Ashlyn Ketchum: Pokemon Champion

Capturing one of each Pokemon species in the world is a laudable goal, of course, but Ashlyn Ketchum believed in quality over quantity. Now add a dash of practicality, a touch of common sense, and a hint of maturity, and you have the beginnings of a Pokemon legend. fem!Ash Palletshipping

xxxxxxx

"How could we have gotten so lost?!" Misty demanded, looking through the map in her hand.

"We assumed that Ash knew what she was doing, and followed accordingly," Brock answered, pausing to sniff the air, "Do you smell the ocean?"

"Yes," the red-haired girl admitted, "But we shouldn't be anywhere near Vermillion City yet, and since we were moving inland… Ash, are you paying attention?"

"Huh?" The dark-haired girl looked up, still absently playing with the cuffs on her sleeves, "Um, yeah. I agree with Brock."

Not so oblivious as to disregard the dangerous twitch of Misty's features, Ash had the presence of mind to duck before her friend's fist connected with her head. "Sorry, sorry," she said, hurriedly, "I've been thinking about the events at our last town."

The water specialist's face immediately became sympathetic. "You're not still suffering from a sore throat, are you?"

"Nah, Nurse Joy patched me up perfectly," Ash assured, "I'm worried about… other things."

"You were in a dangerous and traumatizing situation," Brock empathized, patting her shoulder, "Take all the time you need to acclimate to it."

"We can ask for directions as soon as we come across someone," Misty forced a smile, "Don't worry about it."

Ash nodded gratefully, and the three trainers lapsed into silence. The youngest traveler among them felt slightly guilty for not correcting her friend's assumptions. While she was still a little shaken from running into a fire, the bulk of her worrying thoughts centered around the conversation afterward. The fire itself happened too quickly to make much of an impression, and after it was over, each one of her friends took the time to express their displeasure for her careless actions.

Gary had been the first person to yell at her, after his Kadabra had brought them to the town's Poke Center, and they had both undergone minor oxygen treatments. He had been well into his rant, when Ash- grateful for his help- had impulsively wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a thankful hug. The brunette's face had gone a peculiar shade of cherry red, which Ash assumed was from anger, because his resumed scolding had been- if anything- even more fierce than before.

Ash was well-used to Gary's overreactions at this point though, and resigned to the subsequent dressing down she would receive from Misty, Brock, Professor Oak, and, worst of all, her mother. Her actions were every bit as reckless and ill-thought as they claimed, and while Ash would have done it all over again if she had to, she didn't begrudge them their concern. No, the main reason Ash was worried was because of the conversation Gary initiated several hours later.

Flashback Starts

"I want you to be careful, Ashlet," Gary's face was unusually serious, "You have a strong sense of right and wrong, and a habit of doing something stupid when you see someone that needs you help. It's an incredible characteristic to have- one of your best traits, even- but it also puts you in undue danger."

"Gary, haven't you already yelled at me for going into the fire?" Ash asked, tiredly, "I know that my actions were reckless, that I should have asked for help, that smoke inhalation is a serious medical issue, and so on. I've heard all of this already."

"That's not what I'm talking about," the boy sighed, frustrated, "Look, I left behind some notes for you at Fuchsia City with Koga. Ask him for a copy if you have the chance, and Ash… don't visit the Shamouti Islands."

"What?" An expression of confusion crossed the young girl's face. "Don't visit the Shamouti Islands? Gary, you're not making any sense."

"Just promise me," he insisted, "You don't need to go there for an Indigo League badge, so please don't visit."

Despite the incredulity in Ash's face, she nodded. The urgency in her friend's voice compelled her to obey the minor request. "Can you at least tell me why?"

Gary laughed weakly. "I don't think you'll believe me. I don't think I believe myself."

"Then why ask me to avoid Shamouti Island?" Ash asked.

"You might understand when you read my notes," the boy answered cryptically. A half-smile crossed his face, as he ruffled her hair. "One more promise?"

She batted his hand away, and huffed. "You're asking me to trust you, without giving me a reason why!"

"I know," Gary's smile widened, "Please Ashlet? For your very best friend in the whole wide world?"

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "If it's not too ridiculous," she allowed.

"Promise me that you'll avoid any pink, catlike Pokemon."

Flashback Ends

Ash didn't know where those two random promises had come from, but she had given her word to Gary that she would follow them. Then, the young girl had proceeded to spend the night searching anything related to those requests, to understand why Gary had been so insistent. She had learned that Shamouti Island was on top of an active volcano, which may have explained Gary's first fear, but the second one made no sense. The only pink, catlike Pokemon Ash had been able to discover were Skitty and Espeon, and the former didn't even reside in Kanto. Neither were particularly scary either.

As she had made a solemn vow to her oldest friend, Ash would honor those words. Still, the mystery constantly wriggling in her mind, coupled with the lack of sleep from a night of research, had made for a very grumpy twelve-year-old the next morning. Her friends had noticed her unhappiness, but had made the logical assumption that it was due to her recent brush with significant injury, if not death.

