A Slew of Reunions

“You little wretch! I’ll slice you into ribbons!” With wings spread the Team Galactic grunt, dressed in his own Scyther through the use of a Pokemon Battlizer, swooped at XD-130. “Hey kid! Get Snow a good distance away! I’m known for going overboard in battle!” Frost shouted back at Dawn as she dashed to the sides to evade the blades on her opponent’s arms. “I’m gonna make you wish you never even set eyes on my daughter, you freak!”

The grunt began to slash away with shocking speed, but Frost’s genetically enhanced agility was far greater than a mere Scyther. As she danced around the blades, the grunt yelled, “What’s wrong with me?! Why can’t I hit such a tiny beast?!” Frost jeered, “I’m not that small! We Sneasel grow to around three feet tall! Maybe you just need glasses!” The grunt’s face turned red under his helmet. “Wench! Try this!”

Raising both blades so they formed an X, the Galactic grunt shouted, “X-scissor!” In the blink of an eye, he swung downwards with both arms, only narrowly missing the Sneasel. Frost made a few jumps backwards and caught her breath. (Right. I forgot that Scyther is a Bug type. Dark types like me don’t fare well against those. And that X-scissor looks like it could tear me in half if I let it. Guess I should be grateful that those scumbags improved my indirect attack powers.) With a smirk, Frost raised a hand and extended the claws in it. “It’s too bad you’re part Flying type now!” With that, an Ice Beam was fried from her claw tips! The grunt merely chuckled, (What is she thinking?! Sneasel have some of the most pitiful Special Attack properties of all Pokemon! What a nutjob.)

When the Ice Beam struck, the Galactic Grunt laughed, “You don’t know yourself if you think…GRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” The armor became encrusted with a thick layer of ice, leaving only his head untouched. “So cold….. This doesn’t make sense! A Sneasel’s Ice Beam shouldn’t be this potent!” Frost crossed her arms and laughed, “You have a point there! But thanks to the scumbags who made me what I am, all of my abilities have been enhanced and balanced, including my Special Attack power.”

The Galactic grunt shivered in his shell of ice as he pondered what this Sneasel had just told him. (Enhanced? Was it genetic manipulation? And what was that weird purple energy covering her claws when she showed up? Could she…shoot, this is cold….. Could she be THAT Sneasel?!) A cold sweat began to trickle down the criminal’s face. “Now I get it. I can’t get lazy here.”

“Hey, you done yet? Give up now and I’ll let you go.” However, the grunt had a sinister smirk on his face. “I’m not finished yet! Forget your kid. You’re a much better prize! Just wait until the Boss hears that I’ve captured the infamous XD-130!”

Frost took a step back. “The hell?! How do you know my codename?!” The Grunt, snot dripping from his nostrils, spoke, “Team Galactic monitors strange activity across the planet at all times. But we thought that you and the rest of the XD experiments were wiped out during that crazy battle near Ever Grande city. But to think that one survived. Oh yeah, you and your Shadow energy will be a great help to us!” Soon cracking sounds were heard as the ice shell began to weaken. “You’re coming with me!”

With a groan, the Galactic grunt broke free of his icy prison and swooped at the Shadow Sneasel, his blades at his sides. Frost attempted to intercept the criminal with more Ice Beam attacks, but her opponent was nimble and dodged each of them. He then reached back with his right blade and shouted, “I just hope this doesn’t kill you!” He then brought the blade down hard. A clang of metal striking something hard was heard as Frost caught the blade with the claws on one hand.

“Persistent little wretch, huh?” The Galactic grunt then brought down the other blade, which was also intercepted by Frost’s other hand. The two kept pushing back and forth, trying to overpower each other. “For a little shrimp, you’ve got a lot of muscle in those arms.” With a vein bulging on her forehead, Frost grumbled, “Do you EVER shut up with the insults?” The Galactic grunt laughed, “And just what’re you gonna do if I don’t stop?!” Frost giggled a little and replied, “I’ll just have to kill you.”

Shadow energy began to extend from both of Frost’s hands, creeping along her claws and past them, making it seem that they had become longer. “Just how you do expect to fight if your only weapons are shattered? HAH!” With a double upward swing of both arms, Frost sliced right through the blades of her opponent! The criminal staggered back and looked down at his blades. Only a few inches of metal was left on them. “Not good…..” Frost raised her hands and crossed them across her chest, ready to gut them hapless fool.

