Ash Ketchum: Type Specialist One Shots

Ash associated his late father with warmth. Yes the man was physically warm, he just seemed to run a bit hotter than most people, but that isn't necessarily what he meant. Cole Ketchum was warm, like a cackling fire on a frigid night, inviting, soothing. Ash remembered how kind his father was, giving, and helping those around him, even without being asked at some points. His mother would claim that his father would give someone the shirt off his back if they asked, and Ash couldn't help but agree. That warmth, that kindness, was what drove Ash to be the way he was.

One very distinct thing Ash remembered about his father was his love for Fire Types. There wasn't a day that went by, that Ash could remember, that his father wasn't talking about them.

"Fire Types are extremely touchy Pokemon, Ash." Cole explained as he brushed his Magmar's fur back. "But they are extremely smart, and loyal. Their flames aren't just for show, it takes a real patient and hard headed trainer to work with them."

"Gary says I'm hard headed!" Ash boasted excitedly, causing the man to start laughing. "That means I can be a Fire Type Master too!"

"Are you now?" Cole squatted down to Ash's height.

"Yup! I'll even become a Gym leader like you wanted!" He promised, brown eyes light with determination.

Cole blinked in surprise for a moment, before smiling and reaching into his pocket. "Well, if that's the case, you're gonna need this, now won't you?" From his pocket he pulled out a distinct yellow stone, with a black cord going through to make it a necklace.

"What's this?" Ash accepted the stone from his father. Taking a closer look, Ash gazed into the yellow stone, gasping as he realized inside the stone seemed to flicker and glow, like the flame from a Charizard encased in burning amber.

"Blaine gave me this Fire Stone when I was working for him. Never did catch a Pokemon that needed it, but since you're going to be a Fire Type Master, I think you should have this." Cole grinned, ruffling Ash's spiky black hair.

Ash stared wide eyed down at it, before snapping his head up. "I'll take good care of it!" He promised, sliding the cord over his head to keep the stone safe.

"I know you will!"

Ash knew his father's dream, to become the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader, had never been fulfilled, Cole having met his mother and settled down. Though he always assured Ash he never regretted it, Ash couldn't help but wonder if his father was ever a bit disappointed he never achieved his dream. That was why, when Cole passed away due to an unknown illness, Ash promised to fulfill it for him.

It had taken months for the Ketchum family to adjust without Cole in the home. Ash took to having the heater on at all times, even in the summer when it was sweltering, though it would never feel as warm as his father's hugs. He took to wearing his father's Fire Stone at all times, hiding it under his clothes so nobody would take it, and visited his gravesite everyday. Cole had given his Pokemon to Gym Leader Blaine in his will, knowing the old man would give them the best life a Fire Type could ask for. The only Pokemon that stayed with the Ketchums was his father's Houndoom, who's last command was to watch over the family in Cole's absence.

When Ash was seven Delia got an unexpected job offer in the Sinnoh Region. A school in Snowpoint City desperately needed a new Home Economics teacher, and Delia felt it would be a good change for her and Ash. Understandably, Ash had initially been upset. He'd no longer be able to visit his dad daily, and Ash desperately wanted to stay in Kanto, where it was usually very warm.

Adjusting to the new region was extremely hard, especially in such a cold place. Ash didn't particularly like the cold in the first place, and most of the city centered around Ice Types. With his connection to Fire Type's as well as his downtrodden demeanor due to the move, Ash had a hard time making friends. Due to his mother's work he was friendly with two girls named Candice and Zoey, but Candice was an Ice Type enthusiast and Zoey was standoffish at the best of times, so while polite with each other, they didn't play together unless their parents were involved. Due to this Ash stayed home most of the time, unless he was at school, snuggled up to his father's Houndoom while watching television, and it was while doing this that Ash found out about Pokemon Contests.

Kanto had Contests, but compared to Sinnoh, Kanto Contests were a pretty new installment, and in Kanto Ash was usually outside playing. The first time Ash saw a Contest, his breath was taken away. The trainer had a Flareon, and directed it to make rings of fire that Flareon leapt through with ease before Flareon used Quick Attack to burst through the fire, causing it to glow bright orange. It was beautiful, and Ash couldn't help but admire the precision and control the trainer had over their Pokemon's flames. He ended up watching the entire contest, and even set the television to record all other contests.

Funnily enough, the day he stopped watching contests, was the same day he met his first real friend in Sinnoh, one that would be beside him for many years.

============

"Did you see that Bubble attack mom?" Ash stood on the couch, pointing to the television, where Delia could see a tiny blue Azuril, bouncing on its tail while bubbles frothed from its mouth, surrounding it on stage.

"It sure is cute!" Delia chimed, smiling at the smile that took up her son's face.

Ash shook his head, and bounced into a sitting position back on the couch. "Its more than that! See how impressed the judges are? They probably worked for hours to get just the right amount of bubbles.

She chuckled at his enthusiasm. "With the way you talk, you'd think you'd want to be Coordinator." As soon as the words left her mouth, Delia wanted to snatch them back.

Ash's tanned complection paled, and he gripped his father's Fire Stone so tight she feared he'd hurt himself. "I-I'm going to be Gym Leader!" He said hurriedly, as if afraid her words were left unchallenged any longer would somehow jinx him.

Delia felt her heart break. "Oh Ashy-"

"I-I'm going to the park." Ash jumped off the couch and grabbed his heavy coat.

"Do you want me to pause-"

"No!" Ash shook his head fastly, cutting her off. "I-I don't need to watch contests anymore! I'm going to be a Gym Leader, not a Coordinator!" With that, he was out the door, his coat not even all the way on yet.

Delia sighed as she watched his retreating form. She turned to Houndoom, who was standing beside her, staring after Ash before looking up at her. "Oh Doomy, what are we going to do?" She sighed. The Houndoom pressed his warm nose to her hand, offering as much comfort as he could, which she was grateful for.

=====

Ash pelted through the snowy streets of Snowpoint, nearly slipping over the snow and Ice that coated the ground in thick, heavy layers. His face stung from the cold air, prickly against his skin while his eyes burned with unshed tears. He only stopped when he was near the forest, having to stop in order to breathe. He held himself on his knees, the cold air causing him to cough while he desperately tried to suck in oxygen. With a final sigh, he stood back up properly.

