Cinnabar Gym

As the Fire Blast flew towards Primeape, Ash had a rapid plan for avoiding the damage.

"Use Mega Kick to jump!"

In one micro moment Primeape's feet flashed blue before rocketing him out of the way, the Fire Blast missing its target and dissipating before it could hit something outside the field.

Primeape stopped rising after a moment, before losing one blue foot and flying down towards Mega Houndoom with a flying jump kick.

Not that it was a Jump Kick attack, be it High or not High. Could Primeape even use that move?

"Counter!"

However the enhanced Houndoom looked right at Primeape, unimpressed, as the kick flew in.

Just before the kick hit a shimmering aura formed around Houndoom, which took the Mega Kick head on and sent Primeape tumbling back from the recoil.

Primeape unsteadily got back onto his feet from the hit, snorting the smack back at Houndoom as smack talk.

Surprisingly not involving swear words.

'Is that….all you got?'

"Dark Pulse!"

The twirling black shadow blast was more of what Houndoom 'got', and Primeape was down after that struck.

"Primeape is unable to battle, the winner is Houndoom."

…

As Ash returned the Fighting-type, Misty felt a nervousness ignite in her stomach.

How was he going to be able to get through this one?

Ash was tough, but that was a lot of power he was going up against.

And there was still one more Pokémon left after the Houndoom.

Idly she touched the keystone that hung from her ear.

While she had heard about Sabrina's Mega Evolution, this was the first time she saw one in real life. It felt more real somehow, now it wasn't just word of mouth.

Her gaze moved towards Alish, a thought coming her way.

The way Alish had acted, it was enough like how she'd react that she had a feeling the girl was a Bloodliner too. If her grandfather knew, could Ash get away with…

She felt her mind pause at the idea that Ash would suddenly use his Bloodline in battle. She couldn't see him doing that, even against Red.

Let alone a grandfather whose daughter probably was a Bloodliner.

Though could a crystal come instead?

…

"Boldore, I choose you!"

The second of the three Pokémon he had used so far was sent out to face Mega Houndoom.

He could feel her nervousness as she stared down the Mega Evolution.

"Fire Blast!"

Blaine started the battle as he had with Primeape, with the powerful and rushing fire-type attack.

"Douse it with Sand Attack!"

Boldore spat out the burst sand right into the Fire Blast, which did weaken it.

However the giant fire attack was still going, and crashed into Boldore with sizzling force.

Boldore struggled audibly trying to hold the attack back, all three limbs digging into the dirt with immense strain for several long seconds before the Fire Blast faded away, leaving a black coating of ash on Boldore's face.

Which promptly grew larger as a small flare up of flames signaled a burn on Boldore.

"Boldore!"

"Now Dark Pulse!"

The second attack flew at Boldore, and it wasn't the sort of attack one could say was dousable by sand all that well.

"Use Rock Blast!"

It was the best idea he had, and Boldore followed through with the glowing launch of three shimmering blasts.

They were soon crushed by the dark vortex that was Dark Pulse just as it struck Boldore, flipping her over and leaving her motionless.

"Boldore is unable to battle!"

…

This wasn't like what Ash had described with Mega Alakazam.

Anabel frowned as Ash returned his second Pokémon defeated in a rapid pace.

Ash had described the Mega Alakazam as powerful, but he seemed to be caught off guard by just how much power this Pokémon was throwing at him.

Was it a case of difference in power, or was it how that power was being used? Everything Ash had said about Sabrina had painted a picture as someone who honestly sounded more like she was trying to teach a twisted lesson than putting that power into straight forward use.

It could also be experience, as Ash's explanation hadn't made it sound like Mega Alakazam was a regular occurrence with Sabrina.

Regardless of what it was, she hoped Ash had an idea to turn this around.

…

Was there a way of turning this around?

It was a question he did have to think about as the Houndoom continued to stare him down.

With a frown, he enlarged the Heal Ball.

It wasn't quite at a point he'd have wanted to bring Goodra back out, but it was the best idea he had going forward.

Even then, it was the sort of multi-step plan he wasn't the biggest fan of using. Even against something as indestructible and imposing as a Miltank or Metagross he would prefer to not need to do this.

"Goodra, I choose you!"

As his dragon landed with a thump, Ash noted that Goodra did seem to have rested a good amount, though it wasn't nearly to the degree he'd have preferred to see done.

It would have to do though.

"Fire Blast!"

Blaine was going three for three with that attack.

"Use Rain Dance!"

Goodra bellowed as the swirling rain began forming overhead, drenching the field.

It also drenched the Fire Blast, which began weakening as it approached Goodra.

Goodra was able to side step the attack with ease.

Blaine grinned.

"Not bad, but I hope that isn't all you've got. Sunny Day!"

Houndoom howled, snout pointed upward, as a blinding light covered the field.

Ash shielded his eyes from the intense glare, the rain completely vanishing.

"Pika…." 'Well, that worked for maybe a minute'.

A blunt but not untrue statement.

