A/N: Well, it has been… a long time. I'd give you a list of excuses, but you just wanna read fanfiction, so I'll skip that. As always, please review if you have a moment. I try to personally answer any review that is not critical and/or irrelevant to the story, so please feel free to do just that at the bottom.

Way of the Wandering Warrior

Prologue

"Five minutes to dock, lads!" He was startled by the sudden shout from the captain somewhere over his shoulder. It was surprisingly easy to get lost looking at the waves crashing upon the ship as it cut through the open ocean. Every now and again, he could see shapes dart under and around the ship. Some of them were the pokemon owned by the various crewmembers currently on guard rotation, but most of them were wild and unclaimed. He was always fascinated by pokemon of all shapes and sizes.

Fransisco, though he always preferred to be called Sisco, could not remember a moment in his life where he wasn't fascinated by the fantastical creatures. Having been born in this world, it wasn't as though he had memories of a life without the incredible creatures permeating every facet of their civilization, but when everyone else from his primary school started to lose that sense of childish wonder the older they got, Sisco felt this world full of pokemon only became more full of wonder and majesty the older he'd grown. His mother had always been strict with him growing up, making sure he wasn't growing spoiled or entitled but also giving him all the resources she could arrange for him to achieve his goals.

When he was a young lad, his school had the required "what do you want to be when you grow up?" day every year. The first time they were asked, almost all kids, including him, had loudly proclaimed they would be the best pokemon master in the world, like no one ever was! Every year, however, more and more kids changed their dreams. By the time they had moved to their new home and settled in, he was fully prepared to be the only one of his new peers with the commitment to achieve what he'd wanted since that first year in school. But that was enough introspection for now. I'm not a child anymore, after all.

Sisco sidled his way over to the captain as they finished docking, ensuring he stayed out of the way as the captain steered the ship into dock with a speed that belied the calm smile on his face. "Ah, Sisco, my friend! The day has come, at last, that we must say farewell! A most excellent voyage, one of the calmest I've had in years! Ha Ha!" Sisco chuckled. Captain Barnabus Arteaga had many exemplary traits as a shipman, but his ability to maintain his good attitude was what had first drawn Sisco's respect. With a light thump, the ship's anchor dropped and the deck hands leaped onto the dock to secure the ropes. "Come, Come! It is a sad day, but we cannot linger!"

A number of minutes later, after numerous attempts to offer his help unloading the ship's cargo – he was politely rebuffed every time – he met the captain again at the bottom of the ramp. Sisco reached out his hand for a shake, saying, "Captain, you have been as exemplary a captain as everyone said. It's been a joy and a privilege, and I hope you'll welcome me again in the future."

The captain turned to him with a laugh and replied, "Sisco, my friend, the way the seas parted for our travel, you can accompany my crew any time! Maybe next time, we'll actually have need to test your team! I feel kind of bad, you said they would love the challenge of battle at sea, and I couldn't even fish up a skirmish for them! And please, now that our voyage is done, we are more than business associates. I would call you friend now, and my friends call me Barny." With that said, the capt– Barney batted his hand aside and pulled him into a brief hug. "Who knows!? Maybe next time you need a ride, you'll have a girl to share that cabin with, eh?" He chuckled as Sisco tried, but ultimately failed, to hide the blush on his checks. Sisco turned and, taking a deep breath, meandered down the dock.

For all that the dock was bustling and the people were up and about, Pallet Town somehow elicited a quaint and cozy feeling the moment his feet hit the ground. According to the information Sisco had been provided, Professor Oak's lab and pokemon preserve were both on the edge of town, so it seemed he would have a brief hike still before he would arrive. After a few minutes of walking down Pallet Town's equivalent of "Main Street", Sisco pulled to the side to check the time. He had been instructed to arrive at ten in the morning and his ship had arrived early so he would be a couple hours early as it was. I'm sure the Professor wouldn't mind if I was early. The email did say, "Please arrive about 10:00 am or thereabouts, give or take…maybe." Still, showing up a few hours early is definitely uncouth.

With that decided, he spread his gaze up and down main street for something to pass the time. Being a small town, it didn't take him long to find a nice little cafe offering free wifi. Even if the food at a place is only mediocre, anyone his age could pass a couple hours with access to the pokenet. After a surprisingly delightful pastry and a cup of coffee he was shocked to discover was as good as any from a cafe back home, he put his phone away again and left. Since he was in no great rush, he had taken a few moments to pick up after himself and make the area look nice again. His mother raised him to help those in need, and the sole shopkeeper had obviously been overwhelmed. Humming lightly as he made his way down the street, Pallet Town opened up beautifully before him.

It took longer for him to hike to the lab than he had thought it would, so it was already after ten when he finally turned the corner and saw the sophisticated research lab nestled up against the wilderness behind it. The Oak Research Lab was famous for its pokemon preserve, but whoever had been hired to design it had known exactly how to blend the rustic environment with the high-tech materials and innovations needed for the premier research lab of the region. Sisco couldn't help but shiver as he walked through the front doors (which had opened silently for him as he approached), and not just from the cool air that was blasting down from the ceiling. He could practically hear his old science teacher excitedly murmuring about how easily that would keep any wild pokemon – bug types especially – from just drifting in.

