{Years ago, in Pallet Town, during summer break}
The summer Ash turned six was loud, bright, and smelled like freshly cut grass and ocean wind. Pallet Town always felt bigger in the summer, school was gone and time didn't matter. Sure, they were always sad that their friend had to leave to go home, but hey, at least Ash, Green, and Gary had each other to prank.
Ash remembered that summer very clearly. It was the one after he got back from the trip where he met Pichu, because Pichu was there, still getting used to Ash.
But also because Courtney was there.
She arrived one afternoon with Daisy, walking up the dirt path toward Professor Oak's lab. Daisy was talking animatedly, arms waving, while the other girl beside her walked with measured steps, hands folded neatly in front of her, moving along politely.
Courtney was thirteen then. Same age as Daisy. Tall, a little awkward, with lilac hair tied back loosely and eyes that always looked like they were thinking about something far away.
Ash, sitting on the lab porch with Green and Gary, noticed her immediately.
Not because she looked scary. Because she didn't.
She smiled when Daisy introduced her. A real smile. Small, but warm.
"This is my friend Courtney," Daisy said proudly. "She's staying in town for the summer."
Courtney knelt so she was closer to the gang's height, tilting her head slightly. "Hello…"
Ash blinked and forced a grin. "Yeah! Hi! Uh, welcome to Pallet!"
Courtney nodded, as if mentally checking something off a list. "Thank you. Daisy says this town is… peaceful."
"Yeah, well, she's right!" Gary crossed his arms proudly, sitting up straight.
And just like that, with the gang seemingly already liking her, Courtney seemed to let out a breath, as if she'd been holding it before stepping into Pallet Town and was only just now letting it out.
Green leaned forward, squinting at her. "You talk funny."
Gary elbowed her, "Don't be rude."
Courtney didn't seem offended. She just nodded once. "I've… been told that before…"
Courtney didn't stay distant for long.
Over the next few weeks, she helped Daisy brush Pokémon at the lab, carefully untangling fur and feathers with a patience that felt almost unreal. She listened intently when Daisy talked about becoming a Pokémon Groomer, nodding with serious focus, occasionally adding quiet observations and little notes, but never getting in the way.
Ash watched all of it, and he was already thinking of a plan to change her for the better so she'd never end up joining Team Magma. He didn't know how she joined or why, but that didn't matter. What mattered was trying to make sure she wouldn't go down that path.
So he did what he could as a six-year-old.
He stuck close to her like he admired her. He pulled out all the stops and actually acted like a dumb but kind six-year-old.
Whenever Courtney sat under the big oak tree near the lab, sketching Pokémon grooming tools in a notebook, Ash plopped down beside her with Pichu in his lap.
"That's not how you brush Growlithe," he'd say, pointing.
Courtney would blink. "…It isn't?"
"Nope! You gotta go like this," he'd demonstrate with his hands, exaggerated and clumsy. "They like it better. Makes them happy."
She'd pause, then carefully adjust her drawing. "…Happy," she'd repeat, like the word mattered.
Other times, when Daisy talked excitedly about Pokémon Coordinators, contests, appeals, ribbons, Ash made sure to cheer.
"Courtney'd be great at that!" he'd declare. "She's super gentle! And smart! Pokémon like that!"
Courtney would look genuinely surprised every time, like praise wasn't something she expected to receive, or ever got for that matter, like it was something new.
Summer days blurred together: races through tall grass, swimming in the lake, prank wars that mostly involved Gary getting pranked and vowing revenge on Ash and Green. Courtney laughed sometimes. Quiet laughs, but real ones. She even let Green braid her hair once, though she sat stiff as a statue the entire time. Then a year passed.
For a while, Ash let himself believe it was working.
Then, one morning, she didn't show up.
At first, no one worried. Courtney liked her space.
Then a second day passed, then a third, then a week.
The gang was worried about her, so they went and asked Daisy where Courtney went, since she wasn't coming around. Daisy stopped what she was doing and looked down.
