Rewrote this chapter, hope you all like it.

Author's note: I found a massive MISTAKE right near the start of the first chapter! I'm honestly surprised no one called me out on it. Sometimes I wish I had a beta reader! *sigh*

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor do I profit from it.

XXX

What began as high winds and a smattering of rain was steadily building into one of the worst storms Kanto Region has seen in a generation. The wind wasn't just howling, it was screaming for the region to hear. The rain was pouring in a torrential waterfall, hard and merciless. The trees did not sway, they creak, bend and moan as their limbs are ripped away and their autumn leaves become nothing like confetti, but more like ammunition in the gale.

Residents huddling in their houses, which are meant to be warm places of shelter to wait out storms now, become vulnerable agglomerations of wood, metal and stone. There is nothing the Kanto residents can do as they wait out Zapdos's fury, knowing better than to challenge the Kanto's region God of Storms.

8 year old Ash Ketchum watched with wide eyes out the window as lightning split the sky open, right as thunder shook the earth. He had a funny ache in his chest as if something bad was going to happen tonight, something to do with the storm.

He watched as a bright yellow beam cut across town from the beach, as different colored attacks answered in return. He knew what he was watching, a Pokemon battle. He wondered who would be battling in the middle of such a fierce storm.

A roar of rage could be heard briefly over the high-pitched winds of the storm as more multi-colored attacks were fired towards the beach. Ash watched transfixed as multiple beams of yellow light were launched back in reply, his eyes widening as he flinched back from the light that was heading straight for him. He tripped as he stumbled backwards as he raised his arms to try and fend of the inevitable, just as the yellow light was right in front of him when-

Ash woke with a cry, his breathing heavy and his eyes wide as he landed onto his bedroom floor. He slowly pushed himself up off the floor and sat on the edge of his bed to wait for his breathing to regulate. He glanced at the clock and found a scowl crossing his face as it was still early morning.

Ash let out a breath as he got up reluctantly to start his day, first up was exercise. He grabbed his wallet and lightly jogged towards the small florist shop on the other side of Pallet town. He brought his usual 2 flowers: Aloe which meant grief and Rosemary, which meant remembrance.

He then jogged back to his house and sat them upon the grave which rested below a large Oak tree. Ash's eyes slid over the grave marker without reading it, he knew if he read it again, he would sit there for hours staring at his mother's grave. Something today of all days he couldn't do, no matter how much he wanted to.

After his shower and putting on his clothes, he glanced at himself in the mirror, his Black shaggy hair which hung down to slightly cover his dep indigo eyes was as messy as always. He was wearing black jeans and black combat boots with an emerald green shirt with black edges. His Silver jacket was on and unzipped and his black scarf covered from his nose down to his chest.

Ash stroked his scarf lightly, wondering if he should bring it with him or not. It was the last present his mother had given him, but that went both ways. He shrugged and he watched as his reflection shrugged to.

He double checked his Storage bag, making sure everything packed and ready for his travels. He had plenty of non-perishable food and a Master-bottle, which could hold a lot more water than any normal drink bottle. He had his sleeping bag and fire starter kit. He grimaced. He knew he was just procrastinating at having to see the Oaks, both the Professor and Gary.

He shook his head, he knew he was ready. He had been preparing for his journey for 4 years now. At 10 years old, he could have left but decided not to, now he was 12 and had decided to leave. He had passed all of the necessary tests at 10, along with the survival and had obtained his Pokemon License just last month.

Ash sat at his table and ate what could be his last meal here as he looked around, trying to not let himself cry. He needed to get his mind of leaving, so he decided to think about what starter he might get. Maybe one of the powerhouse starters of Kanto would be good, Charmander, the Fire type starter, it eventually evolved into the pseudo-dragon type Charizard if treated right, Charizard and its line were all out offensive types. Squirtle, the Water type starter, it evolved into the hulking form of Blastoise, who was a good mixture of Offense and Defense. Bulbasaur, the Grass type starter, it evolved into the defensive powerhouse of Venasaur, which, when fully grown, could withstand nearly any attack.

Even if he didn't get one of the powerhouse starters, there was a few more he could get. The Nidoran lines were good starters, same with the Growlithe line. All starters were considered loyal Pokemon once their trainers had gained their trust, which was why they were perfect for beginner trainers like him.

He strolled through Pallet town at his own pace, taking in the town one last time before he left. It was a small community of trustworthy people who supported each other and always helped each other out. But no matter where you were throughout the town, you could always see the famous Oak Lab sitting at the top of the hill, just in front of Professor Oak's huge Pokemon ranch.

That was where he was heading, but it was also the place he wanted to avoid the most. After the tragedy four years ago, Professor Oak had gotten his lab rebuilt. It was a lot better than the previous one, with more protective measures and even a safety bunker. Ash always felt lingering resentment at the Professor, maybe if his previous lab had those protections, maybe his mom…maybe his mom mightn't have died.

He never let the resentment show on his face, but he had guessed Professor Oak could sense it. The pitying looks had stopped after he had blown up at a random well-wisher, who had come to pay his respects.

Just as he reached the Lab, he noticed the 3 other people standing outside the closed doors. He and Gary studiously ignored each other. Everything that had needed to be said was said 2 years ago in their massive brawl. It hadn't ended well, and it had ruined their friendship forever. But he knew it had been coming for some time, he and Gary just didn't get along.

He nodded politely towards the other 2, he didn't recognize them, but that didn't surprise him. Except for his morning runs and his treks into the surrounding wilderness to hunt, he was a shut in. He loved tracking Pokemon through the wilderness, although it was risky.

After waiting around for another 10 minutes, the doors finally opened. Both him and Gary breathed sighs of relief, and then shot each other looks. They both knew what was coming. The battle that would start their rivalry would happen in just a few minutes.

One of the composed aids waved them through, gesturing for them to walk down the hall. Ash hadn't been here since it had been rebuilt, and was taking in everything that had changed. There were bigger and more advanced machines measuring all sorts of things that he didn't recognize. One machine was incubating several different colored Pokemon eggs and another was scanning a female Nidoran.

