Triumvirate, chapter 1: Pallet Town
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon
Rating: M for violence and adult themes

Notes (but actually please read this, it could help): This is very loosely based on the Pokémon Adventures manga (RBGY chapters), which is helpful but not necessary to be familiar with to enjoy this fic. Read it if you can, though, it's amazing and well worth your time. One heads-up to avoid confusion: I'm using the English established anime/game names for the characters (Red is Ash, Blue is Gary, Green is Ivy, Yellow is Lily, Silver is Marco, Gold is Ethan, and Crystal is Lyra) even though I just said this is mangaverse. Yes, I realize some people will be put off by that choice, but that's what's happening here. Trivial nomenclature issues aside, I like heroic, dark, adventure stories with plenty of silver linings, laughs, and romance along the way. If you like that, too, you've definitely come to the right place.

Somewhere far away from the rest of the world, a young man in worn jeans, a red jacket, and a matching ball cap that did little to calm his wild, black hair was hunched over squinting at tracks in the mud that had trampled a trip wire meant to alert the nearby townspeople of any threats that wandered too close. Waves offered a droning din in the background from the wide bay to the south, and the sounds of buzzing and chirping carried along the breeze from the the untamed wilds to the north. But Ash Ketchum heard none of this as he stared at the tracks in the mud and tried to remember what beast they belonged to and whether he should be worried it was this close to his home.

Five toes, but that's a pretty big index claw. Which means...

Rustling in the tall grass nearby startled Ash, and he rose with one hand on a Pokéball at his belt. But he was too slow, and the shadow that had been stalking him lashed out. He went down with a grunt of pain and kicked as hard as he could. His Pokéball slipped out of his hand and rolled away, out of reach.

The wild Raticate had gotten him in the calf and tore open his flesh through his jeans. Blood darkened the material and dripped onto the tall grass. Raticate was no bigger than a common house cat, but its vicious nature warded off many would-be predators—or trackers. Ash hissed in pain and kicked out again as the Raticate gnashed its bloodied jaws at him again. Behind the beast, newborn Rattata looked on from between the grass as their mother fended off the intruder.

"Shit—!"

The feral rodent was going to rip him apart if he didn't do something fast. Ash reached back for Wartortle's Pokéball that had slipped from his grip before, but it was just out of reach. The Raticate lunged and Ash prepared himself to part with a chunk of his thigh, but out of nowhere a black blur slammed into Raticate and tackled it to the ground.

A canine Pokémon wrestled Raticate into submission and bit down hard around its windpipe. The wound smoked and smoldered with fire where the teeth bit in, and soon the smell of roasting flesh permeated the air. The canine began to tear into the cooking flesh and yank hunks of it free to consume, blood and bone and all. Ash's red eyes watered with tears of irritation and pain, and he scrambled backward some more.

"Hey, you okay?"

A hand gripped his arm and hauled him to his feet, where he staggered on his wounded leg.

"Ah!" he cried out. "Damnit, that stings."

The newcomer slung his arm over her shoulder, and Ash spared her a glance. He didn't recognize her, something he realized right away. He would've remembered a pretty face like that considering he knew everyone in Pallet Town. She looked ready to join a street gang dressed in denim and black and combat boots, but her long, brown hair and bright, blue eyes looked more like the peeved big sister type than the rebel without a cause.

"Houndour, leave that filth," she said.

The Houndour, a Pokémon Ash didn't recognize, had managed to rip one of Raticate's arms clean out of its socket and was chewing on it like a piece of jerky. Its snout was dyed red with the rodent's blood. Raticate's fur and flesh were singed and smoking where Houndour's fiery bite had seared them. Ash swallowed.

"Talk about home cooking," he said weakly.

The girl frowned up at him. "Do you live around here? You're bleeding pretty bad, and I'm not gonna carry you if you pass out."

"Uh, yeah, just south of here in Pallet Town. 'S not far—"

She was already hauling him in that direction before he could finish explaining the route. Ash stumbled a bit as he tried to find a rhythm with her and hissed in pain. Sensing his distress, she slowed down a little until they found a pace that worked for both of them.

"Thanks," Ash said. "This is kind of embarrassing."

"Raticate are mean little shits, especially the moms. Could've happened to anyone."

"Now you're just tryna make me feel better."

"Better to keep you talking instead of concentrating on how much blood you're losing."

He looked down at his leg and the uneven trail of blood he was leaving behind. The young woman's Houndour was lagging behind and sniffing the bloody ground. It had a bloody hunk of meat in its mouth that it was slowly gnawing. Ash regretted looking back just then and tried to focus on the route ahead.

"Which one's your house?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, um..." Ash's eyes began to droop.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me. Hey!"

"Uh..."

Ash's vision began to double and the world spun. Somewhere nearby, he thought he heard familiar voices calling out to him. Hands carried him up toward bright, stale lights. It all passed by in a blur.

"...lost a lot of blood."

"What happened?"

"Ash, you dumbass..."

Ash was pretty sure he blacked out at some point because the next thing he knew, he was lying prostrate on a bed that wasn't his in an all-too familiar laboratory surrounded by beeping, blinking machines whose names he couldn't pronounce. Faces hovered over him, watchful.

"Welcome back!"

Ash groaned. "Professor Oak?"

"Ah, excellent, I see your cognitive functions are returning."

Professor Samuel Oak was a pleasant sort of man with crows feet around his eyes that crinkled when he smiled. His once thick, brown hair had long since dulled to grey, as had his youthful good looks. Sharp cheekbones and a square-cut jaw had rounded out with old age and a life spent overworked under more artificial light than natural. But there was something about his aura that was easy on the eyes, like he could get along with anyone. He pulled away to fiddle with the bandages wrapped tightly around Ash's leg. Ash tried to sit up, but his head ached with a sharp pain.

"Ugh, what happened?"

"You passed out, obviously," said another voice.

"Hah, Gary, shoulda known you'd see me at my worst. Just like old times, huh?"

"There's nothing old about it. I told you to wait for me, and you didn't listen. Big surprise."