"I… she went back to Hoenn," she said. "She said she needed to do something… but I've tried calling her, and she hasn't picked up…"
And they didn't talk much about it after that. Gary would still ask Daisy if there were any updates. Green would still look at a hairpin Courtney had gotten her as a gift one time. And Ash would sometimes wonder if what he did was enough to stop her from joining Team Magma.
Then, two years later, when they turned nine, Daisy finally had some news for them, but it wasn't good news. Courtney was officially reported as a missing person in Hoenn.
The day Daisy told them, the lab felt too quiet.
Ash remembered the way her voice shook when she said it, how she didn't look at any of them while she spoke. She just stood there with her hands clenched in the hem of her shirt, eyes fixed on the floor.
"They said… she disappeared near Mt. Chimney," Daisy whispered. "No luggage. No Pokémon registered to her name. Just… gone."
Gary scoffed at first, sharp and defensive. "People don't just disappear."
But Green didn't say anything. She just swallowed hard and looked away.
Ash felt something cold settle in his stomach. He wondered if he could have done more, anything, but another part of him hoped that at least, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't connected. That she wasn't missing because of Team Magma. But he didn't know if that made things better or worse.
—
{Back to the present}
Ash slid his foot back, metal scraping softly as Darmanitan lunged again.
"Camerupt, get ready for a-!" Tabitha started.
But he was too slow.
"Treecko, [Quick Attack], low!" Ash snapped.
Treecko vanished, reappearing at Darmanitan's legs and slamming into its knee joint. The Fire-type staggered, balance breaking for half a second, long enough.
"On y va, Torchic, [Low Kick]!"
Torchic leapt, dashing through the debris, and as he jumped, Darmanitan tried to raise a fist to punch him. But Torchic spun in the air, dodging and kicking off the fist. He threw himself down and kicked Darmanitan in the legs, sending the gorilla crashing to the ground.
Tabitha clicked his tongue. "Hmph. Smarter than you look. Camerupt, [Rock Slide]!"
The deck groaned as Camerupt stomped. Chunks of rusted metal and stone tore free from the ceiling supports and crashed down.
Ash clicked his tongue. "Pikachu, cover us!"
Pikachu nodded and charged a [Volt Tackle]. As he leaped off the ground, he blitzed through the air, breaking every piece of metal and stone before they could hit the deck.
Tabitha smiled, thinking Ash was distracted now. "Darmanitan, [Fire Punch]!"
Darmanitan roared and charged, fist igniting as he ran to strike Ash, but at the last moment, Vee jumped in, an [Iron Tail] clashing against Darmanitan's fist. With that, Vee sent Darmanitan flying back.
Darmanitan slammed into a twisted bulkhead with a metallic boom, the impact sending a ripple through the deck. It growled as it pushed itself back up, shaking its head.
Tabitha grunted, boots sliding as he caught his balance. "…Tch. Fine. Camerupt, [Heat Wave]."
Camerupt lowered its head, heat rolling off its body in visible waves. The deck beneath its hooves glowed faintly red.
Ash didn't flinch, but his jaw tightened. He snapped his fingers once. "Treecko, keep him moving."
Treecko nodded, eyes sharp, tail flicking once before he blurred into motion, vaulting off a fallen beam, skidding across the deck, forcing Camerupt to move. That's what they wanted.
"Torchic," Ash added, voice low but steady, "on my signal, vite."
Torchic puffed up, feathers ruffling, eyes locked on Darmanitan as it hauled itself upright again, steam venting from its shoulders.
Tabitha growled. "You're playing games, kid."
"And?" Ash said, smiling like he wasn't taking Tabitha seriously at all.
Darmanitan charged again, slower this time. Ash shifted his stance half a step back. "Treecko, [Quick Attack]!"
Treecko started moving faster, but he wasn't aiming for Camerupt, who was right in front of him. As Camerupt expected Treecko to appear behind him, Treecko instead shot upward, flashing past Darmanitan's face. The Fire-type swung instinctively, but Treecko was too fast, and it left an opening.
"Maintenant, Torchic!" Ash called out.
Torchic darted in low, ducking under the swing. [Ember], point-blank, at Darmanitan's eyes. It didn't deal much damage, but it did temporarily blind Darmanitan.
