Author's Note

Hey guys, here's the new chapter for y'all to read. Sorry it's so late, I just got held up by a load of work I had to do for uni and didn't have the time to tidy up and release the chapter. But now I do and here it is, so that's in the past now.

To answer a few questions, Leaf isn't going to be a complete bitch throughout the story or anything. She was rather vicious then because she was tired of Ash's continued rejection and jealous that someone she had never met could get so close to Ash when she couldn't. She will get over her jealousy over time and maybe I'll even pair her up with someone else at some point, maybe Gary when he mellows a bit, I don't know. What I do know is that the bitchiness is temporary.

Shiny Pokémon are not necessarily stronger than non-shiny Pokémon. Some will be exceptionally strong while others will be exceptionally weak, they are just like normal Pokémon apart from their alternate colouration. Trapinch's colouration is unique to a certain group of Pokémon and will be explained more in this chapter so hopefully there will be less question's about that, though you may have more about facts related to the colouration.

Yes, Delia's gift was OP but I couldn't be bothered to have to include an event for Ash to get an evolutionary item every time he wants one, it would be a waste of time in my opinion since it would usually be basically the same thing; found it at random or earned by defeating Pokémon or trainers. I couldn't be bothered with something so boring and Delia certainly had enough time to gather them all, six years don't forget.

Thank you all for your continued support, here it is.

Chapter 2 – The Herald of Harmony

Ash and Clair were now walking down Route 1 and approaching the Pallet Woods, Ash's Pokémon were all out beside them. Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder as Trapinch and Charmander wandered along on the floor. He would make sure to give them frequent rests though as he didn't want them getting worn out simply from walking. "Hey Ash, do you know what moves your Pokémon know?"

"No actually. I know a few of Charmander's but not all of them. I'll check." He pulled out his pokédex and scanned them individually, looking at the moves they already knew. "Let's see then. Pikachu: growl, thundershock, tail whip, thunderbolt, charge and thunder punch. Quite a little power pack aren't you buddy?"

"You betcha!" Pikachu cheered as he rubbed his cheek against Ash's.

"Now for Trapinch: bite, sand attack, faint attack, sand tomb, mud-slap, bide, bulldoze, focus energy, fury cutter and quick attack. Wow, you're really strong too Trapinch."

"As I must be, Ash." The Ant Pit Pokémon replied coolly.

"Finally, Charmander: scratch, growl, ember, smokescreen, bite, crunch, dragon pulse, dragon rush, outrage, metal claw, thunder punch, fire pledge and blast burn. Damn, Charmander, I only taught you four of those moves so how on earth did you learn the rest? And how do you know blast burn, you're not supposed to be able to use that move until you're a Charizard?"

"Hahaha… I thought you might like the moves. But to be honest, the only ones I remember ever not being able to use, other than the ones you taught me, are fire pledge and blast burn. I just somehow figured out how to use them some time and that was it. I didn't tell you about them because I wanted to surprise you in a battle but I guess that isn't going to happen now." Charmander said, giggling at his trainer's incredulity.

"I have so got to get some training tips from you, buddy." Pikachu added.

"You never know, Pikachu; you might not need them once we start training." Ash pointed out.

"I guess."

"Ash, I've noticed a couple of times now that you've been holding a conversation with your Pokémon. Can you understand them?" Clair asked.

"Yeah, I don't know a lot about it but apparently it's to do with something called aura that could be really useful in the future."

"Sounds like it. So where we are heading?"

"Well, I became friends with a Magikarp that wants to evolve into a Gyarados someday and it said it wanted to come with me on my journey the last time we met. So I want to walk along the river bank and try and find her."

"That sounds like a good idea to me."

"Look, a Spearow. Hey Pikachu, do you want to battle it so we can catch it?"

"Hell yeah!" Pikachu cheered before jumping from Ash's shoulder. The Spearow saw the action and turned to face them, ready for a battle.

"Okay Pikachu, use tail whip and then charge." Ash called out, Pikachu jumped towards the small bird and slapped it across the face with his tail a couple of times. Spearow was caught off guard and was unable to respond as it grew slightly more fearful. Pikachu took that chance to build up the electricity in its body. "Now hit it with a thunder punch!" Ash yelled excitedly.

Pikachu did as requested and dove at Spearow, striking it with a sparking paw. The poor Tiny Bird Pokémon was out cold before it had used a single move. "Pokéball, go!" Ash cried out. He threw the small sphere which connected with Spearow, sucking the Pokémon inside and shaking a couple of times before pinging to confirm the capture. "Nice work Pikachu. It didn't even get a chance to fight back or call its friends. Let's find somewhere further from the flock so I can treat Spearow's injuries."

Everybody nodded their assent and they walked a short way further down the path before Ash called out the now conscious Pokémon and treated its wounds. Pulling out his pokédex, he scanned the bird to see its moves. "Hmm… peck, growl, leer and quick attack. Quite weak now but that doesn't matter, I'm sure you'll be strong in the future."

"Thanks!" Spearow chirped. They soon set off down the path with Pikachu and Spearow on Ash's shoulders while his other two Pokémon flanked him. Clair walked a step behind them, watching Ash talk to and bond with all of his Pokémon. He was looking around, still watching for new Pokémon, and saw several Pidgey a distance off and Rattata nearby. The Pidgey appealed to him somewhat but, by the time he reached them, they would probably have flown off. The Rattata he didn't really care about so he simply left them to their own devices.

