After feeding some of the sitrus berries to Pikachu, Bill had recommended that the mouse spend the night in the healing machines as the healing factors of the fruit did their work. With Pikachu's consent, Ash returned his starter back to his Poke Ball, which Bill then placed in one of the machines.

Nebula had stuck closely by Pikachu's side as her friend munched on the sitrus berries, Pikachu reassuring the concerned Staravia that he was okay. It thankfully wasn't too difficult for the mouse to settle the bird's worries, which had led to her congratulating him for his victory.

It was 8:00 PM now, with Nebula and Eevee asleep in the room while Ash fixed himself a late snack in the kitchen. Bill had granted him access to the food for the night, but the boy didn't want to push it, simply opting for a bagel sandwich, albeit one made from much higher quality bread than the overall average sandwiches he had packed for the road. Aya had teased Ash for his modesty, but the rookie pointed out that he had already had three fairly sizable meals from Bill's food. He didn't want to be gluttonous about snacking on someone else's stock.

The green haired Ace Trainer was sitting across from Ash while Valiant and Tyrunt chatted off to the side. Unbeknownst to Ash (who didn't understand their words), the Kirlia was giving Tyrunt a play-by-play recount of Pikachu's battle. Despite not being aware of the topic, Ash and Aya had assumed that it was something exciting given Tyrunt's enthusiastic reactions, and Valiant's own somewhat energetic mood while recounting the fight to his friend.

"They're quite the odd pair, wouldn't you say?" Aya's amused voice brought Ash's attention to the green haired woman as she observed the two converse. As she locked eyes with the boy, Ash felt his nerves tense up again, her battle-hardened aura leaking through her overall lax demeanor.

Nevertheless, the feeling didn't last for too long, and Ash grinned back at her. "Yeah, Valiant's been looking after Tyrunt since he hatched, so they're almost inseparable." Stealing a glance at the Kirlia, who hadn't picked up on their conversation due to him and Tyrunt each being fixated on their own exchange together, he added. "He was actually helping me take care of him even when he was an egg. He's been super helpful." At this point, it was no secret to Ash that Valiant was arguably the most dedicated member of the team. That wasn't to discredit the others, as all of them had pulled their weight, but Valiant had always gone out of his way to convey that determination.

Ash wished he could know what drove the Kirlia, and the rest of the team as well, but he was grateful nevertheless.

Aya gave the Kirlia an approving look, before directing her expression at Ash. "Well, a Pokemon's loyalty is the product of the trainer, most of the time. I'd say you have a lot to be proud of, Ash."

Ash felt his face grow hot as his gaze nervously locked onto the table. "Heh, t-thanks…"

She seemed to find amusement in his flustered reaction, which just embarrassed him further, but she thankfully didn't tease or press. Glancing back at the duo, a hint of nostalgia adorned her features as she continued.

"You know, at first glance, they kind of remind me of my first two teammates." looking back at Ash, she said. "I found an egg in an abandoned nest before making my first catch. Fuchsia was having some poaching problems at the time and some of the wild Pokemon in the area were a bit hasty when they fled. Their parental instincts dictated them for the most part, but there was the occasional odd exception of those who left one of their eggs behind by accident."

Ash bit his lip nervously. That sounded awful. He didn't know that Fuchsia had a history of poaching problems, but perhaps that was one of the problems Koga was said to have solved. Based on what he knew, the poison specialist was one of the most ruthless and pragmatic Gym Leaders imaginable, and had reduced crime in the territory to a crawl.

Continuing, she nodded with a sad smile. "It was a bit of a rare occurrence. The Gym Leader's in Fuchsia are usually great at keeping things under control, even if the current one has easily done the best job at it." something lit up in her eyes as she spoke, but Ash didn;t notice. "But this issue was a bit of an exception. Didn't last too long, but the effects were pretty notable at the time." Taking a pause, she continued. "Anyway, my Starter and I brought the egg to Fuchsia City's Pokemon Center, and after it was looked over and confirmed to be in good health, the authorities gave us the permission to take it in." her expression grew rather fond. "It hatched only a few days later. I still hadn't caught any Pokemon yet, since I was so fixated on caring for the egg, but the female Nidoran that came out was the best partner me or my starter could ask for. She's even my cornerstone nowadays." Taking a glance back at Valiant and Tyrunt, she finished. "And my Starter was there with me every step of the way. Oddish was her dedicated older brother. Both before and after she had hatched."

Ash beamed at that. She seemed to be really fond of the memory, and he couldn't blame her. He'd never forget the time spent raising Tyrunt.

"Anyway, I shouldn't make this about me." the woman chuckled sheepishly as she spoke. Turning back to Ash, she tilted her head inquisically. "You're the new guy to the profession. You said you have two badges, right?"

He nodded in confirmation. "Yup! From Pewter and Cerulean!" Ash certainly wouldn't be forgetting those fights, either. And the same could probably be said for all of his remaining Gym battles.

"Do you have any idea where you plan on getting your next one?"

