A large and proud Tauros stood tall, looking over the herd of his fellow Tauros, 'Well men, I thank you for gathering here so late, and on such short notice as well. But as you know, our duty comes before all else!'

The ranks of twenty-nine Tauros stood in straight rows, heads lowered respectfully towards their leader, 'Yes Major!' They cried out in unison, standing under the night sky.

The leader, known among his men as "Major", let out a small snort, 'Earlier tonight I received news from our Wings,' He paused, perhaps to gather his thoughts, and maybe simply for effect, 'Tonight while flying over the outer lands, our Wings spotted a sight that we've been waiting for a long time now: that the Colonel as once more returned to this small town of Pallet.'

Whispers of excitement raced through the herd of Tauros as this news was shared, but silence quickly took hold of the herd as Major stomped his front hoof for their attention. Despite the moon gleaming overhead on the quiet ranch, alertness gleamed in each of the Tauros's gaze, trembling with excitement at the news they had just received.

'We've been training everyday for this, men,' Major said solemnly, 'And failure is something that we cannot tolerate!'

"Taur!" All of the Tauros bellowed together.

'Tomorrow men, is the day,' Major quietly said, though his voice was heard by each member of his herd. He jerked his head high, raising his voice, 'Tomorrow, we shall go farther than we have ever gone before!'

The Tauros began stomping their feet, letting out long calls of agreement.

'Beta unit, I want you to scout the area! Do not let the Nuisance interfere with our operations like he has in the past! Glacier, I personally want you attending to Shiny- do not let the Noctowl catch sight of any of our operations! Now move out!' Major snarled at the Tauros.

'Yes sir!' Ten of them called out, breaking free from the ranks, lead away by a particularly large Tauros whose fur was covered with frost. Major let out a low snort, turning to the remaining two units.

'Delta unit, I want Flare leading you on a scouting mission, make sure the area is clear for tomorrow.'

'Yes, Major, sir!' Ten more Tauros called out, before breaking away from the troops, marching off in a different direction than the Beta unit had gone. Major watched the two units go, marching behind their leader in rows of three, not a single one breaking rank. He gave a small nod to himself, he had trained his men well.

Major looked out over the remaining nine Tauros, the Alpha unit, the section of his herd that he personally lead during operations. His men looked up at him, no doubt in their gaze, only a burning hope. Pride swelled in the older veteran, perhaps out on their own his herd wasn't the strongest of Pokemon, but nothing could rival the team work and determination that his men put out. The only group that rivaled their numbers were local flocks and bug swarms, but their strength still couldn't compare to his herd. Together, they were one of the strongest groups on the ranch, little could face the force of Ash's Tauros herd.

'Well men,' Major declared to his remaining unit, 'Tomorrow, Operation Stampede begins!'

One more bellow rang throughout the ranch, and Major knew that his men were ready. But what he didn't know though, was that he was being watched, from high up in a tree. The small water type was looking down over the Tauros, a pair of stolen sunglasses on his face. The Torrent hummed a quiet tune as he retreated down the tree, this was something he needed to report to The Stranger.

Major shifted nervously, glancing around once more. The area that the Delta unit had found was nearly perfect, even if it was a bit close to the lab. The edge of the forest though had trees large enough for the Tauros to hide in without risking being noticed, but they were spaced far enough apart for them to run through with little effort. This part of the forest boarded the edge of a large field where many of the trainer's Pokemon ate their lunch, meaning that it was only a short run from here to the lab.

Right where the Colonel was sure to appear.

The only problem was that the Tauros felt too close to the lab. If the Nuisance caught eye of them the whole operation would be thrown out the window...

'Glacier is keeping Shiny accompanied, right?' Major asked one of his soldiers that stood near him, careful to keep his voice low. Major knew that the Noctowl kept a close eye out for the Nuisance, and the last thing they needed was for this operation to be spoiled from one slip up.

'Yes sir,' He replied quietly, 'He'll rejoin us when the stampede begins.'

'And the Nuisance?' He asked.

'Accompanied in the lab,' The Tauros reported, and Major gave a short nod. Everything was going smoothly... The morning sun was climbing higher in the sky, meaning it wouldn't be long until their trainer would appear. The Colonel always came by the ranch every time he returned from a journey, since he had returned late last night that meant he should be here this morning...

