempted to evade but was hit by an incursion of some of his friends' most powerful attacks. In sync with the explosion, the blonde-haired beauty once again brought them in range. Ash didn't wait to get a look at its condition. He used all his might to deliver the safari ball into the center of the blast. When the collage of hissing energy receded, Ash quickly located the position of the floating capture-device.

Bobble.

He bit down on the inside of his mouth.

Bobble.

He crossed his fingers.

Bobble.

He took a deep breath.

Click.

They did it.

Transfer.

"We did it!" cheered Ash, embracing Wartortle and Ivysuar, "you guys were awesome!"

His saurian let out an affectionate snarl, while his turtle pokemon emitted a surprisingly soft coo. Ash couldn't see his face, as he had his arms wrapped around his friends, but he had a feeling that the last couple of days had started to fissure the barrier that concealed Wartortle's locked up emotions.

It didn't take long for Haunter to mosey his way over. His ghost-type was panting heavily, and his corporal body had some minor damage. Ash, wondered how Haunter would have faired in a one-on-one battle. On account of its sheer strength and durability, Gyarados would have likely come out on top. But in the dark-haired boy's opinion, Haunter was likely one Shadow Ball away from giving the water serpent a run for her money.

As Ash continued to hold on to Ivysuar and Wartortle, Haunter used one of his large ghostly hands to pat his trainer atop the head. Releasing a bust of laughter, the specter used his other hand to try and give Pidgeot — who was wafting alongside the hull — a high-five. Ash couldn't help but laugh as Pidgeot cocked his massive head, spouting out a confused trill.

"He's trying to say good job," said Ash, deciphering Haunter's straightforward gesture.

Pidgeot elected not to reciprocate the high-five — but nodded in acknowledgment — before using his intimidatingly sharp beak to tap the button on his pokeball attached to Ash's belt.

The avian was exhausted.

As Pidgeot was enveloped in a ray of red light, Ash's attention gravitated in the direction of the battle between Fang and the male gyarados. Apparently, Laina's twisted specimen had finally gotten around to ending its unnecessary game. The thirty-foot leviathan released a blisteringly loud beam of multicolored energy. The wild gyarados dispatched a hellish, draconian wail as it was immediately incapacitated upon impact.

"Helluva job, kid!" congratulated Laina, as she took the boat in the direction of Fang and the unconscious, drifting gyarados.

She tossed a safari ball, capturing the fallen sea serpent. This time the safari ball didn't transfer, likely a privilege allotted only to Safari Zone personnel. Reaching over the hull, Laina retrieved the capture-device before looking up at Fang.

"Next time, don't play around so much!" scolded the blonde as she began to return her mighty water-type.

Right before being returned, Fang casually bobbed its head up and down with devilish eyes as it emitted what sounded like cackling laughter.

"Real convincing…" drawled Laina as she rolled her eyes, and clipped Fang's safari ball back to her belt.

She leisurely bounced the newly caught gyarados' safari ball up and down in her hand as she turned her attention to Ash, "welp, I guess that makes four."

She sighed, "Ready to head back to shore?"

Ash nodded in response as reality began to sink in.

He had caught a gyarados — one of the most powerful species in Kanto. She was going to be a challenge. It was almost a certainty that the serpent would be the most difficult pokemon that he trained during this first chapter of his journey.

But, he would worry about that later…

For now, he needed to focus on setting himself up for the rest of his travels through his home region.

Two down.

Two to go.

XXX

It was late afternoon. They were back on the rocky beach of the western shore, and it was time to say goodbye.

"How many days you got left, kid?" asked Laina.

"After tonight…" drawled Ash, "three."

"What else are you looking for?"

"A scyther and a dratini," replied Ash as he crouched down, playfully ruffling the fur on Growlithe's side.

The puppy pokemon, involuntarily kicked his leg back. Ash chuckled, apparently he had hit a sweet spot.

"For scyther you're gonna want to head to the woodlands in the Center Area," informed the blonde with a look of confidence.

Ash smiled, deciding not to tell her that Walker already gave him that bit of information. With the way she was complaining about him earlier, he figured it was better that way.

"Will do," replied Ash.

"As for dratini…" muttered Laina, "you're on your own with that one."

"I figured," said Ash with a shrug.

"Good luck, though," she said with a smile, "I'm not gonna doubt a rookie that wrangled a gyarados."

"Thanks," said Ash, scratching his head sheepishly.

Her expression shifted from playful to serious.

"When it comes to your gyarados…no matter what you do, don't ever back down," advised Laina with intent filled eyes, "it's going to be hard….but if you show her even an ounce of fear, she'll never listen to you."

Ash gulped. When it was time to release her for the first time, he'd better be ready.

"I'll do my best," said Ash, reaching out to shake her hand, "thanks for everything. I couldn't have caught her without you."

"That's for sure!" she exclaimed, bypassing the handshake and playfully disheveling his hat, "if you ever want another ride on Lake Kaiser, come find me."

Ash smiled, grabbing the straps on his backpack, "maybe in five years."

"Sounds good to me," she replied, "see ya later, Ash. Make the next day three days count."

"I plan on it," he said, waving as he began to head west, "come on, Growlithe, it's time to go."

Growlithe barked jovially as he began to follow his trainer.

Ash looked back one more time, having come to like the audacious blonde with the gyarados tattoo. Hopefully, he'd see her again one day.

He went on ahead, looking for a quiet spot to heal his friends before they departed for the western edge of the Center Area.

XXX

After camping out just outside of the western woodlands, Ash, Growlithe and Clefairy had been looking for a reference scent for several hours. So far, there hadn't been any leads. The few slash marks that they had found were too old for Growlithe to latch on to, and Clefairy's hearing wouldn't be valuable until they were actually in pursuit. The dark-haired boy was tempted to call upon Pidgeot to give them a bird's-eye view. But after the flight from Area One last night, Ash decided to let his avian rest for the day. He had been pushing him way too hard since they got to the Safari Zone.

Despite the fact that they hadn't found any helpful signs of scyther, the low-density forest had a lot of pokemon activity. Just like the rest of the Center Area, there were quite a few nidoran — male and female — as well as nidorina and nidorino. They simply watched as Ash and his friends ambled by. Due to it being regularly frequented by trainers, the Center Area's nidoran population was used to humans and non-native pokemon species. If you left them alone, they left you alone.

The woodlands had plenty of exeggcute and a handful of exeggutor. They too kept their distance. Ash figured it was due to the presence of Growlithe. The species' impressive collective intellectual capacity made them highly intelligent beings. When possible, they knew that it was wise to avoid fire-types.

Dozens of tangela made this area their home. The blue bundles of vines liked to hang from the eucalyptus and acacia trees. Moreover, you could find them in the woods many bushes and shrubs, which were also occupied by venonat and paras. Even though he didn't have a desire to train one, Ash was becoming more and more annoyed by the fact that he had yet to spot a parasect. It just didn't make sense. He had seen so many paras. Maybe he was wrong, but the dark-haired boy had a tough time believing that they were one of the species that migrated to Area Three.

By the time mid-afternoon came around, Ash was starting to get discouraged. Not necessarily because they hadn't tracked down a scyther — he wasn't expecting that to be that easy. It was that they had explored most of the woodlands — even making it as far as the tall, rangy game fence that acted as the boundary to Area Three — and still couldn't locate any recent signs of activity. Going off of what Walker and Laina said, this was their primary habitat.

So, he had to be missing something…

Ash couldn't help but recall the battle that Austin's marowak had against the Team Rocket trained scyther underneath Saffron's Magnet Train station. At the very least, he couldn't help but wish Growlithe had come in contact with it. They could then skip this lengthy step. Unfortunately, there was too much chaos going on at the time for Ash to have Growlithe store its scent. His pup was so focused on his own battles against Team Rocket's depraved pokemon that he doubted Growlithe was even aware of the razor-sharp, bladed bug-type's presence.

It wasn't until a decent-sized pidgeotto caught his wandering attention that he finally had a breakthrough. It landed atop one of the many nearly bare acacia trees. On a thick branch, below where the avian roosted, were significant slash marks. Ash felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before. He was in the right location, but he'd been looking in the wrong places. No wonder so few Scyther had been caught this year. Ash bet most rookie trainers made the same novice mistake that he just did. He'd been checking the trunks, and hadn't even considered examining the branches above. Scyther had a bug/flying dual-type classification. They infrequently took to the skies because of their wings' minimal endurance, but they did spend a lot of their time maneuvering amongst the treetops.

He thought back to when he observed the wild tangela that hung from the trees, maybe there had been signs of Scyther activity back there too. As Ash surveyed the surrounding area, he couldn't help but mentally kick himself. The numerous thick branches with heavy lacerations were in plain sight. When he thought about how many hours they had wasted aimlessly meandering through the woods, it made him want to pull his hair out. Every minute spent in the Safari Zone mattered, and he had let nearly half a day's worth wither away because of a silly oversight.

"Growlithe, go take a whiff of those marks up there," commanded Ash, pointing up at a hacked up branch on one of the acacia trees.

The previously bored canine's tail started to wag before he used Quick Attack to nimbly scale the tall tree. Ash watched as Growlithe carefully distributed his weight, balancing as he began to cross an adjacent, broad branch that was healthily intact. After crossing for a ways, the pup positioned himself in a way where — when he leaned forward — he could press his snout up against the marred portion of the targeted tree limb.

"Any luck!" shouted Ash, creating a flesh-made megaphone with his hands.

Growlithe gave Ash a confirmative yip.

He clenched his fist in satisfaction as the puppy pokemon swiftly bounded back down to the ground.

"Ready to finally get started!" exclaimed Ash as he pat both Growlithe and Clefairy on the head.

Both pokemon murmured in response to their trainer.

