TIME FOR SOME A/N.

READ THE A/N AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, PLEASE

TO START THINGS OFF, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A HUGE FAN OF FANFICTION. I REMEMBER HOW I STARTED. I WANTED ASH AND MAY TO GET TOGETHER, AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS RECOMMENDED POKEMON FANFIC. FROM THERE, THINGS ELEVATED, AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, I STARTED TAKING ADVICE FROM STORIES, AND DECIDED TO WRITE MY OWN.

ALL RIGHT THEN, I PLAN TO DO A NEW VERSION OF AN ASH JOURNEY FIC. THIS WILL HAVE ASH GOING THROUGH A FICTIONAL REGION CALLED DREAMARIA, A LAND WHERE DREAMS ARE SAID TO COME TRUE, HOME TO JIRACHI.

UPDATES WILL BE SLOW, MAYBE ONCE EVERY MONTH, OR SO, BECAUSE BETWEEN ISN'T BETRAYAL JUST GREAT, SCHOOL, AND MY PERSONAL LIFE, I WILL GET VERY LITTLE TIME FOR THIS, BUT I HOPE THAT I DO JUSTICE TO IT.

THE REGION OF DREAMARIA IS THE CREATION OF MY IMAGINATION, SO BARE WITH ME. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS DIFFERENT TO THE GAMES AND CANON. READ THE PROLOGUE FOR AN EXPLANATION.

ASH IS GOING TO TRAIN HARD AND WILL BE DENSE, THOUGH, THAT WILL GO DOWN. HIS DENSENESS WILL BE ONE-SIDED. HE WILL HAVE CRUSHES, BUT WILL NOT PICK UP ANY HINTS GIRLS GIVE HIM. EXPECT HIS POKEMON TO BE TOUGH, BUT NOT TOUGH ENOUGH TO NEVER LOSE. ASH WILL BE STRONG, BUT NOT INVINCIBLE. HE WILL GAIN DIFFERENT POKEMON THAN THE ANIME.

ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT THROUGH REVIEWS AND PMS I WILL TRY TO ANSWER THEM, IF I CAN.

NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

PROLOGUE

Ah, Pallet Town, the border between the Kanto, Johto, and Dreamaria Regions. The soft wind that blew across this place spoke volumes of the rural yet promising landscape of this area. The wind carried along with it generations of rich history, with traces of fine dirt and sand. The sun shined bright everyday of the summer season, while the winter season had its effect on the town, coating it in snow, and casting a beautiful view for any passerby. But despite all this, Pallet Town was the least populated town in all of the three regions, even Newbark Town had more occupants and residents than this town. But nobody who lived hear regretted it, as sooner than not, the residents realized that life was easy in this modest town. Among these residents was the oh-so familiar Ash Ketchum, born and raised. He was one of the people of this town, who knew the whole town by heart, and was not afraid to explore further than the town's poorly marked boundaries. Now, when one hears about this town's neighbors, one creates an image that this town is a hustling and bustling metropolis, but apart from a few shops, a decent market, and the famous Professor Oak's laboratory, this town had pretty much nothing, except for the house of our Pokemon Master-in-training.

Pallet Town harbored the border of the three regions: Kanto to the north, Johto to the east, and Dreamaria to the west. The Kanto region was a typical region, with its vast landscape and lush scenery. Along with Johto, this region was the home of most starting trainers. The two regions only contained Pokemon, which were directly born in them, so the amount of foreign Pokemon was not much in these regions.

Dreamaria, however, was a whole other story.

This region was the home to Pokemon from all over. It was found many years ago, but it was a barren land with no population. Scientists soon found out that this land had much potential as one of the largest natural resource reserves. The development of this area started not long after, and Pokemon were transported here. Whole families had to migrate, and they were kept in a safe environment, supplied with food and water, till they were stable enough to go out in the wild. The League and Contest Circuit was established a few years ago, in this region, as the number of trainers wanting to explore this new region was sky-rocketing, and they needed a system to facilitate these trainers, and after a vote, it was decided that a Pokemon League along with 10 gyms should be made for this region, as well as a Contest Circuit, along with 6 ribbons. And so, towns were made, cities were built, gym leaders and types were assigned, a whole new Elite Four was chosen, contest halls were built, the grand festival was set up, but in the end, the development of this region was finished, and that is where our story begins . . .

CHAPTER 1

Ash yawned. The Pidgeys, Hoothoots, and Tailows chirped wildly, yet in a beautiful manner. As he looked at his room, he realized how modest it was. All it had was a bed, a dresser, and a closet; it was perfect for his needs. There was no alarm clock; the sound of the birds was enough to wake him up. He simply loved nature, and everything and anything about it. Then it all came back to him.

Today was the day.

He made his way into the bathroom and out fifteen minutes later, fully dressed. Downstairs, the smell of his mom's cooking was the first thing that met him, and he made his way into the kitchen to find the table laid with breakfast,

"Hey mom," he said excited. In fact he was so excited, that he forgot his table manners, and started gobbling down his food.

"Hi honey. Up early today, I see," his mom called cheerfully. She knew what day it was and she was incredibly happy for him, though she had grown past the overexcited mom phase where she would hug him fiercely for anything he did, but you couldn't blame her. And you couldn't blame Ash for his fast pace in eating food at this moment, though, he was never one to be overexcited.

"I'm always up early," he said satisfied.

Five minutes later, and breakfast was done.

"Well, I'm off," he replied impatiently. If it wasn't for his mom instilling manners into him, Ash would be walking towards the Lab right noe, but he stopped to satisfy the formalities.

"Don't forget to come visit me, before you leave, I've got something for you," Delia called out after him.

"Okay, mom, I won't forget."

As he exited the house, he smiled as he felt the promising wind on his face. He walked towards the laboratory. In no time, he reached the white building to find a boy named Hilbert, and a girl named Hilda, a girl named Leaf, and his rival, Gary, waiting by the stairs.

Hilbert was a boy of average height, shorter than Ash, and thirteen years old. He wore a light blue jacket which was dark blue nearing the collar. His jacket was open from the bottom, revealing a black under shirt. He wore dark grey jeans, which were crumpled nearing the end. He wore what looked like red and black sneakers, as well as a wristwatch, a single-strap bag, and a red and white Pokemon League cap, with a black Pokeball symbol. He had long, brown hair, as well as brown eyes.

Hilda, his sister, was a girl of average height, slightly taller than Hilbert, and thirteen years old. She wore a short and open black jacket, which revealed a white undershirt. She wore wrist gloves, as well as a wristwatch. She wore (very) short blue jeans. She wore mostly black boots with pink soles and laces. She wore a pink and white Pokemon League cap, with a pink Pokeball symbol. She had very long brown hair, which flowed in all directions.

Leaf was a girl of average height. She had long, brown hair which flowed elegantly down to her back, with a mostly white hat. She wore a blue sleeveless shirt with a black collar. She wore a short, pink skirt, as well as a wristwatch and yellow, single-strap bag. She had green eyes, as well.

