The sun shined high above the towering buildings of the city, the skyline radiating in the majestic glow.

The building that the baby Ralts stayed in was far from one of the tallest in the city. Certainly nothing compared to the towering skyscrapers, with roofs that essentially connected the city to the blue sky overhead. But this building's three floors were still more than enough to obtain a clear view of the streets outside.

Mornings were always a highlight for the Ralts. The section of the city that he lived in was a busy place. Watching people going about their activities in preparation for the day that lay ahead for them was an odd habit that he had gotten into. People simply going outside for various activities, people heading for work, the taxi cabs passing by. It was all a weirdly stimulating sight for him.

Eventually he would pick out the familiar faces. People he saw nearly every day as he looked outside. He had his own spot by the windowsill, one with a comfy cushion to sit at as he gazed through the glass and to the fascinating world beyond.

The thought of leaving the building was something beyond his imagination. It was comfortable here. Warm. Cozy. Secure. It was all he ever knew, and all that he had a reason to know. The outside world was an intriguing place to witness, and the woman had happily stated that the city extended far beyond just this area, and that the city itself was just a tiny corner of the world that they lived in, but the baby could never imagine a valid reason to leave the building.

She often left, of course. Usually for work. But she always came back, and she always seemed so relieved and relaxed whenever she did.

The baby Ralts had his hands and face pressed against the window as he observed the traffic below, before a familiar, soothing voice entered his ears, prompting him to turn away.

"Watching the show again, huh?" The young feeling Pokemon looked up to see the woman holding a bowl of food.

She was as beautiful as her voice suggested she'd be, with teal hair and brown eyes, and a smile that was practically meant for caretaking. The majority of the psychic's interaction with humans had been with her.

Setting the bowl down in front of him, she lightly patted his head, prompting him to close his eyes with a smile, almost involuntarily.

"Brought your breakfast, little guy." rising back up, she nodded at him after sparing a brief glance at the clock on the wall. "I'll be back to check on you pretty soon. I have something I need to take care of downstairs." he waved her off with a tiny arm as she exited the room.

Lifting a piece of food out of the bowl, the small Ralts brought it to his mouth, delight filling his heart as the taste filled his mouth. The food here never disappointed either.

There were other Pokemon here, too. But the majority of them weren't permanent. She was planning to send some of them off to other areas that needed them, and a few others to trainers, once they were ready. These Pokemon seemed to be quite excited about that, but she had chosen to keep him here after he had expressed no desire to leave. She said that he could go when he was ready to.

He was grateful for the considerate approach, but in all honesty, he couldn't imagine ay place he'd prefer to be than here.

A cozy, quiet spot in one of this world's many, vast cities.

/

"Sure thing, sounds good to me."

Pikachu, Eevee, and Tyrunt were by Ash's side as he exchanged competitive, yet friendly grins with the boy in front of them. Although the greater area they were in was surrounded by trees, this particular spot had the perfect set of dirt to act as a makeshift battlefield.

It had been about a day since their departure from Cerulean City, and as hoped, Ash had managed to find a good amount of activity for him and his team. Fellow rookie trainers were numerous around these parts, still in Cerulean territory, and the team was able to enjoy a fair amount of battles as a result, and even witness a few for themselves.

At the moment, they had racked up nine consecutive wins with no losses or even draws, earning a fair amount of money and practice from the hands on experience. Ash had also recently distributed the Iron Tail TM to Eevee. Inevitably, she was fairly imperfect with the move, but Ash hoped that using it in battle would be equally good (if not better) practice for it than just training, although he was still planning on having Pikachu help coach her later on. Ash knew that Eevee needed some options for close-quarters combat, and the battle with Misty's own Eevee had driven that point home even further.

The boy standing on the other side of the dirt field had auburn hair and blue eyes. He had introduced himself as Ritchie. Ash had just met him after watching his Butterfree make quick work of a Venomoth in a match against another trainer. Ash had requested a battle with Ritchie, the two deciding on a two-on-two match. Ash had tried to keep his matches on the shorter side to save up on healing items, and Ritchie had agreed to the sentiment. It was supposedly a common mindset among trainers to keep battles on the road shorter, and save battles that utilized the majority of their teams for when a Pokemon Center was close by (and even then, full battles still weren't very common).