Then Torchic followed up immediately, twisting midair as he raised his foot.
"Encore, [Low Kick]!" Ash called.
The kick landed square in the knee joint again. Darmanitan hit the deck hard, metal screaming under its weight.
Tabitha's smile finally slipped.
"…Tch."
Ash didn't let him recover.
"Treecko, keep pressure. Don't let him breathe."
"Tree! [Got it]," Treecko replied, already moving.
He blurred forward again, darting left and right, forcing Darmanitan to twist and overcorrect on an already-buckled knee. Every step sent sparks skittering across the deck.
Tabitha scowled. "Camerupt, pin them down, [Earth Power]!"
Camerupt slammed its hooves down. The deck buckled, a shockwave ripping outward, plates bending upward like waves of steel.
Ash clicked his tongue and thought, Too much force. This ship won't hold.
"Pikachu, stop that with [Counter Shield]!"
Pikachu dashed in, electricity flaring as he began spinning, creating a small electric tornado. As the shockwave reached him, he dispersed it with the [Counter Shield].
And as a beam started falling, Ash just whistled, and Vee ran forward with a [Veevee Volley], smashing the metal beam before it could hit them.
Tabitha snarled, irritation finally bleeding through. "You darn brat, I'm ending this now, Camerupt!"
Camerupt dug its hooves in, heat spiking again as magma-like cracks traced the deck around it. The temperature jumped instantly, too much longer, and the ship wouldn't hold.
Torchic shook off the recoil from his kick, feathers singed but eyes blazing. He glanced sideways at Treecko.
The look wasn't friendly.
Treecko scoffed. "Treecko [Try not to trip over your own feet this time, KFC]."
Torchic bristled. "Torchic! [Speak for yourself, Leaf Head]!"
Ash sighed through his nose. As he got ready, Camerupt roared.
"[Earth Power]!" Tabitha cried out.
The deck buckled.
A shockwave tore outward, splitting rusted plates, throwing sparks and debris into the air. Pikachu and Vee moved instantly, Pikachu leapt, discharging controlled arcs of electricity to redirect collapsing metal, while Vee slammed his tail down, stabilizing a section of the floor just long enough to keep Ash and the others from dropping through.
Tabitha grinned. "You can't dance forever, kid."
Ash stepped forward anyway. "Wasn't planning to." He snapped his fingers. "Treecko, high. Torchic, low, vite."
They moved at the same time.
Treecko sprinted up a fallen beam, rebounded off a hanging cable, and launched himself toward Darmanitan, tail glowing.
Torchic dashed low, weaving through heat ripples, sparks flicking off his feathers as he slid between Camerupt's legs.
"[Aerial Ace] and [Mega Kick]!" Ash called out.
Treecko spread his arms and flew down in an arc, slamming into Darmanitan's chest as Darmanitan tried to push him back.
Torchic ignited, sliding under, leg glowing, ramming his foot straight into Camerupt's underbelly.
As Treecko and Torchic struggled against Camerupt and Darmanitan, both sides trying to overpower the other, it was clear, like was said before, Camerupt and Darmanitan were stronger. But they were getting tired and had no coordination, while Treecko and Torchic were constantly trying to one-up each other, making them stronger the more they fought together.
Then, as they kept pushing, Treecko and Torchic began to glow.
Green light surged around Treecko, his body elongating, tail blade sharpening into a crescent as he became Grovyle.
And Torchic screamed as fire exploded outward, engulfing him completely. His legs stretched, feathers reshaping as he grew taller and gained arms, becoming Combusken.
With their evolutions came a second burst of strength. They pushed harder, driving Camerupt and Darmanitan back until Camerupt was kicked up and Darmanitan was thrown to the side, crashing into Camerupt and sending them both flying into the water.
When Grovyle and Combusken landed back next to Ash, crossing their arms, they glared at each other, then started crashing their heads together, seemingly arguing over who evolved half a second before the other, completely disregarding the Fire-types.
Now, as the Fire-types fell into the water, funny thing about Fire-types, when they're submerged, depending on how much of their bodies are covered, they weaken. It isn't an instant win, but it certainly helps a lot.