Finally they came upon Professor Oak in all his glory: he wore a white knee length lab coat and had 6 Pokeballs strapped to his belt. His greying hair was messily combed and he was smiling at them. Ash still avoided his gaze though, looking to the side at some machines.

"Welcome, now today is a very busy day so we must get straight to it. These for Pokeballs contain your starter Pokemon. There is a fire type, water type, grass type and an electric type. Please discuss amongst yourselves who should go first and so on" Oak stated, we all turned to each other. Ash gestured for Gary to go first who gave a triumphant smirk as the other 2 shrugged. He knew Gary would've pushed to be first anyway, since it was Oaks lab.

Gary stepped forward and grabbed the water type starter. The other 2 chose the Grass and Electric starters, and just as Ash's hand was about to grab the fire type starter, running footsteps came from behind them. Ash turned around and saw another kid running towards them.

"I'm not late am I? Oh is that my Pokemon? Awesome! Thanks Professor Oak, you're awesome! Oh wow I have my first Pokemon, this is awesome!" the kid exclaimed as he grabbed the fire type starter and the Pokeball instantly locked into his fingerprint. Ash felt his eyebrow twitch as Gary started laughing.

"Don't worry Ash. I'm sure I have another around here somewhere. Now, you five listen up. I'm sure you already know this, but I will repeat myself again. The Pokemon world is a dangerous place, 50 percent of all beginner trainers die before there 3rd gym badge, from starvation, Pokemon attacks or dehydration. Even Pokemon hoarders sometimes contribute to that statistic. You have all passed the required courses and have some of the brightest minds of this new generation. I am proud to say I wish you luck on your Journey" Oak said with a blinding smile.

The other 4 all said their goodbyes and rushed out, Gary ignoring his Grandpa's calls to wait. Ash sighed, the one thing he didn't want to happen, to be alone with Professor Oak. Ash turned back around and found the Professor scrutinizing him.

"You know Ash, you'll probably be the best trainer out of this group" Oak said quietly. Ash found himself jumping in surprise. He gave the Professor a shrug and spoke quietly.

"Even Gary Professor" Ash asked, he did wonder what this conversation was going to be about. All he wanted was a starter Pokemon so he could begin his journey.

"Yes Ash, you'll be better than Gary. I may be his family, but even I am not blind to Gary's faults. I just hope he grows out of them or he may find his journey very hard indeed. Now I wish to apologise for not having the required number of starters ready, but a pair of Nidoran ran off and mated".

Ash gave a laugh at that, it would be just like them. Nidoran were mischievous Pokemon until their evolved. Ash felt his eyebrows scrunching up as thought, did that mean there wasn't a Pokemon to begin with, and a fierce scowl crossed his face, now he had to wait.

"Now don't worry Ash, I'm sure another Regions Professor might have a leftover Pokemon. If worst comes to worst, I'll give you a younger Pokemon. I'm sure you'd do fine training it". Ash couldn't help the small smile that flicked across his face, not that Oak could see it, as his mouth was hidden behind his scarf.

Even if Ash disliked Professor Oak somewhat, nobody could discount that the Professor was an amazing Pokemon Trainer. Being complimented by someone like that was sure boosting his ego.

The Professor gestured for him to follow as he led Ash over to the huge computer and its screen. Oak typed for a few minutes before a ringing sound came from the Computer before Oak answered the call.

4 faces appeared on the screen, and Ash recognized all of them. It was the other regions premier Professor's. Ash was stunned for a moment. Professor Oak had some serious contacts.

"Greetings to my fellow Professor's, I'm sorry about calling so late or early respectively, but I have come across a problem. I had a trainer come in late today, and due to some unforeseen circumstances involving Nidoran running off, a trainer who was here early didn't get a starter Pokemon. I was calling to see if any of you had a starter you hadn't given out to give him. This here is Ash Ketchum" Oak said.

Ash winced at the mention of his name, but pulled down his scarf and gave the professors a small smile. It wouldn't be a good idea to get on any of these peoples shit list, especially as he might travel to their regions.

"Hello" Ash said quietly. All of the Professors were watching him before a cry and Professor Birch disappeared from the screen. A Ralts head popped up and the entire group of Professor's gasped.

"Shiny" whispered Professor Juniper. The Ralts, which Ash now knew to be a shiny Pokemon waved and Ash couldn't help it, he burst out laughing and waved back. 'Ralts' chirped the Ralts to the group.

Professor Birch came back and let Ralts sit on his lap.

"I'm Sorry Samuel, but I'm all out for this season. Unless the boy wants a Bidoof, there is always plenty of those around" laughed Professor Rowan as Professor Oak shook his head and whispered to Ash.

"It's basically a Rattata" Ash shuddered, Rattata were pest Pokemon and most trainers wished they didn't exist, you couldn't even eat them. Professor Juniper spoke up next.

"I also apologize, I also have none left. I had a good batch of trainers this year and I know they'll do me proud". Then Professor Elm spoke up with a grim expression.

"I did have one starter left over, it was also one of the powerhouses of Johto, but it was stolen early last night. We still haven't caught the culprit, but I have some of my best on his tracks. I'm sorry Ash". Ash just nodded, it seems his streak of bad luck was continuing.

Professor Birch was the only one who hadn't spoken yet, but he had a thoughtful look on his face. All of the Professors were now staring at him along with Ash.

"I also don't have any starters left. All 4 were given and received quite happily. I'm also sorry Ash but I do have a question for Samuel here" Ash's shoulders slumped at the response. 'Ralts' Ralts chirped once again drawing a small smile from Ash.

"How would you rate young Ash there in potential" Asked Professor Birch. Ash shot his head up to stare at the Professor as Professor Oak gave a thoughtful hum. Ash found himself praying to any Pokemon God that would listen to let him get a Pokemon.

"Quite high, a potential 10, but at the moment, a 5" Spoke Oak, Professor Birch just gave a thoughtful hum. Then spoke to Ash directly.