Nodding at Ash, Ritchie took out a Poke Ball, addressing the other boy as the sphere enlarged in his hand. "Ready when you are, Ash." He was a bright and cheerful kid, with an enthusiasm that Ash admired and emulated.

Nodding to the boy, Ash looked down at Eevee. "You're up, pal." Eevee smiled back up at her trainer, making her way onto the dirt feel as Pikachu and Tyrunt offered up chirps of encouragement. Tyrunt had definitely gotten into the battles since Ash's match with Daisy, even if he was still only a spectator. He seemed to grow more enthusiastic about each next battle than the last.

A flash of light appeared on Ritchie's side of the field. Ash felt a twinge of surprise when a Pikachu emerged from the light.

This Pikachu looked a bit distinct from other members of the species, however. A scruff of fur was at the top of its head. Its mannerisms also felt quite different from his own Pikachu, a sharp glare in the opposing electric mouse's eyes as its tail erected and sparked with electricity. The look in his eyes seemed very analytical and focused, nothing like the cheerful and energetic Pokemon his Starter was.

On Ash's side of the field, Pikachu blinked in surprise while Tyrunt continuously looked between both yellow rodents in mild surprise. It wasn't the first time the baby had seen two members of the same species together at once, but he still wasn't used to it. The seemingly stark difference in personalities probably didn't help matters either.

Ritchie nodded towards his own Pikachu. "This is my partner, Sparky. He'll be my first for this battle."

Sparky, huh? So Ritchie nicknamed some of his Pokemon too.

Ash nodded back, looking down at Eevee as she tensed up in preparation. "Alright. Ready, Eevee?" at her stiff nod, he pointed forward. "Rush him with Swift!"

Eevee took off in a sprint, the golden stars erupting from her jaws as she closed in on Sparky.

Sparky's reaction, however, wasn't what Ash had expected it to be. Rather than attempt to dodge the shining projectiles or fight back with a ranged attack of his own, the opposing Pikachu coated his tail in metal and began twirling on his feet, almost like a top. As he advanced forward, the stars collided with his spinning body, only to be smacked to the side by the rotating Pikachu's tail. Eevee's eyes widened in surprise, and she did not have enough time to change course before the metal tail slapped her in the face, sending her rolling painfully across the dirt, which collected in her fur.

"Eevee!" Ash called out in surprise. He noted the bruise on her face as she picked herself up, and prepared to give her an order, only for Ritchie to beat him to the punch.

"Electroweb!"

With Eevee still in the midst of rising to her feet, Sparky leapt into the air and did a somersault as his tail crackled with lightning. As he completed his midair flip, the lightning shot off of his tail, expanding into the shape of a net as it descended towards Eevee, who scrambled to her feet and dashed away, the net sticking to the ground as it landed.

Ash had never heard of this move before. He'd have to read up on it later...

Sparky wasn't done, however, propelling himself downward towards Eevee as his tail became encased in metal. Eevee coated her own tail in metal, swinging it upwards to meet her opponent's strike. Her Iron Tail was imperfect, however, and although Sparky's own use of the move didn't seem to be as refined as Ash's Pikachu, it was still significantly more advanced than Eevee's, and he had much more momentum backing him up. As the two tails smashed into each other, Eevee felt a sharp jolt of pain from the impact as her body was pushed downwards.

"Good, now Thunderbolt!" Ritchie called out.

Ash grimaced. "Shadow Ball!" Eevee would get caught in the explosion, due to the close proximity between her and Sparky, but the damage that she suffered would be minimal due to her immunity to ghost type moves. A point-blank Thunderbolt was far less desirable.

Sparky's tail crackled with electricity as he built up power to execute his attack. As Eevee formed the orb of distorted energy in her jaws, a relieved Ash realised that Sparky was in a similar position that Pikachu was prior to their training for the Cerulean Gym: It still took him a while to charge up Thunderbolt.

That window of time provided Eevee with the opportunity that she needed to charge up her Shadow Ball and launch it point-blank in Sparky's face. The Pikachu catapulted through the air with a surprised scream as the impact from the explosion pushed Eevee further down, although she got up more quickly than her opponent did.

Sparky's fur was scorched, and his breathing was slightly heavier as he rose back up to his feet, his cheeks crackling with lightning. He had been caught off guard by the blow. Just a little more and he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength.