As the Fire-types dragged themselves back onto the ship, heavily weakened from being dunked into the water
Tabitha stumbled back a step. "W-what? How is that possible?"
"Oh, it isn't hard," Ash said as he rolled his shoulder and started walking forward. "You're just weak."
Tabitha's eye twitched as he shook his head and pulled Camerupt and Darmanitan back into their Poké Balls. Then he reached to his belt. "Doesn't matter. I have more Pokémon. Let's see how you do against thi-"
But he got cut off when Ash punched him across the face.
The hit sent Tabitha falling to the floor. As he rubbed his round cheek, he looked back up, seeing Ash there cracking his knuckles.
"What was that you said? You were gonna knock me through three decks? Not a bad idea, I think I'll steal it."
–
{Over with the gang}
May barely had time to react before Brock grabbed her and Max, yanking them back as the world turned red.
Camerupt's [Eruption] tore across the deck in a roaring wave, molten heat washing over rusted metal. The impact sent shockwaves through the hull, plates buckled, pipes burst, steam screaming into the fog.
Plusle and Minun shrieked, electricity flaring wildly.
Brock slammed his foot down. "Bonsly, [Rock Throw]!"
Bonsly hurled chunks of broken plating upward, intercepting the worst of the blast. The rocks vaporized on contact, but it bought them seconds.
The heat wave passed, leaving scorched metal and glowing cracks in the deck. Smoke curled everywhere. The fog hissed as it burned away in patches.
Max coughed. "Th-that was… that wasn't normal-"
Courtney stood where the blast had started, completely untouched. Camerupt loomed behind her, vents glowing dull orange, heat still radiating off its body.
"…Still standing," she said quietly.
Plusle and Minun backed up until they hit May's legs, trembling.
May stepped forward anyway, fists clenched. Her heart was hammering, but her voice was steady. "You almost hurt them."
Courtney blinked once. "I calculated… survivability," she said quietly. "…Adequate."
Her gaze shifted, not to May, not to Brock, but to the Plusle and Minun clinging to May's legs, electricity flickering erratically around their bodies.
"…Still," she added after a pause, "they interfered."
"That doesn't make them expendable!" May snapped, stepping forward again despite Brock's grip tightening on her shoulder.
Courtney tilted her head, "…Expendable…" she repeated, testing the word. "…No."
That answer made Brock hesitate.
Courtney raised one gloved hand slightly. Camerupt rumbled, but did not attack. "I don't… dislike Pokémon," she said. "I study them…"
"These two," she gestured to Plusle and Minun, "…have adapted well. Long-term isolation. Environmental instability. Resource scarcity."
Max swallowed. "…You're talking about them like they're experiments."
Courtney's eyes flicked to him. "…Yes."
May bristled. "They're not!"
Courtney paused again. Longer this time. "…You're emotional," she observed. "That usually… clouds judgment."
May's fists shook, but she didn't back down. "Then I'll just have to fight through it," she snapped. "Brock!"
"Right." Brock was already moving. "Bonsly, front line! Protect May!"
Bonsly planted its feet, body tensing as it raised its arms defensively, stones rattling across its surface.
Courtney didn't look impressed.
"Camerupt…" she murmured. "Proceed."
Camerupt stomped forward, heat rolling off its body in visible waves. The deck beneath it groaned, metal warping under the pressure.
"[Lava Plume]," Courtney said.
The vents along Camerupt's back flared, molten heat bursting outward in a violent bloom.
"Bonsly, use [Rock Slide] to intercept!" Brock shouted.
Bonsly hurled chunks of torn plating and stone into the plume. The rocks shattered midair, exploding into slag and steam, but they slowed the blast enough for May to react.
"Torchic, [Quick Attack], get in and out!" May called.
Torchic darted forward, weaving through the thinning heat, striking Camerupt's leg and retreating instantly. The hit barely fazed it, but it drew its attention.
Courtney tilted her head slightly. "…Inefficient," she observed.
Camerupt turned, heat spiking again.