Crash!

Major stiffened as something came barreling through the trees above them, this was going to reveal his location! A mass of shell and muscle crashed through the tree line, roughly landing in the middle of the Tauros, something clutched in his two-clawed hand. The blue bug type raised his head, swinging his long horn around, and Major felt a small pulse of anger rush through him.

'Wings,' He growled, looking at the Heracross that had crashed into the clearing, 'You're spoiling our operation!'

Ash's Heracross looked around at the tense Tauros surrounding him, then towards Major, 'I have something to tell you,' He said, passing the small, blue, leafy object to his other hand.

Major flickered his gaze down towards the lab, no sign of the Colonel yet, '...It better be important,' Major said, squaring his shoulders, knowing that his Wings was strong, but not always reliable. Heracross was known for raising alarm to the Tauros for the smallest things, but at least the bug type was always truthful.

'Bulbasaur is aware of where you're hiding,' Heracross proudly declared, 'And he has a plan to stop your stampeding!'

The herd of Tauros's eyes widened at this news, and Major took a step towards Heracross, who flinched- despite having the type advantage over him. Major flicked all three of his tails, silently warning his herd to stay quiet, and he glared down at Heracross.

'What do you mean?!' He snapped, and Heracross gave him a grin.

'I'll tell you more, including a solution for your problem, but only...' Heracross's grin widened, 'But only if you rip open another tree for me!'

Major groaned internally, Heracross would do anything for a taste of nectar or tree sap, and had quickly learned that a Tauros could tear down an entire tree in minutes, along with breaking through the thick bark to get to the sap inside. Combined that with the fact that both of them weren't always on Bulbasaur's good side, Heracross and the herd had formed a small pact to work together. His ability to fly had greatly helped the Tauros with scouting, while he always got a sweet treat afterwards.

'I'll tear down three trees for you!' Tauros snarled, 'Just tell me what's going on!'

Heracross held up the leafy item in his hands, and that's when Major realized it wasn't an object at all, but rather a small Oddish. The poor grass type was being held up by the large leaves sprouting from her head, legs swinging in the air. Heracross displayed her proudly to the Tauros, as if he was holding up solid gold.

'I don't how Bulbasaur learned of where you planned to stampede, but the fact remains that he does know. He has gathered many of the wild grass types, and they're hiding in wait near the lab. Once you come charging down to stampede Ash, they're all going to release a plume of Sleep Powder and knock you all out before you can reach him!' Heracross grinned once more, 'But little Oddish here told me of what they're going to be doing, and if you help her out, then she knows a very special move that can help you with the Sleep Powder. Bulbasaur won't see it coming!'

Tauros was tense, he had made sure that Shiny had been no where around while they had made their plans last night! How had Nuisance figured out their plans this time?! Tauros looked over the small Oddish in Heracross's claws, how could she help them face a whole cloud of Sleep Powder?

But they were running out of time, Colonel would be here any minute, this may be their only chance.

'Put her down, Wings, I don't think she likes being carried like that,' Major ordered, and Heracross dropped the grass type to the ground. Major took a step towards the Oddish as she stumbled to her feet, 'What do you need, and how can you help us?'

The little Oddish danced back, fear in her eyes as the herd of much larger Pokemon glared down at her. She gulped, 'U-um... S-some of the Beedrill that live h-here on the ranch have been invading our t-territory, and we haven't been able to f-fight back... H-heracross said that you could help us, and-' She flinched, ducking away.

Tauros sighed, but lowered himself so he was closer to her eye level as to not scare her more, 'Yes, my herd can help you. But is it is true that you can help us with combating this apparent Sleep Powder ambush?'

The Oddish gave a quick nod, 'Y-yes! I know a m-move called W-worry Seed... It can change your ability to Insomnia a-and... and then y-you won't fall asleep if you get hit with S-sleep Powder...' She gulped, 'The effect doesn't last forever, but it s-should be long enough to get past the o-other grass types...'

Tauros thought this over, then stood up from his kneeling position, 'Young Oddish, if this "Worry Seed" of yours proves effective, I swear on the honor of my herd that we will do everything in our power to help protect your territory!'

The little Oddish looked up hopefully, tears in her small eyes, 'R-really? T-thank you sir! Thank you!'