XXX

The trail was hot. Ash could tell by the decisiveness in Growlithe's movements that they were getting close. Clefairy's ears frequently fidgeted as they maneuvered around the trees, shrubs, and bushes that Ash now viewed as nothing more than obstacles slowing them down. The pokemon of the woodlands continued to avoid them. However, their demeanor seemed edgy. The dark-haired boy presumed that their fast-moving pace was making the woodland's inhabitants anxious.

At one point they had passed a small group of happiny and chansey. Normally, Ash would have taken at least a moment to observe them. He'd only ever seen them working as the hospitable partners of the numerous Nurse Joys throughout Kanto. It would be interesting to watch them in their natural habitat. But, Ash didn't have time right now. They were nearing their target, and he didn't want Growlithe to lose the scent.

"Clefairy stay focused," muttered Ash as a reminder, "scyther are perceptive. If we're as close as I think we are, it's likely aware of us."

Ash looked down at the sleek metal rod in his right hand. He couldn't help but wonder if his undercooked strategy was going to work. He had wanted to flesh it out more, but Growlithe caught ahold of the scyther's scent much quicker than he had anticipated.

Ash wished he could have Haunter use Mean Look to keep it from fleeing, but that was against the rules. Ivysuar's Sweet Scent would be helpful — and due to the technique's passive nature — Ash thought he could probably get away with it. But, he decided it wasn't worth the risk. The last thing he wanted was to spend a whole day tracking down a scyther, only for it to be confiscated by Baboa.

When dealing with a pokemon as fast as scyther, trying to get the timing right with a status trap seemed impossible. Bait wouldn't work either. A scyther's sense of discernment was known for being extraordinarily keen. There was no way it would fall for something like that.

So, that left him with the energy lasso…

According to the Safari Zone employee that worked the gear booth, Sheila, once he pressed the button in the center of the rod, a low-power non-tactile laser would appear from the tip. It acted as an indicator for the user to lockdown the trajectory of their aim. A second press of the button would fire a tactile beam of energy that would wrap around the targeted pokemon, restricting their movements. In addition, the beam gradually — and painlessly — drained a pokemon's stamina. What made it hard to use though was the fact that the trainer had to rely on their strength to hold it in place. It wasn't a viable option for large pokemon like Rhyhorn and Gyarados; but with the help of his friends, Ash could probably manage to wrangle a scyther long enough to hit it with a safari ball.

All of a sudden, Growlithe and Clefairy came to a sharp stop. Ash gathered himself as he darted his eyes in every direction. He pressed the button on the energy lasso, projecting a vibrant red beam.

They were in a dense part of the woods. The lighting had slightly dimmed as the sun was partially skewed by the confluence of interconnecting branches. The ground was topped with countless thick bushes and shrubs. Unlike the rest of the woodlands, this area gave them very little room to maneuver. At one point, it had been even more concentrated. There were a handful of fallen trees, sliced from the middle, leaving tall stumps. They were a ways south from the entrance to Area Three — a part of the woods that Ash had yet to explore.

Clefairy began to stir, something had caught her attention. Ash looked down at his fairy-type, watching as her eyes darted to the right. He couldn't hear or see anything, but Clefairy's ears were exponentially more acute than his. She squinted her eyes peering into the foliage. Growlithe began to tense up. His tail stood up as he lowered his haunches and dug his paws into the ground. The canine let out a low, intimidating growl. If the specimen was weaker than Growlithe, it would succumb to his inherent ability.

Ash prepared himself. Due to Growlithe's typing, he doubted it would attack head-on, but he wanted to be ready just in case. Scyther were prideful hunters, and this one was being hunted. In all likelihood, it was indignant from their pursuit. However, its actions couldn't be confidently predicted. It was odd enough that it had stopped. It's not like the chase had been that long.

Scyther were typically conceited, but that didn't mean they were reckless. They were known for stalking their target in a calculated manner. Unless they were hunting for sustenance, the majority of untrained scyther did not seek combat outside of their own kind. The rare few that did, were either looking for an opportunity to strengthen their skills, vying to gain an edge in their never-ending battle for supremacy within their swarm; or they were warped by an unquenchable thirst for blood like Kent's scizor.

Ash had enough complicated personalities trickled throughout his team. Hopefully, this one was either too overly proud to continue to flee, or sought to hone its abilities.

Clefairy divulged a brusque outcry as she swiftly looked up, coating herself in a thin-layer of thaumaturgic energy

Ash could feel the heat from Growlithe's loaded maw as he called upon his internal flame.

Appearing in wake of an afterimage was an imposing bipedal insect. In terms of height, it couldn't have been more than a few inches taller than Ash. Its green exoskeleton looked rigid and tough. The top of its thighs were jagged and spiked. In between its head, thorax, and abdomen was creamy-colored flesh that matched the color of its wings. The three blunt horns atop its reptilian-like head were intimidating as were its narrow, triangular eyes. Its notorious bladed arms looked like two white scythes.

If it weren't headed straight for him, he'd admire its impeccably awesome form.

"Guys, don't!" shouted Ash, pointing the energy lasso straight up into the air.

He knew that if the scyther attacked first, he had the right to battle. However, he had a feeling in his gut that it was a bad idea. It completely disregarded Growlithe and Clefairy, zeroing in on him. The scyther's eyes were adamant, but not malicious. Despite the fact that it had gnawing blades for arms that could effortlessly cut him into pieces, it prepared to swing at him with the fleshy-edged backside.

It was challenging him — not his pokemon.

Ash triggered the lasso. A green beam of energy emanated from the metal rod that acted as its handle. It bowed out and around the scyther, interlocking, before clasping hold of the bug-type. Without losing eye-contact with Ash, the mantis fell to the ground. Despite its blades and wings being constricted, it nimbly landed on its feet. It had yet to make a sound as its eyes continued to examine the dark-haired boy. In quick succession, the scyther proceeded to dig its clawed feet into the ground. Using its weight to lean back, it yanked Ash in its direction.

After being jostled forward, the young trainer clamped down, engaging in an intense game of tug-of-war. Scyther were strong because of their coordination, speed, accuracy, and blades; they weren't necessarily physically imposing in terms of raw power. Regardless, this wasn't a contest he could win, but he'd do his best to put up a fight as he waited for the sycther's stamina to diminish.

Ash felt Clefairy begin to pull on his leg to give him support.

Growlithe attempted to use his maw to latch on to the back of his belt.

"Stop!" demanded Ash, tightening his grasp with both hands, while pulling as hard as he could, "this is my battle!"

Heeding their trainer's command, Growlithe and Clefairy ceased action, watching with anxious eyes.

Even though the mantis only had its own legs as leverage, Ash was gradually beginning to lose ground. At the moment, he'd held on for as long as he could. The young trainer let go with his right hand, causing him to be thrown to the ground. He managed to hang onto the energy lasso as he took a safari ball from his belt and hurled it at the scyther.

It connected, swallowing the mantis pokemon in a ray of red light.

Rattl—

No luck…this was going to be a battle of attrition.

As soon as the white light from the capture attempt dissipated, Ash felt a presence to his left. He quickly threw himself out of the way, narrowly avoiding a False Swipe from the flesh-end of the scyther's blade.

Growlithe barked angrily in protest, but stayed put. Clefairy kept quiet — her eyes glued to her trainer. Of all of his pokemon, his canine and fairy-type had the keenest senses on his team. After the bug-type's opening gambit, all they had done was try to subtly aid Ash. If the scyther had intentions of hurting him, they would have intervened in a more aggressive manner.

Ash hastily tossed another safari ball.

Rattle—

The scyther broke free again. This time he pressed the button on the energy lasso the second the light burst forth. Ash grimaced as they reengaged in their game of tug-of-war. His hands were throbbing and his arms felt like they were going to be pulled from his body, but he held on.

He connected with another safari ball.

Rattle.

Ratt—

Ash was learning to hate tug-of-war, but it was time for round three.

Rattle.

Rattle—

His hands were beginning to cramp. His shoulders felt like overcooked noodles. And his back hurt like hell.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rat—

His chest felt like it was caving in. His breathing was harsh. And the handle of the lasso was getting slick from his blood.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle—

What was he doing? All he knew was that he needed to win.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Ratt—

Growlithe? Pidgeot? Clefairy? Ivysuar? Charmeleon? Wartortle? Haunter? Eevee?

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle—

Mom? Professor Oak? Gary? Bill? Austin? Wallace? Sabrina? Robert? Kent? Skylar? Andrew?

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle—

Ho-oh. Chosen. Willow. Friend. Team Rocket. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomination. Abomi—

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Click.

Transfer.

Thump.

Three down.

One to go.

XXX

When Ash finally regained consciousness the sun had just begun to rise. Growlithe sat worriedly by his side, and Clefairy was snuggled up next to him. He could feel another presence lying next to the left side of his head — it was soft, and smelt like Eevee. His entire body felt like it had had been ruthlessly squeezed, wrung, and hung up to dry. As his eyelids frantically flickered in confusion, he heard the sound of Pidgeot's squawk. Haunter gradually wafted into his line of sight with a concerned expression. He slowly turned his stiff head to find Ivysuar, Charmeleon, and Wartortle, standing watch. Growlithe and Clefairy must have let out the whole team, once he collapsed.

"Quite the crew you got here, pal—"

Ash flinched, not expecting the presence of another person.

"My bad, my bad," chuckled the man, "I didn't mean to startle you."

The dark-haired boy strained, lifting his chin in attempt to lay eyes on the man that stood behind him.

"Anyways, quite a solid squad. I haven't seen a Clefairy in years, and that Eevee and Pidgeot sure are unique," his intonation was cool and aloof, "I see more than eight, though. You must have an influential friend."