In comparison, Eevee seemed to be fairing fine, despite the blow to the face that she had took. That didn't mean that they could get comfortable, however.

"Thunder Wave!"

Ash was quick to respond to Ritchie's order. "Hit him with Quick Attack!"

As Sparky took a leap into the air and fired a bolt of lightning at Eevee, the evolution Pokemon blurred out of the way, coming at the Pikachu from the side as he landed on his feet, and driving herself headfirst into the electric mouse.

Ash's eyes followed Sparky as the Pikachu rapidly tumbled across the dirt, his own Pikachu and Tyrunt calling out to Eevee in encouragement. "Shadow Ball, point-blank!"

Eevee blurred ahead, the ball of distortion in her jaws as she prepared to finish Sparky with the attack. Adrenaline must have kicked in, however, as the Pikachu pushed himself up with unforeseen speed and sprang out of the way as the ball left Eevee's jaws.

"Thundershock, then Iron Tail!" "

Sparky maneuvered his way behind Eevee, cheeks crackling as he prepared to fire another lightning bolt at the quadruped. But Eevee turned around just as the attack launched, and a barrage of golden stars escaped her jaws, colliding with the electricity and kicking up a cloud of smoke.

Undeterred, Sparky blazed his way through the smoke, dashing with greater speed than before as the apparent adrenaline pumped through his body and propelled him forward towards his target. Eevee, however, already had her own Iron Tail ready as he prepared to strike her. Rather than meeting his superior iron Tail head on like before, she leapt overhead and brought the tail to the back of his head, sending him rolling through the dirt once more before he stopped in a sitting position, rubbing his head in pain as tears began to leak from his eyes.

Now Eevee rushed forward once more, another Shadow Ball in her jaws as she rapidly advanced towards her opponent, striking him in the back at point-blank.

"Sparky!" Ritchie's voice was anxious as the explosion sent his Pikachu flying off of the field. As he came to a stop, the Pikachu lay sprawled on his back, unconscious.

Pikachu and Tyrunt cheered as Ash pumped a fist in excitement, grinning at Eevee as she made her way back to their side of the field. She had a rather satisfied smile on her face, settling herself into a sitting position as she came to a stop at the boy's feet. She was briefly hesitant as Ash crouched down to pat her head, but eventually closed her eyes and took in his touch.

"That was great work, Eevee. You want to take a break for the next round?"

Consideration adorned Eevee's features as she tilted her head and mulled the question over, eventually nodding and making her way to her trainer's side where Pikachu and Tyrunt were. The two of them let out satisfied chirps that suggested that they were complimenting her, smiles on their faces as Eevee lightly nodded with a grin of her own, barking back cheeringly. Ash wasn't sure if she was thanking them or just taking pride in their praises. Sometimes he found himself wishing that he could speak the language…

As Ash rose back to his feet, his attention was brought back to Ritchie as the other boy clipped Sparky's Poke Ball back to his belt and replaced it with a new one. He seemed mildly dejected at first, but that expression soon disappeared, an impressed grin taking its place.

"Whew, good one there, Ash! Your Eevee is strong."

Ash couldn't help but admire the other boy's sportsmanship, smiling back. "Thanks. Your Pikachu seems pretty great, too. What was that Electroweb move?" he looked back to where the electric net had once been, only to see tha tit had fizzled out by now.

The boy perked up at the question. "It traps the opponent in a net made of electricity. Its great for slowing other Pokemon down or setting traps."

Ash nodded in acknowledgement. He wondered if he should have Pikachu learn the technique? Perhaps at some point, but there were some other things that he wanted the rodent to work on. He'd definitely put the move on the list, however. He'll have to choose between that and Agility for new moves to teach Pikachu…

"Anyway." his attention was once again brought back to Ritchie as the grinning boy held out his second Poke Ball. "I'll win this one, just you wait!"

In a flash of light, a Charmander appeared beside the boy. This one seemed pretty eager to fight, dancing in place and letting out cheerful, but impatient cries as Ritchie patted his head.

"He's pretty hyperactive." Ritchie" said in amusement before addressing his partner. "We're down one to nothing, Zippo. Think you can turn this around?" The Charmander, Zippo, nodded eagerly as Ash turned to his team.

"Pikachu, are you up for this?" he didn't have to ask twice, the mouse racing to the dirt field on all fours and calling out to Zippo in a competitive, yet good natured tone of voice as his cheeks crackled with lightning.