'Why should we help her?' One of the Tauros muttered, 'We just heard that most of the grass types have allied themselves with the Nuisance...'

Major turned sharply, but couldn't locate the speaker, 'We will honor our agreement with this Oddish, and if you refuse to then you will no longer run with this herd!' He snapped, and all the Tauros fell silent. Major took a deep breath, there couldn't be anymore setbacks, Colonel would be here any minute.

'So...' Heracross said, eyes sparkling hopefully, 'About those three trees...?'

'After Operation Stampede,' Major said, then focused his gaze on the Oddish, 'Prepare your Worry Seed, young one, we are short on time.'

The Oddish nodded, closing her eyes. The leaves on her head rustled, and Major could see several small seeds forming. One of them soared up, hitting Major on one of his horns. The small seed burst open, releasing a bright red powder. Major stiffened as the red plumed engulfed him, and he faintly glowed. As the light faded, the Tauros blinked. Despite the excitement he had been feeling all morning, he hadn't felt more awake until now. It wasn't an energy boost, but no exhaustion was felt in his limbs. He whipped his tails back and forth, feeling like he could run a mile.

He gave a short nod to the Oddish, who quickly ran over to the next Tauros, preparing another seed. He wasn't sure how many of these seeds she would be able to produce, but the more the better. Tauros once more took up his position of looking out over the lab, eyes focused for the moment Colonel would come bursting out of the lab doors, calling for his Pokemon.

And his herd was more than ready to greet him.

"Hey guys!" A loud and cheerful voice called, a young boy bursting out of the back door of the lab, "I'm back from Kalos!" Major focused his gaze on the boy, a red cap sat on his head, and a small yellow mouse was perched on his shoulder. The Nuisance was standing near the Colonel, a faint smile on the grass type's face.

'Men,' Major said quietly, whipping his three tails back and forth, 'It's time.'

And with that, thirty Tauros came charging out of the forest.

Ash Ketchum froze as the ground started to shake, his eyes flickering out over the field, watching as a familiar sight of dozens of large bull Pokemon came running straight at him, eyes locked right on him. The boy paled slightly, but didn't even look surprised as the mob of normal types quickly gained ground, speeding right at him. His ever loyal Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder- and then proceeded to run the other direction, knowing that there was nothing that could stop the stampede.

'Now guys!' Bulbasaur cried, charging forward, and the seemingly empty field came to life, grass types popping up as the Tauros came rushing down. Bellsprouts, Hoppips, Tangelas, all sorts of grass types burst out of the long grass as the Tauros approached, preparing a cloud of blue spores. A smirk came across Bulbasaur's face as the Sleep Powder was released into the air, and he proudly looked towards Ash, he had stopped the stampede! Bulbasaur knew that spore based moves would have no effect on the grass types that formed them, leaving the Tauros to fall victim to the attack.

Major felt a smile pulling on his face as well, as he and his herd charged straight into the plume of Sleep Powder. The look on the Nuisance's face was priceless as he watched the Tauros run straight through the spores, unaffected. Bulbasaur took a step back, while Ash only paled further.

There were many times where Major and his herd had only managed to stampede over Ash, but the Tauros weren't going to fall short this time. With a flick of his tail, the Tauros spread out, causing the grass types to scatter. Delta unit took the lead, slamming into their precious trainer, trampling him like they always did beneath their hooves. Pikachu and Bulbasaur winced, only for another wave of Tauros to come crashing forward, but Major had no intention of trampling Ash again... at least for now.

The Delta unit fell back as Major came forward, putting him in the lead once more. Lowering his horns, Major aimed his head down towards his fallen trainer. He hooked his horns under the boy's arms, then hoisted him up as he descended on him. Poor Ash was thrown up into the air, and came crashing down right onto Major's back. Ash let out a grunt, his hands instinctively grasping Tauros's mane of fur to keep himself from sliding off of the back. Major let out a snort, veering away from the lab, he and his herd running off with Ash.

'Tauros!' Bulbasaur snarled, trying to run after them, but the grass type simply wasn't built for the task, 'Bring Ash back here, now!'

'Your move, Nuisance!' Tauros cried over his shoulder, running straight into the woods. Bulbasaur let out a frustrated cry, while Pikachu simply gave a chuckle as the Tauros vanished into the forest.