"Brock, this isn't working!" May shouted. "She's a Ground-type, so Plusle and Minun can't even-"
"Actually," Max said suddenly, peeking from behind a bent steel beam, "they can help!"
Everyone looked at him. Plusle and Minun peeked out beside him, trembling but attentive.
"They can't hurt Camerupt," Max said quickly, adjusting his glasses, "but they can use [Helping Hand]!"
May's eyes widened. "That could work!"
Brock nodded immediately. "Good thinking, Max!"
Plusle and Minun looked at each other, then straightened as they formed a ball of yellow sparks in their hands and started to dance and cheer.
They raised their hands together.
"[Helping Hand]!" Max shouted.
A surge of energy washed over Bonsly and Torchic as they both felt stronger, standing their ground and ready to keep going.
Courtney noticed. "…Interesting."
She stepped back half a pace, not retreating or getting worried, just… repositioning. No one noticed her free hand brushing the rusted wall beside her. The metal shifted, silently.
A hidden seam slid open. Courtney's eyes flicked toward it for exactly half a second.
"…Continue," she said calmly. "[Earth Power]."
Camerupt stomped again. The deck erupted.
Brock barely had time to shout, "Bonsly, brace yourself!"
Bonsly slammed its feet down, reinforced by the Helping Hand boost, anchoring itself as the ground heaved. Torchic skidded but stayed upright, May grabbing her before she could tumble.
"Now!" May cried. "Torchic, [Flame Charge]!"
Torchic jumped out of May's hands and surged forward, flames wrapping her body and growing stronger from Plusle and Minun's support. She slammed into Camerupt's shoulder, actually forcing it back a step this time.
As Camerupt recovered, Courtney turned slightly, just enough to slip her hand into the alcove behind her.
Her fingers closed around a compact device, sleek, angular, humming faintly with residual energy. The scanner. She slid it free with practiced ease and tucked it into her jacket without looking.
No one noticed.
Camerupt roared, heat flaring again.
"Brock!" May shouted. "We can't let this drag on!"
Brock clenched his jaw. "Agreed. Bonsly, [Rock Tomb]!"
Bonsly hurled reinforced slabs of metal and stone, empowered by Helping Hand, partially trapping Camerupt's legs and slowing its movement.
Then, as that happened, Bonsly used [Mimic] and copied Torchic's [Flame Charge], dashing forward to tackle Camerupt. At first, he hit its side and Camerupt didn't move, but he didn't give up. He kept trying, even as a sweat drop fell from his head.
Then, as Bonsly looked back and saw Brock, he remembered how much Brock had taken care of him. He remembered every night, and knew he wanted to pay Brock back for everything.
Bonsly began to glow.
Bonsly's small body stretched upward, stones rearranging, limbs thickening and locking into place. The rattle of pebbles deepened into a solid, grounded thud as it landed again, taller now, broader, arms spreading wide like branches.
The light faded, and Bonsly was now Sudowoodo. With its extra strength, Sudowoodo started to push Camerupt back, managing to pick it up and throw it into the air.
May saw this and didn't waste the opening. "Whailmer now!" She hurled the Poké Ball with everything she had.
"WHAIL—!"
Whailmer burst out in a spray of mist, its massive body splashing down hard onto the deck, water sloshing everywhere as it immediately inhaled.
"[Water Spout]!"
A roaring column of water exploded forward, slamming into Camerupt point-blank in midair.
Steam screamed as fire met water. The force ripped Camerupt off its footing, the trapped legs tearing free as it was blasted backward, sliding across the deck before crashing hard into a bent railing. Heat sputtered, vents dimming as the Water Spout continued, washing over the scorched metal and flooding the area around it.
Camerupt let out a strained bellow, collapsing heavily, steam rolling off its body as the flames finally died down.
The deck hissed and crackled, cooling rapidly.
For a moment, there was only the sound of water draining through holes in the ship and the distant groan of settling metal.
May lowered her arm, chest heaving. "…We did it."
Sudowoodo straightened, planting itself firmly in front of May and Max, arms crossed like a living barricade.
