Hi, again.

I felt the urge to write, so I did. Hope you enjoy, and as always, your reviews and PMs are always welcome.

Thanks.

Ash realised quickly after Absol was allowed to leave the Pokemon Centre that he had no idea what he was doing.

With all of the oddities that had occurred, he'd not been given a chance to think about what exactly he'd intended to do. He'd had an idea before, of course, though most of what he'd intended was suddenly obsolete, given he now found himself on an entirely different landmass, with entirely different pokemon and entirely different gyms.

The principles of everything, though, remained constant. He had Ralts, who found herself very comfortably placed on his shoulder, and he had Absol, who preferred to lead them both, the nearest edge of his shadow being the only thing that Ash could then see.

Ash had not had any intentions of spending any great amount of time in Fortree. The city, while unique, both in philosophy and architecture, was still a city. He'd never felt any great joy in cities, having neither grown up in one nor wishing to.

Professor Birch had left them quickly, his goodbyes hurried though not before he designated Ash a place on their trainer programme.

Ash didn't dislike the man, but he could freely admit that he was happier without his company.

They walked an easy pace set by Absol. Ash trusted him to know his own body's limitations. They had not shared a great deal of time together, hardly any in truth, though Ash was not worried for what he might do now that they were travelling. He was a mature member of his species, a species not known for its volatility and, most importantly, he knew that Ash cared for Ralts, and he would never do anything to harm her, including hurting himself in overexertion.

Ash knew that most trainer's first instinct after beginning was to challenge the nearest gym leader, though given that he knew next to nothing about Hoenn's gyms, he thought he would steer clear of that for a while. Absol, he knew, would be a problem for any trainer to handle, though Ash had not seen him battle at all and he wanted to wait until Absol was totally healthy before they attempted anything remotely resembling a battle.

He'd scanned Absol, of course, and found that his moveset was mostly physical, which did not surprise him. If what Ash had initially encountered was to be an indication of his life, Absol most often ran into the Mighthyena that formed their territories among Hoenn's grasslands which, given their own Dark-typing, would make harnessing attacks of dark-energy to be a waste of, well, energy.

From the time he'd spent at Professor Oak's ranch, Ash knew that training pokemon of any typing to harness their own innate energies was a labour of time; a resource that wild pokemon found sparse as they fended for themselves. That was the reason that dragons like Cynthia's Garchomp could break the earth in two with their meteors, or Steven Stone's Metagross could melt steel and make the metal its tool for anything it could ever desire, whereas wild members of the species, if they even survived to full maturity, could not offer the same level of power.

Such time would come for them, Ash knew, but first came comfort. He knew that his two pokemon had lead stressed lives, worrying constantly over their next meal, their eyes always looking over their shoulder for their next threat. Ash, at least, wished for that to stop, as much as he could help.

They settled to make camp a few miles from Fortree, the natural city's tall trees then just a speck on the horizon, their place of rest chosen as Absol halted before quickly laying down on the grass of an empty clearing he'd found. Ash'd had to unsettle Ralts as he set about preparing his tent and such, whom he realised had silently dozed under his carriage for most of the journey. She awoke easily, her father coming to inspect her form for any micro-imperfections, worrying over her in an instinctively paternal manner.

Ash gave them a moment alone, walking to fill his water containers in a nearby stream. Arceus-only-knows how bad it must've been for them to be apart as they had been; they deserved to be among one-another again.

He found firewood, too, though only enough for a night or so. He'd camped before, the act a staple part of Kanto's culture with how closely it revered its natural habitat, though before he'd had the guiding hand of Professor Oak or his Mom, and so it took a moment for his brain to click into gear.

He opened his bag, bringing out the berries that he possessed, a parting gift from Professor Birch, which came with it a guide on what each berry was and what it was for. The information was on the Pokedex, but to hear it from an expert was always preferred and Ash ensured that he committed as much of it to memory as he could. The flora of Hoenn was very different to Kanto, though the berries that were a staple of pokemon food were marvels of human intervention and so not-too-dissimilar to that which populated Kanto.

Absol and Ralts recognised what they were immediately, allowing the berries to placed before them. Absol ate, though not before mild inspection, his paws passing over the berries and his body hunkered down, hiding the food from any others that might see it. Ralts ate without abandon, the joy at their taste filling the clearing and bringing a grin to Ash's face.

The feeling reminded Ash of something, though.

"Ralts, can I ask you something?" he asked. Ralts nodded, her focus unwavering from her meal. "You know how you can feel emotions?" Ralts nodded again, smiling in contentment. "Can you make other people feel emotions?"

Her head tilted skyward in thought, before shaking her head. I don't think so, she said, her voice soft in his thoughts. Should I be able to?

"No, I didn't think so, either," Ash replied, his voice searching. "I was just making sure that my Pokedex wasn't wrong is all." Ash paused, for a moment. "It's just…I think I can feel how you're feeling, too."

Really? she asked, her voice alight with youthful wonder. How am I feeling now?

"Happy," Ash said, laughing. He closed his eyes, thinking on it for a moment. "Comfortable."

Ralts forced herself to frown. How about now?

"Still happy," Ash replied, laughing as her facade fell apart immediately and she broke into giggles. "I don't really understand, though. I'm not psychic."

Ralts' head tilted curiously. Is it only me that you can feel?

"I think so," Ash said, attempting to recall any memory of it ever happening. "The first time we met was the first time I ever remember it happening."

Ash felt Ralts' confusion, then. Given how her species were, born innately feeling every emotion that every being near it felt, it was no doubt odd for her to encounter the total opposite.

Have you ever tried to feel other people's emotions? Ralts asked, her voice thoughtful.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused. How on Earth would you do that?

