Ash clung to the back of Charizard, the wind whipping through his hair.

"You know, when you said you could fly us, I'm not sure I know this is what you meant" Ash said, half-shouting to be heard over the wind. Charizard let out a growl that Ash felt rather than heard, and the Pallet trainer chuckled.

"I know Charizard, its quicker. And I'm grateful. I don't know how we'd get there otherwise. But I'm not used to this."

Charizard banked sharply and Ash let out a shout of shock to muffle his swearing.

"Yes, I'm definitely not used to this," Ash grumbled. "If you could avoid throwing me off please".

Charizard responded with a sharp dive before pulling up and climbing again. Ash groaned as the g-force started to press against him.

"Okay, point made Charizard," Ash groaned. "If you're going to fly me more, we should train this more. We will, but please get me there in one piece first"

Charizard twisted his neck to look back at Ash and tried to smile. It came out as more of a ferocious glare.

"Yeah, don't do that again Charizard," Ash said. "That was terrifying".

This time it was a snort from the Flame Pokémon that puffed smoke into Ash's face. Ash laughed before looking down and seeing an island below them.

"Is that the one?" he asked. Charizard growled in acknowledgement and began to descend, more gently this time. As they touched down on a beach, Ash slid off Charizard's back and looked around. "Okay, I know we're here to make your attacks as strong as possible," Ash said. "But it is more than just power, we need accuracy and control. Legendary Pokémon can destroy everything, but we're going to be better than that."

Charizard nodded, his chest puffed out with pride. Ash reached down and pulled Pokéballs off his belt, releasing the rest of the team.

"Okay guys, we're here. Let's find somewhere to camp. Then…" Ash sighed. "Then I need to find somebody."

Espeon looked at him with surprise and Ash chuckled.

"Yes, I know Espeon," Ash said. "It's unusual, me trying to find a human. But we're here for a very specific reason. We could have picked any island, but I chose Sunburst. And according to the map, this is it. But I've been thinking about how best to train Charizard, and by extension the rest of you." Ash grinned at the team. "And I had an idea that I think you'll like."

Ash walked through the small village on the edge of the island, Espeon by his side. The rest of the team were waiting in a campsite they were setting up, but Espeon had refused to stay behind. Along the connection, Ash could feel her sense of puzzlement, and he glanced down at her.

"Curious Espeon?"

She mewed back at him, and Ash smiled. "You won't figure it out. You weren't with us last time we were here. But I had an idea when Charizard was flying us out here. And we had to pick an island, so this worked."

Ash slowed as they walked past a few small shops, looking each carefully. He looked down at Espeon and his voice turned quiet.

"I was thinking about the camp where I met you." Ash said. "After… yeah. What Charizard did there."

Espeon looked at him, her eyes showing her compassion, backed up by the connection.

"I know it was powered by anger," Ash said. "But he turned half a hill to glass and crystal. And if we're going to make him the strongest around… well it's something we know he can do. It will be progress. We know he has the power, but that was driven by anger. He lacks control, the ability to bring the power and then let it go. And the ability to harness it in a way that is usable, rather than just as destruction. I think there are some people here who can help us with it."

Ash turned and walked into a shop. The teenager behind the counter looked up and smiled.

"Hello, and welcome to the Isao Sculpture Shop. Feel free to look around; everything we sell here is made by us."

Ash looked at her. "I'm interested in talking to the sculptor. I heard rumours that he was inspired by an Onix he met?"

The girl frowned slightly. "That is true, but it's not something that many people know about. Especially those who aren't from around here."

"How do you know I'm not local?"

"You have an Espeon," the girl answered. "It's a small island. There aren't any of those here."

"You know what an Espeon is?" Ash said, slightly amused.

"Yes," the girl said simply. "Look behind you. We have a sculpture of one."

