Kanto region, outskirts of Fuchsia City…

Having to wait few days before the Fuchsia Tag Tournament started, Ash and his friends decided to spend their time the best way he knew: training. It had worked pretty well to get their new companion more comfortable within their group. In fact, as a way to break the ice, that very morning he and Pikachu had a sparring match with Anabel and her Kadabra.

The result of the clash between the two Pokémon was quite surprising; despite Anabel's telepathic link giving her an edge in reaction time and keeping her opponents with no way to predict what she would do next, Ash and Pikachu managed to hold their own, and ending the match in a draw against a Pokémon she had trained for at least one year and a half from an Abra was quite remarkable, comparing skills and experience.

After some more sparring with their Pokémon, Ash decided to focus on his own training for a while and learn a support move for a change. Since his only offensive moves were Normal and Fighting types, and wishing to be prepared in case of having to face dangerous Ghost-type Pokémon or bloodliners (after what happened on Gringy City, he didn't feel like pushing his luck too much), he had decided to try and learn Foresight. Try being the key word, as he only managed to deliver a blue flare from his eyes, which then burst like a camera flash and dispelled in a couple of seconds.

"This isn't working," Ash complained. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Lucario is capable of using foresight by channeling its inherent aura energies to its eyes. In essence it's about inverting the photoreception process and turn it into photoemission."

"Could you say that again in human language?" Ash asked in annoyance at his Pokédex's remark.

"As you organic life forms usually say, in layman's terms, you need to make your eyes capable of emitting light instead of just receiving it."

Ash sighed. That was exactly what he had been trying to do for the past two hours. He did understand the principle in theory, the problem lied in sustaining it long enough to make it effective. As in, long enough to dispel the foe's illusions, and in the case of a Pokémon or bloodliner, to render them exposed to his attacks.

"You'll eventually make it." Anabel's voice echoed in everyone's heads. "That's a lot of progress in a very short time. I took an entire month to develop Miracle Eye myself."

Anabel had agreed on helping him with this training since she had a very similar situation. As a Psychic Heart Bloodliner, she was very aware that she would be extremely vulnerable against Dark-type Pokémon or bloodliners, should she have to confront them. Thus, she had learned Miracle Eye as a countermeasure, and the principle to learn Foresight was basically the same. Iris wondered if there was a similar move to counter Fairy-types in the same fashion.

While Ash and Anabel kept on with their training, and Iris had Axew, Emolga and Excadrill sparring at the other side of the clearing, Misty decided to use her time to solve another issue, a more personal one. The previous day when they called Professor Oak, he told them that the Golduck Misty had sent him was quite aggressive and causing trouble, lashing out at the other Pokémon. In fact, he never allowed Oak to get close to feed him, and he always had to ask for the help of Ash's Bulbasaur and other Grass-types to restrain him when it was time to return him to the Pokéball. The redhead had already exchanged it, and she thought it was about time to fix this; after all, she was in part responsible.

"He's going to be very angry." Misty didn't need to turn around to know that remark had come from her yellow duck.

"I know," she replied in a distant tone.

"He won't listen to you."

"I have to try." Misty insisted.

"What's gonna happen when he attacks? You promised not to do… that thing again."

"I won't. Plus, you're here, aren't you?" Misty stated as matter-of-factly. "If something goes wrong, I'm counting on you to help me through it."

Psyduck gulped at that remark. He didn't like the idea of fighting against his evolved form, especially when he looked so aggressive and clearly not fond of them after their last encounter. But Misty was determined to solve this, and with this goal in mind, she took a deep breath. It was time for the truth.

"Here goes nothing." She opened the ball. Upon coming out, the blue duck glared at her with a mix of anger and fear. Clearly he hadn't forgotten about their first encounter.

"What do you want of me, human?" He really, REALLY wanted to attack her, but knowing that she could easily stop him dead on with a single look quickly brushed off that idea. "Didn't you have enough the last time?"

"Relax," she said. "I didn't bring you here to force you to do anything. I just want to talk."

"To talk?" Golduck tilted his head, clearly not buying her story.

"I… I wanted to apologize." Misty tried to sound as sincere as possible. "That time, when I caught you, I was really angry. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I guess I vented my anger on you. You didn't deserve it, so… I'm sorry."

Golduck stared directly into her eyes. At no point did he see that glint she used to bend his will to her own when she caught him. She was definitely telling the truth.

"I don't know if I can forgive you yet, but it's a start," he said folding his arms and looking aside. Obviously he couldn't accept her as his trainer that easily. He had his pride too.

"It's OK, you don't have to do it now." Misty accepted his answer. "I just wanted you to know why I did it, and that I understand how horrible it must have been for you. I promise, I'll never do that again. Not with you, or any other Pokémon, for that matter."

Golduck looked at her again. Admittedly, he too was pretty upset when they first met. Just a few hours before that, another trainer forcibly caught him, and all of a sudden released him, calling him 'pathetic' for no apparent reason. What was his problem? So of course he too reacted more violently than usual.

Misty then continued. "I have my goals, to become the greatest Water Pokémon Master, and catch every single Water-type Pokémon in the world. And you can help me attain them. In turn, I will help you grow stronger. We can learn a lot from each other."

The last part got his interest. Of course he wanted to be stronger. Strong enough to give that other human who dismissed him a lesson, should he have the chance. Plus, now that he looked at her more clearly, her eyes looked different than the first time, and not just because she wasn't using the visual contact to mind-control him. She was sincere, genuinely regretting what she had done.

"I hope you don't expect me to call you 'Mistress' or something, right?"

"No need for that." She assured him. "Misty will do fine. So… partners?"

She then extended her hand, smiling warmly. Golduck stared at the human's hand, and then at her eyes. Could she really be trusted? If she wanted to forcibly control him, she could have done so already, she had ample opportunity. Yet she didn't. That was… intriguing. With a sigh and after a lot of thinking, he finally extended his own webbed hand and accepted Misty's. He'd take a while to see if she really was a worthy trainer, but if she had apologized for forcibly controlling him, it was a good first step.

"One last thing," said Misty as she let go of Golduck's hand. "I know you've had your… disagreements with the rest of the Pokémon, but could you at least try to get along with them?"

"If I really have to," Golduck replied.

Misty smiled as she suddenly got an idea. "Hey, if something annoys you and you need someone to vent on… feel free to use him as a punching bag." She pointed at Psyduck.

"Hey! Why me?!" The yellow duck protested.

"Because you're irritating, and you know it," she said in a half-serious, half-joking tone. Psyduck swallowed again, and suddenly he felt an urge to return to his Pokéball so as to not to face the death glare of his evolved counterpart, especially since he seemed to consider their trainer's words.

Golduck knew that after suck a rocky start, it wouldn't be easy to get along with the others. Then again, they outnumbered him, so it was better not to make enemies of them, if only out of self-preservation. All thing considered, this human definitely looked… interesting. Maybe being under her care wouldn't be so bad.

Meanwhile, Ash was explaining to Anabel how his H.O.P.E. glove worked. While it was mainly for Pokémon rotation, he also revealed to her that Professor Oak had designed his to gather data on bloodliners as well.

"So… does it help you identify other bloodliners?" she asked with interest.

"More or less. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but as far as I know, it can't tell whether someone is a bloodliner or not unless they use their powers within a range of 20 ft. or so," Ash replied, removing the glove and storing it in his bag. "I prefer not to wear it all the time, only when I need it. And that's mostly when I'm training with Misty and Iris in private."

Anabel nodded, when she suddenly got a thought. "Have you ever wondered if you guys have met other bloodliners? You could use that glove to find others like us."

"Yeah I could, but it's not the sort of thing you'd just tell someone else about, is it?" Ash replied.

…

In the meantime, somewhere else…

"AAACHOOO!"

Jeanette rubbed her nose, wondering why she had sneezed all of a sudden. Whenever that happened, she invariably released a red cloud of Sweet Scent. Her companion, A.J., suddenly became concerned.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I am fine," she replied.

"You sure? You might have caught a cold," A.J. said in concern. "Shouldn't we go see a doctor?"

"You might be right." Jeanette nodded. "The next town should not be too far."