Their assumption gave her the silence she needed to reorganize her thoughts, but no matter how Ash looked at it, the answers remained as murky as a Muk. As the trees in front of them became thinner and sparser on the ground, Ash pushed her worries out of her mind, and resolved to pay them no attention. She would either receive her answers when she got to Fuschia City, or spend her life following two minor requests that weren't too difficult.

"There's a lighthouse!" Misty said excitedly, pointing to a conical brick structure situated at the edge of the cliffs, "We might be able to get some directions there."

"Or we might be meeting a crazy recluse," Brock countered, one hand drifting to his Pokeball, "The place is either abandoned, or inhabited by someone that literally in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we should all keep one Pokemon at hand?"

"It's a fair precaution," Ash agreed, rubbing Pikachu's head, "Ready to shock any weirdos inside, Pikachu?"

"Pi, pikapi," her starter confirmed, rubbing his cheek against her ear. "Pika."

"Butterfree, we might need your help," Misty released the dual bug and flying type. "If you see anyone suspicious, then use Sleep Powder, okay?"

"Free," Butterfree nodded, hovering a few feet above his trainer's head.

The three cautiously made their way to the lighthouse, before stopping, entranced, by the large metal door in the front. Ash wasn't sure about her friend's reactions, but she was filled with a sense of wonder as she saw the beautifully inscribed images on the metal plates. The entrance was easily three times the height of a grown man, and partitioned into 24 parts, each featuring a Kanto Pokemon.

"There's Dugtrio, Arcanine, Golbat, Lapras, Ditto, Gengar, Hypno, Scyther…" Brock whispered in awe.

"Vaporeon, Pinsir, Hariyama, Mankey, Victreebel, Muk, Tauros, Mankey…" Misty continued, smirking.

"Kakuna, Flareon, Machoke, Graveler, Koffing, and… Omanyte, I think," Ash hesitated, "The fossil Pokemon."

"What's this bird Pokemon?" The water trainer questioned, peering closer to see the lightning clouds emblazoned on the metal.

"One of the legendary birds, Zapdos," Ash replied, confidently. She had learned a lot about legendary Pokemon from her mother's stories. The dark-haired girl frowned, and traced the one plate that none of them could name.

"I wonder what this Pokemon is," Brock leaned in closer to take a look, "It looks a bit feline, but almost tall enough to be human-sized."

The other two were ignorant of Ash's startled gasp, as they began to throw out theories about the mystery Pokemon. The youngest trainer's mind was racing as she studied the Pokemon; she couldn't name him, but she instinctively knew that she had seen him before. This Pokemon was important to her. She didn't know why, she didn't know when, she didn't know how… but Ash would meet him again some day, and he would change her life.

She would probably end up breaking her promise to Gary then, too.

"Why don't we just ask the person living here?" Misty suggested, cutting off the argument in order to ring the lighthouse doorbell. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Who are you?" A male voice, distorted by the speaker, came through a metal box placed within the wall, "What are you doing here?"

"We're three trainers who have gotten lost on our way to Vermilion City," the red haired girl explained, "May we come in?"

"That depends," the voice replied, "Do any of you know how to cook? Without tofu?"

"We all do," Misty answered, "We'd like to use your kitchen to make a meal, and, if you want, we'll be happy to share."

"Excellent!" The voice was filled with relief, "My cook has gone on vacation, and I haven't had anything but tofu for the last week. Come in."

The steel doors swung open, and Misty cautiously led the way in. Ash had to squint against the dim lighting, as she looked around the entrance. It had all of the hallmarks of wealth that one could expect from a man with a personal cook, from the dark wood-paneled walls to the luxurious red carpet. She was particularly interested in the bookcases that lined each wall, and were overflowing with paper.

The only thing that was missing was the lighthouse owner himself.

"Hey! Where are you?" Misty cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted.

"I'm over here," a deep, muffled voice, as a brown Pokemon with two scythes attached his body stumbled forward into the light.

"A talking Kabutops," Ash said enthusiastically, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika-CHU!" The mouse's attack made the Kabutops spasm in the air, before crashing down. Smoke wafted from his body, as Ash tossed a Pokeball at him. The Pokeball made a dull thunk sound as it hit Kabutops, and then bounced off. Frowning, she threw another, only to achieve the same result.

"Ow! Stop throwing Pokeballs at me," the Kabutops wailed, making his mandible quiver, "I'm not a Pokemon!"

Ash paused, and prodded the body experimentally with her foot. The substance did feel softer than what she assumed a bug fossil's skin would feel. "Huh. You're not. Why are you dressed as a Pokemon?"

"I wanted to do research on Kabutops' behavior," the man in the costume exclaimed, struggling to lift his body back up, "Didn't you know that I was human when I started talking to you?"

The dark-haired girl shrugged, embarrassedly. "I've met a talking Meowth before."

"Really?" The Kabutops' head cocked to the side in interest, "How fascinating! It must be using the energy inherent in each Pokemon to manipulate its larynx- wait! Are you trying to distract me so I won't get angry?"

"...No?" Ash replied, weakly, "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Pi, pika-pi-chu?" Pikachu added, in an apologetic tone.

