{A few days later}

Ash was resting on the ship, enjoying the sunlight. Pikachu and Vee were snoozing happily next to him.

Since he got on the ship, he'd been just relaxing, not a care in the world. Sure, he could have asked Oak to teleport him to Hoenn, but where's the fun in that? Besides, he'd texted May and she hadn't even left her home to head to Littleroot yet.

He was sipping on a juice that a certain trio totally didn't give him. There totally wasn't a pink-haired girl, a blue-haired boy, and a Meowth following him. He could've done something, but honestly things were kind of boring without them around, so he didn't. Besides, they were working as staff here on the ship, so he had no reason to.

As he sat there, he pulled out his phone and texted May.

–

Pokemonenjoyer: yo @HoennQueen u alive or did wurmple finally eat ur phone

HoennQueen: First, I don't know if I should be insulted, and 2, who starts a conversation like that… also yeah I'm here

Pokemonenjoyer: 👑🌊 deal with it ur majesty soooo… u packed yet?

HoennQueen: Nah, my mom is trying to convince me to clean my room one more time, and Max is… well

Pokemonenjoyer: well what?

HoennQueen: He doesn't know I know you, and he did watch the Silver Conference and he's kinda been fanboying

Pokemonenjoyer: lmao wait WHAT 😂 ur bro is a fanboy??

HoennQueen: More like obsessed. I told you about him, he likes battles and stuff, but man, with your battles he can't find a single thing wrong with them

Pokemonenjoyer: 💀💀💀 stop with the krispy kreme glazing, bruh

HoennQueen: I mean, I dunno, so yeah he knows I'm waiting for a friend from Kanto, but he doesn't know it's you. In fact, when I told him I knew you he said I was lying like, can you believe that!

Pokemonenjoyer: HA 😂 imagine the trolling when he realizes he was wrong. Think of all the bullying you can do

HoennQueen: …fair point, but still don't go overboard

Pokemonenjoyer: details details 🤷‍♂️ point is, ur bro is a FAN of ME. Do you know how powerful I feel rn??

HoennQueen: don't let it go to your head 🙄

Pokemonenjoyer: Too late. Next time I see him I'm signing his hat. Autograph style. "To my #1 fan."

HoennQueen: if you actually do that I will personally push you off the ship

Pokemonenjoyer: worth it 😌 besides, i need my fanclub to grow. Pikachu's already president but Max can be like… secretary or something

HoennQueen: oh Arceus… don't give him ideas, he'll start an actual fanclub and make newsletters

Pokemonenjoyer: good. tell him I approve. as his idol.

HoennQueen: stop calling yourself that 😭

-

Ash laughed to himself, stretching out on the deck while Pikachu twitched an ear in its sleep. He could practically hear May groaning through the text messages.

—

Pokemonenjoyer: So what you're saying is… Max is gonna scream louder than you when we meet up

HoennQueen: Excuse me?? I don't scream

Pokemonenjoyer: Remember when we were playing hide and seek when we were kids?

HoennQueen: That doesn't count! That was an actual Mankey that grabbed me! And we were six!

Pokemonenjoyer: Suuureeee, and after I punched that monkey, you totally weren't clinging onto me until I carried you back to Pallet

HoennQueen: You're the worst, you know that?

Pokemonenjoyer: Yeah, well, now that I don't have a Gary to annoy, all my trolling is going directly to you. You should feel honored I only bully people I like

HoennQueen: …I regret texting you.

Pokemonenjoyer: You missed me, admit it 🥺👉👈

HoennQueen: 😑 fine. maybe. a little.

Pokemonenjoyer: 😏 Knew it. After all, you're the one who said that as soon as I get to Hoenn, the first place I go is to meet up with you

HoennQueen: Yeah yeah, whatever. Anyway, I'm getting on my bike I'm gonna start heading to Littleroot

Pokemonenjoyer: KK, any word on Wally? Is he going with you?

HoennQueen: Nah, his uncle didn't want him going without a Pokémon, so they asked me if I could pick up his starter for him. They already made the call to Professor Birch.