He chuckled and made it a total of three steps before he actually took in the scene in front of him. Disaster. Everywhere he looked there was disaster. Well, maybe disaster was a bit of a strong word choice. How in the… To his left was what could only be described as a twister of papers. It was tearing through that side of the lab so fiercely, Sisco couldn't help the instinct that reached for his belt as he tried to spot the Dragon type that must have sprung it into existence. As his gaze quickly scanned for threats, he noticed the Arcanine in the back of the lab cowering under a table. Anything that could make one of the most powerful fire types in the world scared was certainly a threat to be wary of.

Given the wariness and general tension that had defused his body and mind, it was no surprise when a poke ball on his belt popped open of its own accord and out popped his "designated transport pokemon". When he had been first promoted to his new position, his bosses made it clear that he was expected to be able to travel long distances at any time in case of emergency, so he had needed to acquire a pokemon capable of teleport posthaste. After visiting multiple breeders (It was infamously difficult to catch a wild pokemon who could teleport as most were also capable of seeing you coming, so to speak), when he was shown the perfect pokemon.

"Kirlia!" With a flash, his Kirlia, Boudicca, popped out, ready and willing to take on all that would make her trainer tense and wary. The baffled look on her face as she saw the absurdity of the situation and turned to me, projecting: What...? You're that worried about a little cleaning? Pssshhh. She crossed her arms and scowled off to the side. She was definitely sulking. She and I both jumped as the air between us was suddenly filled by a spoon-wielding pokemon with a truly magnificent mustache.

The professor's Alakazam, for who else could it be, twirled his mustache with his psychic powers, projecting to both of us, You are most kind, Fransisco Evans. Your courtesy is appreciated. In the spirit of hospitality, I must apologize greatly for the appearance of my abode. You would think one of the brightest minds in the world would realize the mess he creates when he is overwhelmed but he has always acted thus. Your arrival today has him quite rattled. I have not confirmed, but I suspect he is not aware that your ship docked early. As the Alakazam chuckled softly, Sisco took a deep breath to calm his heart rate and took a deeper look at the surrounding chaos.

With a squint into the tornado, Sisco was actually able to see a silhouette of a figure, a figure decidedly less draconic than he'd first presumed. The figure was flailing around so frantically that the papers being flung appeared to be a tornado. Said tornado was apparently being caught page by page as they were tossed across the room. That's actually quite impressive dexterity… It was taking so many lab assistants to catch the pages that none of them were watching the back of the lab where the Arcanine was huddled under the table. With a closer look, Sisco could actually see a variety of bunsen burners arrayed across the long metal table. Having some experience with lab work himself, he immediately looked up and noticed the dripping sprinklers in the ceiling.

With the sprinkler system clearly explaining why the giant, fluffy fire dog was scrunched down under cover, Sisco took a seat in one of the chairs by the front door that had thankfully avoided most of the chaos. He pulled his phone out and started recording. This is priceless. Wait until mum sees this. His mother had once had ambitions of being a pokemon professor and for most of her career as a trainer, Samuel Oak had been her inspiration. While her tendencies as a fangirl had declined drastically once she married his father and they had settled down, Sisco and his dad always teased her about what would perfect Professor Oak think of such and such.

Yes, the world has never before seen such an intelligent man be so silly. The alakazam floated over and seemed to "sit down" in the air next to him. My human is a great trainer and an even greater person. It is often common amongst humans to glorify the achievements of a person and completely forget their humanity. Clearly, the mental pokemon was feeling wistful today. Looking at the scene in front of him, Sisco could only imagine the hijinks that Samuel Oak and his team had gotten involved in before he had retired. You have no idea. This time, the alakazam sent him a sensation of exasperation which had Sisco chuckling.

A brief sound of frustration had him turn to his Kirlia. Never one to waste time that could be used for training, she had commandeered a small corner of the lobby to practice what abilities she could. Alakazam grew a fond look and drifted over to Boudicca, to offer either encouragement or advice. Whichever it was, Sisco would certainly not stop him from imparting any wisdom he could to the feisty princess. It was at this time that a voice rose above the general cacophony. "Grandpa! He's already here!" One of the research assistants had clearly noticed him enter and sit down, even while catching papers thrown about.

There was a crashing sound from inside the tornado and all of a sudden, every paper that hadn't been caught already simply dropped to the ground. The silence was sudden and all the assistants in the room just looked aimlessly at each other. Perhaps the only assistant willing to tell him to get his shit together is related to him? There was a chuckle from the Alakazam behind him but he ignored it as the famous man in question threw himself back up to his feet from where he'd just collapsed to the floor. "Oh dear! But I thought we had more time! I was certain I had confirmed the arrival time yesterday morning just before the kids left!"

One of the female researchers stepped toward the professor while the rest sighed and grabbed the various cleaning items scattered around the facility and started cleaning up. They had clearly done this song and dance before, because the entire process was very well coordinated. Actually, now that I think about it, Ms. Sofia would be very impressed. All his classmates had agreed that their choreography coach was the worst part of having dance/theater be a mandatory class.

While he reminisced, Sisco was just able to hear the researcher that had stayed say quietly, "Grandpa, we've been over this. You should really just let me tell you what your schedule is every morning. Gary and the kids left yesterday, correct. And if you'll remember, about an hour after that I told you that our guest's ship was ahead of schedule and he would now be arriving in the morning rather than the afternoon." The professor actually looked a little guilty at the dressing down his granddaughter was giving him. She lowered her voice even more as she glanced surreptitiously at Sisco. "You still haven't told me why this guy is so important that he needed to dock in Pallet Town rather than the usual places."