Ash turned and saw the sculpture she was gesturing to. It was an incredibly realistic statue of an Espeon. It was lying down, its front paws crossed, its fur bristling as if in a breeze and its tail curled up against its body. Ash peered at it before carefully picking it up.

"Every good as bit as I remember," he said softly before picking it up and showing Espeon. She sniffed around it before looking up at Ash, awe flooding down their connection. Ash grinned at his Pokémon. "They are incredible, aren't they?"

Espeon nodded and looked back at the teenager behind the counter with a newfound respect.

"As you remember?" the girl said her voice unsure. "Do I know you?"

"Not many people know me these days," Ash said quietly. "But I have been here before."

"And you know about the crystal Onix?"

"I do," Ash said.

"I think… very few people would know about it. Have we have met before? Were you the one who helped Mateo find the Onix?"

Ash smiled. "Mateo… and your name was Marissa?"

"That's right!" Marissa said before her face fell. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name."

"That's okay," Ash said. "You were very young and I only remembered yours when you said your brother's name. I'm Ash…"

"Ketchum!" Marissa let out with a shout. "It's been years!"

Ash shrugged. "Time flies."

There was a long awkward silence before Marissa spoke again. "What brings you back here?"

"I'm looking for Mateo," Ash said. "I need some advice from him."

"What sort of advice?" Marissa asked. "Maybe I can help?"

"It's advice on how to use crystal."

"Carefully," Marissa said with a laugh that Ash didn't respond to. She took a breath and tried again.

"What are you using it for?"

"We're making it," Ash said. "With a Pokémon's attacks. I want advice on how to keep control."

"Are you making glass or sculpting with it?" Marissa asked curiously.

"Both."

"I see… Well Mateo is in the workshop. He doesn't like to be interrupted but…"

"That's fine," Ash said. "I can wait. I can come back this evening?"

"That might be best," Marissa said. "He'll be done about 5pm."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

Ash ducked out the door, Espeon padding after him. Marissa watched him go a slightly confused look on her face. He hadn't been rude, but he wasn't the same cheerful boy she remembered from her youth. Whilst she didn't remember Ash well, she remembered the person who had brought her brother inspiration and changed their lives. Ash was not the same person.

Just after 5pm, Ash knocked on the shop door, Espeon still at his side. It swung open and he stepped in, looking around. Marissa was still stood behind the counter, quietly polishing a crystal Squirtle. Ash nodded to her before his eyes settled on the figure waiting across the room. Mateo was looking at Ash, his gaze curious.

"I remember you."

"And I you," Ash responded. "I see your shop is doing well.

"Thanks to you and your friends. Seeing the crystal Onix helped me build my reputation. I'm now one of the best on the island, and we're very successful." Mateo paused. "Where are your friends?"

"I now travel alone."

"I see…" Mateo's voice trailed off as the other man stood in front of him, looking slightly awkward. "Well Marissa said you were looking for me earlier. I'm always happy to make time for the person who helped me as much as you did. So, what can I do for you?"

Ash took a long moment before he replied, thinking deeply.

"My Pokémon and I are training. I thought you might have some advice for us."

"On making crystal?" Ash's eyebrows rose slightly, and Mateo nodded. "Yes, Marissa told me what you came here for. And whilst I'm flattered, I'm not sure how I can help. I sculpt crystal, I carve it. And whilst I make it, I do so through glass blowing. What you're suggesting… It's quite different."

"But you know how?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't." Mateo said. "I've never made crystal with Pokémon. I don't even know anybody who does. I'm not sure it's even possible."

Ash nodded before glancing at the Espeon by his feet. "Listen in." he said quietly. He then turned back to Mateo. "So how do you do it without Pokémon?"

"I… we heat the glass up, and whilst its near molten, we can shape it. Once it has begun to cool, that's when some of the really careful details can be done. Then we hold it to cool."

"How do you shape it?" Ash asked, his focus now fully on Mateo.

"We can blow it if needed, but most of it is sculpted. I've got tools that help me get the right shape."