Gary Oak had been Ash's oldest friend and sometimes rival growing up in Pallet Town. He wore jeans and hiking boots with a black T-shirt under a violet button-down open in the front. He crossed his arms, and Ash had the sudden thought that he looked way too much like his grandfather would have looked in his youth, except surly and mean. Where Professor Oak smiled in that kind, understanding way he had, Gary only ever scowled or smirked like he had a superiority complex—not that it was without merit. For as long as Ash could remember, Gary had always been ahead of him, be it in Pokémon training, academics, common sense... He had that trademark smirk on now, and Ash just wanted to get out of bed and slap it off him.

"Yeah, yeah. Turns out I didn't need you." He looked around. "Hey, where'd she go?"

"You mean Ivy? She's the one who hauled your sorry ass back here."

"Talking about me?"

Ivy returned just then with a glass of water in hand. Ash perked up.

"I never got a chance to thank you."

"Actually you did. Wouldn't shut up about it. You don't remember?"

Ash smiled sheepishly. "Guess that Raticate really did a number on me, huh?"

Professor Oak checked Ash's vitals on a nearby monitor. "Well, Ash, you'll survive. You just need to rest a bit and eat something to replenish the blood you lost. I gave you a Super Potion to speed up the healing. You should be walking around later tonight."

"Really? That's awesome! Thanks, Professor!"

"No problem. Just be sure sure to wait for Gary next time, all right? Route One may not be the bowels of Mt. Silver, but even a tiny Raticate can and will lash out if provoked. I'd feel much better if you two stick together until you get stronger."

"Yeah, sorry about that..."

"I'll go talk with your mother. I'm sure she'll want to know you're okay."

Professor Oak took his leave from the lab's basement and left Ash alone with Gary and Ivy.

"So," Gary said, arms still crossed. "Ivy. Where'd you say you were from?"

"I didn't say."

Ash looked between the two of them. They stood on opposite sides of Ash's bed as they stared each other down. He got a slight chill and wondered if he was still a little woozy from the blood loss.

"By the way, I've never seen a Pokémon like yours before," Ash chimed in. "What was it? Hound something?"

Gary caught Ash's eye briefly. "Houndour?"

"That was it! Man, Gary, you shoulda seen it tear into that Raticate with Fire Fang."

"So you must be from Johto," Gary said, ignoring Ash's comment. "You're a long way from home."

Ivy narrowed her eyes. "Is that a problem?"

"I just don't get why you wouldn't say so when I asked you before."

Ash had a feeling this conversation was going south very fast, so he smiled and waved a hand to get their attention. "Hey, don't act like I'm not even here. I'm the idiot who got hurt, so I think that makes me the doofus of honor around here."

Ivy laughed a little, and Gary proceeded to cross his arms more tightly.

"Anyway, glad you're doing better, Ash. I should be going," Ivy said.

"What? No way! You just got here, and I sorta owe you my life, you know?"

"You most certainly do!"

All eyes turned to the door to the lab basement where Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, burst into the room in a tizzy.

"Mom?"

"My goodness, what happened? The Professor said something about a Raticate, and how a young woman dragged you all the way back here—Oh!" She noticed Ivy standing there and took her hands in her own. "This must be her. I can't thank you enough for saving my son's life."

"Uh, it was nothing, really, I just happened to be in the area—"

"Nonsense! I have to repay you somehow... Oh, I know! Why don't you join us for dinner tonight?"

"Really, that's not necessary—"

"I won't take no for an answer, young lady. You're not from around here, are you? In that case, I insist you stay the night with us. It's getting late and this is no place for a young woman to be traveling at night all alone."

Mrs. Ketchum's smile was just a bright and blinding as her son's, and Ivy was leaning back a little with nowhere to retreat to so long as Mrs. Ketchum didn't let go of her hands.

"Well, I guess I could stay for one ni—"

"Perfect!" Mrs. Ketchum released her and approached Ash's bedside. She ruffled his wild, black hair. "And as for you, feel better, okay? I'll make your favorite tonight."

Ash began to salivate and see double again, but not from blood loss. "Pot roast? Really, you'd do that for me, Mom?"

"Of course! Oh, and Gary, Daisy, and the Professor are invited, too! Let's make a party of it."

Gary put up his hands. "That's nice of you, Mrs. Ketchum, but I—"

"Great! See you all at 8 pm sharp. Don't be late, now!"

She blew out of there without waiting for any further protests and once more left Ash alone with Gary and Ivy.

"So, that was my mom," Ash said. "You get used to her."

"Right," Ivy said.

Gary said nothing as he continued to study Ivy. Ash wondered what he was thinking and decided it was probably something that would only make his head hurt more.

"I better go tell my sister we've got dinner plans all of a sudden. I'll see you later, Ash," he said.

He left without so much as a glance at Ivy. Ash laughed nervously.

"You get used to him, too."

Ivy untied the green cargo jacket from around her waist and pulled it on. "I feel like that's a bit optimistic."

"Haha, yeah, I see your point." He paused to think. "So, wanna add to my embarrassment and help me hobble back to my place? You know, since I guess we'll be rooming tonight."

Being the sweet person she was, Daisy insisted on bringing a dessert to the Ketchums' dinner party over Gary's protests.

"You know I didn't even want to go, right?" he complained.

"All the more reason to show our appreciation. Besides, what's wrong with dinner? Mrs. Ketchum's pot roast is legendary."

"Whatever."

Daisy smiled knowingly. "I don't know when you're going to just admit that you like hanging out with Ash and you're pissed he ran off without you today because you felt left out."

"Okay, it's not like that at all. I'm nineteen-years-old, not five."

"Depends on the day."

He rolled his eyes and scratched his head. Daisy noticed what he was doing and frowned.

"Cut that out. You look like you just rolled out of bed. C'mere."

She began fussing with his hair over Gary's protests, but in the end she got what she wanted, as usual. He watched her as she worked. Her big, green eyes matched his in color, but where she was bright and welcoming, Gary was cold and calculating. Standing this close, he wondered how they could even be related having turned out so different.

