Samuel Oak may have only been thirteen, but he long knew what his goal in life was: Pokemon Research. A pursuit of the endless mystery surrounding the creatures that humanity shared the world with. Or was it Pokemon sharing the world with humanity? One of many questions he dared hope to answer. Unsatisfactory grades had always been his obstacle, however. He was never academically gifted, and his dream often felt like that of a person who wanted to become a top athlete, but did not have the body built to do so. Concerned to see him fraught with disappointment, his parents had always discouraged his goal, to both his appreciation and irritation.

Limitations could only be overcome with proactivity, and that was why he ventured through Indigo as a trainer. If he was not gifted in academics, then he would achieve knowledge by absorbing it. Not through books or school assignments, but through the eyes of a trainer, he would take it all in. There was no better lesson than travel and experience to soak in the world you lived in. A world filled with Pokemon.

Among the many varied categories of such creatures, ghosts had always been among the most mysterious and hard to understand, and Lavender Town was the greatest place in Indigo, and maybe the world, to come to understand them. At least, for those brave enough to make the trip. So now, young Samuel found himself within the Noble Town, which many viewed as a town-sized cemetery. And before he knew it, he was sitting across from this girl at the local bakery's booth.

He could never explain what, but something about Agatha had jumped out at him during their first meeting inside Pokemon Tower: Was it the way she talked? The way she looked? How she carried herself beyond her years, right in her professional element within the walls of a sacred tower that her family helped to take care of? Did he simply want to chat up a local native for information, and was blessed with meeting one his age, the easiest types to interact with on equal footing? He certainly did not have an easy time talking to people younger or older than him; the imbalance was far too stressful.

But right now, the reason did not matter. He had set off from home in hopes of finding success as a trainer, studying along the way, and his stop in Lavender was entirely dedicated to the latter. This girl's invitation to meet here at the bakery to discuss things was a welcome one. He'd expected a nice talk and some good food as a bonus, although he certainly had not prepared himself for how good the pasta would taste. The orange sky on full display through the window also provided the two of them with quite the view, particularly surrounding the roof of Pokemon Tower, visible from here (and according to Agatha, every location in Lavender).

Across from him, the blonde girl in question grinned with satisfaction, and he realized he had been unable to hide just how much he was relishing the dish that he was currently halfway through eating.

"Don't worry, Samuel," Agatha's voice was as mildly posh as conceivable as she watched the boy eat his food (with pleasantly surprising table manners). "The beacon family's cooking has that effect on every first-timer. Their culinary talent is so Mew-gifted it's probably on its way to becoming genetic."

Though Samuel was not easily flustered by her teasing, his face still betrayed a sheepish smile as he set his fork down. "We don't get cooking like this in Mossgreen," he admitted. No disrespect to his folks and neighbors, but food and culinary were never a noteworthy talent back at home. "And I've only eaten basic stuff at the hotels."

She nodded along. "Fair enough. I suppose being a first-year won't easily grant you the income to treat yourself on the road." The general expectation among trainers was that it was only truly profitable in the long-term. The more momentum you had, the more money you made. But first-years don't gain momentum. Making it to the Conference was a sacred rarity. It took sticking with the occupation and coming into your own to truly prosper, but historically most trainers only remained as such for the first one or two, sometimes three years before pursuing other goals. Journey's were mostly a rite of passage, a coming of age. And for as popular as the occupation was, true dedication was dwarfed in numbers by the temporaries.

"You're a first-year too, though." Samuel replied politely. "You didn't have to pay for me."

"Don't go thinking too much of it. I'm only paying for your meal because I'm getting mine for free. They're letting me eat without charge during my stay, so I'm basically paying as much as I normally would. It's no charity."

"So you're really close to these guys?"

"For about six years." The girl's smile was fond. "But I know pretty much everybody in town."

"No exaggeration." The two perked up to see Mrs. Beacon approaching them, her name tag reading "Rose". "Even the local ghosts all know Agatha," she smiled at Samuel while gesturing her head. "A good few of them stick to her everywhere she goes in town. Like Yami, here."

That directed Samuel's attention to the Sableye seated next to Agatha. The small ghost had been with her when he had first encountered them in the tower the previous morning, and had popped up out of thin air during their dinner. Impressively, the blonde girl had not been the least bit startled by his sudden, unceremonious arrival.

Agatha patted Yami's head as she replied. "Heh, Yami's been here for around ten years now, right?" She turned back to Samuel. "Nobody knows where he came from, not that that's unusual for a ghost. He always just shows up out of nowhere. He's been a friend of mine since shortly before starting school, one of the ghosts I've known the longest." her eyes shifted to the open notebook on Samuel's side of the table. The boy was wiping his hands with the napkin, likely signaling that he was preparing to start writing again; he'd done so periodically throughout their conversation, and she couldn't help but admire the studious productivity. She was about to continue, but quickly realized what Rose's presence met, so briefly changed the subject. "Are you ready to order dessert, Samuel?"

She could see the spark in his eyes at the prospect of 'dessert'. "Yeah, are you?"

"Mhm." she nodded before turning back to Rose. "I'll have my own helping of whatever he wants, so just two of whatever he orders, please."

Nodding back to her, Rose turned to Samuel. "Do you need time to decide?"

"I won't keep you waiting." Samuel shook his head. "A plate of macadamia nut cookies, and another glass of milk, please." he was close to finishing the milk he had ordered with his dinner.

Rose chuckled. "I take it Agatha's already gushed to you about how much she loves the cookies here?" her eyebrow lifted suggestively. Some would call the "love" an obsession.

"She may have said a thing or two." Samuel admitted. Despite the light tinge in her cheeks, Agatha still somehow managed to appear unfazed whilst rolling her eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Beacon."

"Just Rose, dear. We wish for our service to be personal."

"Okay," the boy corrected himself. "Thank you Rose."

As Rose walked off (also telling Yami that she would fetch a plate of food for him as well), Samuel and Agatha's attention found their way back to one another as the two young teens worked to finish their plates. After a comfortable silence, Agatha spoke again. "So… as I was explaining, ghosts simply show up. But they're incredibly uncommon outside of a few key areas. It's like a cycle; a ghost type Pokemon is attracted to distortion hotspots like a magnet. But what creates those hotspots in the first place?"

"A gathering of ghosts." Samuel answered easily, penciling in his notebook.

"Correct." Agatha's eyes watched the pencil moving in his hand across the paper before returning to the boy's face. "And there's one hotspot in Indigo that none can compare too; Pokemon Tower." Briefly, Samuel glanced outside the window, where the tower was always visible from a distance, looming over the entire area. "That tower is the reason why Lavender is what it is. All of the ghosts that appear throughout this town and its surrounding area? They're all hovering around the tower. And the more ghosts show up, the more are attracted still. Pokemon Tower is often viewed as a bridge between our world and the afterlife. The reason being that it's Indigo's biggest cemetery… and biggest distortion hotspot."

"But that cycle has to start somewhere, right?" Samuel had held off just long enough to eat the majority of what was left of his pasta. "I mean…" he locked eyes with the girl, who stared back at him with an even gaze. He quickly found it distracting, however, and so looked down at his food as he continued. "Wouldn't there have been something that attracted that first collection of ghosts? Of course, the fact that it's a cemetery would be a natural explanation, but what if there is something more? What if there was a significant source of distortion even before the ghost type's started populating it? Or at least before the population became massive?"