Ralts' small face scrunched in concentration. It is something Papa taught me, she said. Ash turned toward Absol, who sat listening intently. After I hatched, when he taught me to use…pursuit, I think your Pokedex called it. Because of Papa, I could use dark energy, I just didn't know it!

Ash thought for a moment, attempting to get it. Perhaps, as Ralts might have imagined, he might have an ability that would've laid dormant, had it not been awoken by somebody else. In his case, Ralts' and her own, identical, ability.

"I still don't understand how I can, though," Ash voiced aloud. "I'm a human. Humans don't just have a pokemon's ability. That never happens."

That doesn't matter though, does it? Ralts asked, rhetorically, her voice childishly clear. You do have it. At least with me, you do.

That, Ash supposed, was true, or at least that was what he thought was happening.

Why not try and work out how Papa's feeling? Ralts suggested, twirling through the air so that she could return to Ash's side. And I'll know if you're right or not!

Ash's eyes flicked toward the Absol, silently asking his consent. His scythed head nodded, mostly, Ash imagined, so as to not disappoint his daughter. "So, what do I do?"

The irony of Ash's first efforts in pokemon training had ended with him asking them for training was not lost.

Papa is over there. You can see him with your eyes, but if you look deeper, there's more to see, Ralts began, the wisdom of her words softened by the ease of her voice. So let yourself look deeper.

He allowed himself a moment to accept the oddness of what his life had become, before following Ralts' instruction. Ash looked over at Absol, whom in turn held his gaze, his ancient, red eyes glinting in the dim light of the clearing. Ash could see, just as anyone paying attention would have, the wariness that he held within him. The dark-type's shoulders were not settled, his spine tensed even in the relative peace of the clearing. Ash, in more blind hope than anything else, tried to look beyond that.

For a time, there was nothing. He existed, and so did Absol, and they both did feel, but Ash could not feel him.

And then, he could. With almost crushing immediacy, he could feel him.

Relief, relief poured from the deepest fibres of him, onto the edges of his spirit and through the middle of everything he was. Relief, at having Ralts back and her being safe and warm and fed and alive. She was alive and he could continue to be with his pride and joy. He might lose her again but he had her now and that was all that mattered.

Ash gasped, his eyes opening though he never remembered closing them. He met Absol's eyes once more and finding them wide, his spine ramrod straight. Ash offered him a smile, attempting to put Absol at ease. Ralts floated toward her father, sitting on his back and wrapping herself around him, holding him tightly.

"The promise I made before is one I fully intend to keep," Ash swore, his eyes not leaving Absol's. "I'm going to do everything in my power to keep both of you safe. For as long as I am alive, you two will not be separated."

Absol settled then, sinking to the grass beneath him and bringing Ralts there too. Ash moved slowly so that he was beside the pair of them, his hand lowering to gently pet the fur on the top of his head. Absol jolted, unfamiliar with the sensation, though settled again soon to Ash's relief. They sat there, with Ralts holding Absol and Ash gently petting him until all of the tension bled from his body and he was calm.

So this means you're like me! Ralts spoke into Ash's mind.

Ash wondered, briefly considering the genuine possibility that he was a fairy-type, though that came and went easily. He'd held steel cutlery his entire life without once encountering anything odd. He wasn't psychic, either, otherwise nothing at all would've happened. He didn't know.

The source of whatever it was that he could do was a mystery, the solution of which Ash did not know. However, that didn't matter. What mattered was that it was incredibly cool and, Ash realised, meant that his pokemon journey had suddenly become all the more interesting.

"I hope this means when I'm an adult I'll be able to make black hole like you'll be able to, then," Ash said to her. "If you could teach me how to teleport as well, I'd really like that. It'd make travelling around a lot easier."

Ralts giggled in his mind. "That makes he think actually. How old are you?" Ash asked, continuing. "Because you know how to teleport, and you usually learn to do that just before you evolve."

Two months, Ralts said, looking up at him through her green hair. I learned it from some of the kadabra we passed by. Papa helped them escape from poachers and they taught me as thanks.

Ash ignored the reminder of how cruel their world could be; it didn't matter any more. He continued to stroke at the Absol's fur, oddly proud. He wouldn't bring Absol into any training that day, his peace far more important.

He was curious of Ralts, though, turning toward her. "Would you mind showing me the moves that you know?"

Ralts nodded, her eyes briefly closing before she teleported into a more open part of the clearing, appearing instantly with a smile. Her eyes closed again, and once more she appeared in a different place, space opening at her whim.

Her eyes closed, and from her hands she released a wave of energy which he assumed was confusion, before growling, which made Ash smile, unbidden. Her body glowed, first a dark pink and then purple, before she pushed her body through the air and tackled empty air, by then her entire body wreathed in dark energy.

Soon after, Ralts teleported back to his side, her body slumping slightly at the exertion.

"I'm really impressed!" Ash exclaimed, grinning at the sight of it all. "You're really powerful for how young you are. Knowing pursuit is really cool too!"

He reached down to stroke her hair. Ralts nodded beneath his hand, her head ducking as she grew bashful at his words. Then, Ash could feel warmth pouring from her, both from his own sense and literally, her body growing warmer.

"I couldn't have asked for a better starting pokemon," he told her, before wondering. "How do you feel about training?" before quickly adding. "I don't mind either way, honestly. As long as what happens is what you want."

She smiled. I think I'd like to become stronger, she told Ash. I'd like to be able to protect myself so that Papa doesn't have to worry so much.

"How would you feel about battling, though?" Ash asked. If he was honest with himself, he didn't really enjoy the idea of seeing her hurt. He didn't like the idea of seeing Absol hurt, either, though doubly so for Ralts. "Would you want to do challenge gyms leaders and other trainers?"

Ralts paused for a moment, her eyes flicking toward her father before returning to Ash. I'd like to try it, she said, her voice quiet though assured. I just don't know if I'd be good or not.