"Ash, how would you like to take Ralt's here as your starter Pokemon" Ash jumped at the chance, he nodded his head rapidly. He didn't mind receiving a non-starter. He could work with nearly any Pokemon except Gyarados or magikarp.

"Now, you all know this Ralt's is quite special already, it having the genetic quirk that made it a shiny Pokemon. What you don't know is this Ralts came from a very special Gardevoir. I have been doing numerous studies into a Pokemon's habitats and how it affects the Pokemon themselves. In all my years of study, I have only come across it twice, I call it 'King's Nature'" said Professor Birch. He was quite serious and all the other Professors were mirroring him. Ash just found himself confused but he was paying attention anyway, this might become important later on.

"A Pokemon has the same exact chance to gain this 'King's nature' as they do to become a shiny. 1 in 8192, and yet I've only seen it twice. If we could actually study this new gene, it could mean numerous breakthroughs for Pokemon research. Each Pokemon species all have this gene, as they all become the same color if there shiny. King's nature as two aspects and a Pokemon may receive either one, or the other. There has been a folk tale of a Pokemon having both aspects but ill digress and continue to explain" They all waited as Professor Birch had a drink that was levitated by Ralts to him and he thanked the Ralts by stroking its hair.

"The two aspects of 'King's Nature' are called Power and mind. It is quite obvious but I'll still explain it. A pokemon with the power aspect would have a body that is double the size of any other Pokemon of that species, imagine a 40 foot long Gyarados or a 12 foot tall Aggron. They would be unstoppable; they would be near literal forces of nature. Pokemon with the Mind aspect of 'King's nature' gain an increase over their inner abilities. Imagine a Charizard that has had its inner flame size doubled or even tripled. Once again, it would be nearly unstoppable" Ash's eyes had become glazed over as he thought about an unstoppable Charizard; it would be every Pokemon trainers dream. The Professors were the same; the potential of this pokemon was amazing. Birch continued on, drawing everyone's attention.

"This Ralts here is the son of such a Pokemon, a Gardevoir who had the mind aspect. Gardevoir was hunted to the end of the earth and excluding itself, this Ralts is the strongest Psychic type we have ever recorded for its age excluding some legendary's. It has inherited some or most of its mother's power. I want Ash to take it on a Journey". Ash didn't waste his chance.

"I accept. I would love to have Ralt's along. I'm sure we will become great partners" Ash smiled as Ralts chirped its name once again.

"Good, Samuel, I'll send it over through the PC system. I wish you luck Ash" and the call cut out, all the other Professors said their goodbyes distractedly, deep in thought. Only 3 minutes of waiting and Ash was holding a Great ball in his hand, inside his starter Pokemon.

"Ash, before you leave. Here are 5 Pokeballs and a Pokedex, I was going to give it to Gary but he ran off, I'll send him another after I've prepared it. You have your trainer ID and your bank account. I think you're ready, just remember your training and don't lose your head. Take good care of Ralts, it's a very special Pokemon" Said Professor Oak sincerely.

Ash swallowed, Professor Oak, even after everything Ash had screamed at him years before was still so caring. He had been like a Grandpa once, and right now, Ash felt like he was 8 years old again playing with Growlithe pups as Professor Oak watched over him because his Mom was working.

Ash nodded and turned around and walked out of the lab. It was time to start his journey. Watch out Kanto, he was coming.

XXX

An hour of walking towards Viridian and Ash decided it was time to meet his starter properly. Ash pressed the release button on the Great ball ignoring the other functions for a moment. A brief flash of red and there Ralts stood.

"Hi Ralts" Ash spoke softly as Ralts looked around taking in their surroundings. They were standing just at the edge of the path. They could clearly see a river in the distance along with a small run down cottage situated next to it.

Ash decided this was a prime opportunity to become more acquainted with his starter. The best way to do that was to share everything about himself to Ralts. Hopefully this would start the bond of friendship between them.

"Let's talk" Ash spent the next 30 minutes talking to Ralts about his life and what his future goals were. What Pokemon he might want to catch and his ideas about training. Eventually Ash decided to scan Ralts with his newly acquired Pokedex.

"Ralts" spoke a female voice "The Feeling Pokemon, Ralts is a humanoid Pokemon with a white body. It had thin arms and legs that widen towards the feet. There is a wispy extension trailing off the back of its feet, creating the overall impression that it is wearing an oversized dress. It uses its 2 horns to sense emotion of the Pokemon and people around it. Ralts are a dual type of Psychic and Fairy type. This Ralts has the Ability Trace. This Ralts has the move set of Growl, Confusion, Double team and Teleport. It knows the move Shadow Sneak, which is its egg move. This Ralts is male and shiny, recording Shiny data".

Ash gave a thoughtful hum as Ralts poked the Pokedex in his hand, Shadow sneak was a dark type move, and it was rare that a Psychic type would have it as an egg move. It must have had a dark type or Ghost type as its father.

Well the first thing they had to do was train. To work on the moves Ralts knows and start learning new moves. Ash checked his Pokedex and came up with a list of moves Ralts needed to learn before the first gym. Thankfully it was a small list consisting of Magical leaf, Heal pulse and Draining Kiss. All 3 moves would become helpful, Draining Kiss to keep Ralts going, Heal Pulse for any future teammates they may get and Magical Leaf as an attacking move that wasn't a Psychic move. His Pokedex had plenty of training methods to train a Psychic type and ash knew he would be using at least some of them.

After 3 hours of hard training, Ash decided it was time for a rest. Ralts teleported onto Ash's shoulders and fell asleep quickly. Ash found himself feeling the best he had in years, he knew why of course. He was finally free of the town where every glance around reminded him of his mother's death and now he had a proper friend.

The walk to Viridian from Pallet town was usually 2 days if there were no interruptions. Ash and Ralts got there after 3 days, because of all the extra training they did. They didn't battle any wild Pokemon, and there were no trainers, they just worked on Ralts move set and learning new moves while Ash did small exercises to keep fit.