His mother's words swam in his head, and he shook his head to dispel them. He would be a Fire Type Gym Leader, not a Coordinator. Even if he thought Contests were cool, he promised his father, he would be a Gym Leader, for both of them.

With that thought firmly in place, he looked around to see where he was. He could see some kids playing up ahead at the park, and while he told his mother that was where he was going, he didn't feel like dealing with other kids. He turned towards the forest, onto a small, hidden pathway that twisted through the forest. He'd seen trainers go down the path to evolve their Eevee into Glaceon, and it was well marked.

The path was quiet, with the only sounds he could hear was the occasional shuffle of forest Pokemon and the distant laughter of other children from the park. The mountain air was actually rather nice, despite the sting it left on his cheeks, the snow however, blinding to the eye and melting into his socks, he wasn't happy about.

As the trail came to an end, Ash saw a large cave, with a familiar orange glow flickering inside, along with a much brighter blue. Worry seeped into Ash's nerves, and he entered the cave. The inside looked as if it had been sculpted from pure ice, glittering across the walls like shimmery, ice crystals, and in the center of the cave was a large bundle of Icey Rocks that poked upwards, as if reaching to the cave ceiling. Everything seemed to glow, light bouncing against the ice surface, turning the cave into a blue hued rainbow.

But beautiful as it was, that wasn't what caught Ash's attention. Slumped over, with orange skin pale, and flame lit tail only flickering, a Charmander leaned against the Ice Rock. Gasping, the seven year old maneuvered himself out of his jacket, and threw it over the Fire Type. Bundling Charmander up as much as he could, Ash pulled the Pokemon that was half his size, into his arms, and ran as much as, and as gently as he could. It didn't help that Charmander weighed about as much as he did, and that Ash was trying to keep the dwindling tail from dragging, but he pressed on, shuddering as the cold air hit his bare skin.

After what seemed like hours, Ash shoved the doors to the Pokemon Center open, falling onto the floor with Charmander still in his arms. "N-n-n-nursssse J-J-Joy, Ch-ch-charmander!" Ash stuttered, his body racked with shivers.

"Oh Dear!" Nurse Joy gasped, ushering Chansey to get a stretcher as she grabbed Charmander, rushing him to the back as fast as she could.

Ash pushed himself up from the floor, sighing in relief that Charmander's tail was still lit, and shuffled over to the telephones. After he punched in the numbers and as the phone was ringing, a blanket was tossed over her shoulders, jolting, Ash looked up, relaxing as he took in the sight of Chansey.

"Chansey!" Chansey reached up and pat his head, and pushed a cart towards him, a warm drink steaming on it.

"Th-thank you Chansey." Ash murmured, wrapping the blanket around himself tighter, and grabbing the warm drink, tea it turns out. Warmth seeped into his hands from the cup, chasing away the chill.

"Ash, Honey, why are you at the Pokemon Center?" Ash looked back at the Phone at his mother's voice. Her face was twisted in worry, her hands wringing.

"I-I found a Charmander in the cold?" He Explained.

"I'll be right there. Don't leave the Pokemon Center." She ordered, waiting for Ash's 'Okay.' before the phone cut off.

Ash moved to sit in a seat next to the door, glancing outside to see his mother, and slowly sipping on the warm tea that was offered to him. Delia pushed open the door, Houndoom beside her. Upon seeing Ash the duel typed Pokemon padded over, curling up against his legs while sending waves of body heat into him. Delia crouched in front of him, cupping his face in her hands as she searched for any injuries.

"I'm okay mom, just cold." He promised, relaxinging, if slightly, against the warmth his mother offered.

Delia relaxed at his words. "Where on earth did you find a Charmander up here?" She asked, because of course it was her son that found a rare Fire Type in a region they were't native to.

"I'd like to know that myself." A stern voice said, startling the pair. Turning, Delia recognised Officer Jenny, and beside her Nurse Joy. "Young Man, where did you get that Charmander?" Ash glanced at his mother hesitantly, and the Officer gave him a gentle look. "You're not in trouble, but Charmander was very injured due to the cold."

Ash nodded in understanding. "I found him in that icey cave, down the trail next to the park." He answered honestly, and Officer Joy scribbled onto her notepad. "Will Charmander be okay?" He glanced at the pink clad Nurse.

Nurse Joy offered a kind smile. "Once he's heated up, and has a good meal or two in him he'll be good as new." She promised. "Would you like to see him?"

Ash's brown eyes glittered in awe. "Can I really?" He asked, looking to his mother hopefully.

"You do that while I talk to Officer Jenny." Delia encouraged.

With that, Ash followed Nurse Joy into the back. Charmander was lying on an elevated bed, his tail, still small but looking much better than it had and his skin was back to its proper orange color. Surrounding the sleeping Charmander was a number of heaters, blowing hot air towards him while wires were hooked up to a number of monitors. Ash rested his hand against the glass, gasping as tired dark blue eyes slowly blinked open.

"Char?" Charmander cooed from his spot, barely raising his head to look around. Blue eyes met brown and both Ash and Charmander halted.

"He's awake!" Ash grinned, waving at Charmander through the glass. Charmander's lips curled up just slightly, before he relaxed again, his eyes shutting closed. "Of not." Ash giggled.

Nurse Joy giggled as well. "I'm sure he'll be fully awake tomorrow, would you like to come visit him again?"

Ash didn't hesitate a second. "Yes Please!"

=====

"Mom! I'm going to the Pokemon center to see Charmander!" Ash called over his shoulder, already bundled up in his jacket.

"Okay honey. Do you need help putting your scarf on?" Delia asked, glancing at the red knitted scarf that rested in his son's hands.

Ash shook his head. "Nope! This is for Charmander! He'll get cold once he can leave the Pokemon center!"

Delia smiled softly, amused by the logic that children were able to muster. "Alright, be back before lunch alright? You need to finish your homework before school tomorrow."

"Okay!" With that, he exited the house, running down the slippery streets until he came upon the familiar red building of the Pokemon center, and slipped through the doors after a man and his Snowrunt. "Good morning Nurse Joy! Can I see CHarmander? I brought him a gift!"