Agatha didn't bother helping her satisfied smile. This boy was invested. The "I'm here to study" attitude wasn't a half-hearted one. Anya's uncle would like him. If she had X-Ray vision, she imagined she'd see the gears moving in his skull. "That's a reasonable theory. What did you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking it over, still." Samuel confessed. "Since you live here, you obviously know one of the more popular theories, right?"

"You mean how the spirit of the enemy commander in the Kanto unification war attracts all of the ghosts to the town?" Agatha sounded quite amused. It was true that the rebel who usurped Fuchsia seeking power was born where Lavender Town now stood, and was buried there as well."

"Yes."

"I do, and it's a fat load of Rapidash manure." She looked at him steadily. "Tall tales like that are simply products of this town's reputation. Horror stories from people who view this place as exactly that. Death is central to our culture, as is the inevitability of it, but the truth is obscured by rumor after rumor." Taking a final bite of her pasta, she continued after swallowing. "It's true that he is buried here, but nothing more. The distortion hotspot is something else. Admittedly, it's a bit of a mystery to even us, but there is something in that tower. The easiest guess would be a particularly strong ghost who set off a domino effect by being present. Unfortunately, even ghosts have secrets. Or perhaps especially."

"Is there any way to solve that secret?" Samuel pried.

"I know the interior of Pokemon Tower like you know the clothes on your back. But some mysteries are simply beyond humanity."

"I know.." Samuel's words hung in the air between them for a moment or two. "And that's my dream. To break the ceiling. For humans and Pokemon alike." After a few more moments of pause, he finished his plate. "My school principal says knowledge is a shackle. That limitations have always dictated what we as a species could learn. My dream is to… conquer them. Redefine humanity's limitations, regarding how we understand our world. And then overcome those as well." Although his tone of voice remained the same; calm, steady, tranquil as a breeze, Agatha could see something in his pupils. Something passionate. "I want our entire perspective on this planet to evolve."

Agatha absorbed his words, staring at him quietly as she patted Yami's head once more. Next to her, the Sableye seemed somewhat enamored with the young boy's speech as she nodded back, signaling acknowledgement of his declaration. "And that's why you came here tonight, to have this talk with me."

Samuel Oak of Mossgreen gave Agatha Kikuko of Lavender a heartfelt nod, and a smile that resembled a beacon. Innocence, excitement, fixation, anticipation… the image of it all etched its way into her brain. "Thanks for your help with that, Agatha." his eyes shifted out the window once more, glancing at the looming tower for just a brief moment. "I… doing things this way is what's best for me. Books are one thing, but perspective is another."

To his mild surprise, she giggled behind her hand. The noise was soft, benevolent. "That's good to hear, Samuel, but you should know I'm not doing this for nothing in return." At his curious expression, her hands rested on the table, allowing her to comfortably shift forward just a little bit. "Or you can consider it payment for covering tonight's meal. After this, I want to learn more about you."

The boy blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What is there to learn?" He didn't quite understand Agatha's point; he was about as unremarkable and ordinary as one could get. From a town with no story behind it, or anything resembling prestige or prominence. He wasn't even that smart. Not yet.

"Don't give me that," she pressed. "You may not come from anywhere as important as here, but I want to know about you." The girl repeated. Reaching behind her head, she effortlessly brushed aside a strand of golden hair as her mouth curved up. "I've been nice enough to spend an evening answering everything you've had to ask about our town, so now that's something you owe me. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm doing the asking, and you're going to be answering my questions." Tilting her head, her light smirk formed into a wide, heartfelt and cheerful grin. "You're quite fascinating, Samuel Oak."

The boy blinked several times at her, taking in every detail of her expression. "Fascinating"… he was to her? The world was fascinating. The mysteries surrounding it were fascinating. "Fascinating" was a word for things like those… but for him?

He was just a boy from Mossgreen. A subpar student on a mission for knowledge and perspective. To break down the walls eclipsing humanity's understanding of this planet. He was not "fascinating". The things he wanted to research were.

As her words sunk in, his lips moved upwards as well, a light chuckle that couldn't be helped escaping the young teen boy's throat.

"Heh, I… wouldn't mind that, Agatha Kikuko."

/

Dawn beckoned in the skies above Lavender, the first signs of the sun peaking over the horizon to light up the world below. As always, however, Lavender was an area lit up slightly less, and those bordering it could almost notice the shift with their own two eyes.

Such as those at the Team Rocket camp.

Executive Silver leaned against his tent as he locked professional gazes with the man standing across from him. Executive Petrel wore the same prestigious uniform, and stood roughly half a head taller than the red-haired teen, perhaps three quarters. His purple hair was arranged quite goofily, but a man of his quirks was not obligated to keep a less jarring appearance. Standing next to the purple-haired executive was a blonde girl one year Silver's senior, yet outranked by him all the same. Agent Domino, a prodigious, sixteen-year old young woman nicknamed "Black Tulip" throughout the organization, and a part of them since the age of eight. Familiarity glazed over her and Silver's eyes as the two looked one another over. The amount of joint training exercises and on-foot missions shared by the pair were too numerous for either of them to recall all at once.

"Domino… this will be given to Marauder when the mission starts." extending a hand, Silver handed her a stone. To the common man, it was an evolutionary stone known as the Moon Stone. To others, it was a fragment. For as humongous as the Moon Stone resting beneath Mt. Moon was, it was once much bigger, the pieces scattered about carrying the ability to evolve certain species.

To Operation Origin participants, the story went far beyond just that.

"Thank you kindly." her voice stoic and soft, she accepted the mystical rock. "Executive Petrel has already informed me of my role: I will be assisting Marauder in the raid on the tower, while the two of you will lead the surrounding unit preventing any resistance from entering the town, correct?"

"Yes," Silver nodded, brushing a strand of red hair behind him as his eyes briefly shifted to Neptune. The large Feraligatr was carrying a heavy box to another location in the camp. "Elite Four Agatha will be the one to answer the call once the League hears of our attack."

"Guaranteed." Petrel agreed. "It's far too personal for her."

"Once the League receives word, how long will we have until she shows up?" Domino bit her lip.

"No time," Petrel answered matter-of-factly. "That's why the mission must be done at night, to buy what little time we can before being noticed. But it will be easier for her to teleport to the border than directly inside the town." his face grew dark. "Elite Four Agatha, Maiden of the Ghouls… the greatest expert of ghosts to ever live, and Indigo's number two trainer, widely viewed. If she so much as steps foot in the tower, the mission is over. Which is why you and Marauder need to have secured the target by then. Even with us trying to hold her off, you are on a strict time limit." the blonde agent nodded at him as Silver crossed his arms.

"She won't be alone, obviously." the red-haired executive spoke coolly. "But she is the main concern. Holding her off will be more important than stalling most of the forces accompanying her, which is why the majority of our own must… dogpile her." Just speaking the words made him taste something disgusting. It was likely to be a bloodbath of sacrificial pawns. "Petrel and I will only be able to do so much before we're inevitably forced to retreat. But we will use every advantage available to prolong the stalling." Stalling was all that they could do. There was no defeating Agatha.

Domino stared at the Moon Stone in her hand, as though her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the object. "And this will be what finds the target." She looked between her two superiors. "Top floor. That's when we use it."