Gary was a boy of average height, taller than Hilbert but shorter than Hilda. He had tall, spiky brown hair. He wore a simple black V- neck, with blue jeans and black sneakers, as well as a black wristwatch, and a chain, hanging from his jeans' pocket.

Ash was a tall boy and thirteen and a half years old. He had long, black hair, which many referred to as his "raven hair." He wore a black jacket, with grey sleeves, and a grey collar. He wore blue, baggy jeans. He wore blue and white sneakers, as well as black finger-less gloves, with a black wristwatch. He also had a black and blue Pokemon League cap, with a grey Pokeball symbol, which barley covered his hair.

Ash, Hilbert and Hilda were childhood friends. Hilbert and Hilda were born here in Pallet Town, but there parents were originally from Unova. So, Hilbert and Hilda were fascinated by the tales of Unova, and wanted to travel there, as soon as they could, after their first journey in the first of these three connected regions before.

Ash and Leaf were best friends. Leaf was born here in Pallet Town, and her parents were from here as well. She was a good-natured girl, and had a crush on Ash. Everybody knew about it, except, of course, Ash.

Ash and Gary were rivals, but not enemies. They had an ongoing friendly rivalry, however there were times when Gary would become arrogant. These were just small fits, you could say. But there was time when Gary went arrogant and turned the hole school against Ash, except Hilbert, Hilda, and Leaf. However, that all changed when Ash used two of the batting Pokemon at school, a Nidorino and Nidorina, mates, to protect the town against two Ursaring that had wandered out of the forest along the Johto border, and were wreaking havoc. Before Professor Oak could get organized, he just ran out of school, while grabbing two Pokeballs at random, to counter them. He was lucky he ended up with Pokemon who were in tune with one another. Gary was caught in line of one of the Hyper Beams shot by the Ursaring, but Ash used the two Pokemon at his arsenal to protect Gary and he defeated the two Ursaring with two well paced Poison Jabs.

Life had taken a huge turn for Ash since then. He was already a popular boy in school, but since that incident, reporters and girls hogged him wherever he went. Every night, he would thank Arceus for rest after thousands of the same questions asked by the reporters and various marriage proposals by stalking girls had taken their toll on him. Leaf had, basically, fallen in love with him. Ash didn't know, but he was becoming suspicious as LEaf came to him with all her problems - small or big - and expected him to magically make them disappear.

Thank Arceus, that incident had died down by now.

Now, since Pallet town connected the three regions, the starters available were influenced by the region they chose to travel. For Kanto, there were Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. For Johto, there was Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita. The usual starters up till now. For Dreamaria, however, the starters available were the starters from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, - Torchic, Mudkip, Treeko - Sinnoh, - Chimchar, Piplup, Turtwig - and Unova - Tepig, Oshwaott and Snivy. There was a much wider collection for Dreamaria, as the Pokemon League of this region was, generally, much harder, and trainers should be able to select the Pokemon they are most in tone with.

As for the journeys, Ash had already decided that he would be travelling the Dreamaria Region. Gary, not wanting to let his rival be ahead of him, had decided to travel the same region, and he would choose Squirtle as his starter. Hilbert, Leaf and Hilda were a mystery, however, and so their starters were a mystery, as well, except for Leaf, who had decided that she would get a Bulbasaur, and she would move hell and earth to get it, so the only choices she had were Kanto, and Dreamaria.

"Hey, guys," Ash called out, enthusiastically.

"Hi, Ash!" Hilda and Leaf replied cheerfully. They always were sweet girls, and the first to answer Ash, whenever he talked about something.

"Hey, dude," Hilbert and Gary called nonchalantly. Ash shrugged. They were never one to show enthusiasm, or any kind of excitement, for that matter. After chatting for a while, the doors opened to reveal a familiar pink-haired woman, who had come to greet them.

"Hello kids," Nurse Joy called out happily. Pallet Town had been assigned its own Nurse Joy, when it was revealed to be the border of not only two, but three regions.

"Hi, Nurse Joy," they replied. She led them through a series of confusing corridors, before finally coming to a stop to one of the bigger doors. The door opened to reveal a huge, white room. There were a few tables on which papers were scattered. A few chairs, here and there, nothing fancy up till now. But the main attraction was the huge white and red container, shaped like a Pokeball in the center of the room, with Professor Oak, standing by it.

"Hello, kids. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." They were impatient; who wouldn't be?

The oldtimer laughed. "Eager, are we? All right, welcome to my laboratory, this huge container contains all the Pokeballs, which contain your future starter Pokemon. This will, also, automatically register you for the League, or Contest Circuit of the region you are participating. Let me show you a demonstration on how to choose." He pressed a button labeled "REGION", then said, "Dreamaria," and then pressed a button, labeled "NAME", and said, "test subject," then pressed another button, labeled "OCCUPATION", said, "Professor, then pressed another button labeled "POKEMON", and said, "Charizard." The huge Pokeball opened, and it revealed a lot of Pokeballs, piled up, inside it. One Pokeball, guided by some electronic force, levitated out of it. The huge Pokeball closed, while the real sized one opened to reveal a Charizard. The Charizard yawned before going back to its Pokeball.

"That was my Charizard, my starter. He is becoming lazy, that fellow. Now, don't get your hopes up, you are still going to get the traditional starters. Now, please, do the honours. It is along process, I know."

Gary wasted no time, and immediately, walked up to the container. After a few minutes, he was registered for the Dreamaria Pokemon League with a flashy Squirtle in no time. Hilbert registered himself for the Johto Pokemon League, with a Totodile at his side. Leaf, suprisingly, registered herself for the Dreamaria Pokemon League, with a Bulbasaur. There was talk that Leaf would stalk Ash, and travel the Dreamaria Region, but nobody actually believed it. Hilda, registered herself for the Dreamaria Contest Circuit, with her Tepig.

Finally, it was Ash's turn. He walked up to the machine slowly. He filled in the required information, registering himself, Ash Ketchum, for the Dreamaria Pokemon League, before stopping at the Pokemon button. He pressed the button slowly, then said, "Torchic," and a few moments later, the red chick Pokemon presented itself in front of him.

Ash had taken his options into consideration, and decided a long time ago. He saw all the starters for this year, and the nominees for Ash Ketchum's starter Pokemon were Charmander, Squirtle, Treeko, Chikorita, Chimchar, Turtwig, Snivy, and , finally, Torchic. Charmander had already bonded with some ten-year old kid, and they were inseparable. Although, Charmander was his first choice, Ash didn't want to separate what anyone could consider brothers. Squirtle and Snivy were just too much of a nuisance. They were brothers of destruction, and wreaked small-term havoc everywhere in Professor Oak's ranch. Apart from that, they just didn't want to go with anyone, but Ash was sure they would find some mischievous kid. Treeko was afraid of going out into the world, and Ash was to considerate to take away its luxury of staying in the ranch. Chimchar was out of the picture from the start. He had a trainer, previously. That poor little fellow was broken, bruised, abused, and to top it all off: abandoned. The abandonment must have hurt most. For a Pokemon, loyalty was the most important thing; the Pokemon must be loyal to his trainer, and the trainer must remain loyal to his or her Pokemon. Turtwig, however, was alright. He was smart, confident when it came to battles, and a great battler. But, he was lazy, clumsy, and sometimes got overconfident, leading him to loose his battles with other Pokemon from the ranch. Chikorita was a no-go. She had crush on Ash, after Ash's heroic rescue, and, though he didn't know about the crush, Ash was getting fed up with her advances. She would come up to him, whenever he was resting in the ranch, or reading a book, and would rest in his lap and snuggle into him. She would beg for his attention, and constantly lick his cheek. At first, he thought it was cute, however, it became annoying really quickly.