"Hey, a Sandshrew! And it looks like he's pretty young too. Oh dear, my flock chased off an older Sandslash earlier and I get the feeling it was that little one's mother." Spearow cawed.

"In that case, why don't I catch it and you can help me raise it as an apology?" Ash suggested.

"That sounds fair to me. Also, it looks green so I hope it isn't sick." Spearow observed. Pikachu was giving it a mild glare for chasing off Pokémon so similar to itself but he didn't really mind, it was the way of life after all. Ash gave the Sandshrew a quick look to confirm what Spearow had pointed out.

"I don't think it's sick, Spearow, I think it might be a shiny Sandshrew." Ash told her. He then walked over to the small Pokémon and kneeled down in front of it. "Hello little one, I'm Ash. I'm afraid your mother has been frightened off so would you like to come with me instead?" The young Pokémon looked at Ash suspiciously but it decided to take the chance and nodded its head slightly.

The boy placed a pokéball on the floor in front of Sandshrew. "If you want to come with me then just tap the button in the middle." The Mouse Pokémon reached out a paw tentatively and pressed the button ever so lightly. There was a flash of red light and it was sucked inside the pokéball. He released the Pokémon again and scanned it with his pokédex. "So you know scratch, defence curl, crush claw and rapid spin. That's quite good for one so young."

"Thank you daddy!" Sandshrew squeaked, making Ash chuckle.

"I'm not sure I'm quite ready to be a father yet but we'll give it a go."

Spearow then fluttered down to land in front of Sandshrew. The small Pokémon flinched back but was surprised when Spearow bowed its head. "My deepest apologies, Sandshrew. I believe that it was my flock that scared off your mother. Had we known that she had a child, we would never have done so, but I cannot undo the past. I will try my hardest to make it up to you by raising you as my own daughter instead and, though I know I cannot replace her, I will still try my hardest."

Sandshrew was humbled by the heart-felt apology from one of its natural enemies. "That's okay then mommy!" She squeaked, accepting the proposition. Ash smiled at the interaction between the two.

"Excuse me, Ash." Trapinch interjected. "I was wondering if I may take a rest now. I am not used to prolonged periods of walking and as such I fear I will soon grow weary."

"That's fine Trapinch, why don't you all take a rest for now? Return, everyone." Ash recalled all of his Pokémon, other than Pikachu who remained on his shoulder.

"Why not me too?" He inquired.

"You don't like the pokéball, so I won't force you to go inside it. That would be wrong, in my opinion."

"You're the best buddy a Pokémon could ask for!" Pikachu exclaimed as he rubbed cheeks with Ash affectionately. Clair then came forward and locked her fingers together with Ash's.

"Say, Clair, how did you guys actually find Trapinch? I don't think you told me." The boy asked.

"That's because there's not much to tell." Clair explained with a giggle. "He just walked out of the bushes as Lance and I were planning to leave and when we got on Dragonite he clambered on too. He must have known, somehow, that we were coming to see you."

"Cool, I'll have to ask him about that." With that, the three set off towards the woods that were now in view. They quickly worked their way through the trees until they found the river. After getting his bearings for a minute, Ash set off down river with the other two. They soon came to a small waterfall and cliff. At the base of the waterfall was a basin of crystal clear sparkling water, a great variety of water Pokémon visible underneath the surface of the pool.

"Where now Ash?" Clair asked.

"Well, Magikarp lives in that small lake at the bottom of this waterfall. There's a section of the cliff that's pretty easy to climb down, just over there." He pointed along the cliff face. "Otherwise we have to walk for an extra twenty minutes to get back here again. Do you mind climbing?"

"Of course not. I'm not one of those ridiculous girly-girls." Clair told him, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I thought you wouldn't and that you weren't like that, it's one of the reasons I love you." Ash countered. It still made her feel elated when he said those three simple words. She pecked him on the cheek before he led her to the climbing site and led the way down, having made the climb many times before. Clair made the short climb look easy as she clambered down, following Ash's guidance.

Now that they were down, Ash led her to the lakeside where he called out over the water. "Magikarp! It's me, Ash!" Nothing happened for a minute, but then there were several ripples and a small, dim-witted face appeared from the water to look at Ash. The face did nothing until, all of a sudden, it jumped out of the water and flipped itself over.

"Yay! Ash! Did you come to play again?" The Magikarp exclaimed gleefully.

"No Magikarp." Ash sighed. "Don't you remember what we talked about last time?"

Magikarp stopped to think for a couple of minutes. "Oh, about you becoming a trainer and me being your Pokémon?"

"Yes, I just started on my journey earlier so I came to ask if you still wanted to join me."

"Yay! I can go with Ash now!" Magikarp cheered as it once again jumped out if the water to perform a flip.

"I'll take that as a yes then. Pokéball, go!" He threw a pokéball that captured the Magikarp without shaking once.

"Hey Ash, I can kind of see why you wanted a Magikarp and that you chose that one because you were friends with it. But, is that the only reason you captured it?" Clair asked.

"This Magikarp is rather special. Come on out girl!" Ash said, releasing the Pokémon back into the water. He then scanned the Fish Pokémon with his pokédex and read the results to Clair. "Splash, tackle, bubble, reversal, dragon rage, bounce and hydro pump."

"What!?" Clair yelled. "Let me see that… Is your pokédex broken or something?"

