This is very early for me to be uploading! IT's only been like 4 or 5 days since the last chapter but I was caught up in something and found myself writing this down. It only took a few hours too so hopefully you guys enjoy.

All characters are © me (Do not use without my permission)

Pokémon is copyright of Gamefreak and Nintendo
Digimon is Copyright of Bandai

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Recollection

Fang kept his eyes glued on the map that lead them towards Ecruteak City and, occasionally from his looks to the road ahead, they were making exceptional progress. Going at a faster pace than they had between Violet Grove City and Azalea Town. “Alright! According to this Map we'll be in the next town by nightfall, guys.”

“Well good! Because I want to hurry up and get my fourth badge.” Max said with a hint of jealousy to his tone as he glanced towards both Flare and Kevin.

“Oh, come on now. We've been trainers a lot longer than you have, Max. You'll get there.” Flare spoke kindly, trying to cheer Max up.

“That's easy for you to say...” Grumbled the blonde-haired trainer, Ivysaur sitting atop his head and looking pretty silly doing so as it could only really fit half of its body on his head while the lower half dangled from the back of his head. “You have five badges and Kevin has all of the badges needed to qualify.”

Flare sweat-dropped, scratching his cheek. “Make that six...” The look Max gave him then made Flare chuckle nervously. “Come on now… I managed to get my badge while Charmeleon and I went to go grab a bite to eat. Needless to say that, AFTER the battle, he was pretty ravenous.”

Kevin stared at Max for a moment before adjusting his glasses. “Be that as it may, you only became a trainer a couple of weeks ago. Flare's been a trainer for a year now and I've been training for three. One day, you'll be helping out another rookie trainer and showing him, or her, the ropes.”

Turning his attention from Max, Flare looked at Kevin a bit cautiously. “How did you know I've only been training for a year?”

“You're 11. Trainers are only able to leave on their own adventures at the age of 10. My point stands that the fact that your family owns a charizard shipping company makes it easier for you to nab badges. The downside to such an advantage is that you miss out on many experiences that would be afforded to you by trekking through the woods or dirt paths.” Kevin's Bagon bounced around, showing the most energy out of the group, turning to Kevin when he spoke and gave a short nod.

Fang rolled his eyes, tails twitching a bit. “You guys sure are chatty. I guess you finally have the friends you always wanted, huh Max?”

Max blushed brightly, nodding in agreement. “It's true. I didn't have this many friends back on the island. It's much more fun traveling with you guys. Even if you do rub in your accomplishments,” He mumbled.

Charmeleon looked around, sniffing the area before looking over to Max. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, despite Flare's accomplishments he has made plenty of mistakes, and still does! I could tell you a few of them if it'll make you feel better.”

Max suddenly started laughing, confusing both Flare and Kevin. But Fang simply smiled as he led the way. “Look at that. You guys may have more experience but Max is the only one out of us that can hear what the Pokémon have to say. It gives him an advantage neither of you have.”

Bagon, Charmeleon, and Ivysaur all nodded in unison, believing this to be fact. Bagon started padding over to Max and started climbing up his leg. “Take care of things at your own pace, Max. What you're doing now is just fine. You have a unique way of battling that's unlike any other. Don't stop doing your own thing, got it?”

Max blinked. This was the first time Bagon spoke to him. Then again, they did only meet just a few hours ago. “You're right. I'll take your advice to heart.”

Kevin scratched his chin, suddenly smirking. “Another amazing power of yours it seems. Pokémon just seem to be attracted to you. Might be because you can understand them. I'm sure many Pokémon would love to have such a relationship.”

Max blushes, watching Bagon continue his ascent before perching himself up on Max's shoulder, not that he minded. “It helps solve problems that otherwise would go unsolved. They can tell me anything and know that I'll be listening. At nights, Bulba-… Er, Ivysaur and I will talk for at least half an hour before conking out.”

“That's a good thing. You're building a solid and trustworthy relationship that way. Heck, you even managed to tame that disagreeable Larvitar! It had quite the attitude towards you when we first encountered it.” Fang sighed, a strange tree blocking their way to the next town. He didn't expect this. “And now we've hit a snag...”