"It certainly won't be an easy capture." Petrel shifted uneasily. "The thought of staring her down is far worse, though."

"I don't disagree," Silver confessed. "But… once things get moving, the worst will be over. You two have finished your scouting, so Commander Archer will be sending Marauder to that location once he's had time to recuperate from this battle. That will be the moment of truth… the prototype my forces stole from Celadon Gym has been tested. Executive Ariana is hard at work with the blueprints. The perfected product will be the main event, but we aren't at that point yet. The prototype, however… will be needed to catch the next target."

"The next target…" Domino repeated. Her skin crawled. Her face was turning pale.

Silver's expression softened. "Domino…"

"It's… I'm fine." She lied. "But are we sure…"

"Ariana has studied the Master Ball with extensive detail, and The Iron-Masked Marauder is one of the greatest Hunters alive." Petrel answered her. "That's why he's here. The combination of him and his abilities, and the Master Ball. It's needed for this."

'That's not what I meant.' Domino did her best to fight off the anxiety. It would not be appreciated.

Silver studied her for a moment or two, before looking back at Petrel. "But that prototype will be saved for Marauder's next mission. For now, the current target is what lies in that tower."

"You've been preparing at camp," the older executive commented. "About how long will it take before we are ready for the mission?"

"The current projection is just under a week." Silver answered. "After that, we attack at night."

After exchanging a few more words, the trio were ready to part, but as Petrel walked off to speak with Marauder, and Domino turned in the direction of her tent, a hand on her shoulder halted her. Almost uneasily, she turned to look Silver in the eye. It wasn't long ago when the two of them were of equal rank. And now, he was one of the few giving her orders. It wasn't something either was used too yet.

"Something's on your mind…" he locked gazes with her. "It's because you and Petrel confirmed the lead, correct?" Her mouth remained closed for a few moments, but he was patient.

Finally, she released a breath. "It's just… Operation Origin… this whole project…" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Goes beyond humanity." Silver finished for her. He knew what she was thinking, and the thought sped up his heart rate just as much as her own. "And that's why it's the key to everything. Destroying the Indigo League is impossible… within humanity's limitations. But now we have the means to transcend that."

He allowed her to leave his grip. Standing up straight, she locked eyes with him once more. "Then… let's do it."

After a few more moments, Agent and Executive went off in separate directions. Taking in the surroundings as she walked through the camp, Domino's mind was flooded.

What was Operation Origin's limit?

/

Ash was scheduled to meet Yami at Mr. Fuji's lab (to which he was quick to acquire directions from Nurse Joy) in the afternoon. To ensure he and his friends did not get too caught up in anything prior, he had chosen an easygoing morning. Once afternoon came, Nebula would receive some much appreciated help with Ominous Wind, and he could begin everyone else's routine as well.

So for now, he had his attention set on the other subject matter: Evolution. He had already announced his intention to sell a portion of his TMs to afford one stone. That left him with two unanswered questions: Which TMs to sell, and which teammate to evolve. The latter he knew needed to be a group decision, whereas the former was on him.

After breakfast, Janine and her team had taken to using the surrounding area of the Center for training, Ash politely declining her offer to join them. With him and his team having the Center's hotel room to themselves, it was a good opportunity to use the morning to get both questions out of the way. So, while his team watched TV together, Ash had looked over all of his TMs at the table.

Iron Tail and Brick Break had been the first TMs he had ever purchased. Rock Blast, Scald, Bullet Seed and Psyshock from the four Gyms they had cleared. Steel Wing, Reflect, Magical Leaf, and various others had been purchased overtime. There was a fair amount that he and his team did not "need" at the moment, but that could all change with a single capture. He'd be able to buy back what he needed eventually, but for now, he needed to be selective. He wouldn't discard EVERYTHING that he did not immediately need, nor would he get rid of one that he had yet to use.

In the end, he had chosen to set aside Rock Blast, Steel Wing, Reflect, Magical Leaf, Scald, and Thunder Punch. Six TMs would certainly grant him enough money for one stone. It felt… wrong dividing these six in a separate section, knowing that they'd be gone within the week, but he knew he wouldn't regret the decision in the long run. Half of his team could use stones to evolve, and all three had confirmed they wanted to. In the end, this course of action would benefit them the most.

But that brought him to the more difficult choice: Who it would be.

Pikachu, Valiant, and Eevee all sat side by side on Ash's bed, their trainer sitting across from them on a chair. Nebula and Phenom observed from not too far away, and despite his attempts to focus on the TV (currently, a hijinks-filled cartoon about wrestling was on), Tempest was clearly just as interested. Ash's focus was entirely on the three on his bed, however, not allowing his attention to even slightly divert from the subject at hand.

"Okay guys," he began. "Obviously, you all know that I've been looking into helping the three of you evolve. After some thinking, Valiant has confirmed to me that he would prefer to evolve into Gallade once his time comes, which means this discussion concerns him too." he thought back to Anya's store, which contained all of the options, just waiting to be purchased. "At your current levels, I think Pikachu and Eevee are definitely at the point where they are ready. Valiant, as I said before, I believe should wait longer," he gave the Kirlia a quick apologetic look, but his friend did not seem bothered. The psychic knew that waiting until the time was right would be more worthwhile than a premature evolution. "Either way… we can only afford one stone at the moment. It'd be a bad idea to sell too many TMs. I'll do everything I can to find stones for the other two afterwards, but for now, we need to decide who's evolving first." he looked between the three of them. "Naturally, I think it's best if the three of you had a hand in that decision. You all want it, so I need to know your thoughts. Of course, we don't need to decide right away, we'll probably be here for about a week."

"I'll wait." Valiant quickly raised his hand. "There's no use spending so much on a stone I won't be using right away."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Valiant." If the young psychic had been the only one on the team in need of a stone, it would not have been a problem, but since two other teammates could use one right now, the Kirlia was easily the least practical choice present. Ash had still included him in the discussion because he felt it was the right thing to do, although he frankly wasn't surprised by the quick stance that Valiant took. "That leaves you two, then."

Silently, Pikachu and Eevee's heads turned to one another, and Ash couldn't help but feel the awkwardness of the exchange. After a moment, Pikachu said something which Valiant was quick to translate.

"They'd like to discuss this themselves for a moment."

Phenom's eyes were fixed on the pair as Pikachu and Eevee gravitated to a corner in the room, but Valiant quickly joined him to redirect his focus on the cartoon. Ash watched them talk for a moment before giving them their due space; both seemed quite civil, neither wanting to start any arguments, which was a relief. The five minutes they spent before heading back to the group were surprisingly short.

Pikachu approached Valiant first, the two exchanging a few words that Ash could not understand before both turned to him.

"Pikachu wants it to be Eevee." Looking over at the evolution Pokemon, Ash could see the mixture of emotions on Eevee's face: Some guilt, but also gratitude. "He thinks she's the best choice because she has multiple stones to choose from and he does not." Valiant rubbed his head for a moment. His telepathic communication was getting a bit better, but it would be a while still before he could comfortably talk at an extensive rate. "We don't know if we'll have this many options next time, so this gives her a chance to choose whatever she wants."

At Valiant's explanation, Ash couldn't help his smile as he reached down to pat his starter's head. "That's really thoughtful of you, buddy. Don't worry, you and Valiant will both get your moment. I'll make sure of it."

Pikachu offered his trainer a soft, grateful squeak, cheeks reddening a bit at the grateful lick from Eevee.