The last thing she wanted was everyone else to know that she was a bloodliner, and violent sneezes wouldn't help with that. She had to be very careful.

…

Back to Ash and company, the trainer continued to share his opinion with Anabel. Considering the things that had happened to Misty and Iris, and well as Belladonna and her girlfriends, he could understand why some preferred to keep it hidden. Not everyone was lucky enough to have Delia Ketchum for a mother, or in Anabel's case, a loving uncle willing to look after them.

"I don't think it's alright for us to know if someone is a bloodliner, unless they want to tell us," he finished. "Also… I think you'd agree that the less people know about us, the better, right?"

Anabel nodded. There was a reason why she preferred to use her powers to help people without being seen. People were afraid of what they didn't understand.

The four teenagers continued their training for a couple more hours or so, but they suddenly stopped when their Pokémon perked up their ears, and seconds after, they began hearing an ominous rumbling noise. As it grew closer, the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?" Iris asked, visibly disturbed.

"Over there, look!" Ash yelled, and the others let out a gasp as they saw what was coming.

First it was a huge cloud of dust, which soon made way for a small herd of Tauros. Two girls riding fire-horses at full gallop ran on their sides, seemingly trying to get them to stop. Ash would have felt a wave of nostalgia for his own Tauros, if it wasn't because the herd was stampeding directly towards them, and if they didn't move away they would most likely ended up rammed or trampled underneath them. Or at least, they would have done that, had he not decided to intervene.

"Come on, we have to help them!"

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Misty yelled.

"If they keep up they'll go into the city, and they're gonna cause a lot of damage!" Ash replied.

The girls exchanged glances, but none of them could refute that, and given Ash's tendency for helping people, even strangers, there was no point in trying to argue. They ran after him and quickly split up to cover more terrain.

Ash quickly noticed the herd was numbered in a dozen or so, but even that small number could cause a lot of harm in town. He threw Charizard's Pokéball, while Pikachu jumped over the Fire Pokémon's back to assist him.

"Charizard, cut off their path using Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

"CHAR!" From the air, Charizard used his attack to create a wall of intense flames. The lead Tauros was forced to turn to the right to avoid the fiery barrier and started to run parallel to the flames, quickly followed by the rest of the herd. Now they were heading towards Misty and Iris.

"Gyarados, use Water Pulse on them!" she called, throwing the Pokéball.

The marine serpent came out with a mighty roar. The Ponyta riders quickly stopped, their horses panicking at the sight, and letting the Tauros herd continue forward. Gyarados fired off several water spheres towards the raging bulls. While this didn't stop them all, they were quickly splashed all over, ready for some electric attacks. Ash and Iris knew it was their turn.

"Emolga, Electroball!"

"You too, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

Emolga took flight and formed an electric sphere, throwing it at the lead Tauros, while Pikachu jumped off Charizard's back and launched his own attack. Together, they managed to zap almost all of them, but a couple managed to slip past and continued to run in different directions.

"Don't let them get away!" said Misty.

"Bulbasaur, get that one over there!" Ash called as he threw another Pokéball. Anabel did the same with her own, sending her Kadabra to chase after the other.

Bulbasaur used his Vine Whips to grab the running Tauros by the hind legs, pulling back at full force to get it to trip and fall. Before it could get back up and start raging again, Bulbasaur quickly wrapped his vines around its four limbs. Meanwhile, Anabel's Kadabra teleported in front of the other one, and when the angry bull tried to charge, Kadabra simply thrust his spoon forward and fired a Psybeam right to the face. The bull finally stopped its charge, and stumbled for a bit in a daze before slumping sideways.

With the danger finally over, the Ponyta riders approached them. Ash quickly recognized one of them. She was wearing a headband in her light blue hair, a red bandanna around her neck, a red flannel, short-sleeved shirt, tan shorts and leather shoes that resembled hiking boots. Lara Laramie, just as he remembered her.

"Amazing! Much obliged for yer help!"

"Thank him, he was the one who decided to help you guys," said Misty, pointing at Ash.

"It was nothing, really." Ash scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"What're yer names, strangers? Never seen yer faces around here before."

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."

"I'm Misty."

"Iris."

After that, Lara and her friend glanced at the light purple-haired girl, and then Ash remembered.

"Oh, and she's Anabel. Sorry, she's mute, so we help her do the talking." Ash explained.

Anabel smiled and raised her hand to greet them. If only they didn't have to put up appearances, but they couldn't risk getting exposed as bloodliners. Lara however seemed to understand.

"Pleased to meet y'all, I'm Lara Laramie of the Laramie Clan, and this here's my friend Hex." Her companion also dismounted her Ponyta. She had short black-purple hair and wore a similar attire as Lara, except more predominantly gray and blue with long pants.

"As thanks for helping us, y'all want to come to our festival?" said Hex. "We'd like to give y'all a warm welcome at the Big P Ranch."

"Festival?" Misty tilted her head in confusion.

In response, Hex pulled out something out of her pocket and handed it to her. It was a flyer, showing a speeding Rapidash and several other Pokémon running. It read the following:

*BIG P POKEMON RACE COMING SOON!

SPONSORED BY THE LARAMIE CLAN!

WINNER BECOMES AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE LARAMIE CLAN!*

"We're hosting a festival fer the upcoming race in a couple days," said Lara. "Y'all can come as my guests, plus…"

*GROOAAAAAAAAAAAN*

Lara was interrupted by the sound of six rumbling stomachs, including her own. Everyone laughed, they hadn't noticed how hungry they were.

"Well, what do ya know," said Lara. "Don't worry, there's mighty plenty of food for all at the festival."

"That's the one offer we can't refuse, right?" Ash chuckled nervously, but the girls agreed. Meanwhile, Lara pulled out a phone to call for someone to come and bring the Tauros back home, before they started rampaging again.

Half an hour later…

Ash and his friends followed the two Ponyta riders across the rest of the route. As they entered the grounds, they looked around and saw many workers and trainers feeding and caring for large groups of different Pokémon. These included: Rhyhorn, Sandslash, Nidorina, Nidorino and many others. Misty, Iris and Anabel glanced at them with interest, they had never seen so many different Pokémon at once in a single place.

"You guys sure have many Pokémon around here," said Misty.

"Not all of them are ours, actually." Hex admitted.

"This here area is a Pokémon reserve, and we at the Pokémon Big P Ranch take care of wild Pokémon ta protect them from poachers," Lara added. "They might be wild, but they're friends too. We of the Laramie Clan have lived in harmony with Pokémon since my gramps' time. Catching Pokémon here is forbidden, although we sometimes let them into the Safari Zone."

"Speaking of, the Tag Tournament is coming up soon." Hex remembered. "Y'all are competing?"

"Yeah, that's right." Ash nodded. Of course, that was the real reason they were around here in the first place. To enter the Safari Zone, and in Ash's case, to recapture his Tauros herd.

"That's bound ta be an exciting tournament," said Lara. "Shame that most everyone there is focused on that, so not many are coming up this year fer our big race. In any case, we're gonna win, right, Ponyta?" Lara rubbed the chin of her fiery horse, who neighed happily.

"Wait, if the winner becomes an honorary member, why is an actual member of the Laramie Clan taking part?"

"We don't just let anybody become a member of our clan," answered Lara. "They have ta beat one of us in the race. Plus… I have a personal score ta settle with someone."

"Who is it?" Ash asked.

Before Lara could answer, the group noticed a big cloud of dust being raised in the distance, speeding toward them. The cloud suddenly stopped in front of them and cleared, revealing a three-headed brown bird, and its rider, a young man with purple hair in a ponytail around the same age as Lara and Hex.

"Dodrio, the triple bird Pokémon. It can run faster than it can fly. Its heads represent joy, sorrow and anger. This Pokémon is a living counterargument to that old saying of two, or in this case three heads being better than one, since they frequently squabble amongst each other, especially for food."

"Howdy Lara. All set 'fer the big race after tomorrow?" The boy snickered as he gazed upon Ash and his friends. "And who might these fellas here be?"

"They're our guests, Dario. They just done helped us with the rampaging Tauros." Lara folded her arms. "Speaking of, where the hell were ya? We could have used some help."