Ash recalled the hundreds of battles he'd seen of Gardevoir at conferences, trapping their opponents inside inescapable walls, teleporting without thought and ripping apart the earth with the power of their mind.

"I think you're going to be great," spoke Ash, smiling. "But that's only if you really want to."

Then I'd love to try! She exclaimed, spinning around in the air as the excitement that grew in her became overwhelming.

Ash had Ralts begin by getting her used to moving around quickly under her own power, which was a gift taken as a given for most psychics, but in the beginning, manoeuvring even their own body weight using their power, even through the relatively small area of their camp, was tiring.

While he watched her, at first her movements lively and energetic, though quickly losing their grace, he found his hands still petting Absol, ensuring that he was still okay. He made the occasional attempt at searching out for the emotion of the dark-type, allowing himself to become familiar with the sensation of the process. With Ralts, he did not need to try to learn of what she was feeling, as she broadcast it to him so freely, which made it easy enough for him to learn when she had exhausted herself, telling her wordlessly to take a break.

While the Ralts lines' requirement of rest was not quite as legendary as an Abra, Ash had learned, she was still young and he would no doubt have to allow her to sleep for half a day or so if he was to really push her performance before she evolved.

"How do it that feel then?" he asked her, as she took her rest, her body slumped against him.

Exhausting! she told him, her voice breathless even as it ran through his mind.

"It'll get easier the more you do it," Ash told her, his hand coming to rustle her hair which leaned in to. "Next time, I'll make it a bit more fun and play tag with you."

Ralts nodded beneath his hand.

By then, the sun had begun to set on the island of Hoenn, the falling light casting a warm hue over the clearing. Around him, Ash could hear the rustle of the local fauna, occasionally catching the sight of the leaves of an Oddish out of the corner of his eye. They appeared much the same as they did in his home, though their flower was a slightly lighter shade of green.

He'd read through his Pokedex about the wildlife of the route they found themselves on, luckily discovering that there was little to worry about in the parts close to Fortree. Tropius could be found deep in the taller grass further along the route, though despite their size and power, they were quite friendly.

The spring of the river that carved through the centre of Hoenn was not too far north of where they were, and near it a research facility that studied Meteorology, a point of considerable intrigue in Hoenn, given its history and its pantheon of legendary pokemon. The aptly named Rayquaza Weather Institute, he'd learned from his Pokedex, was not well liked by the people of the towns that surrounded it, for in their study of weather conditions, they'd learned of some techniques in order to manipulate the weather themselves, their efforts causing sudden rain to appear from the heavens and ruin plans of picnics and days out.

Ash hoped their influence of the air above didn't quite reach where he had made camp. Much as his tent was waterproof, travelling through the rain was never fun, especially now that he could no longer escape such discomfort in a hurry.

He asked Absol to rest just as the last of the light faded from the sky, he himself keeping watch until the twilight hours. Absol, he knew, could keep watch in darkness just as well as the light and required less sleep than he himself did, so he would be trusted to watch through the night.

Ralts found sleep easily next to Ash, her body curled up on his chest. In his time alone, he read on the Pokedex, glancing at the battles of the more well known Psychic trainers; Ash preferred to learn visually. Much of what he could see was beyond Ralts then, but still the principles of battling remained constant. She would need to be quick and adaptable, though he had every confidence that she would be.

Absol was already quick, powerful and clever. Perhaps all that Ash could offer him in the beginning was the comfort of being safe. If that were true, Ash was more than happy.

When he awoke, his eyes shining even in the darkness, Ash held his gaze for a while. Something odd had carried through the two of them today. Ash knew that the Absol did not like appearing weak, or unguarded. His life for the years he'd been alive depended on it.

Ash would not take for granted the honour of being allowed to see him, unguarded.

He found sleep easily, too, the weight of Ralts on his chest unfamiliar though not unwelcome, the warmth of her pleasant in Hoenn's crisp air. He dreamed of the three of them, happy and safe.

...

It was dawn when Ash awoke, though only just. It wasn't Absol that awoke him either, but rather the sound of a familiar cry in the distance. Oddly familiar, too.

Ralts, amazingly, slept through the cacophony, her peace entirely undisturbed. Absol himself was alert though, moving quickly to Ash's side. There was no fear in his stance, no great worry of any great danger, but still the noise was loud and only seemed to be getting louder.

Light filtered through the clearing softly, though Ash paid no mind to his surroundings, searching the air for whatever it was that had awoken him, his clothes dressed upon him in hurry and little focus, his hair sticking in a thousand directions and his hat entirely forgotten.

The cause of the disturbance was soon found, though it raised more questions than it did answers.

Up above, a dispute had begun between a flock of Tailow, the birds that were local to the region, led by an oddly large Swellow and, equally oddly, a flock of Pidgey, among them two Pidgeotto. The Tailow outnumbered the Pidgey, though that did not stop the Kanto birds from their posturing, their group bunching together, though occasionally flaring outward to ensure they weren't surrounded.

The Pidgeys' presence in Hoenn was unexpected, given their absolute and sole habitat being Kanto-Johto; that fact was one that had been drilled into Ash's head in his time as a student. It was one of those odd facts that the Kanto education system had deemed it absolutely necessary for every child growing up to know, like their eleven-times-tables, or the purpose of mitochondria.

Ash recalled, with an odd sense of bemusement, that he'd written more than one paper on the topic, a topic that was being undoubtedly disapproved before his very eyes. Kanto, apparently due to the air streams caused by Lugia's presence, had air pressures that were not dictated seasonally, so pidgey had no cause to migrate. And yet, there they were. Pidgeys, above his head, squawking much too loudly for comfort.