He shrugged. "Saffron's the next city ahead. After that, I haven't decided which direction I'll take yet. There's a few branching paths from there. I'll figure it out, I suppose."

"Makes sense. Either of the roads you can take from Saffron have their merit. And most of the wildlife you'll find along the way shouldn't be too troublesome." her face evened a bit. "You'll definitely notice a difference if you go in the direction of Vermillion or Lavender Town, though. And of course, things will get a lot more intense once you go beyond either of those, especially in Fuchsia territory."

Ash was aware of that for sure. The eastern side of Kanto was generally a lot more dangerous than the rest of the Region, especially Fuschia. Yet the harsher wildlife also attracted more hardened trainers, who often made the areas their grounds.

Ash wondered just how different of an experience trainers had if they chose to start out in Fuchsia's territory. The plains between Pallet and Viridian were a far more ideal starting point for a rookie than the mountainous, untamed wilds of Koga's stomping grounds. Even Janine, despite being a Fuschia native, hadn't been that bold.

And even if it was years ago, Aya had started out there, and at a time where the wildlife was a lot more unpredictable due to the poaching incidents.

Curious, Ash was about to bring it up when the sound of footsteps brought his and Aya's attention back to Valiant and Tyrunt, who had finished their conversation and made their way to Ash.

Taking note of their bright moods, Aya commented. "They're both in pretty high spirits."

Rubbing Tyrunt's head as the baby dinosaur pushed his head against his leg, Ash agreed. "Ha, yeah."

After a few seconds, Aya took a glance at the clock before giving Ash a considerate look. "Say, Ash, if you're interested."

After patting Valiant's head for a moment, Ash looked back at her. "Hm?"

Crossing her arms, Aya said. "I'll have to be on my way in about an hour or two, when one of the League's psychics comes to pick me up, but…" her lips twitched up. "I'm interested in seeing how you fight. If you'd like, would you care for a quick battle?"

Ash inwardly started at that. An Ace Trainer was challenging him to a battle?! How could he even-

She must have noticed his pale expression, as the woman quickly raised an amused hand to ease his worries. "Relax, I'm not gonna sick one of my usual teammates on you, if that's what you're worried about. I have a couple of Pokemon on me that are a lot less experienced, so one of them should be a fair match for you if you've already made it through two gyms."

Ash's panic eased up a bit at that. Looking down at Valiant and Tyrunt, he observed them for a moment. Tyrunt had just started training, and he didn't want to bother the others if they had already turned in for the night, so…

"Valiant, are you up for this?"

With an encouraging nudge from Tyrunt, Valiant exchanged a brief look with the Ace Trainer, before turning to Ash a few moments later and nodding with a steel gaze.

/

The group found themselves back at the battlefield where Tyrunt had done his training earlier that morning. The stars overhead made for a pleasant backdrop as Aya took her position on the other side of the arena.

Tyrunt stood by Ash's side as Valiant slowly walked in front of them, taking his place as the trio observed Aya enlarging a Poke Ball.

After a bright flash, a Venonat appeared on her side of the arena. It leaned into Aya's touch as she reached down to pat its head, before walking its way to the arena as Valiant observed it. The purple bug was fairly amicable, offering Valiant a quick wave as Aya spoke up.

"Venonat should be a good opponent for you." Aya called out from the other side as Valiant quietly returned the wave. "I haven't been training him for too long yet."

Ash nodded, although his heart was still beating fairly rapidly.

"Valiant…" he quietly spoke to the Kirlia, nervousness leaking out of his voice. "Even if that Venonat isn't much more experienced than we are, his trainer is. And I'm not sure how easy she is going to go on us outside of her choice in Pokemon." he couldn't see the look on Valiant's face from behind, but the Kirlia had a light glare on his face as he nodded at Ash's statement.

As Tyrunt let out an encouraging chatter (which did a somewhat decent job at easing Valiant's nerves), Aya spoke up again.

"So, one on one, correct?" At Ash's nod, she nodded back before raising a hand. "Well then, let's get this started. Venonat, Signal Beam!"

The purple bug wasted no time executing his trainer's orders, performing a small hop as he fired a beam of green light at his target.

"Valiant, Dazzling Gleam!" Responding with equal swiftness, Valiant put his hands together to form an orb of pink light, which then extended into a blast that intercepted Venonat's attack.

Being a fairy type move, Ash imagined that the pink beam would make for a fairly decent shield against the opponent's bug type attack. As the two beam's collided, Valiant's attack pushed back against Venonat's, as the purple bug watched, before bracing himself against the shockwaves once the two blasts exploded closer to him.

Immediately pressing his advantage, Valiant sank into Shadow Sneak, traveling along the ground as Venonat blinked in bewilderment, before Aya gave an order.

"Toxic Scatter!"

Ash raised a brow as Venonat kicked off of the ground, eyes glowing with a bright blue aura as purple powder descended onto the arena. The bug had jumped decently high, and Ash noticed the Poison Powder becoming enveloped with the bright aura of Confusion, as Venonat used the psychic technique to carry the powder as far across the battlefield as possible.