"No, it's fine. Magikarp, show Clair some of what you can do with bubble." The water-type Pokémon shot a stream of shimmering bubbles out of its mouth. They hit a tree and exploded on contact, breaking off several splinters. Clair gaped at the display.

"But… how?" She mumbled.

"I wish I knew. But Magikarp just says she can't remember anything about learning them, other than some very old Gyarados." Ash explained. "If I did know then I could help teach other Magikarp too, but I don't. Though I do wonder if the fact that Magikarp dedicated so much to learning those moves is why she's so slow to pick up on things most of the time. Still, it makes Magikarp a great secret weapon. Pewter gym, the closest gym to here that you can challenge soon after starting, uses rock types so I could use hydro pump to seriously confuse the leader."

"That's true. A gym leader is supposed to test how you react to changes in the circumstances but they'll be really impressed if you're the one pressuring them to react to the changes."

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to have some of my Pokémon work on steel type moves too. Charmander already knows metal claw but I want him and Pikachu to try and learn iron tail too. I think I'll try and teach Spearow steel wing as well."

"That sounds like a good plan; it helps you fight back against Pokémon they aren't too strong against. Shall we get going?"

"Sure, do you want to stay out and swim alongside us for now Magikarp? The river comes out of the woods near Viridian City so we can follow it until then."

"Yeah!" Magikarp cheered.

"Sounds like a plan to me, let's go then." Clair finished and the group set out along the river, failing to notice the large bird in the skies above them. They did notice it however when it suddenly screeched loudly and swooped down towards them.

"Magikarp, return. Pikachu, hide under my cloak for now. I can't tell what that Pokémon is but it's huge and I don't want it getting any ideas about you being a snack." Pikachu complied and disappeared under the fabric to sit on the top of his bag as Magikarp returned to its new pokéball in a flash of red. Ash looked up and could still see nothing but a silhouette, there was a sudden flash of colour and Ash gasped. "It can't be…"

"What Ash, what is it?" Clair asked fearfully.

"When the sun shone through its wing it was like I saw a rainbow which would mean there is only one Pokémon it could be. But, that Pokémon has been gone for more than one hundred years, said to be waiting for the hearts of Pokémon and humans to become one. If I'm right… that Pokémon is Ho-Oh." Clair gasped as the consequence of Ash's statement dawned on her.

Just then the bird landed before them, it towered over the two and they could now see it clearly. Ash had been right, this Pokémon was indeed the missing legendary, Ho-Oh. There were two flashes of red light as Trapinch and Charmander appeared beside Ash and Pikachu clambered back on to Ash's shoulder to see the Pokémon.

"Greetings young ones." An ancient and wise voice said. "I have come before you today to explain."

Clair gasped and Ash looked at her quizzically. "I-I can hear it."

"Yes, I am speaking to you through telepathy as many legendary Pokémon can. Hence, all present can understand me. As I said, I have come before you today to explain everything to you, Ash."

"What is there for you to explain?" Ash asked.

"A great many things actually, starting with your Trapinch. I know that you are aware of what little of a prophecy was translated to your current language about its kind but I shall explain more. Pokémon from dragon-type families that are both black and white, such as your Trapinch, are known as the heralds of harmony. Their trainer brings both peace and chaos with them in equal amounts, and when the two come equally and exist in harmony with each other, as they do in your dragon-types, then they bring something else with them. That something else is the power of life itself. Though they cannot return or create life in those that lack it or have lost it, they can 'enhance' life. Where they go, flowers bloom and wildlife flourishes, from plants to animals to Pokémon. All dragon-types, and Pokémon that will later evolve into dragon-types, that are trained by you will be black and white for their power comes directly from you."

"But how do peace and chaos bring life?" Ash pressed.

"If we take another meaning of peace, order, and another meaning of chaos, disorder, then we can begin from there. In the beginning, Arceus created this world and in it there was both order and disorder. He drew the two together in an attempt to have them negate each other but something else happened, something he could never have predicted. Instead of negating each other, the two forces fused together to create a new force. That new force was the very spark of life that has been instilled into all of us. I know not why their fusion created the force of life but it did, I wonder if even Arceus knows why at times. Anyway, as a result, those who wield both powers in complete harmony with each other are able to amplify that spark of life in other beings near them to allow it to flourish. For reasons unknown to I, Arceus saw fit to give this power to dragon-types alone so only they will be able to wield it. Even your Trapinch cannot wield the power until it evolves into a dragon-type."

"That… was deep…" Clair observed.

"It was…" Ash said, eyes closed as he processed and analysed the new information. "Alright, you said there were other things as well?"

"That is correct. The first is that I have actually set several tests for you over the years to see if you are worthy of a certain something. The first was that others only saw your Trapinch as a black dragon-type, missing the white completely."

"What!?" Ash roared. "Why on earth did you do that to him!? He didn't deserve that, everybody in Blackthorn hated him because of that!"