Tyrunt clapped his claws together happily, while Eevee had a somewhat exasperated grin on her face from the young mouse's antics. Nevertheless, she took a seat beside the baby dinosaur as the royal heir Pokemon attempted to converse with her.

"Careful, Pikachu." Ash knelt down to speak to his starter Pokemon. "Charmander can be pretty dangerous. This one probably packs a punch, so watch out for his fire. Try to outmaneuver him before attacking head on." Charmander were known for being spirited and powerful at a young age, the fire type Kanto starter often favored by trainers who wanted to start out with a Pokemon that was good for hyper-offensive tactics, allowing their teams to have at least one heavy hitter right off the bat. They also loved to battle, and, from the looks of things, Zippo was no exception.

Ash couldn't help but wonder if the tips that he often gave Pikachu were basically just different variations of "be faster than your opponent", but at this point, it usually seemed to be the best option. Pikachu's fighting style often revolved around taking advantage of his speed and momentum, utilizing his excessive maneuverability to his advantage. It made the boy worried that they weren't varied enough in their strategies, but unless he could come up with another way for Pikachu to fight with equal effectiveness, he wasn't sure what else to do apart from taking advantage of his starter's natural strong points.

And against this Charmander, speed and maneuverability would most likely be very useful. Depending on how powerful that Zippo was, a simple brawl might be too dangerous for Pikachu.

As Ash rose back to his feet, Ritchie took the initiative. "Dragon Breath!"

Rearing head back, Zippo opened his maw and belched out a stream of wind, coated with bluish-purple energy. As the young lizard's attack made its way to Pikachu, the rodent dashed to the side and lined himself up with the Charmander, prepared to charge headfirst into the fire type's side as Ritchie gave another order.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Smokescreen!"

As Pikachu bolted forward, Ash's Starter was blindsided when Zippo turned his body in his direction, exhaling a blast of black smoke from his throat. The dark cloud enveloped Pikachu, tears streaming down the rodent's now stinging eyes as his advancement slowed somewhat.

Although Pikachu continued to charge in what he knew to be Zippo's direction, he did not see the Charmander raising his claws, which now glowed with a bright, white aura. Just as Pikachu emerged from the cloud, the young lizard lashed out, striking at the young mouse with the Slash attack. As Pikachu's eyes (still in pain) widened in surprise, the electric rodent attempted to curve to the side to avoid the attack, but was still painfully grazed by the strike as a small cut appeared on his body.

As Pikachu came to a stop, turning his body to face the Charmander on all fours once more, the two combatants locked eyes for a brief instant, before Pikachu's body crackled with electricity.

Standing upright, Pikachu let out a cry as a Thunderbolt fired off from his body. As the blast of lightning was fired, Ritchie countered.

"Flame Burst!"

Once more Zippo reared his head back, before spewing out a large ball of flames that intercepted the lightning. As the two attacks clashed, however, the lightning pierced its way through the fiery orb, and, although weakened from the collision, continued making its way to the startled Zippo, who shrieked as the electricity assaulted his body.

As Ritchie hollered at his partner in concern, Ash pressed forward. It seemed that Zippo did pack some power behind his attacks, but Pikachu was still stronger after all. That was reassuring, but it didn't mean they could fight mindlessly.

"Static Tail!"

It was a combination that Ash had come up with shortly after the battle with Misty. Up until this point, they had neglected use of Thunder Wave, despite the Move's good versatility. Static Tail was a combo that worked exactly the same as Zap Tail, but with the more hindering electricity of Thunder Wave, rather than the more offensive-focused electricity that they had been using up until now. It didn't quite have the power of Zap Tail, but it was still a good offensive combination that could also inflict at least some level of paralysis on the opponent.

As Pikachu bolted forward, his now metal-coated tail became enveloped in the lightning of Thunder Wave. Just as Zippo shook off the shock from the weakened Thunderbolt, the lightning wielding, metal tail was thrust into the Charmander's gut, the young lizard feeling the air shoot out of his wide, open mouth as the electricity from the tail traveled along his body. The fire type was catapulted backwards, skidding across the dirt and nearly losing his footing as he felt his muscles beginning to tighten. A Ritchie shouted words of encouragement to the lizard, Zippo vehemently snarled through clenched teeth, angrily trying to fight through the static that was attempting to hinder his movements.