The professor glanced at him, and Sisco decided to stop pretending he couldn't hear and slapped his best "PR" smile on his face as he approached the pair. "It's really no problem at all, Ma'am. I'll remember the moment the great Samual Oak appeared human for the rest of my life." They all chuckled briefly at that. Sisco held his hand out to the Professor first. "Fransisco Evans!" He shook the professor's hand and then the woman's. "But please, call me Sisco! It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to meet you rather than just get my paperwork done at customs. I wasn't even aware that was an option!"

Professor Oak lost his flustered look and beamed at him. "Of course, of course! Jacq only had to mention you were planning on journeying through Kanto and I made sure I could meet you at the dock, so to speak!" They all politely ignored the mess around them that was slowly being cleaned up. With a brief whooshing noise, the giant fire dog in the back was suddenly amongst them. It would seem that with the artificial rain gone, the fluff machine had regained its vigor. Professor Oak reached down and scratched the dog's scruff while continuing, "Sorry about the mess. I'd been doing some research about your home and discovered the wide variety of coffee you have there, so I wanted to have a cup ready for you when you got here, but i needed to know which was best and I read somewhere that the hotter the water is, the stronger the coffee would be so I used the hottest fire i could think of."

The woman and I raised an eyebrow at each other while Oak ruffled his arcanine's face lovingly, "Yes, you're such a good sport!" He released the dog and started turning towards a door that Sisco hadn't seen initially. "Well, that's clearly not going to be possible anymore, so let's get this paperwork started at least. The sooner we're done with that, the sooner we can discuss this favor you overheard about." Sisco felt a momentary surge of guilt, but he smiled when he noticed the professor's comment was made in a joking fashion. "Daisy, my dear, while I'm doing this, can you–"

"Yes Grandpa, I'll take care of it." Daisy, obviously the assistant they'd been talking with had already turned from them and was heading towards the large double doors at the back of the lab which presumably led to the pokemon preserve. With a rumble of amusement, Sisco followed the man into the administration area. He would much rather be following Daisy out into the preserve, but if he filled everything out quickly, maybe there'd be time for someone to give him a tour later. For now though, he set his mind to focus on the task at hand: paperwork.

Professor Oak's office was just as cluttered as Sisco had suspected it would be, but they were able to get all the boring stuff done pretty quickly. Someone, presumably Daisy by his deductions, had already filled out everything that needed to be filled out, so all Sisco had needed to do was glance through everything and sign where indicated. Sisco was double checking he hadn't missed a signature somewhere when one of the other assistants came bustling through the door. "Uh, Sir. We have a bit of a problem." Oak looked towards him, his gaze sharpening as he noticed the assistant nervously wringing his hands. "You said you wanted us to inform you if the kids ran into anything.." He hesitated, clearly not wanting to bring up the next part. "Well Ms. Green has apparently caught a Spearow. A big one, way bigger than we usually have in our area."

Professor Oak was a patient man, but Sisco could see he wanted the assistant to get the news out quicker. "And what's the issue? She's certainly talented enough to raise a difficult Spearow. Unless it evolves too quickly of course…" He trailed off as the assistant got even more nervous. "Oh dear. What, exactly, has you so concerned?"

The assistant wrung his hands again, finally just blurting out, "It's not her, it's the boys! I know you think they're ready, but they're so headstrong and stubborn! And Leaf said she had to run from the flock after she caught hers and they seemed really angry and, and…" He was starting to hyperventilate and Sisco leaned away to avoid any potential vomiting from shock. "Professor, Ash left with a pokemon that won't listen to him! That flock is going to kill him!"

Sisco's easy-going attitude evaporated immediately. "You have a first day trainer about to encounter a flock of angry Spearow on Route 1 and he doesn't have a partner to protect him?" Samuel Oak was a legend in his own right, worthy of Sisco's respect, but there was no time for courtesy when an innocent life was at stake. "I hope you have an explanation for this, Mr Oak." The professor flinched, knowing that some of the responsibility for this was on his shoulders. "I was hoping not to have to work today, but duty calls. I'm sure you won't mind if I take charge of the situation?"

Sisco barely waited for Oak's nod as he fluidly rose from his chair and marched back into the lobby, yelling out, "Bou! Fall in!" Boudicca appeared in front of him with a salute already formed and a grimace of intensity on her face. She may have been new to the team, but she could literally feel the roiling emotions that Sisco was keeping locked away and had already seen the situation in his mind. He turned back toward the assistant rushing to keep up with him. "Are you the only witness with actionable information?" The assistant was silent, not knowing how to answer. "Nevermind. Time is critical." Sisco paused to let the gravity of the situation sink in. "Do I have your explicit permission for my Kirlia to dive for information relevant to the situation and only to the situation?"

There was a shock as everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. In a world where psychic pokemon existed, using their abilities on a human was hugely frowned upon. In most cases, the mere attempt to use a pokemon to read, or "dive", a human's mind was a felony mandating the maximum prison sentence. There was a palpable tension as every being in the room waited to see what would happen. When the man took too long to answer, Sisco frowned at him and said slowly, "Where I am from, a child's life is precious. There is nothing more important than the sanctity of our children, who will be our future. If you will not consent willingly, I will be forced–"

That will do, I think! There is no need for such dramatics. In his focus, Sisco had actually forgotten the presence of the Alakazam who injected himself into the situation. I keep a constant watch on the perimeter of the Town using my abilities. It was I who first noticed the situation, and it will be I you will dive into if you must. The pokemon had clearly made sure everyone could hear him, for the entire room's tension seemed to bleed out. Sisco took a moment to make eye contact with the assistant in front of him before he turned to the Psychic type.