"Sorry, too busy minding my own business," Dario replied. "Namely, getting ready ta win the race. I'm gonna get my revenge fer last year!"

"Yer still sore fer that? I beat ya fair and square, and I can do it any day of the week!"

"As if!" Dario snapped back. "Ye just won cuz you used yer Pop's Rapidash."

"Take that back!" Lara scowled.

"Why don't you put yer money where yer mouth is? Hope you're ready, cuz all ye'll be seeing during the race will be Dodrio's tail feathers! Yee-haw!"

And with these words, he rode off, his smug laughter still echoing in the distance. Everyone frowned, one single conversation and even those who had just met him found him extremely unpleasant.

"What a jerk," said Misty. "What's his problem?"

"He's still angry fer losing last year's race," Lara replied. "Y'all heard what he said, so this year I'm competing with my Ponyta ta show him."

"Hope that's enough," said Hex. "Who's ta say he's not gonna go and cheat this year?"

"Cheat? What do you mean, did he try to cheat?" Misty asked, intrigued by this.

Lara and Hex exchanged glances. "Why don't we tell y'all while we eat something? We've got mighty plenty of time to chat."

Everyone accepted. After walking a little more, they arrived at the festival grounds, and they stopped at a stall to order some food. Lara and Hex dismounted and paid for the bill, leading the group to an empty table. For once, Ash and company decided to take their time while eating, and enjoy a little chat with Lara and Hex. The group listened to the ranch girls as they told them of the events of last year.

"We already told y'all of the prize for winning the race, right?" Lara asked. "Well, he's been trying ta win it fer some time, but lucky fer us he hasn't… yet."

"Thing is, during last year's race there was plenty of… nasty incidents," added Hex. "Many Pokémon and riders was hurt, some of them pretty awful bad. And we suspected Dario were behind them."

"Really? That's disgusting!" said Misty. Ash had to agree; he was a firm believer in fair play, so he really hated cheaters.

"Problem was that we only suspected, we ain't had no proof." Lara continued. "Best thing we could do was win ta ensure he won't get away with it. And he's gonna compete this year too, so we have a whole lot of work."

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Ash asked. "Maybe we should keep an eye on him."

"Much appreciated, but don't worry," Lara said. "So, are y'all going ta take part in the race? Y'all know it's free for all, right?"

"Er… I don't know, we haven't decided yet," answered Ash. The last time, he had entered only because Lara had gotten injured.

"It's gonna be mighty fun," said Hex. "Though with Lara here, yer chances of winning get slim. One day I'm gonna beat ya, though."

"Oh yeah? It ain't gonna be today!" Lara playfully gave her friend a nudge, while everyone just laughed.

Everyone, even Ash, although he stopped for a bit when he glanced at where Dario had gone off to. The trainer from Pallet Town had the feeling this wasn't over, so he resolved to keep an eye on Lara. She had been kicked out of the race in the previous timeline, and he wasn't planning on letting that happen in this one.

Somewhere else…

"OW, OW, OUCH! Knock it off! That hurts!"

Dario was fuming in anger. He couldn't believe his plan to get rid of that pesky competition had just gone down the drain. It was supposed to be simple: all his crony had to do was get the Tauros on a rampage to get Lara's attention, and then scare off her Ponyta to get her to fall off its back while she was riding. With luck, she'd get injured and would have to sit out of the race. But the plan worked out too well, and the Tauros got so angry that they actually broke the corral fence and escaped the ranch, so Lara had to go out to chase them. Dario had tied him to a tree and now his Dodrio was pecking him for his failure.

"That's what ya get for not doing yer job, pal!" he said. "Well, ya know how the saying goes. If ya want something done, do it yerself."

The race was still two days away, so he still had plenty of time. He'd get his revenge for last year's humiliation. He could still remember clearly: he was THIS close of winning, but in the final stretch, Lara and her Rapidash managed to catch up and overtake them. None of the other riders was of consequence for him, but Lara just had to spoil his chance of gaining the Laramie Clan's membership, with all the money and prestige it came with. She had to pay for it.

"When we're done here, I've got another job fer ya. Go meet up the others and get the traps ready. I'll take care of Lara myself."

Sooner or later, she'd have to let her guard down. And then he'd make his move. This year, he was going to win, no matter what it took.

The next day…

Despite Ash objections about it, Lara and Hex still insisted on doing their endurance training on their own. According to them, it was a way for the riders to better connect with their mounts, and with the less people watching, the better.

The race was very important, not just for Lara, but for her Ponyta as well. Last year, the Rapidash she had raced with technically belonged to her dad, and Dario's remark that she had only beaten him because of that really made her angry. So she promised that she would trash him next time using her own Ponyta, and she had been training him the entire year for that. She wanted to show Dario her victory hadn't been a fluke.

"We're ready fer tomorrow, Ponyta," she said with joy. "We're gonna win; I can't wait ta see Dario's face when he eats his words."

Ponyta and Rapidash were considered among the fastest Pokémon runners, if not the fastest. It was in their blood: they had an instinctive desire for racing. Of course, Lara knew that better than anyone else.

"Lara! Should we turn in fer the day? We can't leave our guests a-waitin'!"

"Right away, Hex!"

The two riders dismounted their fire horses, and they were ready to take them back to the stables. They had earned a good break and a good meal as their reward for their hard work.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be. Just like he had promised, Dario had been waiting for the chance to "off" the competition when nobody was looking. And the best chance to do that was exactly when they felt the safest. Nobody would ever suspect he had gotten hold of a sniper rifle, modified to fire silent and fast darts. And he was far enough not to get caught, since he had spotted with his binoculars the new kid's Butterfree and Yanma patrolling the area around.

"Don't take this personally, Lara. I'm just a-doin' what I have ta do." He pulled the trigger.

For better or worse, Dario wasn't exactly the sharpest marksman in the ranch. He was aiming at the rear of Lara's Ponyta, but he hit Hex instead. The dart was laced with a tranquilizer capable of knocking out a Pokémon for quite a while, just long enough to have it sit out of the race, but with a human… well, hopefully she'd get medical attention soon enough. He could see through the gun's scope that Hex suddenly became pale, then she grabbed her head and fell to the ground in a daze. Lara panicked and tried to wake her up, while Dario simply reloaded his weapon.

"Dang it!" He was messing up due to his own panic.

Lara would have noticed the dart already, so Dario quickly focused again on the Ponyta. By the time he managed to reload it, the two horses mixed up and he couldn't tell which was which. Well, better knock them both out, to be sure. He got one, but the other quickly went on alert while Lara looked around for the one responsible.

"Get outta the way, Lara, I don't wanna have ta shoot ya!" Dario mumbled as he tried to get a clear shot.

To complicate things further, he saw through the scope the kid with the Pikachu had arrived. He exchanged some words with Lara and quickly let out one of his Pokémon… a freaking Charizard! If that one got him… he had to act fast, no, faster!

Lucky for him, the kid sent the Charizard away carrying Hex. He only had one more shot; if he wanted to have a chance at the race, disabling the rider seemed the safest choice. And then, he had his clear shot just when Lara decided to ride back on her Ponyta. Perfect.

He loaded the rifle with an air bullet, and this time, he aimed at Ponyta's lower body. Seconds later, he watched in triumph how the horse reared back and threw his rider off his back. After Lara fell, the boy grabbed Ponyta's reins to try and calm him down, and Dario watched in satisfaction how the bluenette held her elbow making a gesture of pain.

"That's it." He smirked. "So long, Lara, ya better be ready ta greet me at the finish line!"

The honorary membership of the Laramie Clan was in the bag. All he had to do was get away and nobody would ever know.

Later at Lara's house…

After the incident at the corral, Lara and Hex were taken to the local hospital. Lara was allowed to go home quickly, with her arm in a cast, while Hex would have to stay over there for a few days. According to the doctors, her condition was stable, but she most likely wouldn't wake up for a while. She and her Ponyta were hit with a very powerful tranquilizer, one that normally left Pokémon out cold for at least 48 hours, and was potentially deadly for humans. Had it not been for Ash's Charizard, she might have not made it.

Lara was now at her home's living room, sitting with Ash and his friends. Everyone shared the same thought, there was no doubt on who was behind this. Lara looked at the cast on her arm, and couldn't help but feel this was her fault. She knew it had to be him.