As Valiant excited his shadow beneath Venonat, he immediately yelped and encased himself in a golden cube as the powder descended onto him. Ash couldn't tell if any of the attack had actually made contact with Valiant or not, but the good news was that it could only have been a little, given how quickly the young Kirlia had reacted.

They weren't out of the woods yet, however, as Aya issued her next order. "Zen Headbutt!"

Now the top of Venonat's head began to glow with a bright blue aura as the bug angled himself in midair before dive bombing straight down for Valiant.

SMASH!

Remnants of the barrier scattered for a brief moment as the cube shattered, before quickly fizzling out of existence as Venonat landed in front of the Kirlia, having struck the top of the Light Screen from straight above.

As Venonat moved in on the disoriented Kirlia, Aya pressed on. "Sleep Powder!"

"Push it back with Confusion!" Ash called out, hoping Valiant could repel the Sleep powder with the technique before it hit him.

Unfortunately, Valiant's eyes didn't even have a chance to start flashing before the whitish-blue powder was upon him. Regaining his bearings, the Kirlia yelped as he attempted to bury his head in his arms, trying not to breathe in too much of the attack.

But Aya was still pressing. "Venonat! Zen Headbutt again!"

Tyrunt cried out in concern as Venonat rammed headfirst into Valiant's front, sending the weezing Kirlia flying a few feet away before skidding on his back.

As Valiant came to a stop by propping his hands against the pavement, Ash suddenly winced as he realized his folly. With Valiant still somewhat out of it from Light Screen's destruction, he wouldn't have had the concentration to execute Confusion, or at least not one strong enough to repel all of the powder at once.

Aya wasn't giving him time to mentally kick himself, however. "Just because you need time to think things through doesn't mean your enemy does! Swift, Venonat!"

A barrage of golden stars erupted towards their target as Valiant picked himself up. Frantically, Ash responded.

"Valiant, Magical Leaf!"

Aya was being completely rapid-fire about her approach to this battle, which said more than enough for how fast her mind moves. The moment one order is finished, she immediately thinks of another. Just what kind of training was she put through to be this honed?

As the leaves exploded against the stars, Ash knew that they needed to pick up speed themselves. Ash hoped this wouldn't result in him or Valiant making anymore misplays, but if Aya didn't need time to "think things through" like she said, then they couldn't afford to either.

"Valiant! Teleport and Thunderbolt!"

Venonat slightly started as Valiant flashed in front of him, hands beginning to crackle with electricity. But Aya's response was even swifter than Ash had already thought.

"Supersonic!"

Valiant had just begun to fire off the bolt of electricity when Venonat hollered out at him, emitting a near-deafening noise that Ash, Tyrunt, and Aya were all thankfully spared the more harmful elements of thanks to the barriers kicking in. Valiant, however, was struck point blank, his usage of Thunderbolt disrupted as the portion of the blast that had yet to escape from his palms became compromised by his newfound lack of concentration, scattering outwardly without nearly as much force behind it.

Unfortunately for Venonat, however, Valiant had still managed to properly fire off at least half of the blast, which scored a direct hit on the purple bug (along with a few remnants of the compromised second half of the attack) that sent the young Kirlia's opponent staggering backwards, crying out in pain from the sparks.

With Venonat getting electrocuted and Valiant holding his head in pain, trying to clear up his disorientation, both Pokemon were off balance as their trainers called out in encouragement.

"Shake it off, Venonat! And use Stun Spore!"

"Valiant! Try to focus and use another Thunderbolt from a little more distance!" Ash had expected a point blank Thunderbolt to be the perfect offensive choice. He hadn't expected it to backfire like that. The close vicinity had benefited Venonat's Supersonic every bit as much.

As Venonat regained his bearings and began firing off the small cloud of yellow powder, which suddenly began to travel a greater distance as the aura of Confusion enveloped it, Valiant jogged backwards as quickly as he could, still holding onto his head for a moment before charging up another Thunderbolt. The electric attack lit up the surrounding area as the lightning escaped from the Kirlia's hands.

Venonat's purple fur was already somewhat charred from the previous shock, the round bug quickly leaping backwards as the now fully-powered electrical blast carved its way through the cloud of yellow powder that he had unleashed. As the bolt of lightning collided with the ground, Venonat, still in midair, unleashed a second barrage of golden stars that Valiant hastily raised another Light Screen to block.

The Light Screen wasn't at full strength, Valiant just barely being able to raise it in time as the attack closed in on him. Cracks formed along the exterior of the golden cube as the Swift pelted against it. Thankfully, however, the barrier held up long enough, before being dropped by Valiant just as Venonat was on the move towards him once more, Aya issuing another order.

"Zen Headbutt!"

"Teleport, quickly!"

The frantic look in Valiant's eyes partially gave way to a more hardened expression as he flashed out of existence, Venonat coming to a stop to see him materializing a few meters away off to the side.

Hoping to give an order before Aya had the chance, Ash called out. "Psybeam!"