Ash was just about to issue a followup order when Zippo suddenly held his head high and roared to the clouds. Everybody blinked as his body began to flash, first briefly, and then, suddenly, the flash of light held, the Charmander's body becoming enveloped in white aura as he began to grow.

Pikachu took a few steps back as the light dissipated, revealing a Charmeleon in the Charmander's place. Zippo reared back and let out a mighty roar at the mouse, the electricity still on his body, but now being resisted significantly more.

Ash's mouth was open for a moment before he quickly shook his head, regaining his bearings as Ritchie beamed at his partner.

"Zippo! You've evolved! Congratulations!" The fire type turned his head and smiled at his trainer with a confident nod, and Ash's mind suddenly flashed back to Mt. Moon.

'Valient had evolved out of sheer determination back then, it almost seemed.' the boy thought to himself as he examined the newly evolved Charmeleon. 'Could Zippo have done something similar to that?' He knew that there was a fair amount of research that suggested that adrenaline could sometimes play a role in pushing an evolution is certain situations, even though it only real;y mattered if the Pokemon was already in a position where they were ready to evolve in the first place.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out as the young rodent eyed his newly evolved adversary with caution. "Be extra careful now. We don't know how much stronger he is!"

Still smiling, Ritchie called out to his partner. "Flame Burst!"

"Double Team!" Ash countered.

As Pikachu split into two, Zippo reared his head back and unleashed a bigger, yet significantly more condensed, orb of flames than before. It flew at a far greater speed as well. Evolution always came with a substantial boost in power, and this was no exception.

Both Pikachu and his copy rushed out of the blast's path, dodging in separate directions as the dirt exploded from the impact of the attack. Ash's vision was obscured for a moment as both Pikachu dashed for Zippo, coming from opposing sides as the real one prepared to attack.

Unfortunately, Zippo guessed correctly, and as Pikachu attempted to strike the Chameleon with a Zap Tail, his attack was met with an orange, glowing fist. Zippo's Brick Break collided with the lightning-coated iron Tail, and although the young lizard recoiled in pain from the static that shocked his fist, Pikachu's tail was deflected as he allowed his clone to fizzle out, the young mouse being sent backwards by the momentum of the Charmeloen's blow, but landing on all fours and skidding to a halt. The electric rodent hadn't felt any pain from the attack, and immediately sprung forward again, driving a Brick Break of his own into Zippo's gut just as the Charmeleon had recovered from the pain of the clash.

Staggering backwards, the Charmeleon clenched his gut, glaring at Pikachu for a moment before Ash's Starter took off into a sprint, circling around the fiery lizard as Zippo attempted to follow his movements.

"Smokescreen, cover yourself!" Ritchie ordered.

Zippo complied, firing a stream of smoke downwards and allowing it rise up and obscure him from view, but Pikachu had already reacted, leaping into the air as an Electro Ball charged up at the tip of his tail.

Before Ritchie or Zippo could react, the ball of lightning was flung in Zippo's direction, the Charmeleon shouting in pain as the attack collided with him, another explosion of dirt kicking up as Pikachu came down on the young lizard, coating his tail in metal to deliver a blow to the head that staggered the fiery lizard forward, before Zippo fell to his knees, fists pressed against the dirt.

Just as Pikachu prepared to close in for the finishing blow, however, Zippo bolted back up to his feet, a second surge of adrenaline pulsing through his body as he roared to the sky, a deep, crimson aura enveloping his body as his eyes flashed red, The crimson aura was outlined by a bright, orange light as the Charmeleon turned to glare furiously at the young mouse.

Charmeleon's ability, Blaze. It took hold when they had sustained heavy damage and were on their last reserves of energy, powering up their fire type moves with an astronomical boost.

Ash and Ritchie both took a few steps back for safety purposes, Ash ordering Eevee and Tyrunt to do the same. Nevertheless, Ash felt a surge of excitement rushing through him. One more decisive hit would probably do it, but the battle was also anybody's game with Zippo's second power boost in a row.

Ritchie seemed to be quite excited as well, grinning from ear to ear as he jumped off the ground just once before calling out to his fiery partner. "Rapid fire Flame Burst!"

"Double Team and Zap Tail!"