"Blowing?"

"It's when you blow the glass into a bubble. It only works when molten, but it helps give it structure and a shape to work from."

Ash nodded thoughtfully. "And any other materials?"

"Yeah, I use lead oxide. But that's to make it easier; in theory if you got it hot enough and had enough control you wouldn't need it. But I don't know anybody of the talent to manage it at those temperatures and not make any mistakes, so we almost all use the lead. We then clean it in acid; it gets the residue of the silicate off it.

"Okay. And how much do you need? I know sand is one of the biggest inputs, so how much sand to create a sculpture?"

Mateo took a long moment. "For a sculpture of this size?" he said, gesturing to a hand-sized sculpture. Compacted sand roughly the size of a head."

Ash glanced at Espeon. "Any other questions?"

Espeon's eyes glowed slightly, and Ash got a feeling of her saying no back to him. He nodded down at her.

"In that case, thank you. I think that gives us enough to get started. I'll come back if we have any other questions."

"You'll… Ash, what are you doing?"

For the first time since he had first entered the shop earlier the day, Ash smiled. "Training."

The following morning, Ash stood on the beach, Charizard and Espeon next to him. His remaining Pokémon were training separately, but these two he wanted to work.

"Okay, so we learned three things." Ash said. "One, we need heat. Lots and lots of heat. Charizard, that's your job."

The Flame Pokémon puffed his chest out slightly as Ash spoke.

"Second, we need control. That's two of you. Charizard, we need your heat to be controllable. But to sculpt, we need control over the sculpture too. Espeon, that's you. Once Charizard has begun to melt it, you can take over."

Espeon nodded. A moment later both Pokémon looked at Ash as they waited for the third thing, he thought they needed.

"Oh right, the third thing. We need to be safe. I'm not sure anybody has ever tried this before."

Charizard looked down at Ash, a look of disbelief on his face. Ash laughed. "Yeah, I know. Not really me, is it? Definitely needed though. So, aim out to sea Charizard."

Ash stepped clear from the two Pokémon and gestured. "Espeon, pick up some sand. Let's start small."

Espeon's eyes glowed and a small pile of sand floated up from the beach. She manoeuvred it to be floating between Charizard and the water. Ash turned to Charizard.

"Do your worst."

Charizard threw his head back and a huge torrent of fire shot out, engulfing the sand in its blaze. Espeon's eyes started to glow brighter as she fought against the torrent of flames. After several seconds, the attack broke off and Charizard looked down at the sand. It was glowing from the heat, but was not molten yet. Charizard unleashed another burst of flame as Ash watched on.

After several minutes of repeated blasting, the sand was still stubbornly solid, despite its intense glow. Ash stepped forward.

"That's enough Charizard. Simply blasting more fire at it isn't going to help."

Charizard glared at Ash who shrugged. "Remember, this is training. Espeon, douse that sand in the ocean and come back."

Espeon nodded, padding away with the sand that was still glowing from the heat. Ash turned back to Charizard.

"You have the power. We know you do. You did it back… well. Yeah." Ash broke off slightly as his memory reminded him what he had lost the last time Charizard had created crystal with his attacks. Charizard growled in sympathy as Ash took a deep breath and swallowed. "Thanks… but yeah. We know you can do it. The power is there. But what about the focus?"

Charizard cocked his head slightly at his trainer who took a deep breath.

"Think about the size of your attach there. Only a small bit is hitting the sand. In essence, you're wasting effort. What you need is that same power, but more focused. A more directed, hotter flame means more damage and more success. I'm going to let Espeon continue to work with you, but I want your attacks more focused. She'll tell you if it isn't."

Charizard growled again and Ash grinned. "Hey, we never said this would be easy. And if you can get it focused enough to knock the sand out of Espeon's grip, I think you'll be doing alright."

Espeon returned with a grey lump that her Psychic flung away. She swiftly picked up another chunk and held it in front of Charizard.