He was sure that, if he were perhaps Professor Oak, he would've found some level of academic curiosity rise within him, though as he was not a world-renowned Pokemon Professor, he simply wanted the noise to go away. Ralts, whom Ash had, in bleary confusion, began to carry in his arms, still slept despite it all.

Soon though, the noise dissipated and gave away to, more worryingly, an upswelling of gusts as the Pidgey grew more desperate to protect themselves. The air grew more turbulent with Tailow, being the heavier species, struggling to maintain their poise in the amongst the unruly air currents.

In response however, the great swellow, whom seemed to be four-times the size of the largest pidgeotto, drew back its wings and in their unfurling unleashed a whirlwind that caused the brush of the forest to rise up and above Ash's eyeline, the air itself growing warm and difficult to draw breath.

In unison, both Ash and Absol ran from the treeline and away from the birds' dispute, Ash ensuring that Ralts was still safely in his arms. They would need to return there to pack up their camp, but safety was first then. Absol was still recovering, and as he was then he would not be equipped to handle a full flock's ire.

They reached the relative safety of the nearby trainer route quickly, though soon worry dawned on Ash.

Pidgey did not migrate, and so the flock were likely confused in their new surroundings. They lacked a leader, given they didn't have a pidgeot among them. They lacked protection, as much of a flock's strength lied in their pidgeot, their last evolution being when they gained their greatest strength; their speed.

They were isolated, and scared, and they had no help.

"We need to go to Fortree and get help. The gym leader there is a flying-type expert," Ash told Absol then, his voice without question. "Those pidgey need help, or they won't survive."

Absol looked at him, and for a moment Ash wondered if Absol could read his mind, so resolute was his focus. Then, his scythed head gave a slow nod, and they were away, running along the route toward Fortree City. They passed other trainers whom had made camp along the route, though they did not rise at Ash's presence, either unbothered or still asleep.

They made quick time in retracing their path of the day prior, their pace urgent then, unlike it had been before and by the time the sun stood clearly in the blue sky above, they were amongst the city again.

The pathways amongst the tall trees were quiet, the day having barely begun, though still he could feel Absol's discomfort grow at being among so much life again. Ash glanced across to him, offering him a small smile that Ash hoped would be of some comfort.

The structures of the city were not typical in that they were not made of brick and mortar, or even clay and stone, but huts woven intricately about the tall trees that dominated the landscape. There wasn't really any industry around the city either, no great warehouses or coughing smokestacks blurring the sky into dark grey. The air was crisp and clear, unlike anything he'd experienced in Kanto, and Ash welcomed the feeling of its flow into his lungs after he'd ran there.

He'd not really taken in the city in his brief time there as he'd spent most of his time fretting over Absol, and ensuring that Ralts was not worried. On occasion, Professor Birch had mentioned the city occasionally, as if to familiarise Ash with his new surroundings, though much of what he'd said had fallen on deaf ears.

However, the location of the gym was not one such thing. The gym was the only real building in the small city, and even to call it that would be perhaps overstating it. It began on the ground unlike those that surrounded it, though the building itself gave way quickly for an open expanse that, Ash imagined, functioned as their battlefield, with two tall plinths at either end standing above even the highest treeline.

The door to the gym was unlocked, though it, much like the outer walls of the gym, was covered in vines, moss and lichen. Ash opened it, entering into their reception where a older woman of near sixty sat behind a desk.

"Is the gym leader in?" Ash asked of her without preamble.

"Winona will not be taking challenges until midday," the receptions told him, her voice polite.

The idea of him challenging a gym still sounded odd in his ears. He could scarcely believe the idea was a real possibility.

"I'm not here to challenge the gym," Ash said, his thoughts quickly clearing. "I need her help."

The receptionist did not respond to him, but a soft voice to his side did. "And what, exactly, is the problem that would require my attention?" asked Winona, who had appeared in the interim.

She was a woman of perhaps thirty, though certainly no older, with long hair of a blonde light enough that in the light of the gym it shone silver and blue eyes that held a clarity and resolve that offered Ash absolutely no doubt as to her own strength. In truth, she was a striking person, like the sharp wind of a cold winter morning, her features distinct though not ungraceful.

"I-I found a flock of pidgey on the western route from Fortree," Ash told her, after a moment's pause. He could see that she watched him oddly, confusion clear upon her face as he spoke. "They were being attacked by a flock of tailow."

"A swarm."

Ash's brow furrowed. "What?"

"A group of tailow is called a swarm, not a flock," Winona told him, her nose raised upward ever-so-slightly, her gaze looking from him altogether, aloof. "And, pidgey collect in a flight."

Ash, for a moment, had the odd sense that he was at school and he'd just asked if he could go to the bathroom, only to be asked in return if he could.

"Does that matter?" Ash asked rhetorically, his voice rising. "If we don't do something, they're going to get hurt!"

Winona's blue eyes returned to him again, offering him a look of appraisal, before she returned to staring out into the world.

"Given your harried appearance, I take that you ran as soon as you learned of their presence," Winona said, without any question. Nonetheless, Ash nodded. "If what you say is true, the tailow will have, by now, already removed any threat to their territory, and so your haste was unnecessary."

Worry sliced through Ash.

"You're wrong," he told her, and that did draw her attention. "I know that there's still a chance that we can help them if we're quick."

"You know?" Winona asked, her soft voice holding a mocking lilt. "And from what study do you draw from to know such a thing?" Winona walked toward him, their heights placing their eyes level of each other, though her eyes seemed to pierce through him. "I am the foremost authority on birds and their habitats in all of Hoenn.Perhaps you may not know that, Kantonian, but you have no right to question my judgement."

Ash's eyes closed for a moment, so that he might gain some composure. Ralts, he knew, had roused from her sleep in his arms, yet despite the unrest in the room, she was still calm.