"This here's all my fault," Lara said, almost crying in anger. "I know Dario did this, and because he wants me outta the way, Hex ended up a-payin'."

The best way to give him his just desserts was to beat him in the race, but with her arm injured, she couldn't hold Ponyta's reins. There was no way she could stop Dario from getting membership into the Laramie Clan, or making him eat those words.

Ash clenched his fists. History was repeating itself. He couldn't prevent Dario from injuring Lara in either timeline, but if that hadn't changed, then he didn't have a reason to change. The first time, he raced only because Lara asked him to. This time… she wouldn't have to ask.

"Lara… let me race in your stead."

Everyone stared at the black-haired trainer.

"We're gonna help you." Ash stood in front of her. "If some of us take part in the race, we can keep an eye out for anything he might be up to. Though I don't have a Pokémon to ride, unless I'm allowed to use my Charizard?"

"Flying Pokémon are not allowed ta take part," said Lara. "Unless they're willing ta go on foot."

"What about my Gyarados?" Misty asked. "As long as he stays on the ground, it's fair game, right?"

"Anabel and I don't have any Pokémon to ride, but we'll do what we can to help too," Iris added. Anabel nodded too.

"Guys… Why do y'all want ta help me?"

"For starters, cheaters are one of the few things in the world I can't really stand," Ash said. "And I never ignore someone who needs help. All we have to do is make sure Dario doesn't win. We just need to win ourselves, or expose his cheating. Either way, we can do it, together."

Lara smiled at how far these guys was willing to go for her, even though they had just met. "Thanks so much. Alright, first things first, y'all need know what yer up against…"

Lara quickly led them to the track, so they could evaluate the terrain and know the obstacles they would be facing. As they walked, Anabel took the chance to speak telepathically with Misty, while nobody was looking.

"Not that I'm against helping her, but I have to ask: does this happen often?"

"What?" Misty mentally replied.

"I mean, Ash doesn't even know her, yet he's willing to help her with her troubles."

"Ah, that." Misty just shrugged. "Well, Ash doesn't seem to need a reason to help people, he just… does it. He did it for me, and for Iris too."

Anabel looked ahead, her purple eyes set on Ash's back. She had a similar mindset, in the sense that she liked helping people just because, never expecting anything in return. She couldn't help but smile, it was nice to meet someone else like that.

Later that night…

Since Lara couldn't have them go all the way to evaluate every single part of the course, she led them atop of a hill that offered a clear view of the entire track, and gave them a general rundown of what they would be facing. That was the easy part. The hard one was, of course, preparing the mount for Ash. As Lara explained, the most suitable Pokémon to compete against Dario's Dodrio would be Lara's Ponyta, since they were the fastest runners they had at the ranch. So they spent the following two hours trying to get Ponyta to trust Ash enough to let him ride. This was no easy feat; at first, Ponyta got scared and flamed on whenever Ash tried to approach, until Lara told him that if he won with a different rider, everyone would see how amazing of a Pokémon he was.

After that, however, they seemed to quickly get used to one another. In just a matter of hours, Ash and Ponyta were galloping speedily across the ranch, much to Lara and everyone else's surprise.

"He's a natural," said Lara. "I ain't never seen Ponyta trust someone other than me that fast."

"Ash makes a habit of surprising us all, doesn't he?" said Misty. At this point, she was pretty much used to it.

After several laps around the field, Ash and Ponyta stopped in front of Lara. "So? How did I do?"

"Pretty good, I'd say. Ya sure this is yer first time riding a Ponyta?" asked Lara.

"Well, to be honest, I… I have a friend who knows about Rhyhorn Racing," he said as he dismounted. "We had a Rhyhorn race back at Professor Oak's Summer Camp, and she gave me a few tips. I guess this wasn't too different."

"I would like to point out that my assigned human may be weird, but he was still good enough to meet the requirements to become a Pokédex holder."

"Shush you," said Ash.

"I see," said Lara. "So what's the plan fer heading off more cheating attempts again?"

"Anabel's Kadabra can teleport some of our Pokémon, to travel across the race track to deal with it," said Iris. "We'll use our flying Pokémon to help from the sky too."

"And Ash and I will work together to take care of anything they miss," said Misty. "We'll also be keeping a close eye on Dario."

"Okay, just making sure I got that straight. Actually…" Lara suddenly got an idea. "I reckon' I can help too."

"How?" asked Iris.

"I can ask ta be let in the commentator's booth," the bluenette explained. "I might not be fit ta race, but I can keep the spotlight on Dario, so if he tries pulling something, everyone will see it."

"Great idea." Ash agreed. "He's not getting away scot-free this time."

"This should be enough. Good night y'all, and I wish y'all the best tomorrow."

As soon as Lara left, Ash noticed Misty was giving him a level stare that lasted a while, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

"What?" he asked. "Something wrong?"

"Mind I ask you something?" Misty replied. Somewhat unsure, Ash nodded. "Who's that… friend of yours? You said she gave you tips, didn't you?"

Ash gulped and smiled nervously. Misty sounded just a little bit jealous. Now that he thought about it, he never did talk about Serena or even mentioned her around Misty, Iris, or Anabel.

Pikachu and Ponyta shared a look and both decided to leave the area for a nice sleep in the barn.

The next day…

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen ta the annual Pokémon Challenge Race! I'm Horace and I'll be the commentator fer this here grand event! There's also a very special guest with me in the booth: the one and only Lara Laramie!"

"Thanks very much, Horace, it's nice ta be here."

As promised, Lara was able to pull a few strings to be let inside the commentator's booth. It was easier than she thought, since considering that she was the biggest favorite to win the race, everyone was really sad to know that she wouldn't be competing. Well, everyone but one person.

The participants of the race began positioning themselves at the starting line. Near the head of the group, a smirking Dario was perched on his Dodrio, pretty confident since with his rival out of the picture, there was no way he could lose. However, his smile vanished when he saw the trainer from yesterday riding the fiery steed, as Horace and Lara began talking to each other over the loudspeakers.

"It's unfortunate that yer missing out on the race, Lara, considering yer grand victory last year," said Horace. "In fact, rumors abound there was some kind of sabotage. What're yer thoughts on that?"

"Well, I'll be sure they get what's coming, whoever they are. We don't like cheaters around here, do we?"

Dario cringed at that comment, unable to shake off the feeling that comment was directed at him. Still, as the saying went, it wasn't cheating if you didn't get caught, was it?

"So, what can ya tell us about yer replacement?"

"His name's Ash Ketchum, and he's a Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town," said Lara. "He's also a Pokédex holder chosen by Professor Oak himself."

Dario scowled at Ash upon hearing that. Sure, he had heard his Pokédex talking before, but well, maybe he was a good trainer, but that didn't mean he knew how to ride a Pokémon in a race.

Lara then continued. "He says that he's done got some experience with Rhyhorn Racing, and he managed ta get the hang of riding my Ponyta overnight, I say he's got mighty promise."

'Dang my luck, of all people this kid had ta be Lara's replacement?'

"Well, let's hope so! Y'all heard the lady, fans, let's all give Ash a big hand!"

Dario frowned even more as the crowds gave his rival a round of applause. He gritted his teeth, but just turned away in disgust. No matter what kind of scheme they were pulling, he was still going to win. His Dodrio was faster than last year, plus he had his "insurances" across the track to get rid of any potential threat.

The competitors began taking their positions at the starting line as the final preparations were being made. Dario couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine when he saw Misty's Gyarados, who glared and growled at him, like saying "What are you staring at?!" or maybe saw him as a snack.

"No, Gyarados, you just had lunch," Misty said, smirking evilly. "After the race, maybe."

"What's that there supposed ta mean?" asked Dario. Misty just snickered, leaving him to his guesses.

Meanwhile, looking through a pair of binoculars, Anabel watched from a high ridge that was at the halfway mark of the racecourse. Along with her Kadabra, Excadrill, Psyduck, Bulbasaur and Pikachu stood beside her, ready for any traps and dangers they were sure that Dario had laid out for the other competitors. Anabel focused her mind energies to contact her two friends on the starting line.

"Ash, Misty, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Ash's voice replied in her head.