/

Eevee still had not decided which stone she wanted, which was fine by Ash. There was no going back after evolving, so whatever time she needed to make her decision, he would give it to her. Whatever choice she made would forever change the landscape of how she trained and battled, he was glad she wasn't rushing into the choice. To help her, Ash planned to show her videos of each possible evolved form throughout the week. Prior to leaving for Mr. Fuji's lab, he had already gotten started by showing her a couple of battles fought by Karen's Umbreon and Cynthia's Glaceon, both of which had left her captivated. He would likely spend the night researching other Eeveelutions that had been utilized in high-level battles.

For now, however, it was time for their appointment with Yami, and after some lunch, Ash had set off for Mr. Fuji's lab with Pikachu on his shoulder. He had initially felt a bit awkward showing up announced because a ghost told him too, but from what Anya had told him about the Sableye, there likely was not a need. Yami wouldn't have asked them to that specific location if Fuji would not be okay with it, and earlier in the morning, Nurse Joy had confirmed such with him: Fuji's lab was one of Yami's most frequent hangouts.

Using the directions that Nurse Joy had provided him with earlier, Ash managed to locate the lab without much trouble, and the door was quickly answered by a woman in a uniform.

"Hello there," she greeted him. "Would you happen to be Ash, by any chance?"

"Yes, that's me." he answered.

She smiled. "Mr. Fuji has been expecting you. Please, come in."

As she gestured him inside, Ash took the time to scan the room. One look at the outside was all you need to know that the place wasn't as big as Professor Oak's lab (although, Nurse Joy had informed him that there were still outside areas dedicated for Pokemon that trainers did not currently have on them, as all of the major labs had, even if Oak's Corral was by far the biggest and most perfectly varied). The lobby almost resembled a section of a library, with neatly arranged bookshelves and a few employees working on computers.

A few moments after the woman spoke into the intercom, a door leading further into the lab opened, and Mr. Fuji's eyes quickly set themselves on Ash and Pikachu.

"Good afternoon, Ash." The older man approached the duo offering a quick handshake which Ash accepted. "Yami informed me you would be coming, he says you need help teaching your Staravia a move?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "Thanks for letting us use your place for this."

Fuji shook his head. "Think nothing of it. Lately this lab has become something of a second home for that Sableye, after Pokemon Tower of course. We may not be particularly big compared to our counterparts elsewhere, but there is still plenty of free room outside for you to conduct your business. Oh, and feel free to let the rest of your team roam if they would like. We have a free section closed off from the other Pokemon, so you can use it at your leisure."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

/

As Fuji led him and Pikachu to the outside area of the lab, Ash couldn't help but realize that this was the first time he had been to a lab's "Pokemon areas" outside of Oak's Corral. The Professor's Corral was effectively unrivaled throughout Indigo: specially designed very similar to that of the Safari Zone, it emulated numerous different types of habitats for Pokemon to freely roam. Since trainers were only allowed to carry six Pokemon with them at a time before acquiring eight badges, the Oak Corral was a haven that took good care of Pokemon for trainers throughout Indigo; not just limited to Pallet Town or even Kanto itself. Of course, every lab, including Fuji's own, had areas of their own for the safekeeping of Pokemon, but few could hope to match that of the Corral.

Ash had been to the Oak Corral numerous times, as his class had taken their fair share of trips for educational purposes. Their time was mostly limited to the simpler, grassy sections, however, but it was nothing short of marvelous nonetheless. In comparison, although Ash knew that Fuji's equivalent to the Corral was far simpler, it was still fairly in line with what the young rookie was used to: Grass and trees, with a sizable pond in a separate section.

Yami was waiting for them in a not too far off area of Fuji's Corral, talking to a Shuppet that had quickly vanished upon their arrival. After exchanging a few friendly words with the Sableye, Fuji wished Ash luck before returning to the lab. The small ghost's attention then turned to Ash and Pikachu, the latter of whom lept off of his trainer's shoulder to greet the Sableye with a handshake.

"Thank you again, Yami." Ash knelt down to speak to the ghost more evenly. "We really appreciate your help with this. So, do you know how to use Ominous Wind?" Even if he did not, simply being a ghost type meant that the Sableye had a great deal of expertise with distortion, which was necessary to use such a move. His coaching would be invaluable for Nebula regardless, but Ash was curious. At the question, the Sableye quickly nodded.

Although Pikachu remained out, Ash decided not to let out the rest of the team until things with Nebula had gotten started. After that, they could tackle things one step at a time. So without delay, he quickly released the Staravia from her ball. Nebula emerged from the light offering a cheerful chirp and a raised wing for her trainer, before greeting Pikachu with a light nip to the cheek, eliciting a blush from her electric type friend.

"Nebula," Ash gestured to the Sableye in front of her. "This is Yami, who I told you about before. He's going to help you learn Ominous Wind." The two Pokemon quickly exchanged greetings of their own, Yami waving to the Staravia with what appeared to be a light smile as she chirped at him with a friendly expression of her own. After a few words (which Ash , as usual, could not understand) between the two, Yami signaled for Ash and Pikachu to back up as he stepped in front of the Staravia.

Holding his hands together, Yami's eyes scanned the grassy area ahead of them for a moment before stretching his arms out. After giving a couple of seconds to ensure that Nebula was watching closely, he fired off the attack.

A surge of dark purple wind erupted from the small Sableye's palms, and Ash immediately knew that Yami packed a punch. Anya had described him as docile, but that was clearly by choice, because judging by this usage of Ominous Wind, Yami could easily hold his own in a fight if he wanted to. More importantly, the Ominous Wind in question was very well made, shooting out of the small ghost's palms without effort, perfectly structured and stable. At his ear, he could hear an impressed noise from Pikachu (who was back on his shoulder) as the two of them watched the attack.

At Yami's side, Nebula's eyes widened for just a moment at the sheer ease of use, before the wind subsided and the smaller ghost turned to her. The two of them began chatting again, the Sableye making a couple of hand gestures to further elaborate his point as the Staravia nodding along with the occasional reply. The two seemed to be getting along fairly well, and based on how the exchange was going, Yami was explaining things in decently simple terms for an inexperienced party to understand.

/

"So… what do you think, Mr. Fuji?"

Nebula and Yami had continued practice for about an hour or so as the calm Sableye guided the eager Staravia along in her attempts. Although it took much effort, Ash's bird friend had eventually managed the tiniest of success, producing a small shade of an attempt. Whatever advice Yami had given her regarding distortion was clearly working; although Valiant and especially Eevee were both good with Shadow Ball, neither of them knew nearly as much about the ins and outs of distortion energy as an actual ghost type inevitably would.

Ash had decided to give Nebula a break for the moment, since actually summoning distortion for the first time (even to such a small extent) was a first step on its own. To his pleasant surprise, however, Yami had offered to continue assisting them whenever they were ready to continue, and when asked, Fuji had kindly told Ash that he and his team could continue coming to the lab for training during their stay in Lavender, to which Ash was beyond grateful.

With Nebula taking a break, Ash allowed the rest of the team out to work on their own training; Valiant continued to hone Calm Mind while also acting as a sparring partner for Pikachu's electricity training and Phenom's Dragon Pulse practice. Eevee had opted to simply use the time to further ponder who she wanted to evolve into, however, and had joined Ash inside the lab to ask Fuji for help with something else that had been on the young trainer's mind: Tempest's evolution.