Ralt's Confusion attack was gaining strength with each training session, as Ralts would use it to lift heavier and heavier objects. Growl and Teleport didn't need any training, as they were simple moves. Double team had been improved. Ralts had gone from making only a single copy of him to making 4 copies.

Viridian was triple the size of Pallet town. It had a Hotel and a few restaurants and an extra-large Pokemon center. It was where all the new trainers would start of that year's season, including Ash. It was also the city that sheltered the Indigo league starting position. The top 8 trainers of that year's battle conference would start from Viridian and make their way to the Elite four, through Victory Road. Victory road was hell on earth, only the strongest would make it through, sometimes some trainers never even made it out.

While preparing for his journey, Ash had never considered he wouldn't be starting off with a Kanto starter. Now each night before he went to sleep, he went over other regions Pokemon on his Pokedex with Ralts staring over his shoulder. If he wanted to fulfil his dream, he needed to be able to identify different Pokemon by sight alone and come up with battle strategies on the spot.

The Pokedex was a miniature phone like device. It was about the size of a book. It had several controls on the inside after you flipped it open. It had a 3 inch by 6 inch screen that was touch-controlled. The front of the device had the Pokemon scanner on it, which tripled as a camera and video phone.

Both Ash and Ralts like reading up on the Ralts evolution line. Ash researched what signs to look for when a Ralts was starting to evolve into a Kirlia, and since Ralts was male, how to evolve him into a Gallade if Ralts made that choice. Both Gardevoir and Gallade were excellent Pokemon, though Gallade were rare because of how rare the stone needed to evolve them was. Ralts had remained undecided if it wanted to become a Gallade or a Gardevoir.

As they walked in to the Pokemon center, Ash couldn't help but look around excitedly. The interior was mainly white with red walls and other small splashes of color. Nurse Joy, a pretty pink haired lady was behind the front counter with her Chansey.

"Hi, welcome to Viridian City's Pokemon center. How may I help you today" asked Nurse Joy to Ash. Ash didn't want to stay in the city. He just wanted to get a move on. So he only handed over Ralts Pokeball to get him checked up and healed.

Pokemon centers not only acted as Pokemon hospitals, but also as free hotels for trainers. The rooms were bare and not very fancy, but anything felt good after weeks of travel and sleeping on the hard ground. Of course, this was only if you could prove you were a league registered trainer. All you needed was some form of Identification, like League ID or a Pokedex.

While waiting for Ralts to be checked, he signed up for this year's Indigo Battle Conference. He had to log on with his League ID and pay a small fine to enter. This would allow him to enter this year's IBC (Indigo Battle Conference) if he got the required number of badges. It would also allow him to enter any League sponsored tournament he found when travelling.

After having a quick shower in a spare room, he grabbed a fully replenished Ralts and headed off towards Viridian Forest. The first test for beginner trainers, Viridian Forest was a week's walk to the other side and filled with numerous Pokemon, which were mainly bug type Pokemon. The only bug type he had any interest in catching was Scyther, which wasn't native to this part of Kanto.

It was only hours walk to the forest just as it started getting dark. Ash decided it would be better to camp outside the forest as much as possible due to Ralts not being very strong against Bug types. The week long journey was only if you didn't get lost, which most trainers did. It was a maze of trees, high grass and bug types. Since there were so many bug types, it was a feasting ground for flying types. It was also good for trainers who liked to hunt like Ash, if you could get hold of rare Pokemon parts legally, you could sell them to the Market guild in each town. You needed Photo proof to sell any items you gain, and if you didn't have photo proof, you were instantly arrested and fined.

That first night sleeping next to the forest was nerve wracking. Ash wasn't even in the forest yet, and he could already feel numerous eyes watching him. The next day dawned and Ash and Ralts started off early. They had taken 13 steps into the forest when they were challenged to a battle.

"Hey Trainer, lets battle!" shouted a youngster. Youngsters were a class of kids under 10 who were Pokemon experts, but were only allowed 2 Pokemon. Ash had nearly decided to become a Youngster, but you needed to pay a lot of money to become one, not only that but they had severe restrictions until they reached the proper journey age.

"Fine" Ash replied. He had spent many nights crafting his battle persona. He was cold, closed off and didn't talk much. It was to ward of any people who wanted to talk to him. He was briefly well known around the region after his mother had died, it had been all over the news. It grated on him, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it.

Ralts teleported down in front of him as the Youngster sent out a Rattata. Ash couldn't help snorting quietly, Rattata were a pest and a weak one at that, its evolution were stronger, but just as easy to deal with as long as you could out maneuver it and it didn't get its jaws on your Pokemon.

"Rattata, quick attack" called out the Youngster. Ash responded with Teleport and the battle was on. Unfortunately, as their first battle, it was very underwhelming. A Confusion that slammed the Rattata brutally into a tree ended the battle. The Rattata was heavily injured; the Youngster quickly paid his money and ran towards Viridian. Ash just sighed. He wanted a tougher opponent for his first battle.

XXX

It was the second night of staying in the forest and they had only encountered a few brave Pidgey that weren't Bug type Pokemon and looking for a battle. They had been chased off pretty easy due to their smash-into-the-ground tactic Ralts was starting to favour. They tried to stay away from Area's that may contain an excess of Bug type Pokemon.

It was nearly time to head to sleep when a loud squawk echoed throughout the forest. Anyone who had ever heard a Pidgeys cry would know instantly that the Squawk had originated from one of Pidgeys evolutionary line.

A quick Word to Ralts and he was running through the forest with Ralts tucked into his Pokeball. Ash was basically running blind; relying on his hearing more than anything else from the squawking was coming from. Finally after what felt like 10 minutes of sprinting Ash finally arrived at the edge of a clearing. Loud buzzing was coming from one end which contained 3 enraged Beedrill, who were protecting 2 small weedle, both who were slightly injured.

At the other end of the clearing was a big Pidgeotto, protecting 3 young Pidgey that had tried hunting on their own, and had partially succeeded due to the dead Weedle they were picking at.

The Pidgeotto fired off a Gust attack which all 3 Beedrill dodged before returning fire with a Twineedle attack. 2 of the Beedrill carried the Weedle back into the safety of the forest, while the 3 baby Pidgey flew off.

