Pewter City was the most historical city of the Indigo Empire, and that was because it was the League's origin, where it all started.

During the ancient times, it was perhaps the most secure place to be in Kanto. With Mt. Moon towering off to the east, and the mountainous landscape surrounding the city, the citizens all had their own, natural shelter provided by nature itself.

Perhaps this was why the first Champion of Indigo fled there to seek refuge, although it is unknown how he managed to get there in the first place.

Nowadays, it was a cozy shelter for its many citizens, with a perpetual reminder of the dangers looming that surrounded the city. With Mt Moon off to the east, and Viridian Forest off to the south, while the trees were being elevated by the cliff, along with all of the mountainous surroundings in general, looking around just about anywhere in Pewter City would greet you either with mountains or looming trees.

The place was surrounded, with the mountains and trees towering over the city everywhere the people looked. It was both a foreboding and enigmatic sight. Many travelers and citizens alike commented on being allured by the legendary city's surroundings. Some people found themselves gazing off aimlessly at the mountains, or trees, off into the distance.

A city that was practically a makeshift fortress due to its mountainous surroundings, a coincidentally perfect fit for the city that started the Indigo Empire.

To many people coming into, and/or passing through the city, it was all very overwhelming. But to the people living there, it was something special. Something that was easily taken for granted, but still very quick to be reminded of its importance.

And one of those people was named Brock.

The young man sighed deeply as he sank into a chair on the balcony overlooking the city. Viridian Forest was visible from here, but for now he wasn't here to treat himself to the view. He needed rest, and some nice fresh air after the long day.

Being both a Gym Leader and the eldest brother of so many kids was beyond taxing for him. Especially since such a profession was never his ambition. It couldn't be helped, however. Pewter City's Gym, along with the Blackthorn and Fuchsia Gyms, was famous for being family owned, and along with the Blackthorn Gym, had been family owned since it was founded. The eldest of his youngest siblings, much unlike himself, was determined to take over the Gym eventually, and Brock needed to keep its family-owned status alive in order to guarantee that once he was qualified.

So when his father was moved to a different position of the League due to his talents being needed elsewhere, what choice did he have? His father had run the Gym for years, but it was his turn now. He didn't want to be the one that broke a nearly four-century long tradition, nor did he want to put his brother's own goals at risk.

When his father had given him the news, he didn't even need to say anything else: Brock knew exactly what it meant.

He never thought that he would dislike being good at something. He was renowned for his battling skills, but it was caring for Pokemon that he truly excelled at. It was what he always had in mind for a goal: Being a doctor, or a breeder.

But all of that would come later. For now, he had to put those dreams aside and focus on the here and now. He'll still have plenty of time to pursue his ambitions once his brother is qualified to achieve his own.

The majority of people in the city saw him as the stone-cold figure who expertly ran the Gym as it's magnificent leader.

But that was all just a mask. It wasn't the real him. Few people knew, and he was fine with that, no need to make such a big show about where he wanted to be.

"There you are."

He turned his head to the familiar voice, the approaching source of which he had not seen in the past few days.

Forrest had completely thrown himself into his studies. He was one of the few people aware of Brock's apathy for his Gym Leader position, and was determined to inherit the role as soon as possible so that his elder brother would no longer be burdened by it. Despite Brock's protests, Forrest had been insistent in putting all of his time into studying. Between that, and most of Brock's day alternating between taking care of his other siblings, taking on challengers, and managing the Gym, the two of them could sometimes go several days without seeing each other.

Brock smiled as his younger brother took a seat in the chair next to him.

"I… figured you'd be here." he spoke in a tired voice, the voice of a young boy who had just finished a marathon of reading and writing. Looking over to the older sibling shyly, he asked. "Another long day?"

Running a hand through his hair, Brock let out an exasperated sigh. "It's always a long day. Rookie trainer after rookie trainer, constantly challenging the Gym, and not even being remotely ready for it." he grimaced. "We're getting rookies coming in from multiple directions. There are those who stayed in Pewter to train for a while, those who are coming in from Viridian, and a few who came from Cerulean and have just made their way through Mt. Moon. Not to mention all the people who teleported here and stayed, or to a place nearby and headed here. Pewter was the second most popular place to teleport to this Season, behind Cerulean."

"Anybody win a badge yet?"

Brock let out a harsh chuckle. It was a very underwhelming one, as though he were too tired to laugh. "As if. Most rookies aren't strong enough to earn a badge until a month passet. So many of these rookies come in here, bringing in a water, grass, or the occasional fighting type, and expect an automatic win." his glare deepened. "Just this morning, some entitled brat accused me of cheating just because his Totodile lost to Geodude. Didn't even finish the match. He just ran off wailing about how he was going to report me to the League, and how I'm going to go out of business once I'm exposed or whatever."

Now it was Forrest's turn to let out a tired chuckle. "I remember you mentioned that once; the amount of time rookies normally take, and how Gym Leaders often mark their calendars for it." his face formed into a frown. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want this-"

Brock raised a hand to silence him. "I already told you, you don't need to apologize. It's not like you're at fault. Besides, things will hopefully pick up in about a month from now or so. Right now I have to deal with a bunch of entitled rookies who can't battle to save their lives. It's tedious, but I can go through the motions and pick them apart. Once I get some decent challenges things will at least be somewhat interesting. Pokemon battling isn't something I get much enjoyment out of, but I can at least stimulate myself once someone less incompetent shows up."

Forrest turned his head to the towering trees of Viridian. The darkness of the night sky shaded them in a shadowy outline. It was both ominous and mesmerizing. Looking around the mountainous, or forest, backdrops of Pewter City almost always had that effect on most people, especially at nighttime.

"Do you… hate battling, Brock?"

Brock seemed surprised by the question. "Hm? No, I don't hate it. Or even dislike it really. It's just not what I want. When you feel forced to do something that you don't enjoy, you could become resentful towards it on a subconscious level, but…" he looked down. "I can understand why battling is so popular. When I am out there, facing a tough challenger… I get it. I get why trainers love this profession so much. Why being a Gym Leader is such a sought after ideal. Practically a dream job." he looked back up again. "But I've always been more into raising Pokemon, rather than battling with them. I was made to care for them and nurture them, not to be a professional battler. I just don't get the same joy out of it that most trainers do. I can feel the adrenaline, and, in that moment, understand why it is so sought after, but I myself don't get that same rush from it. It doesn't thrill me like it does for most of the people who walk through those doors looking for a badge."

Forrest nodded in understanding. Brock understood why trainers loved doing what they did as much as they did. He experienced those same emotions in the heat of the moment. The only difference was that he didn't get the same joy from them.

But Brock didn't have to worry. At the rate he was going, he'd be qualified to inherit the Gym Leader position in just a few short years.

And then, both of them could follow their dreams.

/

The buildings of Pewter were quite tall, and the city itself was quite big. It was certainly no Celadon, but much like Viridian, it was overwhelming.

It was only the second urban area that Ash had been too in his life, and this time, he wasn't coming here in a time of stress, and therefore wasn't distracted from how overwhelming it all was.

Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant were equally awed by their surroundings, looking around to the view of rock and mountains as far as the eye can see. The trees of Viridian Forest looming over them from above, the towering presence of Mt. Moon, and all of the other mountains along with it. As far as which city in Indigo had the most intimidating surroundings, Ash was all but certain that Pewter would be hard to top.

Nebula and Valiant were caught off guard by the sheer size of the Pokemon Center, eliciting a light chuckle from Ash.

"Get used to it," he said. "Every city has a Pokemon Center as big as this one." In fact, he was pretty sure that Viridian's was bigger.

/

As expected, the Nurse Joy from Pewter looked nearly identical to the Nurse Joy from Viridian. Ash had already chosen not to ask questions, but could tell Pikachu was not of the same mindset.

Seeing the mouse's quizzical expression, Ash knelt down and patted his starter on the head. "Not every question can be answered, I'm afraid."