For the first time, Ash noticed the thick bandaging on his palms as he slowly lifted himself into a sitting position. He winced, feeling a sharp pain as he put pressure on his hands. At this point, his friends had surrounded him. Each one had their own flavor when it came to a look of relief. Despite the progress he had made recently, Wartortle's expression was pretty blank — Ash didn't expect any more than that. Pidgeot was the lone member of his team that wasn't close enough for him to touch. His avian looked down at him with a curious expression, perched on one of the thick branches of a bare acacia tree.

He massaged his temples, attempting to fend off a dull headache as he looked over the person that was standing over him. The young man with an athletic body-type had to be in about his mid-twenties. As expected, he had on the emblematic Safari Zone employee uniform. His face was chiseled, and he had long brown hair that flowed out from underneath his safari hat. The belt fixed around his waist had more than a dozen shrunken safari balls clipped around it.

"Thanks for tending to my hands," said Ash appreciatively, using simple logic to figure out that the long-haired man must have been the one that patched him up.

"Not a problem," the man replied with a soft smile, "it's what we're here, Ash."

Ash nodded before giving the man a puzzled look, "how'd you kn—"

"I took a look at your pokedex," he said matter-of-factly, "I don't usually make it a habit of going through other people's things without asking, but you weren't exactly in a position to give me permission."

"Don't worry about it—"

"The name's Logan," he said, saving Ash the trouble of asking, "that was quite a wild encounter you had with that scyther. I thought I was going to have to crash the party."

"Did I catch it?" asked Ash nervous to hear the reply.

He remembered up to a certain point, but after that everything was black.

"You did," answered Logan with a smirk, "it was a ballsy effort. Most people would have given up."

Ash let out a deep sigh as he plopped back down to the ground — his arms spread out wide, "thank god!"

"It would have been a real shame if you didn't," said the chiseled man, "but, I have a feeling that scyther would have gone with you either way. I've never seen one behave like that. It seemed fascinated by you."

There were a couple of times during the bout of tug-of-war that Ash had thought something along the same lines. However, he disagreed when it came to the part about Scyther going with him regardless of the outcome. He could feel it throughout the struggle — the mantis was testing his resolve.

As Growlithe and Eevee nuzzled up against his chest, Ash reached for his pokedex, which was tucked into his jacket as usual. He checked the timer on the top right corner of the miniature super computer: 52:36:24.

He had a little more than two days.

"I debated taking you back to the Admission Center," said Logan with a shrug, "but your pokemon wouldn't let me move you."

The long-haired man looked down at Growlithe and Clefairy, "these two were adamant that you didn't go anywhere, and they let out the rest of your pokemon. If your condition wasn't stable, I wouldn't have had a choice, though."

He paused as he gestured towards the rest of Ash's pokemon, "these guys are probably tired. They watched over you all night long, so you might want to give them a little something if you plan on finishing out the whole five days."

"I will," replied Ash as he sat back up and gave Logan a quick nod.

He was starting to feel a little better now, but even if he wasn't, there was no way he was going to leave the Safari Zone without at least trying to track down a dratini.

"Where you headed next?" asked Logan.

"Area Three," replied Ash with a light smile, "it's the only place I haven't been yet."

"You sure you're up for that?" he replied with a smirk, "it's a lot different than the rest of the preserve."

"I know…" drawled Ash, "but, I have to go."

"Why?" the long-haired man queried, "you can find the same species throughout the rest of the park. They're just a lot stronger in Area Three."

"I've got a feeling that's where they are."

"That's where what is?"

A big smile formed on Ash's face, "all of the dratini."

"They don't have a set habitat," answered Logan with a bit of a wry expression, "if they did, we would have found it. But, best of luck. There's nothing that my grandpa wants more than to get that eight year old mankey off his back."

"Grandpa?" asked Ash.

"Dammit, I meant to say Baboa," said Logan covering his mouth.

"Baboa's your grandpa?" asked Ash in an incredulous manner.

The long-haired man hung his head and let out a sigh, "yeah…but I usually don't tell people that."

"So, all of this could be yours one day?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…one day."

"That's awesome," drawled Ash.

Logan's face lit up like a magnemite in a power plant.

"Isn't it!?"

XXX

The air was different in Area Three.

There was a suffocating level of tension in the atmosphere that Ash had never quite experienced before. The dark-haired boy had been in his fair share of dangerous situations, and he had been exposed to clashes between elite-level monsters — but he had never felt like an environment as a whole was going to swallow him up. Even the multiple Safari Zone employees that he had seen since he crossed over from the Center Area were not enough to steady his pulse. Prior to entry, Ash was under the impression that the many tumultuous experiences that had occurred during his journey had prepared him for a place like this. He wasn't completely wrong. If he had come here three and a half months ago, he wouldn't have lasted very long. Nevertheless, he had underestimated Area Three.

This part of the preserve was frightening.

Right from the jump, there was a showdown between nidoking. Ash stood and watched from a distance, waiting to ascend up the steep, stony hill that they fought at the base of. The nidoking collided at full speed, fighting to dominate one another. Their spikes and horns spewed toxins that abated the dried out shrubs and bushes at the end point of the woodlands. Whether it was a dispute or a contest, it resulted in the alteration of a significant amount of the rocky terrain that made up this part of Area Three. It wasn't until a Safari Zone employee interfered with her stalwart machamp that the fighting finally ceased.

The rocky ridge was covered in large footprints and sizable unnatural depressions. It looked to be a well traveled area. Ash wasn't sure what was at the top, but he kept his head on a swivel. Growlithe was by his side, and Haunter was in his shadow. If he felt like things were getting too dangerous, he would take to the skies on Pidgeot. The only reason he wasn't atop his avian was because he was hoping for Growlithe to pick up the scent of a dratini.

He recalled what Walker had told him about dratini being practically untraceable. But, Growlithe was unique for his kind. Without a reference scent, he had tracked down the clefairy of Mt. Moon. Ash wasn't positive, but he thought Growlithe had a means to sift through the properties of mystic and primordial scents. Scyther's scent was too similar to other bug-type's to distinguish and separate, but the scent of a dragon…If Ash could get Growlithe anywhere close to something as rare and unusual as that — no matter how subtle — he was confident his pup could track it. Growlithe had caught the attention of Kent's arcanine for a reason. He was special. His canine may not have the king's nature, and he may not be shiny, but he was the son of one of the strongest arcanine in the world.

On the other side of the rugged hill was a momentous crater-like valley. The way down wasn't too steep to traverse, but the slope was formidable enough to where Ash had to be careful, or he risked significant injury. Due to the many intimidating marowak that were resting on the craggy, descending valley walls, Ash tried to stick close to a group of Safari Zone employees and trainers that were also making their way down. At one point, an especially bulky marowak approached him while he was maneuvering around a triad of large stones. The marowak looked him up and down as if it was analyzing his ability. In response, Haunter peered his head out of Ash's shadow. At the time, he couldn't see the look on Haunter's face, but in reaction the marowak simply nodded before sauntering away.

Ash had seen them from the top — but once he got to the bottom — he was hit by a wave of intimidation from the numerous rhydon. They moved completely different from the heard in Area Two. The rhyhorn heard exhibited at least a little companionship. This group was made of solely individuals, looking to test their strength against other powerful members of their species. Much like the battle between the two nidoking, the altercations were harsh. The sound of their rock plates smashing against one another made his hair raise, and the outcries he heard when the creases in their stone armor were penetrated by an opponents' horn made his skin crawl. This wasn't the kind of fighting seen in gym battles or League competitions. It was wild pokemon, versus wild pokemon. There weren't any referees, and there weren't any rules.

Fortunately, they were too consumed by one another to notice Ash and the group of trainers he was trailing behind. Either that, or they didn't care. The Safari Zone employees did their best to escort the trainers that followed them out of the direction of any overaggressive rhydon. Every once in a while, a trainer or two would diverge from the group, likely contemplating a capture attempt. But, no one ever tried. Although the rhydon were spread out enough to cross this part of the valley, their high population made it easy to visualize what would happen if a misstep were to occur. Ash now understood more than ever why Baboa had trainers sign waivers.

Located on the southern wall of the valley Ash spotted an alcove. He figured that it was where the rhodochrosite was. It would be convenient to get some for Rhyhorn, but it wasn't wise. He only had so much time to look for a dratini, and it likely wasn't worth the risk. Protectors could be bought, and there was no telling what was in the cave.

"Do you smell anything strange, Growlithe?" asked Ash quietly as they veered out of the sight of a couple of resting rhydon.

Growlithe shook his head as they continued to anxiously trudge across the valley.

When they finally passed the countless rhydon, the high-pressure environment didn't let up. The area that they were currently traipsing was where the rhyperior resided. From a distance, they were some of the most impressive pokemon Ash had ever seen. Each standing about eight-feet tall with a hulking mass. Ash wasn't able to decipher any of the more detailed parts of their anatomy. There weren't that many compared to the rhydon, and Ash had overheard one of the Safari Zone employees mention that — unless you were a high-level trainer — she recommended staying as far away from them as possible. He didn't need to be told that to comply. A brief look was all he needed to know that they were out of his league when you factored in the rules of the preserve. One day, he would train Rhyhorn to the point where he could achieve the colossal form, but he didn't want to get too far ahead of himself.

After all, he needed to meet Rhyhorn first.

Ash didn't see any battles between rhyperior, but he did hear one. It sounded like too massive vehicles were repetitively crashing into one another — only the sound of impact was hollow. The last thing he wanted to do was go anywhere near that sound. If he did, there was no telling what would happen.

When they finished crossing the area where the rhyperior were, Ash finally began to regain his composure. The landscape was transitioning into a more verdurous setting, and he could hear the sound of flowing water coming from the voracious waterfall that spilled from the top of the western ridge. There were still plenty of powerful pokemon, but the species were less domineering and territorial. Even though there were nidoking and nidoqueen, they were quite a ways a way, sticking close to the valley's northern wall. The species in their immediate vicinity were exeggutor and tangrowth.