"Now Fire Blast!"

And once more the fire attack was sent flying at one of his Pokémon, this time even larger and faster.

"Goodra, weaken it with Dragon Breath!"

Goodra nodded, before bellowing the breath attack. It flew towards the Fire Blast, sparking a few times as it went with purple and red before exploding into a larger, more colorful version of itself.

The attack collided with Fire Blast, holding it there for a few seconds before collapsing and letting a weaker attack through.

Goodra took the attack, though not too much damage it appeared.

"What was that?"

"It would appear that Goodra evolved the attack into Dragon Pulse."

The Pokédex's point confused Ash a bit, as that did not look like Dragon Pulse. It wasn't a glowing sphere.

Still if it was going to be calling itself that, and seemed to be stronger on top of it all…

"Goodra, Dragon Pulse!"

Goodra took a deep breath, before firing the oddly formed pulse attack right at Houndoom.

"Fire Blast!"

Ash's idea on what to do next came at the same time as his grin, which was followed nearly immediately by Pikachu turning his hat around for him.

"Quickly, use Rain Dance!"

Goodra cut off the Dragon Pulse and created the spiraling rain storm, setting it off moments before the Fire Blast was fired.

Upon being fired the Fire Blast lost power, and was overwhelmed by the Dragon Pulse.

Said pulse then blasted into Houndoom, pushing back the Mega Evolution with the first damage it had taken in the battle.

Houndoom wasn't down though, and with a quick howl the Sunny Day was set back up.

Still, it would take a lot more than a single attack to bring this Houndoom down.

"That Houndoom has taken more damage than just Dragon Pulse."

Iris's observation caught his ear, though he couldn't really look her way for what was going on before a Fire Blast was sent flying at Goodra again.

With a call for a Dragon Pulse it was struck, and he noticed something odd.

The Fire Blast seemed weaker than the last one, seeing as Dragon Pulse cancelled it out instead of leaving a minor trail of damaging sparks in its wake.

Both the observations were odd, but it did make him wonder.

"Are there any abilities that make moves stronger for a price?"

His question was quickly answered by the Pokédex, who had a tone of 'good catch' to it.

"There are, one such ability being Solar Power. Solar Power being an ability that increases power in the sun, but at the cost of damage to the user. However like any ability, a Pokémon can learn to turn it off or on…"

"And that is exactly what is going on!"

Blaine came right out and confirmed it with a raised finger.

"Houndoom and I spent years figuring out how to only release Solar Power's effect in controlled bursts. Without it, we'd defeat ourselves far too easily. Of course when we do let ourselves loose, it is certainly worth all that time…Dark Pulse!"

The spiraling black mass was fired next, this time even larger and more powerful than before. Clearly it was the boosted variety.

"Dragon Pulse!"

For lack of any better option the new attack was fired, which slammed into the Dark Pulse. It was overpowered and the Dark Pulse struck, but it was weaker and Goodra was still standing after the impact hit.

Though Goodra probably prefer to not be hit by more attacks like that.

He could see what Iris's point was though, as Houndoom seemed a bit more depleted from that attack than it should have, and it wasn't because of age.

He had seen Tracey's Scyther enough times to know the difference.

"Secret Power!"

A pink aura wafted from Houndoom towards Goodra like a pulse across the field.

"Use your tail!"

Goodra slammed his tail into the air, bounding him above the attack power before crashing back down on the ground.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Dragon Pulse and go into Bide!"

The two attacks collided, and while un-boosted the Dark Pulse still overpowered Dragon Pulse and flew into the red glowing Goodra.

However the red light had flared up just as the Dragon Pulse had been unleashed, so once the attack hit Bide charged up in and full and sent the white beam flying back at Houndoom.

"Use Solar Power on your Fire Blast!"

Blaine's command was followed by the attack, which slammed into the Bide beam and shattered it before crashing right into Goodra, who was sent flying right into him.

He caught Goodra before said dragon could hit the ground, stumbling back from the impact and struggling with the sheer bulk, but he was holding.

Pikachu darted off his shoulder before Goodra crashed into him, landing on the field as Ash managed to get a stable footing and avoided falling or being crushed.

"That was not intended."

Blaine's apology for sending a rather heavy dragon into him was quickly met by the declaration from the robotic judge.

"Goodra is unable to battle, the winner is Houndoom. In addition, as Pikachu darted onto the field, Pikachu is now in play as the fourth Pokémon in this Gym battle for the challenger, Ash Ketchum."

…

"Wow, he's strong."

Alish's compliment for Ash catching Goodra was only somewhat registered by Anabel, who looked at her hand and frowned.

It was equally impressive and dangerous, and after all her thoughts and resolve to help Ash she'd been too shocked to do anything about the flying dragon.

…

After returning Goodra, Ash needed a moment to catch himself. That was a bit of a scary moment there, after all.

He was pretty sure you could get hurt from situations like that.

A deep breath, a moment to let the adrenaline fizzle out, and he was back focusing on the field, where Pikachu was looking back at him nervously.