“NO, PLEASE! DON’T KILL ME!” The Galactic grunt pleaded as he dropped to his knees. Unfortunately for him, Frost’s primal bloodlust had taken hold of her and she replied, “Sorry, but I don’t do mercy.” With that, she dashed up to him and, before the criminal even knew what had happened, slashed into his body dozens of times. As trails of blood were splattered around the battlefield, a thud was heard as the corpse of Snow’s attempted kidnapper fell onto its back. As she dissipated the Shadow energy from her claws, Frost licked at the blood on her fingertips and muttered, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Frost called out, “Hey kid! It’s OK to come out! That punk won’t be bothering us anymore!” A voice called out from behind a tree as Dawn walked back into view, Snow resting in her arms. “That didn’t take long! How did you make himOH MY GOD!” Dawn became blue in the face as she witnessed the blood-soaked battlefield. “What…..what the heck…I think I’m gonna be sick!” Frost laughed, “Oh come on! What’d you expect?! Anyone can tell you just how vicious we Sneasel can be. Right, Snow?”

Dawn looked down at Snow and said, “Oh, right! Go to your mommy.” She then set the baby Sneasel down. But Snow did not budge. She just stood there, as if she was paralyzed with terror. Frost noticed that traumatized look in her daughter’s eyes and asked, “Snow? What is it?” The tiny Sneasel dropped to her knees trembling and brought a hand to her mouth. Realizing what was about to happen, Frost ran over to her daughter’s side and gently patted her on the back. “It’s OK, just let it out. Everything’s going to be alright.” Dawn watched from behind as Snow gagged. Soon a strange sound was heard as the tiny infant vomited quite violently.

Frost gently picked up her traumatized daughter and cradled her gently while humming a gentle tune to calm her. (I never would’ve expected to see this from a Sneasel. Hemophobia. Please forgive me. No child, especially one as young as you, should ever have to witness the death of someone.) She then turned to Dawn and said, “Thanks for keeping Snow away from that guy long enough for me to get here. She means a great deal to me.” The rookie Coordinator smiled, “No problem! She’s a very sweet girl. But I am glad you showed up when…huh?! What’s that?!”

Frost turned around and saw that the body of her opponent was being engulfed in a blinding light! After a brief moment, the light receded. What Frost saw in its place made her gasp. “Oh man…..this is horrible…” Where there was one, there were now two. The Galactic grunt and his Scyther were lying side by side with identical wounds. Frost ran over to them and examined the Pokemon Battlizer on the grunt’s wrist. “I see. When a human is fused with a Pokemon by using a Pokemon Battlizer, they both perish if the newly formed being dies. Poor guy.” Frost sighed in pity as she looked at the Scyther’s corpse. “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

Frost walked back over to Dawn and said, “Ya know, I think you should come with me. My husband would like to meet the girl who protected our daughter. What do you say?” Dawn smiled, “Of course! Just don’t let him get me with his claws.” Frost was puzzled by this. “Um…OK? Let’s get going then.”

The three ladies trekked through the woods as Frost tried to retrace her steps. “Is this east? Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s northeast. If only I had a compass.” Just then, there was the sound of a twig snapping. Frost stopped and shouted, “Who’s out there?!” A familiar voice replied, “Is that you, Frost?! Did you find Snow?” At the sound of that voice, Snow’s eyes shot open. “DADDY!” Without warning, the little Sneasel jumped out of her mother’s arms and took off through the underbrush!

“Hey! Don’t run off on your own! It’s not safe for a baby!” Dawn called out as she chased after the little girl. Frost spoke, “I wouldn’t worry. Snow has a special bond with her father. If she hears his voice, she’ll know where he is.” Right after she said that, Snow’s voice called out, “DADDY!” It was then that the other two ladies burst out of the woods and into another clearing. They then saw Snow leap into the arms of what seemed to be a twelve year old boy.

“Daddy, it was awful! I was scared, there was a mean bug thingy and…and…..UWWAAAAGGHHHH!!!!!” The Sneasel newborn burst into tears as she clutched her father’s jacket tightly. Ash whispered, “Hey, it’s OK. I’m here. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt. I don’t want my little girl upset.” Ash nuzzled his child as she cried, trying to calm her.

Frost turned to Dawn and said, “Well, that’s my husband. His name’s…..huh?” Dawn looked absolutely baffled at the sight of Snow cuddling with Ash. “She called him ‘Daddy’….. But he’s not a…” Frost yelled, “Hey! What’s wrong?!” Dawn looked at Frost and asked, “Is that boy really your husband?” Frost nodded, “Well, we aren’t officially married, but yes. We are mates.” Dawn then asked, “But can a human and Pokemon really have children together?” Frost then got a sneaky idea. “Wait and see.”