Daisy Oak had always felt like a more than capable trainer. As the granddaughter of the famed Samuel Oak, she was smart, driven, and determined, the cream of the crop so to speak. Her grandfather had raised her to believe that with the right attitude, she could do anything she wanted, but a small part of her was aware, even as a child, that what he really wanted for her was a career as a battler, He wanted her to follow in his footsteps, so when she announced early in her youth that what she really wanted was to be a coordinator rather than a trainer, he could never quite hide the disappointment. Daisy knew it wasn't that he didn't want to support her in her dream, quite the opposite. She understood, even then, that he had been excited to teach his grandkids everything he knew about training and battling pokemon, so Daisy listened every time he taught, whether it had to do with training or battling or just how to treat your pokemon.

Even still, it was clear to Daisy how much Grandpa still wanted to pass on his expertise, because the moment Gary declared he would be a pokemon master, her grandfather's eyes lit up and things changed. For years, Daisy struggled with feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. To see her grandfather put so much time and energy into Gary's dreams and not her own hurt, and for most of her journey, they had had a rather estranged relationship. Her grandpa had offered her all the resources he had for her, but she had refused every time she could, determined to prove that she didn't need him if he was just going to give Gary all his time.

She could still remember the time she had been preparing to go on stage for her turn at the Jubilife festival and she realized she was more interested in the fascinating way her opponent's pokemon had used its moves than in beating him and winning the contest. She had been hiding it from herself for so long, but that day there had been no denying it. She was a scientist, just like her grandpa. After getting her opponent's contact info so she could interrogate him about the training he'd been giving his pokemon, she took the first flight back to Pallet Town, ready to face the music.

She had been expecting her grandfather to give her a bit of beratement for her attitude in recent years, but he welcomed her with open arms and tears of joy. When she had shyly mentioned she flew back in the hopes he had a position open for a lab assistant, he gave her the biggest hug she'd ever gotten from anyone. He had immediately made her his chief assistant and lead researcher, something that hadn't gone over well with the other researchers at first. But she proved herself to them, as she had to everyone who doubted her over the years.

Now that she'd been here for a fair bit of time, Grandpa had started letting her take on some of the chores he would typically take care of. He was still the same scatterbrained man who could never remember where he put things, but it was different now. As a girl, she had thought he forgot about things around and about her because she was less important. She now knew, though, that it was just his sheer passion for science and pokemon in general. Now that they were on such good terms, she actually found it rather adorable.

It did cause some problems however. For instance, she still felt bad for Ash. How were they supposed to tell the kid that the professor had only ordered three regional starters from the breeders when there were four kids who earned the scholarship? As much as she had wanted to tell her little brother's rival (were they still friends nowadays, or just rivals?) the truth, everyone in the lab had known it would reflect badly on the lab's reputation. Fortunately, Dehlia Ketchum was the sweetest, most compassionate woman Daisy had ever met. Instead of suing the lab or the league, or going to the media or the pokenet with the story, she just nodded and asked what the lab was prepared to do to solve the problem.

Grandpa had assured her he had the perfect idea. It was a gamble, he had said, but Ash just had a way with pokemon… So they decided to give the boy a stubborn wild Pikachu that was too clever for its own good. It shouldn't have been a problem. They had a plan. Step 1: give Ash the Pikachu. Step 2: make sure Ash doesn't leave Pallet Town with said Pikachu yet. Step 3: keep Ash occupied in Pallet Town with the stubborn yellow rat for a week until the league was able to send another regional starter to the lab that they could give to Ash. Step 4: they find a place at the reserve for the Pikachu now that it was less antagonistic. It was just a four-step plan. No big deal, right? But of course, Grandpa only remembered Step 1, and of course, she only finds out about it after Ash is already on the road to Viridian with a starter pokemon that won't listen to any of his commands.

Daisy had been on the opposite side of the reserve, checking on the family of nidoran they were taking care of when Grandpa's Alakazam told her she needed to return urgently. She had just sprinted through the door and was trying to catch her breath. Fortunately, someone had already informed Grandpa, because he and the new visitor were in the center of the room having some sort of tense standoff. She may have entered the room a minute prior but she only processed what her mind was receiving when she saw the intensity of the visitor's face. She couldn't help that she held her breath for just a moment as Mr. Evans – how could she possibly call him Sisco when he was scowling like that – turned to her Grandpa's Alakazam and said, "Very Well. That would be preferable actually. Bou, you have 30 seconds for intel and then I want to move out." The Kirlia at his feet saluted smartly – It was so cute! – and stood in front of Alakazam with an intense look of concentration.

Meanwhile, Daisy couldn't help but watch the Kirlia's owner. Grandpa had mentioned he was around her age, but not much else about him. When they'd first met, he had seemed so carefree and laidback, a tourist here on vacation, but he seemed so fierce now! Sisco quickly but efficiently knelt down and checked the pockets of his bag before throwing it over his shoulder. As he was finishing, he called out, his voice terse and professional, "Mr. Oak, do you have spare pokeballs I could requisition? Much as I want to eliminate the problem, I hate having to eliminate the pokemon involved." Daisy was shocked that he would use that tone with her grandfather. No one talked to former Champion and Pokemon Professor Samuel Oak that way! Did this guy even know how lucky he was to be here rather than some customs office in Vermillion?! The nerve!

