The sky outside the window was a beautiful orange, although Delia only had it in the back of her mind as she checked on the food cooking in the oven. It had been a usual day for the Ketchum duo: she dropped her seven year old son off at school, went to work at Professor Oak's lab, got off and picked Ash up, brought him home, and a couple hours later she was starting dinner. Cooking was more work, but it didn't usually feel like that kind of work. It felt personal, and being her biggest hobby since she was a kid, she wondered if her mind had been conditioned against viewing it as "work".

  Lately, Ash had looked forward to trying whatever food she was cooking, on evenings that she chose to cook something new that he had not had before. For all the humbling praise she received, the biggest fan of her culinary work was him. Ash's best smiles were often when he was eating her food.

  His "best smiles". Perhaps that was part of the problem.

  Ash wasn't always frowning, and his eyes weren't wet twenty four hours a day. That hardly changed anything. There was more to a person than the lips and eyes. And when she picked her son up from school this afternoon, Delia knew. It had been one of those days. They happened too often.

  Why did they happen so often? Why did every parent teacher conference feel the same? Why had this been allowed to fester until it was no longer controllable? Why did she ask them the same questions?

  Why is he still being bullied?

  It was exhausting. As a parent, it was taxing. But what about Ash?

  Sometimes he would tell her about the day right away. On the ride home, right after getting home, shortly after getting home. Other times, she had to coax it out of him. Preferably before dinner.

  With that in mind, she made her way into the living room, where Ash sat back on the couch watching the television. He wasn't particularly focused on what was on; she could tell when he was and wasn't.

  "Sweetie," she kept her voice gentle. Like a pillow, she often told herself. "Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes, so you should wash up soon."

  The announcement got his attention, she could detect the change in her son when he said "Okay, mom." But it was hardly a magic button.

  She stopped in front of the couch and sat next to her son. She glanced at the television for a moment or two, before looking back at her son. "Before we eat, Ash, I think you should tell me about school today."

  It was a lot more readable this time. Ash hugged his chest, saying. "I don't want to talk about it."

  He didn't always say things the moment she asked him too.

  "But you're thinking about it, aren't you?" she pressed, as a soft reminder. He showed no resistance when her hand rested against his back. He had scooted a bit forward when she reached out, giving her room to rub it, like her hand was a feather. "I can tell. I can always tell, Ash. But I don't just want to look, I want to listen. You know I'm on your side, right?"

  "I know…"

  "And you know I'm here for you no matter what, right?"

  "Yes…"

  "Then please." she caressed his shoulder. "I'm not doing this to punish you, I want to help you. And to do that I need to understand. Won't you help your mother understand, sweetie?"

  There was a pause, but he finally said "okay", and she pulled him in with one arm as he began to talk.

  Today had been a "game day" at school, something she remembered a couple of the other parents talking about. In the computer lab, Ash had been grouped up with a few other kids, including a girl named Angelina, a name that Delia had definitely heard before. Apparently the group was playing a team based game with Angelina as the party leader assigning equipment and other attributes to the group. Delia was (unfortunately) not surprised to learn that this Angelina girl had apparently built her son's character to be a meatshield for the rest of the party, dooming Ash's avatar to constantly aggro enemies and encourage them to prioritize him while the rest of the group gets free hits in. Ash had spent the entire session dying and waiting to be revived, just so that the enemies could go back to throwing themselves at him.

  When playing soccer, nobody passed to him, outside of a couple accidents. In dodgeball, Angelina was conveniently team captain of the team that Ash was only on because there were no other picks left, and Gary had the audacity to tease her for that right in front of Ash. Angelina had been frustrated with the Oak boy for "rubbing it in" (why was having her son on their team something to be rubbed in in the first place!?) and without the blue haired girl needing to do anything, Gary and his team had behaved much like the enemies in the computer game, swarming Ash and pelting him with balls while Angelina and the others just stood there. The game didn't formally start until Ash was eliminated, and whenever a teammate caught a ball, he was never picked to come back in. Once someone else on the team had been eliminated, he had heard Angelina say (okay, we can catch the ball now!).

  The whole day, everyone had just gone along with it. It didn't matter what game was being played. The class always found a way to exclude Ash in all but name. Some "fun day off".

  Delia's heart broke at the tears in Ash's eyes. In the short term, she knew she would regret getting him to talk about all of this, but it was necessary.

  "Oh Ash," Delia pulled him tighter against her side. "I'm so sorry… don't worry, the teachers are going to hear about this."

  "Will that work?"

  She wished he hadn't asked that. If she said "I don't know", she wouldn't be reassuring him. If she said "yes", and it did not work, however…

  In the end, she didn't answer him. Instead, she kissed him. The soft touch of her loving lips against his forehead eased him just a little bit, but it also caused the tears to flow as his voice broke up.

  "Why does everyone hate me, mom? What did I do?"

  "Shhh, shhh…" She wrapped her other arm around him, pulling her son in for a hug as he cried against her shirt. "You never did anything, sweetie. None of this is your fault. And not everyone hates you." She kissed both his cheeks, holding each kiss against his wet skin before releasing, and then resting her chin on his head. "It doesn't matter what any of the other kids say about you. Somebody is always going to love you, and that's me."

  "I…" after a sniffle, Ash paused before talking into her shirt. "I love you, mom."

  "I love you back. I always have and always will." Delia tightened her embrace around the most important person in the world.

  And Ash buried his face deeper into the most important person in the world.

  There was nothing better than having a parent who picked you up from school everyday. A person who would never stop showing you love, even if you didn't ask for it, but if you ever wanted a hug, all you would ever need to do is ask. The woman known as Delia Ketchum would drop everything if need be, and Ash would always feel like he was stepping into a separate world. One where Gary, Angelina, Sarah, Mark, or any of the others didn't exist.

  Before he met Trucy, Ash Ketchum was not sure if he would ever have any friends.

  But he knew that he would always have a mom.

  /

  Although the pot of thoughts continued to boil in the back of Janine's mind, she felt refreshed when she and Aya returned to the mansion. Being with her aunt was like taking a vacation growing up, but today it felt like a refresher, like she had been given a large bottle of water at the end of a hike through the desert. So when her father had called her down to the mansion's underground dojo, she arrived with her head raised. After changing into her purple ki, she found Koga waiting for her. She wasn't sure what to expect from what was likely to be a short session, but it started the same way it usually did.

  Wearing an all black gi, the Gym Leader sat in seiza, a position that she quickly mirrored, keeping her eyes closed while waiting to be addressed.

  "Stand."

  Without a word, she rose to her feat, turning to face the tall man towering over her. She felt her muscles tense at his looming gaze, but remained rigid and still, not backing away or moving forward.

  Koga did not say anything else, instead he assumed a stance, and she followed, not losing eye contact. The positioning of his hands was like a secret code - it signaled that she was to strike first.

  Janine hesitated a moment longer before advancing, aiming a kick for her father's midsection. To no surprise from her, Koga's hand blocked her foot. He could have taken her down right there, but did nothing else, waiting for her second attack, which came in the form of a chop aimed for her chest, her target's hand still extended downward. She realized too late that she shouldn't have gone after the spot that he had left open on purpose; the Gym Leader seized her forearm and chopped it from underneath. A sharp sting erupted where he struck, and she retreated backwards with a growl, holding the spot on her arm.