"You can get me out of this costume," the man answered, "And then maybe we can discuss that talking Meowth you saw…"

xxxxxxx

There existed a comfortable silence between Ash and Bill, as the former washed the dirty dishes, and then passed it on to the latter to dry. During a delicious meal by Brock and dessert by Misty, the two discovered that they shared many similar interests, chief among them a fascination for rare, unusual, or legendary Pokémon. Being also in possession of chatty natures, it soon became that their self-imposed silence was broken.

"You have a beautiful home, Bill," Ash began, "In particular, the lighthouse's door has amazing depictions of several of Kanto's Pokemon. My friends and I were able to name almost all of them, but there was one that confused me."

"Was it of the feline Pokemon standing on two hind legs?" Bill questioned. At her nod, he added, "I was unable to identify that Pokemon myself. This lighthouse was built in my great-grandfather's time, and the door built in then. It was a gift from a travelling Psychic, and her Mystic Pokemon, Xatu."

"I've never heard about a Pokemon called Xatu before," Ash broached, "Is it from another region?"

Bill smiled at her minor pique. "I would have been surprised if the Pokemon originated from Kanto, but was unknown to you," he complimented, "I suppose- correctly, by your smile- that you were the one to identify Zapdos and Omanyte? That was impressive."

The scientist ignored her flush of pleasure, and continued. "Xatu is a Johto dual Pokemon, of flying and psychic types, that is often aware of knowledge that it should, by all rights, not know. This has led some scientists to attribute the gift of prophecy to the Xatu line."

"But you don't believe that?" Ash noticed. The dark-haired man grimaced.

"I know that many Pokemon have powers far beyond human capability," he confessed, "But those abilities have been publically documented, independently verified, and rigorously tested. Xatu is one of those Pokemon whose abilities are less tangible, and that makes it difficult to measure or study them. Many of the people who believe in that claim, have little more proof to their name then mere faith. Admittedly, my own training and profession predisposes me to be skeptical of the matter…"

"That's perfectly understandable," Ash replied, assuringly, "Still, I would like to believe that there are many wonders of the Pokemon world that humans have yet to discover, and keep an open mind, so that I can learn about them one day. Maybe this mysterious Pokemon hasn't been documented yet?"

"Most likely," Bill agreed, "Now, instead of talking about Pokemon from Johto, why don't you tell me about the ones on your team?"

"I have six Pokemon," Ash reported proudly, "Pikachu was my starter, but I also have a Magikarp, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle."

"You caught all three starters?!" Bill gaped at her, disbelief in his tone, "That's incredible! Wild Bulbasaur are very rare, and, while there are larger Charmander and Squirtle populations, they concentrate in a few, difficult-to-reach environments. You'd have to scour the volcanic mountainside of Cinnabar Island for days just to find a Charmander."

"I caught them by a stroke of luck," Ash admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, "In the space of a week, I came across Bulbasaur, who was the self-declared protector of a wild Pokemon spa, Charmander, who was curled up on a rock by the road, and Squirtle, who was running his own gang."

The young scientist seemed to have forgotten that he had any dishes in his hands. "You sound like an interesting friend to have, Ashlyn Ketchum."

"Thank you?" Her tone suggested that she was unsure of what to do with his statement.

Fortunately, he moved on. "Those are stories that I would like to hear from you later," Bill said, resuming his chore, "Curled up by a fire and with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Now, I find it curious that you would carry all six Pokemon with you. Don't you want to leave a slot open for a future catch?"

Bill was surprised when the dark-haired girl vehemently shook her head. "They're my team!" she declared, passionately, "I plan to travel throughout Kanto with them."

"Although a plan based on affection, I would caution you against it," Bill said, bluntly, "There's a reason that there's a limit to the Pokemon that you have on hand. For one, sending them to the licenser allows them to monitor the Pokemon for neglect or abuse, as well as giving them necessary time to recuperate. Additionally, licensors are usually scientists, breeders, or other professionals that can benefit from having a variety of Pokemon on hand to study. Another reason concerns the expense on the system- basic aid may be covered by the League, but the Poke Centers can only handle so many patients. Not to mention that most trainers aren't mature enough to handle so many Pokemon at once."

Although mildly stung by his words, Ash cautiously nodded her understanding. Bill's reasoning was logical and astute; as a novice, she hadn't even considered those concerns. Eyeing the young girl warily to see whether or not she took offense, Bill hesitantly continued.

"Those reasons, though individually important, are not even the main reason why the League bans unlimited carrying of Pokemon," he stated, "The most important argument in favor of limits is that trainers make up the minority of the population that are in possession of more than six Pokemon, and when they battle, they shouldn't need more than six. A good trainer needs to be strategic and practical in their team set-up, because they may not always have the best Pokemon on hand."

"I see," Ash said quietly, after taking a few minutes to contemplate his words, "Then I'll just have to challenge the Indigo League with six Pokemon then."

"..." Bill shook his head, "You are a very stubborn girl."

An impish smile crossed his new friend's face. "Thank you!"