And so it all came down to Torchic. That little Pokemon had spunk in him. He shared Ash's passion to get stronger, and would train hard with Ash every day, whenever Ash would come into the ranch to exercise. During those sessions, Ash and Torchic had bonded and gotten to know one another. That is actually where Ash learned that Torchic was a male Pokemon. So, Ash and Torchic had created a sense of familiarity, but it wasnt easy, as Chikorita and Leaf would keep swooning over Ash's growing muscles.

So, now, in Professor Oak's laboratory, Ash picked up Torchic and placed him on his shoulder.

"I am your new trainer, buddy. I told you I'd pick you, didn't I?" Torchic sounded his approval and sat on Ash's shoulder like a watchdog.

"All right," Professor Oak's voice boomed throughout the room. "Now that we are done with this,let's move to the next and final stage. Here," he picked up an orange device off his desk," this is a Pokedex. It is a machine that will give you information about the Pokemon in front of you. It will tell you its species, its gender, its personality or nature, its ability, and the moves it knows at that point in time. All you have to do is point and click. It will also serve as your identity, as cannot be replaced. So, don't lose it or break it. Other than that, all you need is 5 Pokeballs, and your adventure can begin." He proceeded to hand the five children a Pokedex and 5 Pokeballs each. Nobody wasted any time in pointing their Pokedex towards their starters.

"Torchic," it called out in a monotone voice. "The Chick Pokemon. A fire burns inside, so it feels very warm to hug. It launches fireballs of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. This Torchic is Male, and is very brave and patient from birth. The moves in knows include the following: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Night Slash and Flame Burst. It has the following ability: Speed Boost."

Ash's eyes widened at that. That was a pretty impressive move set for a starter Pokemon! This just made him more determined. Oh yes, they would definitely become much more stronger together, but before that could happen, he had to talk to his mom, and wish his friends goodbye, of course.

"Thank you, Professor," he said gratefully.

"Oh no, my boy. This is my duty."

Ash nodded and addressed his friends, "All right, guys. Its time to leave and become the strongest ever." His friends shook their heads and rolled their eyes at Ash's determination, with the exception of Leaf, who grew hearts for eyes. Ash walked out of the Lab with Torchic on his shoulder, and walked towards his home. He reached it and went inside.

"Hey mom, I'm back!"

"Hi honey, look what I have for you." His mother came out of the kitchen and walked up to him. She was about to pick up Torchic and exclaim about how cute he was, but Torchic growled.

"Sorry, he's kind of protective of me." His mother shrugged, and handed him a box, covered with a red wrapping paper, along with his packed backpack Ash opened the wrapping paper skilfully and gaped at what was inside.

"Mom you know how expensive this is?"

It was a X-Transceiver, the latest model too. It was a polished, metallic black in colour, complete, with a grey strap for his wrist. The screen was an LED high definition screen, with state-of-the-art graphics technology, and the fastest connection in this world. It even had its own satellite which it connected to directly, with no interruptions, allowing calls to be connected instantly, and no dropped calls, and if there were any, then the X-Transceiver was certainly not responsible for it.

"Its okay, honey. Its nothing to me because it doesn't even begin to amount to how important you are to me and how much happiness you have given to me. I love you honey." By now, she had tears in her eyes. She really loved Ash, and he had been a ray of light and hope in her life when his father disappeared.

"Oh, mom, I love you too." He hugged her lovingly, and dried her tears. It hurt his heart to have to leave, but he had to continue his dreams and fight for his passion and what he believes in. "I hope you understand, Mom. I have to leave."

"Yes, I do, honey. Now go, get going! By the way, that X-Transciever hasn't come out yet, so its not activated. It'll be a few months before you can use it!" She smiled. Ash took it off, and placed it back into his backpack, before smiling warmly at her, and walked out, with his Mom following. He proceeded to walk away into the sunset, yelling

"Goodbye mom, Ill make sure to call!"

"Goodbye, honey. Don't you dare forget to keep in contact!" She called out after him, smiling as she watched him go off into the sunset, muttering,

"He's just like him."

Ash had reached the border of Celestial Forest. He was slowly learning that he had given his mom much less credit than she deserved. She had worked hard, to pack his backpack. It was complete with packed meals, a map, water bottles, Pokemon feed, rope, potions, and bowls and plates, as well as a manual for the Dreamaria Region. He learned that the forest along the Dreamarian border, Celestial Forest, was given its name because of the Pokemon living there. They were mainly Electric Pokemon present, and the electromagnetic forces of these Pokemon let out sharp, bright glows which, ultimately, gave the forest a angelic, beautiful and celestial glow.

Torchic had remained quite throughout the small journey, his excitement and eagerness killing any words - or sounds - he might have made, but Ash could tell he was psyched about this.

He smiled as he saw the wide expanse of trees. The next few weeks were going to be oh, so long, but he would have fun, catch a new, electric Pokemon, if he was lucky, and get some experience. However, his peaceful thinking session didn't last long, as a red car pulled up next to him, and Gary jumped out.

"There you are, Ashy-boy. Been looking all over for you." Ash sighed.

"What do you want, Gary?" He wanted no more than to just start his adventure, and fell the heat, light, wind and dirt on his face, which came with the wild.

"I just want to beat my rival, before I go on and become the greatest. Then you can say you battled the Champion," he stated smugly. Ash rolled his eyes at that, but immediately hyped up when the whole sentence hit him. He agreed with Gary. There would be no better way to venture into the great Dreamaria Region and start his adventure than to fight with his rival.

"All right," he said excitedly and turned his neck to look at Torchic. "What do you say? Up for a battle?" Torchic responded by jumping off his shoulder, and getting into a battle stance. Gary threw out his Pokeball, revealing his Squirtle. Squirtle knew it was a battle and stood smugly.

Ash and Gary cleared some space, and stood away from the two Pokemon.

Then the battle started.

"Tackle, Squirtle!" Squirtle charged at Torchic, however Torchic seemed unfazed. It waited for Squirtle to reach it, and then simply jumped out of the way. Squirtle was inexperienced, and couldn't control himself as he wasn't trained to maneuver and manage himself while taking less pressure from its shell, and kept going and collided with one of the trees. Wartortle and Blastoise were generally much more adept at that skill, however Squirtle were weak and required a lot of training and experience before it reached that certain skill level where it could maneuver itself with its shell. That was the point where the Squirtle line usually evolved.

Training Pokemon was an art, and battling them was a skill.