Ash watched as the 2 Pokemon traded attacks, but it was clear the Pidgeotto was winning, until Ash watched it get poisoned by a poison sting attack. The Beedrill fell to ground dead due to a brutal peck attack that obliterated its small head, but the Pidgeotto landed heavily as well.

Ash knew he couldn't leave it here to die helpless and crept forward quietly while taking out an Antidote.

Ash sprayed the Antidote on the injured bird Pokemon just as it swung its head around and stared at him. Ash was stared at for what felt like weeks and until the bird gently nudged him with its beak as a thank you and flew off shakily.

Ash knew he would be dreaming of this amazing experience. Usually Pidgeotto were very territorial and didn't let anyone get close to them. This Pidgeotto was different. Ash berated himself for not catching it while he had the chance. All he was thinking about was helping it, pretty stupid of himself that was sure.

Ash didn't mind though, battling may be becoming his new passion, but Pokemon themselves would always be hold his spirit.

The next morning was filled with more battling, but against other trainers who seemed to be in larger groups the further you went in, travelling in clusters and challenging other groups. Ash thought this was a prime opportunity.

Ash was standing in the middle of a clearing, which also held a few other people, all who were Pokemon battling.

"Ralts, use disarming voice, then confusion" Ash said, Ralt's target was a Sandshrew. The Sandshrew fired several Poison sting attacks from its mouth that forced Ralts to teleport to dodge them. Luckily teleport used nearly next to no energy when teleporting small distances, like around inside the clearing.

Ash watched as Ralts used disarming voice on the Sandshrew, it did some good damage. It also caused the ground type Pokemon to curl up into a ball, which made it a perfect target for Confusion. Ralts than used Confusion to bounce the Sandshrew off the ground until it fainted, Ash smiled, not that anyone could see it, but he was sure Ralts picked up on his emotions. He was really starting to love battling.

Ash found himself immediately challenged to another battle, which he accepted, the more battles the stronger Ralts would get. This battle was against a trainer with a Beedrill, which was a bit harder but they won.

The next week and a half was filled with intense training, numerous battles, both easy and hard and running away from swarms of Beedrill. The forest was filled with this year's new trainers, all trying to get to Pewter city. Ash could barely walk 20 steps without getting challenged by another trainer. The forest was also filled with a lot of Bug type trainers, all of which Ash and Ralts had trouble against, but they prevailed and hadn't lost a single battle.

Running away from Beedrill swarms was a totally different matter. The stupid Beedrill kept thinking Ralts blue hair was an Oran Berry and so when it started moving away from them, they would chase it thinking something was stealing their food. Eventually, Ash had to start moving around with Ralts in his Pokeball, as they got into the deeper parts of the forest.

As they finally exited the forest, Ash was startled when a sword was shoved in front of him. Ash flinched back to protect himself as Ralts popped out of its Pokeball. A blue sheen of Psychic power covered the sword and flung it away. A different yelp was heard this time as a young kid dressed in plastic Samurai armor was being hung by his foot from Ralts confusion.

"Did you want to injure me you stupid kid, do you know how dangerous that sword is, it could have really freaking hurt me" Ash snarled at him. The kid looked close to tears as he tried to blubber out some story of 'testing him'.

"Ralts, drop him. We'll decimate him in a Pokemon battle". The kid landed on his back and shoulders, but he was up instantly, an angry look on his face. The kid threw a Pokeball that bounced and released a Pinsir.

Ash aimed his Pokedex at it, "Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokemon – It grips its prey with its large pincers until it is torn in half. What it can't tear it will toss far". Pinsir looked exactly what it sounded like, an ugly overly large beetle with 2 huge pincers, or a big ugly bug that Ralts was going to crush. The Pinsir screeched it battle cry and rushed towards Ralts.

"Go Pinsir! Use Tackle, if it dodges, chase after it and Tackle it" the kid commanded. Ash frowned at the simple commands. The Samurai kid looked a little younger than him and should've been able to make better use of his Pokemon, especially one that looked as bloodthirsty as it sounded.

Pinsir was closing in when Ralts made its move, Ash didn't even bother to help. He knew Ralts had this easily. Just as Pinsir was about to grab it, Ralts used teleport and appeared instantly behind it, Ralts than used confusion to basically shove the Pinsir forward straight into a tree.

The Pinsir was up instantly, but it seemed confused, Perfect, Ralts teleported again and used Magical Leaf. It wasn't very effective against a Bug type Pokemon, and Ash didn't expect it to knock out the Pinsir but it did. That Pokemon seriously must have been weak.

Ash didn't even both collecting his money, he just walked away. Ralts teleported straight onto his backup and started meditating, something Ralts seemed to do as much as possible.

XXX

Ash breathed a huge sigh of relief at finally being out of that damn forest. The battling inside the forest was amazing, but it had cost him almost all his supplies to keep Ralts and himself healthy and fed. Ash hadn't found another Pokemon for his team, and which was slightly disappointing but nothing inside there had screamed to him 'Catch me'.

But they had finally made it, Pewter city. Ash could already see the Pokemon Centre from where he was standing, a quick murmur to Ralts and they were teleported directly in front of it.

Ash walked in and smiled, not that anyone could see it. Air conditioning was heaven, especially after the humidity from inside the forest. After having Ralts healed and getting in a quick shower, it was time for them to head to the gym.

The Gym building was a massive grey building made out of stone, it was double storied with a tiled roof. The word Gym was hanging from the front of the building in huge letters. As Ash walked inside, with Ralts on his shoulders, he noticed the inside was nearly identical with the outside. Everything was made of stone, except the comfy looking chairs in the stands. The middle of the Gym was dominated by a huge battling arena.

The battling arena was dirt floored, and had a lot of rocks littering it. A Geodude was using its strong arms to hurl these rocks at a blue Pokemon, a Squirtle. The Squirtle would respond by using a Water gun attack to blast the rocks before they could hit it.