Grandpa smiled softly at her as he put a hand on her arm, halting her no doubt vicious remark before she could get going. "Of course, Mr. Evans. I shall meet you momentarily with a bag." Daisy let her mouth close with a quiet snap she was sure only she could hear. Who exactly was this man who her grandfather would take orders from? Because as much as it was a question, it was clear by the phrasing that Mr. Evans had every expectation of compliance with his request. While an assistant who had overheard everything packed a bag with as many pokeballs as they could find in such short notice, Grandpa turned to her and said quietly, "Calm down. I will tell you more in a bit, but his attitude is justified. I'd like you to go with him please to reinforce him. Usually I'd send one of my team, but you can handle it."

"I certainly hope so." They both jumped slightly, not having realized the man in question was so close. "But we don't have time for me to verify that. Come, let's go." The Kirlia next to him scowled at her and raised an eyebrow, clearly impatient to leave. She took a moment to check her team were all attached to her belt where they usually were and stepped next to the Kirlia. She had barely thought to say she was ready before the world in front of her disappeared.

Sisco and Boudicca had only been working together for a short time, but he was already used to traveling by teleportation, so as soon as the world came into focus around them again, he barked out, "Sit-rep, Bou!" While the Kirlia closed her eyes and scanned the area, he let his eyes scan their new location himself. As Daisy stumbled slightly, clearly not used to teleporting as often as he was, he didn't see any threats immediately nearby.

Boudicca opened her eyes and reported, No immediate sense of panic or grief nearby. Some local rattata report significantly more Spearow in the area than usual. Data confirms the hypothesis that the flock in question was driven here by some external actor. Her report given, and no immediate threat in the area, the Kirlia glanced over at Daisy and decidedly dropped her sense of professionalism. So can I just send the babysitter back? I'm pretty sure I can send just her back to the lab. Well… most of her at least. Boudicca smirked. The female kirlia, a species usually known to be empathetic and compassionate, amused the hell out of Sisco, but she could be such a savage sometimes. He turned down the request while projecting a sense of amusement at her, so she'd know he wasn't upset.

In the fraction of a second that the telepathic exchange happened, Daisy had composed herself, so he turned to her, "Alright looks like there's no immediate emergency, so we're gonna treat this as an investigation rather than a rescue operation. Let's see if we can't figure out which way Ash stumbled and then we'll look into why these Spearow are here at all." She nodded at him and he turned to walk into the woods. His dad had always told him to trust his gut and his gut said he should walk this way. A few minutes of wandering aimlessly had him almost turning in circles. He could tell Daisy was getting frustrated, but fortuitously, when he turned to explain what he was doing, he noticed the broken underbrush partially hidden in the shade behind her. "Aha! That's what we were looking for!"

Sisco knelt down and inspected the bush, not noticing Daisy leaning over his shoulder to see what he was doing. While Sisco was no great tracker, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened here. From the child-size shoe prints trailing off into the foliage to the crushed and broken branches and the small strands of torn or ripped clothing, it was clear that a child had crashed through the underbrush. He held up a piece of string to his eyes to give it a closer inspection and noticed it had a green color to it and a slight sheen. He jumped slightly as Daisy gasped right next to his ear. She was close enough he could hear her whisper, "Ash's mom gave him a pair of green gloves for him to wear on his journey…" They stood and marched off into the underbrush with Boudicca behind them to guard the rear.

After a brief trek through the forest, it became clear to Sisco that even if Ash had been the one who was here, it seemed he'd managed to escape the area without much further trouble. But to confirm that, they would need to do something a bit more forensic. Usually, he'd just ask one of his team to help with this. Unfortunately, his team was very high level, so to speak, and high level pokemon aren't allowed to just enter a foreign region willy-nilly. So, legally, even though he had just finished signing the requisite papers, until he got confirmation from the Kanto league that his Visa was approved, every high level pokemon he owned was barred from his use.

There was one exception to this, however. Seeing as every member of the League who was required to have a designated transport pokemon was typically someone who was expected to be responding to emergencies, his Kirlia was allowed to be out and about at all times. If this was just a battle, Boudicca would probably be all he needed. They hadn't been together long, but any pokemon on his belt was required – in his mind – to be able to hold their own in a fight. Unfortunately, while the Kirlia's mental skills were a very versatile tool to have on his side, they didn't really help facilitate tracking. He ignored Bou's sense of indignation ringing in his head and turned to Daisy, "Any chance one of those 'mons you have is trained at tracking?"

Daisy frowned and said nothing, still focused on the path in front of them, but now she was looking at what he had seen. Or rather, she finally realized what they hadn't seen yet. "No blood anywhere…" She took a deep breath and grabbed one of the pokeballs toward the back of her belt. "Come on out, Bud. We need your help!" After a brief flash of light, a Growlithe appeared on the ground in front of them. It was a great looking pokemon, bigger than average, but not overweight. Sisco would bet money that this dog was directly related to the massive dog he had seen back in the lab. The growlithe preened for a moment before looking to its trainer for orders. "We're following a trail and we just need to make sure we didn't miss any blood or signs of trauma." The growlithe took a sniff of the string Sisco held out to it, nodded resolutely, and shoved his nose into the ground, snuffling as he went back and forth.