Max looked ahead, seeing the tree and chuckled. “Is that what I think it is?”

Flare looked at Max confused, then toward Kevin who straightened his glasses and said, “Yep. So do you wanna deal with it or should I? You still have one slot in your party afterall.”

“Will you two please tell me what you're talking about!?” Flare shouted, obviously irritated that he was the only one out of the loop, even more frustrated that Charmeleon face-palmed.

Max laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “Pupitar is a rock-type so I think I'm fine. You capture it.”

Fang looked at both Max, and Kevin. “Hey, Flare, if it makes you feel any better...I have no idea what they're talking about either. But from what's being said, I'd say it's a Pokémon.”

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, stretching out as he took a ball from his belt and called out a Tyrogue. The small fighting-type Pokémon stretched itself out once released and stared up at the tree with a grumble. “Yeah, I know, but you need to get some training in somehow. How about we start this off with a Low Sweep?”

Tyrogue simply nodded in approval as he got down low and swept his legs over the tree's roots which came out rather easily. Once it did so the tree's shape suddenly changed and its branches moved aside to reveal that it was, in fact, a Sudowoodo. “Just as I thought,” Kevin muttered quietly.

Flare blinked, blushing when it dawned on him that he didn't catch on to this sooner. “So it was a Sudowoodo. But isn't knocking it off its feet a little harsh, Kevin?”

Kevin didn't have much time to respond to Flare's comment on his fighting style as both he and Tyrogue leapt out of the way when the Sudowoodo smashed its arm into the ground that they were once standing on. “A Slam attack, huh? Fine. We'll do things your way.”

Flare watched on as both Kevin and his Tyrogue skillfully avoided each attack the rock-type threw at them, like they were just playing a game at this point.

“Alright Tyrogue, I think we have this guy's attack pattern nailed down!” cried out Kevin, leaping over the Sudowoodo who quickly turned around to keep his attention towards the trainer that disturbed his sleep. “You shoulda kept your eyes on Tyrogue. Alright, now Tyrogue, use Brick Break!”

The large tree-like Pokémon’s eyes went wide and, just as it was about to turn around to face its attacker, Tyrogue thrust his arm forward into the Sudowoodo's abdomen.

Once the poor guy was knocked back down to the floor, Kevin regrouped with his Pokémon and held out a pokéball and tossed it at the stunned rock-type.

“You know… I really don't like the way you were just toying with that Pokémon. It was just defending itself,” Flare argued. Charmeleon, however, just face-palmed at his trainer and tugged at his shirt with a growl.

“You don't get it do you, Flare?” Max asked, looking him in the eye then towards the pokéball that wiggled for a few seconds then went still.

“Explain it to me, then. I'm the only one offended by how he was toying with the Pokémon’s emotions. Just bouncing around like it was all just a big game,” Flare grumbled, obviously upset.

Fang was next to step in, pointing toward the ball. “He wasn't toying around with the Sudowoodo, he was studying it, getting to know its attack pattern so he and Tyrogue could attack it without taking any damage themselves. Just because it's a battle style you don't like doesn't mean it's wrong. It's a valid tactic.”

Kevin picked up the ball and smiled, clipping it to his belt and taking a deep breath. “When we get to Ecruteak I'll take it to the Pokémon Center and have it checked out.” He gave Tyrogue a pat on the head, which it smiled at before he returned it into its own pokéball.

Max shrugged and put a hand on Flare's shoulder. “Hey don't worry too much on it. Your battle style is questionable too, y'know. From what I've gathered, you use Charmeleon at the start of your battles and keep him going with it ‘til he's unable to continue. It's not good on the Pokémon being used that way but it keeps your losses at a minimum with your second or third Pokémon.”

Flare grumbled, letting out a sigh after he thought that over for a moment. “I guess...I could try to think of some other methods...”

Looking up at Max, as if studying him, Charmeleon took a short breath and nodded. “I don't mind battling my hardest...It's a style we're comfortable with.”

“Right, and Kevin's style is one they're comfortable with as well.” Max smiled, stretching out as Bagon hopped off his shoulder and onto Kevin's.