  Her offense was over. Even when holding back, Koga still advanced like human lightning. She did something to try and defend, but did not have time to process before she was pinned onto her stomach, her face pressed against the mat. Something cold pressed against the back of her neck, and she shivered upon the contact. Without being able to look up, she knew that Koga had kept the small block of ice hidden somewhere.

  "Where does a Beedrill store its strongest venom?" briefly, Koga pressed the ice more firmly into her neck. It was harder to to think now. She knew the point of this exercise, but could only barely remember it in the moment with her mind racing, or was it moving slower? She tried to wrestle herself from her prison, but it wasn't to be. It never was.

  "Abd-Abdominal stinger…" Almost immediately, the pressure disappeared, and the small block of ice dropped on the mat in front of her face as Koga fluidly rose to his feet, as though he had never left. As quickly as she could, Janine took the block and stood back up, whirling around and throwing it at him with as much force as she was capable. His hand caught it with no difficulty before tossing it aside. He was no longer in a stance, but she did not drop hers all at once, only gradually. "You gave me an easy one this time."

  "It's been a fair while," he replied casually. "The next one will be more standard."

  Meaning that there would be a next one. The point of the exercise was to be able to think clearly even under great pressure, or when caught off guard. Sometimes, he would jump her while she was going about her daily business.

  "How was your afternoon with your aunt?" Koga returned to his sitting position.

  "We had a good time," Janine answered. "I'm glad she was here when I came."

  "She had been away for a fair time until recently," he confirmed. "She won't be leaving again for a while, though, so you'll both have more time to catch up. For now, get changed. We'll be having dinner when Len and your friend get back."

  "Yes, father." After bowing, Janine left the dojo.

  Koga stayed in his position, easily relaxing as he shut his eyes. Janine's instincts had not gone away, but the subtle nuances lacked polish. Nothing he had not expected, but the recent developments had his mind on edge. The thought of his daughter having a run in with Team Rocket, on its own, wasn't as peculiar as he would delude himself into thinking, but nobody had anticipated the organization's activity tor aptly rise in both quantity and magnitude the way it had, and multiple areas were paying for it at that very moment. While she was still here, he may have to consider giving her the book earlier than he planned. Earlier than he had read it, at any rate…

  It was the storm that disturbed him the most, however. The League was taking action and rebuilding their approach in response to the recent victories the Rockets had garnered, but there was no reasonable explanation for the storm to appear out of thin air the way that it had. Reasonable being the key word. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but as the investigation would continue, he couldn't ignore the haunting feeling in the back of his mind, even if (or perhaps because) he didn't know where it was coming from…

  "Brother?"

  Koga's eyes opened. How long had he been lost in thought? As Aya stood a few feet in front of him, he was prepared to silently curse himself for not being more aware.

  "My apologies, sister." he rose to his feet. "It appears I am more off balance than I realized."

  "The storm was only last night, I don't blame you." Aya crossed her arms, regarding her old rival with a gentle, steady gaze. "Is that why you called Janine here?" though she was not looking at it right now, she had noticed the ice block.

  "It's routine," Koga responded, turning to pick the block up and wrap it in a cloth. "But I'm plagued by prickling suspicions that I cannot fully identify. There are things that just don't add up, between what the Rockets have been doing, and now the storm." he couldn't place his finger on it, and he hoped it wasn't because he didn't want to.

  "And her?" her brow furrowed, eyes momentarily trailing slightly downward before rising back up to meet his.

  Koga returned her gaze, and for a moment it was all the communication the two siblings needed. "In all my most paranoid moments, I never would have suspected that she may be caught in the middle of two large scale attacks in her rookie year of all times. But I suppose that sums up the entire situation regarding the Rockets, the whole League is reeling from the shame of this past month as we speak."

  "You talked to her about it," Aya said. "But…" she bit her lip after trailing off, and her voice turned serious. "Brother, what are you putting in that girl's head?"

  "Nothing you've never heard before." Koga replied.

  "She's ten."

  "That doesn't change what happened." He shook his head. "The damage is done. It doesn't always wait for you to be ready."

  "..." Aya's gaze drifted away from him. "You're thinking of giving it to her before she leaves, aren't you?"

  "I haven't decided yet…" he admitted. "But we'll see." Any new developments in the current investigation would likely inform his decision. "For now, we still have our usual duties in the meantime." She watched him for a moment, only speaking when he began to walk away.

  "Like how you tricked Ash into going to the Safari Zone," Aya viewed him critically.

  ""Tricked" implies I lied to him," her brother replied, coming to a stop to turn back to her. Crossing his arms, his face remained neutral and honest. "The terms I laid out were entirely truthful, I fully intend on giving him the TM if he succeeds."

  "Misled, then." the green-haired woman said. "You did not give him that challenge because of the TM, that was just bait so you could lure him there, and have Akira send Len to study him and gather information."

  "Perhaps," Koga admitted. "And he fell for it. But regardless of my intentions, Ketchum still has something to gain from it. If he is up to the task, there's no telling what Pokemon he could walk out of there with, or even how many. He has the chance to turn this into an opportunity, and I would never needlessly make challengers miserable without purpose. That's the difference between me and Blaine, as you know."

  "I do…" with an uneasy gaze, she watched Koga begin to leave before speaking again. "Brother," he didn't respond, he simply stopped walking. "When we were growing up, I hated you, or at least it felt like that sometimes. And I know you weren't a fan of me either." she rubbed the back of her neck. "It was because grandfather pitted us against each other, having us compete to be the next leader, and Gym Leader. If…" crossing her arms again, her expression stiffened. "If Emica was still here, and you two had more children, would Janine and her younger siblings have felt the same way about each other as we used to?"

  "Hmmm…" Koga paused for a few seconds, taking in Aya's question before turning back to her. There was no force in his gaze, but it was as unflinching as ever. "Dear sister, I'm afraid your memory is mistaken. It's true that grandfather had us competing for the position, he did so because that has been a custom ever since Maya Kyo first started it with her children. But pitting us against each other is all he did. He never told us to have any ill feelings toward one another, we did that on our own." he turned around. "Would Janine and her hypothetical siblings have allowed the same thing to happen? That's up to them." making his leave, he said, "I'll see you at dinner."

  "Same," Aya responded, watching him exit the room. She stood there for a moment, now having the place to herself and her thoughts.

  'You haven't changed, brother. You discovered yourself a long time ago. That's why you won.'

  Moving to a spot on the mat, the Ace Trainer allowed herself a soothing breath before sitting down and closing her eyes, enjoying the silence.

  /

  After leaving the Wetlands, Ash and Tempest were down to half of their Safari Balls with nothing to show for it. Deciding to start simple, Ash had tried fishing for catches, and although he got bites, actually trying to finish the job with the capsules proved futile. Deciding he had nothing to lose, he had attempted to build a few traps using the equipment supplied to him, but wasn't surprised when they came out shoddy at best. After using up his fifteenth Safari Ball on a Whiscash that Tempest stepped in and drove off afterwards, he decided to move to the rocklands.