"That was not a compliment," Bill complained, laughing, "If you're so convinced about the matter, than you should look into an exemption license."

"They have exemption licenses for carry limits?" Ash's disbelief was profound. "They give exemption licenses to beginner trainers?"

"It's not unlimited," the scientist warned, "The maximum amount is twelve Pokemon, six of which have to be designated for your Primary Team, and used for official battles. And you don't get all of your slots at once. If you have three Main Gym badges, they can be raised to eight slots, four badges, ten slots, five badges, eleven slots, and six badges, twelve. By that point, it's assumed that you're pretty much guaranteed to come to the League Championship, and can handle two teams."

"That sounds absolutely perfect!" Ash burst out, giddily bouncing on the balls of her feet, "How do I apply for a license?"

"Well, you'll need to be sponsored by a mid-level League official, excluding your licenser," Bill mused, waving his hand negligently in the air, "Hmm… I technically qualify, and you did have the excellent judgement to compliment my house. I think I'll fill out the paperwork tomorrow."

The trainer's eyes were starry. "Bill," Ash said seriously, "You are now the greatest friend in the entire world. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

xxxxxxx

Bill had invited them to stay at his humble abode for a few days, to focus on training and recuperate from the fatigue of their travels. Ash wouldn't have characterized anything within the lighthouse to be humble, from the gleaming crystal chandeliers to the good-natured boasting of the owner, but had been happy to accept the invitation nonetheless. Bill had even issued an open allowance for his library, which Ash and Brock, at least, were willing to take full advantage of.

The Pallet Town trainer had taken a break from her readings for her Charmander's daily application of medicinal cream.

"Can you lift your arm up?" Ash asked, once the fire lizard's back and shoulders were covered by a minty paste. "Good. Do you feel any soreness?"

"Char," the fire Pokemon shook his head. He proudly flexed one thin arm, and growled. "Mander!"

Ash made no attempt to hide her smile. "Then you should be ready for some light exercises tomorrow. Today you can enjoy the beach, though I want you to avoid getting into the ocean. I'm not sure if this cream is waterproof."

"Mander." The fire Pokémon made a face, as though the mere mention of a large body of water was offensive to his sensibilities.

"Just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page," Ash soothed, putting the medical supplies away. "Would you like a Poffin?"

"Charm," was the enthusiastic response. The young fire type was the only one of Ash's Pokémon to enjoy the burnt, rock-hard snacks. Even Squirtle, whose food preferences were limited to 'mostly edible', avoided the berry-filled cakes. After handing a few Poffins over to Charmander, Ash stepped outside and called two of her other Pokémon over to her.

"Okay, I've made the decision to use you two in our next gym battle, against Lt. Surge," Ash explained, "Bulbasaur has a type advantage, and Pikachu's Lightning Rod ability could help us negate Surge's powerful electric attacks. We won't be facing him for another week, at least, so I want to spend this time getting some serious training in. Are you up for it?"

"Bulba," the green Saurian replied, nodding seriously. A hint of pride glimmered in his red eyes.

"Pika, pikapi!" the electric mouse's reply was far more energetic, and discharged sparks from his red cheeks. "Pichi."

"Then we'll try to learn a new move for each of you," their trainer started, lifting her Pokedex, "Pikachu, you have a lot of control over your electricity, so I think you should be able to handle a mid-length move called Electro Ball. The name is a little misleading, because instead of concentrating your power in a beach ball shape, you'll be making an electrical 'pouch', and then filling it with energy. Then you have to use your tail to catapult the ball towards your opponent. The attack is moderately powerful, but the main downside is that it can only be shot in a straight direction. Understand?"

Pikachu's black eyes squinted. "Pi-pichu?"

"I have some videos here, if you want to see other Pokémon do the move," Ash offered, sliding her finger across the screen, "They're uploaded by trainers from all over the world. I think the best one is by an Elekid belonging to a Sinnoh trainer named Paul. Here, check it out."

Pikachu stared intently at the screen, while Ash turned her attention to the patient grass type.

"You'll be learning a staple of the Bulbasaur line," the dark-haired girl said, grinning, "Razor Leaf is a long-distance, projectile attack, which will add some variety to your move set. It can also be paired well with some of your other moves, for some truly devastating combo attacks. The name is self-evident, but I've found a few videos that explain the technique. Apparently, the hardest part of the move is honing the leaves to a razor's edge inside your bulb, but you should be able to aim well enough when you're done. You have some experience from Leaf Seed."

"Saur, bulb," Bulbasaur nodded, the grin on his wide mouth revealing two sharply pointed incisors.

Once both Pokémon had watched the videos, they split apart to work on their respective techniques alone. Ash directed her attention towards having Magikarp Bounce through a series of hoops, then tossing disks for Pidgeotto to counter, and finally, working with Squirtle on his decidedly poor aim. Once she had them set up in their own drills, Ash returned to observe Pikachu's progress.

"You have the shape down," she encouraged, "But you need to make the net lines thinner. We need the Electro Ball to explode on impact."

The grass type had a little less to show, as his trainer couldn't observe the work inside of his bulb.