Kevin chuckled, rubbing Bagon's head a bit as they started walking through the now open pathway. “Every trainer does things differently. I meant no harm to the Sudowoodo and, at the same time, didn't want to bring any harm to Tyrogue. In the end, all it took was a brick break to subdue it.”

Fang blinked, nodding as he put the map away, at this point it looked like Kevin was going to take lead. “You've been a trainer for a long time...so I'm gonna guess that the team you're using isn't the one you take to championships...”

“Oh, you have a keen eye there.” Kevin smiled as Bagon started rubbing his shoulders. “I always change the team up whenever I enter a new competition. It's best to train new Pokémon every now and then after all.”

Max nodded, smiling as he followed along. “You know...I don't think I've ever asked this Flare, but how did Charmeleon lose his right eye?”

Charmeleon blinked, tugging on Max's jacket as he shook his head. “I think it's better if I explain what happened. After all, Flare wasn't with me when it happened.”

Max looked down at Charmeleon, who looked kind of sad, and cringed, not meaning to bring up bad memories. “I'm sorry...it was rude of me to ask in the first place. You don't need to tell me...”

“Nonsense!” Charmeleon growled, smacking Max once and smiled, putting a clawed paw over the mechanical eye. “We're team mates now, and you've been nothing but nice to me since we met. You deserve to know.”

Max looked on, watching as Charmeleon gathered the courage to speak. “It's no big secret that Flare's dad owns a business near the island of Cianwood. We own an island larger than Cianwood and we use it mostly as a wildlife preserve for charmander and its evolutions.”

“The thing is, though, not every evolutionary stage gets along so the charmander are separated from the charmeleon and from there separated from the charizard. Because I'm one of the lesser aggressive charmeleon, I was charged with looking after the little ones to make sure none of them got hurt since they liked to hang out around the beach.”

Flare looked at Charmeleon, not sure what he was saying, but he figured that he was answering Max's question as they traveled.

“One day...” Charmeleon paused, as if to get his bearings and let out a breath he'd been holding, “There was a strange gathering of sharpedo in the waters. We don't know where they came from or WHY! Just assumed they were drawn here by the mass of charmander that frequent the spot.”

At this point, it was pretty easy to figure out what happened next, but out of respect, Max let the fire-type Pokémon finish his story. “Some of the baby charmander were playing in the water...and NO water in and of itself does not hurt us. We can play in it as much as you humans do. But that day, the sharpedo came in quick. I was fast enough to respond to the attack and get the hatchlings out of the water. And even managed to drive off the mass of Sharpedo coming to the shore. One of them, however, ended up slashing through my eye as it was making a turn to retreat, the fin was pretty rough so it gouged pretty deep into the socket.”


There was a shiver, both from Max and Charmeleon who recalled how it felt. “I was in some serious pain and I only managed to find my way back to the shore with the help of the children. However, I had lost a lot of blood, and my eyesight nearly failed. The next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed with a younger Flare crying his heart out. We were both told that there would be no repairing my eye, but that it could be replaced with surgery.”

Max nodded slowly, rubbing over Charmeleon's head carefully. “So then...with that surgery you received that eye you have now?”

Charmeleon nodded, letting Max touch him as he hugged him. “Yeah... When I woke up I could see through both eyes clearly...though the doctor said himself that my new eye was very special. It has a special Pokédex feature built into it that lets me see a Pokémon’s ‘Dex entry if I haven't seen it before. Gives me something to study on my free time.”

Max blinked, the Pokédex part surprised him and intrigued him. “Does…Flare know about that?”

With a nod, Charmeleon let go of Max's leg and smiled. “Yeah, He knows. Though, he doesn't use it. It would be an unfair advantage in battle so I disable it in battle.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. That sounds like a horrifying experience. And, I'm sorry that it all happened...” Max gave Charmeleon another pat on the head, frowning.

Charmeleon gave a small nod. “Flare was horrified. But after that day he and I decided to work harder. He earned his trainer’s license about two years later after that day and since then we have been partners. His dad is a gym leader on the side so we had a good training partner to make us stronger.”