Pokemonenjoyer: Aww, I wanted to talk to Wally more. Fiiineee. We can go see him after. So you're on your way there? KK, I think the ship's docking I'm gonna get off and meet you there, K.

HoennQueen: kk, see ya.

—

Ash put his phone down and stretched as he looked out, finally seeing land on the horizon. He was officially in Hoenn.

And another thing since he got on this ship, he'd started noticing his voice was changing. It was getting deeper now, though the occasional voice crack slipped through. If he had to describe it, it was somewhere between Leon Kennedy and Eren Yeager.

Ash rubbed his throat, trying to soothe it with Aura. It helped keep the voice cracks in check, but the effect was inconsistent at best. Well, whatever if things had already changed this much in a few days, his voice should stabilize in a week.

Still, puberty was annoying. And having to go through it a second time? That was a pain. But what could he do? He was still technically human.

The upside was that after saving up for a long time and experimenting with his genetic points he finally had enough. He'd found the perfect combination: cheap enough for him to afford, and perfect for that Slakoth Egg. Let's just say, it was going to be fun using this little guy.

And since he had extra DNA points, he decided to experiment. Remember the DNA he collected from the past Paradox Pokémon? He analyzed it with the Pokédex, then injected some of that ancient DNA into the Phanpy Egg effectively giving it ancestral traits. He did the same with the Bagon, using his gene points to splice in the data.

Now, all that was left was to wait the eggs would hatch soon. In total, he had four eggs ready to go.

And one last thing he'd been practicing. After the events in the ruins and after his power-up, he felt like he'd kept some of the benefits. His Aura reserves didn't feel larger, but they felt denser, and he'd been practicing with that weird feeling Mew gave him.

Again, it worked kind of like Yellow's power, except it was different. It wasn't as strong, but he had better control over it. He didn't need to crash out to use it, and he could affect more than just his own Pokémon with it though his Pokémon would always get a bigger boost.

Overall, he'd narrowed down what this power was into parts. The first was something he liked to call Victory Sight. Based on what he'd seen from it, it let him see the odds of his victory and the best path to win as long as the chance wasn't zero. It also seemed that when he used it, his perception sped up, making everything else look like it was in slow motion. But it wasn't time manipulation, Ash couldn't, and probably never would, do that.

The second part was something he decided to call Resonance. With it, he could sync himself with as many Pokémon as he wanted, amplifying their strength, or go into overdrive. But, as always, there were downsides.

Still, he'd get there when he got there. He wasn't stupid. And besides, it's not like he could use them all the time. Just because he could control it didn't mean he could sustain it forever.

So, as he got off the ship, he stretched his arms one more time and started thinking about the best way to do this. He could just walk. After all, the whole reason May needed saving in the anime was because Pikachu ran out of the lab, and since Pikachu was 100% healthy, that wasn't gonna happen.

I mean, what are the chances that a Salamence shows up, and May ends up in danger yet again for no reason? What are the chances of that? Ash thought as he sat down on a bench and closed his eyes, relaxing.

Then there was a moment of silence, before his eyes shot open, and he jumped to his feet.

"Dang it, I just had to think that!" he cursed himself as he dug through his bag, throwing out Dragonite's Poké Ball and hopping onto her back.

"Let's go! We have to stop future trauma before it becomes a problem!" Ash said as Dragonite nodded and launched into the sky.

Left behind on the ground, Jessie, James, and Meowth watched him fly off.

"Aw… we missed our chance to snatch Pikachu again," Meowth mumbled.

"Yeah…" James sighed. "I wonder why the twerp left in such a hurry, though?"

"He was probably just scared of us and wanted to run away as fast as he could!" Jessie said, raising her arm like that was a perfectly valid explanation. "He must know we're stronger than ever, and if we fought, we'd win and steal Pikachu!"

"Wooooobbuffet!!" Wobbuffet jumped out from behind her, saluting proudly.