"My birthplace doesn't matter now, does it?" Ash asked, in a voice all too familiar. "And your expertise doesn't matter either. You might be right, or I might be, but if there's even a small chance that we can help those pidgey, if you care about the pokemon you have dedicated your life to, you should help them."

Winona offered a thin smile. "My compassion is irrelevant," she told Ash, before she began truly. "I care for my own pokemon, and those that I have pledged to protect and help, but those in the wild I have no stewardship over. It is not my duty, and nor is it yours, to help wild pokemon unless you wish for them to be your own. We must allow the world to hold its natural order, and allow nature to draw its own ending, as my Lord Rayquaza decrees."

Ash looked down at her clothes, noting the robes that she wore belonged to those that praised the sky dragon, the material lined in bright green, with the traditional symbolic rendition of the great dragon embroidered along the length of it. Rayquaza was not a popular deity in Kanto, though most of Hoenn, Ash knew, held him in some reverence, and the region's culture was pervasive enough to reach even him.

Winona looked upon him softly. "From our own view, the world can appear cruel, for we can often miss the wood for the trees," she continued. "If I were to intervene, and save these pidgey, and continue to do so, one day they would become pidgeotto and then pidgeot, and suddenly I would need to protect every Tailow in the country. If I were to show compassion now, it would only be cruelty later."

"Then let the pidgey leave Hoenn," Ash said, suddenly. "If they leave then there's no problem."

"That isn't feasible," Winona told him, her voice lacking the serenity it had held before. "And yet still if it were, that would be intervention."

"The pidgey should never have been here in the first place," Ash replied. "Someone must have intervened in bringing them here. pidgey don't migrate. So you'd only be undoing what someone else did."

Winona drew breath deliberately. "I do suppose that this is true," she conceded, before she moved to turn toward her receptionist. "Eliza, I won't be in for a while. If I am not back before midday, then tell any who come that the gym is closed for the day."

Ash found himself shocked.

"So you're going to help?" he asked, his voice coming slowly.

"Perhaps I will help, perhaps I won't," Winona said, aloof again. "It still does not appear feasible for me to ensure that they make their way back into their natural habitat, and further it is unlikely that they would survive under the own power afterwards, but I may yet have some part to play in restoring the natural order.

She began walking into the gym proper, and Ash followed her into the unfamiliar building.

"Before we go, however, I have a question for you," Winona said, turning to a stop, yet timing her motion so that Ash found himself unsure-ly footed. "You are a trainer, and from Kanto, and yet you are here, on my home isle, without me ever hearing of your arrival. So, I ask, why are you here?"

Ash found it odd that she'd not noticed he and the Professor's arrival into the city before. They were certainly not quiet, and he couldn't imagine that a Pokemon Professor's arrival was something that went by unnoticed, though he didn't voice said query.

He lifted Ralts in his arms, whom took the opportunity to place herself on his shoulder once more. "There was a mix-up with my starter, and I ended up recieving this one," he said, his voice laced with affection, his head tilting to gesture toward Ralts. "I was originally going to return her to her home, but I ended up helping her Dad," Ash reached down to stroke at the fur at the crown of Absol's head where Ash'd learned he liked. "And so they decided to join me."

Absol, Ash could feel, did not sense any danger amongst Winona, which Ash was grateful for, nor did Ralts feel any irritation coming from the older woman.

"How odd," Winona said, her eyes watchful over Ash's two companions. "That would explain your Absol, then. He's half wild and he might well be forever. Most Absol are."

Her words were not unkind, though they were not kind, either. Winona was odd herself, Ash thought, at once striking and then passive, warm and yet cold.

She looked around the gym, as though she were showing it off to him. "I imagine you will be here again, one day."

Ash shrugged. "Maybe, if my pokemon want to."

Winona smiled then, this time kindly. "Good," was all she replied, before she turned away from him once more. She whistled, her voice carrying loudly in the open space, and in response two pokemon appeared from their roosts, their shadows cast large from high above.

The first appeared more dinosaur then bird, with green, leaf-like feathers and fruit sprouting from their chest, yet the second was all the more odd for it appeared more cloud than any other being. Tropius and Altaria, Ash realised.

"In order for me to learn of the truth of the matter, I will need you to show me where what happened took place," Winona told him. "You will ride Tropius. Do not worry; he is quite friendly."

Ash kneeled slightly so that he and Absol were at an equal height. "What would you want to do?" he asked the dark-type. "Would you mind being in your pokeball until we've reached our camp?"

Absol did not gesture meaningfully, though the answer soon floated through his mind. He does not mind being inside a pokeball, Ralts offered helpfully, a smile in her voice. So long as he knows that I am safe when he is.

Ash smiled. "If that's alright with you, then everything's settled," he said, reaching for Absol's pokeball in his pocket. "See you soon, Absol."

With Absol recalled, Ash carefully climbed onto Winona's Tropius, ensuring that he did not rustle any of their plumage unjustly, and without any warning at all, they were off.

Ash had ridden on pokemon before - he'd even ridden Professor Oak's Dragonite before - yet the experience was never any less enthralling. To be in the air, under the power of another living being, was incredible. The brush of air whipping by, the air he breathed altogether clearer and sharper, the feeling of being completely free.

Some of the more controlled pokemon, such as the one beneath him then, could even steer the air currents from their riders, allowing them to hear themselves think. Ash, for one was grateful of this Tropius for doing exactly that.

For Ralts, the experience was entirely new, and Ash was grateful all over again, this time for whatever force had allowed him to sense her joy as she experienced the world in an entirely new manner. Ash could feel her utter glee as Tropius manoeuvred through the skies with superb ease, despite their weight upon the flying-type and their own considerable size. Ralts gasped as Tropius dove through the air currents, overawed as they moved from one slipstream to the next, their pace only climbing as they shot through the atmosphere.

Ash, for his part, simply held onto Ralts tightly, making sure that she was safe.

