Ashes, Ashes

The Major quickly called some unwilling soldiers over to guide Dust to the infirmary, where a Chansey stood, doing basketball tricks with its egg. 'What is wrong with this place!'

Dust grimaced at his caretaker's clear disregard for the safety of its young and turned to the soldier. "Would it be possible for me to get my treatment from the main hospital in the middle of town?"

The soldier, however, was gone, and the Chansey was circling him. It pointed to his pocket, where his Pokeball containing Chiki was held. Dust, getting the idea, released his partner. "Hey, Chiki. I haven't quite registered yet, but I was told I can let you out anyway."

Chiki nodded along, and Chansey spoke up. "Now that he's out, you can hear me, right?"

Dust nodded.

"Golden. You really messed your legs up, kiddo. Just a cursory glance and I can tell you're messing with movements way too advanced for both your age and experience."

"Well, you can still heal it, right/ I'm not like permanently disabled?" Dust was worried about this. After all, he wanted to be a pokemon trainer. That is an occupation that necessitates walking.

"HA! 'Can I heal it,' he says. Of course, I can heal it, I'm level 22!"

Dust nodded, quickly taking its status.

Species: Chansey

Type: Healing/Normal

Potential: Healing 6, Normal 2

Ability: Infinite Regression: (User can cast healing techniques without hurting themself)

Sex: Male

Bond: Egg

Mid-Upper Moves: Mend Bones, Mend Tissue, Reinvigorate Muscle

All three of those moves were used on Dust, and he immediately felt good as new. The only thing was this new healing type that didn't originate in the original. 'What are its weaknesses? Maybe Dragon? Probably whatever wounds are the hardest to heal, Healing Types are weak toward. So any attack that results in an implosion or explosion, kills cells immediately, or causes cancer is most effective. Yeah, I don't think that's quite right.'

Dust stood up and did a few flips and kicks. "Thanks, Chansey."

The Chansey nodded and went back to whatever the hell it was doing with its egg. A soldier popped up in the doorway. "Now that you're done, I am to accompany you to the League Headquarters. Follow me."

Dust followed the soldier, Chiki returned once more to his Pokeball, across town, until he arrived at a much more modern sector, where small electric bikes, scooters, and segways were used on a flat paved road. A station with five or six Abra teleported people in business suits into a station. This was the "rich part of town" so to speak, and was hidden by an illusion so that it couldn't be seen unless inside.

However, the soldier kept walking without waiting for Dust to look around, forcing him to continue forward. Eventually, the two arrived at what appeared to be a gated community. A small gate slowly lowered into the ground, and both moved through it.

Some sort of illusion was cast over this area as well as the already large buildings now looked like skyscrapers and mansions. This place looked like New York City on Earth in Dust's time. The only things that remained the same size were the Pokemon Center, though a human hospital grew next to it, and the League Headquarters, which grew supporting buildings all around it.

Entering into one of the larger buildings by the League Headquarters, Dust stood behind the soldier, who whispered something to an official.

The soldier pulled out a contract and handed it to Dust. "This was given to me by the Major. He has signed his name, as has a higher-up of the League. Now it's up to you whether you add your name or not."

Dust read through the contract. Its terms were exactly as expected except for a few minute details. Dust would be subject to all military rules, and if given a mission by the military, he would have to accept it, provided it would only last three months at the maximum. In exchange, all costs for joining the league, registering pokemon, and entering/exiting the town would be waived. In addition, he would be able to join the League at a minimum of D Rank, provided he could pass a test, instead of starting at G Rank like most must.

These were incredibly good terms. Almost suspiciously so. The only other things of notice were that Dust could not leave the military for ten years, and breaking the contract without agreement from all three parties would be punished with death by Poison Type Firing Squad (a rather painful death).

As he knew there would be no way around these terms, Dust went ahead and signed the contract, the soldier still awaiting the return of the paper. Dust gave it back, and the soldier began walking at an extremely high speed back to the Major.

The official took Dust back into another room, that appeared to be meant for waiting, then left without a word.

In the room, there was one other kid. 'Shortish black hair and a cap adorning his head, and a Pikachu on his lap? Yeah, I know who this is. Fuck me!'