Torchic, however, was on a whole other level, due to its training with Ash. The two would finish each other's sentences, if Torchic could talk, and that was another reason why Ash thought he was justified in picking Torchic. That was shown here, when Torchic wasted no time and ran at Squirtle with its claws glowing. Ash would have commanded it to use Scratch, but Torchic knew that already, and weighed its chances. Its claws scratched deep into one of Squirtle's legs. It then glowed red, and when the glow faded, Torchic seemed more energetic and powerful.

"What the hell was that?" Ash winced at Gary's language. His friend and rival was never one to think about what he said and opted to face the consequences, no matter how dire they were.

"That was Speed Boost, Torchic's ability. It makes it faster and - "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, Squirtle, get it together!" The dazed and hurt Squirtle sluggishly turned around and glared at Torchic. Ash had no time to play; he had to leave now, if he wanted to make some good time, before the sun went down.

"Night Slash!" Torchic's claws radiated an eerie, dark light and Torchic rammed them into the Pokemon's vulnerable underbelly. Squirtle was mercilessly thrown against the tree, which must have hurt hard, for such a young Pokemon, and fell onto ground.

He didn't get back up. He was out cold.

Torchic turned towards Ash, proud of its first proper victory. The Pokemon at the lab were not much of a challenge, for it, at least, not the other starters. Other, older Pokemon like Professor Oak's Charizard or Dragonite would kill Torchic with one Flame Thrower, probably. Torchic wasn't about to experiment. At least, this squirtle knew how to attack, even though it couldn't run properly, as it stumbled a lot, during its charge. Torchic didn't jump on his shoulder, as it wanted to test out it's skills gifted to it temporarily by its ability. They walked off into the forest, leaving Gary with his unconscious Pokemon, muttering,

"That thing shouldn't know how to use Night Slash."

As Ash walked on the muddy path of the Celestial Forest, he thought back to the battle. Gary could have easily won that battle, if he knew how to exploit his Pokemon's abilities to his advantage. Torchic would have been out if a well-placed Water Gun could have hit him. They would work on Torchic's resistance when they found a suitable area to camp and train.

Speaking of the little guy, Torchic was resting in his Pokeball. They had been walking for a long time, and Torchic's legs had given way to exhaustion, eventually. Also, his claws were digging deep into the mud, making it more difficult to walk than usual. Ash was on alert the whole time they were walking, but there were some moments when e would allow himself to be distracted by the beauty of the wild flowers and the simple and elegant green colour of the leaves. He had no need to be worried. He was still not in the deep parts of the forest, where the more aggressive, wild Pokemon habituated. The Spearow flock, which had nested in Pallet Town's bordering forests and routes would not disturb them, as they dare not venture into the home of the electric-typed Pokemon who would zap them without thinking.

Soon enough, Ash reached a large clearing, with enough space for training, and to set up their tent a fair and safe distance away from the training area, sheltered by some overgrown trees, which were bending due to the stress of old age. Torchic had been out of his Pokeball for a while, now, and was walking cheerfully on the now, hard floor of the forest. Ash had to be extra careful now' they were in the deeper part of the forest. But, his determination to become stronger got the best of his worries, and after setting up camp, finding wood to burn, a water source to fill his empty water bottles and eating he got to training. All that took time, yes, but ws necessary for one's survival in the wild.

It was gentle, at first, just running some laps around the clearing, with Torchic hot on his heels. He did some push-ups and press-ups, and Torchic watched impatiently and eagerly. It would have to wait till it evolved into a Combusken if it wanted to do push-ups. But, that was just the warm up. Torchic learned that his trainer was a maniac when it came to training, when his turn finally came, and Ash expected him to burn a rock. It was to power up its already known attacks, before they would move to a different attacks. There was no point in trying to learn new attacks if one hadn't mastered the attacks they know from the start, was Ash's philosophy. Nothing happened after a few Embers, the rock was only heated up. But, Ash convinced him to give it his all, and never give up, and that the rock heating up was a good sign, and that worked. Torchic was soon firing charged up fireballs of intense heat and energy which put some burn marks on the rock. Then came the tutoring session. After scrolling through the list of moves that Torchic could learn through practice Ash decided to try to teach Torchic Focus Energy and Peck. Focus Energy would allow Torchic to gather his wits and stay calm, even in the most dire situations. To top it all off, it would allow him to focus all its concentration on each and every attack, making each and every attack stand up there. Peck would diversify his move set. His move set was already pretty diverse with Night Slash at his disposal, but that wouldn't do any good if he went up against a fighting-type Pokemon. He needed Peck, not only for the type diversity, but also for confidence, both for trainer and Pokemon. Having a wide array of attacks would give you more choices in dire situations, as well as the belief that you can do anything, but one has to keep his pride in check. Overconfidence is the fault of people and Pokemon themselves, not some unearthly force that wants everybody to perish. Ash told Torchic to be calm and clear his head of all thoughts. He told him to only think about centring his energy and focusing onto where you want it: claws for Scratch, Night Slash, while beak for Ember, Flame Burst, Growl, and, hopefully, Peck. It did so, and, sooner than not, it glowed a dull red. Ash smirked at that. The red colour of the glow would distract his opponent. Also it could confuse him, thinking it be the glow of Focus Energy, when it could be Speed Boost. With Focus Energy down, now came the hard part. Torchic had to direct all its energy into its beak and make it glow. It took an hour or so, but it finally got the glow down. Now, it had to practice on dummy opponents, but it had to settle for trees. An hour later, most of the trees surrounding the clearing either had holes in them, or were jagged around the edges. What could be seen in Ash's tent was a Torchic with a badly bruised beak, while Ash tended to its wounds, ignoring the stress on his tired muscles. Torchic was touched by this, and he fully accepted Ash as his trainer, and friend, no matter how hard the training was. Besides, training like this would become second-nature to them after a few months at it, and it wasn't like the training wasn't paying off; Torchic's beak had hardened and strengthened, while its stamina had increased as well as its move set. But, Ash didn't let his quick and good progress get to his head, as he knew that these were the easy moves. The real difficulties were learning moves like Draco Meteor or Blast Burn, and with time, he would make sure he had Pokemon that knew those attacks.

Over the course of the next few days, life carried on as, what would become, usual. Travelling, training, and resting. Those three words were more than enough to describe the lifestyle of the duo. They had been moving deeper into the forest every day, and wild Pokemon had attacked them as well. But, Torchic easily dispersed them with Ember. Ash didn't catch any Pokemon, as none interested him. Most of the Pokemon he encountered were Joltik, or Pikachu. These two species didn't really intrigue him. However, Ash had encountered many trainers, looking for Pokemon or a battle. Torchic made quick work of them, and the duo gained some battle experience. So far, they had an ongoing unbeaten streak. Torchic's claws were hardening bit by bit every day, and now it easily leave a black scorch mark on rocks. Peck was coming along nicely, and they had moved on to the next stage with Focus Energy: combining it with other attacks.