The stones were one thing, but Tempest, Nebula, and Phenom would all be evolving "traditionally". Tempest was determined, and although they hadn't expressed the same, Ash was certain that the latter two were also interested in the subject. So, heading inside of the lab with Eevee and Tempest while the rest of the team practiced outside, Ash had politely asked Fuji to examine the eager river crab.

Fuji had complimented Ash's agency, and agreed to look the Krabby over with some diagnostics due to not being too busy at the moment. Tempest had been surprisingly patient during the examinations, which had just finished up.

Fuji, after examining the Krabby's shell up close, stood back up from his crouching position, straightening his posture for a moment before turning to Ash. Eevee watched the exchange sitting off in a corner.

"Well, for starters," as Fuji began, Tempest found it harder and harder to hide his anticipation, and the older man spared the water type an amused glance as his pincers began to click, before returning his attention to Ash. "This Krabby is incredibly healthy. Extremely well fed and well worked. He's fairly large for his species already, certainly above average, and his current movepool is impressive. When he does evolve, you're going to have quite the Kingler on your hands. In fact, if he were to evolve right now, I think the evolution would be fairly healthy."

Ash's eyebrow raised in some excitement. "So… does that mean he's ready?"

"In theory, I would say so, although the actual answer isn't as clear cut." Seeing Tempest's curious expression, Fuji elaborated. "You see, when a Pokemon evolves with a stone or another item of the sort, the trigger is automatic. It's like you're pushing a button that activates the evolution, regardless of whether or not the Pokemon is ready for it. If done too soon, the medical repercussions can potentially be… severe." he brushed something off of his uniform, a somewhat dark expression passing over his features before quickly vanishing as he continued. "Outside of extreme, criminal scenarios that we best not get into, traditional evolution does not have this problem. A Pokemon will only evolve when they're ready. If not ready, extreme, emotional circumstances could potentially be a trigger that pushes them past the line, but even these would normally be impossible unless the line is somewhere within reach. But even if a Pokemon is ready, it's not as telling when exactly the evolution will take place. There's no set time, just a sliding scale." he held up his hands. "Imagine that I am holding a meter with a blue, yellow, and red section. If your Pokemon is in the blue section, it is not going to evolve anytime soon. In the yellow section, they are approaching that threshold. If close enough to the red, an extreme physical or emotional trigger could, in some cases, create a hypothetical "orange section" that causes them to evolve earlier than they normally should have otherwise. In those circumstances, there usually will not be medical repercussions, as long as the Pokemon in question is very healthy and in shape. If not, then you may have cause to worry, but a very healthy body that's still very strong in its own right will usually be able to adapt to an early evolution in the long term, although it will take time."

As the researcher gave Ash a moment or two to allow the explanation to sink in, Ash's mind thought back to Mt. Moon. Valiant had evolved during the heated confrontation with the Iron-Masked Marauder (the thought of the man forced Ash to push the memories of bad dreams away from his mind). Was he in the "orange section" at the time?

"The red section," Fuji continued on after the pause. "Effectively means that evolution could take place at any given time. Usually in moments of exertion, like in the heat of battle, or an intense training session. It's far from uncommon for a Pokemon to evolve after a particularly hard-fought battle, as well. The adrenaline often induces the cells and genes and triggers the process. The rush gets things moving, and there are a lot of things going on inside of the body, not just during the evolution, but in the moments leading up to it as well. Sometimes, the Pokemon in question can even feel it coming."

Ash nodded along. "That's… a helpful way to put it, thank you." He imagined that there were tons of convoluted explanations and unrecognizable words that Fuji could use in order to fully describe the subject in ways known to the people in his field, but the researcher had effortlessly translated the complexities into a simple analogy.

"In the prime of my career, genetics were my specialty," Fuji explained, looking back to Tempest, who seemed fairly invested as well. "So evolution is an extensive subject of mine. My rough estimation is that Tempest, here, is getting close to the red zone. I don't think he is quite at that finish line yet, but judging by his condition, he is definitely well on his way. Once he gets there, it will just be a matter of when and how."

Ash playfully rolled his eyes as the water type puffed his chest, and Eevee scoffed over in the corner. "I guess all that's left is to keep on working, right?" his teammate clicked his pincers with an enthused grin.

"It's worth noting, of course," Fuji's words redirected the pair's attention back to him. "That the meter varies from species to species. Different Pokemon will have different expectations when it comes to how mature or strong they have to become in order to reach that red zone. A Pikachu or an Eevee normally would not take as long, while other species will take a lot more. Of course, Pokemon are never simple: certain flexibilities, such as the "orange zone" will always create a lack of guarantees." he nodded outside the window. "If you'd like, I can also look over your Staravia and Tyrunt during your stay here in town, although I will not have time to do it today. Your Kirlia may also be worth a look, so you'll have an idea of when he'll be ready for a Dawn Stone." looking back at Ash, he added, "You don't have to worry about it being too much trouble. Again, this is my specialty, and our labs are supposed to assist trainers like you."

Briefly, Ash bowed his head in thanks (was Janine rubbing off on him, he wondered?). "That would be a really big help. My friend Janine and I are planning to be here for about a week, so… would one a day be alright?"

"I think that would be perfect for my schedule. And yours too, I imagine."

"Great," Ash turned back to Tempest. "So… you ready to work on Ice Beam and Crabhammer?"

Tempest shot out a clenched pincer as though he were pumping a fist. The more training, the faster he'd be a Kingler.

Just as they were about to head back outside, the door opening caught their attention. Ash perked up as a familiar short, brown-haired boy walked into the room. He quickly recognized him as Caleb, the boy from the bakery last night. He was holding a small notebook in his hand, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the scene.

"Oh, um…" Caleb's cheeks turned rosy. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"

"It's fine, Caleb." Fuji said casually before turning to Ash. "Caleb is receiving tutorship here, he was taking notes on a Conference documentary that I had him watch." Turning back to Caleb, he added, "This is Ash. He and his team will be spending time here throughout the week."

Looking at the younger boy, Ash realized that Caleb seemed to recognize him as well.

/

"Phenom, Dragon Pulse!"

At Ash's order, the young Tyrunt stamped a foot into the grass as his jaws opened as wide as he could manage. After a few seconds of effort, a rainbow-ish colored ball began forming inside. The orb was not stable, constantly rippling and fluctuating in size before bursting outwards towards Valiant.

As a fairy type, the Kirlia could have easily tanked the dragon type move simply by bracing himself, and no harm would have come to him in doing so. However, Ash was having Valiant working on something as well: Psychic barriers.

Up until this point, his friend had constantly been relying on Light Screen and Reflect for his defensive game, but for as effective as they were, there was an efficient means for more skilled psychics to protect themselves: generating their psychic energy into protective shields, made of pure psychic energy. Although usage of the moves certainly improved durability, skilled psychics would strain themselves less this way, albeit at the cost of the shields usually not being as durable. On large scales, such a method was also used to create barriers during official battles, albeit with the weakness of bug, ghost, and dark type moves not being as easy to contain, part of the reason why the switch to machines was done. Nonetheless, the practice was still very much in use in places that did not have access to such machines.

Psychics usually could not generate such barriers at just any level, however. It often required experience and skill, due to the necessary manipulation. With all of the progress that had been made, Ash believed that it was finally time for Valiant to work on such a thing.