"There. Now you don't look like you survived a nuclear holocaust."

"It's a look. It's in these days."

"Oh, right, if you think girls like the Doesn't-Own-A-Hairbrush look. No wonder Ash has way more luck with girls than you ever did."

Gary blushed and jutted out his lower lip. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Daisy smirked, and suddenly Gary remembered why they were related, after all. "Just that you could learn a thing or two from your best friend."

"He's not my best friend."

She laughed. "You're right. He's your only friend. Now c'mon. Grab the pie and let's go, or we'll be late! Grandpa, you ready?"

"I'm coming down!" Professor Oak called from the second floor.

Gary grumbled incoherently under his breath and snatched the pie from the counter. He glowered at it, like this was all its fault.

"Better turn that smile upside-down unless you want Mrs. Ketchum to start asking questions~" Daisy sang.

Professor Oak came downstairs and the three of them walked down the street to the Ketchum residence. There was some scuffling inside before the door opened. Gary looked down and came face to face with Mrs. Ketchum's Mr. Mime.

"Oh, hello there," Professor Oak said.

The Mr. Mime looked them over a moment before hobbling back inside and leaving the door open. Professor Oak walked inside, followed by Daisy and Gary.

"Such an odd Pokémon," Daisy said.

"Psychics can tell whether you mean them harm," Gary said. "Be happy it didn't see us as a threat."

Inside the smell of dinner permeated the entire house. Ash was helping his mom in the kitchen while Ivy sat alone on the couch in the living room. Gary took note of her and set the pie down on the nearest available surface.

"Oh, a pie! How thoughtful," Mrs. Ketchum said.

Daisy smiled. "It's cherry."

"Wonderful! I'll just set it here in the kitchen. Ash, be a dear and get the silverware."

"Sure, Mom."

Gary slipped away while the rest of his family stayed in the kitchen to help out and converse. When he approached Ivy sitting on a couch in the living room, she didn't bother looking up.

"That's a pretty big knife for someone like you," he said, just now noticing that she was sharpening a serrated hunting knife.

She didn't look up. "Depends on your perspective."

He hovered at the edge of the coffee table in front of the couch she was sitting on and took a moment to study her. Like Ash, Gary had grown up in Pallet Town and he knew everyone and their business, more than he cared to know. Their sleepy town didn't get many visitors, even those passing through from the harbor on their way north. Perhaps it was a natural curiosity born out of the small-town mentality he'd cultivated living here, but something told him it was more than that. There was something suspicious about this girl, and he couldn't say what. It was just a feeling. The big knife she held like she was getting ready to cut into a juicy steak didn't help matters.

"From here it looks like you can't wait to use it."

Ivy stopped sharpening and looked up. "What's your problem?"

"You mean besides you bringing that weapon in here?"

Ivy chuckled. "Okay." She stood up to her full height stepped closer to him so they were only about a foot apart. "I'm sensing some trust issues coming from you."

Gary narrowed his eyes but didn't back away. He set his jaw. "Kanto and Johto aren't exactly on good terms, haven't been since the war seventeen years ago. I'm surprised you have to ask."

She frowned and looked up at him as though wounded. "Aw, judging me for the sins of the father? That's so mean."

If he'd mistrusted her before, the cloyingly sweet act was downright revolting. "See, that just proves my suspicion. You're hiding something. You didn't just show up here at random."

Like someone had flipped a switch, she dropped the wounded puppy act and her expression frosted over. "You really are suspicious, aren't you?" She held the sharpened knife up between them and ghosted the flat of the blade across his cheek. "I hate that in a man."

Gary had the urge to recoil from danger, but she pulled the knife back and sheathed it in a holster strapped to her thigh over her jeans before he got the chance.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Ketchum called from the kitchen.

Ivy flashed Gary a curling smile and sauntered off toward the dining room. Gary swallowed the lump in his throat and only then noticed how fast his heart was beating. He took a calming breath and rubbed a hand over his cheek where the threat of her knife had been just moments ago.

"Gary, hurry before it gets cold!"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

The pot roast was delicious. No, more than delicious. Ivy dug into her second helping with gusto. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such good cooking. Mrs. Ketchum was only too happy to oblige her appetite.

"Whoa, you can really put it away," Ash joked.

"Oh please, Ash, I see you shoveling your third helping down your throat like you're afraid it'll get up and walk off your plate," Daisy quipped.

Ivy nearly choked on a laugh. "So you're really Gary's older sister? I never would've guessed."

Daisy giggled. "You know, I get that a lot."

The girls shared a knowing look across the table. Gary glared at his food but said nothing.

"Well, I'm just so happy you like the food, Ivy. It's the least I can do after what you did for Ash today," Mrs. Ketchum said.

Professor Oak cleared his throat. "That reminds me. Delia, I hope you don't mind, but I had meant to do this earlier, and now that we're all here I figure this is as good a time as any." He fished around his pocket and produced two Pokéballs. "Gary, Ash, you've both been trainers for some time now, but you still have a lot to learn. I know I asked for your help with launching my latest invention, Pokédex, and in my excitement I completely overlooked what a daunting task that's going to be.

"So I thought I'd do something to help you both become better trainers. Here." He handed a Pokéball each to Gary and Ash. "These are a couple of rare Pokémon that came into my care a little while ago. It's a bit funny, actually. They remind me of the two of you so much, and since I don't have the time to spend training them, I figured you could do the job much better."

Ash looked about ready to cry. "Oh my god, a new Pokémon? For me?"

"Gramps, I already have strong Pokémon," Gary said.

Professor Oak waved him off. "Yes, yes, I know. All that training you did in Johto with Chuck really paid off, don't think I don't know that."

Ivy nearly spit out her drink and set it down with a shaky hand. No one seemed to notice, though.

"So what is it?" Ash asked.

"Well, find out for yourself."

Ash got up and released the Pokéball. A bright light flashed and a small, rodent-like Pokémon sat on the carpet, its elongated ears and tail twitching as it sniffed the air.