Frost called over to Ash, “Hey Ash! Got a minute?” When he looked over to Frost, she spoke, “Time to make some more babies!” Ash’s face went blank with embarrassment as she started to swagger over to him. Not wanting to perform the act in front of a complete stranger, he turned to run. But the second he turned his back, Frost dashed over to him and yanked his pants down, revealing his underwear.

“GAH! Frost, no! Not in front of the baby!” The sultry Sneasel replied, “But if we don’t show her how it’s done, how will we convince her that you’re Snow’s father?” Dawn then screamed, “ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, I GET THE POINT!!! JUST PLEASE DON’T PULL HIS UNDERWEAR DOWN!” Ash and Frost looked back to see a very offended Dawn covering her eyes. “Are you sure?! I think you’ll like the show!” Dawn yelled back at Frost, “Yes, I’m sure! I don’t want to see a boy naked!” Frost shook her head and sighed, “That’s too bad. She just doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

Once Ash had pulled his pants back up, Dawn came over to him and asked, “So you’re Snow’s father? I’m Dawn. I’m glad I was able to keep her safe for you.” Ash smiled and shook her hand, “Thanks. I’m Ash Ketchum. And yes, I’m really Snow’s father.” However, Dawn still was not entirely clear with how a child could father a Pokemon’s offspring. “But aren’t you a little young to be a father?” Ash laughed, “Yeah, I am pretty young for a dad! But I’m older than I look. I’m really 14 years old.” Dawn smiled, “Oh, that does sound like a more believable age. Huh? Whoa! Is that what I think it is?!” She pointed to the sword hilt sticking just above Ash’s right shoulder.

“Oh, this?” Ash placed his right hand on the hilt. “This is a special sword that was given to me by the Fuchsia Gym Leader. It’s a wedding gift.” Dawn nodded, but then it hit her. “Wait a second. Frost said that you two aren’t really married. So is that a wedding present or not?” Ash gulped, knowing that this girl would probably flip if he told her that he was having intimate relationships with three different women, neither of which was human. “I’ll tell ya later. Right now, we need to get back with the gang in Sandgem town.” Dawn then asked, “OK, but can I come? I needed to see someone there anyway.” Ash nodded, “Sure! It’s the least I could do to thank someone who helped my little girl.”


“Man, that’s really fragrant…..wait a sec…” Neo slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Uncle Neo! Are you OK?” Neo turned to Amber and nodded, “Yep. But just how long was I out?” Bayleef answered, “You were the last one to wake up. You’ve been out for about 30 minutes now. Erika and I used Aromatherapy to dispel the effects of that Sleep Powder.” Neo scratched his head, “30 minutes? Must’ve been quite a dose to keep me out for that long.” Just then, Erika shouted, “Daddy! And there’s Aunt Frost and little sister Snow!”

Before Ash was even aware that he was within sight of his family, three voices screamed simultaneously, “DADDY!!!” Ash was taken by surprise as Amber, Onyx, and Erika dog piled on him, knocking him flat on his back. Ash jokingly asked, “So who missed me?” All three of his children laughed. However, Dawn was baffled further by the fact that all three of these Pokemon, all of which could not have been born from a Sneasel, had called Ash their father.

“Ash, could I have a word with you?” Dawn asked, hoping that his children would not mind being apart from him for a moment. “Sure thing. Ok kids, everyone off!” The three Pokemon got off and just waited right next to him. “OK, so what’s up?” Dawn then proceeded to ask, “All three of these Pokemon called you ‘Daddy’ just now. But you are ‘married’ to Frost. Are they adopted?” Without even thinking about how Dawn would react, Ash called over to the others. “Hey Bayleef! Latias! Come over here for a sec!”

Latias and Bayleef came over to their lover. “Yes dear?” Latias asked. Ash kneeled and wrapped an arm around both of their necks. With a smile he said, “Dawn, this is my wife, Latias. And this is Bayleef. I guess you can call her my unofficial wife.” Finally, Dawn snapped and yelled, “Which one is it?! Which one is the girl you chose over all others?!” Ash chuckled and said, “What’s wrong with having all three of them? If I chose one and cast away the other two, could you imagine just how heartbroken they would be?”