With their incredible speed, they were upon Ash's camp in a matter of minutes. He pointed down to his tent, and Tropius fell immediately, yet still despite their trajectory, Ash was still unaffected by the heavy winds that whipped around. Truly, Ash thought, Tropius' control was incredible.

They met the ground with as much ease as they left it, Tropius stilling easily in the grasslands of the route and lowering their body so that Ash could easily climb off. He reached to pet their head, a feat he only achieved as the bird dipped their head to allow him to do so, accepting the touch with a soft growl.

"She's a sweet girl, isn't she," Winona said, whom had managed to float into his presence much in the same way that her own Altaria did. "I've had her for nearly ten years now. She's not much of a warrior, but a good companion."

Ash released Absol now that they were on the ground again, the dark-type's eyes immediately flicking toward Ralts, watchful. Winona breathed deeply beside him, before announcing. "We will search in the skies for any signs of what you said. The local wildlife have grown accustomed to our presence, and so they will not startle should we appear before them, as they might well do for you."

Ash could do little else but nod to that. He'd accepted that he was not equipped to solve this problem.

Winona set off quickly after that and for all he knew she could well have simply returned to Fortree, glad to be rid of him. Yet, despite what she'd said, he knew that this was not to be the case.

Ash made quick work of quelling the fire that they'd left burning overnight, half-out as most of the good wood had been burned through. Thankfully, in the time that his possessions had been left unguarded, nothing had been lost or stolen, his food untouched and his healing supplies untainted.

However, as he began to pack away his tent, he'd began to notice a slight squawking coming from within the tent itself, quiet enough that it no doubt had to be muffled by the canvas of the tent itself for even Absol was not roused by it.

Gently, Ash pulled back at the opening of the tent, revealing the source of the noise.

There sat, within Ash's own sleeping bag, a pidgey that could not have been any larger than Ralts, their left wing trapped underneath the sleeping bag in such a manner that they could not release themselves of it. The birds' plumage was heavily ruffled, appearing for all the world as though they had fallen backwards through a sandstorm, their tail-feathers poking in every direction but backward and their white chest-feathers browned with dust.

"Hey there little guy," Ash began softly, his body crouched within the tent, though he soon fell to his knees so that he could fit. "Would you like me to help you out?"

The pidgey squawked again, their tone appearing positive which Ash took to be acquiescence. Yet, as he reached to pull the bird away from his sleeping bag, the pidgey squawked again, pulling their body away, which in turn seemed to unsettle them all the more.

Ash turned to Ralts. "Would you be able to help me understand?"

Ralts nodded.

He feels scared, Ralts said to begin, before Pidgey spoke again. I think he might have gotten lost with everything that's happened, and got trapped here.

"What was he saying before?" Ash asked, his voice a whisper.

He was calling for his family," Ralts told him, her voice growing sad. I don't think they would've been able to hear him.

Ash turned toward her. "It's okay, we're here and we're going to get him back to his family, aren't we?"

His voice was decisive, though inwardly he was desperate for Winona to find the flock. Still though, Ralts nodded beneath her green hair, her resolved steeled as Ash spoke.

"Let's help him, then," Ash said, which pushed Ralts into motion. "Could you ask him what he needs help with?"

Ralts nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, before she began to speak, not inside his head as Ash had grown accustomed, but in her own voice, which was entirely strange to Ash's ears. Ash was proud of her for doing so though, as he could only imagine how invasive telepathy would've felt for the poor pidgey.

As the two pokemon spoke back and forth, Ash left the tent fearing that his presence might not be helpful, greeting Absol, whom had taken guard in the meanwhile, with a pet of his head.

"I really do hope that Winona can find the other pidgey," Ash told Absol, his voice quiet enough so that only he could hear it. "They don't deserve all of this. They never should have been here in the first place." Ash laughed then. "It's odd. I said the same thing when Ralts was brought over to Kanto. Pidgey deserves the same result, too. To be with his family."

Absol's head nodded against his hand, his solemn eyes understanding.

Ralts' voice, however, pushed away those thoughts. He had a cut on his left wing, she spoke of the Pidgey. It doesn't hurt very much now, but he can't fly.

"Could you tell him that I have medicine that would make it better?" Ash asked.

Ralts agreed, and Ash quickly rummaged through his own bag, finding the healing spray that Professor Oak had given him, amongst other supplies. It was not perfect, but it was an effective stopgap if a Pokemon Centre was too far away.

Ash returned to the tent with medicine in hand and found a different sight than he'd seen before. Pidgey had escaped from his sleeping bag, though still laid upon the ground. He could not spot the cut Ralts had mentioned, though by the way that the bird held his wing, Ash could quickly gather where it was.

"Can you move at all?" Ash asked of the pidgey, fearing the worst. With how delicate their tendons were, even a small laceration could spell disaster.

He can't, Ralts said, her voice tinged with worry. I helped him get out.

Ash nodded, forcing a smile onto his face as he looked toward Ralts. "That's alright, we're going to make sure that he's okay, aren't we?" he turned to the pidgey. "I have a healing potion, but for it to work I'm going to need to touch your wing. Is that okay?"

There was a moment's hesitation, but soon the pidgey agreed. Ash drew his body inward, making himself small and ensuring his motions were careful and deliberate. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the poor bird. He approached the bird slowly, checking after every encroachment that he was okay, and began to gently insect the birds' injured wing, finding the slight incision on its underside.

Ash'd used healing potions before with Professor Oak, though sporadically, yet still the practice was familiar to him. "I'm going to count from three, and then you're going to feel something cold on your wing and after that you're going to feel much better, okay?" he glanced toward Ralts before he did, making sure that she was not overwhelmed by everything. Her face was puzzled, though she was not scared. "Okay, so. Three, two, one…"

The pidgey let out a hissing squawk as the potion began to take effect, though before long the noise disappeared, replaced by no noise at all. Ash didn't wish to use to much of the potion as that would only cause other problems, but he was liberal with its use and as he stopped, Pidgey had drifted to sleep.