Aya responded an instant later. "Signal Beam!"

Eyes glowing, Valiant fired the beam of rainbow colored light at the purple bug, only for Venonat to with a green blast of light that collided with the psychic attack head-on.

After a moment or so, the Signal Beam cleaved through the Psybeam, its bug typing crucial to providing it with the edge.

Valiant swayed to the side as the beam passed by him, Venonat already advancing towards him yet again, Aya calling out her next order.

"Supersonic, point-blank!"

Sweating, Ash responded. "Light Screen!"

The same horrible sound from before was emitted as Venonat closed in on his target, but the Kirlia was already locked away in the safety of his golden cube. The close proximity of the attack made itself known, however, and Ash flinched as he and Tyrunt noticed the small cracks forming on the shield, the barrier just close enough for them to make out. Valiant clenched his eyes shut as he tried to endure the noise, cushioned by the Light Screen, but not fully protected.

"Swift, Venonat!" Ash doubted that Aya could see the cracks from where she was. Was she just counting on it?

Still directly in front of the barrier, Venonat pelted the cracked areas with golden stars. The shield strained as Valiant gritted his teeth, struggling to keep the cube intact. It lasted for a few moments, before the front of the cube fully broke, and the remaining stars crashed into Valiant, throwing him onto his back as the rest of the Light Screen fizzled out from his disrupted concentration.

With Valiant downed, Venonat immediately heeded Aya's next command. "Sleep Powder!"

As Ash called out to Valiant, the Kirlia rolled away from the incoming powder that nearly descended upon him, scrambling to his feet as quickly as he could as Venonat proceeded to advance towards him with another Zen Headbutt.

Seeing the purple bug incoming, Valiant dodged away, his side getting clipped by the bug's attack as he nearly lost his balance. Ignoring the mild bruise left behind by the blow, the Emotion pokemon turned around and fired another rainbow beam into the side of Venonat's back, prompting a pained squeal from the bug as Aya's partner was sent bouncing away from the blast, before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop. Although his back was somewhat scorched from the attack, and the Kirlia could notice the bug mildly breathing a bit harder than usual, the opposing combatant turned to face Valiant with as much resolve as ever.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Ash could note the somewhat deeper breaths that Valiant was letting out as well. The Emotion Pokemon was fairly good at continuing to fight even as he began to tire out, but the rookie knew that Valiant would be reaching his limit sooner or later.

It still felt surreal that they were fighting against an Ace Trainer, and Aya certainly fit the bill, even if she was going easy on them. He couldn't imagine what she was like (and what tricks she had) when using her primary team.

As Aya observed Venonat, she took in her partner's condition. It looked like he could use a moment to catch his breath just as much as Valiant…

"Your friend's pretty resilient!" she called out to Ash, who turned his attention to her. "He's hanging in there pretty well. Hasn't disappointed so far."

Ash was a bit surprised that she was suddenly slowing the flow of the battle, given how fast-paced she had been up to this point, but he wasn't complaining. Valiant could use a couple of moments to take a breather. Besides, the psychic deserved the compliment.

As Valiant and Venonat allowed themselves to somewhat ease up, albeit not taking their focus away from one another, Ash smiled at Aya's statement and nodded. "Thanks! He's always been a really hard worker, so he deserves all the credit." Sparing Venonat a glance, he added. "Your Venonat's doing great too."

Now that he thought about it… he and his team had first encountered Valiant back when they fought that Bug Catcher with the Venonat all the way back in Viridian Forest… that was the fight that had led to Valiant joining the team, hadn't it?

As he stole a glance at the Kirlia, Ash couldn't help his widening grin.

'It really does feel like such a long time.' They were only in Cerulean territory. They hadn't even seen half of Kanto yet, let alone Indigo as a whole. And yet… so much has already happened since the beginning. It was scary, and yet, it was also why so many people loved being trainers.

Including him.

Aya seemed to be done talking after a few more moments passed. Snapping her figures as if to give a signal, she once again raised her voice across the arena.

"Well, your friend has proven his resolve. So let's see how long it can last under this kind of pressure. Now, Venonat!" As the bug took off running in Valiant's direction, she added. "Swift, then Leech Life!"

Leech Life… she was probably planning on getting some of Venonat's stamina back. Healing moves weren't quite as effective as restoring energy as they were at healing injuries, but certain ones could still do the job. And in Leech Life's case, it specifically restored stamina by draining the energy from the target. Less about dealing damage, and more about making the opponent worn out. If Venonat scored a direct hit, he would likely be revitalized (whether it be completely or just by a significant amount), while Valiant would be left with even more fatigue.

As Venonat sped towards Valiant as fast as he was able, the purple bug unleashed yet another barrage of golden stars. But Ash had already given Valiant the counterorder.

"Teleport behind Venonat! Then Thunderbolt!"