Then they heard the captain of the ship call out to them, "You there! What are you doing? We need to unload the ship! Get over here!"

Since they were still wearing their disguises, the captain still treated them like crew.

"Yes, sir!!!" the three of them saluted and ran over.

-

May was riding her bike and humming through the forest, unable to stop the smile on her face. Today was the day she was finally going to get her first Pokémon and meet up with Ash. She could hardly wait, already imagining who her first partner would be.

As she daydreamed, that grin never left her face… but her focus did. The bushes ahead rustled, and a Poochyena stepped out, shaking its fur.

May's eyes went wide, so wide they almost popped out of her head. She swerved hard, barely dodging the Pokémon, but that was the least of her problems. The front tire hit loose dirt, and before she knew it, she'd veered onto a steep slope leading down the mountain.

Her bike rattled and bounced violently as she sped downhill, her voice tearing from her throat, "Waaaaaahhhhhh!!"

She gripped the handlebars for dear life, trying to hit the brakes, but the dirt was too slick. Pebbles skittered under her tires as the bike fishtailed out of control.

At the bottom of the slope, a boy about her age crouched near a tree, notebook in hand, scribbling notes about some wild Zigzagoon. He looked up at the sound of screeching tires, eyes widening, "—Huh?!"

Before he could react, May barreled straight into him. The two tumbled into the grass in a heap of limbs, notebook pages fluttering everywhere.

May groaned, rubbing her head. "Ow… my bike… my everything…"

The boy sat up too, wincing, but more worried about his crumpled notes. "Watch where you're—" He stopped, blinking as he got a good look at her. "…Are you okay?"

May's face flushed red. "I-I didn't mean to! There was a Poochyena, and then the slope, and then—"

He chuckled despite himself, shaking his head. "Guess you're new around here. Name's Brendan." He held out a hand to her.

"May," she muttered, brushing grass off her skirt and taking his hand. When she glanced back, her heart sank, her bike's front wheel was completely bent out of shape. "And it looks like my bike's broken now… just my luck, when I was on my way to see the Professor…"

"Wait, Professor?" Brendan tilted his head. "You mean Professor Birch, right?"

"Yeah, exactly!" May perked up. "How do you know?"

"Well, he's my dad," Brendan said, slinging a fallen bag over his shoulder. "I'm out here doing some research for him. He told me he was expecting a few new trainers starting their journeys today, guess you're one of them, huh? Congratulations."

May blinked at him, about to reply, when the ground suddenly trembled beneath their feet. A dark shadow swept over the treetops, blotting out the sunlight.

Both of them looked up.

High above, a Salamence soared through the sky, wings spread wide, scales gleaming like polished steel. It roared, the sound echoing through the forest.

May's jaw dropped. "Is that—?!"

"A Salamence?!" Brendan's voice cracked in alarm.

The dragon roared again, a deep, bone-shaking sound, and snapped its jaws in their direction.

May's knees nearly gave out. "Why is something like that here?!"

"No idea, but we're not sticking around to ask, run!" Brendan shouted.

Neither of them needed convincing. They turned and sprinted down the dirt path as fast as they could.

The ground quaked with every beat of Salamence's wings as the dragon swooped lower, its eyes gleaming with a strange violet glow that didn't look natural. May and Brendan dashed through the underbrush, twigs snapping beneath their feet, their breaths ragged and quick.

"Why's it chasing us?!" May shouted, stumbling over a root but catching herself.

"I don't know, just keep moving!" Brendan urged, clutching his bag tightly.

A shadow passed over them again as Salamence dove. Its roar tore through the forest, loud enough to scatter a flock of Taillow from the trees.

The dragon let out another bellow, blasting leaves from the branches as it swooped down on them. May screamed as the wind nearly knocked her off her feet.

Brendan pointed to a narrow path through the trees. "This way hurry!"

They tore through the brush, ducking under low-hanging branches. The dragon's claws raked the ground behind them, sending up sprays of dirt. The path ahead narrowed into a cliffside trail, a sheer drop to their right, thick forest to their left.