A confused Pikachu simply tilted his head as Ash removed his hand and made his way to the counter.

Nurse Joy perked up from the article she was reading as Ash approached. Taking a peak at her magazine, Ash could see a headline relating to a mining discovery at Mt. Moon. "Oh! Ash Ketchum, right?"

Ash blinked. "You… know who I am?"

She nodded. "Yeah. From the… incident… on Opening Day."

Ash and Pikachu flinched, sparking bewilderment from Nebula and Valiant. "Oh yeah…" Ash responded. "I kind of forgot about that." More like forced himself too. Meeting Janine and finally making amends with Pikachu were the only good memories to come out of that incident for him.

Nurse Joy frowned. "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that, Mr. Ketchum." her voice was sincere. "Since we had a patient transported here during that attack, we received a full report on it, too."

That's right, Janine's Weedle. Speaking of…

"Has Janine stopped by?" he asked hopefully. He had been planning on describing her appearance to her, but it occurred to him that if Joy had known of the attack, and of him, then she probably knew who Janine was too.

Joy drummed her fingers against the desk of the counter. "She did, but she's not here anymore. She checked in two nights ago, but checked out and left the city the morning after. She said she was going to do some training near Mt. Moon before coming back to challenge the gym."

"Oh…" Ash tried to hide his disappointment. Truth be told, he had been hoping to see Janine again. Maybe even battle her. Perhaps another time, then.

Turning to her keyboard, Joy spoke again. "So, will you be staying the night?"

"Yes." Ash nodded. "I'm not sure how long, though. Can you look at my Pokemon too?"

She smiled. "Of course."

/

Pikachu bolted into the room the moment Ash opened the door. The young trainer chuckled a bit as his first partner immediately made his way to the bed.

After six days in Viridian Forest, he certainly couldn't fault his starter for being so excited about a regular bed. He was certainly excited too, but first, he needed a shower.

As Nebula and Valiant looked around the room, Ash announced his plans for the night.

"I'm going to take a shower before doing anything else. You guys settle in. Maybe we can watch a show for a bit." Hearing no objections, he made his way to the bathroom after taking out a change of clothes. He'd have to get up early tomorrow to get them washed. Thankfully, he was pretty sure that Pokemon Centers had washers that were free for trainers to use.

What would a trainer do without a Pokemon Center?

Closing the door behind him and stepping into the shower, Ash felt a sense of cathartic relief unrivaled by any other moment in his life.

Being able to clean himself after six days of traveling wasn't just refreshing like he had hoped it would be. It genuinely felt fantastic. Six days worth of filth washed off of his body through the glorious combination of soap and steaming, hot water.

Ash had always enjoyed showers, but he had a newfound appreciation for them now. And it wouldn't be too long before he realised just how common this feeling of relief would be for a trainer.

/

The night had been a good one compared to camping out in Viridian Forest. After his shower, Ash had turned on the flat screen, and after some channel browsing, he and his team had spent about an hour and a half watching a talk show where Falkner, Violet City's Gym Leader, was interviewed about the various experiences that he had in each Season's earliest days. Further encouraging Ash's motivation to train was Falkner's emphasized statement of how many rookies would constantly challenge his Gym unprepared. It was a mistake that many first years made: Rushing in. Although Falkner had stated that trainers didn't HAVE to wait a whole month despite that being the average time for a rookie to be ready, they always needed to have a plan, regardless of how experienced or inexperienced they were. According to the flyign type specialist's opinion, the single biggest cause for a rookie losing their first Gym Battle (and, by extension, just about any Gym battle after the fact) was almost always a lack of preparation, especially if they easily defeated. It was the most common source of failure, in the Gym Leader's book.

Ash tried to absorb everything that Falkner said, although there were a few times when he used big words that the boy had trouble wrapping his head around. For the most part, however, his insight was very accessible and helpful.

Falkner had also given some details on some of the duties that Gym Leaders were responsible for, what it was like to run his Gym and patrol his territory. He had ended the show with an announcement that his Gym was now accepting Gym Trainers: Groups of trainers who worked at a specific Gym while under the Gym Leader's personal tutelage. Not every Gym Leader did this, but it was still fairly common. And it also wasn't uncommon for Gym Leaders to choose between the Gym Trainers when determining who their successor would be, in the event of resignation or retirement.

It was an enjoyable idea, although Ash himself wasn't particularly interested in it for himself. He was curious about what life as a Gym Trainer would be like, but he was focused on traveling for now.

The next morning, the group rose at around 8:00 AM for breakfast in the cafeteria. Pikachu had been delighted to finally find food that he genuinely enjoyed eating, and was now scarfing down every single morsel faster than Ash could blink. An amused Nebula looked on as the mouse enjoyed his meal, while Valiant stuck closer to Ash. To Ash's view, the Ralts had become significantly less nervous ever since they had exited the forest. Nevertheless, he always stuck closely to Ash, having slept next to the bed that he and Pikachu slept at while Nebula settled down at the windowsill.

Nebula and Valiant were at a Pokemon Center for the first time. And unlike the morning at Viridian, this Center was packed with trainers.

Mostly rookies, in fact.

There were probably over two dozen of them. The cafeteria was spacious, so Ash was able to distance himself from the rest of the crowd, although they're chatter echoed throughout the cafeteria as he and his team ate.

Ash was tempted to talk to some of them. Meeting Janine had gone better than he expected, and it left him eager to socialize more, but now that he actually had the opportunity to do so, he found himself getting cold feet.

What if Janine was just the exception to the rule? What if Gary was the standard? He wouldn't really know until he tried, but even though he knew for a fact that trying wouldn't hurt, and that being shot down was the worst that could happen, he found himself too nervous to make any attempts.

Was he really that afraid of getting rejected? He was used to getting ostracized. What was so different this time? He'd never be able to figure out how his mind works…

But for now, he was content to eat with his team. They would be in Pewter for a while. He wanted to train for at least a week before challenging the Gym, so that was plenty of time to change his mind about socializing. Who knows? Maybe he and Janine will run into each other once she returns to the city, although Ash wasn't banking on that. Pewter City was a big place, and he didn't know exactly when she was going to be coming back.

For now, he would just focus on the trials ahead.

But before that, there was one place that he wanted to visit with his team: The Pewter Museum of Science.

/

The museum was a landmark of the Indigo Empire's history, and hosted the homes of numerous imperial treasures that could not be found anywhere else. Pewter City was the origin point of the League, and the Pewter Museum of Science served as a legendary monument for where Indigo has started, and where it has gone ever since.

Before stopping by the Poke Mart to obtain the TMs that he needed for the training, Ash really wanted to go here. If only just for a little bit.

Trainers received discounts for entering the museum, and trainers visiting for the first time were able to stay in the museum for free, but their visit was only for a limited amount of time, and they would have to pay otherwise.

Ash and his team only had an hour to stay at the museum for free, but an hour was plenty of time to explore for just a little bit.

The opening section of the museum was dedicated to fossils. Many of these fossils were apparently found recently near Grampa Canyon, a famous location located on the other side of Kanto. Apparently, a mass excavation was currently being planned, scheduled to be carried out in a few months time.

To Ash's knowledge, the Sinnoh Region had invented technology that could restore fossils to their original form. It had remained exclusive to them for years, but was eventually being distributed elsewhere. Since Indigo, Ever Grande, and Lily Of the Valley all had close relations, the former two had received it first. That had started a few years ago, and was a slow process. Although, it was likely that Indigo and Ever Grande had already received restored ancient Pokemon through trade, as Lance had one such Pokemon as part of his main team, and Steven Stone of Ever Grande had at least one as well, to Ash's knowledge. Apparently Kalos also had a limited amount of the technology too, havin followed Sinnoh's footsteps to develop it themselves.

Nebula gawked as the group walked past the full skeleton of an Aerodactyl, probably the most infamous ancient Pokemon native to Kanto. Ash didn't know much about the species, apart from how much of a total beast that Lance's was. Aerodactyl were said to be among the most aggressive species of Pokemon to ever exist, and if Lance's Aerodactyl was of any indication, that statement was hardly an exaggeration.