  Stepping out of station B, he and Tempest were sandwiched between the desert and mountain regions of the section. The landscape was rocky, and became elevated towards the east, but the ground was sandy, and not very comfortable to step into. The wind carried the sand, and as it blew in his face the boy lowered his cap to protect his eyes.

  "I'll have to clean out my shoes after we leave…" he told himself aloud before looking at Tempest. The Kingler had been surprisingly patient throughout their repeated failures, clearly frustrated but not complaining, and following all of the instructions he had been given to the best of his ability. Right now, his eyes were squinting at the sandy breeze as he waited for his trainer's next move. "You're doing great so far, big guy." he said reassuringly. "I'm glad to have you here."

  Tempest looked at him for a moment or two, staring for a short period before looking away and nodding. He stretched his pincer out, pointing to the mountainous area that would (progressively) take them away from the desert.

  "Yeah, good idea." Ash giggled. "More rocks and less sand sounds like a nice plan, let's go."

  The uneven terrain wasn't as easy to traverse, but the pair managed sooner than later. When encountering a ledge to climb, Tempest would boost his trainer up before lifting himself a burst of Surf to latch onto the edge and pull himself up. Ash silently admitted to himself that trying to make some of the steeper climbs himself would have made him nervous, and even with Tempest's help, holding on wasn't the most comfortable, but he surprised himself by managing. His physical ability had never been all that remarkable for his age, but the past few months had seemingly shown improvement.

  'I should exercise with the rest of the team more,' he told himself.

  He was tempted by the herd of Rhyhorn he spotted a bit of a way off, but after examining them more closely with binoculars he decided against it.

  "Too many of them…" he gave a light sigh while lowering the binoculars and looking back at his partner. "Don't want to cause a stampede… although I imagine you'd probably like that." The knowing smirk on Tempest's face in response was all he needed. "Geodude are known for disguising themselves as rocks, so we need to be careful where we step so we don't provoke them by accident. They might be discouraged seeing you, though, but I'd rather not chance it."

  In truth, he had only just remembered that detail about Geodude in the moment, and began scoping the surrounding area before taking another step, almost as if trying to make sure none of the rocks looked like they had arms. Of course Geodude were also known to partially bury themselves while sleeping or observing travelers. He remembered that stepping on a buried Geodude while they were asleep wasn't likely to wake them up, but what if they were still awake?

  He shook his head. Being paranoid wouldn't get him any closer to catching another Pokemon. He had Tempest with him, and that was enough to give him comfort.

  As they began walking through the elevated area, Tempest wandered closer to the edge to see what the view was like. Their current location resembled a mountainside overlooking the desert. In the distance, he could spot figures that he couldn't quite make out - they had sort of similar features to the Totodile line, but you wouldn't find those in a desert. Speaking of which, everything was so dry around here, even more so than a normal road. He could almost literally feel the dryness, and suddenly hoped they wouldn't be here for too long.

  "Tempest, over here!" hearing Ash's call, the Kingler hastily made his way back to his trainer, who had found a large opening in the side of the "mountain". A cave.

  "We could probably find a bunch of stuff in here," Ash's thumb pointed to the cave. "I'll get the flashlight ready first." Tempest nodded in agreement, and watched his trainer remove his backpack and begin unzipping it.

  Then they heard it.

  A loud crash, and the a roar accompanying it suddenly came from nowhere, and Ash nearly jumped out of his skin. Tempest was already whirling around, and pincers raised and ready to fire at anything he spotted, or punch anything in striking range. But the two found they were alone, quickly realizing that whatever they had heard was coming from somewhere else.

  Cautiously, Ash kneeled down to pick up the still open backpack, holding it in his arms as he tried to gauge where the noises had come from. "That almost sounds like some kind some kind of fight, but…"

  A second crash startled him again, but this time he recovered more quickly without any shock, and it was coming from the direction they had been walking in before finding the cave.

  Rezipping the backpack, Ash restrapped himself as he and his partner turned to each other. "Change of plans, we need to check that out." Tempest nodded obediently before Ash broke into a jog, and followed his trainer from behind.

  /

  Another noise sounded as Ash and Tempest raced to reach wherever it was coming from, but this one sounded more like a cry. Ash couldn't tell what it was - maybe it wasn't a Pokemon he had heard before, or maybe he just couldn't remember in the heat of the moment.

  Finally, he and Tempest reached a small ledge overlooking a solid, rocky floor. There was a drop-off in the distance, likely a cliff leading to the ground, but he only took note of that briefly before his eyes focused squarely on the two Pokemon present.

  "Tempest, behind here, quick." hoping not to be noticed, the duo positioned themselves behind a large boulder near the ledge, peaking out to view the scene.

  Ash recognized the larger Pokemon immediately: It was a Hippowdon, a massive ground type native to the Sinnoh Region. Its jaws were wide open as it let out a thunderous bellow towards the smaller Pokemon, who backed away.

  Tempest paid little attention to whatever the small one was. That big Pokemon was like a magnet for his eyes. It wasn't just the sheer size of the creature that had his eyes widening in excitement, it was the mouth. The bite of Phenom's powerful jaws must have been a pinch compared to what it must be like for this behemoth to chomp down on something. Why couldn't they find something like this outside of the Safari Zone!?

  As Tempest's intrigue turned to frustration, Ash looked at him. "That's a Hippowdon, a really big ground type that shoots sand out of the holes in its body." Sure enough, sand began briefly pouring out of two of the holes on Hippowdon's back before it took a leap towards the smaller Pokemon, landing with a powerful thud.

  Looking back to the smaller Pokemon, Ash frowned. "I don't think I recognize the smaller one…" as he took in its appearance a bit, more however, he could have sworn he saw sand running down the side of its body, and it sort of looked like a smaller, different-colored version of Hippowdon. "Wait a minute, is that a Hippopotas? That's supposed to be the pre-evolved form, but this one is the wrong color."

  From what he knew, a Hippopotas was supposed to have a light tan hide with patches of brown, but this one was mostly brown and only partially tan, the biggest, impossible to ignore detail being that its massive snout was brown.

  Hippowdon roared again, and Hippopatas scrambled as a series of rocks were tossed at it. Not very fast, it wasn't able to dodge all of them, and was sent rolling back while the far larger hippo stomped after it.

  Tempest's eyes narrowed. A fight. But his eyes soon widened in surprise when his trainer spoke next.

  "Are they training?" the boy wondered aloud, watching the scene curiously. The Hippowdon was likely either a parent or an older sibling, so he wouldn't be attacking the Hippopotas. Parents and siblings don't do that.

  Tempest squinted at his trainer for a moment before looking back to the scene. He wasn't familiar with either species, but he could feel the aggression in the larger one, this "Hippowdon" as Ash called it. It was its voice - angry and loud, and even now the massive hippo looked like he might be growling. Why did Ash think this was a training session? It was clearly a battle, and that "Hippopotas" needed to retreat if it knew what was good for it.