"Saur," he huffed, a mixture of frustration and disappointment on his face.

"May I see one of the leaves?" Ash asked, "The edge is dull, but we can work with the general shape. Why don't you try coating them in Sleep Powder and then throwing a few rounds? Then you need to take a break- don't give me that look, Bulbasaur! You won't accomplish anything if you're exhausted."

She cycled through each of the training Pokémon, offering encouragement, suggestions, and praise in turn. Charmander ended up tagging along midway, and had a blast throwing pieces of driftwood in the air for Squirtle to attack. Ash was pretty sure she had a minor heart attack when Squirtle's powerful Water Gun strayed a little too close for comfort, but allowed the two Pokémon to work together. This was a great way to build up camaraderie in her team.

xxxxxxx

Ash decided that the best way to gain some battling experience with her newest catch would be to have a friendly match on the beach. Misty had offered to be her opponent, in order to gain some equally important practice with Slowpoke, so the two girl's faced off on the sandy field. Ash studied the field in her typically indolent manner, as she considered her water type's capabilities. She recalled the words of her trusty Pokedex.

'Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. It draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful. This Squirtle knows Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble, Withdraw, Bite, Water Gun, and Rapid Spin.'

Ash had been surprised and impressed by the large move pool, before she tested each of them out, and saw that Squirtle was far from mastering many of his abilities. Bubble and Water Gun were often off-target, Withdraw was slow, and Rapid Spin caused too much dizziness to be reasonably used on the battlefield. The glum water type- who had hoped to jump straight to learning new attacks- spent the last day working on his aim, but it was still far from where Ash needed it to be.

"Slowpoke, use Water Gun," Misty called out, causing the pink Water and Psychic Pokemon to release a prodigious amount of water concentrated into a hose form.

"Withdraw, Squirtle," Ash said quietly, the sensitive ears pricking up, as Squirtle's arms and legs jerked inward. The attack still managed to throw him back, before Withdraw could be completed, but the complementary natures caused little damage. "Tail Whip on the sand."

"Not this time, Ash," the red haired girl retorted, "Water Gun to weigh the sand down, Slowpoke."

"Use Bubble, Squirtle," Ash ordered. Squirtle maw opened, and a wave of acidic bubbles rapidly headed in Slowpoke's direction. Misty smirked.

"Psychic to send them back," Misty shouted, the lavender energy wrapping around the bubbles, "Follow it up with… Disable." Ash's eyes narrowed; she didn't recognize the move.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!" The water type attempted to hide back inside of his shell, but for some reason, couldn't move his limbs, and was caught in a hail of bubbles. "Squirtle!"

"Disable causes the opponent's move to become useless for at least ten minutes," Misty explained, seeing her confusion, "Unfortunately, it can only be used for one move at a time… Water Gun."

"Dodge it, and use a Water Gun of your own, Squirtle," the dark-haired girl's mind raced furiously as she tried to consider a countermeasure. "Squirtle, try-"

"Psychic once again, Slowpoke!" The opaque lavender light forced the hail of water to pause and turn back at Squirtle, hitting the Pokemon directly in the stomach. The turtle's body flew through the air, and crashed against the sand, sliding a few more meters before he finally stopped. Two swirls were present in his eyes.

"Damn," Ash breathed, overcome with a sudden feeling of acute loss. She had never been so overpowered in a match before; Squirtle didn't stand a chance. Misty had been able to counter each of her moves with ease, and Slowpoke's combination of Disable and Psychic made her attacks useless.

"Slowpoke, return," the red-haired girl recalled her Pokemon, and jogged forward. "You okay, Ash?"

"Yeah," the dark-haired girl picked her unconscious water type up, "I'm going to feed Squirtle some healing potions first, and then put him in his Pokeball. He'll need a good, long rest."

"Did Squirtle get hurt too badly?" Misty asked, worried. She had a soft spot for the prideful Pokemon.

"Most of the damage would be to his ego, I think," Ash quipped, before her shoulders fell, "And mine."

"Hey, this is just one loss," the water trainer comforted, "And you haven't had much opportunity to train Squirtle before now. Besides, if you think this is bad, than I should tell you about this one time that a trainer from Hoenn came to the gym, and utterly destroyed Lily's team. He had this monster of a Vigoroth, and…"

As the two girls walked back to the lighthouse, Ash's discomfort slowly faded into amusement, from her friend's stories and encouragement. This had been an unprecedented loss, but she could work through this. As soon as Squirtle was taken care of, Ash would scour Bill's library for information on Psychic Pokemon. She would take this lesson to heart, and hopefully, when Squirtle awakened, her Pokemon would learn from it as well. If she was lucky, he might even decide to stop wearing sunglasses to battle.

xxxxxxx

Brock ran his brush carefully through Eevee's soft, golden-brown fur, as the fox-like Pokemon rested contentedly on his lap. Every now and then, Eevee let out an approving noise, as the bristles ran over a sensitive part of her body. Amused, Brock would shake his head, and dutifully brush over that part.

His new Pokemon certainly had a clear idea of what she wanted in life.