As Zippo reared his head back and opened his mouth, the orb of fire that formed from his jaws was much larger, and glowing a deep, dark red. The flaming ball rocketed out of the Charmeleon's mouth and towards the wide-eyed Pikachu, the heat felt by the young rodent even as it sailed in his direction.

Pikachu couldn't possibly hope to contend with the fiery blast heading towards him, but he thankfully didn't need to, splitting into two once more, he and his copy ran off in separate directions as the blast collided with the dirt where they once were. The wall of dirt that was blasted off of the ground from the impact of the explosion completely obscured Ash's view of the battlefield, the boy bracing himself as a rush of hot wind pushed against his body.

Pikachu and his copy once again closed in on Zippo, rushing the adrenaline-driven fire type Pokemon from opposite directions. Zippo chose wrong this time, however, and as he aimed a second Flame Burst at the copy and fired, Pikachu leapt up from behind, driving Zap Tail into the back of his head.

CRACK!

Just seconds after Zippo face planted into the dirt, a bruise on his head scorched with static, the aura around him dissipated, and he did not get up.

Fighting a dangerous opponent was stressful, but overcoming them was satisfying even moreso.

/

"Man, you were pretty strong out there, thanks for the battle." Ritchie complimented Ash, the two shaking hands after the other boy transferred the prize money to Ash's account.

"Thank you too." Ash nodded with a grin. "It was a great battle. And congratulations on your Charmander evolving."

Ritchie beamed. "It's felt like Zippo was ready for a while now!" he declared excitedly. "I just wasn't sure how to give him the final push. Thanks for that, too." as he glanced off to the side, he eyed Ash's team for a moment.

Pikachu and Eevee had been treated with potions, and Tyrunt was prodding at the evolution Pokemon in an effort to play with her while Pikachu watched from the side, seated on a rock. The quadruped seemed to be somewhat annoyed at being the target of the infant dinosaur's antics, and the expression on her face as she repeatedly moved around to avoid him suggested that she was constantly trying to remind herself that he was just a baby.

Ash watched his friends with mild amusement before Ritchie's voice brought his attention back to the other trainer. "So, do you and your team have any badges yet?" the other trainer asked curiously.

Ash smiled somewhat proudly at the question as he nodded. "We've got two. One from Pewter, and the second from Cerulean."

Ritchie started at that. "You have two already?! That's amazing!" he chuckled nervously. "Explains why I couldn't win. My team and I still don't have any." a blush appeared on his face. "I've actually been in the Cerulean area since the Season began. I felt like it was the best place to start, so I teleported over here. I've been training around the area, and have practiced camping out outside of the city, but I haven't really worked up the courage to challenge the gym yet." rubbing the back of his head, he looked to the ground with an embarrassed smile.

It made sense. All of the trainers that Ash had battled since leaving Cerulean had either just recently gotten their first badge or still didn't have any badges at all. They were still in the period of the Season where the majority of rookie trainers were still in the process of earning their first badges. Ash felt fairly impressed with himself and his team that they were ahead of the game in that department, but he knew he couldn't grow complacent. After all, Misty and her team had gotten their two badges just as fast as he and his team had.

Getting Gym badges wasn't a race (all that mattered was that you got them before the Conference), but even if it was, he knew he and his team weren't necessarily winning.

"The Cerulean Gym is really tough." Ash admitted in warning, while still trying to keep his voice reassuring. "But I'd recommend at least giving it a try soon. Even if you lose, you can gauge yourself from the battle, and it'll obviously be great if you win."

Ritchie grinned thankfully at that encouragement. "Thanks. I was hoping to take a shot at it soon, but I've just been putting it off." Suddenly, he perked up. "Hey… have you heard about the savage Pokemon trainer that lives in this area?"

Ash tilted his head as Eevee began growling at Tyrunt, who was still pursuing her as Pikachu prepared to step in if needed. "Savage Pokémon trainer? I don't think so…" he had known that a Researcher lived close by, but he knew nothing about this.

Ritchie crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah, apparently he's been camping out here since the Season started. He has his own arena and has been taking on any challengers who stop by. He's got this huge winning streak going on right now. Won every single match he's been in." he grinned shyly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually challenged him a few days ago, but I got beaten by a single Pokemon. He's the real deal." he lightly scratched his forehead. "But if you already have two badges… well, you'd obviously stand a much better chance than me."