This explanation was completely unexpected to Dawn, who gasped at Ash’s question. “I…I’m sorry. I never thought about it that way. You’re right. I’ve never fallen in love with anyone, but I think I get it. But isn’t it tough being shared by three different women?” Bayleef giggled, “It’s a lot easier than you think.” However, Dawn did not understand as she could not interpret Bayleef’s language. Ash noticed and said, “She said there’s enough of me to go around!”

After introducing Dawn to his two other lovers and his children, Ash brought Dawn over to the rest of the gang. “Dawn, this is Latios. He’s Latias’s big brother, which makes him my brother-in-law.” The blue and white dragon bowed his head. Dawn giggled, “He’s quite a gentleman.” Ash continued, “Well, he is pretty mature. Anyway, this here is Brock. He’s the Gym Leader of Pewter city. He’s also a Pokemon Breeder in training.” Dawn bowed, “A pleasure to meet you, Brock.” Brock blushed, “”No, the pleasure is mine.” Ash added, “Don’t mind him if he says anything weird. But anyway, this is Mewtwo. He’s another brother-in-law of mine.” Dawn gazed in awe at the bioengineered form of Mewtwo. “Wow, now you’re a really cool Pokemon!” Mewtwo merely gave a simple nod. “He’s the strong silent type. Don’t worry if he doesn’t talk much.” Ash then walked over to Neo. “And this is Neo. He’s my best friend and my own personal Guardian.”

Dawn stood before Neo and looked him over. “You’re a guardian? But you don’t even have a weapon.” The bioweapon chuckled, “I have no need for one. My body alone is more than enough to do my duty.” Dawn joked, “So what do you guard Ash against? Crazed autograph seekers?” Neo rolled his eyes, “Something like that.” Dawn then clapped her hands, “Oh yeah! I just remembered why I came here! Ash, I think you should come along too. Follow me!” She then took off in the direction of the northwest outskirts of town. Ash then called out, “OK then! Let’s just relax for a few hours! We'll meet up at the Pokemon Center at 5 p.m.!” With that, he took off after Dawn, curious of what she wanted him to follow her for.

Dawn greeted Ash with a grin, “Just in time. Do you know where we are?” Ash looked up at the building behind the rookie. “Uh, just some random building, right?” Dawn laughed, “Nope! This is the research lab of Professor Rowan! He’s an old colleague of Professor Oak from the Kanto region.” Ash looked surprised, “Professor Oak?! They used to work together?” Dawn nodded, “I know you were the runner-up in the Hoenn league championship. I only wish I wasn’t on a ferry back home from a vacation so I could’ve watched it. But the point is Rowan can update your Pokedex for you. Come on!” Dawn then disappeared inside the lab with Ash following close behind.

Ash looked around as he followed Dawn. The lab was not at all like that of Professor Oak’s. There were very few items of comfort and many hi-tech machines. Once the two of them reached the back of the lab, they found an elderly man with white hair and a refined moustache looking into a microscope. He did not even seem to notice the two children approach him. Dawn walked right up to him and spoke, “Professor Rowan, sorry if I’m a bit late. I ran into some trouble on the way here.”

The old man stopped what he was doing and stood from the stool that was supporting him. When he turned to face the children, Ash felt a chill shiver down his spine as the scientist gazed at him with very stern eyes. But Rowan raised an eyebrow when he saw the boy standing behind Dawn. “Ash Ketchum, isn’t it? Professor Oak informed me of your arrival.” Ash snapped out of his trance and replied, “Really? You knew I was coming?” He nodded, “Yes, and I know exactly what I must do for you. Please hand me your Pokedex.”

Not wanting to argue with such an intimidating face, Ash handed his current Pokedex over. The professor then took it over to a machine of sorts and inserted a cable coming from it into a slot in the side that Ash had never known about. He then took what seemed to be a different model of Pokedex and inserted another cable connecting to the machine into a slot on the side as well. “This will only take a moment.” Rowan then began to press a few spots on a touch screen nearby. A whirring sound was heard as the machine became active. After no more than a minute, Rowan disconnected the different Pokedex and walked over to Ash.

“I just transferred all personal data from your current Pokedex into this updated model. Now you can observe data on all the Pokemon species that reside here in Sinnoh.” Ash popped open his new Pokedex and marveled at it. “Whoa, duel screens. That’s new.” Rowan then turned to Dawn and held out an identical Pokedex. “And this is yours.” Dawn took it in hand and bowed, “Thank you, Mr. Rowan. Oh, and could you heal up Piplup for me? He got a nasty cut when we got in trouble on the way over here.” With a nod, Rowan took the Poke Ball and inserted it into a slot in a machine that looked similar to ones found in Pokemon Centers. “While we wait, I’d like to ask you something, Ash.”