"Silence!" The Rainbow Pokémon squawked angrily. "All will be explained in due course. But your outburst simply proves that it was a good test. Despite the fact that you lost far more than Trapinch you are still angry on his behalf. Many would blame the losses you have suffered on Trapinch and yet you do not, in fact you readily accepted it back as a friend and defend it instead. The second test was your Charmander, your life had just been ruined by one unusually coloured Pokémon so would you accept another? I had that Pokémon presented to you to see if you would reject it due to your experiences, you did not. Instead you welcomed it with open arms and helped it to become stronger, as it wished to. Finally, there was your Pikachu. Despite being told it had attitude problems, you still wanted to try and help it resolve them. Quite quickly, I might add. You have proven that you care for Pokémon above yourself and will try to help them no matter what. It is clear that the bond you share with your Pokémon is complete and your hearts are one. Therefore, you have passed my tests and I have a gift for you."

"What!? I'm getting a gift from a legendary Pokémon that hasn't been seen for more than a hundred years!?"

"Yes, though I think your reaction to the gift will be even more unbelieving." Ho-Oh reached over to its back and picked something up with its jaws. It swung its head back around and lowered itself to Ash's level, putting the item into Ash's outstretched hands. "My gift to you is this egg, the egg that contains my son."

Ash froze; Clair was in a similar state after watching the majority of the interaction without much reaction. "D-did you just say s-s-son?" He stuttered in disbelief, still failing to get over his shock.

"I did. You are the only human worthy of training or befriending one of my kind at this point in time. I swore, a long time ago, that I would entrust my child to the care of the first human to truly become one with their Pokémon, as you have. I could not think of a better human than you either given the other news I bring today."

"O-o-okay, but what do you m-mean by other n-news?"

"Ash, you are far more than a simple human. You have been chosen by the lord of all Pokémon to be his mediator and peace-bringer in these times. You are the Chosen One of Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon and the god of Pokémon and humans alike. It was he who created this world and now he has chosen you to protect it."

"I-I have to p-p-protect the w-world? H-how am I meant to do that!?"

"By being yourself. Following the path you would take otherwise will still lead you through the events you must partake in to help protect the world. That is all I have to tell you, I will take my leave now. Look after my son well, Chosen One." Ho-Oh finished before spreading its wings wide and taking to the skies once more. It flew off, leaving a rainbow in its wake.

"Umm… Well that was certainly very surprising… What do you want to do now Ash?" Clair inquired, still not quite able to get over the events that had transpired.

"I guess we keep going to Viridian City for now and take it from there. Although, now that I know about what you are, Trapinch, I think I should give you a suitable name." Trapinch nodded its head to indicate its approval of the idea and Ash thought for a couple of minutes. "How about 'Harmonus'?"

"I like it, Ash. Henceforth, I shall be known as Harmonus." Trapinch agreed.

"Well then, Harmonus it is. Now let's get going to Viridian City!" Ash cheered before they set off along the river once more.

A couple of incident free hours later, Ash and Clair arrived at Viridian City. It was late afternoon and dusk was fast approaching so they wanted to make it to the Pokémon Centre as quickly as possible. They heard some sort of announcement being given over a city-wide broadcasting system but were unable to define the words due to their distance at the time.

They arrived a short while later and were accosted before they had even made it a hundred metres into the city. "Excuse me young man. Where do you think you're going with that Pikachu?" A stern voice inquired. The group of three turned around to see that the source was the ever-watchful Officer Jenny.

"Good afternoon Officer Jenny. We were just heading to the Pokémon Center as I wanted to get him and my other Pokémon some rest. I also wanted to ask Nurse Joy to check up on our eggs and see if she had a spare incubator for my second egg."

"Is that so? Well, I'm afraid I'll still have to ask for ID as Team Rocket has been reported as being in the area."

"That's fine." Ash told her before showing her his pokédex as Clair produced a small trainer ID card.

"Sorry if it's a stupid question, but who are Team Rocket?" Clair asked innocently.

"You really don't know?" Jenny wondered.

"Clair is from Blackthorn City in Johto and they tend to dispose of criminal organisations pretty quickly." Ash explained. "To answer your question, Clair, Team Rocket is a criminal organisation that steals people's Pokémon. They then use those Pokémon to gain power as they attempt to take over the region. They care little for the wellbeing of said Pokémon and will do just about anything to get the power they want. I think one of the few things they haven't been accused of is killing someone, human or Pokémon."

"That's horrible!" Clair exclaimed.

"It is." Jenny confirmed. "And we're doing our best to apprehend their members which is why you should let us know if you spot any suspicious looking characters. Once you let us know, we can move in and arrest them before questioning them, we really need to find out who their leader is. But on another note, what is a girl from Blackthorn doing here?"

"It's a long story." Ash told her, she raised an eyebrow. "I suppose we could tell you over a drink at the Pokémon Center."

"That sounds like a plan to me; I'll show you the way." The officer informed them. She then proceeded to lead them through town to the Pokémon Center.

"So that's why I'm here." Clair said, clearly having just finished explaining her reason for being in Kanto to Officer Jenny.

"That's quite a tale Clair, but I believe you." There was a sudden ping over the announcement system.

"Could Ash Ketchum and Clair Blackthorn please come to the front desk and collect their Pokémon." Nurse Joy's sweet voice requested.

"You two had better go and get your Pokémon. I'll inform the rest of my family about your situation."

"Thank you very much Officer Jenny. You've gone out of your way to help us when you didn't need to." Ash said graciously, bowing slightly to show his full gratitude.

"That's alright, Ash; I still enjoy helping people even when my job doesn't demand it." Jenny replied as she waved at the two that were going to get their Pokémon. She took her leave at this point and headed back to the station.

"Thank you for taking care of our Pokémon, Nurse Joy." Clair said to the woman kindly.

