The clash between titans was nothing short of devastation.

  Unsatisfied with how their initial bout went, Zapdos tried to overwhelm its opponent from a distance.

  It gathered electrical energy for a few moments before unleashing a bolt that honed in on its foe.

  Altaria, undeterred, spun and twisted in the air to shake off the legendary bird’s Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos’ control over his element was unparalleled, capable of following the fairy’s agile dodging.

  Liberal use of Tailwind barely kept Altaria away from the electricity when cumulonimbus clouds swirled and gathered up above. When the azure of the sky could no longer be discerned, the heavens began its downpour.

  Winds and water pelted Altaria, costing him precious seconds that allowed Zapdos’ Thunderbolt to finally reach him.

  The dragon’s usually musical voice screeched in hideous pain as he was assaulted by continuous bolts of electricity.

  Fighting through the pain, Altaria unleashed a potent Dazzling Gleam that blew the Thunderbolt away. Wet and shivering in agony, Altaria glared at his opponent hatefully.

  Relief was short-lived, however, as Zapdos was once again able to unleash another Thunderbolt that raced towards the dragon.

  With little choice, Altaria began climbing high up in the air. Before the legendary bird’s move could hit him again, he twisted and heeded gravity’s calling, diving nosefirst for the ground. His opponent’s move continued to shadow him.

  Inch by inch it decreased the gap, drawing closer and closer to Altaria.

  Just before he could splatter on ground, he combined Tailwind with one decisive beat of his powerful wings to abruptly alter his direction, shooting back up into the sky.

  Zapdos’ Thunderbolt, devastating as it was, was not as agile and followed the rules of nature, grounding and sputtering uselessly into soil.

  Free from pursuit, Altaria shot for his opponent while gathering flying energy into him. A silhouette of white flying energy formed around him, a birdlike formless creature.

  In a blink of an eye, Altaria appeared in front of Zapdos. The Sky Attack smashed into the legendary bird, disrupting and derailing its flight.

  Before Zapdos could right itself, Altaria fired a concentrated pink Hyper Beam to its face. The resulting explosion blew the bird far back enough to maintain distance between the two pokemon.

  Stuck on the ground, Gray had to dig his feet into the dirt to keep himself and Ash upright. While he suffered less due to Grimmsnarl’s timely screens, the other wild pokemon around him fared much worse.

  Duos of Plusles and Minuns held each other so tight they melded into one body. Elekids trembled nonstop, pupils widened in horror with every shake of the earth and shockwave of wind. The Electivire couple did their best to shield the younger species behind them, but it was futile. Hopelessness and despair was so thick in the air it contributed another layer of heaviness on top of the pressure.

  Behind everyone, the abandoned powerplant precariously swayed with every blow. Rock pillars were strewn about the entrance, some metallic railings joining them with a snap and falling into disarray.

  A Pikachu looked back on the powerplant, squeaking in devastation for her home would soon be nothing but rubble.

  In his arms, Ash continued to shake. Gray could feel the boy’s heartbeat pounding, a hummingbird pace that threatened to leap out of his tiny chest.

  Things went still inside Gray’s mind, and he felt himself tether out of his body, as if he was no longer in the midst of a dangerous skirmish. Then, suddenly and all at once, heat filled his head until he saw nothing but a pulsing crimson.

  He cradled Ash protectively, hand absentmindedly patting him in comfort.

  “Sylveon, Gardevoir,” he snapped.

  Two pops later and both pokemon released themselves. Gardevoir wordlessly approached her trainer, carefully carrying Ash and shifting him away.

  Sylveon stood, tall and regal to his trainer’s right.

  Once he was certain Ash was safe in his pokemon’s spindly green arms, Gray turned and marched towards both pokemon battling it out in the air.

  His very first partner, usually calm and easygoing, was now summoning Fairy energy around him in droves. Before his trainer could stop, his presence reached its apex, demanding attention and respect.

  The wild pokemon behind them tensed, warier than ever after they sensed yet another behemoth suddenly in their presence.