Over to the side, Pikachu had gotten between Eevee and Tyrunt as Ash's eyes lit up in surprise. At the moment, the people he'd battled since leaving Cerulean were all good trainers, but none of them had given him a nail-biting match like Misty. But this savage trainer really sounded serious.

To think, somebody had gone over a month into the Season with nothing but victories to show for it. Ash honestly felt a little bit jealous about that, but it was just a reminder to never grow overconfident, even if he had gotten his badges faster than most.

"Do you know how to get to his camp from here?" he asked curiously.

Ritchie nodded, pointing off to the northeast. "He lives over there. Oh yeah, and he has a few exotic Pokemon too. Didn't even recognize them. Should have mentioned it before."

Ash adjusted his cap as a somewhat competitive grin made its way across his lips. "Thanks, Ritchie. I'll be sure to go check it out."

/

Eevee let out a determined battle cry as her metallic tail swung for Pikachu's own, the young mouse lifting an Iron Tail to intercept her attack.

Eevee's tail slammed against Pikachu's, the quadruped snarling through gritted teeth as she strained herself to push through her teammate's defenses. Pikachu pushed back against her, however, putting in enough effort to keep his tail in place before finally sending her briefly tumbling across the dirt, although she quickly righted herself back onto all fours.

Eevee had only just learned Iron Tail, and hadn't gone through the dedicated training that Pikachu had in order to fully master the move. Her usage of the move, while still capable, couldn't hold up against a Pokemon that had completely gotten a hold on such a technique, and so the superiority of Pikachu's version of the move over hers was very clear to Ash.

And clear to Eevee as well, if her envious expression was anything to go by. She didn't seem to have any real distaste for Pikachu, but seeing him do what she did, but better, likely stung, Ash imagined with sympathy. He was stronger, faster, and had better maneuverability than her. And his usage of Iron Tail easily outclassed her own.

Not that she was willing to accept it, of course, as she rushed her teammate once again. Ash and Tyrunt watched from off to the side as Pikachu skillfully parried her strikes, making somewhat elegant use of a move that was now borderline second nature to him, as Eevee continued to swing away with little rhyme or reason to speak of it.

Finally, Eevee's tail gave out, and Ash's face scrunched as her no longer metallic tail slammed into Pikachu's still fully metal coated tail, the Evolution Pokemon's eyes bulging, tears streaming down her face as she hopped around and attempted to nurse her now stubbed tail.

Ash got up from the rock he and Tyrunt were seated on and raced over to his friend, kneeling down and placing a calming hand on her head as she looked up at him tearfully.

"Don't overdo it, Eevee." she didn't resist as he pulled her into a light embrace, and he wasn't sure if her tearfully sniffs were out of pain or frustration.

Ash had asked Pikachu to spar with Eevee, in hopes of helping her get the hang of her new move. But Eevee seemed to be trying to escalate the training session into a competition. One that she sadly didn't seem to be ready for.

Pulling away, Ash kept his hands on his quadruped friend as he took up a sitting position and looked her in the eyes. Her face was calmer now, as was her gaze, but the lingering tears were still visible.

"Listen, Eevee." Ash tried to keep his voice calm. Comforting his teammates was still pretty new to him, and he was always worried that he'd screw up whenever he needed to do it. But he meant everything he said to them, nonetheless. A trainer didn't earn the trust of their Pokemon with empty platitudes, after all. "I know you want to get stronger, but that's why I want Pikachu to help you." as she looked back at the mouse, he nodded at her. "I know he's better at the move than you are right now," he frowned as her face scrunched up. "B-but," he started. "That's why he's your best training partner right now!" he bit back his tongue after realizing how frantic his tone of voice sounded. "...Look… you two are on the same team, right? And you know Pikachu has your best interests at heart…" he looked over to his stater, who was watching them silently, the electric mouse trying to mask his frown as Eevee eyed him carefully. "You'll get better eventually. Pikachu is only the way he is right now because of how hard he trained back in Pewter. You can be the same, I promise."

Ash knew that the two of them got along fairly well. Not as much as Pikachu and Nebula, and Eevee seemed to be a bit more attached to Valiant, but they certainly seemed to be friends.

Sighing a bit, Eevee looked back up at her trainer and nodded. Offering a nod of his own in return, Ash made eye contact with her and tried to keep his face even. "Good… do you want to try again? Calmly this time…"

After a few seconds of pondering, Eevee nodded back before making her way over to Pikachu. She spared the young rodent an apologetic nod and sank into a stance.