"Oh no, it was my pleasure. And I'm quite impressed with you young man, having six Pokémon by the end of your first day is almost unheard of."

"'Hehehe... Well I only actually battled one of them. But that's not important right now; I was hoping you could take a look at some Pokémon eggs for us. I also wondered if you might have a spare incubator."

"Of course, why don't you come right this way with those eggs and I'll check them over? I'm sure I have a spare incubator somewhere as well so I'll get that for you when the check-up is over. Do either of you know how to raise a Pokémon egg and new-born Pokémon?"

"No…" Clair mumbled dejectedly.

"Don't worry, Clair, I do. I helped Professor Oak out at his lab quite a lot over the last few years and he let me help out with some of the eggs and baby Pokémon once I earned his trust. I'll teach you how to look after one." Ash reassured her. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother to the Pokémon."

"Thank you Ash!" Clair squealed, pulling him into another tight hug. Her reaction made Nurse Joy giggle before she spoke again.

"Here we are." She said as she led them into a small room with a few pieces of equipment in it. "Why don't you get the eggs out and place them on those cushions over there? Do you know what Pokémon will hatch from the eggs?"

"We do." Ash confirmed. "But I'm not sure you'll believe us."

"Try me." Nurse Joy suggested.

"Well, alright then. The two in the incubators are Dratini eggs; they were given to us by Clair's older brother. His name is Lance and yes, he is the joint Johto-Kanto Elite Four Champion. That does also mean that they are likely to be very powerful as they are from his Dragonite."

"Oh my…" The nurse whispered.

"Indeed, but it gets more unbelievable. The third egg, the one that is different to the other two and almost looks like a rainbow, is the egg of the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh. We met its parent on the way here and it gave me the egg saying that its son would one day hatch from it."

Joy's jaw dropped at his words. "A-are you se-serious?" She inquired.

"I am. That is why I need you to maintain the utmost secrecy about this egg. It is especially important after the reports of Team Rocket being in the area, you know what they would do if they found out."

"I do." She told him as the severity of the situation sunk in. "Very well, let's get on with the examinations then." She began to put the three eggs through various tests, one at a time, using all sorts of different pieces of equipment. She finished several minutes later and gave them the results. "Well, all the eggs are perfectly healthy and I suspect that the two Dratini eggs will hatch within a couple of hours so I'd keep an eye on them. The other egg is another matter altogether though." She hesitated for a minute. "I don't know if it's because of the Pokémon in the egg or for other reasons. But, I can't tell whether that egg is close to hatching or is very far off. That means that the egg could hatch in a few minutes time or in a few months' time. Possibly even years as there are no previous reports of eggs by this Pokémon, not even when it still resided at the Tin Tower."

"Wow… I didn't realise how close those two were to hatching…" Clair whispered.

"Yeah, and I'm slightly worried about the newest egg now. I hope it doesn't take too long to hatch, otherwise I'll have given up hope of it ever hatching." Ash added. Just as he finished speaking, Chansey waddled in with an incubator in her arms.

"Ah, thank you Chansey. This is for you Ash." Nurse Joy explained, putting the Ho-Oh egg in the new incubator. She then returned the eggs to their rightful owners and led the group back to the front desk. As they arrived, there was a crash and two pokéballs dropped through the skylight. They opened and smoke poured into the room. Ash could hear a pair of Pokémon moving around in the smoke and recognised the sounds they made as being that of an Ekans and Koffing.

It was then that a pair of voices began to chant some sort of motto, revealing themselves to be members of Team Rocket, with a third voice joining them at the end. The smoke soon cleared to reveal a man, obviously the one called James, and a woman, clearly the one named Jessie. Between the two was a short Pokémon. It was cat like in appearance with cream fur and Ash immediately recognised it. What surprised him was that it had actually spoken during the motto, if his ears had not deceived him. He had heard of Pokémon occasionally being able to speak the human language but only the more intelligent species had achieved it before.

"So Team Rocket has come. I'm not exactly surprised; this is the first place you would target if you were in the area." Ash said nonchalantly as he noticed Nurse Joy press a panic button under the desk. "Though I am surprised to find a talking Meowth with you. A Pokémon like you could be famous, people would come from all the local regions to see you put on a performance or host some sort of show. You could also earn a small fortune just by explaining how you learnt to talk to researchers."

"R-really?" Meowth wondered aloud.

"What are you thinking, Meowth!?" James exclaimed.

"Yeah, do you really want to leave Team Rocket!?" Jessie shouted.

"You're right! I'm a proud member of Team Rocket and I won't be tricked into leavin' it by some twerp!" Meowth realised.

"Well, suit yourself. Pikachu, get ready to battle. Harmonus, come on out! I want to see how good you two are in battle; I'm relying on you to help protect all the sick and injured Pokémon."

"You better believe I will!" Pikachu cheered as he jumped down from Ash's shoulder.

"I will not let you down, Ash." The Trapinch added calmly, adjusting his stance slightly so that he would be ready to fight.

"Ekans!" Jessie shouted.

"Koffing!" James exclaimed.

"Get them!" The two yelled together, relying on their Pokémon to decide what to do.

"Use growl and sand attack!" Our hero commanded. His Pokémon complied, Pikachu roaring at the two opposing Pokémon as Harmonus spat some sand at them. The Pokémon cowered as they heard the roar, now reluctant to attack their opponents, and got sand in their eyes, obscuring their vision.