  For the briefest of moments, Tempest couldn't help but wonder why the Hippowdon was attacking. Did it feel threatened? That Hippopotas was no threat - as Hippowdon charged it, the smaller ground type tried to strike back only to get smacked away. The Hippowdon was just wasting its time, instead of knocking around this goofily colored target that was barely even a third its size at best, it should be looking for a real opponent to test those amazingly, envy inspiring jaws on.

  Wasting time…

  …Wasting time…

  …

  "You're wasting your time picking on Pokemon that you consider to be helpless."

  Ash had said as such when he first caught him - a Pokemon who loved to fight but kept picking on weaklings instead of seeking a challenge, to really soak in the thrill of battle. All of a sudden, Tempest wondered, maybe he did understand after all.

  Before Hippopatas had the chance to fully get up, Hippowdon made its next move, firing a blast of bright reddish-orange sand from its nostrils that pushed the smaller hippo back, a bit closer in Ash and Tempest's direction. Hippowdon took its time advancing after its target, a fiercely looming glare in its eyes as it stalked forward.

  "Hippowdon's getting kind of rough…" Ash frowned. Now that Hippopatas was closer to them, the smaller hippo almost seemed scared. More sand seemed to be leaking from its body, covering the entire middle portion now. The rock ground around them had sand scattered about, likely from both combatants, and the breeze carried it. "It should stop and give Hippopotas time to rest."

  Tempest's face involuntarily scrunched. Did Ash still not get it? Since when was his trainer so slow? Why was Ash seeing a completely different seen from the one in front of him?

  Growing a bit frustrated at his trainer's (shocking and out of nowhere ignorance), Tempest turned to him, which quickly got his attention. Making growling sounds, the Kingler performed light punching motions with his pincers before gesturing towards the two sand hippos.

  Ash frowned, quickly shaking his head. "No Tempest, we can't fight the Hippowdon. I know it would be fun, but it's against the rules."

  Tempest had seen plenty of humans and some Pokemon do that thing where they slap their hand against their face - he was tempted to do that right now with his pincer, but he refrained.

  "I'm not sure we should catch it either," Ash continued, suddenly feeling conflicted. "If it's raising a kid." or maybe he could try to catch them both? But having been unsuccessful so far, he wasn't sure of his chances.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Still, something didn't feel right about this training session, it was going a lot further than a sparring match should. Could Hippowdon actually be attacking its own younger sibling, or even worse, offspring? That didn't make sense…

  Catching a glimpse of the massive hippo's face, Ash felt his blood run cold. Now that Hippowdon was getting closer to them, the rage in its expression was becoming more visible. That wasn't the look of a parent teaching their kid how to fight…

  And Hippopotas looked so scared…

  "Are they actually fighting!?" he hissed aloud, to Tempest's relief. "Why!?" he saw Tempest nodding from the corner of his eye. "You were trying to correct me, weren't you?"

  Tempest nodded again. As long as Hippowdon didn't target them, he wasn't particularly worried about how the fight played out, but now that Ash knew, the Kingler had a sneaking suspicion what his trainer might end up doing, and prepared himself for it.

  Hippowdon came to a stop as the distance between it and the smaller hippo shortened. The bruises on Hippopotas' both were masked by the sand covering it. Ash didn't know what that was about - he knew Hippopatas released sand from their bodies like sweat, maybe it was something they do when they are scared?

  "I guess they're not actually a family after all…" Ash wondered. He supposed it was a bit presumptuous to assume that just because they were the same species. It was the only way to comfortably make sense of the situation - after all, why would Hippowdon be attacking its own sibling or child?

  The Hippowdon stamped its feet against the rocky floor. It was getting ready to attack again. Hippopatas was whimpering now. The sight brought back memories Ash wished it didn't. Caleb clinging to him, fearing for his life. Connie doing the same. Caesar's Zangoose and his endless bloodlust.

  His knuckles turned white when he squeezed his hands. Any moment now, the larger hippo would strike, and the smaller one wouldn't be able to fight back.

  "We have to stop this." Before Ash could second guess his own thoughts, he was racing out from their hiding spot, ready to hop down the ledge. "Come on, Tempest!"

  Tempest was expecting that, and as far as he was concerned, Ash was lucky he was, given his trainer would have gone ahead unprotected if he hadn't been ready to follow him. The Kingler surged forward with Surf. After evolving, he could use the move in somewhat longer bursts before giving out, although not nearly enough to be satisfying.

  Hippowdon was rearing back, but Ash didn't wait to see what it was about to do. As quick as he could, he unclipped a Safari Ball from his belt and chucked it. The ball bounced off of the heavyweight's hide and sucked it in. It would only buy them a moment.

  "Hippopotas!" The smaller hippo in question whirled around, a startled fury in its eyes as Ash and Tempest approached it. Ash quickly held his hands up. "Whoa, hold on! We won't hurt you, you need to get back!"

  The Safari Ball burst open.

  Ash imagined Hippowdon must have been just as startled as Hippopotas was, but if it had been, all of that surprise had been replaced with rage. As the massive sand hippo reemerged in a flash of white light, it roared with a force that knocked Ash to his bottom and hammered against his ears. For a moment, he even had a headache.

  At this point, the rest of Ash's thoughts caught up to him, and he realized what he had done. The flashes of being towered over by a monstrous behemoth only lasted a moment, but his heart continued to hammer as the pissed off Hippowdon's eyes were now solely on him. His face turned pale, and his stomach did a flip. The bellowing hippo reared back, but Tempest rushed to the front.

  It was as exhilarating as it was frustrating. The water type remembered at the last second that no direct attacks were allowed unless it was an emergency. This certainly felt like one, but Ash had not given him the order. Being this close in front of such a fierce looking opponent was heart pounding, and Tempest was already feeling the rush he had gotten from than Zangoose.

  With all of the restraint that he could muster, the large crab raised both of his pincers upwards, firing two of his strongest and most forceful jets of water into the air. The ground type's enraged expression did not disappear, but its actions were cautious, backing away at the sight. Sand came out of the holes on its body, partially covering the hippo, as if for protection.

  "Hippopotas-" Ash turned to the smaller hippo so he could signal for it to run, but leapt back as Hippopotas growled, snapping its jaws in place. "Whoa, easy!"

  The smaller ground type was sweating more sand, but as its eyes frantically scanned Ash, Tempest, and Hippowdon, it began backing away.

  Hippowdon was growling, but this time, the newcomers were the subjects of its wrath. Backing away again to gain more distance, the beast of a hippo fired another blast of bright reddish-orange sand from its nostrils, and Ash's eyes widened.

  Tempest immediately made sure he was positioned directly in front of his trainer, using Liquidation to surround his body with water and bracing himself to take the hit. The blast of sand pounded against him, forcing him a little bit back. As it hit, Tempest immediately felt how hot the sand was - it was like it was made of fire! What move was that!?

  The second the barrage was over, Tempest's eyes narrowed at his new enemy with an additional layer of readiness, his line of vision a tunnel. The dumbass had attacked him and Ash now, and if it took a hardcore brawl to give it what it deserved, that was even better.

  'Wait!" Ash called out just as Tempest's pincer glowed with Crabhammer. "Don't do it!"