"The race is about to start, we're counting on you." This time, it was Misty's voice.

One of the advantages of her telepathy was that she could act as their navigator, to warn them of any potential hazards. In fact, at Ash's suggestion, they had already sent a few of his and Misty's Pokémon early in the morning to check out some of the potential areas for possible dangers. Sure enough, Dario most likely had help for his plan, so any crony they could catch in the act could come in handy to expose him.

Back at the starting line, the head judge stood up with a starting gun as the lights in front began changing colors.

"On your marks…" The red lights switched off and the amber lights switched on. "Get set…" The amber lights switched off as the judge held up the gun and pulled the trigger. The green lights then lit up. "GO!"

*BANG!*

The race was on!

Dario immediately pulled forward from the group and took an early lead with his Dodrio, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Ash and Misty managed to take comfortable positions in second and third places as they too pulled away from the pack.

The course for this race was a lot longer than the one Ash had rode before, with more obstacles, twisting paths and wide gorges to cross, as well as climbing a steep mountainside and traversing a wide river. Back with the rest of the group, the riders and their Pokémon were jockeying for positions and some were even getting into fights. Ash barely missed being sideswiped by another rider as he urged his mount to go faster. Soon the pack began to thin as more and more riders were eliminated.

Ash saw that he needed to catch Dario and urged Ponyta to add a burst of speed. They couldn't go any faster as they were now entering a treacherous canyon, riddled with huge boulders and ditches. Ash carefully maneuvered the fire horse around the obstacles as he saw another few riders stumble and crash into the ground. Meanwhile, Misty held onto Gyarados' head for her life, urging him to kick it up a notch as well. She didn't want to fall behind, especially as she saw Dario seemed to pull away with each second.

"And they're approaching the uphill climb!" Horace commented.

"Dario's still in the lead, but let's see how long he can keep it up." Lara remarked.

From her lookout point, Anabel could see her friends were doing well, but Dario still had a commanding lead. The jerk had the advantage of knowing the terrain, and Ash and Misty were forced to slow their mounts down to guide them through the narrow passes and turns.

The Psychic bloodliner frowned as she saw Dario's Dodrio safely reach the top and begin the descent. Upon looking closer, she saw a glint of metal, and focusing the binoculars looked closer. Two men were lying in wait, tranquilizer guns in their hands. Sure enough waiting for their prey to come, most likely Ash and Ponyta.

"Iris, they're approaching the top of the hill, and there are snipers in wait! We need to take them out!" Anabel quickly relayed to the Dragon girl.

"I see them." Iris was acting as their 'eyes in the sky' riding on Charizard's back, and Yanma, Butterfree, Wingull and Emolga flying not too far from them. Looking down at the top of the canyon, she spotted two human figures hiding between the rocks, out of everyone's sight, except theirs. "Let's go, Charizard!"

Charizard was more than happy to comply, and quickly dove as fast as he could. Iris couldn't help but have a strange feeling of excitement and joy. She had ridden on her grandpa's back many a time, but never going this fast. Plus, she couldn't help but feel a strange connection to Ash Charizard, despite not being her Pokémon or a Dragon-type. It was similar to that sense of familiarity she experienced with Ash in their first encounter, but different at the same time.

Over the ridge, Dario's two thugs, whose weapons were aiming directly at Ponyta's hindquarters, were just waiting for the horse to come within range and…

"CHAAAAAAAARRR!"

The closest thug was startled by the roar, and the next thing he saw was a stream of fire going towards his hands, forcing him to drop his weapon. The other, forgetting for a moment their real target, tried to point his weapon at Charizard, but something, more specifically a speeding Yanma, got hold of his face, buzzing around its wings. As he tried to get it off, he tripped over and fell off the hill, almost getting trampled by the passing competitors. His partner at the other side was now being carried away by Charizard and Iris, and by this time, Ash and Ponyta had passed safely.

"Get yer claws off me, ya stupid lizard! Let me go, let me go I say!"

Iris looked at the river down below. "You heard him, let him go!"

"What? No wait! AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

*SPLASH!*

Hopefully the poor thug would know how to swim, but that way, he wouldn't cause trouble for a while.

While Iris and the flyers continued ahead, Anabel was ready to teleport along with Kadabra, but what seemed like a psychic flare of sorts alerted her.

"Miss Anabel, this is Starmie. We found something!"

"What is it?" The psychic girl focused. It was an advantage that one of Misty's Pokémon was part Psychic-type, that way they could easily communicate with their group.

The competitors would eventually have to cross the wide river that lay across the racecourse. Normally, land Pokémon would have to cross using the large stones that formed pathways across the waters, although using the Water-types abilities to surf across it to cut a few seconds was not unheard of. Still, that area was another particular hazard for many Pokémon, especially Ground, Rock, and of course Fire-types like Ponyta. Thus another perfect spot for a trap.

The group formed by Squirtle, Starmie, Staryu and (reluctantly) Golduck had gone to explore the river, specifically the section the competitors had to cross during the race. Starmie explained there were fake stones floating amongst the real ones, held in place with cables to avoid suspicion and set for the competitors to step on them and sink. Most of them were placed around the center path, of course, and Dario was bound to know where they were.

"Ash, Misty, can you hear me? When you approach the river, don't take the center path! I repeat: DON'T take the center path!"

Misty and Ash heard Anabel's warning. While they weren't unsure why they should avoid the center path, they decided to trust her. Still ahead, Dario quickly used the large stones that formed a pathway across the waters; it only took him and Dodrio a few seconds to get to the other side. Ash couldn't help but notice that he had taken the center path, making a few well-timed jumps, and then got an idea of why they should avoid it. About twenty seconds later, the rest of the group was seen racing toward the riverbank.

Ash looked over his shoulder. There was no way to warn the other competitors of the danger ahead without exposing themselves as bloodliners. Gritting his teeth, he pushed Ponyta to go forward, taking a small detour to avoid the center path.

"What's this, fans? Ash Ketchum has wasted a few seconds by skipping the center path across the river! What's he up ta?" Horace commented.

"Well, ya know what they say, sometimes the fastest way ain't the safest, right?" Lara replied.

Misty overtook Ash by having Gyarados surf across the river, while Ash and Ponyta carefully hopped over the stones to get to the opposite bank. They then dashed off after Dario, but not before Ash looked over the shoulder, and saw that many of the competitors had the misfortune of stepping over the fake stones and fell into the river. Only those with Surf-capable Pokémon were able to make it safely.

"Well I'll be, seems ya were right, Lara!" said Horace. "Just look at what happened there!"

"It's a shame, we've lost many good competitors in this race!" Lara shook her head. "We're calling in the staff to rescue them right away!"

While Misty and Ash chased after Dario, Iris continued to look from the sky, trying to spot other potential thugs they might have slipped by. Dario had begun to slow down as he started running the mountain pathways. The steep hillsides made it hard for the Dodrio to get a stable foothold. He then caught sight of Ash and Misty gaining on him.

At the halfway mark, near the entrance to another canyon, only Dario, Ash and Misty were left in the race, as the other riders were too far behind to have any chance of winning. As with the previous timeline, the racing Pokémon could only continue on after consuming some food that had been laid out for them. Dario came to a stop, and became frustrated as the three heads of his Dodrio began fighting over which one would eat first.

'Dang! This thing happened last year!' He looked up and saw that Ash and Misty had come onto the scene and made their way toward a trough. With his Dodrio's heads still fighting amongst each other, those seconds were more than enough for the two trainers to catch up to him and get their mounts to begin eating. In Gyarados' case, he swallowed the food in one chomp along with the plate, even leaving the fang marks on the rock edge. He actually seemed to enjoy the taste, though.

"Arrgh! I ain't gonna lose THIS year!" He then let off a whistle to signal his ace, or rather aces, in the hole.

When Ash and Misty's Pokémon had just finished eating, several explosions were heard. They saw some strange projectiles flying through the air, exploding into thick clouds of fog, obscuring visibility. The people at the stadium were puzzled, as the giant monitor showed nothing but dense fog and static.

Back at the canyon, Misty was wondering just what was going on, but Ash had a pretty good idea. He was already expecting this, although he did have a little surprise. Namely, that it hadn't been Team Rocket who showed up, just a bunch of random guys dressed in rock camouflage outfits, mixing up with the scenery.