The pink haired nurse's brows were knit in worry, and a chill went down Ash's spine. "I'm sorry Ash, Charmander snuck out last night, probably to go back to the Ice Rock."

A gasp left his mouth. "Why would Charmander go there? Its too cold!"

Nurse Joy sighed. "Charmander came to Sinnoh from Kanto with a trainer named Damien so he could evolve his Eevee into Glaceon." She spoke softly, like how Ash's mother spoke to him about 'delicate' matters, it made his stomach churn with unease. "He must have left Charmander there, promising to come back for him, but Damian is on his way back to Kanto right now, but Charmander…"

"Charmander doesn't know that Damian left." Ash finished for her, his hands balling into fists.

"I'm afraid so." Nurse Joy sighed.

"I'll bring him back!" Ash promised, and darted out of the Pokemon center before the young nurse could stop him.

Ash ran down the trail, almost slipping a bunch of times as he called for Carmander. On a particularly slippery chunk, he actually did fall, landing him on the hard, cold ground. With cold, partially scraped hands, Ash pushed himself back up. He had a small cut on his right hand, stinging with pain. Shaking his head, he pushed himself to keep running until he reached the icy cave.

"Charmander! Are you here?!" Ash called, gasping for air as he looked around the cavern.

"Char Charmander?" A soft cry questioned, and Ash turned to the far end of the cave, where Charmander stood, his once dwindling flame of a tail now big and bright.

"You are here!" Ash gasped in relief, stumbling towards him. Despite his brighter tail, Charmander's skin was paleing again. "Here, this is for you." Ash grinned, wrapping the red scar around Charmander's neck, and tying it loosely. "Are you warmer now?" He asked.

Charmander blinked in surprise, running his claws over the soft, warm fabric. Blue eyes glanced up at the boy, taking in his red face, and heavy breathing. If Charmander looked closely enough, which he did, he could see small shivers ripping through the boy's body, despite his heavy jacket. The metallic scent of blood stung the crisp air, and Charmander looked down, gasping quietly at a large cut in his hand that had drops of blood still forming. "Charmander?" He reached out to nudge the injured hand, and the boy flinched, seemingly just registering the pain.

"I'm okay! I just slipped on the ice on the way here!" He assured, and Charmander frowned.

He remembered the boy from the night before, not vividly, but he remembered the warm scent of cinnamon as someone carried him through the ice and cold, of kind brown eyes that watched him at the Pokemon center, and now the same boy that seemingly helped him, hand hurt himself trying to come after him again. Charmander walked forward and pushed himself up against the boy, drawing his tail up in front of them.

"Wah~" The boy giggled, closing his eyes. "You're so warm." Arms wrapped around Charmander, pulling him closer to the boy in a warm embrace. Charmander couldn't remember the last time he had been held so soft, yet securely. Maybe just before he met Damien? He couldn't remember, but it was nice. "I'm sorry Charmander." The boy spoke after a few moments of comfortable silence. "But Damien is already back in Kanto."

And while Charmander didn't want to believe him, he did. Because he knew, the moment Daimen let him out of his Pokeball he had known that he would never see Damien again. He hadn't wanted to believe it, because Damien was his first human after the breeder and Professor Oak that he had met, and in the beginning, when Charmander was winning battles, Damien had treated him with care like he had his other Pokemon. But that had changed, that warmth had frosted over, but this boy that had only known him for less than a day, he was warm. He was kind, he had hurt himself, and worried over Charmander.

Tears built up in Charmander's eyes as he came to full realization. "Char! Charmander!" He sobbed, burying his face in the boy's chest.

"I know." He whispered so gently, running his hand down Charmander's back as he whispered comfort. "Damien was a dummy head for not seeing how awesome you are, Charmander. That's why you're going to get stronger and show him what he lost!" With how confident the boy, his boy, sounded, Charmander couldn't help but agree, and feel reassured.

============

Ash and Charmander were found in that cave, bundled together against the cold as Charmander felt exhausted from just crying. Ash went home, promising to visit Charmander after school, and Charmander went back to the Pokemon Center, where he stayed. Ash of course kept his promise, despite the fever that burned his face, and the cough that echoed from his chest, he visited every day. A few days later, once given a clean bill of health, Charmander found himself in the Ketchum Household. Delia was the only one in Snowpoint who really knew how to care for Fire type Pokemon, you don't marry a man who named your son 'Ash' for 8 years without picking up a few things, and given Kanto was her home region, and Charmander was from Kanto Nurse Joy thought it would be best that Charmander go to her until Ash could carry Charmander for himself. Besides, she knew when a person and Pokemon were bonded, and if Ash and Charmander weren't a pair sculpted by Arceus herself then well, she'd eat her hat!

Delia certainly didn't complain, she hadn't seen Ash so happy in so long, Charmander brought back a spark in her son that she feared had been lost. He purposefully stopped watching contests, something Delia would never forgive herself for, but he had a friend in Charmander, and started playing outside again. It was still too cold for either Kanto Native to enjoy for a long time, but with Ash's scarf firmly wrapped around Charmander's neck, the two could play for a solid hour outside before coming inside to hog the heater. And if Delia decided to pretend she didn't see her son training Charmander with help from Houndoom, that was her business.

Ash's decision to start his Journey in Kanto immediately after he turned 10 and work up to Sinnoh hadn't surprised anyone. Ash wanted to start his journey on the same path both his parents had, meaning at Professor Oak's laboratory, where he happened to meet Gary again after so long. Delia had taken some vacation days and traveled back to Pallet with Ash to catch up with her friends and visit her husband's grave.

Gary hadn't exactly forgiven Ash for moving away however, so their reunion was sour, especially because Ash already, technically, had a starter before him. Yes Gary, despite being a ten year old, chose a Squirtle out of spite for Ash and his Charmander. While the negativity from the boy Ash once considered a friend hurt, Ash didn't linger on it for too long, meaning he retaliated back with just as much fire(pun 100% intended).

Ash and Charmander's journey didn't start off the best, so to speak. For one, being chased down by a Flock of Spearow, that caused Charmander to burn a girl's bike into charcoal(sorry again Misty!), and that almost ended himself and his partner hadn't been enjoyable, even if they happened to see a mysterious Pokemon afterwards. Second, there weren't many Fire Types between Pallet and Pewter, and had it not been a chance meeting with Blaine in Viridian City, Ash wasn't certain he'd have been able to win against Brock in the first place.