Ash was packing his tent, after a very gruelling training session. He had tried to create a technique called Focus Attacks, where Torchic would combine two attacks, Focus Energy being one. So far, they had got down Focus Ember, Focus Scratch, Focus Growl and Focus Peck. He was not able to test out Flame Burst, as it would harm the environment, and probably make the trees, surrounding the clearing they were in catch fire. Besides. there wasn't enough space, as the clearings they came across were not nearly as big as the first one. Night Slash was becoming a problem. Torchic could Night Slash perfectly, and Focus Energy perfectly, but when combined, it was mayhem. It was an attack of immense power, if perfected. That was the reason behind Torchic's failure. Due to it's small body, it would not be able to contain the energy for a long time, not enough to reach the target Pokemon. So, Ash decided after the first few tries, Torchic would just harm itself if it kept practising. Maybe, Combusken could get it down. Torchic was outside, at the moment. There was still sunlight and he would make some progress today. Ash knew he had to play it safe, due to the danger of damage to muscle tissue, which he learned in school, so he trained every alternate day. Every day in between, he would just do some light exercises. Torchic, however, would not put down its training, at all. But, that was a given, and not dangerous, as the regeneration rate of Pokemon was just too high. After every training session, and a good rest, their muscles would be back to normal, instead of the soreness that humans had to suffer. At the moment, Torchic was keeping guard over the site.

Turns out, it was needed.

Ash heard growling, and he turned around to find a green dog-like Pokemon, growling at him, all the while, watching him pack the bags Pokechow with hunger. Ash didn't want any trouble, he wanted to be on the road, so he took out some Pokechow and threw it at the canine. Apparently, it was trusting, as it gobbled the food quickly and growled at Ash again. Ash smiled and took out one of the bowls and filled it to the brim and handed it to the Pokemon. It sniffed it, and after a moment of hesitation, ate it swiftly. Ash got back to packing and after he was done, he saw that the Pokemon was looking at him challengingly, sizing him up.

"Do you want to battle?" The Pokemon nodded swiftly, without hesitation. Ash called upon Torchic, and said Pokemon jumped down from it's hiding place in the trees.

"Get ready for a battle, buddy. This is an Electrike. They can be quite agile, and strong with their ranged attacks, so try to evade its bolts if you can." There was a spark in Torchic's eyes when it learned that it was going to battle. It took his trainer's advice into consideration, and got ready, after moving to a distance for Electrike.

The canine wasted no time and charged towards Torchic. Ash noticed that's Electrike let out sparks as it ran and realised that Electrike was using Spark. Torchic tried to jump over it but Electrike just managed to brush its fur, sending a jolt throughout its body, which made Torchic shiver.

"Focus Ember." Ash knew that taking Electrike head on would not be wise choice, as the electricity running across its fur could paralyze his friend. Not even Night Slash would be able to amount to anything if Torchic couldn't move. Ranged attacks would be best at this point. His decision turned out to be correct when the Focus Energy-powered Embers hit Electrike and singed his fur, making it howl in pain. It let its anger get the best of it and launched a bolt of electricity at Torchic, which cut through the air, and zipped towards it's opponent. Torchic jumped out of the way, showing off its agility, and launched another ember which burned Electrike's fur. The poor canine barked and vanished. It appeared a split second later, right in front of the chicken and rammed it.

Quick Attack.

Torchic was hurled against a tree, but got back up quickly. Ash was getting impatient and decided to finish it.

"Dusk Scratch." Dusk Scratch was a slightly strengthened version of Night Slash, combining it with Scratch. Nothing too complicated, it was just that Scratch would harden his claws, providing more damage with the ultimate move Torchic knew: Night Slash. For now, Torchic ran towards the dog-like Pokemon with its claws giving off a familiar dark glow. It jumped and came down on it hard, digging its claws into the canine, hurting it immensely. The poor Electrike never stood a chance; it was defeated.

Ash threw a Pokeball at it, and the Pokeball hit it, opened, and sucked it inside. It wiggled for a few times, after falling to the ground. Ash prayed that he would catch it. This Pokemon showed promise, and with training, had the potential to become a very strong Manectric, one which would be accepted by any pack, as it's leader, and that was a topic of respect for these Pokemon. Besides, this was the first Electrike he had seen so far in this forest, and for all he knew, this could be the only one. After what seemed like an eternity, the ball pinged and went still.

Ash.'s face grew a maniacal grin as soon as heard the sound. He wanted this Electrike, and he got it. Another partner to train and befriend. He walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up. He stared at it for a second, then released Electrike. The green Pokemon looked at Ash, before walking to him, and layed down at his feet. Ash smiled; any worries about Electrike rebelling were washed away. He guessed, the food he had given to it made it trust him. He remembered about his Pokedex. He took out the red device and pointed it at the Electrike and clicked. The device sprung into action.

"Electrike. The Lightning Pokemon. Using electricity stored in its fur, it stimulates it's muscles to heighten it's reaction speed. This Electrike is Male, and is very loyal and accepting from birth. The moves it knows include the following: Spark, Growl, Thunder Shock, Electro Ball and Fire Fang. It has the following ability: Lightning Rod."

Aah whistled, that was a nice move set. Apparently, his whistle alerted Electrike as the Pokemon jumped up to guard Ash.

"It's fine, buddy." He rubbed its head and spoke to it fondly. "I was just impressed with how impressive you are." The canine looked satisfied with that, and then relaxed. Ash transferred his attention to Torchic, who was waiting patiently. "Great battle, dude." Torchic nodded. "However, why didn't you warn me that Electrike had entered the camp?" Torchic looked at Ash, and shrugged. To anyone, that would have seemed like Torchic didn't care, but Ash knew that his friend knew that Electrike would not hurt him.

Pokemon had a code. This code said that no Pokemon could hurt humans, if they don't hurt them. Cases when Pokemon had gone on a rampage for no particular reason were very rare, and, usually, these Pokemon were considered outcasts. Outcasts had marks on them, which could only be seen by Pokemon. Humans often disturbed Pokemon's way of living, and that would cause them to attack. One Pokemon could tell by the mark who was an outcast and wild, and who was civilised.

Besides, Ash argued, if Torchic had alerted him, he would have probably attacked Electrike and made him run away. That would have been a failure. So, as Torchic jumped on his shoulder, and he picked up the now sleeping Electrike in his arms, Ash thought, his team was more diverse and a Manectric would be able to counter Combusken's or Blaziken's weakness towards Flying-typed Pokemon.

It was few days later.

Electrike had fit in their training schedule perfectly. Ash had been working with Electrike on Volt Switch, only.

The reason for this was that moves like Volt Switch and Baton Pass were very good alternatives for switching out Pokemon. When Pokemon are thrown out, they do not know if it is for a battle, or for a walk. They are left vulnerable to attacks, in this way. These moves, however, alert Pokemon of the fact that they are in a battle, so they come out with the right mindset required for a battle. Also, Electrike was training hard every day, and Ash had even come up with new techniques for it.

Anyway, Ash was walking with his friends, when a male Pokemon trainer came out of the bushes. Ash thought he wanted a battle. There had been quite a few trainers he had battled in the last few days, and his winning streak was still unbroken.