Rowan took a seat on the stool next to the microscope he had been using only minutes before. “Tell me. The events that occurred just before the disappearance of Ever Grande city. Are they mere rumors, or is there truth behind it?” Ash hesitantly nodded, knowing that Professor Oak had informed Rowan about his stand against Missingno. Dawn had never even heard about the event, but chose to say nothing. Rowan nodded, “I see. Then the events at the championship in Hoenn before that must have been true as well. But no matter. It seems that Piplup is all healed.”

After giving Piplup’s Poke Ball back to Dawn, Rowan stood before both Trainers and said, “I can tell just by looking at you two that you will go far in your professions. Take care.” Thanking the good professor, the two children left the lab, but just as soon as they walked out the door, Dawn stopped Ash. “If it’s not too much trouble, could I tag along with you guys?” Ash asked, “OK, but why?” Dawn giggled, “I know that you’re a real veteran when it comes to Pokemon. But I’m just a rookie in battles and even more so in Contests. Maybe I can get a feel of how to do things right by observing you and your family.” Ash gave her a smile and said, “This wouldn’t be the first time a rookie Coordinator decided to tag along with me! Sure, you can come! Just remember to meet up with us at the Pokemon Center at 5 p.m. so you’re not left behind.” Dawn squealed, “Oh Ash, thank you! I promise I won’t let you down!” She surprised him with a hug, making him blush.


About an hour before the rendezvous, Ash decided to take a walk along the shoreline at the south end of Sandgem town. The sun was starting to get a bit lower in the sky as the evening went by. With the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore, Ash did not even notice the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

“So whatcha doing, handsome?” Ash jumped slightly from the sudden interruption of his train of thought. When he turned around, he found Frost looking up at him. “Taking a walk by the seaside with a setting sun in the background? Are you trying to tell me something?” Frost teased while murring sexily. Ash backed away slightly with a nervous look on his face, “Uh, no, of course not! The sound of the waves just has a way of relaxing you, ya know? Playing with the kids can really tire you out. And now that I think about it, where’s Snow?” Frost giggled, “Oh, the little darling’s taking a nap with Erika. Babies need plenty of sleep, regardless of specie.” Ash smiled, “Yup, that pretty much sums it up.”

After walking along side each other for a while, Ash brought up a question. “Hey, Frost. Do you know where your parents are?” Frost laughed and replied, “Like I would know! And it really doesn’t bother me that much since I have a family of my own now. But what about you, huh? I’ve met your mom, but what about your dad?” Ash then looked at her as if she had found a cure for stupidity. “Of course! I can’t believe I forgot!” Ash ran over to the brink of the shoreline, just short of the waves. “Uh, OK. Just what did you forget?” Ash looked back at Frost and grinned, “My dad! I can call him if I’m facing the ocean! Just watch!” He turned around and called, “Dad! Come on over! I want to see you!”

A moment passed and Ash called again, “Dad, knock it off! You said you would show yourself!” Another moment passed, and Ash sighed in disappointment. “I should’ve known. He just wanted me to be happy. Even if it meant telling a lie.” The boy turned around and started heading back towards town. “So what now? Is he coming?” Frost asked as he walked by her. “No, he’s not.” But just then, something HUGE burst out of the sea, followed by a loud thud behind them! “Don’t be so impatient! It takes time to swim this far!”

When Frost turned around to see the owner of the voice, she jumped backwards in shock. “What the hell?! Who are you?!” However, Ash ran past her with open arms. “DAD!” He sailed into the blue feathers on his father’s belly while his massive hand caressed him. “I missed you, Dad…. I really did…..” Ash sobbed as the mighty Lugia towered over him. “I longed for you as well, my son.”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Ash! Is this guy really your dad?! Because I’m not seeing the resemblance!” Frost shouted while trying to stay a good distance away. Ash turned back and replied, “If you wanna get technical, he’s really my father-in-law, but he’s been more like a real father to me than anyone else!” Frost shrugged, “OK, no complaints here. Wait a sec….. That means you’re Silver’s dad, right?!” Lugia nodded, “I am. And I suppose that you are XD-130?” Frost sighed, “That ‘name’ no longer has any meaning to me. My name is Frost.” Lugia smiled, “I see. So you have cast aside the path of murder.”