"We can't keep running!" May panted, clutching her chest. She was breathing heavily, her legs burning from the sprint.

"Dang it." Brendan's jaw tightened. "I'll buy us some time, try to find us another way out!" he said as he stopped running and turned around.

"What are you gonna do?" May asked, slowing to a stop as well.

"I've been at this for a while." Brendan snatched a Poké Ball from his belt. "Go, Swampert!"

With a burst of white light, a towering blue amphibian landed heavily between them and Salamence, slamming its fists into the ground as if to challenge the dragon.

"Hydro Pump!" Brendan shouted.

Swampert opened its mouth and unleashed a massive blast of water, slamming into Salamence mid-charge. The dragon reeled back slightly, but then its eyes flared brighter, violet energy crackling around its body. With a violent shake of its head, it pushed through the attack like it was nothing.

"Wha—?!" Brendan's face drained of color. "That should've slowed it down at least!"

Swampert roared, planting its feet, but Salamence spread its wings and dove again, fangs bared.

"Swampert, get ready—!" Brendan started, but he didn't even finish before Salamence hit. The dragon crashed into Swampert with crushing force, the impact splitting the ground and sending up a blast of dust. Brendan staggered back, shielding his eyes.

"Swampert!"

The blue amphibian pushed itself up, growling, but it was trembling under the sheer pressure of Salamence's strength.

May's stomach lurched. "It's too strong! What do we—"

Her words cut off as Brendan's bag, flung from his shoulder during the impact, tumbled across the ground and burst open. Papers and gear scattered everywhere, and three Poké Balls rolled out, bouncing once before stopping right at May's feet.

"Grab those—!" Brendan shouted, still trying to hold Salamence back with his Swampert.

Without thinking, May dropped to her knees, scooping up all three Poké Balls and clutching them to her chest. The ground shook again as Salamence slammed Swampert back down, the impact so strong it nearly sent May tumbling off the cliff, but she caught herself just in time, gripping the Poké Balls tightly

May looked up just in time to see Salamence turn its glowing eyes toward her. Acting on instinct, she did the only thing she could, she ran the other way.

As the dragon lunged after her, Swampert threw itself forward, slamming into it with a [Superpower] attack.

May nearly tripped again, glancing back just in time to see Salamence overpower Swampert once more. The dragon forced the amphibian to the ground and stomped down hard on its chest.

"Swampert, no!" Brendan shouted in panic.

May froze, her heart racing. She wanted to help, but how? Then her gaze dropped to the Poké Balls clutched in her arms. She gulped, grabbed one at random, and hurled it forward.

"Go—!" she cried, throwing with all her strength.

The Poké Ball burst open in a flash of white light.

Standing before her on shaky little legs was a tiny orange chick. It fluffed its feathers, chirped once, and looked up at her with bright blue eyes.

"T-Torchic?!" May yelped.

Brendan's head snapped around, eyes wide. "You pulled out one of the starters—?!"

"Yeah! I thought that's what you meant when you said to grab them!" May shouted back.

"I meant don't let them fall off the cliff, not grab one and fight with it!" Brendan retorted.

Before either could say more, Salamence roared again, still looming over Swampert.

May swallowed hard, crouching behind Torchic. Her hands were trembling. "…O-okay. You're mine now, right? Then, then let's fight! Torchic, [Ember]!"

The chick Pokémon hopped forward, opened its beak, and fired a small burst of flame that struck Salamence across the face. The dragon didn't even flinch, it just looked irritated. Slowly, it turned its massive head toward May, as if to say Did you really just do that?

"Eh… hehe… hi there," May said weakly, trying and failing to sound confident. "Y-you know, I always thought Dragon types were… cute?"

Salamence's wings flared wide, unleashing a thunderous gust that sent May and Torchic tumbling backward. The dragon's violet-glowing eyes locked on her, cold and predatory.

"T-Torchic, move!" May cried. The little chick scrambled up and fired another [Ember], but the flames barely singed Salamence's scales. The dragon roared, violet light building in its jaws as a sphere of deep-purple energy began to form.