These exeggutor were nothing like the ones he had seen in the marshlands and the woodlands. Their trunks were much stouter, and the claws on the their feet were knifelike. There were no aloof or confused expressions on any of their coconut heads, and their palm leaves were large and far-reaching. Ash could feel a light pressure from the psychic waves that they emitted. It wasn't malicious, but it was uncomfortable. They were not docile like the exeggutor in the other areas, participating in battles amidst one another. However, they left the humans alone, which Ash very much appreciated. He'd rather not have his brain fried by the grass/psychic dual-type.

The robust tangrowth were even more bizarre in appearance than their primary form. Their size was tremendous, standing about the same height as a rhydon and having similar girth to a rhyperior. He wasn't sure how big their actual bodies were hidden beneath the massive knot of blue vines, but regardless of size, it had to be strong. It couldn't be easy to haul around the weight of the countless, long, thick, appendages. What made them truly imposing was their lengthy, red-tipped, trailing plant arms that were distinguishable from the rest of their vines.

Ash had to admit, seeing specimens like these was causing him to change his mind about the species. He wasn't confident he could catch one of the tangrowth that they were currently traipsing around, but maybe he would consider adding a tangela to his team down the road. Now wasn't a good time, though. He already had at least three new pokemon that he had the challenge of onboarding once he left the Safari Zone. The only way he would turn that already ambitious number into four was if Growlithe managed to track down a dratini.

When the people that he had been trailing behind diverged from their westward trek — in order to pursue a lone nidoqueen that had wandered away from the northern ridge slope — Ash decided it was time to venture forward with just Growlithe and Haunter. He had a feeling that the most perilous part of the valley was behind him, and he was fortunate enough to have crossed unscathed. He considered thanking the Safari Zone employees and trainers that had made that possible, but he opted not to. Ash had never once interacted with any of them, so he figured it would be awkward.

It was when they approached the basin that the rapacious western waterfall poured into that it happened. Ash did his best to try not to make eye-contact with any of the intimidating kingler, golduck, and poliwrath that made this part of Area Three there home as he checked in with his fidgety pup.

"You got something, bud?" asked Ash, trying to balance his nerves over the basin's inhabitants, and his excitement about a possible lead.

Growlithe pointed his nose in several directions with unsure eyes, seemingly sorting through the different aromas coming from the habitat. He meandered around in circles as Ash reflexively unclipped his canine's pokeball and placed his other hand on Pidgeot's just in case they had to quickly escape. The strong water-types of the valley's western waterfall had yet to stir. They weren't exhibiting threatening dispositions, but they were paying very close attention to him. One poliwrath in particular swam up to the edge of the natural pool, lifting its elbows above land. It stared at him observantly in a way that told Ash that it was curious about his intentions. Ash could feel Haunter's eyes peer out of his shadow. The dark-haired boy slowly lowered his hand, gesturing for the apparition to stay put.

His pup's eyes abruptly became laser focused as he began to trot over to the perimeter of the water.

"Growlithe, don—"

To Ash's pleasant surprise, the poliwrath emitted a welcoming croak before receding into the water.

"What in the…" muttered Ash under his breath, watching in confusion as the many impressive water-types fanned out of way while gazing at them intently.

The ten-year-old boy looked down at Growlithe as his starter beckoned him forward. The pup proceeded to use his head to gesture back and forth between Ash and the body of water.

"In there?" questioned Ash with a smile.

Growlithe nodded — his countenance portrayed conviction.

Ash began to take the depository case out of his backpack that held his untouched energy rod.

His pup let out a low grunt, shaking his head profusely. He then used his snout to press the button on Wartortle's pokeball.

The recently busy turtle pokemon appeared in wake of a burst of white light. He immediately took in his surroundings. His eyes were intense as he surveyed the many indomitable pokemon that shared his typing.

Growlithe pivoted his attention back and forth between Ash and Wartortle before once again using his head to point down towards the surface of the basin.

"Are you serious?!"

Growlithe looked up at his best friend with earnest eyes as he let out an affirmative yip.

XXX

After having Wartortle explore under the surface of the basin with nothing but confirmation as his objective, Ash was now desperately holding his breath. The water was freezing, and he was squeezing the back of Wartortle's shell like his life depended on it. He crunched his mouth and eyes shut as hard as he could, mentally screaming as cold liquid penetrated his ears and nose. While they moved like a torpedo, Ash wondered if his brain was in the process of being drowned. Right when he felt like he was about to black out for the second time in two days, they surfaced.

"Hyuuuuuhhh!!!" gasped Ash as he desperately tried to catch his breath.

He groaned and grimaced as the excruciating pain caused by the heavy water-pressure gradually waned. Ash yawned as hard as he could in attempt to clear his muffled ears. It worked, but the sharp jolt he felt when his ears popped was the furthest thing from comfortable.

As his turtle pokemon pulled them up and out of the water, Ash took a look around while he continued to catch his breath. It was dark. He couldn't see anything. After plopping off of his turtle pokemon onto the cold, rocky surface, Ash took off his water-logged backpack and removed the handy device that held all of his friends' pokeballs. It was so dark that the light from the screen on the depository case illuminated just enough space for Ash to be able to ratify his common sense assumption that they were in a cave.

He withdrew all of his friends' pokeballs in addition to the items that he needed from the incredible water-proof storage device. If it weren't for the depository case, he would have had to leave his backpack behind, and just hoped that the pokeball clips on his belt were as secure as advertised. It shouldn't come as a surprise that a scenario like that would make him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Ash did his best to figure out which capture-device was which before putting them back in there proper slots. He released Growlithe, Charmeleon, Haunter, and Clefairy before thanking and returning Wartortle. With the help of his flashlight and Charmeleon's tail flame, he was able to adequately take in his surroundings. What had to have been an underwater tunnel had led to a small opening in the earth. Opposite of the body of water — that was about the size of an average swimming pool — was a living room-sized, natural compartment made of mineral and stone. There was one craggy, earth-made corridor. Ash pointed his flashlight in the direction of the passageway. It looked like it went on for quite a distance, reminiscent of Mt. Moon's winding underground tunnels.

Ash explained the situation to Clefairy and Charmeleon as Growlithe latched back onto the scent. Haunter didn't even bother to try and enter Ash's shadow. It was only slightly visible due to Ash's fire-lizard and the flashlight. Besides, Haunter had a massive grin on his face the minute he was released. It was fairly obvious to Ash that this type of environment agreed well with his ghoulish friend.

"I need to get moving," said Ash with a shiver, "I'm freezing."

For warmth, the dark-haired boy stuck close to Charmeleon as Growlithe led the way through the tunnel. Clefairy joyfully skipped alongside of them. It was also apparent that his fairy-type was enjoying herself. This was the first time they had been in a cave since she joined him over three months ago. She had to be reminiscing even more than he was. Whatever this place was, it had to have felt similar to her old home. Haunter trailed behind, letting out frequent bursts of laughter. Ash wasn't sure, but it seemed like his apparition was amused by the sound of his own voice echoing across the jagged, stone walls.

After what felt like forever, Ash started to doubt that they were even within the parameters of the Safari Zone anymore. Area Three was significantly smaller than the other parts of the preserve, and he had traversed most of it earlier in the day. There was a bit beyond the western ridge of the valley, but he didn't think that it equated to this much. They had to have been traveling down the tunnel for at least an hour. He had no way of checking his location because the GPS systems on both his pokedex and xtransciever were frozen for some reason. He knew it wasn't water damage because he had put both of them in the depository case. Maybe, it had something to do with the fact that they were underground? He wasn't sure.. All Ash knew was that every other feature worked just fine, which he thought made it even more strange.

All of a sudden, a dim, light blue gleam could be seen in the far-off distance. As they got closer, it increasingly got brighter and brighter until they were surrounded by it. Cascading from the gradually rising cave ceiling were light blue, glowing stalactites, and protruding out from the ground were stalagmites identical in their radiance. It was absolutely breathtaking.

"Wow…" drawled Ash, "beautiful…isn't it?

He looked down at his friends. Besides Haunter, they all had looks of astonishment on their face. The apparition had a minor look of disappointment. Ash figured he probably preferred when it was dark. The most enamored by the glowing icicle-shaped deposits was Clefairy. Her eyes were bigger than normal and she began to divulge a soft harmonious coo. Eventually, Ash had to guiltily ask her to stop. She was on the cusp of activating Sing. He was already tired. If Ash was subjected to her entrancing lullaby, he wasn't sure when he would wake up.

As they traveled through where the gorgeous formations were, the light blue glow that they radiated slowly began to show itself on the ceiling, walls, and floor. It didn't take long before every single part of the cave was luminous. Ironically enough, the only thing Ash could compare it to was the original Moon Stone in Mt. Moon. At this point, Ash could tell they were getting very close to their destination.

Growlithe's tail began to wag involuntarily, and his pace started to pick up.

Clefairy's eyes started to glow.

Charmeleon's tail flame turned blue.

Haunter let out a cheerful laugh that sounded different from anything Ash had ever heard from him before.

And Ash…

Well, he felt an unwavering wave of peace and joy.

The corridor opened up into a vast, glimmering cavern. Massive incandescent columns lifted up the lofty ceiling. In the center was a gorgeous crystal spring with a musky, but pleasant fragrance. There was a manifold of the same stalagmite and stalactites that decorated the corridor, and everything was blue, including most of the sublime beings within it.

Growlithe had found what Ash had been told didn't exist.

…The dratini-line's habitat.

Ash would have assumed that his nerves would have been out of control. He was in the presence of a legion of dragons. Excluding legends, dozens of pokemon belonging to the most dominant species in Kanto laid eyes on him. But, he was calm.