"It's great to see you too Tauros!" Ash cried, raising his voice so it could be heard over the sound of the pounding hooves, "But you need to let me down!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Tauros noticed a bright green light filling the sky. Bulbasaur's Solarbeam, sending a signal out towards the rest of Ash's Pokemon. Tauros knew that Bulbasaur could fire off dozens of patterns, each having a different meaning, but Tauros had only bothered learning a few. Major gave a snort, so the game was on, and Bulbasaur was bringing the rest of the Pokemon into it.

That was just fine with Major.

"Noc!" Noctowl cried, and Major caught a gleam of Shiny as she sped forward, eyes glowing with Hypnosis. Major frowned, not knowing if Worry Seed would help out against a psychic attack.

'Glacier!' Major snapped, and the leader of the Beta unit charged forward, opening his mouth. The temperature around them began to drop. Glacier began to gather a mass of frozen energy in front of him, the wind picking up. Then, living up to his name, Glacier fired a powerful Blizzard attack right up at Noctowl. The shiny Pokemon snapped her beak, swooping up to avoid the powerful attack, and the Tauros continued running, 'Scatter, now!'

The Tauros quickly followed Major's orders, speedily forming into their units. Three groups of ten Tauros quickly spread out, each going in their own direction. Ash let out a yelp as Major jumped into the air, leaping over a stream with no ease, then thundered on, the rest of the Alpha unit following after him.

"Tauros!" Ash cried, but Major only laughed. Maybe there had been a few set backs, but this operation had gone perfectly!

'Hold on tightly, Colonel!' Major cried, even though the human couldn't understand him, 'This ride isn't over yet!

With Noctowl now far behind them, and three groups of Tauros now running about the ranch, it should be next to impossible for Ash's other Pokemon to track them. They flew through the forest, needing to stick to the edges to make sure they didn't find themselves trapped in the much denser inner forest, Major had made that mistake once before. He knew that up ahead was the more open section of the ranch, while making it much easier to run, they would be much easier to spot as well.

But it didn't matter if they saw them if they couldn't catch up!

"Snorlax!" Ash cried as he spotted the sleeping Pokemon up ahead, "Snorlax, please wake up!"

A yawn escaped the snoring Pokemon as Major and the Alpha unit ran by, the large Snorlax just starting to wake up in response to Ash's call just as the Tauros ran past their fellow normal type, leaving him behind in the dust as he sat up, looking around for his trainer he could have sworn he had just heard. The Snorlax glanced around, but found no sign of his trainer or of any food, so he laid back down, giving a large yawn as he drifted back to sleep.

"Ros!" Tauros bellowed as the forest started to thin around them, knowing that the meadows were coming up.

"O-okay!" Ash cried, "Tauros, enough is enough!" Ash called as they charged towards the exit of the forest. Never before have his Tauros herd being able to carrying him off this far, or for this long, and in all honesty, Ash didn't know what to think. There was no anger in his tone however, which made Major smile. He liked this trainer.

"Bay!"

A flash of silver light burst out in front of the Tauros, causing them to slow down ever so slightly as another Hidden Power exploded in front of them. Standing in front of them, blocking their exit from the forest was a certain Bayleef, her eyes intently focused on the human riding on Major's back. Standing on top of Bayleef's head was a Snivy, hands on her tiny hips. The Snivy drew her head back, winking at the charging ten Tauros, no fear in her gaze even as they came running right at her.

Tauros's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but slow down to a trot. He had never paid much attention to those outside of his herd, but this Snivy... She was beautiful! Those sparkling brown eyes and her sleek green scales... How had he never noticed this marvelous creature before! That smirk crawling up her face... she was like an angel! All ten Tauros of the Alpha unit found themselves coming to a stop, swept away in the sheer power of Snivy's powerful move: Attract.

However, Major was an experienced veteran, and he wasn't one to get distracted. Even whisked away Snivy's beauty, he still noticed the flash of orange and green off to the side. Tauros leapt back just as a Water Pulse and a Dragon Pulse were fired right at where he had been standing, and he pulled back in time to see Sceptile powering up a Leaf Storm while Buizel stood next to him, another Water Pulse resting in his paw.

An ambush!