The fossils were nice, but there was something else that Ash was interested in. He lead his team through a set of doors to a section detailing Indigo's history.

/

A giant statue of Indigo's first ever Champion stood in the middle. Surrounding it were statues of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise; the three final evolved forms of the three Kanto Region starters. They had been the primary trio of the first Champion's team, and the Pokemon that he was by far the most known for. The Kanto Region starters were all meant to pay tribute to that.

Pikachu, who, up to this point, had been walking alongside Ash, climbed atop the young boy's head and rested upon his cap to get a better look. Ash read the words on the plaque in front of the statue.

"Champion Albert Seiza, founder of the Indigo League and hero chosen and blessed by Mew."

The Fuchsia native who had fled from his territory after control of it was usurped, found refuge in Pewter, and then led the Pewter army to victory against the now hostile Fuchsia army. That was the basic history that every child in Indigo learned. He was described as fearless, never afraid of anything. He didn't need to mask his fear, because he felt none. Was all of that an exaggeration just to make the story more interesting, or was it really what happened? Some people felt that his fearlessness was simply overplayed to make the legend seem more bombastic.

The fact that he had apparently received a blessing from Mew himself was an especially big deal. Mew was recognized as the Guardian of the Kanto Region, and was worshipped by nearly everyone who was native to that Region. This was especially the case in both Pewter and Fuchsia, the two most traditional cities in the Region.

Valiant tugged at Ash's leg. Looking down at the Ralts, Ash smiled at him.

"Pretty interesting, isn't it? Hard to imagine that we're in the very city where all of this started."

He and his team stared at the statue for a little while longer before Ash led them to another one.

This one was of the native Pewter girl that had acted as the first Champion's second in command during the war. Apparently the trust and faith that the two had for each other was unrivaled by anything else in the world. They were said to be the closest of companions, who unwaveringly fought together on the battlefield.

Ash read the plaque.

"Asawn Nobli, legendary lieutenant of the first Champion and unrivaled warrior on the brutal battlefield."

Surrounding her were statues of Hitmonlee, Alakazam, and Snorlax.

She was said to be as beautiful as she was strong. Despite her seemingly average build, the legends claim that she was as strong as the strongest Pokemon themselves. Capable of charging into battle without even needing her own Pokemon to protect her. Apparently she often sparred with her Hitmonlee and even taught him how to fight herself.

Was that really possible? Or was it just another exaggeration, much like some people believed the first Champion's fearlessness to be? Ash found this much more likely to be made up folklore than he did the former; being fearless wasn't nearly as unbelievable as a human who was strong enough to fight Pokemon with their bare hands. Humans were fragile in the face of Pokemon; he didn't know of a single living human who was physically strong enough to do such a thing...

And if history was correct, the Champion and his right-hand were in their late teens during the war. Was the Champion's lieutenant really a minor with quite literal superhuman capabilities?

In any case, the people of Pewter City practically worshipped her. The Pewter City Gym, the first ever Gym in all of Indigo, was owned by her descendants, and had been passed on from generation to generation. And apparently, she herself was Indigo's first ever appointed Elite Four member.

She was just as much of a legend in Indigo as the very Champion that she fought alongside was.

"Pretty fascinating, isn't it kid?"

A startled Ash whirled around along with his team to see the source of the voice.

A tall dark skinned man was standing next to a woman with blazing red hair, tied into the neatest ponytail the young rookie had ever seen. Ash could have sworn that he'd seen them before, especially the red haired woman.

The man, who had been the one speaking, approached him casually. Ash was initially nervous, but he and his team settled down at the calming vibe that the man gave off. There was no hostility from him.

He was somewhat aged, although far from old. And his hardened but calm face came across as mostly easygoing.

"Always nice to see kids checking out the League's history." he said matter of factly. "Some people understate the importance of the past sometimes, but I think it's imperative to always know where we came from." Ash hardly disagreed with the man's words; although he was far from a historian, knowing more had always been appealing to him, especially since he was aiming to become Champion. The thought of assuming such a position without historical knowledge of the League felt odd on its own.

Turning his attention back to the statue, a curious Ash asked, "Is it really true that she was strong enough to suplex a Dragonite?"

The man chuckled in an amused tone. "Who knows? The legend states that she suplexed a Dragonite to incapacitate it during the Battle of Cerulean, and then strangled it to death. It paints a pretty surreal picture. For all we know, she was just an amazing martial artist with highly above average physical capabilities. Many here in Pewter, and in Fuschia, take the legends as fact, but it's entirely possible that she was just a very strong human whose strength was played up by the legends in order to make the story more entertaining. Same with the Champion's fearlessness. Was he really afraid of nothing, or did he just have a strong resolve?" looking up at the statue, he continued on. "Unfortunately, all that we'll ever have is history records and speculation.

The woman chimed in. "Meh, I always go with whatever story sounds the coolest. If they say she had the muscles to kill a Dragonite then I'm all for it!" she pumped her fist high into the air as she joined Ash and the others.

The Pokemon were eying the newcomers carefully as the man continued.

"If I may, young man, what makes you so interested, anyway?"

Ash simply shrugged. "I don't really have a reason." he freely admitted. "Really, I just find the story interesting, that's all to be honest." A lot of people wondered how true the legend was, and he was no exception to it.

The man crossed his arms. "It's rare for a rookie trainer to take much of any interest in our history. Normally, those that do come from Pewter or Fuschia. Where are you from?"

"Pallet Town." Ash answered.

"Wait, isn't that where Professor Oak is stationed?" the woman piped up. "Maybe he encouraged you to do it."

Ash had to think about that one. He hadn't ever recalled Professor Oak pushing for the students in Pallet Town to take an interest in history, unless he did it subtly…

"Anyway," said Ash, shaking the thought out of his head for now. "My name's Ash. And this is my team." he said, gesturing to the Pokemon behind him.

The man smiled. "The name's Flint. Nice to meet you."

Flint…

Ash let the name hang in his mind for a few moments… before it clicked.

"Wait a minute…" the trainer's eyes widened. "Didn't you used to be the Gym Leader here?"

Flint scratched his head. "Yeah, I ran the Gym for a long time, but moved to the League's engineer field. Nowadays, my eldest, Brock, is the one running the place. My second eldest, Forrest, is set to inherit the position once he's qualified."

Ash did his best to hide how gobsmacked he was. He was talking to a former Gym Leader, and probably still a high ranking League official. All of a sudden he felt quite small. At least he was used to knowing Professor Oak, but that was just one person among many with esteemed positions in the League.

Suddenly, he blinked and took in the woman's appearance. "And your… Elacia! From Celadon! Your Indigo's second highest ranked Pokemon breeder!"

Ash wasn't an expert in the Breeding field, but it was hard not to know who the most prominent breeders in Indigo were when magazine covers were a thing. Some of the knowledge that the biggest breeders shared with the world was also used and cited in school. One of the main reasons why Celadon was among the most upper class areas in Indigo was that it was essentially Kanto's breeding capital; with many of Indigo's most successful breeders setting up shop there. Just about any successful breeder was guaranteed a glut of wealth. This was especially true with how much the League relied on partnerships with them.

Elacia let out an amused laugh. "I guess it's out of the bag then, huh? Yeah, that's me. The first ranked, of course, being my dear friend Suzie."

Noticing Ash's flustered expression, Flint raised a hand as Valiant perked up behind the boy. "No need to be intimidated, Ash. Right now we are just visitors, just like yourself. I'm just stopping by for a couple of days to pay the family a visit."

"I'm here for business," said Elacia. "I'll be here for a few weeks, so if you need anything come on over." she handed Ash a card with an address printed on it.

Ash gazed at the card. "Oh… thanks."

Elacia's business card was quite flashy, as though she had tried to fit in as many colors as possible. A picture of a Slurpuff was in the center.