  Tempest growled. Ash couldn't be serious right now! Did he want to save the stupid "Hippopotas" or not? Who cares about these stupid rules?

  With a huff, the crab fired an Ice Beam into the ground in front of Hippowdon. Despite freezing over, it would be melting quickly, but it had the intended effect of Hippowdon backing away again, although the frustration the heavyweight was feeling was loudly conveyed with the forceful growl - the most forceful one thus far, most certainly - that escaped its throat. Pretty soon it may get tired of being careful. After firing the attack, the Kingler turned back to his trainer, making damn sure the look in his eyes made his irritation known.

  "I know, Tempest!" Ash held his hands up. "But it's not just about that!" the boy wasn't sure when it had clicked for him. Was it when he realized that the people viewing the Safari Zone like a tourist attraction could likely also see them, playing the Safari Game? Was it while he spent time struggling in the wetlands, knowing that the people watching could all see him fumbling and failing every attempted catch? Was it literally just now? His rushing blood was distracting him too much to remember, but he knew.

  "Tempest," Ash's eyes darted to Hippowdon, who was bending into a stance, moving to the side a little bit as though to circle them. Tempest kept a pincer pointed at the ground type - Ash didn't know how long that would discourage it from charging them. "Len's mission - it was to spy on us." As the crab blinked in confusion, his trainer continued. "Koga didn't send us here just to test us, he wanted to see what we would do in specific situations. Like creativity in catching a Pokemon. Len having a mission on the same day we came here wasn't a coincidence, he's taking notes on us right now. This was all a setup."

  Tempest tried to process what Ash was saying, but made sure to turn back to Hippowdon while he did. Janine had talked about her father being a crafty man who played mind games - was this whole afternoon one of his mind games?

  Ash didn't have any real evidence to back up his claim, but he just knew. The suspicion was gnawing away at his brain. He was almost a bit angry, but he was definitely frustrated. Janine had warned him before, but…

  "We can't let him be the only one that gets something out of this, big guy. Don't forfeit the game just yet - we're gonna win, without breaking any rules. So are you ready to catch a Hippowdon?"

  Tempest was ready to blast this oversized thing and topple it over in an awesome battle, but no matter how much he wanted to fire his next Ice Beam straight at the hippo's face, all his pincer did was shake in anticipation.

  At least until another stream of blazing hot sand was spat out at them. Tempest intercepted it as best as he could with two blasts of water as Ash retreated backwards, but was still forced to deflect the remaining sand that found its way towards him. Even as he defended himself with Crabhammer, the sand burned painfully against his shell, and it was all the snarling crab could do to not rush over and rip this super strong opponent to shreds.

  "There's not much time, buddy!" Ash tried to keep himself under control. They hadn't successfully caught anything all day yet, but as he saw the edge of the cliff a far way out, an idea formed. "You know what aggroing is? It's a video game thing. Hurry, listen."

  Tempest listened as Ash told him his idea. It sounded ridiculous, but the thought of it working made him suppress a grin.

  Against all odds, Ash managed a smile when his partner nodded at him. "Okay, good. I'm going to hide behind the boulder so it doesn't go after me when we're separated. Make sure Hippowdon keeps its eyes on you, that's the only way this is going to work."

  Hippowdon was done waiting.

  A thunderous roar broke the duo's attention away from each other, and Hippopoatas screamed as the massive hippo charged. It was hardly the fastest creature on the planet, but the sight of such a hulking brute running towards them at any reasonable speed was a miniature panic attack waiting to be had.

  But Ash wasn't too scared. He had Tempest with him.

  "Remember the plan, pal!" Ash hoisted himself back up the ledge and behind the boulder, while Tempest momentarily ran forward to meet Hippowdon's charge as more sand came out of the hippo's back. The Kingler fired an ice beam into the ground where his target was running, and Hippowdon lost its footing, landing on its side. When the ground type picked itself back up, Ash was out of sight, and Tempest was retreating - but not in the direction of the boulder. Instead, Tempest raced past Hippowdon in the direction of the cliff, using Surf for a brief burst of speed just long enough to get himself behind the hippo in full.

  After clearing some distance, Tempest prepared to stop and turn around to make sure his opponent was following him, but he already knew from the shaking of the heavyweight's mighty footsteps that he was now Hippowdon's sole target. He knew Hippowdon was likely to attack, however, so he turned around anyway, just in time to see the hippo tossing rocks his way. Tempest destroyed several of them with Bubble Beam, and deflected the remaining few with Metal Claw. Hippowdon's eyes flared, and the ground type continued the advance, firing another blast of sand at him. This wasn't like the flaming hot sand Hippowdon had used against them before, however: It was the usual, more expected color of sand, and the blast was also bigger, and probably more forceful. Bracing himself, Tempest took the hit with Iron Defense. He still felt the impact as he was pushed further away.

  At this point, Ash left his hiding place, hopping back down the ledge and carefully following after them while unclipping another Safari Ball from his belt. He did not dare get too close, being as conservative as he could manage with his movements. If Hippowdon noticed him, he was helpless, and probably a snack. But the hippo's eyes were fully focused on Tempest, and the crab was getting closer to the cliff.

  Hippowdon leapt forward, landing with a thud that shook the earth, and its mouth opened, giving Tempest a full view of the hippo's teeth and gullet as the beast roared, blasting the water type with shockwaves that briefly knocked him off of his feet, and sent him even closer to the cliff.

  Tempest's eyes narrowed. This was just about where he needed to be… and Hippowdon was closing in, leaving behind a trail of sand. Ash would have to act fast before he had no choice but to fight back. To his side was a slope that led to the ground below. Over the edge, the drop was probably about thirty feet, although he didn't give himself much time to guess.

  'This is it.' Ash told himself. He hoped this didn't turn out worse than he thought - he was pretty sure he had paid attention to how high he and Tempest had climbed, but what if he had miscalculated? It shouldn't be too high, but was it?

  His heart was hammering, but they had already passed the point of no return. If they were going to do this - and they had no choice - it needed to be now.

  He raced forward, and before Hippowdon could realize what was happening, the boy chucked the Safari Ball. The spherical capsule bounced off of the ground type's thick hide, and the heavyweight hippo was sucked right in. It would only be for a moment, though. Tempest had to react as fast as possible, just like Ash had told him.

  "GO, TEMPEST!"

  Tempest heard his trainer's shout, but it was hardly necessary: he was already moving. With a cry of victory, he lunged forward and smacked the Safari Ball over the edge of the cliff.

  The ball burst open in midair.

  And Hippowdon found itself thirty feet above the ground.

  The hippo's roar was deafening, and its plummet was blunt and in the blink of an eye. One moment the ground type was falling, and the next moment, the ground below shook.

  "Itworkeditworkeditworkeditworkeditworked!" Ash's thoughts were moving like a Rapidash as he peered over the edge of the cliff. Tempest joined him. Hippowdon was on the ground, although neither could tell if it was conscious or not. "Quick, we gotta get down there!" Ash spared his partner the briefest of glances before heading down the slope, and Tempest followed. It was an agonizing descent, as hurried as possible, but beyond careful. Ash's fear of falling went away as the ground approached them, and soon they were racing towards Hippowdon.