As a matter of fact, he felt like he had been here before…

Ash wasn't sure why… he couldn't explain it, but he felt compelled to walk towards the center. It was like something was pulling him, and his pokemon followed. He wasn't in a trance, but his body moved on its own. Not once since he entered Area Three had he felt this confident.

On the cavern floor and within the spring were numerous serpents. They were nothing like gyarados — they were smooth and majestic. The dratini varied in sizes. Most appeared to be about four-feet long, while some had length approaching six-feet. They were predominantly light blue with a white underbelly and had white three-pronged fins that sprouted from the sides of their head. Their purple eyes were alluring, and the little white bump on each of their foreheads matched the color of their round snouts. All of the dratini looked at him with curious eyes, having ceased whatever they were doing before he entered. Every so often they looked up at the three, winged, orange beasts that stood atop a glistening, natural ledge, overlooking the cavern.

The handful of dragonair were beguiling. They were more beautiful than the cavern itself. Most were in the water, while a few flew over by the dragonite. Their long serpentine bodies were a slightly darker blue than their primary form. Even the smallest one was more than twice the size of the largest dratini. They had a lot of the same characteristics, but the dragonair had wings where the fins were on the dratini, and they had three blue crystal orbs — one on their neck, and two on the tip of their tail.

The dragonite were as majestic as the dragonair, but Ash could feel their authoritative power. It was an odd sensation. When he looked at them, he felt nothing but elation. However, he knew that they wielded devastating strength. It was hard to tell from his vantage point, but they looked to stand at least seven-feet tall with a bulky build. Their primary color was light orange, and their barred underbelly that stretched from their neck to the tip of their tail was cream-colored. The jovial monsters had a pair of long, wavy antennae that came out of their forehead, and a small horn on the top of their head. Each dragonite had big eyes that were a grayish-green. Their rounded arms and muscular legs had three white, pointed claws. The teal wings that protruded from their back looked slightly small compared to their body. But, it didn't matter…

They were divine.

Each of the dragonite looked at him with a different expression. The one on the left seemed delighted. It was slightly smaller than the one on the right. Its tail swung, and its pair of antennae wriggled. In personality, this one reminded him of the shiny dragonite with the king's nature that frequented Bill's lighthouse. It appeared to be the youngest of the three.

The one on the right portrayed a curious disposition. It cocked its head, and divulged a low, inquisitive murmur. Ash could tell it held tremendous power. Its maturity was evident — this one had been a dragonite for quite some time.

There was no mistaking that the one in the middle was the alpha. It crossed its arm with an unyielding countenance. Ash didn't think it was ancient like Willow or the elder clefairy of Mt. Moon, but it gave off a similar feeling. He wasn't sure how he knew, but Ash had a gut feeling that this dragonite was even stronger than the behemoth that Bill was researching.

There was a moment of recognition as it looked Ash in the eyes. The alpha then surveyed his friends. Its expression shifted as it examined each one.

Growlithe — a nod of acknowledgment.

Charmeleon — soft eyes.

Haunter — amusement.

Clefairy — A smirk.

The alpha then settled its eyes back on Ash before letting out a guttural outcry. It flapped its wings once, lifting itself from the ledge. A sharp gust of wind blew throughout the cavern. As it glided down to Ash, he remained still. By all means, he should be afraid, but he wasn't. He locked eyes with the alpha. Once again, Ash had a feeling that he couldn't explain — whatever it was that was about to transpire had to happen.

Ash broke eye contact for a brief moment as he checked the state of his pokemon. They all had their eyes glued to the mighty dragonite with looks that portrayed complete admiration — even Haunter. When he pivoted his eyes back to the alpha that stood before him, he tried not to flinch as it leaned forward and gently pressed its antennae on his forehead.

It wasn't painful, but it felt like all of five of Ash's senses were being permeated at once.

One second he was there, and then he was not.

Familiar images flashed into his brain.

The first time he met Growlithe.

When he caught Pidgeotto.

Clefairy joining him after the ceremony.

His battle with Bulbasuar.

Charmander unconscious in his arms.

The intervention with Squirtle.

When he caught Haunter.

The first time he met Eevee.

And all three of the pokemon he'd caught in the Safari Zone that he had yet to officially meet.

The images remained familiar, but their subject matter changed.

Mom.

Gary Oak.

The elder clefairy.

Bill.

The S.S. Anne.

Wallace.

Austin.

Saffron.

Sabrina.

Kent.

Robert.

Willow.

The Worthingtons.

Andrew Gerdes.

Ash wasn't sure how or why, but his memories were being flipped through like they were a used magazine.

That is, until the images became foreign — some vivid, and some vague. This wasn't the power of a dragon. This was the power of an all-powerful psychic.

DNA being scraped from an ancient altar.

A meeting between two almighty beings in a cave.

A small island with an ominous structure.

A clash between two orbs of energy.

Destruction and salvation.

A levitating mystical being in the form of a feline — it was ancient, peaceful, and limitless.

It remained painless, but he fell to his knees when the image began to speak. The dark-haired boy was certain. He knew what this was.

Ash was being contacted by an ancient being…

A legend.

The voice was transcendent and sewn together by two genders — male and female.

When the image and its voice came together, there was only one way for Ash to interpret it.

This was Mew.

"Chosen One, heed my words. Half a year. I will confront the copy in half a year."

Ash tried to speak but was not permitted.

"Now is not the time for discussion. When the time comes, destiny will summon you. When the invitation is delivered, you will adhere."

He was no longer in denial.

"Take my gift that will be bestowed to you by my precious friend, whom I speak to you through. You will raise him, and he will serve you. I will send Willow once more before we meet on the promised day. Do not fret. The prophecy is your dreams, and your dreams are the prophecy. Take pride in who you are, and embrace what you must do. For you were chosen by The Original One."

When Ash returned to reality, all eyes were on him. He'd have to process what just happened later.

The two dragonite on the luminous ledge bowed.

The dragonaire sung.

The dratini gazed forward with anticipation.

And his friends looked up at him with bewilderment and affection.

Standing before him was the alpha, and in its arms was a serpent.

Being held so that their eyes could meet on equal level. The dratini cooed with affection as the alpha pointed with one of its sharp claws at a safari ball clipped to Ash's belt.

With his left hand he stroked one of the dragon's fins as he unclipped the capture-device from his belt.

"Whatever destiny's intentions are, we'll figure it out together," said Ash with a gentle smile and a soft tone as he raised the safari ball up to the elegant serpent's snout, "for now, welcome to the team, Dratini."

Dratini emitted a cheerful murmur as he nudged the button on the safari ball with his round snout.

After encasing the dragon-type in a magnificent ray of ruby red light, the safari ball gently engulfed Dratini's form. The capture-device glowed for a brief moment as Ash's gentle smile transitioned into a big toothy grin.

Click.

Transfer.

Four down.

None to go.

XXX

After spending his final day in the Safari Zone resting, fishing, processing, and spending quality time with his friends by a pleasant pond just north of the main-entrance to the Center Area — Ash found himself in a large, extravagant study on one of the upper-floors of the Admission Center that an exuberant Walker had escorted him to the very moment he entered the lobby this morning. The room was lofty, and its antique furniture was very similar to what could be found in the lobby. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings of many of the pokemon Ash seen while he was within the parameters of the preserve as well as a few dozen tall, fancy bookshelves that had to be home to at least a couple thousand books.

Ash was seated in a comfy chair in front a lavish wooden desk that had all kinds of intricate designs carved into it. Across from him were two men. Ash immediately recognized the young man that was standing adjacent to the seated older gentleman as Logan Baboa. He could never forget the long-haired, aloof, heir to the Safari Zone that had fixed him up after his tug-of-war bout with Scyther.

It wasn't that hard for Ash to figure out who the old man was. He looked to be in about his mid-to-late seventies. He had slicked back gray hair that matched the color of his bushy mustache. He wore the same Safari Zone uniform that all of his employees wore. It was none other than the owner and founder of the Safari Zone himself: Kaiser Baboa.

"Incredible job, boy!" exclaimed Baboa, bursting into joyous laughter as he placed four shrunken safari balls on top of the fanciful desk, "just incredible!"

"Thank you," replied Ash, sheepishly.

He couldn't help but smile as he gandered at the four camouflage designed capture-devices. It was the first time he'd seen them since they were transferred to the Admission Center upon capture.

"I had high hopes when I saw the name of the boy that Robbie has been raving about popup on the registration list!" cheered the elder Baboa, "but I never expected this!"

"Robbie?" queried Ash, racking his brain, "who's that?"

"My precious godson!" bellowed Baboa, resuming his booming laughter before goofily bonking himself on the head, "Ah yes, yes, you probably know him as Robert!"

"Montgomery?" questioned Ash, raising an eyebrow.

Baboa nodded, bringing his voice down to a normal level. Ash figured Baboa and Walker weren't very hard to overhear whenever they had had a conversation.

"Robbie's father and I grew up together," replied Baboa in a reminiscent manner, "a bit of a sourpuss, but he was the greatest friend I ever had. I miss him dearly."

"I've heard great things about him," Ash lied, unsure what else to say.

According to Bill, Albert Montgomery was a harsh, unsociable man that only cared about his research. Robert spoke about him in a gentler manner, but he didn't sense that the Silph co. CEO was overly fond of his late father either.

"I highly doubt that!" jeered Baboa with another laugh, "Robbie and Billy hated his guts! It's only been since he passed that their opinion of him has softened."

He paused before shaking his head, "in my opinion, they never understood him. The man was tough, but he was a genius. Even towards the end…all he ever talked about was making those boys proud. He loved them — just didn't know how to show it."

Ash frowned. There were always two sides to every story.

"Anyways, enough of that old drab!" redirected Baboa, reading Ash's expression, "let's talk about what we have here!"