"A Pikachu? Cool!" Ash kneeled down to the tiny Pokémon's eye-level. "Hey there, little buddy."

The Pikachu was on high alert and its ears flattened over its back as it eyed Ash warily. The red sacks on its cheeks sparked with static electricity as it assessed whatever threat it sensed.

"Whoa, hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." Ash reached out a hand to pat Pikachu's head.

"Wait, Ash, don't—!" Gary started.

But he was too late, and Ash was already reaching for Pikachu. "There, see? It's okay, I'm a cool human."

Ivy could only stare in shock as Ash began to pet Pikachu gently and the little rodent actually seemed to relax a bit. It stopped sparking and shuffled closer, angling its head so Ash would scratch under its ears. He laughed and reached out with his other hand to get behind both ears. Soon Pikachu was on its back and enjoying a belly rub.

"What the hell?" Ivy said more to herself than to anyone else.

With a Pokémon he just met?

Professor Oak leaned toward her and whispered, "That's what I said the first time I saw him do it. Ash has a way with Pokémon I don't think anyone will ever be able to quite understand. It's a gift, and no amount of training or study can copy it."

Across the table, Gary took a long sip of his drink and avoided eye contact with the rest of the table's occupants.

"Hey Gary, what Pokémon did Grandpa give you?" Daisy asked, nudging him.

"Huh? Oh, I dunno."

"Well, check and see, silly!"

"Later. We're in the middle of dinner."

Mrs. Ketchum got up all of a sudden and walked to the kitchen where she produced a knife from a drawer. "So, who wants pie?"

Mr. Mime followed her to the kitchen, but it stopped all of a sudden and shifted its gaze to the western wall of the house. As though something lit a fire under it, Mr. Mime suddenly put up his hands and summoned a dazzling wall of azure light that spread across the length of the western wall. But before anyone could react, the entire kitchen exploded and she was knocked back out of her chair and skidded across the floor.

What happened next blended together into a slow-motion rush of pain, ringing sounds, and asphyxiation as smoke and dust saturated the breathable air. Ivy rolled onto her side and coughed as she clutched her head and tried to blot out the ringing. Booming, like a clock's tolling was the only sound that penetrated through the dazed ringing. Then came the screaming.

"—coming back! Move!"

Whether they were talking to her or not, Ivy didn't know or care. She groaned and forced herself to sit up. Pain exploded in her head, but a quick self-check didn't turn up any serious surface damage. Maybe a concussion.

Well, it's not like I can sleep with all that noise.

Coughing again, she took stock of her surroundings. The dining room table was reduced to splinters, and the entire left wall of the kitchen was razed to the ground. Stone and plaster fell from the roof into its remains. Daisy was unconscious several feet away, and Ivy crawled over to her over a broken chair to check her pulse. Alive.

"Shit," Ash said as he struggled to stand. "What the hell?"

Screaming outside drew his attention. Pikachu scampered up his back and clung to his shoulders. Its fur sparked with pent up electricity and made Ash's already unruly hair stand more on end.

"Gramps!" Gary shouted.

He was already standing and stumbling over the debris to get outside through the new hole in the kitchen. Professor Oak was nowhere to be seen. Ivy followed his example and left Daisy to get outside.

"C'mon, Ash!"

She didn't wait to see if he'd follow. Outside, houses were on fire and in various states of dilapidation. People were running in the streets screaming, but it was dark out and hard to make out any threat. Ivy's arms prickled with gooseflesh, and a hand wandered to her belt where she kept her Pokémon.

All of a sudden, a thick beam of orange light shot out of nowhere and hit a nearby tree. The trunk exploded and the tree toppled over, like a bomb had gone off from inside it. Ivy's mouth ran dry at the sight.

Hyper Beam.

Thick vines slashed the ground in front of where Gary and Ivy had run outside and smashed the earth. They skidded to a halt to avoid a collision, and just in time. A hulking Venusaur ambled in front of them just as something roared from the shadows.

"Stand back!" Professor Oak said as he ran to Venusaur's side.

"Gramps! What is it?" Gary said.

He got his answer soon enough. The owner of the terrible roar stepped into the light of a nearby house fire, eyes narrowed to slits and sharp teeth slick with drool. Ivy took a step back as she counted not one, but two of them.

"Snorlax," Gary said. "Holy shit."

Ash joined them outside with Pikachu in tow. "What the hell? What're Snorlax doing here?"

"I don't think now's the time to be asking questions." Gary reached for a Pokéball and threw it.

With a flash of light, a lean and mean-looking Scyther appeared. Its wicked, sabre-like appendages gleamed in the firelight as it sniffed the air and ruffled its wings.

"You three stay out of this!" Professor Oak said as his Venusaur began advancing on the pair of Snorlax. "You're not strong enough!"

Venusaur let out a guttural roar and whipped its vines again to keep the Snorlax at bay. But this only made them angrier. One of them began charging another Hyper Beam attack.

"Look out!"

Ivy rammed into Gary without thinking, and they both went down. The Hyper Beam hit the ground with a deafening crack not five feet away. Scyther screeched and took to the sky.

"Pikachu, help it out!" Ash said.

The yellow rodent scampered on the ground and engulfed itself with electricity, fearless as it ran straight for one of the attacking Snorlax. It rammed the beast's belly and caught it by surprise long enough for Gary's Scyther to slash it with a Fury Cutter. Snorlax bellowed in agony and anger as its flesh tore open from shoulder to navel.

"I think you only pissed it off more!" Ivy said as she helped Gary to his feet.

Professor Oak's Venusaur was almost as massive as the Snorlax, but it was slow. The uninjured Snorlax lowered its head and charged, and Venusaur wasn't fast enough to move, instead rearing up on its hind legs. The two behemoths collided, and Venusaur lost its balance. Snorlax gnashed its jaws at the giant flower growing from Venusaur's back and tore bits of it off. Venusaur roared in pain as it bled from its wounds and struggled to right itself.