"Pikapi." 'This wasn't what I was going for, I was just…'

Trying to get out of the way, he got it. A bit less pressure, a bit less likely to be hurt by mistake, it was completely understandable.

Unplanned sure, and if Magmar was last Squirtle was going to be sitting this out. But, there were worst Pokémon to put your faith in to defeat a powerful opponent than Pikachu.

In fact there were a lot that were worse, and only a few that were better. And as his name wasn't Cynthia, he didn't have one of the few that possibly were.

"Well, it's a bit redundant to say, but Pikachu I choose you!"

"It is redundant unless you wanted to substitute, Secret Power!"

And with that the battle was on again as Houndoom sent the pink energy pulse across the field again.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu seemed to pick up that that wasn't all he had in mind, so the speeding charge towards Houndoom wasn't as fast as it could have been. Still it was more than enough to avoid the Secret Power pulse and get in close to Houndoom.

Houndoom gained a shimmering aura as Counter was prepped, which was just what Ash was expecting.

"Zap Cannon!"

He couldn't see Pikachu grin as the electric ball was formed and slammed right into Houndoom.

Despite being so up close it was pretty much a punching attack, Counter didn't react as the sparking ball was slammed into Houndoom, who yowled from the strike.

Pikachu bounced back from directly next to the Mega Evolved Pokémon as it growled back at him.

"Well, that was clever, and fairly powerful at that."

Blaine's compliment wasn't much appreciated by Houndoom, who seemed to grumble something.

…

Misty was quite sure she heard Alish admonish Houndoom for language under her breath.

…

"Thunderbolt!"

"Dark Pulse!"

The two attacks collided, with the Dark Pulse winning out and flying towards Pikachu. Pikachu avoided the remnants with a quick dodge before firing another Thunderbolt.

Houndoom blocked it with a Dark Pulse, the remnants of which flew into the ceiling instead of at Pikachu, though Ash started to notice a few sparks appear along Houndoom's coat.

"Alright Pikachu, now let's do Wild Charge!"

Yellow electricity formed around Pikachu, framing him in black and white as he charged at Houndoom. Houndoom made the motion to start Counter, but as Ash had spotted, the effects of Zap Cannon kept it from reacting.

With a shoulder slam Pikachu knocked Houndoom with great force, knocking the hound back on trembling legs.

It was nearly over.

"Alright Pikachu, let's end this with one Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked with all available power before firing it right towards Houndoom, who opened its maw with a fiery counter attack all to itself.

"Fire Blast, with the last dregs of that Sunny Day!"

Fire Blast was fired into the Thunderbolt, crashing into it and holding in place for a moment. However just as the Fire Blast started to win out, Houndoom's body twitched and reverted from the Mega Evolved state as Houndoom fell to the ground in utter exhaustion.

The Fire Blast flew towards Pikachu, who stared right into its path as he fired another Thunderbolt.

It shattered against the Fire Blast, though by the time it struck Pikachu it had been quite weakened.

It pushed Pikachu all the way back to his feet, and left Pikachu waving his hands to try and cool them down, and panting heavily on top of it all, but he was still standing.

"Houndoom is unable to battle!"

…

Iris grinned as that Mega Evolution was finally taken down.

Good for Ash and Pikachu, she could not have seen them do that when she first met them.

Though why did she sort of remember him throwing a Pokéball at her when that happened. It was not what happened at all.

Odd quirks of her mind aside, she ignored the ache in the back of her skull that was a reminder she had not slept all that well.

The battle was entering the final stage, and it should keep her awake for it. After all, Ash's battles were never boring.

…

"Well done, as quite likely the last Gym Leader you will face before the League I must say you should be good on the Mega Evolution front. However, I still have one Pokémon, and you won't get a Volcano Badge until you can defeat a true denizen of the volcano!"

With that declaration Blaine threw the last Pokéball into the air, which burst into a shape that Ash did recognize.

It wasn't what he was expecting though.

"Magmor!"

"Magmortar, the final evolution of Magmar and the Blast Pokémon. Magmortar in the wild claim volcanic craters as their territory, which mated pairs protect viciously. They shoot attacks from their cannon like arms."

As the Magmortar stared him and Pikachu down, Pikachu still heavily panting in exhaustion, Ash knew one thing.

Evolution or not, there was only one thing to do.

"Pikachu, take five."

And as his partner did in fact take five, he threw out his last Pokéball, which exploded into Charizard, who roared at the first normal Gym battle he'd be facing in the new timeline since evolving.

No rain, no Stealth Rock, just him and a Magmar evolution.

Charizard looked a bit surprised at the sight of Magmortar, but nodded. Confirmation this was the same Magmar, but evolved perhaps?

Or was it good enough regardless?

"Begin!"

"Lava Plume!"

Magmortar began the battle by expelling an explosion from within itself, sending a smoldering smoke cloud right at Charizard's way.

Charizard blew the attack away with his wings.