"Ekans, bite that rat!"

"Koffing, tackle that black thing!"

"Pikachu, jump in the air and use charge. Harmonus, I need you to use bulldoze while Pikachu's in the air and then hit Koffing with a quick attack." Ash countered calmly. His Pokémon consented. Pikachu jumped high into the air as electricity began to build up around it and Trapinch stomped on the ground. The ground shook terribly, leaving Ekans greatly weakened, and Trapinch dove at the Poison Gas Pokémon with surprising speed. It struck head on and all the Pokémon landed as the ground stopped shaking, Koffing landing on top of Ekans.

"Finish them off with thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"Hell yeah!" Pikachu yelled before he released an enormous bolt of lightning that lifted the two opposing Pokémon. They were sent flying into their trainers and allied Meowth before Pikachu upped his voltage and a tower of electricity launched them into the distance, blowing a hole in the roof of the building.

"What just happened!?" Officer Jenny screamed as she drove into the building on her motorcycle.

"We have a driveway!" Nurse Joy scolded angrily before Clair answered the officer's question.

"Team Rocket just attacked the Pokémon Center and said they were planning to steal all of the Pokémon here. Ash managed to fight them off though." The girl explained, sending a proud smile in Ash's direction.

"Yeah, but Pikachu did get a little carried away with that last thunderbolt. Sorry about that Nurse Joy." Ash mumbled as both he and Pikachu scratched their heads in the boy's trademark style.

"That's okay Ash. I know you didn't mean to do it and you also helped protect the Pokémon so it's alright. Although, I think that it may have been a thunder attack instead of a thunderbolt by the end there, I'm not sure if I've ever seen such a high power electric attack from a Pikachu before."

"Awesome! Nice work, Pikachu. You did brilliantly as well, Harmonus." The two Pokémon thanked him for the praise before both his and Clair's backpacks began to emit a beeping noise. "That's the incubators!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh dear, follow me back to the room we were in earlier and we'll let them hatch there. Make sure that you are the first thing your new Pokémon sees, okay?" Nurse Joy advised as she hurriedly pushed the pair towards the room they had tested the eggs in. When they got there they pulled out a pair of glowing eggs and sat in front of them with the incubator lids removed.

"It looks like it's only Dratini hatching at the moment." Ash said slightly sadly, though still excited at the prospect of soon having a Dratini. The couple sat still for a few minutes, back to back, once the adults had left them in the room alone. They heard simultaneous cracking noises and, seconds later, a Dratini was sat before each of them. The only difference was that, while Clair's the normal blue and white, Ash's was black and white.

"Daddy!" One cooed as the other cooed in unison with it.

"Mommy!"

"Hello Dratini." The two trainers said soothingly as they reached down and began to stroke the Pokémon in front of them. The babies nuzzled them in response and soon curled up in their laps to sleep. Ash carefully pulled out his pokédex and scanned both Pokémon with it, doing his best to avoid waking them up. "It seems like they both know the moves wrap, leer, dragon dance, dragon rush and extreme speed. Those are some really good moves for newly hatched Pokémon. I guess we were right about them being strong because of their heritage." Ash told Clair.

"Yeah, but we can't train them for a while yet as they're far too young at the moment." She responded.

"Of course, we'll just look after them like a parent looks after their child. I guess I have two daughters now though, and you have a son." Ash joked. "Once they wake up again we can all get some food and introduce them to the others."

Clair giggled at his joke. "I guess you're right Ash and that does sound like a good plan. I get the feeling they're going to be starving once they wake up again."

"Oh, they will be beyond starving." Pikachu told them, though only Ash could understand. "They'll eat like there is no tomorrow, I bet you'll have never seen something eat so much in so little time before. Unless you've seen a Snorlax eat."

Ash chuckled at Pikachu's observation and explained it to Clair. "I wouldn't be so sure Pikachu." The girl said. "You haven't seen Ash eat yet." Pikachu gave her a quizzical look but decided to wait and find out what she meant.

Half an hour later, the baby Pokémon awoke and Ash took everyone to the cafeteria. Nurse Joy brought over a small paddling pool for Magikarp and Horsea to stay in while they ate, so they released all of their Pokémon. "Alright everyone, there are two new Pokémon in the group now. Both of them are baby Dratini and I want you to help us look after them. Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" They cheered as one.

"Good, I knew I could count on you guys. Now say 'hello' everyone." The two Pokémon peered from behind their trainer's legs timidly. Trapinch led the way by approaching them slowly and introducing himself in a calm manner, making sure he didn't scare them. They soon felt calm around the Pokémon and made friends with them. Sandshrew seemed to bond with them the most, seemingly due to her similarly young age. "Hey Dratini." Ash said, catching the small Pokémon's attention. "What would you think if I started calling you Concordia?"

"Umm… I think I like it…" His Dratini mumbled nervously.

"Then I'll call you Concordia from now on. If you ever change your mind, then let me know." Ash told her. "Now then everyone. As introductions have been made, it's time to dig in to dinner!" He exclaimed happily before tucking into his food at a pace the Pokémon and other guests couldn't believe. The only ones not shocked were Clair and Charmander, and that was only because they were used to it from Ash's past.