/

The camp was fairly big, at least by what Ash was used to. But the boy knew that it made sense, given that the apparent savage trainer was staying in these parts indefinitely.

A fairly large hut had been set up at the edge of the woods, overlooking the nearby sea. A large sign with the letters "AJ" carved on the top of the hut.

As Ash made his way up to the steps leading to the building, he grinned at the sight of a seemingly man-made battlefield at the end of a smaller staircase. Ash doubted that this was all built by one person, but it seemed fairly high standard for something unofficial. Whoever the savage trainer was seemed to have a talent for construction.

As Pikachu, Eevee, and Tyrunt observed the structures in front of them, a rough voice broke Ash out of his thoughts.

"Are you my next victim?"

The group turned to see a stockily built boy with spiky, dark-green hair making his way to the top of the steps behind them. A large backpack was strapped to his shoulders, and Ash couldn't help but gulp at the thought of carrying around something of that size.

As the boy stopped in front of him, Ash almost took a step back, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as the newcomer looked him over. He stood just over a head taller than the young rookie, and seemed to be at least a couple years older. The look in his eyes as he locked gazes with Ash was fierce, almost warrior-like.

Unable to suppress his gulp, Ash tried to regain his bearings as quickly as possible, making an attempt to sharpen his gaze as he addressed the intimidating newcomer.

"So… you're the trainer I've heard about? Who trains savage Pokemon?"

Crossing his arms, the other boy offered Ash a confirming nod, not dropping his scrutinizing expression as he pointed his thumb to his chest.

"That's right, the name's A.J. and I run the place around these parts." turning his head to Ash's team, who were watching the exchange silently, he paused for a moment before turning his gaze back to Ash and continuing. "I take it you're a new challenger."

"Yes." Ash nodded. "My name's Ash. I heard you've had a winning streak since the Season began, right?"

A.J. allowed a prideful grin to accompany his features as he nodded in response. "Of course I do. Ninety eight wins straight for the time being."

Ash couldn't hide the pale complexion that spread over his face at the casual declaration. He supposed he should've expected a big number, given that this has been since the Season first started, but the reality was finally starting to sink in. It was somewhat exciting, although he wasn't liking their odds.

Turning his back to the rookie and looking towards the battlefield, A.J. turned his head to glance at Ash. "What about you? Think you're worth my time? The last ten matches or so haven't exactly been fulfilling. I've been going through the motions more than I care to admit."

Crossing his arms, Ash tried to sound bold as he responded. "Ten wins in a row. Since leaving Cerulean City." he knew it wasn't exactly a big feat standing next to this A.J. guy, but hopefully it will at least draw his attention.

Putting a finger to his chin, A.J. seemed to mull it over before giving an answer. "Hmmm… you'll do I guess." straightening himself, he nodded in Ash's direction before turning to face him once more. "The plan is to get a hundred wins in a row before I start traveling. It won't mean much if it's from a bunch of chumps who don't even know how to fight. The appeal of Cerulean is that its rookie-friendly nature makes it easier for beginners to improve and get started out, but I'm starting to think the rookies around this place have gotten a little too comfortable with their precious safe haven." turning back around and making his way to the other side of the battlefield (which also had a set of steps leading up to it) he called out to Ash. "Go on ahead and take your position, kid. We'll have a three-on-three battle." His tone of voice made it fairly clear that it wasn't a mere suggestion.

Turning to his team, Ash noted the eager expressions on Pikachu and Tyrunt's faces, although Eevee seemed to be hesitant. She definitely wasn't as keen to charge into a challenge as his starter was, and Tyrunt was just happy to be there to witness it.

Ash didn't mind if she preferred to sit this one out. Making his way to the trio, he crouched down to speak with them quickly.

"Pikachu, I take it you're up for this?" The determined smile that accompanied the young mouse's nod was the only answer the boy needed. Smiling at his Starter, Ash took a look at Eevee and patted her head. "I won't force you into it, don't worry. Do you still want to stay out and watch?" at her nod, Ash nodded back in thanks before looking over to Tyrunt. "Pay close attention, okay little buddy? This'll probably be our first big match since Misty." the dinosaur nodded eagerly at that.