  “Enough!”

  Upon Gray’s command, Sylveon released a move that had trees swaying away from him in the aftershock. Pink winds exploded outwards, leaving both pokemon in the air so out of balance they had to regather themselves. The fairy energy in the gales were scalding hot, burning Altaria and Zapdos, causing them to snap to attention.

  While the two in front of him were buffered by the winds, the wild pokemon behind remained untouched. At this moment, Sylveon appeared like a guardian deity, his spear reserved for enemies, his shield keeping his city safe behind it.

  Fairy Wind was normally an average move in terms of damage, but in the hands of a master like Sylveon, it was more akin to a hurricane than a painful gust.

  Altaria, more familiar with the titan now amongst them, froze. His eyes darted around the area. Finally noticing the destruction he’s wrought, he began sweating bullets. He would have protested to his trainer, claiming innocence but he knew better when his trainer got like this.

  He flew back to Gray’s side, sheepish and silent. Still, he made sure to position slightly in front of his trainer and Sylveon to face Zapdos, protective despite knowing he paled in comparison to the fox-like pokemon when he decided to let loose the reigns he imposed upon himself.

  Gray resisted the urge to chew Altaria out at this very moment. In the face of legendary pokemon and their legendary tempers, it was best to keep one’s wit about themself. He and his pokemon needed to be on alert, ready to respond to anything thrown at them by the very forces of nature.

  Zapdos’ arrogance was swiftly subdued, now appearing more wary at the situation it found itself in. The Mega Altaria he could handle, but the addition of the pink creature derailed his certainty. Not to mention the trainer in the middle, whose presence signaled that it was likely there were more pokemon to come.

  “You both want to fight like brutes? Fine. But must you fight at the expense of wild pokemon homes?”

  He gestured furiously at the pokemon behind him, at the confused and wary. Adult pokemon huddled over their offspring, many of whom were sobbing. The abandoned powerplant in the backdrop looked even more decrepit, vines that had previously invaded the outer surfaces torn and tattered in places, exposing the cracks on walls that were now more prominent.

  Shocked, Zapdos bristled and glared accusatory eyes at Altaria.

  “Is it just his fault? You fought too, and without a care. You didn’t even notice until I stopped you.”

  Zapdos froze, and Gray went for the jugular.

  “You’re supposed to be guarding them, aren’t you? Who’s supposed to guard them against you now that you’re a threat?”

  “Maybe it’s not that big of a deal to you, since you can always just fly away from here, right? Nevermind the baby pokemon who’ve never known any other home.”

  Sylveon hummed at his side, a feeble attempt at hiding his snickering derision. Altaria fought a valiant battle against making any noise at all, knowing he was a hair’s breadth away from directing his trainer’s ire towards.

  Zapdos took a few more moments to take in the scene in front of it. The wild electric pokemon it had taken under its wings were terrified. The trainer’s pokemon, the invaders, stood between it and the wild pokemon, guarding them against their longtime protector.

  They were huddled behind the invaders, obviously more wary of Zapdos.

  At this realization, Zapdos deflated. His wings lost their metallic edge, now sagging towards the ground.

  Altaria took this as his own cue to relax, content to remain between the legendary pokemon and his trainer. Regardless of the ceased hostilities, he would remain alert for any underhanded tactics against his human.

  He was premature, however, as Gray finally turned his attention back to him.

  “I guess everything you’ve just done can be forgiven. After all, you can’t help being a brute, right? Must be the dragon-type in you. Oh well, nothing we can do about it.”

  Grimacing, Altaria chose to keep silent. He swallowed his burning indignation and the protest on his lips — he was a fairy-dragon and not a dragon-fariy, thank you very much!

  Peace momentarily acquired, Gray could now refocus and address the almost-lost of the abandoned powerplant.

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  “Everyone out,” he commanded

  His team materialised in front of him, already on alert in the presence of a force of nature.