'Men!' Tauros cried, but even his talented Alpha unit couldn't tear their gaze away from Snivy. Gritting his teeth, Major reared up, preventing Ash from using the moment to dismount. Sceptile twitched his claws, but slowly let the Leaf Storm die down. With Major now fully aware of his presence he didn't dare fire, not wanting to accidently hit Ash with an attack if the Tauros attempted to dodge.

With this in mind, Major looked over at his love-smitten unit. This would simply not work, it would take too much time to snap them out of this. With a deep sigh, the Tauros sprang back as a Water Pulse was fired in his direction, then he wheeled around, charging off into the woods without his unit, he knew that they'd be fine. Buizel and the three grass types seemed startled by this action, as if they hadn't expected this sudden break off without his herd. Major's heart pattered at the thought of leaving Snivy, but he just had to go! Tauros put all of his energy into his legs, running as fast as they could carrying him- he couldn't risk the Sceptile catching up! It was one of the most powerful Pokemon here on the ranch, and one of the fastest! Tauros was sure he could hold his ground for a little while, but not with his precious cargo on his back!

"Really Tauros?" Ash asked, sounding almost resigned as they burst out of the forest and into the meadows, "How long are we going to be doing this?"

Good question from the Colonel, a very good question, but unfortunately Major didn't know the answer. But never before had the Tauros herd been able to have such a successful operation, and the Tauros wasn't about to give it up so soon.

Major fowned as he ran looked up at the rocky hills ahead, realizing that he was farther down the meadows than he had predicted. They were near the fire type habitat, which connected with the rock and ground type's domain. Tauros's neck twitched, not sure if he'd be able to keep up his current speed in the heat around this area. The forest was much cooler, but more dense. He could always swing up towards the marshes, but the earth there was just so soft that it'd slow him down...

Everything was happening so quickly! One moment he had been hiding in the forest, worried that all of his effort wouldn't pay off, and now he was bathing in his success. What did he do now? Keep running with his trainer until someone caught up or he got exhausted? Or perhaps he should work his way back towards the lab and let Ash go.

Or maybe he could take Ash to the far part of the ranch and hold him there, and then watch the Nuisance spiral into chaos looking for their trainer.

Ash sighed, shifting on Tauros's back. He didn't even seemed unsettled, as if he was carried off by Tauros everyday. Ash gave him a smile, though Major couldn't see it, and patted his back, "I must admit, I'm impressed. You surprised Bulbasaur, outsmarted Noctowl, stood between Bayleef and me, outpaced Sceptile, and then broke free of Snivy's Attract! You're really have become strong, haven't you?"

"Taur," He replied with a snort, of course he was strong! He was the leader of the herd, they depended on a strong leader.

"Will you take me back now?" Ash asked.

Major considered his Colonel's request for a moment, then shook his head. Not now. The Tauros wasn't ready to give up his victory quite yet. Ash let out a sigh at this response. He sat up a bit, adjusting so he could have a better grip. Major was impressed by his trainer's ability to ride bareback with little practice, he'd make a good soldier when he was older.

Tauros frowned, why were there so little Pokemon around here? They were fully in the fire type habitat now, and it seemed... empty. The ground was rough and sandy, the sun bearing down on them. Tauros was sure the heat was kept up by the move Sunny Day being used in the area often, but this area seemed uninhabited. There was a large rocky hill not far from them, the boulders in the surrounding it raked with large claw marks...

Tauros felt himself slowing down a bit, why hadn't he paid more attention to these signs earlier?! He had just most likely ran straight into a territory of a very powerful fire type! He couldn't properly fight with Ash still on his back, he didn't want to put his trainer at risk!

"Are you okay?" Ash asked Major, noticing how the Tauros had stiffened, they needed to get out of here now.

The Tauros jumped as he saw something flicker out of the corner of his eye- something large was coming at them- and it was in the sky! Where was Glacier when you needed him?!

"Rah!" The loud roar echoed through the fire habitat, and Major knew that call. The normal type's eyes widened as he realized who was in the sky, and he went straight into a full gallop. Ash let out a yelp, suddenly seizing the Tauros's mane to stay on him as Major's hooves flew across the dry biome.

He could hear the being's wings flapping, and he knew there was no way he could outpace this creature. Not only was this a powerful Pokemon, Tauros was exhausted from his running. But that still didn't stop him from trying, horns lowered as he charged forward.