"I paid y'all a lot of money!" Dario yelled. "Y'all want the reward?! Do a good job!"

"No problem. OK, guys, let's show them who's boss!" The one who seemed the leader threw several Pokéballs. Each device opened up and released a Blastoise, Wartortle, or Squirtle. The heavy turtles began aiming their water cannons at Ponyta and his rider, while the middle and tiny ones surrounded them.

Ash pulled on the reins and the horse took a few steps back. "Dario, you're nothing but a big cheater!"

"I do what I have ta, ta win. See ya at the finish line, if ya make it!" Dario let off a sneering laugh as he urged his Dodrio toward the exit of the canyon.

Misty bit her lip, as she saw all of the Blastoise getting ready to open fire with their cannons. If only she had another means to deal with those Pokémon that didn't involve mind control. Gyarados might be able to take one, two, maybe three of them, but they were vastly outnumbered, and Ash didn't have any of his Pokémon on him, plus he was too busy trying to keep Ponyta calm.

Suddenly a roar and several Pokémon cries, followed by several attacks, including Water Pulse, Sonic Boom, Silver Wind, Electroball and Flamethrower rained over the members of the group of Squirtle and Wartortle. Shortly after, a Teleport light flashed and Anabel appeared along with Kadabra and the others, who wasted no time in attacking the thugs, before they could give any commands. Iris came down with Charizard and hopped off his back shortly before touching the ground.

"Go on!" Iris yelled. "We'll take care of everything here!"

"Ash, you go ahead!" said Misty. "Win the race!"

"OK, I'm counting on you guys! Let's go, Ponyta!"

With their trainers momentarily out of the way and not giving any orders, the Blastoise stood there and waited, not reacting until they realized their prey was making a run for it. They were about to attack him, but with Gyarados, Charizard and the rest of the cavalry, the odds had evened. However, a group of Wartortle managed to slip away from the initial attack, along with their trainer.

"Where do ya think ye're going?!"

The Wartortle were about to take aim and fire, but then something awakened inside Ponyta. Or rather, something EXPLODED. A power, a new power; power he needed to win the race for his rider, and for Lara. He couldn't afford to lose now. He just couldn't.

Ash gasped as he saw the familiar glow, feeling that Ponyta's flames were getting hotter, but still didn't burn him. The horse began growing in size, and a horn appeared on his head. When the glow died down, Ponyta was no more. In his place, there was…

"RAPIDASH!" Ash yelled in triumph. It came earlier than the first time, but he wasn't complaining.

The Wartortle and their trainer were caught by surprise at this, but not as much when they saw the fire horse flaring up and turning into a living fire meteor, heading straight for them. The trainer was smart and fast enough to get out of the way, but the turtles were too shocked, and got knocked away like bowling pins. Still flamed on, Rapidash began running after Dario, feeling faster than ever before.

Meanwhile, Dario was ecstatic as his Dodrio emerged from the canyon, and was now heading back toward the stadium. There was no way he could lose! Then he heard the sounds of a horse coming from the exit of the canyon. He looked back and saw a blazing ball of flame approaching in the distance.

'Oh no, you don't!' He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. Pressing down on the activator button, he smiled as he heard the detonation of the explosives he had his thugs plant at the exit of the canyon to prevent anyone else from getting out.

Meanwhile, the girls and their Pokémon were just finishing putting Dario's thugs into dreamland when they too heard the explosions. They became concerned as they heard an ominous rumbling in the distance. That definitely sounded like a cave in. There was nothing more that they could do to help now. It was all up to him, and they all shared the same thought.

'Win, Ash! Win! We believe in you!'

Ash gasped as he saw the exit to the canyon suddenly become blocked by a huge boulder. Rapidash was still going as fast as he could and they were less than a few hundred meters from the blocked off passage. There was no time to stop. Ash was already feeling the aftermath of the Flare Blitz Rapidash had used before, and he wasn't sure he could take another. But they had no other choice but to move forward. He had to put up with it. For Lara's sake, he had to win. He braced himself as close to the horse's back as possible.

"FLARE BLITZ, FULL POWER! CHARGE AT FULL SPEED AND DON'T STOP UNTIL I TELL YOU!" Ash cried out.

Rapidash flamed on again as he sped forward and plowed into the huge boulder, causing it to explode into gravel and thereby clearing the way for them to get though. The flaming aura of the horse deflected off the fragments of the rock, and protected the boy. Without slowing down, Rapidash cranked up the speed to catch up with the Dodrio, who had just entered the homestretch.

Horace caught sight of Dario as he neared the stadium. "Well, fans, it looks like Dario and his Dodrio will become this year's winners and… hold on! What is that?!" The camera panned over and showed a fiery comet streaking across the plains and heading toward the stadium. The crowd let off a cheer as the cameras focused in and gave the image of Ash as he held on for dear life, but no longer riding a Ponyta. Of course, nobody was more surprised than Lara upon seeing this.

"I can't believe this!" she said out loud. "That kid made my Ponyta evolve in the middle of the race?!"

Dario looked back, and his jaw almost fell off his face due to the shock. Why was destiny conspiring against him today?!

"No! I ain't gonna lose now!" Dario urged his mount to go full out. He was less than one thousand meters from the finish line. He was so close that he could taste it!

Despite Rapidash's tremendous output of speed, he wouldn't be able to catch up to Dario before he crossed the finish line. Dodrio was less than five hundred meters and the horse was still more than a kilometer away.

"Come on, Rapidash! You can do this! We have to win, for Lara!"

Ash and Rapidash kept on pushing themselves to go faster. They just had to win! Lara depended on them to beat Dario! Everything was riding on them! They couldn't let her down! He couldn't!

And then, Ash felt that familiar energy burning in his eyes. He didn't mean to; he had told himself he wouldn't use his power to win competitions. But it was like it acted on its own, like those times he couldn't afford to lose and needed a power boost. By the time he regained control of it, the deed was already done: Rapidash began to radiate more power and his fiery mane and tail flared up. The horse began burning up the ground, leaving a blazing trail. A kind of corona surrounded the horse, making it appear like a blazing meteor, and then, in a single burst, Rapidash shot forward.

The crowds gasped in amazement as a wildfire shot forward in a second and overtook Dario's Dodrio when it was less than one hundred meters away from victory. The three-headed bird staggered as it was caught in Rapidash's trail, his tail feathers scorched. By some miracle, it managed to stay on its feet, but it was too late. Rapidash had crossed the finish line and kept on going. The crowds let off an enthusiastic cheer, which then became silent as Ash overshot the stadium!

"And we have our winner!" Horace announced. "Ash Ketchum and Rapidash have won the race! But wait, they're not stopping yet!"

"Rapidash, we've won, we have to stop now!" Ash yelled, as he held onto Rapidash.

Luckily for him, the power boost vanished as fast as it came, and Rapidash managed to slow down and finally come to a complete stop. The poor horse had never, ever gone that fast, and dropped in exhaustion shortly after. So did his rider, who quickly dismounted as Lara and the racing staff came up to check on him. They found him breathing heavily, but otherwise unharmed.

"Never… doing… that again…" he said before he slumped on Rapidash, who couldn't remain standing anymore.

"You alright, Ash? We don't know how it done happened, but you and Rapidash are the clear winners of this here race, congratulations!"

"CHEATER!" Suddenly, they heard Dario's voice yelling. He had finally gotten his Dodrio back to run up to him. "He should be disqualified, he interfered with me!"

"What?!"

"His stupid Rapidash attacked me during the final stretch!"

"We didn't even touch you!" Ash replied.

"Still being a sore loser, Dario?!" Lara spoke up as well. The Dodrio rider was about to have his bird charge at her, but in that very moment, a light appeared in front of everyone.

Anabel and her Kadabra materialized first. It was useful to have him around, since that way they could easily pretend that he had teleported them all. Iris soon followed, holding by the collar a couple of guys, whom Dario quickly recognized as two of his cronies, and then Misty with Gyarados, and the rest of their Pokémon. The dark-skinned young woman dropped them in front of everyone and the redhead gave them a couple kicks on their rears to get them to move forward.