"Right." Ash said, stepping away. "Again."

Mateo stepped out of the shop. It had been the end of another extremely busy, long week. He had spent most of his time in the blowing room at the back of his shop, crafting away. Business was still booming and Marissa was constantly urging him to make more. He didn't mind; he loved his craft. But it began to take its toll. He'd barely been outside in nearly a month.

"Go." Mateo looked down and Marissa was stood by his side. "You're tired. You've pushed hard, I've pushed you hard and you need a break. Your friends will be in the bar. Go, have a fun evening. I can look after myself tonight."

Mateo smiled down at her. "You're a great sister, you know that?"

Marissa grinned back. "And you're a great big bro. Now go and have a good evening."

Mateo ambled down the street, ducking into the bar that he often frequented with some of his friends. Moments later he was greeted with a roar and, drink in hand, retreated to their usual corner to chat. Mateo let it wash over him for a few minutes, revelling in not having to worry about work until he heard something that grabbed his attention.

"What do you mean, the flames from the beach?" he asked.

One of his friends turned to him. "Honestly mate, it's all anybody talks about. You need to go outside more. It's not healthy to be inside all the time."

"And what is it?" Mateo pushed.

"Some nutjob trainer. He's been on the beach every day for just over three weeks now. His Pokémon firing these incredible fire attacks at sand. He's trying to make glass out of it. He has a Psychic Pokémon holding the sand up, and one of his team try to melt it. Loads of people watched him at first, it was so crazy. But people have stopped going. He's just a weirdo, but he's not doing any harm. Doubt anybody has been there for more than a week. I did hear he was making progress, albeit slowly. Can't fault his commitment either. His Pokémon are there from dawn and frequently go well into the night. I think he sleeps there as well. They must be training even more than you work. You can see the lights from the fire attacks."

Mateo leaned back in his chair and took a long drink. Three weeks… why did that feature in his mind. As he put his beer down, it hit him.

"What Pokémon is he using?"

"I'm not sure. A Charizard and an unusual one. We don't get them around here… I think somebody called it an Espeen?"

"Espeon," somebody else chipped in, before looking up in surprise as Mateo jumped to his feet.

"Where is he?"

"Keep going Charizard," Ash urged. "We just need to get the control going. We are so close; we're going to crack this."

Charizard grunted as he continued to fire his attack at the glass. Espeon was spinning it as it was subjected to the heat. They had learned quickly that spinning it was essential to it melting properly.

"Keep going…" Ash said, leaning forward. "Aannd... There! Charizard drop to a low burn."

Charizard complied, his flames dropping in temperature as Espeon's Psychic continued to spin the glass in front of them, it having reached molten.

"Okay, this is the hard bit. Espeon, lets go for something simple. A cross. Just enough to prove we can."

Espeon's tail flicked as she focused, her Psychic battling against Charizard's Flamethrower whilst trying to sculpt the molten glass. The glass separated into two blobs, each starting to flatten. Espeon slowly moved them back together, merging them at the centre, creating a cross. There was a long moment before they heard something crack.

"Not again…" Ash groaned. "Espeon!"

His Pokémon's Psychic took over, moving the glass to further away from them as it began to disintegrate under the pressure and shatter, molten glass shards shooting away from the centre. Ash groaned, rubbing his hands into his eyes to work out the spots from staring into flames for so long.

"We were so close."

"Ash?"

Ash spun to see Mateo stood there, watching them with a confused look on his face.

"Mateo! I err… how long have you been there?" Ash asked. Mateo shrugged.

"Long enough. You're close."

"What do you mean?"

"You're so close to sculpting. Your Pokémon have made glass. That's incredible. They just can't sculpt it."

Ash nodded. "I know. We will though. We don't get this close and not finish the job."

"I can help."

Ash met his gaze. "Go on."