Ash looked up at his father and spoke, “I’m sorry that I haven’t visited in over a year. I guess I just lost track.” Lugia smiled, “That’s not a problem. But I do have a favor to ask.” Ash gazed up at the Guardian of the Sea. “I wish to travel with you and be near my children and grandchildren.” Ash was pleasantly surprised, but asked, “But what about the Orange Islands? If you’re not there, then who’s gonna protect it?” Lugia grinned, “Not a problem. Instead of one, there are now three.”

The Chosen One was puzzled by this revelation and asked, “Three? Did you have more kids?” Lugia busted out laughing at this. After catching his breath, he replied, “No. The birds of three elements vowed that they would band together to fight any threat that I would not be present to confront. They understood that I wanted to be with you and made it possible for the Orange Islands to be safe, even when I am not there.” Ash yelled, “AW YEAH, YOU’RE THE BEST, DAD!”

Lugia then asked, “However, there is one more thing. Since I am so large, getting around in cities and the like may prove difficult for me. So while you’re traveling, please keep me inside one of those red and white balls.” Ash reached for a spare Poke Ball and said, “OK. I’ll let you out once we set up camp for the night. Welcome aboard, Dad!” With his signature toss, Ash pelted Lugia with the ball. As Lugia disappeared into the ball in a flash of red light, he whispered, “Now we are family.”



   
Just after 5 p.m. had struck, the group headed north with Dawn in tow. Everyone had shown surprise when Ash revealed that she wanted to join, but there were no objections. But after they were about half a mile out of Sandgem town, Neo stopped everyone. “Hold up. Someone’s approaching us at high speed.”

A moment later, a figure was seen running towards them. Mewtwo spoke, “It’s just some kid.” Once the kid came within range, they could make out his features. The boy was wearing dark grey pants and purple shoes with black bottoms. His shirt was mostly purple and black with a forest green patch on the upper middle section. His hair was a muddy purple and his eyes were fierce and cruel, although they seemed to be filled with a great deal of fear at the moment.

Brock called out, “What’s wrong?! Is there something bad going on down there?!” The boy yelled back, “If you know what’s good for ya, you’ll run too! It’s a monster!” He bolted right past the gang without even looking back. As everyone looked back at the frightened boy, Mewtwo muttered, “A monster? Please. It can’t be that bad.” Just then, there was a loud crash behind them. Slowly, they all looked behind them, only to be greeted with the roar from an enraged Tyranitar!

“It’s not a monster, but it is indeed scary!” Latios yelled as the Tyranitar used Stone Edge, making many small sharp rocks fly up from the ground. Everyone managed to jump back in time before they could be butchered. Frost and Bayleef were quick to get their children to safety while Neo stepped forward to confront this threat.

Dawn screamed, “Don’t just stand there, Neo! RUN!” Neo, on the other hand, replied, “You don’t know me at all.” As the Tyranitar was about to fire a Hyper Beam at Neo pointblank, the bioweapon slammed the beast in the gut with a Force Palm! Dawn stood aghast at what this boy had just done. “Sorry dude, but if you intend to harm my family and friends, I’ll have to put you down for good.” With numbness setting in from the Force Palm’s side effects, the Tyranitar was all but helpless.

“I’ll try to make this as quick and painless as possible.” Neo sighed as he began to form an Aura Sphere in his spare hand. Ash felt bad that Neo had to resort to fatal force, but there was no other way. This Tyranitar was a threat to everything around it, including itself. But as Neo put on the finishing touches to his Aura Sphere, Ash noticed something on one of the Tyranitar’s arms. It seemed to be a simple metal bracelet. Or was it something entirely different?

“Sorry, but it is lights out for you.” Neo said as he held the orb of life energy to the Tyranitar’s abdomen. But just then, Ash screamed, “Neo, don’t! You’re making a mistake! Don’t hurt him!” Confident that Ash knew something about this particular Tyranitar, he took a few steps back and dissipated the energy from his hand. “What’s up? Did you think of something?” Ash remained silent as he walked over to the Tyranitar and stood right in front of him.

A moment passed as the exhausted Tyranitar and Ash just stared into each other’s eyes. Ash was the first to speak. “You have my eyes. Who are you?” When he said that, the Tyranitar’s eyes went wide with shock. He then whispered, “….Dad?”

A warm and relieved smile crept across Ash’s face as tears fell from his eyes. He knew who this Tyranitar was. “Slate…..”