"Alright, now Flame Charge!"

Charizard charged, the flame coating around him glowing with new force as the attack came in for Magmortar.

"Skull Bash!"

Ash remembered Magmar using that move the first time, and Magmortar clearly still had it as the two Fire-types collided head first in the center of the field, sending a massive wave of force through the arena.

It nearly knocked him down, and he heard a thump from the seating. The clothes and hair of everyone present were blown wildly as the shockwave burst through the room; Ash nearly lost his hat if not for Pikachu keeping it in place.

The two were now grappling, their heads butting into each other as each seemed determined to make the other blink first.

"Mud Slap!"

He distinctly noted Magmortar's cheeks puff up, as if ready to spit mud into Charizard's face. Which it probably was.

It would be effective, even if it was probably what one could call cheap.

"Charizard, stop Magmortar!"

He wasn't entire sure the best way to do so though, but Charizard seemed to have an idea as Charizard's face darkened and he seemed to glare right into Magmortar with glowing red eyes.

Magmortar made a sound that somewhat resembled choking, and the attack was cancelled as a small dribble of mud rolled out of the corner of Magmortar's mouth, shortly followed by Charizard throwing Magmortar back.

Did Charizard just use Scary Face? He wasn't sure when Charizard had learned to do that, but he'd take it.

"Metal Claw!"

"Karate Chop, then Lava Plume!"

Before Charizard could keep up the pressure, the slashing attack was deflected with one glowing hand, followed by a fired burst from the other hand's cannon that pushed Charizard back a bit.

"Grr…" 'Not bad, got something that'll actually hurt?'

But it did nothing to dampen Charizard's enthusiasm.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Deflect it, then Flamethrower!"

His quick order ensured that the next attack didn't do anything more to said enthusiasm, as the fired bolt of electricity was met by a swing of a dragon-enhanced tail, which deflected the bolt away.

The deflection was then met by a strike right into Magmortar's chest, which pushed Magmortar back just as the Lava Plume had Charizard.

He got the impression that the cocky look in Magmortar's eyes and the words Magmortar uttered were similar to those Charizard used.

…

The air wasn't open.

Charizard noted the lack of air he could exploit as he was called for another Flamethrower.

Like often when a human gave a command he found it a bit odd to do so, but couldn't deny the results when the attack struck the shoulder of Magmortar quite precisely.

He was good, but he probably would not have been able to make that hit. Humans had good eyes.

He winced as that phrase sat with him for a moment, even as he only just heard Ash's call to avoid the Thunderbolt from Magmortar.

Bad phrasing, bad phrasing.

As another came, he heeded the call of Ash and matched it with a Flamethrower.

The two attacks were matched, though with a bit more deep exhaling on his end his attack began winning out.

He was strong. He always had room to be stronger still, but he was still stronger than he was when he first came to this Gym.

Or more specifically the volcano that was this Gym once, but regardless of the exacts he was stronger.

He would win as before, even if he didn't have all the air he needed to move.

The Flamethrower overpowered the Thunderbolt, and slammed into Magmortar. It wasn't much damage true, but it still was a blow.

He would keep it going.

"Screech!"

Magmortar's arms were now firing a sonic cannon his way, an impending attack he didn't really see a way to get out of. But perhaps Ash…

"Use Flame Charge and have it burst out with all the power you can at the last second!"

He did just that, setting himself on fire as building up all of the power he could. When he could feel the sound wave ticking his scales he let it all out in a massive burst of fire and energy, which shattered the attack before it could hit him.

He did hear Pikachu complain as the sound assaulted his ears.

He took into the air as the sound began, ready to strike at Magmortar the moment an opening presented itself.

"Dragon Tail!"

Ash seemed to see one as he flew forward, his tail ready to strike the tensing Magmortar.

"Thunderbolt!"

He blocked the attack with his tail as he had before, the jolts coursing through his body and setting half his nerves alight with shock, though his tail was in the air this time, creating a bit of an odd angle. An angle that sent the electric attack right into Magmortar's knee opposite the shoulder he had struck earlier.

Was that a result of that human thing called 'arithmetic'? That hit seemed angle based, at least from what he understood of angles.

"Now grab it!"

He grinned at Ash's command. It was time for Seismic Toss.

He loved that move.

Landing behind the struck Magmortar, he grabbed the Pokémon from behind and lifted him into the air.

He made sure to keep the cannons from being able to point his way. His wings were flapping, so even the explosive Lava Plume would not be a problem.

"Mud Slap! Stop it before it can execute the move!"

He couldn't see it, but he could feel Magmortar filling his cheeks. That wouldn't do.

He couldn't glare at it again to stop it, he'd need to improvise.

That meant slamming his chin into the top of Magmortar's head, breaking Magmortar's concentration and causing him to spit up mud.

He felt some of it splatter his face, but nothing nearly so bothersome that he couldn't follow through with Ash's call.

"Charizard, use Seismic Toss!"

He did so with pleasure, nearly as much so as he did teaching Togepi how to use the move himself.