He gestured towards the four safari balls in front of him, perfectly lined up in a horizontal row.

Ash glanced over at Logan. The long-haired man hadn't gotten a chance to get a single word in. Ash had a feeling that this was a common theme in their grandfather to grandson relationship.

Baboa pointed to the safari ball furthest to the left, "first we have a rather impressive male rhyhorn from Area Two. You used the bait and the paralysis status trap excellently."

"How did you—"

"We have cameras everywhere, boy!" informed Baboa, "how do you think we keep everyone safe and enforce the rules?"

That's what Ash had originally thought before he entered, but he never saw anything that resembled a camera.

"They're about this big," continued Baboa, using his thumb and his index finger as a visual representation to covey their size, "about a half an inch — completely camouflaged. Only way you'd notice is if you knew exactly where to look."

"Wow…" drawled Ash, impressed.

"Next, we got a young female gyarados," said Baboa, moving on, "pretty good-sized, too. Measured in at 22-feet long."

He paused as he gave Ash a frown, "but the battle…"

Ash gulped.

"Gotchya!" Baboa burst into laughter all the while pointing at Ash.

Ash sighed in relief. The old man had jokes.

"I'm sure Laina told you, but I'd never punish someone for taking one of those things off my hands," he used both of his hands to ruffle his hair in frustration, "do you know how much time and money it takes to relocate those bastards!"

Ash chuckled — he could only imagine…

"Now, this male Scyther…" muttered Baboa, "I haven't seen a struggle between a trainer and a pokemon like that in years. Last time was when JR pulled that dragonaire out of the little lake by the park boundary."

So the newest member of the Elite Four hadn't been to the dratini line's habitat after all…

It was a question that Ash had been asking himself ever since he had left the mesmerizing cavern. The records that Walker had showed him stated that JR Tanner caught a dragonaire in Area Three eight years ago. Ash had assumed that he'd found the habitat as well, but he was wrong.

Maybe he was the only person to have ever see it…

"I've never seen a scyther behave like that," said Baboa before gesturing towards Logan, "I sent my grandson as soon as you figured out where to pickup a scent. Scyther can be dangerous. Anytime a trainer tracks one down, we like to stick close."

"Thanks again," said Ash pivoting his attention to Logan.

"No problem," replied the chiseled young man, "like I said, it's what we're here for."

Ash directed a smile towards Logan as the elder Baboa continued with a massive grin on his weathered old face, "and then we've got the park's grand prize."

He paused and let out a deep sigh, "finally those idiotic conspiracies can be put to an end…"

"Where'd you catch it, pal?" inserted Logan.

"Area three," retorted Ash simply. He didn't plan on disclosing any information about the mysterious cavern.

It was hidden for a reason. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't for humans to see. And as cringey of a thought as it was — he was finally starting to accept that he was the farthest thing from normal.

"We know that you caught it in Area Three," replied Logan, "but, the GPS on the Safari Game upload went out as soon as you left the Center Area. Oddly enough, so did all of our cameras. We were completely in the dark on your location."

"Completely in the dark," parroted Baboa, "first time that's ever happened."

When his GPS started working again — on both his pokedex and his xtransceiver — as soon as Pidgeot passed over the game fence between Area Three and The Center Area, Ash chalked it up to a coincidence. But the cameras, too… How weird? It's like something didn't want anyone to know where—

Mew…

"So where in Area Three did you catch it!? belted Baboa with a big grin, "I'm dying to know!"

"I caught it with the energy rod," replied Ash — his second lie of the conversation, "it was in the lake by the edge of the preserve."

"So lightning can strike the same place twice!" boomed Baboa, buying Ash's fib.

"I guess so…" drawled Ash.

"You've got some crazy good luck, pal," said Logan, walking around the desk and patting Ash on the back, "congratulations!"

"Time to grab your spoils!" cheered Baboa, gesturing towards the safari balls on the desk, "They've already been registered in your name, and since you don't have a carry-limit, you can take them with you right away."

With a big smile, Ash one-by-one clipped the safari balls to his belt. He made a mental note that he was going to have to get some more clips before he left Fuchsia. He only had a few more that didn't belong to one of his friends, and he needed those to carry some empty capture-devices. He was also going to need to start looking into depository belts. It wouldn't be long before he ran out of space entirely.

They talked for a little bit longer — mostly about his time him the Safari Zone and the Montgomerys — before it was time for Ash to go. As much as he enjoyed the conversation, there was still more for him to do in Fuchsia.

"Thanks for boosting our credibility, boy!" exclaimed Baboa, "I can't thank you enough! Your luck will have this place booming again!"

Ash let out a light chuckle. Apparently, the conspiracies regarding whether or not the dratini were still in the preserve had caused financial consequences as well.

"No need to say thanks," said Ash waving his hands in a deflective manner, "I was just in the right place at the right time."

There was a little more to it than that, but Ash couldn't divulge what really happened to the Baboas.

"Ah, whatever you say, boy!" replied Baboa, slowly standing up from his chair before reaching for a handshake.

Ash politely reciprocated the gesture, "it was nice to meet you Mr. Baboa."

"Oh please, call me Kaiser!" answered the old man.

Ash would rather not do that if he didn't have to. Something about referring to old people by their first name made him feel uncomfortable.

The dark-haired boy redirected his attention to Logan, "it was great seeing you again."

The young man walked over and patted Ash on the back once again, "likewise, Ash."

"Before you leave Fuchsia, boy, you should check out Albert's old place," suggested Baboa, "it's over in the southeastern suburb. Let me give you the address. It's got to be pretty dusty in there, but since your a good friend of Robbie and Bill, it might be a good idea for you to see where they've spent a lot of their time."

"Thank you, but I already have it," replied Ash with a grateful expression, "there's something there that Bill wants me to see."

Ash waved before making his way towards where he had entered.

Somewhere between Celadon and Fuchsia, Ash had talked with Bill over his xtransceiver about the prophecy. His eccentric friend was convinced that Ash was the Chosen One. There were two reasons. The first one was what he had read in the ancient text, and the other was something he had remembered seeing at his grandfather's house in Fuchsia.

Ash already had gotten all of the confirmation he needed from Mew. However, he felt like he needed to check out whatever it was that Bill was talking about. His eccentric friend had adamantly expressed that it was something that he needed to see for himself.

"I see…" drawled Baboa with a curious intonation as he watched the dark-haired boy exit through the door, "whatever it is, it must be fascinating…"

XXX

"You're strong…" lauded Ash, using both of his hands to gesture Ivysuar and Wartortle not to engage, "but, if you let me, I can help make you even stronger than the rhyperior in the valley."

For the first time, Ash felt like he was getting through to the hulking rock-type.

They were in an empty public battle facility about a quarter-mile east of the pokemon center. It had a large enough standard mock stadium that Ash felt comfortable enough to let out Rhyhorn for the first time. They had been going back and forth for about a half hour. Rhyhorn would begin to charge, Ash would attempt to persuade, and Wartortle and Ivysaur would use their advantageous natural elements to keep him at bay.

It was going about how Ash expected it to. One of the primary reasons why he had chosen Rhyhorn from the heard was his hardy, strong-willed nature. He didn't exactly expect him to rollover and be happy about his new situation immediately.

After all, Rhyhorn had never even seen him before. One moment he was working on learning Drill Run, and the next he was hit by a status trap and captured. It had to have been jarring, and Ash was doing his best job to try and soften the transition.

He tried to remain as calm as possible while simultaneously emphasizing his team's strength. From what he'd seen back in Area Two, Rhyhorn's ultimate goal was power. If Ash could demonstrate his competency and personal determination, he had a feeling that it would be the best way for them to come to an understanding.

When Rhyhorn started to slow his charge and let out a breathy snort in response to Ash's words, he knew he was getting close. Just a little more, and he could convince the ground/rock-type to work with him.

Ash began to saunter forward, signaling Wartortle and Ivysuar to stay put. Ivysuar objected at first, divulging a caviling grunt. But when Ash offered him a gentle smile with a reassuring nod, the saurian grass-type laid off. Wartortle simply gave his trainer a nod, trusting his decision. The young trainer and his turtle pokemon had been through a lot together over the past five days; Ash could feel that their bond had strengthened considerably.

Ash looked over at Growlithe, who had been watching over the exchange with intense eyes from Rhyhorn's blindspot. His loyal starter let out a convictive howl, supporting his best friend's sentiment. Ash had noticed a significant difference in his four friends that were beside him throughout their experience in the dragon lair. They still treated him with the same friendliness and affection, but there was a strange new layer of reverence that they were projecting towards him. To be honest, it made Ash feel uncomfortable. Obviously, there had been some profound revelations that occurred within the cavern. But, he didn't want anything to change between him and his friends. Ash planned on making that very clear going forward.

As he slowly and steadily ambled forward, Ash held eye contact with the rock plated beast.

"Thats what you want, right?" asked Ash with a confident expression, "you want to grow into a dominant rhyperior."

While refraining from closing any distance and reciprocating Ash's sincere gaze, Rhyhorn bucked as the young trainer approached before stomping one of his anterior slate hooves.

"Good…" crooned ash, gradually severing the gap between them, "I promise you. If you cooperate with me, you'll never regret it."

There was conflict in Rhyhorn's eyes. It was obvious to Ash that the dual-type was thinking. Ash would continue to be persistent, but he wanted Rhyhorn to come to his own conclusion.

"If you join my team, we'll master Drill Run in no time," said Ash placidly, "I know exactly what you need to do."

Rhyhorn cocked his head in an inquisitive manner.

One final push.

Ash reached out, gently stroking the side of the brute's rugged horn.

"You like to battle, don't you?" queried Ash.