/

Ash was glad that he had received a decent amount of money in Viridian Forest. Although most of the Bug Catchers had been poor sports who refused to pay, their leader had been rather surprisingly about it. Ash couldn't help but wonder if it was to make up for most of the others not paying, but either way he wasn't complaining.

Thanks to that, he was able to purchase three new TMs for their upcoming training, along with a few extra potions and berries. Since they were in the city for now, Ash was going to keep the healing items to a minimum, as the Pokemon Center could help out with injuries anyway, but he did still want to have at least a few on hand. He could buy more once it was time to leave the city, which would not be for a while.

Stopping by at the Pokemon Center, Ash had asked Nurse Joy where he could find a good training ground within the city. As luck would have it, she pointed out the perfect place to hone his team, just a block or two away from the Pokemon Center itself.

Upon arriving, Ash knew it would be perfect.

The young Trainer stood with his team at the training grounds.

A large area. Such a statement almost didn't do it justice, Ash partially felt. The young trainer was actually caught off guard by just how spacious that it was. And that obviously meant that they all just had that much more to work with as they prepared for the showdown that lied ahead.

It wasn't too far from some of the mountains that surrounded the city, but was still within the city borders. Ash and his team gazed at the wide, open rocky landscape, filled with uneven terrain, large rocks and boulders jutting out from the ground, and the occasional slopes.

It was perfect.

Many Gyms that were run by a type specialist utilized a battlefield that emulated the preferred typing of the Gym Leader. Having been run by rock type Specialists almost since its founding, the Pewter City Gym was known for its battlefield being that of a landscape filled with rocky terrain, not too much unlike these training grounds.

Ash and his team would have to get used to battling on battlefields like this, which is why this area made for the perfect training grounds for them to prepare at.

Making a mental note to thank Nurse Joy later, Ash turned to his Pokemon, who were lined up in front of him and were now looking at their new Trainer expectantly.

This was the moment when his true test began. Up until now, Ash hadn't really been training any of his Pokemon. His time at Viridian Forest was mostly spent simply hiking through the forest and taking rest stops for camping and meals. He had been in quite a lot of battles in the forest, which were always a boon for getting a trainer's Pokemon more experienced and honing their skills, but there had never been any sessions that were truly dedicated to just training alone.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

That all ended today. Ash knew better than to assume that he and his team were a match for any Gym Leader in Indigo the way that they were right now. And even before Falkner's interview, Ash had known that it was important to plan ahead. Which was why these training sessions would be tailor made with the Pewter Gym in mind.

Ash would have to get his Pokemon to hone themselves in areas where they were needed to excel at in order to win the upcoming battle. This meant getting used to the rocky battlefield, and figuring out the best way for each of them to combat rock type Pokemon.

Specifically, rock type Pokemon that were being wielded by somebody who was dedicated to the typing. Although Ash doubted that they would be going up against particularly high level rock type Pokemon, due to being rookie level, that still didn't change the fact that the Gym Leader was an expert on the ins and outs of the Rock Type. Gym Leaders never went easy on their challengers, to Ash's knowledge. Even when not using their strongest team, they would simply utilize the Pokemon that they did use in the best way possible. Even if they faced beginner level Pokemon in their battle, the Gym Leader would use every tactic that they could to ensure that those Pokemon gave them the toughest fight possible.

No Trainer in the world could win a Gym Battle with so little experience without being prepared for that.

"Alright," Ash began, eying his team carefully. "We're in Pewter City to win our first Gym Badge. The Gym Leader here specializes in rock type Pokemon which means that's the typing that we have to be prepared for. However, we can't forget just how powerful Gym Leaders are compared to the usual trainer. These people are meant to not only protect their respective territories, and run them, but to also test trainers and Pokemon like us in order to determine who's ready for the Conference. That's exactly what all of these battles are going to be: a test."

He paused to see if his team was following. So far, so good. "We faced some tough Pokemon in the forest. Like that Dustox, for example." Ash saw Pikachu grimace. He sank his hands into his pockets and let out a deep sigh. "But I'm afraid that experience just won't cut it. From here on out, our real adventure is going to begin. We are going to be facing Pokemon that put all of the trials that we faced in that forest to shame. I'm not just talking about Pewter, either. I'm talking about the rest of our journey in general. As we improve, so will the other trainers traveling through Indigo. And the Gym Leaders will have less and less reasons to be lenient with the Pokemon that they choose to use against us as we acquire more badges." he eyed his team carefully, doing his best to look serious and get his point across, but not scare them. "I'm not exaggerating when I say this. If we try to challenge that Gym-any Gym, in fact- the way that we are now, we won't stand a chance. We'd be eaten alive. And there are plenty of other Trainers out there who would do the same thing to us too."

Janine and Gary immediately came to his mind.

Ash paused to take in the reactions of his teammates. To his surprise, Valiant was the most hardened of them. The young Ralts was soaking up every word his Trainer said, staring at Ash intently. Ash was caught off guard by his change in demeanor. Ever since they had left Viridian Forest, Valiant hadn't been so timid anymore.

Was it just something about the forest that scared him? He seemed pretty terrified of the Bug Catcher leader, for whatever reason.

Either way, the Ralts seemed pretty determined now. Ash didn't know what was going on in his head, but what had once been an incredibly timid Pokemon was now the most determined to rise to the challenge.

Pikachu and Nebula both looked a bit more nervous than their newest companion, but their expressions made it very clear where they stood on the matter: they were in this too.

A smile appeared on Ash's face as Pikachu patted his Starly friend's back to get her attention. As Nebula turned her head to look at her mouse friend, Pikachu jammed his paw, curled into a fist, against his chest, and let out a determined "Pika!" Nebula emulated his behavior, but with her wing.

They were set.

Smiling, Ash drew their attention back to him as he continued. "That's why we won't be challenging the gym for a while. Before we can even look at that building, we are going to be training here for the next week or so. We'll obviously take breaks to rest and eat meals, and we should still go to bed at a decent time, but overall, this week, we'll be strictly devoted to preparing for our battle. And by that, I mean that our training is going to be specifically to prepare for this battle." Once again, he took a pause as he eyed his teammates. They seemed to be listening carefully. "So, to start things off, I'm going to be giving you each a rundown on what I'd like to focus on for the upcoming battle. All three of you have very different strengths and weaknesses, so I can't just slap the same training regiment on you and call it a day." After a few moments to process this, which consisted of the three teammates exchanging curious looks with each other, most likely wondering what training plan each of them were going to be getting, Ash added in one last detail. "I also purchased some TMs for Nebula and Valiant. Pikachu is a bit ahead since I've already given him two that will help against the Gym Leader, but I still need to give you two some."

Ash approached Pikachu first.

"Pikachu," he said to begin. He adjusted his cap as the young mouse looked up at him expectantly. The lightning bolt shaped tail lightly swayed back and forth as Ash laid out his plans for the electric type Pokemon. "You've already started getting the hang of Iron Tail and brick Break. You've used Iron Tail quite a lot back at the forest, and have almost perfected the move. We haven't gotten as much practice with Brick Break, however. Before the battle, we need to make sure that you have completely mastered both of those moves. We'll put your electric type moves on hold for now, you're already pretty good with them, and we can get started on Thunderbolt and Electro Ball afterwards. For now, Iron Tail and Brick Break will be your main moves to use against the Gym Leader." at the mouse's understanding nod, Ash continued. "Also, i think we should try to get you started on Double Team. It's a simple move to learn, for the most part, but it takes a lot to master it. We won't have time for that, but even knowing a limited version of the move can go a long way." Taking a breath, Ash detailed the final part of the plan. "Finally, we need to work on your mobility. Right now, you've been very good at using Quick Attack. I want you to learn to maintain the move. You've already showcased this against Dustox, but we need to make it a recurring thing. We also need to make sure you're used to traversing the rocky terrain." he gestured to the training grounds. "Which is why we're here. In order to maneuver about the battlefield of the Pewter City Gym effectively, I need you to hone your dexterity so that you can run and climb across rocks and uneven terrain, while also maintaining the speed boost from Quick Attack. That way, you can traverse the battlefield quickly and effectively, without having to worry about losing speed or tripping. Make sure you climb up the large piles of rocks and boulders, too. Nebula can fly, so she doesn't have to worry about any of this, and Valiant knows Shadow Sneak and Teleport, which will give him a cushion for traversing the terrain depending on how experienced he is at using them. You don't have any of these advantages, so you need to master the terrain so that you can do everything on foot. Understood?"