  “Help to start reinforcing the powerplant. We’ll try our best to salvage it as much as possible.”

  His team got to work. Whimsicott flitted about, regrowing patches of greenery with Grassy Terrains and Grass Knots. Hatterene liberally used Psychic to clear away debris. Carbink used his Stone Edge to reinforce pillars while Mawile tapped into his steel energy reserves to do the same with the metallic structures.

  Watching him struggle to manipulate metal, something Mawile rarely ever had to do, Gray felt an aching longing for his missing steel specialist who could absorb metal particles and expel them into stunning metallic creations. But they were now separated by seas, so his current team would have to make do.

  Clefable navigated around the wild pokemon, comforting tense pokemon and healing injuries with Heal Pulses and Life Dews. Normally a violent gremlin, he leaned more into his species’ famed protective, gentle instincts. His presence was a calming balm that gradually lowered the tension in the air.

  The rest of Gray’s pokemon helped where they could, Helping Hands to ease the burden.

  The well-oiled machine in front of it made Zapdos even guiltier. While it raged and fought, relishing in finally getting to stretch its muscles, those it guarded suffered.

  It inched forward, approaching Gray slowly. The dragon it had fought had narrowed his eyes at that, but Zapdos’ movements went unhindered.

  When Zapdos was side-by-side with Gray, it muttered slowly. “Zap-zapdos.”

  Irked, Gray immediately retorted.

  “And how exactly do you want to help now? Unless you’re suddenly able to lift rock from the ground? If you want to help, just don’t disrupt. The Pressure you’re emitting is bad enough.”

  He had rarely done this, too proud of a pokemon to do so, but Zapdos reigned in his aura. Their vicinity immediately shifted, oxygen suddenly being easier to inhale and the tingling feeling on one’s skin could barely be felt. You could still taste the ozone in the air, but it was no longer overwhelming.

  The change in pressure had an immediate impact on the wild pokemon, the tension in their bodies unraveling until they could finally breathe without worry.

  Altaria deflated, shifting back into his normal form when he could no longer taste the threat in the air.

  He dared not be too unruly, however, still sensitive to his trainer’s taut temper.

  Gray maintained his facade. He knew from personal experience that to deal with legendary pokemon, you either had to be extremely careful or to ignore them completely. Pokemon who had an impact on nature had a tendency to have quick tempers to them, making predicting their shifts in mood tough. It was best to stay on your feet, ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

  Once they had calmed, however, it was best to treat them like another sentient being aware of their own temper tantrum. Excessive deference inflated their egos too much, so ignoring them was a viable option. Leaving them to stew in their own guilt made for an effective way to keep things steady.

  So Gray let his attention swerve from Zapdos, ignoring the bird in favor of everything else. He strode away from the bird and towards Mawile who was now struggling with placing metal railings. His team needed him more than an overgrown yellow chicken with too many spikes.

  While these general guidelines have served Gray well in the past, he would soon come to realise that he overlooked a crucial factor.

  Ash couldn’t stop staring at Zapdos.

  At first, he was overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the legendary bird. Just by existing, it could exude an aura that commanded respect. Its very being served as a warning to not be messed with.

  Ash couldn’t help but admire that, vibrating in excitement in his uncle’s arms.

  Zapdos was blazing fast, appearing and disappearing as it clashed with Mega Altaria. It took all of Ash’s effort to follow along the battle, so their dance in the sky was awespiring for the boy.

  He knew now from personal experience how freeing being above the clouds was. The freedom to look over the horizon and see far beyond what someone trapped on the ground could see. He relished the fact that technically everything was in reach, he was but a pokemon command away from stepping foot in places he would never have been able to reach on his lonesome.

  Flying with Altaria, Ash had resolved with himself that owning a flying type pokemon in the future was a must.

  But beyond its capabilities of flight, Ash couldn’t help but feel even more awestruck by the way Zapdos wielded a force of nature.