Despite the stars making Venonat capable of homing into whatever target he locks onto, the capability became compromised when Valiant reappeared in a completely different direction from where the stars have been aimed. As the glowing projectiles aimlessly collided into the barriers in front of Ash and Tyrunt,Valiant was already gathering electricity within his hands, preparing to fire.

Aya must have taken note of the somewhat greater distance between the two combatants, as she did not order for Venonat to disrupt Valiant with Supersonic like last time. "Jump and use Signal Beam!"

The purple bug leapt up as high as possible, angling himself around in the air to face Valiant properly and fire off the beam of green light.

Valiant had responded quickly, however, the beam crashing down onto the golden cube that he had formed around himself immediately after firing off the Thunderbolt. With the hastiness of how the barrier was formed, however, the Signal beam wasn't dealing with the Light Screen's full strength, the barrier struggling as a chunk of it was broken off by the impact.

Aya herself had already given Venonat another order as he fired the beam. "Zen Headbutt!"

"Drop the cube, Valiant!"

Ash knew he couldn't let Venonat destroy the Light Screen. It had to go away on Valiant's own terms, so that the destruction of the mentally created shield wouldn't throw the psychic off balance.

Thankfully, Valiant did just that, lowering the cube and allowing it to fizzle out just as Venonat came down on him. As Valiant swerved to the side, the bug collided with the pavement, which didn't seem to harm Venonat very much (likely because of the usage of Zen Headbutt, Ash decided to guess). While Venonat bounced off of the arena, Ash gave his next order.

"Blow him back with Confusion!" They needed to keep their distance from Venonat so that Supersonic wouldn't be so dangerous, whether they widened the gap with Teleportation or just by pushing the purple bug backwards.

Venonat yelped as the aura of Confusion engulfed him, Valiant holding his hands out from behind the purple bug as he sent Aya's partner flying a few feet away.

As Valiant jogged backwards a few more feet away, Venonat landed on his side, rolling a few feet backwards before springing back into an upright position.

As the two Pokemon turned to eye each other, their fatigue was becoming all the more noteworthy. The constant back and forth would eventually lead to one of them collapsing.

Aya's lips twitched in approval at the sight. "It's been fun so far, Ash!" she called out. "But let's see if we can end it now! Venonat, Super Swift!"

Ash and Valiant felt a hint of surprise as Venonat's eyes glowed, unleashing another barrage of golden stars with the outline of Confusion. At Ash's frantic command, Valiant erected another Light Screen to encase himself with, as the projectiles bombarded his defenses.

The shockwaves from the repeated impacts left Valiant gritting his teeth in displeasure as he struggled to hold up the barrier, which was already beginning to form cracks as Venonat's assault continued.

The stars… seemed to be moving a lot faster than normal. No doubt, Venonat was using Confusion to push them forward and add a lot more force than normal to the attack.

Why hadn't Aya done this sooner? Was she holding back to go easy on them, or just conserving energy? This did seem like it would tire Venonat out if used too greatly, which could be why she had saved the technique for when both combatants were already approaching their final reserves. Whatever it was, it was working now, Tyrunt crying out in concern as the glowing projectiles finally broke through the cube for the remaining portion of the onslaught to bombard against Valiant.

As Valiant hollered in pain, some blood appearing as was knocked back down onto his backside Venonat rushed towards him, preparing to finish the battle with the Kirlia still stuck on the ground.

"Giga Drain!"

Ash's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the grass type move. As a vine-like beam of dark green energy was fired off and tethered onto Valiant, Ash noted that the glow it gave off was a somewhat faint and flickering one. It made sense that Venonat hadn't fully mastered the move just yet, as it was fairly advanced. But the purple bug definitely did have the basics down, and it was rather impressive that he had been able to use it at all at his current level.

And tha meant trouble for sure, as the nervous rookie frantically realized. Even in an unmastered state, Giga Drain was a very effective move that centered around sapping strength from the target's body to heal the user's wounds and somewhat revitalize their stamina. And now, Valiant was pinned by it.

Ash watched with a grimace as the young Kirlia struggled against the binding, as flashes of light traveled along the Giga Drain and back towards Venonat. They weren't coming very fast, either due to Valiant's resistance or Venonat not being overly experienced with the move, but Valiant's strength was being sucked dry all the same.

"This is it, kid!" Aya called out, her voice more challenging rather than condescending. "If he can't break free, it's over for him!"

As Venonat slowly began to glow from the revitalization properties of the attack, Ash called out to his friend.

"Valiant! I need you to use Confusion! Hurry!" Loudly grunting as he struggled against the green energy tethered to him, Valiant's eyes briefly began to flash with the familiar aura of the psychic move. Nevertheless, even as they did, they continued to flicker, as the young Emotion Pokemon's focus grew weaker and weaker.

As Tyrunt anxiously moaned, Ash found himself clenching his teeth with a pained expression as a bead of sweat traveled down his face. Giga Drain wasn't just taking a physical toll on the young psychic. It was taking a mental toll just as much. And that was exactly what was needed for psychic type moves.

Valiant continued to struggle against the Giga Drain, wriggling his body as much as the binding allowed as his eyes continued to flash.