The Kirlia's mood was not lost on him, however. Whatever was on Valiant's mind from the previous day had not gone away yet, and if the psychic did not start talking soon, Ash knew he would have to get it out of him. His concentration seemed slightly off compared to normal, and it showed with Phenom's latest attempt.

As the Tyrunt's Dragon Pulse approached him, Valiant raised his arms, trying to summon the psychic barriers to surround him, only for nothing to happen. As the small blast exploded against him, the Kirlia suffered no damage, simply sliding back a tiny bit before righting himself. Across from him, Phenom recuperated with a deep breath before locking eyes with Valiant once more. The mood exhibited by the young Tyrunt was almost exactly the opposite, and Ash had noticed the stark contrast in him just as quickly as well. Recently, Phenom had been a lot more… focused. Fixated. He was still the way Ash knew him, and yet he wasn't.

Of course, he had known Phenom since the very moment the Tyrunt had hatched. Phenom was no longer a baby, and thus was not going to act like one forever, but the gradual attitude shift had caught Ash's attention. The young trainer had also felt something in his throat upon seeing the way Phenom had looked at Tempest on occasion; once, he had even heard a growl.

The memory of what had happened between the Tyrunt and Krabby during the first trip to Saffron still stuck in Ash's mind, and apparently, it had stuck in Phenom's as well. He was beginning to second guess the plan to have Tempest help the dinosaur learn Ice Fang. It was important to make Tempest work with the others; keeping them apart just would not do anymore. But in addition to mending the Krabby's position amongst the rest of the team, he also needed to prevent further incidents. Even with supervision, having the two working together did not seem to be wise at the moment. Keeping them apart, at least for the time being, would likely have to be prolonged, even if it meant revising his future training plans for the team.

For the moment, however, he needed to address Valiant, and with that in mind, he raised a hand to give the training session pause.

"Phenom," the Tyrunt perked up as his trainer addressed him. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but could you go to Pikachu and ask him to spar with you? I need to speak with Valiant for a moment."

The Kirlia seemed to know what Ash was getting at, because he began tensing up as the team's youngest member nodded before taking off, offering Valiant a quick, friendly goodbye. Nonetheless, he complied when Ash asked him to sit with him on the nearby bench. A bit of a distance away, Tempest paused his own training (where he had just shattered a rock) to look over at them.

Ash didn't say anything at first, looking down to study his friend's expression. Valiant had grown a bit fidgety from the silence, however, so Ash quickly broke it. "I know you don't want to rush into it," he started, "But something's clearly bothering you. You said it's not just that this town has ghosts, right?"

For a moment or two, Valiant did not respond, seemingly trying to think over his response. Finally, he turned to look up at Ash, and nodded. Behind the bench, Ash could see Tempest approaching, seemingly to listen in. After a moment or two of thinking, he chose not to turn the Krabby away (although the water type would not be able to hear whatever Valiant said to him telepathically) and focused on Valiant. He was about to say something when the Kirlia finally spoke up.

"I've been… thinking about Viridian Forest." That gave Ash pause. "You remember what Suzie said about the Rockets… who kidnapped me?"

Ash thought back to that conversation. "They were… killed, right? The authorities found them dead?" The Kirlia nodded. "Did you see it?" Thinking back, Valiant had never told them what had killed his abductors. When the subject had come up. It had quickly been dropped because of the Kirlia's clear discomfort.

Although Valiant nodded, he gave pause for a moment again, his head turning in the direction of the looming tower in the distance. Finally, "It was… a ghost. A really strong one." he rubbed his head for a moment. "Back in the forest… I escaped the fight but… I could feel him everywhere. It was like the place was… one and the same with him." Although he paused again, Ash knew his friend wasn't finished. Valiant was trying to space out his sentences, likely in hopes that the conversation would not exhaust him as fast. He still could not have a full blown talk with his trainer without putting himself to sleep. "My sense of time and direction was gone. All I could feel was that… monster. And then I got caught in that trap and you guys saved me."

Ash stared at Valiant for a moment. "I… I knew the forest was rumored to be haunted but," he bit his lip. Most would write Valiant's story off as a tall tale, but he knew better. He remembered how much Valiant hated that forest. "To that extent? It was really that bad?" A nod. "Do you… know what species the ghost was?" Valiant shook his head.

"There's more, Ash." The Kirlia continued, his eyes moving to the tower again. "It's… the tower."

"Is… something in the tower." As Tempest's eyes narrowed behind him, Ash suddenly wasn't liking what Valiant was getting at.

"Yes, it… it feels just like that ghost from the forest."

/

"Um, excuse me, Ash?"

Ash had a lot on his mind after his and Valiant's brief talk, but did his best to save those thoughts for later. With Valiant tired out from their exchange, he had recalled the Kirlia for the day to let him rest. Soon, it was late afternoon, and they would be halting training for the day. Before that, however, he had one last thing he wanted to work on with Pikachu. He and hiss tarter had just been reviewing those plans when Caleb had approached them.

Looking up from the electric mouse, Ash perked up at the sight of the younger boy approaching them. There was a notebook in Caleb's hand, and as he stopped in front of the duo, his feet shuffled in the dirt uneasily.

"Oh, hi Caleb. Did Mr. Fuji need something?"

Caleb shook his head. "Um, no. I just wanted to ask you something." his cheeks reddened a bit before straightening himself up. "You see… I was wondering if I could watch you train?" At Ash's surprised expression, the younger boy elaborated. "You see… I'm trying to become a trainer too. Mr. Fuji's been helping me study, but I've never really seen anything up close before. So I was wondering if I could take notes while you…" he seemed a bit embarrassed as he trailed off.

Ash blinked for a moment, not expecting the request, but after exchanging a quick glance with Pikachu, he turned back to Caleb with a smile. "I don't see why not." he probably would have jumped at the chance to do something similar if the opportunity had presented itself. "Just try to keep a bit of distance for this one, Pikachu's about to test out an idea I had."

The embarrassment left Caleb's features, replaced with a wide grin that instantly lifted Ash's spirits. "Okay, thanks!"

The trainer led Caleb a decent distance back as the brown-haired boy got his notebook and pen ready. Meanwhile, Pikachu stood on all fours, paws sinking comfortably into the dirt as his tail stood erect behind him.

"Alright Pikachu, do it!"

At Ash's signal, Pikachu threw himself to the ground on his back, and began rotating as electricity fired off of his body. The sparks went off in different directions, but Pikachu's movements were sloppy and slow, far from what Ash had envisioned. This was only the first attempt, after all.

With Caleb watching the mouse with wide-eyed curiosity, Ash decided to narrate what was going on to the younger boy. He was trying to take notes, after all, so it would help to give him something to take notes on. "I'm planning to teach Pikachu Discharge by the time we get to Fuchsia City." he started. As Pikachu halted his spinning, now on his stomach, Caleb turned to look up at Ash. "It's a really difficult move, though. It requires a lot of control over electricity, both to use it, and especially to not get tired out in one go. That's why, our first step has been for Pikachu to exercise himself by manipulating lightning in ways he has not done before. He knows Electro Ball and Electroweb, which definitely helps for controlling the electricity, but we need more to solve the stamina issue.

Caleb's pen moved across the paper in his notebook as Ash spoke to him, before looking back up at the older boy. "Okay, so… what was he doing?"