"See, what did I tell you, Pikachu?" She giggled as Ash polished off his meal in but a minute. Everyone else tucked in as well at that point, though at a much more sedate pace. Just as they finished, a young man with brown hair and black eyes walked into the room. He wore a purple shirt, blue trousers and a pair of brown boots. He also had an interesting pendant draped around his neck and when it all combined in to one image; Ash recognised the boy and groaned.

The boy looked around the room for a few moments before his eyes came to rest on Ash and he walked over. "Well, if it isn't Ashy-boy. What's a loser like you doing with such a pretty girl? Especially when she's obviously a strong trainer with all these Pokémon around. Allow me to introduce myself, fair maiden, I am Gary Oak. You've probably heard of my grandfather, just like everyone else and his skills in training have clearly been passed on to me. Who might you be?"

"My name is Clair and, for your information, I am Ash's girlfriend." She spat at him, instantly disliking him for the disdain with which he treated Ash. But she could see Ash holding back and followed his lead. Despite this, Gary still flinched back at her tone. "For your information, only two of the Pokémon here are mine, the rest belong to Ash. Not only that, they all love and respect him which is of the utmost importance when training Pokémon. That is something I doubt you can understand."

"Of course I don't understand it, it makes no sense. What matters is that your Pokémon are strong. If your Pokémon aren't strong then they're useless in a fight." Gary argued. "I also don't understand what someone like you is doing with someone like Ashy-boy."

"Hmph… I'm with Ash because there is nobody that I would rather be with in this world. He is kind, caring, strong, resilient, smart, loving and every other good thing I can think of. You, on the other hand, have left only a horrible impression on me and are one of the last people I would even consider, so don't even bother trying to flirt with me anymore."

"Yeah right…" Gary mumbled sourly. "But there is no way Ashy-boy has all of these Pokémon, there are far too many and some of them look pretty strong."

"As a matter of fact, Gary, that normal Dratini and Horsea belong to Clair. I am capable of having all the others with me because I was given a carry limit increase by your grandfather and Clair's older brother, Lance." Ash said, finally adding his own voice to the conversation. He couldn't resist the urge to rub the identity of Clair's elder brother in Gary's face. The smug look disappeared as the boy realised who Ash was talking about and what that implied, Ash had met their hero. "In fact, he gave us the Dratini as eggs as a gift. Your grandfather asked me to look after Pikachu because it had attitude problems and Trapinch was technically my Pokémon since before I moved to Pallet."

Clair glanced at him to see a barely noticeable expression of pain on his face. Clearly, he still hadn't gotten over the memories. "I caught the rest on our way here. They all have a great deal of potential and I believe they will be very useful."

"Pfft… You really are useless if you think a Magikarp has potential." Gary laughed.

"Magikarp, shut him up with bubble." A jet of bubbles was shot at Gary's face and he was knocked back by them. "Just so you know, this Magikarp is exceptionally strong and all Magikarp are also capable of evolving into Gyarados. I know that you want a Gyarados so you'd be a fool to dismiss the possibility of catching a Magikarp."

"Shut up!" Gary exclaimed loudly. "You think you're so smart, but you don't know anything."

"Really? 'Cause from where I'm standing, it sounds like you're just a sore loser. I can't believe that a guy like you will be my brother if the paperwork goes through." Clair said angrily, it was somewhat fortunate that Gary failed to notice the 'brother' comment as that would have drawn a lot of awkward questions for them. Ash decided that it would be best to get away from him before he could notice though and spoke up.

"Come on Clair, why don't we go and get a room for the night and settle down? Everybody, return." Ash said, his Pokémon returning to their pokéballs. Though Pikachu and Concordia remained out as Ash knew Pikachu wouldn't like it and didn't want to leave Concordia in the pokéball for an extended period of time straight away. Clair returned her Horsea and picked up her Dratini as they set off for the front desk of the Pokémon Center.

The two had now booked their room and moved into it for the night. "Ash, I'm sorry." Clair said rather suddenly.

"For what? You haven't done anything wrong."

"For having a go at Gary like that. I could see that you were holding yourself back from arguing with him but I still went and said something to start one anyway." She explained in a glum manner.

Ash saw this and pulled her into a tight hug, looking straight into her eyes. "Clair, the only reason I haven't done anything is because I want to avoid a brawl. Gary may be over-confident, ill-mannered, arrogant and obnoxious but he still won't hit a lady. That means that he won't do anything to you when you argue with him and as long as you're fine, I don't care." He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead which made her blush slightly.

"It feels weird doing stuff like this, doesn't it?" Clair mumbled.

"Yeah, weird but right. On another note, I'll sleep on the sofa and you can have the bed. I'll let out most of my Pokémon in a minute so they can find somewhere comfortable to sleep."

"I like the idea of letting your Pokémon out but there is no way I'm letting you sleep on the sofa. You are sleeping on the bed, with me. We're a couple now, Ash, so there is absolutely no reason not to." Clair told him sternly.

"Oh, alright." Ash conceded in a mumble, clearly still reluctant. He released those of his Pokémon that would be able to sleep on land and they set about finding somewhere nice to curl up while the two teenagers set about getting washed and changed. Once the two had finished, they clambered into bed and relaxed next to each other. As they drifted off, they somehow found themselves in each other's embrace but neither cared in the slightest. They felt like they were on top of the world as they drifted off to sleep like that. What they failed to realise was that their two Dratini were curled up at the base of the bed, intertwined with each other in a similar manner to their so called 'parents'.