To break free of the Giga Drain, or to use Confusion. Right now, Valiant wasn't able to do either…

Eyes widening, Ash called out to his friend again as Tyrunt looked on.

"Valiant! Listen to me!" As the Kirlia continued to struggle, Ash cupped his hands with the most encouraging voice that he could muster. "Forget about breaking free! Just focus on using Confusion! Put all of your effort into that!"

Aya's brow raised, a knowing smile making its way to her lips as she watched Valiant comply with Ash's order.

No struggling. No wriggling. No physical exertion. Nothing but mental strength.

As Valiant ceased his physical struggle and glared at Venonat with flashing eyes, Aya nodded in approval.

'He knows his friend won't be able to break free. So he doesn't want him to waste the effort. But will this tactic be enough?'

Valiant's eyes continued to flash, still flickering, his teeth grinding as he struggled to focus through the pain and fatigue.

But suddenly, the flickering became faster…

And then-

Venonat yelped as Valiant's eyes glowed with a blinding blue aura. A surge of psychic energy knocked the purple bug off balance as Aya's partner was suddenly covered in the blue light. As he teetered backwards, it was his turn to lose focus, the Giga Drain destabilizing as Valiant tore his way out of the binding.

As the Kirlia stood upright, fighting the fatigue in his body and the pain from the previous onslaught of projectiles, Ash struck while the iron was hot.

"Psybeam!"

Venonat didn't seem like he had healed himself too much, so they still had a chance.

Making one final effort to gather all of his focus, Valiant's eyes flashed once again, briefly charging up his attack as he ran forward towards his target to make the attack point blank, before firing the rainbow colored blast directly into Venonat's front.

Still slightly off balance from the Confusion, Venonat's guard was not up as the attack blasted into him, the purple bug wailing as the Psybeam carried him across the arena, before bouncing along the surface and coming to a stop a couple of meters from the green haired Ace Trainer.

When Venonat failed to move, Aya took out her Poke Ball and returned him in a bright flash of red light.

/

Ash bent down and caught Valiant in his arms just as the exhausted Kirlia began to fall backwards.

"Great work, pal!" The young rookie's voice was a notable combination of congratulation and concern. "Are you okay?"

As Tyrunt stopped right beside them, Valiant tiredly opened his eyes and offered his trainer a fatigued grin. Tyrunt seemed to be somewhat mindful of his friend's condition (likely remembering what it was like to be so exhausted from his training earlier that day), giving the Kirlia a praising smile, but trying not to make too much noise.

Cradling the psychic in his arms as he stood to his feet, Ash gave the Emotion Pokemon a nostalgic grin. "Hey Valiant… you remember what Pokemon Nebula and I battled when you were caught in that Bug Catcher trap, right? It was against a Venonat. That was Nebula's first big battle since joining the team. And it's how we met you."

For whatever reason, Valiant had been terrified of the forest. He had been so meek and timid when they had first encountered him (not that Ash was one to judge). Something had happened after they had finally left, however. It was almost like he had transformed. The Valiant that had trained for and fought against Brock in Pewter City was a completely different one from the one that Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula and all first met. The young Ralts had come out of his shell after being freed from the forest that he seemed to fear.

And yet, that was just an addition to the list of things that felt so much longer ago than they actually were. First the incident with team Rocket at the Pokemon Center, and now he was thinking back to this. Just how far away was Viridian at this point?

The trio's attention was drawn to Aya as they heard her approaching footsteps, the Ace Trainer having finished consoling her Venonat.

Her expression seemed quite amused. Ironic, even. "Well what do you know?" she spoke with a chuckle. "I'm an Ace Trainer who lost to a rookie. Imagine if my comrades heard that out of context."

Ash's smile matched her own at the joke. "Ha, yeah." it hardly counted in his eyes. Aya hadn't used anywhere close to her strongest teammates, and even with Venonat himself, the boy wasn't sure how seriously she had been taking the battle throughout.

It didn't mean he wasn't happy with himself, or Valiant, however. A victory was a victory, and Aya had only held back enough to be on their perceived level. Not below.

Crossing her arms good naturedly, Aya's grin was casual and easygoing. "I can see how you have two badges already. I might have to warn Janine that another rookie is becoming a threat." The last part was said in a fairly joking tone.

Ash giggled a bit, looking down to the ground as Valiant began to doze off. "Two badges… it just keeps me thinking…"

"About what?"

Looking up at her, Ash's cheeks flushed as though he were about to reveal an embarrassing secret. "I've just… started to think about how much has gone down already. I don't think it's even been six weeks since I left my home… but it feels almost twice as long." his gaze briefly alternated between Valiant and Tyrunt as his mind seemed to wander. "So much has already happened since then…"

Aya's hearty laugh snapped him out of that state, the boy flinching back as his cheeks reddened further.

"W-What's so funny?" he stammered.