"Say it now. Say the truth about who put you up to this!"

"Ow! No need to kick so hard!" said one of them, and Misty glared at him, ready to deliver another kick. "OK, OK, just stop! It was him! Dario paid us for it!"

"Paid you for what?" asked the head judge.

"We just wanted to earn a few bucks. Dario said we'd score big money if he won the race and became an honorary member of the Laramie clan!"

"Shush you! Hold yer tongue!"

"He hired us ta sabotage the race! We set traps all over the place, but we got caught! These meddling kids found us out!"

Immediately, everyone turned their looks towards Dario. The Dodrio racer no longer felt as smug and superior as before, with everyone glaring at him. Instead, he felt small, like he was shrinking. Everyone immediately began booing and throwing stuff at him in anger while yelling.

"You dirty cheater!"

"It was ya who got Lara injured, weren't ya?!"

"I bet ya did the same last year!

"Let me at him! My brother had ta spend three months in the hospital because of him!"

There was only one way out of this. "Ride like the wind, Dodrio, get us outta here!"

And with that, the three-headed bird ran off into the distance, suddenly as fast, or perhaps even faster than Rapidash during that last stretch, but people wouldn't be satisfied until the cheater was caught and punished for his treachery, so the angry mob quickly went after him, no matter that they were on foot. Misty went and checked on Ash, who was still gasping for air and sweating bullets.

"Are you alright? Do you need something?"

"Some cold water would be nice," he replied. Misty called Wingull for a weak Water Gun attack to refresh him. He really needed it.

"Well, our plan worked, but Dario just got away. He ain't gonna get very far, though. Fer now…" The bluenette grabbed the winner's flag, and presented it to Ash. "And here's our winner! I'm proud ta declare Ash Ketchum an honorary member of the Laramie Clan!"

Everyone began clapping and cheering, while Ash just smiled sheepishly, but ultimately accepted the flag. They had won the race, Lara's Ponyta had evolved, Dario had been exposed and his plans foiled, ensuring that he'd never try his stunts ever again. A great end for a great day, as it were.

The next morning…

Dario might have not been a good racer, but his Dodrio was pretty fast on his feet to escape angry mobs. Ash and company were ready to leave the ranch and go back to Fuchsia, as they had their own business to attend. Lara in particular was surprised that Ash refused the prize of becoming an honorary member of the clan. The trainer argued that he never entered the race to win any prize; all he wanted was to help her and enjoy a bit of a thrill. That was more than enough for him.

"I'm sorry we can't stay and help you catch that cheater." Ash apologized.

"Nah, don't worry." Lara shrugged. "Y'all have done more than enough fer us already. It ain't gonna be long before we get our hands on him, and thanks ta y'all we're making sure he'll never race here, or anywhere else, ever again."

"No more victims to his treachery." Misty added.

"So, what're y'all planning to do now?" Lara asked.

"We're gonna stay in Fuchsia a few more days," said Ash. "After the Tag Tournament, I'll be challenging the Gym Leader."

"So y'all are planning on entering the Safari Zone? Well, if you're as darn good battlers as y'all was on the race, there's no way you'll lose. I'll be rooting for y'all!"

"Thanks. Well, it's time to go now. Goodbye, Lara, and be careful with that arm."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in no time. See ya!"

Lara went back to the ranch grounds, while Ash and company walked back to Fuchsia City. The tournament was coming up soon, and they had to be ready. Once they were alone on the path, Ash let out a sigh, as he pondered on what had happened during the last stretch of the race.

"Are you alright?" Anabel asked. Ash looked at her. If she could sense his emotions, there was no point in hiding it from her, and he didn't like lying anyway.

"Anabel, during the last part of the race, that speed burst Rapidash had… I think it was due to my second bloodline."

"Really?"

"I actually didn't mean to use it. I wanted to win fair and square, but… for some reason my power still slipped through into Rapidash. Maybe it was a burst of adrenaline or something, yet I can't help but wonder… was it fair to win that way?"

The girls exchanged looks, trying to ponder on their answers. Misty and Iris already knew that Ash could have won in the Battle Dome Tournament finals had he chosen to use his second bloodline, but he decided against it because he considered it cheating. He wanted to win with his own strength and skills, and his Pokémon felt the same way. While at first the girls admitted that had they been in his position they would have probably used it, they understood and respected his stance, and found it even admirable to an extent.

Anabel, however, had something to say about it. "Say, Ash. You entered this race because you wanted to help Lara, didn't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Have you thought that, perhaps, your powers acted on their own because you needed them?"

Ash looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know if it's the case for all bloodliners, but I believe that our powers tend to act on their own when we need them the most. For example, I developed telepathy shortly after I lost my voice, so that I could communicate with people."

"Come to think about it," said Misty, "there was this time when I almost drowned in the Gym's pool. And then, all of a sudden, I was breathing inside the water like it was air."

Ash nodded. He recalled that his abilities seemed to start acting on their own when he needed them the most. Using Counter against those Spearow and Fearow, powering-up his Pokémon against the Cerulean Sisters' because he couldn't afford to lose, and of course his escape from Hunter J's ship. All those times, he needed those powers, whether he was aware or not. And during the race, the only thing in his mind was to help Lara. He had to win the race for her.

Anabel didn't need to read his mind, but she could tell what he was thinking. "I believe your powers acted because you needed them. Think about it: you were not racing for yourself. You were racing for Lara, because you wanted to help her, isn't that right?"

"Yeah, I guess I never thought it that way."

This was more than just a competition for Ash. It wasn't just about winning: it was about helping someone in need, and preventing a major asshole from getting a reward he didn't deserve. And like Anabel said, he wasn't doing it for himself. He was doing it for someone else. The boy couldn't help but smile. Sure, he still intended to win his future battles without relying on his supernatural powers, but in cases like this, if it wasn't for himself, if it was to help someone else… there was no shame in using it.

"How about a little race back to the city? Think you can keep up with me?"

"Really? Let's see if you're as fast on your feet as you were on a Rapidash," Misty replied. "Tag, you're it!"

"Hey!" He quickly ran after her, with Pikachu falling of his shoulder and running as well.

"Wait for us!" Iris added. Anabel just gave a silent giggle. They were quite an upbeat crowd. She would definitely enjoy travelling with them.

At the hospital…

Lara raced as fast as she could when the doctors called to tell her Hex had finally woke up, and she was fine. Well, fine physically speaking, but she was pretty pissed off to know that she had been out cold for two days and missed the race. By the time she reached her, they were trying to restrain her.

"Hex!" Lara called out, getting her attention.

"Lara! I can't believe this here! The race, I'm so angry right now I just want ta… ta… aaarrrghh!"

"Leave us, I'll handle her," said Lara, the doctors got the message and left the room, leaving the two friends alone. "Now, take a deep breath, relax…"

"OK… OK… I'm good. Now… WILL YA TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS OUT COLD?!"

Lara let out a sigh and chuckled. This was going to be hard. Starting from the beginning, the bluenette began retelling how after she injured her arm, Ash and his friends stepped up to help her, with Ash himself volunteering to ride her Ponyta in her stead. And not just that, he actually got him to EVOLVE in the middle of the race to win, leaving Dario to eat scorching dust, so to speak.

"Well, too awful bad they left before I could thank them. But what happened ta Dario?" Hex asked.

"Now that he's exposed as the cheater he is, he's not gonna race here, ever again," said Lara. "He got away fer now, but he ain't gonna be in hiding fer long. Every soul here is looking fer him."

"Urgh, when I get ta him, I swear I'm gonna Shadow Claw his face out!"

"Hex, we ain't supposed ta say that here!" Lara shushed her.

"Aw, come on, ya don't want ta roast his sorry ass fer everything he did ta us?" Hex retorted. Lara couldn't help but agree on that.

"Believe me, there ain't nothing I'd love more."

It was quite sad they couldn't use their bloodliner abilities in public. Lucky for them their parents were understanding, but not everyone was that way for those of their kind. If only they could have some friends who were like them.

"Anyway, please tell me ya got the whole race in video!" Hex quickly regained her usual upbeat mood. "I want ta see everything!"