The wounded Snorlax barely seemed to notice its gaping wound and began powering up another Hyper Beam. Ivy yanked free a Pokéball from her belt and threw it.

"Blast that son of a bitch!"

In a flash of light, a small but hefty Larvitar appeared. With a snarl, it coiled in on itself and charged power. Ivy shielded her eyes just as Snorlax's Hyper Beam collided with Larvitar's own Hyper Beam in a bone-shattering explosion that rumbled the earth.

In the commotion, Professor Oak's Venusaur managed to break free from the other Snorlax and attack it with vines. They coiled around Snorlax's arms and legs and tightened until its limbs began to turn purple. The flower atop Venusaur's back began to quiver and shed its petals. They flew through the air like bladed discuses and tore into Snorlax's swollen belly. Blood spewed from the wounds as more and more petals cut into it. The beast roared and tried to yank free, but it was raining a river of blood onto the ground, pulpy with its innards as more razor sharp petals chewed it up like bladed lashes. In minutes, it fell to its knees and keeled over, dead.

Meanwhile, the other Snorlax had fallen and suffered severe burns from its rebuffed Hyper Beam. Larvitar had been blown back a ways and smashed into a nearby wall, the remains of a house the Snorlax had destroyed in their rampage. Snorlax was beginning to stir despite its many wounds and, incredibly, looked like it was still ready to fight back.

Gary released his Golduck, sensing the same impending danger if they didn't act fast. "Aqua Jet!"

Golduck spewed a powerful column of water that hit Snorlax in its cleaved belly, and it stumbled.

"Pikachu, finish it off!" Ash said.

Pikachu crackled with electricity and sent a bolt of lightning along the length of Golduck's water attack. The electric boost sent Snorlax into convulsions, and the acrid smell of frying flesh and muscle made Ivy's eyes water. In a matter of seconds, Snorlax collapsed and didn't get up again.

The fires still flared and the destroyed houses continued to crumble. People were still shouting. The damage was done. Ash fell to one knee, his wounded leg having opened up again. Gary kneeled down next to him and lent him a shoulder.

"You okay?"

Ash managed a smile. "Totally, never better. I could do this all night."

Ivy ignored the conversation and went looking for Larvitar now that the immediate danger was quelled. It was curled up in a heap among rubble and overturned earth.

"Larvitar, hey," she said as she pulled debris off it. "Come on, little guy, you're okay."

Larvitar had curled up into a ball. Its scaly, green armor was chinked and chipped in places, and its eyes were shut tight. A wave of panic began to flutter in Ivy's stomach.

"Larvitar, wake up."

"It can't hear you."

Professor Oak was standing to the side and looking down at her. He was bleeding from a gash on the side of his head, but he appeared otherwise fine.

"What do you mean it can't hear me?" Ivy tried shaking the little Pokémon. "Larvitar?"

"It's okay. It's not dying."

"The what the hell's wrong with it?"

Professor Oak didn't seem to take notice of her tone and gently said, "It's going into a state of hibernation. Look closer."

Ivy blinked away unshed tears and peered more closely. The deep gashes in Larvitar's armor seemed to be expanding and filling with a sand-like substance, as if its skin was becoming more of a detatched shell than a hide.

"From where I'm standing, it looks like your Larvitar's getting ready to evolve. It'll take time, of course. It'll remain in a pupa state for months as it grows."

"What does that mean? It'll be sleeping like this for months? Just like that?"

"Just like that? Young lady, your Larvitar used a Hyper Beam on command. That would make it, what, at least a decade old? Perhaps a little older judging from it large size? If you've been training it for that long, I'm not surprised it's ready to evolve. They're not easy to raise, so I've heard. Moody and temperamental, not to mention extremely hostile to people."

Ivy ran a hand over Larvitar's horn, wondering what it was going through and whether it could feel her touch. "Larvitar was my first Pokémon. We've been together for as long as I can remember," she said without thinking.

"Gramps! You gotta come quick!"

Gary skidded to a halt just shy of Professor Oak. Ivy returned Larvitar to its Pokéball and rose.

"What's the problem?" Professor Oak was already walking quickly as Gary led him back toward the Snorlax corpses.

"I checked out the Snorlax. They were wearing some kind of radio transmitters. But the weird thing is they look hardwired into their heads. I've never seen anything like it before."

The nearest fallen Snorlax was soaking face-down in a puddle of its congealing blood. Bits of intestine had spilled out from the deep gashes in its belly like tentacles. Ivy covered her mouth and nose to fend off the putrid stench surrounding it. Professor Oak didn't seem as bothered as he kneeled down and stared at the device positioned near Snorlax's left ear.

"Gramps?"

"You're right. It looks like it extends into the auditory canal. I'll have to have a look at this in the lab..." He trailed off and looked over his shoulder. "Well, perhaps not."

The lab was half destroyed from a Hyper Beam gone awry. Some of his assistants were braving the structural damage to recover laptops and other valuable equipment. Sighing, Professor Oak began to fiddle with the device.

"If I can just—ah! There it goes."

Something popped, and Gary watched as Professor Oak carefully pulled the device free. It squelched, and he paused.

"Good god."

"What is it?"

He resumed pulling, and after a moment the device was completely free of Snorlax's ear. Professor Oak stood up and held out his prize. What had originally looked like some kind of transmitter extended about a foot in length and spidered into a dozen tentacle-like appendages. They were coated in blood and something gelatinous. Gary leaned in closer to get a better look, but the tentacles twitched and he jumped.

"Incredible," Professor Oak said. "Simply incredible."

"Gramps, what is it? And why's it moving?"

He shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea. If I had to take a wild guess, I would be tempted to say it's some kind of sophisticated artificial intelligence technology. See how it seems to be searching for another host?" He jiggled the device and it twitched more violently as it tried to grab Gary.

"This is crazy. It's like we're in Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

"For our sakes, let's hope you're wrong. There may be more to this attack than a pair of rampaging Snorlax in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, I can't do much with my lab ruined. I'll have to take this somewhere else to examine and take apart." Professor Oak walked toward the remains of his lab. "Stanley! Do we happen to have any climate-controlled storage jars left?"