"You are, silly." her voice evened out a bit as she locked eyes with him. Her gaze seemed to be rather nostalgic too. "I'd recommend you get used to that, Ash. Your life is only going to get more eventful from here. Especially now that you have a full team of six. By the time you're at Indigo Plateau, you'll be feeling like your career has already gone on for a decade. Take it from someone who knows." Suddenly finding the stars interesting, she continued to speak, albeit not looking at Ash. "You should cherish as much of those memories as you can. And not just the triumphs, of course. Even failure can be an unforgettable milestone. My mind still often flashes back to the time my brother knocked me out of the Conference." After a few moments of silence, her eyes returned to Ash as she took out a dark blue Pokedex. "Well, I did lose to you, after all. I'll be a good sport and pay up."

Ash blinked. To be honest, he had forgotten about the prize money (which was somewhat embarrassing). Despite having earned quite a bit of it from other rookie trainers since leaving Cerulean City, he hadn't had it on his mind when accepting Aya's challenge."

After Aya finished transferring some of her money into the boy's account, she pocketed the device before looking back at Ash. "And… that should take care of it. Sorry about cutting this short, but I need to wait for the League to pick me up. Gotta get some rest tomorrow since I'll be meeting with a Breeder in Celadon in just two days from now and all."

Ash didn't notice the otherwise tired Valiant's eyes briefly widening as he offered the understanding Ace Trainer an understanding nod. "That's fine. I know you gotta be super busy. Thanks for making time for us." he gratefully added.

The green haired woman waved it off, however. "I didn't just do it to be generous." she chuckled. 'When you're in my line of work, you can always use the downtime. It's been fun."

Ash and Tyrunt watched her go as she turned around, Valiant mustering up just enough energy to wave before closing his eyes again.

Today, they had started Tyrunt's training, captured an aggressive and powerful Krabby, and befriended an Ace Trainer.

As he and Tyrunt made their way back to the lab, Valiant still in the young rookie trainer's arms, Ash grinned to himself.

Perhaps those were some of the memories Aya had suggested they cherish.

/

Valiant spent the night in a healing machine following the battle with Aya. Ash and his team said their goodbyes and thanks to Bill the next morning, before heading off on their way.

They had taken a detour to get to Cerulean's coast, but thankfully, their new bicycle would help make up for that. Even if they stopped for training and battling, Ash imagined Saffron would only be a few days away.

However, there was still one more matter that they needed to settle now before leaving the area.

Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, Eevee, and Tyrunt all stood in front of Ash as he showed them Krabby's Poke Ball. The group was a bit of a ways away from the lighthouse now, in a grassy area surrounded by a few trees.

"We have a new teammate now," he explained. "And, as you all know, they aren't as friendly. There is a chance that we will have to restrain them, but we can't encourage their hostility." The team nodded at him. Valiant and Eevee seemed to be the most uneasy about it, but didn't object, and Pikachu's somewhat anxious expression made it clear that the young mouse was still thinking about yesterday's fight.

As he enlarged the orb, Ash felt the anxiety flow through his chest as his thumb lingered on the release button. He wasn't sure how Krabby was going to act once it was let out.

But they needed to get this over with.

The bulky water type appeared in a flash of light, a somewhat surprised expression on its face as it looked around. It didn't take too long for Krabby to notice the group standing in front of him. Springing into an alert stance, his gaze quickly fell on Ash, Pikachu, and Valiant as his pincers began to rapidly click together, opening and closing as the Pokemon let out a deep growl, as if preparing to pounce.

The brief wave of panic that Ash felt was shaken off as quickly as he could manage. "Now, Valiant!" He hoped his anxiety hadn't filtered into his tone of voice.

Just as Krabby moved forward, Valiant was in front of the group, eyes flashing as the unprepared water type was binded by a blue aura. Its pincers hung open as it struggled against the unexpected psychic hold.

Pikachu acted next, the others hanging back as the electric mouse moved to Krabby's side and aimed his tail towards the opening of one of his pincers. Krabby stopped struggling as the water type noticed their position.

With caution, Ash walked past the remaining team members and crouched down in front of Krabby. "We've already beat you one on one." he tried to keep his voice even as he made eye contact with the crab-like creature. He could still feel some shakiness in his speech despite his best efforts. "Please, make this easier and don't start anything."

Krabby seemed a bit dejected and frustrated by the boy's statement, but seemed to comply as Ash prompted Valiant to slowly release it. The water type's limbs eased up as the blue aura gradually dissipated, the psychic's hold on the crab-like creature slowly fading away.

As Pikachu pulled his tail away from Krabby's pincer, the water type shot him a look that didn't seem hostile. Ash couldn't quite place it, but Krabby at least didn't seem to hold a grudge.

"Now…" the boy started, feeling his nerves beginning to ease up (albeit not completely). "We caught you, fair and square. You know what that means, right?"

The Krabby's eyes narrowed for a few moments before it's expression evened out somewhat, looking between the rest of the team with more eased up features.

Pikachu and Valiant were still on high alert, with Nebula watching closely as well. Eevee and Tyrunt seemed to be a bit more nervous, although the baby dinosaur felt slightly more secure as the Evolution Pokemon's fur briefly brushed against him.