==========

"Ready to head to Pewter City buddy?" Ash grinned down at Charmander.

"Char! Charmander!" Charmander agreed, fixing the red scarf around his neck.

"Cole?" A voice asked, sounding hesitant and causing Ash to halt before he could even get going. Blinking, Ash turned to a man that was about to enter the Pokemon center, an oddly colored Pokeball in hand. Ash vaguely recognized the man from his father's funeral, but couldn't place a name. As he was about to correct him, the man seemed to connect the dots himself, a wistful smile spreading on his aged face. "No, you're not Cole. You're his son, aren't you?"

"Yes sir, my name is Ash Ketchum." Ash nodded, a bit hesitant.

The man nodded. "Forgive me, you look so much like your father, especially with that Charmander there. Reminds me of when he came to work for me."

Ash blinked as the puzzle pieces finally clicked. "You're Blaine, aren't you? The Cinnabar Island Gym Leader!"

"That I am young man!" Blaine grinned. "Truth be told, you're precisely why I'm here. Come take a seat with me, will you?"

"Of course, come on Charmander." Ash followed Blaine back into the Pokemon Center, where they took a seat at a vacant table. Charmander crawled up onto the chair next to Ash, looking at the man who smelt of ash and charcoal with interest, and veiled suspicion.

"As you know, your father left me his Pokemon when he passed." Blaine started fondly.

"How are they?" He interrupted, unable to bite back the question.

Blaine didn't seem to mind in the slightest, simply smiling with a look of melancholy. "They're doing mighty fine, Magmorter evolved just last year, and your father's Charizard has found a home in the Charicific Valley. Houndoom of course stayed with you and your mother, and Camerupt and Magcargo are enjoying their retirement. As for your father's Rapidash, well thats actually why I came here."

"Is she okay?" Rapidash was his father's prized Pokemon. Even after he stopped battling he still raced her, and used her to simply travel to the local market. She was the Pokemon that his father taught to ride on. The Idea of her being hurt caused Ash's stomach to churn.

"More than okay. A few months ago she became the mother of a clutch of eggs." Blaine was quick to reassure. "And then, on your birthday in fact, one of the eggs hatched. I told myself, 'well, if that's not a sign, I don't know what is!' and contacted Professor Oak to see where you were. You left Pallet before I could meet you, so I came here, and boy am I happy I did." Blaine set the Pokeball that was in his hand on the table.

The ball was black instead of the usual red and white , with red and gold stripes around the top. Hesitantly, Ash reached for it, getting a reassured nod from the old Gym leader. Gripping the ball with both hands, Ash brought it closer, gazing down at the Pokemon that held Rapidash's son or daughter. Ash hesitated and looked up at him. "Are you sure it's okay for me to have this?"

"I'm sure." He assured. "That Ponyta, well, I just feel as if they're meant for you."

"Thank you." Ash bowed his head to the man. "I promise to take care of Ponyta, and Charmander, and any other Pokemon I catch to the best of my abilities."

"I don't doubt that my boy." Blaine chucked with ease, and stood up. "We should get going though, I have to get back to Cinnabar Island, and you have a Gym Battle in Pewter waiting for you if I'm not mistaken."

Ash stood up with him. "When I come to Cinnabar Island I want to have a battle with you, Fire Type to Fire Type."

"I can't wait." Blaine grinned, and excused himself.

Smiling Ash turned to Charmander. "Looks like we got our first friend Charmander!"

Charmander reached out his nose and sniffed at the black Pokeball with interest. "Charmander!" He cheered heartily, patting the top of the Pokeball gleefully.

===========

Thanks to Ponyta, spit fire that one, Ash was able to outspeed Brock's Rock Type Pokemon, and somehow Ash and Brock became friends, bonded by the legacy their father's left them, even if the situations were slightly different. Brock's dad even came back, allowing Brock to travel with Ash, and Misty who decided to tag along. The Cascade badge was pretty difficult to win, seeing as Misty was his opponent and she had Water Type, but with Charmander's flames they were able to heat the water in the pool up so much that it evaporated. They got the Thunder Badge the same way they got the Boulder Badge, with Ponyta's speed outshining Surge's power. And then Ash caught a Vulpix, an itty bitty thing that was wandering around Lavender town in search of food. Despite being a pure Fire Type, he possessed a fair bit of Psychic abilities, leveling the playing field against Sabrina to get him the Marsh badge.The Rainbow badge was an easy win, after he crossdressed to get into the Gym in the first place(apparently its illegal to not like perfume), and after saving Erika's Pokemon from a fire(that he did not start, Team Rocket did). The Soul Badge was a bit harder, as Koga's pokemon were stealthy, but somehow they were able to Power through. As he prepared for his Battle against Blaine Ash took part in a marathon, where he rode Ponyta, leading her to evolve into Rapidash in order to win the race. Following that victory, however came a bad slope after Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, and refused to listen. Luckily, with his father's advice the streak was cut shorter than it likely could have been.

===========

Chameleon unleashed a blast flame towards Ash, almost charing him on the spot. It had been days since the Fire Type's evolution, and he still refused to listen. Vulpix and Rapidash watched on in varying shades of worry, as Pokemon they understood somewhat how Charmeleon felt, but they were also loyal to Ash, and he hadn't done anything wrong. Their dear friend was simply lashing out due to fear and pent up energy.

"Charmeleon listen to me!" Ash huffed, dodging another flamethrower from Charmeleon.

"Ash it's not worth it, just return Charmeleon so we can eat Eep!" Misty squealed as she dodged a Flamethrower herself. "Control your Pokemon!"

"Don't say stuff like that to him then!" Ash growled back at her, wincing as he took a Flamethrower to the back, having turned to talk to misty. "Alright, thats it!" Ash growled and stormed towards Charmeleon.

"Ash what are you doing?" Brock called out, worried, starting to stand to stop his friend.

"Vul!"

"Neh!" Vulpix and Rapidash leapt in front of Brock, stopping him from interfering. They knew their Trainer, whatever he was about to do would be extremely reckless, but would most likely work in the end.