Meanwhile…

Dario and his Dodrio had no choice but to flee into the woods. The townspeople and the ranch workers were REALLY angry, and they wouldn't stop until they had caught and punished him. Really, what were they so upset about? He just wanted to win the race and gain some prestige and money out of it. Who cared about how he did it?

He hadn't been able to slip through the grounds of the Pokémon reserve, they were patrolling all possible exits, and he couldn't get back to his house to hide over there. His only chance was to wait for someone to turn around for a bit. But there were too many people around, and those whom he had bribed before were either arrested, or helping the others search for him.

"Dang, they're a persistent bunch. But they ain't gonna catch me. I swear, they ain't never gonna take me alive."

"Of course, they won't even find you alive," said an ominous voice.

"Huh? Who said that?" Dario looked around for the origin of that voice. Sounded like a woman speaking through a megaphone or something.

"You're not getting away from your due punishment, Dario." The voice was louder this time, and it looked like it sounded… inside his head. But that couldn't be, unless…

In a flash of rainbow light, two silhouettes appeared in front of Dario. The first one was quickly revealed as an Alakazam. Great, like he hadn't had enough of that line with the purple girl's Kadabra. The second was human. A tall woman, with long, dark green hair, who might even be attractive if it wasn't because her expression was downright scary, with those dark blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through him and peer into his soul.

"Who the hell are ya?" Dario asked, trying to sound defiant. In response, the woman's eyes suddenly flashed purple, as did her Alakazam's, who raised its two spoons and lifted him off his mount. "Hey! What ye're doing?!"

Dodrio tried to attack them to defend his master, but the woman stopped him with a simple glare. Dodrio flashed with a purple aura, and was sent crashing into a tree, slumping unconscious on the ground.

"Dodrio! Put me down, ya freak of nature!"

Dario attempted to struggle against that invisible force holding him, but he couldn't do anything. The next thing he knew, the eyes of the woman once again flashed purple, and he was suddenly enveloped in some sort of psychedelic light. A few seconds later, they were no more. All that was left was an unconscious Dodrio that the Officer Jenny aiding the search parties quickly found and identified as Dario's, but no rider in sight.

"Keep looking! If his Dodrio is here he has to be close!"

Vaniville Town, Kalos region…

The trip had not been nowhere near as fast or easy as she expected. Reaching speeds of Mach 2 was one thing. MANTAINING said speeds for long periods was a different story. Her body had not gotten quite used to its newer form, just like the previous timeline, so she'd have to retrain in order to regain her physical endurance and fly as freely as she once did.

Nevertheless, she had finally reached her destination. Vaniville Town was right below. It wasn't too hard to recognize; according to what Ash had told her, it had the smallest population in the Kalos region and the houses were characterized by their red-orange roofs (according to Serena's letters). It seemed a rather quaint and peaceful place, quite nice for a visit, should she decide to come back sometime.

Having already covered the longer part of the trip, the question now was: how was she supposed to find Serena's house? Ash had described her as "A girl my age, honey blond hair and blue eyes. If you see someone looking like that and practicing Rhyhorn Racing with her mother, that's her alright". And surely enough, her Keen Eye focused on one of the nearby houses (almost indistinguishable due to having virtually the same roof), she saw a woman looking a little older than Ash's mother, with dark brown hair, along with a girl matching the description, both of them riding on a Rhyhorn's back. How convenient.

"Mom, why do I have to keep doing this?!" She heard the girl screaming.

"Come on, Serena, you're almost… hmm?" The woman looked skywards as she heard the approaching flapping.

"Fletchling, fletchling!" The small red bird on the woman's shoulder suddenly went into panic and hid behind her.

Serena and her mother were quite surprised to see the large bird landing in front of them, right in the middle of their courtyard. She had landed as softly as possible trying not to raise too many air currents. It wasn't the first Pidgeot they had seen flying over the skies of Vaniville, but it was the first time one of them landed on their place.

"Pidgoooo!"

Grace's Fletchling peeked a little, and jumping off its master's shoulder, quickly approached the newly arrived bird, albeit cautiously. Obviously it felt quite intimidated by the much larger size of the visitor.

"Ling, fletchling!" 'Who are you, and what are you doing here?'

"Pidgooooo!" 'I came from the Kanto region. I'm looking for a girl named Serena. That's her over there, isn't she?'

'What do you want with her?'

'I've got a message for her. From a friend.'

Fletchling tilted its head at this. If what they said about the eyes being the windows of the soul was true, Pidgeot definitely wasn't lying. Nodding, the little bird ran towards Serena and jumping in place pointed with its wing towards Pidgeot, with a sense of urgency. Serena, though confused, complied, and it was then she noticed Pidgeot had a small pouch tied to her right leg. The large bird quickly lifted it towards her.

"You have something for me?" the girl asked.

Pidgeot nodded, and Serena opened the pouch, finding a small envelope. She immediately smiled upon recognizing the handwriting: it was a letter from Ash.

Dear Serena,

How are you? Since our last letter, I've been doing well. I'm currently out on my Pokémon Journey, and have earned 4 badges so far. This Pidgeot evolved to win me my last badge: isn't she cool? I have caught a lot of really great Pokémon, whom I'm sure would love to meet you if you can ever come back to Kanto. Or maybe I might end up traveling to Kalos, would that be cool?

I think there are a few Gyms near where you live, right? A Bug-type and an Electric-type Gym, right? Or I am I thinking of somewhere else?

The girl felt quite happy to know her friend was doing well. She had felt really sad when she saw him lose in the Battle Dome Tournament. Of course, she knew him well: he wouldn't let one loss to keep him down too long. She kept on reading:

Recently, I encountered a crazy person. This person was rather mad, but he said some odd things I just can't get out of my mind. He said something about my friends being hurt, and that means you among others. Now, he was probably just on something, but do you mind being careful? I want to sleep better at night.

I know you and I were worried we would fall out of contact due to me traveling all the time and you not wanting our moms to peak into our mail, but maybe Pidgeot would make it work? What do you think?

Your friend, Ash.

Serena was a little puzzled, and she couldn't help but reread the third paragraph twice or thrice. Part of her could have considered this was just normal concern from a friend, but she couldn't help but think there was something else, something Ash wasn't telling her. It was just a hunch, maybe it was just her, but even so she wondered, what could have that person told Ash?

"A letter for you?" Grace's sudden question interrupted her thoughts. Fortunately, since she had her back turned, she could quickly compose her expression before turning around and focus only on the happy part of the message.

"Yeah, it's from Ash." She smiled, trying not to force it too much. "This Pidgeot belongs to him, the letter says she won him his fourth badge."

"Well, then he must be doing an excellent job so far." Grace smiled too. She then became thoughtful. "Now that I remember, tonight there's a rerun of the Kanto Gym Battle Review on Pokémon TV, and Ash appeared in the latest episode."

"WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Serena exclaimed. She couldn't believe she had missed that one.

"I didn't want you to get distracted during practice," Grace replied. "When you're thinking about Ash, your mind gets disconnected from the world."

"Mom!" Serena blushed at that remark, mostly because she knew it was true.

"Don't be mad. I'll go bring some snacks so we can watch it together. And I'll bring some for our guest here too. She made a long trip to bring that letter for you, didn't she? She deserves a reward for it."

Serena wanted to protest something else, but she just nodded. Pidgeot had flown quite a distance, and she didn't believe Ash would have sent her that message just because. While her mother and Fletchling went into their home, Serena once again turned her gaze on the large bird.

"Will you spend the night here? You must be pretty tired after such a long flight."

Pidgeot nodded, and Serena went to get something for her to eat. In the meantime, Pidgeot glanced at her surroundings. The place was quite homely, and it wouldn't be bad to roost before departing the next morning. And this girl, she seemed quite nice.

While she was in a hurry to reach her destination, Pidgeot made good on following Ash's advice of not overextending herself and resting whenever she needed it. During the trip, however, she felt funny, shortly after she had departed and was already flying above open sea. As in, having the strangest feeling of Ash and the others being in danger. It was already gone, but she couldn't help but wonder if something was happening during her absence. She'd definitely go back much faster and ask them to fill them in once she left. She didn't like the idea of being away from her trainer when he might be in need of her help.

FIN.