Ralts pulsed with worry behind him.

"It's okay," Ash spoke to her. "If you're hurt, it's better if you're sleeping so you don't make it worse, so most potions make you a bit sleepy afterwards."

Ralts it seemed, was calmed by that.

"I'm really proud of you, for what you did today," Ash said, a smile coming easily to his face. "You did such a good job with helping him, and everything."

Ralts ran toward Ash, floating up so that she could hug him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Ash held her tightly, too.

With the pidgey's small size, moving him was fairly easy as Ash carried him in the palms of his hands. He and his two pokemon walked from their camp once more, though this time the journey was a short one as they soon found the huge silhouette of Tropius in the sky, and with Altaria floating alongside her.

Winona rode neither as she stood on the path of the route, waiting for Ash.

"It seems that you were correct," Winona told him quickly. "Altaria found the flight a mile or so away. They had managed to flee from the fight that they had found themselves in." Winona then took notice of Ash truly, including the small bundle of feathers he held in his hands. "All except one, it would seem."

"How did they survive?" Ash asked, curious rather than correct. "I thought you said that the tailow wouldn't let that happen?"

"By Lord Rayquaza's own grace, one of the Pidgeotto became a Pidgeot," she replied, her voice serene. "With that, the flight certainly cannot stay in Hoenn, so Tropius will escort them over the ocean and back into Kanto. She's a smart girl, and the pidgey should manage the journey if they have already made it once before."

Ash raised the pidgey in his arms. "This one won't."

"No, he won't," Winona agreed, before outstretching her arms. "If I may?"

He nodded, gently moving the bird in his arms so that he would not be jostled awake, until he gifted him into Winona's hands. She held the pidgey gently, cradling him with utmost care.

"I would take him into my custody, if that would be acceptable to you," Winona said, her eyes unmoving from the tiny bird that she then held. "My gym would hold all he would need to heal, and perhaps he would soon call it home."

Ash thought for a moment. "Can you promise me that if he wants to go back to his flock, you'll let him?"

Winona smiled again, her eyes, for a moment, flicking up so that they met Ash's. "Of course," she said. "Far be it from me to prevent any life being lived to its truest nature."

Ash nodded, relieved. "Thank you."

"There are not many who would do what you have done today," Winona said, her eyes guarded, her voice careful. "Most would've taken the strongest pidgeotto for themselves and let this twisted nature run its course. I thank you for your compassion, kantonian."

Ash didn't darken at her praise, otherwise preoccupied. "My name is Ash Ketchum," he told her.

"Mr Ketchum," Winona replied, with a faint nod of her head. "I look forward to the day that you challenge my gym. I imagine it will be different, if nothing else." she turned away, though returned for a moment. "Do wait until you've seen a few more cities first, though. I would prefer for you to take me on as a novice, not a beginner."

Winona and her two pokemon soon disappeared into the sky, leaving Ash and his two on the ground. Ash, despite it all, couldn't have been happier. The gym leader was odd, but in the end, she'd helped and that was all that mattered.

Ash found himself wondering, though, as to what exactly caused the pidgey to have been brought to Hoenn in the first place.

They stayed in their camp for another few days, the day's pause to their travels doing the world of good for Absol in his healing. With each night of comfortable sleep, Ash's friend went from strength to strength, his gait easing and the grace returning to his legs.

Ralts, in that time, had found that she liked training rather a lot. Ash'd spent half a day chasing her around around the trees, her psychic powers making her much to quick to catch after a while, joy rolling from her all the while. She gained endurance quickly, though she found rest even more quickly than that, her body adjusting to the increased workload.

With that in mind, he'd asked her to begin to develop her ability to manipulate the world around her. First, with lifting the pebbles from a nearby stream, and then throwing them as far into the sky as she possibly could. They did this infrequently, at first, so as to gauge exactly how much power she then held in her telekinesis.

The answer, remarkably, was a lot. Gardevoir, at their peak, are known largely for manipulating the world. They can tear at the material of the universe should they choose to, channelling Dialga and Palkia through their own forms, trapping their opponents in time and space until they broke.

Ralts, obviously, could not do that, yet still the sheer power that she held in her tiny form was formidable. She could throw rocks further than any human could even as young as she was, entirely with her own mind. That, Ash knew, would be the beginning; to have a powerful grasp over the universe as it was. From that, as she grew, she could then begin to alter it.

He'd avoided teaching her any moves yet, mostly to allow both of them to gain a better understanding of her abilities going forward. Moves, though, seemed to be an odd thing to Ash.

They made sense, though only fairly shallowly. A fire-type could learn ember, and then flamethrower, and the difference was only the voracity of the flame and the size of the blaze that was summoned. Perhaps, with a pokemon that was less intelligent, the differentiation would be important as it would allow them to more easily follow instructions and understand their own ability, but with Ralts, who was probably by all estimations already leagues more intelligent than Ash, surely the most important part was the concept, rather than the action.

Once she understood her own powers and their limitations, and thus learned to control her 'confusion', she herself would be able to gauge what she could do, and so Ash wouldn't have to teach her, specifically, what constituted a 'Psychic' compared to a 'Psybeam' as it wouldn't matter. All that would matter would be making it strong enough to hurt, and fast enough to land.

If Ash was honest with himself, he had no doubt that his pokemon knew far more then he ever would about summoning their powers. He'd learn all he could, of them and of their powers, without question, but the fact remained that they themselves held an intrinsic understanding of an element that he could scarcely imagine. He didn't really know what he was doing, he'd admit that freely, but he knew that the best way he could help them would be to allow Ralts and Absol the freedom to express themselves. He was humble enough to know that they could understand the dangers of a fight far better than he could. There would be things that he could see and they could not, and he would instruct them then, but it would only be then.