Gary ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Hey, since you're already here, make yourself useful and help me look for survivors. It's wishful thinking to assume everyone made it through this. Ivy?"

Ivy didn't respond, and he turned to face her fully.

"Did you hear what I just said?"

"Chimera."

"What?"

Ivy blinked and snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, survivors. Yeah, I'll help."

"Wait." Gary grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. "What did you just say?"

A familiar voice cried out in pain and startled them both. Ivy yanked her arm free and glared up at Gary.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Ash." Gary took off at a sprint toward the remains of Ash's home.

Grateful for the interruption, Ivy tailed him and stepped carefully over the smoking rubble remains of Ash's kitchen. The water pipes had burst and were leaking. Ivy gave them a wide berth to avoid the sparks from the electrical wiring near them. Ash was hunched over and shaking as he wept.

"Ash," Gary said as he joined him. "Oh god..."

Ivy stood back. Near where Ash and Gary were crouched down, she noticed one of Mr. Mime's arms severed from its body. There was no sight of the rest of its body, but the crumbling back wall was splattered with blood and dark, sticky globules were piled on the floor like drip-made sand castles.

"C'mon, Mom, you gotta wake up," Ash said.

Mrs. Ketchum was lying on the floor. There were no obvious signs of physical trauma, but she was passed out and unmoving. Ash shook her, but she was unresponsive.

"Damnit, this can't be happening."

Gary felt for a pulse. "She's alive, barely." He ran his fingers around the sides of her head, and they came away bloody. "Looks like she hit her head. She just passed out."

"Y-you mean, she's alive? Mom, can you hear me? Mom!"

"That Mr. Mime died protecting her," Ivy said. "All of us."

Ash choked on a sob. Pikachu was scuttling around the remains of the kitchen, its elongated ears twitching as it kept its nose to the wind.

"We need to get her to the lab," Daisy said.

She stood in the still-intact living room, where she leaned on the wall and was clutching her left arm. Blood dripped down it to the floor where it splashed her white shoes.

"Daisy," Gary said, going to her. "You're hurt."

"I'll live. But we have to help Mrs. Ketchum and the rest of the people who got hurt in the attack."

The rest of the night was spent combing through the rubble of destroyed homes for injured survivors of the Snorlax attack. Once Daisy and Gary got Ash standing and away from his mother's body, he lost track of time searching for survivors. About a quarter of the population had died in the surprise attack, and more than half suffered injuries severe enough to warrant professional medical attention.

The sun had risen hours ago, and Ash was still wandering the outskirts of Pallet Town. Pikachu trailed him at a sedate pace, exhausted but unwilling to be left behind. Ash wiped his brow of sweat and grime. The morning sun seared his vision and disoriented him for a moment, so he paused to regain his bearings. He'd made it a ways out of town by now. The grass here was taller and the trees were thicker the higher up the hill he climbed. Far to the west lay a mountain chain with Mt. Silver towering high above its neighbors and breaching the clouds. To the south lay the ocean, an endless stretch of ultramarine beyond which lay Cinnabar Island. Ash took a deep breath.

Mom...

Pikachu plopped down near his foot to rest. A salty breeze came in from the south, peaceful in spite of the carnage below.

"Guess there wouldn't be any survivors this far out."

And yet, his feet refused to move him from this spot. The wind felt cool against his sunburned brow. He removed his cap and ruffled his hair to release the dampness that had gathered there.

Pikachu jolted awake all of a sudden and scuttled around Ash. Its tail twitched erratically as it stilled to listen and sniff the air.

"Pikachu? What is it?"

The yellow rodent dashed among the tall grass and disappeared from sight.

"Hey, wait! Where're you goin'?"

Ash ran after the Pokémon into the thicker part of the woods. As he ran, he began to notice an animal path that looked recently forged. Branches were split and the grass had been trampled underfoot. It looked like a several people—or two massive Pokémon—had passed by here. A knot formed in Ash's throat, but he kept after Pikachu. He didn't have long to run. Pikachu had skidded to a halt among a small copse, but it went no further.

"Pikachu?"

Something mewled in the grass ahead, like it was in pain. Ash's hand instinctively went to the hunting knife at his belt as he crept forward.

"Who's there?"

The grass shook like something was moving around in it, and the mewling grew louder and more desperate. Pikachu growled and began to spark. Following the trodden path, it wasn't long before the source of the mewling became apparent. Ash froze in his tracks, barely breathing.

A small Munchlax was curled up at the base of a tree. At the sight of Ash and Pikachu, it cried louder. Its wide eyes were shifty as it tried to back up further into the tree.

"You..."

Ash drew the hunting knife at his thigh and brandished it at Munchlax. It had to be the offspring of the two Snorlax that had attacked. Its cries were so loud that Ash winced. But nothing would answer it now that its parents were dead. Tears welled in Ash's eyes as he stared down at this shaking ball of fur, almost cute, and he wondered if it saw in him what he'd seen in the eyes of those demented Snorlax as they razed his home and slaughtered the people he'd grown up with.

Ash's hand shook around the hilt of his knife, an old, worn thing that had once belonged to his late father. Its blade reflected in Munchlax's wide, dark eyes.

"Because of you, Mom's—"

He choked on a sob and stepped forward, knife first. Munchlax quieted down, but it didn't try to escape. Paralyzed with fear, it awaited its fate.

But he couldn't do it.

Ash dropped the knife and heaved a shaky breath. "You're just as scared as I was, aren't you?"

Munchlax was trembling, unable even to cry out now that Ash was at its eye level and unarmed. Ash saw his reflection in its stare, dirty and misty-eyed and so, so tired. He reached out a hand toward it, and Munchlax flinched.

"To you, I'm the monster, huh." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "What the hell am I gonna do with you?"