CONK

They group fell into stunned silence, staring at Ash and Charmeleon from afar in shock. Charmeleon was no better, green eyes wide as he digested what had just happened. Ash had headbutted him. Ash winced as he pulled his head back.

"Are you ready to listen now?" Ash asked huffily. Charmeleon blinked back into awareness, but was still too stunned to push Ash away again, instead meeting his eye in an unmoving staring contest. "Good. You need to calm down. I know your evolution was sudden, and it was probably scary, but you can't lash out all the time. I'm not going to leave you, no matter how much of a hissy fit you throw. Let me help you Charmeleon. Please." The last of his plead came out hoarsely, like Ash was fighting back emotion.

Charmeleon hesitated as he stared at Ash, wanting to lean into his trainer's hold, but the gnawing feeling of anxiety in his gut wouldn't let him. The smell of blood entered his nose, and Charmeleon's head snapped up. Blood started dripping from Ash's forehead, trailing down his face where it dripped onto the dusty ground from his chin. Slowly, Charmeleon reached out, brushing his muzzle against Ash's outstretched hand and slowly melting into his trainer's hold.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief and tugged Charmeleon closer. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He questioned, rubbing the spot where his head hit Charmeleon's. Charmeleon let out a gruff snort of amusement, and shook his head.

Slowly, Ash led Charmeleon back with the rest of the group, where he sat at his food bowl to eat, Rapidash and Vulpix wandering over to nuzzle him. Ash sat down beside Brock, who immediately started scolding him, and dressing his wound at the same time.

Misty glanced between Ash and Charmeleon in mid awe. "How did you know that would work?"

Ash shrugged with a wide grin. "My father always said it takes a hard headed trainer to work with Fire Type Pokemon. I happen to be extremely hard headed."

A vein pulsed from Misty's head and she sighed. "That wasn't what he meant, Ash!" She screeched. Ash simply snickered.

============

Not too long after that, Charmeleon evolved again, but this time to save Ash from an Aerodactyl that had snatched him up. Soon after that, Ash had his battle with Blaine, Charizard vs Magmar. It was a blistering battle on the top of a volcano, with many close calls, but in the end Charizard was the victor, winning them the Volcano badge. It had been nice seeing his father's Pokemon again, especially Rapidash, who was able to see not only her own hatchling grown up, but her trainer's hatchling as well. After Cinnabar came Viridian, one of the hardest battle's Ash, despite being against Team Rocket of all people, but he had somehow been able to get the Earth Badge.

There was something of a scramble before the Indigo League, seeing as trainers needed at least six Pokemon to compete. Through his journey there were some Pokemon that he caught that weren't Fire Types, some wanted to be caught so they weren't bothered, for example the Pikachu he caught and sent home to his mother, the Bulbasaur that was sent to Professor Oak, and the Pidgeot he caught so she could protect her flock without getting captured. All three Pokemon easily agreed to help for the Indigo League, which meant leveling the other Pokemon up to match his remaining team. Pikachu was already rather strong, as was Pidgeot, and despite his unevolved status, Bulbasaur was nothing to sneeze at.

Together they managed to place in the Top 16 trainers, which, to his joy, was a higher placement than his parents had placed(Cole having placed Top 20, and Delia Top 50).

It was soon after his the Indigo League that Ash went to Jhoto with his father's Houndoom. He had caught a Cyndaquil, but shy as it was, Ash decided to leave her with his mother after Placing Top 8 in Johto, and talking on the Orange Islands. It was during his run of the Orange League that Ash's Vulpix wanted to evolve. Believe it or not, Vulpix's evolution hit him in a way Ash had not expected.

He had a Fire Stone, so getting one hadn't been the issue, the issue was, his Fire Stone, the one that was always hanging from his neck on the same cord it's been on since he was six, was from his father, and he was hesitant to use it. Vulpix was extremely patient while Ash worked through his emotions, and in the end he used to evolve Vulpix into Ninetales. Ninetales refused to go into his Pokeball a few days following his evolution, sticking to Ash's side as Ash came to terms with using his stone. As he had been extremely sad for a while, his Pokemon got together and managed to sniff out another stone. And while it wasn't from his father, Ash cherished it, because it was a gift from his Pokemon.

Hoenn brought on the addition of Torkoal. Crybaby as he was, Ash had never met a sweeter Fire Type. Of course, sweet or not, Torkoal was a tank in battle. In Hoenn was also where he met May. Through the years Ash had more or less pushed his love for Contests down, but as May became a coordinator, his love for them slowly started to work its way back up. Sometimes, at night, he would create spectacular performances with his Pokemon, making up excuses to work the coordinated moves into his Gym Battles as much as he could. It became obvious to his Pokemon that he loved performing with them, and they actually enjoyed it a lot as well, but as he wouldn't admit it to himself, they more or less let the subject go. As long as they were with Ash, they didn't particularly care what they were doing.

After Hoenn, came the Battle Frontier, before Ash finally returned to Sinnoh to participate in their Pokemon League. Of course, there was a bit of an off season before the Sinnoh Circuit officially started, at which point Ash went with his Mother and Professor Oak to Alola for a short vacation. The vacation had been nice, and his Pokemon loved the hot Alolan beaches. Ninetales even met an Ice Type variant, and Ash added another member to his team, a stoic Alolan Marowak.

Of course, after his few week vacation in Alola, Ash was back to Sinnoh, where contests were everywhere, and much harder to try and ignore.

===========

"I think we're lost Piplup!" Dawn whined as she searched for anything that looked familiar, holding her Piplup closely to her chest.

"Pip Piplup." Piplup chirped, pointing ahead of them. Seeing her Pokemon's self confidence made Dawn relax, if only a bit.

"Fire Spin Ninetales!" The sound of an order being called out grabbed Dawn's attention.

"Did you hear that? There must be someone over there, maybe they can help us!" Dawn cheered, turning to stumble in the direction the voice was coming from.

As she shoved away some foliage, Dawn peered into a slightly hidden break of the trees. She could see a single tent, with four Pokemon laying around it. In the center of the opening was a young man directing a gorgeous Ninetales. He looked only a few years older than herself, with spiky black hair. He was dressed in a simple black and white vest shirt and jeans, with fingerless gloves and an official Sinnoh League hat, but what was most noticeable was the fire stone that hung from around his neck.