"I'm tired. The shop is doing really well, but it's a lot of work. I was inspired by the crystal Onix, but now… it's a job I love but it's a job. I want more. This could be it. But your Espeon needs to learn how to sculpt. Will she listen?"

"Yes."

"In that case, get to where you were. Before she makes the cross. I'll guide her from there."

Ash glanced back to the two Pokémon who were looking at the sculptor, curious expressions on their faces.

"Very well. Espeon, Charizard. Get us that far."

Espeon nodded and padded away, dousing what was left of their last attempt. She returned a minute later, a new ball of sand floating in front of them. Charizard fired his attack at it, and Ash started calling out instructions.

"Better Charizard, but still, you're wasting energy. Close your mouth slightly, get it under control. We can work on scale later. Yes, better…"

Mateo stood watching as the sand glowed, and started to spin, controlled by the Psychic. Within a few minutes it was molten, the intense heat of the attack making short work of it. If nothing else, three weeks of spending nearly every waking moment attacking sand had given Charizard's attacks an endurance, focus and duration they didn't have before.

"And slow," Ash barked. Charizard reduced the size of his flame and Espeon focused on the spinning ball of now molten glass. Ash turned and gestured to Mateo.

"Okay, Espeon…" Mateo started before pausing for a long moment. "What you're trying to do is treat the different bits separately. You can, but there's an easier way. Keep it spinning, and instead of separating it, start to push in from the corners. You'll begin to form a cross that's already merged in the centre."

Espeon obeyed and inside the flame they should start to see the ball of glass compress and take shape. As Espeon manoeuvred it, Mateo started to lean forward, getting a closer look.

"Keep going… Okay, that centre piece. Focus on that. The arms can lose shape slightly, you can recover that as long as it stays molten. The challenge is getting it into its shape and holding it there whilst it cools."

"That's not a challenge," Ash said quietly. Mateo spun.

"What do you mean?"

"Is the centre ready to be cooled?"

"I…" Mateo took a step forward to get closer to the molten glass. "I think so. But you can't cool different bits separately. The heat you need to keep applying would stop it."

"Watch us. Espeon, isolate it."

Espeon's eyes glowed an even brighter blue as something began to flicker within the centre of the flames. Parts of the sculpture began to glow, as Espeon concentrated her focus, creating a small pocket at the heart of the flames. Ash glanced back at Mateo.

"Keep going."

"Okay." Mateo took a deep breath. "Once you've got the centre the right shape, you can then get the arms to be right before cooling it down. Keep it turning and then shape it."

Espeon nodded, and focused. The glass began to spin slightly quicker and more of it began to glow blue. After several seconds, it flew out of the flames which cut off. Floating in the air was a small glass sculpture in the shape of a cross. Ash stepped forward and it floated toward him. He reached out his hand for it.

"No, don't!" Mateo started as Ash's hand closed around the glass. It was still warm as Ash turned it over in his hand and turned back to Mateo. "Espeon has mostly cooled it. Here."

Mateo took the sculpture from Ash and turned it over in his hands a look of wonder on his face.

"Do you know what you've done here?" he asked quietly before his voice began to get more excited. "Many of us use our Pokémon to help us in making glass. But we still use other tools. This is just sand, superheated beyond what most Pokémon can do. And sculpted… Nobody has ever done this before. You can sculpt without any chemicals, any tools, anything." His voice trailed off as he realised, he was rambling.

Mateo looked up to see Ash, Espeon and Charizard staring at him. Their expressions were passive, but Mateo could sense the smugness coming from them.

"Are you going to keep going?" he asked.

Ash smiled. "After a breakthrough? We're going to go all night."

Mateo fumbled with the keys as he opened his shop door, the sun beginning to rise over the horizon. He placed the bag down beside himself and slumped to the floor, exhausted. The light flicked on above him and Marissa was stood there, looking down at him, worry etched on his face.

"Are you okay Mateo?"

He looked up at her, a huge grin on his face despite his tiredness.