Sisco took off his pack for a moment and reached in to grab his canteen. "That is a spectacular specimen. I know a fire type breeder who would seriously consider trading his grandmother for that growlithe." He chuckled as he took a swig of water. "I can only assume genetics is partially at play. The professor's Arcanine is…?"

Daisy chuckled and took a drink of her own water. "Yeah, that massive pile of floof is his dad. Grady here is the only one of his progeny that has ever seemed to care about image as well as function, so he was the perfect fit for me." Sisco made a questioning sound. "Don't get me wrong. He's a great battler. All my pokemon can fight, but as a Coordinator, I have to look for more than just combat ability. He's smart, too!" Her face gained a wistful smile. "Even as a puppy, it seemed like he knew what I needed before I could say anything. Which is good, because I definitely did not know what I was doing at first!"

Sisco laughed boisterously, "That's the best part of being a rookie! The only real way to learn is by doing!" Grady was still rooting around but his tail had started wagging. Even a true professional loves being praised for their efforts. So far though, it didn't look like the growlithe had found anything relevant. His mind rang with confirmation from Boudicca, who of course was keeping her third eye trained on the dog, and he grabbed his bag again. "Well, seems like Ash managed to get away with only scrapes and bruises. I'm assuming he'd be heading toward Viridian?" Daisy nodded. "Well, we'll need to get confirmation from the center there that he arrived, but I'd say we can calm down just a bit on that front."

Typically, the travel time between Pallet Town and Viridian wasn't too bad. For such a rural route, it could have been surprising to an outsider that just about everyone in Kanto knew about the route. Sisco, however, was a student of history. The Indigo League had a very talented public relations department, or at least one with a very high budget, and the rest of the world was content to believe that everything in Indigo was copacetic. Somehow, an entire generation in both Kanto and Johto decided to just "not talk about" the literal centuries of almost constant warfare between the two regions that now shared a government.

Most kids that Sisco had gone through school with didn't really care for History class. To them it was at best, a waste of time, at worst, a prison using audial torture. But not Sisco. Sisco had always loved history. As a young boy, his mother had read stories to him of famous warriors and inspirational leaders. His childlike fascination with firsthand accounts of things had never faded, and so he had taken the time to download a number of ebooks onto his phone for the long boat journey without wifi. With his imminent arrival to Kanto, he had obviously been focusing on journals and accounts written by Kantoans. They had been…not good.

Well, that might be the wrong word to describe them. They were well-written accounts, engaging without being drawn out needlessly. But they weren't happy. They weren't "good". They were the stories of a nation defeated. A nation oppressed. A nation kept under the clawed feet of a dragon. The Wataru clan of Blackthorn City was still a proud and dangerous bunch today, but there was a time when they were seen also as ruthless, brutal, and unforgiving. There were many times in Indigo's history that a temporary peace was achieved, more of a cease-fire than anything really. One of the longests temporary periods of nonaggression was directly related to an act of Wataru vengeance.

When Samuel Oak defeated the previous Champion, that position had been held by a string of Johtonians for decades. It had become a point of pride for Johto, their sense of power and superiority seeing it as their right, their inheritance. So when a Kantoan bumpkin took down the Champion using a Dragonite as his final pokemon, it almost caused civil war, for Dragonite was seen as sacred to the Wataru Clan. As exclusive breeders of the Dratini line, they had come to believe that any Dragonite of value had to be from their hidden pokemon farm. They would never have given a man from Kanto a Dratini and Johto as a whole was furious.

This was not the first time Johto's most famous dragons had been stolen from them. Centuries prior, another Kantoan had wanted to throw off the shackles of his Johtonian overlords, but this one had no interest in peace. Where Samuel Oak saw a government with too much power and a people who were naive but generally good, this previous man saw only dictators. He decided that Kantoan independence was worth any price. The man, whose name has been stricken from history at this point, had an idea. Wouldn't it be the height of irony, of justice for Johto's downfall to be at the hands of their own dragons?

His spies had informed him that the Wataru clan was quietly celebrating the largest clutch they'd had in a generation, and this was his chance. He sent everything he had, used all his resources, but it wasn't enough. In the dead of the night, two hours after midnight, the dragons guarding the preserve spotted the thieves attempting to disappear into the night. The dragons chased the thieves south, all the way to the site of what we know today as New Bark Town, firing attacks the entire way. Their rampage was catastrophic.

Up until then, the route going between Blackthorn and Tohjo Falls was small, but well travelled and well maintained. It was the easiest way to cross from Johto to Kanto without risking the trek over the Silver Mountain Range. After that night, said road ceased to exist. Before, there was a pleasant, easy going path that wound around and over the rivers, meandering across the foothills next to the mountains. With nothing but rage in their hearts and enemies in their sight, the dragons of Blackthorn paid no notice to the landscape around them. They didn't notice as the once giant reservoir that was used for fishing was evaporated instantly by a dozen Draco Meteors that crashed into its surface. They didn't see the thousands of pounds of rocks and debris that buried the road as they literally brought a mountain down atop the thieves.

By the time the chasing group got to the start of Tohjo Falls, the route behind them was gone, no path even visible any more, let alone trekable. This was but one of the disasters that even still haunts the people of Indigo. Most Kantoans in this generation and the one previous had been told that the route between Viridian and Pallet Town was kept peaceful in order to keep the dangerous pokemon in the Silver Range from wandering down into the foothills. While it was definitely true that when Champion Oak mandated regular patrols to relocate any stronger pokemon from the area that violent emergency reports in the area also went down, this was not the reason for the executive order.