Rhyhorn let out a hesitant, but affirmative grunt. Ash could tell he was fighting the urge to either barrel forward or pull away.

"You'll have even more chances to test your strength if you follow me," explained Ash with a resolute boldness, "I won't stop until I'm the strongest trainer in the world, and I'd like you to help me out with that."

The dark-haired boy could feel the intense focus of Growlithe, Wartortle, and Ivysuar — preparing themselves if things were to suddenly go awry.

Rhyhorn subtly stirred for a moment before backing away. The bulky, rock-spiked pokemon emitted a firm snort as he gave Ash a rigid, but approving gesture of the head.

Ash could feel the tension in the room ease as he continued to caress his new friend's horn.

"Awesome!" cheered Ash with a wide smile, "this is going to be great! I've always wanted to train a rhyhorn. You look like you're getting ready to evolve, too!"

Rhyhorn started to rapidly tilt his body back and forth. Ash could tell that his last comment had really excited the hulking brute.

"Are you up for getting started right away?" asked Ash. If he was right about Rhyhorn's personality, he already knew the answer, "We've got a big battle coming up, and I would love for you to be a part of it."

Rhyhorn let out a breathy snort in response, letting Ash know that he was ready to go.

"That's what I like to hear," said Ash as he took out his pokedex, "let me see where your moveset is at."

When it came to the pokemon Ash caught in the Safari Zone, Rhyhorn was at the top of the list when it came to how quickly Ash wanted to onboard them. To be honest, he needed Rhyhorn's type-advantage for when he took on Koga in a week or two. He also needed as much time as possible to get to know Rhyhorn and his moveset, so he could come up with an adequate strategy to use against Koga's acclaimed poison-types.

He didn't plan on using any of the other three against Koga, so there was no rush to get them acclimated. He would have to be a fool to let an untamed gyarados out in the middle of a city, so he was going to have to wait until after Fuchsia to release her for the first time. He was also planning on waiting to address Scyther once he was on the road. Ash didn't think Scyther was going to give him too much trouble, but he'd rather deal with the dual-type en-route to the southern edge of the continent. He planned on flying to Cinnabar Island with Pidgeot when he wrapped things up in Fuchsia, but he'd travel by foot south along the land portion of Route 19 first. That would be a perfect time to deal with Scyther.

He'd let Dratini out later today. Due to the amicable nature in which the dragon-type joined his team, Ash was certain that they weren't going to have any issues. However, he wanted to be mindful of the fact that Dratini had been living in a sequestered cavern with only his own species. He didn't want to overwhelm the elegant serpent. The dark-haired boy would introduce him to all of his friends later today. But, he'd wait for a bit until he took Dratini out in public or used him in battles. Ash had been blessed with a precious opportunity to train the most dominant evolutionary-line in Kanto. He was going to take it slow, and do it right.

After skimming through Rhyhorn's pokedex entry, Ash wasn't surprised to find out how far along he was.

"Current moveset:" articulated the handheld supercomputer, "Horn Attack, Tail Whip, Fury Attack, Scary Face, Smack Down, Stomp, Bulldoze, Chip Away, Rock Blast. Ability: Rock Head."

There was a lot for Ash to work with already, but he wanted to try and teach Rhyhorn Drill Run and Take Down before his gym battle. Due to Rhyhorn's heavy frame, Drill run would be challenging. However, considering the fact that the dual-type had already started teaching it to himself, it likely wouldn't be too much of a stretch to at least make it usable before the battle against Koga. Take Down would be easy. Ash already had experience teaching it to Growlithe and Ivysuar, and Rhyhorn's ability — Rock Head — would nullify the recoil effect.

"Alright," said Ash with a smirk, "let's start out by making sure you've got a firm grasp on what you already know."

Rhyhorn stomped his right hoof and divulged an adamant grunt, ready to begin his training.

XXX

"Wow, what happened!?" exclaimed Ash — impressed — as Charmeleon's horrifying expression and looming posture caused Pidgeot to involuntarily freeze with fear.

He had gotten a successful reaction from some of the young trainer's other pokemon, but the massive avian was the ultimate test.

When the effect of Scary Face wore off, Pidgeot divulged an angry squawk as he flew off to the other side of the mock arena and began to preen his feathers.

"Don't sulk!" chided Ash from the other side of the arena, "it's dark energy! If you take it head on you're going to freeze!"

Ash wiped the amused smirk off of his face as he sauntered over to his fire-type.

"Great job, Charmeleon!" congratulated Ash as he patted him on top of the head, "you did it."

The fire-lizard grunted with satisfaction as he flexed one of his arms above his head.

Ash wasn't sure what happened to Charmeleon inside of the cavern in Area Three, but he had a brand new edge to him. He was still his fun-loving, quirky self, and he always was a hard worker. But, all of a sudden things just seemed easier to him, and his overall presence just seemed bigger.

They had been at a standstill with Scary Face for weeks, but during their first training session since leaving the Safari Zone, he had mastered it? Charmeleon always had talent. Willow had confirmed it. But this was different… something was unlocked.

"I think we're ready to move on," said Ash as he pivoted his attention between Charmeleon and Growlithe, "tomorrow I'm going to have you start pairing up with Growlithe. Your next move is Fire Fang, Growlithe will help you with it."

Charmeleon glanced over at Growlithe with an expression that conveyed resolve as he spit out a brisk flicker of fire.

Growlithe responded by igniting his maw in flames, using his natural element as a symbol of the two fire-type's camaraderie.

XXX

They had been talking for a while when the tone of the conversation shifted.

"What the hell have you gotten yourself into, kiddo?" questioned Wallace with a hand on his forehead and a look of distress, "I'm putting everything on hold and coming to Kanto immediately!"

"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" repeated Ash, frantically waving his hands in protest, "as much as I'd love that, we've got six months."

"You mean Lance has six months!" scolded Wallace, "you're not going anywhere near something like that!"

"What happened to the Wallace that took a ten-year-old kid with him to face Team Rocket?" asked Ash sarcastically with a shrug.

"That was different!" yelled Wallace, raising his voice even louder, "I was there! Since I left, you've battled an ancient ninetails, fought Team Rocket by yourself, and had your brain probed by an S-ranked Legendary!"

He paused, shaking his head, "no more, you've gotten way too involved. I told you about the abomination, so you would steer clear of this stuff — not run towards it!"

Ash thought Wallace was being slightly unfair. Two of those three things were completely out of his control, and there was no way that he would ever let Team Rocket get away with pummeling a little girl and stealing her pokemon.

…Wallace certainly wouldn't.

"Willow was more of a conversation and a test than a battle," replied Ash with a tired sigh, "and you know that even if you were my age you would have done the same thing when it comes to Team Rocket. Besides, they were just some low-level grunts. It was easy."

Wallace shook his head in frustration, "you got me with Team Rocket… But that ninetails seemed dangerous. You should have ran…"

Ash had to stop himself from laughing In frustration. This was a side of the Champion that he'd seen very little of. Wallace could be awfully delusional when he wasn't in control.

"Run?" questioned Ash with a wry expression as he started to feel something in his throat, "Willow is an ancient ninetails that's fought legendaries and can talk. How exactly was I supposed to run away from something like that?"

Wallace let out a sigh of defeat, "I get it. I get it. Maybe you haven't been able to control some of what's happened…but, this is crazy, Ash, no matter how talented you are…even if you are the Chose–"

"I am…" muttered Ash, tears involuntarily forming in the corner of his eyes as he tried to fake a smile.

No.

No.

No.

No.

You're okay.

Keep it together.

You're strong.

Don't make Wallace worry.

Everything's okay.

Everything's okay.

Everything's okay.

Everything's okay.

Hold it—

Abruptly, like a switch was flipped, it all started to come out. The emotions he had bottled up over the past couple of months…he couldn't hold them in anymore.

"I c-can't change it, Wallace…" whimpered Ash, biting his lip as he shielded his face with his hands, "I didn't want to b-b-believe it. I d-d-on't want to believe it. I tried to ig-gnore it… but, it's no use…"

"Ash…" groaned Wallace, trembling.

"M-mew called me…the Ch-chosen One. M-mew did…it wasn't B-bill..it wasn't Au-austin…it was M-ew…I d-don't want this…I just want to travel with my fr—friends…I j-just want to be normal…I just w-w-want to be a p-p-pokemon tr-trainer…"

He couldn't stop as the tears started to flow between his fingers.

"I'm scared…I d-don't want to be…I d-don't want it…I d-don't want to go…but I-I have to…if I d-don't something te-terrible w-will happen…I h-ave to go…b-b-ut I don't know w-what I c-can even do…I s-aw it…I s-saw their power…Mew showed m-me. How a-am I s-supposed to h-help w-with something like th-th-this. I don't get it. Th-there's s-so m-many p-people in the w-world…why me?"

"I don't know, Ash…" said Wallace with anger in his eyes, "I don't know why…but, it's not fair. And it's okay to be sad..or mad…or however else it makes you feel. I'm mad. I'm mad I haven't been there. I'm mad at Lance for letting this happen. I'm mad at Team Rocket for making this happen. I'm mad at Mew or the Original One or whoever the hell it is that is forcing this on you!"

He paused as he pounded the desk that he sat behind.

Thud.

And then he took a deep breath before smiling softly, "but I do know one thing…when all of this happens. I'll be there….I'll be there, and we'll face this together."

Ash wiped the tears from his face as he fought through the lump in his throat, "but…wh-what if?"

"No buts. No what ifs. I'll be there," he gave Ash a big comforting smile, "like hell I'd let something happen to you. I promise you. I'll be right by your side — and we'll win."

Ash took a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure. He wasn't typically one to lose control of his emotions, but he oddly felt a little bit better.

They talked for a little bit longer. Mostly about training tips and their pokemon. They told stories and reminisced about stupid things that Austin had said while they were traveling to Saffron. Ash could tell Wallace was trying to keep the conversation light to make him feel better, and he appreciated it.