  It could release a Thunderbolt so powerful that the entire world flashed black and white for a moment, yet the move remained perfectly controlled, twisting and turning as it chased its prey. Altaria was fast, but Zapdos’ Thunderbolt was faster.

  Even Altaria had to pull off a risky maneuver just to stop Zapdos’ move.

  Ash had resolved with himself that owning an electric type pokemon in the future was a must too.

  And not just any electric type. It had to be an electric type so powerful that the world would bend to its will even for a fleeting moment.

  Immediately, Ash felt guilty for his selfish desire to own another pokemon. He had just been given Rotom too, who was very cool and awesome himself! Rotom could help Ash learn how to read, which was an important step in his journey to become the very best!

  But still, Ash couldn’t stop staring at Zapdos.

  The boy had been left mostly alone save for Mimikyu and Rotom-dex. Gardevoir had to use her precise Psychic moves and manipulate Gravity to ease the cleaning of the abandoned powerplant. Well, as clean as it could possibly be considering it was already abandoned but that’s neither here nor there.

  As a result, Ash was now left to his own devices. He clutched Mimikyu in front of him, tight with tension as he planned out his trek in his head. Thank goodness for the fairy’s enthusiasm at the display of affection. Ash now knew to keep his grip tight, less Mimikyu scare off another pokemon with his protectiveness.

  Ash took a few steps as he chattered with Rotom about this pokemon and that. And while he paid attention and learnt, the majority of his focus was on stepping closer and closer to the legendary bird.

  He first kept himself within his uncle’s direct line of sight, shifting further and further away as his uncle kept getting distracted by the fuss around them. When he was barely in Gray’s peripheral vision, he stopped edging away less his uncle call him out for it.

  There he remained, chattering enthusiastically with Rotom about the Pikachu family and their weakness against ground types. His cheerfulness grew when he confirmed that as long as Zapdos was in the air, it was immune to ground types. Essentially, as long as he flew he had no more weakness against ground types!

  When the boy could sense his uncle giving his entire attention to something else, and thus, more importantly, away from his nephew, he scurried away to get closer to Zapdos.

  The legendary pokemon noticed Ash as the boy approached, meeting Ash and looking the boy in the eye. For a moment, the expression on the bird could only be described as shock and recognition. It confused Ash, because he was certain that he had never met Zapdos before. He was way too cool to forget about after meeting!

  Ash counted his blessings, for the bird neither tensed or withdrew as Ash neared. Feeling relatively safe keeping Mimikyu in front of him and thus in between him and the wild pokemon, Ash felt that he had already taken the necessary steps to keep himself safe. Gray couldn’t get angry about him for that.

  “Hi,” Ash breathed out in awe.

  Zapdos had never looked away from Ash’s eyes since they met. He blinked at the boy before cooing a friendly hello. Success!

  “You’re really cool. When I grow up, I want to have a pokemon just as cool as you. I love flying types and I love electric types. And since you’re both, I love you twice as much!”

  Zapdos smirked at the revelation, pleased at how much this important boy professed to love it. It couldn’t wait to rub this in the face of his fellow legendary birds, and perhaps even to the others in shores far beyond. This boy had essentially deemed Zapdos to be his favorite!

  Zapdos cooed again, pleased.

  “Do you mind if I pet you?” Ash asked nervously.

  Zapdos said nothing, instead choosing to inch closer to the boy until they were almost beak-to-face. It lowered its head, low enough for Ash to begin petting.

  Ash had to maneuver Mimikyu into hugging him to keep them attached to each other. He gave an involuntary shiver after wrapping one of Mimikyu’s ghostly appendages around his chest, thankful that the small pokemon was content to snuggle deeper into his chest.

  Hands now freed, he began to pet Zapdos.

  The electric-flying type hummed in contentment, happy to let the boy continue his machinations.

  Ash was pleased to discover that despite their dangerous appearance, petting Zapdos’ feathers was hardly a chore. He had to be careful not to touch too close to the pointy edges, but Zapdos’s relaxed demeanor caused his feathers to droop down, relatively harmless. So, Ash happily kept doing so, ecstatic at the fact that he was actually petting a legendary pokemon.