…

Charizard slammed Magmortar into the ground with a quite severe amount of force.

It shook the ground, sending up a plume of dust as Charizard landed at his side, growling in contentment at the impact, though also with a judging way.

The words he was muttering to himself reminded Ash of that one time he listened to Professor Oak comment on his golf swing.

The odd comparison aside, the smoke cleared and he soon found himself with the answer to the battle.

"Magmortar is unable to battle, the winner is Charizard! The Gym Leader is out of useable Pokémon, and the match goes to the challenger Ash Ketchum!"

…

The boy was prone to being animated, Blaine noted.

He posed with Charizard and Pikachu after getting the badge, and seemingly being surprised that something odd didn't mess with the receiving of said badge. He was praised by his companions for his win, though with an air of being aware of what had been rough in the Gym battle and needing work.

He left soon after, as he noticed Alish walking up to him, a thoughtful look on her.

"Grandpa…do you think they're like me? Misty seemed to pick up that I knew what your Pokémon were saying, and seeing as Ash caught…"

"Oh most certainly. He'd have to buy the same shirt sizes as Bruno to have caught that Goodra like that if he wasn't."

Though he hadn't picked up on the behavior in the stands. His attentions could not be everywhere at once after all.

"Should I…"

He stopped her question with a shake of the head.

"I may not have noticed that Misty noticed your involuntary motions, but I do notice other things. It seems that those four are currently going through a period of fluctuating hormones and confusion. Best not to fan the flames of it."

He noticed Alish being confused at his question.

"Teen drama. Best not risk being drawn into it before your time."

Alish's mouth opened wide in understanding, before she blinked with a sudden thought.

"But wait, aren't I a teenager?"

"Yes, but one without teen drama. I'd like to keep it that way for a while."

Avoiding anger over the actions of 'Brad' and other such teenage things for now, Blaine couldn't help but wonder something about his challenger.

How was he a he?

He was aware of the odd gender ratio going on, and he probably had a bit more understanding of it than most.

Back before Alish was born he was well aware of the issues that had been had trying to, well, have her. Her parents were having fertility problems, and odd ones at that.

Neither had the inherent issues that led to such things, the only odd thing about it being that Alish's father had a bit of a higher count of Y chromosome carrying gametes.

Yet for some reason they were not being successful until they had taken more precise measures, and with an X chromosome carrying gamete specifically chosen. Hence, Alish.

With what the young ones in the room shared of course…it was certainly an explanation of the odd bloodliner gender mechanics. Though it didn't explain why that was the case, why it was only the case now from everything people knew pre-boom, and why Ash hadn't been affected the same way.

Of course this finding was something he'd keep to himself for now, if only because explaining what he had found would only result in Alish getting harassed.

Also asking Ash about his gametes would only confuse the poor kid, and if he used the more common words the boy would probably be well within his rights to run away.

…

Entirely unaware of the scientific observations occurring, Misty found herself at the start of post-Gym festivities with a tray of ice creams for the each of them.

Or to be more specific the three of them, as Iris was currently conked out on Ash's shoulder, a fact that seemed to have left Ash in a state of mild paralysis.

She felt a spark of annoyance raise up in her, if tempered by the fact she knew Iris hadn't slept all that well.

Though it might just be because she had no idea what would become of Iris's ice cream, as it would certainly be melted by the time she woke up…

POP!

A stubby yellow hand promptly solved the problem as the ice cream was quickly taken by Psyduck.

'So, what should we do now?'

Anabel's question was answered by Ash, who had to eat his cone with his left hand due to Iris's sleeping form pinning his more dominant arm. After he was finished with his awkward ice cream cone movement, his answer came.

"I'd actually like to go up to Pallet Town. I think I want to try something new with training before the League. If you guys have anywhere else you'd rather go its fine, I can figure something out."

None of them had anywhere else to be, so that was the plan.

…

Still having a few hours before their ship off Cinnabar set sail, the group (or rather Iris) decided to do some last minute training while they waited. It would be just some light (well, Iris' definition of 'light' at least) physical training, with no powers.

For a change, no one had objections. Anabel herself was actually starting to enjoy the exercises, and she didn't feel as tired as before.

She did notice, though, that Misty seemed to take her training with an unusual enthusiasm, working much harder than before. Iris actually had to tell her to stop and not to overdo it, lest that she could end up injured or something.

She suggested to Misty that they went to do some meditation techniques. That way they could rest their bodies and train their minds while they were at it, and Iris agreed, deciding to continue her training with Ash for the time being.

The two of them were now sitting cross-legged on the sand, as they listened to the sound of the waves. While technically part of the training, they clearly needed a moment's rest, especially Misty.

Anabel had noticed that the redhead seemed to be trying to push herself more than usual, specifically since the Sabrina incident. So it wasn't too hard to guess that perhaps the reasons for Misty to take her training more seriously had to do less with being stronger and more with her concern for the boy they all cared for. While understandable, Iris was right, she couldn't overdo it, lest she ended up hurting herself.