  The massive hippo was still conscious, but in a daze, lying on its side and shaking its head in a pained groan.

  Tempest gurgled urgently at his trainer. If Ash was going to do this, they would never get a better chance. Throw that damn Safari Ball!

  "I know, I know, I know!" Ash took a breath as the capsule enlarged in his hand, and then he threw it. For the third time, Hippowdon was sucked in.

  But this time, it didn't break out immediately.

  The ball shook, pulsing with a blinking light, and the duo looked on. The capsule wiggled in place on the rocky ground like it had a mind of its own. It was never ending - Ash wasn;t sure how much time had passed, but he knew Hippowdon hadn't stopped fighting.

  …

  The ball beeped, and became as still as a rock.

  …

  Ash's blood was still rushing, but the anxiety was slowly going away as his mind processed it. Next to him, Tempest's eyes lit up in triumph.

  "I… we…" without even realizing it, Ash began to giggle. And then he was laughing. "HahaHAHAHA YES! Suck it, Angelina!"

  After a moment, he saw Tempest staring at him in utter bewilderment, and realized his fist was in the air. As his mind finally came back down to earth, he felt his face getting hot, and it wasn't because of the desert.

  "Heh, uh… sorry about that. I'll explain that later." Tempest was still staring at him, but still seemed to accept the answer, and the two made their way to the Safari Ball that now contained Hippowdon.

  "We… we did it…" after kneeling down to pick it up, Ash stared at the capsule in his hand as though it were made of gold, before looking Tempest in the eyes. "We did it, we captured a Hippowdon in the Safari Zone!" the water type gurgled in pleasure. "And we didn't even need to hit it with a single move."

  The thought of that fact baffled Tempest, but… he also felt satisfied. A short burst of catharsis, knowing they had won the fight in such a way.

  Clipping the ball back to his belt, Ash turned his gaze upwards, back where they had come from. The adrenaline was dying down, and his face was evening out. A bit more calm, although his blood was still rushing, even if only slightly.

  "We need to get back to Hippopotas."

  /

  The smaller hippo, to Ash's relief, was still where the duo had left it when they returned. Ash couldn't tell what it was thinking, but it appeared somewhat confused, and maybe still a little bit scared.

  Then it saw them approaching, and its eyes widened. Sand erupted around its body, and a loud shout came from its throat as its jaws snapped the air in front of it.

  "Hold up!" Ash held his hands into the air as Tempest got between them. "We just wanna talk-"

  The panicked hippo lunged forward, mouth open wide. It was no Hippowdon, but those jaws were huge, enough to give Phenom worthwhile competition.

  Tempest made sure that he was on the receiving end, and not Ash. His eyes blazed with fury as his pincer moved to block Hippopotas' bite, armored with Metal Claw. The hippo's jaws clamped down hard with a force that would have stolen a limb from his trainer, but he tanked it with no trouble.

  The hippo grinded and squeezed its jaws against the pincer, but its eyes grew wild as Tempest raised his other pincer in response to the fruitless result. The glow of Crabhammer stung the ground type's eyes - they had already made a catch, and it would only take one shot to knock this one out.

  …

  His pincer remained raised, but the punch did not come. Instead, the two Pokemon stared. Releasing more sand, Hippopotas continued to gnaw to no effect, and Tempest kept Crabhammer glowing, his gaze tight.

  "Tempest," Ash dared to step forward, and Hippopotas' eyes darted between him and the Kingler. "It's terrified."

  Tempest let out a forceful breath, staring at his opponent a bit longer before letting Crabhammer fade and freeing his other pincer from his assailant's tight grip. His pull was met with resistance, but he was too strong, even for this set of jaws, and forced his pincer out with little difficulty. Hippoptas winced in pain, and both backed away, Tempest remaining just in front of Ash. Against his better judgment, he did not aim his pincers at the ground type - not even as a threat.

  Ash took in the sight of the hippo, and was worried his heart might break. It wore the same face as Caleb and Connie, just not on a human. The look in its eyes was rabid and unpredictable - ot was the look of a wild Pokemon that knew it could be attacked, beaten and broken by a stronger wild Pokemon at any time, and that there was nothing it would be able to do about it.

  And speaking of which, the bruises were nasty, and he could see some blood mixed with the lingering sand.

  "Hey, listen…" holding in his hands in front of him, Ash spoke as softly as possible. It was not too difficult, and he tried to remove the image of Connie tied to a chair from his mind. "I promise… we're not here to hurt you. We just wanted to help. Here, just hold on…" Cautiously, he backed up a bit, and Tempest stayed put as his trainer fished something out of his backpack.

  Getting what he wanted, Ash tossed the bait in front of Hippopotas. "There, eat that."

  Slow enough to almost appear still, Hippopotas lowered its large, brown snout to the bait and began sniffing for several seconds. It may have even been have a minute before it finally gave in and swallowed the bait whole.

  Ash whistled. "That's a big eater." Looking carefully at Hippopotas, the brown hippo was still shaking a bit, and Ash didn't need to be a trainer to notice the fear on its face, but the rabid, violent panic in its eyes was at least gone.

  For now.

  Tempest's eyes didn't leave Hippopatas while Ash pulled two bananas out of the backpack. As he stepped forward, the Kingler did not let him move in front of him, but he wasn't trying to. With a light toss, one of the bananas landed next to Hippopotas, after Ash unpeeled it.

  "That's a banana. They don't grow around here, so I'm not sure if you've ever seen one. Try it, it tastes sweet." He watched Hippopatas sniff the fruit, and sat down on the rocky ground. He quickly regretted that decision - was pretty sandy - but he didn't get up. Unpeeling the other banana, he handed it to Tempest before taking a third out for himself. The brown hippo stared at Tempest as he munched on the fruit. Finally, Hippopotas took the banana in its mouth.

  Ash couldn't tell if it liked the taste or not, but it wasn't reacting poorly. As Tempest backed away, the hippo's face seemed to relax, although her expression still wasn't entirely normal. She took a tiny step forward to the duo, before advancing a bit more explicitly. She didn't go all the way to them, but still took a seat fairly close.

  "There you go…" Ash nodded. "It's okay; we have more food, if you want. There's two bananas left - you want them?" After a moment or two, the hippo nodded, and Ash quickly took them out. After unpeeling them, he set them in front of Hippopotas. To test the waters, he left the second one a bit closer to where he and Tempest were.

  Hippopotas took the first of the last two bananas in her mouth and quickly swallowed it. Her eyes fixed on the second one, staring for a few moments before looking cautiously at Ash and Tempest.

  Tempest's eyes didn't leave the hippo for a second. He was ready to punt it like a Safari Ball the second it lunged at Ash, but even as Hippopotas finally inched its way over to the second banana - and them, the Kingler found himself no longer suspecting that that would happen.

  Finally, Hippopotas stopped in front of them, joining the duo in full and eating the banana. Ash gave the ground type a smile, and as he looked the bruised Pokemon over, he confirmed that the sand had stopped coming. Maybe she had run out, or maybe…

  "You don't need to be scared of us, I promise." the boy said gently. "That Hippowdon that was attacking you, we dealt with him." unclipping the Safari Ball containing his latest catch, he showed it to Hippopotas. "He's in here."