Pulling out his Pokedex, Ash held the crimson device in front of Krabby where the water type could see it. "I'm going to scan you for a moment, okay?" He tried to keep his voice stern, but not hostile. It was getting a little bit easier as he progressively grew less nervous. At krabby's nod, Ash hit the button.

"Krabby, the River Crab Pokemon of the water type. Their pincers grow back if torn out of their sockets, and in addition to being powerful weapons, are used for balance when walking sideways.

This Krabby is male and knows the moves Vise Grip, Water Gun, Leer, Metal Claw, Mud Shot, Bubble Beam, Flail, Hammer Arm, Water Pulse, Razor Shell, and Night Slash. Its ability is Shell Armor, which greatly increases the durability of a Pokemon's exterior body."

That was a good amount of moves for a Pokemon in Cerulean of all places. Ash doubted Krabby could properly use Razor Shell, or even remotely use Hammer Arm (That was likely an Egg Move), but the wide variety of moves seemed to suggest that Krabby had done a fair bit of training all by himself, which certainly checked out with what the boy and his team knew about the water type. And, just as Bill predicted, his ability was Shell Armor of all things.

"You've… got quite an arsenal." Ash complimented as Krabby puffed his chest forward a bit. Clearly, a Pokemon like him that was so obsessed with fighting would be quite prideful about being good at it. "You like to battle, don't you?" At Krabby's matter-of-fact nod, Ash gave him a stern look. "Okay… but why have you been terrorizing those Pokemon that were staying over there at the lab?" he nodded towards the direction of Bill's place, confirmed by the towering lighthouse that was still in view. "If you hadn't kept coming back to beat them up, Bill never would have started looking for trainers to help him out, and we never would have caught you."

Krabby almost seemed to scoff irritably at that. Ash's brow furrowed as he observed the bulky water type. "You seem to like fighting a lot… is that why you keep on attacking them?" at Krabby's shameless nod, Ash frowned. "So… why them specifically? Are you just trying to brag about your power in a fight that you know you can win?"

Krabby seemed to glare at that accusation, but held back from doing anything upon eying the other Pokemon. Easing up, the water type allowed the look in his eyes to even out once more as Ash continued. "Battling isn't about picking on others that you know aren't able to beat you." for the briefest of moments, an image of Gary flashed into his mind, but Ash quickly pushed out the thought. He was done with that. "I'm sure somebody who loves combat obsessed as you enjoys fighting strong opponents, yet you're also wasting your time picking on Pokemon that you consider to be helpless. That sounds more mean-spirited than competitive." Although Krabby seemed to be a bit irritated at that, he also seemed curious.

Getting into a sitting position, Ash observed the River Crab Pokemon carefully. "We managed to beat you. That proves that you still have room to grow. If you come with us, you can have a lot more exciting battles than just preying on the docile Pokemon around here. Not to mention, the feeling will be mutual, instead of picking a fight with a bunch of Pokemon at a lab, you could run into wild Pokemon that are more willing to fight, or, better yet, other trainers who are actively seeking out battles. I can help you hone your moves, and even teach you new ones. If you like being strong, you can get a lot more out of it if you come with us than sticking around here playing the bully." he glared at the Krabby, albeit only lightly. "But if you do want that, you need to cooperate with us. You are to treat Pikachu and the others with respect at all times, or at least coexist at the bare-minimum." his face evened out, softening a bit at the water type. "We can be friends. And I'd like to think I don't ask for much to make that possible."

Krabby stared at Ash's face for a few moments, before taking another glance at the rest of the team, his gaze lingering somewhat on Pikachu. After a few more moments, he looked Ash in the eyes and nodded.

Ash nodded back. So that was it then… for now.

"Do you want a nickname?"

At Krabby's nod, Ash began running through his brain for a few moments. The first couple of ideas were rejected, but eventually?"

"Hmm… how about…" he locked eyes with Krabby once more. "...Tempest?"

After a few moments of mild consideration, Krabby nodded, and Ash smiled.

And with Tempest on the team, his Pokemon family was now a full roster of six. Such a milestone had already been pointed out by Aya, but it hadn't truly hit Ash until just then.

As the boy stood up to look over his teammates once more, he couldn't blame them for feeling uneasy about the addition. And he was too. But he would give it a chance.

Returning everybody except for Tyrunt, getting his bike out, and mourning the vehicle with Tyrunt in the basket, Ash took in the breeze of Ceerulean's coast as he began to peddle his way to Saffron.

Pikachu, with his lightning speed to match his literal lightning.

Nebula, with her deft flight, wind abilities, and powerful Reckless trump card.

Valiant, with his blossoming mind and versatile psychic abilities.

Eevee, with her unrivaled possibilities.

Tyrunt, with his powerful jaw and latent potential.

Tempest, with his brute strength and near-impenetrable defenses.

This was a team worthy of the Conference. And it was Ash's job to be a trainer worthy of that team.