It had been too long. He would make it a point to call Wallace more often.

"Thanks, Wallace…"

"No problem, kiddo."

XXX

Ash could tell Pidgeot was irked. Not only did he not know how to activate it, but it was completely against his nature. At first, his avian was thrilled to start working on a new technique. After all, the young trainer had held him back for nearly three weeks, and his flying-type hated every minute of it. He didn't plan on it being that long, but then the Safari Zone happened. Ash was disillusioned thinking that they would still be able to train during the five days within the preserve.

Obviously, that wasn't the case…

"Look, I know something like this doesn't sit well with you," said Ash scratching the back of his head, trying to convince his stubborn friend, "but the after effects are temporary, and if we use it right it means that you can battle longer."

Pidgeot looked away from his trainer, divulging an irritated squawk.

"What's pissing you off more?" asked Ash earnestly, "the fact that you can't figure out how to stimulate your crop, or that it makes it so that you can't fly for a bit."

Pidgeot flapped his wings, signifying that it was the latter rather than the former.

Ash tried his best to keep a straight face. He knew exactly how to handle this.

"You don't think you can win on the ground?"

The gargantuan avian angrily protested, using his massive wingspan to beat the mock arena's thin gravel surface with Wing Attack.

"That's what I thought…" chided Ash as he rolled his eyes, "If you can figure out how to trigger it, Roost could give us a second life against Koga."

Pidgeot cocked his head for a brief moment before letting out an eager trill.

It was the first time that Ash had mentioned to his avian that he would be participating in the upcoming gym battle. Ash figured that Pidgeot probably thought that he would be sitting this one out because he had just recently evolved. In a perfect world that would be the case. Unfortunately, Ash only had two pokemon that had distinct type advantages against poison-types. So, he would have to rely on one of his strongest pokemon that was neutral from both an offensive and defensive perspective to help him earn the Soul Badge.

Albeit, Ash would have to break the news to his avian at some point that this would be his last gym battle for a while — maybe even in Kanto. He didn't foresee himself using Pidgeot against Blaine of Cinnabar Island. Brock Slate was out of the question. When he went back to Viridian, there was a possibility that Ash would try and take advantage of the nullification effect that flying-types had on ground-type techniques to try and earn the Earth Badge. But, Giovanni had a lot of dual-types. Besides, his battle against the Viridian City gym leader was a long ways off. After Koga, Pidgeot will have already participated in three gym battles. If the matchups makes sense, the dark-haired boy would like to give a few of his other friends some more opportunities to experience high competition battle before the League tournament.

"Can you at least feel it in your throat?" queried Ash, trying to help.

Once again, Pidgeot was miffed. He let out a discordant screech, glaring at Ash.

Ash smirked. It was nice that at least some of his friends were still treating him the same.

"I never know with you," laughed Ash, "sometimes you act like you know everything. It's okay if you don't. You've never raised any squabs, and you haven't learned Roost yet. But, you should have used it quite a bit back when you hunted before we met."

Most male and female avian flying-types had a tiny pouch in the back of their throat called a crop. That crop could be used to store food, create milk for their young, and supply them with nutrients. It also stores energy throughout the course of a battle. Roost was a technique that utilized the stored energy in an avian's crop in order to partially restore themselves. Once Pidgeot mastered it, Roost would be a very useful technique that could help him replenish lost stamina and recover from damage incurred during battle. The one drawback — and it's a big one — is that upon activation, it triggers a mental block in the brain that makes an avian forget how to fly for about a half a minute.

Like every other member of his species, Pidgeot loved to take to the skies. Now, he spent plenty of time resting, so Ash assumed it wasn't the length of time that he would be grounded that upset him. If the dark-haired boy had to guess, it was likely a combination of the fearful feeling of temporarily forgetting something that was instinctual, and the handicap it could be in battle if it wasn't used wisely.

"The key is to flex your throat in order to squeeze your crop. Getting it to release a small amount of the restorative energy shouldn't be hard. The tough part will be holding it long enough for it to make a difference," explained Ash as he pointed to the base of Pidgeot's neck, "it's supposed to be down here."

Ash paused as Pidgeot moved his neck back and forth, likely trying to locate it, "when you used to hunt, do you remember storing left over food down there?"

Pidgeot lazily nodded, pretending to be disinterested.

"That's what you need to clamp down on."

The avian made a dissonant gurgling noise that transitioned into a harsh wheeze.

A sky blue surge of energy flickered outward, resembling the shape of a feather. It barely lasted for a second before sharply ceasing.

Pidgeot's disposition was energized for a brief moment before his wings twitched. He cocked his head in confusion for a couple of seconds before a look of realization settled in.

"Relax," reassured Ash, "it'll only last for a little bit longer."

Pidgeot impatiently strutted from one side of the arena to the other as he waited for effect to wear off. Once it did, the avian did a quick lap around the arena at a shallow elevation before landing in front of Ash.

The giant's countenance was slightly bothered, which was improvement from earlier.

"Did that little bit feel good?" asked Ash — curious.

Displaying evident hesitancy, Pidgeot let out a quiet, reluctant trill.

"I knew it would…" drawled Ash with a derisive smirk.

Pidgeot piled on another agitated look prior to preening his feathers.

Ash sighed as he shook his head, "You're gonna have to practice a lot to strengthen your throat muscles. Like I said earlier, you've gotta hold it for a while if it's going to make a difference against Koga."

Pidgeot responded with a crimped, but affirmative squawk.

XXX

"It's getting bigger," said Ash with a smile, reassuring his sulking ghost-type.

Haunter had made significant progress with Shadow Ball. Over the past three weeks, it had grown quite a bit. When he first started, he was only able to shape and stabilize enough spectral energy to where it was about the size of a ping-pong ball. Currently, it was almost the size of a basketball. Eventually, Haunter would be able to conjure an orb of malice that was even bigger than himself.

The problem wasn't Haunter's progress. It was that he was putting way too much pressure on himself.

Since the apparition started learning Shadow Ball, it had really become clear to Ash that his ghoulish friend was a perfectionist. Typically, it didn't show because he was usually so quick to pick up on things. But, his species' signature technique was giving him some trouble, and Haunter was getting discouraged.

His melancholy attitude during training sessions had only gotten worse since they left the cavern. Not only that, but Haunter had started bowing in reverence to his trainer every time he was released from his pokeball. Ash absolutely loathed it. He still made the same humorous faces and goofed around with the rest of the team. But, Haunter had been acting like he was Ash's subject not his friend. The easy going ghoul had even been hesitant to eat his dreams lately.

It was time Ash said something, and he might as well address all four of them at the same time.

"Growlithe, come here buddy!" called Ash as he unclipped Charmeleon and Clefairy's pokeballs.

As Growlithe made his way over, Ash let Charmeleon and Clefairy out of their capture-devices. Both Charmeleon and Clefairy looked at him with deferential eyes. His fairy-type added a curtesy.

"Alright, alright that's enough…" said Ash with a sigh, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.

They all looked at him with remorseful expressions as if they had disappointed him.

"Please stop with this whole duty-bound attitude you guys have had ever since we left the dratini lair," pleaded Ash with a gentle expression, "I'm your friend first. Nothing has changed between us. So please just s-stop…"

Ash started to feel the same lump he had in his throat right before he spilled his guts to Wallace.

He managed to stop himself from crying, but Ash could tell his friends were able to pick up on how distressed he was.

There were multiple things that were bothering him when it came to who he was and what it meant. He felt like his identity was getting torn apart and put back together by someone…or something else. He needed his friends to be his rock.

He needed them to still treat him like…………….Ash.

As they huddled together, wrapping him in what felt like one big hug, Ash couldn't stop himself from shedding tears once more.

He didn't want to make crying a habit. It made him feel uncomfortable and weak.

But, if he was being honest with himself…

Shoving his feelings in a bottle, and sealing it with a cork had felt a whole lot worse.

XXX

They were in the same lodge that Ash had reserved his first night in Fuchsia.

With Growlithe and Eevee nuzzled up next to him — one on each side — he watched with a smile as Dratini gracefully sidewinded his way over to them. He lifted the anterior part of his long serpentine body up off the ground before settling his head in the dark-haired boy's lap.

"You sure are affectionate," uttered Ash, gently stroking behind one of the young dragon's fins, "it's good to see you again."

The serpent let out a soft coo as he used his tail to gently pat the top of Growlithe's head.

The canine looked at Dratini with a puzzled expression as Ash burst into laughter.

"He likes you, buddy," explained Ash as Dratini elegantly repositioned himself.

Dratini proceeded to use his tail to pet Eevee behind the ear, causing the evolution pokemon to uncomfortably quiver.

"You're probably gonna have to get used to that," teased Ash as he ruffled Eevee's back, "I think it's how he says hi."

Eevee shot her trainer a playful glare, evidently unperturbed.

"I'm Ash," said the dark-haired boy, introducing himself by name in attempt to prevent his dragon-type from developing a 'chosen one' complex — like the one that plagued his other friends over the past couple of days.

Dratini lifted his head, looking Ash in the eyes as he emitted a soft, harmonious murmur.

"This is Growlithe," said Ash pointing towards his starter.

Growlithe let out a soft jovial yip, welcoming the majestic dragon.

"And this is Eevee," added Ash, gesturing to his silver kit.

Dratini pivoted his attention between the two of them as he gleefully hummed.

"We're on a quest to become strong," said Ash with a smirk, "do you want to become the strongest dragonite in the world one day?"

Dratini's eyes began to glow as he begun to croon a primordial song.

XXX

To be continued...

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A/N: This one was a hell of a lot of fun to write. I don't know if it's good, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading!

Much love, vincentgrey21