After a few more minutes, he was done, and placed the brush away. Eevee let out a discontented sigh, as her human grooming machine suddenly stopped, and lifted her from his warm lap.

"I need to put these away," Brock explained, rubbing the Pokemon's ears, "Why don't you have a Pokeblock or Poffin or two?"

"Vee," Eevee confirmed, gracefully rising up and padding towards his bag, "Ee-vee?"

She moved her paw away, as the male trainer removed a plastic bag full of snacks, and removed two Pokeblocks from within. He also took out two Poffins, and handed them over to the excited Eevee. The way she fell ravenously upon her snacks, made Brock turn away to hide his laughter.

"I think you should have been named the Walking Stomach," Brock snickered, "You might have a Munchlax or two in your family tree, Eevee." The Normal Type refused to dignify that with a response.

Assured that his mischievous Eevee's attention was engaged, at least until the food ran out, Brock checked up on Zubat. The flying and poison type was sleeping, upside down, on a detachable hook that Bill was kind enough to gift him. The former gym leader was embarrassed to admit that he hadn't even considered purchasing one before, but Bill assured him that the Pokeball took care of the tendon exercise when Zubat was in stasis. Still, after observing the happiness on his Pokemon's face, when Zubat roosted in the open air, Brock decided that he would set it up whenever possible.

When the teenaged boy was satisfied with his Pokemon's comfort, he focused his attention on a less pleasant task. Brock had yet to call home since the day he left Pewter City, and while he did want to hear some news from them, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face his father. Their last interaction had not been overtly unpleasant, but Brock was rushing around preparing his travelling supplies and imparting childraising information- knowledge that Flint should have known- and they hadn't really talked. Brock had mostly ignored the abandonment issue, because who wanted to address that?

Now his older brother instincts were urging him to check up on everyone, so Brock finally gave in and dialed his home phone. Tommy was the one to pick up.

"Hello?" the nine year old's voice said, "Who's calling? I mean- this is the Harris Residence! Tommy Harris speaking?" In the background, two raised voices could be heard arguing over a doll, against the high-pitched whistling of a tea kettle in the background.

"Hey, Tommy," Brock replied, grinning at the excited shout over the phone, "It's me, Brock. I'm calling from a friend's home, somewhere north of Route 25. How is everyone?"

"Brock!" Tommy crowed, "You called! Did you have any cool adventures or catch any new Pokemon? How many new friends did you make? Whose house are you in? Have you- hey!"

Tommy's voice was abruptly caught off, as another hand snatched the phone away.

"Bwock, we miss you!" Tilly yelled, her three year old understanding not having extended to the knowledge that one could speak normally into a phone, "When you come home?"

The phone was jerked away again, and Yolanda's calm, self-assured (and bossy, if her sibling's were to be believed) voice came on. "Hello, Brock. It's good to hear from you. We're all fine and-"

"All of you, back away!" the third eldest, Salvador, shouted, and Brock amusedly heard more sounds of fighting, "This is Salvador- I'm older than you, Yolanda- and I'm holding the phone."

"Salvador, can you put the phone on speaker?" Brock questioned. A second later, he heard the click, and suddenly the cacophony of his sibling's voices could be heard over the phone. Their loud infighting made any individual messages indistinguishable, but warmed Brock's heart.

When they finally reached some semblance of quiet, he spoke. "I'm well, but I miss you guys," Brock began, eliciting a wave of tearful agreements. "Where are Dad and Forrest? Cindy can answer."

"Daddy's at the gym," his sister's cheerful voice piped up, "And Forrest is out buying groceries." Brock felt unexpectedly relieved at not having to face his father just yet. Then he recalled the last noise that he had heard.

"Then why is there a tea kettle in the background?" Brock's voice became stern, "Timmy answers."

"Yolanda set it up," the boy immediately confessed.

"It's an electric kettle! That's safe!" the girl in question protested, causing a multitude of other voices to add their support or disagree with the statement.

Brock waited for them to settle down again, before he sighed. "Okay, Yolanda. If it's an electric kettle, and Salvador pours, then I'll let it go. Don't complain! Now, does anyone have any questions for me? Suzy can ask one first, and then Billy gets a turn."

In the hurried, chaotic manner common to his household, Brock was able to lie on the bed, and have a nice, if not relaxing, talk with his family. As Tommy boastfully accounted of his victory against a stubborn Sandshrew wind-up toy, Brock burst into laughter. As much as he enjoyed his newfound independence and exciting adventures, the male trainer had kind of missed this.

xxxxxxx

They had been at Bill's lighthouse for nearly three days, before the three teens agreed that they would have to leave tomorrow. As this was the last day though, and her team had been working so hard recently, Ash decided to cancel training. Instead, they would spend the day enjoying the perks of full access to a private beach.

"Is there any reason you have so many women's bathing suits lying around?" Ash raised a brow, waving the offered cloth around.

"I have a lot of female visitors," Bill replied, "No! Not like that, Ash! I meant that I have several younger, female cousins who visit from time to time… Look, do you want the bathing suit, or not?"