Ivy finished stitching up a deep gash in a woman's shoulder blade and took a moment to lean on a stainless steel table to catch her breath. She'd been helping out Professor Oak and his assistants all night tending to the wounded. There were so many people in need to medical assistance, and she was in no position to be performing professional medical treatment. But Stanley and the other assistants were knowledgeable and efficient teachers. It didn't take any degree of exceptional skill to sew someone's skin back together, after all.

Gary had taken on a leadership role in the emergency, directing assistants and overseeing procedure to ensure an orderly sequence of events. No patient was left unaccounted for, and no one was standing idle for long. He seemed to know a fair amount about medicine, be it people or Pokémon, and no one really questioned his judgment. Ivy did as she was instructed and helped out wherever she could. By the time Ash showed up, she'd been on her feet for a good eight or nine hours without reprieve.

"You've been gone a while," she said when he finally trudged into the lab. She got a whiff of him and crinkled her nose. "Been mucking around a swamp?"

"Well, I'd take a shower but I think my water supply's all over the front yard."

She joined him outside and they leaned against the wall under the shade. Pikachu was still out of its Pokéball and napping at Ash's feet.

"No Pokéball?"

"Nah. Pikachu seems to like being outside. To be honest, I could use the company about now."

There was a pause as they settled into a comfortable silence. Ivy bit her lip. "Ash, your Mom's still in a coma. Professor Oak says there's no telling if or when she'll wake up."

Ash said nothing for a long while. When she glanced over at him, she noticed that his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply.

"Sad, huh?" he said. "How we can't do anything when it really matters. There's always gonna be something or someone out there bigger and badder, and there's always gonna be collateral."

She put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. "That just means you have to get stronger. Yeah, there's bad company out there, but everyone's got a weakness—you just have to find it and never give up until you do."

"...Okay? Where'd that come from?"

Ivy retracted her hand and crossed her arms. "Whatever, forget I said anything."

Ash was about to press her, but Gary and Professor Oak found them outside and waved.

"There you are," Professor Oak said. "Listen, I'm going to have to head to Rustboro City to get this device analyzed." He held up a glass container holding the strange machinery they'd found attached to the Snorlax. It was still wriggling and trying to escape. "I have an old friend there who works at Devon Corporation. He should have access to the technology we'll need to properly analyze this. Hopefully even find out where it came from."

"Rustboro? That's all the way in Hoenn," Gary said.

"Yes, all the more reason for me to leave as soon as possible. And you and Ash should get going, too."

"What? You can't really expect us to go running around the continent with my mom in a coma. I'm sorry, but I can't leave her," Ash said.

"My boy, there's nothing more you can do for her like this. The fact is, she and many others need medical attention in a hospital that isn't falling apart all around them. Which is why I want you to request assistance from the Gym in Viridian City. They should have the resources we'll need to help these people."

"And I guess you want us to run around the continent filling out the Pokédex after that, huh? Professor, I'm not leaving her."

Gary steered Ash away in the direction of town. "C'mon. Let's take a walk."

"Dude, I'm not leaving—"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. But think about it..."

Their conversation was lost as they walked away. Ivy bit her lip and peered back inside the lab. "Speaking of leaving, it's time I got outta here, too."

"Ah, actually, I'd like to have a word with you. Please, come with me."

Professor Oak indicated the lab and smiled warmly. Ivy shrugged and decided to humor him. He led her to the back down a set of stairs. The basement was intact down to the fragile, glass test tubes on the shelves.

"This room is reinforced in case of catastrophes like last night's fiasco," Professor Oak explained.

"No offense, Professor, but I've hung around here long enough already."

He rummaged around in a desk drawer near the back of the room. "Yes, and I thank you again for your assistance. I think things would have been much worse without you here." He found what he was looking for and held it out for her to see. "Here we are. Ivy, do you know what this is?"

It was small and red. A computer of some kind, if she had to guess. "I have a feeling you'll enlighten me."

Professor Oak chuckled. "Yes, of course. This is a Pokédex. It's a high-tech encyclopedia of sorts, except this one is meant to catalogue any and all information related to Pokémon. It's my latest invention."

"Okay, and what does that have to do with me?"

"You see, I've tasked Gary and Ash with completing the Pokédex by traveling across Kanto and observing Pokémon in their natural states. There's so much we don't know. Even the few of us who've dedicated our lives to studying Pokémon have barely scratched the surface. Take those Snorlax last night, for example. We know Snorlax to be capable of extreme violence, but their usual temperaments make them docile and lassitudinous. They rarely venture down from the mountains, so the overall threat is quite low. Do they hibernate? How do they raise their young? What could have caused them to lash out at us so violently without provocation? These are just a few of the millions and millions of questions to which we don't have answers. By recording local information in the Pokédex, I'm confident my and others' studies can advance far beyond where they are now. And that in turn will help us better survive in this monstrous world."

"That's very nice, but it's not really my problem."

Professor Oak smiled knowingly. "Will it be your problem when your Larvitar is finished evolving? How will you handle it? How will your other Pokémon adapt to their new companion? Like I said, Larvitar are usually temperamental and hostile. Imagine what a Tyranitar will be like. These are things you'll need to think about as a trainer. This," he indicated the Pokédex, "contains all my research. It includes all known species living in Kanto and Johto, with the capacity for expansion as I integrate my colleagues' research in distant regions like Unova and Kalos. How would you like access to all that information?"

Ivy crossed her arms and considered this for a moment. "Okay, I'll bite. But if what you're saying about this little computer's true, it could be pretty dangerous in the wrong hands. You don't even know me. I could be a spy from the Johto Resistance Movement."

"I considered that possibility, and in the end it doesn't matter if you are or not. You stepped in to help Ash and later the town. I don't think any enemy of Kanto would do such a thing. That's enough insight into your character for me."

She shrugged. "If you say so. What's the catch?"

"Catch?"

"Look, I wasn't born yesterday. You obviously want something in return. That's why you didn't bring Ash and Gary down here."

"Well, now that you mention it, there is something I'd like to ask of you. I imagine you're traveling north toward Viridian. May I ask why?"

"You may, and I may choose not to answer."

"But you are headed north."