Max's eyes went wide before smiling. “Oh, so your dad's a gym leader, huh?” Max cast his glance toward Flare and smirked. “So is that why you have six gym badges already?”

Flare jumped, sweat-dropping down the corner of his forehead. “Well...if it makes you feel any better...he was the toughest of the gym leaders I've faced... If you want, I can take you to him once we've tackled all of the gyms on our way.”

Max nodded, chuckling as he could already see the city lights from Ecruteak. “Yeah...Well that would be a good idea. I'm sure he's a tough gym leader.”

Charmeleon chuckles, nodding in agreement. “Oh, he's pretty tough. He became an official gym leader about four, or so, years ago.”

Max nodded, taking a deep breath as he set into a running pace, Ivysaur yelping at the sudden change in speed as he held tight to Max's shoulders using his vines and gripping his hair with his new claws. “Ack! Maaaax! Slow down!” Ivysaur cried out.

Max stopped once he made it to the entrance of the city. “Sorry, bud...I just wanted to get here sooner. We're here guys! We've made it to Ecruteak. And faster than you said we would Fang.”

The wolf's tails swayed a bit, ears flattening in annoyance. “I said we'd make it by the end of the day, Max, I didn't say it would be nightfall. Besides, we left Goldenrod after your battle with Kevin so we made some good time.”

Max laughed, stepping into the city, suddenly surprised. He'd heard about this city, and based on all of the books he'd read, it was the most famous. From the entrance, he could see the Bell Tower in the distance, towering high in the sky. And, just in front of him, he saw several different buildings, all of them very old from the looks of it. It was like stepping back in time to an ancient past.

“If I recall...this city is a historical landmark of the Johto Region.” Max's eyes lit up as he looked around the city, his friends catching up to him. “The Bell Tower, which is the oldest building in the city, is said to house the legendary Pokémon, Ho-oh, though nobody has ever actually seen him at the top. It's said you have to have a Rainbow Wing in order for him to appear.”

Kevin looked up at the tower in the distance, whistling in awe at its marveling height. “Isn't it supposed to have a sister tower?”

Max nodded, leading Kevin and the group through the city, eventually taking them to the tower sitting next to the Bell Tower. However, this one was incredibly damaged. It looked very small compared to its still standing counterpart.

“The Burnt Tower...or the Brass Tower, as it used to be called, was a shrine to the other legendary Pokémon of Johto, Lugia.” Max recalled, thinking about what he had read in his history books.

“So then what happened to it?” Kevin asked. Being from Hoenn, it was apparent that he wasn't very knowledgeable of Johto’s history.

Max took a deep breath and walked closer to the tower, getting a better view of what time had done to it. “There was a mysterious fire one day. Least that's how the legend goes. And, Lugia fled the scene as its tower collapsed. Right now, the only thing left of this tower is the main floor and its basement. Lots of people come to this town to get a look at the infamous Burnt Tower to try and make out what happened to cause such a catastrophe.”

Max walked over to the building's entrance and felt along the scorched walls and sighed. “This is Johto's oldest city and these buildings are the regions oldest monuments. Well...aside from the Ruins of Alph, that is. Both this city, and the ruins of Alph, are big tourist sites.”

Fang blinked, ears splaying to the sides. “Then why didn't we go visit them when we had the chance back at Violet City?”

With a laugh, Max started, “We will when we head back there. The Pokémon League is on the way back after we get all of the badges, so, what better way to go view the ruins than on our way back to New Bark Town?”

Flare blinked, rubbing his chin. “Wait...we do? Why is that?”

Max sighed, kind of surprised that Flare would ask that question given his extra year of experience. “This year, the Johto League is going to be held at the Indigo Plateau...which is in Kanto. We'll have to cross through Tohjo Falls to get across the border into Kanto then it'll be a straight run to the Pokemon League.”

Kevin chuckled, taking off his glasses to clean some dust off of the lenses. “You've done your homework. It would have been bad if I came all the way out here and didn't know that bit of information. Well, how about we go take a quick stop at the Pokémon Center, then we'll tackle your fourth gym leader?”

“Sounds great!” Everyone shouted, leaving the site of the burnt tower to their backs on their way to the Pokémon Center.



To be continued…