"Yes, please," Ash decided to stop the teasing, and picked out a red one-piece with white flowers. It was one size too large, but one of the closer fits available. "Your 'cousin' has excellent taste."

The green-haired man rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Ash. They really do belong to my cousin."

"M'hmm," she murmured, smirking, "I'm sure they do. Well, thanks for the suit, Bill."

Her new friend was also in possession of snorkeling equipment; Ash was particularly excited to try them out. The ocean's waves were mildly chilly, making the young girl shiver, until her body had accustomed itself to its frigid temperature, and she had swum out several meters from the beach. A red and gold fish Pokémon swam beside her, occasionally speeding forward, before falling back and bobbing happily around her.

"Magi!" Magikarp's tail sharply hit the water, making a wave splash upwards. "Magi-karp!"

The water Pokémon dove downward, and Ash, after touching her goggles reassuringly, followed him. As her body submerged itself into the water, and legs strained to propel her below, the view around her changed. Sunlight dimmed, casting the water in a hollow, eerie green light, and flecks of seaweed drifted by. The resistance of the water made her limbs sluggish, as Ash strained her eyes to see the flash of red that indicated Magikarp's appearance.

She turned her head against the cold water, squinting around for Magikarp, before the bright red Pokémon swam up to her. He butted his head gently against her body, dislodging flecks of red scales. Ash was confused for a moment, before he nudged her arm, and helped her realize that Magikarp wanted her to hold onto him. Once she did so, carefully securing one arm around his body, the fish Pokémon propelled himself forward again.

Had Ash been able to speak underwater, a startled shout of glee would have escaped from her lips. Magikarp's speed was much greater than her own, and the young girl found herself dragged deeper and further into the ocean than she would have thought possible. The pull of the ocean seemed meaningless as Magikarp's strong body easily navigated the languid waves. Soon, they reached a point far enough from shore, for a multitude of other Pokémon to appear around them.

Ash's eyes widened with utter delight as she saw schools of Pokémon she could recognize, such as Magikarp, Goldeen, and Tentacool, swimming besides Pokémon from other regions of the world. Her hand itched, though whether for a Pokeball or a sketchpad she didn't know, when she saw a majestic Kingdra among a colony of Shellder on the sandy floor. Magikarp's speed lessened once they became surrounded by other Pokémon, allowing Ash to observe them with open interest. Many looked back curiously at the small human with the too-large goggles, almost slipping from her eyes, that was in their midst, but they didn't move any closer. As Magikarp kept a safe distance from them, none of the Pokémon breached their implicit peace.

When the girl's breath started to become shallow, she reluctantly tapped Magikarp to get her Pokémon's interest. At his glance, she tapped her snorkel, and then pointed upwards. Magikarp nodded, and began to rapidly draw her to the surfeit of light upward. When Ash's head broke the surface of the water, she pushed aside the snorkel, and took in several deep breaths.

"That was amazing," Ash laughed, kicking her legs, and holding on to Magikarp, to stay in the ocean's surface, "Magikarp, that was absolutely brilliant! Can you take me down there, again?"

"Karp, magi, magi, magi-karp," her water Pokémon nodded eagerly. "Magi!"

When she had regained her equilibrium, Ash slipped the snorkel back on, and grabbed her Pokémon's body again. Magikarp immediately dived below, moving even more quickly now, as he knew the best paths to take to bring them near to the bottom. His trainer was just as thrilled with the second trip underwater, even summoning the courage to release Magikarp and shyly approach a stunning Luvdisc. The pink, heart-shaped Pokémon tolerated Ash's petting with good humor, and bopped her stomach slightly before swimming away.

Their third trip passed without incident, but when Magikarp ventured northwest in the fourth run, Ash stiffened. Feeling the greater resistance, the red and gold water type looked directly at her.

"Karp?" the bubbles released from his mouth made it more difficult to hear his question. Nonetheless, Ash jabbed her finger down.

She couldn't explain it, to either her Pokémon or herself, but Ash felt a pull towards the ocean's floor. There was something there that compelled her to come forward, a basic instinct that assured her of its benign nature, a mental attraction that Ash simply could not resist. She strained forward, eyes vainly cataloguing a handful of shapes in grey and black, as Magikarp swam forward. When they were close enough, and the pressure of the call strained against her mind, Ash released the water Pokémon.

Clumsily, and through a great deal of difficulty to push through the water's resistance, Ash drifted towards the pull. Surrendering herself to the draw of instinct, the young girl searched amongst the stones littering the sandy bank. She knew that her search was fruitful when her hand wrapped around one smooth stone, and it lit up bright blue-

-and it clicked, this warmth that surged through her body. But she wasn't underwater, Ash was flying on a proud Dragonite, King of the Skies. Than the clouds disappeared to a grass-filled meadow, and Riolu was throwing a ball of bright, blue energy at her- her hands stung as she caught the Aura Sphere- but the world was suddenly black, and she was curled up beside a Glaceon's icy nature. Only, no, Ash was laughing as Ponyta chased her around, a sandwich clenched triumphantly in her hand-

Ash removed her hand, and the stone's light suddenly cut off, making her eyes blink rapidly against the sudden onset of color and then darkness that shocked her retinas. Her mind scrambled against the memories of places she never visited and Pokémon she did not have, as Ash jerked her body back. Yet despite the fear and confusion elicited by the stone, the girl was still compelled to pick it up again.