Due to Johto's bias towards Kantoans with dragon type pokemon, justified in their eyes, the gym leaders of Johto only waited a week after Samuel Oak's inauguration to deliver him an ultimatum. To them, Samuel Oak, a Kantoan, having the strongest dragonite in the region wasn't just an insult. It was sacreligious. It was a threat, an attack, and Johto felt there was only one way to respond to threats: threats of their own. So a week after becoming Champion, when his team of friends and partners were still recovering from the fight they'd had with the last Champion, Kanto almost went to war. After days of negotiations – Samuel did not want the first thing in his administration to be a war, he was an idealist for peace, after all – he realised that there was only one way to stop a war from starting.

For the first time in the history of the International Pokemon League, a border between nations was essentially demilitarized. It wasn't thought of much in the modern world but wild pokemon call each region their home as well, and just like humans, they would not hesitate to defend it from interlopers. Thus, it was policy for every league, when confronted by powerful pokemon in the wild, to attempt to calm them rather than catch or relocate them. After all, the infamous dragon thief's plan had been stopped by a bunch of wild dragons.

For centuries, Johto had been hesitant to outright invade and occupy Kanto not due to the gym leaders of the region but because of the wild pokemon living in the border region. For generations, the only thing the warhawks of Johto were concerned about were the juggernauts in the Silver Range. As powerful as their dragons were, even a Dragonite is wary of a pack of Onix or a family of Tyranitar, not to mention the Rapidash, Arcanine, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Rhydon that called the Kantoan foothills from Pewter to Pallet home at the time. When Oak announced his plan to relocate most of these pokemon, he then almost had to deal with a civil war in his own house.

It was because of this knowledge that Sisco was taking the situation so seriously. While the safety of a rookie trainer would always be a concern, in his position, endangering the carefully balanced geopolitics of the region was more important. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the kid seems to be okay, but if Johto decided this spearow flock's actions constituted a violation of the demilitarization treaty, the situation would escalate quickly. "Well, that's enough of that, I think. Still no flock activity at the moment, Bou?" The Kirlia closed her eyes for a moment and then shook her head with disappointment. Sisco could feel that she had been raring for a fight. "Let's head back to the lab then. Daisy, you good?" She checked her things and nodded, and with a flash they were gone again.

"Well, thank goodness for that! If something had happened to Ash, I would have been beside myself!" Professor Oak smiled at them, standing straighter as the burden of presumptive guilt left him. "I'll call the pokemon center and see if he's arrived yet. Meanwhile, what did you find out about the Spearow?"

Sisco may have been a warrior, but he also appreciated when subtlety was required. While Oak might have ensured his granddaughter was aware of the political precipice they were on – and even that was a huge might – there was no way all the lab assistants scattered around needed to know everything about the situation. "While there were certainly reactions in the pokemon in the area that confirmed the presence of Spearow in general, we found no evidence that the flock was needlessly big or that they had been motivated into attacking by an external force." He saw the tension around Oak's eyes fade as he gave him a small nod in gratitude. Sisco chose to ignore the sharp look Daisy sent him, instead scanning his eyes around the room to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "We still have a few things to go over, however. Should we return to your office to discuss that favor?"

When Sisco followed the Professor into the man's office, he took a moment to again check the lobby for any eavesdroppers, but it seemed like the man's staff were all professional enough to at least not show their curiosity. He closed the door with a soft click and sat in the seat across from the old man. That's what he saw now. The great Pokemon Professor, former Champion and Uniter of Indigo, had sagged into his chair and was dragging a hand down his face. Sisco could barely hear him mutter, "I'm too old for this shit." He sighed and sat up. "But even if I wanted to retire…"

"You feel responsible for guarding the DMZ." Oak looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "When you retired, it was no coincidence that you set up your lab right next to Pallet Town. If you just wanted a remote location with privacy, I'm sure there were plenty of options, but here you can also be the first bastion against anything marching past Tohjo Falls." Professor Oak smiled more easily and leaned back, nodding. "But anyway, as long as the Spearow aren't obviously being manipulated by human forces, I think it'll just blow over."

"Well that is certainly a relief. It's always a hassle having to deal with Giovanni." Sisco tilted his head in question. "It's not that he's incapable by any means. He's certainly the most proficient battler in Kanto among the gym leaders. I've always maintained that he could have challenged for an elite 4 spot from the moment he became a gym leader. Giovanni has always refused, though, claiming that he would never defend the nation that oppressed his people. In his words: 'I will defend Kanto with all my heart, but I will never defend Johto with the same' He's never agreed with me that peace was more important than getting restitution."

Sisco hummed noncommittally. Not my place to judge the situation. "Well, I'd hate to let him use this against you, so unless you say otherwise, I think I'll have a talk with him when I go through Viridian, make sure the general incident is reported by the book."

Oak took a deep sigh and replied, "I appreciate that. As much as it would be easier to just hope it dies away, Giovanni is cunning like a Vulpix, so I have no doubt he would find some way to leverage this scenario. But enough about that! If you're heading to Viridian, I can ask Alakazam here," at this, said pokemon suddenly appeared to Sisco's left, "to take you up there quickly. Before that, though, I was hoping you might let me see one of your pokemon. Jacq told me you had a partner with you who I might not have encountered before – a rare enough occurrence, I assure you!. Any chance you'd let me give them a check-up?"