As with Ralts, Ash had, occasionally, asked her to perform confusion, just to see the difference in the attack on each occasion that he asked. Of course, after she'd worked for a while, the attack was weaker, but even in their brief time training, the size of the area that she could displace with the concussive force of her attack grew. She was still very young, and he hoped that she'd never had a battle before, so this was to be the first sense she'd had of growing her own power.

Meanwhile, with the time he'd been given to recover Absol had nearly transformed. There was something altogether ethereal about him now, his white fur seeming to glow in dim darkness. The horn upon his head danced like a sharpened sword under the sun, his eyes clear and all-seeing.

As he was then, Ash held no doubt as to why the people of Hoenn's past thought of Absol's ancestors as the harbingers of the end, as bringers of disaster. You only had to look into his eyes to know that he saw far more than you could ever hope to, or ever wish to.

With Absol at his peak once more, Ash asked him of a demonstration of what he could do, and the results were astounding. Years of survival had afforded him speed beyond anything that Ash had ever seen on land. Yet, more than that, their was a graceful ease to all that he did, each of his actions beautiful and yet so very easy.

Quick attack made him a blur. Pursuit moreso. However, they all paled in comparison to what he did last.

For a moment, Absol's far-seeing eyes closed, and then his entire being pulsed with energy, so much so that Ash could sense it twenty yards away. With this great energy, the blade of his horn swept through the air artfully, and suddenly this pulse of energy centred upon his scythed horn, and only that. With astounding ease, Absol bounded through the air and slashed at a nearby tree-stump with his horn, and then tree-stump was no more, the damp wood splintered into a thousand pieces at the force of Absol's attack.

That, if Ash could correctly recall, was sword's dance and then night slash, placed together seamlessly, one action swept into the other to gain the greatest result. And, at the end of it all, Absol was not even remotely tired. He walked over to Ralts, who sat around Ash's campfire, and pressed his head against hers, nuzzling at her as his eyes, once threatening, now watched over her with care, checking her for any small pains that he could help with.

In order for Absol to get better, Ash knew that he would have to allow him to battle other trainer's pokemon, as there wasn't anything immediately obvious that he could improve. With how he'd lived his life, Ash doubted he could afford for there to be.

Ash had his first battle roughly a week after his journey began, as it would turn out. Most trainers usually had theirs as soon as they started, but Ash wasn't most trainers, as it would seem.

He and his two pokemon had travelled further along the trainer route away from Fortree, though they were still several miles from the River Hoenn. The grass had turned longer, less maintained the further they were from any real civilisation, and so the pokemon here hid less carefully from the world.

Absol had begun to walk more closely to Ash and Ralts, no longer tracing a path in the distance, but rather walking just ahead of Ash's own footsteps, trodding down the long grass so that Ash could find sure footing. Ralts, rather predictably, was asleep on Ash's shoulder, the peace of wilder lands easing her dreams.

Oddish appeared in multitudes around them, though they did not provoke in Ash's presence. Wingull floated lazily overhead, circling their paths above them, denoting that they were not too far from the water.

Despite the freedom with which other pokemon appeared however, others hid with equal effort.

Deep within the long grasses, there stood an odd tree that grew no higher than Ash's chest. Yet, as Ash approached this tree, suddenly it disappeared and in its place instead there was a boy. He looked younger than Ash himself was, though he still did possess pokeballs of his own.

"A ha!" the boy shouted. "I've caught you by surprise!" he took one of his pokeballs, releasing the pokemon inside. "Let's battle!"

Bemused, Ash nodded. Absol glanced back toward Ash, understanding, and turned back to face his opponent, which turned out to be a bug not unlike a beedril, though shorter and wider.

"Ninjask, use fury swipes!" the boy instructed, and commendably quickly, this Ninjask began to move upon Absol.

With its claws, the bug swiped at Absol, desperately trying to find purchase upon the dark-type. Yet, Absol moved much too quickly himself. Without any warning, Absol blurred into motion, his agile legs moving easily around the bug's attack.

With its wasted effort, Ninjask look back at his trainer, who began to instruct his next attack, yet Absol afforded them no such luxury. With blurring speed, he jumped and slashed at the bug's carapace with his horn, its sharp edge meeting the bug's unprotected underside.

Ninjask was quick, Ash realised, but Absol did not allow him to use that speed. Again, before his opponent knew what to do, Absol rammed its scythed head at the bug, again his attacking finding its mark, sending the Ninjask flying through the air and forcing it to land on the ground, unable to right itself with its wings.

"Ninjask, use stun spore, quickly!" his trainer called out desperately, and suddenly spores filled the air, making breathing difficult even for Ash, who stood far away from the battle.

However, Absol did not slow. He pushed through the haze and rushed the ninjask one final time, this time its horn sending the bug flying, unable to rise again.

Absol was worse for wear, as he'd breathed in some of the spores in his rush to beat his opponent, but it was nothing that some rest wouldn't fix. He walked over to Ash who petted at the crown of his head, proud of what he'd done.

My papa is very strong, isn't he? Ralts asked, beaming beside him. Ash reached up stroke her cheek which Ralts leaned into. Though he could not find his voice, much too impressed by what'd happened, Ash could not help but agree.

The boy disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared, gone without exchanging of names or words. Ash thought he might not've even been a licensed trainer. He didn't seem old enough to be, anyway.

Ash was quiet for most of the rest of that day, his mind racing after what had taken place.

Above all else, he could scarcely believe it was all real. He, Ash Ketchum, had pokemon of his own, and he could live out his dream, and it was incredible.

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Thanks, again.