"That was an experiment," Ash explained. "It's an exercise to work on control and stamina, like I said, but I'm also hoping to turn it into an actual technique that combines offense and defense. If Pikachu spins around properly while firing off the Thunderbolt, he could sort of create this spinning forcefield made out of lightning." He looked over to his starter while Caleb stared at him curiously. "I was thinking of calling it a "Counter Shield". Because it's meant to be an attack and protection move all at once."

Caleb was writing faster now. "Wow… what gave you that idea?"

"I was racking my brain for exercises," Ash replied. "That's really how it all started; I was trying to come up with creative ways for Pikachu to practice. When I thought of this, I realized that the idea could be tweaked a bit to create a special, modified move. And if Pikachu can get the hang of that, he might be ready for Discharge."

"That's…" Caleb finished writing. "Really cool. But it sounds hard."

Ash chuckled. "A lot of these kinds of moves are. I'm sure Mr. Fuji told you that the higher level trainers like to combine and modify their moves a lot?" The younger boy nodded. "I wanted to try my hand at that as soon as possible. It started when this weird girl I battled back in Viridian Forest used a bit of a trick against me with a wind based attack, and when I firs thad Pikachu combine his Iron Tail with electricity. Most of this stuff takes a lot of practice to get down, but it's worth it for how strong the combos can be. And, it makes the Pokemon even better at using the moves involved, since they're getting in great practice on how to manipulate them." Caleb was writing again. "Janine does stuff like that too, her ideas are really good." After giving Caleb a chance to finish writing, he called out to his starter. "Hey Pikachu, are you ready to give it another go?"

Pikachu, who had waited patiently throughout the exchange, nodded with a determined grin. His back was filthy from all the rolling he had done in the dirt, but he almost ignored it completely. He was starting to enjoy getting dirty.

/

Ash fell into a routine on the next day, getting up at a reasonable time before heading towards Fuji's lab after breakfast. As agreed, the researcher would look over one member of his team a day and determine how close they were to evolving. Phenom was examined on the second day, and predictably still had a ways to go. Not only was he younger than the others, but Tyrunt typically took longer to evolve as well. Having said that, Fuji also emphasized that the young dinosaur was progressing very nicely, and that he might become a Tyrantrum somewhat more quickly than normal with the strides that he was making, although he was certain to encourage Ash not to rush it. It was important that the Tyrunt built himself up as much as possible before taking such a big leap. The more he did, the more his body would be prepared to adapt to such a monstrous change.

Fuji's words had done wonders for the Tyrunt, however, who had thrown himself head first into training immediately after the examination was finished. Although the cheerful side that Ash had come to adore was still perfectly visible, it was no longer dominant. Phenom did not spar with Valiant with the excitement of a child battling because it was fun. There was a layer of determination coating his exterior as he gave the Kirlia as much as he could. Ash went out of his way to ensure that Phenom and Tempest did not train within one another's vicinity.

Speaking of Valiant, Ash had been sure to talk to him again during dinner, and before going to bed. Although still tense, Valiant had seemed progressively more at ease as the night progressed, and thanked Ash for helping him get things off of his chest. Their conversation still played in Ash's mind during the second day of training, and he was tempted to ask Fuji about it. He held off on it for now, due to the researcher receiving an important call from Kris (who was planning to stay in town for a bit longer than he and Janine were) regarding an incident at the Center that had left him unavailable for the remainder of the day.

Valiant's somewhat improved mindset showed itself on the second day, being much more engaged with the sparring sessions with Phenom and even Tempest. The Kirlia's clever usage of Calm Mind had allowed him to make great strides with Icy Wind, Moonblast, and Psyshock as of late. His psychic barriers still needed work, but that was a new addition to training that Ash was aware would take some time.

On Tempest's side, the Krabby did not seem as dismissive when coaching the Kirlia as he used to be. Although he was a far cry from Valiant's chemistry with Phenom, Ash couldn't help but the notice the more hands-on involvement the water type had begun exhibiting, especially as Valiant's progress became increasingly clear. The two of them even seemed to have a discussion halfway through the day. It was the progress that Ash had been hoping to see when he had first assigned them together, and although he'd have to handle Phenom with care, he was hopeful that the progress could begin translating to the rest of the team, still thinking of ways that Tempest could become involved in their training as well. And when not coaching Valiant, the river crab was as passionate as ever, working himself to the bone with Crabhammer, Ice Beam, and Surf. Fuji's talk about evolution had lit a fire in him; the metaphorical "red section" was the Krabby's goal until further notice.

WIth Nebula being coached by Yami, Pikachu (between Counter Shield training) had taken over Eevee's Double Team practice, and a pleasant air was given off as Ash watched the two race together to further hone their speed. Much earlier on, Eevee's approach to training with the mouse had been very different, back when she was behind her teammates in both training and performance on the battlefield. Her recent strides had closed that gap, however, and although Pikachu still outran her eight times out of ten, she could very easily keep up with him when he was not using Agility. She gave off less intensity practicing with him now, less focused on beating him or reaching his level, and more on simply improving herself.

No doubt, the victory in Saffron had greatly contributed to that new spark.

Yami had eaten lunch with the group on the second day, and Ash had taken the initiative to try and talk to the Sableye. The small ghost had humbly brushed off the young trainer's gratitude in helping Nebula, who seemed to be getting along with him very well. During the meal, she and Pikachu had chatted freely about their current training exercises, with the initially reluctant Sableye joining in with some encouragement from both. Having more time to interact with the dark/ghost type, Ash had quickly found himself taking a liking to the local ghost, whom Caleb had stated much of the town was fairly fond of.

Caleb, in question, had stuck to Ash like glue all day (with Fuji's encouragement to soak in as much as he could manage). The marvel in the younger boys eyes gave Ash bittersweet flashbacks to Trucy as he observed each member of Ash's team practicing to their hearts content, asking a myriad of questions along the way that Ash had found to be increasingly fun to answer. He and Janine had discussed one another's training fairly often during mealtime and rests, often offering some additional perspective to one another along the way. In a different way, this was equally enjoyable, and Ash couldn't help but remember the times he had spent explaining certain things to Trucy as the two of them watched tournaments together back at home. It was… satisfying, to explain the mindset behind each training exercise to a younger, eager party who absorbed everything like a sponge. Caleb's productivity was certainly one to be admired as well. Ash was pretty sure his notebook was half full just from this day alone. To the trainer's surprise, the younger boy had also brought along some cookies from the bakery to share with him, informing him that he had received his grandmother's permission to do so. Ash hoped that he was telling the truth, because one small bite of the snickerdoodle was all that was needed for him to never go back.

He hoped his mother would forgive him for thinking that the Bakery of Beacon gave her cooking competition.

/

"Excuse me, Mr. Fuji, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" The researcher in question had just finished looking over Nebula, who had received a fairly similar assessment to Tempest two days prior. Admelia, the Misdreavus that had been following Janine and her team around in their first day in town, was also present in the lab, this time choosing Fuji as her playful target. Ash had learned from Fuji himself that Admelia, much like Yami, was fairly harmless (albeit much more likely to pull pranks than the docile Sableye), and also that she was quite young; only a few months old.

Patting the young ghost's head for a moment, Fuji turned to Ash as the boy let Nebula back outside, with Yami following her. "Sure, go ahead."