The mouse scratched his head, trying to take in all of the information, much to Ash and Nebula's amusement, but soon nodded and gave Ash a thumbs up. Ash smiled. "Good. To get started, start running laps around the field while I speak to Nebula and Valiant." Nodding again, Pikachu bolted towards the rocks, activating Quick Attack as he sped through the training grounds. It didn';t take long for him to trip, but he quickly got back up, rubbing his sore head as he returned to his feet, and resumed his running.

Nebula watched her friend trying to climb the rock piles with a hint of concern in her eyes, before returning her attention to Ash as the boy approached her.

"Alright Nebula," Ash began. "Like I just said to Pikachu; you can fly. We don't have to worry about you being able to traverse through the rocks. So, instead of running, we're going to be working on your flight mobility. We might also get started on Aerial Ace if we have the time. You already know the move, but it's a lot harder to use." Nebula tilted her head slightly, but nodded in understanding. "Next up is how we are going to combat the rock type Pokémon. Unfortunately, as a normal/flying type Pokemon, you're naturally vulnerable to rock type moves, which we will surely be facing. And none of the moves that you currently know are typically effective against the typing." Ash was slightly amused by Nebula's irritated huff, but she quickly perked up again as he continued, and offered a solution. "So, to make up for that, i have purchased a TM for you: It's called Steel Wing. It'll be much more effective, and shouldn't be too hard for you to learn, either. It will be your main weapon against our opponents in this battle."

Nebula seemed to be excited by this idea. A brand-new move that would even the playing field against Pokemon that she currently had no means of effectively fighting against? The Starly seemed to be tickled pink at the thought.

Happy that he had her hooked in with that little detail, Ash continued. "Along with Pikachu, I'm also going to try to teach you Double Team, too. It's a useful Move, even if we will probably only have a very limited version of it to work with at first." he paused, ready to deliver the final detail. "Also, there is something else… unique that I wanted to work on with you."

Nebula perked up at that. Valiant was listening in closely, too.

From the corner of his eye, Ash could see Pikachu skipping across the rocks, having lost his footing and was desperately trying to maintain his balance as his overwhelming momentum carried him forward. After a few seconds of watching Pikachu wobbling in place on a rock, Ash turned his attention back to Nebula with a sigh of relief as Pikachu caught himself on all fours, before he resumed running.

"Do you remember the Dustox that the Bug Catcher Leader used against Pikachu? How he was able to condense his Gust attack into a single, concentrated blast of wind?" Nebula nodded. She vividly remembered that little detail. Not as much as she remembered Pikachu's injuries, but it was still fresh in her mind, nevertheless. "Dustox probably practiced a lot to get so much control over the technique. You know Whirlwind, and the Beedrill incident proves how good you are at it. Since Gust and Whirlwind are such similar moves, you might be able to get the same results with it. You can condense your Whirlwind into a focused, targeted blast. Like other blast focused moves such as Flamethrower and Hydro Pump, but with wind instead of fire and water."

Nebula was blinking in surprise at Ash's idea, so he explained. "It's common for trainers, especially high-level ones, to mess around with the techniques that their Pokemon already know. Between altering their Pokemon's moves, or combining multiple moves into a single, new one, or sometimes maybe even both, a trainer's creativity shines the most when they are inventing new techniques to use. According to Karen, anyway."

From the corner of his eye, Ash saw Valiant staring at him intently. Clearly, the idea of modified moves greatly interested the Ralts, too.

"I'm not sure how much of an effect that this hypothetical version of Whirlwind would have on a rock type, but it can at least keep them at bay. Plus, having a long-ranged attack will make your fighting style more varied; You won't always have to rely on hit and run tactics." Nebula nodded in understanding, but still seemed to be quite surprised. It was a lot to take in for sure. "One more thing, your Reckless ability saved us back there during the Beedrill swarm. It's a powerful ability, so if we have enough time, we might be able to try and practice it more."

Being able to practice Reckless at will would certainly be useful, but, Ash knew that there was a cost. "But we have to be careful, of course. Reckless completely amplifies all of your abilities by pumping adrenaline through your body, unleashing all of your inner reserves all at once. This tires you out quickly, however, and it also makes you a lot less careful about how you approach the battle. I'm not entirely sure if it is possible to switch out of it after activating it, especially because you and I are both still so new to it. So far now, it will only be a last resort, when we very clearly have no other options."

Nebula nodded. It certainly made sense.

Opening his backpack and taking out the TM case, Ash spoke again. "Okay, I'm going to give you Steel Wing right now. After that, I'd like you to start practicing the move. And of course, make sure that you-"

Ash, Nebula, and Valiant's attention all turned to a loud cry coming from the rocks. They saw Pikachu falling from a large boulder, only to slam his Iron Tail into the ground to break his fall and steady himself. Sighing in relief, Ash turned back to an equally relieved Nebula.

"As I was about to say, make sure you and Pikachu don't get in each other's way."

/

As Nebula flew off towards the rocks, ready to put her new Steel Wing Move to the test, Ash turned to his final team member: Valiant.

The young Ralts was standing as tall as he could, eagerly awaiting Ash's instructions. Despite being the newest member of the team, he seemed to be fully committed to it.

"Valiant," said Ash, kneeling down to eye level with the young Ralts. "You're the only one here who hasn't battled yet, so I'll have to evaluate your moves first. Either way, I think it's important to work on Teleport and Shadow Sneak. Both moves are very versatile for getting around the battlefield and surprising your opponent. Apart from that, the only plan I have for you right now are the TM Moves that I have planned for you to learn. We'll have to see where the rest of your moves stand before determining anything else." At the Ralts's determined nod, Ash continued. "As a psychic type, you, like most psychic types, are capable of manipulating your psychic energy from moves like Confusion and the like in order to form artificial barriers to protect yourself with. This is especially useful for you, because your species isn't known for its durability." The Ralts crossed his arms in understanding, waiting to see what Ash's plan was. "You know how to use Light Screen, which will help give you an extra layer of defense, especially because creating those psychic barriers can be pretty difficult at first. Which brings me to the TM moves. For you, I've purchased Reflect and Magical Leaf. Reflect will be yet another defensive technique, which, along with Light Screen, should be able to solve your durability problem. And Magical Leaf is a Grass Type Move, so it will be your main weapon against the Rock Type Pokemon in the upcoming battle. Sound good?"

The Ralts was perfectly on board with the plan. Which meant that all there was left to do was to see where the rest of his moves currently stood. Giving his latest team member a kind smile, Ash got started with it.

/

Ash wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was certainly pleased with the result. Valiant had quite easily exceeded the young rookie's expectations.

The plan was to simply see how good Valiant was with his moves, and which ones needed improving. Turns out, the young Ralts was actually a natural. He had a basic grip on all of his moves to varying extents. Even the more difficult moves, which clearly needed the most work for improvement, were still being used to somewhat competent effects. Ash wasn't sure exactly how the young Ralts was doing it, but Valiant was clearly a prodigy.

The cynical part of Ash wondered if somebody like Janine or Gary deserved a Pokemon like Valiant more than he did, but Ash pushed those thoughts aside for now.

He couldn't let his insecurities get the better of him. They had training to undergo and a battle to win.

And besides, Valiant seemed to like him quite a lot, so Ash was hoping that that did mean that he deserved a pokemon like Valiant at least to some extent.

Either way, the young Ralts was ready to start out. So now they were going to. Ash based the rest of Valiant's training off of where he currency stood with his Moves at the moment.