"I'm more than okay. You won't believe what I've seen. I think I've just gotten my fire back."

Ash lay on the beach, his Pokémon surrounding him. They had worked through the night, Mateo alongside them. Once Espeon had gotten to grips with the process, the quality improved rapidly, with Charizard's newfound power and Espeon's finely honed control helping them work quickly. Her last creations had been detailed sculptures of the entire team. The sculptures themselves hadn't been as good in their quality as what Mateo would have made himself, but the purity of the crystal was a step up from what could be produced by traditional methods. Now they had moved away from where they had spent the last three weeks working, to a part of the beach further away from the town.

"Good job," Ash said to the air. Espeon mewed and nuzzled his hand whilst Charizard growled appreciatively. "I mean it. You did it."

A comfortable silence grew amongst the team, Espeon too tired to even connect to Ash as she usually would when they lay around like this. Ash sighed.

"We've got what we need from here. We'll move on once we've had some rest. It's time for somebody else to get their chance to find their thing."

Ash rolled over and looked at Charizard who opened a sleepy eye to gaze back at his trainer.

"Not to say you'll be allowed to stop Charizard. You can melt sand. Your next challenge will be to do it better and quicker. Your attacks can get more focused, your power can be increased. This is but a step."

Charizard growled warningly and Ash laughed.

"Fine, it is a good step. You've got something you can practice by yourself whilst I work with the others. But we've now cracked what you need to do for a big breakthrough. You just need to do it. Push harder, get stronger. Be the best. I know you will. And if you get stuck, we'll think of something else."

Ash rolled over again and lay on his back, looking up at the brightening sky.

"Charizard, get some rest. We'll leave at noon."

Ash sat up and looked around his team. Lairon still showed some of the marks of the battles he'd had with Sceptile and Snorlax whilst Charizard and Espeon had trained. Bayleef had taken to acting as a sort of nurse to the team, stepping in when things became too strong to make sure nobody got too badly hurt. Ash had joked to her that being a healer could be her thing; the one who looked after the whole group.

"Alright guys, I think…"

Ash broke off as he heard a growl permeate the air. He looked around.

"Did anybody else hear that?"

Bayleef was on her feet, nodding as her eyes scanned the beach. The rest of the team were moments behind her.

"It sounds like a Pokémon," Ash mused quietly as they heard the growl again. "And not a friendly one." Ash rose to his feet. "Fan out and find it."

It took nearly 20 minutes before Ash heard a roar from Lairon. He looked around to see the Iron Armour Pokémon peering down at something. Ash started running, the rest of his team converged. Sceptile was the next to arrive, Charizard moments after arriving at the same time as Ash. They looked down in unison at where the beach had collapsed. Damp sand lay at the bottom of the crater, but the water that had been there was long gone. And at the bottom lay a Pokémon, groaning and growling as the morning sun began to hit it.

"That's… what is that?" Ash mused, pulling his Pokédex out.

"Sharpedo. The Brutal Pokémon. Nicknamed "the bully of the sea", Sharpedo is widely feared. Its cruel fangs grow back immediately if they snap off. Just one of thesePokémoncan thoroughly tear apart a supertanker."

Ash looked down at the pitiful Pokémon that had clearly gotten beached and could not escape. Its fins saved feebly in the air, but it couldn't move. Ash just stared for several long moments before he heard a cry and felt himself butted out of the way.

"No, Bayleef, wait!" Ash shouted as the Leaf Pokémon rushed past him down to Sharpedo. Her vines wrapped around the stricken Pokémon, lifting him up and slowly bringing him back towards the rest of the team. Sharpedo was laid on the ground in front of the team, her vines withdrawing. Ash looked down at the Sharpedo who looked back up at him. Here was a Pokémon that would die without them. Although every instinct urged him to run away from the fearsome picture in his Pokédex, the Pokémon at his feet did not match.

"You're right Bayleef," Ash said quietly. "He needs our help."