"That's it, [Dragon Pulse]! Get out of the way!!" Brendan yelled as he leapt toward May, tackling her to the ground.

The beam tore through the spot where they'd just stood, exploding on impact. The shockwave blasted them off their feet, and May lost her grip on the other two Poké Balls. She scrambled to grab them before they rolled over the cliff's edge, clutching them tightly to her chest.

Torchic tumbled across the dirt, chirping frantically, while Brendan hit the ground near his Swampert, who was struggling to rise. "C'mon, buddy, stay with me!" he urged, kneeling beside it.

Swampert groaned, barely conscious. Salamence stomped closer, snorting smoke, its claws carving deep furrows into the earth.

May pushed herself up, coughing, her legs trembling. "It's-it's too strong…" she whispered, staring up as the dragon loomed over them. Torchic wobbled at her feet, feathers singed but refusing to back down.

Brendan grit his teeth, stepping forward. "Swampert, [Ice Punch]!"

Swampert roared, its fist glowing icy blue as it lunged, but Salamence's tail whipped around like a hammer. The strike slammed into Swampert's chest, sending it crashing straight through a tree trunk. The impact shook the forest.

"SWAMPERT!" Brendan screamed, his voice cracking.

The dragon snarled, energy flaring. Thinking Swampert was finished, it turned its glowing eyes toward May, growling as it prepared to attack.

May's heart pounded. "W-We have to go!" She turned to run, but Salamence dove down.

Its claws slammed into the ground, the shockwave knocking her off balance. The force shattered the cliff edge beneath her, and the ground crumbled away.

"May!" Brendan shouted, but he was too far to reach her.

As May started to fall, Salamence raised its head, gathering energy for one final strike. She shut her eyes tight, clutching Torchic and the two Poké Balls to her chest, breath caught in her throat.

Then, in a streak of orange, another dragon came hurtling from the sky. With a deafening impact, it slammed into Salamence, dragging its head into a tree like a ragdoll. It was Dragonite, and once she had Salamence pinned by the neck, she twisted and hurled it to the ground, stomping down on its head to keep it there.

At that same moment, May felt a strong hand grab hers, stopping her fall. She gasped, eyes still closed, and only opened them once she felt solid ground beneath her again. Still clutching the Poké Balls and her little fire chick, she looked up and froze.

Standing above her, steadying her with one hand, was Ash.

May blinked up at him, heart racing. "…Ash?"

He gave her that familiar lopsided grin she remembered from years ago. "Hey, May. Been a while, huh?" he said, as Pikachu and Vee peeked down curiously beside him.

She stared, still half in disbelief from everything that had just happened. "Y-You—how"

"Not the time to explain," Ash said, pulling her up in one smooth motion. When she wobbled, he caught her again, steadying her. "But please, try not to do something stupid without me here. Who would I bully if you were gone?"

May opened her mouth, then closed it again, cheeks slightly pink. "You're impossible."

Behind them, Salamence was still struggling against Dragonite, but the orange dragon only looked more annoyed. She pressed down harder on Salamence's head, pinning it to the dirt.

Ash gently set May down behind him. "Stay back. I got this."

Brendan ran up, holding a bruised Swampert's Poké Ball. "Wait, you can't take that thing on alone! It's a Salamence gone wild!"

"Nah, I've got this one," Ash said, rolling his shoulders. "This isn't the first dragon I've taken down. Dragonite, let's show this stupid lizard what happens when it scares people I care about."

Dragonite huffed, grabbing Salamence by the neck again and lifting it with ease. Her other fist ignited with icy blue light as she drove it into Salamence's gut with a crushing [Ice Punch].

The hit knocked the air out of Salamence, sending it flying backward into a tree. As the dragon staggered and growled, Ash snapped his fingers. "Again."

Dragonite shot forward, punching Salamence's head straight through the tree, sending the entire trunk toppling onto it. Then, with a swift motion, she caught the fallen tree and swung it like a bat, smashing Salamence away like a baseball.