  In his heart, Ash had accomplished everything he could ever hope to accomplish today. He got to fly with Altaria, visit an abandoned powerplant and even get his first official companion.

  Sure, Uncle Gray was adamant in saying he technically didn’t own Rotom, but he was fairly certain that Rotom would accompany Ash and his journey from start to end. He couldn’t see a world where he would willingly give the electric-ghost away now, as short of a time they have had together. He would sooner rather sneak out of Pallet Town on his first day as a trainer, Rotom hidden in one device or another.

  But still, deep in his heart, Ash couldn’t help but want more.

  Growing up, his best friend Gary always had more than Ash. Better grades, a better family and a better chance at being a pokemon master.

  It was only when Uncle Gray came back that Ash could feel like the playing field between him and his best friend was gradually tilting back into balance.

  Even so, if there was anything Ash had learnt over the years was that if there was a chance for something better, he had to use both his hands to grab it and never let go.

  When Gary had first invited Ash into dinners with his dad and grandfather, Ash had leapt at the chance. He did everything he could to endear himself to the adults in his best friend’s life to the point that he now got to share all his meals with them.

  No more going hungry and staying in a house that never felt like a home. He could instead spend hours in a cool place like the lab where they actually wanted him around and were willing to feed him.

  His experiences in life had taught him that if he wanted to be a pokemon master, he had to make use of every opportunity that presented itself.

  So, he rummaged in his pocket to fish out his special, shrunken pokeball. Gary and Ash had gotten one from Uncle Gray after they had embarrassingly fought over an old pokeball after fishing one day, and they had each carried their gift on their person ever since.

  He kept one hand stroking Zapdos, using the other to present the pokeball to the pokemon after enlarging it.

  Ash had initially worried that the sight of the pokeball would cause Zapdos to get angry, but he could sense nothing of the sort from the bird. Instead, Zapdos’ beady black eyes glinted in interest.

  Ash took a deep breath before starting his pitch. “I know you don’t have a good reason to join me, but I think you’re really cool and I can promise you that I’ll do everything to become the best trainer in the world. I’m not sure how I can take care of you, but if you’ve already been taking care of all the other wild electric pokemon, you can already kind of take care of yourself right? If you show me how to do it, I’d do it for you. I’d pet you everyday if that’s what it took to get you to join me…”

  The boy droned on and on, slipping into barely coherent babbles about being a good passenger and not squirming too much when they flew together. Which he also promised to do a lot of. He promised whatever he could, explaining what he could do now and that he was willing to learn anything else.

  Ash waited for Zapdos to reject him, but the electric type seemed unfazed. Ash was certain in his mind that he was no longer coherent in his rambling. Even so, the gleam of interest in Zapdos’ eye remained searing hot.

  Ash held the pokeball with both hands, cupping it reverently as he offered it to Zapdos.

  “... So if you’re willing, please be my friend. I really want you to be part of my family. I know we’re not related or anything, but the Oaks taught me that sometimes you can choose your own family. And Zapdos, I choose you.”

  The repair to the abandoned powerplant was going smoothly, his well-seasoned team slotting into their own places and working like the well-oiled machine that they were.

  While they could not fully repair everything, their efforts were more than enough to make the entire compound livable again.

  So why was there a voice in the wind warning Gray? Just what was he missing?

  Frowning in thought, Gray suddenly heard the telltale whoosh of a pokeball catching a pokemon for the first time. The dread in Gray’s gut churned as he turned towards the sound.

  He could see that Ash had snuck off and out of Gray’s immediate vicinity. It was not a cause for concern, however, as the boy was near enough that Gray could make him out perfectly.

  So he had a clear vision of Ash starting intently at the pokeball that had just snapped close before it fell to ground. It did not shake, for the pokemon inside did not resist capture.

  Instead, it beeped shut to confirm a successful catch.