Ash looked to both sides and finally noticed Gary, who was standing on the field battling the Gym leader. Ash ducked up around Gary through the stands and sat directly behind him high up. Hopefully Gary wouldn't notice him here.

The Geodude was knocked unconscious before long, and the Squirtle stayed out as the Gym leader threw out another Pokeball. The pokemon was a Pokemon Ash had never seen outside of the TV. Even Professor Oak had admitted finding a Larvitar was exceptionally hard. Ash had to smile at the look on Gary's face before it faded and turned into a grimace, he was probably going to have to face the Larvitar as well.

Ash had a bad feeling he was going to need another Pokemon. He knew Ralts would be able to take on both a Geodude and Brocks signature Pokemon; an Onix, most likely anyway. But with a third Pokemon thrown in, and a Larvitar at that, Ralts would need help.

Ash snuck out, just as Squirtle fainted. He headed towards the Pokemart, to stock up on supplies. It was time to head out. He decided to go to Mt Moon; hopefully there he could find a partner for Ralts.

Of course, any trainer that watched the news knew why Gym leaders suddenly used stronger Pokemon. 2 years ago, when Ash was 10, the Indigo League changed their Guidelines about Gym battling. The first change was that Gym leaders had to start being harsher on any trainer that had come to battle them. Gym badges were achievements that every trainer should strive to win. Not just walk up with a plan and a type advantage and win.

Gym leaders now had to fight with a minimum of 3 Pokemon, and that had to include a single Pokemon from another region to diversify their team. They also had to have multiple teams that could battle at different levels, from beginner trainers to a trainer looking for their eighth gym badge.

The league also shut down any of the smaller Gyms that also handed out the same Gym badge as a main gym. To qualify for the IBC, you needed to have to 8 main gym badges and nothing less.

Looking back at it now, Ash could see why they changed it. Weaker and weaker trainers were participating in the IBC each year, then complained when they were smashed by the trainers and veterans that seriously trained and earned their place. The 2 years since the change had the lowest number of contestants in 30 years in the IBC, but it was filled with battles that made your heart stop and the adrenaline run. Criticisers immediately stopped, as everyone loved the new changes that brought on these intense battles.

It also made his journey a real challenge, which he was going to embrace with both hands.

XXX

The Path to Mt Moon was filled with Trainers, some who had won against Brock and some that were training to battle him and win. Ash had decided beforehand to take a side route and dodge most of them. If he caught a Pokemon in Mt Moon, he'll battle them with it on the way back. He wasn't sure what Pokemon he wanted, but he'd probably get a grass, water or fighting type.

Ash did battle a few trainers that were taking the side routes, but he couldn't complain. According to his Pokedex, Ralts was starting to show some evolution signs, longer hair and growing slightly taller along with a small control increase. He knew the Ralts line evolved fairly quickly, but he didn't know it would be this fast.

When they finally entered the cave, Ash had expected it to be dark and damp and he was exactly right. Luckily he had Ralts, who could help him navigate and a torch. As soon as he saw a side path, Ash took it. He knew he wouldn't find a good Pokemon on the main path. It had been in use for many years now, all Pokemon that weren't specifically searching for a trainer would avoid it.

"Ralts, you okay?" Ash had to ask his Pokemon, as soon as they had entered this cave. Ralts had been releasing small huffs of air in annoyance. Ralts just shook its head and patted his head which made Ash smile. But he was worrying, what could be annoying Ralts like this, maybe something was interfering with its Psychic powers? Ash didn't know but he was on guard.

After an hour of walking down different side paths and battling Zubat and Geodude was when Ralts gave a big cry of annoyance and popped away. Ash was startled for a second, but he couldn't help that a small laugh escaped his mouth.

Ralts was as much a stone face as Ash himself was. The way Ralts expressed its emotions was through its body language, just like Ash. The fact Ralts had gotten so annoyed to pop away after crying out in annoyance, something must have been niggling at him this whole time.

After about 30 seconds of waiting, Ralts finally popped back in with another Pokemon. Ash instantly knew he wanted it. The Pokemon, as soon as teleport was finished, immediately attacked Ralts by using Rapid spin to throw Ralts off. That was one problem with the Ralts line and teleport, they needed to touch what they were teleporting, unlike the Abra line, which could teleport by area instead.

Ralts was flung away, but teleported mid-air to return to standing on its feet. Ralts instantaneously fired a Magical Leaf attack at the Pokemon, who continued using Rapid spin to spin away from the attack but was still hit. The Pokemon returned fire with a Psybeam that Ralts stopped with Confusion by throwing a small Boulder into the attack, destabilizing it.

Ash, while this was going on was trying to get his Pokedex out of his bag and was cursing towards himself for packing it first last night, as it was now on the bottom. Finally grabbing it and turned it towards the ongoing battle, the screen lit up.

"Baltoy, the clay doll Pokemon, it is native to the Hoenn region and is a Psychic and Ground dual typing. Baltoy is a small Pokemon that resembles a tan figurine made out of clay or mud with red markings. A Spike protrudes from the top of its head and another small spike protrudes from under its body. Old wall paintings depict it living with people in ancient times. Baltoy move set: Confusion, Harden, Rapid Spin, Mudslap, Rock Tomb and Psybeam. Its ability is Levitate. It can also evolve into the form Claydol" Spoke Ash's Pokedex.

The battle had slowed considerably as both Pokemon listened in, but as soon as the Pokedex finished talking, Ralts flung another Magical Leaf attack at Baltoy, who was hit dead on. Ash knew that it was super effective attack and flung a Pokeball.

A flash of red light lit up the small room as Ralts gave Ash an annoyed look. Ash watched as the Pokeball shook once, than twice before splitting open and spitting Baltoy back out. Baltoy didn't waste any time, it used Rock tomb giving itself some cover, then used Mud slap at Ralts, Ralts teleported away from the attack and appeared behind the Baltoy using confusion to throw another small Boulder at the Pokemon. Baltoy was knocked away from its cover and Ash took his chance. He tossed another Pokeball.