The sheer hope on the man's face had taken decades of wrinkles off his face. Sisco laughed. Such enthusiasm was contagious. "I suppose I could facilitate that." While Daisy and he had been investigating, he'd received the notification from his email that his Visa had been approved. "He hasn't had a chance to let off some steam in weeks, so if you're gonna do a bunch of tests, we might need to bribe him with a battle first." The joy on the Professor's face grew even more, if that was possible. Before Sisco could reply, Oak rushed out of the room, shouting, "Everyone! All hands! This will be so exciting! Daisy, Todd, Avery, Jackson, follow me!"

Sisco followed him a bit slower, slow enough he just caught sight of the man's white coat flutter as he tore through the back doors, but he was quick enough to see three of the lab assistants share an exasperated look and to catch Daisy give him a quick glance and a frown. While the others sped after their boss, Daisy matched his meandering pace and asked quietly, "Everything alright?" She was a smart girl, obviously, so she had some awareness of the seriousness of the conversation he had shared with her grandfather, even if she wasn't aware of the contents just yet. He nodded and she continued with a slight scowl. "Well, I don't know what you offered to show him, but it better not be a waste of time."

Sisco couldn't help the immediate sense of indignation at that. I do not waste time on frivolous claims! After a moment, though, he noticed her haughty expression was rather forced and the scowl she wore looked more like a smirk the more he looked at her from his peripheral vision. She was joking, and so he relaxed. "I'll tell you what… If you think I'm wasting his time after this, I'll buy you dinner wherever you like."

She laughed loudly and said, "Well I hope you're as honest as you are confident. I've been known to be an expensive date. Grandpa…" They had arrived outside to find Professor Oak ordering the three assistants around like a conductor. He clearly hadn't heard them follow him, as he was gesticulating wildly. "Grandpa!" He finally jumped and turned. "What exactly are we doing here?"

Professor Oak's aides paused to listen – clearly they hadn't been told yet what all the hoopla was about – as the man said, "Oh it's so exciting! My colleague suggested that Mr. Evans here has a pokemon I have never had the chance to see in person. I'm 87% certain based on my observations that Mr. Evans wouldn't lie about that, so unless he would allow an associate to lie about his abilities – which I am quite certain you would not allow." He looked over at Sisco to confirm. Sisco nodded with a slight smile. "Wonderful! Then let's get this show on the road! You have the scanners ready?" He had already turned back toward the three assistants and marched back toward them. "Daisy, please make sure the four of you are at a reasonable distance while you observe."

Daisy didn't like that at all. Observe!? She loved her Grandpa, but sometimes he still treated her like his little princess that just left on her first journey. While she had never had the desire to take the League Challenge anywhere she had travelled, being much too interested in being a Coordinator, she had still managed to be an exemplary battler. She had even gotten 8 badges when she'd gone through Hoenn! With a huff, she determined Grandpa was just being nostalgic and wanted to battle for the sake of a battle.

So she led the others off to the side, far enough to be out of the way, but close enough to still be able to use the monitoring equipment they had brought. Sisco was bouncing lightly on the balls of his fight and her grandpa was standing taller than she had seen him in months. There was an amusing pause during which a tuft of pollen blew through the open area between the two and Daisy could almost hear the soundtrack for a Western movie in the background. Sisco tossed out a pokeball and said, "Here it comes, old man! Don't go easy on me, now!" Is he seriously taunting Grandpa?! There's no way this goes well for him. The flash of light that erupted from the pokeball was humanoid, about 4-5 feet tall, and seemed vaguely familiar, but it coalesced into a creature she had never seen before.

"Harald!" One of his most recently evolved pokemon, Harald was also one of the first he'd caught on his journey. Well, caught is one way to put it. It had taken a number of scuffles and fights before the little rage machine agreed to listen to orders. As soon as Harald's feet hit the ground, his shoulders tensed and knees bent, Sisco allowed himself to enter what his father had referred to as "The Void". It wasn't often necessary to put his very essence into a fight like this, but with a chance to spar with the legendary Samuel Oak? He was taking this seriously.

When his mind entered the void, everything just became…more. He could see more, hear more, smell more, even taste more. He could taste Harald's rage and power a microsecond before his pokemon's intent to barrel forward become reality. Thankfully, his mind could also process more in this state, so his response was even faster. "Discipline, Harald! I know it's been a while, but if you can't control it, I'll have to beat your ass unconscious again!" The observers around them jumped at that, but Professor Oak just chuckled, clearly familiar with Sisco's brand of battling. "Don't worry, bud! Our opponent is almost here."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I haven't even called for him yet, my boy!" The old man was practically jumping now, he was so excited. "Arcanine! Time for some exercise!" Between the first sentence and the second, the fiery dog appeared in front of its trainer, standing as though he'd been there all along. "This should be the most fun we've had in years, so don't go too easy on 'em! Let's draw this out a bit!" Sisco's mind huffed in amusement, the void able to convince his mind this battle was just another spar, but he could feel his soul rise to the challenge. He had always wanted to be the best. And to be the best, you had to beat the best.

Confirmed Pokemon:

Fransisco Evans:

Kirlia -

Boudicca

Female

Daisy Oak:

Growlithe -

Grady

Male

Samuel Oak:

Alakazam -

[name unconfirmed]

male

Arcanine -

[name unconfirmed]

Male