This trainer, in particular, had long, blue hair. He wore black sunglasses. He wore a pink shirt, covered by a green sleeveless jacket, and a pink undershirt, all the while wearing a cocky and arrogant smirk on his face.

"Excuse me, where did you catch that Electrike? There is supposed to be one in this forest which knows Fire Fang. I have been looking for it for a few weeks now, and haven't been able to find one."

Immediately Ash's eyes widened and he said,

"Well, I am sorry to say but this is the Electrike you are talking about, and I have already caught it, so . . . Why don't you move along? I am sure there are other Electrike on this forest."

The Trainer's eyes widened and he looked at Electrike, who was standing protectively by Ash's feet, before meeting Ash's eyes once again. Realisation dawned upon him, and his face grew red and his lip quivered.

"If that is so," he started with a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he brought out a Pokeball, "why don't we battle for it? If I win, I get your Electrike, and if you win, I give you an Emolga I caught a few days ago."

Ash looked at the trainer like he was an idiot, Just who did he think he is, demanding for a battle, with Pokemon as the stakes. Even if Ash agreed, his friend was worth much more to him than an Emolga! He stared at him and tightly shook his head.

However, this trainer was persistent,

"Chickened out, I see. Well, I can't blame you. No one is brave enough to face the great Damian!" Ash never judged anyone based on first impressions, but this one encounter with the newly-revealed Damian, and Ash was convinced, that this new fellow was an arrogant, selfish and pompous jerk.

"I'll battle you, and I'll beat you, but my Pokemon mean much more to me than they will ever mean to you. I will not bet them, ever."

"You know what? Why don't we just battle? If you win, I'll give you this." He opened his backpack to reveal something very important in Ash's eyes. "A Potion-Carrier, complete with a set of five Super Potions. If I win, then you give me all your money." Unlike Damian thought, Ash nodded his head without hesitation.

Ash had gained quite a bit of money through his battles. These days, in order to fund journeys, the Pokemon League had decided that if a Pokemon Trainer, who was in possession of more than a thousand PokeDollars, lost a battle, then he or she must give some of their money to the winner. Depending on their status, the amount of money was decided; the higher her the status, the more the money lost. However, what Damian didn't know was that all the money Ash had wasn't even half of what the Potion Carrier was worth.

The Potion Carrier was a bag made of the lightest cloth, with different sections for every kind of Potions. This carrier, in particular, was matte red in colour with a black spider design on it. And the best part, it could be attached to his own backpack, like another pocket, so he wouldn't feel like he was carrying a load.

Ash wasn't about to pass up a chance like this, though, he wasn't unfair.

"That's fine by me, but you should know: the money I have isn't even worth half the price of a Potion-Carrier."

"That's fine by me, too. Besides, there is no way I am going to lose."

Ash wasted no time, and took a place a fair distance away from Damian. He had to be careful; he was nearing the city, and there a lot more people wandering the forest. He didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone. He looked at his Pokemon and asked,

"Who wants to battle?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Electrike stepped forward and growled. Ash realised that his friend was offended by the thought that anyone could take Ash away from him. Torchic showed it's maturity by giving Electrike a chance to regain its pride. Ash nodded.

"All right, let's do this buddy."

Electrike jumped onto the makeshift battlefield. Damian sighed.

"Finally! Lets battle! This is a Pokemon I caught a few weeks ago, before I entered this wretched forest, and it is not that Emolga. Come on out!"

He threw an Ultra Ball into the air, and out came a a purple quadruped Pokemon.

"Meet my Nidorino! We'll be sure to give your Electrike a 100% beating!" Ash took a deep breath as he went over the weaknesses and strengths of a Nidorino. Its main weaknesses were its horn, its backside and its underbelly was the most exposed part of it, and was an easy target, once Ash found out how to expose it. Its horn was the most sensitive part of it. Even one tinge of discomfort to its horn could send the Male Nidoran family on a rampage. However, Ash would have to keep his attacks ranged until he found a way to attack the underbelly. Contact with its horn would send poison flowing through Electrike's veins. And Electrike wasn't skilled enough to have perfect accuracy, which was required to make contact with Nidorino's horns from afar. But Ash would win.

"Poison Jab!" Nidorino started running towards Electrike, his horn glowing a dark and eerie purple, which was visible against its lighter purple skin. Judging by Electrike hunching back, and getting ready to dodge, Ash guessed that his friend had the same plan as him. Just as Nidorino was about to hit him, his friend used Quick Attack to dodge and proceed to run circles around the poison beast. The Pokemon was startled by this sudden burst of speed, and got confused. It got into position to defend wherever Electrike attacked him from.

"Rapid Fang." This was one of Electrike's new techniques. It combined the speed of Quick Attack, and the power of Fire Fang. Quick Attack would increase the amount of Fire Fangs his friend could use before the opponent gained the opportunity to retaliate, and it would also increase its power, as it would speed up the movements of its muscles, and cause it it munch strongly. As suspected, Electrike jumped out from his running circle and bit Nidorino on its bare back, and jumped back into his circle, before Nidorino turned around to attack him. It attacked again, and jumped back into its circle.

"Flame Spark." Fire Fang and Spark. Spark would drive its electrical energy into its jaws, which would power up the fire move with a tinge of sparks, which, while it would hurt Nidorino additionally, would also provide a chance for paralysis, along with the potential threat of burns that come unspoken with any fire move. Electrike bit Nidorino's back again, but this time, with ever more power, and you could see sparks running across his skin, whenever Electrike would be visible enough. Ash's plan worked and Nidorino froze. He panicked; he didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't move. Damian watched helplessly, as his Pokemon slowly slipped into unconsciousness, but his pride was too much, and so he didn't forfeit.

"Forfeit now, Damian." Ash was serious; he didn't want to hurt any Pokemon just because their trainer was an asshole.

"Never!" Ash sighed, and decided to end it. As much as hated to hurt the Nidorino, he couldn't lose all his money, and he would gain a Potion Carrier in the process.

"Spherical Shock. Try to hit its horn." This technique combined Electro Ball with Thunder Shock. The Thunder Shock would strengthen the electrical energy of its attacks, and the Electro Ball itself would speed up. Ash had practiced this the most with Electrike, because this attack required aim and accuracy. Right now, it would not be needed as Electrike stood in front of the frozen Nidorino, and charged an electrical ball on his tail. As the ball took shape and gained power, he let out a howl, which let loose a small charge of electricity, which moved across hid fur, and met with the ball, making it bigger, and much more powerful. That much was visible to the naked eye. Electrike jumped, and somersaulted, launching the Spherical Bolt at the poison Pokemon, which hit it on its horn. The electricity traveled through his horn, into his veins, shutting down his system.

Electricity didn't speed up the systems of Pokemon, as expected. No, that was the stuff of fairy tales. It only occurred in Electric-Typed Pokemon. On every other Pokemon, it would effectively shut them down, causing them to slip into unconsciousness.