Being within her passive telepathy range, Anabel could tell that Misty was a little bored with the meditation, and her thoughts were somehow directed to Ash. Was she still worried that something could happen to him again? She could also feel a desire to be stronger…

Stronger to keep Ash safe…

Anabel heard a faint sound, and opened an eye to take a peek in Misty's direction. Said eye and the other quickly widened as she noticed what was going on. If it wasn't for Iris' sense-sharpening training and her own telepathy, she would have probably scanned the area to make sure nobody was looking.

That was supposed to be a light training, without powers, but Misty had two rings of water orbiting around her at waist level, glimmering every few seconds.

'Misty…' Anabel called out to her.

Misty didn't open her eyes. "What's up? Aren't you supposed not to interrupt my meditation?"

Hadn't she noticed what she was doing? Probably not given her tone.

'It's not that, Open your eyes and see what you're doing.'

"What am I–" Misty finally opened her eyes, and was left with her mouth agape for a few seconds as she finally realized. "This is…"

'Aqua Ring?' Anabel said as she recognized the move in question. 'Misty, we weren't supposed to use our powers.'

"I didn't…' Misty looked around alarmed, and then the water rings stopped orbiting and vanished in a splash, much to their relief.

'What happened? I thought this was just a light physical training.'

"I never meant to do that," said Misty. "It's just… I wished I had a bit more energy to keep going a little more and then…"

Misty stopped there, but Anabel didn't need her to say anything more. Something similar had happened when she and Ash learned to use Heal Pulse on each other, it wasn't uncommon to discover new powers when they needed them, or at least in Misty's case right now, when they felt they needed them for whatever reason.

She felt she needed it because of Ash.

Anabel stood back up and offered Misty a hand to help her; that would be enough training for the time being. Misty accepted the gesture, and she recalled for a moment their first encounter, when back at that Power Plant.

'You're thinking about Ash again, aren't you?'

Anabel wasn't sure why she asked, she just felt that Misty needed to talk about it. The redhead sighed and let out a slight chuckle before answering.

"It's so weird isn't it? A few weeks ago I was complaining about Iris' training regime, but now… I feel like I'm not doing enough. Like I need to grow stronger for him… for Ash, I mean. In case someone tries to hurt him again."

Just like she had imagined. It made sense, they had told her that back when they met Iris, Ash had been abducted by some woman called Pokémon Hunter J. Why a woman who stole Pokémon for business would want to kidnap him was beyond them, but that didn't matter. It was obvious that Misty didn't want to get used to Ash getting kidnapped for whatever reason.

'You're the one who has traveled the longest with him, aren't you? Obviously it must have been much harder for you to see him get kidnapped, not once, but twice.'

"It's not just that," said Misty. "I can't explain it, but… have you met someone, and suddenly you feel as if you knew them for a lifetime? As if you were friends in another life or something, if that makes any sense?"

Anabel hesitated for a moment before answering. That sounded a lot like some stories she had read about lovers who not even death could do apart, and they were fated to meet over and over again throughout the eras. Of course, she couldn't use the word 'lovers' so lightly.

'I can't say I have… but some people say some friendships can transcend life and time itself. At least to me, it doesn't sound crazy.'

She tried to smile. It wasn't like she thought that was something for real, but she had known Misty long enough to know she wasn't crazy. Maybe she was just trying to explain her own feelings and that was the best she could come up with.

"You know, until I met Ash, I never thought about trying to become stronger for someone else. I've been alone for a long time, so I've had to take care of myself. But now… it's almost like I can't picture my life before he showed up."

Anabel smiled even more. 'He's really dear to you, isn't he?'

Misty nodded. Obviously she cared for him beyond being a dear friend and a traveling companion. From what she knew, she had come to rely on him for many things, and that included to keep not just her but all of them safe from harm. Anabel felt the same way.

"Anabel… you too like Ash, don't you?"

There was also her not-so-subtle attraction to him as a person, as a boy. She felt her cheeks flushing, but given that Iris had already talked to her about that, it would make it easier and a tad less embarrassing.

"I'll be honest," Misty continued, "maybe I am a bit jealous inside. But the more time I spend with Ash, and with you two, the more I get it. Iris might like his strength more, but she also likes his kindness, just like me. And I'm sure you do too."

'I'm not arguing that,' she replied. 'Personally, what I like the most is that cheerful and optimistic attitude of his. Although sometimes…'

She paused for a moment, her demeanor faltering for a second. A thought had suddenly come to her mind, about Ash, and a concern she too had about him, but had kept to herself.

"Sometimes what?" Misty inquired. Given that she had caught her brief grimace, there was no point in trying to hide it.

'Do you remember what I said about Red the night after the Fuchsia Tag Tournament? About how I could feel he was bottling a lot of pain inside?'

Misty grimaced too. "Don't tell me… you've felt the same with Ash?"