Dust sat down in the chair next to the boy and raised his hand. "Dust. And who might you be?"

'Yeah, I'm definitely getting to know the protagonist, even if this is an alternate universe. Every good opportunity shows up around him.'

Ash shook, apparently not having noticed Dust appear next to him, and jumped to his feet. He pointed and screeched, "You scared me, you jerk! Name's Ash Ketchum, the boy who'll one day become the greatest pokemon master! Believe it!"

'Wrong anime, but ok.'

"Yeah, I believe it when you win your first pokemon battle, Ashy boy." A snobby voice sounded from another door that Dust now noticed led to the bathroom. Gary was standing just outside, having overheard the conversation.

"And you. I don't recognize you. Dust, you said your name was? I'm Gary, the guy who'll become the first in millennia to pass the Master Trials. What's your goal?"

"Ah-" Dust cocked his head. 'I don't really have a goal... This world obviously needs strength to survive and even more strength to thrive, so I guess...'

"I want to become the strongest!" Dust released his Paras onto his head. "Me and Chiki here! We'll become stronger than anything you've ever even seen!"

Ash and Gary looked at each other, then Chiki, then each other, before bursting into laughter. "What the hell is that thing?" Gary pointed at Chiki.

Dust's eye twitched and darkened. 'Full Speed Step.' Dust moved quickly behind Gary while letting some of his bloodlust seep out. "Don't mess with my partner. Don't mess with me. We'll get along just fine if you follow those two rules."

Both Gary and Ash gulped as they watched themselves die over and over again in numerous different ways. Watching 7 billion people die gave Dust quite a bit of experience with death.

After a few seconds, Dust let the two free and slowly meandered back to his chair, sitting down calmly and returning Chiki to the Pokeball.

Ash and Gary turned to each other, Ash whispering first, "He doesn't even look our age and he's already this strong. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"But we can do it. We come from the prestigious Palletopolis Academy, after all!" Gary shouted.

Dust let his ears open wider. 'Palletopolis? Interesting. I'll have to pay it a visit at some point. I bet I could get something helpful from Oak.

Gary turned to Dust. "Sorry about laughing. We've just never seen someone use a bug type as a starter because... well, you know?"

"I do not know. Please enlighten me."

Ash took over there, "They are all weaker than other pokemon! Even Scyther, the strongest nonlegendary bug type we know of tops out at Rank 6, while Royal Pokemon make it to Rank 9. Use a Nidoran instead of a bug, at least! Nidorino and Nidorina get to Rank 6 and live way longer."

Dust thought for a minute. "Do you know what Chiki is?"

"Yeah, it's a Paras, regularly thought to be the weakest bug type outside of Karrablast and Shelmet. Parasect's highest measurements are Rank 4, after all." Ash speculated as Gary nodded.

"Heh, what do you know of variants? What all variants have been discovered?" Dust grinned.

"Variants usually raise the max rank for a pokemon by 2 or 3 and are considered extremely rare. But you almost never see it in bug types because Pokemon experience scientific evolution differently than other animals. Pokemon have to explore the entirety of their potential before gene mutation can occur, and as we said, bugs' lives are too short for that. They only live for three years on average. Paras usually only live until like half that."

Chiki's voice echoed into Dust's mind, a new experience for both. "Yeah, right. Maybe the weakest ones on the outskirts of the forests, but anyone in my kingdom lives at least six years. Dad is 26 this year."

A chortle echoed through the area from the dynamic duo as the human part of it repeated what his pokemon partner said. "Plenty of Paras live up to four times what you said where my partner comes from. His dad is apparently 25 years old, in fact."

""Impossible"" Both cried. "The oldest known Paras is 14, and is the world record!" Gary noised.

"First of all, why do you know that? Second, that's what Chiki said, so I believe it."

Both boys turned to each other. "Dust, did you just say your partner said it?" Ash slowly mumbled.

Dust nodded, "Why, what's wrong?"

"Did you two happen to make a blood bond?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I'm sorry, but you're both going to die soon unless you rank up. You aren't supposed to blood bond unless you're both Rank two or above."

"EH? CHIKI? Why didn't you think to mention that!?"