Obviously, Magical Leaf was an important priority, and so far, Valiant was pretty competent with the technique. He just needed to learn how to shoot the leaves farther. The speed of the attack was on point, thankfully.

Teleport would need some work. So far it took too long for Valiant to reliably activate it, and he couldn't go very far with it either. A work in progress. But they had time.

Disarming Voice wasn't a very strong Move, but it was convenient to have at the moment, and Valiant was almost perfect with it.

Confusion was a bit of a halfway point. Valiant was naturally gifted at the technique due to being a psychic type Pokemon, but it still needed refinement.

Psybeam would be a useful ranged technique, but much like Magical Leaf, Valiant needed to shoot it farther. Thankfully, he seemed to have a better grip on it, most likely due to his psychic typing giving him a natural edge for mastering the move. So Ash wasn't worried.

Hypnosis was a Move that could make the opposing Pokemon feel drowsy. It was a great way to set up an opponent for being caught off guard and lowering their defenses. It was a difficult move to get the hang of, however, and Ash wasn't too surprised that it took Valiant a while to get a hold of the attack. Ash wasn't sure if they could get the move completely down in time for the upcoming battle, so he was putting that on his "maybe" list.

Confuse Ray was next. It was a dangerous move, used to scramble the minds of an opposing Pokemon and, if potent enough, make them panic and completely lose their focus. Even weaker versions of the technique that had yet to be mastered could turn the tide of battle, even if only briefly, and especially in beginner level battles. Valiant, as expected, was just getting started with the technique, but the fact that he had a basic understanding of it with no prior training was impressive. Ash wasn't sure how they would be able to improve the technique, however. It was a dangerous Move to test out. Hypnosis could be used on Pikachu and Nebula, and at beginner levels, the moves was weak enough to ensure that they wouldn't be put to sleep unless the circumstances were extreme enough and Valiant really focused, but Confuse Ray was dangerous regardless of how powerful that it was. Ash supposed that it could be saved for a last resort, much like Nebula's Reckless, because he was completely drawing a blank on how to efficiently practice with it.

Shadow Sneak was one of the last moves that he would have expected a Ralts to have. It allowed a Pokemon to dissolve into a shadow, often sinking into the battlefield to traverse it in their new shadow form. A version of the technique that had yet to be mastered would be difficult to maintain, however, especially since Valiant was vulnerable to ghost type moves. To Ash's knowledge, any usage of the move would not hurt the young Ralts, but it would be that much harder to actually get the hang of it. Ghost type Pokemon that were capable of learning the move could use it like second nature. Ash suspected that dark type Pokemon could use it with similar ease, although he wasn't sure what other species of Pokemon were capable of learning the move. At the moment, Valiant had gotten started on the technique but still needed work properly maintaining it. Proper utilization of the move would be perfect for traversing the battlefield more safely, and catching their opponents off guard with surprise attacks. Definitely a move that Ash wanted Valiant to hopefully improve over the week, and the Ralts agreed. Ash couldn't help but wonder what sorts of tricks that they could pull of with the move. Shadow Sneak opened up a whole new world of versatility.

Then there was Light Screen. A golden barrier that a Pokemon could cast to shield them, typically from ranged attacks such as Flamethrower. Despite being an advanced move, Valiant had a basic understanding of it. However, the barrier that he created was still feeble, and would break easily.

Reflect was a very similar move to Light Screen, and despite not knowing it for as long, Valiant was almost as good at using it, likely due to his prior knowledge of Light Screen. Reflect needed a tiny bit more work, as the barrier occasionally flickered, leaving itself transparent for brief instances at a time, which would leave Valiant wide open.

With the Ralts evaluated, Ash made his way over to where Pikachu and Nebula were.

/

Training went smoothly today. After Ash and Valiant made it back to Pikachu and Nebula, Ash had ordered the two friends to switch gears, having Pikachu get to work on Brick Break while asking Nebula to try to learn how to control her Whirlwind. Pikachu hadn't needed much coaching for this since he already had the basics of Brick Break down, so Ash stayed with Nebula, leaving his Starter to begin punching the rocks while Valiant was off practicing with Magical Leaf.

Nebula was good at kicking up winds with her consecutive wing flaps, but condensing that wind and controlling it was much more difficult to pull off, as it required careful manipulation of the winds that Nebula was creating. It would probably take almost the whole week to get it down completely, especially since it wasn't the only thing that Ash and Nebula were going to be working on. Thankfully, Steel Wing was coming along pretty good, as Nebula had demonstrated when she nearly carved a jutting rock in two.

Pikachu still had a ways to go when it came to traversing the rocky terrain, but Ash wasn't expecting him to become a master of it on the first day alone. Thankfully, the mouse had made a habit of catching himself with iron Tail whenever he tripped or fell. Ash eventually came to the realization that this doubled as training for Iron Tail, a Move that Pikachu had almost mastered completely by now. The young Trainer had chuckled at the notion that Pikachu was conveniently multitasking without even realizing it.

Brick Break still needed some work, however, and Ash often found himself applying potion to Pikachu periodically due to the rocks that he was punching causing damage to his fist. Once, however, he chose to make a quick trip to the Pokemon Center to heal Pikachu up. He was beginning to think that he should have invested just a little bit more money into healing items after all, but the training grounds were still located in a pretty convenient spot due to the Center being nearby. Not to mention, when training finally ended, they would have less of a walk ahead of them, which would be great, given how tired that they would inevitably be.

Constant usage of Magical Leaf had allowed Valiant to increase the Moves range. Ash was pretty satisfied with how surprisingly fast that the young Ralts was able to get a hold of the Move: it meant extra time to practice Teleport, Shadow Sneak, Light Screen, and Reflect.

Doing additional research on Brick Break had revealed to Ash that the Move could actually counter moves like Light Screen and Reflect once it was mastered, and Ash left a mental note to have Pikachu and Valiant spar towards the end of the week.

For now, however, everyone was exhausted and hungry.

But before eating anything, Ash had to call his mother.

"Ash! It's so great to hear from you!" His mother's good mood radiated from the screen as Pikachu peaked in curiously. "It's been a week now! How are you? What have you caught? Are you changing your underwear every-"

Ash raised his hand to cut her off as he flinched at the avalanche of questions, but his smile didn't go away. "Whoa, mom, hold on a second, one at a time please!"

Taking a deep breath, Delia let out a giggle. "Sorry about that. Where are you right now? I'm assuming you're in Pewter City?"

Ash nodded as Nebula peaked into view, her cheek squeezing in next to Pikachu's in hopes of getting a better look at whoever Ash was talking to. "Yeah, we got here just last night. I tried to call you this morning, but you didn't pick up. I figured you were at professor Oak's, so I didn't want to call him and interrupt your work…"

Delia waved it off playfully. "I'm sure he would have been okay with it, sweety." Ash blushed. Why was she calling him that in front of his team?! 'But more importantly, who is your new friend?" she eyed the Starly with a friendly gaze.

Ash smiled and patted Nebula's head. She didn't seem bothered by the physical contact. "This is Nebula. She was our first new teammate. Oh, and this…" he kneeled down and picked up Valiant, holding the Ralts in front of the screen. "Is Valiant. We got them both in Viridian Forest. And they're strong, too." he looked between them. "Nebula, Valiant, this is my mother, Delia Ketchum."

Nebula raised a wing and offered a friendly chirp, which Delia returned in amusement. Valiant was more silent, although offered a genuine smile as he raised a hand and waved at the woman.

"My, aren't they cute!" she gushed happily. "So, how long are you going to be in Pewter?"

"At least a week." Ash responded while scratching his cheek subconsciously. "We're not ready for the Gym yet, so we're going to be training here for a while." He placed his hands on Pikachu and Nebula as they lightly bickered over who was taking up too much space on the counter. They stopped and sent each other quick apologetic looks before returning their gaze to the screen. "We'll probably leave shortly after that. Do you want me to call you every night like this?"