Ivy said nothing. Professor Oak smirked.

"And since you'll be going in the same direction anyway, I want you to accompany Gary and Ash at least until your paths no longer converge. They've been trainers for a while, but they've never traveled in the wilds alone. You, on the other hand, came all the way here from Johto."

Ivy set her jaw. "I'm not a babysitter."

"No, and I'm sure whatever or whoever you're running from would prefer to catch you alone."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, just telling you what I see. When you're as old as I am, you start to hear what people aren't telling you. Take this." He handed her the Pokédex. "Go with the boys. And trust me when I say you'll need them as much as they'll need you."

Ivy pocketed the Pokédex. "I'm not making any promises."

"Unfortunately, neither can I. All we can do now is keep moving forward until we get to the bottom of this."

He moved past her and headed back upstairs.

"Professor," she called. "That device. You shouldn't show it to anyone you don't trust implicitly. Wrong hands, and all."

"I appreciate the warning. I'm sure this won't be the last time we cross paths."

He disappeared upstairs, and Ivy took a shaky breath. The Pokédex added a noticeable weight to her pocket.

"I better not regret this."

She headed back upstairs to find Professor Oak mounting a Pidgeot while Ash and Gary looked on.

"I don't know how long this will take. I'm counting on you to call in help from Viridian and to fill out the Pokédex," Professor Oak said. "The three of you."

"Gramps, we're more than capable of doing this just the two of us—"

"I don't want to hear any complaints, Gary. And I have to go. Pidgeot!"

The giant bird spread its wings and beat the air until it was airborne. Ivy shrank back behind the crumbling lab wall and covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Professor Oak waved from above and took off toward the east.

"This is ridiculous," Gary said. "There's no reason we have to take her with us. We're not babysitters."

"Ivy?" Ash wandered back toward the lab and found her crouched on the floor with her hands over her ears and eyes shut tight. "Whoa, hey, you okay?"

One, two, three, four, five...

She focused on counting to ten and back to calm her racing heart and the tremors racking her body. Ash's hands closed around her wrists and pulled them away. She blinked, unseeing, as she tried to focus on his face. Confused, lurid eyes peered at her from inches away.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why're you on the ground shaking?"

"Is it gone?"

"Is what gone?"

"Is it gone?!"

Gary had his hands in his pockets and he stood behind Ash. "What, you mean Gramps and his Pidgeot?"

Ivy clenched her fists and tried to wrench away from Ash, but he held on.

"You're afraid of birds? Is that it?"

"I'm..."

His expression softened and he smiled. "It's okay, Pidgeot's gone. Right, Pikachu?"

Ash's Pikachu sniffed around Ivy's shin and peered up at her, curious. Her heart rate began to even out again slowly, and the pounding in her ears lessened. She took a few minutes to recover and compose herself.

"It's gone?"

"Yeah. C'mon, lemme help you up."

She got to her feet with Ash's help. Her knees wobbled, but he helped her stand until she'd regained her balance.

"Thanks."

"So, you're ornithophobic." Gary stood just a short ways away, his expression carefully blank. "What happened?"

She swallowed and met his challenging gaze. "Bad experience when I was a kid."

"What kind of experience?"

"None of your business."

"Right. And Gramps wondered why I don't want you coming with us."

"Aw, Gary, lay off. It's a personal thing, right? 'Sides, I trust Professor Oak's judgment. It'd be cool to have another trainer around to watch our backs."

"I said no, Ash."

"It's not really your call to make." Ivy fished the Pokédex out of her pocket and held it up for them for see. "Look, now I'm just like you."

"Oh sweet, he gave you a Pokédex? Wait, why's yours red? I didn't know they came in red." Ash produced his Pokédex, which was green.

"I don't care if he gave you a Pokédex. He entrusted Ash and me with the mission, not you," Gary said.

Ivy shrugged. "Listen, I'm headed north anyway. What're you gonna do, ignore me the whole way there? I don't think even your stick is that far up your ass."

Gary narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.

"Hey, Ivy, you think we could trade Pokédexes? I mean, you know, if red's not your favorite color I'd be happy to take it off your hands." Ash reached for her Pokédex.

"One problem with your proposal: I don't trust you. What if you decide to rob us in our sleep?" Gary said.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Please, if I wanted to rob you I would've done it already. Oh, wait." She reached into her back pocket and produced a brown, leather wallet. "I already did."

Gary padded his pockets and snarled. "What the— When did you do that?"

"Not that I don't like green or anything. Gary's eyes are actually a nice greenish color. Well, not in this light. N-Not that they don't look nice or whatever! Haha..." Ash took off his cap and held it in front of him like a shield.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Ivy handed the wallet back to Gary. "See? If that's not trustworthy, then I really don't know what is."

"Last time I checked, stealing a man's wallet isn't the way into his good graces."

She ran a hand over the neckline of his shirt and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Depends on who you ask."

Gary recoiled, but Ivy pulled away and pushed past him. Ash followed.

"Aw, c'mon, Ivy. It's not like the red one's got your name on it!"

The three of them marched outside.

"Listen, I'm going north whether you like it or not," Ivy said. "If you wanna tag along, then fine. So long as you don't slow me down."

Gary looked ready to pull his hair out. "Wait a minute, you're tagging along with us, not the other way around."

"Guys?" Ash said.

"What!?" Ivy and Gary both whirled on him. Pikachu scampered behind his legs to hide.

"Let's eat before we head out. I'm pretty hungry."

Gary shook his head. "No, no, there's no 'we'."

"I could eat," Ivy said. "I wonder if anyone's shower's still working."

"Yeah, I think Daisy said hers was okay!" Ash started leading her toward Gary's house. "Oh, and about the Pokédex..."

"What? Oh, yeah, whatever, we can trade."

"Really? Awesome!"

Gary had no choice but to follow. "Hey, I never said anyone could use my shower. Hey!"

Ivy and Ash ignored him, and Daisy welcomed them into the house. The journey ahead would be long and arduous, and they weren't about to start without having lunch first.