The next morning, Ash woke first to find Clair lying sound asleep on his chest. As he found himself to be surprisingly comfortable, he looked down at the girl's peaceful form and began to think. 'I'm so glad we managed to meet up again, but this situation really worries me. I may have said all that stuff yesterday but there's still one major problem. How the hell am I going to beat the chief in a full battle, against his strongest Pokémon? I may be able to train my Pokémon to be strong but he's had decades of experience with his strongest Pokémon so they'll be ridiculously so. I can't let Clair down though, I promised I would save her and I have to manage it somehow, I just need to find a way to defeat them.' Just as he came to this not-very-useful conclusion, Clair began to stir and her eyes fluttered open before she looked around groggily, wondering why she didn't recognise the room she was waking up in. 'She looks so cute like this…' Ash thought with a chuckle and that chuckle drew her attention.

Her head swept around and she glared at him for a second before her eyes lit up with recognition and glee. "Good morning." She mumbled cheerfully as she started to get up. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only a few minutes, though you were really light so I could have sat there for hours without it being a problem. I was just thinking about how to proceed from here." He told her.

"Are you sure that was all you were thinking about, while I was on your chest?" Clair teased.

"Well, I briefly wondered whether I should tell you how cute you were or not but I quickly decided not to." Ash countered with a wink. His words had the desired effect and Clair lit up like his Charmander's flames. She hurried to the bathroom, hoping that her blush would fade while she washed herself. Ash quickly dressed while she was in there and traded places with her when she was done. As they passed each other in the doorway, she leaned up slightly and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for the compliment." She whispered before continuing past him. He closed the door behind him and stood himself in front of the mirror. The black haired boy he could see in it reached his hand up and placed it over the cheek that had just been kissed.

'Professor Oak was right; it's worrying how easily she can get to me. Then again, if her reaction earlier was anything to go buy, I can do it just as easily. This journey is certainly going to be an interesting experience.' He thought before going about his morning routine. Once he was finished; he returned to the room, having received confirmation that he was allowed to a few minutes beforehand, and collected his bag. "Alright everyone, time for breakfast. No messing around until we leave the Pokémon Center, there will be plenty of time for that later. Now, let's go!" With that, he took Clair's hand in his own and led her out the door.

Just as they entered the corridor, the door of the room next to there's opened and out stepped Gary. Realising that his neighbours were just leaving their room, he turned to say good morning and was shocked by the sight that met his eyes. "Ashy-boy? And Clair? Don't tell me you two slept in the same room!" Gary exclaimed.

"As a matter of fact, we did." Clair told him harshly before adopting a devious smirk that worried Ash; it was something he recognised from his childhood. "In fact, we even slept in the same bed." She continued mischievously. It took a moment for what she said to process in Gary's head. But, when it did, his jaw dropped and it seemed as though steam began to pour out of his ears. However, what really showed the effect the words had on him was that, without uttering a single word more, he turned around and walked away.

"I get the feeling that this is going to come back to bite me in the butt before I know it." Ash groaned as he looked at the girl. Unfortunately for him, she was still feeling a bit devious and he was the only one around to take the brunt of it.

The blue-haired girl stood on her toes so that she was level with Ash and leaned forward, placing her mouth next to his ear. "Then I guess I'll just have to kiss it better." She whispered before blowing lightly on his ear and being rewarded with a pleased shiver from Ash. She then pulled back slightly before diving back in and capturing his lips in a heated kiss. He didn't hesitate to return it but she quickly pulled back and broke the contact again, leaving him hanging. "You never gave me a good morning kiss." She teased before skipping away towards the building's dining room and kitchen.

'She is definitely going to drive me crazy…' Ash thought to himself. 'But I can live with that if it means seeing her every day.'

Ash's Pokémon:

Trapinch(M), Charmander(M), Pikachu(M), Dratini(F), Spearow(F), Sandshrew(F), Magikarp(F), Egg(Ho-Oh)(M)

Clair's Pokémon:

Horsea(F), Dratini(M)

Well, that's that. Feel free to leave your reviews, non-flames are always welcome. If you want to flame then you are an idiot. I don't mind if you're harsh, just include how to improve it instead of just expecting me to know. The reason that something you dislike has existed is that I didn't expect it to be disliked so I will probably continue to without explanation. I am fortunate that I have only ever had one person who has bothered to make any such comment and I gave them a quick rebuff in the following chapter of that story, Ash's Master Quest, and left it at that. Just thought I would make it clear for anyone reading this story and thinking about it.

Now I know some of you are likely thinking that I'm making him ridiculously OP but the current move-lists of his Pokémon don't guarantee victory unless used right. I would like to add that all moves listed have been able to be used by that Pokémon in one of the generations, even if only from events. Magikarp in particular has had all of those extra moves in events throughout various generations and I just wanted Magikarp to actually be shown as not completely useless and actually powerful and useful for once. Also, her ability to use those moves has made her strong to the point that it will take much less for her to evolve than other Magikarp, consider it as if her base power has been raised and the base power is what determines how close something is to being able to evolve. Of course it isn't that simple but I hope you get my point. Also, remember that the Dratini can't fight since they are too young now and the egg isn't necessarily going to hatch any time soon to add to his listings.

Yes, Spearow is vicious at times but can also be caring at others. Just because they are renowned for being vicious doesn't mean they don't have any moral fibre.