"I win." Ash walked away from the battlefield, with Electrike following him, and Torchic on his shoulder. He walked over to the Potion Carrie and attached it to his backpack, and just walked away.

As he walked along the constantly narrowing and rising path, Ash reflected upon his battle. He was lucky it was a Pokemon Damian had recently caught. If it would have been his starter, Ash would have surely lost. By the looks of it, Damian was at least a year older than him, and so his starter would be fully evolved, unless he had been not training them at all. That Nidorino was poorly trained, Damian didn't know what he was doing. Through one battle, Ash had found out a lot about Damian. He was a person who loved to catch strong Pokemon, but didn't train them, and was totally dependent on their natural strength. Ash pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, and glanced at Electrike, who was walking in front of him, worried. The little Pokemon was not itself lately, and Ash guessed its pride had been hurt much more than he thought.

Finally, he came up with something. He caught up with Electrike and scooped it up in his arms and rubbed his friend gently, ignoring the spark that raced across the skin.

"Would you like a name?" Ash's mom had told him that giving Pokemon nicknames would make them happy, and prideful. That was the reason why she nicknamed her Mr. Mime. Electrike looked at Ash, and nodded.

Over the next half an hour, Ash learned that Electrike was very choosy. Ash had tried many names, like Bolt or Jolt or Thunder or Lightning, but it liked none of them. Finally he said, "Flash?" Ash was fully certain that Electrike would shake his head, but his Pokemon seemed to think about it. After a while, he nodded, and jumped out of his arms. He started running around, happy and excited about his new name, making Ash sigh in relief to see his friend back to his old self. He turned his head to speak to Torchic.

"Would you like one, too?" Torchic thought about it, then shrugged. Apparently, it had enough pride without the name. Ash decided to wait before granting Torchic a nickname. He then shifted his attention to the trees around him, and listened to the voices of the many Pokemon hiding in the trees.

Eventually, Ash spotted the trees giving way to an opening. He sighed. He would finally get out this forest, and, though he didn't mind staying in the forest for a few more days, he had to restock and resupply if he wanted to continue his adventure. He also had to buy those ready-made trainer meals, as the meals his mother had made for him were about to finish. He still had quite a lot of Pokechow, enough to supply his Pokemon till he reached the city after Skycelia Town.

Ash had read in his manual that Celestial Forest led to Skycelia Town. A town where, as the name suggests, Flying-Types were prominent. Pidgey Mail was mostly used in this town, in fact, the residents of this town were the pioneers of mail being sent by flying Pokemon. It was etched into a mountain side, and that explained the elevation of the path. It was a small town, home to the first Gym of the Dreamaria Region. As Ash exited the forest, he stumbled a bit. The ground had suddenly changed from dirt and mud to a paved pathway. As he looked around, he saw the the town was modest. A few houses, here and there. In fact, it was so small that Ash could have sworn that he could see the whole town from here. He could easily spot the red building known as the Pokemon Center. He would find everything he needed there. There were rooms provided for free for travelers. Nurse Joy would take care of the Pokemon, if any, and there were Wireless Phoning Computers present through which travelers could keep in contact with anyone they wanted to. There was the PokeMart installed into it recently. So now, there was only one big building, instead of two small ones.

The Gym was the biggest and most modern building of the town. It was shaped like a feather. It was white in colour, and had blue streaks along its length, outlined by dark purple. Ash would have a great time beating this Gym. But, first things first.

Ash walked into the Pokemon Center, and was met by a chilly air. It was a nice surprise for him; even though he loved the outdoors, the heat would sometimes get to him. At least, the Center was air-conditioned. He walked over to the counter, where a cheerful Norse JOy was waiting for him.

"Hi ma'am, can you take care of my Pokemon?"

"Sure honey, give me their Pokeballs." He handed her the two Pokeballs. "Just two? You must be a starting trainer, right?" Ash nodded, and then made his way to the phone room. He quickly found a free phone, and dialed Professor Oak's number into it. After a few moments of ringing, the Professor picked up the phone.

"Hello, how may I he- Ash. mu boy! Its you! How are you doing? Why haven't you called? Your mother is very scared and mad! And why -"

"Professor!" Ash yelled, in attempt to get him to calm down. It worked and they both calmed down. "I was training in Celestial Forest. I just reached Skycelia Town. In fact, I just entered the Pokemon Center. Don't worry, I didn't forget."

The Professor looked impressed and said, "I told your mother that you could never be so irresponsible. I'll call her right now; she is in the ranch." He disappeared from the screen, and Ash waited. As he waited, he thought about what he would tell his mother if the truth wasn't enough. Eventually, the figure of his mother appeared and Ash smiled. Guessing from her calm face, professor Oak had told her what happened.

"Hi mom. I guess Professor Oak told you what happened?" His mother nodded, and finally let a genuine smile escape her lips.

"Yes, honey. So, how is your journey going?"

"Great! I already caught another Pokemon; an Electrike. It is actually quite rare and . . . " As Delia watched her son ramble on and on about his Pokemon, she mentally slapped herself for even thinking that Ash could be immature, and forget to call her. As much as she wanted to talk to her son, the baby Pokemon of the ranch were not going to tend to themselves.

"That's great, honey, but I have to go. I am tending to the baby Pokemon of the ranch. Apparently, trainers don't know how crucial it is to take care pf baby Pokemon themselves, because the baby Pokemon imprints on the one who tends to them. And all the baby Pokemon of the ranch have imprinted on me, and they think of me as their mother. So don't worry anymore about me being me lonely, because all the Pokemon sleep in the house, and come out to the ranch to play. So I am really happy! Bye!" She said the last part quickly and sweetly, and closed the phone call. Ash smiled at his mother''s priorities. Even though she loved him, she wouldn't let her responsibilities waver because of him. That was exactly how he wanted to be treated, and she knew it.

Ash exited the room and walked over to the counter, where Nurse Joy was waiting with his two Pokeballs. She waved at him and handed them to him.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Ash was very grateful, because if it wasn't for her, then his Pokemon wouldn't be in tip-top shape for battles. Nurse Joy just smiled, and waved at him as he left the Center, for the Gym.

As Ash looked at the Gym from up-close, with Torchic on his shoulder, he realized why he could spot the Gym easily. It was huge. The feather, he could see, was actually a light, metallic silver, which looked white from afar. When he walked in, he found himself in a large room, large enough to house a battle field, literally. There was a battle field in the center of the room. The room had black and grey walls. On the battlefield, he could see two figures who were, he guessed, battling. He walked over to the small number of spectators and said,

"When can I have my Gym Battle?" He wasn't paying attention to the spectators, but when he heard a familiar voice, his eyes snapped to the source.

"Is that you, Ash?" It was Leaf. She looked at him with wide, beautiful and striking eyes. She squealed and jumped on him, giving him a tight hug. "It is you! How are you and why aren't you ahead of me, like everyone else?" Ash couldn't breathe, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to break the hug.

"What do you mean?" Leaf broke the hug, and looked to the ground, embarrassed.

"I kind of got lost, and that is why I reached the town so late. It has been nearly three weeks."