She shook her head. 'Not quite the same. With Red, I can feel he has it all the time. With Ash… it's just a few times and for short moments, but… it's like he too is burying something inside. Something that causes him pain for some reason."

"Doesn't it have to do with, you know, that sociopath who just left him as a gift for his mother, and did the same to who knows how many other women?" Misty asked.

That seemed a logical conclusion to draw, but Anabel knew it wasn't the case. For all she knew, Ash didn't know a thing about his father until Sabrina ranted about it. No, it came from before Saffron, and it happened more often after that.

Sometimes she picked up stray thoughts that didn't make any sense. Like that time Red and Ash were discussing about their training methods, she could hear a conversation that sounded like Ash had argued with someone else about the same topic, someone who was more aggressive and far less pleasant. And why did suddenly Paul's face come to mind?

'No, I don't think so. This is from before the Sabrina thing. It's more like… something he feels he can't share with us. I think he might be afraid of our reaction.'

Anabel saw Misty place her hand on her chest. Of course she'd be worried, Ash was keeping a secret to himself, something that he was afraid to tell them. But what could it be? And why was he keeping it to himself? After all, the reveal of his father being the worst of the worst among criminals in history didn't change a thing about Ash himself, barring those anger outbursts, which were far and in-between, he was the nicest boy she had ever met in her life.

She could feel that Misty wanted to help him, and she felt the same way. If they hadn't left him when they learned about his supposed father, she doubted there would be something so terrible to drive them away from him.

Since Iris had asked for her help on trying to get Ash to control his anger, maybe she could work on that too. She had to be careful, though, Ash wouldn't tell her anything if he felt uncomfortable. First thing was to get him to trust her enough.

However, any thoughts about helping Ash were interrupted by a running Wartortle who seemed to be suffering a panic attack. (*)

Orre Region

This tower they were interested in building, the Realgam Tower, was something he didn't really match.

He was no interior decorator, such careers were rare in Orre outside of a few places. However he was aware that in a tower of shining metal and glass, a man with a bared chest who looked like he could have been playing a barbaric king in some low budget movie was not exactly the most expected visitor.

In fact even the guy with a giant afro would fit in more, which was an odd thought to have. The idea that Miror B. would fit in a non-asylum better than someone else was not a common thought.

But appearances had their time and place, and this was not exactly a time where people were bustling around the tower.

That would be in about a year, give or take.

Until then, it was just him and the representative from the group he had been doing business with as part of the overall operations of Team Snagem.

A representative that did make him wish it was the music obsessed Miror B. here, for at least he was amusingly disturbed.

No, he had to be meeting with the one who made his skin crawl whenever he spoke.

"You've been doing quite well for us, you and your little band of thieves."

The man was Ein, Cipher head scientist. Gonzap didn't particularly like any member of Cipher, and he was well aware that most of Cipher did not particularly like his team and it was certainly a possibility their partnership could break down one day, but of all the members he had met Ein disturbed him the most.

Some of Cipher smelled like they needed to shower more, others like they dusted themselves in lavender.

Ein smelled like evil. There was no other way he could describe it, and he looked the part too.

"Well, I wouldn't be calling the team Team Snagem if we were not able to steal things."

Then they'd just sound like fanboys of an old League competitor, which was far from the truth. Gonzap cared little for the professional battle circuit, available only to those who were lucky enough to be born in a rich region.

What they did for amusement and fame an Orrean did to survive.

"Yes, and you've been quite busy haven't you? To think you managed to double our expected numbers from last month's raid on Gateon Port."

Gonzap concealed his suspicion about that job.

Their original job had been to break into a Verich Shipping vessel and capture all of the Pokémon cargo within. The job had been a success, too much of such in Gonzap's opinion.

Was Ein's organization, Team Cipher, somehow connected to Verich Shipping? It would be a good con if it was, setting up their own ships to be robbed to cover their tracks should one of the busybodies on the international police start sniffing around.

However the job had hit an unexpected windfall when his newest recruit had managed to hack into a completely different ship after he had run a diversion on the local guards, and they managed to get into another ship and run off with a crate of Pokéballs.

Said amnesiac recruit wasn't able to explain how he was able to hack their security systems, or even where he learned to hack, but one could not argue with the results of said inexplicit skill.

The owner of said extra robbed ship, some energy company from Sinnoh, had probably raised a massive fuss and warning about expecting justice on threat of lobbying, but really it was just smoke up the pipe.

No one cared for Orre, so what was the threat of sanctions on top of that?

"My group saw a chance to do more than originally planned, and took the chance. I doubt you disagreed with the end result."

Ein shook his head.

"Not at all, we were more than pleased to get additional Pokémon for our goal, especially ones from Sinnoh. I never thought I'd get a chance to work on a Glameow or a Stunky. It was an excellent way to speed up the time table. We might actually be ready to put our full plans into motion before next year's Silver Conference."

When was that exactly? Again Gonzap didn't much care for rich kids play fighting.

Ein rose from the table the two were sitting and walked to the massive window. It wasn't much of a view, all it showed was desert.