"Shadow Ball, and then use Tail Whip!" Ninetales yipped in understanding, a black and purple ball of energy formed from Ninetales' muzzle, before being fired upwards. Before Shadow Ball could fall back upon its caster Ninetales' nine tails shot out, whipping around like grass in a heavy wind. Shadow Ball was passed seamlessly between its many tails, showing off not only Ninetales beauty, but what could be accomplished with such a simple move such as Tail Whip. "Finish it with Extrasensory!" Ninetales flicked one of its many tails, its eyes glowing yellow, causing the Shadow Ball to go flying, before a beam of shimmery yellow, red, and pink psychic energy fired from Ninetales' mind. Psychic and Ghost energy clashed, causing the violet and black sphere to pop, shimmering purple and yellow in the sky above while Ninetales stood below, beautiful and regal.

"That was amazing!" Ash jumped from the sudden voice, whipping around to see a girl a bit younger than him run towards him, a noticeable blue penguin Pokemon in her arms. "Hi, I'm Dawn! I've never seen a Ninetales use their tails like that before! Truly beautiful! You must be a coordinator right?!"

Ash blinked as he tried to understand what the blue haired girl had said to him. As his mind caught up to him, he physically cringed back. "Uh no, I'm not a coordinator, I'm actually currently taking the Gym Circuit to the Sinnoh League." He explained, reaching over to pet Ninetales and let him go sit with the others. "The names Ash, by the way."

Dawn starred in awe. "Wow, I'm a coordinator and I don't think I'd be able to do something like that yet." She hummed. "You know, there's a contest in Jubilife city coming up, you should try it out! My mom said that Gym Challengers can learn a lot from contest battles!"

Ash hesitated. He knew about the upcoming contest, Sinnoh was a lot more involved in contests than Kanto, Johto, or even Hoenn, they were just as popular as the Gym Circuit so he heard about them a lot more than he had previously, which was probably why he had been practicing those moves with Ninetales in the first place. But, he really wanted to be a Gym Leader, which was why he wanted to challenge all the leagues and all the Fire type Gym Leaders in the first place, at the same time he had been feeling especially restless since he had come to Sinnoh, almost constantly surrounded by the kinds of contests that grabbed his attention the first place. Nervously, he glanced at his team, who were watching with various stages of amusement. 'Maybe it'll get contests out of my system, and then I'll be able to focus!' He said. "I guess I could try it out." He murmured.

Dawn's face lit up. "Awesome! I'll be participating too! It'll be so much fun trying out with a friend!" She squealed.

"Pip Piplup!" Piplup agreed easily, jumping out of Dawn's arms and into Ash's.

Ash chuckled, scratching Piplup under his beak. "Sounds fun." Ash agreed. Behind them, Ash's Pokemon shared a gleeful look, it had been obvious, to them at least, how much Ash loved contests. He could lie to himself all he wanted, but his Pokemon knew him too well. Even if it was one off, they were happy that Ash would at least experience a bit of the dream he didn't know he had.

====

"You're not going to dress up?" Dawn pouted as she walked out of the dressing room, her usual black and pink dress replaced with a mostly pink, more formal looking dress.

Ash shook his head. "I don't exactly have anything to put on, and I feel like it will go to waste if I buy something to wear." Ash shrugged. While he was still in jeans he had replaced his vest shirt with a black long sleeved shirt, not super dressy, but nice enough.

"Well, I guess I can see that." Dawn conceded, though she obviously wasn't very happy about it. She went back to her bag, trying to find the choker necklace that went with her dress.

"Hey, is this yours?" Ash and Dawn both looked up at the voice, looking up at a red haired girl who had a Glameow standing beside her. Her face contorted into mild surprise. "Oh, hi Ash."

"Zoey, it's been a while." Ash greeted back.

Dawn gratefully took her choker back, and looked between the two. "You know each other?"

"We grew up in the same area, her parents and my mom are friends." Ash offered. "Dawn this is Zoey, Zoey, Dawn."

"Nice to meet you!" Dawn smiled, shaking her hand. "Thanks for finding my choker!"

"You too, and it was no problem. Are you in the contest today too?" Zoey asked.

"Yup! Ash is going to try it out too, you should see his-"

Ash winced as Zoey turned sharply towards him, glaring. "What? Ash, you're not a coordinator! Coordinating is already seen as a joke, we don't need challengers checking them out because they look 'fun'." She fumed.

Ash frowned at her. "I have a contest pass, I'm just trying it out to get it out of my system."

Zoey didn't look convinced, and turned sharply on her heel before storming off. Ash sighed and Dawn glanced between them nervously. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Zoey has some…messy family stuff that's not my business to tell. Lets just say she's not a fan of Contests and Gym Battles mingling too much. Which is kind of annoying when you take into account that her best friend is Snowpoint's Gym Leader." Ash explained as little as he could.

"Wow." Dawn murmured. "Well, I don't see the problem. Everyone is trying their best in the end, and those who don't, don't make it very far. No need to worry as I always say!"

Ash chuckled. "I want to call my mom, she'd want to see this."

Dawn paled. "I haven't called my mom since I left Twinleaf Town!" She whispered in mock horror before bolting to the closest unoccupied phone, leaving Ash to laugh at her misery. She'd get revenge later.

====

"Now, hailing from the cold mountain tops of Snowpoint, with a travel, and battle record as red hot as the Fire Type's he masters: Ash Ketchum!" The MC, Marian, announced from her microphone before pointing towards the stage.

Ash internally sweatdropped, wondering how she found out enough about him to craft an intro like that. "Marowak I choose you!" Marowak took the stage, his bone club spinning as he did so.His body was cloaked behind purple smoke from the sticker Ash put on his ball capsule. The spinning of his bone club dispelled the smoke, scattering it across the stage.

"What a fascinating entry for a fascinating Pokemon! Lets see what they have cooking up for us!"