Dragonite flew after the downed Salamence, landing heavily beside its trembling body. Salamence snarled, shaking off the blow, wings flaring wide as it spat a [Dragon Breath].

"[Dragon Claw]!" Ash called out casually.

Dragonite cut through the purple flames and slammed her glowing claw into Salamence's jaw, sending it reeling before grabbing it by the snout and hurling it into a boulder.

Brendan and May could only stare, Ash didn't even flinch as he walked closer, hands in his pockets, like this was just another day for him. Pikachu and Vee hopped off his shoulders, landing beside May, both rolling their eyes as if they were watching a child throw a tantrum instead of a raging Salamence.

"Wha—what kind of trainer is he?" Brendan whispered, eyes wide.

May swallowed, watching Ash's silhouette through the settling dust. "I… I don't know…"

Salamence roared again. When it looked up, it saw Ash standing there, calm and unmoving. With a furious snarl, it spread its wings and took to the air, jaws glowing with dark energy as it dove straight for him, ready to strike with [Crunch].

Ash didn't move. He just looked at it flatly, like it was stupid, then sighed and snapped his fingers. "Dragonite."

Dragonite appeared behind Salamence in an instant, grabbing it by the back of the neck with one arm. Salamence twisted to look back, and froze when it saw Dragonite's expression. She looked furious. After all, the dragon had just tried to attack her 'papa'.

She raised her fist, coated it in jagged blue ice, and drove it straight into Salamence's face. The impact shattered the icy glove and sent Salamence flying into the distance, Team Rocket–style, with one of its teeth spinning through the air and landing with a clink nearby.

Ash sighed and walked over to Dragonite, patting her on the head. "Hey, calm down. You did great, but maybe a little overboard. I wanted to find out where that thing came from, and I think you hit it so hard it's not coming back."

Dragonite rumbled in satisfaction, crossing her arms proudly before melting into the head pats.

Behind them, May finally exhaled the breath she'd been holding. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees, clutching Torchic close. "That was… insane…"

Ash turned back toward them, waving with a relaxed smile. "You're welcome, by the way. I'm just glad you're both okay."

May opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, before finally giving up. She stood, walked straight up to Ash, and threw her arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. "I really thought I was gonna die…"

Ash blinked, momentarily surprised, then smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her in return. "Hey, hey, you're fine. I got you, see?"

She pulled back after a moment, cheeks red, brushing her hair to the side to hide it. "Still… thanks."

"Hey, it's no problem," Ash said, patting her head. Then he noticed the Torchic squished between them, chirping in protest.

"Ha, guess this little one's yours, huh?" he said, stepping back to let it breathe again.

May blinked, a bit disappointed to lose the hug but nodding all the same. "I—well, yeah, I guess… if that's okay," she said, glancing over at Brendan.

Brendan was tending to his Swampert. After returning it to its Poké Ball, he looked back. "Oh, well, technically those Poké Balls were for new trainers, so I guess it's okay, since it looks like it likes you—"

"She," May interrupted. "I can tell Torchic here is a girl."

Brendan blinked a few times. "…How can you tell that?"

"Woman's intuition," May said, as if that explained everything.

Brendan opened his mouth, closed it, glanced at Ash, who just shrugged, and decided to drop it altogether. "Right, well, since she seems to like you, it's probably fine. But we should still get back to my dad so we can register her to you."

"Yeah, and come on, I'll take care of you both. Don't want any more surprise dragons coming after you two," Ash teased.

"Don't even joke about that," May said, hugging Torchic tighter.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you if more come," Ash said, patting her head. May wanted to protest, but she was too shaken, and too embarrassed, to say anything, so she just looked away.

Brendan walked up to Ash. "By the way, the name's Brendan," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Then he held out his hand. "Thanks for saving us. Not every day someone drops out of the sky with a Dragonite to punch a Salamence into orbit."

Ash grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, it happens more often than you'd think."