"Oh, yeah, well, I was training in Celestial Forest, and caught another Pokemon."

"Really! Me too!" She threw out a Pokeball and it opened and revealed a flying squirrel. "Meet Emolga, my cutie!" Ash waved at the squirrel, but Emolga just yelped and hid behind Leaf. "She is a little shy. I hope she opens up to others soon." Ash nodded and looked over to the battlefield.

On one side, he saw a boy who looked a year older than him. He wore a red jacket over a red shirt, complete with red pants. His hair was wild and red in colour. Even his shoes, socks, and his watch, as well as his eyes were red.

"That is Lysandre, he is obsessed with the colour red," Leaf informed him.

On other side, he saw a beautiful girl with glistening brown hair, warm black eyes, and a fair face. She wore a simple pink skirt, which descended till her knees.

"That is the Gym Leader, Alexis." Ash shifted his attention from the trainers to the battle itself. A Houndoom, probably Lysandre's, and a Unfezant, probably Alexis's were battling. The Unfezant looked tired, and after a point-blank Flame Thrower fainted. Alexis returned her Pokemon, and so did Lysandre. She walked over to him and stuck her hand out for a handshake, but he just walked away without a word.

"Weird," Leaf commented, but Ash didn't hear her as he was already making his way over to Alexis.

"I want a Gym Battle. I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Alexis looked at him and her eyes widened at how handsome he was. After a close look at Alexis, Ash guessed that she couldn't be older than him.

"Sure. Are you a starting trainer?"

"Yes." Ash knew why she was asking about that. She had to determine which Pokemon to use against him. The Gym Pokemon were for trainers who were organized and their power was based on howm any badges the trainer had at that point. Ash would probably have no chance against the gym leader's own Pokemon. She regained her composure and walked over to her side of the battlefield. Ash took his respective place and waited for the referee to call out the rules.

"This will be a two-on-two battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Alexis Sky from Mistralton City. Only the challenger may substitute." Ash raised an eyebrow at that, he would definitely ask about that after the battle. But for now, a battle was at hand.

"Go, my beautiful Starly!" When the bird made its entrance, Ash immediately formulated a plan and spoke to Torchic. "Go buddy." Torchic had Peck perfected by now, as well as a new attack, and Ash had made a new technique with Peck, and couldn't wait to test it out.

Torchic jumped on the battle field and got ready.

"Begin!"

"Peck!" Starly dived down at Torchic, its beak glowing. Ash sighed. A head-on attack was the most basic way to start the battle. He would have to use the new attack sooner than expected.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" As suspected, the chicken started running around in a frenzy, confusing Starly. Ash wanted to end this as soon as possible, as he didn't want to ruin his chances by building up to the final move, only to have Torchic run out of steam. Also, he had wanteed to test out Electrike's way of attacking on Torchic.

"Dusk Scratch, and then Quick Attack again." Torchic jumped out of his circle and scratched Starly with a dark claw, and then got back to running. It attacked again, but this time Alexis was ready.

"Double Team." Starly readied itself and quickly made copies of itself, and, unfortunately for Ash, Torchic ended up attacking the wrong one, and went straight through it. It landed, and looked around, startled.

"Quick Attack!" Torchic couldn't look for long, as the real bird tackled him with power, sending him flying.

"Its time!" Ash called out, and Torchic got back on its feet, with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Vulture's Peck!" Vulture's Peck was a combination of Quick Attack, Peck and Night Slash. Torchic would direct all the dark energy of Night Slash into its beak, and peck the opponent. Quick Attack would help to cover long distances, if required, which it was now. As Torchic obliterated all the copies until the real one was left, Ash couldn't help but smirk when he looked at the horrified look on Alexis's face. Vulture's Peck was a dark name, but it was a dark name for a dark move. If Torchic could grin, it would have at the moment when it rammed into Starly and started pecking with all its might. Ash grimaced at the sight of the dark energy being transferred to Starly's nerves, fainting it.

"Starly is unable to battle! Gym Leader, send out your next Pokemon!" Alexis returned Starly, the horrified expression never leaving her face, and this time wordlessly released a Tailow. Ash returned Torchic to its Pokeball; his friend deserved a break to regain his stamina, and released Flash. As soon as he was released, he stood by Ash's legs for protection. Ash knelt down to it and spoke, "We are in a battle, buddy." Electrike looked at the battlefield, and jumped on his side of the battlefield, awaiting orders.

"Electrike vs. Tailow! Begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Both Pokemon launched at each other. Apparently, Alexis had broken out of her stupor, because she had ordered Tailow to attack at the same time as Ash. Both Pokemon rammed at each other, but Tailow noticeably took more damage. Alexis was confused, but then she sighted the sparks coming off Flask's body, and realized.

"Tailow, its fur gives off electricity, so stay away and use Gust!" Ash cursed silently, his main element of surprise had been discovered, but Ash knew what to do. As Tailow blew strong winds along the battlefield, Ash smirked. This was going to be easy.

"Spherical Shock!" Flash wasted no time in charging a ball of charged electricity and jumping in the air. But, due to its light weight, it was carried along with the winds. That was exactly what Ash wanted. The wind was following a course, which would ultimately lead to Tailow's back. And that is exactly what happened. In a matter of seconds, Flash was hovering near Tailow, and it launched the Thunder Shock-powered Electro Ball at it. It made contact, and Tailow screamed. Its fur was singed and the electricity entered its nervous system in seconds, shutting it down. As the Tailow fell to the ground, Ash smiled, and pick up Flash. He was used to the tinge of shock that would flow across his skin as he did so.

"That was great, buddy." Flash licked his cheek, before Ash recalled it. Ash walked over to the badge holder, a boy in the background, and took out one of the feather-shaped badges from the case. As Ash polished it lightly, he smiled in realization.

This was just the beginning.

SO, HOW WAS THAT? PLEASE REVIEW OR PM TELLING ME HOW IT WAS AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THIS STORY. ASK QUESTIONS, IF YOU WANT.

CHAPTER 2 WILL CONTINUE FROM THIS EXACT MOMENT. IT TOOK A LONG TIME PREPARING AND WRITING THIS, SO PLEASE BE GENTLE WITH YOUR REVIEWS. ANY FLAMERS CAN GO TO HELL, BUT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. I PLAN TO INTRODUCE MAY AND MAX IN THE NEXT YOU LIKE THAT?

ALSO, IF ANY OF YOU THINK THAT ASH IS OVERPOWERED, THEN DON'T WORRY. HE WILL LOSE BATTLES, AND THAT WILL HELP IN HIS MATURITY.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO CONTEST, CHESS OR OLDRIVAL SHIPPING IN MY STORY. I HAVE OCS FOR EVERYONE.

THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE FOR THE FINAL PAIRING OF THIS STORY.

FOR GUESTS, THE CHOICES ARE

ASHXOC

ASHXMAY

ASHXHILDA

ASHXLEAF

ANY OTHER SHIPPING WITH ASH

ONLY GUEST VOTES ARE ACCEPTED THROUGH REVIEWS!