"Shadow Bone!" Without a hint of hesitation Marowak's bone clup started clowning violet, the ends bursting into teal flame before slowly turning purple, causing the audience to awe in surprise. "Into the air!" With surprising skill, Marowak launched his spinning boomerang into the air, where it continued to spin. "Flare Blitz!" Teal flames licked at the ground around Marowak, spinning and swirling around him, controlled as well as any Fire type could control their flames. The bone club then started spinning downwards, heading straight towards Marowak. Before the club could cause any damage, Marowak grabbed it,spinning it around himself as teal flames danced around him, making him look like a fire dancer amongst the elegant flames that took the stage. From their spot on stage, Ash and Marowak bowed, signaling the end of their performance before Marowak dispelled the fire.

====

Ash sighed as he left the stage and wandered back into the back room, passing Zoey as he did so. "That was so cool! I didn't know a Marowak could do that!" Dawn greeted him excitedly.

Ash laughed softly. "My Marowak is from a region called Alola, he evolved there so he evolved differently than the Marowak you usually see." He explained. "He's a Fire/Ghost type, not a Ground Type." While Dawn soaked in that bit of information, Ash glanced up at the television to see Zoey's performance with her Misdreavus. He had to admit, the performance was amazing, showing off Misdreavus' beauty and power. It was obvious, to him at least, how much dedication went into Misdrevus' performance, and it proved just how serious Zoey was about being a coordinator.

====

By some miracle, Ash, Dawn, and Zoey made it through to the next round, and were waiting for their match ups. Ash could feel his blood pumping, boiling the same way it did when he was about to challenge a gym. He gripped the Fire Stone around his neck, ignoring the sliver of anxiety that wormed its way in, and ran his thumb over the rough surface of the fiery stone.

"Look Ash, you're battling Zoey right off the bat!" Dawn's voice snapped him from his thoughts and Ash looked up. Sure enough, Ash and Zoey would be starting the battle round off. Glancing around, Ash met the red head's eye, Zoey frowned at him, and quickly turned away.

"Good luck in your battle Dawn, lets see if we can make it into the final round together." Ash turned to his friend, raising his hand to her.

Dawn's face lit up, and she met his hand with hers. "Yep! We'll try our best!" She promised.

"With Ash and Zoey please make their way to the field? A voice called from over the intercom on the wall.

Waving, Ash made his way towards the field, bumping into Zoey as he went. "Remember, a Contest Battle and a normal Battle are different." She advised sagely, and turned a corner to reach her side of the field.

Ash couldn't help but feel a bit bitter at her statement. He'd watched May participate for nearly two years, and he had his own minor obsession with Contests. While that didn't prove he could participate perfectly, after all knowing something and being able to do it properly weren't synonymous, he wasn't a complete newbie, and it grated his gears to be treated like one. As Ash took his spot on his side of the field, he forced his bitterness away and pulled out his Pokeball.

Marian stood just in front of the judges, between the two sides of the field so she could properly commentate. "On this side we have an experienced Coordinator with a ribbon of her own already; its Zoey! And on this side we have a seasoned Battler making his debut into the Contest scene; its Ash! Are both trainers ready? Then lets get busy!"

"Glameow, Curtain!" From Zoey's Pokeball, surrounded by stars from the ball capsule.

"Rapidash, I choose you!" Ash threw out his Pokemon not a second later, Rapidash taking the stage with fine red confetti shimmering around her. "Start off with Smart Strike." The horn on Rapidash's head shone a bright white before turning silver like a sharp piece of medal.

"Disrupt it with Iron Tail!" Glameow's spring-like tail uncoiled, and straightened out before turning silver itself, causing Ash to lose a few points while Glameow slammed her tail on the ground, breaking the field below and making it uneven.

"Flame Charge!" While still charging with Smart Strike, burning red and orange flames surrounded Rapidash, with her horn still a bright silver, and poking out of the ball of flame. With the increased speed, Rapidash easily and fastly maneuvered the cracked ground, and plowed right into Glameow, causing damage from both Flame Charge, and Smart Strike. Zoey's points took a bit hit, due to her plan being disrupted, and taking a hit while Rapidash looked beautiful coated in flame.

Zoey bit her lip in frustration. "Jump and use Shadow Claw." Using its tail like a spring board, Glameow sprung into the air, her left most paw darkening as it sparked with Ghost Type energy.

"Rear up, and use Mega Horn!" Rapidash did as told, rearing up on her back legs and jabbing her horn upwards. Her horn struck Glameow in the chest before it could land a hit, but in the last second, Glameow coiled its tail around Rapidash's neck. Zoey took another hit in the point department, but as Glameow wrapped her tail around Rapidash, and ended up on her back, Ash also lost points. "Shake it off!" Rapidash started bucking wildly, trying to dislodge the cat from her back.

"Don't let go Glameow, and use Shock Wave!" Glameow dug their claws into Rapidash's hide, trying desperately to stay on, which sucked away some of Ash's Points in the long run. In order to use Shock Wave though they had to untangle their tail, which resulted in Rapidash being able to shake them off.

However, mid air Glameow was able to fire their Shock Wave, strands of blue electricity sparking down towards Rapidash at top Speeds. "Catch it with Smart Strike, and keep your hooves planted!" Rapidash steadied herself, and her horn turned back into steel while all four hooves planted themself firmly into the ground. As Shock Wave hit, it was absorbed into Smart Strike, traveling through Rapidash and into the ground below, causing Rapidash to spark a beautiful blue color in the meantime, resulting in more zapped points from Zoey.

"And time!" Marian called out, putting the battle to an end. Glameow landed on their paws, and looked up at the points, along with Zoey. Ash's head snapped up to look at the point board, and felt the air leave his lungs. Zoey was down a little more than half her points, where Ash was missing about a third of them. "The winner of this match, if only by a margin; it's Ash!"

Rapidash let out a victorious whinny, stamping her hoof excitedly before trotting over to her trainer, who threw his arms around her neck. "You were amazing Rapidash! We won our first Contest Battle!" Ash laughed, gently running his hand up and down her nose. Rapidash huffed in his face, brushing her face against his until he returned her to rest until their next match. Tentatively, he glanced across the field.