Brendan blinked. "…What kind of life do you live, man?"

Before Ash could answer, Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder, and Vee hopped onto his other arm, tail flicking. May giggled softly, recognizing the Pikachu she'd seen back when it was just a little Pichu, still loving its usual perch on Ash's shoulder.

"So, Professor Birch's lab, right?" Ash asked, scanning the treeline. "Shouldn't be too far from here."

"Yeah, about fifteen minutes south," Brendan nodded, glancing around. "Oh yeah, by the way, May, can I have those other two Poké Balls back?"

May jumped, remembering she still had them. "Oh right! Sure, here." She handed him the other two balls, trying to copy Ash by setting Torchic on her shoulder. It didn't really work.

"Thanks, can't lose these," Brendan said, slipping them into his bag. "Come on, I'll lead the way to the lab. Hopefully my dad hasn't been chased out by a Poochyena again."

"Alright then, let's go," Ash said, picking up Vee and setting him on his other shoulder. "Come on, May."

May adjusted Torchic in her arms. "Right. And, um, Ash…"

"Yeah?"

"Next time, maybe don't wait until I'm literally falling off a cliff to show up?" she said, trying to sound stern, but the way she puffed her cheeks ruined it completely.

"Can't promise that. I like making dramatic entrances," Ash said, sticking out his tongue.

Brendan shook his head with a chuckle. "You two sound like you've known each other forever."

"We kinda have," May said, smiling faintly. "We went to school together, so in a way, we grew up together."

"Right, well, walk and talk, we don't want another random Pokémon showing up," Ash said, clapping his hands. Then the three of them started walking again.

—

Meanwhile, in the distance, up in the trees, a girl was watching. She had chin-length black hair with a fringe and red eyes, and she wore a ragged white cloak with black shoulder pads, gray short shorts with a red rope tied around her hips as a belt, a tight black top marked with two red crescent-moon symbols on her chest, and two spherical red earrings.

This was none other than Zinnia, and she was hiding in the trees, watching Ash, May, and Brendan walk away. She frowned, then turned her gaze the other way toward the Salamence that had attacked, now limping back.

She jumped down from the tree and landed in front of Salamence. Instead of attacking, the dragon lowered its head, almost as if it were apologizing.

Yeah this Salamence was hers. And no, Salamence hadn't attacked May or Brendan because Zinnia told it to. It had attacked simply because it could.

Zinnia shook her head and started to scold her partner. "No, bad! That wasn't your mission! Look what happened," she said in a grumpy tone but her voice was still a little too cheerful.

Salamence looked down. "Sala… mence…"

Zinnia scoffed and continued, still half-scolding. "Now remember, you shouldn't attack random people. That's bad."

Salamence nodded.

Zinnia nodded back and switched to her usual cheerful tone. "Great! Because you still have to complete your mission, mister," she said, eyes flashing red. Without dropping her bright, singsong voice, she added, "We've gotta go kill those researchers in the Association building."

That's right, Zinnia's goal here was to send her Salamence to eliminate some researchers studying Rayquaza. She couldn't let that happen. As the current Lorekeeper of her clan, after her master was killed, she believed that the only one worthy of Rayquaza was her.

Zinnia sighed. "Well, doesn't matter. Just finish it. I already got those weirdos to believe my plan, seriously, those idiots will believe anything," she mumbled to herself, of course referring to Team Aqua and Team Magma.

Then she glanced back in the direction Ash, May, and Brendan had gone. Her lips curved into a smirk. "But at least this wasn't a complete waste of time. I met someone… interesting."

She shrugged and turned back to Salamence. "Okay, let's go kill those dumb researchers!" she said again in that overly cheerful tone, pointing toward the forest.

Salamence nodded and took off, wings beating as it flew toward the research center. Of course, the deaths of those researchers would raise suspicion, but Zinnia already had a plan for that. She wasn't the Lorekeeper for nothing.

The legends would come true, one way or another. And she would bond with Rayquaza, because she was the chosen one.