"Magi, magi-karp," Magikarp burbled, swimming closer to press protectively by her side. The light show hadn't just caught his attention; several of the Pokémon around them, were staring at her intently. Swallowing down her nerves, Ash reached over to pluck up the stone once more.

Thankfully, an onset of those strange memories didn't deluge her, which filled Ash with mingling relief and disappointment. But the stone did begin to pulse with its steady blue light, and grow warm before her fingers. This brought her a comfort, that Ash found inexplicable, and potentially frightening.

Keeping the strange stone fully in her grasp, and dimming the blue light with her fingers, Ash took ahold of Magikarp. The water Pokémon understood her request, and a flash of red could be seen as he hurriedly rushed to break the surface of the water. After Ash had taken a few deep breaths, she observed the glowing blue stone lying innocuously on her palm. It was an almost perfect circle of pale blue, that fit perfectly against the shape of her hand, and bore not a single mark or blemish.

"Karp?" Magikarp intoned, anxiously staring at the strange stone.

"I don't know," Ash answered, staring at the blue light, transfixed, "I think we should head back to shore. Maybe Bill will know what this is."

Less than half an hour later, Bill, Ash, Misty, and Brock were assembled around a research table, whereon the stone laid. Despite all of his poking, prodding, and microscopes, Bill could not identify what this stone was. It appeared to be just a regular rock, of no particular characteristic whatsoever, and eliciting not a single reaction, if not for one minor thing.

It turned into a miniature neon glow lamp the second it came into contact with Ash.

"Did you find any Pokémon around it?" Bill asked, recording the physical characteristics, such as weight and length, of the rock, "Were there any other rocks of a similar nature?"

Ash responded in the negative for both questions, before extending a finger and tapping the stone. The blue light flickered on and off along Ash's touch.

"It's extraordinarily sensitive," Bill mused, drawing out a video camera, "If you want, I can send it off to some colleagues that specialize in evolutionary stones, or even fossil Pokémon."

"I don't think this fits into either category," Ash said, hesitating. For some reason, she felt that the stone should stay with her. "May I keep it?"

The young scientist shrugged. "It was your find, and it doesn't seem to react to anything else. Would you mind updating me if you learn anything new about it though? It's piqued my curiosity."

"Not a problem," Ash replied absently. "There's something else I should tell you though. When I picked it up, it felt like I was being inundated by someone else's memories. In one of them, I was riding on a Dragonite…"

xxxxxxx

"I've marked each common landmark, and patterned them over the official map," Bill handed a piece of paper to Brock, "With these directions, you can't possibly get lost on your way to Vermillion."

"Challenge accepted," Ash joked, giving the young man a hug, "Thanks for putting up with us for the last few days, Bill. And, uh, my apologies for electrocuting you. Again."

"Pichu, pikapi," Pikachu added, waving his paw.

"It was my pleasure," Bill assured her, "Not the attacking me part, but everything else was fantastic. And I stand by what I said before, Ash. You are an interesting friend to have."

"Also exciting, frustrating, dangerous, and occasionally mind-boggling," Misty smirked, "But our Ash is certainly never boring. Thanks for everything, Bill."

"We should leave then," Brock extended his hand, and shook Bill's firmly, "Thank you for all of your hospitality."

"Goodbye!" the green-haired man waved, watching the three trainers walk away, "And Ash, remember to keep me updated on your blue stone!"

"Will do," the dark-haired girl turned back, so he could see the smile that flashed across her face, "And if you ever meet that mystery giant Pokemon of yours, call me!"

xxxxxxx

A Pokemon List (In Order of Seniority):

Ashlyn Ketchum: Pikachu, Magikarp, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle

Misty Waterflower: Starmie, Butterfree, Chinchou, and Slowpoke

Brock Harris: Zubat and Eevee

xxxxxxxx

I would like to thank Naramyon, who offered many of the reasons why there should be a six-carry limit. As that reader can see, I have shamelessly adopted his/her ideas for the chapter, though I hope to be forgiven by crediting them.

This is also a good time to extend my gratefulness to all of my readers, who are willing to share their ideas and suggestions for how the story should go forward. I know I rarely mention it, but I am deeply thankful for your involvement.

Now, the readership has spoken, and it was unanimously decreed that Magikarp should be the first to evolve. I have the perfect scene for an evolution in mind, but we won't get to it for another chapter or two (depending on how much I can cover). Also, I'm glad to see how much I could fit into this chapter, since we covered training, the six Pokemon limit, Ash's destiny, and Brock's character development. There's still far more to develop, but I think readers should have an idea of the kind of person Brock is. We've also got some progress on the Aura Guardian front, though it will be a while until that facet of Ash's story is explored. Last but not least, this chapter is almost twice as long as previous ones! So, I'm pretty thrilled with that.

Next Question: Should I have Brock enter a Breeder Competition?