Zoey returned Glameow with a quiet 'Thank You', her hopes for her second ribbon temporarily postponed. She couldn't believe she lost to someone like Ash, even if it was just a bit, but in a way she felt as if she understood him a bit better. Feeling eyes on her, Zoey glanced up to look at Ash. Sighing, she gave him a small smile and a wave, which he returned with enthusiasm.

=====

Ash's battle hadn't been much, as his opponent used an, oddly familiar, Carnivine that went down in one Quick Attack powered Megahorn, its Vinewhip attack being unable to land a single hit on Ash's speedy Rapidash. It was a short battle to say the least, and the judges hadn't seemed particularly impressed with Carnivine's performance in the first place, and had taken a fair bit of points before Carnivine was knocked out, meaning Ash would have likely won in the first place. No matter, as Dawn's battles with Buneary had been amazing. Despite the Normal Type's tiny size, and adorable appearance, she could pack a punch(a Dizzy Punch that is! buduh ching!), which resulted in Dawn easily making it to the finals beside him.

"Alright! Its the final round in the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest, the winner of this match will win the pristine Jubilife Ribbon!" Marian called into her mic, working the crowd up into a frenzy. "On this side we have our newbie from Twinleaf; Dawn, and on this side our Fire Type extraordinaire; Ash! Let the final battle begin!"

"Buneary, Spotlight!" Dawn called out, tossing her Pokeball so Buneary could take the stage along with bubbling hearts that came for her capsul's sticker.

"Rapidash, I choose you!" Ash called out, throwing Rapidash out alongside her confetti. Rapidash reared up with a loud whinny of enthusiasm.

"Ice Beam Buneary!" Buneary started off with a Ice Beam, firing the frosty beam straight at Rapidash.

"Flame Charge." Rapidash became encased in hot flames, easily eating away at Ice Beam as Rapidash stormed through it, chipping away some of Dawn's points while doing so.

"Dodge using Bounce!" Buneary leapt into the air, dodging Flame Charge and costing Ash a few points, but Rapidash wasn't deterred, swiftly turning on hoof to face Buneary again, and charging as soon as Buneary landed. "Bat it away with Dizzy Punch!" The puffs on Buneary's ears glowed multi-colored before they started to shoot out, punching at the flaming horse. While the attack took some of Ash's points though, Rapidash wasn't deterred for long.

"Smart Strike!" Rapidash tossed her head, hitting Buneary, and sending her rolling further away.

"Ice Beam on the ground Buneary!" Buneary winced as she stood, her ears scrunching up as she froze over the ground. Rapidash tried to take a step forward, but started to slip on the ice, sending her falling onto the frosty ground, and costing Ash a chunk of points. "Now Bounce!" Buneary was unfazed by the frozen ground, easily bouncing along the frozen chunks before aiming a harsh Bounce attack right at the grounded Rapidash.

"Flame Charge!" Rapidash whinnied, her body once again breaking out into flame. The heat melted the ground under her, allowing her to stand again, costing Dawn some points. "Now Mega Horn!" Just as Buneary was about to land a Bounce on Rapidash, Rapidash jerked her head, bashing Buneary with her horn and sending her skitting away, costing more points as Flame Charge melted more of the icy field away, and causing the ground to steam, as fire met ice. The steam was thick, completely cloaking Rapidash, and making her hard to see. But while Dawn and Buneary couldn't see a thing, Ash had trained all his Pokemon in heavy Smokescreens, provided by Cyndaquil. "Quick Attack!" All that could be seen in the steam was bright white streaks, zipping through the steam elegantly before Rapidash made an appearance, steam clinging to her body alongside Quick Attack in a gorgeous display. Before Rapidash could his Buneary however, time was called.

"And time! Marian called, halting both Pokemon, and their trainers. "It is my honor to announce the winner of the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest is…Ash!" Ash jolted as his name left the MC's mouth, looking up at the points board for reassurance. Sure enough, Ash had a good chunk more points than Dawn did, not a huge amount, but a noticeable some.

Ash stared wide eyed at Rapidash as he digested the information. They had just won a Pokemon Contest.

====

Ash stared down at the Jubilife ribbon, a simple little thing with a gold diamond shaped pin, and a blue ribbon with white ends, that sat snuggly in the Ribbon case Dawn bought him as a congratulations. He felt mixed on his win. He was happy that he and his Pokemon won, but he couldn't help the lingering feeling of shame, as if he had betrayed someone somehow by participating. Dawn seemed overjoyed with his win, his Pokemon too, but instead of the win curbing his thirst, it just made him want to do more.

Sighing, he shut the ribbon case and wandered over to the phones in the Pokemon Center. Night had fallen, and his Pokemon and Dawn, who decided to join him on his journey through Sinnoh, were fast asleep, but he needed to speak to his mother. Dialing her number, he wasn't surprised that she picked up immediately.

"Oh Ash, I'm so proud of you!" Delia grinned as soon as she saw him. "You and your Pokemon were so beautiful!" Ash smiled bitterly, an action not missed by his mother in the slightest. "Whats wrong?"

"I want to be a Gym Leader, its been my dream since I was a kid." He hesitated, and Delia waited patiently. "But, I really, really like contests. Being up there, it was so much fun! But I want to make dad proud of me and I don't know what to do."

"Ash, honey, your father would be proud of you no matter what." Delia sighed. "I should have talked to you about this sooner. Your father wouldn't care if you decided to become a nursery worker, or a Doctor, he just would have wanted you happy. If you want to be a Coordinator, be one, if you want to be a Gym Leader, do it, if you want to be both, I have no doubt you'd make it."

Warm tears pooled in Ash's eyes, threatening to spill over. "Can someone be both?" He asked.

"Of course they can. Just last year Fantina, the Heartone City Gym Leader, was crowned Top Coordinator. Honey you don't have to pick one or the other, you can be whatever you work towards." Delia stressed, wishing she were able to hug her son through the phone.

Ash was silent for a few moments before looking back up at her through the lens. "Mom, I want to be a Coordinator too."

Delia smiled gently. "Okay." She answered simply. "I'll be sure to tape all your Contests, you just keep trying your best."

Ash nodded, determination speaking in his eyes as he gripped the Fire Stone around neck. The feeling of someone's hand on his shoulder caused Ash to jolt, and turn around, but while the warm feeling of someone's hand lingered on his shoulder, nobody was there.