For a moment or two, Ash felt a lump in his throat, awkwardly thinking back to his conversation with Valiant a couple of days prior. "Well, you see…" he paused for a moment to find his words before continuing. "It's about Pokemon Tower." Admelia grinned at the mention.

Fuji chuckled. "Yes, I suppose there's a lot of questions that can be asked about that place. Something in particular pique your interest?"

Ash looked at Admelia for a moment. "What are the ghosts… like, in the tower? Are any of them dangerous? Or really powerful?"

Fuji crossed his arms for a moment, fingers tapping against his elbow as he contemplated Ash's question. "Hmmm… even we probably don't know everything, I'll freely admit. Ghosts come in all varieties, no different from any other kinds of Pokemon. But in general, Lavender's ghosts are not likely to turn hostile unless disturbed. Particular, if the tower itself was violated. There are many that never leave the tower, purely by choice. Nonetheless, the overall community of Lavender's ghosts have long since grown accustomed to co-existing with humans. They consider us to be a part of their everyday lives just as much as the reverse." his head turned to look out the window. "There will always be territorial creatures out there, but I can assure you, none of the ghosts in Lavender would harm anyone innocent. An incident would have occurred long ago if otherwise, and even the ones who constantly remain in the tower or its surrounding area are not hostile towards visitors. They respect the tower's role as a cemetery in our community just as much as we acknowledge it as their home."

Ash nodded along with him. The researcher's words were reassuring. Whatever ghost Valiant had encountered in Viridian… if there was a ghost like it up there in the tower… maybe that did not necessarily mean it was a hostile ghost? Maybe it was only just as strong. He was certain the Kirlia would be relieved to hear that, although it still left him with another question.

"And… Valiant said that he can feel a really powerful ghost somewhere in that tower. Like, something abnormal. And he's said he's felt something like that before, back before I caught him."

Understanding washed over Fuji's features. "Is he scared? It would be normal."

"Yeah…" Ash glanced at the door for a moment. "It's been eating at him for the past few days. Do you know anything about a really powerful ghost in the tower? Or in Viridian Forest?"

Fuji rubbed his chin. "Hmmm… well, the tower is a distortion hotspot for a reason. But if we're talking something at the level you're implying, it must have kept itself hidden from humans, blending in with everything else to avoid being noticed by those scanning the tower and its inhabitants. The ghosts themselves would know about it, though." he glanced up at Admelia, who simply stuck out her tongue before vanishing. Looking back at Ash, he continued. "An alpha, perhaps. Most people figured the tower has one, but nobody has ever seen it. If a ghost does not want to be found, then no matter how abnormally strong they may be, hiding themselves in a hotspot like Pokemon Tower is a surefire way to ensure that. Even if they give off intense levels of distortion, so does the tower itself." he crossed his arms. "And… you mentioned Viridian Forest, as well?"

"That's where I caught Valiant," Ash elaborated. "The forest is rumored to be haunted, and…" he bit his lip. "Valiant claims the stories are true. That he met a really strong ghost that he could feel… everywhere, throughout the forest."

"I see…" Fuji's face was wrinkled with thought. "Those stories have been around for a while now, and I did find them plausible, but I never considered any ghosts in that area to be particularly strong."

"Hasn't anybody tried to check for distortion before?"

"Elite Four Agatha has considered investigating, but she often wrote the stories off as 'silly tales'. She gets like that, sometimes."

"Hmmm…" Ash supposed that it made sense, if most people weren't given concrete reason to believe that whatever ghosts in the forest may be truly dangerous. "I understand, it's just that Valiant seems really terrified of… whatever he saw in that forest." he held his tongue for a moment. Should he divulge too much? The Kirlia had been okay within him bringing this part of the story up to Fuji, but he was still hesitant. "You see… Valiant was in Viridian Forest because… Team Rocket abducted him."

Fuji's attention was clear and focused. "Is that so…"

Ash nodded sadly. "Yeah, and… the ghost, or whatever it was… it killed his kidnappers. He got away. But he doesn't seem to think it's a friendly creature."

Fuji rubbed his chin. "Hmmm… well, with all due respect, I can't guarantee a rookie's testimony will be enough, but I can try to have your story relayed. Leaders Giovanni, Erika, and Brock all have jurisdiction over that forest."

"I think Leader Erika knows about the kidnapping," Ash felt somewhat reassured. "I was told that it was reported in Celadon at the time."

"Then perhaps she'd be most likely to believe it." Fuji smiled at Ash. "I'll do my best to make sure Brock and Giovanni get word as well. I can't guarantee you anything, but if you're certain, then I appreciate you and your Kirlia coming forward about this."

Ash grinned appreciatively. "Thanks, it means a lot."

"So to be clear, you did not see this ghost or other creature yourself?"

He shook his head. "No, but I believe Valiant."

"That's good to hear."

After a bit of mingling, Ash was getting ready to head outside again when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, I was wondering… do you know any of those Gym Leaders personally?"

Fuji shook his head. "Admittedly, no. I'm not really in regular contact with any of them apart from Sabrina. Although," a wave of nostalgia seemed to hit the man. "I was quite close to Leader Blaine once."

Ash perked up. Leader Blaine, the fire specialist who currently governed Cinnabar Island. In his youth, he had been an Elite Four member before age caught up to both him and his strongest teammates. Even that had not slowed him down entirely, however. Certain elite trainers and their teams were simply built different, seemingly not hindred by age nearly as much as most would be (some, like Elite Four Drake of the Ever Grande League, weren't even slowed down by it at all), and Blaine maintained a reputation as a fearsome Gym Leader with all the experience a former Elite Four member would have. He was quite mysterious, however, with not much known about his present-day self outside of rumors.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's he like?" Chances were, Ash knew he may be facing Blaine sooner or later. He may not get another chance to ask somebody this question.

Fuji chuckled. "That's a question with a loaded answer, boy." walking over to his desk, he picked up a picture and stared at it for a moment. "Blaine isn't just an incredible trainer, but also a gifted academic mind, as you may know."

"Professor Oak has mentioned having history with him in the past." Ash confirmed.

Fuji nodded. "Indeed. Blaine was as invested in research as he was in training. He and I worked on many projects together, back when I was working in Cinnabar. Such a passionate man, becoming of his fiery specialty. Although we don't speak as often anymore, we consider one another partners even to this day." with some regret, he sighed. "Age has not been kind to his manner of carrying himself, unfortunately. He has grown quite bitter over the years. Most modern info regarding him is passed through word of mouth, because that's just about as much as he allows. He's closed himself off quite a bit. Changed…" the older man was clearly saddened as he spoke those words, but straightened himself as he turned back to Ash. "If you end up facing him on your journey, you'd best be prepared."

Ash nodded at him. Rumors were plentiful regarding Blaine. He was the least challenged Gym in Indigo, from what he was aware. That often caused stories to spread. "Is it true that he is… particularly cruel towards rookies?" That was one of the most persistent rumors: That the fire specialist had a strong resentment for first year trainers.

"He and Surge do have a reputation for that, I am afraid. Of course, you have other options in Johto."

The memory of a Raichu firing the enormous blast of electricity passed through Ash's mind for a moment. "I know I do, but I thought I'd ask. I'm hoping to push myself further than that. That's the whole reason I'm going to Fuchsia this soon."

Fuji smiled approvingly. "Yes, I suppose it is."