Plusle and Minun peeked out from behind it, eyes wide, then brightened, cheering and zapping little sparks into the air.
"Plus! Minun!"
Courtney didn't react to Camerupt's defeat.
She had already stepped back.
The fog thickened around her boots as she turned toward the opened seam in the wall, her movements calm and unhurried. Camerupt dissolved into red light as she recalled it.
"…Objective complete," she said quietly. "But… no sign of Tabitha…" She looked around, more confused than anything, like a child lost in a store looking for her parents.
Then they heard a crash. Everyone did.
From the northern area, a round figure came rolling across the ground and stopped at Courtney's feet. It was a bruised Tabitha.
Walking up behind him from the other side of the ship was Ash, followed by Grovyle and Combusken. He adjusted his gloves. "Some people just don't learn."
Tabitha forced himself onto his elbows and covered his cheek, then noticed Courtney. "Courtney, we've got a brat. He took down two of my Pokémon and isn't giving me a chance to send out more. We need to retreat."
"Not a problem… I already found the device…" Courtney said as she reached to her belt to grab her Swellow, but then she looked up and saw Ash and Pikachu. At the same time, Ash finally got a clear look at her.
Ash took one look at her and recognized her immediately. It was the same Courtney he remembered, the one who had gone missing.
"Courtney?" he asked, even though he already had his answer.
Courtney, for the first time, froze as she looked at Ash. "I… that's…"
But Tabitha grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Come on," he said. He already had his Swellows out and was getting carried up.
Courtney hesitated for only a second, then let out her Swellow and held on as it lifted her up and carried her away into the sky.
Ash stood there for a moment, hardly believing it. He had really hoped he'd changed what happened, that she wouldn't turn out like this. Looks like he failed. Again.
Ash sighed as he saw May, Brock, and Max run up to him, frantically saying they were happy he was okay and explaining what had just happened.
Meanwhile, Ash put on his usual goofy smile and told them everything was fine, he'd just beaten up that weakling, and how his two goobers had evolved.
Then Plusle and Minun led them to the hidden wall, and it looked like that girl had managed to grab the device while they weren't paying attention. May, Brock, and Max looked down, thinking they should have caught her now that she'd gotten what she came for. But Ash assured them, revealing the diary he'd found earlier. He had it, and inside were all the codes. Without it, they couldn't use the device, and that seemed to lift everyone's spirits, including Plusle and Minun.
Then everyone finally noticed how long it had been. The sun was already starting to rise, meaning they'd been fighting all night, making May wonder whether she should laugh or cry.
But that also meant they could finally see clearly, the sun lighting a path for them. So they got ready to leave the ship. Of course, May and Max asked Plusle and Minun if they wanted to come with them, but Plusle and Minun shook their heads, expressing that they wanted to stay. Still, they gave the gang plenty of berries, actually friendship berries. No pranks this time.
They entrusted the diary to Ash, since it was probably safer with him than here, where anyone could come looking for it.
So, when they were getting their last things ready, Ash let out Lapras for everyone to ride. But Ash excused himself, saying he wanted to check on one last thing before they left.
He left with a smile, heading to a secluded area. When he was sure they couldn't hear him, Ash's smile fell, and he pulled out his phone. Unfortunately, he didn't have Daisy's number, don't ask, there was an incident, and Gary did Gary things, so he didn't have her new number.
So Ash called Gary.
He waited, and by the second ring Gary picked up.
"…Ash?" His voice was groggy and annoyed in that very specific way that meant he'd been asleep for maybe five minutes. He'd been working as a lab assistant to get the recommendation letters he needed to become a full professor. Sure, he could ask Professor Oak, but we all know Gary would rather eat dirt than do that. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Gary, I need you to get me Daisy's number," Ash said bluntly.
Gary sighed, assuming this was another troll Ash moment where he joked about dating Daisy. "Really, dude? The joke is old. Daisy is 8 years older than us. Besides, I'm not gonna-"
But Ash cut him off. "I found Courtney."
Ash heard scuffling, like Gary was throwing on his coat, then Gary screamed into the phone, "Dumbass! Start with that next time! Tell me everything!"