Once again, Ash and Ralts watched as the Pokeball shook. Once, twice, three times before clicking shut. Ash pumped his fist as he ignored the look Ralts was giving him, he had figured out that the Baltoy must have been giving out a Psychic signal that was annoying Ralts in some way.

Ash picked up the Pokeball and clipped it to his belt after administering a potion to it. It would slowly heal Baltoy while it was inside, and hopefully if all things went well, it would decide to join them.

Ash decided that since they had a Pokemon to head back to the Pokemon center right outside the cave entrance. It was quick walk, as they had already cleared the path of Pokemon on the way there. It was unlucky that being underground scrambled a Psychics position so they couldn't teleport from inside a cave to outside.

As soon as Nurse Joy handed him Baltoy back, he was outside and heading straight down a side path for some privacy. He found a tiny clearing, just big enough to hold a battle, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that between them and Baltoy.

Ash crouched down with Ralts beside him as he released Baltoy. Baltoy didn't react except for looking around with its squinted eyes. Ash figured it wasn't used to the sunlight because it had lived in a cave.

"Hello Baltoy, I'm Ash and this is Ralts. We caught you, do you know what that means" Ash asked, Baltoy nodded. Ash was relieved; catching a Pokemon that didn't know what that meant was hell on some trainers. They always tried escaping and going back to where they lived.

"Good, I'm a new trainer and I'm looking for Pokemon to join my team. Would you like to join us? You've proven to be pretty strong, we need some help to beat a Gym leader, could you help us" Ash asked. He once again received a simple nod and Ash let a smile flicker across his face.

Success felt good.

"Good, let's start your training, it's going to be tough, but I know you'll overcome it easy" Ash said.

They trained all day in that small clearing until neither Ralts nor Baltoy could move. Baltoy, like most ground types had endurance in spades and outlasted Ralts, though not by much. Ash had trained Ralts for long battles, as he knew some would be.

Baltoy was a welcome addition to the team and his moveset could become very versatile. After reading up on Baltoy and its evolved form of Claydol, Ash had already had some amazing ideas. But first, training for the Gym was required.

XXX

A week and a half later, Ash stood outside the Gym with both his Pokemon inside their Pokeballs. Both had improved in leaps and bounds as they fought other trainers and trained every day.

Ralts was on the cusp on evolution, and Ash was hoping it would evolve during his battle with Brock. Ralts had learnt 2 new moves, both helpful, Draining kiss and Reflect. Ralts had also started learning how to use Shadow sneak, which still only worked a third of the time.

Draining kiss was a move that stole energy from another Pokemon and gave most of that energy to Ralts. There was 2 versions of the move, one of which Ralts hated. The first version was the one hated and it was a direct kiss onto the opposing Pokemon and stole loads of energy until the contact was broken. The second version was a long range version, a pink beam of energy that sucked the energy out slowly, but if the beam was broken, the move stopped.

Reflect was a move that Ralts had learned from another trainer that had an Espeon. It stopped 5 physical attacks, or that's what it was supposed to do. Ash and Ralts had found that it was a very finicky move, but depended a lot on the amount of Psychic energy fed into the barrier. The more Psychic energy fed into it, the stronger it was.

Shadow sneak was just a hard move to learn for the Ralts line. It was a Dark type move, which was super effective against Psychic types. When Ralts used it right, he could sink into shadows and appear in the opposing Pokemon Shadow to attack them from behind. Ralts could also stay in a shadow for a short amount of time, but with each successful use of the move, that time increased.

Baltoy had also worked very hard. Ash had found out Baltoy was naturally a hard worker and loved to play pranks on Ralts, which made Ralts mad. Ash couldn't help bursting out with laughter when he woke one morning to see Baltoy fling Ralts into a small pond. Ralts teleported out and they had a fierce battle against each other.

Baltoy had also learnt 2 new moves, Ancient power and Protect. Ancient power was a move that dug up great clumps of earth and hurled them. Its power could vary in a number of various ways; how much energy the Pokemon put into the attack, what ground the Pokemon was standing on and so on.

Protect was a move that produced a green barrier of energy. Baltoy was surprisingly good with using it. They had even come up with an idea to use it as a weapon, but that was in its infant stage still.

Ash took a deep calming breath and walked through the doors. His battle was scheduled at 11am and he was 10 minutes early. After signing in and being directed to a waiting room, he released both his Pokemon, who stared up at him. They were as excited as he was.

"Okay guys, this is it, our first big challenge. As you already know, we're facing Brock, who is a Rock type specialist. His favorite Pokemon is Onix, who he used in all his battles. He has 3 teams for tier one battles, which is us, since we're going for our first badge. All his teams have a Geodude first, and an Onix either second or last" Ash spoke. After taking a breath and a swig from his water bottle, he continued talking, going over Brock once again.

"It's his third Pokemon we have to watch out for. He changes it around. He has an Aron, Larvitar and a Cranidos. All strong Pokemon that we need to watch out for, Cranidos would be easiest to take out, as it's just a single type, which is Rock. It's the Aron and Larvitar we need to watch out for." Both his Pokemon nodded, he had been preparing them for this battle for a whole week, after plentiful amounts of research of course, thanks to his Pokedex, he was lucky Gary hadn't taken it, but Professor Oak probably sent one along.

"Ash Ketchum, please head onto the field" Said a voice from a speaker. Ash allowed 3 deep breaths before returning his Pokemon and standing up. He made sure his scarf was covering the lower half of his face before walking out.

It was time to battle. As he walked out, he could feel his heart starting to beat faster and he felt that calm state wash over him. He was ready, his Pokemon were ready. All he could do now was direct them in battle when he could and hoped they won.

As soon as reached the field, he looked around. He was standing exactly where Gary was 2 weeks before. Ash looked over at Brock and studied him. Brock was a tall guy, with tanned skin and freaky eyebrows. He was as stone faced as his Rock type Pokemon. The referee started speaking, Ash listened in. It might contain information he hadn't known, but he doubted it. He had gone over the rules extensively for the first 2 gyms.