Fwush!

A burst of fire, even more powerful than Flare's Fire Blast, scorched the earth in front of Major, forcing the Tauros to turn, skittering to a halt. The Flamethrower died down, and a large dragon-like creature swooped down, landing in the cinders. Smoke drifted up from around the powerful Pokemon, bright blue eyes meeting Tauros's black eyes.

"Charizard!" Ash cried.

Tauros was stiff, face to face with Ash's most powerful Pokemon. The Charizard snorted, giving a small nod to Ash, keeping his eyes on Tauros. The winged lizard raised his head, tail swinging side to side.

'Give me Scamp,' Charizard growled quietly.

Tauros shifted, not sure of what to do. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge, but Tauros knew that he wasn't in a state for a full out battle, especially without his herd. If he wanted to keep Ash with him he'd have to finish the whole battle in one move.

And he just had the attack to do so.

It wasn't a reliable move, not at all, but if it was able to hit, Tauros knew that the battle will be over with just one attack. He shifted slightly, Charizard's sharp eyes still baring into him. Surely the fire type wouldn't dare attack, that would put Ash in harm's way. Sure that he had the advantage, Tauros reared up, hooves glowing as he slammed them into the rough earth, a rumbling being heard.

The Fissure attack shook the entire ground, a large crevice opening up in front of Tauros. The expanding crevice rushed towards Charizard, the earth splitting open, threatening to swallow up everything in it's path. A move so powerful that it always knocked out an opponent when it landed. Major could feel Ash gripping his mane, trying to stay balanced as the whole earth shook under them.

Charizard's wings were opened in a flash, the powerful Pokemon rising up into the air, avoiding the ground type move with ease. Angling himself towards Major, the Charizard dove forward, claws out. The Tauros wheeled about, running as fast as he could as the attack failed. He could feel the heat coming from Charizard as the Pokemon gained air, quickly rushing after him. Charizard opened his mouth, a powerful Flamethrower forming in the back of his throat. Major's heart was racing, Charizard wouldn't dare attack with Ash in the line of fire, right...?

That's when Major remembered that Charizard wasn't afraid to hit Ash with a move.

The Flamethrower engulfed both human and Pokemon, causing Major to stumble to a stop as the fire burned around them. The air stirred as Charizard came in close, plucking Ash off of the Tauros's back with little effort, rising up into the air with Ash in tow. Tauros grunted, turning despite the searing heat of the attack. He couldn't give up now, they had gotten so far this time-!

Charizard was already up out of reach though, holding Ash in his claws. The boy coughed, covered in soot, but gave Charizard a half smile.

"Hey," Ash coughed again, "Thanks Charizard."

Charizard responded by giving Ash another affectionate Flamethrower to the face. An amused smile spread across the mighty fire type's face as he looked down at Ash, 'You're just as predictable as ever, Scamp,' Charizard told his trainer. He angled his wings, catching an updraft.

The Tauros watched as Charizard soared off back towards the lab, leaving Major behind in the fire type habitat. The normal type blinked a few times, watching as the Colonel was carried off like a rag doll. Charizard was gone as quickly as he had come, and respect boiled through the Tauros, the lizard was nothing but raw power. Major lowered his head, sides heaving as he tried to catch his breath, it had truly been a worthy run today, one that would go now in the history books! ...Not like he had any history books though.

Tauros tossed his head, this beat their Hoenn record by a long shot! Never before had he been able to take Ash this far! Major stumbled away from the fire type habitat, he wasn't upset in any way, today had been nothing but a thrill! Not only did his herd have a whole new record to beat, but Major's eyes had been opened. Who knew that a move as simple as Worry Seed had provided so many options? What else could other Pokemon do for him as his herd? Opportunities now seemed so endless! He would get straight to training his herd once more, they had to be prepared for next time the Colonel returned!

But first he owned his debt to the Oddish, and to Heracross as well. And he needed to figure out how Bulbasaur had learned of his operations. Perhaps... Perhaps he had someone else working for him besides Shiny? Tauros quivered at the thought, this new Pokemon must be as silent and hidden as a shadow! Hmm... "Shadow"... Yes, that was a good name for this new potential spy.

Tauros went into a steady trot, searching for the rest of his herd, they had a lot of work to do.