  Hippopotas stared at the ball for several seconds, before finally nodding, and allowed herself to make eye contact with Ash. She sat down, and Ash reclipped the Safari Ball to its belt.

  For the next several moments, the trio simply sat there. Tempest was getting a bit fidgety, but did his best not to make any sudden movements. Finally, Ash decided to speak again.

  "So, uh…" the boy held his tongue for a moment, unsure of the very question that he was about to ask. "That Hippowdon we fought." he felt his hands grow sweaty, and could see Tempest frowning at him. Breaking his gaze away from Hippopotas for a moment, Ash offered his partner a reassuring, but still somewhat weak smile before returning his focus to Hippopotas with a mild frown of his own. "Is he, uh… Is he… your father?"

  …

  Hippopotas stared a bit more… and then nodded.

  "I'll always love you, Ash. No matter what."

  Ash's face lost its color again. 'Why…'

  …

  His fists were clenching, but he quickly realized that was making Hippopotas anxious, so he stopped, and offered an apologetic smile as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just thinking - I tend to do that a lot. Just ask Tempest."

  As Ash nodded to him, Tempest snorted.

  Hippopotas' eyes moved to the crab, fixing him with a stare before inching closer. Tempest scooted back for a moment, causing her to pause for a second before resuming her approach after he didn't do anything else.

  And then the hippo was sitting next to him, looking a bit more comfortable in her expression, even as her body remained tense. Tempest could only blink. He looked to his trainer, but Ash only gave him a knowing nod, his smile growing.

  "Hey, Hippopotas…" the ground type looked back at him. "I'm… really sorry about everything that's happened, but… I think we can help you. If you come with us, we can get you to a doctor who can fix your wounds - you'll feel better than ever. And if you want, we can… stay together, after that. Me and Tempest aren't the only ones, we have a whole family, and they'd love to meet you."

  The brown hippo watched carefully as he took out another Safari Ball, enlarging it and placing it in front of her. "You can stay here if you want, but we'd have you in a heartbeat. What do you think?"

  She didn't answer, she simply sat, staring at the ball. She didn't walk away, or touch the capsule. She simply stayed where she was, sitting next to Tempest. The Kingler was feeling awkward, especially after she released a little bit of sand, but he remained where he was, and so did she.

  So did Ash. Multiple minutes passed, and he checked the time. They would be leaving after this - they were almost done. His mind began going elsewhere before he saw movement from the corner of his eye.

  Hippopotas inched forward and pressed her snout against the button on the ball. It opened up and sucked her in, and unlike Hippowdon, she did not not fight it. The Safari Ball beeped almost immediately.

  Reaching over, Ash picked the ball up and stared at it for a moment.

  "Everything's going to be okay, I promise. We'll give you a family."

  /

  Hippowdon: Heavyweight Pokemon

  Typing: Ground

  Gender: Male

  Ability: Sand Stream

  Moves: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Bite, Sand Attack, Crunch, Scorching Sands, Rock Tomb, Take Down, Iron Head, Sandstorm, Yawn, Dig, Roar, Rest, Bulldoze, Rock Slide

  Hippopotas: Hippo Pokemon

  Typing: Ground

  Gender: Female

  Ability: Sand Stream

  Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Bite, Yawn, Sand Tomb, Dig, Crunch, Roar, Rest, Bulldoze, Rock Tomb

  Since the Safari Balls were registered to his new account, which itself was registered to his Pokedex, Ash was able to scan his two latest catches as he and Tempest rode side by side in the shuttle, which now took them back to the entrance. It would be a few minutes.

  "Sheesh…" He reclipped both balls to his belt. "Hippowdon's packing a wallop." his fingers tapped the side of Hippopotas' Poke Ball. "I think she's pretty young. She's definitely nowhere near anyone else on the team…" It had been a long time since he had a new teammate far behind the rest of the group. Then again, it hadn't been much longer since he had a new teammate at all.

  Tempest gurgled beside him. He was munching on a little bit of the leftover bait, just as an appetizer before dinner. It tasted alright, but the scent was more enticing than the flavor itself. After finishing, he looked back over to Ash, and saw that his trainer had Hippowdon's Safari Ball out again. He was… just staring at it.

  It was an odd expression to see on his trainer's face after what had ended up being such a good day. Sure, they had fumbled and floundered for a while, but who cared about that? They made two successful catches. They fulfilled twice the requirements of Koga's challenge, and now they would have a fun story to tell Janine, Tentacruel, Skrelp and the others. The large crab was certainly looking forward to bragging about it.

  Another gurgle from the crab broke Ash's attention away from the ball, which he slowly reclipped to his belt. "I was just thinking, that's all."

  Thinking. It was just like his trainer had told Hippopotas. Ash was always thinking? Tempest could vouch for that.

  Another gurgle, this time a more questioning and curious one. Ash looked more directly at the crab, and soon their eyes met, studying each other, and trying to read the room.

  Finally, Ash looked to the floor and let out a breath through his nose. "Tempest… you know I was bullied back home in Pallet, right?"

  Tempest nodded. By that Gary prick and his friends. But Ash couldn't still be held up on that - they had taken Gary down back at Benver's Lodging, and were world's stronger now than they were back then, after all of the training on the way here. What did Gary have to do with this?

  Ash sighed, again through his nose, before looking back at Tempest. "It's just… I was thinking about my mom. For a long time, it felt like she was the only person who cared about me, and didn't see me as a waste of space, or an underperforming student to hand out low grades to while saying "you can still get better". Before I met Trucy, she was all I had, and… she's amazing." He looked ahead. "She'd hug and kiss me every time I cried - and I could be a baby, sometimes. She'd listen to everything I'd say, cook everything I liked, watch all of the best stuff with me on the couch, and she couldn't wait to see me become a trainer, and go out and win battles with teammates like you." and then he giggled a soft breath through his nose. "I love her so much. I have no idea how I'd feel if I didn't have someone like her picking me up from school everyday. There's not a single thing I'd change about her, and I could pulverize Champion Lance's entire team with my bare hands and still not deserve her. No one does."

  Tempest didn't respond, he simply watched Ash lift a hand to his face to wipe an eye. He had never given it much thought, but he couldn't help thinking about it now. He knew nothing about Ash's mother, and had barely even thought of her, if at all. But as he listened to his trainer talk, it made sense. The logic clicked in his mind - someone like Ash would feel exactly that way.

  "So, I guess I was just…" Ash's face tightened, but his eyes remained the same. "I'm just wondering… why is Hippowdon like that to his own daughter? That's not what parents do. None of the other kids in Pallet have parents like that. I sure as hell don't. How could any kid be afraid of their own parent? How could any parent give them a reason to?" he looked back at Tempest. "I mean, like… he's her dad. It would have been one thing if they were completely unrelated and he was just a violent wild Pokemon, but she said… she said he's her dad."

  Tempest didn't answer that. He had wandered off from his parents after he discovered the thrill of fighting. He never left the coast, but once he had gone off on his own, that was pretty much it. His parents were perfectly fine, of course: They would bring him and his siblings food, and they certainly never did anything bad to any of them. There were no remarkable memories like the treasure trove his trainer seemed to have, though, and the Kingler had never put much thought into how his family was doing now.