"This is a first tier battle. The challenger is allowed 1 switch and no potions, the gym leader, no switches and no potions. The Gym and therefore the Indigo league are not responsible for any death or injury that happens. Release your first Pokemon. It will be a 3 vs 3 battle".

As expected, Brock released a Geodude. It was like all the other Geodude they had battled inside Mt Moon, but Ash expected it to have had a few TM's used on it. Ash released Baltoy, and gave a smirk no one could see at Brocks raised eyebrow. He loved his scarf.

"Begin" shouted the referee. Immediately Brock's Geodude used Rock throw by hurling a Boulder at Baltoy. Baltoy used confusion and flung it right back. It slammed into the Geodudes crossed arms, which signified it had used Harden.

"Baltoy, use Ancient Power" called out Ash as quietly as possible, just loud enough so Baltoy would hear him. 3 huge chunks of earth were ripped out of the ground and flung at the stationary Geodude. The first chunk of earth hit and slammed the Geodude backwards, but it only did a small amount of damage. The other 2 chunks missed due to the Geodude rolling out of the way. Once again, Brock commanded the Geodude to use Rock throw and once again it was flung back at it.

Ash watched as Brock then decided to switch strategies, commanding Geodude to rush in and use tackle, but Geodude started using Rollout, it was obviously gaining momentum for the tackle. If it hit, Baltoy would either faint or be extremely close to fainting.

Ash waited until Geodude was about to hit Baltoy before shouting, Baltoy instantaneously reacted and used Confusion to pick up Geodude and fling it into a wall. Its momentum plus the momentum from the Confusion attack would seriously hurt it and hopefully confuse it. Geodude pushed itself out of the hole in the wall and landed heavily back onto the ground, now was his chance.

"Baltoy, another Ancient Power, version 2" called out Ash. Version 1 was flinging smaller multiple chunks of earth like Baltoy had previously. Version 2 was flinging one huge chunk; hopefully this would make Geodude faint.

"Baltoy" said Baltoy with a grunt as it flung the huge chunk of earth at the Geodude, but it didn't have time to hit as a red light of a Pokeball flashed across the field and hit Geodude, who disappeared. Brock was now looking at him with a small smile, Ash hoped because he was a real challenge.

"Go Larvitar" Called out Brock. Ash cursed silently as the small green Pokemon appeared on the field. Ash considered his options, would it be better to switch now to Ralts or try and defeat it with Baltoy, who was looking a little drained but had taken no damage yet. Ash didn't get a chance to decide before Larvitar was bounding across the field straight at Baltoy.

"Same plan Baltoy" Ash called out. He eventually decided on doing both, Baltoy would weaken the Larvitar as much as possible before it was switched out. Ralts could take care of the rest. Ash winced, as did everyone in the crowd when the Sandstorm started, luckily Baltoy was a ground type and wouldn't be affected, but now Ash couldn't see.

A few seconds of silence happened before a grunt of pain echoed out from the field, a second later, Larvitar was flung out of the sandstorm and into the same wall Geodude had been thrown at. Larvitar was able to brace itself in time though as another Ancient power smashed into it. Larvitar then charged straight back into the Sandstorm.

Another period of silence before the Sandstorm slowly died down and cleared. Ash smiled proudly at the sight of Larvitar, who looked injured enough that Ralts would have no problem taking it down in a single hit or 2. He recalled the fainted Baltoy, he could still see the dark energies of bite around Larvitar's mouth, which was super effective against Baltoy, one or 2 bites would of been enough. The crowd that wanted Brock to win was cheering loudly at Baltoy's defeat.

"Go Ralts" Ash called out as he threw the Great ball. Ralts appeared and instantly teleported straight behind Larvitar. The crowd was silenced at what happened next. Ralts used confusion and swung Larvitar around in a circle before hurling him straight at a different wall. He connected with a loud crunch sound as Pokemon and concrete met.

Larvitar fainted and was recalled. Now Brock was scowling slightly at him as the crowd went dead silent. Ash found himself falling in love with Psychic types, they were so awesome. Brock released the Pokemon Ash had been waiting for, Onix.

When Onix fully materialized, he gave a loud roar of greeting, ready for battle. Ash smirked. Ralts would bring it down easily enough. Ash wouldn't even need to help, Ralts knew the plan.

Onix launched a Rock throw that Ralts dodged by sliding slightly to the side. Ralts than used confusion to pick up the rock and sling it back, straight at Onix's head, it didn't connect as Onix bent out of the way.

Onix then rushed Ralts, who was waiting with a Magical Leaf attack. The Psychic leaves smashed into Onix and caused it give a bellow of pain. It rushed Ralts, who teleported away as soon as it got close. This game continued until Onix fainted, and Ralts burst into white light.

Ash watched with wide eyes as his first Pokemon evolved, he wasn't able to look into the light, and it was too bright. But as the light dimmed, he took in Ral- Kirlia's new form. Kirlia was a little taller and had longer hair. You could now see his legs and he looked like a complete girl. Ash snickered quietly; Kirlia would be so much fun to tease.

"Winner, Ash Ketchum of Pallet town, I will be the first to congratulate you on the evolution". Ash nodded once, as his attention was brought to Brock who was walking towards him.

"Here is the Boulder badge, you've earned it. I can tell you'll become a powerful trainer someday. I would also like to give you a TM for Sandstorm. It's a 3 time use TM, so use it wisely. I'll keep an eye on your progress, good luck" Spoke Brock before walking away. Ash realized he still might be a little upset at Kirlia's treatment of Larvitar.

Ash just smirked, not that anyone could see it. One gym down and seven to go, he couldn't wait. Ash smiled down at Kirlia, who was staring up at him. He could see Kirlia's horns respond to his burst of positive emotion. There were several conflicting stories about Kirlia and their horns, Ash hoped he had the chance to figure them out.

It was time to move out, Cerulean city waited, right after going to the Pokemon center of course.

XXX

Hey guys, I'm revamping this story. Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review if you like it! And PM any mistakes you might find. I really appreciate it!

Seriously, this chapter was filled with mistakes. I feel so awful for making people read this.