Delia's eyes blazed with joy, and for a moment Ash could have sworn he saw her pupils being replaced with the kind of stars you see in the night sky. "YES! Please, call me whenever you like! The more I can hear your voice and see your face, the better!"

Ash felt exactly the same way about her.

/

After an uneventful dinner, the group made their way to bed. Nurse Joy had looked over all of the Pokemon prior to dinnertime, especially Pikachu, who's training had easily been the most physically taxing and demanding.

The next morning, Ash and his team headed back to the training grounds after breakfast. Passing by other students in the cafeteria, Ash had overheard a lot of them talking about their attempts at challenging the Gym.

"I actually took out one of his Pokemon this time. But he creamed me soon after that. It was pretty rough."

"ARGH! Why do these Gyms have to be so tough? I thought they were exaggerating!"

"I have two grass type Pokemon and I still couldn't beat him!"

Ash had grimaced at the comments. He knew that Gym Leaders were no joke, but to actually hear first-hand accounts from other challengers, even if he was only catching small amounts of them while passing by, certainly put things into perspective.

As he and his Pokemon lined up at the training grounds, Ash could see clear as day that the comments had made his team feel somewhat apprehensive. He couldn't blame them. He was sweating quite a bit himself right now.

He had always known what he was getting into when he became a trainer, but between the brutal trek through Viridian Forest and now these types of comments from other trainers, it really was starting to sink in how harsh this would be.

It brought him back to what Gary had said to him on Opening Day. About how very few trainers would actually make it and receive even slight recognition.

How many of those trainers in the Pokemon Center right now were among those that were doomed to obscurity? How likely was it that he himself was one of them too? He was encouraging his team, planning training regiments that would directly prepare them for the upcoming battle… but what if that was all for nothing? He doubted he was the only trainer who was doing this. Surely plenty of other people had thought of the same ideas he did…

He shook his head violently in a desperate attempt to get those thoughts out of his mind. Now was not the time for this. His team had voluntarily committed to the training exercises that he gave them. He owed it to them to help them see things through.

He couldn't help but wonder what the other trainers were doing to prepare. Many rookies just rushed into Gym battles and rarely ever succeeded by doing so. But Ash was certain that plenty of others trained just like he and his team were. According to Nurse Joy, Janine was preparing by Mt. moon, and he assumed that Gary had also gone off somewhere else to do his training, given that Ash hadn't seen him yet (Then again, given how big the city was, Gary could still be somewhere in Pewter), so were the other trainers prepping this seriously too? Were they doing something that he might not have thought of?

Ash didn't know for sure. He considered approaching one of the other rookies to ask them, but then his reluctance to attempt a conversation came creeping back up.

Letting out a deep sigh, he chose to push those thoughts away now. He'd keep going about things the way that he was for now. Worst case scenario, he and his team lost, in which case they would just spend another week training and try again.

/

"Alright you two, try Double Team now."

Pikachu and Nebula stood in front of him while Valiant practiced Shadow Sneak off in the background where Ash could see him.

Pikachu still had some work to do in the mobility department, as his attempts to cross the terrain were still less than perfect. He had, however, gotten better at maintaining Quick Attack for as long as possible. Not only would this be a major boon for his speed, but for his endurance as well, as he continued to get used to keeping his high speed movement sup as long as possible.

The endurance factor wasn't even something that Ash had thought of at first, but in hindsight, training Pikachu to maintain Quick Attack for as long as possible will have been very beneficial for more than one reason.

But he decided that Pikachu could use a minor break from the physically taxing training, and since Nebula was also going to be learning the move, Ash determined that it would be best to have the two new friends do so side by side.

Plus, Ash secretly hoped that the presence of each of them would motivate the other. The budding bond between the mouse and the bird had pleased him quite a bit. Just about any Pokemon Expert; Master, Breeder, Coordinator, or Researcher alike, would often cite the collective relationships among each team member as one of the core fundamentals of their individual growth. The psychology behind all of it was fairly predictable too; as each team member would obviously work better with those that they got along with. And many trainers, especially experts, would inevitably have joint training sessions where two or more Pokemon learned the same move, or a similar move, or helped each other learn moves.

Over the course of their travels through Viridian Forest, Pikachu and Nebula had developed a very obvious connection with one another, even through something as simple and seemingly inconsequential as sitting next to each other every meal time. Although they both got along with Valiant too (particularly Pikachu), it was pretty clear that they were both each other's closest teammate. Ash even wagered the assumption that they were even closer to each other than they were to him; he still wasn't entirely sure if they actually saw him as a friend yet, or if they simply viewed him as their Trainer. But they very clearly both viewed each other as friends. On the last night that they had camped out at Viridian Forest, Ash had even spotted the two sleeping closer to each other than usual, with one of Nebula's wings wrapped over Pikachu as if to keep him warm. Ash wasn't even sure if Pikachu needed that because of his fur, but it had certainly made him happy to see it.

Even now, the two new friends were sending each other encouraging glances as they prepared to practice the new move that Ash was trying to teach them.

Seeing how easily the two of them became friends made Ash think back to his own social life, and how ostracized he was from kids his age at Pallet Town. Trucy had certainly made up for it, but Ash couldn't help but realize just how much better his Pokemon were at socializing than himself.

Ash wanted to have what they seemed to have, but didn't have the courage to actually try.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about any of that. They had a move to learn and a Gym badge to win.

Double Team was a move that involved the user splitting themselves into multiple copies in order to confuse their opponent. The copies had very low durability and usually went down in a single hit, but the main point of the technique was to keep the user safe by tricking the opponent into attacking the copies instead Very skilled users of Double Team could make the copies borderline indistinguishable from the user themselves, and could even make the copies move along with them, rather than remaining stationary. This could make battles particularly chaotic.

It was tough to master the move, however. Creating one, single copy was easy enough. And Ash was confident that they had enough time for Pikachu and Nebula to get their single copies to move along with them in the middle of a battle, as it would require practice, but hopefully shouldn't take too long to get down. But to create a large amount of copies took a lot of practice, focus, and training of the Pokemon's mental stamina, which was especially true if the user wanted to be able to get all of the copies to move around at once.

But for now, just one, single, moving copy would do. As long as Pikachu and Nebula learned to make their copies near identical to themselves, they would hopefully be able to confuse the Gym Leader's Pokemon.

After some research into the matter, Ash had discovered that Valiant was capable of learning the move too. However, the young Ralts already had more than enough on his plate, so Ash would be saving that for another time.

Plus, Valiant was already quite versatile with the moves that he was learning. Pikachu and Nebula needed more moves to increase their versatility, particularly Nebula. At the moment, both of their fighting styles usually revolved around pure speed and offense. A move like Double Team would add some much-needed variety into the mix for both of them.

After reading a brief article to them detailing the nature of the Move and how to use it, as well as showing them a clip of a few of Bruno's Pokemon utilizing the move for good measure, Ash had the two new friends get to work.

Pikachu's fur was raised as he clenched his slightly raised paws into fists, gritting his teeth as his body began to vibrate quite mildly. The mouse was in a state of deep concentration, but was clearly struggling. Beside him, Nebula was keeping her composure better, but was also lightly growling in frustration.

After a few failed attempts, Nebula's body flashed as she split into two Starly. Pikachu leaped back with a startled yelp as his friend created a shimmering copy of herself. The copy wasn't moving, and it was clearly obvious from the shimmering that it was just a copy of Nebula and not actually Nebula herself, but it was most certainly a start.

Grinning ear to ear, Ash patted the Starly on the head as the clone fizzled out, nebula canceling out the technique. "Great work, Nebula!"

Raising her wing high in the air, Nebula chirped happily, and, to Ash's pleasant surprise, leaned into her trainer's touch.

As Ash lifted his hand, Nebula turned to Pikachu, who was looking at her with a mixed expression on his face. The electric type starter was happy that his new friend had succeeded, but still saddened that he couldn't get the move down himself.