  Were parents really that special? As far as Tempest was concerned, they were just there to feed you and take care of you until you were ready to leave. But his trainer wasn't him, and Ash's mother definitely didn' sound like his parents.

  For someone like Ash, once more, it all made sense.

  Exhaling again, Ash sat back in his seat, looking at the ceiling for a moment before turning back to Tempest. The Kingler had not stopped looking at him.

  "Anyway… we had a heck of a day today, don't you think?" his smile was on the happier side again, and a satisfied glint shone in Tempest's eyes. "Couldn't have done it without you, of course. Thanks for everything."

  Tempest allowed himself a split second chuckle. Today would certainly go down as one of his prouder ones.

  "I mean it, you know," Ash continued. "It's been a long time since you joined us, and… well, for a while you and I were pretty transactional. I'd make you stronger and give you fun opponents to fight all across Indigo, and you would help reach my dream. We've had some rough bumps, but we both kept our word, right?"

  Tempest nodded. He tried to shut out memories of that dreaded night with Phenom, or the even more dreaded day at the museum with that Mr. Mime. Instead, he tried to focus on the battle that they had won against Gary. Or the one that they had won against Erika. Or Sabrina. Or the many trainers they had beaten up to this point.

  Their greatest opponent yet was waiting for them in just over a week's time. The famous Koga, one of the greatest and most brutal trainers in all of Indigo. Tempest wished they could just do it now, but more training beforehand was still welcome.

  And of course, Ash was getting closer to his dream, and Tempest liked to think that he was playing a part in that. He certainly would continue to. He felt sorry for whatever Pokemon Koga would send out against Ash while he was on the field - but not too sorry.

  "And…" Ash continued. "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you." Tempest eyed the boy as his trainer scooted a bit closer to him, but did not move closer - or further away. "You're always gonna be you, but that doesn't mean you're the same. I can tell you're trying to change, because, well… I've been trying to change for months. I'm sure you don't think I'm the same person you met back at Bill's place anymore than I think you are the same Pokemon, and I'm not just talking about your evolution - which, by the way, I am very happy for you about."

  Tempest almost said something, but didn't. Nonetheless, he relaxed in his seat, and nodded back to his trainer.

  Ash's grin widened - just a tiny bit, Tempest only noticed because he was looking at him when it happened. "You remember Connie's picture from yesterday? The one she drew of you? She did a good job, right?" Tempest had given the picture a closer look last night, and he agreed. The girl was pretty good at drawing. "I just want you to know, when things get bad for us - hopefully not another Rocket incident or something like Caesar, maybe just another wild Pokemon fight, but if anything happens, I just want to tell you, you're the kind of Pokemon I'd want to have protecting me."

  Tempest returned his trainer's gaze. Once more, he didn't say anything, but he made sure his nod was clear and noticeable.

  There would be more battles in the future, even beyond Koga. A lot more. They had hopefully barely even scratched the surface with all of the intense showdowns that were waiting for them just over the horizon, and Tempest was looking forward to every single one of them.

  It wasn't the only thing on the Kingler's mind, however. Not like it used to be. Ash Ketchum will be Champion.

  /

  After getting back, Ash handed over all of his remaining supplies, and his belongings were returned to him. Hippowdon and Hippopotas were both transferred to regular Poke Balls, but they remained locked, unable to be released.

  He had eight Pokemon registered to his name now. He was over the limit. By two.

  As promised, Len and Toxicroak were waiting for them in the lobby. Tempest offered the poison/fighting type an acknowledging nod, which Toxicroak returned before focusing on their trainers.

  "Welcome back, Ash." Len was as neutral and stoic as ever, but the ninja boy seemed a bit more laid back this time. Maybe it was because his mission was over? "It seems you two had quite the time in there."

  "You would know," Ash nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked into the older boy's gray eyes. "You were watching, after all."

  The accusation hung in the air as the two studied each other's faces. There had been no hostility in Ash's voice - in fact, he had actually spoken the words quite casually, as though they were talking about flavors on a pizza.

  After a few moments of silence, Len nodded in affirmation, his response as casual and easygoing as Ash's own words had been. "I'll admit, I was quite surprised when you found out. You're very sharp, and that earned you two new catches. Congratulations."

  "Thanks," Ash moved his hands out of his pockets. After a moment or two, he tugged on the two new Poke Balls on his belt. "We did our best, right Tempest?"

  Tempest gurgled as Ash spared him a glance. Len could spy on the pair all they wanted, but only the two of them truly knew.

  "I want you to know, Ash," Len had their full attention when he spoke. "That I was only following my sensei's orders - and he himself was only following Leader Koga's orders. I won't apologize for doing my job, but I was not doing any of this to deceive you."

  "You don't have to apologize," Ash shook his head. "I'm not mad at you or anything. Even if I was, Leader Koga's definitely not the only one who got something out of it."

  "That he is most certainly not…" Len's eyes moved to the balls on Ash's belt. "Speaking of which, both of your new teammates are injured. We'd best drop them off at the Pokemon Center on the way back. You normally can't let them out yet unless you transfer two of your teammates back to Pallet, but Nurse Joy has the power to make exceptions."

  "Yeah…" Ash's expression fell as his hand moved to his belt.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "..." Ash was silent for a moment, his hand still against his belt as his gaze wandered to the floor. Tempest looked at him curiously.

  "Ash…?" Len repeated, mildly concerned.

  Finally, Ash unclipped one of the Poke Balls from his belt, and held it out to the older boy.

  "...What's this?" Len asked.

  "It's… Hippowdon's Poke Ball." Ash replied.

  "Why are you giving it to me?" Len asked, brow furrowing a bit before straightening out to meet the younger boy's eyes. "You don't need to choose between them, both of them are rightfully yours now."

  "I know that…" Ash paused again for a moment before continuing. "But if I'm their trainer, I have authority regarding what's done with them, right? Even if it's… unconventional?"

  "You do," Len replied with a nod. "But what are you trying to request?"

  Ash looked at Tempest for a moment, before taking a breath and returning his gaze to Len. "I… I've trained and raised more than one Pokemon with a violent streak to them, but this Hippowdon is different. All of my other teammates are young, still growing and maturing. Hippowdon's an adult, so a Pokemon like him isn't as nurturable. He needs to be rehabilitated, and to be honest, I don't think I'm equipped to do that. It would be irresponsible to hold onto a Pokemon that I'm not qualified to give what it needs."

  Len crossed his arms. His face wasn't neutral anymore, and for once Ash could easily read it: understanding. "I see…"

  "So…" Ash placed the Poke Ball in the ninja boy's hand. "As Hippowdon's trainer, I would like you to find a place where he can be taken care of properly. I'll take care of Hippopotas. Could you do that for me, please?"

  Len gripped the ball and gently took it from Ash, nodding. "Very well, I will speak to sensei, and you can consider it done."

  Ash smiled, and gave the older boy a bow. "Thank you, Len."

  He managed to hide his surprise when Len bowed back.