They weren't even on the side to look at Phenac City.

Of course the windows weren't made for any sensible people. They were made for people who'd be willing come to Orre.

"Of course, to make the time table we will need to change a few things. You are doing well as it is, but to really keep things going on schedule we will need to go into phase 2."

And what was what, exactly?

He could almost hear Ein grin, before he turned around rapidly.

Gonzap recognized the motion from his youth on the Pyrite Town streets, and on reflex he flung the table up to stop or slow down the projectile. However, it wasn't a bullet that flew out.

It was an energy whip, red in color, that phased right through the table and wrapped itself around his wrist. It vanished from sight after a moment, nor did he feel it around his wrist.

However when he moved to put the table back in place and took a step back, he felt what he could only call a firm grip around his wrist.

Ein was smirking at him.

"I see you have the right idea and reaction, but hardly the ability to avoid it. That was hardly a bullet after all."

Ein had dropped his jacket, revealing a scrawny body that was neither chubby nor muscled. On his left arm was a red and black metal device, the tip of which was glowing with the same color as the energy whip originating from a little lens.

"I'll confess that the energy restraint was not our work, but we obtained it from an agreement with a group from Kanto. The rest of this is Cipher work; we call it the Snag Machine. This one is model zero."

"A Snag Machine?"

Ein grinned at his question.

"Yes, though I suppose the term 'snag' is vague enough you'd appreciate the elaboration. This device does what countless Ranger scientists dreamed of for decades and disrupts the protection and control of a Pokéball upon a Pokémon. However it does not, as those fools would prefer, set them free. Despite what they tend to think, Pokémon aren't so flawed a creation they can only be tamed by the work of the balls. What this device does, is make any Pokémon catchable as if they were wild Pokémon."

Gonzap stared in stunned surprise at such a feat from the machine, while Ein continued.

"Yes, if you were in front of Cynthia herself, you could take her Garchomp and make it your own. Now I'm sure you are aware that trying to wear down such a Pokémon could be a difficult task, so I'm sure you'd be happy to know that this device is equipped with that odd 'glitch', as we officially call it. You won't have to worry about running out of Pokéballs like some imbecilic fifteen year old in Kanto, and if one of our groups was ever to find a Master Ball…"

It was highly unlikely that such a thing would ever happen, but the point was still made. He did have to make another though.

"That won't fit on my arm."

"A price for musculature, you will simply have to give it to a subordinate. Though fret not, for I did say this was model zero. We have other Snag Machines in the works, and it would not take much work to make one that even you or Dakim could make use of."

"Of course, before I give you the instruction manual for model zero I do have a question. I was looking over the manifest of Pokémon obtained from Verich and the Sinnoh ship: Skiploom, Quagsire, Stantler, Lickitung, Poliwrath, Kecleon, Audino, Throh, Sawk, Noibat, Espurr, Honedge, Mawile, Stunky, Glameow, Croagunk, Bronzor, Murkrow, and Misdreavus, and something has been bothering me about it. It seems, lacking somehow."

The tone at the end of Ein's sentence made his back hair stand on end, and Gonzap was reminded of why he found Ein to be quite unsettling.

"Clearly you must have thought that the shipments would be about equal. Twice the ship, twice the cargo. However I suspect you must have forgotten that the other ship was not a dedicated shipper of non-energy products, and assumed that a single crate from it would match several from Verich Shipping."

It was the best sort of lie to say. After all, it was a truth as well.

Several Hours Later, Team Snagem Hideout

Ein had commented that there was something off about the shipment they had last received, and there was a truth to that.

Normally the agreement was that as part of their pay, they would be allowed to keep some of the stolen Pokémon for their own use. It was understandable after all, more firepower to steal better and from better targets.

However the understanding was that this would be limited to Pokémon found in excess, they'd keep Oddish while Cipher would take the Snorlax.

However let it not be said by anyone that he was not capable of kindness to those under his command.

They were the riffraff of the riffraff country, and there was a level of brotherhood from that status.

So sometimes he'd let them keep something they officially shouldn't and just leave it off the official manifest.

A Pineco here, a Smeargle there, that sort of thing.

He paused as he walked through their lair, the first of the new machines still under his arm in the box with the instructions on use along with it, and he felt a hint of a smile form.

Lying on the couch was their newest recruit, the amnesiac Wes, and two of the very things he was just thinking of.

Cipher would certainly not be harmed by letting his best raw recruit ever keep a pair of Eevees. They would be the start of Team Snagem going on to greater and greater things.

Especially if they ever found some stones to make the Eevee evolve.

They may not know where Wes had come from, or why he didn't have most of his memories, or why he seemed to have the skills he did, skills and instincts that seemed even sharper than his own.

It made Gonzap pause, the idea that there was a harder place and learning curve than the Pyrite streets. Perhaps it was best the boy did not remember the exacts and only had the vaguely remembered skills from it.

But that was in the past, and Team Snagem had a very different direction going forward.

To the future.