Making her way over to Pikachu as Ash watched, Nebula placed a wing on her rodent friend's back and began chirping out what Ash assumed to be instructions to the young electric type. After a few moments, Pikachu's ears perked up and wiggled as he placed a paw on Nebula's back and let out a cheerful noise with a smile.

As the two Pokemon parted, Pikachu went back to practicing the Move.

In just a couple more tries, a clone appeared.

/

After Pikachu and Nebula had gotten started on Double Team, Ash made his way over to Valiant.

The two Pokemon, with a little bit more practice, had both succeeded in making their respective copies appear more convincing. Although they were both still only capable of producing one each, and would probably need more practice before they could make their copies move, or maintain them longer, it was still clearly a great start. Ash wasn't able to tell the difference between the real Pokemon and the copies himself without looking very closely, and in the heat of battle, it was very difficult, albeit not impossible, for a Pokemon to be able to give that kind of an examination.

With Pikachu back to running laps and Nebula back to working on her own mobility in the air, Ash had checked on Valiant's progress.

A bit earlier in the day, Valiant had tested Hypnosis on Pikachu. Although it was effective, Valiant had to strain himself to combat the mouse's resistance, and was left mentally exhausted by the time Pikachu himself was tired out by the technique.

Now, Valiant was back to shooting Psybeams around at the rocks. He was getting better a the move. It went farther now, and was shattering some of the rocks that it hit. But Ash wanted to switch gears for a bit.

"Hey!" he called out to the Ralts, who stopped what he was doing to pay attention to Ash.

"You're getting a lot better with Psybeam." Ash pointed out, kneeling down to pat the young Ralts in the head, which Valiant seemed to enjoy. "But I would like for you to start going back to Magical Leaf for a little bit. Made any progress yet?" There was no impatience in his voice, just curiosity.

Valiant walked a few feet away from Ash and raised his hands. Almost immediately, they began to glow a bright, vibrant green as Ash continued to observe.

The Ralts pushed his hands outward as bright, light green leaves escaped from his hands. The leaves twirled through the air as they collided with the rocks, creating a miniature explosion that decimated most of the rocks that the leaves had hit.

Ash grinned again. "Perfect! You seem to have gained some distance, too." he knelt down to look at the Ralts. "They're coming out pretty fast too. I think you've almost got the Move down, so that should be a big help at the Gym battle." Valiant grinned and let out a joyful sound as Ash continued. "Now then, can you show me where you are with Teleport, next?"

/

The second day of training would be wrapping up soon. Although they still ha daylight, Ash could see some orange beginning to appear in the sky.

Nebula was back to working on the modified version of Whirlwind. Her Steel Wing was still making progress, and Ash could already see her air maneuverability greatly improving. Sharper turns, faster flight speed, and even the occasional loop. Ash had suggested that she try to maintain Quick Attack in the air, like how Pikachu was trying to while running. And so far, she seemed to be getting the hang of it.

At this rate, they would be able to work on Aerial Ace once her maneuverability was down. Aerial Ace was very easy to lose control of if the Pokemon using it wasn't great with mobility, resulting in the user often clashing. You didn't have to be a flying type Pokemon to know how to use Aerial Ace, but flying type Pokemon still most certainly had a very clear advantage in that department.

Ash was happy with the Starly's improvement, but there was another factor that he had recently thought of that he wished he had thought of before.

Looking over to Pikachu, Ash saw that his starter was trying something different: Climbing to the top of the boulders as fast as possible and then trying to hit them with iron Tail while still maintaining his momentum.

It was most certainly a great idea, and the creativity greatly pleased Ash, but he would need the mouse's help for this one, so when Ash called Nebula down to him, he called Pikachu over as well.

Nebula landed beside Pikachu as the mouse slowed his running to a walk as he approached Ash closer. The two friends looked up at their trainer expectantly, obviously aware that he had another drill for them.

"Nebula, I have another idea for you." Ash crouched down to be at eye level with his first two teammate's. "And Pikachu's gonna help."

Pikachu tilted his head curiously as Nebula chirped in understanding, a slight nod of her head being made.

Ash nodded back. "Good. I think this should help with your upper body strength. Not to mention, it might be good for extra flight practice too." at the Starly's curious look, Ash explained. "Do you remember when Pikachu tried to ride you back in the forest?"

An embarrassed pikachu bashfully rubbed the back of his head with a light blush slowly appearing on his face, while Nebula's own cheeks reddened while the Starly huffed in annoyance.

Giggling at their reaction, Ash explained himself. "I was thinking, if you try to carry Pikachu on your back while in the air, it might be good exercise for your strength, and flight control too on top of all of that. Plus, it can help you practice maintaining your balance in the air."

Truth be told, Ash never would have gotten this idea if it hadn't been for Pikachu's previous antics. He couldn't help but wonder if such ideas always came so randomly, or if this was just a lucky exception.

Either way, Nebula looked a bit hesitant about the idea, which didn't surprise Ash too much, while Pikachu seemed to be a bit mixed.

"I know it won't be very easy, but it's worth a shot. Once you Evolve, it'll probably be a lot easier for you Nebula, but for now, I think it would be good training."

After a few moments of consideration, a slightly reluctant Nebula nodded in understanding. Seeing his friend going along with the plan, Pikachu nodded too.

"Good! And Pikachu, if you do fall, make sure to use Iron Tail to land. You've been using that as a fail safe whenever you trip or fall over while practicing at the rocks, and I personally think that it's a great idea."

Pikachu nodded as he got behind Nebula. Crouching down, the Starly spread her wings and braced herself. Looking behind her, she chirped out a few instructions towards Pikachu as he approached her carefully.

Straightening himself up, Ash watched carefully as Pikachu placed his paws on Nebula and tried to climb onto her back. The Starly felt his weight on top of her back almost immediately, and was forced to kneel down as she briefly struggled to hold the mouse's extra weight. After a few moments, she managed to straighten herself up, and began flapping her wings to ascend into the air.

It was a slow process. At first Nebula was barely able to get a few feet off the ground, Pikachu;s weight slowly pushing her back downward. She continued to resist by flapping her wings more, raising herself slightly higher into the air as she combatted the added weight and pressure. Pikachu did his best to hold on tight, trying his best to readjust on occasion to keep his position on her back even, attempting to prevent her from tilting over to the side too much due to his weight.

After a few moments of rising into the air at such a painfully slow rate, Nebula suddenly began to flap her wings even harder, boosting herself upwards with a quick Whirlwind that propelled her higher and higher into the sky. After a few repeats of this, she was gliding through the air with Pikachu on her back, constantly swaying side to side slightly due to the added wait, but still maintaining her balance nonetheless.

She wasn't as high as she normally was-she didn't want to push it-but she was still decently high in the air, as Ash watched her soar around through the air at a high that surpassed a good deal of the nearby buildings in the city.

Pikachu nervously held onto his friend's feathers, clinging to her tightly with his paws as he looked down at the rocky landscape below. He could see Valiant from here, the young Ralts surrounding himself in a golden, cube shaped barrier as he practiced Light Screen. He could vaguely hear Ash calling out instructions and words of encouragement to the young Ralts as the newest member of their team continued to practice.

He let out a joyful squeak as Nebula increased her speed ever so slightly, evening herself out a bit more as she slowly but surely got used to the mouse's added weight. As the flight progressively grew less turbulent, Pikachu eased himself up just a bit, maintaining his tight grip on her feathers but no longer nervous. His breath occasionally caught in the air as he suddenly remembered just how high up that they were, but he trusted in his friend.

Nebula could feel the mouse's fur pressing against her as Pikachu continued to cling to her. The warmth of the fur completely covered her back as Pikachu continued hugging against her. It was a comfortable feeling, but she couldn't fully enjoy it and lose herself in the warmth, lest she break concentration while trying to maintain a steady flight.

Periodically, she increased her speed bit by bit, testing the waters to see if they were ready. Tilting her head slightly back towards the mouse, carefully making sure to still pay attention to where she was flying, they locked eyes, his smile meeting her own.